Warp Point Page 5

  “I'll be so glad when it gets here,” Stacy replied. She nodded toward the screen with her head. “Have you ever seen so many so-called experts running off their mouths, just as if they knew more than the ordinary person? I swear, we must have heard from every pundit even remotely associated with space flight or astronomy, and not a damned one of them knows any more than our village idiot does."

  He laughed and squeezed Stacy's thigh gently at hearing the family joke. Any time a person, known or unknown, spouted nonsense they were compared to their imaginary village idiot. “After today, that's about all we can expect: news from the village idiot. Once the spaceship goes into orbit or lands, you can bet the governments of every nation on Earth will clamp down on any meaningful news."

  “It looks as if our people think it's going to go into orbit. Space Enterprises launched their ship yesterday and Spaceflight, Inc. put theirs into orbit the day before."

  “Uh huh. China and Russia did, too, but the EU ship crashed."

  “It did? Why didn't you say something?” Stacy asked in an aggravated voice.

  “Sorry, hon. Chet called while you were still in the shower and I forgot to mention it to you."

  “Oh, good! Are they going to get to come visit?"

  “No, Chet just had a minute to spare before going in today and gave me a whistle. That item about the EU ship's not for publication, by the way. The Europeans are trying to keep it quiet while they bust their balls getting another one ready. They'll never make it, though."

  “So what's on our agenda today? Anything?"

  Dan turned and put his arm around his wife. He caressed her breast through the thin fabric of her housecoat and kissed her, then did it again for good measure. “Well, I thought maybe after breakfast we could just go back to bed until this evening, then get up in time for dinner. We can eat in the den and see what our friendly alien has in mind for us Earthlings."

  Stacy returned his kisses, briefly but sweetly. “Sounds good to me. How about Belgian waffles and about a half pound of bacon? Along with a little champagne? So long as we're having a big day, we may as well say the hell with diets and live it up. The little green men might've come here to steal all our strawberries, in which case this'll be the last chance of our life for Belgian waffles."

  Dan loved Stacy when she acted silly like this. It made her resemble a teenage girl again, much like the picture of her on display in his den, taken when she was sixteen. He drained his coffee cup and stood up. “I'll start the bacon frying if you'll get the waffles going."

  “My, you're in a hurry. You must be hungry."

  Dan twitched his eyebrows. “I am, but not for food."

  Stacy poked him in the ribs and went to get the waffle mix.

  * * *

  Chapter Five

  General Binds tapped his fingers nervously on the arm of his chair, waiting out the approach of the visitor from beyond the solar system. He noticed what he was doing and stopped immediately. It wouldn't do to have the crew manning the huge war center beneath Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado see how edgy he was. On one side of him sat a brigadier general and on the other a major general. Both had their own consoles networked with incoming data, evaluations and projections, and each had an ear plug and speaker ready for incoming and outgoing messages. Their function was to keep General Binds updated to the very minute, or second, if need be, so that he could decide on appropriate action under changing circumstances.

  The brigadier general suddenly sat up straighter, peering intently at his monitor. “General, sir, I don't think it's going to orbit. The damn thing's going to land!"

  Binds glanced at the brigadier with a frown on his face, a rebuke for becoming overly excited. “Where's it coming down?"

  “I ... sir, I can't tell you yet. It looks like our hemisphere, though."

  “Launch the second squadron of Raptors and more refueling tankers. Now."

  “Yes, sir!” The brigadier general began speaking into his mouthpiece.

  General Binds turned to the major general. “Pin the landing area down as quickly as possible. Get the airborne troops into the air. Notify the quick reaction forces’ commanders to stand by for deployment."

  “Which ones, sir?

  “All of them, damn it! I want airborne troops ready to parachute into the landing site and I want the quick reaction forces in their choppers and ready to go at a moment's notice, and that includes all commands. We want to be ready regardless of where it lands.” As soon as he saw that the brigadier general had finished relaying his orders, he gave him another task. “Norman, make damn certain you have lines open to all the tracking sites. Set up alternates in case one goes down. As quickly as that's done, send out a repeat of my orders about contact. There's to be no firing unless the spacecraft or whoever's in it shoots first. Make certain all the commanders understand that. I'll have the balls of anyone who disobeys. Be certain they know that, too."

  “Yes, sir."

  He turned back to the brigadier. “Brad, what're you seeing now?"

  “It's ... it's North America, sir. We'll have better projections in a moment. Right now, the best estimate is one of the southwestern states. But sir, it's coming in slow! There's no atmospheric heating at all that we can see."

  “We haven't seen any evidence of thrust since it was first detected; why should that worry you now? Notify the southwestern area commanders and have them stand by for orders. Let's stay on it, now. It looks as if we lucked out on the landing site. We get first crack at it.” Or they get first crack at us, he thought, but didn't voice the possibility aloud. “Oh yes. Once all of our people have the word, let the president know it's landing rather than orbiting, but do not say anything about the airborne or quick reaction forces. He knows, but no use reminding him while the state department nannies are with him. Understand?"

  “Uh, yes sir. I understand."

