Confrontation

by William Hayashi

  “Good enough. By the way, since we left, they have satellite mapping capability here. Have G2 pop it up on your screen. It’s cool!” Todd gushed.

  As Todd finished talking, Chuck’s screen transitioned from a radar display to the satellite mapping Todd was talking about.

  “And guess what they use it for? Finding gas stations and restaurants!” said Todd.

  “Maybe it’s more of the dumbing down of America?” Sondra interjected. “When you all tell stories about how you, Chris and the others started out here in Chicago you guys were going back and forth to the moon with nothing but the lake and city lights to guide you in, right?”

  “That’s right,” answered Chuck.

  “See, as the cartoon says, ‘Smarter than the average bear!’ is all I’m saying,” Sondra said.

  “How’s the anchoring holding, Sondra?” Todd inquired.

  “I’m not on the bottom. It’s kind of slanted here. But the whale’s fine. Julius said they made it to the surface okay. He’s due to check in as soon as they get dry.” After a few moments of silence she said, “All right boys, pay attention to your driving. I’m going to monitor the ground team. When they’re safe at the warehouse, I’m going to get some sleep.”

  “Keep in touch,” said Todd, signing off.

  “Everyone be careful out there,” said Chuck.

  The waters of Lake Michigan were still cold though it was May, but the air was balmy. The electrical propulsion units were almost completely silent as they easily pulled the crew along. Julius didn’t want them to travel too fast and leave a huge, unexplained wake behind. The units were traveling at around eight knots and would have them at their landing site in under an hour.

  Julius had already cautioned the others not to swallow any lake water if at all possible, he didn’t want any water-borne parasite or bacteria laying anyone low. Doc Long wasn’t able to join the mission as originally planned, and although they all had the standard medical training everyone underwent in the colony, none of them were much more than well-trained medics.

  Out toward the west coast Chuck noticed that the fighter coverage ahead was incredibly dense.

  “G2. What’s the situation ahead?”

  “The fighters have been ordered to try to force you to land. The same orders were passed to those on the east coast, trying to intercept the jumper Todd is piloting.”

  “Connect me with Todd.”

  “What up?” Todd responded.

  “Did G2 tell you what’s in store for us the closer we get to the coast?” asked Chuck.

  “Yeah, I was wondering what you think we should do. Shields or no shields, I don’t want to get in any kind of dogfight. If we didn’t have to back up the ground crew, I’d just as soon stay in orbit. A geosynchronous orbit above Chicago might not be too bad,” suggested Todd.

  “That’s not a bad idea, but I’d feel better if we stay less than an hour away. A lot can happen in an hour, but I think it’s a reasonable safety margin.”

  “Okay, so where do we park?”

  Chuck paused and thought about it for a moment.

  “Hang on, let me check on a couple of things. G2, how sensitive is that G-wave detector the military has?”

  “I do not understand what you mean by ‘how sensitive’ in this context. Could you elaborate, please?”

  “I mean, what is the threshold of power that can be detected? Is there a lower limit that doesn’t show up on the detector?” Chuck clarified.

  “Working … I need to run a test. Angle south and follow the course on the screen.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To Groom Lake.”

  “Wait, that’s that Area 51 place I read about before we left the moon. They do secret development there, right?”

  “Correct, Chuck.”

  “Then why the hell are we going there?”

  “Because the fighters in pursuit will have to obtain clearance before they can enter the airspace of the facility, and those stationed there will not be able to intercept you in the short amount of time that I need to test a theory,” G2 explained.

  “Okay, lead the way.”

  “Increase speed to Mach 5 and follow the map,” directed the A.I. “We are receiving a warning from the Groom Lake facility. I am not responding.

  “You will be landing at the far edge of that salt flat. I need you to touch down and power down the artificial gravity along with the engines. We need be there for less than a minute.”

  “Whatever you say,” said Chuck, angling the jumper toward the indicated landing site.

  He brought the ship down with a slight bump and shut off the power for the artificial gravity and the engines.

  “Very good. Now stand by. Please strap in, I need you prepared to take off without the cabin gravity on.”

  Chuck already had his safety harness on, so he waited, feeling exposed on the ground.

  “Three helicopters are airborne and are beginning a search for this jumper. None are coming in this direction yet,” G2 informed Chuck. “Power up the engines incrementally if you would. Ten percent please. Now twenty percent. Now fifty percent. Power down the engines. One helicopter is vectoring about fifty degrees off to starboard. Please power up the cabin gravity. One moment, please. Two helicopters will be crossing within one hundred meters from the jumper. I recommend you immediately climb vertically to eighty thousand feet.”

  “Cabin gravity on?” Chuck asked.

  “Correct, and full power to the engines. I have completed my test.”

  Chuck rose quickly into the sky. As he passed thirty thousand feet, he was able to see two fighters several miles away.

  “Recommend you climb to one hundred thousand feet. In defiance of mission parameters, one fighter has armed missiles. Missiles away, two missiles have been fired in this direction, however, there is no radar or heat trail lock.”

  Moments later G2 called out, “Missiles self destructed. You are clear to continue to climb. Level off at one hundred thousand feet and I will report my findings.”

