Stone Soldiers 5: Black Knight Down Read Online Free PDF Page B

walking up to an Army Major in dress uniform.
    Major Robert Campbell turned to face his commander, lowering a tablet computer he'd been reading. The Major was of average build with prematurely-grayed hair and an impeccable uniform covered with ribbons, badges and insignia.
    "We may have a Pandora event," Campbell said. He turned and pointed to the main display on the wall- a ten foot wide projection screen on which was a map of America, with a red flashing beacon in Oklahoma.
    "What is it?"
    "Anomaly Five is what the Air Force calls it," Campbell said. He snapped his fingers at an Airman a few desks away.
    The Airman rushed over, putting the last few pages in an old style folder. Campbell handed it over to Kenslir. "You might have heard of it as Black Knight - that's what they called it in the 60s".
    Kenslir flipped through the pages in his hastily-assembled folder. "And it's crashed in Oklahoma? How is this a Detachment matter?"
    "They suspect this could be a Dark Object," Campbell said. He moved around beside the Colonel and reached in and flipped a few pages ahead. "An airman was killed at the scene under very unusual circumstances."
    "Major!" A Sergeant said from a workstation, standing and holding a red-colored phone's handset. When he saw the Colonel, he swallowed. "Sorry, Colonel- we have a mission order."
    Colonel Kenslir walked over to the Sergeant and took the handset and listened closely.
    "Yes, sir, I understand. Low profile, yes, sir. We'll handle it."
    ***
     
    Six hours later, Kenslir stepped off a UH-60 that had ferried him from a nearby runway to the crash site. Josie climbed out of the helicopter after him, followed by a man wearing bandages wrapped entirely around his head, with only large sunglasses showing. Like Kenslir and Josie, the man wore a full, olive-drab bio hazard suit and carried a matching helmet in one hand.
    "This'll never work," Victor Hornbeck said from under his bandages.
    "Hey, it worked for the invisible man," Josie said, taking his arm.
    Kenslir led his two companions away from the helicopter toward a command tent set up a thousand feet from the edge of the impact crater.
    All around the crater rim, high fencing, topped with razor wire, had been erected. Four guard towers, each just over fifteen feet tall and made of little more than scaffolding, had also been set up. Bright flood lights were in place as well, in anticipation of nightfall. Air Force personnel in their digital, tigerstripe utility uniforms were bustling around, some guarding the area, others lugging equipment over from nearby trucks.
    "Colonel Hunt?" Kenslir called out as he entered the command tent.
    Several airmen looked up from a table over which a large area map had been set up. Lieutenant Colonel Hunt was among them, still chewing on an unlit cigar.
    "You Kenslir?" he asked.
    "Yes, Colonel," Kenslir said, walking over and extending a hand.
    Hunt snapped to attention and gave a brisk salute. "What are your orders, sir?" Something in the junior Colonel's eyes told Kenslir that the Air Force man was none too happy about his new guests' arrival.
    Kenslir motioned toward Josie and Victor. "My team and I would like to examine the object."
    Hunt looked Victor up and down. "What's with the bandages- your man injured?"
    "Yes," Kenslir said.
    "He should really be in bed," Josie added nervously, still holding Victor's arm- as if to help him stand.
    "Fine. And you won't need those," Hunt said, pointing to the helmets Kenslir, Josie and Victor carried. "No airborne contaminants in the area and no radiation detected."
    Hunt scooped up a dark blue beret and his M4 rifle and walked out of the tent. "Well, c'mon- lets go see it."
    Hunt led the trio to the crater, up over the slight rise of upheaved soil and down into the crater itself. Cameras and other recording devices had been set up near the black, obsidian object, but nothing was within fifteen feet of it.
    Kenslir and Josie slipped on oversized sunglasses as they looked over