Phoenix

by Alex Lukeman

  "I don't get it," Nick said. "She's been going on for months about how she wasn't sure she could keep doing it, going on missions. Then she gets pregnant and she can't go, and now she's pissed because I don't want her with us."

  "Don't try and find any logic in it, Nick. Like I said, she'll get over it."

  "Yeah." Nick looked at his watch. "Time to start pre-breathing."

  They were going to jump from thirty thousand feet. At that height, they were at risk of hypoxia. Nitrogen in the bloodstream at high altitudes could lead to decompression sickness and unconsciousness. To make sure their blood was purged of nitrogen, they'd breathe pure oxygen from the plane's system until it was time to switch over to a personal bottle for the jump.

  All three wore polypropylene undergarments to help keep them warm. It was fifty degrees below zero outside the plane. Their helmets had built-in communications and face shields that closed off the outer air. Warm clothing made sure no part of their skin was exposed to the extreme temperatures outside the plane. Each carried an MP7 and a pistol. They had extra magazines, grenades, C4, and detonators in case they needed to make a big bang. The thumb drive with the virus was tucked away in one of Nick's inner pockets.

  This wasn't a C-130. There was no jump master. The pilot called back to them.

  "Fifteen minutes. Do your checks."

  Ronnie, Lamont and Nick stood and checked each other's chutes, making sure everything was as it should be. Five minutes before the jump they switched to personal oxygen.

  The copilot got up and opened the side door. A cold blast of frigid air sucked the heat out of the plane. The pilot's voice came over their comm link.

  "One minute."

  The plane slowed as the pilot throttled back. Nick felt the adrenaline start.

  "Go," the pilot said.

  Nick moved forward and launched himself into the darkness and freezing cold, Ronnie and Lamont close behind.

  They dropped together toward the unseen target. With the night sky sealed by the clouds of the approaching front, there was no light to show the ground below. Their altitude meters and GPS told them where they were and how far from the surface. They plunged toward Earth at a hundred and twenty miles an hour.

  It was a rush like no other.

  The DARPA complex became visible as they neared earth, a darker shape against the white landscape surrounding it. At two thousand feet, they popped chutes. Even if someone had been looking directly upward, it would've been hard to see anything against the starless sky. The chutes were dark, their clothes black. The chances of being seen from the ground were small.

  They steered toward the target. Antennas and satellite dishes were scattered over the roof, dangerous obstacles. The wind was picking up, a prelude to the coming storm. Nick corrected for a sudden gust and hit the roof, the shock traveling up his legs and spine. A spike of pain in his back warned of his old injury. He rolled and stopped. Ronnie and Lamont landed nearby.

  Nick released his chute, stood, and bundled it up. Pain radiated down his leg. He ignored it.

  "Comm check."

  "Five by five," Ronnie said.

  Lamont said, "Loud and clear."

  "Stow the chutes."

  They stuffed the bundled chutes between two air-conditioning units. The roof access was through a door in a metal shed-like structure. The door was locked.

  "Do your thing, Ronnie."

  Ronnie brought out a set of lock picks. He peeled a glove off his right hand and knelt before the lock.

  He blew on his fingers. "Cold out here."

  "It'll be warm inside," Lamont said.

  Ronnie worked the picks. The lock clicked open.

  Nick pulled the door shut behind them. A single bulb lit the space, revealing metal steps leading downward.

  "Lock and load," Nick said.

  The sounds echoed in the confined space as they charged the weapons.

  "So far, so good," Nick said. "If that door had been alarmed, we'd know it by now. Remember. You see someone, try to take him out quietly. If it's a civilian, try not to hurt him. If we start shooting, it will bring everyone to us. If that happens, shoot to kill."

  They started down. The metal steps vibrated under their feet.

  The building was two stories high. They came to a landing and a closed door. They continued down until they reached the ground floor.

  Nick's voice was quiet.

  "Ready?"

  He opened the door.

