Nexus - 0402 - New Times Magazine-pages

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Dr Lee Shargel On 2 December 1996, a scientist familiar with official astro- nomical studies finally stepped forward to speak about this bizarre object. Dr Lee Shargel, a graduate of Northeastern University who holds degrees in industrial engineering and robotics and a doctorate in materials science, has worked for NASA as an engi- neer/scientist with Top Secret clearance on the TDRS, Hubble telescope and SRBOC projects. He has come forward to announce that this is no anomaly of any telescope or misguided software, much less a ball of swamp gas, a flock of geese or a trick on the eye. In fact, Dr Shargel possesses his own set of 17 photographs of this object accompanying Hale-Bopp. Shargel has gone one step further than merely announcing the object's existence: he has asserted that it is no less than a space craft, a "probe"! He has also said that the message coming from the Hale-Bopp companion is a greeting as well as a warning. The warning has to do with a neutron star explosion, the radiation from which is heading toward the Earth. Ex-Vatican Priest Art Bell received the following fax from a priest who used to work at the Vatican, and read it over the air the next morning. From: Name®@ Withheld To: artbell@aol.com Date: 11 December 1996 Dear Mr Beil, I have listened to your program off and on for around two years now, whenever I get ‘'down-time’. I have some disturb - ing information and I feel that your program would be the perfect vehicle with which to distribute what I have. I have been under the employ of the Vatican for over five years. I have done what could best be described as counter- intelligence work for the Church. I am a man of God, and please believe me when I tell you that the information I have is genuine and very serious. Without going into too much detail about my former employers, I will briefly tell you that I have had a top-level security clearance in the Vatican for quite some time. Most of the work I have done regrettably falls into the realm of ‘black ops’, and I will not go into detail about that now. Around six months ago I was working at a data terminal in a highly restricted area, following a case that I had just com - pleted, when I stumbled onto something that nearly made my heart stop. Please pay attention here; this is where it gets strange. I uncovered a heavily encrypted sub-system that was sur - prisingly well-hidden. I found that it was only accessible through the terminal I was at, and one other terminal. (I must point out that the area I was in was not an area that I routine - ly used.) After two minutes of trying to get into the system, the whole lab shut itself down and I was booted off the termi - nal. Not wanting to raise any eyebrows, I decided to leave and come back later that night. The strange thing was, when I came back there were ARMED guards standing sentry out - side of the lab. I must say that it is not unusual to see guards roaming the Vatican, but it is very unusual for them to stand sentry at a lab, much less while armed. Over the next month, I managed to slip in unnoticed only once. And after I had found what I came for, I understood the security. It took me a good deal of time to break into the system, and 56 + NEXUS when I did, I wished I hadn't. When I entered the system, I came across a file titled "WORMWOOD?" (yes, with a ques - tion mark). Thinking it to be a text file, | brought up the file with the intent of copying so | could read it later. What hap - pened next was truly remarkable. The file sort of ‘deteriorat - ed’ into a series of command lines that lasted approximately two minutes. Once it was done running, there it was. I had found a direct link-up to the Hubble space telescope. Not only that, but it was pointed directly at the Comet Hale- Bopp. The program was running some kind of analysis, tak - ing directional notes, projecting path of travel, etc. After real - ising what I had discovered, | started searching and came across an e-mail data trail that led directly to the office of the Pope himself. What was discussed, I cannot know. Over the next two weeks, I began to uncover evidence that the Vatican is very aware of the existence of the companion, and is VERY worried about it. I began to copy files and pic - tures that were present at the terminal when I found a report from the United Nations to the Vatican, as well as a report from NASA, regarding their concerns. It is very obvious to me that a great many people and enti - ties know of the companion and are doing their best to keep quiet. VERY quiet. As the next part of my story illustrates. I had found another file that I wanted to look at, but it was independently encrypted. At the time that I discovered it, I had already been online at the terminal for some time, so I decided to copy the file encrypted and decode it at my leisure. As I was leaving the lab, | was approached by two of the Pope's top aides and was asked to meet them later in the evening. I didn't feel comfortable about the situation, so I agreed and told them that I needed to shower and would join them later. I haven't been back to the Vatican since. I found out about a week later through some old friends and contacts that a contract had been placed on my life. Two days later, my mother and father were killed in a car crash in France. Three days after that, my brother and sister were killed when their single-engine plane went down on the east coast of the US. I've been on the run for a very long time now, and am still trying to decode the file that I have in my possession. Approximately ten copies have been distributed to friends in the field, in the event that I should disappear. I do not fear for my life, as 1am very adept at not being found; however, I believe that the world needs to know of the infor - mation that I have. I would be willing to share all that I have with you, Mr Bell. But you need to understand that your life could be in danger if you were to go public with what I give you. I apologise for being so vague, but I feel it necessary at this point in time. If you would like the information, say so over the air when you get this letter. If 1 am not listening, someone will get the information to me, as there is no safe way for you to contact me at this point in time. I await your response. (Priest) Art Bell commented after reading the fax: "Now, when I received this I sat and thought about it for some time. So, I con- tacted someone who has been very high in Rome—whom I am not going to mention on the air; someone who would definitely know about the validity of what I received. That person's response to me was: "This is real. Don't touch it with a ten-foot pole. Don't ever send something like this over an open fax-line again, and I don't want to talk about it anymore." oo (Source: various Internet web sites and discussion groups) FEBRUARY - MARCH 1997