《Hunter, Adam Hunter. Electrician.》
Chapter 1 - Job Interview
I¡¯m on to something big. I can feel it. China, USA and Russia has been cutting down their military for the last two years. They have recycled many of their carriers, planes and tanks. Shut down outpost and bases. A complete nuclear disarmament, and they have put extreme pressure to get other nations to do the same. About 90% of the worlds total forces were disarmed. All conflicts has stopped. Refusal meant they would be quickly exterminated by the full force of the top three militaries on the planet.
Why? Nobody knows.
Most people are happy that money and resources are no longer being wasted on stupid things like war. Only the media is grumbling that nothing is happening anymore. The military has always been wasting money on secret projects but this is on a whole other level. My discoveries shows that in fact more than ever, they are dumping money into some kind of black hole.
What? Nobody knows.
I mentioned that they cut down on their military in the beginning, however they didn¡¯t fire anyone, the personnel has just vanished. Not just the soldiers but all kinds personnel. They have in fact been recruiting more than ever. Experts from all kinds of different fields have been secretly disappearing over the past two years. Even things like famous leaders of tech companies suddenly disappearing, just to reappear a few months later, claiming they have been on a vacation, but then refusing to go into any details about it.
Where? Nobody knows.
I say nobody, but I might have the answer.
I managed to get access to a certain satellite, and I searched for a long time with it. One day I saw something suspicious in the siberian tundra in Russia.
A truck convoy. Why would there be a truck convoy going into nowhere? I followed them until they suddenly vanished. I was truly shocked. I quickly checked for errors on my side but couldn¡¯t find anything so I kept looking at that same spot. After a few boring hours, I saw movement again. A truck convoy leaving.
One that just happened to have the same amount of trucks as the last one. Was it just a coincidence? Why did it suddenly appear? Was there something blocking my satellite vision? I had many questions but no clear answers. I decided to take a gamble on this place and started a long term surveillance.
During the several days I was watching the place I saw many truck convoys entering and leaving. This amount of traffic was clearly suspicious. Had it been a few years ago one could have assumed it to be another secret project by the military but now, after they disarmed so much of their military and shut down so many bases...
Well, it once again raised many questions. Was it some private company, terrorist base or maybe ex military upset about the recent budget cuts? I began spotting different vehicles too. Busses and several army non combat vehicles, like jeeps. What were they transporting? People?
Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. I was still watching the same spot. The traffic continued, always vanishing in the same area. Around this time I started noticing the disappearance of high profile people, and after that I looked a bit deeper and saw tons of people asking about people they knew just disappearing.
Most of them were in the army but some were just normal developers, programmers, architects, electricians, plumbers etc, things you need for building something big. People disappear all the time, but at this amount and timing?
I managed to get access to some of the budgets of several countries, and surprisingly even after the massive cuts on military they still take up a large portion of the budget. No, in fact after comparing it to other years, the total budget has shrunk. How can that be? Being at peace shouldn¡¯t make it worse. Unless something in secret was draining funds, an enormous amount of it. Large enough to affect the global economy.
I tried to poke at my contacts but I got no real answer from them. Either they didn¡¯t know or they were just lying to me.
That¡¯s about how far I have currently gotten with my investigation. Most people would laugh at me, saying I should wear a tinfoil hat, but I know something is going on.
My day job as an electrician is taking most of my time, but today I¡¯m going to see if I can get a job in the military. They are as I said, recruiting. I¡¯m hoping I will get transferred to the siberian base or another similar base that I haven''t discovered yet, but it¡¯s not the end of the world if it don¡¯t. Having access to all kinds of wires in the military will be a good enough start.
The sun shined on the quiet neighborhood. Inside the white painted house, sitting by his work desk was the man known as Adam Hunter. He closed the laptop, rubbed his tired eyes and threw a quick look at the clock on the wall. He had to leave in 1 hour and had alot to prepare. He had been writing on his conspiracy blog. It was a blog that wrote about all kinds of things that he thought were suspicious, anonymously of course. It had a small but dedicated following of like minded people. He hadn''t discovered anything on his own yet, only double checking other peoples work.
This was the first time that he had something unique going on, which meant he wanted to do it properly. He had always wanted to become a journalist or a writer and this was his big chance. He hadn¡¯t actually posted any of the information about it online yet because he wanted to make a big post when he solved it. Posting while investigating might not be such a good idea anyway, because they would discover that he was watching them and could change location, tactics or something like that which meant he would had to start over again.
Of course that would have been the least of his problems if they knew he was on to them. Something that caused them to disarm to such extent and go to such extremes to keep it secret meant that they had no problems simply removing a snooping person from the equation.
After preparing the papers he needed for the interview, he set up the usual traps, just like he did every time he left the house. A piece of hair between the door and the frame, slightly visible from the outside so one could see if the door had been opened or not.
A newspaper on the floor with a tiny stone, the size of something that can get stuck in your shoe, right next to it. He also had several items in the house that he had placed at very specific locations or angles, like the angle of the toilet door. He had vacuumed the carpets backwards to see if anyone stepped on them. He also locked his important items into a safe.
It was hard work but if he didn¡¯t do it, he would think about it constantly, completely consuming his mind. He would make sure to never repeat made that mistake again.
He grabbed his favorite hat and put on his trench coat before sneaking out of the house through the window like usual. As a bonus he rarely had to reset the front door trap because he never used that door. The window had a hair trap too.
He opened the garage door and walked in. The walls and corners were filled with all kinds of tools any homeowner needed to take care of their old house. He did a routine check under his white Volvo 240 for any tracking or listening devices. Satisfied, he got into the car and drove off.
¡°That ice cream truck is here again, coincidence? I think not.¡± Adam mumbled to himself while driving. It was clearly suspicious.
He arrived at the location 10 minutes early. It was a tall building, with a glass curtain wall. He entered through the automatic doors and saw a younger pretty brunette at the receptionist desk. He debated talking to her, maybe using the ¡®asking for directions¡¯ trick as an excuse, but decided not to.
Who knows who she is really working for, he thought. Besides, she is way out of my league.
Adam Hunter was afterall a slightly overweight man in his forties, with an ever decreasing amount of brown hair on his head. That was part of the reason he dressed the way he did, the other was because he thought it looked cool and it was a good way to disguise himself. He had an average face, with a bit of black stubble.
He had received the directions in the e-mail, so he knew where he needed to go. He took the elevators to the fifth floor. The meeting was going to be in a large conference room. Before the individual interviews there was going to be a group information meeting.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
It was a large room, easily enough for thirty people, with a grey carpet on the floor. He sat down on one of the black leather chairs, next to the large wooden table in the middle. He wasn¡¯t the first to arrive, there were already about ten others before him and he didn¡¯t know how many more would come.
A few minutes later, the time for the meeting to start had arrived, however except for a few more applicants, there was no sign of the actual people in charge.
He was about to open his mouth to ask if anyone knew anything, when the door suddenly opened.
Three men and one female entered and assembled at the end of the room. They were wearing different types of army clothes. Two of the males were wearing the typical combat camouflage uniform, the other two had their service uniforms on, filled with medals and such. The two men in camouflage stood in the back, observing the applicants.
Why are they in uniform, he thought, before he remembered he was applying for a job at the military. Guess they must always use a uniform.
The man with the fancy uniform spoke first.
¡°Welcome everybody, to this recruitment meeting. I am General O¡¯Neill. Before we start with the individual interviews I have some things I must inform you of. What we seek is no ordinary people. They must not be afraid to travel far away and be gone for several years at a time. You must be be willing to sacrifice everything for this job. Anyone that has things that ties them down, like family and kids, should most likely avoid this job.¡±
He paused for a moment.
Damn, a General! For a little meeting like this, Adam thought to himself.
¡°I¡¯m not the one that usually leads this meeting so, I¡¯ll just let her continue from here.¡±
¡°Thank you, General. I am Major Ash. The General had some time over so he decided to pay a visit to this little meeting. However, don¡¯t let him scare you. But he isn¡¯t wrong. This isn¡¯t a normal job. This job requires the highest level of secrecy and dedication.¡±
After a dramatic pause she continued, and turned her serious face into a smiling one.
¡°Now, if you still feel like joining then please prepare your papers and follow me to the individual interview rooms.¡±
The people at the table exchanged glances, checking if anyone wanted to leave. No one did.
Major Ash walked out, and the group followed her. Less than a minute later they arrived at yet another waiting room. It was rectangular in shape, had plenty of chairs to wait in and on the longer walls were four doors.
¡°The first selection will take place here. Just enter through one of the doors and do as told. Only one person may enter at the same time.¡±
With that, Major Ash, General O¡¯Neill and the two, that looked like bodyguards, left the applicants alone.
Adam was right next to one of the doors and could immediately enter without waiting. Inside was a laptop standing on a simple desk and two chairs. Behind the desk was a middle aged woman with black hair.
¡°Welcome, please take a sit.¡±
Adam sat down on the hard wooden chair. He tried to find a comfortable position, and just as he found one, she said:
¡°Can I see your ID and CV, please?¡±
Adam quickly got up again and handed it over. She typed the information into the laptop.
¡°Hmm, electrician. Yes, we are recruiting those. No family or other relatives. Good...¡±
After a few basic questions Adam was told that he had passed the first selection. All in all it took less than three minutes.
¡°Now, take this.¡± She handed him a small plastic coin. ¡°Show it on the next stage. It¡¯s on the fourth level. Now, let the next person in.¡±
Adam looked at the small coin. It had what looked like a spear symbol on it. He left through the door, slightly confused about the whole situation.
¡°Next person may enter now.¡± Adam said.
¡°What was it like?¡± A man with a suit on asked.
¡°Just a few questions.¡± He pondered whether to mention the coin but decided not to. It might be important and therefore best kept secret.
They really made this more complicated than it needed. What¡¯s up with this coin?
He made it to the elevators and went down to the fourth floor. When the elevator door opened, he saw a big sign with an arrow pointing to the left.
He followed the arrows, sometimes a new one came up and pointed him in another direction.
He finally reached the end but there was a guard standing there. One that looked familiar.
Adam approached the guard. When he got closer, the guard suddenly raised his right hand in a ¡®halt¡¯ gesture. The guard then raised his left hand, in a ¡®give me¡¯ gesture.
Adam was confused once again. The guard wanted something?
It took a few seconds before he realized that it must be the coin.
He took it out from his front right pant pocket and placed it in the guard¡¯s hand.
The guard looked at it for a second or two before he handed it back to Adam.
The guard knocked on the door.
¡°Come in.¡± A voice from inside said.
The guard opened the door and gestured for Adam to get inside, something he gladly did. The whole gesturing without speaking was starting to creep him out.
Inside was a table with two familiar people sitting behind it. Another familiar guard was standing in the corner.
¡°Ah, welcome. What is your name?¡± General O¡¯Neill said, which caused the female Major on his side to frown.
¡°Ad-¡± Was all Adam managed to get out before he got interrupted.
¡°Oh, sorry. Hehe, I forgot I¡¯m just here to observe.¡± The General said with a laugh.
¡°No worries, General. Please continue.¡± She said with a nod towards Adam.
¡°A-Adam Hunter. At your service...¡± He said nervously. The pressure from standing just a few meters away from real soldiers were quite significant, especially for someone like Adam, who spends most of his days searching for classified information.
¡°Please relax. We just have some questions.¡± She typed the info into her laptop and took a look at his file.
¡°Electrician, great. After the accident we-... I mean¡¡±
*cough*
She pressed the red button on her desk, and the lights went out.
¡°Oh, no! The light went out.¡± She made a fainting gesture with her hand on the forehead. ¡°If only there was someone that could fix it.¡±
Adam couldn¡¯t believe what just happened. The pressure was immediately gone, and he understood that they were testing him. She said something about an accident? He probably wasn¡¯t meant to hear that, and his test changed drastically as a result.
¡°So, you want me to fix the lights?¡±
¡°Indeed. The fusebox is over there.¡± She pointed at a grey box on the wall. ¡°There is a ladder over there, for the lights.¡± She pointed at the corner by the guard.
Adam got to work. He was used to this kind of work. After about twenty minutes, he had fixed the problem and changed the light bulbs.
¡°Impressive. Very well. You are hired. You will leave tomorrow. Pack lightly, clothes and other necessities will be provided on location.¡±
Adam was startled. He got the job so easy and quickly. However, he quickly recovered and remembered his original purpose.
With a serious face he said ¡°Where am I going?¡±
¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡± She said bluntly. ¡°Now, others are waiting to get in. So if you would¡¡±
Adam said his goodbyes and left the building, and drove home in his 240.
Back home, he immediately started writing again.
I did it! I got the job. I¡¯m leaving tomorrow. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m going but to make sure no ¡®accident¡¯ will silence me, I¡¯m going to set up a time triggered email to a few people I trust. If I don¡¯t reset it once a week it will send out everything I have so far. If you are reading this then...
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Chapter 2 - Black Helicopter
He closed the laptop. He had things to pack. Mostly clothes, like socks, underwear and a few other favorite items. The laptop, to write down his findings and upload it if he solved the mystery. He was worried they might search it, but he was also confident in his encryptions. He also brought a simple notebook, to write things down if he had no computer access. He inspected his various traps while walking around in the house. The traps were just like he left them, they always were. Better safe than sorry.
He trusted that the military would provide most things, so he only packed a single bag.
The rest of day passed quickly and in the middle of the night, at around 4, when he was sleeping soundly, the doorbell rang. Several times.
His eyes opened instantly. Who would come visit in the middle of the night? Many thoughts swirled around in his head.
Thieves? No, they wouldn¡¯t alert me. Police? Damn, is my background catching up on me? But they would also charge right in if they really came for me¡ A neighbor? Maybe there has been some kind of accident?
