The beach beyond the barge was not visible from our vantage point, so we still were unable to ascertain the size of the Lennox patrols. I doubted the patrols in the jungle would be an issue if there were even any left alive after Smith finished making his rounds. The barge was everything the blueprints had promised. The largest vessel of any kind I had ever seen by far. It barely even fit in the cove. The automated turrets were more menacing than I had imagined. I didn’t even need binoculars. Now that I knew about the other corporations, I could see this level of security was not meant for us; it was in case of attack from another corporation. Laura and I hike back to meet Tim and Riker. We told them we had made it to the cliff edge, and they both seemed elated. The four of us carried the boat full of equipment to the edge of the cliff, attached the parachute to it and threw it over the side. The plan worked beautifully, and the boat glided down to the water and rested upright on top. I sent Tim and Riker back to the base camp to await the signal. Tim and Riker wished us luck and headed back to the path. Laura blew the charge releasing the anchor, and the boat snuggled right up to the edge of the rocks. We couldn’t have placed it there any better. Laura and I got our climbing spikes on and got ready to make our descent. I tied her off to a tree just in case. She was not an experienced climber, and losing her was not an option. We made our way down slow and steady. She was a natural, and after only a few brief minutes we were already safely in the boat. We had survived the jungle and launched the boat successfully. It was time to tackle the barge.
CHAPTER 20
The Barge
Laura and I maneuvered our way around behind the barge and positioned our boat as close as possible to where we needed to work. We were like a speck on the side of this thing; it was more of a floating compound than a boat. There was no way they could move this thing even if they had to. That was why it was so well defended with the turrets and the security force. Laura took longer than expected to cut through the outer layer of the hull and ended up using both of our breathing masks. Hopefully, the oxygen in the hole would be sufficient, and my work would progress quickly. I highly doubted I would drown either way, but I didn’t want to take any unnecessary chances. I couldn’t wait to feel the tug of that line and get started on my part. The sooner I was in the small space the sooner I was out of it. Suddenly, the tug came, and I quickly dove into the water. I could already see that the hole was taking on more water than expected. I swam as fast as I could up inside of it. Laura began welding it shut behind me, but it was too late, the water nearly filled the space. Just as the space took on the last of the water, Laura sealed the hole behind me. I held my breath for as long as I could, struggling to retrieve my respirator. It seemed to be caught on something and I couldn’t break it free. I’ll know real damn quick if I will drown. As I released my breath, I could feel my body compensating for my environmental surroundings. My vision cleared, and the choking sensation gave way to a new breathing technique. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was breathing and functioning underwater with genuine efficiency. It was looking more and more as though there was nothing in this world that could kill me, and I didn’t honestly know how I felt about that prospect. After the water settled into the space, I had a 2in deep by 14 inch long space in which to work. I focused the cutting torch up there. I got to work immediately keeping the flame just out of the water and the heat as high as I could stand it. I developed a pattern 25 minutes on and 10 minutes off. I brought a thermite torch in case my primary torch got water logged. The Lennox Corp thermite cutting torch was one of the most versatile, compact cutting torches I have ever used. My preparation had paid off as the water took its toll and I had to switch over. This was taking longer than expected. After over 2 hours of work, I finally cut a section just big enough to squeeze through with the explosives and the virus injections. My duffle of weapons would remain behind.
I shimmied up through the opening with just what I needed, and just as Laura had thought, I was inside of a service room connected to the Nano-slave holding area. The room doubled as storage. I saw charts, records and supplies but unfortunately, no weapons. As I opened the door and proceeded out into the area beyond, I wasn’t sure I could believe what I was looking at, and then it all came into focus. There were rows and rows of people as far as the eye could see. They were lying in these custom-made chairs, with multiple tubes and lines running in and out of their bodies. Their eyes appeared empty and glassed over. The citizens appeared to be in a deep state of coma, unaware of anything around them, including me. I followed the room, taking notice of the numbers. By the time I reach the end, I lost count of how many people were imprisoned in this hell. My mother had estimated that there would be around 1,000 people. In reality, this was much closer to 5,000 people. Lennox Corp had been at this for a while. Everything that they were projecting and creating was being sent back and forth between all of their minds with some strange routing wire that carried an eerie glow. All the Nano-tech inside of me and I didn’t understand any of what I was looking at or how it worked. The setup was an incredibly advanced nightmare. Best I could tell, they were using the brain power of the Nano-slaves to fuse Nano-tech with the servers, but also using them to feed off of each other. They were creating their own network where Nano-tech is perfecting Nano-tech, using the slave’s brain as excess storage to access as needed. This was mental slavery on a massive scale. If Nano-tech was manipulating at the level it appeared here, everyone with Nano-tech in them was in danger; including myself. This farm was the proof Nano-tech in the wrong hands was deadly.
