Mark Midway Box Set: Mark One, Mark Two, Mark Three, and Mark Four

by John Hindmarsh

  “Listen, you little upstart, Cerberus is ours, not yours.” She cursed some more. “We will take control.” The call was disconnected with a crash.

  Mark shrugged and looked at Scott and Anna.

  “Game on, I would say,” Scott said. “The lady’s not for turning.”

  “Some of her language was not at all ladylike,” Anna said. “I suppose they’ll still try to attack us?”

  “Definitely. The Chairman’s not going to walk away from this.”

  “So we’re all in danger?” Anna asked.

  Mark smiled and said, “I think the Chairman is in danger, if I can do anything about it. Let’s meet with Thomas and Laura and see what the British Army can do for us.”

  Scott asked, “Do you know if they’ve spoken with Colonel Hudson?”

  “Yes, she’s given them leave to be here.”

  “Good.”

  “Can you contact them both, Scott? We’ll meet in the larger sitting room. Get someone to relieve you, and Sera should join us. Anna, you and Reb, too.”

  Mark briefed Thomas and Laura, the two young Cerberus soldiers. “DI Goodwin was irate. She said Cerberus is theirs, not mine. I’m not sure she realizes I don’t want to control the organization; I just want to guide what it does. We’re in a situation where local law is unlikely to be much help. I’ve asked Maeve to try to communicate with people in British law enforcement who might be able to help us and so far she’s been unsuccessful. My conclusion is we need to protect ourselves. I know you’ve been updating your CO. Is she still in agreement about you providing assistance here?”

  “Yes, sir. As you know, the first call was wild for a minute or two. We’ve given her updates and she’s confirmed her approval of ten days special leave for each of us, so we’ve got about a week left.”

  “I’d be surprised if the DI and the Chairman will wait much longer before they attack,” said Laura. “Based on all the videos, the Chairman is more than impatient to see this raid finished and successful.”

  “Scott, what have you and Thomas planned for protecting the house?” Mark asked.

  Scott said, “We’re assuming a pre-dawn attack as worst case. We’ve split the team into three shifts, one on watch, one on standby and one sleeping. The soldiers are helping me and Sera with monitoring the cameras. We added motion detectors to detect anything over a hundred pounds and infrared and photoelectric cameras with beam sensors. We’re able to run the army lorry behind any vehicles that come down the lane. The soldiers have three men on truck duty. They’re also charged with immobilizing the intruders’ vehicles.”

  “What else?”

  “It will depend on their approach. We don’t expect them to have heavy military equipment. They’ll come in and shoot up the place, maybe drop flash bangs, maybe get serious with grenades. Worst case for us would be if they stand off and fire mortars. I think that’s unlikely—they’d never get the information they’re looking for if they did that. We think they’ll opt for the quieter approaches—a surreptitious entry followed by selective shooting of targets. We have some surprises ready. The worst-case scenario is if they decide to withdraw and destroy everything with some kind of explosive device.”

  “We can use deadly force to defend our home against invaders,” Mark said.

  “Yes, I’ve been checking, too. There are legal cases in support of people defending their homes, even if they kill the attackers.”

  “We should try to capture these people. Thomas, tell your team to use deadly force only if your lives are threatened.”

  “Yes, sir,” Laura and Thomas replied.

  “Scott, do you have anything more?”

  “No, not that I can think of. The team seems to have the external needs covered. My approach boils down to: detect the intruders, block their exit, attempt to capture them, kill them if we have to, and avoid getting shot.”

  Mark looked at Anna and Sera. “Thoughts?”

  They both shook their heads. “No,” Anna said.

  “Good. Laura and Thomas, continue to report to Scott. If you can’t find him, look for me or Anna. Okay?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Well, that’s it. We’ve a lot of work to do. I need to contact Maeve again.”

  Mark did not notice the two small intruders who backed quietly out of the room.

