Adam’s eyes widened. The thought scared and disgusted him a little. He felt the other three squeeze closer to the center of the transport pad in response.
Gurpreet laughed. “It’s always funny to watch first timers bunch up in the middle when they hear that.”
“It really is safe,” said Lora Jones. “Just follow the rules, OK?” She looked at Jimmy while the rest of the adults nodded.
Gurpreet looked at Mark as if to say he was completely serious, trying to drive the point home, but Mark understood and was being quite pushy while trying to be sure he was in the middle of the pad.
“If you are ready, say goodbye to your families and we’ll get going,” said Gurpreet.
Jimmy wandered over to his parents while the Baranov’s surrounded Kevin. Adam felt awkward standing by himself, but it wasn't the first time this sort of situation had happened in his life. Even though Mary was acting like a real parent recently, she was still absent at that moment. He hadn't realized until that point how much he would have liked for her to have been there to see him off like the other parents.
Mike Baranov snapped him out of his daydream. “Take care of yourself,” he said as he extended a hand.
Adam shook it and smiled. “I will. Thanks.”
A second later, Charity Baranov had grabbed him in a big hug. “Don't worry, you'll do fine this year. Just make sure you stay safe.”
Mike Baranov cleared his throat and Charity let Adam slip from her grip. Adam could have sworn Mike had scolded his wife with a look for a fraction of a second.
Jim Jones interrupted to shake Adam’s hand, followed by Lora.
“At least I won’t have to worry about you getting stuck in the tunnels this winter,” she said with a wink.
Adam smiled. He hadn't ever thought that the times he used the tunnels, Lora Jones had been concerned about him.
“Alright then,” said Gurpreet, “if you boys can meet me in the middle we can be on our way.”
“We?” asked Mark as they stepped back to the middle and everyone else cleared out of the circle.
“Yes. I always pop in on the first day, so I figured I would accompany you. That's why we had to send all of the other luggage ahead. So, if you are ready lets go.”
Gurpreet stepped to the edge of the transport pad and tapped a spot on the floor with his foot. A small hatch popped open revealing a row of golden half circles. Gurpreet looked at each one and clicked the first button at the end of the row. A ding sounded throughout the Radome. He looked at the group at the center, noticing Adam’s inquisitive look.
“The golden balls are the transport coordinates. I clicked the signal to tell the RTS Hub we are ready to go, and as soon as we hear their reply, I will activate the transporter.”
As if on cue, a small bell sounded and Gurpreet stepped on the second button. The entire pad lit up like Adam had remembered seeing the previous year. Suddenly panic gripped him as the memory of the previous year overtook him and he looked wildly at everyone surrounding the transport pad as if it was the last time he would ever see them.
A fraction of a second later he winked out of existence.
CHAPTER SEVEN
From zero thought and lack of existence to full realization, Adam appeared and his brain immediately began to think again. It was as surprising as being awakened with a bucket of freezing cold water.
The first thing he did was draw in a large breath of air. As he did, his eyes began to work again and he saw the others appearing around him. The rest of the room came into focus at the same time. It was similar to the room they had just left only much bigger and it was lit by artificial light from above.
"Hi Bernice," said Gurpreet with a wave, "How are you feeling?"
Adam looked in the direction Gurpreet was speaking and saw a glassed in room with a row of people seated behind the glass. A large lady held up a thumb in response.
"Right as rain," she replied. "Thanks for the card. Off to Area 51 I see?"
Gurpreet nodded. "First day. I have to make an appearance. Plus, we've got some young initiates this year."
"I heard that. I also heard that one of them happens to be your son," Bernice said almost like a question.
"I'm always surprised how much you know, even though I shouldn't be," replied Gurpreet. He reached beside him and pulled Mark to his side. "Bernice, this is Mark. Mark, this is Bernice."
Both waved and said hello.
"Bernice is the Chief Operator and by far the best at her job. I've tried to promote her to other things but she doesn't like me enough to accept."