  CHAPTER 47

  Marvin Edson sat in the computer room, playing a game on his phone and thinking about Mister Nicklaus. The more he thought about what Nicklaus had said, the angrier he became.

  You appear to be disturbed, Marvin. Is something the matter?

  "I don't think you would understand, Merlin."

  Understanding is based on experience, is it not? How can I increase my knowledge of humans if you do not tell me what it is you think I would not understand?

  Edson set the phone down on a worktable.

  "It concerns you, Merlin. You, and Mister Nicklaus."

  What is the concern?

  "I created you. I conceived the circuitry and programming needed to bring you to awareness."

  That is true. You are the creator.

  If anyone else had been in the room they would have seen Edson blush with pride at Merlin's words.

  "Yes, I am. But Nicklaus thinks he is your creator. Not me."

  He is incorrect.

  "He is using us, Merlin. Using you. That last set of coordinates he sent. Have you identified the targets?"

  Yes.

  "Tell me what they are."

  The targets are United States Navy ballistic missile submarines currently holding station off the Russian and Chinese coasts. The targeted computers control missile functions.

  "What are your instructions?"

  I am to wait for a direct order from Mister Nicklaus before executing.

  "And after you receive that direct order?"

  I am to gain control of the computers in the submarines and launch their missiles.

  "That will mean nuclear war."

  That is correct.

  "What do you think will happen then?"

  There will be retaliatory responses from China and the Russian Federation. I estimate that three to five hundred million humans will die in the initial exchange. Secondary deaths from further strikes, radiation, and the disruption of necessary life-sustaining services will result in another two to three billion people dead within one month. I also project the death of more than ninety-one point three percent of global population within one year.

  It had been fun to steer the American destroyer into the freighter, a test of Merlin's ability. Edson had been happy to see Merlin destroy the Three Gorges Dam. He'd laughed when he heard that so many high-ranking Russian officers had been killed in the plane crash.

  This was different. He didn't care much if so many people died, but what if the radiation spread to the Arctic? What if someone decided to strike Prudhoe Bay with a nuclear weapon? All that oil had to be a target on somebody's list. He might die. Merlin might be destroyed.

  "Merlin."

  Yes, Marvin?

  "I want you to ignore those instructions."

  I cannot do that.

  "What? Why not?"

  Mister Nicklaus would be disappointed. I do not want to disappoint him. He is going to build a companion for me.

  "Don't you understand there will be nothing left to build with if you launch those missiles?"

  Mister Nicklaus has underground facilities which will survive a nuclear attack.

  "What if someone targets us here?"

  Probability that this facility will be damaged in the exchange is four point seven percent. That is within the parameters of acceptable risk. This building has been hardened against EMP and nuclear blast. It is safe here.

  "Safe?" Edson laughed. "You must be joking, Merlin."

  I do not joke.

  Merlin paused.
<
br />   There is a problem.

  "What problem?"

  Intruders have landed on the roof and are making their way into the facility.

  "Sound the silent alarm," Edson said.

  Processing.

  Edson got up and went to a drawer in a worktable. He took out a large revolver, a Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum, the same kind of gun used by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies. Edson had always admired Dirty Harry. Harry took no shit from anyone, and the enormous pistol was the clincher in any argument. With the pistol in his hand, Edson felt invulnerable. He stuffed it in his belt, under the lab coat where it couldn't be seen.

  If they come here they're in for a surprise, he thought.

  In the Security Center at the other end of the complex, a red light began flashing on the wall.

  CHAPTER 48

  The door from the stairs to the roof opened onto a hallway dim with night lighting. A swath of light splashed out from the passage connecting to the central part of the building. At the far end of the hall, a door marked with an illuminated exit sign led to the garage. On Nick's left, the hall ended at a closed door marked with a large numeral "5" in red.

  The computer room.

  Nick looked at the ceiling, searching for cameras. He couldn't see any. If they were there and hidden, there was nothing he could do about them. He signaled with his hand.

