by Terence West
"Why is that, Sir?"
"Because the top brass don't really like anyone on the base walking around in their dress blues. We have Russian birds fly over this place at least once every few hours that can easily spot a man in uniform."
Jake knew he was talking about spy satellites. "Yes Sir."
The group of men started to walk off the tarmac toward the main hangar. Lansinger jumped out in front and opened the door. Griggs nodded and walked inside. Jake was the last one through the door. Taking a step into the hangar, Jake found himself in awe of the sheer size of it. It looked to him to be carved straight out of the mountain itself.
Griggs stepped back and grabbed Jake by the arm. "Come on soldier. We'll get to the tour later."
"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir." Jake snapped back into line. Following the men through the giant hangar, they stopped at a door at the far left Griggs pulled out his ID card and slid it through the control box next to the door. Jake watched carefully as he did so, trying to memorize the process. After his card was through a green light flashed on and the door slid swiftly open. The group moved passed the door into a long hallway. Moving past several doors they stopped in front of an elevator.
Griggs spun around. "Harris stay put, Silver and I need to check in with General Davis." Pressing the button next to the elevator the door slid open. Jake and Griggs stepped inside just as the doors slid shut behind them. Griggs reached over and hit the bottom most button on the panel. Turning to Jake he whispered. "I am a patriot."
Jake nodded. "Davis told me you would be, but not why."
"Let me simply say this. I am a sworn protector of the United States of America. What they're doing here at Area 51 makes me sick. They say they do it under the rubric of National Security, defending our citizens from an alien invasion, but we're abducting those very same citizens out of their homes and conducting ghoulish experiments on them."
"I understand."
"I am a patriot Mr. Silver. In every sense of the word."
"Then it's a pleasure to be working with you Major Griggs."
The elevator came to a halt. The door slid open revealing a room bustling with activity. Griggs snapped back into military mode. "Lt. Silver, welcome to the brain center of Area 51." The two stepped inside the room. "We are now deep within the mountain. This operation center could survive a direct nuclear assault and continue to function." They waded their way through the sea of people, heading toward the center console. Griggs stopped short when he saw Perry sitting in the chair. Stepping forward he saluted. Jake followed suit. "General Perry, what an unexpected surprise."
Perry returned the salute. "What can I do for you gentleman?"
Griggs stood at attention. "We were looking for General Davis, Sir. I wanted to introduce our latest recruit."
"I'm sorry you haven't been informed Major. General Davis has been relieved of duty. He has been transferred to another base."
Jake and Griggs were shocked to hear what Perry was saying. "Sir?"
Perry slowly stood up from his chair and adjusted his uniform. "All you need to know soldier, is that I'm in command now."
"Yes, Sir."
Perry waited for a moment. "Well? Aren't you going to introduce me to our new recruit?"
"Yes, Sir. This is Lt. Jacob Silver. He's just in from the Gulf." Jake saluted.
"Welcome to the base Lieutenant. Did you see action in the Gulf War?" Perry extended his hand to Jake.
"Some, Sir." He grabbed Perry's hand giving it a firm shake.
Griggs stepped in. "He was a fighter pilot stationed aboard the aircraft carrier Enterpriseduring the first engagement."
"Very good. You'll be a welcome addition to the Base."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."
Perry returned to his chair. "You have your orders Lieutenant?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Then that's all. Dismissed."
Jake and Griggs saluted then made their way out. The elevator doors slid open as Griggs punched the button. Stepping on the elevator, they watched silently as the doors closed. Griggs quickly turned to Jake. "This is a serious set back in our plans."
Jake nodded. "They must've found out that Davis talked to me."
"Then there's probably a good bet that he knows about you too."
"I'll take that bet." Jake snapped his fingers. "We need to talk to Davis. Do you think he's still on base?"
"I'm not sure. Let's find out."
