Cities of the Forgotten Read online

  Disclaimer

  Names, characters, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 Rayne W. Grath

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1-7336714-2-0

  ISBN-13: 978-1-7336714-2-2

  Author’s Note

  This book is dedicated to my sister Kathy, for reading each chapter as it was done and keeping me on a schedule.

  To my readers I hope you enjoy. Visit my website and sign up for my newsletter to find out what’s coming next. www.RayneGrath.com

  CHAPTER ONE

  AARIK

  “Doris, I made no such promise. I recall hearing no demands on your end, when I successfully bargained for you to come along.” Aarik stated in a firm voice and then second guessed his comment when his ears met with silence from the seat directly across from him.

  Blindfolded Aarik felt he was at a slight disadvantage because the longer she waited to answer him, he dreaded her retaliatory response. Doris shifted across from him and hmphed loudly, “The least they could do is allow an old lady the use of her eyes. Seeing as I have never been on a helicopter before. It’s not like I’m fluent in aerial geography. I doubt I’ll know where we’re at,” complained Doris loudly.

  “If you don’t like my primitive methods, I could always knock you out like I suggested the first time you asked, ma’am,” growled Jones from the front of the helicopter.

  “No reason for violence, young man. I merely wanted to mark riding in a helicopter off my bucket list. I’m not getting any younger, sonny. You could be tricking me right now for all I know and really, I’m on an airplane not a helicopter. It seems awfully quiet to be a helicopter and we’re not wearing any noise blocking headphones. How can I in all honesty check this off my bucket list, if I am unable to see it with my own eyes,” replied Doris in an innocent voice.

  “Fine! You win! Before we begin our descent, I will take off your blindfolds so that you can see for yourself it is indeed a helicopter. Just stop complaining!” Jones bit out in annoyance.

  “Um...alright, I can agree to that. If you let me know how much longer I must sit here waiting,” Doris said in agreement, oblivious to Jones’ annoyance.

  The pilot spoke up quickly and asked Doris a question as a diversion, “We’re about ten minutes out, ma’am. I love Cajun food. Do you make anything from that culture?”

  As Doris droned on about a recipe, passed down from her mother, for the world’s best red beans and rice, Aarik instinctively reached over in search of Kiya’s hand; concerned that she continued to remain silent and unmoving at his side. Kiya latched onto his hand quickly and squeezed it reassuringly before she laced their fingers together and leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder. Her soft voice rippled through him when she whispered, “Thank the gods you talked them into letting me have a bath. The temperature was just right for my aching muscles.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. Although, I could think of at least one thing that could have made it better,” Aarik replied and then let out an oomph when she elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

  Snickering at him she raised her head off his shoulder and addressed Jones, “What can you tell us about our new home, Jones? What did the director call it? Area T?”

  “The only thing I am allowed to say about your ‘new home’ is that it was established by the government in 1943 as a base of knowledge,” Jones said with pride in his voice.

  “It must be close to the dig site because we haven’t been in the air for very long,” Aarik added as an afterthought.

  “That would be an accurate assumption if we were in a normal helicopter, Doctor Landon,” quipped the pilot happily.

  “That’s quite enough, Sinclair!” said Jones quickly.

  “Sorry, sir,” replied the pilot contritely before he added, “Area T is just up ahead if you wanted them to take off their blindfolds for a moment without Director Sorr finding out.”

  “Good idea. I don’t need any more demerits against me before Commander Rais is able to get here and put Director Sorr in her place. I have no idea how she gets away with everything she does, but karma is taking too long, in my opinion, to nail her ass to the wall,” Jones replied as he unbuckled, turned around in his seat and took off their blindfolds one by one and pronounced, “Alright, here’s the deal. You see, I don’t want this getting back to the director. If she thinks I’m a softy, my life around here will get significantly harder than it already is. So how about a compromise; you can mark riding in a helicopter off your bucket list, Doris, if you promise to keep this little looky-loo to yourself. Otherwise what comes around goes around, which means I’ll make your life a living hell. Do we have a deal?”

  Doris looked around the helicopter, smiling at her surroundings before she answered Jones slowly, “Speaking for everyone here, I believe we have a deal if you let us in on who Rais is?” She winked at Jones and patted Taylor’s knee before she leaned over to see what was on his side of the craft.

  “Such a negotiator. Commander Rais oversees many projects, WEST is one of them. Now I’ll give you guys one minute to enjoy the view before these go back on again,” answered Jones matter-of-factly, dangling the blindfolds from his hand with a smirk on his face. He looked down at his watch and said, “Starting now!”

  Aarik looked out the forward-facing window, past Jones, and searched for anything familiar in the distance. As Long Island came into view he was surprised they were allowed this reprieve and Aarik wondered if Jones was actually on their side when he recognized the eastern coastline. The helicopter they were flying on was longer and sleeker than a typical helicopter and extremely quiet, he wondered what type of technology they were using to dampen the noise. The whole upper half of the craft was made of glass and gave a beautiful view of the sky above. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was able to view the movement of the propellers, he wouldn’t have believed it was a helicopter, it was so quiet.

