“Get into it!”
“Move!”
As multiple units began to converge on the command center, another order rang out. “All units hold. The command center is secured.”
Gozen let out a long breath as she heard Colonel Malin’s voice. The guy was scary, but that was good in a situation like this.
“What have you got?” Drakon asked Malin.
“One dead snake, General,” Malin answered, his voice cold and precise. “Several dead soldiers and watch-standers. And one portable nuclear device that the snake was prepared to activate. The nuke has been rendered safe.”
“Suicide mission,” Develier muttered.
“Good work, everyone,” Drakon said. “Now, all units, remain on alert. We’re going to flood the headquarters complex with smoke and sweep every room and every corridor to make sure there aren’t any other attackers hiding in here. Colonel Malin, coordinate the sweeps from the command center. Colonel Gozen and I are moving to join you.”
Leaving six soldiers to guard the wounded and watch over the dead vipers, and accompanied by the rest of the soldiers, Gozen and Drakon headed for the command center along hallways that were rapidly filling with smoke. “Cleaning up after this is going to be a chore,” Gozen commented.
“It won’t be much compared to the cleanup if that nuke had detonated,” Drakon replied.
They started meeting other soldiers, most in armor and gathered into larger and smaller groups based on whoever had been closest when the attack started. With the links active again, everyone could track everyone else easily, eliminating surprises that might have led to friendly soldiers firing on other friendlies. Gozen, still not too familiar with the layout of the headquarters, was relieved when they reached the command center.
Standing just outside were Private Pogue and the other four soldiers who had gone with him. “Sir,” the corporal in charge of the small group reported, “we got here just as the jamming cleared.”
“It takes a while longer to get somewhere if you don’t want to be noticed,” Private Pogue argued defensively.
“Fall in with us,” Lieutenant Develier ordered. “Do you want us to stay with you, General?”
“No,” Drakon said. “Report in as available for joining in the security sweep of the building. I won’t forget any one of you,” he said to the group. “You did well. Damned well. You’ve got some fine soldiers, Lieutenant, and that reflects well on you.”
“Thank you, sir!”
Gozen felt herself relaxing as she followed Drakon into the command center. There were several bodies still on the floor, the watch-standers who had apparently been killed without warning, and a dozen living soldiers present who were checking over the equipment to ensure no other sabotage had been committed by the vipers.
Colonel Malin stood next to what Gozen recognized as a portable nuke. His eyes swept across General Drakon, centered on Gozen, then his pistol came up, aiming straight at Gozen’s face shield.
Chapter Five
Gozen was smart enough to freeze rather than try dodging to one side or bringing up her own weapon. She knew enough about Malin to know that he could put a shot into the most vulnerable part of her face shield even if she was leaping sidewise when he fired.
Knowing that movement could well mean death, she froze, waiting to see what would happen.
“What is the meaning of this, Colonel Malin?” General Drakon asked, his voice harsh.
“This attack was assisted from the inside,” Malin said, still emotionless. “Someone planted worms in our systems that assisted the vipers in reaching this command center without being detected.”
“And you have some evidence that Colonel Gozen was involved in that?”
A pause. “Not yet, sir.”
“Are you aware that Colonel Gozen was with me when the attack went down and played a major role in defending me against attack when the vipers located me?”
Malin hesitated again, though his pistol didn’t waver. “General, they broke into your office immediately after killing the watch-standers. If you had been present, you would not have been able to stop a dozen vipers even with the defenses in your office.”
Drakon raised one hand and gestured to Malin to lower his weapon.
After another moment, Malin did so, returning the pistol to its holster with one smooth movement.
“I wasn’t in my office because I was talking to Colonel Gozen,” Drakon said. “If she had not asked to speak with me, I probably would have been there. Why would she have gotten me out of that office and away from the command center if she was involved in a plot to kill me? Why wouldn’t she have killed me herself during the confusion when the alarms sounded, or while the vipers were charging me?”
Malin inhaled slowly, then nodded. “It appears unlikely, sir.”
“Colonel Malin, I appreciate your concern for my welfare, but I am getting a little tired of my staff officers pointing weapons at each other. I don’t want it to happen again.”
Gozen felt herself stiffen at the tone of Drakon’s voice. Even though his words weren’t directly aimed at her, and even though she hadn’t pointed her weapon at Malin, she still had to fight down an urge to come to attention, salute, and promise never to do it again.
For his part, Malin sounded truly apologetic. “I am sorry, General.”
“You’re sure someone introduced worms from inside this building?” Drakon said, abruptly changing the subject.
“There was no external intrusion, sir. And no indications of any unauthorized person entering the headquarters complex.”
“Somebody did,” Gozen said. “Maybe that’s why my visitor showed up when he did. He or she had just finished inserting the worms. They wouldn’t have wanted to do that until just before the attack to limit any chance of the worms being spotted by our security routines. I should have realized that if they could threaten me they could have accessed the security systems in here.”
“That didn’t occur to me, either,” Drakon said. “It’s not like you wasted any time alerting me to the problem. Colonel Malin, there is a hidden access to Colonel Gozen’s quarters. Someone used it last night. That access may lead us to other hidden passages.”
Malin’s eyes narrowed. He nodded, then looked at Gozen again. “Some of the worms employed were the same as those among the snake software we captured on Ulindi. That’s why our armor systems were able to block the intrusion attempts.”
Gozen felt her face heating with anger. “You’re not still thinking that I—”
“No, Colonel Gozen,” Malin said. “Because I now recall that among your actions since we returned to Midway was your insistence on ensuring our armor software was upgraded to block everything found among the snake software on Ulindi. You have my apologies for suspecting you of involvement in this attack.”
“Accepted,” Gozen said. “In a Syndicate command, you would have shot me immediately then when proven wrong apologized for being too zealous in defending the CEO.”
“Yes, I would have,” Malin agreed.
“We need to find out who did plant those worms to open the path for the vipers,” Drakon said. “Are there any leads?”
“None, so far, General. Except for the absence of leads. Whoever did this left no trace of their actions.”
Drakon nodded, his expression darkening. “The lack of any mistakes does point in one direction. Colonel Malin, I know you’ve already been ordered to find President Iceni’s former aide Mehmet Togo. You are now authorized to neutralize him at the first opportunity.”
A flicker of a smile appeared on Malin’s lips. “Elimination of the threat by any means is authorized?”
“Yes. Maybe he does think he’s doing this to help President Iceni, but for all we know she would be his next target. Find Togo and kill him.”