Live Bait

by David Archer

  When dinner was over, the tour resumed. They made it down to Level 3 and saw that it was used for storage of obsolete weapons and equipment. There were thousands of crates stacked along its walls, and most of them, Sam was told, contained rifles, pistols, grenades and landmines that were no longer in regular use.

  “They’re kept as a sort of emergency reserve,” the captain explained. “Should we ever experience the kind of invasion that can actually hamper our normal military response, these weapons could be broken out and distributed to the citizens. They may be obsolete, but they’re still in perfect working condition.”

  Sam’s eyebrows rose. “We certainly hope it never comes to that,” he said. “I take it this is kind of a doomsday scenario?”

  Captain Howell shrugged. “I’d say it’s more like for after doomsday. In the aftermath of a coordinated nuclear attack against the United States, weapons like these could end up being the last line of defense for our surviving citizens.”

  “You blokes have the most bloody cheerful thoughts,” Denny said.

  Level 4 was the housing level. There were nearly 200 rooms on that level, each of them equipped with either a full size bed or several bunk beds. The ones with single beds were considered officers’ quarters, while the rest were for the enlisted personnel and were stocked with bunks, six to a room. Sam and Indie were given one of the officers’ rooms while everyone else was assigned to bunk rooms. Each room had at least an en suite bathroom, but the officers’ rooms had private showers, as well. Everyone else had to use the community shower rooms designated for male and female enlisted personnel.

  Level 5 was general storage, and was packed floor to ceiling with cases of MREs, medical supplies, toiletries, tools, clothing, boots and shoes of different styles, and many other things. Douglas explained that there were many such stockpiles scattered around the country, just in case of massive catastrophic events. Those supplies could be distributed even to civilians in emergency situations, but would probably make it possible for up to a thousand people to survive in the underground base for more than twenty years.

  “In the aftermath scenario we were discussing earlier,” the captain said, “we could bring hundreds of uncontaminated survivors down here. It wouldn’t exactly be paradise, but it would mean survival.”

  “I couldn’t imagine having to spend twenty years down here,” Sam said. “What sort of situation could cause that to happen?”

  Douglas shrugged. “Could be a number of things,” he said. “A massive earthquake could make it impossible to get out, or nuclear attacks could make it dangerous to go on the surface. A meteor impact somewhere on Earth could cause dirt and debris in the atmosphere that would blot out the sun, putting us into an Ice Age. Anybody down here would survive all of that, but there’d have to be some serious population control.” He grinned at Sam. “You will notice that we have approximately an equal number of male and female personnel, and the ladies are all of childbearing age? That’s specifically because we could possibly end up trapped down here for many years. If a catastrophic event on the surface wiped out humanity up there, this base and a hundred or more others would hopefully be able to keep us from extinction. There is even a special system in place to allow all of the bases to remain in contact in such a situation.”

  “But would everyone really want to stay down here? What about those who have families on the surface?”

  “It’s one of the risks we take in this assignment,” Douglas said. “For example, if anything happened to our elevator, there’s no way out. It could take a year or more for a new shaft to be cut down to get to us, and if there were any type of disasters going on up there at the time, we’d be forgotten. That’s one of the reasons that most of our personnel are not married. Only a few of the older men are, but they’re fully aware that they could lose contact with their families if a situation arose that required us to stay down here.”

  Sam shook his head and the tour continued. It was time to go visit Level 6, and they were escorted directly to vault number thirty-seven.

  “This is the one you will be most concerned with,” Douglas said. “It can only be opened with the code that I’m about to give you. If you will enter it into the keypad, I can show you the genuine Soviet Sixpack.”

  The code consisted of sixteen letters and eight numbers, and Sam entered them into the keypad as Douglas recited them. When the last digit was in place, the massive steel door made a loud clank and then slowly swung open.

  There they were. Six huge warheads, each of them sitting on a wheeled cart. Something that looked like a small, heavy tractor was at the side of the room, and Sam realized that it was how they moved the carts around with such massive weight on them. The huge weapons had actually been designed to be used as missile warheads or as bombs that could be dropped from an aircraft, and Sam stared at them, suddenly glad that Harry had told him they were disarmed.

