The heat hit him like a punch, burning at his eyes and nostrils. It was like walking into a wall. Stepping of the shuttle bus from the airport he squinted as he looked around. Las Vegas was nothing like he expected. For some reason Nick thought it would be more desert like, but besides the heat, this was a jungle of huge hotels and lavishness that he would never have thought possible in this kind of environment. He checked into the hotel and made his way wearily to his room. It was a standard room with two twin size beds separated by a nightstand facing a long and flat dresser with a television on it and several brochures outlining the amenities the hotel offered. To his right was a bathroom which consisted of a tub/shower, toilet and sink. Tucked in the far corner was a chair seated at a small glass top table which contained more brochures and looked through a sliding glass window onto a small balcony which itself overlooked the pool area below. Nothing to write home about but it would serve his purpose for the next two weeks. He quickly set about unpacking and had all the dresser drawers full in short order. Placing the trunk on the bed closest to the balcony he gingerly opened it and did a quick inspection of its contents. Everything seemed in order so he closed the trunk and placed it on the floor beside the bed. After a quick shower he went out on the patio and observed the goings on at the pool for a few minutes. Realizing how tired he was he went back in, closed the curtains to the deck area and got out his laptop and sat at the small glass table.
Nothing notable in his email so he made sure his rental car was confirmed for tomorrow turned off his laptop and then made his way to one of the twin beds. Turning off the bedside light he rolled himself into the soft blankets and smiled to himself. This was it. Tomorrow he would be heading up to Rachel, Nevada and seeing the Lil Ale E In and the infamous black (now white) mailbox and everything else that made Area 51 famous. With visions of spotting experimental aircraft or strange colorful lights in his head, he drifted off to sleep.
At the pool level, tucked back in the shade of some trees, Bill sat a table and silently toasted to himself with a glass of ice filled water. As he watched the curtains draw on Nick’s room, he too was having visions of tomorrow. His dreams, however, were quite different from Nicks.
Nick slept all that night and woke only when the courtesy call came up the next morning. A dark halo around the curtain indicated that the sun had not yet risen. He felt surprisingly refreshed and rolled out of bed with a sense of anticipation. Phoning room service, he ordered himself a nice big breakfast and then he showered and hastily packed a day bag with his digital camera, some extra SD cards, his laptop and jacket. In his suitcase he placed his sleeping bag and used it as cushioning for his telescope. By this time his breakfast had arrived. He put the tray on his little table and devoured all the food on it. Making sure his remaining valuables were tucked away in the closet, he left a tip on the table for the maid and went out the door into the hallway. He made his way to the elevator and pressed the call button. The elevator arrived fairly quickly and he clambered in and jabbed at the button for the main floor. The doors opened and he exited and went down the short hallway into the main casino area. “What a town” he thought.
The scene was chaotic, lights flashing, slot machines dinging and beeping and people moving about everywhere. It felt like a Friday night party, yet it was first thing in the morning. He strolled through the casino noting the bleary eyed gamblers dumping money in to slot machines, hoping this pull will be the winner; cleaning staff and security working in and around everybody, trying to be invisible. He made a quick stop in the store and grabbed some bottled water, protein bars and other snacks to stuff in his day pack then he left the casino by the front doors and hailed a taxi
“Where to sir?”
“Dobbin car rental please”
The driver put the car in gear, turned on the fare meter, and eased out into the roadway. It was a short drive to the car rental site and he paid his fare and walked purposefully into the building. He received his rental; he had opted for a Nissan frontier as the four wheel drive would come in handy for where he was planning to go, and after a quick inspection with the lot attendant, loaded his bags in the back and climbed in to the driver’s seat and acquainted himself with the interior of the truck. Pulling out the map he had printed from the internet, he reviewed where he was going. It was a two and a half hour drive to Rachel, probably a little longer for him as he was a tourist. He wasn’t really worried about the time; he was in no hurry and wanted to be able to stop at anything that interested him along the way. With everything seemingly at the ready he put on his seat-belt and left the parking lot and turned onto the main street and drove away. Slowly, a non-descript four door sedan pulled away from another lot and settled in a few cars back.
