Joiner refocused on the general. ‘The pendant activates Anakim technology.’
‘It does,’ Stevens said, ‘and Morgan is the key to everything those R&D geeks have been working on for decades.’
‘What is Ares?’ Joiner leaned forward. ‘What is the God Device?’
‘Ah, so you know more than you’ve let on.’ Stevens’ surprise turned into a knowing smile. ‘Very well; we’ve gained many useful technologies from Ares. The camouflage suits that our elite troops possess, we reverse engineered those from Anakim tech. They tell me they combined it with what we already had and then made it ten times better. Other advanced materials have been found and used to great effect. We’ve already advanced our weapons programmes by nearly fifty years. Even NASA’s been utilising the tech to improve their systems and spacecraft. It’s a new dawn of advance and we’re right on the cusp. Add to that Morgan’s little trinket and we can expect to take even bigger strides forward. The sky’s the limit.
‘The orb is supposed to be connected to some … thing,’ the general continued. ‘They call it the God Device; to me it just looks like the abomination it is. They think it’s some kind of A.I., and the orbs contain readouts much like our brainwaves.’
‘But you’re not so sure?’
‘I don’t know want to think, I leave that to the science nerds and their labs.’
‘What’s inside the monolith?’ Joiner said, returning his gaze to the video as it repeated on the wallscreen. ‘What does the liquid do? What is it for? What is its purpose?’
‘I don’t know, even I don’t have clearance for that. I was just responsible for its retrieval. Since Morgan circumvented our security it’s been guarded round the clock by black ops.’
‘And that’s it?’ Joiner said. ‘That’s all you know?’
‘There is one other thing,’ Stevens said. ‘There’s something your friends in the tower didn’t tell you.’
Joiner’s heart beat faster. Of course Stevens knows about the Committee, how could he not? ‘And what’s that?’ Joiner said, staying calm.
Stevens activated another feed on-screen and a view from a Special Forces visor appeared. The soldier was accompanied by a number of heavily armed commandos and the lights from their helmets lit up a scene of bloody carnage.
‘Where is that?’ Joiner said.
‘That was recorded a number of years back by a Terra Force unit who went searching for a missing Deep Reach team. It was east of the USSB. Ever since they found this place back in the early eighteen hundreds there’s been reports of strange lights and people disappearing. Sometimes whole teams of explorers never came back. They thought it was down to climbing accidents, earthquakes and Sanctuary’s general instability.’
Joiner looked at the dismembered bodies on the screen.
‘But when they found this,’ Stevens said, ‘it changed everything.’
‘What did it?’
‘They don’t know what it is. Only that it doesn’t like company. The team of marines you’re looking at never made it back alive, there were over sixty, heavily armed. It tore them apart like they weren’t even there.’
‘They didn’t get off any shots?’
‘Oh, they shot at it alright,’ Stevens said, ‘bullet casings were everywhere. They unloaded everything they had and it still didn’t stop it. And since it takes so long to get to that area we decided to leave well enough alone, although that was after we lost another two teams. After that we sent down a tethered robot which brought back the helmet that recorded these images … amongst other things.’
Joiner saw a shimmering light appear on the soldier’s visor screen. ‘What is that?’
‘That’s it.’
‘There’s no audio?’ Joiner said.
Stevens touched the screen.
Sounds of gunfire erupted from the speakers and the screams of dying men filled the air. The battle, if that’s what you could call it, carried on and on until the visor image suddenly ended.
‘That’s all the footage you have?’
‘Not all.’ Stevens played another file. ‘The robot captured this.’
Joiner saw the same shimmering light gliding across the ground of a rock-strewn chamber. The vision slowed and then stopped before a strange, indistinct form emerged from the ether. The creature’s transparent skin, if that’s what it was, bulged and distorted. It looked like it might have legs, but each time a coherent shape appeared it melded back into the writhing mass. At times a protuberance, much like a head, searched this way and that, like a snake tasting the air. Moments passed until the light glowed forth once more before vanishing from view
The footage ended and Joiner considered what he’d seen.
