Neither man had noticed his approach, immersed as they were in conversation and facing the other way.
Joiner signalled for his armed escort to stop and the soldier, clad in his lustrous purple armour, did so without question. Joiner gave an inward smile at his new-found power and approached his prey.
‘Gentleman,’ he said.
Dagmar Sørensen glanced round, while the other man visibly tensed at the sound of Joiner’s voice.
General Stevens turned to face him and Joiner revelled at the exquisite sight of the man’s suppressed horror, which spread across his cretinous mug.
‘Intelligence Director,’ Dagmar said in greeting, ‘how are you feeling?’
Joiner held Stevens’ gaze for a moment longer, eking out the man’s discomfort like fingernails down a chalkboard. He then switched his attention to the R&D director, who couldn’t stop his eyes from flicking down to Joiner’s sling and his injured arm within.
Joiner felt a sudden surge of fury at the unspoken recognition of his wound, but he kept his emotions ice cool. The age old adage was very true and he was a past master in refining its deliverance, and so he knew – when it came – the dish would be freezing and his revenge sublime. ‘Dagmar,’ he said, ‘what brings you to Sanctuary?’
Sørensen raised a handkerchief to his mouth and produced a racking cough. ‘I was called in to inspect the anomaly,’ – he wiped away a fleck of blood – ‘it was quite unexpected.’
‘You mean the chamber’s ceiling?’
‘You’ve seen it?’
‘Of course.’ Joiner glanced up through the tower’s transparent spire at the blue skies beyond. ‘It’s impressive.’
‘These are exciting times for us all,’ Dagmar said, ‘isn’t that so, General?’
Stevens grunted something unintelligible.
‘You’re probably wondering how my evaluation went.’ Joiner touched his broken arm. ‘The initial exchanges were quite heated, but the outcome was amicable, beneficial even.’
The hint of a smile creased Dagmar’s features. ‘It’s good to be part of something bigger, to have your burdens released. Why fight the mind when you can just give in and obey?’
‘It’s funny,’ Joiner said, realising the man thought he was under the thrall of his mind-altering machine, ‘I feel like a great weight has been lifted; it’s intoxicating.’
‘I’m sure that feeling will only continue,’ Dagmar said. ‘The mind is a beautiful thing, analysing it is one of my greatest pleasures.’
I bet it is, Joiner thought, you pasty-faced fuck.
The towering red doors to the Anakim hall swung open and Joiner beckoned the soldier to rejoin him, a motion not lost on Stevens, who frowned.
‘The Committee awaits,’ Dagmar said. ‘Until we meet again, Director.’
Joiner gave him the faintest of nods before looking to Stevens. ‘I hope you enjoy speaking to my associates, General. Selene said she’ll be with you shortly.’
‘Associates?’ Stevens said.
‘Didn’t they tell you?’ Joiner smiled a malevolent smile.
‘Tell me what?’
‘That I’m now a fully-fledged member of the Committee.’
General Stevens’ face dropped a mile while Joiner’s euphoria soared.
‘I’ll also be operating out of the SED for the foreseeable future,’ Joiner said, his expression hardening into murderous intent, ‘so I expect we’ll cross paths again … very soon.’ He let that information sink in as far as it would go and then waited some more before he broke the spell by walking away with his armed guard in tow.
♦
Dumbstruck, General Stevens watched until Malcolm Joiner had disappeared from sight. And there the army officer remained, his exterior frozen in shock while his interior broiled in a sea of dread.
A distant sound brought Stevens out of his trance and he glanced round to see Dagmar disappearing into the adjoining hall.
With a final look back at the empty corridor into which Joiner had previously entered, General Stevens turned and followed the R&D director into the Committee’s conclave, his mind furiously seeking a way out of the prison that had become his life.
♦
Malcolm Joiner breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction as he slowed his pace to a measured stroll. That couldn’t have been more enjoyable if I’d planned it, he thought. He touched his jaw; it still smarted from the General’s sucker punch. I’ll make the bloated oaf rue the day he ever crossed me.
Walking on through the undulating halls of the Anakim tower’s crystalline interior, Joiner finally reached the human installation that would take him back down to the base’s Dome level far below. Two other people waited at the elevator, an armed guard and the nurse who’d warned him about the Committee’s plan to brainwash him.
A couple of minutes passed before the lift arrived and Joiner boarded, while his guide remained behind to guard the entrance alongside his armed colleague. The nurse, however – without showing any sign of recognition – joined him on the platform and a moment later they descended the tower together, safely ensconced within their glass clad transport.
A minute of silence ensued before the nurse spoke.
‘I hear they’ve managed to get the base’s power grids back up.’
Joiner glanced in her direction, but the woman remained staring out at the spectacle beyond. He followed her gaze and the interior of the great dome glided by as they continued their descent.
‘The dome is still down, though,’ she continued. ‘It’s said it might take another day to get it working again.’
Joiner despised small talk; however this woman was responsible for helping him and he couldn’t help but wonder why. And that she was with him now defied the odds of chance. Is she trying to communicate something to me? If she is, he thought, this is neither the time nor the place. The Committee’s surveillance will be listening.
