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POLAR ICE SHEET:
Alex places a hand on the ladder rung, ready to climb up to the surface when the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and a knot forms in his gut. He lets go and turns to Okana. “I could be wrong. Perhaps we can get in through the top using the star.” He turns and walks back to the elevated section of the ship.
Okana slings his backpack to the surface, then opens the lid and grabs a pewter-colored star with colored crystals embedded in the tips. “Here you go.”
Alex takes the star, sets it on top, and presses a ruby-colored crystal in the center. The five small crystals forming the tips appear to sparkle as they rotate, then the elevated silver surface flutters and becomes transparent.
Alex looks down into the craft, then eases his index finger down onto the invisible roof. It feels solid, unlike the time they used it to get into his ship. This time there seems to be some kind of invisible barrier. He brings out his flashlight and leans over the side, aiming it down into the dark interior. “I can’t see anything other than a flashing green light.”
Okana moves around the roof, with his flashlight aimed down inside the strange craft. “I can’t make out any details.”
Alex aims his light around the room and notices a console with a holographic display. “It appears to be the control room. I can see green ones and zeros on a monitor, and they’re counting down.”
Okana looks across at his friend. “Counting down to what?”
“I have no idea, but we’ll find out in a few seconds. Four, three, two. It just stopped at two.”
Okana leans out over the roof. “Look! There is something happening inside!”
Alex leans over the edge and looks down. The room is suddenly illuminated in soft red light, and an oval door on the far wall below Okana opens. A moment later, a slender tray slides out from the opening. What appears to be a human slowly sits up, looking around as if confused by its surroundings. The person’s physique indicates it’s male, but the body appears too small for the size of its head. He gasps when the person looks up at him through sparkling, neon green eyes. The lighting in the room slowly changes from red to white. The man smiles, exposing a perfect set of teeth.
Okana moves around beside Alex so he can see the person’s face, then smiles. “We’ve just made first contact with an alien race.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.”
Okana frowns. “What’s your point?”
Alex shrugs. “They are more technologically advanced than we are.” He looks down inside, and the man appears to be arguing with someone he can’t see. “Maybe they won’t want to share this planet with us. Did you notice how his eyes sparkled?”
“His eyes are light green, but I don’t see any sparkling.”
Alex moves around the side to see if it might be the light, but they still appear to be cut diamonds refracting a green light. “Are you sure you don’t see them sparkle?”
“They just look green to me.”
***
Seth feels like his wish has been granted when he sees the two humans looking down at him. “Pandora, you said this planet is in an ice age. Is your system malfunctioning?”
“Negative, Captain.”
“Some of our people must have survived the cataclysm. I wonder why it took so long for them to locate us.”
“They are not our people, Captain. One is a BLUE, and the other is a genetic outcast.”
“What do you mean by outcast?”
“He has traces of brown in his green irises. The BROWN genetic line was discontinued decades ago due to aggressive behavior.”
“Are they mad? What type of civilization would allow a CRUD to survive? How do I make contact with the BLUE?”
“I do not know. I am not detecting a neuro-implant connection with either of these humans.”
Seth stares up at the faces above him, and points at his ear as he speaks to them. When he stops, the man with blue eyes points a thumb in the air and nods several times.
Alex grabs the communications device, inserts it into his ear, and presses a small button on the side. “Can you hear me now?”
Seth’s eyebrows bunch together as he listens to the man speak, but it doesn’t make any sense. “Pandora, translate the language from the BLUE.”
“Insufficient data, Captain.”
“Patch me through to him. He might understand our language.”
“Communication available.”
Seth looks up at the BLUE and speaks. “My name is Seth. I am the captain of this ship.”
Alex stares down at the man and tries concentrating on what he thinks are syllables, but the language seems garbled. He points at his ear and shakes his head no several times. He has an idea and smiles down at his new acquaintance, giving him a thumbs up before indicating they are leaving. He presses the ruby crystal in the center of the star, and the surface flickers before becoming a mirror again. He holds it out to Okana, who slides it into his backpack.
Seth smiles when the two faces move out of view. “I think they understand, Pandora. Did you notice the entry device? They must be as technologically advanced as you.”
When Pandora doesn’t respond, Seth gently slides off the tray, steps onto the floor, and stands up. “I guess I’d better start eating solid food again.”
Alex slides the earpiece into his pocket. “Let’s get back to the surface so we can tell Donner what we’ve discovered. We’re going to need Jadin’s help to talk to him.”
