SKY WOMAN OF GROOM LAKE

by Charlie Peart

  Tom and Laura settled down into the aft seating and were soon enthralled with the early morning wildlife that inhabited the river. On either side of the river, mullets were leaping in and out of the water and ospreys perched on the tops of dead palms. Occasionally, a large heron would take-off from a nearby knarled tree limb and fly directly across the bow of the boat into the shallows on the other side. The sun hadn’t quite reached the entire river yet, so the boat alternated between warmer, sun filled air and cooler, darker shadowed waters as it made its way upstream.

  Along the way, they only saw a few fellow boaters. Several smaller, center console fishing boats were anchored near the river bank and the owners were busy casting their lines, hoping to catch something in the early morning hours

  Two black Suburbans, with heavily tinted windows, drove off the C-130 ramp after it had parked at the West Palm International Airport. The vehicles were waved through the gate and headed north to the White City area address given to them in their briefing.

  The four-man, special agent task force was charged with finding the missing alien using all available means, except deadly force. The government wanted this subject taken alive and remanded back to Area 51. The team members were former Navy Seals, trained for black ops and specially cleared for this mission.

  The two vehicles traveled in tandem up I-95, exceeding the speed limit on most occasions. The team leader knew time was of the essence. Just because the alien had been spotted in a remote area of the White City subdivision, didn’t mean she was still there. In fact, he thought, she could be hundreds of miles away by now. He would do his best to find her, but a little luck would help. He also had been warned that she possessed special powers, and all had been cautioned to be careful when restraining her. The briefer gave scant information, other than a vague reference to possible “mind controlling abilities”.

  Although he acted confident, Doug was feeling a little uneasy about ferrying them all safely to the Bahamas, especially with such strange cargo on board. He had made a few trips over the past several years to the Bahamas in his boat, so he knew how to do it. But he would have preferred going with a group of vessels for safety and security reasons. And often weather could be unpredictable. He remembered, not fondly, the last cruise encountering 3-to-5 foot seas on the final hour of his return to the inlet, when 1-to-2 foot seas had been forecast the day before.

  Doug’s thought was to navigate to Walker’s Cay in the waters of Little Bahama Bank. Walker’s Cay was a 90 nautical mile trip from the inlet. Normally it should take a little over four hours. He had been there before, back when the hotel and marina were open, and it was some of the best dive and fishing waters in the Bahamas. But the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 had destroyed the property and the hotel and marina were forced to shut down. The docks were still there though, and a lot of boats made the passage to do fishing and diving. There were many cays directly to its south and Doug thought these would be perfect for Amie’s plan.

  He knew the customs house was still operating at Walker’s Cay. He and Terri had passports and Laura and Tom had two forms of identification that would allow them to pass through. If the customs officer didn’t board the boat, as they had not in the past, it should be easy, but although Doug had all the charts for the area, he was a little short on experience.

  Meanwhile, Tom was absorbed in his own thoughts about the role he had to play very shortly, and his apprehension was building. Tom noticed the river was narrowing, the riverbanks were looking more jungle-like, and there were fewer homes interspersed along the way.

  Tom spoke to Doug, standing at the helm, who had just steered the boat into an even smaller fork off the main river. This was really narrow, in comparison to the main river, with fallen palms jutting out into the boat’s path and occasional moss laden, live oak branches hanging overhead. “Are we getting close yet to her hideout?”

  “Yep,” Doug replied. “It’s just up here a little ways. We’re about five minutes right now from her dock. Getting nervous?”

  “Yeah, a little. I’m worried how it will go. I’m wondering what I’ll do if my dad’s alien friend won’t come with us.”

  Doug spotted the bridge ahead leading to Idabell Island, and he checked his depth finder; it registered at 4.5 feet. It looked like low tide, and although that might present a problem docking the boat, Doug was pleased because he knew “Running Free” could just slip under the bridge.

