‘If you leave it there, then you’ll probably never get it back. And don’t think for a minute that we’ll be buying you another one any time soon if you do. In any case, your father will have his, and a few days away from those games of yours won’t do you any harm, either,’ had been the speech.
As a result, he’d been forced to listen to hours of the general and his father discussing world affairs, all of which seemed to be so far removed from his own life that the only interesting moment had been when his father had attempted to badger him into finally telling them where they were going. The general, though, had smiled apologetically and said that it was top secret.
And so, it wasn’t until the plane had finally begun its descent that Arthur got his first chance to learn something about it. Resembling a kind of town, it was much bigger than he’d been expecting and dominated by several very large buildings, which were themselves flanked by tall tower-like structures. Linked together by networks of over-ground walkways, the whole base, from what he could make out, appeared to have been constructed around a central glass dome. Trying to take in as much of it as he could, he barely noticed that they had landed.
‘So, here we are then. Welcome to T8,’ said the general, as the minivan which had been waiting for them on the tarmac came to a stop inside a hangar. Two soldiers ran up and snapped to attention as he got out.
‘Sir, everything in order, Sir,’ said one of them.
The general nodded.
Stuffed full of racks and containers, the hangar had all manner of vehicles parked along its edges, including, to Arthur’s surprise, several light tanks. A door clanged shut at the far end, and a small group hurried over.
‘Ah, Maria Nikolaevna. A pleasure to see you again,’ smiled the general to the lady dressed in a grey flight suit and cap. ‘Arthur, Maria is going to be your guide and assistant during your stay here. So, if you need anything at all, she’ll be the person to ask.’
‘Hello, Arthur, I am very glad to meet you,’ she said, shaking his hand.
‘And here beside her we have Dr Rubenstein, our head of development here at the facility. You will be working with him on all things concerning the box from this point onwards.’
The elderly, slightly blading man, who was wearing a white technician’s coat with its top pockets crammed full of coloured pens, held out a hand for him to shake. ‘Nice to meet you, young man. Tomorrow will be an exciting day, I’m sure.’