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Frustrated, Chairman Markis watched the three commandos leave his office. He turned to Cassandra. “More questions than answers. What happened to Spooky? Nothing yet?” He knew she would have told him anything her network had found out, but couldn’t keep himself from asking.
She shook her head pensively. “Nothing new, and even if I had any expendable assets, I wouldn’t want to use them up to answer that question. He knew the risks, he’s a big boy. You have much more important things to deal with.”
He replied, “I’ve done all I can. I authorized the operations to liberate as many camps as we could reach. We’ve set up inoculation clinics wherever we can to save people from radiation poisoning. The Big Three are on their knees and we are accepting all the refugees we can handle on the condition they accept the Plague. The Council and the Neutral States Assembly are much better at this than I am. All I can do is herd cats and provide symbolic leadership.” He put his head in his hands, bone tired.
Cassandra’s voice was quiet but firm. “That’s all necessary, but it’s not your primary role. DJ, you need to start looking to the future. You’re a competent administrator but what you’re good at is having a vision and communicating it to people.”
“And what you’re good at is seeing things clearly and speaking truth to power. Okay, I get it. So what do you see?”
She pursed her lips. “I see a grand opportunity. Canada and Mexico just withdrew from the United Governments – that means there is no UGNA anymore, just the broken and bleeding old USA. Ditto Ukraine and the ’Stans. All these nations are potential members of either the FC or the Neutral States. Get them working within an organization, at least nominally, and we can suppress the worst of their impulses.”
“Sounds good. When can you have it done?” Markis groaned. “Just kidding. I have to get some sleep. Can you turn out the light and tell Millie to keep people away for a few hours?”
“Sure. See you later.” She shut the door behind her.
He lay down on his office couch and went out with the lights, awaking after five hours. With a cup of strong Colombian in his hand, he worked the communications systems, cajoling and bullying, pleading and making deals.
At the end of the day he felt he had made some progress. More importantly, he had gotten the most important players – Russia, China and the US – to agree to reopen their embassies in Medellin and, at least in principle, normalize diplomatic relations with the FC. This time he went “home,” which was an apartment two blocks away. At least there he had his own bathroom, his own kitchen, and his own bed.
His sleep was a big black thing, about fourteen hours long. When he awoke, Murphy was there waiting in the form of a knock at his front door.
“Sir?” It was Karl Rogett. “Miss Johnstone sent word; they need you in at your earliest convenience.”
“Of course they do,” Markis grumbled. Fifteen minutes later he was back in his office, well dressed, freshly shaved, and feeling almost human.
Millie was waiting for him. “Sir, there’s an intel briefing waiting as soon as you’re ready.”
“No ‘good morning?’ Must be serious, eh?” He looked closer at her face, realizing she was frightened, really scared in a way he hadn’t ever seen before, even during the recent nuclear holocaust. “What is it?”
“Sir, it’s best if you let the intel people brief you. And Colonel Muzik. In the secure conference room.” She pointed unnecessarily.
“Right.” He frowned, grabbed a cup of coffee and hurried downstairs to his waiting staff. Shutting the door he immediately barked, “All right, what’s got everyone so spooked? Something worse than nuclear war?” Hoping to lighten the mood, instead his joke fell with a thud.
Lieutenant Colonel Muzik was already on his feet. “Sir, something really strange. Intel and mil-ops both have been getting reports from around the world. The news media and political channels are heating up too. It’s an outbreak of some kind of disease.”
Markis sat back, took a drink of hot coffee. “So what do we know right now? Facts, not rumors.”
Muzik nodded to a young lieutenant. Markis dredged up her name. “Ilona, right? Intel?” Bright, studious, geeky, eager. Perfect for her work.
“Yes, sir. It’s a widespread outbreak but only in certain places right now. We’ve plotted the reports on a map and this is what we see.” The map showed the swaths of the disease where the as-yet unrevealed probes had scattered the Meme phages. “We are seeing flulike symptoms among normals. A few deaths of old and weak, those with compromised immune systems. It’s scaring them, though; there have been widespread outbreaks of violence, looting and so on. But among Plague carriers, it seems to trigger a massive immune response. Hundreds dying every hour.”
