David Golemon - Ancients

"Apart from the fact that you have artifacts like the Roswell saucer, something that may or not be Noah's Ark, and several items that include the bodies of historic figures, just where does it say you have achieved your mission, that you have been a deterrent to those who would harm our nation by studying past events?"

Niles Compton studied the newly elected president. The commander in chief was at the very least studious. It was a well-known fact that he came from an intellectual family and his platform of budget restraints and checks and balances had gotten him elected. Niles had his work cut out for him.

"Let us take the Ark as an example. Did it tell us anything about religion other than it fit the dimensions and design as stated in the Bible?" Niles shook his head. "Absolutely not. What it did lead us to is the now well-accepted science that the Middle East was most definitely flooded around thirteen to fifteen thousand years ago, which has led the scientific community to the conclusion that it was caused by a seismic event or a nonterrestrial occurrence like a meteor strike. Thus, we monitor the movement of the earth for patterns like they may have faced thousands of years ago. Our policy of tracking large bodies out in space is another example of what we have learned, just from this one Event."

Niles knew that the president needed this information to make a sound judgment when it came to budgeting hidden money for his department. Thus, he brought out the heavy guns on the initial tour.

The last soldier to be nominated for a fifth star in the nation's history, the new president didn't look at all convinced as he stepped up to a small vault and waited for the director.

"And that's just one artifact from the world's past," Niles said as he waited for his assistant, the eighty-two-year-old Alice Hamilton, to enter her security clearance on the keypad beside the vault. Then he and the president watched as she placed her thumb on a clear glass plate that read the minute swirls and valleys of her print. The vault hissed open.

"Okay, Dr. Compton, please explain the subject of this vault and its direct relationship to our nation's security, if you please."

Niles nodded and Alice opened the eight-inch-thick door of the small vault, and a cool mist rolled out and formed at the feet of the president.

"Very mysterious," was the only comment he made.

"This way, sir," Compton said, gesturing to the open door.

As they entered, the interior lights came to life. The two men stared at a small glass enclosure that had lines running into it, supplying nitrogen in its coldest state. Niles placed his thumb on a small plate just inside the door and allowed the center's Cray computer system to explain the find.

"The item you see before you, Event Group artifact and file # 4578-2019, was discovered in a Swiss bank vault by an undercover operative of Department 5656 in 1991."

The president looked closer at the acrylic enclosure and saw what looked like a small disk and disk player. Both items were worn and very old-looking. The disk itself was cracked and scratched and a third of it was missing.

"The object has been identified as a portable video-recording device manufactured by the Sony Corporation. Market date for this item was discovered to be in 2019 AD. This information was formulated through the serial number located on the video player/recorder and according to company sources the serial number coincides with a future manufacturing date as indicated by the last four digits of the serial number."

The president looked from the enclosure to the face of Niles Compton. The look told the director that the man was skeptical at the very least.

"Upon study by the Mechanical Forensics Department, the damaged disk, though incomplete, held a visual magnetic resonance of the Battle of Gettysburg, recorded on the evening of July 3, 1863. This has been verified by the alignment of stars recorded at the 1678 reference point of the disk's recording. Department historians authenticating the images recorded of the battle indicated no evidence of staging. The material enclosed was found on August 26, 1961, by Park Ranger August Schliemann one hundred and ten yards from the area known as "Little Round Top." This material was stolen from the National Parks Service and stored in The Bank of Switzerland, safe-deposit box number 120989-61. The item has been declared authentic by Group historians."

"What we have here is a device that was used to record the battle of Little Round Top in 1863. While we speculate that the damaged portion of the disk shows the actual battle as recorded at the time, we at Group have come to the realization that coupled with the manufacture time of the recording device, that battle was not only observed by someone from the future but recorded, for what reasons we can only speculate."

The president was speechless. He looked from the director to the acrylic enclosure. He turned and was about to ask a question when Alice, standing by the vault's door, cleared her throat.

"Director, the president has an urgent call from the White House."

"Thank you, Alice," he said as he gestured for the president to take the phone, which was just outside the vault door. As he moved off, Alice stepped in and smiled at the director.

"How's it going?" she whispered.

"I hate this stuff," he said back in a hushed voice. "It could go either way."

She patted Niles on the shoulder. "Well, it may cost us some budget money, but he can't close us down. Just keep that in mind." She smiled and turned toward the president as he spoke in quiet tones on the phone. Then she looked at Niles. "You seem to be taking this rather calmly, Niles. Are you forgetting to tell me something about you and our new commander in chief?"

Niles pushed his glasses back up to their proper resting place on his nose and then looked at Alice curiously.

"Forgetting something? No, I don't believe so."

The president hung up the phone and started to turn to them. Alice was looking at Niles with even more curiosity. She knew him well enough that she thought he wasn't being totally honest with her.

"Mr. Director, I'm afraid I have to cut this meeting short." He looked at the enclosure and then half smiled. "Even though I must say you have indeed piqued my imagination, the real world is intruding on us. The North Koreans are still rattling their sabers and now we have a serious incident at the Iran-Iraq border. It seems an earthquake caused a lot of deaths."

"Sorry to hear that, sir. We can continue when you have more time."

A frown crossed the president's face. "I can tell you're not used to being challenged on budgetary matters, Doctor. I assure you I just don't start axing programs and budgets without due consideration."

"Yes, sir."

"Ms. Hamilton, it's been a rare pleasure to meet a lady of your ... your--"

"Years, Mr. President?" she finished for him while batting her lovely eyes.

"Well, I was going to say quality. But if Dr. Compton has the smarts to keep someone like you way past mandatory retirement without anyone catching on, well, maybe you folks deserve the benefit of the doubt." The president turned to Niles and held out his hand. "Until we have more time, Mr. Director."

Alice watched their eyes meet and became aware of a momentary softness there that had not been evident before.

Niles watched Alice lead the president to the secure elevator, where he would meet his Secret Service escort, and frowned. He wanted to tell Alice and a few of the others about the president and himself, but he didn't know for sure what the man wanted everyone to know just yet. He decided that since the president hadn't said anything, he would play it close to the vest for now.

The presidential helicopter was waiting just inside the ancient-looking hangar. The staged dilapidation kept prying eyes from paying too much attention to gate number one of the Event Group complex. As the five-bladed rotor started to turn, the president frowned at the folder just given him by his chief of staff, Daniel Harding.