Out of the Fire

Part 9 - First Contact

"Holy shit, Sir! Have a look at this." Called the duty operator.

"What is it?" asked Lieutenant Jill Carson. She put her coffee cup down, pushed back her chair and hurried to stand behind the operator.

"We have movement at Sierra One, there are people."

Jill watched in amazement as a large group of people began streaming into the surveillance camera view. The surveillance camera was attached to the quad-copter drone, parked on the first of the rafters supporting the roof of the hall in the Sierra one compound. The copter was tucked under enough to protect it from the worst of the weather but was also located where the morning sun could keep it charged.

Monitoring the surveillance feed from the copter was one of the responsibilities of the duty operator, but due to the lack of anything interesting occurring during the previous six months, it had become a bit of a joke. There were logged entries of bear sightings, woodpecker sightings and even a mountain lion, but until now, no people. Someone had even attached a note to the top of the monitor stating "Due to technical difficulties, the discovery channel is out of service, please enjoy the test pattern, service will resume soon." Someone else had added, "Beer reward, for sighting Bigfoot. Ah, sorry no beer."

Jill dialled Major Kawalski's mobile but received the expected no service error. She shouted out to the only other member of the HQ staff currently on duty, "Private East, quickly, run and tell the General and Major Kawalski that there are people at Sierra One. They will be in the new HQ up at the Castle."

Jill felt a bit bad for sending her, Private Jane East was at least six months pregnant and just starting to get to the clumsy stage. Unfortunately there was no-one else and the coms problems with new HQ located inside the sanctuary had not yet been resolved.

Private East, shouldered her weapon and ran for the door,

"Jane," Jill called after her, "I didn't mean you had to literally run," "Yes sir, thank you," a relieved Private East replied. She hurried from the veranda onto the muddy road leading up the hill to the Castle.

Passing through the entrance to the Castle, Jane had to hustle to one side in response to a beep from an incoming Hummer. As it whispered past her, she recognised her friend Robyn McCallum driving the vehicle with Sergeant Wills in the crew seat. Jane gave them a wave as Robyn turned the vehicle into its parking bay between a couple of the new shipping container offices. Robyn climbed from the vehicle, called a greeting and made a ribald comment about her baby bulge. Jane flipped her a response and they both laughed. Jane continued up the compound to the Sanctuary entrance, upon getting a response from the duty sentry to her query concerning the whereabouts of the General and Major Kawalski, she headed inside. Just inside the sanctuary entrance, saluting as she passed Lieutanant Yoi in deep discussion with the Axell twins, Jane made her way to the HQ offices. The HQ had been newly constructed from a couple of large converted containers, now situated back against the cave wall at the top level of the cavern.

Reporting to the duty NCO Jane was ushered into Major Kawalski's office. Joe looked up and raised an eyebrow in her direction as she came to attention and saluted, "Hello Jane, what brings you here?" he asked.

"Sir, there are people at Sierra one," she blurted out, quickly regaining her composure, she stood tall and saluted again. "I mean Sir, Lieutenant Carson couldn't get you on the phone so she sent me to inform you and the General that the drone camera has detected people entering the Sierra One compound."

"Has it indeed," came the voice of General Stuart from behind her.

"Sir, yes Sir," she affirmed. She tried unsuccessfully to stand even straighter and saluted again.