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Interviews with an Alien
By
Raman Jalota
Chapter 1
BrahmaRatan looked at me with his totally blue eyes
... well they weren't really eyes. They were square slits on his face
that were of a solid blue color. His eyes were totally blue ...
no eyeballs, no eyelashes, nothing ... just blue. I couldn't see
any eyebrows and the eyes never blinked. He had a machine-like presence
that was somehow 'alive' ... no not just alive but living, almost
human. His face was silvery with a blue tint and his mouth was square
and thin, just slightly larger than his eyes. He did not have a nose or
anything else on his face that resembled a nose. He looked somewhat
like a robot but more fluid. He appeared softer than the metallic
hardness that his bluish grey body projected.
He said, “What do you mean 'sit down'?”
“I mean take a seat.”
“Take a seat? Where? And why?”
“Well I am going to sit down as we talk, you may too
if you want to.” I sat down and watched him. His face softened as if in
understanding, he walked over to the other sofa, bent his body over his
knees and bent his body again over his waist in a clown like fashion
and sat down facing me. I heard sirens as several police cars went by.
I had barely recovered from my initial shock of meeting this stranger
and the cops were already out! Can they trace him to my home? What will
they do if they found him here?
“Oh! So this is sitting down or taking a seat? We do
not use this position on my planet.”
“You never sit down? Don't you get tired or
anything?”
“That must be a unique phenomenon for your planet.”
“Doesn't your body need to rest? Or recover?”
BrahmaRatan smiled, at least that's what I would
call what his distorted face looked like, “Our planet is made of the
element that you call Cobalt and we are all Cobalt based. You earth
beings are Carbon based. You and your planet use excessive energy to
survive and the accelerated pace of this usage deteriorates you and
your planet.”
“I don't understand it. What do you mean by all
that?”
BrahmaRatan looked at me intently as if trying to read my mind. I felt
a slight tingle on the right side of my head, just over my ear. I felt
my thoughts take shape and change without needing my voice as if
someone or something had entered my head and read all my thoughts. A
shiver went down my body.
“Were you reading my mind, was that telepathy?”
“I am having difficulty understanding some of your
questions, some of your thoughts; and decided to use my mind directly
to understand what you were asking me. It's somewhat like telepathy,
it's simple thought investigation.”
I almost fell off my chair, “So, what did you
investigate and can you really explain what you meant by Carbon based
and Cobalt based?”
“Yes, the earth beings are made of the basic element
that you call Carbon. All living beings on your planet are Carbon
based. The basic structure is made up of chains of Hydrogen and
Carbons linked together. The Carbon based structures need Oxygen to
survive and need regeneration at a rapid pace to stop the deterioration
that may otherwise set in.”
“And how's that different than Cobalt based?”
“Cobalt based structures don't need Oxygen or other
rapid means of regeneration. We don't consume Hydrocarbons at all. The
regeneration we use is from subatomic particles and our regeneration
needs are extremely infrequent ... roughly once every 400 earth days.
We do not need to destroy our planet just to survive. The deterioration
of our planet is so minute that pre-Cadmium maps are considered
current.”
“Pre-Cadmium maps? I guess I'll come back to that
later. Why don't you have a nose?” I touched my nose to clarify my
question.
“Like I said before, we don't need Oxygen to
breath like you. We are very stable.”
My eyes were wide in disbelief, before I could
continue, I heard knocks on the front door. I had heard the police
sirens a few minutes ago and the fear and suspense that had been
building up in my mind had finally caught up. There was no mistaking
who was out there! I put my finger on my lips and motioned to
BrahmaRatan to go to the bedroom. When he had stepped in the bedroom
and closed the door, I went to the front door.
“Yes?”
“Sorry to bother you sir, but we are checking the
neighborhood for strange sightings. Have you seen anything unusual in
the past hour or so?”
“Unusual? Like what?”
