‘Excuse my ignorance, love,’ Marcus said, ‘but what’s that got to do with the price of fish? Can you tell us straight, without any bullshit, what you lot are doing? Know anything about the Banshee Project?’
Victoria stiffened and glanced at Marvin as if waiting for his permission. The admiral nodded, and she continued in the manner of an actor giving a straight read of a performance. ‘First of all, we know who you are. We know you arrived aboard the USS Utah. We’ve briefly made contact with one of the men on board.’
‘Who?’ Jim said. ‘You spoke to Duncan?’
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t get a name. We were being cautious while we were making sure who you were. When we saw Thomas Martinez with you, it became clear.’
‘You knew Tom?’ Eva asked, switching her attention from the Dutch woman to Marvin. The latter answered the question. ‘Yes, I recognised him. He served under Benedict Montgomery on the Utah. I didn’t know him personally, you understand, but as admiral, I got to recognise the faces of most of the navy’s commanding staff.’
‘How did you see us?’ Jim asked.
Victoria slid her stool to one side to show a screen divided into eight sections, each square showing a black and white feed from a camera. Eva recognised some of the angles: the airlock, the cabins, and the corridor leading to the boardroom. There were two feeds showing an external view. In the bottom corner of one was the edge of the makeshift dock and their boat lashed to it, bobbing up and down on the waves.
‘We patched into a security camera network,’ Victoria said. ‘When we split from the rest of the A20 residents here, we managed to divert their connection to our computers. This room was an emergency backup communications lab created for the president’s chosen few in case things went wrong.’
‘So what about the weather station up on the surface?’ Eva asked. ‘We found the dead bodies there. They were executed, weren’t they? Who was responsible?’
Marvin answered. ‘Gracefield. This whole situation is because of him.’ Marvin’s jaw set firm, then relaxed again as he continued. ‘I think he was already psychologically ill, and the drowning made him worse. When he arrived here, the first few days were chaos. So much fear and panic. It was difficult to get things organised, but he managed it.
‘At the time, I and the others looked to him for leadership. He seemed to be the only one not to have been crushed by grief. He showed no difficulty in adapting to the new situation. Looking back on it now, I understand why: he wasn’t right, mentally, wasn’t well adjusted, thrived on the disaster and manipulation.’
‘I’d say that mad bastard actually enjoyed it,’ Victoria said.
‘I’m sure you’re right,’ Marvin said.
‘So why did Gracefield kill the scientists?’ Jim asked. ‘They were a private firm, weren’t they? Did he initially hire them?’
Marvin shook his head. ‘No, they were independent. Working for an EU climate initiative. After the drowning, they were stuck up there, and just carried on working, using their data to find answers.’
Eva’s heart rate accelerated as she leaned in closer. ‘You mean they knew how it happened? You have the data, the answers?’
A shadow of disappointment ran across Marvin’s face. ‘I’m afraid not,’ he said. ‘I believe that they did discover the reasons behind the event, and that it implicated Gracefield – which is why he killed them. That was the cause of our division.’
He trailed off as though reliving the events in his mind. Victoria took over.
‘We suspected since the time we arrived here that Gracefield knew more than he let on. When the scientists were killed and their data destroyed, it proved our suspicions, but by then, Gracefield’s hold on the A20 was unbreakable.’
‘It was the fear,’ Marvin said. ‘I’m sure you can understand. When one figure is calm amongst the chaos, he or she can garner a great deal of support. Outwardly, Gracefield was kind and strong. He gave the others confidence that they could survive this . . . and even flourish.’
‘But you thought that was bullshit?’ Marcus said.
Marvin nodded. ‘I doubted myself, naturally. Why should my few friends and I be the ones to go against the grain? We were close to being united, but the murders of the scientists and the destruction of the data were just too much. So the mad bastard excommunicated us: made us leave the base. We were supposed to die from exposure out on the surface, but Tim, who was closer to Gracefield’s inner circle, knew about the maintenance tunnels and helped us to survive.’
