“What prevents a Type-0 civilization like yours from evolving and ultimately surviving is the resistance by institutions to turning their power over to the people. When economic tribalism dominates the political system, civilization reverts to a system of fiefdoms. Contempt divides the masses, and conflicts result in war and a deeper divide. When the first potential extinction event arises, the stagnating Type-0 civilization will always perish.”

“And what is my role in this equation?”

She slid me around, slipping her tongue in my mouth. “Colonel Vacendak and his MJ-12 brethren are convinced the space-time portal you accessed in Vostok will give them access to zero-point energy, a technology reserved for Type-3 civilizations. You must pretend to assist the Colonel—”

“Susan, I’m not going back in that subglacial icebox. No way.”

“You have to. The future of your species is at stake. It’s the reason the Grays are here, the reason the trans-dimensional being sought you out.” She gripped my face, staring hard into my eyes. “Unless you act, your people and every air-breathing being on your planet will perish.”

29

“Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that
goes by the name of patriotism—how passionately I hate them.”

—Albert Einstein

Over the next twelve hours, I managed two meals, dedicated a few hour-sessions in the weight room working my atrophied muscles into shape, and spent a restless night curled in bed next to Susan.

Who was she? What was she? Frankly, I didn’t care if she called herself a Nordic. It wasn’t like she had two heads. What bothered me more was that our relationship had been strategic, not emotional. She had baited me into loving her to satisfy her species’ agenda, and that meant I couldn’t trust her.

They came for us at six in the morning.

Two armed security men escorted us up to the third floor to a chamber the size of a middle school gym. Members of the team that were being flown out to Antarctica waited in line to receive shots and collect their Extreme Weather Gear, most of the crewmen already dressed in nylon Bio Suits.

Dr. Stewart pulled us out of line and led us into a private room. We were handed dressing gowns and asked to strip down for our pre-flight exams. The “booster shot” into my right buttock administered the requisite biochip and tracer into my bloodstream.

We dressed in nylon navy-blue Bio Suits and boots, selected our breakfast from a buffet line, and ate. When we finished, our armed escorts took us down to Level 16.

Susan reached for my hand as we stepped off the elevator. There’s a Gray on this floor. You’ll feel it reading your mind. Don’t think about last night; focus on a distant memory.