by Bob Blink
It wasn't often that many of the units were idle. With nearly five thousand people to route through the resort annually, most spending nearly a month in one of the units, the demand was great. Greg had explained that the four units used by Walker and his friends were down the hall, and been taken out of the normal cycle for residents, but it probably wouldn't be wise to make their attempt at visiting the Simulation using those units. Carol Meyers and her key technician monitored that equipment far too closely. Rao and his group had waited nearly a week for another room to be available for this effort. The other travelers in the resort were blissfully unaware that a route into the world they had come from had been opened, and was available had they only known the secret. Friends and family they hadn't seen in years could have been reached.
"Is anyone aware of our presence?" Rao asked.
"It's usually quiet this time of night," Greg explained. "The units in use can be monitored from the main operations center, and only if something anomalous develops do the various areas need to be checked. We heard a couple of people moving around the hallway, but there is nothing to trigger an interest in this room, which is marked empty until the next travel party checks in tomorrow."
Greg had overridden the external monitor panel outside the room to block any indication that one of the units had been in use. Now he pressed the last of a long series of control points, and the couch that Rao had used looked as dark and silent as the other three in the room.
"Now if we can just get out of here without being seen," Jessica said softly. She knew she probably shouldn't have come. She was a bit too high profile, given her existing relationship with Walker. Anyone who spotted her would probably recognize her, and could easily drop a word to Glenn next time he was in the place. It happened that the night the equipment was available was one of those when she wouldn't be staying the night with Walker, and she'd insisted on coming along. Of late there were more and more of those nights. She suspected the Director was starting to tire of her. In a way it would be a relief. Her position was even more precarious than Greg's. She was always fearful of dropping a word or two that might reveal her true allegiance, but by being close to the man she was able to pick up a few bits of important information, and might learn of planned killings, or equally important pick up on whether the group's interest in Walker's activities had been discovered.
"Let me check first," Greg said.
Turning down the lights before exiting the room, the engineer slipped quietly into the hallway while Rao and his two companions waited quietly. It felt like Greg was gone an inordinately long time, but finally, with a couple of light taps on the door to indicate it was he, Greg stepped back into the room. Ray slipped the stunner he'd kept ready back into a pocket when Greg closed the door behind him.
"A couple of talkative techs," Greg explained. "I didn't want to appear like I had something pressing to do, so I had to chat a while. They've gone back to work, so we can slip out now."
Greg, of course, would remain behind. He was on duty tonight, and couldn't simply walk away like they could. He opened the door, checked again to verify the coast was clear, and signaled the others to follow him.
They moved quickly down the main hallway, turning into a side corridor about two thirds of the way toward the front of the building. Jessica breathed easier after making the turn, knowing that this narrower hallway wasn't used as much and the chances of being spotted were far less. A couple more minutes walking brought them to a back entrance. Greg had already disabled the alarms on this door, so they'd be able to slip out into the cavern for the walk back to the residential area.
"If there is any indication our use is discovered, you need to slip away immediately," Ray warned.
Greg nodded and patted his pocket where he kept his own stunner. They only had three of the devices. The third was with Aaron, another recent recruit. Aaron worked in manufacturing and had alerted them to the gunpowder that was being made. Aaron had been a shooter in the days before the Extinction, and was comfortable with the little weapon.
"I'll go to the safe house out in the Ring area if something goes wrong," Greg explained.
Ray nodded his approval. They had set up three hiding spots in case things turned sour. The caverns were closed, but there was a lot of area that they could hide in, and Walker was disadvantaged in that he wished his activities to remain secret for now. He couldn't reveal a manhunt without explaining why, so finding them should he discover their activities wouldn't be all that simple. Ray knew of empty apartments in the residential area, unused buildings in the parts storage zone, and an underground bunker in the open spaces between the various nodes of the Ring. They had chosen three locations as safe houses, and had been slowly equipping them for an extended stay should it become necessary.
Even so, they were at a serious disadvantage. Director Walker was seen by most as the legal authority in charge of the Facility, and few would believe the actions they would accuse him of. Should the Director claim they were the ones involved in illegal activities, most would assume that to be the truth. They needed proof of a kind that couldn't be refuted. It didn't help that Rao and Dale were still considered outsiders by most, having been in the Facility only a handful of months.
With a final nod, Greg closed the door behind them, leaving the three conspirators out in the open in the semi-light of the night hours in the cavern. Taking the lead, Ray led them away from the Resort, staying off to one side rather than working their way around to the front where the normal pathway was located. They walked over the uneven surface of the open ground until the Resort was far enough behind them they couldn't be spotted should anyone chance to look outside. Even then, they stayed clear of the normal pathways, which were all but deserted this time of night, they might encounter the odd individual moving around. They headed west, circling around the residential area and coming into the living area from the northwest corner, almost directly opposite from where they'd have normally returned from the Resort. It was nearly 3 AM when they briefly gathered at Jessica's place before splitting up and going their separate ways.
"I am thinking we need to prioritize the backup computer links in the ring hideout," Rao said. "We cannot afford any break in the communications with those inside the Simulation now that we have initiated contact."
