by R. D. Brady
Mary Jane’s screams ran through his mind again, and his pulse raced. It was all falling apart. He knew it would.
Henry and Jen had led the kids through the tunnel. Mustafa and Matt were supposed to pick them up. Henry had wanted him to go too. But Dom said no. He couldn’t. He looked at the screen where the agents were trying to get through his blast door at the surface. He had not stepped off the Chandler Estate in decades. And it wasn’t that he wouldn’t like to see the rest of the world. There were many things out there he wanted to see.
But he couldn’t. The only time he had even left the bunker was when Henry had gone missing. And it had taken all of his courage to get himself to the main house. But leaving the estate? Going out into that world? No, he couldn’t do it. The world outside was filled with dangers he was not equipped to handle. Even the thought of it made him feel off-kilter, as if the walls were moving in.
He paused to look at the security screens. A smaller man stepped up to the camera, a small device held in his hands. He attached wires to the lock. A few seconds later, it popped open. Dom opened and closed his fists. What do I do? What do I do? They’re going to get in. I can’t stop them.
He watched the screens. They were through the second blast door. They’d be here any minute. He could lock himself in the laboratory, but it wouldn’t help. If they could get through the blast doors, they could get through the lock on his lab door with no problem.
He glanced at the back hall. He’d covered the opening where Henry and all the kids had escaped. For a split second he considered following them. But even the idea of walking down that dark tunnel made him dizzy. He wouldn’t make it. He would collapse before he got more than a few feet.
And he hated it. He hated that he couldn’t go out in the world. But he had learned early on how horrible the world could be. His parents had died in a car crash, along with Dom’s brother and sister. He’d been fifteen. The world had been a cold place after that, even though he had an aunt who took him in and loved him. But when he turned twenty-two, she had been killed. Just a random mugging. The perpetrator had never been caught, not that it truly would have mattered if he had been. It wouldn’t bring her back.
He’d retreated from the world at that point. Henry had offered him a place, inspired by his research. First he’d lived on the estate in one of the houses. But then he’d had a complete breakdown after 9/11. He couldn’t function. Henry had gotten him the best psychiatrists, but Henry was the one that finally realized what Dom needed—a safe place. He’d had the bomb shelter built for him.
Dom looked around. He’d called this place home for years. It had been a safe place. He’d found happiness here. He’d found a family here. He’d never thought he’d have that. And no one looked at him funny because he couldn’t leave. They just moved things down here or even brought him along via FaceTime.
And now, now the outside world was finally coming for him.
The alarm at the front door went off. Dom covered his ears as the red lights flashed. They were through the front door. Unknown feet rushed toward him. Dom’s eyes watered, and he couldn’t make out faces. It was as if a group of faceless humanoids was swarming toward him.
The loud buzzing that had started in the back of his mind drowned out all other sounds. One of the faceless humanoids raised his arm. Was he saying something? What did they want?
Something slammed into Dom’s back, and he pitched forward onto his knees. His glasses flew off. He reached for them, but large black boots kicked them away. His arms were yanked behind his back. Dom thought he cried out, but he couldn’t be sure. It all felt so unreal.
A man crouched down. This close, he could almost make out his features. But the buzzing . . . he couldn’t hear anything the man said. He shook his head, feeling his tears roll off his chin.
The man leaned forward, his mouth angry, spittle flying into Dom’s face. The man brought the back of his hand across Dom’s cheek. Pain exploded across it as he toppled to the side.
Dom curled his knees to his chest, ducking his head down. No one touched him, but he wouldn’t have even noticed. He’d shrunk far into his mind, repeating a single phrase over and over again.
Nowhere is safe. Nowhere is safe. Nowhere is safe.
Dom’s breath hitched, and he pulled his arms over his chest, feeling the panic all over again. “Nowhere is safe. Nowhere is safe. Nowhere is safe.”
“Guy’s losing it again,” someone called. Dom wasn’t sure who spoke. Pain lanced through his arm, and his vision dimmed.
“Nowhere is safe. Nowhere is safe. Nowhere is . . .”
CHAPTER 82
Inez, Kentucky
The shed was more than a little crowded. Henry, Jen, Laney, Yoni, Cleo, and Bruce all hovered over Danny as his hands flew over the keyboard. Drake had taken one look at them all crowded in there and decided to do a security sweep.
Bruce leaned forward, his hand on the back of Danny’s chair. “Okay, so to get into the Department of Defense, you’ll need my password. It’s—”
“I’m already in,” Danny said. “I’m going to black ops, right?”
Bruce stared down at him. “How did you— You know what, doesn’t matter. But when this is done, you and I, young man, need to discuss your job opportunities in intelligence work.”
Henry crossed his arms over his chest, his voice deep and brooking no argument. “No, you don’t.”
Laney bit back a smile as Bruce jumped. She had a feeling he didn’t scare easily. But a seven-foot-two Nephilim sounding like the voice of God with the unmistakable hint of violence in his voice would make anyone jump.
“There should be a file in there labeled SD-132,” Bruce said.
