Free Project X-Calibur by Greg Pace Page A

government? Is that what all this is?”
    â€œQuite the opposite, Ben. The last thing we want is for the governments or armed forces of the world to get involved in this project. In fact, the less people know about us, or the coming threat, the better.”
    â€œWhy, sir?” Malcolm asked.
    But instead of answering him, Pellinore looked up and said, “Next bay, please.”
    There were no techs in this next room, just one large, ominous black box, a perfect ten-foot-square cube made of shiny black panels. Millions of little lights were blinking over every square inch of it.
    â€œWow,” I breathed. I had no idea what I was looking at, but it sure was impressive.
    â€œYou’re looking at decades of work here, knights,” Pellinore said proudly, and he pressed a button on the wall. After the bay window slid up, we could hear something coming from inside the strange black box. Incredibly, it sounded like a miniature
war
was going on inside. There were the sounds of explosions and buildings crumbling, along with screeching cars and screams.
    â€œWhat the heck?” Tyler murmured as the lights all over the box began to blink faster and faster.
    Just as the cacophony reached its peak, the box suddenly stopped shaking. You could hear a pin drop, and I felt an overwhelming sense of dread; the sudden silence was the non-sound of everything
gone.
And then—
    Ding.
    A slip of paper appeared, sticking out of a slot in the box’s side. Pellinore took a deep breath and grabbed it quickly. He had a look, then handed it to Merlin with a grim shake of his head.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” I asked. “What is this thing?”
    â€œAn alien invasion simulator,” Pellinore informed us. “Day after day, week after week, it runs war scenarios, analyzing what would happen to mankind if Earth was attacked. Specifically, the millions of possible outcomes that might occur once Earth’s governments and armed forces get involved.”
    Merlin was still looking at the slip of paper when he added, “The outcome for mankind is always the same.”
    He held up the slip of paper. It had just one word on it: EXTINCT.

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    â€œINFORMING THE WORLD of the coming threat will almost certainly bring about our extinction.” Merlin crumpled the slip of paper.
    â€œBut how can you keep
everyone
from seeing aliens when they arrive?” I asked doubtfully. “Won’t that be impossible?”
    â€œNext bay, please,” Pellinore ordered, and the hallway floor started moving again. I was thrilled to get away from the eerie black box. That thing was the largest, scariest fortune cookie ever created.
    The next room was the most impressive so far. It was circular, like the atrium, but at least three times as large, and every inch of space of the curved walls was lined with
thousands
of flat-screen TVs showing broadcasts from all over the world. From a series of control panels in the room’s center, lab techs with high-tech earphones closely monitored the footage.
    My heart skipped a beat when I noticed a screen showing the early morning newscast we watched at home every day. These techs really were monitoring
every single
newscast, even from Breakwater.
    â€œAs you’ve probably figured out already, this is where we keep an eye on the news,” Pellinore said dryly.
    â€œWhy?” Kwan asked, but Malcolm was the one to answer quickly.
    â€œTo intercept alien sightings. Right, sir?”
    â€œCorrect. We must be ready to intercept any and all human communications related to aliens. As you saw just moments ago, we’ve proven time and again that the aliens’ arrival must be kept secret.”
    â€œWait, so even after the aliens show up for battle, nobody will know we’re the ones defending Earth?” Malcolm asked, deflated.
    â€œExactly. This project will always be a secret. Before, during, and—hopefully—afterward,”