The Deception

by Janet Shore

  The next morning sunrise in Egypt painted the desert with a splendid display of color. Ahmed left his motel room, turned in the keys, and drove the Rambler around the corner to a fast food drive through for some breakfast. Sitting in the parking lot, eating, he gazed at the sky. Faintly, he saw a couple of bright spots, dimmed by the rising sun. He noticed a third bright spot, the glint off of a passenger jet nearby. He lowered his visor, tossed his garbage bag in the nearby trash can, and turned onto the highway heading south. Reaching the international airport, Ahmed returned the Rambler to the rental check-in. An array of additional boarding nuisances followed. He had difficulty getting the strange device through the metal detector. The object set off the alarm. The inspector took the object out of Ahmed’s carry-on bag. After several warnings from Ahmed to be careful with his “research” device, the inspector accidently dropped it. A piece of the object broke off with a remarkable blue light at the point of impact. The inspector apologized as Ahmed indicated that the item was worth a lot of money. He let him pass through inspection to board the plane. Finally, he settled back in his seat as the plane took off heading north over the Sinai to Russia. The drone of the plane’s engine lulled him to sleep.

  After a fairly long nap, Ahmed was jolted to consciousness from the buffeting of air turbulence. Getting his bearings, he reached under his seat to pull out his carry-on bag. Carefully, he removed the device and the broken piece. Clumsily, he tried to reattach it as if he were solving a jigsaw puzzle. Suddenly, to his great surprise, he held it in a particular position where the device began to seamlessly seal the break. Within a minute, the device was as whole as it had ever been. Then, it seemed to come to life by lighting up in different ways. A stewardess came by curious about the electrical noise coming from the device.

  “Sir, until you hear the announcement, all electronics must be turned off. I’m sorry.”

  Ahmed’s eyes looked up at her pleading,

  “I don’t know how to turn it off!”

  The stewardess looked at him sternly. She had over the years heard every excuse in the book for these types of situations,

  “I’m sorry. You must have turned it on, please turn it off.”

  Sheepishly, Ahmed replied, “I’ll try.”

  All of his efforts for the next ten minutes were to no avail. The device was just not going to cooperate. The best strategy was to hide it back in the carry-on bag. Ahmed reached for the bag only to hear the device say,

  “All warnings have been given. Catastrophe from the sky is approaching.”

  Ahmed whispered nervously at the device,

  “Be quiet. Be quiet. Someone will overhear you. They will think I have a bomb or something.”

  The device ignoring Ahmed’s concern repeated itself as it was stuffed in and sealed in the carry-on bag. The bag was shoved under the seat. Muffled sounds could still be heard as the device repeated its message again. Alerted by a nearby passenger, the stewardess returned with the sky marshal.

  “Sir, could you please open your carry-on bag?”

  The sky marshal grabbed the bag from Ahmed, opened it, and started rummaging through the contents. He found the metallic artifact and removed it. The device was dark and no longer speaking. Ahmed looked up at the stewardess,

  “See. It is turned off as you requested.”

  The plane landed at the airport in Tashkent Uzbekistan. Ahmed made his way through the airport to the security station to make an enquiry about his confiscated property. The officer in charge of security told him,

  “I’m sorry, your device was on its way here, but the military stationed here took it from airport security claiming that it had something to do with their ongoing operation. I thought that very curious for two reasons. First, you came from Egypt so I cannot see how that would be related to their military exercises. Second, all of the recent UFO activity suggests that their exercises were not routine.”

  Ahmed sighed, “How do I get my device back?”

  Picking up the phone, the officer smiled, “I’ll reunite you with your device, don’t worry.”

  The security officer contacted the military,

  “I have him. He is here.”

  Within minutes, Ahmed was escorted across the terminal to a room that resembled a command center. He was seated in an adjoining office. Through its window, he could see all manner of activity. This command post was very active. The door opened. A Russian major, Igor Baranov, entered with the device. The major laid it carefully on the table. In his best Egyptian Arabic he asked,

  “Do you know what this is?”