He crawled out of bed, his previously drowsy state gone. He took a sneak peek through the window blinds. Outside he saw a black Hummer truck and two men with army uniforms standing next to it.
They said they would come tomorrow? Or is this hour tomorrow for them?
Sighing, he walked through his house, lighting it up as he passed. His house was not very large and only had a single floor.
He opened the front door, but didn¡¯t remove the door chain lock.
¡°Yes?¡± Adam asked.
¡°Are you Mr Hunter?¡± The uniformed man said.
¡°Yes? Who¡¯s asking?¡±
¡°Sir, I have been ordered to pick you up. We must move out asap.¡±
¡°Ok, I need to go to the toilet first. Give me five minutes to get ready.¡±
¡°Hmph, very well. Don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±
Adam nodded and closed the door. Stupid? They think I¡¯m going to run away? He shaked his head as he continued towards the toilet. After some personal time, he got dressed and picked up his bag. The front door opened and Adam stepped outside. He paused briefly and turned his head for one last look at his house.
He had never left his home for more than two days. One time when he was younger, he won a weekend stay at a five star hotel. Since he was curious what it was like, he had accepted the offer. It turned out to be nothing special. At least in Adam¡¯s mind.
¡°That was eight minutes¡ sir.¡± The man in the uniform said. ¡°We got a schedule to keep. So get in the vehicle and lets go.¡±
Adam could only silently sigh. He gave his bag to one of the men waiting by the car, and crawled into the backseat. The car was much larger than he was used to, making it awkward to get in.
¡°Hurry up back there!¡± The angry man in the uniform shouted from the driver seat.
¡°Shit! They order me, a Second Lieutenant, to pick up some civilian in the middle of the night. Damn, since these sudden budget cuts, they keep ordering stupid stuff. This isn¡¯t why I joined the army.¡± The man in the uniform driving the car mumbled to himself, unfortunately everyone else in the car could hear it too.
Suddenly, he struck the steering wheel twice with his palm, causing the car to swerve on the road.
¡°Sir, please calm down!¡± The other one in the front seat said, his uniform showing his rank was lower.
¡°Shut up, Sergeant.¡±
Adam was terrified. He was sitting in the backseat together with the third soldier, who didn¡¯t look so good either. Is this how the military acts?
Thankfully the trip was peaceful after that. However it was not very long. It only lasted about one hour. They had arrived at the destination. A runway in the middle of nowhere. On it was a helicopter. A black unmarked Black Hawk helicopter.
Adam breathed in cold air through his teeth. The black helicopter conspiracy theory! Adam had done research on that topic but he never came up with anything substantial.
No, I shouldn¡¯t get too excited. It¡¯s only a black helicopter.
Calming himself, he got out of the big hummer truck.
¡°Here is your bag, sir.¡± The sergeant said, handing it over to Adam. ¡°Enjoy your trip.¡±
¡°This is where we part. I don¡¯t know why you are important enough to spend so much resources on, but good luck anyway.¡± The third soldier said. He had talked with Adam during the ride.
¡°Good bye, Private Ryan. Nice knowing you. Maybe we will meet again someday.¡± They shaked hands, both smiling.
¡°Yeah yeah, get on with it. We still got a schedule to keep. I¡¯m the one that¡¯s going to fly the helicopter with you so, hurry up.¡± The Second Lieutenant said.
They got into the helicopter. Adam had some problems with it once again, but he managed to get in.
Big Hummer truck, now a Black Hawk heli. What¡¯s next?
The Second Lieutenant hit a few switches and the blades started spinning, creating a massive noise. Adam put on his headset and they lifted from the ground. The feeling of hovering in the air was quite exciting. He had never flown before. Not with a normal aircraft either.
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¡°So, what should I call you? Second Lieutenant is a long title to say.¡±
¡°The name is Rick, however you don¡¯t need to speak at all. Problem solved.¡±
Adam guessed he didn¡¯t like talking much. Maybe he needed to concentrate on flying.
They quickly reached an altitude of two kilometers and Adam was staring out the window, mesmerized by the view. Having seen pictures of what the ground looked like from up high before, he didn¡¯t think much of it at first. But now when he was high up in the air, he couldn¡¯t stop looking. Forests, roads, small cars and houses, it was all a new experience.
He noticed a burned down part of the forest. Wonder how that happened? The news didn¡¯t report anything.
As the trip continued, Adam started to feel bored.
¡°Hey, Rick, how much longer?¡±
¡°Not much longer, forty minutes maybe.¡±
¡°Where are we going anyway? Seems we are heading towards the ocean?¡±
¡°Correct. You will see when we get there.¡±
Thirty minutes later they reached the ocean and soon after Adam saw something big in the distance.
¡°Is that a¡ carrier?¡±
Rick seemed to cheer up for the first time.
¡°Indeed, one of the new Ford classes, but most likely the only one.¡± Rick sighed, ¡°They cancelled the others and scrapped most of the older carriers. They are, or were, supposed to replace the old Nimitz class. They are better in pretty much every way, especially in the electrical power department. Nimitz class have been struggling with newer technology thanks to it¡¯s older design. They didn¡¯t think so much power was needed back in the day. Anyway, this baby is over 300m long and can carry 90 planes...¡± Rick continued to spew out facts about the ship.
While Adam had a hint of interest in the beginning, he quickly lost it when he noticed they were hovering over the ship just so Rick could keep talking.
¡°Hey, Rick, aren¡¯t we going to land?¡±
¡°Hmm? Oh yeah, I forgot myself there for a minute. I have always like the great machines of war, they are the reason I joined the army.¡±
¡°Then why didn¡¯t you join the navy or airforce?¡±
¡°Eh, well, while it¡¯s true they have the larger ones, the feeling of riding a tank, shooting down bad guys is impossible to beat. You know, being right in the middle of the action, instead of standing on a ship who knows how far away or flying high up in the air bombing things.¡±
Rick hit a few switches and began to talk into the mic.
¡°This is Black Dragon, requesting permission to land. Over.¡±
¡°This is Gerald R. Ford. Permission granted. Out.¡±
Rick turned off the radio again.
¡°Is that how a conversation normally goes?¡±
¡°No, this one was a little more casual than normal. We cut a few corners but, eh, not like we are doing anything important anyway. They are just waiting for you and a few others. They haven''t had any action in a long time.¡±
Adam looked down at the flight deck, it was mostly empty.
¡°Where are all the planes.¡±
¡°Yeah, like I said, budget cuts. They scrapped most of them. Anyway, this is where we part. You are going to ride on this ship for a while, and I¡¯m returning home to sleep.¡±
Adam decided to ask Rick a very important question before he left.
¡°Do you know why they suddenly scrapped so much of the army?¡±
¡°No idea. But you will most likely find out before me. You aren¡¯t the first civilian I have to play taxi with.¡±
It wouldn¡¯t be that easy of course.
The helicopter landed safely on the deck, shutting down the engine so Adam could get out without suffering from the noise.
Adam grabbed his bag and climbed out. Some of the ship crew were standing on the deck waiting for him. They were a mix of flight deck personnel wearing different colored jerseys, goggles and a helmet with built in ear protection. There were also a few regular sailors wearing blue service dresses with white hats.
As Adam approached the group, one of them walked out a few steps in front of the rest, took off his hat and put it under his arm.
¡°Welcome, Mr. Hunter.¡± He extended his hand for a handshake. ¡°I am the captain of this fine ship. The name is Stone, Captain Stone. We have been expecting you. Please allow us to...¡± He motioned to one of the lower ranked to take Adam¡¯s bag, something he gladly accepted.
¡°Now, follow me. I¡¯m sure you are tired after your travels. I will take you to your room.¡±
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Chapter 3 - The Aircraft Carrier
Adam followed the Captain through the narrow corridors. Not as bad as the submarines Adam had seen on TV but one could tell it was made for combat, not comfort. Many sections had exposed pipes and valves. They met quite a few of the crew heading in the opposite direction. It was normal for the others but Adam couldn¡¯t help but to apologize and making himself as small as possible every time it happened.
¡°Normally you wouldn¡¯t get your own room like this, but since we have plenty of space these days¡¡± The Captain explained.
¡°We will set off tomorrow so just rest and think of this as a small vacation. I will station someone outside your room to guide you around the ship.¡±
A guide? No, that¡¯s a guard isn¡¯t it? Adam thought to himself.
¡°We are commonly referred as a ¡®city at sea¡¯, and for good reasons too. We have anything you might need. Dentists, doctors, barbers, gym, you name it. You can eat in the mess hall whenever you want.
Anyway, here we are. This is your room. Number 14. Just ask the gua-, I mean guide, outside if you want to go somewhere.¡± He stopped by a white painted metal door with rounded edges. A small number ¡®14¡¯ was painted in black on it.
Adam looked around in his room. It was small, with only a bed, desk, clock on the wall and a bathroom. But it was private, a luxury most of the crew didn¡¯t have.
¡°Your bag, sir.¡±
¡°Oh right, thank you.¡± Adam took the bag and put it down on his desk.
¡°Well, I have to return to my other duties now. Good bye.¡± The Captain and his men left, only leaving one behind as the guide.
Adam suddenly felt very tired. He had been travelling for hours and while he had been too excited at first, now it all came back to him. He closed the door, and locked it with the spinning wheel.
He laid down on his bed, with his clothes still on. Resting his eyes for a moment. However, he quickly realized that he forgot to do something.
¡°Damn, forgot to turn off the light.¡±
Adam liked to sleep in complete darkness, and thankfully there was no window in his room. He crawled up from the bed and turned off the light. Since he already got up he changed his clothes.
As he laid down on the bed again he couldn''t help but to think back on his day so far. A car ride, an exciting helicopter ride and now he was on an aircraft carrier. What will come next? As he was imagining his next adventure, he drifted off into sleep and continued to dream about his next adventure. Adam had never been much of an adventure type person before. He mainly spent his time by the computer, so he was quite excited to finally experience something different.
A bit after noon Adam woke up again.
After some stretching and yawning in bed he got up and thirty minutes later he was ready to head out to get something to eat.
As he left his room, he asked the guide to take him to the mess hall.
The mess hall had a dozen tables of different sizes and shapes with simple wooden chairs next to them. There was a long food counter where you could pick your food, buffet style. The kitchen was next door and the chefs ran back and forth constantly refilling the food counter.
Today¡¯s meal was meatloaf, potato and brown sauce. Bread, soy beans, shredded cabbage and carrots, plus a few other vegetables were standard side dishes.
The mess hall was currently about half full. When Adam entered the eating stopped, complete silence ensued. He was after all dressed very different from everyone else. But the trained soldiers were only distracted for a few seconds before resuming their previous activities.
The smell of cooking entered Adam¡¯s nose and made him even more hungry so he quickly walked over to the food counter and grabbed a tray, plate, eating utensils and a glass. He took a bit of each item on the menu.
¡°Hey, what¡¯s in the meatloaf? I mean is there any difference between these two?¡± Adam asked one of the kitchen staff.
¡°There are two kinds. Pure beef and a mix of pork and beef. They have onions, red lentils and oat flakes added to them.¡±
Adam thanked her for the reply and took one piece of each. In the end his plate had a mountain of food. He picked two 250cl milk packages to drink.
Adam sat down at the end of one of the long tables, away from the crew. He didn¡¯t feel like talking with them and he was sure the feeling was mutual. He started buttering his piece of bread. It was a dark rye bread filled with seeds. He poured the milk into his glass. One package filled it up. He looked down at his mountain of food.
Where should I start?, Adam thought.
He spinned the plate around a few times, looking for a good angle to attack the food, but in the end he just stabbed down the fork randomly.
Just as he put the food in his mouth, someone suddenly sat down in front of him. It was his guide.
Oh right, forgot about him. Guess he wanted to eat now too.
Adam hadn¡¯t looked closely at him before but now as they were seated in front of each other he couldn¡¯t help but take a closer look. Green eyes, brown hair, and around thirty or so. He was surprisingly eating a vegetarian meal.
The rest of the meal was spent in silence. Not only because they didn¡¯t feel like talking but they were both very hungry and were constantly shuffling food in their mouths, making any conversation impossible.
As they were about to finish another one of the crew sat down.
¡°Hey man! Hmm, who is this?¡± The newcomer said, looking at Adam.
¡°Ah, someone I¡¯m babysitting. Captain¡¯s orders.¡±
The term ¡®babysitting¡¯ caused Adam¡¯s eyebrow to twitch slightly in irritation but he quickly got over it. He wasn¡¯t wrong after all.
¡°Hmmm, I heard we were going to taxi a few people¡ But anyway, I was just going to invite you to the shooting range. Me and some of the boys have a nice competition going on. The prize is free beer for one night. As much as you can drink! Of course, the winner can¡¯t share it with others. But if you are busy¡ another time then, Steven!¡± She got up and walked away with a quick turn, causing her blond braided ponytail to swing wildly under her blue navy cap.
¡°Yeah, another time, Jane.¡± Steven said, loud enough to let her hear it.
¡°So, your name is Steven? I¡¯m Adam.¡± Adam said. Since the silence was already broken he thought this was a good point to introduce himself properly.
¡°Yep. Nice to meet you. Sorry for my choice of words before. Meant no ill will.¡±
¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s true, in a way.¡± Adam said with a wave of his hand.
¡°So, you want to do something after this? We are setting out tomorrow so the ship will be alot busier then. Now is a good time to do some sightseeing.¡±
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
¡°Can we check out the hangar bay?¡±
¡°Eh, why not. A warning though, it¡¯s not what it used to be.¡±
They finished up their meals and left the mess hall.
They arrived at the hangar bay shortly after. The smell of oil and fuel was thick in the air. It had many empty spaces. But it still had two dozen fighters, a few larger bombers and transports. A few people were busy with routine checkups on different parts of the planes.
Steven led Adam into the hangar.
