Red to Fade

by Red to Fade (epub)

  Gragon responds, “I’ll gather the rest of the group.” Gragon sees Connor peeping through the window. Gragon signals with his hand to Connor to come out of the room.

  Connor turns around to Dylan and Gabrielle and says, “I want everyone to stay alert and be prepared to draw your guns as quickly as possible. This could be a setup. Okay, let’s go.”

  For a brief moment Dylan and Gabrielle look at each other with worried expressions. Connor, Dylan and Gabrielle exit the room and walk over to the RBM. Dylan, Connor and Gabrielle get in the back, while Gragon and Tizer get in the front. Tizer starts the RBM, drives out of the motel car park and heads for the CSB-R1 base. The CSB-R1 base is in the First Dome, thirty miles away from the city. There is a thirty-mile road between the base and the city.

  *

  There is a red desert on both sides of the thirty-mile road that leads to the CSB-R1 base. At the end of the road you take a left onto another road that leads to the entrance doors of the CSB-R1 base. Joel has an agent stationed in an apartment in a building called Glace View, which is close to the road that leads to the CSB-R1 base. The apartment building was named Glace View because you get a great view of the glacitone window panels of the glacitone dome.

  The name of the agent stationed in the apartment is Ted Baker. Joel has Ted watching the CSB-R1 base 24/7 with a pair of hi-tech binoculars. Ted is able to communicate with Joel at all times using a Sound Comm. Minutes later after leaving the motel in the RBM, Tizer is now getting close to the CSB-R1 base. Ted sees an RBM approaching the base with his binoculars.

  Ted says, “Joel, I see an RBM approaching the CSB-R1 base.”

  *

  Tizer slows the RBM down, getting ready to stop at the entrance of the CSB-R1 base. Now that Connor is at the entrance of the CSB-R1 base his paranoid thinking has stopped. Throughout the journey from the motel to the base Connor has had his hand placed on his stomach, getting ready to draw out his gun from his holster to shoot the first person that tries to kill him. The CSB-R1 base has a glacitone wall surrounding the entire compound, just like in the R-1 file. The glacitone wall surrounding the compound is the height of a skyscraper building. The CSB-R1 base has entrance doors that allow vehicles and soldiers to travel in and out of the base.

  There is a glacitone wall above the entrance doors. The RBM stops in front of the doors. There are guards behind the entrance doors in a small security booth with electronic equipment. There is a camera in the corner of a glacitone wall on the right-hand side of the entrance doors; the camera can see footage of the outside of the base. Tizer contacts the guards with a radio communicator that is installed in the dashboard of the RBM.

  A CSB-R1 soldier always has to give an ID number and password in order for the guards to open the entrance doors. Tizer tells the guards his ID number and password. Tizer’s ID and password are verified. The guards open the entrance doors and allow the RBM to go inside the base. As soon as the RBM is inside the base the guard closes the doors.

  *

  Ted says, “The RBM is now inside the CSB-R1 base.”

  Meanwhile, back in the Hilton Hotel, Joel, Charles, Johnson and Edmund are in the room that looks like a workplace of a Federal Bureau Investigation division.

  All of a sudden Edmund stands up and speaks with excitement. “I did it! I’m in the CSB-R1 base network. I can officially fuck the CSB-R1 base in the anal region.”

  Joel asks, “Can you disable their communication systems?”

  Edmund says, “I sure can.”

  Joel says, “OK, do it.”

  Edmund disables the communication systems of the CSB-R1 base by using the Clojan Beast software on his computer. Now nobody from the base can contact anybody.

  Joel enquires, “Ted, are the doors of the CSB-R1 base open?”

  Ted replies, “No, sir, they’re closed.”

  Joel orders, “Edmund, I need you to lock the entrance doors of the CSB-R1 base and prevent anyone from opening them.”

  Edmund says, “Yes, sir.”

  Edmund uses Clojan Beast and locks the entrance doors of the CSB-R1 base, and installs encryption and programming codes into the base network, preventing anyone from opening the doors.

  Charles questions Joel, “Do you think they know what’s about to happen?”

  Joel answers, “Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. I don’t give a fuck, I just want to download the DC file and get the hell out of here, go back home and get my reward.”

