by Greig Beck
“How do you know all this? About me, and Mike, and… Ally?” She hated that her voice came out a little tremulous.
“Like I said, I admire you. And Mike.” He held the smile. “What the pair of you two did, where you went, what you lived through, was beyond anything anyone on the planet can comprehend.” He shrugged. “And only a handful of people know about it.” He snorted softly. “And most of them are Russian.”
“Get to the point.”
“Ms. Baxter… may I call you Jane?” He lifted his chin.
“No.”
“Not yet then.” He grinned, but it soon fell away. “You asked me to get to the point. I will, so please excuse my bluntness.”
Jane waited.
Janus got to his feet. “We believe Ally Bennet is alive. Trapped beneath the Earth.” The man’s eyes were dead level. “A listening station at the Kola Superdeep Borehole recorded her voice just two days ago. We want her back, and I have been given unlimited powers to achieve that by our government.”
He drew a breath and paced for a moment before he stopped and turned to her. “I know you and Mike are dying from aggressive carcinoma cancers. You’re strong now and the cancer hasn’t metastasized internally, but…it will.” His eyebrows slid in sadness—real or fake, she couldn’t tell. “It won’t be a pleasant way to go.”
Jane felt anger burn within her at this upstart asshole laying out her life and future before her. “Who fucking told you all this?” She stopped as if she was hit up the side of the head. “Mike?”
Janus nodded slowly. “Yes, he’s dying and doesn’t want to die, and more importantly to him, he doesn’t want you to die. Not like that.” He sighed.
She covered her face and rubbed it. “I can’t.” She looked up from her hands. “I liked Ally, but I can’t do it. I can’t do anything, and I can’t help her.”
“I know that,” Janus replied softly. “Mike has given us a lot of information we are able to work with. He gave us detailed descriptions of the lifeforms you encountered, and the devices and techniques you used to prevail.”
“We didn’t prevail, Mr. Anderson. Everyone died except Mike and me, who will just have the pleasure of dying more slowly, and…”
“And you survived. Remember that.” He cut across her. “And so did Ally.”
Her mouth snapped shut and her jaws clenched.
Janus went on. “We couldn’t reproduce the Russian vibration weapon, and they’re not divulging the technicalities. But we were able to reproduce your sonic bug, or at least the pitch, that proved so effective in the caves. Bottom line, we’re going. We have to.”
“Bullshit,” she spat.
He frowned. “What?”
Jane laughed mirthlessly. “I don’t believe for a second that you are doing this to try and save Ally Bennet, if she’s even still alive.”
Janus exhaled and sat down heavily. He held his hands up. “You’re right. You got me,” he said. “But we really do intend to mount a rescue mission for our missing soldier.” He crossed himself. “On my honor.”
“And what else?” she asked.
“Several reasons.” Janus folded his arms. “Do you know how many people die or get afflicted by skin cancer every year? I’ll tell you—about three million. Drug companies estimate a cure or treatment for that form of cancer runs to the billions of dollars.” He sat forward. “And if it can in any way be adapted for use against other forms of cancers, then we’re talking hundreds of billions. A year. Every year.”
“I knew it. It’s about the money.” She growled. “And there’s always some wealthy asshole looking to make even more money.”
Janus’ eyes locked on hers. “Jane, for your information, I pulled myself up with my own bootstraps. I’m fully aware that for every asshole born with a silver spoon in his mouth, there’s a thousand more born with a thorn in their foot.” His eyebrows went up. “And by the way, you don’t think a cure for cancer is important? Even for you and Mike?”
“Don’t you dare try and make it about me,” she retorted.
He shook his head. “I’m not.”
Jane squeezed her eyes shut as she spoke. “You have no idea of what is down there.” Her eyes flicked open, and she turned to him. “Something bigger and more horrible than you can imagine.”
Janus’ eyes were dead level. “We’ll be ready for anything and will be armed to the teeth.”
“You’re freaking insane. The armaments you’d need, the manpower, and just getting there through miles of caves, squeeze holes, and thousand-foot drops, it’s impossible. Forget it.”
