The three women turned in unison, perfectly synchronized, then darted away into the night.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The proximity alarm sounded, filling every room in Purgatory with a repeating siren and flashing lights. Starnes muted the alarm in his room, but the flashing blue lights continued. “Now what?”
Purgatory was buried deep within the northern Rocky Mountains, almost right on the border of Canada, and was only accessible in three spots. Two were highly treacherous and secured roads, one on the west side of the mountain, the other on the east. Both ended in gates forged of more steel than he cared to think about. The third and most used entrance was near the peak of the mountain and could only be reached by helicopter.
Starnes glanced over to the second of four computer monitors on his desk, typed in a command and several viewpoints from the compound’s various exterior cameras filled the screen. He checked the two mountain roads. There were explosives planted a quarter mile from both steel gates. If need be, he could detonate them, covering the road and any engaging enemy, in several thousand tons of rock. The mountain roads were clear. He turned his attention to the aerial views.
“Ah, there you are,” he whispered to himself.
Goodalle appeared in the doorway, knocking after he had already entered. His face was flushed and his hair was slicked down with sweat. He must have run here all the way from the lab.
“What is it?” he said in between deep breaths. “What’s going on?”
“Have a look.” Starnes motioned him over. He expanded the camera view to full screen. Two UH-60 Blackhawks were approaching from the east. “We have company. It appears General Pleasant is paying us a surprise inspection.”
“What do we do?” Goodalle wrung his hands together. “We can’t let them in here. They’ll ruin all we’ve worked for.”
“This base belongs to the United States government.” Starnes logged out from his computer station, stood to his feet and adjusted his uniform. “It would be very unwise for us to not let them in. Unless you’d like them to fire a couple of ‘bunker-busters’ in here.”
Goodalle’s red face drained pale white. “Can they do that?”
“Can and will if we refuse them entrance. Pleasant doesn’t know exactly what’s going on in here, but he knows enough to be afraid. And frightened soldiers make poor decisions. We’ll let them in. Let Pleasant have his inspection. He’ll either like what he sees and allow us to finish our work, or he will try to shut us down.”
“And if he wants to shut us down?”
“You know what to do. Be ready.”
Goodalle started to leave but turned back. “Do you think he knows about the Light Bearers Society?”
The weak little geneticist wasn’t a true believer. He was one of the few remaining in Purgatory that wasn’t. He thought the Society was a bunch of fanatics, but endless funding and room to break new scientific ground had dulled his objections. And now that he had seen the truth of the world—had the light brought to his eyes, so to speak—he was as faithful as any disciple. “I don’t think it really matters at his point. Go get ready.” Goodalle nodded, then scampered down the hallway.
Starnes headed toward the elevator. Two soldiers, both Light Bearers, met him en route and fell silently in step with him. “They will ask for your weapons. Don’t resist them.”
“Yes, sir,” both men answered together.
Starnes and his protective detail stepped into the large freight elevator. It was a hulking piece of machinery, built in the 50s, and though it continued to run day in and day out, one was always a little worried that this trip would be the last.
The elevator doors opened immediately upon reaching the top floor. Starnes and his men took to the stairs, climbing three more flights before reaching the large hanger door leading to the helipad. The door was just like the other two into Purgatory: twenty feet tall, thirty feet wide, and made of solid steel four feet thick. Starnes placed a different key into the door’s control station. He hesitated a moment, wondering just how long it would take the U.S. Military to penetrate the compound if he chose not to open it. This place had been designed to withstand a nuclear attack—of course, that had been when A-bombs were top of the line.
Starnes turned the key and pressed a large red button. The unimaginably heavy door began to sink into the floor. Icy mountain air, stirred up from the helicopters, rushed inside and whipped about them as if it could sense their body heat. The top of the door came to rest even with the floor. Starnes retrieved his keys, then moved toward the opening.