  The craft slowed as they approached the sea about halfway down the Long Island shoreline. When they passed over an old brick building a tingling sensation slowly spread over Aarik’s body in waves, causing him to shiver slightly. It felt like the game he played as a child with his friends, the one where they pretended to crack an eggshell over someone’s head and marveled when that person experienced the oozing sensation of the egg over them like magic. He shook his head trying to shake the eerie feeling, and couldn’t believe his eyes when the helicopter hovered over the landing pad in front of a metal tower that hadn’t been there just moments earlier. He definitely was no historian, but the structure was far from unrecognizable. It also was supposedly torn down in 1917 for scrap metal. Aarik closed his eyes but opened them quickly when Kiya elbowed him in the ribs and whispered under her breath, “Oh my gods! Tell me you see it too! Tell me that you see that!”

  “Yes, I see it too, but according to history the Wardenclyffe Tower was destroyed over a century ago. The original building we just passed was supposedly bought in 2013 to be turned into a Tesla Museum, but now I wonder if that project was just a smoke screen to hide this. I’m not sure if it’s a brilliant or stupid idea, but hiding in plain sight, instead of secrecy is a new strategy for the government.” Aarik whispered back before he swiveled around to look behind them, when the air revealed nothing but sky, he turned back around and leaned down towards Kiya romantically, trying to conceal their conversation and make it look like a lover’s exchange.

  “They must have some type of cloaking device. I didn’t see the tower until we passed the building. Did you feel a tingling sensation?” Aarik asked quietly i
nto her ear. She nodded slightly for an answer before she turned her head into his neck and said, “Area T stands for Tesla. Nikola fucking Tesla, can you believe it?” Aarik chuckled quietly and pulled back to kiss Kiya’s forehead before he looked into her eyes.

  “After meeting you, I can believe anything. In fact, there is no such thing as a ‘non-believer’ in my eyes anymore. Everyone believes in something, whether you believe there is a God or you believe there isn’t, you still believe. I believed this tower was gone and it makes me wonder how many other things in this world might be hiding in plain sight. I like knowing that the technology exists so I won’t take things like that for granted in the future. It’s a rude awakening, but I’d rather be awake then blind to the possibilities. I’ll take that as an added bonus in this race called survival,” he said affectionately, before he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pulled her into a hug. He looked over at Taylor, sitting next to Doris, and winked; at least they knew where they were, that was a start.

  “Time’s up,” Jones said, moving around the back of the helicopter in a clockwise motion as he blindfolded everyone once again before they landed. Aarik was the last in line and when Jones knelt in front of him he smiled because they both knew the blindfolds were just for show. Perhaps they would have a friend in Jones after all.

  Aarik felt a slight impact from the soft landing and was surprised the pilot waited until the engines slowed before they opened the side doors of the craft. Jones was the first to address them, “I’m taking you in to meet Dr. Annalee Rais, who practically runs this place in my opinion. She’ll give you a tour and go over all the dos and don’ts of the facility, since she’s been here the longest. Remember our deal, people, and we’ll get along just fine.”

  “Not a peep from us. No siree, not a peep,” Doris chanted as she made a dramatic attempt of getting out of the helicopter blindfolded. “What you will hear about though is...if I injure myself in the process of exiting this vehicle without assistance!”

  “Let me help you, ma’am,” a woman replied with a sultry voice. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Matthew! Didn’t your mother ever teach you manners?”

  “Manners? I have manners,” stammered Jones defensively.

  “Really? The kind where you treat your elders with respect? The least you could have done is helped her down!” the woman demanded.

  “What are you doing out here? I was planning on bringing them in to meet you,” whined Jones.

  “Sometimes they let me out for good behavior,” she growled, “Honestly, I can’t believe you said that. In fact, don’t come running to me next time for the latest and greatest gadgets, because I don’t know if I’ll remember to save some, for someone without any manners,” the woman snapped as she grabbed Aarik’s hand gently and helped him down.

  “Thanks, ma’am,” Aarik said with respect before he turned around and reached for Kiya. His hands felt like heat seeking missiles as they latched around her waist and hoisted her from the helicopter with ease. She squealed in surprise, but he smiled to himself as she melted into him when he carefully placed her on the ground in front of him.

  The woman who had scolded Jones and Sinclair, and assisted each of them from the helicopter cleared her throat, “While I am definitely someone who loves a good romance, and I don’t mind watching, I must assume you all would like to take off those blindfolds sometime soon and in order to do that we need to get you guys inside. Everyone lock arms and we’ll head indoors.”

  Kiya pulled away with a snicker, locked arms with him and whispered, “I like her already.”

  Taylor stepped up next to him with the woman’s help, grabbed his arm loosely before he quietly said, “I’m a sucker for a woman who knows how to take charge AND has a voice made for phone sex. I think I’m in love.”

