Ash remained silent.
“So are you coming with us?” she asked.
He glanced at Chloe. He could see she was reluctant, but had also come to the same conclusion he had.
“We’ll come with you.”
36
I.D. MINUS 2 HOURS 45 MINUTES
BLUEBIRD TIME 8:15 AM
THE DOP WAS furious. “I should have been told about this immediately!”
“Yes, sir,” Ross said. “I’m sorry. I thought you might want a bit more rest before the day began.”
Not just any day, the day. Implementation Day. There, in the bowels of Bluebird, it was eight fifteen a.m. on December 22nd, but in a little less than three hours, at eleven a.m. Central Standard Time, it would be six in the morning in New Zealand on the 23rd—given the island country’s proximity to the International Dateline, it was designated as the initial release location of KV-27a. At that moment, the DOP would enter the Go code into the system and messages would be sent across the globe—activating timers on the IDMs and other automated delivery devices so that they would begin releasing their contents at the busiest time of the day, and notifying those teams who were relying on manpower to spread the virus, such as the spraying operations in Africa and Southern and Southeast Asia, and plane operations scattered all across the world.
Ross had been right to let him sleep. It was a momentous day, one at which the entire directorate of Project Eden would be present to witness from the start. What he didn’t like, however, was beginning this day of all days with news like this.
The suit he was going to wear had been laid out the night before. He grabbed his shirt, yanked it on, and started buttoning it up. “How? How could this happen?”
“We’re…not sure yet.”
From his bed, the DOP picked up the paper detailing the conversation between the Australian transport company owner and the Project member who had been his contact. “This phone number——anything on that?”
“It’s a dummy. It reroutes half a dozen times then splits in several directions. Basically untraceable.”
The DOP snagged his pants off the hanger. “It’s them. I know it is,” he said, sure the people who had been a thorn in the Project’s side had just taken things to an unacceptable level.
“I agree.”
“Major Ross, since everything is in place now, surely we can spare some manpower to deal with them.”
Ross nodded. “Actually, sir, I’ve already pulled together an assault team, and they’re en route to the Montana location right now.”
The DOP strung his tie around his collar, tied the knot, and pulled on his jacket. He looked over his shoulder at Ross, locking eyes with his aide. “I want them dead. All of them. And not by the virus.”
“Yes, sir. I understand. I’ll make sure that happens.”
“You had better. Is there anything else?”
Ross seemed to hesitate, but then shook his head. “No, sir. That’s it.”
37
I.D. MINUS 2 HOURS 21 MINUTES
BLUEBIRD TIME 8:39 AM
TWICE THEY HAD to lie low to avoid patrols, so it took over an hour and a half to reach the camp Olivia and her people had set up three-quarters of a mile to the southeast of Bluebird. Ash could feel every passing second, and knew they needed to keep moving, but Olivia had been in no hurry to start out again. If he had known how to get into the building himself, he and Chloe would have been long gone.
Finally, Olivia deemed it was time. The hike took them to the coast, then along the hilly edge. She still didn’t seem to be in any hurry. He tried to get her to pick up the pace, but she only said, “Don’t worry. We’ll be there right on time.”
Finally, Olivia stopped them and sent two of her men ahead.
“Usually they don’t guard the entrance we’re going to use. It’s almost impossible to get into, but I guess that’s to be expected today.”
“What do you mean today?”
She looked at him, amusement in her eyes. “Why do you think?”
“This is it?” he asked. “Implementation Day?”
“Oh, very good.”
“How much time do we have?”
An exaggerated look of pain clouded her eyes. “Don’t you trust me? I told you, we’ll be there on time.”
Chloe leaned toward Ash and whispered just loudly enough for him to hear, “I don’t trust her.”
“Can you at least tell us what the plan is?” he asked.
Before he knew if she would answer or not, her men returned. She conferred with them for several seconds, nodded, and said to the rest, “Looks like we’re all set. This way.”
The new path led along the face of a cliff, sloping downward until it dead-ended at a pile of snow-covered rocks that went all the way to the ice of the ocean.
When Olivia started climbing down, Ash called out, “How are we supposed to get to the outpost from there?”
“I guess you’ll have to see, won’t you?” she yelled back.
She continued down, her people following without question.
“I don’t like this,” Chloe said.
Ash shook his head. “Neither do I. But what choice do we have?”
They caught up to Olivia on a narrow strip of land that ran above the beach about twenty feet. The path wasn’t a natural occurrence, but had been carved out of the cliff face. The darkness made it difficult to see ahead, but it appeared that the trail simply ended after fifty feet.
“We should probably hurry,” Olivia called out as she neared the end of the path. “Less than twenty-five minutes left.”
“Are you joking?” Ash asked.
“Why would I joke?”
With a step to her left, she disappeared.
The path, it turned out, led to the opening of a cave in the cliff that had been almost invisible in the darkness. As Ash and Chloe stepped inside, several of the others turned on flashlights, giving them a better look at their surroundings. Not a cave, Ash realized, but a manmade tunnel. And on the ground just inside were two bodies. The guards, Ash guessed.
