by Kari Nichols
Walking down the length of the loading bay, Tate kept her gaze across the street. The wail was getting louder. Tate could see flashing lights heading straight for them. Jumping down from the docking bay, Tate winced as the gash in her leg complained. With a noticeable limp, she picked her way around the debris. She stepped in between two trailers just as the first emergency vehicle screamed to a stop in front of the blasted out building.
Winding back through the trucks, Tate exited the parking lot on the far side and kept moving. It took her twenty minutes to get back to their truck. Every time an emergency vehicle came or went, she had to duck out of the way. Settling Emily into the passenger seat, Tate climbed in behind the wheel and drove off.
Fishing her cell phone from her inside pocket, she was dismayed to see the cracked screen. Holding the power button to force a reboot, the screen remained dark. Tate pulled the back cover off of the phone and flipped a switch next to the battery. Tossing the phone out the window, she watched as the tiny bomb inside it self-destructed. A two-part bomb, the EM pulse wiped the memory and the C-4 dot melted the motherboard into an unusable blob of plastic.
Navigating by guess, Tate headed west, toward Incheon and the airport. She got all the way there only to find their hangar dark and empty. With no way of knowing where Gibson had gone and no cell phone to contact Tommy with, Tate headed back into Seoul. She drove in circles until she found a motel with internet.
Driving around to the parking lot at the back, she left Emily in the front seat while she booked them a room. Taking their gear to the room first, Tate returned for Emily and carried her from the truck. Once she’d gotten the unconscious woman settled onto the bed, Tate unpacked her laptop and booted it up.
It took her a minute to figure out which program Emily used to connect to The Sector. The second she opened it and established a connection, Tommy took over. A sequence of windows opened and closed and then a video link popped up on her screen and there was Tommy, with Evan in the background.
“Are you alright?” Evan demanded.
“I’m fine. Emily took another knock to the head, but she’ll be fine once she wakes. I put a field dressing on her cut and on the gash on my leg. It’s serviceable, but not very pretty.” Superglue and Band-aids would keep the cut from widening into a gash, but it would still leave a noticeable scar. Thinking that Gibson would have done a prettier job, she asked Tommy where he was.
Tommy outlined what Gibson had seen in Seoul. When he got to the part about Morrison he had to wait a full minute while Tate cursed the air blue.
“We’ll head for Russia, to synch up with Gibson,” she decided. She had a feeling they were going to need as many people on their side as possible, very soon. Whatever Morrison and his crew were planning, it sounded as though it was coming to a head.
***
Ura-bay Naval Base, Murmansk, Russia
Tank climbed out of the hatch and took in the massive shit storm surrounding him. No wonder the Russian commander hadn’t wanted to linger, waiting for his soldiers to clear the sub. At the far end of the docking bay he watched as three Russian boats entered the cavernous room. The lead boat deployed a rocket from a shoulder-mounted launcher. Tank looked near the bow of the sub. Jimmy dove over the side of his boat. Waiting for his friend to reappear, Tank saw a giant slab of cement drop from the ceiling. The remaining ceiling was a vast spider web of cracks.
Once Jimmy had regained a boat, Tank exited the submarine. He climbed down the outside of the conning tower. Walking along the top of the sub, he headed toward the bow. He could see outside the docking bay doors. Three boats had entered the building, but three more remained outside, waiting.
His grenades didn’t have the distance needed to reach the boats outside, so he’d have to force them inside. Jimmy was engaged with one of the two boats inside, but the other was attempting to sneak up on him from the far side of the submarine.
Tank waited until they were abreast of him before launching a grenade. It flew out over the side of the submarine and landed in the back of the boat. Not waiting around to watch the damage, Tank sprinted toward the tower and the ladder leading back to the dock.
Scrabbling his way up, he ran around the front of the sub, toward the blasted out entrance and the control console for the docking bay doors. Punching the ‘down’ button, Tank saw the doors stutter to a halt and then begin the laborious process of working their way down again.
