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Alien Disclosure
Aftermath
Alien Disclosure
Aftermath
Book Two of the Alien Disclosure Series
Allan Kules
Off-World Books
Surprise, Arizona
Copyright ©2019 Allan Kules
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
or used in any form or by any means without permission from
the author.
Cover Art “Earthlike Planet” courtesy of Andrey Nazarov.
Check out DeviantArt.com for additional works by Andrey.
Flying Saucer spaceships downloaded from: widescreen full
hd, fantasy images, saucerx, ufo
Small Earth image downloaded from Clipart Panda: Earth
ClipArt
This is a work of fiction. All situations, events, and conver-
sations, including those involving actual persons, living or
dead, are products of the author’s imagination.
ISBN-13: 978-1-7324552-3-8
ISBN-10: 1-7324552-3-6
Professionally edited by:
Jennifer Hope
www.MesaVerdeMediaServices.com
Printed in the U.S.A.
Introduction
The focus of Amnesty, the first book of this series, was the in-
ternal governmental conflict on disclosure. Should the long-hidden facts
about extraterrestrial visitation be disclosed? The characters, for and
against disclosure, portrayed a resounding defense of their motivations
to reveal or to hide the astounding truth of ongoing alien visitations to
planet earth.
Dr. Michael Salla researched and documented the original story
of President Eisenhower meeting with aliens at a western air force base
in the mid-fifties. He commented on Amnesty as follows: “What I found
especially helpful was the way the negative secret government faction
was depicted. The villains were not dehumanized as psychopaths on a
rampage of destruction as they carried out illegal orders, but as typical
government agents with a highly skewed national security belief system
that made them view extraterrestrial disclosure as a genuine threat for
human society.
“This made it easier to understand why amnesty, based on the
Truth and Reconciliation model used by countries such as South Africa,
could be used in a full disclosure scenario.”
Aftermath, beginning two years after the formal disclosure at the
United Nations, continues to grant a distinct measure of humanity to char-
acters on both sides of disclosure.
The heroes of Aftermath, the Broadhurst team, set the agenda
for those who fully accepted the truth of aliens in our midst. The spirit of
a diverse galactic community where the citizens of earth stood on the
threshold of adventure and discovery of the galaxy was the gift of disclo-
sure.
Still at large at the end of Amnesty, Kathleen and JoAnne and
their dwindling base continued to assert that disclosure was a monumen-
tal mistake. Even members of the Broadhurst team came to realize that
those with inflexible belief systems that did not allow for the existence of
extraterrestrial beings floundered in a state of bewilderment and con-
fusion. Upheaval to their core religious beliefs rendered them incapable
of discerning what was real and what was illusion. Those incapable of
mentally digesting this new reality suffered from the known socioeco-
nomic impacts of such a monstrous change. Kathleen, the stalwart ad-
vocate of secrecy and protection of the American public, knew the score,
warned of the negative impacts of disclosure, and continued to stand in
opposition to disclosure’s fundamental tenets.
Within this dichotomy, this narrative framework, the characters
of Aftermath work with a double agent, build spaceships with alien be-
ings, fend off a terrorist assault, spar with infamous criminals, and come
to terms with those who had failed in their attempts to prevent disclosure.
At first, the characters opposed to disclosure capitulate, then chafe at
the loss of entitlement they once had, and in the end, albeit somewhat
reluctantly, work with the disclosure team to prepare for an unknown
force entering our galaxy.
Concealed behind the overt narrative are ancient hands affecting
events to meet a long-planned agenda, that they keep from everyone.
Throughout this story are fine footprints of characters with precognition
of detailed knowledge of where the other characters are going and their
ultimate destination.
Chapter 1
“Over here,” said Rudy, energetically waving his hand high
above the guests at the Italian restaurant. Nancy scanned the crowded
bar for the origin of the familiar voice. From where he stood at a corner
table, Rudy’s extended hand caught her eye. She followed it down to his
smiling round face and reciprocated with an excited smile of her own.
