by Bob Blink
"There's one thing we've left out," Ray pointed out. "One of us has to lead Walker's men to the fake hideout while all of this is getting ready to happen. I'm thinking that would be me."
"Why does it have to be you?" Cindy asked, not liking the suggestion.
"Because except for Sam, I know the codes and area better than the rest of you, and he needs to be part of the effort in the main clinic. Also, I know the back way from where we'd set up that loops through a couple of small tunnels and comes out close to the clinic. I've scouted it as part of the annual check of the caverns. None of you have ever seen it, and now is not the time to try to learn it. It would be easy to get lost in there. So, I'd lead Walker's man to the hideout, and once he believes he has found us, using the fake recordings we'd prepare to make it sound like some of us are there and the others on the way, I'd slip away, and join the rest of you at the Clinic. You'd handle the acquisition, while I'd set the explosives to be triggered after we depart."
Several heads nodded.
"We'd need a couple of days for the Cyborgs to be ready," Sam reminded them. "Until then, it will be impossible to move them easily."
"We'll have to hope that Walker doesn't figure out where we are or that no one spots us during the movement because everyone will be on alert after this," Ray warned.
"Maybe we can do something to make Walker believe we are after the Cyborgs in order to go back topside to acquire other items," Raobot suggested. "If we can make him believe we are relying on getting weapons to use against him, we can cause him to direct his focus in the wrong area."
"Okay," Ray said softly. "Now we flesh out the details. When do we want to attempt this?"
"We said on a Sunday," Rao noted. "That's the day after tomorrow. I am thinking waiting a full week after that is too long. Walker will gain too much in that time."
"We have an impossible task," Ray said. "Let's see if we can find any insurmountable problems, and tonight we'll see about setting up our fake home at the clinic."
Chapter 51
Sequoia Facility
Sunday
Ray moved silently with well-defined purpose as he left the residential area and headed southeast toward the false hideout they had managed to assemble in record time the day before. It was just after 7 AM, and people were in their respective places, ready for this dangerous activity to begin. Ray knew that Mark Savage was following behind him not too far back. He resisted the urge to look back and check. He'd set the lure and seen that Mark had reacted. Now he simply had to drag him along to where they needed him to go. He'd chosen Mark for good reason. To begin with, after the days they'd worked together before Walker learned Ray's true allegiance, Ray had gotten to know the man and his habits. Also, Mark would be the most likely to recognize Ray, making this deceit work better.
There had always been the chance that Mark would immediately call in his sighting to Walker, which would have complicated matters immensely, but Ray had been certain he wouldn't do that. Mark had shown that he wanted to retain as much credit for himself as possible. Sighting Ray was something he could gain points for, but if he could locate the hideout everyone had been seeking for so long, he'd truly be the hero. Ray had counted on that, and since Cindy hadn't called him on their secure channel, Ray knew that she hadn't picked up any conversations between Mark and the Director.
He moved swiftly through the early morning quiet, moving on a route that kept him far enough from the Resort he couldn't be identified, and staying over a mile from the Security office. His route took him past the Clinic, but far enough away that he would be just a figure if anyone was looking. He resisted the temptation to glance toward the building. Greg, Sam, and Raobot would be in position by now, ready to make their entry once Ray indicated things were on plan. He didn't want Mark remembering him showing any interest in the place at all later. Ray felt if it was on his mind, somehow it might dawn on Mark to be curious about the place also. Both Greg and Sam had stunners. Ray had given his to Sam. Ray had his handgun, and touched it lightly with his elbow for reassurance. If this went bad, Walker would lose at least one of his people this morning. Then he crossed over the road and headed toward the three separate clinic buildings to the south of the main building. Mark must be getting excited and very curious by now. Even if Ray wasn't leading him to the long sought hideout, he was up to something that Mark fully intended to thwart.
Fifteen minutes later, Ray cautiously approached the back of the southernmost of the three structures. Glancing around as if checking to ensure he was alone, he then darted swiftly across the open area toward one of the back loading doors. After a moment, he slipped inside, knowing Mark would wait a moment, then follow after him. Here was the crucial test. Cindy was off in the rocks watching and listening to see what Mark would do. If he called in, then Walker's team would react immediately, giving them very little time for the activities at the clinic. They wanted Mark to follow inside, and decide that Ray and a couple of the rebels being sought were present, with the rest coming. That would slow any action by Walker's people.
Another reason Ray had wanted Mark to be the one following him was the knowledge he'd demonstrated on alarm systems. Mark would quickly see that while the alarm looked functional, it had been modified so that the door could be used without alerting anyone back at Security. He'd see that he could follow without concern, and if Ray knew his man, that was exactly what he'd do. If not, Cindy would alert him.