Eva sat back and took all of this in, rearranging the timeline of events in her head, trying to find faults or inconsistencies in Marvin’s tale, but she couldn’t. He and the others seemed genuine enough and hadn’t displayed any behaviour that could be interpreted as clandestine. She was about to continue probing his story when Annette spoke up.
‘So why were the other A20 people left behind? And why are they trying to kill us – and you, for that matter?’ Annette asked.
‘The infection,’ Victoria said. ‘Gracefield didn’t want to risk taking the infection with him so he left those who were carriers behind. As for why they’re trying to kill us – they blame us for the split in the first place. One of our people contracted the bacterium from time spent outside. The A20 blamed us, since we’re the group that opposed Gracefield’s killing of the scientists that spread the infection as retribution.’
‘And did you?’ Marcus asked.
‘No,’ Marvin said, flatly. ‘We were as upset as the A20 were. We tried for nearly a year to make amends and keep us all united. Gracefield would have none of it. He knew we didn’t buy his deceptions, so he cast us as the bad guys . . . Standard White House propaganda. I should have seen it coming long before it did.’
‘Do you know anything about the Banshee Project?’ Eva asked.
Marvin nodded. ‘But listen, we can talk more about this later. There’s a degree of urgency here. We weren’t the only ones to see your arrival. The remaining A20 are aware too. Our last observations of their movements indicate they’re preparing supplies and weapons. I have no doubt they plan to take the Utah . . . by force. We must get there first to ensure the safety of you and your crew.’
Jim stood suddenly, the movement nudging the desk away from him. ‘We need to get Tom’s body. We’re not leaving him behind.’
The steely, determined expression on Jim’s face told Marvin and anyone else who thought of protesting that he wasn’t taking no for an answer. The admiral simply nodded.
‘Okay, I understand,’ he said. ‘I suggest that Eva stays with Victoria to get up to speed on what we know about the Banshee Project and of President Gracefield’s location, while the rest of us retrieve Tom’s body. When we return, Gloria and Tim will have us ready to leave for the sub.’
‘I’m not sure it’s a good idea leaving Eva here on her own,’ Marcus said. ‘I’ll stay with her.’
Jim shot Marcus a wide-eyed stare but Marcus didn’t back down. ‘Tom was your pal, after all, Jim,’ Marcus added. ‘I’m not the trusting type, so I’m going to stay right here to make sure nothing dodgy happens. It ain’t a discussion.’
Jim just snorted and shook his head. ‘Fine, whatever. I shouldn’t have expected you to give a damn anyway. Too much hard work for the likes of you.’
‘Don’t push me, Jim,’ Marcus said. ‘We’ve all been through enough already, but you keep sniping and I swear I’ll break your face. I’ve had enough of this bullshit for a lifetime.’
Marvin moved his considerable form between the two men, his hands open. ‘It’s okay. Tim will go. Marcus, you’re welcome to stay here. We’ve got a lot to discuss so it’ll help to have more of you here, and before we do go, I want to show you that we are trustworthy.’ The admiral looked over to Victoria and said, ‘Vicky, would you mind patching them through to their friends on the Utah? And hand Eva the passcode for the system.’
‘System?’ Eva said. ‘What system?’
This made Victoria smil
e, the kind of smile all young girls had when they knew something their best friend didn’t – the kind of glee that Eva hadn’t seen in many years. It appeared that whatever system this was, it was something that really got Victoria going. Her reaction made Eva sit forward on her chair in anticipation.
‘The system in the Pentagon,’ Victoria said. ‘We got in via a fibre-optic connection to this place. We know about Banshee – Gracefield’s pet programme – and where he’s now hiding with his select few.’
‘So what is this Banshee Project, then?’ Eva said. ‘I know the Russians were interested in it.’
‘Yes,’ Marvin said. ‘I know the former crew of the Utah were compromised. As were a number of agencies. With regards to the project, it’s better if we show you. And we’ll do that if you cooperate with us.’
‘There’s a catch,’ Marcus said. ‘What do you want?’
