Harry and Lauren with their luggage being carried by two soldiers followed the sergeant to a waiting van.
“Excuse me Sergeant,” said Harry. “How far are we going?”
“Across base Mr. Stimson, it's a large base.”
Inside the van it was impossible to see out. One of the soldiers was in back with Harry and Lauren. Harry was at least glad that he and Lauren were together again.
She whispered, “Harry, this seems wrong.”
“What do you mean,” he asked.
“Why haven't we met Dr. Zee yet? Why are we being driven across the base instead of back to Magdan?”
Harry didn't have an answer.
“I don't know,” he whispered.
“I think they are going to keep us,” she said.
“Keep us? What do you mean?”
“I don't think they like that we know about Dr. Zee and his experiment,” said Lauren. “I think they are making a weapon and don't want anybody to know anything until it's ready.”
“How long do they think they can keep us?” asked Harry.
“I suspect that they think they can keep us as long as they want,” she said.
“Well, that might be true in my case, I've got no one expecting me, but you have a family. They're going to want to know.”
“Simple, an experiment went wrong, you and I were involved, we're sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Cauley,” she said.
“And the people at school?”
“School depends a great deal on the government, Harry. It would take a strong will to go against government them.”
Harry was quiet a moment.
“How long?” he whispered.
“As long as it takes for them to finish weapon development I would think,” she said.
“I can't believe it,” he said.
“We should be ready,” she said.
“Ready?” he whispered.
“Ready to get away if we can,” she said.
“Get away, are you crazy. We're in the middle of nowhere. As far as I know Magdan is the nearest town and it's forty miles away, straight-line.”
“If there's a road, there will be cars Harry,” she said.
Harry wasn't sure what to do.
Dr. Zee wasn't too happy about the turn of events. The military was adamant about developing a weapon before they would allow him to continue his original research. Dr. Zee was reluctant but was redirecting his research goals to meed the military's demands. He knew nothing about Harry and Lauren.
The drive had been much further than Harry expected. By the time the van stopped he was getting sleepy again. The door opened and the sergeant announced they had arrived. When Harry exited the van he saw that they were in a garage. The sergeant led them through a door into what looked like a normal suburban dwelling.
Through the kitchen and living area, down the hall, the soldiers put Harry in one bed room and Lauren in another. Harry noticed he had his own bathroom, he also notice that the windows had been painted over from the outside. The soldiers put his bags down and left the room, the sergeant explained that Harry would stay here until lunch and left the room.
Harry walked over to the window and found it locked down, as he expected. He waited for lunch which was a quick-serve meal heated by one of the soldiers. At least Lauren was there although since they were never alone they didn't speak much. Afterwards they were allowed to sit in the living room and watch some television with a soldier. After an hour or so the soldier was snoring.
Lauren poked Harry who was absorbed in watching the television. She then pointed at the door.
Harry leaned and whispered, “It won't work, there's more of them outside watching, I'm sure.”
“We won't know until we try,” said Lauren.
Harry didn't believe it. The door was easily opened and outside in the bright daylight there was no one around. He wished he had known how to hot wire the van but there was no chance. They worked around the side of the house to the hill just behind. Now, the blackened windows were an aid to the escapees, preventing those inside from seeing.
Harry was in the lead as he charged up the hill. Climbing through sparse, twisted old-growth juniper, fir trees and here and there ponderosa pine reminded Harry of something from his childhood. But he didn't have time to stop and think, they continued climbing, hoping to get across the hill before the soldiers discovered them missing. Harry began to notice the soil was very dark and sharp. He had just about realized what he was seeing when he topped the hill and stopped. There below him was a crater, a volcanic crater. He remembered now that he had been taken to Bandola Crater once, which was a volcanic cinder cone in Hawaii.
Lauren reached his side.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It's a collapsed volcano, a cinder cone,” he said.
“What's that?” she asked.
“A volcano erupted here,” he said. “Built a cone and then collapsed forming this crater.”
“So what do we do now?” she asked.
“We work our way around to the other side and then down,” he said.
Harry moved quickly around the rim of the collapsed cinder cone. The crater was probably a hundred feet across and the path around the rim was probably three hundred feet. As he walked Harry could see other cinder cones in the distance, most of them taller than the one he and Lauren were on.
“I think I know where we are,” he said.
“Where?” she asked.
