“Are you holding up all right?” the Principal asked as he shook the DOP’s hand.
The question was unexpected. “I’m fine, sir.”
The Principal looked at him for a moment, then said, “Good. Let’s start our new beginning.”
As they walked out, it finally hit the DOP what the Principal had probably meant. In minutes, it would be by the DOP’s hand alone that the order to exterminate ninety-nine percent of the human race went out-a genocide unlike any genocide the world had ever seen. He would be the one directly responsible.
But he’d long ago come to terms with that. It was the greater good that was important.
For the first time since he’d woken up that morning, he allowed a smile to grace his lips.
While the vote was going on in the room at the back of the Cradle, security officer Phillips frowned at his monitor. One of the indicators on the screen had just switched from Red to Green, letting him know someone had entered Bluebird through the emergency tunnel. He clicked on it to bring up the details.
AUTHORIZED ENTRY: ROWAN, BENJAMIN-SECURITY DETAIL RANK 2
Phillips signaled Ross that he wanted to speak with him.
“Yes?” Ross said over the intercom, his voice impatient.
“Rowan’s turned up, sir.”
“Rowan? Where?”
“He just entered through the tunnel.”
“He’s been gone for hours. Where the hell has he been?”
“I haven’t been able to talk to him yet, sir.”
Ross paused before responding. “Send someone to check on him, and recall the search team.”
“Yes, sir.”
40
I.D. MINUS 4 MINUTES
BLUEBIRD TIME 10:56 AM
Olivia held up a hand, stopping everyone.
In the distance, they could hear footsteps. She looked around quickly, and pointed at a door fifteen feet back the way they’d come. Without wasting a second, they filed into the room and closed the door behind them.
They heard the footsteps enter the hallway where they’d been, and walk past their current position. There was only a single set.
Olivia pointed at two of her men, then opened the door wide enough so they could slip out.
When they returned forty-five seconds later, they were carrying a man with a sidearm strapped to his belt. Though there were no obvious wounds, it was apparent the man was dead.
Once the body was on the floor, Olivia said, “Everyone ready? We’re not going to have time to stop again.”
Nods all around.
“They’ll all be in the Cradle.”
“The Cradle?” Ash asked.
“It’s what they call the command center. There’s bound to be some security there, but not much. The rest will be upstairs covering the ground entrances. Once we have the Cradle secured, I’ll lock them down so they can’t get to us.”
“We’re going to have to deal with them at some point.”
She smiled. “Trust me.”
Ash frowned, uncomfortable, but said nothing.
“Any other questions?” she asked.
He shook his head.
“So we can go?” she asked.
“Please.”
As they reentered the hall, Ash couldn’t help but think there was something she wasn’t telling him.
41
I.D. MINUS 2 MINUTES
BLUEBIRD TIME 10:58 AM
AS THE DOP entered the Cradle from the conference room, everyone sitting at the monitoring stations stood. There was no applause. Silence seemed to be the appropriate response to the moment.
Solemnly, he made his way to the empty station that sat by itself, front and center in front of the monitor wall. Once he reached the desk, he turned and faced the personnel of Bluebird. Along with the Directors who were standing in front, and those at the stations, there were two dozen others squeezed in along the walls, nearly everyone at the outpost who wasn’t needed on security detail elsewhere. All eyes were on him.
He felt a surge of pride. These were some of the most dedicated members of Project Eden, most had been a part of the organization for at least a decade, and many of them for more. What he was about to do was as much for them as it was for everyone else.
Though it wasn’t part of the plan for the day, he felt he needed to say something, something everyone would remember. He’d been wrestling with what that should be for days. Finally he decided to just go with the first words that came to mind.
“Our actions here today are meant to accomplish only one thing-the ability for humankind to reach its full potential. With your dedication, heart, and service, we will achieve this.”
All right. Perhaps it wasn’t One small step for man, but no one in the room seemed to care.
He looked at the digital clock on the wall. They were eighty-three seconds away, less than a minute and a half until the time finally arrived.
42
They paused at the junction, each of them listening closely for anyone who might be in the intersecting hallway.
For several seconds there was nothing, then a distant voice drifted toward them.
“…here today…meant…one…for…to reach…potential…”
Ash glanced at his watch. It was almost eleven a.m. If Olivia was right, they were seconds from being out of time.
“We need to go now,” he whispered.
43
I.D. MINUS 55 SECONDS
BLUEBIRD TIME 10:59 AM
As the Dop sat down at the computer, a hush fell over the room.
Ross had already brought up the activation screen, so all the DOP had to do was input his personal password and the correct code. He typed the alphanumeric combination he’d memorized long ago into the password box.
The code itself he didn’t know, not yet, anyway. It was currently in the Principal Director’s possession. Per protocol, the Principal would not hand it over until thirty seconds prior to the time assigned for Implementation Day to begin. Which meant, as the DOP noted, he would have it in twenty-five seconds.
He clasped his hands and set them in front of him. He heard the door at the back of the room open.
“Well, I’m glad we made it in time.”
44
The door was open about an inch. Through the gap, Ash spied several people, all looking away from the door at an angle. The voice they heard earlier had stopped and been replaced by an eerie silence.
Olivia quickly divided her people into two groups, and made it clear where she wanted them to go. She looked at Ash and Chloe, and indicated they were to follow her.
She put one hand on the doorknob, and began counting down with the other.
Three.
Two.
One.
She pushed the door open. The two small groups went in first, then she stepped through with Ash and Chloe behind her.
“Well,” she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I’m glad we made it in time.”
The entire room seemed to turn as one to look at them. Immediately, the five security men scattered throughout the space went for their handguns. They could have saved the effort. Before any of them had their weapon above their waist, Olivia’s people opened fire. The security guards dropped to the floor, dead.
Screams of terror and surprise filled the room, as those nearest the new arrivals moved away as quickly as they could. Several people went for the doors, trying to get out, but when gunfire rang out again, slamming into the wall near the exit, they pulled back.
Olivia rushed toward the front of the room, where an unremarkable middle-aged man sitting in front of a computer on a solitary table had just been handed an envelope by an older, but similarly unremarkable man.
“I’ll take that,” she said, snatching it out of his hand.