Markis’ blood ran cold. As I feared so long ago. Some kind of hidden mutation, some kind of time bomb waiting inside the Plague’s genetic code. Is everything I’ve done for nothing? Have I become the biggest mass murderer in history?
“Are there any reports of successful treatment?”
“Nothing so far, sir. Intensive care with fluids and drugs improves the survival rate, but there are so few hospitals in the Free Communities anymore that those still in operation are completely overwhelmed.”
“I noticed there were no cases in Australia. Anyone know why?”
Lieutenant Ilona glanced at Lt. Colonel Muzik. He said, “Uh, sir, we have a theory. It’s pretty wild, but...”
“Go on, spill it.”
“Okay, sir, but...well, here it is. Under each of the footprints of the outbreaks there were sightings of UFOs.”
“UFOs? Flying saucers?”
“No, sir, more like fast-flying craft. Some people reported meteors; some thought it was more missiles or bombers. But there were a lot of sightings. Roughly six hours later the first reports of illness started coming in.”
“So you think someone did this.”
The two officers exchanged glances again. They nodded in unison.
“The Australians?”
“Maybe,” Muzik replied. “Australia is the only continent not hit. But the Japanese are as unaffected as well, and the South Africans, Scandinavia...you can see the map for yourself. Anyone not under a footprint could be the culprit.”
Lieutenant Ilona chewed the inside of her cheek, looking back and forth between her two superiors.
“You have something to say, Silvia? It’s Silvia, right?”
Ilona nodded. “Sophia, sir. I just...well, I read all the reports from the research program. Everything I’m cleared for, anyway. Just out of interest.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose nervously. “Anyway, Mrs. Markis wrote in one of her reports that she believed the original virus phage – the one they called the Devil Plague – was extraterrestrial in origin.” She stopped.
“So...you think this might be too? I know my wife’s theories, and I know that some of the scientists agree. But not all. Do we have any more hard evidence about these UFOs? Can we look at radar tracks, air traffic control records, anything like that?”
Muzik replied, “Uh, sir, even where the nukes didn’t land, the EMP wrecked a lot of the infrastructure. The best one we got was from the Royal Air Force. They have a track of something coming in from high orbit over the pole, decelerating all the way until it slowed down to subsonic speeds over London, where it flies south for Paris.”
“High orbit. Refresh me, but ballistic missiles never enter high orbit.”
Ilona replied, “No, sir. Whatever this was, it came in high, it was under power, it maneuvered, and I believe it released whatever is killing people now.”
Markis sat back, looking around the room at his staff. “Are any animals dying?”
Muzik responded, “No, just people. Not even primates.”
“Right,” Ilona said excitedly. “If it’s just humans, it means this new disease was tailored for us!”
Markis nodded. “So maybe the aliens have come back. If Elise is right, they tried to wipe us out a few millennia ago, and they’re trying again now. Maybe we got their attention with all the nuclear detonations. But does it really matter? Whether it’s aliens or someone on Earth, the immediate problem’s the same. Everyone needs to implement their pandemic protocols, get the labs working on it, do what we can. In a way, this is good news.”
A buzz of chatter started around the room. “Hold it down,” Muzik’s voice boomed. “Sir, what do you mean good news?”
“At least they’re not arriving with mile-wide spaceships and death rays. Or dropping asteroids on us to wipe us out. The good news is, this attack seems to be limited in scope. There are only three reasons to conduct a limited war that I know of. One, some kind of moral compunction. Two, inability. Or three, most likely, they want to limit damage to the prize. I’d put my money on number three. They want the planet. They want the ecosystem. They just don’t want us in the way.”
