James Glass - Sedona Conspiracy

“Maybe a hundred.”

“You might have half that in military police.”

“We have what we need. One more man won’t make a difference. You’re needed to fly Sparrow. It’s been decided, sir.”

“Like hell it has. I’m seeing Davis.” Eric walked away, but Alan hurried to catch up to him.

“He won’t see you.”

“I’m not asking.”

“Sir, the fight could take out several bays. We can’t risk your life or Dillon’s. You have to stay with the star craft.”

“You didn’t tell me who’s behind the attack, sergeant. These are the people I was sent here to stop.” Eric punched a button, and an elevator door opened.

“One of Brown’s own people. Looks like one man has been behind everything from the start.” Alan looked nervous, his eyes darting around as the elevator ascended. “Sir, this stink you’re making is going to get me in trouble.”

“Sorry, Alan. Hazards of the trade.”

The elevator doors opened. Alan grabbed his arm, but Eric pulled him along the few steps to Davis’ office door and pushed it open without knocking.

“I tried to stop him, Colonel,” said Alan.

Davis stood up from behind his desk, and slammed both hands on it. “Even NSA can’t give you the authority to enter a commandant’s office without knocking, Price. Now get the hell out of here and try it the right way!”

Eric walked up to him in a fury, and whatever was showing in his eyes made Davis sit down hard. “I don’t give a shit about your protocol. I want to know why a firefight is coming with the guys I’m after and I’m being sent away someplace else.”

Davis’ eyes seemed to cloud over. “What?”

“He can’t be involved, Colonel,” said Alan. “If he’s killed we’ll be set back weeks or even months. We’re running out of time.”

“I was sent here to kill bad guys, and you’re not letting me do it. I think you can kiss your retirement goodbye.”

Davis glared at Alan. “Now wait a minute. We didn’t talk about Price. What did you tell him?”

“We cannot risk his life, Colonel. I forbid it.”

Davis’ face went purple. “You forbid it? I am the commander of this base, whether you like it or not, and I do the forbidding around here. If Price wants to fight, let him fight. I don’t give a shit whether he lives or dies. Dillon can handle everything from here on.”

“We had a agreement, Colonel. You agreed to—”

“I am in charge of this base. Get the hell out of here, sergeant. I’ll talk to Price without your interference.”

“I’m going to the Council right now,” said Alan.

Eric was astonished. Alan’s eyes blazed, and his fists were clenched. It was certainly not a good way to retain rank. “Price had better be here when I get back,” said Alan. He turned, left the room, and didn’t bother to close the door behind him.

“Close the door,” said Davis, and Eric closed it.

“We need to talk.”

“Yeah?”

“That little scene should show you the kind of crap I’ve had to deal with around here. He goes to the Council, they go to the Pentagon, and I get new orders. I’m not running anything here.”

“No insubordination in today’s military, I guess.”

“He’s not one of mine,” said Davis, and sat down again. “He works for Brown and the other guys who brought us Sparrow. Brown’s spy, I’d call him, and he’s smooth, moves freely among our personnel, and knows everything. Might be American, but I don’t think so.”

“Is he telling the truth about the base being attacked?”

“I believe it. I’ve never seen him so emotional, near panic. He’s scared, and that means we should be scared. They never let our people into the portal bay, just the control area. My police will set up a perimeter beyond there, in Sparrow’s bay and the main tunnel. He says they don’t need us to repel the attack. Maybe he’ll use that electromagnetic shield thing on the portal.”

“I’ve seen it,” said Eric. “That red glow, but when it lifts off all you see is inky blackness. How far back does the tunnel go? Maybe they have people stationed inside it.”

“Never got near the thing,” said Davis. “They could have an army in there, for all I know. End of a career, Price. That’s why the Pentagon put me here. Fuck ’em, I’m still in charge. You want a fight?”

“You bet. Alan says they know who’s behind the attack, and when they’re coming. I want to be there.”

“I can get you into the control area. That’s the best I can do.”

“Close enough. When?”

“Right now. The attack is expected in two or three hours. It’ll take nearly that long to get Sparrow out of there.”

“Let’s go.”

“Wait,” said Davis, opened a drawer and took out a photograph, handed it to Eric. “If you see that guy during the attack, do me a favor and shoot him in the head. He’s the man behind everything bad that’s been going on. I want him dead, and so does Brown.”

Eric looked at the photograph, and shook his head. “I’m not surprised. This guy has been giving money to my ‘business’ partner and me. He wants intel on Sparrow and our test results. Says it belongs to a client of his who wants it back.”

Davis’ face flushed. “He told me a big aerospace company wanted to develop Sparrow as a commercial carrier. Big money for me, he said, and I even bought it until the sabotage started. At least you collected your bribe. All I got was shit. So kill him.”

“If I see him, and that’s unlikely. We’ll be fighting his hired help. Guess his client wants Sparrow destroyed if he can’t get it back.”

“Where’d you get the picture?” asked Eric. It showed the head and shoulders of John Coulter in suit and tie, a slight smile on his face. Eric handed the photograph back to Davis.

“Got it from Brown. He said if we ever saw this man we should shoot him on sight.”

“Well I’ll certainly oblige him if I get the chance, but it looks like Brown doesn’t want me to have that chance.”

“Screw Brown. Let’s get out of here,” said Davis. “I’ll get you some weapons on the way.”

They left the office, stepped into an elevator and descended one floor. “Confession time,” said Eric. “I have a small auto on my ankle and something bigger squirreled away in that little niche you gave me that I hardly ever use.”

“That’s tunnel level. We’ll go there last. Right now I want you looking like you belong here. Fewer questions that way,” said Davis.

The doors opened. Davis led him down a curving hallway to an area caged in by heavy wire mesh. He punched in a code on a panel lock and the door clicked open. Inside were rows of shelves floor to ceiling and racks of M16 rifles. Davis pointed to three shelves loaded with boxes, boots and heavily padded helmets. “Sizes on the boxes. Grab an issue, boots and helmet. I’ll give you five minutes to look like a soldier.”

Eric found what he needed and stripped down while Davis selected two rifles from the racks and extra magazines in pouches on a shelf near them.

It took him seven minutes to dress, and squeeze into a vest. Davis slung a rifle over his own shoulder, handed the other to Eric and gave him an appraising look. “Okay, you’re a private again. Hopefully they won’t notice you’re missing a name patch. I’m assigning you to guard duty in the portal control room.”

He handed Eric a belt loaded with magazine pouches. “Load and lock, private.”

Eric put the belt on, pushed a magazine into the M16 and worked the slide. “I still want my other handgun,” he said.

Davis nodded, loaded his own weapon, and locked the supply cage behind them. They went down one level to a short hallway where Eric had been given a small desk and chair in an open niche in red rock closed by a barred door, making it look like a cell. Eric retrieved the long slide Colt he’d kept there since the attack on Leon, but left the military Beretta. At times like this, the stopping power of the forty-five seemed appropriate for the job.