GENESIS (Projekt Saucer)

by W. A. Harbinson

  Richard jerked his head around, but the two men were already past him, moving around him and taking chairs behind the desk. They were middle-aged, one with black hair, the other bald, both wearing nondescript suits, shirts and ties, both with briefcases. The bald-headed man smiled at Richard, then opened his briefcase and removed some papers; he placed the papers fastidiously on the desk and then unclipped a ballpoint pen.

  ‘Awful weather,’ he said. The other man seemed humorless, patting his hair with restless fingers, opening his briefcase and withdrawing a tape-recorder, which he set down before him. Only then did he look at Richard, his dark eyes expressionless, face sallow, chin badly shaved, now tapping the table with those same restless fingers.

  ‘Feeling all right?’ The bald-headed man asked.

  ‘Uh?’ Richard grunted.

  ‘I said, are you feeling all right? You seem rather tired.’ ‘Yes, I’m tired,’ Richard confessed. ‘I’ve had very little sleep. I

  came yesterday to report seeing a UFO – and I’ve been here all night.’ ‘Sorry about that,’ the bald-headed man said. ‘Must have been a bit uncomfortable. But the police can’t touch cases like this – they always have to call us.’

  ‘Who are you?’ Richard asked. ‘Data processors,’ the man replied. ‘We specialize in aeronautical phenomena and we work for the government.’

  ‘What department?’ Richard asked.

  ‘I don’t think that’s important. We’re just here to assess what you think you saw and write it up for the record.’

  ‘What I think I saw?’

  ‘Please don’t be offended. I’m not trying to insult you. But the sky is not as simple as it seems and it plays tricks with people.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘St. Elmo’s fire can turn a perfectly normal airplane into a bright, multicolored halo of twisting light. The planet Venus, when viewed under certain conditions, will appear as a glowing orb that moves in the most extraordinary patterns. Comets, meteors, balloons, satellites, flares, fireworks, noctilucent clouds, plasmoids and corona discharges can all look like bright, solid objects. For instance, a high altitude balloon, if struck at a low angle the rays of the setting sun, will resemble an enormous flying disk flying at tremendous speed. What will appear to the observer to be the blazing exhaust of the disk will actually be the swirl of dust and ice crystals left in the wake of the balloon and also reflecting the sunlight. Likewise with temperature inversions. These are various layers of air, all at different temperatures, which bend and twist and generally distort rays of light to create what is best termed a mirage. Did you know that a temperature layer can pick out a boat at sea, project it as a mirage in the sky, and that mirage will be viewed by an experienced pilot as a long, dark shape filled with illuminated windows? Similarly, somewhere in the country a long line of cars may be crawling up a hill, all beaming their headlights into the night sky; given the right kind of temperature inversion, those lights will be bent and sent traveling, will bounce off another temperature inversion thirty or forty miles away, and will appear to the observers as a mass of glowing, disk-shaped objects, all flying in perfect formation across the sky. As for plasmoids and ball lightning, both are basically formed by electrified gas that when burning brightly oscillates, vibrates, wobbles, flies horizontally, climbs vertically, glows in blue and red colors, and can look like a sphere or a disk or a gigantic torpedo; they also hum and make other strange sounds and are very impressive… Shall I continue?’

  ‘No,’ Richard said.

  ‘Good.’

  ‘I didn’t see any of those things.’

  ‘Possibly not. Let’s find out.’

  The bald man smiled pleasantly and sat back in his chair, tapping his teeth with his ballpoint pen and nodding his head. The black-haired man lean forward, resting one hand on his tape-recorder, not smiling, speaking in clipped, measured rhythms, his dark eyes fixed on Richard.

  ‘The following questions have been designed to give the government as much information as possible concerning the unidentified aerial phenomenon that you’ve reported. Please try to answer the questions as accurately as possible. The information you give will be used for research purposes and will be regarded as confidential material. Your name will not be used in connection with any statements, conclusions or publications without your permission. Now please confirm that you understand and accept this.’

