Nodding with the last of his control and strength, Chaney closed his eyes. "Yeah, Brick, I got it. I…" He felt sleep coming over him, soft and comforting. "I got it."
Without another word Brick rose and Chaney heard him hurrying up the stairs. Somewhere, far off, he heard a series of thumps, Brick running across the ceiling above him, and knew the old marshal was making certain that the house was completely secure. Chaney glanced to the side, made sure the Sig was within reach, and as he passed into unconsciousness he suddenly remembered Gina Gilbert, and knew she would be next…
He began to rise, to warn her.
Collapsed back.
Despite his exhaustion, Hunter felt himself stiffen as the Blackhawk swept in over the last knoll separating a windswept field from the surrounding forest. And as he sighted the facility from high, he knew instantly that this one was not like the rest.
White cement walls enclosed a four-acre facility that vaguely resembled a squared fortress. The roof was a forest of antennas and satellite dishes and wiring and cooling equipment — an impressive piece of architecture for the middle of nowhere. He noticed at least a hundred fifty-five-gallon drums, perhaps holding coolant, to the side of the building beside a wide set of double steel doors, and three enormous ten-thousand-gallon fuel tanks beside the back fence.
There were no windows; only large steel doors guarded by two sentries with M-16's at port arms. He scanned the brightly illuminated compound further and saw light transport vehicles and at least fifty military personnel. He estimated there would be at least a third more inside.
The chopper set down on a pad and a team of EMTs met them, instantly entering the bay as the team members slipped out. In seconds they had loaded Professor Tipler on a gurney and were rolling him into the complex, already checking his vitals.
Though he was almost too weak to stand, Hunter refused to show fatigue or weakness. He frowned as he saw Maddox approaching. "What about the rest of the team?" Maddox asked, incredulous.
Takakura's tone was not friendly.
"Dead," he said simply.
Maddox paused. His shock was apparent as his eyes moved from Hunter to Takakura, then to the rest of the team. "All of them?"
Takakura walked past him without reply.
As the rest fell in silently behind Takakura, Hunter waited. Then he walked over to Maddox, staring into his eyes.
"I'm gonna talk to you in the morning," Hunter said menacingly.
Maddox glanced down at Ghost. The wolf was fixed on him with mesmerizing intensity. "Of course," he managed. "This is… Good Lord!.. A great tragedy!" He managed to recover. "But then not as bad as I feared. When we failed to make contact with you, I had assumed you were all casualties. At least some of you have survived." He looked at Hunter. "And the creature?"
"We don't know."
Maddox glanced toward the fence. "I see."
Closing on him slightly, Hunter whispered, "Let me tell you something, Maddox. You see those men at the fence?"
"Certainly, yes."
"Well, get them inside that fence and close that gate. Pump up the voltage as high as it'll go and break out every dog you've got. Keep 'em moving night and day. And take your men off those M-16's and put 'em on whatever elephant guns you've got. You have some M-60's around here?"
"We have two positioned on the roof."
"Put all of 'em up there. As many as you got. Snipers, too. 'Cause I think that that bastard is comin' this way and right now you've got nothing that can stop it. It's gonna hit that fence at a dead run, take the charge, and tear its way through. Or it's gonna just leap clean over it."
Maddox was incredulous. "That's a twelve-foot electrical fence, Hunter."
"Maddox," Hunter growled, "that thing could leap that fence with you in its teeth. Do as I say and you and your men might live."
"You are certain of this?"
Bending over him, Hunter stared him hard in the eye.
Maddox recoiled and nodded. "I'll follow your… advice."
Feeling exhaustion claiming him, Hunter walked toward the infirmary. Ghost fell in beside him.
Maddox called after him, "You probably know this creature better than anyone!"
Luther, Hunter thought.
"You could say that," he said.
Dr. Arthur Hamilton, bent in concentration over a microscope, raised his head as a white-shirted lab technician approached. Neither friendly nor indulgent, the doctor's tone indicated that he wished not to be disturbed.
"What is it?" he murmured.
"They're here, Doctor."
Hamilton absorbed it with the greatest calm.
"I see," he answered. "Very well. I will deal with them when they are rested and fed." His demeanor was that used when dealing with animals. "See to it that they are airlifted on the first helicopter returning to the air-base. Their mission is officially over."
"Sir, they're pretty badly beaten up," the technician said, with a hint of fear. "I don't think they're in condition for flight just now. And they seem…well, angry. The old man, the professor, he's just regaining consciousness. His heart—"
"Yes, yes, I'm certain they had a difficult time." Hamilton rose up straighter on his chair. "But nevertheless, their job here is done. This afternoon the NSA, which retains full authority and command, issued the ruling. Therefore they have no further authorization to remain on the base. In the morning, when they are prepared, I want all of them transferred." He did not blink. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. I understand."
"Good. Now, if you please…"
He bent over the microscope.
The technician turned without a word and walked out of the laboratory. As he vanished, Dr. Strait, having witnessed the conversation, approached and stood in silence.
"Yes, Emma?" he said, still intent over the microscope.
"We have it," she said.
Her voice was oddly cautious.
Hamilton raised his face, a flush rising in his cheeks. His mouth was open a moment as he stared at her. "You have isolated the gene which allows the immunity, the longevity, and separated it from the transmitters which promote cellular domination and absorption?"
She nodded faintly. "Yes."
Hamilton was instantly on his feet as she handed him a printout. Then he scanned the pages, flipping them rapidly, reading just as rapidly until, finally, he lowered the pages to his side and raised a fist before his eyes. He slowly turned, staring at the ancient man suspended in the electromagnetic matrix, and he smiled.
"At last," he whispered. "To be… immortal."
Silently he gazed. Finally he turned back. "How long before we can isolate the genomes and prepare buffers for human DNA?"
"Perhaps by tomorrow night. But we'll need… human test subjects. We'll need to be sure that the serum doesn't kill outright or cause another severe mutation."
Hamilton's face froze. "Test subjects," he said softly, lifting his eyes to the ceiling.
Above them was the first subbasement, filled with equipment. And above that, the ground floor: the commissary, the barracks and offices.
And the infirmary.
A grim frown became a satisfied smile.
"I believe I know just where to find them," he said.
Hunter was so exhausted that he had trouble thinking coherently. His entire body felt like a mass of contusions, strains, sprains, and twisted joints.
He had been hurt and exhausted before, but rarely anything like this. He revolved his head, moving it slowly, but it didn't do anything except cause him more pain and make him worry that he had somehow permanently crippled himself. He figured that he'd know soon enough; they were all being examined by the medical team.