Things happen

Most days are continuation of  the life you experience the day before but sometimes an event or maybe  person comes along that interrupts that life you know so well. So either you deal with them quickly and get back to that life or you have to change the life you have known. One night you’re walking out to the car and look up to sky to see an usual object moving along quietly and quickly. It is a circle bright lights with red light in middle. It rotates as it passes over you taking a zip-zap path across the sky. You have no answers just question. Nor is any chance of getting answers for the evident only happens once and you left wondering, aliens, military aircraft, advertising balloon or what? There is little to check out, neither the military or aliens want to talk about it and if someone lost advertising balloon then it won’t make the local paper anymore than if their road sign blew over.

So you have see a UFO? So what, lights in the sky nothing more for you no trail to follow no evidence left behind, you had no way to follow it, so you are left with a bunch of questions and a very active imagination for you are human that what humans do. Fill in the blankets with colorful details so the emptiness doesn’t stare back at us too much for on the hold we hate emptiness. If your life is busy then the lights fade into a distance memory of something odd but not important. However your life is something you want to escape then the lights become a ship of dreams that will take away the pain if they would just come back and take you with them.

Bumps in the night

You ask the average American if they believe in ghost and the answer is no. No proof exist that something paranormal is  going bump in the night.  Yes there can  be unexplained things going bump but does that mean they are paranormal? You have to be able to prove it is paranormal before you can call it paranormal. If you can’t explain it then you just can’t explain it. It doesn’t automatically make it paranormal. When you have rule out all things that are possible then it must be the impossible, do you know all things? What happens if someone comes with the answer that you couldn’t see?

There are no fancy detectors to pick up ghost because we no examples of ghosts to be measure. They have no physical characters, other the claims of something that sounds like footsteps or shadow passing by. Is there any solid evidence about Ghost? EVP on any recorder can be radio waves being ever so slightly being pick up my the motherboard of the recorder. No proof exist and people have be looking since the nineteen century. What do we have to show for it? Nothing.

Pictures that are just like images of Jesus on toast, unfortunately no one ask how do you know it’s Jesus since we have no idea what he looks like. It is all the imagination of the viewer. Nothing solid in video or photos exist all we have are bunch of people running around in the dark, letting their imagination run wild or giving credence to something that they can’t explain at the moment that could be explain maybe later by more knowledgeable people.

You can’t go in with the assumption that ghost are real. No find a way of testing for ghost and find proof they are real. You need a location where ghost appears again and again. Where all outside influence can be cut off. Then work on measuring this ghost, how steps it take or distance travel, does it change, long does stay, see if it interacts with anything and many more questions. If it only last a second and never happens again then does make it paranormal or just something you miss in you process of elimination of outside influences.

No it is never easy then again if is real then there should be some solid evidence by now. Especially in this age of every one having a camera or video camera on them. Something more solid should exist than blurry images that need more imagination that sight to see the ghost.  

Team building

On either side of the ridge was a drop of about forty meters, the Colonel is moving quickly along the game trail that ran long the top of the ridge. At its widest point the ridge was just short being a two meters at lot of places it was less than one. The wind pickup with dark clouds coming with afternoon storm. My outfit for this outing had become less advisable to wear, not that I had been giving much a choice. The oxford on my feet hardly gave any secure footing and I kept slipping every so often but the Colonel never slow her pace once. Thunder roar in distance and I was wondering how well my suit coat would keep the rain off me when I step through some brushes to face a meter wide gap in the trail.

Looking down I could see if I fell there were plenty of rocks to break my fall, my neck and just about everything else. The bottom of the gap was just thirty meters, much shorter than the side. Looking up I could see the Colonel pushing on. I step back has much as possible then took running leaf. I easily clear the gap but the landing on  the oxford was anything but graceful as I barely avoided falling on my face. Undeterred I press on to trying  to catch up with the charging Colonel. After a couple of turns and plugging thru some more brushes then wondering how many holes I had torn in my coat I step out long stretch of clear trail and starting making up some time. Then one more bunch of brushes and I came to a complete stop. Stepping out the brushes brought into view another gap.

This one is closer to two meters across and meter up to the other side. Waiting on the other side is the Colonel.

“Jump Archie I’ll catch you.” The Colonel says her most pleasant voice.

