He was silent again as they rode through the countryside. He decided they must be in Virginia judging from the scenery. Soon he saw a sign that said ‘Welcome to Fairfax, Va. He had been right in his assumption.
A few minutes later they pulled into a large gated driveway. The house that sat back off the road looked like an old plantation house. Four tall white columns, a circular hand-laid brick driveway and massive doors greeted them as they came in.
“Some hideout,” Snapp said, taking it all in.
“Unpretentious and modest. Nice little joint,” Lake replied chuckling.
“Yeah, I should have such an unpretentious place to call home” he said.
The semicircular foyer was huge with a large crystal chandelier. Dr. Barnett came out to greet them.
“Glad you could make it Mr. Snapp. Dr. Lake said you would lose them,” he said smiling and shaking George’s hand with his big beefy paw.
“Nice little place you have here,” Snapp said, looking around.
“I wish it were mine but it isn’t. We are just using it for the night. The owner believes in our cause,” Barnett told him.
“And which cause is that?”
“Why, letting the people of the United States of America know what their government is really up to. Telling the truth about what goes on in Area-51 and other Ultra Secret Projects that they have a right to know of,” Barnett said.
“A right to know about? What about the Government’s right to confidentiality? Don’t they have the right to protect the citizens of this country?” he asked.
“To some extent, yes. When it involves the development of special security needs, but there is a line between protection and cover-up. It may be thin but nevertheless it exists,” Barnett told him.
“And you are the person determining that line?”
“No Mr. Snapp. Actually, you will be that person” Barnett said smiling, “We intend to give you what we know to be true, what you do with it is strictly up to you. You will ultimately determine what will be divulged to the public in general and what will remain a secret.”
“I’m not sure I am qualified to determine such a course of action. I’m not about to spill my guts about our government's secrets if it would be considered treason or aiding our enemies.”
“Maybe not, but you can listen to what we have to say. Is there any harm in that? If you don’t like the information or feel it is detrimental to the nation, you can just walk away,” Barnett said.
“I just want you both to understand that I am not a sensationalist reporter. I love a good story as much as the next reporter but not at the expense of divulging my country's top military secrets.”
“That is reassuring to us as well. We have no intention of telling you about any projects other than the one we were directly involved in,” Lake interjected.
“Okay, just so we are clear on that. If we all understand each other then we can get down to business,” Snapp replied.
“I think we are all in agreement.” Barnett said, “Why don’t we make ourselves comfortable in the den.”
Barnett led them down a long hall covered with huge paintings. The den was lined with dark oak and had bookshelves reaching up to the twelve foot ceiling. A large fireplace with a marble facade and mantle dominated one wall. A couch, four leather chairs with bolstered arms, a massive desk, and a credenza were the main pieces of furniture. Everything in the room looked old and expensive. The only thing that seemed out of place was the latest computer screen on the desk.
“Now,” Barnett said, once they were all seated, “Why don’t you go first?”
“Certainly. George, you will have to bear with me for a few minutes. Most of the activity that is going on today at S–4 started back in 1948. It was after the discovery of the second spacecraft that everything went into high gear. Area-51 became the immediate focal point for attention. The military had handled the situation badly and everyone wanted to know about these flying saucers invading earth. Every movie theater had some movie about creatures from outer space. While just fictional, it caused people to question if it could be possible. President Truman wanted to know more about these alleged UFO sightings. He formed MJ–12, as they came to be known. Originally they were called the Majestic 12. Certain powers were passed down to the commander at Groom Lake and he was charged with reporting only to Truman.
For the past sixty years we have been working on trying to develop the technology to travel to distant planets. It all started with what was discovered at Roswell and other sites. A good deal of progress has been made. A few years ago they actually tried to test one of the aircraft. It was unstable and almost crashed. Eventually the two pilots were able to get it under control and land it without significant damage.”
