The Goldilocks Zone

by David D. Luxton

  She was glaring at me with her gorgeous brown eyes, “I can’t believe that you are staying at the cultie ranch. So you’re working for them now? Doing what?”

  “They’re letting me stay at the ranch, and in return I’m doing some office work and writing for them, press and social media stuff. It’s just temporary until I figure out what to do next.”

  “Uh-huh, and who’s that guy he has with him all the time?”

  “Mike. He does security for him. He’s here, somewhere.” I looked around.

  “Kind of weird, Ben. I wonder what’s really going on there.” She looked into my eyes.

  I half-smiled. “Like what?” I knew what was coming.

  “Maybe Byrne and his security are like, into each other. Something just seems off about it. Daniel is a married man always hanging around with a younger body builder guy. I’m just saying.”

  I suppressed a smile. “I don’t think so. Mike’s for security, that’s all.”

  “Security? From who?”

  “The government.”

  “And you believe that?”

  “We were in D.C. for a conference and some feds roughed us up. It was real.”

  “What, like Men in Black?”

  “It happened. I wouldn’t lie to you,” I said.

  “Are you really sure you can trust these people? I think my aunt’s murder has something to do with them, and so does my Uncle. You should have talked with my uncle before when you were doing your story. Why didn’t you interview him or anyone else in town?”

  I didn’t have an answer. I felt bad about how I’d left Brenda high and dry, but all that mattered now was getting answers about what had happened to me in order to get my head straight.

  Brenda got up. “Well, anyway, you better be careful. And yes, I do think you are imbalanced. Think about it. You’re living on a compound with people who talk to aliens and charge people to look at drones and flares.” She shook her head. “It’s a cult, a scam.”

  “People can come and go as they please.” I said.

  Just then my handheld squawked. “Bravo Two, Bravo Three come in.”

  Brenda shook her head. I answered the call.

  “Bravo Three. Bravo Two, go ahead.”

  “Where are you? We need you over at the stage.”

  “Okay, on my way. Bravo Three out.” I looked up at Brenda. “I’ve got to go.”

  “Yeah, you’ve always ‘got to go’. I thought you were going to help me figure out what happened to my aunt. What about the investigation? You said you would help me.”

  I stood up. “There’s no investigation, Brenda. I’m sorry, I can’t get involved in anything else right now. This is too big—They need me. I’ve got go.”

  She threw her hands up in the air and walked away.

  “I’m sorry,” I called out too late. I felt bad about not being able to help her solve the mystery around her aunt’s death, but what could I do?

  At the stage area, Mike and I tested Daniel’s wireless. Half an hour later, Daniel was speaking, his voice booming over the audience still gathering. He did his usual routine about communication with the EBEs, and the progress he and the Proxima Foundation were making, including with the intergalactic 3D printer.

  “And tonight,” he announced, “we are going to do something exciting, something we’ve never done before. We’re going to broadcast our viewing event on Facebook Live. For the first time ever, the world will be able to participate with us in real-time. We have a very special meditation planned, and if you have the iM4ET app, which I hope you do, you can track the EBEs with us.”

  Dozens of people pulled out their cell phones to download the app, including a young bare-chested dude with long hair standing behind me.

  The announcer returned to the stage, thanked Daniel, and instructed the audience to assemble along the downtown streets of Missoula for the parade.

  Daniel, Mike, Chester and I jumped into the classic 1964 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible, Sherwood Green and white walled tires of Daniel’s friend Jim Bradshaw, Chester in the front seat, Daniel and me in the back.

  “Where’s Mike?” I asked.

  “He’s on foot behind us. Security,” Daniel said. I glanced back. He was walking about ten yards behind us, his headset and sunglasses on. Serious face.

  Bradshaw revved the Cadillac’s 7-liter. “Ready, Grand Marshall?”

  Daniel sat back and stretched his arm over the top of the white vinyl seat. “Let’s roll.”

  We pulled out and moved to the front of the parade in the staging area. There were about a dozen home-fashioned floats and people dressed as aliens, astronauts, and characters from popular space-themed movies. We chugged along, trailed by the Missoula High School band. At the first corner a mom and her kids in alien antennas were waving at us.

  “Wave, Ben,” Daniel scolded me, “they want to see you too.”

  I waved.

  Now on the main street, Daniel continued to acknowledge the crowd as he spoke to me. “Listen, Ben, I’ve been thinking. I don’t think you need to come to the viewing event tonight. I know you are still nervous about things because of your abduction experience. I could use your help with setting-up and monitoring the live video feed at base station. That sound okay with you?”

  “Sure, whatever you need,” I said, relieved I was saved from going up the hill in the dark.

  “Good. We’ve got a lot of people coming in for this one, and we expect tens of thousands on the livestream. No glitches, it’s got to go smoothly.”

  We rounded a street corner. I saw Brenda on the sidewalk and ducked, hoping she wouldn’t see me. I can’t believe I’m in this parade, I thought. I couldn’t help glancing over at her, and we locked eyes. The blood rushed to my face. Brenda shook her head in disappointment. I sunk even lower.

