This was one of my earlier stories with the Writers Plot, Readers Read Writing Group. It was written in May 2019 and ended up becoming part one of two linked stories. The other story is Unshared Lives.

The challenge we’d been given was this;

May 2019 Challenge

Choose a prompt. (If you’d like to write multiple stories that’s awesome.)
Use any POV you wish.
Remember it’s a short story so less is more when it comes to characters.
Stick to the genre attached to the prompt.
No more than 3000 words, please.

As you turn the corner, a passing stranger palms you a set of keys. “It’s parked over there,” they whisper. - Spy
A newly married couple are on their honeymoon in a sleepy, beachside town. They begin to have the same nightmares every night. - Thriller
A chance meeting at the airport might just turn out to be the start of something new. - Romance
Everyday, you return to your apartment and say “Honey, I’m home. Oh wait, that’s right, I live alone.” But one day, a voice replies, “I picked some pizza.” - Horror
After a friend or family member’s funeral, you come home to a stranger on your doorstep, who tells you that they’re not really dead. - Drama

There were some absolutely fantastic prompts to work with here, but trying something in the spy genre appealed. I was keen to do something with conspiracy theories, and have the protagonist get deeply mired in the tangles of such things. Obviously, to write this I had to look up some of the greater conspiracy theories – which was interesting. At that time there were plenty around, and Trump was having his first play at being US President. Somewhere along the way, the various conspiracy theory elements I’d learned about suddenly gelled, and I had this story, which I’m rather proud of now that I come to read it again.

You can download the story as a pdf, and as an epub.

This story has also featured on Wellington Access Radio. Again, thanks to John MacDonald for rendering it into audio. You can find his show and the download here; Hutt Zone - 13th March 2025

Here’s the story

Another Thread

Geoff rubbed his eyes and stared at the traffic jam of open tabs on his web-browser; all just waiting for him to make a decision about which thread he should follow. Sooner or later they'd start honking their horns. He had them all here: Secret government agencies, shady research organisations, ancient secret societies, disappearances, mind control, and robot world leaders. He had to admit, the last one could be true. That hair couldn't be real.

When you started digging into all these conspiracy theories they almost had some sort of coherency between them. To Geoff's mind, the conspiracy theorists were just a bunch of sad paranoids quoting and re-quoting each other, all the while mixing in more and more outlandish theories to create a vast tangle of intrigue. It was impossible trying to pull on one fibre, without getting the whole ball of yarn.

The trouble was that writing an article that disproved the existence of one alleged plot or secret society, would inevitably be held up by the conspiracy theorists as evidence that whatever it was did exist and this was some kind of cover-up. There was no winning with this one.

What seemed like a good idea when he'd suggested it to the Features Editor, he was now regretting. He’d wasted a week becoming more and more ensnared in the web of intrigue and fantasy. The deadline was out there, lurking in the future and drawing steadily closer. He had to sort this out right now.

He cricked his neck and began working through the lineup again looking for some story that might be possible to investigate. A trip to Antarctica or the far side of the moon were unlikely to be approved by the editor, so that ruled out looking for Nazi space programmes. Crop circles had already been dis-proven, government mind control through fluoridated water and contrails was too loonie to bother about, and there wasn't much to work with when it came to UFOs. The Illuminati had existed once as a group of skeptics trying to stem the tide of superstition and religion in politics several centuries ago but they were disbanded by the Catholic church not long after it had formed. There was nothing to indicate they existed now, nor possible to distinguish them from any other skeptic group.

Sifting through the “real story about Roswell” Geoff was reminded of a common wisp that seemed to be present in a lot of the stories about UFOs and secret government agencies; Majestic. Maybe an article disproving the existence of this shady ultra-secret government organisation would be a good angle. Tricky. But possibly specific enough to disprove.

Leaning back in his chair Geoff nodded to himself. Finally he had something. An obscure blog he’d uncovered referred to a local address where Majestic supposedly had one of their operations. He felt overdue for some time away from his desk and scoping the place out that night appealed. The afternoon was wearing on and he suddenly realised he needed a break right now and someone to help him get it all straight in his head. He'd call Karl. The big Bavarian was always ready for a coffee and chat.

“Here he is.” a deep German accented voice accompanied by a heavy hand on Geoff's shoulder announced the arrival of Karl.

“Hey Karl.” Geoff looked up from his smart phone. “Thanks for joining me. I felt my blood caffeine levels were badly overdue for a refill.”

“You know me. We IT guys have caffeine instead of blood. Any excuse for a coffee break works for me.” Karl ordered an espresso as the barista handed Geoff his latte. “What are you working on that means you forget to go for coffee at normal times?”

“I stupidly offered to do a feature article disproving something conspiracy theorist go on about.”

“Yes. That's pretty stupid. You should stick to something easy like investigating corruption in city hall. Always plenty of material to work with and you have the added fun of having politicians and bureaucrats ducking and diving for cover. So what have you found?”

