Andy lifted a fold-up section of the counter and led the group to his office in the back. The shop was filled with boxes labeled with familiar comic book titles and other memorabilia. John noted that there were several thousand dollars of merchandise on one shelf alone. They passed through the inventory section and into Andy’s office, which was sleek and modern. The floor was carpeted with a gray and navy blue striped pattern and the walls were putty colored with tall khaki file cabinets spaced evenly on two of the four walls. Andy’s desk was a functional wrap-around unit with solid wood desktops and overhead hutches. His desk was completely bare except for a black, cylindrical device situated in the rear center portion of the counter. Upon seeing it, John recognized it as the latest incarnation of the Apple Mac Pro. Mounted on the wall directly above it were dual Apple Thunderbolt 27-inch displays.
“Nice set up,” John said, nodding toward the futuristic computer.
“Thanks, John, I only own the best,” Andy said, a broad grin spreading across his bearded face. “Please sit down.”
The four sat around a circular table with four black rolling chairs situated in the corner of his office.
“So what’s up? It’s not every day my old college roommate pays me a visit with two beautiful women, especially one that works for the FBI.”
John took a deep breath. “We’re here because we’re in trouble and we need your help. Jacob was kidnapped and we’re not sure where he is, but we have reason to believe we can find the answers nearby in Dulce.”
Andy raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”
John summarized the events that had led them to this meeting while Andy listened attentively.
“Right now, my dad and his friend Rob are searching for the tablet and we’re trying to find the base at Dulce. I know you used to dabble in this kind of stuff and thought you might be able to help us find General Flores.”
Andy stared at John through squinted eyes. He shot up from the table and settled down at his desk, tapping at a hidden keyboard. His monitors flickered to life. John and Sam shared a look while Gabby watched Andy closely.
“Come over here.” Andy waived them to his side as aerial images appeared on the dual screens above his desk.
“What’s that?” Sam asked.
“Satellite images of the alleged Dulce base, taken within the last 72 hours. The first one here was taken three days ago,” Andy said, pointing to the left monitor. The image showed a small complex that looked like a mining facility complete with banks of fans emanating from one hillside. The photograph of the facility showed very little activity. “This one was taken 48 hours ago and you can see a small convoy of vehicles staged in this general area, to the east of the access road. Clearly there’s something happening with all of these people entering or exiting right here.” This time, he was pointing to the right monitor, which showed an entrance to what appeared to be a tunnel in the side of an earthen mound.
Andy punched the keyboard again, causing the image on the left to change. “This final image was taken 24 hours ago.”
“I don’t see anything except a single truck in this one,” John commented.
“How about now?” Andy said, zooming in on the vehicle.
“My God, is that what I think it is? It can’t be,” John said, staring at the screen.
On the monitor were three armed men leading a fourth, who was bound and whose head was covered, into the tunnel.
“Based on your story and the timeline you provided, we may have found Jacob. If not, this must be someone else who’s involved in this secret government plan. The timing of this activity probably isn’t a coincidence.”
“How did you pull up these images so quickly and where did you get them?” Gabby asked.
“Let’s just say … I like to keep close tabs on what the government is doing nearby. As for where I got them, our country isn’t the only one to have orbital imaging systems. There are other groups who have an active interest in what’s taking place in Dulce. Whatever you’re involved in is big and the secret is out. Something major is going to happen soon and we need to get you in there as soon as possible.”
“We?” Sam asked.
“Yes. I’ll help you. We’ll need to get you close enough to contact General Flores directly. If you get picked up by the exterior guards, you’ll end up in a holding cell. By the time you speak to the general, if you ever get the chance, it’ll be too late. We need to get Flores’ attention so you can speak to him directly.”
“How do you propose we do that?” John asked.
Andy’s face wrinkled into an impish grin as he tented his hands and peered over his beak-like nose.
“Why don’t you let me worry about that?”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rob stood on the deck of the diving boat, his hands in the air, and his body dripping salt water. After the cave-in, he’d been unable to reach Randall or Jamie, so he’d made his way to the surface to get additional tools to help free his friend. He was greeted by six uniformed men toting guns who had boarded their boat while he and Randall were in the cave. The soldiers had clearly been monitoring their whereabouts as demonstrated by the timing of their actions. Now, with Randall trapped by the cave-in, Rob and Jamie were powerless to help him. Of the six assailants, three had their weapons pointed at Rob and two covered Jamie. The sixth man, clearly the leader of the group, approached Rob.
General Keung was nearly six feet tall with short black hair tinged with silver edges. His dark brown eyes conveyed his razor-like focus on completing his mission. His face was round with the long, deep creases that came from years of bearing the responsibility of safeguarding his country.
“What did you find in the cavern?” he asked with a thick accent, holding Rob’s dive camera in his hand.
“Nothing. We didn’t find anything,” Rob replied.
“Do you take me for a fool? I know that you and your friend found the stone and filmed it to study later. All of the information I need to find the base is on this,” the general said, holding up the camera. “Put this in my cabin so I can examine the footage when we are done here,” he said, handing the device to a young soldier.
