Upon landing at Area 51, they were rapidly whisked away in a small electric vehicle and led to their quarters. No sooner had they entered their suite of rooms, Paul’s P-Com chimed with the tone that belonged to General Straub. “Paul, the alien is even more agitated than usual. I want you and Zack there ASAP. Sorry for the rush and that I can’t join you there, but I have some office work that I must attend to. How about you all join me for dinner at 6:00 in my private quarters?” “OK, Tyler. We are on the way and will be delighted to join you for dinner. See you later.” Paul turned to Zack and said, “Zack, there is a rush for you to see the alien. Roberta and Roxanne will stay here. We all are going to have dinner with General Straub at 6:00.”
At the locked thick steel door, the two heavily armed soldiers in full body armor glared at them as they approached, returning the salutes from Joe and Lisa. Joe and Lisa motioned Paul and Zack to stay behind, while they approached the two guards. Evidently, General Straub had explained everything already, as the two guards nodded their heads in agreement and Joe and Lisa motioned Paul and Zack forward. One guard punched a code into the wall and the heavy steel door slid open. No sooner had they all entered, the door slid shut. Paul and Zack noted two more guards in the room and an array of technicians and instrumentation. He observed Zack staring in fright and fascination at the alien shown on the monitor.
One white-coated individual approached them. “Greetings. I am Dr. Rapstein, the resident alien psychologist. I must add that it has been a one way effort. We watch, it watches, and we learn very little other than some occasional observations. I understand that you, Dr. Laurent, have brought Zack here to see if he can learn anything.” Paul noted from his condescending tone that he doubted that Zack could do any better than their intense observation had. Paul himself didn’t have any great expectations. “Most of us observe out here and not in the next room with its one way glass. We find it gets uncomfortable in there, we get headaches, and we feel pressure in our heads. It’s almost as if the alien stuck a mental finger in your head. If you stay too long, you can start feeling suicidal. I assume you will be happy here?” Paul turned and looked at Zack. “I can’t feel anything out here. I need to go into the room and get closer.” Dr. Rapstein shrugged and said, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s on your head, not mine, if the kid comes out damaged.” At the word kid, Zack knew he already didn’t like Dr. Rapstein. He could sense his arrogance, his looking down at anyone not as smart or degreed as he was. Zack turned and said, “This kid can take care of himself and is fully aware of the risks that you stated.” Paul noted that the statement carried a little more than normal irritation and noted that Dr. Rapstein noticed it, too. “Very well, it’s your funeral” said Dr. Rapstein as he punched in the code and the steel door slid open. Paul decided to enter along with Zack. As they entered, Dr. Rapstein said “We are in contact out here. If you want out, just say so. If you can’t say so, just press the red button on the wall.”
Paul noted a slight chill in the air. He peered into the alien’s window, while noting the outer room simply had two chairs and a small table for observers. At first, Paul did not see the alien, but finally spotted him in a far corner sitting on the floor and staring at him with a cold glare. Paul noted the little door just big enough for a food tray and the tracks in the wall just beyond. He could see a steel door just protruding from the ceiling. He thought to himself, the door must come down before the food tray slides in. Boy, they aren’t taking any chances with this one. He noted that Zack was staring at the alien with fear and fascination. Just then, Paul felt a tickle, no something like an itch in his head. Inexplicably, he found himself thinking back to when he had devised the protocol to defeat the aliens’ Blue Flu. Suddenly, without warning, the alien charged the glass with a deafening scary screech. Paul jumped back as he saw the fangs and talons slash at the glass with a loud thump. Suddenly Dr. Rapstein’s voice intruded. “Don’t worry. It can’t break the glass. Well, Dr. Laurent. It looks like the alien hates you. You should feel honored. He ignores us generally, other than sometimes throwing feces or peeing on the window when we are in there. Maybe he knows that you are involved with research on their biological weapon. Sorry, unlikely. He couldn’t possibly know.”
Just then a loud klaxon destroyed the silence and the words “Code Red” screamed from the loudspeaker. Zack grabbed Paul’s arm. “We have to get out of here now. Something dreadful is about to happen. We have to alert General Straub.” Even before the words died out, the alien ran full tilt at the glass as before, only this time, the outburst was targeted at Zack. “Well, looks like he hates the kid, too. That’s very interesting.” As Dr. Rapstein’s voice faded, the steel door slid open.
