The Complex

Judith never applied the brake as she sped down the old abandoned road. Larry kept a vigil with his eyes glued to the side mirror, hoping against hope he didn’t see any headlights. He knew the road he’d decided on in the heat of the moment provided no exit route. The complex (whatever it was) appeared to cover ten square miles as indicated by the massive green circles on the screen. Even with its vast expanse, there weren’t a lot of roads to choose from. The one they were on was the main drag with a few feeders connecting to it. The headlights started to reflect off something metallic in the distance.

“Larry, looks like a fence.”

“Sure does. Keep going.”

She didn’t need to be told twice, and eased the car down to a calm seventy-five mph as they flashed by what appeared to be an old guard shack. They didn’t stop to investigate. She plunged the car deeper and deeper into the dark. If they’d stopped, they would have noticed the weathered sign on the guard shack’s door. In large black letters on a white background—UNITED STATES ARMY PROPERTY: TREPASSERS WILL BE SHOT.”

* * *

A small icon appeared on the monitor with a warning message scrolling across the bottom, intruder alert. It wasn’t the first time something had triggered the motion sensor at the entrance. He pulled up the surveillance camera feed, and saw dust slowly settling back on the pitch-black road. Damned high school kids.

* * *

“Okay Judith, ease up. I don’t think they’re following us anymore. Muki, Abdul, you guys doing okay?”

“Aye, Captain, but I fear if you don’t find a place to pull over, we could have a cataclysmic accident in engineering.”

“Abdul, you so much as put a wet spot on my seat, and you’ll spend the rest of your life sitting down to pee. Understood?”

“Aye, then pull over. I would still like to bear some children for the academy.” Muki nodded in agreement.

“Okay, I guess anywhere will do.” She pulled the car over, turned off the lights, but left the motor running. The adrenaline rush was starting to wear off. She felt complete exhaustion as she stepped out to regroup and reconsider the last few hours. The diner was distressing enough, but this was different. Those men wanted to kill them and leave no witnesses.

Larry walked around to her side of the car as she stretched her hard, weary body. My God, she’s beautiful. As she attempted to relax from the long stretch, her legs gave out. He arrived at her side just in time. She felt Larry’s strong hands catch her to avoid the impending fall.

“Thanks.”

His hands were feeling her warm, perspiring skin. The sense of her racing heart ran through his arms, igniting his hidden feelings of want and desire. A strange, tight knot pulled at his stomach as his mouth went dry. It was the first time he’d embraced her, and he wasn’t disappointed.

Instead of being outraged and lashing out at him, she hesitantly replied, “Thank you.”

“No problem. Can’t have our number-one driver getting injured now, can we?”

She tossed him a sweet little smile as he nervously held her quivering body.

“Don’t mean to break up the lovefest, Captain,” blurted out Abdul, “but what are we going to do now?”

Judith wriggled out of Larry’s grasp. “Look, you little shit, one more comment like that and—”

Muki had heard enough. In a soft, forceful voice, “Judith, shut up.”

The only sounds heard for a minute or two were the crickets hidden deep in the surroundings.

Once the uncomfortable silence passed, Larry continued his thought.

“Good question Abdul. I think we should see if we can find a building with a little shelter and hold up here for the night. I don’t want to tempt our good fortune.” The other three agreed with Larry.

“Okay Einstein, where to?” queried Judith.

“According to the GPS, there’s some type of building three miles ahead of us. We’ll try that one first.”

“You sure about that, Captain?”

“Why, Abdul?”

“Muki, you want to tell him or should I?”

“Go ahead, you saw it first.”

“While we were answering the call of mother nature, we noticed a huge building about fifty feet away. When I say huge, I mean Enterprise huge. I thought my eyes were playing tricks in the dark, but the longer I stared, the larger it became. It was blacker than the night. You know the vision, right?”

“Yes, kind of. What’s your point?”

“What is something that large doing in the middle of nowhere?” Larry pulled up the GPS and saw what Abdul described was underneath one of the large green circles.

“I don’t know, and I’m too tired to think about it, okay?” The answer didn’t satisfy Abdul or Muki. They were all tired and hoped the building Larry was directing them to would have a place they could sleep and relax. They would visit the topic when everyone was rested and thinking a little straighter.