  Ahmed thought carefully,

  “Major, I purchased this device from Derek Taylor in Egypt with the purpose of selling it here for a small profit.”

  “Who is this Derek Taylor?”

  “He is an American. As far as I can tell, he has a lot of these devices.”

  The major was surprised, “What was he doing in Egypt?”

  Ahmed answered, “Selling me the device. We made the deal on an Internet auction site that specializes in UFO artifacts.”

  The major lifted the device, examining it,

  “Why would you come here to sell it?”

  Ahmed replied, “This is where the next buyer lives.”

  The major continued,

  “Did the device become active while you had it?”

  “It lit up and spoke in the plane. It said something about a catastrophe from the sky”

  Another major entered the room. The two began to speak in Russian. Ahmed understood everything they said perfectly. He was fluent in five different languages.

  Major Baranov pointed at Ahmed,

  “It spoke to him.”

  The other major reported,

  “The one we located in the field is identical to this one. It also spoke of a coming catastrophe. The entire quadrant zero is securely surrounded. It remains a very active area.”

  Major Baranov turned toward Ahmed,

  “Give us the name of the next buyer.”

  Ahmed fired back, “If I give you that information then can I have my device back and be on my way?”

  The other major suggested in Russian,

  “If we give it to him then we can simply tail him to his destination.”

  Major Baranov nodded his assent to the plan.

  “Here is your device Ahmed. Thank you for your cooperation. We are sorry to have further delayed you. You are free to go.”

  Ahmed took the device and stuffed it into his bag. He was well aware that he was going to be tailed as long as he stayed in the area. He had some serious concerns for his buyer, as well as for his own safety after the sale. Perhaps, he could find another buyer. As he left the terminal, a sound thundered in the distance. Ahmed thought it to be a sonic boom from the military jets.

  The two large fragments of the asteroid had entered the atmosphere of the Earth. Tremendous smoky trails of debris could be seen from the ground as the two objects tracked their way across the sky. The astronomers of the VORG were correct. One object was headed on a trajectory toward the Middle East, the other toward Egypt. Sirens sounded, people panicked, but there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from the impending impact. Some in the impact zone were caught unawares. A family that was eating their dinner having a good discussion about the politics of the world would be instantly destroyed. Others were running for their lives, some stood still looking up at the sky dumbfounded, believing that the object would pass them over, impacting far away. Damascus was ground zero for the first fragment. The ancient city was completely leveled. A blast wave of fire and smoke moved out in a circular direction dissipating its energy. Those at the edge of the disaster avoided the clogged highways by going off the road heading toward Jordan. Many were on foot. The caravan of humanity was in desperate flight. Helicopters and transport planes from many military forces rushed to the scene to offer humanitarian aid to those in need. The Jordanian government opened its borders to accept all of the displaced. The Syrian survivors woul
d be well taken care of in Jordan. Whatever had been important to various groups in Syria up to this point was forgotten. The worst human disaster from an asteroid impact had occurred.

  The other fragment terrified those in Egypt. It passed low over Cairo missing the city. It traveled along the path of the Nile. Most inhabitants thought that their lives were over. Many fell to the ground praying that the asteroid would continue further on its terrible journey. The second fragment directly hit the Aswan Dam shattering it with a similar circular blast wave. The frustrated waters behind the dam let loose. First blown back by the blast, the water then reversed back to the direction of natural flow with the force and character of a mega tsunami traveling down Egypt’s flood plain. The Nile was thrown into the desert. The thrashing sea life and debris spread out. Over the next weeks and years, the carrion would feast on the devastation. The sea monster that Ahmed and Derek Taylor were laughing about just days before was thrown in its entirety onto the desert to die and be eaten. The size of the creature was enormous. Truly this creature had been a well-kept secret. Humanitarian aid poured in from the global community. The death toll due to the water from the impact of the second fragment was even greater than that of the first fragment. Egypt was destroyed.

