by Jan Domagala
“Why now? What is this Gateway Project and where the hell are we?” Sinclair asked, just wanting some answers. He felt he’d been kept in the dark for long enough.
“I’m sure Mister Rand can fill us in with all the details but Maguire told me our distraction gave him the chance to gain access to the codes before this base goes online tomorrow morning, is that right, sir?” Hawk replied, inviting Rand to offer some insight.
“Yes, this base is due to go operational tomorrow and I must thank you for preventing what could’ve been a tragedy,” Rand said.
“Just where the hell are we?” Sinclair asked finally.
“On the Moon, General, or rather several miles beneath her surface,” Rand said and he watched their expressions as the news sank in.
“But... well... er... the Moon you say, but we were...” Sinclair was at a loss for words.
“What General Sinclair is trying to say is, how?” Hawk said putting the question forward they both wanted answering.
“Quite simple really, we came through the Gateway which in layman’s terms is a hyperspace window or tunnel, if you prefer, one opening here, and the other on Earth.”
“Before we go any further, is there any way to verify that Maguire didn’t upload any data off this base?” Hawk asked. Although he was fascinated by this new project he was more concerned that the technology didn’t fall into the hands of OMEGA and was bastardised into a weapon to be used against the Confederation.
“I can check to see if any transmissions left the base,” Rand said, going over to the computer terminal Maguire had accessed earlier.
“As far as I can tell, he managed to download the data but no transmissions of any kind were detected emanating from this base by the sensors,” Rand said after running a diagnostic on the sensor logs to check they hadn’t been tampered with.
“Are you sure? Could he have relayed it through another transmitter or piggybacked it onto something else?” Hawk persisted wanting to be sure.
“I can assure you, Matt, nothing left here. There were no transmissions within five miles in any direction from here so you can relax.”
“Just how big is this base Rand and what’s it used for?” Sinclair asked, suspicion growing in his mind.
“It covers over five square miles, has twenty levels and it reaches almost ten miles down from the surface. We’re on level eighteen by the way and it’s used for, or I hope it will be used for, the security of the Confederation.”
“I don’t follow, how can it be used for the security of the Confederation?” Sinclair asked still suspicious but now confused too.
“You planned on handing this base over to Col Sec tomorrow, didn’t you?” Hawk said.
Rand nodded his head and said, “When we all learned of the attack on Confederation Headquarters by an unknown terrorist force as the news channels put it, I decided that this base would be ideal for whatever you need it to be. When it was on the drawing board I originally planned to use it for Research and Development, and the Gateway Project was five years into development by then anyway, all the major tests having been run here.”
“I thought you said it was going operational tomorrow?” Sinclair asked still not quite clear on the details surrounding this base.
“General, we’ve been operating out of this base for the last three years, we moved the Gateway here then so we could really test it. The day of the attack I shut the base down and withdrew my people. If you hadn’t come to see me I would’ve asked to see you sometime next week. How do you think you got an appointment to see the CEO of one of the top five megacorps at such short notice, even President Takagi has to book a couple of days in advance?”
“That explains how you knew we’d be friends, you already envisioned us working together,” Hawk said.
“A bit premature, I admit, but here we are,” Rand agreed smiling.
“Tell me more about Maguire, the Rover,” Hawk asked.
“Rover?”
“It’s what Wilde called them.”
“Okay, well he’s been with us for about ten years and for the last three years he’s been an executive assistant to the board, consisting of myself and Josh and Jess, my two children. So he was a clone, what gave him away?”
“His eyes, and they all look alike, like identical twins. The moment I saw him I knew he was your mole. I’ll lay odds on there being one in the executive offices of every major business in the Confederation. General, if that’s true then this has just gained another dimension,” Hawk said, a worried look crossing his face.
“Then it’s just as well you have this new base of operations, isn’t it?” Rand said.
“What are you looking to gain out of this?” Sinclair asked pointedly.
“I’m a patriot, General, but I’m also a businessman. This base is yours for the Confederation to use. All I ask is fair consideration on any of the tec and munitions contracts up for grabs. My corporation can provide the best you could ask for and more at a fair price. You said yourself you need an alternative to MaxCorp, which has been supplying both you and OMEGA. I’ll even bet they kept back some of the upgrades to give OMEGA the edge and, judging by the Nemesis attack, I’m not far wrong.”
“I’m afraid you’re right, I can’t disagree on that point,” Sinclair said.
“Do we have a deal then?” Rand asked.
Offering his hand Sinclair said, “We do indeed, Able.”
“Great, wait ’til you see what else we have for you,” Rand said, smiling broadly as he accepted the firm handshake to seal the deal.
31
The rest of the day went smoothly with Able Rand giving them a tour of their new base and explaining how the Gateway worked. Then they enjoyed a relaxed lunch after which they returned to their respective jobs.
Sinclair and Hawk returned to New York to organise the movement of staff to the new base and whatever else it entailed.
