H.O.P.E (A Super Hero Story)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Extraction

The General was woken from his rest by an emergency call from the Sciences section. He took his communicator off the nightstand, saw the time on the clock, sat up and answered,

"You better have a damn good reason for waking me up at two in the morning."

The one who answered on the other line was his chief scientist, Dr. Gene.

"Terribly sorry to rouse you, General, but there has been activity in the atmosphere!"

"Well then, get on with it."

"Another meteorite has touched down."

By this news, the General sat straighter, his focus now enhanced.

"Have you been able to locate the landing site?"

"Affirmative. As a matter of fact, it was only few miles away from the previous one. This one landed by a lake in the Cascade Mountains in Oregon."

"Wonderful! Those mountains are deserted at this time at night. With any luck, we'll be able to collect pure Radiex. Have your survey team go to the site and begin collecting. Send in the tactical unit, just in case of witnesses."

"Hunting accident, or drunk brawling for the cover story?"

"I'll trust the team leader's judgement on that. Send them, then meet me in the Control Room. I wish to see this myself."

"Done, and done, General. Out."

With this well needed good news, the General found a new spring in his old step and rose to dress into his uniform. While he wasn't an elderly man, only in his early 50's, the stress of combat and his high position took a toll on him. His dark hair began graying, and his white skin looked a bit weathered and dull. Still he took pride in his near peak physical condition, with only his belly smoothing out due to a lack of efficient gym time. He put on his Army uniform, proud of the three stars shining on it.

He exited his quarters, and the armed guards posted outside his door escorted him to the Control Room. When he arrived, scientists and analysts were studying screens around the top interior of the room, showing thermal and satellite imaging, as well as cam feed from the two dispatched units. Waiting for him at the Command table was Dr. Gene Benson, his top scientist and the only Radiex expert on the planet. He was a tall, wiry Caucasian man, with his short blond hair smoothed back, and an eager grin on his face.

"Here's hoping, General we get a pure form of the substance to work with!"

"Do not get your hopes up yet, Doctor. First, we'll wait for the teams to assess the situation."

"Of course, General."

The General called to the radio operator sitting down in front of him.

"Open a channel to Tactical."

"Yes, sir." The operator flipped a switch and pressed a couple of buttons. "Channel open, sir."

"Tac-Leader, this is General. Relay ETA to touchdown site."

"Tac-Leader to General, choppers on-route to site. ETA, three minutes."

"Excellent. Make sure all suit cameras stay on, and have weapons ready. Over and out."

The General turned to his chief scientist. "Doctor, call to make sure your laboratories are ready to begin analysis. I expect results within forty-eight hours."

"Yes, General." He went to the intercom on the table and began to relay his instruction to his science teams.

Three minutes came and went, with the radio squawking, then a voice came on.