Now she had several web browser tabs open, searching and reading everything she could find about Diamond Head and Fort Ruger. Despite numerous search parties, she couldn’t squash the feeling there was still a connection to Nathan. Somewhere, a stone was left unturned, and she was going to find it.
It was strange how one could spend their entire life around a major tourist attraction and not know much about it. She’d learned in school how Diamond Head formed from a volcano about 300,000 years ago, but that was all she remembered.
Before it was closed to the public, the park had always been crawling with tourists. And before that it was the site of Fort Ruger, where she was focusing most of her research.
In 1905, the U.S. government bought the 720-acre area for a little over three thousand dollars. Today it was worth billions. The army established Fort Ruger in 1906 and soon built tunnels, bunkers, and pillboxes into the mountain. Artillery batteries were constructed as part of the coastal artillery defense system, but none of the big guns were ever fired during an act of war, not even during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
All the guns were removed by 1950 and the crater was turned into a national landmark in 1968. A few years ago, the park was closed due to environmental contamination because of hazardous waste leaching from nonconventional artillery shells.
Noelani checked the dates again and reread archived articles about the park’s closure. A couple things didn’t add up. For one, the military had nearly twenty years to clean up their mess and someone forgot about a cache of artillery shells sitting in a bunker? Doubtful. And nonconventional likely meant chemical or biological. Why would the military use those kinds of artillery shells for coastal defense in the first place? It didn’t make sense.
Once the contamination was discovered, Diamond Head and Fort Ruger were quickly designated a superfund site and had been closed ever since. She couldn’t find any information showing a timeline from when contamination was found to when the park was closed. It was like it happened overnight.
The only local article she found was about a disgraced former University of Hawaii professor. He was hired by the company doing the environmental cleanup at Diamond Head. She remembered hearing about Professor Sato on campus. He had allegedly been fired over repeated safety violations at the university’s BSL-3 lab, but details were never disclosed.
Her cell phone rang. It was Rachel, probably calling from the party she had tried to get her to go to. Noelani declined, saying she was sick, but she really just wanted to stay home and focus on her research. She picked up her phone.
“Hey, Rachel.”
“Hey, just thought I’d check to see how you’re doing.”
It was noisy in the background, reminding Noelani of her lack of social life. Instead of partying on a Saturday night, here she was, looking for clues into her brother’s disappearance. How depressing.
“I’m good. How’s the party?”
“Ugh, boring to death. You’re not missing anything. But hey, I talked to my boyfriend for you.”
Rachel was dating a cop at HPD and said she would ask him for advice. Noelani didn’t see the point. Detectives were still investigating her brother’s case, so what would a regular cop do? Still, any good news was welcome.
“Yeah? Anything?”
“Well, it’s weird. When I brought up Martin’s story about Diamond Head and mentioned your brother, he became quiet. When I pressed him, he told me to stop asking about it and follow up with the detectives.”
Noelani wasn’t surprised. In Hawaii, holding others accountable was as rare as a white Christmas. She stifled a sigh.
“Thanks for trying, Rachel.”
“Sure. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
They hung up and Noelani went back to work. A wave of hopelessness was threatening to crush her like a tsunami and doubt was coming in with the tide. She was just getting back into a flow again when her phone buzzed. It was a text from Evan.
Evan: Hey, you awake?
Noelani: Apparently. What’s up?
Evan: My buddy said yes.
Yes. After his second beer yesterday, Evan seemed to grow more interested in her. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he then came clean about his rep as a hacker: he lied. But he had a friend who worked in army cyber warfare who hacked on the side. Maybe he could help.
Noelani wasn’t sure how and didn’t know what to look for, but she had a hunch it wasn’t going to be on Wikipedia. She texted him back.
Noelani: Awesome! Can he access the HR records at UH?
Evan didn’t respond. Maybe that was asking too much and he was having second thoughts. He replied a few minutes later.
Evan: Probably. What do you need?