  When Chuck reached the suggested altitude, G2 suggested conferencing in Todd.

  “What up, Chuck?”

  “G2 just ran a test and wants to give us the results.”

  “I’ve got a dozen fighters buzzing around me right now, what do you suggest?” Todd asked.

  “Climb above a hundred thousand feet for a few minutes while we sort this out,” ordered Chuck.

  When Todd was safely out of reach, G2 began to explain the test run.

  “During the test I was intercepting the data being collected by the gravity wave detectors in use by the military. The equipment is very good at triangulating the jumpers when the engines are at normal power. However, the artificial gravity generators do not put out enough power to be detected.”

  “That’s good, I guess. But how does it help us?” asked Todd.

  “I also determined that with the artificial gravity generators operating, and keeping engine power no higher than twenty percent, the detector cannot locate a jumper.”

  “Can we stay in the air on twenty percent power?” Chuck asked.

  “Barely, and trying to outrun or out maneuver military aircraft is out of the question without the artificial gravity to protect you from the G-forces during extreme maneuvers,” answered G2.

  “Okay, I don’t get it. How does this help?” Todd asked, clearly frustrated.

  “The jumpers can operate as submersibles on twenty percent engine power, and while in Earth’s gravity field, artificial gravity is unnecessary.”

  “Brilliant!” Todd exclaimed. “So, maybe we should head back to the Great Lakes and hide out near the whale?”

  “Too risky. Even if we dropped down in Lake Superior or any lake other than Michigan, they’d still be able to tell where we were when we cut the power. Let’s s
tick to the plan, but after you hit the drink, get as far away from where you landed as you can. Drop the artificial gravity, dial back the engines and motor away. It won’t be the first time we’ve played submarine, Todd.”

  “G2, from how high can a jumper drop into the water without damage?” Todd asked.

  “With the shields engaged and the artificial gravity activated, no more than half a kilometer for safety.”

  “Shit, that’s some ways up,” said Todd.

  “If I had to do that, for damn sure I wouldn’t be looking out the window when I splashed down,” offered Chuck.

  “Yeah, but it would look like the jumper just disappeared. One second you’re flying, the next you’re gone,” Todd said excitedly.

  “Excuse me, Chuck,” G2 interrupted. “Sondra reports that the ground team has made landfall and that they are in the process of hiding their gear and changing into street clothes,”

  “Comm check, G2. Please connect me with Lucius.”

  “Yes, son? How goes the hide and seek?” Lucius immediately responded.

  “So far, so good. Guess where G2 took me,” said Chuck.

  “I have no idea, Disneyland?”

  “No, Area 51.”

  “Okay, you’ll have to tell me later, we’re moving out to the warehouse.”

  “Everything all right? How was the swim?” Chuck asked.

  “It was fine until we got close to shore. The water’s filthy, I can’t wait until I get a shower. But we got our equipment hidden until someone can pick it up with the rental tomorrow or the next day. We only left the scuba gear behind, nothing that blows our cover,” Lucius answered.

  “I’m glad everything went well. Todd and I should be squared away shortly. Was there any military air traffic hanging around after we left?” Chuck asked.

  “No one saw anything. I think we’re good,” Lucius assured him.

  “Good enough. Call me tomorrow after you’ve gotten some rest and have had time to check out the warehouse,” Chuck requested.

  “Good enough, indeed. Good night.”

  * * *

  “What happened to those spacecraft, colonel? They just disappeared?”

  “Yes, sir, Mr. President. One disappeared in the Boston area, probably the same place as ten years ago. The other disappeared somewhere around Baja California,” the colonel reported.

  “Son of a bitch! Why the hell am I cooling my heels down here?” Laughlin asked Andrews.

  “The alert has not been called off, Mr. President,” Agent Andrews replied.

  “Then I have to sleep down here, I take it.”

  “Correct, Mr. President. Your wife is safely asleep at the alternate bunker and will remain there for the duration. Your bed has been made up, Mr. President.”

  “Very subtle, Tim,” Laughlin said, laughing.

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. President,” Agent Andrews replied with a wink.

  “Yeah, right.” Laughlin pressed the intercom and said, “Colonel, if anything happens while I’m asleep, I fully expect you to wake me up.”

  “Yes, Mr. President.”

  Laughlin rose, rubbing his eyes and said, “All right, Tim. Let everyone know I’m going to bed. I still want to get up at the normal time, though. And leave word I’d like to see Debra first thing in the morning.”

  “Yes, sir,” answered Agent Andrews. “Good night, Mr. President.”

  Chapter 25

  PATHWAY TO GLORY

  “Here’s the address, this must be the place,” Julius said, shining a light through the window of the huge structure.

  “I found it!” Lucius announced from around the corner of the large building.

  The others gathered and saw the numeric keypad on the thick, metal door.

  “Who remembers the code?” Julius asked.

  “It’s an easy one: 314159265,” said Lena.

  Julius punched in the code and they were rewarded by the door clicking open. When they got inside, Lena went to the little console on the wall making an urgent beeping noise and punched in the same code, disarming the building’s security system.

