by CW Hawes
“What if we disagree?” Slezak asked.
“Keep it to yourself until we are in a safe environment, and then discuss it with me if you wish. Any other questions?”
Beames asked if there had been any other encounters with the K’n-yanians.
“No. At least not that we’re aware of, aside from the Binger episode in the twenties,” Mostyn replied. “Any other questions?” There were none, and he continued, “You all know your jobs. Hopefully, everything will turn out to be routine and I won’t need to be the boss man. We’ll find out tomorrow.”
There was a knock at the door. Zink got up and answered it, letting in Sergeant Chestnut.
“If you all will follow me, Doctor Obermaier is looking forward to meeting you.”
Mostyn stood, his team followed suit, and Chestnut led the way across the lawn to the back of the building, where large windows of one-way glass looked out onto a patio. Chairs and tables were on the patio and in between the large windows was a double door. Chestnut held one of the doors open and Mostyn and his team filed inside.
Mostyn turned and looked out the windows, which afforded a view of the patio, lawn, and the tree line along the river. The room they were in was spacious. The tables, chairs, and lunch counter revealed it to be the company cafeteria.
Two men approached the team. Both were dressed in midnight blue suits. The younger of the two carried an iPad. The older man, who carried extra weight around his middle, had a distinctive Prussian air about him. When they reached the team, the older man introduced himself and his companion.
“I’m Fritz Obermaier and this is my assistant, Early Webster.” Obermaier looked at Mostyn and said, “Special Agent in Charge Pierce Mostyn, I presume?”
“I am,” Mostyn replied.
Obermaier extended his hand. “Pleased to meet you, sir.” Mostyn took it, and they shook hands. He then introduced the other members of his team.
When all the handshaking was done, Obermaier waved his hand towards the tables. “Come, sit. We’ll be served supper momentarily.”
Zink inquired, “I take it you have a cafeteria because there’s no decent place to eat around here?”
“Not within eighty miles.” Obermaier replied.
Everyone took a seat. Obermaier was on Mostyn’s left, Dotty on Mostyn’s right. Webster sat on the other side of his boss. Mostyn noticed a chalkboard by the counter with the day’s entrées. He was famished and thought the baked chicken, cream of broccoli soup, and baked potato sounded good. When the server appeared and took their orders, he noticed Kemper ordered the poached cod and salad.
He whispered to her, “Fish? I thought Agate Bay would have cured you of seafood.”
She cast a sideways glance at him and whispered back, “You can be a real prick sometimes.”
Mostyn choked back a laugh as Kemper got the server’s attention and changed her order to chicken.
From the server, Obermaier turned his attention to Mostyn. “Now, sir, what can you tell me about the mysterious stairway and our equally mysterious disappearances?”
“I’m afraid nothing at this point in time, Doctor Obermaier,” Mostyn responded.
“Top secret?”
“Possibly. Mostly, though, because I don’t know what we’re actually dealing with here.”
“I see. Well, you’ll have your chance tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
“May I ask what it is you do here, Doctor Obermaier?” Kemper asked.
“You may ask, Doctor Kemper; unfortunately, I can’t tell you.”
Dotty shook her head. “Damn bureaucracies.”
Obermaier let out a laugh. “As you say, Doctor Kemper, as you say.”
The food came, and the conversation moved on to more mundane topics. When the meal was over Obermaier excused himself, and he and Webster left.
“What do you make of Obermaier, Mostyn?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, Dotty. Seems like a nice enough guy. He’s concerned about whatever’s been uncovered. Probably wondering if it will be a problem for his work.”
“Do you think this really is Department of Energy property and a DOE project?”
Mostyn chuckled. “Could be. Then again, the DOE might have leased this facility to anyone. Might be how the DOE makes up for budget shortfalls. Does it matter?”
“I guess not. A touch of irony that a top secret research facility was built on top of a top secret underworld civilization.”
“It is kind of ironic at that.”