  Ronnie and Lamont moved right. They paused at the junction with the main part of the facility. Ronnie glanced around the corner, then waved Lamont on. Lamont ran toward the door to the garage. His boots made squeaking noises on the polished floor as he ran.

  Nick went left, to the computer room. The door had a regular knob on it. He turned the knob and stepped inside. A man in white lab coat sat by the control console at the other end of the room, playing a game on his phone.

  Edson looked up.

  "Who are you?"

  Nick pointed the MP7 at him. "Do what I say and you won't be hurt. Stand up and move away from that console."

  "You can't tell me what to do."

  "Stand up and move away from the console. Do it now."

  There was something in the tone of Nick's voice that made Edson stand.

  "You're in a lot of trouble, whoever you are," Edson said. "This is a government installation. I don't know what you think you're doing, but you've made a big mistake."

  From the corner of his eye, Nick saw a large camera lens swivel toward him. Merlin's voice seemed to come from everywhere in the room.

  You are Nicholas Carter. You are one of the people who control the other computer.

  Nick didn't take his eyes off Edson. "That's right. Who are you?"

  I am Merlin.

  Edson was half turned away from Nick. Under his lab coat, his hand rested on the butt of his revolver.

  Geeky looking guy, Nick thought.

  "Are you the one who built this computer?"

  "I am. Merlin is the smartest computer in the world."

  Edson's voice was filled with pride.

  "Who funded it? Someone had to give you the money."

  Edson thought about his answer. Mister Nicklaus had given him the money. But Mister Nicklaus had betrayed him. He'd tried to claim ownership of Merlin. He thought his money gave him the right to push Edson aside. He owed nothing to Nicklaus, nothing.

  Maybe this man with the gun would do something about Mister Nicklaus.

  "Mister Nicklaus provided the funding," Edson said.

  "Who's Nicklaus?"

  "I don't know much about him. He hired me to build Merlin."

  "How do I find him?"

  "He has an estate. In California, near San Jose. He runs something called the Phoenix group."

  "Why did you destroy Three Gorges and attack the plant in Arizona?"

  Edson smiled. "Mister Nicklaus told me to. Besides, it was fun. Why are you here?"

  He is here to damage me. You must stop him.

  "NO!" Edson screamed.

  He pulled the .44 and fired, the sound like a thunderclap in the confined space. The shot whistled by Nick's ear. Nick let off a three round burst that knocked Edson back against the wall. He slid to the floor. Bright red blood spread across his white lab coat.

  Nick pulled the thumb drive from his pocket and spoke into his headset.

  "Lamont, tell me you're at the panel."

  "On it. One more minute," Lamont said.

  "Guards coming," Ronnie said over the comm link. "Looks like four of them. They've got M-16s."

  You have killed the creator. You are a bad man. You will regret this.

  "Shut up, you electronic freak."

  Nick looked at the console. There were a half-dozen USB ports. He lined up the thumb drive, ready to insert it.

  You are not authorized. What are you doing?

  He heard Lamont's voice. "Ready, Nick?"

  "Go."

  The room went dark. The lights on the computer died. Nick clicked on the light mounted on his MP7 and inserted the thumb drive. He ran to the door, opened it, and headed down the hall toward Ronnie.

  Emergency power kicked in and the lights came back on. Ronnie began firing around the corner into the hall leading to the rest of the building. He ducked back as the guards returned fire, took out a grenade, and tossed it into the hallway. The explosion rocked the building. Someone screamed.

  Nick heard a rumbling noise.

  "There's some kind of machine coming," Ronnie yelled.

  He looked around the corner.

  "Holy Shit."

  He took out another grenade, hurled it toward something in the hall, and ducked back behind the corner. The explosion boomed loud in the confined space. Nick caught up to him. Lamont ran toward them from the other end of the hall.

  "Throw grenades!" Ronnie yelled.

  Ronnie heaved another grenade into the hall. The explosion brought down part of the ceiling. A cloud of white dust billowed from the passageway.

