The Old Ones and The Jupiter System

8/12/2019 The Old Ones and The Jupiter System

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Chapter 1

I took a cab to the Federal Building in Los Angeles and made my way to the regional

office of the FBI. I was stopped at the gate by a stubborn secretary.

I know what Im saying is hard to belie!e"# I told the obese man after thirty minutes

of obstruction" but its the truth. I was abducted by aliens and held off world before

escaping in one of their stealth ships. $hey followed in pursuit and are searching for me

as we speak. $hey cant let me run loose because I learned the secrets of ether energy.

Its like no force in the uni!erse and the aliens will stop at nothing to keep %arth from

ac&uiring knowledge of it. 'ou need to inform your superiors so I can pass on what I

know while theres still time.#

(ont tell me how to do my )ob"# was the bureaucrats obstinate response. I said

Ill file a report and I will.#

*y mission was too important to be put off. 'ou need to do more than file a report"#

I insisted. 'ou need to inform +ashington right away. Its a matter of national

security.#

+hy dont you go home while I process the matter"# said the man disingenuously.

Ill call you if something de!elops.,

-ow can something de!elop"# I &uestioned" when you ha!ent taken anything I!e

said seriously $he world is in peril and all you can think is how to get me out of the

building.#

'our time is up"# declared the man. Are you going to lea!e or do I ha!e to call

security,

(ont threaten me"# I said" my ire aroused. I know my rights. If youre not going


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to do your )ob" then let me talk to your superior. $here has to be someone in this agency

who knows what hes doing.,

$he secretary gritted his teeth and thick blue !eins popped up from his pinkish neck

as he struggled with an urge to lay a clenched fist on my )aw. I made ready to fend off

the blow but the man thrust his bulky mass up from the desk instead and thundered across

the room toward an inner office. 'ou get what you ask for"# he declared as he e/ited the

room. Ill be right back.#

$he magnitude of the mans anger surprised me. 0nner!ed by the outburst" I paced

the floor wondering whether I should take my chances with the hostile ci!il ser!ant or get

the hell out of the building. I was leaning toward the latter action when the man flung

open the door and marched back into the room like a medie!al e/ecutioner. Flanked by

two apes in the guise of agents" he pointed a fat inde/ finger at me and said" $here"

thats him. $hats the sorry citien who claims he was abducted by aliens and held

capti!e in one of the moons of 2upiter.#

$he belligerent manner in which the secretary spoke smashed what little hope I had

left that my story might be belie!ed. $he feeling was accentuated when the agents

marched toward me like storm troopers. I reacted to the frontal assault by back peddling

toward the e/it and would ha!e been out the room a second later had the larger gorilla not

rushed to block my way as the other ape closed in on my flank. $hey grabbed my arms

in a pincer mo!e and muscled me into an inner office where I was interrogated like a

common criminal.

For crying out loud"# I erupted after an hour of mindless &uestions about my past.

-ere I am" trying to sa!e the world and you guys treat me like Im a *iddle %astern


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terrorist.#

$ell us again about these aliens and their ether energy"# insisted the smaller man.

'ou said they know how to blow up atoms. -ow e/actly do they intend to do that#

$hats right"# I said" praying Id finally gotten past the agents o/en mentality. $he

aliens learned long ago that atoms are made of ether particles. $hese fundamental

particles of di!isible e/istence occupy space as a gas to transmit radiation the way air

transmits sound" but collapse in on themsel!es to form neutrons when slowed. A hea!y

ether fluid e!aporates from the neutrons surface to make it a proton and a lighter fluid

de!elops abo!e that to transform the body into a hydrogen atom. $hats fine and good

and a technical matter for me to discuss with your scientists. $he problem is that atoms

can be blown back into the ether particles from which they were formed to unleash

destructi!e power like nothing else in the uni!erse. It makes a nuclear weapon seem like

a popgun in comparison.#

+hoa"# said the agent holding up his arms as if to constrain me. Are you talking

about an atomic bomb Is that what these alien fellows ha!e on their hands#

3o 4ir"# I said" thinking that I was making progress at long last" this is far more

powerful than either an atomic or hydrogen bomb. An atom bomb merely splits an atom

to con!ert 15 of its mass back into ether particles or energy as its called. A hydrogen

bomb fuses nuclides to release an e!en smaller portion of the mass back into ether

particles. Im talking about an e/plosi!e de!ice that can turn nuclear material one

hundred percent into energy. $hats like comparing firecrackers to plastic e/plosi!es. A

single bomb could pul!erie the landscape within hundreds of miles of point ero and

blow off a hunk of the atmosphere to boot.#


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$he agent was leaning forward holding a notepad in one hand and pencil in the

other as I spoke. -is )aw dropped when I told him how powerful an ether bomb is. I

imagined the wheels of cognition turning in his pointed crew cut head but it didnt last.

-is eyes glaed o!er and a stymied e/pression formed on the hard lines of the no6

nonsense face.

Bewildered" the man shook his head and leaned back as if to pull himself out of my

sphere of influence. -e turned his head and eyeballed his partner as if looking for

inspiration but the giant was as lost as he. A moment of awkward silence followed and

then silly grins formed on their faces.

'ou had me worried" Citien"# said the lead agent" turning his attention back to

me. Im afraid I dont know much about nuclear physics.#

'ou should be worried"# I said emphatically. 3ow you understand why we ha!e

to get this information to +ashington. $he aliens ha!e a loaded cannon aimed at %arth.

7ne mishap and were all history.#

$he fire of my presentation seemed to bring the second agent to life. -e stepped

forward like a hea!yweight bo/er engaging an opponent during a championship bout.

4o tell me Larson"# said the monster man" ine/plicably agitated" what &ualifies you to

talk about these matters Are you a nuclear physicist#

3o" 4ir"# I answered" but I am a science enthusiast and I!e studied first6hand the

aliens ad!anced ether technology.#

A science enthusiast"# mocked the skeptic as a snarl formed on his lips" and )ust

how do you make a li!ing" may I ask#

Im a businessman"# I e/plained" but I ha!e a degree in natural philosophy which


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deals with many of the ideas in!ol!ed in di!isible e/istence.#

4o the fact is youre not a physicist at all"# said the man attacking my credibility.

'oure an amateur talking about matters that you couldnt possibly understand.#

$he giant looked o!er at his partner and winked. -is cohort winked back and a

smug look formed on their faces. $hey were trying to write me off as a crackpot but the

stakes were too high for me to be put off. I had to push ahead any way I could.

I understand these matters better than anyone on %arth"# I said emphatically.

I!e studied alien physics firsthand. $heyre light years ahead of us in ether technology

but I learned how it all works. I need to pass on what I know while theres still time.#

$he agents appeared to be li!ing on their own worlds. Ignoring my appeal" the

smaller agent loosened the tie on his cheap black suit as if to make himself more

comfortable. -is )acket" like his partners" was open. -e leaned forward and the butt of

his gun protruded forward from its shoulder holster. It caught my attention for only a

second but the agent noticed. -e looked down at his weapon and a sadistic smile formed

on his face. -is !oice deepened. Lets go back to this ether"# he said" trying to sound

tougher than he was. 'ou report its an in!isible gas. Is it deadly#

I ignored the agents petty preoccupation with power to stay on point. Its not )ust

a gas"# I said. Itsthegas. Its the stuff that atoms are made of.#

Look here" Larson"# said the agent" e/asperated" can you answer my &uestion in

plain %nglish Is it a dangerous gas or not#

Its dangerous when its power is unleashed within the atom"# I said" trying to

e/plain the matter as simply as possible. Atoms are made up of ether particles that ha!e

been slowed and condensed into fluids of !arying densities. $he particles go flying off at


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the speed of light when atoms are made to blow up" releasing ether particle momentum"

or energy as its called" like nothing else in the uni!erse. Its what happens in the core of

a sun during a super no!a and what all this mass6to6energy talk is about. 7nly our

physicists dont know it because the aliens misled %arth science to try and pre!ent us

from obtaining ether technology. I ha!e all the details if I can )ust talk to the right

people.#

$he agents glared at me with growing impatience. $hey acted as if I was trying to

frustrate them by answering their &uestions with words they didnt understand. All they

wanted to know was whether or not terrorists were about to unleash a destructi!e nuclear

de!ice on the American public. $he problem was that I couldnt answer them in such a

simplistic manner.

Call +ashington"# I pleaded" feeling as if I was hitting my head against a wall.

4urely someone there has the capacity to deal with a matter like this.#

+e cant do that"# said the first agent. Its our )ob to appraise the situation for

the Bureau. 3ow tell us more about these alien fellows. (o you know where they li!e#

$he agents learning cur!e was more than I could take. I rose up out of my chair in

frustration. By definition aliens li!e on another planet"# I cried" ha!ing lost all patience

with the man. +hat in 8ods name do I ha!e to do to get through to you people#

Calm down" Larson"# commanded the giant standing up to confront me again.

