Gray Panthers: Dixie Read Online Free PDF Page B

exposure to the weather. It was devoid of any type of seam or hinge, and part of the large metal square was imbedded into the hillside.
    “Target secured. No signs of hostiles,” Polanski commed to the shuttle.
    Captain Young acknowledged the transmission and directed the shuttle to land next to the team. As he exited the shuttle, his breath was initially taken away by the cold breeze, which seemed to go right through him. “What do we have here, Polanski?”
    “Damned if I know, sir. I’d like to drill a hole through it to know for sure. We sure don’t have any doorknob out here to get in with.”
    “I was thinking the same thing. Have Sergeant Hayashi use his beamer to drill a hole through the metal, but have him angle it downward in case there’s anything behind there we might want.”
    “Joe, I want a hole in that door. Be sure you angle your penetration so the beam goes down to the deck on the other side to avoid damaging anything on the other side,” Polanski ordered as Sergeant Hayashi took up a position to fire.
    “Fire in the hole!” echoed through the windswept hillside as Hayashi pulled the trigger on his beamer. A bright beam made contact with the door and the door began to glow red at the point of contact. Young watched the sergeant fire the beamer nonstop for five minutes without any apparent results.
    “Cease fire, Joe,” Young ordered as he approached the door to see for himself if there was any damage. The door quickly cooled and didn’t even show a scorch mark from the failed attempt to fire through it.
    “Joe, did you have the power setting on max?” Young asked as he continued to inspect the door.
    “Yes, sir!” Hayashi replied.
    “Okay, everybody get back a hundred feet and take cover. Rogers, I want you to position the shuttle so you can use the shuttle’s beamer to make a hole in the door. Same restrictions we used earlier. I don’t want to damage anything behind door number one. Let me know when you are ready to fire,” Young ordered as he joined his men in taking cover.
    “Ready to fire, Captain Young,” the shuttle’s avatar, Major Rogers, replied.
    “I want the hole as narrow as possible. I just want to be able to see in for now. You’re cleared to fire in ten seconds.” Young then shouted to his men, “Ten seconds. Heads down, and don’t look at the beam!” Everyone braced themselves for the noise and a potential explosion.
    “Firing is complete,” Major Rogers announced. “Hole diameter is one inch. Uncertain about the depth of the hole. Would you like me to send in the faeries to recon what is behind the door, Captain?”
    “Go ahead. Have their scans go to my tablet,” Young ordered, reaching for his tablet. As he turned it on, he saw the faeries were already behind the door. He watched as they illuminated the cavernous room. It appeared to be devoid of anything. The walls were smooth, as were the floor and ceiling.
    The faeries continued down the corridor away from the door. After a quarter-mile, the corridor opened up into a large room that seemed to go on in all directions, with no walls. The area was covered with machinery and materials that could not be identified.
    “Major Rogers, any suggestions on how we can get the door open without destroying it?” Young asked.
    “Sir, the best way would be to cut the door out and replace it with a new door fabricated by the Beater. It will not take long to cut out the door now that we know where we can cut,” Rogers suggested.
    “Beater, this is Young.”
    “We have been monitoring. You are the man on the ground. We support any decision you make,” Captain Johnson advised.
    “Thank you, Captain Johnson. We will cut out the door. We’ll need a door and frame designed to replace the old one.”
    “I will have the crew use the fabricator to build it after we have the sizes and specs. Beater out.”
    “Everyone, back away from the door. Rogers, when we are clear, go ahead and cut it out for us.” Young sat