“There it is, home sweet home,” commented Judith.

Abdul peered through the small back window. “Doesn’t appear anyone’s home.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out. Judith, pull the car to the north side of the building. Looks like there’s an old parking lot which might provide a little cover.”

Judith concurred, and pulled her purring baby to the side of the whitewashed, drab-looking structure. She was pleased to see there was an old carport to pull under. The weather on the west slope of the range could change with the drop of a hat and result in large hail stones pummeling her baby, which wasn’t a pleasant thought. “You did good, baby.” She put the selector in park and turned off the engine.

Larry slowly approached the front door with trepidation. It appeared that whatever the complex was, it hadn’t seen any life in years. The military is known for a spick and span ideology; this place didn’t show any of those time-honored practices. The white paint was cracked and peeling. The screen door was tattered from the vicious foothill winds that roared down the west slopes and battered anything in its path. The hinges creaked loudly from lack of proper lubrication. The tarnished brass doorknob shifted up and down as he turned it—the locking screws were loose.

“Hello? Hello?” Nothing but silence greeted his welcome. He found a light switch which he flicked up and down a few times with no results. “Judith, is there a flashlight in the car?” Without answering, she disappeared and returned with an emergency Streamlight Strion LED flashlight.

“Will this work?” She flipped the light on, illuminating a scene straight out of Halloween. The place could have doubled for Michael Myer’s abandoned house.

The first room, twenty by twenty feet, consisted of a desk and file cabinets. The dust was a good quarter-inch thick and blew around with the breeze coming through the open door. There were no phones or computers on the desk. To the left, was an empty gun rack designed to hold at least six rifles or semi-automatic weapons. Muki peeked into the metal file drawers out of curiosity.

To the right of the desk was another door. Judith led the way. She turned the knob. The door didn’t budge. She tried it again with the same result. “Dammit, it’s jammed.”

“Here, let me try.” Larry approached the door, with the same result.

“Larry,” quipped Muki, “look to the left of the jamb. Looks like it’s a security card reader.”

Larry hadn’t noticed it. It blended in perfectly with the frame and the worn, white paint. “Okay, that could be a problem.”

“Aye, Captain. Remember when the automatic doors didn’t respond to motion commands?”

Larry thought about that for a minute.

“Yes, I do. When technology isn’t cooperative, nothing can replace a good swift kick.”

He moved back about two feet, raised his right leg and sent it crashing into the wood door. BAM!

The door exploded open with the impact of his foot, showering the dark room behind with wood splinters. The sound of wood shrapnel echoed across the walls.

“Thanks for the reminder Abdul. You might be of use yet.” Muki and Judith quietly laughed at the comment.

Judith led the way with the light, revealing a room sixty by fifty feet. She moved the light to the left revealing stainless steel equipment and a sink. Upon closer examination, it appeared to be a large kitchen.

“Looks like this is where they ate,” she mumbled.

She panned the light around the rest of the room. It was barren with the exception of half-a-dozen wire-framed military beds.

“Looks like WWII surplus. Good to see they spared no expense for creature comforts or unexpected guests,” she observed.

Abdul, like the others, wasn’t impressed with the accommodation, but he didn’t care. “I don’t know about you guys; I know it’s not the Ritz, but it beats sleeping in the car. I’m taking the one under the window. You three can fight over the other fine furnishings. Oh, and I would like to make a request.” His comment was directed towards no one in particular. “I’d like a 6:00am wake-up call. I will also need a small glass of orange juice with some scrambled eggs and not too overly cooked ba—”

“Shut up Abdul.”

* * *

It wasn’t exactly room service that came knocking at the door for the morning wake-up call. Rather, it was a group of squirrels looking for scraps of food, or perhaps just taking time out to play in a previously uninspected building. They quickly scampered through the swinging screen door and bolted right into the large cafeteria. They stood on both haunches sniffing the air cautiously. They detected two distinct smells, one unwelcome (people) and the other, meat of some type.

