Joe followed Carl across the building to a heavy metal door at the other end. Carl was moving quickly, but Joe looked around as he hurried along. The garage was more like a huge warehouse. Enormous lights hung down from the ceiling, maybe 30 feet above, glowing brightly. There were no windows. Everything looked gray. Joe could smell oil and burning rubber.
There were various large pieces of odd machinery; people were working on jeep-like vehicles and what looked possibly like tanks or weapons. Some people clad in grimy coveralls were welding, while mechanics hammered. Another group of people was lifting a heavy section of some strange looking craft and setting it into place on a weird war-like contraption. They all wore masks, goggles, aprons, gloves and boots; so Joe could not tell what they looked like or if they were even men or women.
Carl held the door open, motioning Joe to catch up. It was beyond strange seeing Carl all grown up. He had just been out to visit at Joe's house for Christmas a month before. Carl was five years old then, and now here he was probably 26 or so. He was lean but strong, intent looking, forceful. Carl stood about 6' 2", not quite as tall as his dad, Joe's big brother Kim. Kim was the oldest of the four boys. He and Boe were close in age, and then Joe's parents didn't have any more kids for 16 years, until Ray was born. Joe guessed that if Carl was 26, Kim would have to be 51 or so....51!
By this time they had walked down the long, dimly lit corridor to another steel door. Carl opened it and waited for Joe to enter. Three men were huddled around a computer screen on a table with their backs to the door. Then the tallest spun around--It was Kim!
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