Storm Gathering

by Rebecca Zanetti

  “And the Century City bunker? The one I control?” Grey asked. In case he still controlled it, considering Mercury now had more soldiers there than the Mercs did. “What is it?”

  “As far as I can tell, that one is more of a halfway house. Set in Century City, it's a central local to transfer data, weapons, and food on a temporary basis.” Atherton grasped another file folder and handed it over. “I believe it was also one of the Bunkers that conducted human experimentation. To see what Scorpius survivors could do…and take. That was its primary function.”

  Great. Grey tried to tear his gaze away from the picture of Barter. The man's hair was definitely darker, but it was the same guy. “Why are you letting a psychopath work at a Bunker?”

  “I believe that's obvious. He's brilliant, and he's controlled there. We need him on research,” Atherton said.

  “You want to cure Scorpius?” Greyson asked. That was a rather sane thing to do.

  Atherton tapped a manicured nail on the file. “For a while, I didn't really care. Then the reports of pregnancy issues came to light, and I'd like to have children someday. To pass on my legacy. So the research has to continue, yes?”

  Pregnancy. Maureen. Greyson kept his gaze stoic and hard. Showing any weakness to this guy was a mistake. “How is the research coming along?”

  “It'd be better if I could get Lynne Harmony to take over. She's much smarter and has a lot more experience than Zach Barter or anybody else still alive,” Atherton said, his tone reasonable.

  “I thought you wanted her dead,” Greyson muttered.

  The president sighed. “No. That's untrue. After Scorpius, I became obsessed, as is often the case with survivors. But I've calmed down now, my brain has engaged, and now I just want to cure this disease. I have a fiancée now, and she'd like children as well. We must work together.”

  “Jax Mercury will never work with you,” Greyson said, finally tearing his gaze from Barter's picture.

  “I'm aware of that sad fact,” Atherton said, his shoulders slumping. “But Lynne and her knowledge are too important. She's worth the war I must wage.”

  Greyson's eyebrows rose, as did his alert level. “You want to kill Mercury and force Lynne to work for you.” He shook his head. “I want a cure, and I don't have any love for Mercury, but even I wouldn't help you coerce her like that.” Nor would he kill Jax for the president. But Grey needed that Bunker with its research for his baby. For Maureen and his child.

  Atherton leaned in, his gaze sharp and intelligent. “My scouts have reported that fire season has begun in your area. I have two Grumman S-2 Trackers and an S-64 Skycrane with pilots ready to get water and save your territory on my order.”

  “Did you set the fires?” Greyson asked, flattening his hand on the picture so he didn't form a fist. “Or did the vice president?” Atherton was smart not to bring Lake to this meeting.

  Atherton's head jerked back. “Of course, not. A wildfire threatens more than you, you know. Any wildfire could spread and take out many portions of this state, including my headquarters.”

  If the guy was lying, he was decent at it. “Somebody set those fires. It's a coincidence otherwise.”

  Atherton looked cool as could be in his button-down shirt that was somehow perfectly pressed. “I wouldn't take that kind of chance with the land and the existing forest. Many of the homes in the path won't have been scavenged yet. Probably.”

  Enough with the chit-chat. “What do you want, Atherton?”

  “I want you to remember your oath and get back to work, Commander. You might not like me, but I am the Commander in Chief, and it's time to rebuild our military. We have no idea how well other countries fared with Scorpius, and we could face an attack any day. It's possible somebody else even found the cure and is stronger than ever.” Atherton's voice roughened with conviction. “You know it's a possibility.”

  Yeah, it was, but Grey had been working too hard to survive to worry about foreign enemies. He had plenty right here. “You obviously want something else. What is it?”

  “Lynne Harmony. I want her delivered to my headquarters.” Atherton's face remained perfectly earnest.

  Greyson shut the dark blue file folder. There was no way he was kidnapping Harmony and handing her over to Atherton. When he kidnapped a woman, he liked to ensure her safety and then knock her up. He grimaced. His sense of humor needed work, especially right now. “That's a large order, Atherton.”