  “Good Lord,” he said. “Those things are huge. They actually drop those from airplanes?”

  Douglas grinned. “What you’re looking at is only the warheads,” he said. “These are the active, explosive portion of the devices. The one that was actually deployed in the 1961 test was encased in a bomb housing that was twenty-six feet long and weighed nearly 60,000 pounds altogether. The airplane that carried it actually had to have its bomb bay doors and external fuel tanks removed just so it could get off the ground.”

  “I understand they are still radioactive?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Douglas said, “but their shielding is still intact. The amount of radiation leaking from them is far less than you get in a normal x-ray, so there’s no real danger in looking at them. You can spend a week inside this room without any ill effects.”

  “But they have been disarmed, is that correct?”

  “Yes, sir. They are not capable of actual detonation, not without their plutonium cores. Those were removed shortly after they got here and are stored in a different vault.”

  “They’re here? In the same facility? Isn’t that a little bit on the stupid side?”

  Douglas grinned. “I understand why you ask, but there really isn’t much danger. Reinstalling the cores would take a thorough understanding of the design of the bomb, and there are very few people in the world who have that knowledge. I can assure you that there is nobody here who could actually make them function, so there’s not much chance it could ever happen.”

  Sam shook his head. “I certainly hope not,” he said. “Those things freaking terrify me.”

  SEVENTEEN

  On the western slope of the Rocky Mountains sits a little town called Telluride. Once a rather prosperous mining community where silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper were produced, it has become in recent years a resort town, offering skiing in the winter and numerous outdoor recreational activities throughout the rest of the year. Although the residential population is less than three thousand, there are often tens of thousands of tourists in the community.

  Situated on its eastern border is a house. The house was built in the 1980s, and had originally been the vacation home of a wealthy businessman. He and his family had used it periodically until just after the turn of the century, when it was sold to a company known as Franklin Holdings. Since that time, it has been used as a guest house for many people. What the local residents didn’t know is that those people who visited the house were not there to enjoy the tourism as much as to hide from the rest of the world—or someone in it.

  Franklin Holdings was the name of a shell company set up by the National Security Agency. It purchased homes in many parts of the country and even in other countries, homes which were used as safehouses when needed. As far as the local Telluride folks were concerned, the dozen or so people who took up residence in it were all part of a family or business group that was taking a break from their normal, mundane lives.

  In this case, they were partially correct. There were two older ladies who were joint grandmothers to the seven-year-old girl and year-old
boy with them, but there was also another older couple and half a dozen younger men and women. The grandmothers were, of course, Kim Perkins and Grace Prichard, the children were Kenzie and Bo, the older couple was Harry and Kathy Winslow, and the other three men and three women who came along with them were some of the most deadly security agents Windlass could provide.

  Being sent into hiding had become almost commonplace for the grandmas and the kids, and Harry Winslow had been sequestered in safehouses many times. Kathy knew enough about what her husband had done over the years to accept it in stride, so they were all able to relax and enjoy the solitude for a while.

  “That’s the third time Grace has poured your coffee before I could,” Kathy said. “I think she has a little bit of a crush on you, Harry.”

  “What, Grace?” Harry asked. “Nonsense, my dear, she’s far too young for me. Why, she hasn’t reached her mid-fifties yet.”

  Kathy smiled. “Still, I’m going to keep my eye on her. Can’t blame her, though, I have something of a crush on you myself.”

  They were all sitting in the living room of the house, watching the latest Disney movie with Kenzie. Kim was sitting on one chair with little Bo in her lap and Grace was on a footstool that was big enough for Kenzie to share with her while Harry and Kathy occupied a loveseat. Jerry and Alisha, two of the security officers, were on the sofa, while two others named Alex and Betty were prowling around outside. The third couple, Taylor and Miranda, were getting some sleep so they’d be fresh for the night guard duty.

