“I’m going to Chronos,” Jeff said firmly.
“Jeff, there’s nothing you can do there. If anyone is still alive, my team will find them.”
Paulson was right, but he couldn’t just sit inside a secure bunker while the people he loved died. He’d done that before, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to do it again.
“Jeff, listen to me. You need to trust me this time. You and Whittenhouse both need to get in the copter. You should know me by now; I always have a backup plan. That’s all I can say at this time, but . . . trust me.”
Jeff knew he could place his life in Paulson’s hands and be safe, but he was also fighting his own desire to save Holly. But the vice president was right. His team would be on the scene and pulling out any survivors before Jeff could even get in the air.
“Very well,” he agreed. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out. Right now we’re going on a communications blackout. We may have another spy in our midst. Paulson out.”
Jeff quickly buzzed Whittenhouse and told him to meet on the roof. Minutes later the military copter arrived and they jumped in. It was about a half-hour ride out of New York and south to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.
Upon landing they were immediately hustled to a hypersonic transport jet where both military personnel and civilians were waiting to board. The newest military jet was an amazing piece of engineering. From his military contracting work Jeff knew that the modified scramjet engine was capable of Mach 5, which meant that it could get just about anywhere in the world in two to three hours.
Jeff and Whittenhouse got in line and waited their turn to board as helicopters landed, unloading more people—men, women, and children. All looked drowsy and most of the small children were wearing pajamas. He tried to contact Holly, but this time his com-line was blocked, most likely from a government disruptor.
“Any idea where we’re going?” Jeff nonchalantly asked the man in front of him.
He was young with a beard, unkempt curly hair, and wearing jeans and a white dress shirt.
“No idea. This is all very bizarre. These military guys just came bursting into my house in the middle of the night. I thought it was some kind of joke at first, until they herded me onto a helicopter.”
“I’m Jeff Madison.” He extended his hand. “What line of work are you in?”
“Millard Rhine. It’s nice to meet you.”
Rhine smiled and pointed at him as he shook his hand.
“I know you, Senator. I voted for you. Twice.”
“Glad to hear it.” Jeff smiled.
“I’m a linguistics professor at NYU with a specialty in classical Greek literature. It’s quite a fascinating subject if you have time to get into it.”
“So you guys are as clueless as I am?” This came from a man waiting behind them.
Jeff turned to find a short man sporting slicked-back dark hair with a touch of gray around the temples. He was extending his hand, and looked concerned..
“Dino Wilder, Wilder Development out of Newark. This is my wife, Paula, and my son, Dino Jr.”
Jeff waved to his wife and son as they stood behind Dino. They both looked exhausted and a little scared.
“You know, Senator, if you’re ever interested in expanding the Upper West Side property along West Fifty-ninth, I can help you out. We’re number one in New York for those types of projects, you know.”
Jeff vaguely remembered seeing the Wilder Construction name on several different development projects downtown. But he’d long since passed along the day-to-day management of his real estate development division to others.
“Sure, maybe we can talk after we find out what’s going on,” Jeff said politely, not wanted to scare the man by saying there may not be a tomorrow.
Dino nodded. “I’ll have one of my associates set up a meeting next week.”
He was certainly aggressive. But a man didn’t make it in the New York real estate development business by being a pushover. But the bigger question was what the hell were a classical Greek linguistics professor and a real estate developer doing getting shuffled off to a secret military base? If Paulson was planning on rebuilding the world after E-Day, then he should be able to come up with better choices than these two. What the hell was he up to?
The group got onto the plane and took their seats. It was certainly not the comfort Jeff was used to. The military plane was built for transporting troops as quickly as possible to hot spots around the world; it was definitely not designed for luxury. About fifty rows, five seats per row, ran up the center of the aircraft. Then along the outside walls on both sides were more seats. The walls were covered with control panels and electronics. Very bare bones.
Jeff, Whittenhouse, and the others sat in a middle row. After everyone was on board and strapped in, an air force captain came on board and looked them all over.
“Hey, what are we doing here?” someone yelled out.
“Yeah, I wasn’t allowed to bring anything with me,” a woman said.
“And all of our com-lines are down. I don’t even have stream access,” Dino said, his temper showing. “I’ve got a meeting this morning, damn it!”
“I am Captain Vaughn, United States Air Force, and I’m in charge of this plane. Your com-lines are being purposely blocked. All your questions will be answered shortly after we reach our classified destination.”
“We have rights. We can’t just be kidnapped like this,” another man yelled as he unhooked his seat belt, jumped up, and began walking to the door.
One of the military men stood, tilted his gun, and blocked the man’s path.
“Please, everyone remain calm,” Captain Vaughn continued. “I ask that you work with us on this. You're all experts in your respective fields, and the United States government is going to need your help. That’s all the information I’ve been ordered to provide and quite frankly, it’s all I know. In some ways, folks, I’m right there with you.”
Vaughn held his hands out, palms forward, and Jeff could tell he was telling the truth. His relaxed nature and logical plea seemed to calm most of the group. The man who tried to leave returned to his seat.
