The Roswell Protocols

by Allan Burd

  A part of his mind drifted back, recalling how he came to be here at just this moment. How he was recruited by the government directly from NASA as one of the elite few chosen to work at the top secret Groom Lake facility. How he had continually impressed his superiors until they assigned him to work on extraterrestrial technology recovered from Roswell. How within a year, his comprehension of the alien’s designs, and his grasp of their use of physics—things previously considered theoretical—led to him being appointed lead engineer of Project Starcross.

  The foundation for the Project was built in 1947, a few days after that fateful day the crashed spaceship was discovered in Roswell, New Mexico. Unfortunately, just like the alien life-forms found there, only a fraction of the spaceship survived intact. Not enough that it could ever be salvaged, but enough where the design could be “decoded” and the pieces reverse engineered. The ship’s fragments were brought back to Walker Field, where it was reassembled as best as possible given that day’s technology. The Order of the Dolphin studied it extensively, but after exhausting every bit of knowledge that could be gleaned from it—from metallurgical to biological analyses—they transported it to a secret base and stored it away in a secure facility where it was forgotten about.

  After we successfully landed on the moon in 1969, proving manned space travel possible, interest in the Roswell spaceship was renewed. Once again funds became available. In 1971, Project Starcross was born. Its purpose was to discover how the alien spaceship worked, what principles it used, and to use that knowledge to develop advanced aircraft.

  Now he was going to apply everything he had learned throughout his entire career, plus the hours he spent this afternoon, to bring home the real thing. No more speculation would be necessary. He would fly the spaceship straight back to the United States, stealing it right from underneath the Canadians’ noses. And once it was airborne, there was no way anyone could stop him.

  The gaping hole in the side of the ship didn’t concern him. He knew the magnetic field which surrounded the ship like a sheath would, for all intents and purposes, act as a protective seal. The crystal strands in the engine room didn’t concern him either. He knew Gaines, Chase, and Carlson were competent enough to have followed his instructions and effectively repaired the circuitry. He also knew he had traced the flight controls to the correct instrument panel. His only worry was the human factor, or in this case, the alien factor. Jeff knew for all his vast intellect, he was not a pilot. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to gain proper control over the ship so he wouldn’t accidentally propel it way out into space.

  He then smirked, remembering how he conveniently forgot to mention that grim possibility when he suggested this strategy to Colonel Chase and his superiors this morning. When they discovered the general location of the ship, they knew the odds dictated it would be discovered in Canada. Use of military force was out of the question—it was simply not worth the risk of turning a close neighbor into an enemy—but somehow they had to get their hands on it. To Jeff, this plan seemed like the perfect solution. Only a small team was needed and it was the only peaceful way to smuggle the spaceship into U.S. territory.

  The commanding officers denied him at first. Even Colonel Chase, who knew full well his abilities, doubted him. But then Colonel Chase said the idea was so outrageous, so preposterous, so crazy, it just might work. Besides, it was their only option and they had absolutely nothing to lose by trying. Or so they thought.

  Jeff so excitedly anticipated the event, he even brought along an atomic clock—a device so precise it measured time to a fraction of a second—so he could test Einstein’s theory of relativity first hand. According to Einstein, time slowed down the closer you traveled to the speed of light—and Jeff figured this would be the closest to the speed of light he’d ever come. Although even he wasn’t completely sure why Colonel Chase asked him to magnetically attach it to the ship in plain view of the Canadians. He also didn’t understand why its presence didn’t give away his plan, although he did speculate when he saw people’s reactions to it. Did Chase really tell them it was a bomb? He didn’t care. He trusted Chase’s instincts. As long as everything was in place so he could do what he had to, he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  He got the ship running. Now he just had to figure out how to make it fly. He took a brief moment to check his watch then glanced at the timer on the atomic clock to make sure they were still synchronized. Back at his office in Groom Lake, were a third and fourth time piece which he knew were also in synch. When he arrived home, the difference between the clocks would give him an exact reading on Einstein’s theory.

  He cracked his knuckles, ready to glide his fingers gracefully over the console. Soon the ship would respond to his command. Then he noticed something so unexpected, even he was taken off guard. The room was changing right before his eyes.

  63

  “Lynx, come in Lynx. Can you hear me?” Gaines shouted into the radio. But as he expected the interference created by the E-M field was too intense and static was his only reply.

  “The ship’s up and running, Major. The E-M pulse must’ve done the trick because we’re all still alive.” Chase grinned. “Good ol’ Blaze. I knew he wouldn’t let us down.”

  Lt. Carlson was still frightened. “Oh yeah, Colonel, then what the hell is that?” He pointed at a glowing film spreading outward from the floor by the reactor. As it glided towards them it changed everything it touched. The floor they were standing on was silver. The floor glossed over by the film was sparkling blue and had a pattern of weaving lines. “It might be some kind of internal security system,” Carlson said.

  “For the first time, Carlson, I agree with you,” Chase said, as he trotted backwards away from the advancing film. “Let’s get out of here.” He fled the room. Then wisely, using the unexpected distraction, he ran in the opposite direction of the bridge. He hoped the others would follow. It would give Blaze more time to complete his task.

