The Aurora Conspiracies- Volume One

by Sam Nash

  Descending to a lower altitude, she zoomed over Liberty offering her a subconscious salute. Us women need to stick together. We will lead men into a better and equal future. Keep the faith. She half expected her brother to laugh at her proclamation, but he remained a quiet passenger of her thoughts. In essence, he agreed with her.

  The urban scars of the east coast zipped beneath her as she aimed for the wooded stretch of New Jersey. Here, she passed low over conifer plantations and homesteads until she spotted the retreat, with its inactive wind turbines and rows of polytunnels. The service roads criss-crossing the compound were deserted. There were a few lights visible from the windows of the communal centre, but everywhere else appeared to be in darkness. Had the attacks already begun? Were the inhabitants all hunkered down in the underground storage caverns, awaiting a signal akin to an air-raid all clear?

  A quick sweep of the centre seemed to corroborate Mary’s suspicions. One or two staff members loitered in the medical wing, plus a few guards in military uniform carrying automatic weapons were dotted around the place. It was as though they expected imminent trouble. Mary turned away from the centre and floated to the building from which she and Lachie accessed the staircase into the bunker. Squeezing her presence through the gap between the steel door and its frame, Mary entered the dark corridor, passed through the entrance at the furthest end, and began her descent.

  It was much easier going as a ball of energy. Mary by-passed the steps and hurtled through the central space between the banisters. In less than three seconds, she was at the base of the stairwell, and entering the main cavern. The same farm vehicles and military trucks filled the middle of the cavity, the storage units flanking either side. Without fear of detection, Mary drove her presence above the equipment, passed the freezers containing Flynn’s body and the computer suite where Lachie and Oona had their first kiss. Where is everyone? The place is empty.

  As soon as her thoughts assembled as coherent sentences in her mind, Dan heard them and responded. “Didn’t you say that there was a second level, after you stole the bicycle and rode up a ramp?”

  “I did, good thinking.” Retracing her escape route, Mary wound her way around the helical ramp to the cavern leading directly to the surface. This area was buzzing with activity. Military personnel packed and stowed electrical equipment, from solar arrays to battery units, cables and fuse boxes. Others manned a camp kitchen area, slopping out chilli and rice, potatoes and veg into trays with irregularly shaped indentations. There must be some sort of operations headquarters down here, but where?

  She was right. At the far end of the cavern was a large room, set back into the right-hand wall of the bunker. It was sectioned off with stud walls and high Perspex windows, but from her vantage point, she could see Alexi in his hat and sunglasses, standing next to a large oval table. Behind him, a screen similar to that of the Tactical Room at GCHQ Bucks. He was addressing those sitting at the table. She needed to hear what he was saying.

  Pushing her nebulous form through the stud partition, Mary positioned herself above Lachie’s head. She spotted Ronica and Raeni, for once silent and attentive. The two quiet lads, who had never given Mary their names, sat opposite them. Oona and Judith were both missing. That can’t be a good sign. I wonder where Alexi has them stashed?

  Tuning into Alexi’s lecture, Mary tried to ascertain how close he was to implementing the next wave of attacks. In his broken English, he warned the twins and young men about their contracts and penalties should they fail to follow orders. Each of the crew looked more than chastened, they looked terrified. What had Alexi done to reduce these confident youngsters to nervous wrecks? The screen behind Alexi showed a map of the US states. At regular intervals it updated the positions of red dots overlaying the satellite image.

  “They must be the teams transporting the balloons and devices.” Dan muttered. “How is Alexi communicating with them?”

  “I don’t know, but if I am to get each unit to stand down, then I have to find out.”

  Alexi’s shirt pocket pinged. He took out his mobile phone and swiped at the screen. Mary rushed in closer as he touched his thumb to a green icon, opening a dialogue box.

  “They’re using WhatsApp!” Mary couldn’t believe the simplicity of it all. “But his unit won’t be able to communicate with him after the attacks… ah.” The remainder of his plan fell into place in Mary’s mind. “That’s why he has been training Lachie and the others. Their telepathy will instruct Alexi’s personnel.”

