by J C Ryan
“Correct. I will turn this discussion back to Sinclair who is head of the Rossler Foundation and who will be in charge of this effort.”
“Thank you,” Sinclair said. “It is nice to meet you three! This is Roy, our resident nano-technology expert.” He motioned to Roy and Raj to stand up. “And this is Raj, our computer expert, and Information Technology guru. I’ll let them bring you up to speed on what we have been discussing.”
Roy took the lead, giving them a quick summary of the discussion leading up to contacting them.
Linkola thought for a moment as Roy’s summary drew to a close. “I think there is a very good chance that a vulnerability could be found in the chip. Nothing is ever perfect. I would be happy to assist you in researching that. However, we must remember that all of us, here at the canyon, also have a chip implanted, so we must find something different about theirs, or a way to shield us.”
Roy hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Good point.”
“What do you think about moving the headquarters?” Raj asked.
“I believe Tawndo will be better able to answer that question.”
“Tawndo?”
“Forgive me, the man you know as Robert.”
All eyes turned to Robert. “The name of the B’ran officer who also inhabits my mind,” he said by way of simple explanation. “Linkola, I have already suggested that perhaps we could relocate it to another part of the facility. Do you know if Viktor, or his people, would know about that secret lab of yours?”
“I doubt it. Knowledge of its existence and use was restricted to a few of our top scientists. It requires a special implant under the skin to be able to access it.”
“Then I suggest we augment the equipment there with whatever we need to move the headquarters control programming to the lab. That way it can remain hidden and secure,” Robert offered.
“Sounds good,” Linkola agreed.
With that settled, Sinclair took the lead again. “Raj, how many people and what equipment do you need to make this happen—and quickly?”
Sinclair waited, amused at the myriad of expressions that crossed Raj’s face while he considered the question. “I think between, Roy, Robert, one or two of you, and me, we might be able to do it. As for equipment, I’d have to think about that for a while longer.”
“I can help too,” Korda said.
“Great!” Raj acknowledged. “Let’s just add Max to the team then—that should do it.” Max Ellis, a former Marine buddy of Daniel’s had joined the Rossler team early on and proved to be an excellent asset. The fact that he was also a medic and knew his way around a computer added to his value on field teams.
“Sinclair, I think it would be wise to have some trained soldiers on site with them—just in case.”
“I agree, Jack. Good thinking! Would you put a team together?”
“Sure. I’d like to take six with me. Do you mind if I include some Tectus members?”
“Who do you have in mind?”
Jack had been one of Sam’s CIA Special Agents after serving as a Delta Force member and had been instrumental in bringing Brideaux down. “Raj already called Max, but he can double as our team medic. I think Doug and Mark would be good,” he said referring to the two former Marines.
“They’ve been more than helpful and very professional,” Sinclair said. “I have no objection. Comments?” he invited.
“Sounds reasonable,” Sam said.
Nigel nodded and everyone else gave similar expressions of agreement.
“Okay,” Sinclair said. “Who else do you have in mind?”
“Dennis, Eric, Mouse, and Kerinski,” Jack named the Tectus members without hesitation.
Dennis McMahon, leader of Tectus, was a former Navy Seal and had been another asset in bringing Brideaux down. He had arranged contact with Tectus cells worldwide to assist the Rosslers in gaining surveillance, safe houses, and various other supports as needed. As second-in-command of Tectus, Eric Winchester, previously a Marine Colonel had assisted as well.
Mouse, a former Marine Special Forces officer, and Kerinski, a computer technologist had come to the attention of the Foundation during the recent overthrow of General Hayden. The two worked well together and had been responsible for deploying the spy equipment in the White House and for capturing most of Hayden’s top advisors.
“That sounds like a top-notch team, Jack. Approved,” Sinclair said. “Get your teams and equipment together, guys. I’m sending Owen out with the Metroliner—you’re going to need more space than you’ve got in the Baron.”
“That’s perfect, Sinclair,” JR said. “I was going to ask about that.”
“How soon can you be ready to go?”
Raj looked at his watch, it was 4:15 a.m. “I can be ready in twenty-four hours.”
“Me too,” Jack nodded.
* * *
Bremerton, Washington State
IT WAS JUST after midnight when the Enterprise maneuvered quietly into her home port in Bremerton, Washington State.
Despite the late hour, seventy-two sailors disembarked, all carried duffels for shore leave. The Captain released them in groups of twelve, and in the darkness, no one noticed that two sailors in each group seemed slightly out of place; they were too old, wore slightly ill-fitting uniforms, lacked military posture, and wore expressions of dull resignation.
“I’m glad to be rid of those scumbags,” Captain Wiekelan said to his Second-in-command. “I would like to have keel-hauled them.”
“You and the rest of the crew with you, sir.”
“Where are the buses?”
“Arriving now, sir,” the officer responded, pointing to headlights turning a corner a quarter mile away.
“Good. The sooner those prisoners are under lock and key, the better.”
They watched in silence as the two Navy buses pulled up close to the gangway and the sailors boarded. The boarding seemed to be random, but Wiekelan knew that the security officers made sure the prisoners got on board the bus going to Fort Lewis while the rest of the sailors boarded the one heading to town and three days of R&R.
