Tarizon: Desert Swarm Page 48

  Chapter 48

  Mental Telepathy

  The truck driver who’d stolen the load of sand gave the FBI an address of the job site where it was to be delivered. When Mo, Dolly and Jack arrived the job site was quiet. They got out and looked around for the sand but quickly realized the foundation had already been poured. That meant the sand had been processed through the cement mixer. A cold chill went through Jack as he imagined the pain and agony the Nanomites must have felt as they were smothered by the water mixed with the sand and cement.

  “Do you feel their presence?”

  Jack looked at her worriedly. “No. I haven’t tried. Give me a minute to focus.”

  Jack closed his eyes and imagined himself looking eye to eye with a Nanomite swarmmaster. At first there was nothing but static in his mind. Then he saw words, written in a language he didn’t understand, come into focus. “Pictures,” he thought. “Give me in pictures.”

  The words continued to flood into his mind but he could not understand them. Finally he began thinking what he wanted to say and wrote it in his mind in English. After a minute the Nanomites understood the problem and images began flipping through his mind. First he saw Nanomites weaving in and out between particles of sand. Then ahead he saw beads of water coming right at them and the ensuing collisions with the Nanomite swarms. Thankfully, most of them must have drown before the cement was added,” he thought staring at the concrete slab speechless for a moment, knowing it had become their eternal grave.

  “We’re too late. They’re all dead,” Jack gasped.

  “Oh. No!” Dolly moaned. “They’re all dead?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but the images I saw seemed to indicate that was the case.”

  “I hope that doesn’t mean our deal is off?” Mo said worriedly.

  “I don’t know. We’ll probably have to wait for Linkh to return to find out for sure. It’s hard to communicate effectively with pictures. If I could speak Tari it would be no problem.”

  “You better learn,” Dolly said, “now that you know you have the gift.”

  “Maybe I will. Linkh mentioned he could teach me on his ship quite easily.”

  “Well, let’s go back to the Independence site,” Jack suggested. “Joe should be reporting in any time and we can find out how soon it will be until he gets back.”

  “Speaker . . . Speaker.”

  “We are here,” the Speaker replied.

  “Are you alright? I understand your swarms were kidnaped by humans against the collective will?”

  “Yes. We were taken early this morning without warning. The humans loaded the sand we occupied in a transporter and took us here. Many of our swarms perished in the human processing machine that they use to make rock. They were not given a chance to escape.”

  “How many suffered this fate?”

  “More than half. We tried to crowd into the hull of the transporter but there was no room for all of us. Those that couldn’t gain refuge were sucked out and into the machine.”

  “These humans are careless and refuse to respect our life form. Come back with us to the site the humans call Independence and the collective will decide what to do now. They want us all to return to the place they call Bat Mountain which was supposed to be our home on Earth, but there is risk in such a move and all the swarms must decide together what to do.”

  “We will go back with you,” the Independence Speaker replied, “to participate in the debate of the collective.”

  “Good. We’ll help you make transport cubes for the move. We’ll leave a first light.”

  Jack felt pressure in the front of his brain. He instinctively closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. Images of Nanomite transport cubes before a rising sun popped into his head. He immediately understood the message.

  “Ah...We’ve got to stay here for the night. Some of the Nanomites must have survived and they will need to be transported out of here, so they’ll need time to build transport cubes.”

  “I’ll have to order a couple trucks too,” Mo said. “I wonder how many we’ll need?”

  “I saw seven cubes in my vision, so one flatbed eighteen wheeler should be enough.”

  “We’ll have to drive on public roads during daylight hours. Will that be a problem?” Dolly asked.

  “No, since the transport cubes look like they are made of white marble I doubt we’ll get a second look from anyone.”

  “I’ll order in some tents and supplies,” Mo said. “In the meantime I’ve got to report in to the President. I’m sure he’s very anxious for an update on the situation.”

  “I can imagine,” Jack said. “I can’t believe you deal directly with him.”

  “It’s true. His Chief of Staff doesn’t even know about this project.”

  Jack laughed. “Well, say hi to him for me.”

  Mo smiled and then walked to his car and left. Jack watched him leave and then joined Dolly and Agent Sanders who were gazing over the new slab.

  “Where’s he going?” Sanders asked.

  “To confer with the President,” Jack replied.

  “I would have liked to have been included in that conference,” Sanders said. “I’d tell the President he’s an idiot for trying to keep the treaty with the alien’s secret. I don’t think he realizes the threat these Nanomites pose to us if we don’t treat them right.”

  “He’s only worried about his ass, I’m afraid,” Jack replied. “I don’t know how long the aliens have been here but apparently it’s been awhile. He’d have a hard time justifying the delay in reporting it to the American people.”

  “Politicians. They’re all a bunch of opportunists,” Dolly said angrily. “They crave power and once they get it, they can’t let it go no matter how dire the consequences.”