Assembly Command and Control Facility
Short Hill Mountain, Virginia
“Sir, our security team is about to engage the intruders.”
Croft motioned for the camera footage to be transferred to the main screen, and watched as the team of six rushed down the corridor, the two intruders just around the corner. The man held up a fist, apparently hearing the approaching team, then stared directly at the camera. And smiled.
“Shit! Warn them—”
The other camera showing his team provided him with the unsettling view of them dropping one-by-one, in rapid succession. Moments later, the two intruders stepped over the bodies.
“Send another team.”
The senior controller looked at him. “Sorry, sir, that was our only team. They were never supposed to get inside.”
“Sir! We’ve reached minimum compliance!”
Croft spun, pointing toward the man. “Send the final sequence, now!”
“Transmitting now, sir.”
Croft turned to the screen, the compliance indicator now in the green, the map showing the impact zones filling the entire target area as planned. “Is it done?”
“Yes, sir, the system in Offutt is sending the messages now. There is absolutely nothing that can stop the launch, sir.”
Croft smiled, his shoulders sagging as relief swept over him. “Then we’re done.” He stared at the camera showing the advancing hostiles. The facility had been discovered, and the prudent thing to do would be to kill everyone who could threaten the success of the mission. Killing the hostiles had failed, and he couldn’t risk them compelling one of his people to betray the cause.
Unfortunately, the only way to prevent that, was killing them all, obviously not a practical option—he was only one man against two dozen. He needed to empty the facility, but he had no intention of dying today, even if Number One had other plans for him. He needed to get out of here, now, and competing with two dozen others for elevators and escape tunnels might prevent that.
He headed for his office, determined to get a head start. “Evacuate the facility as soon as you’ve received confirmation that all orders have been successfully transmitted to the silos.”
Kane stepped through the door to sublevel five and checked a map on the wall, conveniently left over from the Cold War. “She said Five-C, right?”
Katz nodded.
He pointed. “Just around the corner.” They advanced cautiously, weapons ready. A single door came into view, the only door visible. “This has to be it.”
He twisted the knob and pushed, surprised to find it unlocked. He stepped inside and a woman behind a desk gasped. Katz shot her in the neck and Kane cursed as he swept forward, sounds coming from the inner office. He smiled as Croft froze, staring at him, or more accurately, the barrel of his gun. His hand darted for a weapon on his desk when Kane stepped closer.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Kane grabbed Croft’s weapon and stuffed it in his belt. “Mr. Croft, I assume you know Nadja Katz?”
Croft stared at her for a moment as she entered the room, and he paled slightly. “Yes.” He motioned toward the door. “You’re too late.”
Kane shook his head. “We’re not here about that. We’re here about the Assembly, and your involvement in it.”
Croft’s eyes narrowed, clearly puzzled by his disinterest. “I-I don’t understand.”
“Number Seven, Vice President Vance, is dead. He was kind enough to provide us with the names of Eight through Twelve.”
Croft nodded. “I’m aware of that.”
Kane’s eyebrows rose. “Really?” He stepped closer. “If you know that, then you must be a member of the Council.”
Croft backed away slightly. “And if I am?”
Kane flicked his weapon toward Katz. “Then she’d like to know who the rest are.”
Croft stared at Katz for a moment. “Why? I wouldn’t know who they are anyway.”
Kane waved his gun disapprovingly. “Now, now, you know that’s not true. You would at least know those who came after you.” Croft said nothing. “So, what number are you?”
“Four.”
Kane smiled. “So then you at least know who Five is. Tell us his name.”
“Why? It doesn’t matter? Thanks to you, all members of the Council have been ordered killed. I’m dead already.”
Kane threw a smile at Katz, swearing he saw a tiny curl in the corner of her mouth. “You’ve done it! They’re all dead!”
She shook her head. “He isn’t. And neither is Number One.”
Kane frowned. “Isn’t the rest enough? I mean, if there’s only one left, how much trouble can they be to you?”
Katz shook her head. “Number One will simply replace the others. Within a few years, he will have reestablished the Assembly Council, and they will be every bit the threat they are today.” She stared at Kane. “We need to find Number One, or all of this was a waste of time.”
Croft dropped into his chair. “You’ll never find him. Nobody knows who he is. I’ve never seen him. Hell, I’ve never even heard his real voice.” He stared up at Kane. “If you’re going to kill me, get it over with. My job here is done, anyway.”
Kane’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What was your job?”
Croft smiled slightly, some color returning to his pale cheeks. “To change the world.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard shit like that before.”
Croft stared at him. “You don’t understand. I’ve already done it.”
Kane’s heart ticked up a few notches as his stomach tightened. “What do you mean?”
Croft smiled, any fear he had a moment before, erased. “We’ve launched the missiles. You’re already too late.”
Kane’s jaw dropped as his eyes widened. “Bullshit.”
Croft waved his hand at their surroundings. “What do you think this entire exercise was for? To mess with traffic lights? It was all aimed at getting your government to panic and let us install our system. And the first place we installed it was Offutt Air Force Base.”
Kane’s heart slammed.
Oh my God!
“United States Strategic Command Headquarters!”
“Exactly.”
“But you need the codes.”
“Which Number Seven, the Vice President, provided us with.”
Kane stepped back, trying to process what was being said. Then he stopped, raising his weapon and pointing it at Croft’s head. “Stop it.”
Croft shook his head. “The orders have been given, and the men in the silos are now in control. And no one here will send the abort command.”
Kane paused. “Wait, you mean you can still stop this? You can still send an abort command?”
Croft chuckled. “This has been my life’s work. I’ll never stop it.” Croft’s computer beeped and his head spun toward the sound, his eyes widening. “It’s Number One!”
Kane stepped back, away from the computer, making certain he wasn’t in view of any camera. “Why is he calling?”
“He’s expecting a status report.”
Kane aimed his weapon at Croft’s head. “Give him it, and find out where he is.”
Croft stared at him. “Are you kidding me? He’ll never tell me.”
Kane stepped slightly closer. “Try, or I make sure she kills you slowly.” Kane stepped into the outer office and grabbed the phone, getting a dial tone. He pressed Nine, hoping for an outside line, and was rewarded with a triple beep then a steady tone. He smiled then dialed Leroux.
“Hello?”
“Hey, buddy, it’s me.”
“Oh thank God! Where are you?”
“Croft’s office in the bunker.”
“You’ve got to get out of there! There’re a few dozen missiles inbound on you right now.”
Kane ignored the warning, his focus returned to saving Fang and Sherrie. “Forget that, Number One has called here. He’s on with another Assembly member. I saw a whack of satellite transmitters when we arrived. Is there any way you can find out where he is?”
“I’ll try.” There was a pause. “Umm, Dylan?”
Kane recognized his friend’s tone, and knew there was bad news about to be delivered.
Fang!
“Yes?”
“The missiles are powering up. They can’t stop them.”
Guilt washed over him as he experienced relief the news wasn’t about Fang, only about the impending death of millions. But it also confirmed what he had doubted until this very moment. That Croft was telling the truth. “Can’t they just issue new orders?”
“No, the communications system has been compromised. We can’t send orders to our own crews, only they can.”
Kane turned, staring at Croft as a thought occurred to him. “And they can only send it from here?”
“That’s likely.”
“Then Jesus Christ, abort the hit and let me try!”