by Ira Tabankin
“Thank you. I was almost lost in my past. Life seemed so much easier than. People lived with more feeling, more emotions, and more love.”
“Yes, I noticed you were having a good time with the females.”
“It has been a long time…”
“I’m only saying, return any time you want to, just remember this is an AI-generated virtual reality. Remember the difference between the two.”
“I will. I don’t want to live forever as code inside a server.”
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Kalteck had been gone so long Everett considered that he’d been lost in a battle with the enemy. Even the new President, Eisenhower, stopped calling every day for an update. He told Everett to call him if the alien ever returned. Everett continued sending teams to investigate UFO reports. He silently prayed one of which would be Kalteck’s ship.
Everett couldn’t get the stories out of his mind from the man and woman who’d been taken by what they called aliens. He also had the three-foot-tall thick folders of the ‘next steps’ he was supposed to ensure the American and Soviet companies received to ensure they continued on the track Kalteck had laid out for Stalin and Truman. Everett continued his job, but he slowly slipped into depression. Liane recognized his depression but didn’t know what to do to help pull him out of it. Every time she tried to get Everett to talk, he clammed up, reminding her he couldn’t tell her what he did, and his depression was all work-related. Liane surprised Everett three and half years after Kalteck had disappeared, “Honey, why don’t you retire?”
“Huh? What did you say? I thought you said I should put my papers in.”
“If you’re not happy and you can’t get transferred, then why not retire. You have your twenty years in. Why not call it quits and let someone else deal with the stress? All of the secrets and stress you’re carrying around can’t be doing your health any good. I want to spend our retirement together, not remembering you over your desk with a heart attack.”
Everett smiled. He couldn’t tell Liane about the nanites which would keep him young and healthy for a very long time. “Honey, I’m sorry to bother you with my problems. I’ll do a better job of leaving them at the office. Why don’t we go out for dinner tonight, your favorite steak place, or how about a dinner show?”
“Talked me into it, let me get my coat. I should have brought this up before. Maybe I’ll ask you to retire every night so I don’t have to cook anymore.”
Everett laughed about Liane’s comment. He then thought he had to be more careful or someone else might notice something was wrong.
Two months later, Everett’s aide had finished giving him the weekly sighting report when he said, “Sir, there’s one more issue. I don’t even know if I should bring it up but decided I should let you decide.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the issue?”
“Sir, you have received an encrypted message for your eyes only. The issue is we can’t confirm the sending station. There’s no date stamp or sending office code on the message. It was addressed to you at this office and very few people even know of your command. The message first landed at your old headquarters which also thought it was a joke, but they sent it over here. The radio room was about to toss it when it arrived from Ohio, but they sent it to me. I decided I better ask you if we should toss it or if you wanted a laugh.”
“May I please see it?”
“Sir, are you sure? It could be a faked message sent by the Soviets. Sir, the message is just numbers, a string of numbers. Sparks replied on the same frequency for it to re-transmit and the message he received was, “Just hand it to BG Yahnig.” Whoever sent it doesn’t know about your promotion. Since your promotion wasn’t published, I assume this came from the Soviets.”
“Captain, why would the Soviets send a message to the commanding officer of an Air Force project looking for UFOs? Just hand me the message and I’ll call you if I need anything.”
“Yes, sir.”
Everett smiled to himself. It must be from him, who else would be able to send me an encrypted message without a sending station code? Everett smiled when he looked at the message. I have fools working for me. Kalteck put the latitude and longitude in one line so as appear to be one number. The last numbers are the date and time. The key is where the decimal points are. Everett pulled out a map of the country. Why in the world is he landing there? I have four days to meet him. My first call has to be to the White House.
“Mr. President, I have received a message and request to meet our friend in four days. I don’t know anything else. His message was the location, date, and time.”
“Everett, are you sure the message is from him?”
“Yes, sir, who else could it be from?”
“Maybe his and our enemy? They know you have his files. They want to pull you out to a location in the middle of nowhere so they can either abduct you or kill you? I’d like you to take some heavily armed support with you.”
“Mr. President, as you know, there are very few people who know the truth. The more that know, the higher the probability of leaks we’ll face. We’ve discussed the risk of leaks.”
“I would send the team who met him at Roswell, but they’ve all died from various illnesses. I am going to have a squad of a special platoon of Army Rangers which the CIA uses for very delicate and top-secret operations.”
