“Thanks,” said Grant as he crouched down and picked a row of metal containers on the dock to use for cover. With a burst of speed, Grant sprinted out of the tunnel and onto the dock. He could hear his heart pumping in his ears. Just before he reached his cover, a long burst of automatic gunfire tore through the air, tearing up the concrete at Grant’s feet. He dodged from side to side and then dove over the containers. Grant landed on his shoulder, rolled over, and came up in a crouch. Whoever had fired on him hadn’t stopped. Bullets hit the row of boxes, perforating the metal. Grant threw himself to the ground as the bullets carried on past his location. When it was safe, he rolled over and looked through a hole blasted through the container.
“You sneaky bastards,” said Grant to himself when he spotted two robotic hunter-killer vehicles moving toward his hiding place. Each vehicle had six wheels on articulated arms, making them look like giant deadly spiders. On their bodies was a sensor system that controlled the robot’s movement, along with its arsenal of twin 7.62mm machine guns.
Firing bursts from the tunnel as the robots drove past its entrance, Wright’s men poured on a heavy volume of fire. One of the vehicles stopped and turned to face the onslaught while the other carried on toward Grant.
“Think, goddamn it,” muttered Grant, desperate to find something powerful enough to stop the armored robot bearing down on him. He looked up and down the row of containers. When he spotted a box marked turpentine, Grant crawled over, opened the container, and grabbed a sealed can. He unscrewed the lid, ripped off a piece of his coveralls, and jammed it inside the can. Grant could hear the vehicle getting closer by the second. His bomb was ready, but he still needed something to light the rag. Grant set the accelerant down, scurried over to a garbage can, and dumped it on the floor. He dug through the refuse until he found several cigarette butts and a half-used pack of matches. Grant dashed back and peeked through a hole. The robot was now less than ten meters away. Its sensor system looked at the row of boxes, trying to reacquire him. Grant lit a match and held it to the rag in the can until it lit. He waited a second before popping up and throwing the makeshift bomb at the robot. With a loud whoosh, the turpentine caught fire and exploded all over the vehicle. Grant stood up, took quick aim, and emptied his magazine into the robot’s flame-covered sensors.
“Got you, you bastard,” said Grant when the robot’s power pack caught fire, immobilizing it.
He looked over at the second vehicle. Its body and sensor suite looked like Swiss cheese. Grant ran to the tunnel entrance just as Wright came out. The sergeant was bleeding from a cut on his forehead.
“How did it go?” asked Grant.
“One of my men and two of the sailors are dead,” said Grant, his voice bitter. “A couple of others are wounded but nothing life-threatening. How about you?”
“I’m fine. My friend wasn’t too receptive to a bomb I made from a can of turpentine.”
Lieutenant Larsen limped over to Grant along with what was left of his crew. “We’re going to get her ready to sail,” said Larsen.
“Okay, just don’t leave without the rest of us,” replied Grant.
“We won’t,” replied the officer, leading his men toward their submarine.
“Sir, someone’s coming!” yelled one of the Rangers.
Grant ejected the empty magazine from his weapon and replaced it with a fresh one before turning to look. “Hold your fire,” he said as Elena, Ben, and Susan came into view.
“What are you two doing here?” said Grant to his friends. “I was going to come and get you once we had the dock in our hands.”
“You’re all in danger,” responded Elena, trying to catch her breath.
“How do you know?”
“Susan told me in my mind.”
“Where’s the danger going to come from?”
“The saucer,” said Elena, pointing at the disc.
Ben ran past Grant, heading straight for the UFO.
“What the hell does he think he’s going to do?” asked Grant.
“Ben’s going to help,” said Susan.
“Okay, everyone back in the tunnel until it’s safe to come out,” said Grant, ushering his comrades back.
Ben removed a control device from his belt and pressed a small, black button. A door opened on the side of the craft. Ben ran inside, drew his pistol, and made sure it was set to stun before bursting onto the bridge and shooting the two aliens sitting there.
“Sorry,” said Ben in his own tongue.
He took a seat behind a small console and moved his fingers over the keyboard without ever touching it. When he was done, he stood and walked out of the ship. Ben was at peace. He knew he had just committed treason and his life was now forfeit. He didn’t care; as long as Susan was safe, his life didn’t matter.
“Over here,” said Susan, waving to Ben.
The little alien jogged to her side.
“Is it safe now?” asked Susan.
“Yes. The ship is powerless,” Ben replied in Susan and Grant’s minds.
“Why did you have to do that?” asked Grant.
“Because if I hadn’t, Carus could have ordered the ship to kill all of you,” explained Ben.
“Thanks. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Ben did,” said Susan, smiling. “He’s smart, like me.”
“Okay, time for you folks to get onboard the sub. I’ll wait out here with the Rangers until Jim gets back with the explosives.”
“Ben will stay here, too,” said the little alien, using his voice. He sounded like a young child speaking.
“As will I,” added Hayes. “I’m not too good in a fight, but I can help set the charges when they get here.”
“All right, you two only. The rest of you,” said Grant looking at the gaggle of civilians, “get moving, now.”
