by Alex Siegel
Frist also stood. "I'll walk you out."
Everybody except Mazza left the office. Frist had a very thoughtful expression as he led Neal and Sophia out of the Institute.
"I should have him arrested," Frist muttered.
"Why?" Neal said. "He made some mistakes, but he was protecting his family. His crimes are minor and impossible to prosecute."
They walked swiftly to the front door. Armed guards were posted here and there, but Neal thought the security was too lax. USAMRIID kept samples of the most deadly germs known to mankind. He wanted the place to be a fortress.
The group reached the lobby. Frist put a hand on Neal's shoulder to stop him from leaving.
"It seems I misjudged the situation," Frist said, "and I misjudged you. I'm sorry."
Neal flashed a smile. "Forget it. It happens to me all the time. Bye."
He and Sophia left the building. It was cold and misty outside, and their military costumes weren't very warm. They jogged across a parking lot to reach a dark blue, luxury sedan with tinted windows. It looked like ten thousand other cars in Washington, DC. They sat inside.
While the car was warming up, Neal took out his phone and called the legate.
She answered, "I hope you're calling to report some progress."
"Yes, ma'am," he said.
"Hold on. Smythe and Odelia will want to hear this."
Neal heard several different people in the background including the distinctive robotic voices of the twins. He wondered how many people were in the Chicago headquarters. It sounded busy.
After a moment, Ethel said, "We're ready. Talk."
Neal relayed the conversation in Mazza's office in as much detail as he could remember. He referred to his notes a few times.
"This is discouraging," Ethel said. "I was hoping you'd find evidence that God's enemies invented this disease. Or maybe you'd find a cure. Instead, you merely uncovered another irritating conspiracy, and one involving the Army no less."
"It's clear somebody wiped out all the participants in the Enhanced Warfighter Initiative to keep us from following this lead, and to prevent the truth from getting out. No doubt the same party took the bacteria to Chicago. Hopefully, the scientist who flew to Brazil is still alive. He's our last hope. My hacker is looking for him now."
"Have your hacker send me the details. I'll call the South American legate. If the scientist is alive, he will be found and caught quickly."
"Yes, ma'am," Neal said.
"We'll take over from here," Ethel said. "Thank you. Bye."
"Goodbye, ma'am. Good luck dealing with the mess in Chicago."
He closed his phone.
* * *
"The target is stopping, sir," Norbert said. "We'd better slow down."
Aaron was driving a blue van through a rural part of Illinois, sixty miles west of Chicago. The sun was setting, and the fading orange light was making difficult driving conditions even more so. The narrow, country road hadn't been plowed in a while. The van was able to bull through the powdery snow on top, but there were treacherous chunks of ice hidden underneath. He had to drive slowly and maintain a light touch on the accelerator to keep from losing control.
This part of Illinois was mostly flat farmland, but the occasional small town or subdivision broke up the monotony. A few trees still grew here, and some were old enough to predate the farms. A pristine blanket of white snow covered the fields now. It would've been beautiful except Aaron was sick of snow.
He glanced at Norbert and said, "How far?"
Norbert was staring at a computer notepad in his hands. It was tied into the tracking system they were using to follow the enemy's phone signal. "Another mile."
"We'll stop here and approach on foot."
"A mile of marching through wet, cold snow, sir?" Tawni whined from the back seat. "Can we please get a little closer?"
"No," Aaron said. "Load up for a fight. This could be the big one."
He turned into a private driveway that belonged to a farm, but the lights in the farmhouse were off. He parked behind trees which would screen the van a little. He stopped the engine.
He squeezed past the seats and his teammates to reach the back of the van. Several gray duffle bags were piled there. There wasn't room for any privacy, so he stripped down in full view of Norbert and Tawni.
Aaron replaced his civilian clothes with the advanced body armor used for combat missions. The densely woven, fibrous material could stop bullets while still being flexible enough to allow free movement. Hard, overlapping plates protected critical areas. The armor had the striped, black and gray camouflage pattern favored by the Society.
He didn't go light on weaponry. A pair of MP9's in holsters served as side arms. The fully automatic pistols were loaded with armor-piercing ammunition, but he would use these guns only if the enemy got too close. An M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System was his primary weapon. He topped off his load with the usual assortment of knives, grenades, and explosives. He grabbed a helmet with attached night vision goggles. Finally, he threw a white cloak over his shoulders, so he would blend into the snow.
He hopped out of the back of the van, and his feet sunk deeply into the snow.
"Close the door, sir," Tawni said. "I still have to get dressed."
Aaron closed the back door.
It took twenty minutes for everybody to prepare themselves. Norbert chose an M4 carbine as his main weapon. Tawni was holding her favorite katana instead of a gun, but she had a pair of GLOCK 17's on her hips as backup. An M320 grenade launcher was slung across her back in case she wanted to make a stronger statement.
They put on their helmets and started marching through the snow. Norbert was still holding his notepad, and the glow from the screen lit his face. There was just a hint of red sunlight left.
"What are the rules of engagement, sir?" Norbert asked.
"I'm not sure," Aaron said. "I'll decide when we get there. If they shoot at you, shoot back."
