Chapter 13

Chapter 12  (13+) There is a breach. Jack and Lanier discuss options. #2037218 by Hyperiongate

Chapter 13
After meeting with Jack, Lanier returned to the Artifact base where a helicopter waited. Two hour later, he was stepping over a body bag containing what used to be Communications Specialist Smithers. At least someone had made an effort to make it look like an accident. The lack of skid marks suggested that the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel. Unlikely since the accident occurred in the middle of the day. The colonel suspected that alcohol would be found in the dead driver’s blood. He made a note to make sure they looked beyond the alcohol. There was almost certain to be something more exotic behind what was really a carefully orchestrated assassination.

The colonel knew that the dead man was the “breach”. They’d had their eye on Smithers for quite some time. All communication specialists were carefully monitored; especially at Nellis. The lure of the nearby Vegas strip made it easy for one to get into a compromising position. Intelligence knew about his debt but was uncertain as to how he might be compromised. When the “meet” occurred, they knew he’d been bought. Larry was a local hustler that would do anything for a dollar. Base Intel had monitored the call where Smithers had asked Larry for a meeting. A deal was going to go down. No one knew what sort of deal but it was worth following up on.

Local police had arrived on the scene first only to be displaced by men in black fatigues. The police clearly resented the presence of these men poking around the crash site. A call from Lanier to the Las Vegas Chief of Police put to rest and discussion about who was in charge. The men in blue sat out the preliminary investigation from the comfort of their squad cars while Lanier’s men gathered data from the scene.

Lanier arrived shortly after his “men” and started to pick his way through the wreckage. It was a professional hit for sure. Someone had tied off this particular loose end quite neatly. There was only one group that the colonel knew of that acted so quickly and decisively - The Brotherhood had entered the game. From experience, the colonel knew this was one group that didn’t like loose ends.

Two hours later, the black fatigues and their mysterious boss loaded up their vehicles and left; leaving the cleanup to the civilians; all without so much as a wave good-bye.


Four hundred miles to the north, Jack pulled up into the driveway of Dr. Lise Marshall.

As he walked to the door, he noted the van parked three houses down the street; Lanier’s men? He wandered if she had noticed the van as well.

He felt momentarily self-conscious. A first date was pressure enough without the possibility of having every word overheard by Lanier’s men. The colonel had specifically said that the surveillance would be non-intrusive but Jack had little doubt that the colonel wouldn’t hesitate to bug Lise’s house if he thought it necessary. Jack decided he’d keep this last thought to himself.

Lise opened the door and Jack lost all thoughts of calmness. She was dressed in a simple blouse and dress that set off her youthful figure. Her hair hung down around her shoulders instead of pulled back behind her head as it was in the hospital. Her eyes and her warm smile pulled him into her “other self”; the world where she was a woman, not the head of an experimental burn center. Somehow, he was speechless; completely caught off guard by the impact.

Lise took in Jack’s reaction with more than a little satisfaction. It was nice to be appreciated. She liked knowing that she could still turn a head if she wanted.

“Hi Jack. Come in and make yourself at home. I have a couple more things to take care of and then we can go.”

Jack fumbled through some sort of “you look nice” type greeting and then found a seat in the living room. Looking around, he noticed the family pictures. None seemed to indicate that she had ever been married. Just then he realized how little he knew about her, certainly much less than Colonel Lanier did. Jack felt completely out of his element. Was he here because of manipulation by Lanier or because of the unseen influence of the floating man that talked to nurses through a comatose fugue? Had he, and supposedly she, actually experienced some sort of Love-at-first-sight or were they both just two lonely adults looking for companionship.

No, he thought. There’s more to it than that.

Lise came down the hallway. “All set!”

He saw her for the second time in as many minutes and thought, “Who cares about the Why’s and How’s?”

Half an hour later, Lise looked across the table at Jack as he cut into his steak. He’d been nervous at first but now seemed to have settled into a comfort zone as they got to know each other. She could tell Jack was different from her other dates. He was interested in her, asking about her job and family and such. He seemed not the least bit inclined to talk much about himself.

Eventually, Lise wanted to steer the conversation away from herself.

“Jack, enough about me. How about telling me something about yourself? Where are you from? How did you end up here in Reno? Were you ever married?”

Jack suddenly became interested in chewing. Not ready to talk about himself, he countered with, “What do you mean enough about you? I know nothing about you other than you’re a doctor.”

Lise shrugged. “That’s all there is to know. I went to school to become a doctor. I have never been married. Thus far, my work has been my life. Now your turn.”

Jack wasn’t sure how much she wanted or needed to hear. Maybe she was just being polite. Plus…he had made a great deal of effort to bury the past that had left him with so much gulit. He decided to start slowly and let her ask for amplification if she was interested. “I was in the military for a while. After that I got into software development. I started my own company about seven years ago and made some money when I sold it off last year. Then I moved here. Oh yeah, I was married for a bit.”

After that, he became overly interested in his mashed potatoes.

Lise wasn’t going to let that last comment go by without some back story. However, she decided to pitch him a few softball questions first just to get him talking about himself.

“What did you do in the military?”

“I was a SEAL. We just did military stuff. Nothing special.”

