Space Cop
Preface
Juan slowly removed his football jersey and shoulder pads. He realized that would be the last time he removed his high school uniform. He had just finished the last game of his senior year. He still could hear the raucous crowd in the stands cheering and singing. The Warriors had won the game. While the season wasn’t a total failure, they wouldn’t be playing in any tournaments this year.
He knew he would not be getting another chance to show off to the college scouts attending the games. During his whole football career, heck, most of his life, he wanted to emulate Brian Urlacher. A kid from a small town in New Mexico, like Juan. In fact, Urlacher grew up about 250 miles east of Socorro. He set records while playing for the University of New Mexico Lobos. Then Brain was drafted by the Chicago Bears of the NFL! A New Mexico kid playing in the pro leagues.
Juan knew he could do the same if he could impress the scouts enough to get a scholarship. He had spent the last four years of his life training for football, practicing football, dreaming of football, eating, sleeping, and bleeding for football. Juan had ignored his family, had only one, no make that two friends in the world. All because he had a dream.
His teammates were all laughing, joking, and discussing their dates for tonight’s dance. Some of the talk made Juan blush. He wondered how much was real and how much was bravado. It didn’t matter to him. He wouldn’t be going to the dance. He never did. He hadn’t had a date, not since two summers ago. There was no time for that when he had to get better at football.
Chapter 1
Wearing his Socorro High School football jersey, number 54, Brian Urlacher’s number when he played for the Chicago Bears, Juan threaded his old pickup through the dirt roads east of Socorro. He and his passenger and best friend, Isabella, were going to visit their friend Joe, the old rancher who ran cattle on some land east of town. The two had befriended Joe after Juan and Isabella had helped fix the old man’s truck when they found him on the side of the road in these badlands.
Joe, who was grateful for the help, offered to cook them dinner. They both accepted. The three opposites formed a bond over a meal of green chile stew. There was Joe, an old grizzled rancher who looked like he had been baking in the sun for decades, Juan, the football player, and Isabella, the soon-to-be valedictorian of her class. Nothing in common. At least Juan couldn’t see anything in common. But now he and Isabella looked forward to their weekly visits to Joe’s ranch to help and spend time with the old man.
Juan was pulled back from his daydream to the here and now by Isabella.
“Slow down before I get two black eyes,” she exclaimed.
Confused, Juan looked at her. “Huh?”
“You never heard that? You know boys have balls and girls have boobs,” emphasizing that last part by jiggling. “You keep this up, and I’m going to get slapped in the face by mine.”
“But you’re not that, uh, big.” He stammered, then looked straight forward as he felt himself blush, not knowing what else to say. But he did slow down.
After a few seconds of silence between them, Isabella sighed. “I’m sorry to be so snippy. It’s just that Bob, I mean Robert, you know that idiot in senior science class? I heard him ask Mr. Hernadez why ‘that girl’ was allowed in MESA. He had the nerve to say that girls can’t learn science.”
Juan stared in disbelief. “Are people like that really still out there? I guess you just have to win the science fair.”
“Well, Joe promised to help me. I will talk to him today when we meet.”
“Joe? Does he know about science? I thought he was just an old rancher.”
“Now, who is stereotyping?”
The New Mexico sun was beating down on the parched landscape as the two friends threaded their way down a gravel road. Other than some scrub and a few grass bunches scattered around, there was nothing but sand and rocks. The browns, tans, and off-whites contrasted against the brilliant blue of the cloudless sky.
Juan’s truck may have once had air conditioning, but it hasn’t worked since he bought it. With the two windows open, some air flowed through the cab, but it did not cool the two because the air was hot and dry.
After a few minutes of silence, Isabella spoke up. “Juan, we’re graduating in a few short months. I hope we can keep in contact. You know I hope to stay here in town to attend New Mexico Tech. What if the football scholarship falls through? What’s your backup plan?”
“The scholarship won’t fall through.”
“But what if it does? I know you have spent the last four years playing football, ignoring almost everything else. Do you even have some ideas in case?. .”
“It won’t fall through. I don’t need any ideas. My mom and my family need the money I can make as a pro player.”
“I’m not saying you will become a superhero and save the world. But even football players must do something when their playing days are over. Shouldn’t you think about that now before college?”
“Isabella, I know you mean well. I know our friendship is strong, and you think you are helping me, but I have been taught that visualizing a dream is the best way to achieve that dream. My dream is and always has been to play pro football. To get there, I need to play college ball first.”
