David led Christine to a battered old Chevrolet Impala. “Wow,” she said, “You really know how to spoil a girl.”
“Hey,” he said with a grin, “We need to be inconspicuous, remember? Who’s gonna look twice at a couple of people in an old crate like this?”
Christine nodded. “True enough. So, where are we off to?”
“I’ve rented a cabin out. It’s on a week to week basis, cash only. I went for a drive a week ago and scouted it out. It’s a nice place, about five hours north. It’s in a bit of forest, on a lake and there’s a small town nearby. I told the old guy I’ve rented it off that we’ve been married a couple of years. I hope you don’t mind?”
Christine laughed. “You could at least propose first.”
David’s face flushed a deep red. He stayed silent and eased the car into the traffic.
*****
Hiram woke slowly from a deep sleep; he felt more refreshed than he could ever remember. Truly brought the lights back up. “Hello Hiram,” she said. “Please leave your clothes on the counter top adjacent to the shower when you have one. You will find a meal ready for you at the table on the viewport deck; that is the room you were in before.”
He took a shower, and was surprised to find his clothes clean and pressed when he got out. He felt a brief chill at the thought of Truly watching him take a shower. Then he laughed at himself. It’s a computer, not a person, Hiram you old fool.
After Hiram had eaten, Nuthros arrived and proceeded to go through all the technology that humanity was to be handed if the leaders could come to an agreement. There was a cure for every environmental woe the Earth had. Hiram’s head spun from the change in viewpoint. What he thought of as the modern world looked so primitive, all of a sudden.
He had one major concern, though. “How will you prevent all this technology from being either stolen or subverted from its intended purpose, Nuthros?”
Nuthros smiled at Hiram. “An excellent question, and one I anticipated. There are a couple of reasons the council is not concerned about theft or unintentional advances in Earth’s technological development. First, every single one of these devices runs on a mineral called Nitron. It is a substance that can only be sourced from two galaxies. Those galaxies are a long way from here. We have plentiful supplies of Nitron, because it is no longer used very much. It is an older generation fuel, but perfectly adequate to get the job done. We intentionally used this old technology because it is incompatible with the one technology Earth’s people must not have, and that is star-drives.”
Hiram nodded. “Indeed, the last thing the Sixteen Galaxies needs is a bad case of humans.”
Nuthros laughed. “Now Hiram, don’t be so hard on your fellows. We want to help you because we would like your race to join us, after all.”
Hiram shrugged. “True enough, I suppose.”
“The second reason we are not concerned about security,” Nuthros continued, “Is that the technology required to construct, or even copy, these items is at least 900 years away from your planet’s grasp. Naturally, the use of these machines will be monitored by Truly. Any cause for concern, and she will notify me immediately. Every machine has a code which Truly can use to destroy the device beyond recovery.”
“Well,” Hiram said with a wry smile, “I can see you’ve learned much from your 2,500 year study. Including the fact that you can trust most of us about as far as you can throw us.”
*****
Jack Short leaned back from his computer with a sigh. “Not a damn mention anywhere. No pictures, either.”
“Same here,” Mandy replied. “This guy is a ghost. No photos on the web that match his face, nothing in the convention press releases, even though all the delegates are listed. How the hell did he get in?”
Jack unwrapped another sandwich. “Well,” he said, “He’s got no criminal record, state or federal. Nothing in the security database for the UN, and absolutely no record of him being there at all. No footage on the UN building cameras, either. It’s like he appeared and then disappeared, just like the alien guy.”
Mandy stared at her colleague, dumbfounded. “Holy crap, Jack! You hacked government and UN databases on your work computer?!”
“Nah,” Jack replied in a spray of breadcrumbs. “I got contacts from the old days who check all that stuff if I need it.”
Mandy shook her head. “You’re incredible, you really are. Well, I’m stumped. How the hell we find this guy now is beyond me.”