“Well sir, there have been reports of a strange
plane landing or crashing around this area and one person saw someone
walking into this subdivision. Have you noticed someone or something
around your home?”
“Wow! I haven't seen or heard anything. Where did it
crash?”
I stepped out and thankfully the cop followed me
out. He pointed north , “That's the general direction. About four or
five blocks up.”
“I'll be damned.” I shook my head and stared in the
direction he had pointed. I let him walk around the front yard and back
before he left.
........
BrahmaRatan came out of the bedroom, “You look
worried, and afraid.”
“They were looking for you. They would probably have
killed both of us if they found you here. I must find a way for you to
hide.” My head was tingling.
“I can feel your apprehension, your fear, and I can
understand what you are telling me.”
The tingling in my head stopped. I was glad he
understood the gravity of the situation without making me try to
explain the complexity of our socio-political systems. An alien being
would not be allowed to survive and even the fact of his arrival, his
very existence would be denied by every fabric of our political machine.
BrahmaRatan whispered,”I don't want to endanger you
anymore. I'll see you in seven earth hours. I need to go back and
assure the integrity of our craft.”
I barely slept. Not only a million questions were
turning over in my mind, I was also getting scared of my situation. If
it was found that I had tried to hide the existence of an alien being,
my life would not be worth the paper I wrote my stories on. What did
the authorities know of last night? The sound of the morning paper
landing on the driveway woke me up. I ran to get the paper and scanned
every column ... nothing. I walked into the house and flipped through
all the TV channels ... not a word. I half expected this but was shaken
by the enormous conspiracy of the silence. I didn’t do anything for a
while then realized that BrahmaRatan was going to show up any moment. I
started jotting down questions.
.....
“Why
did you pick me as your contact? What do I represent that you chose me?”
“This may surprise you, but we are aware of your
intellect and your capability of getting the message to the heart of
your audience. This is not the first time we have visited your planet.
You were chosen because of the brilliance reflected in your works.”
I was shocked, “My works?”
“Yes, not just the stories and the novels, but also
the poetry, the paintings, and above all the vivid imagery that you
create in any media you choose. You were our obvious choice.”
I felt myself blush at the praise, “How could you know?”
“We know. We came to find the right medium to
distribute the knowledge of our existence and establish a means of
intellectual exchange with the earth beings. We considered several
people and you are the chosen one. Therefore, I came to talk to you.
Your acceptance of my presence last night and the way you managed to
converse with me last night, confirmed the correctness of our decision.”
My thoughts were tumbling over one another, “So, you
are willing to let me understand you, your world, and allow me to
explain it to the people of the world.”
“Yes.”
“I suppose, I could publish my interviews with you
as fictitious and yet make them as real as I can. I could divulge the
secret once the people were ready. Yes ... I think I can do that.”
“We knew you would.”
“Why the name BrahmaRatan?”
“Well, you should be able to understand the name.”
“O.K., 'Brahma' I think means the creator; what does
‘Ratan’ mean?”
“Jewel.”
“The 'Jewel of the Creator' ... I can see some logic
in that.”
“And of course, you know who the creator is?”
I shook my head, “I personally don't believe in the
existence of a supreme being who created us all. Surely you don't in a
God or some such being?”
“In the 3 million years of our history we never
needed a supreme being to validate our existence, you earth beings have
been in existence for a short time and need such a concept to survive.
Because you need it, it was created for you. And in a parallel logic
the name BrahmaRatan was created for you ... you do understand?”
I nodded my head only vaguely grasping his logic and
connection, “Last night, you told me that you didn't need to eat for
400 days? How do you get your energy? How can you survive that long?”
“Remember, we don't use energy as fast as you do.