  Charles says, “What are you going to do with your reward money?”

  Joel says, “I’m going to move to the Philippines, to build a brothel. I’m going to call my brothel the Fuck Bunker.”

  Charles says, “Sounds cool.”

  Charles doesn’t know what to think after hearing what Joel just said. He isn’t sure whether Joel is actually serious or if he’s just taking the piss.

  Joel enquires, “Edmund, are you definitely sure that the DC file can’t be downloaded remotely?”

  Edmund responds, “The DC file that’s inside the glacitone file hive can only be downloaded manually.”

  *

  The RBM is driving on a road inside the base; to the left of the road are CSB-R1 buildings and steel watchtowers that have huge lights attached that add light to the base. There are armed guards in every watchtower. To the right of the road are more steel watchtowers and a road that leads to a huge car park filled with cars that are owned by Clandarian soldiers. Beside the car park is an outdoor training ground for Clandarian soldiers to do physical and vehicle training. There are currently some soldiers suited up in grey-green uniforms doing some physical training in the training ground.

  There are some earthling soldiers that work in the CSB-R1 base as well.

  The RBM turns left at a left-hand road corner and is now driving on a road that leads to an intersection. The RBM reaches the intersection. On each side of the road there are more CSB-R1 buildings and watchtowers. The watchtowers are near the buildings. Some of the buildings that have lights on add light to the base.

  The road leads to a spacecraft hangar. The spacecraft hangar is huge, with ten spacecraft inside. There is also a spacecraft tower close to the hangar. The spacecraft tower is similar to an airport tower. The road on the right of the intersection leads to the two file hive buildings. On each side of the road to the right there are more CSB-R1 buildings and watchtowers with armed guards. The road that leads to the two file hive buildings is huge and miles long. The road that leads to the two file hive buildings is the width of an eight-lane superhighway.

  This place has a lot of security. CSB-R1 buildings are used for many different purposes; as places where soldiers can sleep and do indoor training, and for the storage of RBMs and weapons. The RBM turns right and heads for the two file hive buildings. There are soldiers jogging on the road that leads to the file hive.

  The RBM finally arrives at the file hive buildings. The concrete file hive building is in front of the glacitone one. There is a three-sided glacitone wall that is attached to the sides of the two file hive buildings, just as was shown in the R-1 file. You must first go through the concrete file hive building entrance door to see inside the file hive buildings; this is the only way to gain access to the inside of the buildings. Tizer, Gragon, Dylan, Gabrielle and Connor exit the RBM and go inside the concrete building. There is a security guard at a desk near the entrance on the ground floor.

  The security guard is called Kabal, and knows Tizer.

  Tizer says, “Kabal, Commander Lanken ordered me to take Gragon and his crew up to the communication floor.”

  Kabal contacts Lanken by the Balaxian office phone that’s on the desk, to confirm Tizer’s orders. Lanken orders Kabal to let Tizer, Gragon and his crew go up to the communication floor. Kabal obeys Lanken’s commands; he hangs up the phone and tells Tizer, Gragon, Dylan, Gabrielle and Connor that they can go to the communication floor. They walk down the hallway behind the security desk, get inside an elevator and go up to the communication floor. />
  The communication floor looks like the inside of an airport tower. There are computers on computer desks and other types of hi-tech equipment. There are computer screens attached to the roof. It’s very busy as there are a lot of Balaxians working on computers and running around with notes. The communication systems are down and soldiers are trying to get them back online.

  Commander Lanken is walking around to different computer desks, seeing how his workers are getting on. Lanken is dressed in grey-green body armour. Tizer sees Lanken.

  He turns around to Gragon, Dylan, Gabrielle and Connor and says, “Follow me.”

  Tizer walks to Lanken. Gragon, Dylan, Gabrielle and Connor follow him.

  Tizer says to Lanken, “Here they are, sir.”

  Lanken says to Gragon, “You must be Gragon.”

  Gragon says, “Yes, I am.”

  Lanken asks, “Where did you get all of this information about DD-12, file hive and the DC file? This is all top-secret information.”

  Connor interrupts the conversation and says, “I got this information. I downloaded a file with all of this information from a server in the FBI LA branch.”

  Lanken says, “Who are you?”

  Connor says, “Connor Harper, FBI.”

