by Nate Castle
“I think we can funnel the boron and silicon into this hose and it will eventually make its way to the oil,” Sumesh said.
“It’s a direct connection?” General Kaplan said.
“I believe so. I’ve been examining these diagrams and unless I’m reading them wrong, this valves leads directly to the oil,” Sumesh said.
“I’ll take your word for it. Christina and Carter should be back soon. Once they return and have dropped off supplies to Sierra, I will send them down here to deliver to you also,” General Kaplan said.
~~~
Christina and Carter did their best grabbing everything they could that resembled pure boron and silicon from the lab. When they were done, they had ten medium sized Tupperware bins of supplies.
“I sure hope this is enough,” Christina said. “A lot of this stuff will go to waste, because we might have to first separate the boron and silicon from these compounds before it can used in the chips.”
“We’ll get creative if we have to,” Carter said.
The chopper they had chosen was conveniently located twenty yards from the entrance to the reserve supply lab.
“Let’s take a look around before we leave, and see if there are any other gadgets that might come in handy,” Carter said
“Don’t you think we should get back to the White House? They are dependent on us for the supplies, so the longer it take us to get back, the more delayed the production of the chips will be,” Christina said.
“Agreed, but we’ll just do a quick sweep and see if anything catches our eye. We might not be able to make it back here again, I’m not going to trust our bed sheet rope swing method again, after seeing what happened to Brett,” Carter said.
They were now inside a large warehouse adjacent to the building they had taken the supplies from. Walking at a fast pace, with Christina following behind, Carter hustled down a few of the rows before stopping to look at something sitting on a shelf. It looked like harpoon; the ‘arrow’ had a sharp end. Attached to the ‘arrow’ was a steel cable. Carter reached to pull it off the shelf. He struggled to lower it down to the ground, it was heavy. Examining it from close range, it looked less like a weapon and more like a tactical tool used to create a tightrope or zipline. The name engraved on the device read ‘DurangoX3’.
“You see here, how there is a reel attached to the shaft?” There must be a few hundred feet of this metal cable in that reel,’ Carter said.
“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about,” Christina said.
“I know I’m not speaking proper English. What I’m trying to say is that I think we can use this to make a zip line between two trees, so that it will be easy access for people to cross from the White House side of the sinkhole to this side,” Carter said.
“Oh you’re saying that you shoot that harpoon thing at another tree and the impact will sink it in the tree, and the reel of extra cable will unravel depending on how far of a distance you shoot it?” Christina said.
“Exactly, and then we can tie the other end to a tree on our side. This thing is neat, It has option to set the exact distance that you want it to shoot. And also it has a tension setting so that when both sides of the line are in place, you can tighten or loosen the amount of pressure. Kind of like a winch,” Carter said.
“Your idea for the zip line is great, but I’m thinking bigger picture. Let’s forget the zip line for now, we can always create it starting from the tree on the White House side and ending up at a tree on this side of the sinkhole. We should bring this harpoon with us, ideas are popping into my head about how we can use it to disable or even destroy the alien crafts,” Christina said.
“Damn you’re a smart girl,” Carter said.
He began carrying the tool towards the exit.
“Wait, I think this cart goes along with it,” Christina said. She was pointing to a six foot tall cart on wheels. “It looks like it has an attachment to mount the DurangoX3 on it.”
“Good find, that will definitely be a needed component,” Carter said. He placed the tool on top of the cart and got at the back end to begin pushing the cart. Christina also got behind it and even with the two of them pushing full force, the cart barely moved.
“Golly, this thing is heavy,” Christina said.
They now had the cart in motion, but it took a few minutes to roll it outside the warehouse to the chopper.
“I don’t think we’re gonna be able to lift this thing into the chopper,” Christina said.
“Lifting it isn’t the main issue; making it fit in the chopper will be a major headache. What we’ll have to do is tie a rope to it and have it suspended in the air outside of the chopper as we fly,” Carter said.
When the cart was adjacent to the chopper, they both took a moment using their shirts to wipe off the sweat that had accumulated on their faces.
“I’m going to lift the chopper off the ground a bit. You stay on the ground and when I get high enough, strap this rope to the cart. Then you can climb the other rope into the cabin,” Carter said.
Of the tasks they had performed the past few days, this one turned out to be the easiest and in a matter of minutes they had flown back to the White House grounds with the DurangoX3 and made a safe landing.
~~~
“This is going to sound insane, but hypothetically, we could use the DurangoX3 to tow the alien crafts one by one into the cell phone barrier zone, which would kill the aliens inside,” Logan said.
Christina and Carter had just delivered the supplies to Sierra, and the leftover supplies to Sumesh. They were now in a room with the President, Garrett, Hank and Logan.
“You honestly think we can tow an alien craft? How are we gonna find that kind of horsepower?” Hank said.
“We attach the tow rope to the chopper,” Logan said.
“I sure as hell don’t wanna be the one flying that helicopter when it comes crashing down due to the alien craft overpowering it and pulling the chopper in the opposite direction,” Carter said.
