Zack put on his winter coat and baseball cap. He decided to leave the gloves in his pocket, as it would be too hard to use the laptop’s keyboard with gloves on. He turned and waved at Paul and Dr. Rapstein. Zack opened the door to the alien’s room and took his seat at the observation window. The alien appeared to be curled up into a ball on his bed. Zack felt sorry for it briefly, in that it didn’t have a blanket on its body. Remembering the horrors of the alien invasion, he quickly lost the sorry feeling. Grimly, he concentrated on the alien while observing the time. Nothing happened for some time. At around 14 minutes, Zack was about to give up. Suddenly, an image appeared in his mind. It was a desolate landscape of tumbled rocks, dusty red sands, and blowing winds. Clouds of red dust skimmed across the landscape. Zack made as many notes as seemed reasonable and then using the drawing function, he recreated the image as best he could. He was particularly pleased with the reddish brown tones. Looking at his watch, Zack realized that 30 minutes had passed and the image had not changed over the last 16 minutes. Perhaps 15 minutes was too quick to make a change thought Zack. However, after 15 minutes more the image had faded, and nothing, no thought or image took its place. By now Zack had put on his gloves, as his hands were very cold.
Zack got up and left the room. He explained what had happened. Dr. Rapstein looked at the image and notes. “Zack, I guess it was too much to hope that we would pick the perfect temperature the first time. I’ll raise it one degree over the next 30 minutes.” Zack shook his head no. “Dr. Rapstein, I think we should raise it two degrees. We can always drop it back, if that brings on the black blocking curtain.” Dr. Rapstein thought for a minute. “OK, Zack, but it will take an hour to bump up the two degrees, as we have to make the change gradually. Why don’t you go get a hot chocolate? You must be very cold.” Paul was somewhat amazed by the sudden solicitous nature evidenced by Dr. Rapstein. Perhaps he wasn’t so arrogant after all. Maybe he needed a long time to warm up, just like the alien. Paul was slightly amused by the comparison with the alien. Paul and Zack started to leave, but Paul turned around and said, “Can we bring you anything back from the cafeteria, Dr. Rapstein?” With obvious surprise, Dr. Rapstein responded, “Yes, a hot chocolate would be nice.”
The interlude at the cafeteria passed all too quickly. Conversation was limited and brief. Zack felt somewhat drained from the experience with the alien. Paul decided it was best to let him recover. They returned to the lab on time and entered. Dr. Rapstein saw the hot chocolate in the Styrofoam cup. “How much do I owe you?” Paul smiled and said, “It’s on me.” “Thank you,” said Dr. Rapstein with a return smile. Zack thought he could detect a thaw in the relationship. Dr. Rapstein opened the container and took a cautious sip. No sense in burning my tongue, he thought. Finding it acceptable, he took a larger swallow and turned toward Zack. “Are you ready to go back in?” Zack shook his head yes. Dr. Rapstein handed Zack the laptop after Zack put his coat and cap back on. Paul took his seat near the outer observation window. Dr. Rapstein sat at the console watching meter readouts. Zack opened the door to the alien’s chamber and sat. He opened his mind and concentrated on the alien. Zack noted that the alien seemed a bit more restless, but he was not overly concerned. He could not detect the blocking curtain.
An image began to form in his mind. At first it looked like a reddish wall with rectangular holes of various sizes. Suddenly the perspective shifted and Zack found himself viewing it from a distance. It was a reddish brown cliff sculpted in the side of a mountain of similar color. It reminded Zack of photographs from one of his school lessons on Native Americans. It was very similar to the cliff dwellings of Native Americans in the Southwest. Suddenly an image from a past history lesson of the cliff dwellings of the Anasazi at Chaco canyon floated into his consciousness. The certainty of that imagined possibility was shortly confirmed, as Zack saw an alien enter one of the more vertical rectangular openings. Using the laptop drawing feature, Zack hurried to recreate the image. For once, Zack was glad he had paid some attention to the computer art lessons in the school lab. He needn’t have hurried. The image faded and nothing took its place. After some 30 minutes, Zack gave the signal to unlock the door.
