“I’ve lost count exactly, but it is around 22,316,” she replied.
Adam was stunned by that number.
“That’s a lot of people,” he exclaimed.
“Not really, especially when you consider how many people live on the earth. We’ve kept the number as low as we can in order to minimize information leaks, you know, but it’s been hard. There have been a lot of decent candidates we haven’t been able to induct, and sometimes parents that are in the League don’t want their children to have anything to do with us, even if their children would be ideal.”
Adam’s thoughts drifted, and it seemed that the others in the room had the same problem.
“Any other questions?” asked Elianora.
Adam’s drifting thoughts stopped on a question not related to Area 51.
“Can I ask you about something other than Area 51?” he asked.
Elianora nodded. “Go ahead.”
“What’s happening with John Gunderson?”
She paused for a few seconds before answering. “John is under investigation right now. That’s all I can say,” she replied.
“Any other questions?” asked Elianora.
All four boys shook their heads slowly. Adam tried to think of other questions but nothing came to mind.
“OK then. Off you go, and lock the door behind you,” said Elianora.
Outside, Adam spoke first.
“What now?” he asked.
Kevin shrugged. “If I go home, I’m sure I’ll have a bunch of work waiting for me, so I’m up for anything.”
“I saw Dave this morning and he told me that a bunch of people are going to try and have a soccer game this afternoon,” said Jimmy.
“Think they’d mind if we played?” asked Adam.
“Nope. He told me to ask as many people as I could. How about it Mark?”
Mark shrugged. “I dunno. I’m not that good.”
“Come on,” urged Jimmy. “It’s nothing serious. It’ll be fun.”
“Alright,” Mark replied after a moment of thought. “I’ll just go get my bike.”
“We’ll wait for you at my place. I need to get my bike too,” said Jimmy.
Mark started off toward his house and the other three headed toward Jimmy’s.
“That was decent of you, convincing Mark to come and play,” said Kevin.
Jimmy smiled a mischievous smile.
“What aren’t you telling us?” asked Adam.
Jimmy said nothing, but continued with that smile.
“Spill it,” said Kevin.
“Well, if you have to know, I want Mark to play so I can place a few bets against the team he is playing for. It’ll help my odds.”
CHAPTER SIX
The days flew past and the end of August came quick, but the gorgeous summer weather had stayed the entire time. A wet spring combined with rains at the right time throughout the summer made for ideal growing conditions, and most of the local farmers were full of optimism with harvest coming into full swing and crops looking way above average yield.
Most of the farmers were happy, except for Mikhail Baranov. Even though his crops looked great and he was getting an early start on harvest, soon he wouldn’t just say goodbye to one of his farmhands but two.
The odd occasion Adam had seen Kevin during that time, Kevin told Adam about all of the work Mikhail was making his eldest children finish before they were gone for the year. Kevin understood why, but didn’t like it. Kassie, who was normally happy and bubbly, had become moody and angry with her family, but Kevin was pretty sure it was because she didn’t get to spend any time with Trevor.
“Dad keeps telling her that he needs her to work right now and she’ll be seeing a lot of Trevor soon. It almost makes her angrier, so I’m not sure why he keeps saying it,” said Kevin late the one evening he was able to get out of the house.
And then the day finally came.
Adam was so excited that he barely slept. He had planned his outfit days before, laying it out meticulously on the foot of his bed over and over again like a teenage girl preparing for the prom. He had never had so many new clothes before, and that was the first time he was actually able to pick them out for himself. He had always pushed it out of his mind in the past and told himself that any clothes that sort-of fit were good enough. That changed when he was able to pick some out for the first time. When he tried them on, he felt different – like a new person altogether. He had never really hated who he was, but he hated feeling like the charity case around town. Now, he felt like he fit in better - almost equal to the others around him. The only problem was that everyone around him had known him for so long that staying in Grayson would be difficult. If he stayed in Grayson, he would feel like the fiberglass kit cars he had seen in old hot rod magazines where you transformed your old Volkswagen into a Ferrari. It ends up looking like a Ferrari on the outside, but underneath it’s still a broken down old Volkswagen.