  Once under the bridge, Doug cut the motors to almost idle speed as they coasted another 75 feet, steering ever closer to the dock ahead. Doug reversed the engines, stopping the boat along side the small dock. The water was three feet deep, just within the limit of his draft. Terri had already climbed off and secured the lines to the dock cleats, before he cut the engine.

  Tom retrieved the medallion and photo of Nick stored in their small carry-on, and climbed over the gunwale onto the dock. Doug handed him the key to the front door. “Good luck man,” Doug said.

  Laura, looking fearful, urged her husband to be careful. She had not heard the caution Nick expressed regarding Amie’s special powers, but the very idea of her husband interacting with a being from another planet was extremely worrisome. No one was really sure what this alien was capable of and how she might react.

  Doug climbed out of his boat and walked with Tom up the pathway to the rear entrance, standing on watch outside the property while Tom walked to the front. The two women waited anxiously in the boat, each wondering what might happen.

  As Doug scanned the area, he noticed that his neighbor had a kayak lying behind the bushes and in easy reach of the river. Doug knew that some of the beaches and coves where they would be headed were very shallow, with a possible rocky bottom. Having a dingy to check the waters before moving his boat closer to shore would be a plus. Now that Doug had spotted the kayak, he thought that it might be just the thing they could use.

  “Terri, come here a minute,” he yelled to his wife. She scrambled out of the boat, to help her husband.

  Amie, dressed in blue jeans and with a t-shirt over her vest, had been sitting in her usual morning meditation pose in the Florida room after eating her breakfast of canned fruit. She was suddenly disrupted by voices coming from her dock on the river. Amie instantly came to full alert, watching the boat mooring at her dock, and she became extremely frightened when two strange men hopped off the boat and headed toward her house. She quickly ran into her bedroom and, once again, hid in her closet.

  Soon after Amie entered her closet, the doorbell rang followed by a rap at the front door. Tom knew he was supposed to enter the house, but he was reluctant to just barge in. His father had told him that he had instructed the alien to admit no one but himself. Now, as Tom got to the door, he was hesitant to let himself in with the key. He wished his father were with him.

  When Nick had told his son that he could get “zapped”, Tom pictured an alien pointing a long finger his way and deadly energy bolts shooting out of the fingertips, driving him backwards into a wall. He was afraid of what might happen when he confronted this Amie. But now, as he stood nervously on the doorstep, it was obvious that nobody was going to answer the door, and he would have to gather up his courage and go in after the extraterrestrial.

  Amie heard the door open and began building her energy vibrations, hoping her vest would give her enough power to disable whomever was trying to enter her sanctuary.

  Tom called out in a loud voice to the still hidden Amie. “Amie, I’m Nick’s son, he sent me here to help you. He couldn’t come because they’re watching him all the time. Please come out from wherever you are hiding, I won’t hurt you. I’m Nick’s son, Tom. I have proof.”

  Tom slowly edged towards the kitchen, wondering where the alien being might be hiding. He held the medallion in front of him in one hand, like a cross warding off a vampire, and the photo in his other hand. He kept repeating “I’m Nick’s son, here to rescue you” as he slowly made his way through every room in the house.

 
After a few minutes of listening to Tom, Amie lowered her energy vibrations. She knew Nick had a son, Tom. When he entered her bedroom for a second time, she came out of the closet. “Show me your proof,” she demanded of him.

  When Tom saw the frail looking alien woman wearing a brunette wig, he involuntarily jumped. Amie sensed the man was as frightened as she was. Tom continued holding the medallion out in front of him, as well as the photo. “Amie?” he asked.

  With trembling hands, Tom offered Amie the medallion and the picture of Nick and him as proof of who he was. Amie turned over the photo, reading the words on the back. She nodded, seeming satisfied. Plus, she knew Nick would never give that medallion to anyone unless he was a friend, and knowing how cautious Nick was, she felt confident he had hidden the medallion where only he could retrieve it. She slid the picture into a safety pocket for protection in her special alien underwear and placed the medallion around her neck.