Olivia took the lead again, and didn’t stop until they reached a secure-looking metal door mounted in the tunnel wall. The door had no handle, and whatever hinges it swung on were either recessed in the metal frame or were on the inside. For all intents, it was impassible.
Olivia stepped over to the wall several feet from the door. Putting her hands on part of the rocky surface, she began moving them counterclockwise. To Ash’s surprise, the rock underneath turned with her, then hinged open. In the space where it had been was a twelve-inch-square monitor with a single button at the bottom.
“The box,” Olivia said.
One of her men came forward, carrying a long case almost the size of a box for roses.
“Warm it up,” she told him.
He undid the clasps and opened it. Whatever Ash thought would be inside, a severed forearm with a hand still attached wasn’t it.
“What the hell is that for?” Chloe said.
Without answering, the man removed a device from the bag he’d been carrying on his back and flipped a switch on the side. It started to hum, faintly at first, but grew louder as the seconds passed. Once one of the ends started glowing red, he hit another button, doubling the strength of the noise, and aimed the glowing end at the hand.
He let this go on for half a minute, then touched the palm with a small plastic strip. Seemingly unsatisfied, he aimed the device at the hand again for another thirty seconds. This time, after he put the strip against it, he said, “Ready.”
Olivia turned back to the screen, but instead of pressing the button at the bottom, she tapped the monitor in the upper right corner twice, and once in the middle. As soon as she lifted her finger the last time, the screen came to life.
She tapped twice more, and each time the screen changed as soon as she was done. She then motioned for the man holding the arm to join her. She moved the fingers of the detached hand just enough so that there was separation b
etween each, and pressed the palm and fingers against the screen.
Nothing happened for a moment, then there was a loud clunk, and the door began to swing open.
Olivia smiled at Ash. “After you.”
38
I.D. MINUS 13 MINUTES
LOCAL TIME 9:47 AM
MATT STARED AT the world map on his computer screen. Marked on it were the locations where companies with variations on the names Hiddekel, Pishon, Gihon, and Phrath had been conducting suspicious operations that had so far gone undiscovered. While there were many marks, they represented only a fraction of the number that he knew must have been out there. Worse yet, Matt’s people were having spotty luck getting through to people who might be able to do something about those they did know. And even when they did reach someone, convincing them that something terrible was about to happen was more miss than hit.
“Mr. Hamilton?”
Matt looked up. Everyone seemed to be busy at the different stations. “Who called me?”
“I did, sir.” A hand went up across the room.
Matt stood up. “What is it?”
“Security breach, sir. PB position two.”
PB was the codename assigned to the dirt road leading to the Ranch. Position two would mean whoever it was would already be halfway to the Lodge from the highway.
“Do you have visual?”
“They’ll be coming up on a video point in about fifteen seconds.”
“Route it to one of the TVs.”
“Yes, sir.”
There was a delay of five seconds, then the monitor on the end of the table filled with an image of the empty dirt road.
“Sir, second contact.”
“Also on PB?”
“No, sir, from the southwest, but coming fast and low. I think it’s a helicopter.”
On the screen, three large SUVs suddenly appeared. Though it was impossible to tell for sure, each looked like it was filled with men wearing helmets and holding weapons.
Matt shoved himself out of his chair. “Get everyone who’s outside into the Bunker now and lock us up tight! I don’t want whoever is coming this way to get even a hint of where any of the entrances are.”
The alarm began blaring throughout the Bunker to let everyone know they were about to seal things up.
“Prep full cover,” Matt said.
Silence descended on the room.
“Are…are you sure, sir?” one of the men asked.
“I said prep, I didn’t say set it off. But if I do, I don’t want any hesitation.”
“Yes, sir.”
Full cover would mean igniting both the Lodge and the dormitory so that they would burn down on top of two of the entrances to the Bunker. The third entrance, accessed via a long tunnel, would be left open unless it was found. If that happened, it could be collapsed once the intruders were inside.
“Let me know as soon as everyone is in,” he said.
“Sir, another contact. Looks like a second helicopter. Coming from the northeast.”
Rachel rushed into the room. “What’s going on?”
“Someone’s coming at us.”
“Who?”
He looked at her. “I’ll give you one guess.”
“We don’t know that for sure.”
“If we could find them, they certainly could find us.”
“Sir, fourth contact.” It was yet another helicopter.
“Is everyone back inside yet?”
“Jon Hayes is still out there. He went to the barn to check on the horses.”
“Get him on the radio.”
Several seconds passed. “I’ve patched him through to the speaker, sir.”
“Jon, this is Matt. Where are you?”
“Running up from the barn.”
“How long will it take you to get here?”
“Three minutes.”
Matt glanced at the center screen. The security image from the road had been replaced by a map of the Ranch, with moving dots representing the contacts heading their way. Three minutes would be too late.
“You’re not going to make it,” he said. “You’ll have to—”
“Matt, I’m not alone. Brandon Ash came with me.”
