Page 9 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space
I hummed. “Is it ok if I err on the side of situation-dependent? I don’t want to come across as undermining you in front of others.”
He considered the question, then nodded. “I think that’s acceptable.”
I returned the nod. “You were saying?”
He blinked, then chuckled. “I was going to say that I think we’ve got everything you need for now. There are some smart people on your team who’ve already started on what they can. But come to me if you need equipment or supplies.”
“Got it.”
The plane had taxied during our conversation, and a moment later it tilted as it took off. It turned and finally leveled off.
Floyd took off his seatbelt as soon as we seemed to be stable, then stood. “I have work to do.”
“Ok,” I replied, then watched him stroll off.
I managed to go through several inquiries from potential students, making notes in the margins. Then the plane banked, and I looked up as Floyd returned to his seat.
“This is my stop,” he stated. “You’ll be the next stop. I’ve arranged for somebody to meet you and take you to the base.It should take a few hours to get all your credentials into the system, and I’ll be in on a later flight. Then I’ll introduce you to your team this afternoon.”
“Got it.”
He disappeared, and a moment later the noise inside the plane ramped up as additional pallets were loaded. Forklifts beeped and soldiers shouted to each other; bangs as loads were set in place.
It made me glad that I’d been running late and everything had been loaded when I arrived.
The crews worked quickly, and we were on our way again within half an hour.
I managed to get through the rest of the student inquiries before we landed and had a couple of promising prospects to contact.
The din started again as soon as the door opened, and I made sure all my stuff was secure so that I could exit as quickly as possible.
“Doctor Wallace?”
I turned to see a uniformed soldier standing at attention. “That’s me.”
“I’ve been ordered to escort you to the base.”
I nodded and watched as he grabbed my suitcase and the Faraday bag with my electronics. Then I slung my backpack over my shoulder and followed him out to an SUV.
A minute of maneuvering around forklifts and box trucks, then we were on a freshly-paved road leading away from the airfield. Tall trees lined either side.
Combined with the greenery and the humidity, I guessed that we were somewhere in the southeastern US, but there was no way I could pinpoint it better than that.
“How long until we get there?” I asked.
“Only a few minutes,” the soldier replied.
As promised, we took a turn only a couple minutes later and stopped at a run-down-looking guard shack.
The soldier held out his ID to the guard, then motioned to me. “You should have paperwork?”
I blinked, then scrambled to find the folder of paperwork I’d shoved in my backpack. I pulled it free and breathed a sigh of relief when the document giving me access to the base was on top.
The guard studied the paper, nodded, handed it back, and waved us through.
Trees continued to line the road as the soldier drove, then, as if coming out of a tunnel, they opened up to reveal a base teeming with activity. Crews surrounded every building within sight, clearly updating and renovating older structures. Other plots had been cleared, and foundations for new buildings were taking shape.
“Welcome to Fort Marcel,” the soldier said.
