BLAZE ERUPTING: Scorpius Syndrome/A Brigade Novella

by Rebecca Zanetti

  “We’re not pretending. Just waiting for an opportunity created by God,” Orion said.

  Wait a minute. Hugh slowly shook his pounding head. “You’re an apocalyptic prepper. Seriously? One just waiting for a chance to harm people.”

  Orion leaned back. “No. Of course not.”

  What the hell was happening? “Did I hit my head?”

  “Yes. After you got shot. It was hell getting you out of the plant before your friends caught up with us,” Orion said. “They really should vacate the premises now.”

  Shit. Ellie. Hugh struggled against the restraints, biting back pain as his shoulder protested. Vehemently. “Okay. Let me get this straight. You’re a terrorist because you’ve been given the opportunity?” Why was the world so cloudy? How hard had he hit his head, anyway?

  Orion rubbed broad hands down his dark jeans. “No. I’ve been prepping and getting ready for the apocalypse for some time. After studying the issue, I’ve determined that the only way my people will survive is if we cut down on competition for meager resources.”

  Nausea rolled in Hugh’s gut. “So you’re killing a hundred thousand people and making this area unlivable? That makes sense to you?” He glanced at the woman.

  She looked to Orion. “He knows what he’s doing. Orion will save us all.”

  Jesus. “You’re stuck in a cult, sweetheart,” Hugh muttered, shaking his head. “This is ridiculous.” He leaned to the side to see Yusef, the guy who had once really been on Hugh’s radar. “How’d you get back into the country, anyway?”

  “He had help,” Orion said. “The man knows his way around computers, so I recruited him. But he doesn’t really believe in our calling. Our paths just converged.” Casually, almost slowly, Orion pulled a gun from his boot and pressed it to his knee. “I told him he could kill you when we were done chatting.”

  “I do love a good chat,” Hugh said calmly, trying not to puke. This man was freaky nuts. “Had some training, have you?”

  “Most of us at the Haven have.”

  Hugh blinked. “The Haven. I’ve heard of you.” When he’d been undercover. Gregor had mentioned the group. So they really did exist. As a prepping cult preparing for the apocalypse. Life just kept getting weirder.

  Orion’s eyebrow rose. “That’s interesting. I thought we’d been silent.”

  Hugh swallowed, his throat feeling parched. “Nobody is that silent.” Yet he’d never heard of this guy.

  “I brought you here for some answers. So you’ve heard of the Haven but not of me.” Orion frowned and leaned forward, pressing a thumb into Hugh’s wound. “What have you learned?”

  Hugh groaned as pain flew down his arm. His heart stuttered. “You’re from Kentucky, aren’t you?”

  The man’s eyes hardened. “No. Boston.”

  Lie. That was definitely a lie.

  Hugh shook his head, trying not to pass out. Blackness crawled in from the distance, and his vision wavered. “Get your fucking thumb out of my flesh.”

  Orion sat back and wiped his thumb off on Hugh’s jeans. “That was kind of grotesque. Just answer my questions so I don’t have to do it again.”

  “Fuck you.”

  The woman giggled. Not laughed. Not chuckled. Giggled. “He’s tough.”

  Orion cut her a smile. “He’s about to lose consciousness again. Not so tough.” He leaned in. “How did you know about this particular threat? What clue did we leave?”

  Admitting it was just statistics, and luck wasn’t going to get Hugh anywhere. He glanced at Yusef and then back. “Maybe your allies don’t really believe in your cause. You know?”

  Orion stiffened. “What are you saying?”

  “You tell him, Yusef,” Hugh called out. “Let’s just say that you’re not his only ally. In fact, you’re not even in his top ten.” Shit. This was a total bluff. What the hell did Hugh know?

  Orion looked over his shoulder as Yusef glanced up from his tablet. “Yusef?”

  The younger man met Orion’s gaze evenly. “He is manipulating you. I have not told anybody about you or the Haven.”

  Orion looked back at Hugh.

  Hugh shrugged. “I heard about the Haven from a gun runner who’s good buddies with Yusef. When there’s information that needs to be traded, this guy doesn’t have your back, Orion.” He could sense distrust. What he hoped was distrust. It might just be his desperation to live that was messing with him. “Why don’t you just shoot him?”