Noelani: Professor Sato that got fired? UH never released details. Might be interesting…
Evan: OK, I’ll ask and LYK. How are you?
Noelani: Good, thx. Still working.
Evan: K. G’night. Hey… wanna grab coffee sometime? ;-)
She smiled and was about to reply when her door banged open. Noelani nearly jumped out of her chair. Her mother stood there, swaying in the doorway with a drink in her hand.
“God, Mom, you scared the shit out of me!”
“Sorry, sweetie. You’re up late.”
“Yeah, I’m busy. You know, working?”
Her mother took a drink, ice cubes clinking in her glass.
“Whatcha working on?”
“Research.”
“Oh, research… about your brother?”
Noelani glared at her. It usually crushed something inside her when her mother asked the question. Not this time. Noelani stood and stomped toward her. Her mother backed away, a drunken smirk pasted on her lips.
“Next time, knock.”
She slammed the door in her mother’s face and locked it. Her mother cackled from the other side, her vodka glass clinking as she hobbled downstairs.
Noelani returned to her computer and put her earbuds in. She was too pissed to enjoy any music, but the buds muted the scream that was building in her head.
She launched Tor, a privacy-based Internet browser used to access the dark web. Despite its bad rep for selling illicit goods, repressed journalists and whistleblowers needing to protect their online identity were frequent users. For Noelani and those who knew where to look, classified information could be found that made WikiLeaks look tame in comparison.
As she searched for illegal corporate activities and government cover-ups, and chased conspiracy theories that led to dead ends, she stumbled upon a webpage for “professional services” for hire. Hitmen. She thought of her mother and smiled.
TWENTY-ONE
Late Sunday morning, Geddon went with Dr. Levski to the training field to give Cooper the news. He’d just received the green light from his handler in Washington and now they had forty-eight hours to prep and deploy a canine of mass destruction. Geddon laughed to himself. He liked the sound of that.
Despite Geddon’s recent conversation with Decker, and in spite of him being bit by his dog, it was clear that Koa was nowhere near ready to deploy. Geddon wanted to send the dog with the augmented toys—the potential for gathering intel was greater—but Odin would still get the most important job done: unleashing hell.
They were finally so close that he could visualize the terror in his enemies’ eyes as they turned into raging monsters and consumed each other’s flesh. Once Geddon delivered what Dr. Sato had been cooking up in the lab, revenge—and dinner—would be served. Eat that, fuckers.
The hard part now was dealing with Decker. Once Cooper and Odin deployed, surely he’d know it didn’t bode well for Koa. But after Decker saw the BSL-4 lab, Geddon couldn’t just put Koa down. That would set Decker off. Even if he didn’t know what they were cooking in there, Geddon couldn’t risk having to deal with a bitter, revenge-minded dog handler later.
He could just kill him. He’d dealt with difficult people before, and Sato’s methods were efficient. But murder came with
complications and Decker wasn’t a homeless bum. No, the best option was to let Decker adopt Koa and leave. He’d happily keep his mouth shut, Koa would find a good home, and the mission would move forward. Everyone would win.
“How quickly can you get Odin ready?” Geddon asked Levski.
“One to two hours. The new caps are finished, so just simple bonding procedure. Teeth will be ready by arrival in Kandahar.”
“You and Sato sure about the membrane?”
Geddon was repeating the same questions he’d asked Levski twice since yesterday. Levski seemed irritated by this, but Geddon didn’t give a shit. Now was no time for fuck-ups. Levski nodded.
“Yes, Colonel, don’t worry. As I say yesterday, we not replacing teeth, just bonding caps over existing teeth. Stability no issue and membrane will be fine.”
Geddon patted Levski on the back.
“Outstanding work, Vladi. You and Sato both.”
“Thank you, Colonel. What about Jake and Koa?”
“I’ll handle them. Just make sure Odin is good to go.”
“Understood, Colonel.”