“No shortage of opinions and paranoia.”

Karl nodded. “No surprises there.”

“I think I have an angle with Majestic” said Geoff.

“Majestic?” Karl raised an eyebrow.

“Have you heard of them?”

“No. Can't say I have. What are they?”

“A secret government agency set up to acquire alien technology and cover up evidence of alien visitations. They also muck around with mind control, and other such things.”

“Good luck with that.” Karl shook his head.

“I found reference to a supposed local base of operations. I'll go there tonight and check it out.”

“Easy enough to give a random add.... Verdammt!” Karl's pocket suddenly started playing the Doctor Who theme. “Excuse me .... I'll need to attend to this.“

“No worries. I'd better get on my way.” Geoff gulped down the rest of his coffee.

“You'd think the Denver International Airport would have someone on staff to handle the basic stuff wouldn't you?” Karl muttered to Geoff as he stood to go.

“See you 'round Karl.”

“Tschüss.”

Geoff hunkered down in his place behind a rubbish skip in an alley across from the address, a chill wind tugging at his heavy coat. It wasn't what he had expected. Google street view had shown him the encircling wall but nothing beyond. He hadn't appreciated the menace the wall seemed to emanate. Further down the alley a fire escape clung to the opposite wall, the lowest rung in easy reach if he stood on one of the rubbish skips. Quietly he sidled deeper into the alleyway and eased himself onto the rim of the skip. The piles of rubbish within smelled terrible. Trying not to breathe he struggled up the slightly dilapidated ladder wishing he had spent more time exercising and less time blobbing at his desk. It looked so easy in the movies. With a sense of relief he hauled himself over the edge of the first landing.

Here he could see into a large industrial looking yard beyond the wall. There were small trucks and delivery vans entering and leaving what appeared to be a warehouse. Automated doors prevented him from seeing inside. There were quite a few people around. Some dressed in grey overalls, others in dark suits.

Where the feeling of fun had been, a dark dread was starting to form. The men in the black suits were all armed. Now that Geoff could see the area clearly, there were security cameras everywhere and other sensors and antennae that Geoff didn't recognise. This was not some random address suggested by a paranoid nut to add weight to their story. There really was something going on here. Geoff decided it was probably a major drug operation. Now there really was serious risk. Risk that he had not prepared for.

He watched for a while, hardly daring to move. A large truck, with a flat deck trailer, carrying what appeared to be a large piece of equipment covered in a tarpaulin was being made ready to depart. Geoff decided to follow it and find out where it went. Maybe getting some idea about the load would give him a clue about the operation.

Now that he had a plan that didn't involve entering the site, he relaxed a bit. He pulled out his smart phone and swiped it into camera mode. Carefully he framed up the scene and pressed the button.

The camera flash neatly froze in his mind forever the view from the fire escape landing so nicely illuminated in an instant.

“Fuck!” he swore, his heart racing.”Stupid! stupid! stupid!”

Surveillance cameras snapped around in his direction. He ducked down, covering his face and dived for the ladder. Legs flailing he heaved himself over the edge onto the ladder. Fear had turned his legs to jelly. He hardly felt the ladder rungs as he scrambled down. A missed step, and he tumbled into the dumpster with a crash.

He clambered out and staggered as his feet met the ground. Before his brain could give the command, his feet were already carrying him away down the alleyway.

Back on a brightly lit main road, Geoff dusted himself off and straightened his jacket. As casually as he could he glanced about him. There didn't appeared to be any sign of pursuit. With more confidence, he squared his shoulders and walked down the road to where he had parked his car.

“That was a bit exciting.” he muttered under his breath. “We're okay now.”

A quick shower and a stiff whiskey saw a more relaxed Geoff sitting at his kitchen table pen in hand jotting down some notes. He pulled out his laptop and turned it on. A green screen terminal greeted him “YOU WERE DETECTED. YOU ARE IN DANGER. STAY WHERE YOU ARE AND WE'LL SEND HELP. A FRIEND”

Geoff felt his stomach lurch. “How?”

He stabbed at the laptop power button.

His mind raced. It had almost made it to the back door when Geoff caught up with it. It had to be a hoax. But who? He had his suspicions. There was only one person he knew with the technical ability to pull a stunt like that. He snatched up his smart-phone and dialled.

“Nice one Karl.”

“Erm. You got me.” Karl's voice sounded a little blurry, but then it was late. “What's up?”

“The green screen thing.”

“Green screen? Have you been looking at old computers or something? The blue screen of death is the normal thing people complain about at odd hours.”

“Come on. You know what I'm talking about. The green screen text interface warning me about being spotted and being in danger.”

“You what?” Karl voice was suddenly serious. “When?”

“Just now.”

“Damn! This is serious business. Whoever has their sights set on you has some serious skills to pull on. The last thing you want to do is wait there. You need to get out right now. Meet me in half an hour at the North East corner of the Warwick Mall parking lot. Make sure you're not followed.”