CHAPTER 24
Various airports in the USA
TWO JETS TOUCHED down, minutes apart, in the southwest of the desert—one in Phoenix, and one in Las Vegas—a man on each plane disembarked with the rest of the passengers, deliberately losing himself in the crowd.
Deszik quickly made his way to the car rental counter and was soon entering the busy traffic leaving Sky Harbor Airport. The freeways around Phoenix were clogged with heavy traffic, and the planned two-hour drive was quickly extending toward the three-hour mark. The sky was a beautiful blue the likes of which he had never seen before, but the bright sun gave him a headache.
Gazing across the flat landscape he saw nothing but buildings, palm trees, roads, and vehicles for miles in every direction. It was a relief when he reached the outskirts of Phoenix and headed north up Interstate 17 toward Flagstaff. The change from city to rolling hills of cactus covered desert to the climbing foothills covered in brush, helped him relax, and soon he was enjoying the drive. He planned to use the two days to survey the canyon area before the others arrived.
He was just entering the pine-filled forest south of Flagstaff when Dekka contacted him.
“Deszik?”
“Yes, Dekka, I am here!” he answered with excitement at the discovery that their communication was still working at this great distance.
“I’m sending an encoded signal that will alter your chip to detect the identity codes of the others. It will alert you of their presence, identity, and general location when they are within a quarter mile, updating every fifteen seconds. If they are within 100 yards, you will be able to follow their movements in real time.
"It’s not much, but it’s the best I could do on short notice.”
“It’s more than I expected, Dekka, thank you!” he said sincerely.
In Las Vegas, 300 miles away, Petya boarded an inter-terminal shuttle at the
McCarran International Airport, disembarking at the terminal exit where he caught a taxi and headed south toward Henderson Executive Airport. Interstate 215 was busy and, like Deszik, everywhere Petya looked was concrete, buildings, and traffic.
He had learned on the flight to Las Vegas that he could charter a plane at the General Aviation Airport that would fly him direct to Grand Canyon Airport. He intended to arrive well before Deszik, scout the area, and prepare to keep Deszik under surveillance until the others arrived. Not knowing exactly what Viktor suspected of Deszik, Petya wanted to be ready for anything.
Once airborne again, in the little Cessna, Petya was amazed at the barren landscape that passed below him—varying shades of tan marked the desert terrain. Sparsely located shades of darker brown and green showed where mountains of exposed rock and vegetation rose above their desolate surroundings.
Stonash deplaned to much the same desert scenery at the Albuquerque Sunport, rented a car, and headed west with an eight-hour drive ahead of him.
After crossing the Rio Grande and passing over the surrounding bosque, the word the locals used to describe the woods that grow along a riverbank, on Interstate 40, he watched Sandia Mountain disappear from view as he crested Nine-mile Hill. Except for a few towns along the way, the rest of the trip was filled with sandy scenery broken by reddish hewed desert rock and the occasional glimpse of mountains far in the distance to the north.
Ama’ru arrived to a slightly different view. With flat plains to the east he looked out on emptiness, but to the west was the city of Denver and beyond that, the Rocky Mountains.
The plan was to travel south out of Denver down Interstate 25 and turn west onto Interstate 40 at Albuquerque. However, he studied maps on the flight to Denver and realized it would take him less than an hour longer to cut through part of the Rocky Mountains. Thus, he decided to head southwest out of Denver on Highway 285 and work his way through Cortez and on over to Grand Canyon National Park.
He was thrilled with the drive through the rocky crags and evergreen forest. Beautiful streams flowed through narrow ravines, cascading over rocks and fallen trees, and slowed to gently transverse peaceful, grass-filled meadows.
After the beautiful and uplifting scenery of the mountains, he felt a little tired and drained as he descended into Cortez and continued into the miles of empty desert before reaching the Grand Canyon.
CHAPTER 25
En route to the Eighth Cycle Site, Grand Canyon, USA
A THIN GLOW was just appearing in the eastern sky as the Metroliner rolled down the runway, picking up speed. Owen adjusted the controls; the nose of the sleek plane lifted, and the wings caught air sending a familiar thrill through his body as the plane became airborne.
“I expected you to have half-a-ton of equipment,” Jack said to Raj.
“Only if you want to be the pack mule to carry it in,” Raj grinned.
“Oh, yeah, there is that. When you put it that way, I’m glad to see you don’t have half-a-ton of equipment!”
“Mostly, I just need data transfer capabilities which won’t be a problem with the links we have.” Turning to Robert, Raj continued, “I’ve made arrangements to transfer all the data and programs to storage drives at the Rabbit Hole as a backup safety measure.”
A look Raj couldn’t read, but could have been anger, passed across Robert’s face. He really wasn’t quite the same ‘Robert’ Raj remembered.
Raj added, “… just in case … that is, if you are all in agreement with that.”
Nodding, Robert responded stiffly, “I will speak with Linkola about it.”
