by Jan Domagala
“You know that can’t be verified don’t you, the ship was totally destroyed in the explosion? Even if we could find enough of the flight recorder to test, chances are the data would be corrupted beyond recognition,” De Boer said.
“Yes, I know, but it’s the only explanation that makes any sense.”
“I tend to agree,” Sinclair said, then turned to Townsend and asked, “How soon before we can make the jump to Cordoba, Captain?”
“We’re ready when you are, sir,” Townsend replied in his huge bass voice that seemed to fill any room he occupied.
“At your discretion then, Captain, I’m eager to get this over with,” Sinclair said with grim determination.
When they arrived at Cordoba, General Sinclair, Matt Hawk and Colonel De Boer met at the docking bay to board the Cessna.
“Are you ready for this Colonel? This time I can assure you there will be no stalling. I’ve gained a Presidential Warrant to proceed and question Eisenhower,” Sinclair said before they boarded.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, sir, and despite your warrant I’d still like to have a few of my men present, just in case it doesn’t go quite as planned,” De Boer replied.
“Good idea, Colonel. Have them ready, we leave in five minutes,” agreed Sinclair, turning to enter the Cessna.
“Are you alright, Matt?” De Boer asked when he saw the dark look in his friend’s eyes. He wore an expression that warned of impending violence and it worried him that he may be close to breaking point.
“I’m fine, which is more than I can say for Eisenhower if it’s proven he’s involved in all this,” Hawk replied coldly.
“Matt, take a step back my friend. Don’t take this personally, be the professional we all know you to be.”
“I didn’t make it personal. Jonas Wilde did when he sent one of his damned clones to kill his own daughter in front of me. He was told to wait until I arrived, told him exactly what to say before shooting her in the head knowing full well I would kill the shooter no matter what happened. If that’s not making it personal I don’t know what is.”
“Okay, I see your point but please think before you act. Don’t let him cloud your thinking so you blunder headlong into making a mistake you’ll live to regret.”
“I’ll do my best, Colonel. All I can see at the moment though is that poor girl’s terror as she lay there waiting to be killed, knowing there was nothing I could do to help but praying I would try anyway. That’s an image I’ll take to my grave,” Hawk said and his haunted eyes told the truth of it.
De Boer had nothing to offer and watched him board the Cessna. Once he was alone he contacted four of his marines and ordered them to get there in less than five minutes.
Once everyone was on board Captain Wright took the Cessna out of the docking bay and headed towards the planet they were orbiting.
The endgame was about to be played.
33
Captain Wright took the Cessna down to Cordoba’s main spaceport and put her down on a pad reserved for private charter users. A ground car had already been ordered, one of the fleet of Grand Voyager 600s that Col Sec used was waiting for them as they left the craft. Their driver was a Col Sec operative stationed at the embassy there, named John Todd.
General Sinclair, Matt Hawk, Colonel De Boer and the four marines, Privates Wilkerson, Davies, Moore and Shaw piled into the rear compartment of the vehicle settling themselves down in the comfortable seats.
“Where to, sir?” Todd asked once they were all buckled in.
“MaxCorp Headquarters please,” Sinclair said without preamble.
“Okay, sir, we’re on our way,” Todd replied.
“What armaments does this vehicle contain son?” De Boer enquired.
“Agent Todd, sir, and she has standard fire power, pulse cannons front and rear, missile racks to either side with six mini Hellfires to each rack and reinforced coachwork with blast shields. Are you expecting trouble here, sir? I only ask because when I saw those Recon Delta boys back there I assumed this wasn’t purely a social call.”
“You’re right, Todd, this isn’t a social call but we’re not expecting any trouble. However, if we do run into any, it’s best we go in fully prepared, don’t you agree?” Sinclair added.
“That’s just what my Daddy used to say, sir, be prepared. Yes, sir, General,” Todd replied with a smile.
“You know who I am?”
“Yes, sir, General Sinclair, head of Col Sec Intelligence Division. So this is big, right?”
“You have no idea, Todd,” Hawk said and Todd closed the screen between him and the passengers to give them some privacy and as it closed Todd couldn’t help but wonder what the hell he was getting involved in. Concentrating on his driving he tried to put those thoughts out of his mind. He was there to do a job and that’s what he would do.
A little over an hour later they pulled up at the front of the huge MaxCorp building. The seven passengers got out and Sinclair said to Todd, “No matter what happens, you stay here.”
The concierge came running down the steps from the foyer waving his arms at them telling them they couldn’t park there as it was reserved for VIPs only.
Sinclair halted the irate man with a hand placed firmly on his chest. “We are VIPs, sir. General Sinclair of Col Sec and party to see Maxwell Eisenhower. I believe you’ll find he’s expecting us,” he said calmly, yet firmly.
The concierge looked first at Sinclair then at each of them in turn as if he was sizing them up. Finally he waved them on up to the front entrance of the huge building.
“Do you get the impression we’re not that welcome?” Hawk said as they made their way into the building.
“About as welcome as a fart in an elevator,” Wilkerson commented which brought a rousing, “I heard dat!” from the other three marines.
