When Lewis began walking toward the rear door in the hanger, David grabbed his arm. “I forgot about the sphere. Do you know its purpose on this spaceship?”
“I do not. This is the first time I have seen one. I doubt it would have anything to do with the operation of this craft.”
“Too bad these people had to leave this planet. We could have learned a lot from them.”
Lewis’s eyebrow went up. “We are the second race of humans to evolve on this planet. If they had not left, we would not be here.”
David grinned and shook his head. “That’s true. It was because of a volcanic eruption, wasn’t it?”
“Did you not read the information we retrieved from the first two spaceships? A super eruption, to be exact. All life on this planet had to start evolving again.”
“Oh well. I sure would like to have met one of them. Listen, I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat.”
* * *
Chapter 4
FRIDAY. ONE WEEK LATER. COBRA:
Henry sat hunched over at the table, poking at his scrambled eggs with a fork. There must have been a very important reason COBRA had been shut down in 1970. He had worked for the government doing secret research for over fifty years. In all that time, he had never heard of a project being so abruptly shut down. The fact the facility had also been sealed only added to his concern.
He looked across the table at Chris. “Do you know anything about what happened in this facility?”
Chris shook his head. “Preston keeps everything on a need to know basis. Rita might know more about what they did here.”
“I have already asked her. She does not know.”
“Would you like to see the actual COBRA laboratory?”
Henry sat up straight. “Yes. Perhaps if I could see what type of equipment they were using, it would give me a better understanding of what happened.”
They stood and Henry followed Chris out of the lounge. As they crossed the main room to the elevator, Henry looked across at Rita. She glanced up from the control console, but ignored them. He had not been much help anyway. Rita had a better understanding of resonate frequencies than he did.
When the door opened and they stepped inside the cab, Henry noticed that all four numbers on the control panel pointed down. As the floor seemed to drop beneath his feet, he tried to control his growing anxiety. When the door opened on the third floor, he released a deep sigh.
When they stepped out, the overhead fluorescent lighting came on automatically, fluttering for a few seconds indicating they had not been turned on for a very long time. The laboratory was a single large room with several workstations.
Henry walked around tables trying to picture in his mind what they were doing down here. The tables were still covered with a variety of research equipment, microscopes, and plastic enclosures with rubber gloves inside. Against one wall, empty cages were stacked three high. At least he thought they were empty. When he stepped closer, he recognized the skeletal remains of monkeys.
When Henry realized they had suddenly abandoned the lab, he gave Chris a troubled expression. “This is not a good sign.”
“Why is that?”
“They left in a hurry. Something may have gone wrong with their experiments on the moon samples.” He gave Chris an imploring stare. “If I could contact my associates we may be able to learn exactly what happened here and why they sealed it closed.”
Chris stared at Henry for a long moment. Now he too was concerned, but he did not want to lose his job. “I wish I could help you, Henry. I really do.”
“I understand, Chris.”
Chris glanced at the elevator door. “We’re not supposed to be down here. We should go back up to the test area before Rita notices we’re gone.”
“She knows we are down here. I think she does not care as long as I cannot contact the outside world.”
“Do you want to stay down here?”
Henry looked around one last time. “No. There is nothing more to learn down here.”
When he turned and stepped back into the elevator, Henry noticed there was still one more floor below this one. Apparently, it could only be accessed by a key in the control panel.
When they stepped out of the elevator on the main floor, Rita was still standing over the control console. She either didn’t notice their arrival, or didn’t care. As they continued across the room, Henry stopped next to the device. He had a deep sense of apprehension about this test, but knew to argue the point again would be useless.
Rita looked up when she noticed Henry. “You’re just in time. I’m ready to try the first combination of resonate frequencies. You two might want to move away from the device.”
Henry and Chris turned and continued across the room. Henry saw the glee of excitement in Rita’s eyes, as she held her finger over the activation button.
Rita turned and grinned down at Henry. “Are you ready?”
“Do not do this, Rita.”
Rita shook her head. “Here we go. Three, two, one, now.”
Henry held his breath as he stared at the device. The seconds on the digital clock clicked past three, and then four, five, six, but nothing happened. He released a long sigh of relief when the device remained inactive.
Suddenly the concrete floor sent a vibration into the soles of their shoes. It only lasted for a fraction of a second and stopped. When they did not see any change to the device, they looked at each other with curious expressions.
“What just happened?” Chris asked.
Rita shook her head and studied the information on the digital display. “Nothing happened, the test is a bust. We’ll need to try it again with a different combination of frequencies.”
Henry shook his fist as he glared at Rita. “You are wrong! You felt the movement in the floor. Something did happen, but it was not what you expected. You must stop this experiment until we understand why this facility was shut down. We have no idea what they were doing here. The fact that this facility was sealed demands our further investigation. You must not proceed with your experiments!”
