"The mayor decided not to cooperate," Six said in a casual, conversational tone. "Do you want the same fate? There is no vampire present, so you will not be coming back. Now, what information do you have for me?"
"Don't kill me, please!" the coroner pleaded almost immediately. "All I know is that Zachariah is the master. He's working with some scientist in some small town north of Trinidad. I swear, I don't know anything more."
Six looked at his second-in-command.
"Do you believe him? Does that sound like Zachariah?" questioned Six.
Ghost shrugged.
"He's always been a legend. It's hard to know which stories are true and which are ones that he made up to scare the humans," explained Ghost. "Best guess? Yeah. It sounds plausible. Although why he is working with a scientist kind of scares the crap out of me."
Six looked at the coroner again. "What do we do with him?" he asked. "We can't turn him loose."
Ghost looked at his boss. "We have two options," Ghost offered. "Take them to Gitmo or kill them. Your choice."
The lead agent nodded.
"Let me think about it," he said. "Tape up the doctor's mouth. I want to have a chat with the mayor again."
As Ghost began taping up the doctor's mouth, Six walked out of the lab to retrieve another chair from the office. He placed the straight-backed chair directly in front of the Mayor and sat backwards on the chair, protecting his chest and groin with the chair back.
The agent reached out and roughly ripped off the tape from the mayor's mouth. She gasped as several layers of skin stuck to the tape. He balled up the sticky tape and leaned over.
"Which scientist is Zachariah working with?" he pointedly asked.
Her reply was immediate, "You are not fit to speak his name. I don't know which scientist."
Six smiled and drew his knife from its scabbard at his side. He gazed at the exquisite finish and razor-sharp edge on his favorite Marine Ka-Bar fighting knife. Balancing the heft of the blade on an open palm, he waved the blade in front of the mayor's eyes.
"What are you trying to do, threaten me? You can't touch me," she said with a sneer.
Six smiled, flipped the knife in the air, grabbed the hilt so that the blade was pointing down, and drove the blade into the mayor's left thigh. The razor edge easily sliced through the skirt covering her thigh, through the meat of her thigh, and into the bone itself.
The mayor screamed. A shrieking and wailing cry that was testament to her pain.
Six bore his weight down on the knife. Leaning over, he looked into the mayor's panicked gaze and said, "Do I have your attention yet, Mayor?"
The mayor nodded and stopped screaming. She whimpered in agony.
The agent calmly asked again, "Who is Zachariah working with? Where is this scientist's lab located?"
The mayor shook her head, refusing to speak through the pain.
He wiggled the knife back and forth. Excruciating agony flashed up the mayor's leg, and she let out a new series of howls.
"Feel like talking yet?" Six ask conversationally.
The mayor nodded.
"Doctor Kaine. He has a lab up north in Divide. For god's sake, just take the knife out already," she pleaded.
Six continued to pry. "See, now I'm starting to believe you. How long has he been in the area?"
With tears streaming down her face, she admitted, "About twenty years."
"What is he planning?" questioned Six.
The mayor stopped and shook her head. Six took that as a cue and once again leaned on the knife, grinding the tip into the mayor's femur and ensuring her cooperation.
"All right, I'll tell," she relented. "The doctor is turning the vampire virus into a weapon. That's all I know."
Six looked at the priest and said, "I hate to say this, Doc, but these guys weren't all that tough to break."
The priest calmly regarded her boss. "I'm pretty sure the Vatican would loathe to use that method of information extraction," she said.
Six stood up out of his chair and called Ghost and Doc out of the exam lab and into the coroner's office. The three walked into the office, and the senior agent asked the question, "Doc, can these guys be restored? Can we break the spell that Zachariah has over them?"
The priest shook her head. "These two are far too gone for them to ever be cured," she said. "Either throw them into a psych ward somewhere dark and dirty or kill them. Those are the only two humane options available. Once we kill the master, they'll be completely insane."
