This was no town pig napping in a Crown Vic, corrupt county hog, nor even a sneaky state swine snoozing in a Durango. This vehicle was different, it was unmarked and except for the silver hubcaps glistening in the sun, completely blacked out, windows front to back tinted jet black. Two antennas protruded from the rear of the vehicle and a slim LED light bar was affixed across the roof; obvious markings of authority. I could just barely make out the iconic gold Chevy emblem strewn across the front grill of the SUV, just above an all white license plate. I grabbed my binoculars in an attempt to gain a closer look, it was indeed a Chevy, a Suburban specifically and printed in light blue bold lettering I could read the phrase, U.S. Government For Official Use Only inscribed beneath the numbers of the rear license plate. I tried to focus in with the binoculars to gaze through the windows but could only manage at best to see a shaky reflection of my own stare warped within the shiny black paint and thick tints.

It had been some years since I first explored and photographed this defunct naval base; last I heard the property was wide open, torn apart by metal thieves and looters. But upon approaching the property from the familiar warn path just off the railroad tracks, I was greeted by a slew of fancy new shield shaped "no trespassing" signs, all engraved with the warning: Restricted Area No Trespassing U.S. Government Property. Just security theater nonsense I presumed as I continued forward, only to be hampered by a series of diamond plate metal sheets welded over the numerous holes cut within the perimeter fence line. Even the barb wire along the top of the fence had been replaced with shiny new strands, all perfectly taunt in neat rows of three. Just scare tactics I convinced myself.

Scare tactics that were now certainly proving to be more realistic than security theater after all, as I found myself hunkering down within the shuttered shell of a military jet engine testing hanger while looking out through an explosion proof window directly framing this mysterious black government SUV. It was now quite clear I was no longer alone, and my company, not exactly welcomed. I glanced at my phone, 2:46 P.M. "Okay I've been on the property for at least 45 minutes, certainly they must not know I'm here" I pondered as my heart began to tremble with anxiety, each beat pumping a dose of dread, shooting like venom through my veins and toward my brain which began to fuel my mind with fear. I took two massive gulps of air in hopes of subduing the feeling of panic and rationalizing my thoughts into a plan of action. The building I was in, no way out except to cross within direct line of sight of the SUV, certainly not an option. The ground floor of the building was completely blown out, open and exposed; no doubt the area first to be searched if my presence were to be suspected. I decided to head for higher ground, obtain an aerial view of the unfolding situation below, bunker down someplace where I could watch my prey safely, while obscuring my own presence from obvious view.

To the roof I retreated, for I knew an obtrusive sheet metal barricade along the ledge would provide me with both the cover and line of sight I needed. Stealthily I climbed up the stairwell toward the roof, attempting to walk lightly as to try and mute any and all sounds that could possibly echo out from beneath my feet. Yet regardless of my light footedness, lead paint chips and debris cracked and crunched under the rubber soles of my shoes. I bit my tongue and scrunched my face in agony hoping the sounds only boomed as loud as fireworks in my mind. Legs quivering, I thought it wise to tiptoe the rest of the way up the stairs toward the roof like some obviously suspicious asshole; clearly paranoia and fear was beginning to set in. Near the top of the stairwell a closed door remained as the only obstacle between me and the roof. A solid once inch gap existed between the bottom of the door and the cement staircase landing, providing just enough space to peek under.

I crouched low, then laid flat across my stomach as to better peer under the small opening beneath the door. All I could spot was a massive HVAC unit which appeared to be no more than three feet from the radius of the door if I were to swing it open. Perfect, I thought, an obstruction to block my movement if anyone were be watching from the SUV below. Slowly I lifted my left arm above my flat body like a zombie poking its' hand out from beneath its' earthen grave. I reached up toward the door, clumsily clambering around my fingers until I felt them grip the smooth round handle. Ever so meticulously I turned my wrist counter clockwise until I could feel the tension release from the dead bolt securing the door closed. I let loose my grip from the handle and gently nudged the door open with my head, opening it just wide enough for me to army crawl past. I kept my right leg between the door frame, choosing to sacrifice my tripod as a door stop as I slowly inched the rest of my body toward the ledge of the roof. It was a brutal crawl over rough pebbles which kept getting lodged in terrible places combined with avoiding broken glass bottle shards intertwined with sharp crinkled aluminum beer cans from rooftop parties past. But I had no better choice than to keep crawling toward the roof ledge.