Danny didn’t say anything, but the screen flashed as he scoured through screen after screen. Finally, he nodded. “Got it.”
A spreadsheet appeared on the monitor. Laney peered over Danny’s shoulder. “What is this?”
“A list of all locations Shremp has visited since he became the head of the CEI. Can I get in there?” Bruce asked. Danny scooted over, and Bruce pulled up a chair. He grabbed the mouse and began scrolling through the file.
“The Department of Defense keeps that close an eye on him?” Laney asked.
Bruce smiled but kept his gaze on the screen. “Not intentionally. I may have had one of my people add a tracker to his car that automatically updates every twenty minutes.”
“Because you knew what he was planning?” Jen asked.
“Because my job is to gather information. So I gather it on everyone that could be important.” Bruce stopped scrolling, highlighting one cell. “There.”
It was an address in western Virginia. “What’s there?” Henry asked.
Danny’s fingers flew over the keyboard for a few seconds before he answered. “According to the IRS, a government warehouse that stores old IRS files.”
“And according to reality?” Jen asked.
“Oh, it is a government warehouse that stores old IRS files.” Bruce paused. “It also contains three levels under the building that are used for secret government testing. It’s a biological weapons manufacturing site.”
Laney’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m afraid not. It’s been in operation since 9/11.”
Laney shook her head in disbelief, even though it made sense. In 1975, the Biological Weapons Convention treaty was ratified, making it the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the development, production, and stockpiling of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. But a few decades later, the U.S. determined that testing non-lethal biological agents did not violate the spirit of the treaty. And after 9/11, all sorts of activities previously considered off limits became fair game.
Bruce shrugged. “Well, not to sound like a petulant teenager, but everybody’s doing it.”
“How do you know Dom’s there?” Henry asked.
“I don’t for sure. But being your friend is a scientist, and given the list of places Sh
remp has visited, this makes the most sense. I can contact my team and get satellite footage that can confirm he’s there. It might take a little—”
“Got it.” Danny hit a button, and satellite images of the facility flashed onto the screen.
Bruce looked at him, shaking his head. “Seriously, kid, if you ever want a job—”
“He doesn’t. Ever,” Henry said.
On screen, a large white warehouse with a flat roof and a ten-foot chain-link fence surrounding it came into view. There was a guardhouse at the gate with two guards and another two guards patrolling the area, one with a large German shepherd.
A large SUV pulled up to the gate, and after a short conversation the SUV was waved through. It pulled to a stop in front of the door. Danny zoomed in as Shremp stepped out. Danny fast-forwarded until Shremp exited the building. Laney glanced at the clock. He’d been inside for less than an hour, and he did not look happy.
“Well, somebody’s a little upset,” Jen murmured.
“I’m going to go back to just after the attack on the estate.” The image on the screen shifted as Danny backtracked to the day before. A few cars had come and gone, but they appeared to just be people who worked at the facility.
“Hold on,” Laney said as a Humvee appeared on the screen. The Humvee idled by the gate while the driver spoke with the guard.
Danny’s hands flew over the keyboard, an image appearing in one of the other monitors. “It’s a government plate. It’s being used by the CEI.”
Laney nodded but said nothing as the Humvee was waved through. It pulled up to the front of the building. Four soldiers stepped out of the Humvee, looking around.
“What are they doing?” Danny asked.
“Making sure there are no witnesses,” Jen said quietly.
Finally, the driver nodded. Danny zoomed in as they opened the back of the truck. A man was pulled out. Two soldiers grabbed him under the arms and started to carry him into the building.
Danny gave a strangled cry. Even with the black-and-white picture and his eyes closed, the damage to Dom’s left eye was clear. It was swollen. A dark substance, which Laney assumed was blood, had dropped onto his shirt. He gave no sign that he knew where he was.
“Is he—”
“He’s alive,” Bruce said quickly. “They wouldn’t bother bringing him there otherwise.”
Henry stepped forward. “We need to get him out of there. Dom, he’s not equipped to deal with the outside world. A drive outside the estate would stress him to the point of a breakdown. This—” Henry’s hand shook as he pointed at the screen. “I don’t know how bad the damage something like this could do to him.”
“Is there surveillance inside the facility?” Jen asked.
“Yes, but it’s contained onsite. There’s no way to access it from outside,” Bruce said.
Her throat feeling tight, Laney watched as they dragged Dom inside and he disappeared behind the door. She’d set him up for this. She’d asked him to make the Omni. The government wanted the Omni, and now in their minds they had a way to get it. They didn’t care that they would destroy a man to do it.
“If he gives them what they want, he’ll be fine,” Bruce said.
Laney shook her head, wiping as a tear tried to escape the corner of her eye. “He won’t give them the formula. Dom is many things, but what he is above all else is loyal. He won’t tell them.”
Dom had been the one who had helped her go on the run. And he never told a soul how to find her, even as Henry and Jake scoured the world looking for her. He had kept everyone safe by not revealing what he knew.
“They have ways to make people comply,” Bruce said quietly.
