Die Glocke

by M C Drake

"Exactly," Cal responded.

  The larger man got up and slapped Cal on the back with quite a force.

  "Good work we will get this out as soon as possible, even if the paper is going to be late this morning." Daniel glanced at the clock on his wall. "It has just gone six now so at a push, we could have this at people's homes around 9ish." He grinned, "Get that article down to the boys in the print room…… and good work Cal, you deserve this one!"

  The locals had started to complain by the time their favorite paper finally arrived at their homes and in the various stores dotted around the area. They were shocked and intrigued by the paper's headline that day.

  ‘Unidentified Flying Object Falls near Kecksburg – Army cordons off Area.”

  The article continued by describing the events of the previous evening.

  ‘The object that had widely been reported as a meteor came to a crashing halt in the woods next to the backwater town of Kecksburg. Volunteers from the local fire depart were on the scene quickly and discovered the impact site. The towns' people rushed to the area to take a look at the strange object in the crater; however just as quickly as the object had crashed then the area was immediately sealed off on the order of U.S. Army and State Police officials; reportedly in anticipation of a close inspection of whatever may have fallen.

  The State Police officer's then roped off the area while the locals were escorted away by the Army, some at gunpoint. The Tribune – Reviews own Cal Walter noticed a group of NASA scientist wearing protective yellow suits, investigating the area.

  A couple of hours later the Military removed the object on the back of a flatbed truck that drove quickly through the town with a close military escort. Residents of the town were confined to their homes while this object was taken away.

  The State police still controlled access in and out of Kecksburg this morning and the woods were still cordoned off; there was no sign of the military.’

  That day the Tribune-review was bombarded by the largest amount of calls it had received in a long, long time; not since the incident with the supposed fugitive serial killer some twenty years ago. That story had turned out to be nothing but a bunch of teenagers playing a prank but this time they were really on to a winner. Cal lapped up the adulation from his boss and they both enjoyed a smooth glass of scotch.

  Just after 14.00 a jet black Ford Sedan pulled up into the carpark. The receptionist sat at the front desk suddenly got an uneasy feeling, she went to the blinds and peered out trying to catch a glimpse of the driver, but the windows were tinted and the driver was obscured.

  The young lady had the strange urge to lock the door but she knew she could not be so unprofessional, instead she turned and rushed back to her desk, with the intention of warning security to keep an eye out. As the receptionist got back behind her desk she nearly jumped out of her skin.

  Two men dressed in black suits stood before her, they had black overcoats and were sporting black hats and had their eyes covered with jet black sunglasses. They both smiled in unison. It looked more like a grimace. The young women wanted to scream but she managed to just keep her composure.

  “Good afternoon Miss, we have an appointment to see your boss.”

  The receptionist subconsciously shook her head, “Sorry…sorry Sirs, Mr Burton specifically said no interruptions this afternoon and he definitely isn’t expecting any further appointments, you will need to reschedule.” She managed to speak but only in a whisper.

  “Please Miss, be a good girl and let him know we are coming up to see him.”

  The young woman felt a rush of tiredness wash over her, she began to feel dazed and confused. She felt the urge to comply with the man's request. Her hand went to the phone without her even noticing it had done so. She called the office.

  “God damn it Shirley, I said no Calls” This better be bloody dam important!” Daniel said.

  “Sorry Sir, two men have an appointment with you now. I shall send them up.”

  "Goddammit Shirley tell them no, I have no appointments booked today…Tell them to get lost!" Daniel slammed the phone down, "What has got into that bloody woman?" He said out loud. Cal just shrugged.

  They were interrupted by the double doors swinging open. Daniel turned out of his comfy chair and threw his scotch glass down onto the floor; it smashed into small pieces, the ice slide across the floor and rested on the side of a jet black pair of shoes.

  “How the hell did you get in here, those doors were bloody locked?” Daniel roared.

  The two men did not say a word but continued into the office. Cal could finally see their faces and as soon as he did all the color drained from his face. He got a blurry recollection from the previous night and a familiar feeling of dread flooded into him.

  The two men in the black suits ignored the ragging Daniel whose face was by now a deep shade of beetroot, and approached Cal, as they got closer he subconsciously took a step back until the wall blocked his retreat.

  “No need to be afraid Mr. Walter, we would like to return your property.”

  Daniel swung around and glared at Cal, "Don't tell me you know these circus clowns?" Daniel noticed the fear in his friend's face, "What's wrong with you?"

  Cal was unable to answer.

  The first man in black walked slowly towards Cal and as he did he pulled out the camera and notepad that had been confiscated the night before.

  “We have made some minor revisions to your work but you are welcome to have the edited work back.” The man in black held out his open palm and presented the items to Cal.

  Cal was wary of taking anything from the strange men but by now the dazed feeling had taken control and Cal acted without thinking. He reached out and took his stuff back from the man. Cal retreated to the wall and flicked through his notepad; it was empty. Cal started to feel sick as he checked his camera, everything from the night before had been wiped.

  “What the hell is going on here, you two better explain who the hell you are before I beat the shit out of you!” Daniel screamed.

