The president nodded at Donovan’s logic. “You’re probably right, Bill, but we can’t take that chance. That may have just been a test run to see if the damn thing worked. We must discover the origin of this weapon and put a stop to it immediately. And if the Germans have the damn thing, how long will it be before the Japanese or the other Axis powers get their hands on one or more as well?”
The president looked into the face of everyone sitting at the table. They were nodding their heads, or saying, “Yes, Mr. President.” All had trouble meeting his eyes as they knew he was right, and each was angry and stymied by the fact he had no answers for his Commander-in-Chief. All of them had the same downtrodden appearance, except for Donovan. He had the look of a man who knew something but was unwilling to share it with anyone in this group.
The president knew Donovan well enough to know that he was not just being territorial with the information, even though he had had his share of run ins with Hoover, who had intelligence gathering responsibilities inside of the United States and in Latin America. No, Donovan had a reason for not divulging whatever information he had to this group and Roosevelt would have to trust him and his reasoning.
“Well, gentlemen, let’s get to work on finding out what’s going on. Let’s plan on meeting here tomorrow at the same time. I would like some answers by then. Good day, gentlemen.”
The men all said goodbye to the president and exited the room. The president could tell that Donovan was purposely dragging his feet and decided to give him an out so it didn’t look like he was holding back any information.
“Colonel Donovan, I believe you owe me a drink. Can you stick around a few minutes?” asked the president innocently.
“Yes, Mr. President,” replied a relieved looking Donovan.
“Fine, let’s head down to my office.”
Roosevelt began rolling his wheelchair to the Oval Office while Donovan walked quietly beside him.
As they entered the Oval Office, Donovan walked over to the president’s private liquor cabinet and poured himself and the president a glass of twelve year old Johnnie Walker Red Label scotch, which had been a gift from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill a couple of years before. After pouring their drinks, Donovan handed Roosevelt his glass of scotch, and they clinked their glasses together.
“Cheers,” said the president, and then took a long pull on his own drink. “So,” began the president after downing a third of his drink, “what is it you wish to tell me that you couldn’t divulge to the others?” Roosevelt asked as he placed a Camel cigarette in his trademark cigarette holder and lit it up.
Donovan almost spit out his drink at the president’s statement.
“Shit, Frank. I guess you know me too well.”
The president just smiled and said, “You should know by now that you can’t bullshit an old bullshitter, my friend. Besides, we have known each other for more than thirty years.” Roosevelt and Donovan had been friends since they were classmates at Columbia Law School.
Donovan sighed deeply, placed his drink on the bar, and began to speak.
“I have my reasons for not wanting to divulge the information I’m about to impart to you to the rest of the group that just left, mainly because I’m still having a lot of trouble believing it myself. And if the information was leaked, it could have dire consequences not just for the United States and its allies…but for mankind.”
The president said nothing, but gave Donovan a ‘keep going’ look and gesture with his hand.
“The technology the Germans are using does not currently exist anywhere on Earth.”
Roosevelt looked a little perplexed at this. “Bill, of course it exists on Earth. We have eight destroyed planes that says it does.”
Donovan was shaking his head. “I never said they didn’t have the technology, Frank. I just said that it doesn’t exist anywhere on Earth.”
“I’m not sure I’m following you on this one, Bill,” Roosevelt said, still looking somewhat perplexed. “What do you mean it doesn’t exist on Earth?”
“Frank, the bombers that were hit by that blue light weapon were not just destroyed - they were completely vaporized without a trace. That technology, according to every top scientist and physicist my people discreetly conferred with, does not currently exist anywhere whatsoever on this planet. In fact, they estimate that we won‘t have that sort of technology for hundreds of years.”
The implications of what Donovan was saying were starting to become clear.
“Are you telling me that you believe the German’s are using…”
“Extraterrestrial technology, Mr. President,” finished Donovan.
“Dear God! That’s impossible!”
“I know it is, but…” Donovan hesitated. Being the head of an organization that thrived on secrets, it was hard to be forthright with sensitive information.
“But what?”
“There is more. A lot more,” Donovan said cryptically.
“Continue, please.”
Donovan cleared his throat and continued. “For some time now we have known that the Germans had built a secret research and development facility known as the Eyrie.”
“Yes. I remember the name of that place from some briefings you gave a while back.”
“Correct. The place is extremely well-fortified with anti-aircraft batteries and made with tons of concrete and steel. The facility was built into the side of a mountain, but the main part of it is built underground. It is a veritable fortress. Over the past several months, we were able to have one of our assets successfully infiltrate the facility. The asset, codenamed ’Condor,’ was able to secretly take some photographs of what was going on inside of the place and smuggle them out to us.”
Donovan then retrieved and opened a briefcase he had brought in with him. He took a large manila envelope out of the briefcase that had the words ’TOP SECRET: EYES ONLY POTUS’ stamped boldly across the front of the envelope, indicating that it was only to be viewed by the President of the United States, and handed it to Roosevelt. Roosevelt then opened the envelope, took out several photographs that had been inside, and placed them on his desk.
