Desert Assassin

by Don Drewniak

  Morgan laughed, “What the hell happened, you catch Fowler’s disease?”

  McBride held up his near empty beer bottle. Morgan caught the attention of the waitress and pointed to the bottle.

  “I started at the back door and decided to check the wooded area to my left to see if there might be a trail left by someone trying to escape. Early in, I noticed some broken shrubs so I began following them. I knew that what I was seeing couldn’t have been caused by a single person. Sixty feet or so from where I saw the first broken shrub, there were two dead Morales Assassins lying face down buck naked.”

  “Holy shit!” blurted Fowler.

  “How did they die?” asked Cyclo.

  “Judging by bruising around the necks, they were probably strangled, most likely by the Marines.

  “Interesting,” noted Cyclo. “This has to be the end of the Morales Assassin line, but the beginning of the Marine Assassin line.”

  “Exactly,” responded Williams. “The one which disintegrated itself knew the other two he was with in the house were dead. If he were the only one left, he would have done everything possible to escape.”

  “Natural selection, Assassin style,” said Cyclo. “He bought time for however many were away from the house to get a good distance away.”

  “I’m fairly certain there was only one who escaped.”

  “What makes you think that, Andy?” asked Morgan.

  “There were four different sets of footprints around the bodies. I figure two were from Morales Assassins and two from Marine Assassins, but only one set leading away from them and one set heading back to the house. I followed the one leading away, but it disappeared about a quarter mile away in an area thick with trees.

  “Andy, that was excellent work. Thank you,” said Williams.

  McBride smiled and said, “Aren’t you all forgetting something?”

  Four or five seconds went by before Morgan started laughing and said, “The bodies, the goddamn bodies!”

  Williams joined in the laughter. “Let me call the General.”

  “Maybe the General can send in a flying saucer to beam them up,” said Fowler.

  McBride’s meal was served causing the conversation to drift away from the mission. When the meal was finished, Williams said, “I need two volunteers to drive the SUV’s back to my place tonight.”

  “Why?” asked Fowler.

  “So that the other four of us can fly back. There is no way our hanging around here is going to lead to our finding the new Assassin or Assassins, if he replicates. We’re not dealing with an Assassin limited by Morales’ brain and background. Most likely, he or they are going to get as far away as possible. As soon as Jesse gets an ID from the prints, at least we will have a start. We are going to need intel.”

  Fowler and Mueller volunteered to do the driving. The pilot camped out in Westerlind’s barn was ordered by McBride to return back to the camp.

  “I’ll settle up our bills here. We’re good with Westerlind,” said Morgan.

  Fowler and Mueller were asleep in one of the trailers while the other four headed to Killer Two’s for breakfast. Morgan warned Cyclo about what was off limits in the conversation, including suckering Killer Two into a baseball bet.

  As the four entered the diner, Cyclo quickly absorbed everything he could from the memorabilia and added it to his wrestling base of knowledge. As Killer Two emerged from the kitchen to greet the four, Williams said, “Killer, these are two more friends of mine, Andy and Cyclo. Cyclo is Morgan’s son and like Kowalski, he knows everything about everything.”

  Killer Two extended his right hand to both of them, “Good to meet both of you.”

  “Good to meet you, Killer,” said McBride. “Bill tells me you make the best steak and eggs he’s had anywhere.”

  Killer Two turned to Williams and thanked him.

  Williams couldn’t resist, “Of course, this is only place I’ve ever had them.”

  “Hey!”

  Cyclo did a quick survey of the counter and everything in sight behind it, including looking through the opening to the kitchen. Addressing Killer Two, he said, “I see you followed Killer’s advice. Don’t worry, I won’t let the others know your recipe.”

  Killer Two was stunned. “How do you know?”

  The other three, who had been quickly reduced to bystanders, watched as Killer Two invited Cyclo into his kitchen.

