Savage Bay

by Christopher Forrest

  “Level Two is mainly the common areas: cafeteria, recreation rooms, library, gym, theater, and such,” said Cruz.

  On the holographic display, they watched miniature avatars of Tank and Shooter throw concussion grenades through the doorway, followed by an explosion and screams from inside. Then Gator and Pyro bolted through the entrance as the rest of Titan Six provided covering fire.

  Touchdown enlarged the video feeds from Gator and Pyro’s helmet cams. Beyond the doorway, the Mezzanine resembled a cell block in a prison. On each of the three levels was a metal catwalk, five feet wide, encircling an open area in the center. At the edge of the catwalk on each level was a waist-high railing: horizontal metal rails alternated with vertical pillars of concrete.

  A light haze from the grenade explosions still hung in the air, limiting visibility. Gator jumped over a fallen Chinese soldier and dropped to the floor behind the railing overlooking the central atrium. Pyro took cover behind a pillar.

  Looking down the barrel of his HK G23 assault rifle, Pyro scanned for hostile targets: first on Level Two of the Mezzanine, then the level below. Seeing nothing, he raised his weapon to scan the catwalk one floor up. There was a flash of movement on Pyro’s video feed as a Chinese operative moved into position on the opposite side of the Mezzanine.

  “Pyro, you’ve got one hostile at your eleven o’clock one level up,” warned Touchdown.

  “I see him,” said Pyro. He took aim, and fired a burst from his assault rifle.

  TITAN SIX, SAVAGE BAY

  Tank, Hawkeye, and Shooter came through the doorway just as Pyro began firing at the Dragons on the floor above. The rounds from his assault rifle slammed into a concrete pillar next to his intended target.

  A second Dragon appeared on the level above them, darting across an open area to take cover behind a second pillar.

  “There’s another one,” yelled Tank. He raised his weapon and fired.

  Following Tank’s lead, Shooter dropped to one knee and aimed at the new target on Level One. Then a third and fourth Dragon appeared near the other two.

  “This is bad,” said Tank. “They have the high ground. We’ve got to get off this catwalk.”

  Touchdown’s voice sounded in Tank’s ear. “Look to your left,” he said. “On the north wall is a door. See it?”

  “Got it!” said Tank.

  “That door leads to a cafeteria. From there, you should be able to move with limited exposure to other rooms on Level Two.”

  “Understood,” said Tank. “Everyone got that?”

  “Got it,” “Understood,” and “Affirmative” came the replies.

  “Suppressing fire, then follow me,” said Hawkeye.

  In unison, Titan Six fired a barrage of rounds up at the Chinese soldiers on Level One. The explosive sound of their gunfire echoed across the Mezzanine.

  “Go, go, go!” yelled Tank.

  One by one, the Titan Six team members stopped firing and sprinted down the catwalk toward the door in the north wall. Shooter was the last to leave her position. She let go of her weapon, letting it hang from the sling around her neck, and retrieved a flash grenade from her belt. She yanked out the pin and then hurled it into the air toward the Chinese.

  Shooter had sprinted halfway down the catwalk by the time the Dragons looked out from behind cover and began to return fire. A spray of bullets peppered the floor behind her as she ran.

  With a tremendous burst of light and sound, the flash grenade detonated, momentarily blinding the Dragons above.

  TITAN SIX, SAVAGE BAY

  Tank ran at full speed toward the closed door. He could hear his teammates close behind him. Then Shooter’s flash grenade detonated.

  “Door, door, door -- get it open,” Tank yelled at Touchdown over the COM system, charging ahead at top speed.

  The door slid open just as Tank reached it. Standing just inside the opening was a wide-eyed man in a lab coat. At the sight of an armed solider in full tactical gear running straight at him, the scientist’s face went white and his mouth dropped open.

  Tank barreled into the unlucky scientist, knocking him off his feet. He fell in a tangled heap, and his glasses skidded across the tile floor. Tank dove and rolled, coming up with his weapon raised. Behind him, the rest of Titan Six poured into the room, guns at the ready.