Rhine turned to Jeff.
“This doesn’t sound very good. I’m no genius, but it sounds like there’s some type of horrible tragedy about to happen. Why else would we be rounded up like this and told that they need our help at some secret government base?”
Other people started talking and saying the same thing. Eventually someone said they thought an asteroid must be coming and then others seized on the same idea.
“It has to be an asteroid. What other type of disaster would they know about in advance and have enough time to prepare for? Certainly not a zombie apocalypse.”
A few folks chuckled at the mention of zombies.
“They could’ve silenced all the astronomers and scientists that watch that stuff so the general public would never find out,” a man speculated.
“But the streams. Someone would’ve put it out there.”
“The government could’ve wiped all evidence of it clean away,” another man suggested.
The conversations continued back and forth in a similar vein until the plane began taxiing. Jeff stayed silent. He already knew the answer to their questions. The Apocalypse was coming and it would not be caused by an asteroid. He settled back into his seat, trying to get comfortable. He still had a movie saved on his optical drive he could watch as a distraction. He had no idea how long the trip was going to take, and listening to these people was giving him a headache.
He nodded at Whittenhouse.
“Let me know if anything interesting happens.”
Whittenhouse rolled his eyes.
The plane picked up speed and flew off the runway. Soon it would be airborne and hitting Mach 1.
Jeff closed his eyes and tapped his eyelids twice. His optical drive floated into view.
“Movies. Comedy,” he said softly.
H
e needed a laugh or two, not more action or thrills. Hell, his life was like a damn action movie. The darkness of his closed eyes faded away, and he entered the world of the movie.
He could only watch the first scene before his thoughts trailed back to Holly. He flicked the movie off. He was far too worried about her to relax. Plus there was the destruction of the Chronos base. All his hard work for the last forty-plus years destroyed in nuclear hellfire. Who could’ve committed such an atrocity?
Jeff tried to think through the situation. They had no idea from how far in the future the bomb came and it was impossible to know who sent it. It could’ve been someone with access to the base, or possibly the base had been overrun by some force.
He growled under his breath. A man could go insane trying to figure out this mystery. Right now concern for Holly outweighed everything else. After all their years together, their bond was tighter than ever. She was part of him, the best part, and he loved her more than anything.
After their rocky start and his fall into drug and alcohol oblivion for a decade or so after their time jump, Jeff had cleaned up his act. He recalled that moment in the Las Vegas hotel over thirty-six years ago when he decided that was it. He’d not taken another drink or snort of cocaine since.
The ensuing crisis with the nanobots, recon bots disguised as children’s toys, and the naval battle off the coast of San Diego had brought him and Holly back together. After that, they’d been inseparable.
Jeff swiveled so he could look outside one of the small windows on the jet. All he could see was blue sky. The jet had already passed the sound barrier and was climbing in speed toward Mach 5, over 3,800 miles per hour. Wherever it was they were going, they would be there soon.
Two and a half hours later the pilot told them to get back in their seats and buckle up for the landing. Jeff had spent the flight mingling with some of the people around him. Each basically offered the same story: they and their families were grabbed up in the middle of the night by military men and taken via helicopter or van to the McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst base. No one knew why. And they were as diverse a group as Jeff could imagine: the owner of a plumbing business, several doctors, the master of a shipyard, more ancient-language specialists, several historians, a martial arts expert, a production manager for a gun and munitions manufacturer, the owner of a horse stable, and a recent Olympic gold medalist in equestrian competition. There were also a variety of teachers and professors covering a broad range of subjects.
Looking at the group as a whole, Jeff recognized that Paulson was indeed gathering diverse experts. If they failed in their attempt to prevent the Apocalypse, then the individuals in this group would the ones to rebuild civilization.
The jet landed smoothly, and the back opened up to reveal an asphalt runway and barren landscape. Jeff squinted as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. Military personnel herded the group out and toward a dilapidated-looking aircraft hangar. There was nothing around as far as he could see, just flat land and desert.
They shuffled nervously inside, moving slowly, hesitating, still trying to figure out what was happened to them. Several military helicopters and fighter jets were parked on each side of the hanger. In the middle was an unremarkable open area. Captain Vaughn strode forward, toward the only object in the space—a small box attached to a metal post that extended about four feet out of the floor.
“Everyone, if I can have your attention, please. If you could gather around on this platform, we’ll be descending to the base momentarily.”
Jeff moved in as close as he could; everyone was bunched in together. He looked down, but couldn’t see any platform. Just a plain concrete floor. Beside him a baby started crying, and its mother pulled out a bottle to feed it. Jeff glanced at a few of his fellow passengers—most were pale and drawn. All were edgy. None but some of the kids had slept on the plane. Vaughn turned his back on the group and placed his hand on the box.
Immediately the floor they were standing on began sinking.
