“Then it is past time that we paid him back with some of his own medicine.” Barton grinned. “Ready boys?”
They stopped at the gate.
Another two guards came out to meet them. One circled the truck and looked into the passenger’s window. His nametag identified him as Foster. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the truck’s interior. Eogan took a deep breath and prepared for battle.
His partner reached for Barton’s papers.
“I’ll have to call for clearance.” The second guard took the paperwork and went back into the guardhouse.
Barton looked at Eogan.
Eogan nodded and leaned out his window and grabbed Foster’s weapon. At the same time, he pulled him close and slammed his head into the truck frame. The man went limp.
Barton opened his door. The other guard stepped out of the small guard building to stop him, but Barton was quicker. He hit him over the head with the butt of his pistol. The guard fell backwards into the guardhouse. Simon followed Barton out of the truck, and Eogan opened his door, grabbing Foster and dragging him into the guard stationhouse.
Simon was punching code into the computer and unbuttoning his shirt. Barton stripped Foster and handed Simon the uniform. Several seconds later, Simon was dressed as a guard and in control of the computers. The two unconscious guards were gagged and handcuffed to a metal strut in the building.
“In case they wake before we’re done.”
Simon picked up a weapon. “The cameras overlooking the hangar and the fence are on a loop.”
“That should give us enough time before an alarm is raised.”
“I’ll stay here until Hank and his reinforcements arrive. Then I’ll join you.”
Barton gripped Simon’s shoulder. “Good luck.”
Simon nodded and turned back to the computers. Barton and Eogan left the guard post and climbed back into the truck. It had taken only a few minutes for them to overcome the guards and take over. Luckily no one had approached them. Now they had to complete the mission.
Barton started the truck and drove to the hangar. “We should have enough time before an alarm is raised.”
“We need to secure the hangar before the others arrive.” Eogan pulled a pistol out from under the seat and checked the magazine. “There will be at least two security officers guarding the entrance and then possibly more at the elevators to the underground area.”
“What’s the plan?” Barton’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
Eogan wanted to minimize human deaths as much as possible. It was unrealistic to expect no casualties, though. If they met with resistance, then they would have to use whatever force was necessary. They had to meet their objective.
“Once inside the hangar, keep driving until you can’t go any further.” Eogan’s grabbed the door handle. “You should be able to draw some of the guards your way.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll jump to safety and then take out the men that are a problem.”
Barton gave him a long look before nodding. “We’ll meet at the elevators.”
“Agreed.”
Eogan waited until they had reached the large sliding doors at the entrance to the hangar. Just as a guard came out to stop them, he opened the truck door and jumped out. That was Barton’s signal to gun the vehicle.
Barton sped through the open hangar doors before anyone could stop him.
Eogan hit the pavement on his side and rolled to a stop in front of the first guard. He kicked him in the leg. There was the unmistakable sound of a bone breaking. When the guard dropped to the ground, Eogan followed through with a blow to the chin. He grabbed the man’s weapon and dragged the unconscious soldier into the hangar.
He slammed down on the button that closed the main door.
The fewer people who saw or heard what was happening, the better.
Another guard ran up just as the door shut. Eogan seized him around the neck and choked him until he was unconscious. He dropped the soldier beside the first one, and then shot the next two men who came at him. Both of them were hit in the arm and leg. Their injuries were not life-threatening, and Eogan was able to pull them over to the others.
He used the men’s handcuffs to lock them to the metal railings of the overhang doors and then he grabbed their radios. None of them had signaled for help yet, so they might be safe to continue without reinforcements. Eogan knelt down beside the first guard he’d shot and grabbed him by the collar.
“Where is the direct energy weapon?”
The man shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Tell me or I will shoot you again.”
“Do what you must.” The man was adamant in his refusal.
Eogan pressed the muzzle of his pistol on the man’s good leg and wasn’t surprised to see a flicker of determination in the guard’s eyes. This man would not break easily. Eogan hesitated to inflict pain on a fellow warrior who was performing his duty with honor. He had no choice. They needed the weapon and there was no time to be lost in securing it. The longer they took, the more chance there was of discovery.
A couple of seconds of silence passed as each assessed the other’s resolve.
Eogan pulled back on the trigger.
“It is in a secure area beside the elevator.” One of the other guards spoke up. “Wilson will never tell you.”
Eogan removed his weapon. “I have no wish to kill any humans, just the Albireons.”
“Be my guest.” Wilson pushed away from him. “You’ll never destroy them. Their power and numbers are too great.”
“We will make certain they are cleared from this base.” Eogan stood. “That is a start to eradicating them from Earth.”
Eogan left the prisoners and went to the elevator.
Barton was waiting.
“It’s in a locked storage beside the elevator.”
The room was easily located. It had a large entry lock with a slide bar and keypad. Barton aimed his gun and shot. The bullet ricocheted and embedded in the wall behind them. They couldn’t shoot their way through it. A code or an access card was needed to open it. Eogan glanced around the hangar and found the security computer room. There might be something there that could help them.
