by Jeff Olah
. . .
Making his way out of Building One and into the courtyard, Mason tossed his personal pack into the backseat and waved goodbye to William. He was followed closely by Megan, who didn't make eye contact with the others and simply slid into the passenger seat and closed the door.
Randy rounded the back of the SUV, stopping Mason before they departed. “You good?”
“I don't know if I'd say good, but I'm ready to go. How likely is it that we actually find this guy?”
“He's the smartest man I've ever met. He'll stay put and without the code his daughter has, no one is getting in that place.”
Mason turned his attention to the front gate and gazed into the thick backdrop of spruce and pine, shadows now retreating from the area as midday approached. “How’d you get the boy to stay here? I thought he was dead set on making the trip?”
“Not my doing, Eleanor talked with him this morning and he had a change of heart. I don't think he ever really wanted to come. Also, your mother-in-law showed him the Command Center. He's a bit of a computer nerd, which was all it took.”
“Is Savannah alright? She seemed a bit off this morning.”
“She's OK; she's just worried, and you know all this stuff that’s in her head. I made her a promise that no matter what, we'd be back. With or without Lockwood.”
Slapping his friend on the shoulder, Mason said, “Well... let's go get him then.”
. . .
She welcomed the tears running down her face and purposefully held back from wiping them away. They meant something to her and she was happy for the opportunity to still have normal feelings. As Savannah approached William, she called out well in advance. “OK, I think I'm ready for my tutorial sir. Let the fun begin.”
Relinquishing control, William once again handed over his prized possession after tapping out the last few commands. “This is your first lesson and I need you to pay really close attention...”
“Yes?”
“DO... NOT... DROP IT!”
“Very funny, William. What is this thing anyway?”
His smile rose to match hers. “Basically a huge remote control for everything within Blackmore. I have yet to see everything it is capable of, however with all that it can do, it's still very intuitive.”
Her grin faded. “Intuitive?”
“Very easy to use and learn... very easy.”
In just a few hours, Savannah was able to operate most every function and William's plan to distract her, if only for the day, was beginning to work. She rarely mentioned her unhappiness and appeared to be enjoying herself and her newfound abilities. Making their way back over to Building Six, William watched as Savannah navigated through the screens and landed on the proper location before locking and unlocking the entrance multiple times.
“Like that,” Savannah said.
William held the door open and they proceeded thought the halls as she virtually controlled every aspect of the building. The lights were her favorite, as Savannah lit each area ahead of their arrival. “Wow young lady, I'd say you're a natural. Let's head to the basement, this is where it gets fun.”
Tapping through a few commands, she stopped and turned to William. “Uh...”
William motioned with his index finger. “Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to get to the lower level controls.
As the lock disengaged, a frigid burst of air shot from the lower reaches of the basement, startling Savannah as she followed William down the single flight of stairs. “Wow, it's freezing down here.”
“It is,” William said. “It looks like I may have matched the temperature down here to the refrigerators on the left. I don't think it's been running very long. We can fix it in a minute. I want to show you something first.”
. . .
The Command Center had become his new favorite place. Very few things held his interest for longer than a few minutes, although Sean was finding it increasingly difficult to tear himself away from the keyboard. He plowed through the desktop applications and once inside the network, began accessing every hidden feature as if he had written the code himself. “This is amazing. I just put Building Five on lockdown. No one gets in and no one gets out.”
Sitting at the back of the room, Eleanor watched as the boy appeared to have found a home. She'd seen his eyes light up upon first passing this room the night before and realizing Mason already had enough to worry about, allowed Sean access earlier that morning. She never even had to ask him to stay.
“I'm in Building Six now,” Sean said. “I think I found Savannah, oh… and William. They're in the basement.”
142
The pain in his lower back was only slightly less excruciating than the grinding sensation he felt from knee to ankle as each foot was placed in front of the other. Perspiration now flowing from his forehead poured a steady stream of warm fluid into his eyes and face. The last hundred yards proved to be his undoing. Prior to the last and final flight of stairs, he made sure to rest every fifty feet. The intermittent hallucinations told him the tunnel was leading him in a circle, although knowing better, Goodwin stopped and leaned into the wall, looking for a landmark. Another twenty feet to salvation, it was there. The control panel that allowed access to Building Six and in turn the rest of Blackmore lay just out of reach.
Hands on his knees, he flinched while trying to stretch his back and at the same time was caught off guard by a massive spasm that instantly brought him to the ground. Lying in a pool of his own sweat, Goodwin had to laugh as his stomach forced a sound through his lower abdomen that actually echoed back through the tunnel. His hunger was no match for the desire he felt to get to the switch that would give him access to the facility he built.