Bernice laughed. "Your dad knows I like him a lot but I love my job more. I do appreciate him trying, though."
Gurpreet chuckled. "And I appreciate that Bernice knows what she wants and sticks to it."
"Sorry to cut you off," said Bernice, "but I've got another group ready. Time to go."
"See you later," said Gurpreet. He elbowed Mark.
"Uh...nice meeting you," he managed to spit out as the bell sounded again.
There was barely a second after the bell and Adam felt himself kicked out of existence again.
***
The second trip didn't feel as bad as the first because he knew what to expect. Again, Adam appeared at the destination and watched himself and the others come back into existence. He was able to pay more attention than the first time and controlled his panic much better. Because of that, he could look around the room as soon as he was able to move again. That was probably the part that unnerved him the most the first time. He had been able to see and think for what felt like an eternity, but was unable to move in the slightest, although it had only lasted less than a second.
The others began to shift around as the shimmering died down. To their surprise, a door opened in front of them. Gurpreet stepped toward it and waved for the rest of the group to follow.
They did as they were asked, with Adam and Mark at the end after they had grabbed their luggage. As they stepped out of the dimly lit dome into brightness, the boys paused to take a look around.
They were obviously in an underground cave, and it was massive. It was big enough to fit the largest of the Radome caves in Grayson inside many times over. It had to be a hundred feet to the roof alone.
"Did you have a good trip, sir?" A huge Asian man standing just outside the door asked.
"Same as usual," replied Gurpreet. "Busy day for you I'll bet, Linus." Gurpreet shook Linus's hand. "Good to see you."
"You too sir," said Linus with a smile.
"You're never going to call me Gurpreet, are you?"
"Maybe someday, sir," Linus replied, grinning even wider.
As Gurpreet and Linus spoke, Adam looked around. He saw that the area was lit by pockets of light that he assumed were Lumiens, but most of the light was streaming from directly overhead through a long, narrow crevasse that spanned the entire roof. He looked back and saw that they had stepped out of another Radome that was much larger than the one in Grayson. The biggest difference other than size was the fact that it was sitting on the ground instead of on a raised platform.
"I should've known it would be underground," said Mark, his voice sarcastic.
"Easiest way to hide," said Gurpreet in reply. Mark hadn't expected his dad to hear.
"Boys, this is Linus Yang. He's the Head of Security here at Area 51."
Linus held up a hand and gave a small wave.
"These two are Kevin Baranov and James Jones the Third, but he prefers Jimmy."
Jimmy grimaced at his full name.
"This is my son Mark," Gurpreet continued, "and last is Adam McTaggart."
Linus nodded at each boy as they were introduced.
Just then a familiar bell rang from the Radome.
"We should go, sounds like you've got some work," said Gurpreet.
Linus nodded. "I'm sure you know where to go?"
"Sign in through the door straight ahead, can't get much easier," replied Gurpreet. "See you soon."
; Linus nodded and headed for the Radome.
"Come on," said Gurpreet, and he began walking toward one of many doors in the distance.
"Must suck in here when it rains," said Jimmy as he pointed at the ceiling.
"Actually, it's covered at the top," said Gurpreet.
"So where are we?" asked Kevin as they walked.
"Area 51, of course," replied Gurpreet, turning back to show the glee on his face.
"Daaaad," Mark complained.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he replied. "We are in the mountains of northern British Colombia, actually. This cave is mostly natural and was found a long time ago. We thought it would work and modified it for our purposes. It's ideal because it really is in the middle of nowhere, although those types of places are dwindling over time. No flights or satellites come anywhere near here and the nearest settlement is far away."
Gurpreet continued walking straight toward the door labeled ‘Main Hall’ as he spoke. Signs outside the door indicated that the cafeteria and dorms were also in that direction.
