The nurse, Natalie, came in and motioned for him to follow her outside. When they were in the hallway, Natalie said, “It would be best to keep the number of people to a minimum.”
Hobert Barnwell stepped outside and joined him. “Nurse, I would like the staff doctors to email me a daily status report. I’ve left a checklist on your desk.”
“Are you a doctor?” Natalie asked.
“As a matter of fact, I am. Just keep an eye on him. The stroke that did this isn’t like any you’ve ever seen. It’s all in my notes.”
“I’ll pass it along.”
Eric put his hand on her shoulder. “Thanks, Natalie. I’m going to step back in for a few minutes, then I’m going to see my mom.”
“Sure,” Natalie said, giving him a warm smile.
Eric opened the door and approached Smith’s bed. Nancy and Alexandra stood on either side. Nancy held her father’s hand, and Alexandra stroked his hair.
“Ladies?” Eric said. “Can I have a moment?”
Nancy frowned but finally nodded.
Alexandra turned to him. “I thought I would get to see him one last time.”
“You are seeing him,” Eric said. “He just can’t see you back.”
“It wasn’t supposed to end like this,” Alexandra said. She leaned over and kissed Smith’s forehead.
Nancy took her mother’s hand and led her outside, leaving Eric alone with Smith.
“I brought Alexandra in from the cold,” Eric said. “I reunited Nancy with her mother. We even found Huang Lei. I wish you could see. All the money and all the tech can’t bring you back, and I’m sorry about that.”
There was no response from the old man, not that Eric had expected any. “I’m going to start briefing the Gang of Eight,” Eric continued. “I know you wouldn’t approve, but the decision is mine now. I executed the emergency bug-out plan, closed down Area 51, and moved to the backup facility. Everybody did their job, but I still have people in transit. Uprooting them is quite an undertaking, but you knew that. You were always one step ahead of me, weren’t you?”
The old man’s chest rose and fell, but there was no sign of understanding.
“I’ll be meeting shortly with Vasilii’s replacement. I still have the Soviet nukes. If he’s not willing to play ball with me, a little leverage might be in order.”
He turned and stared out the window at the fresh coating of snow on the lawn. “I’m going to go see my mother now. We placed you next to her. It’s fitting, I think. You two are the most important people in my life.”
He turned and headed for the door, then stopped and looked back at the old man. “I think I love your daughter, sir. I promise I’ll take care of her.”
He closed the door gently behind him, nodded at Nancy and Alexandra, then went to see his mother.
Clark gave the bathroom a cursory inspection, then knocked on the farthest door. Greg Hicks opened the door and waved him in.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” Hicks said with a smile. He wore blue jeans, a red plaid shirt, and a Bass Pro Shop hat.
Clark wanted to tell the leader of the Order of the Dancing Bones to go to screw himself but shook his head. “How can you joke at a time like this?”
“We go on,” Hicks said. “Frankly, I’m surprised we’re not all radioactive ash.”
“The OTM got lucky,” Clark said.
“I read your report,” Hicks said. “It sounds like Eric put his trust in the right man.”
“He risked the entire world on a killer,” Clark said.
“It turned out rather well,” Hicks said. “Wise’s ability to make the right call is impressive.”
Clark felt like he might vomit. “You really thought he was going to screw the pooch, didn’t you? My God, Greg. How could you?”
“What about the nanotech?” Hicks asked.
“Buried under the mountain.”
“And the new StrikeForce tech?”
“Elliot is already working on it,” Clark said. “Deion Freeman is Eric’s new candidate.”
“Freeman is a good choice,” Hicks said thoughtfully. “I’m still worried about the project.”
“So am I,” Clark said.
And he meant it. The OTM faced more threats than ever, but a genetically modified super-soldier chilled him to the bone. “Were you actually ready to make the call?”
“Were you ready to unleash the weapon?” Hicks asked quietly. “What if I had commanded you to unleash the virus and kill the entire OTM? Who would have stopped the bombs?”
“I don’t know…”
“That’s what’s terrifying,” Hicks said. “The more information you have, the less clear things appear. Our math is sophisticated, but it’s no match for the real world. Sometimes we have to have faith.”
“Faith?” Clark said. “You risked everything for faith?”
Hicks smiled again. “Sometimes faith is all we have left.”
They stared at each other and Clark finally asked, “What do we do now?”
“Go back to the OTM. Serve your country.”
“What about you? What are you going to do?”
“What I’ve always done.”
“The math?”
“The math,” Hicks acknowledged.
“And what if the math turns against the OTM and you lose faith?”
Hicks frowned, and for the first time since Clark had met the man, Hicks looked less like a math genius with all the answers and more like a worn-out man trying to make sense of a confusing world. “You removed the canister from Area 51 and planted it in the new command center?”
Clark nodded.
“Then you have your answer,” Hicks said, opening the door and exiting the stall. He made his way to the row of sinks, stuck his hands under a spout, and washed them under the flowing water. “Do your job, Todd, and I’ll do mine. Humanity depends on it.”
The thought made Sergeant Todd Clark’s blood run cold.
A note from the Author
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed this book, and I would greatly appreciate an honest review on Amazon. I am committed to writing great books. But, honestly, it takes a team of fantastically talented individuals to launch a book. Amazon reviews are vital to my ability to find the best editors and artists.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your support!
Kevin Lee Swaim
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Lee Swaim studied creative writing with David Foster Wallace at Illinois State University.
He’s currently the Subject Matter Expert for Intrusion Prevention Systems for a Fortune 50 insurance company located in the Midwest. He holds the CISSP certification from ISC2.
When he’s not writing, he’s busy repairing guitars for the working bands of Central Illinois.