  A few minutes later, we heard a loud boom, like gunshot. Daniel threw his arm over me and shoved me to the floor of the Cadillac. “Get down! Get down! It’s a hit!” To Bradshaw, he yelled, “Go! Go!” Bradshaw looked back at Daniel, confused. “Hit the gas! Go! Go!”

  As we accelerated, Mike jumped onto the back trunk. “You all right?”

  We maneuvered around the marching band, causing the tuba player to trip. We drove two blocks to a Circle K convenience store parking lot.

  “What are you doing?” Daniel yelled.

  “I think it was fireworks, Daniel,” Bradshaw said.

  “I don’t think so, it sounded like a .308 to me. You, too, Mike?”

  Now on foot, Mike nodded, surveying the surrounding buildings and maneuvering in full tactical mode, pointing his Glock to the ground. We listened to the bottle rockets and firecrackers in the distance.

  22: Not So Good Sighting

  I set up the live stream connection, pre-synched the cellular Wi-Fi for Mike’s cameras, and then went to the cafeteria to heat up some noodles for dinner. In the cafeteria, I ran into some guests staying for the weekend. Robbie Spence was there, and the fat woman I had met in the tent on the night Brent and I filmed the hoax. Robbie came over to me with a large smile.

  “So you’ve come back to us?” he asked, shaking my hand. “You going to join our meditation tonight?”

  “Not tonight. I’m working here at the ranch. We’re filming tonight’s event and streaming it live.”

  Robbie was definitely excited. “Daniel says he’s expecting a major sighting tonight. I’ve got my son and daughter, first viewing event for them.” He pointed to a small group of people putting their daypacks on—two teenagers had the same pudgy face as their father’s.

  I glanced out the windows at the clear sky. “Should be a good night for it, I’m sure.”

  “Yep, and Daniel knows best,” he said, putting on his fanny pack.

  I headed back to the basement office and ran into Mike on the way.

  “You good on the live stream?” he asked.

  “Yes, all set up,” I said.

  “We’re going live at eight-thirty sharp. Keep your radio on.
I’ll check in with you if I need to, got it?”

  “Yeah, no problem.”

  “Thanks, man,” he said, raising his palm for a high-five bro shake. First time he’d done that with me.

  Back in the basement, I watched the clock. At eight-thirty, I went live, everything online and recording as planned. Mike radioed me once to confirm I was getting the feed. Daniel started in on his meditation at nine, loud and clear.

  I watched as members of the group aimed their laser pointers into the northern sky, following Daniel’s instructions. My iM4ET app indicated that others were online around the world—200,000 watching the live feed. Daniel would be pleased. I kept my eyes glued to the screen.

  “There they are,” Daniel said over the feed.

  Mike’s camera focused on three lights in the darkness, tracking them as they grew brighter.

  “Major event, everyone, major event,” I heard Daniel say.

  “Oh my,” said one of the women, “they are coming towards us!”

  Then I heard a few muffled screams. The screen went white just before the connection dropped. I did what I could to restore it, resetting the feed, making sure that we were still connected to the Internet. Everything seemed fine on my end, but then my radio chirped. I waited and it chirped again, then went silent. Mike must be keying the radio, I thought, only there was no transmission.

  I called out, “Base Station to Echo Tango One, do you copy?” Silence. “Base Station to Echo Tango One, do you copy?” No response. What the hell is going on up on the hill?

  I checked my iM4ET app. There was a blip over Missoula. I waited a minute and then went outside to see if I could see anything in the sky. The night was still, stars shining bright. No sign of anything.

  I tried the radio a few more times and another reboot, but no luck. I was just as perplexed as I was excited. What was going on up there?

  Just after eleven, the Proxima Foundation vans came down the driveway. Daniel, Mike, Chester and the guests got out. Some sat on the ground and fumbled with their cell phones while some crawled under the picnic tables. A few people were still hiding in the vans. Most of them appeared to be missing some of their clothing. I didn’t see any daypacks.

  “What happened?” I asked Daniel as he stepped out of the van. He looked distraught, his shirt was untucked, and his jacket and one shoe were missing. Silently, he headed straight for the house.

  I asked the same thing of Mike and Chester.

  “Something happened,” Mike mumbled.

  “What?”

  “Abduction.”

  Chester’s eyes were glazed over; he was undoubtedly in shock. He stumbled down the path towards our pod.

  Mike followed Daniel to the house. Moments later, Nadine came out of the house to run damage control. The people sitting on or under picnic tables and in vans were in a daze.

  “We’re getting out of here!” yelled one of the men. “This is not what we paid for!”

  “Everyone just calm down.” Nadine said. “You are not safe out here in the darkness. We need to talk about what’s happened. Let’s go into the meditation tent, it’s warm in there.” Nadine looked at me. “Ben, don’t just stand there. Get these people some blankets.”

  I went into the supply containers and grabbed as many blankets as I could carry. When I returned, everyone had moved into the tent. Mike rolled in a cart with hot chocolate and tea. I distributed the blankets and helped hand out hot beverages.

  Nadine said. “Now, we all just need to collect ourselves and talk about this.”

  “Where’s Daniel?” asked Robbie, his teenagers huddled under a blanket near him.

