CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Attwood opened the trunk of his car, taking out a notepad from his briefcase. He could not use the Gerona's electricity without them being suspicious, but then if the Geronas were Dominants (which he doubted), they had lived as humans for so long that they did not consider themselves a threat.
"What's going on?" asked Ray as Attwood plugged the notepad into the wall.
"Trying to find something about our host." He looked around for an extra telephone plug. "Don't worry, I'll leave enough money to pay for the connection."
He watched as the introduction screen to Earth Link faded and the knowledge he requested started to come into focus.
According to information known only to the highest source, the Geronas or Gerontis first appeared in the middle nineteen forties, after an airplane crash in the New Mexican desert, near Roswell. Unlike the one reported in the Sunday Tabloids and Bluebook, this airplane crash was unreported, leading Attwood to believe it was also an Unidentified Flyer Saucer, but it appeared the survivors either made a pact with the military or were mistaken as homo sapiens. It could be that the aliens, if that fantastic story was true, disguised their ship to resemble a conventional plane—although Attwood doubted this. If they could, the news of a small plane crash near Roswell would be in the local papers.
Shortly after that, certain men in black suits started to appear, threatening anyone who got too close to UFOS and since the government wanted to keep a lid on things (it was the beginning of the Cold War and there was also Odessa) they formed Majestic. In time, Majestic and these men in black got confused. Attwood suspected that some of the latter actually joined Majestic to give themselves a cover -at least, that is what the rumor said.
Of course, Enrique Gerona being the son of some humanoid who went around threatening people who saw flying saucers was nonsense. I would rather believe he is a Dominant, thought Walter. He took Sloan aside and whispered to her.
"According to NASA, several solar system might contain life similar to ours," she said, "and a few of them are in line so that visitors might come from thence, but unless there is a warp or worm hole similar to Star Trek or that movie Stargate, they'd take centuries to get here."
"That is probably what my captor was working on," said Tom, "making sure that she could lay claim to Space before anyone else did."
"To have an artificial wormhole or transport," said Enrique, "you have to stand close enough and climb into it so that the force can pull you in. There may have been natural wormholes, but I have only seen them in movies. Your daughter is in a movie." He looked at Paul who had come from the kitchen, followed by Lupe..
"I doubt that her costume would be attire in the twenty eighth century. As for that wormhole, it has to be vertical rather than horizontal. If one tries to enter from an extensive height, one will enter and fall, breaking into pieces."
They continued this conversation about space travel and wormholes, until Ed walked over.
"It's all well and good to talk about Space travel, but we have to take tests to see if the machine works." Ed explained the procedure of detecting 1.6rs.
"What do you plan to do with this knowledge? I know quite a bit of the law and if you do something unethical, it might not look too well." Enrique paused. "Do you realize that there are not enough men and women of sufficient intelligence or nerve to fight space monsters, if there were such? Coming Paul?"
Paul feigned disinterest. "It does seem interesting, but not practical. In order for that to happen, you'll have to sacrifice the interests of others much like they did in USSR. Lupe, get on the telephone and talk to that director. Tell him that Señor and Señora Sedona are coming to see their daughter with Mr. Enrique Gerona tomorrow morning."
"Who do I ask for? Señor Idiot?" asked Lupe.
"Yes Lupe." He was smiling.
The woman with the girl started chattering in Spanish, but no one seemed interested. They were all watching Ed set up the computer program, explaining that it might detect certain stages between humans and dominants. "I was thinking that we might found out if, for instance, the stepping stones, the previous generations," he said, "also my fiancé before she was killed, was a 1.4. Now the previous program only detected 1, 1.4, and 1.6. She had several outbursts, mostly violent."
"That's not normal," said Paul, "Randall Lynch."
"Did you know him?"
"I heard of him, a rogue. He tried that experiment before. I was with the police in Sonora Province when we came upon a man wandering in the desert. He told of someone injecting something in him. He showed the same characteristics. Oh and he would have killed us." He did not notice Attwood take a sample from his collar and put it in the slide.
