by Clyde Key
* * *
Ed was thinking about visiting Herman or giving him a call when the alien returned. At first Ed thought it was a different alien because it was colored a vivid blue. Ed would have shot it the minute it came into headquarters if Major Baines hadn’t been walking along with it. When Ed reached for his pistol, Baines waved him off.
“What? Do we have to put up with another one too? I don’t think so!”
Baines nodded and took pen and pad from his pocket and wrote a note that he handed to Ed. The note said, “Same alien but now you can identify it. It doesn’t know. Tell you about it later.”
Later was soon because Ed walked from the headquarters building to another a couple of doors down. Ed had the corporal follow him to the other building and the alien predictably followed. When inside, Ed told the alien, “I’ve got to go to the restroom again and you must stay out here until I come out.” Then he ordered the corporal to guard the alien. “Shoot it if it tries to go in before I come out.”
“But, sir! That’s not a...” The soldier stopped when he realized what Ed was doing.
The door led into a closet instead of a restroom, and it had another door on the other side where Ed went out. How long would it take the alien to figure out it had been duped? Probably not long, Ed decided. He called Baines and told him to meet at the floater pool. Ed went straight to the floater pool and checked out a high level model which he had ready to go as soon as Baines arrived. Then it was on to Highway 40 to Flagstaff. Without an alien.
When they were on their way, Ed asked, “Okay, what’s the deal with the blue alien?”
“It was just an idea I had that seems to have worked,” said Baines. “It seems like those things like rotten food and that’s why they show up at garbage bins. So when the cooks started throwing out spoiled meat, I had them give it to me instead. I soaked it in indelible printer’s ink and, sure enough, that slimy thing soaked it up and turned solid blue! Funny thing is, it doesn’t even know it! They can’t tell colors with that sonar.”
“I hope it lasts!” said Ed.
“It should. That thing soaked up two liters of dark blue ink. Anyway, if it starts to wear off, I’ll feed it some more.”
Then Ed gave a copy of his list to Baines. “I know I can depend on you. Have you got a pretty good idea of whoever else you can count on?”
“Yeah. I know exactly who is with us among the officers and I have a pretty good idea about the enlisted men.”
Then Ed told Baines about his chance meeting with Victor Herman, and about Herman’s ideas for gadgets that would confuse alien sonar.
“Do you think he can really do that?” asked Baines.
“Yes. Quite likely. You ought to see what he’s done with virtual reality software and the hologram window scenery on the magtrains.”
“It’s been a long time since I had a train ride, but maybe I’ll take another sometime soon, if you give me some time off.”
“You deserve it. Take a couple of days starting right after we talk to Herman.”