Landshark
Page 14
“Wow, that was fast.”
“Yeah, like I said, he’s good.”
Evan turned to check the line at the counter.
“Hey, I’m gonna get an iced coffee. You want anything?”
She held up two fingers. A few minutes later, he came back with two nitro iced coffees and handed her one. He took a long drink and leaned forward.
“Okay, so it turns out Professor Sato was definitely fired, but not for lab safety violations. Those were mentioned, but I guess it didn’t matter. Once the investigation kicked off, they started monitoring his web surfing and searched his work PC and found all kinds of stuff.”
Noelani put her hand to her mouth.
“Ewww, like porn?”
“Worse. Dead bodies—I mean pictures of bodies, nasty shit from World War Two. You ever hear of Unit 731?”
Noelani thought it sounded familiar but shook her head.
“They were an Imperial Japanese Army unit based in occupied China. They studied biological weapons and did human experiments on prisoners: plague, live vivisections, all kinds of gross shit. Anyway, Sato claimed the photos and data were for research, but what kind of research would UH use that for?”
Noelani took a sip of her coffee and thought about that.
“UH has a BSL-3 lab, right?”
“Yeah, but still. This shit was hardcore. Not something a university lab would be involved with—at least I hope not. Anyway, then they found a manifesto on Sato’s computer describing viral weapons—bioweapons—and he proposed experimenting on the homeless to get rid of them. He referred to human test subjects as ‘logs,’ the same term used by Unit 731 in the war. Is that fucked up or what?”
The more Noelani visualized what Evan was saying, the more her stomach churned. It sounded like what she’d expect to find on the Darknet.
“Yeah, it is. But why would…”
Noelani was rocked by an idea that became a sickening train of thoughts. It was too disgusting to say aloud for fear it might actually be true. What if Nathan was being used for some kind of experiment? Who would do such a thing to a young boy? Maybe a creep like professor Sato. She stood up, suddenly light-headed.
“I’m sorry, Evan. I have to go.”
“Huh? I just got here.”
Noelani left him at the table and bolted out the door.
***
She arrived at the police station fifteen minutes later. She parked her moped on the sidewalk in front of the HPD station off Beretania, not caring if it got impounded, and rushed inside.
She hurried through the lobby and found the front desk. A policewoman was sitting on the other side and looked up, startled. Before she could say anything, Noelani slapped her hands on the counter.
“I need to see Detective Lim. Right now.”
“Is this an emergency?”
“Yes, it’s an emergency. I need to talk to him now.”
“Miss, we have a process. I need your name and to know what this is about. If it’s an emergency—”
“Yes, it’s a goddamn emergency! I know where my brother is, and I need you to help me!”
Behind and off to the side of the front desk was an office with a large window. A detective in a tan suede suit came out, holding a coffee cup. It was Detective Lim. He looked surprised to see her.
“Noelani? What’s going on?”
Noelani went to him.
“Detective Lim, I know where Nathan is. You have to help me.”
He looked around the lobby. Several people were staring.
“Okay, calm down. Of course I’m going to help you. Let’s grab a room.”
Lim was one of the detectives working missing persons and was assigned to her brother’s case. Ironically, Lim had gone missing himself. Noelani and her mother hadn’t heard from him in months.
He led her to an interview room with wood-paneled walls, one of which had a large two-way window. Noelani sat at a rectangular wood table with a badly scratched surface. She imagined suspects were taken, questioned, and sometimes arrested here.
Lim noticed her looking around.
“Don’t worry, you’re not being watched or recorded. We’re just short on space around here.”
By the lines on his face, he looked to be in his mid-fifties, but he still had jet-black hair. He poured a cup of water from a drinking fountain in the corner and brought it to her. He wore a sad-looking smile.
“Here you—”
“Nathan’s at Diamond Head, Detective Lim. He’s there. I’m sure of it.”
Lim set the cup down in front of Noelani and sat. He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small notebook and pen.
“Okay, Noelani. What’s this about?”
Noelani took a sip and then drained the cup. She took a deep breath but couldn’t calm down. Her heart was racing so fast.
“Dr. Sato. The professor who was fired from UH a few years ago? He got hired by the company doing the cleanup at Diamond Head.”
Lim just nodded.
“Are you going to write any of this down?” Noelani asked.
“Sorry. Go ahead. I’m listening.”
Lim began taking notes.
“I just found out why he was fired,” Noelani said. “He had nasty pictures of dead people on his work computer and a plan—”
“Wait, Noelani. How did you get this information?”
She didn’t know Evan’s friend’s name and wouldn’t give it if she did. It occurred to her that a journalist never disclosed her sources, but what if a family member’s life depended on it?
“I can’t say,” she said.
“You can’t say?”
“Look, not right now, okay? Will you please just listen?”
“I’m sorry. Please continue.”
“Me and my friends—colleagues—were interviewing some homeless people the other day…”
Lim tilted his head, and if he interrupted her again, she was going to slap him.
“I’m interning at Civil Beat and we’re doing a special report on the homeless. The last people we interviewed knew someone who was abducted but escaped. He said he was taken to Diamond Head. That was the last area Nathan was seen.”
