Area 51: The Reply-2 by Robert Doherty
Authors: Robert Doherty
Tags: Fiction, Literary, General, Science-Fiction, Historical, Fantasy, Espionage, High Tech, Unidentified flying objects, Space ships, Nellis Air Force Base (Nev.), Area 51 Region (Nev.)
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wandering around in a fog for the past couple of days.
Something's up."
Nabinger shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just bothered by . . ."He paused as they saw several people running toward the press tent.
"Something's happening," Kelly said. The two of them ran toward the green canvas tent. They pushed their way in behind the other people staring at the small TV set. A broadcast of CNN relayed from the American naval task force offshore was playing. They caught the broadcaster breathlessly repeating her news:
"This just released from UNAOC in New York City. There has been a second message from the Guardian Two computer on Mars. The entire text of this new message is in the binary form that part of the first was in. We are waiting on the transla-
99
tion of the message that has been promised us by a UNAOC spokeswoman. It will .
. ." The announcer paused. "Yes, it is coming in now. We will put it up on the screen for you to read as we get it."
In bold black letters, words began to scroll up the screen.
GREETINGS
WE ARE OF PEACE
WE HAVE WAITED LONG FOR THIS
BUT NOW WE CAN COME BACK
NOW THAT YOU ARE READY
TO JOIN US
WE WILL AWAKE
AND COME BACK TO YOUR PLANET
ASPASIA
END
"Oh, my God," Kelly muttered as the inside of the tent broke out in bedlam.
She staggered outside with Nabinger. "They're up there," she said, looking into the sky. "They've been up there all this time. That's where they went!"
100
Chapter 9
Those are the statues of the sixty-one foreign ambassadors and rulers who attended the funeral of Gao-zong," Che Lu said as they slowly drove down the wide dirt road that led to Qian-Ling.
"How come their heads are gone, Mother-Professor?" Ki asked, staring at the large stone figures that stood in rows at the side of the road.
"No one knows," she said. Her attention was focused on what lay directly ahead. Rising up in front of them, over three thousand feet high, lay the mountain that was Qian-Ling. It was the largest tomb in the world, dwarfing even the pyramids of Egypt and the large dirt mounds in the Americas. The sides of the mountain were covered in trees and bushes, but it was easy to see that it was not a natural formation, as the sides had a uniform slope leading up to a rounded top.
They were traveling down the same road the funeral procession for the Emperor Gao-zong had taken so many years ago. Che Lu felt the familiar tingle of touching the past, the feeling that had
101
determined her destiny for her so many years ago when she'd first passed through the Great Wall in the company of Mao.
Her attention was distracted from the massive hill, though, by the sight of several trucks and tanks parked across the road a kilometer ahead. She could make out the men in the green uniforms and the guns in their hands clustered around the vehicles.
"What should I do?"' Ki asked, slowing the Jeep.
"Go up to them. We have permission," Che Lu said. The immediate area for several kilometers around was unpopulated, being designated a historic district.
She could think of no reason why the army would be here unless someone in Beijing had wised up. If that were the case she knew from hard experience it would be better to face this head-on than run.
But as she slowly stepped out of the Jeep and met the soldiers, she noticed that they seemed as surprised by her presence as she was by theirs. The officer in charge of the checkpoint carefully read the letter from the Ministry of Antiquities giving Che Lu permission to be here.
"Will you be entering the tomb?" he asked.
Che Lu shook her head. "We will be doing some measurements on the outside.
That is all."
The officer frowned but the letter had the proper signatures and seals. "Be careful. There are bandits in the area. I take no responsibility for your safety on the mountain."
"Bandits?" Ki asked. They drove away from the checkpoint, beginning their ascent up the side of the mountain toward the entrance, leaving the 102
soldiers behind and out of
Something's up."
Nabinger shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just bothered by . . ."He paused as they saw several people running toward the press tent.
"Something's happening," Kelly said. The two of them ran toward the green canvas tent. They pushed their way in behind the other people staring at the small TV set. A broadcast of CNN relayed from the American naval task force offshore was playing. They caught the broadcaster breathlessly repeating her news:
"This just released from UNAOC in New York City. There has been a second message from the Guardian Two computer on Mars. The entire text of this new message is in the binary form that part of the first was in. We are waiting on the transla-
99
tion of the message that has been promised us by a UNAOC spokeswoman. It will .
. ." The announcer paused. "Yes, it is coming in now. We will put it up on the screen for you to read as we get it."
In bold black letters, words began to scroll up the screen.
GREETINGS
WE ARE OF PEACE
WE HAVE WAITED LONG FOR THIS
BUT NOW WE CAN COME BACK
NOW THAT YOU ARE READY
TO JOIN US
WE WILL AWAKE
AND COME BACK TO YOUR PLANET
ASPASIA
END
"Oh, my God," Kelly muttered as the inside of the tent broke out in bedlam.
She staggered outside with Nabinger. "They're up there," she said, looking into the sky. "They've been up there all this time. That's where they went!"
100
Chapter 9
Those are the statues of the sixty-one foreign ambassadors and rulers who attended the funeral of Gao-zong," Che Lu said as they slowly drove down the wide dirt road that led to Qian-Ling.
"How come their heads are gone, Mother-Professor?" Ki asked, staring at the large stone figures that stood in rows at the side of the road.
"No one knows," she said. Her attention was focused on what lay directly ahead. Rising up in front of them, over three thousand feet high, lay the mountain that was Qian-Ling. It was the largest tomb in the world, dwarfing even the pyramids of Egypt and the large dirt mounds in the Americas. The sides of the mountain were covered in trees and bushes, but it was easy to see that it was not a natural formation, as the sides had a uniform slope leading up to a rounded top.
They were traveling down the same road the funeral procession for the Emperor Gao-zong had taken so many years ago. Che Lu felt the familiar tingle of touching the past, the feeling that had
101
determined her destiny for her so many years ago when she'd first passed through the Great Wall in the company of Mao.
Her attention was distracted from the massive hill, though, by the sight of several trucks and tanks parked across the road a kilometer ahead. She could make out the men in the green uniforms and the guns in their hands clustered around the vehicles.
"What should I do?"' Ki asked, slowing the Jeep.
"Go up to them. We have permission," Che Lu said. The immediate area for several kilometers around was unpopulated, being designated a historic district.
She could think of no reason why the army would be here unless someone in Beijing had wised up. If that were the case she knew from hard experience it would be better to face this head-on than run.
But as she slowly stepped out of the Jeep and met the soldiers, she noticed that they seemed as surprised by her presence as she was by theirs. The officer in charge of the checkpoint carefully read the letter from the Ministry of Antiquities giving Che Lu permission to be here.
"Will you be entering the tomb?" he asked.
Che Lu shook her head. "We will be doing some measurements on the outside.
That is all."
The officer frowned but the letter had the proper signatures and seals. "Be careful. There are bandits in the area. I take no responsibility for your safety on the mountain."
"Bandits?" Ki asked. They drove away from the checkpoint, beginning their ascent up the side of the mountain toward the entrance, leaving the 102
soldiers behind and out of
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