“Understood,” said Thomas Burmaster. “Do what you have to in order to — ”
“I told you before to behave yourself,” Hawkeye growled.
Although the quarters were cramped, Hawkeye jabbed his fist into Burmaster’s jaw, breaking his mandible.
“I warned you before, General,” Hawkeye said. “No more talking.”
Burmaster’s eyes rolled white into their sockets as he winced, blood pouring from the corner of his mouth onto his chin and chest.
The elevator suddenly accelerated.
“We’re in freefall!” cried Blade.
Beemler smiled. “We’re all going to be killed. There will be no debriefing, Titan Six. And don’t think that Senex doesn’t have the capability to destroy Titan Global, as far-reaching as its influence is. We’ve created and destroyed entire nations.”
Beemler laughed like a lunatic, his head thrown back in victory as the elevator continued its uncontrolled two-mile descent.
“We need to hit the maglev in fifteen minutes,” Hawkeye said in a cool voice.
“You’re going to hit the bottom of the cube in just two minutes,” Beemler said, still gloating. “You won’t be needing any maglev.”
“This thing must be doing sixty miles per hour,” Tank noted nervously. He coughed. “Not that anybody’s interested.”
Gator was in terrible pain despite the painkillers he’d been given. His eyes were glazed. As for Burmaster, he was semiconscious, his head resting limply on his right shoulder.
The elevator suddenly slowed.
“Can you read, Titan Six?” asked DJ.
“Affirmative,” said Hawkeye.
“I’ve got your position on my screen and the hologram,” she said. “I’ve tapped into a subsystem of the cube’s energy grid that controls the elevators. Bringing you to a stop any second now. By the way, there are Sents waiting for you outside the cube.”
“Nice work, DJ,” said Hawkeye. “Expect a dozen roses if we make it back.”
The elevator came to a gentle stop, with Titan teams and their prisoners exiting and making their way to the front of the cube.
“Ten minutes left,” said Hawkeye.
Central Intelligence Agency
Langley, Virginia
The assassin in the Armani suit raised his pistol to the temple of Gwen Moss. Chief Hackett was perspiring but dared not move his trembling head.
The steel barrel of the gun felt cold against Gwen’s skin. The small hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as adrenaline flooded her bloodstream.
The assassin’s finger moved to the trigger. The look on his face was blank and impersonal. This was his profession — nothing more, nothing less. Gwen and Hackett were just another job.
Light flooded the room, causing Gwen and the Chief to squint. A door had been kicked open. Light from a corridor revealed to Gwen that she was in a briefing room in one of the lower corridors of the Langley facility.
“Lower your weapon,” ordered a man, thirtyish, dressed in a dark blue suit. He aimed a Glock at the assassin.
Two other men flanked him, and Gwen, her eyes adjusting to the light, saw several people in blue law enforcement windbreakers standing in the corridor beyond. The two other men pointed their handguns at McManus and the man in black.
“Admiral McManus, I’m Special Agent Charles Flanders, Secret Service,” the newcomer announced. “You’re under arrest for treason against the United States government.”
“You have no authority over me, young man,” McManus said with a cocky grin. “I’m an Admiral and work here at the — ”
The assassin turned abruptly and aimed his gun at Flanders. The Special Agent acted without hesitation, putting a bullet into the assassin’s forehead before he could pull the trigger.
“Take ‘em into custody,” Flanders ordered.
The Special Agent’s colleagues cuffed McManus and the man in black and led them from the room.
“Thank you,” said Hackett.
“That was close,” Gwen said. “Whew, I think I aged ten years. But yeah, thank you all.”
“No problem,” said Flanders as the personnel from the hall untied Gwen and Hackett. “You’ll need to be debriefed for a few hours. The offices of the Vice President and the Secretary of Defense alerted us that you might be in danger. We knew you worked for Admiral McManus, so we followed his trail here, although not everyone in the levels above was completely cooperative. We’ll have some questions for them as well. Ms. Moss, you must have a friend or two in high places.”
Gwen smiled. Catherine Caine had come through.
“Yes, I do,” Gwen stated. “What happens after the debriefing?”
“You both go home,” Flanders said.
Home. That sounded about right to Gwen.
* * *
Five hours later, Gwen and Chief Hackett walked into the bright sun shining on one of many CIA parking lots.
“How do you know Catherine Caine, Chief?” asked Gwen.
“I used to be Assistant Security Chief on the Alamiranta a few years ago,” Hackett replied. “I worked under a former New York City cop named Mike Zoovas. I hear he’s still aboard.”
Gwen extended her hand. “Thanks for everything, Chief. You saved my life.”
“Happy to help, Ms. Moss. I suppose we’ve both got Mrs. Caine to thank. She’s a miracle worker.”
Gwen nodded and smiled. “Yes, Chief. She most certainly is.”
Titan Four and Six
The Cube beneath Mount Elbert
“Here’s the plan, Hawkeye,” DJ said. “Do you recall that before you entered the cube, you were scanned by a bright light several feet above the ground on the outer wall?”