Lim was nodding and scribbling in his notebook. His pen stopped upon hearing about the abduction. He looked up.
“That’s interesting. You said they knew the guy. What was his name?”
“I didn’t think it was relevant to ask. I’m not a missing persons detective.”
Lim leaned back in his chair and smirked.
“Okay, so these homeless you interviewed. Did you happen to get their names?”
“Audrey and Martin. I don’t know their last names.”
“Doesn’t sound like a very thorough interview, Noelani. Can you provide a description?”
“Detective Lim, I’m here about my brother, not someone else.”
Lim studied her, then returned to his notepad and reviewed his bullet points.
“So getting back to Diamond Head. You feel there’s a connection between this uncorroborated story of an abducted homeless person and Mr. Sato, who now works at Diamond Head, which happens to be your brother’s last known whereabouts. Is that correct?”
When Detective Lim put it that way, it sounded crazy. But the rush she felt back at the coffee shop was like finding the missing piece to a puzzle. Now, hearing the facts repeated back to her, she wasn’t so sure.
“Noelani, did I get that right?”
She nodded.
Lim gave her his sad smile again.
“Okay, let me ask you this. What do you think is going on? That Mr. Sato has had your brother tied up in his office all this time?”
“I… I didn’t say that. I don’t know. Look, we’ve heard nothing new about my brother’s case. Nothing. I mean, what the fuck are you guys doing?”
Lim showed her the palm of his hand.
“Noelani, I understand your frustration. I’m one of two detectives assigned to MP. One of two. Despite our caseload, I’v
e explored every lead on your brother and I promise I’ll consider your statement here. But I have to remind you that Diamond Head is under federal jurisdiction again. We can’t just go up there with sirens and guns blazing, yeah?”
“Then call the FBI, or I will.”
“You’re more than welcome to do that. I can even refer you. HPD and FBI collaborate all the time.” Lim closed his notebook and put it back in his suit pocket, signaling their meeting had ended. “I promise I’ll contact you if anything changes.”
TWENTY-FIVE
After the meeting, Jake went back to his quarters to be alone. He sat on his bed and stared at the empty one across from him. He didn’t know if Ahi had next of kin to be notified, but looking at his nightstand, his bed, and the walls around it, there were no signs of family. Jake wondered if Ahi had been abandoned due to his handicap, and the thought punched him in the gut. The only personal item of Ahi’s he saw was an alarm clock shaped like a smiling puppy face.
In the short time that Jake knew Ahi, he was just a kind-hearted soul who liked dogs. Perhaps, like Jake, he found dogs to be less cruel than people. But even despite Odin’s deadly mauling, Jake believed there were no truly bad dogs—only bad masters.
Jake lost track of how long he’d been sitting, sorting his emotions, and thinking about what to do next. He was confident the progress he’d made with Koa could be repeated, but not fast enough for Geddon’s needs. That sucked. It meant Koa was expendable. And since his PTSD symptoms had returned, he likely wasn’t up for adoption, either. That could only mean Koa would be put down, and no fucking way would Jake allow that to happen.
He began wracking his brain for ideas while replaying the argument between Cooper and Geddon at the end of the meeting. Something about the tunnels and Dr. Satan. Jake assumed he meant Dr. Sato, the consultant he’d heard about but hadn’t met. With a nickname like that, he didn’t want to. Jake recalled finding the hidden lab but what they used it for remained a mystery. He thought of Dr. Montoya, who wouldn’t tell him jack shit, and her demeanor of quiet desperation. Jake trusted her—to a point—but she was scared. Scared of what?
Based on Geddon’s reaction to Cooper’s threat, there was clearly something he didn’t want to let out. “… shit going down in them tunnels,” Cooper had said. If Jake could get inside again and find what Cooper was talking about, he might gain the same leverage over Geddon. But how? After his last sightseeing trip, the main tunnel entrance was now guarded 24/7.
He recalled the large rusted door he saw when he arrived a few days ago. There had to be others, preferably not rusted shut. He jumped off his bed and fetched his laptop. After he logged in, he pulled up a search page and looked for everything he could find on Diamond Head and Fort Ruger. After quickly scanning various sites, he came across one that had maps and old pictures of the fort’s bunkers, battery locations, and tunnels. He studied the locations and memorized possible entry points. Jake made up his mind. He would find out what was really going on and blow it wide open. And then he would take Koa home.
* * *
Jake waited for nightfall. He dressed in his darkest clothes and stuffed a blue bandanna and a multi-tool in his cargo pockets. Not that it would pry open a rusted two-ton door, but he felt better having it. Also, without knowing what he’d find in the tunnels, having something for a weapon brought peace of mind. But first, he went to see Koa.
He badged himself into the kennel area and went to the food station. He poured a bowl of water and took it to Koa, passing Odin’s kennel. The Mal started barking, but upon seeing Jake, he went back inside his house. Apparently, mauling someone to death was enough excitement for the day. Koa, still without a house of his own, looked up from his bed.