He emerged a bit chilled and shook a little. Both Dr. Rapstein and Paul looked at the image. Dr. Rapstein finally said, “While total conjecture on my part, I think the earlier image was the landscape of the alien’s planet and this image represents the living quarters of the aliens.” Paul said, “Yes, I think that fits.” Zack spoke up, “Yes, I think so. If you read my notes, toward the end, I got the feeling of home coming from the alien.”
Paul noted with some concern that Zack was shivering and seemed tired. “Zack, I think that’s enough for today. Let’s get you back to the room for a nap.” To his surprise, Dr. Rapstein and Zack both agreed to the nap. Paul worried a bit, thinking that Zack might need to be checked out medically to make sure everything was OK. “Zack, how do you feel?” “Tired.” Dr. Rapstein spoke up. “Should we raise the temperature for tomorrow? Do you have any thoughts on how much, Zack?” Zack thought a moment and said, “Let’s try another two degrees.” “OK, Zack. See you tomorrow at 9:00 in the morning. I also think we’ll fit you with some body sensors. I want to monitor your temperature, pulse and blood pressure. We’ll have an MD here to watch your readings. I apologize for not thinking of this sooner. I will also have an artist here to render your drawings in a more detailed way. Not that your drawings aren’t good, but we want to make them as realistic as possible. You can work with the artist first. The alien will come later.” Paul left pleased that Dr. Rapstein was concerned about Zack. Paul decided to delay the possible medical exam, unless Zack didn’t feel well in the morning. He was confident that the MD would spot anything out of the ordinary.
At breakfast, Paul was relieved to see that Zack appeared fine and was clearly enjoying the pancakes. “How do you feel, Zack?” “I feel good, Dr. Laurent.” “Zack, I wish you would call me Paul. I like that better.” Zack smiled and said “OK, Paul.” Roberta beamed at both of them. Roberta was already Roberta to Zack and she was especially pleased to see Paul lose some of his stuffiness. “More pancakes, Zack?” “Oh, yes, Roberta. I like the maple syrup. It reminds me of Vermont.” Roberta could see the touch of sadness in Zack’s eyes. “Did your dad give you maple syrup with your pancakes, Zack?” “Yes, as a special treat.” A tear ran down Zack’s face. Roxanne licked Zack’s dangling sticky finger just then and a smile came to Zack’s face. Roxanne curled her big pink tongue completely around Zack’s finger to get every bit of the sticky, sweet taste. Her tail thumped nosily on the floor to show her appreciation. Paul was amused.
Dr. Rapstein’s lab was more packed with people than usual that morning. Joe and Lisa decided to wait outside the door rather than contribute more to the crowded room. Paul agreed and then said, “Why don’t you take the morning off? With the two guard soldiers at the door, Zack and I are already very safe. At least go get some coffee and relax in the cafeteria.” Joe nodded and said “Thanks. We’ll go for the coffee, but come back here. There is not all that much for us to do here. Our families are back in Stamford and much of Area 51 is off limits to us. The landscape isn’t all that inviting either. Maybe we’ll grab some exercise time in the gym.” As Joe and Lisa left, Paul thought to himself. If this alien and Zack project drags on much longer, maybe I can get their families here. I’ll make a mental note to talk with Tyler about it. They deserve better.
Paul sat in a chair in the corner. He watched Zack and the artist in animated discussion. He was beginning to feel like Joe and Lisa. There really wasn’t much for him to do here. He yearned to be back on the road for STEMEO trips. He wanted the comfort of his permanent living quarters. At that last thought, he mused that he must be turning into an old fart. He caught snatches of Zack’s conversation. “No, the rocks have more red than brown. No, their edges are more jagged. You have them too rounded. That’s good, I think you have it.” Paul got up and looked at the artist’s vers
ion of the landscapes that Zack had visualized. God, how desolate, how stark, he thought. Earth must look good to these aliens. Maybe not, perhaps they like that type of habitat, more to their reptilian liking.
As the artist left, an MD in a snow white lab coat came in wheeling a cart full of equipment filled with monitoring screens. Paul walked over and introduced himself. The physician smiled and said “Pleased to meet you. I heard a lot of good things about you. My name is Nadia Olov. What is your relationship to Zack?” Paul had to think for a few seconds. “I’m his guardian and deeply concerned about his welfare. There are too many unknowns here. I am worried about the alien’s effect on Zack. Others have complained about suicidal feelings and headaches in the presence of the alien. With Zack, it is uncharted territory. Zack has ESP. Is that a one way street, or can the alien reach back even better because of it? In effect, we are in unknown territory.”
