Pale Horse (A Project Eden Thriller) (25 page)

Harlan pulled off his headset and leaned back. “Okay, I guess we wait.”

It wasn’t long before one of the men at the roadblock climbed into the police car and drove off toward the tower. As soon as he left, the fire truck repositioned itself so that it was more in the center of the taxiway.

Four minutes later, a new voice came over the radio. “This is Officer Thomas Belford, RCMP. You have violated a direct order not to land at Baker Lake. This is both a territorial and federal offense. If you do not get your plane back into the air, you
will
be placed under arrest.”

“My turn,” Ash said to Harlan.

Harlan nodded at Barry, who handed Ash his headset.

“Officer Belford,” Ash said. “I’m sure your superiors would not be fond of planes falling from the sky because they were denied landing rights.”

“I don’t care.”

“You don’t care?”

“The citizens of Baker Lake have voted unanimously to close the town to avoid any outbreaks here. No one gets in.”

“We’re not trying to get
in
,” Ash said. “We just want to refuel.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t allow you to leave your plane.”

“Fine. We’ll stay on board. One of you can do it for us.”

“No one is getting anywhere near your aircraft.”

“Then what exactly do you expect us to do?”

“I already told you that. Get yourself back in the air.”

“I believe we explained to your friend in the tower what will happen if we do that.”

There was silence for a moment before Belford said, “You are to remain right where you are.”

“And then?”

“Just stay there.”

Ash frowned.

“So?” Harlan asked.

Ash looked out the cockpit window. About another hundred yards beyond the fire truck was the fueling area. So close. He thought there might be enough room to skirt around the edge of the truck, but that was only if it didn’t move back in the way and the men with the guns didn’t shoot.

Ash keyed the mic again. “Officer Belford, let me give you something else to think about. If you just leave us sitting here, at some point we
will
try to get out. Maybe you’ll shoot us, maybe you won’t. Either way, if we’re carrying the virus, it’ll be out there potentially infecting you and your men. Wouldn’t it be in your best interests to help us get on our way?”

The silence that followed made him wonder if his message had been heard. The answer finally came thirty minutes later, when the men standing in the road climbed onto the fire engine.

As the truck pulled away, Belford’s voice came back over the radio. “You are to proceed to the fueling station, but remain in your aircraft. At no point are you to even touch the handle on your door. Do that, and we will burn your plane with you in it. Understood?”

“Yes,” Ash said.

It was another hour before they were in the air again. They were just beginning to relax when Ash was called back to the cockpit.

“What is it?” he asked as he entered.

Harlan pointed out the window to his right, then the one on the left. Pacing them about one hundred feet to either side were two military fighter jets.

“Have they tried to contact you?”

Harlan nodded. “Wanted to know where we’re headed. Told them back to the US from one of the research stations up north.”

“And?”

“Said they’re going to make sure we make it through their fine country with no problems.”

The jets paced them until they were within a quarter mile of the border before finally peeling away. Ash expected to be greeted by two more aircraft, with US Air Force markings, as soon as they were back in the States, but the sky was empty.

From where they crossed, it took them only another hour to reach the Ranch. Not wanting to draw attention from anyone else, they waited until they were almost ready to descend before radioing in. Unlike at Baker Lake, they were given immediate permission.

At first, as they swooped down toward the ground in the early evening, the darkened valley seemed unchanged. It wasn’t until they were almost on the ground that Ash sensed something was wrong. They should have been able to see the lights of the Lodge and the dorm, but everything was dark.

Ash returned to his seat and buckled in just before the wheels touched the ground. As soon as Harlan taxied the plane to the parking area, and the engines began to wind down, both Ash and Chloe headed straight for the door. She beat him there by a step, and was the first one out. When he stepped out onto the tarmac beside her, he was surprised to find no one there to greet them. Granted, they had just radioed in, but there should have been plenty of time for someone to drive the half mile down from the Lodge.

“Not exactly excited to see us, I guess,” Chloe said.