Ash’s son? “Who authorized that?”
“No one. He was going a little stir-crazy, so I thought maybe if he helped me with the horses, he’d feel better. I…I didn’t think anyone was going to show up like this.”
No one had thought that, but still, taking the kid out? What was Matt going to tell Ash?
“You need to hide. Now. When it’s clear, get to one of the emergency supply dumps in the woods, fill up a pack, and hike out. They may keep coming back, so it’s your only chance. After you’re away, operate under emergency contact conditions. Do not, I repeat, do not try to come back here.”
“What about you?”
Matt hesitated. He could no longer ignore what was heading their way. “We’re going full cover right now.” He nodded at the man monitoring the security system, confirming the order.
“I understand. Good luck.”
“Jon. Don’t let anything happen to the kid.”
“I won’t.”
__________
“THEY’RE NOT GOING to let us back in?” Brandon asked, trying not to sound as scared as he felt.
“There’s no time,” Hayes said. “You hear the helicopters?”
Brandon nodded. Distant thump-thump-thumps were coming from several directions.
“We’d never make it back before they got here. It’s okay, though. Don’t worry. We just need to hide out until they’re gone.” Hayes looked around quickly. “This way.” He started for the woods south of the path.
“What about the horses?” Brandon asked.
“They’d see us if we were on them.”
“No, no. I mean, won’t the others see the barn? Couldn’t the horses be in danger?”
“I’m sure no one will bother them.”
He took another step toward the trees, but Brandon held his ground. “We can’t leave them there! Mr. Hamilton said they were going to full cover. I know what that is. I’ve been trying to learn everything so I could help if I was needed. If they get rid of all the ways in and out of the Bunker, who’s going to feed the horses? Don’t you see? We have to at least let them go so they can take care of themselves.”
Hayes stared at him, and sighed. It was only a minute back to the barn. Chances were, the people in the helicopters would head straight for the Lodge, buying Hayes and the kid a little more time.
Hayes couldn’t help also feeling a little ashamed with himself. Brandon was right. Leaving the horses pent-up would be inhumane. The two of them could probably let the animals out and slip into the woods to the east without anyone ever suspecting they were there.
He stepped quickly back on the path.
“If I yell ‘hide,’ you run as fast as you can for the closest trees, you understand?”
“So we’ll let the horses out?”
Hayes nodded.
__________
AS SOON AS the alarm went off, Josie went looking for her brother.
Surprisingly, he wasn’t in any of the places he usually hung out. Thinking that maybe he’d gone to the communications room to see what was going on, she headed there. A quick scan of those present revealed that Brandon wasn’t one of them.
She walked quickly up to Rachel. “Miss Hamilton? I can’t find my brother.”
Rachel looked surprised to see her, then her face turned serious. “I don’t want you to worry. He’ll be okay.”
The words had the exact opposite effect. “What do you mean?”
“He’s outside,” Rachel said. She put a hand on Josie’s arm. “But Jon Hayes is with him and will take care of him.”
Josie pulled back. “Somebody needs to go get them.”
“We can’t, Josie. We’re being attacked.”
Josie’s eyes went wide. “A…attacked? But you just said Brandon’s still out ther
e.”
“He’s going to hide in the woods. They won’t know he’s there.”
“You’ve got to let him back in! You’ve got to!”
She ran out of the room, not waiting to hear any more. She headed straight for the exit that would take her up to the basement of the Lodge. But when she got there, a massive door that had never been closed blocked the way to the exit.
She headed for one of the other two ways out of the building, but it, too, was sealed tight. And, she soon found out, so was the last.
She stared at the door, not knowing what to do. Her father had wanted her to watch over Brandon, but now she couldn’t even get to him.
__________
WITHOUT ANOTHER WORD, Brandon and Hayes sprinted down the path, and rushed into the barn just as one of the helicopters came into sight.
“Don’t move,” Hayes ordered Brandon. The man peeked outside through a crack between two of the boards. “Dammit.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I think they might have seen us. They’re coming this way. I’m an idiot. We should have stayed in the trees until they passed by.”
Outside, Brandon could hear the beat of the helicopter rotors drawing nearer.
Hayes suddenly grabbed Brandon by the arm. “Come on.”
They raced back to the horse stalls, stopping next to one housing a brown mare. Hayes opened the gate. “Get in there and stand right up against Maggie.”
“Why?”
“Those people out there might have a thermal scanner. If they do, they’ll be able to see your heat signature and know you’re not a horse, but if you’re next to her, it’s possible they won’t see the difference. Now go!”
Feeling more than just a little nervous, Brandon entered the stall. Feeding the horses was one thing, but standing next to Maggie was something else entirely. As Brandon pressed against her, he was sure she would pull away, or maybe even bite and kick at him. But while she did turn her head and look at him for a second, she remained where she was.
Two stalls away, just above the sound of the helicopter, one of the horses huffed several times. Mr. Hayes said some soothing words, and the animal seemed to calm down.
Exit 9 (A Project Eden Thriller) Page 23