  Lanken says, “Gragon said over the phone that there’s going to be an attack taking place on the CSB-R1 base. When and how is this going to happen?”

  Connor says, “I don’t know. On the file it just showed a map of the CSB-R1 base, the DD-12 rocket and Space Drill. From looking at the file, I think what they want to do is download the DC file from the file hive, get out of this city, then launch DD-12 on this dome and then, when they are able to create glacitone and an RB-7 robot, they will use Space Drill to destroy the Clandarian ships.”

  Lanken says, “That’s impossible. You people don’t have the equipment to build glacitone and RB-7 robots.”

  Connor says, “They do have the equipment. An agent recorded a meeting of Joel and his crew talking about having the equipment to build glacitone and RB-7 robots.”

  Lanken says, “Where is this agent now?”

  Connor says, “I don’t know, I think he might be dead.”

  Lanken says, “You say that they’re going to launch DD-12 at this planet. I’m telling you that’s not possible; DD-12 can only be launched manually from a Balaxian battleship in space. It can’t be launched remotely.”

  Connor says, “Well, I don’t know, maybe they thought of a way of launching DD-12 onto this city remotely.”

  Gabrielle says, “What does the DD of DD-12 stand for?”

  Lanken says, “It stands for Dome Destroyer. DD-12 can destroy glacitone domes.”

  Gabrielle says, “Why would you build a rocket that can destroy glacitone domes?”

  Lanken says, “On other planets far away from your solar system, there are glacitone domes owned by different morphian governments. All of the morphian governments built Dome Destroyer rockets for protection in case of war with each other. Clandarians use weapons to protect, however there are some morphian governments on different planets that use soldiers and weapons to conquer and take over energy resources of other countries. Our cultures aren’t that different from each other; humans and morphians always want more and they’ll go to any extreme to get it.”

  Connor says, “I don’t have a problem with people wanting more, but when people destroy other people to become rich that’s a problem.”

  Dylan asks Lanken, “Why have the file hive here? Why not keep it in one of your spaceships?”

  Lanken answers, “We do have a file hive on a spaceship, but we want to have a backup. If the spaceship with the file hive crashed or was destroyed in an attack and we didn’t have a backup our technology information would be lost.”

  Dylan asks, “Can files from the file hive be deleted or downloaded remotely?”

  Lanken replies, “No, files from the file hive can only be deleted or downloaded manually.”

  *

  Meanwhile, a Superdeal spacecraft transport ship has landed on the Red 1 runway and entered the planet transport station of the Glass Tomb. The Superdeal spacecraft transport ship has a logo on both sides saying Superdeal. Superdeal is a chain of supermarkets in America and in the glacitone domes. Superdeal send retail supplies to their supermarkets in the glacitone domes via their own private transport ships.

  Inside the planet transport station of the First Dome, there are engineers working hard refuelling and running diagnostic checks on spacecraft, making sure that none of them have any mechanical problems. After the Superdeal transport ship has come to a complete halt, the hatch at the back of the ship starts to open.

  As soon as the hatch touches the ground at an angle and stops opening, it becomes like a ramp, allowing vehicles to exit and enter the spacecraft transport ship. Two Superdeal trucks drive out of the ship and down the ramp, one after the other. There is a trailer connected to each Superdeal truck. The two trucks have a Superdeal logo on each side of the trailer.

  The two Superdeal trucks drive to the cargo security area. The cargo security area is where the cargo of vehicles is checked for anything illegal. The two Superdeal trucks are at the cargo security area now, one behind the other. The cargo security area has armed guards and a security booth. In the security booth are security guards at computers. There is also a guard who sits by the control panel machine, which is used to open the entrance doors of the vehicle glacitone tunnel that leads to the Glass Tomb.

  One guard, called Miclott, stands outside the security booth. Miclott is commanded to ask truck drivers with cargo for cargo papers. Miclott approaches the driver of the first Superdeal truck. The driver winds down his window.

  Miclott says, “Cargo papers, please.”