They arrived at the far end of the field. Cooper handed Harding what looked like some money and then took a good ribbing from Harding about it. Odin was lying on the grass, taking a break from drills, and panting hard. Ahi was nowhere in sight.
Geddon had his concerns about Cooper, too. Army psychologists had labeled him a sociopath after he set his dogs loose on Afghani and Iraqi civilians, including children. That was no way to win hearts and minds, but Geddon knew then that, like Sato, he’d found the right man for the job. Cooper would have no problem having his dog attack at the first opportunity, no matter who the target was.
“Hey, Coop,” Geddon called, waving him over.
Cooper handed Odin’s leash to Harding and walked toward Geddon in his typical gunslinger strut.
“Mornin’, Colonel. Doctor,” Cooper said. “What’s the good word?”
“We’re good to go. You’re shipping out.”
Cooper broke into a grin and punched the air.
“Hot damn!” He then looked over his shoulder at Odin lying in the grass. His smile faded. “I guess that means what I think it means. You going to kit my boy out, then?”
Geddon slapped his hand on the man’s shoulder.
“I’m afraid so, Coop. He’ll go out a hero.”
“Yeah, don’t make it any easier, though. So what’s the plan?”
“Tac-vest with mic and camera. Vladi will prep Odin’s teeth. Just make sure he’s ready to take care of business.”
Cooper laughed.
“Oh, that won’t be a problem, Colonel.”
“Outstanding. We’ll do a final brief—”
Cooper was looking past Geddon when his eyes widened.
“I’ll… be… damned,” he said.
Geddon turned around. His lips parted, then slackened further. Decker was coming toward them—with Koa on his leash and Ahi at his side. With the gait of a show dog, Koa walked tight next to Jake, looking up eagerly for a command.
Decker stopped in front of them and looked down at Koa.
“Sitz.”
Koa sat. Decker took a training clicker from his pocket and pressed the button. It made an audible double-click, letting Koa know he successfully did what he was told. Jake tossed him a kibble and Koa snatched it out of the air.
“Morning, guys,” Decker said, grinning. “I think new introductions are in order. This is my dog, Sergeant Koa. Reporting for duty.”
Geddon walked over to them, shaking his head. The dog only had eyes for his leader. Koa smiled, his long tongue hanging from his mouth. Geddon stuck out his hand, and Decker shook it.
“Decker, how in the hell—”
Decker reached into the pocket of his cargo shorts and pulled out a faded red rubber chew toy about the size and shape of a potato—a Kong.
“Koa’s old one,” Decker said. “I kept it.”
Koa began barking and spinning in circles on his leash, going crazy. Odin began barking behind them as Harding struggled to hold him back. Odin wanted a piece of that Kong, too.
Decker turned and threw the Kong downfield. It arced in the sky, hit the ground, and tumbled in the grass. Koa started to run.
“Ack!” Decker yelled. “Sitz.”
Koa stopped and sat. Decker reached down and unclipped his leash.
“Bring!”
Koa took off, kicking up grass and dirt in his wake as he sprinted after it, ears peeled back, muscles rippling through black and tan fur. It was goddamn beautiful. Koa snatched the Kong off the ground and ran back to Decker, holding the Kong high. Koa’s carbon fiber prosthetics didn’t hinder his speed or mobility. If anything, they enhanced them. Geddon glanced to Dr. Levski and nodded. Nice work. The old doctor nodded back.
“Aus, aus,” Jake said.
Koa dropped the Kong at his feet. Decker clicked the clicker.
“Sitz.”
Koa sat. Decker clicked again and tossed Koa a kibble. Geddon chewed the inside of his lip, thinking of his options. He had a dilemma on his hands.
Cooper stomped forward, scowling.
“Not to piss on your parade, Decker, but our mission ain’t no walk in the dog park, playin’ fetch with a fuckin’ Kong.”
Ahi’s face lit up, looking like he would burst with excitement.
