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whom he said he was, then the technology he used to get to Earth would be way beyond anything we have now and may be incomprehensible. Or, more likely, it could just be another way of dodging the questions. Not surprisingly, the main trouble that Physolan was having was convincing the people in the room that he was what he said he was: an alien from a distant star system. It seemed to Gaylord that Physolan thought that this would not be a problem and that what he was saying would be taken at face value.

  Physolan had patiently responded to a dozen questions mostly by sidestepping them when Gaylord saw a very slight lessening of his smile. He assumed this was a sign of boredom or frustration; it was the second time that Physolan showed signs of human emotions. The first had been his outburst at the gathered leaders in the Assembly Hall during his first visit.

  “Okay enough about me,” Physolan said in a commanding voice. “Let’s discuss what I can do for your planet. I have technology literally at my fingertips that is greater than anything you can create. My ship can generate more power in one minute than your planet could generate in one year.”

  Jason Jones spoke up, “What did you have in mind or did you want us to suggest options?” There was a sarcastic tint to Jason’s voice that was probably lost on Physolan but struck home with the other members at the table.

  Physolan replied quickly, “Well, yes, I do have some ideas. First off, I thought it would be a good idea to stop all the wars that are currently taking place around your world. Secondly, I could help establish democratic rule in countries that are oppressed and set up a world organization, based on the UN of course, to keep the peace. Plus there are lots of other areas for improvement such as power, water, food, health, etc.”

  These comments were met with muffled laughter from almost everyone in the room. Gaylord did not laugh. He was watching Physolan’s eyes, and he knew that Physolan meant exactly what he was saying. If Physolan was not an alien, he was totally insane. Could this individual really be what he says he is?

  Jason quipped, “Is that all?” There was another round of laughter, not so muffled this time. As Gaylord watched him, Physolan’s expression stayed the same, though now his eyes did seem to glow a little more brightly.

  “I realize that none of you believe me or take me seriously, though I see that one of you is more open minded to the possibility.” Physolan looked straight at Gaylord, who was standing near the back of the room cloistered with a group of advisors. Gaylord was startled and unnerved by the eye contact and couldn’t hold the stranger’s gaze. He quickly dropped his eyes to look at the floor. How the hell did he know? Physolan continued, “I guess I can’t blame you since I’ve done nothing that would indicate who or what I am nor what I am capable of. I have come prepared for that possibility. I have just download onto the computers of all the major medical facilities on your planet, that have the capability to receive it, a cure for all forms of cancer and malaria, plus a few other odds and ends that you may find useful.”

  “Also, since I am aware that your culture does not appreciate anything unless it is backed up with a show of force, I have decided to destroy an island in the Pacific Ocean. It is uninhabited and actively volcanic, so it will do no harm to your planet. I have sent the coordinates to all your media outlets. I will confirm that no one is in the area and minimize the impact upon native species in the area before destroying it at exactly 10 PM EDT. I had hoped to announce all this before the General Assembly, but that obviously did not work out as planned. I guess I will meet with you again when you have had time to analyze these occurrences. Mr. Secretary General, I am leaving this communicator, so you will be able to contact me whenever you wish. All you have to do is to hold it to your mouth and speak into it.” He laid a device that looked like a small spatula made of shiny metal on the table in front of him, and with a bright flash, he was gone.

  There were two seconds of dead silence, and then as if on queue, the room broke into pandemonium as everyone began to speak at once. Gaylord knew this would not work itself out for quite a while and decided to use his time more fruitfully. He managed to get Jason’s attention from the furor at the table and indicated to him that he was leaving. Jason mouthed the words “my office” to Gaylord, and with that, Gaylord left the conference room.

  As he worked his way through the labyrinth of halls back to Rep. Jones’ office, Gaylord was still shaken not only by the stare that Physolan gave him during the meeting but the implication of that stare. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. The odds of Physolan singling him out of a crowd, as someone that was considering the question of his really being an alien, by accident was astronomical. Was Physolan telepathic? Gaylord was beginning to have a feeling in his gut that made him very uncomfortable.

  By the time he reached Jones’ office, all the television monitors were caring the breaking story of a cure for cancer. Gaylord planted himself on the couch in Jones’ reception area and began watching the news that was being displayed on a monitor in the upper back corner of the room. The primary story was about how hospitals all over the world had just received data on how to prevent and cure cancer. There was no way the information could be validated without extensive testing, which would take many months, but most experts on the subject were saying that the proposed treatment seemed plausible. In addition, there was information on how to cure and prevent malaria as well. Again, validation would take weeks, but it seemed viable to the experts. The other “odds and end” that Physolan supplied related to treatments for heart disease, stroke, mental illness, and genetic diseases. The uncomfortable feeling in Gaylord’s stomach was now much worse.

  When Jason finally showed up at his office around 6 PM, Gaylord had been making calls to people he knew at various universities to get their opinions. The lines were busy and only about half his calls went through, but it was enough to get a feel for what the academic community was thinking. Jason signaled Gaylord in the reception area to follow him; then headed into his office. Gaylord grabbed his notes and followed. Jason’s office was very modern with bookcases along the walls and a table with four chairs around it in one corner. Jason went to his desk, which was centered in front of the windows, and sat down. Gaylord dropped his notes on the table then pulled one of the chairs up to the desk and sat down.

  Jason said in his normal demanding voice, “What do you think? Is this guy for real or what?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I’m beginning to have my doubts about him being a fake.”

  “You can’t really believe this guy is from another planet.”

  “Well, I have been checking on the cures that were sent to the hospitals, and they look legitimate. Plus, his appearances and disappearances are impressive and don’t seem to register on any of the sensors we have planted around the UN. I can’t make out how he is doing it.”

  “Come on, it’s some kind’a trick with mirrors or mass hypnosis or whatever. I can’t buy the alien thing. We don’t know if these so-called cures will work or not at this point. I need you to figure this guy out.”

  “I’m not so sure I can. If he really is an alien with superior technology, then I probably won’t. If he’s a fake, he will mess up sooner or later.”

  “So, then why do I need you?”

  “Moral support?”

  “You forget I work for the government and don’t have any morals?”

  “True. Then how about just staying as your science advisor.”

  Jason laughed, a deep throaty laugh. “I guess that’ll do until I can find someone else.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Gaylord replied sarcastically.

  “See what you can find out about the medical items, see if DOD has anything that they can spot in orbit, and get some ideas on how he does the vanishing act. Check back here just before 10 PM.”

  “Okay.”

  Gaylord was back at the office at 9:45 PM. Jason was still sitting in the same spot and condition that he’d been
in when Gaylord left three hours earlier. Jason’s face was showing signs of strain, so he hadn’t been idle. Jason spoke before Gaylord had time to sit down. “Whaday got for me?”

  “A few interesting things. Not much more on the medical information, except to say that the experts still agree that the cures are viable. They’ve done some simulations, and the preliminary results all support that conclusion. So I don’t think there is going to be much more on this until they actually do some test cases. On the orbiting spaceship idea, DOD has not picked up anything on their radars, satellites, or other sensors that they can’t already account for. But they are detecting some perturbations in the orbits of some of the satellites, and gravitational effects from an unseen object could cause this. But there is no way to tell at this point until they do a lot more looking and analyses. The last question about the vanishing act is still a mystery. We have determined that the flash that accompanies his appearances not only has a visible component but also an X-ray one. They aren’t harmful because they are very short-lived and not very strong. This was picked up by monitors at Columbia University, and the UN has been confirmed as the site. Generating X-rays like that would not be an easy thing to do without