Project Apollo

by B. B. Gallagher

  Project Apollo

  PROJECT APOLLO

  «———————————»

  A NOVEL

  BB Gallagher

  ©2018 BB Gallagher Publications. All rights reserved. Except for short excerpts used in articles and critical reviews, no part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in any form whatsoever, printed or electronic, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published in the United States by BB Gallagher Publications.

  York, SC

  ISBN: 1981950699

  ISBN-13: 978-1981950690

  Synopsis of Project Sparta

  Part 1 of The Xander Whitt Trilogy

  Project Sparta is a private intelligence agency who provides security services to the United States government on a contractual basis. As government contractors, the Spartans subvert terrorist attacks across the globe, often without the knowledge of other US intelligence agencies. This top-secret branch has very loose ties to Congressional oversight and serves the most effective way to get things done when bureaucratic red tape is an obstacle or plausible deniability is needed. Sparta is run by Colonel Jackson Hardy, the Director of the Project, who recruited ten fifteen-year-olds, all of which displayed prodigy-like abilities in their area of expertise. For one year they were trained in an underground black site called the Compound in the ways of spy-craft. The ten recruits of Project Sparta would become America’s most secret and effective clandestine assets.

  Xander Whitt quickly became Sparta’s best recruit and exceled at the different training classes and battles the Spartans undergo. Xander lost his parents in a car crash when he was eight years old. During the wreck he suffered severe head trauma which endowed him with incredible cognitive ability. Xander remembers nothing of his childhood before the wreck but was finally able to find himself through the many dramatic events of training. He befriended Ezra whose house exploded mid-way through the program in an apparent suicide. Xander fell in love with Fiona and was instructed to spy on her during training for fear that she could be a Russian double. Xander discovered at the end of training that Fiona had her own mission to spy on Xander and that their missions were a contrived clandestine training exercise, meant to drive a wedge between their budding romance. In an act of love, Xander and Fiona attempted to break out of the Compound. Coming face to face with Colonel Hardy, Xander brokered Fiona’s release from the program. In exchange he pledged that he will remain at Project Sparta’s service but only if she is free to go and is not disturbed in her life as a free American. Colonel Hardy agreed to the terms and so they perpetuated the lie that Fiona was a Russian double who had escaped from the Compound. This shocked the other Spartans yet ensured she was completely severed from the program and could live the life she wanted.

  Ten years later, Xander Whitt, the most gifted Spartan, tracked a terrorist, code-named Agent Zero who led a growing terrorist cell called the Skeptics. Intel indicated that there was an impending attack in the DC area. Xander discovered during a recon op in Afghanistan that Agent Zero is from his past training program, Project Sparta. Xander must recount his recruitment to unlock the clues necessary to discover the defector among him.

  Xander and the other Spartans would come to learn that Ezra was still alive and had defected as Agent Zero. With a bomb strapped to his chest, he threatened to detonate it atop the American History Museum during the Fourth of July fireworks show. To Xander’s horror, he killed Jooles, a fellow Spartan recruit during the stand-off. This left Ezra exposed, however, for Ashton’s sniper rifle who shot but did not kill him.

  After the attack, Xander Whitt returned home filled with questions of why Ezra would give up his human shield at such a time, leaving him unsettled by the tactic and saddened by the loss of his friend, Jooles. Fiona was in bed waiting for him at home and lives as Xander’s wife and most precious secret.

  For My Parents

  Project Credo

  I am a Spartan.

  I am a Spartan who does not exist.

  I am a Spartan who safeguards our country from enemies both foreign and domestic.

  I am a Spartan who preserves the virtuous state through true Justice.

  I am a Spartan for life; death is the only discharge.

  I am a Spartan who fights for the Common Good of all.

  I am a Spartan, and nothing is as it seems.

  PART 1: EXPOSURE

  Chapter 1

  Geneva, Switzerland

  5PM

  The Swiss Alps towered in the distance over Lake Geneva as Xander cut through the wind in full sprint, pursuing his mark. Thirty-five yards ahead, separated by a hedge, a man named Gregory ascended and descended the grassy knolls of the large greenway that lined the Imperatrice Way – a paved two-lane street. Running along the lane, Xander saw Gregory reach the apex of another knoll, popping his head once more above the hedge – he was gaining ground on his prey with every stride, yet still separated from him.

  He was sent by Project Sparta’s director, Colonel Jackson Hardy, to track down Gregory and interrogate him for the location of four missing scientists. They had been missing over the last two months and they all went missing at a World Health Organization conference. The CIA, FBI and NSA were all turning up nothing so as usual it fell to Sparta to do what the rest of the intelligence community could not. Gregory was their only open lead to the scientists’ whereabouts and who abducted them.

  Xander continued to sprint down the greenway and knew he would catch Gregory soon so he quickly fished a tracking bug out of his pocket and nested it into the palm of his hand. He noticed ahead of him a car approaching – head on. He knew the car would decelerate and honed in on the spot forty yards ahead where they would meet.

