| |
FALLON, NEVADA:
Okana turns off the pavement onto a well-maintained gravel road across the desert, and twenty minutes later, they stop at a two-story security building. Ten-foot tall barbed wire fences stretch out across the desert on either side. ESSEX SPACE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION is stated in large, stainless steel letters above the covered checkpoint into the compound. When they stop their vehicle, Okana rolls down his window for the private security guard. Alex thinks it odd they are dressed in SWAT gear.
Sam Kirby steps out of the air-conditioned guard shack and lowers his head to look inside the sedan. “Can I help you?”
“We’re here to see Mister Essex,” Okana tells him.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but tell him his good friends, Alex Cave and Okana are here to see him.”
Sam straightens from the window. “Can I get your first name, Mister Okana?”
Okana gives Alex a smirk before looking up at the guard. “That is my first and my last name.”
Sam stares back evenly. “Are you trying to be a smartass?” When Okana shrugs his shoulders, Sam is about to tell them to get the hell out of here when the phone in the shack rings. He steps inside to answer it.
When Sam steps into the small building, Alex looks at Okana. “His good friends?”
“I’m just trying to be civilized before I torture Mister Essex.”
Sam returns to the vehicle. “Go straight past the hangars and turn right at the main building. He’s waiting in his office on the first floor.”
Okana steps on the accelerator. “That was easy.”
Alex notices a basketball court against the end of a small barracks building, with several white SUV security vehicles in close proximity. “Let’s look around before we visit our friend.”
When they turn the corner at the hangar, the massive doors are partially open, and what they see inside would make anyone stop. In the middle of the huge room are four, fifteen-foot long sections of what appears to be living accommodations during space travel.
When Okana shuts off the engine, Alex starts to climb out for a closer look. An armed guard in the same SWAT gear walks around the hangar door and steps up to Alex’s side of their car. Alex slowly closes his door and rolls down his window instead. The man’s nametag reads Coburn. “Those habitats got my attention. Mind if we look around, Officer Coburn?”
The guard gives him a cold stare. “State your business.”
Alex smiles. “We’re actually here to see a friend of ours. Maybe you know him. John Essex.” He waits for a change in the guard’s expression, but the big man stares back evenly.
“Is that a fact? Well, you won’t find him in here, so just keep moving.”
“No problem. We’ll be on our way.”
Okana starts the engine and continues toward the main building. When he looks in the rearview mirror, Coburn is staring after them while speaking into a radio. “He sure was cheerful. I think he’s calling his friends.”
“He had an Army Ranger tattoo on his arm.”
Okana looks over at Alex. “Do you think he’s a mercenary?”
“Essex is more involved than he’s leading us to believe. Let’s push him a little and see what happens. Drive around and check things out before we’re asked to stop.”
Okana turns off the main road toward several more hangars spaced along one side of the runway. Alex sees a long, elevated platform, about six-feet wide, covered with plastic tarps. It extends out from the last hangar and parallels the runway for at least a mile. When they turn around, he sees three glass spires grouped together on top of the main building.
Okana slams on the brakes when a security vehicle suddenly pulls out in front of him. He looks over at Alex. “Uh-oh, this should be interesting.”
Coburn climbs out of the vehicle and Okana rolls down his window when he approaches. “I got a little lost. I’m trying to find Mister Essex’s office.”
Coburn stares back coldly. “You’re a funny man. Ha. Ha. Pull this shit again and I’ll arrest you two for trespassing.”
Okana smiles back and turns to Alex. “I get the feeling that our new friend.” He looks up at Coburn. “What was your first name?”
Coburn draws his pistol and holds it at his side. It’s all he can do to keep from reaching inside and grabbing the visitor’s throat.
Okana lets the moment hang. “Okay. Not a problem. Now be a good boy and show us the way.” He smirks when he sees the fury in Coburn’s eyes.
Coburn grits his teeth, stifling the urge to blow the man’s head off. “Follow me. And no more funny business.”
Okana looks at Alex while waiting for Coburn to get into his car. “I think he’s starting to like me.”
“You’ve always had a way with people, Okana.”
Okana follows his new friend to the main research and development building, and waves to him as he climbs out.
Alex notices another entrance farther along the walkway and sees that Coburn is still sitting in his patrol car, waiting for them to enter the building. He goes inside and steps up to the young woman behind the counter. “I’m Alex Cave, and this is Okana. Mister Essex is expecting us.”
