by Franks, JK
Scott was thinking, he knew the guys wouldn’t have acted stupidly. “Do you have IR capabilities? You could look for that. The heat signature of an infected is different than humans, right?”
“It is, but none on the drone, I could look at the defense sensor array, though. Damn things been lighting up like a Christmas tree the last few days with all the infected.”
“Look for Solo, he should stand out.”
Skybox nodded, “Good idea, what are we going to do when we find them?”
“Plant the beacon,” Scott pointed to the cavern ceiling high overhead, “right over us.”
“You know what that means, Scott. They target that beacon with a bunker buster, or worse, a MOAB…”
“That’s their mission, Sky. This base has to fall.”
The timetable was advancing faster than any of them could have imagined. Skybox motioned for a man to come over. “Forget covert, this is it, man,” he whispered to Scott.
“Yes, Commander?” the technician asked looking directly at Skybox.
“I need a private encrypted channel with this officer,” he nodded toward Scott. “Set that up and relay it to my comms system.”
The man nodded, “Right away, sir. I’ll have it added on… channel five,” he said looking at the display on the tablet he was holding.
As he walked off, Sky said, “It won’t actually be private but should buy us some time.” He powered the helmet radio back on and showed Scott how to switch channels, then, as the tech waved and gave a thumbs-up, they tested it. “We won’t have long once that marker beacon is set. Go find her, Scott. Call me when you make contact.”
Skybox watched his friend leave and returned his attention to the screen. The team above was his one chance to end this. All of his years of blind obedience, and now he was betraying his leaders and his oath…or was he? Scott's voice came over his earbud a fifteen minutes later. “Nearing the door for the science section. Single guard on station.”
“Do what you have to, Scott. Your badge should give you access. Tell him you are conducting a welfare check on my orders. Own it, Montgomery.”
On that point, Scott had no problem. His adrenaline was pumping, but his level of confidence was off the charts. He approached, gun held at low-ready, and gave a small nod of the head to the lone sentry. “Safety check,” as he waved the card in front of the door sensor which turned from red to green.
“Think they are all gone.” The guard said. “None came back after the evac siren. Probably off grabbing a bite.”
“Still have to look, commander’s orders.” The door closed behind Scott leaving him alone in the unoccupied lab. “I’m inside Sky, no one here.”
“Acknowledged, watch your six.”
The labs occupied a large space, and each seemed to have separate functions. One was obviously an agronomy lab as plants and vegetables were everywhere. In one environmental chamber, he saw corn growing in what looked to be desert sand. The reading of 105 degrees showed on the display, yet the corn seemed to be thriving. In another, what appeared to be potatoes were growing on a vine not underground. The final shock was seeing soybean plants growing in near artic conditions. Frost covered all the leaves, but the plants here appeared to be thriving as well. What the fuck are they doing here?
Chapter Ninety-Nine
Scott wasn’t sure what he expected to see in the labs, but it sure wasn’t this. He reverted back to his previous career: gather data, analyze, process. His priority was finding Gia, so he moved swiftly but took time to study all that he passed. Charts with crop drought tolerances, dryland farming, xeriscaping. The lab went on and on with one thing after another all related one way or another to massive climate change.
He turned a corner and entered a smaller lab. This one was similar but different. Small pressure vessels filled one wall. Other containers were marked flammable, one with a handwritten sticker reading ‘Mycodiesel.’ He was unfamiliar with the term, but looking at the vats of growing medium, he assumed it was related to fungi, or possibly, a bacterium, one they were using to produce a type of natural fuel. Not a biodiesel like Bartos had made, but something directly from the organic material in the vats. His mind was racing, the purpose of the labs was eluding him.
He stopped and studied the space. There were at least a dozen different labs here. He had to assume they were all working on advanced studies. If each was related to a different discipline, the knowledge contained here was invaluable. “Sky?”
“Yeah, you found her?”
“No, not yet. The place is empty. I need you to do something, though. Find the files from the science labs and put them somewhere Tahir can access. The research going on here is amazing, like saving the earth kinda stuff. I imagine it will be backed up elsewhere, see if you can locate it. Doubt he could download it all before this place goes.”
“On it. Stay safe!”
A distant boom echoed into the complex. Scott knew he had to find the bio lab. That would be where Gia worked. He glanced at the map in his visor display. It was no help. Fourteen numbered labs were all that showed along with a grayed-out section which he assumed was the admin wing. That would be where the Council was, he guessed.
He continued checking the labs one by one. Some were obvious, like robotics, electromagnetics and one that appeared to be dedicated to pure physics. This lab had numerous smaller rooms, each focusing on a different aspect from cosmology to quantum engineering if the notes on the tables were accurate. He assumed a complex like this would be focused on the pandemic, maybe restoring the power grid, hell—even weapons research, but so far, it was everything but that. It was as if he had the answer to a question that was yet to be asked.
Several of the labs were labeled with warning stickers, some for radiation, others for chemical or high voltage and more than a couple with the distinctive interconnected triad of circles indicating biohazard. His radio chirped softly. Skybox’s voice came in a whisper, “Found the team, they are placing markers in eleven minutes. Rollins is sending word to Tahir to get the files. The clock is ticking, friend—move your ass.”