Despite moving at the pace of a snail, I eventually made it. Hurriedly I placed my face up against the sheet metal ledge and laid flat within the cover of its shadow. I could just barely peek through a series of rivet holes to confirm that the vehicle was still parked in the same location as I had initially spotted it. Unfortunately, the metal was cooking against my cheeks and there was no way I could maintain such an awkward stance. Looking around I saw that about twenty feet to my left an area of the sheet metal had rusted through forming the perfect peep hole to spy from. I used my arms to pull my body through one last nasty piss warm, rainbow tinted puddle and toward the hole. My pants were soaked having absorbed most of the gross liquid, but I was safe, hidden exactly where I wanted to be.

I glanced at my phone; 3:05 P.M. As far as I could tell within that passing 20 minutes the situation had not changed. My escape path was still being blocked by an unknown government vehicle, however I was now quite confident they were not here for me, for certainly backup would've shown by this point or I'd be siting under a bright light in an unknown white room somewhere. This realization settled my anxiety some, but I continued to keep an eye on the unfolding situation. I wasn't sure if the occupants of the SUV exited or not and to make things more ambiguous the loose sheet metal I was pressed up against was creaking in the breeze. I couldn't hear shit, could only watch through my one eye plastered up against the abrasive rusty hole, it would have to suffice. And so I watched, patiently, counting in my mind seconds into minutes before quickly looking track of time.

Then abruptly the driver side door of the SUV opened! Out stepped a gentleman adorned within a black tactical vest, with matching black pants, black boots, and a pair of black shades complementing a crew cut hair do. I could spot what appeared to be a pistol holster strapped to his lower leg as he stood near the front of the vehicle. Large yellow print on the back of what looked to be a bullet proof vest clearly read "United States Intelligence Agent". My veins filled with anxiety yet again. Deep breaths, I had to keep my panic subdued. Moments later the front passenger side door swung open. A nearly identically dressed gentleman exited the vehicle, he only distinguishable from the first gentleman by a large roll of this black fabric looking material he had bundled up and tucked between his arm and chest. This second man continued to walk around the nose of the vehicle and continued past the first gentleman who stood like a statue near the front of the cruiser, hand on hip the entire time. The second gentleman continued his walk toward the passenger side door of the SUV where he dropped the large rolled up object from under his arm and began to unraveled it across the ground. It was a black tarp, I'd say about 15 by 15 feet in dimension, forming a perfect square across the ground, stretching from front to rear tire and extending about 15 feet out from the side of the vehicle.

The first gentleman then broke from his statue like stance and walked toward the front passenger side door of the SUV as well. He made a swiping gesture as if scanning a credit card across the vehicle handle before opening the door, at which point I noticed the tarp spread out across the ground bow slightly toward the center, as if the ground beneath it had become hollow. Rather cautiously the gentleman then opened the SUV door, reaching into the vehicle while appearing to struggle slightly for a few seconds as if attempting to untangle or move a heavy object around. The gentleman then forcefully pulled out another large rolled up black tarp from the rear seat followed by a bundle of long white poles which he immediately threw to the ground. Together both of the gentlemen assembled the poles to form a crude skeleton frame structure. They then both unraveled the second black tarp and secured it over the poles in all directions, creating an opaque black tent. It looked like some type of hazmat decontamination area, yet there were no markings and it completely obscured my view of the SUV parked behind it. Both gentlemen then proceeded to enter one after another into the black tent through a slit in the side of the tarp. They where now gone from sight.