  “Yes. I know. How about we start smaller?”

  Grey tipped his head. “Go on.”

  “Retrieve a computer file for me from the computers at the Century City Bunker, and I'll give you Zach Barter.” Atherton leaned back, relaxing against the leather. “Then we'll negotiate for fire support and Lynne Harmony.”

  To have Zach Barter in his sights after all this time sped adrenaline through Grey's veins. “Where is he?”

  “I'll tell you exactly how to get to him,” Atherton said, the pulse visibly ticking in his clean-shaven jaw.

  Greyson pressed his advantage, his eye on the prize. Both of them. “It's the only way. Tell me where he is.”

  Atherton studied him, his intelligence visible in the calculation in his eyes. “All right. Here's the deal. You get me that file, and I'll give you the location of the second Bunker. I won't warn him or anybody else that you're coming. But you take him out, and you leave the facility alone. If that's possible.”

  “I'll make it possible,” Greyson said. Didn't mean he wouldn't go back and take the facility at first opportunity. “What's in the file?”

  “It's a computer file, and it's hidden beneath several layers of security.” Atherton handed over a red folder this time. “The directions are there along with a flash drive. Once you copy the file, it automatically destroys any other copies of it on the system.”

  “Just the record of the file, or all records?” That would be a shitty idea for sure.

  “Just copies of this file,” Atherton said. “Do we have a deal?”

  God, Greyson wanted Barter. Even more, he wanted to find that other Bunker with the superior research. Could his baby be saved? He wished he could give Maureen something hopeful. Something she could rely on. Anything that would save their child. “What's in the computer file?” he asked again.

  “Doesn't matter, and it's confidential,” Atherton said. “It's also encrypted and unreadable. The directions there tell you how to retrieve it, but not how to read it. In fact, my best guys think it'll take months for them to do it.” He smiled again. “And don't try to copy it. As I understand it, that's one shot only.” He held out a hand. “Deal?”

  Greyson eyed him. “Yeah. Deal.” He shook hands, wondering what the hell was on that file.

  It couldn't be anything good, but this was Grey’s only chance to find the Scorpius research and Zach Barter. He was taking it. Right or wrong.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Food is important, and I won't quit my research. But finding a cure for this baby, for making sure this child survives, is my primary objective until I succeed. I'm trying to think like a scientist, but I feel like a mother. There's power in the love I have for this little one, and I’m going to use that.

  —Maureen Shadow, Notes

  Maureen brushed back her still-damp hair after her gloriously hot shower and made her way up to the control room where Raze sat in a computer chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him. She faltered. Yeah, she should've expected he'd want to chat, but she'd figured on having a bit of a reprieve first.

  He rose and moved to her, enfolding her in a protective hug. One of many in her lifetime. “My baby sister.”

  Tears instantly pricked her eyes. Of course he loved her and wanted what was best for her and the baby. “Raze. I'm sorry to just spring it on you like that.” She leaned back. “I should've used finesse.”

  He grinned, looking so much like their father her heart hurt. Well, except for the black eye from his fist fight with Greyson. “When, in your entire life,
have you ever had finesse?”

  She smacked him on the arm, even though it was true.

  He drew her over to another chair and set her in it like she was made of fragile china and then sat again, rolling his seat toward hers until their knees almost touched. “I have to know that you weren't forced in any way. Were you scared? Did you think it was the only way to get safe? Were you brainwashed?”

  She chuckled, loving him more than ever. “Raze. I started having sex when I was eighteen. Remember Bobby Rollins from the general store? The baseball player for the community college?”

  Raze winced and held up a hand in obvious protest. “God, no. We're not doing this. Just answer the question I asked.” He exhaled loudly. “No details, no adding to the story, just please answer me.”

  She leaned forward and took his hands. “I promise you I was willing. More than willing.” Heat infused her face. “He's incredible—”

  “Now I'm going to puke.” Thunderclouds crossed Raze's face.

