Savage Bay

by Christopher Forrest

  “Shooter, you’re with me. Gator and Pyro, tie the Dragons securely. If they resist, shoot ‘em.”

  The Dragon led the Titan team leader to the auditorium.

  Barely conscious, Dominique Caine was tied to a chair, her mouth gagged.

  Chapter 27

  DUBOIS ESTATE, OUTSIDE LYON, FRANCE

  Claude Dubois had excused himself from the Council. He had not been entirely honest with his brothers. While he did regard the Code’s translation as a given, he had not quite given up on the idea of having its message remain proprietary.

  He trusted his three absent brothers, and he knew that allowing the Chinese to use the Code was probably inevitable. The arguments in favor of having the Chinese government use the invaluable secrets of the Genesis data had been overwhelming. If the Council was at least aware of what was in the Code and how it was going to be used, it was better than having the Order dissolve or remain in ignorance after centuries of guarding its secrets.

  But Dubois had the proverbial ace in the hole. He was hedging his bets.

  There was an eleventh member of the Council — of course he would be number eleven — and his presence and intentions were unknown to the rest of the brothers seated at the table in the other room.

  CHINESE SUBMARINE 412, MEDITERRANEAN SEA

  “Coordinates,” said Commander Chu to his sub-commander.

  Chu was an unusually tall man who wore rimless spectacles. At fifty-seven, his gray hair was buzzed almost to the scalp.

  “Thirty-nine degrees latitude, four degrees longitude.”

  “Missile and torpedo status,” said Chu.

  “Four cruise missiles are in their silos and armed. All torpedo bays are manned and ready. Will we be firing at Es Vedra as well?”

  Chu stared straight ahead. “That will be for Mr. Yang to decide.”

  Ming class submarine 412 of the People’s Liberation Army of China was diesel powered like most conventional Chinese subs, but it had subsonic cruise missile capability with a range of one thousand miles. The cruise missiles aboard 412, however, were North Korean in design.

  And they were very accurate.

  Commander Chu looked at the intricate tactical display in the submarine’s Command Center. Several blips could be seen on a yellow and black grid. The Alamiranta was stationary to the west. Chu did not expect to see it when dawn arrived.

  TITAN SIX, SAVAGE BAY

  Hawkeye removed the dirty cloth gag from Dominique’s mouth and untied her hands.

  Dominique looked up and smiled, her deep blue eyes showing recognition. “Hawkeye,” she said. “I should have known my mother would send the best. I’m . . . ”

  Dominique Caine’s head fell to the side, her eyes closed.

  Hawkeye supported her head with his hand and held a canteen to the former prisoner’s lips. “It’s water fortified with a few special ingredients you wouldn’t find in a sports drink.”

  Dominique took a sip, then another.

  Hawkeye turned to speak with Shooter but saw the Dragon, his muscular arm raised high in the air, holding a black-handled blade. “Die, Titan!”

  The Dragon’s back arched, head tilted so far back to the rear that his chin pointed at the ceiling. “Ayyyy!” he wailed, his face contorted in pain.

  As he fell forward, Hawkeye saw that Shooter had fired a bullet into the soldier’s back.

  “He had a knife on the inside of his boot,” Shooter explained. “And he was damn fast. In the time it took for me to put my finger on the trigger, he had the knife poised above his head.”

  “I owe you one,” Hawkeye said.

  “You owe me a lot more than one,” Shooter said with a wink, “but we’ll discuss that another day.”

  Hawkeye turned around to face Dominique. The color was returning to the face of the director of Savage Bay. Dominique was a rare beauty. Dirty blond hair fell over high cheekbones. Her skin was white and flawless.

  “Fine work, Mr. Hawke,” said Mrs. Caine.

  “Glad to be of service,” Hawkeye responded.

  OPS CENTER, ABOARD THE ALAMIRANTA

  Ambergris was standing, hugging Catherine Caine. The other Ops members looked at each other and let out a long sigh of relief.

  “How is she, Hawkeye?” asked Caine.

  “Recovering quickly.”

