by J C Ryan
There were none, and he continued. “The first weapon we will talk about is the small cylinder. This weapon has several settings and can be adjusted to…,” but he was interrupted by the sound of laughter coming from a tall dark haired young man in the back row.
Addressing the man, Dennis asked, “What’s your name, son?”
The man stopped laughing. “Brandon, sir.”
“Brandon, just what is it you find so funny?”
“Aw man, surely you’re having us on! These aren’t really weapons, are they? They look more like women’s lipstick holders to me.”
Remembering his own initial reaction when Robert demonstrated the weapons to him and Eric, Dennis knew there was just one way to nip any further antics in the bud.
He stepped over to the first row of tables, picked up one of the small cylinders, and after checking the setting, turned and fired it at the podium.
The solid wood lectern vanished immediately leaving behind a small heap of ashes in its place.
When he turned back to face the class, he was greeted by wide-eyed slack-jawed expressions of astonishment and shock.
Damn. I’m going to have to replace that podium.
Without a word, Dennis replaced the weapon and returned to the front of the class. Everyone had gone quiet, and a sense of sharpened concentration had descended in the room.
CHAPTER 51
Re'an headquarters Tunguska, Russia
VIKTOR WAS FUMING by the time he reached the pod room. “How did this happen?” he demanded.
Dekka faced him. “We are trying to determine that now.”
“Is it a failure in the pods, or is it limited to these soldiers?”
“I’ve run a quick check on the other pods, but they appear to be functioning normally. I’ll do a more thorough check when we are done here.”
“I’ve never liked nor trusted you Dekka,” Viktor snarled, “and I swear to you that if you have done something to these pods, you will die the most terrible and agonizing death you can imagine.”
Dekka made no reply, he didn’t even look at Viktor, he just continued to work frantically on the computer.
“Keep me informed,” Viktor growled, “and send three of your specialists to acquire more soldiers.”
Viktor stormed from the room nearly running Rauel down.
“What the hell are you doing here, Rauel?” Viktor asked angrily. “Never mind, don’t answer that,” he continued as the man opened his mouth to answer. “I need a pilot; Dekka will inform you of your passengers and mission.”
“Yes, sir,” Rauel said as he stepped aside to let Viktor pass, then continued to enter the pod chamber to step to Dekka’s side. “Viktor says you have a mission and passengers for me.”
Dekka turned to face him. “Yes; take Tellek, Baynor, and… let… me… see…” He pretended to think. “Naamin and bring back some new specimens for soldiers.”
“Yes, sir, right away.”
The three reanimation scientists fell in line behind Rauel and headed for the flight bay where the acquired helicopters were kept. Knowing this was the start of the planned escape, they each had to concentrate on walking normally and behaving as if this was just another acquisition mission.
Telestra and Jezza were in the fissure access room.
“… and I just informed Rauel,” Telestra finished.
Jezza said, “The climbing gear is already in the fissure. We can begin as soon as Dekka gets here.”
Dekka, are you on your way?
Almost. As soon as I get the recovery team dispatched. Go ahead and get ready.
"I’m sure he’ll be here shortly; let’s get ready," she told Jezza.
The two women crept into the fissure opening on the far left of the room and began donning their climbing gear.
Deszik?
I am here, Mother.
It’s begun.
I understand. Be safe, all my hopes.
* * *
Eighth Cycle Site, Grand Canyon, USA
“EXCUSE ME,” DESZIK interrupted the discussion at the dinner table. “It has begun. My mother and her colleagues are entering the fissure, and their recovery team has been dispatched. We have about two hours.”
Jumping up from the table, Robert said, “I’ll be in the control center monitoring the area for volcanic activity.” Sprinting for the elevator he added, “JR, contact Dennis and tell him his time is up; the show’s begun.”
JR was on his feet and joined Robert in the sprint for the elevator. “I’m with you, Robert!”
“I’ll inform Daniel,” Rebecca shouted to them as they launched themselves through the door of the elevator. She caught a brief glimpse of a ‘thumbs-up’ sign from JR as the doors whisked shut.
The others were now on their feet making a mad dash for the elevator as well.
Within a few minutes, Daniel and Dennis were informed, and everyone at the canyon site gathered in the control room to hear what was going on.
“We won’t be able to see anything, of course,” Deszik was saying, “but I can keep you informed on the team's ascent out of the fissure.”
“There aren’t many seismographs or other monitoring equipment that I can access in the area,” Robert said, frustrated. “But I’ll let you know what I can do.”
He tied into the Anchorage, Alaska Volcano Observatory, AVO, monitoring equipment and began studying it carefully.
For the next hour, quiet conversations and speculations carried on in various parts of the control room, and Deszik provided frequent updates on the climbers’ progress.
CHAPTER 52
Re'an headquarters Tunguska, Russia
DEKKA PAUSED ON the narrow ledge, looked up at Telestra and Jezza, and looked at his watch. I’m slowing them down too much; we’ll never make it out of here in time.
Are you all right, Dekka? Telestra asked.
Yes, I just need a break.