The two Blackhawks were already on the pad, their powerful blades still spinning, but slowing down. Starnes motioned to his men, not just because it was too loud to hear, but because he wanted Pleasant to see him give the order to stand down. The soldiers nodded, walked two paces out, placed their rifles on the ground and backed away. Starnes placed his hands in the air and slowly spun in a circle, showing that he was unarmed.
The doors of the Blackhawks flew open and twenty (ten from each bird) heavily armed Marines came rushing out. The last man to exit was General Pleasant. The Marines pressed forward, acquiring the discarded weapons, then flanked ten left, ten right. Pleasant strolled up the middle like a king at coronation.
Pleasant wasn’t a big man, a bit short and thin compared to the Marines that came with him, but he carried an air of authority and arrogance one can only get from knowing he or she is untouchable. Rumor was, Pleasant had his eye set on star number five, and from the smarmy grin resting beneath his salt-n-pepper mustache, Purgatory, one way or another, was going to be his ace in the hole.
Starnes and his men gave crisp salutes as Pleasant approached, which they held until the superior officer stopped just a few feet away and responded in kind. “General, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Starnes shouted over the sound of the dwindling propellers. Pleasant motioned for them to move inside away from the noise. Starnes waited for his men and the twenty Marines to enter before activating the gargantuan hydraulic pistons that pushed the steel door closed. With the wind and noise sealed outside, the sudden silence in the room seemed deafening.
“General Starnes,” Pleasant said, pulling a set of plugs from his ears and depositing them in his pocket. “Can you explain why our repeated requests for an update report have gone unanswered?”
“Sir, the compound has experienced some electrical malfunctions that—”
“A month,” Pleasant interrupted, his voice cracking like a whip. The Marines shifted nervously in their heavy gear, leaving no corner or shadow unchecked. Starnes, however, didn’t even flinch. “We could burn down all of Canada and rebuild it in a month. And you’re telling me your people can’t repair a simple communications glitch?”
“My apologies, sir. It won’t happen again.”
“Damn right, it won’t.” Pleasant stepped dangerously close to Starnes. His breath reeked of sauerkraut, and tiny drops of spittle misted the air when he talked. “Perhaps, this task is a bit out of your skill set. I’m here to see if you are still up to the job.”
“Sir, I am, sir. We have made great advancements and are on the verge of completion.”
“For your sake, I hope so.” Pleasant backed a step away. “After losing Lazarus, you are very fortunate that you weren’t retired, permanently.”
“Yes, sir.” Starnes did not nod, nor look away. There was no need explaining that Lazarus’s escape couldn’t have been avoided. That there was no way to know he would be so powerful. Pleasant didn’t even know who, or what, Lazarus really was. He just thought it was a genetic prototype that had perished in the fire. “I think you will be very…surprised by what we have to show you. We’ve acquired a new asset that we hope will take our research to new levels.”
Pleasant eyed him with suspicion. “Very good. Lead on.”
Starnes led them into the bowels of Purgatory. When they reached the point of entering the inner and most sensitive of laboratories, Pleasant ordered most of the Marines to remain
behind, allowing only the highest ranking soldier, a lieutenant named Yeskie, to accompany them.
“What you are about to see is highly classified,” Starnes told Lieutenant Yeskie.
“Yes, yes,” Pleasant interrupted. “He’s not an idiot. My men understand the nature of our business. Enough stalling. Let’s get on with it.”
Starnes swiped his ID badge and the heavy magnetic door lock released. The floor was still scorched black from Lazarus’s escape. The fire had gutted many of the rooms, and though they had stripped them clean, they remained skeletal frames of their former selves. Any money they had, they put toward research. Besides, it wasn’t like you could waltz your local contractor in here to make some speedy repairs. The fewer eyes to see this place the better.
“I’ve noticed your staff seems quite deficient compared to my reports.” Pleasant said, his hands clasped behind his back. “Where are all your men?”
