The Goldilocks Zone

by David D. Luxton

“Not that I’m aware of. Why are you asking?”

  “A cell tower near the Valley of the Moon is supposed to be on old Air Force installation or something. Know anything about that?”

  “There were Cold War era early warning facilities all over the country. I don’t know about one out there.” He paused. “Wait a minute. Where did you say this tower was located?”

  “On the north side of Solomon Mountain, just south of Valley of the Moon Road.”

  “Hold on just a second,” he said. We could hear him shuffling papers. “I’m looking at a book called The Confidential Frequency List from the early 1980s. It says it right here: AFG10 Air Force Station, Missoula. What are you thinking, Ben?”

  “Sally Jensen reported seeing lights in the sky out here and thought it might have something to do with the facility, which apparently has a new cell tower on it.”

  “Interesting, Ben. I’ll look into it.”

  I thanked Jack and ended the call, then looked at Brenda. “Your aunt had the iM4ET app, too. I told you there was something going on with it.”

  “Maybe you should find out who developed it.”

  “I asked Daniel about it. He said Nadine handled the business side. The credits say Such and Such, Inc. I looked it up and didn’t find anything.”

  “Follow the money. Someone had to pay for it, right? Either it was the Foundation or someone else,” she suggested.

  “Daniel said Petulli was involved with the app development. Maybe he bankrolled it.”

  “Can you ask him?”

  “We’re supposed to go up to his place to get the Transdimensional 3D Printer. He seemed really excited about showing me his Dobson. Maybe I can get some time alone with him.”

  She smirked. “To see his Dobson?”

  “It’s a telescope.”

  “And what is a transdimensional 3D printer anyway? Are they selling plastic alien artifacts in the gift shop or what?”

  “Daniel thinks he can send and receive things from across interstellar space telepathically.”

  “Well, can he?”

  I held a straight face as best I could. “He received what appeared to be a giant penis.”

  “An interstellar cock? I bet he did,” she laughed and so did I.

  When we made it back into town, she pulled up next to my car. “Why don’t we find a way to get together in a few days?” she suggested.

  “It will have to be next this week. Daniel, Mike and I are driving to Las Vegas for a conference.”

  “Driving all the way to Las Vegas?”

  “Daniel is afraid to fly. He’s worried about getting everyone abducted while in the air.”

  “Well, have fun in Vegas with Alien Man and Muscle Boy.” She smiled. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

  “Ha, ha,” I said, “I’ll call you when I get back. Remeber to use this number from now on. I don’t trust the regular smartphone.” I looked at her one last time before getting out of the Jeep. “You sure you don’t think I’m crazy?”

  She grinned. “Maybe a little.”

  28: Dr. Petulli

  The next morning, Daniel sent Mike, Chester and me up to Petulli’s to retrieve the Transdimensional 3D printer equipment. Petulli let us enter. His hair was a mess, suggesting we’d awakened him.

  “The lab is unlocked, do what you have to do,” he said sleepily.

  We went downstairs and surveyed equipment we needed to haul out. Mike gave the orders, and we went to work. Petulli sat on one of the office chairs and watched. After a couple of loads out to the van, I asked Petulli if he was still willing to show me the Dobson.

  He paused for a moment. “I suppose I could.”

  We headed out of the basement lab and ran into Chester and Mike on their way back down.

  “Mr. Petulli is going to show me the Dobson. Will only be a few minutes. Daniel said it was okay,” I said.

  “Don’t be too long, we’ve got more work to do when we get back.”

  I followed Petulli down the hallway to the large stairway leading to the second floor. Just as we began our ascent, his tabby cat came shooting down past us.

  “Watch out, Mr. Snickles,” Petulli called.

  “So how long have you known the Byrnes?” I asked.

  “We go way back. Nadine represented me in a case almost a decade ago. I met Daniel through her, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

  “What kind of case?”

  “A patent issue with one of my inventions, the Quantum Vacuum Oscillator. The Patent Office said that the Department of Energy already had a claim and that mine wasn’t possible. Nadine helped me prove that my design was unique. She’s been my lawyer on such matters since then.”

