by T I WADE
“Your fuel situation, Mars, please?” asked Saturn, an hour into their flight. “We have three-quarter tanks, at 35 percent forward thrust, and using very little on this leg, over.”
“I’m at just above half and should make The Pig’s Snout after our next stop. Computers show we are over Anchorage, Alaska, and we need to change direction in three minutes, Saturn, over.”
“My readouts show the same. We are an hour from our next destination, out.”
“SB-II to SB-III, I see your change in direction,” stated Hillary Pitt. “There are absolutely zero blips on my radar all the way down to your next destination, over.”
“Copied that. Confirm no blips at all. The airspace is pretty quiet around here,” replied Mars.
“Shelly Saunders will be over the horizon in 30 seconds. I’ll see you on the ground on my next pass, out.”
It was Mars again, actually Captain Pete, who was going to test the “waters” for life in the Nevada Desert. It was still pitch dark with no moon, and the land 100,000 feet below them was covered in clouds. To their relief the cloud layer was at 20,000 feet, and there were holes in the clouds, not that it really mattered. They still had two hours of darkness before sunrise, and the crew wanted Captain Pete on the ground before then.
Silently, within the shields’ blue glow, both craft descended vertically to 20,000 feet. Saturn began to hover as Mars descended into the murky depths below and disappeared.
“It seems our shield can be seen from about 5,000 feet,” Saturn stated to Mars. “I’m looking through all our cameras and see four hot bodies outside through the heat and infra-red cameras. Zero movement through the night vision lenses. The other shows blackness, no light. Hold on! I see movement on the runway through all cameras. Zooming in… It looks like a herd of quite large animals running away from your LZ position. Four heat signals with four legs each.”
“I believe they could be deer,” suggested Captain Pete.
“I wouldn’t know,” replied Saturn. “You are the Earth expert, Captain Pete.”
Mars continued his descent and gently brought the craft into land under Saturn’s guidance 50 feet from a large building, what remained of a large hangar Captain Pete recognized as Ryan’s old command center.
“Know your way around, Captain Pete?” asked Mars as he closed down the shield and stilled the thrusters. Captain Pete couldn’t get out through his belly hatch exit until the thrusters were off.
“Like the back of my hand, Mars. Do I need to turn on my suit?”
“Negative, cool air should move around freely inside your suit from your open neck area. You can take off the mid-section if you need to pee out there, or just pee into the bag inside the suit. Are you sure you remember this base?”
“As I said, like the back of my hand. I spent 18 months here, and I have the handheld radio, torch and Allen’s .44 Magnum for protection. The eastern horizon should be getting bright in about 30 minutes, plus your extended shield and Saturn’s shield should give me enough light at least to look around the near vicinity.”
“Remember to purge the underground cavern Ryan told me about as soon as you get out,” added Mars. “At least you can open that in about 30 minutes if you need a place of safety. You have the controls,” Mars reminded the captain.
Captain Pete opened his hatch and his seat descended through the underbelly of the craft. He illegally stepped onto U.S. territory without a passport. It already felt good to be home. He closed the hatch behind him and ran from the spaceship directly to the nearest wall of the nearest hangar, activating the cavern controls as he did so.
Mars watched him move away, then re-ignited the still-warm thrusters, extended the shield and just sat there. A minute later the second bubble appeared above him, 50 feet to the east. Saturn touched her craft down and waved at her husband. They were totally safe inside the shields.
“So far I haven’t seen any movement,” said Captain Pete.
“Me neither as I came in, but my radar is now partly trapped with all these buildings around me,” added Saturn.
“The underground cavern is purging, and I’m ready to look around, over.” The intercom went quiet, and every so often the torch light could be seen moving in different directions. “Ryan’s old command center is a mess. There is a bird’s nest in part of the remaining roof. I’m by the pool and accommodation area. The mess hall is empty and littered with rubbish. The pool is empty and full of dirt and sand. I see eyes, red eyes… Ok, it was some sort of skinny dog. Certainly wasn’t a wolf, it was brown and mangy. Saw a cat scurry away. Heading for the apartments.”
“I think I see light on the horizon,” stated Mars.
