Backup Plans
Sketch, Breaker and Isotophes were sitting in the small outer quarters of the base that looked out over the desert and under a thin canopy between them and the stars. They were drinking hot tea and trying to unwind.
"Did you get all the floor plans down?" Isotophes asked.
"Yes, yes, I still have to download the underground that leads to the airport. But if full power isn't restored, and we have to run off these back-up generators my equipment isn't going to be good for shit." Sketch said, rubbing the back of her neck to relieve the tension. Her spider sitting comfortably, balled up on her left shoulder.
"So far the plan is running on the hope that NASA is trying to steal another craft out of one of the underground chambers at Area 51." Isotophes mentioned as they looked over a chart. Sketch nodded her head. She looked back up at Isotophes.
"Did they ever have any good reason for doing this shit?" Sketch wondered.
"Dr. George found out who ordered all of it, but they always felt it was something that all belonged to them since the ordeal with the moon landing, but they never took too kindly to a separate government agency building the Area 51. Naturally NASA being who they are, wanted every damned thing they filmed and figured it all belonged to them." Isotophes told Sketch and Breaker with a tone of bitterness. "Nevermind that whoever were flying those craft were killed in the process of the great hijacking."
"Grand theft U.F.O." Sketch said dryly. Sketch leaned back and asked, "So what about the aliens in the storm now?"
"It happens with every magnetic storm that comes this way. My guess is that someone is still looking for their fellow pilots. Wherever they're from. And the spacecrafts." Isotophes paused for a moment. "But Area 51 wasn't the answer either. They were under the same kind of leaders that NASA had. It was always about war. Making deadlier war machines and destroyer ships from the technology of the crafts they had and then they began reverse-engineering and building more like the originals. Hording them and no one ever knew except those involved and those they dragged into being involved."
At this, Sketch and Breaker saw that the tragic persona of Isotophes was not a mere illusion. She had experienced things that were surely dark and scarring.
"My uncle shares a lot with me. He tells me that the aliens will be coming back to reclaim their crafts and that this time we're going to be sure to help them. Really, NASA has fucked up more lives than those of the unaware peeps on earth." Sketch said. Then after a few moments and shaking off the uneasy feeling they were feeling, Sketch changed the subject. "You know, those names sound familiar. Penn and Teller. I don't know why." Sketch thought for a moment, paused, then drew a blank. Isotophes shrugged.
"Well, at any rate," Sketch continued. "they're gonna have to go under code names while they're here, for security reasons. I was thinking something like Fester and Renfield or Siegmeir and Hans."
"I like Fester and Renfield. It has a ring to it, in a dark castle kind of way." Breaker quipped.
The next day, Dr. George and Sketch showed Penn the tanks and pointed out where all the gauges and read-outs were and how to read them. Penn took all of this in. Lurch was busy un-gluing Mole from an air vent opening and Teller was showing Ben a card trick. Ben tried his best but kept looking over his shoulder. "Do we have full power yet?!" Ben yelled over at Dr. George.
"I'm sorry, I'll have to do this later, Teller, uh, I mean, Renfield." Ben said and walked away. Teller looked very confused. He shook his head. By his visage, it was obvious that he was questioning the sanity of everyone. He saw a shadow pass by the slats in the nearby vent. Monday Eve and Breaker, who were nearby never took notice. Teller sighed with a very troubled look.
"I have a million things to do, Renfield, ask me later," Monday Eve said as she also left the room with Breaker following her. Teller had not asked any questions. Teller put his ear close to the vent. He strained to hear. There were mingled voices from the main room where everyone apparently was. He heard things like 'normal for these kinds of storms to linger', 'slowly circulating', 'abducted', and 'what we're trying to prevent'.
Teller dropped his deck of cards and ran out of the room in terror. Tripping on a wire coiled into a metal casing, he caused a panel of a nearby unfinished wall to crash to the floor as he fled. He ended up in a very large basket holding yards of canvas material which rolled into an empty drum, knocking it over. Realizing he was now in the main room, he jumped out and regained his composure.
"Hey, that was great, Renfield!" Penn said, patting Teller on the back. Isotophes led him away from the empty drum barrel so she could pick it up, so it wouldn't roll. "Safety first."
Ben checked the schematics of the generators, everything was running smoothly. Sketch looked over the floor plans again. "Hey, Isotophes, you know all the passages and trap doors here right?" Sketch asked in a 'just wondering' tone of voice.
"Yeah, every nook and cranny. Why?"
"Okay, take a look at this. All the regular doors and windows have been marked in red and green respectively. But these entrances here are. . .?" Sketch asked, indicating a few little marks on the floor plans. "Those are the secret entrances." Isotophes answered. "And These. . ." Sketch went on indicating a few more marks as she pointed them out, "have all been sealed. The rest are blocked. Why? This floor covers the same area right?"
"Of course." Isotophes looked closer at the plans.
"So why are we missing approximately 500 square feet? This space is unaccounted for." Sketch circled the area in yellow ink.
Dr. George came up from behind, looked over their shoulders and patted Sketch on the back. "That's another back-up plan." He said.
"What do you mean? The airport space isn't enough?" Sketch asked.
"The space is there, it's just something is occupying it right now. And no, the airport would not be a good idea for this particular item."
"Is that where the solar density gun is?" Isotophes asked directly. Suddenly Sketch and the rest knew why the space was unaccounted for. It was a hidden chamber that had to be kept encased in coolant.
"So are we nuclear?" Ben asked.
"Not exactly." Dr. George reassured him. But it wasn't really all that reassuring.
"Don't worry. It'll only be used on NASA hats." Dr. George said sharply.
Sketch then noticed another area. Another level that had ten times that amount of unaccounted for space, but let it go until she could get her uncle and Isotophes alone before pushing the issue.
Dr. George monitored the storm. It hadn't moved from the area of the compound and it hadn't dissipated. "Damn, we're in for a long stay, aren't we?" remarked a voice from behind. He turned to see Penn looking at the monitors over his shoulder, then nodding he continued tracking.
"Of all the places to run out of gas, we get stuck in Dullsville." Penn walked away, thoughtfully munching an apple.
Suddenly a bright flash of light lit up all the windows. It had an odd thing about it as it was reddish and it was followed with the eerie sound of metal scraping far overhead. There was a bright blue light and then everything went dark.
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