“Bring down the building. Trap us,” Allie said.
“Exactly.” Ryan nodded.
“Well, let’s go stop those explosives,” Booth said.
Ryan mulled it over. It was extremely risky, but perhaps their only hope.
“What if they want us to come charging out?” Allie stood. “Smoke us out. Maybe they know we can see them. They make a show of shooting everything, plant the charges and pretend to leave. We go charging out and they ambush us.”
“What if they don’t want us to charge; they just want to trap us?” Ryan said, shaking his head. It was too much. The Nameless was operating on fumes. Their bodies ached from exertion and their minds had dulled from lack of sleep. Normally he would figure out a plan, weigh up the options, and execute with no hesitations. He squeezed his temples with his thumbs.
“No, we stay put,” he said. “The mission comes first. Saving the people of North America is our prime directive. If we die trying, that’s the sacrifice we make.”
“For the many,” Booth whispered. He grasped Ryan’s shoulder. “For the many.”
The Black Skulls boarded the choppers. The last soldier ran to the dome with the dish and placed another brick of C4. He spent a few seconds getting it snug against the metal struts and jogged back to the Seahawk. Ryan could only watch in horror as the two helicopters lifted off the ground and banked away. The ground shook above them as the plastic explosives detonated in a concussive kaboom!
Concrete dust rained down as the shaking subsided. The monitors blinked, went dark, and switched back on.
“Please tell me you had enough time?” he said as he dashed into the console room, Booth and Allie on his heels.
Sofia had her head in her hands. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.” She rolled her shoulders back and stared at the screen. “Avondale was in the process of getting the cameras online. We saw briefly, but now…”
“What did you see?” Allie said.
“The OPIS satellite. We had a visual. Now I can’t make any more adjustments.”
The dark screen in front of Sofia blinked and sprang back to life. The HD camera showed an awe-inspiring scene. Planet Earth curved away below. The coasts of Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest drifted past. The sun was rising, bringing light to the Rockies, and thick storm clouds gathered over Nebraska and Kansas. In the top right of the screen, coming up fast, was the largest satellite Ryan had ever seen. It reminded him more of a module from the International Space Station than a satellite.
“That thing is huge,” Booth said, voicing his thoughts.
The Nameless were riveted to the screen. Everything they had worked toward in the past eight days. Every Siphon they had killed in mercy. Every step they had taken over that mountain after the earthquake. Every horror they had seen in Ando’s laboratory. It had all come down to a maybe. A slim chance.
A slim chance is better than no chance, John Stapleton had told Ryan. There is always hope – he had said that too.
“If anyone is religious, then it’s time to pray to your deity,” Cal said.
Closer the satellites came, flying at incredible speeds.
Five minutes until the second wave.
Ryan draped his arms over his wife and kissed the top of her head.
Four minutes.
Sofia groaned, looking at readouts on her screen. “It’s going to miss. The speeds are different.”
Three minutes.
“For what it’s worth, everyone, I’m honored to have served with you. If we fail here and perish, I want you to know that I couldn’t have asked for better friends, for a better life, with all of you,” Ryan said. He kissed Cal again and held Sofia’s hand.
“You too, big sook.” Booth slapped him on the back.
Two minutes.
The satellites were a kilometer apart. Sofia began counting down the distance.
To Ryan’s eyes, it looked like they were going to miss. The LK3 satellite was spinning. With every rotation, the camera brought the OPIS monstrosity back into view. Every muscle in Ryan’s body tensed as the last rotation began. Instead of revealing the satellite, the camera shook violently and shut off.
“What happened? Did we do it?” Booth asked.
Sofia and Cal tapped away at their keyboards. “The satellite is reading severe damage!”
“So did we do it?” Allie clasped her hands in front of her chin.
“I’m sorry. We’ll have to wait and see,” Sofia said.
Nobody moved. Their eyes were locked on the countdown clock.
Thirty seconds…
Twenty…
“Work you son of a bitch,” Booth said.
Ten…
Zero.