The long hike through heavy snow was more tiring than Aaron had expected. Each step required him to lift his leg past his knee and place it carefully in case there was a hidden stick, rock, or hole. He also had to crouch most of the time. There was no good cover, so he depended on his white cloak for concealment.
Tawni made little grumbling and whining noises, but she was smart enough not to complain out loud. Norbert was a good soldier as always.
By the time they were approaching the target, night had fallen. They had switched to night vision goggles which made the starlight seem as bright as day. The white world looked green through the lenses.
Aaron saw lights up ahead. He motioned for his teammates to get low and move slowly.
A chain-link fence was in their path. Strips of plastic woven through the wire prevented him from seeing through it. He approached the fence with extreme caution. He was afraid of traps hidden under the snow.
He reached the fence without getting killed, and he peeked between the plastic strips. In the distance, he saw a very large, white building that looked like some kind of factory. Two more tall fences protected the building, and they had dense bundles of barbed wire on top. The ground around the factory and between the fences had been swept clean.
Guards carrying assault rifles patrolled inside the fences, and many were accompanied by German Shepherds. Flood lamps provided bright light everywhere. Surveillance cameras were mounted high on the walls of the factory. It would be impossible to sneak in or out without being seen.
"It's like a military encampment," Norbert whispered.
"Yes," Aaron said. "They need this screen to keep the neighbors from seeing. It seems we found Unit K."
He studied the enemy, searching for weaknesses in the security. The mercenaries knew what they were doing in that regard. The patrols were continuous and covered overlapping areas. Every man's back was watched by somebody else. The factory itself had few points of entry.
"What's the plan, sir?" Tawni said eagerly. "Kill them all?"
He frowned. "Unfortunately, no. We have no proof an enemy of God is behind this. We can't just slaughter them."
"But what about the cannibal plague? Hundreds of innocent people are dead, and more are getting eaten every hour."
"I know." He pursed his lips. "I'll let the legate decide."
Aaron squatted down in the snow so his voice wouldn't carry as far. He took out his phone and called Ethel.
"Yes?" she said.
"We found Unit K, ma'am. It's a very large facility. The security is excellent. I'm not sure how to proceed."
"Do you think you can defeat them?"
He peeked through the screen at the factory. "I think so. It won't be easy, but I'm willing to try. What are your orders, ma'am?"
"You're going to make me decide?" Ethel said. "Technically, our hands are tied until we find some evidence that God's enemies are involved. As far as I know, no such evidence exists. All we know is that this disease was developed by the Army. This isn't a case of self-defense like at the chocolate shop. You can't just march in there with the intention of slaughtering everybody you meet."
"It smells like a real mission to me."
"Me, too, but our noses aren't proof."
"There's a good chance Sheryl is inside," Aaron said. "They could be torturing her."
"I haven't forgotten about her."
"What about the twins, ma'am? Unit K's activities are a potential threat to them. You told us you wanted a quick resolution to this investigation."
"These are all good points," she said.
"And?"
She was silent for a moment. "You can't attack. I'm sorry. The rules are clear. I think we can justify capturing a few mercenaries for interrogation though. It's a minimal but necessary amount of violence."
"That's your decision?" He was disappointed.
"Yes. Bye."
He hung up and faced Norbert and Tawni. "Capture and interrogate. Minimal violence."
Tawni sighed sadly.
Aaron peeked through the screen again. A single road led away from the factory, passing through the gates on the way out. It was well lit for a long distance.
Capturing a few mercenaries without getting into a fight with the rest would be tricky. Aaron clucked his tongue as he considered different plans. He was feeling a lot of pressure to get this done quickly, but he had to be smart about it. Poor Sheryl would just have to wait a little longer for rescue.
He spotted a barn in the distance. He pointed and said, "We'll do the interrogation there."
"Now we just need people to interrogate," Norbert said.
"Yes, and for that, we first have to get more stuff from the van. Let's start marching back. It feels warmer if you move quickly."
Tawni groaned.
* * *
"That must be them!" General Walker yelled excitedly.
Video feeds were being projected onto giant screens at the front of the underground command bunker. The images showed three figures near the outer fence around the bedding factory. In visible light, they were hard to see. Their white cloaks blended perfectly with the white snow, and they stayed low to maximize the effect. The infrared and ultraviolet surveillance cameras did a much better job of picking out the intruders. In the ultraviolet spectrum, their cloaks were dark gray.
"Can we hear what they're saying?" Walker said.
One of the technicians shook his head. "Sorry, sir. We don't have a microphone in the area."
A shame, Walker thought.
He watched with fascination. Erika had told him tales about the Gray Spear Society, but this was the first time he had actually seen them.
Body language made it clear one of the men was the commander. Walker wished he could see the man's face, but his cloak threw dark shadows across it. The infrared camera just showed his face as a red blob.
One intruder was much lighter and thinner. She had to be a woman. She was carrying a black sword which struck Walker as an odd weapon to bring to a modern battlefield. Her movements were remarkably graceful even in the deep snow.
Walker turned to Erika and said, "That's them, right?"
