Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) (22 page)

“There’s
a tunnel that runs for forty miles?” Eddie asked.

“That’s
nothing. The tunnel from Edwards Air Force Base to Area 51 is about three hundred
miles or so.”

“How
have they managed to keep it a secret?”

“Just
like any other military secrets, there have been some leaks and rumors, but
they’ve always been negated. The military claims that the tunnels are just
stories. It’s been said that the tunnels couldn’t possibly exist because a
tunnel of that extreme length wouldn’t have enough air ventilation.”

“That’s
right though, isn’t it? How
do
they have enough air?”

“There
are several substations and outlets along the way through various other military
and government installations. Some are through secret tunnels and caves in the
desert. The IIA offices are an example of one the stops.”

“Why can’t
we just go straight to the IIA office?” Grace asked. “Wouldn’t it save a step?”

“You
wouldn’t be allowed in, especially without identification. Security is tight,
and military personnel never come through the front gate. The military doesn’t
want anyone to know that they have ties or connections with the IIA. If you
arrive in uniform through the tunnel, no one should question your presence. Of
course, there’s always the possibility that a tracker could be there and might
recognize you, so try your best to stay unseen.”

The plan
was simple—in theory. Inside Colonel Davis’s office, inside of a locked
cabinet, was a special IIA pass that would allow them access into the guarded
tunnel entrance. Ian had explained that Colonel Davis never worked on Sundays,
and his secretary usually didn’t either. As a cover, Grace carried a plastic
garment bag with uniforms. If questioned to explain her presence, she would say
that she had been asked to deliver his dry cleaning. Eddie followed at a
distance, just in case someone happened to be there. Grace would be able to
explain her presence, but it didn’t take two people to deliver dry cleaning. If
the Colonel’s secretary was there, Grace would draw her away, so that Eddie
could gain access.

When
they rounded the corner, they were pleased to discover that the Colonel’s
office waited in darkness. They glanced up and down the hall, but it remained
vacant. Grace tried the door and discovered that it was locked as expected. She
stepped aside, and Eddie placed his hand on the doorknob. A few moments later,
the doorknob easily turned, and they were allowed access inside.

After
Eddie quietly closed the door, behind them, Grace smiled in admiration and
whispered, “That was amazing!”

They
made their way through the first room, past the secretary’s desk, and entered a
second room. On the door was a gold engraved nameplate that proclaimed it to be
Colonel Davis’s office. They left the lights out; the sunlight that shone
through the window provided enough light. A large desk in the middle of the
room showcased several framed pictures of a woman and teenage children, whom
she assumed to be the Colonel’s family. They skirted the desk and continued
toward a tall, metal wall cabinet with two doors.

When
Eddie jiggled the handle, he found it to be locked as well. Grace watched with
fascination as he effortlessly opened it. There were four IIA badges hanging on
lanyards from a hook on the inside of the door. Eddie removed two and handed
one to Grace. She placed it around her neck and then tucked it under her shirt
so that it would remain undetected. They wouldn’t have an opportunity to return
to the Colonel’s office, and Grace hoped that he wouldn’t notice the absence of
the badges anytime soon.

After
Eddie closed the cabinet door, he held his hand over the handle once more and
then checked to make sure that it was locked. He made sure to relock the office
door as well, and then they retraced their footsteps down the hall.

Grace
stopped at the first restroom they came to and left the garment bag hanging on
a hook, in a bathroom stall. She looked in the bathroom mirror, to see if
anything about her appearance looked out of the ordinary, but she had to admit
that she did look the part. She patted her bun to make sure that she didn’t
have any hairs dangling out of place and then turned for the door to meet Eddie
and begin the next round of their adventure.

*****

After a
few wrong turns and a couple of stops to look at the map, they arrived to the
north side of a dry lake bed located in the southwest corner within the base
boundaries. From a distance they could see small airplanes land and take off.
The lake bed appeared to house a small airport. Ian had explained that certain
government officials and various other dignitaries, who wanted to keep their
arrivals anonymous, were given special permission to fly in. The lake bed
provided more anonymity than the more public and visual area of the runways on
the main part of the base.

They
located the small, lone garage. Just as Ian had described, a few military
vehicles were randomly parked around its perimeter. A man in camouflage sat in
a metal folding chair next to the front door. With a coffee cup in hand, he
casually flipped through a magazine and appeared to be on break, but Grace knew
better. Ian had explained that this building was guarded twenty-four hours a
day. Inside, she knew they would find at least one more guard, who would
hopefully grant access to the elevator that would lead to the masked tunnel
below.

Grace
was thankful that, in their pretense of uniforms, Eddie outranked her. As
Technical Sergeant, he would naturally explain the purpose of their visit, and
she, as an Airman First Class, would hopefully nod and smile and follow quietly
behind.

The
guard closed his magazine and eyed them closely, as they neared the building.
Grace held her head high and strode forward with what she hoped was a confident
look that said she had every reason to be there.

“Good
morning,” Eddie said. He pulled out his IIA badge and held it up for the guard
to examine. Grace noticed the guard’s rank and quickly joggled her memory of
Ian’s rank identification lesson. The guard was a Staff Sergeant, which was one
rank below Eddie. This could be a good sign; it would hopefully mean that he
wouldn’t question Eddie’s presence.

“Morning,”
the guard replied. He set his magazine on the folding chair and examined the
badge closely. “You’re new?”

Eddie
glanced casually at Grace and nodded with a smile. “That’s right. Just
transferred from Nellis, about a month ago. I’m working under Colonel Davis.”

At
hearing the Colonel’s name, the guard seemed to relax slightly and turned to
Grace. “You new around here, too?”