  “I’m reading a Chinese sub, Ming class, one hundred and fifty miles to our east,” said Touchdown.

  Caine turned abruptly and gave Touchdown a stern look.

  “I’m sorry ma’am,” Touchdown said. “I didn’t mean to spoil the moment, but the sub poses a very real threat.”

  “To Es Vedra or the Alamiranta?” asked Caine.

  Touchdown pivoted his wheelchair to face his superior. “Both,” he said. “Ming class subs carry a standard issue of torpedoes as well as eight cruise missiles.”

  “It could also be on a rescue mission,” Cruz said. “It might be a contingency in case the sub below Savage Bay can’t free itself.”

  “Or in case its radiation leak has made it less than seaworthy,” said DJ.

  “Hawkeye,” said Caine, “you need to do several things in a hurry. Find the Genesis data. After that, disable the Chinese sub below the cargo bay and prepare to be evacuated.”

  Caine turned to DJ. “Reinforcements?”

  “They’re still en route.”

  “Touchdown, be ready to open the missile doors on the rear deck of the Alamiranta on my command. We may have to blow up Es Vedra ourselves — if we can first get the Genesis data, of course. Also, get a Titan jet squadron in the air ASAP.”

  Cruz looked startled. “Surely you wouldn’t do that with Titan Six and your daughter still in the mountain! You’re going to wait for them, right?”

  “That would certainly be preferable,” said Caine. “But I’m not willing to let the Chinese retain possession of the Genesis data. The code has infinite ability to change the destiny of mankind.”

  All Ops members looked at Catherine Caine. No one dared to say a word.

  TITAN SIX, SAVAGE BAY

  Pyro, Madison, Tank, and Battenford joined Hawkeye and Dominique in the theater.

  “Gator and Shooter are standing guard,” Tank reported. “Aiko’s battered forces are tied and unconscious. I gave each an injection of a heavy duty sedative to keep them in left field for a good long time.”

  Dominique stood and stretched. Her body was tall and lithe. “Thank you again,” she said, this time looking at all assembled Titan members. “Christian, we need to get you patched up. And you, too,” she said, looking at Pyro. “There’s a clinic behind the theater.”

  Dominique led the group to the clinic, where several Triad employees were hiding. Some were people Hawkeye had seen in the cafeteria earlier. Some faces were new.

  “We searched this area not long ago,” said Hawkeye. “This level was empty except for Dr. Garland.”

  “Both I and some of my team have been moved several times since the Chinese first assaulted the complex.”

  “I filled them in on the incursion,” Madison stated as medics tended to his shoulder and Pyro’s thigh. “What I think we’d all like to hear is what has happened to you. And the Genesis data.”

  Dominique nodded and rubbed her forehead.

  “They took me to my office. Aiko and several of her men were there. They directed the takeover of Savage Bay. Heidi Boren was present as well. She got into my computer and gave Aiko all of the new passwords I’d created after Nigel had erased them this morning. She’d been acting suspiciously for some time. I knew she’d defected when I discovered that she was communicating with the Chinese using coded emails. She sent them to a server in Turkey that employed a re-mailer program to forward them to whomever she’s working for.”

  “They’ve uploaded all Genesis research from Savage Bay computers,” Hawkeye said.

  “Except the data from the mainframe,” Battenford said.

  Dominique smiled, “I think Heidi will find it difficult to break my en
cryption key.”

  “Wouldn’t a facility like this one normally keep several copies of such important research on separate hard drives?” Tank asked.

  “Of course,” Dominique replied. “But Heidi knew where they were stored. I tried to collect them yesterday with the intention of locking them away in different areas of the base, but Heidi beat me to it.”

  “We’ve seen Dragons carrying several leather bags of material onto their sub down below,” Catherine Caine broke in. “I would imagine that they have everything except what’s still on the mainframe.”

  Tank removed his helmet and handed it to Dominique. “Here. I believe your mother would like to speak with you. Just hold the side of the helmet near your ears and you’ll hear just fine, ma’am.”

  “Dominique?” said Caine. “Are you there?”

  Tears ran down Dominique’s cheek. “Yes, mother. I’m okay, but . . . but I’ve failed you.”

