THE

SPOREWritten by DTYarbrough

A Science Fiction Short Story

Copyright 2010
All rights reserved
 THE SPORE
“What does the military want with me?” asked Dr. Winslow. “You can't just grab someone
out of bed in the middle of the night without some sort of explanation.”

“I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to say,” said the Lieutenant. “National security. You'll be
briefed when we reach the base.”

“And what base is that?” Wanda asked.

“That's on a need to know basis, Dr. Winslow,” said the Lieutenant. “Please hold all of
your questions until we reach the base. And that goes for the rest of you. I can assure you we
don't have all the answers. If we did, we wouldn't need you.”

Wanda looked around the cabin of the military transport to see if she recognized any of
the others. It was somewhat comforting to know she wasn't the only one that had no idea
what was going on. Dr. Wanda Winslow was a biologist of some renown. Many of the faces
looked familiar, but she couldn't put any names to the faces. She was fairly certain they
weren't all biologists. At least they weren't in her specialized field of palynology.

“What's your speciality, Dr. Winslow?” asked the man seated beside her. “Are you a
medical doctor?”

“You have me at a disadvantage,” said Wanda. “I don't believe I caught your name.”

“Hi, I'm Ben,” said Professor Davis. “Professor Benjamin Davis.”

“Aren't you a little young to be a professor?” asked Wanda.

“Aren't you awfully cute to be a doctor?” asked Ben.

“I'm a biologist specializing in palynology,” said Wanda.

“That was going to be my second guess,” said Ben.

“And what do you do, besides second guessing?” asked Wanda, “and what was your first
guess?”

“I specialize in E.T.” replied Ben.

“Come on. I told you what I do,” said Wanda.

“Like I'm supposed to know what a palynologist does,” said Ben.

“Well, you pronounced it right,” said Wanda. “I study spores.”

“My third guess,” said Ben. “No, I actually study extraterrestial lifeforms.”

“Bring any live specimens with you?” asked Wanda.

1
 “Okay, so I theorize about them,” said Ben. “It's a legitimate field of study.”

“Hey, that smile was just my attempt to be friendly,” said Wanda. “I'm sure it's very
important what you do for a living. You can actually make a living at that?”

“Speaking of spores,” said Ben. “Got any spares? Maybe I could study something really
important for a change.”

“Spores are very important, for your information,” said Wanda. “Why are you smiling?”

“Just trying to be friendly,” said Ben. “Can we start all over?”

“I suppose we could try,” said Wanda. “Who knows. The government may have an
extraterrestial spore hidden away in Area 15 and we'll end up working together.”

“Now you're just making fun of me,” said Ben. “Suit yourself.”

….............................

“Well, I'll be damned,” said Ben as they exited the transport. “I think this is Area 15.”

“No,” said Wanda. “You're kidding.”

“Hey,” said Ben. “It's my specialty. I'm telling you. This is Grooms Lake.”

“If you will all follow me,” said the Lieutenant, “I'll take you to the breifing room.”

….............................

“If everyone will please take a seat, we'll begin by having you sign an agreement never to
disclose what you are about to learn here. Failure to follow the terms of this agreement will
be considered treason. Anyone who does not wish to sign the agreement, feel free to leave
now. The transport will return you to your respective homes or workplaces. Please know that
your assistance at this time is desperately needed. You will be compensated for your time.”
said the distinguished looking gentleman at the podium. “We'll be coming around to retrieve
the documents and will be passing out a folder containing information for your eyes only. Do
not share this information with anyone else, not even your coworkers to whom you may be
assigned. Do not open these folders until you are in your assigned quarters. Whether you stay
or leave, you must speak to no one of what you have seen or heard this day.”

….............................

“Well, since everyone is staying, we''ll begin by showing you an image of an object the
federal government is in the process of studying. Information about the object specific to
your field of study is contained within your folder. Open it only after you are within the
privacy of your quarters,” said the gentleman. “We will not be taking questions at this time.
We will meet with each of you later on an individual basis. We will try to answer your
questions and would like to get your input as to what you believe this object may be, how you
would propose to study it, and what assistance if any you would require.”

A hush fell over the crowd as the image appeared on the screen. “This image is
unmodified as to color or shape. The scale is however classified. If it is pertinent to your field
of study, you will find that information within your folder., said the gentleman. “Feel free to

2
study the image as long as you wish. When you are done, you will be led to your quarters.”

“That could be a spore,” said Wanda.

“Have you seen anything similar?” asked Ben.

