Power Play (Book 2)

Chapter 9: Enemy of my Enemy

Recap: Brandon snuck on board a plane with Agent Corrales that was bound for Groom Lake (a.k.a. Area 51). Corrales tried to explain why EDI was justified in what they did, but Brandon wasn’t buying it. As they landed Brandon knocked out Corrales and had to decide what to try and do while he had the element of surprise.

Winning Choice: “I need to find Mandeville. I don’t like the guy, but I need to get him out of their hands, and if I can get to him before they lock down the base I’ll have a better chance of getting him out alive.”

“I’m going to get Mandeville out of here. He knows too much, and these guys will eventually get it out of him,” I tell Tyler, keeping my voice down so the pilots don’t hear me.

“Sounds like a good idea,” Tyler says in my ear. “I can’t wait to see how the suit holds up.”

“Tyler,” I prompt.

“Yes?”

“I need to know where to find him. I haven’t been to Area 51 before, and there aren’t any tourist maps here on the plane!” Tyler’s a genius in some areas, but he has a gift for missing the obvious sometimes.

“Oh, right! Susan’s been looking into that.”

There’s a small click and Susan chimes in. “It’s hard to tell exactly where everything is on the base, but we can make a pretty good guess.”

Through the window I see a ground crew approaching the plane. “I need that guess really quick,” I tell her. The plane’s at a full stop, so I step to one side and open the door. It flips down, deploying the stairs and locking into place.

“Squat gray building, just northwest of you. That has to be the brig,” she says. 

“Brigs are only on ships,” I tell her, my old librarian instincts kicking in. “This is just going to be a jail, or maybe the stockade.”

“Well, I’ve never been arrested by the military,” she says, sounding a bit miffed.

“The day’s not over yet. Just get me to the right building and you’ll get a gold star in my book.” I back up a step into the plane to get a running start. My heart’s hammering at the thought of getting back into action. 

Rocketing out of the door at full speed, I leap over the stairs and head for the squat building I’m pretty sure Susan’s referring to. The sun’s starting to go down so I can tell directions easily. It would be rather awkward if I had to stop and ask.

Very few people are armed as I streak past, but I’m sure that will change as soon as they get a good look inside the plane.

Air Force bases are a lot of things, but colorful isn’t one of them. Every building looks alike, and I think without the “Military Police” sign out front I wouldn’t have been sure I had the right one. I stop at one corner of the building, crouching behind a jeep. The front doors have a badge reader next to them which means they are locked. Ripping them off their hinges would blow my cover right away, which I’d hate to do. Fortunately I’m saved from that decision by two very serious looking uniformed men exiting right at that moment. 

I speed through the door before it closes. Inside two people are typing away at computers, but I don’t stop to see what they’re working on. I rocket down a hall and duck into an empty office.

I’m nervous. I respect the military a lot. I never viewed them as I do police officers, who I grew wary of after my arrest. Still, they’re going to be coming after me and I can’t afford to take it easy on them.

“I’m inside,” I tell Tyler. “Any idea where I find the cells?”

“Can’t help you on that one,” he says. “But the place isn’t that big.”