She whirled around, calling to Dulce with her arms extended, and the small gorilla ran to her.
DeeAnn searched the darkened room. There was nothing to use as a weapon, except possibly a couple of chiseling tools lying next to the samples. But both were too small to provide any real defense. She then considered the floor sloping down into the darkness and held out her phone. It wasn’t strong enough to light anything beyond ten feet.
Frantic, she turned when she heard voices outside. Male voices, speaking in Amharic. Men that were clearly here to rob them.
Two of the voices grew aggressively louder, followed by a scuffle just before a strange, high-pitched explosion sounded and everything went quiet.
DeeAnn looked down at Dulce, then Dexter, waiting anxiously. The smaller monkey was still whining loudly. And to DeeAnn’s astonishment, a single unexpected word sounded from her vest.
Bad.
***
The long silence was terrifying, not knowing what was happening. Eventually, it dared DeeAnn to ease the rickety door open and poke out one side of her head.
Not far away was Ronin, quietly kneeling and examining one of the figures.
She stepped out and carefully approached, stopping almost twenty feet away.
“What happened?”
He quickly stood up. “Um, nothing.”
“Nothing?” She pointed at the men on the ground.
“They meant us harm.”
“What did they say?”
“I don’t know,” Ronin shrugged. “But we should go.”
DeeAnn edged closer. Behind her, Dulce and Dexter remained in the cave, peeking out from the safety of the door. “Are they dead?”
“No.”
“Are they unconscious?”
“Sure.”
DeeAnn examined the men sprawled in the dirt and noted their rifles on the ground.
“How long will they…?”
“Fifteen minutes perhaps. Do we require anything else here?”
She stared at him, blinking. When she stopped, her eyes seemed to glaze over for several moments. Then they returned to Ronin. “Wait. What did you say before?”
He shook his head.
“Inside. You said something. Right before…” She turned to look back at Dexter. “You said something.”
“It does not matter. We must go.”
“Wait,” DeeAnn retorted, holding up a hand. “You…said something. About your parents.”
“DeeAnn Draper, we do not have much time.”
“You said your father was killed in the second event. On the other side.”
Ronin remained quiet, studying DeeAnn.
“On the other side,” she repeated, before taking a step closer. “On the other side of what?”
There was no response. The only sound was the whistling of the breeze.
“On the other side of what?” DeeAnn asked again, coming closer. When he still didn’t reply, her voice grew stronger. “Tell me, Ronin! Tell me what you meant by that!”
Uncomfortable, he opened his mouth but merely closed it again.
“Tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means.” DeeAnn’s eyes grew hard. “Go ahead. Tell me. Tell me that you didn’t just say the two impacts that struck your planet happened on different sides.”
She closed the distance between them with a look of intensity.
“Tell me!” she said, almost shouting.
Ronin continued staring at her before finally shaking his head.
“If I’m not wrong, then you’d better start explaining,” she growled.
“I cannot.”
“You cannot what?”
“DeeAnn Draper, I am not…”
“Not what? You’re not allowed to say anything?”
Ronin grew silent again, struggling to refrain.
“You’re not allowed to answer my question, is that it? You’re not allowed to tell me exactly where the impacts took place on your planet? Why? Why not? Could it be that they were on opposite sides of your world? On opposite sides, just like these alien vaults we found are on different sides of ours?!”
Her eyes were now locked onto his.
“Tell me I’m wrong, Ronin. Please. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“It is complicated.”
“Oh, I bet it is,” she said. Her eyes finally moved to his body, where she looked him up and down. “Where is it?”
“Where is what?”
“Your brick. Your silver, whatever the hell it is…transporter! Where is it?”
“Why?”
“Because you’re going to take us back. To Palin. Right now.”
“I cannot do that.”
“Oh yes, you can. I know you can.”
“You don’t understand. The energy required–”
“To hell with the energy!” she shouted, cutting him off.
“DeeAnn Draper, we do not have much energy left. Using my device outside of an emergency requires authorization.”
DeeAnn thrust herself forward, now within feet of Ronin and fuming. “Authorization? I’ll give you authorization! Right here, from the entire planet! Now open that damn door!”
150
The data center was enormous, even by modern standards. Supported by hundreds of white, steel pillars and eighteen-foot high walls, it was packed floor-to-ceiling with loud, humming computer equipment––only one of the dozens of enterprise data centers owned and operated by Hewlett Packard.
Raised flooring supported rack upon rack of computer and storage devices, all stretching as far as the eye could see. The only other noise originated from giant, powerful air-conditioning ducts, which churned day and night to maintain a steady sixty-eight degrees.
Yet of all the centers in operation, each spanning tens of thousands of square feet, the center in which Borger’s friend Rick Roland was standing was one of the oldest on the East Coast. Housing many of the company’s original mainframe systems, some originated back to the company’s acquisitions of DEC and Tandem.
But now, as with all things, the square footage required by the once great computing icons were systematically being replaced with less space-intensive racks filled with newer, faster, and vastly more powerful hardware.
