Sarah returned and the three of them sat at a large table. The room was dark and huge paintings adorned the walls. Some looked vaguely familiar. A large grandfather clock ticked in the corner. The table looked to be very old but it was polished to such a shine that everything reflected off of it. The hardwood floors were covered with thick Persian carpets. Willis got out his camcorder and set it up.
“Do you mind?” he asked.
“Not at all. At least someone will know that I was alive. It’s darn discouraging to discover that everything you have ever done is gone,” he said.
“Dr. Lake. I want you to take your time and tell us everything from the very start. From the time you first went to work at Groom Lake,” Sarah said, settling back in her chair.
“That’s a hell of a lot of territory. You sure you want to hear all of it?”
“Please. We have all the time we need,” she assured him.
“I’ll stop you if I need to change tapes,” Agent Gardner added.
“Fine. here it goes,” Lake said and began from the time he was first hired by EG&E to work at Area-51. Sarah didn’t take any notes; she would have the tape to rely on. She did ask for clarification on several occasions but mostly she let him talk.
Almost two hours went by before they took a quick break. Willis changed the tape and everyone took care of their bodily functions.
It was another hour and twenty minutes later when Lake wrapped up his story and related what he thought was going on currently. It was a fascinating story to say the least. It would seem like the ranting of a mental patient if the story he told wasn’t the same as Snapp’s and Dr. Barnett’s.
She could see no glaring omissions or exaggerations in his story. She would have more questions, she was sure, when she could compare all three statements in detail, but for now she was fairly convinced that they were telling the truth, or at least they thought they were.
Lake didn’t fit the mold of someone looking to become a public figure or trying to find a way to get rich quick. It he had wanted to do that he could have peddled his story to the National Blab.
“Dr. Lake. Do you know who General Devin reports to?”
“No, I do not. The only higher ranking officer I am aware of that has ever been to Dreamland has been the Commander-in-Chief.”
“The President?”
“Correct. It has been rumored that Truman, Eisenhower, Regan and Bush have all been to Groom Lake. As Commander-in-Chief they wanted to see for themselves what was going on,” Lake said.
“You saw them?”
“No. I’m not all that old. When Bush came we were just told to be ready to answer any questions if needed but to stay out of sight unless called. I was there when he came but I didn’t actually see him or get to meet him,” Lake said.
“Then how do you know he actually came?” Sarah asked.
“Others saw him and they told us. Did you know that after Regan’s visit he made no less than three references to UFOs and life on other planets? He even talked about it at a UN conference. He knew. Mikhail Gorbachev knew. Many speculate that it was the bond between Regan and Gorbachev over this knowledge that led to the Soviets change in attitude,” Lake told her.
“So the Star Wars Defense system was born,” Sarah added.
“Correct,” Lake said.
“Well, Dr. Lake, I have to say, this was the most unusual interview I have ever conducted. I honestly don’t know how to proceed at this time but I will continue to check out the details you provided,” Sarah said as Gardner was packing up the video gear.
“I would be careful if I were you Ms. Steel. General Devin is a dangerous adversary. He is quite capable of anything,” Lake warned her.
“I think we can handle the general,” she said, “How do we get in touch with you if we need to?” Sarah asked as they were getting into the car.
“Here is a phone number. It cannot be traced. I have made sure of that. You can reach me there,” he said, handing her a paper with the number written on it. “You need to dial the numbers in reverse. Start with the last digit and work that way. Just in case someone gets hold of the paper,” he told her.
“I see you have thought of everything Dr. Lake. Is there anything we can do for you at present?”
“Get my life back,” he said as he got behind the wheel of the car.
He dropped them off at the alley where they had met originally.
“Keep a watch out; don’t think Devin is afraid of you because you are from Homeland Security. I don’t think he would let a small thing like that stop him,” Lake said when he rolled his widow down.
“Thank you for the advice. I’m sure that even General Devin isn’t foolish enough try something against us,” Sarah said.
“You just don’t understand who you are dealing with,” was his final warning as he drove off.
“Strange bird,” Willis said as they got into his car and drove out of the driveway.
“Yes, but you never know. I will admit, the story was just about the same. You know, it jives with the others pretty much. Could there be any truth to what they are saying?”