The elevator slowed to a stop and with it so did his chance at attempting to breach the invisible divide between them. The doors slid back and Joiner moved forward, but as he did so the nurse brushed past him in a rush.
Joiner felt something heavy drop into his pocket and his hand reached in to close around his personal computer. The woman walked away down a floodlit path towards the nearest transport hub, while a retinue of black-suited intelligence agents fell into step alongside him.
‘Sir,’ the lead agent said, glancing at his director’s injured arm, ‘are you okay?’
‘Why wouldn’t I be, agent?’ Joiner held out his hand and the man passed him a set of snap-on shades, which he attached to his spectacles.
‘We lost contact with you at the SED. Agent Myers was shot and Grant Debden was found dead soon after. We had the entire office out searching for you when the whole power grid went down. We feared it was some kind of terrorist attack.’
‘Your inability to locate my whereabouts will be reviewed,’ Joiner said, ‘but for now just take me back to my office. I’ve had a stressful couple of weeks.’
The agent opened the door to a blacked out SUV. Joiner climbed in and eased himself into comfort. The door closed behind him with a soft thud and seconds later the five-strong motorcade was speeding through the streets of USSB Sanctuary towards the GMRC Command Complex.
Joiner settled into his seat and allowed his head to sink back onto the headrest. He was back in his world, surrounded by armed agents and shielded within a bulletproof cage of steel and glass. He closed his eyes and realised it was good to be home. It’s good to be me.
The soft scent of the leather interior caressed his senses while the directionless motion induced by the car lulled him towards sleep. But before the hands of slumber could enclose him in its welcome embrace, a subtle pain made itself known at the base of his skull. The throbbing annoyance grew stronger as he concentrated on it and then he remembered his personal computer. No doubt he would have a thousand messages waiting to be read. And since Debden had selfishly died, it would be up to him to vet his rep
lacement. He heaved a sigh and reached down to extract the device.
He frowned and raised his shades. The display screen was already unlocked; the complex web of biometrics, passwords and inbuilt artificial intelligence having somehow been breached. He accessed the security guardian and a digitised, metallic face appeared on-screen.
‘Hello, Director,’ the A.I. said in a bland voice, ‘how can I be of assistance?’
‘This device has been hacked. Why are there no warnings?’
The simulated face feigned a look of surprise before it disappeared to be replaced by a flashing message:
SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC
A moment later the face reappeared. ‘You are correct, Director. This device was breached three hours, twenty-seven minutes and three seconds ago. Preliminary scans indicate high level decryption software was utilised.’
‘Source?’
‘Unknown. Although I have determined the attack originated from a large scale quantum array.’
‘What’s been accessed?’
‘Your schedules, files and correspondence are all secure. No data has been downloaded or accessed.’
‘None at all?’
The A.I.’s expression became confused. ‘No, Director, none.’
‘Then what was the target of the attack – software?’
‘On further analysis there appears to be only one abnormality detected.’
‘And what’s that?’
‘A line of code has been inserted into the operating system shell. It has been designed to activate at a specific set of coordinates located in USSB Sanctuary.’
Joiner leaned forward in concern. ‘Show me.’
A three dimensional map of the base appeared and the view zoomed in to a series of interconnecting roads.
‘Overlay our location.’
A moving red dot appeared on-screen showing the motorcade heading straight for the coordinates. Joiner’s eyes widened and he looked up to see an intersection looming large.
He slammed down the intercom. ‘STOP THE CAR!’
But it was too late; his computer beeped and the first SUV exploded into the air. The second SUV barrelled into the falling wreck and Joiner’s vision filled with the fireball. His driver swerved. Men shouted, brakes screeched, and they went airborne.
Chapter Seventy-Five
Malcolm Joiner’s SUV spiralled through the air before slamming down on its side. Glass exploded, safety foam deployed and the vehicle ploughed into an oncoming lorry. The front end disappeared in twisted steel and they were thrust backwards in a shower of sparks and flame. An instant later the motion ceased and Joiner tried to clear his disorientation with a shake of the head. He was upside down, and he rolled onto his front as smoke filled the cabin. He saw a way out through the smashed rear window and crawled forward to escape the building heat, and emerged into fresh air. The sound of the car’s electric engine whined loudly while its wheels spun without traction. Joiner leaned against the rear bumper as his head swam.
The first two SUV’s continued to burn, while the two that had been following Joiner’s had skidded to a stop behind. Intelligence agents swarmed out, guns raised, and shouted commands as they ran towards him.
‘Sir,’ one said, grabbing his arm, ‘this way!’
Joiner was dragged towards the nearest vehicle before automatic gunfire exploded all around and the man who’d been guiding him dropped to the ground, dead.
Joiner staggered towards the open door of the SUV as his agents were gunned down all around. He turned back to see armoured Terra Force soldiers bearing down on him.
Realising there was no escape; Joiner stood his ground as the lead man approached, and two Humvees skidded to a halt behind.
‘Malcolm Joiner.’ The soldier grasped his arm. ‘Get in.’
Joiner was forced into the back of one of the vehicles while the military squad piled in around him. Wheels spun and the two Humvees sped off into the night.
