by Don Viecelli
Colonel Feldman just listened. He looked shocked, but he remained quiet for a few seconds as he let the news sink in. “You’re probably right. Things are going to get out soon. There are too many variables now. You better talk to Miss Weston. I’ll check on the recovery teams to see how they’re doing. Then I’ll call Major Drew to see what he knows. You want to meet later, say in an hour?”
“Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s meet at 1000 hours. Thanks for hearing me out. I needed to let out a little steam.”
“No problem, Colonel. I’m just glad to be a part of all this. I’ll help you any way I can.”
“Thanks, Colonel. You’ve been a big help already. I’ll see you in an hour.” Dave put on his coat and hat and walked out of the office to find Kaye. He felt better now talking to Colonel Feldman and getting some coffee in his system. He was ready to see Kaye again and re-take control of the situation. When he got to the top of the stairs, he saw her watching him approach. She smiled warmly and reached out to shake his hand. “Good morning, Dave. How was your trip?”
“It was fine, Kaye. How was your stay in town?”
“It was nice. I saw the Northern Lights last night. It was my first time. They were just beautiful.”
So are you, thought Dave. He couldn’t say it out loud, not yet, but she may have seen the expression in his eyes. “I’m sorry I missed it. I’ve actually seen them recently, just before I flew up here from North Carolina. They’re certainly worth seeing, especially the first time.”
“North Carolina? Where about? My parents have a place out there.”
“Just south of Wilmington. A place called Carolina Beach. I have a place there. It’s where I keep my sailboat.”
“How interesting. My parents have a beach house in Kure Beach. My family has been vacationing there since I was a baby. How big is your boat?”
“It’s a thirty-two footer. Sleeps four. I’m sorry I haven’t run into you on the beach. Maybe we could meet there when this is all over. I can take you sailing. It’s beautiful up there this time of year.”
“I may take you up on that. I’ve always wanted to learn to sail.”
The pleasantries were over soon enough. It was time to get to the real matter. “Would you like to go outside for a walk, Kaye? I need some fresh air.”
“That sounds great. Lead the way.” They walked down the stairway together and out the front door. Dave had not been to the lookout over the lake, so he decided to walk in that direction. They followed the path markers and continued their conversation.
“I would like to apologize for not telling you about Ryan and his friends. I’m sorry for that. Colonel Feldman said he told you about Ryan this morning.”
“He did. I understand your reluctance to say anything. Maybe we could have found him sooner if we had known.”
“He was my ace in the hole, for the story, in case the government decided to keep everything secret. I just did what I thought was the right thing. Now, I’m not so sure. I’m worried about Ryan.”
“We’ll find him. Colonel Feldman is checking with Major Drew now.” They continued to walk in silence until they reached the edge of the massive rock and looked out over the Lake Of The Clouds stretched before them. The sky was light blue with white clouds floating in the distance and the lake was reflecting the sunlight off its deep blue water. It was a pretty sight and it took the worry off their minds for a brief moment.
“It is beautiful here. I can understand why the aliens may have picked this spot to try and land their ship.”
“I don’t think they had much time to think about it. They were too busy trying to save themselves.”
“You’re probably right, Dave. I wish they could have survived the crash. It would be an unbelievable story.”
“I don’t know if the world is ready for real aliens, Kaye, live or dead. People will have a hard time believing it.” It was time to change the subject. “What are your plans now?”
“We plan to stay at least one more night or until we find Ryan. Can you help us?”
“We’ll do our best. We want that disk back as much as you want to find Ryan and his friends.”
“Do you think they will hurt them?”
“No. My guess is they just want the money. Somebody will gladly pay them for the information they have if we don’t find them first. Let’s go back. I need to do some work.” They started back up the path to the visitor’s center.
“That reminds me. You owe us an interview. It would pretty much wrap things up here. Then we would like to see the alien bodies if you don’t mind.”
“Let’s do the interview now. I have some time. Then I’ll make arrangements for seeing the bodies. I have to clear it through General Anderson first. The President was pretty clear on what he wanted. In a few days, everything here will be moved to Milwaukee Air Force Base anyway.”
“What will happen if the FLM sells the information they have and the story goes public? Will the President let me go on the air with this story?”
“I don’t know what the President plans to do, but I’m sure he’ll have to tell the public something if that happens. I’m going to do my best to prevent the FLM from doing anything.”
“Will you promise to let me go with you when they find Ryan?”
“We’ll see. I don’t know how dangerous it’ll be.”
“Okay, fair enough. Let’s do that interview. I’ll get Kurt and Debbie. Wait for me in the front lobby. I see them now. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Kaye saw the two of them talking to an older couple by their camper. Joe was talking to Major Cole at the end of the parking lot. The Major was letting Joe inspect the Army helicopter. She walked over to Kurt and Debbie and waited until they were done. “Anything interesting?”
