Dulce Base (The Dulce Files Book 1)

by Greg Strandberg

  ~~~

  On the other edge of the port floor, Eddie ran forward and ducked under the UFO, some kind of fighter craft, by the look of it.

  “There’s no one here!” Ronnie laughed behind him, walking fully upright, Stan at his side.

  “You want to push those Grays?” Eddie scoffed. “Who knows how many could still be hiding in here.”

  “After the blast the Dutchman’s son gave those doors?” Stan laughed. “C’mon, Eddie – get your head on straight.”

  Eddie frowned as the two astronaut-engineers reached him, but slowly stood up as well.

  “So can you get ‘er airborne?” Stan asked, thumping the UFO with his fist.

  “If I can get ‘er open,” Eddie replied with a smile.”

  “Well, grab on right there,” Ronnie said, pointing out some grooves under the craft’s cockpit area.

  The thing looked like a triangle with a small, glass-enclosed cockpit area nestled down into it’s body, although it wasn’t glass, but something else. Eddie had seen it at Los Alamos before and knew that they were working on creating something similar using the same alien technology, it was just that they weren’t quite there yet. And the craft wasn’t completely a mystery to him, either. It looked to be about the same make and mode – how else would you describe it, Eddie always explained to anyone that asked – and that meant he could fly it.

  “One…two…three!” Eddie said, and together the three men pulled up, straining against the thing until the ‘glass’ top popped-open.

  “Same one?” Ronnie asked once they’d caught their breath and rubbed their fingers, and as if reading his friend’s thoughts.

  Eddie nodded, biting his thumb as he stared at the thing and ran through the myriad combinations in his head. “Same one we’ve been testing since ’56 and the Lake Oswego Incident.”

  Ronnie and Stan both nodded. No one needed to explain what the Lake Oswego Incident was.

  “You sure this is really a good idea?” Stan asked next. “I mean, this wasn’t part–”

  “Watching Paul and Lewie die back there wasn’t part of the plan either,” Eddie shot back. Stan backed off, and Eddie saw that he’d come on too strong. “Listen, I can–”

  “I know,” Stan said, and clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Get up there,” Ronnie said next, and Eddie nodded before getting into the UFO. The men closed the UFO fighter craft’s top and then Eddie started to work the controls.

  “Back up,” Stan said, pulling Ronnie back a bit.

  The two men then stood back and stared as Eddie got the thing fired up. There was no sound, just a faint, reddish glow emanating from under it. Then, faster than a blink of an eye it seemed, the craft shot up three feet.

  “Whoa!” both men said, and then the craft spun around and shot off into the desert night.

  36 – Changing Course

  Dulce Tunnels (Level 2)

  Thursday, May 24, 1979

  The men of CAT-3 ran on, over the large cement floor that was marked off with street lines. It was the main highway into and out of the base…for humans that is. Already they’d left the port area and blasted-out HUB doors way behind. The ceilings were now twenty-five feet above them and the first ramp leading down to Level 2 was just ahead. Mark hit it first, and didn’t look back to see if any of his men had followed him, though all had. There was Andy and Billy keeping pace, though staying just at his heels. Behind them ran Aaron, Jerry and Johnny. And all six of the men were staying as close to Turn as they could. For Turn that was both a source of pride and one of frustration. It’s true that he wanted to use his super soldier status to protect the men, but he also wanted to use his cybernetic legs to shoot ahead of them, clearing the way of all dangers. It was a noble thought, and also a stupid one. That’s what he had to keep reminding himself as they ran on, his pencil-thin mustache beading with sweat more than usual.

  BEEP-BEEP

  The men stopped right at the same time Mark threw his hand up into the air in a fist, the sign for them to do so. He quickly reached down to the satellite radio in a leg pocket and got it out.

  “Mark, orders have changed.”

  The men could hear the Dutchman’s voice – Mark’s father – on the other end of the line. It was the older man’s tone, however, which really struck them all, and made them nervous.

  “Go,” Mark said.

