“Depends on where I’ve landed,” she said quietly, keeping her hands to herself and eying him warily. “Where are we?”
Danny turned his extended arm toward the old-timer instead. “Middle of nowhere, Nevada,” he replied. “You’ll learn more inside. Now, Mr. Hooks, let’s take it easy here. How’re you feeling?”
The old man smiled and shook hands. “I’m all right, Mr. Wallace. Can’t complain. Been building up my strength since our last little test. Feeling better today. But I’ll let you nice folks wait on me just the same.”
Danny nodded toward the door. “Right inside, then. We’ll get started when you’re all comfortable.”
Maggie held the door for the old man as he shuffled in, then followed as they were ushered into a large room full of chairs and tables — she’d been to enough army bases now to recognize a mess hall when she saw one — that had been turned into an impromptu conference room. The two others from the plane were already sitting there, folders in front of them; the rugged fellow was already leafing through the pages, while the young, shifty one was smiling and shaking hands with the four others inside.
“OK, if we can take our seats here, we’ll get going,” Danny said, walking toward the front of the room. “General? You want to start us off, sir?”
A man with two stars on his army uniform stood up and nodded at Danny. “Thank you, Commander. Welcome, everyone. My name’s General Bob Montague. I hope your trip went well. I know you’ve all been poked and prodded and tested for quite a while — a year or more in some cases — and your country appreciates your time and cooperation.
“We’re moving on to the next phase of our study,” the general continued. “You may recognize a couple of the gentlemen at this table. This is Dr. Detlev Bronk,” he said, motioning to a silver-haired man in a sharp suit and glasses, who gave them all a smile, “and of course you all know Commander Wallace here.”
Maggie looked over at Bronk and gave him a thin smile that he returned in kind, though she could practically see the strands of tension and discipline emanating from him. Such a serious guy. The idea of making him giddy enough to skip and dance briefly crossed her mind, and she had the feeling that it would’ve been the very first time he’d done either.
Bronk rose from the table with a folder in hand. “You may have already gathered by now that those around you are fellow Variants. Starting more than two years ago, you’ve each somehow acquired an unusual ability of some kind, an Enhancement — and yes, each one of you has a different ability. For the past year, we’ve been measuring the extent of your abilities and the control you have over them. That was phase one of our study. Phase two is much more experimental. We’re putting the four of you together to see how your abilities interact with one another’s. Through this, we’re hoping that we’ll learn more about what you can do and more about the source of these Enhancements.”
“You mean you don’t know?” the rugged man said. “All this time, you still haven’t figured it out?”
Bronk frowned. “Never said that, Mr. Lodge. At the moment, any information about the source of Variants and Enhancement has to remain classified, though, yes, studying you in action will certainly add to our understanding. We’re also hoping to step up the training you’ve received so that you can better use your abilities on behalf of your country.”
At this, the younger man smirked and laughed. “All well and good,” he said with a genteel Southern accent. “But what if, after all this time, we decide we have our abilities well in hand and don’t want to play anymore? I got a wife and kids, Dr. Bronk. I sure would like to go see ’em.”
“And we will make arrangements for that, Mr. Longstreet,” Bronk replied tersely. “As for your voluntary participation, I need not remind you of the expense and effort the United States government has already invested in each of you. The men who graduate from West Point or Annapolis are required to spend four years in the military, at minimum, as recompense for their education. The agreement you all signed stipulated a similar length of service, commensurate with the time and study you’ve received. In your case, you would be free to leave in approximately sixteen months — and, I should add, you would be given no further training in the application of your Enhancement. Plus, you would have to compensate the United States government for the assistance we’ve rendered you thus far. Are we clear, sir?”
The man named Longstreet frowned and slumped back in his chair, silent.
Bronk smiled slightly at this, then addressed all of them once more. “You are all, of course, United States citizens, with all of the rights and responsibilities that come with that privilege. You have abilities, yes, but we’ve seen how dangerous they can be. We must approve each of you, individually, before you are allowed to leave this facility, and will only do so once the training regimen we’ve given you has satisfied us that you have enough control so as to not harm the people around you. And yes, you’ve all signed agreements to serve your country after your training and evaluation is complete, and we are paying you generously in the interim. Your country is trying to help you, and we expect you to do the same for your country. Any other questions before we get started on the briefing?”
The old black man raised his hand, earning him a scowl from the Southerner. “Yes, sir, if I may. First, I want to thank you again for allowing me regular calls with my wife and son, and for the salary you’ve given me. My boy’s been accepted to Grambling, and I’m mighty grateful to you that we can afford to send him.”
“Congratulations, Mr. Hooks!” Bronk said, favoring him with a genuine smile. “That’s fine news indeed. Now, what’s your question?”
To Maggie’s surprise, she could feel waves of disgust and anger peeling off of that Longstreet man, despite his placid demeanor. She’d read about attitudes in the South, but feeling it so… viscerally… was a horrible thing and would only be worse if it had been directed at her.
The black man, however, continued. “Can you tell us exactly where we are?”
The question hung in the room for several moments before Montague answered. “Your exact location is highly classified. In fact, only about two hundred people know this installation exists, and only thirty-five know the extent of what we’re doing here, including everyone in this room. All you need to know is that we’re at a former US Army Air Force Auxiliary facility. The Atomic Energy Commission mapped this area out last year, and we’re using their designation for it in our official communications.
“You’re at a place called Area 51, the operational base for a project called MAJESTIC-12. And if you ever say either of those things out loud to anybody not in this room,” Montague said simply, “you’ll be arrested for treason and shot.
“Now let’s get started.”
Maggie looked around as everyone else opened up the folders on the tables in front of them. Lodge, Longstreet, Hooks… they were just like her. Variants. Different, but still very much everyday people in their concerns and desires. Love of family, worry about money, wanting to know what the heck had happened to them. All perfectly normal.
Except that it wasn’t. And despite what Bronk had said, there wasn’t going to be a normal, she felt. Ever again.
With a sigh, she opened the folder in front of her and began reading a letter from Harry S. Truman.
9
Life without booze was surprisingly OK.
Frank Lodge hoofed it through the last stretch of his five-mile run at a steady pace, leaving his compatriots in the dust — literally, as the whole Indian Springs complex was covered in a fine film of khaki-colored sand. Well, at least the parts he was allowed to see.