[Detective Thusrdays] Banned
#7 of Detective Thursdays
The next morning found me at FRD airport with the Commissioner. We'd agreed that meeting the backup at the pass would probably head off any ill will with the show of good faith. The airport staff had set aside a room for us to meet in, as there was likely to be a briefing and a change of jurisdiction. This was a federal issue now.
The seat I had taken near the window at gate six pinched. Whoever designed the shelf of airport seats that could be found all over the country must have been a bird; they were never comfortable to sit in but would probably make a decent perch.
The airport had hardly changed since the last time I had flown back to Japan to visit my grandparents. The same posters still hung in many of the slots, looking as old and faded as the dingy wall paper.
Aside from myself and the commissioner there were only a few people in the building it seemed. He stood at the window, hands in his pockets, making no attempt to converse. He'd looked like a wreck this morning and his reflection now looked like it was going to be sick.
Attention, flight 23406 from O'hare is now arriving at gate six.
The womanly voice repeated a couple more times until the sound of the hissing hatch on the terminal blotted it out. There was a lump in my throat, I felt more apprehensive now than I ever had hunkered down behind a car and under fire. I pushed it aside as the only two passengers stepped into the terminal: A male fox and a female foxhound.
The foxhound had primarily white fur, though it was dominated by ginger spots. She wore her long red hair down and tucked behind her ginger colored ears. She was quite shapely, a fact almost flaunted by her tailored suit. The fox on the other hand was pretty average looking. His fur was the normal orange-red of his kin except the white on his chin and what I could see of his neck. He looked a little out of shape, not unlike myself. As I looked at him closely it suddenly hit me who he was. His face was on the back jacket of the book I had just finished yesterday on my day off.
"Fox Sulder? I just finished your latest book, The Dalbrek Invasi -"
There was a cough from my left and I caught Jim's hint. I smiled in a more professional manner introduced myself and shook both agents' hands. The Bloodhound stepped forward after I had stepped back and also shook both of their hands.
"Agent Sulder. Agent McCullen. Welcome to Bay City. We have a briefing room prepared so if you'll just step this way we can get going ASAP." The foxhound nodded and the chief walked off back towards the main building of the airport.
-*-
The commissioner and I sat on the far wall of the briefing room, a screen hung on the wall perpendicular to us. A reel to reel sat on the table in the middle of the room and was pointed at the screen. The two agents had put their things down on the other side of it and both now stood in the front of the room book-ending the screen. The foxhound spoke first.
"As you both know, the US government denies any knowledge of contact with or existence of alien life. However, that is not a complete truth, as you both no doubt have guessed. The government has been internally divided as to the course of action and most of the debate has been primarily politics since the late forties. The civil rights movement and the cold war pushed the alien issue off the table and it has since been relegated to the far back burner. After all there has been no contact with aliens since nineteen forty-seven."
"Except that now," the fox started. "With the recovery of this disc we are lead to believe that there have been more recent contacts." He clicked the slide projector on and advanced to the picture every UFO fanatic knew, two men in US army uniforms crouched over some scraps of metal. "This was debris recovered in Roswell in 1947."
The slide changed to a ball of white light in the night sky next to the full moon. "This was a sighting in 1954." The slide changed again and another picture switched into its place. For nearly a minute Fox flipped slides and made a comment until he came back to the first one.
"I don't think I need to tell you both that this is top-secret classified information and you are banned to speak of it to anyone, even family and especially the press." He concluded.
We both nodded. I was too stunned to talk.
Jim cleared his throat. "So are you two taking this over and moving us back to our police roles then?"
"That would be the plan." The foxhound almost sighed. "And it would be the case for almost anything else. However anyone who has seen this needs to be on tap for it."
"The commissioner didn't see it, only I did. He only knows because I told him, as was my duty as a detective on his force." The foxhound fixed me with the Glare but I stood my ground. "Further, he has a force to run and can't be a major player in an investigation. I have a partner who will suffice as his substitute and you needn't mention it on the inevitable paperwork." I realized just how quiet the room was as i stopped talking.
"All right then Detective Ikura. We can make that concession. The plan is to bring the wreck to Langley for study and then you and your partner will be coming with us."
"Going with you where?" I wished I hadn't asked even as I did.
"To Russia."
May 20 Response to Poetigress' Thursday prompt. Theme waas 'banned'