PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
“We have Solomon from Philadelphia,” said Gavin.
“Great to talk with you, Gavin. Love the show, just love it.”
“Always great to hear. So, talk to me, Solomon, what do you think’s going down in Stebbins?”
“It’s UFOs. This is exactly what happened at Roswell.”
“How so, Solomon?”
“First they make an official statement and then they recant it right away.”
“Sure, but the first statement was about an outbreak of a new kind of virus.”
“Which they recanted.”
“Viruses are terrestrial.”
“Are they, Gavin?”
“You tell me.”
“It’s all part of the conspiracy. Something crashed in Stebbins and that’s how the virus was released. It was something in the blood of the aliens. Something normal to their world but not to ours.”
“And the government is covering it up?”
“Absolutely. They want to use that virus as a bioweapon. That’s where these governments have always gotten their bioweapons. You think HIV came from people having sex with monkeys?”
“No, I don’t, but—”
“There you go. HIV, bird flu, swine flu, Ebola … the reason they’re so dangerous is because we have no natural immunity to that stuff. And why? Because it’s not from here.”
“How does that account for things like the black plague and the Spanish flu of the early twentieth century?”
Solomon laughed. “C’mon, Gav, you of all people have to know that they’ve been visiting us since before they built the pyramids.”
“Ah.”
“And this whole cover-up? That fake news story by Billy Trout? The rumors of soldiers shooting people in Stebbins? That’s just the military covering up the fact they have a crashed UFO. It’s textbook, Gavin. This is Roswell all over again.”
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN
THE SITUATION ROOM
THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C.
“Mr. President,” cried Sylvia Ruddy, “I think we have something!”
Everyone in the Situation Room whipped around toward her and all conversation died.
“Tell me,” said the president in a way that was an order flavored with a plea.
“Dr. Price at Zabriske Point received the Lucifer 113 samples. I have him on video conference.” She spoke into the phone. “Dr. Price, I’m putting you on with the president.”
A moment later Dr. Price’s thin, ascetic face filled the big view screen. His eyes were red-rimmed with fatigue but bright with excitement.
“Tell me something I want to hear,” said the president. “Do you have something for us?”