Nothing happened. No pain. No agony of pressure build-up behind the ears, squeezing the brain like a vice. No screams of terror. Nothing. The silence was bliss. The lack of pain, hopeful.
“Did it even happen?” Cal said.
“Checking with Avondale now.” Sofia frowned, and typed in the message box again. “Damn it. He’s gone dark. No response.”
That was all they needed. Their computer genius dead. Without him, their task would become that much harder.
Ryan walked away from the group and went to the elevator. With the soldiers now gone, he wanted to evaluate the damage from the explosives. He flicked off the lock-out switch and pressed the door release.
The elevator cabin was full of chunks of concrete and debris. The pulley mechanism lay on the floor in a twisted heap. He gazed up the shaft. All he could see was darkness and dust.
The Nameless would need to find another way out.
Thirty-Six
Portland, Oregon
Zanzi ran. For the fourth time in the last twenty-four hours, she found herself running for her life. Ever since that night at HQ, she had been on the run. From Black Skulls. From Rabids trying to drink her spinal fluid. From this OPIS. She was tired of it. She glanced at Tilly beside her. The young woman was panting hard, sweat dripping from her brow. Zanzi cursed herself for not insisting she stay at the safe house. Now she was in more danger.
The helicopter circled overhead, its bright spotlight searching for the fleeing saboteurs.
“Keep going!” Lisa said. “We need to get inside.”
“There.” Jacqui pointed at a department store.
“Not again,” Tilly groaned. “Last time the smelly bikers caught us.”
Lisa ignored her and pushed her across the road. Several engines roared in the distance, getting closer.
Zanzi gasped in a breath. Lisa was right. They had to get inside. It was the only way to escape the thermal cameras on the chopper. At least, once inside, they’d have a chance.
They entered the still-open doors. Barking replaced the sounds of the engines. Did the Black Skulls have dogs now?
Zanzi glanced at her watch. Thirty minutes until 0600, the scheduled time for the second wave.
On they ran, through displays of make-up and perfume. Through women’s clothes and baby strollers. Up escalators and into the bedding section. Here there was evidence of looters – shelves ransacked, racks of clothing overturned. They ran through the outdoor section. All the cabinets holding knives and crossbows were smashed open.
The barking grew louder, appearing to surround the fleeing group. Tilly’s eyes widened with each bark. The sound of boots thumping on the escalators joined the frenzied barking.
“This way,” Lisa said as she burst through another door leading to a storage area. Boxes were piled high here, and some had been torn open.
As they weaved through the mess and entered the management area, a dozen surprised faces turned and gawked, mouths dropped open. Crossbows and pistols snapped all round.
“Whoa. Easy now. We’re friends,” Lisa said, holding her hands up.
“Says the idiots leading those mercenaries right to us,” a man with a thick bushy beard snarled. “Get out of here before you give away our hiding spot.”
“You hear that?” Lisa l
ifted her finger. “Those dogs will sniff you out as well. You all need to move.”
“Lady, we don’t have to do shit,” Bushy-beard snarled again. “Now get.”
The thumping of the boots and the barking of the dogs intensified. Several pairs of eyes snapped around, searching for the direction.
“She’s right, Jerry. We need to go.”
“Shut it, Leslie. I told you that if you came with me, I’d give the orders. If you want to leave, I ain’t stopping ya.”
“You’re a stubborn asshole,” Leslie said, and looked at Lisa and Zanzi. “Follow me,” she said. “There’s a goods elevator back here. We can go down to the basement and out from there.” Leslie glanced at the other survivors gathered in the staff room. “Anyone else coming?”
No one answered, their eyes looking anywhere but at Leslie. She shrugged, pushed through the crowd and out the door.
It didn’t take long to reach the goods elevator, but the sounds of the Black Skulls chased them all the way. Gunfire erupted from the office. Shouts, screams, and cries of pain. Leslie stopped in her tracks, her eyes staring back.
“Keep moving,” Lisa said. “We gave them the opportunity.”
The noise from the battle subsided into muffled pops as the lift creaked its way to the basement.
