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“Can I help you?”
“Yeah, what’s going on? Is something wrong?”
“Didn’t you hear?”
“Hear… what?” Rick shook his head slowly.
“The general’s closing the doors early. We’re buttoning-up in three hours.”
Once again Rick felt his stomach lurch. “They’re closing the doors early? But what happened to the forty-eight hours?”
The woman shrugged. “No idea. If you’ll excuse me, though.” She dashed off before Rick could ask another question. He stood there for a moment, pondering what she said before he realized that the change was going to profoundly affect their chances of escaping from the complex.
“Shit!” Rick hissed under his breath as he turned and ran back down to get Jane and Dr. Evans. As he burst into his room they both looked up at him, smiling broadly.
“Hey! Perfect timing!” Jane jumped up from her seat next to Dr. Evans. “I think we’ve got something here!”
“That’s great, but—”
“Yes, yes!” Dr. Evans nodded furiously. “We most definitely have something here. It was all Jane’s suggestion that led to the discovery, too. See, we were—”
“Michael!” Rick shouted and Dr. Evans stopped talking. Before he or Jane could say anything, Rick continued. “They’re buttoning-up in less than three hours!”
Jane and Dr. Evans both remained quiet for several seconds before Jane raised her hand. “Question. What’s buttoning-up?”
“They’re going to close the main doors.” Dr. Evans removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Damn. Did anyone tell you why?”
“No. It’s busy as hell up there, though. Everyone seems to be in a mild state of panic about it.”
“No doubt.” Dr. Evans sighed. “We should get our things together. Jane and I were able to find some information that will prove useful once we’re on the road.”
Rick nodded. “Good. Explain it to me when we’re in the car. For now let’s get our bags and as much food and water packed up as we can fit without looking overly suspicious.”
“How are we going to get back out there with our bags without getting stopped, though?” Jane asked.
Rick gave a sly smile. “Don’t worry. I think I’ve got that covered.”
***
“You have got to be kidding!” Jane hissed at Rick as they walked down the corridor in plain view of a large number of military personnel.
“Keep quiet and smile!” Rick whispered back to her through gritted teeth.
Jane shook her head and forced a smile that she wasn’t feeling on any level. Walking a few feet behind Rick she carried two large black trash bags, one in each hand. Dr. Evans was behind her carrying the same while Rick had a large green wooden box in his arms. After watching a few people carrying empty boxes and more than a few black bags out earlier in the day, Rick had come up with the idea of sneaking their gear out via the same means. Though the plan was basic and seemed obvious he was glad to see that they were getting even less sideways glances than they had earlier in the day when they walked in and out while carrying nothing.
Look like you belong and nobody questions anything. I guess that works in NORAD, too. Rick suppressed a chuckle and stepped to the side to avoid running into someone coming through the interior door. He, Jane and Dr. Evans then passed by the twenty-five ton vault door and headed for the exit when Rick heard a familiar voice.
“Hey, what are you doing out here this time?” Rick lowered the box and saw the same soldier who had stopped them earlier. He flashed a smile and hefted the box back up.
“Somebody has to get all this out so we volunteered to help. The less trash inside makes it better for everyone, am I right?” Rick tried not to sound too overly enthusiastic about the task but he could tell that the soldier wasn’t completely convinced.
“Go ahead and set that down. I need to check it first.”
Rick kept his smile steady as he lowered the box to the floor. He glanced at the outer door, mentally going through the plan for what they would have to do if they were caught.
“Go ahead and open it up for me.” The soldier kicked at the box with his boot. Rick bent over, grabbed the top of the box and gently pulled it open. Inside sat a pile of refuse that he and Jane had collected from several garbage cans around the buildings while Dr. Evans had been busy finishing his packing. While not overly smelly the garbage had a definitive odor to it with the lid to the box open and the guard crinkled his nose. He stepped back and shook his head with a sour look on his face. “Better you than me. Go on, get it through.”
Rick nodded and picked the box back up, glanced back at Jane and Dr. Evans and continued on through the outer door. The soldier barely gave Jane and Dr. Evans a passing glance as they walked by and in a matter of seconds all three were standing out in the tunnel.