  In order to get a cargo into Red 1 you must have cargo papers. Cargo papers must give information about your cargo and an address of where the cargo is going. The driver gives Miclott the cargo papers. On the papers it says that the cargos of the two Superdeal trucks are retail supplies to be delivered to Superdeal supermarkets in the Big Rock. Miclott tells the driver of the first truck to drive into the cargo scanner. The cargo scanner is used to scan the cargo of trailers connected to vehicles. The cargo scanner looks like a huge baggage scanner. There is another guard called Hitana at the other end of the cargo scanner. The truck and trailer has been scanned. Hitana is told by a security guard via Sound Comm to let the truck driver drive forward out of the cargo scanner.

  Hitana signals the truck to move forward out of the scanner. Miclott tells the driver of the second truck to drive into the cargo scanner. The second truck and trailer has been scanned and Hitana is told to let the driver of the second truck out of the scanner. Hitana signals the second truck to move forward out of the cargo scanner.

  Another guard uses a Balaxian dog to sniff around the trailers of the two trucks for illegal substances. The dog has sniffed around the two trailers and cannot find anything illegal. The information from the cargo scanner goes to a computer in the security booth. A security guard called Ryclo checks the information on his computer.

  The information on the scan shows X-ray images of the retail boxes in the trailers of the Superdeal trucks. Ryclo is able to pan around the images. Miclott walks into the security booth and shows Ryclo and Sindar, the manager of cargo security, the cargo papers. Ryclo uses his computer and verifies the addresses given on the cargo papers, and Ryclo also verifies that there are retail boxes in the trailers of the SuperDeal trucks.

  Sindar decides not to open the trailers of the two Superdeal trucks to let the sniffer dogs go inside because he has seen the X-ray scans and found nothing illegal. Sindar never opens the trailer doors of Superdeal trailers. For many years Superdeal trailers filled with supplies have come into the Glass Tomb all the time and cargo security have never found anything illegal in a Superdeal trailer.

  Sindar tells Miclott, “The Superdeal trucks have passed the security test. Give the cargo papers back to the driver and tell
him we’re going to open the tunnel doors to let both of the trucks into the city.”

  Miclott says, “Affirmative.”

  Miclott walks out of the security booth and up to the driver who gave him the cargo papers. Miclott gives the driver the cargo papers and says, “You’ve passed the security test. Both of the trucks can go into the dome. The entrance doors to the glacitone tunnel will open soon.”

  The truck driver says, “Thanks.”

  The entrance doors to the glacitone tunnel that leads to the Glass Tomb start to open slowly. After the entrance doors are opened fully the first Superdeal truck drives into the glacitone tunnel. Miclott signals the second truck to drive into the tunnel as well. The second Superdeal truck also drives into the glacitone tunnel behind the first.

  *

  Minutes later, the Superdeal trucks are inside the Big Rock. The truck passenger beside the driver who gave Miclott the cargo papers is called Joshua Campbell. Joshua pulls out a planet communicator and dials a number. In his hotel room, Joel hears the hotel guest room phone ringing.

  Joel answers the phone. “Hello?”

  Joshua says, “Joel, it’s Joshua. We’re in. We have the RBM vehicles in the Superdeal trailers.”

  Joel says, “Excellent. Go to the meeting point and I’ll meet you there shortly.”

  Joel hangs up the phone. The Superdeal spacecraft transport ship loaded with Superdeal trucks isn’t a real Superdeal ship; it’s a USGTS disguised as a Superdeal ship. The Superdeal trucks aren’t Superdeal trucks, they’re trucks disguised to look like Superdeal trucks. In the trailers of the Superdeal trucks, there are black RBMs filled with agents who work for Joel. There are four RBMs in each trailer. The Superdeal truck drivers and Joshua are agents as well. The agents found a way to beat the cargo scanner that’s in PTS-R1.

  There are concrete walls surrounding the RBMs in the Superdeal trailers. There are also concrete walls at the end of the trailer, which are opposite the doors of the two Superdeal trailers. There are Superdeal supplies surrounding the concrete walls that are shielding the RBMs. The supply boxes are filled with coffee so that the sniffer dogs can smell coffee and nothing else. The cargo scanner is unable to scan through concrete or concrete powder. If you were to scan a metal box filled with equipment with the cargo scanner, the scanner would show an X-ray image of the equipment inside the box on a computer, but if you scanned a concrete box filled with equipment the cargo scanner wouldn’t show the equipment inside.