Read Online Starting from Scratch by Bruce George - Free Book Online Page A

targeting
abilities that don’t currently exist anywhere on Earth; and the
plasma weapons are amazingly accurate. One of the best things about
these weapons is that they recharge and fire in nanoseconds. With
these, you could annihilate an entire air fleet of Russian bombers
in ten seconds, using two fighters.”
    Mike heard whistles and comments of awe and
disbelief.
    “It’s true sir. They exist and can be made fairly
quickly. We ask that you put an emphasis on the space fighters, but
it’s your call, gentlemen.
    “We will also be bringing a new type of anti-air
deterrent system. It can locate and shoot down incoming aircraft
and missiles many hundreds of miles away and it, too, has a rapid
fire mode that can be used hundreds of times a minute.”
    Stassen said, “That’s very kind of you, Mike. Thank
you.”
    Mike let out a sigh. “Mr. President, again, lets’ cut
through the bullshit. You don’t trust me and I don’t trust you. The
difference is, you don’t realize you have no choice but to trust
me. But I have no choice either; I must trust you. Our motivations
are different and our goals are different. But ultimately, we must
work together, or the Earth is going tits up, pardon my language,
sir.”
    “That’s all right, Mike. I understand that you’re
under a lot of stress.”
    “We both are, sir. I hate to beat a dead horse, but I
can’t impress upon you enough the truth of what I have told you.
The aliens will come and I believe they will either destroy the
Earth, or, at the very least, enslave us all.”
    Pierpoint said, “Mr. Hurst, isn’t it true that you’re
basing all of this on the word of a single alien. Certainly you can
understand our concern that he is your only source of intelligence
on this. We would like to speak with him in person and judge for
ourselves the voracity of his statements.”
    “Mr. Pierpoint, he will be with us on our next visit
and I feel certain he will avail himself for your
interrogation.”
    “We won’t interrogate him. We just want to get a few
things clear, before we commit a massive amount of funds to some
project that doesn’t attack the real problem.”
    Mike’s blood pressure was rising, but he managed to
maintain his cool, as he asked, “And what is the primary problem,
as you see it, Mr. Pierpoint?”
    “Well frankly, you. Look at it from our position. You
break into Camp David and make a speech to the President of the
United States, which asserts we are going to be attacked by beings
from outer space. It’s a little bit too sci-fi for some of us. We
are men who deal with tangible proof, whenever possible. You’ve
given us some intriguing trinkets, but not hard proof.”
    “All right, Mr. Pierpoint, what sort of proof can I
offer you.”
    “Give us everything you have. We will evaluate it and
gladly include you in our efforts to defend the planet, providing
it becomes obvious that it is truly necessary. We are not your
enemy, but we are very worried that you might be ours.”
    “Thank you, Mr. Pierpoint. You’re the first one there
to call a spade a spade. Perhaps we can truly get to work, now that
your concerns are out in the open. If I had a better way to give
you proof, at the moment, I would do it. I’ll bring what I can,
when I return. There is a practical limit to what will fit in the
shuttles.”
    Mike changed direction on them. “Now, have you
decided who you want me to upgrade for you? I am prepared to accept
as many as ten people to go through the process, so choose wisely.
They should be prepared to be off planet for approximately seven
weeks. Once they have been upgraded, they will have comm units
placed in their bodies and they will be functional by simply
utilizing their thoughts, without actually speaking. They will have
immediate comm with all of the other people who have been
upgraded.
    “Also, they will have the ability to comm each other
and you from our ship in the Kuiper belt. They will be able to
exchange data at