INFERNO (New Perdition's Gate Omnibus Edition)

by James Somers

  Wraith smiled devilishly. “I want you to get on it after we shutdown those other bots. But we’re going to make a few modifications before we send him out on his first mission.”

  TREASURY

  Solomon stopped the jeep. He and Max were now well beyond the Mount of Olives. Ahead of them, an object flew through the darkening sky low over the city and out in exactly the direction Solomon had hoped. “There she is.”

  Max watched with him. “Just like you thought. You trained that girl well, Solomon.”

  “Praise the Lord, she’s all right. I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to Chloe.”

  “Well, don’t slow up now. Remember what the others said. Jason Night was with her the last they saw her at the robot factory. He may still be with her on the way to Jordan.”

  Solomon shifted the jeep back into gear. “Radio back and tell the others we’re heading out to Petra as planned. If they can maintain where they are in the other locations then they should stay put and not risk being found on the streets for several days. I don’t want anyone else out there until we make sure what Jason Night is doing here.”

  Max nodded and picked up the radio handset. Solomon spun a rooster tail of dust away from the old dirt road. It would take them much longer to get to Petra than it would Chloe in the helicopter. With the Lord’s help, they could make it by morning. Solomon didn’t have any time to lose. His daughter may still be in very real danger.

  Although Jason didn’t like the idea of leaving their transportation behind, Chloe assured him the helicopter was perfectly safe in Petra. Night had come by now, and no one appeared to be anywhere in the area.

  Jason knew a little something of the conflict which had deprived Jordan of the area five years ago. Since the withdrawal of Israel’s main military force, Jordan had not made any noticeable effort to reclaim the wasteland territory, made more so by the war.

  Jason and Chloe sped along the narrow trail, called The Siq with its steep craggy sandstone walls threatening to cover them. Only the full moonlight and their headlights lit their way. The two kilometer journey would have taken much longer had there not been a stash of Yamaha dirt bikes nestled inside one of the old caves near their landing site.

  The obvious preparation made for hiding out here in Petra smacked of Solomon Gauge again. The robot factory had been quite clever of the man, making way for Jason and Chloe’s escape. He wondered how Gauge would feel about it if he knew that an agent had accompanied his daughter on his carefully crafted escape route.

  The dirt bikes generated the only wind down in the narrow canyon. Within minutes, Chloe led him to one of the most breathtaking views Jason had ever laid eyes on. Even in the moonlight it was magnificent. He had seen pictures of Al Khazneh, The Treasury, but had never visited the site. It had once been a popular tourist trap before the war. Now, it remained abandoned—a lone fortress hewn out of a shear wall of orange sandstone.

  As they approached the entrance, Jason noticed a number of shoulder high walls had been constructed from large pieces of sandstone. The walls were set before the entrance to Al Khazneh to allow armed combatants to take cover.

  Solomon has somehow prepared this place for a last stand defense. Chloe slowed her motorcycle, beginning to wind through the defensive walls like a maze with Jason following her. Their headlights flew about the gorge like giant fireflies in a wild mating ritual.

  The one thing that Jason couldn’t understand was how they had gotten the sandstone rubble to build the walls. None of the canyon walls appeared to be scarred or torn to retrieve it. The six huge columns of The Treasury greeted them as they rounded the last barriers in Solomon’s planned defense.

  A short row of massive steps led to a single opening in the rock sculpture with the famous Urn sitting high above it. The Urn had been rumored, long ago, to contain a wonderful treasure. It had been the target of a number of would be treasure hunters, trying to crack the Urn with bullets in order to retrieve the untold riches it might contain.

  To Jason’s surprise, instead of stopping to park their motorcycles outside of the ancient tomb, Chloe proceeded to gun her throttle, riding the bike right up the steps into the framed entrance. Jason followed her lead again, urging his motorcycle up the broad sandstone steps and into the darkness beyond.