  Orion studied Hugh, not looking too bothered by the idea. “How did you know about the plant here being a target? I didn’t tell anybody until we arrived.”

  So much for sowing the seeds of distrust. Hugh rolled his eyes. “Where else would you hit?”

  “Arizona,” Orion said instantly.

  Hugh coughed. Was that blood in his mouth? Was he bleeding internally? No. A shoulder wound wouldn’t do that. “Yeah, I thought about Arizona, too. Better casualty rate in Pennsylvania. Easier to get to from the east coast, too.”

  Orion nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

  So the bastard’s headquarters was on the east coast somewhere. Or could it be back in Kentucky? There was game to eat and water to drink. Hills to hide in. Orion wouldn’t be near a major city. Not as a prepper. “You know, I’ve studied threats for years. Real ones,” Hugh murmured, his head almost lolling on his shoulders.

  “Yeah?” Orion asked.

  “Yeah. And not once did I think I’d have problems with homegrown prepper terrorists.” Weren’t most preppers off living in mountains and squirreling away food and medical supplies, just wanting to be left alone? “Not once.”

  The woman against the wall looked at her watch. “Orion? We should probably get going. The HMX is supposed to detonate soon.”

  HMX? “Where the hell did you get that shit?” Hugh tried to narrow his focus. Man, his head fucking hurt. Worse than his shoulder, actually. HMX was a plastic explosive more powerful than C-4. Damn it. He blinked and tried to send the pain somewhere else. He had to figure out how much time Ellie had. “How much HMX?”

  “Enough to spread radiation far and wide,” Yusef said, still typing. He chuckled quietly.

  Hugh kept his focus on Orion. One lunatic at a time. “How many explosives were set? Or do you even know?”

  “He’s trying to manipulate you,” the woman said, looking kind of like a sleek cat.

  “I know, Wanda,” Orion said. “It’s okay. Hugh Johnson of the DNDO probably has some training in interrogation. Not what you have, of course.”

  Ah shit. They’d taken his wallet. “What do you have, Wanda?” Hugh asked. The more he found out about this nutty trio, the better. Assuming he survived this.

  “Plenty,” she murmured, her voice educated and cultured. While she wore a dark sweater and jeans, her boots looked shiny and expensive. What Hugh knew about fashion could fit in an egg cup, but the woman looked like money. Odd for a prepper. “I also know that we really must get going. My understanding of the radiation radius is that we’re running out of time.” She moved to the closed roll-down door and waited.

  Orion patted Hugh on the leg. “I’m sorry we can’t talk longer. I have many questions for you.”

  “We can bring him with us,” Wanda said.

  “No,” Yusef said, finally setting down his tablet. “I get a personal kill today. You gave me your word.”

  Orion stood. “That I did. We’ll meet you at the border.” He chucked Hugh almost good-naturedly on the chin and kept on walking, easily lifting the door. Only another closed door across the hallway was visible. “Good-bye, Hugh.” He took Wanda’s arm and escorted her out of sight.

  Hugh set his feet inside the legs of the chair. They’d tied his wrists to the metal but not his ankles. “Why you want me dead, Yusef?” Hugh asked, gingerly trying to see if his injured shoulder still worked at all.

  Yusef stood and took off his glasses, placing them on his chair along with his tablet. “Your military causes more deaths abroad than you can kno
w. We’re tired of it.”

  “How about you and I start a dialogue right now about that?” Hugh asked, wincing as his shoulder pulled. He needed to focus through the pain and forget fear. There was only now.

  “There’s not time. Your people are blowing up a nuclear power plant.” Yusef drew a knife from his back pocket. Double edged and military issued, the blade gleamed in the dim light. “Just think of the damage.”

  “I am,” Hugh said softly. “You can’t really align with that moron Orion.”

  “No. He’s just a means to an end. And he’s not that stupid.” Yusef took another step closer. “You should see the way his people follow him. Blindly and with total conviction.”