  In the cafeteria, a dozen civilians stood slack-jawed, frozen in place in fear. One of them made a small noise like a mouse and raised her hands high above her head. Then she promptly vomited on her shoes in fright.

  “Friendlies!” yelled Caine over the COM. “Those are friendlies!”

  Tank quickly surveyed the group, noting the stitching on the lab coats of several of the scared civilians: TRIAD GENOMICS.

  Hawkeye lowered his weapon and removed his helmet.

  “My name is Michael Hawke, commander of Titan Six, special ops. Catherine Caine sent us. We’re here to help you.”

  A cheer erupted in the cafeteria.

  DUBOIS ESTATE, OUTSIDE LYON, FRANCE

  Nine men sat around an oval mahogany table in the large library of the Dubois chalet. Leather-bound books, most very old, sat on shelves lining the four sides of the quiet room. Marble busts of Greek gods sat on smaller tables in the corners.

  The table was polished to a high luster, with a mother-of-pearl inlay of two entwined serpents in the table’s center. On either side of the serpents were two more inlays of a stylized number: 11.

  A man of sixty-seven with a dark blue suit and gold cufflinks stood and began to pace around the table as he addressed those assembled. His hair was silver and combed straight back.

  “Thank you all for coming here tonight,” said Claude Dubois. “We are all aware that our Order has suffered a setback in recent years. As you know, we have been in possession of the discoveries made by Dr. Joshua Ambergris regarding The Genesis Code that was inserted into our DNA by an ancient civilization. I assume you also remember the unsuccessful efforts of the former leader of this council, Kai Tanaka, to eradicate Dr. Ambergris and Triad Genomics in New York City.”

  The council members of the Order nodded in silence.

  “We know as well as Dr. Ambergris that the Code is far more extensive than what he originally uncovered,” Dubois continued. “The Ancients left a diversity of clues that emerged in many religions and cultures over the centuries. Heretofore, we have guarded the knowledge of the Code, even employing our own geneticists to work on unlocking new sections of introns in our DNA. As we know, Tanaka’s failures set us back. The task of research fell to others.”

  Dubois came full circle and resumed his seat.

  “You may have noticed,” he said, “that three chairs are empty tonight. Three of our brothers are engaged, even as I speak, in obtaining new research done on The Genesis Code. As some of you already know, Triad Genomics relocated its research from the United States to the island of Es Vedra, off the coast of Spain. I have it on the highest authority that many new secrets have been discovered there.”

  Dubois sighed.

  “It has been a difficult decision, but as you also know, this council decided last year that the Code and ongoing research into its message cannot be suppressed any longer.”

  “I believe that the Order has fulfilled its ancient mission,” said a younger man, a Venezuelan with dark hair and pale blue eyes. “We have guarded the sacred knowledge of the Code for millennia. But the research has moved forward, and the age of technology is upon us. Kai Tanaka is dead, and the time has arrived to see the Code used. In the right hands, of course.”

  Dubois smiled. “In the right hands. Yes. Our three absent brothers are making sure that we will not only possess the full text of the Code, but that it will be used by those we have chosen to share our secret with.”

  “I still find it regrettable that we must share our wisdom with a political entity,” said an elderly German man with white curly hair and a broad moustache.

  Dubois cocked his head slightly. “It is now a political w
orld,” he said. “As our brother from Venezuela has pointed out so wisely, this is also the age of technology. It is the age that the Ancients knew would discover the Code.” He paused. “That having been said, I believe that we have made our choice with deliberation and care.”

  “You refer to the Chinese,” said a black man from Chad.

  “Yes,” said Dubois. “The Chinese.”

  Chapter 18

  OPS CENTER, ABOARD THE ALAMIRANTA

  Cheers also erupted in the Ops Center.

  “Finally,” Caine said. “The mission can begin in earnest.”

  “Begin?” said Cruz, puzzled.

  “Yes. Everything that’s happened thus far has transpired so that we can find Dominique. And save the Genesis research, of course. Tell me what else is on this level.”

  Cruz nodded. “Security offices, a theater, rec room, the PX, clinic, and gym. A chapel, too.”