But he wasn’t going to be in Grayson soon. Soon he was going to Area 51, and the only people who would know him were the five others he was going with. The other two hundred plus people wouldn’t have a clue. The prospect excited him more than it should have. It would be like a new start completely, and he intended to use the time to his advantage.
Up until the last year, Adam had always accepted the fact that he would probably never leave Grayson, most likely ending up working at the gas station doing car repairs and fixing tires until he died, but now it seemed like he had some options. It wasn’t that he hated Grayson. He actually loved the town. What he hated was his own situation. Now, with the opportunities in front of him, maybe he could be like his dad and become a Senior member in the League, choosing what he would do for them and where he would do it. While most of the senior members weren’t extravagantly rich, each of them had a much higher standard of living than Adam, and that was as much as he was aiming for. He didn’t need to be a millionaire, but not worrying about being able to afford food or clothes or even entertainment would be a wonderful change. And now he could see that it was actually a possibility for the first time in his life.
He showered quickly that morning and climbed into his new clothes feeling happy, nervous and excited. He bounded down the stairs and found that Mary had made him breakfast. Bacon and eggs. Not turkey bacon, but real bacon. He couldn’t believe his senses, and most of them were turned on by the meal. It looked amazing, smelled sensational and felt phenomenal. The bacon even made slight frying noises as Mary slid the slices onto his plate. He ate like it was his last meal.
“Thanks Mom,” he managed to say through chewed bits of food. “This is amazing!”
Mary smiled. “I thought I should do something special before you go.”
Adam nodded as he continued scarfing down the food. When he finished and chased it down with the last drops of milk from his cup, he asked, “So, how am I getting there?”
“Well, the Baranov and Jones families are sending Kassie and Trevor first with most of the luggage, but you Kevin, Mark and Jimmy are going to go together. They figured that would be best for you all. Gurpreet is going to pick you up in about half an hour,” said Mary as she looked at the clock. “You had better get all of your stuff ready.”
“Done,” said Adam. “I just have to bring my suitcase downstairs.”
“OK. If you’re done eating, go get your suitcase so you can be ready when they come.”
Adam took his plate and cup to the sink, then did as Mary asked. When he was done placing his suitcase by the door, he dried the dishes while Mary washed them, then sat down after putting them all away. A few minutes later they heard a vehicle pull into the driveway followed by a single horn honk.
“Time to go,” said Mary, standing and shuffling Adam to the door.
Adam put on his jacket and shoes, then he looked at Mary. She was staring at him with a look he hadn’t seen before, and her eyes looked glassy.
“Now, you be careful and take care of yourself. You are going to ha
ve fun, but it’s going to be a lot of work and a lot of learning – so try your best.”
“OK mom,” Adam replied.
The next silent second seemed awkward until Mary took a step forward and hugged Adam.
“I’m going to miss you,” she said.
“I’ll miss you too,” said Adam, but he wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth. He wiggled free from her grasp and said, “Better go. They’re waiting.”
Mary nodded and Adam stepped out the door.
Gurpreet climbed out of the van and waved for Adam to follow him to the back. After opening the hatch and putting Adam’s luggage inside, Gurpreet told Adam to hop in the side door next to Mark. For once, Mark wasn’t playing with any type of electronics. His face showed concern.
“Hey,” said Adam as he took a seat and slid the door closed.
“Hey,” replied Mark weakly.
“What’s wrong?” asked Adam as Gurpreet fastened his seatbelt in preparation to leave.
“Just nervous,” said Mark, then he quickly realized what he had said and tried to minimize the statement, “…and I didn’t sleep too well last night. Too excited about today.”
His emphasis on the word ‘excited’ revealed more about what he really thought.
