Desert Assassin (22 page)

“As I’m sure you know, the base commander of the Roswell Army Air Field ordered the PR officer to issue a press release saying that a flying disc had been recovered. The local Roswell newspaper ran a first page article stating that the RAAF captured a flying saucer. But then apparently the commanding general of the Eighth Air Force said that it was a weather balloon.”

“That was a crock.”

“Whether it was or not, that pretty much ended the Roswell story for three decades.”

“The government shut down the press.”

“Could be, Killer, but here’s another possibility.”

Killer’s Two’s eyes widened as much as they would had Cyclo given him a video of a previously undiscovered Kowalski match.

“First of all, none of what I have to say about UFOs is original. All of it is from what I have read. In 1978, Major Jesse Marcel, who played a role in recovering the original debris from whatever crashed at Roswell, was interviewed by Stanton Friedman, a physicist and a ufologist. Marcel indicated that the government covered up the fact that the Air Force recovered the remains of an alien spacecraft. That began the rebirth of the Roswell story.”

“Do you believe Marcel?”

“Who knows? However, I don’t think it makes a difference whether Marcel and the other witnesses who came forward after the
National Enquirer
ran its interview with Marcel in 1980 were telling the truth or not.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Over thirty-five years have gone by since Marcel told his story and nothing has been proved either way about whether it was an alien spacecraft which crashed or a Project Mogul weather balloon. And most likely it never will be unless aliens materialize and tell the world, “We come not in peace, but to get our spaceship back.”

Killer Two laughed.

“Getting back to the other possibility, let’s first talk about why our government would want to keep a crash at Roswell a secret. In 1947, the United States was the only country with atomic weapons and it certainly didn’t want to share its knowledge of them with any other country, especially Russia. It would be the same for any advanced technology from a spaceship.”

“That makes sense.”

“However, it may not be the U.S. government that is pulling the strings of secrecy.”

“Then who?”

“Those who control the wealth of this planet. Suppose it was an alien spaceship that crashed at Roswell. Imagine the technology it would have had in order to travel from who knows where to here. Included in the technology would have been some type of power system way beyond anything we have. Perhaps a power system which could provide Earth with all of its energy needs either free or at an incredibly low cost. That would help level the playing field between the rich, especially the super-rich, and the rest of us. The same source of energy which dominates the Earth now is the same one that dominated in the 1940s.”

“Oil!”

“Exactly. Most of the politicians who appear to be running this country and other countries might just be stooges for those who control the wealth – those who run the big multinational corporations, especially big oil, and the central bankers. Their power comes from the oil. Take away the need for oil and you take away their power.”

“Never thought of that.”

“Neither did I, Killer, until I began reading about UFOs. Either way, whether the government is in charge or it’s the super rich, it explains why the press has aided in the cover up.”

There was a long pause while Killer Two digested what Cyclo had just told him. Closing and then rubbing his eyes, he finally said, “So, if you think the press has been covering up, then you are saying that you believe UFOs exist.”

“Yes.”

“But if you aren’t sure Roswell is the real deal, what makes you think so?”

“Even if Roswell never happened, the evidence is overwhelming. As you know, most UFO reports can be explained away as natural phenomena, misinterpretation by witnesses or hoaxes. In particular, with all the sophisticated technology – new at least at least to we Earthlings – it is easy to create realistic looking photos and videos. The internet is full of them. However, going back to ancient times there are accounts which defy explanation. As a body, these events leave little question that UFOs are of non-Earthly origin. Some I’m sure you know about, others may be new to you.”

“I’m tempted to close the diner down for a couple of hours.”

“No need for that, if it’s okay with you, I’ll give you a ten minute summary and then leave with you to keep a USB flash drive with about five hours worth of videos which cover in depth everything in my summary and a lot more.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Since I couldn’t find a clip of the Kowalski and Monsoon fight against Sammartino and Rivera, I figured this would be a decent second best.”

Seeing that Killer Two’s eyes were starting to water, Cyclo began his summary. “There are dozens upon dozens of sightings and events going back to antiquity which have anywhere from a trace of credibility to being inexplicable. Being inexplicable, of course, doesn’t translate into proof that UFOs were involved. These are my favorites: from the 1940s, the foo fighters sightings during World War II, the Battle of Los Angeles, the ghost rockets, Kenneth Arnold’s UFO sighting, Roswell, and the Thomas Mantell crash. From the 50s, the McMinnville photos, the DC sightings, the Edwards Air Force Base flying saucer observed by Gordon Cooper, the Milton Torres UFO Encounter and, my favorite, the Levelland, TX UFO. From the 60s, the 1965 Exeter, NH UFOs, the Westfall, Australia UFO and Shag Harbor. From the 70s, Eglin Air Force Base, Wurtsmith Air Force Base and Tehran. From the 80s, Rendlesham and the JAL Flight. From the 90s, the Belgian UFOs and the Phoenix Lights. More recently, there was the 2006 O’Hare Airport UFO. Also, some of these involved black triangles.

