Trinity Site, New Mexico July 16, 1944. The countdown had begun and in less than a minute an explosion with the brightness of the sun itself erupted with a fiery rumble and mushroomed up into a dark cloud that hung for over a minute. Over 4 light years away, a small planet near Barnard's star was witness to this incident because a race that was dissimilar to the human race was monitoring Mankind. When they detected the explosion, the leader instantly knew that Mankind had entered a new age. "Well, Mxylptkan, what do you think of mankind now?" asked Mqualthikan. 'I wish we had not lost our spaceship on Earth back in their year 1846, because now we have but no alternative to try and retrieve it before they become too technologically advanced. It behooves us to relax and think that they will never find it, despite the cloaking device. I believe we better start an expedition to get our lost spaceship expeditiously and with haste." "I see, good thing we decided to monitor them again when they moved towards a planetary world war back in 1936 in Spain."

May 9, 1944. Sierra Vista, Nevada. With his metal detector onboard the small boat, Malachi Wolters was able to lower it into the waters on a fishing line in hopes of finding something of value. 24 minutes later, something appeared on his video monitor as it began to reveal itself while the cloaking device had begun to wear off due to the electronic sweep of the lake waters in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The spaceship came into clear view as the cloaking device shut down. Malachi was stunned and began to make plans in his mind to salvage the craft. Later, after walking into the house where his young son, Steven turned around from listening to the Dayton Duncan show on the radio to welcome his father home. "Dad! You're missing the Dayton Duncan show!." "Not now son, I have to make an important telephone call."

Hyman Rickover immediately called his friend and fellow Naval comrade, Harriman Nelson after receiving the call from Malachi Wolters and learning of the discovery of a possible alien spacecraft in Lake Vista. Working as an Engineering Duty Officer at the Bureau of ships in the Navy and working closely with the Defense Industry, he saw the possibilities of leapfrogging in technology if it was true of what Malachi had discovered. Harriman cautiously was excited too but said that the only way to keep this secret was to form a secret committee of specialized technologists and work together for the advancement of Naval technology, Nuclear possibilities and any other possible technical advances. Immediately, Harriman knew who to call. In order, he called the Oceanographer, Walter Pelagian, then the Engineering Wizard, St. Julien Perlmutter, then he called Hiram Yaeger, Sr. the computer wizard and the brilliant but mad genius, Delphi Moran, whose family has contributed to the technical advances in the Unted States since before the War for Independence and before, going back many centuries. Harriman also called Albert Loomis, the financial wizard of scientific and technological projects.

Well, I'm hooked. :lol:

June 27, 1846. At Fort Bernard on the evening of June 27 Jim Clyman, the great mountaineer warns the Donner brothers, George and Jacob and their wagon train partner James Frazier Reed that they should not take the Hastings Cutoff because they will find themselves in the Sierra Mountains in the Winter and it would be very dangerous to be in those mountains because of the deep snows that accumulate up at the pass that leads down into California. Not to mention that the man, Lansford Hastings who is an opportunist, and self-titled empire builder who found the trail that leads through the Great Salt Desert on the intermontain plateau is an agent of the wealthy fur traders, the Choteau family who are not to be trusted. The brothers Donner decline stubbornly believing the flat trail through the desert and the mountains that lead up to the western divide of the Sierras will be easier than taking the regular Oregon Trail then traveling south into California. James F. Reed goes along warily with the plan until he is forced to leave the wagon party after killing a man and reluctantly leaves his wife and kids with the Donner party. James F. Reed travels through the pass quickly on his own and only later returns to the pass well after word of the Donners and others are trapped near the pass in Deep Winter. It is not until March and already finding his wife and daughter Patty have made it through the pass safely that he goes searching for his son and other survivors. March 1847. James Frazier Reed, on his horse travels into the camp where his family and the Donners had stayed finding remnants of those who had been cannibalized. He finds Keseberg who admits eating James' son. James is revolted. He spies another man sneaking out of the camp. He pursues the man and catches him. "Who are you?!?!" he declares. "I am a member of the Choteau family" replies the man. "What is in that box you have under your arm?" The man runs for it. Dressed strangely he runs up the mountain with Reed in pursuit. He catches up with Choteau on a patch of the mountain still covered with snow and the two men fight. A knife flashes. James feels the warm blood oozing from his stomach. He fights with Choteau and manages to knock the box out of the man's arm. "Who are you?" declares James. 'I am from the future and have come to retrieve a piece of property belonging to my family" replies Mimosan Choteau. They continue fighting until they find themselves near the edge of the mountain. James reaches for his gun and they fight over the gun. A shot rings out. Mimosan stands unsteadily. Reaching down and grabbing his box he charges at James. James slips on the snow and Mimosan Choteau flies by him slipping on the snow and sails out over the edge of the mountain into the void screaming with the box in hand. James returns to camp and takes Keseberg down into California.