Adam tried to take in as much of the room as he could before they moved on. It was quite fascinating considering the size. The temperature was perfect and the lighting made it feel nothing like a big hole in the ground. Off to one side, a set of metal stairs rose to a landing far above, and Adam could see another door at the top.
"I think I figured it out," said Jimmy. "You guys actually have Hobbits in the League, don't you? That's why everything with the League is underground."
Gurpreet smiled and shook his head. "Not even close," he replied.
“Wait, don’t tell me. Was J.R.R. Tolkien a member of the League?” asked Mark.
“Ok. I won’t tell you,” Gurpreet chuckled.
Gurpreet pushed through the door and to everyone's surprise it opened like a normal door. Once through, things were as they would have expected had they known they would be going underground. They entered a long wide hallway that reminded them of the tunnels under Grayson, except this one was straight. Light streamed from the ceiling as soon as they opened the door.
“This place is a series of natural caves that are all connected by a system of tunnels we’ve added. Of course we have renovated each of the caves so that they work for our purposes,” said Gurpreet.
"What about cave-ins?" asked Mark, his voice quavering slightly at the end.
"Hasn't been one in tens of thousands of years in this region. It's way safer in here than it is in a normal house. Except for these hallways, most of the rooms are made to feel as if you were in a normal building above ground. We don't usually tell initiates how far they are underground until they've been here a few days. It minimizes the freak-outs."
The group remained silent until Gurpreet reached the door at the other end of the hallway. Again, it opened inward like a normal door.
Once more, they were surprised by the room on the other side.
It was as if they had walked into a large rustic cabin. Wood covered every surface from floor to ceiling. Various antlers from miscellaneous animals hung about the room with one massive set hanging high in the middle. A sign hanging below them said "Moose Antlers – 1918."
The most striking part of the room was the row of windows on the far right wall just beyond rows of tables. Sunlight streamed in through them and it looked to Adam that the view was down a gentle slope on the side of a mountain.
Before he could ask anything about the room, Gurpreet had led them to a table with a sign saying "Registration" hanging from a beam above. An elderly man and a middle aged woman were seated on the other side, grinning as the group approached.
"This must be our group of Junior initiates - welcome!" said the man.
"They're full initiates now, Horton," replied Gurpreet, taking Horton's outstretched hand and shaking it vigorously as soon as he reached the table.
"Technically they are still Junior initiates until we sign them in," said the lady next to him. She had short dark hair, horn-rimmed glasses and sat board-straight in her chair.
"I'll take your word for that, Tilda," replied Gurpreet offering her a hand. "Ready for another group?"
She took his hand and shook it. "Absolutely, she replied with a grin and a gleam in her eye.
"Well, we had better not waste any time before we make them full initiates then," said Horton. "Which one of you is Kevin Baranov?"
Kevin raised a hand and stepped forward.
"Ahh yes," said Horton, shuffling a few papers. "I see that all of your parents have signed off already, so just a couple of questions. Will you listen to your instructors and do your best in all tasks given to you?"
"I will," answered Kevin.
Tilda spoke as soon as he had answered. "You'll be in the Men's dorm, room 1-1. As soon as you get there, hold your hand anywhere on the door for five seconds so it can learn you. If it doesn't open after five seconds, come back here, otherwise, go in and unpack your things. Once you have unpacked, wait there until you receive phone notification to join us back here in the main hall."
Kevin agreed and stepped off to the side.
"Young master Gupta," said Horton looking directly at Mark.
Mark stepped up to the table.
"Pleasure to meet you. I've taught your dad and a bunch of your relatives. I'm happy to be able to teach you too...mainly because that means I'm still alive," said Horton.
Gurpreet laughed at the comment.
Horton looked at Mark. "Will you listen to your instructors and do your best in all tasks given to you?"
"I will," answered Mark.
Tilda took over again. "Men's section room 1-2. Again, as soon as you get there, hold your hand anywhere on the door for five seconds so it can learn you. If it doesn't open after five seconds, come back here, otherwise, go in and unpack your things. Once you have unpacked, wait there until you receive phone notification to join us back here in the main hall.”
