“Well, you’ll meet him soon enough. I’m taking you to Fort Hamilton.”
“The army base?”
“That’s the one.”
She wove the car around a slow carriage and accelerated. “Be there in an hour.”
“What does the army want with me?”
She turned toward him and looked into his eyes long enough that he grew worried for their safety.
“War is coming, Mr. Tesla. I think you and the army might just need each other.”
She turned her attention back to the road, and Tesla settled back into his seat, content to rest his back before exploring the next twist in his fortunes.
Savannah drove them to the main gate at Fort Hamilton. A long line of cars waited to be inspected, but Savannah steered around them and drove to the front of the line. The military police waved her through on sight. Tesla cast a sideways glance at the woman, but she said nothing.
She led them through the military base, and they soon came to a stop outside a sprawling complex of low, gray cinderblock buildings.
“Well, here we are,” she announced, stepping out of the car.
He looked around. The buildings were all large, but nondescript. In yellow stenciled block letters, a small sign read “Auxiliary Operations.”
“And this would be…?” Tesla asked.
“Where the magic happens!” She beamed and ran for the wide double doors. “I simply cannot wait to see your face.”
He caught up to her and followed her into the building. They passed two armed soldiers standing at attention as she led him down a corridor. Ornately framed portraits of military figures watched impassively as he followed Savannah.
“We have a lot of really smart people here, but I think you will fit in particularly well,” she said. They turned a corner and came to a wide, steel door, flanked by two more armed guards. They nodded at Savannah as she approached.
She rested her hand on the doorknob. She paused, then turned back to Tesla. “Are you ready?” Her high-wattage smile gave away her anticipation.
“You are a spirited woman.” Tesla had no idea what lay behind the steel door, but he now very much wanted to step through and see.
“Thanks!” She laughed. “Now come on. The Rabbit Hole awaits.” She opened the door, and Tesla followed her inside.
They stepped into the room, and Tesla stopped short. There was nothing inside but a small ramp leading up to a circular platform in the center of the room. Just inside the platform, a small panel extended from the floor to waist height, and Tesla saw the blinking of indicator lights and a metal throw switch.
Savannah strolled up the ramp and stepped on the platform, waving him to follow her.
“You’re in the army’s research and development lab, Mr. Tesla.”
He joined her on the circular platform. “Please, call me Nikola. But I thought that was in Maryland. The Aberdeen Proving Grounds.”
Savannah smiled. “That’s where the meat and potatoes work gets done, yes.” She rested a slender hand on the throw switch. “But here we focus on more… unbridled creativity.”
She pulled the switch toward her, and an electric hum rose from beneath them. The floor vibrated, and Tesla looked at his guide in concern.
Then the platform sank into the ground. Like an open-air elevator, the floor descended, carrying them with it. They sank lower, the walls of a carved concrete shaft rising around them.
“My God,” whispered Tesla, reaching out to let his fingertips run along the shaft wall. As they continued down, the rough stone tickled his fingers, confirming he wasn’t dreaming.
He turned and found Savannah studying his face, which was agape in delight and awe.
“Lovely,” she said.
“This is amazing. So, we are traveling to an underground workshop then.”
She nodded. “Seven of them, actually.”
His eyes went wide, and she chuckled.
“Damn, I love showing this place off. We have seven labs, each on its own floor. We’re doing work on everything here, Nikola.
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