Chapter 25
Attack at the Ranch
Rebekah and the kids were getting cabin fever after living out in the country with nothing to do for several days. By Monday they were becoming so irritable Rebekah had to let them outdoors to get some exercise and fresh air.
It was beautiful wooded country, primarily tall pines, but there was an abundance of red oaks and Bradford Pears as well. Lush pastureland had been cleared around them by the local dairy farmers, and dozens of cows could be seen eating lazily along the shaded fence line. For the rest of the day they enjoyed themselves hiking, playing in the woods, and fishing in a nearby stock pond.
On Tuesday afternoon they were surprised when Paul Thayer arrived. He gave Rebekah the letter from Stan and she read it:
Rebekah,
Mo wants me to go to Washington for a few days. Don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I’ll keep Paul informed as to my whereabouts as best I can. Didn’t want you to worry if you called the office and I wasn’t there. Hope the kids aren’t driving you nuts. Love you.
Stan
“Jodie said Mo called and told Stan to meet him at the airport and bring a suitcase,” Paul explained.
“Yes, he’s gone to DC,” Rebekah said, lifting her eyes from the note.
“Really? That’s close to where we’ve tracked Kulchz’ headquarters,” Paul said. “Too bad I didn’t have time to tell him about it before he left.”
“What was Dad going to do when he found out where Kulchz was hiding?” Reggie asked.
“He was talking about trying to bug the place so he could find out what they were up to,” Paul replied.
“The CIA should do that themselves,” Rebekah said. “That’s too dangerous for you and Stan.”
“Stan doesn’t have too much faith in the CIA,” Paul said. “The government doesn’t want to have to explain the Tarizon Repopulation Project to the American public.”
“I could go with you and help you with the bugs,” Reggie suggested.
“Absolutely not!” Rebekah said firmly. “It’s much too dangerous. I’ve already lost one son to the aliens.”
“You didn’t lose Peter. He’s coming home,” Reggie protested.
“We’re not sure of that,” Rebekah said.
“Well, I can’t really do anything unless Stan authorizes it, anyway,” Paul said. “And he hasn’t given me the go-ahead on the bugs.”
“But, what if Kulchz disappears and we lose the opportunity to find out what’s going on?” Reggie asked. “Dad will be pissed if we let him slip through our fingers.”
Paul frowned. “That’s true.”
“I’ll authorize you to set the bugs,” Rebekah said. “You and your men can do it, right? You don’t need our help.”
“No. We can handle it,” Paul agreed.
“Mom. Let me go with Paul. I might be able to help,” Reggie pleaded.
“Me too,” Mark added. “I’m sick of sitting around here doing nothing. Dad and Peter are having all the fun.”
Rebekah shook her head. “No. Your father left strict instructions for all of us to stay put. If the aliens get hold of any of us, they’ll hold us as hostages and then we’ll all be out of options. We can’t let that happen.”
Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Paul sighed and said, “Well, I’d better get going. I’ll go ahead and organize the surveillance of Kulchz and his men. I’ll keep you informed, and if you hear from Stan, have him call me.”
Rebekah nodded. “I will. Thanks, Paul.”
Reggie shook his head and stormed outside. Mark and Marcia followed him. Reggie heard the cows mooing and looked over at the fence line where they usually hung out. He gasped.
Three men with guns were leaning against the fence. Paul, who hadn’t noticed the men, was walking toward his black Lincoln Continental. When he reached it, he looked back at Rebekah, smiled, and then got inside. The three men started moving toward the big Continental as Paul started the engine. Fear shot through Reggie as he saw the men raise and aim their rifles.
“No! No!” he screamed.
Mark and Rebekah looked over at Reggie, wondering why he was screaming. Paul had pulled away from the cabin, but before he reached the end of the driveway two shots rang out. The driver’s side window exploded, and the big Lincoln swerved violently to the left, skidding to a halt. Mark and Marcia looked on in stunned horror. Reggie glanced in the direction of the three shooters. They had turned around and were looking straight at him.
“Quick! Get Mom!” he yelled as he ran to his mother’s car, climbed in, and started the engine.