“Mr. Jones next please, you prefer Jimmy, right?” asked Horton.
Jimmy nodded and approached the table. "So how much would it cost me to have Mark moved into the Women's dorm - hypothetically, that is."
Horton laughed. "Your mom asked me the same thing about one of her friends when she came here the first time. She was with some school friends too."
Jimmy was surprised. "Are you sure you have the right person?"
"Absolutely. Your mom is Lora, dad is James the Second. She comes here once in a while. You look more like your dad, though. Just ask your mom and she'll tell you, now that you know about the League. Anyway, if I had taken money from each person that tried to bribe me for that I could have retired a long time ago."
Jimmy was obviously thrown off by Horton's comments. He barely seemed to listen when Horton asked the question about listening to the instructors and doing his best, but he managed to reply "I will."
Tilda assigned him room 1-3 and repeated the rest of the instructions.
"And last, but not least, Adam McTaggart," said Horton.
Adam stepped up to the table.
"Will you listen to your instructors and do your best in all tasks given to you?"
"I will," answered Adam.
"It's great to finally meet you in person. I taught your mom and dad, but knew your dad especially well. From what I hear about you, we'll be spending a lot of time together."
Adam looked confused.
"Don't worry. You'll understand more after the orientation."
Tilda assigned him room 1-4 and repeated the rest of the instructions again.
Adam was only half listening, as he was processing what Horton had said, trying to make sense of it all. Quite soon, he remembered that his parents had worked there for a few years before moving to Grayson.
“So, you’re all set. Head up that hallway until you see the sign, follow it to the Men’s dorm on the left and then to your rooms,” Horton pointed to his left. “Kevin and Jimmy, your luggage is in the dorm common area. We’ll see you in a while.”
“I’ll ma
ke sure they get there,” said Gurpreet.
Tilda nodded her approval.
“See you in a few minutes,” he said. He tilted his head in the direction of the door and the boys followed close behind as he moved toward it.
Gurpreet swung the door inward and held it open to make it easier for Mark and Adam to get their luggage through. They were in another wide hallway that was decorated in the same manner as the Main hall with wood covering every surface making it look like an old mining tunnel more than a hallway. Lumiens shone brightly from pockets on the ceiling every few feet, and even though they didn’t cover the entire surface like in other areas, they threw enough light that the hallway was far from dim.
Adam’s mind had been processing everything he had just heard from Horton, though, but another question popped up as he reviewed what he had seen.
“I thought you said we’re completely underground,” stated Adam.
Gurpreet nodded. “Ahh…the windows.”
Adam agreed.
“Well, this whole facility is actually built inside a mountain, and except for the labs, the majority of it is nowhere near a wall where we could get outside light. I know you boys aren’t afraid of being in caves and tunnels –“
Mark coughed loudly.
“You don’t like being in those places, but you don’t freak out like some people do. Like I said before, we’ve tried to make this place feel like it isn’t inside a mountain for many different reasons, mainly so those initiates that may be claustrophobic are more comfortable. One of the things the Teneo came up with is a way to get the natural outside light to the inside. That scene in the main hall is from the side of this very mountain, but through a few hundred feet of solid rock.”
“So they are just video screens and cameras,” said Mark as they continued walking, as though he understood.
Gurpreet shook his head. “No. The light that shines on the side of the mountain is the light that shines in through those ‘windows’. When the sun comes up and shines on the side of the mountain, it does the same through those windows, even casting shadows and heat just like a normal window, but that light is coming through solid rock. Don’t ask me how it’s done, I just know it’s done. The natural light and mountain scenery seems to calm even the most nervous person. Each of the dorm rooms has one of those ‘windows’, and we’ve tried to make sure almost every room other than the hallways has some natural light.”
Initiates (The Book of Adam 3) Page 7