* * * *
Davis was sitting in his office with a stack of boxes next to his desk. He was holding a picture frame. He carefully ran his fingers around the woman's image, caressing her face and running his hands down her long brown hair. Long forgotten remnants of loss slowly welled up in him as he stared at the photo. A loud knock at his door quickly brought him back to the present. Placing the picture face down on his desk, he cleared his throat. "Come."
Colonel Hunter stepped in. "General?"
"Yes, Colonel?" What can I do for you?"
Hunter seated himself across from Davis. "Sir, I've just come to say it's been a pleasure serving under you."
Davis stood up and leaned toward Hunter. "You son-of-a-bitch. Why did you do it?"
"Sir?"
"Don't 'Sir' me, Colonel. I know you gave General Perry the information to send out the squad after Jonathan Anderson. You also alerted him to the fact that I went off base last night." Davis walked around his desk to stand right in front of Hunter. "You greedy little bastard."
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about General." Hunter was smug.
"I may not be your CO anymore, but I am still your superior officer, and I will see you brought down for this."
"For what, Sir?"
Davis stayed calm. "Mutiny." He spat the words at Hunter. "Now get out of my office."
Hunter stood up and began to walk toward the door. "Don't you mean my office Sir?" He smiled as he walked out the door.
Davis sat back down at his desk. Leaning forward, he lifted the picture off his desk. Anger welled up in him. Rearing back he threw the picture at the wall as hard as he could. The frame shattered on impact falling to the floor in pieces.
* * * *
The two men stepped inside the soldiers' quarters. The room was a dull shade of tan with bunk beds placed along one wall and lockers along the other. Jake and Griggs walked to a nearby locker and cracked it open. Black fatigues hung inside. Griggs pulled out the black jump suit and handed it to Jake. "Put it on."
Jake began to unbutton his coat and pull it off. "We need to speak with Davis. He's the key."
"I know." He pulled a pair of boots out of the locker. "If he is on his way out our timetable must've been moved up."
Jake nodded as he pulled off his pants and boots. Quickly pulling on the jumpsuit he grabbed the boots and slipped them on. "What do we need to do first?"
"I think it's best if we speak with Davis," he thought for a moment. "Then we need to carry out the rest of our mission."
Jake slipped on his vest and belt. Griggs reached over and began straightening his pins and insignias. Jake reached up to the top of the locker and pulled out a pistol and holstered it. "Agreed. We have to see Davis first."
* * * *
"Sir," Hunter spun around in his chair to look at General Perry. "Alpha team has reported that the second crash site has been scouted."
Perry leaned forward in his chair. "What were their findings, Colonel?"
"They report that the object must be some sort of Extraterrestrial craft. It is remarkably different from those we have in the hangar."
"Any signs of life?"
"Minimal, Sir."
Perry leaned back in his chair and thought about his options. "We need a team inside the craft. Suggestions on personnel, Colonel?"
"Sir, Major Griggs' team is one of the best Recon teams we have."
"Very well. Assign Major Griggs to the job. I want this done immediately, Colonel. I want them in that craft by dawn."
"Yes, Sir." Hunter turn
ed back to his console.
* * * *
Jake followed Griggs closely down the long hallway toward Davis' office. The boots Jake had been assigned were a size too big, making it harder for him to keep up with Griggs brisk pace. He glanced around as he clunked along. Jake was astounded at the halls and rooms that seemed to be carved out of solid rock. Rounding a final corner Jake saw a door with Davis' name on it. Stopping in front of it Griggs rapped loudly on the door. From inside they heard Davis' voice telling them to come.
Griggs opened the door and stepped inside followed by Jake. "Sir, Lt. Silver has arrived at the base."
Davis was stooped in the corner picking up shards of glass. He quickly stood up and shook Jake's hand. "Good to see that you made it Jake."
"Thanks General." Jake cut to the point. "Is what we heard from General Perry correct? You've been relieved of duty?"
Davis leaned back against his desk. "Yes it is. I'm on my way out. It seems they are shipping me off to Alaska immediately."
Griggs stepped forward. "How can they do this, Sir?"