“I’m glad you could make it, Nancy,” said Rudy, still standing to
give her a firm hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Nancy put her hands to his face and gave him a friendly kiss on
the lips as she looked into his eyes. “How have you been, Rudy? I’ve
missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, honey,” he said, gently clasping her
shoulders. “Come sit down.” The waitress approached and patiently
waited for the two to sit down. “What would you like to drink?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having, Rudy,” Nancy said as she slid
1
into the polished wooden chair.
“Great, and bring another for me,” said Rudy, smiling at the wai-
tress.
“Of course, Mr. Longorda,” said the waitress. Catching Rudy’s
eye, Nancy mouthed the formal salutation.
“Can I take your order for some dinner, Ms. McHenry?”
“How do you know my name . . . Paula?” asked Nancy, finding
the woman’s nametag pinned to her tight-fitting top.
Sensing her guest’s discomfort, the waitress put her hand on
Nancy’s shoulder and spoke haltingly. “Nancy, you and Rudy and all your
friends are heroes to this country. You are honored guests in this restau-
rant. This is the two-year anniversary of the big event. You and your
friends, James, Frank, and Maya, freed this country from all that secrecy.
I was here that night. I remember.” The waitress started to cry. Nancy
reached up and gently clasped Paula’s arm. “Your visit to our restaurant
that evening also put us on the map, so to speak. We have been very
busy ever since. Some of the patrons who were here that night have re-
turned for the reunion . . . just like you. Our manager said that if any of
you come back tonight, you will pay nothing for drinks or dinner. I’ve
made enough in raises and tips here to afford one of those new cars, the
ones with the special engines. I feel a little bad for the oil companies—
hey, not too bad though.” Rudy and Nancy laughed a little.
“When you’re ready, order anything on the menu. I’m so sad that
Maya couldn’t be here that night, and now she’s gone for good. Have
you heard from her?” asked the waitress plaintively.
“No, none of us have,” said Rudy.
“I’ve read everything about her, everything,” she said forcefully.
“I wished I had met her. My girls want to be just like her.”
“She accomplished a great feat, that Maya. We saw her and
ALIEN DISCLOSURE
2
James and Frank for only a day. Even then they were heroes to us. I had
the pleasure of serving meals to them just as you are serving us. I un-
derstand how you feel,” said Nancy, giving Paula’s arm a firm grip of re-
assurance.
“Thank you. I’ll get those drinks for you right away. Just let me
know when you want to order dinner.” The waitress left without waiting
for an answer.
“That’s awfully nice of her and the restaurant owner too. By the
way, where is everybody?”
“We might be it, I’m afraid,” lamented Rudy. “James has even
more security than the President these days. Besides he’s hot on Kath-
leen and JoAnne’s trail in West Virginia or Kentucky, I think. I don’t have
clearance to see those reports.”
“I can’t believe that they haven’t been caught yet. I mean, in this
day and age, for two women or two men to go to ground like that, for two
years. Saddam hung out in a dirt hole, and we still found him. I can’t be-
lieve two women are going to put up with that.” Nancy shuddered and
shook her head.
“I don’t think that they’re doing that. What level of clearance did
you have when you retired?”
“Same as yours, Rudy,” said Nancy, picking up the mug of beer
that the waitress left.
“They upgraded me.”
“Really,” she said, putting her mug back on the polished wooden
table.
“I wanted to do more, and they said yes. Seriously, everyone is
speculating about this one. Barbara demanded that James immerse him-
self in his role as leader and encourage the grey hats to turn white. That
phase took about three months. Barbara figured that the women couldn’t
AFTERMATH
3
do too much in the winter months. Some of us felt an immediate capture
would have sent the message that things were really going to change.
“It was probably something like sixty/forty white hats to black
hats when we started. The forty percent had the weight of tradition and
inertia that kept the secrecy intact and the doors shut even though they
were in the minority. Now it’s eighty/twenty with the twenty percent seeing
themselves as hardened criminals, wearing the blackest of hats. And
that’s sad. As the forty percent, they saw themselves as true Americans
protecting us. Now they are forced to see themselves in a negative light,
being hunted like they are. They now regularly stage prison breaks get-
ting real criminals from jail to build their numbers. Being in favor of se-
crecy is no longer an honorable position to take.