As they exited, Paul noted the fear on Dr. Rapstein’s face with some satisfaction. Paul turned to Zack and said, “Did you sense something or is it just the alarm that you are responding to?” Zack nodded his head yes. “Up to the alarm, I couldn’t sense anything. It was like the alien drew a black, impenetrable curtain around itself. However, the curtain slipped when the alarm went off. I got the impression that the event was anticipated for a long time by the alien. I sensed something like about time it happened. I also sensed some sort of finality for life on Earth and grim satisfaction from the alien. The very last thing I sensed was something about a death probe that destroys life. It contains something that is irrevocably fatal to all warm blooded life. Every mammal will die, including us. The alien thinks of the probe as a planet sterilizer. Then suddenly the black curtain came back and I felt a horrible wave of hatred directed at me. That’s when the alien charged at me. I think it can block its mind from me, but its control slipped when it thought the other aliens were coming back.” “Zack, think hard. Are you absolutely certain of this?” Zack grimly shook his head yes.
Paul turned to Joe and Lisa. “We must see General Straub now. It is extremely urgent. Call him. In a moment, Joe turned to Paul. “Sorry, we can’t raise him. Everything is in lockdown communication mode. That probably means the General is in the War Ops room and is not responding to external calls.” “We need to go there now,” said Paul.
It took several minutes to get to the War Ops room. All this time the klaxon blared and the words “Code Red” kept being repeated. The door to the War Ops room was guarded. There were two Private First Class GAF troops in full body armor holding machine pistols at the ready. Just in front of them sat a Corporal. Joe spoke first. “We have to see General Straub immediately. It is a matter of extreme importance and related to Code Red. Dr. Laurent has some info the General must have now.” The Corporal saluted back, but maintained his very unfriendly expression. “I have my orders from the General. He is not to be disturbed under any circumstances. While you outrank me and I know of Dr. Laurent’s position, orders are orders. You will leave now or be forcibly ejected.” At that moment, Zack darted toward the glass, dodging the outreach of one of the Privates. Zack managed to pound the glass loudly a few times before the Private grabbed his arm. Zack protested loudly. “Ouch, you’re hurting me. Let go!” Paul blurted, “Joe and Lisa please help him.” Joe took a running leap and managed to knock the Private that had grabbed Zack off his feet. Zack twisted away as the Private went down. The other Private started to advance toward Joe and the struggling Private. Lisa blocked his route. “Private First Class, you wouldn’t hit a woman and an officer that outranks you. The penalty would be harsh.” The Private stopped in total confusion and looked to the Corporal for his orders. During this brief struggle, Zack again pounded on the glass as hard as he could.
Just then General Straub turned toward the window, having heard the glass being pounded. He immediately recognized Paul, Joe and Lisa. General Straub quickly roared over the intercom. “At ease immediately!” Upon hearing the General, the Corporal and two Privates stopped in their tracks. “Corporal, admit the party now!” Without hesitation, the Corporal punched in the code and the door slid open. The Private that had grabbed Zack stared at Joe as he went by. The loo
k was definitely hostile. Joe glared back, making sure the Private saw his Captain’s insignia.
“Paul, Joe, and Lisa, what the hell were you thinking? You are no match for soldiers in full body armor. You would have been hurt very fast if I hadn’t intervened.” Paul took the lead. “General, it is my fault. I asked them to help Zack here. I know it was stupid, but we have information that impacts what is going on here.” The General gave him a quizzical look that suggested he continue with his explanation. Paul decided to take a leap of faith. “Zack here was able to get information from the alien with his empathic abilities. You must destroy the alien probe immediately!” At that the General appeared rattled. “How did you know an alien probe has appeared? This boy, Zack, told you? It could be just a lucky guess.” “General, it was not. You should have seen the alien’s reaction when it realized Zack had picked its brain. If not for the protective glass, Zack would not be here. The probe will effectively sterilize the planet. We don’t know exactly what it carries, but my best guess is either a virus or maybe a prion that infects all living mammals. Based on that, I would speculate that it attacks and incapacitates the one commonality among mammals, their mitochondria. Mess with those organelles, and death is rapid and irreversible.”