  The men in black turned to look at the portly editor and in unison, “I wouldn’t do that.” The eerie voices chimed out.

  Daniel’s fury was reaching fever pitch. “Fuck this!” He screamed and picked the phone up, his intention was to get security to come up and remove his uninvited guests. The line was dead though.

  Daniel felt a cold touch on his shoulder and when he looked up, the first man in black was stood right next to him, and his hand was placed firmly on the editors’ shoulder.

  “What…how did you get there without me noticing?” Daniel asked but he felt strange and his anger levels rapidly seeped away. Daniel began to feel disorientated and dazed.

  The man in black pushed the editor back into his chair, "Please sit Mr. Burton, we have something to discuss with you. With your cooperation, this will not take long."

  Daniel nodded; he felt only the desire to submit.

  The man in black snapped his head towards Cal; “Mr. Walter this is a private discussion, my colleague will show you to your vehicle. I am sure Mr. Burton will allow you to have the rest of the day off.”

  Daniel did not look away from the man but just gave a dismissing wave.

  “Thank you Mr. Burton.”

  The second man in black gestured for Cal to follow him, which the reporter did instinctively. The man in the black suit closed the double doors behind him and then escorted Cal through the strangely deserted building. Finally, Cal was left outside with a warning.

  “Do not attempt to return to or try to contact work today Mr. Walter.”

  Then the door was locked behind him.

  Cal woke up several hours later in his living room; he looked around groggily, as he had evidently fallen asleep in his armchair but how? The last thing he could remember he was in Daniel’s office, celebrating so how the hell did he get here without any recollection of the drive home?

  The reporter went to get up but something fell off of his lap. He picked up the paper a
nd turned it over to the front page; it was a later edition of the tribune-review. Cal’s eyes widened in disbelief at the Headline:

  Military Search woods near Kecksburg nothing is found.

  Cal continued to scan ‘his’ article.

  The military was called in by the State Troopers and by concerned locals to search the area where a meteor had reportedly crashed. After cordoning off the area in the interest of public safety the National Guard completed a thorough search but found nothing.

  Cal was dumbfounded, he knew this was a blatant lie but why had Daniel changed the story that he had seemed so pleased with earlier in the day?

  Cal read the last part of the article.

  The military had kept people in their homes away from the area because of a fear of contamination from the meteor. ‘This is just standard procedure’ the Major in charge confirmed in a later interview. When asked about an object sighted on the back of a flatbed truck he chuckled ‘That was us just moving one of our broken down vehicles, we hid it under a cover to hide our embarrassment that our equipment had broken down again.’

  So after a day of excitement in our little part of the world, we can sleep safely in the knowledge that we won't get sick from a wayward meteor. It was nowhere near Kecksburg and actually crashed some one hundred miles northeast. We can go back to our normal routines as the State Police have finally removed the roadblock.

  Cal felt angry and betrayed, where had his earlier story gone and why was there no mention of it? He went over to his phone and began to dial in Daniel’s office number. Suddenly a disturbing image of a man dressed in a jet black suit flashed into his mind. Cal felt nauseous as the figure gave its ominous warning. Cal hung up the receiver and slumped back into his armchair.

  The reporter had no idea what was going on but obviously, the military was covering something up and they were willing to go to great lengths to keep it that way; that much was clear. Cal rose to his drinks cabinet, pulled out a large scotch bottle and filled up his glass. He began to drink heavily that night and eventually passed out in his chair.

  A few weeks later Daniel Burton was found dead behind the wheel, he had apparently been speeding and lost control of his vehicle on a sharp bend, the vehicle spun out of control and collided head-on with a tree. After a thorough investigation by the State Police, the case was closed and the death was officially concluded as an accident.

  Cal Walter’s was never the same again; he quickly fell into a deep depression that he fueled with copious amounts of scotch. He felt the loss of his friend deeply and had constant nightmares about the men in black suits. Cal briefly tried therapy but this failed to help.

  A couple of months after the Kecksburg incident Cal was found dead in his living room chair, two empty bottles of Scotch were found knocked over on the table beside him. The police officers that found him decided that there was no evidence of foul play and a verdict of accidental death by alcohol poisoning was accepted by all that knew him; If only the coroner had tested his blood a few days after his death then they would have discovered a huge amount of antifreeze in his system.

  Hanger 27

  By the time the flatbed truck carrying the golden clad object had reached its destination, the sun was had just popped up above the horizon. It had been an uneventful journey up from Kecksburg and the Soldiers were getting sleepy.

  Wright Patterson Air Force base was to be the objects new home. Paperwork was exchanged between the National Guard and their Airforce counterparts. Finally, when everything was in order the flatbed truck drove along the base, escorted by its new guards.

  When the truck arrived at the large looming doors of Hanger 12, it was signaled to stop. Three armed guards approached the truck and instructed the National guards to get out of the vehicle slowly. They then escorted the National Guard drivers to a couple of jeeps and drove them back to the main gate. The three air force men then jumped into the flatbed truck and drove it into the large hanger.