“Not really. The couple was just leaving. They came here to camp and were told the park is closed for the week. They’ve been coming here every year for the last twenty years,” Kurt said.
“Well, I’ve got Colonel Hampton. He’s ready for the interview. Let’s film it out back of the visitor center looking over the lake away from all this noise.” The parking lot was getting very busy with all the guardsmen loading and unloading trucks and setting up a portable power generator.
“Okay. You get the Colonel. Debbie and I will meet you out back,” Kurt said.
Kaye left them and walked back to the center to find Dave. He was instructing one of his team members to close the doors to the building and keep any park visitors who showed up away from the shooting.
Kaye walked up to Dave. “We’re ready to shoot. We want to tape the interview out back where it’s not so noisy. It will only take a few minutes.” They walked towards the back of the building out the big glass doors to a patio overlooking the lake and mountains in the background. “I’ll ask you a few questions starting with your name and responsibility. Then I’ll ask you to confirm the crash of a UFO in the mountains behind me. In the tape, we’ll add the crash scenes we filmed yesterday and show some of the activity of the crash investigation team. This is just a confirmation shot to show the public who is in charge of the investigation and what is happening here. It will only take a few minutes. Just relax and I’ll ask all the questions. If we make a mistake, we’ll shoot it again. Are you ready?”
“I am,” Dave said, straightening his suit and tie.
Kaye showed Dave where to stand. She grabbed her mike and looked at Kurt. He was holding the camera, ready to shoot. Debbie held another mike over the head of Colonel Hampton. Kaye started with her introduction. “This is Kaye Weston, Channel Two News. I’m standing here in the Visitor Center of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with Colonel Dave Hampton of the U.S. Air Force. He is in charge of the military team that is investigating the crash of a UFO late Monday night around nine p.m., local time. Colonel Hampton, can you please tell us what crashed in the mountains behind us and tell us what you found?” Kurt pointed the camera towards Colonel Hampton.
&n
bsp; “Yes, I can. Air defense radar alerted the Air Force to a UFO in this vicinity just before it exploded and crashed Monday night. We confirmed the crash with helicopter crews sent out from Duluth Air Force Base and sent special Air Force search and recovery teams into the woods to identify the aircraft and check for contamination. I went with them. We found the wreckage in two crash sites on both sides of the lake behind me along with four dead alien bodies at one of the sites. The bodies were recovered and moved to a secure military location for autopsy purposes.”
“Is there any contamination?”
“We did not found any biological contaminants, but there is some nuclear radiation at one of the sites where some of the largest pieces of the spacecraft fell. The levels are very low and we’re taking all necessary precautions. We have quarantined the crash site areas and closed the park down until we have removed all the wreckage and decontaminated the crash sites.”
“How long will the park be closed?”
“It could take two weeks or so.”
“Do you know what caused the crash?”
“We’re investigating the cause now and I can not comment on the findings at this time.”
“Can you tell us what the medical team found out during the autopsies?”
“I’m sorry. The results of the autopsies are confidential and will remain so until the official report is released by the government.”
“How long do you think this investigation will continue?”
“It may take as long as six months or more, to conclude the crash investigation. Obviously, we never expected to find what we did. This is a very special investigation and is being handled by the highest levels in the Pentagon and the government.”
“Thank you, Colonel Hampton. This is Kaye Weston for Channel Two News in Chicago.” She looked at Kurt and Debbie. They seemed happy with the take.
“That should do for now. Thanks, Dave. We’ll edit the crash scenes in later. Once we get some shots of the alien bodies, we’ll be done.”
“I would like to send what you have to General Anderson today. He needs to show it to the Defense Secretary and others before it goes to the President. Then I’ll set up the visit to see the bodies. I have to meet with Colonel Feldman and check on some things. Maybe, we can all meet for lunch in the conference room around noontime? I’ll order some sandwiches and refreshments.”
“That sounds good, Dave. We’ll be working there on the story. Let me know what you find out about Ryan as soon as you hear anything.”
“I will. See you all later.” Dave left the group and walked back into the building. He was glad the interview was over. He had done this a few times before and felt he didn’t say anymore than he had too. He hoped the general agreed after he saw it. Politics was not his strong suit, but he was learning. He found Colonel Feldman in the command center and asked him to meet with him in his temporary office. Colonel Feldman soon joined him. “How’d the interview go?”
“I’m glad it’s over. I tried to say as little as possible. You know how reporters can be. I asked for a copy of what they have filmed so far to send to the General. We’ll see what he thinks before it goes to the Defense Secretary and the President. What did you find out?”
“The teams in the field are busy removing the wreckage. Lieutenant O’Rorke says the east site will be removed by tomorrow. Sergeant Carter says the west site will take the rest of this week. Then the biohaz team will sweep both areas again and finish their tests. I don’t think any camp visitors will be allowed in those areas for a long time, just to be safe.”