  ***

  Chapter 33

  Maeve read the report. It was just after sunrise when three black SUVs stopped in front of the house north of Atlanta. Four men raced to the front door. They wore quasi-military clothing and bulletproof protection. One was carrying a heavy battering ram. Four other men hurried to the rear of the property, one of whom also carried a battering ram. Three men, including the person in charge, remained with the vehicles. At precisely six-thirty a.m. the two teams smashed down the front and rear doors of the house and rushed inside.

  The noise had alerted the residents. Two—a cook and kitchen maid—hid in the pantry until they were discovered some hours later. By the time the first team had reached the second floor and identified the main bedroom, Reverend Barker’s young lady friend had climbed out the window where she slipped on the wet slate and fell fifteen-feet to the ground, breaking her left leg and wrist. She was unconscious for ten minutes and when she recovered, denied any knowledge of the reverend. An addendum to the report supplied the information that a few days later, the young woman was hospitalized for severe pneumonia. The doctors discovered she was pregnant and since she was only thirteen, informed the local authorities.

  During the commotion at the house, Barker, learning from prior experience, had taken shelter behind what he had been informed was a bulletproof door protecting his panic room. He also had acquired an UZI SMG for his personal defense. As the invaders entered his bedroom, he poked the small weapon around the edge of the door and fired. He used half a clip and failed to hit anything except the gaudy chandelier above his bed, shattering its crystal components. The response from the four men who had entered the bedroom was loud and sustained. One was armed with an HK MP7A2 which used 4.6 mm cartridges capable of penetrating 20 layers of Kevlar. The other officers carried Glocks. They fired multiple rounds at his bulletproof door. The impacts tore the door from its hinges and it fell back, partly crushing Barker. He struggled to remove himself from under its heavy weight and in so doing, exposed most of his silk pajama-clad body. A second burst of fire hit the reverend, fracturing both femurs, shattering his pelvis and one bullet, smaller caliber, pierced his heart, ending his days of leadership of the Southern United Fundamentalists’ church and its militia. No one claimed ownership of the smaller caliber.