  She sighed. “I was willing and still am. I like him.”

  Raze scrutinized her, his gaze probing. “Do you love him?”

  Her mouth gaped open and then quickly shut. Love? Was there time for love? Could it happen quickly in such crazy circumstances? “Um—”

  “Forget it.” Raze waved the question away. “I'm sorry I asked that. But about the baby. You do want it?”

  She released him to wrap her arms around her abdomen. “With everything I have.”

  He nodded and patted her knee. “All right. We'll come up with a plan to save him or her. Jax will bring Lynne here to get to work, and you can help with the science stuff. A plant geneticist isn't all that different from a person geneticist, right? It's all genetic engineering.”

  Not exactly, but close enough. She nodded. “I feel like I have to get on this. Have to start learning about the process. I need more data.”

  “Then we'll get you more,” he said softly. “I'll fix this, Moe. Or I'll make sure you can fix it.”

  She smiled at her big brother. “Thank you.” She was so happy he'd found somebody to love. “Is Vinnie coming to the Bunker anytime soon?” They had been kidnapped together and quickly bonded while trying to survive. Moe could use a friend with all the craziness going on, and while Vinnie was a little eccentric, she was tons of fun.

  “We'll see. There are a few things to iron out first.” Raze donned his so-serious face. “I know you like Greyson, and I now understand he's the father of your baby, but I don't know if I trust him. He's dangerous, Moe.”

  “So are you,” she whispered.

  “Yeah, but my allegiances are clear, and Grey's aren't. He may turn against Vanguard, which is turning against me. I don't ever want you in the crossfire of something like that.” He took her hands again. “Promise me you'll consider coming back to Vanguard and doing this with us. We can give this baby all the family he or she needs.”

  And leave Greyson out of it? He was the father, and he wanted to be a dad. After his childhood of not having anybody for so long, what would losing his own child do to him? She didn't want to hurt him like that, and a baby needed a father. Especially in the dangerous world they now inhabited.

  “Maureen? Just say you'll keep your options open. That you'll keep your eyes open with Greyson,” Raze said.

  “My eyes are open,” she blurted out, surprised.

  He sighed. “Sweetie, you've always fallen hard and with blinders on. From the time you were twelve. It was fine when it was just a moron who was also dating your best friend. But today, in this time, trusting the wrong guy could mean death for a lot of people. You have to use your brain and not your heart this time. You have to.”

  Was she doing that? Romanticizing Greyson because he'd fathered her baby? Because he was so good in bed and said all the right things? It wouldn't be the first time. Even the act of him killing people had an element of good to it because he'd protected her. Was she blind?

  “I love you, Moe. You're good and kind and sweet…and you have a romantic streak a constellation long. But now isn't the time to romanticize. It's the time to be realistic.” Raze leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek. “I just decided we'll have Vinnie come here for a while. You two can chat.”

  Vinnie was a psychologist. “I don't need a shrink, Raze. I just wanted to get to know your lady-love.”

  “That's a great idea,” Raze said, his mind obviously made up. “But first, you have to promise me you'll be rational and watch Greyson with alert eyes. Not only for you but also for your baby. We need to know if we can trust him.”

  Maureen looked at the man she'd trusted since birth. The one who'd raised her, loved her, and protected her. The one who'd had tea parties with her and had patiently taught her to ride a horse. To dance the two-step. To fight. The very least she could give him was a promise to be alert. “I promise, Raze.”

  * * *

  There wasn't any wind at the moment, which was good news. Greyson stood on the beach, looking west at the smoke hanging over the sky several miles away. The right side of his ribcage still protested from Raze Shadow's punch. He ignored the pain. Right now, his men were busy clearing any brush and foliage between them and the edge of the Los Padres National Forest. “How are we doing?” he asked Damon.

  Damon's shoes sank into the sand. “We're trying. It's only about nine miles from here to the edge of the forest, as the crow flies. Isn't that crazy?”