“For a while it was just Kathleen and a few others. JoAnne got
out of the hospital and retired from the company. One day, June, Bar-
bara’s assistant, went to see her, and her apartment was empty to the
bare walls.”
“Gee, what did June have to do with her?”
“Barbara assigned June to gradually bring JoAnne over to our
side. June thought she was succeeding and then—poof!”
“Wow, a modern-day Thelma and Louise,” mused Nancy.
“There is a rumor circulating that JoAnne is secretly one of us
already and is keeping us informed as to Kathleen’s whereabouts. With-
out clearance on this, I have to rely on rumors. I don’t know that it’s true.”
“At least it’s a positive rumor. So many I’ve heard are just so neg-
ative. So who else couldn’t make it tonight?” asked Nancy.
“Steve is like Maya, he’s off-planet now. I invited Carol the UN
security guard and her supervisor Max. Those two were the key to mak-
ing a hairy situation upstairs a nonevent for those in the General As-
sembly. They’re having a celebration with awards for both of them tonight
ALIEN DISCLOSURE
4
over at the UN. They don’t know it, but there is a surprise party of sorts
for them. The Secretary is presenting the awards.”
“That’s great, Rudy. Tell me what you do and how are things after
two years?”
“I work with Frank mostly.”
“Yes, Frank Connors,” she said excitedly. “Is he still dating
June?”
“You ladies—always want to find out about who loves who. I bet
you were the proverbial matchmaker in high school.”
“What the world needs now is love, sweet love,” sang Nancy with
her nose intentionally stuck up in the air.
“Alright already. Frank and June couldn’t make it. He’s proposing
tonight, and if she says yes, or maybe even if she says no, they are head-
ing up to that lodge in northern New Jersey.”
“Oh, Rudy, that is so beautiful. I’m sure she’s going to say yes.
It’s about time.”
“You haven’t seen them in two years,” he said, incredulous.
“Listen, she latched on to him, and he didn’t resist. Tell me, Mr.
Smarty Pants, that she’s going to say no.”
Rudy shook his head at having to agree with her. “You’re right.
Another single guy finally bites the dust and succumbs to the throes of
marriage. Yep, he’s a goner.”
“Oh, Rudy, married men live longer than you single guys. I still
know some eligible ladies I can introduce you to. It’s not too late.”
“I’m uniquely suited to some of my missions—with no living rel-
atives, it’s safer that way.”
“What do they have you do, Rudy? Are people still getting tor-
tured for this? I thought that was over with,” said Nancy, staring at him
intently.
AFTERMATH
5
“No, no, don’t worry. We have been eating around the edges of
what’s left of the most resistant parts of the secret government. One par-
ticularly painful mission we lost everything. The worst of it is that they
tried to escape after they torched the place. We’ve lost a lot of unique
artifacts from one species that came here only once. As we rushed in to
put out the fire, the guys guarding the stuff were pushing us back as they
ran. They stopped us, and after a few heated words, we were running
with them. The final explosion took out a city block sized warehouse leav-
ing nothing but a hole in the ground. It was weird. It was more like an im-
plosion. We wanted to stop and get in our cars and drive away, but the
guys just kept pushing us to run. When we were the distance of about
three blocks away, they slowed down. This facility was out in the middle
of a forest. The burning building was surrounded by what we later de-
scribed as an explosion barrier. We watched how the escaping men at-
tached themselves to the backs of the trees in the surrounding forest.
We joined them, holding our ears, backs to the trees, looking away from
the burning facility.
“The fire was extinguished in an instant. We grimaced for the ex-
plosion, and we were not disappointed. I thought we were toast. Then
the rushing explosion hit us. We’re still holding position, and the guards
are milling about. We unclasped our ears and turned to look at what was
left. Nothing, nothing but a crater the size of the building. Our SUVs—
gone. We had to call for an extraction.”
“I never heard about that one.”
“It was embarrassing. We lost everything in that warehouse. A
catalog of devices and information survived that gave some tantalizing
hints of what was in there. We are working with Jacob to search his in-
formation sources to see if anyone knows who these visitors were. We’ve
had no luck yet.”
ALIEN DISCLOSURE
6
“That’s sad.”
