‘That was Bora up in the pool room?’ cut in Marlin. ‘You sure?’
Coleman nodded. ‘I looked him right in the face for about three seconds before he opened fire on us. It was definitely him. No mistake.’
‘I’ve heard some pretty wild stories about Bora,’ said Marlin. ‘And I mean some crazy stuff, like he’s some kind of superman.’
Forest nodded without taking his eyes from the stairwell. ‘I’ve heard that too. He’s some kind of natural super-soldier.’
‘I’ve got a question,’ said King, unfazed by Bora’s reputation. ‘How the hell is Bora moving so discretely around the creatures when our people are getting wiped out where they stand?’
Coleman nodded. ‘Good point. I think I have the answer. When I heard the stories about Bora I did some research. One thing I discovered was about his childhood. Bora was deaf as a child. He contracted bacterial meningitis and almost died before his mother reached the hospital. He pulled through, but lost his hearing profoundly. He didn’t recover any hearing until he was fifteen years old.’
‘How’s that relevant?’ probed Vanessa.
‘Lots of ways,’ replied Coleman. ‘Deaf people can be highly skilled at reading involuntary body language. Every move the human body makes is telegraphed by subtle body movement, so some deaf people can train themselves to interpret what you are about to do by observing tiny changes in your posture. In some cultures, they were used to determine if people were lying. More important to us, some deaf people have been found to become highly attenuated to environmental vibrations.’
‘Vibrations,’ realized Vanessa, snapping her fingers. ‘You think Bora might be able to read the vibration signatures moving through the Complex.’
‘It’s one explanation for why he’s here,’ confirmed Coleman. ‘It would be a handy talent right about now, wouldn’t you say? If anyone is naturally equipped to move around this Complex under the nose of the creatures, it would have to be Bora.’
‘Well, that’s a reassuring thought,’ grumbled Forest. ‘As if he wasn’t bad enough, now he has super powers.’
‘He doesn’t have super powers,’ corrected Coleman. ‘He’s just a man. But we need to remember that he could be operating on a very different sensory level to us.’
Coleman paused after delivering the sobering information about their enemy.
‘All this comes down to one question. What does Gould and a force of political terrorists want from the Biological Solutions Research Complex?’
Vanessa answered immediately. ‘They can only be after one thing.’
Coleman was taken aback by her fast response. ‘And what’s that?’
‘They’re here to steal the genetic blueprints to the most devastating biological weapon of mass destruction that has ever been imagined. They’re here to steal the future of the world.’
#
On board the USS Coronado Command Ship, Vice Admiral Frederick A. Tucker, Commander of U.S. Navy Third Fleet, drummed his fingers impatiently on the round wooden table.
Tucker sat in the Advanced Collaborative Prototype Chamber, what the ship’s crew referred to as the ‘Disney Room’. The room was designed to facilitate distraction free decision-making, right down to it silent air-conditioning and perfectly ergonomic chairs. Across from Tucker stood ten, twenty-one inch monitors and two rear projection displays. The screens channeled up-to-the-second planning information from every work center in the ship. At a glance, Tucker had every imaginable piece of strategic data at his disposal.
They called it the Knowledge Wall.
But right now, it wasn’t giving him any knowledge.
Tucker felt frustrated.
The mission was progressing badly. As Fleet Commander for the Navy’s forces in the eastern Pacific, Tucker’s responsibilities included the Marines and weapons inspectors that had this morning deployed to the Biological Solutions Research Complex.
Tucker’s problem was that he had no idea what the hell was going on in there.
And that should not be the case.
Not on this boat.
The USS Coronado represented the most advanced command ship in the world. Its mission was to protect the western approaches of the United States. To that end, the Coronado had been fitted with additional superstructure for command ship duties and designated the Navy’s Sea-Based Battle Lab.
Tucker shared the table with the Coronado’s usual Commanding Officer, Captain Dirk Boundary, and her Senior Chief Electronics Technician.
The latter, Chief Warrant Officer Phillip Daniels, was in charge of the ship’s C4I operations. C4I stood for Command Control Communications Computers and Intelligence Capabilities.
In short, Daniels was the man who could see over the horizon. Daniels had just finished making his report, and it wasn’t good news.
Only three of the Pave Hawk helicopters had checked in by radio after deploying their Marines.
That was just the start of Tucker’s concerns. The radio jamming zone around the Complex was another massive pain in the ass.
After securing the Complex, deactivating the radio jamming assets and establishing communications should have been the Marines’ first priority. With the formal authorization of UN sanctioned Weapons Inspectors, the radio blackout should have been lowered enough for the Special Forces to establish a secure communication line to the Coronado.
And that should have happened twenty minutes ago.
The Marines had an Executive Communications Pack. The pack incorporated an inbuilt satellite radio. As a last resort, a single fire team could have just humped the damn satellite radio out of the jamming zone and established a communications line.
Neither had happened, and this worried Tucker.
Almost an entire platoon of Special Forces security experts had been swallowed by the most advanced research complex on the face of the planet. A research complex suspected to be producing biological weapons of mass destruction.
The implications started ringing very loud alarm bells in Tucker’s mind.