“Hey, boy. Be nice now. Just bringing you an evening nightcap. Sorry, it’s only water.” Jake recalled the times he let Koa drink half a beer after a patrol. Koa loved it and it gave the guys a good laugh.
Jake opened the kennel gate and didn’t make eye contact with his dog in case he felt threatened. He replaced the water bowl on the floor and left the kennel, shutting the gate behind him.
Koa stood and went to his water, drinking heavily. For a brief moment, he looked at Jake in that way they shared, where it was like they could almost read each other’s minds. Koa hadn’t alerted any aggression. He was going to be okay.
“I’m going to get you out here, bud. You hear me? I promise.”
Jake turned to leave, and Koa watched him go.
He stepped outside into the night. The moon appeared to be sitting on the edge of Diamond Head’s crater, as if waiting for someone to roll it around the rim. He looked to his left toward the tunnel complex and spotted the burning cherry of security guard’s cigarette. Jake turned and went the opposite way.
Staying clear of the admin building, he navigated around the storage trailers surrounding the parking lot. He eventually came to an area of the training field hidden by scrub brush and scraggly trees. Straight ahead was the Kapahulu tunnel, the main entrance to and from Diamond Head.
Jake recalled from his online search that Battery Harlow, located on the north slope of the crater, was the biggest of the gun locations. It was highly likely there were additional entry points nearby.
As he followed a tree line running parallel to the Kapahulu tunnel, he found the access road he’d seen in a grainy black and white photo. The road was fenced off to vehicles but easy for Jake to walk around. The road went up near the lip of the crater, close enough for him to climb over the ridge.
The view was stunning. Bright lights of Waikiki and Honolulu glowed in the distance like gemstones and their multi-colored hues bounced off the ocean. And directly below him was the hulking shape of Battery Harlow.
The moon illuminated the bones of the structure—what was left of it. The big guns once aimed toward the sea were long gone. What remained of the concrete and steel structure was crumbling and rusting away. Large sections had already been reclaimed by vegetation that somehow thrived in the harsh environment. But what Jake didn’t see, at least from his angle, was another entrance. He had to get closer.
Jake made his way down the slope of the crater, avoiding dangerous drop-offs and sheets of loose rock, trying to maintain cover. He didn’t see anyone or signs of increased security, but he recalled Cooper’s story about trespassers. For all Jake knew, there were well-hidden motion sensors everywhere and he already tripped one.
Once safely down the other side, he caught his breath while looking for a way in. A narrow dirt road ended at another large, rusty door. Still nothing. Shit, coming here was a waste of time. If there was something hidden inside Diamond Head, of course all entry points would either be disabled, secured, or guarded.
Jake was about to leave when he heard an approaching vehicle. It growled like an animal as it crawled up the hill in low gear. Up ahead, he could just make out the main access road for the Kapahulu tunnel.
A black van came into view, but instead of going straight for the tunnel, it turned onto the dirt road. It was coming toward him. He quickly hid behind an outcropping of sharp volcanic rock. The van came closer, stopped, and left its engine idling. Soon came the sound of metal grating and struggling against a heavy load. Jake peeked from his hiding spot and gaped.
The big metal door, instead of swinging outward on rusty hinges, was raising toward the star-filled sky.
TWENTY-SIX
Late that evening, Geddon sat at the desk in his room, waiting for his handler in Washington to call. He sipped on a glass of Scotch. It was already his second, and after the day he’d just had, there would be a third. The orange glow of his reading lamp cast shadows on the wall, reminding Geddon of the coming darkness. Oh yes, it was coming.
After the cluster-fuck earlier that day, Odin was their only viable option for the mission. Good thing for backups. Levski was applying the dog’s titanium caps and Cooper was gathering their gear for deployment. Everything was going to be fine, he assured himself. He took another sip.
His laptop chimed, signaling an encrypted video call. On his screen appeared a logo of a black eagle with its wings spread, a snake in its beak, and a sword in its talons.
Geddon accepted the call and a dark silhouette of a woman’s head appeared. It was his handler, “Richter,” but Geddon knew that wasn’t her real name. In the years since he’d been recruited from USAMRIID, he’d never met or seen what she looked like. Their operations were the darkest shade of black, and as far as Geddon knew, not even the CIA or POTUS knew of their existence.
“Richter.”
“Good evening, Colonel. I assume everything is still on track as planned?” The woman’s voice was artificially deep, disguised as another precaution, but it wasn’t enough to hide her arrogant tone.
Geddon paused.
“Colonel?” Richter asked. “Is there a problem?”
“No, ma’am. The past day has been… challenging, but we’re good to go.”
Now Richter paused and Geddon imagined her listening closely for the slightest hint of trouble in his voice. Ahi’s death earlier that day would definitely fall into that category. It was better left unsaid.
“I see. And you don’t feel the mauling death that happened there earlier today is a problem?”
Geddon froze. Was there a mole on his team?
“That was the challenging part I just mentioned, ma’am. It was an unfortunate training accident, but how did you—”
“Colonel, did you think you’re the only resource we have in Hawaii? Considering all we have invested in the Diamond Head facility and the Landshark program, naturally we’ve taken every precaution.”