Dulce Truths

BZZ… ZZB… BZZ… POOF!

The sound comes again, this time with some lighting crackles accompanying it, and then the teleportation gateway opens. It’s a shimmering silver and black cloud seemingly suspended in midair over nothing, while in reality it’s a gateway to another place, perhaps even another time. Mark had teleported many times in his long and varied career, so knew what was coming next… just not who.

The ‘who’ turned out to be Walter, followed quickly by… Paul Bennewitz — he can’t believe his eyes! Right after that comes one of the super soldiers that’d gone into Dulce… Turn, Mark thinks his name is.

Walter is the first through and he’s ready — his Colt revolver is up and it’s an easy adjustment to bring his arm up slightly for the correct aim.

BANG!

The shot takes the Reptilian in the head and the creature falls backward.

At nearly the same instant Bennewitz fires off a round with his gun… BOOM!.. right at one of the Grays by the door.

The super soldier came next… BOOM!.. and hit the other Gray at the door.

It all happened in a second or two, and then Anderholt and Carl were standing there by themselves. That didn’t last long. Anderholt brought up his flash gun, pointed it at Mark still strapped there to the chair, and made to fire.

“No!” Turn shouts, and dives forward, just as the gun fires,

ZAP!

“Ugh!”

CRASH!

SLAM!

It all takes a second. Turn leaps forward and strikes the back of Mark’s chair, sending them both flying toward the floor. At the same time Anderholt fires, but his shot hits the empty spot on the floor where the chair had been. Mark grunts as he hits the floor, some of the wind getting knocked out of him as Turn crashes down on top of him. And during it all Anderholt turns and makes for the door. He gets through it too, and starts down the hallway at a fast pace.

That leaves only Carl standing there, looking dumbstruck. He’s unarmed, and glances nervously at the men, then down to the floor. The Reptilian’s flashgun is there. Carl goes for it.

“No!” Mark shouts, both at Carl to stop going for the gun, and to the three men that’d just entered to stop them from firing. He’s too late on both counts.

BANG!

A single shot from Walter’s Colt takes Carl in the head and blows his blood and brains all over the metallic wall a few feet away.

“Shit,” Mark says, “we coulda questioned him.”

“Sorry,” Walter says with a shrug.

“We’re not here to take prisoners, but to free one,” Bennewitz says next, rushing up to Mark and undoing his restraints, “you. Now, where’s the nearest exit to this place.”

Mark narrows his eyes. “What about the…” he starts to say, lifting his arm to point out the shimmering teleportation gate in their midst. As he does so, however, the gate winks out of existence.

“Uh, yeah,” Bennewitz says, cocking his head to one side in a half-shrug, “we’re using the teleporters from 1982.”

“1982?” Mark says, and rolls his eyes as he throws his hands up in exasperation. “You know Reagan’s budget cuts fucked those things up royally!”

“That’s the best we could do, all things considered,” Bennewitz says. “Or would you rather be dead?”

Mark only frowns to that, while Walter says, “And you still could be dead if we don’t get the hell out of here. Now, where to?”

“Well, if we’re still in Blue Lake—”

“We are,” Mark says quickly.

“—then I know they’ll have a time shed on a lower level.”

“Then what are we standing here yappin’ for?” Bennewitz says. “Let’s move.”

They do just that, heading out the door and into the hallway.

18 — To the Shed

The men burst out into the hallway. They’re expecting to see guards waiting for them, guns drawn. Instead there’s no one about.

“Coast’s clear,” Walter says.

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Bennewitz adds before starting down the hall. The others follow, turning at the bend and then going down another hallway before passing by a door labeled ‘stairs.’

“Gotta get down to the lower levels, the tube station levels,” Mark says as he starts to push it open. No objection comes and the men start down to the lower levels of the Blue Lake base.

“I can’t believe there’s no one about,” Turn says as they get down five flights of stairs.

“Anyone goes and checks on Mark’s room and they will be,” Walter says.

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen in the next few—”

Before Bennewitz can finish his thought, the overhead lights switch from yellow to red, and at the end of the hallway a yellow strobe light begins to flash. A series of low ‘beeping’ sounds also begin, a few-second-interval between each.

“Well, guess they found Carl,” Mark says with a shrug. Before anyone can answer, the low ‘beeping’ sound is replaced with a few bursts of static, then a voice comes across the overhead intercom system.

“Stop,” it says, and right away the men recognize the voice as that of General Anderholt.

“What’s he doing at Blue Lake,” Bennewitz says, “…wasn’t he supposed to be at Kirtland?”