“For the record, these same strong-arm tactics were used on Professor Searl, who was poisoned while eating in a diner with Intel agents posing as investors. Dr. Searl was wrongfully imprisoned, and all of his equipment and papers were destroyed. Similar things have happened to other courageous citizens and inventors like T. Townsend Brown, John Keely, Victor Schauberger, Otis Carr, and Dr. Steven Greer. It seems like every time a scientist or private company attempts to market a device that threatens the fossil fuel industry, the powers that be strike back without mercy.”

While I was speaking, Chairman Boyd handed a note to an assistant, who took a roundabout route before slipping it to the court stenographer.

My attorney immediately grabbed my microphone. “Excuse me, Chairman Boyd. May I inquire what was in the note your assistant just handed to the stenographer?”

The congresswoman’s cheeks flushed. “The official transcript of these hearings is not the appropriate venue to cite innuendo. As such, I asked that the witness’s last statement be stricken from the record.”

The members of the galley lost it. Shouts and threats and catcalls rained upon the members of the committee—along with several shoes.

It was exactly the response the chair had hoped to elicit. Within minutes, security had cleared the hall of all visitors.

With order established, the hearing resumed. “The chair recognizes Congressman James Hinks from New Mexico.”

“Thank you, Ms. Chairman. Dr. Wallace, I’ve been reading stories about lawsuits filed against your company by the Chinese and Australians, something about fiduciary claims on behalf of investors who funded your Vostok mission years ago. Could you expand on that?”

“Congressman, the lawsuits are ridiculous and unfounded, and that’s all I’m at liberty to say.”

“Then you’re denying this technology originated from an extraterrestrial spacecraft abandoned in Lake Vostok?”

Scott Schwartzberg took the microphone. “Congressman, my client is not at liberty to discuss proprietary claims from the lawsuit you mentioned, or any of these other ridiculous claims. The underlying issue here is whether the Vostok works. It does. Whether its designs were inspired by collaborations with Dr. Searl, Dr. Wallace’s pet goldfish, or little green men has no bearing on this hearing.”

The scientists in the galley laughed. A few members of the subcommittee smiled.

Not Congressman Hicks. “You may well find my line of questioning amusing, but in New Mexico we take these matters quite seriously. There have been fourteen incidents of UFO sightings in the last four months, and some have suggested these sightings have coincided with the testing of your devices—something to do with accessing a trans-dimensional conduit, I don’t know exactly. So I ask you again, on the record, have you ever seen or had access to an extraterrestrial spacecraft?”

Scott Schwartzberg leaned over again to instruct me.

“Dr. Wallace, why do you need your attorney’s help to answer a simple question?”