Deep Star
Page 1
THE SURVIVALIST SAGA CONTINUES
Family. A family can consist of two individuals or millions but the number is inconsequential to its meaning. A family has a common goal, a reason to grow and to survive. We start off life depending on other members of this family to provide for our every need and then gradually, as we grow in both stature and intellect, we become the caregivers, worriers, the responsible ones. What happens when the ultimate “responsible one” is missing and not able to lead the family, to take it forward? John Rourke has disappeared, leaving no clue as to his whereabouts. There’s already been one assassination attempt; could there have been another more successful one? It’s not like he’s the type of person who would run out of adversaries.
The virus spread by mutated insects is running rampant with a little or no survival rate. Political chaos and financial skullduggery spreads across this tattered and torn globe as well, fueled by Neo-Nazis and other unseen forces, edging in to manipulate the fate of the world. Bastions of democracy crumble, burying its allies under the rubble. Technology must take a step backward and a giant leap forward in order to gain a foothold.
The last few years have been on the quiet side and the Rourke clan is spending time on projects requiring less firepower, such as raising teenagers which, we find out, can prove very dangerous. Michael Rourke has some very tough decisions to make; some will affect his presidency and some will change the lives of family members. Life and death are all part of a family’s cycle, even those whose lives span centuries.
Sharon
Books in The Survivalist Series by Jerry Ahern
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#3: The Quest
#4: The Doomsayer
#5: The Web
#6: The Savage Horde
#7: The Prophet
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# 10: The Awakening
#11: The Reprisal
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#13: Pursuit
#14: The Terror
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Mid-Wake
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#17: The Ordeal
#18: The Struggle
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#21: To End All War
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#23: Call To Battle
#24: Blood Assassins
#25: War Mountain
#26: Countdown
#27: Death Watch
Books in The Survivalist Series
by Jerry Ahern, Sharon Ahern and Bob Anderson
#30: The Inheritors of the Earth
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The Shades of Love (Short Story)
Once Upon a Time (Short Story)
Light Dreams (Short Story)
The Rourke Chronicles
by Jerry Ahern, Sharon Ahern and Bob Anderson
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SPEAKING VOLUMES, LLC
NAPLES, FLORIDA
2015
THE SURVIVALIST
#33 DEEP STAR
Copyright © 2015 by Jerry Ahern, Sharon Ahern and Bob Anderson
Editing assistance provided by Pamela Anderson and Steve Servello.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.
9781628152845
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
THE SURVIVALIST SAGA CONTINUES
Books in The Survivalist Series by Jerry Ahern
Copyright Page
Title Page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-One
Chapter Seventy-Two
Chapter Seventy-Three
Chapter Seventy-Four
Chapter Seventy-Five
Chapter Seventy-Six
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty-One
Chapter Eighty-Two
Chapter Eighty-Three
Chapter Eighty-Four
Chapter Eighty-Five
Chapter Eighty-Six
Chapter Eighty-Seven
Chapter Eighty-Eight
Chapter Eighty-Nine
Chapter Ninety
Epilogue
GREAT BOOKS E-BOOKS AUDIOBOOKS & MORE
To
John R.S. Anderson and Mike Spinella, two faithful readers.
Life has a way of happening and sometimes,
you are simply along for the ride.
Continue to Plan Ahead!
“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run
by smart people who are putting us on or
by imbeciles who really mean it.”—Mark Twain
Prologue
The Hall of Records stood empty for the first time in centuries. It had served its purpose with distinction. John Rourke smiled at Sanderson and slapped Akiro on the back. “A double success
guys, recovery of the artifacts and successful abatement of centuries of ice and snow from one of our nation’s greatest monuments. It is a great day.”
“Yes, it is,” Kuriname said, still unable to shake the sense of foreboding.
Rourke’s satellite phone cheeped. “Go ahead,” he said.
Back in Hawaii, Paul Rubenstein and Randall Walls had been watching for “patterns” of activity around Mount Rushmore. Paul said, “You have incoming. ETA fifteen minutes, maybe ten. Evacuate to the southeast. Rally at Point Victor for extraction. I repeat, Point Victor.”