  “I am satisfied you are Nick’s son,” she spoke.

  “You have to go with us right now.” Tom wasn’t sure how fast to speak. Nick had told him she was highly intelligent. The alien had an accent, sounding much like a deaf person, and Tom wondered if she was totally fluent in the English language. He opted to speak slowly and loudly, as if that would help her understand him better. “We have a boat to take you to the Bahamas,” Tom gestured wildly to the back dock. “There are four of us here, to help you.” He held up four fingers. Tom drew out the words “help you” and found himself nodding his head in emphasis as he spoke.

  Amie raised her hand to shake his in a friendly gesture, as she knew was the habit of her co-workers at Area 51 when they met someone for the first time. Tom cringed slightly and offered his hand tentatively, still not sure if the energy bolts would come flying any second. “Is Nick alright?” she asked.

  The concern for his dad seemed genuine, and Tom calmed down a little. “Yes, Amie, he is alright.”

  “Tom, is there something wrong with your voice? You speak differently than the others I have known. Why do you speak loudly and slowly? I understand your language.”

  Tom flushed with embarrassment. He realized he had overdone it. Apparently she understood everything quite well, much to his amazement.

  “My dad’s fine,” he replied in his normal manner of speaking. “He can’t come to take you to the Bahamas, because they’re watching him all the time now. He asked me and Laura, my wife, to take you. His friend Doug and Terri have a boat. It’s outside right now. We want you to get your things and come with us.”

  Amie felt relieved and joyous. “Finally,” she thought. Tom walked with her to her closet and inspected her few possessions.

  “Make sure you take this light jacket, it will be cold out on the ocean,” Tom advised. “Take another change of clothes and a few toiletries. But you can’t take too much stuff. There isn’t a lot of room on the boat. And it will be the five of us.”

  Amie didn’t bother replying. She packed a plastic bag with another t-shirt and her shorts, a few basic toiletries, and the light jacket Nick had bought her on the trip from Las Vegas. She grabbed a large bottle of water from the refrigerator. “I’m ready,” she said when she was finished. Tom led the way out the rear slider to the boat.

  The two black Suburbans hastily made their way northward up I-95. When they passed the sign for Hobe Sound, the driver asked, “How much further to our turnoff?”

  “Don’t know exactly. It’s at Midway Road. According to the GPS, I think we have about 15 more minutes to go.”

  Chapter 25

  Doug and Terri had already strapped the kayak with paddle to the roof of the hardtop shielding the helm area from sun, wind and rain. The trio was now anxiously waiting for Tom to emerge from the house.

  Laura was biting her nails, concern showing all over her face. She asked Doug if he thought she should try to go up to the back of the house and peep inside to see how her husband was managing with the extraterrestrial.

  Doug didn’t think that was such a good idea. He urged Laura to give Tom a little time. “It might take this E.T. gal a while to warm up to your Tom.”

  When Tom exited from the rear, sliding glass door of the house the boat’s crew was relieved, and they waited expectantly to see what kind of being would be exiting with him. Each of them was anxious, wondering what dealing with an extraterrestrial would be like. When Amie emerged from the back door, all three were fixated on their new passenger. At five feet tall, with thin arms and legs, they were all stunned by her diminutive stature.

  Terri, although jolted by the site of the extraterrestrial, was the first to speak, welcoming Amie as Tom helped her on board. Once Amie stood on the deck, Terri introduced Doug and Laura, although she felt rattled by the alien’s enormous, dark eyes. Terri averted her own eyes from the inter-planetary being as she spoke, looking down at the deck floor and speaking rapidly.

  Amie held out her hand as each one was introduced. All three eventually shook her hand, with its long, gray fingers, but they were somewhat hesitant to do so. Then there was an uncomfortable silence, as everyone stood stupefied, not knowing what to say or do.

