Heavenfall: Genviants Book 1 (17 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Jonah's head buzzed. Like standing in a room with a hundred radios on low volume and one click off the station. Lots of info. Nothing clear. In his gut, he knew something important was coming through, but he couldn't pick it out of the white noise. "Everybody, hold up!"

Michael and Dex broke away from the front and made their way back to him. "We're less than a mile from the gate. You'd better have a damned good reason for stopping, 'cause our headlights make great targets. If they've got any snipers up there, the guys on point, hell probably all of us, are dead."

"Then cut the damn lights and shut up. I'm trying to concentrate here."

Michael started to say something, but Dex cut him off. "Don't."

Jonah gave him a nod and closed his eyes, barely aware of Michael giving the order for everyone to cut off their headlights. Palisade's wireless network had connected to his new mech as soon as he'd gotten into range. If he didn't sort out the signals, he'd go into overload before he made it to the gate. Most of the signals were garbage. Redundant monitoring of systems. Television and radio waves. He cut through the junk, pushing it to the edge, and zoned in on one weak incoming signal he'd almost missed. It shouldn't have been able to penetrate a simple home firewall, much less the amped up security of Palisade, but the signal found an opening and snaked its way in.

He focused on the data wave and rode it to an unused controller comp. "It's Niko."

"What do you mean?" Michael asked. "Niko isn't here."

Jonah opened his eyes and let them get adjusted to the darkness. "He's holed up in a cabin with Ursula at Norris Lake, but he left me a message." He tapped the side of his head. "I'm in Palisade's wireless network. The virus Mary uploaded? Niko wrote it. Piggy-backed the message on it and set it to upload to my new hardware when I got in range. He says he can use the virus to allow me into Palisade's security, like a bridge, until I can get to a comp."

"A bridge?" Michael pointed toward the gate. "Great. Maybe he can build a freakin' bridge to get us over the guys with guns."

"Or, he could just tell them to let us through," Jonah countered. "The primary function of the virus is to override Hadrian's orders."

"Smart ass." Michael put the bike in gear and took off

"Hey," Jonah yelled after him. "It's my coping mechanism."

"Nope." Dex shifted and let off the brake. "You've always been a smart ass."

Yeah, Jonah admitted to himself, he had. Maybe, if they survived this, he'd work on it. With Niko buzzing his brain, more messages and instructions, Jonah followed Dex to the front of the pack. "Niko says there's four, maybe five, of Hadrian's security goons at the gate. Their existing orders are to capture us alive. Probably for leverage. If Mary gets the codes, Hadrian can use us as trade and come out like a hero. The other hundred or so are straight up military. Commandos, and if we pushed new instructions to Hadrian's security force, the soldiers won't be interested in any overriding orders and won't follow them. Even with Corene's help, the odds aren't looking so good."

"Sorry, guys." Stran nudged his way forward. "I thought I'd lost Corrie when she blasted. I'm not going through that again, and I won't let Corrie go up against those guys. It's too dangerous."

Corene bristled. "Nobody makes decisions for me, and I say I can handle it."

"Stran's right," Dex said. "It's too dangerous. Not only for Corene, but all of us. If they start shooting...." He let the words hang in the air.

Jonah weighed the options. They couldn't go in fighting, but they couldn't back off. Couldn't waste time trying to find another way into the complex. "We surrender."

"What? No." Corene shook her head. "I can take those guys. No problem."

"Look, thanks to Hadrian's announcement, they think we're the bad guys here. That we're the reason the energy web is going to fail." Jonah looked each of them in the eye until they grudgingly nodded in agreement. "We go in fighting? None of them are going to believe we're here to get the web working. They'll shoot to kill. But if we surrender, Hadrian's men will escort us into the complex. Once we get clear of the GI Joes, Niko can override Hadrian's orders and have security take us to the prison comp. I do my thing, and we head to the main controller comps. If we run into any trouble once we're in, Corene can take care of it."

There w
ere some grumbles, but no outright objections. Michael gave the signal, and they took off for the gate. Dex sped up, broke away from the pack, and rode straight to the line. "Hold your fire! We've got Jonah Sullivan. We're unarmed, and we're here to surrender."

It worked, and Jonah didn't need Stran's psychic ability to know the soldiers would have preferred to beat the crap out of the Dragons instead of allowing Hadrian's men to escort them into Palisade.

In less than ten minutes, the bikes were parked in a secure area, and the guards, under Niko's direction, led them through a maze of hallways to the prison control room. A dozen controllers sat at comp panels. "Damn, how many controllers does it take to keep a few prisoners in Brushy Mountain?"

"Not just Brushy," Dex answered. "This is the center for all prison operations across the state, plus Hadrian's private security facilities, and that," he pointed to an empty spot. "Is the main prison comp."

