Chapter 2
I shifted my backpack and turned to lock the door. I’d done my best to prepare to be gone for two months, though part of me wished I’d had a bit more time.
Then again, was anybody properly prepared to meet aliens?
I grabbed my rolling suitcase’s handle and started toward the elevator, only to see the white door of the next apartment open as I approached.
“Whereyagoin’, Gene?” asked Sam, his blond hair still sleep mussed and words running together.
I knelt on the beige linoleum to look him in the eye. “Remember when I told you yesterday that the Army wants me to work on something special?”
He nodded. “Yeah…”
“That’s where I’m going. They’re here to pick me up. I’m going to a lab so super secret that even I don’t know where it is.”
“Really?” he asked, eyes growing wide with wonder. Then his lip quivered. “Does that mean we can’t read books together?”
I reached out and tousled his hair. “Sorry, Sam. Super secret lab means I can’t read with you.
But I gave your mom a list of books that the other science teachers like.
You’ll have plenty to read all summer. There are books about plants, animals…
bugs. The engineering teachers all suggested books about how things are made.
There are books about the ocean and deep space.
You’ll learn so much from all these books that you’ll be smarter than me by the end of summer. ”
“Really?” he sniffled.
I nodded. “And because I know you like to know things so much, I even asked a few history professors about science history books. So you’ll learn about how we discovered things long ago and how that led to even more cool science.”
“There’s science in history?” he asked.
I laughed. “There’s a lot of science in history, if you know where to look.”
“Woooooooow,” he replied.
I smiled. “I gotta go. But we’ll talk about all the cool things you’ve learned when I get back, ok?”
He nodded. “Ok.”
I stood and saw his mom smiling from her open door. She mouthed a silent ‘thank you.’
I nodded and grabbed my bag again, then turned back to Sam. “Find something cool to teach me about, ok?”
He grinned. “Ok! Have fun at the super secret lab!”
I chuckled. “I’ll try.”
I held out my fist, and he bumped it with his own. Then I continued toward the elevator.
The chime sounded, and I glanced back to see Sam waving. I returned the wave, then stepped in. A minute later, I exited the building and spotted a newer black SUV that was trying too hard to be nondescript among the older cars that filled the parking lot.
I walked over, and a uniformed man got out of the driver’s seat.
“You’re late,” he chastised.
I looked at my watch, which read three minutes past seven. I shook my head. “I was saying goodbye to the neighbor kid.”
“It’s customary to report ten minutes prior to…” he started.
“Good for you,” I interrupted. “But I’m a civilian. If I decide that saying goodbye to a nine-year-old is worth being a few minutes late, then that’s my choice.”
We stared at each other for several seconds before he pointed to my suitcase. “Is that all you’ve got?”
I lifted the shoulder with the backpack. “And this.”
He nodded, grabbed my suitcase and bag, then loaded them into the back. He opened one of the passenger doors and ushered me into the vehicle.
Things were awkwardly silent as he guided the vehicle into traffic.
“Look,” I offered, “I’ll tell your CO that I was late if you’ll get in trouble.”
He sighed. “Sorry, Sir. I was there early, and somebody kept harassing me about being their ride-share.”
“That would have been Eddie,” I chuckled. “He never actually calls for one. He just harasses people until he finds a sucker willing to take him somewhere.”
“That works?”
I laughed. “More often than you’d expect. The residents ignore him, but there are always guests and visitors who fall for it. And if he doesn’t get one soon enough, he walks over to the grocery store and tries from there.”
“I see.”
We managed polite small talk until he pulled up to a guard shack. A quick ID check, then we were on our way again. Finally, he stopped on the tarmac next to a transport plane.
Part of me had expected to be dropped off at the airport and handed a boarding pass. Seeing the army green plane in front of me made my stomach turn. But I dutifully got out of the SUV when he opened the door and grabbed my backpack before he could walk off with it.
I was about to ask if I was in the right spot when I saw Colonel Smith walking up, folder in hand.
“Doctor,” he said bluntly, holding out the folder.
“Colonel,” I replied as I accepted it and started to peek inside.
“It’s just paperwork,” he stated. “Documents about your security clearance being reinstated and forms to get you onto the base. You’ll have photo passes and such taken there.”
“Is this necessary?” I asked, motioning to the plane. “Why not put me on a regular airline?”
