The Foreigner Ch. 04

Alamo was one of the small cities I passed through on my trip from Las Vegas to the inn. I doubted that it had more than a thousand residents. With few exceptions, the state seemed to be all desert and mountains. Including Kat's, I counted only eight other homes in her part of town, no two alike. From what I had seen so far, Nevada appeared to be a state for individualists and I wondered how many of them lived off the grid.

Time passed painfully slow but I finally heard Kat knock on the front door. When she entered she took my hand and, without saying a word, led me into her living room and sat me in one of her leather chairs. She then pulled another one closer, and sat facing me.

"Frank, I've lived here nine years and you're the first person from our planet I've met. I've talked to some but never met any. That's why I was so shocked when I saw your phone."

"Not as shocked as I was, when you sent that picture."

"You have no idea how hard it is to live here and have no one to really talk to."

"Oh, I do understand. Just because I lived in a big city doesn't mean I didn't have the same problem. Have you ever thought about moving?"

"I can't move. Each of us was sent to Earth for a different reason, with different skills. My job involves reconnaissance and my location was chosen for me. It's no accident that I work near Area 51. It's actually very funny. Nevada has been jokingly called the UFO Capital of the World. The inhabitants of this planet don't know how true that actually is. Our people are scattered all over but most of us are here in Nevada. You couldn't be in a better place to solve whatever your problem is."

"I wasn't given an assignment in a specific location like you. I was only told to work at a major TV network or a newspaper in a big city and if I'm ever contacted by our superiors, additional instructions would be given at that time. My specialty is hacking into computer systems. Under different circumstances it would be easy to change my identity by altering official documents. Unfortunately, some are difficult now because I don't have a permanent address or a job. Before I forget, let me show you the things I bought at the inn. I'll be right back. They're in the trunk of my car."

I soon returned, handed Kat the two objects and explained what they were. "These objects could have provided this world with knowledge they're not ready for. I knew I couldn't leave them where they were but they're much too dangerous for me to carry around. My plan is to bury both of them deep in the desert."

"That's a good plan but they might be found again. I have another idea. When we agreed to be sent to Earth, we made a commitment for ten years. In less than a year I'll return to our planet. It might be safer if you left them here and I brought them home with me."

"If you'd be willing to do that, the objects are yours. Two less headaches to deal with."

"Would you like a cup of coffee while you talk about your problem? I'd offer you something stronger but I don't have any alcohol in the house."

"Yes, please."

"Big or small cup?"

"Big."

"Cream and sugar?"

"Right now I'll take it black."

Soon I was staring at the coffee cup in my hands unable to look at Kat. I was afraid of what her reaction might be when she heard what I had done. She just sat patiently, waiting for me to speak.

"You've been very kind to someone you barely know and if you ask me to leave after hearing my story, I'll understand. I could tell you that it was all just a big mistake, that the police were looking for the wrong person, but that would be a lie. If my nightmare is going to end, you have to know the truth. I was living in Los Angeles. Every night I could hear the guy in the apartment next door beat his wife and each time I saw her, she had new bruises. I hated that son of a bitch. In my mind he was a worthless piece of trash who was better off dead. I kept hoping someone would do something to stop him. I couldn't be the only one who knew what was happening. But no one did. On the day I confronted him I thought of killing him myself but changed my mind. I was going to hurt him so bad that he'd never hit his wife again. I even told him so before we began our fight but everything changed after he pulled out a knife and stabbed me. I lost control and didn't stop hitting him even after he stopped fighting back."

I closed my eyes and held my hand up to indicate not to say anything yet as I was not finished telling my story.

"I'll never know for sure if I used the knife as an excuse to kill him. I couldn't tell the police what happened. You know our situation. We have to be invisible. Besides, they'd see my blue blood where he stabbed me. So far the police haven't figured out who killed him but I feel I'm under pressure to find a way to disappear before they do. It would be very bad for everyone if they discovered who I really am while I was in custody."

