I am Rome (Complete)

Chapter Eleven

On their second day of being in the bunker, Joe and Rome had an unexpected visitor. It was inevitable that Joe's father would come down there looking for him, not only because he was his son and was missing, but because Joe needed to do his daily chores on the farm.

"Joe, ya down there?" his father called out.

Joe shot up from where he was sitting and raced over to the narrow shaft that ascended to the ground level. By the time he poked his head up, he could see his father's silhouette.

"Hello, pa!" Joe called out. His voice was noticeably shaky.

Joe had not figured out what he was going to say or do, but there was no time to think. He decided the best course of action was to be honest. After all, he could not think of a reason for concealing such a monumental finding. Doing so would be enacting the same paternalistic mentality that governments often employ on its citizens. Since Joe handled the discovery well, it stood to reason that his father — a rational and sensible man — would respond the same way.

"Joe, what are ya doing down there?" his father called out, his voice echoing down the shaft.

"I... uh... I'm just hanging out. Are you alone?"

"Yeah, Joe, it's just me. Talk to me, what's going on? Are ya in trouble?"

"Pa, I think you better come down here."

Joe's father took his time coming down the shaft. Despite his joint pain and bad hip, he was still physically active. Based on Joe's tone and behaviour, he was concerned with what he might find. He wasn't really sure what to make of the situation at that point.

"Take your time, pa, don't hurt yourself," Joe called out.

"Thanks for your concern, son. I may be no Spring chicken, but I ain't that old."

Once Joe's father reached the bottom of the shaft, he looked at Joe with great concern. It was out of character for Joe to be in trouble with the authorities and his father wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Ya mind telling me what's going on? Why are the authorities coming up to the house looking for ya?"

"They did? When?"

"Yeah, 'bout an hour ago. They were asking about ya — where ya were and when ya coming back."

"Did you tell them I was down here?" Joe asked in a panic.

"No, of course not. I wanted to come talk to ya myself, get your side of the story."

"Okay pa, look. I have to tell you something and I think you'd better come in and sit down."

Without saying a word, Joe's father followed Joe into the main living area and took a seat on the couch. Rome was nowhere in sight.

"Okay, out with it," his father said in a matter of fact way. "What do ya have to tell me?"

"Pa, there's no easy way to say this, but... do you believe in aliens?"

"Aliens? What on Earth does that have to do with anything?"

"The agents that came to the house, they weren't from the sheriff's department, were they?"

"Well... I suppose not. They were wearing those really fancy city-slicker suits."

"Right, and did they mention what agency they worked for?"

"You'll have to ask your ma, I wasn't the one who answered the door."

"They're from the FBI, pa — most likely from a special unit that deals with extraterrestrial encounters."

"Like one of them Will Smith fellers?" Joe's dad said.