Mission Into Light

“Hello, Mister Green? This is Colonel Tom O’Brien calling from San Diego. I know your uncle, Colonel Jack Allen.” “What can I do for you colonel?” Mike Green had not heard from his Uncle Jack for over a year. Jack was a career Army officer who had been in the Special Forces since Vietnam. “I’d like to talk with you about a job opportunity. Jack says you might be interested in our research program. We’ve got an opening for a research associate in a project here in San Diego. “Who is ‘we’ colonel?” Mike Green would soon learn that the “we” included several women and men who would change his life. “Well, Mike, I’m Air Force. Other folks on the team are from different branches and from civilian agencies. We’re sort of a joint-service, joint-agency think tank. They’re calling us the ‘Joint Reconnaissance Study Group.’ Right now we’re based in San Diego. And we’re planning on developing a second office in southern Arizona.” “Sounds interesting colonel. What kind of research are we talking about. And what’s the pay?” “The thing is Mike, we’re, uh, kind of an unconventional operations group. We’re looking into a few different kinds of unusual phenomena.” O’Brien had to phrase this carefully. “I think you’ll find the pay very fair, double what you’re making now, but this program is sort of ‘off the books’ if you know what I mean.” Mike knew about so-called “black” or secret activities. Uncle Jack had told him of such programs. “The important thing here, Mike, is that our project is for the good of the United States of America, for our people, and for the whole human race, we hope.” O’Brien thought that would hook him. “What exactly are you researching, colonel?” “Well, like I said, ‘unusual phenomena’. I can’t tell you too much until you’re on board with us Mike. It’s all on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.” “It sounds interesting. Let me ask you this. Is this project dangerous in any way?” “We really don’t anticipate anything like that, Mike. This is an information gathering and research report writing project that will be conducted on U.S. soil. As a matter of fact, some of it would be in the Arizona area.” “Can’t you tell me a little more about what you’re researching, Colonel O’Brien?” Mike was open-minded, but skeptical of the Pentagon. He learned that skepticism from his uncle. “Mike, this is confidential. You understand?” “Yes, sir.” “We’re looking into UFOs, ESP, unusual physics, religious and spiritual issues, genetics, and Native American history and culture, and the ways they affect the national security of the United States.” “Are these things connected? I don’t understand the national security part of this.” “I can’t be more specific, Mike.” “When would you need me, colonel?” “We’d like to get you briefed and oriented in San Diego as soon as possible. Is that a ‘yes’?” “Well, I’m bored stiff in my job here. I’m usually broke after paying my bills. I like living here in Phoenix, but I guess I am ready for a change. Okay colonel, it’s a deal.” “When can you be in San Diego, Mike?” “I’ll give my boss two weeks notice. How about three weeks?” “Great. Welcome aboard, Mike. I think you’ll find we take good care of our people on this team. We’ve taken the liberty of checking you out for security clearances. Other than a few rough points from your reckless youth, there shouldn’t be a problem.” Tom O’Brien was used to success and used to getting the resources he needed. He was putting together a team that would get answers and accomplish a mission he was just beginning to understand. “My assistant is Lieutenant Amy Mella. She’ll be your contact person for any other details. I’ll be in Washington for about ten days. If you have any questions, call her.” “Okay. you said you were going to start a second office in Arizona?” “That’s right. At Fort Huachuca, down near Tucson. It’s a major Army intelligence training center. We plan on conducting a fair amount of research in Arizona.” Good. Mike was glad he wouldn’t be far from home. He could keep his apartment in Phoenix. “Colonel, what’s in Arizona that is part of this thing?” “Sedona for one thing. Something’s going on up there and we don’t know what. We’ve also received reports of some usual things going on up around the ‘Four Corners’ area, on some of the Indian lands.” “We’re going to be spying on Indians, colonel?” “That’s not it Mike. This is strictly a scientific inquiry. We’re not spying on anybody.” “I still don’t understand how Arizona Indians, UFOs, ESP, genetics, and physics have anything in common, colonel.” “That’s what we’re going to find out. That’s your new job, Mike.” “How long will this project last?” “You’ll have a job for at least twenty-four months. After that, some aspects are likely to continue. We’ll follow-up on the areas that bear fruit and pan-out.” “Pan-out?” “Frankly, by then we hope to see a breakthrough of some kind. This is really one of the more, uh, sensitive aspects of the research, Mike. We anticipate some kind of phenomena that will, well, let us know we’re on the right track.” “You’re being vague again, Colonel O’Brien.” “Mike, we have intelligence and research information, reconnaissance really, that some kind of ‘miracle’ may be on the horizon.” “Like the ‘Expect a Miracle’ bumper stickers?” Mike chuckled. “Yes. But we don’t know exactly what to expect. How it will take place. How physics and Nature might manifest certain changes. And who and what might be involved, and how.” “You’re serious aren’t you, sir?” Mike wasn’t laughing. “You bet. We have to be ready for any contingency to maintain national security and the integrity of the United States of America, Mike.” Tom O’Brien had become more serious and now lowered his voice. “Mike, all this is on a ‘need-to-know’ basis. Don’t talk about this with anybody right now. We have to insist on strict confidentiality and security.” “I understand. We never had this conversation, right?” “Your Uncle Jack taught you well.” O’Brien now returned to his warm and almost jovial manner. “You can talk with Jack about this. He’s got the right clearance level and he’s worked on this kind of thing before. He’s helping us out on our current project.” “I think I should get in touch with him.” “Good. Jack and I go way back. Back to ’Nam. Well, Mike, like I said, call Lieutenant Mella at my office in San Diego if you need to. We’ll see you in three weeks.” After O’Brien hung up Mike slowly put down his phone. Well, this sounded good. Out of the blue. Good pay, a little travel. It had been a few years since Mike visited San Diego. Beautiful town. Maybe he could contribute something to this group. He’d been around and had collected some useful skills. What he didn’t know was that if Tom O’Brien had told him the real, deep truths of this operation, Mike might have frozen, choked, chickened-out. But then, he didn’t have a need to know. Not yet.