Telestra silently thanked Dekka for developing the chip-to-chip communication method. They had mics in their gas masks, but they were monitored by the command center, and the three escapees didn’t dare activate and use them.
Telestra looked at her watch. They had been climbing for over an hour and should be near the top, but they were behind schedule.
We don’t have much time, please make it quick, she told Dekka.
Dekka began to climb again. The heat and steam in the fissure made the temperature and humidity nearly unbearable and the surface of the rocks slick. Handholds and foot placement had to be done carefully. His clothes were dripping and sticking to his body, and he was miserable.
Telestra understated the conditions of this climb.
The next moment, the rocks supporting his weight gave way, and he fell.
“Dekka!” Telestra screamed before she could stop herself.
He bounced off the ledge he just left, spun, and slammed back first into the wall below it, the breath knocked out of his lungs.
Spinning again and falling sideways, his head struck a rocky outcropping, and he saw stars. He heard Telestra shouting his name in his head and threw out his hands desperately grabbing for handholds. He found one but screamed as the sudden jerk of his weight dislocated his shoulder, and he lost his grip.
His drop ceased abruptly as he reached the end of the rope tethering him to Jezza and Telestra. Telestra had insisted on the arrangement in case one of them fell, the other two could arrest the fall and help their comrade recover. At that moment he was very glad she had insisted.
Briefly, he lost consciousness and came to with Telestra’s thought nudging his mind.
Dekka! Dekka! Are you all right?
He groaned, dazed but feeling sharp, intense pain in his left shoulder.
No, my shoulder is injured.
How bad?
He tried moving it and nearly screamed as dark unconsciousness approached again. He tried to relax against the pain and breathe slowly and deeply. Even that hurt like hell. He knew then he was a dead man; he couldn’t clim
b one-handed.
It’s dislocated, possibly broken.
You have to keep going.
I don’t think I can.
Yes, you can! Try!
Fighting against the agonizing pain, Dekka managed to turn himself to face the rock wall. To his surprise, despite the dizzying pain, he quickly found footholds and a handhold, taking the weight off the rope and relieving the women from their burden.
He began climbing again, one-handed; it was beyond agony. With every shift upward, stars danced before his eyes and unconsciousness threated to engulf him.
I can’t do this, Telestra. I’m already too slow, and this will make me slower. If you wait for me, we’ll all be killed when this thing blows.
Looking up at Jezza paused above her, Telestra said, “Wait there!” and started back down the wall.
I’m not letting you give up, Dekka!
Telestra! Dekka objected in exasperation. Don’t do this! There’s no use!
Coming to a stop just below him, she said, I’m going to be your ledge; start climbing.
You can’t.
I already am. Start climbing, damn you! I’m not leaving you behind!
Slowly, Dekka started up the wall again, Telestra supporting him from below, moving as he moved.
* * *
“WHAT DO YOU mean you can’t find them!” Victor shouted. “Tear this place apart if you have to but find them!” He finished, shoving the short burly soldier out of his way.
Viktor was livid. Telestra and Dekka had disappeared, and now more of the pods held dead soldiers.
They’re in this together, I know it! They’ve been working behind my back to destroy me! I’ll kill them both when I find them! He paced his office angrily but stopped suddenly. What else have they done?
Calling his commanders to his office, he ordered, “Check the rest of the equipment, all the pods, the computers, then the reanimation equipment, the facility power…” He trailed off. His body tensed with fear, and he said in a low voice, “Check the fissures… make sure the equipment is functioning.”
He waited impatiently for the reports to come in, pacing again. After what seemed like an hour, the intercom came to life.
“Sir, we have found more soldiers dead in the pods with more dying. There is a serious pod malfunction.”
“The reanimation equipment appears to be functioning normally, but we won’t know for sure until we attempt to reanimate someone, sir.”
“You’ll have more to reanimate when the team returns with our new recruits,” Viktor replied.
“The facility power is stable; all monitors are working and reporting normal levels.”
“Check the fissure equipment, you idiot!” Viktor screamed. “Don’t trust the computers!”
Incompetent idiot!
“Yes, sir. Right away, sir!”
“No wait, I’ll check it myself,” he roared as he bolted from his office.
CHAPTER 53
Re'an headquarters Tunguska, Russia
IN THE FISSURE, Dekka continued his agonizing climb up the rock wall. The heat from the rock that he felt on his face told him that the explosion was not far off.
We’ve almost reached the lateral tunnel, Telestra informed him. From there it isn’t far to the surface!
I am glad to hear that!
He looked up just in time to see Jezza’s feet disappear into the side of the wall a few yards above him. Gritting his teeth, he continued to climb, and minutes later, he felt his hand land on a ledge.
Pulling himself up, with the help of Telestra below him, he looked into a dark passage. Jezza sat at the opening and helped him onto the ledge. Telestra appeared moments later.
“Let’s go!” she shouted inside her mask, indicating forward motion with her hand, and the three moved quickly into the cave.
They hadn’t gone far when the rock floor beneath their feet began to tremble.
“Run!” Telestra screamed both vocally and in her mind.
