LOST AND FORGOTTEN: BOOK THREE - ENIGMA

by Maurice Barkley

  “I was expecting your call, my dear. I just received a message from Colonel Brockway. Where does Lonesome Joe say you are now?”

  “The Phi-Phi Islands in Thailand, sir. The site is very inaccessible. I hope you can get a fix on us.”

  “Just did.” he replied. “After your Peru call I had our technicians set up automatic satellite tracking.”

  “Things are pretty much the same here. There are eight saucers, their control equipment and the dome, but they are all in a single cavern. There are no ledges going anywhere else. We’ll send pictures before we leave. Also, like the cave mouth in Peru, this one has no barrier at the exit. I guess it’s because the opening is unapproachable.” Alice then told the director about the strange anger event on Peru, the monument in the central plaza, the new trolley line and the possibility of their being two more stations. “Sir,” she said, “it seems Earth may be much more significant in the grand scheme of things than we expected?”

  “Yes,” he replied, “and Moses, is even more perplexed than us. Obviously there were things no one ever told him. All you can do is keep making discoveries and see where it goes. Someone on Nexus saw that cigarette butt you found in the Peru dome and identified it as a Nordland Spezial. These smokes were from the Office of Strategic Services in Bern, Switzerland. They were spread around by air drop during the war and many fell into enemy hands. It’s a good find, but there’s no “Aha” moment. It’s very frustrating. I don’t need to tell you about the pressure for answers. By the way, I took Mary and Moses to The Cathedral last evening. They enjoyed it immensely; especially the queen's drink you endorsed. Tell James the people here who monitor these things told me a Molly Watson was Googling his name on our web site. We checked her out and determined her motives were no more than curiosity.”

  The boys and Harry were grinning hugely by this time and Bebe had sidled around to my front.

  Alice let me speak into her microphone. “Sir, you might send an email, telling her I am fine, but at present I am out of the country. I think you would like her.”

  “She might get a kick out of a message like that—I know I will. Consider it done.”

  “That’s it, sir,” Alice said. “We’ll be back on Enigma in five minutes.

  “Keep the ball rolling,” he said. “I expect I’ll hear from you again before dinner.”

  The connection went, but Bebe did not. She placed her hands on her hips, rose up on her toes and nailed me with her now jungle green eyes.

  “That only encourages him,” Alice told her. “I’m sure there’s a simple explanation and I’m also sure he’ll tell you more than you really want to know about it around the campfire.”

  “This is neat, James,” Shan said. “Bebe pretends to be miffed, but we know better.”

  I had dodged another one. M2 finished taking photos and uploaded them leaving us free to return to Manheim. M1told Bebe not to close the portal. We returned to the station and saw that the trolley had not appeared.

  It’s getting a bit late in the day,” M1 said, after reporting to the Colonel, “and I’m hungry. Let’s head back. I’m thinking that our home base, the station, needs a name—ladies?”

  After a short discussion, they settled on Grand Central because it was romantic.

  We arrived to the smell of bacon, which banished all thoughts other than food. Our three guards had set up a mini kitchen that included a good-sized camp stove in front of the station. As soon as they spotted us they dumped two pounds of canned bacon into two frying pans and turned the flame to maximum. One of the guys was stirring up a big pot of what he said were his own special western omelets.

  I read the nametag of the lieutenant in charge. His last name was Roy. He said that because their duties at the Nexus portal ended, they received permission to set up a small feeding station. He brought back from Nexus a stack of camp chairs and two folding tables set up side by side. We each took a seat and invited the three to join us. They declined because they declared themselves to be the staff of the first restaurant on Enigma.

  While Harry and Alice passed out the drinks, we asked Amy to name the new establishment. After some thought, she tapped her plastic cup with her plastic spoon to quiet us down. “Since the owners of this establishment are military,” she said, “I proclaim, for now and for evermore, this restaurant will be known to all who pass this way as the Intergalactic House of Omelets, or IHOO! And please pronounce it, Eye Hoe, not, Eye Hoo.”