I look down at the stream running thru the gap noted that it had plenty of water to drown in but not enough to get my ankles wet, much less break my fall at over forty meters.

“Archie come on.” The Colonel urges me.

“Colonel Colonel, you look to me weight no more than one hundred thirty pounds and I must sadly confess I weight close to one hundred seventy-six pounds. If you catch me we’ll both end up on the rocks below…”

“Archie consider this  a team building exercise. You jump and I’ll catch, that’s promise.” She gave me the most wonderful smile.

“Oh God, I’m idiot for beautiful smile. Ok here I come.” I step back has far as I can then take off.

Leafing into the air I head for the other side. My hand is reaching for a rock I might just be able to get when I realized it was five centimeters too far for me to reach. Just has I thought this is dumbest thing I had ever done in my life. The Colonel’s hand grabs mine and I’m jerk up to the trail on the other side. She looks calmly at me with no signs that she had put much effort in pulling me out of the air.

  “Thank God, there’s truth to the rumor of secret robot rebellion going on.” I said once I certain of my footing.

“Oh you heard about that.” She says with a smile then leans over and kiss me on the forehead then take off down the trail again.

“That was not funny nor good team building.” I took off to follow her wondering who and what she was.

Getting the job with the Colonel

I had just finished my breakfast and started wondering what I would do on this the second month of my retirement. To be honest I was bored. The first month had been the vacation I had promise myself for the last three years but nothing had come of it. Once I sold my business and made a very nice profit, yeah girls it kind of money you want a guy to have in his pocket, lots. I took a tour of wine country, several wine counties then a cruise then backpacking trip then plan another cruise when I decided to hell with it.
I wanted to do something I had never done before that was settle down. My old business kept me traveling so much that I could honestly say I didn't have a home but a job with a place slept at sometime. No I figured I needed a real home, place where I can hang my hat or hats in my case. Something inside me told me that didn't want the big city life anymore that I needed some country air and green grass with plenty of room to walk around. A friend told me he had a house I could borrow or buy if I wanted it.
After moving in, I knew this is place I wanted to be. It had all basic comforts and necessities. It did lack one thing, well I lack one thing. Something to do, I play with the idea of photography. No problem getting the equipment or learning to be an artist with a camera and photo editing. The new Canon Camera that filmed in 4K was out. It came with the build in all in one lens that would let me do portraits to wildlife. Adobe  made software that would help select just the right frame to work on to turn into a picture and the tool to edit it. Even though it would be fun, I still felt like I'll be missing something.
So that morning I sat at the tablet starring at the camera and wondering what to photograph today or wondering if I should if find something else to do. When a video call came for me from the DOD from Colonel Blackwell. It had been years since I had serve my country, in fact over ten. So I was natural puzzled and curious about what a full bird colonel would want with me. So I pick it up.
A young woman in her twenty met my eyes, she couldn't be more than twenty-five. She is wearing the standard field camouflage uniform of the Special Forces but even in the uniform she was exceptionally beautiful and well built. Her short black hair framed her face nicely making her soulful brown eyes look almost completely black an alluring with sharp angles of face suggest a native American background.
"You are Captain Archie Goldman?" Her voice came out with silky smoothness of milk chocolate.
"Yes I am, you are you?" I try to keep my voice normal even though with much excellence beauty before it prove hard not to be excited.
"I am T'Pal, I am the aide to Colonel Blackwell. The Colonel will is putting a team together in your area. According to your file, you served for a while with NCIS as an investigator. Is that correct." She had a slight smile on her face that warm my heart.
"Yeah I work with them for four years before I decide to leave the serve?"
"According to this your were discharged then reenlisted continue working has a corporal. Is that right?" She gave a puzzle look that made her look even more lovely, something I thought was not possible.
"What can I say, I mess up but they let me come back to my old job and keep working."  I gave her my best school boy charm.
"I'll check with the Colonel on whether to reactivate has a corporal or captain. Welcome back, you are here by order to report to Colonel Blackwell at the location I'll be sending you." She smiles at me then try to sign off.
"Wait a minute, I'm out of the service." It surprise me that I'm yelling at her.
"You're being call back in has part of the reserve, General Anderson will have the orders cut and send to you by this afternoon. Welcome back to Corp, Captain Goldman." She smiles once more and nods then was gone.