Crawling only a few feet every minute, Marcus Goodwin found a rhythm that momentarily kept the pain at bay and also moved him closer to the target he sought. Leaving his beaten legs to trail behind, he used every ounce of upper body strength to pull himself along the wall, never once looking away from the rusted panel four feet off the ground. Falling out of the sky just days before, he was initially impressed with the resiliency of his body, given his age and the fact that the helicopter was never going to leave the mountain in one piece. Today, the debilitating pain rearing its ugly head caused him to second guess his decision to make the trip up the mountain. Would he have been better prepared had he waited another day or would his mounting hunger have caused an even more serious issue? He typically never gave a second thought to a decision once it was cast, although nothing that occurred over the last few weeks was typical.
Reaching the control panel, Goodwin slid his wrecked body along the wall and laid the pistol in his lap. He sat back against the drab concrete and reached for the door that lay six inches above his outstretched hand. Fifteen minutes of rest and he’d give standing another try. Opening the door that led to Building Six would be easy once he was upright, although traveling the additional distance into the basement and the staircase that lay beyond may prove to be too much for one afternoon. Once in the building, he'd also be visible to the multiple surveillance cameras. Was this even possible? Was he physically capable of doing what came next? Marcus Goodwin was about to find out.
. . .
Sixty minutes and seventy miles had passed in the blink of an eye. The foothills raced along in muted flashes of tan and green as they sat in silence, fixated on the terrain. The turnout came as unexpectedly as did his voice from the backseat. “Mason, you’re gonna need to slow up a bit. The trail is just ahead on the right.”
Cutting his speed to something just above a crawl, Mason cut the air and opened his window. Turning to Randy he said, “It’s cooler here, even for early afternoon, and we haven’t really gone all that far.”
“Yeah, but the elevation has climbed quite a bit. Just past that giant rock formation is the trail we have to take. It’s a slow go for the first bit, but after that it opens up and we’ll be at the back door to Silo Nine.”
Pulling off the road and
into the brush that lay beyond the rock formation, Mason pulled the SUV to a stop and turned to Randy. “So we’re taking a trail instead of the paved and presumably much safer highway? Is this what we’re doing?”
Staring out the windshield and up the trail as it disappeared into the mountainside, Randy leaned forward between Megan and Mason. “How do we know the highway is any safer than going this way? You know as well as anyone that the one thing we’ve learned over the last two or three weeks is that nothing is ever certain. This detour will save us at least thirty minutes. If it’s clear, we’ll be there in less than twenty minutes.”
Shifting in her seat, Megan cut her eyes at Randy. “If it’s clear… what’s that supposed to mean? What are you not telling us?”
“It’s fine… trust me,” Randy said. “We have to go, we’re burning daylight. We need to get back before dark. This route will get us in and out much quicker, come on.”
“You’d better be right,” Mason said as he pulled out onto the trail and slowly navigated the first mile.
Once the trail opened up and the dirt path transitioned to a gravel road, Mason pushed the SUV along at a speed probably ten to fifteen miles per hour too fast for the area. His head on a swivel, taking in the passing sagebrush and thin layer of trailing dust that filled the rearview mirror, he nearly missed the lone Feeder floundering at the side of the road. Missing an arm, it appeared to have fallen into the shallow ditch near the shoulder. And although it was clawing furiously at the roadway, it clearly wasn’t making any real progress.
Back to the mirror, Mason raised an eyebrow to Randy. “There’s one buddy, I sure hope it’s not a sign of what’s down the road.”
Shaking his head and looking away, Randy replied in kind, “Yep, that’s one… only one. Keep your eye on the road and let’s get there already.”
As the path leveled out and began to again narrow, Mason slowed the SUV to a more appropriate speed and by his estimation, they had to be close. Moments later, Randy confirmed his suspicions as he pointed out the area where the road ended and the unforgiving terrain rose at an almost ninety degree angle out of the valley. “You’re not planning on climbing that are you?” Mason asked.
Randy chuckled. “No… just past the last tree on the left the trail turns and runs along the bottom of the cliff. When it opens up to the huge grass area, we’re there.”
“So,” Mason said. “Essentially we’re coming in through the back door? No advanced notice. We’re just dropping in to a military facility unannounced?”
“Not necessarily,” Randy replied. “This place isn’t military. It was built by the original company that Lockwood worked for. I’ve been here only twice before today and we aren’t showing up completely unannounced, he invited Megan. We’re just here to help facilitate.”
“If this isn’t military, why would you have come here before today?” Mason asked.
“Well,” Randy said. “I wasn’t always military; however, I always needed to pay bills. In other words, I worked private security for a few years. The company Lockwood used to work for paid very well to have their executives protected.”
“Ok then, what exactly are we looking at once we’re out in the open?”
“It looks like a huge drainage tunnel, sixteen feet tall and if all goes well, free of Feeders. End to end about a hundred yards and if the codes haven’t been changed or the area isn’t damaged, we’re reuniting this girl with her father today.”
Megan unbuckled her seatbelt and sat forward as they emerged from the trail and drove onto the expansive greenbelt that overlooked the valley below. Peering out the passenger window as Mason pulled the keys from the ignition, her pulse quickened and she instinctively grabbed for Randy as he was about to exit the SUV. Six feeders stumbled from the enormous opening in the hillside and started toward them.