  The flatbed drove through the hanger and out of the other side; away from prying eyes it then continued through the base until it stopped at the entrance of Hanger 6. The large doors opened and allowed the truck to enter. The truck went to the very end of the hanger, where it then just waited. After a couple of minutes, the object and the truck started to lower into another, secure Hanger; the large lift descended slowly for four or five minutes until it stopped with a loud clunk.

  Waiting at the bottom of the lift were two men in black suits, stood in front of a small group of elderly men and finally a face that the driver recognized.

  Senior Master Sergeant Warren ‘Rabbit' Hall was a man of medium build, with a shiny, bald head. He was always immaculately presented, he was clean shaven and his grey eyes noticed every detail. Warren had exceptionally high standards and expected his men to fulfill them. All the men in Warren's command had the utmost respect for the Denver born officer.

  The fourth man in the group wore the decorated uniform of a high ranking Commander. Edgar Hudson waited for the signal to drive off of the lift then edged the vehicle forward until instructed to stop.

  This was the first time the young Airman first class knew something special was going on. The group had been briefed in the early hours of the morning that an important package was being delivered in total secrecy. The team was to take safe delivery of the package and then they were to guard the hanger against all unauthorized visitors

  A crane met the flatbed truck near the middle of the hanger. Edgar and his passenger Airman First class Chester ‘Toff’ Marshall jumped out. The two took several minutes to undo the bindings keeping the tarp in place, finally they gave a forceful yank and the tarpaulin fell to the floor. The two young air force men looked in awe at the strange, golden acorn that sat in the middle of the truck.

  The two men did not speak but they gave each other a sly glance that only Senior Master Sergeant Hall picked up. He let it slide, he himself was curious to lay eyes on the object that fell from space the night before; it was strangely mesmerizing.

  Under the watchful eyes of the Commander, the crane carefully deposited the car-sized acorn onto a small round platform in the very center of the large hanger. The two men in black suits approached the First class airman.

  “Good work, please remove the flatbed and then resume guard duties above ground.”

  The men were not sure how to react to this, they had no idea who these men were, they wore no identification but they were acting with authority.

  Warren spoke up, “You heard the man, get to it!”

  “Sir, Yes, Sir.”

  The men jogged back to the flatbed truck, they quickly swung it around and returned to the lift. Slowly they returned to the surface.

  “Thank you Master Sergeant.” The Man in the black suit said. “Please go and brief your men on their mission now. They are not to know what is going on down here. They are just to restrict access to the hanger.”

  “And under no circumstance are they to allow any unauthorized access to the lift.” The second man in black said in the same deadpan tone. “Is that clear?”

  "Yes, Sir," Warren said as he stiffened his stance.

  “Good, dismissed.”

  Warren went to return to the surface. He had a glance behind him as he walked away. The men in black suits were talking to the Commander, but the high ranking air force man was clearly not in a position of authority here.

  Warren shook his head. “I hate black book projects.” He muttered to himself.

  Staff Sergeant Billy ‘The kid’ Jonson stood rifle in hand in the hot midday sun. He watched the shimmer of heat rising off of the tarmacked runway. Sweat trickled down his forehead and pooled in the corner of his eyes, stuck with nowhere to go behind his mirrored aviator sunglasses.

  Billy stood on guard outside Hanger 6, tucked away in an inconspicuous part of the base that did not garner any attention. Billy and his fellow guard Master Sergeant Jim ‘Big J' Miller knew they were not being told the whole story. They just
did as they were ordered like usual. No unauthorized access inside the hanger, this had been the same for the last six weeks.

  A mired of scientists and other professionals had visited the hanger in this time, some of them had left, some of them had not; the guards just stood and did their jobs, in the military it was best to be quiet and follow orders.

  As they stood there in the boiling temperatures they tried not to let boredom overcome them.

  Out of nowhere, a dark black Sedan meandered into view. It did not seem to have a military escort with it, which was most unusual.

  “I’m calling it in!” Billy said.

  He went to call it in through his radio but he only got static.

  Miller raised his rifle, while Johnson signaled where he wanted the vehicle to halt.

  The Sedan continued to approach, Jonson peered through the windshield but the tint was too strong and he could not make anything out. As the vehicle came to a stop Miller moved to the driver’s side window.

  The window slowly came down to reveal a bold man in black sunglasses with a black hat on. He looked about fifty but had near perfect skin.

  "Hand me your keys now, then show me some Identification," Miller said assertively.

  The man smiled, he turned the engine off and then handed the keys over.

  “Good work Master Sergeant, I will commend you on your good work to Senior Master Sergeant Hall.”

  Miller was speechless, a strange feeling of dread had washed over him, and he suddenly felt like he had a nasty head cold.

  The two front doors of the Sedan opened and the two men in black suits got out, the passenger went to open the rear passenger side door.

  Johnson raised his rifle and moved it seamlessly between the two men.

  “Stop right there, slowly place your hands on the hood of the vehicle, do it slowly and do it now.”

  The first man in black turned to and smiled at him, the second continued to escort an elderly gentleman out of the back seat.

  “Staff Sergeant, lower your weapon please. We are going to enter Hanger 27; we need to our consultant to check out the device.”