Susan got down from Elena’s arms and walked over to Ben. There were tears in her eyes as she hugged her friend. “I’ll see you in my dreams, Ben.”
“I’ll be okay,” replied Ben, hugging Susan.
“Come now, hon,” said Elena, taking Susan by the hand. “We have to get to the sub for our trip home.”
Ben let go of Susan and waved goodbye.
Grant had a lump in his throat. He couldn’t help but be touched by the display of affection between Susan and Ben. He stepped back and checked his watch. Grant frowned. Maclean was running late.
57
With a loud, protesting squeal from the tires, Maclean’s vehicle came to a sudden stop outside the geothermal power plant. He leaped from his seat, ran toward the closest door, and yanked it open. He took a quick look around; apart from a couple of technicians, the place was empty.
“Clear,” said Maclean over his shoulder.
Charles and his two accomplices ran inside and overpowered the helpless workers.
“Where do they keep the explosives?” Maclean asked the Malaysian sailor with them.
“In a sealed warehouse,” replied the man.
“Okay then, let’s go.”
With time ticking down, they ran through the power plant until they came to a small warehouse. One shot from Maclean’s machine pistol scared off a couple of men carrying tools who tried to stop them. The explosives were found exactly where the sailor said they would be. Maclean spotted a trolley and wheeled it over so they could load the charges onto it. When they had more than enough, they ran back and loaded up the rear of the vehicle.
“This is too easy,” said Charles. “Where are all the guards?”
“Probably at the docks trying to prevent us from stealing their sub,” said Maclean.
“Yeah, maybe. But my gut tells me otherwise.”
Maclean slid into his seat and looked over at the driver. “Okay, mate, take us home.”
The sailor smiled, smashed his foot down on the accelerator, spun the wheel in his hands, and turned the vehicle around. In no time, they were speeding away from the power plant.
Carus looked up at the security monitors in t
he base’s command center and felt his blood boil. He glared at Vogel. “Your men have become fat, stupid, and lazy. Who came up with this plan to secure the laboratory and the command center with the bulk of your armed personnel?”
“I did,” stammered Vogel. “There is nothing more precious to your operation than the embryos we have prepared for you.”
Carus’ temper lessened. Vogel was right, but the plan lacked flexibility. “Send every person you can to retake the submarine. Without it, you’re no good to the rest of The Founders, or me. Leave only a handful of guards here. The rest, including Niskala’s crew, must draw a weapon and join the fight. Do you understand me?”
Vogel nodded and passed on the orders.
Carus closed his eyes and found himself standing inside his ship. He let out an animalistic growl at the sight of his two crewmen slumped over their workstations. Carus walked over to the operations console and saw that an unknown code had been entered, locking him out. It would take a skilled technician to get it working again. Luckily, one of his crewmen was the best there was at troubleshooting the computer systems onboard his ship. Carus clenched his hands tight. He had been betrayed. There could only be one person who would have turned on his own kind. The little alien had probably been helping to hide Susan’s abilities all along. Carus intended to make Susan’s protector pay with his life when he got his hands on him. He stared at the command center’s monitors. If the sub somehow managed to get away and expose their base, the consequences for him would be devastating. Carus unzipped a pocket on his uniform and removed a small tablet. He ran a finger over it, activating it, then entered a new command. Now, instead of detonating when the last people left the base, the charges placed to reawaken the volcano that powered their geothermal plant would explode in sixty minutes. Plenty of time for him to load the latest shipment of embryos onto his ship, unlock the computers, and destroy the submarine. What happened to Vogel was of no consequence to Carus. He had served his purpose, and Carus had other people in place in the north who would take charge of things for him.
58
A burst of gunfire hit the vehicle’s passenger-side front light, shattering it.
Maclean spun around and spotted a guard taking aim at the driver. He brought up his weapon and fired, forcing the shooter to dive for cover.
Up ahead, the tunnel entrance to the submarine pen beckoned to them.
“We’ve made it,” said the driver when a pair of men, firing as they ran, hit the sailor in the head. His body went limp and fell over the side of the vehicle.
Maclean ducked from the incoming fire as he reached for the steering wheel. He had barely gotten his hands on it when the front end of the vehicle struck an ancient rock carving, flipping the electric car on its side. Maclean, along with the three mercenaries, tumbled out of their seats and onto the stone floor.
“Damn it,” said Maclean, getting up on his knees behind the overturned vehicle. He stuck his head around to see where their attackers were and fired a burst in their direction. One of the men, hit in the shoulder, ran to take cover behind a rocky wall. The other dropped his weapon and dove over the wall. More guards were rushing from all directions to join them.
“Mohammed’s dead,” declared Charles.
“Doesn’t look like we’ll get a chance to blow the labs to kingdom come now,” said Maclean.
“I told you it was too much.”
“Whatever. Grab a charge and activate it,” said Maclean.
Charles hesitated. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Maclean held up his empty weapon. “Yeah, I’m sure. How far can you toss one of those things?”
Charles hefted one of the explosives in his right hand. “Twenty meters, maybe a little bit more?”
“Activate it and then throw it over the top of the vehicle as far as you can.”