  ‘I do,’ Richard said.

  The bald man moved his chair forward, leaning over the desk, his pen hovering just above his notepaper, preparing to write. The other man turned his tape-recorder on and then started the questioning.

  ‘When did you see the object?’

  ‘March seven.’

  ‘1974?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Time?’

  ‘About thirty after eight.’

  ‘In the evening?’

  ‘Yes.’

  The bald man was making annotations in a large, heavily lined form, filling in the blank spaces.

  ‘Where were you when you first saw the object?’

  ‘In a car.’

  ‘Location?’

  ‘Cornwall.’

  ‘Precisely.’

  ‘The A30 through Bodmin Moor. It was near King Arthur’s Hall. That’s between Bolventor and Bodmin. That’s all I can tell you.’

  ‘How long did you see the object?’

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘The duration of the sighting.’

  ‘I dunno. A good five minutes, I think. I blanked out after that.’

  ‘You’re certain you saw it that long?’

  ‘I’m not certain of anything.’

  ‘Five minutes is a long time.’

  ‘A lot of things were happening. They couldn’t have taken place in under five minutes; it must have been at least that.’

  ‘What was the condition of the sky?’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘Bright daylight? Dull daylight? Bright twilight? Just a trace of daylight? No trace of daylight? Don’t remember…?’

  ‘Deepening twilight. A vivid red sky. The sun was just sinking.’

  ‘Where was the sun located as you looked at the object?’

  ‘I don’t know. I can’t remember… Yes, it was behind the object. In fact, at first I thought the object was the sun. I thought the sun was exploding.’

  ‘It eclipsed the sun?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What else did you notice concerning the sky?’

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘The stars… None? A few? A lot? Can’t remember…?’

  ‘I can’t remember. There was just this silvery haze. I don’t think I saw stars.’

  ‘And the moon?’

  ‘I didn’t see it. There was just the silvery haze, then this faded and I saw the object. This object was so big, it seemed to block out the whole sky.’

  ‘The object was brighter than the background of the sky?’

  ‘Yes, it was at first. It was the brightest thing I’d ever seen. Then it darkened and lights flashed all around it and it blotted out the sky.’

  ‘How dark was the dark shape?’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘Was it darker than the sky at that time?’

  ‘The sky was a vivid red. The object was dark.’

  ‘Did the object appear to stand still at any time?’

  ‘It came up over the rocks and then stopped, just hovering there in mid-air.’

  ‘Did it speed up and race away at any time?’

  ‘No, it just stayed there. It was enormous and it stayed there. It just hung there in the sky and then dropped lower and then opened up and we were – ’

  ‘Did it break up into separate parts or did it explode?’

  ‘Those questions are ridiculous. What happened was – ’

  ‘Please just answer the questions.’

  ‘No, it didn’t explode. It didn’t break up either. These panels opened and two other disks flew out and –
’

  ‘Did the object give off any smoke?’

  ‘There were three objects!’

  ‘Did the largest object give off any smoke?’

  ‘No, not that I noticed.’

  ‘The smaller objects?’

  ‘No. Definitely not.’

  ‘Why definite?’

  ‘They were close. They were right outside the car, one on either side of the car. They just drifted around the car, real slow, and I didn’t see smoke.’

  ‘Did any of the objects change shape?’

  ‘No. I mean, I’m not too sure of that. When I first saw the large object, it just looked like a light – a very bright explosion of light that filled the whole area. Then it changed to the dark shape. There were flashing lights all around it. I kept thinking it was changing its shape, but I think the lights made it look that way. It didn’t change as it rested there.’

  ‘Rested? On what?’

  ‘It was just floating in the air.’

  ‘How high up?’