This time no one tried to suppress the buzz around the room. Markis caught Muzik’s eye and they let it run its course. Once it started to die out naturally, the Chairman reasserted control. “All right, here’s what I want done. Captain Ilona, you are now in charge of the analysis team. Yes, I said ‘Captain,’ you’ve earned it. Colonel Muzik, find General Ribera and start drafting reports to the Free Community militaries. Millie, do the same for the Council and the Neutral States. And something for the press. Rick, get me a secure line to Shawna Nightingale and my wife, preferably together. Once you’ve done that, get me a Council meeting within the next twelve hours, and include as many of the Neutral States and the former Big Three as you can get. Everyone else, talk to your bosses, help out, do what you can. Get to it.”
To emphasize his point, Markis got up and walked out. Best if I just issue the orders and get the hell out of the way. It’s how I always wanted my superiors to lead and I’ll be damned if I start micromanaging now.
He knew from the last ten years that there was no need to seek out crises; they would come looking for him. The first one walked into his office ten minutes later: Rick Johnstone.
“Sir, Mrs. Nightingale and Mrs. Markis will be on from South Africa in about forty minutes, but I have a call from Australia right now that I think you need to take on the secure net.” He walked over to the terminal set to the side of Markis’ desk. A few keystrokes and touches on the screen brought up the ready icon. Rick picked up and extended the phone handset to his boss. “Sir...it’s Spooky. It’s Colonel Nguyen.”
Markis seized the handset, throwing himself into the seat in front of the screen and touching the icon for two-way video. Immediately his friend’s well-known face sprang to life in front of him, and he knew his image was being sent to the other man.
“Spooky! Glad to see you, are you all right? What’s been happening?”
Nguyen’s face was warm and friendly, but when Markis heard his voice he thought he detected a slightly false note. “Everything is well here, Daniel. I know you have a lot of questions so let me answer them up front. I have been offered a position in the Australian Army. I have decided to settle here with a woman I met. It’s simple as that.”
“But why didn’t you contact me right away?”
Spooky smiled, looking pained. “They had me in isolation. Interrogation. They felt responsible for the missiles that hit the Big Three, because it was their liaison officer that went rogue, but they wanted to be fully satisfied so they held me here. That’s not why I’m calling you. I’m just here as an introduction, and to provide assurance of truth.”
“Truth of what?” Markis sat back, a skeptical look on his face.
“I’d rather let the Prime Minister tell you.” The video feed backed up to show another man sitting next to Nguyen. Markis just had time to notice Spooky was wearing a Brigadier’s uniform before Australian Prime Minister Hogan started speaking.
“G'day to you, Chairman. I would have had Councilwoman Grenstead here as well but she is out of town away from a secure link. I hope your old comrade in arms here will help assure you of the veracity of what I am about to tell you.”
“Why would I need anyone to assure me you are telling me the truth, Prime Minister? You’re the duly elected leader of a Free Community state.”
“Well, yes, thank you. Just wait until you hear it and you’ll see. Besides, we owed it to you to let you know what was happening with General Nguyen, as we held him incommunicado for so long.” Hogan smiled affably, a politician’s expression.
“All right, let’s hear it.”
“You may not know, but the old SETI program had a lot of our facilities here on the payroll.”
“Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence? Is this about the UFOs?” In spite of himself, Markis relaxed, leaning forward.
“UFOs? No, not specifically. It’s about SETI. You know how scientists are. Even when it wasn’t funded, they kept the lookout going – you know, pattern recognition, that sort of thing. Starting two days ago we began receiving this, in plain text, repeated ten times each hour on the hour.”
The feed switched to show a slide with lines of text on it. It read, Greetings, people of Earth. My name is Raphael. I am a nonhuman entity. Please arrange contact with Chairman Daniel John Markis.
“A joke?” Markis decided to keep their UFO connection theory out of it for now.
“We think not. The signal was very faint. Only something like a radio telescope pointed in the right direction would be likely to pick it up. And the signal is coming from a point in space approximately twenty million miles outward.”
“Is there any indication anyone on Earth could have done this? Are there any unmanned probes out there?”
“Daniel,” Spooky broke in, “this is real. We’ve asked all these questions already. There are some very bright astrophysicists and astronomers that have looked at this. It’s real. And it’s on its way here.”