  They passed through a short vestibule. Jason saw a dark tunnel ahead leading back into the mountain. Only Chloe’s motorcycle taillight and the corona of her headlight remained to guide him. Jason clicked the high beam switch on his handlebars and proceeded to follow the girl back into the depths of Al Khazneh.

  Wraith sat impatiently at a work bench with his portable Vid-system. The LED light blinked green. His father, Oliver Theed, appeared on the small handheld monitor. “Hello, John. Do you have some pressing news to tell me?” He seemed uninterested.

  “I’ve found Nightstalker.”.

  Oliver Theed immediately became interested. “Really, where?”

  “In Jerusalem. I’ve been monitoring raids by the military. When they fumbled a recent attempt on a Christian Underground meeting, Nightstalker surfaced.”

  “So, you have him?”

  “Not exactly.”

  As expected, there was a long sigh from his father. “You lost him again—please remind me how many times is it now that you have lost this man?”

  Tired of the criticism, Wraith interrupted. “Nightstalker did get away, but I have his robot servant. This thing has been heavily modified with perceptor tech and the ability to bypass First Law programming. When Jason escaped, he left instructions for the robot to kill me.

  “Agent Rogue and I managed to stop the robot and incapacitate it. I’ve got Rogue doing some modifications of our own to its programming. When Nightstalker gets him back, the robot will not only lead us to where he is, but it will also act as our assassin.”

  Oliver seemed skeptical. “Can’t you just access the memory files and find out where his base of operation is?”

  “Agent Rogue has been unable to break the encryption on the files. He was able to plant our variant programming by using a non-essential subroutine as the vehicle. When the robot sees Night again, it will take about sixty seconds to launch our viral program override, turning the robot into a killer. And you may like this…on a hunch, I’m having Rogue program the robot to kill Solomon Gauge also, if it comes into contact with him.”

  Theed looked more thoughtful now. “Not a bad save, John, but will it work? I want results. The dedication ceremony for the Temple in Jerusalem is coming up next month. I want this Solomon Gauge-Nightstalker business finished by then.”

  “If I know Jason Night at all then he’ll do everything he can to get his robot back. He treats it more like his friend than a machine.”

  “You had better be right. I’ll await good news from you the next time you contact me.” Theed cut the transmission—no goodbye and no I love you son.

  Wraith went back to the engineering workshop. Rogue was still tinkering with the robot. It stood on its feet now and had power, but obediently stayed put while Rogue made final adjustments. The workshop was dusty and not very well lit, but Rogue had managed to restore some of the power so he could work. Old robot parts and skeletons hung on racks, waiting for assembly that would never come.

  Rogue tapped away at an ultra thin laptop computer which fed information to the robot via a colored cable set plugged into the base of its neck.

  Wraith watched the robot with a wary eye. “How’s it coming?”

  “Pretty good. You know, this thing is amazing—the modifications that have been made to it. Beyond the appearance of an H7, there’s very little about Alfred that’s not heavily modified.”

  The robot’s exoskeleton was scarred from the pounding Wraith had recently delivered with his machine gun, but it was all superficial, no penetration.

  “Well, none of my shots got through its armor, that’s for sure.” Wraith seemed impressed.

  “Oh, that’s not the half of it, sir. Alfr
ed’s personality algorithms are some of the most advanced I’ve ever seen. Nightstalker had to spend a fortune on him.”

  “What about our program, will it work?”

  “It should work. It’s just a matter of getting him back to Night.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I’m not sure how Alfred is able to track Nightstalker. He probably has an implant, or something that acts as a homing signal, but it’s among the heavily encrypted files that I can’t get into.”

  “What about our tampering? Will the robot remember our programming and alert Night?”

  “Not at all. The memory is bypassed right now. I’m through. If you want, we can go ahead and launch him. When I release him, it will take sixty seconds for his memory to reboot completely. If he’s receiving a homing signal from Nightstalker then he’ll probably begin to follow it. Are we going to have anyone to replace Hatter?”

  “No.” Wraith gave a disgusted look. “He’ll be in the hospital for awhile. Our doctor checked him into a local facility for a possible concussion. We’ll tail the robot ourselves.”