“We still have a lot to go through. I’ve never been busier than I
am now. If I could design a job fit for me, this is it.”
“That’s great, Rudy. Happiness in this life is hard to find some-
times. I’m glad I was a part of it when it started. I will treasure those
weeks of preparation and those final days for the rest of my life.”
“Are you enjoying retirement? You’re still quite young,” said
Rudy, trying to leer at her for effect but coming off as fake. He quickly
covered it up by taking a gulp of his beer.
“My husband, as you know full well, was in the military. He was
one of the original white hats, but he worked in a sea of black hats who
were convinced that the end of the world would ensue if any of this got
out. We always did things together. When he told me a little, I asked for
more. I got the security clearance necessary, and he told me a lot. He
suggested me to Adam Baines, and the rest is history. Here we are fifteen
years later. When Brian wanted to retire six months ago after his Naval
Intelligence group divulged everything they had on the secret alien side,
I said yes too. In case you’re wondering, I’m forty-five and Brian is fifty-
two. With that special severance package for all of us on the team we
paid off the house, and we’re travelling this winter to the Caribbean.”
“I think that I would like to hang out on a warm beach for a couple
of months,” said Rudy dreamily.
“Oh, please, Rudy, you’d last two days, tops, and then you’d be
itching to get back in the game.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I could be persuaded to stay longer
if one of those beach women, particularly one of the topless ones, would
be interested in spending time with an adventurer like me.”
“I still have some very friendly ladies on my list, Rudy. Some of
them like the beach life.”
AFTERMATH
7
“No, they still want a ring in the end,” said Rudy. Nancy shook
her head. “So, getting back to your ‘soon to be hitched to his own ball
and chain’ supervisor, when’s the wedding going to be?”
“I don’t know that! All I know is he’s doing it tonight, proposing,
that is. We’re a small team. If he goes on a honeymoon, things will stop
rather suddenly in our division.”
“I was going to ask you about that. James had ideas of how to
divide up the work. Did he get what he wanted?”
“Pretty much,” he said as the waitress brought another round
and handed out dinner menus. “He heads up the commission that directs
everything. Barbara is in charge of education and health. They go hand
in hand, you know. Jacob and his friends could do a lot to alleviate pain
and suffering, but without education, the population would quickly swell,
and we would have too many mouths to feed.
“June, who hit it off so well with Jacob, is working the
religion/spirituality path. There is a lot to do there. You wouldn’t give a
toddler a hand grenade to play with, nor would you give an ultimate
weapons system to someone who’s low on the spiritually adept scale.
That sort would only be happy if they could annihilate everybody that
they don’t like . . . wherever they lived.
“Yes, I know, this is awfully paternalistic and ‘who do we think
we are’ telling somebody you can have this technology and not that tech-
nology,” said Rudy, taking another sip of his beer.
“This is not easy. Anything worthwhile requires a degree of ef-
fort,” said Nancy.
“Not everybody sees it that way,” lamented Rudy, dipping his
head a little too low to the table.
“Okay, I don’t care who you are,” said the waitress, arriving at
the table with pen and pad in hand. “You sir, Mr. Longorda, are cut off
ALIEN DISCLOSURE
8
until you get some of our excellent food in you to absorb the alcohol.
Don’t bother protesting—it won’t work. May I take your order . . . please?”
“I haven’t looked at the menu, honey. What’s good here?” asked
Rudy, opening and immediately closing his menu. Nancy opened her
menu and listened to the waitress announce the daily specials. She
watched Rudy try to concentrate on what the waitress was saying. She
smiled and thought about how normal this night was and how human we
all were—people in a bar drinking too much, sharing the intimate stories
of their lives. Outside, the world had changed. The revelations from the
middle of the last century were now crashing onto the shore of our new
world again and again. The tattered fabric of life was barely recogniza-
ble.
Yet the fabric was still wearable, woven with new strands to re-
place the old threads that did not connect anymore. The garment was
fashionable, it had style. People in most of the developed world were
picking up the multihued garment, throwing it over their shoulder, and
taking it with them on their walk through life.
“And you, Nancy?” asked the waitress, interrupting her assess-
ment.