‘The scientists call it the Pharos,’ Stevens said. ‘Have you noticed how they always have to give something a name?’
‘Like the Roman lighthouse,’ Joiner murmured, ‘a beacon.’
‘Yeah, but rather than guide you to safety it rips you in two.’
‘Perhaps Siren would be more appropriate.’
‘Whatever it’s called,’ – Stevens sparked up his cigar, the end crackling orange as he sucked in its noxious fumes – ‘when I knew it stayed in its part of Sanctuary I could sleep at night.’
Agent Myers gave a groan of pain and Joiner looked in his direction, his thoughts troubled. ‘What did you just say?’ he said, turning back to Stevens. ‘When it stayed in its part of Sanctuary?’
Stevens chuckled amidst his pall of smoke, his face turning sinister. ‘You caught that, did you? Let’s just say it won’t be long until you’re not the only spawn of the Devil calling this base home.’
Joiner stared at him. ‘They’re bringing it here?’
Stevens laughed. ‘You didn’t think they called in all of S.I.L.V.E.R. for just one woman, did you? They’re out there to trap this Pharos and bring it back for study.’
‘You can’t be serious.’
‘They’re confident they can neutralise it. If they can’t, they’ll monitor and release. Personally, I’d rather see the beast dead ten times over before they even considered bringing it back, but that’s Sørensen for you. The man’s nothing if not determined.’
Joiner’s mind was racing. ‘Dresden Locke knows about this thing?’
‘Of course, that’s why he’s always banging on about safety all the time. He knows full well what’s down there. Did you see his face when you told him he’d be going? He nearly wet himself.’
‘He knows why S.I.L.V.E.R. are here?’
‘Locke is many things,’ Stevens said, ‘but stupid isn’t one of them; he knows.’
The doors to the office opened and Joiner turned to see his primary aide enter the room.
‘Debden?’ Joiner said, frowning. ‘I didn’t call you here.’
‘Sir,’ – Debden glanced over at Myers – ‘your evaluation’s been brought forward.’
Joiner’s grip loosened on the pistol. ‘What?’
‘He said it’s been brought forward, Director,’ Stevens said.
Joiner looked back round and something exploded against his chin. Light flashed before his eyes and he slumped to the floor unconscious.
♦
General Stevens shook out his fist and looked down at the comatose body of the intelligence director. ‘Damn, that felt good.’
Debden felt for Joiner’s pulse. ‘You didn’t have to hit him so hard.’
‘He deserved it,’ Stevens said, flexing his bandaged hand.
‘The Committee may still require his services. Joiner is one man you don’t want bearing a grudge.’
Stevens sniffed. ‘I’ll take my chances, as will you when he finds out you’re his leak.’
‘He won’t be seeing me again. I’ll be reassigned.’
Stevens grunted and then looked over at Myers. ‘What about him?’
Debden walked over to the stricken CIA agent and crouched down next to him. He pulled open his shirt. ‘Call for a medic; he hasn’t got long.’
&nbs
p; Stevens pressed a button on the wall console and while he spoke to SED emergency services, Debden stood up and returned to Joiner’s side to look down at his former boss. How many years have I had to put up with his shit? he wondered. Six years? It feels like twenty. He leant down and removed Joiner’s dislodged glasses, closed them and tucked them into his breast pocket. The man was a monster, but he’d been Debden’s monster; he almost felt a stirring of emotion at having to part ways with him, it had been a massive part of his life. Whether it was a good part he was still trying to figure that out.
Half a minute later, two medics burst into the office to attend to the gunshot victim, while nearby the man who’d inflicted the near mortal wound remained unmoving on the floor. Grant Debden took one last look at Joiner’s prone form before slipping unnoticed from the room.
He touched the implant in his ear to activate his computer phone. ‘It’s done,’ he said.