Ghost knew that his boss would want to kill them, and he was becoming increasingly bothered by the growing human body count. He knew he had to say something.
"So let's use that to our advantage," the monster hunter suggested. "Once we kill this master, they should go crazy. Toss 'em in an institution where no one will talk to them. If we kill them, we have to explain how and why they died in our custody. If they go batcrap crazy, who cares what they say about us, or vampires, or anything?"
Six's smile was cold.
"I like that solution," he said. "Saves the problems. We just need to get them locked up until we kill the bad guy."
He called for Do-Right.
"Deputy, can we drop these two into solitary cells, at least for a day or two?" asked Six.
Christian nodded. "Yes, I think the sheriff will cooperate. I'll contact some deputies that I know so they can keep an eye on them."
Six nodded and said, "Set it up. If you have any problems, let me know. I'll deal with it."
He walked over to the prisoners while the deputy made the phone calls.
The mayor was whimpering in agony as blood seeped slowly from the wound in her thigh. "So, do you believe us? We told you the truth. What are you going to do now?" she pleaded.
Six replied coldly, "Yes, I believe you. I also know that I need to keep you out of the way while we go kill your master. You're going to jail. We'll transport you to Gitmo when we get back."
The mayor screamed in rage and violently jerked at her bindings to get loose.
The senior agent leaned down and said, "Calm down, or I will knock you out. Your choice."
Six looked pointedly at the bleeding wound on the mayor's leg, and the mayor immediately calmed down.
Six looked at his team. "Doc, bandage up the mayor and the coroner so they can sit in a cell. Put the bodies of the original victims into the furnaces and fire up the crematorium. Let's clean up and figure out where we are going next."
Six keyed his radio and spoke, "Spooky, did you get all the particulars?"
"Got 'em, boss," Spooky responded. "In fact, I've got a location on this scientist, and you aren't going to believe where this guy is hiding."
III
INCURSION
23
PLANNING
PUEBLO MEMORIAL AIRPORT, PUEBLO, COLORADO
At the west end of the airplane parking ramp, far away from the terminal of Pueblo Memorial Airport sat a building that looked like an aircraft hanger, its blue and gray exterior large enough to house a military cargo jet. Instead, it was the main fuel office and depot for the airport with rows of fuel pumps and a small office attached to the outside. A large black MRAP marked as "Police/Rescue" and "Department of Homeland Security" eased its way through the security gate mounted in the airport perimeter fence, and the vehicle came to a halt at the end of the parking ramp. After the engine was cut off, the engine tick, tick, ticked as the large Cummins diesel engine cooled. The rear door swung open, and a group of heavily armed agents dropped down out of the truck.
"Seriously, Boomer. Can we keep it under the speed of sound next time? I almost lost my lunch." The tall lanky agent wearing a long leather jacket and a brimmed hat stood shakily against the back of the truck as he tried to keep his knees from wobbling.
"What's your problem, Ghost?" the driver said as she dropped out of the back hatch and stretched her muscular arms. "We got here safely, and we even beat the plane."
A man who exuded command walked over
and clasped the complaining agent on the shoulder.
"Forget about it, Ghost," he said. "You won't win this argument with her."
Six glanced down at his secure phone and said, "Gretchen just sent me a message. They're two minutes out."
A deputy sheriff, whose brown and tan uniform contrasted against the black tactical BDUs of the rest of the team, shakily climbed out of the back of the armored vehicle. "Agent Holstein? You never told me I needed to take out a life insurance policy for when Boomer drives. Monsters I can handle, but I'm not so sure about her driving."
Six started laughing, and the others joined in.
Moments later, the team turned toward the runway as they heard the large roar of an arriving jet. Six had expected to see the Citation X aircraft the team had used on their last flight, so when the team leader saw a monster of an aircraft coming in for a landing, he was shocked.
The two large jet engines under each wing roared as the monster cargo plane made a graceful landing at the end of Runway 26L. With a wingspan of almost one hundred seventy feet, the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III was enormous.