I finally looked up at Kat's face trying to gauge her reaction. For what seemed like an eternity but was probably only fifteen or twenty seconds, she didn't say anything. Then she put her hands around mine on the cup.

"Putting aside any personal feelings about what you've done, your actions have put many lives in danger. Tomorrow we have to find a way to fix this. It's my day off and since it's Tuesday there shouldn't be any difficulty if we have to go somewhere. There's only one more thing to talk about tonight. This house isn't really mine. It's used by whoever our planet sends here. When I go home, my replacement will live here. I turned the second bedroom into an office and the third into a guest room although I never expected to use it. Consider it yours for as long as you need it."

"All I can say is thank you. It doesn't begin to express how I feel, but thank you. I'll need to get some things from my car. I didn't think that I was going to spend the night here."

I returned with a suitcase and a briefcase and put both in the guest room. Then I came back to the kitchen and finished my coffee while exchanging experiences on Earth with Kat. We told stories until about 1:00 am.

"I just realized we've been talking for hours and I don't even know your last name. Mine is Williams, or at least it will be if things work out. For the last six years I've used the name Bob Sanders."

"My last name is Thompson."

"Listen, It's getting late. I'm going to unpack my things and try to get some sleep. What time would you like to get started tomorrow?"

"Is 9:00 am too early?"

"No. I'll be ready."

I had trouble sleeping that night. At about 6:30 am I finally gave up trying to go back to sleep and went to the kitchen to reheat some of the coffee left from the previous night. I tried not to wake Kat but apparently the smell of the coffee was too strong for her to ignore. It wasn't long before I heard footsteps.

"Why are you up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Want some company?"

"Have a seat. I'll bring you a cup."

"Last night you said that since you arrived on this planet, I'm the only person that you've ever contacted. Is that right?"

"Yes."

"Not even through the special app on your phone?"

"I'm embarrassed to say I forgot how to use it and there was no one I could ask."

"Get your phone."

I brought my phone to the kitchen table and opened it. Kat moved her chair close to mine and went into the settings menu. She then scrolled down and touched the words "bulletin board." Another screen opened up with the words "Authorization Required." The message had sixteen boxes underneath it where characters could be entered."

I said, "That's as far as I've ever gotten. I don't remember what to type."

"The authorization screen was created to prevent others from learning about us if the phone was lost. For maximum security, in case one of us is captured, the next set of directions is different for each of us. In the settings menu, now go to "passwords." Unless the person is as good at hacking as you, only the owner of each phone can see the passwords by using his or her thumbprint."

Before continuing, Kat turned her back to me. She didn't want to know the directions I would be told.

"Now open up your passwords. When you touch the words "bulletin board" your authorization procedure should appear. Read it silently."

"I've finished reading the directions and I understand them. What do I do now?"

"Go back to the main screen. Then tell me it's okay to turn around."

I followed Kat's directions and we were soon facing each other again.

"There's only one more piece of information you'll need. It's the name you were born with. The bulletin board is active twenty-four hours a day since people all over the world use it so we can start whenever you're ready."

I took a few deep breaths before replying, "Let's do this."

"Set the volume of your phone to the max so we can both hear it. That way I'll be able to provide help if you need any. After today that won't be necessary."

Kat put a pen and some paper in front of each of us, turned her back to me once more and told me to follow the authorization directions I had read.

Suddenly a voice spoke. "State your name."

Kat turned and motioned for me to answer.

"I was born H'allel Ra."

"Please repeat that."

"I was born H'allel Ra."

There were a few seconds of silence before the voice continued.

"We thought you were dead or confined to a cell in Area 51 since we've had no contact from you since you landed."

"That was my error."

"How can we help you?"

"I want to change my name on Earth from Bob Sanders to Frank Williams. My skills will enable me to create most of the false documents but I need help with others."

"Why do you need to change your identity? Are you or the rest of our citizens in danger of exposure?"

I explained the incident and my concerns.

"Where are you now and what documents do you need assistance with?"

"I'm in Alamo, Nevada. I'll need a driver's license, a checking account, at least one credit card and some way to receive mail since I'm in the process of relocating."

