by Max Jager
Matt then approached the mayor who was standing next to the police officer listening to the reporter interview the Slykhor's. He told the mayor what he had in mind and asked if word didn't get out right away.
"Sir, these people aren't here to cause trouble or hurt anyone we were going to take up a collection for pizza and just sit around and just talk. If you'd like to go get your wife and maybe a couple other close friends to come back here and you know, just talk to them. I've got a bunch of pictures I'd like to show as well. You'll be famous and it will be good for Durango in a round about way, people will come from all over to see where the aliens landed."
"Sealing" the deal required the mayor, along with the cop, as well as the reporter getting their pictures taken with Slavek and Tiag. So the mayor along with Matt's father and Dave the cop headed back to town for pizza, beer and soft drinks. One of the kids knew where he could get some wood pallets for a camp fire so off he went.
During this time, Liam and Patricia approached him wanting to talk privately.
"Sure, what's up? Patricia then asked him.
"Why did you ask that Kaitlyn and not me to go with you?" He looked at her and started chuckling.
"Well in case you don't remember, you and Liam here were running around behind my back." This revelation only confused her along with protests, so Matt said.
"Honestly Patricia I know you and I'm afraid you would have been scared shitless. Besides, they don't have texting or Facebook out there." Again more protests.
"I chose Kaitlyn because she knew stuff about space travel, and aliens. It also turns out she knows a lot about fairies, elves and pixies which really came in handy and made us a lot of friends out there. He then looked at Liam and said,
"I don't know if Kaitlyn will be going back, that's one reason we came here, she was homesick. But now that her mom is dead, I really don't know what she'll do. Liam, would you like to go with us, we could have a real blast out there."
"What! You mean leave here and travel to wherever it is your going back to?"
Yeah, even if Kaitlyn changes her mind, there's plenty of room." Liam frowned and grimaced.
"Man I don't know, my folks kinda have college all set up for me."
Matt fully expected this reply but he added.
"Well think about it Liam, the offer stays open right up until we leave."
'Yeah man, I'll do that," replied his friend.
"Fucking chicken shit!" He thought. Now it was his mothers turn to interrogate him.
"Matt, are you and Kaitlyn…"He shook his head,
"No mom we aren't, in fact we don't often see eye to eye. There have even been a few times when we've been off doing our own thing. I asked her to come for certain reasons, and she's been a big help there. I don't even know if she's even going back mom."
Kaitlyn, who had been talking to a couple of her old friends who had come finally, came over just as Matt and his mother finished talking.
"How ya doing?" Asked Matt, she sighed, then thought a moment.
"I'll be all right, I suppose tomorrow I'd better go down to the cop shop and give my statement, then go out to the cemetery."
"I'm so sorry for you're loss Kaitlyn," added Mrs. Grainger, "Had you ever met this man before?"
"No, thank god. Mom must have starting going with him right after I left, who knows, maybe if I hadn't gone I might have been able to talk some sense into her. Fuck! Who am I kidding; he would have just gone after me." Kaitlyn then went over and sat down on someone's pick-up truck tailgate, and was soon approached by the reporter.
Slavek was still talking to a couple of Matt's friends when the "pizza patrol" returned. Mayor Kensington had his wife plus two city council members he'd managed to round up. Some kids were piling up several pallets for a fire, while pizza boxes were spread out on a couple car hoods, with a line quickly forming with Slavek and his sister being first. They were then introduced to the council members, a man and woman, with someone taking their pictures. Matt was sitting with his parents when Mr. Bruce sat down next to him asking for an interview.
"Sure, why not," shrugged Matt,
"It was all the standard questions, how did he meet these people, what made him take off like that, what were people like way out in space?
He recapped the story of Greg Tate, being careful not to reveal the old ghost town or Greg's grave. Then moving onto Amber and Gandric landing on Denedra and Doradus. Bruce's questions were starting to tire him so he steered the conversation to Roy VonDran.
"You know Mr. Bruce, there is a guy living on Denedra form the states, he's from Amarillo, and was in the marines driving back to Camp Pendleton when the Uwan picked him up."
"What! Do you mean there is an actual abductee living way out there in space?" Acting like it was commonplace Matt said.
"Sure, both Kaitlyn and I have met him, I've got some letters he wants me to mail."
"You mean he didn't want to come back here to earth?"
"Nope, says he likes it fine on Denedra, has a family and likes the life he's living."
He went on to tell VonDran's story to the amazement of the reporter.
When he finished, it was starting to get late, and he wanted people to see his pictures.
"One more thing before you folks have to leave, and that's the slide show I promised. My computer screen is kinda small, but I think there's room for everyone to see." Setting the laptop on a box on the back of a pick-up truck tailgate, he began the show.
