"We're planning to replace this old thing once we get the operation going, but right now isn't a good time to ask for frivolous extras in budgets, if you know what I mean."
They boarded the front car.
"Yeah, times are hard for everyone, everywhere." They'd spend more operating the old train than replacing it, but that was the bureaucratic mind for you.
The car had a freshly disinfected smell over the combined stench of age, ozone, and grease. Harrison could believe it hadn't seen much use since the Cold War. The subways in New York looked newer, if not cleaner. At least there was no piss smell; that would have reminded him of the airport. The doors slid shut, and the subway train pulled away from the station.
The train traveled for close to an hour, by which Harrison estimated the distance to be sixty to eighty kilometers from Oak Ridge, if it went as fast as a normal subway train. He'd gotten turned around on the way down, but he thought they were heading north.
Dr. Dixon never budged on his policy of 'Wait and see.' After a couple of attempts, Harrison decided to pretend to be uninterested and see if that bugged him. Dixon was either too well schooled at keeping secrets or too oblivious to notice Harrison's irritation at the lack of information. Harrison rather thought it was the latter.
The station where they arrived was bustling with activity. Groups of workers waited to board, and unopened military crates covered the platform. A case of MREs had spilled near the back wall, but no one seemed to care. This place was loud and busy, a stark and startling contrast to the previous station. Harrison wondered if this one was served by more than one subway line.
"Welcome to the Jellico Mountain Complex, major."
"We're under Jellico Mountain?"
"Indeed we are," the doctor replied with evident relish. "Interstate 75 is a kilometer above us, just to the east. The vibrations from traffic help mask our current construction efforts. In fact, that is why I-75 was routed through the mountains here: so the original construction could be masked in a similar fashion. The highway is also nice and straight."
"Emergency landing strips, like the Eisenhower freeways."
"That’s it."
"I always wondered why they put the interstate through the highest part of the mountains. Never made much sense."
"The military was greatly worried about a Soviet nuclear strike back then."
"So this was to be... what?" Harrison asked. "Another Cheyenne Mountain?"
"Effectively, although we don't have anything to do with NORAD. It was built to be more like Mount Weather and The Greenbrier. It was meant to house the nuclear scientists from Oak Ridge, in case of nuclear attack. This facility is being repurposed for something else now."
Harrison didn't rise to the bait. "Jellico Mountain isn't that high, so we must be pretty deep."
"We're about three hundred meters under the base of the mountain, deep in the limestone bedrock. They wanted the facility deep enough to withstand a direct nuclear strike, just in case it was ever discovered. You're from around here, aren't you?"
"Defeated Creek, outside Carthage, in Tennessee. I went to college at Vanderbilt."
"Really? What did you study?"
"The co-eds, mostly."
From the look on his face, Dr. Dixon couldn't tell if he was joking. Harrison smiled. It indicated that there were a few things Dixon didn't know about him. Harrison wasn't the only one from whom information was being withheld.
Chapter Ten
They exited the train and dodged the rushing personnel going about their enigmatic duties. Harrison hadn't seen this kind of bustle since 9-11. There were too many people to make any real sense out of what he could see. One thing was certain: this was to be a major operation.
"Major Harrison!"
He turned and hastily saluted the officer who had spoken. "Colonel Jackson, sir."
"Glad you could make it, major. Finally decided to stop playing sick and get back to work, did you?"
"Well, you know me and hospitals, sir. All the tapioca pudding you can eat, clear fluids, bedpans: what's not to love? Besides, I've always had a thing for nurses. It's the uniforms."
The colonel ignored his informal banter; he was used to it. "What was all that about you retiring? Wanted to see if I'd beg?"
"I just wanted to catch up on my fishing, sir, but you know terrorists. No respect for the ways of a country boy."
The colonel laughed and clasped Harrison's shoulder. "In all seriousness, it's good to see you, son. I'm sorry I couldn't come visit you in the hospital and offer my condolences for what happened at the airport."
"Yes, sir. Thank you. It really wasn't a big deal. I can see that you've been busy here."
"I have. Follow me over here to my office. Curiosity tying you in knots?"
"Sir," Harrison acknowledged.
They passed through a set of heavy blast doors into the main part of the complex. Colored stripes decorated the floor. Harrison wondered if they used robots to deliver the mail, like at the Pentagon. If so, that suggested the complex has been updated at least once since the fifties.
The colonel didn't speak until they were settled in his office, with the door shut against others' ears. It was a well-appointed office with good furniture. Pictures of the colonel's wife, children, and grandchildren adorned the desk and shelves. Obviously the colonel intended to be here a while.
"Coffee?"
"No, thank you, sir." Normally Harrison would have accepted, but he was itching with curiosity.
"Right. Down to business, then. The Brownsville incursion wasn't the only incident of this type," Colonel Jackson began. "There have been others."
"Is that what we're calling it, sir? An incident?"
"I know how you feel, major, but that's the way it has to be."
"I understand, sir. Sorry, please continue."
