Mitch’s eyes went wide as he drove through the entrance and spotted armed guards scattered throughout the naval base. Peter Estabrook was waiting for him. After exiting the car, he and Deborah separated. She had her own briefings to attend.
Mitch followed Estabrook to the motor pool. As they walked, Estabrook briefed him.
Mitch’s jaw dropped. “Holy mother of God.” It was one thing to hear about the two creatures, and it was an entirely different thing to witness them. Despite himself, he shivered. Real live aliens, here on the base. This wasn’t a Hollywood movie set or some elaborate hoax; this was the real deal.
When Mitch reached the metal chain-link fence, the shorter, more human-looking alien with the wild mustache flew its hover vehicle toward him, stopping near Mitch as it reached the outer edge of the fence. An acrid smell emanated from the vehicle, causing Mitch to cough. He backed away and continued to cough until he was able to breathe regularly again. Mitch stared at the fenced-in area. Not sure if it was a visual trick, it seemed darker inside of the fence than outside.
The alien’s tendrils gripped the fence. Its entire body shook as it shouted at Mitch. While he maintained his position, the alien continued shouting until it appeared to tire out. Too bad he couldn’t communicate with it.
Estabrook continued briefing him, but Mitch had tuned him out as soon as he saw the aliens. He mentioned something about a meeting being held shortly to deal with the situation. They had already been in contact with senior military officials. For now, Mitch had no interest in doing anything other than staring at the aliens.
The second alien approached him. Its eight appendages appeared more like four arms and four legs than spider legs. It was more than double the size of the first alien.
“What are we going to do with you?” Mitch asked.
The mustached alien bobbed its head, its wings continuing to beat. It had to have a more advanced bio-system than a hummingbird, which had to feed constantly in order to maintain its energy as it flapped its wings.
Estabrook tugged at his arm. “Lieutenant Grace, we’re meeting in two minutes regarding the visitation.”
Mitch nodded. He told a guard, “If anything happens, let me know right away.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What kind of shit did we step into, Pete?” Mitch asked.
“I really don’t know, sir. But I think this will be the day that changes everything.”
“You might be right.”
Upon entering the Quarter Deck, they made a pit stop at the weapons locker, where they each took pistols, just in case. They entered a large conference room. Sitting inside were a number of people including his almost fiancée Deborah. Bewildered expressions and nervous murmurs permeated the room.
“Lieutenant Grace, you are the most senior officer here,” Estabrook said. “Would you like to take the lead?”
Mitch nodded. “Ensign Estabrook, please brief everybody in the room regarding the events that led to the discovery of the two alien subjects.” When he was finished, Mitch thanked him. “Ensign Gomez, can you tell us about the chain of communication regarding today’s events?”
Marisol Gomez, a public affairs officer, nodded. “The chain of command has been followed for this incident. All of the official people, up to and including POTUS, have been made aware of the extraterrestrial presence. An effort has been made to conceal any such knowledge from the press. Admiral Wilson and the Secretary of State are en route to the base.”
Mitch breathed deeply. It would not be long before higher authority figures arrived. Until then he had to make sure nothing bad happened, which was like saying he had to plug a hole in a dam with a cork. “So what do we know about our friends?”
“They seem to be able to survive in our atmosphere,” Deborah said.
Mitch nodded. “True. However, I noticed the color of the air is darker in their immediate vicinity. It’s also more difficult to breathe.”
“You get close enough to those buggers, and you start choking,” Estabrook said.
“It’s possible they're emitting a harmful vapor when they breathe,” speculated Sam Mapp, a resident scientist. “We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Perhaps when they are respiring our atmosphere, they are emitting another gaseous combination. Another possibility is that hovercraft the one alien had and vapor it was emitting, possibly modifying the surrounding atmosphere. I would like to analyze the air inside the fence.”
“We’ll arrange that,” Mitch said. “But first we have to estimate the threat level of the visitors. What about transportation? I’m not an aviation expert, but it would seem impossible that they could make a journey requiring light years on the small alien’s buggy. Any guesses?”
“Perhaps they have some sort of beaming mechanism they use for long distance transport,” Lori Patton, a communications officer, said.
“Sort of like in one of those sci-fi television shows,” Mitch mused.
“Anything is possible,” Patton agreed.
“Pete, I want a complete check along the perimeter to see if we can find a device they might use for transportation. What about talking to them?”
“We have attempted several forms of communication,” Mapp said. “We tried a variety of frequencies and signals consisting of mathematical formulas and logic quotients that NASA has used on satellites and unmanned probes in case the vessel comes in contact with an alien life form. Thus far the visitors have not responded.”
