BY
BYRON LESTER
Byron Lester
131 Yarra St, Victoria,
Australia, 3220
(m) +61 400 315 606 CHAPTER 1
DINER IN THE DESERT
The four wheel-drive vehicle rumbled along the lone highway in the barren
expanse of the desert. The sun was scorching hot, and the rock formations
towered out of the ground in the distance.
The thin face of the man was grayish, slightly withered from years of stress,
the hair on his head, a light brown, but the gray roots visible underneath,
covered by the vanity of hair coloring, the sign of man valiantly trying to retain
the striking features of his younger years. His eyes were sharp, as if burning
their way forwards, and his body was thin, but muscular. The legendary Film
Director, Kevin Stone, about 45, perfectionist, blunt, driven, and ruthless, sat
in the driver seat. His eyes were locked onto the dirty and sandblasted
makeshift sign that listed a short distance ahead. The sign swayed on the dirt
road that led off the main highway. Kevin Stone looked across at the young
man with a round, baby face, thick black hair, and thoughtful eyes, driving the
four-wheel. He was Film Producer, Mike Parson, about 40, a professional,
quietly ambitious, and intellectual man. Mike Parson had a laptop on his lap
that was currently running a program with, “Department of Defense,” labeled
across the top of the screen. The detailed maps were constantly decrypting
and revealing the pre-determined route that their four-wheel drive was to
follow. The small blinking red dot that represented their four wheel-drive vehicle on the map moved along the marked out route. It led them towards
that small dirt road that led off the highway. The thick black line on the map
marking the ‘route’ stopped at the corner, turned and then ran along the dirt
road, and right off the side of the map. It was obviously going to be a long
drive along this dirt road before they hit their secret destination. Mike Parsons
looked at the director.
“Is this the road?” Mike asked as if puzzled by all of this secrecy.
Kevin Stone nodded softly.
“This is the road,” Kevin replied sharply.
The four wheel-drive vehicle swung tightly around the listing road sign. It
barreled along the dirt road and kicked up a storm of dust that flew around the
vehicle if a mini dust hurricane. The dirt road ran in a straight line towards the
horizon. There was nothing but flat, empty, dusty earth for as far as the eye
could see.
Mike Parson ran his hands over the laptop. The decoding program began
running again. A new detailed map appeared on the screen. It had a large
blinking dot that seemed to represent the final destination. The sun seemed to
scorch every inch of the vehicle as Kevin Stone looked across at the laptop.
Kevin Stone’s thin lips pursed. He gave a half frown as if to say, “Finally, we
have almost arrived.” The dust that was thrown up by the tires of their vehicle
clouded their vision but they could faintly make out the outline of the building
and it appeared to be derelict. The four wheel-drive vehicle slowed as it drove into the empty parking lot.
The paint was peeling upon the diner, its windows were smashed, and there
was no one to be seen. The diner had been visibly abandoned for years.
Kevin Stone and Mike Parson stepped out of the four-wheel drive. They
looked around slowly as if looking for something. Then they walked towards
the wrecked, unhinged door of the diner.
Kevin Stone and Mike Parson walked into the diner. There was a large cover
of dust upon the tables, chairs, and the large menu board hung on the far
wall. They looked over the diner as if looking for a waitress. They looked at
each other and sat down at one of tables as if waiting for service.
The four wheel-drive vehicle sat silently in the parking lot. The sun scorched
down upon the ground. There was not a sound except for the sound of lightly
swirling wind.
Kevin Stone looked at Mike. He nodded as if it was time to go somewhere.
They both got up and walked along the counter. They walked past the
decades old vending machine filled with packets of molded chips that hung on
rusty hooks. Kevin Stone pushed the men’s toilet door open, and they walked
inside.
Kevin Stone and Mike Parson walked to the urinals. They opened their flies, and took a long piss. Then they turned and walked to the basins. They
washed their hands as if undertaking a precise ritual. Kevin Stone glared into
the mirror.
“Do we have to wipe our asses now?!” he questioned sharply.
There was a slight pause. The door of the toilet cubicle directly behind them
began to open. Mike Parson looked around to see the wall behind the toilet
bowl slowly slide open. The heavily armored soldier appeared in the opening.
“Your identities and security clearances have been verified,” he informed
them in a strict military tone.
Kevin Stone’s face was non-stoic as if he expected this to happen. Mike
Parson in contrast looked stunned.
“It’s about bloody time, and you better have some water in there. My throat is
fucking parched,” snapped Kevin Stone.
Mike Parson looked at the heavily armored guard’s automatic rifle.
“There is plenty of water supplied Sir. General Johnson is awaiting your
arrival,” the armored guard informed him.
Mike Parson still looked stunned. Kevin Stone had obviously told him nothing.
