Part 3: The Dark Side of the Moon
"Self righteousness is the art form of our time."
- Garrison Keillor
"The truth is a lie which has yet to be revealed."
- Michael Wolf
Sloan clutched her journal tightly to her chest. In her haste to get out of the cabin, she'd almost forgotten it. They reached Sonora Junction in just a couple of hours. They stopped at a general store on the outskirts of town to get gas and supplies before continuing on to Nevada.
Sloan was browsing when she noticed a rack of greeting cards set off to the side. She walked over and started aimlessly looking at them when one caught her eye. It had a red rose on the front with the inscription Do You Really Know How Much You Mean to Me? Pulling it from its slot, she opened it.
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, shivering from fright
Feeling empty, feeling nothing because
I think about how it would be if you weren't here
And then I wonder if you really know how very much you mean to me
How incredible I think you are
How you are a part of all my emotions
How you are the deepest meaning in my life
Please always know
that I love you more than anything else in the world
-Poem by Susan Polis Schutz
She ran her hand across the inside, remembering the first time she'd told Tom she loved him. She had told him he gave her life purpose. This card said everything she couldn't say. It put it all in words as though the author had read her thoughts. She grabbed the matching envelope and headed for the cash register.
Sloan laid down her journal and pulled her wallet from her purse. The man behind the counter was the friendly type, an older fellow with gray curly hair and wire rimmed glasses. He chatted merrily at her, asking her if the card was for her boyfriend. She smiled at the term, she'd never thought of Tom as a 'boyfriend' before.
Suddenly Dennis came rushing into the store yelling something about aircraft and that they had to go. She quickly grabbed her purchase and ran out the door. The four trucks raced out of the parking lot before the man could catch up with her. She'd left her journal behind.
"Well," he thought to himself. "I'll hang onto it, she'll be back for it."
x.x.x
This morning found Tom thinking about Lewis and the struggle of his species. It had been a little over a week since Lewis died. The guards had unceremoniously come and taken his body away. While Tom had hated the things his mentor had done and the control he exerted over him, he mourned his loss. He'd known Lewis most of his life. He was the only family Tom had ever had, if you could call it that. He'd gotten to know another side of Lewis while they were in captivity. A side Lewis would refuse to admit to ... he'd actually cared.
"Lewis would roll over in his grave if he heard that," Tom thought to himself.
Tom also understood much better now the hatred Lewis always had for humans. He had been imprisoned here about three months, if his calculations were correct. The humans he'd encountered in the facility were cold, cruel and unmerciful. They'd humiliated them all and tortured a few. He was finding it harder and harder to feel anything positive towards humans ... except for Sloan.
Sloan was his anchor, his constant. She kept him from slipping into madness. She was kind and caring, everything these people were not. He had memories he favored when he needed her the most. The motel, the cabin, his day as human, and the night he told her he'd never leave her. He mentally kicked himself for being in this cage, for breaking his spoken vow. His reasonable mind knew that it wasn't his fault, but he still felt at some level that he should have tried harder, fought more, been stronger ... something ... to have kept from being captured. He worried if she was safe ... and he secretly wondered if she missed him as he did her.
x.x.x
The room looked very much like NASA mission control, but this was not Houston. This facility was deep underground and it didn't belong to the government. This was strictly a dominant operation.
At row after row of consoles, engineers were deep in concentration on the task at hand. Large view screens at the front of the room detailed images of communications networks across the country. Satellite circuitry and uplinks were displayed. The Internet backbone nodes were mapped showing the major routes and concentrations of traffic at any given time. Monitors hung overhead announcing statistics that updated continuously.
Systems and computer experts were busily typing away as the countdown was displayed on the large digital clock at the front of the room...
02:53:21
... a little under three hours to go.
You could almost cut the tension in the room with a knife. Men rushed back and forth between consoles carrying printouts and notes. Technicians would rapidly type on their keyboards and bring up new information on their displays. People talked in hushed tones. Everyone had a sense of urgency about them that was electrifying.
"Are we almost ready?" asked a man standing at the back of the room observing the flurry of activity.
"Yes." replied the supervisor. "The virus is in place, all we have to do is activate it. Once it is set into motion, it will take their tracking programs off-line, as well as wipe out their systems. We can then proceed to hack past the firewalls and take over their comms.
"What about their weapons systems?" the man queried again.
"Once we have control of their comms, there'll be nothing they can do. The majority of their weapons are controlled via satellite or computer. We'll have those as well as the Internet and telephone hubs." the supervisor stated with pride.
"Good. And they won't be able to get control back?"