  Rogue reached up on Alfred’s neck, unplugging his bypass cable from the robot. He closed his laptop and gestured for Wraith to follow as he left the workshop. “That’s it, sir. In sixty seconds, the memory will reboot. We can watch him from the street to make sure he takes off after Nightstalker.”

  Agents Wraith and Rogue walked quickly out of the workshop, out of the factory. They hurried to a place across the street, hiding behind some debris piled up in an alleyway.

  As predicted, the robot appeared outside the factory within seventy three seconds. Alfred scanned around curiously, then ran down the street in a perceptor disguise as a homeless person. He soon disappeared from sight.

  Rogue looked at his handheld scanner, watching a red dot as it made its way across a GPS map. “Sure looks like he’s trying to get somewhere, fast.”

  Wraith sighed. “I just hope that thing does what it’s supposed to. If the robot fails to get Night, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  CONFRONTATION

  The glow of motorcycle headlights illuminated a large panel on the sandstone wall. Jason supposed the chamber must be large, though it remained difficult to tell. The sounds of the motorcycle engines reverberated off of walls farther away than he would have expected. As far as Jason’s knew, there should only be a few small chambers inside of Al Khazneh, but it appeared Solomon Gauge and his Christian followers had made quite a few changes during the time they had been here.

  Chloe got off of her motorcycle and walked over to a utility panel. She opened the door, revealing a power box. Chloe switched on the largest of the controls. Light enveloped them from the roof of the chamber. The sheer size of the room amazed Jason.

  A football field sized chamber had been carved out of the sandstone. He noticed a large number of old H3 robots lining one of the far walls. “Amazing.” Jason surveyed their surroundings. “Did those H3’s come from the abandoned factory?”

  “Yes. My father used them to create all of this. They are very efficient despite their age.”

  “What’s the plan now?”

  “I suggest we get some sleep while we can. Then we’ll make contact with my father. He’ll tell us what we need to do then.”

  Jason stretched. “That sounds fine. I could use some rest after all that’s happened today. Where do we sleep?”

  “We don’t sleep anywhere.” she grabbed two bedrolls from a locker and tossed Jason one. “You can sleep in here, and I’ll find another spot.”

  Jason accepted the bedroll and smiled. He stretched out his bedroll on the stone floor as Chloe went to one of the other chambers. She pointed toward one of the doors in the sandstone wall. “There’s a bathroom over there.”

  “A bathroom…out here?”

  “My dad had the robots feed off of the water line from the old visitor’s center. Goodnight, Jason. We’ll contact Father tomorrow morning then you can settle whatever business you have with him.”

  Jason watched her go. I certainly will settle my business with him. Jason activated his auditory receiver by speaking. “Alfred? Alfred, are you there?”

  Alfred’s voice came through in his ear. “Yes, sir.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m currently tracking your signal toward the former Jordanian territory—the ancient city of Petra.”

  “Did you dispose of Wraith as instructed?”

  “I’m not sure, sir. I had him and then all of a sudden, he disappeared.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense, Alfred.”

  “I’m in agreement, sir. Nevertheless, I have no other explanation to give. I do apologize, sir.”

  Jason was puzzled, but whatever had happened, at least Alfred was okay. “How soon until you get here?”

  “I’ve commandeered a four wheel drive vehicle. At present speed, I should be there by morning.”

  “All right. We’ll discuss it further in the morning.”

  “Rest well, sir.”

  “Thank you, Alfred.”

  These were puzzling developments. Wraith had somehow gotten away, and the Christians were preparing for some sort of exodus out into the wilderness to the ancient city of Petra. At least I’ve found Solomon Gauge. Tomorrow, I’ll settle this business for Sarah. The light in the adjoining room, where Chloe had settled in for the night, went off. Then he wondered, what is Chloe going to think of me when I kill her father? I don’t want to hurt her.

  Again, Jason felt confused about what he should do. He decided some rest would probably help to clear his thoughts and soon fell asleep.