"They're on to me. That means you two may be next."
Jake was still straightening his uniform. "How did they find out?"
"You're forgetting where we are Jake. Here the walls have ears." He stood up and walked around his desk seating himself in his chair. "Gentlemen, Colonel Hunter is a traitor. He has aligned himself with General Perry. I was counting on him being on our side. Then we would have control of all the major systems of the base, but now you two will have to be extra careful."
"But we are still planning to go through with the mission?" Griggs had seated himself across from Davis.
"We are, Major." Davis folded his hands on his desk. "Your first priority is still to locate and free Dr. Alex Robinson. She is the key to unlocking most of this bases secrets."
"Why is that, Sir?"
"Alex is a renowned UFOlogist that has studied the phenomenon world wide. She was detained recently on a dig in Egypt where she discovered an ancient extraterrestrial artifact."
"I'm not sure I understand, General." Jake had also sat down across from Davis.
"You will when you get her." Davis reached inside his pocket and pulled out his ID card. "Here take this. It will give you access to everything on the base except the secondary hangar."
Griggs took the card. "Why not the secondary hangar, Sir?"
"It requires the ID card and a hand print. I didn't have enough time to set it up for either of you."
"Understood."
Davis took a long breath before continuing. "I'll be leaving the base soon, so you two will be on your own." He stood up and saluted. "Good luck and God speed, Gentlemen."
Chapter 13
The five men of Major Griggs' team sat quietly in the belly of the helicopter. The word had come down from Colonel Hunter about an hour before sunset that they had been assigned to the detail. Jake and Griggs knew that Hunter was aware of their mission and was doing everything in his power to stop them. The Major was keeping an outwardly strong appearance for the benefit of his men.
The men were bathed in a dark red light. The constant thrum of the rotors drowned out most of the sounds making it extremely difficult for the men to speak. Jake and Griggs sat opposite of Lansinger, Altone, and Black in the rear of the helicopter. Lieutenant Harris had opted to sit next to the pilot in the cockpit.
The red light began to flash telling the men that they were near the target area. Hunter reached around and tapped Griggs on the shoulder. Twisting around Griggs watched as Hunter slammed his fist into open palm. Griggs nodded and turned back to his team. Twirling his finger in the air, his team moved into action. Altone reached up and flipped a switch killing the red flashing light. Lansinger removed several harnesses from a bag he had next to his seat and began handing them out. Black began to uncoil several repelling cords she had in front of her and locking them on to a long steel bar that crossed above the door on the left side of the chopper.
Griggs grabbed Jake and pulled him close. "Do everything I do! Never hesitate!" Griggs was practically screaming in his ear. Nodding emphatically, Jake glued his eyes to Griggs.
Altone was the first one in his harness. Reaching over he started to help Black pull hers on. Jake watched intently. Quickly he began to pull on his harness in a similar fashion. Lansinger snapped the last buckle into place and moved toward the helicopters door. Threading the rope through the harness, he pulled a pair of leather gloves out of his back pocket and slipped them on. Altone was next, followed by Black and Griggs. Jake was the last one on the line. He carefully threaded the rope through the harness and pulled on his leather gloves.
The team members slowly leaned out of the helicopter. Thrusting their free hands forward, they laid them on top of each other.
"Recon!" They all shouted with one voice. All at once they pushed away from the helicopter and quickly lowered themselves to the crash site.
Jake's hand slipped off the guide rope. He swiftly began to free-fall toward the ground. Trying to stop himself he inadvertently began to twist himself around until he was facing the desert floor. The ground was shooting up at him.
Thinking quickly, Altone shot a hand out and grabbed Jake's guide rope slowing his fall. Griggs quickly dropped down to where Jake was hanging and righted him in the harness. Grabbing his guide rope, Jake slowly lowered himself to the ground.
Griggs and Altone hit the ground immediately after him. Altone stepped up to Jake. "What the hell were you doing?"
