“Whoa!” Kelly said when he came to a halt. “You expect me to believe that?” “I don’t give a shit what you believe,” Turcotte said.
“Hey, don’t get smart with me,” Kelly said. “I saved your ass back there.” “You only saved our ass if what I just told you was the truth,” Turcotte replied. To his surprise Kelly laughed.
“Good point.”
“So, I’ve told you our story,” Turcotte said. “Why were you there?”
“I’m looking for a friend of mine who has disappeared trying to infiltrate Area 51, and you got off the shuttle plane from that place. I didn’t plan on getting caught in a gun battle. Have you heard about a reporter named Johnny Simmons getting picked up trying to get into Area 51 two nights ago?”
“There was a lot going on that night,” Turcotte said. He glanced at Von Seeckt.
“If he disappeared trying to get into Area 51,” Von Seeckt said, “he is either dead or he has been taken to a government facility at Dulce, New Mexico.” Turcotte remembered Prague mentioning that place.
“I don’t think he’s dead,” Kelly said. “The man who was with him — a guy named Franklin — he was reported killed in a car crash that night. If they were going to kill Johnny, it would have been just as easy for them to put him in the car with Franklin. I think he’s still alive and that means we have to go to New Mexico.”
“Wait a second…” Turcotte began, but Von Seeckt was nodding his head. “Yes, we must go to New Mexico. There is something there at Dulce we will need. Can you take us there in your car?”
“Yes. And I’ve got a place in Phoenix that we can stop at on the way,” Kelly said.
Turcotte sat down on the couch and rubbed his forehead.
He had a massive headache and it was getting worse. His side ached and he was tired. “No. We don’t go anywhere,” he said.
“You can stay here,” Kelly said. “I’m going after Johnny.”
“We need to stay together,” Von Seeckt said in German.
“Why?” Turcotte asked.
“Hey!” Kelly yelled. “None of this talking around me.”
“I was just telling my friend that we need to stick together,” Von Seeckt said. “No,” Turcotte said. “I’m done with this. I’ve done my duty and now it’s time for someone else to deal with this.”
He grabbed the phone.
“Who are you calling?”
“None of your business,” Turcotte said. He began to dial the number that Duncan had given him. On the eighth digit the phone went dead. He looked up to see Kelly holding the cord, which she had unplugged from the wall.
“It’s my phone,” she said.
“This isn’t a game!” Turcotte slammed the phone down.
“I know it isn’t a game,” Kelly replied just as loudly. “I just got shot at. My best friend has disappeared. He”—she pointed at Von Seeckt—“almost was murdered. I don’t think anyone in this room thinks it’s a game!”
“Plug the phone back in.” Turcotte spaced the words out.
“No.”
As Turcotte began to stand, Kelly held up a hand. “Listen to me. Before any of us does anything, let’s get on the same sheet of music.”
“I agree,” Von Seeckt said.
“Who said we were voting?” Turcotte asked. He walked over to the room door and opened it. Screw these people, he thought. He was tired and hurting and wanted nothing more than to forget all about Area 51 and this entire mess.
He’d done his job and it had almost cost him his life. They couldn’t ask any more of him.
He went down to the lobby and over to the first phone booth. Using his own phone credit card he dialed Duncan’s number. It rang three times, then it was picked up, but the answer wasn’t at all what he’d expected.
A mechanical voice came on. “You have dialed a number that has been disconnected. Please check the number and dial again.”
Turcotte punched in the ten numbers again. He was certain he had them right. And received the same response.
“Fuck!” he hissed as he slammed the phone down, earning himself a dirty look from a woman two phones over.
He went to the elevator. Had the number been bogus to start with? Or had he been cut off after going in? What the hell was going on?
He opened the door. Kelly barely looked up. She was grilling Von Seeckt. “But how did the government get the bouncers? And why are they hiding them and pulling all this deception shit? And what was the small sphere that made Turcotte’s helicopter crash? And why were they trying to kill you if you were one of them — one of Majic-12?”
“Because they have gone too far,” Von Seeckt said. “Are going to go too far,” he amended. “In four days they will cross the line.”
“What line?” Kelly asked.
“Welcome back, my young friend,” Von Seeckt said.
“Have you decided to stay with us?”
“I haven’t decided anything,” Turcotte muttered. He slumped down in one of the chairs by the window.
“This is the biggest story in years,” Kelly said.
“And if you run it, your friend is dead,” Turcotte couldn’t help throwing in.
“Your phone call doesn’t appear to have cheered you up,” Kelly said. Turcotte didn’t reply.
“We must do this ourselves,” Von Seeckt said.
“Do what?” Turcotte snapped.
Von Seeckt looked at the piece of paper in his hand and read. “‘Power, sun. Forbidden. Home place, chariot, never again. Death to all living things.’” “What?” Turcotte was totally confused.
“May I please use your phone?” Von Seeckt asked Kelly.
“Certainly,” Kelly said.
“How come you’re letting him call?” Turcotte asked.
“He said please,” Kelly replied.
“Wait one,” Turcotte said to Von Seeckt, holding up his hand. “I’m pretty much in the dark here, like she is. But we’re all in the same shit pile. I know what happened in Nebraska. And I saw what they tried to do to you at the medical annex. And I saw what they have in those hangars back there at Area 51, but I don’t know what the hell is going on. Before you make any phone calls, tell us what is going on.”
“They are going to try to engage the propulsion unit of the mothership on the fifteenth of this month. I fear that when the engine is engaged there will be disaster.”
“I know that—” Turcotte began.
“Mothership?” Kelly cut in, which necessitated a brief description by Von Seeckt.
“How will engaging the engine be a disaster?” Kelly asked.
“I do not know exactly,” Von Seeckt said. “But there is someone who might. Which is why I need to use the phone.” He looked at Kelly. “Let me have the address of this place we will be stopping at in Phoenix.” Kelly gave it to him and Von Seeckt dragged the phone into the bedroom suite and closed the door behind him.
Turcotte frowned but bowed to the situation. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Better late than never,” she said.
“What?”
“Forget it.” She pointed at the closed bedroom door. “Is he on the level?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Turcotte said.
“Great.”
General Gullick steepled his fingers and looked around the conference table. Dr. Cruise was holding an ice pack to his temple. The other members of the inner circle were also there. Dr. Duncan, naturally, had not been informed of the meeting.
“Priorities,” Gullick said. “One. Mothership run-up and propulsion engagement. Ferrel?”
“On schedule,” Doctor Ferrel said. “We’re analyzing the data from the run-up.” “What about the physical effect that Dr. Duncan complained about?”