They had appeared at his home, not the UFO Center, flashing badges and appealing to his patriotism for help. They were vague about their assignment, but given his expertise in the field of UFOs and aliens, he felt sure their project was related to the alleged recent crash, and he wanted to be as close to that investigation as possible.

The agents had done their homework. They were aware of the large vault in his basement where he stored artifacts he was unwilling to display at the Center, plus survival supplies, a cot, and a ham radio, just in case it was necessary to go into hiding for a while. This was the room they wanted to use for a week or two, and he was more than willing to cooperate. True, he was disappointed when they warned him he could not use or see inside the vault while they were there, but he hoped to observe enough to put the pieces together himself. It was enough for now that they needed him.

Arriving home from work that night, he heard voices coming from his basement. He stood near the top of the stairs and strained to hear the conversation, but the agents were speaking too softly. Later, he thought, perhaps they won't be so careful.

Agents Bellow and Samuels heard Milton walking upstairs and lowered their voices.

"I hope this was the right move, Jeff. What if that guy starts snooping around down here?"

"He won't. I know the type. He's feeling important right now, helping the FBI. A guy like that thrives on feeling important. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the status he thinks this gives him, even if it is only in his own mind. Besides, ever since that boy Pierce thought was an alien escaped, the old military base is being repaired. With workmen crawling all over, we could never stash the girl there. This way, we keep her close without her recognizing where she is and space jockey upstairs is none the wiser."

"What if she doesn't tell us what we need to know? Pierce had no luck with the boy, and he had much more equipment and expertise at his disposal than we do."

"Yeah, but if that kid was an alien, who knows what all he could resist? I just know that this Liz Parker kid seemed to be a vulnerable spot for him, and we're pretty sure she's just a regular kid. If we can get her to talk, we can take the information to Pierce. He's obsessed with this investigation, and if we bring him evidence that will help him prove his theory, he won't be able to promote us fast enough. Early retirement, here I come."

"I hope you're right. When my wife told me we had another baby on the way, I knew we had to have more money. I just hope Pierce is still interested. I mean, he put a stop to this investigation, and I keep wondering if continuing it without his authorization isn't just going to piss him off."