Read Online Escape: Omega Book 1 (Omega: Earth's Hero) by Keith Latch - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Keith Latch
Ads: Link
project, or the Omega Project that for matter. NASA was a public domain agency where it survived purely by being one of the most transparent agencies funded by Congress. Space exploration already walked around with a huge “Kick Me” sign on its back. No, better this remain a covert undertaking. The U.S. military and Exeter Labs were much better suited for the task of utter secrecy.
Since inception, the mission statement of Hangar 99 was simple: watch the little ship and see if anything happened. It was felt that all that could be learned from the technology had been and nothing more would ever come from it.
Hendricks had seen it several times, and it made him uneasy each and every time. The first time he’d ever laid eyes on it, though, he reacted just like anyone else would have: he’d been awed. But the more he considered it, the more uncomfortable it made him.
Okay, there was life in outer space. That’s one questioned answered, but that only created more questions. Not the least of these was: Where were they from? Were they peaceful? Did they mean us harm? And when would they be back?
The group of men stopped at a large steel door. “Gentlemen,” Stanhousen said to the three other scientists, “please excuse the general and me. We’ll need to speak privately.”
There were unhappy murmurs, but Stanhousen was the superior to these men and his wish was honored. When they stepped away, Stanhousen said so only the general could hear, “Wait until you get a load of this.”
Stanhousen keyed the door and it whooshed open. Anvil’s tie did not feel loose enough anymore. He pulled at the knot a little more and stepped through, his eyes growing wide as he looked through the observation glass of the room that stood beyond. Forty feet down, in the actual hangar section of Hangar 99, sat the boomer. While it had lain still and silent for decades, it was certainly awake now.
Hendricks cleared his throat, impressed and now more than a little uneasy. “I see what you mean, doctor.”
Stanhousen, completely out of character, slapped the general on the back. For the time being, Anvil decided to let it go. “Oh no, sir. You haven’t seen the half of it.”
Chapter 9
Fire. Explosions. Of glass. Of gunfire. Scorched flesh. A woman’s screams. The streets of New York City hundreds of feet below. He was falling. Falling faster and faster and faster yet.
Omega awoke with a start, screams dying as his eyes opened. Phantom screams, he realized. Tiny droplets of perspiration formed on his brow. He wiped them away with the back of his hand and sat up in bed. He breathed heavily. Dreams were something he never really considered. In the rare instances he had them, details faded quickly when he woke. Until lately, he had never had one terrifying enough to rouse him from sleep.
It wasn’t just today that bothered him. They’d started a little over two weeks ago. Until tonight, they’d been manageable. That no longer seemed to be the case.
He regretted the deaths, of course. He regretted the injuries to his brethren, not the least of all to his commander, Captain Black. Omega had the notion however, that something else was at play.
Bits and pieces of his previous dreams lit behind his eyes. Strange visions, almost like designs, etched in white light. Scratchy whisperings, ones he couldn’t quite discern, echoed inside his head. Each night, they progressively increased in both number and velocity, yet not clarity or volume. With the push of a button, the bedside lamp ignited.
Omega stood. There was no point in lying back down. There would be no sleep for a while tonight. His quarters were not large, yet he paced back and forth, forth and back. Dressed in an olive tee shirt and matching skivvies, he was neither hot nor cold. The sweat had dried and he breathed easier. Calmer, he took a seat at his desk.
He’d been told his memory was remarkable. He believed this to be true, but he
Since inception, the mission statement of Hangar 99 was simple: watch the little ship and see if anything happened. It was felt that all that could be learned from the technology had been and nothing more would ever come from it.
Hendricks had seen it several times, and it made him uneasy each and every time. The first time he’d ever laid eyes on it, though, he reacted just like anyone else would have: he’d been awed. But the more he considered it, the more uncomfortable it made him.
Okay, there was life in outer space. That’s one questioned answered, but that only created more questions. Not the least of these was: Where were they from? Were they peaceful? Did they mean us harm? And when would they be back?
The group of men stopped at a large steel door. “Gentlemen,” Stanhousen said to the three other scientists, “please excuse the general and me. We’ll need to speak privately.”
There were unhappy murmurs, but Stanhousen was the superior to these men and his wish was honored. When they stepped away, Stanhousen said so only the general could hear, “Wait until you get a load of this.”
Stanhousen keyed the door and it whooshed open. Anvil’s tie did not feel loose enough anymore. He pulled at the knot a little more and stepped through, his eyes growing wide as he looked through the observation glass of the room that stood beyond. Forty feet down, in the actual hangar section of Hangar 99, sat the boomer. While it had lain still and silent for decades, it was certainly awake now.
Hendricks cleared his throat, impressed and now more than a little uneasy. “I see what you mean, doctor.”
Stanhousen, completely out of character, slapped the general on the back. For the time being, Anvil decided to let it go. “Oh no, sir. You haven’t seen the half of it.”
Chapter 9
Fire. Explosions. Of glass. Of gunfire. Scorched flesh. A woman’s screams. The streets of New York City hundreds of feet below. He was falling. Falling faster and faster and faster yet.
Omega awoke with a start, screams dying as his eyes opened. Phantom screams, he realized. Tiny droplets of perspiration formed on his brow. He wiped them away with the back of his hand and sat up in bed. He breathed heavily. Dreams were something he never really considered. In the rare instances he had them, details faded quickly when he woke. Until lately, he had never had one terrifying enough to rouse him from sleep.
It wasn’t just today that bothered him. They’d started a little over two weeks ago. Until tonight, they’d been manageable. That no longer seemed to be the case.
He regretted the deaths, of course. He regretted the injuries to his brethren, not the least of all to his commander, Captain Black. Omega had the notion however, that something else was at play.
Bits and pieces of his previous dreams lit behind his eyes. Strange visions, almost like designs, etched in white light. Scratchy whisperings, ones he couldn’t quite discern, echoed inside his head. Each night, they progressively increased in both number and velocity, yet not clarity or volume. With the push of a button, the bedside lamp ignited.
Omega stood. There was no point in lying back down. There would be no sleep for a while tonight. His quarters were not large, yet he paced back and forth, forth and back. Dressed in an olive tee shirt and matching skivvies, he was neither hot nor cold. The sweat had dried and he breathed easier. Calmer, he took a seat at his desk.
He’d been told his memory was remarkable. He believed this to be true, but he
Similar Books