The president began going through them. He gasped loudly as he looked at the first photograph.
“Dear Lord! That can’t be what it looks like?” Roosevelt asked.
“Yes, Mr. President. We believe that’s a real alien spacecraft.”
“Oh my God. But how? When? Where?”
“The best the asset can determine is that several months ago an alien spacecraft crash landed somewhere in Germany, probably near Stuttgart.”
“Why do you think it was near Stuttgart?”
“A squad of German soldiers was killed - massacred, actually - at a secret anti-aircraft battery installation. We were blamed for it, but there were no Allied raids in that area that week. We believe that the crew manning that anti-aircraft battery was killed to keep them quiet about their find.”
“Killed by who?”
“The SS, most likely.”
“Good God. They killed their own men and then made it look like we did it just to cover this up?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Please, continue,” Roosevelt said, still shaking his head in shock at the SS’s savagery.
“The asset believes that the SS was able to locate a cache of the alien’s weapons, learn how to use them, and are now using them against us and our allies.”
“Then we need to bomb the hell out of that place before they can figure out how to fly that damn spaceship and kill the rest of us!”
“Normally, I would agree with you. However, that place is so well-fortified it would be impossible to be assured of completely destroying it. Also, think of the boon it would be to the U.S. if we could retrieve the spacecraft and weapons from the Germans.”
Roosevelt looked up from his desk at Donovan at this statement.
“There is something else you need to know, too, Mr. President.”
“Good God. What else is there
?”
“We believe that not only did the Germans capture the alien’s ship, but they also captured the aliens who were flying it…alive!”
Roosevelt looked incredulous. He hadn’t considered that the beings responsible for flying the spacecraft were still alive.
“The ramifications of this are…unimaginable. I see why you didn’t share this information with the rest of the group. We need to come up with a plan as to how to not only retrieve that spacecraft and weapons, but also how to rescue the aliens,” said the president.
Donovan nodded, and then said, “Mr. President, considering the way that place is fortified, conventional bombs would have little effect on it. I believe that we may also have to consider deploying the Manhattan Project to take care of this in case we are unsuccessful in retrieving the spacecraft, weapons, and the aliens in a more conventional way.”
The Manhattan Project was the codename for the development of the atomic bomb that was being spearheaded by J. Robert Oppenheimer at a secret facility housed beneath the University of Chicago in Illinois.
“We both know that Oppenheimer and his crew are still months, if not years, away from finishing that project,” Roosevelt reminded Donovan.
“Well, perhaps you need to speed them up a bit. We cannot allow the Germans to mass produce those alien weapons, or to continue using the ones they found on the spacecraft. It’s too dangerous.”
The president nodded his head. He then placed his head in his hands thinking about how to proceed. The president then remembered the commlink device in his wall safe. If there was ever a time to see if it worked, this was it.
“Look, Bill, I have a lot of thinking to do about this. Let’s meet in a couple of days and try to come up with a game plan.”
“Good idea. Let’s sleep on it. I know it’s a lot to take in, but we need to move on this as soon as we can.” Donovan stood up and put the photographs back in the envelope and started to put them back in his briefcase when Roosevelt stopped him.
“Leave them for now. I may want to look at them some more. When I’m done, I’ll secure them in my safe.”
“Very well, Frank. I‘ll have my people reach out and task the asset to obtain more information immediately.”
“Excellent.”
“Good night. I’ll see myself out.”
The president nodded as Donovan got up and walked out of the conference room. The president then reopened the envelope and looked at the photographs again. He still could not believe his eyes.
Dear God, an actual alien spacecraft! Well, I guess this answers the question as to whether or not we’re alone in the universe, he thought as he shook his head and sighed.
Roosevelt then called for one of the Secret Service agents outside of the Oval Office and gave him instructions that he was not to be disturbed and that they could take the rest of the night off. They reluctantly left him alone. After the agent left, Roosevelt wheeled his chair over and locked the door to his office. Roosevelt then used his crutches to help him stand, and went to the hidden wall safe where he retrieved the mysterious commlink device. He put it on his desk and looked at it for a few seconds. He was hesitant to use it, and part of him did not believe it would actually work. But, curiosity got the best of him, and he activated the device by placing his hand over the blank surface for a few seconds.
As he held his hand there, he was surprised to see that a group of unknown symbols had appeared on the smooth white surface of the device where none had been just seconds before. The president began pushing the sequence of symbols in their appropriate order, as he had been shown by his predecessor, President Hoover. Immediately it began to slowly hum, and then it glowed lightly for a few seconds, and then, just as suddenly as it sprang to life, it stopped completely and shut down. The symbols disappeared and the commlink device became blank once again.