“Yes, he’s waiting for you. Go to the end of the hall and turn right. He’s straight through the door at the end.”
“Thank you.” He turns and heads down the hallway, with Okana at his side.
Essex looks up when his office door opens, but his eyes go wide when Okana continues around the desk and shoves him in his chair against the back wall.
Alex closes the door, sits on the edge of the desk, and stares at Essex. “This is a nice set up. You even have living accommodations. Very nice. I want Sloan to turn off the device and give it to me.”
“First, I want to tell you it wasn’t until we landed back in the States that I realized she had it. Then the stupid bitch decided to turn it on. I warned her not to do it. Once she turned it on, birds started falling from the sky and I begged her to turn it off. When she couldn’t figure it out, I asked her to call you for help, but she refused. Now the damned thing is still out in the desert running. I’m telling you, this was all Sloan’s fault.”
Alex sighs in frustration. “How long has it been running?”
“Since yesterday. I’ve been so worried that the device might cause a plane to crash. I know you have connections, and I was hoping you could figure out how to turn it off.”
“Why the hell didn’t you call me?”
“Sloan threatened to cut off my balls if I told you. You know how she is. She’s crazy.”
“How powerful is the device?”
“I have no idea, but it seems to only affect things directly above it. All we saw were the birds smashing into the ground around us, but only if they flew above the device.”
Alex stares coldly at Essex. “Fine. Take us out to the test site so we can see what we’re up against.”
Essex shakes his head no. “I’m not going near that thing. It’s easy to find, and I’ll tell you how to get there.”
“I thought you said it didn’t affect you, as long as you weren’t directly above it.”
“True, but I’m still not going with you. That thing scares the hell out of me. I can give you directions, but that’s the best I can do.”
When Essex finishes, Alex stares at him. “If it’s not there, I’m coming back here and tearing this place apart.”
“I’m telling you the truth, Alex. I want it shut down just as much as you do.”
When they leave the building, Okana notices that Coburn is still sitting in his patrol car. He looks at Alex and grins. “Do you think I should go over and say hello?”
“No, he’s going to follow us, anyway. Just wave when we leave him at the gate.”
When the door closes behind his two unexpected visitors, Essex opens his desk drawer, grabs a bottle of Black Velvet whiskey he stashed inside for emergencies, and pours a hefty amount into a glass. After a large swallow, he leans back and stares at the ceiling. This won’t end well.
***
Okana drives the rental car along a single lane dirt road across the desert for two hours. His training as an operative kicks in, and if they were on a CIA mission, he sees the perfect place for an ambush up ahead. For nearly ten miles on his side of the road, there is a steep incline, with a matching downgrade on the other.
Thirty minutes later, they reach the test area and climb out. Avoiding the bird carcasses scattered randomly in a wide circle around the area, they slowly approach a large block of concrete with a small, mirrored box in the middle.
Okana sees two charred craters a short distance from the concrete block. “I’ll bet one of those is what’s left of the missing satellite.”
“It’s hard to believe that little box can harness so much power.” Alex picks up a stone and hurls it above the device. It’s ripped from the air, hitting the ground on the other side.
“When we get a good phone signal, I’ll call Donner and confirm that the device is the cause of the satellites dropping out of orbit. It looks like it’s the cause of the moon moving closer, too. I’ll need to talk to David and the Doc about this type of control system. They’re the most knowledgeable people on the planet when it comes to this type of technology.” He gives Okana a conspiratorial grin. “Would you be interested in a trip down to Area 51?”
“Oh, hell yeah.”
It seems a long drive back, and as they near Reno, Alex finally has phone reception and calls Director Donner. “We found the device, but we can’t turn it off. It’s pulling birds out of the sky, Martin, and we found the burnt up remains of the satellite. I think it would be wise for you to tell the FAA to detour all flights around that area. Okana and I need to talk to our friends at Groom Lake. Someone there might know how this device operates.”
“David and Henry are still on the island. It sounds like they’re getting close to figuring out how to fly the spaceship. I’ll arrange for a company plane to pick you up at the Fallon Naval Air Station and fly you up to our Adak station. From there, a helicopter will take you to the island. Good luck, Alex.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep you updated.”
Alex looks over at Okana. “I’m sorry, my friend, but we aren’t going to Area 51.”
“I knew it was too good to be true. Did he say why I couldn’t go there?”
“Yes, he did. We’re going to meet everyone at the spaceship. Who knows, maybe we might even get a ride back to Nevada, if they can get it working.”
Okana grins. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”