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Area 51, Groom Lake, Nevada
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“Good afternoon, sir.” Simms snapped off a curt salute and looked at Shannon. “Miss Flynn,” he said.
“Hello, Simms,” Shannon said. “Have a seat.”
“Why is she here?” Simms said, looking at Shannon. “I thought this was about the incident.”
“It is,” Cagney said, settling back in his chair. He eased his .45 out of its holster beneath the desk. “I have something for you to listen to.”
Betty reached over and turned on the tape recorder. Jeff’s’ voice poured out into the room. Simms looked away.
“We traced this to your house,” Cagney said. “Explanation required.”
“What is this crap?” Simms snarled. “These people make some trick recording to set me up and what, you believe it? What’s wrong with you, General?”
“Start talking. Now.”
“About what?” Simms yelled, vaulting to his feet. “You people are insane! That isn’t me, and I can prove it. When was this made?”
“Yesterday,” Betty said. “And nobody said it was you on the tape.”
“You got nothing!” Simms yelled. He reached for something inside his jacket, and Cagney jumped up. He didn’t even hesitate; he shot Simms twice in the chest. Simms collapsed, dead on the spot.
“Great,” Shannon said as she checked for a pulse. “Now what the hell do we do? He can’t talk to us now.” Cagney stepped around his desk and reached inside Simms’ tunic. He pulled out a .357 Magnum pistol.
“You wouldn’t be talking either if I let him pull this,” he said. He motioned for the guards on the other side of the glass to come in. “Get him out of here,” Cagney said. “Dump him in the desert.”
“That’s it?” Shannon said. “You dump him in the desert?”
“Why, you want to pay to have him buried?” Cagney grinned. “Fuck him. He has no family and he has no file. He doesn’t exist. Nobody here exists. I never liked him anyway,” he shrugged as he straightened his uniform. “Good shooting, huh, Flynn? Two right in the ticker.”
“Yeah, great marksmanship, from five feet away. Now what the fuck do we do? That caller said that shit is planted and ready to go off even if he’s dead, in case you didn’t notice.”
“Oops,” Cagney said. “My bad. Maybe you’d rather take a .357 in the head, huh?”
“You fucking dummy,” Shannon sighed. “Trigger happy bastards, all of you. Shoot the only guy who we can get information from. Why didn’t you get him in the leg, then we could stand here being happy, questioning him?”
“Cut the shit, Flynn,” Cagney growled. “You and that fucking movie never should have been made. Either one of you.”
“Then who’d do your job, you idiot? You got some balls, Cagney. Five million people are dead because you didn’t do your job. Wanna explain that to the president?”
“Nobody could have foreseen this,” Cagney said. “Besides, the count is still right. How could Simms get nukes out of here when all the nukes are still here?”
“They aren’t all still here,” Tyler piped up. “There are six missing. They’ve been replaced by dummies. And I don’t mean your personnel. Count on it. You start checking those weapons, and you’ll discover how this was done.”
“Son of a bitch!” Cagney screamed. “Guard! Open that fucking door.” The glass door slid open. “Let’s go.”
“But sir, you....”
“Shut up!” Cagney roared. He headed for the elevator. Five minutes later, they were in the arms room.
“Good God,” Betty whispered. “This is the end of mankind in one room.”
“Yeah, and don’t think we’d still be here if some of the assholes in the rest of this shitty world had this crap. Carlisle!” he yelled. The major came out of his office.
“Yes, General?”
“You remember her?” Cagney said, jerking a thumb towards Shannon.
“Who could forget her,” Carlisle grinned. “What’s up, sir?”
“Lock this place down and do an inspection. Every weapon, head to toe. Look for discrepancies.”
“What kind?”
“Fakes,” Cagney said.
“Jesus,” Carlisle whispered. “Don’t tell me.”
“I’m telling you,” Cagney said.
“Does Colonel Simms know about this?”
“Simms is dead,” Cagney said. “I shot him in my office. He was behind this. Now get to it.”
“Yes, sir.” Carlisle ran off and started throwing orders at his men.
“I like him,” Shannon said. “He almost died when I flashed him with a panty shot. Good man.”
“You would think that,” Cagney said. “Shows what you’re made of.”
“So, can we see Nancy?”
“No,” Cagney grinned. He stopped and stared at Ann and Betty. “You people get off on this, don’t you? UFOs, aliens, and all the shit you see on the Discovery Channel. How would you like to see the real side of what’s out there? Follow me. Just remember, you never saw this. You mention a word of this and I’ll have you taken out. I can do it, too.”
“He can,” Shannon said. “But he won’t.”
They rode the elevator and got out in a place Shannon recognized. “Follow the green line,” she said.
“Oh boy, this is what I always wanted,” Ann said eagerly.
“Be careful what you wish for,” Shannon said as she swiped the door. It hissed open and they went in. Ann looked around at the gloomy room and shrugged.
“So? I don’t see anything.”
Cagney hit the lights and Ann gasped in horror. She backed up until she hit the wall.
“Let’s go,” Cagney said. “I’ll introduce you.” He grabbed Ann by the hand and dragged her over to the first cylinder on the right. “This piece of work was scooped up in Arizona in 1986 after it fried six Air Force personnel with some sort of death ray. We hit it with 5,000 volts of electricity, and it’s been pretty calm ever since. Care to dance with it?”
The thing stared at Ann with lifeless eyes. It looked like a pig crossed with an Aardvark, covered in scales. Its feet, or what passed for feet, ended in giant razor like claws. It squirmed fitfully and emitted a green substance from something that looked like a penis.
“I think he likes you,” Shannon giggled.
“Fuck me,” Ann said. “Get me out of here.”
“Not yet,” Cagney said, and dragged her over to the left side of the room. He shoved her toward the partitioned off area. “Meet Larry,” he said. “Stay back ten feet.”
Ann stared in amazement at the thing in the cylinder. It opened a lazy eye, then went back to what appeared to be a sleep stage. Betty walked over, her mouth hanging open. She fingered a crucifix at her neck.
“No,” she whispered. “This can’t be. Nothing can be this evil.”
The thing in the cylinder saw Betty and started to thrash and scream. The cylinder rocked wildly, and the chain holding the thing strained to its limit.
“Get out now!” Cagney screamed. Everyone bolted for the door. Cagney slammed it shut and collapsed against it in a sweat. “I told you to stay back,” he gasped.
“What do you think about aliens now, Coleman?” Shannon said. “Cute little bastard, huh.”
“I......I don’t know. What is that thing? Where could something like that come from?”
“Kentucky,” Shannon giggled.
“Nobody knows and nobody cares,” Cagney said. “Now forget you ever saw it, or I’ll throw you in that room and open the cylinder.”
“Yeah, Coleman,” Shannon said. “I think he’d make a hell of a date for you. I doubt you could wear him out, no matter how horny and frustrated you are. Don’t wait too long though, he isn’t long for this world.”
“What’s that mean?” Cagney said.
“Nothing. Just thinking out loud again. Pay no mind.”
“You have no mind,” Cagney said. “Let’s get upstairs. You people are getting on my nerves.”
“Nancy,” Shannon said.
“No. Not today,” Cagney said. “Let her be.”
“She could be the answer,” Shannon said, wandering off the green line. “I want to see her again. You owe me.”
“Okay, for the love of Pete, let’s go. Why am I even here.”
“Because you are the only person who’s willing to do this,” Shannon said. “You have a great responsibility. Don’t default on it.”