‘Your transport is waiting for you,’ a woman said on the other end, ‘you’ll be on the first elevator out of Sanctuary. Have you decided where you’d like to be relocated?’
Debden thought for a moment. ‘Somewhere hot, with lots of water, endless beaches and beautiful, sun-kissed women.’
‘USSB Pelagic it is. Thank you, Grant Debden, your service has been exemplary. We wish you well in your future endeavours.’
The woman hung up and Debden continued on his way, out of the SED and into his new life, the trials and tribulations that surrounded Malcolm Joiner a rapidly fading reality, the joys of the unexpected a whole new future. He stepped out of the SED’s main entrance and onto the front concourse before a screech of brakes made him turn and cry out, ‘NO!’
♦
The driver’s car bounced over the body of the man he’d just run down. He slid the back end out and then gunned the accelerator.
As he sped back out into the base’s tunnel complex, he switched on the wiper blades to remove the blood that covered the cracked windscreen.
His car’s computer bleeped and a woman’s face appeared on the head-up-display.
‘Is it done?’ she said.
The man nodded.
‘The credits will be wired to your account when we have confirmation.’ The woman cut the transmission and the man continued on into the darkness, his job complete and the only thought on his mind, whether he should order out for Chinese or Indian.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Colonel Samson scanned the area with his visor and crouched down to touch the tracks on the ground. ‘How long?’
‘Half an hour, maybe forty minutes.’
The Terra Force Colonel dug armoured fingers into the surface. ‘And no one saw them go?’
‘No.’
Samson bowed his head and clenched his hand into a fist. He breathed deep as he sought to control his fury. ‘And Locke’s with them?’
‘Yes, and the whole of Orton’s Deep Reach team, Alpha Six. We think they might be trying to join up with S.I.L.V.E.R..’
Samson’s brows furrowed deeper until his eyes were slits.
‘We sent a squad after them,’ the soldier said, ‘but they were out of sight. They’re moving quick.’
Samson stared into the collapsed labyrinth. ‘We can move quicker.’
‘Sir?’
‘Ditch the supplies.’ Samson pulled a shining sword from the ground, sending dust and dirt sifting down as he stood. ‘Mask up, soldier,’ – he held the Darklight weapon aloft and activated the blade, which reflected bright in his visor – ‘it’s time for war.’
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sarah Morgan sat on the hard ground watching her two friends talking in low tones twenty feet away. Nearby, the mute woman known only as Susan, lay sleeping in shallow dreams, her body trembling and twitching against an unseen ethereal threat.
After a while, Trish turned on her visor and worked her way towards Sarah over the boulder-strewn landscape.
‘How is he?’ Sarah said.
‘Okay,’ – Trish looked back at Jason – ‘a bit grumpy, but alive.’
Sarah removed her helmet and switched on its torches, allowing them some relief from spectral enhancement.
Neither of them spoke for some time until Trish reached out and squeezed Sarah’s hand. ‘Are you okay?’
The deep concern in her friend’s voice broke something within her. Sarah shook her head and fought back tears.
‘Hey,’ Trish said, touching her face, ‘what’s wrong?’
A sob escaped Sarah’s lips. ‘I thought I’d lost you.’
Trish drew her into a fierce embrace. ‘But you didn’t, did you? I’m still here.’
Sarah felt tears trickle down her face. ‘No thanks to me.’
‘What?’ Trish leaned back so she could look into Sarah’s eyes.
‘I thought you were dead; it was Jason who knew you were alive, not me.’
‘That doesn’t matter.’
‘I gave up on you. I nearly killed you and then gave up on you. What sort of person does that make me?’
‘You didn’t nearly kill me; you were trying to save me.’
‘I led us down here to die.’ Sarah’s tears flowed again. ‘I kept pushing us further and harder. You both said, but I didn’t listen.’