“Whatever the mission is, Koa can do it. He’s really smart!”
“Shut up, retard,” Cooper barked.
Decker shifted his weight as if about to take a swing at Cooper. Geddon stepped between them. He didn’t want to discuss details out in the open like this, but it had to be said.
“Cooper’s right, Decker. We just got word and—”
And what? Koa was the A dog and Decker had just pulled off a damn miracle. If the dog could still do it… Geddon looked down at Koa, his bionic legs, and his strange brown eyes. He returned the dog’s smile. This was the dog he wanted to unleash hell for America.
“Alright, Decker. Koa has to take remote, off-leash commands. No handler in sight. Can he do it?”
Decker was still glaring at Cooper.
“He can do it, sir. He’s done it a million times. Just give me the rest of the day to drill with him.”
Geddon put his hands on his hips and gazed into the distance. Dark skies threatened rain over the Ko’olau range. He thought of just giving Koa to Decker right here and now, but not so fast. The mission came first. He looked at the tough, dark haired handler and saw the determination in the man’s eyes.
“You and Koa have the rest of the day to drill your asses off. We’ll certify him tonight at twenty-one hundred. And this is it, Decker. No second chances.”
TWENTY-TWO
The sun had just dipped below the ridge of the crater, casting the remnants of Fort Ruger in shadow. Koa wouldn’t need the light. While he could see in total darkness, Jake and the others would see through his eyes. Despite the stakes, Jake looked forward to the challenge and tried to squelch the growing pit in his stomach.
He had just ended their training session a few hours ago. He wanted to give Koa time to eat, drink, and rest to recharge, mentally and physically. His dog would need it. As Geddon had said, there would be no second chances, and Jake took that to mean they wouldn’t wait long for Koa to get it right. He needed to prove he could do the job from the get-go.
Wearing his bite suit, Ahi accompanied them out to the training field. His job was to hide behind a blind and run like hell when given the signal. The bite drills they practiced earlier today went well. Jake wasn’t sure what to expect, but Koa engaged with a strong prey drive and released when told. Jake would have liked to get more work in, but Koa was tiring out.
“Jake,” Ahi said quietly. “What will happen if Koa doesn’t do good?”
“I’m not sure, buddy. We just have to do the best we can and hope for the best.”
It didn’t seem fair to progress so far in so little time only to be thrown into a do-or-die si
tuation, but they had to make it happen. Jake refused to think about the consequences, but he was sure they wouldn’t be good. He was still fighting negative thoughts and emotions when Geddon’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Good luck, Decker.”
Geddon and Dr. Levski were jacked into Koa’s satellite feed from the conference room. Cooper was with them, but instead of watching the main monitor, he and Jake would use VR-type headsets.
Jake motioned for Ahi to get in position downfield behind a blind, then reached down to give Koa a pat on the head. The dog was pacing and vocalizing excitedly. He was good to go. Jake unhooked Koa’s leash.
“Sitz.”
Koa sat, and Jake didn’t use the clicker. There would be no positive reinforcement on this drill. Koa had to do it by voice command and memory. That was no big deal, except for one thing: the voice wouldn’t be Jake’s; the voice would be Cooper’s.
“Alright, here we go,” Geddon said.
“Copy. In position.”
“Waiting for Cooper to log in. Stand by.”
Jake pulled his headset over his eyes. The twilight vanished as he saw the world through Koa’s eyes.
“Whoa,” Jake said.
It was an artificial, murky light, like a lampshade over the sun. In the corners of Jake’s vision were blue markers showing Koa looking due west. GPS coordinates pointed out his exact location. Another display showed the date and time.
“What’s that, Decker?” Geddon asked.
“Nothing, sir. Standing by.”
Koa was getting antsy. Jake ruffled his head and gave him a hand signal to stay. They had reviewed several signs earlier that day: stay, sit, come, down. After several clicks from the training tool, Koa remembered them all.
Cooper’s voice came over the radio.
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