"What we're looking at is nothing less than a systematic war being waged against the United States by a foreign power for control of our natural resources. Over ten thousand civilians have been killed during these incursions. So far, they have targeted oil, gasoline, and natural gas depots. Biological weapons have been used in every case. We have no choice but to go to war in retaliation."
Harrison took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Brownsville had had a population of around three thousand. Ten thousand dead made the attacks the worst ever against Americans on home soil, three times the casualties of 9-11. He couldn't see how they could keep something like this hushed up, and said so.
"You may have heard that the Brownsville incident was attributed to a gas leak that killed the population, then an explosion." Dr. Dixon explained. "These kinds of things happen. The conspiracy nuts have theories, which we encourage. A few people heard your shortwave broadcast when you called for help, but no one listens to them, and the more they rant, the less attention is paid to what they say."
"And the other incidents?" Harrison asked. "At some point, terrorists of some kind are going to be suspected."
"I won't lie, major. The other attacks are putting a strain on our credibility," the colonel replied. "I believe the official plan is to place the blame for further attacks on an existing terrorist group, such as ISIS. Should seem credible enough."
"Why do I see political maneuvering in that?" ISIS was certainly a threat, and needed to be dealt with, but his other problem was just a bit bigger. Religious extremists hadn't tried to release bioweapons. If the people on the other side had nukes, they could send them anywhere. There was no way to stop them if they really wanted to destroy America. It made his blood run cold.
The colonel sighed. "That has no bearing here, major. We've got other problems. Dr. Dixon, if you please?"
"Major, can you tell me what you think is happening?"
"I'm no scientist," Harrison said, "but that black hole thing I saw was a hole in the world. In addition, the man in command of the enemy forces didn't just look like me, he was me. He had the same scar on his forehead that I do. I got that scar when I was tossed
off a horse as a kid. He sounded like me. Hell, he even moved like me. How could we be so much alike?"
"Well, because he was you," said Dr. Dixon. "One possible you, to be exact."
"Go on."
"Based on information recovered from the enemy computers at Brownsville, and enemy personnel we captured and interrogated from the Ashland incursion, we think the enemy attacking us is actually another United States, one that diverged roughly twenty years ago. Basically, in that universe, the fascists took over the government after a series of terrorist attacks, or something to that effect. We aren't really sure of all the details."
"You mean it's a parallel universe?"
"Exactly," Dr. Dixon said, beaming. He gave Harrison a look such as he might have given a star pupil. Just what I want: an admirer. "The other Harrison may have had a life much like yours, hence the scar."
"Sir?" Harrison glanced at the colonel for confirmation.
"Oh, you can trust Dr. Dixon on this, major. I've read all the reports and heard the more technical stuff. I'll get you copies of the interrogations so you can hear what the enemy have to say for themselves. This is legit, no matter how far-fetched it sounds."
He was right. It sounded pretty far-fetched, but then, so did an evil doppelganger. Harrison wondered just what he was getting himself into.
Chapter Eleven
Harrison wasn't sure what he should tell them about his suspicions.
"Sir, I had a lot of time on my hands to think about this while I was laid up. I can't say that what Dr. Dixon is telling me is a complete surprise." He nodded to the scientist. "I mean, I've read a lot of stories about this kind of thing. I still don't see how it could really be happening, though. Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be something else? Anything else?"
"Major, Dr. Dixon and his team have pored over the data for months. We've also retrieved data from the other incursions. We're pretty sure about this."
"We owe you a lot, major," said Dr. Dixon. "We'd apparently had two previous incursions, but we had no idea what caused the virus outbreaks. It wasn't until Brownsville that we had someone inside the operation. Brownsville is the first place we had an eyewitness to tell us about the hole in the air."
"Is that why I'm here, sir? To help guard against future attacks?"
"Not exactly."
"Sir, I should be out in the field. Let me put a team together."
"We've already got teams in place to deal with future incursions. Remember, you've been out of the loop for five months, and haven't been field operational in years. Let the younger men do what they're trained for. We need you for something else, major."
"What is that, sir?" Harrison bristled at the implication that he was getting old, although at forty-six, he knew he was well past his operational prime. That was why he'd been drilling new recruits for the last few years.
"We aren't going to just sit here and let them attack us. We've been authorized by the president to strike back, and that is what we're going to do. Hard. You're the man I've chosen to do that. USSOCOM has designated this Operation Aquarian Frequency. You're point man on this. We're going make them pay for what they've done."
"How are we going to strike back, sir? Or is there something I'm missing?"
"Dr. Dixon and his team think they've figured out how the enemy managed to make the bridge from their side. We want you to go through to the other side and retrieve more information about their devices for us. We want you to infiltrate the enemy command."
"Thinks he has it figured out, sir?" Harrison glanced at the scientist. "Isn't it an either-or kind of thing?"
"We haven't tested the device's capability to open transdimensional portals yet, because we didn't want to give away the fact that we managed to develop it. We have successfully opened portals to places here on our Earth."