  “He’s inside, making some calls to the FAA and his government contacts. He’ll want to talk with you, too. He’ll want to document everything.” She looked at me. “Ben, start taking notes.” She addressed Mike. “Get these gas heaters going, now!”

  I went to the office and retrieved a yellow pad. When I returned, people were yelling.

  “I want to go home! Give us our keys!”

  When Nadine saw me she, whispered in my ear, “Ben, I need you to do the relaxation meditation regimen, now. Get everyone to calm down. Center them.”

  “I’ll do my best,” I said.

  “Good boy,” she said.

  I proceeded with the mediation exercise. “Breathe in, now breathe out.” It seemed to work. Some of the women were weeping.

  Nadine returned. “Remember, everyone, it’s important that we do not talk to anyone about what has happened until we understand more. Daniel is investigating this and will be providing more information tomorrow. You are free to do as you wish tonight, but I hope that you will stay with us until daylight.”

  It was after two in the morning when I retired to my pod. The lights were still on. Chester was in his bunk curled up in the fetal position with pillows pulled over his head. Seeing him in this state made me terribly uncomfortable. What did he and these people go through up on that hill with Daniel? My thoughts went to my own abduction experience. Were alien crafts over us? Would they come back? Or was this a government abduction operation, too?

  Exhausted, I drifted off to sleep.

  23: Everything Has Changed

  Nadine summoned me to the house in the morning. I’d overslept two hours and expected a tongue-lashing for not clocking in and manning the social media sites. I checked Twitter and Facebook on my phone as I hurried up the hill to the house. There were thousands of video views and comments about last night’s live-stream footage.

  Mike was in his usual tank top and blue jeans with strapped sidearm when he answered the door and directed me to the back porch. Nadine was in a robe in one of the Adirondack chairs with French press steaming by her side. She spoke in her usual warm country twang. “Have a seat, Ben. Would you like some coffee?”

  “Sure,” I said, relieved she didn’t seem upset with me. She poured me a cup.

  “I want you to know I appreciate your help last night. You did a wonderful job calming those people.”

  “No problem,” I said. “Is Daniel okay?” I took the coffee and warmed my hands around the mug.

  “He’s still resting, but he wants to see you. He needs your help with a press release about the abduction last night. You have time today to help him, don’t you?”

  “Yes, of course,” I said. I wondered what shape Daniel was in and what his press release would entail.

  “There are a few things I want to talk to you about before you go to see Daniel. You handled yourself so well last night that we think it’s time for you to become a regular employee with the Foundation. It has full benefits, and we can pay a little more in salary than what we pay contractors. How does that sound to you?”

  “That sounds great,” I said, thinking I could use the money and health insurance coverage. Inside, though, I was unsure about the commitment. I hadn’t planned on working for the Foundation long-term, but then again, I hadn’t really thought it all out.

  “Good. I’ll have some paperwork for you to sign later today, tax documents, and such. The articles you’ve written—you’re going to have to rewrite them.”

  “I am? Why? Because of what happened last night?”

  “Yes. This whole story about the EBEs is unfolding in real-time, and we’ve got to get the narrative right. It is important that we have a unified message. There’s a lot of important work ahead of us. Daniel will have more to tell you.”

  I expected more press releases, media inquiries, and likely a plan for more abduction research. All were things that my skills could help with.

  “You’ve been through a lot, Ben, just like Daniel has.” Her tone hardened. “And let me tell you, if we can show that the government knew all along about the alien presence and the risks, we can sue the pants off of them.”

  The only lawsuit I’d thought of was the possibility of one from the people traumatized under Daniel’s supervision. “Do you mean a class action suit?”

  “Yes, the biggest one in history, c
osmic in size. But we don’t have to worry about that just yet. Keep quiet about a lawsuit, we don’t want anyone to know our hand just yet. Just help Daniel for now.” She glanced at her watch. “Daniel is ready for you. He’s upstairs, the master bedroom at the end of the hallway.”

  I set my cup down.

  “One more thing, Ben. What were you doing talking to that waitress yesterday at the festival?”

  A sharp sting of anxiety shot through me. Mike or Chester must have spotted me with Brenda. “Nothing. She recognized me, and I said hello.”

  “You should stay away from her. You don’t need to get your priorities confused right now. We need you focused on your work here with us. Helping Daniel is more important than anything else. Comprende?”

  “Yes, of course,” I said.

  “You know, Daniel thinks of you as a son. He feels that way about Mike, too, of course, but you are different. You and Daniel are a lot alike, both smart, inquisitive, and so committed to revealing the truth of things.” She smiled. “I feel the same way about you. You’re like the son we never had.”

  “Thanks,” I murmured, embarrassed and taken aback.

  She smiled again. “Now go and see Daniel. Scoot!”

  I headed upstairs, thinking about Nadine’s job offer and her apparent disdain for Brenda. I assumed it still had to do with her Aunt Sally snooping around the Proxima Foundation. Still, I got the sense again that there was something personal about it, but what? A possible class-action suit against the United States government! Could people molested during abductions come together and sue the government for damages? Maybe, but there would have to be undeniable evidence that the aliens are here to harm and the government covered it up.