All three Marines hated to go into dangerous situations blind, especially when the scant recon intel they did have came second-hand from an SAI Humanoid. The operation was further complicated because the organics at the site were non-combatants and had limited knowledge of what had happened to Hal. Or did they? Were they innocent or complicit in what they would unleash on the human race? If Hal had been vaporized by the bomb 72 hours earlier, the scientists and developers would not be in jeopardy. That was not the case; they were liabilities and did not know it. There were too many unknowns to be confident that the upcoming attack would be a quick in-and-out. If the government’s solution was to drop another bomb, there may not be an out, and the clock was ticking.
* * * * *
Chapter #17 – Attack Plan
Russ drove as they headed north on I-81 toward the upper corner of the Shenandoah Valley near the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. There they had an isolated cabin deep in the forest where they stayed for what was supposed to have been a five-day hunting trip before getting sucked into their current predicament. The conversation between Hal and the team revealed new layers of urgency, and as the complexity of their situation doubled, priorities became crystal clear. The success of this mission lay squarely on their shoulders, and the mystery of the unknown lay in front of each of their minds.
Hal made a strong case that they needed to get upstream from the location of his bunker rescue to accomplish two primary objectives. The first was to warn his developers of their risk before the government’s dark forces treated them as loose ends. If he had been blown up in the bunker, they would have nothing to fear, but he had not been eliminated and knew everything about the covert program. The people who developed him were loose ends, as was he. If the dark side was willing to kill a highly functional SAI humanoid and three Marines, why stop there when more evidence of their secret needed to disappear? Their target was most likely on the map as another ‘X’.
Hal’s second objective had the potential to get them all killed – Destroy the production facility to scuttle the SAI killer humanoid development program. The danger they faced was largely unknown, and the semblance of a plan had not yet formed. Russ knew diligent recon had to take priority to learn about the area of operation for formulating a tactical plan of attack. He needed reliable intel before plunging into an unknown scenario with guns blazing. How many SAI killer humanoids were under construction? Was it two more like Hal or two hundred more? How many defenders would they face at the site they needed to penetrate?
Russ’s tactical mind raced and listened to his team talk intently as he drove toward their cabin, thinking through priorities to determine a first step. “Hal, do you know exactly where you were created?”
“Yes,” said Hal, “my archives have complete history with detailed GPS data from my inception to field trial failure and everything since meeting your team. My inception was in a bunker deep in the mountains off the Skyline Drive in Virginia. It was an underground facility 20.8 miles south of the Front Royal Skyline Entrance Station. It is an underground bunker off an unmarked maintenance track, about four hundred yards south of the Hogback Overlook at mile marker 20.7. The gated track leads downhill through numerous switchbacks to the facility’s entrance.”
Russ nodded, “That helps, but I need to know more. How did it compare to the bunker we rescued you from before they bombed it, and how secure is the facility? What can you tell us about the approach, fortifications, and any security measures we must avoid?”
“I can do that, but remember you threatened them with your call, and security may be significantly increased; however, avoidance will not be an issue when they cannot see us,” Hal explained.
Russ grumbled, “Right. That’s great if you’re a supercharged humanoid who can cloak himself on demand, but what about the rest of us? I have a serious problem allowing you to enter the facility as a one-man band, and I don’t like it. We don’t know enough about the area of operation, level of resistance, or the extent of security measures. As powerful as your weapon system has proven effective, I have a personal objective: your safety. I see this facility as either the end game for us or the beginning of something much more ominous. We must treat this as something ominous, with you remaining alive as a priority outcome.”
When they arrived at the trailhead, Russ parked the Humvee deep behind a heavy undergrowth of rhododendron and a tangle of mountain laurel where they unloaded bursting packs of gear and rucks. The hike to the cabin was several hundred yards, most of it uphill, giving them a workout as they humped supplies and weapons brought from Dan’s farm. They carried all manner of instruments of lethal force, from bricks of Semtex explosives, automatic rifles, machine pistols, drum-fed riot shotguns, smoke and fragmentation grenades, and ammunition, plus Hal as an SAI force multiplier. A nagging lack of actionable knowledge continued to raise caution for Russ. Marcus and Marty had the same unspoken concerns in their eyes. None of them wanted to operate in the blind.
With extra gear stowed, the next level of planning reconvened in earnest as they poured over maps accessed over the internet using a satellite phone. A map of the area where the maintenance trail left the Skyline near mile marker 20.7 was not marked on the map, even with maximum zoom, which was not a surprise. Russ put the GPS coordinates into his phone to navigate their approach east over mountain roads from the cabin to access I-66 East to Front Royal and the Skyline Entrance Station.
Russ stood up from studying maps and stretched, “Y’all know, getting there will be the easy part. Hal, you’ll be essential to recon the area of operation since you’ll be cloaked. I get that, but the three of us need to be inside the facility with you. A second ago, you said, …when they cannot see us, please explain the ‘cannot see us’ part. Do you have more SAI tricks we don’t know about yet?”
“Tricks?” questioned Hal, not showing any amusement and using an abrupt tone they had not heard before. “I don’t do tricks, Mr. Carter, but I have more you have not seen yet. Do you want me to review every detailed capability now, or can we move on with planning?”