"Could be a connection," said Enrique, "what did this Lynch do?"
"Didn't you read the news?" asked Attwood.
"This is Area 51. All we get is 'Alien invasion proves to be a hoax' or 'is our Mayor a Martian?' I would suspect California kept a lid on this information."
"They thought it wise not to publish the news. The Dominants killed a certain reporter who was about to reveal their presence." He passed the sample to Ed who put it under the microscope. "Randall Lynch also killed several men, raped their women, and picked up two teenagers, injecting them with the Dominant DNA using an insect as host."
Enrique nodded. "I presume the speed of the transformation caused a violent reaction. It's not like when a baby grows in the womb. That takes nine months at the most. Do you know any incidents of a human and a dominant getting together?"
"Kevin. His father was a Dominant and his mother human, through seduction. He killed one older boy and seriously injured another. He almost killed Sloan and murdered his own stepfather."
"His mother, guilty over her fling, gave in to his every whim I suppose."
"You know a lot about human nature."
"I work for the IRS . They took down Al Capone. We're taught to read people, the ways their eyes blink when they lie. Now did you test for the phrases before, Doctor?" He looked at Ed.
"The samples were confiscated. We do know," said Ed, "that if we try to change a Dominant to a human, eventually it becomes fatal. That's why we had to monitor Tom who volunteered."
"Sounds like envy," said Paul, "how would you feel if someone took away your eyes?" He was almost on top of Ed. "What else does this machine show?"
"Unlike the former one which just showed whether someone had 1.0 or 1.6, this shows five complete steps. Kelly, killed by the Dominants, was at 1.4, probably a violent stage that threatens both our species. This program has secondary program I will now initialize. It gives the DNA marker compensating for the differences, just in case, Mr. Sedona? Was that your name?" At Paul's nod, he continued, "They have doubts that you are Anna's father. I can put your results on a card, and sign a declaration. You'll have no trouble seeing her."
Paul agreed.. "You have watched too many talk shows, but it would help. Just in case, will you be taking tests of everyone here?"
"Yes, I'll have to get the Gerona's permission to do their children. They of course will be a control."
"Good idea. Oh why weren't you killed?"
"Attwood, look at this."
Walter examined the findings. It was true. The Geronas and that probably included the entire family were Dominants. He should have come to that conclusion sooner if it were not that they were on a military base.. "No wonder he and his brother moved so fast. I wonder if the Navy knows."
In Area 51, everyone got a DNA test, even the children, although the machine to detect Dominants was unavailable until now. The rest of the Geronas were Dominants. Ed also examined the DNA of Lupe, the "Mexican Señora" as the Geronas called her. She was human, just as the Leons were. He had no need to take Sloan, and the other's samples were on record.
Now Ed had to examine the DNA of the unwanted guest and he was sure that except for the trouble with his daughter, Anna, Paul would make sure that such a test never happened. He put Paul's strand of hair under the microscope and was not surprised. He also was a Dominant.
"I think you two didn't know of each other," he said to Gerona, showing him the results and then got ready to put in the other program that would determine if they were related. .
"My father came from another planet," said Enrique, "and I was born here and my father took out American citizenship. Of course, if you do go into outer space, you can't fight against a certain planet in the Orion system. Duel citizenship. Oh the military here knows about it and if anyone in the forces other than here, find out, they're either discredited or transferred here."
"That would mean your father came here when America and the Soviet Union were at odds. Sputnik, the Space race, and I thought all aliens were little green men," said Attwood.
"This answers a few questions. My brother waited over ten years to get a bone marrow donation and his donor came from Mexico."
"Do you know whereabouts?"
"I believe it was near Oaxaca."
Sloan almost gasped. "Do you know who it was? His name?"
"No, but I'd like to find if they were successful because they were Dominants or successful because of a familial relationship."