Kevin Stone gestured forward confidently.
“Lead the way,” he announced.
The heavily armored guard stepped backward into the elevator that was
concealed behind the wall. Kevin Stone led Mike Parson around the
disgusting looking toilet bowl and into the elevator. The wall slid back into
place again behind the toilet bowl concealing any indication of its presence. The elevator was dropping quickly and seemed to take some time. Mike
Parson looked at the wall. There were ten levels upon the board, and they
were speeding down the levels quite rapidly. The heavily armored guard
stood quietly facing the elevator door. This unnerved Mike Parsons who
looked at Kevin Stone.
“Where are we?” Mike asked puzzled.
The heavily armored guard then spoke suddenly.
“Sub level five Sir. General Johnson is awaiting your presence’s shortly on
sub level ten.”
Kevin Stone gestured as if to say, “There you go.” The director was clearly
enjoyed pulling his subordinate strings as if Mike was his puppet. Kevin Stone
was the clearly the Alpha Male.
Mike Parson whispered to Kevin Stone still bemused by where they were and
why.
“Kevin Stone, I thought we were scouting the major location for your next
mystery project?”
Kevin Stone smiled sharply.
“More a way to get there,” the director replied.
Mike Parson gave a confused expression.
The elevator finally stopped, and the elevator door slid open.
General Karl William Johnson, about 60, forthright, and fit in stature, stood in
the tunnel waiting to greet them. The heavily armored guard stepped out the elevator and then respectively moved to the Generals side. General Johnson
looked at Kevin Stone as if the two had met before.
“It is a pleasure to have such an esteemed Director in our presence again Mr.
Stone,” he welcomed.
Kevin Stone stepped forward and shook the General’s thickset hand.
“Your previous presentation quite impressed me General, particularly the
future opportunities it affords me,” Kevin Stone told him.
Then Kevin gestured to Mike.
“Let me introduce my producer for the shoot Mike Parson,” he introduced.
Mike Parson watched the heavily armored soldiers walk along the
subterranean corridors. General Johnson saw the producer’s bemused
expression. He grabbed Mike’s smaller hand and shook it strongly. It was a
tight, soldiers grip.
“Your first time in a missile silo…albeit a modified silo son,” General Johnson
said rhetorically.
“Ah, yes General,” said Mike still seeming bemused.
General Johnson looked at Kevin Stone.
“You didn’t tell him,” stated the General.
“It’s like giving away the killer twist to a film…cannot stand the fuckers who do
that,” Kevin Stone said in a tone as if a knife slicing the air.
“A test is ready per your request,” the General informed.
“I’m ready to make cinematic history. Let’s get this beast underway,” Kevin
Stone exclaimed with barely contained excitement. General Johnson led Kevin Stone and Mike Parson along the subterranean
corridors. The two Kevlar wearing armored guards that carried high-powered
rifles flanked them with every step, quite unerringly for Mike Parson’s. The
corridors were dull and claustrophobic in nature. Kevin Stone saw that Mike
was uneasy at the surroundings. Kevin looked amused by the producer’s
reaction. Kevin glanced at the armored guards that were escorting them. He
whispered quietly to Mike Parson as they headed toward a large reinforced
steel door that lay at the far end of the corridor.
“They can’t allow us to stray off…”
Mike Parson looked at him as they approached the heavily built door.
“I took five years for me to negotiate to hire it…” Kevin told him.
General Johnson stopped at the reinforced doors. The two armored guards
that stood either side of the door looked at the General and then moved
aside. General Johnson stepped forwards to the ‘finger print pad.’ It scanned
his rough hands. Then it flashed with a bright green light. Kevin Stone
continued to whisper to Mike Parson.
“I would not have even known it existed, who would, unless a certain, ‘high
profile Congressman’ drunk and with the promise of a role in one of my future
projects let slip, ‘the juiciest state secret he knew.’
General Johnson looked up into the ‘retinal eye scanner.’ It scanned his deep
blue eyes and the green light blinked again brightly.
Kevin Stone added quietly as the General provided voice identification.
“We Directors are always stretching for that new technique…that next ground breaking format to shoot our films…we all have ego and covet to set the new
standards by which further films follow and imitate.”
General Johnson said into the ‘voice scanner.’
“General Karl William Johnson.”
The light blinked green. The armored guards subtly flicked the safeties on
their rifles as if they would had responded with force had the identification
procedure for the General proved ‘negative.’ The door made a large locking
sound. They began to slowly open. Kevin Stone whispered.
“To create an entirely new genre of films…a history making groundbreaking
method of making films carves your name forever into history…”
He smiled at Mike Parson cryptically. The large reinforced steel door
continued to open slowly. Mike Parson eyes were fixed tensely as he awaited
to see what lay beyond.
