“Maybe they don’t like bills,” he whispered.
“Why are you whispering? There’s nobody around.”
He shrugged. “It just seemed the right thing to do, you know, because we’re not supposed to be here.”
“That was before. Now, no one even knows it exists except us. We need to look around. What if something happened and we had done nothing but stay warm in our hotel room? Wouldn’t you feel like shit?”
“I like being warm.”
She gave him a look and turned toward the house. “I’m going up there to look around. You can stay here if you want.” She took a step toward the house but he grabbed her arm.
“We just look around. We don’t go inside,” he said.
“That’s all I was gonna do.”
He let her arm go and nodded. She turned toward the house, stepped through the snow to the driveway and walked up to the garage door. He followed. She stopped and looked up at the house as if searching. He could see nothing that looked unusual and he heard nothing coming from within the garage. If they had cameras, they were well hidden.
She moved to the front door and he saw a flyer of some kind stuck in the door handle. She pulled it out and looked at it. She held it out to him and pointed at the date on it. It was for a wood cutting service and was dated three months earlier. He shrugged. He glanced around the stoop and something caught his eye. He touched her shoulder and pointed at the light fixture to the right of the door. In the decorative metalwork of the lamp, a small lens peered out at them. It was hard to see, but the glint from the bright snow had caught his eye. A camera. There was no way to tell if it was on or not.
She frowned but continued her inspection of the place. She left the stoop and worked her way across the front of the house to the fence on the right side. Lucky continued to scan the windows and eaves as he followed her through the snow. Their footprints stuck out like sore thumbs. The homeowners would know someone had been snooping around. Whoever they were.
Ginny was standing on her tiptoes peering over the top of the fence when he came up behind her. He could see over the top into a dark side yard that was covered over by numerous trees, snow in the pine needles, making the area cave-like. He couldn’t see more than a few feet into it. The fence had a gate set in the middle of it with a black handle. Ginny pressed the thumb button and the latch clicked open. She pushed the gate slightly ajar and slipped into the yard before he could protest. He followed after her.
The gloom enveloped them and the low light made it difficult to detect any cameras or sensors. If anyone was watching them, they wouldn’t know about it until it was too late. Lucky reached out, touched Ginny’s shoulder, and she jumped, startled. She turned and glared at him.
“Why are we back here?” he said under his breath.
“We’re looking.”
“I know that, but why are we back here?”
She just gave him a look and moved away deeper into the gloom. He followed, her dark clothing making her almost disappear in the sunless area, the silence oppressive in the confines of the snow. She turned a corner and was gone from his sight.
Chapter 26
Lucky walked briskly through the dark side yard after Ginny disappeared around the corner. He turned the bend into a gloomy backyard cluttered with lawn furniture and overgrown bushes covered in a layer of snow. The tree canopy was not as thick here, but still held enough foliage loaded with snow to block out the sunlight. He glanced all around the area. Ginny was nowhere to be found. He took a step into the yard and an arm came out and grabbed him. He jumped.
Ginny was down in the entrance to the basement. He hadn’t noticed it in the gloom.
“Man, you scared the crap out of me,” he said.
“Sorry, you were going to walk right past.”
“You disappeared. I was worried.”
She smiled. “I’m right here.”
He felt foolish, but was irritated at her for scaring him. “Don’t do it again. You stay where I can see you.”
“Yes sir!” and she saluted, but kept the smile on her face. “You’re not having fun, are you?”
“No.”
They were down in a little alcove, the basement door barely visible in the low light four steps lower than where Ginny stood. She turned, descended the remaining steps and walked up to the door. It had a pane of glass set chest high and she peered into it. Lucky could see nothing through it from behind her. She pressed her ear to the glass and listened.
“It’s like a tomb in there,” she whispered. She tried the handle and it turned. The door swung open on squeaky hinges. He didn’t protest. He figured it would do no good anyway.
“Let me go first,” he whispered, grabbing her arm.
“I thought you didn’t like this.”
“I don’t, but…just let me go first.”
She stared at him in the darkness for a second and then moved aside. He slipped past her into the dark room where a damp, musty odor filled his nostrils along with something else. He couldn’t decide what it was, but he knew it was not pleasant.
“What’s that smell?” she whispered, her voice sounding loud and it echoed in the bare room.
“Hopefully the owners. They probably died of radiation poisoning or something like we’re gonna do.”
Suddenly the lights came on in the room and Lucky crouched, ready for a fight. They were alone and he turned to find Ginny with a grin on her lips, her hand on the light switch. He relaxed and stood up. “You are getting really good and scaring the crap out of me,” he said.
“Sorry.”
He didn’t think she was. He looked around the space taking the room in and was not surprised to find it completely empty. The painted concrete floor was bare and the walls were cement blocks with no drywall or plaster covering. The wiring for the electrical could be seen snaking along the walls and ceiling. Apparently the owners found little use for their basement. A noise coming from within the house above their heads caused them both to look up. He stepped to her and whispered, “Time to go. We’re not alone.”