  Hugh braced his knees. “How about you and I get out of here and go stop the bomb? Save a hundred thousand people?” And Ellie. God, he had to save Ellie. His gut churned and sweat burned into his eyes.

  “No.” Yusef drew ever nearer. “Have you ever sliced another man’s jugular?”

  “No,” Hugh said, tilting his head to the side. “Have you?”

  Yusef just shrugged. Then he struck.

  Hugh waited one second and then leaped up, turning and smashing the chair into the oncoming man. Yusef went down. Hugh leaped around and dropped, his knees slamming on either side of Yusef’s neck.

  A fast twist and a balance on the chair, and Yusef’s neck snapped.

  Hugh panted and staggered to his feet, letting the body drop. For years, he’d trained in hand-to-hand, just in case. “I didn’t want to kill you.” He spoke the absolute truth.

  Quiet came from outside.

  He looked around for anything to get the damn chair off his back. Time was running short.

  He had to get to Ellie.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I’ve never been so scared in my entire life as when I got into that computer room and Hugh was gone. Life has changed so much, and I fear it’s just getting started.

  —Dr. Eleanor Smithers, Brigade Notes

  Ellie ran through the hallway and followed the blood just in time to see two men load an unconscious Hugh into a van. She tried to run after them, and Deke stopped her with an arm around her waist. “Let me go,” she yelled, her body shaking.

  “Later.” The soldier forced her back inside and put her to the wall. “Eleanor. Listen to me.”

  Panic heated down her body, seizing her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. “Deke. We have to get him.”

  Deke’s eyes softened even as his jaw hardened. “We will. But first things first. Those guys did something, and we have to figure out what it was and then fix it. If this place goes, we’re all dead. Along with thousands upon thousands of other people.”

  She gulped in air and tried to stop crying. Okay. Her hand shook. She wiped her face. Deke was right. “I need the security feeds.”

  Deke took her arm while bringing the phone to his ear. “Ivan? Hugh just got taken from the power plant. Hack into any and all cameras and track him. If you need satellites, contact General Boseman. Nora has the number.” He clicked off. “We’ll get Hugh back. I promise.”

  She wiped more tears away and ran back to the computer room. “I can go in reverse with the security feed from right now and track that guy. The one who shot Hugh.” She sat and started typing, bringing up video. How badly had Hugh been shot? It seemed like there had been a lot of blood. God. Was he okay? Why had they taken him? It had to be for information about this mess or even other nuclear power plants.

  Deke leaned over to see over her shoulder. “Keep going.”

  They watched the video in reverse, switching camera angles every few minutes.

  “Wait. There.” Deke pointed to the screen. “Slow down.”

  Ellie slowed the video and then stopped breathing. Yusef had entered one of the other buildings, climbed stairs, and stood over huge pools of nearly luminous blue waste. It was oddly compelling. “Hugh was right. Isn’t that the spent fuel?”

  Deke straightened. “Yeah, and that’s a bomb.” He breathed out and moved for the door. “Keep watching and make sure they didn’t plant any other explosives. Let me know as soon as you do.”

  Ellie glanced up, her body chilled beyond cold. “What are you going to do?”

  Deke shoved open the door. “Find Connor and figure out how to defuse this bomb.” He grimaced. “I don’t know shit about explosives.” Then he disappeared down the corridors.

  Ellie turned back to the video. There couldn’t be any more explosives. Right?

  She traced Yusef’s movements from the time he’d arrived at the facility until he’d taken Hugh. Her heart sped up as she watched the feed of Yusef meticulously planting two big bundles of explosives around the nearly luminous blue waste pools, just like Hugh had predicted. The bomber had worked alone.

  Then her breathing just up and stopped when he planted a third bomb behind what looked like a bunch of equipment above the pool.

  Then he exited and made his way to the computer room, where he’d run into Hugh.

  God. She had to tell Deke about the third explosive. She launched herself at the door, ripped it open, and barreled right into Hugh.

  She bounced back, and he grabbed her arms to keep her from falling. “Hugh.” She jumped right back into his warmth, her chest bursting. “God. You’re okay.” Tears pricked her eyes. Wait a minute. She leaned back and grabbed his right arm. He’d tied what looked like a bunch of rope around the wound, and it was already turning red.