When she heard the gunshots, Rebekah had come to the front door. Mark opened the screen door from the other side and pulled his mother out. “Come on! We’ve got to get out of here.”
“Why?” Rebekah protested. “What happened?”
“Those guys,” he said, pointing toward the advancing gunmen. “They’ve killed Paul. Come on!”
Rebekah, Mark, and Marcia made a run for the car. A bullet hit the back window and it shattered into a thousand pieces. They jumped into the back seat and Reggie floored it. Gravel sprayed out behind them as they accelerated. They ducked down as low as they could. They could hear the thuds of bullets hitting the exterior of the old Cadillac as Reggie steered it down the driveway. When they reached the spot where Paul’s car had come to rest, Reggie slammed on the brakes and ran over to it. He looked inside and cringed at the sight of Paul’s bloody face. His vacant eyes made it obvious to Reggie that the private investigator was dead. He felt like throwing up but managed to grab Paul’s briefcase. As he ran back to the car, he noticed the three men had jumped into a pickup truck and were coming after them.
Reggie floored it again and turned onto the county road, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. The pickup truck followed them onto the road and gave chase. Reggie got the old Cadillac up to 95 mph, but it wouldn’t go any faster. He could see that the pickup was gaining on them, but before it caught up they came to the city limits of a small town called Worthy, where the posted speed limit was 45 mph. Reggie saw a sheriff’s car parked in front of a convenience store as he flew by. The officer immediately jumped into his cruiser, but before he got the engine started, the pickup rushed by. He took off after it, siren wailing.
In his rearview mirror, Reggie saw the sheriff’s deputy had quickly caught up with the pickup and was trying to pull it over. One of the men opened the window and took a shot at the deputy. The deputy’s cruiser veered left and clipped the tail of the pickup, causing it to spin out of control. It left the roadway and rolled three times until it was stopped by a big oak tree. Reggie never slowed down but just kept on moving.
“Oh my God!” Rebekah screamed when the pickup hit the tree.
“Good,” Reggie said. “They got what they deserved for killing Mr. Thayer.”
Marcia gripped the back of the front seat with both hands. “Slow down, Reggie! You’re going to kill us all.”
Reggie let up a little on the gas. “Is anyone coming after us?”
Marcia looked back the way they’d come. “No,” she said. “We’ve lost them.”
“Good.”
“Where are we going to go now?” Marcia asked anxiously. “We can’t go home.”
“No. We should go to Dad’s motel,” Mark suggested.
Rebekah looked at Mark and shrugged. “I guess we can do that. I have a key. I don’t think anyone knows about the motel except us.”
They drove in silence toward Dallas for a while, shaken by Paul Thayer’s murder and their narrow escape. “We need to find the aliens and place the bugs ourselves,” Reggie said soberly.
“No,” Rebekah said. “We should all wait at the motel for your father to come home.”
Reggie turned and exchanged looks with Mark. Mark nodded. Marcia watched them both, alarmed. She knew her brothers were planning something.
“I’ve got Mr. Thayer’s briefcase,” Reggie said. “The location of the aliens should be in there.”
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“I told you no!” Rebekah screamed.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but I’m over eighteen and you can’t stop me,” Reggie said evenly. “We have to do it. We have to know what’s going on with the aliens so we can stop them.”
“You don’t know how to bug someone,” Marcia argued. “You’ll just end up getting killed.”
“We’ll go to Paul’s office first and find out who he was going to take with him to Alexandria. He’ll help us.”
Rebekah didn’t respond. She just stared out the window. They rode in silence until they got to the motel. After Rebekah and Marcia were settled, Mark and Reggie went to Paul’s office to see if anybody was there. They found his secretary, Jill, working diligently at her desk. They told her what had happened.
“Oh, my God! Paul is dead?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
“You were there when he was killed?”
“Yes. They tried to kill us, too. We barely got away alive.”
“Who were these people?” she asked.
Reggie wasn’t sure what Paul’s secretary knew, so he didn’t want to mention the aliens. “I don’t know for sure, but it may have been the same people your boss was watching. Mr. Thayer found their hideout in Alexandria, Virginia. He was going to try to plant a bug in their offices so my father could find out what they were up to.”
“Right. Jerry was going to help Paul with that.”
