The Apocalypse Contract

CHAPTER 52 - GWYNETH

"The biggest mystery is still whatever is at the bottom of that main airshaft. Several big cables run down there and disappear into a massive slab of superplastic that covers the bottom of the shaft. Radiation levels are slightly higher than background. That could be some sort of natural ore deposit, but it seems more uniform than that. The smart money says something is down there. That's it. That's all we've got so far."

"OK, thanks, I'll pass all that along. Give me a yell if you make any breakthroughs." The corporal ended the call.

Felix snorted. "Little green men. I just explained they are pale white."

Gwyneth turned her chair and faced him. "You want to know why your description of aliens is ridiculous? It has nothing to do with their color. It's because the random mutation part of evolution makes it a near statistical impossibility that aliens would look anything like us. The idea that they would have the same number of limbs in the same arrangement with joints all bending the same way and so on... it just wouldn't happen... Are you even listening to me?"

"Sorry, I was just looking at those enormous rats over there."

She turned where he was looking just in time to see a white shape scurry behind a storage crate. "Oh this is just what my day needed. If I had known astrophysics would involve skulking about in rat infested mineshafts, I would have followed my mother's advice and studied music." A rat emerged from behind the crate, followed immediately by a second. The rats turned and looked at the two humans. "Wow, you weren't kidding, those really are big."

One of the rats stood on its hind legs. It twitched its nose, and a moment later it had grown into a pale white, six foot tall, human shaped figure. An instant later the second rat had done the same.

Gwyneth felt as if her heart had frozen in her chest. She reached over to grab Felix by the arm but discovered he had jumped on her portable desk.

"Sorry for the intrusion," one of the figures apologized, "but we were wondering if you had seen any extraterrestrial aliens in the area."

The absurdity of the question combined with the apparition's British accent left Gwyneth speechless. She merely pointed a finger back toward the manikin-like figure.

The other figure turned its eyeless gaze toward the one that had spoken. "Oh hell, we left them on the default setting." Gwyneth noticed it spoke with a decidedly midwest American accent.

The American sounding figure suddenly transformed again. Clothing blossomed on its body while hair and facial features appeared on its head. It now looked like a petite dark haired woman dressed in a Star Trek inspired jumper. "Ah, that's better." She turned to her companion. "Oh... I suppose I should do something about that." She touched the other on the neck, and a moment later they transformed into a middle aged man wearing slacks, a waistcoat, and spectacles.

"It's all true," Felix exclaimed breathlessly as he climbed down from Gwyneth's desk. "I can't believe it's all true."

Gwyneth looked at her hands and was amazed to see they were not shaking. "I... I don't know what to believe." She looked back up. "I have so many questions."

"I would love to answer those questions," the American answered, "but we are kind of on the clock here. An alien fleet is on its way to destroy humanity, and we need to find the other aliens who built a secret planetary defense system."

"Oh, and if you could get a message to your President, that would be most appreciated," the English gentleman added.

"I... can actually help you with that message to the President," Gwyneth answered, "but you are the only aliens I've seen."