Matthew Reilly - Area 7

"Self-destruct mechanism?" Brainiac blurted. "What the fuck is that?"

"A one-hundred-megaton thermonuclear warhead buried

beneath the complex," Herbie said simply.

"Oh, Christ ..." Brainiac said.

Gant said, "Surely they removed that when the Soviet

Union collapsed."

"I'm afraid not," Herbie said. "When this base was reconfigured

as a chemical weapons facility, it was decided

that the self-destruct device still had value. If there was an

accident and a virus spread throughout the facility, the

whole contaminated complex--virus included--could be

destroyed by a superheated nuclear blast."

"Okay," Schofield said, "so if we want to leave, we have

to wait for the hourly window period, find a computer connected

to the central network, and then enter the correct

code."

"That's right," Herbie said.

"So what are the codes?" Schofield asked.

Herbie shrugged helplessly. "That I don't know. I can

initiate a lockdown if there's been an outbreak, but I don't

have clearance to undo one. Only the Air Force guys can do

that--"

"Uh, excuse me," Juliet Janson said, "but aren't we forgetting

something?"

"Like what?" Brainiac said.

"Like the Football," Janson said. "The President's briefcase.

The one that's been rigged to stop him from escaping

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this complex. He has to press his palm against the analyzer

plate on the Football once every ninety minutes, otherwise

the plasma bombs in the cities go off."

"Damn it," Schofield said. He had forgotten all about

that. He looked at his watch.

It was 8:12 a.m.

This had all started at 7:00 a.m. Which meant they had

to get the President's hand onto the Football by 8:30.

He looked up at the others. "Where are they keeping the

Football?"

"Russell said it would be kept in the main hangar, up on

ground level," the President said.

"What do you think?" Gant said to Schofield.

"I don't think we have much choice. Somehow, we have

to get his hand onto the Football."

"But we can't keep doing that forever."

"No," Schofield said, "we can't. At some point, we'll

have to come up with a more long-term solution. But until

then, we deal with the short-term ones."

Janson said, "It'd be suicide to bring the President out

into the open upstairs, they'll almost certainly be waiting."

"That's right," Schofield stood up. "Which is why we

don't do that. What we do is quite straightforward. We bring

the Football to him."

"THE FIRST THING WE HAVE TO DO," SCHOFIELD SAID, rounding

everyone up, "is take care of those security cameras.

While they're still operating, we're screwed." He turned to

Herbie Franklin. "Where's the central junction box in this

place?"

"In the Level 1 hangar bay, I think, on the northern

wall."

"Okay," Schofield said. "Mother, Brainiac, I want you

guys to take care of those cameras. Cut the power if you have

to, I don't care, just shut down the camera system. You got

me?"

"(

"Got it," Mother said.

"And take Dr. Franklin with you. If he's lying, shoot

him."

"Got it," Mother said, eyeing Herbie suspiciously. Herbie

gulped.

"What about the rest of us?" Juliet asked.

Schofield headed toward the short ramp that led to the

wide aircraft elevator shaft.

"The rest of us are going upstairs to play some football."

"--system reboot is complete--"

"Status?" Caesar Russell asked.

Ten minutes previously, during Caesar's second BBS

broadcast, the entire complex had experienced an abrupt

power shutdown, causing all its interior systems to switch

off.

"--Confirm: main power supply has been cut," one of

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the radio operators said. "We're running on auxiliary power

now. All systems operational."

"--We lost that enhanced satellite image of the EEV

that was coming through. Renewing contact with the satellite

now--"

Another operator: "Copy that. Main power supply was

switched off at the Level 1 junction box at exactly 0800

hours, by operator 008-72--"

"8-72?" Caesar frowned, thinking.

"--Sir, we have no visual feed. All cameras went down

with the cutting of the main power supply--"

Caesar's eyes narrowed. "All units, report in."

"--This is Alpha," Kurt Logan's voice said. "Initiate

frequency swap. Possibility that enemy has obtained some of

our radio equipment--"

"--Frequency swap complete," the senior operator said.

"Go ahead, Alpha Leader--"

"--We are in the Level 2 hangar bay. Heading for the

personnel elevator for rendezvous up in the main hangar.

Report six dead--"

"--This is Bravo Leader, we're up in the main hangar,

covering the Football. All men present and accounted for.

No casualties--"

"--This is Charlie Leader. We are moving in tandem

with Echo through the common worn area on Level 3. We

have one dead, two wounded from that AWACS shit before.

Understand targets were last sighted on Level 4. Preparing

for joint assault through floor-to-ceiling hatches between 3

and 4. Please advise--"

"--Charlie, Echo, this is Control. We have lost all visual

contact on the Level 4 lab area--"

"Engage at will, Charlie and Echo," Caesar Russell cut

in sharply. "Keep them moving. They can't run forever."

"--This is Delta. We are still on 5. No casualties. By

the time we broke down that door on 5, the targets had already

gone up the ramp to Level 4. Be advised, there is

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Matthew Reilly

substantial flooding in the Level 5 confinement area. Awaiting

instructions--"

"--Delta, this is Caesar," Russell said coolly, "head

back down to Level 6. Cover the X-rail exits."

"--Affirmative, that, sir--"

Twenty black-clad 7th squadron commandos hurried

down one of the corridors of the Level 3 living area, their

boots thundering on the floor--the men of Charlie and Echo

Units.

They came to a pressure-sealed manhole in the carpet.

A code was entered and the circular hatch came free with a

sharp hiss, revealing a crawl space between the floor of

Level 3 and the ceiling of Level 4. Another pressure hatch

lay directly beneath this one--the entry to Level 4.

One of the commandos lowered himself through the

manhole.

"Control, this is Charlie Leader," Python Willis said

into his headset mike. "We are at the manhole leading to the

observation lab on Level 4. Preparing to storm the floor from

above."

"Do it!" Caesar's voice replied.

Python nodded to his man in the crawl space.

The commando released the pressure valve and let the

hatch drop to the floor ten feet below him. Then he jumped

down to the ground after it, three others close behind him,

their P-90's aimed and ready.

Nothing.

The lab around them was empty.

There came a loud mechanical rumbling from within

the walls.

The 7th Squadron men whirled around as one.

It was the sound of the hydraulic aircraft elevator platform.

The commandos of Charlie and Echo Units hurried

down the short sloping walkway that led from the observation

lab to the aircraft elevator shaft.

They got there just in time to see the underside of the

area 7 167

giant elevator platform rising up into the shaft above them,

heading for the main hangar.

Python Willis spoke into his helmet mike. "Control, this

is Charlie Leader. They're going for the Football."

THE GIGANTIC AIRCRAFT ELEVATOR GROANED LOUDLY AS IT