To Rick Roland, it was bittersweet. He was just a few years away from retirement now after having been around from the beginning. Rick had lived through the very birth of today’s modern computer industry, from the creation of the first silicon wafers to the invention of networking that would eventually give rise to the idea of the World Wide Web, known today simply as the Internet.
Roland glanced up and down the long aisle before wiping his forehead with his sleeve. He then stepped back to admire his work. Standing next to an old closet-sized magnetic tape drive system, he had to admit there was something oddly satisfying at seeing the aluminum racks sporting the industry’s newest and most powerful computer system on the entire planet—called The Machine. And not more than ten feet away from a DEC VAX 11/780-5, the very first computer system he had learned to program on.
It was a fitting end to a life of work dedicated to an industry that had changed the world in ways no one could have ever imagined.
Roland grinned with satisfaction, and with another quick wipe of the sleeve over his forehead, he rested one arm on the VAX mainframe while typing out a message on his phone.
***
It took only seconds for the message to be received several thousand miles away by Will Borger, who highlighted and read the entire text.
Hardware is ready. Can pretend it’s lost for two months at most, so better hurry. Happy hunting. R.
Borger smiled, gazing a little longer at the small screen before relaxing and leaning back into his cramped seat. It was enough to briefly allow his mind to escape the anxiety of his current whereabouts. But only briefly.
Eventually the thumping returned, and he opened his eyes again to glance out the tiny window. He hated the landings.
***
A few miles aw
ay, feeling like an excited young girl, Alison Shaw stood on the mid-deck of the U.S.N.S Pathfinder. Gripping the railing tightly with both hands, she grinned from ear to ear at the distant shape of a Sea King helicopter approaching on the horizon of a cloudless azure sky.
As it drew closer, she continued down another deck to where it opened onto one end of the landing platform located at the bow of the ship. There, several others were waiting, including Captain Emerson.
The aircraft descended gradually and approached from a couple hundred feet above the Caribbean’s rich blue swells, before slowing and creeping over the front edge of the ship. Where after a final, careful descent and slight pause, the helicopter finally bounced lightly onto the platform.
From the sides, three crewmembers trotted out and began securing the helicopter to the ship with heavy chains, moments before the aircraft’s Rolls-Royce turboshaft engines changed in pitch and began powering down.
Behind Alison, Chris and Lee clambered down a nearby ladder just in time to see the Sea King’s copilot door open and Steve Caesare’s wide frame emerge.
With his dark hair gusting wildly under the rotating blades, Caesare moved aft and pulled open the rear door to reveal Will Borger in the first seat––caught tracing the sign of the cross in front of his chest.
When a set of metal steps were pushed into place, he twisted onto them and stepped down, followed by M0ngol, then Neely Lawton, Li Na Wei, and finally a tired and rather stoic-looking John Clay. The SEAL smiled immediately when he saw Alison rushing forward and barely made it down the steps before she lunged into his arms.
He wrapped his strong arms around her and kissed her forehead. “Now that’s a welcome I could get used to.”
Without replying, she lifted her head and pressed her lips firmly against his. Squeezing him hard, overwhelmed with emotion.
He pulled back and began to speak when Alison put a finger over his mouth and shook her head. “No. Not yet.” Then kissed him again.
151
Next to Alison and Clay, still beneath the downdraft, Neely Lawton watched, admiring the connection between them.
“I love that,” she said.
Steve Caesare gave one of his award-winning smiles and held out his arms. “I’m right here.”
His response prompted Neely to frown. “You just spoiled that.”
“Didn’t I…rescue you or something?”
“I already kissed you for that.”
“One kiss?” he scoffed. “That’s it?”
“Steve,” Clay said, “you’re ruining my welcome.”
Alison pulled away and intentionally gave Caesare a frown. “Are you jealous, Steve?”
“Yes. Yes, I am.” Feigning insult, the Italian turned and found Borger standing nearby, waiting with his own arms outstretched.
“Oh, brother.”
They all laughed, including Caesare, who led the way across the landing pad, met by Captain Emerson and Executive Officer Harris as they approached.
“Welcome back,” said the captain, grinning at the group. “What was that all about?”
“Don’t ask.”
Emerson peered at Neely. “We’ve been worried about you, Commander. I trust these men didn’t get you into too much trouble.”
Neely saluted with the men. “I think it was the other way around, sir.”
“Well, I’m glad to see all of you in one piece.” He looked at Li Na. “And who do we have here?”
“Captain, this is Li Na Wei. Daughter of General Wei.”
“Welcome aboard, young lady. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m very glad to see you’re all right. Is there anything we can get for you?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine.” The teenager hesitated before nervously repeating the salute.
“That’s okay,” he winked. “Only military are required to do that. You make yourself at home here.” He then turned to Borger. “Mr. Borger. I think I can speak for most of the crew when I say we’re all happy to have you back as well. So much, that as a welcoming gift, the engineering crew was able to procure several cases of your favorite Jolt cola. Waiting for you in your cabin if I’m not mistaken.”
Borger opened his mouth with surprise. “Oh, God bless you.”