#
Cameron Cairns strode across the habitation level. He walked surrounded by an entourage of alert gunmen.
Behind Cairns, two men carried the heavy metal chest.
Behind those gunmen came Gould.
Halfway across the level, Cairns raised his hand to halt the party. A sound had caught his attention. The sound of the creatures. The very same creatures that were supposed to be diverted by the concentrated source of vibrations emanating from the pump stations. Not far away, one or more of the creatures were violently tearing something or someone apart.
Cairns turned on his right heel and raised an eyebrow questioningly at Gould.
Gould shifted nervously, dropping his gaze and wringing his veiny hands together. ‘I warned you that it might not distract them all. We should keep moving. The pumps won’t distract them for long.’
Cairns snorted in disgust. He watched Gould squirm some more. So much for Gould’s clever diversion. The nervous little fucker’s terrified of his own creations. He doesn’t realize the real danger is standing right in front of him.
Cairns signaled for the party to start moving again. The creatures didn’t make an appearance. Whatever occupied them was clearly a larger source of vibrations than Cairns and his men.
Apart from the unpredictable nature of the creatures and having to work with Francis Gould, Cairns felt satisfied with his operation’s progress.
The race against the Americans went well.
The race started the moment Gould was blamed for stealing Sharp’s genetic material. The Americans had rushed to mobilize their Special Operations Forces and weapons inspectors. Cairns knew the Americans would send several Special Forces units. They would be an advanced team, deployed rapidly to start preliminary investigations. They would try to secure the Complex with minimum disturbance after a rapid insertion to occupy strategic positions.
It proved a close race, but Cairns had beaten them by twenty minutes.
Twenty minutes was more than enough time for Gould to release the creatures he had created from Sharp’s first stolen batch of genetic templates. Cairns had to admit that Gould had delivered on his promises so far. He had produced the creatures as he claimed he could, he had concealed them in the Complex undetected, and he had remotely activated the creatures with the pheromone.
The creatures’ affect on the research staff was certainly as devastating as Gould had boasted.
In the resulting chaos, Cairns’s job had been easy. The entire Complex evacuated. Apart from level three, the facility stood wide open and waiting.
As Cairns reached the west elevator, Bora came over his radio, ready to make a status report.
‘Bora,’ said Cairns. ‘I trust the Special Forces have all been eliminated.’
‘Not yet,’ answered Bora. ‘One team eluded us in the pool room. We anticipated all the creatures being diverted, but two of them surprised us.’
Cairns fixed his stare on Gould. Gould’s creatures had interfered with Bora’s orders.
‘Where’s the rogue unit now?’
‘Last visual had them trapped by the creatures in the north elevator,’ answered Bora.
Cairns eyes flicked to the elevator before him. This was the west elevator. ‘You think the creatures finished them?’
Bora was quiet for a moment. ‘I couldn’t say. They’re very…resourceful. Their Captain dropped a helicopter on top of us in the pool room.’
‘Are you saying that this small, under-armed, outnumbered, fragmented team of Marines is beyond your ability to eliminate, Lieutenant Bora?’
Cairns felt Bora bristle over the radio. He could almost hear Bora suppressing an animal snarl.
‘No,’ replied Bora tersely. ‘They can’t access the research level, so they must be on the engineering or basement level. We’re searching engineering now. We’ll have them in the next few minutes.’
Cairns checked his watch as the elevator arrived. ‘I’m timing you, Lieutenant. Don’t disappoint me.’
‘Understood.’
Bora’s report reminded Cairns that it wasn’t time to relax. He stepped into the elevator after Gould and the chest. He nodded to the gunman at the elevator controls. ‘Level 3. Research Level.’
It was time to collect his prize.
Chapter 4
Coleman raised an eyebrow at Vanessa. ‘The future of the world?’
She was never the type of person to exaggerate her achievements, but still….
Defensive now, she let irritation spill into her voice. ‘I am not boasting. You need to understand that my research is completely world changing.’
‘Then help me to understand,’ said Coleman gravely. ‘Explain.’
Vanessa clicked her fingers. ‘Okay. Here’s one example. How many conflicts are being fought right now around the world over clean drinking water?’
Her question fell on Marlin.
Marlin shrugged. ‘Anywhere with recurring drought conditions. A lot of tribal conflicts. Developing countries.’
‘Okay,’ agreed Vanessa, turning to address all the Marines. ‘Imagine a plant that could purify contaminated water for human consumption. Done that? Now imagine a second plant, a different plant, with tap roots deep enough to reach underground water tables. Now think of a third plant that could store water safely for humans to consume for months or even years. If those three different traits were combined into one plant, every drought-effected family on the planet could grow their own fresh water well.’
She was animated now, gesturing fervently as she paced around the chamber, locking eyes with the Marines as he spoke. ‘The implications of this work are unparalleled. Without this technology, fresh water will one day cost more than oil. Civilized countries will be fighting wars over access to water. And unlimited water is just one benefit. Medicine will be cheaper to produce. We won’t have to search for new drugs – we’ll design plants to produce and refine them for us. The cost reduction for industrial refinement and drug manufacture will become so low that every developing country will have stockpiles of pharmaceuticals. The need for pharmaceutical aid programs will be completely wiped-out.’
