Pilgrimage (The New World) (25 page)

It appeared they had not been seen or heard by any of the secret service who would be patrolling the woods, but only time would tell. After roughly a dozen steps Ross glanced back over his shoulder to see if he could still see the alien, but he was nowhere in sight. He suddenly remembered that the alien species had become quite adept at visiting and studying Earth without being detected, except on those rare occasions when they either wanted to be seen, or one of their scout ships had crashed.

Ross quickened his pace as he walked back towards the cabin, and waved his whistle in the direction of the nearest secret service agent as he emerged from the woods. There was much discussion and work to be done within the allotted time frame specified by the aliens in order to save lives, so he best get to it.

Back in his cabin, Ross pondered briefly over his next move before giving the order for Jessica to be immediately flown over via helicopter from the White House. He intended to speak with no one else before her arrival, and informed his guard outside the door to make sure he wasn’t disturbed until she arrived.

A few hours later when Jessica knocked on the door, Ross invited her in and said that he hoped she had brought some good walking shoes. She nodded positively sensing that her brother was concerned about something, and then said “I’m getting plenty of exercise, and I’m not currently having any trouble with the leg.” Ross responded with “Glad to hear that, but the upcoming walk is not just for exercise sake because I have something very important to discuss with you!” With that she put down her briefcase, and walked over to him to ask what was bothering him. He asked Jessica to follow him out onto the walking trail so they could talk, and then he waved the whistle towards the nearest secret service agent as they reached the edge of the woods.

A few minutes later Ross stopped at the same spot where he had communicated with the alien, took a good look around in all directions to ensure their privacy, and then leaned towards his sister to whisper the latest revelation into her ear. Jessica listened intently for a few minutes until Ross backed away, and then took a step back herself in shock and disbelief. She tried her best to remain composed, but she began to tremble and then became wobbly enough that Ross had to grab her arm to keep her from falling down.

When the initial shock began to wear off Jessica asked Ross if he was sure about what he had told her, but he could only shrug. Ross said “I don’t have the proof yet, but why would the alien species fabricate something as hugely significant as the potential extinction of the human race?” He continued by saying that “The aliens obviously have the advanced technology to be able to track such events within the cosmos, and land here undetected if they wish.” Jessica steadied herself as she listened to what her brother had to say, but was still fighting the powerful emotion of denial. Ross then added to his previous comments by informing her that when he first encountered the alien on the Moon he was told they would return at regular intervals to their base on the far side for continued observations of our planet.

Jessica asked her brother to confirm that this was the second contact with the same alien, but became alarmed when Ross informed her it was actually the third encounter. Jessica had not been aware that Ross had communicated with the alien again while on a solitary fishing trip in southwest Texas twenty years after the Moon encounter, but she was ready to hear all about it now.

After filling her in on all the details he knew about the alien species, Ross continued by claiming that the aliens had actually done the human race a favor. By informing us early about something that our own scientists would discover in due course, they had given us a tremendous opportunity to save additional lives. He concluded by adding, “What we need to decide is whether or not we should act on that knowledge!”

The walk back to the cabin was quiet and somber. The only question that Jessica asked her brother was if he intended to discuss the current topic with Patty. He told her that wasn’t the best idea just yet, because Patty had been telling him to keep quiet about his belief in extraterrestrial life since he built the model of the solar system sixty years before back in Rumley.

Although Jessica understood his point, she also understood that his wife deserved to hear the information first hand as opposed to a leak via the media. Jessica asked her brother if the two of them could please have a quiet conversation with Patty before meeting with a science team. It was important that Patty be brought into the loop, and Ross nodded positively to her because deep down he knew she was right.

