BlackStar, page 25
His team had eaten all of their meals down here and even slept on cots for the past eight days. He wanted to take a hot shower and feel clean again. Finally he decided that enough was enough and he gathered his team together.
“Look. I don’t know about you, but I want a shower and a decent bed to sleep in. I’m going to go up to my quarters and clean up and eat like a real person. If any of you want to come with me, feel free to do so. If you don’t, you can stay here. I, for one, am tired of being stuck here with nothing to do,” he said and headed for the elevator.
One by one they followed him. They were all able to fit into the freight elevator. It was not as fast as the UC elevator but speed was not their main concern. Once they reached Level–5 they scattered to their respective pods. Gimbel took a shower, shaved and put on fresh clothes. He was preparing a meal when his door buzzer went off. As he opened the door a fist slammed into his chest taking, him by total surprised. It knocked him backward and onto the floor.
He tried to speak but nothing came out. The general was standing over him with a look of rage on his face. He reached down and pulled the doctor up his shirt, tearing it in the process.
“You stupid son-of-a-bitch. What the hell are you trying to do? I told you to stay down on Level-10 until I said it was okay. This doesn’t look like Level-10 to me, does it to you?” he screamed at Gimbel.
“General I…”
“Don’t you interrupt me you weasel. By God, when I tell someone to do something they had damn well better do it. I don’t give a crap who you think you are. This is my base and you will do what I say, when I say it. Do you understand me?”
Gimbel struggled to get out of the grip of the general, ripping his shirt more.
“I am not in the military general. You do not ‘command’ me. I am here because I want to be,” he shouted at the general with more courage than he expected.
“You listen to me,” the general said, his face red and his fists balled up, “You get this straight doctor. You may not be in the military but I can damn sure make you disappear off the face of the earth. I’ve done it before and I damn sure don’t mind doing it again. You get your team together and get your asses back down to Level-10. I just had the BlackStar taken down there and guess what? No one was home. I want you down there in thirty minutes, comprehend?” he said, unclenching his fist.
“General. We were all dirty, tired and ready for a real meal. The crap you had sent down was just that, crap. If you expect us to stay down on L-10, you had better get us better food, facilities to clean up in and something besides a damn cot to sleep on. That is unless you intend to make us all disappear, along with the program that controls the BlackStar,” Gimbel said.
He wasn’t sure were the courage was coming from but he wasn’t going to back down now.
“Is that a threat?”
“A fact, general. I am the only one who knows how to load the program, the proper sequences, and codes. The only one, do you understand what I’m saying? If anyone else even so much as attempts to enter the data, it is programmed to self-destruct. If something happens to me you will find yourself back at square one. Unless you want to wait a few more years for someone to figure out what I have done, I suggest …no, I am telling you outright, get off my ass and leave me alone until I am ready to have the men return.”
The general tightened his fists again and the muscles in his jaws were twitching but he didn’t say anything.
“Now, if you will excuse me general, I intend to have a good home cooked meal before I head back to L-10,” Gimbel said, turning and walking toward the kitchen area.
“Just round up your people and have them get back down there when you’re done. I’ll make arrangements for better food, cleaning facilities, and regular bedding,” the general said as he was leaving.
Gimbel didn’t bother to reply.
~~
When Raymond woke up he looked at his watch. It was 12:45 p.m. He had been asleep for almost six hours. He dressed and grabbed some lunchmeat from the refrigerator to make a quick sandwich. He ate three sandwiches and drank two Diet Cokes. No breakfast or lunch had made him ravenous. After putting the plate in the dishwasher, he grabbed a heavy jacket and headed for the Hummer.
A different vehicle was parked there and the other one had been taken away. This one had a hardtop rather than canvas. He wished he had had this one last night. He threw the jacket in the back seat, just in case he ever got caught out in the desert at night again. He drove over to the main hanger and stopped by to discover the latest developments on the Su-11 crash. Dr. Dean took him to the simulator and went through the same narrative as before with Devin.
“So what happens now?”
“Well, once Lockheed decides how to affect the necessary changes on the Su-12, it will be flown out to here for final fitting, development and eventually deployment. We are hoping that it will be ready to replace the current shuttle fleet within two to three years. While the initial cost is higher, the payback is tremendous. By the tenth flight it will actually be turning a profit rather than costing the government money. That is just something that doesn’t happen very often,” he told Eller.
“That really is something. I’m glad to see you are back on track and ready to move forward again,” he said as he left.
Driving back to S-4 he started looking for something that resembled a hump but every mountain pretty much looked the same to him. The last thing he wanted to do was ask one of the guards or MP’s. He was sure it would get back to the general if he did.
After clearing security he walked over to Bay-1 to see if Lynn was there. She was standing, talking to several of her team members, when he approached.
“Good morning, did you make it back alright last night,” she asked when they were alone.
