THE SWORD AND SICKLE

PART ONE: REVELATION

CHAPTER FIVE,

DEBRIEFING

©2017, Olan L. Smith

"Thank you Mr. President," said Levi. Venus smiled and said nothing.

"Levi and Venus, I will get right to the point, as time is essential, we need your help and I would like you, Levi, to serve on the National Security Council while we deal with this very important matter."

"Of course, Jovian. That is what your people said when you came to get us, but you already knew we were waiting. Don't you Mr. President?" The President could easily feel and see Venus' hostility.

Hammett loosened his tie and leaned back in his chair, "Venus, I am not your enemy. In fact, I know that both of you are supporters of the Democratic Party and my administration, so we can work together and you will be a very important part of our administration."

"You will have to forgive Venus; she can be terse at times. But let me assure you we know everything that is happening at this very moment in space and here in D.C. In fact, we have been on the ship orbiting Jupiter, and we are well acquainted with everything on it. We will be of little help to you or to the Nation Security Council, I am afraid."

Hammett sat up in his chair and rested his arm on the table. You could see the surprise in his face, tempered with anger and a tinge of fear. "Levi, you've been on this ship? You're more connected than I thought. Do you have connections with aliens?"

Venus interrupted the President abruptly and said, "You have no idea just how connected we are."

"Nonetheless, I make a plea to your citizenship and to your patriotism to give us the information we need. Tell us what you know and tell me who your connections are to get on the ship." This time you could feel the power shift from the President to Levi and Venus. Tension filled the room when Venus had interrupted Hammett, and the President knew he appeared to these two to be a desperate man begging for a hand out.

"Mr. President, excuse my wife," as Levi sent his wife a glare. "She will not be abrasive again. I promise you. I will tell you this, because you will figure it out eventually. My connection is my guide. She transported us to the ship for a debriefing, such as this, but I briefed them instead. The ship is not alien, and it is not from this Earth, and if you know how to read you will figure it out. I promise you, it will not be of danger to you or this world, until you are out of office. The ship is under my control and my control only, and if you attack it you cannot hurt it. So do not waste the taxpayer's money, instead feed the poor. If you try to hurt us, you will fail. If you try to detain us, we will vanish amid your grasping. If you try to find us, we will walk among you and you will not recognize us. Tell the people to prepare themselves, for I am coming. Do not be like the pearl fisherman, who after finding a beautiful pearl of great value, puts it in his pocket and returns home only to find he has a hole in his pocket. Instead, clothe yourself in apparel of the strongest materials and then search for the pearl."

The President appeared frozen in time as though he was having a seizure. He heard the words that Levi spoke, but his lips never moved. Jovian felt the opposite of an out of body experience, instead his soul felt imprisoned in his body, a déjà̀-mais, the feeling you are lost, yet you have been there many times. He blinked his eyes and looked up and Levi and Venus were gone. He stood up and looked around the room, then he went to the door and asked the security guard if he has seen the two leave the room. The Secret Service agent grabbed his gun and went in to search for them. The President spoke, "I've already looked in there, you fool. Gather your men and go find them. Don't come back without them." The guard scurried off to gather men. Hammett went to his office and stopped to talk to his personal secretary, "Sue, get Former President Wright, the head of Homeland Security, and Secretary of State McDowell immediately. I want them in my office in ten minutes, and cancel the press meeting."

"Yes Mr. President, right away." Sue could hear the tension in his voice. As she looked at his face, she was shocked.

"Mr. President, your hair is...."

The President interrupted, "Sue, I don't have time to worry about my hair, just do as I say." When the President opened the door, he went to his desk and looked at the three documents that he and Jim had gone over earlier. He picked them up, and went over to the document shredder and shredded them. By the time he finished, he heard his secretary on the speaker, "Mr. President, they're already to see you. When should I tell them you are ready?"

"Sue, send them right in and, Sue, I am sorry I was gruff."

William Alderman, the head of Home Land Security, entered the room first, followed by Secretary of State McDowell, and finally the Former President, Jim Wright, entered. Then, as though they were deer caught in the headlights, they all stopped and looked intently at the President.

"The President said, "Enter and have a seat, we have much to talk about."

They did not move, their mouths were slightly agape and finally, Secretary of State McDowell said, "Mr. President, your hair..." she stopped abruptly.

"Oh yes, Sue said something about my hair. What is the problem with it?"

Jim said, "Holy crap, man, you look like Moses after seeing the face of God." Hammett stood up and walked to the mirror. He looked, and what he saw shocked him, not only was his hair pure white and looked older, he also his face glowed.

He turned around and said, "My hair can wait, but we have a very serious problem. First the threat assessment and the cover story. Shred all your copies. We have to start from scratch. Go ahead and sit, so we can get started." The three sat across from the President and opened their note pads to take notes. "Levi, his wife, and I suppose his daughter have vanished."

Secretary of State McDowell asked, "What do you mean vanished?"

"I mean exactly that, vanished, poof, evaporated into thin air. ...just plain gone. I was interviewing the Jackson's and they disappeared before my eyes, right now I have the FBI and the Secret Service looking for them, but I doubt we will find them."

He looked at the head of the FBI, Willam Alderman, who was on his cell phone already coordination his agents. "What can you tell me about the daughter?"

He replied, "She's gone. Sir. All the cameras in the hallway show nothing, and the door never opened. The cameras in the room just show the child and the nanny all the time lying on the bed, but when we opened the door, she had disappeared, and we had one hell of a frightened nanny. The room had no windows and the door was the only way in or out."

Jim Wright, inquired further of the President, "I am afraid; I do not follow. How on Earth did they just vanish before your eyes?"

"I am not sure. One second I was talking to them, and the next moment they vanished, just went poof. The interview was not what I was expecting at all, from the very first, I tried to make them feel comfortable and the next thing I know, they took control of the conversation and they were telling me what to do, treating me like a peon."

Jim said, "I was worried about you interviewing them alone, sir."