Second Contact, page 36
part #2 of Not Alone Series
Minutes later, Dan asked whether Clark was coming next door to check out the plaque’s potential resting place in Salida — right now, this was the footage Dan really wanted to see — or if he didn’t feel up to it.
Clark groaned like an injured bull as he rolled over. “I’m coming.”
“You should probably see a doctor in the morning,” Tara said.
“No way,” Clark replied. “There might be some weird trace of the forcefield or something. I’ve been beat up worse than this and been back on my feet the next day. And I already had tomorrow booked off work, so at least there’s that.”
Timo made his way up the stairs first; it made sense for him to lead the way to pose a distraction in case Henry was there, since Henry seeing Clark’s injuries would lead to a conversation best avoided. Dan extended an arm in an offer to help Clark up from the bed, and he wasn’t too proud to accept it.
“After you, Sherlock,” Emma said to Tara, holding her hand out towards the stairs.
Tara stood still and shrugged. “You know I’m more of an Inspector Clouseau kind of girl.”
“Ugh,” Emma sighed. “Fine… after you, Clouseau.”
“That’s better,” Tara said as she began climbing the stairs. “You can be Miss Marple. She’s only a few years older than you, isn’t she?”
“If that’s the way you want to play it,” Emma laughed. “I hope you packed your bathing suit, though, because if I see any smelters in Smeltertown, you’re going for a swim.”
As the sisters disappeared out of the basement, taking their playful bickering with them, Dan McCarthy slowly helped his injured brother up each step.
“Thanks for doing what you did,” he said. “Trying to run into Walker’s room before you could even see what was going on in there… not many people would have done that.”
“Whatever it takes and no half measures,” Clark replied. “That’s what you said. And I know you would have done the same. I saw you crossing that threshold at Lolo. I remember.”
Dan didn’t say anything until they reached the top step, when he turned to look directly at Clark. “We’re this close,” he told him, holding his thumb and index finger an inch apart. “This hasn’t been fun, but it’s all going to be worth it. I promise. The Messengers have led me this far and they’re going to take us the whole way. I believe in them.”
“And I believe in you, man,” Clark said, bravely limping towards the front door. “I believe in you.”
C minus 11
Ford Residence
Birchwood, Colorado
From the comfort of a plush couch, the huge HD video image displayed by Emma’s projector allowed the group to see every little detail of the unexpectedly important ‘Colorado Gold Rush’ episode of American Treasure.
They watched the whole show — forty-seven minutes with no ads — including the banter between the two Australian hosts as one repeatedly fell back upon his favourite Smeltertown-inspired “We smelt it, we dealt it” joke… over and over and over again.
It was easy to see why Tara had remembered it.
At one early point, Emma commented that she couldn’t believe Tara could put up with these guys, let alone enjoy their show. Clark stepped in to defend them, stating that he was also a fan because they were easy-going guys who always hunted down some cool stuff.
The relevant moments came in the third of four main segments, during which the hosts introduced the Feather family of Salida, Colorado. The segment began with a look through the family’s unspectacular antiques store, which survived only due to their outright ownership of the small plot of land it was built upon and the older brother’s keen eye for valuable coins.
A few minutes were devoted to the coins he had on display, some of which the astute hosts purchased for fair prices that would still leave room for profit. The remainder of their time in the store itself was spent exploring items of local interest, including original signage from the Gold Rush era.
The show provided some fairly in-depth information about events and places Dan knew very well from his interest in the various groups of so-called Finchers who were already searching for the fourth plaque in the spirit of Humphrey Finch’s infamous prophecy.
The direct mentions of Pikes Peak and other eminently familiar things made Dan feel overwhelmed; it was all fitting together almost too neatly for his mind to process.
Attention then turned to the Feather family’s home, which was comprised of two adjoining properties converted into one to house two adult brothers, their very elderly mother, and the younger brother’s wife and daughter.
A few views from inside some of their outbuildings filled the screen as the hosts commentated over the footage. “This building is overflowing with metal advertising signs,” one of the hosts said, “but as the Feather brothers were quick to tell us, these aren’t the right kind of signs for making money. Whichever way you turn, you can pretty much see that their old man also bought and held onto any other scraps of metal he could get his hands on.”
The younger brother then commented that some of the outbuildings contained piles of junk that they’d never even searched through. “That’s mainly because I’d need a tetanus shot,” he laughed, “but also because there are five other piles in the way of each of them! Some of the buildings are literally full, like a fairytale giant dumped all his stuff from above then put the roof back on, and that stuff is actual junk — broken bikes, rusted scrap, you name it. Our old man wasn’t exactly the organised type.”
A brief camera shot showed one such outbuilding, and the previously determined hosts admitted defeat as soon as they saw the scale of the clutter.
The brothers, both in their thirties or thereabouts, then guided the Aussie treasure hunters through the best organised of their outbuildings; one of which contained some of their late father’s favourite wartime items. They explained that he had served in Austria during and after the war, making more than a few trips back in his later years long after his final official placement in 1946.
