Enemy One (Epic Book 5) (40 page)

“That doesn’t sound very good at all,” Rath said.

“It most certainly is not.”

As he quickened his pace to catch up to Archer, Rath narrowed his eyes. “On an unrelated note, next time you decide to move someone to a secure location, at least give the courtesy of a head’s up. I had to find out about Axen from the hospital.”

Squinting curiously, Archer slowed down his near-trot. The Briton looked at Rath curiously. “Find out what about Axen?”

“That you moved him.”

The Briton stopped. He faced Rath directly. “I didn’t move him.”

For several seconds, the two men stared at one another in silence, until finally Rath set his hands on his hips. “Yes, you did. You moved him to a secure location this morning.”

“No, actually, I didn’t.” Archer, too, placed his hands on his hips. “Who told you he’d been moved?”

Rath stared at Archer dumbfounded. “The hospital told me! Novosibirsk General. They said you ordered it yourself.”

“I most certainty did not! Why the devil would I move such a high-priority subject without telling you first?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to know!” After several seconds passed in which neither man spoke, Rath asked, “So
you
didn’t move him?”

Shaking his head adamantly, Archer answered, “No!”

“And June didn’t move him?”

“Jason,
no one
here moved him.”

Once again, the two men were locked in a stalemate, both staring at each other pointedly as Oleg observed uncomfortably from behind. At long last, after almost five full seconds of silence, Rath asked the obvious. “So who the hell moved him?”

Sunday, March 18
^th
, 0012 NE

1028 hours

Norilsk, Russia

WHAT IN THE…?

The thought struck Scott as he stared ahead at the small group of
Northern Forge
staffers headed his way. The three workers—all of whom seemed to be some sort of emergency personnel—were not focused on Scott, but past him down the hall. Leaping out of their way, Scott watched them bolt past him toward the hangar.

He was apparently not the only one to notice the commotion, as numerous other
Northern Forge
occupants craned to see what the fuss was about. Rubbing the back of his neck, Scott caught sight of the doctor, Gavriil Shubin, who was emerging from farther ahead along with Valentin. The doctor and keeper were in the midst of a heated Russian exchange when they came upon Scott. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“The hangar,” Valentin said bluntly, his narrowed glare directed at Scott for a mere moment before he continued on his way.

The hangar?
“What’s happening in the hangar?”

“Unexpected arrival!”

It wasn’t exactly an invitation for Scott to go along, but at this point, his curiosity was about as piqued as it could get. About-facing in the hallway, he followed the two men toward the hangar.

Prior to the commotion, Scott had been en route to the meeting room to give a thorough morning briefing to the Fourteenth and Falcons. Today was a big day—a day in which they were not only going to record Lilan’s message confirming his status as one among the living, but also in which the Fourteenth was going to determine its next course of action. It was a day for getting back on track. The irony didn’t escape Scott that he’d managed to get
off
track before even setting foot in the meeting room. Just the same, if something unexpected was going on in
Northern Forge
, he figured there was at least a ninety-five percent chance it involved the Fourteenth’s presence there.

Bringing up his comm, he sent a quick message to David. “Guys, sit tight—I’m gonna be late.” The New Yorker acknowledged.

As Scott rushed into the hangar, he realized the heightened sense of action was not restricted to the two men and the trio of emergency workers who’d preceded them. The entire hangar was alive with activity. Nightmen rushed about as several black-uniformed men stood at the hangar entrance, which was open and blowing frigid wind into the room’s open space. It certainly fit the description of “unexpected arrival.” Who in the world were they about to receive?

The loud roar of Vulture thrusters emerged beyond the wind. Outside the mountain base, the transport appeared. As the uniformed men signaled, it slowly made its way inside the hangar, where it hovered to the open space next to the
Pariah
.

Two days ago, this hangar was empty
, thought Scott.
Now they’re running out of parking space.

Valentin and Gavriil were both in front of Scott, arguing adamantly about something that Scott couldn’t quite make out as they marched toward the incoming transport. As the Vulture touched down, a final sharp word was given to the keeper by Gavriil before the doctor trotted for the ship, pointing and barking instructions to the emergency crew ahead of him.