RandCorp supplied Col Sec with new com. units until upgrades for all NIs formerly supplied by MaxCorp could be implemented. Basically they were similar to the ear bug supplied by Tec Division but with a greater range which could reach anywhere on a planet, with encrypted audio and muscle flex operation. That meant there was no need to key the ear bug any more, it was now possible to activate it by a certain muscle flex, similar to clenching the jaw. They toyed with the idea of voice activation but how to differentiate between a call and normal conversation was a problem. Keyword activation was thought of but that would mean it being on constantly, monitoring all conversations, and choosing which words could activate and end a call? Finally it was decided that manual control would be best. The new unit fitted much better as it was smaller and more comfortable so the wearer was hardly aware of it and there was no impairment to the hearing when it wasn’t in use.
New sidearms were also issued, the Sig P999, a smaller more compact version of the P996 with only one setting – maximum. This gave a full load of twenty shots with the same range as the earlier model. Being a full three centimetres shorter and weighing almost a hundred grams less, it fitted well inside the custom-made holster beneath an agent’s jacket where it would be unobserved.
Hawk tested the new Sig on the firing range at Fort Brag as he underwent debriefing and put in some light training. After getting through three battery clips he felt as if it was almost like an extension of himself and he gladly replaced the larger, bulkier P996.
Sinclair contacted President Takagi with an update on the OMEGA situation and the new deal he’d struck with Able Rand. He was sitting in his office in Col Sec HQ at Area 15 when he made the call through a secure video link.
After the briefing Takagi said, “And what are your thoughts General?”
“My thoughts, sir?”
“As to the validity of Rand’s offer of the base and other supplies.”
“The base is extremely well equipped, the standard of which we’re just not used to from MaxCorp. The arms already supplied to us are excellent. Matt has given the new Sig P999 a
thorough testing and it’s received his go ahead. He’s already adopted it as his personal weapon of choice and I’ve given Recon Delta the green light for a change over to it. The com. units are working fine and will do so until we can upgrade the NIs with new tec from RandCorp and then OMEGA won’t be able to track or eavesdrop on our operatives. I’ve seen the new Cobra battle tec helmet already and on first inspection it seems an improvement on the Rapier. Again Recon Delta is giving it the run through as we speak and we should have a full report on it by the weekend.”
“I take it then your thoughts are favourable at this point?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Where are you on OMEGA?”
“We’ve contacted every megacorp in the Confederation with details of Maguire, the Rover. We’ve forwarded them his ID, his DNA, voice pattern, fingerprints and retinal pattern. Any one of these would be enough for them to recognise a clone if he’s there. I’ve ordered him to be detained by their security staff until we can send someone to pick him up and for his access to any data bases to be terminated forthwith.”
“Very good.”
“Sir, I would ask you to contact your counterpart in the Alliance and suggest they do likewise. OMEGA failed here with us because Jonas Wilde held a grudge against Col Sec and me personally. There is nothing to say that if we don’t smash them they won’t try to get the Alliance to do their dirty work, turn the cold war hot once more.”
“I see your point, General. You have my word; I’ll get right on it. What do you intend to do about Maxwell Eisenhower?”
“As soon as Matt returns from Fort Bragg I intend we drop in and see him.”
“Keep me informed.”
“As always, sir.”
“It’s been three weeks now, General, since the attack, how’s the recovery operation going for the bodies at the site?”
“It’s going well, sir. They’ve recovered enough to identify over thirty thousand people whose loved ones have been notified. All the remains have been recovered now and the identification process goes on and should be completed as per schedule, the site is being rendered safe as we speak.”
The memorial service will go ahead as planned then I presume?”
“Correct sir. Matt and I will be back from Cordoba by then and the search for the base will be complete also, it’ll go ahead on time as planned, sir.”
“Good, maybe people can get some closure then.”
“Yes, sir, let’s hope so.”
“Have your people identified Jonas Wilde in the wreckage from that transport yet? Three weeks seems an awful long time with the technology available to them.”
“They managed to locate a trace of DNA which they ran tests on but they couldn’t get a positive ID from it, claimed the sample was too degraded from exposure to the vacuum of space. Another sample was found and multiplied so they’d have enough to test, but every test came back with the same result, that of cellular degradation.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I’m afraid so, sir. The only way that all the tests could show that level of degradation was if the sample was taken from a clone.”
“Dear God!”
“Yes, sir, Jonas Wilde is still alive.”
MATT HAWK LEFT FORT Bragg and drove to where he’d left Tanya Wilde under the protection of two Col Sec agents, both recruits from Recon Delta as he himself had been.
Armed with the knowledge that the man he’d killed was a clone and not Tanya’s real father, he was faced with a real dilemma. Should he tell her the truth or not?
Should he allow her to think that her father was dead, that he’d killed him and in that way find some closure and move on with her life, probably hating Hawk for depriving her of her last parent, regardless of the kind of man he had been?
What happened though if she learned the truth? She would hate him for lying to her.
If, on the other hand, he told her the truth he would be consigning her to a life of continual fear. A fear that one day he would return for her again.
During the long drive to the safe house he pondered the question: what to do, what to tell her? As he pulled up outside the building he had come to the decision that it would be best to tell her the truth, she deserved that much at least and if she required his help he would give it freely.
