Chapter 3
In which the participants of the Decision Game pinpoint their location.
When Phi turns on the engine of RV, her eyes immediately flit to the small screen installed in the driver's console that lights up; it is a GPS that is programmed to show them a way out of this desert and towards Kingman.
"Holy shit," Phi breathes, as she taps on the screen of the navigation device. She looks over her shoulder to where Sean and Diana sit, playing with Gab, who sits in Sean's lap. "That's why he was named that . . ."
Sigma's eyebrows furrow and he leans towards Phi in the passenger seat. "What's wrong, Phi?"
"Sigma . . . the GPS says that we're in Area 2."
"Area 2?!" Akane exclaims from the back. Her footsteps can be heard as she quickly runs up towards the front of the vehicle.
Sigma's eyes squint in confusion. "What? Area 2 of where?" he questions warily.
"The actual U.S. Nevada Test Site."
"What the fuck!?" Sigma screeches. "I assumed the DCOM staff referred to the area as that only since it was just a test site in the middle of the Nevada Desert!"
"So, that means we're only around 20 miles away from Area 51!" Akane's eyes gleam as she talks excitedly. Her loud voice garners the attention of the other passengers in the back, who begin to come forth and huddle around the three of them.
Phi nods at Akane. "I believe so." She crosses her arms over her chest, tilts her head ever so slightly and smirks. "You wanna go extraterrestrial hunting with me, Akane?"
Akane sighs, her smile slightly fading and her eyes becoming flat as if she recalled a death of a loved one. "I would, Phi, if I hadn't gone before with my brother last year. Our search was fruitless." She turns her head to face her fiancée, who is now standing behind her along with the others, listening to the conversation. "Junpei, you know, that's where Building Q is."
Junpei's jaw drops, and his eyes widen in astonishment. "What?! Building Q is in Area 51!? How the fuck did Clover not get pulled over by the police with her driving or anything? And where were the UFO's!?"
Clover? Phi and Sigma think in both confusion and recognition, their eyes meeting in silent conversation; but they both nod and don't press the couple for any more information. Later, they silently agree.
"I told you, Jumpy." — Phi snickers, which results in a glare from Junpei — "Aoi wanted to look around last year for kicks." She didn't have the heart to mention that she had only agreed because she had been caused her brother to be so restlessly busy, without any respite, with preparations for the Second Nonary Game. "We couldn't find anything extraterrestrial."
Phi's lips scrunch into what seems to be a pout, and crosses her arms over her chest. "I still think there's something there and was probably hidden from your eyes, Akane. I'd still like to visit, at least, drive around the — "
"H-Hey, hey, wait a moment!" Sigma interrupts, as his eyes widen. "Are you really sure we're in Area 2 of the actual Nevada National Security Site, Phi?"
"Come on, Sigma, don't go all senile on me! Look at the screen — if your old eyes can't read the tiny text, you can at least see on the map that we're in the middle of the Mojave Desert." Phi gestures a hand towards the GPS and continues speaking. "And doesn't Gab's name make sense, then? The Gabbs Tower is in Area 2! Zero II" — she sneered — "must have named him after the tower to hint at the location!"
"W-What? The Gabbs Tower?! But there was no tower in sight of DCOM!" Junpei's voice is full of shock and confusion.
"Well, the Gabbs tower was built for the Gabbs test," Akane begins to explain to her fiancé, and by extension, the others, "which was an underground nuclear reaction test; it was supposed to take place in 1993, but was stopped in 1992. The tower was kept above where the nuclear device would have been placed underground, so that they could go back to the test if needed. But in 2021, they were forced to cease the testing and bury most of the Gabbs Tower where the bomb was supposed to be placed." She stops speaking, her eyes dropping down as she comes to a realization. "I think . . . I think that DCOM was built around the Gabbs tower." She turns to face the window, staring intently at the white shape of the facility in the distance.
"So, you're saying . . . that the circular structures of the facility surround the remaining height of the original tower?" Sean clarifies, his raspy voice hesitant.
Akane nods without looking away from the window. "Correct. Though, for this to be true, the building had to be altered in some way, because the DCOM layout is simply a hallway with circular rooms on the side."
"But if that's the case, then what you say about Gab's namesake . . . it has to mean that DCOM was in on all of this, or Delta had to be the one to set up this whole Mars Mission Experiment and DCOM," Diana points out slowly, her eyes meeting Sigma's.
She tears away from his gaze, though, when Eric speaks. "Hey, you're right! We were asked to come to the Desert Research Institute in Reno to board the shuttle bus to DCOM, so how the fuck did we end up in the middle of the Mojave Desert!?"
"Well, that shuttle ride did take an awfully long time . . . close to eight hours." Mira's eyes narrow in suspicion as she talks.
"Think about it," Phi prompts. "We were all knocked out on that ride, after that celebratory meal they had us attend at the Institute."
"Oh, you mean that commencement dinner for the success of the Mars Mission Experiment?" Diana clarifies.
"Yeah. Did it occur to any of you that we might have been drugged?"
"I wasn't sure. I thought Mira and I might have been tired from our flight."
"I had the feeling we might have been drugged, but I assumed it was for the purpose of resetting our sleep schedules for the conjunction. I actually told you that already, Phi," Sigma reminds her, crossing his arms over his chest as a small, knowing smile appears on her face.
Phi rolls her eyes. "I wanted to hear everyone else's opinions, but yes, I know you did, old geezer — you told me right before you decided to go searching for Radical-6 in DCOM, even though Akane specifically ordered us not to do anything until everyone else fell asleep." Her smile twitches into a cocky smirk as she subconsciously mimics his pose, her arms crossing over her chest. "Right before, I should also add, the others thought you had lost it and were ready to put you in confinement."
"Hmph." He turns his face away. "I was only trying to destroy the virus," he mutters petulantly.
"At least, the virus won't be released now," Akane murmurs to herself from behind Phi, but then clears her throat. "Alright, I think that's enough talk for now. We should take our seats now and get going."
Phi grins, suddenly eager to drive this badass vehicle, while Sigma's face takes on a concentrated, but worried expression. "Let's get this show on the road, then."