‘Justice,’ Marvin said. ‘And cold-blooded revenge. Gracefield and I have history, and, frankly, I want to kill the bastard with my own hands for what he’s done. And for that we need your sub – as well as your help. If you want all the answers, and to help us make those responsible pay, then you’ll accept our offer. Hell, you have no other option. You’ve seen how the others wanted to deal with you.’
‘I want to speak with my son,’ Jim said. ‘Duncan, on the Utah.’
‘Of course,’ Marvin said. ‘Vicky, could you let Jim radio through to them, please?’
‘Sure.’ Victoria wheeled her chair to the side of her console, allowing Jim to take her place. She reached up to a rack-mounted radio, similar to the one they had found up in the weather station, and adjusted the controls. She handed the transceiver to Jim.
‘Is it secure?’ Jim asked.
‘Yes. It’s military-spec,’ Victoria said. ‘Just press the button and speak into the transmitter as you normally would. If they’re listening on the Utah, they’ll hear you.’
Eva sat back in her chair and listened to Jim’s conversation with Duncan. They didn’t talk about much, really – just filled each other in on the incidentals. After a few moments, Jim handed the radio back to Victoria. ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘It was good to hear his voice again.’
Jim was smiling and his eyes were glassy.
‘Well?’ Eva asked. ‘What next?’
Jim looked to Marvin, then back to Eva. ‘I say we trust them and do as they suggest.’
‘I agree,’ Eva said.
Annette nodded her agreement. Marcus just shrugged his shoulders.
‘I guess that’s a yes,’ Marvin said.
For the next few minutes, the bunker-like room became a hive of activity as the others prepared to go out for Tom. Victoria showed Eva the controls of the computer and entered the connection protocols to the Pentagon system. On the screen, a secure message popped up requesting the passcode. Victoria entered a string of characters and hit the ‘Enter’ key. The system’s cursor flashed a few times before a window popped up showing a number of directories.
‘It’s all yours,’ Victoria said. ‘You’ll be able to navigate a set of files I’ve organised into a secure folder.’ She pointed to one vaguely titled Govdocs-03. ‘The passcode will give you, and only you, access to that folder and the files within it. I’m going to help with the preparations while you and Marcus get up to speed.’
Victoria got up and gestured for Marcus to sit in her place, which he did. He leaned forward to peer at the screen. ‘Let’s do it, then,’ he said.
Eva double-clicked the folder and entered the passcode when prompted.
Before her, within the directory window, were the answers to the Russian notes. Her hands shook as she moved the mouse to click on the first one: Banshee.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Eva swallowed the hot coffee and sighed heavily. She rested her elbows on the tatty wooden table in the bunker room, clutching the steaming cup between her palms.
It had taken her just thirty minutes to read the files Victoria had on the Banshee Project and the executive orders for the migration to the new location, and yet she still felt so far away from the truth.
Marcus had left the room some minutes before. The others had returned with Tom’s body, and Marcus had said he wanted to make amends with Jim. Eva doubted that; she knew he was as sad at Tom’s death as the rest of them; he just wasn’t able to show it properly.
Annette came into the room from the eastern doorway and sat opposite Eva. She too had a cup of coffee. ‘It’s nice, right?’ Eva said, chinking her mug against Annette’s. ‘After all that foul seaweed tea, it’s like the best thing ever.’
The younger woman smiled and said between sips, ‘It really is. It’s the only thing that’s going to get me through this, I think. I’m a nervous wreck. I never thought any of this would happen when we set out, you know?’
‘What were you expecting?’ Eva asked sincerely. ‘I mean, I didn’t know what exactly we would find, but I assumed there’d be a chance we’d arrive, find the answers, and then head back to the flotilla satisfied so we could get on with the rest of our lives.’
‘Yeah, something like that,’ Annette said. ‘I just didn’t think it would be this hard.’
She placed her mug on the table and looked at one of the journals Victoria had given to Eva. It included some of Victoria’s handwritten notes to fill out what had been redacted from the Pentagon files.