¡°This is it.¡± Steven shrugged. ¡°It used to be more busy. You know, when we actually had things to bomb and stuff.¡±
¡°Yeah. Guess not everyone is happy about the new world peace.¡± Adam scratched his chin. ¡°Personally I¡¯m glad we have no more wars.¡±
¡°Hmph, don¡¯t misunderstand. Everyone is happy about that. It¡¯s just¡ it was too sudden. One day you fight for you country, the next you spend your time doing.... Haah, nevermind.¡±
¡°...¡±
¡°Anyway, how about you take a look in the planes. You can try to sit in a fighter.¡± Steven didn¡¯t wait for a reply, and walked over to the nearest plane.
¡°Cmon, I¡¯ll help you up.¡± Steven stood next to the plane, waving Adam over.
¡°Wait, aren¡¯t those super tight and made to fit smaller people?¡±
¡°Eh, that¡¯s all in the past. These days, unless you are really oddly made you can get in. Don¡¯t worry about accidentally shooting off any missiles. It only works when it¡¯s on.¡±
¡°...¡±
¡°No, we are not turning it on either.¡±
¡°Hehe, okay. How do I get in? Climb on the wing or what? You got any ladders?¡±
¡°Yep, let me go grab it.¡± Steven rolled over the ladder used to enter the planes.
¡°You know what the plane is called?¡± Steven asked while Adam climbed the ladder.
¡°Hmm, it¡¯s the Hornet, no Super Hornet right?¡± Adam said.
¡°Indeed. Now, stop staring at it and get it.¡±
After some hesitation Adam got in the plane and found it to be reasonably comfortable.
He played around with the joystick and pressed the buttons for a few minutes.
¡°I can see why people miss flying around in these. They are pretty fun to sit in, I can¡¯t imagine how it¡¯s to actually fly in them.¡±
¡°Indeed. I¡¯m not a pilot myself but I have been in the backseat once in another plane. There is nothing like it.¡±
¡°Shall we continue? I can show you the transport plane.¡±
Adam nodded and with great effort managed to get out of the plane again.
¡°Hey, can¡¯t I see those fancy ones?¡±
¡°The F-35 are brand new so, no. No civilian can touch those. Now come with me, and see this huge C-130 Hercules. We are currently preparing it for it¡¯s trip in a few days. You might want to pay special attention.¡± Steven said with a laugh.
However, Adam didn¡¯t pay much attention to what Steven was talking about. His focus was currently on the F-35.
The guided tour continued for about one hour. Steven showed Adam many other things, some that were interesting and some that were not.
¡°Okey, hangar is done. Now what?¡±
¡°Hmm, I want to see that tower on the flight deck.¡±
¡°That¡¯s- well I guess you can take a peek inside. Maybe. Remember, this is still a military ship and you are a civilian. Some things are not for your eyes.¡±
As they walked through the ship Steven talked about the different section and how it worked.
¡°Almost there now. We call it an island, not a tower by the way.¡±
However, as Steven suspected, Adam was not allowed inside. He could only look through the windows. Which in turn caused everyone inside to stare back at him, wondering what he was doing. Adam quickly left, slightly embarrassed.
¡°It was unfortunate you couldn¡¯t get in, but you still got a peek inside.¡± Steven said, pretending to be sad. Afterall it was less work for him.
¡°Yeah, but how about you show the power plant and propulsion system. I¡¯m afterall a electrician by trade.¡±
¡°Yeah¡ that¡¯s not going to happen. Sorry.¡±
In the end, they decided to end the tour there.
¡°Hmm, before we part. Do you know why the peace suddenly came? And why the military was so quickly dismantled?¡± Adam asked. He had almost forgot his main objective.
¡°Huh? No? I¡¯m just a guy following orders. Maybe the captain knows, but he hasn¡¯t told anyone. Maybe someone finally found a magic genie or something and wished for world peace.¡±
¡°Yeah, maybe¡¡±
Adam didn¡¯t say anything else and just gave Steven a nod and walked back towards his room. He got lost, but thankfully Steven found him again.
¡°Haha, I forgot I¡¯m supposed to guide you around here. Just because the tour ended doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m leaving you alone. Seems it was needed since you are on the other side of the ship now.¡±
¡°Haha, yep. I kinda got lost. Didn¡¯t think it was so hard to find my way back but these narrow corridors are kinda confusing after a while.¡±
With Steven¡¯s help they got back to Adam¡¯s room.
¡°Well, thank you for everything. I¡¯m going into my room now.¡± Adam said.
¡°I will be outside if you need me.¡± Steven said.
Adam closed and locked the door. It was time to update his story.
Today I had an amazing adventure. First they picked me up late in the night, or morning depending on your POV. A car ride later and I actually got to ride a helicopter. First time flying for me. It was very fun to see the world from above. Then after a while, we arrived at our destination. Can you guess it? An aircraft carrier. Not just any, the biggest in the world. Sadly, even the biggest and most powerful aircraft carrier in the world had its budget cut by a great deal. The captain greeted me himself, which was unexpected, and I got my own room. Later that day I got a guided tour. I even got to sit in a plane! Sadly not in the latest version. I wanted to check out the big tower on the flight deck but was denied. I was also denied access to the power and propulsion systems. I asked a few of the military members if they knew about the reason for all the odd things happening but they didn¡¯t know. It didn¡¯t seem like they were lying either, not that I can tell if someone is though.
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Chapter 4 - The Base
Adam spent the next few hours in his room, browsing the internet and playing some games. He went out around 18:30 to eat again with his guide. Adam had the same meal again. He didn¡¯t mind since it tasted good and was fairly healthy. After that, he locked himself in his room again. He wanted to catch up on his new favorite web novel ¡®Twisting Wyvern¡¯. It was about a powerful rat beast going on adventures with his human friend.
At around 20:45 Adam heard loud laughters, coming from just outside his room.
¡°What the?¡±
Adam slowly opened his door, and outside he saw Steven and the girl from before. They sat by a small table, playing cards.
¡°...¡±
¡°...¡±
¡°Hehe, sorry. Did we disturb you?¡± The one answering was Jane, she had a big smile on her face.
¡°What are you doing? Where did this table come from?¡± Adam was confused. Why they were sitting outside his room playing cards?
¡°Well, I or I mean we¡¡± Steven was not sure how to explain, and luckily for him he didn¡¯t need to because Jane cut him off.
¡°Haha, it¡¯s my fault. I was bored, Steven was bored. One thing led to another and here we are, playing cards outside your room.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you have that shooting competition?¡± Adam said, thinking something was not right here.
¡°Um, yeah. I kinda left early, I guess. I didn¡¯t feel so good.¡± Jane said while twirling her hair.
¡°So you came here to play cards¡¡± Adam sighed. He could now guess what was going on.
¡°...Yep.¡± Jane said while raising her cards to cover her face.
¡°Well, carry on then. But try to keep it down a little.¡± Adam closed the door.
The rest of the night went by quickly and Adam went to bed a few hours later.
He suddenly woke up by a loud noise and the fact that his bed shook slightly. He looked at the clock and noticed it was morning.
Earthquake? No, he was on a boat. That must be it. The boat started moving again.
The time was around 10, and he was hungry for breakfast.
Thirty minutes later he was ready and opened the door to see if Steven was there. Surprisingly he was.
¡°Hey, do you never sleep? Or did you sleep outside my room?¡±
¡°Haha, as if. The night shift is another person. I suggest you don¡¯t leave your room during the night. They are not happy when people run around after 22. Anyway, breakfast?¡±
¡°Yep, let¡¯s go.¡±
¡°So, how did things go last night?¡± Adam said with a smirk.
¡°Hmm, oh you mean the card game? Well, Jane played my shirt off, pretty much.¡±
¡°Oh, oh. I see.¡± Adam looked at Steven. His expression seemed to be normal. There was many ways to interpret that sentence but Adam decided to drop the conversation there. Either way, it wasn¡¯t really his business.
They arrived at the mess hall, and this was the first time Adam had seen the breakfast menu.
It was quite comprehensive.
Adam ended up getting an egg, bowl of sour milk with muesli in, tree slices of the same bread as before with ham and cheese on and two packages of milk.
Steven got a bowl of oatmeal with some jam, seeds and nuts in, a fruit salad and a bottle of water.
As Adam was scanning the room for a suitable spot to sit down in, he noticed two other people wearing civilian clothes. They were quite easy to spot since they stood out in the midst of all the uniforms.
He remembered what Jane had said before. They were ¡®taxiing¡¯ a few other people besides him. He was curious about the reason they were here so he decided to head their way. As he approached they looked up, surprised to see another civilian.
¡°Hello, mind if I sit here?¡± Adam said politely.
The two looked at each other and nodded.
¡°Sure. Nice to see another ¡®civvie¡¯ around, as they call us.¡±
Next to them sat two others. Their guides, Adam assumed.
¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, where are you going?¡± Adam started with a basic question.
¡°No idea.¡± The reply was short.
¡°Guess we are going to the same place then. You know what we are going to do?¡±
¡°Nope.¡± Another quick and short reply.
¡°But you were hired for a reason right? I¡¯m an electrician for example.¡±
¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m a programmer. I specialize in AI.¡± Said one of them. He looked like he was around fifty years old, with grey hair and glasses. ¡°The name is Asmoz. Achim Asmoz.¡±
¡°And I work in biomedical engineering.¡± Said the other. She looked to be around forty, if Adam had to guess. She had short black hair. ¡°My parents named me Cora.¡±
¡°Nice to meet you both, I¡¯m Adam.¡±
¡°Well, we were just about to leave actually.¡± Adam noticed their plates were empty. ¡°So, we will see you later.¡±
¡°Oh, okay.¡± Adam said, looking down on his food.
¡°Haha, don¡¯t misunderstand. We traveled during the night so we are quite tired. We haven¡¯t slept in a while.¡± Asmoz said, while adjusting his glasses.
¡°Ah, good night then. I arrived yesterday myself. Later Asmoz, and you too Cora.¡±
As the two left, their guides followed. Leaving only Steven and Adam by the table.
¡°So, Steven, how many others like me are there on the ship?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know. My job is to keep an eye on you, not to know everything that happens on the ship.¡±
¡°Hmm, fair enough.¡±
The meal continued in silence. Adam returned to his room and the time flew by.
Adam had another meal in the evening but as he was about to return to his room, Steven stopped him.
¡°We have reached our destination. Pack your stuff and get ready. You are leaving in one hour.¡±
¡°Wha- wait, leaving? In what?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. You will understand when you see it.¡±
Adam packed his stuff in less than five minutes, so he decided to take out his laptop again to pass the time.
Almost an hour had passed when someone knocked on the door.
¡°Hey, you ready?¡± Steven said, from the other side of the door.
¡°Yeah, coming.¡± Adam quickly packed down his laptop again. He opened the door and took one last look at his room, to see if he had forgot anything.
¡°Follow me.¡± Steven started walking.
The trip continued in silence, and it took a while for Adam to realize where he was going. The surface, or rather, the flightdeck.
As he stepped through the last doorway into the fresh air, the sudden cold winds almost knocked him over. The temperature was alot lower than it had been yesterday.
¡°Brrrr¡ You could have warned me it was going to be freezing.¡± Adam complained loudly, while rubbing his arms.
After a few steps Adam suddenly stopped in his tracks.
¡°We are going to ride in that thing?¡± In front of Adam was the big Hercules transport plane. As he looked around he noticed the ship was completely surrounded by sea.
¡°Of course. How foolish of me to expect this ship to dock in a harbor.¡± Adam realized it made sense to use an aircraft, from an aircraft carrier.
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¡°Hurry up! The others are waiting.¡± Steven shouted.
They quickly ran over to the plane, taking cover from the the cold winds.
As they got inside, they noticed it was quite a number of people inside. Even the Captain was there.
¡°Ah, finally, the last one.¡± Captain Stone said. ¡°Well, I will take my leave now.¡±
The Captain left and a few others left the plane and went back inside the ship.
¡°Huh, why was he even here?¡± Adam thought out loud.
Jane came forward and said.
¡°Well, you missed the briefing he had. I can tell you more about it after we lift off.¡±
¡°Jane, what are you doing here?¡± Steven said.
¡°Hmph, what? You don¡¯t want to me come with you?¡±
¡°Eh, no. I just, only the guides were supposed to follow.¡±
¡°Well, the captain wanted to send someone else with the group. To keep an eye on you all. Now take a seat, we don¡¯t have all day.¡±
Everyone took a seat and strapped in securely. The engines started, and they were soon in the air. As this was Adams first time flying in a plane he was quite surprised by the feeling one gets when you lift of the ground. He looked around and saw that many of the non military had pale faces and looked terrified.
Hah, what wussies. It wasn¡¯t that bad, Adam thought.
The smooth ride continued for about an hour.
¡°Okay, listen up everyone. We are almost at the drop point. Gear up and get ready.¡±
Adam looked at Steven.
¡°What is Jane talking about?¡±
Steven only replied with a smile.
¡°Adam, listen up.¡± Jane walked over. ¡°We are about to jump out. Steven will help you gear up. Get ready, we jump in ten.¡±
¡°Jump? What the?¡±
¡°Oh right, you missed the briefing. Well, there is no landing area where we are going so yeah¡ Steven will jump with you so don¡¯t worry.¡±
¡°Steven, what is she talking about? Surely she can¡¯t mean¡¡± Adam realized why the others looked so terrified.
¡°I¡¯m afraid you have no choice. Don¡¯t worry, just close your eyes if it gets too much.¡±
Steven helped Adam with the gear. It was a full body suit, like something a diver would use, with goggles, gloves, boots and a helmet with voicecom built in. Then Steven equipped his own and connected the two together. Steven also had the main parachute backpack on him.
