“You know, it's not information that's hidden on purpose; most of our team can't even find a link between humans and these so-called aliens. They're real, but they're not from outer space," she answered.
"If they're not from outer space, then why the spaceships?" Penn asked.
"They had some detail, some other knowledge about them, but they, I mean the 'aliens' are better able to draw up plans, blueprints, and things of that nature, than to talk.”
"So they're from where?"
"Underground, beyond the mantle; they're the ones who lead us to the minerals. Minerals which were then used to craft the base of these ships they're constructing. It's a weaving pattern, but the friction loss is only at 5%, making maintenance a breeze and flight even easier."
"So can we go into outer space, if they succeed?" Penn asked with a sparkle in his eye.
"Let's wait, shall we? After all, we don't even know if this is going to work; pulling off a stunt like this is rather dangerous." SpewHari got up and walked towards the doctor. They began to talk quietly amongst themselves, then left the room. Sketch and Igor got up, knowing that the doctor had been keeping things from them. They knew they couldn't trust him, but they also knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't put them in any real danger, danger that would entail death.
Penn, Teller, and Lurch were still sitting at the table, a look of confusion plastered on their faces. Their whole belief of what and where aliens were supposed to be had been brought into question. What’s more, apparently, they, whoever they were, were trying to construct a fleet of spaceships. However, Penn and Teller somehow knew that these people weren't too damned happy with area 51 and took it upon themselves to break a few underground laws.
Ben got up and backed away from the table; the spider had decided it wanted Ben's chair. Mole jumped back and everyone cleared away from the table. "You know," Penn started. “If there are aliens in those things out there, floating over the planet in a spaceship and causing a magnetic storm as a cover,” he continued, “so they could map the desert floor, or whatever their problem is, then something tells me that they can see and hear everything we’re saying in here, in this so-called invisible compound.”
"Yes, they probably can, but to NASA we're invisible. In the end if we get this down, the hard part's over," Igor answered.
"So why care about NASA?"
"Because, Fester, we're using their stuff."
Penn laughed. Teller laughed as well, but quietly. Ben was keeping cool, but was really a nervous wreck. Ben wasn't going to get too giggly when he was harboring a real fear of being abducted. Lurch looked though he had given up.
Sketch and Igor were keeping themselves busy by tracking clouds and the storm. “Oh shit! A pane is down out there, we’re getting zero thermal up here!” Sketch reported.
"...And the ships are back; if my reading is correct, we've got 285 feet," Igor added.
“I'll get the solar panel.” Sketch took her miniature tool set and headed out the door. For some reason, everyone followed her outside. Sketch trotted over to the stray panel and picked it up. Penn and Igor helped her clasp it down onto the make-shift stand. They got it back the appropriate height and angle. Everyone stood at the base of the panel, looking up at the strange, lingering storm.
There was another red flash of light coming through the clouds. Something odd was coming through the clouds; it looked like the bottom part of some type of craft. Though rather faint, it at first looked as if it was part of the cloud itself, but the glow of amber and bronze was now visible. Everyone was standing and staring, knowing that the doctor and SpewHari were missing the big event. For a moment, Lurch looked back at the building, believing no one was in it at the tine. They watched the scene that was unfolding before them in bewilderment and astonishment.
"Head for cover! Head for cover!" Lurch yelled as they made for the entrance.
“Wait! There is no cover out here! Or in there!” Ben yelled back, trying to be heard over the wind. They all stopped in their tracks, the ship seemed to be getting closer.
“Are we going to be abducted?” Penn asked in a frantic tone. Ben and Teller started back towards the building.
“Wait! We can’t get directly under that ship! I don’t know if it’s reached polar reversal, we could be Swiss cheese!” Igor indicated.
"What'll we do?" Sketch asked, more calmly.
“Ok, we’ll not let them see us freak. We go down fighting! No shooting until it becomes necessary!” Igor commanded.
They all stood under the ominous glow of the spacecraft. They looked at each other, trying to think of something. Then, almost at once, mingled shouts emanated from the group. Mainly from Ben, Mole, Lurch, Sketch, and Igor. “Come get me I.T.!”
“I think it’s E.T.”
“Your ship is so bland, it’s off center!”
“Tacky even!”
“Nazi’s are more threatening, even in Lederhosen!”
“You can’t even explore other planets because of your drunken pilot!” Other unseemly remarks of the sort were uttered as the group began to run towards the building, the long way.
“Ah, probe this!” Penn added his two cents. They ran as fast as they could while the spider, unnoticed, ran behind them and through the doors as the crew got back inside.
They were standing against the door, panting. A very heavy thud was felt underfoot. “Oh crap, I think they’ve landed,” Sketch whispered, almost frozen, fear returning.
They backed away from the doors slowly, huddled together. The door flew open, allowing a thin layer of smoke to travel through the open space. Someone stepped through the doors and smoke, someone who they knew was not the doctor or SpewHari. They all scattered and ran into their hiding places, leaving Teller standing alone. “Oh fuck this!” he said before also running away.