Markis sat back, switching views back to the video. “Okay. You’ve convinced me, but others won’t be, so we need independent verification. Send a file with all the details so I can have the big arrays in South America look at it too.”
“Mister Chairman,” the Prime Minister said, “if you can accept this fact in principle, let’s discuss what you will do.”
“I don’t know what I will do. I don’t know a damn thing about what I am going to do. How soon will it get here?”
Spooky responded, “Four weeks, more or less, if it stays on course and speed. They tell us it’s on a near-perfect orbital insertion trajectory with just a tiny correction needed at the end.”
“Any idea what it is?”
The PM replied, “Well, someone blew the orbital telescopes all to hell, didn’t they? The best we know at this distance is it has a high albedo, very reflective. Our people say they think it’s a spacecraft.”
“Of course. What else would it be?” Markis whispered. His eyes stared far into the distance, mind whirling. “Do you know about the UFO reports?”
“You asked about that before – but no, what are you talking about?” the PM replied.
“You must have heard about the new illness. The one nobody in Australia has? There is hard evidence to go with the reports that something came in from high orbit and dispersed a biological weapon in six areas of the globe. It might be something from here on Earth, something someone put up long ago as some kind of doomsday device – and the only major power unaffected is Australia.”
“Just what the bloody hell are you saying, Markis?” The Australian’s naturally fair skin went blotchy red with anger.
“I didn’t say I think it’s true, I’m just pointing out what a lot of people are going to be saying pretty soon if you don’t get ahead of it. That’s why I’m calling an open meeting. We need to address as much of the world as we can. Maximum transparency. That’s why you need to send me everything you have on this now, because anything you conceal will indict you later. I’ll check it through my own sources and then we will see. And Prime Minister? I expect Australia will do its utmost to help. With everything.” The PM couldn’t miss the steel in Markis’ voice.
“Of course. Wise course of action. We will see you then.” The Prime Minister reached to cut off the video, but General Nguyen held up his hand.
“One moment, please. DJ, consider the timing. On one hand these aliens could be coming to take advantage of our weakness. On the other hand, it could be the best time for them to arrive; it pales in comparison to nuclear war and the pandemic, and will not have the impact it otherwise would. Just something to think about. Take care, my friend.”
“You too, Spooky. You still owe me a lot more explanation but it will have to wait. Markis out.” He touched the cutoff and turned to Millicent. “Get me Councilor Guzmann in Argentina.”
***
Elise’s frustration was palpable even across the link. “Damn it Daniel, you know I love you but I’m not liking you much right now. This will make the second change of objective in just a few days. The lab is in chaos, I don’t have enough resources, people are beyond upset because of the nuclear war – my God, I can’t believe I’m speaking those words like it was a normal occurrence – and now we have alien plagues falling and an ET on his way? People can only take so much!”
Markis nodded, sympathetic. “I understand, but I hope you can communicate to your scientists how much hell parts of the Earth are going through right now. The Eastern Seaboard of the US is a broken wasteland barely controlled by the National Guard; ditto the East Coast of China. Western Europe has seen hundreds of thousands of Edens die and Africa and Brazil just lost millions. So I’m going to ram a motion through the Council for a Manhattan-project style effort against this Demon Plague. It’s as good a name as any – a name to focus on and hate.”
“But right now it’s only killing Edens. Why?”
“Elise, that’s what I need you to find out. What’s it doing to people, with or without the Eden Plague? Why is it not hurting normals? We’re blind without information, and South Africa is now the center for Free Community bio-research. That means you. Pretty soon you’ll have more resources than you know what to do with. Shawna will be your administrator and I’m sending General Ribera to provide you with top cover and coordinate everything. He’ll speak in my name. You let them know what you need.”
Elise’s face was slack, stunned for a moment. “Too much, Daniel, too much. I can’t do it.”
Daniel’s heart caught in his chest, aching for his wife. “My love...you have to. We both have to do the best we can, that’s all. Just remember I love you. Rely on your people, tell them what to do but not how, they won’t let you down. Lean on those above you. If we all work together, we can do this.”
