ALICE, page 14
Sara set her beer in the sand and leaned back on her elbows, her legs stretched out in front of her. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, her long blonde hair hanging down behind her, the sun on her face. Jake reached out and caressed her cheek, then leaned in and kissed her. Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. As they kissed, she leaned into him, pushing him onto his back and rolling onto him, she stopped, resting on his chest.
Sara lifted up slightly and reached back with one hand to untie her bikini top, lifting it over her head. Tossing it aside, she lay back down onto Jake’s chest.
“I think I’m going to like the beach,” she said as she kissed Jake again.
Chapter 10
Jake and Sara spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach. She didn’t get much use out of her new swimsuit the rest of the day and they both woke early the next morning with a bad case of sunburn, everywhere.
Jake suspected it was more than luck that ALICE stocked their island getaway with the latest in sunburn remedies. It took the sting out, so they could at least touch each other, but they were still red as lobsters. They applied the lotion liberally before dressing. That ended up delaying things further until they finally rolled out of bed, starved, as they inadvertently skipped dinner the night before.
Jake slipped on some shorts and started breakfast in the kitchen while Sara jumped in the shower. It had been a while since he cooked for himself or anyone else for that matter. ALICE and the bots had pretty much spoiled the lot of them.
He whipped up some scrambled eggs, bacon, and coffee. All was ready by the time Sara came out, wrapped in only a towel. He poured her an orange juice and a coffee for himself and they ate at the dining table. After they finished, he jumped into the shower while Sara dressed and cleaned up the kitchen mess.
Decked out in shorts and T-shirts, they jumped into the jeep to tour the rest of the island. Jake had other motivations for this survey besides investigating their R&R resort. At some point, they were going to need to move on LA, and this island would be an ideal staging area as opposed to flying back and forth from Nevada.
Jake wanted to examine the old military base on the island. They drove up to the old airfield, then down to the docks and pier and finally over to the main base. All the buildings were still standing, however, most were in a sorry state of repair. It would take some time and effort to get them in livable condition again, but certainly not an impossible task. He doubted anyone would object assignment to the rebuilding activities, provided they got ample break time in between. They finished their tour and Jake pulled the jeep back onto the beach by lunchtime.
While Sara went inside to make them lunch, Jake extended an awning along the long, beach side of the container, the same side with the doors. It created a nice shaded area, covering the folding table and chairs he pulled from a storage bin.
As they ate, Jake made a mental note to see what ALICE had in the way of water toys stashed away in storage. Some wave runners or a boat would be great here. He also loved to dive, so any scuba gear she might have would be a hit. He needed to have her teach some of the others as well, at some point they may need the skill set.
“Hey, what do you say we get ALICE to give us a helicopter tour?” Jake asked Sara as they cleaned up, “there are two other islands out here I’d like to look over if you’re interested?”
“Sounds like fun,” Sara replied somewhat hesitantly.
Jake smiled, “don’t worry, I just want to look the neighborhood over, we did a survey when we picked this place and none of these islands were peopled. These other two islands are closer to the mainland and might be better staging areas.”
“For cleaning up LA,” Sara asked, “I’d wondered about that.”
“Yup, one was an old military base like this one, that’s San Clemente Island. The other was quite the tourist spot, went there myself as a child, Catalina Island. That one even has a song about it.”
As they were talking, they walked to the helicopter. Sara started to climb in the back as usual when Jake opened the front door for her, “let’s sit up front this time, the views better.”
“Ok,” she said, clearly still a little nervous.
Jake closed the door behind her and climbed in on the other side.
“You’re nervous about flying over water aren’t you?”
Sara nodded in acknowledgement, “I don’t swim well.”
“Well, we will just have to keep the helicopter out of the water. ALICE can we head out to San Clemente and then over to Catalina please? And let’s take our time and go easy?”
“My pleasure, please buckle up,” ALICE replied.
They lifted off and pivoted to the south east in one easy motion. Within 15 minutes, they were over the North-West end of San Clemente. Jake could see an old airstrip there and mentally ticked it off against the images ALICE provided him when they were selecting the resort location. They flew the length of the island which was longer than San Nicolas, but less built up. Once she was sure Jake was satisfied, Alice then flew north and within minutes they were over the south end of Catalina and the abandoned town of Avalon.
Catalina was taller and greener than either San Nicolas or San Clemente and by far the closest to the mainland. It also had been the most populated of the three with the mostly civilian structures. Jake considered it was perhaps too close to the mainland to start operations without attracting attention. Like the song said, 26 miles across the sea. They passed over Avalon, and continued north.
Near the middle of the island they flew over another small civilian airstrip and as they closed in on the northern end of the island, they over flew another small town. Two Harbors if Jake remembered the name correctly. Named for the narrowest part of the island, you could see the remains of a harbor on each side of town.
Jake really wanted to swing back and explore LA, but knew ALICE would have a fit, as they would surely draw fire from someone, so he flagged it for another time.
Glued to the windows the entire trip, Sara apparently was losing her earlier apprehension, with her fear temporarily forgotten. She was absorbed in all the sites, thrilled at one point as they spotted dolphins in the water below.
