Brian Saves the World, Maybe

Chapter 9 - Doors Open, Doors Close

Brian sat in the back of the police cruiser, trying to figure out how he had gotten into this crazy predicament, being driven to who-knows-where by an Observer. And then there was the annoying foil hat they had forced him to wear. For some reason, it just seemed to fit the situation perfectly. Brian shook his head and glanced over at Dale, sitting next to him, scowling out the window.

They had been driving for nearly an hour, and TV had been silent throughout the trip. That was just fine with Brian. He was busy grappling with the possibility he wasn't really human. He certainly didn't look like one with that stupid hat on.

He also wondered how in the world Jessica was involved in this. Was she an Observer too? She had assured Brian and Dale that there would be time to explain things when they reached someplace safe, but she hadn't even hinted where that might be.

The cruiser slowed and turned, interrupting Brian's thoughts. They were pulling into... an old, abandoned gas station?

They drove around to the back of the building, revealing an adjoining car garage with a keypad for entry. The Observer pulled up beside this and punched in some digits.  The garage door protested loudly as it gradually opened, revealing what appeared to be, of all things, the inside of a normal car garage.

Brian frowned, as the vehicle pulled into the building.

"Pffft. They have a secret gas station," Dale said, sneering.

The Observer got out of the car and pulled out his gun. He opened the door on Brian's side and motioned for them to get out. As they exited the vehicle, he made a gesture with the gun. "Better not try anything," he said, in a low voice. The comment had seemed to be aimed more at Dale, than Brian. Dale just smirked at him.

The cop led them to a room near the center of the building, where some elevator doors were situated.

"An elevator in a gas station. That's a new one," Dale said.

The Observer ignored him, and pressed a button on the wall, opening the doors.

When they entered the elevator, Brian noticed there were buttons for several floors, not just below ground but for above ground as well. In fact, the buttons went all the way from -21 to 21.

That's strange, Brian thought. They must have gotten this elevator out of a skyscraper or something.

When the doors had closed, the Observer pressed the button for -21. The elevator lurched, and began descending. Brian expected the elevator to stop almost immediately, figuring there was very likely only one below-ground level, but the elevator continued moving, and Brian watched the constantly-adjusting display above the doors; -5, -10, -15, all the way to -21.

The doors opened. Brian had expected to see something like a dark, dank tunnel. What he saw was the opposite. A brightly-lit, long, white hallway that seemed to stretch on forever.

"I knew it!" Dale said in a strained whisper. "The government has these all over the place. Right under our noses!"

Brian frowned. "I don't think this is the government."

Dale looked at him. "Maybe that's just what they want us to think."

They passed through several corridors with doors lining the walls on either side. Many people could be seen, marching this way and that to who knows where. As they walked, Dale nodded occasionally, as though on a casual stroll through his garden, inspecting vegetables.

The Observer ushered Brian and Dale into a cramped room. "Sit there," he said, pointing to two chairs against the wall. Without another word, he shut the door. The room's dim lighting flickered slightly, as they waited.

Soon, the door opened, and a woman walked in, bringing them each a glass of water.

"Gee, thanks," Dale said, accepting it with narrowed eyes. He swirled the glass around a few times and sniffed at it.

"You can take that off now." The woman said, pointing at Brian's foil hat.

"Uh, thanks," he said. Brian had actually forgotten it was there. He crumpled the hat into a tight little ball and tossed it on the floor. Dale snickered.

The woman made a face as she picked up the foil ball and walked from the room, closing the door behind her.

"What the heck is this place?" Brian said.

Dale snorted. "It's a bunker under a gas station, obviously."

"This place has to be hundreds of feet below ground. What's the point?"

"Well, you said these guys are planning for a nuclear war, right? Places like this are probably meant to protect Observers from the fallout." Dales's matter-of-fact tone was disconcerting.

The door opened again.

Brian looked up and saw a face he hadn't ever expected to see again. He tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come. When he could finally free his tongue, he said, simply, "Aunt Carol?"