“The spaghetti and meatballs with a side Caesar salad’” she rat-
tled off.
“Can’t go wrong with that,” said the waitress.
“Can I have a couple of pieces of paper? I have my own pen.”
“Sure, honey,” she said, smiling. She tore off a few pieces and
handed them to her.
“Thank you,” said Nancy. The waitress quickly departed towards
the kitchen.
“You’ll have to eat those papers if there’s something classified
on them.”
AFTERMATH
9
“Yes, Rudy, I understand,” she said as she scribbled a note to
herself.
“Now you’re placating me?”
“On that subject, yes, I’m placating you. I know better than to
copy some classified info pouring from your lips this evening. I just re-
membered some names that I wanted to ask you about.”
The door to the restaurant opened, and a tall dark-haired woman
wearing a hooded raincoat walked in and stepped past the unattended
maître d’ station. She proceeded silently to the back of the bar. Fixing
her attention on Rudy, the woman sat down at the open chair. Their eyes
met as Rudy raised his head to look at the brash intruder. Nancy looked
to Rudy for some sign of acceptance, some friendly repartee to signal
that this was a welcome guest.
It was not. The strain on his face confirmed that this particular
uninvited guest carried a heavy dose of danger to them, if not to everyone
in the restaurant.
“Good evening, Rudy,” said the woman. “I’m JoAnne.” She mo-
mentarily turned her head to greet Nancy. Nancy manufactured a falter-
ing smile. “And you, Nancy, you’re the only two to show up tonight?”
JoAnne momentarily looked down at the table and spied the paper and
pen. It seemed as if she didn’t want to focus on it, and she quickly pulled
her hood off of her head, twisted her body in the chair, and focused her
attention on Rudy.
As she turned her head towards Rudy, she quickly modeled a
writing motion in her left hand.
“Rudy, you look so afraid of me. I’m not here to harm you, at least
not tonight.” JoAnne focused her attention only on Rudy. She alternated
the handwriting motion with flexed fingers curling rapidly in Nancy’s line
of sight.
ALIEN DISCLOSURE
10
Nancy overcame the shock of this infamous intruder and re-
sponded to JoAnne’s compelling gestures. She quietly slid some of the
paper under JoAnne’s left hand. Nancy grabbed the pen and inserted it
into JoAnne’s hand. JoAnne immediately began to write.
“I want you to call off your dogs,” said JoAnne.
“I can’t do that, JoAnne. If I could somehow detain you here, I
would do that. You probably have an exit out of here. You wouldn’t be
here if you didn’t. Where are you holed up these days? You can tell me.
Which cave in West Virginia did you crawl out of this morning?”
“That is somewhat correct,” answered JoAnne. “It is not a cave.
It’s not in West Virginia.” JoAnne wanted to get angry but fought back
the impulse. “I have been enhanced recently. Kathleen is watching you
right now.”
“Why, JoAnne, you should know that you are subject to off-world
extradition. We can’t have abnormal types running around taking advan-
tage of us normal citizens. You know the rules, JoAnne.”
Nancy carefully monitored the paper usage, taking the written
pieces and setting them aside to provide fresh blank paper for JoAnne.
JoAnne laughed. Counterpoint to her un-haltered laugh, JoAnne
drove the tip of the pen hard onto the table. Her face devolved into a
menacing grimace. “Enough of this fucking banter! Back off! If you persist
and continue to come after us, we will be forced to lay waste to a portion
of a major city. No, I’m not going to tell you which one. I’m warning you,
Rudy. You, Frank, James, and Barbara—play with the toys you already
have and leave us alone.”
Rudy sat back in his chair and studied JoAnne’s face. He took
his time in responding. “I cannot speak officially, but I see two things here.
One is that we must be getting close in our efforts to find you. So thanks,
we’ll be at your doorstep soon. And two—they called us terrorists? I
AFTERMATH
11
thought the purpose of keeping this stuff secret decade after decade was
to protect the American people. Laying waste, as you say it, to any por-
tion of a city doesn’t sound like protecting anybody. The threat is not
going to work, JoAnne. Seems like the criminals you’re associated with
now are influencing your agenda.”