  Harry was trying to relax, but his mind was on Sam and the current situation in Arizona. He glanced at the watch on his wrist and saw that it was nearly eight o’clock, then got up and wandered to the window as he took out his cell phone. He dialed Sam’s number and put the phone to his ear, making sure he was far enough away that Kenzie could not overhear.

  “Sam Prichard,” came the answer.

  “Sam, boy,” Harry said, “how are things going out there?”

  “Hey, Harry,” Sam said. “We’ve been taking a tour of the whole place, and I’ve got to tell you that I never would’ve believed something like this could even exist before now. Good grief, do you know all the kind of stuff they keep down here?”

  “Of course I do,” Harry said. “I helped design those DUMB facilities.”

  “Dumb? I don’t think that’s a term I’d use to describe a place like this. Good grief, Harry, it’s built to let its occupants survive the end of the world.”

  Harry chuckled. “Sam, ‘D-U-M-B’ stands for Deep Underground Military Base. I wasn’t making a judgment, I was just referring to it by its proper designation. Pretty impressive, is it?”

  “It’s downright frightening, Harry,” Sam replied. “Captain Howell and Sergeant Douglas have gone to great lengths to explain to me just how serious they are about security in this place. If anything goes wrong tomorrow, there’s a strong possibility none of us will ever get out of here.”

  “Things would have to go terribly wrong for that to happen, Sam. I don’t anticipate anything that disastrous. After all, the captain was informed that you are in command throughout this operation. Don’t let them intimidate you; there is nobody better than you to handle the situation with Wegner.”

  “Yeah, well, while I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Sam said, “I really wish you were here running this yourself. I love you, Harry, but the thought of spending the rest of my life locked in this place is not something that makes for a pleasant future.”

  “You will be fine, Sam. Have you got your plan laid out?”

  “Of course. Sergeant Douglas showed me several places I can stash people, so that we can come from three different directions when it’s time to take them down. I was also kind of impressed that all of the security people insisted on staying to help.”

  “I can’t say I’m really surprised,” Harry said. “Those are some good people out there, Sam. They’ll do what you tell them to do.”

  “Yeah. Now, if only I knew what it was I was supposed to tell them. Harry, I’m starting to think we were crazy to even try this. If this place was so secret, why in the world are we inviting a terrorist organization to step right in the front door? Do you honestly think the word about this place isn’t going to get out after this?”

  Harry chuckled. “Sam, the Baldwin Ranch is one of the worst kept secrets we have. Pretty much everybody in the intelligence world knows that it exists, even if they don’t know everything that’s stored down there. As soon as this operation is finished, it’s likely to be repurposed, anyway. All of its dangerous materials will either be destroyed or transported somewhere else that’s more secure, and it will become something like a survival shelter for political bigwigs, in the event of a global catastrophe of some sort. By bringing down the PAF, it’s probably serving its highest possible purpose.”

  “As long as we actually take them down,” Sam said. “I’m no fool, Harry. I can read between the lines. If anything goes wrong down here, I’m sure there’s a way Captain Howell can shut the elevator down so that none of us ever get out. Am I right about that?”

  Harry hesitated. “Just don’t let it come to that, Sam. Keep your wits about you, and you will be able to handle this the way you handled so many other things. Call me if you need anything, you have my number.”

  He hit the end button and cut off the call before Sam could say anything else, then turned and looked at Kenzie and Bo. If there was anything in the world he hated to think about, it was how he could ever tell them that it was his fault their parents never came home.

  * * * * *

  Sam looked at the phone in his hand and then slipped it back into his pocket. He was standing in the tunnel outside the room he and Indie would occupy that night. The phone had rung just as he was about to enter the room, where Indie was waiting for him.

  He stepped inside and shut the door, and his wife looked up at him and smiled. “It’s going to be okay, Sam,” she said. “We’re together, and Beauregard said that was important. One way or another, it’s going to be okay.”