  His eyes were clear, though. “I’m okay. You?” He almost frantically ran his good hand down her arm.

  “Yes.” She gulped, finally getting centered at seeing him standing in one piece. “You’re okay. I wanted to come get you—”

  “There’s at least one bomb.” He kissed her quickly on the forehead and tried to push her toward the exit. “I’ll go find it. Get to the car.”

  Not a chance. She grabbed his hand and started running down the hallway toward the facility containing the waste storage. “He planted three explosives in boxes with locks, and one is hidden. We have to get to Deke.”

  “Shit.” Hugh took the lead, running through hallways and down corridors, outside, and to the storage facility. He led her inside and up two flights of steel stairs.

  He paused at seeing Deke and Connor hunched over a box next to another box with the pools below them, bright and blue. “How bad is it?”

  Deke glanced up. “Shit if I know. It has a combination lock. We could break it open, but I don’t know how volatile this thing is. You?”

  Hugh edged forward and crouched to check out the bomb. He gingerly grasped it.

  “Whoa,” Connor said, standing to his full height. “What if you joggle it or something?”

  Hugh lifted the box and looked under it. “We’re good. There has to be a timer or a detonator that they’ll hit as soon as they’re out of range, and I can’t see how much time we have. But they should be to safety already, so any second this could go off. Grab the other one.”

  Deke shrugged and gingerly grasped the box, holding his breath.

  “There’s a third box.” Ellie ran around the equipment and grasped the final box. Her hands were shaking. “What now?” She backed away from the giant blue pool of death.

  “This way.” Hugh turned and jogged around the railing back the way they’d come. “It’s plastic explosives. Won’t go off if you run. So fucking run.” He launched into a faster movement.

  Ellie held her breath and ran after Deke, her heart thundering. She had a damn bomb in her hands. This was insane. The air whooshed out of her and she sucked more in, conscious of Connor on her right.

  “Do you want me to take it?” he asked.

  “No.” She shook her head, afraid to move it more than she already was. Her footsteps pounded down the corridors after Hugh until they burst into the parking lot. Shocking rain splashed into her. When had it started raining?

  Thunder rolled high and loud above them.

  “This way,” Hugh bellowed, running for t
heir SUV. He gently placed his box on the floor in the back. “Keys.” As Deke winced and put his box next to Hugh’s, Hugh grabbed the car keys out of his jeans’ pocket. Then he turned and took Ellie’s box to slide on the seat. He slammed the door shut.

  Ellie grabbed his arm. If they were going to blow up the SUV, they should really run.

  He kissed her hard and then jumped into the driver’s seat. “Love you, Ellie Mae.”

  “Wait—” Deke grabbed the door handle, but Hugh hit a button and locked it. The engine ignited. Hugh punched the gas pedal, and the SUV swerved and then gained speed, heading for the river.

  Ellie yelled for him, her body going numb. Shock? Stress? A way to avoid pain?

  The SUV sped up and then arced, sailing right over the embankment toward the rushing water. “Hugh!” she screamed, bursting into motion and running across the asphalt. “Did he jump?”

  “Don’t know,” Deke said, running right alongside her.

  They reached the edge.

  The SUV hit the water with all four windows down and slowly sank.

  Ellie tried to scramble down the bank but Deke held her back. “Wait a minute.”

  The earth seemed to still. Then the SUV, only partially under water, exploded.

  * * * *

  Hugh rolled over on the grassy bank, smashing into a tree. He covered his head as the explosion threw water, car parts, and a couple of fish high into the air. Smoke and debris plumed up. The water burst in every direction, rolling all the way up to his boots.

  Then silence.

  He gasped in air, his heart thundering. The rain pelted down and he rolled over, letting it wash over his face. God. This was nuts.

  Slowly, he shoved to his feet and looked up. Just trees.

  His entire body hurt. Head to fucking toes.

  He limped between trees, following a barely-there path and finally emerging at a small stone path with stairs. Ellie was already running down them with Deke ineffectually trying to grab her arm.

  Upon seeing him, Deke halted.