Xeno Activity Chapter 7- Stories Online Edit 1

Chapter 7
====STARBUCKS==== Lunch turned out to be a muffin and a cup of Coffee at the Starbucks across Campus. She bought her own and waited till he had made his selection and joined her at one of the small tables by the window. The Starbucks was nearly deserted, most likely everyone went rubbernecking.

He sipped his "Quadruple Shot Venti Latte" and said "Well now it is your turn. Fill me in or I go to the VA and make sure I leave with a medical evaluation that frees me from any drafting."

"No need to get hostile, Mr. Lemmon!" she said with a sharp tone in her voice.

"It is you who is steamrolling all over me since we met. I am neither a slave nor a little lap dog waiting to kush whenever the mistress needs service."

Her large green eyes sparkled with emotions and energies and then she said. "Have you ever heard about Operation High Jump?"

"Yes, I have. It was the largest South Pole Expedition ever, mounted in 1947 under the command ofAdmiral Byrd. To test equipment and men and to establish a base, I think the expedition failed to establish the base and was called home several month earlier than planned."

"Well you heard about it, but you know nothing really!" she concluded. "My Grandfather was one of the men that went along, and he did not come back. Officially he died in a plane crash while making aerial photographs."

While she spoke she opened her briefcase and retrieved several pages of paper all in plastic protectors and she handed him the first. It looked like a high quality photo-copy of the inside of a small note book. The paper of the note book had turned yellow and there were neat handwritten notes in pencil. The author of those notes spoke about weather conditions, sea lions and penguins, the second page showed the crude drawing of a UFO, there was no other way to describe it. Whoever had drawn that flying saucer added for whatever reason the old German Swastika to its side. The handwriting was no longer neat but looked narrow and hurried. The author claimed his Monoplane had been shot down by a Flying Saucer with German military markings.

She watched him as he looked at the pages. "That notebook was sent to my Grandmother, twenty years after he was declared dead. It came by mail without return address or clues as to who sent it; the post stamp was from Chicago, Illinois. That's where my grandfather's best friend lived, who also was on that expedition. When we searched for him, we learned he had died on the same day the note book had been posted."

Sid shrugged. "So you are telling me we are going to look for UFO's at the South Pole? You aren't serious aren't you? Even I have heard of the Whackos who believe in Nazi Flying Saucers. That's the same crowd who believes we never went to the moon and 9/11 was an inside job! You should try to sell your story to the Supermarket tabloids. Perhaps we will finally learn Bat Boy really exists!"

He expected her to explode but she just glared at him. "The book is authentic. It was my Grandfather's note book. He drew that saucer before the term became popular with the sighting over Mt. Rainier. He drew it and never came back!"

"Okay let's assume the book is from your Grandfather, the writing is clear and neat and speaks of normal stuff, then there is the drawing and the writing looks different. The book was gone for twenty years, could not someone else who is a UFO nut draw and write this stuff and send it to the Granddaughter of the Antarctic pilot to get some exposure later in the National Enquirer. I was the man who got mental messages from beyond the grave about UFO's?" He rolled his eyes. "What do you need a Lichen expert for anyway?"

"Listen Mr. Lemmon, no one knew about my Grandfather being part of this expedition. There are other details in the rest of the note book that authenticate it. My Grandfather wrote the last notes after he had crashed, nearly freezing to death. That explains the change in handwriting. I made it my lifes' mission to find out the truth about what happened to my Grandfather and if possible bring him home. My team was able to convince the Department of Defense to help us in our effort to find him and the others that died during Operation High Jump. Your name was mentioned as a South Pole expert and a person who had been in the area where we believe he was last."

"To find the frozen remains of your grandfather will be next to impossible. Ice at the South Pole is not only moving but growing each year. As noble and humane as your ideas might be, I still see no reason why you need me or why they needed to reactivate me."

A new voice said, "I will fill you in on that, Lt. Commander."

A man in a dark blue Navy Uniform stepped closer, took a chair, and sat down.

Sid identified the man's rank as Rear Admiral and the trident pin on his chest, made him a former SEAL. Sid had never seen the man before. The Navy man put his cover with measured moves on the table and smiled. "Looks like you are keeping in shape and I have the strong feeling you do not remember who I am."

"I've still got a bullet fragment near my spine. Ever waited for treatment at the VA? Ever filled out three dozen forms in triplicate copy for a wheel chair or a set of crutches, Sir?" He added after putting his paper cup down. "No Sir, I don't know who you are."

"I wish I could change things. I don't like the way they treat disabled vets either. I am Rear Admiral Lower Half Derek Moore. You should remember Lieutenant Moore. I was one of your instructors in San Diego."

"Yes, I remember now." Sid recalled the man, but his face looked somehow different from what he remembered, familiar now but different, but then that was over 15 years ago.

The Admiral said, "I am going along on this expedition and there are going to be two of your old Unit as well. Your name came up. We found that you are an expert on the Cold continent and one thing came to another and this is why you are reactivated." He glanced over at the Redhead and then said, "The main reason for the expedition is scientific in nature and the Navy is sponsoring part of it as we going to test new equipment." He laughed. "We don't expect to find UFO's, that's just, let's say an obsession of Ms. McMillian, but since her father is the Defense Contractor making the equipment and funding much of the expedition, she will come along and have a chance to look for flying saucers while we will conduct tests."

Sid didn't believe a word the man said. There was something else going on and he didn't want to miss it for the world. So he agreed to go along.