I think you just mean one guy who happens to be RSB. The rest of the RSB is still full of idiots.
And then the hybrids also do the same experiment on both humans and aliens!
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Something tells me the xenophile or egalitarian aliens out there in the galaxy aren’t very happy about what the less xenophile (possibly xenophobic) aliens and humans keep on doing.
While we’re talking about aliens, what would movies involving aliens like ¨Independence Day¨ (cause I´m not sure how ¨Restoration Day¨ sounds and ¨Unification Day¨ just sounds like a term the aliens would use as propaganda to commemorate their subjugation of Earth like I´m sure the aliens in XCOM 2 do) or the Alien films (since Predator was already mentioned and I´m hoping the AVP (Alien Vs Predator) or the Prometheus movies end up being a lot better here than OTL. Also I don´t think Alien or Aliens were mentioned in the 70s or 80s update) are like here.
There are spreading and multiplying!And then the hybrids also do the same experiment on both humans and aliens!
While we’re talking about aliens, what would movies involving aliens like ¨Independence Day¨ (cause I´m not sure how ¨Restoration Day¨ sounds and ¨Unification Day¨ just sounds like a term the aliens would use as propaganda to commemorate their subjugation of Earth like I´m sure the aliens in XCOM 2 do) or the Alien films (since Predator was already mentioned and I´m hoping the AVP (Alien Vs Predator) or the Prometheus movies end up being a lot better here than OTL.
Also I don´t think Alien or Aliens were mentioned in the 70s or 80s update) are like here.
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The xenophiles would probably be more worried about the aliens than the humans. The aliens can actually interact with them.Something tells me the xenophile or egalitarian aliens out there in the galaxy aren’t very happy about what the less xenophile (possibly xenophobic) aliens and humans keep on doing.
There are spreading and multiplying!
While we’re talking about aliens, what would movies involving aliens like ¨Independence Day¨ (cause I´m not sure how ¨Restoration Day¨ sounds and ¨Unification Day¨ just sounds like a term the aliens would use as propaganda to commemorate their subjugation of Earth like I´m sure the aliens in XCOM 2 do) or the Alien films (since Predator was already mentioned and I´m hoping the AVP (Alien Vs Predator) or the Prometheus movies end up being a lot better here than OTL.
I think "Independence Day" would be renamed to "Reunification Day" and be about the same as the real movie, though the sequel will not exist.
The Alien films (though I forgot about them in the 70s and 80s updates) would be the same as here, as is Predator. Alien vs Predator and Prometheus would be a lot better than the real movies, but I don't know how to write them so I probably won't provide summaries. Just assume they're better.
The Wellspring, Part 4
Berube’s house – May 12, 1994, 8:30 AM
Anders unlocked the front door and walked inside. He looked around and heard a thump from somewhere upstairs. He drew his gun and walked up the stairs, waiting cautiously before turning each corner. Another thump came from the attic. He pulled open the door and climbed up, looking around the dark room.
“Dr. Sigurd?” he asked.
He started walking to the back of the attic, where Sigurd jumped out from behind him and tackled him to the wall, knocking his gun out of his hand.
“Wait!” Anders shouted. “I’m here to protect you!”
Sigurd didn’t get that. He punched him again, sending him literally flying across the room into a pile of boxes. He ran over and grabbed Anders by his trench coat. A shot rang out, and Sigurd’s head jerked back. He fell to the floor, releasing Anders. Anders saw the crew-cut man, the man from his picture, standing in the doorway, a gun in his hand and a gas mask on. He looked down at Sigurd’s body, seeing that he had been shot in the back of the neck, from where a green substance oozed out. He gasped in pain and coughed.
Sometime later, Anders woke up, finding himself lying on the floor, hands and feet tied. His phone was ringing incessantly. Two men in trench coats and wearing gas masks carried the doctor's body down the stairs. The crew-cut man walked over, knelt next to Anders, and took off his gas mask. Anders’ entire face felt like it was on fire.
“Your cellular phone's been ringing off the hook,” the crew-cut man said.
“I'm a popular guy,” Anders said, “Why don't you answer it for me? Might be those guys over at the Sentinel project or whatever it’s called these days.”
“Oh, I don't like talking on the phone,” the crew-cut man said, “I have this thing about unsecured lines. When you feel like talking, let me know, though.”
Anders’ apartment – May 13, 1994, 6:10 AM
Angela parked in front of Anders’ apartment and got out of her car. She walked over to the door and pressed the buzzer for Anders’ apartment. She got no response.
“He’s not home,” Hans said, walking around the corner.
“Grandpa, what are you doing here?” Angela asked. “I bet Dad’s worried about you.”
“He’s not,” Hans said, “He hasn’t since Siam.”
“Where is Anders?” Angela asked. “He's been gone all night.”
“I wish I knew,” Hans said.
“Something's happened to him,” Angela said.
“They won't kill him,” Hans said.
“How do you know that?” Angela said.
“He's become too high-profile and you've got evidence that could expose them,” Hans said.
“I don't have any evidence,” Angela said, “They took the evidence and they may have killed in order to get it.”
“Angie, listen to me,” Hans said, “Evidence still exists.”
“You’re kidding me, Grandpa,” Angela said, “I don’t know what you told Anders, but I can’t go down your path. Go home or something, before more people get hurt.”
“I can handle myself,” Hans said, “But Anders is still in danger. I can’t do anything about it. You can, though.”
Angela sighed. “Alright, where is this evidence?”
“It might be difficult to obtain but with your medical background, I might be able to get you inside,” Hans said.
“Inside where?”
“The high containment facility in Nicomedia,” Hans said.
