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John Carpenter's
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HOSTILE TAKEOVER - CHAPTER 8
The only sound that could be heard in the bitter Antarctic morning
was the unsettling wail of the wind as it blew across the glacial
landscape. The incessant moan reminded any and all who heard it that
this was an inhospitable and unforgiving land for one to be in. The
ominous howling was a constant warning to all who were there; "You are
not welcome here."
Softly in the distance, a faint hum intruded in the bizarre serenity.
The noise grew louder as a small, black speck appeared in sky on the
hazy horizon. The sound grew more audible as the speck increased in
size. Nearer and nearer the sound and shape grew, flying fast inland.
The shape was identifiable now; it was unmistakably a helicopter. The
helicopter flew low over the frozen continent. It followed a straight
path. It was in search of a specific location.
"How close are we?" asked the co-pilot to the pilot.
"There. Dead ahead about two miles." The pilot stretched out a hand
and pointed out to the horizon.
In the distance in front of them was a structure on the surface of the
frozen wasteland. It was a construct of immense size and proportion.
As the helicopter approached the construct, the passengers could make
out antennas, the towers and the many different, connected buildings
that made up this aberration on the ice. There were six large
buildings and four smaller buildings making up the main portion of
TOMAR. They were all round and domed on top. This was so the roofs
would not cave in due to excess snow build up. The buildings were not
very tall at all, possibly six feet in height. They were, in fact, dug
deep into the ice itself. The six large ones were built touching each
other and were built in two rows of threes. As if a giant pushed an
incredibly immense six-pack into the ground right up to the tops. This
made it easy for one to go to on building to the next. The four
smaller constructs were set close to the four corners of TOMAR. These
were storage sheds and water supplies and waste receptacles. Off to
the west, as if direction had meaning here, was the garage which
housed snowmobiles, tractors, and other equipment for digging into the
frozen terrain, not to mention the ESD-1126 itself. It also was large
enough to repair a helicopter, if needed. The generators and back ups
were set in the back of #89. Weather towers were situated on the east,
as were radio antennas and satellite dishes.
The helicopter slowed in speed and circled the construct three times
before lowering to land. They closed in near to the largest of the six
buildings. It had a large door on the front of the circular building
in the middle on the right side. Near it was a sign stating "PROJECT
TOMAR U.S. OUTPOST #89".
The helicopter landed smoothly, kicking up snow and ice as it did. The
pilot set the rotors on slow speed as the two occupants waited for the
blustering wind to settle a little so they could exit and head towards
the construct. The wind died down and visibility was regained after a
few seconds. They trotted along fast towards to the entrance of the
site. MacReady was ready with a flame-thrower on his back and Haines
with what appeared to be a medical case in hand.
"Well, Mac, welcome to TOMAR." Smiled Haines.
MacReady stopped and surveyed the surroundings. He peered from the
buildings to the outlying setting. He held his position still for a
moment trying to hear something.
"What is it, Mac?" Haines asked probing for what MacReady found.
"Doesn't it seem a bit strange that no one has ran out here to meet
us. They didn't know we were coming. We circled the camp enough to
draw attention, yet no one is out here waiting to greet us." MacReady
remarked, his eyes shifting from left to right.
"Let's just hope that they were too busy not to," Haines replied.
"Yeah? Busy at what?"
Haines didn't know how to respond to that. The two men shook away
their thoughts and made way to the entrance.
"Should we knock?" Asked MacReady. He readied the flame-thrower for
attack.
"Nah, why stand on formality, eh? Just be careful with your little
toy, okay?" Laughed Haines.
MacReady turned the latch to the front entrance. The lock on it was
unsecured. It was there to keep the door shut incase of a horrendous
storm. This gave both men pause. The door should have been locked. The
two men cautiously stepped in. They were in a vestibule. It was
covered in frost, ice and snow. This wasn't an uncommon occurrence
with the conditions just outside being what they where. Five feet in
front of them was a set of four steps that let downwards to another
door. The men approached the door slowly. They surveyed the interior
carefully.
"No signs of trouble here that I can see." Remarked Haines.
"Well, let's see inside." MacReady cautioned.
Haines slowly turned the latch to the inside door. This one was
unsecured also. He pushed the door opened as quietly as he could.
Cautiously, he peered around the door into the opening ahead of him.