“No, very possible. And we don’t intend to squeeze through the caves you traversed to get there. We think we have found one of the seaborne gravity wells you mentioned that will take us right to it.”
“Mad.” She gathered up her notes and computer.
Janus stood. “If we’re mad, then so is Mike. He wants to come.”
Jane’s mouth dropped open for a few seconds and couldn’t even think to form words.
“It’s true. In fact, we tried to get his brother as well, Jack Monroe.” Janus’ gaze was level.
“The shark specialist?” Jane just stared, her mind whirling.
“That’s right. But apparently he’s off chasing a giant shark somewhere in the South Pacific.” Janus shrugged. “Jane, look, all Mike wants is for us to obtain more of the salve that cures cancer from the race of people you encountered. He wants it for you, Jane.”
She lowered her head. “No.” She looked up. “You know he’s too sick now. He’ll never make the journey.”
“We’re going via the ocean in specially designed submersibles. Then we take an expedition to the red people. He knows them and where they are.” Janus held his hand out, palm up. “We’re there and gone in a few days.”
She shook her head. “He can’t go. He’ll die.”
“He’s as strong as an ox. For now. But we need a guide, and for that he needs to be with us to show us where these people are.” Janus nodded. “He loves you. And obviously will risk everything to save you. There’s no stopping him, you know that.”
She cursed softly. “The fool.” She looked at the dapper, young man. “He can’t go.”
“I think he can, and so does he,” Janus replied softly. “And if you really want to look out for him, then go with him.”
“I will not climb into those caves again with the monsters in the dark. And I won’t let him.” Her jaws clenched.
“You won’t have to.” He smiled flatly.
She frowned. “What? Then what about Ally?”
“There’s a separate team to rescue her—Russians. Consider it penance for their attack on us from below the surface.” He looked at his watch. “In fact, they’ll be dropping into the Kola Borehole right about now.”
CHAPTER 05
Kola Borehole – Murmansk Oblast Province, Russia
Oskar Svegeny moved his castle up the chessboard four squares, and then smiled with satisfaction. “Check.” He sat back.
Grigory Valadin looked up from his book for a moment, glanced at the board, and then maneuvered his knight over the top of a pawn to take Oskar’s castle. He went back to reading his book.
“Ach.” Oskar grimaced and then frowned at the pieces. He placed a hand on one of the bishops, but then changed his mind and removed it. He then took the queen up the board to take a rival pawn. He grinned. “Now we will see. Check, again.”
Grigory lowered his book, looking from the board to Oskar. “Seriously?”
“Yes.” Oskar’s brows knitted.
“Okay.” Grigory shrugged, and then used his own queen to take Oskar’s queen. “Check mate in two moves.” He laughed. “You’re getting better.”
“I let you win. Sometimes.” Oskar studied the board with the intensity of a physicist about to split the atom. He still couldn’t see how…
“Hey, you hear that?” Grigory tilted his head upward.
Oskar half turned. “Helicopter. Coming now? We�
�re not due for shift rotation for another two weeks.”
The two men stood from the board and headed to the steel door. The Kola facility wasn’t large now, just a single story remaining. But it was still a heavily fortified construction built over the borehole. There were several rooms around the outside for cooking, ablutions, sleeping, and storage, and at the center, the sealed shaft.
They pulled open the heavy door in time to see the large helicopter landing, its blades whipping up snow dust and forcing them to close their eyes to slits from the gale of wind and icy particles.
“Who are they?” Grigory yelled.
The door was pulled back, men in uniform jumped out, and then they knew.
***
Kapitan Viktor Zhukov leaped from the rear of the chopper and spotted the two men standing at the door of the facility. He ignored them and took a quick look around. He’d heard the stories, but it still amazed him—the entire countryside was frozen or snow-covered, except for about a hundred feet around the Kola Borehole zone. He snorted softly; apparently, heat was still rising from Hell.
He then turned to bark orders to his team and stood back as they grabbed their gear and jumped from the chopper to assemble.
