Bullets, Bomb-blasts, and Battlefields: Facing the U.D.C.

Chapter XII: Uncertainties and Late-night Unwindings

           In the year 1974 a copper mine was discovered on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee (heart and soul of country music). It closed down when Alder forced his way into power, but the mine still exists this day, and that’s where we were headed.

Dean Hrivnak explained how to enter into HQ. First you send out five short radio bursts in the direction of the mine, which I did. Then you turn on the radio and wait for a radio disturbance. Once that happens, you relay your authorization code. We all heard the radio messing up a couple minutes thereafter. “5-2-6-Oscar-Romeo-9-7-4-Echo.”

“Access granted,” said a computerized female voice. “Proceed to entry point level two,” she continued. A long strip of rock near the middle of the mine wall rolled inward silently. We flew in and the rock closed just as silently behind us. It was like nothing ever happened.

I was flying very slowly because I could easily see the end of the tunnel and with it a huge pipe that went down a super long way. “How long is the drop?” I asked.

“Ten thousand feet. It would be best if we hovered down slowly,” Dean Hrivnak answered. I smiled. Selina and all of my teammates, even the newly acquired ones, tightened their seatbelts until they wouldn’t go any tighter. They all knew what I was thinking.

“Well that would be the anti-fun way to go, so I vote no,” I replied.

“What do you mean no?”

“Ah, exactly like it sounds. N O means no.” He stared at me dumbfounded. “You need to learn to loosen up. Okay, rotate the hover engines straight down, but keep them off until I give the word. When I do, turn the power to half, and the hover engines to max. Got it?” He nodded. “Good.”

We were now above the lead pipe on steroids. “Straight down.” I slammed the controls forward and the nose of the plane took a dive. “7000. 5000. 3000.” These altitudes were rushing by the second. “1500. Get ready! 200. Now!”

Dean Hrivnak cut the power in half and threw on the hover engines to full blast. Meanwhile I pulled the nose to level horizon. It was very difficult. I almost hit the side of the chute. But it worked and we were now level with the horizon again and coming to a landing on the ground. Safe and sound.

“You call that fun??” Dean Hrivnak squeaked.  He was whiter than a ghost.

“No, I call that a regular day,” I replied. 

“What do you do for fun, then?”

“You don’t want to know,” I laughed. The place was huge.  I couldn’t see the other end of the hangar, who knew how big the entire facility reached out?

When we all walked down the ramp we were surrounded by what felt like a million people. It seemed the room could have held that much and more if needed. They all began clapping and cheering for us. It took me a minute to realize that the reason we were receiving such monstrous applause was because we were the first ever to bust out of the U.D.C. and live to tell the tale (for now). It filled me with pride. 

When the clamor died down, I turned to Dean Hrivnak and asked, “Hey D.H., since I saved your life and everything, and I’m not trying to brag, but do you think I could get…” I leaned over and whispered the rest into his ear.

He nodded and said, “I’ll see what we can do.” He left immediately; I think he was glad to be on solid ground and away from me. 

Ms. Wellman walked up as he departed. “We have a medical ward for those of you who need it, so please follow me. If not, Mr. McConn will show you to the rooms that we’ve prepared for you.” She departed with the fifteen we picked up at the end, and Lauren limping along after them. But before Ms. Wellman left she turned to me and said, “Oh, Jake, you’re going to a board meeting.”