At least five minutes passed; nothing, no sounds, no movement as far as I could see, just the black tarp fabric occasionally swaying in the breeze. My poor eye, I could barely keep it open any longer! I feared it would bulge out from my skull as my face had been pressed up against this hole within the sheet metal atop the roof for the entire duration. Then suddenly, BANG! BANG! My eye immediately shot open again. The sound ricocheted and bounced between the numerous blown out abandoned military buildings on the property, echoing back and forth before fading out. Then again BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! immediately followed by an ear piercing cry, a horrible inhuman monstrous shriek, relatable only to the slaughter of a thousand pigs. The tone suggestive of something suffering from great agony and pain. Then in an instant the sound switched to a low ghostly howl, like a wild wind was whipping through a massive cave. The exterior wall of the black tent then bowed forward as if a large mass had been pushed up against the inside of the tarp wall and slowly slumped to the ground. The cry continued but gradually grew softer until it was finally muted by one last ear ringing BANG!, then complete silence. A fetid fragrance began to fill the air, it was a familiar scent to my nose, a smell reminiscent of a metallic taste, like blood but far more bitter.

A person then exited from inside the tarp tent, covered head to feet in a white rubber Tyvek suit, a purple respirator covering their face. The person was completely splattered with chunks of this neon green fleshy gelatin looking material which was pulsating like a fish out of water. It seemed the material upon coming into contact with light from the sun began to vibrate and shake violently. Minutes following, a second person exited the tent. Same white rubber suit plastered with a similar pulsating neon green splatter. Both humans upon exiting stood in the light for sometime as the heat from the sun appeared to have some sort of neutralizing effect on the green residue causing it to quickly vaporize into plumes of black clouds. Then with little patience both gentleman ripped off their protective white suits, balled the clothing up and tossed it into the tent. At this point I could tell it were the same two gentlemen who originally emerged from the SUV earlier, as they were both still sporting their United States Intelligence Agent uniforms and bullet proof vests.

The two then proceeded to walk toward the tent and in unison where they collapsed the poles downward and quickly folded the tarp up like a blanket, corner by corner, in a fashion as to conceal whatever was still inside. Both gentlemen then grabbed a corner of the partially folded tarp and dragged it away from the SUV, struggling like pack mules with each step forward. Cleary something heavy was bundled inside the tarp, but I couldn't tell what. The removal of the tarp revealed that it had been placed over some sort of hatch that must have been previously concealed and closed, as two massive iron bilco doors remained in the open position, but pointed downward into the Earth. One of the gentlemen then dropped a corner of the tarp he was dragging and walked toward the open hatch doors, where he again made a swiping gesture near the SUV which triggered the doors to slowly close up and into a sealed position, now level with the ground. This same gentleman then rolled back a layer of turf over the sealed hatch, completely camouflaging it from detection, even going as far as to cleverly place various stones and vegetation about the area as to create a natural looking debris scatter. The same gentleman then walked back toward the tarp and again they both continued to drag it in the direction of the SUV which now had the trunk hatch open. They both struggled but eventually lugged the heavy tarp into the trunk, closed the door and began to walk back toward the the front of the vehicle.

The gentleman trailing just behind the first man abruptly stopped and with much grace swiftly reached toward his hip where he quickly drew his pistol and followed by a single loud BANG! fired a shot precisely into the back of the other gentleman's skull. But the bullet upon hitting the gentleman's head immediately stopped dead as if smashing into a sheet of kevlar, the round falling straight to the ground. The gentleman who was just shot at quickly turned around and jumped on top of his partner's back, knocking him down and pinning him to the ground. I could hear the gentleman screaming at the top of his lungs directly at the other man while he had him in a chokehold about the ground, "We did it Cody, we fucking did it, but you didn't believe me, just had to fucking test it huh?" The gentlemen then threw his own pistol to the ground "Here Cody, take MY gun this time, shoot me again, go for it!" he yelled. "Mike, stop, no, just let go of me, I clearly believe you now, I just witnessed a bullet bounce off your fucking skull!" Cody uttered while still pinned to the ground. Mike then let loose his grip around Cody's neck, rambling, "See, we really fucking did it man! We are the first humans to make it down there and come back alive! I knew you were skeptical, but with this green flubber shit we have harnessed from our successful mission into the Inner Core Earth Mine we will be among the chosen power elites to reap its powers. Do you understand what this means Cody!? It guarantees our survival as humans following the collapse. We are immortal now, agents of the New World Order!"