by Peter Hoole
“Answer the question, Cook. Stop fucking around,” Dunleavy said, finally finding his backbone.
“Very well,” James responded, put off by Dunleavy’s uncouth language. “As I was saying before Mr Dunleavy’s… input… my people have been trained to get to their locations. What kind of leader would I be, if I told any of them that my safety over-rode theirs?”
The door behind Jacob swung open violently. Several men entered the room, led by a tall, dark-haired man. The dark-haired man ran up towards James, his weapon focused on Caleb.
“Is everything okay, sir?” the man asked.
“Yes it is,” James replied. “Is everyone safely away?”
“Mostly, sir. I’ve ordered everyone to their evacuation points. Even if we aren’t as fast as the practice drills, the colony should be evacuated soon.
“Good. Well done.”
William looked at Caleb.
Caleb was busy scanning the room. He counted a dozen other people. The way they moved, they were obviously highly trained soldiers. He imagined there were a couple more outside the room.
Upon realising Dunleavy was one of the prisoners, William understood his plan to keep the colony safe had failed. “I guess it wasn’t you who started the evacuation.”
“No, William, it was not,” James said, seemingly blaming William, “But the situation can be rectified.”
“And… how is that?” William asked.
“You must stop the colony from imploding.”
“Imploding, sir?”
“Yes, William. Once the countdown ends, the colony will implode. A further measure to ensure the Source could not be exploited by others.”
“Very well. How do I stop it?”
“Go to the Control Room. Enter my security code.”
“Word or numbers, sir.”
“A word… Endeavour”
“I won’t let you down, sir,” William said enthusiastically.
“Make sure you don’t,” James said firmly.
William nodded, and turned to leave the room. As he began made his way to the door, James called him back. “Wait. Give me your sidearm.”
William handed over his pistol, unsure of what James intended. James walked over and took possession of the weapon. He then made his way back over to where Caleb and Dunleavy were sitting. “There comes a time in every man’s life, trust me, I’ve seen it,” James began pontificating, looking at William’s weapon and providing no eye contact to either Caleb or Dunleavy, “There comes a time when a man realises that he has outlived his usefulness. He realises that he is no longer as powerful or suitable or necessary as he once was. That time can stretch out for a decade, or happen in a fleeting second. Now, the time has come for you.”
Caleb and Dunleavy looked at each other, wondering who James was talking to.
James continued, still not making eye-contact. “Now, you are no longer required or wanted.” James raised the weapon at Caleb.
Then, without warning, he quickly spun around, and pointed the gun at Jacob. “You will not live forever. We will not see you in the next life.”
Jacob reacted. Still holding his gun, he lifted his arm. All his efforts were in vain.
As Jacob’s arm reached his hip, the bullet flew from the barrel of William’s gun. It sped through the air, headed towards Jacob’s eye. With an explosion, Jacob’s eye popped, a mixture of blood, aqueous humour and skull fragments flying out from the back of his head. The once strong, arrogant and devious sociopath’s body slumped to the floor, never to kill again.
The room remained silent, the only noise the echo of the gunshot.
James, the only relaxed person in the room, turned and walked over to William. He handed him the weapon. “Now… go.” James said calmly.
Without a word, William ran out the door. He didn’t want to be on the receiving end of James’ wrath.
Chapter Fifty-Five
William ran out of the room, turning right down the corridor. Had he turned the other way, he would have seen Darcy and Casey, waiting around the corner.
They were watching the tablet closely, unsure of what was happening in the room. When there was three previously, there was now more than a half dozen people in the room, and two outside.
While watching the screen, they heard a gunshot. Darcy’s heart sank, her thoughts of Caleb. If he was in the room, with that many opposition soldiers, he had no chance of survival.
Casey refocused her. “Look, I know the Cap. He’ll be fine,” Casey said. “We’ve still got surprise working for us.”
Casey’s words didn’t improve Darcy’s mood. Still, she tried to maintain her focus.
Casey turned to Darcy. “Are you ready?”
She took in a deep breath, trying to push the thought of Caleb from her mind. She knew he might be dead, but she had to try control her emotions.
She nodded to Casey, readying herself.
Casey turned back to the screen. While pointing at the screen, Casey laid out his plan to Darcy. It involved Casey doing most of the work, taking out the two guards outside the room. Once that was done, it was a case of each of them taking out one half of the room.
That would mean Darcy would have to shoot at least two more people that day. But, with Caleb’s life possibly in danger, she knew she had no real alternative.
Casey moved quickly, and Darcy followed. As he moved, Casey raised his weapon. He fired only two bullets. For two targets, his ammunition use was more than sufficient.
The door was left unguarded, but Casey knew that the sound of the men hitting the floor would be more than enough to gain the attention of those inside. Again, Casey moved forward quickly. As he was the better trained, he ran to the opposite side of the open door. Darcy approached the closer side.
“What’s going on out there?” a voice emanated from the room.
