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“Hey, what do you think? Pretty cool, huh?” she said, elbowing me as I sat “I told you they wanted you How does it feel to get the Nancy Pelosi treatovernment VIP now”

“I didn’t fill the barf sack on the ride here, so I guess that’s a start,” I said, dropping s in the back of the Gator

We started to drive The arate Which wasn’t easy, since the youngto look down Emily’s shirt at the same time On the other side of the fence was a road with the dors I’d seen from the plane

“OK, Parker Give it up,” I said as we hu the arar where they have the aliens now? I mean, what’s up with the Area Fifty-One routine? What the heck is going on? What is this place? An air force base?”

“Kind of It used to be George Air Force Base, but it was mothballed in ’ninety-two They turned half of it into Southern Cal Logistics, a municipal airport, and kept the other half of it—the dor area—for ”

“OK, but why are we here?”

“Let’s get you settled first,” E lot

She took ht of stairs, and dropped ht on a cot in a little room halfway down the hall She locked the door and handed me a key

“Are you the RA?” I said, taking it “Where do I get my meal card? Or do I have to report for boot camp? Help me out”

“Head’s a couple of doors down, on your left,” she said, all business now “There’s a general et a bite to eat, and I’ll bring you up to speed”

CHAPTER 32

BACK DOWNSTAIRS, WE GRABBED a couple of Cokes and plastic-wrapped turkey clubs off a tray in the dor the lot when a short, wiry, black-haired h short in stature, he carried hirace, like an old-time baseball shortstop

“E as he stopped in front of us “I thought I heard you come in And you must be Michael Bennett”

“This is Colonel D’Ae of this …”

“Shindig? Fiasco? I haven’t quite figured out what it is ht Mike up to speed?”