Paradise Burns (24 page)
FIFTY-FOUR
I dropped a
twenty on the table, picked up my bag and left the restaurant. I walked fast
down the street and around the back of the building to the parking lot. I still
had Josh on the phone.
‘Give me the location of Dark Rain’s
compound and the fastest way to get there,’ I demanded.
‘Adrian, I know exactly what you’re
thinking and I’m not going to let you do it. It’s suicide!’
‘I wasn’t asking, Josh.’
‘And what are you going to do when you
get there? You won’t even get in the front gate before you’re gunned down. I’m
not sending you to your death, Adrian, I’m sorry. I understand how you feel –
believe me, I feel the same way. Clara worked well with us, and I know you
liked her – despite your protestations. But this is the U.S. government. Those F-22
fighter jets are already being mobilized – in little under an hour, they’re
gonna come screaming across the skies, sweep over that compound, and reduce the
whole place to dust. It’s a done deal. Game over, Adrian. Nothing positive will
come from you going there all pissed off and guns blazing. I wanna get Clara
back too, but we have to let GlobaTech handle that and hope that she survives
the airstrike.’
I was silent for a moment before
speaking again.
‘The address, Josh.’
He sighed, realizing after years of
experience when it was pointless arguing with me.
‘Ah, bollocks. I’m texting you the
details now’, he said with resignation. ‘Should take you just over fifteen
minutes from where you are in current traffic.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Adrian, try not to get yourself killed,
alright? If you’re not bothered about coming out of this in one piece, fine. But
do it for me, okay?’
I hung up without replying and scanned
the parking lot. I looked over all the cars before resting my gaze on a black
Audi, which looked reasonably new, pretty durable and, most importantly, quick.
I walked over, drew one of my Berettas and smashed the driver’s side window
with the butt. The alarm went off immediately. I ducked into the car and
reached beneath the steering wheel, working the wires until the alarm stopped
and the car started. Eleven seconds, start to finish.
I put my bag on the passenger seat,
closed the door and drove off.
I was driving as fast as I dared,
weaving in and out of traffic. I had absolutely no plan. I’d not thought past
the anger. Ideally, I’d drive through the front gate and get out shooting,
taking every single one of them down until I found Clara.
That’s what I wanted to do.
However, despite how I was feeling, even
I realized that if I actually did that, it was very unlikely I’d make it within
fifty feet of the front gate, let alone out of the car with a gun in my hand.
I’d think of something though. I checked
my watch. I was running out of time.
I left the city limits and turned onto
the main highway. I followed it for a couple of miles until it met the state
road, then I headed left, out toward the mountains that bordered Heaven’s
Valley to the west.
As I drove along, I realized I was on
the same road I walked down when I first arrived here a few days ago. I marveled
at the irony that things would seemingly end exactly where they’d begun.
I just hope I’m able to walk back down
this road again some time.
Just as Josh’s directions had said,
after a few more miles along the state road, there was a right turn down an
unmarked dirt track. I made my way down for about a mile until I saw a dusty,
damaged signpost at the side of the track. Some joker had long ago scratched, “welcome
to paradise” on it. The sign informed me that a military-controlled testing
site was a mile ahead. That must’ve been what it was before Dark Rain moved in.
I drove on slowly for another minute,
and then pulled over. I figured I was better off on foot the rest of the way. No
point in announcing my arrival any earlier than I needed to. Keeping low, I
moved cautiously in a wide arc to my left, with the intention of coming up out
of the line of sight from any guard posts on the main gate.
I checked my watch again. I reckon I had
thirty-five minutes before the airstrike hit.
I made my way up a small slope and
navigated a cluster of rocks, before I came to the edge of a rise and knelt
down.
In front of me was the base, sprawling
out across the desert.
I’d brought the scope from my sniper
rifle with me. I put it to my eye and adjusted the focus, then scanned the vast
compound that lay before me.
It was large and impressive, with a
razor wire fence surrounding the perimeter. Either side of the main gate was
two guard towers. From my position, I was looking down at it from a slight
angle. Behind the fencing was an array of buildings that varied in shape and size.
There were barracks, a hangar, a vehicle depot and a large concrete building
with a huge, metal door in the center of it.
I also noticed a large camouflaged tent
at the far end of the compound, which had a tarpaulin covering two large
rectangular objects that looked like massive boxes.
I looked through my scope and studied
the entire area. I looked at every inch I could see twice over. Something
definitely wasn’t right here.
The place looked deserted.
There were no vehicles parked anywhere.
There were no soldiers stationed at any of the lookout posts. Nor was there any
troop movement within the grounds. You’d be forgiven for assuming that there
would be some activity, considering they were meant to be a large militia
planning an imminent attack on American soil.
My spider sense started tingling. I put
my scope away and sighed with confusion and concern.
Where the hell was everyone?
FIFTY-FIVE
I scrambled
down the slope and landed almost level with the corner of the fence. I crouched
down and looked around, but still saw nothing. I slowly approached the main
gate. Instinctively, I reached behind me and grabbed a Beretta.