Griggs stepped in front of Altone. "At ease, Private. It was an accident."
Jake took a step back from the two and wiped the sweat off his face. He addressed Griggs. "Sorry Sir. Won't happen again."
Griggs nodded. Turning to his men. "Pull off those harnesses and form up. We have a job to do. Move it!"
Jake pulled Griggs aside. "Sir, why are Lt. Harris and the helicopter leaving?"
"We're on our own Lieutenant."
"What if we need to evac in a hurry, Sir?" Jake was trying to sound as professional as he could in front of the men.
"Then we'll have to call in support."
Griggs stepped away from Jake. The team was standing on a small rise above the crash site. Scanning over it, Griggs found himself in awe. The craft was partially buried in rubble and debris from the crash. The scar from the crash stretched for miles along the desert floor
Jake stepped up behind Griggs. Instantly his mouth dropped open at the sight of the craft. The silver metal skin glistened in the moonlight. In the darkness, Jake found it hard to estimate the exact size, but he could tell it was immense. It was the shape of a saucer with what looked like a dome in the center.
Griggs spun around and held up two fingers. "I want two teams. Altone and Lansinger, you're Team One. Black, you come with me and Silver. Team One," he pointed at them, "I want you to stand guard outside. Team two is heading inside. I want full safeties on. The possibility exists that we could encounter a live E.B.E. and my orders are to take them alive." The teams nodded. Griggs looked over his team for a moment. "All right, let's do this!"
The two teams split up and hurried toward their individual tasks. Lansinger and Altone took up flanking positions next to the craft. Team Two began to search for an entrance. Jake stood in front of the craft staring up at it. The sheer size intimidated him. "Jesus, this thing is huge."
Black agreed as she walked along the side of the ship. "Sir?"
Griggs peeked his head around the corner. "What is it Private?"
"There are no seams. It looks like it's one fluid piece of metal." She was running her hand along the side of the ship.
"Noted Private."
Jake walked past Black toward the front of the ship that was partially buried. "Private, come take a look at this."
Black jogged up to the front of the ship. "Sir?"
Jake pointed to what looked like a rupture in the skin of the ship. "Seems like when this thing hit, it buckled. We'll have to dig it out, but I thin
k we can get in this way."
Black leaned in closer to the opening. "I think you're right, Sir. I'll start digging." She dropped to her knees and started clawing at the dirt. Puling his knife from his belt, Jake dropped down next to her and began to help.
* * * *
Colonel Hunter sat at his desk in his office. It was a small room, only large enough to fit his desk, a chair, and one potted fern in the corner. His walls were plastered with awards and decorations he had received through his distinguished military career. Sitting in front of him on his gray steel metal desk was a small black laptop computer. Reaching down he flipped the latch on the front and lifted the top. Pressing several keys the laptop whirred to life. His fingers flew over the keys with accuracy. A window opened up in the center of the screen. Lifting a headset off the desk, he slipped it over his head and hit a final key.
The screen fluttered to life with an image of the crash site. "Hunter here. Go ahead."
A voice crackled to life over his ear speaker. "I'm at the site, Sir. Are you receiving my video feed?"
"I've got you clearly. Report."
"Sir, Major Griggs has split us up into two teams. Team one has been posted on guard, and Team Two is going inside."
Hunter tapped several keys to widen the angle of the camera. "What is the condition of the craft?"
The voice paused for a second. "From my vantage point it seems to be in very good condition. The outer hull looks to be in one piece except for a small area at the front where it appears to have buckled upon impact"
Hunter smiled. "Any signs of life?"
"Not as yet, Sir. Team Two is about to enter and then we'll know for sure."
"Very good." Hunter adjusted his mic. "You are still aware of the plan?"
"Yes, Sir. I am to eliminate Major Griggs and the impostor Silver."
"I never want to see the bodies again. Do you have a plan?"
"Yes, Sir. There is a lot of soft soil around here, it will be very easy to bury the bodies."
"And if the others interfere?"
