Temple of the Gods - Andy McDermott [93]
‘You should see their draught excluder,’ said Eddie, impressed.
The jet came to a stop. ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ said Abbot, ‘welcome to Silent Peak.’
A military jeep took the couple from the stationary plane to the base’s entrance. The door itself didn’t open; rather, a part of it did, a smaller section hinging upwards like a cat flap to let the vehicle through. Even this opening was on a giant scale, easily large enough to have accommodated the Learjet. Worryingly, a sign beside the entrance warned of the sanctions that would be taken against unwanted visitors: Use Of Deadly Force Is Authorized.
But that concern quickly took second place to amazement. It was all Nina could do not to gawp at what lay behind the door. They had entered a vast underground hangar, at least seven storeys high and lit by rank upon rank of lights in the ceiling, made so small by height that they looked like perfectly aligned stars. Several C-130 Hercules transport aircraft were parked along one wall, almost lost in the cavernous space. ‘Wow. This is incredible!’
The jeep’s driver took them to a clutch of portable cabins opposite the line of aircraft. Men in the blue berets of the USAF Security Forces stood waiting for them. ‘Ay up, it’s the goon platoon,’ Eddie whispered to Nina.
‘Don’t talk unless you absolutely have to – and even then, don’t!’ she replied.
The jeep stopped, the military policemen surrounding it. Another man, a lanky officer in wire-rimmed glasses, stepped forward to greet the passengers. ‘Dr Wilde, welcome to Silent Peak Strategic Reserve,’ he said, holding out a hand to help Nina from the vehicle. ‘I’m the base CO, Colonel Kern – Martin Kern. It’s a great honour to have you here.’
‘Thank you, Colonel,’ Nina replied. Eddie climbed from the jeep beside her, remembering military protocol and saluting his superior officer. ‘This is my liaison from the Pentagon, Captain Tyler.’
‘Sir,’ said Eddie, making Nina cringe inwardly once more. Even that one short word sounded incriminatingly fake in his terrible accent.
But Kern was only concerned with his female guest. ‘Captain,’ he said with a noncommital salute of his own, before turning back to Nina. ‘I read about the role you played in saving President Cole’s life in India last year. That’s true heroism, if you don’t mind my saying. Something every American can be proud of.’
‘Ah, thank you.’ Nina’s awkwardness at the gushing praise was increased by the certainty that Kern would have a very different opinion of her if he knew the real reason for her visit. She changed the subject by presenting her pass. ‘Here’s my paperwork.’
‘This’ll just be a formality – I know who you are,’ said Kern with a smile. He briefly scanned the documents, then returned them before giving Eddie’s pass slightly longer scrutiny. ‘Okay, I imagine you’re keen to go down to the repository.’
‘Down?’ said Nina, surprised. She indicated the nearby cabins. ‘I thought those were . . .’
‘These? Oh, no, these are just the administration facilities. You don’t know about the base?’
‘No, everything was arranged at very short notice, and I didn’t think to ask. So, there’s even more of this place?’
Kern grinned. ‘Oh, there’s more! I’ll give you the tour personally. Log them in,’ he told one of the men nearby, before beckoning for Nina and Eddie to follow him. ‘Normally we’d take your phone and any other electronic devices, but you’ve got top clearance, so no need to worry.’ That raised a warning flag in Nina’s mind: why would Dalton have gone the extra mile for them? ‘This way, please. I think you’ll be impressed.’
He led them to a golf-cart-like yellow buggy nearby, the guards heading back to the cabins. Nina sat in the front passenger seat beside the officer, Eddie behind her. ‘So just how big is this place?’ she asked as Kern set the little electric vehicle in motion.
‘This level? One point two million square feet of floor space, more or less. And it’s not even the biggest. There are twelve levels in all.’
‘Fu— Gee, that’s a hell of a size,’ said