“This is it,” Snap said, while studying his forearm display.
“I don’t see anything,” Furier complained.
“Well, it’s got to be here. It probably hasn’t been used in 40 years. The entrance could be covered in snow, for all we know.”
The landscape was flat and rocky, with an occasional small mound or hill. The snow was light and dry, almost giving the appearance of a barren planet or moon.
“Why would they have had a Cold War station out here?” Furier asked, as she studied her display monitor. “There’s nothing here, no trees, no people, nothing.”
“The Russians were very paranoid back then, still are, really. They could have been doing weather research, biological weapons, or it could have just been a listening post. Who knows, the outpost may have only had a dozen people stationed in it. But if we find it, it may be able to give us shelter and possibly supplies.”
“Wait, I think I’m picking up something on my radar. Looks like a large underground cavern, directly below us.”
“What are you looking at?”
“Oh, you don’t have one? It’s a ground penetrating radar, it allows me to see up to 100 feet below the surface,” Furier bragged. “Definitely, a manmade structure. Too many square edges to be all natural.”
“Well, this must be it. Now all we must do is find the door,” Snap said, as he walked toward a ten-foot-high earthen mound that appeared to be too symmetrical.
“Where are you going?” Furier asked.
“This mound, it’s too perfect, and it’s larger than all other mounds for miles around. I bet its part of the structure.”
A closer study of the earthen mound revealed a concrete entrance big enough for a single troop transport to enter. The metal doors were shut and locked; it appeared no one had been through these doors in many years.
“Look, the doors are just locked with a chain and pad lock. You can shoot it with your DE rifle,” Furier said.
“Yeah, they were not terribly concerned with security when they locked this up, years ago. Probably figured no one would even find this place, much less care to enter.”
Snap shot the lock off, and the doors slowly creaked open with little effort, revealing a dark tunnel leading underground. Furier turned on her helmet lamp; Snap’s was broken. The walls and floor were smooth concrete, with dusty electric light bulbs hanging from the domed concrete ceiling. Snap shut the door behind him, as they began to make their way down into the Cold War base.
The manmade tunnel gave way to a more natural cave-like appearance, as it opened into a cavern with stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling. The stalagmites had been removed in favor of a flat concrete floor. The large cavern was littered with crates, equipment, machinery, and a few old trucks.
“Hey, at least it’s not as cold down here,” Snap said, as he removed his broken helmet.
“Still a bit chilly, but no wind and snow,” Furier said, as she too removed her helmet revealing her long hair and blue eyes.
“Let’s see if we can find anything of use,” Snap said.
“Like what?”
“We got to sit tight for a few hours, maybe longer depending on weather and enemy troop movements. Maybe we could build a fire, find some blankets or a light source.”
“I got a light source, Major,” Furier said, as she flashed the helmet light toward Snap with a slight laugh.
After a cursory exploration of the cave, they found nothing of great interest, just forty-year-old equipment. They did find blankets and fuel to build a small fire for light and warmth.
Once the fire was built, Commander Furier began taking off her armor.
“What are you doing?” Snap asked.
“You don’t expect me to rest in this armor, do you?”
“Well, yes, I suppose I did. What if the Russians show up in the middle of the night? We won’t have time to armor up for battle,” Snap pointed out.
“True. But, I imagine if they show up here, they will come with overwhelming force. We are not likely to prevail in a fire fight either way. Besides, I bet they have more important places to secure than an abandoned base.”
Snap watched her take off her armor, revealing a dark blue, form fitting uniform. “I guess I need some sleep too,” Snap said, as he stood to take off his armor.
In a few minutes, they were wrapped up in Cold War era blankets, gazing at a fire fueled by old wooden storage crates. The firelight danced among the stalactites on the ceiling making strange shadows as the two warriors tried to relax. Only now did Snap really have time to think about his fallen brothers.
Snap settled in on a mound of gray wool blankets that insulated him from the chilly concrete floor. Furier had stacked up several blankets into a make shift bed. Both sat on one side of the crackling fire, watching the light reflect off the run-down equipment from a bygone era.
“Do you think the Russians will find us here?” Furier asked as she ripped open a sealed package containing a dark green bar. She broke a piece off and offered it to Snap.
“Thank you,” Snap said, taking the food from her hand. “No. I think Command will pick us up in a few hours, long before the Russians have time to look for us. The Russians will be too busy securing the crash site to worry about us.”
“Why don’t your people just destroy the Impegi with a missile?”
Snap shifted in his blankets, and said, “I don’t really know, but I assume it has something to do with politics, and not starting World War Three.”
“World War Three?”
“Yes. Some egg head probably calculated that Russia would not react to us nuking barren tundra, but a crashed ship is going too far. Way beyond my paygrade,” Snap said with a smile. “You know I just found out last week that there are extraterrestrials, aliens if you will, on this planet. Now, I’m sitting in this Cold War bunker with one right next to me. Did you know that they keep your existence, your people, a secret from almost everyone on this planet?”
“Yes, I was aware that your leaders keep us a secret from the people of Earth. It is different on Vitahic, I grew up learning about Earth, humans and your cultures.”
“Wow. How many inhabited planets do you know about?”
“Our space travel and exploration is limited to about twenty percent of the Milky Way Galaxy. We know of several planets that can, or do sustain some type of life. We have diplomatic relations, good and bad, with six different planets.
“As you can imagine, I have so many questions about you, your planet and your people. I hope you don’t mind me asking,” Snap said.
“No, I don’t mind at all. Obviously, we have been trained not to disclose our identity to the general population on Earth; but, clearly, you are already aware of our existence. What would you like to know?”
“Everything, tell me everything about your world,” Snap said, eagerly, mesmerized by the flickering fire light being reflected in her eyes.
“Well,” she started out thoughtfully. “Being on Earth is like going back in time, several hundred, maybe a thousand years. It would be like you traveling back to your Renaissance Period. Back home we have all but eliminated sickness and starvation. We don’t have governments and corporations, at least, not in the same sense that you do.”
“How did you get rid of sickness and starvation?” Snap asked.
“Genetic engineering and managed population growth. The two go hand in hand. Our scientists developed a way to manipulate DNA prior to birth, so that we were born with absolutely no defects. We experienced rapid technological advancements in the fields of genetic engineering, and it wasn’t long before everyone was born, not only defect free; but, also, immune from most common illnesses. Soon, we saw rapid population growth because people were living longer, putting additional strains on our resources.”