  “Fantastic!” Blaze whispered as he watched with childlike curiosity as the cloudy light swept towards him. He stood firm as it whisked past his shoes and continued on behind him. He turned around, watching intently as it seeped over the walls, altering their bland appearance. Suddenly, three brown mesh structures appeared around the room. A larger structure with more presence appeared on the raised area in the center of the circular room.

  When the light finally faded, the room was completely transformed. The floor had a charcoal tint with circles overlapping like a montage. The walls were grayish blue with intricate patterns entwined elegantly all around. Pictures of the alien life forms were proudly displayed on the walls, each one hovering around three feet apart. The control panels were now awash with holographic displays. Touch icons literally floated before him. Jeff gawked in sheer amazement. This ship was everything he had ever imagined and more—much more.

  For all the years he studied the alien technology, this was the one aspect his scientific mind hadn’t considered. He was so wrapped up in propulsion systems, materials, and biological necessities, he never considered the amenities. Yet, from an aesthetic point of view, it made perfect sense. Each person was unique and therefore would want unique surroundings. This was the ideal solution. It was up to the crew to program in the environment they desired. This way, everyone enjoyed their long journey through space in maximum comfort. The entire spaceship was a template and this was its final entry.

  He couldn’t wait to see how they lived, what their living quarters looked like. But that would have to wait until later. Right now he had a job to do—and it looked like it just became a whole lot easier.

  He saw a set of steps that weren’t there before. They led up to the raised platform in the middle of the circular room. He placed one foot on the first step. It was solid. He climbed onto the platform and touched the structure he found there. It was a chair, soft and leathery, but a material he’d never felt before. Even better, it was the commander’s chair. He looked up at
the clear protective dome and saw a holographic grid with unrecognizable symbols overlaid the view. He sat down and studied the grid and the holographic panel that was displayed on the side of the chair.

  Colonel Chase was leading them towards the “exit” hole when he stopped. He remembered what Jeff said about the magnetic field acting as a barrier. No one could leave the ship until he powered down. He changed directions, running down a circular corridor, trying to buy Jeff as much time as possible while still giving the impression he was trying to get to safety. Plausible deniability was something he would need if Jeff failed.

  Unfortunately, there was no place left to run. The glowing film was heading towards them from both directions of the hallway and there was no way to avoid it.

  “I hope this isn’t painful,” Carlson whispered, as a bead of sweat dropped from his brow.

  Chase and Gaines remained silent and stood firm. In seconds the light crossed over them with no ill effects. The hallway, however, was completely changed. The floor was navy blue. The walls were a mixture of dark green and black. The panels by the doorways glowed with colorful holographic imagery.

  Carlson looked about. “It’s incredible.” His fear was completely replaced by his appreciation of the new alien environment.

  Chase walked over to the nearest panel and watched the imagery literally float before him. He put an open hand through the light and stared as the images were now displayed on his palm. He pulled it away and the images returned to normal. The bland hallway now teemed with personality. Where once stood a soulless empty alien ship, now was a highly advanced technological and artistic masterpiece.

  A thoughtful expression came over Major Gaines’ face as he stared at the ship’s new look. He muttered only one word. “Blaze.” Then he ran towards the bridge.

  Colonel Chase and Carlson quickly followed.

  From his years of study and the five hours he spent this afternoon, Jeff believed he knew which panels controlled the ship. He theorized that the buttons on this newly generated panel correlated to the buttons of the panels on the wall. The same way a remote control works a television set. All he had to do now was match symbols.

  He looked at the wall panel noticing the holographic images that overlaid it. Then he found its match on the panel next to him. Now, it was just trial and error with experience as his guide. His first guess was the large rectangular button marked with a ridged triangle inside of a circle. Nothing happened. Next, he touched the U shaped button and the ship shrieked.

  He immediately recognized it as the alien’s spoken language. He pushed it again and got the same sequence of high pitched sound.

  He tried another button. Another series of sounds was generated by the ship, also in the alien’s tongue. He tried another and got a new sequence of sounds. He tried them all again, noting that each button pressed resulted in either a disappointing silence or a string of alien sound.

  He fretted. If what he began to suspect was true, his plan was thwarted before he even got started. His confidence only slightly shaken, he refused to give up. He got out of the chair and jogged quickly to the wall panel. He pushed the buttons there finding he got the same responses as he did from the “remote control” panel by the commander’s chair. Now he knew for sure he would never be able to execute his plan.

  It wasn’t really his fault. He was sure he knew how it all worked, even if he didn’t understand why. He knew how each crystal strand brought the energy from the power core to each machine. He knew how the ship glided effortlessly through space by magnetic levitation. Under different circumstances, he was sure he would have succeeded. But he also knew it would take months, if ever, to find out definitely if he was right. It would also take someone with a completely different set of skills than his own. He became lost in thought, commiserating over the missed opportunity.

  That’s when Gaines entered the room. He saw Blaze standing there with a long face that quickly changed when he made his appearance. Gaines’ suspicions were still there, yet he was relieved. He looked about at the new magnificence of the circular room. It was definitely the cockpit, just as they guessed it was. He looked through the clear shield and saw the nearby flames from the downed Ninja flicker across the night sky.

