"Let me ask you a question from left field, Doctor Ellison," said the Air Force colonel, intently studying the doctor's face, presumably to gauge her reaction to the aforementioned question. The colonel was a doctor himself, with a caduceus on each lapel of his blue uniform jacket and a handful of staff medals over the left pocket. A black plastic name tag over his right breast pocket read "Brightwood". In his fifties with graying hair, wire-rimmed glasses and a constant, too-attentive look on his face. He was the administrator of a presumably "black" government project, which was why she was here being interviewed. It was all very secretive: a call from a D.C. phone number inquiring if she might be interested in working on a top-secret project, the details of which could only be discussed with the project administrator in person. A person with her particular medical specialty, obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive genetics, would find herself working at the core of the project. She had been intrigued enough and bored enough with catching babies that she agreed to the interview; wondering at the same time how obstetrics, gynecology and genetics fit into an Air Force black project.
"What is your opinion on extra-terrestrials?" he asked, with that same over-attentive look on his face and with utter seriousness.
"I'm not sure how to answer that," she said, after a long moment of cognitive dissonance.
Ellie was a natural blonde with Nordic blue eyes due to a significant amount of viking blood. She had been blessed with good skin, too, smooth and blemish free. It could have been much worse as most of the rest of her heritage was English. She was a little above average height at 5'-6" and 150 pounds, a significant portion of which was carried on her chest which happened to be 38D. She was well proportioned but with a little extra padding due to the fact that she was so busy most of the time she had all but stopped running and otherwise keeping in shape. Her diet was trash, too, mostly whatever was convenient. Because she was very junior and not long out of residency, she was mostly stuck working the graveyard shift and it was starting to take it's toll.
"If I told you that extra-terrestrials exist and we are actively working with them, what would be your reaction?" asked the colonel.
"Amazement," answered Doctor Ellison. "But honestly not completely surprised."
"In June of 1947, an alien spacecraft crashed near Roswell, New Mexico," stated Colonel Brightwood, as if giving a well rehearsed presentation. "It's still a matter of legend and has been treated as a conspiracy theory for some time now. However, two extra-terrestrial beings were the occupants of that craft: one was dead, the other severely injured and unconscious. The injured being was treated and eventually recovered. The alien spoke fluent English and informed government agents that his planet orbited a yellow sun, similar to our own, nearly fifteen hundred light years from Earth that we humans call Kepler-6. Its species called themselves the Thran and have since been dubbed "Greys" by conspiracy theorists. Their purpose on earth was an entirely peaceful and scientific mission to study and observe our race and the planet Earth. They have been studying us since the days of ancient Egypt and began in earnest since the Trinity nuclear test in 1945. Hoping to garner what information the Thran would share, in January of 1952, the government initiated a black project to assist the Thran in their endeavors here on Earth. You would be working as part of the descendant of that first project."
"That's a lot to process," said Ellison. "What exactly is the project besides
studying
us? And what role would a gynecologist and geneticist have?"
"At this point I am not at liberty to disclose that," said Colonel Brightwood. In truth, he had no idea what the project did, nor what the duties of a gynecologist or geneticist would be. He was neither a colonel on the Air Force, nor a doctor, nor the administrator of Project Chimera. He was a member of the NSA and had no need to know these things. He was a gatekeeper.
"What I can disclose," he continued. "Is that this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with extra-terrestrial beings with highly advanced technology. Also that your specific skills would be integral to the core functions of the project. I can assure you that the Project Chimera is exactly what I am claiming it is: to study this planet and specifically humans. There are no hidden agendas. I'm afraid that to accept a position in this project will require you to take a lot on faith and if you do accept, you will be required to remain in that position for at least five years. During that time you will have excellent housing and amenities provided to you at no expense. While you will be allowed contact with others outside the project, the facility you will be working at will require you to remain there for the entire time. It is remote and considerable effort is involved in transferring personnel to and from the site. Exceptions can be made in certain circumstances."
Ellison said nothing for a few moments, thinking on what the Colonel had told her. Aliens were real and she would be working with them in her specialized fields of medicine. It certainly seemed more exciting than spending the next five years in some OB ward.
"I understand that this is a big decision," said Brightwood. "You will be allowed some time to consider it."
"I'm in," she said after no further hesitation.
"Excellent," the Brightwood said, smiling broadly. He hadn't expected it to be this easy. "You have a week to get your affairs in order. As I said, you probably won't be back here for some time."
Brightwood had not been entirely forthcoming when he said the site for Project Chimera was remote. It probably couldn't have been more remote without being on the moon. It was actually built into a mountain in the Ellsworth mountain range of Antarctica. A sixteen hour flight to Punta Arenas, Argentina, then three hours in an Air Force C-130. The entrance to the base was nearly invisible. When Ellie stepped off the plane the cold bit right through her, even with the heavy parka she had been given. She really didn't do very well in the cold.
"And it's summer here," she thought. Though she had to admit that the sky was the clearest and most beautiful blue she had ever seen. The Ellsworth mountains surrounded her, dark gray snow covered pyramids in the middle of the immense ice sheet that was Antarctica. Ellie was greeted by a figure in a thick black parka, exactly like hers. Their hood was up and mirrored goggles covered their eyes. She moved like a woman, but her close were so bulky it was hard to be sure.
"Doctor Ellison," said a pleasant female contralto from within the fur rimmed hood. "I'm Doctor Katherine Walters, director of Project Chimera. Follow me. Let's get out of this horrible weather. I'll send someone out for your things."
As they walked toward the entrance to the base, packed snow squeaking with every step, Ellie heard the four turboprop engines of the Air Force plane wind up to begin it's takeoff roll. It hadn't stayed long enough to even shut down it's engines, just to make sure she was met, toss her bags and two pallets of supplies off the rear ramp and button back up. She really couldn't blame them. She watched it climb into the blue sky and disappear. One good steady wind and there would be no evidence it was ever here.
They entered through a heavy steel door, through an air lock, and into the facility itself. It was more human looking than Ellie expected. It was less sci-fi alien kitsch and more 21
st
century medical facility, down to the potted plants. Walters' office was the same, although it was divided into two sections: a standard office and what looked like an examination room. The prominent feature there was an odd dentist chair looking contraption with some articulated mechanical arm devices folded away underneath it. The office was a pale pastel green with soft lighting. The desk was dark wood and the chairs were all of the modern office variety, except that they were all upholstered in tan leather. Walters' sat down at her desk and indicated one across from her for Ellie. Ellie threw her parka over the back of a second chair and sat down. She crossed her legs at the knees and tried to look professional.