Alex is about to climb back to the surface when he hears a shotgun blast. He hurries up the ladder, where Girdler is waiting for him. “What happened?”
“That mystery ship sent a video drone over the area, but one of the Seals shot it down.”
“Did it manage to fly overhead before it was destroyed?”
“I’m afraid so. It must have been flying just above the surface of the water, because suddenly it flew up over the edge and stayed close to the ice sheet. It wasn’t until it approached the opening and gained altitude that we realized what it was and shot it down.”
“All right. Okana and I need to head back to Iceland. Could you and the Seals keep this area secure until we know what we’re going to do?”
“Yes, but it would be nice to know exactly what we’re guarding.”
“It’s a spaceship.”
Girdler grins. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I received orders to collect everyone’s phones before we arrived. Now I know why.”
Alex smiles. “We need to keep this a secret until Director Donner and the President decide how they want to deal with the situation. That’s why I asked for a research ship and not a floating armada.”
“We won’t let anyone near it while you’re gone.”
Alex turns to Okana. “Let’s get going. I want to fly over that mystery ship on the way back to Reykjavík.”
They walk over to the airplane and Alex climbs into the co-pilot’s chair while Okana starts the engine and does a pre-flight check. Moments later, he feels pressure from his seat as the plane races across the ice sheet.
He stares out the window, thinking about the magnitude of this discovery and the impact it will have on civilization. Paladin said they were the first race of humans to occupy this planet, and they appear to be very similar to his own race. What bothers him are the glowing green eyes.
Okana brings the airplane over the mystery ship, but doesn’t recognize its design. He has a feeling Hardin is on board and sent the drone to see what they discovered.
***
Hardin stares up at the aircraft flying over his ship and recognizes Huckabee’s plane. It has to be Cave and his friend, but it doesn’t matter. The drone broadcast the recording of a spaceship under the ice before it was destroyed. Along with the other recording, he has the proof he needs. He will contact his friends in the UFO community, then show the world that it is his discovery.
***
Skip is waiting in the passenger cabin with Carl when Alex and Okana enter the jet. “Will we be leaving?”
Alex sits down and grabs the secure phone mounted to the wall. “I don’t think so. I’ll find out when I talk to the Director.”
He enters the number and waits a few moments before he is connected. “Hi, Martin. I hope you’re sitting down.” He explains what happened. “The ship is occupied and they resemble us.”
“Wow. What are your plans?”
“Without a way to communicate, there isn’t any point in going back and staring at each other. I believe Jadin can establish communications with him using some of the equipment from our ship. I’d like to have her fly up here with what she needs.”
“I’m not sure how much longer I can keep it a secret. Especially with this new development. The President agrees to let you do the initial investigation, but he also reiterated the fact that this discovery must be shared with the rest of the world leaders at some point in the very near future.”
“I think we should wait until after we can communicate with this person. I’m worried this could be a Pandora’s Box. Paladin explained to me that planets like this one, with similar climate conditions and one large moon to steady its rotation, are far fewer than we believe. I’d prefer to gather as much useful information as I can before this goes public.”
“All right. I won’t tell him about this until we know what we’re dealing with. Tell Jadin to hurry. What about David? Don’t you need him too?”
“No, I need him to work on something else. I’ll get back to you with an update when we’re done.”
“All right.”
After contacting Henry, Jadin, and David, Alex walks down the aisle to join his friends and sits in one of the lounge chairs. When he reaches into his pocket for his phone, he feels the earpiece and brings them both out. He is about to set the tiny device into a small box when he notices it is still on. He presses a tiny button on the side and the little L.E.D. light blinks off. He tucks it away and looks at his phone, then his brows bunched together. “That’s odd. The battery is dead. It had a full charge when we landed and I haven’t used it yet.”
Okana stands and walks to the small bar, grabs two beers from the refrigerator, and hands one to Alex before sitting down. “Since Jadin won’t arrive until tomorrow, how about the four of us rent some motel rooms and get a decent meal and some sleep while we have a chance. I have a feeling things might get a little hectic once Jadin arrives. I’m sure Huck could help us out. Hell, he’d probably like to join us for a beer.”
Alex grins. “We do owe him at least one.” He looks at Skip and Carl, who indicate they approve.
Okana calls Huckabee, who agrees and will be waiting for them at his hangar. “We’re all set. Grab your bags and let’s get out of here.”