  Blaze saw Gaines’ eyes fixated on the fire. “It worked. Not exactly the way I planned but long enough for Lynx to finish the job.”

  “Thank God,” said Gaines, glad to learn that Lynx was alive. Though all appearances were to the contrary, he still looked at Blaze with suspicious eyes. Gaines decided he must have been wrong. Blaze probably had a long face on because his plan didn’t work as well as he expected. He assumed his paranoia must have been getting the best of him. He took a deep breath and sighed. “Good work, Blaze.”

  Chase and Carlson came running into the room.

  “Why the hell did you take off like that?” scowled Chase.

  “I just wanted to make sure Blaze was OK,” Gaines’ falsely replied. “It’s funny though, you didn’t seem overly concerned about him,” he said to Chase.

  Chase grumbled. “Ya know, Major, I think you still don’t trust us.” Then he walked over to Blaze and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

  “Yeah, I wonder why that is?” Gaines replied. He stared at Jeff whose long face started to return. It was clear he was troubled by something.

  Blaze wandered about in a temporary fog then looked back up at the dome. The ship began to rumble slightly and they all looked up to see Lynx doing a flyby. That brought a smile to everyone’s face. They were still alive. They had the ship—which was invaluable—and its cargo was safe with Rebecca.

  It served as a reminder to Gaines to get his head back into the mission and forget all the nonsense. “Blaze, I need you to power down this ship so I can radio my people.”

  Blaze stopped obsessing. “Oh, sure. Not a problem.” His moment of glory was lost, but nobody discovered his ploy and he was sure he’d get his chance another day. And John wasn’t angry with him either. The only important thing now was getting the ship to safety so that day would come. He looked up at the atomic clock he set up. He realized he wouldn’t need it any more. So, without thinking, he reached up and yanked it off the wall, completely forgetting that Colonel Chase had told everyone it was a bomb.

  64

  The jeep raced with an awkward jostle over the dark deserted highway which was lit only by the dim light of the pale moon and the jeep’s flickering right headlamp. An odd whistling sound, created from the wind rushing through an unseen bullet hole, permeated the cabin with a bothersome background noise that continually buzzed in Logan’s ears. An odor that reeked of burning oil wafted alarmingly and lingered. All signaling to Logan that his quick diagnostic of the military vehicle was sorely lacking.

  A growing sense of apprehension swept over him as defeatist thoughts crept into the forefront of his mind. How he was foolish to go off on his own to check on the others. How he would never make it and be stranded on the cold empty road, only to be found long after the mission had ended. Logan pushed the thoughts away and gripped the steering wheel tighter as the vehicle pulled to the right. Then a worrisome thump-thump-thump sound could be heard over the whistle of the wind.

  “Damn,” he spat. He cautiously halted the vehicle and got out to check the front passenger side tire. It was almost completely deflated. He squatted and listened carefully for the hiss. He waved his hand over the girded rubber until a rush of air pinpointed the exact spot of the leak. Then he crawled underneath for a closer look, spotting the cause as the moonlight reflected off a small piece of shrapnel which had imbedded itself between the treads.

  He briefly wondered if his AAA membership serviced this area. That’s right Logan make jokes so you could ignore the dire situation.

  He replaced the negativity with a wave of anger. This was just a flat tire—nothing that would hinder him under ordinary circumstances. He rushed to the rear and removed the sheath covering the spare tire. Despite his unfamiliarity wi
th this vehicle, everything looked as it would on an ordinary car. He popped the hatch and searched within for a jack and a lug nut wrench, finding everything he needed.

  He carried it all to the front and used it to hoist the front right-end of the vehicle into the air. Then he loosened the bolts one by one in a crossing pattern. This would only take a few minutes. Soon he’d be back on the road. Provided that the oil smell wasn’t as serious as he thought. So then why do I still feel apprehensive? There was something else bothering him, something that came from within. Then it struck him. His instincts were crying out to him, telling him something else was wrong. Not with the jeep, but with the mission. There was information he picked up that was staring him right in the face and yet he was blind to it.

  He piled the lug nuts to his side, carefully so one wouldn’t unexpectedly roll away. Then he removed the flat and let it drop with a wobble. He lifted the spare onto the screws and thrust the new tire firmly into place. So what am I missing?

  He replaced the lug nuts then paused, needing a moment away from the mechanical smells. He wiped the soot from his gloves, stood erect, and inhaled a fresh breath of cold crisp mountain air.

  As he returned to work, spinning the wrench around each bolt with ease, his mind wandered. He played back the events that led him here, carefully analyzing the circumstances and assessing the threats. Nothing previously unknown came to the surface. Next he went through the players, one by one, starting with Chase. He pictured him in his head and analyzed his body language. He looked for expressions, inflections, anything that should have registered with him but didn’t. Then he moved on to the others.

  He spun the wrench around the final bolt, then went back to the first one and tightened it. He continued through the next four as his thoughts turned to the Japanese. They were a considerable threat. And an unexpected one? How did they find out about the spaceship? And if they knew, who else might know? He brushed those thoughts away, filing them under things to worry about later.