  In its death throes, the monster writhed in the sand whipping its tail back and forth over the span of a mile. Many trucks and cars were tossed around like toys. Part of the debris that was tossed out included sailboats, barges, and other vessels. The tail was indiscriminant in its motion, blending victimized structures, property, and life on shore with whatever was on or under the Nile. One of things under the Nile which had been on the bottom but was lifted onto the desert by the giant wave was Derek Taylor’s cellphone. The wet phone lay drying in the sand toward the edge of the debris field. An injured man noticed it. Not being able to move well due to his injuries, he dragged himself through the wet sand and reached with his arm as far as he could. After great effort, he grabbed the phone. He squeezed it tightly which randomly caused it to dial out from the list of received calls.

  At the Pentagon, General Arnold, Major Sanders, and Pedro Sanchez had been briefed on the disaster. General Arnold instructed Dr. Jenner to ask the oblong object on Mars why they had missed the two large fragments. Dr. Jenner posed the question repeatedly but received no answer. Suddenly, Pedro’s cellphone rang. He looked at the caller ID. It was from Derek Taylor. Pedro answered the phone,

  “Hello, Derek?”

  At the other end, all Pedro heard was desperate weak cries in a foreign language that he did not understand. The strange pleading went on for a while. Pedro pressed the speakerphone button so that the Major and the General could also hear. Finally, the call ended.

  Major Sanders exclaimed, “The whole world is going to hell!”

  Pedro guessed, “That wasn’t Derek. Someone must have gotten a hold of his phone. Maybe something has happened to him.”

  General Arnold reacted, “Derek Taylor is the least of our worries. We are trying to understand the risks of the coming visit to Mt. Graham. The Jazene were supposed to destroy the asteroid that they claimed came from the Danali. Obviously, our entire planet is caught in the middle. Now, two fragments from their efforts have destroyed Egypt and Damascus.”

  Major Sanders asked, “Are we sure that it was their efforts?”

  Pedro shrugged his shoulders, “Who else could it be?”

  General Arnold suggested, “Maybe we can avert further disaster if we ask them to move on and not visit Earth. Then, I suppose that their enemies will follow them.”

  Dr. Jenner was called, and within minutes, the question was posed to the Jazene. Dr. Jenner pulled his seat closer to the console,

  “Regarding your visit to Earth, we ask you with one voice, as a planet, please do not come here. You bring us trouble and destruction.”

  The object shrank in size, humming, expanding again. It repeated this odd sequence. Dr. Jenner repeated his question. The object spoke,

  “We just saved your world. We understand your concern. We are not invaders. May we send a single small ship to Mt. Graham?”

  Dr. Jenner spoke forcefully, “No. You may not.”

  The reply came, “I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter. The visitation will occur.”

  Dr. Jenner was puzzled,

  “Wait a minute! First you offer us what amounts to an invasive takeover of our worldwide infrastructure in the name of preservation. Then, you destroy two of our countries.”

  The Jazene voice interrupted, “That was not us.”

  Dr. Jenner nodded to the tactical console to get ready to fire at the craft. The Jazene detected the threat. Without warning or negotiation, the threatening armed rovers were destroyed with particle beams emitted from the craft. The strange ship took off vertically at a high rate of speed and disappeared. Dr. Jenner called General Arnold to bring him up to date on these latest developments. The general hung up the phone looking at the other two,

  “Heaven help us.”

  At Mt. Graham, Dr. Thomas and Agent Granger were walking along the walkway near the VATT telescope. Brother James, a researcher at the VATT came out to greet them.

  “Hello.”

  Agent Granger shook his hand,

  “Hello Brother James, did you hear of the disaster in Damascus and Egypt?”

  “Yes. It is a terrible, terrible tragedy. Do you have any more details on when we will be visited by the Jazene?”

  Dr. Thomas gazed toward the sky, “No. No. They are definitely coming here soon.”

