Free Dulce Base (The Dulce Files Book 1) by Greg Strandberg Page A

tunnel before his companions were able to take a few strides. The legs allowed him to reach the tunnel entrance to see the UFO shoot out down the landing strip the Grays had for it, then upwards…and right toward Frank and Ronnie coming back in the Puma!
    Not that it mattered, he quickly saw, for the UFO was still shuddering and now shaking and about to drop at any moment. It gave a valiant effort trying to pull itself up toward the helicopter – which was over the treeline and still a hundred yards further on, Turn now saw – but it failed miserably. All at once the lift seemed to give out of the craft and it dropped to it’s right, the same side that’d been damaged in the tunnel blast, and then clipped into the tall Douglas Fir trees that were standing there. The sides dented and sparks and smoke flew out from the spaceship, but it didn’t blow and it didn’t disintegrate. Instead it fell to earth and landed with a resounding crash, something that could probably be heard for miles.
    “Damn!” Fred said, and Turn looked over to see him there, panting from the run down the tunnel.  He looked back and saw the others would be there in another few moments.
    “Looks like that shot of yours did it!” Turn yelled, and just as Robbie reached them. He raised his arm up and pointed toward the trees where there was a small plume of smoke rising and nothing more.
    “Well I’ll be damned!” Tommy shouted.  “I thought for sure you were gonna keep up that near-perfect record for misses.”
    Bobbie spat out a large wad of tobacco. “Like you’re trying to keep that perfect record of not getting’ laid?”
    “Alright, alright!” Fred said with a laugh. “Let’s get out there and give those boys a hand.”
    He pointed toward the helicopter, which was beginning to land a short distance from the crashed UFO, though still on the landing strip.
    “What about the tunnel,” Paul said, stopping them all as they were about to rush forth, “what if there are more?”
    “He’s right,” Charlie said, then looked to Fred, “you and your boys stay here and head back down that tunnel a ways, see if there’s anything there.”
    Fred frowned, but nodded – he didn’t want to miss out on the action, but he didn’t want an unnecessary risk at their backs either. He’d seen enough of what unguarded tunnels had done to his platoon of men back in ‘Nam.
    The others headed toward the helicopter, Sammy leading the way again with Turn and Tommy and Charlie close together. They put their night vision goggles back on and ahead of them saw that Captain Frank Burchak was getting out of the helicopter’s passenger seat. He waved at them, then looked over at the crash site, got the rest of the way out of the craft, and began to close the door.
    “What’s he doing?” Tommy said, shock in his voice, his tone serious. “What the hell is he doin’ gettin’ out there alone!”
    “C’mon!” Sammy shouted, then started to run forward more quickly.
    It was too late. Frank was walking forward and had just about cleared the helicopter when he jerked to a stop, as if some invisible hand had suddenly grabbed him. Even with the night vision it was clear, the look of terror on his face. He had no control over his arms or legs, but his face took on a twisted look of terror as his body slowly began to rise off the ground.
    Inside the helicopter Ronnie sensed what was happening and flipped off the helicopter’s rotors, but he knew it was a futile effort as soon as it was done.  Ahead of him Frank’s body spun around so his face was looking straight into Ronnie’s, the look of terror evident, his eyes pleading for some kind of help that could never come but which his mind wouldn’t let him believe.
    He screamed, but it was a short burst of sound before his head turned back against its will and his body shot upward face-first into the spinning rotor blades, still moving at more than 500 feet per second. Blood drenched the helicopter’s