As they entered the foyer Hawk expected the same stonewalling treatment they received the last time they were there, several burly, armed security guards reluctant to let them pass without the proper authorisation.
This time though the foyer was virtually empty and they could get to the elevators without any trouble.
The ride up was smooth and fast and the elevator deposited them on the Penthouse level where Eisenhower had his office. They got out, again expecting some form of resistance from security, but their passage to the huge office was uneventful.
“Secure the area around the office,” Sinclair said to De Boer who immediately began issuing orders to his men via hand signals. “Matt, you’re with me. Let’s go pay Maxwell a visit and give him the bad news,” he added, then opened the office door.
Inside the door was another office where Eisenhower’s aide sat, almost like a sentinel guarding it’s master, except that the desk was unoccupied along with the room.
“You know, General, I’m starting to get a very bad feeling about this. We’ve hardly seen a soul since we entered the building and those we did see avoided us like the plague,” Hawk said as he paused before the door to the office of the CEO.
“I’ve been getting the same feeling too, Matt,” Sinclair agreed activating his ear bug. “Colonel look lively, this could be a set up. Any sign of trouble and you come get us, okay?”
“Copy that, sir,” De Boer said from the corridor. He had already deployed his men to what he considered to be the best positions; he just wished they had come with more firepower than just standard issue sidearms.
“Well, we’ve come this far, let’s not back out now. I’ve waited far too long to deliver this message and it’s cost too many lives for it to go undelivered, especially when we’re so close,” Sinclair said.
Placing his hand on the butt of his Sig in preparation for a quick draw should the need arise, Hawk said, “Okay, sir, let’s do it.”
The door opened as they approached revealing a large office tastefully decorated in warm colours. A rich, thick carpet on the floor, pictures on the walls from contemporary artists and large drapes hanging by the w
indow that covered an entire wall, giving the occupant a spectacular panoramic view of the city below. That occupant was seated behind a large mahogany desk that had just one item on it, a computer monitor.
“Welcome, gentlemen, I’ve been expecting you for some time now,” Eisenhower said calmly.
“Thank you, I’ve wanted to meet you too, but the illusive Maxwell Eisenhower is hard to pin down, so I took the direct approach seeing as my agent here had so much trouble the last time he called,” Sinclair said as he watched the man seated before him. He certainly was a cool customer; there was no sign of stress, just an outward visage of serenity.
“I must apologise for the last time you called, my second-in- command Jonas Wilde was playing some sort of game that I was totally unaware of. He actually ran a criminal organisation out of this building, funded by my corporation without my knowledge, can you believe that?” Eisenhower said exasperated at the consequences.
“Actually, sir, no, I can’t. I find it extremely hard to believe, so much so that I am hereby cancelling all Col Sec contracts with your company, effective immediately,” Sinclair said coldly.
“I see,” Eisenhower said slowly rising to his feet. He started to slowly pace across his office observed by Sinclair and Hawk.
“You don’t seem perturbed by my statement, in fact it’s almost like you expected it, which again, I find hard to believe. I mean, it’s not like you lose multi-billion credit contracts every day now is it?”
“But you’re wrong, General, I did expect it but you have no proof that any of what happened can be tied to this corporation.”
“Please don’t insult my intelligence.”
“And don’t insult mine either,” snapped Eisenhower almost snarling at Sinclair in uncharacteristic rage. “As far as I’m aware, Jonas Wilde was killed escaping from you, was he not?” he added.
“Yes, but we have the Nemesis and we can prove she was built at one of your shipyards and then there are the clones. As we speak, an operation is under way to round up all the ‘Maguires’ that you planted in all the businesses around the galaxy. You can’t deny they’re yours; they all have your eyes. Oh, and as for Wilde, he was a clone too. Very clever of him to have us think he was dead so he could carry on with his work from behind the scenes undetected, or was that your idea?”
“His idea? Do me a favour, he hasn’t had an original thought for a decade or more,” said a voice off to their left, a voice they both recognised.
“Jonas, I was wondering if you’d show up here,” Sinclair said without even looking at the man who emerged from the hidden doorway that had slid silently open just after they had entered. The dark interior of the secret room had kept Wilde hidden in the shadows as he listened to their conversation.
Hawk spun around towards the voice his Sig suddenly appearing in his hand, but Wilde was standing just behind the General with the muzzle of his own Sig pressed against Sinclair’s temple.
“I wouldn’t if I were you, Matt,” Wilde said with a smug smile. “You know if this was a game of chess, I would have checkmate,” he added basking in his own success and imagined glory.
“Well, this game isn’t quite over yet,” Hawk said through gritted teeth. He was determined that Wilde was going down but he couldn’t risk anything yet as long as he had a gun to the General’s head.
“You overestimate your position, Matt, I hold all the cards.”
“And what do you intend to do now then? You have to know that the second you move away from the General, I’ll kill you. There’s no escape Jonas, five marines are guarding the exit, which leaves just you in here, alone with me. You are going to die you know,” Hawk said calmly and coldly with a determination that chilled even Sinclair.
Smiling, Wilde said, “I’ll just have to take the General with me then.” Backing away towards the passage he’d entered through, Wilde pulled Sinclair with him.