  “You haven’t failed anyone,” Caine said from the Ops Center. “Boren is to blame, and it’s to your credit that you detected her suspicious activity before all this happened. And Dominique?”

  “Yes?”

  “I love you.”

  Hawkeye coughed nervously. “Mrs. Caine, we’re going to need to get to Level Three and the mainframe — and quickly.”

  “I concur,” Dominique said, “but the Chinese have been sealing off corridors, some of them secret, where our staff is hiding.” Her voice dropped in volume. “At least the ones who weren’t killed.”

  “We’re aware of the explosions,” said Caine. “Titan reinforcements are on their way. I’m also going to send Alamiranta forces to help with search and rescue.”

  “The radiation level is still rising,” Touchdown interjected.

  “Roger that,” said Hawkeye. “Keep us posted on the radiation.”

  “Radiation?” said Dominique.

  “It’s coming from the submarine,” Hawkeye explained.

  “Where is Aiko?” Hawkeye asked.

  “Unknown,” said Touchdown. “I don’t know what to make of her. When I have a fix on her, her red avatar sometimes starts to fade. Is that chick even human?”

  Hawkeye thought for a moment. “Good question. She’s certainly someone with a lot of technology behind her.” He paused. “But first things first. How do we get to Level Three?”

  “There’s a stairway,” Dominique said. “If it hasn’t been blocked off, that is.”

  Touchdown chimed in. “Remember that Dragons recently entered the facility down below.”

  “We copy,” Hawkeye said.

  “I’m suddenly feeling nauseated,” Nigel declared. “And weak.”

  Hawkeye and Tank exchanged glances. They were thinking the same thing: radiation. But there was a greater issue looming: how long would it be before the others exhibited symptoms as well.

  Chapter 28

  OPS CENTER, ABOARD THE ALAMIRANTA

  “Where are the Dragons that exited the sub?” asked Caine.

  “They’re in the cargo bay,” Touchdown said. “They’re not advancing.”

  “But Aiko knows that Titan Six will be trying to access the mainframe,” DJ speculated. “I don’t get it. We must be missing something.”

  “Why wouldn’t they have destroyed the mainframe by now?” Quiz asked. “They already have the Genesis data.”

  “Two possibilities,” said Caine. “They may believe, rightly or wrongly, that the mainframe still has information that isn’t on other computer systems at the base. Or they may simply be waiting for Titan to descend. A classic ambush.”

  “Where exactly on Level Three is the mainframe?” Caine asked.

  “It’s in the CompCenter,” said Cruz. “South side of the mountain.”

  “Something’s wrong,” said Caine. “At least a few Dragons should be in the CompCenter already if they’re trying to stage an ambush. Touchdown, are there any life signs in the CompCenter?”

  “Already accessing Manticore,” Touchdown said. “I show only one person there.”

  “Peculiar,” said Caine. “Damn peculiar.”

  TITAN SIX, SAVAGE BAY

  “What can you tell us about the number eleven eleven?” Hawkeye asked.

  Dominique shot a concerned look at Madison. The question had clearly caught her off guard.

  “I told them only what I personally know about the number,” Madison said. “And how it has been showing up everywhere. Also how we postulated that it could be relevant to The Genesis Code. We found Emilio Gonzales in your office. I’m afraid he didn’t make it, but his last words were ‘Boren in eleven eleven.’ Does the number have any further significance to the Genesis Code that I’m not aware of?”

  “We’ll discuss that later, Christian,” said Dominique. “For now, let’s get to Level Three.”

  Madison’s face clearly showed concern — and puzzlement.

  Shooter and Gator in the lead, the team began descending the stairs to Level Three.

  It’s quiet, Hawkeye thought. Way too quiet.

  OPS CENTER, ABOARD THE ALAMIRANTA

  Touchdown studied the video feed from the camera in the cargo bay. The Dragons stood immobile. That’s when he realized the truth.

  “The Chinese forces have somehow altered that feed,” Touchdown said. “Look carefully. Every sixty seconds, the men go through the same very minor gestures. This is a feedback loop.”