“You’re not supposed to find him,” Darryl said from the office doorway. “I told you, he will come to you.” He stood with his hands on his hips. “Just why are you here, anyway? I gave you guys a job this morning, and you’re wasting your time looking for the alien. Where’s the interview with Donald Vincent, hmm?”
“Come on, Darryl,” Mandy protested. “Vincent opens a new office tower and we have to interview him about it? It’s a damned infomercial for a guy with more money than sense. Jack’s found something else that happened at the UN building, the same time as the Nuthros guy made his appearance.”
Darryl grumbled, but he went around to Jack’s computer despite himself. Jack brought up the enhanced clip of the general assembly floor and hit the play button. He paled and looked across at Mandy. “He’s gone.”
Darryl put his hands on his hips. “Who’s gone?”
Mandy went and stood beside Darryl. Jack replayed the clip and she gasped. “That’s impossible!”
Darryl looked closely at Jack. “You back on the whacky weed? If you’re off the wagon again, I’ll-”
Mandy shushed him. “He’s straight as an arrow Darryl. I’ve seen it, too. There was a guy in that clip, and now he isn’t.”
“That’s impossible.” Darryl said. Jack zoomed right in on a still frame of the clip.
“You’re damn right it’s impossible.” He turned to Mandy. “No pixel variation, no light anomalies, nothing. It’s perfect. There’s no way anyone could do that. Just cut a single person out of video footage in such a short amount of time? That kind of editing is beyond our technology.”
“Well,” Darryl replied, “It could be possible, but I’d say you’d have to be in the movie business.”
Jack’s monitor went black. The tower crackled and emitted a wisp of smoke. The next second, Mandy’s did the same. Darryl strode out of the office and came back in. “Everyone else’s computer is fine, it’s just your two.”
The three of them borrowed a computer on the main floor. Mandy pulled up the clip that still did the rounds on the internet. She played it through once. The man they saw earlier wasn’t there. It was as if he’d never been there at all. Mandy looked at Jack. “How about an editor that removes people from a clip that’s already out there? I think I know how this guy got into the UN building.”
Jack nodded. “The same way Nuthros did.”
*****
John Crabtree stood up amidst the cigarette smoke and rowdy banter of the dimly lit bar. “Okay guys, settle down and listen up.” He waited as the men around him fell quiet. “Right. Now, I don’t need to tell you why you’re all here. Like me, you already know what’s at stake. If this alien guy thinks he’s just gonna appear and make us hand over the world on a plate with some crap about the environment, then it’s down to us to show him he’s wrong!”
There were yells and hoots of approval. John took this in his stride. He’d been a natural leader all his life; most of the boys in the bar would follow him to hell and back if he asked them.
Barney Cantock scratched his long beard. “Just show me where this alien is at, and I’ll solve the problem right there and then.” He aimed an imaginary rifle at the wall. Barney had served as an army sniper for five years and was a crack marksman.
John waved down the laughter. “Alright, alright, simmer down. Now, we ain’t even sure what this alien wants, yet. But, if he thinks Hiram ‘Save the Freakin’ Trees’ Sertan can help him, then it’s bound to be bad for us.” He raised a finger in the air. “Sertan
and his campaign have already taken jobs from some fine Americans over the last few years, and this lame-assed environmental crap has gone far enough already. So we got to make sure it stops, and stops for good!”
His last words were drowned out by lusty cheering.
He waited for it to quiet down again. “All we need to do right now is get ready, and wait. This dumb-ass president we’re stuck with is likely to go along with the alien guy, and sell our country right out from under us. We need to be ready for when that happens.”
Bobby Crabtree put up his hand. “What we need to do to get ready, John?”
John smiled at his younger brother’s enthusiasm. Bobby didn’t have a lot upstairs, but he could fix any engine you pointed him at. He also worshipped the ground John walked on.
“We’re pretty much ready, Bobby.” John replied. He gestured at the rest of the men in the bar. “You boys need to be ready, too. You need to prepare, and prepare well.”
