whistle of disbelief.
“God damn, the whole planet? ” Fred blurted out.
The men were huddled into a small conference room in one of the main Blue Lake base buildings. Before them was a map covering a whole wall, one showing the planet Earth, the regular surface features stripped-away, and a crisscrossing array of what looked to be railroad lines going this way and that in all directions, to all continents and across all oceans.
“They began building it in ‘54,” Colonel Roger Donlon said, drawing many of the men’s eyes to him, “got various corporations and government contractors to do most of the work, using the brute labor of the Reptilians to get the job. Project became so big, in fact, that Ike had to get the Interstate Highway System passed in ’56 to cover up all the massive spending that was taking place.”
“So it’s alien-built,” Lieutenant Colonel Emil Wiseman said, that ever-present pipe of his clamped firmly between his teeth, even though it wasn’t lit at the moment.
“Everything down there is,” Donlon continued, “and it’s that way in most of the underground bases around the world.”
“And most of those bases have been lost to the countries that allowed them in the first place, or built right under their noses while they’ve sat unawares,” Ellis said.
Donlon nodded to his words. “But they don’t control the tube trains – not all of them, at least.”
“There must be…dozens,” Turn said as he continued to stare at the map, “hundreds.”
“More than 7,600 tunnels by last count, but just forty tube trains to run in them,” Donlon said before looking over at Ellis, “unless the aliens have built more.”
Ellis shook his head. “We don’t think so…but really have no way of knowing.”
“So it goes,” Donlon sighed. “Anyways, those tunnels are far-from secure, mainly because they can’t be secured.”
“What do you mean?” Charlie said, his brow furrowed. He’d always been accused of understanding next to nothing when coming up as a child, and he always made it a point to ask and ask away when anyone hinted there might be something he still didn’t understand.
“I mean,” Donlon continued, “those tube trains are capable of travelling at the astonishing speed of Mach 2. There’s no room between those trains and the tunnel walls, so anything walking down them – like quite a few stupid Reptilians or worker Grays often are – they immediately get pulverized.”
“Like a bug on my windshield when I’m crusin’ down the bayou highways, eh Colonel?” Bobbie laughed.
Donlon frowned. “Something like that.”
“And the good news is that after ’75 we secured all the tube stations that we could,” Ellis said, “which means we now have 75% of them under our control while the aliens just have a handful, mostly here in the southwest.”
“It’s those ones that we don’t have that will be the problem,” Donlon said, “and why we need our main force down in those lower-levels, blocking any incoming trains, and the threat to our rear that they could bring.”
“So who’s gettin’ train duty?” Fred laughed.
“You all are,” Donlon said, his face straight.
The room erupted in murmurings and buzzing as each man talked to the one next to him.
“Alright, alright!” Ellis shouted over the drone. “CAT-1 and CAT-2 are going to be coming in on those tube trains, and from there you’re filtering up the levels toward the surface, destroying as much as you can along the way. On your rear will be CAT-4 led by Colonel Donlon, its sole mission being to block anything else trying to use those trains to get at us from behind.”
“So we’re not taking the trains out then, right?” Turn asked. He was on CAT-2 headed by Chargin’ Charlie and hoped to hell he wouldn’t have to come up with an escape plan on the fly.
Ellis shook his head. “Once CAT-3 hits with the X-22 in the hangar port we’ll have our opening, allowing both Eddie’s
“God damn, the whole planet? ” Fred blurted out.
The men were huddled into a small conference room in one of the main Blue Lake base buildings. Before them was a map covering a whole wall, one showing the planet Earth, the regular surface features stripped-away, and a crisscrossing array of what looked to be railroad lines going this way and that in all directions, to all continents and across all oceans.
“They began building it in ‘54,” Colonel Roger Donlon said, drawing many of the men’s eyes to him, “got various corporations and government contractors to do most of the work, using the brute labor of the Reptilians to get the job. Project became so big, in fact, that Ike had to get the Interstate Highway System passed in ’56 to cover up all the massive spending that was taking place.”
“So it’s alien-built,” Lieutenant Colonel Emil Wiseman said, that ever-present pipe of his clamped firmly between his teeth, even though it wasn’t lit at the moment.
“Everything down there is,” Donlon continued, “and it’s that way in most of the underground bases around the world.”
“And most of those bases have been lost to the countries that allowed them in the first place, or built right under their noses while they’ve sat unawares,” Ellis said.
Donlon nodded to his words. “But they don’t control the tube trains – not all of them, at least.”
“There must be…dozens,” Turn said as he continued to stare at the map, “hundreds.”
“More than 7,600 tunnels by last count, but just forty tube trains to run in them,” Donlon said before looking over at Ellis, “unless the aliens have built more.”
Ellis shook his head. “We don’t think so…but really have no way of knowing.”
“So it goes,” Donlon sighed. “Anyways, those tunnels are far-from secure, mainly because they can’t be secured.”
“What do you mean?” Charlie said, his brow furrowed. He’d always been accused of understanding next to nothing when coming up as a child, and he always made it a point to ask and ask away when anyone hinted there might be something he still didn’t understand.
“I mean,” Donlon continued, “those tube trains are capable of travelling at the astonishing speed of Mach 2. There’s no room between those trains and the tunnel walls, so anything walking down them – like quite a few stupid Reptilians or worker Grays often are – they immediately get pulverized.”
“Like a bug on my windshield when I’m crusin’ down the bayou highways, eh Colonel?” Bobbie laughed.
Donlon frowned. “Something like that.”
“And the good news is that after ’75 we secured all the tube stations that we could,” Ellis said, “which means we now have 75% of them under our control while the aliens just have a handful, mostly here in the southwest.”
“It’s those ones that we don’t have that will be the problem,” Donlon said, “and why we need our main force down in those lower-levels, blocking any incoming trains, and the threat to our rear that they could bring.”
“So who’s gettin’ train duty?” Fred laughed.
“You all are,” Donlon said, his face straight.
The room erupted in murmurings and buzzing as each man talked to the one next to him.
“Alright, alright!” Ellis shouted over the drone. “CAT-1 and CAT-2 are going to be coming in on those tube trains, and from there you’re filtering up the levels toward the surface, destroying as much as you can along the way. On your rear will be CAT-4 led by Colonel Donlon, its sole mission being to block anything else trying to use those trains to get at us from behind.”
“So we’re not taking the trains out then, right?” Turn asked. He was on CAT-2 headed by Chargin’ Charlie and hoped to hell he wouldn’t have to come up with an escape plan on the fly.
Ellis shook his head. “Once CAT-3 hits with the X-22 in the hangar port we’ll have our opening, allowing both Eddie’s
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