Page 10 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space

“For Marcel?” I asked.

He chuckled. “That’s the informal name, for now. They’re pushing for the official name change with the reinstatement, but Congress can take a while.”

I thought about the name for a minute. “Who’s Marcel?”

“Oh…” he thought for several seconds. “Air Force Major Jesse Marcel was the first military officer to investigate the Roswell incident.”

“So this is an Air Force Base?”

He shook his head. “No, the Army is in charge, but given the nature… and that eventually we expect all branches here…”

He trailed off, and in the mirror I could see the expression of a man wondering if he’d said too much.

I smiled. “You’re safe. I don’t know all the details, but I know enough.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m used to escorting higher-ups, so I wasn't sure.”

“Better safe than sorry.”

He laughed. “That’s the truth.”

We rounded a three-floor red brick building, then he stopped at the entrance. He grabbed my bags and opened the door.

“The pass office is this way,” he stated as he started toward the building.

I followed him inside and shivered as I acclimated to the air conditioning.

It was unnervingly quiet, only our footsteps bouncing off the steel-gray walls.

He turned into the first door and set my bags in front of another soldier.

“Colonel Smith should arrive by the time you’re set,” the soldier said. “I’ll leave you here, and they can assist with any questions.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

“You’re welcome, Sir,” he stated, then strode back out.

I was glad that I’d kept out the paperwork Floyd had given me, as a soldier was already eyeing my bags suspiciously.

I walked over to where another soldier had stood behind his desk and held out the folder. “Colonel Smith said that this is my paperwork.”

“Thank you, Sir,” he replied, then motioned to a chair. “Have a seat.”

I sat, then turned to the one who’d been staring at my bags. “If you’re here to inspect my things, go ahead. I expect it’ll happen sooner or later anyway.”

He glanced over at the man with my paperwork.

An exasperated sigh came from behind me. “Go ahead.”

He nodded and reached for my suitcase.

I turned back to face the man with my paperwork.

“It’s not as if this is holding him up,” he muttered.

“Not a lot of people coming in?” I asked.

“Not yet.”