This was an area used to prepare to venture outside. Many parkas and
boots lined the wall in front of Haines. Directly in front of him was
an opening to the next room. Some lockers lined the wall to his right
and ran down the length of the wall parallel to him.
Haines entered the room silently with MacReady bringing up the rear.
The men scrutinized their surroundings carefully.
"It doesn't seem that anyone has left in a while." Noted Haines in a
whisper.
"Yeah, I count fifteen parkas and pairs of boots. All dry and ready to
go." Remarked MacReady, also in a hushed tone.
"Yep, and no snow or wet spots on the floor indicating recent outside
activities." Added Haines.
Haines gestured to MacReady to follow him into the next room. Again,
Haines employed stealth before entering. He found the room ahead of
him was a type of meeting and research room. There was a large round
table with many chairs strewn about, encircling it in a messy pattern.
There were a few books on the large table and legal note pads. To
their right were several medium-sized bookshelves. Many different
types of books and magazines filled the shelves. Some were about
Antarctic research and history but most were for leisure and
recreation. A giant, console TV set and VCR was placed in the middle
of wall to their immediate right. A vast array of movies were housed
in a large bookshelf next to the TV. Several recliners and armchairs
faced the TV waiting for someone to relax on it and take time out from
their daily chores in this quaint habitat.
The two intruders tiptoed into the room. They tried to be as quiet as
possible despite the encumbering winter gear they wore and gear they
carried. MacReady went up to the table to inspect the notepads that
lay there. He pulled the heavy glove off of his right hand with his
teeth to grasp the pad and purview the pages. His eyes scanned the
pages with great interest looking for any clue about the activities of
the team.
"Find anything?" Whispered Haines.
"No, nothing. Just notes on the performance of the ESD-1126." Replied
MacReady in a hushed tone.
"Does it say where they took it to?"
"No, no it doesn't. Just about how it did and what they need to do-"
MacReady was cut off mid-sentence by the intrusion of two men. One was
a young man in his early twenties, shoulder length, greasy hair,
wearing dirty, baggy jeans and a black T-shirt with a print of a demon
furiously playing a guitar. The other one was an older man in his
mid-forties. He had short, wiry brown hair and moustache. He was
wearing a gray T-shirt and faded blue jeans. They entered the room
from the doorway to the left of the new arrivals.
"Jesus! Who the hell are you? How did you get… " The young man started
to yell.
"Were is everyone? What are you people up to in here?" MacReady
interrupted swing the flame-thrower in the direction of the
crewmembers.
"Hold up, now, hold up!" Haines cut MacReady off motioning him to
lower the flame-thrower. "Were is your crew?" He asked the older man.
"They're, they're all here through the buildings doing their work,
why? Who are you men?"
"At ease, at ease. If you could please call the rest of your staff in
here, we'll explain everything." Haines assured him.
The older man slowly backed up to the intercom system on the wall,
never taking his eyes off of the two strangers. He fumbled for the
"TALK" button on the box.
"Err, all personnel, all personnel. This is Riley. Ah, report to the
conference room, immediately." He stammered.
Riley moved back over to the young man. They looked at one another for
understanding of what was going on.
A few seconds passed. Voices were heard coming down the hallway from
were the first two members came from. The chattering grew louder as
people poured into the room.
"What do you…"
"Hey, who are you…"
"The hell is going..."
The full crew spoke over one another demanding their questions get
answered first.
"People, people, please. Quiet down and all of you questions can be
answered." Yelled Haines with raised hands.
The crew quieted down to a low murmur. They still whispered low
despite their attention on Haines.
"Thank you. I'm Col. Matt Haines, US Army, retired. This is my
partner… Blair Norris." MacReady shot an incredulous look at Haines.
"We were asked to come here by your benefactor, Bruce Wayne to check
up on the crew of Project TOMAR."
"For what, possible sun tans?" A voice shouted in the crowd. It was
the young, greasy kid in the dirty jeans.
"Shut up, Carr. Like your heavy metal undead-ghoul wanna-be ass has
seen any sunlight in years, let alone soap." Yelled another voice. It
was from Anthony Burton, a young man with short black hair and thin
build.
The crowd laughed at the remark. It helped alleviate the tension that
was swelling in the cramped room.
"No, no. Ah-ha." Chuckled Haines. "All right, now, which one of you is
Mr. William Grant?"