Neither Casey nor Darcy thought to respond. Darcy had her weapon ready, as did Casey. They were both standing on opposite sides of the door, their backs to the wall. Darcy’s left side was next to the opening, and Casey’s right. Casey looked at Darcy, and raised his hand; his middle, ring and pinkie fingers extended. He started to count down. The middle finger went down, then the ring. As soon as the pinkie finger fell, Casey spun to his right. As he turned, Darcy followed suit. She swung to her left.
The room was much smaller than she’d anticipated. Without close inspection, she saw two men in her line of sight. As they turned in her direction, they lifted their weapons. Without hesitation, Darcy fired. Without the same precision training, she didn’t hit her target on the first try. After several shots, the first armed soldier was struck, and fell to the ground. From her vantage point, Darcy was not sure if the wound was mortal. And she didn’t have time to think.
As she moved her aim to the second target, they moved.
Unfortunately, they had moved into Casey’s line of sight. With his primary targets taken down with a flurry of bullets, Casey was able to take care of Darcy’s without a problem. The bullets flew from his weapon, shredding the soldier’s clothes, turning the black façade red, such was the impact of the shots. With the immediate dangers nullified, Casey walked into the room.
Darcy was close behind.
As they entered, Darcy’s attention immediately focused on the men in the chairs. While a little battered, both men looked to be alive. She saw Caleb, and her relief was palpable. She had feared the worst, and her fears had been allayed. She smiled at her partner, and he returned her gaze.
Behind Caleb’s chair, a man was crouched down. A man she didn’t recognise.
“And who is this?” Casey asked, breaking the silence.
James was standing behind Caleb’s chair. When the bullets started flying, James had swiftly dived behind the two imprisoned men, hoping he wouldn’t be hit.
When Casey spoke, James realised he was in trouble. He analysed his options, of which there weren’t many. He relented, placed his gun on the ground, and stood up with his hands raised.
&n
bsp; “Are you okay, Cap?” Casey asked.
“I’m fine, Sergeant. Nice work,” Caleb replied, “It would be good to be able to stand up though.”
“You,” Casey said, referring to James. “Untie them.”
Darcy looked around the room and the bodies on the floor. All of the men were unrecognisable. Either they had masks covering their faces, or their faces had been shot away. “Where’s Jacob? Wasn’t he with you?” Darcy asked.
Caleb looked over to the right of the room, and motioned to the body closest to the wall.
As James continued to untie Caleb, Casey walked over to the Jacob’s body. Showing the disdain he felt for the fallen assassin, Casey kicked the boot of the man, as though testing the tyres on a new car. “Yep, he’s gone.”
Darcy couldn’t help herself. She was relieved. Jacob had always seemed like a threat, and now that threat was gone.
Chapter Fifty-Six
James finished untying Caleb, and had moved to Dunleavy. The huff coming from him was a result of the situation. Once again, he had found himself alone in his own colony.
His only hope was William, whom he had just sent away.
Caleb stood up, and turned toward the now-defenceless man. He had seen him kill Jacob without remorse, so not only was the man untying Dunleavy suffering a God-complex, but he was ruthless as well. Caleb knew that, left alive, James would be one of the biggest threats to humanity he had ever seen.
And he had to be stopped.
The main problem that Caleb was facing, was the dilemma of whether or not to keep him alive.
Caleb thought about his options as James finished untying Dunleavy.
“Cap,” Casey spoke up, “Have we heard from the Lieutenant?”
“Not yet, Sergeant. No doubt she’s fine, though,” Caleb replied with confidence.
The conversation concerned James. He was sure that one of the four people with him had been the one to set off the alarm. Now it was apparent they were being assisted by someone else… this ‘Lieutenant’.
“What’s the plan, Caleb?” Darcy asked.
Caleb had been considering that very question. For the meantime, he figured it would be better to keep James alive. Being alive, Caleb knew James could be useful. Dead, and James would be nothing but a memory.
He also had the William problem to deal with.
“Darcy,” Caleb said, turning his attention to Darcy. “You take Dunleavy and Casey. Find us a way to get out of here.”
Darcy, who had become accustomed to Caleb sending her away, reluctantly nodded. “What about you?” she asked, “Where will you be?”
Caleb looked at her, trying to sound confident. “Just before you got here, this guy,” he said, referring to James, “sent one of his men to stop the self-destruct that Murphy set off.”
Darcy already knew what he was going to say.
“I’m going to stop him,” Caleb continued.
“But,” Darcy said. “What if you can’t? You’ll be stuck down here.”
Caleb looked into her eyes. The love that emanated was combined with fear. Caleb did the only thing he could to quell that thought. He placed his arms around her, and pulled her tight. “I will come back” he said, unsure if he believed it.
Darcy knew that what he’d said was a promise he might not be able to keep, but she tried to be strong. Not for herself, but for Caleb. She knew her show of strength might help him focus. “You’re damn right you will be…” she said, as she pulled tighter on what she thought may be her last hug from Caleb.
“Okay lovers, let’s go” Casey said, trying to lighten the mood.
Darcy moved her head away from Caleb’s chest and looked up at him. “You come back to me, okay?”
