by JC Ryan
“We reanimated you within hours after Brideaux killed Robert Cartwright, using his body to host you. From that point onward, you know what happened.
Tawndo interjected. “So, what’s all of that got to do with me?”
“You were part of the Rossler Foundation before you were killed by John Brideaux. They will be able to recognize you. You are the only one of us who can get in touch with the people of the Rossler Foundation to tell them about the danger they are in and perhaps get them to help us.”
Tawndo nodded slowly. “That’s if I can somehow bring them to believe I am who I say I am. In their world, there is no such thing as coming back from the dead.”
Korda was looking down and away from Tawndo when he spoke. “As far as I can see we don’t have much of a choice Tawndo. I … I think we should use Robert … bring him back … and … and use him to contact the leaders of the Rossler Foundation, for help,”
Tawndo quietly stared at the floor for a long while before he spoke. “That means I have to die and then be brought back as Robert?”
Korda slowly nodded.
Siasha shook her head. “No, we also need Tawndo’s knowledge of this facility and our technology.”
“Yes, we need them both,” Linkola said softly, “but we can only have one.”
They all sat silently, each of them deep in thought for several moments.
Korda broke the silence clearing his throat and said with determination, “I volunteer to become Tawndo so he can become Robert.”
“Korda!” Linkola roared.
“No!” Siasha added, “You can’t. We need you as you are now.”
An argument broke out between the three; Korda had many logical arguments for why it was necessary, the other two had equally logical arguments why they had to keep him as Korda. The discussion had become quite heated, and Linkola was on his feet when Tawndo’s voice stopped them.
“Merge us.”
“What?” Linkola asked with astonishment. “What did you say?”
“I said merge us … Robert and me … merge us, make us one.”
“That’s what I thought you said, but you don’t know what you are saying!”
“It makes the most sense.”
“No,” Linkola responded, “it doesn’t make any sense. It’s never been done. It’s a crazy idea. It would most certainly kill both of you.”
“Has it ever been tried… or even theorized?” Tawndo asked.
Linkola clenched his jaws and stared defiantly at Tawndo, refusing to answer. It was obvious that this idea had caused him a tremendous amount of distress. But no one knew why.
“Has it?”
“It’s a crazy idea.” He mumbled, “It can’t be done.”
Tawndo rose to face Linkola, brow furrowed, eyes slightly narrowed and his jaw tight.
“Answer me, Linkola. Has it ever been tried?”
Linkola turned away in fury. “Once,” he hissed. “It killed the man, we lost two identities, and it was horrendous. The poor man quite literally tore himself apart.”
Tawndo paled, “what went wrong?”
“We don’t know. It was shortly before the Healer became the Beast and we never had time to look into it.”
“I suggest you look into it now then and do it quickly,” Tawndo said in a commanding tone, a determined look on his face.
“I will not, ever, try that again. You have no idea what you are talking about or what that man went through. It happened so fast we weren’t able to stop him. The answer is NO; I won’t do it.”
“Siasha, find the records and review the process,” Tawndo ordered.
“Tawndo, I can’t. Please don’t ask me to do this,” she cried.
He took her by the arms, looking deep into her eyes, “you must. Siasha, this world is unaware of the danger of the Re’an. We are the only ones who can help them understand the danger they are in and our only hope of survival. We can’t do it on our own.”
She buried her head in his chest. “I know,” she sobbed, “I just don’t want to lose you—again, this time probably forever.”
He encircled her in his arms, kissed the top of her head, and smoothed her soft hair, running it gently through his fingers. “You won’t. I know you and Linkola can do this if you work together.” He swayed gently with her until her sobbing subsided.
“Okay, I will look at the experiment information.” She said softly, “but I won’t try it without Linkola, and neither of us will try it if we can’t find what went wrong.”
“Fair enough,” Tawndo said. “Will you agree to help, Linkola?”
He sighed heavily and swallowed hard. “Under the circumstances, and with that understanding, I will look at the data,” Linkola agreed. Then he said angrily, “but if we find it can’t be done, I will destroy it so no further attempts or research can be done.”
“Agreed,” Tawndo said, turned and walked away.
Chapter 50- Gritting his teeth
Jack was going through the last preparations before the advance team departed for Raven Rock. “The team going to work at Raven has grown a bit due to the added security detail needed for the President,” Jack grinned at Daniel.
“Two Secret Service men will accompany us as well as Cliff Willis. Chuck, the pilot who successfully got us to Mt Ararat, will pilot the aircraft to Washington with Owen as co-pilot.
“Peter will remain at the ranch to take over while Owen is gone.
“I’d prefer not to leave the plane until we’re ready to transfer to Raven Rock, especially the President, but it’s too hot to sit inside the plane on the tarmac this time of year. So, once we’re in Washington, Tectus members will pick up and transport our team, at staggered intervals to safe houses.
“Max, Aaron, and I will go first and check in to the hotel. Once we’re checked in, Aaron and I will proceed to the site and verify it is still accessible and secure.
“After dark, Daniel and the Secret Service Agents will be transported but they will go directly to Raven Rock rather than checking into the hotel.