¡°Okay, here is the deal.¡± Jane explained. ¡°I will jump last, incase something goes wrong, I might be able to catch you. But don¡¯t worry, nothing will go wrong. This is special military gear designed for jumping out in cold weather. In fact, it¡¯s designed especially for this place. However, thanks to the recent events, the military have no need for such things anymore. Which is why you are using it now.¡±
The hatch in the back of the plane opened up. The white snow covered ground could be seen from high above.
It was a total of fifteen people. Seven pairs of civilian plus guide and Jane.
¡°Okay, go go go! Trust your guide and try not to scream too much.¡±
¡°Nooooo!!!¡±
¡°Please, do we have to?¡±
¡°My heart, it can¡¯t take this¡.¡±
Many complained, but in the end the pairs jumped out one at the time.
Adam and Steven was the last pair to jump.
¡°You ready?¡±
¡°Eh, no?¡±
¡°You said you wanted to fly in a jet plane. This is a good start.¡±
¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I never said thaAAAAAAAAAAAt!!¡± Adam screamed as Steven started running and jumped out.
Jane as the last one to jump, went to the pilots to say good bye.
¡°Well, delivery completed. Good job. I¡¯m jumping now.¡± Just as she was about to leave, the radio came alive with a sparking sound.
*Pssssh* ¡°You may proceed with your landing sequence. Over.¡±
They all looked at each other in confusion.
¡°When did we get a landing area? Over.¡±
¡°It was finished yesterday. Over.¡±
¡°Oh, we already dropped our cargo¡ Over.¡±
¡°I see. Well are you coming down anyway? You can be the first plane to land. Over.¡±
The pilots smiled at that. The fame from being the first pilots to land here was not insignificant.
Jane however cared little for that. She wanted to jump, she was already dressed for it too.
¡°Well, see ya later guys. I¡¯m jumping now. Land if you want. Maybe someone wants a lift at the base.¡±
Jane jumped out. She turned around in the air to see the plane turn towards the base and starting their descent.
Meanwhile Adam fell rapidly towards the ground. The wind pressure was extremely strong, cold and most importantly loud.
Steven hadn¡¯t deployed the parachute yet.
¡°HEY, YOU OK!?¡± Steven shouted into the mic.
¡°WHA?! WHAT DID YOU SAY? OK? YES!¡± Adam shouted back.
¡°GOOD. I¡¯M GOING TO PULL THE CHUTE IN THREE SECONDS. GET READY!¡±
¡°WHAT WAS WHAT?¡±
Suddenly, Adam recoiled upwards in the air. The parachute had deployed and after a hard stop, it now gave a slow controlled descent.
Everyone in the group landed safely.
The guides quickly detached themselves from the civilians, and they in turn immediately kneeled down to the ground.
Jane landed not longer after.
¡°Hey, what is that plane doing? Asmoz said. ¡°Is that fucking landing?¡±
Immediately every civilian¡¯s attention was on the plane.
¡°What the...¡±
¡°You got to be kidding me¡¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Everyone, calm down, I can explain.¡± Jane quickly started explaining. ¡°After you all jumped, I went to say goodbye to the pilots and then suddenly from the radio they told us we had permission to land. Turns out it just finished yesterday. We had no idea. Honestly. But hey, now that it¡¯s over it wasn¡¯t that bad right? Aren¡¯t you actually happy you managed to get through this challenge?¡±
¡°Yeah, skip the motivation talk bullcrap.¡±
¡°Hehe, anyway, let¡¯s go inside. The suit may protect against the worst of the cold but it¡¯s still uncomfortable to stand outside.¡±
Jane led the group towards a large bunker type building. A large five meter in diameter and one meter thick circular vault door opened to let them in. Inside was another large vault door, but this one was slightly different. It led underground.
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Chapter 5 - Taking The Tour
The base had many buildings, mainly for storage and parking. They were all painted in white, making them very hard to see from afar, amongst the snow covered ground. The base was large in size, it even had its own recently finished runway. But the surface was only a small portion of the base. The important things were deep underground.
Inside an extra sturdy looking bunker, stood a group of fifteen. They were dressed in odd full body suits. One of them took off his helmet.
¡°Hey, this helmet was useless. You could barely hear anything.¡± Adam complained to Jane. A few others nodded.
Jane shrugged. ¡°Yeah, seems the mic and speaker was contracted out to lowest bidder, since it¡¯s not an essential for survival in the cold. Had to cut cost somewhere, you know.¡±
As they talked, the horizontal door raised up with a grinding noise. It revealed a smooth ramp going down underground.
¡°Let¡¯s go people.¡± Jane said. She walked in front and led them down the ramp.
At first the space was large enough to drive trucks around, but Jane led them into a narrow corridor. It was clear it was a military installation because there was no decorations at all. Only lights on the ceiling and painted arrows on the floor. On the walls were maps, with ¡®you are here¡¯ symbols, at regular intervals. Fire alarms and sprinkler systems could be seen as well. At every corner was a camera, watching your every move.
¡°This way. The other is for heavy machinery and such.¡±
Now they could only walk two side by side. They came up to a checkpoint, with a metal detector, scanner and armed guards.
¡°Halt! This is a restricted area!¡± One of the guards shouted. They aimed their rifles at them.
¡°Calm down. I got permission.¡± Jane took out a paper and gave it to the guard.
¡°Hmm, new people. Very well. Carry on through the scanners.¡±
¡°Will these clothes be a problem?¡± One of the civilians asked.
¡°No, we have been using those to airdrop personnel for a while. Scanner crew is used to them.¡±
They passed through the checkpoint without any more problems.
¡°Where did our baggage go, by the way?¡± A civilian asked.
¡°Hm? Oh, right. It was supposed to be dropped down in a crate with the rest of us. But since they landed instead¡ Don¡¯t worry about it. It will show up soon.¡± Jane said with a smile.
The soon arrived to a room with three stern looking men, seated behind a table.
¡°Is this the new group? Who is in charge?¡± The one in the middle said.
¡°Jane Skyfallen, sir.¡± Jane saluted. ¡°I¡¯m leading a group of fifteen with seven new civilian workers in it.¡±
¡°At ease. Have them sorted by their tags and send them to work.¡±
¡°Yes sir.¡± Jane turned towards the group. ¡°Listen up people. If you have your tag on you, bring it out.¡±
A few people started patting down their pockets in reflex. They still wore the body suits so they couldn¡¯t reach their pockets.
¡°Tag? What are they talking about?¡± Adam said quietly to Steven, standing next to him.
Steven looked at Adam. ¡°What? The thing you got when you got the job, remember?¡±
¡°Eh?¡±
¡°You didn¡¯t throw it away¡ right?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. What is it? What does it look like?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a small round tag. The icon on it tells you what part of the workforce you are in. It¡¯s how you access different areas in the base. There is a small chip inside.¡±
Adam searched his memory of the job interview. The coin! Where did he put it?
¡°Oh, I thought it was a coin or something. It seemed useless. The guard only looked at it for a few seconds then I never used it again.¡±
¡°Huh? They told you to always bring it with you during your test, right?¡±
¡°No! I think my test was really weird. The one keeping it said something they weren¡¯t supposed to and just started the test. We never talked about anything like that.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t even-¡±
¡°Hey! Stop whispering in the back.¡± Jane interrupted Steven. ¡°Adam, you got your tag?¡±
¡°Uh, no, I think I must have forgot it in my baggage.¡± Adam smiled. ¡°Is it really that important?¡±
¡°Yes, otherwise you can¡¯t open the doors. I will send someone to gather the baggage. You can wait in a general area until it arrives.¡± Jane said, and then turned around to face the rest of the group.
¡°Seems the rest of you remembered to bring it. But lets get out of these suits first. Follow me everyone.¡±
The group followed Jane as she led them down the corridors. She stopped at one of the stationed guards. They were evenly spread out through the whole base. It was only a few places on the base where you weren¡¯t constantly watched by one.
Jane looked him straight into his eyes and said.
¡°You, get topside and gather the baggage from the recently landed plane.¡±
The guard was surprised. People weren¡¯t supposed to talk to them. Even less order them around.
¡°But, I¡¯m guarding this area right now. I can¡¯t-¡±
¡°Did I make myself clear? This is highest priority, straight from the top.¡± Jane looked at the rank on his uniform. ¡°Get it done, Private!¡±
¡°Y-yes, sir, mam, sir¡ I¡¯ll leave at once!¡± The guard jogged away the group, eager to get away from the crazy one. He couldn¡¯t see any ranking on her clothes, but he recognized the skydiver suit. Who knows who she really was?
¡°Can you actually do that?¡± Steven asked Jane.
¡°Eh, it¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s not like he was guarding anything important. Besides we need our baggage anyway.¡± Jane had a grin on her face like she always did.
¡°Well, it was pretty funny.¡± Steven smiled.
The out of character actions by the normally so happy and friendly Jane, made the civilians confused.
On the other hand, the others from the military just looked uncomfortable. She was not exactly following regulations, and it brought back memories from when they were low ranked, being pushed around by higher ranked.
They continued their walk and soon reached a room that was filled with all kinds of clothes.
¡°This is the clothing storage. Find a suitable size for you. Screwdrivers get the grey overalls. Hammers get the red overalls. Syringes get the white labcoats. Guns get the camo. Computer screens get the blue overalls. Frying pan¡¯s clothes are not stored here, but in the kitchen area.¡±
While the others went over to the different sections to find their size, Adam stood still.
What was it on my tag again? Adam dug through his memories. A spear! But she didn¡¯t mention any spear.
¡°Hey, Jane. Can I talk to you.¡± He waved her over.
¡°Hmm, what is it?¡± Jane said. She was holding a green camouflage uniform. She walked over to Adam when she saw his serious face.
¡°Well, I can¡¯t remember what I had on my tag. I think it was a spear?¡±
¡°There are no spears, Adam.¡± Jane shook her head lightly. ¡°What did you get hired for? There aren¡¯t that many things to choose from anyway, so it¡¯s easy to figure out.¡±
¡°I¡¯m an electrician. Been doing it for like 20 years.¡±
¡°Well, then it¡¯s the screwdriver. You must simply have seen it wrong. Don¡¯t blame you, they are very low quality.¡± Jane laughed, and began to walk back.
¡°If they are so important, why are they so low quality?¡± Adam said before she could leave.
¡°Who knows. Maybe so people won¡¯t steal them? And you can¡¯t see what is on it from a long distance either. Don¡¯t know.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Probably many reasons. Or no reason at all.¡±
Adam was not exactly satisfied with the answer but he decided to listen to Jane. He walked over to the screwdriver section.
The grey overall, also called boilersuit, had black sections on the knee padded area and above the shoulders up to the neck. It had pockets on the arms, legs, chest and waist. It had a two way front zipper. It was fairly high quality, only a little tight around the stomach area. Thankfully the waist was elastic, same with the cuffs.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.A pair of black leather shoes with some kind of composite toe cap and electricity protection built in. The gloves was of very high quality, excellent for pulling wires and other essential tasks. A tool belt, but without any tools in, was also provided.
They changed their clothes in private changing rooms.
The red overalls were similar to the grey ones. The blue ones were slightly different. Instead of being made for working it seemed to be made for comfort. Almost like a ¡®one piece¡¯ pyjamas.
The white labcoat was just that. A white coat. They had several options of ¡®normal clothes¡¯ to choose from, to wear underneath.
The green camouflage was separated into a upper and lower section. A jacket, black t-shirt and tank top. A pair of pants and shorts, with several pockets on them. A pair of heavy black or beige boots.
¡°Good, everyone is all dressed up. For more personal items like socks and underwear, there is a general area for them over there.¡± Jane said while pointing. ¡°I suggest you take a few pairs of them while we are here, or do it later when you got your room. Might be annoying to carry around too much clothing. Leave the skydiving suit here, in that corner. Someone will pick them up later.¡±
Jane continued. ¡°Anyway, lets go. I will show you around a bit.¡±
The group followed Jane out into the corridors again.
Steven walked up to the front with Jane. ¡°Hey, Jane. How do you know where everything is? You been here before?¡± Steven asked.
¡°Hm, a mystery isn¡¯t it? Maybe if you are nice, I will tell you later.¡± Jane winked at Steven. Steven was confused, but didn¡¯t want to push the issue. Maybe there was a reason for her not telling him.
They soon reached their first destination. The lab areas. They were filled with computers and other technical equipment that was impossible to guess the purpose of, from a distance. White colors covered all the surfaces. The medical facilities were in this area too.
¡°Here are the several labs and the medical clinic in the facility. Any syringes, go in there and ask for the supervisor to show you around. The rest of you, follow me. Ah, before I forget. I should mention that cleaning is a shared responsibility. But you will be informed more about that from your personal supervisor.¡±
Three, including Cora, walked into the lab area, and left the group.
The rest continued on. Soon they arrived at the computer center. This was where the theoretical research and programing took place. They also maintained the software in the base. The underground base was not connected to the outside world so they had alot of memory banks and servers to help with storage and communication. Any information scheduled to be sent to the outside world had to be manually carried in a hard drive under armed escort, to the upper level computers.
¡°Computer screens. Off you go.¡±
Only Asmoz left. He waved good bye to the group before disappearing into the crowd of other blue dressed people.
With only three civilians left, the group continued. Next area was the largest so far. It was the manufactorium. This was a mix of machines, robotics and man creating the supplies the base required. Of course, not everything was made here, not even close, but many of the construction materials were at least assembled or mixed together here. One might wonder what they needed such a large amount of material for. The hammers not only maintained the machines in here, they also built the rooms and such in the base.
¡°Hammers, go.¡± Jane said.
The two red dressed males walked into the incredibly noise area. They had been provided with ear protection so they didn¡¯t mind.
With that, only Adam was left. Well, left with the eight others from the military.