“Chain of Craters,” he said.
“What's that?”
“It's an area in northwest New Mexico that has quite a number of these extinct cinder cone volcanoes. But it's a lot farther north than the air force base,” he said.
“Far enough to no longer be on the base?” she asked.
“I would say so,” he said.
“So, what does it all mean Harry?”
“I'm not sure. Maybe they intended to hold us for a long time and didn't want us on the base.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Some one might see us, hear about us? Not sure.”
They had reached the other side of the cinder cone.
“Look,” said Harry, “there's a road down there. Let's go.”
The loose cinders under foot shifted quite easily and Harry and Lauren found it difficult to maintain their balance in the tennis shoes they were wearing. Twice they had to stop and remove cinders from their shoes, tennis shoes did not make the best hiking boots.
After some fifteen minutes they were at the bottom and approaching the road.
“Which way?” asked Lauren.
“Anyway except southeast, that would take us back to the base. Here, let's go this way,” he said.
After they had walked a few feet with Harry in front he turned and said, “If we hear a car coming, get off the road, it may be the military.”
“But we could get a ride if its not,” she said.
“If it's not the military and we can judge it in time then of course we will try to get a ride. But its better to walk than be captured again.”
“Tell that to my stomach,” she said.
Harry realized that they would have to find something to eat and especially water if they were to keep up their strength. At least the weather was good.
They had walked about a mile when they heard some vehicles coming. They both hit the bushes on the side of the road. Harry got in position to see the vehicles approaching. He could see three, two jeeps followed by a van, all filled with soldiers.
“Keep your head down,” he whispered to Lauren.
The vehicles sped past and when Harry was sure they were gone he raised his head to scout. He then stood up and told Lauren she could get up.
“Well, they're still looking for us,” she said.
“Apparently,” said Harry.
They continued walking in the same direction, it was the direction the soldiers were going, northeast.
Hours later the sun was going down. Harry and Lauren were hungry, thirsty, and tired.
“What are we going to do Harry?”
“We better find a place to spend the night before it gets too dark,” he said.
Harry chose a hill off the road that had more cover than usual. Under the trees the pair got as comfortable as possible but didn't sleep.
“I'm so thirsty,” said Lauren.
“Try not to think about it,” he said.
The sun had set.
“I'm getting cold,” she said.
He put his arm around her, drawing her closer.
“How's that?” he asked.
“Better,” she said.
They were quiet a moment.
“What will happen if we can't find food and water?” she asked.
“We'll surrender,” he said.
“Yeah, I suppose that would work,” she said.
They were quiet for a bit.
“I'm sorry Harry,” she said.
“For what?”
“For getting you into this mess.”
“It wasn't all your fault. I decided I wanted to continue the warp bubble experiments and this needed to be done,” he said.
“Well obviously I wish we had done it differently now,” she said.
“Me too,” he said. “As long as we learn from this.”
They were quiet and Lauren eventually fell asleep. Harry watched the stars until he too fell asleep.
The next morning Harry woke first. Lauren was resting against his shoulder. He watched her sleep for a few minutes before she too awoke.
“Good morning,” said Harry.
“Good morning,” she said, looking up to him.
Harry stared and started to lean toward her when he heard a vehicle horn.
“What's that,” he said as he rose.
There was a vehicle stopped down on the road and the man inside was blowing his horn.
“Come on,” said Harry, helping Lauren up.
They rushed down the hill to the vehicle.
The man leaned out of the window and said, “You're on my land.”
“I'm sorry, sir,” said Harry. “But I'm afraid we are lost. Could you help us, please?”
“What kind of help,” said the man.
“Well, right now we could use some water and food,” said Lauren. “We haven't had any since yesterday morning.”
“So you came out in the middle of nowhere without any supplies?” said the man. “That sounds kind of suspicious to me.”
“I understand, sir,” said Harry. “But if you would give us a lift to the nearest town we could explain it to you.”
The man glanced from one to the other.
“Okay, I'll give you a lift, get in.”
The two got in and the man drove away. Harry began to explain why they were out in the wilderness. He was worried about how the man would react to their story but felt it was best to tell the truth, even if the man turned them over to the military.
When he finished he said, “Are you going to turn us in?”
“No way. I don't owe the military nothing,” said the man. “They've been a lousy neighbor, if they catch you it won't be my doing.”
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