She pointed squarely at Coleman. ‘I can give you a hundred more examples of where this research is going to benefit mankind – engineering, agriculture, space colonization…and that’s why we’re given the flexibility to push our research ahead and draw together the best minds from all over the world.’
Vanessa was breathless. She inhaled quickly, preparing to carry on, but Coleman jerked up his hands. He didn’t need a hundred more examples.
‘Hey – you’ve convinced me,’ he admitted. ‘Just slow down. We’re going off track here. Just tell me exactly what Cairns is after?’
Composed again, Vanessa said, ‘Six small spheres of embryonic plant cells, each about the size of a marble. I grew twelve templates. Gould stole six to make these creatures. There are six more templates in my labs. Each template contains a living record of all genetic research since Mendel hybridized peas in his monastery garden. They contain the traits from every species of plant that has ever been genetically mapped. All the data is stored on long DNA strands inside the embryonic cells. Once the chosen traits are triggered on the DNA, the embryonic cells start growing.’
Okay, thought Coleman. Time for question two. ‘Why does Cairns want the remaining templates so badly?’
‘That’s all I’ve been thinking about,’ confessed Vanessa. ‘But now you’ve suggested that a foreign government is behind the theft, it makes much more sense. The country with the stolen templates will be technologically catapulted ahead of every other nation. Think of the templates as being a seed that can grow into anything you can imagine, combining and twisting any traits that nature has ever created in plants.’
She pointed to the dead creature. ‘Like these things. These are just one person’s work. Imagine one hundred madmen having one hundred ideas a day, and then having the ability to make these ideas reality. We’ll see genetic weapons that can ravage an entire country’s crops. We’ll be completely defenseless. How can you quarantine an entire country? Nature has no natural defenses to the new strains of organisms that would sweep around the globe. Whoever has the templates will hold world food economies to ransom. And these creatures? These are nothing compared to what Gould will do if he has enough time with the templates. Nuclear weapons won’t hold a candle compared to the destructive power of genetics.’
Coleman had made up his mind. ‘Then preventing Cairns from acquiring those templates is now our first priority. Until the C-Guards are disabled, we’re basically on our own. We can’t call for help. So that means it’s just us against Cairns.’
‘How can you compete against Cairns?’ asked Vanessa. ‘There’s only four of you. Plus there are the creatures to avoid.’
Coleman smiled a wicked smile. ‘We’ll snatch the templates first.’
Vanessa gestured at the heavy containment door. ‘These doors are at either end of both decontamination corridors. That’s four heavy doors. The external doors can be opened from the admin hub, providing access to the peripheral research labs, but the doors sealing the core labs at the end of the corridor won’t open for anybody. My templates are in the core labs. I don’t know how Cairns plans to get in there, but I’m sure he’s started by now.’
‘It’s a race,’ agreed Coleman. ‘I bet Cairns has less information about the security arrangements than we do. You’re the expert. How can we access the core labs first?’
‘You can’t,’ replied Vanessa flatly. ‘They can only be opened by a senior authorized staff member from the admin hub.’
‘There must be a way with your personal security codes.’
‘Codes?’ she scoffed. She waved to the antechamber walls. ‘Where would I enter any codes?’
Coleman scanned the room, a strong feeling of puzzlement blossoming at what he wasn’t seeing.
Vanessa waited until Coleman finished scanning the walls before s
he spoke again. ‘This is going to sound pretty incredible, but you need to believe what I tell you next.’
‘Try me,’ prompted Coleman.
‘No one in the Complex understands how the security system works.’ She raised her finger as every member in Third Unit went to speak at once. ‘NO ONE. All the doors just open for authorized people and won’t open for unauthorized people. No one in the entire staff understands how it distinguishes identities. This whole level – computers, doors, equipment, everything – it’s all the same. They just work flawlessly for the right people. We don’t understand how.’
Coleman looked around the room. In all the mayhem, he hadn’t noticed the obvious absence of security sensors. There were no cameras, no code panels, no iris, palm, or finger-print scanners.
There was nothing.
Coleman was stunned. He had never heard of anything like it. A blind security system with no apparent way of identifying individuals.
He saw that the others, all security trained, were equally perplexed. Marlin was their expert.
‘That’s not possible,’ countered Marlin, searching the room. ‘There has to be something….’
‘That’s how I know the terrorists can’t bypass the system with security codes,’ continued Vanessa. ‘Wait until you hear what else I’ve discovered. No one in the Complex can leak security information because no one in the world knows how the entire security system works. I spoke to some of the installation technicians, and they don’t even know the names of the companies they work for. As best I can understand, the security company contracted to this job is made up of several specialist branches, and no branch is allowed to understand how the rest of the system functions. Each technician only understands his or her particular component. The information can’t be bought on the black market, because it just doesn’t exist.’
‘Okay,’ Coleman said, overwhelmed by the efforts the security consultants had taken to protect their clients. It was incredible that companies like that even existed. ‘Forget bypassing the security system then. What about access through a shared system like the air-conditioning ducts or mechanical services?’
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