When Rita turned back to the console, Henry let his shoulders slump. “I can help you, Rita. I could contact Director Donner and have the records of this COBRA project sent by courier.”
Rita gave him a stern look. “Absolutely not, Henry. No one can know our location until I determine it’s necessary. I’ll use my contacts to find out what happened here. Is that clear?”
Henry lowered his head. Something terrible will result from her impatience, he thought.
Chris noticed Henry’s depression. He decided a walk outside might help him. “Listen, Henry. Mister Preston should be arriving shortly. I’ll need to pick him up at the entrance anyway, so let’s go for a ride.”
Henry looked at Rita, but she ignored him so he followed Chris over to the golf cart.
With Henry in the passenger seat, Chris drove along the tunnel where he parked just inside the entrance. When they climbed out and walked outside, Henry abruptly stopped to look around. It had been nearly dark when he had arrived, but now he was impressed by what he saw. The setting could have been from a state park. Not a single vehicle was parked outside. The open area in front of the entrance was a half-moon shaped parking area, about one-hundred-feet across, ending at a forest of thick trunked evergreens.
Henry slid his shoe across the surface of what appeared to be dirt, but was actually a hard surface covered with tan-colored epoxy paint. Blotches of charcoal grey and green paint were scattered randomly in every direction to complete a camouflaged tapestry. His depression deepened when he realized from the air it would appear to be a clearing in the forest, and no one would suspect he would be here.
Chris noticed Henry’s shoulders sag. “There’s a bench over near the trees if you want to sit for a while.”
Henry walked over to the bench under the tree limbs. When he sat down, Henry stirred the pine needles with the toe of his shoe for a moment before looking over at Chris. “
Do you know what their intentions are if they can control the device?”
Chris shook his head. “No. I’m just one of the guards. I just do what they say.”
“There are more guards at this facility?”
“Yeah, but they just take care of the entry gate and patrol the grounds. They live off base. I live here and take care of the internal security, although there usually isn’t much for me to do. I needed something to occupy my time so I started taking cooking lessons online. Henry felt a glimmer of hope. If he could separate himself from Chris, he might be able to get a message to Donner over the internet. First, he needed to gather more information about the security at this facility. “How many guards do they have here?”
Chris stared at Henry for a moment. “I hope you’re not planning an escape. I like you, Henry, but I can’t allow you to leave. I have a job to do. Besides, this place is shaped like a horseshoe. The surrounding rock is over three hundred feet high and nearly vertical. There is no way to hike up to the rim. The only way out is through the narrow entrance where the guards are stationed, or by helicopter.”
Henry looked at the ground and stirred the pine needles again. His thoughts were interrupted by the deep thumping sound of an approaching helicopter.
Chris heard it too. “We need to go back inside the entrance, Henry. I’m sure that’s Mister Preston and we’ll get blown away by the downdraft.”
Henry and Chris hurried across to the entrance and stopped just inside. They waited while a dull gray, two-person helicopter swooped in low above the treetops and touched down lightly on the painted surface. Once the rotors began to slow down, Chris walked out to greet Preston, but Henry refused to be friendly and stayed inside.
When Preston climbed out of the helicopter, Chris was waiting. “I heard about the tremor. Is Rita making any headway?”
“Kind of, I guess. She’ll have to tell you about it.”
Preston grinned sadistically when he saw Henry. “Feeling any better old man?”
Henry glared at Preston’s smug face. “I would feel better if you told me what you intend to do with that device.”
Preston was impressed by the old man’s obstinacy. “All right. I plan to create a series of storms along the east coast. Nothing too dramatic. I’ll have my men and equipment staged nearby so I can underbid my competitors for the cleanup contract. I can make millions.”
Henry stared at Preston for a long moment. “You are a mad man. You cannot control the weather!
“I can if you and Rita figure out the correct set of frequencies. I’m going to use them no matter what, so it’s up to you and Rita to get it right. If the devices don’t work as advertised, they could do more damage than I intend. It will be your fault, old man.”
“What about all the people whose lives you will impact by the destruction? Possibly their deaths, as well?”
“It happens all the time anyway, so why not take advantage of it by knowing when and where?”
“This will be different. You will be the cause, not a natural event. It will be your fault, not mine.”
“Then you had better get it right if you want to minimize the damage.” He turned to Chris. “Take me inside. I want to talk to Rita about the tremor.”
Henry climbed into the rear seat while Preston sat up front next to Chris. Once the cart was driving down the tunnel, Henry leaned forward in his seat. “Tell me, Preston. Do you know why this facility was sealed in 1970?”
Preston turned his head to look at Henry. “Not exactly. I heard a rumor the funding was cut off because of an accident. This used to be a mine, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they had a cave-in.”
Henry leaned back. That cannot be the reason, he thought. It is too simple. That massive door is meant to keep something sealed inside.
When Chris parked near the entrance to the main room, they climbed out and strolled across to Rita standing next to the control console.
Rita turned around and leaned back against the console as she watched their approach.