Charles flipped the arm button to on, hauled back his arm and then lobbed the charge like a cricket ball. Everyone behind the vehicle dropped to the ground and covered their heads. Unseen, the charge landed right against the stone wall and exploded, tearing a large chunk of the wall apart and sending thousands of sharp rock chips flying through the air. A thick cloud of dust hung listlessly in the air.
Several small rocks landed next to Maclean’s head. He silently counted to three and then jumped to his feet. “Get up and grab what you can. Let’s go while we have the chance.” Maclean heaved a heavy box of charges onto his shoulder and ran.
The blast rocked the guards on their heels, but they were soon reinforced by Niskala’s people and began to shoot at the fleeing prisoners.
Maclean heard and felt a bullet graze the crate he was carrying. He heard a man behind him cry out in pain, but he kept running. There was nothing Maclean could do for the man. If they didn’t block the tunnel, their plan was for naught.
Just as Maclean was beginning to tire, Grant and three Rangers ran out to join the fight. They dropped to the ground and provided covering fire while Maclean and Charles ran past them. Maclean’s face was covered with sweat. He slowed a little but kept pushing himself to keep moving. At the other end of the tunnel was a hastily made barricade, created from overturned vehicles, lockers, and metal boxes.
“Over here, Sergeant,” called out Hayes.
Maclean trudged on for a few more steps before dropping to his knees and leaving the box on the ground at Hayes’ feet. “Here you go, Professor,” he said between gasps of air.
“Are there any more charges?” asked Hayes.
Maclean looked back and waved for Charles to join him. “That’s it, Jeremy. The rest didn’t make it.”
Hayes counted the explosives and nodded. “It’ll have to do.”
“I bloody well hope so, because I’m not going back out there.”
Grant leaped over the barricade and landed next to his friend. “Glad to see you could make it.”
“I nearly didn’t,” replied Maclean. “If they had been better shots, I’m sure I’d be lying dead out there.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re still in one piece.”
“Where’s everyone else?”
“In the sub.”
“So, what’s the game plan now?”
“Once Jeremy has set the charges, we bring down this end of the tunnel and sail on out of here.”
All of a sudden, a volley of gunfire hit the barricade. Charles dropped to his knees, his eyes glassy and vacant. The mercenary looked down at a bloody hole in the center of his chest.
“Easy does it,” said Maclean, helping Charles to lie down.
“Man, this sucks,” said Charles. “I was going to collect a ton of money when this gig was over for capturing you two. I guess I won’t get to now.”
“Sorry, not this time.”
“Damn bad luck,” said Charles as he let out his last breath.
Maclean closed the dead man’s eyes. “At least the last thing you did in your life was honorable.”
“Guys, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but we’ve got a problem,” said Hayes.
“Such as?” asked Grant.
“I don’t think the explosives we have will do the job.”
“How much more do you need?”
“Another box would probably do the trick.”
Maclean shook his head. “Forget it, Captain. You’d never make it out of the tunnel alive. They’ve got us boxed in. We’re just going to have to make do with what we’ve got.”
“Maybe not,” said Ben.
59
Carus stood near the ancient pyramid and watched the stream of wounded personnel limp back from the tunnel entrance. The escaped prisoners were putting up far greater resistance than he would have expected. He glanced at the timer on his tablet and wondered if he should halt the countdown. There was still time. Carus decided to let things be for now.
A man with a bloody rag tied around his head staggered toward Carus. His uniform was torn and bloodstained. “Sir, we’re not going to stop them,” said the man.
Carus leaned forward. He shook his head when he realized he was speaking with Niskala. “How many men are down?” asked Carus.
“Most of the guards are dead or wounded, and my crew aren’t real soldiers,” replied Niskala. “We’ve tried three times to storm their barricade, and each time we suffered grievous casualties. Lieutenant Kassim is the only officer still on her feet, and she’s been shot twice already.”
“Thank you for your sacrifices.”
Niskala brought up a bandaged hand to his forehead and saluted Carus before hobbling off to look for a medic.
Carus’s large, black eyes narrowed. There had to be a way to break the stalemate. In an instant, he had it. He spun around and darted back to the research laboratories. He opened the door to his test facility and looked over at three untested robotic killers. They would have to do. Carus picked up a small handheld device, turned it on, and activated the three robots. He took one last look at his latest creations. They were taller than his previous robots. Each one had four arms and two rows of razor-sharp teeth. Carus brought the controller to his lips. “Seize the submarine dockyard and kill everyone in it.”
The creatures’ blood-red eyes lit up. With a loud hiss, the robots charged out of the lab.
Carus moved to the open door. He could hear the pounding of the creatures’ feet as they ran off into the dark. It was time to round up his flight crew and the embryos for departure.
“That’s it; they’re all in place,” said Hayes. His cheeks were flushed, and his forehead dripped with sweat.
“What time did you set them for?” asked Grant.
“Three minutes and eleven seconds from now,” replied Hayes, checking his watch.
Grant looked over at the wounded Rangers and said, “Okay, everyone, back to the sub. Jim and I will stay here to make sure no one gets through.”
Wright struggled to his feet. A makeshift bandage covered a shoulder wound. “We can stay.”
The Founders Page 26