  ‘I don’t know. It seemed about a hundred feet or so, but I can’t be too sure of that. Then it descended. It dropped almost to ground level. That’s when it opened up along the bottom and then drew us toward it.’ ‘Did the object flicker, throb or pulsate?’

  ‘It was just a sudden flaring light that faded away and was replaced by the dark shape.’

  ‘You mentioned various lights.’

  ‘That’s right. Colored lights. They were red, blue, green and orange, they stretched the whole length of the object, and they blinked on and off in sequence, from left to right, then right to left, flickering on and off very fast, almost turning into one rainbow color.’

  ‘Where were the lights positioned?’

  ‘I’m not sure about that. I think they were near the bottom of that thing. They may have gone right around it.’

  ‘You mean the object could have been circular? Disk-shaped?

  ‘Yes. Like the smaller objects. They were certainly disk-shaped.’

  ‘Did the large object move in front of anything at any time?’

  ‘I told you: the sun.’

  ‘Anything closer?’

  ‘It came over the nearby rocks and stopped in front of them. It just blotted them out.’

  ‘Rocks?’

  ‘The Neolithic stones.’

  ‘Did it move behind anything at any time?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Did the object appear to be solid or transparent?’

  ‘Solid. Definitely solid.’

  ‘Were you wearing glasses or sunglasses?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Did you observe the object through the windscreen or windows of the car?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Did you roll the windows down at any time?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Any reflections on the windscreen or windows?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Did you view the object at any time through binoculars, a telescope, a theodolite or any other optical instrument?’

  ‘No. There was no need for that. It was practically on top of us.’

  ‘Did the object make any sound?’

  ‘I don’t know. I’m not sure. I think it made a kind of bass humming sound. At first I thought I heard an explosion, but now I don’t believe I did. I believe I felt something. It was a sort of vibration – a vibrating noise. I don’t know. I can’t answer that one. There was noise… A vibrating.’

  ‘The smaller disks?’

  ‘A humming sound. They sometimes made a whistling noise. When they whistled, they shot beams of light over us… I’ve never heard a sound like that before.’

  The black-haired man sat back and turned the tape-recorder off while the bald man pushed a sheet of blank paper at Richard and passed him a pencil.’

  ‘I want you to draw some simple pictures that will show the general shape of the objects,’ the bald man said. ‘Label and include in your sketches any details of the objects that you recall, such as wings or other protrusions, including exhaust and vapor trails. Use arrows to indicate the direction the various objects were traveling. Also include in your drawings any motion that the objects made. Place an “A” at the beginning of the path, a “B” at the end of the path, and show any changes in direction during the course of their movements.’

  Richard did as he was told. His hands were visibly shaking. The room was bitterly cold but he was sweating, and he felt slightly feverish. The two men watched him quietly. They never took their eyes off him. He heard the rain beating at the window just beyond their heads. He did the drawings quickly. They were neat, accurate sketches. He then pushed the paper back to the bald man, who studied it carefully.

  ‘Good drawings,’ he said.

  ‘I’m an art student,’ Richard said.

  ‘Ah, yes, the Hornsey College of Art.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Richard said.

  The bald man passed the paper to his more serious companion, who studied it, passed it back, turned his tape-recorder on again, and then spoke directly to Richard.

  ‘Okay. Were the edges of the large object fuzzy, blurred, or sharply outlined?’

  ‘The smaller disks were sharply outlined. They were disk-shaped and silvery. I couldn’t see the edges of the big one. Its flashing lights were too bright. The body was just a dark mass and the flashing lights rendered its edges invisible.’

  ‘What length would you estimate the various objects to be?’

  ‘Not length: diameter. The big one was about three hundred feet wide and at least several stories high. The smaller disks came in two sizes: the first two were about three feet in diameter, the second two, which came out later, appearing to draw the car forward, were about thirty-five or forty feet wide. The first two disks were completely solid, with no visible features. The second two had a perimeter that swept up to form a dome. The dome seemed made of something like glass or Perspex. I remember seeing figures in there. And I didn’t imagine that…’

  ‘Never mind the occupants. What do you think the objects were made of?’