A man broke through the crowd and moved up to Haines. He was a thin
built man in his early forties. He was a neatly groomed man. His
curly, auburn hair cut short. His shirt and pants pressed neat.
Despite the fact he was stranded at the bottom of the world, he still
maintained an image and aura of dignity. He walked up to Haines and
extended his hand.
"I'm Bill Grant, commander of Project TOMAR."
"Pleased to meet you sir." Haines said shaking hands with Grant.
Haines took out a sealed envelope form his case and handed it to
Grant. "I'll trust you'll find our credentials in order."
Grant opened the envelope and studied its contents. "Well, what can we
do for you men?"
"Well, first of all, we are going to be staying here indefinitely. So
we will need quarters. Then we need to check the schematics of the
ESD-1126 and the destinations you have ventured to while testing the
ESD-1126 and in general explorations." Haines informed the crowd.
"Wait a minute. What gives you the right to come here and ask to see
confidential records of a top secret project that no one even knows
exists beyond us and a few suits back home? Just who the hell do you
think you are?" Said an angry man in his mid-forties with a wiry,
muscular built and hair cut to a very short high-and-tight. His gaunt
face was set in a tight sneer.
"That's enough Brian!" Snapped Grant at the man yelling. "Sorry,
that's Brian Mullins, driver and head mechanic of the ESD-1126."
"Yeah, he's ex-Marine. If he doesn't get his pound of raw meat daily,
he gets a little edgy." Interjected a young black man.
"Screw you, Stephens. I'll take that pound of meat outta you." Barked
Mullins.
"Yeah, I got your pound of me…"
"That's enough! Brian, Duane, drop it, now!" Grant screamed at the two
bantering men. The two men quieted down. Grant turned his attention
back to Haines.
"I'll be more than happy to show you if you tell me why your pal looks
so anxious to light up his giant, novelty cigarette lighter?" Grant
inquired.
"Well, we'll get into that later." Haines gave MacReady a slight
glance to lower the torch. MacReady hesitated a moment, then turned it
off and secured to the gas tanks on his back. Haines turned his
attention back to Grant. He smiled at Grant as if to say "Is that
better?"
Grant wasn't sure what to make of this intrusion. Two strangers waltz
in from the cold and hand him papers that state he had to do what they
said. He didn't like it, not at all. Despite his objections, his hands
were tied. He had to comply with their wishes.
"We have the design notes and have charted all of the tests and where
we have been. Those records are in the lab. If you men would follow
me, I'll take you to them." Offered Grant.
"Is it possible to settle in first and unpack?" Asked Haines.
"Err, sure, I guess. If you'll just follow, umm…" Grant pointed to a
woman next to him. "…Dr. Post, she'll take you to the extra rooms we
have and you can pick one you like." Grant gestured towards a pretty,
brunette woman. She was in her late-thirties but, kept herself fit and
trim. She had a beauty about her that was natural and elegant. She
didn't have on a lot of make up. She didn't really need it. Plus the
fact, there weren't many social gatherings down here for her to get
made up for. She was a low maintenance woman who did not need up keep.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Jessica Post. If you two would follow me, please."
Dr. Post stated with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She spent
a lot of time and hard work to earn her doctorate. She tried even
harder to get on the TOMAR staff for the adventure and experience. She
wasn't a damned tour guide, especially to two party crashers. She took
off through the doorway from where the crew entered. MacReady and
Haines followed behind.
She led the men through the complex to the dormitory. There were many
rooms with names posted on the doors. Some had photos and drawing
attached to them for personal decoration. The staff was set up two to
a room. The only one who had a room to them self was Grant. His room
wasn't in the dormitory. His was located near his office towards the
front of the complex.
"Here we go guys. You got your pick, the empty room to your right or
the empty room to your left. Decide quick, they're going fast." She
said dismissively, leaning up against the doorframe with her arms
folded.
MacReady and Haines decided to take the room on their right. It really
didn't matter which they took. Every room was like the other at TOMAR.
Two beds, two small cabinets, two small end tables and desk. A small
TV and VCR was set in against the wall opposite the beds. It wasn't
much, but it would do. Haines set his case on the bed set farthest
into the room. MacReady took off his torch and set it down on the
unoccupied bed closest to the door.
Haines turned to the doctor. "Doctor…um..."