Doug Simmons, an ex-marine, frowned. “What we preparing for, John?”
John waited for the hush that followed that question. When he had the men’s undivided attention, he surveyed them with a grim face. “This isn’t the first time a government has sold its country down the river. This time, they’re gonna sell the planet. They know this alien guy’s got them outgunned, so they plan to just roll over, rather than put up a fight. Well, I didn’t vote for a sell-out, and I didn’t go and serve overseas for people to give away my country. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m prepared to fight for my country, and my planet.”
5
President Dexter turned to one of the secret service agents in the Oval Office. “Secure your weapon properly, please.” The agent flicked a look at the officer in charge, who nodded briefly. The agent slipped his jacket back down over his holster.
The president went over and patted the agent’s shoulder. “Relax. This Nuthros guy seems to be so far ahead of us in technology it isn’t funny. If he meant me, or anyone else here, any harm, there is little to nothing we could do about it. Let’s all just stay calm and get through this without any unnecessary drama, okay?”
The agent nodded glumly. None of the presidential staff were happy. President Dexter had insisted that this first meeting with the alien be just him and a small security detail. The arguments had raged for hours, but in the end the President tired of the debate and made it a direct order from the Commander-in-Chief.
Everyone tensed as Nuthros and Hiram Sertan appeared in the middle of the room. President Dexter strode forward and grasped Hiram’s hand in a firm grip. “Hiram, great to see you’re okay.”
Hiram smiled broadly. “Mr President, I’m fine, thank you sir. I’d like you to meet Nuthros, a representative of the Council of Universal Harmony; an organization of the Sixteen Galaxies society of worlds.”
The president offered his hand and Nuthros shook it warmly, bowing as he did so. “Mr President, it is an honour to meet you, sir.”
“It is an honour for me to meet you, Nuthros. I have met statesmen from many countries, but never one from another planet.”
President Dexter offered both men a seat, and his staff organized some refreshments. When the formalities were dealt with, President Dexter leaned forward in his seat.
“Nuthros, Hiram has informed me that he believes your concern for the Earth is genuine, and that I should listen to you. Hiram and I have crossed swords on many issues in the past, but he has never given me any reason to doubt his integrity. I understand that you wish to help us, and intend no harm toward us. Indeed, he tells me you want to give us all the advanced technology we need to deal with Earth’s issues, and at no cost. I must say I find that incredible, but I can think of no reason to refuse your help, so far.”
Nuthros inclined his head. “I thank you, Mr President, for your understanding, and your kind words.”
“I must ask one question, though,” the president continued. “Is there truly no cost attached to all this?” He held up a hand. “Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not suspicious of your motives. However, I find that nought comes for free in this world, and naturally I wonder if that is not also the case in the wider universe.”
“I understand, Mr President.” Nuthros replied. “The fact of the matter is, the cost of our assistance is so high that I fear Earth’s leaders will not accept it. I will allow Hiram to elaborate on that for you.”
“It’s not a financial cost, Mr President,” Hiram began. “It’s a cultural cost. For the changes to work, we must implement them worldwide, with the agreement of all nations, or at least the majority. The power supply technology alone is going to cause an international uproar. Because it’s free, totally self-sustaining, and, outside of some infrastructure removal costs, takes nothing to set up.”
“So,” President Dexter said, “The oil companies, the power companies, and God knows how many other influential people, are all going to have a fit when they find out what’s on the table.”
Hiram spread his hands wide. “It’s unavoidable. But that’s not all. The equipment that can re-forest places like the Amazon and Indonesia will get thirty years growth done in three months. That will take a lot of land off a lot of people in a very short space of time. Another technology means food crops can be grown in much smaller areas, which will re-define the whole global food economy.”
President Dexter winced. “The markets will go into meltdown.”
“Whole industries are going to disappear, sir.”