Its our duty to ascertain whether this alien group poses a threat to the security of the

0nited 4tates of America and we re&uire your cooperation to do that.#

'ou grill me like Im a terrorist"# I said shaking my head in disgust" and still you

dont understand a thing I!e said. I thought this was the Federal Bureau of Intelligence.


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+here the hell is the intelligence? %nough already. Aliens or no aliens" Im getting out

of here.#

I turned toward the e/it but the giant shuffled his feet like a middle linebacker to

block my way. -e tried9 again" to intimidate me with his sie but this time I wouldnt

ha!e it.

Listen"# I said as he puffed his chest out at me" I dont care if you understood me

or not" you dont ha!e the right to detain me. I came here of my own !olition and now

Im lea!ing. Arrest me or let me go.#

I underestimated the power the agents had o!er me. $hey threw me hard against

the wall and cuffed my wrists behind me. +e do ha!e the right"# asserted the giant" his

words reeking with arrogance. Consider yourself detained.#

Ill be damned"# I said" wishing that Id kept my anger in check and mouth shut.

$he raw treatment I suffered at the hands of the FBI was a sobering e/perience.

7ffended by the indignity" I stopped talking and after a few futile attempts to make me

cooperate they had no choice but to turn me loose. I came away from the ordeal a

disillusioned citien but determined" nonetheless" to make myself heard. I decided to take

matters into my own hands by writing this report. If I cant get the protectors of the

people to do their )ob" then I need go o!er their heads and make my report to their boss:

the American people.

Chapter ;

I had thought my troubles o!er if I could )ust get in contact with high6ranking

go!ernmental officials" but I doubt now whether that would!e altered the outcome. -ow


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many people would risk their career by acting on a story as biarre as mine $he world is

full of alien conspiracy stories so how is one to know the difference between a fantasy

and the real thing *y story is so fantastic I probably wouldnt belie!e it myself if it

hadnt happened to me. $he e/perience was like a bad dream only it wasnt a dream. It

was a li!ing nightmare.

$he ordeal began when I was abducted near my weekend home in the mountains

abo!e 4an Bernardino" California. I was taken off world and held capti!e while my wife

worried herself sick.

*y 8od" youre ali!e"# cried Lee as I climbed into the upstairs bedroom window

of our Bellflower house after the long absence. It was after midnight and shed been

sound asleep. It had been months since I was yanked off the face of the planet. +here

on %arth ha!e you been#

I didnt ha!e time for a tearful reunion. Ill tell you about it later"# I whispered"

afraid the house was bugged.


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wanted to comfort her but didnt ha!e the time. +e were in gra!e danger and e!ery

second counted.

I was kidnapped"# I said" ha!ing to force the words out. It was painful to think about

the incident e!en then. Ill tell you about it after we get away.#

I cant )ust lea!e my home in the middle of the night"# Lee protested. If someone is

after you" call the police.#

3o"# I insisted" well be lost by morning if we stay. Come with me now if you

!alue our li!es.#

I feel like Im back in China"# Lee said" shaking her head in disbelief. I didnt

think things like this happened in America.#

'ou know how go!ernments are"# I said" playing on her fears.

And thats how it happened. I let Lee think communists were conspiring against us

and dragged her from her home in the middle of the night. I sent (ad a letter telling him

I was on a mission and things were hot. I asked him to handle my affairs and arranged a

meeting at a restaurant in Bellflower. It was a chilly night in (ecember. I wore a

stocking hat and an old army )acket as a disguise. I had rubbed dirt and grime on my face

to hide my features.

I pretended to hit (ad up for a meal in case he was under sur!eillance. -e went

along with the act by playing the part of a Christian gentleman helping out a hard luck

hobo. I acted like an ill6tempered bum to discourage people from staring. +ith my si/6

foot athletic build and shabby appearance" I was a threatening figure to e!eryone but (ad.

$he middle6aged waitress who ser!ed us chatted ner!ously with (ad while

a!oiding eye contact with me. +ith weary eyes" tired legs and a wise owl look" the


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woman probably thought I was a disturbed !eteran back from war and wanted no part of

me. I was to be tolerated as a patriot but a!oided as a derelict at the same time.

+hats going on# (ad asked after wed settled in at an isolated booth.

(ad was a powerful man e!en in his si/ties. An e/6*arine" he took pride in his

physi&ue. -e had lost his hair two inches abo!e each ear and after years of stringing the

remnants o!er the top" he had finally cut it off. $he result was a rugged 8.I. 2oe military

look.

Itll only endanger you and *om if I tell you about it"# I said.

A father has the right to know whos threatening his child"# said (ad" trying to

hold in his temper. 8i!e me fi!e minutes with the bum and he wont bother you again" I

promise.#

I re!eled in (ads fighting spirit and wished I could let him fi/ my problem like

hed done so many times in the past but I knew better. (ad could!e gone up against a

man half his age and come out on top. -e was powerless against the aliens.

I dont want you in!ol!ed any more than you are"# I said" stretching my arm

across the table to clasp his huge hand in mine. Ill take care of it. I )ust wanted you to

be on the alert in case they come after you or *om to get to me.#

(ont worry about me"# said (ad" strong as always. I can take care of your mom

and I well enough.#

=elie!ed that Id gi!en my father the heads up on the alien threat and confident that

he would take precautions" I handed him papers gi!ing him power o!er my affairs and

after an hour we walked out of the restaurant. Ill be fine as long as you and *om are

okay"# I said as we shook hands a final time. Ill handle things on my end. I need you


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to trust me.#

I do trust you" -ans"# (ad said" trying to sound confident. I know what youre

capable of in a pinch" but dont forget that Im here if you need me.#

I wont"# I promised" grateful to ha!e such a force behind me should I need it.

+ith that I turned and walked away into the cool" foggy night. I didnt ha!e the heart to

look back to see the worried" wrinkled face of a sad old man.

Chapter >

*odest financial success was in part responsible for the calamity that befell me as

it enabled me to purchase a weekend home in the 4an Bernardino *ountains. An hour

and a half dri!e from Bellflower" I bought it as an escape from the city as nothing

re)u!enates the spirit like spending time in nature.

I left for the mountains on that fateful Friday afternoon for a weekend of

motorcycle riding and arri!ed at the house after stopping off for supper at a ta!ern in

nearby =unning 4prings. I went alone as Lee only accompanied me on occasion because

of her dislike of the winding mountain road and my friends were busy that weekend. $he

ne/t morning" I packed a lunch and headed for the backwoods on my 'amaha ;?@. I rode

fi!e miles to scenic 8reen alley Lake on the edge of the wilderness" found my way to

the gra!el fire road that cuts through the northern backside of the mountains" rode up an

incline past an open gate and shot into the forest.

4ome of natures most glorious sights are to be found on fire roads. $he ma)estic

pines" colorful yellowish granite boulders" and a deep blue sky blended together to create

a magical world in which to escape the confines of the city. $he air was fresh and crystal


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clear and s&uirrels scurried up and down trees wa!ing their bushy gray tails while making

cheery chirping sounds.

$he nippy morning unfolded into a warm spring day. $he wind whipped my face

as I raced through the forest. I rode up to the north shore of Big Bear Lake" fifteen miles

as the eagle flies" and ate my sack lunch on a picnic table set near the lake by county

officials. Formed behind a dam at an ele!ation e/ceeding si/ thousand feet and

surrounded by a beautiful pine forest" Big Bear is one of the most scenic lakes in

California. I made it my main destination for that reason.

I finished my lunch and with my stomach full found a bed of soft pine needles

upon which to rest. I lay content admiring the beauty of the pristine lake for almost an

hour before firing up the bike.


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northern !alleys of the mountain range. $he *o)a!e (esert" Barstow and Las egas lay

beyond. $he sun was about to set o!er the cool


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possum. $he only noise I could hear was that of birds chirping in the trees and my heart

beating like an Iro&uois war drum. I tried to tell myself this was some secret

go!ernmental aircraft but it was a hard sell. $he faint hope was dashed when an alien

walked down the plank.

$he creature measured about si/ and a half feet in height and appeared humanoid

to a point. It was slender with a yellowish pale comple/ion and its face was thin. Its

eyes were beady and close together" the cranium mushroomed up and out abo!e the eyes

and it wore what looked to be a Cossack hat on top of the humongous skull. I shuddered

when it took off the apparel to wipe sweat from its brow. $he alien was bald as an eagle

and from my perspecti!e ugly as hell.

$he e/traterrestrial wore a sil!er )umpsuit that had the trappings of a uniform. Its

demeanor was that of authority and I guessed it to be the captain of the ship. It looked

about as if waiting for the return of scouts" which caused my adrenaline to surge. I

checked around to try and locate other aliens and listened to the mountain. $he faintest

sound can be heard in its stillness if one but listens. $hen" off in the distance where my

bike lay" I heard a twig snap. God help me, I thought" my escape route is severed.