  Maeve admitted to herself that she gained some pleasure at the conclusion of events. She read the details aloud while visiting with Schmidt, but she still didn’t know whether either her voice or the contents of the report penetrated his unconsciousness.

  ~~~

  Gabrielle and Niland vowed to assist in defense of the manor house. They had memories, which for months had given them nightmares, of the attack on Camp Brewer, where over twenty of their companions had been murdered, either shot or poisoned. They and Anna had escaped, rescued by Mark after Anna shot and killed the murderers. They still had nightmares, even now. At Gabrielle’s suggestion, they set off to visit with Reb’s three friends, now settled in to the comfort of the manor house, home from their short hospital stay.

  They found the teenagers in the boys’ bedroom. “We want to protect Mark and Anna, and Reb, of course,” Niland said. “Mark has protected us, and I’m sure he’ll protect you in the future, too.”

  “Oh, we don’t have any doubts about Mark. We’ve seen how he takes care of everyone. He’s even watching out for the army brats. But what can we do?” Lewis asked. His two friends listened intently to the discussion.

  Gabrielle said, “We need to have a better idea of your abilities.”

  “Oh.” There was a long silence as Lewis looked first at Carys and then at Owen.

  Gabrielle reached out to
Carys and held her hand. She said, “I’ll share one of my abilities—I can make people not see me, or anyone I’m with.” Both girls disappeared. After four or five seconds Gabrielle and Carys re-appeared and she released the Welsh girl’s hand.

  “Amaze balls,” Lewis said. Carys shook her head in disbelief. Owen seemed too surprised to speak.

  Gabrielle stepped toward Lewis and took his hand. “What can you do?” Lewis didn’t answer and after a few moments Gabrielle released his hand. She looked at each of the three and turned to Niland. “Did you get that?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Interesting. Of course, we knew their programming ability was tops. I’m intrigued to learn Carys can also hide people. So that’s almost two of you—well, three, if you include my ability. Lewis has a similar ability to you and Mark. He’s able to persuade people to do things without them realizing. It’s why he’s so bossy,” Niland said.

  “None of them can do mental transfers, though.”

  “No. Unless they can hide some of their—I sensed a sudden restriction from Lewis when he realized what you were doing.”

  “I felt what he did and decided not to force my way in.”

  “Alright, you two,” Lewis said. “Your points are made. Yes, I shut you out; I thought I’d disguised it. You’re half our age, and you’re stronger, far stronger, than me. Is that how you got Anna and Reb to help rescue us?”

  Niland said, “Yeah, but they’re difficult to influence. We both needed to work on them.”

  Lewis asked, “What do you think we can do to help Mark?”

  “The house has a long attic with windows overlooking the front and back, but not the sides. We think we can get some firearms and ambush the attackers. Gabrielle and Carys can do their thing; the attackers won’t be able to see us,” Niland said.

  “Or we’ll set ourselves up in the grounds, let them go past, and attack them from the rear,” Gabrielle mused.

  “It’d be too risky. There’d be firearms going off in every direction. Using the attic might work. Can we have a look?” Owen asked.

  The room was long, dusty, and dimly lit. Heavy exposed timber beams supported the slate-tiled roof. Gray sheets covered furniture, stored until required, or in some cases, because they were no longer required. Boxes and cabinets contained papers and old documents. Niland, in his earlier exploring, had found some papers dated more than a hundred years earlier. The dust they disturbed made Gabrielle sneeze. She led the way to the front windows, which overlooked the gardens and entry area. The lane leading onto the property was visible, although most of the view was blocked by trees.

  “Let’s check the other windows,” said Lewis. Clambering over stacked boxes and other obstructions, they all trooped to the end of the attic, which overlooked the back of the property. A huge water tank gurgled as they climbed past. Everyone was sneezing from the decades-old dust. They stood around the largest window and looked out at the two cottages and pathways at the rear of the house.

  Lewis sat on a crate next to the window. “The problem is, how to identify who is friend or foe, at night? What if it’s too dark when the attackers arrive? If it’s a rainy night, we won’t have a chance.”

  Gabrielle said, “There must be something we can do?”

  Owen said, “If I was attacking, I’d pick a time well after midnight. I’d use stealth to get as close as possible. Another idea is to openly approach, pretending we’re the local police. We can identify two strategies to reach the house and we’re only guessing. Mark can field twenty Cerberus soldiers, plus him and four other adults, a total of twenty-five. Wouldn’t we get in their way?”

  Carys said to Gabrielle and Niland, “Owen is always the realist. Sometimes he’s disappointing.” She smiled to soften her words.

  “Well, perhaps you and I can hide Mark and Reb if anyone manages to get into the house,” Gabrielle said to Carys. “Niland and Lewis can use their abilities to slow down any attacker who wants to shoot us. Owen—I’m sorry, I didn’t see what your abilities are.”

  “Inventiveness,” Owen replied. “Taking wild ideas and trying to make them work. I’ve been thinking.”

  Carys and Lewis groaned and Lewis explained, “It usually means lots of work for us while dreamer here”—he nudged Owen—“just keeps dreaming and telling us we’ve got it wrong.”

  Owen smiled. “Mark developed an EMP blast program, didn’t he?” He looked at Gabrielle.

  “Yes,” she said. “It blew out all the video and image files on cameras and phones when the police tried to enter our home in New Hampshire. Actually I think it deleted all their files.”

  “This is what I think we can do,” Owen said, and went on to describe his idea. “The scenario is this. We’ll construct and program a small device based on Mark’s EMP program. It’ll appear to affect all cell phones within a forty or fifty yard radius. We’ll pirate the components Mark ordered for his EMP processes and use them to build the device. When it’s switched on, and a cell phone is carried into its range, the field will appear to cause the battery to short out. We have to show that the battery either catches on fire or it explodes. We can demonstrate that it won’t take long for the battery to ignite, maybe fifteen or twenty seconds from when the phone enters the field. Once a phone is infected, the process can’t be stopped, although we won’t try to demonstrate that.”

  “So the attackers—assuming they’re getting information from someone still here—will think they can’t use their cell phones. That will cut down their communications abilities when they’re on the grounds. It’s a good idea, I agree. What will we do about our phones?” Gabrielle asked.

  “Same, same, at least for the test. Turn all of them off. The field is supposed to affect any cell phone that comes close enough. The only way to prevent it is to remove the batteries.”

  “So we do a test?”

  “Yes. We’ll tell everyone to keep their phones at least a hundred yards away, maybe farther. We need to place a phone in range of the field before we switch on the equipment.”

  Lewis added, “We have to act as though we’re keeping our test hidden from outsiders. I can rig a small explosive device; I saw some shotgun shells in the large barn that I can utilize.”

  “We can run the test in the area between the large barn and the cottages. I’ll brief the soldiers and get them to sweep across the back of the property to make sure no one’s watching. We can set up our test there, using one phone. It should work,” Gabrielle said.

  Niland asked, “Who’s going to sacrifice their cell phone?”

  For a long minute, no one answered. At last Gabrielle said, “I’ll check with Scott and see if we have any spares. We should try to find a cheap one, though.”

  Owen cautioned, “We can’t tell anyone else. It must look real, and everyone has to believe in it, that’s the only way to do this.”

  “I’ve had a feeling someone is sending out details about us,” Gabrielle said. “If I collect all the phones before the test—to remove the batteries so they don’t explode—I can check the call logs. I might discover who’s making calls they shouldn’t.”

  “You really are suspicious, aren’t you,” Lewis said. “Alright, let’s do it.”

  “Amaze balls,” said Carys.

  “Do you think we set it up in time?” asked Niland.

  “Totes. Let’s start now. Come on,” Gabrielle said. “We can do it.”

