Machines of the Gods Read online

  Chapter One

  Neil Stone entered the elevator and pressed the button for level six. He’d been fourteen floors down for over a week, not coming up even once. This impregnable secret military facility had been his home for a long time.The base was designed to withstand everything. Each floor was reinforced with six feet of concrete and steel. Titanium doors and lead shielding made up the entrances and exits to this place. In fact, this entire structure had been built within a five hundred- foot- thick granite bedrock slab. Not even a nuclear attack would wreak this secret installation. However, a potentially greater threat was looming.

  He casually looked up at the electronic counter on top of the door. It rapidly flashed a set of changing numbers as the elevator quickly moved toward the surface. He then stepped back and glanced at his Rolex. Time was a major factor now. His cool edge was being challenged this day.

  Standing at a height of six feet two inches and weighing just under 220 lbs, he was always well groomed and wore a black suite. Looking like a young Harrison Ford, he could have passed for a man in his thirties in spite of the fact that he was nearly fifty. The dark shades on his eyes were more of a mask to hide his identity from the general public. They all were required to do this when mingling with people while on an assignment. This unwritten rule had always been followed to the letter.

  After a few more seconds, the elevator stopped again and its doors opened.

  A young woman dressed in a white shirt and black skirt entered. Standing at 5’7’’ and weighing about 120lbs, she was in perfect form. She looked like an updated version of Marilyn Monroe. However, the black shades she wore gave her a more threatening appearance.

  As soon as the door closed again, they turned to face each other.

  “Neil, I can’t believe that you are letting an outsider lead the investigation on this project. This man is not part of our organization. He doesn’t even have the proper clearance level. You’re making a very bad mistake, I’m sure of it.”

  “Jenny, this man gets things done,” he replied. “I worked with him a couple of years ago on another secret case. It was as high-level as this one.”

  “Yes, I’ve read about that case over and over again. In fact, they made us study it at the FBI training school. He does great work, but the man is reckless and headstrong. He does not always follow orders either. Besides, we are up against someone from our own organization who has gone completely rogue. We need someone from the inside to track this guy. We know him. Look, too many outside people are already involved. Let’s see, we have that pilot out in New Mexico. There are those two air force people in that control tower. And what about the military personal at six different bases between here and California?”

  “That is precisely why I’ve selected this man. Our enemy knows all of our strengths and weaknesses. He knows how we think and can recognize any of our agents from a mile away. We need someone who is different and does not think like we do. My guy is perfect for this job. He’s smart, determined, and cleaver. No one else can pull this off.”

  She frowned. “Well, you are the boss. However, we are taking a huge risk. If this thing blows up in our faces, it’ll be hell to pay.”

  “Yes, I know,” he whispered.

  “What’s the latest update on Diamond Jack?”

  “You already know that he broke into the communication center out in New Mexico after everyone had gone home and reprogrammed their giant satellite dish to turn toward the moon. After sending a coded message to that alien ship up there, he brought down some kind of drone. No doubt that drone had one of those orbs on board.”

  “That was six months ago. What’s the urgency now? This guy has made threats before. I don’t think that he can really carry them out.”

  Neil swallowed. “What you don’t know is that the alien drone did contain an orb. What’s worse is that we believe this orb contained information on how to build advanced weapons like we’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, since then, Diamond Jack has somehow found a way to manufacture some of the blueprinted devices. He also has threatened to sell all of these weapons on the black market if his demands are not met. That fool has already used one of these newly manufactured devices to blast the top off Mount Kennedy in Colorado just to prove a point. For the record, that was no meteorite that crashed into that mountain peak last month. We leaked that false story to the news media. The truth was that one of those devices—that took less than a week to build—blasted two thousand tons of rock into dust.”

  “Oh my God…” Jennifer whispered. “An orb can carry the three-dimensional blueprints of thousands of devices. We know that from the ones we already have down here.”

  “That’s why we need an outsider who can match this guy’s wit,” Neil said. “My expert can do just that.”

  The elevator opened and they stepped out into a maze of workstations, computers, and many people. The street level office was full this day, as usual. They casually proceeded through this huge electronic canyon of machines and people, totally unnoticed by anyone.

  Neil looked down at his watch again. “This guy’s plane landed at DFW about forty minutes ago. Our men picked him up from the landing field by helicopter, and they should have him here in a few more minutes.”

  “Good, I’m looking forward to meeting this so-called legion. I never thought that you’d trust anyone outside of our organization. I just can’t wait to meet the man who gained your confidence totally.”

  “I never said totally.”

  “Oh really, Neil?”

  “I may be trustworthy, but I’m still no fool.” Neil opened the front door and let her through. “You’ll be shadowing this guy every step of the way. I want to know when he eats, sleeps, and even scratches his behind. Do you understand?”

  Jenny smiled. “I’m reading you both loudly and clearly.”