"I can help with the mail," Kat whispered.

"I heard another voice. Who is with you?"

"Kat answered, "I am Zenna Kev and I am helping H'allel."

"I was worried when I heard your voice. How did he find you?"

"It was I who found him. I recognized his phone."

"H'allel, we can help but it will require you to go to Ely, Nevada. Can you travel today and will Zenna be with you?"

Kat was nodding her head silently.

"Yes to both questions."

"Then write down the following instructions. Go online to see what documents are needed to obtain a Nevada Driver's License. Create the false documents required. Use Zenna's address where necessary. Bring them to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Ely and ask for Elizabeth Rodgers. What names will you be using?"

"Frank Williams and Katherine Thompson."

"Elizabeth will be informed to expect you. Now as for your other request, while in Ely go to the Nevada Bank and Trust. Ask for the manager, John Baker. He too will be told to expect you. He can set up a checking account and issue a bank credit card in your name. Once the checking account is set up, any banking can be done online or at a much closer branch in Caliente, although we have no people at that location. I heard Zenna say that she will help with your mail problem. After your checking account is set up, in addition to what you deposit, $25,000 will be added. John Baker will handle the transaction and that money will not have to be repaid. Understand though, because of your valuable skill set, in the future you may be called upon to help someone else. Do you have any other concerns at this time?"

"No, but when I have everything I requested, I need to get rid of the car I have now. It will be the only thing left that the authorities can use to track me. Once the car is disposed of, my new identity will be secure. There will be no further threats to myself or our other citizens."

"When you are ready to address that issue, contact us again. We can also assist with that. Since you have no other concerns at this time, I will end this call. Good luck, H'allel Ra."

Overjoyed, I couldn't help myself, I turned to Kat, wrapped my arms around her and kissed her deeply. "For the first time in over six months I feel as though everything will be okay. I couldn't have done this without you."

Suddenly, very conscious of what I had just done, I released Kat, leaned back into my chair and stuttered, "How, how far is it to Ely?"

"I've never driven there but I think it's about a two hour drive. The bank will close before the DMV so that should be our first stop."

"I don't think it'll take more than an hour to create whatever documents are needed. I'll go to their websites to make sure but I'm pretty confident I have most of them already. If you open the computer in your office I can get started. I can't believe this is really happening."

"Would you like me to fix you something to eat while you're working?"

"That would be great. Scrambled eggs if you have them. If not just some buttered toast." I smiled and then said, "and another cup of coffee, with cream and two sugars this time."

I printed out the Nevada requirements for getting a Real ID driver license. I was right. I already had most of the documents. Between the killing and when I left LA, I had six months to prepare for this moment. I obtained a birth certificate by hacking into a Los Angeles hospital's record room, creating one and then paying for an official copy. I didn't need an actual Social Security card. Once I hacked into the government files and created a number for Frank Williams, all I had to do was to create a fake letter of benefits which looked like it came from the Social Security Administration. Anyone who checked the number on it wouldn't find anything suspicious.

If there's one thing that I miss from my time in LA, it's all the computer equipment that I had to destroy and dispose of before I left because it wouldn't fit in my car along with my other stuff. The best I could do was to take the external hard drive that I used. It contained all of my very advanced software along with the files I created. None of my files were ever saved to the cloud.

To obtain my driver's license, I needed two proofs of residency. I used one of Kat's electric bills and one of her water bills. It was easy to scan both sides of each, change her name to mine and print them out. Adding folds to make them look like they were mailed to me was a nice touch. All the documents were then placed in my briefcase along with the money I planned to deposit.

We left for Ely at about 9:30 am. If I was alone, it would have been a very boring drive.

"Frank, what are your plans when you get your problems resolved?"

"I thought of going to Chicago."

"Any particular reason?"

"Not really. Chicago came to mind because it's a big city far from LA."

By the look on her face, Kat seemed to have something on her mind.

"Is something wrong?"

"I can't help it. I keep thinking about that kiss. Tell me, was it just a kiss or did it mean something?"