“Good, good,” Raj said nervously and returned to the conversation with Jack. “So … um … we each have two hard drives in our backpacks, some cabling, and other stuff to expedite the transfer.”
Jack raised an eyebrow at the exchange between Robert and Raj, but responded simply, “Sounds like you have everything under control.” That guy is going to bear watching.
The cabin was silent except for the sound of the engines for a few minutes until Jack spoke again.
“You guys who have been to the site before – why don’t you give me and the rest of the new team members a run-down? What it’s like, what we should expect, what the terrain is like, etcetera? We’ll need to plan a defense, and the more we know going in, the better.”
“You need to hang on to your skivvies when you enter the damn place,” JR quipped.
Robert laughed out loud.
The others looked around in bemused curiosity—it was the first time they’d seen him in a friendly mood. Then they related their first adventure to the canyon site and shared their experiences, reactions, and thoughts about the place.
Soon Raj joined in helping to tell the story, and then Max, Doug, and Mark added what they had found upon their arrival.
This opened a discussion on strategic planning and ideas that carried on for several hours until they arrived in Page, Arizona where a helicopter was waiting to transport them to the drop-off point near the canyon site.
* * *
Eighth Cycle Site, Grand Canyon, USA
“ALL RIGHT EVERYONE,” Robert said. “We’ll go down in two groups. Owen, Raj, and Max, you come with me. I’ll need three more. Rebecca, you bring the second group.”
“Come on,” JR beckoned, addressing Dennis and Jack who had never visited the site before, “and hang on to your… hats… for a wild ride!”
The doors to the elevator closed, sealing the six of them inside. Outside the doors, the members of the second group heard a faint yelp of surprise echo through the small side canyon as one or more of the newcomers experienced the heart-stopping drop of the descent into the facility.
Doug and Mark grinned at each other, remembering the unforgettable experience of their first trip down.
“Are you sure this thing is safe?” Eric asked while Mouse and Kerinski looked apprehensively at one another.
“It’s one hell of a ride,” Mark quipped.
Rebecca smiled at the others. “Don’t worry, it’s safe. It’s just… startling the first time you experience it.”
A few minutes later, they all stepped a little shakily from the elevator.
“Startling my ass!” Kerinski exclaimed. “I might need a change of underwear!”
“Pansy,” Mouse teased his friend and received a shaky but playful shove in return.
“I saw you tense up, tough guy, so don’t ‘pansy’ me!”
They all quickly sobered up for introductions to Linkola, Korda, and Siasha who were waiting to welcome them.
After the general introductions, Korda took Jack and his security team on a tour of the facility to help them get their bearings and start strategizing their defense tactics.
Robert and Linkola led Raj and Max into the hidden lab while Siasha beckoned JR and Rebecca to follow her.
“I wanted to show you something before all the work gets started,” she explained, opening the entrance to their oasis.
JR and Rebecca were stunned by the beautiful valley the Eighth cyclers had created in the cave. They stood in awe looking over the crystal-clear lake surrounded by trees and shrubs, and a grassy slope leading down to its banks. With the simulated blue sky, the sun shining on their faces, and the gentle simulated breeze brushing their hair, they quickly accepted the illusion that they were outside.
“This is so beautiful – stunning,” Rebecca breathed.
“Yes. We come here to relax. You and your team are welcome to come here as well. Please let them know that they are free to use it at any time.”
“We will and thank you!” JR said appreciatively.
“Good! Now, let’s get back and see if they have figured out how we’re going to rearrange this place!” Siasha replied.
“If I know Raj,” JR replied, “he will already have it half-way disassembled by the time we get there!”
Raj didn’t have anything torn apart yet, but the three guys were just leaving the lab following behind Robert like duc
klings after their mother. Without thinking, they had arranged themselves in order by height with the shortest at the back of the line.
Rebecca laughed at the sight.
JR elbowed her and asked them, “Where are you guys off to?”
“I’ve seen what I need to know about the lab, now we’re going to the command center to see what we’re going to have to do there,” Raj replied.
Taking Rebecca by the hand, JR fell in line with the ‘ducklings,’ with Siasha bringing up the rear.
When they crossed the threshold into the command center, Raj gave a low whistle. “This is some place.”
CHAPTER 26
Eighth Cycle Site, Grand Canyon, USA
WHILE THE TECHNICAL team was busy examining the guts of the technology that ran the facility, the security team, with Owen tagging along, enjoyed Korda’s grand tour.
Beginning in the large room that JR and Robert had initially visited, he let them all try the self-adjusting chair and tables to which each had a unique but delighted reaction. “This room, our Great Hall, was where our young people studied and learned—our version of school.
“But it’s huge!” Kerinski said. “They weren’t all the same age, were they? How’d you teach different levels?”
Korda smiled. “The children’s interests and abilities were identified when they were very young, and each child’s curriculum was tailored for their unique talents and interests. The lessons were then made available through the computer, and each child studied at their own pace from one of the stations in this room. Teachers were available in person or via holographic communications for the children to approach with questions.”
Kerinski frowned. “So, the children were set on a path when they were little and that was it? They had no choice later if they decided to do or try something else?”