9/13/2003
Attwood opened the trunk of his car, taking out a notepad from his briefcase. He could not use the Gerona's electricity without them being suspicious, but then if the Geronas were Dominants (which he doubted), they had lived as humans for so long that they did not consider themselves a threat.
"What's going on?" asked Ray as Attwood plugged the notepad into the wall.
"Trying to find something about our host." He looked around for an extra telephone plug. "Don't worry, I'll leave enough money to pay for the connection."
He watched as the introduction screen to Earth Link faded and the knowledge he requested started to come into focus.
According to information known only to the highest source, the Geronas or Gerontis first appeared in the middle nineteen forties, after an airplane crash in the New Mexican desert, near Roswell. Unlike the one reported in the Sunday Tabloids and Bluebook, this airplane crash was unreported, leading Attwood to believe it was also an Unidentified Flyer Saucer, but it appeared the survivors either made a pact with the military or were mistaken as homo sapiens. It could be that the aliens, if that fantastic story was true, disguised their ship to resemble a conventional plane—although Attwood doubted this. If they could, the news of a small plane crash near Roswell would be in the local papers.
Shortly after that, certain men in black suits started to appear, threatening anyone who got too close to UFOS and since the government wanted to keep a lid on things (it was the beginning of the Cold War and there was also Odessa) they formed Majestic. In time, Majestic and these men in black got confused. Attwood suspected that some of the latter actually joined Majestic to give themselves a cover -at least, that is what the rumor said.
Of course, Enrique Gerona being the son of some humanoid who went around threatening people who saw flying saucers was nonsense. I would rather believe he is a Dominant, thought Walter. He took Sloan aside and whispered to her.
"According to NASA, several solar system might contain life similar to ours," she said, "and a few of them are in line so that visitors might come from thence, but unless there is a warp or worm hole similar to Star Trek or that movie Stargate, they'd take centuries to get here."
"That is probably what my captor was working on," said Tom, "making sure that she could lay claim to Space before anyone else did."
"To have an artificial wormhole or transport," said Enrique, "you have to stand close enough and climb into it so that the force can pull you in. There may have been natural wormholes, but I have only seen them in movies. Your daughter is in a movie." He looked at Paul who had come from the kitchen, followed by Lupe..
"I doubt that her costume would be attire in the twenty eighth century. As for that wormhole, it has to be vertical rather than horizontal. If one tries to enter from an extensive height, one will enter and fall, breaking into pieces."
They continued this conversation about space travel and wormholes, until Ed walked over.
"It's all well and good to talk about Space travel, but we have to take tests to see if the machine works." Ed explained the procedure of detecting 1.6rs.
"What do you plan to do with this knowledge? I know quite a bit of the law and if you do something unethical, it might not look too well." Enrique paused. "Do you realize that there are not enough men and women of sufficient intelligence or nerve to fight space monsters, if there were such? Coming Paul?"
Paul feigned disinterest. "It does seem interesting, but not practical. In order for that to happen, you'll have to sacrifice the interests of others much like they did in USSR. Lupe, get on the telephone and talk to that director. Tell him that Señor and Señora Sedona are coming to see their daughter with Mr. Enrique Gerona tomorrow morning."
"Who do I ask for? Señor Idiot?" asked Lupe.
"Yes Lupe." He was smiling.
The woman with the girl started chattering in Spanish, but no one seemed interested. They were all watching Ed set up the computer program, explaining that it might detect certain stages between humans and dominants. "I was thinking that we might found out if, for instance, the stepping stones, the previous generations," he said, "also my fiancé before she was killed, was a 1.4. Now the previous program only detected 1, 1.4, and 1.6. She had several outbursts, mostly violent."
"That's not normal," said Paul, "Randall Lynch."
"Did you know him?"
"I heard of him, a rogue. He tried that experiment before. I was with the police in Sonora Province when we came upon a man wandering in the desert. He told of someone injecting something in him. He showed the same characteristics. Oh and he would have killed us." He did not notice Attwood take a sample from his collar and put it in the slide.