Isabella smiled at her friend. “Juan, you know I’m here for you in any way I can. Even when you don’t want to save the world.”
Juan did not reply and then pointed off to the left. “Joe is working on some fence over there.”
They both looked to the left and saw a rail-thin figure in faded jeans, an old torn work shirt, and a straw hat working on some loose barbed wire a couple hundred feet off the road.
“Beep the horn so he can see we’re coming.”
Juan tapped the horn a couple of times. Joe looked up from his work and removed his hat, revealing the wrinkles and dark skin of someone who spent a lifetime in the sun. He stared towards them. He waved and put his hat back on, returning to his work. Juan edged his truck off the road and headed to where Joe worked.
“What’s that?” Isabelle shouted. “There just coming over the top of the hill behind Joe.”
Juan squinted and stared, “I don’t see anything. Oh wait, there is something in the shrubs. I don’t think Joe has any cattle in that pasture. A coyote, maybe?”
“It’s not moving like a coyote, more like a predator. Have you heard about any cougars around here? Other than Mrs Cortez.”
Juan stared at her.
“Never mind. That thing just got up on two legs and is running down the hill. We have to warn Joe. Beep the horn!”
Juan lay on the horn button, not friendly taps, but a long wail. Joe looked up, waved again, and returned to fence mending. Juan continued beeping the horn. Isabella stuck half her body out the window, shouting and pointing.
Joe must have figured out something was up. He turned just in time to see the person? Thing? Leap at him. They fell into a pile, rolling and struggling on the rocky ground. Juan skidded the truck to a halt, and they both jumped out, running at full speed to help Joe. As they neared, they heard the grunts and groans as the two figures continued fighting. They stopped about ten feet away.
As the two continued to struggle, Juan and Isabella looked on helplessly. Juan wondered what they could do to help their friend. First, the guy was on top of Joe, hitting him and getting something out of his belt. The next minute, Joe was on top, grabbing at his opponent’s hands.
Juan saw Joe grab something from the other figure’s hand. It was silver, not shiny, with a handle and barrel. It looked like a gun, maybe sort of. He shouted, “Gun!” as he had seen them do on TV.
Isabella had a shocked look on her face. “What can we do, Juan? We have to help Joe! Can’t those hours in the weight room help?”
Before Juan could answer, There was a high-pitched noise and a puff of smoke, and the thing flew off of Joe. Some white smoke wafted from its body. Joe stood up, wobbled a bit, and ran to the thing. Dropping the weapon, he bent down and grabbed a small box-shaped object from around its neck.
From where Juan stood, the box looked gold-colored with a smooth exterior. He saw what might be a screen and a few buttons- a cell phone, he thought. He turned again to Isabella. She still looked shocked and had not moved.
Pushing some buttons and staring intently, Joe exclaimed, “Shit. I have to find it.” Then, he took off running up the hill.
Juan stared at Isabella, and they both looked at what remained of the thing that attacked their friend. Little was left, some lingering smoke and a charred spot in the grass. Like she had woken from a dream, Isabella yelled, “What are we waiting for?” And jumped the fence and then followed the fading figure of Joe.
Juan looked around. The bright sun was still in the sky, and no clouds were in sight. A few hundred yards away, Joe was just about to crest the hill. He thought it was Joe’s fight, and it didn’t mean anything to him.
Then Juan saw the figure of Isabella running up the hill, trying to catch Joe. He had never known she could run. She was the scholar, not the athlete. He remembered that he had been her protector, bodyguard, and friend. He could not stay here while Isabella raced after Joe into what Juan did not know.
Juan jumped the fence and ran up the hill.
After about a mile of running in the afternoon sun, Juan caught up with Isabella. She was winded, stopped, and caught her breath. Unable to talk, she pointed ahead to Joe’s figure. He was standing on a road bridge over a large arryo, looking at that cell phone thing he grabbed off. Juan didn’t know what to call that thing.
Joe began to scramble down into the canyon. They two headed to the bridge. They climbed down the canyon, following Joe. It was at least thirty feet down to the canyon floor. They scrambled over rocks, stumbled, and almost fell a few times. Juan could see blood on Isabella’s right arm from scratches she got from some of the boulders. He was sure he had scratches also.
It was early afternoon, the hottest part of the day. The sun was still high above them. Juan saw a couple of large birds soaring and floating in the thermals. Vultures, he thought. Do they know something?
Both were sweating, and Juan knew they needed to stop, rest, and drink. But Joe was ahead of them. Juan did not know what or why Joe was doing what he was doing, and he didn’t know why he was following Joe. Then Juan remembered he wasn’t following Joe. He was following Isabella.
