The Bonding (28 page)

“Yes. The General and I have been looking
at his collection of intergalactical ships. I believe he’s a bit frustrated
because I won’t show him how anything operates or give him any technical
information. And, even though he hasn’t given me any immediate reason to worry,
there is something about him that I don’t trust.”

“Are they treating you okay?” Janet
asked.

“Oh yes. I have very comfortable quarters
and I’ve consented to allow them to give me a physical examination, on my terms
of course.”

“Are you sure? I have a bad feeling about
that, Tarku.”

“I’ll be okay. I have to approve each
step of the examination before they can perform it.”

“Don’t let them inject you with
anything,” Janet warned.”

“Stop worrying. I’ll be fine. It’s only
for another three days and then we can be on our way.”

“I can’t wait. I really wish you were
here or I was there.”

“I feel the same way, Janet. I’ll see you
soon.”

“I love you, Tarku.”

“And I love you, Janet.”

They each hung up the telephones and
stood silently looking at them. They were feeling each other’s thoughts and
smiled. Tarku walked back into the examining room and everyone turned in unison
to look at him.

“I’m ready if you are. What is the first
thing you would like to do?”

The examination took about two hours,
with complete body x-rays, MRI’s and cat scans. Tarku would not allow them to
inject anything into his body, but he did consent to allowing them to draw a
small amount of his blood. Every member of the examining team was thrilled to
be able to examine a live extraterrestrial being. They immediately liked Tarku,
and soon discovered that for a being with such an ominous appearance, he had
quite a sense of humor. They were also impressed with his knowledge of the
English language, including much of the local slang words. He even told them a
few Earth jokes that he had heard while learning the language.

“Tarku, would you like to get something
to eat?” asked the General.

“Yes, I am hungry.”

The General turned to the examining team.
“I assume that we are finished?”

“Yes,” said the team leader. “Thank you,
Tarku, for letting us
have
this rare and unique
opportunity.”

“It has been my pleasure,” he responded.

“Shall we?” the General asked, motioning
to Tarku.

There was a cafeteria where the local
Area 51 residents normally ate, but in this case the General didn’t want
everyone at the base to see Tarku. They went to the General’s private quarters
and had the cafeteria deliver their meal. After lunch the General showed Tarku
various other projects that the scientists were working on, trying to copy the
alien designs.

“I am impressed with the accomplishments
of your scientists. Given a few hundred more years, I’m sure that they’ll have
all of these vessels figured out.”

The General reluctantly forced a smile.
“We could probably cut a couple of hundred years off of that if you’d give us
just a little help, Tarku.”

He slowly shook his head back and forth,
still refusing to comment on anything that would allow them information to his
technology. With each refusal the General got very silent, and Tarku knew that
he was irritated.

The day passed quickly and Tarku drove
his cart back to his quarters for the evening. The General went back to the
security headquarters to listen to the conversation between Tarku and Janet.

“Sergeant Martin, is the tape ready?”

“Yes, sir, General, but I don’t think
you’re going to like what you hear.”

The General gave him a questioning
glance. “Why? Never mind, just play it.”

The General looked at the Sergeant with
disgust. “Do you know if we can decipher what they’re saying?”

“I’ll give it to the scientists, sir. But
I’ve never heard anything like this, and I’m willing to bet that they haven’t
either.”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” the
General said. “I don’t like that they’re talking in another language. What are
they trying to hide?”

The General picked up the phone. Back in
Padgett, Texas Major Barton answered. “Barton!”

“What’s happening with the ship?” the
General barked.

“Sir, we’ve got it covered, but that’s
all. We’ve tried everything we can think of and haven’t found any way in.”

“That’s unacceptable Major. We need to
get into that ship, and we need to do it within the next three days.”

The Major stared across the room,
frustrated. “Yes sir, we’ll figure it out.” But he knew that they wouldn’t -
not within three days.

The ship was completely covered like a
huge circus tent. It was amazing what they had accomplished in such a short
time. Technicians were crawling over it like ants on a sandwich left unattended
on a picnic table. They tried to cut into it with everything from welding
torches to lasers, but nothing even scorched the surface. They had the latest
metallurgy x-ray equipment, trying to peek inside the metal, but with no
success.

Janet was enjoying the visit with her
parents, but was worried about Tarku. Even though they talked every day,
neither of them trusted the General and suspected that he may try to delay
their departure even longer.

“Dad, how well do you know the area
around Padgett?”

“I go deer hunting out there every year
with a buddy of mine. I’d say that I know it pretty well.”

“That’s what I thought. I have to ask a
favor of you.”

“Sure, whatever you need, honey.”

“When I leave, in a couple of days, you
shouldn’t hear from me again. If I call you, saying that I’m coming back one
last time before I go, then you can bet that the General is up to no good.
Here’s what I need you to do.”

Janet and her folks devised a backup plan
if things didn’t go as planned with the General.

The next three days passed too quickly
for the General. He had exactly what he had five days ago – absolutely
nothing from Tarku. Tarku would not divulge even the simplest of technical
advice. He told the General many wondrous things about other planets and races,
but nothing that would help his scientists.

Tarku and Janet were excited that the
time of their visit was over. They were both anxious to be on their way. As
much as Janet was going to miss her parents, she was ready to spend her
remaining days exploring the universe with Tarku. Somehow, the Earth didn’t
quite seem like home anymore.