“What do they have there?” Angela asked.
“The wellspring, Angie,” Hans said, “The original tissue from Agadir. If they've got Anders, they might be willing to make a deal. It could save his life.”
Bureau of Defense High Containment Facility, [REDACTED], Nicomedia – 8:42 PM
“Here goes nothing,” Angela thought as she got out of her car.
She walked up to the checkpoint, carrying a briefcase. An I.D. was attached to her trench coat, which Hans had generously loaned to her. Ahead, two doctors walked up to a guard in front of a door. The guard checked one of their credentials and pushed a button, opening the door. The first doctor walked into the facility. Angela looked up at the video camera positioned above the door. There weren’t as many here as had been in the Eurisko building, which was a little relieving. The second doctor entered the building, and Angela walked up to the guard. She showed him the I.D. Hans had called in some favors to get the ID, and it looked much better than what the Lone Gunmen had did back in Treviso. But she could not shake the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong.
The guard looked at the badge and then waved her through, pushing the button. “Clear.”
The door opened. Not wanting to stay there any longer, Angela walked through and immediately turned right. A man closed a filing cabinet and walked past her, watching her for a few seconds. Angela looked back at him, fearing she had been discovered, and shifted her briefcase to the other hand. She walked past several more doctors until she reached the elevator. The board next to it read:
She ran her ID through the keycard sensor. The machine beeped once, and the doors opened. She walked in and pushed the button for the 7th floor. The doors closed. Elevator music played, which felt completely out of place in this high security Bureau of Defense facility. Sweat ran down her neck. What was going on here? Why had her own grandfather sent her to infiltrate this facility with nothing more than a fake nametag? Surely the government had better countermeasures for fake nametags. Why hadn’t they found out about her yet? And what was she supposed to find? For that matter, why did she agree to this mission? It was like Vienna all over again. She always agreed to do something extremely dangerous and didn’t realize it was dangerous until she was actually doing it.
On the seventh floor, she walked out of the elevator, past a room labeled “Sentinel,” and to a door that said "Cryology." She ran her I.D. through the keycard sensor again, which beeped. She entered closed the door behind her. She ran her I.D. through the next keycard sensor, but it buzzed and didn’t turn green. She heard someone speaking through a speaker and noticed a guard sitting in a nearby booth.
“Name?” the guard said.
“Uh, Angela Hansen,” Angela said.
“Company or institution?” the guard asked.
“Imperial government,” Angela said.
“Project password?” the guard said.
He took a pen and prepared to write something down. Angela’s face paled. Her eyes settled on the alarm bell. She had not expected this. Hans hadn’t either. Of course the government would have redundant layers of security in this facility, if Hans was right about what they had. She trembled where she stood, and her eyes darted around, trying to figure out how quickly she could run to the elevator. She found herself in that hospital room again, with the Russian assassin and a dead Colonel Glienke. She felt trapped.
Then she thought harder and remembered something. It could be the password, but she wasn’t completely sure. But it was better than nothing. Did security guards in Bureau of Defense high containment facilities arrest or kill people for giving a wrong password? It was worth a try.
“Purity control,” she said.
The guard pushed a button, and the door unlocked. As she walked through, she sighed. That was a close call. She was going to need a lot of coffee or beer when she got home. Perhaps she could invite Dad and Grandpa over for a late-night family dinner.
She entered a room filled with a number of canisters filled with liquid nitrogen. Putting on rubber gloves, she opened a door marked “Purity Control” and took out a canister. Reaching in, she pulled out a glass container containing what looked like a small fetus-like creature. It looked like an alien.
What had she gotten herself into?
Bosporus freeway overpass – 11:58 PM
Angela parked her car on the side of the otherwise empty bridge and waited for her contact. After a few minutes, another car drove up behind her. She got out, carrying the box with the fetus inside. Walking to the door, Hans rolled down the window.
“You’re late, Grandpa,” Angela said.
“Do you have it?” Hans asked.
Angela nodded.
“Good,” Hans said, “They're willing to make the exchange.”
“You spoke to them?” Angela asked.
“Yes,” Hans said, reaching out the window, “I’ll take the parcel.”
“No, Grandpa,” Angela said, “I'll make the exchange.”
Hans sighed. “I made the deal, Angie, and they're expecting me.”
“I don’t trust you,” Angela said.
“If you can’t trust me or your own dad, you’ve got no one else to trust,” Hans said.
“You almost got us killed multiple times,” Angela said.
“Oh, for God's sake, don't frak this up!” Hans said. “Let me tell you something you should know. In 1985, during the war, a group of children from a Länder in Illyria were given what their parents thought was a routine smallpox inoculation. We actually injected them with clone DNA from the contents of that package you're holding as a test. That's the kind of people you're dealing with! You do not mess with them!”
“So why give it back to them?” Angela said.
“To save Anders’ life,” Hans said.
“At the risk of so many other lives?” Angela said.
“Oh, it's the tip of the iceberg,” Hans said, “You and Anders are the only ones who can bring it to light. So many before you, myself included, have tried and failed. You are different. Now, give me the bloody parcel, Angie.”
Angela stared at Hans, not knowing what to do. What was Hans doing? Why was her own grandfather involved in all of this shady stuff? And what would happen if she handed over the fetus now? Would more kids be injected with the alien DNA? Would more people die like Gisela and her family did? And what would be her role in that? But what would happen to Anders if she didn’t hand it over now?
A white van pulled up in front of Angela’s car.