  They moved out into the huge courtyard between the buildings. Dozens of people milled around them. There were more business laptops and briefcases here than in the downtown area. The best minds in the country worked in this huge establishment. However, they did not know of the other huge complex forty meters beneath their feet. Two different worlds were separated by only a few floors.

  Above, the sound of a helicopter vibrated the grounds as the wind from its propeller fluttered the leaves of the trees. The chopper flew over their heads and hovered above the helipad on top of the building in front of them. It then descended and landed on the roof.

  Neil looked at his watch again. “Yep, right on schedule.”

  “How much information do we let him in on?” she asked, looking up at the man as he exited the chopper and headed toward the roof elevator.

  “Everything, I’m talking about full disclosure. We don’t hide anything.”

  “You’re insane. Even if everything is successful, what happens after this case is over? We can’t let him run around loose with the information we have. He’ll have to be eliminated.”

  Neil shook his head. “You’re so primitive. We don’t have to resort to such measures anymore. There are drugs that can be slipped into people’s food. These drugs can scramble minds really well.”

  She laughed. “Okay, I’m feeling better now. I was beginning to think that you were going soft on us.”

  “Not on your life.”

  The two of them stepped up to the elevator doors of the complex across the courtyard. In just moments, they’d reveal some of their most guarded secrets to someone outside the Agency. This was something that had never been done before. However, they’d never faced a threat like this before either. The security of the entire world was at stake.

  Jennifer started fluffing her hair and applying lipstick. Afterwards, she straightened her blouse and skirt.

  Neil glanced over at her and smirked. “What are you doing?”

  “I believe in great first impressions.”

  “Don’t g
et any ideas, he’s married. Besides, the man is all about business. When I worked with him on a case two years ago, even his high school sweetheart could not distract him from the assignment that we were working on.”

  She laughed. “My God, you have such a devious mind.”

  “Me? Just a few seconds ago, you were talking about killing this guy after the mission was over.”

  “That was then and this is now. But, I could do a lot worse. This guy is really good looking. He’s just over six feet tall, two hundred twenty pounds of solid muscle, and sharp as a tack. I’ve read all about him. The guy reminds me of my ex-husband. This man is a real-life Denzel Washington who has the body of a Greek God. He has the best of both possible worlds. I can do business and have fun at the same time.”

  “Not with this guy.”

  “I’m up to the challenge,” she replied. “I’m better looking than most women.”

  “You’re wasting time.”

  “It’s my time to waste.”

  The elevator door opened, and FBI Agent Steve “Ace” Miller stepped out. He was dressed in a nine hundred dollar black suit and shiny shoes. “Greeting, Neil, it’s been a long time.” He extended his hand. “I see that you’ve brought company with you this time.”

  Not waiting to be introduced, Jennifer stepped forward and extended her hand. “I’m Jennifer White. I’ll be working with you on this case, working very closely with you.”

  “I’m feeling right at home already,” Steve said, shaking her hand and moving behind the two of them. “Go on, lead the way.”

  Neil started walking toward the glass building across the courtyard. “Steve, you’ll see that a lot has happened since you were last here.”

  “Are you talking about the city or the people in it?” Steve asked.

  “Both,” Neil replied. “Also, there are a few other things that we have that will blow your mind.”

  Jennifer smiled. “He’s got that right.”

  Steve smirked. “Okay, let’s get down to business. Even though I’m not being paid by the hour, it would still be nice to finish off this villain before he can cause any harm. I also want to know what terrible secret this guy has on all of you. Maybe, I can use it against him.”

  “You’ll soon have your answer and a lot more,” Neil replied.

  “Now, you’re talking,” Steve whispered.

  The three of them walked back into the glass building. As they moved through the maze of computers and workstations, the noise of office chatter drowned out the sound of their voices. Everything was still clandestine. They moved up to the elevator.

  The office elevator door opened, and they got in. The door closed a few seconds later. Neil then placed a key in a lock under the “down” button and turned it. The elevator lurched and started a rapid descent.

  “We’re going down six hundred feet,” Jenny said. “This is the most guarded military facility in the world. Long ago, our government was working on a project called the Super Conducting Super Collider. After that project failed, we kept building until we came up with this huge facility. It took almost twenty years to complete this damn thing. The people who work in the office we just passed through don’t even know this huge complex is beneath their very feet. In fact, all of the buildings on this seven-acre lot are connected to the installation we’re going down to now.”

  “Hell, I’ve been passing this area for years and never knew that this place was even here,” Steve said.

  “That’s the general idea.” Neil looked down at his phone watch and smiled. “They are expecting us. The deeper we go into this place, the more secretive the projects are. Just for the record, we’re starting on the bottom floors.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed,” Steve admitted.

  The elevator door opened. There was a large room ahead. This darken place was really a giant maze of computer workstations and view screens—dozens of them, in fact. Also, milling about were at least a hundred people—ominous-looking men and women dressed in all black with dark glasses—creeping about like new-aged ghosts in a digital graveyard.

  “What a spooky place,” Steve said, casually stepped off the elevator behind his two escorts and walked into this acre-wide mess of cubicles and computers. “Why are the lights so dim?”

