Day of Doom

by David Baldacci

  “When I’m not bugging the crap out of you.”

  “And don’t I know it.”

  Dan looked over at Natalie’s body. Ian sat next to it, his head on his drawn-up knees, his eyes closed, the tears sliding down his cheeks.

  Dan asked, “Do you think Isabel will even care . . . about Natalie?”

  Amy wiped her eyes one last time. “I would like to think that every mother would care about losing her child. That no matter how evil and ruthless you are, you would care about your own flesh and blood.” She paused. “But with Isabel I’m not sure. She’s not like other mothers. She’s not like other human beings, for that matter.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll care.”

  She tousled his hair.

  “Yes, we will.”

  “We’re running out of time.”

  Sandy was pacing back and forth in front of Vesper One. They were cloistered in Vesper One’s command center, which had TV screens showing all activity going on in the tunnels by way of hidden surveillance cameras embedded in the walls.

  Vesper One was not looking at him. He was watching the screen showing the room where Amy and the others were. And his precious Doomsday device.

  “I don’t like that they’re in there and we’re not,” whined Vesper One.

  “Yes, it is not an ideal situation,” replied Sandy, keeping his voice purposely even and calm. He had dealt with Vesper One many times and, though brilliant, he was still very young and prone to irrational actions, as were many young people with limited experience in the world. Sandy had been around the block more than a few times. He knew never to lose sight of the end game.

  “They’re in there with my machine,” said a petulant Vesper One.

  “Yes, but it’s electrified and they can’t touch it, much less disable it. But as I said, we’re running out of time.” Sandy checked a display on a computer screen that he had programmed to monitor all meteorological data in the world.

  He eyed the flow of data and said in a warning tone, “By my calculations our window of opportunity will be incredibly narrow. Perhaps no more than five minutes.”

  Vesper One focused on him for the first time. His features held the annoyed look of a child who had been denied his favorite toy.

  “And the result? You’re sure?”

  “The subduction zone interactive magnification multiplier formulas are very straightforward and surprisingly easy to calculate with enviable accuracy. If only predicting the weather were as reliable.”

  “And the result?” persisted Vesper One.

  “The city of Chicago and its three million–plus inhabitants will be under a hundred feet of water after Lake Michigan escapes its banks and floods the entire area. The loss of life will be catastrophic, the damage to property incalculable. The third-largest city in the country will be completely destroyed.”

  “Impressive,” said Vesper One.

  Sandy’s eyes shone. “And I will be there, after it’s over, of course, and a suitable level of safety has been ensured, to cover it all. I will be known the world over as the meteorologist who cares in the aftermath of disaster. A disaster I helped cause, of course, but that’s simply a technicality. Ah, the blissful ignorance of the public; it’s truly a wonderful thing.”

  “Exactly how much time do we have?” asked Vesper One. He obviously did not care about Sandy’s aspirations to be a world-beloved weatherman.

  “One hour — no more, no less,” Sandy said matter-of-factly after gazing at his meteorological data. “Oh, and a few more things you need to know.”

  Vesper One glared at him. Sandy’s tone had been a bit too condescending.

  Sandy, realizing this, quickly changed tactics. “As the leader of the Vespers, you must have all the facts at hand so that you can make the best possible decisions on the way to world domination, Vesper One. I’ve always believed that and always will. I am here to serve, nothing else.”

  Mollified, Vesper One said, “What else do I need to know?”

  “We captured Isabel’s men. But we have not gotten her yet. That means she is around here somewhere.”

  “Without her men I’m not that worried,” replied Vesper One. “She is troublesome, that is all. I trust that the Wyomings have been dealt with?”

  Sandy checked his watch and smiled. “The water was programmed to come on several hours ago. I’m certain they’re dead. Now, back to Isabel. Obviously her status as Vesper Two can no longer stand. So, I thought . . . ?” He let his voice trail off and looked expectantly at his youthful leader.

  “If Chicago is destroyed as planned, you will be elevated to Vesper Two, I give you my word.”

  Sandy smiled. He didn’t believe it, of course. There was no such thing as a Vesper having a word to keep. They all lied, all the time. They would say or do anything to get what they wanted. And being elevated to Vesper Two meant that he had only one more person to eliminate to become the top evildoer. Because he never kept his word, either.

  I would have been a remarkable politician, thought Sandy.

  “Thank you so much, Vesper One. You will never regret your decision.”

  “I hope I won’t. I don’t like regretting decisions. If you don’t believe me, just ask Isabel.”

  The tone and look of Vesper One gave Sandy momentary pause. But then, he shouldn’t have been surprised.

  He is a homicidal maniac. In fact, we all are.

  “I hear you loud and clear, O Great Leader.”

  He looked at his watch again. “And we now have precisely fifty-seven minutes and fourteen seconds for you to get in that room, insert the gear, and initiate the device. No pressure, just the facts.”

  Vesper One nodded. “It will be done.”

  Then his gaze fixed on one of the TV screens.

  “Brilliant!”

  “What is it?” asked Sandy as he hurried over.

  Vesper One pointed with glee at the screen.

  There was Isabel, wandering down a tunnel, looking lost and beaten.