“Give me the parcel, Angie,” Hans said, “Please. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Angela reluctantly handed Hans the package and ran back to her car. As the van passed, she looked at the driver, recognizing him as the crew-cut man from the photograph. He stared at her as he drove by. She quickly got in her car, almost hyperventilating. The van pulled up next to Hans' older car. The two men stepped out of their cars as Angela breathed deeply, watching in her rear-view mirrors. Hand handed the crew-cut man the package with the fetus. Angela turned around and watched through her back window. The crew-cut man walked over to his open door and put the package inside. He turned around to face Hans, pulled out his gun, and then shot him once in the stomach.
"NOOOO!" Angela screamed.
Hans fell to the ground, clutching his stomach wound. The van’s back doors opened, and Anders was pushed out onto the pavement. Angela drew her gun, left her car, and ran as fast as she could towards Hans and Anders. The crew-cut man calmly got into his van and sped away, disappearing into the streets of Constantinople.
"Grandpa!” she shouted. “GRANDPA!”
She checked Anders for a pulse and found one. Then she ran over to Hans, also checking for a pulse on his neck. It was there, but it was also weak. She opened his jacket, revealing the gunshot wound. The bullets had burrowed deep into Hans’ body, just under his heart. He was rapidly losing blood. Using her medical knowledge, she tore off part of Hans’ shirt and wrapped it around the wound, hoping the pressure would stop the bleeding. Hans grunted and weakly waved with his hand.
“No…use…” he muttered.
Angela looked down at Hans, and she saw Colonel Glienke lying in the hospital room in Vienna, eight years ago. She continued applying pressure and lifted up his head.
“Nonsense, Grandpa,” Angela said, “I’m not losing you too. We are not losing you!”
“Angie…” Hans groaned. “Leave…it…”
“I can’t,” Angela said, wiping away tears with her bloodstained hands, “I can’t just let you die!”
“Too…late…” Hans said. “Already…gone…save me now…they will…kill me again.”
“Then what should I do?!” Angela said.
Hans used the last of his strength to lock eyes with Angela. “Trust…trust…no one.”
He exhaled sharply, and his body went limp.
“Grandpa?” Angela cried, shaking Hans’ body, “Grandpa! GRANDPA!”
Angela’s apartment, Deuteron District – May 26, 1994, 11:21 PM
Angela shot awake, sweating profusely. Looking at the clock, which read 11:21 PM, she took several deep breaths, telling herself Vienna was over. But Hans was still dead. She still couldn’t shake that image out of her head, of the crew-cut man assassinating her own grandfather.
The phone rang, and she picked it up. “Hello?”
“Hey, Angie,” Anders said, “It's me.”
“What is it?” Angela snapped. “I need my sleep.”
Anders paused and sighed. “They're shutting us down, Angie.”
Angela could not believe his words. “What?”
“They called me in tonight and said they're going to reassign us to other sections,” Anders said.
“Who said that?” Angela asked.
“Your dad,” Anders said, “And Schulz. Uncle Erich said he feared for your life after what happened to your grandfather. He put in the recommendation. The orders came down from the chancellor himself.”
“Anders…” Angela began
Anders remained remarkably calm through this conversation. “It's over, Angie. We’ll never know what happened to Annie. Or Uncle Hans, for that matter.”
Angela, though, was shocked. “Well, you have to lodge a protest. They can't just...”
“Yes, they can,” Anders said, “They just did.”
Angela sat in silence for a few seconds. “What are you going to do?”
“I'm... not going to give up,” Anders said, “I can't give up. Not as long as the truth is out there. Not as long as Annie’s still out there. Not as long as Uncle Hans’ killer is still out there.”
“Are you going to the funeral?” Angela asked. “You didn’t show for Gisela’s or Joey's.”
Anders hung up.
Pentagon basement – [REDACTED]
The smoking man turned a corner and walked through a narrow row of shelves in the large warehouse basement he and his colleagues used to hide their most classified information. He walked over to the cabinet with the evidence from the major UFO incidents in the last century, from Agadir in 1947 to Normandy in 1992. He pulled open a drawer underneath the Normandy drawer simply labeled “Evidence, 16604.” He had run out of archangel names to use as codenames, so he’d have to do with numbers. He held up the container holding the alien fetus in it and tossed it in the drawer. He closed the drawer and locked it again. His job here done, he walked out and closed the door. Nobody would ever know of its existence.
What a journey this has been so far. I remember reading Gotterdammerung, I'm surprised I haven't seen this earlier.
Will you perhaps take this story further into Stellaris too?
Will you perhaps take this story further into Stellaris too?
I definitely will. I've already begun working on the lore, though I'm waiting until I get to the 2050s to start modding (and I need to work on incorporating the latest DLC material into the existing lore).
Losing Hans is upsetting, and Angela and Anders being reassigned isn't ideal, but I can't get past how easy it was for Angela to sneak the alien fetus out of the facility. The Reich's secret operations' security measures are kind of awful.
Well there goes Hans. At least I got a good prequel meme out of him before he died.
While Anders and Angela’s position without Hans is unfortunate, I honestly believe that the consiportors have just shot themesleves in a the foot in the long run and things will just get better for Anders and Angela overtime. I do wonder tho, if and when the conspiracy in the government is caught and beaten, what would happen to Schulz and Erich since they were involved in the conspiracy? I’m sure Anders and Angela would try convincing the Kaiser to let them off the hook while keeping the other consiportors imprison, but they still might have some punishment in exchange for their freedom. Also I don’t think the Kaiser would be too happy with a lot of people with how much stuff people keep hidden from him behind his back, especially since he’s supposed to be the supreme emperor of the most powerful nation in history. Also how did the consiportors convince the Chancellor to directly reassign two agents of little notoriety or significance to him compared to agents like Anne Frank?
While Anders and Angela’s position without Hans is unfortunate, I honestly believe that the consiportors have just shot themesleves in a the foot in the long run and things will just get better for Anders and Angela overtime. I do wonder tho, if and when the conspiracy in the government is caught and beaten, what would happen to Schulz and Erich since they were involved in the conspiracy? I’m sure Anders and Angela would try convincing the Kaiser to let them off the hook while keeping the other consiportors imprison, but they still might have some punishment in exchange for their freedom. Also I don’t think the Kaiser would be too happy with a lot of people with how much stuff people keep hidden from him behind his back, especially since he’s supposed to be the supreme emperor of the most powerful nation in history. Also how did the consiportors convince the Chancellor to directly reassign two agents of little notoriety or significance to him compared to agents like Anne Frank?
I've got four things to say. First, the RSB is a bunch of smug idiots. Second, Hans provided her with authentic credentials. Third, the conspiracy might have let her take the fetus. And fourth, plot armor.
Well there goes Hans. At least I got a good prequel meme out of him before he died.
Schulz and Erich will appear much more in the future, giving me more time to develop their characters. And you'll see what their motivations are. And remember, Schulz said he doesn't like the guys in the conference room (part of the conspiracy), while Erich doesn't like the smoking man being in his office.
The Kaiser's a busy man surrounded with dozens of bodyguards, some of them RSB. I don't think Anders and Angela can reach the Kaiser, both personally and with a petition. And even if they did reach him, what would they say? That there's a conspiracy infiltrating all levels of the Roman government, including some people he probably trusts more than these random Athanatoi agents, bent on handing over humanity's freedom to aliens? They're just low level agents. The Kaiser would probably think they're having workplace issues and move on to the next petition. Anders and Angela don't have definite proof of the existence of this conspiracy.
And as for convincing the chancellor...blackmail works really well. That or Kohl's part of the conspiracy.
I can see that, through didn’t you mention that Angela regularly hangs out with the Kaiser’s daughter to drink Coffee with her at the first part of this story arch if I recall? But yeah, that does make since.
She does, but the Princess doesn't always have time for her.
Contact, Part 1
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
RANA High Resolution Microwave Survey Array and Ionospheric Observatory, Canary Islands – August 27, 1994, 6:14 AM
The array had long since been abandoned. First, the funding was slashed, as Chancellor Kohl wanted to focus more on preparing the military for the Gulf War than on contacting aliens. Next, the scientists were dismissed. Finally, RANA was reassigned to other tasks, and the array was officially shut down. Now the large sensor array, which looked like a smoothed-over meteor crater from afar, was practically a ghost town. Outside, birds chirped, and the trees rustled. Vines and leaves steadily crept their way inside the abandoned control room, where the machines were covered and off, gathering dust until someone remembered they still existed.
Suddenly, one machine booted up, its ancient console beeping to life. The other machines slowly followed suit. One displayed a message: “RECEIVING INFORMATION.” The printers started pumping out papers of information. The tape recorder started playing Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 2” on its rusty old speakers. A voice came through another speaker, scratchy and rough with playback degradation.
“I send greetings on behalf of the people of our planet,” Kurt Waldheim said, “We step out of our solar system into the universe, seeking only peace and friendship... to teach...”
Wiretap #5A21147, Langstrasse Motel, Constantinople – 8:40 AM
Anders picked up his bag of sunflower seeds and dumped half of it on his desk. Empty shells surrounded his chair on the floor as he munched on each seed. On his desk, a tape recorder continued rolling, transcribing a conversation between the two men he was wiretapping.
“Do you remember that one strip joint?”
“Yeah. You treat yourself?”
“Oh, man, let me tell you. You know that one, Tuesday?”
“Wait, wait, you went on Tuesday?”
“No, no. That’s the stripper’s name, Tuesday.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know her, if you know what I mean.”
“Well, anyway, she’s onstage dancing to that Offspring song, ‘Come Out and Play’.”
“Nice touch.”
“Very hot.”
“So keep going.”
“So I’m tipping her big. No ones, five spots. I’m laying them down on the rail, boom boom boom.”
“Yeah, right.”
“By the end of the song, I had like forty marks laid out on the rail.”
“It’s not a long song, is it?”
Anders rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long day.
Athanatoi Academy, Adrianople
It had been one and a half years, but Angela had finally gotten a new cadaver. It was laid out on a table under a sheet, with only the top of the head exposed. A dotted line had been drawn on the cadaver’s forehead. Too bad she wasn’t allowed to electrocute it. She really wanted to finish that lesson. But her lesson demanded otherwise. She snapped on her latex gloves and straightened out her lab coat. Her students stood to the side, taking notes.
“Alright, kids, it’s advantageous to begin an autopsy with removal of the cranium,” she said, “The cranium is opened with a horizontal division an inch above the eyebrow ridges…”
Angela looked at the body. There was something familiar about this. She found her right hand shaking nervously, despite her efforts to calm down. She began breathing heavily.
The students murmured a little.
“Something wrong?” a female student asked.
“What this man imagined...” Angela said. “His dreams, who he loved, saw, heard, remembered... what he feared... somehow it’s... all locked inside this small mass of tissue and fluid.”
“Are you okay, Agent Hansen?” the student asked. “You kind of sounded a... little spooky.”
And suddenly Angela was no longer in the Academy. She was back on the highway, carrying that infernal package to her grandfather, leading him to…
Her scalpel fell out of her hand and clattered to the ground.
Angela looked at her. “Why did you say that word?”
Omar Mukhtar Building – 3:20 PM
Anders turned a corner and walked down a hallway filled with other Athanatoi agents just as Angela turned down another corner and walked towards him.
“Hey, Anders,” she said.
Anders kept walking, disappearing down the corner Angela came out of. Angela stopped and watched him walk away in dismay. He had been like this ever since Hans’ death and the closure of the X-Division. First he put up no resistance to the division being shut down. Then he agreed to whatever he had been reassigned to without asking questions. And then he stopped showing up for family gatherings.
Hans’ funeral in Berlin was somber enough. They’d given him a military funeral at Mitte National Cemetery. Not everybody attended. Conrad Humboldt, Anders’ grandfather and Hans’ old colleague, was there. But he was the only member of the Humboldt family to show. Anders’ grandmother was already dead. Annie was missing, Anna was AWOL, Aunt Elisabeth refused to attend, and nobody wanted to invite Uncle Walter, as always. Of the Hansen family, Grandma showed up, as did Angela’s parents. Angela and her siblings were all there, watching as the soldiers gave a 21-gun salute while Hans’ coffin was lowered into its grave. Many of Hans’ government contacts, shady men in suits who stood at a distance from her family, attended the memorial service too, though Angela felt uneasy about their presence. Anders never responded to any invitations, if he ever got one. They had broken him.
---
Anders walked to his new desk and found his picture of Annie placed face-down. He stood it up and took the note attached to it, staring at the picture of his lost sister. Suddenly, his phone rang.
“Angie, this is a bad time for me to talk,” he said, “You know they’re—”
“Herr Humboldt,” a mysterious man said.
“Uh, yeah,” Anders said.
“I think you should know... you have a friend at the Athanatoi,” the mysterious man said.
“Who is this?” Anders asked.
The mysterious man hung up.
Wassertor Hotel parking lot – 7:45 PM
Angela paced back and forth across the parking lot, each step in tempo with “Every Breath You Take” currently playing on her Walkman. She understood the irony of her choice, especially since she was standing in the parking lot of the hotel where Walter Scheel sealed his fate over twenty years ago. And yet she found it serving as a useful warning. People were watching her every move, especially after the end of the X-Division. Those shady men in the conference room weren’t going to be easily taken down. They would try to discredit her and Anders, and they were willing to kill to do that.
A car pulled up, and Anders got out.
“Four marks for the first hour of parking is criminal, Angie,” Anders complained, “What you got better be worth at least forty-five minutes.”
Angela sighed. “You know, Anders, from... from back there, you look like him.”
“Him?” Anders said.
“Grandpa,” Angela said.
“He’s dead, Angie,” Anders said, “I attended his funeral at Mitte through eight-power binoculars from a thousand yards away. And he was on your side of the family anyways. Now, the picture frame was turned down, you wanted to talk. What have you found? Sentinel?”
“I wanted to talk, but I haven’t found anything,” Angela said.
A car started, and they were illuminated by the headlights. Anders moved closer to her.
“It’s dangerous for us just to have a little chat, Angie,” Anders said, “We must assume we’re being watched. Also, appropriate music choice.”
“Anders, I haven’t seen any indication...” Angela said.
“No, no, of course not,” Anders said, “These people are the best.”
“I’ve taken all of the necessary precautions,” Angela said, “I have doubled back over my tracks to make sure that I haven’t been followed and no one has ever followed me. The X-Division’s been terminated, Anders. We have been reassigned. I mean, what makes you think they care about us anymore anyway?”
“So why have you bothered to come here covertly?” Anders said.
“Because I realized that it was the only way that you would see me,” Angela said.
“So what do you want?” Anders said.
“To know if you’re alright,” Angela said, “You passed me today within a foot, but you were miles away. You didn’t show for the funeral.”
“They’ve got me on electronic surveillance,” Anders said, “White-bread cases, bank fraud, insurance fraud, health care swindles.”
“Mulder, I know that you feel frustrated,” Angela said, “That without the Athanatoi’s resources, it’s impossible for you to continue...”
“No, it...” Anders said.
“Well, what then?” Angela said. “When the Athanatoi first shut us down, you said that you would go on for as long as the truth was out there. But I no longer feel that from you. After what happened to Grandpa.”
Angela stared at him, waiting for a response. Her tape ended, leaving her in silence.
“Angie, have you ever been to Alexandria?” Anders asked.
“Yeah,” Angela said.
“Did you check out the Rhodes observatory?” Anders asked.
“No,” Angela said.
“From 1948 until recently, it was the largest telescope in the world,” Anders said, “The idea and design came from a brilliant and wealthy astronomer named Georg Haller. Actually, the idea was presented to Haller one night. While he was playing billiards, an elf climbed in his window and told him to get money from the Drumpf Foundation for a telescope.”
“And you’re worried that all your life, you’ve been seeing elves?” Angela asked.
Anders sat down against a wall. “In my case... little green men. Or little gray men.”
Angela sat down next to him. “Anders, in your time with X-Division, you’ve seen so much.”
“That’s just the point,” Anders said, “Seeing is not enough, Angie. All those popular scientists on TV say, if you ever get abducted by aliens, grab something like a pen or paperweight before they send you back. I should have something to hold onto. Some solid evidence. I learned that from you.”
“Annie’s abduction, you’ve held onto that,” Angela said.
Anders looked away. “I’m beginning to wonder if... if that ever even happened. If some serial killer just took her away that night and we just haven’t caught him or found the body.”
“Anders, even if Georg Haller only saw elves in his mind, the telescope still got built,” Angela said, “Don’t give up. And next time...”
She got up and started walking away. “We meet out in the open.”
“Where are you going?” Anders asked.
“Dinner with Demetrios,” Angela said, “I’m late. Again.”
Bremerhaven, Lower Saxony – November 27, 1972, 8:53 P.M
“...she had erased a conversation between Chancellor Scheel and H.R. Haldeman while transcribing the subpoenaed tape. Holz testified that she had erased only about five minutes of the conversation, but the tape contained an eighteen-minute gap. Under investigation...”
The TV was on, and a tape recorder was playing. Twelve-year-old Anders had taped a picture of Walter Scheel, with devil horns drawn on, in the corner. He lay down on the floor, moving a piece on his Stratego board. His sister, Annie, sat down on the other side.
“Scout,” Annie said.
“...from Senator Richard Mason, H.R. Haldeman reiterated the White House explanation that Roslyn Holz...”
Anders took a piece and smiled. Annie sighed with boredom.
“Do we have to watch this, Anders?” she said. “At least Angie gets to go home.”
“Leave it,” Anders said, “I’m watching ‘The Magician’ at nine.”
“Mom said I could watch The Godfather, buttmunch,” Annie said, “Or Doctor Who.”
“Well, she’s next door at the Galbrandts, Dad’s at work as usual, and they said I’m in charge,” Anders said.
Annie got up, walked over to the TV, and changed the channel to a colonial. Anders shot up.
“Hey!” he said. “Get out of my life!”
He changed it to a channel with static. Annie ran over and screamed in his ear. Ignoring her, he changed it back to the news just as Scheel appeared on the steps of Hitler’s Contemporary Resort, surrounded by reporters.
“I’m not a crook,” he said, “I’m not a bloody crook!”
Anders towered over his little sister. “I’m watching ‘The Magician’.”
He started walking back to the couch when the power went out, and the TV shut off.
“Now look what you’ve done,” Anders said, “The fuse is blown.”
Annie stuck out her tongue. “Nyanyanya…”
Suddenly, the photos on the wall started moving and shaking. The floor rumbled. The Stratego pieces shook and fell over. Pictures and knickknacks on the fireplace toppled and shattered on the ground. The plug in the wall socket exploded, showering the carpet in sparks. Weird red and blue lights flashed through the windows. Anders walked to the window and looked through, not seeing anything but the lights. The chandelier shook. Turning around, he saw the a weird glow emanating from behind the front door. The doorknob slowly turned, and the door opened, engulfing the room in a bright white light. Anders’ eyes opened as he made out a strange-looking silhouette of a vaguely humanoid but not quite human entity.
“Anders!” Annie shouted.
He spun around, seeing Annie suspended in the air, frozen in place. She drifted towards the window as Anders watched, almost immobilized.
“Annie!” he shouted. “Annie!”
Anders climbed on a chair and threw down a case, breaking it on the ground and revealing a gun. He looked at the figure in the door, who raised a hand up invitingly, almost waving. The white glow filled the room as Annie drifted out the window.
“ANNIE!” he shouted. “NO!”
The light enveloped everything.
Anders’ apartment – August 28, 1994, 5:14 AM
Anders woke with a start. He reached for his window blinds and closed them, just as a man in a suit knocked on the door. He got dressed and opened it.
“What is it?” he said. “Can’t you come back later?”
The man held up a badge with the seal of the Great Palace. “We’re going to Augustaeon.”
With the mention of the Great Palace there, I wonder where does the Kaiser live since he’s moved back to Berlin and Potsdam and Brandenburg palace have been destroyed? Also has work begun on rebuilding the churches, palaces and other structures in the former Occupied destroyed by the Soviets and the World Wars at this point? I also imagine the education of the Occupied Territories and culture suffered immensely under Soviet oppression and propaganda with many elements of the pre Equalist culture of the Occupied Territories being lost.
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Otto is going to flip when he learns there's a secret branch of government that's been hiding massive secrets from his family for generations.
Also, Anders! Never give up! Even if you find Annie as a pile of goo, you can find her!
Also, Anders! Never give up! Even if you find Annie as a pile of goo, you can find her!
The Kaiser still lives in Blachernae Palace. I mentioned him living at Blachernae a couple times in the past (inspired by Idhrendur's Empire Strikes Back megacampaign). When he visits Berlin he stays in Charlottenburg Palace, one of the few palaces there that escaped the Soviets. Some work has begun on building new churches, palaces, and structures in the Occupied Territories, but they will never be able to fully replace the ones the Soviets destroyed. And the education and culture of the Occupied Territories did suffer immensely under Soviet rule. While not all of their culture was lost, the people of the Occupied Territories socially and culturally are not the same as their grandparents. I will actually be devoting some parts of this story arc to people living in the Occupied Territories.With the mention of the Great Palace there, I wonder where does the Kaiser live since he’s moved back to Berlin and Potsdam and Brandenburg palace have been destroyed? Also has work begun on rebuilding the churches, palaces and other structures in the former Occupied destroyed by the Soviets and the World Wars at this point? I also imagine the education of the Occupied Territories and culture suffered immensely under Soviet oppression and propaganda with many elements of the pre Equalist culture of the Occupied Territories being lost.
And then he'll have a "hunting accident"...
From what I remember about EU4, I don’t think that event occurred that much for Monarchs so I think Otto is good. I do remember that event killing hiers, especially good ones. So..... I think Otto might want to check up and keep watch on his daughter if she ever goes out hunting. That is, if she doesn’t end up with a bad driver while she’s riding a car. I don’t think that would be fortunate for the Reich considering what happened to Franz Ferdinand In 1914 and a certain princess from a certain royal family in OTL’s 1997 when they were in a car.And then he'll have a "hunting accident"...
Please don’t tell me you’re doing what I think you’re going to do.
Don't worry, nothing will happen in 1997. It would be too much like the death of Prince Rudolf a hundred years earlier. And hunting has fallen out of fashion among the Hohenzollerns after Rudolf's death.From what I remember about EU4, I don’t think that event occurred that much for Monarchs so I think Otto is good. I do remember that event killing hiers, especially good ones. So..... I think Otto might want to check up and keep watch on his daughter if she ever goes out hunting. That is, if she doesn’t end up with a bad driver while she’s riding a car. I don’t think that would be fortunate for the Reich considering what happened to Franz Ferdinand In 1914 and a certain princess from a certain royal family in OTL’s 1997 when they were in a car.
Please don’t tell me you’re doing what I think you’re going to do.
And he's had enough of being reminded.
Contact, Part 2
Senator Reinhard Makarios’ office, Great Palace, Augustaeon Square – 6:01 AM
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 played on an old phonograph in the corner, next to a large bookcase of classical texts like the Homeric epics and more recent works of literature. A man walked in, leading Anders inside. Senator Reinhard Makarios sat by his phonograph, facing the wall.
“Senator Makarios,” the man said.
Makarios pointed to a chair. The man left the room, and Anders sat down. Makarios pointed at his phonograph.
“Do you know this, Anders?” he said.
“It’s Bach,” Anders said, "Brandenburg Concerto No. Three."
Makarios made a peace sign, or what looked like one. “Two.”
“Good thing it wasn’t a Double Jeopardy question,” Andres said.
Makarios spun around and looked at him. “Do you know the significance of this piece?”
“Well, uh…” Anders said. “Recalling music appreciation with Professor Ganz, Bach had a genius for polyphonic...
“This is the first selection of music on the Voyager spacecraft,” Makarios said, “The first.”
Anders nodded.
“Four and a half billion years from now, when the sun exhausts its fuel and engulfs the earth, this expression will still be out there, traveling four and a half billion years,” Makarios said, “That is, if it’s not intercepted first. Imagine, Anders. If another civilization out there were to hear this, assuming they had something like ears to listen with, they would think ‘what a wonderful place the earth must be’.”
He walked over to a small bar and poured a drink. “I would want this to be the first contact with another lifeform.”
“Senator, I know I’ve let you down,” Anders said, “You’ve supported me at great risk to your personal reputation. I realized when they shut us down, there was nothing you could do.”
Makarios sat at his desk.
“All I can say is, I think we were close,” Anders said, “To what, I don’t know. All I know is that they killed to keep it from us.”
Makarios took a sip and smiled. The song ended.
“What?” Anders said.
Makarios motioned for him to stop. He took a pen and paper and started writing.
“Do you like Bach, Humboldt?” Makarios said.
“Oh, I live for Bach,” Anders said.
“Then let’s hear it again,” Makarios said, rewinding the phonograph and turning up the volume.
He handed Anders the paper, which read “They’re listening.” They walked away from the desk and talked in hushed tones.
“I take it you’re familiar with RANA’s high-resolution microwave survey?” Makarios asked.
“The search for extraterrestrial radio signals,” Anders said, “They shut it down.”
“You have to get to the radio telescope in the Canaries,” Makarios said, “I’ll try to delay them as long as I can but my guess is you’ll have at least twenty-four hours. After that, I can no longer hold off the Blue Beret U.F.O. Containment Team. And they have been authorized to display terminal force.”
“What am I looking for?” Anders asked.
Makarios handed him a computer print-out. “Contact.”
Erich Hansen’s office – 8:30 AM
Erich sat at his desk, patiently listening to the recording he was playing. He had been asked to record his last meeting with Angela, and though he had his doubts, he was forced to comply.
“When did you last see Agent Humboldt?” he asked.
“Yesterday,” Angela said.
“Where?” Erich asked.
“In the bullpen hallway,” Angela said.
“Did you speak with him?” Erich said.
“No,” Angela said, “Is he in some kind of trouble?”
“Agent Humboldt failed to appear at his assignment this morning,” Erich said, “His, uh... his whereabouts are unknown.”
The smoking man, standing by the window, picked up his pack of cigarettes off the table.
“Director, I’ll volunteer my time to assist in any search,” Angela said.
“No, Angie, the bureau can handle—”
The smoking man stopped the tape.
“She doesn’t know where he is,” Erich said, “Alright, I’ve given you what you wanted.”
“How can you be so sure?” the smoking man said.
“She’s my daughter,” Erich said, “She’s only this worried if she doesn’t know.”
The smoking man opened his pack and noticed it was empty. He looked at Erich.
“You know I don’t smoke,” Erich said.
The smoking man crushed the pack. “She’ll find him.”
“And then what?” Erich asked.
The smoking man smiled at him. “We’ll handle the situation. Don’t worry about it.”
Canary Islands – 3:20 PM
Anders rode in the back of a truck rolling down the jungle, lurching over each rock and root. He wore sunglasses and a T-shirt, though it did nothing to cool him down against the relentlessly humid and hot weather. His hat barely covered his face against the sun. Fortunately, the truck stopped at that moment, meaning he didn’t have to ride longer. He got off and walked over to the driver, carrying his bag.
“Takk,” he said.
“Ekkert mal,” the driver said.
He drove off, leaving Anders in the jungle. Hiking off the beaten path, he soon found an abandoned vine-covered barbed-wire gate with a sign that said “National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, Canary Islands – NO TRESPASSING.” Anders took off his sunglasses and looked around. He pulled out a lockpick and picked the lock. The door swung open, and he entered the array. The place looked like it had been lifted straight from a scene in that movie, Jurassic Park or something. Vines crawled up the sides of buildings and into the satellite dishes. Leaves and broken branches lay on the ground, covering the pavement. The windows and doors had all been covered with wood planks, and the satellite dishes themselves remained quiet, still quietly pointing up into the sky.
He found the control room and walked up to the front door. Setting his bag down on a barrel, he took out his tape recorder.
“No trace evidence immediately apparent around the exterior of the control room which is locked with chains,” he said.
He put down the recorder and broke the chains with a clipper he took out of his bag. He turned on a flashlight and walked into the dark room. The consoles and machinery were all still draped with sheets. He flipped the light switch, but the lights didn’t turn on. He took out his recorder.
“The power has been turned off,” he said, “Although, the control panel lights are still on. The room is about thirty by fifteen. I see no signs of any recent occupation. There’s quite an odor of mildew in the air... the air is stale. If anyone’s been here recently... I see no indications.”
At that moment, he heard a machine whirring and turned around to see the tape recorder running on its own.
Anders’ apartment – 3:20 PM
Angela pressed a button on Anders’ answering machine. It made a rewinding noise for one or two seconds, and then it started playing messages.
“Anders!” Diana shouted. “You hounded me to have lunch with you today and then you don’t show. Do you know how much of my vacation time you wasted?! You’re a pig! Wait until my mother hears about this!”
There was a click and three beeps. Angela sat down and opened the drawer, rifling through Anders’ papers. Finding nothing, she turned on Anders’ computer, navigating to its Eurisko DOS directory screen. Putting on her glasses, she clicked the directory called “files.” A prompt appeared on the screen, reading “Volume Protected – Enter Password.” She thought quickly. What would Anders reasonably have for his password? She tried “spooky.” The screen blinked “Access Denied.” Thinking again, she tried both “Annie” and “Anna.” Access denied. She stared at the screen and typed another word: “Trustno1.” The computer chimed, and the file from Senator Makarios appeared.
“What the…” she said. “‘Galactic latitude’?”
At that moment, she heard footsteps approaching, and she hit the print button. The printer started up, and she turned off the computer. Noticing a cassette tape next to the on/off button, conveniently labeled “For Angie,” she put it in her pocket and stood up. The paper dropped out of the printer in time to avoid the two RSB agents walking in to see it. She recognized both agents immediately, to her dismay. One was Klaus Petersen, who had gone undercover at Eurisko to gain access to the COS. The other was Agent Holtzman, who had impeded her and Anders’ investigation in Perpignan and was also at Eurisko. What were they doing here?
“May I ask what you’re doing here, Agent Hansen?” Holtzman asked.
“You again,” Angela said, “Are you following me?”
“Agent Humboldt’s residence is under surveillance by the RSB,” Petersen said, “Please explain why you’re here.”
“I was told by Assistant Director Hansen that Humboldt was gone,” Angela said.
“So?” Holtzman said, reaching for his gun.
“So, whenever he’s away, I feed his fish,” Angela said.
They looked at the fish tank. Angela smiled and walked towards it as Agent Petersen picked up the paper.
“What the hell is this?” he said, handing it to Holtzman.
“Looks like a self-test the computer does,” Holtzman said.
He crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash. Angela quietly sighed. They may be part of a conspiracy infiltrating all levels of the government, but they still didn’t know how to use a Tesla Dynamic computer. It was ironic that this computer was made by Eurisko, now a subsidiary of Tesla Dynamic, and Petersen didn’t know how to read the print-out. She developed a plan to get the paper back. Angela pulled off the lid to the fish food and spilled some of it on the shelf.
“Damn,” she said, “Scheiße.”
“Just dump it in the tank,” Holtzman said, “You’re taking too long.”
Angela looked at him. “That would be bad for the fish, Holtzman.”
She took the paper out of the trash, uncrumpled it, and swept the food into the paper, which she dumped back in the trash. While pretending to throw it away, she instead slipped the paper up her trench coat sleeve. She quickly left the apartment.
Canary Islands
Anders rewound the tape on his recorder to the beginning. He then fed the reel into the other recorder and drank his water. He turned on his flashlight and looked towards the door that read "Bathroom." As he opened the door, a man inside screamed and threw a washbasin at him. Anders dodged it and retreated.
“Well, that was unexpected,” he said.
“Ekki meiða mig! Ekki meiða mig!” the man pleaded.
“Who are you?” Anders asked. “What are you doing here?”
“Vinsamlegast ekki meiða mig!” the man shouted. “Ég er með mikla ótta!”
He whimpered and backed into the corner, completely horrified. Anders looked at him and walked towards him slowly.
“That’s alright, settle down,” he said, “Settle down.”
“Við verðum að fara núna,” the man said, trembling.
“Tala þýsku?” Anders asked.
The man shook his head.
“Uh, name?” Anders said. “Nafn? Nafn?”
“Jorge,” the man said, “Ég er Jorge.”
“Jorge, why are you so afraid?” Anders asked. “What have you seen?”
He pointed to his eyes. Jorge pointed up.
“Ljós í himninum,” Jorge said, “Rauður, blár, appelsínugulur. Ég hélt að það væri flugvél sem þurfti að fara í gegnum trén. En þegar ég kom þangað ... sá ég menn ... eins og dýr ... en ekki karlar. Þeir tóku mig og settu mig hér. Þeir eru enn út í skóginum!”
“Jorge, Ég skil það ekki,” Anders said, “Did you say men? Menn?”
Jorge grabbed Anders’ pen and drew something on the wall. Anders looked at the picture in abject wonder. What Jorge had drawn…it could not have come from this planet.
The array certainly looks like something straight out of a movie, but that movie isn't Jurassic Park. Seems more fitting for a spy movie.