  “What’s a Quantum Vacuum Oscillator?”

  “The QVO is a device used for creating anti-gravity fields. A propulsion system.”

  “I see.” Now I knew what their connection was, and that Nadine must have some expertise in technology. “You must be upset about us having to destroy the 3D printer—all the effort you put into building the thing.”

  “Nadine and Daniel have convinced me that it could be dangerous. I trust Daniel on this. He’s concerned that the Proximians could bring in a Trojan horse weapon.”

  I thought of the phallus-looking device they’d shown me—hardly a weapon of mass destruction. “Could they do that, anyway? I mean, just drop something down through the atmosphere?”

  He looked at me inquisitively. “But what if they had tricked Daniel? We could have finished the device and found out that it was really an interstellar transport device for a planned invasion.”

  “A Star Gate?”

  “Exactly. Nadine asked me to help make the modifications to the new scanning app and the alien detection app. It got my mind off of it.”

  “So you’re helping to fund it?”

  He looked at me. “This is serious work. The Byrnes are going to save the planet from disaster.”

  “Do you think the app will work? Alert the presence of aliens?”

  “I do. It uses a special electromagnetic field to detect ships. I’d been working on the technology for years. Now it has a real-word application.”

  “How does it work?”

  “The software uses the receiver in modern cell phones to detect fluctuations in the electromagnetic field of radio transmissions in the Sub 6 GHz Band. By using my machine learning algorithms, we’ve taught the software to detect patterns and filter out natural fluctuations of those caused by human-made objects such as airplanes, helicopters, and even drones. It is the first time that such technology can be in the hands of everyday people. The 5G networks have made it possible, and it came just in time. Now we just need to get it out to everyone.”

  Petulli led me into the observatory that was in the south tower of the mansion. There was a large telescope in the center of the room.

  “This is my 42-inch Dobsonian. I built it myself. It’s motorized and has a precision optics lens. It’s a spectacular telescope.”

  I began examining its features. “How far can you see with this thing?” I glanced out the windows, seeing Daniel’s ridge and the Lo Lo forest peaks to the south.

  “It’s not how far, but how long back in time. Most of the stars that you see in the sky gave off their light millions of years ago. I’ve taken photos of objects that existed 10 million years ago. The skies aren’t quite as dark as they used to be in this part of Montana, but not bad.”

  I smiled. “Ever seen a UFO with it? What about the craft from Daniel’s viewing events?”

  “This is for looking into outer space, not terrestrial viewing. And yes, several times. I got a few of the Oumuamua object when it came through. NASA said that it was only visible with infrared, but that wasn’t true. They also said it was the first known object entering the Earth's solar system from interstellar space. That’s not true either.”

  “Was it a ship of some kind?”

  “Yes, a mothership, passing through. That is what Daniel thinks, and I
do, too. It looks a lot like the craft that Daniel received through the E3DP device.”

  “Did you take any photos of it?”

  “Of course, I did. You are welcome to come over here at night sometime when I’m viewing. I can show you the photos, too.”

  We shook hands. I stepped outside and Mike was waiting.

  At the ranch, he pulled the van into one of the large garages.

  Daniel came out to give instructions regarding the Transdimensional 3D Printer.

  “Destroy it, boys.”

  Mike and Chester grabbed sledgehammers and smashed the device into smithereens. Pieces flew across the dirt.

  Back at the pod, I spent some time looking at Google maps, trying to place the location of the suspect cell towers. There was a pattern: the location of Daniel’s viewing spot was in the exact middle of a triangle, Petulli’s to the North, The Proxima Foundation Ranch to the east, the Station to the West. A perfect, equilateral triangle! There had to be a link to the cell towers, the iM4ET App, Sally Jensen, my headaches, UFOS, and maybe even abduction experiences.

  29: Useful Idiot

  The 37th Annual UFO Conference was at the luxurious Marriot Resort and Spa Las Vegas.