Approaching Valentin from behind, Scott asked, “What’s going on? Who’s the unexpected arrival?”

The keeper glared at Scott flatly, as if in some way this was all Scott’s own doing. Looking back at the transport as its rear bay came down, he answered, “One of your crew.”

“One of
my
crew?”

“The man in the hospital.”

Scott blinked. There was only one member of the Fourteenth who fit that description. “Max,” Scott said in quiet revelation. Could it actually be? Bolting past Valentin, Scott set his sights on Gavriil and his staffers.

Russian words were flying back and forth as the doctor took command of the situation. Casting a sharp eye to Scott as he approached from behind, Gavriil said, “Stand back! We need to get him to the medical bay right away.”

“Get
who
?” Scott had to have affirmation. He had to know for sure. With Gavriil’s focus on the movement of the patient, Scott slipped into a better position to pry. Out of the transport and down the ramp, a medical bed was rolled onto the hangar floor.

It
was
Max! Shouting out Max’s name, Scott once again fought to get a better view of the technician, who was covered in tubes as he was rolled past. When Gavriil addressed Scott again, he cut the doctor off before the scolding was complete. “You have to let me see him! I won’t get in the way. You’d want the same thing if he was your friend.”

Growling loudly, Gavriil abandoned his attempt to keep Scott separated. “Just keep your distance!”

Not a problem. If there was anything Scott
didn’t
want, it was to hinder the medical treatment Max required. Keeping pace with the cart from behind, he tried his best to get a look at Max’s condition. Several paces behind him and also keeping up, was Valentin. “Your crew is beginning to become inconvenient,” the keeper said.

Under normal circumstances, the comment might have earned a retort—but Scott was still in the process of trying to figure this out. How was Max here?
Why
was he here? The last anyone had heard, he was in a hospital in Novosibirsk. Only one name came to mind.

Antipov.

There was no question that the eidola chief was behind this—he had to be. No one else could have pulled something like this off. There was zero chance that an official transfer of Max had taken place, so this had to be something done under EDEN’s collective nose—and the chaos amid the emergency crew and the staff of
Northern Forge
spoke to it.

As Gavriil and his emergency staff moved Max into the base elevator, Scott halted his pursuit. His heart pounding with excitement for Max’s return and fear for his safety, he placed his hands on his hips and stood next to Valentin. The elevator door closed, and Scott faced the keeper. “I know it’s inconvenient, but you’ve got to understand—”

“It is
you
who needs to understand!” said Valentin, abruptly cutting Scott off. “Every time a ship flies into this base, our chance of detection goes up! Do you think we could fend off EDEN if our location was known? Not even Thoor could do that with the might of The Machine at his back!”

“I know, and you’re right.” Scott would give the man that much. “But having Max here—”

“Will accomplish nothing,” Valentin said. He glared sternly. “It will accomplish nothing, except taking up space in the medical bay that could be used for the workers.”

Scott sympathized with Valentin’s anger, but the keeper needed to understand that none of this was the Fourteenth’s idea. “This wasn’t us, Lukin. This has Iosif Antipov all over it.”
See the big picture, Valentin.
“Having Max here takes him away from EDEN. However he got here doesn’t matter. What matters is that EDEN has one less person connected to us to use and manipulate.” Grabbing Valentin cautiously on the shoulder, Scott turned the keeper to face him. “You need to understand that what we’re dealing with is bigger than us. Bigger than EDEN, bigger than the Nightmen.”

Glowering, Valentin said, “What we are dealing with will mean nothing if EDEN locates and destroys us.”

“I know, and you’re right. But Max here is better than Max there.”

“When was your unit meeting?” Valentin asked bluntly.

Scott sighed. “I was on my way to it when the transport arrived.”

“Please push it back one hour. I wish to be in attendance.”

“I can do that.”

Nodding, Valentin said, “Good.”

“Scott!” a voice called from behind him. He turned to see Esther trotting his way. The scout’s brown eyes were raised with urgency. “What’s going on?”

Turning Scott’s way, Valentin said, “If you will excuse me.”