They slowly made their way towards one of the sleeping bodies. The smell intensified. Instincts told them to find a different food source, but the pull of the morning brunch on meat was stronger than the thought of safety. They silently jumped on the bed and frantically began searching for the treasure. Abdul’s sleep was rudely disturbed with the feel of teeth gnawing on his front pocket. At first, he thought it was part of his dream until he felt sharp teeth and claws burrowing into his lower right front pocket. “WHAT THE HELL?” The squirrels froze in their tracks. It was hard to say who was more scared. Abdul’s eyes locked with the scavengers.

Judith looked over and started laughing. “Abdul, don’t turn down a good thing. That might be the closest you ever get to the real thing.”

Abdul wasn’t laughing. Larry and Muki were both looking at the spectacle, quietly laughing under their breath.

“If I had a phaser, I’d blast you two little shits into atom dust.” The pair looked at each other and made a hasty retreat out of the damaged door, dejected and hungry.

“What’s wrong Abdul, not your type? Wonder if they were both males?”

“Judith, you are such a bitch.” She took the comment as a compliment and smiled.

Larry looked around the room slowly focusing his eyes on their new surroundings. “What time is it?”

Muki looked down at her silver digital Seiko. “6:00am. A very early 6:00am.” She slowly sat up stretching her small arms and wriggling the sleep from her body.

“I don’t know about you guys,” said Larry as he looked around the room, “but I could sure eat something. Judith, what else is in the trunk of the car?”

“I have a few goodies for just such an occasion.” Judith got herself out of bed, stood up and performed a full-body stretch. The sunlight pouring into the room marked every one of her curves. The sight of the sun penetrating and exposing her body beneath her tight-fitting T-shirt definitely removed any morning fog Larry might have been experiencing. God she’s beautiful. Judith finished the morning stretch and shook her sparkling brunette hair. “Muki, want to join me?”

She knew exactly what she meant. “Sure, let’s go.”

Abdul looked at Larry. “Why is it that they always go in pairs?” Larry shrugged his shoulders. The question crossed his mind as one of the great mysteries of the world.

“Scotty, I have no idea. I doubt if even Freud would be able to shed light on that timeless question.”

The girls came in a few minutes later, carrying two backpacks, looking very refreshed. “Next?”

Larry and Abdul made their way towards the door. Judith didn’t look back as the boys exited, but she couldn’t resist another jab at Abdul. “Larry, I’d be careful. Abdul might still be a little frisky from the morning activities.”

“Judith!” yelled Abdul.

“It’s okay, stud. You take the left tree, and I’ll take the right.”

The girls set the backpacks on the stainless steel counter and sorted the bounty – Fruit Loops, Honeycomb, bottled water, beef jerky and Judith’s coffee.

“What are you gonna do with that, Judith? I’m sure the gas isn’t on. How you gonna heat the water?”

Judith never left home unprepared. She always remembered the race her father took her to out in the boondocks of North Carolina. When she woke up the morning of the race, she was greeted with the words from Jimmy Smith, ‘out of coffee.’ It was the worst race of her life. She swore it would never happen again. “Don’t worry, the other backpack has a portable gas stove in it. I never leave home without it.”

“Ah,” is all Muki could say.

The boys came back and found the girls munching on the prepackaged five-star breakfast. “What? No eggs or bacon, Captain? I will report this to Star Fleet as soon as communications have been restored.”

Judith glared at Abdul. What’s new. “Look you little shit, you don’t have to eat anything, and you sure aren’t getting any of ‘my’ coffee. Got it?”

“Come on, guys. Can’t we drop this bullshit interaction for at least one day?” the disgust in Larry’s voice was abundantly evident.

“Sure. As soon as he acts like a real man and not some Trekkie nerd from the ‘70s.”

The slight to his favorite show was too much. “Look, you frigid bitch. Star Trek was the most ground-breaking show of its time. But you wouldn’t know that would you? Of course not. Your head is so far up your ass most of the time, you have yet to enjoy life.” Abdul’s outburst was, to say the least, unexpected. “How many dates did you turn down over the last six years? Well? Oh I know, about one hundred. Why?”

Judith attempted to defend herself with a quick retort.