“Let’s just say it was interesting. Someone shot out my windshield when I was heading back,” he said, skipping the part about being lost.
“Oh my God. Did you get hurt?” she said, looking his face over.
“No, I had just stepped out of the Hummer to make sure I was going in the right direction when the shot was fired,” he replied.
“Thank God for that. Did you report this?”
“I told Devin. He seems to think it could have been a shot intended for a coyote that ricocheted and struck the windshield.”
“Honestly, I can believe that. The coyotes are destructive and have even wandered onto the landing strip. They try to keep them out but if one gets in, they usually shoot it,” she said.
“I suppose that makes sense. It was just a bit of a shock to have your windshield shot out at 1:00 a.m. in the middle of the desert.”
“Yes, it can be dangerous out here at night,” she said and smiled.
“So, what are you up to today?”
“We are going to bolt the reactor onto a larger platform with directional control nozzles and see if we can make some progress in trying to get this thing off the ground. We still have a long way to go but now we can start trying to develop a practical way of controlling the flux field,” she explained.
“Well, I want to check out a couple of the other levels. What about if I come by and we do dinner again, as they say?” Raymond asked.
“Who actually says that? Anyway, the answer is yes. Whenever you’re ready come by and grab me and we can go over to the mess hall or to my pod and have a bite to eat. It may not be quite as fancy as last night, however,” Lynn replied.
“Sounds great. The mess hall will work for me if it does for you. I’ll try to make it around 6:30 p.m. I want to head back before dark tonight,” he said.
Raymond headed down to Level-2 and went through the screening process again. When he stepped into the room, J was sitting up in the chair. He was looking at him with those enormous black eyes. Raymond walked up to the glass and placed his hands on it and closed his eyes. J just continued to watch him.
“J, can you read my thoughts,” he said, in his mind, but nothing came in reply.
“J, if you can hear me, raise your hand,” he said, concentrating as hard as he could. Still nothing.
“J, I want to find out what the general is up to. Can you help me?”
Again, nothing. Damn, the thought, I don’t know why I thought this would work but it was worth a shot. He opened his eyes and J was in the exact same position, unblinking and apparently emotionless. He headed back out through security and decided to go to Level-5.
J had watched as the human approached. He seemed at peace and calm, nothing like the anger in the human in charge. He watched as he placed his hands on the cubical wall and closed his eyes.
“J, can you read my thoughts?”
“J, if you can hear me raise your hand.”
“J, I want to find out what the general is up to. Can you help me?”
“Damn, it was worth a shot”.
He watched as he left the lab. Yes human, I can hear you but I cannot let you know that yet. When the time is right, I will summon you and then we will have a dialogue.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Raymond had decided to find an empty place where he could stay the night in the event he ever stayed after dark again. He was just exiting the elevator and encountered a group of scientists waiting to get on.
“Hi, would any of you happen to know if there are any empty facilities on this level?” he asked.
“I believe so, but you need to check with Major Keller. He handles the assignment of facilities on Level–5,” one of the men told him. Major Keller. He is located where?”
“He is over at the main base in the Headquarters Building. His office is just across the street from the big Base Supply and Administration Building.
“Thank you,” he said and read the name tag on one of the men that said:
Dr. C.K. Gimbel
Ultra Top Secret
LEVEL – 9
“Hello Dr. Gimbel. I have been looking forward to meeting you. I’m Raymond Eller,” he said extending his hand.
“Oh, yes. I’ve heard of you Mr. Eller,” he said, shaking his hand.
“Listen, Dr. Gimbel, I would like to ask you a few questions about the project you are working on.”
”What project would that be?”
“Well, that’s one of the things I want to know. What project is your team working on? I see you have clearance to Level – 9, but I didn’t find anything on that level,” Eller said.
“Dr. Gimbel,” one of the others in the group said. He quickly glanced at his watch.
“Mr. Eller, I would be more than happy to discuss my assignment at another time. We are on our way to attend a very important meeting and I simply must run. We are almost late as it is,” he said stepping on to the elevator.
“When would be a good time for me to look you up?” Eller asked, but the door was already closing.
Damn, he thought, I should have just got on the elevator and followed them to their meeting. He went to the phone that was on the wall at every level and looked up the number on the posted list of offices and services at the base. He dialed the 313 number listed for Major Keller.
“Major Keller’s Office, how may I assist you?”
“This is Raymond Eller. I’m over at S-4 on Level-5 and I was trying to find out if there are any available facilities that I might use. I got caught out in the dark the other night and don’t want to have to repeat that again. Is anything available over here?”
“Can you hold a minute?”
“Sure.”
A few seconds later a different person came on the line.
“Mr. Eller. This is Major Keller. We have four empty billets available for your use. Let’s see, 5 – 118, 5 – 122, 5 – 141 and 5 – 144. The last unit, 5 – 144, is the farthest from the elevator so you might want to consider the first two billets,” the major said.