"No sir. We are planning on shutting the satellites down. The Internet and telecomm will be redirected to our own network. They'll be dead in the water."
x.x.x
When Dennis had heard the aircraft overhead, he instantly knew they where military. The jet engine roar of the F-16s was unmistakable as they raced toward the mountains. He'd heard the shelling start as they'd peeled out of the parking lot.
"That was close." Dennis said breathlessly from behind the wheel, still trying to calm himself.
"Yeah." Ed agreed. "A little too close."
After traveling about ten miles, Sloan let out a groan. "Damn!"
"What?" David turned in the passenger seat abruptly to look at her with concern. "What's wrong?"
"I left my journal back at that store!" Sloan stated with obvious irritation.
"We can't go back to get it." David said quietly knowing how much it meant to her. "You know that."
"Yeah." Sloan sighed hugging herself. "I know."
They stayed on Route 395 trying to blend in with the other traffic. While it was light, they'd be less conspicuous on the main highway from the air than they would on back roads.
x.x.x
00:10:43
"Is everyone ready?" the supervisor called through the overhead audio system. "Standby. We are getting ready to start the final countdown."
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Proceed!"
Fingers flew across keyboards as the computer virus was activated and they started hacking into the nation's communications systems. They worked in teams with each concentrating on a specific area. While one team worked on the military's defense systems, another attacked the civilian telephone network. Still another tolled away on the Internet backbone initiating large scale Denial of Service attacks. All the teams worked in synchronization with the practiced skill of an orchestra.
They watched the monitors in anticipation as one by one satellites went off line.
"They've discovered us in the telephone network!" someone shouted. "They are trying to reverse engineer our blocks."
"Same here for the Internet!" another added. "I'm doubling the DoS traffic against the backbone nodes."
The virus the dominants had installed was destroying everything in its path. Databases were being wiped out and operating systems rendered useless. They just had to continue blocking defensive efforts by the humans until it could finish doing its job.
x.x.x
"Sir, we've lost communication uplinks to our satellites." the airman at the console stated to the Captain standing behind him.
"Well get them back!" the Captain said sternly as he watched the monitors for their systems in horror.
"I'm trying sir, but nothing I do is working." the airman replied with great concern. "It appears as though the units have been taken off-line."
The Captain was starting to get frantic. "Damn it! We have to get those uplinks back! Without them, our weapons systems are useless."
Another person shouted from across the room, "Sir. I've lost remote access to the DOD network routers. Someone has initiated large-scale Denial of Service attacks against the Internet backbone. They've locked us out of our own network."
"Someone patch me through to the Joint Chiefs." the Captain finally stated. "We are under attack and we have to advise them."
"We can't sir. The telephone network is completely down."
x.x.x
They'd been listening to the radio for news as they traveled when it suddenly went dead. The announcer came on after a few moments of silence and apologized. He said the program feed from their main station had gone down. He put on some music tracks he had locally, saying they were looking into the problem.
Deciding silence was better than the music, David turned it off.
"That's kinda odd." Ed stated from the backseat. Dennis looked at him in the rearview mirror and shrugged.
"When do we cross the border?" Sloan asked staring at the desert landscape rushing by through her window. She was still cursing herself for leaving her journal behind.
"We just did." Dennis replied as he turned off road and headed out across the flat land toward the hills up ahead.
x.x.x
The status boards at the dominant operations center continued to update as all communications traffic across the country slowly came to a halt. One by one, lights indicating Internet, Telephone, and Satellite systems blinked out as they went down. The once crowded and brightly lit board was rapidly growing dark.
Turning to the man from the assembly, the supervisor announced, "Sir. We will have full control of all communications and computer systems within the hour."
"Good. Let our pilots know that they can begin their operation."
The F-117s were on the flightline of the hidden dominant base waiting for word to take off. The pilots were to take out the main targets for the humans' government. Major military installations were on the list as well. With the humans' anti-weapons systems offline, they would have no advance warning.
x.x.x
The communication industry was in an uproar. Local telephone companies could not control their equipment. The dominant hackers had installed blocks on all ports that would allow anyone to backdoor in. Television broadcasts were not possible because satellites were offline. A few radio stations were able function on limited shortwave for local broadcasting, but news was not available. ATM and credit card machines stopped functioning. Commercial transportation came to a halt because communication was impossible. The Internet was completely dead.
The military was experiencing more of the same. The DOD network was silent. Radar, air traffic control, and early warning systems were all dark. Deployment and tracking of naval ships, aircraft, and missiles was non-functional. The Naval Observatory and the World-Wide ROTSE-III Network went down.
x.x.x
"Mr. President. We have a grave situation." The General stated standing ramrod straight at the door of the Oval office.
"Yes General?" the President replied. "What is it?"
"Sir. We are under a massive electronic attack by the Homo-Dominants." the General answered. "We have lost all communications. Telephones, satellites and Internet access are all down sir."