  “CAT-2 has reported that the number of captives is in the range of 30,000–”

  “My God!” Aaron gasped.

  “–and there’s just no way we’re going to get them all out.”

  “How many can we get?” Mark asked over the radio.

  “Right now we’ve got as many as we can rushing to the underground platforms, to awaiting trains sent in from the other bases.”

  “Where does that leave us?”

  The men of CAT-3 stared at their commander in awe, and especially the calm he was displaying under pressure.

  “In a good position to get as far into that base as possible, do the most damage as possible, and in the least amount of time possible.”

  “And captives?”

  “Save as many as you can – orders are to blow the base at the hour.”

  “We read you, sir,” Mark said, then the father and son signed-off and the men were left standing on the circular vehicle ramp to Level 3, staring at one another and wondering what they’d do. Turn stepped forward.

  “Sir,” he said to Mark, “I can move the fastest, I can–”

  Mark shook his head and put up his hand. “No, Turn – we need you with us, always.” He looked to the others. “We all need to stay together, one false step or one side hallway and those Grays can have their way with you.”

  Turn nodded, for he fully understood what was at stake if the men were left alone – he’d seen it firsthand in Montana.

  “This is what we’ll do,” Mark said as he started down the ramp again, his machine gun held out in case something should jump out at them, “Level 4 is coming up, and it’s there that they do a lot of their experiments on humans…the ones they haven’t changed physically yet. Our chances of making this mission mean something lie there.”

  “And Levels 5, 6 and 7?” Aaron asked.

  Mark shook his head. “We’ll never make it down to Level 7 where the train platforms are – we were never supposed to. Levels 5 and 6 are Nightmare Hall and the Hall of Horrors. If Walter and Charlie can make even the slightest of dents in those terrible operations then we’ve also got something to crow about.”

  “And if they don’t?” Jerry asked.

  Mark gave him a hard look. “Then the actions we take in the next few minutes will mean so much more.” He looked down at his watch, frowned, then met their eyes again. “We’ve got twenty minutes, gentlemen – when that time is up this base is blown, whether we’re topside or not.”

  37 – Material Acquisition Team

  Dulce Entrance (Level 1)

  Thursday, May 24, 1979

  “Get down!”

  The special forces soldier began to look up but then training took over and he pulled his head back instead. Some kind of laser bullet or blast struck the steel and cement wall and sent fragments of it flying about.

  “Watch it!” Stu shouted back at him, though with this time a shake of the head.

  Stu watched him turn his attention back to his covering fire, and however many Grays and Reptilians were still pouring forth. The few men of the Material Acquisition Team were fanned-out about the first level of the base, strategically placing explosives, anticipating the pull-out and ensuring they’d damn-well be ready for it…and damn sure they’d not have to come back again. Stu was one securing explosives, and that time he just got a little too carried away. Vowing to not place them so close to the active fire areas, he turned around to head back toward the port. Doing so, his eyes glanced down at the bits of wall that’d just been blown away. He cocked a brow and was about to turn away when something else caught his attention – a small panel
set into the wall, something that looked like a compartment of some sort. Looking over to see Ronnie still firing away at some of the additional Reptilians that’d just arrived, Stu took the few steps to it and then bent down, prying his fingers around the edges. To his astonishment, the thing ‘popped’ right open, revealing that it was indeed a small compartment. And inside was–

  “What’s that?”

  Stu turned about, his heart-skipping a beat.

  “God – you scared me!” he said, seeing Stan standing there.

  Stan scoffed, but ignored the words and instead pointed down at the now-open compartment and the small metallic object sitting there.

  “What the hell is that thing?”

  Stu frowned. “If it’s what I think it is, then we’ll want to get it back to the port area and secure it as fast as possible.

  He put the device under his jacket and then hurried past Stan, back toward the port.

