Encounters 1: The Spiral Slayers (6 page)

He turned to his team and spoke loud enough for them and the
sergeant to hear. “We need to get our ears checked, so first we go back to the
hospital.” He turned to the sergeant, “We’ll be back in one hour.” He handed
him a card. “Call if anything happens.” He turned and walked back to the
choppers.

---

Half a world away in the capitol, President Wicker leaned
back in the leather chair behind his desk thinking,
space aliens might land,
but cogs of government keep turning
. He had ten minutes before his next
appointment.

Almost at once, a knock sounded on the door. He sighed and
sat forward, “Come in.”

It was his secretary, “Excuse me, Mr. President, but you said
I should contact you if anything related to the…alien ship developed.” Wicker
nodded for her to go on. “Congressman De Bella is demanding to see you. He
claims that he is the head of…” she consulted her note pad “the Alien Contact
Advisory Panel.”

The President closed his eyes and frowned. De Bella was the
chairman of that eighty year old group? He couldn’t believe it. He did not know
De Bella very well, but his impression of the man wasn’t favorable. He didn’t
think that he liked the man, nor that De Bella could be trusted. However, De
Bella belonged to the other party and it was possible that he wasn’t being
completely fair to the congressman.

“Mr. President?” his secretary prompted.

Wicker opened his eyes, “Please wait five minutes and then
escort Congressman De Bella in.”

After his secretary left, he picked up his com device and
contacted his Secretary of State. “Ed, what do you know about Congressman De
Bella?” He listened for several minutes as Ed Fisher told him what he knew,
which was next to nothing. Wicker thanked him and disconnected.

Wicker’s secretary escorted De Bella in and Wicker motioned
him to one of the chairs in front of his desk. De Bella was in his sixties and
was huge. He sat in the chair, placing his large leather brief case on his lap.

Wicker noticed that De Bella could barely fit into the chair.
Wicker estimated he was about five-foot-eight inches tall and must weigh close
to 350 pounds. His fat face and bald head were a pasty red color which matched
his swollen nose laced with spider veins. His lips bulged outward in a
perpetual pout. Wisps of wild, stringy gray hair exploded from above his ears
and the back of his head. When he spoke, his voice was surprisingly high
pitched and feminine sounding, especially for such a large man.

“Mr. President, as chairman of the Alien Contact Advisory
Panel, why was I not contacted as soon as it was determined that we were being
visited by alien ships?”

Wicker raised an eyebrow. Upon seeing De Bella, Wicker’s
unfavorable impression of the man had come sharply into focus. However, what
did he really know about him? Giving him the benefit of the doubt seemed the
proper thing to do. It seemed Congressman De Bella was a direct man and his
question was a fair one. Wicker would respond in kind.

“Congressman De Bella, the Alien Contact Advisory Panel has
been next to inactive for decades. When is the last time your panel met? When
was the last time the Alien Contact Procedures Manual was updated? Do you even
know where it is?”

The President’s mention of the procedures manual seemed to
delight De Bella. “Your point is well taken, Mr. President. No one really
thought we’d ever be contacted by aliens and I must admit my chairmanship of
this panel was, even to me, more formality than anything else. The panel has
met twice, both times at the Sand Side Golf Course, and we had drinks and
played golf.” Wicker laughed out loud, his dislike for the man lessening
despite himself.

The congressman continued without skipping a beat, “The
procedures manual has never been updated, but I did read it and…” De Bella
opened his briefcase and pulled out a large bound book marked ”top secret” and
held it up “… I brought it along with me.”

Wicker blinked. He was impressed. Perhaps he had been wrong
about this somewhat scary fellow.

He briefed De Bella on what had been done and, somewhat
reluctantly, put him in between himself and the team he had assembled with the
condition that he be updated continuously.

Chapter Four – Recovery

“!! INTELLIGENT LIFE FROM ANOTHER
STAR !!