“Acknowledged,” was his abrupt reply. As anxious as he was to find Gia, the geek in him was simply overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge and research contained in these rooms. He wouldn’t have been surprised to see a downed alien UFO in one of the rooms. The science here was beyond cutting edge, and much of what he saw, he couldn’t even guess as to its purpose.
He pushed open the door marked 12 and saw tanks filled with fish and sea creatures, shellfish and several things he felt sure were ancient trilobites. Only these weren’t fossils of the ancient sea creature, these were very much alive, scurrying around on the fake seabed of the aquarium like giant nautical cockroaches. As he looked closer, he realized none of the creatures here were normal. While no marine biologist, even he could see the creatures looked more ancient, less evolved. A salamander with huge glowing eyes swam to the glass and watched him pass, its green head turning in a near full rotation to stay focused on him.
Darkened glass tanks held various creatures which he only caught glimpses of in the form of bioluminescent flashes. From archaea domain type cavefish to cryptomonads which were part animal, part plant, and even euglena eukaryotes which, according to the sign, shared neither plant nor animal characteristics.
A tray of vials was sitting out with a red bio label reading ‘Neurotoxin’ on the side. He picked up one of the small vials that had a covered barb on the top. A long rod like a speargun shaft sat nearby, he assumed it was used to inject and paralyze animals for study. Something brightly illuminated in a lone tank off to his left. He slipped the vial into a pocket and went to take a closer look. The lone creature inside was amazing. He’d never seen anything like this in the natural science museums, but then again, soft-bodied creatures didn’t often leave fossils. How in the hell had they…?
He was looking at a semi-translucent pale white angel hovering in the water. Not a jellyfish, maybe an ancient relative of a
sea snail, but this had to be four-feet high and a couple of feet wide. The thin, tapered body was supported by undulating gossamer wings that flashed brighter, bluish light as they flowed and rippled. What was captivating, though, was the almost primate looking face with lips that could have been human. She, and for some reason, he knew it was a ‘she,’ watched him and seemed to be beckoning him closer. Parts of the creature’s head were translucent, and he could see flickering movement inside. While completely alien, it also seemed totally normal. This was an intelligent creature, he could feel it studying him. Not as a predator, but as a rationalizing animal. The angel went dark as a piercing alarm sounded through the labs.
“Move. Scott, you are about to have company.”
He rounded a corner and encountered a sealed door with a bio-warning sticker and a large number 4. “Bio Lab 4,” he said out loud. He then looked back at all the labs, all the wonderful science here. No way Gia had been coming here. Bio lab 4 had to be just a coincidence. She would have told him had this been where she was spending so much time.
“Sky, I need access; this door isn’t opening.” He heard the door at the far end open and voices as men entered. “Going to need it quickly.”
“Got my hands full, mate, going to have to do your best,” came Sky’s strained response.
Chapter One Hundred
Pacific Northwest
Half a continent away from Tennessee, the distinctive tang of the nearby ocean hung in the air. The soft sole boots made no discernible sound as the man approached the house. He checked the house number on the ivy-covered fence again to verify he was at the right place. The overcast night provided no ambient light from the moon or stars. That was one of the main reasons he had selected it. Since the blackout, sunset meant darkness. No streetlights, no illuminated landscaping. No glow of interior lights or big screen televisions from the houses. Darkness was his friend, this was his world and always had been.
With conscious effort, he slowed his breathing. Not an easy feat considering the hike he had taken to get here. His pulse steadied, and he lowered the specialty night optics to view the surroundings. The ambient night vision in the device also offered an overlay of infra-red, thus, offering the ability to see a concealed enemy even in total darkness. He scanned the drive and surrounding houses seeing nothing out of the ordinary. In years past, in this neighborhood, he would have needed to watch for sophisticated alarm sensors and proximity alarms as well. Thankfully, those were also a rarity these days.
What he mainly had to watch for was the human and canine sentries. He took a half step and froze as he felt a twig beneath his foot. Slowly moving his foot to one side, he continued silently up the small embankment. Crawling the final few feet, he could now clearly see the house outlined in the green glow of the NVGs. Unlike the other homes in the once exclusive neighborhood, this one showed signs of life. He could see a heat signature on several floors and a bit of light leaking around what was probably thick blackout curtains. These people seemed unaffected and unconcerned by the events outside their estate. That wasn’t true, he knew, as they were as responsible as anyone for it all.
The man smiled as he zeroed in on his target. He mentally flagged each of the target’s security detail, filing them by threat risk and proximity to the path he planned to take. He knew from earlier surveillance how large the security force was. He had now accounted for all but two. He wouldn’t move until he had identified their locations as well. Patience was a requirement for him, rushing led to mistakes, and he had not survived this long by making mistakes.
His mental clock ticked off in his head. Slowly, he moved a small limb slightly down, so he could see the far corner of the large home. It angered him that this estate was not suffering like the rest of the world was. Most had no idea of the importance of the man who lived here, nor that he had survived the catastrophe of the last two years mostly unscathed. One might even think they had known ahead of time the sun was going to belch a million-mile cloud of plasma directly toward Earth. No, the people in this house had not known, but…they had been prepared and, even more so, ready to take advantage of the situation.