  ~~~

  Scott was intrigued when Gabrielle explained their project. “So you’re planning to use all of Mark’s EMP components? I’d better replace them before he discovers they’re missing. I’ve got some cheap pay-as-you-go phones; I’ll give you one of those. Be careful. Don’t blow up all our cell phones or you’ll be very unpopular.”

  Gabrielle thought for a moment. “I think we should tell Mark. I’ll collect all the phones and I’ll be responsible for taking out the batteries.”

  “A good idea,” Mark said. He’d entered the security room while Gabrielle was describing the project.
“I think your popularity would take a major hit if you destroyed thousands of dollars’—or pounds—worth of phones. Set up your test, let us know when you plan to run it, and I’ll make sure everyone hands over their phones. Oh, and you owe me for the EMP equipment.”

  ***

  Chapter 34

  Mark arranged a meeting with Anna, Reb, Scott, and Sera to review their status; he had also asked Thomas and Laura to join in the discussion. They were all seated in the larger sitting room.

  “Review time,” Mark said. “Stop me if you want to add anything. I prefer to not expose strangers to our problems, so I’ve given the two gardeners a week off. They’re happy with an unexpected paid vacation. The Carrolls are staying with family in the village so we’ll have limited housekeeping support for the next week. Once the threat of attack has gone, they can all return, and their lives and ours will return to normal. Well, ours as close to normal as we can manage.”

  “I’m sure we can cope,” Scott said. “And the gardens won’t deteriorate in a week.”

  Mark nodded and said, “Cerberus UK. It’s clear the rebel component is being influenced by the Chairman. Their motives are both power and money-based. They want all the offshore funds, from both the US and UK operations and total control of Cerberus UK. I don’t see any way to change their attitudes without handing over control of the bank accounts, which I’m not doing. The Chairman’s more difficult to read. I think he sees me as a threat, which is a reasonable conclusion for him to reach. I don’t think he’s aware the Chinese have withdrawn from genetic engineering research and any plan he has to sell specimens to them is now non-viable. I assume, even if he did know, he wouldn’t change his mind. So we’re going to be attacked. The two unknowns we have to deal with are when and how. Any thoughts?”

  Scott said, “I think your assessment of the Chairman is on the money. Have you considered taking him out? A small team would do it.”