Isabella was the first to reach the floor. She sprinted over to where Joe was standing. Juan was breathing hard and struggling to keep up. Muttering, “First a fighter, then a track star, now he is a mountain goat. Joe has some explaining to do.”. Juan was only a few seconds behind her.
Sweating, panting, and hunched over, the pair stood by him. He stared at the canyon wall across the dry wash. Muttering, “There it is,” he ran across the canyon floor towards the far wall, Isabella close behind him. And Juan was not far behind her.
When they reached Joe, they were about twenty feet from the canyon wall. Joe pushed buttons on the box, and Isabella stood about a yard behind him.
Puffing, he looked at her, “Now, what’s he doing?”
As Isabella turned to answer him, the canyon wall started to shimmer and change color. First, some of the grey from the wall began to turn red, and then silver swirled into the pattern. She returned her gaze to the scene as Juan stared in disbelief. Together, they muttered, “What the hell?” as a black object coalesced out of the swirls at the base of the wall.
Juan guessed the object was twenty or thirty yards long and maybe ten yards tall. He had no idea how wide it was. It appeared metallic, with a black matte finish. He could hear a faint hum emanating from the object. The canyon had a definite smell, like when a welder was working. Juan thought of metal burning. He turned to look at Isabella.
Isabella, with wonder in her voice, whispered, “Is it a cave, or a building, or a . . .”
Juan interjected, “Or a spaceship. Ah, Joe. Joe, what is going on?”
Joe did not answer as the hatch on the object slid open, revealing a dim interior. The hum was louder now. Joe ran inside, turning left as he entered, and disappeared from sight.
Looking at each other, Juan asked the question; he knew she was thinking, “Should we go in?”
For the first time that he could remember, there was hesitancy in her voice, “I, I don’t know.”
Juan looked at her, then the object, then back at the road towards his truck. He returned his gaze to Isabella. “Well, as mi tia said many times, in for a penny, in for a pound. Let go.” They crept towards what Juan was beginning to think of as a spaceship. Slowly, they reached the shadow cast by the canyon wall. The black ship loomed a few feet in front of them.
Once again Juan looked at Isabella, then back towards his truck. He kept saying to himself, “I have nothing to do about this. This is Joe’s problem. Why am I here.” He looked at Isabella. There was a sense of wonder in her eyes.
“Are you sure we should go in? Do we really know what Joe is up to? We could go back to my truck, drive back to town, and forget this ever happened. Maybe it’s a dream, and it is not really happening.”
Isabella gasped. “Do you want to abandon our friend Joe? Even more importantly, aren’t you interested in what this thing is?”
“We have only known him for a little while. What do we really know about Joe? Is he really our friend? What hasn’t he explained what is going on?”
“Well, if you want to stay outside or leave, that’s up to you. I’m going in.”
As Isabella stalked off towards the opening, Juan sheepishly followed. She was right. Joe was a friend. When they reached the opening, only their heads passed the entrance. Juan looked around and found Joe standing in front of a flat surface with screens and flashing lights. The box he had carried since the fight was stuck in a slot on the surface. The pair took a step past the entrance slowly.
The inside looked like Juan remembered what the inside of a submarine looked like in the movies. It was grey, with openings like cabinets along the passageway that looked like it ran the ship’s length. He could see some doors further down the passage. The hum he had heard since the ship appeared almost hurt his ears. He saw Isabella with her hands over hers.
Joe was feverishly pushing buttons and mumbling. “Come on, come on. I don’t have much more time.” At that moment, lights started flashing all through the interior. Loud noises like sirens were coming from everywhere. Juan heard an artificial voice in a strange language coming from hidden speakers. “That will have to do.” Grabbing the box, Joe turned and began to run out of the ship. “Get out of here. Get behind some rocks!”
All three of them ran. About fifty feet from the entrance, Joe pointed to some rocks and jumped behind them. Juan and Isabells joined him. They could hear a deep rumbling and saw smoke from the ship blotting out the sky. The burning metal smell became intense. With a noise between a scream and an explosion, the object was gone. The smoke drifted away, revealing soot along the canyon wall.
Juan heard a low whistle of amazement from Isabella. All he could say was, “Wow!”
Joe turned to Juan, “Can I use your truck? I have to get to my house.”
“Not before you tell me, no us, what is going on.”
“Not now. I have to get to my house. I need your truck.”
“I’m driving. You can explain during the ride. It’s down the road a bit. Let’s go.”