The outside boats had a choice, wait for someone to reopen the doors or come inside. Running down the dock toward the burned out gas pumps, Tank heard the distinct sound of multiple engines revving up.
***
Bursting through the wall of flame, in front of the other boat, Jimmy angled his boat away and rammed into their side. The boat rocked heavily, but remained upright. One of the soldiers was knocked into the water. Jimmy brought his pilfered AK-47 around and aimed for the driver. The gun, on full auto, ripped him to shreds.
An explosion from the far side of the submarine distracted Jimmy long enough for the last soldier to get a shot off. Jimmy ducked, but the shot had gone wide. His boat bucking and turning without a driver to correct her, the lone soldier’s aim had been compromised. He dove for the wheel and turned his boat away from Jimmy, heading for the docking bay doors.
Jimmy throttled down and stepped away from the wheel. He’d scored a rocket launcher when he’d commandeered the boat. Shoving a rocket into the tube, he took aim on the runner. Sighting down the long tube, Jimmy watched instead as the docking bay doors stopped their ascent and began to lower again. Turning to look behind him, he saw a lone man heading away from the console. Recognizing him from his size, Jimmy drove over to the dock to pick up Tank.
Tank jumped into the back of Jimmy’s boat and took the rocket launcher from him. Raising it up on his shoulder, he aimed at the submarine. The missile sailed away, striking slightly forward of mid-ship. Before it had even struck the hull, he’d launched another aimed at the stern. The rockets ruptured the hull of the sub and she burst her seams. The fire rolled out in waves spreading across the water.
“Head for the doors! I’ll clear the way!” Tank shoved another rocket into the tube and sighted down the length, toward the docking bay doors. One of the three outside boats had already come inside. Tanked fired, but the boat managed to veer off. The rocket slammed into the far wall, the explosion shaking more debris loose from the ceiling.
Grabbing an AK from the floor of the boat, Tank opened fire. Bullets pinged off the side of their boat as the Russian soldiers returned fire.
“Doors coming up!” Jimmy called out.
“Head straight for them!” Tank continued to draw the other boat’s fire as they sailed under the doors. He watched as one of the soldiers raised a rocket launcher to his shoulder and pulled the trigger.
“To the right!” Tank called out and Jimmy swung their boat around in a sharp turn. The rocket sailed past them and struck one of the two boats that had remained outside the docking bay.
Jimmy aimed their boat at the second enemy vessel and prepared to ram into her side. Just as he was getting near, the boat Jimmy had let get away rammed him from the opposite side. Metal tore as their boat was sandwiched in between the enemy vessels. Tank stumbled to the back and over the side. He threw out a hand, grabbing the railing at the edge of the boat. Hanging from one arm, he bounced along the top of the water.
Tank was about to haul his ass into his boat when the third enemy vessel swung in near him. He waited for it to move up alongside and then hooked the shoulder strap of his AK around the end of the anchor of the other boat and let go of his own.
Bouncing through the water, hanging on by the shoulder strap, he got a hand up to the edge of the boat and grabbed hold. Unhooking the shoulder strap from the anchor, he swung his gun up and opened fire. The driver reacted too late and took three shots point blank in the chest.
Tank swung his leg up and turned toward the remaining soldier, but the guy already had a bead on him
. He rolled off the edge of the boat and into the water, grabbing one of the side buoys as he went. Braced for impact, he expected to feel bullets pierce his chest, but they flew over his head. His hands burned with fire as they slipped down the length of the rope toward the rear of the boat.
Reaching up, he grabbed hold of the side railing before he could dangle too close to the propellers. Chinning himself up, he looked inside the boat and saw that the lone soldier had taken command of the boat and was heading toward Jimmy.
Tank hauled himself out of the water. Pulling his knife from its sheath, he slipped up behind the driver and slit his throat. Hopping over the back seat, he grabbed the wheel and sped off toward Jimmy, who was battling a boat on both sides. Powering up to full speed, Tank angled in behind the boat on the right.