I was in mortal )eopardy and knew it. Fondling my knife with ner!ous an/iety" I

crawled away from both the bike and ship as two threats had to be a!oided at the same

time.

Id progressed about twenty yards when I heard a commotion back at the !essel. I

turned back to see what was going on but was horrified by what I saw. $hree aliens stood

where the first had been and they were looking in my direction. $he spaceman Id first

spotted was holding a de!ice to his eyes while pointing a long bony finger at me. $hat


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was a surprise as I was hidden from !iew.My God, I thought"its got an infrared heat

finder.

$he time for cool calculation was o!er. I )umped to my feet and sprang into the

woods &uick as a cougar. I ran through bushes like a craed moose hurtling rocks and

fallen trees like a galloping gaelle. I was wild and reckless and didnt care whether the

aliens heard me or not. I had one chance and that was flight.

I blaed a trail where none had e/isted and the abusi!e route was chosen by design.

I needed an obstacle course that neither alien nor machine could follow without cost. I

didnt know if the creatures were gi!ing chase or not" but assumed that they were. I

needed to put as much distance between the beings and myself as I could before nightfall

cloaked the forest in darkness.

%!ening descended upon the mountain at last. +ith only minutes of light to find a

hiding place" I scanned the horion and saw the outline of two large boulders on the side

of a nearby slope. $hey were massi!e and it appeared there was a space between them.

*y legs were hamstrung with fatigue as I plowed toward my destination. It was as

if I had one hundred pound weights strapped to each ankle and I had to )erk them forward

one leg at a time. I willed my thighs to make a final sprint for safety and winced from

pain as they did. I lumbered up the side of the nearest rock and leapt into the gap like a

worn out kangaroo.

I couldnt see what lay at the bottom of the hole and it didnt matter. A snapped

fibula was better than being ruined at the hands of galactic headhunters. Luck was with

me on this occasion as pine needles and moist soil softened my fall. I landed on my feet

but the momentum threw me face first onto the ground. I rolled onto my back and spit


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out a mouth full of black soil and foul tasting pine needles. I was bruised and bleeding

but ali!e and free.

$he cre!ice was chosen for a reason. I figured it was a position that trackers

couldnt locate with heat sensors. I lay &uiet and listened for pursuers but heard nothing

e/cept a stressed heart thumping in my chest.

-ow far Id ad!anced from the ship" I cant say. *y guess is a mile" but I could be

way off. A mile is a far piece in the mountains if the terrain is rough. All that mattered to

me was that Id put as much distance between myself and the ship as I could and I

gambled the aliens wouldnt !enture far from it. I figured theyd already been scared off"

but I wasnt going to take any chances. $he smart mo!e was to hunker down for as long

as I could before making my way home.

*y plan was to wait until after midnight" find the fire road and work my way back

to 8reen alley Lake. $he mountains get cold at night e!en in spring and so Id ha!e to

keep mo!ing to a!oid hypothermia e!en though I had on my warm black leather

motorcycle )acket. I planned to come back for my bike the ne/t day after notifying

authorities" but doubted it would still be there. I figured the aliens would dump it in

space out of cockroach for ha!ing missed an easy target.

I kept still in an attempt to &uiet my breathing and listened" again" to the mountain.

$hirty minutes passed and still there was no unusual sound. I grew confident Id made

good my escape and noted how lucky Id been to ha!e a!oided capture or worse by what

I imagined to be alien headhunters. $hen" as my body began to settle into a rela/ing

comfort one" alarm bells sounded in my mind. Why did the aliens expose themselves

during daylight hours? I wondered. Were they looking to abduct some poor soul ho !ust


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happened to pass them by? "f that as the case, hy not go after some isolated house in

the Mo!ave #esert or on the high plains of Ne Mexico to avoid exposure? $heir

beha!ior didnt make sense but I was too tired to worry about it.

I fell asleep for an indeterminate amount of time before being wakened by a

nightmare. I dreamt that a giant asteroid was streaking in from space and about to crush

me like a cockroach. (reams often ha!e a basis in reality and so it was with this

nightmare" I opened my eyes and saw the alien !essel floating a hundred feet abo!e the

boulders I was hiding in. It looked like the sil!ery head of a giant hammer that was about

to dri!e my sorry carcass into the soft soil.

*y life had )ust begun to flash before my minds eye when I felt a cold stare upon

my person. I looked to my feet and saw the silhouette of the alien that Id seen in the

woods standing se!en or eight feet away. It had crawled down into my space while I

slept and its long bony hand held a weapon that I took to be a ray gun. It was pointed at

my sunken chest.

I figured I was done for but I wasnt going to go out without a fight. I yanked

myself off the ground and sprang at the alien like a trapped wol!erine. *y mo!e was fast

and ferocious and I would!e been at its throat in another second were it not for the flash

of light that shot out from the barrel of the aliens gun and the electrifying )olt that

followed.

Chapter

(ays could!e passed while I lay unconscious for all I knew. I awoke to find

myself strapped to an ele!ated metal bed that was bolted to a steel6gray floor. It lay ne/t


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to a tinted o!al window with a !iew. I was on the alien spaceship in that empty black pit

known as outer space and by all accounts the most wretched man in the uni!erse.

I struggled futilely against my bonds as my senses gradually returned to me. $he

best I could do was to raise my head" getting a glimpse of what was outside the ships

window. +hat I saw brought tears to my eyes. %arth was !isible in the lower corner.

Itd been reduced to the sie of a full moon and diminished to the sie of a large star o!er

the ne/t hours. I knew from the rate of change that we were mo!ing away from the

planet at an incredible !elocity.

I cannot describe how horrible it was to see my world disappear before my eyes but

e!en in my despair &uestions pricked at me like so many tiny needles. $o did the

aliens find me? I wondered. I was sure Id outrun them. (espite my numbed mind" it

didnt take long for me to figure the answer. %he ship fle over the mountain in the dark

and used infrared sensors to locate me from above,I thought. "f "d but s&uee'ed under

the overhang of the boulder "d be safe at home. Id been ruined by a single blunder.

I thought of my wife and cringed. (oor )ee, I thought. *hes probably got search

and rescue combing the oods by no. %heyll assume "m in!ured in the forest, but later

the effort ill turn into a body search. $o could they guess that their missing person

as yanked off the planet?

Born in China" Lee studied %nglish at an early age in hopes of going to America.

I was determined to lea!e the communist country anyway I could"# she confided soon

after we met. *y friends said -ong ong was the way out. +e crossed the sea at night

to a!oid patrols. 7ur boat almost sank in high wa!es" but we made it.#

Lee made it to America but she didnt reach our shores unscarred. 4he fears the


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go!ernment and is con!inced that its )ust a matter of time before the 0nited 4tates comes

under the influence of e/tremists. I played on those fears to get her to lea!e her home in

the middle of the night.

$he hours dragged by as I lamented my fate. Finally" I heard approaching footsteps

towards my room. I e/pected to see an alien come swaggering through the door and

braced myself for what cruel destiny had in store for me. $he door slid open but to my

surprise a si/6foot stainless steel robot came clomping into the room. Its soulless black

button eyes stared at me as it mo!ed. -ans Larson"# it said" greeting me with its

metallic !oice.

I was shocked. $he creature not only spoke" it spoke in %nglish and knew my

name. -ow do you know who I am# I asked.

$he *asters searched your person"# it said. $he aliens had stolen my wallet. It

was necessary to affirm your identify. $he urgency of our mission demands e/pediency.#

Is that right"# I said" pretending to be impressed. And what mission is that#

$he *asters hope to sa!e your planet"# said the machine. 'our species is at a

critical period of its history and there are gra!e dangers. +e need to intercede in your

worlds affairs before its too late.#

I had trouble belie!ing that I was talking to an alien machine and felt uneasy

con!ersing with it. I distrusted it as well" knowing it to be an agent of my )ailers. Let

me guess"# I said facetiously. I bet theyre trying to sa!e %arth from a nuclear

holocaust.#

$he machine seemed unable to process anything but the factual content of my

words. I could talk in a sarcastic mocking tone but the only thing it answered to was the


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+ere returning to


22/367

the weightless en!ironment of space. $he machine took off the restraints so I could dress

and then strapped me back to the bed. I ob)ected to being tied up again" but was too weak

to resist.

-ow long ha!e the *asters been around# I asked =obot after a time.

$hey!e been monitoring your planet since


23/367

said the machine sounding indifferent as usual. $heyre waiting for them on


24/367


25/367

$he swirling !orte/ looked like a giant knot on a finely sanded and stained piece of

redwood. I stared at it with awe similar to a kid on the mother of all field trips.

$he gargantuan planet swelled like a giant balloon being filled with helium at a

carni!al as the hours passed by. It grew so big" I worried its immense gra!ity was going

to suck us into its soft surface. +e accelerated e!en faster toward the gra!itational

sinkhole as if in a kamikae di!e. Finally" the ships thrusters fired and the !essel !eered

from the reddish monster. +e arced away from the giant and headed toward a large star

on the horion.