April 1946. Mxylptkan arrives on planet Earth and flies over the Sierra Nevada mountains until coming upon Lake Vista and settles in a clearing and turns on the cloaking device. Wearing a special suit that enables him to cope being underwater, Mxylptkan covers the entire lake and does not find the space ship that Explytoquel had lost back in 1846 while traveling with his wingman, who was piloting another spaceship. Cursing the time it took him to arrive on Earth, he realizes that the ship has been found and decides to use the special detector he had brought with him to scan a wider distance. Something strange appears on the small screen over near the wall of a mountain that was over a mile away. Coming upon the area, Mxylptkan looks closely as he steps over the ground. Finally, he realizes he is literally on top of the strange device and decides to dig down into the ground and comes across the strange device and the remains of a dead human. It dawns on him that the device is a piece of advanced technology that was developed on earth but due to the encrustation of the ground, he realizes it had been buried since the mid-nineteenth century. The advanced piece of technology he was holding in his hands had come from sometime in the future of mankind. With an educated guess, he figured it was from either the twenty-second or twenty-first century. An enigma that involved time travel had occured here, he figured. Mxylptkan heads back to his spaceship and returns to his own home planet with the time travel device.

Albert Loomis was a financial genius in creating the secretive organization that would succeed beyond belief for all of the participants. He turned to a fellow friend, Edward Black, in the building of the scientific laboratories to be hidden in and around the Sierra Vista area without causing any concern or interest from any snoopers or interested parties. Blackhawk Industries went to work on the construction efforts. Malachi Wolters would set up the Sierra Vista Corporation and succeeding companies in the decades to come and would consolidate his power.

March/April 2009. Lawrence Turaud and Dirk had a good laugh while quaffing some beers at Arthur's Bar about how they manipulated several agencies into the need for the information on the whereabouts of Air Force One and the Tammy Tryloff. Lawrence's cell phone buzzed and he answered it, listening for a few minutes and asking one question. Lawrence put's the cell phone away and turns to Dirk. "Danny Silverstone just did some more research on Shoreham Associates and learned that they had been set up by the Sierra Vista Corporation in Nevada and that reminded him of a vessel that had disappeared in the Triangle back in the 50s, named the Vista, that was a boat that belonged to a family in Nevada whose forefathers had come from both the Basque and Norse lineages. The point is that this family was obsessed with UFO's and Aliens back in the late 1940s and gained some media attention with their claims of capturing aliens and sank their bodies in the Triangle. They are the ones who set up the Sierra Vista Corporation, named after their town. That mask you found is an old Norse relic belonging to Loki, the mischievous son of Thor, and whoever wears the mask shall go crazy. Sounds nuts, I know, but that can explain some ideas that have been bouncing around my head for some time now".
Steven Wolters sat at his desk recalling the days he grew up in Sierra Vista. Not only had his father set up the Sierra Vista Corporation but it's spinoff company, Shoreham Associates as well. His father had also set up the museum and institute on UFO's and Aliens. Steven's father was both genius and touched with madness in his setting up the path to power for his son. Steven was not as passionate or totally into the UFO and Alien obsession but it did lead him to believe in technology that would advance mankind's leap into the future. Malachi Wolters had also taken advantage of Casino and tourism business to gain political influence that would later lead to his influence with U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt. Steven had worked for the U.S. Senator from Nevada before his appointments to the cabinet positions under several administrations. It was only after a couple of years working for Senator Laxalt that he was approached by several corporate, lobbyist and nonprofit interests that had come together for one common goal to set up a powerful organization that would coordinate such interests under one organization that he came to call the Omega Group in 1976. He accepted and led the organization through many challenges and also it had helped his career as a bureaucrat under several Presidents. On a phone call to Lawrence Turaud, Dirk asked who Tammy Tryloff was "Dirk, I met this most attractive woman when I worked in Dayton, Ohio back in the late 1980s for several weeks just before I set up my shipping company in Chicago. I was on assignment for the shipping company that I worked for at the time and was sent to Dayton. I met her at Goodwill Industries where I was to get some furniture for some of the ships in their fleet. So I went to the Goodwill headquarters on Kuntz Road in Dayton and was given a tour of the facility and met her there. She was working as an occupational rehabilitation counselor there. We had a brief affair, but she left a strong impression on me. I later learned that she was married and living in Seattle. It was a wonderful interlude, but alas it was not to last. I take it everything has settled down now that all the agencies are happy with the exact location of the ship and Air Force One". "Yes, indeed, especially the FBI and Secret Service" answered Dirk Pitt.
Landing at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Dirk Pitt rented a car and headed towards Carson City where he stopped briefly for directions and found Sierra Vista in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It was a dangerous trip on the mountain road to the small town of Sierra Vista with it's hairpin curves and switchbacks. The population of Sierra Vista was just over 500 people. After arriving in town and stopping at the Vista Diner for a bite to eat, Dirk asked directions to the museum of UFOs and Aliens. The waitress, Vera, blanched at first then after looking at Mel, the cook, who did not return an answer she gave Dirk the directions. Dirk left a generous tip for Vera and headed for the Museum. Luckily it was open and he stepped in and rang the bell. Rachael Wolters, a cousin of Steven's came out and smiling, said "May I help you, sir?". "Yes, I have an item that I found in the Bermuda Triangle on the seabed and believe that it belongs to the museum here", and he showed her the mask. She smiled happily upon recognizing the family heirloom and was thankful to have it again. She repeated several times, "Thank You, Thank you, Thank you" over and over. Dirk asked about it's history and the family and she related how her mother's family was from Norway and it had been passed down many generations. She even showed him the provenance documents that proved it. Dirk was satisfied and left.