“I hope so. Daniel, I surely hope so. I love you too, but I have to go.”
Daniel watched her turn away from the video link as if the weight of the world rested on her. Which it does. On both of us. Dear God, I try not to bother you too much with my little problems but I think this one is big enough for Your attention. Please give her the strength to do it.
***
The conference room was filled to overflowing, with extra chairs and standing room. Chairman Markis stood front and center, flanked by Millicent and his military chief, General Arlo de Sanchez Ribera.
Markis nodded at the video tech, who gave him the countdown. When they went live, he spoke. “Good morning from Medellin, Colombia. We welcome the representatives of all nations to the first live open meeting of the Free Communities Council. My feed, and anyone who has the floor, is also being broadcast live around the world, so I also welcome all the people of Earth.”
The red lights showing requests to speak were already popping up on his board, but he ignored them. “First let me say again, on behalf of all of the Free Communities, how utterly appalled we are at the horrific loss of life brought about by the rogue nuclear strikes. The investigation continues and we will eventually publish a full report, but at this time all I can say is that it appears to be the work of one deranged individual who eluded our psychological screening and reprogrammed the missiles.”
The longer I hold this job the more I become a politician – evasions and half-truths. I can’t fully disclose what I know or it would shatter the Free Communities’ unity. It would embarrass and alienate the Australians. I feel that slippery slope under my feet. Lies for the greater good? God, give me wisdom.
“That aside, there is only one thing on the agenda right now, and here it is. Most of you will have heard about the outbreak of a terrifying new disease in certain areas of the globe. Free Community scientists and technicians, in conjunction with their Neutral States counterparts, believe that this disease is a biological weapon, deployed deliberately against humanity by one or more sophisticated spacecraft.”
His whole board immediately went red, and he could see the thumbnail images spasm into frantic motion. He ignored this too. “We have very solid evidence that the spacecraft that deployed this bio-weapon is extraterrestrial in origin. Let me say that again, quite clearly: we believe this disease was sent here by some nonhuman power, with the intention of harming us.”
“At approximately the same time” – this was stretching the truth a bit, but he did not yet want to implicate the Australians by pointing out to the world that the radio transmission had arrived before the disease – “Australian scientists picked up a communication we believe to be from an extraterrestrial intelligence. It appears to inhabit a spaceship approximately twenty million miles from, and on course for, Earth.”
Markis held up a hand and waited for a reduction in apparent chaos. “I have consulted with our scientists in the South American Free Communities and they have confirmed the signal and an apparently artificial craft exactly as the Australians reported it. This is no joke or hoax. Here is the text of the message we first received: Greetings, people of Earth. My name is Raphael. I am a nonhuman entity. Please arrange contact with Chairman Daniel John Markis.”
He went on, “Once I established the veracity of this message, I responded as follows, also in text: Chairman Daniel John Markis will communicate with you at 0930 American Eastern Standard Time tomorrow. That is just a few minutes from now. My technicians assure me that as long as the...person on the other end of the transmission is listening, we will be able to communicate using the same parameters and protocols that brought the message. All of you will witness this exchange, but he – or she – asked for me and I will speak for Earth.”
Markis took a sip of coffee, his hands steady. “We have time for a short word from some of the major powers. I yield one minute to the Prime Minister of Australia.”
The Prime Minister smiled and said, “Thank you, Mister Chairman. I confirm what has been said here. I also deny any notion of Australia being involved in the disease outbreak. We believe we were spared because the aliens simply tried to infect as many human beings as possible. Our computer models show a near-optimum deployment of this pathogen purely on the basis of population density. Thank you, and I yield the floor.”
Markis pressed an icon on his screen. “I yield one minute to the Prime Minister of Canada.”