“My plan is still in the design stage, we’ll have to work out a lot of kinks first. But just think about it. This might be an easier way to disable the crafts and or kill the aliens, rather than trying to plant the chips inside of their crafts,” Logan said.
“We need to have both plans working at the same time,” President Taylor said. “We need to lure the aliens out of their crafts into the White House first and when they are distracted, we tow one craft with Logan’s winch idea, and plant the super chips inside the other crafts. We won’t have enough time to tow more than one craft before the aliens figure out what we are doing, but if we tow one while simultaneously sabotaging the others, we have a better shot at success.”
“Here here!” Garrett said. “I was getting a little bit bored before, but now we’re starting to add a little bit of excitement to these plans. The way I look at it, if we are going to die soon, we should at least go out with a bang. I get high off exhilaration.”
“Should we have the Dream Team vote on it?” Christina said.
“No, I don’t want them to get distracted from their current projects, they need to stay focused. I am making this decision on behalf of everyone,”President Taylor said.
“Logan, Garrett, and Hank, you guys work out the details. Carter, I respect your decision to sit this one out, however I’m going to need you to quickly train one of these three guys to operate the helicopter. Christina can you take over for Sierra on the chip manufacturing for a bit? I need to speak with her,” President Taylor said.
He didn’t actually need to speak with Sierra, but he needed a little stress relief, a little alone time in the bedroom with Sierra ought to do the trick.
20 MULTIPLY BY 5
..................
“WE SHOULD GET BACK DOWN to the lab to see if the chips are ready,” Sierra said.
Her and President Taylor were in his bedroom; these ‘encounters’ were becoming a part of their daily routine.
“You know, i
f we make it out of this whole mess alive, I could see us having something special,” President Taylor said.
Sierra smiled and finished putting her clothes back on.
~~~
Back down in the lab, Christina had an excited look on her face.
“The first batch is ready to go!” she said when the President and Sierra walked into the room.
“Do you think we should wait until we have a second batch of chips before we begin the counterattack?” Sierra said.
Logan and Garrett were also in the room; apparently the training session Carter had given to Garrett on how to fly a helicopter hadn’t taken too long, which made the President a bit nervous.
“No we need to launch the attack as soon as possible. The more time we give these aliens, the more chance of something else catastrophic happening,” President Taylor said.
“Should Garrett and I start disabling the cell phone barrier?” Logan said.
“Yes, but only disable it on the south side, closest to the alien crafts. We need the barrier to still be active on the north side, so that we can tow an alien craft across it, when it’s time for Garrett’s Evil Kin-evil stunt,” President Taylor said.
“Roger that,” Logan said, “Garrett and I will go out there and wait for your signal before we start. Once we remove the cell phones, the volunteer team needs to be ready to exit the building and ‘surrender’.”
Shelby and Noel entered the room.
“Guys no pressure or anything, but we need to get the ball rolling on this ASAP!” Shelby said. “We looked outside and you know the pulsating green and purple lights on the alien crafts? Well they are now red and orange. Something is in the works on their end.”
“Alright everyone try to stay calm. Christina, deliver the chips to Orlando immediately, he should be upstairs in one of the Great Rooms. Logan and Garrett, you guys go get the DurangoX3 hooked up to the chopper. General Kaplan, you get everyone else who is in the building and lead them to the underground tunnel,” President Taylor said.
“Shelby and I want to go with Logan and Garrett,” Noel said.
“That’s fine. Where is Hank by the way?” President Taylor said.
“I haven’t seen him for about an hour, I’m sure he’s upstairs,” General Kaplan said.
“Doesn’t he have flying experience? Why isn’t he the one who will pilot the chopper?” President Taylor said.
“No, this one’s on me,” Garrett said. “I’m not gonna put him in that kind of risky situation. Plus if anything happens to me, you’ll want someone around here who knows how to fly.”
“Alright if you say so,” President Taylor said. “Let’s go get em!”
He stuck his right hand out and everyone else put a hand next to his; they were now standing in a circle. It looked like they were a sports team doing a cheer before they ran on the field to start the game.
~~~
Logan, Garrett, Shelby and Noel exited the building and arrived at the chopper, which was parked on the opposite side of the White House from the alien crafts. The aliens didn’t have a clear view of them, the building blocked the view.
“I’m going to ride with Garrett in the chopper,” Noel said.
“Absolutely not, I don’t want to put your life at risk,” Garrett said.
“You’re going to need someone to control the winch on the DurangoX3,” Noel said.
“You’re right, he needs a second person, but that person is going to be me,” Logan said.
“I won’t permit it. Logan, you are the biggest asset, we need you on the ground,” Garrett said.
“Ok well you’re not riding solo. If Noel wants to ride with you, I think you should let her,” Logan said.
“Fine, but only because we don’t have time to argue anymore,” Garrett said.
“Let’s get this thing hooked up,” Logan said.
“Do we have any tools lying around here? “Garrett said.
“Check the shed over there,”Shelby said as she pointed.
