“If it will help, you can count me in Mr. President.”
“James, somehow I just knew you would say that. People like you give me faith in the country and the future,” Coaler said shaking his hand.
**
“Please don’t do this,” Linda said, holding on to James’ arm.
“Linda, I have to do it.”
“Why?”
“They have all these Secret Service people. Let one of them go,” she insisted.
“The President asked me specifically. He asked me to go Linda, he didn’t order me and I feel obligated to help in any way I can,” James replied.
“James what about us?”
He looked at her for a few seconds trying to find just the right words.
“Linda, our relationship has been based on fear and need to survive. You don’t really know anything about me. We have spent a month together but always in fear that our lives could end at any moment. We are safe for now but that may not be the case if we can’t defeat those ships. Don’t get me wrong. You are a beautiful woman and I think under the right circumstances we might find a lot of things we have in common but until this mess is figured out, I have to do what I can to help.”
“You are such a blockhead James. I’m practically saying ‘take me’ and you want to run off and play hero. I’ll give you this, you are one brave man but I need a man that I know I can count on as well. The President has his people. I want my man to come home to me,” she said.
“Linda, all I can say is that if it is meant to be, it will all work out,” he said leaning forward to give her a quick kiss.
The next thing she knew he was walking back to see the President. Damn fool.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
James and Beal hit it off instantly. They seemed to be cut from the same cloth.
“This isn’t easy,” Beal said.
“No cockpit window to speak of isn’t helping much either,” James agreed.
“According to the coordinates they gave me, we have to be near the place,” Beal replied.
“Just set it down or whatever you do with this contraption and I’ll get out and look around. You just sit here and don’t move under any circumstances,” James told him.
“It isn’t easy getting out of this thing.”
“I’ll manage.”
Beal set the plane down and James released the portal handle and slid his feet out hanging over the ground. The next thing he knew he landed on his butt on the hard ground and rocks.
“Shit,” he moaned and slowly got up.
He looked around and saw a partially standing fence and what once had been several buildings. Now what? He walked across the field and tried to determine if this was even the sort of place where an underground laboratory would be located. One thing did catch his eye. An area that seemed like it was relatively clear of any debris. He walked over and saw a huge circular steel door. The rocks, bricks and other debris had been shoved back. Logically it made sense to him that this must be the entrance to the 8,000 foot deep laboratory. He ran back across the field and stuck his head in the Invader.
“I think I found the spot.”
“Outstanding. I’ll be right there.”
“No. Hold it. Hover the plane and turn it about forty five degrees. I’m going to go out about a ten yards so you can see me. Just follow along and when I stop, set it down.”
“Easier said than done but what the hell, I’ll give it my best shot,” Beal replied.
James climbed back out and walked counting out ten yards. He waited while the jet engines spooled up and the Invader was hovering. The plane’s nose slowly came around and James took off running. Twenty yards later he was jogging, ten more and he was walking fast.
You, James Flynn, are pathetically out of shape he scolded himself.
He stopped and waited for the plane to settle and the engines to shut down. He went around to the portal and helped the pilot get out.
“Over here,” James said, taking him to the metal disc.
“It would certainly seem like the logical place to put an underground lab. The problem is, they're 8,000 feet down; how do we get their attention?”
“Now that is a very good question,” James replied sitting down on the disc.
“This sucks pondwater. We find a way to get here, we actually locate the damn place and we still are no better off,” the pilot said disgustedly, sitting down near James.
**
“I guess we could drop a bomb near them and hope they came up to explore,” Lieutenant Beal said after a few minutes.
“Wait. You have bombs on board that thing?”
“No, but if I did, we could try that.”
“Brilliant. Maybe we could find a shovel and you could just dig down to them,” James shot back, “If we had a shovel and if we could dig that deep.”
“Oooh, someone gets grouchy when they haven’t had lunch,” Beal kidded, tossing him an MRE.
“So, do you have any real suggestions?”
“No.”
“Peachy.”
“Maybe after we eat we will be more brilliant,” Lieutenant Beal said.
“Then give me two of the MRE’s,” James replied.
**
“Come up with anything?” Beal asked.
“Other than indigestion, not a doggone thing.”
“Well there has to be some way of getting their attention.”
“And that would be?” James asked.
“Do I have to do everything around here? I flew the plane while you slept.”
“I didn’t sleep. I passed out from fear at your flying skills.”
“I knew I should have opened the portal and done a sharp turn,” Beal replied.
“This is all very witty and amusing but we really do need to do something constructive. I doubt beating on the hatch will yield anything but us getting tired. We have to find a way to communicate with them.”
“So how did people on the ground communicate with them?”
“According to the picture they showed us, they had an operations building right over there,” James said pointing.