“Who’s Jerry?”
“He’s a contractor out of DC who helps Paul with electronic surveillance on the East Coast.”
“Really? You think he’d help us do it?”
“I don’t know. Should we call the police?”
“My mother is taking care of that. She’s leaving an anonymous tip.”
“Oh, God. I can’t believe this.”
“I know. I really liked Paul,” Reggie said. “Will Jerry help us, do you think?”
“Probably, if you have the cash to pay him.”
“How much?”
“I think he charges $500 a day.”
Reggie swallowed hard. “Okay. Call him and make the arrangements. We’ve got to move fast. We don’t want Kulchz to disappear on us.”
Jill nodded and picked up the phone. She told Jerry the situation, and he agreed to meet them at Washington National Airport. Then she called American Airlines and made reservations.
“Actually, your dad already put up a retainer for expenses,” Jill said. “I can charge his account for the airline tickets and Jerry’s fee for a couple of days. You guys have any cash for expenses while you’re out there?”
“I’ve got a credit card my dad gave me for emergencies at college,” Reggie said. “I’d classify this as an emergency, I think.”
Jill smiled. “This is pretty dangerous work. You sure you two should be doing this?”
“We have to. These people killed Paul already and they’ll kill us if they can. We’ve got to stop them.”
“Right. Well good luck to you. Be careful.”
“What are you going to do now?” Mark asked.
“Call Paul’s wife, I guess,” Jill replied. “She doesn’t know he’s dead.”
“You better not tell her,” Reggie said. “Let the police do it. If you tell her then she’ll want to know how you found out.”
“Right. I’ll just play dumb. It won’t matter to Paul. Not now.”
Reggie nodded. “Thanks.”
Mark and Reggie left and headed for DFW Airport. They turned on the radio at the top of the hour to see if there was any news about Paul’s murder. It was the lead story.
Three men were killed after a high speed chase on County Road 1177 out in Hunt County earlier today. Sheriff’s deputies on the scene indicate the men may have been chasing another car at speeds nearing 100 mph. The second car eluded authorities.
A spokesman for the sheriff’s office indicated that they have no idea as to why the three men were in pursuit of the other vehicle but that it might be related to a homicide committed just minutes earlier. The identities of the four dead men are unknown at this time.
Reggie’s mind raced as he thought back to Paul’s murder and their narrow escape from death. He prayed his mother and sister would be safe at the motel. He wondered where their father was and what he was doing with the CIA.
After they’d checked in at the American Airlines ticket counter and gone through security, they went to their gate and waited for their flight. Reggie’s thoughts turned to his brother Peter. Was he actually on his way home? If so, why were the aliens so afraid of him?
The two brothers slept most of the way to DC. It was dark when their plane landed. They only had carry-on luggage with them, so they went directly to where they were supposed to meet Jerry. Jill had described him as being on the short side, but athletic, with dark brown hair. He’d be carrying a large yellow envelope for easy identification. Mark and Reggie spotted him immediately. They went over to him.
“Jerry?” Reggie said.
He nodded and started walking toward them. “So, you saw them kill Paul?” he asked.
“Yes. It was horrible.”
“Did you see who did it?”
“Three guys carrying rifles. On the news they say they were all killed,” Reggie said.
“So I heard. Unfortunately there are a lot more of them. We’ll have to be very careful.”
Reggie swallowed hard. “Right.”
Jerry led them into the parking garage to where he was parked. They got in and drove off.
“So, how long have you been working for Paul?” Reggie asked.
“Oh, I don’t work for him. He just hires me to do electronic surveillance.”
“Right,” Reggie said. “So, how did you learn this stuff? I mean, electronic surveillance.”
“I was a manufacturer’s rep for Global Intelligence. They are one of the leading manufacturers of electronic monitoring equipment. In order to sell the stuff I had to learn how it worked so I could demonstrate it.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I was happy just selling it, but one of my customers one day asked me to install some of the equipment he’d purchased. He said it was an emergency and he’d pay me handsomely for my trouble. So, how could I refuse? He gave me $5,000 for two days’ work.”
“So, you decided installation was more lucrative than sales?” Mark suggested.