Aliens bring injured man to ER! Today
the most significant event in the history of our species occurred: intelligent
beings from another star made contact with us. At 6:20 AM a spacecraft
estimated to be seven miles in length appeared in the skies over the Northwestern
Continent. At 2:22 PM a second spacecraft, estimated to be about 160 feet in diameter,
landed at Hillcrest Medical Center…”

Network*News Headline News
Bulletin rn377327.9971

The Amular Network*News! All the
news that’s NEWS!

Source: The Archive

From the back door, through vacant eyes, Grace Maximus
watched her son Nero play in the small sand box. It was lunch time and she
would call him in shortly.

Grace was tall, lean and tanned, her long blond hair tied
into a ponytail. Her striking blue eyes were now blood shot with dark circles
under them. Still, her high cheek-boned face was smooth and beautiful belying
her fifty years.

Normally she always wore a contagious smile with which she
infected everyone around her with generous portions of joy. As one of Amular's
top eye surgeons, she both figuratively and physically found the sun light in
every dark corner. In her eyes, the future that spread before her was lit with
brilliant rays of hope and promise. But today, none of this was present. Five
days ago, in an instant, it had all been stripped away.

Nero looked up at her from across the yard then returned to
filling the sand bucket. He took after his father with deep blue eyes and light
reddish brown hair. Even at this young age he was taller than the other boys. He
knew something was wrong, but thankfully, he had not asked what. Grace was
putting off telling him for as long as possible.

 Eighteen hours had passed since the alien ship had landed
and Adamarus’ wife and son, plus the other two people staying with them, were
perhaps the only four people on the planet who knew nothing of it.

It had been five days since the uniformed men had come to her
door and told her that there had been an accident—that her husband had been
killed.

She had cut off all news since then. She was numbed by shock
for the first day. The second day, it had hit her and she had cried until she
had run out of tears. On the third day, both her younger sister and her best
friend had arrived from out of town joining in her seclusion. She had been glad
for their support. Now the fifth day, she wondered once again how to tell her
five-year-old son his father would never be coming home.

The doorbell rang. She ignored it.

Her sister Tanya entered the room behind her intending to ask
if she should answer the door. She was shorter than Grace and had a beautiful
face and thick brown hair. But unlike Grace who could eat anything and remain
rail thin, Tanya always waged a losing battle against her weight. The death of
her sister’s husband had caused her to drop eight pounds in three days, but she
was still shaped like a pear. She decided against bothering Grace and quietly
left to answer the door.

After a few seconds, Grace could hear people approaching
behind her. She turned and looked at the two men with her sister.
More
uniformed men
, she thought numbly. They seemed nervous.

“Mrs. Maximus.”

She nodded and waited, wondering what more could happen, what
more they could want.

The same uniformed man turned to Tanya, "Lt. Tanya
Bonnet."

Grace's sister nodded.

"Do you know?" he asked Tanya.

"Know what?"

"Good," the uniformed man said. He glanced outside
at Nero then focused on Grace again, "Mrs. Maximus, outside of your sister
and son, are we alone?"

Her girlfriend was currently asleep in the guest house.
Mystified, Grace nodded.

He again turned to Tanya. "Lt. Bonnet, effective
immediately your security level is elevated to Red Raven Limited and what
you're about to hear is classified as such. Do you understand all I've said?"

Dazed, she nodded.

He returned to Grace and cleared his throat, again looking
nervous. The second uniformed man remained stiffly at parade rest silently watching.
The first one blinked, swallowed then said, “Mrs. Maximus...it’s your
husband...”

Grace’s hand suddenly flew to her mouth.
Oh God
, she
thought, they had found his body and wanted her to identify it. She felt faint
and leaned further into the door frame.

The uniformed man continued, “...we would like you to come
with us.”

She nodded, tears welling in her eyes.

 “Understand, he’s still unconscious but…”

Grace’s eyes went wide with confusion and an audible gasp
escaped her. She screamed “What? What did you…” her mouth moved but for a
moment nothing came out. Then, in a hoarse whisper, she managed, “…
unconscious?”