Scott nodded as the keeper walked away. “One hour, Lukin!” Valentin made a hand gesture from behind indicating that the message had been received. Scott looked at Esther again. “Max is here.”

She blinked. “Max? Here at the base?”

“Yes, here at the base. Antipov must have snatched him from Novosibirsk Hospital.”

For the first time in days, Scott saw a true smile on Esther’s face. “Where is he? Is he all right?”

“They’re taking him up to the medical bay. I don’t know his status other than it doesn’t look good.”

“Can I go up and see him?”

Scott was sure that was going to be everyone’s reaction to the news. But their excitement needed to be tempered. “He literally just got here—his elevator up might not have even dinged yet.” An exaggeration, but it got the point across. “I’m going to try and get an update on his status prior to the meeting.”

She looked at him curiously. “Aren’t we going to the meeting now?”

“Valentin wants us to push it back an hour. He wants to be there, too.”

“Good!”

Well that was exuberant
, Scott thought at Esther’s proclamation. “What’s up? Something going on?”

“Actually, there is.” Glancing around in a manner that Scott could only describe as
fidgety
, Esther took his arm and eased him out of the flow of traffic. Scott followed until the two of them were alone in a hallway. The scout drew a preparatory breath, the pushed back her hair. “I got a chance to speak to Ju`bajai. She’s reluctant to speak.”

Scott tilted his head. “Reluctant?”

“Very much so. And honestly, I can’t say that I blame her. She was a vital part of our escape from
Cairo
, and we’ve thanked her by sticking her in another cell.”

Before Esther could say anything else, Scott lifted a finger of silence. This was already sounding like a conversation he didn’t want Valentin privy to. “Let’s take a walk.”

She eyed him. “A walk?”

“Yes, a walk. I want to show you something.”

“So are you just cutting me off for no reason, or is there—”

C’mon, Ess, get the hint.
“Just come with me.” Placing his hand on her shoulder to lead her away, he pivoted her around in the hall and led her toward the hangar.

After a two-minute walk in which neither he or Esther said a word, Esther found herself being escorted up the ramp of the
Pariah
. Despite the bewildered look on the scout’s face, she played along, taking a seat inside the empty troop bay and watching as Scott raised the door from inside. A bit nervously, she played with the loose ends of her bob.

Scott exhaled in readiness. Even inside the
Pariah
, the icy temperatures of the hangar caused frost vapors to escape his lips. “We’re being watched in the base.”

As if she wasn’t quite sure what he meant, she asked, “Being watched? By people? In the hallway?”

“Lukin has a surveillance system in place. I saw it in his suite on the fifth floor. He’s got cameras everywhere, right down to our rooms.”

Her jaw dropped. “He has cameras in our bloody
rooms
?”

“Yes.”

“You mean he’s been watching me get dressed and undressed? That disgusting pig!” A moment later, she gasped and covered her mouth. “Every room…” she whispered to herself.

Scott caught the action and canted his head. Esther quickly waved him off.

“Nothing, it’s…” For a moment, her voice wavered. “It’s nothing. There are just…things that happen in private that no one should see.”

He had no desire to know what she was talking about. “Whatever we’ve already done or said is done. We’re just going to have to be careful going forward. This,” he said, motioning to the troop bay, “is the only place where I know we’re unobserved. Unless his people installed cameras while we weren’t looking.” Which, come to think of it, was a possibility. Narrowing his eyes faintly, his hazel eyes swept the troop bay.
If he did, there’s nothing I can do about it.

Though Esther said nothing aloud, her look told Scott that she was sick of this place. He knew the feeling. “Ready for another shocker? Lukin used to be a chaplain.”

Eyeing him flatly, Esther said, “Get out.”

“Saw a photo in his suite. Before he was with the Nightmen, the guy was a man of the cloth.”

She harrumphed. “Now that’s a fall from grace if I’ve ever bloody heard one.”

“Anyway,” Scott said, getting back on point. “You were saying?”

Crossing her legs and placing her hands on the bench, she swung her fringe out of her face and addressed him. “I think we should petition for Ju`bajai’s release.”