“Sure,” said Wanda. “There are hundreds of spores that look very similar.”

“Then what's the catch?” asked Ben. “Did they find it on the moon or something?”

“Well, they thought you could be helpful or they wouldn't have gone through the trouble
of kidnapping you,” said Wanda.

“Wow,” said Ben. “Real extraterrestrial life.”

“Or it could just be a crystal,” said Wanda. “I hope there's a lot more info in this folder.”

“Well,” said Ben. “Maybe we'll see each other again after this is all over.”

“I think I'd like that,” said Wanda. “Can I find you online?”

“Just google me,” said Ben.

….........................

“These are your quarters, Dr. Winslow,” said the guard. “Please make yourself at home.
Study the data in your folder and get a good night's rest. Use the black phone to order room
service if you get hungry. There's a menu.”

“And the red phone?” asked Wanda.

“You can't call out on that one,” said the guard. “Please restrict yourself to these quarters
unless you are being escorted.”

“Will I get to see the actual object?” asked Wanda.

“Object?” asked the guard. “I'm sure I don't know what you mean.”

“Never mind,” said Wanda. “You've been very helpful.”

As Wanda looked around the room, there was a bed, a desk, the two phones and a
bathroom. “Home sweet home,” she thought as she sat down at the desk and opened the
folder.

“They're 90% certain that it is a one-celled biochemical lifeform,” thought Wanda. “So it
could be a spore.”

“Wait a minute. This can't be right,” she thought. “It's the size of a basketball? That's not
even possible. Where did they find this thing? It doesn't say. Damn all the secrecy.”

“I know enough about life to know that the scale of a single cell would be the same, no
matter where they found this thing,” she thought. “There's no way it's a carbon lifeform. Or
any other type that I can imagine. It's got to be a crystal of some sort.”

3
 “How could they even think it could be biochemical?” she wondered. “No wonder they
need help. They've got idiots working here.”

The snack on the plane was just that, a snack. She was beginning to feel hungry again. She
glanced through the menu and called room service.

…..........................

“Not bad,” she thought. “It not the Ritz Carlton, but not bad.”

…..........................

“Ring ... ring … ring.”

Wanda awakened to the ringing of the phone. As she picked it up, the voice on the other
end said “Room Service. How may I help you?”

“Ring ... ring … ring.”

“Excuse me, wrong phone,” said Wanda as she hung it up and picked up the red one.

“Hello,” said Wanda.

“Good morning, Dr. Winslow,” said the voice on the phone. “A guard will be by to escort
you to the lab in twenty minutes. Please shower and dress in the clothing that was left
outside your door.”

Wanda listened to the dial tone before hanging up the phone. “Note to self … ask
questions first,” she thought as she headed for the door and retrieved the package. The
shower was more of a trickle and the water was only lukewarm. “You'd think they'd have
good plumbing after paying thousands of dollars for a toilet seat,” she thought as she dried
off.

Wanda sat down at the desk again and glanced at the folder as she waited for her escort.
“I wonder if it's too late to get out of this?” she thought. “All I know about crystals is that they
are not spores. What a waste of time.” Wanda heard the knock at the door.

“Please come with me, ma'am,” said the guard. “The Joint Chiefs are waiting.”

“The Joint Chiefs? Here?” asked Wanda. “Waiting for me?”

“Teleconferencing,” said the guard. “The C.O. is the only one here. General G.D. Adams. We
call him Grizzly.”

“Sort of a gentle giant, huh?” asked Wanda.

“You've never met the General, have you ma'am?” asked the guard. “We don't say it to his
face, ma'am, and you didn't hear it from me.”

“General, Dr. Winslow to see you, Sir,” said the guard. “I'll just wait outside, Sir.”

“Have a seat, Dr. Winslow,” said the General. “What's your first impression of our little

4
UFO.”

“UFO, Sir?” asked Wanda. “I don't understand, Sir.”

“See for yourself,” said the General as he pointed to the large window that separated them
from the object.

“You didn't say anything about this in the folder,” said Wanda. “How does it do that?”

“The darn thing is as light as a feather,” said the General.

“First impressions without all the details are useless,” said Wanda. “This changes
everything. Where did you guys find this?”

“Sorry, that's classified,” said the general. “Would you like a closer look?”

“Is it safe?” asked Wanda.

“It hasn't harmed anyone yet,” said the general, “except for that guy that sprained his
neck trying to dodge it.”

“Dodge it, Sir?” asked Wanda.