  “So, all you need to do, is to take Alexi over and message his men to stand down and return to the compound.” Dan said. “You could Even make him turn himself in, instead of killing him.”

  “Let’s hope so. Here goes.”

  Mary lowered until she was level with Alexi’s face. Those weaselly eyes looked grey through the tint of his glasses. Concentrating hard, Mary tried to detect his brain waves to initiate a merging of her frequencies with his. After a few moments, Mary moved higher and tried again. Nothing, not a wisp of his energy anywhere. She moved to another spot and tried again. No luck. “His glasses must have some kind of polarisation in the tint. I cannot get through.”

  “Can you detect anything from his brain at all? Perhaps you could find a channel via his auditory nerves?” Dan suggested.

  Mary moved to the side of Alexi’s head. Again, no brain waves could be traced. In a ditch attempt, Mary tried to push her way through the fibres in his hat; a brute force attack on his brain. Once again, she was repelled.

  “He has some sort of metallic shielding surrounding his head. I cannot get to him.”

  Alexi turned and watched the screen refresh. The red dots were now pulsating in stationary positions. “All US teams in position. There is only unit in Rome to hear from, then we are go.”

  Mary could feel the anxiety building in her brother’s neural pathways. “Stay cool, Dan, I have an idea.” Abandoning the plan to infiltrate Alexi’s mind, she moved rapidly across the table to Lachie. His brain waves surged and ebbed with contradictory emotions; a veritable open book of frequencies. Mary blended with him in an instant, shocking the young Scottish lad into an audible snort, followed by a jerked movement of his upper body.

  “Is something wrong?” Alexi asked of him.

  Mary isolated his mind from the others in the group, taking over the nervous control of his auditory channels. “Lachie, it’s me, Mary. Don’t let on that you can hear me, okay?”

  “Okay.” He replied, confusing Alexi.

  “Okay, something is wrong, or okay, you are okay?” Alexi enquired, his suspicions fully aroused.

  “Everything is fine general. Apologies for the interruption.” Lachie tried to keep his face neutral, and in doing so, made himself appear unnaturally focused. The twins glared at him, as though they had tried and failed to communicate with Lachie telepathically, blocked by Mary’s control.

  “Listen. I have secured a deal for you, Oona and the others with MI6. You will be fully pardoned and can go home, just as soon as we stop this despot. All you have to do is overpower Alexi.” Mary said, in slow, well enunciated words, allowing the information to percolate through his mind.

  “I cannae do that, Mary. He has Oona locked up somewhere. He said he’ll kill her if I don’t do as he says.”

  “I don’t believe for one second that he would. He values people with abilities too much.”

  “No? Tell that to Judith. She’s in the freezer next to your pal Flynn.”

  This revelation sent Mary’s brain waves into a frenetic beta rhythm, temporarily detaching her from Lachie’s consciousness. Dan helped her to regain her composure, soothing her frequencies with his own calm presence.

  “You are going to have to kill him, Lachie. It’s the only way. Then I’ll help you to find Oona and we can release her from wherever she is being held.”

  “That’s cold-blooded murder. I cannae do that.”

  “What do you think will happen when multiple EMP devices wipe out a
ll electronics in the west? How many people will die from lack of emergency services, no medicine, water or food, no police to maintain order, no functioning hospitals…how is that different from murder? Kill this one man, and we can stop it all.” Mary knew it was a lie. Alexi was not the only threat. They still had Luca to deal with, but she kept that to herself.

  Every person in the room, faced the giant monitor opposite the one showing the United States of America. This screen glowed with little red dots over every major city in Europe. Mary persisted. “Look at that map, Lachie. Do you think your family in Scotland will survive with no medicines, or sanitation or fresh water? What if they are driving when the blast hits, and their cars go careening off the road into a ditch?”

