wait.

The first alarm had come from Fort Knox, when Army M.P.'s had relayed
a state police warning. A huge gleaming object had been seen in the
sky, moving toward Godman Field. Hundreds of startled people had seen
it at Madisonville, ninety miles away.

Thirty minutes later, it had zoomed up over the base.

Colonel Hix glanced around at the rest of the men in the tower. They
all had a dazed look. Every man there had seen the thing, as it
barreled south of the field. Even through the thin clouds, its
intermittent red glow had hinted at some mysterious source of power.
Something outside their understanding.

It was Woods, the exec, who had estimated its size. Hix shook his
head. That was unbelievable. But something had hung over Godman Field
for almost an hour. The C.O. turned quickly as the loud-speaker, tuned
to the P-51's, suddenly came to life.

"Captain Mantell to Godman . . . Tower Mantell to Godman Tower . . ."

{p. 16}

The flight leader's voice had a strained tone.

"I've sighted the thing!" he said. "It looks metallic--and it's
tremendous in size!"

The C.O. and Woods stared at each other. No one spoke.