“I’m not finished yet. We are so tired of you strutting around with your Playmate body and acting as if no one notices. Well, guess what Judith, you might be one hot piece of ass, but I would prefer the squirrels over you anytime.” Judith almost dropped her precious styrofoam cup. She could feel her hands trembling with fear instead of anger. Her mouth was slightly opened as if she were going to speak, but more in shock. He wasn’t finished.

Larry pulled out a Marlboro and lit up.

“Just like back at that diner. If it weren’t for Muki, I really believe those two rednecks would have given you a serious attitude adjustment. It’s time to drop the charade and quit acting all big and bad. You aren’t impressing anyone.” Sweat was seeping through his shirt as the tirade diminished.

Larry took another long drag and exhaled the blue smoke. It clung heavily in the air. None of them spoke. Never since they had known Abdul, had they seen this side. No one knew what to say.

“Excuse me, I’m getting some coffee and jerky.” Abdul pushed by Judith and picked up a cup.

Larry took one more drag, dropped the burning butt on the floor and then crushed the spent Marlboro. “Well, now that’s out of the way, think I’ll get some coffee and Fruit Loops. Muki?” She moved with him to the counter. Judith stood in the barren room by herself.

“Larry.”

“Yes?”

“Can I bum one?” Can she what? She doesn’t smoke. She doesn’t drink and she never uses drugs. Larry’s eyes questioned her request.

“Larry, can I bum one or not?” Instead of attempting to talk her out of it, he pulled one from the pack and handed it to her.

“May I also have a light?”

“Yes.” Larry pulled out the silver Zippo, flipped it open and spun the roller, igniting the flame. He gingerly moved his hand out of the way.

She leaned over, sucked deep on the one-hundred. Her virgin lungs seized as the harsh smoke invaded the pristine organs. Her first exhale was more of a violent cough as her body resisted the invader. She took in another deep drag. Her lungs were a little more accommodating—her brain wasn’t. The sudden rush of nicotine reduced the oxygen-rich air in the veins. She felt a little dizzy but retained her balance. She took a swig of her liquid gold then stared at Abdul. “You little shit. I didn’t know you cared.” Muki and Larry’s eyes moved to Abdul.

“Well dammit, I do. If you took a chill pill instead of biting everyone’s head off, you could be a seriously cool chick.” Judith thanked him for the compliment.

Larry bit down on some more jerky, washing it down with Judith’s blend. “Okay guys. Is the Jerry Springer Show over?” They both turned and smiled at Larry.

“Aye, Captain.”

“Yes, Larry, we’re cool.”

“Good. I’ve been thinking about our current predicament. The Rockies won’t be in town for two more days. I think it would be wise to stay here at least one more day. I don’t want to allow our friends another opportunity to fleece our money. I believe we should do a little exploring. Everyone game?”

“Aye Captain.”

“Why not. Beats standing around in this empty room.” Judith dropped the cigarette on the floor and ground it out.

“Sure Larry. Which way shall we go?” asked Muki.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that. It’s obvious this room was built to feed and house about thirty men. There has to be another door somewhere in this room. It doesn’t make sense based on the outside layout, that there are only two rooms. Let’s fan out and start tapping on the walls. If there’s a hidden door or entrance of some type in the wall, the sound should be hollow.”

* * *

“Smart kids indeed.” The old eyes studied the four as they slowly felt the northern wall for any sign of a hidden door. “They might be able to help me with my plans. Seems I’ll need to give them a little help.” A slender finger slid the cursor over the icon, unlock.

* * *

Muki turned one of the dials on the large industrial stove to the right and heard a click. She felt the stove move out from the wall about half an inch. “Larry, I think I found something.” What she didn’t know was the latch also unlocked the refrigerator from its resting place.

“What did you find?”

“Come here. The stove moved out from the wall when I turned the dial.”

Larry approached her and examined the floor. “Look guys, she’s right. It has moved.”

“How can you be sure, Captain? It could be an illusion.”

“No. Look at the refrigerator to the right. There’s a noticeable gap between the wall and the unit. See the track mark?” Judith brought her flashlight over and poured the beam into the crevice. Sure enough, something had moved.

Muki glanced up at Larry, “Now what?”

“Let’s see what else might move.”