  “Very little that Cyclo says ever surprises me,” said McBride, “but this seems a bit too much for even him.”

  Once they were out of earshot, Killer Two asked, “Okay, how did you know?”

  Cyclo pointed at a shelf at the back of the kitchen which he had been able to see from the other side of the counter. “I read a magazine article several years back in which Kowalski advocated taking cayenne pepper instead of taking aspirin. I also know he was a vegetarian and health conscious. After Bill mentioned how good your steak and eggs are and remembering my dad talking about your steak, when I saw the large jar of cayenne on the shelf next to the whiskey, pineapple juice, salsa and the other ingredients, I knew that had to be for your marinade.”

  “You ought to be a detective. Killer was way ahead of his time. He always talked about eating the right food and mentioned cayenne pepper way back in the seventies when I went to his wrestling school.”

  “That must have been a great experience.”

  “It was. Best time of my life.” Killer Two paused, frowned and said, “Too bad I was no good.”

  Before Cyclo could respond, Williams shouted, “Looks like we’ll have to go to the next closest diner to get breakfast.”

  Killer Two laughed. “You’d better get going, Bill, the nearest one that’s any good is off of old 66.”

  Cyclo returned to the counter and Killer Two began putting together four orders of steak and eggs.

  As the breakfast clientele thinned out, Killer Two had several opportunities to come out and talk wrestling. Most of the conversations centered on the matches being shown on the television. “It’s too bad,” lamented Killer Two, “that so few of Killer’s matches were filmed. I’d give anything to see the tag team championship when Killer and Gorilla Monsoon wiped out Bruno Sammartino and Victor Rivera in Madison Square Garden.”

  When the four returned to Williams’ property, Fowler and Mueller were still sleeping. Cyclo went into the van and emerged well over two hours later. He flagged down Williams and asked if he could borrow the jeep to go back to the diner. Williams said yes, but indicated that Killer Two would be swamped with lunchtime customers until twenty minutes or so before two. Cyclo then asked if he could use the jeep at that time. Williams said yes without asking why.

  The sight of Cyclo entering the diner alone immediately caught Killer Two’s attention. “A little late for steak and eggs,” he said with a wide smile.

  “A cup of coffee will do,” responded Cyclo as he sat near the middle of the fourteen empty stools which fronted the counter.

  As Killer Two poured the coffee, Cyclo said, “Art tells me that you have an interest in UFOs.”

  Taken by surprise, Killer Two stared at Cyclo.

  Realizing that he had caught Killer Two off guard with what must have seemed to be an out of the blue statement, Cyclo added, “I’m fascinated by the subject. Can’t read enough about it.”

  “With the business here, I don’t have much time for reading, but I get to see a few of the TV shows about them. I’m sure one crashed in Roswell and that the government’s got it. Aliens, too. You think one crashed there?”

  “Possibly. While there is some evidence which indicates that something not from this Earth crashed, it’s not a slam dunk that one did.”

  Killer Two couldn’t hide a look of disappointment. “If it was just a weather balloon like the government says, why would they take it to Wright Patterson? Plus, why did they first say it was a flying saucer?”

  “As I’m sure you know, the base commander of the Roswell Army Air Field ordered the PR officer to
issue a press release saying that a flying disc had been recovered. The local Roswell newspaper ran a first page article stating that the RAAF captured a flying saucer. But then apparently the commanding general of the Eighth Air Force said that it was a weather balloon.”

  “That was a crock.”

  “Whether it was or not, that pretty much ended the Roswell story for three decades.”

  “The government shut down the press.”

  “Could be, Killer, but here’s another possibility.”

  Killer’s Two’s eyes widened as much as they would had Cyclo given him a video of a previously undiscovered Kowalski match.

  “First of all, none of what I have to say about UFOs is original. All of it is from what I have read. In 1978, Major Jesse Marcel, who played a role in recovering the original debris from whatever crashed at Roswell, was interviewed by Stanton Friedman, a physicist and a ufologist. Marcel indicated that the government covered up the fact that the Air Force recovered the remains of an alien spacecraft. That began the rebirth of the Roswell story.”