“We never really talked about it,” the older brother said, “but he lived here his whole life and I sometimes think that maybe the mountains over there reminded him of home. He saw more than a few places and Austria was always his favourite. There was definitely something about the place that captured his heart, that’s for sure.”
“This is almost frightening,” Timo said at that point, breaking a long silence in Emma’s living room and prompting Tara to pause the episode. He continued once he had everyone’s attention: “Salzburg was in the US zone of occupation after the war. Of all the places, that’s where this man was: Salzburg.”
“We couldn’t have made this up if we tried,” Emma said.
Dan smiled at her. “Good job we didn’t have to.”
No one said anything during the final few minutes of the segment, which saw the hosts pose for a photo beside the brothers’ pride and joy, a large and original “Pikes Peak Or Bust” sign that they refused to sell even when silly numbers were thrown their way.
When the next segment began, focusing on a hoard of classic cars in Denver, conversation resumed. More specifically, now that it seemed so extraordinarily likely that the plaque would indeed be found at the Feathers’ property, talk turned to what the plaque’s exact message might mean.
“Well, the Messengers would only use the fourth plaque if it was absolutely necessary,” Emma said. “That might sound obvious, but using the fourth and final plaque means that they won’t ever be able to deliver any more messages in a way that’s consistent with the pre-existing story — i.e. the hoax — which is a story they’ve been determined to protect so far for the same reason we have: global stability.”
“That’s not necessarily true,” Dan replied. “The fourth plaque is only the final plaque in the context of Kloster’s story about a craft being found in Lake Toplitz. Another plaque-carrying unmanned craft could turn up anywhere in the world — for real, this time — whenever the Messengers decide it’s necessary.”
“It’s a fair point,” Timo said.
Emma nodded in concession. “But that would be a larger intervention than they seem keen to make…”
“No arguments there,” Dan said, “but all I’m saying is that if it ever became absolutely necessary to deliver a fifth message, they could do it without exposing everything. But anyway, the main thing we have to deal with now is the Feathers. We need a plan for how we’re going to get into their outbuildings to look for the plaque; we need a way to justify why we think it’s there.”
Silence circled for a few seconds until Clark spoke up: “What if we say that either you or Timo bought a diary that was supposedly Karl Heilig’s — you know, the guy in Salzburg whose locker the third plaque turned up inside — and that he wrote in it that he met an American collector who claimed to have seen a similar plaque to the one Heilig had already acquired. We could say that you followed it up and eventually worked out the American collector’s identity: their old man.”
“We’ll keep thinking,” Dan replied, “but that just might be the smartest thing you’ve ever said.”
No one voiced any immediate objections; Clark had indeed presented a solid foundation for a workable plan.
“And I’ll be able to talk them into letting us look around,” Emma said. “It might not be easy and it definitely won’t be free — that’s where Timo pulls his weight — but I’ll manage.”
Timo laughed heartily at the straightforwardness of Emma’s words. “I’ll do my part in that regard,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
“I’ll call them first thing in the morning,” Emma added. “I won’t say who I am or exactly what it’s about; I’ll just say that I’m seriously interested in something I saw on the show. They probably wouldn’t believe it was really me calling, anyway, and obviously we don’t want them to tell anyone else about our interest until I’m there in person to get our point across.”
“And what about once we find it?” Tara asked. “How do we deal with that? Even if we buy the Feathers’ silence, how do we explain to everyone else how and where we found the plaque?”
“Hmmm,” Timo murmured. “I couldn’t really say it was sent to me anonymously, because no one would forego the bounty I’ve put up, and that kind of money isn’t exactly easy to hide.”
“That’s a high-class problem I’ll be happy to have,” Dan chimed in. “A few hours ago, we had nothing. Now we have every—”
“Don’t count any chickens just yet,” Emma cautioned, her tone gentle but her message clear.
As the illuminating episode of American Treasure came to a close with the hosts towing a classic car behind their heavily branded touring van, Timo rose to his feet. “Well, friends, it is late. I should think about calling the hotel to send a driver.”
“You can stay in my basement,” Dan suggested. “My old bedroom is my dad’s room now, and his old room is an extra bathroom, but the basement is plenty big. I’ll disarm the entry and exit restrictions for the night, so you’ll be able to get in and out.”
“I guess it’s not like Dad could walk down and see anything, anyway,” Clark said, not intending for his words to come out sounding anything like as insensitive as they did.
Timo’s expression, meanwhile, indicated that he was more than keen on this idea, which certainly beat waiting for a ride to the Gravesen in Colorado Springs; his suite was a lot plusher, for sure, but at this time of night there was a lot to be said for the convenience of proximity. “That’s a very kind offer, Dan,” he replied. “But what about you?”
“Yeah, Dan,” Tara butted in with a mischievous tone. “What about you?”
“There’s plenty of space for Dan here,” Emma said, turning to Tara.
Dan looked at Timo. “There’s space for me here,” he said, as though Timo hadn’t just heard Emma say exactly the same thing. “I’ll come over and disarm those controls for you. And I guess I don’t need to tell you not to touch anything… not because I don’t trust you, but because there are pressure-sensitive alarms on my research board, all of the computer equipment and pretty much everything else, and the sensors would know that it was someone else touching them.”