3
Shortly after sunrise, Mostyn and his team were peering into the excavation site. At the bottom, on one end, was the uncovered stairway.
“From here, the workmanship of the stone looks to be pretty advanced,” Zink said.
Baker took several photographs of the stairway, the large pit, and the surrounding area. The staircase was about twenty-five feet below the surface of the ground.
“Let’s go down and take a closer look,” Mostyn said.
On one end of the excavation, was a ramp leading down into the large hole in the ground. The team walked down the ramp. Four Rangers and two military police remained above. There were no construction workers. They’d been sent home pending the outcome of the investigation conducted by Mostyn and his team.
“What was that?” Doctor Slezak said, her voice betraying a trace of fear.
“What was what?” Kemper called out.
“I felt something push against me,” Slezak replied.
“That was Jones trying to get into your panties,” Kemper shot back.
“I felt it, too,” Doctor Beames said. “Perhaps there are spirits here.”
“Ghosts?” Kemper said, her tone of voice taunting.
Beames stopped. “Don’t you feel it?”
The others stopped and looked at her.
Beames continued, “The evil, the malevolence.”
“Yes,” Slezak said softly.
A wind sprang up, swirling dust and dirt around the group.
“Something’s pushing me,” Slezak cried out.
DC Jones rushed to her side, and the wind ceased as abruptly as it started.
“This isn’t normal,” Beames said, “There are evil spirits here.”
Kemper guffawed. “Evil spirits. You can’t be serious.”
Beames was angry. “I am serious, Doctor Kemper. There is something very bad here.”
“Alright, ladies, now is not the time to argue,” Mostyn said. “We have a mission to accomplish.”
Mostyn started walking towards the opening where the stairway was located. Almost immediately a wind sprang up.
“Good God,” Zink blurted. “It’s as if something’s trying to deliberately stop us from going to the stairs.”
Kemper muttered, “Superstitious twits”, charged ahead, pushed past Mostyn, and suddenly fell backwards.
He rushed to her side, and at the same time a shot rang out. Behind him he heard, “Did you see that?” And, “A ghost. I saw a ghost.” Mostyn stood and looked up at the MP with his rifle trained on the stairway opening.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded of the soldier.
“I saw a white shape, sir. It pushed, or seemed to push, Doctor Kemper.”
Dirt and small stones were swirling about the opening. And then Mostyn himself felt as though something took hold of his wrist and was pulling him away, pulling him back the way he came. He shook his arm and took a step back. Dotty stood and went to his side, where both felt invisible hands, as it were, pushing against them. They looked at each other and then Mostyn gave the command to fall back.
Slezak and Beames ran up the ramp and out of the excavation site. Zink and Baker followed. Jones waited, pistol in his hand, until Mostyn and Kemper were halfway up the ramp and then he, too, followed, walking up the ramp backwards. Once everyone was at the top of the ramp, the wind in the hole ceased.
“Back to GAB Two,” Mostyn ordered. “We need to talk.”
***
&nbs
p; Pierce Mostyn looked at his fellow team members sitting in the living room of the pre-fab house. Beames and Slezak truly looked as though they’d seen a ghost. The others looked puzzled trying to reconcile what they saw and felt with the normal and accepted laws of the universe. At last Mostyn spoke.
“Since I’ve been with the OUP, I’ve learned to reserve judgment on whatever I experience or think I experience. Doing so allows me to maintain a clear head. None of you are novices. I suggest you do the same.”
“There’s something evil out there, Pierce,” Candy Slezak blurted out, while twisting her electric pink hair around a finger.
“Did you read the Binger report?” Mostyn asked.
Slezak nodded.
“Then why are you surprised?” he replied, and, taking them all in, continued. “Why are you surprised by what we experienced out there? You aren’t green. This isn’t your first mission. Get a grip, people. We are dealing with an unknown. We are the Office of Unidentified Phenomena. It’s our job to identify the unidentified and figure out if it poses a threat to the good people of the United States of America.