There was no sign of a security presence on this level just as we had been told. There were two A.I. robots that came through checking tubes and connections from time to time. I was glad they were around. I wouldn’t have known which tube was the feeder tube without seeing the robot adding a vitamin paste down one of the tubes. I took time to evaluate the situation. I wanted to be sure there were no other alternatives before I carried out a plan that included a mass casualty event of otherwise innocent people. It was apparent they nourished the bodies for the sole purpose of housing the brains of the citizens. The true essence of the citizens had long since died. That didn’t change the fact that whether they were aware of what was happening to them or not, it still felt wrong. After searching my thoughts, I knew what I must do. As sad as it was, all these people were now a vessel for Nano-tech. This was the breeding ground for all of Lennox Corp’s power; Lennox Corp must fall. I watched the robots make their round one more time. I fell in behind, injecting the Nano-virus into the three separate feeding tubes. It was the only way to assure the virus enters the body and brain undetected. I then began setting out the explosives. I didn’t know how long it would take for the Nano-virus to take effect, but once it did this entire barge would begin shutting down. Once that happened I would trigger the timer on the explosives and make my way up to deck 5. I had already been scouting the area, as I followed the robots around. The blueprints came into my mind, and the layout appeared making me aware of my location. There was a service compartment that the bots rode up and down in. That was my ticket up to the next floor. From there, I would have to rely on my recall to navigate my way to the right service ladders making my way up the multiple floors.
The longer I sat waiting for the Nano-virus to take effect, the more I rationalized my actions. The thing nagging me the most now was this extremely advanced technology and how Lennox Corp had continued to develop it without outside help. I knew the Nano-tech was doing most of the work now, but in the early phases they had to have tech capable of controlling the Nano-tech until they got it to a stabilized point of self evolution. That was where my questions pushed me. Now that I knew two other corporations existed, I wondered what role they were playing in our lives without our knowledge. I also wondered if they knew the conditions we were living in under the Lennox Corp rule and how they were treating their people. These were all questions I intended to have answered when this was all over. Suddenly it started happening, one
person went into violent convulsions, followed by another and another. It was the most disturbing thing I had ever seen as more and more of them began erupting violently. As the convulsions subsided, one person after another expired; I will never forget that image. Just as I had hoped, the barge and its systems began shutting down. I triggered the timer on the explosives. I had 10 minutes to exit the barge and get clear of the blast radius. Hopefully, Laura stuck around. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she left. The last thing she saw was me being sealed into a compact space in which I would surely drown. Deep down, I strongly felt our bond had grown to the point she wouldn’t leave me. I absolutely needed to believe that right about now.
I rode the bots service elevator up to the next floor and as I exited, alarms sounded as more and more of the barge’s functions were going offline. If I was correct, I needed to take a left and shoot down the corridor to the service elevator on the left wall. The elevator should take me up to the side of the barge from which I needed to exit. As I pushed down the corridor, I could hear a patrol on the move. They were talking fast and panicked about getting off of the barge. No one wanted to be on this thing as the systems were shutting down. They didn’t even hear me as I gained ground behind them. We were all heading toward the same ladder. I held back and let the first two get up the ladder. As the third man started up the ladder, I grabbed his leg, yanking him back down the rungs breaking his jaw on the way down. Once he hit the ground, I stomped on his throat finishing the job. I took his knife and his fast repeating assault rifle. I climbed up the ladder and shot the other two in the back as they scurried away. I now had to cross about 60 feet to another ladder on the east side of this wing and that would take me all the way to level 5 where I could make my escape. I looked down; I had about 7 minutes. I could see the ladder and I pushed harder and faster than I ever had in my life. I made the climb and saw the outflow pipe. I jumped in and took a fast ride down, shooting out of the side of the ship landing safely in the water. Laura flew up beside me in the boat screaming, "We only have 1 minute, get in". I grabbed onto the side, pulling myself into the boat as she sped away. I looked back and as I did, the explosions had begun, putting on the most amazing pyrotechnics show I had ever seen. I did my best to shield Laura, as the debris rained down from the sky peppering the entire surrounding area. We darted for the edge of the cove. We needed to make the beach on the other side as quickly as possible. It was time to join the assault on the remaining Lennox Corp security force. I continued to watch as the barge crumbled and sank. As I watched, I now knew I had not murdered those people, I had saved them from a fate far worse than death.