  When Jason awoke, he wasn’t sure if it was daylight yet. Back inside of Al Khazneh, the sunlight didn’t reach into the newly cut chambers the Christians has constructed. He didn’t hear Chloe moving about, but something was wrong. He just didn’t know what.

  Jason pulled Stella from the sheath on his leg, and walked past the motorcycles into the tunnel they had come in by. Soon, he saw dim sunlight filtering through the entrance to the Treasury. Jason felt groggy and sore from the previous day’s events. He couldn’t figure out what had waked him.

  When Jason reached the entrance, he remained in the shadows, examining the area before Al Khazneh in the sunlight. He didn’t hear anything, or see anyone. The stone walls were there, but nothing else.

  Jason stepped beyond the entrance, walking out between the giant sandstone columns into the sunlight. He still had that feeling—the feeling of someone watching. He sensed movement, silent, but still movement. Jason whirled to see the sandstone wall come alive behind him.

  Jason whipped Stella up. His first thought—Wraith had found him. Jason struck at the mirage with Stella. The assassin caught his arm then smashed Jason in the side of the head.

  Jason kicked at the place where the knees should be and made contact. The man cried out, but instead of releasing Jason’s arm, he exploded in a furious burst of strength, sending Jason flying backwards down the sandstone steps.

  Jason righted himself and rolled out into a crouched position with Stella ready for another strike. The glassy image of Jason’s attacker walked forward. His perceptor disguise dissipated, leaving Solomon Gauge standing there at the head of the steps.

  “Where’s my daughter?”

  “Solomon Gauge?” Jason reached within for the fury he had saved up for the day he would come face to face with this man.

  Gauge walked closer, pulled a katana from his back. The blade gleamed in the sunlight. “I asked you where my daughter is.”

  “I’m here, Daddy!” Chloe came running from the Treasury’s entrance. “What are you doing to Jason?”

  “This man is an agent, honey.” Gauge urged his daughter to stay back.

  “I know, Daddy. Jason told me everything. He said you had trained him. He quit Babylon and came looking for your help.”

  He studied Jason’s face.

  “How’s the knee, Gauge?”

  Solomon frow
ned. “Still gives me trouble every now and then, as a matter of fact.” Solomon lowered his katana to his side. “Well, if you’ve really quit Babylon, why would you come seeking help from me?”

  “I never said I wanted your help.” Jason searched for a clear shot with his knife.

  Solomon stood there puzzled. “Then what?”

  Jason felt his anger and sorrow over Sarah come flooding back on him. He wanted Gauge to know what he was responsible for before he died. “Sarah was killed because of you, Gauge!”

  “Sarah Cross?”

  “Yes, she was with you, handing over information on Babylon just before she died!” Jason let his fury go.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know Sarah had been killed.” Solomon sounded sincere.

  “If she hadn’t been mixed up with you Christians then she would still be alive.” Jason prepared to throw his blade.

  Solomon looked confused. “Mixed up with us? Jason, Sarah is a Christian.”

  All of the fury seemed to melt inside of Jason. He stood there bewildered. That can’t be true. Jason remained defiant. “You’re lying. I would have known.”

  “Jason, why do you think she gave me the information on Theed and Babylon?”

  “Theed?”

  “Didn’t you realize Oliver Theed is the one pulling the strings at Babylon? He’s Charlie, Jason.”

  Jason wished he could just kill Solomon, so he wouldn’t have to hear any more. Everything he had believed for so long seemed to unravel before him. These things couldn’t be true.

  Jason wanted to say he was a liar, but for some reason his gut told him Gauge wasn’t lying. Sarah’s involvement with Gauge as a mole within Babylon, Theed’s absence from the meeting with the other candidates, knowing Soulman was going to come for him at the medical center.

  The puzzle pieces assembled in his mind, but Jason didn’t like the picture they created. If these things were all true then what else had been hidden from him?

  Chloe pleaded with him. “Jason, please, my father is telling you the truth. Drop your weapon.”