“Let’s see what we can find,” Beal said.
They had gone about fifty yards when James told Beal to freeze.
“I am serious. Don’t move a muscle. I know one of those pods is coming. I saw something darting up ahead. They come in pairs so just sit down and do not move for any reason or you are dead.”
Beal didn’t even answer; he slowly lowered himself to the ground. James watched at the pod zipped from one area to the other, hunting for movement. It was hot sitting in the sun but there was nothing they could do about it. The pod came within twenty feet of them and hovered. All they could do was sit, sweat, and listen to molecules bumping into each other, it was so quiet.
They waited a good hour before it finally moved away. Still they sat there. Beal started to say something but James shushed him. They waited another grueling half hour before James decided it was safe.
“It’s getting dark,” James said.
“Yeah, do you want to sleep in the plane or out here?
“I think out here. I don’t want to spend any more time in that thing than I have too.”
“Suit yourself. I’m going to sleep inside.”
“I’ll wake you if I hear anything,” James told him.
“Here,” the Lieutenant said, tossing out his jacket, “You might need this.”
**
James had taken a long time to finally get to sleep. He didn’t know how long he had been out but he knew something was different. He stayed perfectly still trying to check out as much as he could by just moving his eyes.
He heard a slight hissing sound and felt a rush of air. Crap, they came back, was his first thought. A sharp rock was under his back but he ignored it.
“What is it?” a whispered voice said.
“One of their air craft.”
“You’re sure?’
“It has to be. Where else could
it come from and look at the thing. Have you ever seen anything like it?”
He heard steps coming closer. They made a crunching sound on the gravel. They stopped a few feet from him.
“I don’t know. I guess it could be theirs.”
“What else could it be?”
“It’s called an Invader,” James whispered.
Both people jumped and let out a small yelp.
“Quiet.”
“You scared the crap out of us.”
“You didn’t do much for me either. Come closer. We are being too loud,” James ordered.
They gathered around him so he could talk as quietly as possible.
“We flew here on orders of the President. We need to take the head person back to DC to see if they have any ideas about how we could stop these things.”
“He is alive?” the woman said.
“Very much so.”
“I’m Director Lemmings and this is my Assistant Director, Doctor Knott.”
“Why are you up here and not down in the lab?”
“Actually, Sarah, sorry, Doctor Knott has already developed a weapon on a scale level. We were going to see if we could duplicate the experiment on one of those bots or whatever they are. Knock one of the bastards out of the air.”
“Wait. You have already developed such a weapon?”
“In theory. It worked in the lab. Look. Why don’t you come with us? It is a lot safer down there and we can give you a demonstration.”
“Please tell me it isn't just a ladder.”
“No. We have a tube that takes us up and down.”
“You can explain all of that later. Let me get the pilot and we will join you.”
“Hurry. I feel we are pushing our luck,” Sarah said.
**
James woke up Beal and brought him up to speed. He introduced the two scientists and then they quickly went to the tube.
By the time they had gotten to the bottom of the long tunnel they were all pretty much caught up on current events. The scientists were ecstatic to learn that the Government, no matter how limited, was still functioning. Beal told them a little about the aircraft and was surprised to learn that they had actually helped develop some of the systems used in the biomechanical process.
Sarah led them to the kitchen facilities and they were given a hot meal while she went to set up the experiment. They had just finished when she came to gather them.
“Now keep in mind this is nothing more than a small scale demonstration but the principle works just the same.”
“What are we going to see?” Beal asked.
“That upper ring is the command ship, for lack of a better term. It will shoot the plasma beam to destroy the stack of cinder blocks that represent buildings. The lower ring is the weapon that I have devised to stop their destruction.”
“That small ring? That’s going to stop it. Dr. Knott I don’t want to sound disrespectful but it sure doesn’t look all that impressive,” Beal said.
“Ah the classic bigger is better. Well played Lieutenant Beal. Why don’t we just see what happens. Put your safety glasses and ear protection on please,” she said, doing the same.
“Okay. When I push this button, the command ship will fire the plasma beam. The lower ring will detect it and neutralize it,” Sarah told them.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Beal replied.
“In 3...2...1...now,” she said and pushed the button.
A huge bolt of lightning started down from the upper ring but halfway toward the cinder blocks it just went out like it had never happened.
“What the...” Beal said.
“The lower ring detected the change in the atmospheres electrical composition and then sent out its own beam but in a different signature. It entered the destroyer beam and raced up and neutralized it before it could do any damage,” Sarah told him.
“Unbelievable.”
“That’s why you had to see it for yourself,” she said.
“And this can be built on a larger scale?”
“Absolutely. That is why we were up topside. We were scouting for a place to build a larger version.”
“Well Doctor Knott. I need to ask you if you would be willing to go back to Washington and explain all of this.”