"It was sudden and spontaneous and truthfully it scared the hell out of me. Only one other time in six years did I think about a woman the way I thought of you during that kiss."

"The girl on the bus."

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"The short answer is I realized you were right. I put her on a plane back to Ohio."

"Would you have put me on that plane?"

"What?"

"I said, would you have put me on that plane?"

"I don't know."

I thought I saw a little smile on Kat's face.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You didn't say yes."

Halfway through the drive I said, "Mind if I put on some music?"

"I wouldn't mind at all but the reception here isn't great."

"Well, this car may be a little old but it does have satellite radio. What type of music would you like to listen to?"

"Anything but heavy metal and rap."

I found a station that played Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn and their contemporaries. I'm still trying to adjust to the music on this planet. It's so different from the music on my own.

With very little traffic we arrived at the Nevada Bank and Trust at 11:15 am. We walked up to one of the tellers and mentioned that John Baker was expecting us. The teller disappeared into a back office and returned with a gentleman wearing a suit.

"Hello, I'm John Baker and you must be Frank and Katherine. Welcome to the Nevada Bank and Trust. If you'll follow me, we can take care of your business needs."

Once everyone was inside his office, he locked the door and his fake smile turned into a very concerned expression. Nervously I reached out and grabbed Kat's hand.

"Since this is our first meeting, I hope you won't be offended if I ask to see your phones."

Kat and I took out our phones. Mr. Baker then did the same. All were identical.

"Now that we've properly introduced ourselves, I'm going to assume you need some special help from me. I was told to expect you but not given any details."

"I need a checking account and one of your credit cards. I can provide whatever documentation you need."

"I don't understand. If you have all that, why do you need my help? You could have gone into any bank and spoken to anyone."

"The documents that I am going to show you are not what they appear to be. The copies you make for your records will pass inspection if need be, but it would be best if nobody ever questioned my application."

"Okay, let's get started with the paperwork. What will you be depositing today?"

I reached into my briefcase and placed three banded packs of fifty-dollar bills on his desk, $15,000 in total and completed the application for a checking account.

"I'll give you some temporary checks to use until your official checks arrive. There's a separate application for the credit card. Fill it out and we can take care of that too."

I started to fill out the application and realized there was a problem.

"Mr. Baker, I can't complete this application. It asks for place of employment and annual salary. Right now I'm unemployed and have no income."

"Now I know why you were sent to me. Mr. Williams, you are employed. You work for the Desert Landing Apparel Company here in Nevada and you earn $42,000 per year."

"I don't understand."

"It's a company created by us to handle cases like yours. It doesn't really exist but, like your documents, it will pass inspection."

With that information filled in, the application was complete and both the checks and credit card would be mailed to me at Kat's address.

As we were leaving, Mr. Baker handed each of us one of his business cards.

"It was a pleasure meeting the two of you. The number on the back of the card is my private number if either of you ever need to reach me."

"Mr. Baker, I thought of one last question. What is the limit on the credit card?"

"The limit is $10,000 but if you need it to be higher, just call me."

When we exited the bank I said, "One down and one to go. Let's hope that dealing with the DMV is as easy."

It was now 12:30 pm and the person we needed to talk to might be having lunch so I suggested that we do the same. "What type of food are you in the mood for. Looking around, I see the choices are American, Southwestern and Mexican, Asian or Italian."

"Let's go with Mexican food."

It wouldn't have been my choice since I hoped to provide a new eating experience for Kat, but the food was good. I could tell she enjoyed the meal. For me, it was the person I was with that made the meal special.

An hour later we left the restaurant. There was a screening area just inside the entrance to the DMV. The agent there checked to make sure everyone had the documents required to get what they were there for. Before screening areas like that were set up, people complained bitterly about waiting an hour to see someone just to be told to come back another time because they were missing something. We announced that Elizabeth Rodgers was expecting us and after using his phone to confirm our appointment, the agent directed us to her office. We entered and knew what to expect. We displayed our phones.