JoAnne’s eyes gave off a glassy appearance in the dimly lit bar.
For a moment her eyes broke from their steely gaze to express some
heartfelt emotion. Rudy later said her eyes pleaded for one thing she
could not vocalize. Her eyes asked for forgiveness.
The waitress approached the table. “I’m sorry to interrupt. Will
your guest be staying for dinner? Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I’m not staying for anything. You’ve been warned.” JoAnne
abruptly rotated in her chair, away from Nancy and the papers she was
writing. She silently placed the pen on top of the paper using her left
hand, palm down, to get up. JoAnne strode quickly down the aisle of
booths and pushed the front door open. Rudy continued to look out the
darkened window of the restaurant.
“Who was that, Mr. Longorda?”
“That was nobody.” He continued to look out the windowed door.
An expected flash of light brought his attention back to the puzzled wai-
tress. “She was an associate of ours from before. She’s gone now. Do
you have a small plastic bag, about yea big?” he asked, holding up his
two hands in the form of a small square.
“I’ll check, sir, right after I check on your orders.” She turned
around and walked back to the kitchen.
Nancy visibly slumped in her chair. “That was tense,” proclaimed
Rudy. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Do things like that happen to you often?”
moaned Nancy, reaching to pick up her pen.
ALIEN DISCLOSURE
12
“Don’t touch that!”
“What, the pen, oh, I guess this is all evidence isn’t it?”
“Yes,” he said, staring at the papers now strewn across the table
in front of Nancy. “I’m almost positive that was JoAnne, but these days,
one cannot be absolutely sure. We should be able to get some partial
prints off that pen to corroborate what we have on file for her.”
The waitress brought the food and the plastic bag. She wanted
to set the plate of spaghetti in front of Nancy, but neither of her patrons
would allow it. For the next few minutes, both plates sat in front of Rudy.
She handed him the plastic bag, asked if they needed anything else, and
turned towards the kitchen, still quite perplexed as the guests of honor
turned out to be a fairly odd couple.
Rudy switched sides with Nancy to navigate the pen and papers
into the plastic bag. “Did you read most of what she wrote, Nancy?”
asked Rudy, sliding the pen into the bag.
“I did.”
“Would you be willing to meet with one of our team members?
He’s good at deciphering the hidden meaning behind handwriting.”
“I guess so. You weren’t watching us. I held each paper so it
wouldn’t slide and watched her progress. I quietly supplied another sheet
when she needed it.” Nancy handed him his plate after he slowly inserted
the bag in his sport coat.
“Thank you, Nancy. You were a big help.”
“Her heart is not in it, Rudy.”
“I know. I could tell by looking into her eyes.”
Nancy stared at him as he stuck a fork into a ravioli pie. “You
know, if I wasn’t so married, I’d take you to bed for that remark,” blurted
Nancy. Rudy almost had the ravioli pie in his mouth. He started laughing
so hard that it made him cough. Nancy got up out of her chair, patted his
AFTERMATH
13
back, and brought his glass of water into his hand. He took a few sips
and then another. Nancy sat down and started cutting a meatball on her
plate.
“That’s the best offer all day that I didn’t really have. I said that
correctly, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did, Mr. Sensitive Man. Most men wouldn’t admit that
they see anything in a woman’s eyes. I’m getting a more humanistic pic-
ture of my old friend. I really do have a nice friend of mine . . .”
“Keep your friend your friend, Nancy. I may have a sensitive in-
sight from time to time, but I get called away on a moment’s notice.
Sometimes I get called away so quickly that I’m restricted from telling
anyone that I’m leaving. Most decent, loving women won’t stand for that.
I wouldn’t.”
“We’ve been talking rather freely in this little corner table. I know
it’s remote, but there are tables within earshot of us and you’re not con-
cerned?”
“I have help, Nancy.”
“Come again?”
“There has been an agent here since they opened this morning.
Jacob supervised a team of specialists last night sweeping the entire res-
taurant and bar for listening devices, viewing devices, whether they orig-
inated from home world or off-world. One agent has been in the bar
constantly scanning for newly arrived devices and of course for danger-
ous people like our JoAnne.”