  Vesper One said, “I think it’s time to finish dear Isabel once and for all.” He called up his men on his secure phone.

  “Kill her,” he said. “Now.”

  Isabel was wandering the tunnels, hopelessly lost. One of her men had carried the GPS device that would have allowed her to navigate the tunnels. But the fools had run off and now she was alone. She could not see the embedded cameras, but she could sense that she was being watched.

  As she passed one glass-enclosed room, she ducked down. There was a guard in there monitoring several surveillance screens. Isabel peered through the glass and saw images on one of the screens. It was the room with the Doomsday device. She could see it clearly. She could see Amy and Dan, and a wounded Fiske. She smiled gleefully at his bandaged shoulder. Then her gaze went to the far corner of the room, where she saw two bodies under the blankets. One was big and one was small. Then she saw Ian sitting next to the smaller body, crying.

  As Isabel watched he drew back the blanket, revealing the face of his dead sister.

  Something cracked in Isabel’s brain when she saw the image of her dead child. She had killed many people in her life. She had disowned her children for betraying her. She had boasted that she would kill them both if she had to. And she had meant it.

  And yet as she looked at dead Natalie and sobbing Ian, Isabel could not seem to remember doing any of those things.

  Her child was dead. Someone had killed her. And she knew who had done it.

  Vesper One.

  Isabel did it before she could even give the decision a second of thought. She dug out the flask from the knapsack she carried, opened it, and drank the contents down to the last drop.

  She waited for a moment, unsure of what would happen next.

  Had the idiot Dan Cahill made the serum correctly? Would it work? Or would she instead be poisoned? Quite ironic, since she was the queen of poisons.

  Five seconds went by and Isabel was on the verge of believing that nothing would happen. />
  And then, in the blur of an eye, everything happened.

  Everything.

  “They’re probably watching us,” Dan whispered to his sister.

  “I know. I’m sure this whole complex is wired for surveillance.”

  “Do you think they’ll be coming soon?”

  “Soon enough,” said Amy.

  “We’ve got four guns and thirteen people. They’ll have a lot more than that.”

  “That’s okay. We’re always the underdogs. Makes us work harder.”

  “You’re just trying to make me feel better.”

  “Pretty much, yes.”

  “Think we can get out of this one, Amy?”

  “I think we have as good a shot as anyone. Under the circumstances,” she added.

  “Quite diplomatic of you,” said Fiske, who had been listening.

  Amy wasn’t really listening to Fiske. She was once more staring up at the Doomsday device. She drew closer.

  “Amy, don’t get that close,” warned Dan. “It might suck you in or something.”

  Amy was staring at the empty niche where the gear would have to be inserted for the device to fully work.

  Dan drew next to her and looked at where she was staring.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “I’m thinking that in order for Vesper One to start up this sucker, he’s going to have to turn off the ‘force field’ to insert the gear.”

  Dan’s eyes widened. “You’re right. But how does that help us?”

  “We’ll see,” his sister said vaguely. “But with the power off, we might have our chance. Remember we were trying to think of a way to short-circuit it? That way we won’t have to. He’ll do it for us.”

  “I hope you’re right,” said Dan uneasily.

  Hamilton called out, “I hear something.”

  They all froze and listened intently.

  Jake said, “They’re coming. Everyone get ready.” He stepped back from the door, took cover behind some large boxes, and slipped out his gun, aiming it at the doorway.

  Hamilton did likewise at the portal he was guarding.

  All the others took up various positions of hiding around the room, but in places where they could attack in an instant.

  Sinead ran over to Reagan. “Let me have your gun.”

  “What?”

  “Your gun, let me have it.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m a better shot. And you’re better fighting with your feet and hands. We all have to play to our strengths.”

  “The only problem is, I don’t trust you,” Reagan shot back.

  “But I do.”

  They both turned to see Amy there. She held her gun out to Sinead.

  “I trust you, Sinead.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Sinead, looking surprised. She didn’t move to take the weapon.

  “I don’t have any choice.”

  Sinead slowly reached out and took the gun.

  Reagan gave her gun to Amy. “Sinead is right. Play to our strengths.” She raced over to guard another doorway.

  Sinead looked at Amy. “I won’t disappoint you. I’ll fight to the death.”

  “I know. We all will. We have no choice, really.”

  The two young women shared a hug and then headed off to different parts of the room.

  Amy ran over to where Dan was kneeling behind some boxes. He was smacking his fists together, his eyes rotating among the doors in and out of the room.

  Amy knelt next to him, her gaze darting around the room as well.

  “This is it,” she said.

  “Yep,” said Dan.

  “Wish you had the serum?”

  He turned to her, clearly surprised by the question. “No, I’m glad I don’t.”

  “Want to win fair and square?”

  “Something like that, yeah.”

  “What separates us from the Vespers of the world.”

  “I guess it does.”

  “Whatever happens, I love you, Dan.”

  Her eyes grew misty and Dan’s did, too.

  Brother and sister shared a quick hug.

  “I’ll see you when it’s over,” said Dan.

  “Yes, you will,” replied his sister.