"You're telling me you've managed to figure out how to teleport troops to any point on the globe?" Harrison knew exactly what that kind of mobility would mean to someone like the colonel. It could change the way war was waged. A Special Forces team was most vulnerable just after an operation, awaiting extraction. To be able to get in and out without coming under enemy fire… Yeah, things were going to change.
"We're still working on getting the targeting down, but yes. As far as transdimensional portals are concerned, we haven't tried because we're afraid that the enemy may have some way to detect when a hole opens on their side, much like the crude detectors we've managed to create here."
"If the enemy was waiting on the other side for someone to come through, it could get ugly, major," the colonel said.
You mean you'd hate to have your team killed before they complete their mission, Harrison thought cynically, although he regretted the thought almost instantly. He knew it pained the colonel to send men out to die.
"Major, what we need most is information on how the device works, and how extensive their operations are. The devil of the whole thing is that we had a program to develop this same technology, and it was mothballed years ago. Dr. Dixon has been in charge of the team that revived the old project and got it working."
"Once we knew it could be done, we set to work making it happen," Dixon added.
"It should work," the colonel said. "We think that if we only open it a little bit – just enough for one man, say – then the enemy won't be able to detect it. We don't know how much they have developed their technology since we diverged. We've seen some differences, but other than the portal device, we seem to have a technological edge on them. We want you to gather all the information you can."
Harrison nodded.
"Once we have that information, we can hit them hard," said Dixon.
"We, Dixon? You gonna suit up and play soldier with us?"
"Major, be nice."
"Sir. I don't think sending men though this thing is the answer. The biological weapon they used is surely not the only one they have, and the thought of running spec-ops in biological-warfare gear is a bad joke."
"We're not going to be sending men through, major. We're just sending a single man. You. You'll go through to the other side and steal the information we need. Try to bring out any equipment you can carry, too. Anything that looks different enough to warrant taking it, do so. With luck, if anyone sees you, they'll mistake you for their Harrison."
"Not very comforting, sir. I'm going in armed; they're going to know something is amiss."
"From the information we got from the interrogations – and we feel that information is reliable; the CIA handled it – we know that the enemy didn't expect to find doubles of themselves over here. They had been told this was just another world, not a parallel one. One of the men we captured ended up being interrogated by his double from here."
Harrison shivered at the thought. He really hated spooks. He'd had more than one run-in with CIA operatives over the years, and they had never ended well. The fucker had probably enjoyed torturing himself. "What are we going to do to stop them from coming over here? Are we just going to nuke them?" Harrison couldn't think of anything that would be more decisive. "I mean, they are American citizens, kind of."
"Do you have a better solution?"
"No, sir." He thought about his friends, dead from a bioengineered plague, and decided that nukes were a cleaner death than the bastards deserved.
Chapter Twelve
The tension in the room was palpable, with each of them no doubt thinking of the repercussions of using nuclear devices against the enemy. What if they decide to use nukes, as well? Forget missile defense systems. How could you stop an enemy that could strike anywhere without any warning?
"Colonel, I could see this getting out of hand very quickly," Dr. Dixon said.
"I was thinking the same thing," said Harrison.
"I'm afraid it isn't my call to make, or yours, gentlemen. The president will make the call, and if and when that happens, we'll do our duty and follow our orders."
Dixon was staring into his cup as if he wished it contained something
stronger than coffee. Harrison didn't blame him. Dixon would be the one operating the portal if it was decided that a bomb had to be sent. Of course, Harrison would probably be the one carrying it.
"Yes, sir." Harrison sighed and hoped the fighting with the other side wouldn't come to using a nuclear device, but he suspected it would. The military had been itching to use another nuke since Vietnam. They wouldn't miss an opportunity like this, one that wouldn't have public repercussions. "When do we get started, colonel?"
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, major, but there are a few things we're going to have to take care of first. It'll be a few days, at best, before we get the green light for this operation. You'll need to review and sign these documents." Colonel Jackson handed Harrison a thick sheaf of papers. "Then we'll need to get you geared up. However, you are to report to the infirmary first."
"Colonel, I just spent months in the hospital. I was cleared for duty, even though I told them I was retiring. Is this really necessary?" Despite his banter about nurses, Harrison had no desire to be poked and prodded some more.
"I understand how you feel, major, but you're going to need an exam and inoculations before you go to the other side."
Harrison sighed. "Yes, sir." How can they give me an inoculation against something that we've never encountered? More bureaucratic bullshit.
"The corporal outside the door will escort you to your quarters. Someone will be down from the infirmary shortly. I'll have the additional information delivered ASAP. Dismissed."
"Sir."
The corporal waiting patiently outside the office saluted Harrison as he exited. She was regular army.
"At ease, corporal."
"Corporal Lange, sir. Can I take that for you, sir?" she asked.
"No, thank you. I've got it." She bristled slightly at that, and he smiled. "I don't let anyone carry my gear, corporal. It has nothing to do with your gender."
Project Brimstone Page 4