"Michael, get with Dex. He knows the complex. Work out a route between this location and the control cluster. The most direct route, a couple of alternates. Where we're most likely to run into trouble." He pointed to a clock. "How much time do we have?"

"Three hours," Dex answered. "Three and a half, tops."

Jonah sat, got comfortable, and went to work. "This won't take long. David, keep a watch the door in case anybody gets nosy."

Again, the protection on the system lacked any sophistication, and he navigated his way through without any problems. Having Niko do a ride along in his brain helped, too. Together they made quick work of opening the gates of
Brushy Mountain, and Jonah used his ability to lock down the system to ensure the prison stayed open for Mary. Strange thing, though. Not many of Hadrian's guards were on duty, and the override of their orders took about a nanosecond.

"Okay, Dragons, that was the easy part." He stood and stretched. "I'm hoping our escort can get us all the way to the web controller facility, but I'm not counting on it. It won't take long for them to discover the breach in the prison system and report it. Means they'll send the sec mechs who are independent of the system after us. If we come across any of them, we'll have to fight our way through. Corene, you charged?"

"Ready to rock and roll."

"Good." He turned to Michael. "We got a plan?"

"Yeah, we're ready."

"I hope it's something a little more thought out this time than getting through alive? Or surrendering?"

"Hey, wasn't my idea to surrender. That one's all on you."

"And it worked," Dex added before Jonah could defend his choice. "Got us in without a fight, and it was expedient. Time is as much our enemy now as the wave, or any security we meet on the way. The controller facility is at the other end of the complex, and not all of the buildings are connected. We'll be exposed and vulnerable during the short periods we'll be outside."

Michael nodded. "We don't need to give them a big target. Better to travel in pairs when we go from one building to another."

"Agreed," Jonah said. "How much time will it take us to get there?"

"If we manage to evade sec mech?" Dex answered. "About forty-five minutes."

"Better get moving, then."

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Surrounded by dense forests, the old Brushy Mountain prison reminded her of a medieval fortress. From their vantage point on the ridge, Mary surveyed the area through a set of binoculars John had brought. It looked deserted and ominous in the dark. The original wall had crumbled, but a new fence encompassed the grounds, complete with the type of impenetrable gate Hadrian used at Palisade. Thanks to Jonah, at least she hoped it was Jonah, the gate was open, but there weren't any guards in sight.

"It's too quiet." she whispered. "I thought Hadrian would have guards here. Jonah gave orders for the regulars to get out, but I figured Hadrian to have maybe five or ten guards outside watching for us and more inside. He should at least have somebody walking around outside on the lookout for us. Think Hadrian moved the prisoners before we got here?"

"No, princess. Looks like an invitation to go right in."

"A trap?"

"I think John's right." Lee, one of their guides, crouched down beside her. "Hadrian wants you alive, and he's got to know you'd come here armed. Because of the virus you uploaded, he can't control the security force. He doesn't know who's controlling the programming and can't be sure the guards won't turn on him. Better for him if he goes in low-key. Clears the place out. He's probably waiting for you inside with one or two regular mech guards. Won't know for sure until we get inside."

"We need a plan." John stated. "Could be mech sharp shooters in the towers waiting on us to get out in the open. Maybe he can't kill you. Doesn't mean he can't injure or kill the rest of us."

For reasons she didn't understand, she felt compelled to concentrate on the area, to try and see into the darkness. Dreamlike scenes filled her mind, followed by a wave of nausea. Overwhelming. It was the only way she could describe the sensations assaulting her. She stumbled backward from the psychic force. It left her dizzy and light-headed, but she knew, with certainty, that Hadrian, his personal guards, and the prisoners were the only people inside the prison. "There are three prisoners." She had to stop. Take a deep breath. "Important, really important, and close to death. But their faces aren't clear. It's like there's interference or something keeping me from seeing them."

John laid his hand on her shoulder. "I think your psychic ability just kicked in."

"Straight into overdrive." She stared at the gate. "I need to concentrate just a little more."

"What about Hadrian? Did you see him?"

"Yeah, he's with the prisoners. He's got two of his personal guards with him."

"Where inside?" Lee asked.

"Don't know," Mary answered. "A room, not a cell. Maybe if I knew more about the layout, or had more time, I'd get a clearer picture."

"It's okay. You've given us more than we had. Could be you can guide us to them once we get closer." Lee pulled the Glock out of its holster. "Lock and load, boys. We're going in."

"Wait!" Mary protested. "What if this isn't my ability? Or what if I'm not using it right.  Maybe I missed some critical detail. Give me a few more minutes to make sure."

"Sorry, princess. I'm with Lee on this." John gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I've got faith in you, and we've all got your back. But we need to go now. You said the prisoners are close to death. We can't waste any time. If they die before we get the codes...."