“It can propel itself,” said the general. “But it never runs into anything. Don't let it scare
you. You don't have to duck.”

“Through this door?” asked Wanda.

“Go right in,” said the general. “Don't keep us waiting too long. We really need to get your
opinion.”

As Wanda entered the room she could see that it was completely empty except for the
object. And there it was, floating about shoulder height. It was almost transparent except for
what seemed to be filaments radiating from the center of the sphere. It had a blue green tint
with light blue glowing filaments. As she reached toward it, it quickly backed away and
stopped about six feet away. “Can you hear me, General?” asked Wanda.

“I'm right here behind the two way mirror,” said the general. “I can see you but you can't
see me.”

“Has anyone been able to touch it?” asked Wanda.

“We've touched it and probed it and done all sorts of observations,” said the general.
“What do you need to know?”

“What's it made of?” asked Wanda.

“No idea,” said the General.

“Is it hard or soft?” asked Wanda.

“Extremely hard,” said the general. “Harder than diamond.”

5
 “How does it propel itself?” asked Wanda. “I thought I felt a blast of air when it
accelerated away from me.”

“Very observant,” said the general. “It has a porous body and seems to be able to inhale
or exhale independently through each pore.”

“First impression tells me it's biological, and it looked like a magnified view of a spore,
but it can't possibly be a single cell. It's millions of times too large for that,” said Wanda. “I
can't even imagine why a multi-celled creature would emulate the appearance of a single
celled organism.”

“We have reason to believe that it is a single cell,” said the general.

“That goes against everything I know about life,” said Wanda. “How do you know this?”

“I'm afraid that's classified,” said the general. “Humor me and assume it is a single cell.
Does it hold any danger to human life or any life, for that matter?”

“That's classified, Sir,” said Wanda.

“What?” growled the general.

“I've always wanted to say that,” said Wanda. “I'll have to study it before I can make that
determination. Any secrets you keep from me could lead to an incorrect hypothesis.”

“Will you require any assistance?” asked the General.

“I could use the help of someone that specializes in alien life forms,” said Wanda.

“So, you believe it's not from around here?” asked the general. “Okay. I believe we may
have someone that fills that bill. Can you be prepared to start your investigation tomorrow?”

“I'm going to need some special equipment,” said Wanda.

“Just give any of the guards a list of the instruments you'll need,” said the general. “I'll
have Professor Davis come by your quarters after he gets a look at that thing in there.”

…...............................

"Come in," said Wanda. "Did you see that thing?"

"Yeah," said Ben, "and I still don't believe it."

"I know," said Wanda. "It goes against everything I've learned. Even extraterrestrial life
would be on the same scale as life here on earth, at least at the single cell level. We're talking
about at least a 10000:1 ratio here."

"Is it definitely a single cell?" asked Ben.

"The general says it is," said Wanda, "but I'll have to run a few tests. Assuming it is a single
cell, what would be your guess as to its origin?"

"There's no question," said Ben. "It has to be from an alternate universe. I'm surprised it

6
can exist here with gas molecules being on a different scale."

"Spores are known to exist for extremely long periods under harsh conditions," said
Wanda. "I wonder if it will become a fungi or a bacteria or something completely alien."

"It's not like it can sneak up on you like a microbe," said Ben. "It shouldn't be too
dangerous."

"Some spores can reproduce at extremely high rates," said Wanda. "I hope this one's not
asexual."

"Will we be able to tell tomorrow when we begin our study?" asked Ben.

"If all the equipment I asked for shows up," said Wanda.

"Well, it's getting late," said Ben. "I see you in the lab tomorrow morning."

"Have you eaten?" asked Wanda. "I could order something."

"I'd enjoy that," said Ben. "I hate to eat alone."

"So how did you get involved in alien research?" asked Wanda. "It sounds really
fascinating."

"It all started when I joined the Segourney Weaver fan club," said Ben. "I began
corresponding with other members and...."

"Looks like our food is here," said Wanda. "Hold that thought."

.........................

"Help me catch that thing," said Wanda. "Grab that butterfly net."

"It doesn't want to be caught," said Ben. "Fast little sucker, isn't it? Where did it go?"

"It went under that table," said Wanda. "We should have had them cage it before all the
equipment was brought in."

"We'll figure it out," said Ben. "You get on that side. Try not to frighten it."

"I'm sure it doesn't feel fear," said Wanda. "It's just a natural reflex."

"I've got it," said Ben. "Now where do you want it?"

