by John Sneeden
Amanda smiled at his thoughtfulness. The two stared at each other for a few more seconds before she finally let out a sigh and looked toward the road. “Well, I guess I’d better go,” she said.
“I will be praying for you. Stay under the cover of darkness when you can, and remember to keep praying without ceasing, just as we were commanded in Scripture.”
After nodding in agreement, Amanda stood up, walked around the car, and slipped off into the storm.
*
Philippe stood and watched his friend make her way across the field. At one point she disappeared, but a few seconds later, he saw her silhouette moving through the construction site near the road.
The pastor prayed fervently that the Lord would guide her. When he had finished praying, he felt a release. Whether it was confirmation that she was truly embracing her calling or just that the Lord was going to protect her, he couldn’t say.
As he dropped down on one knee again, a number of questions continued to swirl around in his head. What if she were taken by those men who were plotting evil things? But the thought of a young Hebrew boy who had answered the call to face his giant made Philippe smile. That giant was every bit as real as the one the young American girl was going to face.
Suddenly Philippe felt a strange urge to look up into the sky. As he lifted his head, he noticed the steel-gray clouds that stretched in every direction, as far as the eye could see. The opaque covering completely blotted out the stars that had been twinkling in the sky only hours before.
And then it hit him. Beyond those clouds, in a place the Bible called the second heaven, there were doors. Some called them stargates, others called them portals. But one thing was abundantly clear: they were doors that were never supposed to be opened by man.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
“WITH ONLY FOUR people, do you really think it’s best to split up?” Carmen asked.
Zane had just finished laying out his plans to breach the facility. He and Skinner would initiate a ruse that he hoped would bring out one or both of the guards at the entrance and thereby allow the operatives to gain entry. At the same time, Carmen and Reid would backtrack through the woods to the far end and enter the parking deck. From there, they would look for an entrance, in case Zane and Skinner were unsuccessful. They would also perform reconnaissance through the windows of the control center. Skinner’s Internet search indicated the control room had windows facing the parking deck.
“I do think so,” Zane replied. “We’re running low on time, and to limit ourselves to one point of entry would be foolish. Time is of the essence, and we need a Plan B if Skinner and I can’t get in.”
Reid looked at Zane. “Something tells me the far end near the parking deck and control room is going to be the most heavily guarded. I wouldn’t count on us getting in down there unless we shoot our way in.”
“You might be surprised,” Zane said. “We don’t know how many men Mironov has at his disposal, and we don’t know how well he knows the layout of the building. I want the two of you to perform a little recon. We need to know what we’re going to run into down at the control room.”
Skinner nodded. “I agree. Who knows what you might find out? For example, where is VanGelder, and is he still alive?”
“I doubt they’ve killed him already,” Reid replied. “He’s here for a reason and is probably safe until they’ve finished whatever it is they came here to do.”
“Well, unfortunately we don’t have any more time to debate,” Zane said. “Let’s go live on our mics.” Everyone reached down and turned on their transmitters. “Brett, do you read?”
There was a short pause before a voice crackled through everyone’s earbuds. “Yes, I’m here.” Zane filled Brett in on their plan.
“Okay, let’s move, everybody,” Zane said. Looking at Carmen and Reid, he used two fingers to point back the way they had come. The two departed through the trees.
Once they were gone, Zane motioned for Skinner to draw close. He then methodically laid out how they were going to draw out the two guards and then enter the world’s largest particle physics control center.
*
It took Carmen and Reid seven minutes to travel back through the woods to a point opposite the parking deck. With the blizzard providing cover, they were able to jog or sprint for most of the distance.
Upon arrival, they positioned themselves behind two large pines at the edge of the woods. Carmen examined the parking deck in front of them. It was the typical concrete construction, with three levels and stairwells at each corner.
A little to their right and across the street from the parking deck was the building that housed the control center. It was impossible to see through the windows from that angle, but there was light spilling out of all six.
The Italian lifted her arm and spoke into her wrist. “Petrosino here. Can you read? Over.”
“Copy that,” was Zane’s response in her earpiece.
“There are no vehicles on first level of the parking deck, so we’re going to enter and perform recon on levels two and three.”
“Copy that. We are about to initiate on our end, so let’s go dead for the next twenty minutes.”
Carmen crept over to where Reid was kneeling behind the pine trunk. Reid had his monocular trained on the parking deck and didn’t turn around. “See anything?” she asked.
“I can just barely see the back end of a vehicle on level two. SUV. Black Mercedes.”
“I thought that’s probably where they were parked.” Carmen knelt down next to him. “Okay here’s what we’re going to do. There are stairs on this end.” She pointed toward the corner of the structure. “We’ll move up them together. I’m going to get out on the second level, clear it, and then set up between the cars so I can have a look-see into the building. That level will afford a perfect angle to see into the windows.
“I want you to continue to the third level and make sure there are no tangos up top. Once you’ve cleared it, you can remain if you have a good view through the windows, or you can come join me on the second. Oh, and one other thing… let’s go to red filters.”
