“Okay,” he said, over the increasing volume of the drills coming closer. “Let’s find where mom’s hidden you, and what all the fuss is about.”
6.
They landed at the small airport outside of McCloud, near the base of the majestic, snow-capped Mount Shasta, then assembled into two jeeps that proceeded through the picturesque town at speeds Phoebe thought bordered on criminal, not to mention obviously attention-grabbing, at a time when she expected they’d want to keep a low profile. The lovely town instantly tugged at her heart, and she squeezed Orlando’s hand. He was smiling at the scenery, the quaint shops, restaurants and inns at this resort town, reminiscent of the old gold rush period, and she wondered if he was thinking the same thing: that when this was all over, maybe they could get away and come out here for a romantic vacation.
Aria sat in the back with her father, who seemed to be recovering nicely, but was still in and out of consciousness. She watched with wide eyes, taking in the lush forests of pine, the variety in the colors of the leaves, the grass and brush. But always her attention was drawn to the great mountain, the ice and snow covering most of its surface up to the dazzling white peak. Phoebe could only imagine what the girl was experiencing, having lived her whole life in the dry desert.
With the town behind them, the road narrowed and they traveled for a while in silence, with Colonel Temple at the wheel, his mirrored sunglasses covering any sign of emotion. A few more minutes and they turned onto a bumpier trail where the alpine woods closed in and scraped against their windows as they moved into Shasta’s shadow. Soon, NO TRESSPASSING signs began to appear, and their ears popped as they began to climb.
But it wasn’t much longer before they stopped, coming to a high metal fence manned by two camouflaged men with heavy rifles. A nod from Temple, who showed them a pass, and they were through.
A rectangular two-story windowless building stood under a canopy of trees against the base of a steep rocky incline. A half-dozen satellite dishes of various sizes pointed through one clear section to the blue sky.
“That’s it?” Orlando asked, stepping out of the jeep and stretching.
Temple chuckled. “Give us a little credit. We may not have unlimited funds, but we’ve got enough for a little luxury. This is just one of our redundant communication sites.” He was smiling as he reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled out a small transmitter. He pointed it at a flat wall of the mountainside, and moments later a doorway appeared. Two sides split open and parted, revealing a tunnel, and a globe-shaped silver car on a set of tracks.
Temple removed his sunglasses And said, in a business-like tone, “Welcome to Stargate.”
After the doors closed and they were all situated around the surprisingly roomy interior, the tram moved them along at a more-than-leisurely pace that made Orlando compare it to the New York subway system. Except the view out the convex windows was less interesting: just occasional dull lamps revealing little beyond what one would expect inside a tunnel burrowed into a mountain.
“Alexander would love this,” he said to Phoebe. “Reminds me of the villain’s secret lair inside that volcano in
Temple heard him and smiled. “Not the vibe we were going for, but secrecy is vital. And anyway…”
Aria’s eyes widened. “You didn’t build this tunnel! You found it here.” She was sitting on her father’s lap, his arms around her waist protectively.
“What?” Phoebe stared at the girl. “You saw that?”
Aria pressed her little fingers against the glass window. “They found it, using their psychics.”
“Following up on native American legends about a race living within the mountain,” Temple added. “And… rather sensational reports through the years. Prospectors, climbers, explorers… tall tales of robed men and women appearing from the caverns, speaking enigmatically and then disappearing. Strange lights at night. Weird craft-shaped objects coming and going…”
“A regular UFO hotspot,” Orlando said, then shrugged. “At least according to
Phoebe leaned across the aisle toward Aria, and looked out the window at the lights passing in the darkness. “What else did you see?”
The girl closed her eyes. “I saw… I see… that where we’re going… it’s one big hollowed out cavern that they’ve made into their headquarters. But there’s something, some place they can’t get into. They wanted to get further, but there’s a door of some kind.”
Temple nodded. “A barrier, black, solid and thick. The Dove had been having visions of it for years.”
“But never,” Aria added, “seeing anything behind it. Only blue.”
“Correct. Apparently they let us get this far, but no further.”
The tram was slowing, and brighter lights appeared.
Orlando frowned. “So there’s a door. Couldn’t you bust through? Or drill around it?”
Temple smiled. “Course we tried. But any machinery that got within twenty feet suddenly died. EMP field of some kind, protecting it. Tried manually digging around, but whoever we sent to do it came back… the only word I can say is… ‘befuddled’. As if their brains were temporarily scrambled. They had no idea what they were there to do, or even where they were, and it took hours for the memories to clear. So no, we can’t get through.”
“Hmmm,” said Phoebe. “Sounds like you were invited to a party, but then denied entrance at the front door.”
“That’s about the way we saw it,” Temple replied. “But we didn’t take offense. Instead, I’m thinking maybe this is their way of testing us, observing us first. Seeing if we’re worthy to get inside to the big dance.”
“How long has it been?” Orlando asked. “That you’ve been tested?”
“Four years, give or take.”
Phoebe whistled. “Maybe it’s not a test.”
“What do you mean?” Temple cocked his head. And for the first time, his voice didn’t sound so confident.
She shrugged. “Maybe you’re just meant to be close. All of us in one spot…”
“So it’s easier to wipe us out,” Orlando finished.
Temple was about to say something when the interior suddenly got a lot brighter. The walls of the tunnel gave way and their tram hurtled above an enormous open space. They hugged the stalactite-covered roof, racing along a monorail track that circled the mile-wide facility, looking down on a complex of rectangular buildings, pathways and plains. Pipes and wires ran along the sides of the elliptical cavern, with pathways laid out in concentric circular grids. Giant floodlights stood at regular intervals, and the track angled toward one pyramid- shaped glass building that stood fifty feet above the others.
“Central command,” Temple pointed. “Where we’re headed. Where you’ll meet the team.”
“And the diabolical super villain in charge,” Orlando mused.