“Okay,” Caleb said, smiling as he let her go.
Darcy took a few steps back, towards the door where Casey and Dunleavy were waiting. For the last few steps, she turned to face her companions.
“Babe…” Caleb called out.
Darcy turned around.
Caleb pointed at her, “You’re the light in my dark”.
Darcy smiled, then turned and jogged out of the room.
Caleb watched his partner leave. Not knowing if it would be the last time he saw her, he wanted to take in every last image. He watched her disappear behind the wall, followed by Dunleavy and Casey. Knowing Casey was there would make it easier for Caleb to cope.
He looked around the carnage of the room. It was only he and James left. He raised his weapon at James.
“Lead the way.”
William entered the room. His gun was drawn, although he was hoping he would not need to use it. He had no real reason to believe he would be confronted by a group, though he did anticipate some resistance.
As he entered the room, William realised that any movement may be difficult to track, due to the red lighting in the room, a result of the activated countdown. Apart from the lights, the room was, as always, strikingly similar to the others in the complex - the exception being its size. The room was easily the largest in the facility. Given he was only two hundred or so feet underground, the scale of the room was impressive.
The room housed the computer main-frame. Any and all commands that ran to and from Haven were routed through this large piece of machinery. Once designed, the builders knew it would not be easily concealed under the town. Therefore, they had to adjust the surrounding landscape. Over time, a hill was built around the room. Little by little, layers of dirt, soil and rock were brought in. Luckily, most of the people in the surrounding area were too occupied with their own lives, and the hill was built with little to no distraction or suspicion. As the Colonials were a patient people, the ten year wait just for the camouflage was insignificant.
William knew all of this, as he had heard similar stories many times. The patience of the Colonials was their greatest asset. It was also, as William saw it, a weakness. While patience was indeed a virtue, it had also led them to the point they were at now.
It seemed so long ago that James had told William, and a few select others, the true nature of the plan, and of his vision for the world. William had always believed in the plan, so much so that he believed their lack of earlier action had been folly. Had it been his decision, William would have set things in motion much sooner, thus helping move the plan forward in two distinct ways – the outsiders would be fewer in number, and their technology would be less of a threat.
As it was now being demonstrated, William may well have been correct.
Looking at the mainframe, which towered up into the centre of the artificial hill, William tried to make sense of it.
It was as he expected. A tall congregation of wires, metal supports and plastic cases, the machine stood a hundred feet tall and thirty feet wide. While there were bigger mainframes at the other colonies, this one had been the first - the prototype.
The machine’s sleek and smooth façade hid the microchips and Ethernet cables with precision. This only assisted in ensuring the room have the same look as the others. Towards the base of the mainframe, about five feet from the floor, was a monitor. Not unlike others William had seen in the colony’s other rooms, this monitor was displaying an ominous message.
More than fifteen minutes had passed since the countdown had begun.
While the number displayed was still counting down, William was relieved he still seemed to have plenty of time. He approached the base of the machine, his gun still drawn. There was only one entry point to the room, and no obvious places to hide.
Stepping forward, he continued to scan the room, turning to face the door at least once for each yard he walked.
Arriving at the screen, William noted the display. Along one side of the screen was a series of icons, not dissimilar to the ones found on a normal working PC.
Taking up the majority of the forty-two-inch screen was the countdown. Broken down to the millisecond, the numbers showed there was fourteen minutes and forty-three seconds until the complex would implode.
Implosion was James’ preferred method of destruction of the colonies. He had felt that, should the need arise, the implosion would attract the least attention. The town situated above the complex, simplistic in its own design as a truck-stop for travelling people, was reinforced at its base with fifteen feet of high-density steel alloy. This would allow the colony to implode, and the surface town to remain untouched. To those on the surface it would feel like a small earthquake.
The town itself was relatively isolated, being at least thirty miles from the next civilised area. Apart from the low-level seismic activity, the force of the complex’s destruction would go relatively unnoticed.
Unless you were standing inside it.
William appreciated the irony in his situation. For so long, he had wanted to be close enough to James to have him confide the secrets of the plan and the colony with him. Now that he knew, William found himself in arguably the most dangerous position he could possibly be in. Here he was, about to type in the code James had provided him.
Additionally, Willian was troubled by the knowledge that someone else might have tampered with the countdown. As far as William knew, there was only one person alive who could have set the countdown into motion – James. If one of Dunleavy’s outsiders had managed to set it off themselves, there was no telling what impact the new code would have.
Regardless, William knew what he needed to do. The code had to be put in, as, frankly, it was the only option. William pressed one of the icons on the side of the screen.
The main interface changed, and requested a code be entered. Below the message, an alpha-numeric keyboard appeared. William carefully entered the code. Completely aware of James’ history, and of his initial journey to Australia, William knew Endeavour was the name of the ship James had commanded.
It amused William that the name had turned out to mean so much more than was intended. He finished typing in the word, and pressed the confirmation button.
William gasped at the result. He normally didn’t have any kind of penchant for overreaction, but on this occasion, the situation more than merited it.