  “Do you believe Marcel?”

  “Who knows? However, I don’t think it makes a difference whether Marcel and the other witnesses who came forward after the National Enquirer ran its interview with Marcel in 1980 were telling the truth or not.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Over thirty-five years have gone by since Marcel told his story and nothing has been proved either way about whether it was an alien spacecraft which crashed or a Project Mogul weather balloon. And most likely it never will be unless aliens materialize and tell the world, “We come not in peace, but to get our spaceship back.”

  Killer Two laughed.

  “Getting back to the other possibility, let’s first talk about why our government would want to keep a crash at Roswell a secret. In 1947, the United States was the only country with atomic weapons and it certainly didn’t want to share its knowledge of them with any other country, especially Russia. It would be the same for any advanced technology from a spaceship.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “However, it may not be the U.S. government that is pulling the strings of secrecy.”

  “Then who?”

  “Those who control the wealth of this planet. Suppose it was an alien spaceship that crashed at Roswell. Imagine the technology it would have had in order to travel from who knows where to here. Included in the technology would have been some type of power system way beyond anything we have. Perhaps a power system which could provide Earth with all of its energy needs either free or at an incredibly low cost. That would help level the playing field between the rich, especially the super-rich, and the rest of us. The same source of energy which dominates the Earth now is the same one that dominated in the 1940s.”

  “Oil!”

  “Exactly. Most of the politicians who appear to be running this country and other countries might just be stooges for those who control the wealth – those who run the big multinational corporations, especially big oil, and the central bankers. Their power comes from the oil. Take away the need for oil and you take away their power.”

  “Never thought of that.”

  “Neither did I, Killer, until I began reading about UFOs. Either way, whether the government is in charge or it’s the super rich, it explains why the press has aided in the cover up.”

  There was a long pause while Killer Two digested what Cyclo had just told him. Closing and then rubbing his eyes, he finally said, “So, if you think the press has been covering up, then you are saying that you believe UFOs exist.”

  “Yes.”

  “But if you aren’t sure Roswell is the real deal, what makes you think so?”

  “Even if Roswell never happened, the evidence is overwhelming. As you know, most UFO reports can be explained away as natural phenomena, misinterpretation by witnesses or hoaxes. In particular, with all the sophisticated technology – new at least at least to we Earthlings – it is easy to create realistic looking photos and videos. The internet is full of them. However, going back to ancient times there are accounts which defy explanation. As a body, these events leave little question that UFOs are of non-Earthly origin. Some I’m sure you know about, others may be new to you.”

  “I’m tempted to close the diner down for a couple of hours.”

  “No need for that, if it’s okay with you, I’ll give you a ten minute summary and then leave with you to keep a USB flash drive with about five hours worth of videos which cover in depth everything in my summary and a lot more.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  “Since I couldn’t find a clip of the Kowalski and Monsoon fight against Sammartino and Rivera, I figured this would be a decent second best.”

  Seeing that Killer Two’s eyes were starting to water, Cyclo began his summary. “There are dozens upon dozens of sightings and events going back to antiquity which have anywhere from a trace of credibility to being inexplicable. Being inexplicable, of course, doesn’t translate into proof that UFOs were involved. These are my favorites: from the 1940s, the foo fighters sightings during World War II, the Battle of Los Angeles, the ghost rockets, Kenneth Arnold’s UFO sighting, Roswell, and the Thomas Mantell crash. From the 50s, the McMinnville photos, the DC sightings, the Edwards Air Force Base flying saucer observed by Gordon Cooper, the Milton Torres UFO Encounter and, my favorite, the Levelland, TX UFO. From the 60s, the 1965 Exeter, NH UFOs, the Westfall, Australia UFO and Shag Harbor. From the 70s, Eglin Air Force Base, Wurtsmith Air Force Base and Tehran. From the 80s, Rendlesham and the JAL Flight. From the 90s, the Belgian UFOs and the Phoenix Lights. More recently, there was the 2006 O’Hare Airport UFO. Also, some of these involved black triangles.