$he change of direction and !elocity brought about a se!ere case of motion

sickness. =obot" which had been standing by my bed staring at me" percei!ed my

distress. Its metallic !oice rang out" Are you all right" Larson#

Im airsick"# I cried in agony. Im going to barf all o!er your stinking ship.#

Ill gi!e you something for nausea"# responded =obot. +e ha!e many course

ad)ustments ahead.#

$he machine rushed out the room and trotted back carrying an alien needle gun.

Ill ha!e you feeling better soon"# it said as it prepared a !ein on my thigh for deli!ery.

$he drug was narcotic in its effect and a wa!e of glorious relief swept o!er me

within minutes. I went from the se!enth le!el of hell to dope hea!en in minutes. I lay

back to en)oy the now wondrous ride and mar!eled at the grand uni!erse around me.

7ur forward !elocity decreased o!er the ne/t hours as we approached a planetoid

co!ered with impact craters. 4ome were white and shiny. 7thers orange" black" and

brown. $he place was desolate like the moon. I correctly guessed it to be 8anymede.

$he ship continued to decelerate as we approached the moons surface. +e


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dropped into a giant crater and approached a hole at its bottom. +hats going on# I

asked" the effect of the drug ha!ing worn off. +hy dont they land this damn thing#

+ere going into the planetoids interior"# =obot said with its usual indifference.

'ou need be patient.#

I peered out the window as the ship maneu!ered itself abo!e the pit. Its lateral

!elocity came to a stop and the !essel eased into the hole. Lamps recessed in ports along

the ships surface lit the way. +e continued the descent for an unknown distance and

stopped in front of a large tunnel. $he rear thrusters ignited soon after and the !essel

mo!ed into the opening.

I strained to see outside as the ship proceeded into the tunnel. I saw only black air

space at first but later the tunnel narrowed and its black and sil!ery )agged walls became

!isible. +e edged along until the tunnel ga!e way to a structural split in the moons

interior. $he ship flew into the giant opening and we came to a half dome airfield etched

out of sheer rock wall.

$he smooth le!el landing field was brightly lit with lamps built into its rocky

ceiling. It was about an eighth of a mile wide from cliff to inner wall" three &uarters of a

mile long and more than two hundred feet high at the cliffs edge. $he ceiling descended

to the floor at the inner wall where metal doors led into the moons hard rock interior.

$here were by my count better than thirty ships resting on the field. *ost looked

like the !essel I was in" but one was a monster. Appro/imately >@@ feet long" 1@@ wide

and D@ high" I correctly guessed it to be the aliens mother ship.

7ur !essel maneu!ered toward a landing space near the cliffs edge. It tilted on

approach and shi!ers ran up my spine as I looked into the black abyss below. I imagined


27/367

it an eerie entrance to hell. I was relie!ed when the ship le!eled out and put down safely

on the field.

=obot had stood by my side" monitoring my condition since in)ecting me with the

drug. +ith the ship set down on hard rock" it released my restraints and dressed me in a

pressuried air suit pulled out from a nearby wall closet. It then grabbed my arm and

dragged me out of the room pretending to render assistance. +e proceeded down a

narrow corridor past closed doors and entered an airlock. Air was sucked out of the room

into storage tanks and the outer door opened to re!eal a disembarking platform. =obot

pulled me across the platform and I stumbled down the ramp Id seen on the mountain.

I took e/ception to being strong6armed by the accursed machine" but held my

temper as what looked to be a sil!er mini!an pulled up in front of the ship. It ran on

electricity and was dri!en by onboard computer. =obot released my arm to open the

passenger door and motioned me to enter. Instincti!ely" I stepped back out of reach of its

long metallic fingers.

*y action was probably moti!ated by defiance more than anything else. $rouble

was I didnt know what to do ne/t. I contemplated rushing up the plank to try and gain

control of the ship but re)ected the mo!e because of the fool factor. I had no weapon with

which to force the crew into compliance and was in no condition to engage them in hand6

to6hand combat. And e!en if I could!e o!erpowered them" how was I going to fly the

ship By the time I got to ultimatums the base would!e been on me like African bees

defending their hi!e. I suppressed my anger and accepted the deplorable reality of my

situation.

=obot sho!ed me into the car" closed the door behind me and tested it to make sure


28/367

it was locked. 4atisfied that its prisoner was secure" the machine trotted around to the

dri!ers seat and raced to the tunnel entrance where it paused to manipulate a dial on the

console. $he metal door slid open and the !ehicle rolled into the lock. It closed behind

us and air blew into the room.

It took se!eral minutes for the inner door of the lock to open. =obot dro!e the

!ehicle into the rocky corridor within and stopped to take off and stow my suit in a locker

along the wall. +e continued on about a hundred yards through a dimly lit tunnel and

entered a ca!ern that appeared to be a warehouse and staging area for the field. A robot

was dri!ing an alien forklift piling goods on racks that stretched up to the rocky ceiling

abo!e.

+e proceeded across the ca!ern and e/ited through a corridor to an open freight

ele!ator. $he car rolled inside and we descended deeper into the moon. +here are we

going# I asked after a claustrophobic minute.

Li!ing &uarters are located well below the surface"# it said" staring at me with its

soulless eyes. $hats necessary for heating purposes and it pro!ides protection from

impact meteors.#

+hat do you use for power# I asked9 my curiosity aroused. A nuclear reactor#

$he *asters use heat from the moons core to power


29/367

purpose.

I reached out and dragged my finger along the wall as we skirted the ca!erns

perimeter. It was co!ered with a resin like substance that was warm to the touch. +e

e/ited the ca!ern at its far end and headed down a tunnel mo!ing past metal doors

situated on both its sides. +e went on for about two hundred feet and stopped in front of

one of the middle doors on the left. =obot emitted a series of high6pitched sounds and

the door slid open. I e/ited the !ehicle and stepped into the most escape proof prison cell

in the solar system.

Chapter E

$he ca!e was a li!ing efficiency shaped like the inside of a bell. $he ceiling rose

to about 1? feet in height at its peak and the floor was appro/imately ;? feet in diameter.

$he room had a kitchenette set off from the rest of the ca!e by a free standing counter"

compact refrigerator" table and two chairs but no sto!e. %lsewhere in the room there was

a bed" standup wardrobe closet" and computer comple/. An arched passageway led to the

bathroom and shower but it was the metal door at the far end of the room that caught my

attention.

Curious as to what lay beyond the door" I crossed the room and pulled on the

recessed handle that was built into the doors frame. It slid open to re!eal a ca!ern

similar in sie and shape to the one I was in. $he ca!e was empty e/cept for a body

harness and headpiece that appeared to be suspended in midair at the center of the room.

$hey were in fact" held up by thin black poles rising up from the floor and wires" barely

!isible" hanging from the ceiling. $he rooms surface was coated with the same


30/367

translucent material Id obser!ed in the ca!erns abo!e.

I stared at the harness trying to figure its purpose. 0nsure as to its function and

ner!ous that the approaching robot was going to try and strong6arm me into the de!ice" I

back stepped out of the room and mo!ed o!er to the computer. It had a standard

American keyboard with the normal set of numbers and letters on it" a large !ideo screen

and )oystick bolted to the desk.

(oes it work# I asked =obot whod followed me to the desk. I was curious as to

why the aliens should put a computer in my cell.

It works and can con!erse in all ma)or %arth languages"# said =obot. Its linked

to an encyclopedia of knowledge.#

Interesting"# I said. $hen switching to more practical matters. +hen do I get to

see these *asters of yours# I asked.

$hey will contact you when the time is right"# answered the machine.

+hat is it that they want from me# I asked.

I am not authoried to answer that &uestion"# said =obot with its usual air of

indifference. $hey will contact you when they are ready.#

Am I to wait in here until then# I asked.

'es"# answered =obot. If you need anything" order it through the computer. Itll

be deli!ered.#

Am I allowed pri!acy#

*y charge station is by the door"# answered the machine. I can shut down if you

wish.#


31/367

=obot walked into a wall incline located ne/t to the tunnel door. 4tanding erect" it

plugged itself into a socket built into the rock and a switch appeared to turn off in its

brain. Its eyes lost their look of male!olence as it froe up like a brone statue.

+ith the machine out of commission" I scoured the room looking for a way out.

$he air !ents were too small to crawl through and the only e/it was the door through

which wed come. I tried to force it open but it wouldnt budge.

-ow Id get out of the room was one problem. +here Id go was another. $he

situation seemed hopeless. (epressed" I lay down on the twin sied hard mattress bed to

think. I reflected on the aliens strange beha!ior toward me. $he abduction" computer

and robot programmed to re!eal select information added up to e/perimentation or

indoctrination. +ut hy? I wondered.What could aliens ith superior technology ant

from a loly human ho !ust happened to pass them by in the oods above *an

+ernardino? Were they on a mission and decided at the last minute to pick up a Guinea

pig for experiment? Were they recruiting spy material? ould they have been after me

in particular?

