Argent Glass

Chapter 15 - Reassess - Andrew

"That was an Sikorsky helicopter. With armed soldiers. Armed soldiers, Andrew. This is another Area 51. Now I'm sure of it." Evan's face was flushed with excitement.

"Easy. I think you're right, though. A Seahawk, but painted over. Have another worm." Andrew tossed the bag of gummy worms at him and kept walking. He pointed to a fence across their path. "Look. Where's the map?"

Evan handed him the map and he unfolded it while Evan skipped ahead to the fence. He took out a pencil and made marks on the map while he walked, then refolded it and put it into the empty gun holster. The short leather strap had to be pulled over the top of the map hanging out so it could be snapped shut.

"And here is that electric fence I was sure they'd have. It's humming. It's definitely electrified. Where are the boxes?" Evan squatted and looked around, then stretched up on his tip-toes and shaded his eyes looking around more.

"What boxes?"

"In the video games, there are boxes lying around so you can just stack them up and jump over."

"We'll improvise." Andrew slung his pack in front of him so he could reach into a side pocket. He presented a roll of duct tape. "Best thing ever invented by man."

"Heat's getting to you. We definitely can't make boxes out of that. Rope ladder? Maybe."

"Or we can use it to prop up the fence."

"I'm pretty skinny," Evan said as he ran his hands down his pants like a fashion model, "but one roll of duct tape is not going to prop an electric fence that could kill me dead if it touched me. How about we just cut the fence?"

"Because the fence is probably monitored, this being Area 52 and all," Andrew said sarcastically. "If it's cut, alarms will go off loud enough to wake the dead. Not only that, but the reporting software can probably even pinpoint exactly where the wire was cut. How fast do you think that Huey flies?"

"Let's cut it and time them."

"Funny. I read about this prison escape in Utah. The prisoners used broom handles wrapped in duct tape to prop the fence so they could escape. That fence gave a 600-volt shock to anyone who touched it. A warning jolt. Second time was 4,000 volts and dead as dead can be."

"You're not making me feel very good about this," Evan stated. He looked at the fence with a frown. "You know, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all."

"Oh, no, you don't. We aren't backing down now. Not this time." Andrew dropped his bag on the ground and knelt in front. He pulled out items, considered them one second, then discarded them the next.

"Did you hear that?"

Andrew stopped and looked at him. Evan's head was spinning all different directions, his eyes wide. "Oh, come on, Evan. It's the desert. There are all kinds of animals out here. Fox, deer, rabbits, owls. Why don't you get your blankie out? I'm sure you have it packed somewhere in that bag."

"Nope, no blankie, just your mom's nightie. Didn't we cover this already?" He took another long look at the landscape on the other side of the fence.

Andrew went back to digging through his pack.

"No planes."

Andrew looked up again. "What?"

"No planes. Did you notice that?" Evan was searching the sky and Andrew looked up to hunt for any sign of air traffic above them. "Not even miles and miles up where you'd see the jet streams."

Andrew went back to the pack. "Contrail."

"What?"

"Contrail. That trail of ice you see behind planes. Not jet streams."