"Put it in that glass container on the table," said Wanda. "I'll get the lid. Now then, let's get
a closer look at it. Try passing some color wavelengths through it."

"That's interesting, it doesn't radiate in the infrared range," said Ben. "Does that mean it's
not alive?"

"It could mean it has a very efficient metabolism," said Wanda. "Those filaments generate
audio and visual wavelengths. That's not typical to any species that I'm aware of, but it's
certainly not mineral."

7
 "So it is alive," said Ben. "Is it a single cell?"

"It certainly look like it," said Wanda. "I just need to do a few more tests."

.........................

"We need to talk to the general," said Wanda. "It's important."

"Very well," said the Lieutenant, "Follow me."

"Let me do the talking, Ben," said Wanda. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

"Sir, Dr. Winslow and Professor Davis to see you," said the Lieutenant. "They say it's very
important."

"See them in," said the general. "I'm interested to hear what they found."

"General, we'd like to talk to you about project AU," said Wanda.

"Project AU, Lieutenant?" asked the General.

The lieutenant shrugged.

"Project Alternate Universe," said Wanda.

"Damn it, did they change the name again?" asked the general. "Why didn't I get a memo,
Lieutenant? Stop shaking your head and answer my question. Did they rename Project
Wormhole?"

"No sir, and there's no such thing as Project Alternate Universe," said the lieutenant.

"Well, there you have it," said the general. "There's no such thing."

"General, if we were the fools you take us for, we wouldn't have been snatched out of our
bed and dragged out here to area 15, now would we?" asked Wanda. "I think it's time for you
to increase our security clearance. I'd hate to let it slip that I've heard about Project Wormhole
the next time I talk to the joint chiefs, seeing as how I have such a low clearance level. That
could be tough to explain."

"Are you trying to blackmail me, young lady?" growled the general. "I'm glad you're on our
side. Lieutenant, fill out the necessary papers and then fill them in with all the details about
Project AU."

"You mean Project Wormhole, Sir?" asked the Lieutenant.

"We've just changed the name," said the general. "Send out a memo and bring me a cup of
coffee."

"Yes Sir, General," said the lieutenant. "Right away Sir."

"It'll take a few hours to activate your new security clearance," said the lieutenant. "Here
are some temporary badges. Feel free to look around but try not to cause any more trouble."

8
 ........................

"Those idiots did it," said Ben. "They created a wormhole or a portal to another universe.
We're lucky they didn't wipe out the whole planet."

"All we know for sure is that they were researching the possibility,” said Wanda. "The
lieutenant hasn't told us anything yet."

"Well, just look at the results," said Ben. "They didn't find that thing in somebody's back
yard."

"You've got a point there," said Wanda. "But hey, how neat is this? Level Ten clearance."

"We can use the executive washrooms," laughed Ben. "Let's look around. That UFO from
Roswell should be around here somewhere."

............................

"I don't care what your clearance is," said the guard. "No one goes in there without a pass
from the general."

"Can you tell us what's in there?" asked Ben.

"Sure," said the guard, "and then I'd have to shoot you. Still curious?"

"A lot of good these badges do," said Wanda. "Let's go eat."

"Down that hall to your right," said the guard. "Have a nice day. Oh yeah. Show them your
badges. You might get a discount."

"Hundreds of comedians out of work, and he's trying to be funny," said Ben. "Keep your
day job."

...........................

"Your money's no good here," said the guy in line behind them.

"That's awfully kind of you to offer," said Wanda. "But I've got it."

"No. You don't understand. The government outsourced the food service to the New Delhi
Deli & Catering Co," he replied. "You'll need rupees. There's an exchange booth right over
there. You'd better get some renminbi for the coin operated laundry while you're at it. The
Chinese don't take dollars either."

"Let's just go to the room and order room service," said Ben. "I think it was free."

.............................

"So, what's the worse case scenerio?" asked Ben. "If this thing reproduces."

"I think it would have by now if it could," said Wanda. "As long as they don't let any more
of them through, we should be fine."

9
 "And if they do?" asked Ben.

"Well, they would probably be tough to kill," said Wanda, "and with no natural enemy to
keep down their numbers, we could be overrun in no time. There's no limit to the damage
they could do to the ecology."

"We'll have to convince them to shut down the project," said Ben.

"It's unlikely that there's anything of use to us in that other universe," said Wanda. "But
there could be a lot of dangers, things that would make this seem harmless by comparison."

"It already seems harmless," said Ben. "That's the problem. How do we convince them?"

