* * * * *

"Naturally, Jay, I was initially thunderstruck by what Celia had said. So, I asked her to elaborate. And, she obligingly did."

" 'When this invasion began, the aliens were using an old low-budget sci-fi movie as their blueprint! A movie one of their telecommunication space stations had intercepted!!' "

" 'Phase 1 had them capturing all manner of baton twirlers, in the same manner I'd been captured. Shrunken, then implanted...with a microscopic cyborg possessed of a psychotronic brain (or semi-organic computer) allowing direct telepathic contact between the aliens and their captives.' "

" 'Hence, the term for the entire process; psychotronic indoctrination.' "

" 'Then, came Phase 2. Recruitment of the manpower the baton twirlers would be overseeing on the aliens' behalf. And, this manpower they recruited from--of all places--high school football games! More specifically; they shrank and brainwashed both the junior ROTC students on the football teams and the cops who provided crowd security in the bleachers. The latter, because of access to vast resources like nation-wide databases and potentially vital co-workers. And the former, because of the military contacts held by their instructors.' "

" 'In both cases, these shrunken men would be duct-taped to their future overseers' batons, then twirled round and round. Until they were so dizzy from centrifugal force that they were completely vulnerable to hypnosis, using black-and-white spiral pinwheels. Which, in turn, cut down on all resistance (physical and mental) to implantation of the nano-parasites.' "

" 'During the last ten years, however, the process has become more subtle. With regard to baton twirlers? The subliminal audio-hypnosis employed by Twirlercise has led to an increase in the number of young girls taking it up, in both high school and college, as opposed to, say, cheerleading. While police officers--like those in Knudop--wash down donuts (like the ones at Joe's Diner) with coffee containing nano-parasites!' "

" 'C-C-Coffee?' I stutteringly echoed.

"She merely nodded, before resuming."

" 'Which leads to Phase 3. A month-long program of sleep deprivation enacted against the nano-parasite's host, through forced joining with the rest of the hive mind. The aliens call it 'compliance training.' And, at the end of the month, the intended effects of the training are...pretty much permanent.' "

" 'By this means, the aliens have built themselves a network of hive-minded pawns. A network that's been expanding itself, periodically and exponentially, for almost thirty-five years.' "

"I instinctively shook my head, Jay. Totally unwilling to accept what she had just told me. Despite the fact that my own shrinkage could be seen as indisputable partial proof! And that's why I grasped at the sturdiest straw I could find."

" 'If what you say is true, how come you seem to have so much free will?' "

"She shrugged: 'I'm not entirely sure. Maybe all that marijuana smoking I did in the Sixties slightly altered my brain chemistry. Maybe the TM I practice as an off-shoot of my original martial arts training has given me stronger-than-average willpower.* And, maybe, it's a little bit of both. All I do know for certain is that I was chosen to join the hive mind because of my computer skills. You see, I've posted a lot of free-to-the-public computer security tips on the Internet!' "

" 'Yet, at the same time, I've spent the last two months playing 'possum, as best as I could, in order to gather the facts I've just explained to you. And, to these two, even earlier.' "

"She indicated, with her head, the duo of Gina and Randy. The latter had just returned to the farmhouse from hiding the pickup. Whereupon, he pointed out that we should all get going right away. I wanted to protest, because I had one or two point-clarifying questions I wanted to ask Celia. But, it was not to be."

"Because, I was promptly drowned out by the sound of a an approaching helicopter."

tbc