There, he spotted a cigarette glow near the edge of his optics range. Sloppy, he thought. Dialing the IR filter up, he could make out part of a head where the man was, but nothing else. That meant he was mostly hidden behind something, or…Shit. The realization changed his attitude. Some of the security forces were wearing cool suits. An outer layer, probably of Kevlar and carbon fiber composite over an inner liner that had a capillary network of cooling liquid which circulated around the body. This effectively masked the wearer from having any detectable heat signature on infrared.
He went through the moves of all the players once more in his mind. Had he missed anyone? Could they have had additional assets out here, and most of all, how paranoid did you have to be to put bodyguards in military-grade anti-IR suits when the rest of the world was rubbing sticks together to make fire now?
No…he had not missed anyone else. Of that he was sure. Now he was sure of where one of the hidden security people were. He also knew where he would have positioned the other one. He altered his preferred path to avoid the likely line of sight of that one as well. The clock in his head said it was time to go.
Like a shadow, the man worked his way through the security cordon without detection and knelt behind a small out-building. The grounds around the mansion had been cleared of shrubs, small trees, anything that could be used for concealment. The team protecting his target was good, and he had no desire to hurt them. His MO was to get in and get out without detection. He could only stay here a few moments before moving on, but he had to wait for the guards to move on. He knew the paths and the timing perfectly. Even without looking, he knew where they would be. Without warning, he took off at a run, still crouched and reached the house. He felt the bricks to his back and side. He was wedged into a dark corner created by two walls intersecting at right angles.
Barely pausing to take in the scene, he turned and began climbing up the brick wall. Forcing his hands and feet into opposing walls, he climbed using the deep mortar lines for grips. The years of rock climbing paying off as he climbed quickly and disappeared into the deeper shadows under the eaves of the roofline.
He paused again and held his breath as the next security patrol passed right where he had been seconds earlier. He counted off eight seconds, then felt for the roof. His fingers moved over the slate tiles to ensure they were all securely fastened. Satisfied that it would support him, he swung himself silently up and over.
The man lay in his bed, the oxygen tank steadily refilling the air beneath the plastic tent every few minutes. How frail the man appeared, nothing like the robust man he had once been. Getting into the medical wing of the house had been no problem from the roof. Then, all he had needed to do was wait for the night nurse to leave the room. All good, so far. He knew better than assuming that would continue.
Something was always there to cause problems. That was why he was such a good operative, he anticipated worse case scenarios in every instance. He scanned the room, someone would be monitoring the man, he felt sure. Would they have video surveillance or just routine medical transponders? He had the man’s dossier; this man was obsessed with privacy. He would never allow cameras on him.
His eyes fell on a picture on the nightstand next to the bed. It was a photo of the old man in younger days with a pretty woman who he assumed was his wife, a young boy and a very pretty girl of about twenty. Now, he understood fully why she had sent him. That would be the daughter, known to him only as Ms. Levy. If anything, she was even more dangerous than her father. He quietly removed the nylon case from his pocket. He cautiously removed the syringe from the kit and slowly approached the bed. He was not surprised to see the man in this condition. Just one more indicator of how good her intelligence had been.
The man appeared helpless, but he was not so naïve as to believe that. Once the needle pumped the dark fluid into the m
an’s bloodstream he would only have three minutes to get the information he required. After that, no one would ever be able to get it. Under the oxygen tent, the man appeared to sleep, but small movements behind the eyelids indicated something else. Perhaps dreams, more likely alertness. He was playing possum. Good. He wanted the man to know he was here.
Slowly, he lifted the plastic and reached cautiously toward the target. Just as he was about to touch him, the man’s eyes opened wide, and he swung up a compact Beretta pistol from the opposite side of the bed. It was too late; the tiny needle was already piercing through to the vein and the toxic cocktail was taking effect. The pistol dropped to the bed, and the hand followed it limply.
“You know why I’m here, don’t you?”
The man nodded once. He tried to speak, the words were slurred and indistinct. “I know you, bastard. You are Archangel.”
“Don’t waste my time, and I promise I won’t waste yours. Where can I find the others?” The drugs were having the desired effect, the man was incapable of giving misleading information or avoiding answering. Originally developed, then outlawed in its home country, the serum known to the Archangel’s colleagues as ‘Old No.7’ due to its resemblance to a famous Tennessee whiskey, had a murky history, but no one doubted its effectiveness. “By the way, your daughter sends her love.” The man’s eyes opened at this news.
Four and a half minutes later he placed the capped, empty syringe back into the case, dabbed away a small dot of blood on the man’s neck and took a final look at the monitors. The heart rhythm was beginning to get erratic. He shoved the kit into his pocket and checked the area once more before slipping out of the room as alarms began to wail. He allowed a small smile as he heard footsteps run past on the way to the patient’s room. He knew he had just killed one of the most dangerous men in the world. The former Mr. Levi. Even better, he now held the man’s most closely held secrets. Three more to go. He only hoped Skybox was taking care of number six. The other Levi.