“Apartments on the ground floor haven’t been lived in,” stated Captain Pete several minutes later. “First two, doors were closed but unlocked, and there was our old furniture inside. Third one was locked, and the fourth looked the same as the first two. It’s eerie around here. I’m going to head over to the kitchen. If somebody was living in that third room, the kitchen would have been used.” Ten minutes later he reported in. “Kitchen looks like it has been used sometime in the past, although there is a fine layer of dust on everything. There is no food in the storage areas, and no electricity. I’ve tried several switches. There are no dirty dishes or rotten food or anything. I think I see dawn coming out of the window. I want to check out a few hangars next.”
Captain Pete walked around the apron for the next few minutes. Sometimes he waved, as his black silhouette could just be seen, and sometimes he just walked to the next hangar. He visited all six hangars that the crew had left years earlier before he reported in.
“Only Ryan’s command hangar has been damaged. Maybe a hand grenade or something. The others are closed, and the insides empty. So far I don’t believe anybody is living here, except maybe in the third room, but I think a check of the security buildings by the main gate and the condition of the wire fence will tell us more. Heading there now, Mars.”
The radio went quiet for 15 minutes before a fainter Captain Pete came back. Now the sun was only minutes away from raising its head over the eastern horizon. “Inner gate security buildings locked and sealed. Outer fence is whole and I could see no holes for the 100 yards I walked it in both directions. No sign of damage, but there are tire marks, fresh tire marks, and they lead behind the outer security building and—oh, crap! I see an old jeep parked behind the building, and oh, crap again, a light has just gone on in the building.”
“Who’s messing around out there? This is a restricted area.” Mars heard someone shout out pretty close to Captain Pete through the intercom and his heart leapt into his mouth.
“Who wants to know?” Mars heard Captain Pete reply. “I recognize that voice. Is that you, Sergeant Meyers?”
“Sounds like somebody I used to know. Could that be you, Ryan, or Jonesy, or you, Captain Pete? My hearing is not what it used to be. Walk into the light so I can see you… Captain Pete, is that really you? You have a spacesuit on. Fall out of a spacecraft? I haven’t heard any spacecraft around here for several years now.”
Pete spoke into his radio. “Mars, the man here is Sergeant Meyers. Give me five. I’ll leave the handheld on so that you can all hear us.”
“Who is Mars? Where is he?” asked the old grey-haired man looking around as Pete walked up. Sergeant Meyers was dressed in warm civilian attire apart from a combat cap on his head, and had at least a week’s worth of growth on his face. He also had a sawn-off shotgun and two pistols in his belt, and the shotgun was instinctively aimed at Pete.
“Mars Noble, VIN’s son. He is piloting the spaceship sitting on the apron. I’m checking to see if it is safe for the crew to disembark, Sergeant.”
“As safe as it ever was, Pete. A group of us have guarded this place ever since you and then the military left this base. Where are Ryan and the boys? How come I never heard you arrive?”
“A long story, Sergeant. How many others are on base? I don’t want anybody getting shot n
ow.”
“Just me last night, Pete. A few of the boys headed into Tonopah to rustle up some whiskey and play a few slots.”
Together, Pete and Sergeant Meyer locked the outer gate and returned to the apron as the astronauts closed down their engines.
“That a new spaceship, Captain Pete? Never seen that one before. Is that big fella getting out of it Mars Noble? Where’s my old boss, the lieutenant? Did he make it into space and back?” Meyers asked as they walked up to the most interesting spaceship he had ever seen. It was smaller than the shuttle he recognized. This new ship looked like an eagle, or a buzzard. It had the same hooked nose.
“Many of the old guard are still in space, and yes, the lieutenant had a great time. All are alive and ok and will be for some time, Sergeant. It’s a long story. You deserve to hear it, but we need a sitrep (situation report) on this base from you first. Captain Mars Noble, meet Sergeant Meyers, one of my old buddies and Lieutenant Walls’ second-in-command.
Captain Pete wasn’t surprised when the old soldier suddenly stood to attention and saluted the man fifty years his junior. Mars smiled and did the same, returning a crisp and expertly performed salute.
