He tapped the side of his head. “This place messes up my brain. There shouldn’t be an airfield of this size way out here. A landing strip like this one is more appropriate for a commercial airport, or to land the space shuttle, not for podunk Colorado.”
She replied, “It’s like what we saw in Minot, North Dakota. We heard about the big attack at a Texas airport, right? We saw them swarming all over that airport in New Jersey, remember?”
“How could I forget?” He’d been driving the Camaro at break-neck speeds at the time; he would never forget New Jersey.
“Well, it looks like their primary means of invading us here in the heartland is by using our airports. Where they can’t find an existing one, they make their own. Ted, these people have put a lot of thought into this invasion. We’ve got to put a stop to it.”
Ted goosed the motor to pick up speed. Evidence of town ended almost immediately once they passed the far edge of the airstrip. A few last houses and one car wash went by, then there was nothing but grass and a few trees ahead.
“Aw, shit, not this again.” A checkpoint had been set up in those trees. Men in black jumpsuits came alongside the road, waving for him to stop.
“We have to see what they want,” he remarked, wishing he could zip through and go for broke, but knowing such a stunt would never work.
“One more time,” he said with deliberation. “We’re pushing our luck beyond its designed limits.”
Emily bumped him as she got out of her seat and crawled into the back, staying low.
“What the hell, Em?”
“I’m not going to put us at risk again. These guys are just going to wave you through, but if they figure us out, I want them to think we’re not the same truck as the one that recently came into town. They’ll only know there were two people at the first roadblock, and one at this one.” She’d tumbled her way into the far back cargo area.
It was too late to talk her out of it. He slowed as he reached the men, who were fifty feet in front of him. “I only see two,” he said, using his hand to hide his mouth from the guys. “One on each side. One Humvee. Left side. Empty, I think.”
“Understood,” she replied.
Like the last time, he rolled down his window and put on his tourist face.
The guy barely even looked at him. He waved for him to go through.
Ted smiled broadly, intending to make good on the wave, but a third man appeared from inside the black Humvee parked at the edge of the road.
“Wait a second!” he yelled to Ted.
His foot hovered between waiting and fleeing.
NORAD Black Site Sierra 7, CO
“Of course I want to escape,” Tabby replied to the president. “Don’t you?”
He laughed. “Oh yeah, but I’ve given up hope. These folks can’t be defeated, if what they say about erasing all our people is true.”
“It is,” she replied. “But you shouldn’t give up hope. You’re still the president. You can order attacks. Nuke them, or whatever. All we have to do is get you up top and back to US forces, wherever they are.”
“Oh, is that all?” He tried to laugh.
She did not.
“I admire your spirit, I really do. David put me down here, saying it’s the most secure prison he could find. However, if I ever left without his permission, he has a… I don’t know what to call it. A box of light? A machine of some kind—”
“I’ve seen it,” she said dryly.
“Then you know. If we leave and get caught, it’s into the light we go.” He walked through the entryway of his makeshift home, back toward the elevators and the window looking out into the ten-foot-wide tube. “Our best bet is to wait this out. I may be out of action, but I guarantee there’s a general or admiral overseas who’s putting together a rescue mission at this very minute. I know how those men think.”
“It isn’t hopeless to fight back. I came down here without seeing anyone. We’ll get in the elevator and retrace my steps. Instead of getting out at the station I started at, we’ll go to the very top. I’ve been there. We’ll arm up with pipes or wrenches. Whatever you’ve got down here. You can hit them over the head, sir.”
He stood by the glass, looking up. “It’s a great plan, but the call elevator button doesn’t work here at the bottom. You need a key to open the doors.”
“Well, that’s unexpected, but maybe it makes sense. If you’re in jail, they wouldn’t want you wandering around.”
“Like you,” he interjected.
“Yeah, like me.” She tried to find interest in the tube of flashing lights, but it was a bunch of conduits and wires, nothing too exciting. Except, almost by accident, she realized there was a ladder next to the window. The curve of the tunnel was severe enough she was able to make it out. “Hey, can you get in there?”
Tanager shot her a confused look. “Out there?”
She nodded.
“Well, yeah, actually. There’s a service hatch the tech guys have used to go in there. They don’t tell me why, of course, but I’ve watched them do it. It’s right over here.” He pointed beyond the edge of the window to a place she guessed was directly next to the ladder. “You can barely make it out from here.”
Her next question was
