The sky to the east gained a deep blue hue as dusk neared. Clouds that had laced the sky during the day moved on to northern reaches, leaving a calm, warm evening.
The crane retracted after stretching a wire from a tall tree over the house to a tree at the far edge of the gully. The Heavy equipment moved to a hidden clearing on the other side of the road, leaving only a few cars parked in the long driveway as set for the drama. After a minor study, the thinkers had informed Turner that there should be one new car, several cars a few years old, and one dilapidated truck to set the correct tone for the drama.
Looking at the vehicles, Turner could not understand the logic behind the recommendation, but his position was not secure enough to arguing with his superiors.
Movement caught his eye. Turner glanced to his left and saw the doctor walking along the edge of the lawn, obviously searching for the mock UFO as he pushed aside various bushes and peered into the undergrowth.
Turner walked to the man, his stride soft and deliberate.
The doctor was a problem that had no solution. Turner could not have the doctor removed from the project without justification, yet the man’s presence suggested there was something more to the operation than a mere drama, something Turner was unaware of, an unknown danger. The medical experience was an obvious cover for any activity the man might be planning.
As if he was a tiger on the scent of prey, Turner stalked the doctor as the man blithely searched the brush. He neared the doctor, then stopped and watched the man, waiting for the doctor to sense his presence, wanting to know how practiced the doctor was at keeping aware of his surroundings.
The man was horribly inept. The doctor discovered Turner gazing at his watch while glancing up occasionally.
“How long have you been there?” The doctor asked as calmly as he could manage.
“Long enough.” Turner brushed the sleeve of his jacket over the watch. “What are you doing out of the control room?”
“I wanted to see the UFO.”
“This way.” Turner led the doctor to the end of the yard, where a path descended into the gully and helped the older man down with an occasional hand.
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“Would it be out of line if I said I get the impression you want to kill me?” The doctor asked in a joking tone of voice, his eyes searching Turner.
“I do sometimes.”
“How many people have you killed?”
“More than one and less than one hundred.” Walking at a slow pace in the gully, Turner kept his back to the doctor as a sign of contempt.
“Why are you so evasive?” the doctor pressed, as he followed Turner.
“You do not need to know my history. You need to pay attention to the mission.”
“The mission.” The doctor repeated, then was silent for a moment as he remembered he could not talk freely with Turner. “Have you wondered what this mission is all about?”
“A classic case of misdirection.”
“Who can we be misleading? Think about it; no one in their right mind will believe the idea of a group of people being kidnapped by aliens.” The doctor ducked below an overhanging branch and looked up at Turner as he spoke. “Why would they bring the heavy operators like yourself if it was a simple abduction story?
“I asked for the mission.” Turner favored the doctor with a smile flawed by the reflective sunglasses he wore. “It was my idea.”
Accepting Turner’s offered hand, the doctor stood slowly. “That surprises me. I did not expect an answer and I would not think this type of operation was something you think about in your free time.”
“Have I ruined your study?” Dropping the doctor’s hand, Turner walked further into the gully and the dark growth that clogged the path.
“Maybe,” the man admitted. “I’ve never met an assassin, so I don’t know what to expect.”
Turner gave a short laugh and shook his head. “So, you are here to watch me, not the actors.”
“I’m uncertain who the real actors are in this bunch.”
“Well,” Turner pushed aside a low hanging evergreen branch revealing a silver spacecraft sitting in the gully. “At least you’re honest.”
They stepped into the small clearing made for the saucer, Turner watching the doctor look at the craft in undisguised curiosity. Eventually Turner walked to the craft and rapped on the aluminum skin.
“How long till you’re done, Paul.” Turner tapped on the saucer hull.
“Getting there, Cap.” came a voice from within the saucer. “Another ten, fifteen minutes and we can give the lights a test.”
“Cap? Captain? A military history, perhaps?” The doctor eyed Turner from over the top of the UFO.
“Don’t push your luck, Doctor.” Turner frowned at the man. “Haven’t you ever heard of the cat and curiosity?”
“Yes, Sir.” The doctor gave a mock salute, then walked out of sight behind the saucer.
Out of view, he pulled a small object from his coat pocket and fumbled with the device for a moment until the top of it turned and a soft blue light came from a hole in its bottom. Scuffing a divot in the dirt with his shoe, he dropped the object, then buried it under a thin layer of soil. When the doctor came into view on the opposite side of the saucer, it was as if he had never stopped.
He looked up at the scant view of the sky and sighed. “Perhaps I should return to the house.”
“I’ll take you.”
“Don’t want me to get lost?”
“No. I don’t trust you.” Turner turned his back on the saucer, leading the way back up the gully.