I was difficult to think the aliens could!e been after me. I was passing them by

after a long day of motorcycle riding. -ow could they know Id come along that road

+ere they monitoring me from space +as I so important that theyd swoop down at )ust

the right moment to grab me I didnt ha!e access to state secrets or possess power. I

was nobody in the grand scheme of things.

I scanned the e!ents of my life wondering whether Id done something to warrant

galactic attention. Born in *inot" 3orth (akota" my parents mo!ed to Bellflower when I

was ele!en. I went to public school like other kids and although a good student Id ne!er


32/367


33/367

to the field from anywhere in the base.

%ncouraged by my find" I wondered again why the aliens would let me see it. It

didnt take long to realie the truth. I was all alone in a secured prison cell inside one of

the froen moons of 2upiter. I was millions of miles from home and friendless. +hat did

they care what I knew of their base +here was I going to go 7!erwhelmed by the

futility of my situation" I flopped down on the bed in depression and slept for better than

twenty hours according to the %arth clock mounted on the kitchen wall.

I!e been waiting for you to regain consciousness"# =obot said" when I finally

woke. It was standing ne/t to my bed staring down at me" as was its annoying habit.

Its time for you to eat"# it announced.

+hat do you ha!e# I asked" sluggish from the long sleep.

+e ha!e nutriment bars that humans are said to en)oy"# answered the machine.

4aid to en)oy# I said" sitting up in bed. Are there other people in this moon#

I cant discuss that topic"# said =obot" sharply.

+hy bring it up then# I said" irritated by the creatures demeanor.

I didnt say there are other humans on


34/367

hadnt conducted taste tests on %arth to find out how we like their bars.

Ill try the bars"# I said" finally. I dont suppose you ha!e any wine to go with

it#

*any wines are manufactured on


35/367

door about twenty minutes later.

=obot responded to the re&uest for entry by emitting the shrieking sound it had

made when we first entered my cell. $he door slid open and a diminuti!e metal robot

walked into the room pushing a ser!ice cart before it. $he cart was filled with plastic

wine bottles and bars co!ered with brown edible wrappers. $he dark red wines caught

my eye.

8ood day" 4ir"# the waiter said in a meek !oice. +here should I put your order#

7n the table"# I said in a congenial tone. Can you )oin us#

$hat is not allowed"# said the robot. I am only one of two robots that ser!ice

tunnel ;?. +e need to maintain a high le!el of efficiency to keep our rating.#

+hat happens if you lose your rating# I asked" curious as to how the aliens

managed their robots and trying to make con!ersation.

+e go through diagnostics"# it answered. Flaws are detected and repaired. +e

are recycled if the problem cannot be fi/ed.#

$hen by all means go back to your duties"# I said. I wouldnt want your brain to

end up on a storage shelf because of me. I suppose a lot of *asters are waiting for their

orders#

$here are no *asters in tunnel ;?"# said the machine.

I )umped to my feet and approached the automaton. $hen who do you ser!ice# I

asked.

$hat information is classified"# interrupted =obot" looking !isibly disturbed for

one of the first times since Id met it. It turned to face the inferior robot as if angry.


36/367

=eturn to your duties"# it commanded.

=obot escorted the machine back to the door scolding it in the alien language as it

went. $oo late. =obots reaction told me what I wanted to know. $he tunnel was

prisoners row and I figured there were other inmates about.

I turned my attention to the cart. I sampled the bars and found them to be

satisfying. $hey were composed of high &uality protein" comple/ carbohydrates and

loaded with !itamins. $hey were laced with a feel good drug as well as were the

delicious wines. I consumed the better half of a bottle and returned to my bed for another

restful sleep.

I spent the ne/t days browsing through the database trying to figure out what my

abductors wished me to see. $ired of guessing" I asked =obot to suggest a topic. $he

*asters history in the solar system should be of interest"# it said.

+hats interesting about it# I asked. Is there something I should know#

$he *asters ha!e assisted your species since coming to this solar system"# said

=obot as if proud of its creators. $hey helped ad!ance your people from nomadic

wanderers to settled !illagers. $hey e!en contributed genetic material to select

indi!iduals to try and increase their intellectual and leadership capacities.#

$hey infused their genes into humans# I said in disbelief.

Its the responsibility of a superior race to help ad!ance a primiti!e species"#

answered =obot. $hats one of the principles of the 7ld 7nes.#

It means I may ha!e alien blood coursing through my !eins" too"# I said" shocked

and appalled by what I was hearing. $he *aster who abducted me might !ery well be

my great" great grand alien.#


37/367

Inter!ention was minimal"# said =obot informati!ely. It only in!ol!ed

indi!iduals who had a chance to wield power.#

Lets see if I!e got this right"# I said" sarcastically. $he *asters disliked the

primiti!e humans" but felt obligated to make an effort in their behalf because of these 7ld

7nes. 3ot wanting to deal with the sa!ages in person" they enhanced a few %arthlings to

do their bidding.#

It was strategic"# said =obot" confirming my hypothesis. Leaders are in a

position to ad!ance their people. *y *asters can only be e/pected to do so much.#

-ow does this in!ol!e me# I asked. $he *asters deal with leaders. Im

nobody.#

Im not allowed to discuss that topic"# said =obot with its usual irritating air of

indifference.

$ell me what they!e done for us then"# I asked" determined to learn all I could.

Its in the data base"# said =obot. 'ou can !iew history as it happened. $he

*asters pro!ide this information for your benefit.#

$hey took pictures# I asked" my curiosity rising to a fe!ered pitch.

$he data is real"# said the machine. $he *asters show history as it occurred.

'ou should use the ca!ern simulator. Its a more ad!anced e/perience.#

$he other ca!e is a simulator# I said" relie!ed to think that was its purpose.

=obot sounded puled. +hat else would it be# it asked.

It didnt appear from =obots reaction that it was lying. I approached the door Id

a!oided and entered the space within as =obot followed behind. 3er!ous at ha!ing

=obot at my heels" I insisted that it walk before me to the rooms center where I inspected


38/367

the harness. It appeared to be harmless so after some hesitation I stepped inside.

I!e described the de!ice as a harness" but perhaps its better to refer to it as a

fle/ible body mold designed to perform a multitude of tasks. Controlled by computer" it

could support my weight in a !ariety of positions as I interacted with the images created

inside the room and on the walls of the ca!ern. $he attached electronic headwear had

built6in speakers and a !iewer that e/tended about four inches in front of my eyes. $he

de!ice created >( images that interacted with those generated in the ca!e to create a

!irtual e/perience in time and space.

=obot strapped me to the de!ice and handed me a controller that responded to the

mo!ement of my hand. $he automaton e/plained how to use the e&uipment and left the

room shutting the door behind it. $he room turned black and I sat alone in the dark. A

!irtual white stone tablet with black letters on its surface appeared in front of me se!eral

moments later. $he illuminated ob)ect appeared to float in space.

$he )oystick directed a cursor in the !irtual world. I e/perimented with the de!ice"

mo!ed the pointer to the historical files and clicked a button on the stick. A three

dimensional !irtual woman materialied in front of me. 4he had a long slender body"

wore a silky dress cut abo!e the knees and her hair was wa!y blonde. 4he mo!ed like a

real person and studied me with beautiful deep blue eyes.

-ello"# I said" pleased to see the lo!ely image before me.

-ello" back"# she said with a soft" se/y !oice. Its nice to meet you" -ans

Larson. I!e heard so much of you.#

$he demeanor of the image put me at ease. +hat ha!e you heard# I asked"

amiably.


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40/367

caused it. +e call the e/perience pleasure and seek to ha!e it continued because of its

feedback energy. +hat differentiates your emotions from mine is the nature of our

hardware and the manner in which were designed to handle the surges.#

I followed what Linda said to a point" but didnt comprehend her words at any deep

le!el. %!en if what you say is true"# I said" skeptically" theres a ma)or difference

between us. Im an ethical being. 'oure not.#

$hats not true"# said Linda" sounding wounded again. *y circuitry has ethical

principles built into its circuitry the same as yours. I ha!e a program that analyes the

moral implications of my thoughts and attaches to them an electrical flow based on their

good6bad content as determined by my creators !alues. Im happy when I act in a

manner that creates pleasure in another and sad when I cause pain. *y feelings may be

primiti!e compared to yours" but theyre real nonetheless. All robots on


41/367

Chapter

Linda narrated the mother ships !irgin )ourney through the solar system as it

occurred almost ;1"@@@ years ago. I saw e!ents from multiple !iewpoints as cameras had

been mounted about the mammoth !essel Id seen on the landing field. It was like

watching an ancient documentary of the solar system in a >( mo!ie theater with screens

all around and surround sound.