They ran, stepping from rock to rock as quickly as they could, jumping when necessary, their headlamps lighting their way. The uneven, unpredictable surface made it difficult for them, but they were desperate and kept moving.
Suddenly, the earth shook violently throwing them down and saving them from the gust of hot steam passing over them where their bodies were a second or two before. Without their protective suits, they would have been severely blistered and burned.
Dekka was getting worried that it would never stop.
Mercifully, it subsided. They climbed to their feet and continued to make their way rapidly through the passageway. Just as they saw blue sky above them, the ground began to tremble again.
“Hurry!” Jezza screamed.
They hastened up the final twenty-foot incline to the opening, the outside world, and freedom.
When they looked up, they saw the helicopter waiting for them fifty yards away; its rotors were already spinning in a blur. Running toward it, they were again thrown to the ground when the earth shook—stronger than before.
Their friends in the helicopter were waving them on, and they hauled themselves back to their feet and continued to run as rocks and embers began raining down from the sky.
“Hurry!” Tellek yelled from the open door of the chopper.
The shaking ground made running difficult, but at last they were pulled through the doorway by those inside the helicopter. Jezza helped pull Dekka inside, and Tellek grabbed hold of Telestra and started shouting over his shoulder to the pilot, “Take off! Take off right now!” Telestra’s feet were still on the landing skids but a few seconds later she was safely inside, and the door was closed.
Rauel applied more power to the rotors and lifted off, flying away to the east through a hail of volcanic debris.
Viktor reached the fissure chamber just in time to be thrown into the wall as a massive explosion tore through the facility, destroying everything in its path.
* * *
Eighth Cycle Site, Grand Canyon, USA
AT THE CANYON site, JR leapt to his feet. “They did it! They did it!” he shouted. “The Tunguska site is exploding!”
Mother?
I’m here, Deszik; we made it… barely.
Everyone?
Yes, everyone. Dekka is injured, but he will be okay.
I am relieved to hear that, Deszik grinned. “They’re safe! They all made it just in time!” he reported, and the control room was filled with cheers.
While the others cheered, Robert studied the AVO data. Within minutes, he began unconsciously tapping his heel on the ground. The more he watched, the more uneasy he became, the corners of his mouth turning down in a tight frown, the lines on his forehead creasing in concentration.
Despite the celebratory mood of the others, an uneasy feeling he couldn’t explain continued growing in the pit of his stomach.
Something’s wrong… but what?
He suddenly stiffened. At last, he saw it…
I have to warn Daniel!
CHAPTER 54
Washington, DC
DANIEL WAS BEHIND his desk in the Oval Office when his mirror phone rang, and he noticed it was JR.
“JR! What’s up?” I wasn’t expecting to talk to you until later this evening.”
“Daniel, sit down, I’m afraid this isn’t a pleasant call.”
Daniel, still reveling in the success of the Tunguska site destruction, felt his muscles tighten and a frown formed on his forehead. “What’s the problem?”
“I will let Robert explain that to you; he’s the expert.”
There was a moment of ruffling sounds as the phone was presumably handed to Robert.
“Hi, Daniel,” Robert’s voice, with its Australian accent, came over the connection. “I’m afraid I have some very bad news. That new volcano that formed in Tunguska caused a massive submarine landslide. Islands in the North Pacific and the west coast of North America are going to be hit by a massive tsunami.”
“What! How big?”
/> “I’m not sure, I don’t have the instruments to measure it. I’m guesstimating the probable amount of displacement, and by those calculations, there will be coastal flooding and damage, especially in those locations that are closest. Alaska will get the worst of it, followed by Hawaii, and then the western coastline.”
“How much time do we have?”
“The landslide occurred about thirty minutes ago. Given the speed of the waves through deep water, which can exceed five-hundred miles per hour, I’d say Alaska has about four to five hours depending on location. The islands furthest west will be hit first, of course.
“Hawaii may have seven or eight hours, and the west coast eight or nine, again depending on location.
“The Alaska Volcano Observatory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must be tracking it, and I can only hope they will take appropriate action.”
At that moment, Glenn knocked on the door and entered at Daniel’s bidding. Secretary of Commerce, Ross Lewis, followed closely on his heels.
“I think they’re on it,” Daniel said, eyeing Lewis and beckoning him to sit down. “I’ll talk to you later. Thanks for letting me know.”
Putting the mirror phone back in his pocket, he invited Ross to sit down. “Glenn, please have Salome join us.”
“Mister President let me get right to the point. A tsunami is headed for the west coast of the United States.”
Daniel schooled himself to remain calm and not interrupt as Ross repeated everything Robert had just told him.
“We are sounding the alarms in all areas projected to be impacted and recommending evacuation of the entire coastline as far south as Mexico.”
“Evacuation – how much water are you expecting?”
“Sir, there is no way of knowing exactly, but given the amount of displacement and the readings we’ve received so far, in the northern most areas the initial wave could be as high as one-hundred feet by the time it reaches land; that height will decrease moving south as the wave dissipates, but even San Diego could see a fifty-foot wave.”