The Invitation(45)
“Meaning?” the FBI director asks.
“Meaning it was planned out in advance. All you have to do is connect the dots. That means that Myers knew this was going to happen. Here’s my point. Now, for argument’s sake, let’s say for a moment that it really was a visit from some kind of extraterrestrial creature. If that’s true, then how could Ken Myers have known about it beforehand? Which he clearly did.”
“I can’t answer that, but that still doesn’t explain how a man grows a new arm and new legs in a matter of seconds. We all saw that.”
“Did we?”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s what it appeared to be. Maybe it was, and maybe it wasn’t”
“Explain.”
“By the way, where is the Congressman? I haven’t seen him since he allegedly got his new legs. Why isn’t he being seen? I’m sure the media’s been asking for him. I wonder what a complete physical examination would show.”
“What are you getting at?” Director Slaughter asks.
“Watch closely when they show it again on TV. The Congressman is rolled into some kind of tank with water, or some other liquid bubbling inside it. When he comes out he appears to have new limbs. Maybe they were prosthetic limbs made to look like they were real.”
“But we saw them regenerate.”
“How do you know that? Maybe that was a projected image just like the one in the sky. A simple examination of the Congressman would settle the question, but for some reason he’s being kept out of sight. Remember that Ken Myers wanted, for some reason, everyone to see what to all appeared to be a miracle. In other words, it didn’t happen spontaneously. It was set up. It was premeditated.”
“Why would he want to do that?”
“Well, we don’t know, do we? Not yet that is. But this thing is not over. There’s another shoe to drop in this story.”
“What about this aircraft that hovered and landed, and is still there?”
“I’m glad you called it an aircraft instead of a spacecraft. The truth is we have aircraft that can hover and land remotely. That’s not remarkable, and again let’s wait until that machine is examined. We don’t know what it is until we look at it.”
“So you’re suggesting that this is all some kind of elaborate subterfuge,” Director Slaughter says.
“That’s right,” CIA Director Paul Stuart says.
“And you think the President is somehow involved.”
“I think that’s obvious. Don’t you?”
The Director of the FBI is reluctant to respond, and Senator Fields asks him, “Are you aware, Director, that the President of the United States gave a direct order to the Secretary of the Air Force, that all base commanders were to stand down right before this thing penetrated our air space?”
“No, I wasn’t,” Mr. Slaughter says.
“Let me get to the point. I think this man, Ken Myers, whoever he is, should be put under surveillance immediately. Will you support us on this? That’s what we want to know.”
Hearing no response, the CIA chief continues, “Let me ask you, Mr. Director, which of the two scenarios is more likely: the one I’ve described, or one about an alien, in a spaceship from another world, who comes down to Earth to pay us a visit? Come on.”
“Well, if your scenario is true, then the President of the United States is involved in espionage of some type.”
“That’s exactly right. He is,” the CIA director says.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“I don’t think you understand how serious this is, Director Slaughter. If anyone attacked us now, we’d be defenseless.”
“Why do you say that?” the FBI director asks.
“Why? Because to respond we would need the nuclear codes that are in his possession. A foreign power could blackmail us, or even worse. We’d have no choice but to surrender.”
“No one has declared war on the United States.”
“That’s right. They wouldn’t have to, would they? All they’d have to do is threaten us.”
“Look, Senator Merrick is coming in this afternoon. Let’s see if we can reach some kind of consensus on this, and we’ll decide what we have to do.”
“Why do we have to wait for Senator Merrick? We oughta decide this now.”
“Because we need bipartisan consensus on this.”
“Are you serious?” Senator Fields asks.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I just told you this country is now defenseless, and all you can say is you want to schedule another meeting? What’s that gunna do?”