The front passenger removed his helmet and pointed to the driver. ‘Down there!’
‘Who sent you?’ Joiner said. ‘General Stevens, the Committee?’
The man glanced round. ‘Jesus Christ, cover his head!’
A rough sack was pulled down over Joiner’s eyes and the man spoke again.
‘He’s fucking seen me now, you idiot!’
‘Don’t worry,’ another man said, ‘he’ll never remember what you look like.’
‘He’s the goddamn Intelligence Director; of course he’ll fucking remember! Check him for devices.’
Rough hands searched him. They removed his computer and multi-function card, then ran a device over his body. ‘He’s clean.’
‘Good,’ said the man in the passenger seat, ‘let’s get this done.’
Joiner remained quiet, listening, but the conversation failed to continue and he had to endure an ominous silence for a further twenty minutes before they drew to stop and he was forced out and down some steps. Doors opened and closed, more steps came and went and the air grew cool. Armoured hands guided him to a chair, where his cloth mask was removed.
Joiner blinked in the half-light. He sat at a table inside a dingy refrigeration room stacked high with plastic crates. Before him, a single Terra Force soldier stood in silent sentry, while another entered the room from behind.
The newcomer sat down in the chair opposite and Joiner noticed both he and his comrade had removed the identifying marks on their armour. If General Stevens is behind this, he thought, he’s covering his tracks.
The soldier opened the lower half of his helmet’s mask and dialled a number into a military handset, which he then held to his ear. Joiner recognised him as the man he’d glimpsed inside the Humvee.
‘Yes, it’s done,’ the soldier said, ‘it was as you said, they were easy pickings.’
He paused as the person on the other end spoke.
‘How long until extraction?’ he said, and waited again before nodding.
He slid the device across to Joiner and stood up and – along with the other soldier – left the room, the latter leaving the door ajar.
Joiner glanced around. He was alone and unrestrained. The door was left open and he was unhurt. What is going on?
He looked down at the handset and reached out to put it to his ear. No sound came from the other end, but Joiner knew the difference between an absence of noise and the faint whisper of static.
‘Who is this?’ he said.
‘Malcolm Joiner?’ said a deep, distorted voice.
‘I said, who is this?’
‘Who I am is irrelevant, Director. What I know is not.’
‘If you know who I am,’ Joiner said, ‘then you also know I can bring the might of the entire GMRC down on your head. There is nowhere – nowhere – you can hide from me.’
‘There is and I will. You will not find me or those I work for. But we can find you and it is down to us that you are still of sound mind.’
Joiner’s thoughts returned to the nurse and the magic pill she’d provided. ‘Explain.’
‘The woman you met in Tower Central, she gave you something before your evaluation. Did you take it?’
Joiner didn’t reply. It was a leading question. If he revealed what it was he’d taken, then he’d just given them the answer. ‘Something?’
‘The pill, a small white capsule designed to protect your mind from those that sought to control it.’
‘What if I did?’
‘Then you are still your own man. Listen well, Director, what I am about to tell you is going to change your life.’
Chapter Seventy-Six
Malcolm Joiner stood up, walked to the open door and peered through. ‘Change my life?’ he said into the handset. ‘There is nothing you can possibly say to me,’ – he moved out into a deserted corridor – ‘that will change my life.’
‘Is that so, Director?’ said the disguised voice. ‘What if I tell you that I am able to converse directly with the Committee any ti
me I like? What if I was to tell them that you evaded their attempts to control you?’
‘Then I’d say, what was the point in helping me in the first place?’
‘The Committee still fears you, Director. They fear and need you in equal measure, which is why they have gone to such lengths to manipulate you to their cause. But if you think you are one of their number, think again. Your induction into their ranks means nothing until you reach the higher echelons; only then will you be beyond their duplicity.’
‘Says the person who just had me abducted.’
‘Believe what you will, Director. Just know that we can reveal your own duplicity whenever we feel like it. You will do as we say when we say it, or your secrets will come out.’
Joiner gripped the handset tighter. Do they think me some naïve agent fresh out of training? Don’t they know who I am?! ‘Secrets? What secrets?’
‘You seek power for yourself, you always have. You want the Anakim device for yourself. You don’t want to help the Committee, you want to stop them. You want to destroy their work; you want to destroy the key to Project Ares.’
Joiner moved up a flight of steps. Whoever he was talking to knew more than he’d expected; he needed to trace their signal as soon as possible. He increased the speed of his ascent. ‘Who are you to know what I do and don’t want?’
‘We have been watching you for many years, Director. You seek to destroy the God Device. How do you think the Committee would react to seeing a video of you discussing such action with your right hand man, Agent Myers?’
Joiner opened another door and moved through an abandoned office. ‘I would say you’re grasping at straws.’
‘Would you?’ The deep voice gave a chuckle. ‘You know I speak the truth. But if you want further assurance that I’m not bluffing, perhaps you would like to know where these incriminating recordings came from.’
‘Fabricated, most likely,’ Joiner said, emerging into fresh air. He looked around and saw he was in the industrial sector. ‘The Committee will never believe a fake.’
Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2) Page 33