“That’s not the tunnel where we’re going in… is it?”
143
Reaching the floor of the basement, she was impressed with herself for how quickly she’d been able to utilize William’s device without having to ask for instruction. It wasn’t until they’d walked the length of the floor that the difference in climates between the buildings and in particular the basement of Building Six became apparent. Puzzled, Savannah blew into the air and watched the trailing plume that was her breath float out of sight. She paused near the last bank of refrigerators and pointed to the rows of cardboard boxes. “I get why the freezers have to be so cold, but why the rest of the building?”
Moving around behind Savannah, William peered over her shoulder at the tablet and asked her to switch screens. Within minutes he was able to see that the building was equipped with an entirely separate heating and cooling system. “It looks like this area has the ability to go all the way down to thirty degrees in case any of the refrigeration units fail.”
“And,” Savannah said, “that means what?”
“I’m not exactly sure, although I think this building in particular was built for something other than just being a giant freezer. I don’t quite understand why it’s so cold today; I haven’t changed any of the settings for this area.”
Spotting a camera in the far left corner, Savannah pretended to be shivering from the cold and then waved. “I have an idea why the weather suddenly changed down here.”
“Yeah,” William said.
“Uh... is this area also controlled from the Command Center?”
“Oh, you think someone is adjusting it from there?”
“Yep,” Savannah said. “That kid Sean is some kind of a genius or something. I guess Eleanor showed him the computers and putting two and two together, I think we may have a prankster among us.”
“I think we may be able to turn the tables on them. Once I show you my surprise, we’ll get the heat back on in here and see what we can do about giving them a little scare back in Building One.”
“Thank goodness,” Savannah said. “My hands are frozen and turning from blue to purple. Let’s get to the surprise already.”
Rounding the last corner, William led Savannah to the far wall and stood five feet from the last pallet. Stepping back a few paces and asking Savannah to do the same, William guided her through the appropriate commands. “Here we go!”
The familiar grinding of metal against metal preceded the slow movement of the pallet before them. The sight of the eight foot concrete corridor diving into the mountainside and leading away from Blackmore left Savannah speechless and with a look of bewilderment. Turning and handing the tablet to William she said, “What am I seeing…”
He didn’t let her finish. On first glance, the only thing troubling him was the fact that the tunnel had been illuminated without either of them activating the lights. He knew the utilities for the lengthy corridor were not accessible from the Command Center and as the sliding door moved into its fully open position he got his answer. Marcus Goodwin, gun in hand, only twenty feet into the mountain.
Leaning into the concrete wall across from the rusted metal control panel door, the man whose life was quickly evaporating fired off three shots. The first two were off target, recoiling against the wall and coming to rest somewhere just short of the massive opening to the basement. In the instant they turned to run, the third and final shot tore through William’s left calf, forcing him horizontal.
. . .
His excitement and curiosity couldn’t be contained. Sean was consumed with the intricacies of the system that operated every area of Blackmore and his enthusiasm was infectious. Eleanor had moved in behind and raised her chair just enough so she could witness with her own eyes what he’d been verbalizing for the last thirty minutes. Weaving in and out of the many buildings and even showing her the video feeds from the perimeter of the facility, she couldn’t imagine how he’d gained such a mastery of the programs so quickly.
His fingers working the commands at a breakneck pace, Sean wanted to thank her for allowing him this opportunity, but first he wanted to impress her. “Eleanor, this is B
uilding Six, if you look close you can see William and Savannah on this next camera. Switching feeds, he’d temporarily lost the duo as they’d moved slightly out of range of the last camera. Sean turned his attention to the second monitor and adjusted the audio controls, unaware they were already recording sound. Within seconds he realized the problem and authorized the feed through the speakers along the interior of the Command Center.
The three blasts echoed throughout the room and threatened to compromise the glass panels that enclosed the room. Eleanor shot from her seat to a standing position as Sean cut the volume by two thirds and the reason for the ear piercing explosions came into view. Marcus Goodwin limped across the screen and as Sean turned to Eleanor, she was only able to articulate four words. “He killed my family.”
Back to the monitors, Sean was determined to help. His attempt to draw Eleanor in failed, even as he shouted her name multiple times. She withdrew and moved to the back of the room, her head in her hands.
With no other choice, Sean organized every video feed along the six monitors that sat doubled stacked at the desk he now controlled. Monitor two brought into view the horrific scene playing out near the stairwell. Savannah appeared to be dragging William away from the man who was two short rows away, although also appearing injured. As laborious as the task was for Savannah, the man in pursuit followed at much more painfully slow pace, at one point even losing his balance and falling forward to the ground. As fear began to push its way into his subconscious, Sean forced himself to set emotion aside and think through the situation, one horrific detail at a time.
One last glance to the screen on the left and he activated the computer’s microphone, pumping the audio into Building Six.
