Elle - Capter Eight
RAIMES
There wasn't much left, he thought to himself. Poor bastard bore the brunt of the energy from whatever it
was that came out of that shell. A bloodied face looked up at him from the gerny. It used to look like Walters. Now, he couldn't describe it. The only thing he could recognize was the charred and bloodied name tag which still showed a partial picture of him. That and the bent metal frame of his glasses buried into his face. “Cover him up.”
The medic pulled the white sheet back over the body, “We will take him to the medical bay in the east wing and notify the family.”
Raimes gave a nod and then looked back at the outside of a building half caved in. He was surprised he made it out. The back wall had mostly survived and now stood like a half-broken eggshell. The energy had mushroomed out at a 45-degree angle towards the viewing room. Maybe the shape of the dome had made it project out that way, he wasn't sure. All he knew was it stunk like dirt, soot, and death.
Raimes swallowed trying to get rid of the bad taste in his mouth. Not only had he lost his best tech, he had no idea what he was meant to do now. No Stint meant no access. As for the thing that came out of the shell, it was long gone and they had no way to track it or even know if it was still on the planet. If it was, was that the start of a major attack?
“Mr. Raimes,” a voice broke his thought.
Raimes turned his head away from the half dome. “Yes,” he said exhaustively.
“Major Harren.” A stern square jawed man stood in front of him dressed in fatigues. A thick-fingered hand reached.
Raimes met it with his hand and felt a firm shake. “Gordon Harren?” Raimes answered.
“Yes,” The steely look of a man in command met his eyes.
“They sent the military to take over haven't they.”
Harren released his hand. “Not entirely,” He turned, one hand behind his back the other directing Raimes to walk with him. “We need to debrief.”
Raimes looked him up and down and then started with him. He was still sore down his left leg and limped the first few steps.
“Are you ok?” Harren went to steady Raimes with one hand.
“I’m fine.” Raimes continued walking.
“I’m sorry for the loss of your man,” Harren said, clearly operating with intent to break the ice. Raimes continued walking.
“My men will take care of the clean up, and let the next of kin know,” He continued.
“Yes, they said.” Raimes looked over at the med truck as two medics loaded Walter’s body into the back. He saw another on the other side… Probably one of the guards.
“Unfortunately we couldn't find Mr Stint, I was hoping…”
“You won't find him,” Raimes stopped and looked at Harren, “Whatever came out of that thing, it absorbed him, I saw it.”
The steely eyes narrowed, “Absorbed?”
“It came out of the shell, and somehow… vibrated.” Raimes was lost for better words, “And then…”
“The explosion?” Harren finished.
“Yeah.”
Harren’s lower lip bent upwards in a moment of contemplation. “So, would it be in your opinion, that whatever came out of that shell is still here?”
“In my honest opinion, I have no fucking idea.”
Harren directed Raimes again, “Please this way.”
They continued across the small field of emergency trailers and military vehicles that had been set up as a perimeter around the crippled building. Men hurried past them all taking care of certain clean-up areas, and containment equipment.
Raimes walked past them not giving much notice. They came to a large green trailer that looked more permanent than the others. On top, a few radar dishes and antennae stuck out.
Harren walked up some steel steps and opened the door for Raimes to walk through. “We can talk in here,” He said, Raimes passing him up the four steps.
Inside there were a half dozen men all sitting at monitors. The displays in front of them read out different information. He recognized it from their setup before the explosion. Radiation, heat, and what looked like cameras that they had set up inside the smoldering chamber.
Raimes walked in and stood in the middle of the room, “I need the room.” One of the Sargeants snapped to attention.
“Sir.” He then barked an order at the seated men and they all swiftly cleared the room. The last to leave closing the door.
Harren walked over to a small kitchenette along the far wall of the trailer. “Tea? Maybe a coffee?” He said retrieving two cups from one of the cupboards.
“Tea, thanks,” Raimes said. He walked around the trailer looking at all the readouts and displays. Similar to what they had, but, newer.
“I don't need to tell you what we have here is a pretty serious situation,” Harren began. “The Council had sent Stint down here to properly assess what you had found… and now,”
“Major, what happened, I take full …” Raimes started.
“What happened was Stint’s fault,” Harren turned and looked at Raimes. “Mr. Stint was an egotistical asshole who got himself killed and endangered the whole capital.”
Raimes was taken back for a moment. Was this another method to gain his trust? Make him seem approachable.
“What we need to do now is figure out where this thing is, and what it’s going to do next.” Harren turned back to the sink he was standing at. “Tell me what you know.”
Raimes swallowed again tasting that sooty off taste in the back of his throat. “We were showing Stint the object and what we had discovered so far. He wanted to see it up close, so Walters took him into the Chamber.”
“Walter was the head of your team?” Harren turned with two cups in his hand and held one out for Raimes.
“Yes, he was there when they went to retrieve the object and had been monitoring it.”
“Please have a seat,” Harren said.
Raimes took the cup and sat on one of the chairs in front of the monitors. Harren took a perch on the desk in front of him.