"Could be a connection," said Enrique, "what did this Lynch do?"
"Didn't you read the news?" asked Attwood.
"This is Area 51. All we get is 'Alien invasion proves to be a hoax' or 'is our Mayor a Martian?' I would suspect California kept a lid on this information."
"They thought it wise not to publish the news. The Dominants killed a certain reporter who was about to reveal their presence." He passed the sample to Ed who put it under the microscope. "Randall Lynch also killed several men, raped their women, and picked up two teenagers, injecting them with the Dominant DNA using an insect as host."
Enrique nodded. "I presume the speed of the transformation caused a violent reaction. It's not like when a baby grows in the womb. That takes nine months at the most. Do you know any incidents of a human and a dominant getting together?"
"Kevin. His father was a Dominant and his mother human, through seduction. He killed one older boy and seriously injured another. He almost killed Sloan and murdered his own stepfather."
"His mother, guilty over her fling, gave in to his every whim I suppose."
"You know a lot about human nature."
"I work for the IRS . They took down Al Capone. We're taught to read people, the ways their eyes blink when they lie. Now did you test for the phrases before, Doctor?" He looked at Ed.
"The samples were confiscated. We do know," said Ed, "that if we try to change a Dominant to a human, eventually it becomes fatal. That's why we had to monitor Tom who volunteered."
"Sounds like envy," said Paul, "how would you feel if someone took away your eyes?" He was almost on top of Ed. "What else does this machine show?"
"Unlike the former one which just showed whether someone had 1.0 or 1.6, this shows five complete steps. Kelly, killed by the Dominants, was at 1.4, probably a violent stage that threatens both our species. This program has secondary program I will now initialize. It gives the DNA marker compensating for the differences, just in case, Mr. Sedona? Was that your name?" At Paul's nod, he continued, "They have doubts that you are Anna's father. I can put your results on a card, and sign a declaration. You'll have no trouble seeing her."
Paul agreed.. "You have watched too many talk shows, but it would help. Just in case, will you be taking tests of everyone here?"
"Yes, I'll have to get the Gerona's permission to do their children. They of course will be a control."
"Good idea. Oh why weren't you killed?"
"Attwood, look at this."
Walter examined the findings. It was true. The Geronas and that probably included the entire family were Dominants. He should have come to that conclusion sooner if it were not that they were on a military base.. "No wonder he and his brother moved so fast. I wonder if the Navy knows."
In Area 51, everyone got a DNA test, even the children, although the machine to detect Dominants was unavailable until now. The rest of the Geronas were Dominants. Ed also examined the DNA of Lupe, the "Mexican Señora" as the Geronas called her. She was human, just as the Leons were. He had no need to take Sloan, and the other's samples were on record.
Now Ed had to examine the DNA of the unwanted guest and he was sure that except for the trouble with his daughter, Anna, Paul would make sure that such a test never happened. He put Paul's strand of hair under the microscope and was not surprised. He also was a Dominant.
"I think you two didn't know of each other," he said to Gerona, showing him the results and then got ready to put in the other program that would determine if they were related. .
"My father came from another planet," said Enrique, "and I was born here and my father took out American citizenship. Of course, if you do go into outer space, you can't fight against a certain planet in the Orion system. Duel citizenship. Oh the military here knows about it and if anyone in the forces other than here, find out, they're either discredited or transferred here."
"That would mean your father came here when America and the Soviet Union were at odds. Sputnik, the Space race, and I thought all aliens were little green men," said Attwood.
"This answers a few questions. My brother waited over ten years to get a bone marrow donation and his donor came from Mexico."
"Do you know whereabouts?"
"I believe it was near Oaxaca."
Sloan almost gasped. "Do you know who it was? His name?"
"No, but I'd like to find if they were successful because they were Dominants or successful because of a familial relationship."
9/13/2003