Read Online Closest Encounter by E.G. Wiser - Free Book Online

slowed to a stop a hundred or so feet behind them. For a moment, that was it. No car doors opened, no sirens flashed, no loud speaker announcements punctuated the air. Then, from the dark truck in front of them emerged three figures wearing bulky black outfits that resembled nothing so much as spacesuits. The spherical helmets that contained the figures’ respective heads were of a particular non-reflective, opaque black.
    Beth and Brad climbed out of the truck, walked up the road to meet the approaching figures. Brad had his hand resting on the butt of his gun. Beth didn’t bother. She had a feeling that this was not a situation anyone would be shooting their way out of.
    One of the strangely dressed figures came forward, holding something in his hand for them to read. As they got closer, Beth read the ID out loud. “Global Initiative for Terrestrial Integrity.”
    Brad sighed and said, “What is that? GIFT? It sounds like such a nice organization…”
    A man’s voice filtered through an electric speaker on the suit answered, “GITI, actually. And we are a very nice organization… If you consider protecting the entire planet from outside forces ‘nice’.”
    “I guess that seems pretty nice,” Brad said. “So… Thanks?”
    “So what are you guys? Part of the UN?” Beth asked.
    “Not exactly,” the faceless man said. “But let’s say that that’s close enough. The point is, we represent a conglomeration of world authorities and thus outrank any jurisdiction you might think you have in this matter.”
    “Yeah,” Beth said. “I kind of figured that by the giant truck blocking the road. Do you guys have any idea what you’re dealing with here?”
    “We’ve been kept apprised.”
    “Then I hope you have some special NASA chastity belts in those get-ups,” Brad said.
    The man from GITI made a noise that could have been a chuckle or just static on his speaker.
    “We’re well prepared, I assure you,” he said, gesturing to the other figures behind him, who now approached the truck—ostensibly to examine its alien cargo. One climbed into the truck’s cabin, started the engine and pulled it forward toward the GITI truck, which was large enough to contain the entirety of their truck in its storage. Doors at the back of the GITI truck opened with an automatic hiss. A ramp descended. The smaller semi drove up the ramp and the doors closed again behind it.
    “I imagine you have your own hole inside a mountain you can store this thing safely in then,” Beth said.
    And the man in the black spacesuit said, “We have prepared a facility for the purpose. But we thank you for your efforts in getting the object this far, Agent August. You are a hero.”
    “Gosh, thanks,” she said, not quite rolling her eyes.
    “You’re welcome from me too,” Brad said and the speaker on the man’s spacesuit either laughed or clicked again.
    Not long after that the truck was gone to parts unknown, and one by one the caravan of blue vehicles behind them followed, leaving Beth and Brad at the side of the road until the last SUV pulled over and a tinted window slid down. Inside was a driver wearing a blue suit. He had something that looked like a gas mask over his face, but he pulled it off to reveal a visage of no particular interest or enthusiasm.
    “I’m your ride back,” the man said. “Take it or leave it.”
    They took it.

Chapter Twelve
     
     
     
    After filing all the necessary paperwork and being debriefed by the governor, Beth slept for the better part of the next three days. She had never felt so thoroughly exhausted in her life and was grateful that the dreams she had then did not feature living black oceans or multi-tentacled translucent creatures.
    Mostly, they featured Brad. Also, a lot of driving.
    At first the dreams had been mostly variations of the sex they had had on the warehouse floor or in the truck—or in some other place they had never actually had sex in. But then other scenes, both