“I don’t know that I want to talk to them,” Estabrook said. “I have a bad feeling about these two. Especially the little one.”
Deborah frowned. “You know nothing about them. They may be here to help us.”
“Maybe, but I would still rather see them gone. You only saw the video footage. Up close, it’s a whole different story.”
“How could you say you would like to see them gone,” Mapp protested. “We have an incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity to learn by studying these beings.”
Mitch held up his hand. “I understand your scientific interests, but right now, our primary concern is security. In what ways can they harm us? Do they pose a threat? We need data to analyze on these creatures to determine this threat level. That’s what I want you to focus on.”
“Well, they seem harmless enough,” Mapp said. “They're staying inside the fence. If they were looking to harm us, they would have escaped by now.”
Mitch sat back in his chair. “I've been thinking about that. The natural response for a person in that situation would be find a way out. Certainly if they are capable of something as sophisticated as deep space travel, then jumping the fence should be no problem. Yet they stay there, walking around, circling the perimeter. Any theories?”
“Maybe they're afraid of us,” Deborah offered.
Mitch looked into her deep brown eyes before responding. He was glad to have her here, not just because of his personal feelings for her. Deborah had great intuition and remarkable intelligence. Still, in this case, he disagreed with her. “I don’t think so. The little one went right up to the fence and stared at me. That hardly seems like something it would do if it were afraid. It's something else.”
“Like what?” Deborah asked.
Mitch pursed his lips. “I don’t know. Maybe they can’t. I’m not talking physically. The larger alien looks like it could rip apart the fence with its limbs. Maybe they aren’t allowed to, and they're waiting for us to open the gate for them.”
This opened a number of debates. Mitch excused himself. There was an urgent phone call waiting for him from General McDermott.
“Lieutenant Grace, I understand you have a very serious situation on your hands, one involving two extraterrestrial beings.” McDermott’s voice carried an authoritative tone. Without having met the man, Mitch could picture him in his mind: sharp features, eagle eyes, penetrating stare. He had met more than his share during his time in the service.
Mitch looked into the room for Deborah. She was engaged in a heated exchange with Peter Estabrook. “You understand that correctly, sir.”
“I will be leaving momentarily to join the party. What I am about to tell you is highly confidential. Do you understand that, Lieutenant Grace?”
“Yes, General. I understand.”
“Good. This isn’t the first time that we’ve been visited,” said General McDermott. “I don’t know for certain if these are related to the previous alien visitations, but I’m guessing they are. If so, they are extremely dangerous. Before the situation gets out of hand, you must exterminate the two aliens.”
Mitch’s heart was racing. He closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing. “You want me to kill them.”
McDermott’s voice began to take on a desperate quality. “You heard me right, Lieutenant. You don’t want to play games with these boys. I know them all too well. They can do serious damage to the good citizens of this country. Before anything like that happens, you have to kill them.”
Mitch shook his head in disbelief. “I’m sorry, sir, but I can't do that in good conscience. The two aliens have shown no hostility.”
“Grace, there is no discussion here. This is an order.”
“All I know about you is the voice on the phone. I don’t know who you are, or if you have the authority to make that call. If you want me to take that action, then I need to hear it from one of my commanding officers.”
“Fine, Grace. Go ahead and play the good soldier. Who's your CO?”
Mitch gave him his chain of command in the proper order.
“You’ll be getting that call soon enough.” A click sounded on the other end.
Mitch rubbed his eyes before returning to the conference room. In a matter of hours his whole life had been turned upside down. He thought he had been prepared for every eventuality. Now he was having doubts.
When he returned to the room, he addressed everybody. “Any decisions that are going to be made regarding our two friends will be out of our hands soon. The best thing to do is to sit tight and wait.”
Deborah gazed at him. She seemed to be picking up on his apprehension. “What was that all about?”
Mitch smiled. “Just a concerned general. Nothing to worry about.”
“So we’re not going to do anything?” Estabrook asked.
“Not unless or until they force us to take action,” Mitch answered. “Until then we wait for the reinforcements to arrive.”
Estabrook shook his head and turned around on his swivel chair. Mitch knew that inaction did not sit well with Estabrook. If he had received the call from the general, Mitch had no doubt he would have followed those orders.
Mitch was no pacifist. He had inflicted many casualties on various missions. Among the SEAL teams he commanded, he was known for having no fear and taking it to the enemy with ruthless aggression, but he wasn’t about to start an intergalactic war without having a damned good reason.
After more debating, the conversations came to a halt when Charles Amato entered the room. “Sir, we have company.”