Fulcrum: V Plague Book 12 by Dirk Patton Read Free Book Online Page A

surprise.  It was hard to imagine
that there was a person that hadn’t heard at least something about the
place.  It had been a staple in fiction novels and movies for decades.
    “Nope,” she shook her head.  “Never had much time for,
or interest in, TV or books.  Kind of hard to waste hours in front of the
boob tube when you’re in medical school.”
    “Still…”
    “I was a nerd,” Rachel smiled.  “All I did was study,
go to class and go to work.”
    “OK,” I said, my voice trailing off.
    “What?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Bite me.”
    Rachel smiled, began laughing and smacked me on the
arm. 
    “Of course, I’ve heard of Area 51,” she said.  “What’d
you think?  I lived under a rock?”
    I just shook my head, not willing to get sucked any further
in.
    We pushed on at a steady fifty miles an hour.  I’d
given up checking the rear-view for Long and Sam.  The Humvee’s tires were
throwing up so much dust that they’d backed way off, and I couldn’t see
them.  Glancing at a cheap, digital clock stuck to the dash, I noted it
had been ten minutes since the last check-in.  I called each of them on
the radio, satisfying myself they were still back there.
    “Sir, did you know that both the car and the airplane were actually
invented in Russia?”  Long asked when I called him.
    I rolled my eyes and didn’t bother to respond.  Apparently,
he was managing to communicate with Igor.
    Twenty minutes later I slowed as we drove across a cattle guard
that protected a narrow, paved highway.  Turning south, I accelerated past
a sign that welcomed us to Rachel, Nevada.
    “Good town,” Rachel said, deadpan.
    “They’ve probably never heard of Area 51, either.”
    “And they’re probably stunningly beautiful with well above
average intelligence.”
    “Must be aliens, then.”
    That earned me another smack, then I had to focus on my
driving as a small group of males stumbled from behind a building and onto the
highway.  The heavy grill guard bulled them aside, then I was able to push
our speed up to 60.  The wheel vibrated, and the whole vehicle squirmed
side to side.  Not too bad, but it was going to be a damn long 400 miles.
    “We aren’t going through there, I hope,” Rachel said,
hooking her thumb at the side of the road.
    We had just passed a sign that said Las Vegas was 137
miles. 
    “Don’t know how much choice we’re going to have,” I
said.  “This is a pretty desolate area.  Not a lot of roads that
don’t go through Vegas.  I’m planning to stop in the next town to find a
map.”
    Rachel nodded, looking around at the bleak landscape. 
The sun was setting, painting the desert with a golden light.  Other than
the asphalt, there wasn’t a single indication of civilization.  It was
going to be a very dark night.
    The town was tiny, and we were through it in only a couple
of minutes.  There was nothing ahead or to either side of the road other
than stark, empty desert.  Rachel watched the landscape as the light began
to fade, leaning back in her seat and sighing.
    “What?”  I asked, checking in the mirror to make sure
Long and Sam were close.
    “It’s so bleak.  Barren.  It’s… I don’t
know.  Spooky?”
    “Really?  This feels like home to me.”
    “How do you stand it without some green?  Some trees,
or even some bushes and grass?”
    “Guess it’s what you’re used to,” I said.  “I grew up
in west Texas, which is just as desolate as this, and Arizona isn’t any
different.  I actually prefer this to a forest.  At least here, you
can see what’s coming for you before it’s in your face.”
    Rachel thought about that for a minute, scratching Dog’s
head as she kept looking around.
    “You’ve spent a lot of time in forests, though. 
Right?”
    I nodded as I answered.
    “Yep.  Jungles, actually.  Central America. 
Africa a little bit.  Wherever there was something going on that needed a
little special attention.  And there were a few