Roger Ellis - AK-239

“I’m sending all these anomalies to ONI, DNI and Admiral Baker,” before shutting his door.

I then open the door again saying as sincerely as I can,

“Merry Christmas, sir!” I say before again shutting the door.

Bokan Mountain

Christmas Morning

Jennifer and I are huddled asleep together. My arms are wrapped around her bare chest. It sounds sexy but it wasn’t. I had dried blood stuck to me, which was stuck to her.

So, much for sexy, I thought.

She acts very comfortable snuggled, asleep, under my chin.

Feels pretty good too.

My God, I hope she’s alive!

I could feel her heartbeat all night long and knew she made it but I checked her neck again just to make sure.

“Thank God!”

Although it was cold, the tree covered area and the log-covered moss kept us from freezing to death.

I woke up a few minutes ago with a spider crawling across my face. Without opening my eyes, I calmly picked it up and placed it outside a hole in our log.

Luckily, I didn’t look at it until I put it outside the log. It was large and black, with ominous bright yellow zigzags on its underside.

That didn’t look good.

All we need now is to have a lethal spider bite.

FBI Hostage Rescue will find us dead, naked and huddled together months from now.

Those pictures won’t look good in our performance review file!

I’ve gotta stop thinking like this.

I carefully lift off the moss and check her duct-taped wounds. Being satisfied she’s not bleeding; I gently place the moss over her naked body. I try to wake her and realize she is trying to open her eyes but is clearly struggling.

I know that if I don’t clean out this GSW (gunshot wound) soon, she will die.

I peer outside the log and see the sun once again peek out of the rain clouds.

Thank God it didn’t rain last night!

I check her sat phone and see it’s still being actively jammed. I then check my iPhone and it’s working but still showing:

No Service.

“Funny, it’s working but I only got two percent battery left. Any last requests?” I say as she opens her eyes.

“Ya, Funeral for a Friend , Jennifer says without wasting a moment.

I get all excited as I search through my playlist saying,

“Elton John? I think I’ve got it, but the song’s ten minutes long. That’ll wipe out the battery for sure.”

She’s so far gone she doesn’t react at all.

I hit play. (Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAhpIjazFN0[8])

I see fresh blood oozing out of the peeling duct tape as I hear Elton singing,

“Love lies bleeding in my hands.”

I have to get her help and fast. I reach to grab my clothes and see a book sticking out from under Jennifer’s neatly folded clothes.

It’s Jack Tanner’s captain’s log!

I open a page Jennifer has folded over.

This sad alcoholic really had a tough life.

It’s not right that someone “just following orders” ended his life.

He really did see that sub.

Well, that would have been helpful to know about before we started on this little disaster, I thought as I quickly put on my clothes.

I set the diary down as my mind races through of all our options, none are good.

As I crawl out of the log I’m immediately met with a revolver.

My first reaction is to fight.

But what I see is a kindly looking old man in a long white beard that goes to his waist. He also has crazy white hair and blue eyes that pierced through to my soul. He looks different.

Different is good.

I decide to slowly put my hands in the air.

“Who are you? the crazy old man asks.

“Who are you? I reply.

We stare down each other forever before I think: “This is ridiculous!”

“My name is John Denning. I’m with…”

“Are you one of them?” Al asks with a gun pointed squarely now into the middle of my forehead.

“No. No. We’re FBI.”

“Do FBI agents generally sleep together naked?” asks our Santa look alike.

“No. No. It’s not like that. She’s shot. Needs medical help. You have a two-way radio?” I ask.

“Ain’t got no radio.”

My hopes are instantly crushed.

“But I know where one is,” he says.

“How far?”

“In the mine.”

“Can you take me there?”

“Ya, but you better take her.”

Why?

“There’s a doctor up there.”

“Really?”

I study the old man to see if he’s nuts or believable.

I’m not sure.

But since I really didn’t have another choice, I decide to follow him.

I pick up the unconscious Jennifer and follow him into the woods.

By the way, what’s your name?” I ask.

“Al Reynolds,” the old man answers.

I’m carrying Jennifer over my shoulder as we slowly ascend Bokan Mountain. This is still a densely wooded area. There is some snow in the trees and on the ground but not on the trail.

As we near a mine entrance, I have to stop as I’m not in as good of shape as I was sixteen years ago.

There are no boards or doors or anything. Just a black hole that looks just like the crevasse into which Trevor fell at the top of Mt. Hood just days ago.

Al encouragingly says, “It’ll be OK. The Russians are on the other side of the mountain right now.”

I’m suspicious. I look around but without any other real choice I head into the mine with Al.

Inside the mine it’s actually much warmer than in the snow. Al turns on a halogen light he picks up from behind some rocks and I continue to follow him.

As we walk deeper and deeper into the mine Jennifer mumbles something.

I stop.

“You okay?”

Jennifer is too weak to speak but moves her good arm up to her wound. It’s bleeding again.

“Oh hell!” I exclaim as I stop and put her down.

I rip off my shirt, tear it and put it around her wound and chest. Suddenly everything goes black.

I look down the vein and see Al has travelled so far that there is nothing between him and me except blackness.

“Hey! She’s bleeding!”

Al responds, “Then c’mon!”

I have no choice but to trust this crazy old man. I lift Jennifer and now carry her in my arms. I have to run in pitch black toward Al’s light.

Al finally shines his halogen lamp toward me. It is a good thing as there is a rock that I would’ve hit. The fall could’ve killed us as we would’ve likely fallen onto some larger boulders.

Again, I feel like I’m in my elementary school hall with a fever and running forever.

I finally catch up to Al and just keep running. Al now starts walking fast behind me and shining the halogen on my path.

We finally come to a three way split in the mountain. Two ways are pitch black. The other way an iron gate with thick bars block their way. Several signs are hanging on the steel bars that say,

DANGER HIGH RADIATION AREA

NO TRESPASSING

PERSONAL MONITORING EQUIPMENT REQUIRED

Without pausing, Al pulls a bunch of keys from his belt and puts one in the lock, opening the gate. Al starts down the tunnel then realizes I’m still standing at the gates. Al flashes the light back to me, I’m still frozen, staring at the signs.

“C’mon.”

Again, I figure I really have no choice and follow Al.

The cave walls soon turn into a reddish brown.

I’m probably getting poisoned and will end up like Madame Curie.

Now I see Jennifer is bleeding again and I set her down.

I try to stop the bleeding but can’t.

“Al, how much farther?” I look up and Al has vanished.

“AL!”

Al is nowhere to be seen or heard.

Now I’m screaming, “AL!”

Nothing.