In the shed they located some basic tools. Garrett’s plan was to attach the cart with the DurangoX3 mounted on it to the outside railing of the chopper. He was quite the handyman. He took four right angle mounting brackets and bolted them to the existing holes on the frame of the cart. Luckily, there were also a few holes in the metal railing on the chopper, probably not meant for bolts to go through, but he would make it work.
“We have to lift the cart high enough so that I can attach the bolts,” Garrett said.
Shelby, Noel, and Logan struggled but were able to lift the cart high enough for Garrett to bolt it onto the chopper. The cart was now suspended in the air.
“Let’s hope this thing holds,” Garrett said.
“What now?” Shelby said.
“When it’s time, I will lift the chopper off the ground and fly towards the alien crafts. Noel you will need to harness up, so you don’t fall out of the chopper and when we get close enough you will aim the DurangoX3 at an alien craft and pull the trigger. Assuming that the metal arrow penetrates through the metal of the alien craft, I will start flying in the opposite direction towards the cell phone barrier. The alien craft should start being pulled on the ground. When it’s in motion, you will then need to press the button on the DurangoX3 to tighten the slack,” Garrett said.
“That’s a lot of instructions, I hope I don’t screw it up,” Noel said.
Garrett said nothing, but he knew Noel could hold her own.
“Shelby if you want you can come with me. After I disable the south side of the cell phone barrier, I’m going to wait behind the building. When the aliens come out of the crafts and start heading toward the White House, we can grab the hidden super chips, and give some to the volunteers. We will take the remaining chips and plant them on the crafts,” Logan said.
“That sounds better than any of the other tasks I could be assigned,”Shelby said, “Especially the fact that I will have you to protect me.”
Her sayings became corny when she was nervous around a guy she liked.
“Cool, I’m gonna let the President know that we are ready,” Logan said.
~~~
Shelby followed Logan back into the White House, Garrett and Noel stayed behind at the chopper, on standby.
Logan located the President in the main hallway, he was talking to Sierra.
“We are all set on our end,” Logan said to President Taylor.
“Good, the superchips have been planted in the bushes on the northwest corner of the property. Once you disable the north end cell phone barrier, I will send the volunteers outside,” President Taylor said
“C’mon let’s go,” Logan said to Shelby.
“Good luck out there,” Sierra said to them.
~~~
“As we sweep the perimeter, pick up every phone, take out the chip, and put it in the bag. You start on the left side, I’ll be on the right, and we’ll meet at the halfway point in the middle,” Logan said.
Shelby acknowledged his instructions with a nod and before Logan left, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
Operation Firestorm was underway. This one moment could determine the success of their whole mission. By removing the cell phone barrier, there was no knowing what the aliens’ next move would be. It took Logan and Shelby 4 ½ minutes to sweep the entire south end of the grounds, removing the cell phones that had been planted there one day prior. They reached the halfway point, each clutching a bag full of the cell phones they had removed.
“Look the pulsating lights on the alien crafts have stopped,” Shelby said.
“Shit’s about to go down, c’mon,” Logan said and pointed them in the opposite direction. They ran until they reached the active cell phone barrier on the north side and dropped the bags on the ground. There was now nothing preventing the aliens from approaching the White House.
President Taylor had been watching from a window inside and when he saw Logan and Shelby pass by carrying the cell phones, he gave the go-ahead to the vo
lunteer team. The team was now standing outside of the White House with their hands raised in the air, the universal signal for ‘surrender’.
Like clockwork, doors to the six alien crafts opened. Although you wouldn’t describe them as doors. They were long cylindrical shafts that protruded out, ending in a circular hole. Out came aliens from each of the six holes. President Taylor noted that three aliens came out of each craft. It all happened so quickly though, and he began to doubt himself when he did a headcount came up with sixteen aliens aliens total. If his logic was right, would that mean there were two aliens still unaccounted for inside the crafts? Or did two of the crafts only have two aliens in them, while the others carried three?
“God damnit, we have no way of knowing if there are more aliens inside the crafts,”President Taylor said to General Kaplan who was standing next to him.
“That’s a risk we are going to have to take. At this point we can’t abort the mission, it’s our only hope,” General Kaplan said.
“I know, I know, it just adds one more obstacle to our plan though,” President Taylor said.
~~~
The aliens were now standing outside their crafts in a ‘V’ formation, the same formation that ducks fly in. It appeared the one at the front of the ‘V’ was their leader. It was the biggest out of all the aliens and had two horns hanging from its back, a feature that the other ones did not have.
A high pitched sounded began ringing. President Taylor and General Kaplan’s first reaction was to plug their ears; it was that piercing of a sound. Maybe this was the leader alien communicating with the others? The noise stopped and the aliens began approaching the volunteers who were standing in front of the White House. Each step was in sync with one another.
“Should we head to the underground tunnel where the others are?” General Kaplan said.
“No, I want to be on the front lines for this one. The whole time I was in office, I was always protected against everything; I had a security detail, I couldn’t go to certain countries or places without it being planned out first. I don’t wanna be that guy who hides and lets other people do the dirty work anymore. I’m going out there to take back our country. Are you ready General?” President Taylor said.