“I didn’t sleep too much either,” said Adam. “Same problem as you. I’ll bet the other two were the same.”
Mark nodded slightly as his mouth formed a weak grin. “Thanks,” was all he said.
“I told him it will all be fine. I do pop in there once in a while,” said Gurpreet as they backed out of the driveway. He put the van in drive and soon they were off.
“How long until we get there?” said Adam.
“You’ll see,” said Gurpreet.
Adam looked at Mark and Mark shrugged.
Adam settled in to his seat for what he expected would be a long drive. Gurpreet was heading out of town to the west, so Adam was sure they would be going to Regina to catch a flight. That didn’t make sense, though, since Mary had said that Trevor and Kassie had gone ahead with some of the luggage and there was plenty of room open in the van.
As he was pondering these things, Gurpreet reached the end of town and turned south instead of north toward the highway. Suddenly Adam knew where they were going.
“We’re traveling in the Radome, aren’t we?” he asked Gurpreet, calling himself stupid in his own mind for not having figured it out earlier.
Gurpreet smiled and looked back at him in the rear-view mirror. “You are correct.”
Suddenly Adam was excited again. Sure, he wasn’t going to be flying on an airplane, but he was going to be traveling by something much cooler than that.
“I’ve been wondering how that thing works,” asked Adam. “Do you know?”
Gurpreet frowned. “I have a rough idea, but I’m no engineer. It uses energy from the sun to charge it – regular electricity won’t do for some reason. Then, when everything is ready, it transfers objects through the ground to the receiving station.”
“But how does it transfer us through the ground?” asked Adam.
“I don’t know that answer. The only thing I remember about it is that they compare it to one of those devices you see that has a row of steel balls on strings where you pull the first one back and let it hit the second ball and none of them in the line move except for the one at the end – I forget what they are called,” said Gurpreet.
“It’s a Newton’s Cradle. I saw them advertised in the old science magazines all the time,” said Adam after a second of thought.
“That’s it. They say that’s how it works – conservation of momentum and energy. The Radome basically hits you against the earth with force and direction and out you pop at the receiving end almost instantly.”
The though of being smashed against the earth and appearing in some other location sounded more like some crazy science fiction than anything even remotely plausible to Adam. It also gave him the chills, as it seemed more like a death wish than anything else.
Gurpreet picked up on the unease. “I know it sounds terrible, but I’ve done it thousands of times and it hasn’t even ruffled my hair. Like I said before, it’s been completely safe since we added the RTS Hub. Not one accident since then.”
“What were the accidents before then?” asked Adam.
Gurpreet’s lips tightened for a moment. “You’ll learn some of that in your training. Nothing too major, though. Follow the rules and you will be fine.”
Adam had the feeling that Gurpreet wasn’t telling the complete truth on that.
“I remember hearing that it takes an hour to charge and you can only send so much weight at a time. Is that why you sent Trevor and Kassie this morning?” asked Adam.
Gurpreet nodded as he looked at Adam in the rear view mirror. “Plus Jimmy and Kevin’s luggage. The six of you all together are a little too much to go at once. Sending the two of them plus the luggage is less than half of the rated capacity so the recharge time should be half of a full load at mid-day.”
That sounded reasonable to Adam. Besides, he appreciated the fact that he was able to travel with his friends.
Soon they pulled into the yard by the Radome, and Adam could see Kevin and Jimmy waiting with their families. As soon as they stopped and hopped out, Gurpreet handed Adam and Mark their luggage and pointed toward the Radome.
“Can’t you carry it?” asked Mark, sounding quite pathetic for his age.
Gurpreet glared at Mark, and Mark understood the answer immediately.
“Just thought I’d ask,” he mumbled under his breath, but Adam still heard.
Adam walked toward the group of people near the Radome.
“Hey,” he said, nodding to Kevin and Jimmy as the adults began speaking amongst themselves.
“This thing is pretty cool,” said Jimmy. “We got to watch Trevor and Kassie leave earlier. It looks just like you said.”
