Free The Mountain: An Event Group Thriller by David L. Golemon

complex was in a mood because of the extreme losses the Group and the 101st Airborne had sustained in the desert event last week. It was well known that the new major was not taking lightly the deaths of so many, and it was now rumored that as a result, Collins was going to turn down the offer of permanently staying with the Group. The man looked as if he’d had enough of fatalities in any form.
    “Dr. Compton, can I get you some breakfast, or maybe a late dinner?” the tall, very thin chef asked. The military rank displayed on his chef’s whites was that of a United States Navy chief petty officer.
    Compton stifled a yawn and then turned to face the navy cook. “No thank you, Chief, just trying to stay awake for the most part,” Niles Compton said as he nodded at the taller man.
    With one last look toward the major, the chef moved back to his kitchen and Niles Compton steeled himself for what was to come. He turned with his cup and saucer and saw with relief that Garrison Lee had come in early as promised to go over the situation with Jack Collins. Lee was fresh off a heart attack brought on by the events in the Arizona desert. It had been extremely hard to keep him isolated long enough to get the heart condition under control because Garrison wanted to be in on the extensive debrief of the small green alien, the Matchstick Man, the lone surviving extraterrestrial crewman from Chato’s Crawl, Arizona. Lee had undoubtedly used that excuse to get out of the house he shared with Alice Hamilton in Las Vegas. The main objective of this morning’s meeting was to conclude Major Jack Collins’s introduction to a federal agency in which he had already taken life, and ended it. It was rumored that Collins was about to leave the Group and fall into an uneasy retirement from the U.S. Army.
    Niles waited for Lee to get himself a cup of coffee and then they both moved through the deserted cafeteria to confront Jack Collins about his upcoming decision. As they approached, they saw that Jack was perusing the personnel files of the Event Group personnel who had been killed in action last week. His face was stone as he read the names to himself. He was so absorbed in his task that he did not even glance up when Niles and Lee joined him.
    “I was wondering when you were going to corner me, but I suspected with the senator’s health problems I would have had the time to formally commit my answer to paper.”
    Niles reflected that Collins was not your ordinary military officer. Jack was a thorough, analytical thinker and that was what he and Lee were after.
    “We figured the ambush technique was best for the situation,” Lee said as he placed his cup and saucer down without waiting to be asked. “I suppose you wouldn’t mind the company of an old fart and super nerd long enough to bend your ear a while?” Lee finished as he sat, placing his cane against the table as he gestured for Niles to do the same. “Besides, with my retirement, Alice has me doing some very strange things around the house, like fixing things, or cutting this, or trimming that. I would rather be here bothering you than turn into Mr. Fixit at home.”
    “I take it Alice doesn’t know you left home?” Jack inquired.
    Lee pointed to the double doors of the cafeteria and Jack saw Lee’s assistant Alice standing there with her left brow raised and shaking her head.
    “Don’t be foolish. It would be easier to escape a Russian gulag than to escape her scrutiny. She drove me here, which means I have very little time to conduct business, so I will get started.”
    “I’ve pretty much decided what I’m going to do,” Collins said as he pushed his cold cup of coffee away.
    Niles stirred sugar into his own cup and then looked at Collins. He removed his glasses, a frequent move that Jack had learned meant Niles was about to get serious.
    “Last week when Alice and Lieutenant McIntire gave you the grand tour of the vault levels, we never got a chance to ask what