  The next day as the noon hour approached, Dr. Thomas was alerted that an object had been sighted in the sky. The entire battalion trained their weapons toward the approaching craft. It landed a few minutes before the noon hour, a few miles away from the telescopes. Agent Granger picked up Dr. Thomas in a jeep and headed to the landing site. When they arrived, they made their way slowly through layers of soldiers. Outside the perimeter, on the hills, onlookers were shooting video for the Internet. Granger and Thomas exited the jeep. Before them, at a distance of fifty yards was one all too familiar black sphere. The sphere pulsated,

  “Do not come closer. We do not want you to be harmed. One of us will materialize in a form that will not shock you. If you saw our true form, we are afraid it would distract us from the focus of our meeting.”

  The sphere changed its rhythm. It seemed to be building in energy. Suddenly, from its tip a conical beam came out that reached the ground. In its circle was a being with a head, torso, two arms, and two legs. It was not humanoid, but it did have bi-lateral symmetry. The androgynous form did not seem to have on any clothes. The transport beam retracted. A yellow glow surrounded the strange creature that remained. It headed toward Granger and Thomas. Walking briskly, it looked around at all of the loaded weapons trained on it. It spoke to Dr. Thomas,

  “Dr. Thomas, thank you for having me for a visit today. I have a message that we can discuss in private. Agent Granger, all of the weapons under your control should be safely secured. We do not want any accidents.”

  Dr. Thomas asked, “What shall we call you?”

  “Call me Peto.”

  Peto got into the back of the jeep. The three rode back to the observatory where they took their strange visitor on a tour of the grounds. When they walked past the VATT telescope, Brother James ran up to the Jazene emissary in order to politely welcome him. Peto did not expect Brother James to run toward him, and put up a force shield which Brother James collided with. Agent Granger reached down to lend a hand to Brother James who was slow to get up. Peto said to him,

  “Sorry about that. You surprised me.”

  Dr. Thomas introduced them, “Peto, this is Brother James who is doing research with the VATT, the telescope of the Vatican.”

  Peto walked around and around Brother James,

  “After I speak with Dr. Thomas, I’d like to talk to you privately Brother James.”

  Brother James dazed brushed himself off,

  “Sure. T
hat would be fine.”

  After the tour, Peto asked,

  “Who is your leader?”

  Dr. Thomas answered, “The President of the United States is our Commander in Chief. He has designated General Arnold of the pentagon to represent him during your visit. You can speak with General Arnold whenever you like.”

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  Dr. Thomas and Peto left Agent Granger to his security tasks. In Washington, Pedro Sanchez, Major Sanders, and General Arnold assessed the current state of affairs. General Arnold summed up,

  “It looks as if Peto is not a threat at this time. The sphere is in a containment perimeter, though I doubt that we could actually contain it should it have an agenda beyond sitting idly at the landing site. The carnage overseas has consumed the attention of the world.”

  Pedro interjected,

  “Our focus is on Mt. Graham, not managing the logistic, political, and economic fallout from the impact of the two asteroids.”

  Major Sanders challenged Pedro,

  “What if the two are related? After all, whether or not they actually broke up the main asteroid, they claim to. It all seems too convenient. Really, our hands are tied. All we can do is to wait for Peto to play his hand.”

  At Mt. Graham, Dr. Thomas was alone with Peto for the first time,

  “Do you need food or water?”

  Peto responded, “I do not need any food or water. I could use some electricity.”

  Dr. Thomas offered, “We have a 120 volt alternating current coming from the plugs in the wall. I have an inverter I can plug in to provide you with a direct current. The voltage on the inverter has ten settings.”

  Peto held his palm out toward the plug in the wall,

  “The sinusoidal variation would electrocute. I believe the inverter will be required. There is a data signal coming across the zero voltage level. Can that be screened?”

  Dr. Thomas made a phone call to maintenance to cut off the zero voltage transmissions over the power line to his office. After a few minutes, Peto declared,

  “The data signal is gone. Please connect the inverter. Set the device for the highest setting.”