It was procedure for an ad!ance robot ship to e/plore a solar system for life forms

before setting up a base"# said Linda informati!ely.

It was a robotic ship# I asked" intrigued by the prospect. 3o *asters onboard#

Ad!ance e/ploration and coloniing !essels are always robotic"# said Linda. Its

dangerous and unnecessary that a *aster should )ourney with a pilot ship.#

I watched from the perspecti!e of the giant ship as it entered the system. It flew by

3eptune" 0ranus and 4aturn on its way to 2upiter. $he long )ourney was edited to speed

things along. $he ship spent more than a year circling 2upiter and its moons before

proceeding to *ars. It orbited the red planet for a few weeks and then headed for %arth.

Linda said it was alien protocol to scrutinie a li!ing planet and so the ship orbited %arth

se!eral months to gather e/tensi!e data.

Look closely and you can see your ancestors mo!ing about on the planet surface"#

said Linda focusing on a group of early *an males. $hey were chasing prey like a pack

of wild dogs. $he location was somewhere in 4outhern China.

4top the picture"# I said" fascinated by what I was seeing.

Linda froe the images and oomed in on one of the hunters. -ed dropped back

from the group to stare up at the hea!ens. %nlarge and focus on that one"# I said"


42/367

pointing. 4he did what I asked and I saw his face as if I were looking down from a two6

story building.

Is this a real picture# I asked.

$hese are actual !ideos taken from the ship"# confirmed Linda. 'oure seeing

history as it happened.#

$he early human looked Chinese despite his scraggly appearance. -e was holding

a wooden spear and looking up at me as if he could sense my presence.

I wish I could show this to my wife"# I said. $he Chinese re!ere their elders. I

wonder if seeing them this far back would change her opinion of that.#

'oure married# Linda said" sounding surprised. 4hes Chinese#

$he tone in Lindas !oice was strained. I thought it my imagination but she

sounded )ealous.

*y wife is a beautiful Chinese lady"# I said" determined to straighten her out )ust in

case.

Linda turned and unfroe the picture as if she hadnt heard me. $he early

Chinaman searched the hea!ens for nearly a minute thereafter. Finally" he shook his head

as if to shake off a spell and sprinted to catch up with his comrades.

I felt like I was bothering the little man so I asked Linda to mo!e on. 4he complied

in silence. +e picked up speed and igagged o!er China where I saw numerous !illages

scattered across the land. $hey lay along ri!ers and lakes mostly" but were all small and

primiti!e which was a surprise to me considering how populated the country has been

since anti&uity.

(isappointed that I hadnt encountered a settlement of note" I asked Linda to take


43/367

me to the *iddle %ast. Ci!iliation supposedly started along the $igris and %uphrates

ri!ers and I wanted to see what it looked like that far back in time.

Linda responded to my re&uests but continued the silent treatment. +e flew west

out of China" rose up o!er the $ibetan plateau and ascended into the -imalayas beyond.

Approaching stupendous snowcapped peaks" I saw *ount %!erest off in the distance.

%/cited by the ma)estic sight" I took control of the flight and maneu!ered my way toward

%arths highest pinnacle.

$he alien computer compiled its images in digital form to create a three6

dimensional profile of the planet from space to ground le!el. $hat made it possible to

!iew the world from almost any !antage point. $he data was obtained from light and

other radiation and hundreds of low altitude stealth probes. $hey floated in air like

miniature eppelins to capture images" sound and other intimate data. $he computer put

e!erything together to form a realistic depiction of the planet.

I found the !isit to *ount %!erest e/hilarating. I ho!ered abo!e the peak like an

eagle as an air conditioner blew a blustery breee through the ca!e to mimic the cold

winds that had blown o!er the mountain so many years before. I looked out o!er %arth as

it e/isted more than ;@"@@@ years ago and was awed by the ma)estic site.

I stayed on %!erest for about forty minutes en)oying the e/perience until a bliard

force wind blew clouds up from below to cut !isibility ne/t to nothing. I felt like the

temperamental peak was asking me to lea!e so I glided off to the southwest in a slow

descent. Linda floated alongside like an angel. +e passed through the clouds and soared

out o!er the mountain range and foothills beyond gaining !elocity as we went. I felt like

a fledgling falcon on its first flight.


44/367

It took only minutes to fly o!er the green landscape of 3orthern India. +e passed

into


45/367

her along through rough terrain but that seemed unlikely unless he be a de!oted son. A

more likely scenario was that one of the warriors would stay behind to defend the woman

until she died.


46/367

+e crossed the $igris =i!er about a hundred miles upstream from the


47/367

!illages Id seen down6ri!er" but still primiti!e. It was also under attack. A horde of

in!aders were whirling stones and spears at the defenders across a chest high barrier

made of thorny bushes" tree branches and pointed stakes. 4e!eral of the !illagers were

nailed by the flying missiles as I watched. $he artillery assault was more de!astating

than the number of fractured skulls it inflicted on the defenders" howe!er. It kept the

!illagers pinned down" allowing the insurgents to try and break through the barricade.

4eeing that they were about to be o!errun" a group of the resistors flew forward to

plug the breach. It was a worthy effort and courageous" but short li!ed. $he barbarians

speared the leader in the eye and the poor chap spun around in a circle screaming as

blood gushed out of his skull like a red geyser. $he hapless hero collapsed in a heap of

dead flesh moments later. Frightened by the heros hideous cry and tragic end" his fellow

defenders took flight.

$he aggressors yelled like my blood thirsty iking ancestors as they tripped o!er

themsel!es to get in on the carnage. $he defenders ran to the ri!er bank where they made

a last ditch attempt to form a line. It broke before it could form and the !an&uished

dropped their weapons and ran into the ri!er with the stone6age horde at their heels.

%!eryone was killed or drown sa!e one scrappy fellow who managed to water slap his

way to the other side of the ri!er. %/hausted" he crawled up the bank and rolled o!er the

hill like a beaten dog. -e disappeared into a nearby thicket a few minutes later.

$he in!aders cheered their !ictory like cruel Corte and his Con&uistadors

celebrating the sub)ugation of the Atecs and strangulation of *onteuma. $hey

completed the massacre by clubbing to death or spearing the wounded who begged

pitifully for their li!es. 7n a roll" the barbarians rounded up the women and children


48/367

from the huts in which theyd been hiding. $hey beat and raped many of the women and

killed most of the crying children seemingly for spite. It was a sight no ci!ilied person

should ha!e to see.

*y iking blood boiled as I watched the slaughter. I yearned to grab a !irtual club

and )oin in on the ruckus. $here would!e been an accounting" too. I was a foot taller

than the murderous heathens and twice as strong. Id ha!e slaughtered a half doen of

them outright and cracked se!eral more skulls before being run through by the sa!ages.

All considered it was probably better that I wasnt really there along the banks of

the %uphrates some ;@"@@@ plus years ago or Id ha!e come to a tragic" albeit heroic" end.

And e!en if I could!e sent the entire horde to its *aker" which would!e been satisfying

beyond words" there was e!ery chance that one of them would!e turned out to be an

ancient ancestor. Id ha!e dri!en a spear through the usurpers throat one second and felt

a tingly non6e/istent feeling the ne/t. *y family line would!e been erased from history

and Id ha!e disappeared out of e/istence like a puff of smoke.

I mo!ed up and away from the !illage to put distance between myself and the

unholy affair. I looked back after a few miles and all was ablae. $he accursed

barbarians werent content to )ust pillage and plunder. $hey had to make sure no one

could pick up the pieces and start o!er again. $hey were destroyers of ci!iliation and I

found myself wishing theyd all be struck dead by a bolt of lightning but" again" that

probably wouldnt ha!e worked out well for any of us.

Linda studied my reactions during the massacre. $hat was the plight of your

people"# she said as the fires faded from !iew on our westerly flight" when the *asters

first encountered them. 3ow you understand why inter!ention was called for.#


49/367

(ont blame the !ictims"# I scolded. It was the in!aders who were at fault. $he

!illagers were )ust trying to build a decent life for themsel!es.#

$he !illagers werent as innocent as you think"# countered Linda. +here do you

think the attackers came from#

Lindas &uestion made me think. %/cept for the !illage and its e/tended

community" the ri!er and surrounding desert was unoccupied. From the !illage# I

asked.

Linda nodded. $he success of the !illage led to o!erpopulation. 'oung people

were forced out onto undesirable stretches of the ri!er. $he situation grew critical as their

numbers climbed. It was only a matter of time before they began preying on the !illage.

$hat led to !iolence and you saw the result.#

$hats what the down ri!er huts were about# I asked.