  We checked in, and after a fresh-up, went to the main talk. Daniel, Dr. Mazzotti, one of the Navy aviators from the UFO sightings in the 2000s and I sat in chairs on the stage. Priscilla Mense, a conference organizer and our panel moderator, introduced us. I gazed out at the audience of more than three hundred, consumed by stage fright plus embarrassment about the entire UFO thing. 60 Minutes had been bad enough, but this live audience was huge. And I was more conflicted than ever about my experience. Was it really an alien abduction, or was it a psychotic state induced by electromagnetic waves emanating from the iM4ET app?

  Daniel kicked off the discussion, covering the need to take precautions and his role as liaison with the Proximians. Mazzotti talked about alien probes, and the aviator about the sightings off the East and West Coasts. Everyone agreed there was a link between the military sightings and Daniel’s warnings about imminent alien arrival. Reluctantly, I spoke about my own abduction experience and my work at the Proxima Foundation.

  During the Q & A session, a plump middle-aged woman in glasses stepped up to the microphone. “This question is for Mr. Davenport. Why do you think they abducted you and were you ever abducted before?”

  “I have no idea why I had this experience,” I said. “I’ve never been abducted before—that I’m aware of, anyway.”

  Daniel leaned to my ear and whispered, “Tell them about your connection to me and your work at the ranch.”

  I stared out at the bright stage lights and mumbled, “I’ve been helping Daniel with his work, so that might have something to do with it.”

  “Its most definitely why,” Daniel said, “and Ben witnessed to the Phoenix Lights back in ‘97. We know now it was the Proximians over the American Southwest that night, and he was likely scanned and identified then, if not earlier. You see, the Proximians are very selective about who they commune with. They need to know who they can trust, who is capable of understanding them, and who can work with them. Who they choose to abduct and communicate with is intentional and calculated.”

  Another woman asked Daniel, “Does the alien repellant really work, and where can I get some?”

  “From the Proxima Foundation website, and yes, it works,” Daniel said.

  “I’m wearing it right now,” Priscilla added.

  A person in the front row dressed in a giant green alien suit with antennae pretended to be gagging and choking. She slumped dramatically in her chair, and half the crowd erupted in laughter.

  Daniel was not pleased. “This is a serious matter, everyone. They are coming, and we must prepare ourselves.”

  Daniel went into more detail regarding preparation and what the Proxima Foundation was doing to help the government. I noticed that my inner voice, the one that I’d not heard from in months, was starting to question Daniel’s story about the Proximians. His pushy sell of Proxima Foundation products, and focus on himself as the one with all the answers about the off-planet entities smelled like bullshit. But why were former government officials, seemingly credible and reputable, on board with his story? And, not one person from the audience was challenging him, no inquisitive press, no unconvinced scientists—no one. I was conflicted. Loyalty to Daniel, something had happened to me on the ridge outside Yakima, but what?

  That evening at dinner, documentary film producer named Mark Brunsky and Priscilla joined us at our table in the hotel restaurant. Daniel introduced me and we ordered appetizers and drinks. Brunsky looked excitedly at Daniel through his shaded glasses. “The documentary’s going to be huge, Daniel. Netflix just got in on it, which means we can spend more on production.”

  “Release before December?” Daniel asked.

  “Yeah, it’s doable. Summer is the best time for documentaries, but the holiday season is second best. I’ve been working on some story boards I’d like to show you.” He pulled out a notebook. “We want to do a re-enactment of the group abduction—it will be a great visual.”

  “No,” said Daniel firmly, “no reenactments.”

  Brunsky was surprised. “Why not? It will be great!”

  “I’ve never seen them done well, not in Communion, not in Fire in the Sky. I want this to be a think piece. What you don’t see is more frightening than seeing it. You know what I mean?”

  Brunsky nodded. “Sure, like Blair Witch. So what scenes are you thinking of?”

  “Visuals of the aliens, close ups. Do you know any good CGI people? It’s got to look like the real thing.”

  “Yeah, we can do that. We should do some wide shots with you walking on the hills in Montana. We’ll use drones.” He flipped to another page of sketches.