We made the bend, and there was our extraction team ready to take us back to the base camp so we could gear up and join the others. We pushed back down the path to the cliffs where our forces had taken position. Among them was Smith, patiently awaiting my return and his next command. I sure was glad to see him. Tim and Riker had taken point with our forces. Smith had done his part, clearing the immediate area of patrols. As expected, the Lennox Corp patrols had flooded the beach, watching in amazement as the barge continued to explode. I ranged out my long rifle at 300 yards and was ready to strike the first blow. There were approximately 200 patrols to our force of 50. We needed to hold the high ground and hit our targets. I combed their ranks, looking for the highest-ranking officer. When I found him, I took him out with one clean shot to the head. That shot signaled the attack, and as he fell to the ground, gunfire rained down from the cliff side. The security patrols scattered like insects when the lights come on. There was no cover to be found; it was a total massacre. After about 5 minutes of shooting, the scores of bodies lay motionless in the sand. We pushed our way to the ocean’s front. Any patrols still alive were to be eliminated. I left the clean-up work to the others and returned to base camp. It was time to deliver the victory message on the encrypted network. Tammy and Captain Chip were now clear to deliver the next blows while I got some sleep. Tomorrow, we would all be marching back towards the final elimination of Lennox Corp.
CHAPTER 21
Last Stand
The convoy rolled out early the next morning. High off of our recent victory, everyone was ready to return to S.C. 1 and finish this for good. One of our vehicles had mechanical issues, and it ended up taking us three days to return to S.C. 1. The streets of the S.C. 1 slums were empty when we arrived. Captain Chip and his forces had pushed the patrols into the heart of the city where they had them pinned. Both sides faced heavy resistance. Captain Chip set up a forward operating base a few blocks away from the front line of the push. From my perception things appeared to be at a stalemate. The thing that surprised me, Tammy and the entire force from S.C. 3 had come to here to S.C. 1, though the plan had been to only send a third of the force. Then she and Captain Chip approached me and filled me in on the details. Apparently when Tammy and her forces received the message, they invaded S.C. 3 to find it abandoned. No security, no citizens; a complete ghost town. Tammy concluded that Lennox Corp must have moved their people and resources to S.C. 1, which made sense since the corporate stronghold is based there. Lennox Corp had fortified the interior of S.C.1 with snipers on the rooftops and roving artillery vehicles around the corporate headquarters building. Once the Special Commander went missing, they figured we would come. They must have realized he might break. Considering that we may have infiltrated the hard drive, they figured we would attack the barge first and then come for them. Spread out between the three cities made them vulnerable, so they pooled their resources together at the corporate stronghold to ensure their survival. We didn’t have nearly the man power necessary to take on this size of a force. We controlled the outskirts of the city, but they still controlled the interior. But, This was far from over. I needed more information on S.C. 1, so one of Captain Chip’s men sent up a digital mapping drone. I wanted a better idea of the layout of the interior of the city. I might uncover a way to breach the corporate building. We still had a chance to avoid full-on confrontation. As we got the drone up into the air, Riker approached and popped off with his usual sarcasm, “Just send that maniac dog in there.” He joked. I appeased him with a slight chuckle. I was almost starting to like him, but running intense missions with someone can sometimes have that effect. I also sent two 4 man scout teams into the sewer system to look around. Those runs are like a maze, and finding a path to the corporate building may prove impossible. Time was running out. We needed a way in.