  Aarik laughed out loud and welcomed the lighthearted banter as they shuffled forward into an air-conditioned building. The door whooshed shut behind them and closed with an airlock-like sound. The woman clapped her hands and said, “Alright, it’s safe to remove your blindfolds. My name is Dr. Annalee Rais, but everyone calls me Anna. Today it seems my job will be to play host and tour guide. I’ll try and answer your questions, but there are certain things I won’t be able to reveal, most likely because I am not privy to the information. If you look around, you will notice this place is like Fort Knox. The ground floor is meant to keep everyone out, as well as everyone in, unless you are in a position of power. By the way, if you are thinking you can use me to escape; I do not have that kind of power. Today was a special day where they deemed I could go outside to greet you. It’s my sparkling personality, I think. I’m rambling, forgive me.” Anna closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she continued, “Don’t mind me, I don’t get out much and sometimes the resentment seeps through a little. Shall we get this party started? Sorry, I’ve always wanted to say that. Follow me.”

  Aarik looked down at Kiya, who beamed up at him, as they followed the curvy doctor into a large metal elevator. Once everyone was inside, the doors closed and a computer voice prompted them for a floor. Anna looked over at Jones with her big blues eyes and batted her eyelashes dramatically. She pushed her electric blue hair behind her ears, placed her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out like a kid before she smiled and said, “Ok, fine. I promise to save you the latest and greatest goodies, alright!”

  Jones grinned triumphantly and said in a deep voice, “Floor three, please.” Overhead, the computer responded, “Floor three has been selected. Welcome back, Mr. Jones. The director is expecting you in her office within five minutes.”

  As the elevator began its descent, Aarik noticed it contained no panel of buttons and figured it must be controlled by voice activation and it appeared that Dr. Rais was indeed not an authorized elevator operator. He wondered how she left the facility and was about to ask her when Taylor spoke up, “Are you a prisoner, miss?”

  “Anna, please be careful!” Jones whispered vehemently from the side of his mouth without moving his head.

  “Thanks, but my life really couldn’t get much worse, Jones,” Anna replied under her breath before she turned to face Aarik and his friends and answered Taylor’s question, “This elevator has restricted access for obvious reasons, but if I’m being honest the definition of a prisoner is a person kept in restraint. While I’m allowed to walk around freely between floors three through ten, using the employee elevator located in the center of the complex, I can’t leave this property without supervision, so I am sure you can read between the lines. It’s not something I like to talk about, so if you don’t mind I’d like to change the subject.” Anna blinked twice and turned to face the elevator doors again before she donned a fake smile.

  “The first two floors underground are for security purposes. They house state of the art surveillance systems with barracks full of soldiers for everyone and everything's protection. You would think it would cultivate a sense of safety, but to be honest it creeps me out that the only place I’m not watched is in the bathroom,” Anna continued as she twirled her electric blue shoulder-length hair around her left index finger and stared off into space.

  She dropped her hair when the computer chimed that they had reached their destination and, when the elevator doors opened, she sauntered out like she was presenting at an art exhibit, spreading her arms wide and said, “You’ll notice the place could use a makeover. White walls and metal is so last century, wouldn’t you agree? I miss color so much that the only way I survive is to surround myself with color. It makes me look like Rainbow Brite, but it’s my form of a sunlamp.” Anna grabbed her bright pink dress and held it out before she twirled around twice to give the flowing material emphasis as it belled around her. She stopped short and tapped her matching pink high heels together three times and smiled. “Not to fret, I have no plans of touting shit like ‘There’s no place like home’. I tried that when I was twelve and quickly learned my lesson that fairy tales aren’t real. Enough about me though, let m
e show you around.”

  “Behave yourself, Anna. Donnie never saves me any of the good stuff when you’re in solitary confinement,” warned Jones from inside the elevator with a fatherly look on his face. “Floor fifteen, please,” he called out, as he pulled his cell from his pocket and ignored the group on purpose as the elevator doors closed.

  “I happen to like solitary confinement. I get to read slutty romance books, eat chocolate and drink wine at my leisure instead of slaving away all day on various projects. I make it seem like I hate it, but I know I’m not really fooling anyone. I think they do it to get a break from me so it’s a win-win for everyone,” Anna said after the elevator doors closed leaving them alone.

  “I guess you could say this is the reception area, but as you can see the room is empty and uninviting, not very receptive in my opinion. I think it’s just another layer of security because the only way out of here is the elevator behind you and the door in front of us. The only way through the door or onto the elevator for that matter is secured by an artificial intelligence life-like automaton system otherwise known as Ailla. You heard her on the elevator. Gee, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce you. Say hello, Ailla,” Anna said, looking up at the ceiling.

  “Hello, Dr. Landon, Kiya, Taylor, and Doris. Director Sorr was kind enough to provide me with your names before you arrived. Dr. Rais will bring you to my office on the fourth floor to finish your assimilation. I hope you enjoy your stay,” Ailla replied in a calming voice.

  “Assimilation? Are we talking about the Borg or something?” Doris spit out nervously.

  “Computer-talk which translates to adding you guys to the security system so you’re able to get on the employee elevator. Trust me. I’ve been here for years and I’m still all human, at least I think so,” joked Anna, but when she noticed Doris’ jaw drop open she added, “Just kidding, ma’am. Truly besides being a bit of a stuffy place, I’ve never been poked, prodded or injured in anyway.”