  “Am sorry, Mary. I cannae.” A single tear spilled down his cheek. Alexi had his back turned to Lachie. He need only face him to know that something was afoot, putting Lachie’s life in danger.

  “Then I am sorry too.” Mary said, taking control of Lachie’s entire body and forcing his consciousness into sleep mode. Before Alexi could turn around, Mary stood Lachie up, and walked him around the table. With both strong hands raised to Alexi’s head, she grabbed hold and twisted with such force, she heard the vertebrae in his neck dislocate. Every muscle in his body sagged, his eyes glazed, the mobile phone skittered across the floor. Mary released Lachie’s grip, allowing Alexi to crumple in a heap.

  For a moment, the team of telepaths just stared at the body on the floor. Mary directed Lachie to pick up the phone and use the dead man’s thumb to open the screen lock.

  “That’s cold, man.” Ronica said, shaking her head. Her sister, Raeni, hugged herself, petrified that Lachie would come for her next.

  Mary bellowed from Lachie’s voice box. “Don’t just sit there. Go and find Oona, and then collect your things together. The British are coming. And hurry, before Alexi’s men realise what has happened.” Mary agreed with Ronica. It was cold. Killing people could not be anything else. Thumbing through Alexi’s WhatsApp files, she could not make sense of any of his messages. The Cyrillic letters were beyond her abilities. She tucked the mobile phone into Lachie’s jeans pocket and then concentrated on the screens. Every single red dot pulsed from its city location. The last unit was in place. All Senator Luca Bonovich had to do, was say the word to end all of western civilisation.

  “Dan, can you tell Yelena to get her team here asap. They must get the phone from Lachie and find someone who can message in Russian.”

  “Way ahead of you, sis. Come on home now.”

  Mary released her control over Lachie and allowed him a moment to assimilate all that had occurred. He glanced down at the body. Alexi’s legs were tangled around the table struts and urine seeped into his army fatigues. His eyes were still wide open and glassy.

  “You made me into a murderer without my consent.” His anger boiled, his brain waves fluctuated from beta into gamma, making her linkage hard to maintain.

  “I’m sorry, Lachie. MI6 know that you are not responsible. You were merely my weapon. You know it had to be done. At least you and Oona are now safe, and can come home.”

  “I’ll ne’er forgive yea for this.”

  Mary left Lachie’s mind, quite sure that he would not forgive her. She had used him in much the same way that Alexi had used her when first they met. On her journey back to her physical body, she felt most wretched. Despite the justifications, she had taken another life. A life of someone, who had put her in harm’s way and manipulated her into committing terrible crimes, but had ultimately been kind to her. Alexi was full of unfathomable dichotomies. Why had he rescued her from imprisonment following the poisoning incident at The Houses of Parliament? He could have implemented the EMP plan without her aid. Why did he go to such lengths to keep her close? It was clear that his connection to Luca was one of convenience and not loyalty. Both men wanted leadership of the attacks. Luca would hardly lose sleep over Alexi’s demise. And what of Yelena’s connection? She had uttered his name during her sleep that afternoon at the Ditchley Estate in Oxford. Did she retain her Russian connections even after she joined MI6?

  The clamour of questions distracted her from her mission. There was still much to achieve in order to safeguard the west. She reconnected with her body and roused herself awake. Dan was waiting by her side when she opened her eyes.

  “How are you doing? That could not have been easy for you.” He said, resting his hand on her shoulder.

  Mary peered up at her sweet brother. “You know what is most frightening? That it didn’t bother me at all. What have I become?” There was a moment where she detected his pity infused with pride, but he could not articulate his emotions.

  Rushing from the lab, they bounded into the Tactical Room and instructed Yelena and the minister to look for the evidence they required in Alexi’s control room.

  “With the WhatsApp messages and the digital trail from the bunker, you shouldn’t have too much trouble co-opting the CIA to lend support, but first and foremost, you need to decipher the messages from Alexi’s phone.”