The figure walked into the main room, lit up a cigarette and looked back at the doors. “Alright, get your asses in here!” The strange person ordered to the other people who were apparently waiting outside. Four other people stepped inside. Dr. George and SpewHari were immediately at the entrance, calling for the others to come out of hiding. Everyone else did so and approached slowly as SpewHari introduced them to each other.
"Lurch, Igor, Ben, Sketch and Mole," she said, then looking at the visitors, “Dr. Goma, Wednesday, Mortamule, Boris, and Midgetknuckle.” Everyone exchanged dry hellos. Here and there, they noticed that the visitors were all wearing black jumpsuits with ‘Area 51 Security’ patches on their arms. All except Dr. Goma, who had a white lab coat over her jumpsuit.
"Yeah, well, we may have gotten the goddamn ships, but we have a problem," Dr. Goma said dryly.
“What’s that?” SpewHari asked. “The mother ship that we all piled into and took off in was the only plan we had, stealing that one ship. Apparently that mother ship was still maintaining a tractor beam with all the other spacecraft in the flight bay.”
“Which means?” asked Dr. George, a nervous look on his face.
“Which mean if you go look outside, we’ve got something like forty-fucking-two UFO’s parked out there.” Dr. Goma’s accomplices were looking rather nerve-wracked and on edge.
All of a sudden, Penn and Teller didn't want to be there. What with all the 'borrowed' equipment from NASA and the many wonderful yet stolen spaceships from Area 51, it just didn't seem like them. They began working out some kind of bizarre disclaimer in their heads, but gave up after five minutes. "Well, we're going now, it's been nice meeting all of you, it's been real, have fun now..." Penn said as he and Teller backed up towards the entrance.
"Hold up! If you think you're calling the feds, you're sadly mistaken.” Mortamule jumped in their way, blocking the entrance.
"We're not calling the feds, we're not with the CIA, we're not goons from NASA, we're nobody! Just two lost magicians who ran out of gas!" Penn began to weep, "We do tricks, with cards and knives, and maybe an occasional gun or two, please let us go!"
Mortamule looked at them studiously; a slight expression of recognition came over his face. “Two magicians? What are your names?”
"Fester and Renfield," Penn answered.
"Never heard of you." They then realized that they weren’t going anywhere. For the time being, anyway.
As the matter was resolved and understood, they walked away from the doors. Igor and Dr. Goma were standing next to each other, backs turned, not trying to say anything. Dr. George took notice. “You two know each other?”
“We used to work at the same base, before they got Area 51 completed,” Dr. Goma said blankly.
“That was a long time ago.” Igor said as she looked at Dr. George. “She’s the head biologist out there.”
“Mortician is more like it." Dr. Goma inserted.
“I left because of that rigid mortuary they’re running out there, Goma, not because I’m through being human or a companion.” Igor and Dr. Goma were eyeball to eyeball.
"Yeah, yeah, and you couldn't extend leave for me! You know how long I’ve been out there, running endless experiments, being followed no matter where I went?!"
"That's how they run all of 51; remember even the government isn't supposed to know about us!"
"But you got out, you cleared away, they never followed you!"
"That's because they didn't think I had anything! I couldn't do their shit anymore, Goma."
"Yeah but do you know what kind of darkness the place harbors now?" Goma's voice then lowered to almost a whisper as she looked at Igor with dark foretelling.
"Those beings, those cloth-thin bodies, never being able to maintain any solidity or cell growth... most of them are already dead when they cart them in to me. They discombobulate and fade, the most profoundly disturbing, unspeakable thing I ever witnessed. They're translucent, drained, and their eyes are empty. But there's something in that black stare. I wonder if there could ever be even the faintest spark of life, or could they have ever been alive, those underground creatures they dig up." Igor dropped her head. They both had such a somber expression of anguish that the others were speechless.
As Dr. Goma turned to look at the telescope, Igor grabbed her arm as if to say something causing Dr. Goma to drop something that appeared to be some kind of remote control unit. They both bent down to pick it up. “I didn’t leave because I saw a way out. They didn’t trust me anymore than they did you, Goma. For Christ’s sake, they had me digging around those tunnels down there! What kinds of things do you think I saw? I get to them before they’re even exposed to any solar light. I’d get time frames, which are only hours and days on their surface, which their precious equipment couldn’t even keep track of. How many years do you supposed passed in those depths?” Igor said as she and Goma choked back tears. The long durations of isolation under a secret operation that resembled an otherworldly war-zone and trauma they had endured had taken its toll.
"I never knew you were at the base levels. They’re endless aren’t they, those underground lay lines?” Dr. Goma asked with no more than an anguished tone.
“How could I have purposely abandoned you when I never knew where to go?” Igor asked with just as much anguish.
“You couldn’t,” Dr. Goma’s voice softened.