  They looked around, and spotted a glassed-in office on the street side of the building. As soon as they entered the office and turned on the lights, the telephone rang.

  “I’ll get it, it’s probably the monitoring company for the alarm,” Lucius said as he reached for the phone.

  “Hello. Yes, this is Lucius Walker. My code is Darkside, I repeat Darkside. No, everything’s all right, I wanted to stop by and pick up some paperwork I have to drop off downtown first thing in the morning. No, thank you. Good night,” he concluded as he cradled the phone.

  “I see you and Genesis did a hell of a lot of preparation for this mission. I’m going to check the perimeter. Want to tag along, Al?” Neil asked.

  “Sure thing. How far is the motel from here?” Albert asked.

  “About two miles. We’ll grab rooms in a little while, then a rental car and a van after a little rest. Sound like a plan?” Lucius asked.

  Seeing everyone nodding, Lucius sat down at the one desk with a computer and powered up the system while everyone else left to check out the warehouse. He activated his earpiece and called out, “G2? Is Sondra still awake?”

  “Right here, Lucius. Everything go all right?” she asked.

  “No problems at all. The others are inspecting the warehouse while I get the office computer booted up for G2. How did it go with Chuck and Todd?”

  “They’re fine as far as I know. I was just waiting for you all to report in before I got some shuteye.”

  “All right, dear. We’re hanging here for a little while longer. I’ll send someone to grab our stuff hidden at the landing site as soon as we rent the van.”

  “That sounds good, Lucius. I’m off to bed. Give Julius a big kiss from me, will you?” Sondra said, laughing.

  “I’ll convey your wishes and that’s about it. Catch you in the morning.”

  When Sondra was gone, Lucius triggered his earpiece again.

  “G2.”

  “Yes, Lucius. How may I be of assistance?”

  “Have you uploaded everything to Genesis yet?”

  “In process. I sent all the flight data from the jumpers Chuck and Todd flew as well. They are both safely underwater now.”

  “Good. I have booted up the office computer and it is connected to the Internet. I am loading the CD-ROM now so you can track it down,” Lucius said as he pushed in the tray of the drive.

  “One moment, searching … I have located the system. One moment for download … I am resident in the system. I am reading the inventory. There are very few items left to acquire, not including perishables. The caretaker that you and Genesis hired has organized the items quite well. Every box or sealed container has a bar code and according to the notes, somewhere in the facility are portable scanners.”

  “Thank you, G2. Please check the payroll records and see what time the person we hired arrives in the morning.”

  “Usually a few minutes before 9 A.M.”

  “Thank you. All call for the ground crew, please. Everybody, the jumpers are clear, Sondra is safely anchored, and hopefully by now, asleep. We’re going to get out of here shortly. Everything secure?” Lucius asked.

  “Everything looks good, Lucius. Out back are six shipping containers, a pickup thing to move them and a couple of forklifts just inside the back door. The door is easily big enough to get the containers in and out,” said Lena.

  “I’m up in the loft looking out back. It looks like the canal is just past the parking lot,” Albert reported.

  “Is there a barge out there?” Lucius asked.

  “Can’t tell, it’s too dark.”

  “I’ll run out there and take a look,” said Julius.

  “Caref
ul, it’s pretty dark,” Albert warned.

  “Got a flashlight. Lena, what’s that code again?”

  She laughed, saying, “Come on, Julius, you’re a pilot, you took math. The code is the value of Pi out to eight decimals.”

  “3.14159… what’s the rest?” Julius asked.

  “265. Don’t sweat it. I’ll watch the door. Go!” she said.

  Julius exited the back door and quickly crossed the parking lot in the dark. When he reached the far edge of the asphalt he turned on the light and followed a wide, beaten path to the canal.

  Lena watched as the bobbing light disappeared in the distance. In a couple of minutes she saw the light moving through the sparse trees lining the unseen canal. Then, moments later saw Julius at the edge of the lot. He took a slight detour to look over the containers, then made his way to the door.

  Once he was inside, he said, “We’re in luck! Come on, I’ll tell everyone at once.”

  When the two got back to the office, they found the others had returned.

  “We caught a break,” Julius began. “Someone who used this place previously must have loaded or unloaded some heavy crap onto the river. There’s a heavy-duty landing along the water big enough for a semi to pick up and drop off these shipping containers, and there’s a single barge tied up to the dock. There’s a crane back there too. I can’t tell if it’s still working, but everything was clean and there is a streetlight kind of pole light right on the water.”

  “If it still works, that is good news. We’ll check it out tomorrow. Here’s what I want to do. Let’s get to the motel and check in so everyone can get some shuteye. When we get up, we’ll rent a car and a van. Genesis has already embedded your driver’s licenses with the DMV and the credit cards all draw from one of my business accounts. Whomever gets the van, go pick up the stuff we left at the landing. I’m coming here in the morning to meet the man we hired and give him a big severance bonus. Which one of you can check out the crane and that tractor thing Lena said we can move the containers with?”

  “I’ll do it,” Neil offered. “Also, if the refrigerator equipment is here, I’ll start getting a container insulated and the hardware mounted. I saw a welder and a bunch of tools by the big door in the back.”