He went into the room and started pulling out the desk drawers. Barton followed, and was rummaging through the shelves and the storage lockers. They came up with nothing. Eogan took a step back and eased his breathing. He had to think like one of the guards. Where would they hide something as important as an access card?
In plain sight.
They used it frequently, so it had to be accessible.
He glanced around the room, past the shelves, gun racks, and computer monitors. There was a rack of hanging keys, but no access cards. Above the rack was a basket. It looked as if it was a catchall for odds and ends. He grabbed it and dumped it on the desk.
An access card was taped to the bottom.
He ripped it off and threw it at Barton.
Back at the security storage room, Barton ran the card through the slot and Eogan held his breath. He released it when he heard the soft click of the door opening.
They were in.
A racket at the hangar doors distracted them from entering the room.
“Get the weapon.” Eogan started for the doors. “I’ll take care of this.”
He pulled his pistol out of his waistband and ran to the smaller access door. The prisoners were still handcuffed beside the sliding doors. There was another shaking of the metal and he eased his breathing before opening the door a crack. Hank Davis and his group of Resistance Fighters stood outside. Eogan pushed his door open wide.
“In here.”
The group wasted no time in scurrying through the side door. The opening of the larger doors might have raised questions from someone on the base, and they couldn’t risk that. Eogan locked the door after the last person was through.
It was a ragged group of men and women of varying ages. All of them armed with a
gun, and ready to do battle. Eogan admired them for taking an offensive stand against the Albireons. It was no easy feat, even for him, and he was trained to do this work. The key to success was going to be coordinating their attacks.
“We have the weapon.” He led Hank and the others toward the elevators.
“What about the injured guards?”
“Have someone stay above ground with them.” Eogan looked behind his shoulder. “Use some of your weaker fighters to remain as lookout and to warn us of any impending change here.”
Hank nodded and went back to his group. He took eight men and women aside and gave them instructions to secure the hangar at all costs. Hank knew how to command, and Eogan could only hope that his skill extended to fighting. They needed the best soldiers if they were going to defeat the Albireons.
Barton was waiting for them at the elevator.
He handed Eogan a large weapon that looked similar to a rocket launcher. “I hope you know how to use this.”
Eogan had been trained on the direct-energy weapon even though it had never seen use in the field. The military had been reluctant to let the world know of its existence and that was why it had been held under a blanket of secrecy. He pushed a button on the side of its butt and the sound of a pulsing accelerator filled the air.
“This is a powerful device. Everyone must stay behind me when I’m using it. I don’t want any accidental deaths.” Eogan kept his voice calm. Safety precautions needed to be in place or more than the Albireons would be killed.
“We’ll let you do the initial sweep of the area.” Hank took a wary glance down at the weapon in Eogan’s hands. “After you’ve finished, we’ll make certain that all of the Albireons have been killed.”
It was a good plan.
Real life worked differently.
Eogan hoped that Hank’s past military experience was enough to complete the mission. He knew that Barton was more than capable of devising alternative options if things went wrong or he would have died in General Carter’s ambush. There was no turning back now. They had to destroy the Albireons or they would be killed themselves.
The elevator doors opened.
Hank, Barton, Eogan, and ten others got on. The rest stayed behind to guard the elevator and backup those on the doors. They were prepared to join the battle if needed. Too many fighters would increase the confusion below. The last thing Eogan wanted was a disorganized attack.
Time slowed as the elevator descended. Eogan readied his weapon as the floors flashed by. So far they had the element of surprise, but if something went wrong above ground, then their escape would be blocked. He couldn’t worry about that now. All he could focus on was the attack. After that, they would deal with escape.
Hank inhaled a quick breath. “Ready?”
Eogan hoisted the weapon onto his shoulder and prepared for battle. The floor clicked at level seven and the door opened.
They left the elevator and started their sweep of the Albireon quarters.
Chapter 21
Hester rubbed her arms as she watched Eogan and the others leave through the tunnel. A chill raced up her back. She hoped it wasn’t a premonition of something bad. She trusted Eogan. He promised to return, and a man of honor didn’t break his promises.
Unless he was captured.
She pushed the thought from her head. Eogan was a good warrior and he was fighting for a noble cause. He would come back to her. She turned away from the dark tunnel and looked at the scattering of people left behind. Most of them were women. A couple of the communication men were still here, and they had set up a radio and tracking system in the main area to monitor every move.
Lena came over. “Would you like to help with the food preparation?”
Hester nodded and followed her down one of the narrow tunnels. It was better than waiting around and worrying about what might be happening above ground. They entered an area that was no more than an alcove off the tunnel. There was a pump set up and a sink board of sorts.
“Who made the decision to make these tunnels?” The archaeologist in Hester was dying to know. “It had to be a huge endeavor.”