“Right, but I’m still a rep for Global. I just give the customer two cards when I make a sale.”
“So that’s how you met Paul?” Mark asked.
“Exactly.”
They drove for about forty-five minutes until they got to an old industrial part of Alexandria, Virginia. A janitorial service van was parked on the street. They drove up behind it and got out.
“We’ve rented an office in one of the buildings they occupy. I’ve already put a tap on their phones, but I’ll need one of you to crawl through the AC vent and leave a bug inside.”
“Huh?” Reggie said. “One of us?”
Jerry smiled and gave them both a hard look. “And it will have to be Mark. He’s the only one of us small enough to do it.”
“Of course, ya gotta leave the tough job for the little guy,” Mark boasted. His hands were shaking.
“Sorry,” Jerry said.
Mark shrugged. “What do you want me to do?”
“Just climb into the AC vent and crawl on your hands and knees about 150 feet, which will put you directly above one of their offices.”
“What if they hear him?” Reggie asked.
“He’ll just have to be quiet so they don’t,” Jerry replied.
“Will the vent hold my weight?” Mark asked warily.
“It will. I’ve tested it. Don’t worry.”
They drove into the office-warehouse complex and pulled up behind a building with a sign that read A+ Maintenance & Janitorial Co. The door to the garage opened as they approached it and they drove in. Jerry got out and took them into a room full of electronic equipment. A man was sitting
in a chair with headphones on.
“This is Joe,” Jerry said.
Joe nodded and took off the headphones. “Any trouble?” he asked.
“No. Any interesting calls while I was gone?”
“Just one from a Colonel Wentworth.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Ah. Whose telephone are you listening to?” Reggie asked.
“Some dude named Commander Kulchz.”
“Who is he?”
“He’s running the operation, I guess. He’s a big guy about six foot three, 280 pounds. Ex-military officer, judging from his haircut and cocky demeanor.”
Joe pushed the rewind button and watched the display. A minute later he pushed stop. Okay, here we go,” he said.
“Colonel Wentworth is on the line, Commander,” a female voice said.
“Good. Put him through.”
“Commander. How are you?”
“Fine, how did it go?”
“No problem. Our man is on the task force.”
“Good. We need to keep an eye on them. They could cause us lots of grief.”
“Yes,” Colonel Wentworth said. “So, what happened in Texas? I heard three of your guys were killed by the local authorities?”
“We shouldn’t talk about that over the phone. I’ll fill you in at our meeting tonight.”
“All right. I’ll see you at eight.”
Jerry looked at Mark. “See why we need that bug placed? We need to know what goes on at that meeting.”
“We also need to find my dad and tell them the aliens have a spy on their task force,” Mark said.
“What task force?” Reggie asked.
“Must be in Washington. I’m sure that’s why Dad went there. He said they were going to set up some kind of joint task force to assess the alien threat. It makes sense that Dad would be one of the first people they wanted to talk to.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Reggie agreed. “So, how do we reach him?”
“What agent is he working with?” Jerry asked.
“Some guy named Mo. I’ve never heard his last name.”
“Mo. I’ve met him before, through Paul. I’ll call the CIA and leave a message for him to call me.”
“You think he will?” Reggie asked.
Jerry shrugged. “Good point. You call the CIA instead and leave a message for him to call you. If he’s working with your dad he’ll return your call, I’m sure.”
Reggie nodded. “Good idea.”
Jerry gave Reggie his cell phone and the number to CIA headquarters. Reggie asked to speak with “Mo” and was told the best they could do was take a message. Reggie told them who he was and that it was urgent that Mo call him back. Reggie gave Jerry his cell phone back and yawned.
“I’m exhausted.”
“I know. But we don’t have time to rest. We need to get that bug placed.”
Mark sighed. “Okay, how to I do it?”
Jerry took them over to a workbench where several electronic eavesdropping devices were in various stages of assembly. He picked one up and showed it to Mark and Reggie.
“This is it. You need to carry this in with you and tape it above their conference room.”
“That’s it?” Mark asked.
“That’s it, except you have to proceed very carefully, because if they hear you they’ll likely either shoot you or tear the AC vent out of the ceiling. Either way you’re screwed.”
