EINSTEIN'S GATE

EINSTEIN'S GATE - Part 8

ALMOST ZERO

Bill Oakley had driven fast many times during his life and Betty, sitting beside him, was now hanging on for hers! His prior experience had been in smaller vehicles and for reasons not nearly as important as now! His drive up 5th Avenue from 45th Street was a quick one, but not as fast as he wanted it to be.

He pulled the truck over when he reached the enclosure in Central Park. It looked like the women had waylaid more trucks since he had left, but he could also see a truck loaded with food had arrived, with Lori handing out whatever they had found. Bill ran over to the truck and climbed onto the tailgate.

"LISTEN, EVERYONE!" he began, and the women knew he had something important to say.  "We have to leave here NOW!! Do you hear me? IMMEDIATELY! Carry as much as you can, but get into the trucks as quickly as possible. We must get to 50 West 45th Street! We have less than an hour to get everyone and everything to the basement of that building. 50 West 45th Street! The Hotel Seymour! New York is going to be hit with an ATOMIC BOMB!! WE WILL BE SAFE THERE! MOVE!"

No one had to tell this crowd twice!  Everyone sprang into action. Within minutes, the enclosure was empty! One of the last to be put into a truck was Captain Abbott, who was still suffering from his injuries.

Nancy and her group of silver suited women stood guard as Glenn and the others emptied the bookstore. He had sent a group into the pharmacy next door and they were busy stripping that, as well. It was like ants stripping a carcass as the forty or so men and women made trip after trip to and from the hotel! Many of them even struggled with the shelving from both stores! They wanted to be sure to leave nothing behind that might be useful at their new destination!  A truck rounded the corner, from 5th Street, and barreled down to the hotel! Thirty alien troops jumped out!

"Take cover!" Nancy shouted to anyone who could understand English! Nancy was the bearer of the one gun that could blast through the alien suits and she opened fire! Fifteen or sixteen of the invaders disappeared into glittering silver confetti almost immediately! But, then she saw the rest of them were bringing out a weapon identical to hers! She was barely able to hold her gun so she could use it, but these guys were using the wheeled tripod mount that originally came with it. They had no trouble at all!  Nancy jumped into a nearby basement stairwell, taking cover just as the blast from their big gun raked her previous position! It was very close and she  watched to see if any of them had noticed that she had vacated that spot. They must have thought they got her, because they started concentrating on the bookstore!

The entire front of the bookstore disappeared in a couple of flashes! Those left inside could be seen diving for cover behind anything that could do the job! Nancy carefully popped up and took out one of the gunners before anyone could see where she was. Another soldier jumped in to take the place of the one that was now floating through the air as silver confetti. He moved the gun around to take her out! She flattened against the stairwell wall just as the stoop above her disappeared! The beam missed her by inches! But, hidden in the stairwell, she got an idea...

She snuck a look out to see exactly where the truck was sitting. The alien gunners were now about to focus their attention on the bookstore again. Nancy ducked back down and mentally calculated where the truck was sitting on the street. She adjusted the focus of her weapon and aimed it at the side of the stairwell, the sidewalk side.

Bla-ZAM!! A hole about 4 feet in diameter opened up in the concrete wall! She fired again, into the same space. She cut about 6 feet into the wall and the dirt beyond. She continued firing, blowing a tunnel toward the truck in the middle of the street. In seconds, her excavation reached to where the alien fire team was crouched. She moved the gun from side to side, creating a cavern beneath the truck! The widening expanse grew out and widened from side to side and was getting very close to the street itself!  Suddenly, the street fell in under the weight of the truck! The truck and the alien gun team disappeared into the giant hole Nancy had created! Nancy jumped out of the stairwell and ran to the hole. She blasted any silver suit still moving! She also called out to those inside the bookstore and pharmacy!