Prime Minister Portmanteaux looked into the camera pickup rather abruptly, caught off guard, but after a moment smiled and responded smoothly. “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First, let me apologize personally to you for the unfortunate incident in Geneva. It appears rogue elements within the former United Governments Security Service attempted to infect you with a nano-mechanical poison. I had no knowledge of this. Now that Canada has seceded from that government, I will take this opportunity to announce that this country intends to apply for membership in the Union of Neutral States to ensure its continuing freedom and independence.”
Markis nodded. “Thank you for your frank and honest attitude, Prime Minister, and on behalf of the Free Communities we look forward to working with you in the future. I now yield the floor for one minute to the Interim President of Russia.”
The heavy-faced man on the video looked down and laboriously began reading from a piece of paper. “The Russian Federation denies in advance any authority our participating in this meeting appears to grant to Mister Daniel Markis or the rogue nations of the so-called Free Communities. We are not bound by any negotiations between any eks...exso...exoterrestrial entities and will make our own determinations as to our course of national action. We deny –”
Markis pressed the icon to cut him off. “Since you deny my authority in this matter, and the Free Communities’ very right to exist, you have forfeited your right to speak publically on Free Community channels and time. Ladies and gentlemen, let me remind you this alien asked for me. I did not seek to speak for the world, but I’m damn well going to do my best since I’m stuck with it. I hope when you are given your turn you have something constructive to say. Now, China has one minute, and that will be the last. After this, I have to talk to some little green men.”
Nervous laughter swept through the crowded conference room, partially obscuring the Chinese President’s first words. “The People’s Republic of China thanks Chairman Markis for his leadership during this crisis. China is confident that the interests of all peoples on the Earth will be taken into account, and hopes that these days of horror and needless bloodshed can be done away with. China has already recognized the Free Communities and the Neutral States as valid political entities and requires no more than reciprocal recognition of a united China by the peace and freedom-loving peoples of the world.”
Markis choked back a chuckle. Which means, “We get to keep Taiwan and Mongolia.” So be it, I have much bigger fish to fry right now. “Thank you Mister President, and I see my technician signaling me that we’re coming up on time.”
The clock numbers ticked slowly to 0930. As they did, Markis sent the first transmission from the keyboard in front of him.
Greetings, Raphael. This is Chairman of the Free Communities Council Daniel John Markis. What are your intentions?
It took over a hundred seconds each way for the signal to travel to distance; thus it was almost four minutes between transmissions. The reply finally came.
I will orbit Earth and we will talk. I will give you information vital to the survival of your race.
Markis typed, What do you know of the extraterrestrial biological attack upon us? Who is responsible?
The response time seemed a little longer this time.
It was my ancestors, but it was not me. My ancestors seek to subjugate all sentients to themselves as they expand from world to world. This infusion is only the first of several. Each phage will spread and build upon the last. You must find a way to defeat the phages.
Markis typed, If you truly wish to help us, transmit to us all the knowledge you have about these phages. All research, all data. As soon as possible.
I will send all I can, but this communication protocol is slow. Most of the data is encoded in my biomimetic and genetic material. My craft is primitive, barely adequate for transportation to and from Earth. I require a human for an interface, for Blending.
Markis looked around the room. “Blending?”
Rick responded, “Sounds like he wants to merge with one of us. You know, like on a sci-fi show or something. He said the information was encoded in his DNA. Maybe they transmit knowledge biologically.”
The conference room fell silent as those in it contemplated that unnerving prospect. “That’s...I don’t have words.” Markis rubbed his eyes. “Is any human being really going to want to do that?”
Ilona spoke up. “I suspect you will have more volunteers than you might think. What a unique opportunity!”
The Chairman stared at the intelligence officer in surprise. “Sounds almost like you want to do it...well, at least we have a few weeks before we have to come up with someone.” He put his head down to the keyboard and wrote. We will try to locate a human volunteer for Blending. When will the next biological attack arrive? Is there anything you can tell us that will help?
The next infusion probe will arrive in forty-nine days. You must put aside your differences and work together to decode the bio-information in the phages and counter their effects. If you do not, all human sentience will be wiped out.
Markis raised his voice above the buzz. “All human sentience? Do you think he misspelled ‘sentients’? Anyone?”
