CHAPTER 22
ALEX WANTED TO CURL up in a ball and cry. Without knowing where Hawk was or what was happening to him, she knew she required some extra tenacity to stay on task and finish the job. In the meantime, she was taking orders from Mia on the necessary steps to gain access to the rockets’ controls.
“I’m sorry about Hawk,” Mia said.
“He’s not dead. At least, not yet anyway,” Alex said. “He’s come back from far worse situations than this.”
“I hope you’re right,” Mia said. “We might still need him. I wish we had a way to communicate with him now.”
“That makes two of us. But it’s obvious they destroyed his earpiece. However, if he ever makes it back here, I’ve got another one for him.”
Mia stopped and glanced at Alex. “You brought a backup pair?”
“I’ve got two extras. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that anything can and will go wrong. It’s a common occurrence on every mission, no matter how many times I double and triple check our tech.”
“Maybe you need a new manufacturer,” Mia said. “I know a guy who can make top of the line stuff that’s nearly indestructible.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” Alex said. “But that doesn’t do us a lot of good right now.”
“Right,” Mia said, her keys flying across the keyboard. “We’re almost there.”
The two women worked in silence, scrambling to get a connection with the weapons. After a couple minutes, they heard the rockets soar overhead.
“Almost there,” Mia said.
A few seconds later, she pumped her fist before slamming it on the table.
“You did it,” Alex said. “We’re in.”
“See if you can access the navigational tools,” Mia said.
Alex studied her screen before deciding what course of action to take. She identified a directory she thought would give her the power to redirect the weapons wherever she wanted. After a couple more minutes, she held her hand up to Mia for a high five.
“I’m driving this machine now,” Alex said. “Where should we send it?”
“Do you have the coordinates for Falcon Sinclair’s mansion?” Mia asked.
Alex chuckled. “Now that would be one for the revenge hall of fame.”
“I’m only joking. I’d put it in the water so you could retrieve it and study what he’s doing.”
Alex shook her head. “These rockets aren’t what we should be most afraid of.”
Mia furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
“When we were on the plane, I started digging deeper into those files,” Alex said. “And I realized there was more to the plan than just long-range missiles. Those things are a dime a dozen in today’s high-tech world of illegal arms dealing. If you want to fire at someone who’s a thousand miles away, you can find someone to sell you the mechanism to do that. It takes just a few clicks on the dark web and a boat load of cash, but you can have the weapon of your dreams.”
“So, what did you find?”
“I uncovered a hidden file, an Easter egg that Tyler Timmons had nested inside the encrypted files. He only wanted the right people to find it, so he made a little map inside. See.”
Alex pointed at her screen and showed Mia the fruit of Timmons’s labor.
“How did I miss that?” Mia asked.
“When you’re a hacker, you deal in code and see life through the lens of code. But sometimes you have to step back from what you’re working on and consider the possibilities that there’s more to see. While those rockets are destructive, I had a hunch there was more to what Sinclair was doing.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“These rockets are merely a demonstration of the real star of the show—a satellite weapons defense system that can eliminate a threat before it even arrives.”
Before Alex could continue her explanation, her laptop started beeping. She let out a few choice words and then stared slack-jawed at the screen.
“What is it?” Mia asked, crowding over Alex’s shoulder.
“We lost our connection.”
“How is that possible?” Mia asked as she nudged Alex aside and typed away on the keyboard.
“I don’t know, but something disconnected us.”
Alex sighed. “We need to find out what’s going on in that control room.”
“Already on it,” Mia said, sliding back to her seat. “I don’t have time to hack all the way into the mainframe, but I started cracking the ancillary functions like the intercom system and other things that aren’t as well guarded.”
“And?”
“I’m almost there. Give me another minute, and we might be able to hear what’s going on in that room with Sinclair.”
While Alex was waiting for Mia to finish, both women were startled when they heard footsteps drawing nearer. Alex poked her head outside the tent and saw a shadowy figure closing in on their position. She darted back inside and grabbed her gun. When she emerged from the door, she had it trained straight ahead.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Hawk said, his hands raised in the air. “It’s me.”
Alex dropped the weapon and sprinted toward him, clobbering him with a hug. “I wasn’t sure we’d see you again.”
“We’re not safe yet,” Hawk said. “Sinclair is going to have his minions combing the island as soon as the two bodies of those guards I killed are discovered. We need to get moving right now.”
“Actually, we’re not going anywhere,” Alex said. “In fact, I’m sending you right back into the fire.”
“Are you serious?” Hawk asked as he eyed her carefully.
“As a heart attack,” Alex said.
“Good work on the transmitter,” Mia said without looking up from her screen.
“I’m fortunate Sinclair’s goons didn’t shoot me on the spot,” he said to Mia before turning to Alex. “Why do I need to go back?”
“The transmitter stopped working,” Mia said without waiting for Alex to answer.
“What?” Hawk asked. “How?”
Alex shrugged. “I have no idea. We think maybe their onboard computer detected an intrusion and shut us down. But the bottom line is that we have no way of communicating with that rocket.”