  Daniel looked over the sketches. “I like it. We can have some dramatic music here, maybe analog synthesizers, maybe some crossfades.”

  “Sure,” said Brunsky, “interviews too, I presume with some of the folks who were up on the ridge with you.”

  “Mike, of course.” Daniel looked at me. “And you too, Ben, you’re in it as well.”

  “Great,” I said, although I had no interest in being in his documentary.

  “If we can get the film out at the same time as the book, all the better,” Daniel said.

  “Doable,” Brunsky said. “We’ll wrap up preproduction this week and get everything ready to ship for the shoot. I’ll have my people set up a time to start when it’s good for you.”

  Daniel nodded. “Excellent. Whatever Nadine says will be fine.”

  I couldn’t help thinking about all of the Armageddon religious cults selling videos and books about the end of the world for $19.95. If the end is nigh, why bother making a profit?

  The next morning, I checked out and waited in the lobby for Daniel and Mike, going through my messages.

  A man in cream-colored khakis and a blue sports jacket over a checkered white shirt appeared out of nowhere. “Hi Ben, may I join you?”

  “Sure,” I said automatically. It was David Ellis, editor of Cynic magazine. He plopped down on the sofa across from me and we stared at each other for an awkward moment. I was unsure what to say and worried about Daniel’s reaction if he saw me with his nemesis.

  Ellis smiled. “So you are in deep now with the Byrnes. How’s that going?”

  “Fine, I guess. What are you doing here?”

  “I like to attend these conferences from time to time, keep up with all of the latest claims, reveries, and ruses of the UFO community. Couldn’t miss this one, not with all the buzz about an alien invasion.”

  A light bulb went off. The tone of his voice and choice of words were very similar to the anonymous McMinnville phone call.

  “It was you, wasn’t it? You called me when we were in McMinnville.”

  “Me?” He smiled even more. “Yes, it was. I was at that conference too, in background, like I was at this one. I made th
e call because if I hadn’t, you’d be writing part of your story about me. You probably know about the defamation suit and restraining order. Maybe I wanted to add a little mystery, like Deep Throat in Watergate. I was expecting you to dig more than you did, but at least you got the hoax on film. That was impressive. Did you look into the locals who did it?”

  “What locals?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Sounds like you didn’t investigate like an investigative journalist should. I’m willing to bet that if you find out who they are, and who got them up to it, then you’d know more about who’s behind all of this.”

  I thought about the men who had roughed us up in DC and my questions about Congressman Young. “So you’re saying there are more involved than just the Byrnes? The government?”

  He looked around. “There’s always conspiracies hovering around government UFO fakes. I suspect this is bigger, and yes, it involves the Byrnes, but I can’t say exactly what they are up to.”

  “What do you think about Daniel’s announcement? Do you think…”

  “…aliens are coming?” He smiled. “Every regime in power has its chimera. They use whatever unseen threat they can conjure to control the population to achieve their ends. Funny how whatever crisis there is seems to dissipate or be conveniently resolved at just the right time—until the next threat is fabricated.”

  Ellis’s cynicism about the government was sounding like Daniel’s months before. “So this Proximian alien thing is a false flag?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but a man-made crisis seems a lot more plausible than humanoid life forms coming from a planet 4.24 light-years away to commune with a washed-up lawyer.”

  “Daniel thinks you work for the CIA. Any truth to that?”

  He chuckled. “I’ve been accused of being on the CIA’s payroll many times. No, that’s complete and utter bullshit. I’m just an independent journalist and publisher, a truth seeker, and truth teller, like you.”

  “Why didn’t you do the story?”

  “I think you know the answer to that, Ben. If I’d published a story involving the Byrnes, I’d be in serious legal trouble. You see, a lot of people hate me because I expose bullshit. It can cost them money. But the truth is those same bullshitters need me. Having someone like me criticizing them gets them attention, and the publicity is good for them. It feeds their egos and can make them more money. The Byrnes are no different. But you are in a position to get to the bottom of this, unless you signed a nondisclosure agreement. Did you?”