"Well what are we doing about it?" the President queried.
"Everything we can sir, but all our efforts are being blocked." the General replied. "In light of this new development, we feel it is time for us to move you to a more secure location."
"Very well." the President stated rising from his chair. "I want continuous updates on the situation."
x.x.x
The V formation of aircraft went unnoticed in the skies as they raced silently for their destination. The pilot broke off from formation when his target appeared ahead on the heads-up display. He had the white dome of the building lined up in his sights within minutes. When he got the tone that indicated he was locked on his mark, he impassively pressed the button on his control stick to fire his missiles. On the ground below, the Capitol Building erupted into a violent inferno. Satisfied he'd accomplished his mission, the pilot broke right to return to formation.
The dominant pilots were relentless in their attack. Their missiles took out the White House within minutes of the President's departure. The Pentagon was a smoldering mass of brick and mortar. China Lake and Edwards AFB were gone. Many other military installations had been hit as well, with many more on the list of targets.
The humans had been caught completely by surprise. The stealth technology of their own aircraft had kept the F-117s from being seen until it was too late. Their anti-weapons and early-warning systems couldn't respond. They'd stood by helplessly and watched as everything was turned into hell on earth.
x.x.x
They were hidden deep in the secret underground facility at Mount Weather in Bluemont, Virginia. They had gotten out of Washington just before the historic mansion exploded in a ball of flame. The elite guards had gotten the President to safety. His entire cabinet was here as well as all the Joint Chiefs.
John Maxwell felt as though he were sitting on a powder keg with a short fuse. He had never seen the President so angry. The man was literally explosive as he received reports of wave after wave of destruction being waged by the dominants.
"I WANT AN ANSWER DAMN IT!" the President boomed from the center of the room. "We must have a way of shutting these dominants down!"
John stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Sir. There is one thing we can do, but it is a drastic move."
The President turned abruptly and stared at him. "What? If you have a solution to this mess, I want to hear it!"
"We can set off an electromagnetic pulse. It would shutdown all their electronic systems." John replied. "The only problem is that it would shutdown our own as well."
"You're talking about EMP?" the President asked. "Wouldn't that require detonating a nuclear device?"
"Normally, yes." John responded. "However we have been working on an experimental EMP bomb. We have two devices located at an underground facility that are nearly ready."
"Can our aircraft deliver this bomb?" the President queried further.
"Yes sir. We have two B-2s specifically retrofitted for this device located at the lab. If we plan it carefully and strategically deliver one in the East and one in the West, it should knock out most of their communications and control equipment." John stated. "Unfortunately, it will also bring down all our own systems that are not hardened. That will be the majority of commercial telecommunications and public information network. Commercial transportation will be affected as well.
"Our communications are already down. At least that would put us on an equal playing field." the President said. "Do it!"
x.x.x
Tom looked up when the guard brought in dinner. He noticed it was the same guard they'd seen that morning. Come to think of it, he was the only one they'd seen in a week. Tom decided to take a chance.
"How come you are the only one coming in to see to us?" Tom asked. He didn't expect a reply and was surprised when he got one.
"The facility is locked down, no one in or out. Those of us that were here when the order came got stuck here."
"Do you know why there's a lock down?" Tom decided to push his luck a little further.
"Not really. All communications are out." the guard replied. "But an order is an order so I'm stuck till they give us the all clear."
The guard disappeared after handing out their plates. The others quietly whispered among themselves. Tom looked at Scott and started formulating a plan. He had to try and find a way of escaping. It had been Lewis's last request, to get everyone out. He knew if he didn't, what had happened to Lewis would happen to the rest of them.
x.x.x
Sloan and the others camped in the foothills on far edge of the reservation. Two landscapes came together in startling contrast. To their east were the Sierra Nevada mountains in all their splendor. Snow and rich green forests capped the highest peaks while the lower elevations were barren and rocky. To their west lay The Great Basin. A cool desert area where mountains dotted the amber horizon and sagebrush, shadscale and juniper were in abundance.
Their camp was far from anything that would pass as a road. While they hadn't found the caves they were searching for, they were satisfied they were remote enough not to attract the attention of the authorities or the native population. They were trespassing on Indian land and they weren't certain how welcome they'd be.
x.x.x
The opportunity came on August 10th. The guard came in for the morning routine, but he was tired and got careless. They were ready, they'd been planning this for weeks. The guard had left the doors open when he removed them from their cages. When he turned his back, Tom pounced on him and silently snapped his neck. Grabbing his keys, they released themselves from their shackles.
Tom dressed quickly in the guard's clothing and took his weapon. They left the area in search of the remaining guards. Upon exiting through the barred doors, they found themselves in a wide, dimly lit hall. There was a small room across from their prison with large glass windows. From there the guards controlled access to the area and monitored their activities. The room was empty which explained the guard's failure to close the doors.