“Doug and Cliff will be transported last. Doug will come directly to Raven Rock while Cliff will check in to the hotel.
“Max will be our contact point with Tectus, and Cliff will work with us on the outside to coordinate and bring in the Cabinet members when we are ready for them.
“Over to you Aaron.”
Aaron cleared his throat. “We will use Roy’s laser cutters to remove enough of the concrete in one of the tunnels to allow a vehicle the size of a semi-trailer through.
“Two semi-trucks will bring in needed supplies and remain hidden inside. They will be driven by Doug and Max or if needed, Tectus members.
“Roy is building additional spyders to create a holographic covering of the tunnel opening.” He nodded at Jack to continue.
“A second team consisting of JR, Raj, Roy, and Secretary of State Bill Sims, will join us on the Metroliner’s next transport run. We’ve also asked Rebecca to join us to serve as the medical provider for the facility should the need arise.
“Tectus members will deploy the new flies and spyders in the White House, and once we see what is happening inside, we will be able to form a plan to proceed with operations there.”
Sam and the rest nodded approval of the plans so far. Jack nodded for Nigel to provide his input.
“As soon as Daniel arrives he will start working with his Cabinet members to come up with plans for the stabilization of the country and foreign affairs.
“Once Aaron has the holding cells built for Hayden’s top advisors, we will begin removing them one by one to their new… ah… quarters.” Nigel smiled.
“What about Camp David?” Luke asked. The tunnel to RRMC passes through there. Does access still exist, and if so, what do we need to do to secure it?”
“Good point Luke,” Nigel said. That access point still exists and will have to be secured. My understanding is we have two Secret Service agents still recovering at the Ranch. Their wounds were mino
r. I suggest you take them with you; they might prove to be very useful.”
“Good idea,” Jack responded. “I think it would be good to take Elize if she’s willing to come with us. Her knowledge of the White House could be invaluable.”
Nigel hesitated, “She is young, and I don’t want her exposed to unnecessary danger.”
“We’ll bring her to Raven Rock with the second group. She’ll be safe there.”
“If you could locate her mother and smuggle her in as well, you’d have meals fit for a king,” Nigel smiled.
The others laughed.
“Okay,” Daniel said. “I am impressed with the arrangements you and the team have made Jack. Thank you. Do we have a consensus of these plans so far?” He looked at everyone in turn and got the nod.
“JR, you and anyone else you can find to help you, please keep looking through the documents we have and let us know of any additional information you find on Hayden and the RRMC site… or anything else you think could be helpful in any way. Every bit of information could be useful.”
“Sure, no problem,” JR agreed.
He concluded the meeting with, “Those of us departing tomorrow, let’s get our things together and be ready to go at first light.” Daniel was gritting his teeth at the thought of another trip on horseback to Mt Ararat, but it was still better than walking.
Chapter 51- Only a matter of time
Captain Locklin lay on the deck; blood splattered around and over him. The still-breathing body of the Ensign Littleton lay next to him, one foot was toeless, and his back, belly, and legs had large raw patches where the skin had been removed. He had finally given in to Brideaux when he started to literally skin the boy alive.
The corpsman was shocked by the scene greeting him upon entering the Wardroom, but quickly recovered and treated the Captain’s knee as ordered, giving him morphine to ease the pain.
“Get him on his feet,” Brideaux snarled.
“You’re a barbarian, Brideaux!” The corpsman yelled.
“Take him to cold storage and take the boy with him,” Brideaux ordered.
“Alright Captain. Tell your men in the control center we are coming in. They are to surrender and report to the mess hall.”
Locklin nodded.
Brideaux keyed the mic, “this is Brideaux; your Captain wishes to speak to you.”
“Stand down. Surrender and report to the mess hall immediately.” The Captain said with a voice laced with pain.
“Captain?”
“You heard me. Brideaux and I are coming to the control room. You are to surrender.”
“Aye, Sir.”
“Well done, Captain!” Brideaux exclaimed triumphantly. He signaled one of his men to assist the Captain, and they left the Wardroom moving forward to the control room.
When they stepped into the nerve center of the boat, Brideaux whistled as he stared at the monitors and state of the art electronics. At least a half dozen double-stacked monitors lined each side of the room with more across the front. Two stations in the middle of the room held monitors as well, one of them in a horizontal position - a mapping station.
“Stop. Tell me what all this is.”
Starting at the left Captain Locklin indicated each station in a soft and labored voice, “photonics and navigation are closest to us, then sonar, up front is ship control, combat control is on the right, and over there is the radio room. The console at center front is the Officer of the Deck station, and the flat top is the mapping station.”
“How do you drive this thing?”
“You don’t. The pilot and co-pilot work together along with the maneuvering room to control the depth, speed, and course of the boat.”
Brideaux approached the control stations, looking carefully at the displays. “There’s no picture of what’s out there! How do you know where you’re going?”
“It’s too complicated to explain in a few minutes. I will order my men to follow the course you want. You need all of them to successfully maneuver this boat.”
“No tricks, Captain, or I promise you; you have only seen the beginning of the fate of your crew.”
“No, Brideaux, no tricks.” Captain Locklin replied in a tired voice.