"Well here we have Amber, that's the guy that came back here to die, Greg Tate, he was from Z'ha'dum, but was a descendant of people who were kidnapped by the Neistra way back in 1880. OK, that's a picture of a cloud nebula, here's an interior shot of the Nora-Lee, there's Amber in the pilot's seat. These next pictures were taken on Denedra, that's the landing area, there's a good one of the palace. Oh here's one I took of Drott, he's a Centaur, yeah people they really do exist, along with elves, fairies and even leprechaun's. As he moved through the photo's all that could be heard were gasps, "Oh my god!" and "I simply don't believe it."
By the time he got to pictures of Fort Kamata nobody knew what to say.
"Here's a shot of my friends Grak and Karlt, they are Golians who work for the Loridia Trading Company. OK, now here's some pictures of Ussen Ommo, would you look at that place. With the exception of a small tribe of people who call themselves the Gri'Foda living in Shong Vak. Yeah, that's Drok Irdurg, and that's his dad Blaagis, there's his mom Chasi, and his brother Udel. It was when he began to show pictures of the piled up mountains of scrap and rubble that people exclaimed squeaks of horror.
"The whole planet is like that, and hopefully Amber, Gandric and Drok can get those purifiers built and going on Ussen Ommo." He gave a brief description of what the massive machines did and the task of building them in outer space.
"These last shots are of Kiggham Stenuck, and Roy VonDran, taken at their stronghold in the Witchfire Mountains on Denedra. Mr. Bruce, that's the guy I was telling you about that got kidnapped by the Uwan and eventually ended up on Denedra."
After the show everyone was simply astounded by what they had seen with Bruce asking Matt.
"Son have you considered selling those pictures, they've got to be worth a fortune." Matt grinned,
"Oh don't I know it," he then went to his parents, handing his father the camera chip he said,
Mom, dad, take this chip. It's all the pictures you've just seen, put it in your safety deposit box or something, don't let anyone know you have them.
"I take it you want us to sell the pictures or something," said his father.
"Yeah dad, those pictures have to be worth a fortune, they are living proof there is other life "out there."
"I suppose you've got some idea of how much they're worth?" Added his father.
"I wouldn't sell any one picture for less than a hundred grand apiece, more if you can get it." His dad thought a moment then grinned,
"Son, I think I know just the man that can h
elp us with that, don't worry son, we'll set up a separate account for you as well." Matt grimaced,
"Dad, you and mom keep it all. Honestly, I don't know when I'll be back; I'll have more by then anyway. I figured those photos would set you and mom up for the rest of your lives."
"So you really are leaving us again?"
"Yeah dad, it's what I've got to do, like I already told you guys I get word back to you somehow." Kaitlyn had been listening to the conversation and came over pulling a small metal box out of her pocket.
"Matt, I know you said something about needing to buy a bunch of supplies, and that bow for Stenuck, these might help." Opening the box she revealed twelve beautiful blue diamonds.
"Where did you get those?" Asked Matt.
"Remember that abandoned building we stayed at on Ussen Ommo?"
"Yeah, so you were poking around there as well huh?"
"Yeah, I found these in a secret compartment in one of the desk drawers. I've already got a few set aside, for…Other things. Matt's father took the box as Matt said,
"I hate to start asking you for money dad, but Kaitlyn's right, I promised Roy and Kiggham bows, plus we've got to get a bunch of clothes and I need more ammo."
"Ammo?" Asked his father, "What do you need that for?"
"Umm well its how I've managed to make a little money dad killing barbongs and shadox, they are like wild dogs and hogs." His dad studied him for a moment but said nothing. Slavek and his sister approached as Slavek said,
"So what's the plan?" Matt looked at his parents then back to the Ruddorians.
"You guys are welcome to stay at our house your ship should be safe here." Slavek then looked around then said,
"As much as we'd like to I'm afraid it might not be a good idea. From what everybody is saying we've really stirred things up and once the story gets out or "hit's the wire" as that Mr. Bruce says people will be flooding in here, besides, there's a few places Tiag and I would like to see before we leave."
"Are you sure?" Asked Mrs. Grainger, "We'd love to have you."
"Thanks for the offer," replied Tiag, but things might be safer this way, so if we're going to pick up Tansy and Bria, when do you want to meet…And where?"
"Two days," exclaimed Matt, exactly at midnight, mountain time, the correction is in the computer." Then handing him a card with a series of numbers written on it, he said.
"There's an old ball field real close to my house, these are the coordinates, I got them off the Nora-Lee's computer when Amber landed there, it might be safer than landing back here, people won't be expecting you over there, come in cloaked when you do." Slavek looked at the card,
"These numbers look correct, all right then midnight on the second day."
"Right," said Matt, "That's 36 hours."
"We'll be there."
"Might want to keep things low key for awhile, no tear-assing through canyons," said Matt.
"Will do," replied Slavek.
Matt called for everyone to move back as Slavek took the ship up, but since it was dark and the ship in cloak mode they didn't see much.
