—How deep are we going?
Part of me is glad we stopped moving. I am still dizzy and I can barely see. I have never been to a missile silo before. Vandenberg is a development launch site, but this is what they will all look like. Three nuclear-capable ICBMs buried underground. On the surface, all we can see are the two-hundred-ton circular doors. Beneath them lies a small maze of tunnels linking the silos to the control room and whatever else is down there.
—It’s not that deep, about a hundred and fifty feet.
We have been here for less than a minute and I am claustrophobic already. Good, the control room is just across from the elevator. It is roomier than I thought. I imagined something like a submarine: narrow corridors, low ceilings. There are filing cabinets everywhere, I wonder what they keep in—Oh wait. They are part of the computer.
—This is the machine you were talking about?
—Yes. That’s the ATHENA computer. Now you unders—
—What kind of unholy abomination is making that noise?
—They’re testing the Titan I. That’s why we came here. I knew there’d be soldiers around. What you’re hearing is the elevator raising the missile above ground.
—That sound!
—It can lift half a million pounds, but it has its kinks. It won’t move sometimes. Still makes that noise, though. They’ll raise the missile to the surface to load the liquid oxygen. I’m supposed to make sure the guidance computer and the rocket are talking to each other. They’ll do a pretend countdown and abort just before sending the signal to ignite.
—Then what?
—They bring the missile down again, remove the liquid oxygen, and everyone goes home.
I do not like it here. There is only one exit. Nowhere to hide.
—What about us? He will be waiting for us.
—I’ll ask for a military escort. We’ll figure out where to go…. Do you think it’s true, what the Tracker was saying?
—Which part?
—That we came together, that our world was dying. Did you believe him?
—I am fairly certain he believed it. Whether you and I do does not seem particularly relevant.
—What if it’s true? The necklace I’m wearing, did you know it’s not from Earth?
—I suspected.
—What if we let our people die by hiding that thing?
—Let us assume for a moment that the device he mentioned does exist. Would you use it if you could? Would you bring billions like him to this world? Besides, I am not hiding anything and neither are—
—What?
—Did you hear that, Mia? It sounded like gunshots.
—Maybe the army will kill him for us.
—How far is the silo from the control room?
—It’s… at the end of that tunnel on the left.
—Take us there, Mia! We are not waiting for him here.
—He might be dead already.
—He might not be. Go.
—Fine. This way.
There is no one inside the tunnel. There were plenty of soldiers outside, but I have only seen a handful since we went underground.
—Is it always this empty?
—I don’t know, I’ve only been here twice. But these things are designed for a skeleton crew.
—How much farther?
—What did you say?
The noise is getting louder and louder. It sounds like a thousand baby goats are being burned alive.
—I SAID HOW MUCH FARTHER?
I see a door ahead of us. It is much closer than I thought, fifteen hundred feet from where we were at most. If we were above ground, the control room would be miles from the launchpad.
—In here.
This is impressive. Our ceiling is rising along this giant metal structure, no doubt bringing the missile to the surface. It must be near the top now. There. It stopped. I do not know if it is fear or the beating I just took but that noise was driving me mad.
—This is better.
—That platform is holding two hundred thousand pounds of rocket fuel above our heads, Mother. I don’t mind the noise as long as it doesn’t drop it.
A fair point, though I’m certain it would not take a feat of engineering to quiet this monster down a bit…. And now we wait. With any luck, the guards will t—
[Hello? Anyone?]
There is someone here. I did not hear him coming. It could be a soldier, or an engi—
—Mother, it’s him.
This one might be a couple of years younger, but he looks the same. Same height. Same cold eyes. Same response. Adrenaline is binding to my heart and arteries. My heartbeat is speeding up; so is my breathing. He is blocking the only doorway out of here, and I do not have a weapon. His is a baton. He must have grabbed it from one of the guards. We will not last five seconds without something to fight with.
[Oh, here you are! I’m so glad to see you both here. So which one of you ladies killed my brother?]
I see an ax next to the fire extinguisher, but it is too slow a weapon. Mia is digging through a toolbox. She grabbed herself a hammer. That is anger talking, not fear. I will take a screwdriver if there is nothing else. Box cutters. Perfect. I prefer short blades.
—Let me take care of this, Mia.
[Take care of this? I just want to know who left a tiki torch inside my brother’s skull. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.]
—That would be me.
—Don’t talk to him, Mia. I will keep him occupied. You run.
My hand is killing me but I can still hold a knife. I do not need to kill him. I only need him out of the way. If Mia makes it to the exit, there should be armed soldiers above us.
—Like hell I am, Mother. I’m not leaving you here. We’ll take him together.
[You’re not holding a grudge because I kicked you off that launchpad, are you? Fine. I don’t feel like talking either. Let’s dance.]
—Mia, stand back!
He is swinging his baton. Close the distance. Don’t parry. A baton is mechanical leverage. Basic physics. Amplification of the input force is proportional to the distance over which it is applied. Take the hit close to the grip. Slice his forearm.
He is transferring his weight. Walk back and slice again. There is a lot of blood but I am not cutting deep enough. I need to hit muscle and tendon if I am to weaken his arms. Baton again. Walk forward and slice. I cut him deep this time. His right elbow is moving back. He will swing again. He is strong, but predictable. He will not last long if we continue this routine. Baton from above. Walk forward. Slice his fore—Aaaagh. He grabbed me by the hair.
Headbu—
…
…
…
Where am I? I am on the floor, dizzy. I must not have been out long. Mia is running towards him. He raised his baton but she slid on one leg and swung her hammer into his knee.
—I’ll kill you for what you did!
His leg buckled. She’s behind him now. Crack his head open, Mia! He is walking backwards. He will slam her against the wall.
[What I did? You just killed my brother, you stupid bitch!]
They are facing each other again. GET YOUR HANDS UP!
Mia took a blow to the temple. She is barely conscious.
[Is that all you got? How about I rip your ear off so you and your mom match? Then you can be mad.]
He knocked both of us out in under a minute. Time to face facts.
I need him to come to me before he kills her.
—LEAVE HER ALONE!
[Hey! You’re back!]
You should have killed me when you had the chance.
[If you insist.]
The Tracker is limping towards me. Come at me. Keep coming.
I don’t need the knives anymore….