“Great. Another underground base in the middle of the desert,” Whittenhouse quipped. “How many of these damn things are there? And why can’t they put one in the middle of a city for a change, eh, Jeff?”
Jeff raised his eyebrows and nodded. He couldn’t help but agree. However, despite his distaste for underground bases, they needed them right now. In fact, the more the merrier. Their existence meant more lives could be saved.
The floor continued moving down, and concrete walls rose up around them. A cover slid over the ceiling and rows of lights came on along the walls. The floor lift was huge, with ample space on all sides for the two hundred and fifty or so people descending. Whatever they’d put down here was obviously very big and needed a lot of space.
Jeff gently touched his eyelids, and his main interface screen flashed up in front of him, invisible to everyone else. He tried to get a GPS reading on their location, but stream access was still jammed. A tap to the back of his ear revealed that his com-link wasn’t functioning either.
He was getting frustrated and angry with this whole situation.
As a senator, he should know exactly what was going on. Paulson shouldn’t have kept him in the dark. He was used to being in charge and in total control. Just going along for the ride and trusting others to handle details and save his wife was certainly not his style. Yet he had to keep his cool. Yelling at Captain Vaughn would get him nowhere. The man probably knew less than Jeff about what they’d be facing in twelve hours or so. No, he needed to talk to Paulson.
Minutes ticked by until finally the floor stopped with a slight jolt. Massive doors slid open in front of them, revealing an expansive underground complex. The facility went out as far as Jeff could see, and the rocky ceiling had to be four or five stories high. Forklifts were moving large boxes onto railcars, the tracks of which crisscrossed the facility.
Groups were moving around coordinating the operation, and a wide variety of service bots were working as well. Large hydraulic-legged models carried steel girders, the pressurized whir and clanging stomp of their feet resounding through the space. Smaller wheeled bots careened around carrying items like electronics. It was a flurry of activity by both man and machine.
Jeff gasped in awe along with the rest of the group.
"Wow!" one of the children said.
"Impressive," Gino added, standing beside him. "I would've have liked to have had the construction contract on this puppy."
He winked.
“This way, folks.” Captain Vaughn gestured toward several empty subway cars. “This is where I bid you all farewell. I have one more flight to make today. Thanks for your cooperation.”
A message sounded in Jeff’s mind, coming from his neural link: Please move forward onto the monorail. You will soon arrive at your destination.
The group began boarding, everyone mingling and talking among themselves. It was a large group so it took several minutes for them all to crowd onto the subway cars. A few military officers helped them and kept the process very orderly. Once everyone was on board and sitting down, the doors closed automatically. The train sped off down the track. Most people found comfortable seats, but Jeff remained standing. Through the windows he could see the massive expanse of the facility. The cost of such a thing must've been astronomical. But if this base was indeed an ark of some sort, built for the continuation of the human race, then they needed it large.
The metro zoomed along past several stations. Everything seemed to be well laid out and organized. In addition to rows and rows of crates and supplies, they passed an expansive garden growing corn, wheat, and other crops under specialized greenhouse lights. Then they sped by herds of livestock—cows, sheep, pigs. Further past that was a manufacturing facility making some type of electronics, manned almost entirely by bots.
Finally they slowed and then stopped. They exited across from a cluster of buildings rising nearly to the ceiling. Waiting for them on the platform were several military officers. One stepped forward.
/>
“Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for everything you’ve been through up to this point. This is not how we would’ve liked to have done this, but we really had no choice. My men and I are going to escort you to your living quarters, where you can relax and freshen up. In one hour you and the others already here will be addressed in person by President Diaz in our auditorium. He will explain everything to you then. And yes, you can bring children. Thank you.”
Shouts and questions burst forth from the crowd, everyone speaking at once. Many were concerned about friends and loved ones on the outside.
"I need to call my mother!" a young woman screamed.
"What's going on here! Why can't we leave!"
"What is the President doing here?"
"What about all of the people left on the outside? Are they going to die!"
Panic filled the room again as the military officer tried to calm them.
"Everyone, please. I still don't know all the details myself. The President will brief you in one hour. That's all I know."
Well, that told them nothing. Jeff and Whittenhouse exchanged sour looks.
As they started moving off with the group, an army captain tapped Jeff on the shoulder.
“Senator, Vice President Paulson has asked to meet with you in private.”
Jeff shook hands with Whittenhouse. “I’ll catch up to you later.”
The others headed off, and Jeff followed the officer inside the biggest and tallest of the buildings. It was about the size of the aircraft hangar above them. Inside was an expansive lobby stretching up several stories, covered in glass and marble. The government had spent a fortune on this structure, that was for sure. Straight ahead was a clear glass window stretching up the entire height of the building. Behind the glass was what looked like a small stadium. Jeff couldn’t make out what was inside the stadium from this distance.
An elevator door opened, and out walked Vice President Paulson. He had the same tough, determined look on his face that he always wore, and he remained a physically intimidating man even in his seventies. His steely blue eyes focused on Jeff.
NanoSwarm: Extermination Day Book Two Page 15