“Laney’s right.” Henry placed his hand on Laney’s shoulder. She reached up and held on to it, needing the support. “Dom won’t tell them. With his psychological state, even if he wanted to, I’m not sure he would be able to communicate with them.”
Danny looked up at Henry, horror in his eyes. “He’s been with them for days.”
Laney swallowed. Dom had been out of his bunker for days, surrounded by unfriendly faces. She felt light-headed, imagining the terror, the horror he must be experiencing. And if the treatment of Molly was any indication, then they were not going to be going at him with kid gloves.
“So what’s the plan?” Bruce asked.
“We’re going in. We’re getting Dom,” Laney said.
Henry and Jen nodded back at her.
Bruce looked at each of them. “Understand that if you do this, if you go get Dom out, you will have to hurt American soldiers. There is no way around that. You will be declaring war on the U.S. government.”
Laney wanted to deny what Bruce was saying. She wanted to find another argument, a way to spin this that was not a declaration of war. But he was right. If they took this step, that was exactly what they would be doing. When she had taken out Samyaza, she had hoped that was the end of the war. But it turned out that was just the beginning.
“We already took down American soldiers when we got Molly out,” Jake said.
Bruce turned to look at him. “You were saving a child. And they were part of the External Threats Task Force. That can be spun. But this? This is different. Dom is a material witness. You will be attacking a federal facility, a top-secret federal facility. So make no mistake, if you go after him, you are declaring war on the U.S. government.”
Laney looked at the faces of each of the people in the room. They all nodded back at her. She shook her head. “No. We’re not declaring war. The U.S. government already declared war on us. We’re getting Dom back.”
CHAPTER 83
Bruce had gotten them all the information he could on the facility. Danny had downloaded the schematics, and Bruce was filling in the gaps. Everyone else was either getting ready for the rescue or preparing to move the kids again.
Laney had taken the time to grab a quick shower, being it had been days, and she managed to call her uncle on a phone Danny assured her couldn’t be traced as long as she kept her conversation short. He assured her he was fine, and he sounded more worried about her. She couldn’t tell him much, because she didn’t trust that someone wasn’t overhearing their conversation, but when she got off the phone, she promised herself she’d figure out a way to get him back with all of them.
A few minutes later, when she stepped out onto the porch, Susan was the only one out there, sitting quietly in a rocker.
She walked over and joined Laney at the railing. “It’s quite a group of people you have here.”
“They are the best.”
Susan looked over her shoulder, and Laney followed her gaze. Cain was heading up the stairs with a pot of coffee, no doubt for Mary Jane.
“He’s Cain, isn’t he?”
Laney jolted, looking for Bruce, but there was no one within earshot. “What makes you say that?”
“The book was buried with my great-great-great-grandfather. But the stories and traditions remain. He looks just like the description: Hair dark as an ebony stone, and eyes as dark as night.” Susan raised her eyebrow.
Laney did not indicate any response to the words. “I don’t know what you are referring to.”
Susan smiled. “When I saw him on the coronation dais with you, I wondered. When I saw him leap in front of you, taking the shot, I thought for sure I must be wrong. After all, Cain, the Cain, would never make such a sacrifice for anyone, would he? But then the agents who shot at you dropped themselves. Somehow you got the world’s first murderer on your side. Any doubts I had about whether or not you were the real deal were put to rest.”
Laney studied Susan for a long moment. “What about your son? Does he have doubts?”
“Bruce has spent his professional life figuring people out. He can read people within minutes of meeting them. It’s how he knew Maldonado was hiding something. It’s how he knew at that meeting that you were the most powerful person in that room.”
Laney raised an eyebrow. “I thought that meeti
ng was classified.”
“My son does not reveal state secrets, but he knows that certain obligations supersede political ones. But I want you to know, we are both on your side.”
“Even though the two of you keep information from each other.”
“We both play roles in our lives that require us to hold secrets close to the chest.”
“Like the fact that you knew about the European Followers.”
Susan nodded. “Yes, and I know I walked in here with the king of spooks and a convenient story to explain why, even though we are mother and son, and we look nothing alike. And a claim to a group that you are not even sure exists anymore. You do not trust me. I do not blame you for that. But I hope one day you realize I am an ally is this fight, as all my ancestors have been. And that when you need my help and that of the others, that we stand ready to aid you.”
“Others?”
“There are three dozen of us. Followers all. And if you need us, we stand willing to help.”
Laney studied her, her mind whirling.
“What is it?” Susan asked.
Laney gave her a small smile. “If you are telling the truth, my uncle Patrick would really love to talk to you.” Mentioning him gave her a pang of regret. She wished he was here.
“I’ve heard a great deal about him. I hope we get the chance to meet him someday.”
“Me too.”
“I have some connections. I will let people who want to go underground know where to go. I’ll hide them until I can get them to you.”
Laney hesitated.
“You have no reason to trust me. But I hope you can find it in yourself to do it anyway. I want to help.”
Drake’s words drifted through her mind. People are basically good. Logic told her not to trust her because Susan was right: All her explanations were perfect. But there was something about her that made Laney want to trust her. And truth was, she needed help.