“OK Sara, are you ready to head back?” Jake asked.
“I’m ready when you are,” she replied.
Jake asked ALICE to take them directly back and shortly they were on the beach, walking along the water hand in hand.
They dined outside that evening and as the sun was setting, Jake grilled some steaks he packed for the occasion. He was amazed at all the gadgets the container made available for them. The grill was an electric model that popped out of the outside wall under the awning. He also opened some wine, and they killed the bottle with dinner, enjoying the mild evening weather.
They had collected wood earlier for a fire on the beach, so after dinner, Jake lit the fire as they sat on a blanket in the sand listening to the waves until late into the night. By the time the fire died out, they were more than ready for bed. Not bothering to get dressed, they collected their discarded clothing and headed inside.
----*----
They were both up early the next morning, back in combat suits and ready to depart. They packed up their personal items earlier, but Jake left all the food in the resort container that had been their home the last few days. It contained stasis lockers so there were no worries of spoilage and Jake intended to send others here soon.
Sara made sure to pack her new swimsuit, with its effect on Jake. She planned to wear it again, with or without a beach. They put all their gear in the back of the helicopter and climbed in. Jake negotiated with ALICE that they would suit up, but wouldn’t wear helmets, although they were to be kept close by just in case.
As ALICE lifted off the beach, both Jake and Sara smiled and looked out the windows. Jake slid his arm around Sara’s waist and squeezed her to him, kissing her cheek.
The trip back was uneventful, the only interesting part being the flight over LA. As they looked down, they could see various rag tag groups moving about below, some pointing up at them, a few taking shots. While they were in no danger of damage, ALICE went higher anyway. All too soon, they were back over the Nevada desert and on final approach.
Usually Jake paid little attention to landing back home, but then it was usually dark. This time he watched with interest as a big rectangle of the valley floor dropped and separated. The separate panels retracted to create an opening for them to drop into the hangar below. He watched as they lowered into the opening and settled onto the hangar floor.
Once back in the hangar, Jake and Sara stepped out of the quiet of the helicopter, and greeted a barrage of people and questions.
A group of women dragged off Sara, grabbing her by both arms. Jake suspected they wanted to discuss all the sordid details of their vacation. Meanwhile, Jake had both the team leaders, Bonnie and Jason, flooding him with operational questions for the next day’s missions.
With them all on his heels, he headed into the locker room to get out of his combat suit. They continued the barrage him with questions until he got down to his underwear, then he realized they were all quiet and staring at him. Bonnie, who was heading the delegation, had a huge smile on her face.
“Hey, I forgot the sun block, OK?” he said.
“Jake,” Bonnie replied with a giggle, “your butt cheeks are burnt too!”
“Except for the white hand prints,” Abby said, her head cocked to one side as if she was reading something turned sideways.
That caused them all to burst out, laughing. Jake turned back to dressing, shaking his head and trying to ignore them.
Once dressed, he went into the ready room outside the locker area and dropped into a front-row seat.
“OK, dazzle me!” he said to the collected group.
“We have two operational plans, one for each mission,” Bonnie started, “we have a couple of issues though you need to rule on.”
“Shoot,” he replied.
“First,” she continued, “ALICE-2 actually needs more than just her breakers replaced, there is a small list of items to be done, and the breakers are just the most critical. Jason says he has at least two weeks’ worth of work there.”
Jason nodded in agreement.
“So we have a bit of scope creep?” Jake asked.
“That’s to be expected,” Bonnie replied.
“With all 8 facilities unattended for so many years they all have some issues that need attending to. It’s the second part that’s the scope creep,” she added.
Jake noted that the others were looking to him expectantly now, like the kids asking to borrow the car.
“As you know, each ALICE facility has a specialty function. ALICE-2 was the ground vehicle research center. We were hoping that, while Jason was working, we could spend some time working and training there. At some point we will need ground vehicles.”
“We were hoping?” Jake asked, catching Bonnie’s inclusion.
ALICE-2 stepped in, “Bonnie is not far enough along in her pregnancy that participating in this mission places the baby at risk. ALICE-1 and I agree her inclusion of this mission has more value than the risk incurred.”
Looking at Bonnie you couldn’t tell she was pregnant, Jake knew he was just being over protective.
“What kind of training?” Jake replied, avoiding committing just yet.
“Well, there is everything from motorcycles to tanks there,” Bonnie responded, “We thought some of the light scout vehicles would be a good start. They are good for heavier patrolling, like in the areas north of Prosperity. ALICE-2 says she has something called an Amtrak that we might want for coastal areas. She said you would know what it is.”
“Yeah, it’s an amphibious assault vehicle the marines use. She’s right, they would be great for some areas on the coast. The Marines used them to float in from ships, to assault beaches. They might be able to go from Catalina to LA even.”
“Well, she says these are lighter than the ones you know, can go underwater for hundreds of miles and can dive up to 200 feet deep. She says they also have water jet out-drives and can do 40 knots on the surface in calm water?” Bonnie finished with a smile.