“All right. I guess 5 – 118 is as good as any. How do I access the room?”
“Go down to the billet, the number is on a plaque on the door. On the left hand side of the door you will find a place to swipe your badge. Do that first. Right under that you will find a square screen, about ten inches by ten inches. Place your right hand flat against the screen. A light will scan your fingers and palm. The door will open. It will only open for you from that point on. Give me a few minutes before you do that so I can clear out any data that may be stored for that billet,” he told Eller.
“Got it. Do I need to swipe my card each time and do the print thing too?”
“That is correct. It is a double safety feature,” the major told him.
“Thank you Major Keller. You have been most helpful,” Eller said and hung up.
He walked down the corridor and passed Lynn’s pod. His was just a little further down the hall. He noticed that none of them had names on the doors, just the numbers. Just another safety feature he suspected. He took his time and finally arrived at B – 118. He followed the instructions and the door clicked open. He turned on the lights and took a quick look around. All he would need to do was bring a few of his possessions from the officer’s quarters and stash them here, so a repeat of last night’s misadventure could be avoided.
The quarters weren’t much different from Lynn’s, but it smelled musty from not being used; other than that, it would do quite nicely. He left and went back up to Level–1. It was going on 3:30 p.m. and he decided he would take a drive to see what was around the S-4 area.
The sun was hot as he drove the Hummer south, following the Papoose Mountains. It was not a big range, only a few miles long before they started to give way to hills and eventually desert. He came to a V in the road that led off in two different directions.
Looking at his map, he decided to take the one that went off to the right. It would take him around to the back side of the Papoose Mountains toward Gate 700. He had gone about two miles when he saw a side road leading off to his right. He stopped and looked at his map but found it wasn’t listed. He turned and headed down the dusty road.
Three quarters of a mile later it came to an end. There was a concrete slab with a huge tube and grated cover in the side of the mountain protected by several rows of razor wire. It almost looked like a tunnel. Eller got out of the Hummer and walked up to the wire. It obviously ran deep in the mountain but what purpose did it serve? He picked up a handful of sand and tossed it in the air and watched as the cloud of sand and dust was sucked towards the opening. It was a fresh air supply line, but for what, he wondered? He noticed a door beside the tunnel and a card swipe reader was next to it. So how did they get through the wire to even swipe the card?
He looked around the razor wire perimeter but could see no way in. He went back to the Hummer and circled where he thought it was located on his map. He drove back to the main road and a mile later he came to another unmarked road leading off toward the mountains. He found the same thing at the end of this road as well and he marketed it on his map. It was repeated two more times until he came to the fifth unmarked road.
At the end of this road was one enormous pipe, larger than the other two put together. He didn’t have to guess what this was. He could feel the air coming from some source inside the mountain. He studied the map and realized that all of the tunnels were on the backside of where the S-4 facility was located. They must be the fresh air inlets and exhaust.
He sniffed the air but noticed no real discernible odor. It had have a very effective filtering system to eliminate all of the cooking and other smells generated by the people and machinery operating at the various levels. When he headed back to the main road this time, a white Jeep Cherokee was parked across the exit. The two men in the Jeep got out and slowly walked over to his Hummer.
“You’re Mr. Eller, right?” one of the guards asked.
“That’s right. I have my badge right here,” holding it out the window so they could see it clearly.
“Where are you headed Mr. Eller?”
“Actually, I’m not sure. I was just exploring the general area,” he replied.
“You know that can be dangerous. You are heading toward the bombing target area and once they release their bombs, well, you become dead meat,” he said leaning against the window with his arm on the roof.
“I didn’t realize I was that close,” Eller said, looking down at the map.
“It’s only a few miles further up the road. That may seem like a long way off, but every once in a while, a bomb hangs up and releases late. In seconds it can pass the range and land almost any place,” he said.
“I see. Well, thank you for letting me know. I think I have gone far enough anyway. It’s starting to get late and I should get back.”
“Yeah. This is a bad place to get caught out at night. All kinds of things can happen. A person could accidentally get shot at night out here,” he said, stepping back.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good thing to do,” the guard said.
Eller waited until they moved before turning left back on the main road. He drove back to the S-4 facility and sat studying the map. He was sure that the tunnels he had found were connected to this facility somehow. He decided it was time to check-in with the President and his office.
He took the elevator to Level–5 and went to his new ‘pod’. He hated the fact that cell phones could not be used in Nellis Range area. All cell phones were strictly prohibited.
The claim was that it could cause potential problems for aircraft and other high security equipment. It was more likely so they could monitor the calls, he decided. He dialed the special White House number he had been given and he was immediately put through to the President.
“Raymond, how’s it going out in sunny Nevada?” he asked.
“Couldn’t be better. I have a healthy tan from lying around the pool and sipping margaritas all day.”
“Well, maybe I should come out and visit myself,” he joked.