The four of them poured over the stove moving all of the dials and opening the oven doors. Nothing. They stood back perplexed. Larry was getting frustrated “We’re missing something, I just don’t know what?”

“Captain, I don’t know. Maybe something is hidden in the refrigerator? Maybe we shall find some well-aged steaks or milk. It is times like these a synthesizer would come in handy.” He grabbed the large stainless steel handle and commanded as he pulled the latch open, “Computer, I would like....” As the door opened the sound of old gears engaging crept out from behind the wall.

“Ah, Captain?”

“Keep pulling, Abdul. There’s something back there.”

Abdul continued. The farther he opened the door the more the space between the wall grew.

“Keep going.” How the unit was moving away from the wall was unexplainable. There were no tracks or obvious wheels, yet it continued to move.

Judith was the first to offer a theory. “Could it be magnetized? Abdul could have triggered a mechanical magnetic sled lying under the floor. That would explain why there aren’t any tracks on the floor.”

Larry tossed her idea around. “Judith, there would still be tracks of some type, wouldn’t there?”

“Not necessarily. If it’s magnetic, there could be a buffer zone of energy created between the floor and the refrigerator allowing it to float instead of slide.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

“Okay, Captain. That’s as far as it goes.”

Larry and Judith studied the scene. Even though the unit was now three feet from the wall, revealing a dark void, there was no access to the void. “Judith, shine your light. Let’s see what’s back there.” She shone the light revealing more darkness.

Muki was the first to notice the obvious. “Look guys. It has to move either to the left or right. Look how it’s no longer flush with the counter. Let me try something.” She went back to something her father told her years ago about Asian philosophy, ‘when in doubt, the obvious is hidden before your eyes.’

She closed the door against the wishes of her friends, moved to the left side of the unit and pushed.

Larry knew she was no match for such a heavy unit. “Muki, it won’t wo—” The unit slowly starting hinging to the right, much to everyone’s amazement.

“I’ll be damned,” muttered Larry. “How’d you know?”

“Old Asian proverb.” She smiled as she finished pushing the refrigerator until it mysteriously locked to the floor revealing another entrance. “Judith, do you have any more flashlights?”

Judith glanced at Larry and hurried back to the car.

* * *

His eyes remained glued to the monitor. “Clever kids.”

* * *

Judith returned with another flashlight. She handed it to Larry and immediately refilled her coffee. The others stared at her as they contemplated the dark void in front of them. “What? Can’t let it go to waste.” They returned their stares into the abyss.

“Captain. Shall we move forward on impulse engines or shall I prepare the reactor for warp drive?”

Larry was irritated with Abdul’s constant Star Trek reference. This time he was right. Should they use caution or plunge directly into the unknown? “For the moment, impulse engines only. However, be prepared to engage the warp drive if it gets dicey.ˮ

“Aye, Captain.”

Larry took in a deep breath and cautiously moved forward. He and Judith led the way, methodically moving the small round orbs over the hallway. The walls were heavy with condensation from years of neglect. They did notice a string of embedded lights in the wall that had been unresponsive to the switch they found when they entered. The only discernible sounds were the shuffling of their feet on the damp concrete floor and the occasional drop of water to the floor.

They walked for almost four-hundred and fifty feet. Muki commented as the beams of light danced off the dark, wet walls, “Well, I guess we can mark off Carlsbad Caverns from our list of things to do.”

“You got that right,” quipped Larry. “This place has everything but the stalactites, stalagmites, and bats.”

In a hushed tone, Judith agreed. “Yeah, but we have squirrels.”

They continued descending into the void. “Okay, if this doesn’t end soon, I vote for going to Denver.” Judith’s remark was more of a demand than a question.

Larry continued moving the light from side to side. “Just a few more feet. If we don’t come upon anything of interest, we’ll turn back. Okay?”

“Okay.” They plodded on into the dark.

“Look up there.” Larry’s light was shining on a metallic door with a control panel to the right. “Looks like an elevator.”

“Well, that’s just great. What are we supposed to do, generate our own power so it will work?” Judith’s disgust was apparent.

“We’ve come this far. Might as well see if it still works.” Larry turned the light on Muki. The beam shone off her deep black eyes. “You brought us here. Take the honors.”

