Wings of Steele - Destination Unknown (Book 1)
Page 52
“Eighty degrees, a couple clouds and a nice breeze. Mom and dad went out for a walk on the beach...” She sipped a soda. “ I was watching the InterGal News on this thing the other night, they were talking about some of the latest Pirate strikes... are you guys doing Ok?”
Jack nodded, yeah, we're hunting in Piralenin right now, kind of a detour, but it's been quiet so far. UFW has transferred us some new pilots and birds, we just have to go get them. Probably be about four weeks before we get there.” He took a sip of water from the bottle he pulled from the fridge. “Any problems? Phil Cooper or anybody else been nosing around?”
Lisa shook her head. “All quiet...”
“Good, but keep your eyes open...” He could see the mottled, red brick back wall of his office, in his home in Ft. Myers, behind her. “Ok, one more thing you need to know...” he directed her to the doorway of the office where an electronic thermostat was mounted to the wall, its display glowing green, the temperature shown on it. She had turned the communications tablet in that direction so the camera was pointed toward her and he could see. “See the two buttons on it to adjust the temperature?”
“I see them,” she nodded.
“Ok, don't do anything yet, just listen first. You're going to push them both in and hold them, while repeating exactly what I say. After the last word, which is end, release the buttons, Ok? Don't say anything else.” Her back to the comm-tablet's camera, he could see her nod. “Here we go, push them in and hold them; Six, Six, Charlie, Oscar, Bravo, Romeo, Alpha, Four, Two, Seven, Sierra, Oscar...end.”
Repeating exactly as she was told, she released the buttons as directed. A female voice came from the thermostat control, “Programming command code accepted, voice pattern not recognized... please state your name...”
Lisa looked back at the comm-tablet with a puzzled look and saw her brother nod. She turned back to the thermostat. “Lisa Steele.”
“Hello, Lisa Steele, do you wish to add your voice pattern to the command system?”
Lisa looked over her shoulder at the comm-tablet, and her brother nodded again. She turned back, “Yes, I do...” The voice walked Lisa through a set of steps before logging off. She turned around, hands on her hips and looked at the comm-tablet, “Ok, big brother... what did I just do..?”
He grinned, “Just say your command code out loud...”
She shrugged, “Ok. All dogs go to heaven...” Something inside the red brick wall at the back of the office clunked, or was it a clank? It sounded metal and heavy making her jump. She wanted to back up and run, but her curiosity begged her to investigate. The bricks in the back wall showed an uneven toothy edge on two sides as about a three foot wide section of the wall moved evenly inward, carrying the framed painting hung on it, along with it for the ride. The darkened opening grew deeper as the section of the wall disappeared inside. In a brief moment, lights winked on inside and she could see the brick wall had slid back on tracks, the floor molding and crown molding in the office unmoved, part of the door frame. The floor and ceiling in the next room were at the levels of the office's moldings, the rails for the heavy door imbedded in them. “What the ffffuuu...” she walked forward and peered into the room. “Holy shit, Jack, there's a whole armory in here...” The room was about six feet deep but about fifteen feet wide, loaded with various types of firearms, ammunition, water, dried foods, canned foods, blankets, a little worktable built like a shelf into one end, a small flat-screen TV, cable access, a laptop... almost everything one could need in an emergency. From her place at the doorway she turned to look at the comm-tablet. “You planning for the end of the world, or what...?”
He shook his head. “No that's in the basement...”
“The WHAT?!”
He started laughing, “Kidding, kidding. There's no basement. No, that's just my little zombie survival room.” He sipped his water. “You can close yourself inside, it has battery backup, solar power, fresh air system, supplies and defenses. It was built to withstand most tornadoes or hurricanes, a fire... almost anything except something like a tidal wave. It seals pretty well, but I don't think it would seal out something like that.”
She shook her head, “Wow... just wow...”
“Just remember,” he added, “if you have to go in there, take the comm-tablet with you, don't forget it. Unplug the laptop connection and plug it into the comm-pad. Also, if you turn the flat-screen on, you can get security video and audio feeds around the house.” He sipped his water. “To close it up when you're done, step out and say your command line again, the rest is automatic.”
She stepped back, said her command line and watched the door come smoothly back toward her, the bricks fitting back together like a puzzle piece. The action on the door locked with the same clunk as when it opened, and it was done. She studied the wall for a moment, blinking, trying to distinguish the outer edges of the door - it was difficult if not impossible to notice, even if you knew what to look for. She turned back to the comm-tablet and sat back down in the chair. “Pretty amazing...” She shifted in her seat, thumbing toward the thermostat. “What if someone tried to tamper with that thing?”
Jack shook his head, “Don't even joke about that - it wouldn't be pretty.” He didn't go any further, changing the subject. “You might not want to show this to mom and dad unless you absolutely have to... they probably wouldn't understand.” He held up his hand to halt the conversation and activated his earpiece. “Steele here... Roger, tower, copy that. On my way...” He turned his attention back to the screen. “Gotta go...”
“Problem?”
“Nah, I'm scheduled for a patrol... probably be a couple hours of empty space, stars and boredom...”
THE END - FOR NOW...
Upcoming Novels in the Series...
Book 2 - WINGS of STEELE - Flight of Freedom
Book 3 - WINGS of STEELE - Search for Base Alpha
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Burger was born and grew up in Chicago, Illinois, moving to the Gulf Coast of Florida at the age of 28, where he still lives today with his German Shepherd, Fritz. Jeff returns to Chicago on a regular basis to visit family and friends.
Originally drawn to law enforcement like his father and uncle, Jeff's extremely creative nature drove him toward a rewarding career in photography, illustration, design, marketing and advertising.
Jeff's choice in career and life in Florida have offered some truly unique experiences which he continues to enjoy. A certified NRA Instructor, Jeff has worked with civilians, Military Personnel and Law Enforcement Officers from many agencies. This has afforded him the opportunity to regularly handle and become proficient with firearms of all types, new and vintage, from all over the world.
An affinity for aircraft and flying have provided many opportunities to fly with talented civilian and military pilots in a wide selection of fixed wing and rotary aircraft. While Jeff finds jets to be supremely exciting, nothing beats the sublime sound or primal feeling of a piston-driven Rolls Royce Merlin V12 in a vintage P51 Mustang.
For more information about the author, additional Wings of Steele content, events, future novels, or to join my mailing list, please visit: www.wingsofsteele.com
Coming in 2013
WINGS of STEELE - Flight of Freedom
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