The ID was genuine, but Wicks had told Ash the chip inside would very likely be listed as missing. It didn’t matter much at this point, anyway. The VOD had done its job and gotten them inside.
“Actually, you won’t be checking that,” Ash said, drawing his pistol and aiming it at the man. Powell and the others immediately did the same.
Morris took off for the door.
Knowing a shot would alert those on the other side of the door, Ash chased the guard. Just as the man was reaching for the handle, Ash shoved him away from the door, and then grabbed Morris’s hand and twisted his arm backward.
As the guard yelped in pain, Ash shoved him face-first against the wall.
“We’ll take that ID back,” he said.
Morris immediately held out the VOD. “Sure. Here.”
Wicks took it.
“Now,” Ash said, “how many people are we going to find on the other side of the door?”
“Just one.”
Ash ratcheted the man’s arm up an inch.
“I’m not lying,” Morris pleaded. “There’s only two of us on the graveyard shift!”
“Did you report our arrival?”
“No! You have a VOD. We’re not supposed to.”
Ash glanced back at Harden and Sealy. “Secure him. Powell and Curtis, with me.”
Lochmere was freaking out.
By now, Morris should be in the lobby. Lochmere had planned on watching what happened, but the moment the first of the VOD man’s team entered the transition room, all surveillance cameras in there stopped working.
Lochmere checked the settings and even tried rebooting the video system, but the result was more static.
His finger moved toward the button that linked directly with the quarters of Supervisor McHenry, the head of security, but he hesitated. VOD regulations stated that all personnel were to follow whatever orders the ID bearer gave. The man had clearly stated no one was to be informed.
Lochmere cursed in frustration and checked the cameras again. Still nothing.
Screw the VOD. Something weird was going on.
He reached for the intercom button again, but before he could press it, the control room door flew open.
The metal door opened onto a short hallway that linked the large waiting area with the control center. Ash, Powell, and Wicks made their way quickly to the door at the other end.
Powell quietly turned the handle and, after a nod from Ash, thrust the door open. Ash rushed inside, sweeping his rifle left and right before aiming it at the room’s single occupant.
“Hands in the air,” he ordered.
The guard hesitated.
“In the air, now!”
Ash’s men spread out and moved toward the guard.
The man tapped on something then raised his arms. Ash rushed forward to see what the guy had done. There were several buttons where the guard’s hand had been, one of which was lit up.
An angry, sleep-filled voice spilled out of the speaker next to the monitor. “This better be good. What do you want?”
Ash placed the muzzle of his rifle against the guard’s neck. The guard eyed him warily.
“Answer him,” Ash mouthed. “A mistake. Understand?”
“Anyone there?” the voice asked.
“Understand?” Ash repeated.
The guard nodded. “I need to press the mic button.”
Ash pressed the barrel into the man’s flesh and mouthed, “Slowly.”
The guard lowered a hand and pressed a button. “Sir, it’s Lochmere.”
“Lochmere? Why the hell did you call me?”
“I’m sorry, sir,” the guard said, his gaze locked on Ash. “It…it was a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
“A short in the system, probably.”
“Jesus. You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“Well, call engineering and get it fixed right away. I damn well don’t want you waking me up again.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll do that right away.”
The light turned off.
“Who else did you call?” Ash asked.
“No one.”
Whether that was true or not, they’d know soon enough. Ash used one of the plastic zip ties he’d been allocated to secure Lochmere’s hands behind the man’s back. He then retrieved a sedative-filled syringe and jabbed it into the man’s arm.
With Powell’s help, he moved Lochmere to the side of the room and laid him against the wall.
Ash took a good look at the room. It wasn’t huge but it was well equipped, with four individual stations, several racks of electronic gear, and a wall covered in monitors showing various security cameras. The feeds were mainly from inside the base, views of half-lit corridors lined with identical doors. He did see a few people but for the most part the place looked empty.
He glanced at Powell. “Send one of the guys up top to report in that we’re in the nest.”
Chloe’s group struck metal a few moments before the radio message came that Ash’s team had successfully entered Dream Sky.
The news reinvigorated Chloe’s people and they were able to quickly remove the rest of the dirt. After the metal cap enclosing the entrance was fully exposed, Chloe ordered everyone back and removed her backpack. From inside, she retrieved the soft-sided thermal container that held several small blocks of plastic explosive, and a couple of chemical heat tubes that were there to ward off the cold night and keep the explosive pliable without making it unstable.
Working rapidly, she made half a dozen dome-shaped bombs and applied them in a circle around the cap. Once the blasting caps were in place and linked to the remote triggering device, she retreated into the woods with the others.
“Heads down, everyone!” she yelled. “Fire in the hole!”
The deafening blast rolled through the valley and across the deserted town.
Before the echo had died away, Chloe raced back to the entrance.
The only thing left of the metal cap was the outer edge that had been welded in place. She flicked on her flashlight and trained the beam through the new opening. The tunnel beyond was almost level, and seemed to go back about fifty yards before making a sharp turn to the right. At least she hoped that was the case. She’d be pissed off if this turned out to be a false lead and the tunnel didn’t connect with Dream Sky.
She stepped over the jagged edge and found bits and pieces of cap strewn across the ground inside. She turned and saw the others were gathered behind her.
“Wait there for a moment,” she instructed.
With pistol in one hand and flashlight in the other, she headed down the tunnel.
To her relief, the bend to the right was not just a recess but a continuation of the tunnel. The new section, however, went on for only about twenty feet before turning right again. Around this final bend, the tunnel stayed level for approximately ten yards before taking a drastic dip.
Right at the top of the slope was a docking area where a set of railway tracks terminated. She looked down the tunnel. Her light was nowhere near strong enough to reach the bottom, but she could see that the tracks led right down the middle of the slope.
This was how they had probably moved everything inside the base. They certainly wouldn’t have carried tons of food through that little hut in the field.
The problem was, the vehicle that used the tracks wasn’t at the top.
She scanned the area around the landing and spotted a metal box inset in the side of the tunnel. She found switches inside labeled POWER, LIGHTS, and RECALL.
She flicked the power switch.
Somewhere down the tunnel a motor began to hum. She gave it a moment to warm up and then turned on the switch labeled LIGHTS. At forty-foot intervals, lights mounted on the tunnel’s ceiling came on. For the first time she could see the bottom, though it was too far away for her to make out any details. Along the sides she could see recesses every thirty feet or so. Rest areas for the workers when the tunnel had been dug?