"First things first," said Wanda. "We've got to figure out how to clean up the mess they've
already made. Unless there's a way to send it back, we've got to find a way to destroy it."

"They're not going to let us destroy it," said Ben.

"I don't want to destroy it either," said Wanda. "I just want to know how to destroy it, just
in case."

"Ring ... Ring ... Ring."

"Hello," said Wanda.

"It's Lieutenant Mathews," said the lieutenant. "Meet me in the lab in ten minutes. I'm
ready to begin your briefing."

"Better eat fast," said Wanda as she hung up the phone. "The lieutenant is waiting for us in
the lab."

..........................

"Good afternoon, Dr. ... Professor," said the lieutenant. "Please have a seat and we'll begin."

"Did this thing come from an alternate universe?" asked Wanda.

"We're not exactly sure," said the lieutenant. "We were trying to create a wormhole that
would allow us to travel to distant star systems. When we opened the first one, it was hardly
larger in diameter than a thread. We were able to determine the difference in pressure and
after equalizing that pressure at this end, we enlarged the wormhole in order to pass a probe
through. That's when it came through. We reduced the wormhole immediately, but we haven't
closed it completely. It takes a great deal of energy to create it, but very little to control it."

"Whatever you do, don't let another one through," said Wanda. "That could lead to a
disaster."

"Well ... uh ... what sort of disaster?" asked the lieutenant.

"You've already done it, haven't you?" asked Ben. "Where are you keeping the other one?"

"Relax," said Wanda. "As long as they keep them separated, we should be fine. Why did

10
you bring another one through before you had a chance to study this one?"

"We didn't bring them through," said the lieutenant. "They all came through before we
could shrink the wormhole."

"They!" said Wanda. "How many are there?"

"About a dozen," said the lieutenant. "We've got them stored in an isolated chamber."

"Whatever you do, don't open it," said Wanda. "Are there cameras in there?"

"We just installed a new surveillance system right after we put them in there," said the
lieutenant.

"A new system?" asked Ben. "What else do you have in there that required the old system?"

"That's classified," said the lieutenant. "It's on a need to know basis."

"We need to look at those surveillance images," said Wanda. "This could really be serious."

"I can bring that up on your computer," said the lieutenant. "Just give me a chance to
select the right camera. There's no need for you to see everything."

............................

"They're gone!" said the lieutenant. "We put them right there."

"They can move around, you know," said Wanda. "Can you pan around with that camera?"

"That's right," said the lieutenant. "They were all dormant when they first arrived. It wasn't
until a day or two later that this one began moving around. We didn't secure them. They're
probably floating around somewhere in there."

"Well, we've got to find them, and there's no time to lose," said Wanda. "Put up all the
camera views."

"Ah ha!" said Ben. "The Roswell Spacecraft. I knew it."

"All the old surveillance cameras have failed again," said the lieutenant. "Maybe this time
we'll find out what been causing that over the years."

"There's no sign of the spores anywhere," said Wanda. "Can we get in there?"

"Well, you do have level ten clearance," said the lieutenant. "I'll see what I can arrange for
tomorrow morning."

......................

"In the meantime, can you pull this up on the computer in our quarters?" asked Wanda.

"Sure," said the lieutenant. "All you need is my password."

"Why don't you write that down for us." said Ben.

11
 "Yeah, right," said the lieutenant. "I'll pull it up on your computer. Just don't try to access
any other files while you're in there. They will also require a password."

.........................

"They're gone. We've looked everywhere," said Wanda.

"They couldn't just disappear," said Ben. "We haven't looked inside the spaceship."

"It looks like it's all closed up," said Wanda. "I don't think they're in there."

"Can we access the recorded images over the last two or three weeks?" asked Ben.

"I'll try," said Wanda. "It not like it's a separate file. He's already entered the password to
get us this far."

"You've got it," said Ben. "That's two and a half weeks ago. Look! The spores are starting to
float around."

"I'll fast forward a little," said Wanda.

"Hold it right there," said Ben. "What's going on?"

"They're mating, I think," said Wanda. "The filaments have extended outside the spore's
shell. Probably through the pores. They're intertwining with the filaments of the other spore."

"I love dirty movies," said Ben. "This is incredible. Why aren't they all doing it?"

"Who knows," said Wanda. "Age, proximity, same sex. Could be any number of reasons."

"Fast forward some more," said Ben. "See what happens next."

“They're splitting," said Wanda. "Now there are others beginning to mate."