The captain chuckled before finally focusing his attention on the young man standing next to Borger. “And you must be Yong Yang. Our new computer expert. I guess we’re in your debt for helping to save our friends here.”
M0ngol stammered, “It was the least I could do.”
Emerson placed both hands behind his back. “I’m happy to inform you that I have been granted the authority to welcome you aboard my ship as a United States Citizen.”
M0ngol’s eyes widened. “Sir?”
“I’ll need you to join me on the bridge this morning. For your swearing in, if you’re not too busy.”
The young man was stunned. “Thank you. Thank you, sir. I…will be happy to.”
“Good,” Emerson nodded. “Well then, I think that’s enough pleasantries for the moment. I suspect you can all use a little downtime. So, get some rest and let’s plan to meet in the 3rd deck conference room at 1300. I’m sure there is a lot to catch each other up on.”
With that, Emerson and Harris nodded, then headed out. Which revealed both Chris and Lee waiting impatiently behind them, along with Smitty and Commander Ackerman.
Alison took a deep breath, maintaining her hold onto Clay. “Boy, do we have a lot to tell you guys!”
“You’re not the only ones,” Borger grinned. He stepped forward and reached out to shake Chris’s hand. “Great to see you back, Chris.”
“Here here,” chimed the others.
“Thanks. I had to come back. I was missing way too much excitement.”
Borger laughed. “If that’s what we’re calling it these days, you can take my share. Remember, I’m just a contractor.” He turned to Lee. “Speaking of which, I just got this text from my friend Rick before we landed.”
“Mr. Roland?”
“Yep.” Borger held out his phone and showed him the message.
“Wow. The hardware is ready.”
“It sure is. Are we?”
Lee narrowed his eyes, devilishly. “Hell yes, we are.”
***
Neely stepped inside to find her lab empty and quiet, just as she’d left it. The research equipment lining both sides remained powered down, alongside the racks of empty test tubes and Petri dishes. Only the chairs had been moved and all to one side of the room, an unusual result of the constant rolling of the ship.
She retrieved one of the chairs and lowered herself into it, feeling an eeriness in the room. Outside, only faint, muted sounds from some nearby activity could be heard through the thick metal walls.
Neely gazed for a long time at the clear glass door of the empty medical refrigerator. Finally, she leaned forward onto the chrome counter, burying her face in her hands.
A few minutes later, the door could be heard opening behind her. Then it closed.
“You okay?”
She took a deep breath and turned to find Alison standing in the doorway, alone.
“Not really.”
Alison strode forward, grabbing and towing a chair behind her. She then turned it around to sit next to her friend.
“I hear things got pretty rough.”
“Terrifying might be a better word.”
“Want to talk about it?”
Neely shook her head, pressing her lips together as tears began to form in her eyes. She rolled them, trying to blink the tears away.
“I, uh…” she started, “didn’t…think I was getting out of there.”
Alison frowned and placed a gentle hand on Neely’s thigh.
“I was scared,” she continued. “I mean…really scared.” She stared forward, with eyes fixed, before raising her hands to reveal the trembling. “I’m still getting these waves of, I don’t know, anxiety that I can’t control. All of a sudden my whole body just starts shaking.”
/>
When Alison didn’t reply, she breathed in again. “Do you ever feel like…you’re just acting? Strong on the outside, when you’re actually scared on the inside?”
“Definitely.”
“I don’t mean scared as in someone was going to see through your disguise. I mean genuinely frightened, almost to death, that you simply weren’t going to make it out of wherever you were.”
“A few times,” Alison said softly. “It’s a terrible feeling.”
“But you know what’s worse? The people who had us.”
“What do you mean?”
“What was truly frightening about them, was that they weren’t actually crazy.”
“No?”
“No,” answered Neely. “It’s difficult to say it, but they weren’t.” She blinked and looked back to Alison. “It’s easier when you think someone else is, I don’t know, a villain. Because to you, they’re just evil or insane. But these people were not insane. They were smart. Very smart. And they were thoughtful…and calculating. Intent, in what they’re trying to do.”
“What are they trying to do?”
“Create the perfect biological human weapon. And they’re doing it in a way that makes my skin crawl just thinking about it. It’s the equivalent of a child playing with fire in a sandbox filled with matches. They’re so driven that nothing else seems to matter.” Neely focused on one of the large microscopes. “And their hubris…is incredible. To think we live in a world where people will do literally anything to achieve a goal. No matter what it takes and who it hurts. And you know why? Because they all believe they’re doing the right thing. Just like the rest of us.”
Alison nodded thoughtfully. “I guess it all depends on what you believe in.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning sometimes it’s hard for me to believe there even is a real right or wrong.” Alison exhaled. “I used to hate the military. Thinking they were all just a bunch of warmongers. But they’re not. Most of them are strong, intelligent people with different opinions on what needs to be done. Life isn’t all or nothing. It’s definitely shades of gray. And it’s taken me a long time to accept that.” Alison leaned back in her chair, generating a loud squeak. “For me, everything is beginning to boil down to pretty much one thing, one basic ethos. I think, is what I’m doing actually making things better?”
Mosaic (Breakthrough Book 5) Page 44