“Both our names…even if it did take a promise not to reveal its existence until
the President was ready and I was provided the exclusive first civilian use
prior to its worldwide exposure…along with a eighty million dollar fee to
secure an eight week hire,” continued Kevin Stone.
The heavy, thick door fully opened and revealed an extremely large, hanger
shape, dimly lit chamber. The silhouetted heavily armored guards and civilian
dressed scientists moved throughout it. There were numerous equipment
stations littered throughout the dimly lit chamber. Mike Parson’s eyes pierced through the light, and he saw the faint outline of the large halo like structure. It
was positioned in the middle of the chamber. Kevin Stone looked over the
dimly lit chamber with heavily armored guards and scientists. He looked as if
he had visited this place before. He slapped Mike Parson hard on the back.
“Even the military has a sense of theater,” Kevin said with a sharp smile.
Mike Parson glanced at him stunned by the vision. The General said as he
began to move forwards.
“My men are already en-route to the destination. They will return shortly with
the proof you requested. “
Kevin Stone and Mike Parson followed him into the chamber. The armored
guards and the scientist’s gave curious looks towards the visitors. Mike
Parson was trying to absorb the surroundings.
“If you would follow me to the viewing area for optimal viewing of the
platform,” General Johnson informed.
The two armored guards that had been escorting them from the elevator had
remained at the foot of the heavily fortified doors as if not permitted to
proceed any further. The steel doors began to close and the light emitting
from the corridor was slowly cut out. The interior of the chamber was very
dim. The armored soldier stood to attention as General Johnson approached
the cherry picker like viewing platform. Kevin Stone and Mike Parson stopped
at the base of the stairs that led into the cheery picker like platform. General
Johnson walked up onto the platform. But Mike Parson eyes were transfixed
onto the large silver circular platform with a large halo like frame that hung above it. The silver platform was large enough in size to hold two semi-trailer
trucks. General Johnson shared a few quiet words with the Lead Scientist.
Then the Lead Scientist nodded and directed his attention back to the semi
circular control panel. General Johnson looked down at Kevin Stone and Mike
Parson from the viewing platform. He gestured them to step up onto the
viewing platform. Mike Parson eyes did not leave the larger silver platform
that was unlike any structure he had ever seen. “You can in his eyes that he
thinks this ‘thing’ is what the Director has hired for eight weeks, and his mind
is racing as to what the purpose and function of the larger silver pad could
possibly be and more importantly, why Kevin Stone would hire it for a film
shoot.” The armored guard walked up the stairs of the viewing platform and
shut the steel door sealing them inside. General Johnson nodded to the Lead
Scientist. The cherry picker like platform flew up into the air, and swung
around so it faced the larger silver platform. The halo structure that hung
above the larger platform began to crackle as if on fire. The scientist’s level of
intensity rose as if in anticipation of some great event. Mike Parson looked
around at the flurry of activity at ground level. The armored guards within the
hangar like chamber were clearly on high alert. Mike was on edge as the
series of red lights flashed along the walls of the chamber. Mike Parson
looked across at Kevin Stone. The Director looked excited and his eyes were
locked onto the large silver platform. The barely contained excitement rushed
through Kevin Stone’s body. Mike Parson looked across at the seemingly
empty silver platform. He could hear the sounds emanating from the halo like structure as if it itself was being violently twisted.
“They’re coming,” General Johnson announced firmly.
Mike Parson eyes snapped onto the General at the final words. Mike followed
the Generals eyes onto the large silver platform. The entire platform cracked
suddenly as if hit by lightning and BOOMED as if releasing tremendous
pressure. A swirl of energy RIPPED around the large silver platform as if a
mini hurricane of energy. Mike Parson could not make out any movement
within the hurricane of energy. The energy began to swirl upwards like a
myriad of serpents into the halo like structure hanging over the large platform.
Mike Parson felt himself loose his breath at the wondrous sight. Then his
entire body tensed as if caught for a moment in time. His mouth was open
and it was dry. The energy dissipated abruptly. The figures of two squads of
body armored Special Force’s Soldiers stood on the pad. The energy
dissipated around them and into the base of the silver platform. They lay
tranquilized, on the platform floor, in-between the two squads of special
force’s soldiers, their thick brown fur bristled, their tusks limp. They were two
large, prehistoric, wooly Mammoths. Mike’s mouth slowly closed as he
watched the fur laced bodies of the Mammoths slowly rise and then
descends. They were ‘alive.’ The Lead Scientist turned from the control panel
and reported.
“The scheduled test was successful General.”
Kevin Stone whispered quietly to himself.
“Fuck me. It really does work.” General Johnson looked at the Director.
“You have the proof you requested,” he told him as if their deal had been
sealed.
Mike Parson blinked as he stared at the wooly mammoths. “He wa