  M2 concluded the ceremony by singing, “IHOO, IHOO, It’s off to eat we go.”

  The bacon, omelets and toast arrived together and we dug in. Later, Fran joined us for coffee and a planning session. The result was that the drone team would launch in the morning and start mapping Manheim from the city’s center outward. Meanwhile we would check out the other two stations to see where they went.

  “Is there any sign of our Carl?” Shan asked.

  “I’m afraid not, sweetie,” Fran said, “but every one of us is constantly looking.”

  By then the restaurant crew had cleaned up. We invited everyone to join us on the roof of our snewel-watching building to enjoy the show. It was a perfect and companionable evening.

  Fran sighed. “All of this and the air smells of flowers.”

  One of her crew said that somehow, they must find a way to secure a permanent station here.

  Another laughed and said, “And for this we’re getting hazardous duty pay—incredible and there are no bugs.

  “I wonder about the bugs too,” M2 said. “Except for the snewels, the flying Frisbees and the yellow ribbon thing, we haven’t seen as much as a flea. The insect control device must still be operational, but what fertilizes the flowers?”

  Bebe joined the conversation. “Could it be the little creatures are all nocturnal, like the snewels?”

  “If so,” I said, “why weren’t they munching on us while we slept?”

  “Easy,” she said. “If humanoids have been absent for five thousand years, the bugs would have turned to other sources for sustenance and will have long forgotten the likes of us.”

  Harry whispered in my ear, “That lady is way smarter than you, James.”

  Bebe was near my other shoulder. “Yes, and she also has extraordinary hearing,” she said.

  “Well,” Fran said, with a tone of wonder in her voice, “this is one hell of a stupendous leap for mankind.”

  “Hear, hear,” Several voices replied.

  The talk went on while we fired up our Shenandoah cigars, including one for Carl. After the last smoke ended we trooped down to the porch and spread our gear for sleep. Everyone in the crowd just lined up side by side along the inner wall. Lieutenant Roy told M1 he would post two guards while we slept.

  CHAPTER 7

  I forgot to tell Bob to skip the dawn wake-up call. As a result, everyone got to see the start of the new day on Enigma. Before breakfast we made a quick trip to the northwest station. The portals took us to Nexus and then to a very hostile place in Antarctica—we didn’t stay long. Another six saucers were parked there, but no more radios or evidence of Nazis.

  At Grand Central we found that Lieutenant Roy and his men had moved the Intergalactic House of Omelets inside the station in case it would ever rain. They had obviously been back to Nexus to requisition more of the items necessary to run their operation. Not only did they have more chairs and tables, but also there were three military supply hut storage bins in service as a bar along with four stools. The tablecloths looked suspiciously like olive drab bed sheets, but they did the job. Our thoughts were that the lieutenant and his boys were serious about a permanent assignment on Enigma and were doing everything possible to ensure that eventuality.

  Colonel Brockway and some of his troops entered. “Good morning all,” he said, and by the way, “Mary and party will be arriving in a matter of minutes. They’ll be going to the Dormant Chambers to give some folks there a wake-up call. Can one or two of you meet them at the portal and bring them here? My people and I
—we need to sample that bacon.”

  Lieutenant Roy called out. “You new guys belly up to the bar and get your coffee.”

  Bebe and I volunteered for the portal duty. The place was empty when we arrived so we sat on the steps and talked. She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I have chills all over when I think of the unbelievable things I have witnessed in recent days. I wish I had more time to digest everything.”

  “That’s been my most frequent complaint,” I said. “We’re riding the crest of a very large wave and we must either maintain our balance or fall in the water. I don’t want to take that dip.”

  “James, I feel there is a part for me to play in this drama, but what it is I do not know. Why are there all of these portals to Earth and why Peru and why did our visit there stir some old memories?”

  “Your past is a mystery, I said, “as are your ever changing eyes. If there are answers we can discover, I think one will reveal the other. All we can do is carry on and see what the Secret Path will reveal.”

