The two men in the black suits ignored the ragging Daniel whose face was by now a deep shade of beetroot, and approached Cal, as they got closer he subconsciously took a step back until the wall blocked his retreat.
“No need to be afraid Mr. Walter, we would like to return your property.”
Daniel swung around and glared at Cal, “Don’t tell me you know these circus clowns?” Daniel noticed the fear in his friend’s face, “What’s wrong with you?”
Cal was unable to answer.
The first man in black walked slowly towards Cal and as he did he pulled out the camera and notepad that had been confiscated the night before.
“We have made some minor revisions to your work but you are welcome to have the edited work back.” The man in black held out his open palm and presented the items to Cal.
Cal was wary of taking anything from the strange men but by now the dazed feeling had taken control and Cal acted without thinking. He reached out and took his stuff back from the man. Cal retreated to the wall and flicked through his notepad; it was empty. Cal started to feel sick as he checked his camera, everything from the night before had been wiped.
“What the hell is going on here, you two better explain who the hell you are before I beat the shit out of you!” Daniel screamed.
The men in black turned to look at the portly editor and in unison, “I wouldn’t do that.” The eerie voices chimed out.
Daniel’s fury was reaching fever pitch. “Fuck this!” He screamed and picked the phone up, his intention was to get security to come up and remove his uninvited guests. The line was dead though.
Daniel felt a cold touch on his shoulder and when he looked up, the first man in black was stood right next to him, and his hand was placed firmly on the editors’ shoulder.
“What… how did you get there without me noticing?” Daniel asked but he felt strange and his anger levels rapidly seeped away. Daniel began to feel disorientated and dazed.
The man in black pushed the editor back into his chair, “Please sit Mr. Burton, we have something to discuss with you. With your cooperation, this will not take long.”
Daniel nodded; he felt only the desire to submit.
The man in black snapped his head towards Cal; “Mr. Walter this is a private discussion, my colleague will show you to your vehicle. I am sure Mr. Burton will allow you to have the rest of the day off.”
Daniel did not look away from the man but just gave a dismissing wave.
“Thank you Mr. Burton.”
The second man in black gestured for Cal to follow him, which the reporter did instinctively. The man in the black suit closed the double doors behind him and then escorted Cal through the strangely deserted building. Finally, Cal was left outside with a warning.
“Do not attempt to return to or try to contact work today Mr. Walter.”
Then the door was locked behind him.
Cal woke up several hours later in his living room; he looked around groggily, as he had evidently fallen asleep in his armchair but how? The last thing he could remember he was in Daniel’s office, celebrating so how the hell did he get here without any recollection of the drive home?
The reporter went to get up but something fell off of his lap. He picked up the paper and turned it over to the front page; it was a later edition of the tribune-review. Cal’s eyes widened in disbelief at the Headline:
Military Search woods near Kecksburg nothing is found.
Cal continued to scan ‘his’ article.
The military was called in by the State Troopers and by concerned locals to search the area where a meteor had reportedly crashed. After cordoning off the area in the interest of public safety the National Guard completed a thorough search but found nothing.
Cal was dumbfounded, he knew this was a blatant lie but why had Daniel changed the story that he had seemed so pleased with earlier in the day?
Cal read the last part of the article.
The military had kept people in their homes away from the area because of a fear of contamination from the meteor. ‘This is just standard procedure’ the Major in charge confirmed in a later interview. When asked about an object sighted on the back of a flatbed truck he chuckled ‘That was us just moving one of our broken down vehicles, we hid it under a cover to hide our embarrassment that our equipment had broken down again.’
So after a day of excitement in our little part of the world, we can sleep safely in the knowledge that we won’t get sick from a wayward meteor. It was nowhere near Kecksburg and actually crashed some one hundred miles northeast. We can go back to our normal routines as the State Police have finally removed the roadblock.
Cal felt angry and betrayed, where had his earlier story gone and why was there no mention of it? He went over to his phone and began to dial in Daniel’s office number. Suddenly a disturbing image of a man dressed in a jet black suit flashed into his mind. Cal felt nauseous as the figure gave its ominous warning. Cal hung up the receiver and slumped back into his armchair.
The reporter had no idea what was going on but obviously, the military was covering something up and they were willing to go to great lengths to keep it that way; that much was clear. Cal rose to his drinks cabinet, pulled out a large scotch bottle and filled up his glass. He began to drink heavily that night and eventually passed out in his chair.
A few weeks later Daniel Burton was found dead behind the wheel, he had apparently been speeding and lost control of his vehicle on a sharp bend, the vehicle spun out of control and collided head-on with a tree. After a thorough investigation by the State Police, the case was closed and the death was officially concluded as an accident.
Cal Walter’s was never the same again; he quickly fell into a deep depression that he fueled with copious amounts of scotch. He felt the loss of his friend deeply and had constant nightmares about the men in black suits. Cal briefly tried therapy but this failed to help.
A couple of months after the Kecksburg incident Cal was found dead in his living room chair, two empty bottles of Scotch were found knocked over on the table beside him. The police officers that found him decided that there was no evidence of foul play and a verdict of accidental death by alcohol poisoning was accepted by all that knew him; If only the coroner had tested his blood a few days after his death then they would have discovered a huge amount of antifreeze in his system.
Hanger 27
By the time the flatbed truck carrying the golden clad object had reached its destination, the sun was had just popped up above the horizon. It had been an uneventful journey up from Kecksburg and the Soldiers were getting sleepy.
Wright Patterson Air Force base was to be the objects new home. Paperwork was exchanged between the National Guard and their Airforce counterparts. Finally, when everything was in order the flatbed truck drove along the base, escorted by its new guards.
When the truck arrived at the large looming doors of Hanger 12, it was signaled to stop. Three armed guards approached the truck and instructed the National guards to get out of the vehicle slowly. They then escorted the National Guard drivers to a couple of jeeps and drove them back to the main gate. The three air force men then jumped into the flatbed truck and drove it into the large hanger.
The flatbed drove through the hanger and out of the other side; away from prying eyes it then continued through the base until it stopped at the entrance of Hanger 6. The large doors opened and allowed the truck to enter. The truck went to the very end of the hanger, where it then just waited. After a couple of minutes, the object and the truck started to lower into another, secure Hanger; the large lift descended slowly for four or five minutes until it stopped with a loud clunk.