The safe house was in a secluded area outside of New York’s sprawling metropolis. The street it was situated on had few houses and the owners liked to live private lives away from the prying eyes of the public or the lenses of the news channels on the GalaxyWeb. As a result, when he pulled his ground car up at the massive gates at the bottom of the tree-lined driveway, identified himself with a retina scan, then entered, no one gave him a second glance.
The house was quite large having five bedrooms, two bathrooms, two lounges, a large kitchen and a dining room. The entrance hall was open plan, in that a stairway led to a circular balcony, which fed the rooms upstairs. It was positioned centrally giving access to all the rooms on the ground floor. To the rear of the house was a large conservatory that overlooked the impressive lawns.
Hawk parked the ground car, a nondescript Maxim cruiser, one of the many pool cars available to Col Sec agents, on the white gravel forecourt in front of the house. The door slid into the recess in the coachwork allowing him to exit the vehicle and stretch his back and legs. The long drive had been almost intolerable with his six feet six inch frame squashed into the cramped interior of the Maxim. He loved to drive but these pool cars were a nightmare for him and he hadn’t had the time to pick up his own vehicle, an Alpha GTV9000, a two-seater sports coupé that was his dream car and an absolute beast to drive.
The front door to the safe house was situated centrally leading to the entrance hall and as he approached it opened.
Cameras on top of the gateposts, which gave an unobstructed view of the street in both directions for several hundred feet, watched his approach. Other cameras on the roof of the house picked him up as he entered through the gates and walked up the drive to the house. Not only did the cameras watch him they also scanned him so the agents knew he was coming, if he was armed and what physical condition he was in, right down to a skeletal scan.
“Matt, long time, no see,” greeted Mike Gregory, one of the two agents tasked with babysitting Tanya Wilde. Slightly shorter than Hawk at six feet three, he was still an impressive size and in good shape. He kept his light brown hair cut very short, almost down to the scalp, somehow accentuating the hazel eyes, which sparkled as his easy smile told Hawk he was pleased to see him.
“Mike, man, how long’s it been?” Hawk replied as he walked up the two stone steps to the front door to give his friend a bear hug, as they slapped each other on the back.
“Got to be years man since we were last in Delta together,” Gregory said, as they separated to look each other over.
“We’re still in Delta Mike, once a Recon Delta marine, always a Recon Delta marine, you know that,” Hawk said smiling.
“True, so very true, it gets hard sometimes when you get stuck with a babysitting gig like this though.”
“That lady is one very important lady. I can’t go into details but she ties in with the recent events at HQ.”
“You mean the attack?”
“Yep, can’t say any more, it’s classified, but this is more than just a babysitting gig.”
“Should’ve known really.”
“Not really, it was on a need to know basis, you know how it is. Anyway, you’re looking good. Listen I just need to see her, and then we can catch up before I head off again, okay?”
“Fine, she’s in her room, bedroom number one. Maguire has just taken her evening meal up to her, she’s not feeling too well.”
Hawk’s blood froze at the mention of the name.
“Who?” he asked, filled with a feeling of dread.
“Maguire, new guy, only arrived today. Carter was given this gig with me originally but he has gone on compassionate leave. Appare
ntly his wife died yesterday, an accident at home or something,” Gregory explained.
“What’s this Maguire like?” Hawk asked.
“He checks out, Matt. What’s this about? I know you, what’s wrong?”
“His eyes, tell me about his eyes,” Hawk insisted.
“Strange you should mention those – opaline green.”
Hawk was past Gregory in a flash, running up the staircase, his legs pumping to power him forward. He’d already drawn his new Sig P999 and pulled back on the slide to prime it. He was already half way up the stairs before Gregory had time to draw his own weapon and follow.
On his way up, his eyes searched for the right bedroom and the one to the far left was the only one with the door ajar; that had to be the one.
Reaching the top of the stairs Hawk turned to the left and reached the bedroom in a few strides. With a kick from his right foot the door was smashed open, almost coming off its hinges and the sight before him chilled his blood even further.
Standing before him in the centre of the room at the foot of the king-size bed was Maguire; his arm outstretched holding a Sig P996 to the forehead of a terrified Tanya Wilde. Those distinctive opaline eyes stared straight at Hawk as he burst into the room, his own gun aimed straight at him.
“You must be Matt Hawk,” Maguire said.
“Didn’t I kill you already?” Hawk replied hoping to put the clone off his stride.
“Oh, very good, calm in the face of impending danger, but in this case that’s easy I suppose, seeing it’s her and not you that the gun is aimed at,” Maguire said calmly with a trace of derision in his voice.
Tanya’s eyes were pleading with him to help but at the moment there was absolutely nothing Hawk could do but see how the situation panned out.
“Put the gun down,” he said calmly not wanting to precipitate what the clone was obviously here to do.
“Can’t do that, Matt.”
“How?” Hawk asked, hoping to learn something at least before the shit hit the fan and he killed his only lead, the one thing in this situation he was certain of.
