Mike heard the thumping of a helicopter and left his office in the bow.
One man held out his hand. “I’m Lieutenant Jackson, Mister Cave. What would you like us to do?”
Alex shook his hand. “Just Alex, will do, Lieutenant. Thanks for the help. I’ll take two of you over to the island. The other two stay here in case we get company.”
The Lieutenant looked at his people. “Haskell and Vanzetti, stay here. Garcia, you’re with me.”
When Mike stepped out on the stern deck, he saw Alex standing in front of four marines and walked over to the group.
Once Alex introduced Haskell and Vanzetti to Mike, he drove Jackson and Garcia across to the island in the motorboat. When he reached the rim of the crater, Alex waited for them to catch up so he could watch their expressions when they saw the spaceship.
He wasn’t disappointed when both their mouths opened slightly. “Wait until you see the inside. By the way, I have to tell you that you cannot discuss anything you see on this island with anyone. Ever. By order of the Director of National Security. Do you understand?” Both men spoke together, “Yes sir,” their eyes wide with amazement.
When Alex stepped into the control room, David and Henry were leaning over a console and didn’t even notice his arrival. “The Marines are here.” He announced.
When they looked up, Henry was the first to speak. “Sorry, Alex. I did not see you. Ah, you have brought company.”
“This is Lieutenant Jackson and Corporal Garcia. They’ll be watching over you when I leave. Donner wants to debrief me in DC, so when the jets get here I’ll be leaving.”
“Contact Lewis as soon as possible. Tell him David and I need three new crystals if we are to fly this ship to Nevada.”
“Already in the works. Why don’t you show our new friends around? I’ll be back shortly.”
Alex’s thoughts keep returning to the enigma of his scars. The only connection was the sphere. He returned to the cave, but when he stepped into the cargo area, he noticed the silver jumpsuit and walked over for a closer look.
The mummified face staring up at him had all but turned to dust, barely recognizable as human. He knelt down to touch the silver suit, which didn’t show any signs of deterioration. The material felt like fine silk, but he didn’t see any zipper or flap. He wondered how this person had gotten inside and pulled up on the suit to roll it over. Curiously, the remains passed right through the material as he stood and held it up by the shoulders. He looked down at the dust on the floor. Whoever it was, they wore the same size clothing as he did.
Alex let it drop and went over to the sphere. What are you? What’s your purpose on this ship?
He remembered his arm only hurt when he had touched it. Would it hurt again? He slowly eased his palms toward the surface. He hesitated, but then he placed them against the sphere.
When nothing happened, he stepped back, grinning. His grin slipped away when the roar of a jet aircraft streaking through the sky over the crater rumbled from the cave.
When he turned and headed for the exit, he snatched the suit from the floor, rolled it up, and tucked it under his arm as he stepped out of the ship into the cave.
When he stepped outside the cave, his friends and the marines were standing outside the spaceship, staring up at the sky. He strolled across the beach to join them. “That sounds like my cue to leave.”
David noticed the silver suit. “Where did you get the new clothes?”
“I think it belonged to one of the crew. I’ll take it back and have it analyzed.” He heard the Coast Guard helicopter move into position over the Mystic. “I’d better get going. Call me if you need anything.”
After hugs and fond farewells, Alex drove the motorboat back to the Mystic. He said goodbye to Mike before he was hauled up into the Coast Guard helicopter. A moment later, he was heading to the Naval Air Station on Adak Island for a ride to DC.
*
SEWARD, ALASKA:
As they approached the airport, Okana realized Rita hadn’t said a word to either him or Bett. Whatever Alex had said to her, she seemed a little subdued. He couldn’t help wondering about Alex’s scar message. Where in the hell did it come from? Just when I thought this mission couldn’t get any stranger, Alex throws another curve ball into the situation.