  Bebe snuggled closer to me. “And we will do this together. Never have I been so happy. I know we agreed there would be no nice-nice, but we are alone sailor.”

  “Your ideas are a delight,” I said, “but your timing leads me to the valley of despair, for I just heard some sounds from the portal. No nice-nice for us. Let’s go and greet the new arrivals.”

  When we reached the top of the stairs I saw Mary waiting by the portal doorway.

  As we greeted the new arrivals we had to keep moving down the stairs. Regular troops carrying heavy loads of supplies began to pour out of the chamber doorway. Obviously working to a plan, they started to offload in the space between the portal building and the station. Our group circled around to join the others at IHOO. The appearance of the tall Prime impressed Lieutenant Roy, his men and the drone crew. After some hurried introductions, we all gathered around the restaurant table, eager for news from Earth.

  “I bring you greetings from your director,” Mary said. “You must know how busy he is. Even so, I expect one day soon he will find the time to visit here. Everything is going well and the people in charge have advanced all schedules. The staging area in Shenandoah is nearing completion and a major troop movement is about to start. The extra people that came through with us are carrying supplies to expand this encampment. You will find fuel for the drone, food, communications gear, even soap and toothpaste in these packages. Specialists among them will undertake the innumerable tasks like setting up latrines, laundries and medical facilities. Before they begin, I’d like you to warn them of any hazards or areas to avoid.

  “I, along with several troopers will go directly to the Dormant Chambers. We will revive about twenty people and take them to Paradise— Shenandoah specifically. Specialists there will determine whether or not the newly awakened Primes are suitable for the important tasks that await them. I expect we will not be here for more than a day. I saw Abraham on Nexus. He sends his greetings. I think that by now he and Lamont are on Omaha.” Mary handed M1 a small package. “Here are some universal translators to hand out. This is the first of a large distribution.” Hang it around your necks. It needs to be in contact with your skin to function.”

  M1 opened the package and passed around the little silver disks. Each had a fine silver chain.

  Joe, I thought, do I need one or do you translate for me?

  It would be redundant, but you should carry one just in case, he thought back, so I took one.

  Mary asked for a cup of coffee and the IHOO staff leapt into action and within two minutes, everyone in sight had a paper cup in hand. As Harry approached Mary, I saw her pull an iPod from a hidden shirt pocket and punch it with her thumb. He asked her about it and she replied that she kept the plug in her ear almost constantly. I imagined her and Shan would get on famously.

  “I have listened to a thousand songs of all types,” she said enthusiastically, “and never have I heard any of them repeated. Your music is wonderful, truly wonderful and inspired.”

  Shan, on overhearing this, swooped in. “I love Guns N’ Roses; have you heard them? Oh oh, oh, ohwooh oh, sweet child of miiine.”

  “I have not,” Mary said, smiling,” but if you think they are good, I must listen to them. Is their music anything like Mozart?”

  “Oh, no,” Shan said, “they’re so much better! Wait, I’ll put them on your iPod now!”

  I decided to save Mary from our resident DJ and made my way over to where they were standing. “Welcome back,” I said. “You seem to be holding up well considering the hectic schedule.”

  “Other than a lack of sufficient sleep, I am having what you call the time of my life. This is all so exciting.”

  “I'm curious about something,” I said to her, while Shan fiddled with Mary’s iPod. “When you talked to Bebe at Camp David, you were very curious about the color of her eyes. Was it just that you had never seen such eye colors before?”

  “Not only that,” she replied, “but there were tales told about the unseen rulers, much of it legend I suppose. The extremely few Primes who saw them reported the eyes of these mysterious beings would change color.”

  “Did they otherwise look like us?”

  “I recall no other descriptions. I imagine if there were any dramatic differences they would have incorporated them into the tales.”

  Just then one of Mary’s party called for her to join them. I turned to rejoin my group and bumped into Bebe who had been standing there all along.

