The Chronicles of Draylon (5 page)

“We can't actually go to Area 51; we'd probably be arrested or worse, shot at,” Paul mentioned, hoping Draylon wouldn't be disappointed.

“I know. We could just park up when it gets dark though, maybe we'll be lucky and see a UFO. At the very least, the stars will be an awesome sight out here in the desert.”

“That's a good idea, a bit like Wayne and Garth in
Wayne's World
sitting on the bonnet of their car.”

“I'm not sure what that is, but yes, I suppose.”

They relaxed for a while, chatting further and taking their time with their refreshments, and when it started to get dark, they left the café and made their way to the Mustang. They started heading down Route 95 back toward Vegas. After a few minutes, Draylon noticed some lights in his rear-view mirror. The lights were white and in the sky behind them. The electrics in the car started playing up and the lights on the dashboard flickered. Paul turned off the stereo and asked what was up. Draylon told him there were lights behind them from a craft, and the craft was interfering with the electrics in the car. The car stopped, the lights disappeared and a saucer was vaguely visible about 100 metres away.

“Is it one of those crafts from Area 51?” Paul said nervously.

“No, I can hear them, be very quiet.”

After several minutes, the craft's lights came on. It stayed level for a few seconds whilst slowly revolving, and then it shot off into the sky at awesome speed. The car started back up again and the lights came back on. Paul looked over at Draylon nervously. Draylon looked sad.

“What was that? What's up?”

“That was my kind. We communicate telepathically, and I could hear them.”

“What did they say?

“My crash was no accident Paul, my craft was tampered with, and they thought I was dead.”

“I'm sorry. Where do you think they've gone? Are we in danger?”

“They're probably seeking counsel. I need you to do something for me. It's important; otherwise we are both in danger.”

“What? Tell me, you're making me nervous.”

“I have a tracking device in my right shoulder. I need you to cut it out, and then we have to destroy it, but you'll have to be fast because I heal very quickly.”

“Oh my goodness, I can't.”

“You have to my friend. Please?”

Paul got out his Indian blade, he wondered if this is why he was drawn to it, and then he shrugged the idea off, thinking it impossible. Draylon took off his T-shirt and pointed to a tiny scar on his right shoulder blade. He explained to Paul that he needed to make the incision about an inch wide and half an inch deep, so that he had room to lever the chip out with his blade. He warned him to be quick, or else he'd have to do it again. Draylon leaned forward and bit into his T-shirt in anticipation of the pain. Paul got himself into a comfortable position, blade ready, and he slit Draylon's shoulder as quickly as he could. He felt the knife on a foreign object and wedged the blade underneath it. He prised it as fast as he could out of Draylon's body.

The cut healed in seconds, and Paul took a deep breath. He handed the tiny chip to Draylon, and using his ability to manipulate matter, Draylon destroyed the chip. Draylon suggested they leave and head back toward Vegas, although he couldn't be tracked now, they were still in danger whilst on Route 95.

Paul took his turn driving and floored the Mustang all the way into Vegas. They were both glad to be back in
Sin City
, the city of lights. They parked up at Caesars Palace and made their way to their room. Both of them were shattered and decided on an early night. Tomorrow, they planned on driving to Roswell, which was a full day's drive, so they had to leave early to get there by nightfall.

It was six a.m. on Tuesday 18th January, Paul's alarm on his phone woke them both up. They got out of bed, freshened up and went to the buffet for their breakfast. Paul decided on waffles and syrup for breakfast, washed down with a mug of tea. Draylon opted for four pieces of brown toast and a few large coffees. Paul enquired about Draylon's apparent caffeine addiction. Draylon assured him that he could give up at any time but was enjoying it.

Paul suggested he drive the first half of the journey to Roswell and Draylon drive the second half, it was a fair distance so as soon as they arrived, they would have to check into a hotel in town. They finished their breakfast and grabbed a few of their belongings from their room for the trip. Paul was happy to see the Mustang waiting in the parking lot; he couldn't wait to start driving. They got into the car and buckled up. Paul put the key in the ignition and turned it. The car roared and Paul sat there listening to it for a minute before setting off. They stopped at a nearby fuelling station to top up and then set out on their journey, destination Roswell.