Dr. Olov looked at him briefly with a puzzled look and then turned to Zack. She had heard rumors of Zack’s ability; maybe the rumors were true. “Zack, I will be placing a number of sticky wireless receptors on you, on your head and chest. They will all send signals into a small transmitter that clips onto your belt. These receptors are monitoring your blood pressure, your heart rate, your brain waves and a few other metabolic things. They don’t hurt. You’ll hardly know that they are there. The transmitter is wireless too. It will constantly send signals to my monitors out here. These monitors have alarms that will sound if anything out of the ordinary range happens. I will also be watching all the readouts, too, as a backup. If at any time, you feel something is wrong and want out, press the button on top of the transmitter. We’ll yank you out, if you don’t leave on your own volition. Do you have any questions?” Zack nodded his head no and removed his shirt. Dr. Olov started placing the receptors, dipping each one into a watery, sticky solution. Paul felt relieved. It looked like the doctor was also concerned about Zack. He went back to his chair and moved it. From his new vantage point, he could see both the medical monitors and the chair just outside the alien’s chamber where Zack would sit. He gave Zack a thumb up as Zack turned to look at him before entering the chamber.
Zack sat down and opened his laptop. The alien seemed more restless than the last time. Still, Zack could not sense the dark curtain, so he sat and reached out mentally to the alien. For several minutes he felt nothing. Then the familiar landscapes appeared. Zack realized that the alien must be homesick. Zack decided to try an experiment. He visualized the second landscape and concentrated his view on the alien going into the doorway of one of the dwellings. At the same time, he kept thinking …your home? The alien seemed agitated, more restless. Zack was about to back off, when he sensed something. It sounded like a voice in his head. “Yes, Taurauk’s home.” Zack sat very still and cleared his head. He typed in a rapid note. “Breakthrough. The alien’s name is Taurauk and the cliff dwelling is his home.” Suddenly, the alien opened his eyes and sat bolt upright and stared at Zack. Zack felt a wave of hatred and murderous venom hurled his way that caused his head to hurt. Even as the blood pressure alarm went off on the external monitor, Zack was pressing the panic button on his transmitter.
Paul and Nadia raced toward Zack as he stumbled out the door. They each took an arm and raced over to the small cot in the corner that had been delivered shortly after Zack had entered the alien’s chamber. Seeing the worried looks, Zack sputtered. “I am OK.” Nadia said, “Stop talking, lie down and relax your body, your head. Think of being in a place where you are relaxed and happy.” Even as she talked, she slapped the blood pressure cuff on his arm and watched the monitor. After several minutes of anxious watching of the readout, both Paul and Nadia relaxed. Zack’s blood pressure had returned to normal.
Paul said, “That’s enough for today. We need to prevent this episode from happening again.” He turned to Dr. Rapstein who was looking pale. “Do you have any ideas?” Before he could answer, Zack spoke up. “Drop back one degree. I think that will put Taurauk just below the awareness threshold. I’ll also pay more attention to the restlessness movements. I’ll clear my mind when I see increased activity and if that doesn’t stop the movement, I’ll leave the chamber. I promise!” Dr. Rapstein thought for a moment. “Yes, I think that will work. However, we are done for today and I recommend that you take the next two days off. At that time, Dr. Olov will check you out and if you pass muster, then you can resume. By the way, is that your nickname for the alien, Taurauk?” Paul also had caught the name and had similar thoughts. Zack smiled and said, “That’s really his name and that cliff dwelling is really his home. It’s in the laptop notes. See, it was worthwhile. We are learning things and I have figured out a way to prod Taurauk into answering questions. I’ll just have to be more careful next time.”
General Straub read the report the following day. Dr. Rapstein always wrote meticulous reports that often bored the General. However, this time the report got his thorough attention. Finally, some progress with the alien, thought the General. Still, it did not change much. Humanity was no closer to understanding the aliens’ intent, the whys, and whens. What they really needed to learn was when to expect the next aliens’ attack. Zack was doing a good job, but at what price wondered the General. Strictly from the military view, Zack was a resource to be used for maximal advantage. The General decided to push that thought away for now. It was best to proceed cautiously and protect Zack. In an ideal world thought the General, what we really want is the wormhole technology. Too much to expect, thought the General. The alien was only a soldier, not a scientist. Zack wasn’t a scientist either. Better to concentrate on the when question for now. General Straub decided to call Zack and Paul in for a “good job meeting and here is what we really need to know”.