Like everyone else, Lise had heard of the Navy SEALS. They never did “nothing special”. Jack seemed reluctant to go into any details about his past. Lise actually saw this as a refreshing break from her past experiences with men that couldn’t wait to tell her how great they were.

“So you spent some time with the SEALS posing for recruitment posters. I’ve heard the SEALs do a lot of that type of thing.”

“Lise, it was just war. This was during the first Gulf War. I went in, did my job, and got out. Most of what I did can’t be talked about.”

Lise had no problem with that. “I’m not trying to pry. I just want to get to know you a little better. Tell me about your company then. Software?”

Jack noticed that she let the marriage thing pass. He knew she’d heard and that she wanted to ask. The fact that she didn’t told him she had somehow picked up on his reluctance. She was putting his feelings ahead of her curiosity.

He decided to do a data dump; get it all out there on the table.

“I spent eight years in the Navy. After that, I went to college. I found that I had a talent for designing web search protocol. I started my own software company and everything started to take off. A few years ago, I met Meg. We got married right about the time I started to make big money. After about a year, things seemed to change. Houses, cars and parties were more important than “us.” The appearance of “us” was all Meg really wanted. In the end, we both decided to go our own ways. I sold my company and that was the end of that. That was over a year ago. I moved up here a few weeks ago, looking to just have some peace. I guess I was sort of running from parts of my past.” Jack, sat staring at Lise; looking for a reaction. Had he blown it?

Lise smiled. “So you moved up here to find some peace and quiet only to stumble upon JD11 out there in the desert. Navy SEAL, business owner, divorced, retired and now ET discoverer; this is quite a life you have going here Jack. You must be an exciting guy to be around.”

Jack smiled. Lise had taken it all in without judgment. “I’m not so sure about that, Lise. I tend to be pretty laid back, taking things as they come. But you are right, there are some interesting things going on right now. Not the least of which is you sitting across the table from me.”

They both looked up, locked eyes and smiled. Warmth ran through the two of them. Both thinking, “This is the one.”

*****

Annie was sleeping before her night shift as Jack and Lise were having dinner. She still had a few more hours before the beginning of her shift which started at 11:30 p.m. As she slept, awareness crept into her dream.

“I know I’m dreaming,” she thought.

She’d heard of lucid dreams before; those dreams where the dreamer is aware of the fact that he or she is dreaming. This must be one of those kinds of dreams, she thought.

In her dream, she found herself walking down a familiar hallway at the hospital. She knew where she wanted to go. She wanted to be near him, near JD11. She found the right room and pushed the door aside. Sitting there at her desk was her patient. He looked different than from the burned man she had last seen floating in the tank. He was an actual fully formed man with no indication that he’d ever been a burn victim.

His glow attracted her like a magnet and, without a word, she took the chair next to him and said, “My name is Annie.”

“I know. Thank you for all of the help you have given me.”

“Who are you? What is your name?”

“I don’t know how to answer that. I am me, but I don’t know who “me” is. I know the answer is here somewhere. I just can’t to find it. I will though; when the time is right.”

“How is it that you are in my dream?”

“You brought me here Annie; I think. I’m not sure. I feel confused. It’s like I know the answers but can’t find them.” He held his head in his hands in frustration. Annie reached out and took one of his hands in hers. The connection was powerful. She could feel his emotional turmoil. She didn’t know how to describe it but she felt certain that JD11 was not just special. He was one of a kind. There were no others like him. Not even close.

He raised his head up and said, “Annie, there is going to be trouble. You need to be ready for it. That is all I know. I need you to be ready. Do you understand?”

Annie nodded as she watched the dream fade into the fog of sleep.

*****

On the other side of the planet, a man sat quietly, watching the steam rise from his morning tea.

The call had come in the middle of the night. That seemed to always be the way. Bad news never arrived when one was alert and mentally strong. Evil knew how to strike when one was most vulnerable.

Apparently, there was a UFO or something in the Nevada desert. Something was being referred to as an Artifact which was probably some sort of craft. It would no doubt be quickly moved to Area 51 with all of the others. There was also a man. The details were sketchy. This could be an alien or a man who may or may not have anything to do with the Artifact. Still, they would need to follow-up. If there was an alien, it must not be allowed to live.

It was quite simply the way it must be. Change must be carefully controlled lest things get out of hand. “Out of hand” meaning that those in control, lost that control. It had been long ago established that the well documented presence of aliens amongst them must remain forever…deniable. Certainly no extraterrestrial life form would be allowed to live. Thus far, none had. The Brotherhood made no distinction between an alien life form and the devil incarnate.

Reno. He’d heard of this place. Sort of like a mini Las Vegas. How appropriate that the devil should make an appearance there. He’d certainly have no trouble recruiting followers from the local populace.

No matter. They’d deal with this threat, if it was a threat, just like they had the countless others over the years and decades.

With a heavy sigh, he reached for the telephone. It was time to assemble the Brotherhood. As he dialed the first number, he could feel the arthritis in his fingers.

He paused mid-dial and thought, I’m getting too old for this.

Then with renewed determination, he continued dialing. The Lord’s work was never done.

Chapter 14  (13+) The artifact wakes up. Annie communicates with JD11 #2037630 by Hyperiongate