“Thank you, Alex,” Luna said softly.
“Do you have a portable storage device?” Alex asked.
“I’ve got one here,” Mark said, pulling his portable scanner from his bandolier.
“Excellent. Install it into the console, please.”
Mark did as he was asked, and Alex continued, “I will upload a copy of myself onto the device. But be warned, I do not believe its circuits will be able to contain me for long. You must hurry if you wish for your plan to succeed.”
“Understood, Alex. Thank you,” Luna said. She then turned to Fox and asked, “How long until we reach the reactor?”
“A couple of hours at least,” he replied. “Might as well make yourselves comfortable.”
“Let’s just hope the scanner lasts that long,” she muttered. She settled back in her seat and stared out of the domed canopy at the rapidly darkening sky. Somewhere beneath the dark ocean of clouds lay Cathedral: The cause of all their troubles. The eye of the storm.
Chapter 44
Landers barley noticed Miss Chavé’s greeting as he walked past her desk and made for Edgard’s office. The intel he had couldn’t wait. He had to speak to the CEO at once.
Wasting no time on ceremony, he pushed the door open and marched into the office, causing Edgard to look up in surprise. “Chief? What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry for the intrusion, sir,” Landers said apologetically, “but we’ve just intercepted a Swamper communiqué that I think you’ll want to hear.”
Edgard motioned him over to the desk. “By all means, let me hear it.”
“Alex, play the audio file.”
“Of course Chief Landers. Right away,” Alex replied.
A moment later, the room’s speakers crackled to life and Leon’s voice rang out loud and clear.
“ … This message is a call to arms for all of you who want freedom! I am Leon Valentin Vespasien: Liberator of the People! If you have the guts to stand up and fight these Techie slugs, rendezvous with me at New Providence Colony. I’ll tell y’all more when you get here! Just make it quick! We march on New Denver in two weeks! Now is the time! Today is the day of revolution! Rise up my brothers and sisters—my friends! The day of our liberation is at hand!”
Edgard laughed humorlessly. “He’s insane. Did he honestly think we wouldn’t pick that up?”
“I wouldn’t know, sir.” Landers replied coolly, “All I know is that he has provided us with a unique opportunity to take him down once and for all.”
Edgard sat back and folded his hands in his lap. “What would you recommend I do, Chief?”
“We’re not going to get another chance at this, sir. I say we dispatch all available troops to New Providence. Hit him with everything we’ve got.”
Edgard sat there for a few seconds, his eyes fixed on his desk. “We’ll have to coordinate with our allies … ” he said slowly. Then he lifted his gaze and locked eyes with the Chief. “I want you to lead the task force going after Vespasien. You have the most experience of anyone here, Landers. Can I trust you to get the job done?”
The Chief saluted sharply. “Yes, sir. I’ll handle it.”
“Excellent. Keep me posted—”
Just then the Chief’s APD headset began ringing, and he scowled.
“Excuse me, sir. I have to take this call.”
Edgard nodded and Landers stepped outside.
“Chief Landers here. Go ahead.”
He was shocked to discover that the voice on the other line belonged to Alex. “Chief, do not believe a word Mr. Edgard says. He is most devious.”
“What are you talking about, Alex?”
“The recording you just presented is a forgery complied from numerous other voice records. It is an elaborate trap, meant to lure you to your demise. Do not believe any of it.”
Landers glanced around the small lobby. “You expect me to believe that?”
“I do,” Alex replied. “I have already taken the liberty of summoning trustworthy reinforcements to your location. I trust you to do what is necessary until they arrive.”
Before Landers could gather any more information, the line went dead, leaving him to wonder what had just happened.
Why would Edgard want him dead? It made no sense—unless Edgard had something to hide. But what? For the time being, he decided to err on the side of caution—at least until he’d gathered enough information to figure out what was really going on.
Casually he removed his headset and placed it in his pocket. He then returned to the room where Edgard stood waiting for him.
“What was that about?”
“Nothing. Someone down at HQ just had some questions. That’s all.”
“There’s no need to keep up the charade, Chief. I had your phone bugged a long time ago,” Edgard sneered, pulling a gleaming, pearl-handled .45 out from under the desk. “Now, put your hands where I can see them. Slowly!”
“A forty-five auto,” Landers muttered, eyeing the gun. “It was you. All this time … you were the one I was looking for. Hiding right under my nose.”
Edgard pulled back the bolt, jacking a round into the chamber. “I said, put your hands up, Carl!”
Landers kept his eyes glued on the gun and slowly lifted his hands. “You’ll never get out of here alive, Saul. You know my men. And they know me. They know I’d rather die then let you escape.”
Without taking his eyes off the Chief, Edgard stepped around the desk and relieved him of his weapon then reached down and activated the office comm system. “Manning? Are you there?”
Manning? He’s supposed to be on leave!
The office comm crackled and Manning answered, “Yes, sir. I’m in position now.”
“Good. There’s been a slight change in plans. Bring in the insurance.”
Edgard released the comm button and addressed the chief once more, “You’re right, I do know your men. I know they won’t risk harming a civilian. Even if that means abandoning you in the process.”
Outside the office Bridget screamed.