¡°Lets hurry. This loud area is annoying to stand in.¡± Jane touched her ear.
The group agreed and sped up their pace.
The power core was the next area. It supplied the whole base with electricity, and the screwdrivers were in charge of maintaining it and all the wires, lamps and all other power related equipment. Surprisingly, it was a nuclear reactor built underground. Modern reactors are quite safe, so there was no radiation risk. However, unlike most nuclear reactors it didn¡¯t run on uranium. It used thorium. The area the base was located at was very rich in thorium. So, they decided to build the base here. They mined it straight from the ground themselves, while they at the same time expanded the base underground.
¡°Adam, this is where we part¡ Or at least thats how it was supposed to be. But since you forgot your tag you might as well follow us alittle bit more.¡±
Next was the security. This was where the guns worked. Many guns were also stationed all over the base as guards. The control room for the cameras and doors was here. The armory was in here too.
¡°This is where we will work and get our assignments from.¡± Jane said. ¡°The rest of you can go ahead. Steven and Adam can follow me for a while.¡±
Now the group of fifteen was down to three.
¡°I might as well show you the mess hall while we are at it. We can get something to eat too.¡±
¡°Good idea. I¡¯m hungry.¡± Adam said.
¡°So, Adam and Steven. What do you think about the base?¡±
¡°Bigger than I expected.¡± Steven said.
Adam looked around, to make sure they were alone. In a quiet voice he said.
¡°This isn¡¯t everything right? There is something else isn¡¯t there?¡±
Jane¡¯s head jumped backwards in surprise.
¡°Wha- what do you mean? Why do you think that? Y-you mean the mess hall right? Ahaha...¡±
¡°...¡±
Jane recollected herself. *cough* ¡°I mean, that¡¯s nothing you need to concern yourself about at the moment, Adam.¡± She put in some extra force at word ¡®Adam¡¯. Her normal joyous face had disappeared and turned into a stern face.
Steven¡¯s eyes lit up at her new expression.
Adam was also happy, but for another reason. That all but confirmed there was something else going on in the base. Not just Jane¡¯s odd behavior but also the excessive power generation and massive factory told Adam everything was not as it seemed.
¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go to the mess hall.¡± Jane ended the conversation and walked ahead, her braided ponytail swinging as she walked.
They walked in silence towards the mess hall. The mess hall was similar to the one in the aircraft carrier, but bigger in both menu and number of tables.
Jane ate a goulash soup, with added macaronies in.
Adam picked the meat stew. It was minced beef, carrots, potatoes, yellow and white onions, beans, lentils. Boiled in water and tomato sauce. However, most of the water boiled away.
Steven had two quorn fillets with mashed potatoes. The potatoes had carrots and red lentils added to the mix, but they still counted it as mashed potatoes. He also had some lingonberry jam.
¡°Hot!¡± Jane quickly spit back the soup into her bowl. ¡°Hehe, I forgot to blow on it.¡±
¡°...¡±
The awkward mood disappeared with that and they soon continued with their normal conversations.
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Chapter 6 - The New Job
The sweat ran down his back, the foul smell of feces filled his nose.
Adam stood on a small step ladder inside the small restroom. The muscles in his arms aching, no, not just the arms. The entire body was hurting. Its been awhile since he had been this active. His ladder was barely enough for him to reach the ceiling. He had to stretch out his body fully and stay in that position while handling the fragile objects.
With tired arms, he removed the glass dome covering the bulb. Stepping down from the ladder, he washed it under the sink. The blue towel hanging over his shoulders was used to dry it off again. He quickly removed the exposed bulb with practised motions. He had after all done it many times this day.
*scree* *scree*
Adam screwed in the last light bulb. He stepped down and removed the dark glasses to admire his work. He wiped off the sweat dripping down in his eyes with his sleeve.
¡°I¡¯m finally done.¡± *Phew*. ¡°100 toilet lamps.¡±
Adam put the glass dome back and walked out of the restroom, taking a breath of much needed fresh air. He looked around, and spotted the man he was looking for. He headed towards the man wearing a similar overall as Adam.
¡°Willie, I¡¯m done. I¡¯m finally done. I¡¯m going to my room now. Sleeping for hours¡¡± Adam said, while supporting his tired body with a hand on the wall.
¡°Haha, where do ye think ye going? We have plenty of more work to do. A hundred meter of wires before ye quit for the day.¡± Willie said with a grin.
Wille, the red haired scotsman with a beard, was Adam¡¯s supervisor. He had a Scotland flag on his left arm. Adam was given the USA flag. While Adam didn¡¯t notice it at first, everyone at the base had a flag. The majority was from USA, Russia and China but there was also several specialists from all over the world.
After the dinner at the mess hall, Jane got a message that told her that the baggage had arrived. Adam was nervous because he didn¡¯t remember if he had the tag or not, but thankfully he did. It was in his wallet. Since he had his tag, there was no reason to delay any longer.
He bade Jane and Steven farewell and they went separate ways. Adam went towards his zone and got set up with a room and work task. The rooms were simple. A single bed, desk, book shelf and closet. It was not some luxury hotel, they were there to work.
Speaking of work, his work schedule was brutal. Over twelve hour shifts were common amongst the understaffed electricians. The screwdriver group as a whole was large, but most took care of the nuclear plant. Adam had no idea how it worked so he obviously didn¡¯t go near it. Instead he got the shitty jobs, so to speak. Changing the light bulbs, pulling wire for a new room, setting up new sockets. The work was never ending.
Every group sleeps in their own zones and you don¡¯t see the others groups much outside the mess hall. There are some exceptions of course.
If there is a problem somewhere and they call in help, you obviously get to visit the other areas. The guards stationed all over the base were obviously an exception to all of that. Every zone had guards stationed at important places.
One of those was Steven. He had been placed as a personal guard for Adam. New people always had a guard with them for their ¡®protection¡¯. Steven didn¡¯t need to follow Adam like a shadow but Steven was always within hundred meters. Something Steven was happy about, seeing as Adam¡¯s task today was to check and replace the restroom lights in the base. It was done before the lights died out to avoid the awkward situation one would be in if the restroom suddenly turned dark.
When Adam was informed of his task, they both didn¡¯t think much of it.
¡°How hard can it be, Steven? You worry too much. It¡¯s just a few light bulbs.¡± Adam said.
¡°Guess you are right.¡± Steven agreed.
¡°Now, don¡¯t just stand there. Help me carry the ladder.¡± Adam said. Steven picked it up himself, much to Adam¡¯s delight.
However, they underestimated the amount of toilets the base had.
But the number was not the worst part, it was the smell. Yesterday''s meal had apparently been something that created extra smelly poop. Or so Willie had claimed.
¡°Hundred meter wires? A hundred light bulbs? You- you are just making this up aren¡¯t you?¡± Adam pointed with a trembling hand at Willie.
Willie¡¯s grin quickly turned into a frown. ¡°No. I¡¯m not making it up. However, I¡¯m the one that decides your workload. Since its your first day I was being nice. But if that¡¯s how you want it. You can instantly be upgraded to a regular worker, instead of a newbie. Forget the wires. You can go and empty the trash from the toilets instead.¡± Willie¡¯s usual accent disappeared and turned into a more universal english.
Adam was gobsmacked. This was taking it easy on him? His old job was like a paradise compared to this. One or two small jobs a day, with a 9-17 time period to show up. Why did he come here again?
Steven snickered to himself. Serves him right, Steven thought.
¡°Get it done. Now if ye excuse me, got some stuff to do.¡± Willie said with his normal accent again, and walked off.
Several days passed like this. It was hard work everyday for Adam. He ate at the mess hall with Steven, sometimes Jane joined too. At night he instantly fell asleep. He had never slept as good as he did at the base. It¡¯s a wonder what some exercise can do to sleeping problems. One of the few things he liked about being at the base.
Willie often went missing, usually when Adam needed him the most. He said he had things to do.
It took awhile but Adam figured out that he must be going to the ¡®secret place¡¯.
So, Adam decided to spy on him. It had mixed results. Turns out he actually did alot of work.
¡°Damn, he is actually working. I thought he was up to something¡¡±
Adam said, hiding behind a corner, cursing to himself. Not only did he waste time, he still had to do his normal job. Which meant working even harder...
That was not the only issue either. Steven was also a problem. Luckily Steven didn¡¯t know what task Adam had, so he could pretend that ¡®he was supposed to go that way¡¯, or ¡®taking a look at this panel¡¯.
¡°I¡¯m telling you, this panel is broken. Look, after I pulled it out from the wall, it stopped responding. Something is clearly wrong with it. A glitch or something.¡± Adam said, while holding the ripped out computer panel in his hands.
Steven scratched his chin beard. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡ It seemed to be working fine before you removed it¡¡±
¡°Yeah, maybe. For the untrained eyes. You should just trust the expert in these situation. Hey, if something needs shooting, I will let you handle it.¡± Adam waved off Steven¡¯s concerns.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°You know what, I guess you are quite bored. Why don¡¯t you take a few hours off. Go to the shooting range or the gym or something.¡± Adam said while putting his hand on Steven¡¯s shoulder.
Steven eyes lit up. ¡°That is true, it¡¯s quite boring to simply watch you work. But, I can¡¯t simply-¡±
¡°Stop!¡± Adam held up his hands in a stopping motion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. Aren¡¯t we friends? I won¡¯t tell anyone that you left me alone for a few hours. Besides, do I really need to have you around all the time anymore? I can understand the first few days, it¡¯s easy to get lost. But now, especially when I¡¯m only going to work on this for hours. Seems to be inefficient.¡±
¡°Yes, inefficient¡ Indeed, I hate that. Very well, but don¡¯t do anything stupid while I¡¯m gone.¡± With that Steven left.
*Phew* Adam¡¯s heart was pounding. He wasn¡¯t used to lying like this. He managed to lose his guard dog. Even though he liked Steven, it would be a problem if he was around. Now he had another problem. What to do with the computer panel? Adam inspected it carefully. It seemed like some wire had come loose when Adam removed it. Simple fix.
Not so simple in fact. It took him ten minutes to get it up and running as usual. Adam quickly left the scene, after putting it back in the wall.
Adam was now free to roam around the base. Screwdrivers were often seen all over the base, so he didn¡¯t draw any attention to himself when he walked outside his own zone. He found Willie working on a panel in the wall. Like Adam had been doing. However, Willie was most likely actually doing something important.
It took awhile before Willie was done. Adam fiddled with a tablet while waiting. One of the perks of the job. You get lots of tools.
Willie finally moved on. Adam followed. The training he got from all those spy movies finally payed off. However, the clock continued to tick. Soon he would be out of time and Steven would be back.
But just when Adam was about to give up, Willie walked up to a wall. A dead end. Something seemed to be off about this area. It had no doors or cameras nearby.
Willie swiped with his tag and a panel came out. He bent forward and looked into it. Eye scanner, Adam thought. Willie then punched in a code. Adam couldn¡¯t see it, nor how many digits. It had no sound either when pressing the buttons.
The wall moved, revealing a doorway. Willie walked through and the wall came back, like nothing ever happened.
Adam¡¯s body was trembling. The smile on his face started to hurt, but he couldn¡¯t stop smiling.
Mom I did it! I finally found something!, Adam thought to himself, while clenching his fist. His mother had always complained about his hobbies, especially the conspiracy theory one. Messing with the government always ends badly, she used to say.
Adam was overjoyed. Finally something substantial. This was what he had been looking for all along. Of course, he had not actually learned anything new about it. He had simply confirmed his suspicions that ¡®something¡¯ was in this base.
Adam came up with two plans to get access to the new area. One, make Willie unavailable and maybe Adam would be asked instead, assuming it was electrician related at all. Two, become trustworthy enough to be allowed access into it.
Both had pros and cons. The first one had the potential of being quick but it was very risky. Not only was there no guarantee that he was second in line but he had no idea how to make Willie ¡®unavailable¡¯.
The second plan however, had the risk of never actually completing. It was very possible that Adam would never normally be allowed access to it. And even if it one day would happen, it might take years. After several years, it would be too late most likely. Whatever they did in there, would be either completed or revealed.
Adam decided to put it off for now. Patience was necessary. It had been less than a week after all. He needed to prepare. If he was to remove Willie either permanently or just temporarily he would need some kind of alibi first. Don¡¯t want to end up as a suspect in the middle of a military base. He was behind ¡®enemy lines¡¯ now and he had to be very careful.
Adam was a ¡®normal person¡¯ that never hurt anyone before so he decided to not go with the violent route. Even if Adam snuck up behind Willie with a pipe Adam wasn¡¯t sure Adam could take Willie. While the overall clothing they all wore weren¡¯t very revealing, you could still see some things. While it just looked tight on Adam, it looked good on Willie. While Adam was sweating like a pig, Willie breezed through the much harder jobs.
Apparently Steven had ran into Willie a few times in the gym too. Willie didn¡¯t lift weights like Steven did. Instead he did alot of bodyweight training and was on alot of the martial arts training sessions. Clearly he was no simple electrician like Adam was. He was a¡ combat electrician! Or so Adam thought.
No, violence was not the answer. Adam thought about using poison instead. Easier to use and harder to track down. Simply offer him your home baked cookies and down he goes. Now, where does one get home bakes cookies and some good poison, deep underground, inside a military base?
If not poison, then he could maybe arrange some kind of accident. The electric kind. Like accidently turning on the power when he was working on it. However, that was very risky and he needed to be close to Willie. Willie also wore safety equipment designed for just those occasions. Like gloves and boots immune to the electric currents.
It should be noted that the step to go from planning mode to action mode was gigantic. Adam would need some time to figure out any details before he started. Learning more about the base layout and supplies available was also essential.
As Adam was occupied thinking about such nefarious plans, the door began to open again. Adam was startled. He quickly hid behind the corner again.
