Intense blue-white light forced its way through the opening elevator door, expanding as the opening widened like some sort of electrical sunrise. Bill stood for a moment squinting into the light as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. He surveyed the scene, taking in every minute detail, and then strode onto the platform of the elevator, its doors sliding quietly shut behind him. Less than twelve feet from the elevator doors was a security checkpoint manned by six people, two of the diminutive grays and four fierce looking reptilian creatures. Bill marched with purpose straight up to them.
“Report” he demanded.
They all scrambled to attention, clearly startled.
“Sir, we were not expecting you down here” replied one of the reptoids, in an attempt to explain their lack of attentiveness. “All security patrols on this level have checked in, there have been no sightings of the human” he finished, bowing his head slightly in Bill’s direction.
“Good, good. I'm here to inspect this floor. I have reason to believe he will try to make his way down here.”
The reptoids looked at each other nervously.
“As you wish sir, please step over here” said the closest of the reptoids indicating Bill to step onto what looked like a scale. With an air of indifference Bill stepped onto the scale staring nonchalantly at the panel in front of it as the grays scrambled around the computer system pushing buttons. The lights on the panel changed to a dull orange and the reptoid said “OK, you may pass, but you need to wear this” he said, shoving a color coded badge toward Bill. The badge was embossed with his picture, height, weight and security clearance, in this case Omega nine. Bill clipped it onto his breast pocket and walked to where the reptoid was indicating, the others standing aside to let him pass.
Bill made to walk away and noticed one of the grays queuing up beside him.
He pointed at the gray “What is this?” he asked of the reptoid that had been helping him.
“Standard procedure sir, all visitors to this level are required to have an escort” the reptoid replied.
“I am aware of the policy” Bill said, getting short with the reptoid. “I can assure you that I do not need an escort, especially since my purpose here is of the utmost secrecy “
“I am sorry sir, it is policy’
“Do I need to have your superior come down here and help us straighten this out?” snarled Bill.
The threat had the desired effect as the reptoids eyes widened in fear.
“No sir, that won’t be necessary. Please proceed” he said quickly
“Thank you” he replied curtly, then turned and walked down the short hallway, away from the security checkpoint and did not look back. He turned sharply to the right at the end of the hall, walked several yards and stopped, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder. Nick couldn’t believe he had pulled it off. He was shaking all over, adrenaline coursing through his veins with each pounding heartbeat. He thanked the stars for his good fortune and for the first time got a good look at where he was. This level was circular, and so vast he could barely make out the other side. To his left was what looked like housing, cut right out of the face of the rock wall in a long semicircle were thousands of square holes. They were very rudimentary and basic; connected with series of ladders platforms. Each hole was big enough to house one, maybe two, of the reptilian creatures with just enough space to sleep and that would be it. On the floor directly in front of the housing were rows and rows of tables and gathering places with many reptoids and grays milling about. To his right was where the light was coming from. The bright blue light source encompassed more than a third of the entire level in a column from the ceiling and, it appeared, right through the floor to unseen depths below. Vivid and intense it swirled in an undulating manner seemingly in mid air, with nothing restraining it. Nick stared, hypnotized by the ebb and flow of the blue and white light as if they were performing a beautiful celestial rhythmic dance. Swirling, rolling and twisting up and down, like someone had managed to capture the raw essence and power of a star, harnessed it and placed it here. Besides the light, an enveloping warmth, which penetrated through the body, right down to the cellular level was emanating from it. It made Nick feel like he was being cuddled by his mother and wanted to curl up on the floor and bask in its glow, but that was not an option. With a start he remembered why he was here and snapped out of his daze with a jolt. This had to be the source for all the power in the base he deduced. With great difficulty he wrenched his gaze from the light itself and scanned for its source. There had to be some sort of containment field or something that was generating the light. If he could find its source he could disable it. He noted that on the ceiling as well as the floor there were large panels, perhaps thirty or forty feet high and one to two feet thick, encircling the entire column. There were all a smooth, dark metallic black and didn’t give off nor emit any light. They were just there, solid and unyielding. At ground level there were several rows of computer panels and terminals all blinking and flashing as the reptoids that manned them pushed buttons and observed their output on large monitors. Time to get moving Nick thought; the real Bill would most certainly be on his way down and then his cover would be blown. It shouldn’t take him very long to get at the core, set the EMP and, well, wait for the cavalry to arrive. Nick set off at a crisp pace, picking a circuitous path as he went that would get him where he needed to be while minimizing his contact with the inhabitants of this area. As he went he fingered the EMP device in his inside pocket, recalling Telarc’s instructions on how to set it. Each device could only be set by a member of the team as it scanned the thumbprint and would only activate or deactivate when a team member pressed their thumb to the reader.
The elevator door opened and Bill stepped out into the bright light followed by Jack and two of his security team. He had been at this level before and the light didn’t bother him anymore as his eyes were quick to adjust. The guards at the checkpoint were alert and wary as they came off the elevator. He smiled to himself. Bill liked that they were so keen on their job. As they neared the reptilian guards they looked at him, clearly puzzled and they fired their questions off simultaneously.
“Your back again sir?” said one “Where is the prisoner?” said the other.
“What?” they both replied simultaneously, confused by the other
Bill took charge of the conversation “Where is the prisoner?”