“You two aren’t leaving me!”
The three began the trek back to Juan’s truck. The sun was much lower in the sky, and the temperature had dropped. Juan was still thirsty, as he was sure Isabella was. He remembered some sports drinks in a cooler in the back of his truck. He turned to Isabella, “I have some cool drinks at the truck and maybe a granola bar or three.”
She turned to him, smiled, and nodded. She looked too tired to talk.
They continued down the road in silence, every rock an obstacle to avoid. Juan saw those vultures soaring overhead. He thought, “Not yet. The truck is just around the next corner.”
Both Juan and Isabella tried to get Joe to answer their questions or at least say something. But he just muttered the entire way. “Later, I am thinking.” was his only response.
They plodded along until they reached Juan’s truck. The three of them slumped in with Joe between the two. Before he got in, Juan had grabbed three drinks from the cooler. He got in, reached into the glove box, and retrieved a box of energy bars. He passed them out.
They sat silently as they all downed the drinks and ate their bar. Juan started the truck, put it into gear, and they began the drive to Joe’s house. Everyone was silent. Juan’s brain was starting to process what had happened. The more he tried, the less he understood. Something had happened, but what was it?
As they drove down the road to Joe’s house in silence, Joe finally spoke, “Can’t this truck go any faster?” Then, looking at Isabella, he asked Juan, “Or did this one use that old black eyes comment?”
The truck’s mood began to lighten. “Am I the only one who had never heard that before?”
As they arrived at the house, afternoon shadows had taken over much of Joe’s yard. Juan stopped the truck, and the three got out. Juan was still stiff from his chase. He wondered how Isabella felt. He dared not ask her. She would see that as patronizing.
Juan and Isabella stiffly walked towards the front door. Before they reached it, Joe shouted from behind them, “No, not the house. Around back in my garden shed.”
The two stared at each other, turned around, and followed Joe behind his house. The shed was metal and about ten feet square. Juan noticed a silver padlock on the sliding door.
Joe fiddled with the lock and slid open the garden shed door. He motioned for the other two to go in and slid the door closed. A plastic panel on the roof lit the inside.
Juan had a chance to look around. It looked like a typical garden shed. A rake, shovel, and other tools were leaning along the back wall. One side had a group of open shelves. Various outdoor stuff was on the shelves. On the other side, a few bags of garden soil and fertilizer were stacked on a couple of pallets.
Joe faced the shelves and grabbed a black plastic bucket. Moving the bucket on a shelf, he revealed some buttons. Pushing them in a complicated order in a few seconds, he turned to the two and said, “We can get out.”
Joe slid open the door, and they were not in Joe’s backyard anymore. Juan starred. It looked right out of a comic book or superhero movie. He heard Isabella gasp. They didn’t move; they just stared at the scene before them. Juan thought it looked like a cave like he had seen in Carlsbad. But the walls were smoother, and there were none of those hangy things on the ceiling.
The room was not extensive. Juan guessed maybe thirty feet long, 25 feet wide, and ten feet high. It was stuffed with TV screens, some flashing lights, switch panels, and other things he did not have words for. Near the middle was a desk. Joe headed for it and sat down.
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” he stammered.
“If you are seeing the bat cave, then I am. Or we both are hallucinating.” came Isabella’s reply.
From his seat, and not turning around, Joe shouted, “Get out of the elevator and take a seat. There are a couple of chairs to the left.” Then he placed the box on the desk in front of him. “And don’t touch anything.”
Juan had no idea what Isabella was thinking. She looked amazed as her eyes searched the room. He did think that maybe Joe could help her win the science fair. They both stepped into the room. As his eyes scanned the area around him, he noticed a strange photo on the wall. There were weird characters on the top. The picture showed Joe standing with two other men, all smiling. They all wore some strange uniform.
Juan could hear some whirling and humming from the equipment that surrounded them. He heard the woosh of the door they came through closing. Isabella winced as the door shut. The room was brightly lit, but he could not tell where the light was coming from. There were no fixtures on the ceiling. The flashing light on the panels gave an almost party look.
He tried to make eye contact with Isabella, but her gaze was fixed on Joe and his work. Joe had found some type of cable in a drawer and connected the box he had been carrying since he took it from his attacker. Was it really only, what, two hours ago? No, more like 90 minutes. When the lights on the box began to blink, Joe let out a satisfied sigh. “I think I was able to save the data. I am transferring it to my computer. As with most missions, there is good news and bad news. Who’s ready for a Mountain Dew?”