Captain Archie Goldman statement on being reactivated.

First day on the job with the Colonel

 

To be honest and I like being honest for lies are so hard to keep up with unless they can save your life then a lie can be much better than the truth. In this case the truth is hardly believable and lying would let you the average member of the public sleep better at night. But it would leave you without the story of one the most remarkable men I every met. Even thought at the time he was a woman.

Colonel Joseph Blackwell had serve his country faithfully for most of his adult life. Whether he was active military or serving as a government agent for various agencies with the whole alphabet letters like the CIA, NSA, FBI, JAG or whatever outfit needed him. If you needed someone to clean up mess made by an operation foul up, the colonel working for the DOD was the man to call. The Joint Chiefs never hesitated to call him on. When he got too old for field duty then started teaching but the last days of his normal life ended serving the country he love by working on recruiting a young woman of no more that seventeen years to work for the DOD because she had a brilliant mind for solving problems using AI. Doesn’t matter how big or powerful the machine is it’s the brains behind it will make it a success.

They had just arrived at the house of her parents when Joe heard an all too familiar sound.

Joe Blackwell motion for Amanda Robinson to stand behind him. The sound of Mach10 automatic pistol had reached his ears. He had played with the weapon the first year it came out. With one tap of a trigger, the weapon would send out a burst of three, three point five millimeter explosive rounds into a soft target or three hyper rounds to penetrate armor, the shooter could decide how the rounds acted with a press of a button on top of the weapon. What had reach his ears were the explosive round and thud that follow was that of body hitting a hard surface floor.

A Colt forty-five auto is in his hand. An attacker wearing armor would survive an attack from him but un-armored not a chance in hell. That is if he can get a couple rounds off. Being old Joe had to admit slow him down a lot. He couldn’t hop out chair like he use too nor get out of bed without some pain but right now none of that matter. His hands still work fine. The reflexes were a lot slower than when he was young but that only meant he had to shoot first. Joe motion for Amanda to stay put has he slowly turn the knob to the front door.

The door quietly opens and he gave a silent prayer for that. Then slowly he pushes it in. A body is laying on the floor in pool of bright red blood comes into sight but he can’t the attacker. Voices are coming around the corner to his right.

“You won’t tell me where the data is?” The voice belongs to woman. Someone not very old but who is determine to complete her mission

“You killed him.” The voice belong to an older  woman spoke and came with a sob.

“I told him like I’m telling you. Give me the data and I’ll leave. Don’t and you’re dead.” She sighs. “Now where is the data?”

“I don’t know anything about any data worth killing for. We’re working an environmental project.” The woman sobs.

“A course. It’s not you with the data. Your daughter, works on large amount of data too and she has a brilliant mind.” The sound of something be pick up off a table reaches Joe, the woman asks, “This is her isn’t it?”

“Yes”, the old woman sobs, “Please don’t hurt her.”

Joe slowly moves down the hall, hoping in his old shoes would not make a sound. The only hope they had is if he can get shot off and kill this woman with one round or two rounds but the more time it took the more likely someone else would die.

“What time are you expecting her?” The woman’s voice is icily cold.

“Not till after four.” Older voice had paused.

“Thank you.” The younger voice says followed by the explosion of three more rounds and this time Joe  watched a body hit the floor.

From behind him came a scream. Amanda had follow him and got to see her mother die. The attacker charged toward the scream but Joe is ready. The moment she turns the corner Joe fired and forty-five slug flew through the air impacting into what had to be considered a very beautiful face. The slug didn’t care so it smash bones and blew away soft tissue bringing an end to her life. A second slug had come from his gun. It course took it through her throat and out the back of her neck. Either one would have killed her but she was quick. For in brief moment she sighted Joe, she tap her trigger.

Three hyper-rounds slam him back and down into the floor. He watched ceiling pass by him  the pain came. The pain was horrible. Joe’s body wouldn’t response to him as he try to move. All he could do was hurt and listen to the screaming that filled his ears. Something pass over him then darkness came and the pain faded. Yes death, Joe thought, I’m ready.

That is how the life of Colonel Blackwell ended and the beginning of his rebirth started.

Captain Archie Goldman giving the above statement.