As the Air Force jet rolled out at the end of the runway nearest to the team, Ghost looked at Six and asked, "What did Gretchen say she was bringing us?"
The team leader shook his head and turned when he heard laughing behind him. He saw Spooky climb out of the MRAP they were using. Spooky lugged all of his electronic equipment out of the truck and struggled not to drop the precious gear onto the tarmac.
Six looked at the electronics specialist a little closer and asked, "Why are you laughing? Whenever you laugh like that, I have to do more paperwork. What's going on?"
Spooky's reply was drowned out as the mammoth plane reversed the engine thrust to slow down. As the aircraft passed their end of the tarmac, the team felt the roar of all four turbines. An airport pickup truck raced toward the team from the terminal and rocked to a halt beside the scattered agents. The team tensed in surprise and reached for their sidearms while the men in the truck ignored them. A three-man ground crew got out of the pickup truck and waited for the plane to taxi to its spot on the ramp.
As the massive jet taxied toward the tarmac, the three waiting ground crew members guided the giant plane to its waiting parking spot. The four turbines wound down, and the noise quickly became more bearable. Just as Six was about to ask Spooky about his laughter again, the door on the side of the fuselage cycled open and dropped, forming into a set of stairs. At the same time, they all could hear the whine of hydraulics as the rear ramp dropped down.
Agent Gretchen Massey stepped to the doorway of the plane. She saw the team and walked down the stairs, carrying a small suitcase. Behind her, a man dressed in an impeccable gray pin-stripe suit adjusted his lapels and followed her down the stairs. He joined Gretchen at the bottom of the stairs, and they walked toward the waiting team. As the new arrivals walked to the team, a shuttle bus from the airport approached across the tarmac. Gretchen waved to get the driver's attention, and he pulled to a stop right where the team was standing.
The man in the suit approached the sheriff's deputy who stood beside Six. He reached out his hand and introduced himself.
"Deputy Folsom? I am Agent Smith, of the Department of Homeland Security. I suppose you could say that I'm your new boss," he said. "I'm sorry to hear about your loss, and I do want to welcome you to the team. Mr. Holstein has had nothing but good things to report. Do not worry. I'll take care of things with the sheriff for you."
Deputy Folsom wondered just who his new boss was that he could "handle" the sheriff.
Agent Smith continued, "We will have to postpone the official swearing in until after this mission, but I wanted to greet you personally."
Smith looked at the rest of the team and said, "It will take a little while to get your new gear offloaded. This bus will take us to a conference room that I've reserved in the terminal. Ms. Massey has arranged food as well so we can go over the new equipment with you."
Agent Smith turned to look at Spooky while the rest of the team climbed aboard. "Grab your projector. I've got some intel for your mission," he told the electronics specialist. As they boarded the bus and pulled away from the giant aircraft and headed toward the terminal, Six watched a squad of heavily armed men in tactical uniforms assemble and surround the plane and the MRAP on the tarmac.
DURING THEIR CONFERENCE, Agent Smith explained that he had arrived with the team's new vehicle and that it was loaded out according to their specifications.
The team leader looked over at his electronics specialist and frowned. He turned back to Agent Smith. "Just what specs did Spooky send you?" he asked.
Smith smiled. "You'll have to ask him," he said. "I know Russell and Norbert were up for almost two days straight getting all the systems integrated. However, this... War Wagon, as you call it, should be outfitted for anything you need while in the field. It will go with you on most direct action missions from now on. And if you find it lacking, work with the warehouse to get it straight."
Spooky leaned over to Ghost and whispered, "We really do have our own 'Q' branch."
Ghost nodded his agreement.
Agent Smith looked right at him and gave a hint of a smile. "Trust me, Mr. Smith, the 'Q' branch isn't nearly as good as Norbert and Russell. Those Brits have been trying to recruit them for years."
Spooky's jaw fell open as he digested what Smith said. Before he could ask a follow-up question, Smith continued his briefing.