September 11, 2001. Little Nicky Kelso was playing with his toys in the driveway when he heard a buzzing noise above him. Nicky looked up and saw a round flying object hovering over him. 'Mom! Mom! Mom!" yells Nicky. Lucy Kelso runs outside the door frightened to death that somebody was trying to take Nicky. Nicky is pointing up and she looks up, "Oh, my lord!!" Lucy grabs Nicky and runs inside and calls her husband, Tom at the lab. Tom races home and just as he pulls up in front of the house, the UFO takes off. Tom saw it fly off and ran into the house. "Everyone, alright?" Tom yells. Lucy, hugging Nicky tightly, mumbles "Yes". Tom calls the lab and reports the incident. MacKenzie Birdsong, the administrator of the labs is informed of the incident. He opens a drawer and pulls out the red phone and punches in the numbers for Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. "Another incident" he reports to Colonel McMasters. Colonel McMasters rings General Lawrence DeMars' number. General DeMars picks up the phone in his office. 'Thank you for informing me, Colonel McMasters". General DeMars pulls open a file cabinet and pulls out the Sierra VIsta file and adds the incident to the forty some pages of reported sightings in this strange town that sits in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

At the age of 102 in 2006, Malachi Wolters, still living in Sierra Vista, was sitting in his wheelchair, mulling over his legacy. Two daughters, one son dead and six grandkids, 2 great-grandchildren and a corporate empire that was well run by professionals. Not bad, he thought despite his son being dead. Steven had made a successful career in the Federal government. Looking at the open file on his lap, that listed all of the UFO sightings he had kept a journal of. The UFO sightings were not as big a news event nowadays, not unlike back in the early days after World War 2. It was in the eighties that such sightings became passe' among the media. Looking up through the skylight of his cabin he saw something shiny coming down towards him. Four hours laters, Serena Wolters, Malachi's youngest daughter walked into the cabin. She found her father dead, sitting in his wheelchair.

"She really thinks it's me, doesn't she?" asks Malachi. "Yes, the body will be identified as you, though obviously it will not" replies Klyptmxlcan. The spaceship hovers in orbit, giving Malachi a last look at his home. Then it streaks out of the solar system in mere seconds.