The General sent a car to pick up Janet.
A young airman knocked at the door and her dad answered. “Can I help you young
man?”

“Hello, sir. I’m Airman Robbins, and I’m
here to pick up Commander Shelby, sir.”

Janet walked over to the door. “Hello
Airman Robbins. Give me just a moment please, and I’ll meet you at the car.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

He returned to the car and Janet’s eyes
immediately filled with tears. “Mom, dad…”

“You don’t have to say it, baby. We know
you’ll miss us, and we know you love us,” her mom said, wiping back her own
tears. “And you know that we will always love and miss you.”

“We’ll always be thinking of you
exploring the universe,” her dad added. His eyes were also filled with tears.
“I hate to see my little girl going away for good, but we understand, honey.”

They hugged and kissed and hugged and
kissed. The tears flowed like rain and all three had tissues. They worked their
way to the car, and the airman opened the door for Janet. Her mom and dad each
gave her one last kiss through the car window. “Bye bye, honey. We love you.”

“I love you too.” She looked at the
driver. “Okay, Airman, let’s go, please.”

Chapter Nineteen

At area 51, Tarku was getting dressed.
The General had agreed to fly him back to his ship at 7:00am. He looked at the
clock – 6:45am. He turned the handle on the door, but it wouldn't open.
He tried a couple more times, but it wouldn’t budge. He stood back and shook
his head. He knew exactly what was happening. Suddenly, the television behind
him came on. Tarku turned to see the General peering from the screen.

“Good morning, Tarku. As you can see the
door is locked and will remain that way until we can reach an agreement.”

Tarku stared in anger at the General.
“You are taking an action that you will live to regret, General.”

“Perhaps, but I’ll take my chances. From
where I am, and where you are, I don’t foresee any regrets on my behalf.”

“So, you think that by holding me captive
that I will give you all of the technical information you seek?”

“Most definitely!” the General smugly
remarked.

Janet arrived on the flight line at
Carswell as the vehicle pulled up next to a small black jet. She looked
curiously at the driver.

“We’re taking a jet out to the town of
Padgett? I don’t recall an airport near there that can handle a jet.”

“I don’t know Commander,” the driver
replied. “My orders were to bring you here.” He pointed to a Captain who was
approaching the car. “Captain Gates will take over from here, Ma’am.”

The Captain opened the car door. “Good
morning, Commander Shelby. I’m Captain Rod Gates. I’ll be your escort this
morning.”

“Escort to where, Captain? I thought I
was flying out to my ship to meet Tarku.”

“I’m sorry Ma’am, but I don’t know who
Tarku is. General Redding asked me to convey his apology and to inform you that
there has been a slight change in plans, and that everything will be explained
later.”

“This is bullshit, Captain. I want to
talk with the General, now!”

“General Redding will meet you and
explain everything when we arrive, Ma’am.”

“Arrive where?”

“I’m not at liberty to say, Ma’am.”

“That’s more bullshit. What’s going on
Captain?”

“I’m sorry, Ma’am, but the General hasn’t
told me anything other than to deliver you to him.”

“Look Captain, I am a Lieutenant Colonel,
which means that I outrank you. I want some answers and I want them now.”

“I’m sorry Commander, but I honestly
don’t know anything more than what I’ve told you. I’m under orders from General
Redding, and he outranks you. Please, just get on the jet Commander. The
General will explain everything when we arrive.”

Reluctantly Janet boarded the plane.
Within minutes they were in the air heading to an unknown destination. A
million things whirred through her mind. Like Tarku, she had always suspected
that the General was up to something, even though he acted so nice. She did
appreciate that he let her stay with her parents, but now, she wondered at what
price. She never could put her finger on exactly what it was that bothered her
about him, and now she knew. She knew that she was heading away from her
spaceship and probably away from Tarku too.

Tarku glared at the General after his
smug remark. The General almost felt intimidated by Tarku’s angry stare, even
though he was in another area of the complex looking at Tarku on a monitor.

Tarku walked into the bathroom and came
out with a towel, which he draped over the television set. He assumed that the
camera was hidden within it, and his assumption was correct.

As Tarku’s image disappeared behind the
towel, the General pushed a button on the control panel and another camera,
hidden up high in the corner of the room, activated. Tarku didn’t know about
that one, but assumed that there would be more.

The General smiled. “You can’t get rid of
me that easy,” he mumbled.

Sergeant Martin was standing near the
General, looking at Tarku on the monitor. “Boy, he really looks pissed.”

“Fuck him!” the General snarled. “He
is
going to give me the information I need, one way or another.”

Tarku thought about ripping the wiring
out of the wall, but dismissed that thought, thinking that he would need to
speak with the General again. He began meticulously looking around the room for
cameras, but these cameras were as small as the head of an ink pen, and Tarku
couldn’t locate them.

He stopped at the window and stared at it
for a few seconds, then looked down at the chair sitting next to him and
smiled. He picked up the chair and threw it with all of his might. The chair
crashed against the glass with so much force that it splintered into a hundred
pieces, but the window remained intact. “Hummmm,” Tarku growled to himself. He
knew that, for the moment, the General had the upper hand. But he also knew
that sooner or later the General would slip up, and Tarku would regain control.

Tarku turned towards the TV as the
General’s voice crackled over the speaker. “Did you really think that we hadn’t
thought about that, Tarku?
 
There
is no way out of this room.”