The prison area exited into what looked like a hanger with massive doors at the end. Tom remembered this as being where he originally awoke. He looked to the side and saw the other hallway. He crept down the corridor until he came to a 'T'. Tom focused and sensed there were three guards to his left. He silently snuck up to the door and opened it, peering inside. It was a control room with a bank of monitors at the end. He signaled to the others who quickly joined him. They quietly entered and took the remaining guards by surprise.
The dead men were stripped of their garments and weapons. A search of the rest of the area uncovered a locker room where they found additional clothing. Finally dressed for the first time in months, all that was left was to find the way out. Returning to the control room, they studied the monitors. They showed a lab, a warehouse and several views of the outside. Scouring the room, they finally found the release for the hanger door. Punching the button, they ran for the opening, taking cover in shadows next to the bunker.
Scanning the area, they sensed no more humans. From their vantage point they could see two other buildings. Able to relax somewhat now, they looked at the surrounding landscape. They were awe struck, it was first time they'd seen daylight in a very long time.
It was obvious they were in the middle of the desert, but just where exactly was still unknown. They agreed to wait till dark to make their escape. It would be much cooler at night. The desert was no place to be wandering aimlessly, especially in the middle of summer.
x.x.x
Back in the bunker, they found a kitchen area and ate their fill. The bunker apparently doubled as a barracks where the guards resided. They found showers in the locker room and they all took their first hot shower with soap in four months. Wiping steam away from the mirror, Tom got his first look at himself. He was shocked. His hair was much longer and he sported a full beard. "Well." He thought to himself. "At least no one will recognize me."
Tom decided he wanted to investigate the other buildings. Scott and two others, Bill and Randy, went along. The first structure they came to was the lab. Opening the door the smell of chemicals and disinfectant hit them head on. It contained the expected beakers and equipment, a gurney stood off against the wall of one room. Searching further, they found an area with a wall of file cabinets. Tom immediately walked over to them and began digging through their contents.
"What exactly are you looking for?" Scott asked coming up beside Tom.
"Do you remember when Lewis was dying? He said 'the answers, the questions, it's all here'." Tom replied. "I have no idea what he was talking about but I'd like to see if I can find out."
Scott, Bill and Randy agreed and dove in.
"How will we know if we found something relevant?" asked Bill.
"I'm not sure." Tom stated. "Look for anything unusual, maybe something pertaining to our species. Watch for anything referencing Oaxaca or Mexico in general."
x.x.x
The planes were specially equipped B-2 Stealth bombers. They were hidden within an underground hanger at an officially non-existent facility deep within the desert. The technicians readied the aircraft with the EMP bombs while the pilots went over last minute instructions.
One of the bombs was to be detonated over Salt Lake while the other would be over Ohio. The targets and altitude of the detonations had been carefully planned to maximize the effect of the pulse wave. The proximity of the strategically placed explosions would take out the entire country's electronic systems. Even vehicles wouldn't run if they were equipped with electronic ignition systems. The planes themselves were hardened with shielding that was designed to block the EMP wave.
When the aircraft were ready, they were towed out of the hanger. The pilots climbed into the cockpits and fired up the engines. The B-2s roared down the runway and burst into the sky. Within an hour the first aircraft was in position over Utah and dropped its payload. The second reached its destination shortly after and dropped its bomb as well. Unseen to the pilots who were hundreds of feet in the air, the EMP waves did their job.
Those on the ground heard a distinct crack much like a lightening strike and everything went dark. Fluorescent lights, television sets, and computer monitors continued to glow despite the loss of power. Cars and trucks stopped in their tracks. The smell of ozone and burning plastic hung heavy in the air. Those holding cell phones, PDAs, and other portable devices felt them grow unusually warm in their hands. Society was suddenly thrust backwards a hundred years. The only electricity available would be from batteries or hand-cranked generators and older engines running on fossil fuel.
x.x.x
They'd been combing the files for a couple hours when Scott called out, "I think I may have found something."
Tom was at his side in an instant. Scott was holding a folder labeled Project Starchild. The files were dated 1947. They described a purposed construction project in Mexico, the exact location was not disclosed.
"Alright, now we have something to go on." Tom nodded his head. "Keep an eye open for anything referring to Project Starchild as well."
There were literally thousands of files to go through but the four continued digging.
"I found something you may find interesting." Randy called out. "It's dated 1947. It talks about genetic experiments on forty people, all scientist volunteers. Twenty men and twenty women, all in their late twenties to early thirties.
"Does it say anything else?" Tom asked.