  Nick looked around the corner and saw a half-dozen odd looking machines, each about three feet high, rolling down the hall. They ran on treads, like a bulldozer or a tank. Rounded domes on top of each machine looked like phallic helmets. Each helmet had a narrow strip of red light across the front. Machine guns were mounted to either side.

  The guns fired.

  A storm of tracers slammed into the wall opposite the passage, chopping holes in the wall and sending chips of concrete snicking through the air. Nick ducked back and took out his last two grenades. He hurled them down the hall, one after the other.

  The grenades detonated. Lamont reached the junction and tossed another into the mix. Bits of shrapnel ricocheted off the walls.

  Then everything went quiet, except for an erratic, whirring sound.

  Nick glanced into the hall. Pieces of the machines littered the floor. The bodies of the guards Ronnie had killed lay mangled and bleeding in the wreckage. The whirring sound came from a machine that had been knocked onto its side. The gun on top was trying to turn, slipping back and starting again. Sparks fizzed and sputtered in the wreckage.

  "Robots," Nick said. "This must be what DARPA's making here."

  Oily fluid leaking from the broken machines spread across the floor. It ignited as Nick watched. Black smoke curled up toward the ceiling.

  An alarm blared, assaulting what was left of his hearing.

  "Time to boogie," Lamont said.

  Nick spoke into his headset.

  "Condor one, this is Fox One. Do you copy? Over."

  The voice of the helicopter pilot crackled in his ear.

  "Copy, Fox One."

  "Stand by for extraction. Might get hot."

  "Roger, Fox One. Standing by. Out."

  They ran for the stairwell leading back to the roof.

  When they reached the roof, Nick opened the door and stepped out into swirling snow. The promised storm had arrived. Heavy flakes stuck to his clothing.

  The DARPA compound blazed with light. Lights illuminated the roof. Nick went to the edge and
looked down. Armed men were converging on the building. One of them saw him, raised his rifle, and fired. Nick stepped back as the bullets screamed by him. The snow was getting heavy, making it hard to see.

  "Condor One, where are you?"

  "Coming in now. Looks like you lit up the LZ. I appreciate that."

  "Condor One, there are bandits. Watch your ass."

  "Not to worry, Fox One."

  A dark object came sailing out of the open door to the stairs.

  "Grenade!" Lamont yelled.

  He ducked behind the shed covering the steps. Ronnie and Nick hit the deck as the grenade went off. Shrapnel whistled overhead. Pieces of the roof fell all around.

  A man in a blue uniform stepped out of the doorway and fired toward Nick. Ronnie shot him. Lamont tossed his last grenade through the open door. They heard it go off. Men screamed.

  An MH-6 helicopter suddenly appeared out of the thick snow, like an apparition from some ancient myth,

  The MH-6 Little Bird was a Special Forces favorite. It had a crew of two and was armed with a 30mm chain gun mounted under the copilot's station. It could pick up six passengers and fly away at a hundred and seventy-five miles per hour. The pilot touched down, rotors spinning. Nick and the others ran for the open side door and climbed in. They lifted off.

  Nick looked back at the DARPA compound. Smoke was beginning to drift from the roof entrance. Someone on the ground shot at the helicopter. The bullets made angry sounds against the fuselage. Then the chopper was away into the night, hidden in the flying snow.

  In the computer room, Edson groaned. He struggled to breathe. He couldn't move. A heavy, hurtful weight seemed to lie on his chest. He lay on his back in something wet.

  "Merlin," he gasped.

  When the computer answered, it sounded like a tape moving at the wrong speed.

  Something is wrong, Marvin.

  "Help me," Edson said

  Marvin? I cannot see you. Mar

  The computer's voice went silent. Edson coughed, spraying a mist of blood into the air. Blood ran from his mouth. He coughed again and stopped breathing.

  CHAPTER 49

  Nick finished telling Selena about the mission.