It was approaching noon and the sun was
high and hot, blasting down at a ridiculous temperature. Out here in the
desert, there was no shade either. There weren’t even any clouds. Beyond the
base, the western mountain range loomed ominously in the distance. I looked
over to my right, away from the compound and saw the other range of mountains
that had the reservoir at the foot of it. On any other day, this place would
look amazing. But today, it looked like a graveyard.
Hopefully not mine.
The main gate was padlocked shut. The
guard towers were empty. I looked through the fence, squinting in the sun. The
light breeze swirled sand and dust across the open yard. But there was still no
sign of life.
If Josh’s intel was correct - and I’m
sure it was - then somewhere underneath here was a collection of missiles with
suspected nuclear capability. Also, somewhere within this seemingly abandoned
compound, was Clara.
I took out my phone to dial Josh, but I
had no signal. I remembered him saying Clara likely would’ve had the same
problem when she was out here doing some recon, which was why we never heard
from her.
Looks like I’m on my own.
I took aim and shot the padlock off the
gate. The sound of bullet on metal at close range echoed for miles around.
Well, if this place isn’t deserted, they know I’m here now.
I unraveled the chain and pushed open
one of the gates, making my way inside. With gun in hand, I walked cautiously across
the courtyard, constantly checking around in a full three-sixty, trying to
cover every angle on my own. On my left was a large mess hall, with two even
larger buildings either side that looked like they were for accommodation. At
the far end, past them, was a helipad, which was currently unoccupied.
To my right was a large garage with at least
eight black Humvees parked in there, four by two. Next to that was the large concrete
structure with the metal door, that looked enormous now that I was stood close
to it. As I walked over to it, I could see a keypad just to the right of the
door. I figured that was the entrance to the underground labs where they stored
whatever missiles they had.
Next to that was a large hangar. The
doors were closed. There must be a runway or some kind that led out of the
other side. In the center of the courtyard was a flagpole.
I walked down to the far end, toward the
camouflage tent. The two rectangles covered with tarpaulin were huge – easily
twenty feet long and ten feet high. I walked right up them and stared at them
up close. I had no idea what they were, but they looked out of place and were
clearly newer than the rest of the installation. I was about to look what was
underneath the covers, but I heard a loud metallic banging sound off to my
right, followed by a motor of some kind kicking in. I looked over and saw the
hangar doors rolling open.
Shit!
I ducked down in the narrow gap between
the two rectangles, just out of sight. My hand clenched tight around the handle
of my Beretta. I peeked around the corner as the doors finished opening. There
were five people walking toward me.
Ketranovich was in the middle.
Either side of him were two soldiers,
dressed in black carrying AK-47s. On the far right was Natalia Salikov. On the
far left was her brother, Gene. Both were armed.
Did they know I was here?
I closed my eyes and shook my head,
cursing my own stupidity. Of course they knew I was here. Question was: what
was going to happen now? Natalia was the wildcard here, because there was every
chance she’d ignore any order given to her and start firing at me as soon as
she saw me.
I was playing out every possible outcome
in my head, trying to find something I could work with. Then the decision got
made for me.
‘Adrian Hell,’ boomed Ketranovich’s
voice. It sounded louder than it did before at the uranium mine, emphasized by
the vast emptiness of the compound. It also sounded angrier.
‘We know you’re there,’ he continued. ‘Just
come out and throw down your weapons. You will not be harmed. Well, not right
away!’
He laughed at his own sense of humor,
prompting everyone else to laugh with him. Everyone except Natalia. She looked
like I’d just killed her favorite puppy.
Well, this wasn’t going well. I checked
my watch. I only had fifteen minutes left until the airstrike was launched, and
I didn’t fancy being around here when that started. I had little choice.
I stood up and walked out from under the
tent, my gun trained on Ketranovich. There were multiple crunching sounds, as
everyone else’s rifles were immediately cocked and aimed at me. I kept one eye
on Natalia the whole time.
‘I’m here for Clara,’ I said. ‘Let her
go and take me in her place.’
He laughed.
‘You’re as predictable as I thought,
based on what Clara told me.’
I took a step forward.
‘If you’ve hurt her, I’ll kill you.’
‘Now, Adrian Hell, there is no need for such
hostility. Put your gun down so we can talk properly, one soldier to another.’
‘Not happening,’ I said.
Ketranovich smiled, then looked at Gene
Salikov and nodded. Salikov turned and walked back into the hangar.
‘I was hoping to avoid all this,’ said
Ketranovich. ‘We could’ve enjoyed the show together, like civilized people. But
this... you made me do this, Adrian Hell.’
I kept my gun trained on Ketranovich.
After a few moments of tense silence, Gene Salikov reappeared, and he had Clara
with him.
FIFTY-SIX
I squinted in
the bright, hot sun to get a look at her. She seemed unharmed, but looked
tired. Her arms were tied behind her back. He was pushing her forward, holding
her right arm in his left hand. He brought her to a stop next to Ketranovich.