  “And I can’t help but wonder if it’s all going to fall apart. Harry just called, and he says this isn’t as dangerous a situation as I think it is, because this place was not really all that big a secret, after all. If we can take Heinrich and his people into custody, everything will go well.” He thought about it for a moment, then sighed. “You should know that, if anything goes really badly wrong, there’s a possibility we may be trapped down here for good.”

  Her eyes betrayed her for only a second as a flash of fear went through them. Instantly, she got it under control and smiled. “But it won’t,” she said. “It won’t go wrong, because you’re Sam Prichard. You always figure out what to do, Sam, that’s what makes you the best. That’s the reason Harry trusted you to handle this. We all trust you, Sam.”

  Sam sat on the bed beside her. “I’ve got everything set up as well as I can,” he said. “Between our people and the security staff here, we’ve got thirty-seven armed personnel. Heinrich won’t be able to bring that many down with him, but he could have a fair sized army waiting up top. Even if we manage to arrest them without a problem, getting out of here could become a nightmare.”

  “I don’t think it’ll be that bad,” Indie said with a grin. “There are a dozen cameras hidden around up there, and I can see everything from the computer station in the control room. I can also reach out to get help if we need it. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is less than an hour away, and could get security forces out here to us pretty quickly by helicopter. You handle what’s going on down here, and I'll take care of the situation up there.”

  Sam looked at her. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

  “Well,” she said, “we are all alone in a private room. I suppose you could show me.”

  He opened his arms and she flowed into them.

  * * * * *

  Reveille sounded at five a.m., coming through the speaker in the ceiling of the room. Sam a
nd Indie were up quickly, got their showers and took care of morning necessities, then put on the black, bulletproof uniforms Q had provided and headed up to the chow hall for breakfast. Sam was delighted to see waffles on the buffet, and snatched two of them along with bacon and sausage.

  Rob Feinstein and his men were already there, so Sam and Indie joined them. Sergeant Douglas had another group at a table right beside them and another sergeant, named Rankin, had more people at a table on the opposite side. Summer and Jade arrived a few seconds later, followed by Denny, Walter, Steve, Darren and Reese. Sam waited until everybody was seated at the long table, then tapped his coffee cup with a spoon to get their attention.

  “Okay, people,” he said. “This is the big day. As far as we know, Heinrich and his people will arrive here sometime this morning, and might even be waiting upstairs right now. However, I’m changing up the plan a bit. Steve, I want you in the control room with Indie. Summer, Jade, I want the two of you to take Walter down and hide with the unarmed staff. Both of you take your weapons with you, because you will be their last line of defense. No, I’m not going to listen to arguments, you will do as I tell you. As soon as we finish breakfast, I’m going to take Mr. Reese to the control room, so that he can call Heinrich and find out the game plan. From the moment he arrives here, we stay in character until we can get all of them into one area.”

  “What if that proves impossible, Sam?” Rob asked. “He’s going to bring people down with him, no doubt about it. He may want to put some of them guarding the rest of us while he and a few others go with you to look at the bombs.”

  “If that happens, I have complete confidence that you and your people can handle the situation. We’ll also have people on levels 2 and 4, stashed in supposedly empty areas that Heinrich won’t know about. Besides my own team, we’ve got thirty-seven armed soldiers available. Sergeant Douglas will have nine of them on level 2, and Sergeant Rankin will have eleven on level 4. That leaves fourteen with you, Rob. As soon as we take Heinrich down to level 6, you guys get your weapons out of hiding and secure level 1. Indie will be in the control room, so she’ll notify Douglas and Rankin when the elevator arrives on 6. While we’re keeping Heinrich and company busy looking at the bombs, your guys will rappel down the elevator shaft, picking up the people on 2 and 4 on the way. Once you are all on level 6, just bring it on. Denny, Darren and I'll be with Heinrich and his people, so we’re going to do our best to make sure we take them by surprise. Avoid shooting if possible, but if it’s necessary, try to make each shot count. Remember what Darcy said about ricochets; we don’t need bullets flying around like crazy down there. Any questions?”