"Not really anything else of any value." Randy replied. "The only other note here is that all were classified as geniuses and all were the best in their fields. It gives a list of the names."
"Give me the list of names." Tom stated. "Let's keep searching."
It was nearly dusk when Bill let out a whistle. "Take a look at this!"
"What did you find?" Tom asked walking over to the man.
"You need to read this one for yourself." Bill replied with an astonished look on his face. "It's unbelievable."
Tom took the file and sat down at a table nearby. The folder was nearly an inch thick. The more he read the more amazed he became.
"This is incredible!" Tom exclaimed when he finished reading.
"What did it say?" Scott asked.
"You aren't going to believe this." Tom said. "We as a species didn't evolve. We were created."
"What?" Scott exclaimed.
"According to this." Tom started his relay of the information. "Project Starchild was started in 1947. It was a genetic experiment on forty scientist volunteers who were paired up as couples.
The goal was to alter their DNA to create a stronger, more resilient form of human beings. They were apparently successful. A facility was built underground in Oaxaca to hide and protect these people during the breeding process."
"Does it say why they did this? Or how?" Scott queried. "I don't understand."
Tom shook his head, "The only other thing it says is that the project was created so mankind would survive and that the project was ordered to be terminated in 1964 due to unforeseen problems with the experiment."
Scott fired off a round of questions, "Survive? Survive what? And what problems? What does terminated mean?"
"I went to Oaxaca when I was working with Sloan and the other human scientists." Tom explained. "The area was desolate, no living thing could survive there. This explains why. The government must have done something to destroy the area. Obviously 'terminate' meant to wipe us out."
"It doesn't say here what the problems with the experiment were." Tom continued. "My guess is that we ended up being more than the government bargained for."
"It sure explains a lot doesn't it?" Randy stated. "The hiding all our lives, the secrecy, the distrust of humans we were all taught."
"It does." Tom nodded his head in agreement. "But it raises other questions too. Scientists in 1947 wouldn't have had the technology to attempt something like this, so how were they able to do it? And Scott's question is a good one, what were we suppose to survive?"
x.x.x
The four searched the warehouse before rejoining the others. They found canteens for water, binoculars, a compass, flashlights and weapons with ammo, as well as packs to put it in. Just as they left the building to head back to the bunker, they heard a pop and all the lights went out. Assuming it was just a local power outage, they went about preparing for their departure.
They waited for nightfall before heading out. Tom studied the surrounding landscape. They were definitely in the middle of the desert. There were patches of sagebrush and Joshua trees abound. Distant mountains were visible from all directions. On nothing more than a hunch, they decided to head south.
It was a clear night and the moon provided all the light they needed. Thousands of stars were shining brightly against an ink black sky. The air was crisp with a slight chill, typical of nights in the desert. As they walked, the occasional scurry of a desert rat or lizard could be heard against the silence. They'd been hiking for several hours when they found themselves at the base of a ridge of mountains. They had a choice of climbing the steep terrain or trying to go around. Investigating the area a little closer, Tom found that the eastern edge yielded to a series of fractured crests. Since this presented a much easier climb, that was the direction they chose.
Upon reaching the summit, they could see a few scattered lights in the distance. They all immediately dropped to the ground to avoid being seen. Taking the binoculars from his pack, Tom surveyed the area. It appeared to be a government facility of some sort, complete with runways. He could see warehouses, hangers, trailers and other structures as well as dirt roads leading into the complex. Portable lighting seemed to be running off gas generators. Off to the side several miles away, he spotted what looked like a main road leading away from the vicinity. Although he didn't see any movement in the area, he didn't want to take any chances. It would be dawn in about five hours and he didn't want to risk their getting caught after having come this far. While sticking to the mountain terrain and following the furrows, they headed east in the direction of the road.
They reached the main road with two hours to go till dawn. Tom found a sign posted near the thoroughfare that made him inwardly cringe when he read it. The text gave a clue as to where they'd just left and it was an unsettling feeling to know how close they'd come to death.
DANGER
POTENTIAL CRATER AREA
KEEP OUT
NO TRESPASSING
BY ORDER OF
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
If Tom's guess was correct they were somewhere on the Nevada Test Site, deep within the greater Nellis Complex. Home of nuclear testing in the 1950s, this area would be riddled with craters, unstable ground and contaminated earth. This was the most restricted zone of government land in the country. It would be crawling with guards, hidden cameras and motion sensors. They had to get out of this section before daybreak and find a place to hide.
By dawn they reached a small town, that is if you can call two trailers and a couple shacks a town. The place was abandoned giving rise to a ghostly feel. The power was still out so they searched the trailers by flashlight. They found enough clothing for themselves to be less conspicuous and some food for a light breakfast. They decided to camp in one of the trailers and wait for nightfall.
x.x.x
After sleeping several hours, Tom awoke restless. To occupy himself, he decided to snoop around a bit. He dug through drawers, closets and cabinets finally finding some old local area newspapers in a box. Starting with the oldest, he read through the headlines to try and get an idea of what had happened while he'd been in captivity.