Muki appreciated the offer. Intellectually, she was the equal to her partners. Socially, she always stayed in the background until she was called upon. She was surprised, yet pleased, with the offer.

“Thank you, Larry.” She approached the panel and pushed the power button on the panel. A few seconds passed after her finger pressed the damp plastic button. Lights flickered on and off revealing a dark black down button. The noise they heard reminded them of sounds from an old black-and-white horror film. Loud banging and shrill screams of metal grinding against metal resonated behind the ominous black door. The whirl of motors turning joined the cacophony as they echoed in the hall.

They stood back from the door as if anticipating the appearance of Michael Myers, Jason or worse, Freddie Kruger. Abdul’s eyes darted back and forth waiting for the door to open. “I hope this doesn’t lead to the boiler room. That’s where they killed Freddie.” No one said a word.

One minute passed after Muki pushed the button. The tension mounted with each second. The sound of machinery stopped. The air was thick and stale. The down button brightened as the doors shuddered open. The overhead lights flickered with a hint of shorting out from all the accumulated moisture in the cover.

“Shall we?” suggested Larry. Timidly, each one entered the small room. Larry reached out and pushed the down button.

“I don’t want to rain on anyone’s adventurous parade, but what happens if we get trapped and can’t get back up?” Abdul did pose a valid question.

“We climb back up.” Larry’s words were dry and unconvincing.

The same thoughts ran through each one’s mind. Would the cables support the combined weight? Was there enough lubricant left on the bearings so they didn’t seize up? Would the elevator take them to the desired location, or would they become trapped and never found? A logical answer, and sound decision, would have been to turn around and continue with the planned vacation, instead of venturing into the unknown. Yes, those were the thoughts as the door closed, and they began their descent into the unknown.

Muki cautioned herself from speaking her mind. If this place is abandoned, what was providing the power for the elevator? Would not everything have been turned off? The light switches in the hall didn’t work, and there was no power upstairs. Where is the power coming from?

“Something on your mind, Muki.”

She looked up at Larry. “Nothing of concern, just thinking.”

* * *

“Good, it still works. Keep coming my children. If the plan I’m formulating works, we shall breathe new life into “MY” machine and those treacherous bastards will pay for their insolence. How dare General McCulloch and Senator Hodges pull the plug on “my” work? They will rue the day they were born. I spent ten years building this masterpiece and with the wave of a pen, they canceled everything!” His voice was trembling with rage as he ranted at the monitor.

“We could have changed so much. We could have spared millions from the injustices of WWI, WWII and Vietnam. We could have built the perfect society and government ever chronicled since man’s existence. Instead, the fools chose to be cowards and have temporarily thwarted my plans!” He was frothing at the mouth with hatred as he stood up. “NO! The fools. They canceled the project and turned a blank eye. Justice my friends! Justice will be mine!” He collapsed back into the swivel chair exhausted from the tirade.

* * *

For two minutes, the elevator descended into the depths of something. What, they didn’t know. Abdul again broke the uneasy silence encompassing the compartment.

“Scotty, I need more power.”

“Captain, I don’t think the dilithium crystals can take anymore.”

“Dammit Mr. Scott, more power!” His imitation of Kirk and Mr. Scott were a welcome relief even to Judith. The others chimed in with their favorite characters.

The elevator came to an uneasy stop and shuddered. The doors opened more slowly than when they had first done so. They stepped out into a massive black cavern. The lights flashed off a multitude of computer monitors, light fixtures, and an apparent abandoned armory. They could hear a very low hum. “We must have activated some auxiliary generator,” commented Muki.

They split up in twos in the hope of finding additional lighting. The first switches did nothing but click. The two groups moved cautiously deeper into the expanse. For some reason, the area to the right was much darker than the area they were in as if there were a massive hidden cavern. So far, nothing of importance. Several desk tables with monitors, and old IBM tower computers. Probably no more than an Intel Pentium 4 processor.

“How ancient,” mused Larry, “and to think, they sent men to the moon with less memory than our cell phones. They were true pioneers. I can’t imagine life back then. Absolutely primitive,” he stated. His comments produced uneasy laughter as they kept exploring.