Starnes couldn’t tell him that most of the residents that weren’t Light Bearers—and some that were—had been “relieved of duty” by the umbilicus. The abominable creatures had a ferocious appetite, and unless they could start producing some vampires for them to feed upon, they would soon come to a dangerous impasse within the compound.
“Well, sir, we lost several men in the fire. Most of the civilians—the doctors and technicians—are in the labs. The enlisted men have been posted at the inner part of the compound due to the nature of Goodalle’s work.”
It was hard to say whether or not Pleasant believed him. The man had a terrific poker face, never shifting too far from smug indifference. “Intriguing. I’m looking forward to what you have for me.”
Starnes led them through a series of reinforced, magnetically locking doors, into the large containment room. He stopped before the window of the only occupied cage. The room behind the glass was blanketed in darkness and all seemed lifeless. Starnes switched on the regular fluorescent lights and the Indian girl, who looked no older than a teenager, cringed in the corner, shielding her eyes.
Pleasant inched closer to the glass, his face emotionless. The lieutenant, however, wore a heavy frown with flames of disgust and disapproval flickering in his eyes. He lowered the muzzle of his rifle, his finger drifted closer to the trigger. His eyes shifted between the imprisoned girl and his commanding officer. Starnes could almost feel the young man’s conflicting emotions, his drive to be a hero battling his government issued need to follow orders. Starnes had never had that problem. The Society had always come first.
“So we’ve taken to kidnapping harmless little girls?” Pleasant asked derisively.
“Oh, I assure you, she’s anything but harmless.”
“General Pleasant, sir,” the lieutenant cut in. “Permission to speak freely?”
“Granted.”
“You’re not just going to allow this, are you?” Looks like the hero won this round. “I mean, even if she is an enemy combatant, look at her. We can’t leave her like this.”
The vampire’s brown skin was a sooty-gray. The last round of UV treatments had gone a bit long, and she was just now starting to heal. She glared at them through eyes like blood clots.
“Looks like you’ve been rough on her,” Pleasant said without any hint of real concern.
“We had to acquire her by force. She has been less than compliant, so some aggressive motivation has been necessary.”
“Aggressive motivation,” the lieutenant said with a scoff. He suddenly remembered that Starnes was a general, too. The hate-filled look melted from his face and he stood a little more at attention. “My apologies, sir. I don’t mean to speak out of line.”
“I understand,” Starnes said. “It can be a bit jarring. She’s vital to our research, and more deadly than you can imagine. But if you feel we are treating her unfairly, you have my permission to go in there and remove her.”
The lieutenant looked to his commanding officer. Pleasant, who had one bushy eyebrow raised, looked from Starnes to the girl. The vampire shook her head vigorously side to side. “No, stay away,” she said in a loud, hoarse voice.
“Lieutenant Yeskie,” Pleasant said. “Go retrieve the girl.”
The soldier hopped into action without hesitation, but Starnes caught him by the arm. There was a fraction of a second when he was sure the lieutenant was going to punch him. This time, the military training overruled the hero in him, for which Starnes was glad. The man was a mammoth of a beast, and it would’ve taken a lot to bring him down.
Starnes held up his ID badge. “You won’t be able to get through the door without this, soldier.” He swiped it in front of the proximity reader and typed his access code into the terminal. The exterior door opened with a hiss. “The interior door will not open until the exterior door closes. Oh, and leave your weapons out here. Can’t have you firing inside the room.”
Lieutenant Yeskie waited for Pleasant to nod in approval, then he reluctantly placed his rifle and side arm on the floor. He stepped through the outer door and it slid shut.
The girl dragged herself to the furthest corner. “No. Stay away,” she screamed loud enough to rattle the large window. The lieutenant stood near the second door, but the hero in him had been rattled. He looked longingly at the door behind him, as though it were out of his reach.
Starnes swiped his card over the prox reader a second time, typed in his passcode, then let his hand hover over the glowing red button. “Are you ready, lieutenant?”
“Please, don’t,” the girl begged.
“Sir, I’m ready, sir.”