“Roger,” Rourke said into the radio, then turned to Sanderson and Akiro Kuriname, “Damnit! Get everything moving, we have company inbound. Load everybody up. Wes contact the VTOLs and tell them to launch and move to Point Victor, we’ll meet them there. Any equipment not already loaded on the ATPAAVs, leave it. We have to leave now. Tell your drivers to make it to Point Victor for extraction.”
Rourke watched the loading process and took a last look around; discarded equipment littered the area. Rourke ran to the juncture of the glacier; a Viking ATPAAV slid to a stop next to him. “Get in Mr. Rourke,” a muffled voice called out.
“Thanks for the lift, let’s move out.” The driver stepped on the gas and rocketed across the ice. The other ATPAAVs charged ahead of them; already over a half mile distant and appearing to be pulling away from them. Rourke shouted into the wind. “Go! Go! You have to catch up to them.”
Realizing the gap to the other Vikings was increasing, Rourke shouted, “Step on it, damn it!” A hundred yards in front of them the snow suddenly exploded and Rourke lost sight of the other vehicles as more energy bolts flashed from the sky. Hanging onto the overhead roof cage, Rourke turned to his right and looked behind; two silver objects streaked toward them belching green energy bursts. Rourke watching, shouted, “Turn! You have to go right, damn it and step on it. We have to catch up; the VTOLs won’t wait on us.”
Suddenly, the vehicle slowed, and then stopped. Rourke looked at the driver, shouting, “What the hell...” The driver’s left hand held a pistol pointed at Rourke’s chest. “I’m counting on the VTOLs not waiting for us, Mr. Rourke.” An energy blast hit nearby, throwing snow and ice on them just as Rourke pulled his Sting 1A boot knife and lunged. The driver squeezed the trigger just as the wave of concussion violently rocked the ATPAAV onto its side, throwing both men out.
Rourke rolled through the impact, landing on his back, with the Sting still clutched in his right hand. He scrambled to his feet just as the driver leapt at him; Rourke’s left hand closed on the man’s throat as the impact sent them rolling. Rourke ended up on top, his grip tightened and the man’s face began turning red. Rourke stabbed down at the man’s face with the double-edged boot knife but his assailant’s left hand caught Rourke’s wrist in mid thrust.
Sharp pain suddenly stabbed through Rourke’s chest; his strength faded and his grip loosened. The driver coughed violently and shoved Rourke over and off of him. Rourke tried to move but couldn’t. He thought, I’m dying. Able to move only his eyes, he saw a hypodermic sticking out of his chest. Rourke’s world started spinning as his attacker stood over him and he noticed the man’s name tag for the first time—ARNOLD.
Why? Rourke’s mind framed the question silently as darkness took him completely.
Chapter One
It has been said that, “birds of a feather flock together.” This is particularly true of vultures. William Alan Davis stands five foot, ten inches tall. He’s intelligent, charismatic, erudite and nice looking in a collegiate sort of way. One early acquaintance described him as “kind, solicitous, and empathetic;” all traits he exploited in winning the trust of his young female victims.
As an adolescent, he had “experimented” with dogs and cats from the neighborhood. For years, neighborhood pets would disappear from time to time. The first few were found; dissected. Two cats were found that had been set on fire. It caused such a stink that young Davis decided he must hide the bodies of his victims.
A nearby wooded area had become his “cemetery.” For years, he perfected his game. He would spot a target, figure out how to make the snatch and then stalk the animal until he made the snatch. During this period of his life, he had been able to fulfill his sick fantasies on cats and dogs. Eventually, he realized he was not getting the same “kick” that he used to get during his stalks, captures and killings.
The next evolution took place on his first human murder. His killing spree began in full force. He would often revisit his secondary crime scenes for hours at a time, grooming and performing sexual acts with the decomposing corpses until putrefaction and destruction by wild animals made further interaction impossible.
A serial killer, rapist, kidnapper, and a necrophile, he approaches his victims in public places, feigning injury or disability, or impersonating an authority figure, before overpowering and assaulting them at more secluded locations.
Lee Elwood McAllen, neither intelligent, charismatic nor nice looking, is also a serial killer and rapist... and a cannibal. Just less than six feet with a crooked gap-toothed smile he seldom exhibited except to his victims, he shows signs of moderate mental retardation, with an I.Q. of only seventy-five.