She nodded. "I don't know who else it would be. If they were military, we would've been told they were coming. The police don't dress like that. Look at their bodies. Those are true warriors."
She was lying on a brass bed in her glass enclosure. Her male slaves were cuddled against her and keeping her warm with their bodies. Walker felt she looked ridiculous, but he wouldn't say that out loud. She had the power here. She was running this show. She was the queen. Walker wasn't much more than a senior consultant, and if he displeased her, it would be the end for him.
The remains of a meal were on a nearby table. Erika ate only vegetables, fruits, nuts, and beans. She, like the rest of her secret organization, were vegans, but it wasn't for ethical reasons. She just believed her strict diet would make her live longer. She was amused when other people ate "poisonous meat," as she described it. She actually owned some pig farms and slaughterhouses, and she sometimes bragged about how profitable the meat business was.
Walker faced the control room again. "I want eyes in the sky from now on," he bellowed. "Continuous aerial recon. If the enemy sneezes, I want a written report describing the volume and velocity of the snot. If they take a dump, tell me how it smells. Getting to this point has been very expensive, gentlemen. A lot of money was spent. A lot of people died. If we blow it now, there will be hell to pay for all of us."
"Yes, sir," several officers said.
Walker looked at the images of the three intruders again. We finally got you, he thought. Now show us where you live.
Chapter Twenty-one
Sheryl's muscles were aching from being forced to remain in an awkward position for hours. She was still stuck inside a crate. The search for her had gone on and on. The soldiers were showing remarkable persistence considering it had been a full day since her initial escape. Of course, she had provided good motivation by killing a number of them.
She poked her head out of the open end of the crate and looked around the warehouse. Two soldiers were standing guard at the bottom of a metal staircase leading to the second floor. They weren't paying a lot of attention and didn't see her. The slackness in their faces showed profound exhaustion. Getting tired of chasing me, boys? she thought.
The commander's office was up that staircase. Sheryl needed to get past those guards, but confronting them directly seemed foolhardy. She was still disguised as a soldier, but the costume wouldn't stand up to close scrutiny. Even in baggy fatigues and a Kevlar vest, she looked too much like a woman.
She spotted an open doorway leading to a small office in the opposite corner. The guards would see her if she simply ran over there, but there was a simple solution. She created a mirror in front of them. The soldiers stared at their own reflections with puzzled expressions. They obviously had no idea how a perfect mirror had suddenly appeared in space.
Sheryl used the distraction to exit the crate and run to the office. The many hours she had spent working on her ninja skills paid off. She was able to run silently. As soon as she was safely in the office, she allowed the mirror to vanish.
The soldiers will probably think they were hallucinating, she thought.
A phone was on the desk in the office. She grabbed the handset, but the line was dead. She sighed.
There were also some file cabinets. She gently opened a drawer and found folders. The papers inside looked like invoices for raw materials such as cloth. Some were addressed to "Cloud of Silk Bedding Supply."
The office had a tiny, rather disgusting bathroom. She used the toilet, but she didn't flush because that would make too much noise. Then she quietly drank from the sink until she felt sated.
It was time to move on. She carefully stepped through another doorway and entered a small tool shop. It was almost too dark to see, so she risked turning on the light. Saws, pry bars, hammers, and wrenches were on shelves. Two yellow forklifts were parked in
the shop, and one had been partially disassembled. The other had a flat tire.
A sliding door led back to the warehouse, but it was currently closed. She contemplated her options. She had to take out two armed soldiers without making much noise. She had a knife, but she wasn't a very skilled knife fighter.
Sheryl noticed a large pipe wrench. She walked over and grabbed it with both hands. She guessed it weighed about ten pounds. She swung it a few times to get a feel for the weapon and decided she liked it.
She looked around the room and settled on a plan.
She turned on the fork lift with the flat tire. It had an electric motor, so it was just a matter of flipping a switch. She drove the lift over to the sliding door and parked beside the door. She raised the forks until they were above the doorway. She climbed onto the roof of the lift and then continued to climb until she was standing on one of the forks. The balance was precarious, and she had to lean against the wall to keep from falling. She raised the pipe wrench above her head.
Here we go, she thought.
"Help!" she yelled. "Please, help me! I need somebody to help me!"
She waited patiently. After a minute, the sliding door was pushed aside. A soldier entered the shop and walked under the forks. He turned his head from side to side.
Sheryl jumped down and planted the pipe wrench in his skull with all her strength. The sound of bones breaking gave her more satisfaction than she expected.
She landed on top of her enemy, and they went down together. He didn't move again. She flopped down next to the body and closed her eyes. She drew her knife and held it under her thigh.
She heard the approaching footsteps of the second guard. He would see two corpses dressed in green fatigues and assume both were mercenaries. She remained perfectly still.
Sheryl allowed one of her eyes to crack open. The second soldier was staring at the bodies on the floor. He leaned down for a closer look at her.
She whipped out the knife and slashed his throat. Blood gushed from the wound. His eyes widened in shock. She kicked the rifle out of his hands before he could think to shoot it.
She didn't stick around to watch him die. She went back to the warehouse and hurried up the metal staircase. She arrived at the same hallway and offices she had seen last night after her abduction.