Moving quickly, wanting Mark to believe he had to hurry or lose his target, Ray headed deep into the building, then down a level of stairs. He heard a slight scraping of something against a wall behind him, and knew that all was on plan. Another fifty feet down the dimly lit hallway he turned into a large suite. The glass allowed one to look into the small office that was the gateway to the larger area beyond. Ray closed the door behind him, knowing Mark would be able to check and see it was safe to follow. Once inside, he waited a minute, then activated the recordings they had made the night before to give any listeners the impression that several of them were present. It would only take Mark a couple of minutes eavesdropping to learn that the rest of the group was supposedly due back momentarily. Seeing the small signal light that Greg had installed to indicate Mark had followed through the door, Ray slipped out the back way, securing the door behind him. Moments later he was outside the building, heading for the dark tunnels that would take him back to the main Clinic. He called Cindy to verify she was already well on her way back to the bunker. She was supposed to leave as soon as Mark had gone inside the building. Mark had called in his discovery. The troops would be on the way. Cindy had alerted Sam and his team, who should be inside the clinic by now, probably already in Ho's laboratory. It would take him at least fifteen minutes to get there himself.
When Ray arrived at the Clinic and made his way inside by the route they had used the last time, he found the team had been busy. Two attendants had been rendered unconscious using the last of the drug they'd used on Ho the last time. Four of the Cyborgs were already parked at the top of the ramp, ready to be carted out to the truck once they called for Jessica to bring it. That would happen as soon as Ray had the charges in place. Raobot and Greg were just about to go down for another pair of the units.
"What's that?" Ray asked, seeing the Cyborgs on the two tables in one corner of the lab.
"It appears we were right about how Walker would proceed," Sam said. "These two already have been processed, and is in the final stages of adjustment. "I'd guess they will activate them sometime tomorrow."
"You think it's someone extracted from the Sims to help with repairs at the Resort?" Ray asked.
Sam nodded. "You want me to shut them down? I assumed you might, but we decided it was best to wait."
"Absolutely," Ray said. "How do we do that?"
"Simple enough at this stage," Sam explained. "It's in the low power mode, so basically unaware. "All we have to do is pull the power and the extracted kernel will die. I can even accelerate that by
one of the controls which will do a memory flush. Something built in for when they decided the transfer wasn't progressing properly."
"Show me," Ray said, stepping over to the prone machine. It would be killing the occupant, but then whoever was inside wasn't even aware as yet what had happened. Besides, that person's Simself was still intact in the main Sim.
Raobot and Greg had already headed back down to get another pair of the Cyborgs, the sled being pulled behind them to facilitate the process. Sam walked over beside Ray, and showed him how to make the selection on the chest panel. A warning flashed indicating the selected action would be irreversible, and Sam selected the option to proceed.
"It's dead now," Sam said. "I'll cut the power and that will ensure whatever they were attempting here will have to be initiated all over again."
Then Sam stepped over and repeated the proceedure on the second Cyborg.
Ray turned and grabbed the small satchel that had been brought for him. "My job is to make that a lot harder for them," he said. "But first I need to make sure Walker and his buddies lose their access to their Memory Mappers."
While Sam finished up with the Cyborg, Ray walked out of the lab, across the lobby and into the library. Knowing the hidden area was there made it simple enough to locate. Given the geometry of the place there was only one spot it could be, and even though locked and inaccessible, he was able to place enough of the powerful explosive he was certain the units wouldn't fair well. He had seen how effective the stuff was with the pictures of the damage at the Resort that had leaked out. It would have been preferable to actually see the units and strap the explosives directly to them, but he couldn't afford the time to try to overcome the security locks, and worried that it might be alarmed. Once he was satisfied he'd done the best he could, he grabbed the small remaining supply of explosive, and headed back across to the lab and down to the lower level where he'd plant the last of the charges.
On the way down he passed Raobot and Greg bringing another pair of the Cyborgs up to the upper level. That would make it six of the eight they had targeted.
"Call Jessica," Ray said as he passed them.
On the lower level where the Cyborgs were located, he set three charges. All were smaller than what he'd set above, but that was all he had left and the equipment was scattered around somewhat, he was certain enough damage would result that there wouldn't be any mind transfer here for a while. The Cyborgs themselves were far enough away he didn't anticipate any damage to the remaining units, which he was glad of. He didn't know all the purposes they had been created for, and didn't want to destroy a resource that might be critical to their ultimate survival.
He passed Greg and Raobot again on his way up.
"Jessica's on the way," Greg said. "We'll have another pair up top by the time she's here."
Ray was impressed at how well the movement was going using the sled. As he approached the lab level, he heard voices which bothered him because only Sam should be up there. It sounded like someone had asked what was going on.
It couldn't be Cindy or Jessica on the Communicator, because he would have heard them on his own unit. Realizing something might be wrong, he quietly continued at an increased rate, drawing his handgun as he climbed.
"What have you done to the Cyborgs?" Dr. Ho. asked, seeing the units were clearly powered down. "And what good do you think those inert units will do you without the equipment here? Wait until Walker learns you and your friends are here, and what you are up to."
Ray couldn't believe the woman's stupidity as he scrambled for the upper level. They had stunned and drugged her the last time. How could she not consider she might be in even more danger now?