“Gee. Thanks,” Mark said.
“Maybe we should wait for my dad to call us back,” Reggie said.
Mark shook his head. “We don’t know how long it will take them to give Mo the message. It may be days from now. Let me go. I’ll be careful.”
Reggie rolled his eyes. “If you get yourself killed, Mom and Dad will never forgive me.”
“I won’t,” Mark said, taking the device from Jerry. He studied it for a moment. “I don’t have to push any buttons or anything, do I?”
“No,” Jerry said. “It’s activated and ready to go. Come on. I’ll show you how to get into the vent.”
They followed Jerry into another room and noticed a ladder leading up to the ceiling where a hole had been cut into the AC vent. Mark went to the ladder and looked up. Jerry put a belt around Mark’s waist and attached the device to it so he’d be free to crawl through the duct without holding the device. Then he showed Mark a diagram of the ventilation system and pointed out where the device should be left. Finally, Mark slowly began crawling up the ladder. At the top, he cautiously crawled into the vent and disappeared.
The vent creaked as it took Mark’s weight. He stopped and held his breath. A moment later he started crawling again, very carefully.
There was a muffled sound as the metal began to strain again. Jerry looked nervously around the room and then went over to a nearby workbench where a radio sat. He turned it on and upped the volume until it drowned out all other sounds.
When he heard the radio noise, Mark breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, he reached a junction. He remembered he needed to go right. It was tight going around the corner, and he suddenly started to worry about getting back. Could he turn around in the vent?
He tried to estimate the distance to the spot where he was supposed to put the bug. It wasn’t easy on all fours. He estimated each crawling movement was about half a foot. When he thought he’d reached the spot, he stopped and listened. If someone were in the room he could listen to the voice and try to get as close to it as possible. But he heard nothing. Finally, he took the device off the belt and taped it to the floor of the vent.
He tried to turn around but decided it was impossible, so he resigned himself to having to crawl backward to get back to the entrance hole. As he took his first step backward the metal groaned. He froze. Then he heard voices.
“What was that?” a woman asked.
“What was what?” a man repeated.
“I heard something,” the woman said.
Then there was silence. Mark’s heart began to pound. He didn’t dare move.
“It was just the fan turning on,” the man said. “Relax. Nobody knows we’re even here.”
“They’ll find out eventually.”
“Sure, but it will be too late. When the Fleet gets here it will be all over. . . . Come on. Let’s get some sankee.”
“All right.”
There was silence again, and when Mark’s heart calmed down he started slowly retreating along the path he’d come. Eventually he made it back to the ladder and came down.
“So, did you have any problems?” Reggie asked.
“Yeah, one of them heard me but her friend convinced her she was imagining things.”
“Thank God.”
“Did you tape it down with the duct tape like I told you?” Jerry asked.
Mark nodded. “They said something kind of disturbing while I was there.”
“What?” Reggie asked.
“They said, ‘when the fleet comes it will be all over.’”
“What fleet?” Jerry asked.
“I don’t know,” Mark replied, shrugging. “Some kind of fleet.”
“You mean like boats?” Reggie asked.
Mark shook his head. “No, these are aliens from outer space, you meathead. It must be a fleet of spaceships.”
“Oh, geez. That doesn’t sound good.”
“No, it doesn’t. Maybe that’s why they think Peter is coming,” Mark suggested.
“You think he’s with this fleet?”
“I don’t know. I just hope Dad calls soon. He needs to know about this.”
“He’ll call,” Jerry said. “Just be patient. In the meantime, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.”
They all piled into the van and set out to find a fast food restaurant. The first one they came across was a Wendy’s, so they stopped and went inside. After they got their food they sat down to eat. Jerry’s cell phone began vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered it.
“Hello,”
Jerry said.
“This is Mo. You called me.”
“Oh, thank God. Reggie here wants to talk to you.”
Jerry handed the phone to Reggie. “Hi. Ah. Mo? Ah, are you with my dad?”
“Is this Reggie Turner?”
“Yes. I need to talk to my dad.”
“Okay. Hang on.”
Stan came on the line. “Reggie. Where are you?”
“I’m in Alexandria, Virginia. They killed Paul. They found us at the ranch. We barely escaped.”