“We’re going back out there after lunch and this time I hope you have your individual and collective acts together. Do I make myself clear?”
Everyone either nodded their heads or made a verbal confirmation.
“Good. Now I’m going to talk to our trigger-happy guard and find out what he saw. Slezak and Beames, you’re with me. Did anyone else see the apparition?”
No one indicated they had and Mostyn made for the door, signaling the two women to follow him. Out he went to the main building where he found Sergeant Chestnut’s office and asked the sergeant to send him the MP who’d fired his rifle. He, Beames, and Slezak went down to the cafeteria to wait for the soldier.
Mostyn got coffee for the women and himself and the three sat at a table.
“Okay, ladies, what did this thing look like?”
“There was more than one,” Slezak said.
Beames nodded, and added, “Diaphanous. White. Undulating, like the aurora borealis.”
“They were barely visible,” Slezak noted.
“How many?” Mostyn asked.
The women looked at each other before Beames answered, “Three.” Candy Slezak nodded.
Mostyn sipped his coffee and appeared lost in thought. The women drank theirs in silence.
A man in uniform came up to them, black MP armband announcing he was military police. He stood at attention by the table. Mostyn looked up at him. He had private first class stripes on his shoulders and a name tag above his left breast pocket.
“Take a seat, Grundseth.”
The man sat.
“Alright, tell me what you saw that made you so trigger happy.”
The private swallowed and said, “I can’t rightly say, sir. It was some sort of white shape. But barely visible. I saw it push Doctor Kemper and she went down, the thing stepped back, and that’s when I fired at it.”
“Was it undulating?” Beames asked.
“Was it what, ma’am?”
“Undulating. You know, um, rippling.”
Private Grundseth thought a moment and said he thought so.
Mostyn nodded. “Anything else, Grundseth?”
“No, sir.”
“Very good. We’ll be going back out there after lunch. This time try not to shoot unless it’s something with more substance. Like a body.”
“Yes, sir.” Grundseth, stood, saluted, and left.
“Thanks, ladies. We’ll be back at it after lunch. Be prepared.”
“Sure thing, Pierce,” Slezak said.
Beames nodded.
Mostyn watched them go. He had a few preparations to make before lunch. Ghosts or no ghosts, they were going to explore that stairway.
4
After lunch, Mostyn and his team were once again at the top of the ramp that led into the excavation pit. With the team were the four Rangers and two of the MPs.
Everyone was equipped with helmets and head lamps, goggles, body armor, and an assortment of firearms. The team’s weapons included grenades, a flamethrower, a light machine gun, and a sonic disruptor as well. In their backpacks were tools and MREs. Everyone had a canteen of water.
Kemper’s comment seemed to reflect everyone’s mood. “With all this shit, we look like we’re ready for a stroll in Kandahar Province.”
“Or downtown Detroit,” Baker added.
“Alright, people,” Mostyn began, “we’re going down to the stairway. If we encounter any more nebulous creatures, Gibson, use the disruptor.”
Private First Class Patty Gibson had the weapon in her hands. “How do we know this thing works?”
“Didn’t Jones give you instructions?”
“He showed me how to turn it on.”
Mostyn shook his head, looked at Jones, and then took in the excavation site. “Okay, see that rock over there?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Power up the disruptor, make sure the selector is on narrow field, aim at the rock, and pull the trigger.”
Gibson powered up the weapon. Rings along the barrel began to glow, making the thing look like something out of an old Buck Rogers movie. Gibson adjusted the selector, aimed, and pulled the trigger. There was a whine and then the rock vaporized into a cloud of dust.”
“Does it work, Gibson?”
“Yes, sir. That was amazing.”
“Shut it down so we can conserve the power unit.”
Gibson powered down the disruptor.
“But what if it doesn’t stop the ghosts, sir?” Grundseth asked.
“We’ll deal with that situation if it happens,” Mostyn replied. “Any other questions?”