Once they set down on the tarmac, Rita grabbed her bag, said a quick thanks and goodbye to Bett and Okana, and hurried across the concrete to the side of the air terminal. She took out her cellphone and entered Preston’s private number. “I’m here in Seward, Steve. Listen carefully. We don’t have much time. I can get you a device, but you need to get your water plane here as fast as possible and bring the submarine. It won’t be long until Cave calls for a salvage operation to get the device in the Bering Sea. Here is the GPS location.”
“What about you?”
“Send a private jet to pick me up here in Seward. I’ll fly to Wyoming and start getting everything ready at the COBRA facility.”
“My jet will arrive in Seward in three hours. Once we recover the device, I’ll bring it to you myself.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you at COBRA. I love you.” Rita heard a click from her phone. “Steve?” She frowned and stared at the screen and saw the call was no longer connected. Must be the reception, she thought.
* * *
Chapter 21
WASHINGTON, DC:
Martin Donner stood from behind his desk when Alex walked through the doorway. He shook hands and indicated the chair on the other side of his desk. “Have a seat, Alex. Great job, by the way.
“Thanks, Martin.” Alex explained everything in detail. “I’m worried about Rita Harrow. I caught her trying to use the sat phone from the Mystic. Once I confronted her, she was in a hurry to leave the island. She’s up to something. Could you check her background for me?”
“Sure. Anything in particular you want to know?”
“Nothing specific. It’s just a hunch.”
“All right. The destroyer is on station near the island, so everything is secure.”
“Do they know what they’re protecting?”
“No, the recovery operation is being coordinated from Adak on a need to know basis. Mister Norton is in route with the three crystals you requested. He’ll fly the spaceship to hanger five in Nevada.” He grinned and shook his head. “Hard to believe it still works after millions of years in a volcano.”
“I think you should start the recovery of the device in the Bering Sea as soon as possible.”
“The Navy has a ship in route as we speak. They should arrive late this afternoon, Pacific time.” Donner noticed the concern in Alex’s eyes. “Is there something else?”
“Something happened to me when I touched a large silver sphere on board the spaceship, and then this suddenly appeared on my arm.” He rolled up his shirtsleeve.
“Good grief! And you have no idea how it happened?”
Alex shook his head. “Not a clue.”
“You should have it examined for any trace residue under the skin.”
“I’ll stop by the clinic once we’re through here.”
“What’s in the bag?”
Alex brought out the silver suit. “One of the crew on the spaceship was wearing this. It has some interesting properties, and I’d like to send it to Nevada for testing.”
“I’ll make the arrangements. So what’s next for you?”
“I’ll stop in Washington to see my family, and then back to work. On Saturday I’m going to Okana’s ranch in Wyoming for his father’s funeral.”
“Give him my condolences.”
Alex stood. “I will. Keep me informed on the progress with the spaceship.”
Donner stood to shake Alex’s hand. “I will, and if I find out anything about Rita, I’ll call.”
“Thanks.”
*
NEVADA:
The combined excitement of everyone outside hanger five was nearly palpable. The spaceship was nearly invisible to the human ey
e.
The base employees ran into the hanger before the doors were fully closed, and once inside, waited until the quiet thud signaled the hanger was sealed.
Lights mounted to the ceiling burst into brilliant white light, illuminating the interior of the hanger and the silver hockey puck shaped alien ship on the middle of the floor.
David leapt out of his chair and grinned at Henry and Lewis. “That was an amazing ride. We didn’t have a single problem getting here. I knew you could do it, Lewis.”
*
SPARROW VALLEY, WASHINGTON:
As Alex drove over the crest of the ridge down into the valley, he could see his family ranch perched on an island surrounded by the receding floodwaters of the Tempest River. A crane was setting concrete dividers along the road, trying to minimize the erosion to the main highway through the valley. On the other side of the bridge, a thirty-foot wide section of asphalt road was gone, isolating his home from the town.
Alex turned right just past the grocery store and continued through the small town to the home of the Parker family. Jessica Parker had convinced her father to allow Derek and Kristy Cave to stay with them until the road to the Cave ranch was repaired. Otherwise, their only way to school was in a small motorboat on loan from Wesley Patterson.