“Yeah,” Hawkeye said. “I remember.”
“Okay,” resumed DJ. “I’m going to activate that beam long enough to distract the Sents waiting outside. I assume they’ll look up. That’s when you guys and gals exit the cube and dispatch the little buggers.”
“We’re ready,” said Hawkeye. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Let’s get you home.”
Titan Four and Titan Six
The Cube beneath Mount Elbert
The arched portal on the front surface of the cube materialized on DJ’s command. Titan Four and Titan Six aimed their laser rifles at the sentinels, all of whom were gazing curiously at the intense light that bathed them from above.
“Fire!” Hawkeye ordered.
As DJ remotely shut down the beam, the Titan teams fired their TR5s. Red light surrounded the Sents, who looked down and raised their photon tubes.
It was too late.
The laser beams vaporized the sentinels in less than thirty seconds.
“We only have six minutes left,” Hawkeye said. “Let’s get to the station.”
Tank turned around to face the cube one last time. “Have a look, Mike,” he said.
“Good God!” Shooter cried. “The detonation has already begun.”
“How is that possible?” Aiko asked.
“My guess is that the fusion reactor has accelerated the countdown,” Tomahawk speculated. “We may have only seconds before this thing begins to react with Resolution, and who the hell knows what that’s going to be like?”
“The walls!” Blade said. “Their metallic, but they’re growing crimson!”
“And orange and yellow and violet!” noted Demon.
Arcs of light were spreading through the living metal like lightning streaks. Waves of heat emanated from the cube, its walls now sending out rays of light in every direction.
“Damn!” Shooter cried. “I can barely hear.”
“The cube is producing a high-pitched sound almost beyond the audible range,” Hawkeye said. “Run through the corridor to the station!”
Titan Four, dragging Burmaster and Beemler, went first. Titan Six followed, Aiko and Tank helping support the weakened Gator.
Hawkeye was the last into the corridor. His final glimpse of the cube revealed that parts of it were
dissolving into thick, viscous, multi-colored liquids. Other parts were exploding in chunks, shrapnel flying through the air.
The loud sound, he thought. It’s the cube’s death cry.
The teams emerged into the station as the first violent tremor seized the mountain. Everyone was thrown to the ground.
“The maglev!” Tank screamed. “It’s rocking from side to side.”
Ops Center
Beneath Mount Whitney
“Stabilize the maglev!” Caine said. “It looks like it’s about to rock off the damn guideway!”
DJ’s competent hands played across one of the keyboards.
“Powering up the three-car maglev train,” DJ said. “The current in its guideway will make it float up, as it was made to do. It shouldn’t rock as much once it’s in operational mode and not in contact with the guideway.”
“Not as much?” Caine asked in a worried voice.
“That’s all I can do, ma’am,” DJ said.
Titan Four and Six
SURP Station 872
Hawkeye, Shooter, and Jet ran to the prostrate forms of Touchdown and Quiz.
“Activating their BioMEMS,” said Grace Nguyen. “Quiz’s vital signs are stronger. The meds are obviously kicking in. They both need a little adrenaline and dopamine.”
The ground shook again, this time more violently. Rocks fell from the roof of the vault.
“There’s debris falling on the guideway!” Shooter called out.
“Clear if away!” Hawkeye told his team. “Hurry!”
Flashes of light began pulsing through the cavern.
“My body feels like it’s going to explode!” Tank cried.
“My skin’s crawling with static electricity!” Gator said.
The debris from the roof fell faster as the rock walls of the chamber glowed more brightly.
“The maglev is stable, Titan Six,” said DJ, “but I don’t know how long the guideway itself will stay intact. Board ASAP.”
A violet light, followed by an ominous rumbling sound, flashed in the corridor leading to the cube.
“Everyone get aboard!” Hawkeye said. “We’re moving out.”
The rocks of the underground vault were glowing purple and orange now.
“The maglev isn’t responding to controls,” Gator said. “It won’t move.”
“Sending auxiliary power through the guideway,” DJ said.
The train eased forward, stopped, lurched, then resumed forward momentum slowly. The sound of debris hitting the roof of the cars filled the train.
Titan Six was in the front car, with Touchdown, Quiz, Demon, and Jet in the second car. Blade and Tomahawk guarded Burmaster and Beemler in the last car.
“Take the controls, Tank,” said Hawkeye. “When we get another half mile down the line, push this thing to the max.”
“You got it, Mike.”
The maglev was gaining speed, but it lurched every few seconds, the cars leaning right and left, at times scraping the guideway.
The sound of thunder traveled through the tunnel, followed by what sounded almost like the roar of a prehistoric animal.
“I think the cube is history,” Tank observed. “No pun intended.”
The train gained speed, traveling like a bullet beneath the Rocky Mountains.
“We made it,” Shooter said.
“Not everybody,” Hawkeye said.
The team thought of Eagle Eye, whose body was stowed beneath a blanket in the second car.
“I’ll never get used to seeing a team member die,” Hawkeye said, “whether it’s one of mine or someone else’s.”