  As expected, the Sedan slowed upon its approach. Xander did not turn, rather ran up its front bumper, onto the roof of the car and launched himself up and over the hedge. He descended on Gregory at the spot, tackling him in a tumbled landing. Gregory proved more elusive than he had thought, for he squirted out from his grasp like a wet bar of soap.

  Xander got up to his knees and checked his palm – empty. No tracking bug. Then his eyes lifted to Gregory. Xander flashed a smile as he found his footing and continued his pursuit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Gregory, now thirty yards ahead, scaled a brick wall and landed into a residential yard. He burst through an abandoned shed, which shattered upon impact. Unsure of how close Xander was on his heels he did not look back but rather sprinted to the back door of the large stone residence, flung the door open and ran into the house.

  Screams rang out in the kitchen as he ran through the residence. His eyes found a set of keys hanging from the wall, which his hand snagged quickly. He darted out the front door into the residence’s driveway to find a beeping BMW, responding to the unlock button he was pressing on the keys. He jumped into the driver’s seat, relieved by his impending escape. He floored it to a screeching speed out of the gated driveway and onto the street.

  Then a thud sounded.

  Xander was on the roof of the car.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The BMW beneath Xander began swerving violently. His grip remained tight, but his body flopped like a trout caught on a line. The wind broke across his face as the Beamer accelerated to high speeds. Xander lifted his head to see where the road led, it was the waterfront. He brought his wrist to his mouth and yelled against the jet stream of wind.

  “Crank up the engines! I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you in a minute,” Xander directed to his wife.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Aboard the Santa Anna, Fiona Whitt surveyed the satellite feed boxes populating her laptop. She was alone on the speed boat, docked in Lake Geneva aiming Southwest toward the Rhone River. Adrenaline churned in her gu
t as she felt the rush of the field once more. She couldn’t help but crack a smile as the action unfolded.

  “Got it! I see you approaching! You’re only 50 yards from me,” Fiona shouted into the comm.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The road led out onto a boardwalk. The car gathered speed as it cut across a pedestrian’s intersection and zoomed down the dock with all its horse-power revving. The tires rumbled over the hardwood slats of the dock.

  The end of the dock approached – the railing only 20 yards.

  Xander’s grip tightened, bracing for impact. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Gregory tumble out of the driver seat onto the dock.

  But before Xgander could get off the car, it smashed at full speed through the railing, throwing him thirty yards into the bitter cold Geneva water.

  Splash.

  Every pore in Xander’s body snapped shut as he hit the water. The impact burned at first but then quickly froze to the bone.

  Xander treaded water and scoped the dock for Gregory who was now on foot, running the other way. To Xander’s relief he felt a deep vibration in the water and then heard a low hum as a 20-foot speed boat pulled up to him. Looking down at him from Starboard was a beautiful red head with glacier blue eyes in a green bikini top and cut off jean shorts. Her smile widened at her husband’s defeated position.

  “Need a lift?!” Fiona asked with her hands on her hips. A fake laugh responded as he grabbed for the floatation ring. After climbing onboard, he shook the icicles from his hair.

  “Do you have him?” he remained all business.

  “Yeah, I’ve got his signal, good idea to tag him with a tracker,” she moved over to her laptop and leaned over the satellite feed, “he’s heading southwest, along the waterfront.”

  “He’s running up the dock.” Xander, freezing, disrobed his wet, slopping suit and threw on a pair of pants, shirt and jean jacket. He grabbed a pair of binoculars and scanned the boardwalk. Unable to find Gregory through the lens, he asked for an update on the tracker.

  “Okay, now he is moving faster, alongside the dock, we’ve passed him!” Fiona yelled over the wind, cutting the helm as sharp as possible. The Santa Anna spun a quick 180, sending a wave to rip toward shore. Xander aimed the binoculars straight ahead and found a boat speeding out to the sea. The thinned, salt and peppered scalp of the boat’s captain, confirmed Gregory’s presence.

  “There he is! Get me close!” Fiona punched it and the boat churned in the water. The Santa Anna accelerated faster than Gregory’s, smaller, less powerful vessel.

  It began to close in – 30 yards behind. 20 yards behind. The ship’s deck began to tremble as it cut through the other boat’s torrent. 10 yards behind. Xander positioned himself on the edge of the boat, knees bent and hanging on for balance.

  The Santa Anna pulled up alongside the speeding ship. Gregory turned to see the other boat on top of him. Xander leapt as Gregory cut the wheel to peel away from the Santa Anna. He soared through the air, as his target pulled further away. As he descended he reached out as far he could and was just able to snatch the metal railing that lined the boat’s hull. The rest of his body flung off, trying to peel his desperate grip from the railing.

  The water sprayed up at him and seeped into his grip. His hand loosened. Gregory approached the marauder. Xander knew he’d have to move now.

  With all his strength, Xander kicked off the hull of the ship, brought his other arm up to the railing and flipped himself over onto the vessel’s deck. As he hit the boat deck, Gregory’s fist met him as he was down. His fists beat down on him repeatedly. Xander kept a calm head as he surveyed the situation.