“What's going on?”

“No time to tell you. Get going. I'll explain it when I see you.”

The mall car park was almost empty. A large rubbish truck was leaving as Geoff pulled in. The North East corner was out of sight around the side of the mall building.

“I'm almost there.” said Geoff. “What should I be looking for?”

“Leave your car in the main parking area.” said Karl. “Walk from there to the meeting point. You'll know what to look for when you get there. See you soon.” and abruptly cut the call.

Geoff stared at the phone in his hand. Again, he could feel that knot in his stomach beginning to tighten. Karl normally signed off with some German phrase.

Geoff parked his car out of line of sight of the meeting place. Feigning casualness he walked briskly across the car park, daring himself a brief glance towards the North Eastern corner as the view opened up to him. There didn't appear to be anyone there. He risked a longer look. With a shock he realised that there was something there. A large black car with tinted windows lurked in the shadows. Two men in heavy black suits stood beside it looking back at him. They started to run.

Geoff turned and fled back towards his car. A screech of rubber on asphalt accompanied the arrival of another car as it swerved between Geoff and his car. The door flew open.

“Get in!” yelled Karl.

With Geoff barely in the seat, Karl stomped on the accelerator, and careened out of the car park leaving a trail of burnt rubber. Geoff glanced back to see the two men racing towards the black car.

“Quick! Your smart phone. Get rid of it.”

Geoff fumbled his phone from his pocket and stared dumbly at it. Karl snatched it out of his hand and threw it out the window. “They've been tracking you through that.”

“What just happened to my life?” Geoff gasped.

“Your old life just ended. Sorry no time to explain. We need to get you to safety.”

“Those guys back there?”

“Yes. Majestic.”

“Did they intercept our phone conversation?”

“We didn't have a phone conversation.”

“Then who?”

“Majestic. They may have used some of their perception change tech to convince you that you were talking to me instead of one of their agents.”

Karl pulled into a side road and turned off his headlights. Unclipping a keypad from under the dash, he quickly typed in a combination. Geoff wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the view outside briefly shimmered. Karl raised a finger to his lips.

A large black car cruised through the intersection behind them. Karl glanced down at the darkened dash board. “They didn’t detect us. We'd better move though. They'll be back with more sophisticated tech soon.”

“So how did you know where I was?” asked Geoff.

Karl pulled out the keypad again and quickly tapped in another code. “I call this the Nothing-to-see-here-move-along field. Pretty cool, ja?”

“How did you know where I was?”

“I followed you. You are an excellent investigative journalist. You always find the truth about what you're looking for. Unlike the conspiracy theorists who just sit on their backsides pontificating, retelling the same stories, and making up new stuff, you actually get out there and look. This is a problem. If this truth were to get out it could destabilise the world. We cannot let that happen. At least you told me you were going to do it. Majestic's way of shutting down the truth are fairly direct and terminal. We're somewhat more enlightened in our ways. Besides, you're a friend.” Karl directed the car into another side road and out onto the main road.

“And who are we?” asked Geoff.

“You'll find out soon enough.”

“Where are we going then?”

“We need to get you somewhere safe, but that means I’ll need to drop you off where you can pick up the next stage in your journey. I’ll need to disappear for a while too.”

They drove in silence. Geoff watched the inner city concrete and glass jumble give way to tree lined avenues and walled mansions as they entered the more affluent part of town. The car pulling over and lurching to a stop jerked Geoff from his daze.

“This is where we part ways.” Karl said. “Did you see that large white walled property we passed before we turned in here?”

Geoff nodded.

“Walk along the side walk here. You will be met by someone. They will give you a set of keys. Take them and follow their instructions. Good luck my friend. I'll look out for you next time I'm out your way. Auf Wiedersehen.”

Geoff stumbled from the car which immediately drove off. Geoff looked after it in trepidation. Despite the turmoil in his mind he put on a resolute face and walked briskly along the footpath. There were few people about at this time of night. He rounded the corner and tripped over a small dog at the end of a long lead.

“I'm sorry.” Geoff rubbed his elbow. ”My mind was elsewhere.”

The woman at the other end of the lead helped him up. As she did so, Geoff felt a set of keys pressed into his palm. “It's parked over there.” she whispered nodding towards the gate of the walled estate.

Geoff slipped the keys into his pocket. Approaching the heavy iron gate he pulled out the set of keys. They were an odd collection. A disk with some circuitry around its edge, a black rectangular sliver of plastic, and a regular key. He looked at the lock. It could only be the regular shaped key. The gate slid open and he entered a cobbled driveway with bricked walls on either side. With nowhere else to go he followed the driveway towards the house. As he got closer, it wasn't the grandness of the house that captured his attention. It was the flying saucer.

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Story Plan

As usual, I planned this story out to a fairly high level of detail.

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