She nodded, her face betraying her anxiety now, and turned toward the way they came in when he heard a low moan coming from behind them. Ginny froze and turned toward the sound.
“Did you hear that?” she whispered.
He nodded but nudged her toward the exit.
She resisted. “It sounded like somebody in pain.”
“We need to get out of here.”
“What if someone is in trouble? We can’t just leave them.”
“Oh yes we can,” and he nudged her again. She slapped his hand and moved away from him toward the rear of the room. A closed door stood in the gloom where the bare bulb in the ceiling did not penetrate the dark. The moan came again, louder, and Lucky reluctantly admitted to himself that it was definitely the sound of pain. He watched her approach the door and then he followed her. “Shit.”
She put her hand to the door handle and turned. The door was jerked from her hands and the face that glared at them from the opening was something from a horror movie. Then the lights went out and blackness descended on them. Ginny screamed.
Chapter 27
Sven and Bob stood like sentinels on either side of the door as Bodey attempted to make small talk with them, but they only responded in single syllable responses. He gave up after a few minutes.
Maddy was with them now and all four sat in the console area attempting to understand what had happened and what the next move was.
“The obvious question,” Jake said, “is whether or not this other lab is going to continue on its current path or will Smith be able to find it and shut it down.”
“This EMP that they can detect,” Bodey said, “its power is diminished by the chamber?”
“Yes,” Jake said. “The chamber shields some of the pulse but not all. That’s why NORAD was able to detect when the dimensional rip opened up. The residual matter is well contained and their detection equipment will struggle pinpointing the sou
rce unless they are right on top of it during one of the dimensional rips.”
“Sounds like a needle in the haystack kind of search,” Winslow said.
“Exactly.” Jake said, pacing. “Bodey? What are the chances you can trace the hacker’s source? I know you said they shut everything down when they discovered you snooping, but is there a chance you can track it down?”
He nodded. “A small possibility exists and since I was in a hurry to get down here to take care of the problem from this end, I didn’t really spend much time on it when I lost the signal. I may be able to pick it up again with a little effort.”
“Get on it,” Jake said. “We may have better luck finding this lab than Peter and his NORAD group.”
“What are we going to do if we find it?” Maddy asked.
“I’m going to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I have to. I don’t think they’re going to be able to fix this imbalance with military or police force.”
“Jake. That’s insane,” she said. “You have no business getting involved with this. These are dangerous people.”
“Why else would Beth and Ryan be talking to us? It must be something only I can fix.”
She looked doubtful. “I don’t agree. You’ve done your part and if Peter needs your help you can provide it from here. How can you showing up in Wyoming make things better?”
“I’m not sure,” Jake said. “But I have a strong feeling I’m going to be needed up there.”
~ ~ ~
Lucky opened his eyes and squinted against the bright fluorescent lighting that filled his view. He couldn’t remember where he was or what he was doing. He tried to concentrate on his memory but the light bore into his skull like fiery daggers. His head throbbed. He moaned and tried rolling to his side but he found himself strapped to some kind of bed or cot. The memory of the basement and the horrible face behind the door came flooding back in and he heard Ginny’s scream again in his head. His eyes flew open fully despite the pain and he frantically searched his surroundings. He was in a sterile lab of sorts, with no windows, and shelves lined with various pieces of equipment and tools. He turned his head to the left and found Ginny a few feet away lying tied to another bed, unconscious. He struggled against his bindings but it was futile. He was strapped in tightly and going nowhere.
“Ginny,” he whispered, but she did not move. “Gin! Wake up! Gin!” She stirred a little and then her face turned towards him and he grunted in anger. She had a large bruise on her left cheek and dried blood adhered to her lip. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him as if he were invisible. She blinked a few times and then moaned turning her head away again.
“Ginny, look at me.”
She turned her head back slowly and tried to focus her eyes. She finally recognized him and spoke in a voice that sounded hoarse but strong. “Where are we?”
“Probably in the house. Do you remember anything?”
She concentrated on her surroundings for a second and then nodded her head. “We’re in Wyoming, right? We were poking around in a house where the EMP’s were coming from.”
“Okay, good. Your head is in the right place. Are you okay?”
“My face hurts.” She went to move her arm and discovered she was bound to the bed. She panicked briefly and struggled for a moment.
“Ginny stop. You’re just going to hurt yourself. Let me try and work myself free and I’ll free you.”
She stopped struggling and looked at him. “What happened? I remember a horrible face and then nothing.”
“It was a trap. They must have known we were there and they waited until they could get to us inside. The lights went out in the basement after the door opened and when you screamed, I rushed the guy with the messed up face, but someone else must have been there in the dark. I think I was hit in the head from behind. I don’t remember but my head is pounding.”
“What’s going to happen now? Have you seen anybody?”
