Free White Sands by Nicholas Sansbury Smith Page B

you.”
    Michael stared at the com in disbelief. There was a hint of nervousness in Blair’s voice. He’d heard the signs too many times during his tour in North Africa to ignore—the slight lilt, as if every word were a question, the pause. Something was very wrong. Hardened men like Blair didn’t get nervous without cause.
    A hollow silence filled the small office as Michael lost himself in his thoughts. Situation? They had never had a situation before. Sure, there had been protests when NTC first started building the spaceport, a few bomb threats, and the occasional high school student that had tried to sneak his girlfriend into a restricted zone for “star gazing,” but nothing significant enough to lock down the base. The base’s security team had been able to mitigate any threats in the past.
    Michael checked the time.
    Shit.
    He still had thirty minutes left to his shift. If there was a situation, then chances were he would be stuck at the spaceport until it was over. He might not be able to see his family until tomorrow.
    Just my luck.
    Michael stood and strolled over to his locker where a wrapped present sat waiting for Jeff. This year, Michael had finally decided the boy was old enough to have his grandfather’s rifle—much to Paula’s dismay, of course.
    With a sigh, Michael grabbed his own rifle and shut the locker. After strapping the weapon over his metal armor, he slipped his helmet on and took a deep breath of the filtered air. It still smelled like cheap plastic.
    NTC was the largest security and science company on Earth. The least they could do was equip their soldiers with a decent-smelling helmet. He took in another breath, grimaced, opened the blast door, and walked into the bright sun.
    As soon as his eyes adjusted to the glare he saw the reason for the heightened security. Just above the cloud cover, a ship the size of a small city was slowly making its way to the base. The craft was a monstrosity. He’d never seen one so big. It had to be NTC.
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    “What do you mean we’re being redirected?” Paula asked, her head angling out the open window.
    “Ma’am. I’m not going to repeat myself. Access to the base has been restricted. You won’t be able to see your husband until his shift is over.Please take a right and head for the civilian quarters.”
    Jeff couldn’t tell if the guard was frustrated or not. The man’s voice was muffled by his breathing apparatus. Paula, however, was about to blow a gasket. Her face was red, and had been since the two black Humvees had nearly T-boned their car earlier.
    Paula let out a huff. “Fine.”
    The tires screeched and Jeff’s head lurched forward.
    “Jeez!” he blurted.
    “Sorry,” replied Paula as she steered the car toward a cluster of buildings just beyond the guard post.
    Jeff caught a glimpse of something on the horizon. Squinting, he climbed up farther on the backseat to get a better look. It was another ship, but he wasn’t sure if it was the same one they’d seen before. There was no deafening roar or quake that followed it as it maneuvered gracefully over the skyline.
    “Jeff, please sit down while the car is moving.” Paula said.
    He ignored her for the moment, hoping to get a better look.
    She sighed and peered into the rearview mirror. “What is it now?”
    “Nothing, just thought I saw something,” Jeff said, sliding back into his seat. He forced a smile and clicked his seat belt. When he looked up to gauge Paula’s expression he saw a convoy of trucks speeding down the road in their direction. They were the same sleek black as the two that had almost run them over earlier. He wondered where they were coming from this time.
    “Cool,” David said, putting his tablet on the seat next to him.
    Jeff pushed his face against the window as the trucks zipped by. He recognized the insignia on the side of the vehicles immediately. It was NTC’s main emblem; blue lettering with a white border and flames in the background. But he