  “You wonder about me, James and I do as well, especially based on recent revelations. Do you wonder what lies behind these eyes? Do you fear me?”

  I took a deep breath and answered thoughtfully. “Never have I had a flicker of fear, only curiosity. I do worry that these revelations about your past might not be what you would wish for yourself. Whatever they may be, you have me and the Dance Band at your side.”

  “Always I have been alone, James, but not anymore and I take great comfort from that fact. What may happen tomorrow remains a mystery but we shall see what we shall see. Meanwhile, Bebe is happy. Are you happy, James?”

  “Life is interesting, exiting and fulfilling. Happiness is all that I know.”

  M1 called a meeting of new officers to tell them about local hazards. While that was going on, we helped Mary and party squeeze onto a trolley and saw them off to the Dormant Chambers. We had to call up a second car to transport the remainder of the contingent.

  Shan was a bit depressed because she wasn’t able to transfer any of her music to Mary.

  CHAPTER 8

  Colonel Brockway appeared at breakfast with several of his staff. “My superiors love the names you come up with,” he said. “You’re making life busy, but easy for everyone up the line. I’ve set up a semi-permanent communications pod in one corner of the station. Things will change as necessary, but we’re happy to be here… Lordy, smell that bacon.”

  “Right over here, sir,” Lieutenant Roy called out.

  The Colonel went for his food and Fran appeared with a good-sized map she generated from the recent drone signals. “We goosed it up to a higher altitude,” she said, while spreading the map on our mess hall table, “so it can scan a wider path and spiral out all the faster. Right now it’s about six miles out and that seems to be a couple of miles from the city limits north and south. What we’re seeing now is lots of vegetation and some indication of animal life beyond the city’s edge—birds all over the place, but none in the city.”

  “That’s where the bugs are, I’ll bet,” Amy said. “They must have a remarkable pest control system. It’s selective too, if just the snewels can make the trip.”

  “A billion here, a billion there, a billion everywhere,” Harry said, with a sigh.

  We examined the map closely, but it didn’t add much to what we already knew. The map clearly indicated the places we had visited, but we saw no other significant or unusual structures. The place where we lost Carl was circled in red. The exception appeared
to be a large open-air theater about twelve blocks to the east on the wide avenue that led away from the central plaza.

  “No more parks or plazas nearby,” Alice commented. “We might want to take a look at this theater thing. It isn’t too far from here. We’ve had the foggiest of hints about the Nazis recently. Maybe they left something there.”

  M1 pulled us further away from Grand Central to check our gear for our next hike. “You know,” he said, “it’s getting crowded at Grand Central and I think we’re at our best when we’re alone.”

  We all paused to look at him because we all realized he was right. It was one of those instances where someone in a group gives voice to something just below our cognizant level. M1 had a short talk with Lieutenant Roy, and then we headed east.

  “Hey, Joe,” Alice said, as she poked my second button. “How you doin? Are we moving too fast for you?”

  “Not at all, Alice,” he replied. “You must realize I exist in a much more rapid universe than you mere mortals. Imagine if you will, holding a conversation with someone, only you had to wait one hour between each word. This is how I have to communicate with you and this is also why I have ample time to formulate my superior responses.”

  Alice pursed her lips. “Well, isn’t that just marvelous for you.”

  “Yes it really is wonderful,” Joe replied. “It must be a similar experience to what you humans enjoy with your dogs and goldfish. I can’t thank you enough for it.”

  Her eyes bulged out and her nose twitched. I tried my best not to laugh, but I did make some choking noises.

  “I’d love to turn Joe loose in a Las Vegas casino,” Harry said. “He’d break the bank before sunset.”

  “They’d run him out of town about half way through a stunt like that,” Alice said, while walking briskly ahead, “but it would be interesting to see James covered with tar and feathers.”

  Bebe was walking behind me, but close enough for me to hear her chuckle. It was the same chuckle she used when first we met on the waterfront in Colón. As we walked along, she edged closer to me and said, “I notice Shan really is taken with the music of Earth. Look at her.”