“But she got through your net. She—”
“See the guy at the end of the bar? He came in with me. He’s
sitting there making like he’s playing a video game on his tablet, a twenty-
something thing to do. The game is what the casual observer sees, but
with special contact lenses or glasses in his case he sees the status of
ALIEN DISCLOSURE
14
this entire facility. He should have picked up JoAnne’s implants, but he
didn’t.”
“Don’t you think you should go up there and find out why he let
Miss Sweet Cheeks back here?” advised Nancy.
“Yeah,” he said as if waking from a stupor. “What the hell is going
on here? Excuse me for a moment, Nancy.” Rudy quickly got out of his
chair and made his way through the gauntlet of people to the front of the
bar.
Excuse me? thought Nancy. “He asked to be excused?” she said
aloud with a smile from ear to ear. “Boy, do I have a woman for you,
Rudy.”
Rudy slowly approached the agent at the bar. He didn’t say his
name; he just wanted to observe him for a moment. He took an open
seat to his left and turned to look at him. The agent’s hands held the tab-
let device. Rudy looked at the screen. He expected to see some video
game portrayed on the device. Instead the face of a reddened ferocious
beast that seemed to be pulsating displayed on the tablet. Rudy shook
his head and looked up. The bartender was looking at him.
“How long have I been here?” demanded Rudy.
“You, less than a minute; him, he’s been here over an hour. He
was fine for a while, but about a half hour ago he just shut down. I tried
talking to him, but he wouldn’t answer. He just keeps staring at that
blasted tablet. I always knew these devices would get us one day—turn
us into zombies.”
Rudy tried to take it away, but the agent’s hands were frozen
around the plastic and glass device. “Do you know where the on/off
switch is on one of these?” asked Rudy.
“My brother has that brand. The switch is on the edge at the bot-
tom.” Rudy lowered his head to the counter and located the switch. He
AFTERMATH
15
reached between the agent’s wrists and toggled the switch. The screen
flickered and began to shut down. The agent’s eyes blinked for the first
time in half an hour. His hands dropped the tablet to the counter with the
clang of plastic on the polished wood. His eyes blinked rapidly, struggling
to get moisture to the surface.
“Clint, are you with us now?” asked Rudy.
“What? Are you alright? Is Nancy okay?” asked Clint, still trying
to get his bearings.
Rudy looked back at Nancy eating her dinner. “Yeah, we’re fine.
But you’re not.”
“My tablet isn’t functioning.”
“You got that right. When I came up here, you were mesmerized
by an image of a fierce looking animal dripping in blood. It was pulsating
on the screen. I turned off your tablet, and that broke the hold it had on
you. While you were staring at your pretty monster, JoAnne sauntered
in here.”
“The JoAnne, JoAnne Delatoite?” demanded Clint.
“Yes, she walked right in and sat down with Nancy and me—
freaked us out. I was hoping for a nice quiet evening. I guess I’m not
going to get that. We got to call this in, Clint.”
“No need. That’s them calling now,” said Clint, fishing the cell
phone out of his jacket pocket. “If there’s a break in the connection, they
assume something’s amiss. I’m going to get canned for this, aren’t I?”
“I’m going to set you on your can if you don’t answer that phone.”
Clint answered it by reciting a set of numbers and phrases. Rudy pulled
what appeared to be a white plastic salt shaker out of his sport coat, ro-
tated the top a quarter turn, and set it on the counter. Clint mouthed the
words “thank you.” Rudy motioned that he was going back to the table.
Clint nodded in agreement.
ALIEN DISCLOSURE
16
“This is getting stranger by the minute. I’m sorry I left you alone
for so long. We’re celebrating for everyone. We’re not supposed to be
still fighting a civil war, but it manages to arrive at Angelo’s regardless.”
“Are you going to have to go?” asked Nancy, putting her fork on
her plate and touching Rudy’s arm.
“Honey, we are both going to have to go. I’ve just been stalling
a little to try to extend this reminiscing time with you.”
“That’s so nice, Rudy. Try to eat something of your dinner. I
guess I shouldn’t call my husband and tell him all about this.”