You use up energy even when you are attempting to accumulate it. You
are not built very efficiently. We are the most efficient beings in the
known universe. We can withstand extreme temperatures without loss of
mobility or reduction in any of our normal functions. We can tolerate
extreme changes in our environment, changes in pressure, atmosphere,
radiation levels; without any deterioration. Our rate of deterioration
is so slow that natural death occurs approximately eight thousand years
after birth. We use 95% of our brain everyday and use the remaining 5%
as spare capacity. Yes, we can even use it to regenerate damaged
transmissions, impulses, memories, any number of body or brain
mechanisms. That's why a mission such as our current one can be
accomplished several times in one's lifetime.”
“You said that you don't need to eat, but doesn't
that deprive you of the pleasure of eating? And what about sex? Do you
derive any pleasures ... what are your pleasures?”
BrahmaRatan smiled, his face didn't appear as grotesque as it did last
night. He had learned from our last meeting and had managed to change
how he appeared while communicating with me. I no longer felt the
apprehension that I felt yesterday. He had found a way to make me feel
relaxed ... was it another trick? ... a subliminal brain message or a
circuit blocker?
“How do you derive your pleasures? The fact of
eating or sex is not associated with a pleasure. The pleasure impulse
is generated in your brain. Your brain tells you if the apple is sweet,
if the whiskey is smooth, if the woman is soft, if the feeling of
touch, taste, smell, or sight is good or bad or exciting or
exhilarating ... whatever your brain tells you ... the image your brain
creates for you and attaches it to a specific object, or act or thought
... that's what you feel ... or think you feel.
“The sight of miles of green grass or a blue ocean
or the feel of a voluptuous model can generate the same impulse in your
brain as brilliant conversation or a story or a painting. For us
Cobaltians it's the thought of seeing strange planets, communicating
with different beings, exploring the wonders of natural selection and
mutations, the idea of perhaps helping another species, these create
feelings a thousand times more intense than your earthly adventures
ever can. The capability of using 95% of our brain also means using it
for deriving extremely intense pleasures. The pleasure that I feel in a
simple task may equate to the most intense, explosive orgasm that you
have ever had, multiplied a thousand times.”
I stared at him mesmerized. I was not only getting
jealous, I was getting worried and scared.
....
The
phone rang late the next morning. “I can see you for a short time
today. Apparently a large number of your military is looking for us.
I'll need to be in disguise for your and my safety.”
“We can't meet here. The cops have been here several
times, I feel they have my house under surveillance. Can we meet in a
public place, like a hotel? How about meeting in the DoubleTree hotel?
I can get a room and give you my room number. How can I reach you? Is
there a number that I can call you at?”
BrahmaRatan chuckled, “There isn't a specific number
at which you can call me. Our communication system can connect into
yours, but I am required to keep it secured. I'll call you in three
earth hours.”
How could he contact me over the phone without a
number ... or perhaps even without a phone ... I wondered. These
creatures were monitoring our communications. What had I gotten myself
into?
.....
The
hotel room was on the seventh floor located across from the elevators.
I did not have to wait too long. There was a soft knock on the door. I
opened the door. A bell boy stood outside. “Yes?”
“May I come in? I have made it this far without
being detected.”
That slightly metallic sound was unmistakable. I
closed the door behind him. “Is it really you? You look so .... human.”
I touched his face and felt his shoulders. He felt like a living human
being.
He shut his eyes and changed from a human being into
a metallic Cobaltian in front of my eyes. The slow transformation was
like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly or a snake crawling out of
his skin. I sat staring at this metamorphosis completely stunned.
“Before we start, what is the name of your world ...
your planet ... your galaxy?”
“Our naming convention would mean nothing to you,
the closest name in earth terms would be Cobalt or Blue. You may not
understand the proximity of these two words but for describing our
planet you can use either one. You could call our planet Blue and us
blue beings.”
“How did you disguise yourself? How did you turn
yourself into a human being?”
“I can turn myself into another object by utilizing
a sample of that object ... my ... our brains are capable of complete
physical change in moments. This is just a small sample of our
capability. Though a change of the outer shell is extremely complex,
most Cobaltians master it early in life.”
“What do you want from us? Why are you here?”