“Now that’s cool,” Jake said, feeling himself drawn into this despite his earlier hesitancy. If that were true, then they could even launch from San Nicolas if necessary and run right up onto the beach and into LA. Provided he could get them out there in the first place.
“OK, I agree, but on one condition. Figure out how to bring an Amtrak back for me!” then to the group, he said, “that puts Bonnie in charge of the ALICE-2 run, you take direction from her.”
“That brings up the third part,” Bonnie said cautiously this time, “there is a town not too far from ALICE-2 that looks ideal for a Prosperity type involvement. Alice, and I discussed it and I would like to see about contacting them.”
“ALICE, what’s the story here?” Jake asked with his concern evident in his tone.
“This community actually rated higher than Prosperity in our initial analysis. We discarded it from consideration when you requested settlements closer to our current location. Like Prosperity, it is heavily agricultural, and the population has already organized for collective protection. Our support would only strengthen their existing capabilities. Also, trade between the Texas and California settlements would be possible with us providing transportation.”
“And the risk to Bonnie and the team on an initial contact?” Jake asked.
“Suited up in full combat gear they are at minimal exposure. They will approach in land vehicles to give the town’s population appropriate time to identify them as a non-threat. ALICE-2 will be in support with an attack helicopter, just out of sight, should air support become necessary.”
“The community leaders are very cautious but open to outside communications. They have several friendly agreements with surrounding towns and have a militia like force that patrols and enforces local laws. We expect to make contact and have the patrol to escort us into town. The offer we bring should be very welcome indeed.”
“OK, I guess you can set it up and run it through Sandy for integration into the California operations. The girl’s a wiz at sweet talking to the locals,” Jake replied with a sigh.
“That’s the last part,” Bonnie supplied, “Sandy wants to go along.”
“Why do I feel like I’m sending my kids out on their first date?” Jake said with a bigger sigh, “OK but you take Joe too. Sara will run the remainder of Team 2 with me. Like ALICE said before, this is a male dominated society and I want them to see Brian and Joe in the mix.”
“Yes!” Bonnie exclaimed, clearly excited at her first command.
----*----
They did a quick review of the Alaska mission as well, and that one was looking more like a milk run than an adventure. The area was very lightly populated, and didn’t show any activity, on site, at the abandoned air base where ALICE-7 would be accessed. The town of Fairbanks was about 10 miles down the road and everything looked mostly deserted with just small groups of settlers mixed in there. Jake hoped to land unnoticed to avoid any local involvement. The biggest question was which of the external access doors would be clear enough of snow or landslides to be usable.
It was also going to be a considerably longer flight than the Texas run to ALICE-2. The flight distance was about 2300 miles, making it about a 9 ½ to 10 hour flight by helicopter. ALICE pointed out, there was another aircraft in the hangar capable of greater speeds, the image she projected looked to Jake like a sleeker version of a V-22 Osprey, called a V-27 Falcon. The engine nacelles at the end of the wings looked more like large jet pods instead of open bladed props and she claimed its cruising speed at well over 400 knots. It still had vertical takeoff and landing capabilities and it was roomier than the helicopter, rated for 28 troops. With the additional speed, it was a no brainer for Jake to take the upgrade over the helicopter.
The Alaska team decided to pack enough gear for them to hold up in the aircraft for several days, should it take that long to gain access to ALICE-7. ALICE put the bots to work loading the aircraft as the meeting wound to a close.
With the team leaders off to prepare for tomorrow, Jake and Bonnie headed down to the dining area. There they found Sara and several others already eating, Sara was relating a story to the group. With the laughter and glances in his direction, Jake suspected he was the butt of the humor.
“What lies are you saying about me now?” he asked as he walked up to the assembled group.
“You wish they were lies,” Sara replied, her eyes sparkling, “I was just telling them about how you were trying to teach me to body surf!”
“OK,” Jake relented, “So naked body surfing turned out to be a really bad idea.”
“Not as bad as forgetting sun block!” Becky added, “If it wasn’t for ALICE we would all be on your case. As it is, you’re gone for my turn.”
“We all have to make sacrifices,” Jake replied, “besides, I’ll make it up to you somehow.”
“How about designing me a swimsuit?” she said with a smirk and a glance at Sara.
Jake got a mental flash of that. Becky was a smaller version of Sara, maybe a little more stacked up top and a little curvier.
“Be careful what you ask for,” Jake replied with a very evil grin, then turned on his heels and headed for the food dispensers, Bonnie in the lead.
By the time they returned most of the group had left, but Sara, Jessie and Sharon were still there.
“So it looks like it’s just us four going to Alaska,” Jake told the three.
“Bonnie has usurped me and is stealing everyone else to set up a kingdom in Texas.”
“The way I hear it,” Jessie replied, “you shipped Joe off so you could have all the women to yourself?”
Jake hadn’t an opportunity to spend much time with Jessie, but what little he knew about her he liked. She was a little older than Sara was, and unlike like her, more of a reddish strawberry blonde, and taller and more slender but top heavy. She was good-natured and though not overly aggressive, and had been eager to join the combat team. He suspected she was one of the others Karen mentioned about amending the “arrangement.” She was always very friendly towards him. Things could be worse, he thought to himself.