“Where are you taking him?” Hawk asked, hoping to stall him while he thought of a way to stop him once and for all.
“To the roof where I have a transport waiting. I intend to gain all the information I can from him to use against you. I tried to capture you all when I was on the Nemesis, or rather my clone did, but you insisted on being troublesome. Well, this time that won’t happen because I’ve rigged the entire top floor of this building with J10 explosives. The blast will destroy everything and everyone up here, even Max there, but he doesn’t matter, he’s a clone and I’ll have another one ready to replace him by the end of the day in time for the press release. He’ll tell the news media that you came up here and questioned him, but he was able to escape in his personal transport before the suicide bomber, who had infiltrated your group from RandCorp, blew him and the top of this building to smithereens.
“Genius isn’t it?” Wilde said excited at his own plan and how he could kill two birds with one stone, cripple Col Sec and discredit his biggest rival RandCorp at the same time.
“Max is a clone you say?” Hawk asked.
“Yes, he’s been in place since just before the attack with the Nemesis.”
“Then you won’t mind if I do this,” Hawk said, then spun around and shot Eisenhower right between the eyes. The clone was sent flying, his head shrouded in a mist of blood from the plasma bolt.
Wilde was shocked by the sudden action, an action that seemed pointless. It had no effect on the outcome other than surprise but that surprise gave Sinclair the opportunity to ram his left elbow deep into Wilde’s solar plexus winding him. Spying his chance, Hawk fired the second his boss was clear.
The shot missed Wilde’s head by a fraction as it came forward from the blow to the stomach.
Feeling the shot almost graze the top of his head Wilde turned and ran down the passage closing the door behind him.
“C’mon we’ve got to get out of here before it blows,” Hawk said grabbing the General by the shoulder and virtually dragging him to the door.
Instructing the marines to follow they sprinted for the elevator. They knew they had some time, Wilde wouldn’t detonate the explosives until he was well clear but just how much time they had was an unknown. They would have to trust to luck on this one.
The elevator doors opened and they piled in quickly ordering it to go the ground floor, express speed.
* * * * *
Wilde cursed his luck as he ran through the passageway and out onto the roof. Why couldn’t he have seen that play coming? He’d had them where he wanted them, it was a done deal, and then Hawk went and turned things on their head with that idiotic play of killing Eisenhower.
As he climbed on board the transport, started the engines and lifted off the roof climbing into the clear sky above the city, he warmed himself with the knowledge that they wouldn’t survive the blast as he pushed the button on the remote detonator.
The blast was enormous, spreading outwards blasting all the windows out around the building and actually lifting the roof off and throwing it into the air, only to rain down in fragments onto the unsuspecting bystanders below.
* * * * *
The elevator was almost to the floor when the blast destroyed the top of the building. The seven occupants were hurled around the interior of the small box as it danced on the cables, smashing up against the sides of the shaft before dropping like a stone for several feet as the cables snapped. Safety measures kicked in the second the cables snapped and clamps came out from the sides of the shaft to act as external brakes stopping it before it could impact against the floor below.
Sinclair and the rest breathed a huge sigh of relief when they realised they were still alive. Not out of the woods yet though, as they opened the doors manually and sprinted down the last few flights of stairs to the foyer where panic reigned. The last few employees who had remained in the building to give it the air of a normal working day were all rushing for the exits.
“Let’s get out of here before people start asking too many questions. We can release an official report when we get to safety,” Hawk sa
id as he ushered Sinclair out of the building.
The Grand Voyager was where they’d left it, now covered in ash from the debris but luckily it had sustained no damage. They were soon on board and heading back to the spaceport and the Cessna.
The rest of the journey was uneventful and they had time to reflect on what had happened by filling in De Boer and the marines on the action inside the office that they had not been privy to.
They reached the Cessna and were soon back on board the Legend where they went to the bridge to find Townsend waiting for them.
“Eventful trip I take it, sir? It’s all over the news channels on the GalaxyWeb,” he said.
“Very eventful and we need to get the truth out there before Wilde has the chance to put his spin on it. Contact the local Constabulary and all the news channels. Inform them I’ll have an eyewitness report for them in five minutes. I’ll use your ready room if I may?”
“Help yourself, sir. I’ll contact you when they’re ready.”
“Thank you.”
As he headed for the ready room he turned to Hawk and said, “We’ve a chance to land a vital blow to Wilde and OMEGA here. We can deprive MaxCorp of their CEO and therefore cut off Wilde’s source of revenue. I want you to stay out of the statement though, so you’ll still be able to work from the shadows. That would be nigh on impossible if your face was plastered all over the media. I’m already the face of Col Sec so I’ll take it from here.”
In the ready room, alone, Sinclair had time to marshal his thoughts and organise what he needed to say; what must be said and what must not. He knew that this would be rushed although it mustn’t appear to be for the sake of his credibility, but he had to get the truth out before Wilde had the chance to muddy the waters. He understood that what he was about to do would affect the lives of those honest, hardworking employees of MaxCorp who had no knowledge of, nor took any part in OMEGA, but this was for the greater good and he could not allow himself to be swayed by his sympathy towards them.