  Gregory seems to be the hyperactive boxer type. All I have to do is wait until he takes a breath. All he is doing is tiring himself out.

  Xander’s eye looked through his blocking fists to see Gregory’s stance.

  He is weak on his left leg, take out the right – it’s supporting him.

  His eyes then found a rope tied to the mast with a great deal of slack. He quickly processed the architecture of the boat’s structure and the physics behind how it propelled itself forward.

  That could be useful…

  The punches let up as Gregory huffed and puffed.

  Okay… Go!

  Xander spun from the small of his back and chopped at Gregory’s right leg with a sweeping kick. The kick cut out Gregory’s stance and dropped him to the floor. His head hit the metal seat hard, knocking him unconscious. Xander flipped up to his feet and wiped the blood streaming down his cheekbone. He turned to see Gregory’s focus fade and his body fall limp.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Xander cracked smelling salts under his nostrils, causing him to startle back to consciousness. He tried to move but he couldn’t, as he was tied down against the railing of the boat. They were far off shore. No witnesses. Xander sat at the boat’s helm and began speaking to his prisoner.

  “Okay, Gregory, now listen here… I have tied you to this mast… As the mast moves, the rope will tighten. Now we aren’t moving currently, but we are in fact aimed that way.” He pointed westward.

  “As this is a sail boat with an engine, all I would have to do is punch this engine in gear and the mast will swing and take off your head. You are going to tell me what I want to know…” his eyes went dark, his voice dropped low, “Where are the scientists?”

  Xander probed Gregory for answers. There were none to be seen, so Xander searched his pockets to find a cell phone. He flipped through his text messages and found one to an unsaved number. The text message just read.

  I know where Henry Bosco and Caroline Keener are

  With no leads in the text, the phone number is what Xander honed in on. The phone number began with 240. Xander mentally searched his internal phonebook.

  Bethesda’s area code…

  “Who are they?” Xander barked. A gust of wind blew at the mast, tightening the ropes strangle on Gregory’s neck. He gasped for a breath.

  “The Skeptics want them!”

  The Skeptics…

  And now he knew that Ezra was involved somehow. A fury built up in him at the sound of the terrorist cell he had fought to eradicate three months prior. He couldn’t resist slowly pushing pressure on the throttle. The boat began to churn. Gregory’s eyes widened. The water below fizzed like a Jacuzzi jet as the propellers spun faster. The rope’s grip tightened like a Boa Constrictor suffocating its dinner.

  “Who did you send these names to?!” Xander intensified. The whites in his knuckles covered the throttle.

  “Who are they?! Tell me Gregory now!” His bark was only muted by the growling turbines pumping beneath them.

  With great difficulty, Gregory finally parted his lips and spoke through gasping breaths.

  “Don’t you see what you’re doing… Xander Whitt!” Gregory flashed his teeth as he snarled his name. Xander leaned in close.

  “How do you know my name?!”

  “They’re going to release Apollo!” he hissed, scared of some previously unknown threat.

  As Xander moved close, Gregory planted his foot on Xander launching himself back off the side of the deck. His neck still tied, snapped on impact – his toes tapped the water, but bounced up as the rope recoiled. His body hung off the side of the boat, lifeless. Xander tried pulling the rope up over board to save Gregory for questioning but it was too late. Xander dropped the rope and Gregory’s body swayed in the wind. He sat with a breath, as the questions invaded his head.

  Bethesda, Maryland?...The Skeptics are involved?...Who are Henry Bosco and Caroline Keener and why does they want them?...How does he know my name?... They’re going to release Apollo?

  What the hell is Apollo?

  Chapter 2

  National Institutes of Health

  Bethesda, MD

  11AM

  On the late morning of September 6th, Catherine Mueller entered the BSL-4 laboratory after having performed a double check of her one-piece pressurized air suit. She had shor
t, honey colored hair held back like curtains by her large dark glasses. The hook of her nose kept her glasses up even as she stared down through microscopes throughout the day. Despite her pallid complexion, lack of upkeep and bagging eyes, her playful personality gave her an irresistible spark. She stopped and took three deep breaths before pressing the green button on the wall next to the door.

  The compression door gasped open onto the laboratory floor. Before her were tables of lab instruments, test tubes and computers for analytics. Being rated a bio-safety level four lab, the space was completely isolated from its neighboring labs in the NIH and sectioned off by a steel encasement, lining the walls of the lab. Covered head to foot, she stepped out into the top laboratory in the country. A curling oxygen hose connected the back of her suit to the ceiling, providing her with uncontaminated breaths and a pressurized atmosphere. Catherine’s head, enclosed in a cylinder of plastic, turned to the older man already at work on a contagion brewing in a test tube before him.

  “Alright! Alright! You were right!” Catherine’s English-accented voice muffled through her headset and into the headphones of the elderly man’s. Her blue gloved hands waved off the impending I told you so…

  “Catherine, you are the brightest young scientist I have ever met. You are so brilliant no one will be able to quantify the lives you will save within these walls…” the old man finally turned to her. “But your taste in men sucks!”