Roger Ellis - AK-239

“And you, they’ve been hunting you for weeks.”

“Haven’t caught crazy Al Reynolds yet!” says Al with a growl.

“They’re tryin’ ta poison us all with aluminum, ya know. Big shiny aluminum. It’s in all their suitcases. We have ta stop ‘em. The only place they can’t poison us in the mine. They’ve stolen my mine.”

That’s not all they’ve stolen! I think to myself.

The Russian doctor reacts to me: He’s nuts but I’ll handle it.

“What is this place?” I ask again.

Tatiana says, “Russia wanted a place in North America that was remote, had uranium, dysprosium, thorium and easy access to deep water. Bokan is the only place on earth with all of the above.”

Just then a beeping sound goes off on a machine in the corner of the room.

“Can we turn this off?” I ask.

“You can but it’s telling you there is excess radiation in here.” The doctor walks to an air conditioning panel by the door and opens it.

I run over and shove a gun into her neck.

“I can either suck the radiation out of this room or you can absorb ionizing radiation into your body which will kill you, eventually.”

Al says, “It’s okay. You can trust her.”

After considering my options, I put the gun down.

Al is in the corner peeling paint off the wall and acting totally insane.

The doctor says,

“He’s a leftover from the old days when uranium was originally found here in the 1950’s. He came here to find gold but instead found uranium. He purchased a couple of these mine claims long after they were abandoned then got everyone in his family to purchase claims too. When the price of uranium dropped they all left.”

The doctor and I look at Al trying to lick paint, “Al never did,” she says.

“I’d say he’s been here long enough,” I say with sarcasm.

She smiles than asks me,

“So what’s your plan?”

Al stops chewing on paint and we look at each other with nothing but blank stares.

I have fallen asleep next to the table where Jennifer is resting.

Jennifer moves a bit which wakes me. I look around. Al and the doctor are gone!

I jump to my feet and run to the door.

Peering out I see no one in the hall.

Knowing I must move her, I close the door and go to Jennifer.

She has on a shoulder arm sling and a new shirt.

I nudge her, “Jennifer.”

Jennifer struggles to open her eyes.

“Jennifer, we have to move.”

“Where are we?”

“Inside the mountain.”

“Bokan?”

“Yes.”

“How can that be?”

“I dunno but we have to leave. Now.”

Jennifer tries to lift her head but she is too weak.

I pick her up and head for the door.

Peeking out the open door, I see nothing and exit the surgical room. I pull the door shut with my little finger as the other nine are holding an unconscious Jennifer.

Stopping at the same door I came through on our way in, I try the handle.

It opens!

Inside the room I run and try to get into the vent we entered.

It’s locked and now we’re trapped. I look around and see a tall stack of fifty-five gallon drums of something in the corner. I set Jennifer down behind the drums. A large red light in the ceiling goes on and starts spinning like An old police car light.

“Great!”

Just then the steel door opens and I produce my water logged Glock, which I’m pretty confident will fire.

Crazy Al steps through the door.

“We’ve gotta get outta here.” I say.

“No. Wait.” Al looks up.

I think he’s nuts.

Then the air system turns on.

“It’s just the ventilation system. The radiation is everywhere in this place.”

“Great! So we were just exposed to radiation in that air blast on the way in?” I ask.

Al looks like he has no idea what I’m talking about. So then I ask him,

“Can’t we go out the way we came in?”

“No. It’s guarded now. They know we’re down here.”

I walk over to Jennifer seeing she is really weak but trying to speak.

Al walks over. “How’s she doing?”

Jennifer rolls her eyes as if: Not too good.

Al says, “I was in the big one: WWII. Navy. Only three things I fear in this world:

“God, electricity and German subs. You know why?”

“You can’t see any of ‘em but cha know they’ll all kill ya!”

Al has a crazy laugh and I realize this guy isn’t playing with a full deck but he saved our lives so I strike up a conversation.

“So what’d ya do after the Navy?”

“Went to L.A. and worked for the Department of Water and Power for 30 years.

“What’d ya do there?”

“Repaired power lines.”

Great! This guy spent his whole life with things he’s afraid of.”

“I came up here to get lucky and strike it rich. Wasn’t so lucky, I guess.” says Al.

“So the Russians are after the uranium?” I ask.

“Uranium and rare earths, I guess. We’re sittin’ on five million tons of rare earths. In those rare earths is thorium.”

“What’s thorium,” I ask.

Al says, “Scientists have told me the radiotoxicity of thorium waste is 10,000 times less than that of uranium. Meaning: It’s a good fuel to safely run nuclear power in close quarters.”

I add, “Like a submarine or a mine?”

“Exactly,” mumbles Jennifer. She is groggy but says, “So if the Russians aren’t already mining thorium when the uranium runs out, I’ll bet they go after the thorium and the largest deposit of dysprosium in the United States which is right here.”

“Dysprosium? What’s that?”

“It’s used in the control rods of nuclear reactors and in bombs,” says Jennifer waking up. “I was a reactor controls tech on two ships. What I don’t understand is: Why wouldn’t the Russians just let some front company mine here openly?”

I’m now looking at the labels on the barrels, “This is a whole lot more than some mining operation.”

Al’s mind has wondered off somewhere and is no longer paying any attention.

Looks like he’s been in this mine just a little too long, I think to myself.

The thought now hits me:

“Ruddy! He’s a math professor. That’s why Ruddy’s here. He’s working for the Russians!”

“The sub comes in here every week with supplies,” says crazy Al.

“Every week?” JD wonders, “How many subs are there?”

No one answers him.

“It’s all a conspiracy. They’re tryin’ ta poison us with their aluminum they keep bringin’ in.

It’s everywhere. They’re gonna take over the world.”

I’m ignoring Mr. Crazy’s rants when suddenly the steel door opens.

Two Russian Special Forces guys appear. They are all in black with their weapons in hand. They walk through the storage room without saying a word.

I say to Jennifer and Al, “Stay here.”

I watch the Russians exit and decide to follow.

Jennifer, delirious, calls out, “Is it Christmas yet?”

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)

North Pacific Ocean

Christmas Morning

Everyone on the bridge of this massive aircraft carrier is in a celebrative mood, after all, it’s Christmas!

The Helmsmen, a Petty Officer and Quartermaster of the watch all have on Christmas Santa hats as they go about their duties on this dull, cloudy Christmas morning in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean.

Suddenly, bursting onto the bridge is Santa in a full red and white costume. Santa is carrying a big bag of goodies.

“Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!” says Santa as all on the bridge smile and clap.

Santa proceeds to hand out beautifully wrapped presents to all on duty.