Ash jogged over to the road, and looked in the direction of the Resistance’s headquarters. No cars coming as far as he could tell, just the night filling the void.

“Where is everyone?” Red asked from the plane’s doorway.

“Don’t know,” Chloe said. “Ash, you see anything?”

“No. Just—” He stopped. From somewhere not far down the road, he heard a noise. “Hello?” he called out.

There it was again. Steps, he realized.

“Hello?”

“Captain Ash?” a voice called back.

“Who’s that?”

Out of the darkness emerged the shapes of four men. “Captain Ash. It’s Ross Miller.”

Ash didn’t allow himself to relax until he saw the man’s face and was able to confirm that Miller was indeed who he said he was. “Where is everyone?”

“In the Bunker,” Miller said. He looked past Ash at Red. “Tell Harlan to shut everything down and go dark.”

“What’s going on?” Ash asked.

“Let’s get you all inside first. Matt’ll brief you.”

Ash frowned, wanting to know now, but held his tongue. “We have an injured man. Is someone bringing a car?”

“Sorry. None available at the moment.” He turned to the men who’d come with him. “Tony, radio in for a stretcher, then meet them halfway to escort them in.”

One of the men, who must be Tony, nodded and ran back in the direction of the Lodge. But Ash wasn’t content to wait for him to get back.

“Red,” he called out. Red stuck his head out the doorway again. “Stay here with Gagnon until help shows up.”

“Will do.”

Ash looked at Chloe. “I’m heading to the Bunker. You coming?”

“Hell, yeah,” she said.

“I’ll have to guide you,” Miller said.

“We know how to get in,” Ash told him.

“Actually, I’m pretty sure you don’t.”

Ash narrowed his eyes. “What the hell is going on?”

“This way,” Miller said, and started down the road.

Ash and Chloe shared a quick look before taking off after him.

Halfway to the Lodge, Miller veered off the road into the trees.

“Where are you going?” Ash asked.

“Back door.”

“Why the back door?”

Miller paused, and looked back. “Because the front door is blocked.”

“By what?”

“The remains of the Lodge after it burnt down.”

“What?” both Ash and Chloe said.

Instead of following Miller, the two of them ran down the road. When they reached the spot where they could see the Lodge, they stopped.

Though the moon wasn’t out yet, their eyes had had time to adjust to the night. What remained of the Resistance’s headquarters was a disorganized mound of debris. There was no need to go any closer. The building was completely destroyed.

Ash heard Miller jog up behind them. “How did this happen?” he asked without turning.

“We went to full cover,” Miller said.

“Why?”

“We were attacked by the Project.”

Ash whirled around. “My kids. Where are they?”

“Please. Let’s just get inside.”

Ash grabbed Miller by the arms. “Where are they?”

“Captain Ash, please let go of me.”

“Tell me,” Ash said.

Miller hesitated. “Your daughter’s in the Bunker.”

“And Brandon?”

Another pause. “He was caught outside during the attack.”

A bitter freeze rushed through Ash’s arms and chest. “What…happened to…”

“We’re not sure what happened to him. One of our men was with him. They hid in the woods.”

“So they got away?”

“Please. Matt has all the information.”

“Tell me what you know!”

This pause was the longest of all. “We have no idea where your son is.”

Ash stared at him, unable to speak.

“What about the man who’s with him?” Chloe asked. “Can’t we get ahold of him?”

“Jon Hayes was with him, but…”

“But what?” Ash whispered.

“We found his body this afternoon. He’d been shot.”

“But Brandon?”

“No sign of him.”

Ash finally let go of Miller. “Take us in.”

__________

W
HEN THEY EMERGED
from the tunnel and passed around the large, thick door that was used to seal off the Bunker, Josie Ash rushed forward and threw her arms around her father.

Sobbing into his shoulder, she said, “It’s my fault. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he’d gone outside. If I’d known he was planning to, I wouldn’t have let him. I’m so sorry.”

