The Commander aims his gun at me, but I'm calmer than he is.
"This isn't a Broken Arrow." It's not a question, I claim with confidence. "Considering how serious a nuclear incident is, if you tried to cover this up with one, this is much worse."
"No shit, Sherlock. What gave it away? The Spetznaz or this weird space tech cramped into a strategic bomber?" He lowers the gun and runs closer to take a better look.
"Don't even ask what the fuck is this, because I have no idea." He warns me before I open my mouth again. "I'm here to look good, not to be smart."
Mud covers his face with caked in blood. His uniform is in tatters too.
"You look like shit, Sir." If we die here, at least I'll be honest. He scoffs, then slaps my back laughing, and I can feel the sniper's bullet move. "Ugh, but this thing looks even worse."
"It does, doesn't it?" He looks around at the complex but rotting structure. The whole place smells like a lab with all the coolants and chemicals leaking into the air.
"I hate to admit it, but the Russians bested us. There's no way out of here and whatever this is, they can't have it." He notes, pulling back the bolt on his carbine to check the chamber.
"I hope it has a self-destruct mechanism that works because I'm all out."
"I have one mag and a few birdshots." Tapping my pocket, I find those breaching rounds too, four of them. But this thing is massive, and neither of us has explosives.
"All these levers and buttons are Greek for me." The Commander confesses, hovering over the control panel. "Here's a keyhole and a red button, that's promising."
"It could be a trigger as well. Look at that nozzle near the bomb bay door." Pointing it out has him recoil. "It says Tachyon Lance here, so I guess it shoots particle beams."
"I won't even pretend to understand that, Nerd." He shakes his head, setting his carbine down. He pulls his radio out but it's still all static. "This is where I'd call for instructions."
The noises coming from the outside tell us that the fighting intensifies.
"I take it you don't have the keys for this?" I ask, pointing at the double keyholes guarding the big red button. The Commander shakes his head.
"That's with the pilots. The Osprey must be halfway back towards the USS Theodore Roosevelt with them on deck by now." He scratches his head.
"Sir, they breached the perimeters. They're inside." A soldier yells beyond the door, and I can tell the Commander is in a pickle. The next sounds are gunshots.
"Okay. Shit. You want to blow this thing up too?"
"That's what the girl in the owl t-shirt told me to do."
Was that too honest? His eyes widen, but he does his best to keep his cool.
"What? No. I won't even question that shit." He shakes his head. "You're a Nerd, you have a better shot at this, so I'll offer you a deal. Give me that 5.56 mag, and I'll give you 2 minutes."
I hit the magazine release button and threw him my last ammo. He doesn't hesitate to insert it into his carbine, running towards the door. He only pauses for a moment when he reaches it.
"Hey, Nerd, what was your name again?"
"It's still Odysseus King, Sir." I can't help but roll my eyes.
"Odysseus. Do me a solid and blow this thing up." An explosion shakes the ground, but it's somewhere far away. The Sukhois must have made another pass. "I'm Jason by the way."
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With that, the Commander salutes and slams the door behind him. I'm alone with this weird contraption larger than my apartment back home.
The keyboard was pristine when I entered, but now it looks worn too. Neither of us touched it, the place is still aging at a crazy rate. Still, the Spetznaz will get here before it turns to dust.
"Eínai ídi katestramméno. An prospathoúsate na to pyrovolísete, tha anatinazótan ólo." # It's already damaged. If you tried to fire it, it would all blow up. # The child I mentioned to the SEAL is back again, looking curious at the rusting controls.
"Shit." She gives me a heart attack. "I'm not taking advice from people who don't exist."
And I refuse to repeat it in Greek too. It's all a hallucination anyway.
"O? Allá ypárcho." # Oh? But I exist. # She claims with confidence and reaches behind my back. The pain all returns at once, and I can't hold in a sharp yell.
She holds up the misshapen bullet with a victorious smile. It's dripping with my blood. That shit was in me?! It must have been a dud.
They make these things break up inside the body to deal as much damage as possible. I still need all my strength to stay upright, but another gentle touch and the pain is gone.
What the fuck? She has a shit-eater grin, but her grey eyes look serious. And those are still not the eyes of an eight-year-old. Did they say her name was Athena?
"Entáxei. Pós boró na to káno aftó?" # Ok. How do I do this? # I give in, but she pulls her nose up and crosses her arms. Don't tell me she'll play the hard to get now.
"Tha to kataláveis. Eísai o Odysséas." # You'll figure it out. You are Odysseus. #
What does my name have to do with this? Screw it. These are mechanical keys, an ancient security feature on a high-tech machine. The breaching charges will take care of them.
I push the girl to the side and aim the Masterkey above the panel. BAM. BAM. It throws sparks all around, but these slugs are purpose-built to avoid them bouncing off.
The keyholes are wide open now, and I pull out the last 5.56 round from the M27's chamber to turn the lock with it. It's stupid, but it works.
Now I have access to the big red button, but I hesitate.
"Is this what you wanted? I slam the button and sacrifice myself?" I glance at the child and even forget to talk Greek to her. Well, if she's the real Athena, it shouldn't matter.
She shakes her head with a smile. See? She understood me. But her response is still in Greek.
"Den thysiázeis ton eaftó sou. Érchesai spíti mazí mou." # You're not sacrificing yourself. You are coming home with me. # She says with confidence.
"Missy, I live in Hampton Roads, Virginia. How will this thing take me there?" I try to argue, but she shakes her head again. "If you mean the USS Roosevelt, that's near the Suez Canal too."
It would be quite an explosion if it would take me that far. Well, it's not like I have a choice. The gunfire outside the door gets louder and more intense.
The Commander promised two minutes. It must be up right about now.
What was his name again?
I hit the button right as I remember.
Jason.