After a few minutes, Larry made the discovery that the room they were in must have been an admittance area for visitors or workers. No research facility would have an armory in the main sector. There had to be more lurking in the darkness. They agreed to move into the dark unknown, but before going, Larry wanted a picture standing next to the archaic equipment. He believed archaeologists would find much amusement with his antics. The group begrudgingly agreed to take a few quick pics, and then proceeded into the abyss.

They found themselves in another dark, empty corridor. This one was much larger than the entrance. It was twelve feet tall and thirty feet wide. Heavy drops of condensation were slowly migrating down the walls and covering all of the overhead piping. The floor was damp but not wet.

Odd, thought Abdul, if the facility were indeed empty, depending on how long it had been abandoned, the floors would have an ample covering of water. There was no sign of recent activity.

Another large steel door greeted them at the end of the two hundred meter—long hall. There was a panel on the right allowing entry, with a key slot and keyboard. Larry punched the apparent on button. The panel lit up. Please enter your password, commanded an electronic voice. Larry punched in his Social Security number just for fun. Please enter your password, commanded the voice again.

Judith was becoming dismayed. “Guys, there’s no way to get past the door. There could be a million variables, and we only have four weeks of fun. Let’s turn around and leave. It’s been interesting, but looking at this door is not my idea of excitement, plus I’m starting to feel claustrophobic.”

“Calm yourself,” said Muki. “Let me try something. I have an app I downloaded before we left, and if my charger port matches up with the console, it might work. Give me three minutes.” Judith reluctantly agreed. Muki hooked the device up and hoped it would work some magic. Muki watched as the numbers lit up on the password screen. It was a twelve-digit code. This was going to take longer than three minutes. Two minutes already, and only two characters matched.

A slender finger moved to a keyboard and entered the correct passcode. The characters appeared instantly on the console. The door hissed and moaned as it slowly opened. The kids were in shock. Muki, more than the others. How did all the characters appear at once? The app wasn’t designed that well, or so she thought. “Larry, did you see how they all appeared at once?”

“Yep. Kind of weird, but then this is prehistoric equipment. Let’s see what you’ve uncovered.”

The four entered the massive cavern. They could feel its size wrap around them. There were a few emergency lights on, revealing a room the size of a football stadium. It rivaled the Death Star stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“Wow!” Was all they could say.

“What the hell is this place?” queried Larry.

“Prehistoric technology,” jibed Muki. “Mr. Spock, any ideas?”

“Ensign, until the sensors have properly scoped the area, I refrain from making an illogical conclusion.” Abdul couldn’t help himself. Even Judith was impressed with the room.

“Okay, now what?” she demanded.

“We shall explore,” replied Larry as he moved ahead without the others.

A pair of eyes peered over the top of reading glasses glued to the monitor. Such curious children. Obviously not sent by the government. They could prove beneficial.

Larry found a bank of light switches. “Scotty, I need warp speed now!” he exclaimed as his right hand pushed down all four switches.

Stunned silence bathed the room. The lights illuminated the most advanced equipment any of them had ever witnessed. None of the equipment was stock or from the shelf.

“Prehistoric, eh Larry?” added Muki and Abdul.

Words failed to describe what was reflecting off their retinas. They stared in amazement and wonder.

In a hushed tone, Judith whispered, “And we thought Stargate was something. Look at this place.” A myriad of switches and console panels covered the walls. There was a main station platform that Larry and Abdul slowly approached.

“Mr. Spock, shall I transport you to—”

“Knock it off, Abdul. It's time to be serious for a change. What do you think it does?” Both of them scanned the panel. It was enormous. Six feet by three feet. “Seriously, what do you think it controls?” All eyes scanned the room and saw nothing that would warrant so many different controls. Judith and Muki were walking fifty feet in front of them scanning the floor for clues.

“Uh guys, come here for a minute. I don’t think this is a floor.” The boys were confused.

“Judith, if you’re walking on it, it has to be a floor,” mocked Larry

“Listen as we walk,” she said

It was subtle, but it was there. With each footstep, there was a quiet echoing underneath them. They all walked around the floor listening. The verdict was agreed upon. It was a false bottom, but to what? After ten minutes, and a comparison of notes, the cover was thirty yards in diameter. They went back to the control panel and studied all the different controls looking for a clue that would possibly open it. Larry noticed an unlabeled button that showed a little more wear than the others.