  “This is the communication center of the world,” Jennifer replied, momentarily looking back. “From here, we can track all computer transactions and digital communications on the entire planet. Also, all records of top-secret information from everywhere come through here. There are ten other work centers down here with tons of classified files and hardware. Your mind will truly be blown when you see what we have. The place has to stay dark so that the thermal scanners can detect secret transmitters or spy equipment.”

  “Understood.” Steve walked down this narrow passage between the canyons of workstations, casually observing the workers who peered out from behind their desks at him like zombies. Now, even he was getting the creeps. “Neil, are you sure that I’m supposed to have access or knowledge to all of this covert information? Once this case is over, I hope that you are not planning on knocking me off? If so, just let me out of here now. I can still leave, right?”

  Neil glanced over at Jennifer and then back at Steve. “Come on, you should know me better than that. Besides, we worked on that other case two years ago and nothing has happened to you. That case was as top level as this one. We know that you’ll keep your mouth shut.”

  Steve laughed. “I was just checking.”

  Jennifer managed a nervous grin and chuckled. “You are one of us now.”

  Steve smirked. “I guess I should feel safe now.”

  “Perfectly safe.” She looked at Steve and smiled.

  The three of them moved up to a gigantic steel door. The thing looked like the hatch to a bank vault. The wall around it was solid steel and surrounded by granite bedrock. Whatever was on the other side must have been a super-secret something.

  Steve doubted that even a locomotive traveling at a hundred miles an hour could have crashed through. “Now, we get to the good stuff, right?” he asked.

  “Yes, the really good stuff,” Jennifer replied.

  Neil placed his thumb on a biometric decoder chip in the center of the door and let the machine scan him. He then entered in a code number on the keypad next to the chip reader. “Steve, what you are about to see must be forgotten as soon as the mission is over.” He stepped back as this huge door slowly opened. “Remember, you’ve been warned.”

  “That I have,” Steve replied.

  The steel door completely opened to reveal what looked like an airplane hangar on the other side. However, this huge room was filled with devices that looked as if they’d come straight out of a Star Wars movie. In the center of this large enclosure was a disk-shaped craft that was about forty feet wide and six feet high at its center. Milling around it were even more mysterious workers.

  “Let me guess, a real alien spaceship?” Steve questioned, while looking at the strange machine. After all, there was nothing else that it could have been, he quickly decided.

  “Oh yes, and that is just the tip of a giant iceberg,” Neil stated. “This thing has been here for a couple of years. One like it crashed at Roswell back in 1947. We have two more as well. The wreckage of one was found on the moon, and this one was discovered resting in ten thousand feet of water by a mini-sub that was searching for that missing airliner. The sub’s radar picked up an unusual metallic object on the ocean floor. I’m glad that we found it before some foreign government did. Any questions?”

  “Yes, how did you get this thing down here?” Steve asked.

  Neil smiled. “The hanger is built underneath a large circular shaft. We lowered the craft down here with a crane. After that, we closed the top doors. They too are made of seven-inch- thick steel.”

  “Impressive. What happened to the alie
ns who came in this craft?”

  Jennifer looked back. “We don’t know exactly, but we have a pretty good idea. There were two alien bodies taken from the spacecraft. After we examined them, we found that the creatures had expired from simple viruses. In fact, the dried traces of their blood revealed that they’d come from a place where germs must not have ever existed. In fact, we discovered that common viruses grew in their bodies at more than ten times the rate that they grow in humans—and these creatures had no natural defenses No antibodies of any kind were found in their blood. They were probably overcome before they knew what was happening. Their physical bodies could not withstand the toxins in our environment either. The alien corpses in this craft, along with the ones from the Roswell crash, rotted down to skeletons within a few days after being exposed to our atmosphere. Their physical structures were not designed to withstand a germ-riddled environment. I doubt if they even knew what germs were.”

  Steve knowingly nodded. “I seem to remember this plot being used in a movie.”

  “That is where they got the idea for the movie from,” Jennifer admitted. “These aliens came to our world a very long time ago. They’ve influenced our technology for centuries.”

  “At least that’s what we believe,” Neil interrupted. “There is no way to be sure because that ship may have been down there for thousands of years, judging from the level of coral and sea growth covering it. Luckily the inside was still sealed off in an airtight vacuum, perfectly preserving the occupants and contents. However, the exact age of the craft may never be determined.”

  Jennifer moved up next to another steel door on the other side of the hanger and looked back. “The craft’s metal does not rust either. Its material is ten times harder than steel and yet lighter than plastic. It took a nuclear torch just to cut through the bulkhead. We still can’t figure out how to make most of the things found on board to work. However, we did find a few interesting devices. I’d like to show them to you.”

  “Sure, why not?” Steve replied.

  A second door on the other side of the hanger opened, and they walked into a small conference room that had three orbs resting in a glass cabinet up front. These crystal spheres were about the size of a man’s fist and shined like diamonds.