  “Which means that the Dragons are probably advancing to the south end of the tunnel,” Caine said. “If they’re not already there.”

  “But I’m still showing nothing in the way of commandos near the CompCenter,” Touchdown said.

  “Where the hell are they?” asked Caine, her voice agitated.

  Touchdown took a deep breath. He knew his response wasn’t going to be well received. “They’ve disappeared.”

  TITAN SIX, SAVAGE BAY

  “Where are the Chinese forces?” Hawkeye asked. “I’m not just talking about the ones in the cargo bay?”

  “We don’t know,” Catherine Caine answered in a chilly voice. “They’re. . . ” She paused and chose her words carefully. “ . . . unaccounted for at present.”

  “I think they may be ready to pull out,” Dominique said.

  The team and its entourage stood in a storage hanger on Level Three. The walls were lined with canisters and wooden crates.

  “Follow me,” said Dominique. “Private quarters are located on this level, as well as facilities for repair and maintenance, electrical generators, environmental controls, and the like. Also the CompCenter.”

  “Shooter goes first,” Hawkeye said.

  Dominique swiped her Triad ID and the team entered a hallway that was intersected by others every ten yards.

  “Any hostiles?” Hawkeye asked.

  “Negative,” said Touchdown.

  The CompCenter was located at the end of the hall. Dominique swiped her card again, and the team entered a spacious modern room with computer stations, servers, and plasma screens lining every wall. On the left was a large stainless steel structure, the digital mainframe. A male technician holding a clipboard was recording numbers from dozens of digital readouts.

  “This beauty is Gencore,” explained Dominique proudly. “It’s where virtually every bit of Genesis research is stored. It also has a computing ability that would make the Pentagon jealous.”

  Dominique turned and motioned to the right.

  “On the other side of the room is Manticore,” the Project Director said. “It’s also a digital mainframe, but it monitors surveillance, other computer systems, security — just about every system on the base. It’s the nerve center for Savage Bay.”

  Battenford walked up to the tech and began discussing various displays. He was unsteady on his feet.

  “That’s Ted Pearson,” Dominique told Hawkeye. “He works under Nigel.”

  “And if I understand correctly,” said Hawkeye, “Gencore holds information on The Genesis Code that will revolutionize humanity.”
>
  Hawkeye eyed Pearson suspiciously. Why was he working in the lab unhindered?

  “You understand correctly,” affirmed Dominique. “What our team has uncovered is information passed down to us from a lost civilization that will enable mankind to make a quantum evolutionary leap.”

  “We’re getting very close to solving the entire puzzle,” Madison added. “There are billions of DNA sequences in the human genome, and it has taken a long time to map many of the introns, or junk DNA sequences, that Joshua previously discovered. It’s no easy task, but when we finally correlate all the data from every intron, we will have a codex that represents an entirely new biological knowledge base for humanity.”

  Dominique smiled and spoke in a voice that Hawkeye regarded as mildly condescending. “Actually, Christian, we’re pretty far along. We haven’t actually run conclusive experiments yet, but the mapping is advancing every day. We’ve even begun to read large sections of the Code.” She motioned to Gencore. “The data is stored right there.”

  “But Dominique,” said a shocked Christian Madison. “No one told me this!”

  “Nobody has all the data thus far except me and Heidi Boren,” said Dominique. “She’s the first who came across certain algorithms that greatly advanced the work begun by Joshua. She knew exactly where to look and how to decipher the information on incredibly long strings of introns.”

  “I still should have been told!” Madison said, his voice rising. “What did Boren find?”

  Dominique folded her arms and walked about the room nonchalantly. “I guess there’s no harm in telling you now, Christian. The Ancients have given us instructions on how to rewrite our own DNA. We can — ” She paused. “You get the picture. There’s more, but for now, I think you can appreciate why the Chinese are interested in The Genesis Code.”

  Dominique sat at a computer station and began typing. When she turned around, she was wearing a clear plastic mask over her nose and mouth. So was Ted Pearson.

  “What’s going on?” asked Hawkeye.