“How come you’re out here now instead of in there?” asked Adam, pointing up at the giant ball.
“It’s getting hot out and it’s pretty stuffy in there,” answered Kevin.
Adam nodded. “You guys ready?” he asked, looking to each of his friends. Although they all nodded, Mark looked reluctant. Jimmy looked excited, but Kevin showed no emotion.
“Boys,” the voice of Charity Baranov sounded from the group of adults, “why don't you take your luggage up. You'll be leaving soon.”
The group agreed and Adam grabbed his suitcase, following Jimmy to the ladder.
“You and Mark go inside and we’ll hand up your stuff,” said Kevin.
Jimmy looked at Kevin and scowled a little. “Um, we already hauled all of our stuff up there a while ago, remember?”
“It’s not going to hurt you to help them a little, will it?” asked Kevin.
Jimmy shrugged.
“We’ll owe you a small favor for helping,” added Adam.
That seemed to seal the deal, and a short time later Jimmy was handing the first bag up the ladder. Once the baggage was inside, Jimmy and Kevin followed the others into the Radome.
The inside was just as Adam had remembered it. A few of the hatches were open and letting light stream in, just like the first time he had climbed inside. The temperature was warm, probably because of the bright sunlight beating on the thin outside walls that didn’t look like they provided any insulation.
“Bring your stuff over here,” said Kevin, walking past Adam and Mark to stand in the middle of the Radome. He stood inside a darker floor area that Adam remembered seeing before but hadn’t thought anything about.
“Everything inside this circle gets transported to the destination,” he continued. “We were told that you don’t want to have any part of you outside of the circle when the transport happens, ‘cause that part will stay here while the rest of you goes.”
Adam cringed at the thought. “And your dad said this thing is safe,” he said to Mark.
“When used properly,” Mark reminded him.
&nbs
p; Adam stepped into the circle and looked around. Nothing appeared unusual, and considering that the whole thing was a giant transporter, he thought that something should have been unusual. As he was about to ask Kevin some more questions, Mike Baranov’s head popped up through the hole. He climbed up and turned to help his youngest two daughters up next. As soon as they were inside, the girls ran to Kevin and gave him a big hug.
“Be good ya big doofus,” said Karlea after she broke her hold on her big brother.
“Yeah yeah,” he said as he ruffled her hair. “I’ll only be good if you are.”
“If you’re bad I’ll kick your butt when you get back here,” said Kelsea, stepping back and kicking at the air.
Kevin let her foot go down again before he grabbed her in a headlock and started tickling her. “Oh yeah?” he said as she shrieked with laughter, “I’ll just give you some more of this.”
“That’s enough,” said Charity Baranov in a gentle voice, but it was strong enough to stop the tickling and air-kicking.
The rest of the group had made it into the Radome, and Adam noticed that there was enough room around the transport pad so that they could all stand and watch the transport take place.
“Well, Initiates,” said Gurpreet, “I hope you enjoy yourselves and learn a lot this year. I will be checking in on you from time to time, so if you have any concerns you can tell me then.” He took his time and looked each of the four in the eye until they nodded that they understood.
“Now, Kevin and Jimmy were here earlier so they’ll just have to bear with hearing this again. As you know, this is a transportation unit. From here you will be transported to the RTS Hub. At the Hub, they will ask you to confirm your destination is Area 51. They know where you are going today, so you can nod, say yes, or just give them a thumbs-up. Stay exactly where you are until you arrive at your destination. Don’t move until you’ve materialized completely. Once your vision has cleared, pick up your things and get off of the transport pad quickly because there are arrivals coming all day today, understand?”
Adam nodded.
“Good. Now, keep your hands, arms, legs, and all body parts inside the dark area marked by the pad at all times. If you were to ‘accidentally’ have a body part outside of the transport area when transport begins, that part of you would stay behind while you get transported away.”
Initiates (The Book of Adam 3) Page 6