  General Binds knew sending in the military to surround the spacecraft once it landed might cost him his job, but he'd much rather have a defensive force ready and waiting than leave it to the lace panty set, which he was sure the president would want to try first.

  * * * *

  General Hawkins sat at his desk in the Pentagon. He was receiving the same information as General Binds, only a few seconds later. His only function now was to keep the chairman from being disturbed by subordinates unless they truly needed to speak with him concerning the spacecraft. This was no time for anyone trying to advance a personal agenda. He found himself wishing more than anything in the world that he was one of the commanders waiting to make first contact with the aliens. He smiled inside without letting it show, thinking there were probably a thousand others wishing exactly the same thing. And my only chance to see the ship will be if the General calls for me, he thought, an unlikely proposition. Very unlikely.

  Like others in various tracking stations around the world, he followed the plot lines avidly, wanting to see exactly where the great ship came to rest. More and more, Texas looked to be the most likely site. But where in Texas? It was a huge state. A refrain from a childhood vacation with his parents popped into his mind. The sun has riz, the sun has set, and here we is, in Texas yet! He shook his head, annoyed at the vagrant thought intruding when the most momentous event in human history was taking place.

  “Toward the east,” he heard someone say. He looked closely at his monitor and saw that the plot was indeed trending toward eastern Texas. He clicked another window open to see where the nearest quick reaction force was located. When he found it, he saw that it had already been vectored in that direction, but if the ship continued at its present rate of descent, it would be on the ground a good half hour before they arrived. The airborne battalion was also being directed toward the projected landing site. He knew they had orders to jump regardless of the suitability of terrain, but again, they couldn't arrive before the spacecraft landed.

  “The Raptors are following it,” his enlisted aide said.

  “Uh huh, but they can't do a
nything unless it begins hostilities. Damn. It's almost like it picked a spot where we couldn't get to it quickly."

  “As big as it is, I wouldn't want to be under it when it lands anyway,” the assistant said.

  “You're right about that, Sarge."

  * * * *

  Matt had decided there was nothing he or Tara could do at the University and had left the office in the hands of a postdoc, with orders to call if his presence became necessary. He doubted that it would. The University of Houston wasn't anywhere in the chain of command of dealings with the alien spacecraft; the astronomy department was simply on standby in case extra help was needed once communication with the alien was established—if it ever was. Developments so far hadn't proved promising.

  After their night together, Matt had invited Tara over for the long weekend, to watch and see what happened, much as almost everyone else in the world who could be spared from their jobs was doing. Around eight o'clock in the evening, despite efforts by the military and state departments the world over to keep a lid on it, the networks broke the news that the spacecraft was landing on Earth.

  When they announced that the spacecraft was apparently going to land somewhere in east Texas, Dan he shot to his feet, spilling his glass of wine. “Wow!” he shouted. “Did you hear that? It's landing in Texas, and east Texas at that! I wonder how near it's going to be to us?"

  Tara was as excited as Matt, but more practical. She had already run toward the kitchen for paper towels to wipe up the spilled drink. When she returned, Matt was still standing, mesmerized by the astounding news.

  He noticed Tara wiping up the liquid spreading over the tiles at his feet. “Hey, let me do that. I'm sorry; I just got excited."

  “I've got it. You didn't have much left in your glass anyway."

  Matt insisted on taking the wet towels from her and disposing of them, all the while trying to keep his eyes glued to the big television screen attached to the wall in the living room.

  “Uh oh,” Tara said as she sat back down.

  “What? What happened?” Matt had taken his eyes away from the screen for a few seconds while he disposed of the towels and wiped his hands.

  “The military has warned all the news helicopters in east Texas to land immediately or be shot down."

  “Good God!” Matt slowly eased himself back down beside Tara, feeling with his hands for the couch while keeping his gaze on the screen. As he watched, further instructions to the public were relayed.

  All commercial flights over a designated area covering Texas from Dallas east and south, and into Louisiana for fifty miles east of the border with Texas, were ordered to land immediately or divert to airports out of the area. The announcer went on, his voice shaking with excitement. “Ground traffic other than military, police and emergency vehicles is forbidden in the designated area. All military units in the area have been alerted and highways are being closed. Residents are advised to stay in their homes and ... wait, this just in. The president has just announced that the alien spaceship has grounded somewhere in east Texas but has shown no signs of hostility. He stated through Jacob Bernstein, his press secretary, that this truly historic event is an opportunity for all mankind to finally meet other intelligent beings, and that he sees nothing but good coming from the occasion. He also asks for calm and said that more news would be given to the public as soon as it is available."

  “I'll just bet it will,” Matt said. He refilled his glass from the bottle chilling in the cooler and topped off Tara's as well.

  “I wonder why traffic in such a big area was stopped,” Tara said. “I don't see how they can shut down all of east Texas and half of Louisiana for very long. Some people have to go to work, regardless, like nurses and air traffic controllers and the like."

  “They can't. It just tells me they didn't know where it was going to land when those orders were issued. They'll be revised soon, I imagine. But I don't expect we'll hear anything definitive for a long while."