“How in the world can you remember all that?”

“Just lucky to be able to remember almost everything I read. You’ll find that all of these and more are covered in the videos.”

“Why is Levelland your favorite?”

“Because of the large number of witnesses who reported seeing the object in different places and at different times. Since there were no cell phones back then, it wouldn’t have been possible for them to coordinate what they were describing. As good as I think Levelland is, there is something better.”

“What?”

“Taken as a body, the huge number of sightings going back to the late 50s off the coast of California in the Malibu area, including many sightings in which the UFOs were seen breaking through the ocean water surface.”

Killer Two blurted out, “USOs returning to an underwater base!”

“Maybe,” replied Cyclo as he handed Killer Two the flash drive.

“Geez, I can’t thank you enough.”

“You’re welcome. If you got a minute or two more, I like to add a couple of thoughts.”

Killer Two looked toward his daughter who was working with him and said that she could take care of any customers who walked through the door.

“While I believe that UFOs exist and they are not from this Earth, I’m not totally convinced they are from aliens on another planet or planets.”

“Then from where?”

“Perhaps they are beings from the Earth sometime in the future coming back to observe what we are doing or beings from a parallel universe doing the same.”

Killer Two laughed loudly. “I have trouble enough with our universe.”

“Finally, and this will probably disappoint you.”

“Won’t be the first I’ve been disappointed and won’t be the last.”

“There is no definitive proof that a UFO has ever crashed and no proof either that any government or other entity has ever recovered dead aliens or captured living ones.”

Once again Killer Two laughed. “You’re right, I’m disappointed.”

“However, if we are being visited by UFOs, I suspect they are being guided remotely, maybe from mother ships, or by robots.”

“Never thought about that.”

“Whoever or whatever is sending the UFOs have to be incredibly more advanced technologically than we are. Just think about the progress we are making with computer and robotic technology. I don’t think it will be more than two or three decades before we will be able to transfer the consciousness of humans into robots and computers. Certainly robots and computers, even those with chip implants containing the consciousness of biological beings, would be better able to withstand the forces involved in flying in those UFOs than the feeble looking three-foot aliens that some claim they have seen or even interacted with.”

“Cyclo, that makes sense. Except for the early landings on the Moon, it’s been all computers and robots that we’ve sent to the Moon and the planets in our solar system.”

“Wish I could stay longer, Killer, but I’ve have to get back to Bill’s.”

Killer Two affected a serious look and said, “So where did you guys take the bodies from the flying saucer that crashed behind Bill’s house?”

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-S
IX

W
ILLIAMS WAS SITTING ON HIS BACK PORCH
shortly before three in the afternoon waiting for the arrival of the General. Absent were any Merlot and doo-wop.

“Mind if I join you?” asked Morgan as he approached from the outside.

“Be my guest.”

Morgan paused before saying, “I rehearsed this at least a dozen times and now it’s gone. Hell, here goes. Ling. You’ve known him longer and a lot better than me.” Once again he paused, struggling to put together the right words. “Have you found that his behavior has changed?”

“It has, Jesse.” Williams purposely added “Jesse” in order to show that he was not bothered by the question.

“My dad owned an auto body shop back when I was a kid. He was good at it, very good. As a result, his business grew while a couple of others nearby folded. I’ll never forget his description of the owners of the two shops – ‘dripping with hate.’ Bill, that’s what I saw in him toward you when we were in Texas.”

“Could be wrong, but I believe it has something to do with what happened when Cyclo spotted the Bear Assassin.”

“The General told you?”

“Yes.”

“Probably so. That and all the attention you’ve been getting from the scientists.”

“The sad part is that I’m no threat to his relationship with Alice. That’s one of the reasons I gave him the job of trying to get information from Morales.”

“Looking back at our first meeting, I’m lucky you didn’t try to take me out when I threatened to recruit Henderson.”

“I thought about it.”

“You had every right to not only think about it, but to have done it. One of my many mistakes. Back to Ling, what is your thinking about having him question Morales?”

“He is an astrophysicist first and an Air Force officer second.”

“Maybe third.”

Williams couldn’t help but think of the succession of women who passed in and out of his life. He had never loved any of them, including Alice. Now, however, in the moments when he was alone with his thoughts, he found himself thinking more and more about one who was still in his life.

“Bill?”

“Sorry, Jesse. I believe you’re right. Here is my thinking. We know that Morales Assassin is exceedingly intelligent and getting more so by the day.”

“Hate to think about Assassin in combination with the Marine, or any number of them.”

“Bad news. Back to Ling, he’s bright – very bright. I’m gambling that he might be able to figure out if Assassin has invented the meteorite story or if it’s the real thing. It’s a long shot, but maybe he will come up with something.”