‘Sarah, no, Jason told me what happened. You mustn’t blame yourself, do you hear me?’ Trish lifted her chin. ‘This is not your fault.’
Sarah wanted to believe her, but she couldn’t. She knew she was right. And deep down Trish and Jason knew it, too. She’d led them into this abyss to die and there was no one else to blame but her.
Trish held her close and stroked her hair, much like Jason had not so long before, as Sarah cried silent tears into her shoulder. The sensation of being comforted reminded her of when her mum used to do the same thing when she was a little girl. Another memory flashed into her mind, a memory of stepping out into oblivion. Sarah didn’t want to think about what she’d attempted. She never wanted to feel that low ever again.
A while later, when Sarah was calmer, Trish released her hold.
Sarah wiped her eyes with grubby hands. After her admission to Jason, she’d believed she’d no more tears left to give, but her guilt lay heavy on her heart and it sought to wring her dry.
More empty silence passed and Sarah felt compelled to speak. ‘Do you ever feel … wrong inside?’
‘Sarah, trust me, there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s all in your mind.’
‘That’s the problem, I think you’re right.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’ve been hearing things, like voices in my head.’
Trish tried to conceal a look of concern. ‘What?’
‘Sometimes it whispers to me. When there’s danger it tells me things.’
‘Things?’
‘It tells me not to fear the dark, to embrace it. It’s like death itself is calling to me.’
‘Come on, Saz, you’re worrying me. I’ve never seen you like this. You’re the bravest person I know.’
‘That’s the thing, it’s all a sham. I’m so scared, I seek out danger; I seek out thrills just to feel.’
‘It’s just this place.’
‘No, it’s more than that. Every expedition I’ve gone on, it’s got worse. Each time I went that little bit further, that little bit higher, that little bit faster. And bit by bit I changed. People thought me fearless, courageous, but I realise now I was just afraid, afraid of standing still, afraid to face reality. A reality without my mum. A reality alone. Riley once said he felt like a fraud because he thought he’d got where he was because of who his father was. I reassured him he wasn’t, but it should have been me admitting to being the fraud, the faker, pretending to be something I’m not. Everything I do turns to crap and I take even bigger risks to regain control, and it’s led to this. Ever since Mum died, I feel … lost. When I found Riley and my perfect job, I got scared because I felt so happy. Does that sound strange?’
‘A bit,’ Trish said.
Trish gave her hand a squeeze. ‘Try.’
‘It’s like I want to fail.’ Sarah stared into space. ‘Sometimes I think I’m losing my mind.’
‘You’ve been through a lot, what with the fire, your mum, Mark, Cora, Riley, the SED. You’re trying to control everything around you, overthinking. You need to let go and relax instead of fighting all the time. When we get to the surface, everything will sort itself out, you’ll see.’
Sarah knew Trish was trying to help, but she didn’t understand. How could she? ‘You still think we can make it?’
‘Don’t you?’
‘We don’t even know where we are.’
‘We’ll find a way.’
‘Of course we will,’ Jason said, hobbling over.
A small hand worked its way into Sarah’s and she looked round to see Susan next to her. The small woman’s expression didn’t change, she just looked down at the ground, as timid as ever, but the gesture was there and it filled a hole in Sarah’s heart.
‘You shouldn’t be walking on that,’ Trish said, indicating Jason’s foot.
Wincing, Jason looked down at his ankle. ‘It’s fine. Besides you can’t carry me to the surface, so I’m going to have to walk on it some time.’
‘Isn’t it painful?’ Sarah said.
‘Err, yeah.’ He held up a small device. ‘This Darklight morphine dispenser helps, though.’
‘I thought he needed it more,’ Trish said to her.
‘Plus these Darklight battlefield wraps are super-strong.’ He held up his leg to show her. ‘It’s made out of nano-tubes or something; it transfers all the weight, like having bone on the outside. I can hardly feel it,’ – he grimaced again – ‘sort of.’
Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2) Page 13