all god's orphans

“Sweet Jesus, Millie, am I glad to see you!” The general released her and was too delighted to notice the strange look on her face. “I am so glad you’re okay and your timing could not have been better.” The general moved to the door and opened it, beckoning for them to follow him. “I have something to show you.” Millie took a step and then stopped.

“Your soldiers shot my friend in the leg.” She informed him. To his credit, he looked genuinely shocked.

“Oh, dear.” He said, quickly scanning the group until his eyes settled on Brian. “I do apologize. We’ll get that looked at immediately. Sergeant!” He called through the door and a young man materialized in the room. “Take this man down to the infirmary and the doctor’s take care of his leg.”

“I’ll go with him.” Carla said, taking Brian’s hand. The sergeant returned with a gurney and Brian hopped on.

“We’ll see you soon.” Grey told him. Brian’s eyes went to the general and back to Grey.

“You better.” He said grimly.

“Brian.” Millie stepped towards him, wanting to say something, anything, but she couldn’t think in that moment. “House lava babies.” A confused look settled on Brian’s face as the sergeant wheeled him away through some double doors. The general led the group down long hallways talking giddily all the while.

“I mean it, Millie.” He said. “Thank God you’re here right now. We are so close to being able to secure our country and take it back.”

“Take it back from who?” Kite asked. The general simply smiled at her.

“It’s a war out there.” He continued. “Speaking of which, how the Hell did you get all the way out here?”

“It wasn’t easy.” Replied Grey.

“I suspect not.” The general finally arrived at a door guarded by two men. Their uniforms were crisper and had actual nametags on them, but other than that, they looked just like the men in the conscript units. At the general’s approach, they stepped smartly aside.

Inside the room was a large table covered with photos of the Cheyenne Mountain facility. They had been taken from afar and a large group could be seen encamped all along the only access road. There was a motley assortment of vehicles and tents, all leading to a massive entrance, which was still shut. Outside the large door were other tents and what seemed like thousands of people. The steep sides of the mountain meant that there was only one way to get to that door and it led through at least five hundred soldiers, if not more.

“This,” Said the general pointing at a picture of the entrance. “Is the door into NORAD and our key to getting this country back on its feet. The Mormons must have been waiting for something like this because they showed up right after it happened and made their camp. More followed soon after. So far, we’ve seen nothing come in or out and we’ve been monitoring radio traffic, too. Nothing. As far as we can tell, the base had been abandoned shortly before the event, but we still don’t know why.” Millie took another look at the photo. It had obviously been taken from atop one of the ridges that rose on either side of the access road and it was a little blurry, but the size of the thing was undeniable. A short road led from a kind of parking area past a small guardhouse into a tunnel large enough for a semi-truck with room to spare. The angle made it difficult to see, but just inside the tunnel, a massive door blocked anything from progressing further.

Directly outside the tunnel, concrete barriers had been situated so as to prevent any vehicle from having a straight path to the door and there were yet more tents and personnel gathered around.

“According to our intel,” The general continued. “Roughly seven hundred Mormon soldiers have taken up positions all along the only road that leads into the facility. The terrain is such that a direct assault would be suicide. They’re just too damn dug in. If we had planes we could just bomb the Hell out of them, but that ain’t happening. We’ve determined that our best bet is to launch an attack from over the mountain, here.” He indicated a place on one of the maps that overlooked the entrance. It seemed steep and impractical, but the rest of his presentation sounded legit and Millie had to remind herself that he was nothing more than a carpet salesman. “Once we have eliminated their forces, we will gain entrance into the mountain and re-start NORAD. That’s where you come in, Millie.” Millie blinked a few times.

“What?” Was all she could type.

“So far, the Mormons have been unsuccessful in opening the door. They can’t get in. From what we can tell, they’ve tried everything from construction equipment to explosives and still nothing. I’m betting someone like you could hack the door and open it.” At that, Millie couldn’t contain her laughter.

“Hack a US military base?” She nearly doubled over. “What the incredible fuck. Who do you think I am?” The general’s voice turned to stone.

“You know I don’t appreciate that kind of language, Millie.” He then realized he was talking to the only person capable of getting him what he wanted and his tone softened to something like pumice, round but still abrasive. “I’ve seen you do incredible, unimaginable things.” Millie shook her head as her laughter died.

“Setting up an SQL database is hardly unimaginable.” She thrust her finger at the photo. ”This is impossible.”

“O ye of little faith.” Said the general.

“It can’t be done.” Millie pounded on her keys. “It’s one of the most secure facilities in the entire world, locked down by a computer the likes of which you’ve never even seen. Why do you even need this?”

“Our great country is vulnerable right now, Millie.” The general’s voice turned to something more earnest and pleading. “We have to take steps to secure it. Getting NORAD back online is the key. From here we can secure our borders and monitor enemy communication. Our agents will be able to communicate as we rebuild this nation.” Millie took a step back.

“I’ve seen what your agents do.” She said. “I won’t help you.” This didn’t seem to shock the general and he simply sighed.

“That’s disappointing.” He said before turning to the closest enlisted man he could see. “Take them to the cells and lock them all up.” Millie didn’t respond, but Wallace, who had been rummaging through the numerous photos spoke up.

“Wait.” He said. “Have you checked the emergency ventilation ducts?” The general eyed him suspiciously.

“What are you talking about?” He finally asked.

“The emergency shafts that are meant to clear the air inside in case of a fire or chemical leak.” Wallace answered, fishing out a few photos. “There should be one here and another one here, if memory serves.” The general examined the photos. All he could see were blurry shrubs and rocks.

“I don’t see anything.” He admitted.

“Of course not.” Replied Wallace. “They’re hidden. But if you’ve overlooked them, it’s possible the Mormons have as well. We can get inside and gain access to the facility.”

“How do you know that?” The general asked.

“He’s with the Army.” Millie typed. “The real Army.” The general shot her a look but said nothing.

“Is that true?” The general asked him.

“I’m a helo pilot.” Wallace answered. “I spent some time here a few years back. There are shafts, almost large enough to drive a VW beetle through, that lead from the heart of the base out into the surrounding hills. In the event that the air inside becomes toxic, they can suck the poisonous air out in a matter of minutes. Normally, they have extensive alarms, but if the base is empty as you say, that won’t matter. We’ll just have to bypass some exhaust fans.” The general was silent for a few moments as he considered his alternatives.

“Okay.” The general finally nodded. “What do you need?”

“I need Millie and Grey.” Wallace said before realizing he should add Kite if he wanted to ensure Grey’s assistance. “And her.” He added. The general looked at Sarah and Carla.

“Okay, but know this.” He said, leaning in so no one else could hear. “You have until noon tomorrow. If you fail, or you betray me, I’ll have them shot.” He then turned to Millie directly. “And that means your boyfriend, too.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” She scowled at him. “In fact, he’s…” She stopped typing, not wanting to let something slip that Brian might want hidden. “Fine.” She said after a moment and then crossed to Sarah. “You stay here.” She told her. “I’ll be right back.” Sarah threw her arms around Millie’s neck.

“You better!” Sarah sobbed.

“Take care of Brian.” Millie said to Carla.

“Of course, dear.” She smiled maternally.

Soldiers led them down featureless corridors to the back of the building, where a steel door opened to the cool night air. In the distance, the mountain was nothing more than a blank spot in the sky were there were no stars. It looked like someone had torn a jagged piece of the galaxy right out of the universe.