When Alex drove into the Parker’s driveway, he noticed Wesley’s Humvee parked near the garage and grinned. He liked Wesley immensely, and was grateful he was helping his family in their time of need. He parked his rental car next to the Humvee, climbed out, and recognized his niece’s voice.
“Uncle Alex! You’re really here!” Kristy hollered as she ran from the rear of the house.
Alex smiled and bent over to give her a hug. “Hey, Kristy. Good to see you again.”
“Everybody is in the backyard, Uncle Alex. Mister Parker is cooking fill melons on the grill. They look like little steaks to me.”
“You’re right. Fillet mignon is just a fancy word for expensive little steaks.” Kristy grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the back of the large house.
“Me and Derek get to ride to school every day in Jessica’s mustang.”
“What about my dad? Where’s he staying?”
“The ranch, mostly. Wesley lets him use his boat until the road gets fixed. I like him, Uncle Alex. He’s really nice.”
When Alex and Kristy walked around the corner of the house, Alex saw seven people sitting in chairs on the large paved patio. He almost didn’t recognize Wesley without his long hair and beard.
Derek Cave jumped out of his chair and hurried over to give Alex a hug. “It’s great to see you again, Alex.”
“You too. Are you guys all right?”
“We’re doing okay.”
When he saw his father stand from his chair, Alex walked over to him and held out his hand. “Hi, dad.”
Robert took his son’s hand, and then hesitantly reached out to give him a hug. “I’m sorry, son.”
Alex pulled his father in close. “I’m sorry, too.”
They stepped back and smiled at each other for a second, and then Alex turned and held his hand out to Wesley. “Thanks for taking care of my family.”
“Glad I could help. Is everything over now?”
“Pretty much. Director Donner is handling things from now on, so I’m going back to work on Monday. How are things around here?”
“My mountain has settled down for the moment, and Rainier is back to normal.”
Alex stroked his chin. “What happened to the beard?”
Wesley grinned. “It was suggested I’d look younger without it.” A young woman was suddenly at Wesley’s side and held out her hand.
“I’m Jamie Parker, Mister Cave. Jessica’s sister. I’ve heard a lot of stories about you.”
“Nice to meet you. Just Alex will do.” Alex stroked his chin again. “Was it your idea?”
Jamie grinned. “Are you kidding? No one can force Wesley do anything, so no, I didn’t make him shave.” She wrapped her arm around Wesley’s. “I might have made a suggestion or two.”
It had been a long time since Alex had seen the attractive woman and slender man who walked over to greet him. “Hello, Mrs. Parker, Mister Parker. Thanks for helping my family.”
Mrs. Parker smiled warmly. “We’re family, Alex. Call me Joan. I’m glad we could help.”
Mister Parker held out his hand and grinned. “Call me John. It’s the least we could do.”
After saying hello to Jessica and her brother Danny, Alex accepted a cold beer and sat down next to his father. Ever since Kristy had forced Robert to make amends over the phone, he had been looking forward to spending some time as father and son once again. After everything he’d been through over the past week, Alex felt blissfully peaceful being home.
*
Rudolf Kinski stared through a camera lens from the trees behind the Parker house. After taking several pictures of each person sitting on the patio, he brought out his phone. “You were right, Sasha. Cave led me right to his family. What should I do?”
“Nothing for the moment. I will call Boris and tell him the good news. Just keep an eye on him until I call you with further instructions.”
“Hold on a minute. A police officer has just arrived and is shaking Cave’s hand. He is sitting down with him. I think he is a friend of Cave. What should I do?”
“Nothing. Now we know where Cave’s family lives, so we will wait for the right moment. Go back to Cave’s house in Montana and wait for further orders.”
“Understood.”
* * *
Chapter 22
TWO DAYS LATER: SIXTY MILES NORTH OF THE ISLAND:
Captain Williams stared through the binoculars from the bridge of the US Navy deep-sea research ship, Olympus. Low on the horizon, the outline of what might have been a very small ship appeared to be watching their operation. As far as Williams knew, the Olympus’s mission was top secret, so no other ships should be in this area of the Bering Sea. He, his crew, and a civilian engineer, were in the process of retrieving an experimental device using a small submarine named Pegasus. He found it an odd coincidence he was assigned this mission so soon after the expansion of the Polar Ice Sheet last week.