“As I told you earlier, I am here to explore the
possibility of establishing communications with earth beings and
helping earth beings progress.”
I wanted to believe him, but couldn't. These
omnipotent beings could not have decided to establish communications
with earth for no apparent reason. How could I, a normal human fathom
this genius's motives? And what did he mean by 'utilizing a sample' of
a human being to change into one!
I swallowed slowly, trying to keep as low an
intensity in my thoughts as possible. BrahmaRatan had a habit of
'investigating' my thoughts whenever the activity in my brain became
intense. He had the means to detect the presence of high level of
activity in my mind. I wanted to try to develop a means of preventing
him from reading my thoughts.
“Are you here alone? Did you come to our planet
alone? How many people are there with you? Can I meet them? What are
they doing as you talk to me?”
“No, I am not alone. If I deem it proper, I'll take
you to our craft and you can meet the rest of the crew. They have their
assignments and are exploring parts of this earth and its
inhabitants.”
“Are they looking for a specific metal or element or
energy source?”
“No. We are much too advanced and have made quantum
leaps in our technology, whereas you seem to be stuck at a very low
level of development. We don't think there's anything that your planet
can offer us except the adventure of exploration.”
“What do you mean by our technology being at a low
level? We have progressed at an incredible ...”
“Earth beings seem to refuse to let go of old
technology, even when the next step is obvious and staring at you. For
example you are still using the wheel. The wheel should have been
obsolete within a few hundred years of its discovery and use.”
“What will we use without wheels?”
“You need to study and redefine what the wheel does
for you. Even your primitive computer technology is incompatible with
the wheel. Do you really need a system of mechanics that is so slow?
Surely you can replace it with micro-circuitry. Earth beings need to
use their brains a little more efficiently.”
I couldn’t understand what he was leading to or even
if he was leading to something. “Is there something specific that you
want us to know about you, something that you specifically want to tell
me or should I keep asking the millions of questions that jump in my
head?”
“That's all up to you. You will have a lot of data
by the time we finish. You can then design the best means of presenting
the data to others.”
I looked at my watch. It was past midnight
already, “I need to take a break and get some food.”
I called room service and ordered apple pie,
ice-cream and coffee. My eye was caught by the lights of a helicopter
flying past our room. I moved near the window and looked out. There
were several of them. I could make out at least five of them circling
near the hotel. I put my finger on my lips and walked across the room
switching off the lights one by one. BrahmaRatan sensed my urgency.
“You must disguise yourself and get out of here as
soon as possible. Before the room service gets here. Oh shit! They have
a perfect excuse to get in here.”
One of the copters hovered near the room and focused its lights on the
window. There was a loud knock on the door. “Room service, sir. Your
food is here.”
“Leave it out there, I'll get it in a moment.”
I whispered, “Get out BrahmaRatan. Get out now.”
He understood the urgency. There were loud knocks on
the door. BrahmaRatan stepped towards me; held my right arm and bit me
half way between the hand and the elbow. A little circular piece of
flesh was cut off with surgical precision. He swallowed the piece of
flesh quickly. I stared at my hand as the pain built up. Small droplets
of blood appeared where he had bitten me.
“What the hell are you doing?”
He grabbed my hand again, “I need it for the
disguise.”
He bent over the previous cut. I felt like a syringe
was withdrawing blood from my veins. A slow pain was starting to build
and I felt a little faint. A Strange Thought Flashed Into My Mind. He
had eaten of my flesh and was drinking my blood!
“O.K. I am done.” He moved away from the door and
towards the window.
Before I could see what he was turning into, the door came crashing
down and three cops moved in. They had guns in their hands and were
shouting, “Put your hands up. Drop your weapons. Put your damn hands
up.”
Someone turned on the lights. The look on their
faces was horrifying. Pointing at BrahmaRatan with his gun, one of them
screamed, “I know that face. I know this man. My God! It's Jesus ...
it's Jesus.”
End
of Chapter 1
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