  “They'll have to tell us something, Matt. People will become hysterical otherwise. Remember that old radio broadcast from way back in the last century about a Martian invasion? It had all the northeastern states going crazy; farmers out with their shotguns, people boarding up their homes and heading for the hills; all kinds of panic and uproar."

  “Yeah, I've read about it. Say, I've got friends in the area up north of Houston. I wonder if that thing came down anywhere near them?"

  “Not much chance, Matt. East Texas covers a lot of territory. But why don't you call? Maybe they know more than what they're giving us on the news."

  “Good idea. I'll try it."

  Matt picked up the phone and dialed. He listened as it rang until the voice mail recorder came on, then hung up. On second thought, he called again and left a brief message, asking Dan to call him back when he got a chance. “I'd have thought they'd be home at a time like this. It's not like they have to be anywhere else."

  “Why? Don't they work?"

  Matt chuckled. “Dan and Stacy will never have to work again unless they feel like it. They started a software company and built it up into something big, then sold out and retired. They have a big house in one of the least populated areas in east Texas, up near the Indian reservation."

  “Must be nice. How old are they?"

  “About my age. I'll take you up to meet them soon as we get a chance."

  “That may be a while now."

  “Yeah, unfortunately. More wine?"

  * * * *

  “Wouldn't you know it? We build a place way out in the country to get away from the bustle of the cities and a damn space ship is going to land on top of us."

  “Oh, Dan, be serious. That thing may be coming down in east Texas but it won't be anywhere near us. At least I hope not."

  “Well, me, too. God knows what its intentions are. The thing is, other nations are sure to try horning in on contact with it. If they aren't allowed access, we could have some pretty scary moments. Russia or China, say, could send a missile armed with an a-bomb and destroy it outright if they can't have a piece of the pie."

  Stacy shivered at the thought, but she agreed with her husband. It could happen. “Dan, just thinking about something like that happening is making me nervous."

  “Me, too.” Dan looked puzzled, then tensed his muscles “But I'm not shivering. That's a noise of some kind. Hear it?"

  Stacy listened. “You're right. It is a noise."

  They heard a faint buzzing sound that seemed to surround the house and penetrate the walls. The very air hummed, like vibrations being given off by a very large bee, one that was slowly coming nearer and nearer.

  Dan got up and went to the front door. He looked outside but saw nothing unusual, even though the humming was louder than ever. Then he heard Stacy call. It sounded almost like a scream.

  “Dan! Dan, come quick! It's in the back!"

  He ran for the back door where Stacy was standing, holding it open and staring upward. He looked, and immediately spotted what had grabbed her attention. In the star-speckled night sky, a bluish cylindrical-shaped object was slowly descending, making a loud humming noise that seemed to penetrate right to his bones. As it came closer, he could see how large it was, bigger than any airliner; at least as big as a cruise ship; no, even larger than that! And wingless. The huge cylinder shape was slightly tapered at both ends but more so at one than the other. “My God, that's the spaceship! It's coming down in our pasture!"

  Of all the possibilities he had imagined when the spacecraft arrived, this one had never entered his mind. It was incredible, unimaginable. Like his wife, he stood paralyzed, watching as the giant craft came slowly down and settled onto the ground, lighting an area around it with its bluish glow. It crushed the two big pines that decorated the pasture beneath it as if they were matchsticks. The loud snapping, cracking of tree branches disturbed the night creatures. They gave vent to calls and cries of fright. The vibration from the spaceship continued for a moment, then cea
sed, leaving a momentary stillness, with the great object looming over them, the nearest part of it no more than thirty yards from their back porch. Somewhere a crow called to its flock in the darkness. A coyote yelped, its voice terrified and uncertain. Their little miniature dachshunds, momentarily cowed as the spacecraft came to rest, now began barking shrilly at the intruder, telling it plainly that it was intruding on their territory.

  “Dan ... Dan, what should we do?"

  He tried to think. Protection. He needed to protect Stacy. “Wait here,” he said. He ran for the closet where he kept the only gun in the house, a nine shot .22 caliber revolver. He ran back to re-join his wife, strapping the holstered gun about his waist. Then he looked out at the giant ship and felt somewhat silly. What good would this little popgun do if that thing opened up and alien denizens came out with mayhem on their minds?

  As if his thought had prompted the action, a circular entrance irised open on a direct line from them to the ship, almost like an invitation to enter.

  Dan took a step forward but Stacy grabbed his arm. “Dan! You're not going to go inside that thing, are you?"

  “That's what it looks like it wants to happen. If I don't look inside I'll never forgive myself for the missed opportunity. The military will be here before long and they'll seal it off. You can stay here. There's no sense in both of us taking the risk."

  “Oh no you don't. If you're going inside that thing, I'm going with you."

  “But hon..."

  “No. I'm not about to let you go alone. I might never see you again."

  Dan dithered, not wanting to put Stacy in danger but unable to resist the lure of the opening into the alien craft. From a far distance, he heard the distinctive sound of helicopters and knew they had only a few minutes before the opportunity would be lost forever. He made the decision. “All right. Come on, but hurry. I hear helicopters."