After several stops for fuel, lots of coffee and bagels, Draylon and Paul arrived in the City of Roswell, New Mexico. They booked into a local hotel named The Roswell Inn. They were shown to their room. It was small with two single beds and an en-suite bathroom. They put down their bags and crashed out on their beds, exhausted by the day's driving.

“Why are we here Draylon?” asked Paul inquisitively.

“I wanted to pay my respects at the crash site. As Roswell is in driving distance from Vegas, I thought it a good idea.”

“So it was a cover up, aliens did crash here?”

“Yes, my kin, you could say,” said Draylon.

“How is it you travel from such great distances, it must take years, surely?”

“We're cryogenically frozen and as the craft approaches the designated destination, it activates the thawing process – regeneration if you like.”

“That's phenomenal, so your craft have artificial intelligence?”

“That's correct; we'll make a scientist out of you yet my friend.” Draylon smiled at his friend, and then noticed his stomach rumbling again. “I think it's time for some food, I'm feeling a little hungry, fancy coming out for a bite?”

“Absolutely, Just one more thing though, what do you think those coordinates will lead us to in Nazca?”

“Answers, I hope. Other than that, I have absolutely no idea.”

They went for a walk into town looking for a place for food. They found a diner named The Cup & Saucer Café. Draylon decided to try something different, so he ordered a jacket potato and cheese with a large butterscotch milkshake. Paul ordered bangers and mash and a large full sugar Coke. When they had finished, they decided to head back to the hotel to sleep. They decided on checking out the Roswell museum tomorrow and visiting the crash site.

They awoke nice and early, had a wash and got dressed. Draylon decided he'd try out his new blue T-shirt, jeans and Nike trainers. Paul tried on his smart black fitted shirt, his jeans and his new pair of Doc Martens shoes. They both looked very smart. Paul enquired as to Draylon's age. Draylon said that years had a different measure on his planet. Also he was cryogenically frozen for long periods of time. He took a minute to work it out and replied, “I am 36 years of age and my birthday is on April 9th.” Paul said that was strange, as his birthday was April 1st and he was 36 years old. Draylon thought it strange too – what were the chances of two strangers being born in the same month and year?

They made their way to the UFO museum. When they got there, Paul thought it looked like the entrance to a cinema from the outside. They went in and were greeted by a model alien holding a sign saying welcome. They paid for their visit at reception and started their tour of the museum and research centre. The first place they stopped had pictures of men that worked at the air base in the 40s and 50s. They moved on to the next room, in which there was the Roswell incident timeline. They then went to look at a display of the Roswell dig; Draylon was taking note of the location so that he could find the site later that day.

They went on to the next display, which was full of pictures of sightings of alien craft. Paul asked Draylon if any of them were real. Draylon replied that he recognised a couple of them that were definitely authentic. They made their way around the museum, looking at all of the newspaper articles and then the art gallery. Draylon's interest was piqued when he saw a model of the alien autopsy. Draylon informed Paul that the alien model was accurate, which meant that his kind were captured dead or alive and dissected. He felt saddened by this and hoped that they were indeed found dead and not killed in the name of science. Paul, noticing Draylon's distress, suggested they leave and head out toward the crash site, if they could find it. Draylon agreed, and they made their way back to The Roswell Inn to get the Mustang.

They arrived at the car. Paul opted to drive and suggested Draylon navigate. They stopped off at a fuelling station first to top up the Mustang. Paul bought Draylon some energy drinks and bagels for the journey and bought himself Coke and tuna sandwiches. They set off on their journey. After a short while, they came across a sign that read UFO Crash Site; they knew they must be getting close. They headed out down a stony road that caused the Mustang to slip several times. Draylon urged Paul to be careful. After almost an hour down the stony track, there were sheep here, there and everywhere. They noticed a sign that read Enter Only. Paul parked up the car and they made their way on foot. After a short while, they came across a shed, an old truck and some stone markers. Draylon could feel tingles up his spine – he sensed that they were getting close. Paul pointed out a large stone in the distance. Draylon shouted, “That's the spot!” They ran over to it, excited to have found the area in which the saucer crashed in July 1947. There was an inscription on top, it read:

WE DON'T KNOW WHO THEY WERE

WE DON'T KNOW WHY THEY CAME

WE ONLY KNOW

THEY CHANGED OUR VIEW

OF THE UNIVERSE

THIS UNIVERSAL SACRED SITE

IS DEDICATED JULY 1997

TO THE BEINGS

WHO MET THEIR DESTINIES

NEAR ROSWELL NEW MEXICO

JULY 1947

Draylon and Paul sat on the large stone monument, contemplating what took place there all of those years ago. Draylon could sense a presence. He walked back away from the rock about ten paces and dug with his hands. After a minute or so, he retrieved a small fragment of metal, almost rectangular in shape, with a smooth, uneven edge on two adjacent sides. He informed Paul that it was a fragment from the craft. Paul took the piece in his hands. Draylon told him to bend it and try to crush it. Paul did as he asked, and it crushed easily. Draylon said to release it now. Paul did as he asked and to his surprise, the metal went back to its former shape without a crease, mark or blemish on it. Paul was stunned. Draylon wondered if their craft too, was sabotaged. He didn't have any answers and it frustrated and upset him. Draylon wanted to get to Nazca now more than ever in the hope that he could find answers to at least some of his many questions. He suggested that Paul keep the piece of metal from the craft as a souvenir, and said he'd like to get something to eat in town, relax a little and spend the night in Roswell. He added that he would like to spend one last night at Caesars, and then make their journey to Nazca. Paul was quite happy – he was having the time of his life.

They arrived back in the City of Roswell. They stopped in a local store and bought some groceries. Draylon bought some pumpkin seed bread, cheese slices and four energy drinks. Paul bought himself a couple of bars of chocolate; a packet of crisps and a 7Up. Draylon remarked that Paul's choice of food wasn't very healthy. Paul pointed out Draylon's growing obsession with caffeine. Draylon laughed and promised he'd give it up soon. They sat outside on a bench in the city centre, enjoying the warmth of the day. They chatted for hours until sunset, and then decided on hitting the hay and getting a fresh start in the morning.

The next morning they checked out of the hotel. They got in the Mustang and headed off back to Vegas. Several stops later, they arrived back at the city of lights by nightfall, they took the Mustang back to Joe's Car Hire, which broke Paul's heart, and went for one last meal at Caesars.

The following morning, they checked out of Caesars Palace and booked a taxi to McCarran airport, when they arrived at the airport they booked their tickets to Lima, Peru; they had a bit of a wait because the plane wasn't flying out until the early afternoon. Several cups of tea and mugs of coffee later Draylon and Paul boarded the plane. The plane took off. It stopped at Mexico City airport for just over three hours and then went on to Lima, Peru. They arrived at Lima early in the morning on Saturday 22nd January.

The first thing they decided to do once they arrived in Lima was to get a nice hot drink at a café in the airport. When they found a café, Paul went up to order a very large latte for Draylon and a pot of tea for himself. Meanwhile Draylon found a comfy seat and stretched out his legs. When Paul arrived with the drinks, they sat and discussed their game plan. Draylon mentioned that they were going to need another car. Paul's eyes lit up at this and he became excitable again. Paul insisted that he get to choose the car. He suggested a convertible because it was going to be hot and air conditioning wasn't quite the same. Draylon thought that was a good idea, but felt a little distracted at the thought of finding what those coordinates led to. They spent a couple of hours relaxing in the café and then decided to go and find a car to hire. When they exited the airport terminal, Draylon approached a taxi and asked the driver to take them to a local car hire; somewhere that dealt in classic American cars. The driver said he knew just the place; they put their small amount of luggage in the boot and headed off.

After a short drive the taxi pulled up at Lima Car Hire. Draylon paid the taxi fare; they retrieved their luggage and bid the driver farewell. Paul's jaw gaped, he couldn't believe it – on the forecourt, they had a mint condition 1967 Plymouth Belvedere convertible in black. Draylon laughed at his friend's enthusiasm and clapped him on the back. They went inside to see if the car was still available for hire. The middle-aged man at reception said that it was, although expensive, it was one of their finest. “We'll take it!” Paul interrupted. They sorted out all of the paperwork and paid upfront for a week's hire. The man handed over the keys and Paul ran out to the car – he couldn't wait to drive it. He was ecstatic to find out that the old classic had been fitted with a new state of the art stereo, MP3 compatible. Draylon got into the car, Paul started it up and the engine roared out loud. Paul smiled with satisfaction. He looked at his friend and said, “Thank you for this Draylon. I really am having the time of my life, I owe you so much.”