The underground equipment structure in the Ring that Ray had shown them as potential hideouts all had linkage to the Ring's computer network that had been key during the construction phase but had long been abandoned. Rao and Dale had checked and verified they could build a pathway into the system from the place they had selected.
"There is a good supply of computer gear still in stores that has never been needed," Ray said. "That's one area where attrition has fallen far short of expectations. We'll have to figure out how to raid the area, but I'm certain we can find everything we'll need."
"It is unfortunate that we don't have someone in our group from that area," Jessica noted.
"Yes, it is," Ray agreed, "but I don't see how we'd manage that at the moment, and as Rao says, we need it now. We can't wait until something develops. Working in our favor, theft is not something that has ever been a problem in the Facility, and as the stores have thinned out, cloning of those who work there has tapered off. They are running with a small staff these days, so I think we might be able to work something out. We'll need to get something to haul the stuff in though. It's a long way from the storage area back to the south side of the Ring."
Chapter 25
Sequoia Facility
"I was starting to wonder if you'd changed your mind," Joe noted sarcastically when Glenn Walker stepped into their special departure room at the Resort almost twenty minutes late. The rest of Glenn's team, Mark, Bill, and Luke had been there for some time and were sitting on their respective couches, already wired up and ready to go. Joe would be their control during the mission. Carol and Zack were also in the room, making the final preparations for their departure.
Glenn shot Jo
e a sharp look, clearly in no mood for verbal sparring.
"That damn woman is starting to annoy me," he hissed as he climbed onto the couch, sitting where Carol and the tech could begin his hook-ups.
"Jessica?" Joe asked, although that's who Walker was almost certainly referring to. She'd held Glenn's exclusive interest for longer than Joe would have believed possible. He was surprised that Walker hadn't tired of her long before this. In Joe's opinion, she was a little too independent for the relationship to last, so it came as no surprise that cracks were starting to show in the relationship.
"Who else?" Walker replied. "All of a sudden she has decided she wants to ride around instead of walking, like she's too good to hoof it like everyone else. She wants me to lend her the electric scooter for her personal use when I don't have plans for it. Claims I don't use it much anyway."
Joe shrugged.
"What's the big deal? She's right that you don't really like it except when you have to go to one of the far ends of the cavern. Why not let her have it?"
Glenn glared at Joe again.
"I guess I don't like the presumption. I give her the scooter, and you know what the scuttlebutt around this place will be. Besides, I've been thinking it might be about time to put some distance between us. It's not like we are married, and giving her the scooter will make it that much more difficult to institute a break when I'm ready."
"Is this what made you late?" Bill asked, listening to the exchange, hoping they could get going. He was a bit nervous. Despite the success Joe's team had had, the last time Glenn and his crew had been out was the ill-fated attempt in Chicago. Bill knew he'd be happy when this event was successfully completed.
Glenn nodded.
"I gave her the damn thing for the day just to be able to get away, but I had her drop me off outside because I was so late."
"Well, this delay will change your plan a bit," Joe noted. "You wanted to arrive while it was still dark, but you'll be arriving just about when the sun comes up now."
"It shouldn't matter," Glenn groused. "He lives on that damn ranch alone, with his two staff members driving in each morning. If everything goes as I expect, we'll be in and out before they get there, even with the late start."
Walker was referring to Clint Thompson, a former FBI big shot and close personal friend of the President. They had been Navy pilots together, sharing more than two years on the same carrier in their younger days. Now Thompson was retired and living on a big ranch just outside Denver where he raised horses, and spent considerable time hunting the various game animals the state offered. Thompson had retired from the Bureau early when his wife had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She had only lasted six months before the disease finished her off. Most of his friends had expected Thompson to return to work, but he'd decided he liked the kind of life ranching offered. He was high on Glenn's target list. Thompson had not liked Glenn, and had made it clear that he didn't think he should be placed in charge of anything as important as the Sequoia Facility. He'd nearly turned the President against Glenn back then, but timing and some deft political maneuvers had derailed the man's efforts. Glenn knew that Thompson would not forget his failure to see Glenn replaced, and would resist Glenn's future involvement in the new society. That meant he needed to go.
"Are you certain you don't want to abort and do this tomorrow?" Joe asked.
"Let's just get it done," Glenn said, as Carol finished his hookups. "We're all here now, and the delay shouldn't really change things. Does everyone remember the drill?" he asked, looking around at his team.
"He lives on that big ranch alone," Bill replied nodding. "It's a holdover from when his wife was alive and they entertained and had a lot of guests who stayed with them. Assuming we get there soon, none of his staff will have arrived, so we can break in and catch him alone. Should be a simple in and out."
"We're going to simply shoot him?" Luke asked. "Are you certain that we don't want to arrange for an accident of some sort? Maybe another heart attack?"
"The bastard's too damn healthy for that," Glenn replied. "Besides, I'd like the pleasure of watching his face when I put a couple of rounds into him. He has enough in the way of old enemies that the belief will almost certainly be that someone he prosecuted in the past finally came after him."
"Our weapons will raise questions," Mark reminded them. "They circumvent all of the usual tracers. You aren't concerned this event might be connected to the Washington shootings of that Senator?"