He didn't need to finish. Or maybe he did. A twinge of guilt passed through her at needing the reminder. "Okay, let's go." She stood and dusted off her pants.

"You know how to shoot?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, Jonah taught me a few years ago, but I'm not carrying."

"Are now." Lee pulled a compact 9mm out of his pack. "Keep it in your pocket."

Her hands only trembled a little as she checked the sights, disengaged the safety, and chambered a round.

They made their way down the side of the ridge with the rustle of underbrush echoing through the darkness. At the gate, Lee took point and led them through the yard to the main building. A faded sign, warped and rusted with age, leaned against the steps. Not a relic from the prison. It was from the distillery that moved into the building after the prison closed.

"Forgot that this place was used to make moonshine," she commented.

"Didn't last long." Lee pointed the flashlight's beam on the sign. "The company had only been in business a few years when the wave was first sighted. The government seized the property. Never gave a reason, but I'm pretty sure it was because Hadrian wanted it. Heard all kinds of rumors about what he was planning to do with it. He had the new fence put up, new gate, but whatever he was doing in there stayed secret."

"Looks like we're going to find out."

Inside, mold crept up walls and permeated the air with a pungency she swore coated her mouth as well as her nose. The distillery had kept the original entry room. A claustrophobic space with a door leading to the rest of the prison and what looked like a ticket window on the back wall. A quick sweep of her flashlight revealed a dusty photograph hanging between the glass and the door showed an officer sitting behind the window while two other officers frisked visitors. The caption read, "Visitation Day."

The door led to a large public room. More photographs on the walls indicated it might have been the prison's  rec room, or possibly the dining hall. She made the mistake of touching the wall, and hundreds of impressions assaulted her mind at once. Pain, despair, hatred, anger, regret. Glee. She physically felt the utter joy some random inmate felt more than sixty years ago as he tormented a newbie. "Welcome to the end of the line," she sneered.

"What?" John pulled her hand away and shined his flashlight in her eyes.

The vestiges of the experience left her shaken and a little nauseated. "Nothing. Let's find the prisoners and get out of here."

"There's a couple of hallways leading out of this room, and a couple of stairwells." Lee pointed out each one with his flashlight. "Might go faster if we split up."

"No, we stick together." Mary said. "Straight back."

They moved carefully through the room and down a short corridor to a cluster of what appeared to be administrative offices. A weak shaft of light crept out from under a doorway at the far end. "Dropping breadcrumbs?" John asked. "Or luring us to an ambush?"

"Neither. Both," Mary answered. "They're back there, but something's off."

John and Lee fell in step with each other, forming a human shield between her and whatever lay ahead. Aaron, the other guide, guarded her back. Strange, but she didn't get a strong impression of danger. At least not the life-threatening kind, but the sense of urgency seemed to crush the air from her lungs as they approached the door.

"Stay behind me," John whispered. "I'll open the door. Lee, you go in low. Target Hadrian and make sure his guards see your Glock aimed at his head. Aaron, you go left, and I'll flank right. On three." John reached for the door handle with his left hand and held his gun in his right.

The door opened, pulling John off balance, and Mary grabbed his arm to keep him from falling.

"Mary." Hadrian stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the light spilling out of the room. "I feared you wouldn't get here in time, and I so want to relish this moment." With a flourish, he made a sweeping gesture and smiled. "Please come in."

She moved from behind John, though he tried to block her way, and stepped into the room with Lee and Aaron close behind her. Two guards stood shoulder to shoulder on the other side of the room, strategically blocking part of it from her view. Had to be hiding the third prisoner from her. But why? The president sat huddled on the floor in one corner, shackled. Obviously for show, because the man was in no condition to resist, or fight, or even stand. Brother Samuel sat beside the president. Handcuffed. Not as gaunt. Not as pale.

"I don't get this." She pointed to the president and Samuel. Took a step toward them. "How can they be here? I heard them, both of them, earlier. Over the civil defense speakers."

"Not only the speakers," Lee added. "The president's speech was broadcast over every television channel, too."

She kept her voice even, hoping Hadrian didn't notice the strain. "So you found people who look like the president and Samuel. Whoever. Doppelgangers. Doesn't concern me. All you've accomplished here with this little display is a waste of time. Neither of those men is the extractor."

"You are correct." He nodded to the guards. "Then again, neither is he."

The guards stepped to the side and revealed their hidden prisoner.

She followed Hadrian's gaze to the man.

Years of abuse had changed his features. Scars from wounds that hadn't healed properly covered his face and upper body, and skin hung on his bones like rice paper.

The floor went out from under her. Walls shifted around her. Added to the dizzying nausea threatening to erupt. She wrapped her arms around her stomach in an effort to control it. Shaky. Weak. Her voice finally broke through the lump in her throat. "Daddy?"