He was so engrossed in his reading; he hadn't noticed the others were all now awake. Finally sensing them he looked up to see they'd each grabbed a section of newspaper as well. The looks on their faces gave away their shock. Everyone, including Tom, was stunned at the events that had taken place in the last four months.
"It looks like it got even worse after I caught got," Scott said finally breaking the silence.
"I can't believe it!" Randy exclaimed. "Rioting, bombs, martial law, military air raids! Did the whole world go insane while we were locked up?"
Tom had been thinking while the others were engaged in conversation. "We know now we are somewhere in southern Nevada near the Nellis area.
"I find it very odd that we sensed no one around that complex last night and we found no one here." Tom continued, "It has been over a month since that last paper was printed. What else has happened since then?" Tom swallowed hard after voicing the thing everyone was afraid of.
"You don't think we are the only ones left do you?" Scott whispered.
"I doubt that. Too many others were imprisoned just as we were by the time this came out." Tom stated shaking the paper for emphasis. "But I know one thing for sure. We need to get out of this wasteland and get more information."
"I agree." Bill stated. "It's dusk, do you think we can risk leaving now?"
"Let's get our gear together." Tom said rising from his chair. "We need to refill our canteens. We still don't have a bearing on exactly where we are. We don't want to run out of water in the desert."
"Which direction should we head?" Scott asked.
"We'll continue south." Tom replied. "The Nellis Complex is north of Las Vegas. If we continue to head south, we'll eventually find a road that will lead us there."
x.x.x
Sloan was sitting on a ridge looking out over the desert. It was nearly dark and the stars were just starting to become visible against the deep purple sky. She was deep in thought and didn't notice the man walking up behind her until he spoke.
"You know you're trespassing on our land. Mind telling me why?" he asked.
Sloan looked up startled to see I tall man of obvious Native American heritage. He was about late twenties with long black hair and deeply tanned skin. She thought for a moment as to what to tell him and decided on the truth.
"We've stayed far away so we wouldn't disturb you." Sloan stated starting her explanation. "The short answer to your question is we are hiding from the government and this place seemed safe. If you want the whole story, it's a long one."
"Well I have the time," the young man stated as he walked up and sat down next to her. "I'm Lou by the way. And your name is?"
"I'm Sloan." she said in reply. "Well... where do I start?"
Sloan outlined the entire story to Lou including the parts about Tom, Walter and the coexistence faction. She didn't know why but her gut told her to trust him. When she was finished, he looked at her hard for a couple minutes before replying.
"You and your group need to come with me and meet my grandfather." Lou said. "Besides, you'll be safer further in the reserve with us than way out here. There's nothing to stop the government from coming onto this land."
Lou stood and held out a hand to Sloan to help her up. They walked the short distance to an old pick-up truck he had parked nearby. She accepted his offer and took him to meet the others.
x.x.x
After walking a couple hours, Tom and the others reached a town. He smiled to himself when he saw the name on the signpost, "Rachel". He now knew exactly where they were. They proceeded the rest of the way into town and walked into a diner set back slightly from the edge of the road.
An older woman was standing behind the counter. Looking at them and their packs a little suspiciously, she greeted them, "What brings you fellows in here tonight? You going to do some sky watching?"
"We were camped out up in the hills and got stranded." Tom replied smiling. "We just hiked out."
"So yours stopped running too huh?" she asked relaxing a little with Tom's explanation.
Looking at Tom's puzzled expression, she elaborated. "Your cars. Damnedest thing isn't it? Everybody's cars have stopped running. No power either." She waved her hand at the portable lanterns set around the room to illustrate.
Leaning closer across the counter she whispered, "I bet it was some test of some new weapon they got over there." She nodded her head in an easterly direction
Going along with her, Tom nodded his head. "Yes, our cars wouldn't start. We are trying to get back to Las Vegas, but it looks like we are going to have to walk the whole way."
"Maybe not." she said with a smile. "My name's Pat. My husband Joe has an old pickup, a 1965 Chevy. It's the only thing that runs. I bet I could talk him into driving you boys into town."
"That would be very generous of you." Tom stated. "But I'm afraid we don't have much money to offer you as payment."
Pat waved her hand in dismissal. "Honey, don't you worry about that. We watchers all got to stick together. Now why don't you boys have a seat and I'll make you something to eat. After you all had your dinner, I'll go talk to Joe."