“Unless I go back?”
She nodded. “It’s the only way. We need you to help us connect to the mainframe. We can’t hack it from here without a direct connection. And the only way we’re going to be able to redirect the missiles to a harmless landing is if we piggyback onto the command center computer and override the GPS system from there.”
“Are you trying to get me killed?” Hawk asked.
Alex put her hands on Hawk’s shoulders. “Honey, I love you, but the world needs you right now. We’re still trying to figure out what Sinclair is doing in there, but I read on one of the dark web sites that President Karelin is supposedly meeting with Sinclair this week too.”
“Sinclair has the American and Russian presidents together in the same room?” Hawk said. “That can’t be good.”
“And that’s exactly why we need you to gain access to the mainframe for us. Think you can handle it?”
Hawk nodded. “Yeah, but not alone.”
Mia threw her hands in the air and shouted. “Everyone, shut up. I’ve got the audio from the room with Sinclair and Young.”
Mia turned up the volume and leaned back in her chair.
“Gentlemen, I brought you here today to experience the power of my company’s new Force Field protection program,” Sinclair said. “If you thought Ronald Reagan’s vision for the so-called Star Wars program was revolutionary, today you’ll get to witness the realization of that dream—and so much more. Whoever possesses this defense system will be solidified as a world superpower, they’ll become the world superpower. No foreign entity will be able to touch you, while you’ll be free to wreak havoc on any nation you so desire without any violent repercussions.”
“This is why you brought us togethe
r?” Young asked.
Sinclair chuckled. “Did you think I brought you here to simply wine and dine you? There’s only one system, and it’s open to the highest bidder. But enough talk. Once those missiles reach orbit, I’m going to show you what this system is capable of.”
“Understand now why this is so important?” Alex asked Hawk.
“I’m gonna need your help,” he said.
She handed him a receiver. “Put this in. I’ll be with you every step of the way. We don’t have a second to waste.”
“No, Alex, you’re not understanding what I’m saying,” he said. “I need you with me. We need to go do this together.”
“And who’s going to handle the logistics from here?” Alex asked.
“I think Mia is more than capable of handling everything on this end,” he said. “I might be tempted to take her, but I know how proficient you are with a gun.”
“Definitely rules me out,” Mia said.
Hawk crammed the listening piece into his ear and handed the other one to Mia. “We need you to be communicating with us every step of the way.”
Alex grabbed her backpack. “Mia, you can do this.”
Mia nodded. “You patch me into that mainframe, and I’ll do my best to stop this catastrophe from happening.”
Hawk tightened his rucksack and looked at Alex.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Is anyone ever ready for something like this?”
“Not really,” Hawk said. “It’s time to move.”
They exited the tent in a full sprint back toward the facility. This time, Hawk’s lungs burned more than ever before, the burden heavier than ever before.
“We can do this, Hawk,” Alex said, her voice ringing loud and clear through his listening piece.
“I know I’m capable,” Hawk said. “But I don’t think you understand just how dangerous Sinclair is.”
“If I didn’t before, I do now.”
“So where is this mainframe located?” Hawk asked.
There was a long pause.
“Alex?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you hear my question?” he asked.
“Yep,” she said, stopping for a moment to catch her breath.
Hawk slowed down when he realized she wasn’t with him. He turned back, jogging toward her.
“Well, are you going to answer me then?”
She looked down at the forest floor. “It’s ten stories below the surface.”
Hawk didn’t react. “Let’s go then. We don’t have a second to lose.”
CHAPTER 23
AS HAWK AND ALEX NEARED the compound, they found a half-dozen guards combing the forest for the escaped prisoner. He gestured toward a fallen log, and then the two of them took cover beneath it.
“That didn’t take long,” Alex whispered.
“We can’t get caught, but we can’t let them stray too far from here or else they’re going to find Mia.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Just stay close and get ready to run,” Hawk said.
He grabbed a grenade from his rucksack and pulled the pin. With a giant heave, he tossed the explosive device over a hill in the opposite direction of Mia and the tent. The explosion sent the guards diving to the ground before they got up and raced in the direction of the grenade. Hawk and Alex remained low until all of the guards had streamed by in search of the perpetrator.
“Let’s go,” Hawk said.
They stayed low as they hustled from tree to tree, avoiding detection. Nodding at the man inside the guard house, Hawk kept his gun low. When the man protested, Hawk fired one shot into the man’s chest. Alex took the access card Hawk had swiped off one of the men he’d killed earlier and released the lock on the gate. Hawk grabbed the man’s walkie-talkie in order to keep tabs on the men in pursuit.
“We’re inside, Mia,” Hawk said. “But there are guards combing the area. Just watch your six.”
“My what?” she asked.
“Watch your back,” Alex said. “I left a gun for you underneath the chair. Now might be a good time to pull it out just in case someone gives you any trouble.”
“I don’t know how to use a gun,” Mia said.
“Just point and shoot—and then run,” Alex said.