When Henry and Chris stopped, Preston continued until he was face to face with Rita, and then gently cupped his hand under her chin to draw her lips to his.
When they parted, Rita smiled and released a deep sigh of pleasure. She looked into his soft brown eyes before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his body close to hers. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered in his ear.
Preston looked over Rita’s shoulder at the device. “Did you figure out how to control that piece of alien technology?”
Rita let go of Preston and waved her hand toward the device. “I know why I’m having so much difficulty getting it to work. We need at least two devices to interact in order to create the vortex needed to induce a change in weather patterns.”
Preston turned to face Rita. “We have the one from the Bering Sea. I can have it brought here, if you like.”
“I don’t know if it will do us any good. The power supply in that one is nearly depleted.” She looked at Henry. “They must use the same crystals as the spaceship. Wouldn’t you agree, Henry?”
Henry crossed his arms. “I do not know. I have never seen one until now.”
Rita knew he was right. “I’ll need to open one up to find out for sure, but I would rather use the depleted one in case something goes wrong.”
“I’ll set it up. What about the tremor? Do you think it’s safe to stay here?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. We’re only one hundred and eighty miles from Yellowstone National Park and they have earthquakes all the time. That’s probably what we felt here.”
Preston grinned. “Great. How about a demonstration? You said it began to work the last time. Show me what it does.”
“All right. Watch this.”
Henry wanted to protest, but knew it would be pointless. He could only stand by and see what would happen.
When Rita pressed the button, the device began to shimmer. A small whirlwind formed above the tip, and then everything electronic stopped working. When the whirlwind ceased spinning, a low-pitched rumble echoed around the room. The floor shuddered for an instant, and then everything was quiet and still.
Preston stared at Rita. “What the hell was that? Did you do that?”
“No. I don’t know why that happened.”
Preston put his hands on his hips as the devil’s grin spread across his face. “I could make a lot of money cleaning up after just one earthquake. You must have caused it. Try it again.”
“No, Rita!” Henry shouted. He stepped in front of Preston and glared up at him. “Are you insane? Do you not realize we are underground? This entire facility could collapse on us!”
“Okay, I get your point. We’ll take it outside next time.” He looked at Rita. “If you can make this device create an earthquake whenever you want to, I’ll double the money I promised you.”
Rita stared back at Preston and shook her head. “It can’t be the device, Steve. It’s above ground. That earthquake came from deep beneath us. It was probably another earthquake at Yellowstone.”
“If you say so, but why did it happen when you turned on the device?”
“I don’t know, but I shouldn’t try it again until I figure it out.”
“Okay. I’ll arrange to have the other device brought to this location.” He turned to look at Chris. “Take me back to the helicopter.”
Rita stared after Preston as he walked away without kissing her goodbye. Why is he being so cold? She wondered. Did I do something wrong?
Henry waited until Chris drove Preston out of the facility before giving Rita a pleading expression. “You must stop these experiments. It is not a coincidence. These seismic events happen when you activate that device. There must be something in this facility reacting to those specific frequencies.” He waited for a reply, but Rita just stared at him. “Damnit, Rita! They sealed this facility for a reason! Please let me call Donner and find out why?”
Rita stared at Henry. She had never heard him swe
ar until now. She did realize it wasn’t a coincidence. She also knew Donner would order Special Forces to storm this facility the moment he found out. She would be arrested for kidnapping, if not shot. “I can’t let you call him, Henry. I’ll wait until I get another device before I try it again. That’s all I can do for now.”
Henry shook his head, turned, and began walking across the room to the lounge.
Rita leaned back on the console. She had not received any information about this facility from her contacts. She chewed on her lower lip and crossed her arms. What the hell were they doing in here?
* * *
Chapter 5
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK:
Cynthia Barlow sat on a wooden bench in front of the Old Faithful Geyser, waiting for the next scheduled eruption. Her eight-year old daughter, Sissy, looked at her Mickey Mouse wristwatch then up at her mom. “Did somebody forget to turn it on today?”
Cynthia smiled at Sissy’s remark and held her hand. “That’s not how it works. It’s an act of nature.”
“Then how come it’s so late?”
Cynthia looked up when the mixed conversations from the crowd suddenly ceased. “It’s starting right now. Look.”
When Sissy looked at the geyser, small columns of water sporadically soared ten feet into the air, and then crashed down on the calcium-covered rock. “I don’t see why this is so interesting.”
“Just keep watching. It gets bigger in a few moments.”
Sissy flinched when the next eruption of steaming water crashed on to the concrete only one-hundred and fifty-feet in front of her. “Is it supposed to do that?”
“Yes it is. That’s why the benches are way over here.”
When the geyser went back down to only a few feet tall, Sissy looked up at her mother. “It was a little scary, but I wouldn’t come all the way here just to see it.”
The Alex Cave Series. Books 1, 2, & 3.: Box set Page 65