"As of right now, this mission has been classified as a Priority: Black. Working with the intel developed by your team, and especially by your very own Mr. Smith, we've come to believe this is far larger than we initially thought. That is why I decided to make the trip out with Ms. Massey.
"The intelligence you were able to recover led you to a Doctor Bishop Kaine."
An image of a thin, brooding scientist in a lab coat filled the screen.
Smith continued, "Doctor Kaine is a brilliant specialist in genetic engineering, and worked for the CDC in Atlanta until about ten years ago. At that point, the scientist's rough demeanor and elitist attitude finally rubbed the wrong person the wrong way, and he was fired. As he was escorted out of the building, he made several threats against the personnel at the facility.
"At that point, he stepped out of the public life and dropped off the grid. It turns out that he put together the funds and bought an abandoned Atlas 'F' ICBM missile silo just north of a town called Divide, Colorado. I'll update the exact GPS coordinates to your new truck."
Six looked at Smith and asked, "So why is this now classified as a Priority: Black?"
Agent Smith looked at the team leader, then looked around the table. "Before I answer that, I want to talk about the master that was named by the familiars. This is not a random master vampire who has happened to hang around for a long time. This particular 'Zachariah' is currently one of the oldest known vampires here on earth. He's also the only one who's been able to stay ahead of this office.
"We have no idea how old this evil creature is, but he has taken out some of our best people. He has caused a lot of havoc in America and around the world. He is powerful."
Ghost spoke up. "Sir, the last information I heard was that he was at least a couple hundred years old... possibly turned during the American Revolution. Our records go back at least that far for him, but my... researchers... couldn't find any more information for him."
Smith nodded. "Thank you Mr. Vanhof. I trust your research. So this master is at least two hundred years old. If he is working with a disgruntled genetic engineer, then he is probably planning something that will certainly qualify as a Priority: Black."
A series of blueprints and a three-dimensional walkthrough of a missile silo appeared on the screen in front of the team.
Agent Smith continued. "This is the last known configuration of the Atlas F missile silo that Doctor Kaine purchased. There is no telling what the scientist has changed, but this information may be helpful t
o you anyways."
After the team reviewed the walkthrough twice, Agent Smith outlined the course of action for the mission.
"Team Knightmare, here are your mission parameters," said Smith. "Priority One. Find out what Zachariah and Doctor Kaine have planned, and stop it. Priority Two: Avoid destroying any of the scientific equipment or computer equipment or any paper records that the doctor has on his experiments. If his research has released a new threat, we need to have that information to stop it. Priority Three: Destroy the bunker and lab facilities after you have cleaned out the equipment. Make this site go away."
Boomer smiled when she hear the word "destroy."
Smith looked even more serious than normal.
"As a Priority: Black mission, you have almost unlimited resources," he continued. "Unfortunately, the other two Incursion teams are down or busy. Due to the nature of the mission, you are not authorized to bring in more team members. However, your new War Wagon and the equipment I'm bringing you should help with that.
"This new MRAP will be your team's personal truck and will be transported to any site where it is needed. It has been customized and outfitted beyond the standard MRAP to help with your rather unique challenges. In it, we've also packed a large amount of ammunition and some other gadgets that should help you take down this fiend.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this master has haunted our organization for years. This creature is responsible for the deaths of many agents, including my first partner. It is up to you to send him to the hell he has eluded for so long."
Agent Smith looked up as Gretchen walked into the room. "I see that Ms. Massey has indeed brought a light lunch. Let's eat this and then get you on your way."
HALF AN HOUR LATER, the team walked to the waiting shuttle bus at the entrance of the airport. Before they could climb on, two SUVs with dark tinted windows pulled up. Special Agent Hart, the SAC from Denver, climbed out followed by a small team. She quickly walked around the truck but came to an abrupt halt when she saw Agent Smith and Gretchen.
INCURSION: Knightmare (Knight's Bane Trilogy Book 1) Page 21