“NORAD is on sir,” replied the female voice. A moment later it was replaced by a deep voice. “This is General Schmidt.”
The Vice President stepped to his side as Carr leaned into the microphone. “This is President Jonathan Scott Carr, prepare to verify.”
The sky was overcast over most of central Georgia. The trees were dark green, and the forest seemed to go on forever. The rolling forested hills were only interrupted periodically by patches of open space covered with bright green grass waving gently under the cool breeze. One large patch of open space was nearly hidden among the oaks and pines and surrounded by a large steel chain link fence. The old painted sign on the entrance to the area read ‘No Trespassing - Department of Agriculture’. Inside the fence was a large metal shed with a dome on top of the roof and a tall antenna tower standing next to it.
Suddenly the silence was split when a deafening siren sounded and the dome lit up with a bright orange spinning light. On the ground, a large section of grass rumbled sideways revealing a silo beneath it. As the silo was revealed, so too was the tip of a large missile. No sooner had the door slid fully open than the silo instantly filled with smoke and fire. In less than a second, the missile shot from the ground, climbed quickly through the air and disappeared into the gray clouds above.
44
First sighted in 1506, the island of Tristan Da Cunha was the largest island in the most remote archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, lying over 1,700 miles from the nearest major land mass. Annexed by the United Kingdom in 1816 to prevent it being used as a staging ground to rescue Napoleon Bonaparte on Saint Helena, the island was home to just over 260 residents. With only one small town called “The Settlement”, the local families were far removed from modern conveniences, and problems.
Eleven year old Neri Repetto had finished school and was climbing the hill to his secret place along the island’s only waterfall. The days were long this time of year and he still had plenty of time to finish his chores. Today he hoped to surprise his mother and younger brother with fish for dinner. He had been hoping the same thing every day for almost two weeks but Neri was not one to give up.
As he climbed the side of the mountain, he spotted a goat behind a large tree and contemplated whether he should take it back to Mrs. Hagan. He decided to take it home on his way back. The afternoon was warm and in tattered shoes Neri jumped from rock to rock as he continued to climb. It was not long before he could hear the sound of the waterfall beyond the large trees. With long strides, Neri quickened his pace and headed into the shade beneath the trees.
Neri froze. He stood still staring and trying to figure out what it was that he was looking at. He slowly looked around and seeing no one else he took a few steps forward. It did not look like anything he had ever seen. He crept a little closer. It was wavering slightly and the bright blue light formed a large oval that was a little higher than his head. The center looked dark, but not quite black. He studied the object carefully. He looked at the ground in front of the strange oval. There appeared to be footprints in the wet grass.
“Mama! Mama!” he yelled running into the small house.
“Neri!” His mother snapped looking up from her wood stove. “Your brother is asleep!”
“Mama!” he said quietly. “You have to come see!”
She wiped her hands on her apron. “Come see what Neri? Did one of those goats run off again?”
“Yes, yes, but that’s not what I want to show you.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her reluctantly out the door.
His mother stepped outside looking around. None of the red roofs of The Settlement appeared to be on fire and there was no sound coming from the main street. “What is it?” she asked. “I don’t see anything.”
“No,” he said, “it’s up there.” Neri pointed to the trail that ran up the mountainside. “Up by the waterfall.”
His mother squinted her eyes. “I still don’t see anything.”
“You can’t see it from here. You have to come up.” He insisted still pulling on her arm.
“Please Neri.” she sighed. “I can’t very well leave your brother here alone.”
Neri was still breathing hard from this run back to town. “It’s…a light. A bright blue light, just standing on the grass.”
She eyed Neri with a raised eyebrow. “Have you been eating the mushrooms?”
“No!” he complained. “I was on my way to fish. It’s up there next to my spot. It’s…incredible.”
“I’m sure it is.” His mother said shaking her apron out. She really could not imagine what he was talking about. She turned to walk back into the house when something caught her eye. She turned around and looked up along the hill. There was something in the sky, something moving very quickly and leaving a white trail behind it like the big airplanes did. “What is that?”