The president waited for about ten minutes, and just as he started to activate it again, he was startled to see the air shimmering slightly in front of him. Immediately following the shimmer effect, a man appeared out of nowhere and was now seated in the chair directly in front of his desk. The man was powerfully built and was wearing a stylish dark suit, crisp white shirt, and maroon silk tie. He was clean shaven, with short, dark hair, ruggedly handsome, and appeared to be between 35 and 40 years old. Even though he had been told what to expect when he activated the device, the president was nonetheless startled to see that it was true.
“Good evening, Mr. President. I’m Colonel Clark. What can I do for you? I believe you called for me a few minutes ago. I’m sorry it took me so long to get here, but I was a little tied up on another matter.”
Chapter 25
Inside of Sagarmatha: The Workshop
1480 A.D.
In his wildest imagination Will could never have imagined the sights before him. The first chamber that Will entered was a futuristic workshop. In the center of the room was a waist-high, legless floating table, which Will cautiously approached. As he stepped within arm’s length of the table, an inscription appeared directly in front of him on a three dimensional, levitating screen. The inscription was written in the same unknown language.
After a few seconds, Will translated the inscription: You have successfully completed and passed the first phase of your challenges. This is the second phase. Fail, and you will be removed immediately. You have ten Terran minutes in which to assemble the device in front of you and determine its purpose and function.
As soon as Will finished translating this, a disassembled conglomeration appeared out of nowhere on the table in front of him. To this point, Will had never seen any machinery more complicated than a block and tackle, a plow, or horse-drawn wagon. Numbers, in the same language, appeared in place of the inscription on the screen and began counting down backwards. Will went to work to try and make sense of what was in front of him. He studied the pieces of the device or machine in front of him for a full minute. The numerous pieces that lay in front of him started coming together in Will’s mind.
Will began manipulating the pieces, and, slowly, at first, it started coming together. The more of the device that Will put together, the faster he determined what pieces went where. After the device was more than halfway finished, Will paused for a couple of moments to look at what he was putting together. Even though he had no idea what it was, he knew what it was supposed to look like when it was finished. Will’s hands moved even faster.
Will had completed almost two-thirds of the unknown device, and looked at the timer, which indicated he had less than five minutes to complete the device‘s construction. Most of the internal parts were in their proper place. Another minute or so had passed as he put the finishing touches on the internal mechanisms. He then started completing the outer portion of the device, which took another two minutes of quick manipulation to finish. When the device was assembled, it consisted of three main parts. The top part was a control panel of some sort with a place on either side of it for a person’s hands. The middle part of it was the longest part, and it was shaped like a shaft that was approximately four feet tall, eight inches in diameter, and slightly angled. The bottom part appeared to be a sort of platform that was about thirty-six inches square and rounded on its edges. Will still had no idea what its function was.
He looked at the outer skin of the device, which was made of a flexible, but solid, metal that was whitish-silver in color. Will stood the device up and sat it so the bottom side of the platform was on the ground. Will then stood on the platform. He noticed that the control panel had a noticeable pattern of stars and diamond-shaped figures on its surface, along with more of the symbols from the unknown language that Will was able to decipher.
Will translated the symbols and pushed one of the diamond-shaped figures that was below it. The device hummed to life - glowing and pulsing silently. Will pushed a star-shaped figure, and the device glowed a different color. To his surprise, the device lifted off the ground and hovered in place about eight inches. Will stepped o
nto the platform, placed his hands on the handles on either side of the control panel, and found that he could maneuver the device backwards and forward, side-to-side, and up and down. Will determined that the machine was some type of transportation device. He looked at the other buttons and after translating them, realized that they controlled various weapon and communication systems. The timer display indicated there were twelve seconds left on the clock.
At this revelation, a message came across the screen of the control panel that stated: You have passed the second phase by constructing the device and determining it is a hover pod. Proceed to the next phase. You may use this device as needed until you have completed the rest of the challenges.
The Maze
As soon as Will finished reading the message, a hidden door slid open that lead out of the workshop. Will maneuvered the hover pod through the opening. As soon as he was through the exit, the doorway shut behind him. He was in another tunnel. Will was able to activate the hover pod’s lighting system, and began slowly maneuvering down the tunnel on the machine. His confidence on the machine grew, and he increased his speed.
Will had traveled about a hundred yards when he passed through the entryway of another large cavernous area. About thirty yards from the entrance Will found his next challenge. It appeared to be a maze of some sort. However, this was not like any maze he had ever seen before. It was massive. Even more amazing was that it was floating in a stationary position over a large canyon! The walls were not made of hay or corn stalks, as they had been at the county fairs he had attended as a child, but they were constructed out of some type of opaque, shimmering glass. Will cautiously touched the glass, and the second he touched it, WHAM! He was thrown back about fifteen feet in the air and landed on the ground with a heavy THUD! Will’s breath was knocked out of him.
The walls were a force field; Will thought he had been struck by lightning. After a few seconds, he got to his feet and approached the walls again, just a little more cautiously this time.
Shadow Warrior: Destiny of a Mutant Page 10