EARLY THE NEXT
morning Ross took another long walk through the woods to mull over the most important question of his life, as he needed to decide if he should inform the world of this new found knowledge or not. An argument could be made for both sides of the equation, but what would serve the most good? If he withheld the information the citizens of the world would have less time to prepare for the unavoidable impact of the asteroid, but they could all continue, be they happy or not, with their current structure of life. Babies would be born, young people would fall in love, people would go to work and enjoy their leisure time, and the bills would be paid all in the cover of blissful ignorance, but was that ultimately fair?

That question in itself brought forth an additional debate as some would claim they were better off not knowing about their probable demise, while others would want to know so they could spend as much time with loved ones as possible. Ross knew the information could cause a global panic that would manifest itself in a variety of ways including anarchy, but that panic would take place anyway once the astronomers discovered the problem and their findings somehow leaked out through the media.

At some point the military forces of the world would get involved, and it wouldn’t matter if they had roughly twelve or eighteen months to work with. They would claim that they could rectify the situation by blasting the object out of the sky with a barrage of “who knows what” that would turn it into rubble. Unfortunately that option was probably more of a Hollywood solution, and not very realistic. Still, it would be foolish to not explore that course of action when push came to shove, as any possibility to save the planet would certainly deserve some level of consideration.

If Ross decided to release the information, he would have to explain in detail how he was privy to such devastating knowledge. Ross knew that when he informed the media about his now third contact with an alien species, the vast majority of people around the world would simply not believe him. Many would doubt his mental stability, and therefore his validity as the so called “Leader of the Free World”. That would seriously jeopardize his ability to help with possible solutions, because all the non-believers would want him placed in a padded cell.

There would be serious religious implications around the globe as well, because many people of deep faith cannot fathom the thought of the Earth not being the focal point in the grand scheme of the universe. Ross of course knew differently, and there had been many times during his life when he wanted to convince religious fanatics that their belief system was not of sound logic. If God indeed had the ultimate power to create everything, then why would this planet be his only petri dish? It was a mathematical impossibility that humans were alone in the incredible unknown vastness of space, but people needed to believe in their core foundation. According to what the aliens had told Ross on the Moon during his first contact with them, their species had discovered, and then observed, some sort of life in roughly twenty percent of the solar systems they had explored. They had also admitted to him that they had only charted a small section of all that was out there.

There was no question in Ross’ mind that the events of the next eighteen months and beyond would shake some of the core religious beliefs of many people on planet Earth, but he couldn’t afford to get off on that thought process at the present time. He also knew that Patty wouldn’t believe him about the aliens, and that was disconcerting because he would need her standing at his side throughout all the ridicule he would undoubtedly receive.

When Ross returned to his cabin, a staff member informed him that Jessica had gone to the main cabin for some coffee. Ross joined her on the quest and after sitting together in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes she asked him if he had decided what to do when they got back to the White House. Ross nodded positively, but asked his most trusted advisor, “What are your thoughts?” before revealing his decision. Without any hesitation Jessica said, “As President of the United States it’s your duty to inform the public as soon as possible. You must gather a well accredited science team first, because in my opinion that would be the prudent thing to do!” She then added “If they believe you and your story, then the extra six months would help the brain trust of the planet come up with possible survival solutions.” Ross nodded positively again, and then stated, “It’s a difficult situation to be sure, and I have made my decision.”

While on his solitary walk, Ross came to the conclusion that all of the reasons for withholding the information were outweighed by the reasons for releasing it. Ross knew it would be impractical to attempt keeping something of this magnitude a secret, and he, or any other world leader for that matter, didn’t have the right to play God by doing so.

THE MARINE ONE
helicopter carrying Ross, Jessica, and his secret service detail touched down in customary fashion upon the south lawn of the White House. A small contingent of the media was typically waiting nearby for him, and Ross smiled and waved to them as he strode confidently by. He knew it was all part of the pomp and circumstance associated with the job, but wondered just how many times during his presidency did they need to film him emerging from the helicopter? Then he thought to himself that armed with the news he would soon reveal to them, and the world, it might be the last time they filmed him in such a lighthearted moment.