“Guys, it would make sense that this button opens and closes the floor. It’s more worn than the others. Shall I?”

Judith’s patience started to wane. “Either push the button or let’s go. I’m bored stiff.”

Larry couldn’t help but look at her and smile.”Why is it math majors are so linear?” They both chuckled while Judith rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Get your panties out of a wad. We’re thinking.”

It was times like this she wished she could literally roll her eyes into the back of her head. Why are boys so immature? Proof—a masters doesn’t guarantee intelligence.

* * *

“That’s right, push the button,” came a coarse voice behind the dim light of the IBM monitor screen.

* * *

Larry glanced at Abdul and nodded. “Mr. Sulu, engage.” He pushed the button. A few seconds passed with nothing. No motors were heard spinning or gears cranking. Silence. And then a small vibration was felt reverberating through the concrete floor. Five pairs of eyes stared as the false floor slowly folded back into a recess. No appreciable noise was detected. It moved effortlessly and quietly. The signs of any moving machinery didn’t escape the wary, logical mind of Abdul. His mind couldn’t grasp the concept of an apparent concrete floor (at first thought) moving like a polymeric elastic plate with great strength. Kevlar had proven some of the characteristics, but all the experiments they attempted with making it structurally sound and elastic ended in failure. He was watching theory in action.

The floor opened revealing a dark, massive platform. A few security lights illuminated the platform. It was thirty-six feet deep and one-hundred and twenty feet circular.

“Captain,” Abdul spoke to no one in particular, “we have a hole.”

Judith knew exactly what Abdul was referring to. “Shut up you juvenile delinquent, because it’s the only hole you might ever enter in your lifetime.”

Her eyes rolled as he finished her thought.

“God, boys are so immature.”

Muki quietly laughed with Judith. She knew Judith’s words were wrong, but chose not to make mention of a rendezvous not too long ago.

Larry broke the tension. “Um, guys, I hate to break up this apparent love fest, but seriously, what in the hell have we discovered and what is its purpose?” Larry noticed the tall overhead hoist cranes when they first entered the control center. They couldn’t have been for installing material, for if they were, why were they still in place? The cables attached to the hoists were at least four inches in diameter. These were much larger than the ones he worked with at the GE plant in Philadelphia, where they built the generators and turbine engines for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Company. No, these were much larger and the straps/slings hanging on the walls were for heavy equipment. They looked large enough to carry a fully-built electric locomotive. But that was only supposition.

“Larry, are you suggesting there is more to this than meets the eyes?”

“Aye Scotty, I am.”

“Will you morons drop off the Star Trek references and speak like normal people, or is that asking for too much?” quipped Judith.

Muki chimed in. “It’s above their pay grade.” That brought the boys back to reality.

“There has to be a manual of some sort concerning the operation of this machine. I suggest we spread out and see if it still exists. What we have uncovered is very intriguing, to say the least, but I would really like to do one of two things.” Judith’s words were terse and concise. “One, we find the manual and understand what the machine does, or two, if we don’t find it in two hours, we leave and continue with our vacation.”

Larry was the first to answer, “Dammit Judith! Quit being a killjoy. Just once—just once in your life—would you take a chill pill and let your hair down?” Using her own words, “Is that asking too much? Every time we find something of interest, you get bored and ruin all of the—”

“All right. I’ll concede this one time. Instead of two hours, I’ll allow four. Remember, I have the keys and won’t hesitate to leave your asses.” Larry knew she would do it. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d left in a huff, and they’d been abandoned to find other transportation.

The other three agreed to the terms and discussed which areas each would search.

* * *

A spindly finger turned off the monitor. The hand moved down to the right and unlocked the desk shelf. The figure arose, moved to his left and quietly dislodged the lock. A thin smile broke across nicotine-stained teeth in much need of a dentist’s attention. “Yes, my children, seek and ye shall find.”

The specter walked away from the door and disappeared into another room, which would be most difficult to detect even to the trained eye.