"There's not much they can do even if that happens," Glenn replied. "But, you have a point, and I've been thinking. Thompson collects old weapons in addition to all the hunting guns he keeps handy. It might be ironic if I can grab one of them and shoot him with his own weapon."
"Let's do this," Joe said, wanting to get them moving. He was surprised that Walker wasn't more focused, but then realized he was savoring the situation. He'd talked with Joe the day before about how much he looked forward to eliminating the former agent. Other than Rossetti, Glenn saw Thompson as the most important man on his list.
Glenn nodded and kicked his legs up and in, as he lay back.
Clint Thompson pushed back the empty plate, and finished off his coffee. Around the table, four of his former FBI buddies were finishing their own breakfasts. Dressed for the rugged days ahead, they were about to head out. They had a week-long hunting trip planned. Bear was their intended game, and three game tags had been acquired by the group. They would be taking a pair of rugged SUV's into the mountains where Clint liked to set up his base camp, with the actual hunt planned to start the next morning. Their gear was already packed into the vehicles, and they were just about ready to head out. While he was gone, Thompson knew that his foreman, Fred Sellers would see to everything around the ranch.
"Your guy's arrived," Bob Ayers said. "I think I heard him in the front of the house."
Ayers was a big man with thinning reddish hair. Five years younger than Thompson, he'd been trained by the older agent when he'd first come into the Agency many years ago, and had an impressive record. Thompson knew he was being considered for the number two spot in the Bureau.
"I didn't hear his truck," Thompson noted, annoyed that his hearing wasn't as good as Bob's. He hadn't heard anything to indicate that Fred had arrived. Normally, he'd have noticed the dust plume that his foreman's truck would churn up as it made it's way down the gravel road from the highway, but with the others here he must have missed it. A quick look outside didn't show any signs in the air lingering from the vehicle's passage. He checked his watch.
"It's a bit early for him," Thompson said. He knew it was possible that Fred had made an effort to get here early, knowing the events planned for the day. That would be like him.
"I think Bob's right," Jim said. "I think I heard something also."
Clint pushed back his chair and stood up. The fact the others had heard something that he'd missed was further support for Fred's frequent grousing that Thompson needed to get some kind of hearing aid. He felt he heard just as good as always, well, nearly so, and only old folks used the damn things. But maybe his hearing was worse than he thought.
"In the kitchen," he yelled down the hall so Fred would know where to find them. He put his dishes on the counter to be dealt with later. Bob had done the same, and Jim Clarkson was just behind them as Clint started down the hall to intercept his foreman. He was a bit surprised that Fred hadn't responded to his shout.
Glenn had been the first of the group to materialize in the oversized living room of Thompson's grandiose ranch house. The simulation had placed them right inside the house this time, saving any effort of having to sneak up to the structure and find a way inside. Carol's tech was getting better at this.
As he looked around, his three companions materialized one after the other and quickly took shape and solidified nearby. Luke cursed softly as he banged a shin on a coffee table as the result of his simulated self's awkward position. A moment later they heard Thompson's call from t
he far room. All but Walker drew their weapons at the call. Walker scanned the room, but this wasn't where Thompson kept his weapons, other than a couple of antiques for decoration that Walker wasn't certain would shoot anyway. Hearing footsteps coming their way he shrugged and pulled his own gun from the retention holster at his waist. He would just have to forgo using one of the man's own weapons to complete this job.
Clint Thompson was in the lead, with Bob and Jim just behind him as he headed toward the front part of the house. The two remaining agents were following, but somewhat behind them, having taken longer to finish their breakfast. Almost as one, the threesome stepped into the open area adjacent to the large living room, spotting the group of men moving carefully toward the hallway they'd just exited. Both groups were momentarily stunned and froze in position.
"What are you doing here?" Thompson asked, confused by the presence of the men, and speaking almost at the same time he realized the men were armed.
Ayers was faster, his eyes spotting the drawn weapons immediately. Jim Clarkson was almost as quick to realize they had a problem. Thompson had been retired for some time, and no longer felt the need to carry a weapon, but Ayers and Clarkson were active duty agents, and by directive of the agency always were armed. While their hunting weapons were safely packed away in the vehicles in the garage, their duty weapons were within reach, and without conscious thought both men moved with years of practice to bring those weapons to bear.
Ayers was fastest, and fired a controlled pair just as one of the men unleashed a series of shots, at least one of which struck home hitting Jim Clarkson before he could move or get off any shots of his own. Nearly simultaneously, the dark-haired man who appeared to be in the lead raised his weapon and placed two carefully aimed rounds into Clint Thompson. Ayers knew he had to move or the next rounds would be certain to hit him. Unable to fire back as he dove for cover, he was pleased to hear that the two agents who'd been trailing behind had joined the fray. Multiple shots were exchanged between the two agents and the four men now ducking for cover behind supports and furniture. Ayers saw the dark-haired man take a hit, and one of the remaining three stumble and collapse toward the floor after taking a round in the gut. Raising his own weapon to join the action, Ayers realized he didn't have a target.