  Dante spoke inside Quiz’s mind: * I’m glad people haven’t forgotten about heaven and hell. *

  Quiz nodded his head. I hope there isn’t too much hell coming in the hours ahead.

  * Hell has many descending levels. How many are there at Savage Bay? *

  I think we’ll be finding out very soon —

  “Touchdown, pull up the schematics for Level Two,” Caine said.

  Two monitors displayed the rooms adjoining the cafeteria.

  “Security offices to the right of the cafeteria,” Touchdown said. “Everything else to the left.”

  “Did you get that on your visor, Hawkeye?” asked Caine.

  There was no response.

  Caine looked from the monitors to Touchdown.

  “Hawkeye, do you read?” Touchdown said.

  The sound of static filled the Ops Center.

  TITAN SIX, SAVAGE BAY

  “Sorry, Mrs. Caine,” said Hawkeye, adjusting the COM setting in his helmet. “We just found a bunch of very happy people. It’s a bit noisy here. But yes, I see the schematic.”

  Hawkeye turned to the disheveled scientist, who was retrieving his black-rimmed glasses and adjusting his lab coat. “Can you give us a status report?”

  “I’m Dr. Christian Madison. My colleagues and I were locked in here approximately six hours ago. Before that . . . ”

  Madison took a deep breath and ran his right hand through thick, wavy hair.

  “Before that,” he resumed, “this place was chaotic. It was crawling with Chinese commandos. They infiltrated via the platform elevator in the cargo bay. They took out the guards but seemed reluctant to harm the staff past a certain point.”

  Hawkeye quickly surveyed the cafeteria. A dozen men and women, mostly young, stood nearby, all wearing Triad Genomics uniforms.

  “They didn’t want to risk killing anyone with information about the Genesis Research,” Tank speculated.

  “Exactly,” Madison said. “No one cooperated. Some were savagely beaten, however. Others managed to hide before the — ”

  He paused.

  “Dragons,” said Pyro.

  “Yes,” said Madison. “Some of our people managed to hide before the Dragons could advance far enough into the facility.”

  “Do you know where they are?” Hawkeye asked. “And what about Dominique Caine?”

  Dr. Madison shook his head. “It’s a big facility with a lot of corridors and rooms. Our staff could be anywhere, either captive or in hiding. As for Dominique, she was led away by a female commando with a scarred face the last time I saw her. A frightening woman. Almost otherworldly.”

  “Aiko,” Hawkeye and Shooter said in unison.

  Madison looked at Titan Six. “You’re badly outnumbered,” he said.

  The newly-enhanced Pyro spoke next. “We have a few tricks up our sleeves, Doctor.”

  “True,” Hawkeye said, “but . . . ”

  The cafeteria was as silent as a library reading room.

  “Mrs. Caine, what about those reinforcements from Pakistan and the Sudan?” Hawkeye asked.

  “Checking now, Mr. Hawke. Stand by.”

  OPS CENTER, ABOARD THE ALAMIRANTA

  “Status of reinforcements, DJ,” said Caine.

  “Best estimate? Three to four hours,” DJ said.

  “Very well,” said Caine. She turned to Cruz. “Let’s get a little more detailed. How many rooms are there at Savage Bay?”

  Cruz narrowed her eyes. “Including all levels? Hundreds. And as I’ve said, not all were included in the original blueprints. There are dozens of research labs, storage areas, offices, crew quarters, and safe rooms. There could be staff just about anywhere.”

  “Or Dragons, for that matter,” interjected Quiz.

  “Safe rooms?” said Caine.

  “For scenarios just like this,” Cruz answered.

  “Touchdown, can you pull up a 3D of the entire complex?” asked Caine.

  Touchdown’s fingers played across multiple keyboards. The hologram in the center of the room crackled with static.

  “Sensory overload,” Touchdown said. “She’s right. The inner quarters of Savage Bay, as opposed to the main tunnel, are like a hornet’s nest. Chambers everywhere. Accessing Maniticore for classified base info.”

  The figure in the wheelchair shook his head after several minutes.