After having been involved in Project Blue Book on a limited basis during the 1970s as a military advisor, Lawrence DeMars was assigned to Cheyenne Mountain at the end of 1979 and was promoted from Colonel to General. He was given the position of Deputy Commander in Charge of Cheyenne Mountain. Early in 1980 he was briefed on the history of monitoring UFO's from Cheyenne Mountain. "I just can't get away from these things, as if not having been involved with Project Blue Book was enough, now I am given a similar job of monitoring UFO activity here too" mutters Lawrence DeMars. Lawrence did not show any interest in his family's shipping company and therefore had joined the Air Force in 1972, to get away from the power plays of the family, especially his two brothers, Kenneth and Andrew. Thinking about his wife, Emily and his kids, Janine, Nicole and Alexander, Lawrence was happy to be doing a job that engaged his mind and kept him from seeing his brothers no more than was necessary. Having visited Sierra Vista a couple of times, he wondered how could such an idyllic mountain town could attract so much attention from UFO's on a regular basis. Unknown to General Lawrence DeMars was the secretive labs that dotted the town and the area with science experiments done by both commercial and military interests. In 1991, General DeMars was appointed Commander of Cheyenne Mountain. The townsfolk did not mind the newcomers to town until it was obvious by the late 1950s that the population had grown to nearly a thousand. Malachi Wolters kept the townsfolk happy with his financial and political power through his corporate support of the town's needs over the years. But slowly people began to notice the UFO traffic and strange behavior of the employees of Malachi's Shoreham Associates. Weird behavior begat weird incidents that were harder and harder to be explained away. Soon the regular townsfolk began to accept these strange incidents.

1901. Jared "Dusty" Kelso, an aging cowboy was wandering the Sierra Nevada mountains on his mare when he came across a lake and the valley it was situated in. Such a beautiful vista of wild scenery that took his breath away. A thought occured to him and he rode down to the lake and made a sign that declared his squatting rights to the valley and headed to Sacramento to register the property in his name. After settling up accounts with the property office he headed back to the valley and began to measure out the lines for the town of Sierra Vista. Four days later, while building his cabin, a horseman came riding up to the unfinished cabin. "I take it, mister, that this is your property?". "Yes, it is. May I ask your name, please?". "I am Matthew Pitt". "Welcome to the new town of Sierra Vista, Mr. Pitt. Have we met, sir?". "I reckon we have, it was Deadwood, South Dakota back in 1879, right?". "Yes, you're right, Mr. Pitt". After reacquainting themselves and sharing a repast, the two got to talking about the future. Both were old timers with long memories of a shared heritage of the west in their blood. Jared declared that a bright future lay ahead for Sierra Vista. Matthew talked about his newborn son, George and the bright future that would be his.

October 2006. A white haired man with opaline green eyes sat in his fishing boat, enjoying the Indian Summer day as he listened to all of nature's sounds. With the fishing pole snug in it's clamp he takes a glance at his manuscript thinking "Maybe I should work on it". On vacation and with a book signing coming up in several days in the Arizona town where he lives, Clive lays back in the boat. Half snoozing to the warmth of the sun on him, he is aroused by a buzzing noise and looks about dumbfounded until he looks up and spots a UFO hovering over Lake Vista.

Later, in the cabin where he was staying, Clive Cussler was reminiscing about his youth. Recalling to mind that he had enjoyed listening to all the great radio shows including Jack Benny, Amos'n'Andy, the Dayton Duncan show and several others. His stomach started making noises that let him know it was lunchtime and he walked over to the pantry to fix himself something to eat. Clive settled on a Tuna Salad sandwich, potato chips and washed it down with some soda pop. Afterwards he walked out onto the porch with his manuscript and sat down to do some editing.

Saturday, December 1, 2006. Back home in Scottsdale, Clive Cussler was sitting at a table in the Poisoned Pen bookstore signing his newest book, a man approximately in his early 40s follows a young woman in line and he mentions his name is Tony Salkind and hands a book into Clive's hand to be signed. Clive dutifully signs the book and smiles. Other people kept on coming, but for some reason Clive could not fathom, Mr. Salkind had stayed on his mind. Later, at home, Clive googles the name Salkind and several names pop up but not the one he is looking for. However, one name stuck out and he read about one Peter Salkind, a Geographical Information Systems analyst who had gone to the Colorado School of Mines. Soon, Clive had thought up a new adventure hero who would be based loosely on Peter Salkind.

Sunday December 2, 2006. 4-42AM Clive awakens on his couch and then after a moment of clearing his mind recalls that he had typewritten over 200 pages of the new novel. Getting up off the couch and walking in the office, Clive pores over the manuscript and feels pleased. Just a title for the novel would be nice, Clive thought. Walking into the kitchen, he makes a pot of coffee and walks back into his office and types some more until the coffeemaker is done. He pours a cup and takes it into the office with him and sits down to type some more. He continues typing until he stops for a breather and looks at the clock. It's nearly nine o'clock and hunger pains beset his stomach. He makes a breakfast of pancakes and eats them. He goes back to his desk and types until ten thirty. Clive heads to his bedroom to nap until one o'clock when his son, Dirk is supposed to show up. Laying down on the bed, Clive falls into an easy and deep sleep and dreams about his youthful days playing, listening to the radio and lazy days.