General Straub turned to his lead communications officer, Master Technical Sergeant Munger. “Sergeant, give me the status please.” “Sir, pending your order, the retrieval craft is ready to launch from Space Station Backside Moon nearest the aliens’ original wormhole coordinates. The wormhole has closed and an extremely large probe is currently stationary. Wait, there is a message coming from the commander there.” “Put it on speaker.” The voice was edgy and obviously alarmed. “General, we have detected a rapid buildup of localized energy in the probe. Our analysis suggests that a weapon is being powered up, based on a radar lock on us originating from the probe. We need permission to detonate the AIDAW in the asteroid at that location.” General Straub was torn. Here was a chance to get an alien vessel and learn the wormhole technology. So close yet so far. “Fire, Commander.” One screen in the monitor banks suddenly blossomed intensely white. “Commander Jeffrey Malford here. The target has been neutralized. We are buckled up here with all shields drawn. We should be safe from the resultant radiation.” “Thank you, Commander Malford. General Straub out.” General Straub turned to Zack. “Thank you, Zack. I hope you were right about the contents and intent of that probe. We just lost a valued chance at alien wormhole technology. We need to know what the next plan of attack will be.” Zack fidgeted. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, given the alien’s ability to block him. General Straub turned to the group. “We need to meet about this matter at 8:00 sharp tomorrow in my office. See you all later at dinner and tomorrow morning.”
Neither Paul nor Zack slept well that night in the bunkroom. Both had nightmares about the alien chasing them down. At one point Zack screamed in his dream which he verbalized. Paul woke up out of his bad dream and said, “It’s OK Zack, it’s only a dream. Try to get some sleep.” Roberta was also awake at this point and said, “Zack, you need your rest. You had a tough day and tomorrow starting with a meeting with the General suggests you need to be rested. Pleasant dreams.” Joe and Lisa slept like rocks in the adjacent rooms and heard nothing. Roxanne thumped her tail several times on the floor and went over and licked Zack’s hand as it hung near enough for her reach. Zack patted the dog and slowly drifted off to sleep.
After a hurried breakfast Paul and Zack walked to the General’s office down various corridors. Joe and Lisa came along with Joe in front and Lisa in the rear. At the General’s office door, Joe and Lisa took up their post at the door. Joe turned to Paul and said, “I doubt that the General wants us. If he does, give a holler.” Paul and Zack were greeted by the General’s Aide, Sergeant O’Malley. “Go right into the inner office. The General is expecting you. Dr. Rapstein is already there.” Paul frowned. He really didn’t like the arrogant SOB. As they entered, General Straub smiled and said, “Welcome, Paul and Zack. I’m sure you remember Dr. Rapstein.” Rapstein turned and said, “Good to see you, Paul, and you, too, Zack.” Paul took offense at the familiarity. “It’s Dr. Laurent to you. We are not on a first name basis and it seems unlikely that we’ll get there.” Rapstein’s unctuous smile turned to a scowl. General Straub became annoyed. “Men, this business is serious. I expect you all will keep your feelings out of this. You are team players, remember that.” Paul noticed the coffee and pastries and went over to serve himself. He noted that the General and Rapstein already had some. He motioned Zack over. Zack took a few pastries and poured himself a glass of orange juice. Paul and Zack sat as far as possible from Rapstein.
General Straub looked intently at Zack. Zack looked back with a surprising degree of firmness. He could sense that the General was not trying to intimidate him. “Zack, I want you to tell me everything that happened in your meeting with the alien yesterday. Don’t leave out any details. I hope you don’t mind, but we are recording this entire meeting.” At that point General Straub frowned a bit, thinking that the meeting didn’t get off to a great start given the verbal scuffle between Paul and Ephraim. Yes, Dr. Rapstein did have a first name, but few felt brave enough to use it, feeling much safer saying Dr. Rapstein. Yah, the guy was a first class, arrogant prick, but he knew his stuff.
Zack recounted all the details and ended with a comment about the alien blocking him with a black curtain. General Straub turned to Paul and pointedly said, “Paul, does that jibe with your memories from yesterday?” Paul smiled, feeling amused that the General and he were on a first name basis. Paul decided to rub it in a bit, carefully glancing at Dr. Rapstein as he answered. “Yes, Tyler, 100 percent.” He felt pleased by the dark flash of eyes that glared back at him. Clearly, Dr. Rapstein was not amused. Zack could sense the play of emotions and felt uncomfortable. “OK, Paul, recount your experience” said the General. Paul gave his account of the encounter with the alien, including the alien’s attack on the glass.