At 4:00 that afternoon, Zack and Paul showed up at the General’s office per his request. Paul noted the small table with milk and cookies. Nice touch, he thought. “Hello, Zack and Paul. Please be seated. Zack, help yourself. Paul, would you join me in a finger of single malt scotch?” “Yes, Tyler, that would be nice.” Even as he spoke, he saw Zack digging into the cookie pile and pouring himself some milk. Paul hoped it wouldn’t spoil Zack’s appetite for dinner. After some small talk, General Straub got to the point. “Paul, you have my thanks for bringing Zack to our attention. I must confess that most of us had doubts about your prediction that the sudden stress of climatic extreme events plus the alien invasion could result in new human traits. Certainly, the punctuated equilibrium evolutionary model predicts such events can arise, but no one expected evolutionary changes in our lifetimes. Furthermore, even if one did occur, odds of the new trait having any strategic value seemed very remote. Even when you brought Zack here, we really didn’t expect any results. But now, I believe it is possible, having read the reports. Zack, I am a believer, you really came through. Good job, Zack!”
Zack smiled and a few cookie crumbs fell to the carpet. Seeing this, Tyler thought, he’s still a little boy. It makes it hard to ask him to do this. Zack stopped smiling and said, “It’s OK. I know that you need some answers from the alien. We need to be ready when they return.” The General’s jaw dropped when he heard what Zack said. “Well, Zack, you are truly amazing. In another time, the CIA would want you as a spy at meetings that could impact national security. Yes, we need to be ready. I’m hoping you can glean invasion protocols and timelines from the alien. Sorry, Zack, I mean will they come back and if so, when. It’s possible the alien is a low level grunt and doesn’t know such things. We don’t even know if this is the aliens’ first attempt at invasion or is it one of many. If this is the first time, is there even a planned timeline to access? I guess all we can ask is that you do your best.”
Paul looked at Tyler. “I understand that this information would be vital. However, Zack needs to be protected from harm. You need to understand that I will yank him any time I think Zack is in danger. Dr. Rapstein said that the alien often has harmful influence on anyone who has too much contact. I think he
is right. The alien is dangerous, even more so, because we don’t understand his abilities or mechanisms for mental harm, especially against someone possessing ESP abilities.” “Paul, and Zack, I fully understand. I think you, Paul, should be present at all sessions and that you have sole authority to start and end sessions.” Paul felt relieved. “Thank you, Tyler. I, and I’m sure, Zack appreciate your willingness to let me and not military intelligence run the show, so to speak. Thank you for your vote of confidence in me.” “You’re welcome, Paul.” The General hoped he had done the right thing. Colonel Lanzo was pushing hard to take charge of the project and replace Paul at the sessions. There were so many vectors here that needed to be carefully balanced. If that wasn’t enough, the fate of humanity could rest on a boy and his protector. God help us, thought the General.
9. YEAR SIX, REAL TIME, PI
Reverend Jeremiah Cooper sat behind his massive teak wood desk in his home office, one of many elegantly furnished rooms in his mega-mansion. The mansion had been built after an entire city block in the Bronx was cleared. He stared at the ceiling. He was deep in troubled thought. On the one hand, his renamed church, the Church of the Rapture, was the largest and fastest growing church in the world. He had come a long way since the original Church of the Forgiven in the Bronx. He had become wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. His television and internet reach around the globe was extensive. He sat at the helm of a far-flung evangelic empire, a corporate giant in terms of communication. He was revered by too many millions of people to count. In fact, his flock was close to declaring him to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Yet he was not happy. All he possessed and had done still did not bring on the Rapture. He had been so close during the alien invasion. During that time God talked to him and guided him. He had understood the aliens to be God’s angels, sent in to bring about the Rapture. He had followed God’s advice to terminate the one person who stood in the way, Dr. John Cabrot. As a bonus he had also taken out the two minions. Yet, it had been for naught. Perhaps he had not acted quickly enough and failed. If so, God was rightly angry and had turned his back on him.
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