Hawk scanned his card and then rushed into the building with Alex right behind him. They hustled down the hallway until they reached the elevators. Once inside, Hawk searched for the button to take them to the server room ten floors below ground.
“Where’s the button for the basement?” he asked, staring at the panel.
“There’s not one,” Alex said. “You need a key.”
Hawk let out a string of expletives and slammed his hand against the elevator wall.
“Maybe I can help,” Mia said. “Just give me a second.”
“I’m not sure we even have that much time,” Hawk said. “Those rockets will target something very soon.”
“Working as fast as I can,” she said.
As Hawk paced around waiting for Mia to figure out a way to get the elevator to descend to the bowels of the Obsidian facility, the doors slid open. He and Alex darted inside, pressing their backs flat against the side. Moments later, two guards entered.
Hawk and Alex acted immediately to gain the upper hand. Catching both men by surprise, Hawk delivered a throat punch to the man closest to him. Alex delivered a hearty kick right between the legs of the man nearest to her, stunning him and sending him to the ground in pain. Hawk put both men down, two shots each, one center mass and the other in the head. Hawk hit the button that closed the doors and stepped back over the bodies.
“Okay,” Mia said, “is everything all right? I thought I heard some tussling in the background.”
“We’re fine, Mia,” Hawk said between clenched teeth. “Wanna get us outta here?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she said.
Hawk and Alex stumbled as the elevator began a rapid descent ten floors below the surface. Using his foot, Hawk shoved aside one of the bodies of the men whose head kept bumping into him.
“Making you uncomfortable?” Alex asked as she cast a furtive glance at the body near Hawk’s feet.
He chuckled. “I’m not nearly as uncomfortable as that guy is right now.”
Alex wasn’t amused. “Let’s stay alert. We’re far from being out of the woods just yet.”
When the doors opened, Hawk and Alex stayed back, unsure if the men down there were aware of what was happening up on the surface. And based on the surroundings, Hawk wasn’t sure they would have a clue.
Hawk and Alex slid the bodies against the wall so they wouldn’t be visible when the doors parted. And seconds after they did, Hawk didn’t hear anything, just a low humming permeating throughout a vast room.
At ten floors below the surface, the space wasn’t just for keeping servers in a cool spot. The ceiling was ten meters high, comprising a space of about a hundred meters by fifty meters and housing long missiles and other weapons.
“What is this place?” Alex asked.
Hawk shook his head. “I don’t know. Whatever it is, it’s not good. But we can’t worry about that right now. We need to find that server room. Are you sure it’s down here?”
She nodded. “Mia?”
“I’m here.”
“Do you have the schematics up of this building?”
“I’m staring at them right now,” Mia said.
“Can you direct us to the server room from the elevators?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Mia started to give them directions, but a bullet whistling past Hawk’s head cut them short. He dove to the floor behind some crates, yanking Alex down with him.
“We can’t get in a long gunfight,” she said.
“I know,” Hawk said before he popped up and fired a shot toward the hostiles.
“By my best estimation, we’ve got about five minutes before those missiles are redirected toward some highly pop
ulated place.”
“What makes you think Sinclair isn’t doing anything other than a demonstration?”
“He doesn’t like to waste time or money. And a demonstration would be throwing away both.”
Hawk nodded. “Guess I better clear a path for us.”
He didn’t hesitate, rising and putting two shots in the man firing at them. As another guard rushed in to help, Hawk gunned him down too with a pair of bullets to the chest.
Hawk waited a moment and didn’t hear any movement. “I think we got them. Let’s move.”
They stayed low, hustling in the direction Mia had told them the server room was located. When they reached it, Hawk realized facial recognition was required to enter. He sprinted back to one of the guard’s bodies and dragged it over. Using the man’s key card, Hawk swiped it before propping the man’s head up in front of the access camera. The light at the bottom of the panel turned green, followed by a mechanical click.
Alex grabbed the handle and pulled down.
“Looks like we’re in,” she said as she put her shoulder into the door and pushed forward.
“All right,” Hawk said. “Mia, you’re up. What do we do next?”
“What does the room look like?” Mia asked.
Hawk’s eyes widened as he surveyed the area. “It just looks like rows and rows of bookshelves covered with computers to me.”
“Alex?”
Alex chuckled. “I doubt Hawk’s ever seen a computer room like this before. I’ll take over.”
“You need to find the terminal,” Mia said. “This isn’t a server farm. The mainframe is one giant computer.”
“So are we looking for a keyboard and a monitor?” Hawk asked as he hustled around the room.
“Yes, that will be the entry point to the system,” Mia said. “If you can patch me in there, I’ll be able to wreak havoc on their system.”
“I’m on it,” Alex said. “Hawk, you just watch the door.”
A shattering sound interrupted Hawk’s train of thought. The lone looking window glass splintered, leaving them more exposed than ever. He dove and instructed Alex to do the same. Shards of glass pricked his hands as he army crawled to the back wall and took up a position behind a server unit.
Brady Hawk 19 - Divide and Conquer Page 12