Landers turned his head just in time to see Manning enter the room, dragging the struggling woman along with him at gunpoint.
“You son of a—Leave her out of this!” Landers shouted.
Manning just smiled and cocked the gun, pressing it to Bridget’s trembling neck.
“Now, Carl,” Edgard said, “I want you to contact your men. Tell them to clear a path to the executive landing platform. And if anyone tries to stop us,” he nodded to Manning, “well, you know what will happen.”
“Go to hell!” the Chief spat venomously, hoping that the reinforcements Alex had promised would reach them in time.
Chapter 45
“Come on already … ” Keith muttered, shifting his weight impatiently from one foot to the other as the elevator passed floor after floor.
It had only been a few minutes since he’d received Alex’s call telling him of an imminent threat in the CEO’s office. He had tried to get more information out of the AI, but all Alex had said before the line went dead was that he “needed to hurry”.
Keith was poised and ready with his sidearm drawn when the elevator doors at last slid open.
He swept the room. It was clear. He advanced and checked behind the secretary’s desk. It, too, was clear.
Slowly, he moved toward Edgard’s office, crouching just outside the door. On the other side he could hear raised voices.
He breathed in through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, and then adrenaline surged through his veins. He kicked the door down and stormed the room.
Time slowed to a crawl as four pairs of eyes turned to stare at him.
In a heartbeat he took in the situation: Two armed men. Two hostages. Closest target—right three meters.
He shifted his attention accordingly, and suddenly his eyes met Bridget’s. In that brief moment he saw a change come over her. Her eyes, usually so vapid, took on a new sheen. She was suddenly filled with an inner fire he h
ad never witnessed in her before.
In a flash her stiletto-clad heel shot up, once, twice. Delivering a flurry of kicks to Manning’s groin. The effect was both devastating and instantaneous.
Manning howled in agony. His grip loosened, and she fell, throwing herself to the ground as his gun fired, missing her by mere inches.
Keith did not hesitate. He had a clear shot, and he took it.
Manning’s right shoulder exploded as Keith’s round tore into him. The gun fell from his hand and he collapsed.
Wasting no time, the chief jumped forward, snatching up the weapon.
“Tagawa! Cover Miss Chavé!”
Without a second thought Keith threw himself over Bridget, shielding her with his body as the bookcase above them shattered beneath a hail of gunfire.
A bullet grazed his arm, and he grimaced, tucking himself tightly around Bridget. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Edgard duck for cover behind the desk, fumbling to reload his weapon.
The chief apparently saw this too. Slowly he rose to his feet and staggered forward, a bloody hand pressed to his side.
“Edgard!” he shouted, his voice sounding more like the roar of a wild animal than a human.
“No! Wait! Landers don’t do this! I—I can pay you! I’ll give you whatever you want!” Edgard begged.
Landers leveled his gun. “It’s over, Saul. Give yourself up.”
From his vantage point, Keith could see Edgard’s hand groping for something hidden just behind the leg of the desk. And at the last minute he saw it: another handgun. An Agency sidearm—the chief’s sidearm.
“Chief! Look out!” he yelled, scrambling to aim his weapon.
A single gunshot rang forth and Edgard fell to the ground. The breast of his white suit was stained with blood, marking the place where Landers’ bullet had pierced his heart.
It was over.
With a sigh of relief, Keith un-cocked his weapon and stood, offering his hand to Bridget and helping her to her feet. The room looked like a war zone. Bits of glass and debris were strewn everywhere, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke. Manning was alive but unconscious. Both Keith and the chief had sustained relatively minor injuries, and it looked as though Bridget had escaped with little more than a few scrapes and bruises.
“Are you all right, Ms Chavé?” he asked, just to be sure his initial assessment was correct.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied shakily.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Yes I’m—Oh, Keith! Your arm!”
“It’s nothing. I’ll be fine.”
“Keith …” Bridget said, her voice barely more than a whisper, “you … you saved me.”
Keith shrugged. “I wouldn’t have been able to without your help. That was a pretty gutsy move. Not many civilians would have had the nerve to do what you did under the circumstances.”
She blushed and looked away, kicking one of the larger bits of glass with her toe. “I guess that self-defense class wasn’t, like, a total waste of money after all.”
Behind them the chief powered up Edgard’s personal computer and began to sift through his files.
“Alex, I need you to give me all the names you have on Edgard’s payroll.”
“Right away, Chief Landers,” the AI replied.
The chief surveyed the data for a moment, and then he looked up from the monitor. “Agent Tagawa?”
“Yes, sir?” Keith replied, turning.
“You’d better get that arm looked at, son.”
“What about you and Manning, sir?”
“I’ve got people on their way. They’ll take care of it.”
Keith nodded, “Understood, sir.”
“When you’re good to go, I need you to coordinate with the rest of the Agency. Edgard had a lot of people in his pocket, and I’ll need all the help I can get bringing them in.”
“If it’s all right, Mr. Landers. I’d like to go with Keith,” Bridget chimed in. “I … I just want to make sure that he’s, like, going to be okay and everything.”
Landers raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze to Keith. “Is that all right with you, Tagawa?”