***
The lone pilot nervously watched the display panels as the submarine continued its silent course through the dark and icy waters under the polar ice cap.
Locklin had succeeded in convincing Brideaux that they were closer to exiting from under the ice if they proceeded than if they turned back. Unfortunately, Brideaux continued to think of the sub as an underwater airplane, believing that a single person could maneuver it through the watery depths. It was only a matter of time before he found out differently.
He had allowed two men to remain in the maneuvering room with two guards and secured the rest, including those that had been held in cold storage, in their quarters with a guard at each end of the corridor.
The corpsman made regular visits to the control room to attend to Locklin since Brideaux would not allow him to leave.
“How is the crew, Doc,” Locklin had asked on the doc’s last visit.
Looking around to be sure Brideaux’s attention was elsewhere he whispered, “two are unaccounted for, Littleton is stable, but in critical condition, the rest of us are ok.”
“Don’t give me as much morphine as you did last time, I need my head to be clear,” Locklin hissed. “It’s only a matter of time before this boat hits something.”
The Doc nodded, completed his ministrations and was ordered from the control room.
Chapter 52- Welcome to the team
It was two hours before dawn when the seven team members started off to Mt Ararat. Jack rode at the head of the group with Peter, discussing all the ways they were going to torment Hayden with the spyflies and spyders. Daniel and Cliff Willis rode side by side talking in low voices; no one could hear what they were discussing. Agent Ken Mason was about twenty or so yards ahead of them and agent Matt Smith about the same distance behind, while Doug brought up the rear.
Max and Aaron waited for them at the ranch. Having been apprised of the plan the previous day, they were ready to go. Chuck and Owen had finished the paint job on the Metroliner while the others had worked late into the night to complete the conversion to a cargo plane.
They’d pulled out nine seats, replacing them with tie-down areas that would allow half the plane to be filled with cargo.
Kelly and Alison, having already prepared and loaded sack lunches into the plane for everyone, had breakfast waiting for them when they arrived.
They ate quickly, appreciating the hot breakfast, and boarded the plane.
Chuck and Owen ran through the pre-flight checklist in the cockpit, and when they were satisfied the plane was ready, Chuck turned to Owen, “are you ready to fly this thing?”
“Me? I thought I was the co-pilot!”
“You are, but every Air Force One pilot and co-pilot is fully capable of handling the aircraft they fly. You handled the plane just fine in flight; now you get to learn to put her in the air.”
“Do you think I’m ready?” Owen asked.
“Whether you’re ready or not, you have to be able to do it, so let’s get started.”
“Okay,” Owen agreed, took a deep breath and made a quick cross over his chest, although he was not Catholic it felt like the right thing to do.
“Don’t worry,” Chuck assured him, “it’s exactly like any other plane… only different.”
“Exactly the same, only different,” Owen moaned, “you’re real funny, Chuck.”
“Thanks. I always thought I would make a good standup comedian if this pilot job didn’t work out.” He smirked and began coaching Owen on the take-off for the Metroliner.
As Owen listened to Chuck’s instructions he realized that take-off in the Metroliner was nearly the same as the plane he was used to—but a little bit different.
At the conclusion of Chuck’s instructions, Owen taxied the plan
e to the end of the runway, revved the engines, released the breaks, and let the plane roll down the runway gathering speed.
When the plane reached lift-off velocity, Owen pulled back on the stick, and the sleek plane rose smoothly into the air, climbing quickly towards the rising sun on the horizon.
Upon reaching cruising altitude, Owen leveled the plane off and grinned at Chuck. “That wasn’t so bad!”
“Piece of cake. I told you so!” Kicking back in his seat he added: “she’s all yours; wake me if you need me!”
“Wake you? Don’t you ever do anything besides sleep?” Owen frowned.
“Sure, I do,” Chuck said with a wink, “why do you think I need sleep?”
Owen stared at him for a moment and then laughed.
“Alright, fine. I won’t ask. But I can only guess you’re practicing standup comedy in your off time.”
Chuck opened one eye to look at Owen, “wise man,” he said and closed his eye. “Besides, I always did sleep best on a plane.”
Owen just shook his head and returned to the business of guiding the plane through the air.
***
The flight to DC was uneventful, and as they started the descent, Chuck began coaching Owen on landing the plane. This led to further conversation about avionics in general, and Chuck realized he’d found a kindred spirit in his love of flying.
When Owen set the plane down in Washington, the landing wasn’t quite as smooth as he would have liked, nevertheless Chuck congratulated him. “That was a very good first time landing for a plane this size,” He chortled.
“Oh, my God!” Owen suddenly exclaimed, “I just practiced landing an unfamiliar plane with the President of the United States on board!”
“And you did very well,” Chuck said. “Don’t worry; I wouldn’t have let you try if I didn’t think you could do it.”
Tectus members were waiting with several cars and immediately took everyone to safe houses. Max and two Tectus operatives, Kimberley and Stan, went to a nearby safe house where they were given a change of clothes and disguises.
Kimberley and Stan, now dressed casually, were dropped off a few blocks from the hotel and strolled to a coffee shop across the street from it. They went inside, ordered their coffees and took seats at a table by the window.