  ‘Some sort of metal.’

  ‘You used the word “silvery”.’

  ‘Silvery or metallic-gray.’

  ‘What were you doing at the time you saw the first object, the big object, and how did you happen to notice it?’

  ‘I was in the passenger seat of the car. The woman was driving. The engine spluttered and died, the headlights went out, then the car rolled to the bottom of the hill and came to a stop. Then I thought I heard something. I didn’t hear it: I felt it. Then the car was filled with light – the whole area was flooded with light – and that light swept over the stones in the field nearby and materialized as the object.’

  ‘What direction were you heading before the car stopped?’

  ‘Southwest.’

  ‘What direction were you looking toward when you first saw the object?’

  ‘Toward the sinking sun. West.’

  ‘Are you familiar with angular direction?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘What were the weather conditions at the time you first saw the object?’

  ‘It had been raining most of the day, but the clouds were disappearing, and the sky was red but gradually turning dark. There was mist coming over the hills, but none around us.’

  ‘There was no mist near the car when you were driving?’ ‘No.’

  ‘Any mist during your encounter with the large object?’ ‘No. Just the white haze.’

  ‘You’re certain that this white haze wasn’t mist?’

  ‘Yes. It was light.’

  ‘Wind?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘Temperature?’

  ‘Pretty cold.’

  ‘What was the approximate speed of the large object in flight?’ ‘I’m no good at judging speeds.’

  ‘Roughly.’

  ‘About thirty miles an hour.’

  ‘Thirty?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You
know that’s theoretically impossible?’

  ‘Yes. It seems impossible, but that’s what it was doing. I mean, that thing was just… drifting.’

  ‘The smaller disks?’

  ‘I couldn’t say. They were fast. But they could also sit, or hover, in midair, just kind of drift around the car, or shoot off in the blinking of an eye. I couldn’t give you even an estimated speed.’

  ‘Can you give me an estimation of how far away the large object was from you?’

  ‘When it came down, it was about fifty yards from the car, give or take a few yards.’

  ‘Did it give off any heat?’

  ‘Yes, I think it did. I remember feeling hot and suffocated… but I was pretty frightened.’

  ‘Was this the first time you had seen an object, or objects, like this?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Ever thought about them?’

  ‘Not much.’

  ‘Did anyone else see the objects?’

  ‘The woman driving the car.’

  ‘Apart from her.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘When did you first report this officially?’

  ‘Yesterday.’

  ‘Why did you wait so long?’

  ‘I was frightened.’

  ‘Frightened? Of what?’

  ‘I didn’t think anyone would believe me.’

  ‘Anything else?’

  ‘I was just frightened in general. I was frightened by what had happened. I couldn’t really believe it myself – I didn’t want to believe it. Also, I had nightmares. I kept dreaming about the incident. I thought maybe I was going a little crazy. I didn’t want to tell anyone.’

  ‘What did you dream about?’

  ‘I’m not sure. I could never recall the dreams clearly… Just dreams of the white haze, silhouettes all around me, alien creatures, not saying a word, just crowding around me.’

  The black-haired man nodded and switched his tape-recorder off while his bald friend pushed more paper toward Richard.

  ‘I want you to draw the occupants,’ he said.

  ‘I can’t remember their details,’ Richard said.

  ‘Just try,’ the bald man said. ‘Try to remember. Just give us some idea.’

  Richard did as he was told, but his hands were shaking worse than ever. He was also sweating and the fear was returning as he drew the weird faces. It took him longer than before. He found it hard to concentrate. He heard the rain against the window, the steady breathing of the two men, and his heart was racing faster than normal, as if succumbing to panic. He finally finished the drawing. It looked childish and ridiculous. He pushed it back to the bald-headed man and watched him thoughtfully study it.