“You can’t keep me here, my friend is still down there and he’s trapped in the cavern. If I don’t clear the debris blocking the tunnel, he’ll run out of air!”
“That is not my concern.” Keung looked past Rob and smiled as his own divers climbed up the ladder on the rear of the boat and made their way to him.
“General, we have set additional charges above the cavern as you ordered. When they detonate, they will destroy the cave and everything inside,” the lead diver reported.
“How long before the charge detonates?”
The diver glanced at his watch. “Fifty-six minutes and counting, sir.”
“Very good. Take the prisoners to our ship and prepare to return to base.”
“You can’t do that, you’re signing Nick’s death warrant by destroying that cave system!” Rob bellowed.
General Keung motioned downward with a swipe of his hand and Rob was rewarded with a stinging blow to the back of his head by one of the general’s men.
“Rob!” Jamie yelled, trying to move in his direction. Another guard jabbed the end of his weapon into her chest to block her movement.
Rob staggered to his feet, rubbing the back of his head.
A large, black inflatable craft, carrying additional soldiers, pulled alongside the anchored dive boat. The crew hurried off the vessel, securing the two boats together. The general walked to the black inflatable, motioning for his men to prod Rob and Jamie to join him.
“After you,” he said, gesturing for his prisoners to climb aboard the sleek black craft.
Once the prisoners were secured, the rest of the military detail piled onto the inflatable. They sped away from the dive boat, leaving Randall to his fate.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Dulce, New Mexico
The black Escalade roared down the desert highway as t
he late afternoon sun sank into the west. Their destination grew closer as they approached the location Andy had identified as the Dulce base. Andy drove the vehicle while explaining the plan to his friends.
“So how are we going to get by the primary gate guards?” John asked.
“The main gate guards have one simple assignment: keep out anyone who doesn’t belong. They do that by screening all personnel that come to the gate, to confirm that they have authority to access the compound. The only ones authorized to enter are military personnel and contractors hired by the government to work at the facility. The guards verify their clearance by checking these,” Andy said, holding up a plastic ID card with his right hand while steering with his left.
“This is a Department of Defense contractor’s badge,” he continued. “All information about the contractor is coded into a chip within the card. The guards take the badge, scan it into a card reader that’s tied into the DOD database and, voila, they know whether or not the badge holder has business on the base.”
Gabby craned her neck from the backseat. “Where did you get the badge?”
“When I used to work for the DOD, I got to know some folks. Let’s just say there are a few staffers who don’t entirely support the agency’s agenda.”
“That takes care of you, but what about us?” John asked.
“Open that glove box in front of you,” Andy said.
John did as instructed and retrieved three additional badges, one for each of his accomplices.
“So that’s what you were doing before we left on this little road trip,” John commented, turning to distribute the ID cards.
Their SUV wound deeper into the desert, crested a small hill in the road, and followed the road as it bent to the left. In the distance, John saw a large installation materialize on the horizon. They had arrived at the Dulce base.
As they approached the perimeter guard gate, a burly man in military fatigues waived them to a stop. The entrance was precisely what John would have imagined for a heavily guarded military complex. A hefty gate blocked the entrance into the base, followed by double strips of metal spikes that protruded several inches from the ground. As if this wasn’t enough, the access road was also protected by large metal pylons set three feet apart on center. If a picture could paint a message, this one would say Stay Out.
John stared at another soldier clutching his assault rifle as his partner approached their truck. The soldier strode to the driver’s side door as Andy opened his window.
“How’s it going?” Andy asked cheerily.
“Card,” the soldier replied, his expression set in stone.
“Here you go,” Andy said, handing over his ID card. “Nice weather we’re having today. Not too hot, not too cold.”
The soldier shot a disdainful glance at Andy before examining the card.
“We need your ID cards as well,” the guard said to the rest of the group. He collected them, never breaking eye contact with Andy.
“Wait here,” the soldier said, disappearing into the guard station. His partner walked directly in front of the Escalade, staring them down.
The soldier with the ID’s emerged a moment later, handing the cards back to Andy.
“Pull forward when the gate opens.”
The gate slid open—the metal spikes and pylons retracting into the ground—allowing the SUV to pass. Andy drove the vehicle fifty yards past the guard house and pulled to a stop.
“Switch with me, John,” he said, exiting the driver’s side and walking around to John’s door. Stunned at first, John hopped down from the passenger side, walked around to the driver’s side, and began to drive, noting that the guards had apparently seen them switching and were now glaring at them as they pulled away.
“I don’t think they liked seeing us switch like that.”
“We really didn’t have a choice. I didn’t think you could pull off the lie like I could. Now there’s something else I need to do,” Andy said, pulling a laptop from under the passenger seat.
John glanced back over his shoulder toward the entrance. “One guard is calling someone on the radio and another one is running to a Humvee. What exactly is your plan again?”