Surprisingly, Jane walked out.
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Chapter 7 - Alpha and Omega
Surprisingly, Jane walked out.
Jane? So she was involved¡
Adam decided to sneak away while he had the chance. If he hurried he could make it to the end on the corridor and after that there were several ways to go.
When he was about halfway, he saw a shadow moving at the end of the corridor. Someone was there, and it seemed to be moving towards Adam.
Adam was standing in the middle, with no cover in sight. He started to panic. Jane was coming up from the secret passage and the new unidentified person was coming from where Adam had hoped to go.
*Phew* Taking a moment to recollect himself, Adam quickly made his way over to the end of the corridor. He could after all just pretend to be lost if someone asked him. The other person might just be exploring too. As long as he didn¡¯t know the other person he would be fine.
Adam was only two meter away when the other person came out from the corner.
¡°Hm? Adam, what are you doing here?¡±
¡°Huh? Oh, it¡¯s just you Steven.¡± Adam leaned heavily against the wall with one arm. ¡°You scared me.¡±
¡°I asked you a question. Weren¡¯t you supposed to be at the computer panel?¡±
¡°Eh? Oh right. Well I finished that. Then I thought I could explore the base some.¡±
Steven gave an icy glare.¡°...Isn¡¯t that exactly what you shouldn''t do without me?¡±
¡°That-... Yeah, I guess so. Sorry.¡± Adam scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°Oh yeah, let¡¯s go. I got some other work to do. No point in standing around here any longer.¡±
Adam started walking, moving past Steven. But Adam barely had time to take more than a few steps, before Steven suddenly saw someone else coming.
Surprisingly, Jane walked out. She looked surprised when she saw them too.
¡°Jane, what are you doing here?¡± Steven said.
¡°Steven!¡± Jane said smilingly. She waved her hand and ran over to them. ¡°Ah, Adam you are here too.¡±
Steven had studied the base layout and knew this was a dead end. Reserved for future expansions or something perhaps.
Steven didn¡¯t understand. Why did both Adam and Jane come from the same ¡®one way only¡¯ direction? They must have seen each other before but Jane acted like she didn¡¯t know Adam was here. What did those two do? For some reason he felt uneasy. A feeling of¡ jealousy snuck up on him.
Steven wasn¡¯t stupid. He knew Jane was interested in him. But, he had never responded to her signals. Sure, she was very attractive and had a great body. He was just very picky. Not that he had any right to be. He had neither money, fame, intellect, looks or any other special thing. But, the only thing he didn¡¯t like about Jane was her very bubbly and happy personality. Sometimes she switched over to a more serious mode and then he almost felt something for her.
Either they did ¡®something¡¯ in this low traffic dead end area or more likely Adam wanted to confess his feelings to her here. Jane probably turned him down and now they acts like it never happened. Yep, that¡¯s how it must have went.
Steven managed to convince himself.
Jane tried to act like normal and made an attempt to divert Steven¡¯s attention from the corridor. She was worried they would be suspicious about this area.
¡°So, what are you two doing here? There is nothing around here, you know. I¡¯m hungry. Want to eat?¡± Jane said with her usual smile.
Adam was relieved by their actions. It seemed like they didn¡¯t have any suspicions towards him. It seemed like they were focusing on each other instead.
Adam figured they all had their secrets. Steven didn¡¯t want Jane to know about him leaving his duties. Adam didn¡¯t want Steven and Jane to know about him discovering the secret base. Jane didn¡¯t want Steven and Adam to know about the secret base. Since Adam was the only one that knew the whole picture he decided to act first. If he could solve Steven¡¯s problem the other two would be easy to avoid.
¡°Ah, Jane. Me and Steven was just exploring around the base. Sure, let¡¯s go and eat.¡± Adam said.
¡°Yes, that¡¯s how it is.¡± Steven nodded. Steven was happy Adam covered for him and didn¡¯t think much about Adam¡¯s odd behavior.
All three were happy that their secrets were safe, for now.
Earlier that same day.
On the outside there was, like usual, bad weather. Snow and hard winds made it hard to see. The cold was freezing and without proper protection clothes one wouldn¡¯t last long.
A group of people arrived at the base entrance. They had just arrived by plane, and then taken a car to the entrance.
Most of them wore black suits and black glasses. Even though it was very cold they showed no sign of freezing. Two of them had proper winter clothes. Several high ranking officers stood outside in the snow to greet them. One of them stepped forward.
¡°Mr. President. Welcome to Alpha base. I am in charge of this base. I am Colonel General Chekhov.¡± The two men shaked hands.
¡°Thank you. Since I first heard about this place I have been very curious.¡± The President said.
¡°Ah, General O¡¯Neill. Back from your vacation already?¡± Colonel General Chekhov said. Another handshake.
General O¡¯Neill shrugged. ¡°Hah, I was supposed come back in two weeks but I missed my daughter. Literally. She had already left when I arrived at the Gerald. Apparently she came here. Did you know about that?¡±
Colonel General Chekhov shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not personally involved in the newcomers. Especially if she is on the upper levels.
Let¡¯s go inside for now. Your bodyguard looks like they will fall at any moment.¡± All the ones with proper winter clothes laughed. The ones in suits only took a quick side glance at each other. Even if they didn¡¯t show it on the surface, they were almost dead.
¡°We have plenty of time to talk later. Now follow me.¡±
The group left the cold and went inside.
¡°How was the ride here, Mr. President?¡± Colonel General Chekhov asked.
¡°Air force one is comfortable like always. I will miss it.¡± The President said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to call my by such a stiff title by the way. Just say Arnold. Besides I won¡¯t be President much longer. My terms are up and the election is in two weeks. I was invited to your base. I will do as you say today.¡± The President Arnold Balkharv smiled.
The President of the United States of America, Arnold Balkharv. The most popular President ever with a 96% rating. He started out as a professional bodybuilder. He won many prizes and inspired countless people. Then he surprisingly became an extremely famous movie star. Finally after he had aged and no longer had the energy to do his action movies he entered the world of politics. After a successful period as a state governor he decided to run for President.
Now, at the end of his term, he was invited to an unknown base. The most important and powerful man in the world didn¡¯t even know about it. Well, he knew it was here but not what¡¯s inside it. He had asked his staff about the base before, but no one had any answers.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.If this was related to the very odd alliance with Russia and China that he had been forced to sign, then he had to know more about it.
At first he was very suspicious about China and Russia but he discovered they also had been forced to sign it. They also were told to not ask any questions or search for answers. The high ranking in the military even strongly suggested they should dismantle massive amounts of their forces. Not just USA, but the entire world had to do it. In the end 90% of the planet¡¯s armed forces were disarmed and dismantled. Even the greatest deterrence for war, the precious nuclear weapons had to go.
This ¡®end of warfare¡¯ was one of the reasons why he was so popular, but others complained that he was too harsh on the people that disagreed with him. Many of the terrorists and dictatorships refused to give aways their weapons. They were met with the full force of the top three militaries in the world. Since they had to destroy their own equipment anyway, like the tanks and planes, they held nothing back. Soon, everyone had agreed. A few millions in enemy casualties, but overall the small wars had only lasted a few months.
World peace, for the first time in the world. With the corrupt dead or afraid to start trouble, many regions in the world started to stabilize. With a sudden breakthrough in medicine and farming technology many diseases and hunger problems disappeared.
Arnold greatly enjoyed the satisfying feeling he got when the world unquestionably became a better place under his leadership. He might not have actually done much, but as the one in charge he took all the blame if something went wrong. Therefore he saw nothing wrong with accepting the praises too.
Now it was all ending. Well, his time in the spotlight was. He had nothing planned to do after this. Maybe retire in some mountain and spend his days in a cabin in the woods. Maybe he was too old for that lifestyle. He had no plans on ending up in a retirement home at least. Well, that was very unlikely since he was rich. Money can buy the best care afterall. If only one could live forever.
Colonel General Chekhov nodded. ¡°If you say so Mr.Pre- I mean Arnold.¡±
The group waited for the large horizontal vault door to open.
¡°Impressive. I have never seen such large doors before. Are they actually needed?¡± Arnold said.
¡°Not really I guess. We transported a few large items in but other than that... But better safe than sorry.¡± Colonel General Chekhov said.
They walked down the ramp in silence. As they reached a big open area, they spotted a few electric underground vehicles waiting for them.
¡°This is what we will use to move around. Normally people take the narrow corridor over there, but we are taking a more direct route. Hop on.¡± Colonel General Chekhov said.
The vehicles were silent and produced no exhaust fumes, thanks to its electric engine. They looked like a golf car.
They passed several large transport trucks and forklifts. There was even a mining vehicle with a large drill. Several people worked with loading and unloading items.
They left the loading area and continued down a smaller road. It was alot less crowded. It had two different checkpoints with guards, but they just drove right through them.
They soon reached the end of the tunnel. There was an elevator.
¡°We are here. Let¡¯s go. My people will take the next ride. I will ride with the President and his guards. General O¡¯Neill can join too, of course.¡± Colonel General Chekhov said.
He opened the door for them and held it to make sure it didn¡¯t close. The door had to be opened with a key and the elevator had to be activated with a code. The inside was uncolored steel. With a light on the ceiling and a panel on the side with three different buttons. 1, 2, and 3. When everyone had entered the elevator the door closed.
Colonel General Chekhov then took out a keycard and inserted it into a, unless you knew it was there, invisible slit in the side panel. He then rapidly hit the different buttons several times. This elevator had several hidden security measures. One might figure out you need a key to open the doors, because the keyhole is quite visible. But inside you would most likely just press the different buttons immediately. If one pressed any of them without inserting the keycard first, security would be notified. The elevator would then lock its door until they were unlocked by a key again from the outside. Usually by the armed guards, waiting to arrest the intruder.
The code Colonel General Chekhov input was twelve numbers long and once he was done the numbers lit up. He pressed the 3 and the elevator started moving.
After about a minute they stopped.
¡°The doors will open in just a sec.¡± Colonel General Chekhov said. ¡°It can only be opened from the other side. Don¡¯t make any sudden movements. Especially you guys...¡± He looked at the black suited bodyguards.
10 seconds later it opened. Fifteen armed men pointed their weapons at them.
¡°Stand down. It¡¯s me. Colonel General Chekhov. I have brought important guests.¡±
The guards put down their weapons and one of them stepped forward.
¡°Welcome back. Huh? Is that the President? Oh, I¡¯m so sorry. We didn¡¯t mean to point our weapons at you.¡±
¡°No, no. You did your job.¡± Arnold waved off their concerns.
As the group passed all the soldiers saluted.
¡°Welcome to the Omega base, Mr. President. I mean Arnold.¡± Colonel General Chekhov said. ¡°Come follow me.¡±
¡°Omega? You said Alpha before?¡±
¡°Indeed. They are not the same. This is where the real stuff is happening. The upper base is where we produce some basic stuff and have the nuclear power plant. We also have a ¡®theoretic¡¯ research facility there. It¡¯s a front, incase people start wondering where all the money goes. All in all, this one is three times the size. With over five thousand people working here. When we are done we are planning to have several bases like this, all over the world. Well, similar at least.¡±
¡°My god. So many people¡ What exactly are you doing here?¡±
¡°That, is why you are here today. Our secret project is almost complete and you have been chosen to be a part of it.¡±
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Chapter 8 - A New Ally?
Adam got back to his room. Exhausted. Both in body and mind. The work was harder than he ever would have imagined. The stress of keeping everything he was planning a secret, started to take it¡¯s toll. One of his biggest issues right now, is who he could trust. Adam took off his shoes and sat down at his desk, stretching out his body. His joints cracked, giving off a pleasurable feeling.
¡°Ahh, that feels good.¡±
It might be impossible to do this alone, Adam thought, as he sat by his desk. He practised several pen spin tricks with his hand while he thought about what to do.
Adam decided he needed some help to get inside. He couldn¡¯t ask any of the military. Even if they didn¡¯t know about the secret base, they would most likely follow their orders. Just making Steven leave Adam alone for a few hours took alot of work and in the end it almost backfired. Breaking into computers for encrypted data, tricking security or even having to do something more drastic would most likely be impossible for them.
That leaves the civilian workers. Problem is, Adam doesn¡¯t know if any of them is working with the military for real or just hired help like Adam. Adam doesn¡¯t want to end up asking help from someone like Willie. Civilian on the outside, military on the inside. Another problem is, he only knows like five people on the base. Jane, Steven and Willie are all out. That leaves Asmoz and Cora.
Since he had a new plan of action, Adam decided to update his story with the new information.
¡®Today, I finally found what I was looking for. A secret door in a dead end corridor. I followed, or rather shadowed, my supervisor through the base. I managed to get rid of my own shadow, called Steven, nice guy by the way, through some lies and convincing. Good thing I actually got to know him quite well. Otherwise it would have been impossible to know his weak spots.
My supervisor, called Willie, did several small jobs on the way. But just as I was about to give up, he reached the end of a corridor I had never been in before. He suddenly took out his tag and a computer panel appeared. It seemed to have an eye scanner and number code as protection, as well as a valid tag to even active it. The wall moved to the side and it revealed a new corridor.
After some time another person even came out. Jane! Don¡¯t think I have mentioned her before but she was someone I met on the aircraft carrier. I had no idea she was involved in the secret base. I even asked her if there was something more in the base. I tried to flee but ran into Steven. Good thing he doesn¡¯t seem to know about it at least. Then Jane caught up to me and after some awkward moments we managed to put it behind us. For now, my plan is to secretly ask around if anyone else is suspicious about this whole event.¡¯
After he was done, Adam noticed another problem. He couldn¡¯t connect to the internet. While he didn¡¯t need to upload the new text right away, he had to do it at some point or the automated message would be sent without all the information. As Adam pondered his new problem, he realized another problem. The automated message! He had to reset it. Last time he did it, he was on the aircraft carrier. That was four days ago now. The internet issue suddenly became a real issue.