Keith thought about it for a moment, and then he said, “Yes, sir. It’s fine by me. That is … I should have the medics check her out, too. Just to be safe … sir.”
Landers chuckled under his breath. “All right then. Carry on.”
“Yes, sir.” Keith said then turned and headed for the elevator with Bridget following close behind.
As the doors slid shut, she quietly slipped her hand into his, and—for the first time since they’d met—he didn’t protest.
He’d seen something in her, an inner strength and determination that he could respect. And it seemed that maybe, just maybe, she had finally found herself after all.
Chapter 46
“Luna, wake up.” Mark gently shook her awake. “We’re almost there.”
She stirred and stretched her stiff neck.
Outside the domed canopy the vast expanse of dead trees and murky, fog-bound swamplands had given way to a forest of dilapidated skyscrapers—a skeletal city stretching as far as the eye could see in any direction. And there, at the center of it all: Cathedral. A massive, circular structure, nearly a mile in circumference adorned with three enormous control towers which rose into the sky like the points of a giant crown.
“This was Centennial City.” Toad spoke suddenly, startling her.
Regaining her composure she asked, “Centennial City?”
Toad nodded, his face unusually grim. “It was supposed to be humanity’s greatest achievement. The crowning jewel of all our past endeavors. A city for the twenty-second century. Now look at it. It’s a ghost town.”
Fox brought the Stratocruiser into a hover close to Cathedral’s massive outer wall. The aircraft’s floodlights danced across the sleek, rain-swept surface, illuminating a large hanger door. “Cathedral tower, this is Fox-Trot 211 requesting you open landing bay doors. Over.”
“Nothing’s happening,” Mark said after a few seconds.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Fox shot back. “Cathedral tower. I say again: this is Fox-Trot 211. Open main doors. Over.”
Again, nothing happened.
“Blasted AI! Open the door!” Fox shouted into his mic.
“Perhaps I should try?” Ed offered.
“Be my guest!”
The AI began, “Unit 003, Bishop. It is I, Unit 002, Edward. I am here with Unit 001 and Master Mark Anderson. We request that you open the hanger bay doors at once.”
There was a long pause, and Mark said, “And once again … nothing’s happening.”
“Unit 002,” a deep, synthesized voice called out, putting an end to any further complaints, “what has taken you so long?”
“I apologize for my tardiness,” Ed replied. “I’m afraid I have been delayed until now.”
“Understood. Fear not. I will open the hanger bay at once.”
Almost instantly the doors began to open and Bishop continued, “Your timing is most agreeable. I am at this very moment in need of your aid.”
“What do you mean?” Luna asked.
“For the past fifty-three hours, this facility has been under attack by an unknown assailant. My security countermeasures have been able to keep them at bay, but they are persistent. Even now they are attempting to cut into one of my primary network junctions.”
“Do you have any idea what they want, Bishop?” Mark asked as Fox eased the aircraft into the brightly lit hanger.
“I have been able to deduce from their communications that their intentions are of an … incendiary nature.”
“You mean a bomb,” Toad said.
“You are correct. This is why I hesitated to let you land.”
Luna pondered this latest development. Then, turning to Mark, she asked, “So what’s the plan now?”
Mark thought for a moment then said, “Ed, bring up a schematic of the reactor compound and e
stablish an uplink with Bishop’s security feeds.”
“Right away, Master Mark.”
Within seconds a holographic display of Cathedral’s floor plan materialized in the center of the cabin.
“Hey, Perkins!” Mark called, poking his head into the rear compartment. “Bring your team in here. We need your help with something.”
Once everyone was present Mark continued laying out his plan. “All right Bishop, show us where the intruders are.”
The display shifted and zoomed in on a section of hallway near the opposite side of the complex.
Mark sighed, and turned his gaze to the agents. “Okay. Bishop says we have intruders armed with at least one bomb making their way to the power junction—here.” He pointed to a large room a short distance down the hallway. “Since you’re the only ones equipped for this sort of thing, I’ll need you to take care of them.”
“That’s clear on the other side of the building,” Rush pointed out “How are we going to get there?”
Toad answered, “Jack built this baby with tram systems and elevators so the workers could get around in a hurry. They should still be operational, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”
Mark nodded and turned back to the Agents. “You guys think you can handle that?”
“Are you kidding?” Patterson laughed. “We’re Agents. Of course we can handle it!”
Mark smiled. “That’s what I like to hear.”
Luna spoke up, “What will the rest of us do?”
“You and I,” Mark explained, “are going to head for these two control rooms here and here.” He tapped the holograph and the display zoomed out, indicating two of the three towers she had seen on the way in.
“Once we’re there, we’ll upload the kill codes and shut this thing down for good.”
“What about me?” Toad asked.
“You’ll stay here with Fox,” Mark said, “No offense, but you’ll slow us down.”
“None taken. I’ll keep your chair warm for ya.”
“All right everyone! We’ve each got a job to do. Grab a weapon and stay in contact,” he said, plugging Ed’s portable housing back into his chestplate, “Fox and Toad, be ready to go when we get back. I have a feeling it’ll get a little rough out there. Everyone ready?”
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