D-Day (Time Patrol) by Mayer Bob

Author:Mayer, Bob [Mayer, Bob]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Science Fiction, Time Patrol, Time travel, Althernate History
Publisher: Cool Gus Publishing
Published: 2016-05-22T16:00:00+00:00

The Present

Our Present.

Area 51

EAGLE GLANCED ACROSS the cockpit at Orlando. “Are you sure?”

Orlando shrugged. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Someone dies.”

“People die every day.”

“We could all die,” Eagle said.

“That’s the whole point of the test.” Orlando pulled an oversized flask out of his pocket, unscrewed the lid, took a deep drink, then offered it to Eagle.

“I’m flying,” Eagle said. He had the Snake at 10,000 feet altitude, having taken off as soon as the three Russians boarded. Orlando had unbuckled the arms of the young woman’s straitjacket, then directed all three to go up the ramp into the cargo bay. Eagle had then flown the Snake, almost vertical, gaining altitude and circling, but not moving away from the position over the airfield.

“In the old days,” Orlando said, “pilots had balls. Big brass ones. A little drink wouldn’t have scared them. Hell, they were supposed to drink.”

“My shoulder is killing me,” Eagle said. “I should be on painkillers, but I’m not. You think I’m going to take a drink if I can’t take something for the pain?”

“You could take something for the pain,” Orlando pointed out, waggling the flask. “You choose not to.”

Eagle shook his head.

“It’s always about choice,” Orlando said. “Remember that. And hell, this thing can fly itself on autopilot.” He stood up from the co-pilot’s seat, which reminded Eagle he’d never buckled in on takeoff or put on his parachute as per SOP.

Eagle sighed and flipped on the autopilot.

Orlando stood in the passageway between the cockpit and the cargo hold. “Yo!” he yelled to be heard over the sound of the two jet engines. “Listen up.”

Boris, Princess, and Lara were on the red web jump seats along the outer edge of the bay. Boris and Princess sat on the same side, but with enough distance between them to indicate they wanted nothing to do with each other. Lara sat on the other, cross-legged, eyes closed. She didn’t open them at Orlando’s shout. The harness was still around her body even though her hands were free. She seemed used to it.

“Why are we here?” Boris shouted back.

“They didn’t tell you?” Orlando said. “Oh, that’s right. They weren’t supposed to tell you. You’ve all volunteered to try out for the most super-secret, best of the best, covert unit in the world.”

“I did not volunteer,” Princess complained.

“Who does?” Orlando said. “If you really were volunteers, we wouldn’t want you. It would mean you’re stupid. We don’t do stupid here.”

“Where is here?” Boris demanded. “What is this Area 51?”

“Now, thirty years ago,” Orlando said, “that question might be sorta legit. But seriously, son. You don’t follow the news? You didn’t see Independence Day? The original or the sequel? I hate sequels, although Aliens was pretty good. And the second Godfather. That was good too. Maybe better, but it’s debatable.” Orlando pointed. “That way is the Nevada Test Site. Seven-hundred and thirty-nine—”

“Seven-hundred and forty,” Eagle corrected him, remembering their last Nightstalker mission, after the Cluster-Frak in Nebraska.

“Seven-hundred and forty nuclear weapons have gone off there,” Orlando said.

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