“Sergeant Meyers, my father always spoke highly of you and your men. Are there any others?”
“Sorry, sir, the remains of us old guys are still into gambling, women, and whiskey. So maybe I’ll have to get them into shape again. Some are at home, and some are in the nearest town. It gets a little boring guarding this base, and it seems that the men need more and more R&R (Rest and Relaxation) as they get older,” stated the sergeant, still standing at attention.
“At ease, Sergeant,” smiled Captain Pete. “We are not on parade. Do we have any ladders or cranes on base?”
“Negative, sir. The soldiers took just about everything when they finally left five years ago. There is very little apart from the furniture in the rooms and utensils in the kitchen. We don’t feed ourselves in the kitchen. The electricity was cut when the soldiers left. We have one large generator we all chipped in and purchased at Home Depot before it closed its doors in Vegas about four years ago. It was on closeout special. We eat in our barracks most of the time. Who is that young girl exiting the shuttle’s side hatch, Pete?”
“Commander Lunar Richmond, Ryan’s elder daughter,” replied Pete.
“Must be the next generation running the show. All us old guys are past it, apart from you, eh, Captain Pete?” Again Sergeant Meyers faced the young girl, stood to attention and saluted the new commander as she walked up. She smiled as Mars had done and returned the salute. “Nevada base pretty clean, reasonably secure, and ready for your inspection, Ma’am!”
“Sergeant Meyers, at ease. What the dickens are you still doing here? We were all expecting a flattened base and just an old runway. Haven’t you got better things to do with your time?”
“Sorry, Ma’am, but the boys and I love this old place. Remember, I wheeled you into the medical center the last time you arrived, a wee young thing at the time. To answer your question, we all helped a space company grow from nothing to the best space company in the business. The government wanted this place so badly, it was the best thing to see their faces when they arrived to get nothing, twice. Your father, Ma’am, was the best boss anybody could ever ask for. He paid us so well that we have never wanted for anything, and we all survived the real hard times over the last decade or two. Tell Mr. Richmond the boys and I, and nearly a hundred of the crew who used to work and live here, and who are still in the U.S., often return. We let them in, and they wander around like it’s an old museum or something and then go away happy. Even a group of Russian scientists somehow sneaked into the United States and arrived here one afternoon to visit. They stayed a month, fed us vodka, gave me an address, telephone number and radio frequency to contact them on if anybody returned, and now here you are. Actually, three of the old German scientists from Munich, the ones who designed your father’s first prosthetics, Captain Noble, arrived for a week two years ago and brought a bottle of that horrible-tasting Schnapps with them. It’s still in the kitchen. This place is like a shrine for many. And do you know how much work you’ve given me to contact everybody now that you are back? I had better go and radio the boys. I’m going to need some help calling everybody.”
“Before you go, Sergeant, a damage report, please?” asked Captain Pete.
“Extensive damage in the control hangar only. We have kept the rest as best we could. The swimming pool was ruined by the soldiers, and we didn’t have the manpower to clear the dirt they pushed into there with front-end loaders. As soon as you guys left we set up camp outside the perimeter and had the others take our vehicles. We watched from outside atop the small hill by the dirt road. The stupid asses arrived by road, tore down the two main gates with their Bradleys, headed straight for the main hangar and threw in grenades, killing two of their own crew before the screams stopped them. Then they went from hangar to hangar, searched all the quarters and realized that only their staff were on base. We dug in and made a camouflaged viewpoint on the hill, that tiny speck over there.” He pointed to a tiny hill where the dirt road which connected the base to the main highway ran past the outer fence. “Within 24 hours of you guys flying out, the NSA, CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, and even Air Force One arrived to search the place from east to west and north to south. I was told a year later by a buddy who was on guard here that the President was looking for his daughter. We were outside the grounds and missed their initial searches by a few hundred yards. It was close. Over time, more and more troops moved in. They set up base here for about two years. Then during re-election time, the base suddenly emptied overnight. We gave them a month, then we returned, purchased the generator at Home Depot, the largest gates we could find, and repaired any holes in the outer fence. We took up temporary residence, taking three-day shifts so as not to make too much dust up and down the dirt road.”