Our position in the city was untenable. At some point, they would push back trying to regain ground. The drone offered a tremendous view of our battleground. The corporate building had a heavily barricaded single entrance and exit. Down the road, leading to the corporate building, was a tight corridor undoubtedly guarded by snipers. The corporate building itself donned snipers, positioned on its roof. The surrounding buildings were security housing units for on-site security. I found no way to enter from the back. The wall is giant, and wide open sight lines allow the snipers to be vigilant. Even if we broke through the barricades blocking the interior of the city, we had no chance of making it through the tight corridor with the artillery vehicle. These factors made taking a force straight down the road and into the corporate building impossible.
The technician sent up the drone again. This time the drone mapped the area we controlled around the corporate building, prioritizing the highest yet closest structures to the corporate building. When the images returned, I found my answer. On the east side of the corporate building, two streets over, stood an enormous water tower that held the cities reserve in case of emergency. It wasn’t close enough to raise any suspicions climbing up on it, but it was close enough that we might find a way over to the corporate building. The risk is high, but I will take it. Laura suggested a harpoon gun, like the one mounted on my buggy. It would be a one shot try, to covering that distance. The firing mechanism should be a small explosive detonation. “Let’s give that a try Laura. You can head back and get started,” I said. Captain Chi
p agreed to give her whatever she needed to build the harpoon. I climbed to the top of the water tower for recon and to get a true measurement of the distance, with height factored into the equation. I took my long rifle with me. I needed to count how many snipers occupied that roof. If we intended to use the harpoon, I would need to eliminate the snipers first. The service ladder to the top of the water tower was by far the tallest ladder I had ever climbed; it just kept going. I never liked ladders much. I preferred free climbing a rock face to climbing any ladder. Once I reached the service platform, I laid down. Through my rifle scope, I had a clear look at the rooftop activities. My scope read about 400 meters rooftop to rooftop. That meant 1,200 feet of rope and a harpoon gun strong enough to fire it over that kind of distance; no way. We needed an alternative plan. I needed to return later for more recon work, but for now I needed to hurry back to the forward operating base and tell Laura not to waste the time or the supplies making a harpoon gun. I returned and found Laura already working hard to collect supplies. I sat her down and explained the situation. Though disappointed, she understood that we must scrap the plan. She and I returned to the water tower together that evening to gather any additional information we could by monitoring the activities at the corporate building after dark. We laid on the platform all night, through multiple patrol and sniper changes. I clocked the entire routine of the security team in charge of protecting the building. The top 3 floors were heavily guarded with constant patrols. The top floor, which contained the board members, boasted the highest level of men. Though unable to look into the boardroom from our vantage point, we could surmise the most obvious location. They left the middle floors completely unprotected. This was not too surprising considering the sizable force on the ground level. There appeared to be two artillery vehicles patrolling in a constant circle around the corporate building. They made a loop around the building, and then went down the road and came back, repeatedly. Having followed the routine of the security patrols for many hours, it became clear what my next plan of action would be. There was no way to attack this building with a force our size. My job wasn’t to figure out a way to get us all inside; I just needed to get myself inside. The true purpose of the patrols was to act as a deterrent to our forces. They built them to stop an invasion; not one man. With proper preparation and timing, I planned on sneaking in right under their noses. I would need to find a blind spot and scale the building up to one of the unpatrolled floors, entering through a window. Laura picked up I had figured something out. She asked. “What is it? I can tell from that grin, the answer revealed itself to you.” I smiled. My time with Laura was becoming more and more meaningful. I answered her, ‘Yes it has, and they will never see it coming.” I explained to her my plan to enter the building alone and work my way up to the top floor. Although she would rather I didn’t go in there alone, she agreed it was by far the best plan, and probably the only plan that stood any actual chance of success. She agreed to be my over watch. She would take up a position on the tower and feed me information on guard movements or any other activity that seemed out of the ordinary or contrary to the routine. We spent two more nights tracking the activities of the security forces before I felt comfortable making my move on the building. They didn’t seem like they were preparing any kind of offensive, just trying to wait us out. It didn’t matter, the longer we waited the weaker it made us. We couldn’t hold them indefinitely.
Lennox Corporation: Book 1 in the Savior Series Page 11
