Felix checked his watch as the C-130 touched down at Naval Air Facility, Adak, Alaska. The ramp rear ramp began to open slowly, the cargo bay instantly flooding with cold misty gusts of air. After hours in the hot and vibrating space, stagnant air, and cramped knees from the rows of cargo lining the cener of the bay, it was a welcome sensation. He stood, almost faltering from the numbness that had consumed hi lower half. His neck was stiff, and the waffle pattern on his buttocks imprinted by the web seating began to stink as circulation returned.
Over the whistle and rumble of the engines, a voice range out.
“Welcome to Adak! Everybody off!” the crewmaster shouted.
Felix was near the bulkhead that seperated the cargo bay from the cockpit, and had to wait patiently for the civilians to collect their books and folders prior to shuffling down the ramp.
He pulled the hood of his thick-blue parka over his head, shouldered the backpack that had provided, and made his way outside.
The landscape looked like something out of an apocolyptic novel. Blowing snowdrifts and misting rain mad it difficult to keep his eyes open. The weather instantly penetrated the warmth of his “Cold weather ensemble”. He chuckled.
Through the gray haze, a dim sunrise illuminated the clouds, and painted the faces of distant hills and mountians giving the scene a majestic ambiance. The low buildings towards the end of the airfield were in disrepair, crumbling under time and seasons, but to the south, various houses and buildings dotted the landscape, with only a few of the buildings lit by generators.
A 2 1/2 ton personnel truck rumbled onto the taxiway, and down to the hanger apron where the C-130 had stopped. It squeeked to a halt in near the gathering group of travelers, and with a bang, the rear gate fell open. A parka hooded head poked out of the canvas covered back.
“Anybody want a ride? You can walk it if you’re feeling energetic. Hop in, or head that way.” He pointed beyond the hanger to the SouthEast. “You’ll find the school just past the Fire department building. Wouldn’t bother wandering much farther. About the only thin that lives out there in those houses are rats.”
Felix watched as the scientists and farmers and other trades began helping each other onto the back of the truck. Not eager to be confined again with a bunch of strangers, he set off in the direction of the school.
It was a brisk walk, and got the blood flowing through his body. The grass between narrow crumbling streets was high, and the soil was dectively soft and uneven. Felix decided to stick to the road.
By the time he reached the school, he had stripped down to his flightsuit, insulated pants and parka stuffed throught the straps of his backpack. A thin glean of sweat had formed on his brow. He opened the door, not unlike any other public school in the United States, and walked past a Post Office counter, into a cafeteria. The tables had been removed, and the large open space was now lined with cots. The kitchen against the far wall was sparsely staffed, but the smell of cheep, mass-produced food was incredible. Felix moved to the nearest available cot, dropping his bag to claim it, then headed for the kitchen. He grabbed a tray, plate and cutlery were neeatly arranged like any other food-hall. Then moved down the serving line to a large bald man, with a huge beard and an apron. He wore a hairnet on his bald scalp, but nothing on his beard. He was pale faced, with wind damaged cheeks that made him look like a strange gnome, minus the pointy hat. Felix held his plate out to the gentleman. “Could I…”
The server casually took the plate, and started ladelling various colored scoops before Felix had a chance to see what they had. A fried fish fillet, and a dinner roll adorned the heap, sopping up the juices of whatever the hell this is supposed to be.
“Here you go!” the man said cheerfully, seeming genuinely pleased by his creation.
“Thank you, sir..” Felix started to reply, but the server had already moved onto the next person.
Felix’s eye drifted to the next patron in line, and found Lieutenent Elizabeth Blackwell smiling back.
“Sleepover!” She exclaimed mockingly, her hands displaying a heart-shape. “I really hope you don’t snore”
Artavus Quill 