I sat at a desk in my borrowed apartment, stared at my computer screen, and braced myself to change the world forever.
A familiar musical and graphical opening began to play out on my screen, and then a familiar face appeared on my monitor. “Welcome, everyone, to the Mark Russell Science, Technology, and Futurism podcast,” the face said. “I’m Dr. Mark Russell, as always, and today we have a special guest, Jason Ramsey, making his promised second appearance.”
He went on to quickly give an abbreviated version of my background.
“I can say with absolute certainty,” Russell continued once this was completed, “that this is the appearance you’ve all been waiting for. That the world has been waiting for. The show to end all shows. Jason will reveal things today you’ll never see coming. Tell you things that will melt your brains, and that will mark a new historical era.”
I waited anxiously for his introduction to finish, still finding it hard to believe that this was happening. Ten days had passed since I had returned to San Diego—but what a ten days.
I was now engaged to be married—no surprise there—having proposed to Tessa in space, inside one of the Federation’s UAVs, so I could set the holographic interior to a dozen gorgeous terrestrial locations, each more spectacular than the last.
The deprogramming of Sentinel personnel was coming along nicely. Nick was already on board. After a rough first few days we’d finally been able to bring enough truthful evidence to bear, and debunk enough of the Swarm’s false evidence, that he was able to see the light. And my testimony helped, especially since I allowed him to question me while I was under the influence of the Sentinel’s truth serum.
We had reluctantly decided that we’d need to adopt the use of this drug to vet our own people and ensure those Sentinel personnel who appeared to be converted to our cause really were. Too much was on the line to be squeamish about its use, and we adopted the Sentinel policy of taking great pains to avoid any invasion of privacy.
Tessa and I were now living off the grid in an apartment SAPS had supplied to us in San Diego, surrounded by ever-present security, with all of us monitored around the clock to detect even the slightest mental tampering.
Nari had added us to the inner circle of the Federation’s leadership council, and after four days of debate I had finally won—full disclosure was about to become a reality. It was time to step up to the plate, and I was chosen to be the designated hitter.
So here I was again, about to appear on the Mark Russell Podcast, but this time I would awaken the world to a much bigger universe. Ironically, using the same media venue the Swarm intended to use to have me spread their lies—right before they killed a hundred million of us so we would kick off a galactic war.
In my mind, the Mark Russell Podcast is where my journey had really begun. I had gone on this show to kick a hornet’s nest so I could learn the truth, and I had learned the truth—in ways I couldn’t have possibly imagined. And now I was returning to the show with actual knowledge.
I had come full circle—something which I found to have a certain degree of symmetry, of elegance.
Or maybe it was just ironic.
On my monitor, Mark Russell was raising his eyebrows. “So how do I know that Jason’s promises aren’t just hyperbole?” he said. “That he’ll really come through this time?”
The host paused for effect. “Because this time, Jason told me what he plans to say beforehand. And this time he’s convinced me it’s all true in the most powerful of ways. Which I’ll be disclosing momentarily.
“So let me hand the reins over to our special guest,” he continued. “Jason, I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I am to have you back. To know that you’ll be making history right here on our show.”
“Thanks, Mark,” I said nervously. “Thanks for having me.”
Tessa and Brad were both seated just out of sight of the camera to provide moral support, and both shot me nods of encouragement, knowing how much was riding on my performance. Tessa was breathtakingly beautiful, as always, but it was the incandescence of her personality that made the striking diamond ring I had given her seem dull by comparison.
“People have been striving to understand our place in the universe for thousands of years,” I began. “Are we alone? Have we been visited? If so, by whom? And for what reasons? And how to explain sightings and abduction reports?
“Without question,” I continued, “some, or even much of the extraterrestrial lore is exaggerated, made up, or just false. Recently, however, it’s become undeniable that much of it is also true. So what to make of it all?”
I took a deep breath. “Well, at long last, I’m here to tell this audience—and the world—exactly that. I’ll be revealing information that will be mind-blowing and will seem totally out there, so I expect skepticism. Which is why I’ll be posting a treasure trove of supporting information online that the world can dig through after my appearance today.”
I shook my head. “Even so, I’m sure many people will remain skeptical, even after seeing this evidence. For that reason, in two days, at a precise time to be announced, I’ve asked our alien friends to land empty, AI-controlled UFOs on the grounds of every principal governmental residence of every country on Earth. The White House in America. The Kremlin in Russia. Ten Downing Street in England. The Federal Chancellery Complex in Germany. And so on.”