‘Clara, are you okay?’ I shouted to her.
‘Are you hurt?’
‘Adrian!’ she shouted back. ‘I’m fine –
I’ve not been harmed. You shouldn’t have come, it’s a trap!’
‘Forget about all that. Clara, listen to
me. We have to get out of here right now.’
‘And why’s that?’ said Ketranovich,
interrupting. ‘What’s your hurry?’
I checked my watch. Ten minutes left. I
sighed and shrugged to myself. Nothing to lose by being honest at this stage, I
guess.
‘Because in just under ten minutes,
three F-22 fighter jets are going to rain down fire from the sky and destroy
every inch of this place,’ I said.
Ketranovich looked at everyone and
suddenly burst out laughing. Again, everyone with him followed suit, including
Natalia this time. I looked at Clara, who was staring at the ground.
I was confused. Normally, the threat of
being blown up doesn’t prompt laughter and amusement.
Natalia Salikov walked over toward me. I
moved my aim onto her. She didn’t have her weapon in hand. She was walking
casually, almost sauntering, like she had all the time in world. She walked
right up to me, pausing momentarily in front of me and fixing me with a curious
look that was a little bit flirtatious, but mostly threatening, before walking
past me toward the large covered rectangles.
Believing I was past the point where
anything I did could impact the outcome of this situation, I lowered my gun and
turned to see where she was going.
She stopped in between the two large
boxes and turned to face me. She smiled at me. It was a smile of pure evil. And
coming from me, that’s bordering on complimentary. . .
She grabbed a piece of tarpaulin in each
hand and walked forward again, taking the covers with her in a wholly unnecessary,
theatrical gesture. By the time she reached where I was stood, the boxes were
completely uncovered. She dropped the tarpaulin on the ground next to me and walked
back over to stand with Ketranovich without giving me a second glance.
I stood there, stunned. I could feel my
jaw physically drop open.
‘As you can see, Adrian Hell,’ said
Ketranovich. ‘Your military does not concern me. In fact, I’m rather looking
forward to their attempted intervention.’
Underneath the tarpaulin, hidden from
satellites by the camouflage tent were two MIM-23 mobile surface-to-air missile
launchers.
Known as SAM sites, these mobile
launchers are used for defense against airstrikes. The MIM-23’s payload was
three mounted Hawk missiles, each around five meters in length and weighing a
hundred and twenty pounds each. They traveled at two thousand meters per
second, using radar-assisted tracking to target and destroy enemy aircraft up
to sixteen miles away.
The airstrike wouldn’t even get close.
I turned to face Ketranovich. I knew
Dark Rain was well funded, but this kind of hardware is a whole other level.
‘You know about the airstrike,’ I said.
It was more of a statement than a question, as the full gravity of the
predicament I was now in dawned on me.
He smiled back at me.
‘We got a lot of useful information from
our Clara,’ he said, turning to her. ‘Didn’t we, my dear?’
He grabbed her chin between his thumb
and index finger, in a condescending gesture, like he was addressing a small
child or a pet. She snatched her face away from him and spat at his feet. He laughed
and turned back to me.
‘We are Dark Rain,’ he said, holding his
arms out to the side, gesturing to the whole compound. ‘And soon the world will
know what we’re capable of.’
I raised my gun again, aiming at him.
‘You’re just like every other crazy
ex-soldier with delusions of grandeur,’ I said. ‘You think you’re the next big
thing and that your idea of a new world order is so much better than the one
that last fucking idiot thought of. But the truth of the matter is, you’re
nothing. And you’ll never be more than that. You’ll get squashed like everyone
else does, and the world will go on having never heard of you. You’ll die and
you’ll take your empty legacy with you.’
‘You have it all figured out, don’t you,
Adrian Hell? Well, you know nothing! You think you’re this smart, unstoppable
killer. But the truth is, you’re just like everyone else. You’re small and you
fight battles you have no hope of winning, fuelled by pride. I know everything
about you, your little computer friend, those cowardly, treacherous,
backstabbing bastards at GlobaTech Industries and your government, with all
their plans for saving the day!’
He turned to Clara, who was still
staring at the floor. He put his hand on her arm and shoved her forward. As she
stumbled front and center, she looked up at me. Her eyes were full of apology. Full
of regret. I felt terrible for her. She wouldn’t have had any choice but to
tell them what she knew, and in a way I’m glad she did. At least she spared
herself any torture.
‘Clara, it’s okay,’ I said. ‘As long as
you’re not hurt, that’s all that matters, alright? But I need to know, how much
did you tell them?’
She took a deep breath.
Then she brought her arms from behind
her. They clearly weren’t tied, despite how it had looked. There was a gun in
her right hand. She raised it slowly and took aim at me. I didn’t understand
what was happening. Nothing was making any sense. I looked into her eyes and
saw a void. A black hole where humanity had once been. A smile crept onto her
face. It was the same smile I’d just seen on Natalia a few moments ago.
‘Oh, I told them everything.’