“We also used agents of misinformation. One noted example is a man called Steve Jarvis, who has claimed for years to have worked out here at Area 51. In reality, Jarvis is an agent of ours who reveals information to media people. Some of the information he gives is actually true, some is false. All of it is specifically designed to prepare people to accept without fear what we have here.
“We actually even ran a small test of disclosure several years ago when the Air Force rolled out the F-117 Stealth fighter and displayed it publicly. There was no valid military or security reason to reveal the existence of the Stealth fighter. In fact, the Air Force vigorously fought the disclosure. However, the operation was done to test media and popular reaction to a government revelation of something the government had previously kept secret from the populace.
“As you can see from my data on that…”
Gullick remembered that event well. The Air Force had screamed bloody murder about publicizing the F-117. But the interesting thing to Gullick was that Slayden and his spin doctors had turned the tables on the Air Force General Staff, pointing out to them the beneficial possibilities disclosure would bring in the arena of budgeting with Congress. In the end the Air Force had been enthusiastic about the event. Gullick wasn’t foolish enough to believe, though, that the F-117 disclosure was anything like announcing the existence of the mothership. It sure sounded good, though.
Of course, Slayden was only giving Duncan the tip of the iceberg. Slayden and his people had early on presented one of the truths of psychological preparation: overstimulation.
And making people believe the truth to be much worse than it really was, was one of the major purposes of the Nightscape missions.
Nightscape had conducted numerous animal mutilations, rural overflights by the disks, and even human abductions. There was no way they would let Duncan know about that.
And even Slayden didn’t know the extent of Nightscape; he didn’t know of the need at Dulce for the people who were abducted or the animal parts that were brought back. Gullick rubbed the right side of his skull, irritated at the timbre of Slayden’s voice. Goddamn academic assholes. Gullick checked his screen one more time, looking for an update on the search for both the foo fighters and Von Seeckt’s group.
Gullick looked across the conference table at Duncan.
He was disgusted with outsiders whining and complaining about government secrecy and security. He thought it the most amazing paradox and could not understand why others didn’t see it the way he did: If the public could handle knowing everything, then there wouldn’t be any need for the secrecy because the world would be living in harmony.
It was the same people who decried the government that made the government necessary. If they all had the self-discipline that he and other military people had, the world would be a hell of a better place, Gullick thought as he waited impatiently for the briefing to be over so he could get back to real work.
CHAPTER 24
They still had the same van. Kelly had argued to ditch it, but Turcotte insisted they might need the equipment.
They’d compromised by switching the government license plate for a private one. Kelly had assumed driving chores and watched in the rearview mirror as Turcotte sat in one of the four captain’s chairs in the back, beside the communication and computer console that took up most of the left side. They both were listening as Von Seeckt and Nabinger put together what they had shared and tried to postulate some reasonable theories to explain what they had.
“We have to assume that the bomb you found in the pyramid was of the same technology as the disk and mothership,” Nabinger said.
Von Seeckt nodded. “Yes, that is reasonable.”
“Going beyond that, I think that many of the commonalities among ancient civilizations can now be explained.”
Nabinger took out of his backpack the papers Slater had given him. “The high rune language that has been found at various spots across the world must have originated with these aliens. In fact, I would say that these aliens must have affected the natural progression of mankind’s development.” He then proceeded to explain the diffusionist theory of the rise of civilization.
When he’d finished Von Seeckt was deep in thought. “I have thought about this often over the years, wondering who left this marvelous technology behind and why. About ten thousand years ago there was an alien outpost on this planet. It was—”
“Why aliens?” Turcotte asked suddenly, echoing the question that had popped up in Kelly’s head.
“Excuse me?” Von Seeckt said.
“Why does it have to be aliens? All along everyone is assuming that these craft were left by another species, but why couldn’t they have been developed by some ancient civilization of man that perished, and we’re the recycles?”
Nabinger smiled. “I have considered that, but the facts argue against it’s being even a remote possibility. The level of civilization needed to develop craft such as they have out at Area 51 would have left much more of a trace than simply those craft and the bomb found under the Great Pyramid. We have been scouring the surface of the planet for a long time. Certainly an advanced human civilization would have left more of a trace. No, these things had to have come from an alien culture.”
In the rearview mirror Kelly could see Turcotte raise his hands, ceding the point.
“However, it is good that we not close our minds to other possibilities,” Von Seeckt said. “As I was saying, it appears that we are back at the original problem. We are not any closer to understanding why the ships were abandoned by the aliens.”
“Maybe they had no place to go,” Kelly offered. “Maybe their home world was destroyed and they came here on a one-way colonizing mission, and that is why the mothership was hidden in that cave — so they couldn’t go back.”
“But what about the bouncers?” Turcotte asked. “They were still capable of flight. Hell, we’re flying them now. Surely they wouldn’t have hidden them like that.”
“And why the bomb hidden in the pyramid?” Kelly asked.
That question was one Nabinger must have been pondering. “No one has ever really determined why the pyramids were built. Originally they were assumed to be burial monuments, but that theory was debunked when no bodies were found in the chambers inside. Then it was assumed they were cenotaphs — monuments to dead pharaohs whose actual burial place was hidden to guard against future grave robbers.
“But with this new information there’s another theory we ought to consider. It is a bit strange, but as Doctor Von Seeckt has said, we must consider all possibilities. Let me give you a little information about the construction of the Great Pyramid.
“There are two small tunnels coming out of the uppermost chamber, also known as the king’s chamber. The exact purpose of these tunnels is not clear, as they are too small for people to go through. An interesting fact, though, is that if you follow their exact azimuth out to the stars, one is aligned with Alpha Centauri and the other with Alpha Draconis, two nearby star systems.”
“Maybe our aliens came from one of those systems,” Von Seeckt said.
“Another interesting theory, but one previously considered outrageous,” Nabinger said, “is that the pyramids are space beacons. Originally, the entire exterior of all three in the Giza group was covered with very finely crafted flat limestone.” He looked at the other two men in the back of the van. “Can you visualize what they must have looked like then?”