Starnes pressed the button, opening the inner door. The lieutenant stood his ground for a full ten seconds before he walked into the room. The inner door zoomed shut behind him, and he jumped with a start. He turned back to the girl, not wanting the two generals to see the fear in his eyes.
“It’s okay,” he said, moving to the center of the room. “You’re safe now.” The girl huddled in the corner, her knees to her chest, her face buried in her hands. “I’m going to take you out of here. I promise, I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”
“You can’t promise that,” the girl said, her voice cracking with a sob. “They won’t let me leave. You need to get out of here while you still can.”
“No, I won’t leave unless you come with me.”
The girl raised her head. Her cheeks were stained with bloody tears that reabsorbed into her skin before they reached the corners of her mouth. Starnes smiled when the lieutenant took a step back.
“What are you?” Lieutenant Yeskie asked.
The girl writhed as if in pain. “It’s better if you don’t know.” She clenched her eyes, clawed at her guts, breathing deep. “I won’t do it,” she screamed. “Do you hear me, Starnes? I won’t turn him.”
“This is all very strange,” Pleasant said, looking somehow both fascinated and bored at the same time. “But I don’t see what this has to do with your mission.”
“Just wait,” Starnes said, still at the control terminal. “She’s older than she looks, and fed just a few days ago. I’ll give her some incentive. You might want to shield your eyes.” Before Pleasant could ask the question perched on the edge of his lips, Starnes flipped the switch for the UV lights. He spun the frequency dial to full, turning the room within from a light blue to a deep purple.
The girl released an impossible scream as her skin began to boil and melt. The sound shook the window, rattled the two security doors. The UV tubes danced in their sockets, and for a moment, Starnes believed they might actually explode. He pulled his hands away from the controls, jamming his fingers in his ears, but nothing could dampen the sound enough. He could feel the thrum of the girl’s vocal cords on his skin, behind his eyes, in his very bones. Pleasant backed into the far wall, his hands pressed to the sides of his head so hard that it looked as if he were trying to force his brain out through his sinuses. Poor Lieutenant Yeskie, however, bore the brunt of the sonic attack. He fell to his back, head clutched firmly in both hands, while trickl
es of blood from his busted eardrums seeped through his fingers.
Though it was painful to do so, Starnes removed his right hand from his ear and reached for the control console. He had never given the girl a full dose of UV radiation, and he made a mental note to next time bring sound suppressing equipment. He flipped the switch, killing the UV lights, bringing the crisp white fluorescents back online. The vampire continued to scream for half a minute, but her voice soon dwindled until all that came from her was a dull, pathetic groan.
Pleasant pushed off from the wall and staggered toward the window. A genuine look of shock painted his face, along with a heavy coating of sweat. “What was that? What’s happened to her?”
Starnes’s ears were ringing. “She’s not human. Maybe she was at one time, but now… Well, just watch.”
The girl was a terrible mess. Black puddles of disintegrating flesh surrounded her like mini tar pits. Her skin, along with her hair, fingernails, eyelids and lips, had dissolved into the tiny puddles, which were now evaporating into nothing. Sinew and muscle were visible everywhere her raged clothing didn’t cover.
She stood on all fours, her blind, lidless eyes white with cataracts. She sniffed the air like a beast on the hunt. She quickly caught the scent of the blood coming from the lieutenant’s ears, and bore her tiny fangs in a lipless snarl. Starnes had never seen this side of her, even when they had starved her for almost a year straight.
She sprang from her spot, almost too fast for the naked eye to track. One moment, she was in the corner, the next, she was atop the still prone lieutenant. Pleasant cried out in shock. His knees knocked together more than an almost-five-star general’s should, and he leaned against the glass for support. The girl plunged her teeth into the lieutenant’s neck. He shouted in pain, and though he tried, he couldn’t displace her.
Perpetual Creatures, Volumes 1-3: A Vampire and Ghost Thriller Series Page 69