Sergeant Meyers then turned to Captain Pete. “Captain Pete, Martha, my wife, died two years ago, and I didn’t want to live with her ghost at home, so I sold out, got nothing for my house and moved in here. Room Three. Two of the boys, Joey Jenkins and Bob Holloway, also moved in permanently when their wives died last year. They live on the second floor. We have six guys left who guard this place. The rest have passed on. Once a month we all get together for a party, bringing in food and drinks with the remaining wives. Other than them, Captain Pete, only the returning scientists and others who worked here have been allowed in, and we have warned many who have tried to get in. Current area population, us three, about a dozen coyotes, and a herd of deer who move in and out. How they do it, I don’t know. I had better go and tell everybody that Astermine is once again in business.”
“Sergeant Meyers, we are currently here illegally,” said Lunar. “Please keep our being here top secret. We could get an unwanted visit from the nearest Air Force or army base.”
“Not much chance of that, Ma’am. Creech Air Force Base became a ghost town about three years ago. I headed into Vegas less than a year ago. There is hardly more than a car or two on the roads these days, only a few electric cars, as there is no gas in the gas stations, and hardly any more electricity. Vegas has blackouts for days. I went past Nellis Air Force Base and was shocked to see two guards but no aircraft, personnel or any trucks or base vehicles. The place looked deserted. I haven’t seen an aircraft, military or civilian, pass overhead here since the military left. I haven’t seen a speed cop for years. In Tonopah, where I used to live with Martha, there is only one police station and a dozen cops who share one old gasoline Dodge police cruiser.”
“How do you have fuel?” asked Captain Pete.
“We filled up one of the airfield’s underground fuel tanks with 5,000 gallons when we returned years ago, Captain Pete. It cost us aplenty, but it was the best move we ever made. We also purchased a couple hundred bottles of fuel additive, and so far it has worked well. We still have a thousand gallons or so.”
; Again Sergeant Meyers snapped to attention as more arrived from SB-III to join the group talking in the middle of the apron. One of the female crew had a spacesuit on, and Captain Pete remembered that the poor ex-Air Force sergeant knew that anybody in flight gear was an officer.
“Sergeant Meyers, Captain Saturn Noble-Jones. Remember Dr. Walls? Your lieutenant’s son, young Johnny Walls, his grandson, and four Russian scientists we picked up a couple of hours ago in Russia.”
“A couple of hours ago, wow! Captain Noble, congratulations, I’m jealous. Saturn, your father and Maggie were always my best buddies. How are they? I remember you were a real cheeky little thing last time you visited us,” he joked. Saturn punched him gently on the arm as she had always done and then gave him a hug. They had been best of friends on base. “Dr. Walls, good to see you, sir. I remember you in diapers. Johnny, you have grown into a good-looking and strong young man. Your grandfather must be real proud of you. Saturn, you still owe me a flight into space. Remember, you promised me last visit? You told me to stay alive long enough for you to become an astronaut, remember?”
“A small gift in thanks for your looking after my father’s dream, Sergeant,” stated Lunar happily.
Sergeant Meyers jumped and kicked his heels together like a cowboy. With shotgun in hand he headed back to the guardhouse chatting to his old friends Mars and Saturn who wanted to know everything that had gone on since they had left.
The others followed to find a room for themselves and the four visitors. A planned visit of a couple of hours was turning into a few days.
It was 60 hours later, just at sunset when the two craft, under the watchful eye of Sergeant Meyers, his crew of two, two new arrivals, and the four waving Russians, silently ascended with shields extended and slipped away from the airfield.
Much had been done in the short time. Captain Pete shocked Sergeant Meyers when he opened the underground cavern. Meyers knew of the cavern, but he didn’t know that it had the small door just outside the partly destroyed hangar and in the cement of the apron. He had walked across the area thousands of times not knowing that an underground entrance was there. He had often helped move equipment, but through the larger door where Hangar Six had once stood. Now that area was bare, with no hangar. He had been one of the dozen members of the security detail that had helped move equipment into the C-5 last time it was loaded, but even he didn’t know how to open the door, nor would he have told anybody about it.