Could Adam get in and out within three days? No, did he really need to leave? Could it be connected back to him? Probably, if they investigated it thoroughly. Some of the details inside were quite telling.
Adam now had a time limit. Not only was the risk of being discovered huge, someone else might steal his glory. Was the automated message really such a good idea? No, the truth has to come out, even if Adam was not the one that delivered it. Several thoughts swirled through Adam¡¯s mind.
¡°Damn.¡± Adam dropped the pen. His thoughts got more and more distracting.
Adam decided to worry about it more tomorrow. For now he had to sleep.
*Ziiip* Adam opened the zipper that covered half the overall. He tried to slip out of it, but the sweat made it stick to his arms.
Maybe I should take a shower before bed?, Adam thought. It¡¯s been two days since last time and the overall is starting to smell. Nah, maybe next day¡
Adam gave up and simply laid down on his bed. To tired to think about such things he quickly fell asleep.
A new day. The alarm clock rang at 6:00. It creeped its way into Adam¡¯s dream with the extremely annoying beeping sound, interrupting at the most interesting point. He reluctantly opened his eyes and got up from the bed. The content of the dream was forgotten, however he faintly remembered something about an animal, some kind of lizard. He looked around his room. The walls were completely empty, and they were painted in a grey color. His gaze stopped at the clock by his bed.
¡°Six a clock huh. If you say so.¡±
If someone told Adam it was actually night right now he would probably believe them. Not seeing the sun in so long had caused him to lose his sense of time.
As Adam was about to leave, his hand reaching out towards the door handle, he stopped mid motion. The busy schedule had slowed down a little and his old routines started to pop up again.
Adam realized he had forgotten his old habits. He never placed any traps in his room. He had been so busy with travelling and working, that he had no time to think about those things. No more, Adam thought. He decided to set up his basic ¡®hair in door¡¯ trap at least.
He wasn¡¯t really worried about someone reading his secrets on the laptop. It was a special kind. Made by a small company that specialised in secret keeping computers. One would need Adam¡¯s fingerprint, several passwords, a certain set of motions with the mouse and one always had to close a few programs and open others in a certain order or it would not work. Maybe if they actually ¡®stole¡¯ it from Adam, and went through everything in it they could find another way but that would take some time. No, he was more worried about someone entering his room to set up some cameras or something like that. Using some of his electrician tools he could scan for electronics so he knew there were no cameras inside his room at that moment. But that was very time consuming.
Adam was already dressed, since he never got out of his overall the night before. So he headed to the toilets, carrying his hygiene products in a small bag. The corridors were swarming with similar dressed people. Since no room had their own bathroom, everyone had to go to the public toilets. One could either wake up a little bit earlier or take a risk of having to wait in line. What made it worse, was that everyone started working at the same time, except the few night workers. Working the ¡®night shift¡¯ was something most people wanted because you didn¡¯t have to deal with most of the crowds. Even though they lived underground, and had the lights on at all times, which caused them to burn out faster, increasing Adam¡¯s work, they still had to follow the surface timezones. New visitors, workers and material supplies arrived everyday.
There were two kinds of restrooms. The very open and public one with urinals in a row and sinks with mirrors over you could brush your teeth at. It also had barely decent toilet booths, open above and below with swing doors. The other type was a private room with a door you could lock. It had a toilet, sink and mirror. These were of course vastly more popular but few in numbers.
Adam luckily lived in one of the less crowded living areas. This meant he could usually sneak in before the angry and tired ¡®zombie mob¡¯ came looking for free toilets. Once you got in, you took your time.
As Adam brushed his teeth to the sound of banging on the door, he thought about his new plan. Today he would talk with Asmoz in the computer center. Adam could easily get access to it, since he was an electrician. He could either bullshit his way through, saying something was broken inside and needed fixing or he could actually create a problem. With some power fluctuations they would have to call in help. It might wipe out some of their work but, eh, not my problem, Adam thought.
The rest of the morning went as usual. A quick breakfast with some oatmeal with nuts, seeds and jam in. Adam arrived at work. Willie stood in front of a large whiteboard. It had today''s tasks on it. Adam walked up next to Willie, looking for a good job. He spotted a very good one. ¡®Repairs in the computer center¡¯ with an added detail of ¡®Change light bulbs and light switches¡¯. Perfect!
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
¡°Hey, Willie. Do you mind if I take the computer center job?¡±
¡°Hmmm¡± Willie stroked his beard. ¡°I planned to put ye in the plumbing section today. They needed some new electronics setup.¡±
¡°What? Oh, cmon, not the plumbing section. It¡¯s worse than garbage disposal. Please, I promised I would meet a friend there today.¡±
Willie turned to look at Adam. ¡°Eh, if it means so much to ye, go ahead. I¡¯ll get another newcomer on the other task.¡± Willie waved Adam off with his hand.
¡°Yes, thank you. I¡¯ll get right to it.¡° Adam said while running off to register the work. They register the work on their tags so they can get access to different areas. Most of the time it¡¯s not needed but for high security areas, like the nuclear reactor and the armory, it¡¯s a must.
Adam made his way over to the computer center together with Steven.
¡°Hello, I¡¯m here for the repair job.¡± Adam said to one of the guards at the entrance.
The guard simply glanced over him with an uninteresting look, before spotting Steven in the back.
¡°Yo, Steven. What are you doing here?¡± The guard said with a grin.
¡°We, are here to do some repair job.¡± Steven replied, emphasising the ¡®We¡¯ part.
¡°Oh, this guy, huh?¡± He turned his attention back towards Adam. ¡°Well, get inside. Quickly.¡± Turning his head towards Steven again. ¡°But, you can stay to chat for a while right? Not like he needs you around while working right?¡±
Adam and Steven look at each other.
¡°No, I¡¯m fine on my own. You can stay here, and talk with your friends.¡±
¡°Ok. I¡¯ll be waiting here for you.¡±
Adam walked inside, smiling to himself. Worried for nothing it seems, Adam thought.
Adam got to the area he needed to work at. Room 8. Light flickered inside, a broken fluorescent lamp. Adam checked the switch too. It also needed replacement. Someone had used great force on it, repeatedly. Adam saw this often. It¡¯s caused by anger managment issues, triggered by the light not working properly. Adam grabbed his ladder and got to work. It was a simple job. Took only about thirty minutes. Having some spare time now, Adam looked around for Asmoz but he couldn¡¯t see him.
The rooms were filled with people sitting behind screens, typing away. The sound of mechanical keyboards could also be heard. That wasn¡¯t standard issue. They must have brought it with them from home. They are nice to listen to if you are alone, and the one typing on it. But listening to others typing would be quite annoying after a while.
Adam walked up to a nearby room. ¡®Room 3¡¯ it said on the door. The door was open so Adam walked in. The walls were covered in schematics of disassembled weapons and other items. About twenty computers were inside. Adam walked up to the one sitting closest to the door.
¡°Hey, you know where Asmoz is?¡±
¡°Huh?¡± The man was surprised and quickly turned his screen off. He was working on secret projects after all. ¡°Who?¡±
¡°Eh, Achim Asmoz. Around fifty years old or so, gray hair and glasses?¡±
¡°Never heard of him. Sorry. Now if you don¡¯t mind¡¡±
¡°Ah, wait, he works in AI?¡±
The man nodded. ¡°Ah yeah. That¡¯s in room five. Just down the hall.¡±
Adam thanked him for his help and got on his way. Room five was a fairly small room. Much smaller than the one he just left. At the moment only Asmoz was inside. It had three other computers but they were currently turned off. Piles of papers covered the desks. Perfect opportunity to ask him a few sensitive questions.
¡°Hey, Asmoz!¡± Adam walked in with a smile on his face and waved with his hand.
Asmoz looked up from his screen and raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Adam? What are you doing here?¡±
¡°Ah, well, I wanted to talk with you about something. This might come as a surprise but, I¡¯m wondering why you are here? You working for the military for real or just a hired help?¡±
¡°Eh, what an odd question. No, I-...¡± He stopped talking and put the glasses on top of his head. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± He had a stern look on his face, with furrowed brows and crossed arms.
¡°Eh?¡± Adam didn¡¯t know what to say. It was not how Adam had expected the conversation to go. Adam swallowed but didn¡¯t say anything else.
¡°Hmm, I guess that reaction confirms my suspicions. You are the same as me right?¡± Asmoz said.
¡°Same as you? Guess so...?¡± Adam didn¡¯t know what to think.
¡°Haha, relax. You don¡¯t look like the usual military type. I came here to this base in search of something. I¡¯m assuming you are the same?¡± Asmoz said.
¡°I did come here searching for something, but I doubt it¡¯s the same as you.¡± Adam said. He hoped it wasn¡¯t the same at least.
¡°Well, let¡¯s not talk about it here. You never know who is listening.¡± Asmoz said and put on his glasses again.
¡°I had some other things I wanted to talk with you about anyway.¡± Adam said and walked closer to Asmoz. ¡°You got internet access down here?¡±
¡°Nope. Only the surface got that. Why? You bored or something?¡± Asmoz smiled.
¡°Damn.¡± Adam touched his chin. ¡°Hm, so anyway. What are you doing down here?¡±
¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m working on a new AI script. To handle a store. Before that I made an unloader, capable of unloading boxes from a truck and putting them in another place. If they load it up in some kind of robot it will work nicely. Here, I¡¯ll show you the simulation.¡± Asmoz clicked a few times with the mouse and a window popped up on his screen.
Adam stood behind Asmoz as they watched the simulation. It showed a human shaped robot picking up boxes and putting them down again.
¡°Huh. I had thought it would be some more military focused.¡±
¡°Hmph, those guys in room three are working on new fancy weapons. Well, they claim they are theoretical but I¡¯m not so sure. Most of technology for it doesn¡¯t exists yet, but they seem to be extremely detailed. Well, I¡¯m not a stranger to sci-fi so I know there are some amazingly detailed fictional universes, but still. Why would they work on that? Here?¡± Asmoz gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. ¡°No, they must be planning something big.¡±
¡°Interesting. They are designing new weapons there? I talked with one of them and he immediately turned off his screen.¡±
¡°Yep, they do that. But I have only heard rumors and seen the things hanging on the walls so I¡¯m not so sure about the details. Well, the guy next to me is working on a new targeting computer, so it¡¯s not like military projects are uncommon.¡± Asmoz paused. ¡°Anyway, you are working hard it seems¡ maybe a little bit too hard.¡±
¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±
¡°Well, it¡¯s just, you know. You kinda starting to smell.¡±
Adam sniffed his clothes. ¡°Oh, right. Well, I have been putting that off for a while¡ Anyway, let¡¯s meet up in my room later. It should be safe.¡±
Adam explained where his room was located and they decided to meet up at around 19:30. Adam left and walked back to his own zone together with Steven.
After that, work went on as usual. Adam and Steven grabbed something to eat at the mess hall. Adam worked all over the base, as usual, fixing small things. After he got off work, Adam decided to pick up some new fresh clothes and take a shower. His ¡®hair trap¡¯ was undisturbed, like always. At the appointed time someone knocked on Adam¡¯s door. Adam opened the door slightly and peeked through the opening.
*BAM*
Adam slammed it shut again, leaning heavily against it with his back. His heart thumping rapidly. His breathing ragged. A surge of heat spread out through his skin, making his hands sweat slightly. What is going on? That wasn¡¯t Asmoz.
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Chapter 9 - The Meeting
¡°Hey, idiot, what are you doing? Open the door.¡± A voice said from the other side.
Through the small opening, Adam had seen multiple people. The one in front was an unknown male dressed in the red hammer overall. He couldn¡¯t see the other faces.
¡°If you don¡¯t open the door right now, I¡¯m gonna kick it in!¡± The same voice continued.
¡°Calm down, Hans. You''re gonna need a battering ram if you want to do that. It¡¯s criss-crossed with metal bars, to reduce the weight but still provide more than enough protection.¡± Another voice said.
¡°Sir, he isn¡¯t opening the door. What should we do?¡±
¡°Hm, I guess you scared him. I probably should have been the one in the front.¡±
Hearing them talk like this, Adam calmed down slightly. Swallowing once, he gathered his courage.
¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± Adam shouted from inside his room.
¡°Looks like I was right.¡± Three light knocks on the door. ¡°Adam, it¡¯s me. Asmoz.¡±
-Is it a trick? It does sound a little like Asmoz. The door might be distorting the voice. What should I do? Let them in? No, it might be a trap. But they might take me out at anytime anyway, there are many places that doesn¡¯t have cameras. They have been spotted on the cameras now, so if I end up dead, they should get caught. Unless of course they are working with permission...- Adam debated with himself inside his head.
¡°Who are the others? I thought it supposed to be just you and me.¡± Adam said.
¡°That is, well, I don¡¯t want to shout through the door like this. Could you let me in so I can explain?¡±
-Should I? I don¡¯t actually think they want to hurt me or anything. But if they do¡ I got a surprise for them here¡- Adam thought to himself.
One major benefit of his occupation was the tools he was provided with. They had all kinds of screwdrivers, hammers, electronic measurement equipment, pliers, cutters and knives. Adam had two different knives. The, orange colored, regular working knife that he had blunted a bit on his metal ladder, to make it easier to work with. Its short five cm blade was curved, with a covered top, and the handle insulated. The other one, completely unused, and larger. A straight very sharp blade ten cm long blade with a small finger guard.
They were allowed to walk around with their tool belts, and even bring them to their rooms. In case of some kind of emergency it would be bad to be separated from the tools. Most people returned the bigger things, like measurement equipment and ladders, Adam was no different. But since he had his tool belt with all kind of ¡®weapons¡¯ he was not defenseless.