Millie replied, “He hasn’t misspelled a word yet. He seems to be communicating very precisely. Maybe he means exactly that?”
“Maybe. But what does ‘that’ really mean?”
Captain Ilona spoke up again from the back. “Sir, Mrs. Markis’ reports said the original Devil Plague seemed aimed at reducing humanity to the level of animals. For some reason it didn’t work very well. Maybe Raphael means exactly what he said. What if these aliens send explorers from world to world, then if they find any intelligent life, they customize a phage, an organism to reverse any progress they have made, sending them back to an animal state while not disrupting the ecosystem. They send back word to their nearest populated world and some years later – many years later perhaps – the alien colonists arrive. They merge – Blend – with the life forms, gaining instant adaptation to their new world, but without sentients to oppose them. That way they get to keep it all, no hassles.”
The noise level rose again. “At ease, people.” Markis held up his hand until things quieted. “That’s a very good guess, Miss Ilona, but it’s only a guess.” He typed into the computer: Raphael, you said you wanted to speak with me, Daniel John Markis. Why? Also, how can you confirm it is me speaking?
The response came a little early this time, apparently responding not to Markis’ text but to Ilona’s words.
The young woman who last spoke came amazingly close to accuracy. My ancestors are not natural warriors; instead, they infect, they corrupt, they Blend, and ultimately there is nothing left but lower animals and Meme.
There came a brief pause, and then more text appeared.
I know it is you speaking to me because I see you, just as the rest of the human race watching on their screens see you. I have grown adept at reading people in the last four millennia. I have watched you for ten years, Daniel John Markis. You are a symbol to the entire world. Some love you, some hate you, but all know you.
I am one individual. My race is a race of individuals. I cannot trust a committee or an assembly or a congress. I can only trust a trustworthy individual. I have visited your world many times, and always I found one man or woman to trust. Today, I choose to trust you.
Markis sat back amazed, looking around the crowded conference room as if he would see the alien himself appear. “Of course. Of course, this is being broadcast, so he’s seeing it. Raphael,” Markis raised his voice, “I thank you for your trust. Will you now trust us and show yourself? Show us who and what you are?”
As you wish. My appearance is not appealing to your species, but truth is more important than aesthetics. Here is a real-time feed of the inside of my spacecraft.
The picture on his video screen changed from the simple text display to a complex interior view. The resolution of the picture was surprisingly sharp considering the distance the signal had to travel. “Send this out to the world, Rick, will you please?”
Rick raced to the control station where he and the video tech there adjusted the system. He gave Markis the thumbs-up.
Everyone watching around the world saw a scene not so different from those of Earth’s own space explorations – a cramped room filled with unfamiliar and complex equipment, keyboards and buttons and levers and lights – and displays, oddly curved, concave, like inverse bubbles of color. Something sat – stood? – in front of one of them, an amorphous mass of pale green, held in a container, like a giant cup. An orb on a stalk extended from the creature, hovering at the focus of the inward-curving screen, as if to see everything from the inside of the hemisphere.
After a moment a pseudopod extended itself from the central mass and formed into a five-limbed appendage, like a hand.
It waved at the camera.
***
Markis ordered the general feed left on. He wanted complete transparency, no accusations of conspiracy or agendas; also he knew that the vast majority of the viewing public could only sustain their interest for a limited period of time. The most effective insulation against further disruption and chaos is banality and boredom.
Raphael for his part consented to the continuous video feed, and the Chairman’s governmental complex on Medellin’s Calle 45 grew rapidly, soon taking over the entire block and requiring the Colombians to assume external security. Free Community scientists talked with the alien as much as he allowed.
Markis’ time was taken up helping to manage the alien pandemic problem, what everyone now called the Demon Plague. While most coverage of Raphael’s interaction with Markis and the other humans was positive, the perpetrators of the attack were naturally termed “demons.”
