***
They arrived at the laboratory half an hour after General John Sheridan. A six foot tall, gaunt man, with greasy black hair. A hyena in wolf’s clothes
When they got down to the laboratory, Zolti was strapped to a table under a circular canopy of operating lights. A white-coated technician held Zolti’s head tightly while a scientist, June Rawlings, shone a light into his left eye.
Dawn hammered on the door. “Stop! You’re burning his eyes.”
Langan grabbed her arm. “They can’t hear you through this security glass.” He swiped his security card through the reader.
“They’ve got to turn all the lights down now,” Dawn shouted.
“Let me deal with this.” Langan held his left eye to the retina scanner.
Dawn fidgeted impatiently inside the decontamination chamber for the second set of doors to open. Once inside the lab, she stepped slowly but purposely towards the table.
Langan barked, “Kill the lights!”
Rawlings looked up. “Who the hell―”
Dawn pushed her aside and threw a towel over Zolti’s face.
Sheridan turned towards Langan and said, “How are you, Frankie?”
“That’ll be Assistant Director Langan to you, General Sheridan.”
“Hey! We’ve got to work together on this one Fran-, err.”
“Yes, I got the memo,” Langan replied.
“Good,” Sheridan commented. “So how are you keeping?”
Langan stared sternly. “I’d feel a lot happier if you did me the courtesy of speaking to me before marching into my lab.”
“Your bosses gave me per―”
“Shut it.” Langan snarled. He turned to Rawlings and said, “The alien seems to trust Dawn, so she’s going to ask him the questions.”
“We haven’t finished examining him yet,” Rawlings retorted.
Dawn snatched the pencil light from Rawlings’ hand. “You’ve finished.”
“Get your hands off―”
“That’s enough,” said Langan. “You can carry out a thorough examination, in a humane manner later.”
“That’s better than the prodding and torture they inflict on abductees,” said Sheridan.
“Don’t jump to conclusions that they’re here to wipe out or enslave the planet,” Dawn said.
Sheridan pointed at Zolti. “Him putting little Tommy Spencer unconscious in hospital proves a hell of a lot of things, don’t you think?”
“It proves the existence of extra terrestrial life, of a civilization far in advance of yours,” Dawn retorted.
“What?” asked Langan.
“Yes. You are right. Sorry.” Dawn mumbled.
“Dawn, are you alright?”
She looked vacantly at Langan. Then, realizing what she’d just said, she stared at him with her hand over her mouth to cover her embarrassment.
“Dawn?” he said. “You’re acting very strange.”
“Yes, sorry,” she said, shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts. “I was having two, err, well not having two conversations,” she raised her hand to her furrowed brow.
“You’re not making a lot of sense,” Langan said, looking concerned. “Do you want to sit down?”
“No, No! That is alright,” she said hurriedly, pointing at Zolti. “He was speaking to me at the same time as I was speaking to you, and I…” she gestured helplessly between Zolti and Langan.
He nodded to Zolti then Dawn, “You passed on his words to me?”
“That’s right,” Dawn said. “Yes. That’s right. He was umm, insulted by your inference that his race are savages.”
“I never said that,” Langan protested.
“No, but the way you looked at him last night, today, and the way you talk about them…” Dawn stammered.
“It’s just that I didn’t know if we’d ever really find an alien, certainly not alive,” Langan said.
No and I never expected you to find one at all--never mind so soon. Dawn thought to herself.
“Is he speaking to you now?” Langan asked.
“No. But I will ask if he can speak directly to you, if you want,” she offered.
“Yes. If he could, that would be great.”
Dawn turned to Doctor Rawlins and her assistant, D’Souza. “Untie his wrist and ankle straps please.”
Rawlins looked incredulously at her, and turned to Langan. He nodded for them to do so. Langan blinked several times, shook his head, and started to scratch his ear as he looked inquisitively at Zolti.
I think he is trying to talk to you,” Dawn said.
“What? How?”
“Just relax, concentrate on the words in your head.”
He stood transfixed for a few moments. “Wow that’s amazing! His lips never moved yet I could hear him ever so clearly”
As the medics looked at him, open-mouthed, Dawn asked, “What did he say to you?” Although she knew already.
“He thanked me for my kindness in having him released,” Langan said. Then he stared intently into Zolti’s eyes.
Dawn watched Langan for a few moments then lightly touched his arm and said gently. “I do not think it works like that, or at least I have not had any success at projecting my thoughts to him.”
Langan looked sheepishly at the small crowd focused on him. He shrugged his shoulders, “Well it was worth trying just to see if I have some telepathic powers.”
Dawn smiled at him then turned to Zolti, and said, “He needs rest, food, and water.”
“I need to know what drugs they gave to the boy,” said Langan.
“The toxicology report will tell us that,” Dawn suggested.
“In two days’ time. God knows that may be too late. No, I want to know this afternoon. He seems to trust you, Dawn. So, let him have an hour’s rest. Then question him on the full extent of his mission. I want your report on my desk at eight pm sharp,” Langan ordered.
Dawn nodded. Her “interrogation” of Zolti would allow them to have a private discussion in plain view.
“I’ve a few questions I’d like answered,” said Sheridan.
“I’ll send you the report,” said Langan. He gestured towards the door. “Now get the hell out.”
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