“Are all of you okay?” Stan asked anxiously.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Are all of you in Virginia?”
“No, Mom and Marcia are at the motel. Mark and I are with Jerry.”
“Jerry? Who’s Jerry?”
“Jerry, Paul’s guy. The surveillance expert. You know.”
“Oh, right. What are you doing with him?”
“We’ve found Kulchz and bugged his phones and conference room. And listen, Dad. When Mark crawled into the air duct to plant one of the bugs, he overheard them. They said that when the fleet got here, it was going to be all over. Do you know what that means?”
“No. But we’ll figure it out. Just relax. Where are you right now? We’re not thirty minutes from Alexandria. We’ll come to you.”
“Good,” Reggie said and told him where they were.
They ate in silence while they waited for Stan and Mo to join them. Time moved slowly, but eventually they saw Stan walk through the door of the restaurant, followed by two men in suits. Stan embraced Mark and Reggie and then introduced the others. Mo looked around the room warily to be sure no one could hear them. Then he nodded to Stan.
“So, Jerry,” Stan said. “How did you find Kulchz?”
“We had you and your family staked out, and after you did your little restaurant swap, we followed the people who had been watching you. They were very upset when they discovered they’d lost track of your family. One of them split off from the rest and went to Addison Airport. There he got on a private jet and flew to Richmond, Virginia. Then he rented a car and drove to Alexandria.”
“You had a jet ready to follow him?”
“No. We checked his flight plan and had someone waiting for him at the Richmond airport.”
“Hmm. Good work. So, you have his offices bugged?”
“Yes, and there is a meeting tonight that should be quite interesting.”
Stan turned to Mo. “How should we handle this?” he asked.
Mo looked at Agent Snead. “I guess we should send in two technicians, one FBI and one CIA, to monitor the meeting,” he suggested. “Can you have an FBI SWAT team on standby in case we need it?”
Snead nodded. “Sure.”
“Okay,” Mo said. “Jerry, you go back and take our techs with you. The rest of us will listen remotely.”
Jerry nodded. “Okay. How long will it take to get your tech guys here?”
“We’ll have them there in fifteen minutes.”
Snead pulled out his cell phone and made a call. Mo did the same.
Stan sighed. “So, they killed Paul?”
Reggie nodded and told his father what had happened.
“We need to check on your mother and Marcia,” Stan said. “We’ll fly back to Dallas tomorrow. I’ll have to find a safe place for all of you.”
“Can’t the FBI protect us?” Reggie asked.
“I don’t know if anyone can be protected from the aliens,” Stan admitted. He told them about Gabriel Winzell and his family. “Oh, my God!” Reggie said.
“And I’d promised him that I could protect them.”
Later, Stan, Mark, and Reggie went with Agent Snead and Mo to a nearby motel. There, the FBI set up a receiver so they could listen to the meeting back at Kulchz’ offices. The two FBI techs had gone with Jerry back to his office, where they set up their equipment.
Later that day people started to gather for the evening meeting. Everyone who arrived was photographed by the FBI, and their license plates were recorded. When the meeting began, twenty-three people were in attendance. Kulchz began:
“I’m sure you heard on the news that three of our men were killed yesterday.”
“Yes, and the idiots let the Turner family escape,” a man, later identified as Colonel Richard Huffman, replied. “Why didn’t they use lasers?”
Mark looked at Reggie. Reggie raised his eyebrows.
“We couldn’t use lasers,” Kulchz growled. “That would provide evidence of our existence. Until OCE begins we can only use what’s available on Earth. We don’t want to attract attention.”
“So, where are the Turners now?” Colonel Huffman asked.
“Hiding out somewhere, but it doesn’t matter. We know where Stan Turner is, and he’s the important one. Peter Turner will no doubt try to contact him first.”
Mark looked at his father hopefully. Stan smiled.
“Where is he now?”
“At a hotel in DC. He met with the task force this afternoon.”
“How did that go?”
“Nobody can quite believe the government has been working with aliens all these years,” Kulchz said. “Where do they think all their advanced technology came from?”
