Lost in Magadan: Extraterrestrials on Earth

The newly forming military-industrial-complex was circling the wagons and consolidating their power base. Secrecy was to be their weapon of choice. The alien technology discovered deep in the Nazi underground bunkers was alarming. Had the war gone on much longer, it was feared that Hitler may have been able to shift the tide in his favor with his quickly developing futuristic weapons. The newly discovered alien technology had to be kept a secret, and anyone threating that objective had to be eliminated.

Dale Matthews woke in in the early morning hours, the other men in the barracks were just now starting to get up. He was shivered from the cold, not wanting to begin his day, knowing it was even colder outside. It had been nearly a year since he came face-to-face with the large, gray alien in France. Feelings of guilt washed over him as he remembered how every other man in his squad was killed by the seven-foot-tall creatures. His feet touched the cold floor boards and he wanted to crawl back into bed.

Heading towards the showers, he thought of the terrible assignment he had been given. He had never murdered a person in cold blood. He had killed dozens of Nazis during the war, but that was different, they were pointing rifles at him. It was kill or be killed. Ever since he reported his encounter with the Large Grays, the Army had not known what to do with him. Until recently. The Army was coving its tracks, closing ranks. The Large Gray’s involvement in the great war would remain a secret. Anyone brave enough to discuss alien technology with the public was to be silenced.

Dale Matthews was in a unique position, being the only person to ever survive hand-to-hand combat against a Large Gray, the Army would prefer not to silence him. But there was a steep price for his continued existence, he must help silence those that advocated for disclosure. Too many people witnessed the alien artifacts left by the fleeing Germans. Those that would not honor their confidentiality agreements would be dealt with harshly. That’s where Dale came in.

The ice-cold water flowed over Dale’s skin, he shivered. Others were slowly meandering into the open shower stall. Dale was assigned to the Army’s 15^th Battalion in Bad Nauheim, his role was to assist with documenting the reconstruction, a boring desk job. He wished that was his only job. Unfortunately, the desk job was only a cover for his real assignment, which was to eliminate those that may disclose secrets regarding alien technology. Those forming the new ‘military industrial complex’ as General Ryan Bartlett had called it, had a lot of power and influence.

As Dale dressed in his olive, drab uniform, he felt at ease, today was going to be uneventful, just passing time reviewing paperwork at his desk. No planning of assassinations or killing misguided loose-lipped soldiers. He was going to kill a VIP a few days earlier, it was supposed to look like a hunting accident. He was surprised by how deep the conspiracy went and how many people were involved, it was almost impressive. Dale had been given no time to plan or prepare, he was only given a few hours heads up.

Dale went to the location where the men were to be hunting, and waited in the freezing cold. The ground was wet and muddy, and snow was beginning to fall. Dale waited for the sixty-year-old General to arrive with his hunting party. When he asked his contact why he was given such short notice, the man said the hunting trip was just planned the night before. Dale waited on a ridge, among a stand of trees; he had no idea how they knew the General would stop here. Dale had an escape route planned, but he had no idea if it would work. He remembered that his stomach was turning over in knots, he threw up twice that morning. What if he failed to take the shot? What if he missed? Would he then be on that unenviable list?

Dale waited hours for the General to appear. His feet were wet and frozen. The time for them to arrive came and went. He waited another two hours, still no General. Eventually, a very relieved Dale got back on his Army motorcycle and drove back to headquarters. Later that day, he found out that the General had been in a freak car accident and was paralyzed from the neck down. He felt bad that he was relieved the man had been injured in a car accident; for one more day, he would not carry the guilt of being a murderer.