“Sir, we don’t want to shoot him. He’s our only chance to oppose the enemy when they arrive…”
“General, if they arrive. I have my doubts. I’ve never had the chance to meet him as you and President Truman have. I might change my mind after I meet him. In fact, I am ordering you to bring him to Camp David so I can meet him face to face. I understand there’s a small group within the Secret Service that knows about him. I’ll contact them to make the arrangements.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll have Major Johnstone contact you. He’s the officer in command of the Rangers. They will go wherever you need them to be. I expect you’ll brief the Major, so he knows what to expect. He and his four platoons all have TS clearances. They have earned mine and the CIA’s complete confidence.”
“Yes, sir.”
Why did he pick the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming? Talk about being in the middle of nowhere.
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Major Johnstone brought an additional two platoons to make the total three of his special purpose Rangers arrived at Area 51. Most wondered where they were. “General, my team and I have been tasked to provide you with security for a special mission which is classified TS, is that correct?”
Everett smiled towards the major who was 6' tall and looked like he was made of solid muscle. He had a small tattoo on his left forearm as he noticed his soldiers did too. It was a skull and crossbones. “I like the tattoo.”
“Thank you.”
“Why don’t you and your officers join me in the secure conference room so I can brief you. We have barracks for your men. They are the row of buildings to the left. The program I’ve been ordered to read you into is classified as TS Presidential Code Word. Do all of your officers have the clearance required for the mission?”
“General, sir, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t. We’re tasked by the National Command Authority and the Director of the CIA for very sensitive and special missions.”
“Excellent. We’re going to meet an alien spaceship.”
“Sir, excuse me, did you say we’re going to meet an alien, like a real being from another planet?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Your office manages Project Blue Book. I thought you guys proved there weren’t any UFOs or aliens. Was it all a massive cover-up?”
“Major, I’ve been told I can trust you with my life, so the truth is the crash in ’47 at Roswell, New Mexico was a real alien ship. Its pilot has been working with us from this office since. He has been off-planet for over three years. He is returning in two days and asked that I meet him at the coordinates which pinpointed the Devils Tower. I don’t know why he
selected that location. All I know is he sent me a secure message with the coordinates where we’re supposed to meet. The President decided I could use some security in case the being who sent the message wasn’t our friendly alien but our enemy…”
“Sir, did you just say our enemy? I thought the Reds were our enemy…”
“No. The Soviets and we are playing at being enemies so we can increase our military spending and technology development. It’s all been made up by the alien to prepare us for an upcoming invasion. He and I met with Stalin a number of times. Do you remember the earthquake the Soviets had four, five years back?”
“I think so, it was a big one, 7 something wasn’t it?”
“Yes, the alien being created it to force Stalin to play along.”
“Oh shit. Will our weapons do the job if it is an unfriendly alien? And when you said, enemy…”
“Our friend is attempting to increase our technology so when his enemy who has surveyed us arrives in force, we’re ready to meet them. In case you’re interested, both used to live on Mars. Yeah, our fourth planet. They had a massive war which destroyed their home. We’re trying to ensure that doesn’t happen here. That’s why you and your men are here. I can tell you, do NOT open fire at the alien or his ship. If any of your men do, they won’t survive. His ship has an automatic self-defense system that violently reacts to threats. He also has weapons that can. Let’s just say opening fire on him or his ship will result in a large smoking hole where your men used to be. I don’t know what you can do. None of our weapons can penetrate his ship’s shields.”
“Shit, this is the strangest mission we’ve been handed yet. Does the alien have a name?”
“He calls himself Kalteck. That’s his given name, his full name is Kalteck 208. I’m guessing that means he’s the 208th Kalteck. I have no idea if his name means anything special. To be honest, I never asked him. Your team is to secure the area and provide both security and protection for the meeting.”
“I now understand why a two-star is running a department like this. It’s all a farce while you interface with an alien. Does your staff know about him?”
“Only two do. The rest believe they’re investigating UFOs and looking for natural reasons why people think they saw something they didn’t. We have to make sure people don’t know aliens exist. What do you think would happen if the word got out we’re not alone? It could cause massive changes to all of the world’s religions and could result in worldwide riots. President Truman and Chairman Stalin agreed with Kalteck to keep his secret. That is the real reason Project Blue Book exists.”
“I never knew…”
“Then we’re doing our job. I understood you’re providing transportation, so when do we leave? I’m all packed.”
“I’m half sorry you don’t have a hidden flying saucer somewhere around here we’re going to use.”
“I do have the remains of the one that crashed in ’47. It was Kalteck’s ship that got shot down.”
“If his ship was shot down, what’s he flying around in?”