She started to turn toward the kitchen and turned back to them adding, "If you want, I can open up a room for you. There's soap and razors in the store. You look like you could use a little freshening up."
"Thank you." Tom replied. "We would appreciate that. After hiking out of the hills and through the desert, we are all a little ripe."
"Sure thing." she said taking a key from a hook on the wall and laying it on the counter. "Go on over to the store and get what you need. I'll wait till you get back to serve up your dinner."
x.x.x
When Sloan approached the camp with Lou in tow, Dennis and David were immediately on the defensive. She approached Mark and Ray first and made the introductions.
"Mark, Ray, this is Lou." Sloan began. "He has asked us to go with him to meet his grandfather. He also says we would be much safer staying with his people than out here."
Sensing a genuine honesty about the young man, Mark stuck out his hand, "It's good to meet you Lou. And thank you for your kind offer."
Following Mark's lead, Ray also introduced himself. Upon seeing the interactions, Dennis and David relaxed, coming over to meet the visitor. Sloan introduced them to Lou as well.
"Even though you are technically on reservation land," Lou stated. "You're not safe here. The government can come in here anytime if they want. You'd be safer with us. Plus, my Grandfather is going to want to meet you."
"So you aren't upset that we're here?" Ray asked. "Will the rest of your people feel the same way?"
"You have nothing to fear from us." Lou said. "We'll protect you."
"I'm curious about something you said," David stated. "I get the feeling when you say your Grandfather will want to meet us, that there is more to that statement than a typical introduction. Could you elaborate a little on that?"
"I could, but I won't." Lou replied with a huge smile. "My Grandfather will tell you. If I steal his thunder, he'll have my hide."
David laughed at that statement. He nodded his head and let it go with that.
Lou helped the group break camp. He had an easy relaxed manner and got along instantly with everyone. Once they were packed, they loaded their belongings in their vehicles.
When they started to get in, he stopped them. "You are going to have to ride with me."
"Why?" Dennis asked.
"Because your cars aren't going to start." Lou replied. "Nothing newer than late 60's will run."
Looking at each other briefly, both Dennis and Mark tried starting all four SUVs and confirmed what Lou said was true.
"It happened a couple days ago." Lou said. "All of a sudden cars wouldn't run and all electricity is out."
"That sounds like EMP." Dennis stated with concern. "I didn't see any explosions."
"You mean like a nuclear bomb?" Sloan said alarmed.
"A nuclear bomb will cause it." Dennis replied. "But if it had been that, we'd have known. We'd have seen a flash from the detonation."
"Then what else?" Ed asked.
"I don't know." Dennis stated shaking his head. "But we aren't going to find out standing out here."
"We can fit two adults and all the kids in the front." Lou said heading for his truck. "Everyone else can ride in the back. We'll come back out tomorrow and get your possessions."
Everyone loaded up and Lou headed toward the area of the reservation where his people were located.
x.x.x
After Tom and the others had cleaned up, they went back to the diner. He was clean-shaven again as were the rest of them.
"You boys look much better." Pat commented with a big smile as she served them their food. "Now while you eat, I'll go talk to Joe. I'll be back in a few."
Pat walked out of the dinner leaving them to themselves.
Scott was the first to speak between mouthfuls of meatloaf. "So what do you think happened to cause everything to stop working?"
"That's a good question." Tom answered after swallowing. "She could very well be right. It could have been a test of a classified weapon."
"What do you mean?" Randy asked.
"Do you realize where you are?" Tom looked at him with a grin. "This is Rachel, the closet town to the infamous Area 51."
"You mean THE Area 51?" Scott asked with surprise. "As in aliens and secret government cover-ups?"
Tom chuckled, "That's the place. While I have serious doubts about the alien part of its history, the area is known for housing and testing top secret government systems."
"And we are living evidence of the secret government cover-ups." Tom continued. "The entire Nellis complex is shrouded with secrecy. The possibility of them testing a new weapon would not be far fetched."
"Is that what she meant by 'watchers'?" Bill asked. "She thinks we were out here watching for aliens or something."
Tom nodded his head, "That's exactly what she thinks. I'd just as soon let her keep on thinking that too."
Just as they finished eating Pat returned with a man in tow. She walked up to the table and introduced him as Joe.
"Honey, these are the boys I was telling you about." she said addressing her husband. "Think you could help them out and give them a ride to town?"
"I don't see why not." Joe stated taking a seat in an empty chair at the table. "It's about a three hour drive to get there. You all about ready?"
"We are ready when you are." Tom replied standing up from the table. "We can't thank you enough for your generosity."
"It's no trouble." Joe said standing as well. "We try and help out other watchers when we can."
x.x.x
Lou reached his village in about two hours. He parked his truck in front of a large but simple house and instructed the others to get out. Walking up to steps to the porch, he opened the door and invited everyone inside.