“Let’s hope you never do,” said Tank.
The Moss Household
Alexandria, Virginia
Gwen and Ben sat on their patio, steaks and burgers grilling on the barbecue while the children played on their swing set.
Gwen took a sip of her favorite imported beer and took Ben’s hand in her own. She wasn’t free to tell Ben of Senex, only that there had been a sting operation at the Company designed to take out a few bad apples. It was technically true, and Ben accepted his wife’s explanation, although he didn’t think he’d ever get used to the cloak and dagger mentality surrounding the CIA.
The important thing, however, was that she was home and safe. The icing on the cake was that they wouldn’t be relocating to Colorado.
Gwen got up and flipped the steaks and burgers, dashing a bit of marinade on the meat as she did so. She looked at the tree line at the edge of the property, speculating on what life would be like when she returned to her sector in another month. Those debriefing her had said that appropriate time needed to pass so that a plausible cover story could be fabricated for the disappearance of Admiral McManus. The larger story, already circulating, was that many employees, including Gwen, were being given temporary leave while the sector underwent reorganization.
She planned on returning to the Company, but she wondered if she could ever trust anyone there again. The infiltration of the federal government by Senex had been subtle and insidious. Could she ever know with certainty that the people she talked with at Langley were not part of some secret government infrastructure?
Catherine Caine had asked her to return to Titan Global, but her life was here in Virginia, with Ben and her children.
No, she would stay with the CIA, but trust would never come easy again.
Sick Bay
Aboard the Alamiranta
Quiz had been grounded for three days while the infection was completely eradicated from his system. The spider veins had disappeared from his skin, but Grace had informed him that the meds were still restoring his DNA patterns to normal. He’d be good to go any day now.
Nguyen stood next to his bed and checked his vital signs.
“Looking pretty good,” she said. “You’ll be back in Ops before you know it.”
Quiz smiled. “Could you get my backpack from the mission. I’d like to start looking at some of the crystals I retrieved from the cube.” He tilted his head, motioning to three computers on the rolling tray table next to his bed. “I can start to get a general idea as to what kind of information they contain.”
“Sure, kiddo.”
Grace returned in ten minutes with the backpack. “Just take it easy for now, okay.”
“You got it. Thanks, Grace.”
Quiz opened the pack, his heart sinking when he saw the broken crystal. Had he lost his best friend forever?
Silence ruled his thoughts. He felt very alone.
He began scanning the crystals randomly. Many had gotten jostled about after he had passed out and Touchdown and Titan Six had taken him from the cube.
In reality, the computers he had in sickbay were not capable of displaying any images from the crystals or disks. He and Joshua would work on viewing the contents on more sophisticated equipment in one of the labs, but the computers gave him general energy readings. He was searching for only one crystal.
He held a crystal in his hands, clear and ten inches long. He closed his eyes and thought of Dante, of how the poet had morphed into a cloud of white energy before disappearing.
The crystal, suddenly warm in his hand, started to glow brightly.
“Dante? Is that you?”
The Italian poet stood a few feet from the bed, dressed in his burgundy robe.
“Yes, Quiz. It’s me.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Quite refreshed actually. Residing in the crystal seems to have given me renewed energy and clarity of thought.”
“Where exactly were you? Inside the crystal, that is?”
Dante smiled, his face almost transfigured in ecstasy. “I wandered the streets of the capital city of the Ancients. Such wonders! I’ve learned much about them that even The Gensis Code could never reveal. I have realized how truly young we are as a species. It will be a long time before we attain their level of wisdom and achievements.”
“How and when did they evolve on earth?”
“That, my boy, is a very long story. One for another day.”
Grace Nguyen craned her neck into the private room where Quiz was resting.
“Did you say something?” she asked.
“No, I’m fine. Thanks anyway.”
Grace smiled and disappeared.
* That was close. *
You’re back inside my thoughts. Good. Do you think it will ever be possible for you to exist outside my body permanently?
* All things are possible under certain circumstances, Quiz. For now, I’m content to exist right here in your thoughts. *
That works for me. Welcome home.
Another visitor entered Quiz’s room.
“Hi, lover,” said DJ. “I’m counting the minutes until
Grace springs you from this place.”
DJ kissed Quiz lightly on the lips.
I know you think my affection for DJ is more lust than love, but allow me some fun, okay?
* I didn’t say anything, old friend. I’m settling in, nothing more. *
DJ and Quiz kissed again. The poet said nothing.
Sick Bay
Aboard the Alamiranta
Gator, eyes shut, lay in his bed, the lights in his room having been kept off since he’d returned from the continental United States. The machine gunner had spoken to almost no one. The loss of his hand, and possibly his career as a soldier, was more than he could bear. He was glad Quiz had pulled through, but his problem wasn’t going to be rectified by a few injections. His severed hand had been packed in ice and returned by his team members, but the tissue had grown necrotic and died. His hand was lost forever.
Gator covered his eyes with his forearm as Grace Nguyen and Catherine Caine entered the room, switching on the overhead fluorescents.
Titan Six Page 13