The operatives snapped red filters over the front of their flashlights. The dull beam would allow them to use the devices without drawing attention.
With everything in place, Carmen looked around one last time. Except for the driving snow, there appeared to be no movement in either direction. Using two fingers, she pointed toward the deck, and Reid nodded.
Carmen drew her Beretta, chambered one round, and then sprinted off through the deepening powder. Reid waited three seconds and then took off after her. As soon as they arrived at the deck, they lifted their weapons and cleared the surrounding area.
Other than an elevator shaft in the center, the first level was completely empty. Confident that all was clear, Carmen led Reid up two flights of stairs to the second level. As Reid disappeared up the stairs, she stepped quietly to the open door that led out into the parking area. Just as expected, there was a row of vehicles in front of her. All were black Mercedes of various models, a sure indication that CERN's visitors were not college professors or physicists.
The Italian counted to thirty before walking over to the vehicles in order to let her eyes adjust to the darkness inside the concrete structure.
Seeing no movement, she walked quietly over to the line of vehicles and slid in between two of the SUVs. She crept up to the front and kneeled behind the concrete wall at the edge.
Rising up a bit, Carmen pulled out her monocular and focused it on the windows of the building across the street. The room was lighted, but only dimly, and it was therefore difficult to make out any detail. Carmen could see cubicle walls and a few people standing behind one of them, but she had no way of telling who they were or what they were doing.
As she pondered how she might get a better look, she heard a soft scraping sound behind her. What was that? She was tempted to stand and look around, but she couldn’t determine from which directio
n the sound had come, and didn’t want to announce her location to whoever might be creeping around.
And then she heard it again, a slight shuffling sound that seemed even closer than before. Connor? She doubted it. There hadn’t been time for him to clear the top.
Without standing, she swiveled slightly, looking back between the two SUVs. She also bent down and looked under all the vehicles. Nothing, although it was possible someone was hiding behind one of the tires.
“Connor?” she hissed. As soon as his name left her mouth, she regretted speaking out loud. She continued to listen, but there was only silence.
Her heart thumping, Carmen crab-walked toward the rear of the vehicles with the Beretta in her right hand. Once there, she looked left toward the stairs. As she leaned forward and peered around the bumper of the SUV, a shadow appeared. Someone was standing directly over her.
As the Italian pivoted to fire, a blow came down on the back of her head.
*
The physically fit Scott Reid bounded up the stairs three at a time, arriving at the top within seconds after leaving Carmen. The Oracle had once said that Reid was in better shape than most Navy SEALs, so it was no surprise that he barely felt any effect from the short run.
Mindful that someone might be stationed on the top level as some sort of lookout, Reid crept over to the open door leading to the parking area. He slid his finger over the trigger of his Glock and stuck his head out.
There were only three structures breaking the flat concrete surface—the covered stairwell he was in, another stairwell on the opposite end, and a small building in the center. As Reid peered at the building, he soon realized that it housed the elevator shaft.
The storm was unleashing its full fury now. The wind made pirouettes in the snow, and the occasional gust lifted up clouds of white. Reid speculated the weather was the primary reason they hadn’t seen any Renaissance foot patrols. If no one knew you were there, why advertise it by having your men walk around in the snow?
The operative had just about decided to head back down when he caught a hint of movement near the stairwell on the other side. What was it? Was someone moving around or had a gust of snow made it appear that way? If it was a person, then whoever it was had disappeared into the doorway.
What should he do now? If a guard were standing just inside the door, he would notice if Reid tried to cross the deck. On the other hand, Carmen might be in danger.
Reid glanced at his watch. They were under operational silence, which could only be broken in the event of an emergency, so he decided not to raise anyone on the radio just yet. If the Renaissance guard had been working from the ground up, he would likely descend all the way to the bottom without stopping. And if that were the case, it was probably safe to cross over and follow him down.
Before heading out, Reid pulled out his monocular and trained it on the dark opening to the stairwell. There was no movement and no signature of a body or silhouette. Everything seemed to be clear.
Rather than running, the operative decided to walk confidently toward the other side of the deck. About halfway across, he pulled out the monocular once again. That time, he could see clearly inside the stairwell and made a quick determination that no one was there—at least, not in sight.
At the stairs, Reid stepped to the railing and looked down. He saw and heard nothing, so he began a slow and careful descent. When he reached the second floor, he heard something that caused him to stop dead in his tracks. People were talking below, and it sounded as though it was coming from outside the building. The voices were raised and forceful, and his instincts told him that couldn’t be good.
Stepping through the door with his Glock raised, Reid made sure the second level was clear. He saw a line of vehicles directly ahead but no movement. He would check on Carmen as soon as he determined what was happening below.
Reid moved over to the concrete wall and crouched. He rose up on his toes and looked toward the street below. What he saw made his heart begin to pound in his chest. There were a total of four men standing in the snow. Two were talking in animated fashion, waving their guns around like gangbangers, while the other two held a limp body between them. Reid would have recognized that body anywhere. Carmen Petrosino.
