SPENCER CALLAGHAN_The Fight for Heaven and Earth by Ryan Conway

Author:Ryan Conway [Conway, Ryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-08-15T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The Research Center

S pencer woke up abruptly, feeling totally relaxed. It was so quiet and peaceful in the jet that it was hard to believe they were flying at all. After an intercom bell sounded—probably the first ring had woken him—the pilot announced the jet's descent and approach. Master Xin and Sean Galloway, who were speaking together quietly, returned to their seats and buckled their seat belts. Spencer peered out his window at the dark night sky as the jet descended through layers of cloud. He had to swallow a few times to get re-accustomed to the change in air pressure. Mountains, trees, and highways slowly became visible. First he saw lights in the distance; then Spencer realized the terrain was mountainous, forested, and snow-capped.

Beacon lights faintly appeared in the distance among the mountains, and the jet vectored between the peaks. Suddenly a large, rectangular opening became visible on the face of the mountain straight ahead; Spencer realized it was a huge cavern when he saw that the floor of the opening was lined with runway lights. The landing gear was lowered, the engine throttled back, and the wings adjusted so their resistance slowed the aircraft's approach. Spencer lay back in his seat and tightly gripped the ends of his armrests, more than a little shocked at what he was experiencing. Tom looked over at Spencer, smiling. "You weren't expecting that, were you?"

"I didn't think a jet could land on a runway inside a mountain," Spencer gasped.

"Hey, they land on aircraft carriers all the time."

The tires finally made contact with the pavement and decelerated as it continued rolling down the runway. Spencer relaxed his grip on the chair and exhaled in relief, just as the jet jerked slightly. "Tailhook," Tom explained. The jet finally rolled to a stop and began to taxi.

"Are you serious?" Spencer exclaimed. "There's really enough room for this inside a mountain?"

"Get low enough inside a mountain range, and there's enough room for anything—with the right equipment," Tom replied.

The jet halted near a large, brightly-lit archway. The other passengers unbuckled their seat belts and began gathering their belongings, which was the cue to Spencer that it was safe to stand up and move around the cabin once again. He grabbed his backpack and suitcase and followed Tom toward the hatch. By the time it opened, a mobile staircase had already been positioned outside, leading to the threshold of the archway. They de-boarded single file, headed straight towards the opening. It led them down a corridor and into a spacious domed hall of stone. Uniformed people were performing different activities throughout the hall, passing back and forth through the numerous passageways that debouched into it. Most appeared to be aviation technicians of one kind or other. Other personnel provided special services, such as serving in a food court located off a nearby corridor, which Sean explained was complete with restaurants, snack bars, and cafes. At the center of the round chamber stood a large sculpture shaped like a giant coin standing on edge.

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