  Doug was the first to recover his wits, taking Amie’s small bag of possessions and stowing them in the cabin. When he came out of the cabin, he told Amie it would be best if she went in there and sat down, out of sight.

  “It will take us about five hours to reach the Bahamas,” Doug told her. “It would probably be best if you stayed in the cabin until we get out of the inlet. That’s about an hour from now. Terri will show you how to use the head if you need to, and that goes for you guys as well.”

  Doug asked Tom if he had locked up the house. Tom felt embarrassed. He had totally forgotten, in the drama of actually finding Amie.

  “No, I forgot. I’ll go back.” Tom hopped over the gunwale and ran back to the house.

  Terri asked Amie to go into the cabin, and then followed behind her to explain how the toilet operated. Under the alien’s scrutiny, Terri felt terribly uncomfortable. Amie watched and listened to her but said nothing.

  “We have some things to eat if you get hungry, you know, snacks like chips, soda, and water. Don’t be bashful. There’s plenty to eat. If you need something speak up, okay?” Terri rambled, feeling so nervous around Amie that she found herself giggling and waving her arms about aimlessly.

  Amie merely continued to stare at Terri, saying nothing.

  Terri exited the cabin and sat in the mate’s chair next to Doug, making a face at him and pointing into the cabin. She felt extremely uneasy about this odd-looking creature that had just boarded their boat. Terri was beginning to strongly wish she had talked Doug out of getting involved in this strange adventure with Nick’s son.

  Tom returned, cast off the lines, and Doug piloted “Running Free” to head down river towards the inlet. He explained to Tom that he had pilfered the neighbor’s kayak, as he had a feeling they might need it during their adventure. “When we return, I’ll bring the kayak back and the snowbird neighbor will never know it was gone.”

  “How’d it go in the house?” Laura whispered to Tom, as the boat got underway.

  “Okay, actually, although I was pretty nervous at first. I think Amie understands everything really good, just like dad said.”

  “Do you think I should go in the cabin and keep her company?”

  “Couldn’t hurt, but I’m not sure how comfortable she feels with us.”

  “I’m not sure how comfortable I feel with her,” Laura murmured back at him.

  Nevertheless, Laura moved into the small cabin and smiled at Amie. “I thought maybe you would like some company. Is that okay?”

  Amie nodded. When Laura reached into the refrigerator for the bag of grapes, telling Amie that Nick had bought them especially for her, Amie’s little mouth actually twisted up into a smile, surprising Laura. Amie gobbled several grapes down greedily. She had eaten only frozen and canned food for days and the fresh, red grapes tasted like a delicacy.

>   Then Amie spoke. “Thank you. I miss Nick. I had hoped to see him again before I depart Earth. I hope he’s alright.”

  “He’s fine, Amie. He said he wanted you to know he was sorry he couldn’t come himself, but he’s being watched.”

  Amie nodded. She increased her energy vibrations wondering if she could better sense Laura’s thoughts. In doing so, she found Laura very easy to read.

  Laura was concerned about Amie’s stunted speaking ability, not sure how much she could converse with her. Laura was hoping that she was coming across well to Amie. Laura projected well-meaning, positive energy, but was unsure if she was saying the right things.

  Amie popped a grape in her mouth, chewed more slowly now, and continued to study Laura. Amie finally said, “No need to be afraid of me, Laura. I’m just as frightened as you.”

  Laura was a bit flustered by this. “Oh, no. I’m not afraid. Well, I mean you do look different than us. It’s a little hard adjusting to all of this. I want you to be comfortable with me.” Laura’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and she wondered if Amie was reading her mind.

  Amie decided to try a test with Laura, to see if she would be receptive to mind-speak. So she sent a strong thought message to her. “I can read your mind, Laura, but you can read mine, also.”

  Laura was looking attentively at Amie, wondering what to say next, when she heard her own voice repeat Amie’s mind-speak. “This is not possible,” Laura thought. “Nick told us about this, but I must be imagining it.”