‘So,’ Annette began, ‘what did you find out? Any clearer about what the Banshee Project actually is?’
‘Yes and no. We know more, but we still don’t have the full picture,’ Eva said, leaning back in her chair. ‘From the files Victoria has gathered from the NSA, the CIA, and DARPA, it was part of Gracefield’s pet project. His “legacy”. It wasn’t widely known or sanctioned by Congress. It was a black project that originally started out when Gracefield was at Harvard. He and a friend, a woman called Dillon Wood, were into alternative forms of energy. According to these files, the two were meant to completely disappear off the grid after graduating. Wood later popped up in NSA records, a few years before the drowning.’
Annette’s eyes widened and she leaned forward. ‘What did she do?’
‘She spent a few weeks out in Gracefield’s country retreat. Top secret, apparently. After that, she disappeared again. But throughout this, the NSA was keeping tabs on Gracefield. He was getting funding from somewhere they couldn’t trace. All they knew was that there were tens of millions of dollars going into an offshore investment fund.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Annette said. ‘How is this related to the drowning?’
‘The scientists in the weather station confirmed something that got them killed, but we don’t know what. Back shortly before the drowning, Gracefield’s behaviour in the White House was starting to make some of his staff nervous. He would miss appointments, and fire people as soon as they questioned him. He was spending more time on his own, away from his security detail.’
Eva drained her mug of coffee and placed it to one side. She flipped through the journal to a page she had marked with a piece of scrap paper. Spinning it around to face Annette, Eva tapped at a particular paragraph that had grabbed her attention.
‘What am I looking at?’ Annette said, scanning the page.
‘That,’ Eva said, tapping a finger against the short report, ‘is what we currently know of the Banshee Project. The NSA and the FBI were getting ever more suspicious of Gracefield and they eventually tracked him down to a remote section of woodland just outside DC. The agents sent back a brief report of a warehouse and confirmed Gracefield was there . . . with Dillon Wood. After that there were no more updates. The agents were officially MIA.’
‘When was this?’ Annette asked.
Eva scanned the document to refresh her memory. ‘Two days before the drowning.’
The two women fell silent as they took it all in. Annette finished her coffee and looked off into the distance. ‘So whatever Wood and Gracefield were working on caused the drowning?’
‘What about the solar flares?’ Annette said.
At the time, Eva remembered, that was the reason given to the media by some of the scientists and governments: the increased flare activity was blamed for causing a chain reaction with Earth’s core, releasing huge amounts of energy, causing plate movement and ultimately the release of the trapped water in the crust.
‘Maybe what Gracefield was playing about with acted like a catalyst?’ she said, wondering aloud. ‘Whatever happened, we know it existed, and that the Russians had got wind of it, and were clearly concerned about it.’
‘It’s all kind of scary, this stuff,’ Annette said. ‘It’s why I didn’t really enjoy my time studying in Haifa. There were a lot of military projects going on at university, sponsored by the government and the US. I was so freaked out.’
Hearing Annette speak like this reminded Eva how young she actually was. She’d grown used to Annette being so capable and level-headed that she had forgotten she was only twenty-one.
‘I didn’t know you were from Israel,’ Eva said. ‘I visited Jerusalem during a gap year when I was studying. Amazing place.’
It felt good, Eva thought, to talk about places again – places that had once existed. Places that were now down there, below the water. Only fish would ever be able to enjoy those locations now. The pyramids would become home to coral or sea urchins, the Tower of London a dark neighbourhood for eels and suchlike.
‘I lived in Haifa for most of my childhood,’ Annette said. ‘My family were actually Armenian. They fled Turkey when they were young and resettled. I have quite a complicated heritage.’ She smiled, seemingly enjoying the conversation. ‘After I dropped out of university, they sent me to America with my cousins. I was in New York when the NASDAQ crashed, just before we knew the extent of that pre-drowning period. Things were really crazy then, weren’t they? So much conflicting information.’
Soil (The Last Flotilla Book 2) Page 17