by Clyde Key
* * *
When they all arrived back at the AABC building, agents cheered for the freeing of Marilee Sharp, Everett Lane, and Denny Burris. Then Tilson ran out to greet them. “Ed Halloran! I never thought you could do it! I didn’t expect I’d ever see you again!”
Tess Williams ran out to hug Marilee, but she drew back. “Omigosh, but you smell awful!”
Then Freddy Burris ran out to greet his older brother, but he also retreated. It was soon obvious that those who had been captured by the aliens had picked up their horrible odor, even if they had not touched them.
“You bet it’s bad,” said Taylor, “but we had it worse! Can you imagine riding in the same floater with Denny all the way back from Needles?”
Williams wrinkled her nose. “Do you know something, Taylor? You and Wylie smell just about as bad, just from being around the kid.”
Then a technician rushed into the room. “We have another problem. Everybody who’s been around the al...—I mean Visitors—is radioactive. It’s low level so there’s no immediate danger, but you should get cleaned up soon.”
“I have a suggestion,” said Tilson. “There are shower facilities on level two for the men and level three for Ms. Sharp, and I’m sure we can find some maintenance uniforms for all of you. Let’s meet for the debriefing in about twenty minutes when you are all more socially acceptable.”
“I’ll go for that!” said Lane, and then they all hurried off to the showers.
In a few minutes they were reassembled in the conference room, with Arlene Sisk lowering at them from a wall screen. She was incredulous. “I’m to understand you attacked them?”
“Not attacked, exactly,” said Ed. “I forced a confrontation and seem to have come out ahead for the moment.”
“For the moment! But only for the moment! Don’t you understand The Visitors are an advanced civilization? They’ve gone past war and conflict. They are a civilization with perfect unity, and we could learn so much from them! But did you go out and talk with them, to reason out why they seemed to be holding Sharp and Lane? No! You attacked them!”
“Perhaps you’d like to come out here and reason with them,” said Ed.
“Don’t you be impertinent with me! For years now, I’ve overlooked your insubordination. I’ve even fixed it every single time you’ve messed up, but this time you have gone too far! President Litton will have your head for this!”
“Then perhaps President Litton would like to reason with them, if she’s ready to come up out of her hiding place.”
“Ed Halloran! How dare you!” She glared from the large screen before it went blank.
“Halloran, I don’t know how you get by with it,” said Tilson. “I’d have been fired years ago!”
“It’s simple,” said Ed. “She really loves me.”
13
Jan. 4, 2026
Evan Saxon endured Jantzen’s speech to the commission, while Jantzen carped about the various commissioners not acting like members of the team. He never called Saxon, Halloran, or Philips by name but they all knew Jantzen was peeved at them. And then they fidgeted as Helen Norden expounded on the message she proposed sending to the aliens.
“I believe we must be brutally frank,” said Helen Norden. “That is the only way we can expect them to open up to us. We must expose every blemish, every spot to demonstrate our honesty.”
“You may be expecting too much,” said Saxon. “The aliens aren’t human, and there’s absolutely no reason to expect them to react with any semblance of human nature.”
“I agree with Helen,” said Arnetta Washington. “This can be psychologically healing for the entire human race because, after all, these space creatures can pose no threat whatever to any of us, since they’re so far away that travel is impossible. It will do the world good to face up to the repression and racism that has run through the course of history.”
“This is crazy,” said Hank Halloran. “You people just want to make this a political forum and that’s not what it ought to be. We need to concentrate on a few basic facts about Earth and its inhabitants, and our solar system. This is hardly the place for bashing European culture.”
Norden slammed her hand on the table, and Arnetta Washington jumped up from her chair. “Mr. Halloran!” said Washington. “Nobody said anything about Eurocentrism!”
“Oh, come on, now!” said Halloran. “Anybody can see what you’re driving at! That drivel is sickening!”
Jantzen waved his arms. “Please! Please control yourselves! We won’t get anywhere unless we learn to work in harmony! Now I promise all of you our approach will be balanced. President Rogers wouldn’t have it any other way.”
There was awkward silence as commission members glared at each other across the table. Then Jantzen spoke. “I have a suggestion. Some of us are more interested in the message, while some others are more interested in the technique of communication. Therefore, I propose that we divide into two subcommittees. We’ll have scientists in one group to work on the mechanics of communication, and social experts in the other group to compose the messages we will send.”
“I like that,” said Norden. “It’s refreshing to work with someone thoughtful like you, Mr. Jantzen. Some members of this group never had such an original thought.” She was looking at Hank Halloran.
“Very well, then. Is that satisfactory to the rest of you?” asked Jantzen.
“I think it’s an extremely good idea,” said Saxon.
The rest of the commission nodded their agreement, except for Philips who shook his head.
“You don’t like this, Mr. Philips?” asked Jantzen.
“Oh, I suppose I’ll go along,” said Philips.
“Good! Good! That means we’re all in agreement,” said Jantzen. “I will be on both committees of course. And I promise all of you that I will keep everyone apprised of our progress.”