“I learned he had a spare hidden on the dark side of the moon. Don’t you always have a spare flying saucer tucked away on the dark side of the moon? I know I usually keep mine in orbit around Mars.”
Major Johnstone smiled. “Sir, this may be the most exciting mission we’ve ever had. Will I get to meet Kalteck?”
“Yes, you will. You will have to pay the price for the meeting. You and any of your people who meet him face to face or touch him will have to be quarantined for a month. I was for two months. I suggest we make sure all of your people understand what’s going to happen and if I give the word, then shoot to wound if it’s not Kalteck who walks out of that ship I want them wounded so we can question them, not riddled with a hundred rounds, clear?”
“Clear, but I thought our weapons won’t harm him.”
“If it’s not Kalteck, then we’ll attempt to overwhelm him. I pray we won’t need to use any weapons.”
“Yes, sir, our plane is waiting. I brought something for you.”
“Everett reached for the 1911 .45 caliber sidearm Major Johnstone held out to him. “Just in case. I, too, hope we never need to open fire. I don’t want to start a space war.”
“Just in case,” nodded Everett.
Chapter 16
The Rangers brought their own trucks with many painted to resemble ambulances. There weren’t many who lived close to the Devil’s Tower. Those who did were visited by the Rangers who were wearing red crosses on their right arms. “There’s been a plane crash that was carrying old mustard gas from the First World War. We’re asking everyone to quickly leave the area until we can clean up the area and make sure no one is in any danger.”
Every family quickly thanked the soldiers and left, most asking when they could return. They were told, “It may be only a day, at the most two. We’ll sound the air raid all clear, so you know it’s safe. Don’t worry about your homes, we’ll be patrolling the area to make sure no one touches anything left behind.” Many of the Rangers wore gas suits while holding their gas masks.
Many of the homeowners asked about their pets or horses, “Please take as many with you as you possibly can. We don’t have the means to care for them.” After the area was clear, one of the first lieutenants asked Major Johnstone, “Sir, most left without asking any questions. A few left behind a few horses. What are your orders?”
“Shit. We’re going to have this look real. Release some of the horses just before we leave and expose at least three to the gas we brought. I hate killing good horses, but we don’t have a choice if we’re going to make the residents believe our cover story. If we just take the horses, the locals will smell a rat.”
“Sir, will the ship make any noise that will alert any people along its course here?”
“LT, that’s an excellent question. I have no idea. I’ll ask the General. He’s the only one who’s met the alien and his ship before. I don’t think it makes any noise. I learned it used to land and take off from an Air Force base in Ohio a few times.”
“Sir, how will we know if it’s a good alien or a bad one? Do they have uniforms or anything?”
“We’ll have to take our orders from the General. Since he’s met the good alien, I assume he’ll know if it’s the same one who’s returned or if it’s a different alien. Our orders which come from the President say we are to do everything within our power to save the General. The alien is of secondary concern. We have to save the General and, if possible, the alien’s ship. Got that?”
“Yes, sir. Sir, what do we know about the alien’s weapons?”
“I’ll let you read the General’s report, it should scare the crap out of you, it did me. He has technology that scares me. He created a God-damned earthquake! He also has the ability to destroy other ships in space. On a trip to Moscow, some of the Soviet soldiers opened fire on his ship, which vaporized them. Vaporized them, let that sink in. We don’t have any information on any sidearms he has. His ship has shields which can stop not only our weapons, but theirs too.”
“Christ, how the hell do we fight such a being?”
“We do what we always do, we find a way to accomplish our mission. This may be the most important mission we’ve been tasked with. Haven’t you always wondered if we’re alone in the universe?”
“Sir, I did. As a kid, my parents and preacher told me that God created us in His image, we’re his only children. If there are other beings out there, what does that mean about what we’ve learned in church? Are there different Gods for each planet?”
“LT, I have no idea. What I do know is we have our orders and I intend on following them, and maybe later, we can discuss with the alien such questions. I haven’t had any time to discuss them with the General, who, as it turns out, isn’t very talkative about the alien. I believe he’s surprised the President ordered him to read us into his real program.”
“Sir, I can’t believe the general’s held this secret for nine years. That
’s a hell of a long time to keep the world’s largest secret. I’m not sure I could do it.”
“Nor me. Now let’s discuss how we’re going to position the men and what happens when the alien ship arrives. I want us to make sure we’re positioned to grab the General and get out of dodge as quickly as possible if necessary. Remember, warn your men, they can’t ever speak of this night, and our mission is to save the general.”