$he situation was the same upri!er"# Linda said. It took years for the crisis to

reach a critical state" but only a day for the central community to be destroyed.#

Is that why the culture in China was so low# I asked. $hey destroyed their own

cities#

$he rich en!ironment in China created too large a population for ad!anced

communities to de!elop. =o!ing bands of predators brought them down. 7nly !illages

that e/isted in isolation had a chance to grow. $hats the reason the community along the

%uphrates was able to de!elop in the first place. It grew along an isolated stretch of the

ri!er. $he situation was the same along the 3ile alley of %gypt.#

*y e/citing )ourney into pre6history had led to a rude awakening. *an could!e

ended the age of barbarism thousands of years earlier was it not for his own predatory


50/367

nature.

*an is his own worst enemy"# said Linda" seeming to read my mind. 4he was

telling me what the aliens wished me to see as well. 7!erpopulation and *ankinds

!iolent" predatory nature has held your people back throughout its history. 'our species

must learn how to control its nature and become ci!ilied before it can be welcomed into

the galactic community.#

$he *asters are afraid well threaten the gala/y# I asked.

'our species cant be allowed to obtain power Gether technologyH until it achie!es

an ad!anced le!el of ci!iliation"# Linda said" harshly.

I agree that the human race has problems"# I said" but we ha!e the right to

de!elop without interference like e!ery other world that has e/isted.#

'our argument might ha!e merit if there werent others in!ol!ed"# said Linda.

%arth would become a threat not only to itself but to my *asters and their mission. It

would only be a matter of time before your world attacked


51/367

Chapter D

Id seen what the aliens wished me to see in prehistory and now it was time to

mo!e on. Can we go o!er the Los Angeles area# I asked.

$he ship documented the whole planet"# Linda said. +e can go anywhere you

wish.#

Lets do it then"# I said" growing emotional. I want to go home.#

I made my re&uest and within seconds I was yanked back toward the spaceship as

if grabbed by a giant hook from the hea!ens. +e retreated through the clouds like a bolt

of lightning and were surrounded by black space moments later. It was as if I was in one

of the cameras mounted on the belly of the ship as it shot across the planet at high

!elocity. +e flew west out across the *editerranean 4ea" past the =ock of 8ibraltar and

headed out across the Atlantic 7cean.

7ur point of !iew descended back to %arth as we approached the east coast of

America. It was cloudy o!er much of the Atlantic and I didnt make out the Chesapeake

Bay until we were almost o!er it. $he foggy shore of irginia became !isible a short

time later and I saw the mouth of the 2ames =i!er. +e proceeded upri!er until I spotted

what I thought was the island that the %nglish would stake out as 2amestown e!er so far

in the future. 7nly now there were no settlers or Indians about. $he wilderness was

!irgin territory and would remain so for years to come.

I ho!ered o!er the future colony thinking how it would change the face of America

and the world. I imaged


52/367

change the colony. $he cash crop will make us rich"# I en!isioned him saying" and

sa!e 2amestown.#

I wished I could!e left =olfe a message in a bottle. It would!e said: 3ot only is

tobacco a killer" itll bring sla!ery to irginia. +hat seems a good business !enture will

curse a blessed land and" as if angered by your decision" Fate will strike down your wife

at a young age. 'ou in turn will be killed by the Indians you seek to befriend but in fact

help to destroy.#

+ith thoughts of historic irginia in mind" I resumed my )ourney upri!er. I spotted

the 2ames Falls to determine my location and turned west across irginias wooded

landscape. I passed somewhere near the site of the Appomatto/ courthouse where =obert

%. Lee would surrender the Confederate army to 0lysses 8rant" re!ersing in part the

unholy course started by =olfe.

I continued my flight west toward the entucky frontier slowing to find and pass

through the Cumberland 8ap where (aniel Boone would lead pioneers into the entucky

wilderness and crossed o!er into the green hills of $ennessee thinking of my childhood

hero (a!y Crockett and his heroic stand at the Alamo. $hen" with *ark $wain in mind" I

headed toward the *ississippi =i!er. I flew o!er the great waterway somewhere near the

*emphis area thinking of %l!is


53/367

glided into the Ariona and California desert and headed toward the 4an Bernardino

*ountains.

I stopped high abo!e my home mountain range to try and spot the cliff where Id

seen the spaceship" the boulders between which I hid and land on which my mountain

home would one day be built. It was an impossible task without roads or familiar

landmarks to na!igate by. 8reen alley and Arrowbear Lake didnt e/ist because the

dams that hold back their water wouldnt be built until the ;@ thcentury. %rosion would

alter the landscape in the ne/t ;@"@@@ years as well. I was looking at a world different

than the one I was familiar with.

I ga!e up on the mountains and headed west out o!er the inland !alleys of 4an

Bernardino County. +e passed into eastern Los Angeles County and turned left )ust past

the +hittier -ills. I found the 4an 8abriel =i!er and followed it south until it bent west

to link up with the Los Angeles =i!er. I backtracked from the bend and searched for

landmarks that could guide me to my home in Bellflower.


54/367

Let me search the data files"# said Linda.


55/367

ground was dry and cracked. It was disturbing to see it in such bad shape which caused

me to lose focus. 3o longer able to see past the parched ground" I floated back to the site

of the house and stopped outside the imagined back door recalling how it looked from

that position.

Casa de Larson as I called it" wouldnt be built until 1>>. *y father bought it a

lifetime later and remodeled it into a comfortable two6story house. I spent my youth

within the warmth and safety of its sturdy walls and bought it when my parents retired to

more modest accommodations. It was a beautiful old home with wonderful memories

and Id been blessed to own it as an adult.

=eturning my thoughts to the present" I determined the location of my back door

and passed into the imagined kitchen floating past the refrigerator" sto!e and sink to the

kitchenette within. I en!isioned Lee sitting at the table sipping a cup of herbal tea as she

read her Chinese newspaper with its chicken track markings as was her morning routine.

I imagined myself sitting across the table sipping a cup of hot tea as I read the LA $imes.

$he kitchen scene was too stagnant for my mind to hold on to so I mo!ed into the

li!ing room where I imagined myself laid out in front of the fireplace reading a current

issue of the 3ational 8eographic. I en!isioned a glowing fire which reminded me of how

good life had been in my little corner of the *iddle America. Not even the kings of

yesteryear had it so good, I thought. *iddle Americans ha!e en)oyed a &uality of life

seldom e/perienced in the history of man and Id been pri!ileged to be a part of it. 3ow

that life was gone. =eality e/ploded the !ision and I found myself staring down at the

cracked soil again.

(esperate to keep the dream ali!e" I turned my thoughts to Lee. I imagined her


56/367

upstairs in bed so I floated up the phantom stairway to the landing abo!e" turned left and

passed through the open door into the master bedroom. Lee was in bed at night as I

willed her to be" but not in the way I intended. Instead of sleeping peacefully between

linens" she was in her pink nightgown stretched face down on the bed sobbing.

*y subconscious mind was imposing itself on my fantasy in ways I couldnt

control. Instead of remembering things as theyd been" I was seeing them as they

probably were. Lees tears werent only for her husband but the children shed ne!er

know. I knew shed ne!er remarry unless a body was found and there was no way I

could gi!e her lea!e to do so. I wanted to tell her e!erything would be all right" but my

imagination couldnt be stretched that far.

Im sorry I couldnt say goodbye"# I said to my imagined wife. Calamity is like

that. It strikes when you least e/pect it and then its too late to do anything about it. Ill

get back if at all possible"# I pledged" but it doesnt look good. I pray you find peace"

4weetheart.#

4aying goodbye to Lee ruined the illusion of home. I found myself looking down

at the empty ground from the height of the upstairs master bedroom. Lee was millions of

miles away as was my parents" relati!es and friends. $here was no garden or fruit trees

and our house wouldnt be built for twenty thousand plus years. It was time to return to

what had become my nightmare life.

I hated the aliens for what theyd done to me and my family. 8et me out of here"

Linda"# I said despondently. Linda complied without comment and a moment later I was

being yanked back to the ship as before. I watched as my property faded into the

landscape below. +e were in space seconds later as the ancient ship prepared to lea!e


57/367

orbit. I shut my eyes as we departed and kept them closed until %arth was reduced to the

sie of a star on the !irtual horion.

+ere on a course to enus if you care to look"# Linda said sometime later.

I opened my eyes but refused to look back at the light that held e!erything in the

uni!erse that mattered to me. I directed my thoughts to what lay ahead. Can we fly past

it without going into orbit# I asked. I want to finish the flight as soon as possible.#

Linda made ad)ustments in the data flow and we appeared to streak past %arths

sister planet toward *ercury. I appreciated Lindas e/pediency but grew ner!ous as we

drew near the raging inferno that is our sun. 8et us out of here before we burst into

flames"# I said" starting to panic. irtual or not" the sight of the sun that close up scared

the hell out of me.

$he suns glare was blinding and the ca!ern became unbearably hot. I looked away

from the ball of gas as the ship whipped around *ercury to sling6shot back into the black

recesses of space. +e set a course for 2upiter and )umped to !irtual warp speed. +e shot

past *ars and blew through the asteroid belt. *ighty 2upiter loomed large on the

horion.