Aiming his AK at the rear engines, Tank opened fire. Bullets pierced the outer casing. Smoke started to billow out and then a small flame licked up the length of the fuel line, to the tanks in the back of the boat. Tank veered away as the fuel tanks ignited.
Pulling up alongside Jimmy’s boat, Tank leaped over the seat and landed in the back. Grabbing the rocket launcher, he loaded it and pulled the trigger. The one remaining enemy vessel didn’t stand a chance. It exploded on impact and fell away behind them as Jimmy continued to head north, toward the Barents Sea.
Tank slumped into the seat next to his friend, cringing as he brushed his scarred palms against his pants.
Looking Tank over, Jimmy smirked. “I think you need a better plan.”
They didn’t speak for a mile or so.
“Well?” Jimmy asked. “What now?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea where to start looking for Warp and his team,” Tank admitted. “Time to see what my sister knows.”
Chapter 14
The Sector, HQ
“What?” Blackburn demanded.
“Finn is taking too long in getting me what I need, Mr. Blackburn.” Godin paced behind his desk. He hated having to rely on incompetent people. “I don’t believe he is capable of completing the project that we require of him.”
“What do you want me to do about him?” Blackburn asked.
“I want you to get me whatever notes Bailey Rhodes has on these new locators. McMaster may have given her the self-destruct codes without telling her how destructive they would be.”
Bailey would have expected those codes to be delivered, since she’d designed the self-destruct mechanism. Blackburn cursed silently. How the hell did Godin expect him to get those codes? The Sector was on heightened alert after McMaster’s alterations were discovered. His mole reported that Bailey was locking everything into her private vault every night. Anyone who requested access to anything in the vault had to sign their life away before they could get their hands on it.
Blackburn didn’t know if his mole had access to the vault. Godin didn’t give a shit about any of that. He expected his orders to be followed and any obstacles to be taken care of. “We risk too much if we do this now. I won’t be able to keep it quiet.”
“It’s time for you to make a decision, Mr. Blackburn. Either you’re in this with me or you aren’t.”
The threat of exposure if he went against Godin was left unsaid. Blackburn knew that one phone call from the man and he’d be outed as their security leak. There would be no trial with a jury of his peers. He would be quietly disposed of and no one would ever know what had happened to him.
“I’m in,” he decided.
“Then prove it by getting me what I need.” Godin hung up.
Committed, Blackburn dialed an internal number. The phone was answered, but nothing was said. Blackburn gave him a time and a location and nothing more.
Hanging up, he stepped away from his desk and poured another cup of coffee. He noticed his hand shaking as he poured the milk. He’d always preferred to remain in the background. If something went wrong, it was easier to cover his tracks that way. But now he was being forced up to the front.
It was time to leave.
Blackburn had two tasks to see to, but both could be completed offsite. His computer had just completed a backup that he would copy and take with him. He was stalling and he knew it. He’d spent ten years in this office. He had enjoyed most of it, even when the stress levels had cost him two marriages.
He didn’t want to think about his ex-wives. He was better off without them. Soon he would be off the grid and they would no longer receive their alimony cheques. His first wife would be fine. She had her own money. His second wife had never held a job in her life. She’d gone straight from her parent’s house to his house. She couldn’t cook or clean and she’d spent his money faster than he could make it.
She’d sent him into bankruptcy and he’d given her a set of divorce papers. She’d moved back in with her parents. Once his bankruptcy period had ended, she’d hit him up for alimony and some bleeding heart judge had granted her request. Blackburn’s salary was quite good, but when more than half of it went to his ex’s, it left little for him.
The bank had foreclosed on his house, so he had moved into a shitty little apartment in a sleazy part of town. He had already cleaned out the dump and turned his key in to the building manager. He hadn’t bothered to give any notice or provide a forwarding address.