"Post… Jessica Post. For the second time."
"Right, 'Post'. We'll need at least four men to help us bring in our
crates off the chopper. Could you round up them for us please? Oh, we
also need to have our chopper refueled and ready to go immediately."
Post shot Haines at glare of utter disgust and resentment and turned
to leave without saying a word. MacReady wasn't sure but he thought he
heard her say something about an "Other trucker" or something.
"Christ, you have a way with the ladies, don't you?" Remarked MacReady.
"I can't really blame her. Here she is down at the pole playing 'Dr.
Quinn' and we waltz in and she and the rest have to jump at our call."
Haines commented.
"Well, I'd steer clear of her regardless, if I were you. By the
way…'Blair Norris'...?"
"From what I was told about you're visit with Mr. Wayne, his staff
knew about R.J. MacReady and what he supposedly done. If the staff of
WAYNETECH knew about you, then it is safe to say that the name 'MacReady'
is infamous and legendary to the people down here." Commented Haines.
MacReady knew that Haines was right with his deception and didn't
argue.
After the crates and luggage were moved into the quarters of the new
arrivals, Haines had everyone meet in the conference room. The entire
staff sat while Haines gave them basic information to why he and "Mr.
Norris" were there. MacReady leaned against the wall behind Haines
while Haines himself looked over a list on a clipboard in his hands.
Bill Grant - Site Commander
Paul Larson - Second in Command/ ESD 1126 Designer
Ray Bower - Carpentry
Anthony Burton - Computer programmer
Jim Carr - Elec./Carpentry asst.
Lori Garner - Communications
Brian Mullins - ESD 1126 Driver/Head mechanic
Jessica Post - Head Physician/Surgeon
Corey Prentiss - Dietician
Shaun Profitt - Medical/Lab asst.
Michael Riley - Plumber/Mechanic
Scott Russo - Electrician
Duane Stephens - Computer programmer
Debra Taylor - Meteorologist
Timothy Zane - Physician/Biologist
Haines studied the list and tried to match up faces with the names.
He was silent for a moment the looked at the staff.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are sorry to intrude on you like this but,
all will be explained in good time. My associate and I must leave you
all for a short time. We'd explain all now, but we only have a few
hours left of sunlight and we need to hurry." Haines informed the
crew.
"Now, wait a minute! You're telling us you're going out for a joyride
in this God forsaken place? Right after you arrive? Just where in the
hell are you going?" Asked an outraged Grant.
"I'm sorry, I can't disclose that just yet. Please, everyone, be
patient. When we return, we will explain all. Until then, go about
business as usual, thank you." Haines then turned his attention to
Grant.
"Commander, do you have the schematics and charts of the ESD-1126 test
runs I requested?"
Grant stood staring into the eyes of Haines. He made no move for many
seconds. He just stood there defiantly staring at Haimes.
"Commander, the notes and charts?" Haines asked again. He maintained
his easy demeanor through out the face of advisory. He stuck his hand
out to Grant and held it there. Grant slowly raised his hands and
handed Haines a manila folder.
"Here you are. The designs and charts of every run the ESD-1126 ever
made. Times, dates, destinations… everything." Grant said smugly.
"I thank you, sir. We should be back in about two to two and a half
hours, give or take."
Haines and MacReady went back to their room to gather supplies that
they needed to depart.
Twenty minutes later, the crew of TOMAR watched as the helicopter
faded in the horizon. They were annoyed at the thought of these men
who came in here and left in a hurry with out so much as an
explanation as why they were there and where they went. The crowd
started to disperse and go about what needed to be done for the day.
One figure stood and looked out the window towards the area where the
helicopter was headed. Motionless, the lone entity gazed out into the
white desert. The others mulled about the conference room and slowly
exited one at a time not noticing the being standing there.
Undisturbed, the figure stood staring out towards the blinding white.
When the individual was totally alone, it finally made movement to
prove it wasn't a dime store mannequin on display. It put a hand on
the frosted windowpane. It moved it's face closer to the window trying
to see the fading helicopter better. It's eyes were wide with concern.
It made not a sound as it peered out. It's face slowly contorted from
an emotionless gaze to that of fierce unease.
Many minutes passed. The helicopter was gone.
And the figure stood at the window…
... Staring ...
...Staring...
...Starting...
Chapter 9 COMING SOON
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