  “Yeah.” The forest had seemed much farther away when there was civilization in control of the world. Now nature ruled. Like it or not.

  Two men hustled between mansions and jogged down the beach toward them. One was in his mid-fifties with a gray beard and a slim stature. The other had to be around twenty with black hair and bulging muscles.

  Damon waited. “This is Tom and Mel. Tom worked for the forest service fighting fires in Oregon for twenty-five years, and Tom was a smokejumper out of Montana.”

  Grey eyed the kid. “Smokejumper? How old are you?”

  “Twenty-four,” the kid said, his voice surprisingly deep. “Look young for my age.”

  Grey nodded. “What do you guys know?”

  “It ain't good,” Tom said, rubbing his beard. “We're clearing debris as fast as we can, but the territory is too big. We have to consolidate and just concentrate on an area. We're also trying to load up on water and have some pumps ready to go from the ocean, but it ain't gonna be impressive. Sure could use air support.”

  Mel nodded vigorously. “We need air. Without question.”

  Fuck. The only way Greyson would get air support was to turn over Lynne Harmony to the president, and even he wasn't a big enough asshole to do that. But if he got his hands on the flash drive, he could drive a harder bargain. Maybe. “We need to save the headquarters area along the beach,” he said. “That's the priority.”

  Tom looked around. “If the fire gets too close, we can talk about a controlled burn with a few of the houses on the far side. But we're a long way from having to worry about that.”

  Mel winced. “Fire has a way of making its own timetable. If the wind kicks up, we could be in trouble.”

  Grey sighed. “All right. Start protecting this main strip, and we'll go from there.”

  The two men nodded and ran off, disappearing between the mansions.

  Grey turned to Damon. “Move all of our medical supplies, food, water, and weapons to the subdivision here—concentrate on keeping this mile strip safe.” He hated the idea of losing any of the land, especially the college campus, but he had to protect their access to fresh fish and water, even though it was sea water.

  “Got it,” Damon said, not moving.

  “What?” Greyson asked.

  Damon just lifted an eyebrow, making it visible above his dark sunglasses. “You're going back to the Bunker. To get that computer file.”

  “You disagree?”

  “Shit, Grey. It could have nuclear launch codes or something on it. Who the hell knows?” Damon asked. “Giving
it to the president is dangerous. Too risky.”

  Dread crept down Grey's arms. “I know it's risky, but what's the alternative? I need that Bunker for the baby, and Zach Barter is there. Forget for a second that I want to kill him, that I promised to do so. He's crazier than crazy. If there's viable research there to cure Scorpius, who the hell knows what he's doing with it. What he will do to it.” Grey had been thinking of nothing else for the last several hours.

  “Why not have Vanguard's computer expert take a look at the file? She's the best, right?” Damon asked.

  “You think we can trust Vanguard with this?” Greyson asked, watching the smoke cloud in the distance get bigger. Thicker. “Not a chance.” He focused on Damon. “Who's our best computer guy? We have to have somebody.”

  Damon winced. “Kid named Hector. Sixteen and a great shot from a decade of spending time on video games. It's frightening how well some of these guys can shoot from games like that. Who knew?”

  “Get him here,” Grey said, moving for the main mansion. He needed to retrieve all of Moe's things from her room in case he couldn't save his territory. There were clothes he'd taken from many of the mansions, and she'd seemed to like some of them. “I'm thinking we'd better get trucks ready to go from here in case we can't contain the fire.” Where he'd send his weapons, he didn't know.

  Damon nodded and spoke quickly into a shortwave radio. “Bob? Send Hector to headquarters, would you?”

  “Affirmative,” Bob said, his twang heavy over the radio. “He's just around the corner.”

  Grey continued into Maureen's room and riffled through the closet to find an old backpack. He moved to the drawers and emptied them, making sure to stuff the pretty lingerie he'd found into the bottom.

  Damon moved to the corner and issued orders through the radio. “Keep us informed if the fire does anything. Any change of movement or direction.” He clicked off.

  A soft knock sounded on the door.