He gave me a pointed stare. “So nobody can hack those systems and see your name on a passenger manifest.” He paused. “I don’t think I need to remind you that there are very violent people who would oppose what we’re doing. We have to take every precaution.”
I swallowed. I hadn’t given much thought to it, but he had a point. There was still an underlying thread of xenophobia in humanity.
“Are there enough people being brought in to worry about that?” I asked, wondering how many other civilian scientists I’d be working with.
“We’ll discuss that at a later point.”
I nodded and followed as I was ushered onto the plane. There were only a handful of passengers, but it was almost full of pallets. A glance at the labels indicated a mix of items—everything from medical supplies to office equipment, mattresses to baking pans.
“Take a seat, Doctor,” Colonel Smith said. “They’re almost done loading.”
I decided on a seat near the front of the plane and grabbed my e-reader from my backpack.
“Sorry, Doctor,” Colonel Smith stated, then he grabbed what appeared to be a Faraday bag. “No electronic devices until we can secure them.”
I blinked. “It’s not connected. I turned the wi-fi off.”
He shook his head. “We can’t take the chance.”
I sighed and put the device in the bag.
“Anything else we need to secure?”
I blew out a long breath, then pulled my cell phone, tablet, and laptop from my backpack.
“They’re all off?” he asked as he arranged them in the large bag.
I nodded. “Yeah, I figured those would need to be inspected. Didn’t think the e-reader would be a problem, though.”
He shrugged. “Orders from the top.”
He spent another minute making sure all my electronics were secure, then turned to me. “Can I trust you, or do I need to hand this off to somebody else?”
“I’ll leave them in there,” I replied.
He nodded, then took a seat nearby as I reached into my backpack and pulled out a stack of papers that I’d printed just in case.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Emails from potential grad students who want to study under me.”
He blinked. “Wouldn’t your incoming students already be set?”
I shook my head. “These are the ones already thinking about next year. Contact early to narrow options down before sending out grad school applications.”
“Sounds serious.”
I laughed. “It’s only their futures. How much funding can the university provide versus loans? How will their research fit into their career goals? There’s a lot at stake.”
“I guess I’ve never thought about it.”
“Went right into the military after college?”
He chuckled. “Actually… I enlisted, then I went through the Green to Gold program once I decided I wanted this to be my career. Got my bachelor’s in business administration, but never planned to go further.”
“Business admin, and they’ve got you recruiting scientists for some secret lab?”
He chuckled. “The general is in charge, and it was his call to recruit you. But I’m right below him. He spends most of his energy communicating up and across to other people involved in the overall mission, while I’m tasked with a lot of the day-to-day operations.”
“So he’s in charge… but you’re in charge?” I asked.
His chuckle turned into a full laugh. “Yes, and no. He’s in charge of the mission and the base.
But this extends much farther than what you’ll see.
He’s in constant communication with superiors, labs in other locations, and many federal agencies.
He can’t waste time on the logistics of feeding and housing people.
But that’s what I like to do. So I make sure the base is running smoothly so he can focus on the big picture. ”
“I guess I didn’t think of all the everyday stuff involved.”
“People still need to eat and sleep.”
I smiled. “Otherwise, you end up with hangry and exhausted people.”
He laughed. “While we’re on the subject, Doctor…”
“Gene,” I interrupted.
“Pardon?”
“Call me Gene. I might have my doctorate, but I prefer my name.”
“I’ll try to remember that, Doct… Gene.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
“I guess you should call me Floyd.”
“Only if you’re comfortable with it.”
He shrugged. “You’re a civilian, not in my chain of command. And I have the feeling that some military norms will eventually have to change on this base. Though that’ll come later.”
I hummed. “Is it ok if I err on the side of situation-dependent? I don’t want to come across as undermining you in front of others.”
He considered the question, then nodded. “I think that’s acceptable.”
I returned the nod. “You were saying?”
He blinked, then chuckled. “I was going to say that I think we’ve got everything you need for now. There are some smart people on your team who’ve already started on what they can. But come to me if you need equipment or supplies.”
“Got it.”
The plane had taxied during our conversation, and a moment later it tilted as it took off. It turned and finally leveled off.
Floyd took off his seatbelt as soon as we seemed to be stable, then stood. “I have work to do.”
“Ok,” I replied, then watched him stroll off.