Last out was the only woman in their group, Dr. Valentina Sechin, a medical practitioner and biologist with extensive troglodytic flora and fauna experience—perfect fit for what their mission objective was.
Zhukov watched as his second-in-command, Vladimir Ustinov, organized the team and then waved the chopper off. The ten-strong team then marched toward the facility, and he stopped before the two Kola maintenance crew.
“Good morning, gentlemen.” He pointed to one of the men. “You must be Oskar Svegeny.” The man nodded and shared a confused look with his colleague. Zhukov faced him. “And that makes you Grigory Valadin.”
Grigory looked up at him. “And who, sir …?”
Zhukov pointed. “Inside first.”
“Of course. Please enter.” Valadin bowed his head as he and Oskar stood aside.
Once inside, Zhukov took in the facilities with a glance; he already knew the layout. “I want that elevator checked and online, I want communications established, and I want a coffee.” He looked along his squad’s faces. “And if anyone needs to piss or shit, do it now, as we’ll be moving fast.” He checked his watch. “We drop in one hour.”
Vladimir Ustinov barked the repeated orders as he assigned the jobs and the team moved off in different directions.
Zhukov then turned to Oskar and Grigory. “In answer to your question, we have been assigned to a deep Earth rescue mission. In fact, our mission team is called Glubokaya Zemlya— Deep Earth.”
Oskar clicked his fingers. “Oh, that voice we heard. It wasn’t a prank?”
“We’ve been ordered to find out.” Zhukov glared for a second or two. “And if I find it is a prank, someone’s head will roll.” He turned away to look at the state of the room with its communications equipment, chess board, food wrappers, and empty coffee cups. “Clean this place up. You’ll be working for us for the next few days and will be sending messages on to Moscow of our progress.”
Oskar glanced at the rubbish and then nodded. “Yes, we were about to.” He stepped closer to the big man. “Do you know where this, ah, person is?”
“Deep. Our tracking of the soundwaves puts the emanations at around sixty-six thousand feet, and approximately eight miles east.”
Grigory whistled. “Twelve and a half miles down. The borehole is only around nine.” His brows came together. “But how? How did she get down there?”
“Maybe she fell down a well.” Zhukov slapped the man on the shoulder. “Now, we need to do some work. And so do you.”
Oskar held up a finger. “Ah, one more thing, sir. The elevator has not been used for twenty years. Or even maintained.”
Zhukov glanced at the man. “We have our own engineers. Besides, it only has to work twice more—once down and again back up, yes?”
***
Vladimir ‘Vlad’ Ustinov urged the men to speed; he had been under Kapitan Zhukov’s leadership on many missions and the man had never failed. Vlad always thought if he had a big brother, then Zhukov would be him.
Standing beside him, and looking drowned in her caving suit, was the scientist and doctor, Valentina Sechin. She perspired heavily even though it was around fifty degrees in the room, but this was because there was a warm, humid breeze blowing up from the borehole. He grinned. Or maybe she was just shitting scared.
“Okay?” he asked her.
She just nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Shitting herself it was then, he thought.
The pair watched as two men had opened the large metal tube that was the capping structure for the elevator. The metal shielding that now surrounded it had been added later to keep most of the bore shaft heat contained. But the whispered stories were that it was to shut out the noises from below. Vladimir snorted; the noises from below were why they were here.
The elevator itself was a form of typical mining elevator, in that it was a steel, box-like enclosure. But this one was an oversized industrial-strength cage that could fit twenty people. The other difference was, it was made to drop entirely to the bottom of the shaft and even though the elevator moved quite quickly, it still took an hour to fully descend.
Three of their men worked on getting it operational: Mikhail Fradkov, their youngest soldier; Yuri Chaika, a military engineer; and Vyrin Andripov, the muscle dogsbody, who could bench press four hundred pounds.
“Got power,” Yuri exclaimed and began to work the controls. The gate slid upward, and the internal lights came on.
“Let’s test it. Drop it a few dozen feet and bring it back,” Vladimir ordered.
Yuri nodded, but then paused. And began to grin. “Mr. Fradkov, I have a job for you.” He turned. “Test pilot.”