“And in the process get his head back together?”

“Yes.”

“Devil’s advocate. Suppose Ling totally goes over to the dark side with Morales?”

“Every word between the two of them is being recorded.”

“So much for my suggestion that we wire Marco.”

With the General were Williams, Rappaport, Fowler and Mueller. Morgan was accompanied by Mitchell, McBride and Cyclo.

“As you all know,” said the General, “there have been no sightings of any Eagle Assassins since the slaughter. However, we have no way of knowing if we completely wiped them out. We have to presume we haven’t. Even if we haven’t, in light of information we have received from Dr. Stanton and the distinct possibility that we may be dealing with an Assassin in control of one or more marines, the Eagle Assassins, if any, would seem to be the lesser of the two threats at this time. With this in mind and after consultation with Jesse and Ralston, the following changes are in the process of being completed. Ralston will take command of the search and destroy operation of Eagle Assassins. He will be assisted by Colonel Millicent Faircloth.”

“Who is she?” asked Fowler.

“In addition to being an outstanding colonel, she is also considered to be one of the best ornithologists on the planet. This, combined with her military skills, makes her well qualified to assist Ralston.” Looking at Rappaport, he continued, “Jim will turn his attention to helping with the eradication of any and all humanoid Assassins.”

Mitchell stood up, shook hands all around and said, “See you all back here after we wipe out the bastards. Good luck.” He then left and boarded a waiting helicopter.

The General continued, “As some of you know, the news about the Marine Assassin is not good. For those who haven’t heard, the marine is Captain Wayne Souza. He has a degree in mechanical engineering and was on leave from Yuma. Two tours in Afghanistan. Tough to figure what the hell he was doing around Silver City since his parents live outside of Seattle.”

“Wife?” asked Mueller.

“Single and we’ve come up blank on anyone he might know anywhere near Silver City. Then there’s how he became tangled with Morales and how the hell he became infected.”

“We’ve already seen the intelligence in pulling us away from the house allowing a replicate of himself to escape,” said Williams. “Think about what Assassin has been able to do intelligence wise with a captive Morales and how much greater the potential is with a marine.”

“Or dozens or hundreds of Marine Assassins,” added Morgan.

“Or if he or they go after high value humans like scientists,” said Fowler.

“Assuming, as we must, that the Assassins are rapidly increasing in number, your thoughts on whether they will stay together or spread out.”

“I can’t imagine them doing anything but spreading out, General. They need clothing, food, equipment and weapons. If they tried to get what they need for a large group, whether by stealing, using stolen money or the money of infected victims, they have to know that we could most likely track them down.”

“Those are my thoughts as well, Bill.

No intelligence had been received regarding the whereabouts of one or more of the Marine Assassins. If and when something materialized, two primary teams were ready to respond. The first included Williams, Morgan, Fowler and Cyclo. The second was comprised of the General, Rappaport, McBride and Mueller. Williams’ team was backed by ten attack helicopters, each with a crew of six combat tested men. All were to be provided by Morgan and were to be stationed at scattered points within one hundred miles of the Covington’s property. Backing the General’s team were a similar number of helicopters and men which would also be scattered within the same one hundred mile radius. Two dedicated satellites and six armed drones were already providing space/air reconnaissance.

As the discussion was drawing to an end, the General announced that his team would fly to White Sands and use it as a base. Looking at Williams and Morgan, he asked where they planned to go.

“For now, we are staying put,” said Williams.

“Here? Why?”

Before either one could respond, Fowler said, “We can put everything we eat and drink at Killer Two’s on your tab.”

“Son-of-a-bitch!”

Once the meeting returned to order, Williams spoke, “With the set-up in the van, we’ve got all the communications we need and we are within reasonable striking distance. Plus, I’m playing a hunch that Assassin, at least one of them, may try to work his way back in this direction. He doesn’t know about what we’ve got here, but with the marine’s knowledge, he may figure there might be needed equipment and weapons.”

Morgan’s phone rang. “It’s Marco. I’ll put him on speaker.”

“Morg, I just had to shoot and kill Morales.”

“What? Why?”

“He and Major Ling were sitting in chairs about ten minutes into one of their conversations. Major Ling was his usual ten feet or so away when Morales suddenly stood up. A second later, Major Ling grabbed the left side of his neck and yelled at me, ‘Shoot him, shoot Morales!’ Major Ling never carried a weapon inside the room. I turned to Morales who was making unusual movements with his mouth, as if he were going to spit. I realized he did this just before Major Ling grabbed his neck. I dropped to the floor just as he fired at me. Whatever it was, it went over my head. I hit him with five shots. Ling then raced out of the room. Morales began to melt a few minutes later.”