  Yelena smiled. “I have just the man for the job. An old colleague of mine is nearby. I will appoint him to lead the team.”

  Dan and Mary exchanged glances. The minister saw the tension building between them.

  “No, by all means have your man there to assist with language issues, but I want someone senior at the scene.” The minister tapped a few shortcuts on her phone and walked from the room to make her private call.

  Yelena looked beaten. Her former youthful complexion looked desiccated and lined. The hollows beneath her eyes grey and lacklustre.

  Mary pressed her. “One down eh? Alexi can never again cause mayhem.” She watched her friend closely. Was that a tear rising to the surface of her lower lids? The implacable Yelena, close to crying? The old Mary would have offered comfort, a shoulder on which to cry. The new Mary did not have time for such niceties. There was a hanging thread to Alexi’s tale, and she was determined to see it unravelled. “How did you know him?”

  Yelena picked at fluff on her jacket, dipping her gaze from Mary’s inquisition. She swallowed, looked up and then cleared her throat. “We, um… he was, er…fostered by my family. We grew up together.”

  “Jesus, Yelena. Don’t you think we should have known this? What the hell were you thinking?” Dan fumed.

  “Six know about it. It was registered as a conflict of interest in my files. It is all as you say, above the boards.”

  “But you have known all along what he is capable of?” Mary tried to keep the note of contempt from her tone, but failed.

  “He was an intelligent child. His inquisitive nature made him genius at science and mathematics. Papa thought he might one day make great breakthrough, change the world.” Her eyes glowed for a few moments in recollection, until reality dulled them once more.

  Dan rounded on her. “What happened?”

  “National Service. Met some very bad people, and now this…” She gestured to the screen showing the live feed of street riots Las Vegas.

  Chapter Thirty

  Everything fell into place. Yelena’s reactions during previous dealings with Alexi, the cryptic message Mary saw on a mobile phone thanking the sender for the warnings about the drone strike in Alaska; she was behind his escape. She was treading a thin line of treason. Mary fumed, but kept control of her facial muscles. Yelena had been her biggest champion throughout every ordeal at the hands of the government and of terrorists. She had campaigned tirelessly to bring Mary onto her team full time.

  And now, Mary had agreed to their terms. She was an active MI6 operative, with a duty to uphold. If she reported all that she knew about Yelena, her friend would end her days in a prison cell, or worse still, would meet with a timely accident to silence her once and for all.

  The minister returned from the corridor, tucking her phone into her handbag. Yelena stared at Mary. There was a pensive look of fatalism etched in her eyes. She fully expected Mary to betray her. In
the split second before the minister could relate her update, Mary made a momentous decision; better the devil you know. She chose to keep the information regarding Yelena’s treachery to herself. There was nothing to be gained from outing her at this juncture, but it could prove useful much later. Her cold calculations stunned Dan, but he maintained his composure.

  “I have an extraction team going in now. The CIA are on standby with a join task force to clear up this mess.” The minister retrieved a handkerchief from her bag and swiped it beneath her nose. “Bloody grandchildren and their germs.”

  “Madam secretary, this is not over, don’t you see?” Mary loomed closer to the Defence Minister, puzzled as to her relaxed attitude. “Senator Bonovich could initiate the attacks right now, as we speak.”

  “Ah yes, well we discussed that, and there is absolutely no evidence linking the senator to any wrong doing at all. Now that Russian general is out of the way, we can stand down the terror alert.”

  “I don’t know how you can say that after all I have told you.”

  “Mary, I have said it before, you cannot go around accusing old lovers of crimes, particularly one as powerful as him.” She blew her nose and rummaged in her bag for more tissues.

  Mary, Dan and Yelena shared incredulous looks. Even Quan appeared to be perturbed by her stance. Yelena tipped her head towards the door. Mary did not need further permission to leave the room. She and Dan hurried back to the lab and sat in their respective chairs.

  “You know what has to be done?” Dan said, with a mixture of apprehension and admiration plastered across his face.