The young soldier returned the smile. “Always happy to serve Mother Russia.”
He stepped inside the large cage and walked its perimeter. He sniffed. “Stinks in here. Like rotting vegetables. Or maybe like the latrines after Vyrin has been in them.”
“Very funny,” the huge Vyrin replied without humor.
Vladimir folded his arms. “The smell is probably a mix of old gases. Maybe some methane.” What was it about methane that nagged at the back of his mind? He couldn’t remember, so he let it go.
Mikhail Fradkov jumped up and down a few times, making the cage rattle. “Solid.”
“Stop that, fool. The old mechanism hasn’t been used in decades,” Yuri warned. “Ready?”
Fradkov looked down below the grating where a line of lights was leading down into oblivion. He gripped the cage wall. “Yes.”
Yuri brought the heavy gate down. He performed one last check, and then with his hands on the controls, looked up. “Going down.” He pressed the descent button.
With a squeal and a shower of rust particles, the elevator descended, slowly to start, and then it picked up speed for several dozen feet. Yuri stopped the cage, and then started it back up. It all ran smoothly and on arrival, he immediately opened the gate.
“Well?” he asked.
Fradkov shrugged. “Was noisy, dropped a shower of iron dust, but works fine.”
“Good enough.” Yuri stood back from the controls.
Vlad nodded. “Then we are ready.”
***
Zhukov and Ustinov checked their supplies and weaponry. They had high-spectrum, computer-enhanced goggles with light and heat amplification, plus a stratigraphic pulse system that could form images through a hundred feet of solid rock. Their weaponry consisted of standard handguns and snub-nose machine guns for maneuverability in tight spaces, plus a range of knives. Zhukov and Ustinov also had several fragmentation grenades each, but these were to be last resort only due to cave-in risk.
All the team had worked with their armaments before, except for one item that had been offered by the Americans—a small black box with
a speaker at one end that emitted sound waves. Each team member had one and it delivered a burst of sound that was almost unbearable. Zhukov was told that their potential adversaries in the caves would be repelled by it.
Adversaries? He thought back to their briefings about what they could potentially face in the borehole depths. The information was vague and near unbelievable—beings that lived miles below ground, looked like hairless dogs, and hunted by sound. It was these things that were supposed to be holding the woman captive.
His mission objectives were simple: Kill them or drive them away. Find and secure the American woman or her remains. Return to the surface.
He believed he could achieve these tasks within three days. But if it took longer, that was fine. His team was the best of the best, and hardships and danger were nothing to them.
Zhukov fully expected to succeed and have nothing more than a good story to tell over a warm glass of vodka on a cold night when they got back.
“Last check, load up!” he yelled.
His men and the female doctor readied themselves. Last-minute checks on supplies, equipment, and weaponry were rapidly and professionally examined.
Zhukov nodded to Valentina. “You’ll be next to me, Doctor. Your advice and expertise will inform a lot of our decisions below the surface.”
Zhukov then went and stood before the Kola Borehole’s maintenance crew, Oskar Svegeny and Grigory Valadin. He pulled on a friendly smile, but both men still blanched a little before the large and fearsome-looking soldier.
“Gentlemen, your role is now to work with us and for us. One of you will stay by the communications and controls, twenty-four hours a day, and be prepared to act on our orders immediately. Is that clear?”
Both men nodded vigorously.
“Good.” Zhukov patted Grigory on the shoulder, and then turned away. “Then, let us begin.” He headed to the elevator door.
“Line up.”
The team fell in behind him, and Valentina followed at his shoulder. At the door, he waited for the large gate to be lifted, and he waved his team in.
His trusted second-in-command and friend, Vlad Ustinov, entered first and moved to the far side of the large cage. Then came Fradkov, their youngest soldier. He was joined by Yuri Chaika, their engineer, and the hulking form of Vyrin Andripov. Then came the soldiers; good and brave, every one of them: Anatoliy Serdyukov, Viktor Sobyanin, Igor Ludzkov, and Pytor Shamiev.