Reid blocked out the emotion that had started to sweep over him. If she was still alive, she certainly wouldn’t be well served if he lost his wits.
One of the men, perhaps someone of higher rank, began to talk in an agitated tone. He was apparently giving instructions, because soon thereafter the two holding Carmen disappeared around the corner of the building. The man signaled for the others to follow him, and they started back toward the parking deck.
Were they coming to the second floor? Reid didn’t have to wait long for his answer. About a minute later, he heard the distinctive sound of an elevator chime behind him. The men had arrived, probably to ferret out any other intruders that might be out there. The proverbial cat was out of the bag, so Reid knew that within a very short period of time, he would soon be outmanned and outgunned.
As the elevator door opened, Reid turned and darted back into the stairwell. He hoped he hadn’t been seen but didn’t have time to stick around and figure it out. The operative ran down the stairs to the ground level and stepped out into the driving snow.
After making sure there was no one in the immediate area, he removed his phone and tapped out a number. It was time to break the silence.
CHAPTER FIFTY
THE CERN CONTROL room consisted of four large semicircular cubicles, each lined with computers and monitors of various shapes and sizes. When the Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, was in operation, the room was an epicenter of activity, with physicists and their assistants rushing around the room, checking the data being produced by the high-speed collisions taking place in the tunnel underneath the earth.
On that night, the room was dim, with the only light coming from the glow of the monitors. Seated in front of the largest monitor was a large, powerful man with pockmarks on both cheeks and a large scar running down the right side of his face. Few knew that Jorg Koehler had received extensive computer training while serving in the German military, but he was almost as adept with technology as he was with hand-to-hand combat.
Crowded behind Koehler were Mironov, members of his security team, and Markus VanGelder. A smile broke over Mironov’s face as the screen came to life. The excitement of the moment gripped him as he realized that the event was actually beginning to come together. In fact, they might begin to see the first signs of entry within the hour.
As Koehler continued to bring up the CERN command system, Marrese stood at one of the windows and stared out into the darkness, oblivious to what was taking place behind him. It was his grand moment, and as his eyes drifted up into the night sky, his only regret was that he would not be able to see the portal open in the heavens. The result would be the same, but he was a visual man and would have preferred seeing the monumental event take place from start to finish.
“The time has come.” Mironov appeared at Marrese’s side. “Won’t you come join us?”
“Not now. My role is different than yours. I’m preparing myself for the arrival. Even though the night sky is covered, I can sense that the heavens are already moving just beyond, swirling in anticipation.” Marrese gestured toward the night sky, and Mironov looked. “We haven’t even started the machine, and yet the heavens are already preparing for what is to come.”
The storm was much fiercer than meteorologists had forecast, with the snow so thick that Marrese could barely make out the other buildings at the site. Even the lights around the perimeter of the parking lot were shrouded by the icy precipitation.
“If the subatomic collisions haven’t begun, then how could anything be happening already?” Mironov asked.
“You assume that this is simply an issue of technology, and in so doing you are dismissing the work of the Masters. Yes, the collider will open the portal, but it is the Masters who are
calling the intelligent visitors on our behalf. Without them, we have simply parted the heavens for a brief moment and nothing else.”
“I trust that there is a spiritual aspect to this, and I trust your powers, but how long do you will think this will take? I’m still concerned about the authorities—”
“I need to remind you of something that’s very important,” Marrese said. His eyes darted briefly toward the Russian before turning back toward the storm. “You must prepare your men. Once the portal is established, things will begin to happen quickly, things that might initially seem very disturbing. What comes through may even appear to be menacing, but under no circumstances are they to use their weapons. Is that understood?”
Mironov frowned. “What do you mean, ‘menacing’? What exactly are we going to see?”
“That isn’t important right now. What’s important is that your men not do anything to disrupt the process once it is started, no matter how strange things may get. We cannot afford to make a mistake and alienate the very beings we have called to help us.”
A twinge of concern crossed Mironov’s face. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? You led me to believe there would be a spectacular parting of the heavens letting in alien craft… with superior men, not unlike humans…”
“I didn’t tell you this before because I didn’t know before,” said Marrese, using a lower tone of voice. “I’ve received some visions of the arrival, recently. Perhaps, like you, I had my own opinion of what they might look like. Let’s just say that it’s not everything I imagined it would be, provided my visions were accurate.”
Mironov clenched his jaw and said, “What do you mean ‘provided my visions were accurate’? Now you’re starting to make me think—”
“Stop,” hissed Marrese. “Stop before you speak blasphemy against the Masters. Everything is still as it should be. We need to remember that these beings are not like us in any way. They don’t look like us, and they certainly don’t think like us.” He paused for a moment, allowing his anger to dissipate. “You need to realize that in the end, nothing has changed. These beings are coming here to help us. Whoever arrives tonight will be the very same people who helped our ancestors build the most amazing structures the world has ever known. These are friends… regardless of their appearance.”