He quickly ran over to the tool belt and took out the knife and hammer.
-With this, I might have a chance at least. Unless they have a gun¡-
Adam put the knife between his teeth, to free up a hand, and unlocked the door. The door had a autolock feature so when he slammed it shut, it locked again. He didn¡¯t open it, but simply waited for them to come in. With hammer and knife in his hands he stood next to the door. The door opened inwards so he stood far enough away so they couldn¡¯t hit him with the door swing if they wanted to.
¡°Ok, coming in now.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny¡¡± Adam warned them.
The door slowly opened. The man in blue, Achim Asmoz, stepped in first.
¡°Woah! What are you doing Adam? Put, put those things down.¡± Asmoz said, holding his hands up.
In total four people entered. Asmoz, Cora, and two unknowns. Both of them hammers.
¡°Stay back sir, I¡¯ll deal with this.¡± The one that had been in the front before said. He reached for his pocket but Asmoz stopped him with a handwave.
¡°No, let me talk with him.¡± Asmoz said and walked closer to Adam.
¡°Hey, Adam, put those things down already. We didn¡¯t come here to hurt you. If we wanted to hurt you, there are plenty of unsupervised areas. Not here in a one-entrance room with a camera just outside.¡±
¡°You say that, but what was he about to do?¡± Adam pointed with the knife.
¡°Well, we risked alot to get here. They were against the idea to invite you, but I stood up for you. We need someone in the screwdriver section and you are a perfect fit.¡±
¡°We? Who are ¡®we¡¯?¡±
¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m a secret agent. For the EU. We all are.¡± Asmoz said. Cora and the other two nodded.
Adam stood there slack-jawed for a moment. ¡°EU? Wow, didn¡¯t see that one coming. Secret agent? Like a spy?¡±
¡°Yep, we are here to investigate what they do here. They suddenly forced us to cut down our armies. With no explanation! How can we possibly accept that?!¡± As Asmoz spoke, his face distorted in anger and he clenched his fists. ¡°This base is the only lead we got.¡± He spread out his arms and spun around. ¡°This underground base is huge. But our intelligence suggests they are even hiding something bigger. We have been monitoring the traffic to this area and something doesn¡¯t make sense. You can¡¯t even detect the base with a satellite. How is that even possible?!¡±
The other three had a similar look on their faces as Asmoz. Clearly they all cared a great deal about this matter.
-Hm, so they got the same goal as me. Oh well, this was getting way over my head anyway.-
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°So, why do you need me? I¡¯m not exactly agent material.¡± Adam put back his weapons, or rather tools, in his belt, he was feeling silly holding them anyway. If he was up against a random thief, it might work, but against trained secret agents? Most likely will do more harm than good.
¡°As I said. We need access to the screwdriver section. We somehow failed to infiltrate it. We lost contact with two agents awhile ago. They must have been, discovered.¡±
¡°Discovered?¡± A feeling of dread rushed over Adam. He was once again reminded about the high stakes of what he was currently doing. Behind enemy lines, one slip up and it could all be over. Permanently.
¡°Yes, their fates are currently unknown. I won¡¯t lie to you. It¡¯s very dangerous. But, I have a feeling you already know that. Since I first saw you, I had a suspicion that you weren¡¯t here for the food, nor to serve your country.¡±
Adam pondered a minute over this new information. It seemed like they didn¡¯t know about the secret area. The question was, should he tell them or not. It might be better to keep that to himself for now. While they seemed to need Adam, he didn¡¯t actually need them. It might even be more dangerous to mingle with them. They could be under surveillance and pull Adam into the suspicion zone. But doing this all alone was maybe even worse. So, Adam decided to accept their offer, and work together, for now.
¡°Ok, I guess I can join you. But how will this work?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t contact us. We will contact you. Just keep doing your everyday jobs but keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.¡± Asmoz reached out with his hand, aiming for a handshake. Adam accepted it. Asmoz continued.
¡°Welcome to E.J.A.R. European.Justice.And.Revenge. You won¡¯t get payed but I think you won¡¯t mind. Let¡¯s have some introductions. You remember Cora right?¡±
¡°Hello.¡± Cora gave a slight nod.
¡°She doesn¡¯t talk much but she is good at what she does. Next is Pierre.¡± Asmoz pointed with his hand at one of the red overall dresses hammers. Pierre was tall, a head taller than the rest, except Cora who was almost two heads shorter, and he had short brown hair.
¡°Salut.¡± Pierre said.
¡°Also not much of a talker.¡± Asmoz chuckled. ¡°Next is Hans.¡± Asmoz pointed at the last one in the group, the one that had been at the door and had reached for something in his pocket. Hans was the big muscular type and had blond short hair.
¡°Hello, nice, meeting you. I¡¯m saying this only once. Don¡¯t mess up. And don¡¯t even think about snitching on us.¡± Hans said with crossed arms.
Asmoz awkwardly laughed, while scratching his head. ¡°He, he is the serious type. He means well, even though it may not sound like it.¡±
¡°Um, hello.¡± Adam did a small wave. ¡°By the way, what exactly is your goal? Justice and revenge? That doesn¡¯t sound very good...¡± Adam said.
The group of four looked at each other. After they a few seconds they seemed to have come to a decision.
¡°That, that¡¯s too early for you to know. I¡¯m sorry, but that is just too much information at once. I¡¯m sure you can understand. Right?¡± Asmoz shrugged and smiled.
-So, they want me to work for them blindly. I have a feeling they don¡¯t think very highly of me at all.-
¡°Ok, sure I understand. You are taking a big risk in just telling me about your secret agent status after all.¡± Adam nodded with a smile. ¡°Something else I¡¯m wondering about though. Have you seen any other agents here? From other countries.¡±
¡°Well, I saw one guy from a certain african country. Back in my younger days we often ran into each other, not rarely ending in violence. Now, we just ignored each other, no point in risking detection for old time''s sake.¡± Asmoz said and took out a pocket watch.
¡°Well, we should get going now¡ Like we said, you will be contacted soon.¡± Asmoz said and left with his group. Hans gave Adam one last glare before leaving.
After Adam closed the door, he breathed out in relief.
-That was alot more tense than I thought it would be.-
While Adam laid down on his bed, relaxing, the group of four moved quickly through the base.
¡°Keep an eye on him, he knows something.¡± Asmoz said.
¡°How can you tell?¡± Cora asked.
¡°Didn¡¯t you notice his reactions to what we said? Or rather lack of it. Apart from the secret agent thing, it seemed he knew everything else.¡± Asmoz said.
¡°I knew it. Should we deal with him now or later?¡± Hans subconsciously reached for his pocket.
¡°No, he can still be useful, right Asmoz?¡± Pierre said.
¡°Correct. He might even have discovered something on his own. For now, go back to your positions and wait for my command.¡±
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Chapter 10 - Missing Scanner
¡°Ah, wait.¡± Asmoz grabbed Hans¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Before you go, was the other mission successful?¡±
Hans nodded, lightly pulling his earlobe. ¡°Yes, when he turned his back to put down his ¡®weapons¡¯, I managed to plant it. He should never discover it, unless he suddenly decided to do some very thorough cleaning.¡±
Asmoz chuckled. ¡°Yeah, at least no one can blame him for being a clean freak, so we should be safe. With this we should be able to get all audio and scan his computer when it turns on. If he tries to contact anyone else, we will know.¡±
The group of four split up and each left through a different corridor.
Meanwhile, Adam still laid down on his bed. He was currently deep in thought.
-They are gone, but if my spy movie knowledge is correct, and it hasn''t¡¯ been wrong so far, they should have left some kind of spy device. Scanning or listening device maybe? I need to get some scanning equipment early tomorrow and search for it.-
Adam decided to go to bed extra early so he could wake up in time, before there was too much traffic. Carrying around such equipment in the early morning would be quite suspicious looking after all. So, he did some basic hygiene stuff, changed clothes and got to bed. He didn¡¯t forget to set the alarm either. It was set to 04 in the night.
The alarm rang and he quickly woke up. He remembered his task, and surprisingly he wasn¡¯t feeling tired at all. Getting dressed, he carefully snuck out of his room. He opened and closed the door without making any sound.
He arrived at the equipment storage without any problems. Some guards glanced at him, but they didn¡¯t care enough to ask him about his intentions. Their shifts ended soon and they were tired. Adam looked over the shelves and opened several drawers. He couldn¡¯t find everything he was looking for.
-Damn, what is this? It should be in here. Did some idiot misplace it?-
After ten minutes he finally found what he was looking for. It was placed in the electrical cords section, buried under about twenty cords, in a transparent plastic box. Far away from its proper section.
-Some people¡- Adam thought while shaking his head.
Adam grabbed the last scanner he needed and put it all in a bag. He had several hand scanners and a tablet to connect it with. This had taken longer than he had wanted and now he hurried out of the storage area. Normally, you should write down if you take something but Adam didn¡¯t do it this time. He didn¡¯t want to leave any unnecessary tracks behind. Instead he signed out some normal cords and wires, to show incase he got stopped.
Adam walked out, looking confident, like he had something urgent to do, and the guards didn¡¯t bother him, just like before. Just as Adam left, turning around the corner, out of sight, another person entered. This person, a screwdriver like Adam, walked in, heading straight towards the electrical cord section. He immediately checked the transparent box.
¡°This is..., AAARGH!¡± The person shouted in anger. He turned the box upside down and emptied the content on the floor. He looked in the other boxes but found nothing there either.
He stomped off towards the scanner equipment section and found many of them missing, and of course the one scanner he had hid was not there either.
¡°Who, who took it?¡± The person walked up to the sign-out book and saw that no one had taken any scanners. The last one was just for some wires and cords. He hadn''t written down any timestamp either, so it could have been at any time. Since it was such a small thing, this ¡®Adam Hunter¡¯ could have borrowed them a long time ago, and just recently remembered to write it down.
The person, had dark skin and a shaved head. He looked to be around fifty years old. He was angry, tapping his feet impatiently on the ground, while biting on his thumbnail. His plan was failure. The scanner he needed to scan the walls for secrets was missing. He had even gone as far as hiding it the night before, just incase someone would take it during the night. But, of course, someone had taken it anyway. Most scanners had multiple copies but there was only one of the scanner he needed. It was the strongest scanner, capable of scanning through walls, up to four meter solid steel.
He returned to the sign-out book. It was an actual paper book that you wrote things down in using a pen. He looked over the names. It was only four new ones since the last time he was here. All of them had taken unrelated items but they were the only clue he had. He ripped out the entire page, folding it and putting it inside his pocket. He made sure to not leave any small pieces of paper behind that could potentially reveal a page had been removed. He didn¡¯t know where any of them lived, but he had an associate in the security section that might be able to dig out some information from the employment files. He left the storage area, disappointed over his failure, and headed back to his room, empty handed, except a small piece of paper in his pocket.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Meanwhile, Adam had returned to his room.
He quickly emptied his bag on the bed. He looked over the different scanners. He picked up a scanner that looked like one of those self-shopping scanners you use in grocery stores. It had a long range and could scan about a meter at the time. Unfortunately it found nothing out of the ordinary. Adam was not surprised, it was the weakest one. Another two scanners failed too. He was starting to get worried. Did they actually leave anything behind, or was the genuine secret agent items to good?
As he had begun to lose hope, he finally heard a beep. He looked at the tablet. It showed a weak signal coming from under his bed. He got down on all fours and looked under the bed. Aiming the scanner around he got the general location of it. It was deep under, by the wall. He got up again, and pulled the bed out slightly. Adam got up on the bed and looked down. There was a small sparkling object. He reached down and carefully brought it up.
Adam didn¡¯t know what kind it was. If it had video, then this would be quite awkward.
Seeing their planted bug being discovered straight away would be embarrassing for them. But most likely it didn¡¯t have any video, since it was under a dark bed. Adam carefully placed it on the bed. Touching it too much would be bad, just like when you touch a microphone, it makes a sound.
It was a stud earring, pretty much. Or rather, it was disguised as one. Not only that, it was also in the shape of a screw, making it extra hard to detect. Probably how they smuggled it into the base. Now that Adam thought about it, Hans was wearing a similar one on his left ear, but his right ear was empty.
Luckily, Adam had read up on all kind of spy devices, as part of his paranoid personality, so he could recognize it. Not only that, but he worked daily with all kind of screws so he saw instantly that it was a fake. Well, at this point, anyone could have made that guess, since it was only half of it. The, Adam assumed, hollow bottom was missing, revealing a thinner rod made out of all kinds of tech. Seems they activated it by separating them.
Probably don¡¯t want to have an active tracker on your ears at all times. The outer shell probably prevented any scanning equipment from picking up the foreign tech. If one would be discovered with something like that in your ear, you would most likely have an unfortunate ¡®accident¡¯.
Adam decided to wrap it up in a shirt, put it in a glass box, and finally put it in a larger metal box.
-That should keep it nice and quiet. I hope.-
Adam decided to sleep until his normal morning schedule started. The rest of the morning went as usual and when he arrived at work, he went straight to the job board.
Willie was there, waiting for Adam, and the other people he also supervised, of course.
¡°Hello there. Seems ye are quite popular. Ye got a special request. From some hammer in the factory. Take a look.¡± He said as he handed over a paper to Adam.
¡°This is?¡± Adam quickly read through it. ¡°I see. Very well. I¡¯ll be going then, see ya later.¡±
The short note said: ¡®Task: Miscellaneous repair jobs in factory. Special request: Adam Hunter, Screwdriver. Requestor: Hans Berg, Hammer.¡¯
-They work fast. Seems they already want to meet up. Wonder if it¡¯s related to me finding their little spy device. Should I bring it or not is the question. Would be funny to see his face when I bring it out. Though, it could be dangerous too.-
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