The doors opened, and Zanzi took point, sweeping her MP5, searching for any hostiles. The basement remained silent. Hints of oil and petrol lingered in her nose. Like so many other places, even down here were forms of ash. People frozen in death, frozen in tasks they would never complete.
Leslie led them deeper, past the loading docks and bathrooms, through the electrical room, and into a room housing the air conditioning units. Dozens, stacked in rows, with large fans.
“We’ve been using this entrance to get in and out. Keeping out of sight,” Leslie explained.
“Smart,” Lisa said, bringing everyone to a halt. “You didn’t go to the FEMA camps?”
“I did at first. I registered my name and posted pictures of my missing family and friends. I didn’t like how they insisted on medical checks. I told them I was fine. When they wanted to give me an antibiotic jab, I guess I grew suspicious. Wandered around on my own for a couple of days before I met Jerry. We’ve kept out of sight, and earlier today I saw National Guard and army trucks rolling in. Jerry and I argued about going to them. He’s paranoid. Said an event of this magnitude needed help from the government if it wasn’t an attack by the North Koreans or the Chinese. Which makes more sense to me. Why would our government do this to us? This is America, not some commie country.”
Lisa nodded. “Jerry has a right to be paranoid. If we escape, I can give you a few answers.”
“You know what caused it?”
“More or less.”
Rifle fire erupted from the direction of the loading dock behind them, interrupting their conversation. Screams cut above the rattle of the carbines, only to be silenced seconds later. More dogs barked.
“Lisa. We need a car,” Zanzi said.
Lisa turned back to Leslie. “What’s directly outside this door?”
“An alley that leads back to the main street. Um… Macadam Avenue.”
The dogs were growling again as Black Skulls entered the electrical room. Zanzi grabbed Tilly’s hand once again and kicked open the door.
Cool morning air, laden with moisture, chilled Zanzi’s skin. Being a Portland native, she knew when it was going to rain. She’d felt the subtle changes in pressure countless times, smelt the faint salt as the winds brought the rain in from the Pacific.
Once everyone was through, they rolled a trash can across the door and locked its wheels in place. It wasn’t perfect but it would force the Black Skulls to find an easier route.
They ran.
Zanzi looked at her watch. One minute until 0600.
They tore up the rubbish-filled alley and out onto the street. An SUV screeched to a halt twenty yards away. A lone Black Skull stepped out. He whipped up his M4 and aimed it directly at Zanzi.
Lisa stepped to her right and the commando lanced the concrete with bullets.
“Stay where you are,” The Skull ordered.
Jacqui reached out and pulled Lisa back, then raised her hands above her head.
“I found them. I’m out front on…” The commando looked around, confused as to their location. “I’m out front. Five dissidents. Chicks too, if you believe that.”
His radio crackled, but it was too garbled for Zanzi to understand what was being said. Instead, she watched the commando carefully.
Her watch beeped. The second wave was about to begin.
Lisa, Tilly, and Jacqui all turned and looked at her. She wondered if they understood. Had they done enough to at least save some people?
She tensed her muscles, anticipating the pain. It began like before, deep in her brain, and spread out, pulsing. But, unlike at The Eyrie, it subsided almost straight away.
Leslie gasped beside her, clutched her head, and dropped the Beretta pistol with a clatter.
The Black Skull grinned. “It’s starting,” he chortled, but kept his carbine trained on them.
Zanzi and Tilly eased Leslie to the ground. There was nothing else they could do. Leslie must have been dosed with nanites when she went to the camp. She shrieked and let out an agonizing wail. She smashed her hands against her temples, gasping with each passing second.
“Why aren’t you suffering too?” the commando asked Lisa.
She ignored his question and crouched down to Leslie and the others who were doing their best to make Leslie comfortable.
“We can take him,” Lisa whispered.
Leslie let out another pained howl and went rigid, her arms and hands locked in claws. Her skin turned ivory and erupted in angry red slashes. Her eyes snapped open. Gone were the brown irises, the dark pupils. Instead, they were cloudy. She clamped her mouth shut and struggled against Lisa, thrashing and kicking. Tilly choked and vomited, before crawling away from Leslie, now a Rabid.
