Chapter 4
Media Storm
On the following Friday George got a telephone call from Tim Whitfield, a reporter from the Inyo Register. He indicated he had heard rumors of some sort of archeological dig going on out in the desert and wanted to know more about it. George took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He hadn’t wanted the press involved, but knew it was only a matter of time before they got wind of it. Perhaps if he down played it, they’d lose interest in it as a story.
“Yes, we’ve been studying an abandoned construction site. It’s near Bat Mountain so we’re calling it the Bat Mountain Site.”
“Okay. So, what’s so interesting about it?” Tim asked.
“Ah. We’re interested in the building techniques that were employed. They’re rather unique.”
“You mean the fact that the walls are growing?”
George sighed. “Who told you that?”
“I have my sources.”
“Was it one of my students?”
“I can’t say. . . . What about the landing site?. Do you think aliens landed there?”
“No. That’s ridiculous. It was probably some sort of aircraft. You know the air force is always testing them–maybe a vertical lift fighter or helicopter.”
“Can I see the site?”
George thought a moment. “Okay, I suppose but only on the condition that you don’t disclose the location. I don’t want a bunch of people coming out and interfering with my work.”
“No problem. You give me an exclusive and I’ll keep the location secret.”
“Okay. You’ve got a deal. Meet me at my office here at the college tomorrow at ten and I’ll take you out to it. Come alone.”
“I’ll need my cameraman,” Tim protested.
“Alright. You and your cameraman, but that’s it.”
“Excellent. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After he hung up he called Cindy and told her about the new development.
“Who do you think leaked it?” Cindy asked.
“I don’t know. I thought maybe you might know.”
“Probably one of the freshman. I was afraid this was going to happen.”
“I’ll need you to come with me tomorrow. I’m going to make this jerk wear a blindfold. I don’t trust him.”
Cindy laughed. “You think he’ll let you do that?”
“He will if he wants the story.”
“You better tell Jack. He won’t like picking up the newspaper and finding a story about his discovery.”
“Right. I’ll call him tonight. He won’t be in his motel room until after six.”
The next day Tim Whitfield and Andy Anderson, his cameraman, showed up at George’s office. After they went over the ground rules one more time, they all piled into George’s truck and took off. When they got to Mona’s Café they stopped and met Jack and Dolly for lunch. When they were done George made Tim and Andy put on blindfolds which they wore until they got to the camp. When George pulled Tim’s blindfold off at the edge of the landing site his mouth dropped.
“Holy shit! This is unbelievable,” Tim exclaimed. “Have you figured out yet what kind of experimental craft made this footprint?”
George shook his head. “No, we don’t have access to classified information, but the Defense Department is sending a team here in a week or two. I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
They took the blindfold off Andy’s head and he began taking photos of the site. He also got some shots of Jack, George, Cindy and Dolly. Then they walked over to the construction site. The walls were over six feet tall and dozens of new interior walls were taking shape. George showed them pictures of what the site looked like when they first discovered it.
“Jesus! And you don’t have any idea how or why these walls are growing each day?”
“Not a clue,” George confessed.
“It’s a miracle,” Andy said. “You know, one of those things you read about in the Bible.”
Everyone turned to Andy. “No.” George said, “I’m sure there’s a rational explanation for it. We just haven’t found it yet.”
Andy started walking around the perimeter of the site taking pictures from every angle. “You know, it kind of looks like the beginnings of a cathedral.”
Jack frowned. “A cathedral? How do you figure that?”
“Well, it’s rectangular with a large interior for the congregation to worship, a place up front for an altar, and rooms front and back for the priests and their staff. I spent some time in Germany when I was in the Army and this looks like the beginnings of a cathedral—a big one.”
“Shit! Don’t put that in your article,” George said to Tim. “We don’t want flocks of worshipers coming up here.”
“I’ll just report the facts, but the photos speak for themselves. If people think it looks like a church, I’m not going to be able to convince them otherwise.”
George groaned. “Wonderful.”
They let Tim and Andy wander around for about an hour and then took them back to George’s office. Tim said the story would probably be in the paper’s Sunday edition. After they’d gone George saw he had a message from Greg Arnold. He immediately called him back.
“I just got word. They’ll be sending a team in on Monday.”
“Monday. I thought I’d have another week at least,” George protested.
“After I turned in my report, somebody ordered some aerial photos of the area and that landing site got somebody’s attention.”
“Hmm. I bet.”
“Okay. Thanks for the heads up.”
George picked up the phone and called Jack. “This weekend may be our last opportunity to figure out what’s going on out there.” He explained what was coming down.
“Oh, well. I doubt you and I could ever figure it out. It’s best the experts take over.”
“I know, but it would have really been a feather in my cap had I been able to do it.”
“Well, can’t you write a scholarly paper about it or something?”
“Yes, I’ve already got that done. I’m submitting it to Geology Magazine tomorrow. Hopefully they’ll publish it.”
“I’m sure they will. Particularly when the newspaper story hits the stands and people start talking about it.”
Tarizon: Desert Swarm Page 4