“Colonel, what the hell are we doing here and why are you telling us all this?”
“Because, gentlemen, you can’t go back to the lives you lived before all this happened. We can’t let that happen. The security risk is unacceptable.”
“So you’re going to kill us?” Juan’s voice tremored fearfully.
“Kill you? No, I’m not going to kill you,” Daniel’s laughed, “I’m going to offer you a chance to become a part of the most covert, well-funded, technologically advanced and dangerous intelligence organization in the United States.”
“And that would be…?” ventured Jack.
“We don’t even have a fancy acronym. That would mean a paper trail and government employees nosing around with budget spreadsheets and lots of questions. No, we can do without all that.”
“Who runs this nameless outfit, then?” asked Sam.
“I do. You’d report to me. That’s why I was in Pine Gap. I was there to vet you, Jack. Sorry Sam, you were just collateral damage on this mission.”
“Nice. Real nice.” Sam folded his arms, wincing as the stiches in his shoulder pulled against the wound.
“What about the Security and Intelligence Directorate? Won’t they have something to say when I don’t report in?” Jack queried.
The Colonel smiled, “Jack, you were never there. We’ve erased all trace of your service record. You’re now a ghost.”
The Colonel pointed to Juan and Dave, “You two are on board whether you like it or not. I’m sorry, but that’s how it is. We can’t have civilians running around out there telling the media we lost the war.”
Neither man responded. Their faces were a mask of shock and disbelief.
“Any questions?” the colonel finally asked.
Juan’s hand went up nervously, “Do we get to see the Stargate?”
Dave moaned and cradled his head in his hands.
Jack rolled his eyes and waited for Colonel Daniels to tell Juan to stop asking stupid questions.
But the Colonel merely glanced at the clock on the wall and shook his head, “Not today, son, we’ve got far more important things to be getting on with.”
Thank you for reading Ice Fortress. I hope you had as much fun reading the story as I did researching and writing it.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert B. Williams is an award winning freelance journalist who has specialized in military technology, Formula 1 motor racing and finance writing for the past 20 years. He is also the bestselling author of over 15 novels written under a pen name.
Williams now writes full-time, pursuing a lifelong passion to write adventure stories that set a cracking pace from page one and keep the reader turning pages and guessing, right through to the unexpected ending.