Chapter 48

"Sir!" the woman said as she ran down the hall. "We need you back at the com center."

"What now?"

"Visuals. It's not John."

Armstrom ran back to the room.

"Get the team on the radio, tell them not to proceed. Do not proceed. Wait for further orders."

It was a tense seven minutes. There were eight people who knew that a helicopter had just landed. It was one that no one was expecting, and it had unknown occupants on board.

"Sir? Regulation uniforms."

"Do not proceed. We have no verification that they are friend or foe."

The communication officer looked at her coworker. She had never been in a situation like this before.

The engine had stopped, but the rotors took their time to come to a halt. Then they sat.

Armstrom looked through the binoculars. He was puzzled by what he saw. The two men inside the helicopter were laughing. It was almost as though they were telling jokes. It was not the kind of thing he would have expected to see. Either they knew what was happening inside the building, and were waiting, or they were very cool customers.

"I need to talk with Downs."

He was handed a phone.

"Downs, we had a helicopter land."

"Where are they?"

"Still in the chopper."

"Location of the helicopter."

"Oh. Just north of the com room. We have a good visual on them."

"Passenger, does he have longer gray hair. Probably wearing the uniform, but looks totally out of place in it?"

"Nailed that one. You know him?"

"Ken Fregers. He's the best psychologist I know."

"No wonder they are just waiting patiently. I would swear they were telling jokes."

"Knowing Ken, they probably were. My guess is that it's getting hot out there. You might want to invite them in."

"No chance of a problem?"

"If you were out there and in trouble, would you just sit there? Probably not. You would act as if it was normal to try and get into the building. It would be your best hope to have those on the inside try and take you down. Survival sometimes depends on trying to act normal, where you shouldn't."

"Thanks, Downs. Can I ask why he's here?"

"Jessica had a rather nasty meeting with a hospital psychologist, who is now under our care."

"Under your care. Should I ask what that means?"

"Most likely not."

"Didn't think so." He hung up with Downs and then said, "Get two men to greet our new arrivals. Two others are to cover them. I am walking over to see our guests, as soon as they get in the door."

Armstrom walked out of the room. As soon as the message was relayed, two men could be seen approaching the helicopter.

"My mother hasn't said a word to me. It's driving me crazy," Fiona said.

"I think everyone is going a bit crazy. I know I am," Jessica replied. "I don't know what to do with myself."

"Yeah. There's nothing to do. Have you thought about what kids are going to say?"

"About?"

"The FBI taking us to some secret base!"

"Fiona, we're not at a secret base, and the FBI isn't involved."

Fiona's mouth dropped open and her eyes fluttered wide.

"What do you mean? What is this place then? You told me they were FBI. Who are they? Does my dad know?"

"Fiona, stop!"

"What?"

"Have you ever known anyone say they know an FBI agent?"

"No, but my dad..."

"You don't know these people. They don't exist. We're at a place that doesn't exist. You saw how we came here."

Fiona swallowed hard before saying, "Does that mean we don't exist?"

Jessica rolled her eyes.

"Fiona, you've been watching too many movies. I see you, don't I?"

"No, I meant..."

"I know what you meant, but your taking what I said wrong. We can't tell anyone, 'cause none of this will have happened. No one can verify it and no one would believe us. Do you want to be the laughing stock of the school? 'There goes Fiona, did you know she was abducted by aliens and taken to a secret base?' That's what would happen and you know it."