“And Major Drew’s troops? Any luck finding the FLM group?”
“Not yet. Major Drew is asking us to send up a helicopter to fly around the lake. It would save him some time and maybe we’ll get lucky and spot them. I instructed Captain Mendoza to give him a hand. We’re also working with the local wireless carrier to see when they will have GPS service available. They say it’s up to the DOD. I said we would check on it. Who do you know we can call?”
“I’ll call General Anderson and tell him to talk to General Walton. If the satellites can be fixed, he’ll get it done. Anything else?”
“What about the TV crew? When will they be leaving?”
“Not before we find Ryan and his buddies. I told Miss Weston we would meet her for lunch and give her an update on what we’re doing to find her brother. It doesn’t look like we have much to tell her yet. Let me make a few phone calls. We need to order some lunch food. Have it delivered to the conference room upstairs at 1200 hours. I’ll check back with you in an hour.”
Dave called General Anderson in Milwaukee. He had to use his mobile phone and not the more secure satellite phone. He didn’t have any choice since the satellite communication links were still down. He heard the general answer the phone. “Hello, General. This is Colonel Hampton. How are you doing with the disks?”
“We’re making good progress. I met with Bill Murphy at the hospital this morning, like you asked. They’re still downloading information from the disk. We can’t seem to get the other disks to do anything, just the one Bill has. I heard his story and I don’t know what to make of it. The scientists are going over the data now. It’s going to take some time to translate it. How’s it going up there?”
Dave told the General about Ryan and his friends and about the interview with Kaye and the plans to send him a copy of the videotape for his review as soon as possible. Then Dave told him about the FLM and the attempt to locate the missing boys. “We need your help, General, to find out when the GPS satellites will be operational again. It’s critical to locating Ryan’s cell phone. I’m getting worried about what the FLM is planning to do with the evidence they have. They could sell it to a news station and it could show up on TV any time now. I would like you to call General Walton and see if he can help us.”
“Will do, Colonel. I’ll call him now and see what he can do for us. I’ll call you back as soon as I have something to report.”
“Oh—and one more thing, General. I need to make arrangements to bring the TV crew to Milwaukee to film the alien bodies. I’m not sure when we can get there because of the missing boys, but I’m hoping tomorrow if all goes well.”
“I understand, Colonel. Do what you can up there. I have things under control down here. I’ll expect you when I see you. Talk to you later.” He hung up the phone.
Dave spent the next hour and a half doing paperwork, his daily report, and checking with the recovery teams. He missed the fieldwork. It was so much more satisfying than this. However, Kaye was still in the building and he knew he would see her again for lunch. Something nice to look forward to.
Just before Dave got up to go to lunch, General Anderson called him. “Hello, Colonel. Sorry for taking so long, but I finally got through to General Walton. He’ll look into the situation and let us know what can be done. The country is still suffering from the power outage. The President is giving a press conference at 0100 EDST today. The Defense Secretary and General Walton are meeting with the President and 0300. We should know more after their meeting. I hope this helps, Colonel.”
“Thanks for the information, General. I guess it’ll have to do. We still don’t have power up here and no cable TV. Keep me informed on anything important. I’ll let you know what happens on this end.” They ended the call and Dave got up from his desk to find Colonel Feldman and go to lunch. He hoped the catering service bringing lunch was on time. He grabbed his jacket, found Colonel Feldman and they headed up the stairs to the conference room.
They found the TV crew very busy editing the film they had taken over the last two days. Kurt had hooked his camcorder to Kaye’s notebook and they were studying the film scene by scene. Debbie saw them enter the room and said hello. Joe was still outside with Major Cole. Dave looked at Kaye and said, “Hello. How’s it going?”
“We’re reviewing the crash scene film. It looks pretty good. After lunch we’ll edit the best scenes and put it all together for the story. Shouldn�
��t take more than an hour or two,” Kaye answered.
Just then the catering people arrived with lunch. Colonel Feldman showed them where to put the food and signed the bill. They all stopped what they were doing and sat down in the room wherever they could find a chair to eat lunch. Debbie volunteered to go down and find Joe. Dave told her to tell Major Cole to join them as well. They had plenty of food. They continued to talk about anything that came to mind.
As soon as lunch was over, Kaye’s crew started to work on the editing again. They wanted to finish it as soon as possible. The pictures were dramatic. It was going to be a compelling story. Dave could not help but be impressed by the professionalism of Kaye and her crew. They were so busy and concentrating so hard on their work that none of them noticed the time slipping by. Colonel Feldman left after an hour to check how things were going. Major Cole and Joe made up some excuse about inspecting their helicopters and left as well. Dave stayed with the TV crew. He wanted to see the finished product and make arrangements to send it to General Anderson. Finally, they finished the editing. It was around 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon.