The Ultimatum

August 17, 2011

The Ultimatum

He heard incessant beeps from somewhere very far. The beeps got hastier and closer. When he managed to partially get a hold on his bearings, he saw that it was 3 AM on a Sunday morning. He suddenly got alert realizing that it was his secure private line that was buzzing. There was always something serious on the other end whenever the secure line got alive. That too, at this hour. That meant something really very bad. Anyway, these calls were a part of his job description.

“Celtic here.” He said stifling the yawn.

“This is Horus. Identify yourself.” replied a calm authoritative voice.

“Suibhne is a free bird.” He could sense something big and bad.

“The Sun has set over the East.”

The line went dead.

He was shocked and sat staring at the darkness. He stayed immobile for ten minutes. The news was too much to digest. He wished he would wake up and smile at this crazy dream. But, unfortunately it was no dream and he knew that this call had changed his life forever.

A complex and intricate process was set in motion. The details flew in constantly over the dawn. He dint catch a speck of sleep. The message was short but the implications were massive. The message conveyed that the President of United States had died in an air crash. The call was from the Secretary of Defense, codenamed Horus. As per protocol they had conversed in codes. The President was returning from the United Nations conference when the Air Force One suddenly lost contact with ground control and was later found to have crashed into the Atlantic. It was beyond any understanding or explanation how arguably the best aircraft in the world would lose control midair and plunge into the sea. Most astonishing was the fact that the President was not saved! It was unprecedented and the highest levels of investigations were put on field. The death of the President was confirmed. The body had been discovered and the tests were horrifically positive.

The news was yet under covers. He just could not imagine the media frenzy and the reaction of the world when the news would be broken in a few hours. He had to face them all. By a dramatic turn of events he, Jake Tillman, the 47th Vice-President of United States was to become the 45th President of United States of America on 11th September 2011.

Jake took up the office amid colossal confusion, apprehensions and anxieties. He had a million questions to answer and a trillion hurdles to tackle. The whole world was watching him under the microscope now.

“You have left me in a tornado, Barry.” Jake said to himself as he walked into the Oval Office. He took his seat behind the Resolute Desk. He knew he was sitting on a time bomb.

Jake Tillman was 57 now. A brave soldier and a shrewd politician. He had seen his share of battles on the field and on conference tables. He had earned his reputation of being relentless and wily. It was an open secret that he was known as – The White Fox.

Jake was athletically built and was considered handsome in his class of age. He was beginning to develop that little corporate paunch. The war had hardened him and he kept himself fit with good amount of workouts; at least as much his age allowed. He had lost Marie – his wife to an accident at a very young age. The accident, which he miraculously survived. The scar of memories and the limp in right leg would haunt him. Her death came as a bolt and it transformed his thoughts and life. To the amusement of many, he never thought about another marriage. Marie had not left anyone for him in his life. Jake was a religious man.

Born in a middle-class Irish-descent family, his rise to the highest chair of the country was a text-book-worth journey. He always believed that he had the Divine Interventions. He felt the hand of God guiding him to success. Numerous incidents in his life beyond the realm of his reasoning had made his belief overcome his rational mind.

It was two weeks since Jake had assumed office. The storm had calmed a little bit. He had mammoth tasks ahead of him. It was a busy Monday morning when his secretary came hurriedly into his office closely followed by a short bald man with prominent pouches under his eyes and a bean-bag belly. He looked more like a clown. But, he seemed to have a permanent scowl and it seemed like he had never before smiled in his life.

He stepped forward and said, “Good morning Mr. President. I am Steve Rickson, Head of Sector Seven and someone wants to meet you.”

“What….. what is this Sector Seven? ” Jake shouted over the noise of the speeding humvee and billowing desert sand,”I have been around for more than two decades damn it! And I have no clue such a department ever exists!”

He had a fear of a kidnap initially but the identifications of the men were credible. It was cross referenced before he set out with them but their job descriptions in the record were different from what was happening. They had taken an armoured chopper and now on the road, his vehicle was escorted by four other military vehicles and a fully loaded chopper. All of them duly sanctioned by the Department of defence and internal security.

“Do you intend to tell me anything at least now?” Jake was no doubt agitated. There was a secret government organization that he dint know and he was the damn president of this nation!

Steve pointed to the logo of Sector Seven which had a delta triangle with a dagger running through it from the top and below it was written, “If you know it; you don’t exist.” He pointed to those words with a wry smile. It was more ominous than a smile. Jake dint speak the rest of the journey.

They entered a very heavily guarded military installation. They sped across a sign board saying, “No trespassing beyond this point. Use of deadly force is authorized under the terms of the 1950 McCarran Internal Security Act.”

Jake could make out that it was the fabled Area 51 alias Dreamland, Paradise Ranch or officially Edward Air Force Base.

Steve walked him past saluting guards and elite marines. There were practice ranches, runways, helipads, aircrafts, SAMs and armoured vehicles scattered around. It was just like any other military base. Jake could not fathom what made it so secretive.

They entered a building and they passed through numerous retina and voice scans and finger print analyses. Steve had been ominously quiet all along and when they passed yet another retina scan, he said in his monotone, “Mr. President, you might be aware of the rumours and speculations that we are secretly harboring aliens in this place.” He paused and said, “They are not rumours.”

Jake stopped short in dismay. “This guy is crazy for sure!”

Steve continued,”Mr. President, we are not alone in this universe. We are just like other beings. We are just toddlers compared to the other ‘civilizations’. They have mastered science beyond our wildest imaginations. They have been visiting us time and again for centuries. A particular alien specimen made contact with us in September of 1963; during JFK’s presidency. And Mr. President, his assassination is not a mystery. Not to us.”

This was more than Jake could handle for one day!

Steve continued, “We have been receiving constant communication from them since then. They had chosen USA as their rendezvous point between them and the humans; and us, as the representatives of humanity. We err… well…accepted to provide them shelter on Earth. Under orders from Mr. Lyndon Johnson, then-president, Sector Seven was formed in 1965. Our primary mission is to keep in check and shelter the NELBs – Non Earth Life Beings or in common words, aliens.”

“You… you… mean to sa…say…. You have been housing aliens in our country!” Jake could not believe he was actually hearing all this.

By now they had walked to a high-tech lab facility.

“You are right Mr. President.” Steve said as-a-matter-of-fact and continued, “The leader of the NELBs, J-Rod insisted he meets you immediately.”

“Leader! A leader? You mean to say there is a whole clan of aliens in USA!”

“You will see Mr. President.” Steve replied calmly.

Jake Tillman closed his eyes with a sigh to calm down and to absorb what he heard and process what he came to know yet. The result was – either this Steve guy was crazy or he was. His rational mind refused to accept that the aliens actually exist. It was only a conspiracy theory, a mystery, a fictional phenomenon or rather a kid’s bed-time story! It was hard for him to come to terms with the fact that all the stories he heard were actually true! He felt a tinge of panic and yes, fear.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the silhouette of a man against a brightly lit doorway. White light was spilling out and the silhouette was approaching them. As he neared, he saw that the man could be approximately his age with neatly combed white hair and a perfectly trimmed short white beard. He looked very handsome for his age and extremely wise. Jake was wondering whether he was looking at some yesteryear Hollywood actor or someone. No doubt there was a good physique beneath the impeccable black business suit. He had an air of aristocracy, radiated power and commanded respect. His eyes were calm, intellectual and grey. He had smile-wrinkles around his eyes and an enigmatic smile.

He approached Jake and held out his hands. Jake stood dumbfounded for a moment. He recovered and shook hands with the gentleman.

‘Did you give a try for James Bond, Mister?’ Jake thought, admiring the man.

“Hello. You must be President Jake Tillman. Pleased to meet you. People call me James Roddick aka J-Rod.” He smiled and eyed Steve. Without a doubt, Steve winced.

Jake’s eyes widened in astonishment. He pulled back his hand and took two paces back instinctively. He felt a shudder run through him. Jake was literally lost for words.

“You…. You… you are the… the… crea… the alien? I mean the extra-terrestrial? You… you… look like us… I mean…. Like us, humans!”

J-Rod was smiling amused. “What did you expect Mr. President? A small green creature with two antennae or a long oblong head and ugly danglings?”

He laughed heartily and continued, “Your Hollywood has presented a very wrong picture of us. We are unlike anything you imagine us to be. And oh, I can understand. You are wondering how I look much like you then. What do you call it here…. Ah, Science. Science Mr. President. We can manufacture our body suitable to the environment prevalent in the visiting planet. I made this for earth. How do you like it Jake?”

The President was too shocked to answer.

“Your planet fascinates us Jake.” J-Rod said in a business-like tone. “Your race, your evolution fascinates us. We have been watching you for quite a few centuries. You are an interesting lot. You are just toddlers. Learning, unlearning, rising and falling. We have seen your civilizations prosper and disappear. Like children, you quarrel among yourself; when you discover or invent something, you play with it until you get bored of it or until you hurt yourself with it. But, I should admit, you have good brains. You are inquisitive. You have evolved well. Occasionally, we throw puzzles at you. Some intelligent beings among you like Aryabhatta, Ptolemy, Archimedes, Leonardo, Newton, Einstein, and Edison to name a few crack them. And that’s when you call a path-breaking stride in human history has happened.” He laughed aloud mockingly and continued, “Technology is a small perk that you get from us. We monitor you and when we feel you are ready for a specific technology, we give it to you to play with. Mathematics, electricity, computer, mobile technology and what not! To sum it up, Newton’s apple dint fall by itself, Jake. We dropped it.”

“This is the limit. This is it. Is this… is this… thing telling me that whatever science that we have learnt is what these things gave us? This is insane. This is bloody insane!” Jake snapped at Steve.

“Anger is not a luxury or a choice you have Jake.” J-Rod replied in a calm and firm tone.

Jake slumped back into his chair.

“Now, let’s talk business; shall we?” J-Rod sat opposite Jake looking at him intently.

“As I mentioned already, you are kids. We can’t let children rule a place. Can we? Move aside and watch how real men do it. We have been approaching your people with the proposal in calculated intervals. As you can see, so far it has not fructified. The last time we spoke to a man in a geography just to the south of you. He dint make the right choice and so we decided to give you another chance. We were waiting for you to attain the maturity to make sensible decisions. So we… what to say…. Rescheduled the program to - now. Actually, your predecessor left behind the time and schedule of this particular meeting. He even left huge warning symbols in the rocks! How kiddish!” J-Rod’s guffaw echoed ominously.

“Now, Jake, we know you people are mature enough and moreover we are not very comfortable about leaving our investment with you any longer. You are destroying it! I feel a little history will make it clear to you how you ended up in the middle of all this.”

J-Rod took a deep sigh and paced leisurely, like a professor.

“First, you should understand that we can look into the future.”

He let that sink in.

“We can only look, but cant be sure about the outcome. That part of science is in the nascent stages still. But its not far before we fix the glitches. We decided to take you - United States of America as our strategic partners. We foresaw that you will have substantial power in this planet. We understood that you can influence the world. We have a teaching – ‘Lure the strength of your enemy in your side and the battle is half won.’ So, we have been visiting and scouting your country. And ultimately made contact with you. The rest, I am sure Steve would have told you.”

He gave a questioning look on Steve who could do nothing but give back a curt nod.

“That’s good.” He turned to Jake and continued, “Wondering how you came in? We choose our emissaries, Jake. We can control the output by adding the correct factors. The correct inputs into the predictive model will bring us closer to the perfect outcome. So, we choose our men. We chose Lyndon, who could set up our base here and so, we eliminated the previous guy. What was his name? ahh… John F. Kennedy so that Lyndie could sit on power and give us this home. Next came that Nixon guy. He needed proof. So we took your men to the moon to take the giant leap of faith in 1969. Oh! By the way, forgot to mention that we have set up our military base in the dark side of your moon. Your men came, saw and your fears were hence proved.”

J-Rod paused with a musing smile. He knew what was going in Jake’s mind. The pieces were falling in place. They had killed Barry so that he, Jake the vice-president could assume office! He shuddered at the thought of it!

“Yes. You are not as dull as I thought you would be.” J-Rod said and laughed aloud.

“Jake, you are the chosen-man. Right from your childhood, we made sure you reached where you are now. How do you think your father found money to educate you? How did you take interest in political sciences? How did you survive that war? I kept the obstacles away. I made your destiny. I am your God, Jake.”

Jake gulped in bewilderment. He felt a chill down his spine. A sudden unpleasant thought dawned on him.

“Marie….. That accident… you bastard…..” Jake clenched his teeth and was shivering with anger.

“Ah! Yes. She was distracting you Jake. She was pulling you out of politics. I needed to put you back on track. Had she stayed, you would not be here.”

Tears of remorse and anger were filled Jake’s eyes.

“Jake, now that you know what you need to know. Lets get back to business.”

He sat across Jake and put on his reading glasses.

“We want it to be a smooth transition. I assume you are familiar with the term 'Colonization'. Unlike you, we don’t like war. We try to avoid it at the best. So choose to make it less painful. You, being a partner, we will grant you certain privileges over others. You can either choose to accept or deny them. I will make an offer you dare not refuse. I present you the Ultimatum. Your reply will be helpful in deciding the amount of reinforcement to be dispatched from moon on the day of the take over.”

Jake sat motionless and numb.

“Choose wise Mr. President. You represent humanity. Your choice decides the future of your planet; the amount of human-blood that will be spilled. Hasta la Vista”

With this James Roddick stood up with a pleasant smile and walked towards the open doorway through which he had come.

He stopped suddenly; looked back and said, “and yes, forgot to mention, the Ultimatum comes with a deadline. It’s at 21st December of next year; that is 2012.”

Facts and Fiction:

Area 51 is a fact. It is an Air Force base. The US government has been adamantly tight-lipped about it for a long time.

Celtic is the codename for Vice-president Joe Biden. Obama’s is Renegade. Mr. Biden is of Irish descent.

Suibhne is a king of an Irish folklore who was cursed that he would turn into a bird.

JFK’s assassination is still under debate. J-Rod is actually the name of allegedly an alien in Area 51. This comes from the accounts of former employees of this facility who allege the alien conspiracy.

The civilization in ‘a geography to your south’ refers to the Mayan civilization.

On some research after completing this story, I was shocked to learned that its not only me who came up with such a crazy idea! There is actually this concept of ‘New World Order’. The secret organization is named Majestic 12.
All these facts can be verified from respective wiki pages.

Chose the name Jake due to influence of Avatar.

Sector Seven. Yes, courtesy: Transformers

Dark of the Moon; inspiration: Transformers 3

I tried to include few famous conspiracies and controversies to spice up – area 51, space race, JFK, moon landing, aliens frequenting mostly USA (allegedly), Mayan calendar, the Inca lines (I know, that’s illogical) etc.