“Pegasus to Olympus. I’m ready down here.”
When Williams heard Ensign Peter Cook on the radio, he shook off his sense of paranoia. It’s probably just a fishing vessel, he thought. The Olympus was connected to Pegasus by a long optical cable for communication and a live video feed from Pegasus’s onboard cameras. “Proceed, Mister Cook.
Down in the sub, Cook maneuvered Pegasus around the strange device, and used its powerful robotic arms to lift the grapple from the sea floor. He carefully brought it over the top of the device and attached the grapple around the approximate center.
“You can take a strain on the cable now, Captain,” Cook informed him.
On the monitor, Williams watched the grapple slowly close around the device.
“Hold it right there, Captain.” Cook instructed. “We have a solid attachment. You can bring up the device.”
Williams and the engineer sat in silence, watching the device rising up from the sediment on the ocean floor.
Cook noticed a strange shadow off to the left side of his field of vision. “What was that?”
The others were watching the same images Cook was seeing. “What?” Williams asked.
“Something just moved across the outer edge of the video screen. Play the recording and see if you guys can see it on the left hand camera.”
The engineer typed in the command for rewind. “How far back?”
“Just before I hollered at you. About a minute should do.”
The engineer played the recording forwarded in slow motion. On the outer edge of the picture, a shadow moved across the desolate gray ocean floor. “We see it, Cook,” Williams answered. “We can’t really tell what it is.”
“Maybe it was just a large fish getting curious?” The engineer offered.
The
video image suddenly shook violently, and then the picture was panning across the ocean floor.
“Shit!” Cook groaned. “Something’s pushing against Pegasus. I’m losing control.”
The others stared at the monitors as the images leaned sideways, and then dropped back down level again. They could hear Cook’s rapid breathing from his head-mounted microphone.
“I can’t rotate the camera around far enough, but it feels like something just slammed into Pegasus.”
The camera lens suddenly rolled completely upside down and focused on the cable above the device. Cook rotated the lenses until the image was straight up and down, and they could see the device hanging above the ocean floor. When Williams ordered the men on the bridge to move Olympus away from the area, they watched the device move away from Pegasus.
A dull black miniature submarine moved across their field of vision and wrapped its pincher arms around the twenty-foot long device. They could see the device and the black sub being pulled toward the surface by the cable. Suddenly a third arm rose out of the top of the black submarine and pressed a small pointed end against the steel cable. Gray colored bubbles suddenly roiled out from the point as a laser beam sliced through the steel. The cable suddenly snapped up out of view, while the black sub began to move away with the device.
Cook was not about to let this happen. He used the controls to move his sub’s arms against the seafloor, and with one quick motion, Pegasus suddenly spun upright. Cook rotated the cameras level again, and the video screen showed the black submarine quickly disappearing into the darkness beyond the bright lights from Pegasus.
When Cook applied full power to the rear thruster, Pegasus began racing through the water in the direction where they had watched the black sub disappear. His hands tightened on the control handles as if it would help Pegasus move faster through the water, and he began to close the distance. A moment later, the bright lights illuminated a thirty-six inch propeller spinning inside a circular, flat steel cage.
When Pegasus was within ten feet, Cook realized he was not sure how to stop the submarine. Pegasus’s heavy-duty arms and powerful nimble fingers could easily bend a two-inch thick steel rod, but the problem was where to use them. He could not just jam them into the propeller to stop it. The arms were not meant to be twisted, and would rip away from Pegasus’s frame. There were no stern fins for direction control on the back of the black sub, and nothing protruded from the outside of the main body except the steering fins near the bow. He knew as long as both subs were moving he could not ram the other with significant force to stop it.
The Alex Cave Series. Books 1, 2, & 3.: Box set Page 75
