stars and its mysteries would be voiced as easily as a nursery rhyme. If they were deaf or blind, they’d suddenly acquire hearing and sight if I could provide that; if they couldn’t walk, they’d suddenly stand and move normally. They could take a pencil and with no design experience or art lessons, draw the pyramids perfectly to scale on a sheet of paper.” Terlaje’s eyes seemed to gloss over as he envisioned his thesis.
“The why? to your question, Dr. Snow, is this: This would be my proof that something is coming to bring relief. Who better to represent that relief than those who hardly get relief at all.” The crowd applauded respectfully at this.
“The meek shall inherit the Earth” as the popular third Beatitude of Jesus goes. Despite being homeless, infirmed or mentally ill, they are people after all, and should have voices. These people would speak for me because they would know that they would never starve or suffer human ills again. These people whom I implanted would be the results of my pre-contact, my welcoming committee, proof that I was coming in peace, and that I was bringing good things.”
“That’s fucking awesome!” a young voice exclaimed. The crowd laughed and applauded loudly. Several hands then shot up, but Terlaje raised his own and respectfully patted them down. He was looking up at Zelda, who was still standing.
“Hold on, everybody! Don’t worry! I’ll get to all of you,” he encouraged still looking at her. “I’ll answer all your questions. But I believe Dr. Snow has one more question.”
“GO FOR IT, GIRL!” yelled another young voice that prompted cheers.
“I swear to the audience, this is my final question!” She took a breath, and then her face turned serious. “Unlike you, sir, I’m a little cynical concerning human nature and how we would receive or perceive you in such a scenario.”
Terlaje took his water from the podium, grabbed a nearby chair and put it in the center of the floor. He sat down and nodded to Zelda.
“Go ahead, Doctor.”
“I, for one, do consider the Earth and the human race the trailer trash of the universe. Because after hundreds and thousands of years of human evolution and technology, we are still power-hungry, self-serving, self-worshipping, arrogant, indifferent, murderous, and corrupt sons of bitches.” The crowd applauded in agreement.
“We may be in our cognitive infancy, but we have technology enough to take care of every person on the planet. We can feed them, house them, inoculate them, and give them work; yet, we don’t. Americans, in particular. Our government, our politicians, our lawmakers, our Supreme Court-blatantly and unapologetically subservient to the rich-can better our nation, but they don’t. We can end homelessness and poverty, but we don’t. We can share our wealth and resources so that our neighbors don’t suffer, but we don’t. The rich rule this land, not the visionaries like yourself. The rich rule the land, the people, the resources, and the military; and that alone, defeats your theory.” Terlaje nodded as he considered her strong words, sentiments that he completely agreed with.
“Don’t get me wrong, I agree with everything you’ve said. But I’m a physicist, I deal with facts and calculations, not hopes. So, here’s my scenario, Dr. Terlaje. There is a real human reality here, and that is: Money and power will crush all hopes of humanitarian and planetary improvement.” She paused to take in a deep breath. “I think that those who are implanted with those gifts you describe, would be rounded up, isolated, imprisoned, or made to disappear after they’ve exposed their skills to the public.” Almost half of the packed auditorium applauded.
“The police, then the government would be called, whether it be some FBI X-FILES team or military scientific team, to end the notion that something greater than us is near. Those brainless, despicable policemen who pepper-sprayed the Occupy protesters are just one example of our society’s stupidity.” The crowd yet again voiced their agreement.
“Dr. Terlaje, I strongly feel that those implants would never be allowed to be a voice for an alien life form, because such an admission would threaten those who hold sway over our planet. I’m talking about our political establishment and the military.” Terlaje took her reasoning to heart, feeling the kindred spirit of one who shared his same beliefs. “I’m cynical enough to believe that our government and military would hide, as they’ve done all this time, any evidence that life exists outside our planet because it keeps them in power; and, like those scholars that discount alien life, keep the public ignorant by using doubt and terrestrial explanations. And for those millions who are not as educated or have a sense of intellectual curiosity, they would keep them in fear by evoking religious and apocalyptic dogma.” More applause erupted.
“To allow an alien race to visit Earth would threaten the government’s politically-engineered occupation as the world’s policemen and brain trust. They wouldn’t be able to do that job anymore with a new big brother watching. Our country wouldn’t be able to attack nations for their oil fields; Wall Street wouldn’t be able to manipulate financial institutions for their own greed; Congress wouldn’t be able to crush the middle and lower classes to enforce subservience to the rich; the military couldn’t decimate the budget by purchasing more weapons. They wouldn’t be able to hide behind the Constitution; because, with an alien big brother around that piece of parchment that has been ever manipulated to support the agenda of wealth and social control, would be rendered obsolete.” The crowd roared.
“Although I believe countries like Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, the European Union and South America would welcome the visitors, our country would be the first to begin a militarized and media-funded scare campaign against it. And let’s face it, if this took place in countries where human rights are a joke; I’m talking China, North Korea, Africa, the Middle East or Russia, those implanted people would be tortured, experimented on, and killed outright.” Zelda’s face remained stony as the crowd applauded again. Terlaje simply stared at Snow, taking in her truth, her passion, her soul.
“So, Doctor, here’s the question finally: What would you do as an alien race if you saw the people you implanted persecuted, dragged away, beaten, maimed, killed? And on the eve of your arrival, saw that our planet’s weapons and defense systems went on full alert; that they were locked and loaded to repulse your visit? Earth’s way of saying ‘You’re not welcomed here!’ What would you do?” Snow sat down. The audience became dead silent as all eyes turned away from her and swung back to Terlaje. His hands were clasped together, fingers interlaced on his lap as he contemplated the scene with his eyes closed. He opened them and stood up, his expression grim.
“I would have already been prepared for such a contingency, expecting as much from a cosmically infantile and perennially aggressive race. To counter this, I would have already implanted several people with different skills-skills in electronics, computer engineering, and mass utilities operation. If your scenario occurred, Dr. Snow, I would activate them to hack into the nation’s power grid and black out the cities, turn off public utilities like gas and water. I would have my computer expert implants take down the Internet either through viruses or an electric plasma charge to burn out the telephone and cell phone service hubs and providers. I would bring the area into complete darkness, silence and powerlessness, like they were in the Stone Age.”
The lecture hall was a tomb as they dreaded what they were afraid he might say next. Although the scenario was frightening enough just imagining being in total darkness and without communications, they knew there was more. Terlaje’s face was grave. He lowered the boom.
“Then, as Dr. Malcolm so eloquently put it, I’d clean house. I’d decimate the countries using reflected solar radiation and particle beam technology. Those nations that posed no threat, raised no weapons, would be spared.” Whispers and groans drifted throughout the auditorium. Terlaje shook his head in bereavement. “Sometimes the petulant child needs to be spanked.”
* * *
I sat stunned at Zelda’s detailed recollection of her encounter with Dr. Terlaje. I looked at Ivana who was biting her lip and looking exhaustedly at her glass of beer.
“Talk about foresight,” she breathed. “Dr. Terlaje described what we are actually seeing