  ~~~

  “What the hell is it?” Ronnie asked, looking down at the small device. It was small, round and metallic and looked like a landmine of some sort, although much shinier and expensive. The metal looked to be steel but had a blue sheen to it. On the very top, the highest point on the small dome-shaped device, was an electronic display of some sort, red letters just like the movies.

  “Here’s where it works,” Stu said, turning it over. “Best I can tell it’s a CED, kind of like a mini-nuke and a–”

  “Whoa, doc…a nuke!”

  “Take it easy, Ronnie,” Stan said, putting his hand on the astronaut’s shoulder, “let Stu here finish.”

  “A Cell-Electrostatic-Disruption, or CED device, is a weapon that can be set to disrupt the cells of a living creature at a subatomic level, thus killing everything living in an area without doing much harm to any structures or equipment. It’s kind of like a mini-nuke and an electromagnetic pulse all rolled into one, though with a much, much lower area of impact, discharge, and area of effect,” Stu continued, giving Ronnie a sharp look on that last bit.

  “What the hell’s all that mean in English, doc?” Ronnie said with a laugh.

  “It’ll destroy every living thing in this base all the way to the deepest levels, even the ones we don’t know about,” Stu replied evenly, his eyes staring straight ahead at nothing, or perhaps at what such a cataclysmic event would look like.

  “That’s what we need,” Ronnie said with a nod. He started forward and reached down to take the device from Stu. “How do we start it and where does it need to go?”

  Stu jerked his arms, recoiling from Ronnie’s advancing hands. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Ronnie gave him a hard look, but bit his lip and nodded, then looked back to the port.

  “Saddle up,” he said, “we’re gonna be gettin’ the hell out of here real soon I have a feeling.”

  38 – Breaking Ranks

  Dulce Tunnels (Level 2)

  Thursday, May 24, 1979

  The men moved forward, Mark and Turn in the lead. Ahead was a fork, a crossroads of sorts, where two of the tunnels branched-off.

  “Hear that?” Turn said, glancing over at Mark.

  “Faintly,” Mark replied.

  The men waited a moment and when the others caught up they noticed how they began to look about, as if they too were hearing something.

  “Women,” Turn said, “they’ve got them down…both of these tunnels, by the sound of it.”

  “You’ve got good legs and good ears?” Aaron asked with a laugh. Turn just smiled and nodded.

  “We’ve got to split up then,” Mark said.

  “Whoa, but–”

  “No buts,” Mark said, giving Aaron a hard look. “We’ve no super soldiers so we’re all in the same boat here. We can, however save as many as we’re able.” The men nodded, and Mark pressed on. “Here’s how we’ll do it – Jerry and Billy and I will head down this left tunnel and the rest of you will head down the other, Aaron in the lead.”

  Mark looked to Turn, Andy and Johnny and they nodded. Then he looked to Aaron, who nodded as well.

  The men went their separate ways.

  ~~~

  “Over here,” Mark said, waving his free hand and holding up his .45 with the other. The men had just turned a corner, shortly after separating from the others. Jerry and Billy looked and nodded – ahead of them were rows and rows of tall medical cabinets, their design looking to be from the 1950s or so. Ahead was a fork in the path, where a scientist or alien or–

  A Gray stepped out and Mark knew immediately that it’d tried a mental attack, and failed miserably. His .45 boomed out at the same time Billy’s and Jerry’s machine guns did the same.

  The men held their eyes on the sights of their guns, ready for–

  Two more Grays stepped out, and again the three guns fired to life, the sound echoing wildly in the large room, the old metal cabinets amplifying it ten-fold.

  “Three,” Billy said. “How many more you think they’ll send?”

  “I don’t know,” Mark said, and he got up the few feet needed to make it to the fork. It was clear, and he glanced back at the two. His eyes immediately went wide.

  “Watch out!”

  It was too late. Both Jerry and Billy turned around just in time to see the Reptilian swiping it’s clawed hand forward. Jerry’s glasses flew off and hit the floor, and a split second later were sprayed with their former owner’s blood. Billy’s eyes went wide and he pulled up his machine gun and began firing, the sight of Jerry’s face ripped from his head nearly making him sick.

  “Aaahhh!” he screamed firing continuously into the Reptilian’s body. Mark fired at another coming up on them, and then rushed to Billy and grabbed him by the shoulder.

  “Stop!” he shouted, and Billy did so, though he looked on the verge of tears. Both men looked down to see the clawed-hand of the Reptilian still embedded in the pulpy mass where Jerry’s face had been. Billy bent over and started to retch and Mark frowned.

  “C’mon,” he said, getting one of Billy’s arms around his shoulder, “let’s get back to the port.”