Morgan and the others listened in stunned silence as Baldarelli continued. “The soldier on duty bolted in as Ling left. I yelled at him to stay out and to call for MPs and Stanton. Staying on my knees, I turned around and began looking for whatever was fired at me. Meanwhile, the room began to stink like hell. Finally, I spotted a small amount of blood on the floor up against the wall near the door and what looked like a black half inch or so needle. That’s when I let Stanton in. By that time, Morales was nothing but a pile of brown goo. The smell was brutal. A few minutes later there was no trace of Morales.”

“Mother of Mercy,” yelled Morgan. “What about Ling?”

“We haven’t been able to find him, but there is no way he can get out of here.”

“Marco,” said Williams, “find Lieutenant Henderson. Make sure there is absolutely no way Major Ling can get near her.”

“This is General Barrington. Contact head of security. Tell him I’m ordering a lock down until Major Ling is found. When he is found, shoot to kill if he puts up any resistance. If he does resist, you will know it’s Assassin, not Ling.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Stay in constant communication with Morgan.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You did the right thing with Morales. Thank you.”

“We now know how Captain Souza became infected. I never imagined this when I asked Stan to take over the questioning of Morales.”

“Why did Morales do it?” asked the General.

“I’m guessing for the same reason one of the Marine Assassins led us away from the Covington’s house – natural selection, Assassin style,” said Cyclo. “No matter how many humanoid Assassins there are, they all believe they are one and the same. The Morales Assassin knew he was trapped. He also knew that Ling’s intelligence, knowledge and military background was of more value than what he had gained from Morales. In his mind, at least the way I see it, he was upgrading himself. Since he had very little knowledge of the complex, he might have thought that taking control of Ling would give him a chance of escaping.”

“Could the black projectiles be tarantula hairs?”

Cyclo continued, “More like bristles, General. I can’t imagine how he could have produced them even allowing for the fact that he may still have been part tarantula.”

“Can’t believe I didn’t see this coming,” said Williams.

“None of us did,” replied Morgan. “Who could have imagined that he could somehow fire projectiles, tarantula or not, loaded with his blood from his mouth?”

“We should have paid more attention to Cyclo when he warned us about what else other than the virus Morales might have under the hood. And now we have to assume that any Marine Assassins have the same capability and who knows what else?”

The General decided that he and his newly formed team would delay going to White Sounds until Ling was found. The news came a little short of five hours after Baldarelli’s first call to Morgan.

“Marco, hold on until I get everyone back here with me.”

All were assembled two minutes later.

“Morg, about thirty-five minutes ago, an MP who was in a hallway not far from Major Ling’s room heard a gunshot from about thirty feet away and above the ceiling. Security checked the hallway above, but there was nothing – no shell, no blood. One of the guards suggested that we check for a ventilation shaft. It turns out there’s one that runs perpendicular to and above the hallway. Lieutenant Colonel Drummond, head of security, appeared with ten or so soldiers. I told him that I would like to go into the shaft alone.”

Not a sound was uttered as the eight members of the two teams listened to Baldarelli.

“I went in through a vent opening in a wall. The bottom of the shaft running above the ceiling was only about four feet above my head. I could see light in the shaft coming from the right. Based on how bright it was, I figured it had to be a flashlight. Once I pulled myself up, I could see the light was pointing in my direction and I could make out the shadow of a body behind it. There was no movement, so I slowly crawled toward it. It was Major Ling. Single shot to the temple.”

Williams kicked a chair. No one else moved or said anything.

“I’m not quite sure how to put this, but I doubt I would have had the courage and strength to do what Major Ling did. Rather than try to describe what I mean, if you’ll give me a fax number, I’ll send it to you. I can’t imagine how he did what he did.”

Rappaport gave him the number and asked what was being done with the body.

“A biohazard team is in the shaft right now. Dr. Stanton is taking charge of getting the Major back to the lab. He wants to know what to do about informing Lieutenant Henderson.”

“Marco, this is Bill. Keep her isolated until we examine the fax.”

“Will do.”

Rappaport went to the van and returned several minutes later with copies for everyone. Each received seven pages and read them in silence. They were handwritten with the writing becoming larger and increasingly more difficult to read near the end.

“I pray that this is found quickly, but I needed to do this alone and without any outside interference. As soon as I put my fingers to my neck, I felt a hard, needle like object sticking into it and a liquid – blood. I knew that Assassin had infected me and yelled to Marco to kill Morales. Once I knew Assassin was dead and Marco wasn’t hit, I knew what I had to do. I ran to my room and pulled the object out. It was black and less than an inch long. Tarantula bristle? It’s on my desk. I grabbed my pistol, a flashlight, some paper and a couple of pens. Obviously, I couldn’t stay in the room. As I stepped back into the hallway, I saw a grate which I figured was for ventilation. That’s how I made it to where you have found me. I’m laughing a little to myself right now wondering if I should call myself Assassin. Soon, I fear, but not yet.