“They probably never thought much about it,” a woman, later identified as TV news anchor Luci Livingston, interjected. “It’s going to take them awhile to accept it.”
“Good,” Kulchz said. “By the time they do something it will be too late.”
“If you got rid of Turner and that CIA agent he’s been working with, they may never accept it,” Livingston said. “They’re the only two left who had any direct contact with us. We’ve eliminated the others.”
Stan frowned and looked over at Mo. He wondered if it were possible that everyone associated with the Tarizon Repopulation Project had been killed. It was hard to believe.
“We need to keep Turner alive since he’s going to lead us to Peter, should he show up,” Kulchz said. “We’ve been trying to eliminate Mo for years, but he knows we’re after him and has been very careful.”
“After today Turner will know we’re after him, too,” Livingston pointed out.
Mark put his hand on his father’s shoulder and squeezed it. Stan put his arm around his son.
“He already knew we were after him; that’s why his family disappeared.”
“Or, he’s heard from Peter.”
“Possibly. If he has, it could mean the Fleet will be here soon. When it arrives, we must be prepared. Timing will be critical. We could receive a message at any moment. We can’t let Chancellor Lai down. He would never forgive us.”
“Don’t worry,” Livingston assured him. “We are ready. Our people have their assignments and know what to do.”
“You should put them on alert,” Kulchz said. “Tell them they must be vigilant.”
“Yes, sir. I will do that.”
“What about the Joint Task Force?” Colonel Huffman asked.
“So far, all they’ve done is follow some of our people around but they haven’t questioned anyone,” Livingston said. “They don’t seem to be taking us too seriously. Just routine surveillance.”
“They are so stupid. We are plotting the destruction of their government right in front of their noses, but they don’t want to admit that we even exist.”
“Okay, now that everyone is up-to-date, let’s go over our entire plan,” Kulchz said. “I want to make sure everyone is clear on their assignments.”
Mo and Snead leaned forward, not wanting to miss anything that was said. There was complete silence in the motel room as everyone listened expectantly.
“Sir,” a man, later identified as Senator Ralph Rubio, interrupted. “So that there is no confusion or misunderstanding, I suggest we go over the plan in Tari.”
There was a moment of silence. Then Kulchz said, “Felinta draglm beh. Uppa lin shanglin haalin. . . .”
Snead looked at Mo, who was shaking his head. “Damn it. Do you understand
them?” Snead asked.
“No. They always spoke perfect English. There was never any need to learn their language.”
“Don’t you have anybody at the Agency who can translate what they are saying?”
“I don’t know. Probably not. You heard what Kulchz said. Stan and I are the only ones left.”
“Surely in forty years somebody at the Agency wrote something down about their language. Tari? Is that what they call it?”
“Yes,” Mo said. “I’ll check into it.”
“So, what do you think about this fleet?” Snead asked. “Do you think they have hostile intent?”
“It looks like it,” Mo replied. “Why else would they be eliminating everyone with any knowledge of the Tarizon Repopulation Project?”
“So, should we convene a meeting of the Joint Task Force,” Snead asked, “to discuss what we’ve learned?”
“You heard Kulchz. They’ve got a mole on the task force. No, we need to go directly to the President. This isn’t something we can ignore any longer.”
“What about tonight’s gathering? Should we put a tail on all of them or go in and arrest the whole lot of them?”
“What do you think, Stan?” Mo asked.
Stan shrugged. “I don’t know. These are the leaders. If you arrest them all it will be a big setback to the entire operation.”
“Right,” Snead said. “Let’s haul the whole bunch of them in for questioning.”
“But,” Stan continued, “do you think you’d be able to arrest them? Remember, they have the memory gun. If they use it, all your men might be disabled and then they’d all get away.”
Snead frowned. “You think that little gun could stop our entire SWAT team?”
Stan shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but let me tell you: When you see that blue light it’s all over. Trust me.”
“Okay. Let’s just put tails on everyone for now,” Mo said. “We don’t want them to know we’re onto them quite yet. Not until we can work up some kind of defense against the memory gun.”
“Right,” Snead agreed. “And I suppose the President ought to be consulted on something of this magnitude.”
Stan nodded. He was glad to see that the alien threat was finally being taken seriously. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.