Turning to his folks he sighed,
"Let's go home.
Chapter 53
Titan Stand Chapter 53
As they were getting in the car Ed Bruce and mayor Kensington approached them.
"You know son," said the mayor,
"You've really put Durango on the map, now whether this will prove to be good or bad it's too early to tell. People are going to take the arrival of aliens and the fact that it's now a provable fact that there's "life" out there in a lot of different ways."
"He's right," added Bruce, "once this story gets out you're going to have reporters from all over the world camped out on your doorstep. I suppose we should try and set up a press conference. How about your friends, the Reddi…"
"Ruddorian's!" Snapped Matt, "At least get their damn name right."
"Now listen son," replied Kensington, we're only trying to do the right thing here…"
"What would be the point," he replied, "Nobody would be able to understand them. Look, they gave you an interview, as far as I'm concerned that's enough. You've got pictures, that's it, sorry, let's go dad."
As they headed home with Matt and Kaitlyn in the back seat, Mrs. Grainger exclaimed,
"Bruce is right, our yard is going to become a media circus tomorrow what are we going to do, how are we going to get to work?"
"Well dad," said Matt,
"You could always hire some "leg Breakers" to keep them away." Both his parents laughed at that one.
"Believe me son, I'd love to do that, but you know as well as I do, that would just create more problems." Kaitlyn, who had been unusually quiet, said,
"Well once we are gone, the reporters will leave too, shouldn't be a problem."
"So you've made up your mind to leave?" Asked Mr. Grainger,
"Yeah," she replied, nothing here for me anymore, I'll say goodbye to mom, buy a few more clothes, and I'm outta here." Matt turned to her and smiled, placing his hand on hers. Kaitlyn made a grimace, but nodded in approval.
Nobody got much sleep that night, staying up two more hours just talking, then being woken around six in the morning by the sound of people talking, and vehicle doors opening and closing. True to Bruce's prediction, the whole street in front of their house was filled with cars trucks and news channel vans. Their front lawn was filled with reporters and camera crews. He couldn't remember who was telling him about it, maybe it was Karlt, but he wished he had a "psypyx" bomb to toss out there. According to Karlt, security forces used them to disperse unruly crowds, they also worked pretty good on animals as well, causing whoever breathed the gas they emitted to panic, and run for their lives."
Matt lay back in his bed scanning his surroundings,
"How long has it been since he slept in this bed?" He also began to contemplate the fact that this might be the very last time he did sleep in his bed, or ever come into this house again… His mind also began to wander into the realm of "what if?"
What if he hadn't gone out to that old ghost town that day? What if he hadn't gone with Amber? Too late for any of that now, the die was cast, time to "man up" and play the hand he was dealt. He then started thinking about things he had forgotten to take with him, and where they were. Slipping into the bathroom for a quick shower he tried to remember how long it had been since he had taken an honest -to-god shower. On the ships it was sonic cleansing, on Denedra, Doradus, and Moriedia, it was just baths, maybe this would be his last shower as well?
Back in his room he heard his dad shouting at someone.
"He must be really pissed," thought Matt, "It takes a lot to set dad off, but when you do…Watch out!" Looking out the window, he could see his father practically nose to nose with what looked like a reporter with a cop trying to get him to calm down. It must be because it was probably the guy's car blocking our driveway. He could hear his dad threatening to call a tow truck if the guy didn't move his "Fucking" car! Now he knew his dad was REALLY pissed if that cop wasn't there, that reporter would be on the ground.
"Oh well!" What could he do? After dressing, he grabbed a small duffel and began throwing things into it. A couple multi-tools, another gun cleaning kit, the bottle of Hoppes number 9 cleaning solvent, four more pairs of underwear, a ruler, three ink pens a coupe pencils a box of band-aids, a couple packages of fresh batteries, a pair of boots, along with whatever else came to mind.
As he passed the bathroom he heard the shower running,
"Probably Kaitlyn," he thought. Entering the kitchen, he noticed all the blinds drawn,
"Freaking reporters have no decency," grumbled his father, "They keep trying to look into the windows."
"Breakfast will be ready in a bit," announced his mother, "Kaitlyn is taking a shower. Are you two going to get married?" Matt shook his head, that was mom all right, always switching subjects on a dime and throwing out questions from left field.
"Didn't we already tal
k about this mom?" He lamented.
"We are traveling companions, we work together, that's all. Kaitlyn stays focused, she has her life, I have mine, we understand that mom. Give it a rest." He then got up and went over and hugged her.
"I'm sorry, mom, it's just that I have a lot on my mind right now, getting married, or fooling around with Kaitlyn is the last thing on my mind right now. Suddenly there was a loud knock at the back door.
"GODDAMNIT TO HELL! Shouted his dad, "WHAT THE HELL DO THEY WANT NOW?"
"Hang on dad," replied Matt, "Let me talk to him."