“No. I don’t know. I’m going to try and get us out of here.” He worked his arms inside his bindings and could feel a little give. Ginny watched him with hope in her eyes and then a door opened somewhere and footsteps approached. Three people came into view and Lucky immediately recognized the man with the ruined face. The other two, a man and woman, he did not know. The woman crossed her arms in front of her and grinned at them while the man approached Ginny and reached to touch her face. He noticed they were all wearing rubber gloves.
“Get the fuck away from me!” Ginny said and flinched from his touch.
The man’s gloved hand hung hovering just above her head as he contemplated his next move. When he spoke, Lucky was surprised at the tone. It was gentle and caring.
“I need to look at your bruise,” he said. “You could have a concussion.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “I don’t need your help.”
“On the contrary, young lady. You will need all the help I can give.” He withdrew his hand and stepped back in line with the woman and scar-face. He turned to Lucky. “Who are you?”
Lucky remained silent. The man turned to Ginny and repeated the question. Ginny did not respond.
“All right, I suppose we’ll have to take a guess.” The man began to pace as he spoke. “Judging from the equipment in your vehicle, I’d have to say you work for the government.” He paused to gauge any reaction from this information. When he got no response, he continued: “Several of the serial numbers on the equipment can be traced back to a manufacturer of technical communications instruments whose sole proprietorship is based on contracts with the armed forces. Specifically the Air Force.” He paused again but Lucky didn’t even flinch. “And if the Air Force is involved, you must be from NORAD because Cheyenne Mountain is the main facility which monitors and tracks Electromagnetic anomalies within the confines of the conterminous United States of America. How am I doing so far?” Ginny squirmed slightly but held her tongue. “The database within the armed forces payroll department, which is easily accessed by the way, shows 127 service men and women within the walls of The Cave and with only two of those 127 on special assignment with hazardous duty pay, unsurprisingly a man and a woman, I would garner a guess that those two individuals are you.” He smiled and waited for a response.
“What do you want with us?” Ginny said, her voice betraying none of the anxiety Lucky knew she was feeling.
“That should be my question for you,” the man said, “as it seems you are the ones trespassing on our property.”
“What do you want with us?” she repeated.
He stepped to her quickly and bent down to her face and said very quietly, “What the fuck are you doing here and how did you find us?” The venom in the words was unmistakable. Ginny’s face betrayed a little fear behind her front and she flinched from the words.
“We followed a kitten down into your basement and the next thing we know, we’re attacked by Frankenstein’s monster over there. Let us go.”
“A kitten,” the man said smiling and standing up straight. “We didn’t find a kitten in the basement. Are you sure you want to go with that story?”
“It looked like it was hurt,” she offered.
“Uh-huh. That still doesn’t explain all the sophisticated monitoring equipment in your car. Want to try again?”
“What car are you talking about? How do you know we even have a vehicle?”
“The DMV’s registration in the glove box shows the car registered to one Martha Jennifer Sanderson. The DMV’s website indicates the address as 543 West Colliers Street in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The same city as Cheyenne Mountain. That name so happens to match the previously mentioned Armed Forces Payroll database of the female NORAD employee currently on hazardous duty pay.” He turned to Lucky. “And you would be one Eugene Fitzherbert Cardman.”
“I hate Eugene,” Lucky said. “Call me Lucky.”
Ginny shot him a look. He shrugged.
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” the man said.
“Let us go,”
Lucky said without preamble.
“Now why would we do that?”
“Let us go, now, and the authorities will treat you fairly.”
“No.”
Lucky sighed. “You do know a team will be here shortly, right? They will not be as tolerant as we will. Let us go, surrender to us, and you may live through this.”
The man roared with laughter. “My name is Bartholomew Guillot. She is Elise Boudreau and the gentleman over here is John Miller. I’m so confident in the fact you are lying to me that I’m willing to expose our identities because you will never live to tell anyone about us. Now, if YOU tell us what we need to know, you will die quickly and painlessly. If not…” He shrugged.
“We’ve got nothing to tell you,” Lucky said.
“So be it,” the man said and signaled Scarface who approached Ginny. While one gloved hand held her in place, the other released the straps and picked up her kicking and fighting body, throwing her over his shoulder. He walked out of the room without a word. Lucky could hear her shout in pain a few seconds later. Bartholomew Guillot and Elise Boudreau turned to him in unison, grinned, and then left without so much as a fuck you.
Lucky shouted at the top of his lungs for twenty minutes for them to take him instead. No one returned.
Chapter 28
Peter Smith stared at the secure cell phone in his hand and cursed. He’d been attempting to contact Ginny and Lucky for over two hours and had been unsuccessful. Either they were compromised and in possible danger or their phones were malfunctioning. The latter made more sense given the proximity of their location to the EMP’s that kept recurring, and even though the phones were manufactured with the capability to handle some electronic anomalies, no phone was immune to a massive burst of electromagnetic energy. He looked over the specialist’s shoulder and asked for the third time in an hour, “Any luck?”
The specialist shook his head. “No sir. It’s as if they have fallen off the face of the earth.”
Near Sighted (A Jake Townsend Science Fiction, Action and Adventure, Thriller Series Book 2) Page 15