Tanya had reacted as well, stepping back in shock. Then she
lost control and physically grabbed the man who had been speaking and yanked
him around. Her voice rose, threatening to break. “What are you saying?” She
was shaking him now. “Are you saying that Adamarus is alive?”

Now both men looked shocked. Outside Nero ran over, burst
through the sliding door and grabbed his mother’s leg. The officer Tanya had
grabbed was still speechless, but the other one, still looking at Grace's
reaction managed to stammer, “I’m sorry…has no one contacted you…”

Grace grabbed the door jamb to steady herself. Nero looked up
and cried “Mommy!”

Tanya’s grip on the officer tightened and she pulled him
forward almost lifting him off the ground as she half hissed and half yelled,
cutting off each word, “Is—he—alive?”

The other officer stepped forward and tried to pry Tanya’s
hands away from his partner as he said “Well, yes…and I’m sorry if…”

At that point Grace cried out interrupting everything. It was
a tortured sound somewhere between anguish and joy. Her eyes rolled back into
her head and she dropped. All of them rushed forward and caught her before she
hit the floor. Nero dropped to a sitting position and started crying.

---

 Eighteen hours later, in the early morning hours, a black
limo with dark tinted glass flanked by two police cars and surrounded by four
police motorcycles sped through the streets of Hillcrest. The police vehicles
had their lights flashing with sirens off and the motorcade was passing cars
left and right.

In a daze, Grace watched the city pass by through the tinted
glass. The elaborate motorcade had been waiting for them at the airport. As
soon as the plane taxied to a stop, it had pulled right up to the plane and they
had been ushered into the limo.

Nero slept peacefully in her arms and Tanya sat next to them
staring straight ahead, clutching her purse. Grace’s friend, confused but
unable to be told anything, had stayed behind–family only was all she had been
told.

It was still too early for the morning traffic. The sky was
clear but Grace knew it was chilly out there. On the fifteen-hour flight, she
and her sister had caught up with the news, learned of the alien ship in orbit
and the shuttle which had landed at the hospital and delivered Adamarus. She
had also heard that alien technology had saved his life, was keeping him alive
right now, and would presumably allow him to make a full recovery. Then they
both finally slept. Forty minutes before landing they had been awakened and
fed.

The car came to a barricade surrounded by the news crews it
held back. The tinted driver’s window rolled down and they were then allowed to
pass. The car continued down a tree-lined road which soon curved, bringing the
hospital into view. Suddenly Grace’s heart sped up and she held her son
tighter. Her sister stroked her arm and said something Grace could not focus
on.

 The limo pulled up to the front door and stopped. The driver
and a uniformed man who had ridden up front got out. The door beside Grace
opened allowing in the chilly air and bright sun. Nero woke, rubbing his eyes. After
a moment they got out of the limo and entered the glass doors with their
uniformed escort while the driver returned to the limo. The unmistakable smells
of a hospital washed over them. The lobby was filled with uniformed men. Behind
a wooden counter three nurses busied themselves.

The uniformed man led them through the crowd towards a group
of men whose uniforms Grace recognized as being more senior than the others. But
before they got there, she heard her name called out and turned towards the
sound. She immediately recognized Commander Radin Talvin. He rushed towards her
and she fell into his arms and began to cry uncontrollably.

“Now, now…” Radin said as he held her, “Adamarus is going to
be fine.”

Grace croaked between sobs “They told me he was dead.”

“I know, I know, but he’s not. I’m so sorry I could not come
to you sooner – I just got dirt-side last night.”

“They told us he was dead,” she said again but this time in
anger.

“We all thought that he was Grace.” He squeezed her tighter then
held her away and looked into her eyes. “It is beyond belief what happened…
beyond belief that he’s alive.”

Grace nodded numbly wiping her eyes. Tanya had knelt down by
Nero and was holding him. He had started crying when his mother had.

Their escort had gone ahead and talked to the brass in hushed
tones. He now returned. He nodded at Radin then said, “Mrs. Maximus,” he
motioned at Radin, Tanya and Nero, including all of them, “if you’ll follow
me.”