Marcus erupted with no apologies and plenty of momentum toward Hal, “Listen, Dude, it’s about time you start givin’ it up. If you’re tellin’ me we’ll be invisible, I need proof, not promises. Until I’m convinced, my large black ass will not be left hangin’ out. It ain’t gonna happen.”
“Same goes for my white ass,” added Marty.
Russ ignored the growing skirmish, recalled his recent experience with AIMEE, and wondered if somehow there was a way for Hal to accomplish a similar connection. What about Singularity?
No, Hal replied, but selectively similar. Some of my capabilities can be shared—specifically, cloaking.
The guys need to hear you say it and need to see it. Hell, we all need to see it, thought Russ.
Hal did not respond verbally or telepathically but made a silent proclamation by disappearing. They had seen him disappear at Dan’s Farm and anticipated it was part of his response, so this was no surprise to any of them. What they did not expect was Russ disappearing five seconds later.
“Holy shit!” shouted Marcus looking around in wonder.
When they both reappeared behind them a few seconds later, Hal asked, “Need more proof?”
Marty jumped at Hal’s question and whirled around, saying nothing, but his mouth hung open, offering no words. Marcus flinched and turned, staring in stunned silence.
None of the Marines said anything, but their minds raced with unasked questions, and Hal heard them all. He said, “I have the power to transfer select capabilities to certain organics, and I just proved that cloaking works per your request, Marcus.”
“Define certain organics,” demanded Marcus, not yet fully satisfied.
Hal said, “I am a Mod 3 SAI Humanoid and can transfer select capabilities to any organic with whom I have established a telepathic connection. You are all viable candidates for the transference of cloaking. When cloaked, you can also walk through walls. You will also have enhanced vision and audio to see and hear through.”
Marcus started firing questions, “What about our weapons? What about tossing an invisible frag grenade? Will an invisible grenade deliver an invisible explosion?”
“Anything in your possession will be cloaked with you, including anything you pick up,” answered Hal. “A grenade will remain cloaked as long as it is in your possession. Once thrown, it will become uncloaked, and the detonation will be as loud and lethal as always.”
“Okay,” said Marty, “how do I cloak myself?”
“You don’t,” said Hal, “I control cloaking and uncloaking.”
Russ asked, “What about friendly fire if we’re cloaked? I don’t want us shooting each other because we can’t see each other.”
“Good question,” said Hal. “Do you all remember when Russ and I disappeared? Could you see either one of us? You could not, but Russ and I could see each other as a glowing version of ourselves. Let me demonstrate.”
Before anyone could question or protest, they all became cloaked and disappeared from the room, but not from the sight of one another. They quickly saw themselves and, as Hal described, as slightly glowing red images of each other. “Your vision will operate like thermal imaging, but only your team will appear in red. If one is inside a structure and you are outside, you will still be able to see their image.”
Marty whispered under his breath, “Whoa!”
Hal continued, “Look at the front door. It’s closed. Now, focus beyond the door like it was open, not obstructing your vision.”
It was Marcus’s turn to marvel at the power of his newly enhanced vision when he could see the porch outside. “That’s some serious shit, Dude.”
“Russ, please walk out onto the porch…without opening the door.”
“Okay, what’s the trick? How do I walk through a solid wooden door?” asked Russ.
“Touch the door and walk through it,” said Hal. “Once you step onto the porch, stay there for a minute before walking back inside.”
Russ had used the enhanced vision received from AIMEE the first time when they stormed the bunker to rescue Hal, so he focused beyond the door and slowly approached it. When he touched its surface, he felt the texture of the wood for an instant before his hand penetrated the surface, followed by the rest of his arm and body, slipping into and through the door. A sensation of pushing through a shroud of something he could not define evaporated as soon as he stood on the other side of the door. He said nothing, but thoughts boiled. How the hell did that just happen?
“Yikes, a bear,” exclaimed Marty.
“Can either of you see Russ?” asked Hal, speaking to Marcus and Marty.
Marcus spoke first, “No.” He paused for a heartbeat and said, “No, wait, yes, I see him usin’ my x-ray vision.”
Hal spoke, Russ, come back inside, and I’ll answer your questions.
Marty flinched when Russ came back through the unopened door.
Hal said, “You all probably don’t want an explanation of String Theory, do you?”
Marcus said, “String what?”
“Thought as much,” said Hal. “Here’s the simple version. How I walk through a solid surface is a function of particle physics and increasing the vibration of the one-dimensional string particles that make up the matter of my body—speeding those particles up changes my matter into energy, making me invisible. Similarly, it allows me to slip between the particles of other matter comprising the door, a wall, or anything else comprised of matter, but there’s much more to it…”
Russ interrupted, holding up his hands in surrender, “I think we’ve heard enough, professor, and we can finish planning on our way to the bunker. We’re burning valuable daylight, and it’s at least two hours to get to Front Royal from here on these back roads to I-66. Let’s kit up and hit the road. I want to get there by sundown to begin recon.”
* * * * *
Thanks for reading Chapter #17 with more coming soon!
Future chapters will be posted on Learningbyliving and my new Substack site.
If you’d like to delve into the storyline across the four books leading up to “Untethered,” go to my Amazon Author page or check out each book here:
Book #1 – “Dreamscape Conspiracy” & Video
Book #2 – “Beyond Dreamscape Conspiracy” & Video
Book #3 – “Fear the Jump” & Video
Book #4 – “Dead Thoughts” & Video
Stay tuned…