Lena shrugged. “The original owner of this place was a survivalist. He was certain that a nuclear bomb would be dropped on the Middle East and he wanted to be prepared.”
“This is a bomb shelter?” Hester could hardly believe that anyone would go to so much effort. “It must have taken him years to build it.”
Lena nodded. “He spent all of his spare time down here.”
“How did the H.R.F. acquire it?”
“One of our members knew the owner. The two of them were friends so when he found out that we needed a base in Turkey, he offered it.”
“It’s perfect. None of the tracking equipment or satellites can see you here.”
“We weren’t the first to think of it.” Lena smiled. “Remember the underground city of Derinkuyu is in Turkey also.”
“It wasn’t as well equipped as here.” Hester had studied pictures of the ancient underground tunnels when she was an undergraduate.
They prepared a cold meal of breads, cheeses, and fruit. They brought it into the main area for others to come and take whatever they wanted. Everyone was too anxious to think about eating, though. They picked at the food. Hester was too nervous to do anything but pace the entrance room. Back and forth she walked, trying to forget what was happening at the air base.
Surely she would sense if something had happened to Eogan.
A loud bang from the entrance tunnel reverberated around the room.
Hester stopped, and strained her ears for the sound of the men returning. Silence was all that met her. She reached out to Eogan, trying to sense if he had returned or not. Again silence. If he were in the tunnels he should be contacting her. She should hear or sense something. Their communication wasn’t perfect, but she always knew when he was near.
A shiver raced up her spine.
She rubbed her arms and looked over at Lena.
“Something’s wrong.”
Lena nodded and then moved the others down the various tunnels. “You should hide.”
Hide?
Hester was frozen in place for a few seconds as the implication of what Lena had said sunk in. It could only mean one thing. Someone from the air base was at the entrance to their hideout. It wasn’t the men returning. Hester spun around and raced down the tunnel to the room that she and Eogan had originally been given. She threw the blanket over the entrance, grabbed her bag and backed into the wall beside the door.
She hugged her bag close and sank down to the floor. If the enemy had found them that could mean only one thing. Eogan had been captured. Worse, he might have been killed. Why didn’t she sense that? He had said that even in death they would be connected. All she received was silence.
Was it a lie?
Were they not bonded as he said?
She shook her doubts away. Eogan was a Hunter and they did not lie. What she had experienced with him was real. Nothing could destroy the connection or the bond that they had. If Eogan wasn’t responding to her it was because he was unable to. That didn’t necessarily mean he was dead. He could be unconscious and hurt.
Footsteps sounded in the outer passageway.
It sounded as if a whole regiment was invading the tunnels.
Hester closed her eyes and tried to make herself smaller. She started to send out a connection to Eogan to let him know her fear and then stopped. If Eogan had been captured, the last thing he needed was to know she was in danger. Her fear would not help him. Instead, she opened her heart and sent him love. If either of them was going to die, love was the last thing she wanted to communicate.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” A deep voice spoke from her doorway.
Hester’s eyes flew open.
She’d been found.
It was ridiculous to think that she could hide. Every tunnel led to rooms. All the intruders had to do was search until they found everyone. She opene
d her eyes to see the curtain to her room pulled back, and a large man in full military uniform was standing there. He sneered down at her. Her chin went up. She didn’t know who he was, but she didn’t like him.
“What do you want?”
“You.” He pushed into the space and grabbed her arm. “Dr. Adams, you’ve sent us on a merry chase.”
“I haven’t done anything.” Hester tried to shake the man’s hand off. “You have no right to take me.”
“True, but I’m going to do it just the same.” The man leaned close. “Where is the Hunter?”
Hester’s heart stopped for a second and then started beating frantically. She recognized the voice. He’d been talking on the phone while she and Eogan were in the elevator at the base. This was the man who’d held Eogan captive and tried to kill him. He was the enemy. She wasn’t about to volunteer any information.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m not in the mood for games.” The man’s voice was a snarl. “You’ll talk eventually. They always do.”
Hester was pulled from the room and dragged down the passage until they reached the main area. Everyone else had been rounded up. Hester looked at the dejected and fearful faces of the others, and her stomach dropped. Was she the reason for this intrusion into their hideout? Had they come here because she and Eogan had sought refuge among these people?
“This is private property.” Lena’s voice rose above the din in the room. “Who are you and why are you here?”
“I’m General Carter.” The man holding Hester spoke in a bored voice. “We have the right to do whatever we want. You’re all going to the base with me.”
“No.” Hester shook her head. “I’m the one you want. Leave these people alone.”
The general laughed. “These people are guilty of treason. Catching you was a bonus. Finding this cache of H.R.F. was our real purpose.”
Hester’s head felt as if it were going to explode. These soldiers were here to break up the Human Resistance Force. That could mean only one thing. They were working for the Albireons.
“You’re the traitor.” Hester couldn’t stop herself from yelling. “You’re working for aliens whose only wish is to decimate this planet. How can you stand there and let this happen?”
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