Ash stroked his daughter’s hair. “Sweetie, it’s okay. Not your fault. Don’t ever think it is. I’ll find him. Don’t worry.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

If he could have held her until the sun came up, he would have, but he needed to get moving and find his son. He looked over at the small group waiting to greet them, and saw that Matt was there.

“Josie,” he whispered in his daughter’s ear. “Go with Chloe for a moment, okay? I need to find out all I can about your brother.”

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

He kissed her on the forehead. “I told you, not your fault. Now go with Chloe.”

Josie sniffled as she nodded, then stepped over into Chloe’s embrace.

Ash walked directly to Matt. “We need to talk. Right now.” Without waiting for a response, he headed down the hallway, and soon heard Matt’s distinctive gait following him.

When he reached the shooting range, he opened the door, checked to make sure no one was inside, and entered.

As Matt followed him in, Ash said, “Shut the door.”

Matt did, then said, “I know you’re upset, but—”

Before Matt could get anything else out, Ash slammed him against the wall. “
You
were supposed to watch them! You promised me they would be safe!”

Matt put up no fight. “You’re right. I did. It’s my fault he’s out there.”

“Damn right, it’s your fault!”

Ash held Matt tight against the wall, seething.

“Have at it. Whatever you want to do to me, I deserve,” Matt said.

Ash glared into Matt’s eyes, and came close to slamming his fist into the side of the Resistance leader’s face. Finally, his breathing began to slow, and he took a step back, dropping his hands to the side.

“Tell me what happened. Everything.”

Matt did exactly that.

“We’re not sure if he’s out there or if the men in the helicopter took him,” Matt said as he wrapped things up. “As soon as the search teams have had a little sleep, they’ll head out again.”

“One of them is going to head out right now with me,” Ash told him.

“They’re tired. They need rest.”

“And my son needs me.” Ash headed for the door. “Have whoever it is meet me at the tunnel entrance in fifteen minutes.”

IMPLEMENTATION DAY PLUS TWO

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24
^th

World Population

7,176,892,851

Change Over Previous Day

+ 285,143

29

OUTSIDE MUMBAI, INDIA

6:28 AM INDIAN STANDARD TIME

S
ANJAY COULD NOT
find Kusum or her family anywhere.

After stealing the vaccine and leaving the Pishon Chem compound the previous afternoon, his plan had been to head straight out of the city to the rendezvous point. Only getting out was not quite so easy.

More and more streets and neighborhoods had been sprayed with the virus. By the time he found a clean route to the outskirts of town, the sun had dipped below the horizon.

As far as he could tell, there were no spraying efforts in the countryside. That didn’t prevent the paranoia about what was happening in the rest of the world from spreading beyond the limits of Mumbai. Many of the roadside restaurants and stalls that had been thriving the night before, when he and Kusum had ridden by, were closed and dark now. The few people Sanjay saw seemed to be in a hurry, and when they heard his motorbike, they would look at him in fear.

At first he took the lack of traffic to be a good thing, as he was making up for some of the time he’d lost in the city. But then, after he’d been in the country for about half an hour, something whizzed by his head. He slowed, surprised by the sound. This caused the noise of the bike’s motor to decrease so that when a second object flew past him, he heard the crack of a gun and realized someone was shooting at him.

He twisted the accelerator as far as it would go and sped down the road. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see the headlights of a car about half a kilometer back. He wasn’t sure if the shots were coming from it or not, but he wasn’t going to take a chance. At the next road, he turned right, then right again behind a closed shop, and killed all power to the motorcycle.

Scared out of his mind, he waited for the car to pass. Instead, he heard it slow at the same road he’d turned on, and pull to the side and stop, idling.

He could hear voices, indistinct but angry. Then the car started up again, this time turning around and heading back where it came from.

While he waited to make sure it didn’t return, he felt around until he found the wire running into the back of his headlight and yanked it out. He did the same to the taillight. This was one time, he thought, when driving in the dark would be safer.