As Ray cleared the doorway, Ho was raising her communicator to her mouth to speak. There was no time for Ray to get to her before she gave away the situation. She was on the list anyway. Without a second thought he raised the pistol and put a controlled pair of rounds into her chest. Then he walked over and verified the phone wasn't connected. It was still attempting the connection when he terminated the call, so the shot hadn't been heard over the phone. He glanced at the doctor, but he had known as he shot that the shots were on target and she couldn't hope to survive them. The glance verified what he had already known. Dr. Ho was gone. He was certain the pair of shots wouldn't be heard outside the Clinic, but those inside almost certainly would have been alerted. That meant time was suddenly critical, although Walker wouldn't get here anywhere near as quickly as he would have had Dr. Ho reached him.
Ray turned to see the stunned face of Sam starring his way. "Have that stunner handy," Ray warned. "There will be some of the staff here that heard the shots and they'll be coming to investigate."
Sam shook his head. When found his voice he added, "I talked to the others before we put them under. They are the only ones here today. The shift change is in a couple of hours and the staff would have been larger."
"So maybe we got lucky," Ray said with a hint of relief. "Come, we've got to get these Cyborgs out where they can be loaded."
He and Sam carried one of the heavy units out and set it just outside the door, then headed back to the office. Greg and Raobot had just returned from below with another pair of Cyborgs.
"I thought I heard something," Greg said, staring at the body of the doctor.
"She was calling Walker," Ray said to the unasked question. "The call didn't go through, but he might be curious why she was calling. We need to hurry. He could come and investigate."
"We were going to get two more," Raobot said.
Ray shook his head. "We need eight. Try for a couple of spares and we might end up getting none. These will have to do. Haul them outside. Jessica might even be there by now. I'm going downstairs and shorten the time of the detonator delay. Now go!"
The three men proceeded to move the Cyborgs. Raobot pulled the sled with a pair of units, and Greg and Sam picked up one between them. Ray jogged down the ramp. By the time he returned to the office, there were only two of the Cyborgs remaining to be hauled outside. Raobot returned alone with the empty sled.
"Greg and Sam are outside with Jessica loading the truck. I will bring these two," Raobot said.
"Good. I'll reset the timer on the explosives in the library, and then we're out of here. Tell Jessica and Rao to drive the route we planned. The rest of us will go on foot as we discussed, but we need to be extra alert. I have a bad feeling things are going to get interesting."
Walker's initial joy at the discovery of the hideout they had searched for so long was rapidly turning to anger. He'd scrambled to get here ahead of the two missing rebels he wanted to add to their catch, and now nothing was happening. He and his core team were all present thanks to Mark's lucky spotting of Ray Burke, but the failure of Jessica, who he really wanted to get his hands on, and Sam to arrive was starting to worry him. They could hear Ray and Rao talking inside, indicating they were overdue. He'd completely forgotten about the call attempt that had been canceled before he could try to answer. At the time he'd wondered who it might be, but then Luke had come and asked if they could rush the office and capture the ones that were here, driving thoughts of the call from his mind. Clearly Luke was getting restless as well.
"Luke, let's do it," Walker decided suddenly for reasons he wasn't sure about. "Take these guys down and we'll snare the other two when they try to enter the building. Do it silently if you can. The others might hear shots if they are anywhere nearby."
Luke nodded and signaled the others. Walker intended to hold back. One of the two he wanted most was in there, but this wasn't the Sim. Death here was a much different thing, and he couldn't help remembering they had no backups in the Sim. He hadn't told the others that he'd had Ho map him and insert the result in one of the Cyborgs just in case. That unit was still in the final settling in phase with Ho, and until he was certain that the insertion had gone well, he intended to be just a little cautious.
Anxiously he waited while Luke and the others charged in. Surpr
isingly there were no shots, and far sooner than expected, Luke came hurrying back out to him.
"We've been suckered," he said. "There's no one inside. We've been listening to recordings. It looks like they've been here before, but Kurt says something isn't right about the setup. It appears Ray wanted Mark to follow him. He slipped out somehow. We are trying to figure out where he might have gone."
Walker suddenly recalled the call, and quickly extracted the communicator and checked. He had a bad feeling as soon as he realized it had been Dr. Ho. He attempted to call her back, but she didn't reply. That told him more than he wanted to know.
"Grab everyone and hurry. Something is happening at the main Clinic. This was a diversion to keep us busy."
Ray and his small group were well away from the Clinic. Jessica and Rao had departed five minutes ago and appeared to have gotten away clean. Raobot had gone with them, his magical sled pulled behind the truck. They would begin unloading the Cyborgs even before Ray and the others arrived. Now looking back from five hundred yards away, he spotted what had to be Walker and his men hurrying toward the Clinic. He smiled. They were too late. He checked the time, and noted it was less than a minute before the charges would trigger.
"Are they going to go off?" Greg asked.
"Fifteen seconds," Ray said confidently.
As a group they turned and watched, counting down the short time left. When the charges triggered, there was no flash, nor any apparent destruction to the Clinic, but the loud clap of the explosion was unmistakable. Ray grinned as he saw the advance of Walker's group halt temporarily, then just as quickly increase their pace as they converged on the building. He wished he could be there to watch Walker when he realized what had just happened.