“By the way, where is here?”
“We’re in the Dinaric Alps,” said Grace. “Behind us is a trail that leads up and over a mountain with a beautiful view of a private airstrip belonging to Asclepius Pharmaceuticals. Which just happens to be one of many shadow companies secretly owned and operated by David Houston.”
“Is there anything that son of a bitch doesn’t own? How did you know that Ryan’s plane would land here?”
“This is the only piece of real estate owned by Houston in Albania. Combined with the level of security thrown up around the place, there was no doubt left in my mind where Mitchell’s plane would land.”
“You’re going to have to share some of your sources with us once this is all over,” said Jackson.
“Never,” replied Grace. “They’re mine to keep.”
“Did you see Ryan’s plane on the airstrip?”
Grace grinned. “Yes, his and about a dozen other planes belonging to some of the richest people in the world are parked down there. Whatever Houston is up to, it’s big.”
“You know, Ryan never told me why you contacted him out of the blue.”
“Let’s just say my employer has changed his mind. He doesn’t want whatever came back from the Moon to ever leave Houston’s hideout. At first, I wasn’t sure where to look, but when Ryan suggested that he act as bait, I readily agreed to help him if it led me to the probe.”
“Fair enough.” Jackson could feel the tension building up inside as it always did before a mission. He leaned forward and said, “So what’s your plan?”
“Finish up your meal and then we’ll all take a hike in the mountains to help digestion.”
Taking a forkful of schnitzel in his mouth, Jackson couldn’t wait to get started. His friends were counting on him, and he wasn’t going to let them down. Come hell or high water, he was going to get them out, and if he ran into McMasters, all the better.
34
Mitchell slowly opened his eyes and looked up. He smiled when he saw Jen’s beautiful face looking down at him.
“Hey there, sleepyhead,” said Jen to Mitchell. “It’s about time you woke up.”
Taking a deep breath to clear the fog in his mind, Mitchell sat up and felt a goose-egg-sized bump on the back of his head.
“You’ve got a nasty bump back there,” said Sam as she moved over to take a look at Mitchell’s wound. “I wouldn’t try to do any gymnastics for the next few hours until it goes down a bit.”
“Great advice,” replied Mitchell. “I should be okay. I think we’re trapped in here for the foreseeable future.”
Cardinal grabbed a washcloth, wetted it down in the sink, and handed it to Mitchell.
“Thanks,” said Mitchell as he set the damp cloth on the bump. He saw that he and his friends were in a small cell, with two bunk beds, a toilet, sink, and an old wooden table.
Yuri turned in his chair and looked over at Mitchell. “My dear Ryan, I hope that this is all part of some overly elaborate escape plan you have hatched and that Mister Jackson is going to swoop in at any minute and rescue us. If not… why are you here?”
“First off, I have no idea where Nate could be,” replied Mitchell. “Secondly, I was given an offer I couldn’t refuse by a couple of Houston’s goons.”
“That sounds all too familiar,” said Cardinal.
“How long have I been out?” asked Mitchell.
“Just over three hours,” responded Sam.
“Jesus, Ryan, what have we gotten ourselves into?” said Jen as she reached over and took Ryan’s right hand.
For the next half hour, Mitchell told them about what had happened in Venezuela and his recent meeting with Houston. Jen brought a hand to her mouth in horror when Mitchell told them about Houston’s plan to kill two billion people.
“He can’t be serious,” said Jen.
“Oh, he’s serious, all right,” replied Mitchell. “In fact, he’s been planning this for decades. He and his people have improved upon the lethality of the anthrax spores brought back to Earth inside the re-entry vehicle. Within hours, they’ll have enough weaponized anthrax to begin their genocidal plan.”
“Surely he doesn’t think he can kill billions of innocent people and not be held accountable for it,” said Sam.
“There wouldn’t be a place on the planet where he could hide,” added Cardinal. “He’d be the most wanted man in history.”
Mitchell turned his head to look over at his friends. “Folks, I hate to say it but unless someone stops him, he’s going to get away with mass murder.”
“Impossible!” exclaimed Yuri. “Ryan, you must have bumped your head worse than you think.”
“Houston’s no fool, he’s thought this through. He’s not going to take the fall for this. I’ve no doubt that he’s going to lay this all on someone else. I bet right now that Houston is having his corporate records electronically altered to show that Owen was behind all of this. When the dust settles, Houston will be able to claim that he had no idea whatsoever what his nephew was up to. After seeing Owen’s reaction when he learned what his uncle was up to, it’s obvious to me that he’s not part of this. I’m convinced that Houston does not intend for Owen or any other members of his little club to survive the coming genocide.”
“Dead men tell no tales,” proclaimed Yuri.
“Precisely,” said Mitchell.
Jen asked, “What about all of the people working here, surely one of them will spill the beans? You can’t keep a secret like this buried too long these days. Someone will talk.”
Mitchell thought about it for a moment. He snapped his fingers. “The son of a bitch is planning to leave. I saw a convoy of armored vehicles upstairs. He and a small group of hard-core followers won’t be here, when… ”
“When what happens?” asked Sam.
“I don’t know. Perhaps an accidental release of anthrax, a nuke going off, an attack by Albanian commandos; whatever it is, Houston has planned for it and won’t be here when it happens.”
“What about us?” asked Jen.
“If we don’t figure a way out, we’ll suffer the same fate as everyone in here,” replied Mitchell.
Sam said, “I’ve tried the lock; it’s tamper-proof.”
“What about the bars?” asked Mitchell.
“They’re new,” replied Cardinal. “They must have been part of the upgrade to this place when they converted it from a fighter base to a pharmaceutical company.”
“Well, everyone needs to put on their thinking caps and come up with something fast, or we’re all dead.”
36
President Kempt stood with his jaw clenched tight while he watched Dan Leonard on the screen brief him and Vice President Grant about the recent discovery of a secret Cold War airbase in Albania belonging to a company owned by David Houston.
Along with Leonard in the briefing room in the Pentagon was Anne Hook, the Director of the CIA, and General Patterson, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“Sir, reliable sources in Albania have been able to confirm that the soil sample brought back to Earth by the Luna 15 return vehicle is now inside the former airbase,” said Hook.
“How reliable is this source?” asked the president.
“Sir, he’s been on the agency’s payroll for close to a decade. According to the Station Chief in Tirana, he is a high-ranking member of the Albanian military and has been providing useful intelligence the whole time he has been working for us.”
“Who exactly owns this company?” asked Vice President Grant.
“On paper it is owned and operated by Asclepius Pharmaceuticals,” explained Hook. “Their head office is in Geneva, Switzerland. Max Cartier is the president of Asclepius Pharmaceuticals; however, the installation in Albania was financed exclusively through one of several shadow corporations owned by David Houston.”