There it was, Route 375, better known as the Extra Terrestrial Highway. Nick clicked on his left hand turn signal, slowed down a bit and completed the turn. The drive so far had been uneventful. A few stops to take some pictures, a few more to go to the bathroom and stretch his legs and now here he was. The traffic had been sparse. He thought he had seen a sedan a few times in his rear view mirror and wondered if it was a UFO lover like himself, on his way to the motherland, but it appeared that the sedan had turned off somewhere else as he hadn’t seen if for a few miles. Another thirty minutes or so and he would be there. The landscape here was in stark contrast to the city. Bleak and unpopulated, the emptiness of it all seemed to push in on him and suddenly he felt alone in the world. He quickly checked his gas and was reassured that he had plenty and turned on the radio for company. His excitement was starting to rise when he spotted the Little Ale’inn in the distance. Like an oasis for a lost traveler, it beckoned to him. He pulled up and turned off the car. Getting out he pulled out his digital camera and snapped some pictures.
It was a single level building that housed a restaurant and gift shop. Out back there was some RV parking. He went in and found a seat and sat down. There was a small group of people inside and they were all discussing the recent sightings. He listened with great delight and digested every word. Finishing his lunch he left his money on the table and strolled around the gift shop. He picked up a few souvenirs and engaged in some chit chat with other patrons. Apparently the night skies were really active last night and the general consensus was, tonight would bring a repeat performance. In his mind’s eye he tried to visualize what that would be like. The thought lingered in his brain like a vision from another dimension and excited him even more. This is exactly what he came here for. Noticing that it now late afternoon he headed back to his vehicle. It was a little farther to Campfire hill. He would be spending the night there and sleep, if he could, in the back of the truck. Although he anticipated that he would be spending the night sky watching and very little of it sleeping.
The road in to Campfire hill was rough and Nick was glad he had four wheel drive at his command. In several parts of the road it was needed. As he arrived at his destination the sunlight was waning and he quickly set up his telescope in the back of the truck, got out his sleeping bag, sat back and waited for the show to begin.
Night descended slowly on his solitary vigil, the darkness enveloping him in tiny increments, like he was slowly being swallowed by some huge beast. The evening was cold and clear, the silence, eerie and unnerving. He shifted where he sat and arranged his blanket around him. It was colder than he had expected, otherwise the conditions couldn’t have been more perfect for a little night sky watching.
The lights appeared out of nowhere shortly before midnight, almost like someone was behind the scenes, pulling strings and flicking switches. It started with one bright orb high up in the sky circling slowly at first then picking up tempo and making all sorts of short bursts in zigzag directions, then blinking out and reappearing in a different section of sky miles away. A few more joined the show, doing some formations. Nick was glued to his telescope, oblivious to everything else around him. The world tuned out as he watched the unbelievable things that were taking place in the s
ky above him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw some more lights which struck him as strange since they were so low. Reluctantly he pulled his eyes away from his telescope and looked around for their source. A white jeep Cherokee was pulling up. How he had not heard anything was a mystery, but there it was none the less. He climbed up and over the side of the truck and started to approach the vehicle. As far as he knew he was on public ground and quite within his rights to be there sky watching so he was confused as to what the problem could be. No doubt some of the so called ‘Cammo dudes’ were bored and coming to roust him for something to do. He stopped about ten feet from the front of the jeep and waited squinting into the glare of its headlights.
He didn’t have to wait long as the passenger door opened a man in a dark suit emerged and started towards him. As the man got closer Nick started to get a strange feeling, a feeling of fear like he should run, but he was rooted to the spot and couldn’t move, his limbs felt like led. The stranger got right up to him, the feeling of fear now subsided a little, enough so that Nick could relax slightly.
“Nick Kershaw” the stranger questioned
“Yes”
“I need you to come with me” The words had barely registered in Nick’s brain when he saw the movement. Lightning fast and with a precision borne from years of experience, the strangers hand appeared from his coat pocket with a tiny device no bigger than a cell phone. Suddenly everything was like a movie, time slowed down and events were happening in slow motion. As he brought up his hands to protect himself, the device emitted a near blinding flash.
Nick crumpled on the spot and rolled limply onto one side.
Chapter 3