  “How in the world can you remember all that?”

  “Just lucky to be able to remember almost everything I read. You’ll find that all of these and more are covered in the videos.”

  “Why is Levelland your favorite?”

  “Because of the large number of witnesses who reported seeing the object in different places and at different times. Since there were no cell phones back then, it wouldn’t have been possible for them to coordinate what they were describing. As good as I think Levelland is, there is something better.”

  “What?”

  “Taken as a body, the huge number of sightings going back to the late 50s off the coast of California in the Malibu area, including many sightings in which the UFOs were seen breaking through the ocean water surface.”

  Killer Two blurted out, “USOs returning to an underwater base!”

  “Maybe,” replied Cyclo as he handed Killer Two the flash drive.

  “Geez, I can’t thank you enough.”

  “You’re welcome. If you got a minute or two more, I like to add a couple of thoughts.”

  Killer Two looked toward his daughter who was working with him and said that she could take care of any customers who walked through the door.

  “While I believe that UFOs exist and they are not from this Earth, I’m not totally convinced they are from aliens on another planet or planets.”

  “Then from where?”

  “Perhaps they are beings from the Earth sometime in the future coming back to observe what we are doing or beings from a parallel universe doing the same.”

  Killer Two laughed loudly. “I have trouble enough with our universe.”

  “Finally, and this will probably disappoint you.”

  “Won’t be the first I’ve been disappointed and won’t be the last.”

  “There is no definitive proof that a UFO has ever crashed and no proof either that any government or other entity has ever recovered dead aliens or captured living ones.”

  Once again Killer Two laughed. “You’re right, I’m disappointed.”

  “However, if we are being visited by UFOs, I suspect they are being guided remotely, maybe from mother ships, or by robots.”

  “Never thought about that.”

  “Whoever or whatever is sen
ding the UFOs have to be incredibly more advanced technologically than we are. Just think about the progress we are making with computer and robotic technology. I don’t think it will be more than two or three decades before we will be able to transfer the consciousness of humans into robots and computers. Certainly robots and computers, even those with chip implants containing the consciousness of biological beings, would be better able to withstand the forces involved in flying in those UFOs than the feeble looking three-foot aliens that some claim they have seen or even interacted with.”

  “Cyclo, that makes sense. Except for the early landings on the Moon, it’s been all computers and robots that we’ve sent to the Moon and the planets in our solar system.”

  “Wish I could stay longer, Killer, but I’ve have to get back to Bill’s.”

  Killer Two affected a serious look and said, “So where did you guys take the bodies from the flying saucer that crashed behind Bill’s house?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  WILLIAMS WAS SITTING ON HIS BACK PORCH shortly before three in the afternoon waiting for the arrival of the General. Absent were any Merlot and doo-wop.

  “Mind if I join you?” asked Morgan as he approached from the outside.

  “Be my guest.”

  Morgan paused before saying, “I rehearsed this at least a dozen times and now it’s gone. Hell, here goes. Ling. You’ve known him longer and a lot better than me.” Once again he paused, struggling to put together the right words. “Have you found that his behavior has changed?”

  “It has, Jesse.” Williams purposely added “Jesse” in order to show that he was not bothered by the question.

  “My dad owned an auto body shop back when I was a kid. He was good at it, very good. As a result, his business grew while a couple of others nearby folded. I’ll never forget his description of the owners of the two shops – ‘dripping with hate.’ Bill, that’s what I saw in him toward you when we were in Texas.”

  “Could be wrong, but I believe it has something to do with what happened when Cyclo spotted the Bear Assassin.”

  “The General told you?”