  “Manticore simply verifies the existence of the main layout of the complex. Its schematic doesn’t correlate with the noise on the holographic display. The designers probably used separate computers with off-grid specs in case of an incursion. The cyber equivalent of ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ I can probably ping some signals of Titan Six to get tighter resolution when they advance. Can’t guarantee it, however.”

  “In that event,” Caine said, “I’ll want you and Cruz to tag team this as they move in.”

  “Might be a best-guess scenario,” Cruz said

  Caine raised her eyebrows. “Then make sure the guesses are indeed your very best.”

  TITAN SIX, SAVAGE BAY

  Hawkeye sat in a plastic cafeteria chair and motioned for the scientist to do the same. “Let’s start from the beginning, Doctor. How did all this go down?”

  “They parked a submarine in the base below right under our noses. Sonar in our Control Center didn’t pick up anything. They must have had our security codes in order to open the underwater doors to the sub complex. After that, they rode the elevator up to the cargo bay.”

  “The Chinese have stealth technology on their latest subs — Beijing Class,” Tank explained. “Screws are completely silent, which means that the boat leaves no baffles whatsoever that sonar can read.”

  “Once they were inside the subterranean base,” Madison continued, “alarms went off everywhere. While Triad certainly maintains a security team here, we were overwhelmed. We don’t have that many internal security doors to lock out intruders since we rely heavily on perimeter alarms. Our forces answered their gunfire, but they were cut down in rapid succession.”

  Madison lowered his head. “I don’t know what kind of weapons they used, but the screams from our men and women . . . ” He swallowed hard. “It’s as if the Dragon bullets caused bodies to virtually explode.”

  “We know the kind,” Gator said grimly.

  “We’re going to have to search the facility,” Hawkeye said.

  “Much of the story will speak for itself,” Madison conceded. “It’s written in blood across the floors and walls.”

  “What about The Genesis Code?” Hawkeye said.

  “I assume that the Chinese are in the process of searching for the data and are possibly uploading it right now. Virtually all of the newer discoveries are encrypted and represent thousands of terabytes of data. Before he was killed, our head security officer, Commander Childress, triggered the lockdown and managed to bring down a massive steel door right on top of the Chinese submarine’s aft section. They’re trapped, but I have no doubt they’re using the time to steal the Genesis data.”

  “A Beijing class sub can carry a lot of troops as wel
l as ordnance, big and small,” Hawkeye said. “There’s no telling what they brought into the base. Did you hear any explosions, Doctor?”

  “Yes. Down in the submarine bay during the first few minutes. I’m told they used grenades. Sounded like thunder. There were machine gun bursts as they moved farther in, but they mostly used assault rifles that gave off a short, muted spit spit spit kind of sound. I don’t think they wanted to risk harming sensitive electronics or databases.”

  Tank rubbed his square chin thoughtfully.

  “Something on your mind?” asked Hawkeye.

  “We don’t really know the extent of their knowledge of Savage Bay. They sure as hell know about The Genesis Code, however, or they wouldn’t be here. Judging from what Dr. Ambergris told us, this is a disaster in the making.”

  There was silence in the room for several seconds.

  “Point well taken,” said Hawkeye.

  “Are you receiving, Mrs. Caine,” said Hawkeye. “Any thoughts?”

  “We’re receiving,” Caine said. “As noted, the Chinese government and military are conducting their own high-tech research, including work on the human genome.”

  “That’s indisputable,” said Amergris.

  “Unfortunately, the info to infiltrate the base could fit on a jump drive,” said Caine. “A schematic and a few codes.”

  “But if that were the case, they’d have enough information to reverse the initial lockdown,” said Tank.

  “They may do just that when they’ve got everything they came for,” said Caine. “But there’s another possibility. Somebody in the facility opened the doors for our unwelcome visitors. There may be an informant working for Triad.”

  “Agreed,” said Hawkeye. “We’re going to check out the rest of the Mezzanine. After that . . . ”

  Hawkeye glanced at Madison. “Any recommendations as to where we should look for Dominique and other Triad survivors, Doctor?”

  “The administrative offices and labs on Level One.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” said Hawkeye. “We’ll be moving again any minute now.”