“You would get into less trouble if you said you were running
away with me to Rio,” he said with a bold smile.
“I wouldn’t want to bet on that,” said Nancy with eyebrows raised.
“Eat!” Rudy looked up to see Clint with cell phone attached to his ear
cross from the bar to the restaurant. He settled into his seat and followed
his friend’s directive to eat his dinner. He knew it was coming, the obli-
gatory debrief. Their methods were honed from years of cloak-and-
dagger work with the other half of the secret government. They would
send a car for each of them. An agent sitting in the back on the ride in to
their facility would grill them on what happened, how did JoAnne get past
all of the agents, what did she say, and what were her real intentions?
Clint found some of the other agents dutifully scanning the res-
taurant rooms with their tablets, and some, like him, were transfixed, star-
ing at a vicious beast on their instrument. It makes no sense, he thought
as he turned off their units. He extracted their minds from the same trap.
Then he realized the scheme. The pattern of trapped and un-trapped
minds was geographical. Whatever caused it, it created a path twenty-
feet wide from the door of the restaurant to the back of the bar. “Yes, I’ll
let him know. Thank you, sir,” he said into the phone. “No, I’m alright now.
I’ll submit to any tests that you like, but I feel back to normal. Yes, I un-
AFTERMATH
17
derstand. I’ll let him know right now. Bye.”
Clint conferred briefly with an agent, then returned to the bar and
made his way back to Rudy.
“Is it time already? Do they want us to leave now?”
“No, Rudy and Nancy, but they will be here soon. They are not
exactly happy with our performance, or should I say my performance and
my fellow agents. You and Nancy were here as guests. We were the
ones working, and we let you down.”
“I believe we have some important evidence as a result of your
performance. If you had stopped JoAnne, we would not have anything.”
“We would have JoAnne in custody. That’s for sure,” bellowed
Clint.
“Clint, I don’t think we should discuss this any further. We each
tell our story, and the big boys will decide. At least now we are on the
right side of the law and the other side is becoming more desperate and
corrupt. But I digress. I’ll finish my dinner, and you can go back to your
post. And, Clint?”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t turn on your tablet again. There’s no telling what would
happen,” cautioned Rudy.
“Right, sir, I’ll tell the others. They will come one at a time to ex-
tract us. See you later, sir.”
As Clint walked away, Nancy again addressed Rudy. “He handed
you a salt shaker. You have two of them on the table already. Why would
you need another?”
“It’s the reason we can talk openly without whispering to each
other. The little dial on the top allows you to set the size of the space that
you occupy. This one that’s been here is set for a square pattern a few
inches larger than this little nook of table and chairs. Now people can go
ALIEN DISCLOSURE
18
to lunch or dinner, have a private conversation, and walk away knowing
it is private.”
“You get that all from this little white salt shaker? Pretty cool
there, Rudy. Continue to eat your dinner, my friend.” Rudy had completely
lost interest in his plate of ravioli. He eased his fork into the soft pasta
squishing the vodka sauce out from under the pie. His fork performed
the function, and his mouth opened on cue. The cold pie effortlessly
dropped onto his tongue. He lazily swished the slippery morsel around
in his mouth.
“You know, Rudy, I heard a rumor that an alien had gone into do-
mestic service for a woman in Montreal.”
“I hadn’t heard that one. That’s good though. True or not, it hu-
manizes the people we once worshiped as gods. Did you text your hus-
band?”
“Yeah. He texted back and said ‘same ole same ole.’”
Rudy smiled at her. “What did you text to him?”
“I’m with Rudy. We’re going inside.”
“How many years have we worked together?” asked Rudy, push-
ing his empty plate to the edge of the table.
“Ten years as I recall,” she said, taking her last sip of beer.
“And your husband still trusts you with me.”
“Implicitly, old man,” she said as the first agents came through
the door. They were deliberate and efficient.
An impeccably dressed young agent stood at the edge of the
table. “Nancy, Rudy. We’re sorry to disturb this anniversary evening, but
we really need to talk to you.”
“Well, this old man says, lead the way, son.”
AFTERMATH
19
ALIEN DISCLOSURE
20
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