“What prisoner? You were the only person that came out of that elevator”
“Just now?”
“Yes, just now but also a few moments ago”
This was starting to take on the form of some bad comedy skit; grating on Bill’s nerves.
“Explain what you mean” he screamed.
“Well sir, several minutes ago you came out that elevator and said that you were inspecting the floor and wanted access. You were weighed and sent on your way according to policy. Here see for yourself” and Bill followed the reptilian as he went over to the computer console and pushed a series of buttons and then stepped back. Sure enough, Bill saw himself exit the elevator alone and approach the guards, gain entry and walk off into the inner area of the level alone. There was something about the scene though that didn’t seem right. As it replayed he leaned in and looked closer at his image and he could see it was sort of blurry around the edges, like it was put there by computer animation. Damn, he swore to himself. It was Nick outwardly projecting Bill’s appearance.
“That was him!” he screamed pointing at the monitor.
Bill wanted to charge in there and tear the place apart looking for him but he forced himself to calm down and to think things through rationally. Nick was on this floor, OK All the exits were guarded. So what he needed to do was alert the security at each post that there was an impostor posing as him on this level and all humanoids were to be detained until he personally authorized their release. He instructed Jack what he wanted done and while Jack was coordinating communications with one guard he had the other we
igh and scan everyone and issue them passes. Jack joined them and they went down the hallway into the main area.
Nick was getting closer to his planned point of attack. He had passed several armed guard patrols and his disguise was still holding. Nick was, however, becoming acutely aware that something was going to give soon. It took a lot of concentration to maintain his ruse and he was starting to run out of energy. He shuddered to think what would happen then. The reptilians looked fierce enough that they might just make a meal out of him. Nick rounded a small bend smack into another patrol. There were five of them, all reptilian. They demanded he stop as they inspected him and his badge, focusing harder than ever on Bill’s image. It took several moments but they appeared to be satisfied and let him pass with a quick apology, muttering that they were only following procedure. Nick continued on his way trying to appear that he was here in an official capacity. The bank of computers he had identified as his target was getting closer. He reached into his inside pocket and fingered the EMP device. He looked around to get his bearings and came to a stop. The patrol he had just passed were still standing where he had left them, the leader looking in Nick's direction and nodding as though someone was talking to him. Nick gulped but turned and kept walking toward his destination, he was so close now. He pulled out the EMP and pressed his thumb into the activator and felt it come to his life in his palm. From what Telarc had told him it would detonate twenty seconds after it was planted. There was a commotion forming now behind him and he yearned to look but was intent on achieving his goal. For all of mankind, he needed to get this done and then he would attend to whatever came after that. Nick got to the station and slammed the device onto the panel then turned to look. The patrol was running toward him, knocking people out of their way as they ran, yelling in some unknown guttural language and pointing at Nick. Farther back in the cavern he could see the real Bill standing at the end of the same hallway he had come from. There was nothing else to do so he ran for it, the security patrol hot on his heels. He dropped the facade of being Bill and just ran in no particular direction, turning here and there as he felt like it. Any second now he thought. There was a harsh buzzing crackle and a flash that Nick could see reflected on the walls in front of him as he ran. It went dark a fraction of a second later. The light and heat gone in the blink of an eye, like a light bulb popping out of life. Nick tripped over something in the dark and tumbled. As he lay there trying to untangle himself from what had tripped him he heard screaming. Not the sort of screaming associated with the general chaos that would follow a power outage but more of a panicked, terrified wall of noise, as if it was a life and death situation. The light, Nick thought. It's the light. Not only did the light provide a means to see but it was also nourishing comfort for the reptilians and now the source had been cut off and they were mewing like puppies when the mother gets up and they can no longer suckle. The screaming was growing in intensity. So much so that Nick actually put his hands up to his ears. Bodies started flying everywhere, running wildly in the dark. Nick started crawling on his hands and knees, trying to stay out of harm’s way. Several times people tripped over him, battering his prone form. Still he crawled, even after reaching an unseen obstruction; Nick groped his way blindly along. The sounds of chaos seemed to be fading behind him and he stopped and sat down, gingerly feeling his aching ribs. One of the people that collided with him really crunched him good. Although it hurt to breath, Nick didn’t think anything was broken. He heard what sounded like a door being opened and forms were bounding out of the floor wearing greenish hued emergency lights, and disappearing in the inky blackness. It made for an interesting effect. All these green lights were streaking through the darkness, reminiscent of the Aurora Bourealis. Nick made up his mind in a heartbeat and duck walked toward the opening. Nervously he approached it, as forms kept issuing from it and running and joining the ongoing tumult. Nick positioned himself a little ways away and then a person came out of the hole and came running toward him. Nick threw a tackle that an NFL’er would be proud of and started swinging at whatever he could hit as his prey flailed wildly trying to return the favor. One vicious elbow and Nick heard a crunch and the leathery skinned person he was fighting went limp. Nick relieved him of his emergency light and crawled back in the direction of the hole. He arrived at the trapdoor and chanced a quick look over the side. There were no more people coming up so he spun around and went feet first into the hole, his feet finding the ladder and he climbed in, pausing after a few steps to pull the door shut and closing out the melee above him.
Chapter 21