"This is where I live." Lou stated throwing his keys on a nearby table. "My Grandfather lives down the street but he'll be asleep by now. I'll take you to meet him tomorrow."
"Where do you want us to stay?" Mark asked. "We don't want to impose on you anymore than we already have."
"There's more than enough room for all of you to stay here." Lou replied. "This was my parents home. I chose to stay here after they died a couple of years ago."
"There are six bedrooms upstairs. I sleep in the one down here." he continued. "I have five brothers and sisters who left the reserve when they were grown. I came back when my parents became ill."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Sloan asked. "We really don't want to put you out."
"I'm sure ... really." Lou said with a big smile. "This place is too big for just me. I've tried to get my Grandfather to move in here but he won't do it, he's too stubborn. I'd enjoy having the company."
"You don't think the children will bother you?" Grace asked. "They can get a little rambunctious sometimes."
"Nope. They won't bother me a bit." Lou stated. "I'm used to kids. I'm a teacher at the reserve school."
"I'll take you guys over there later so you can check it out." he added looking at the three children.
Upon hearing the word 'school', Matt groaned. Lou chuckled at the response, "This is not like any school you've ever been to. I bet you'd like it."
x.x.x
When they reached Las Vegas, they could see fires burning far off in the city. Joe pulled off onto a side street and parked next to a curb.
"Damn looters." Joe stated with disgust. "They been having a field day looks like. You boys got a gun? You may need it."
"I have my pistol in case we run into any trouble." Tom stated as he opened the door to get out. "We can't thank you enough for your help."
"Your welcome." Joe smiled putting his truck in gear. "You all be careful out there tonight."
They waved at the older man as he pulled away from the curb and headed back in the direction he came.
"Let's see if we can find out what's going on." Tom said as he started walking down the street. The others took their cue and followed along with him.
They were stunned at the devastation. Windows were broken everywhere and buildings had been burned to the ground. Looters had obviously taken advantage of the chaos as items they'd dropped were still littering the streets. Everywhere they turned they were greeted with more destruction. No people could be seen anywhere on the streets although they could sense them peaking out from windows behind locked doors.
"Ok." Scott replied. "So what do you want to do now?"
"I don't know what the rest of you plan to do." Tom stated. "But I'm going to head back to LA."
"What on earth would make you want to go there!" Scott asked in surprise. "From looking at this place, LA isn't going to be any better."
"I have to find Sloan and it's the only place I know to start." Tom replied. "Any of you are welcome to come with me if you like."
"I'll go." Scott stated. He knew Sloan was a human but he also sensed the intense emotion Tom felt towards her. Tom had told him a lot of stories and he trusted his instincts. If Tom trusted her, he could too.
"So will I." Bill said.
"Me too." Randy added.
The other four dominants decided to stay behind. Each had family they wanted to try and find. They said their goodbyes and proceeded further into the city.
"Now the only question that remains is how we are going to get there." Tom said surveying his surroundings. "I'd rather not walk if we can help it."
"Do you think a motorcycle would run?" Bill asked nodding his head in the direction of a Harley dealer down the street.
"They might if we can kick-start them." Tom stated after some thought. "Let's find out."
They headed toward the dealership and walked onto the lot. The place was deserted. Walking into the office through the doorway that no longer had a door, they found several sets of keys. Returning to the lot, they tried different bikes until they finally found four that would start. Walking them around to the back, they found the gas pump but there was no electricity to run it.
"Look around for piece of hose." Tom said grabbing a crow bar that lay on the ground next to a broken window. Using it, he pried the cover off the valve for the underground tank. Randy returned with a water hose and Tom used his knife to cut it to a manageable length. He opened the valve and slid the hose inside. "Bring one of the bikes over here." he stated.
Bill wheeled one over and removed the cap from the gas tank. Tom sucked on the hose to get the flow started. He pinched off the end and spit out the mouthful of gas. Placing the end of the hose in the gas tank, he released his grip on the end. He repeated the process till all four of the bikes had full tanks. When he was finished, he removed the hose and secured it to the back of his own bike for future use.
They jumped on the motorcycles and started them up. Each in turn roared to life. Their next stop was the nearest strip mall to collect supplies. They found a general store that hadn't been looted too severely. In it they were able to collect camping gear as well as suitable clothing. Grabbing some maps on the way out, they were ready to leave.
They were a short distance from the freeway. Maneuvering around the barricades to the entrance of I-15, they headed west in the direction of Los Angeles.
Tom was beginning to feel the fear creep in that he'd been keeping at bay. After everything he'd seen and learned, was it really possible Sloan was still alive? "She has to be." he thought to himself as though the mere thought would make it so.
x.x.x