  ~~~

  The four men rushed forth, Turn in the lead. They rounded a bend and Turn looked both ways. It was clear. They just had to get–

  BOOM!

  The blast left the men dazed, and Turn on the floor. There was a ringing in his ears and a strong sense of déjà vu. He just happened to be looking forward, toward the large bay doors that led out of the large open area of Level 4 and back onto the road that led further down into the base. And there was Andy, more than fifty yards away now, and nearly to the doors.

  “No, Andy!” Turn shouted, but it was no use – Andy was crazy with hysteria, fear and panic. There was no talking sense into him, but there still was a chance to save him. Turn looked over at Aaron, who gave the slightest of nods. Turn was already two dozen yards away by the time his chin stopped moving.

  “You can’t…” Johnny said, still lying on the floor, dazed from the blast.

  “We can’t leave a man behind,” Aaron said, then moved closer to his fallen comrade.

  Ahead of them Turn’s cybernetic legs were more than a match for Andy’s human variety, and he caught up with him just as they crossed through the bay doors.

  “Easy, Andy,” Turn said, grasping him by the shoulders and turning him around. Andy’s breathing was frantic and his eyes were wide – it was clear to Turn that he was in shock. “Listen, we’ve got to get–”

  BOOM!

  Turn didn’t know what it was, but it felt like some kind of blast of air that’d knocked him down. All he knew was that he was on the floor, on his side, and staring across the long, open floor of Level 4, right back at Aaron, who was slowly pulling a bloody knife from Johnny’s chest. Aaron looked up at just that moment and their eyes met, Turn’s going wide.

  He whipped his gaze away, to his right, and saw Andy lying there, his head a bloody mess from where it’d hit the wall or floor or…something. Turn scurried over to him and immediately saw
he was dead. He glanced back at Aaron, who was now wiping the blood from his knife onto Johnny’s clothing. Turn thought he’d be sick, like he would after someone had given him a swift kick in the gut. Instead he pushed himself to his feet and watched as Aaron put the large Bowie knife back in his leg-sheath and reached for the two 9mm handguns at his waist.

  Turn gripped the stock of his AR-15, two choices before him. He took the second, he ran deeper into Dulce.

  39 – Overrun

  Dulce Tunnels (Level 6)

  Thursday, May 24, 1979

  “Aaahhh!” John yelled, his finger held down on the AR-15 machine gun’s trigger until it went click. He looked down at it for a brief moment, grabbed a grenade from the front of his jacket, and hurled it at the now-regrouping Reptilians.

  BOOM!

  “Reptilian soup,” Charlie said beside him, and John looked over from beneath his helmet just in time to see him cock an eyebrow. Resisting the urge to laugh at how absurd it all was, John let the machine gun fall to hang by its strap from his neck and grabbed the 9mm at his side.

  Charlie saw none of that, for he’d turned his attention back to the hallway that led back to the tube train platform, the spot he hoped to hell Donlon and his CAT-4 team was still defending. The alternative was too grim to think on, especially when they were this close. After Walter had run on they’d fought their way back from the Hall of Horrors and that was no understatement. The Grays of the base, realizing they had a good chance of being overrun now that they’d been caught with their pants down, had largely disappeared. That didn’t mean things were any easier, it just meant that now there seemed to be a dozen Reptilians for each and every Gray they’d seen before. And whereas the Grays were relatively easy to kill – slow reaction times, frail bodies, and little defensive capabilities when the super soldiers were present – the Reptilians were fighters through and through. Thank God they can’t do mind attacks, he thought to himself for what seemed like the hundredth time as they turned another corner and he lit into another group of the things, his twin Colt .45s laying them down with holes through their skulls.