“Don’t worry, Dan,” Timo said with a warm smile as they walked outside, both assisting Clark as they went. “After the night we have just had, I will only be touching the bed and the pillow.”
C minus 10
10 Downing Street
London, England
“Morning, boss,” Jack Neal said, sycophantically smiling as he handed John Cole his usual newspapers.
“Tell me something I want to hear,” Cole replied gruffly. “God knows I need it.”
The previous twenty-four hours had been tough for Cole, with his longtime party rival Diane Logan publicly distancing herself and attempting to distance the entire party from the anti-GSC rhetoric that he and Jack Neal had been using of late. Logan’s intervention coincided with the increasing willingness of backbench MPs on Cole’s side of the House to step out of line and question his stance.
Some UK media outlets suggested that Cole, who could no longer say whatever he wanted with little recourse, was at last getting a taste of his own medicine having himself risen to prominence by attacking the likes of Logan when her position as Deputy Prime Minister had restricted her ability to respond in certain ways just like his position as Prime Minister was doing now.
“In that case, I’ve got just what you need,” Jack said. A trademark snakelike smile crossed his face as he lifted his phone from his pocket and navigated to a year-old photograph of Dan McCarthy standing at the Birchwood drive-in next to a man in a Blue Dish Network branded polo shirt.
“What am I looking at?” Cole asked.
“The previously unknown individual who I heard speaking at the end of my call with Emma last night,” Jack explained. “I got a positive ID on the voice analysis and this is him: Trey Myers. I’ve seen him in person, on the night they locked me in an office like a criminal before Emma and Dan revealed the Kloster letter. The question is: why are they still rolling around in the dirt with a newshound? This is the slip-up we’ve been waiting for, boss. How’s that for something you want to hear?”
“Bloody brilliant work,” Cole boomed, patting Jack on the back with far too much force for the smaller man’s comfort. It was rare for Cole to effusively praise anyone or anything, but Jack had really come up trumps in identifying Trey Myers as a new person of interest and a potential weak link in the Birchwood chain.
“Oh, that’s far from everything,” Jack said, swiping through more images on his phone before turning the screen to Cole again. “Here’s our man Myers at a gas station… in Montana.”
Cole’s broad smile slowly faded to an expression of confusion. “And?”
“And he lives a few miles away from Birchwood and doesn’t normally travel north of Denver. This would be suspicious even if we didn’t know he was with them last night. But since we do know that, it’s a lot more than just suspicious given what—”
“Aaaah,” Cole said, waving a finger as it came to him. “Montana is where the satellite came in. So what’s the thinking, that he went looking for something? To interview a witness we don’t know about… something like that?”
Jack’s grin grew wider and wider as he shook his head. “Myers had driven for around fourteen hours to reach this gas station, but here’s the kicker: this gas station is a four-hour drive from the site of the satellite’s entry, and this image was captured five-and-a-half hours before anything happened. He drove there to see it. He drove there to film it. He knew it was going to happen!”
Cole’s jaw slackened. “But… how?”
“That’s the difficult part,” Jack admitted. “This could mean a few different things. But whichever one it is, Trey Myers knew where and when that satellite was coming in. And since we know he was with Emma Ford and Dan McCarthy a matter of hours ago, it’s a safe assumption to say that they knew it, too. Like I said, I got this from a phone call, and that phone call ended with Emma and Dan feeling some kind of sudden pain. And boss… that happened at the exact moment when the California Fireball entered the atmosphere. When it arrived, they felt it.”
“This is fucking big,” Cole said, even more straightforward in his words than usual.
Jack nodded slowly. “Huge. My opinion, boss, is that we should let Godfrey worry about California — Slater is going to give him enough heat over that — because we need to focus on this. We need to find out what’s going on in Birchwood, how the hell they knew something was going to happen in Montana before it did, and why something happened to them when the California Fireball came in.”
“This is great work,” Cole beamed. “This is why I brought you in. But tell me: if all of these events of the last few days… Kerguelen, Montana, California… if they’re not natural — if they really are something to do with, you know, them…”
“Yes?”
“Well,” Cole continued, uncharacteristically hesitant to finish his thought. “To me, if these events aren’t natural, the fact that this friend of theirs was in Montana in time for the satellite’s descent makes it seem like McCarthy and his little gang are somehow, well…”
“In contact with extraterrestrials?” Jack said, jumping in to finish the incomplete sentence.
“I know how it sounds,” Cole replied.
Jack shook his head; it was a head-shake of support. “It’s not crazy, boss. At this point, we can’t rule anything out…”
THURSDAY
C minus 9
Feather’s Antiques
Salida, Colorado
Just a shade after 9am, an excited group of five piled into Emma’s car for the drive to Salida. She had already called the number she found on the Feather’s Antiques website, and the Feather brothers were thus already expecting a visit from someone interested in purchasing a high-value item they’d seen during the store’s featured appearance on American Treasure.