"Look how fast they grow after they split," said Ben. "You're not still on fast forward, are
you?"

"No," said Wanda. "They're already starting to mate again."

"They didn't waste any time getting acquainted," said Ben.

"Let 's fast forward and see where they all go," said Wanda.

"The older cameras just shut down," said Ben. "Hey, the door to the spaceship is opening."

"Are there technicians in there?" asked Wanda.

"Not unless they're three feet tall," said Ben. "Those are aliens. Are those butterfly nets?"

"They're trying to catch the spores," said Wanda. "Look at them go."

"Some of them have jet packs," said Ben. "But the spores are outmaneuvering them. Uh.

12
That's gotta hurt."

"Look, that one caught a spore," said Wanda. "Now what's he doing?"

"It looks like he has a flashlight," said Ben. "Whoa. Did he just create that wormhole. He's
tossing the spore into the wormhole. They're sending them back home."

"How do you suppose they knew about the spores?" asked Wanda. "They're not from the
alternate universe."

"My guess is they were just making a routine check on the human's progress with their
spaceship and happened to notice the spores," said Ben. "They've obviously seen them before
and realized the danger they posed."

"Of course," said Wanda. "They must be the cause of all the previous surveillance system
failures."

"Stop," said Ben. "What's that? Oops."

"Did you just hit the delete key?" asked Wanda. "Don't tell me you just hit the delete key."

"Okay," said Ben.

"Ben!" yelled Wanda.

"It was an accident," said Ben. "I was trying to pause it."

"They're never going to believe this," said Wanda.

"Why tell them?" asked Ben. "At least not before I've seen the inside of that ship."

"Deal," said Wanda. "I wouldn't mind seeing it myself."

"I'm not going to sleep a wink tonight," said Ben. "This is so exciting. A real spaceship."

"Actually, I'll sleep a little bit better knowing we've got aliens looking out for us," said
Wanda. "I just wish they could do something about Project Alternate Universe."

...........................

"Sorry to keep you waiting, but we've had a few problems since we last talked," said the
lieutenant. "The spore disappeared from the lab and the wormhole generator shut down."

"Then we had better find the ones in there,” said Ben. "What's wrong with the wormhole
generator. Don't tell me it's missing too."

"That thing must weigh a ton," said the lieutenant. "I'm surprised they were able to get the
ship off the ground while that thing was on board. I'd like to see someone try to walk off with
it."

"I'll bet they've come a long way since back then," said Ben. "The new models probably
don't weigh nearly that much."

13
 "We don't have time to discuss alien progress," said Wanda. "So what's wrong with the
wormhole generator?"

"The antimatter is missing," the lieutenant replied. "The only thing in the entire ship that
we were able to get working and now it's a piece of junk."

"Well, if you got it working once," said Ben.

"Actually, someone simply hooked it up to a twelve volt battery and turned it on," said the
lieutenant. "We'll never be able to create enough antimatter to get it working again."

"That's a shame," said Wanda. "Can we go in now?"

"We suspect that the spores somehow got inside the spaceship," said Ben. "You got the
door key?"

"I can get you in," said the lieutenant. "But you mustn't touch anything."

"No problem," said Ben. "We just want to find those spores before they turn into
something dangerous."

"You said the generator was the only thing you guys ever got working," said Wanda as they
entered the ship. "But surely you've discovered things that led to new technology. I realize that
military applications are probably classified, but surely there are some that benefitted the
general public."

"Sure," said the lieutenant. "There's a prime example right there."

"Seat belts!" exclaimed Ben. "That's it! Seat belts!"

"With the shoulder harness," said the lieutenant. "Do you realize how many lives that has
saved."

"And you've kept this secret for 70 years because ...?" asked Ben.

"We like to keep our enemies guessing," said the lieutenant.

"I'm guessing that your enemies have some spores to study," said Ben. "They don't seem to
be in here."

"The general is gonna be on me like stink on sh*t," said the lieutenant, "and you guys are
out of work. We'll have a transport ready in a couple of hours to take you home. Remember,
mum's the word."

"Who would believe it," said Ben. "Seatbelts ... of all the ...."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," said Wanda. "It's been nice working with you. Too bad about your
wormhole thingy."

"Don't let it bother you, Doc," said the lieutenant. "They've got plenty of other things
around here to keep me busy."

"I'll just bet," said Ben. "Like toilet seat warmers or left handed monkey wrenches."

14
"I'd tell you," said the lieutenant, "but …"

"I know," said Ben. "You'd have to shoot me."

15