The two met at a soup kitchen where they developed a sort of Mutt and Jeff relationship; Davis was the leader and the brains, McAllen, the follower and the muscle.
They were “sadistic sociopaths,” taking pleasure from another human’s pain and the control they had over victims; to the point of death, and beyond. Davis once described himself “as the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you’ll ever meet.” One psychiatric staff member called him, “the very definition of heartless evil.”
At the moment, they were merely stalking; hunting. They had been on the hunt for the past three days and the sexual tension of hunting was reaching a fever pitch in both, a condition known to be a form of Paraphilia. Hunting dominated their every waking moment until a target was found.
They had found their new targets and sat in the old van chain smoking. “There,” Davis said. “There they are.” He smiled and punched McAllen on the shoulder.
McAllen lit up a joint, flashed that crooked gap-toothed grin saying, “Yeah, they’re purdy.” McAllen would also be diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, but this would not happen until the trial of the century was launched.
Chapter Two
The evacuation from Mount Rushmore had gone well. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the VTOL transports had lifted off, that the horrible truth was realized. Chief Warrant Officer, Wes Sanderson, was the first to realize it. After a roll-call with the other planes, he learned that John Rourke was not on any of them. He had seen Bennett Arnold pick Rourke up and begin the drive to rally at Point Victor; neither ever arrived. Sanderson had motioned to Akiro to come to the rear of the plane. “Akiro, Rourke is not on board any of the planes, and neither is your guy Arnold.”
Akiro was stunned. “Are you sure? You’ve talked to the other planes?”
“Just got through, neither made it to the pickup point. I thought in all of the confusion and haste they made it on one of the other birds but they didn’t. I saw your man Arnold with Rourke in his ATPAAV as we left Rushmore. On the way, I noticed they were a little behind the rest of us but I figured they had caught up.”
“Arnold?” Kuriname pondered. “That’s the guy I wanted you to help me watch.”
“I know,” Sanderson said. “I watched him during the excavation of Rushmore and loading of the artifacts and he seemed okay but, when the attack occurred, I... I lost sight of him until we were evacuating.”
Akiro closed his eyes and bowed his head; he said, “Son of a bitch,” barely above a whisper. “We have to call this in... now!” He stood and with Sanderson following went to the ladder going up the flight deck.
The Crew Chief stopped them. “Can I help you Gentlemen?”
Kuriname said, “We have to speak with the pilot, now Chief. Right now. It is
imperative we speak to Colonel Ball. He’s on one of the other transports.”
“General Sullivan... I don’t know how to say this,” Colonel “Mad Jack” Ball said into the microphone.
General Sullivan responded quickly, “Spit it out, Colonel.”
Ball took a deep breath. “John Rourke and one of Kuriname’s men did not make the pickup.”
Sullivan said nothing for a long moment. “What the hell are you saying?”
“The mission was closing down and everything was moving according to the plan when we were advised of incoming craft. We headed to Point Victor for pickup. Things got pretty hairy real quick. When we got to Point Victor, our men and the scientists got on the first transports they were able to. First come, first serve... Once we were airborne, we did a head count and that’s when we realized we were two short.”
“I’ve rechecked with all of the other planes. Rourke is not aboard any of them, nor is one of Kuriname’s men, a guy named Bennett Arnold...” It was all Ball could do to force out the next words. “Arnold and John Rourke are both missing. Missing and, at this point, they have to be presumed captured or dead. Sir, Rourke is gone.”
“Missing and presumed dead... Arnold and Rourke... gone?” Sullivan mumbled to himself then was silent for a long moment and then said, “Well, your conclusion is unacceptable.”
Ball looked at the microphone. “Sir?”
“A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking, Colonel.” Sullivan’s briskness caught Ball by surprise.
“Huh?”
“You’re not done thinking, get back to it. I want answers and a plan; I can’t have the second until I have the first, so get back to thinking. I want answers and I want them fast...”
Chapter Three
Paula Rourke and Natalie Rubenstein walked two steps in front of their brothers, Tim Rourke and John “Jack” Michael Rubenstein. Paula, the oldest by a few months, said, “I don’t know why we had to bring them. They are such...”