“I would indeed. In fact, I’ve been working on the potential of mobile units, and finding a way to attract the command ships so we could render them inoperable.”
“You, Dr. Knott, may just be the salvation of our world as we know it.”
“As we know it now,” James added.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The President’s office was crowded. Ron Sheffer, Bobby Houser, General Preston, and Gunny Baker were all present.
“Mr. President, this is Doctor Sarah Knott. She has come up with something extraordinary,” Lieutenant Beal said.
“Pleasure to meet you Doctor Knott. Please tell me what you have discovered. I really could stand some good news for a change.”
“Mr. President. We know these things are destroying our planet by using a focused plasma weapon of some sort. Without going into a very scientific explanation, we know that conformational relaxation is pretty common in the photophysical process, especially when it occurs in large conjugated molecules, often after photo excitation, right?”
They all looked at each other with blank faces. Sarah took that to mean they were following such a simple thought process.
“After some basic scientific work I began to think that velocity correlation is being altered to the extent that the power of the stream is violently increased. This of course means the electrons are excited many times over. So, if that was true...”
“Excuse me,” the President interrupted, “Dr. Knott. You are talking to a man who took science in High School because he had to. I really don’t understand a single word you are saying.”
“Oh, sorry. It’s just that I am so used to working with incredibly brilliant people all the time. Oh. Oh. I am so sorry. I didn’t mean that like it sounded,” she said blushing.
"Give me the 5th grade version.”
“Okay. I found a way to slip in a disruptor plasma beam that travels up faster than theirs can travel down. I do this by...I can do it. It causes a disruption in the command ship's plasma stream and renders it harmless. Basically, I take the bullets out of their gun,” she said.
“Ah, that I understand.”
“We have done it in the lab three times now and it works flawlessly.”
“What would you need to build one on a level to take out the real thing?”
“A safe place to work, materials, and manpower.”
“We have everything you need then. It’s at Plattsburg Air Force Base.”
“You get me there and I’ll build it for you. I think it would be better if it was mobile. Having it moving, we know they will come after it and that is exactly what we want,” she told the President.
“Lieutenant Beal, are you up for another flight.”
“Anytime I can fly that thing, I’m up for it sir.”
“Good. If you would take Doctor Knott to Plattsburg, get her settled in and then come back. We should bring James back. He has earned the right to be here.”
“Yes sir,” Beal replied.
**
The Invader hovered and soon was reaching for the heavens. Beal leveled off at 90,000 feet and kept the speed at Mach 3.5. Forty minutes later he was starting his approach to the Plattsburg air field. He hovered the craft and landed by the hanger bay.
“Well, well. Someone sure has mastered this thing.”
“Mastered, no. Can I get it up and going in the direction I am headed for, absolutely.”
“And this is?”
“I’m Doctor Sara Knott,” she said handing him a sealed envelope.
Zult took the envelope, opened it and read it quickly.
Doctor Sarah Knott is to be afforded all available materials and manpower the base has to offer. Dr. Knott will direct all personnel as necessar
y. The purpose of Plattsburg Air Force Base is to accommodate the needs of Doctor Knott and assist her in every way possible.
GM Coaler
President
The United States of America
Zult looked up at her.
“I see. Well, this doesn’t leave much doubt does it Dr. Knott?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ haven’t seen it yet.”
“Here,” he said, handing over to her, “It essentially says you are in charge of everyone and everything on the base. So just tell us what you want us to do.”
“The first thing I want to do is talk to all of the engineers you can round up. I need to go over the general parameters of the project. Once that takes place I will need your maintenance people, especially electrical, fabricators, and welders.”
“Where would you like these meetings to take place?”
“Right here in this hanger should do just fine.”
“Then if you don’t need anything else at the moment, I’ll take care of everything,” Zult said.
“I could use a restroom.”
“Ah. Right over there,” he said pointing.
**
“Wait a minute. Are you telling me she is in charge? She is over me?” Raymond Gunnard said, his neck turning red.
“You can read the letter for yourself,” Zult replied.
“I don’t give a damn about that. This is my base. I will not be subjected to...whatever her name is.”
“It is the Government’s base and you will be subjected to Doctor Knott just as the President has ordered.”
“Well, we will see about that.”
“Doctor Gunnard, I am telling you right here and now, if you cause any trouble I will personally lock your ass up in the brig. Now that is something even an egghead like you can understand. You get your men and women over to that hanger and do as instructed. The President has ordered this personally and it will be done. This is about saving what is left of the world, not your pissant ego.”
“Who do you think you are? I’ll have you fired,” Gunnard bellowed.
“Awe crap,” Zult said and drove his fist into Gunnard’s flabby stomach.
WORLDS END Page 16