They entered an elevator, rode up several floors and exited. They
were expected. A very youthful looking officer saluted Radin and the other
officer, and motioned them down the hall. As they walked behind their youthful
escort, he turned nervously, unsure of whether or not he should convey the news
he had, “Ah… he regained consciousness for a few minutes a while back.”

Radin nodded his thanks and asked, “How long ago?”

“About half an hour.”

They arrived at a door posted with two guards. One of the guards
saluted and opened the door. They walked in.

Adamarus lay on a hospital bed covered by a sheet – not much
could be seen, though something green seemed to cover half of his head. They
could see tubes going into his nose and into both arms. The wall behind was
filled with monitors. Like a cliché the only sound was a beeping that kept
rhythm to his heart. A nurse stood to the left of the bed with a clip board
checking the monitors. She turned when they entered and nodded to them.

Grace and Radin approached the bed. Tanya lingered near the
door staying behind with Nero. Grace’s hand went to her mouth as more became
visible. What looked like a semi-transparent green gel sack came up the left
side of Adamarus’ neck and continued up, covering the left side of his face and
head. The right side of his face was mostly visible except for a small bandage
on his cheek. Most of what was visible was swollen and bruised – discolored in
dark purple with yellow around the edges, but this was on his forehead and
along his jaw line. The one eye they could see was closed, but there was no
bruising around it. His mouth was slightly opened. His lips looked dry and
cracked and there were several small cuts.

Grace took all this in as she approached wide eyed. A tear
trickled down her cheek. Radin stayed behind her. She approached until her face
was six inches from Adamarus’ and she stayed there for what seemed like a long
time. Suddenly she backed away shaking her head. She bumped into Radin who put
his hands on her shoulders and backed away with her. When she spoke it was a
strained whisper, “No… this is wrong. Very wrong.” She started to shake.

Leaving Nero standing near the door, Tanya came forward. Radin,
a concerned look on his face, handed a badly shaking Grace off to her, then
turned and took a closer look at Adamarus’ face. Yes, he thought, something’s
not right, but at first, he could not figure it out. He could hear Grace’s
shaking voice behind him, “He’s not right… not right…” Then Radin saw it.
Adamarus’ hair had no gray. But there was more. It had been reddish brown
before age had dulled the color. Now the color was back and had a healthy sheen
to it. Then he noticed the skin, although bruised and battered, there were no
wrinkles, no sagging. This Adamarus looked twenty years younger!

Radin continued to stare in amazement as he straightened up. He
was about to turn when Adamarus’ visible eye fluttered open. He looked up at
Radin and smiled slightly, then said, “Radin,” it was a hoarse croak. He cleared
his throat and continued in a clearer voice, “You look like shit.”

Radin just stared down in shock. Behind him Grace cried out “Adamarus!”
and rushed forward moving Radin out of the way, but then she stopped, the
wrongness she had yet to identify holding her back.

Adamarus’ eye shined ever so slightly, “Grace, my love. I’m
so sorry.” His face went sad for a second, then he smiled again, “I guess…” he
made that familiar ”innocent” expression of his, “I zigged when I should have
zagged.”

Whatever had seemed wrong to Grace dissolved and all previous
doubts and barriers went down. She threw herself on him, tears running down her
cheeks. Then, overcome with emotion, she started softly hitting his chest. “You!”
she cried, “You said… you promised…”

“Hey, hey,” Adamarus whispered, “take it easy.”

“Promised!” she continued, then seemed to run out of steam,
“promised…you’d be careful,” she ended with a whimper, her voice cracking.

Adamarus was drifting off again. He replied in a slurred
voice, “I tried to be, my love… I’m sorry.”

Grace, realizing he was tiring, lifted away and composed
herself. She ran her fingers lightly across his eyebrow trying to avoid the bruised
areas. “I know honey. I know.”

Adamarus’ visible eye opened larger for a second, “You
forgive me?”