Dulce Truths

Ellis puts down the mouthful of mashed potatoes he’d been about to shovel into his mouth and gives Carl a hard look.

“But it’s not just feeding off human and animal proteins and fluids, they also allegedly feed off the ‘life energy,’ the ‘vital essence’ or ‘soul energy’ of humans,” Carl continues, not taking notice of Ellis or his discomfort at all. “Damn Reptilians do the same thing.” He shakes his head, finally looking up at Ellis. “Makes me wanna puke.”

“Yeah, me too,” Ellis says, pushing his tray away and looking a little green in the face. First not enough sleep, now my stomach feeling like shit, he thinks.

“Anyways, the hybrids will do away with much of that need… at least for the need for so many Grays to be here on Earth doing all the work.

“But… why?”

“So the Grays can eventually take over.” Carl shakes his hand as if clearing away his words. ““But let’s be honest, here — the Grays aren’t the real threat at all. Some Grays — the living ones, at least — are hybrids already, a mix of Reptilian and Sirian. Others are mostly robotic, though so advanced that we can’t tell.”

“Take over? Don’t be absurd, Carl, there’s—”

“It’s happening already,” Carl interrupts, “and closer to us than you might even realize. For instance, I doubt any of these hybrids are in positions of power — yet — but what of the people that are guiding them?”

“You think they’re in the government?”

“And the military,” Carl says quickly.

Ellis leans back this time, sighing as he does so. “I have to tell you, Carl — and this is just between you and me — but I’ve been getting a sneaking suspicion lately that Aaron isn’t exactly… on our side.”

“You’ve been getting that too, eh?”

“Wait, you’ve…”

Ellis trails-off as Carl nods. “First noticed it on some reports I got about missions he did in South America.”

“Mark says that last night he got a bit jumpy when questioned about Johnny, Andy and Turn’s deaths.”

Carl frowns to that. “It’s probably nothing. Who really troubles me, though, is Donlon.”

“Colonel Roger Donlon?” Ellis says, and a little too loudly in his surprise. He quiets down. “He’s about as strait-arrow as they come.”

“Not if what I’m reading in the Herres report is true,” Carl says as he takes a bit of his green beans. “From what we’re getting off the telescopic reading analyzers… well, I thing he might be working with the Grays.”

“Carl, that’s absurd,” Ellis says, leaning in to look in his friend’s eyes. “You got some proof on this?”

“It’s all in the reports, which I’ll show you right after we finish up here. Suffice it to say, he’s been—”

“Sir.”

Both men turn about to see a young soldier standing there and looking at Ellis.

“Sir,” the soldier continues, “General Herres at Kirtland’s on the phone for you.”

Ellis nods and turns back to Carl. “Better not keep the old man waiting.”

“What, you’re not gonna finish that?” Carl says, glancing from Ellis to the tray and back again.

“Be my guest,” Ellis says with a scoff, and begins to follow the soldier out of the mess hall.

7 — Reunion

Blue Lake

Friday, May 25, 1979

6:18 AM

Mark keeps his arm around Heather’s shoulders and that concerned look on his face as the two walk away from the door to the examination room and down the hallway. They hadn’t gone more than a dozen feet when Mark stops, looks over his shoulder, then pushes Heather up against the wall. He looks into her eyes deeply for a moment, then dives in for a kiss. It’s returned, with vigor.

“Oh, Mark,” Heather says when they’re done, “I was worried I’d never see you again!”

“Then why’d you volunteer to—”

“I’m not talking about that,” Heather replies quickly, cutting off Mark’s words, “I’m talking about you being off-world so long, and then all those years you spent with the 177th?” She trails-off and looks away, shaking her head and appearing on the verge of tears. Finally she looks back. “Mark, what if something had happened, what if—”

“But it didn’t, and it won’t,” Mark says, pulling her in for a hug.

“It’s just that…”

Heather trails-off as she hears the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. She and Mark take a step back from one another, smooth down their clothes, and try to look as though nothing much is happening. A moment later Eddie and Stan appear, both talking about the alien fighter craft that Eddie pilfered from Dulce. As they near the two they nod, never breaking their conversation, and then vanish down the hallway as it turns a corner past that set of exam rooms.

“Maybe there’s somewhere else we can talk,” Heather says once they’re gone.

Mark nods. “This way.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later the two of them are lying in Mark’s bed, both sweaty from their bout of lovemaking. Heather rolls over on her side and looks at Mark staring up at the ceiling of the small, hotel-room-like officer’s quarters.

“What was it like?” she asks.

“What was what like?”

“Time travel… going into the future… all of it.”