“Kill that thing.” The Black Skull ordered. He kept his rifle trained on Lisa’s head.
“I’m sorry,” Lisa said. She placed her pistol against the still-thrashing head and pulled the trigger, silencing the woman.
The Black Skull laughed before speaking into his radio. “Only one died after turning into a freak.”
Zanzi looked away from the corpse and cast her eyes down the street. Nothing moved, and apart from the thumping of the chopper flying away to the north, it was silent. If they had been successful in saving anyone, she couldn’t tell. She looked down at Leslie. All that effort for nothing. Now Zanzi had more questions. Why had they survived and not turned into Rabids like Leslie?
“You four, get in the car. The boss wants you alive.”
He took a couple of steps forward and swung the rifle between them. The engine noise of approaching Black Skulls returned, growling down the street between the empty buildings.
“It’s over for you guys. Why delay the inevitable?” the commando said.
“Why did they leave you on your own?” Lisa said. “Don’t rats travel in packs?”
“Get in the car.”
Tilly squared her shoulders and tilted her head back. She laced her fingers through Zanzi’s.
“No,” Tilly said.
“What do you mean ‘no?’” the commando said. He squeezed the trigger, shooting Tilly in the fleshy part of her thigh. Tilly shrieked and dropped to her knees. Zanzi was stunned. Not at the commando’s actions, but rather, at Tilly. At risk of injury to herself, the young woman continued to reveal facets of a complex personality. Gone was the timid mouse-like woman, replaced with an assured, brave fighter. She would need to be. Zanzi had no doubt that the worst was yet to come.
A silver SUV slowed to a stop. The door swung open and Milo stepped out. He glared at Zanzi before moving his stare to Lisa.
“Stand down, Corporal. I’ll take over from here.”
“Sir,” the corporal said. He to
ok a step back and hesitantly lowered his rifle to point at the ground.
Time seemed to slow as Zanzi glared at the commando. Milo walked up and stood next to the armed man.
“You were meant to disappear. Not run around blowing up towers,” Milo said. Without hesitation, he removed a handgun and shot the corporal in the head.
Pop!
Brains and gunk sprayed out as he collapsed, falling next to Leslie’s corpse. Milo stood over him and shot him twice more, once again in the head, and once at the base of the skull.
“You have to kill the alpha nanite for him to die properly,” Milo said. He pivoted, walked back to the car, and hopped into the driver’s seat. “Well, come on. Don’t stand there gawking. Director, nice to see you again.”
“I wish I could say the same,” Lisa said.
“Chill. I’m helping you this time.”
Zanzi and Jacqui helped Tilly into the back seat of the SUV. A figure in the passenger seat turned and smiled. Zanzi was happy to see it was Josie.
“Who’s this?” Lisa glanced at Zanzi.
“Dr. Josie Lahm, the doctor I told you about.”
“I thought she… never mind,” Lisa said.
They tore down the vacant roads of Portland. Milo drove, squealing around corners, the SUV lifting onto two wheels.
“Where are we going?” Lisa shouted above the roaring motor. They sped down SW Macadam Avenue and crossed the Selwood Bridge.
“Industrial area south of here,” Milo said.
“Why? Aren’t you one of them.”
“Yes, but I’m taking you to the faction I’m now part of. You can rest there. OPIS is hunting for you, I’ll lead them away. Keep them off your trail. You’ll have to trust me.”
“Why should I?”
“They killed Amelia. My Amelia. Zanzi will explain.”
Lisa looked at Zanzi, eyebrows raised.
“You can trust him. He smuggled Tilly and me out.”
“They’ll find us eventually,” Lisa said. “We need to fight them. Better yet, set an ambush. I’m tired of running from these pricks. I’m tired of them finding us. It’s time to even the score.”
“You can’t. Not yet. Hide for now,” Milo said. He made a right turn and bumped over the railroad tracks.
Shadows of Ash (The Nameless Book 2) Page 27