“Keep driving toward that building right over there,” Andy said, pointing to a semi-circular, windowed building built into the hillside. “I need to get close enough to access their network.”
“The Humvee’s closing on us,” Sam said.
Several other vehicles appeared from an underground structure and were bearing down on them from multiple directions. John accelerated, closing in on the building Andy had identified. “How’s it going there?”
“I’m still trying to access their network, they’ve improved their encryption since the last time I hacked their system.”
Gabby glared at Andy. “You’ve hacked the DOD system before?”
“A few times,” Andy replied, typing furiously.
John glanced nervously in the rearview mirror and then scanned to his left and right. The soldiers were closing in from all sides. They would soon be boxed in. All John could do was make a beeline for the building and hope that Andy’s plan worked.
“Assuming you hack their network, what’s next?” John asked.
“I’m going to get the general’s attention,” Andy replied, still tapping on his keyboard.
The chase vehicles closed to within twenty yards as John drove onward. The building was no more than forty yards in front of him now. They were running out of real estate. He gunned the engine for the final run and skidded to a stop ten feet short of the building. The military vehicles formed a ring around the Escalade as heavily armed soldiers poured out from them. They encircled the SUV, guns drawn and ready.
“In the car, turn off the engine and put your hands where I can see them!”
John shut off the engine. “Andy?”
“Almost done, just need a few more seconds.”
“Exit the vehicle. NOW!”
Armed soldiers were now standing directly outside the doors on both sides of the SUV, their guns trained on the occupants.
“Get out of the car and put your hands on your heads!”
Andy smiled and put his hands up, just as a soldier opened the passenger door from the outside. They all exited the Escalade.
“Face the vehicle!”
The four stood, facing the SUV, remaining motionless. The soldier who had barked the orders stepped away from them. He reached for his earpiece, and listened to someone speaking to him. John tried to see where he went, but another soldier blocked his view. John didn’t dare turn for fear of acquiring new ventilation holes in his outfit. It had never occurred to him to question Andy about his plan. Now he wondered if trusting his old friend had been a mistake. His query was soon answered.
“Who is responsible for playing the video of Dr. Kim?” a gruff voice called out from behind John. He strained to see who was speaking, but the man was out of his view.
“I’m the guilty party,” Andy replied.
“Bring him to me,” the voice said calmly.
“Yes, General.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Randall backed out of the tunnel and into the inky blackness of the inner cave, leaving the Cosmic Rosetta Stone inside the tube. He shined his flashlight to assess the damage and look for other ways out. The cave-in had subsided, but the agitated silt still clouded the water. Randall had no choice but to wait for the water to clear. He suddenly felt very cold and alone. Although his spring suit was designed to maintain his body heat, the long-term exposure to the cool water at this depth had slowly gnawed away at his core body temperature. Making matters worse, he was running out of air.
Realizing that there was nothing he could do at the moment, Randall switched off his light to save the battery, casting himself into total darkness. He was no stranger to being alone, having spent large stretches of time conducting research, but this was an entirely different feeling. He was wholly cut off from the outside world and his
mind dwelled on being trapped in this watery crypt for eternity. Knowing that Dr. Kim had suffered a similar fate only made the situation worse. Panic crept into his mind and he had to force himself not to lose hope.
His thoughts then turned to concern for Rob and Jamie. There were three possible reasons he hadn’t been able to reach them: something was interfering with his signal, they had left him, or they were in trouble. Randall was certain that they wouldn’t have left him unless something had happened to them, which meant there were really two possibilities. Floating in the dark, Randall’s mind raced, and he arrived at a frightening prospect: Dumond had learned of their discovery, had followed them and had captured Rob and Jamie. If this were the case, Dumond would simply wait for Randall’s oxygen to run out and then send a team of divers to retrieve the stone. Once they had it, there would be no need to keep Jamie and Rob alive. Randall steeled himself against the thought of remaining trapped in the cavern and losing his friends. He had to find a way out so he could rescue them.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Randall made a mental checklist of the steps he needed to take. The first order of business was his oxygen supply. He and Rob had brought additional bottles but they were on the other side of the blocked tunnel. Randall switched his light back on and was relieved to see that the water had cleared significantly. He surveyed the cavern, looking for possible fissures that had developed after the ceiling collapsed, but found none. His eyes then fell upon the ghostly outline of Dr. Kim. His body had settled on the floor of the cave, weighed down by fallen debris, near the spot where the stone had been.
That’s when an idea struck. Dr. Kim was still wearing his oxygen tank. If he had been killed prior to emptying his tank, there might still be oxygen for Randall to use. Randall swam toward the body, careful not to stir up the silt again. He gingerly rotated the body and found the tank’s pressure gauge. It was empty. Deflated, he gently released the body and let it float back to the cavern floor. As the corpse settled back to rest, another object nearby caught his eye. It was a black mesh diver’s bag. Dr. Kim must have brought it with him on his fateful dive, and the recent jarring of the silt had revealed it.
The Bermuda Connection (A Nick Randall Novel Book 2) Page 15