There weren’t any. Mostyn put on his goggles, and motioned for everyone to follow him. Into the large hole they walked. At the bottom of the ramp, the wind sprang up and began pushing against them.
“Anyone see anything or feel anything?” Mostyn called out.
“Just the wind,” Slezak and several others replied.
Mostyn nodded and continued the walk towards the stairway. The wind picked up making the dirt and small stones feel like bullets pelting his body armor and helmet.
“They’re here!” Beames called out. “I see them!”
At the same time Mostyn felt something push against him. “Fall back,” he ordered.
They retreated about thirty feet and Mostyn confirmed with Beames and Slezak that the ghostly shapes were still present.
“They’re there,” Slezak replied.
“I see four of them,” Beames added. “Directly in front of us.”
“How far?” Mostyn asked.
“About thirty feet,” Beames replied.
“Alright, Gibson, get to work.”
PFC Gibson shouldered the sonic disrupter and powered up the weapon. There was a quiet hum and the rings around the barrel began to glow.
“I don’t see anything, Mr Mostyn.”
“Beames, direct her aim,” Mostyn ordered.
The Native American ethnologist guided the soldier’s aim and Gibson squeezed the trigger. Once again they heard the high-pitched whine and then Beames said, “It’s gone!”
“The others?” Mostyn asked.
“They fled,” Beames replied. “Ran back to the stairway and down it.”
Mostyn nodded, and smiled. “Alright, people, these aren’t ghosts. They’re human beings who’ve de-materialized. Remember the account from the mound at Binger?”
“Partly de-materialized disgraced freemen,” Doctor Zink corrected.
“I don’t think this bodes well for us,” Doctor Beames said.
“It doesn’t matter if it does or not,” Mostyn admonished. “We have a mission and we are going to see it through. The security of the people of the United States depends on us.”
“I didn’t sign up for this,” Doctor Slezak said. “I’m not a hero.” Agent Jones moved next to her.
“Enough,” Mostyn said, his voice quiet an
d stern. “And, yes, you did Slezak. You can resign when we get back from our mission. Right now I need your expertise.”
She gave him a look that clearly indicated she wasn’t at all happy over her expertise being needed.
Mostyn ignored it and continued, “Now, does anyone see anymore of these partly de-materialized guards?”
“No. They’re gone.” Doctor Beames’s voice was full of resignation.
“They’re just waiting for us down below,” Slezak muttered.
“Follow me,” Mostyn said, as he trekked off towards the stairway, dirt and pebbles swirling around him.
“What are you waiting for?” Kemper called out. “You want to live forever?” And she took off after Mostyn, not hearing Slezak’s, “Yes”.
Corporal Ellis said to the soldiers, “You heard the man. Forward, march!”
Zink sighed, and said, “We who are about to die, salute you!”, and followed the others. The remaining team members, at Jones’s urging, straggled towards the stairway after Zink.
Mostyn stopped at the top of the stairs and the wind suddenly ceased. He looked at the darkness into which the stairs disappeared. The inky stygian gloom exuded a nearly palpable evil. He turned on the powerful electric lamp attached to his helmet. The beam of light appeared to be absorbed by the dank smelling gloominess.
The others clustered around him. Baker snapped pictures, while Privates First Class Pettigrew and Grundseth added their helmet lights to Mostyn’s in an attempt to pierce the gloom, but to little effect.
Doctor Zink descended several steps, took out a magnifying glass and a brush, and began examining the stonework and the worn bas-reliefs carved into the stone. After a few moments, he waved to Slezak and Beames. “Candy, Esther, what do you make of these designs?”
Slezak and Beames joined Zink in examining the worn and nearly faded patterns. While they were doing so, Mostyn addressed the others in the group.
“Corporal Ellis, I want Gibson and Tanner in the lead. We will need the disruptor and the flamethrower available should we meet anymore of these people and they turn hostile. Then you and Michelson, with the machine gun.”