“Please, continue.”
“Well, for some reason when they were both in the chamber Stint approached the object. Walters was checking some data and tried to stop him, but couldn’t.” Raimes took a sip of tea and felt that thick bad taste wash down his throat.
“He touched the object and then the explosion?” Harren said both in question and confirmation of information he had.
“There wasn't anything we could do.”
“Oh, no of course not,” Harren said reassuringly, “I'm not here to point fingers or blame, I'm here to make sure whatever we do next is in the best interests of security.”
He stood up, “You see, I know what happened, we had video surveillance in that building since the get-go.” He plucked a videotape from the shelf and opened the case.
He pressed a button on a VCR plugged into one of the monitors and slipped the tape in with a click. With a press of the play button, the screen turned to static and then a split camera image of the chamber and the viewing room appeared.
Raimes saw Walters and Stint in the chamber, and next to it was the footage of himself, Ellis, and the two guards.
“I think you’ll find this interesting,” Harren said as they both watched the monitor.
The footage was a little shaky but Raimes could see enough. The video played out the events he already knew. Walters trying to get to Stint, the chamber being filled with light.
“I'm not sure why you're showing me this, I saw it happen,” Raimes said, fairly unimpressed that he had to watch.
“Sorry, just wait. I assure you, you want to see this,” Harren rebutted.
The screen filled with light and he saw Stint and the figure absorbed just before the blinding flash. The screen turned to static.
“I don’t…” Raimes begun.
“Here,” Harren pointed to the monitor.
The picture flickered and then the Chamber after the energy blast. In the center of the two halves stood a metallic humanoid. The video picked up enough detail to show reflective skin, two arms, legs, and a head. All are somewhat featureless.
“Jesus,” Raimes gasped.
The figure stood for a moment in the middle of the wreckage, the charred chamber ruins. The head turned up to face where the camera was. The footage flickered. It seemed to be vibrating slightly, becoming solid and then not solid. The footage flickered again before the humanoid figure blurred again and vanished. The video went back to static.
“That’s all we have,” Harren pressed the eject button and took the tape. “Whatever that thing was it knocked out all the cameras in the building after that.”
“When you asked me if I thought it was still here, you already knew it was,” Raimes said.
“I needed to know if you were open-minded Mr. Raimes.” Harren slipped the tape back in its case and set it on the desk, “I need to know if you are going to keep doing what is needed even if we don't know the answers.”
Raimes looked at him, what was he playing at? And, why was he showing him all this if they just intended to send him back to some assignment and cover this all up?
“Stint, although a very proficient man, was not open-minded. He lacked the sense of purpose one has when they want to find out if something is, or if something isn't.” Harren stood up and walked across the trailer. “You see, if I tell you to find this ‘being’ I know you will do what you need to. And, I know you will do it neutrally.”
“Neutrally?” Raimes queried.
Harren raised a hand and flipped one of the whiteboards over. On the back were drawings and figures, what looked like an attempt to list everything known so far about the Humanoid that came from the Shell.
“What do you see?” He asked.
Raimes looked for a moment. ‘Carbon-based’, ‘Humanoid’, ‘Gravity communications’. There were drawings of the shell and a few calculations scattered around the board. ‘Heat signature?’, ‘Gender?’, ‘Predator?’, ‘Weaponised?’. All these things they had listed trying to work out anything that could help.
Raimes picked up a marker and crossed off ‘Predator’ and ‘Weaponised’.
“It’s not here to attack us, at least not yet. If it was, we wouldn't be having this conversation.” He said placing the marker back down.
“You just crossed off the first things these men wrote. You see Mr Raimes you can look at a situation and all its elements without bias, but also with common sense.”
“I’m still not really sure what you want me to do?” Raimes was getting a headache, either from this conversation or fatigue, either way he was losing patience.
“You’re taking over from Stint,” Harren said directly.
“I am?”
“If we are going to approach this in the best way possible regardless of the situation, we need a level-headed person. You’re that man,” He pointed at Raimes with one of his thick fingers.
“You start as soon as you’re rested, pick your team, and you’ll get what you need” Harren added. He opened a drawer and retrieved a folder. “This is everything we have on the explosion and any energy readings we have, the two sections of the shell are quarantined. As soon as they are confirmed as a non-threat you will get access.” He passed the folder to Raimes. “Anything else you need you ask and I’ll do what I can.”
Raimes’s mind triggered, “Archives, I’ll need access to all the archives, including anything we have from the old NASA and CCCP.”
Harren gave a brutish smirk, “Ok, you’ll get it. Find out everything you can, we need solutions for the two main scenarios.”
Raimes looked at the folder. It wasn't very thick, but that was no surprise, “You need to know how to neutralize it or eliminate it.”
“Correct” Harren walked over to the door, “You only report to me, if anyone asks you tell them nothing outside of what they know.” He clicked the handle and pushed the door open. “Now, you need to get some rest.”
Amazon: A.D.H. Thomas
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