The president scratched the side of his neck. “Now I understand why you say the cost is high. In real terms, it’s astronomically so.” He turned to Nuthros. “This must seem ridiculous to you, Nuthros. You offer us the deal of a lifetime, and we contemplate how close to impossible it is to accept.”
Nuthros shook his head. “Not at all, Mr President. I understand the difficulty completely. I have seen many planets in the position the Earth is now in, and many races who perished in the same manner. As Hiram told you in the call prior to this meeting, the council has never intervened like this before. We elected to do so this time because we consider humanity to be a special case.”
“Indeed,” the president answered. “Descendants of castaways, left behind by the ancestors of all sentient life in the known universe. It’s quite a story. Tell me, Nuthros, is this really the only solution? Is there no way to switch over more gradually?”
Nuthros shook his head. “It is too late, Mr President. Your people have been warned about this since the 1950’s. Unfortunately, commercial interests hold too much sway over your governments. Your reforms are merely what you would call Band Aid solutions. Had you moved more resolutely on this just ten years ago, there would not be such a dire situation now.”
Dexter ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?”
Nuthros gave a small bow. “I apologize if I lack tact, Mr President. In my society, we discuss matters from a purely factual standpoint.”
Dexter smiled. “I don’t think that would be taken very well in the political circles I run in, Nuthros. However, I appreciate your honesty. I’m just not used to it, that’s all.”
Hiram leaned forward. “Mr President, we could discuss this for weeks, and get no further than we are right now. But, I can sum this up in one question. What choice do we have but to expend every effort to make this work?”
President Dexter nodded slowly. “I will ask you just one question in return, Hiram.”
The question the president of the United States put to Hiram Sertan took him by complete surprise.
*****
President Wilson Dexter approached the dais set up on the front lawn of The White House. He briefly checked his notes before looking straight at the cameras.
“My fellow Americans, and citizens of the Earth everywhere, I can officially confirm that mankind is not alone in the universe.”
He waited for the murmuring to die down before he continued. “Just a few hours ago, I met with a man, not just f
rom another planet, but from another galaxy. His name is Nuthros. The same Nuthros who made such a dramatic entrance at the UN headquarters in New York less than a week ago. Nuthros is a representative of the Council of Universal Harmony, an agency of a galactic community called the Sixteen Galaxies.”
He paused. “Meeting someone from another planet made something very obvious to me, and I would like to share it with you. I would ask you to think about it very carefully.”
He took a deep breath. “All around the world, we have drawn lines on the map. Empires, countries, states, counties, principalities and territories. Throughout human history, we have divided ourselves into ethnic groups. Yet, in reality, we are but one race; human. And, we have but one home; Earth. Down through the ages, it has been the goal of many fine statesmen that we should unite as a people. To some extent, there has been progress.”
The president paused again. He looked down at his notes. He screwed the notes up, and tossed them over his shoulder. He heard the consternation of the people behind him, and smiled. “I apologize to my writers, but everyone must see these are my words; spoken openly, and honestly. The truth is this; all we have done towards uniting this planet, and our search for a better way forward, is too little, and too late. Recent research confronted us with a time frame, and that time frame has been confirmed as accurate by Nuthros, whose technology is far in advance of our own. The fact is, as Nuthros himself stated not so long ago, we have just 2 years to change our ways, or the damage done to the Earth becomes irreparable.”
There were gasps and nervous chatter from some of the media on the lawn in front of him. He held up both hands. “Ladies and gentlemen, please, just hear me out.” The noise subsided, and he continued. “We have been given a chance to change the situation. The society called the Sixteen Galaxies has offered to supply us with all the technology we need to power our cities, our vehicles and our homes, with absolutely no harmful effects on the environment. Along with that, they will provide us with equipment to re-grow our forests, clean up our waterways and the atmosphere as well. The Sixteen Galaxies are anxious to save not just the Earth, but humanity along with it. They want nothing in return from us, all their equipment and assistance will be supplied at no charge.”
The Sixteen Galaxies Page 5