$he ship blasted toward the gaseous giant as if it were going to slam into it. I held

my breath not knowing what to e/pect. Finally" we dropped out of !irtual warp !elocity

and altered our course toward 8anymede as wed done in real life. +e approached the

moon and descended into its gra!itational field. $he ship passed the crater wed entered

on my trip to


58/367

wall. +e passed the site and descended into the abyss.

+heres the ship going# I said" frightened of the pit.

$he crew was deciding upon the optimal site for the field"# Linda said. 'oure

witnessing e!ents as they occurred.#

$he !essel lowered itself deep into the gorge as its lamps lit the way. 8radually the

space narrowed and the ship stopped. A beam of light illuminated the cre!ice below" but

still no bottom could be seen. It seemed as if we were suspended between purgatory and

hell. I was relie!ed when the !essel ele!ated to the airfield site and stopped.

$he ship ho!ered in place for days while robotic engineers drew up plans for the

field. Linda fast forwarded the !ideo to sa!e time. $he robots etched out the half6dome

field with laser guns. $he blasted rock fell away into the pit below. $he ship set down on

the eagles perch when the work was done and hundreds of robots disembarked from the

ship. $hey walked down ramps onto the field and assembled into crews. -ea!y

e&uipment followed. It was rolled out onto a staging area like $inker $oys and the

automatons went to work. $hey bored out the colony like mechanical badgers using arch

technology to reinforce ca!erns and tunnels as they went.

$he robots first ob)ecti!e was to e/ca!ate power plant ca!erns at the lower depths

of the base. $hey drilled holes deep into the planetoid to !ent up thermal energy from the

moons interior. 8enerators were installed to con!ert the heat into electricity and they

used the energy to complete the base. $hey proceeded to e/ca!ate more ca!erns" tunnels

and air locks while sealing entrances. *eanwhile o/ygen" nitrogen and other gases were

e/tracted from rock and pumped into the ca!erns. Fans circulated the artificial

atmosphere through an e/tensi!e duct system.


59/367

8enetically engineered bacteria and rudimentary plant life were introduced into


60/367

Chapter

*y !irtual )ourney through the solar system left me e/hausted. In need of rest" I

asked Linda to end the program.

But theres still much more to see"# she insisted.

+e!e been at this for a while"# I said. I need a break.#

Come back as soon as you can"# she pushed. $heres more that you need learn.#

I will"# I promised" grateful to her for ha!ing helped me find my home on ancient

%arth. I had begun to see Linda as the dear friend that she pro!ed to be.

Linda disappeared from !iew and I was left alone in the ca!e. $he door opened a

moment later and =obot stood at the entranceway as light from my li!ing &uarters

illuminated the room. 8et me out of this thing"# I said" wearily. It did what I asked and I

headed for the bathroom. I told =obot to shut down when it tried to follow me in. It

retreated to its incline and turned itself off without comment.

$he !irtual trip home was unsettling. 4eeing the massacre along the %uphrates in

particular stuck in my throat. "ts silly to obsess over a bunch of pre/historical victims

hose bodies turned to dust thousands of years ago, I told myself. 4till" I wished I hadnt

seen it. It affected me at a !isceral le!el so I drank the aliens potent wine to treat myself

!iscerally.


61/367

desperate at best" but I was determined to go for broke if all else failed.

I tried to keep =obot in shut down mode as I thought" but it kept acti!ating itself

e!ery few hours despite my wish to be alone.

But I ha!e duties to perform"# it complained after a time.

+hat duties are those# I asked" cynically. *y dislike of the machine was made

worse by the wine. $o spy on me# It didnt answer.

I ne!er figured out what =obots duties were. It would lea!e the room for short

and long periods. 4ometimes it )ust stood there transmitting messages through a sending

unit in its head. 7ccasionally" it would walk around the room as if it were a warden

conducting an inspection.

=obot crept up on me a few days later after Id consumed considerable wine at the

table. I was slumped o!er face forward on the table fast asleep when it tapped me on the

back. *y mind interpreted the tap as an assault and I )umped across the table in a single

leap tumbling to the floor beyond.

(ont sneak up on me like that"# I cried after realiing what had transpired.

Linda wishes to see you"# said =obot as if nothing had happened. 4he says your

future depends on it.#

Lindas message alarmed me. I didnt know what she meant but I interpreted the

message to mean that she was trying to warn me of a danger. I grabbed a few nutrition

bars and rushed back to the simulator. Climbing into the machine" I ordered =obot to

hook me up. It didnt obey.

(o what I tell you"# I demanded after se!eral seconds of inaction on its part. *y

temper was short because of the wine.


62/367

$he machine ignored my toothless order and walked out of the room. I grew angry

thinking it was trying to frustrate me" but it returned before I could spew profanities at it.

It was carrying a bundle in its long arms. Linda asks you to wear the suit"# said =obot.

+hat for# I asked" distrustful of the machines intentions as always. I didnt

need it before.#

Its interacti!e"# =obot said informati!ely. Itll optimie your !irtual

e/perience.#

Lindas re&uest made me an/ious" but stimulated my curiosity as well. I took my

clothes off and =obot rubbed a thick gel o!er my body. It is needed for the suits

sensors to work properly"# e/plained the machine. It will enhance your e/perience.#

4ounds interesting"# I said" curious to see what =obot was talking about.

+e finished our work and I slipped into the two6inch thick high6tech )umpsuit.

$hen =obot pulled a power cord from the floor" plugged in into the suit and left the room.

I put the helmet on and Linda popped into !iew. 4he was wearing another silky outfit"

but this one clung tighter to her new" shapelier body. 4hed changed other aspects of her

appearance as well. -er eyes had an oriental slant and her hair had changed from

platinum blond to Asian black. It was done up in braided pigtails like a country girl from

China.

I missed you" -ans"# Linda said in a petite" oriental !oice. I!e been worried.#

About what# I asked" shocked by the change in her appearance and demeanor.

Im not going anywhere.#

I know how upset you were in our last session"# she said in a soft" caring tone.

I!e been worried.#


63/367

Im ok"# I said" appreciati!e of Lindas concern. I )ust needed to get away. +hat

did you want to talk about#

+ait"# she whispered while putting a finger to her !irtual lips. I want to arrange

some pri!acy.#

Linda disappeared for about a minute before popping back into !irtual reality. Its

fi/ed"# she said upon her return. $he *asters can no longer monitor our con!ersation.#

'ou blocked out the *asters# I said" skeptically. +hat did you do#

I handled it"# she said in a reassuring tone. $rust me.#

I doubted it was within Lindas capacity to fool the aliens. I was suspicious about

her sincerity as well. +hy would a minion of the *asters keep them out of our

con!ersation

$ell me what you!e done"# I insisted.

Linda came close as if to whisper in my ear. I short circuited the *asters

interface and replaced it with a program of my own. $hey think theyre monitoring us"

but in reality its a figment of my imagination. I want our time to be pri!ate.#

+hy would you do that# I said" uncon!inced by her declaration.

I felt your pain during our session and ha!e had time to think"# she said. $he

*asters were wrong in bringing you here the way they did. It was harsh and insensiti!e.

I care about you" -ans. I want to help.#

$rick or not" Linda had )ust said the right words. 4uddenly she was no longer a

tool of the aliens" but a beautiful and sensiti!e woman. 4he was also the only person in

the uni!erse who knew the in)ustice Id suffered and cared.

'oure taking a risk in my behalf"# I said" my !oice trembling with gratitude.


64/367

$he *asters wouldnt like it if they found out youre decei!ing them.#

$hey wont find out so long as we dont tell them"# said Linda. 'ou deser!e

some pri!acy.#

-ow about =obot# I asked. +ont he disco!er what youre up to#

=obot cant monitor our acti!ities in here"# said Linda confidently. I promise

you" we are alone.#

+hy did you want me to wear the suit# I asked curiously.

It allows me to enter your world and feel your emotions"# answered Linda softly.

I can touch you in a real sense.#

*y pulse &uickened. +hat do you mean by touch# I asked.

Can I show you# she asked.

I nodded yes and in the blink of an eye a !irtual -ans lay in a recliner in front of

me. Linda stood behind the image massaging its neck and shoulders as the suit massaged

mine. $he touch was warm and soft as if a real woman was behind me doing the work.

$he suit has features that allow us to touch each other across Cyberspace"# said

Linda. Focus your attention on the images and youll soon forget we e/ist in two

separate worlds.#

I was fascinated by the e/perience. irtual6-ans mimicked my mo!ement. I threw

my arms back trying to feel Lindas hands and irtual6-ans hit her in the chin.

Be careful"# Linda said" stepping back from make6belie!e -ans. Im a lady.#

4orry"# I apologied. It seemed as if I had actually hurt her. Ill be more careful

ne/t time" I promise.#

I should think so"# Linda said" rubbing her chin. A gentleman needs to treat a

8/12/2019

Documents

The Old Ones and The Jupiter System