Thankful
that they had role-played various scenarios on the drive from Roswell, she was
prepared for the questioning. “Oh no, I’ve been here since basic.”

She
noticed the guard eye the rank on her uniform. “You plan on going in, too?” he
asked warily. “We don’t usually get many visitors through here.”

Grace
showed the guard her badge and was thankful when Eddie spoke for her.

“She’s
been assigned to me. Colonel Davis has some business he needs me to attend to,
and I’ve brought her along to type up some documents once we get to our
destination.”

The
guard’s aura had begun to show signs of suspicion. It was time to turn on the
charm. She focused on his energy while Eddie continued to talk. When his aura
brightened, she smiled sweetly and said, “You must get awfully bored sitting
out here by yourself all day, Sergeant.”

The
guard looked at her and she was relieved when he smiled. “You’re right. It does
get pretty boring. It’s always nice to have someone to talk to when we get
visitors through here.”

 “Well,
good. Then you’ll have something to look forward to when we return.”

“I will
definitely look forward to that. When you go inside, you’ll want to head to the
back of the building. Sergeant McDaniel will ask you to sign in. Make sure you
have your badges ready to show.”

The
guard picked up his walkie-talkie and said, “McDaniel, I’ve got a couple of
visitors for you.” He was answered by a buzz and a click at the door. “Go
ahead. He’ll be waiting.”

She
followed Eddie into a large garage. It took a few moments for her eyes to
adjust from the sunlight to the dim lighting. Once she could see again, she
noticed that the room was fairly bare. There was a tall, red toolbox, some stacked
tires, and three Humvees parked within. Ian had said that the garage had to be
presentable as a working repair shop, in case of any surprise inspections by
uninvited guests. She suspected that the Humvees were present, just for show.

The
clicking of her dress shoes on the cement floor seemed to echo throughout the
metal building and up to the tall, tin roof above. It was a good thing that
they weren’t sneaking in, because Sergeant McDaniel could surely hear their
approach.

He stood
beside a small table and folding chair and examined an expansive terrain map of
the base that covered approximately ten feet of wall space and reached about
seven feet tall. Grace guessed that his examination of the local topography was
merely feigned interest so that he could gauge their approach, without
appearing anxious.

When the
sounds of their footsteps neared, he turned to greet them with a frown and a
stern voice. “How can I help you?” He appeared to be in his early fifties. A
few inches shorter than Grace, he had a stout but muscular build and a short
mustache. His beady eyes seemed to judge their every move. His suspicion of
their presence was obvious, and she worried that it might prove more difficult
to charm their way past him.

“We have
a pass from Colonel Davis,” Eddie explained. He held out the badge, and Grace
did the same. Sergeant McDaniel took his time and examined each badge with
care. Then he picked up a small gadget that looked like a retail scanner and
scanned the back of each one.

Grace
held her breath in anticipation, but they seemed to have passed the guard’s
test. “Go ahead and sign in,” he said. “Make sure you notate the correct date
and exact time.”

She
signed her name—or rather Airman First Class Smith’s name—below Eddie’s
signature, noting the time from a small digital clock that hung on the wall,
above the table.

“Where
are you headed today?” McDaniel asked.

Ian had
made sure to run them through this part of the charade several times until they
knew it by heart. Any alteration in the order of their words and not only would
they not be admitted, but several armed men would burst through the doors to
question them and take them into custody.

“We’re
on our way to Disneyland for the day,” Eddie told him.

“Very
good, Sergeant. Have a good trip.” McDaniel pressed a small, obscure button
located beside the map. The wall and map slid sideways and exposed a large
door. The sergeant then pushed another button, and the door silently slid open
to reveal an elevator big enough for a vehicle, an elevator that offered
admittance to the unknown world below.

Eddie
and Grace stepped in simultaneously. There was only one button. The door slid
silently closed after Eddie pushed it, and she felt the elevator slowly
descend. She glanced discreetly at one of two cameras mounted on the ceiling
and waited impatiently to reach the bottom. Claustrophobia started to set in,
and she grew anxious for the door to reopen. It occurred to her that the
telepathic abilities shared by Tyler and Liliana would be a useful gift at the
moment. She wanted to talk to Eddie but knew that their every word would be
monitored, so they stood side by side, in silence. If the IIA ever reviewed the
video footage from the elevator, they would be instantly recognized, but
hopefully, their mission would be accomplished before then, and the discovery
of their intrusion into the tunnel would be of no consequence.

“We’re
going to Disneyland?” she had asked Ian with a chuckle when he had explained
the password.

“Yep,”
he’d replied. “Every destination within the tunnel requires a different
password. If you’re going to Area 51, you say that you’re going to visit some
friends from Mexico.”

“Mexico?”

“Sure. The
big talk these days is about illegal aliens venturing into the U.S. from
Mexico. If you’re going to Area 51, you’re going to see aliens. It’s their idea
at a sense of humor.”

“Nice.”
Grace had chuckled and shook her head. “So what’s the meaning behind
Disneyland?”

“IIA is
for Indigo Children. Children go to Disneyland.”

“Hmmm,
creative.”

“Yeah,
well, at least it makes it easy to remember. Every destination has a password that
sort of makes sense. If you travel to multiple destinations, frequently, you
don’t want to get the passwords confused.”

“Well,
now at least I’ll be prepared if I want to visit Area 51, anytime soon,” Grace
had joked.

When the
elevator touched bottom, a door opposite the side they had entered slid open.
They stepped out onto well packed dirt and looked around. They found themselves
standing in a tunnel that was about twelve feet wide and ten feet tall. The
fluorescent lights that lined the ceiling, about every ten feet buzzed
slightly. Thankfully, there was no one in sight.