At that point, General Straub turned to Dr. Rapstein. “Your thoughts, doctor?” “Well, the anger shown by the alien toward Dr. Laurent and Zack was intense. We have never seen such anger in our reactions with the alien. It is a bit of a puzzle. The head tickle they both mentioned is not new. All of us have felt it when near the alien. Of course, we have no explanation for it. If you stay too long, it gets unpleasant and some have experienced suicidal thoughts upon staying more than 30 minutes. As to Zack claiming to know that an alien doomsday probe was coming, I think it was a lucky guess.” Zack angrily blurted out, “It was not! I saw it.” Dr. Rapstein turned to Zack and said with his smooth oily voice, “I’m sure you think you did. I bet the klaxon alarm and code red made you worried and your imaginative brain supplied an image to go with the panic of the moment. I myself would have guessed the same thing, given the seriousness of the alarm. At that level it had to be alien connected. Now the true test would be if you go back and provide us with more information that you sense from the alien. Ah, but that won’t work, right Zack? You said the alien blocked you with a black curtain that only slipped when the alarm went off. How convenient. It is doubtful that the alien would slip again. Or maybe you imagined it all.”
Paul could see the anger growing on Zack’s face. “Now wait just a minute. Let’s assume Zack is telling the truth, he really did sense something. Let’s start with you, Dr. Rapstein. Zack, see what you can sense from the good doctor.” Zack looked at Dr. Rapstein, who had an irritating grin on his face. “OK, I sense you don’t like your first name and keep it to yourself. It is Ephraim.” Dr. Rapstein’s grin turned to a scowl. “Somebody told you that.” Zack smiled and said, “No, not so. Perhaps something else will convince you. Hmm, maybe I should whisper in your ear about what I see. I think it might convince you, but perhaps you would like to keep it private. Zack walked over and whispered in Dr. Rapstein’s ear. Suddenly, the psychologist’s eyes went very wide. “Zack, let’s just say I am impressed and let’s keep that betwee
n us. Still, the black curtain issue remains. How do we deal with that?”
Paul said “I have some ideas. Doctor Rapstein, you must have tested various things on the alien. Does anything make him sluggish or slow him down?” “Well, it doesn’t like cold temperatures. It tends to sort of hibernate when it gets too low. Our DNA analysis showed some similarities with reptilian genes, so the cold slowing it down jibes with cold temperatures slowing snakes and other reptiles down.” “OK, we have one test to see if Zack can penetrate the black curtain when the alien is in lowered response mode. I assume it sleeps.” “Yes, it does when lights are turned out and the temperature is reduced a slight bit.” “OK, we have two test points to try. Can you arrange conditions for these tests” “Certainly, I’ll make the arrangements and contact you with the test times. We’ll try the easier one first, sleep, and then the cold.”
Later, after the meeting, Paul asked Zack what he had told Dr. Rapstein. Zack smiled and said, “Well, it is confidential, but let’s just say that the good doctor is having an affair with a married woman on the base. If it was discovered, he would be in very serious trouble.” Paul had some troubled thoughts. This child could be construed as dangerous by some. He could make enemies, if not careful. Let’s hope the good doctor doesn’t become one of them. Zack looked at Paul. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to keep quiet about things that others don’t want known, unless it is alien connected or impacts you or Roberta.” Paul was startled. “You sensed that from me? I think we need to work in some of those paranormal tests in your schedule, especially ESP ones. In the meantime, let’s hope we can part the alien’s black curtain.”
The next morning, Paul received an email from Dr. Rapstein. Essentially, they needed some time to set up the two tests. The first one, the sleep test, was scheduled two days from then. The other one, the cold test, would be the day after. Given the respite, Paul called the head of the Psychological Testing Center at Area 51. Dr. Martin Farnsworth agreed to test Zack as soon as he could get there. Paul went back to the dorm rooms where they were staying. He found Zack playing a video game. “Zack, let’s get you tested for ESP. Follow me.” Several corridors later, they entered the main office. The secretary looked up and said, “Go right in. Dr. Farnsworth is expecting you.”
The Manhattan Incident Page 32