It wasn’t long before groups of people – validated UFO believers, crazies, religious fanatics, martyr types, and serious young academics – hovered in crowds nearby in Medellin parks and plazas, delighting the local merchants and bedeviling the police. Some supported the alien’s arrival, some protested it, and some promulgated messages that were far less clear. Colombia began to strictly control visas and travel into the capital. Soon applications flooded in volunteering to Blend with the alien, so the Chairman wasn’t really surprised when Rick Johnstone asked for a private appointment.
“Sit down, Rick. What’s on your mind?”
“Sir, I want to be the one to Blend with the alien.” His face was serious, but nervous. “I’ve thought about it for a couple of days and I think I’m your best choice.”
Markis leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head. “Why?”
“Because I’m already close to you. It can’t be you; people won’t accept some kind of alien taking over your mind. I mean, that’s what they would say, and you’d be marginalized overnight. It has to be someone else, someone close to you, so you have confidence in...in the best interests of humanity. So you know what to look for. In case it’s some kind of trick. You know what I mean.”
“I do know what you mean.” Markis idly made his biceps jump, left-right, left-right, a nervous habit. “But does Jill?”
“Uh...” Rick abruptly looked like a rabbit under the eyes of a wolf.
“You haven’t talked with her?”
“Sir, you know what she would say.”
“Sounds precisely why I should refuse. What is she to you?”
“Uh...I don’t know.” He shrugged uncomfortably. “I mean, I’m in love with her...”
Markis put his arms down to lean forward, staring intensely at his dead friend’s only son. “Look, being with someone for the rest of your life – we old people call it ‘marriage’ – used to mean fifty or sixty years. Now it might mean a thousand. So I’m sure you think you can take your time. But doing this might foreclose all your options. We have no idea what this Blending really is. So before I even put you in the candidate pool, you go settle your relationship with Jill. You can’t just leave her out of it. I suggest you do the same with your mother and your sister. When you can come back and look me in the eye and tell me you’ve at least listened to them and understood what it all might mean, then I’ll think about it.”
Rick stood up, seething. “Why did I know you would react like this? You know, before we young people could look forward to our parents’ generation moving on and making way for us. Now we’re just going to be eternal kids. We’re never going to have any respect in your eyes.”
Markis just stared at him, not dignifying the outburst with a response. Slowly Rick crumbled under that stare. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean that.”
“Sure you did, but now you’re thinking it through. It’s all right. Everyone was young once. It’s your role to be stupid now and then. God knows I did it enough. But it’s our job to help you get past it. So, speaking of respect, talk to Jill. She deserves that much.”
Rick nodded, looking miserable as he turned to go.
Markis shook his head to himself as Rick walked out. Before the door shut there came a knock.
Captain Ilona poked her head in. “Sir, do you have a minute? Miss Johnstone said...”
“Sure, come in, sit down, Captain. Remind me, what’s your first name? Something with an S...”
“Sophia, sir.” Ilona was pretty, as all young healthy women are, but not someone who would snap heads around. In uniform she looked rather short and plain and a bit chubby, but he took notice of the bright inquisitive eyes and the even brighter mind behind them.
“So what is it that I can do for you?” He checked his watch surreptitiously below her line of sight; he had a meeting in twelve minutes.
“I want to Blend with the alien.” She looked breathlessly at him.
God save me from the young. “You too? You know I have about fifty zillion messages from around the world pleading for the same thing. You’re not even the first one on this staff that has asked.”
“I know, sir, but I wanted to tell you why –”
“Look, Sophia, I also get the feeling you won’t be the last. I’ll put your name in the hat. Millie! Assign one of your assistants to start screening applications for Blending with the alien. I never would’a thunk it but apparently it’s a popular idea. In fact, dig me up a few shrinks and form a working group. I have to talk with the South Africans in a few minutes. And find me a sandwich and some iced tea.”
Markis stood up, switching his attention back to Ilona. “Sorry, Captain, that’s the best I can do. Thanks for your great work on this project so far and I’m sure you have as good a shot at it as anyone. I have to go.”
“Of course, sir.” She watched him leave, wringing her hands behind her back.
