Atlanta.”
“No, there weren’t any more of these facilities activated,” I say, believing her story and relaxing a little. “But, this facility isn’t, or wasn’t, about anything you could ever imagine.”
I start by telling her what we learned about how things went down. As I tell it, the astonishment on her face grows. When I finish, she shakes her head in wonder.
“I can’t believe that of Gabe. He wasn’t the easiest man to work with, but I knew him for years. We shared the dangers of fieldwork. He was a man who thought highly of himself but I just…I just can’t believe he would be in on something like that. However, it does fit in with the inconsistencies, his blocking of our of our ability to test. I can’t fathom why, though. We worked for years to combat this kind of thing, not partake in its creation.”
“Who truly knows what drives people to do things like that? I certainly don’t get it,” I comment. “If you’ll excuse us for a moment.”
“Well?” I ask Lynn once we're out of the room.
“I believe her story. It does fit and accounts for her showing up like she did,” Lynn answers.
“She could have manufactured the story,” I state.
“Remember, Jack, if she was a part of this, she didn’t expect us to be here. She would have expected the others.”
“Okay. I believe her as well. However, the fact that we can’t account for the director means that we should plan for other arrivals.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Do you think there is the possibility of another facility being operational?”
“I think Harold would have found mention of it, but we’ll ask him to double check. So, do we take her with us?”
“I don’t think we can afford not to. Especially if Harold can’t get the satellite functional,” Lynn says.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“We'll find you a room for the night and collect your things in the morning. I’d like it if you went with us when we leave. We could use your knowledge,” I say upon reentering the room.
She pauses for a moment before replying. “I don’t really have any other place to go.”
The three of us walk back to the control center, handing Jan off to one of the team members standing watch inside. We kept a contingent in place to watch over the technicians helping Harold. There are too many for him to keep an eye on by himself. It’s not that they can really do much, but they may be able to sabotage our efforts in some way. Harold said he’d be able to tell, but I’ve kept the guards there anyway as a reminder. A team member will guide Jan to a set of quarters and stay with her. I do believe her story but, well, it’s best to keep an eye on anyone new we bring in. Of course, there’s the possibility that we’ll be incorporating quite a few shortly, but that’s tomorrow’s worry.
Harold is seated at one of the consoles near the back of the room, surrounded by binders and files. He looks at a document and types quickly on a keyboard before picking up another sheet of paper. I’m loath to bother him, as he’s become somewhat the center of our focus. We are currently involved in a race against time on multiple levels. If Harold can figure out how to establish communication with the satellite, then many of our other problems will dissipate dramatically.
“Harold, is there any chance one of the other facilities became operational? I’m specifically asking about one about an hour north of Atlanta,” I ask, removing a pile of folders and taking a seat.
Harold sets down the document he was reading. Picking up the binder with all of the survivor encampments the other group discovered, he flips a few pages and begins typing.
The large screen on top dissolves into an overlay depicting the other prepared bunkers. A few more keystrokes and the display zooms in to a specific area.
“That would be this one,” he says, referring to the screen. “There isn’t any sign of it being inhabited and I’ve searched the
“No, there weren’t any more of these facilities activated,” I say, believing her story and relaxing a little. “But, this facility isn’t, or wasn’t, about anything you could ever imagine.”
I start by telling her what we learned about how things went down. As I tell it, the astonishment on her face grows. When I finish, she shakes her head in wonder.
“I can’t believe that of Gabe. He wasn’t the easiest man to work with, but I knew him for years. We shared the dangers of fieldwork. He was a man who thought highly of himself but I just…I just can’t believe he would be in on something like that. However, it does fit in with the inconsistencies, his blocking of our of our ability to test. I can’t fathom why, though. We worked for years to combat this kind of thing, not partake in its creation.”
“Who truly knows what drives people to do things like that? I certainly don’t get it,” I comment. “If you’ll excuse us for a moment.”
“Well?” I ask Lynn once we're out of the room.
“I believe her story. It does fit and accounts for her showing up like she did,” Lynn answers.
“She could have manufactured the story,” I state.
“Remember, Jack, if she was a part of this, she didn’t expect us to be here. She would have expected the others.”
“Okay. I believe her as well. However, the fact that we can’t account for the director means that we should plan for other arrivals.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Do you think there is the possibility of another facility being operational?”
“I think Harold would have found mention of it, but we’ll ask him to double check. So, do we take her with us?”
“I don’t think we can afford not to. Especially if Harold can’t get the satellite functional,” Lynn says.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“We'll find you a room for the night and collect your things in the morning. I’d like it if you went with us when we leave. We could use your knowledge,” I say upon reentering the room.
She pauses for a moment before replying. “I don’t really have any other place to go.”
The three of us walk back to the control center, handing Jan off to one of the team members standing watch inside. We kept a contingent in place to watch over the technicians helping Harold. There are too many for him to keep an eye on by himself. It’s not that they can really do much, but they may be able to sabotage our efforts in some way. Harold said he’d be able to tell, but I’ve kept the guards there anyway as a reminder. A team member will guide Jan to a set of quarters and stay with her. I do believe her story but, well, it’s best to keep an eye on anyone new we bring in. Of course, there’s the possibility that we’ll be incorporating quite a few shortly, but that’s tomorrow’s worry.
Harold is seated at one of the consoles near the back of the room, surrounded by binders and files. He looks at a document and types quickly on a keyboard before picking up another sheet of paper. I’m loath to bother him, as he’s become somewhat the center of our focus. We are currently involved in a race against time on multiple levels. If Harold can figure out how to establish communication with the satellite, then many of our other problems will dissipate dramatically.
“Harold, is there any chance one of the other facilities became operational? I’m specifically asking about one about an hour north of Atlanta,” I ask, removing a pile of folders and taking a seat.
Harold sets down the document he was reading. Picking up the binder with all of the survivor encampments the other group discovered, he flips a few pages and begins typing.
The large screen on top dissolves into an overlay depicting the other prepared bunkers. A few more keystrokes and the display zooms in to a specific area.
“That would be this one,” he says, referring to the screen. “There isn’t any sign of it being inhabited and I’ve searched the
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