He looked at his watch. He had two hours before his first task could be completed. He couldn’t sit at his desk and twiddle his thumbs. He’d go insane. Transferring the backup data to his cell phone for storage, Blackburn logged out of the system for the last time. Grabbing his coat, he left his office and never looked back.
Two hours later he had parked his car at the far end of the mall’s south parking lot. Traffic whipped past, their engines creating a heavy drone that ebbed and swelled with the passage of each car. It was getting cold and there was already the threat of snow in the air. Blackburn didn’t care. Where he was going, snow wasn’t a threat, it was a constant.
Schwartz pulled up five minutes later. His raised pickup truck gleamed under the streetlights. Blackburn rolled down his window, forcing Schwartz to get out of his truck to keep the conversation quiet.
“Godin wants the latest prototype and lab notes for the locators.”
“I can’t get access to that. Bailey keeps it locked up tight.”
“Either you’re in or you’re out, Schwartz.” Blackburn gave him the exact same choice that he had gotten from Godin, which was no choice at all. “Do whatever you have to, to get it and then get out of there, for good. Call me when it’s done and I’ll make the arrangements for us to go to Godin.” When Schwartz nodded, Blackburn rolled up his window and pulled out of the parking lot.
***
Severny Island, Russia
Nicolai examined the papers that had just arrived from Okhotsk. The chief engineer had estimated that the complex required another month for major structural work and foundations to be set. After that, the work was purely cosmetic. The complex would be habitable, if not all that comfortable. Nicolai didn’t care about comfort. He needed a place to house the prisoners, soon.
They couldn’t wait another month at Severny. Godin would give up on Finn long before then. Blackburn was already on the move. Soon he would arrive in Russia and Godin would expect to see the notes that he had confiscated. If Blackburn arrived at Severny, all would be lost. If Blackburn didn’t arrive at Severny, Godin would demand to know why.
With Blackburn on his way, the window of opportunity to get the prisoners off the island was starting to close. He would have to act fast, which meant he would also have to act alone. Vlad wasn’t back at the complex yet. When he was there, Vlad was coked up more than usual, even for him. He didn’t like being at the complex. He said he felt entombed, as if the walls were going to collapse at any moment. That feeling would not go away at Okhotsk.
Nicolai had adapted his plan to work with little assistance from Vlad, out of necessity. He was still useful. Vlad held the purse strings, as loose as they were. Nicolai hadn’t figured out a way t
o transfer the money from Vlad’s account, but he was working on it.
In the meantime, he adjusted his plan and waited for his time to act.
***
This time, their cell was an actual prison cell. No underground chamber converted to a prison, no submarine bunk stripped of its furnishings, Warp and his team woke in a cement block with steel bars across the entrance. They were, once again, chained to the wall. Their arms extended full, their legs spread wide. The cell was bigger than any of their previous locations. The space allowed them to be stretched out without touching their neighbors.
After their failed attempt to gain the upper hand back on the submarine, any time the soldiers had to be moved, guards came with cattle prods. Step out of line and they got jolted. Get too close to a guard and they got jolted. Follow the rules and they still got jolted. Small payback, Warp figured, for the killing of their comrades.
Their cell was one of two dozen, but the others sat empty. With all twelve soldiers contained in a single cell, Warp worried about the need for so many others. The whispers of experiments being conducted on human guinea pigs aboard the submarine had filtered back to them. The screams had echoed through the door. Warp could still hear the men begging for someone to kill them.
Warp knew that the day the guards came with guns instead of cattle prods, their life expectancy would be measurable in hours and minutes. He didn’t want to end up begging for someone to kill him. If it came to that, he’d kill himself at the first opportunity.
Searching the faces of his team, he could see they had all come to a similar realization. Wherever in the world they were now, this was the end of the road. They would either make it out of this, or they wouldn’t.
“We survive, or we go down fighting,” Warp declared. He received nods all around. Nothing more needed to be said.
***