  Amy hurried off. She stopped near the device and eyed the empty niche and then her pistol. She listened to the hum of the electricity coming from the device. Then, as she drew closer, she felt something tug hard on her pistol. Surprised, she looked up at the Doomsday device, the idea coming to her in a flash.

  If only it could work, she thought.

  She ran to the others. “Put the guns down,” she said. “And take off any metal you have now.” They all looked at her like she was crazy. “Just do it now. Please. It’s the only chance we have.”

  The pistols were placed on the floor and everyone took off any metal they had on.

  Amy put the pistol down, ran to one of the crates, threw it open, and pulled out the copper wiring. Carrying it wrapped around her shoulder, she raced back to the device and began to walk around it, unspooling the wire as she did so. She jumped back as the wire flew from her hands and wrapped itself around the device like a mummy’s bandages.

  Praying that it would work, she ran over to the others, who were staring at her, bewildered, until their pistols and other metal objects started flying off and sticking to the device.

  “What have you done, Amy?” screamed Reagan.

  “Given us a real chance, I hope.”

  And then she had no more time to think at all. The distant sounds now became far clearer. And nearer. The battle was about to begin.

  The last battle, thought Amy. There was no escape possible this time. It was kill or be killed. She drew a quick breath and waited.

  It wouldn’t be long now.

  The Vespers were coming.

  Not one of the three doors was thrown open.

  It, of course, could not be that easy.

  The walls opened instead, hissing along on motorized tracks.

  This caught the Cahills momentarily off guard as hordes of screaming Vespers poured through these openings, carrying guns and metal bats.

  Then it was the Vespers who were caught off guard.

  A dozen of them holding guns were ripped off their feet and flew through the air, landing against the device, sticking to it, and being instantly electrocuted.

  “Now!” screamed Amy. “Attack!”

  “Charge!” bellowed Fiske as he ran forward.

  They clashed in the middle of the room. Many of the Vespers had realized that the device had been turned into a giant electromagnet and had hastily dropped their weapons before they zoomed off to attach to the machine. But there weren’t as many Vespers as before. And they couldn’t use guns.

  Or knives, as one found out when he pulled a long blade and tried to slash Sinead with it. He was catapulted over her and landed upside down against the device.

  All thirteen of the Cahills fought like demons. Despite his injuries, Fiske kicked and punched like an enraged beast.

  Hamilton, Jake, and Reagan mowed down Vesper after Vesper, using all of their strength and fighting skill.

  Amy and Dan once more stood back-to-back, punching and kicking all Vespers who came near them. Even Atticus and Ted were swinging and kicking, although they often didn’t hit anything other than themselves.

  Amy watched with pride as Sinead slammed into two Vespers who were on the verge of strangling Nellie, knocking both of them unconscious.

  Jonah was racing around, kicking and singing a cappella, timing his kicks with pitch-perfect crescendos.

  Phoenix was the first to go down under the sheer weight of the Vespers, who kept crowding into the room.

  Little by little the Cahills were pushed back. They finally formed a circle in the middle of the room, and stood fighting side by side.

  Jake and Amy found themselves shoulder to shoulder. They glanced at each other during a brief break in the battle.

  “Ho
w you holding up, Ames?” he asked.

  “Been better. You?”

  “Could use some downtime.”

  “Maybe we can go somewhere warm after this is over.”

  “Yeah, maybe we can.”

  “We’re going to die, aren’t we?” asked Amy.

  “Probably, but we’re going to take as many of them with us as possible,” answered Jake.

  “I like your style.”

  “Back at you.”

  “ENOUGH!”

  The voice boomed throughout the room and everyone suddenly froze in mid-punch and kick.

  Vesper One and Sandy entered the room. Sandy was pulling along a wooden cart on which rested a large wooden case.

  The Vespers parted, allowing Vesper One to come forward, where he stood a few feet from his circle of opponents. He looked at Amy.

  “It’s over,” he said calmly. “And you’ve lost.”

  “Who says?” asked Amy.

  “He said,” snapped Sandy. “And he’s Vesper One. And I’m Vesper Two. And if you don’t mind, we’re on a tight schedule. We’re planning to destroy Chicago and we have to get a move on.”

  Vesper One said, “So it’s time for the Cahills to admit defeat. Give up now and you will be spared. Resist further and every one of you will die a horrible death. You have ten seconds to decide.”

  Amy and the others looked around at one another. Actually, they were all looking at her. She stood tall, put up her fists, and said, “I’ll take the horrible death, you freak.”

  All the others put their fists up, too, and prepared to fight on.

  “Have it your way,” said Vesper One. “Mercy isn’t really my thing, anyway.” He turned to Sandy. “Hand out the stone clubs.”

  Sandy opened the crate he had rolled in and began to hand out long clubs that had wooden handles and heavy stone ends.

  When each of his men had a weapon, Vesper One looked at Amy and said, “I’m thrilled to be able to fulfill your last wish of dying a horrible death.” He turned to his followers. “Kill them. Now!”

  Before a single Vesper could move, one of the doors to the chamber was blasted open by the force of six other Vespers being thrown through it.

  What came through the door after them made everyone in the room, even Vesper One, take a long step back.