Underneath the canopy, several buildings filled the excavation. Two windowless, state-of-the-art structures drew his attention, their purpose unmistakable. The rest were forgettable prefabricated wooden assemblies, the word MARS painted in block letters on a few of them. The place was surprisingly quiet for a self-contained facility.
“Dr. Reznikov,” said a tall man standing next to the set of guards that had opened his car door, “welcome to Site X.”
He spoke fluent, academic Russian.
“Site X?” said Reznikov. “That’s quite an original name.”
“Site X felt appropriate given its purpose. Randolph Powers, Site X mission coordinator. It’s my job to make sure you have everything you need and that your stay here is as pleasant as the circumstances allow.”
“There’s nothing pleasant about being a prisoner,” said Reznikov, glaring at Sokolov, who stood in front of the SUV.
“Temporary guests. Your work is critical to our cause, and you’ll be rewarded handsomely. Unfortunately, it’s in our best interest to keep both of you out of the public’s eye, so to speak, until a point in time when our cause has gained enough momentum to be self-sustaining.”
“Sounds like a long time,” said Reznikov.
“Not terribly long,” said Powers. “Though time does have a way of dragging on down here, as you can imagine. Staying busy helps.”
“I assume the samples are here?” said Reznikov.
“They arrived several days earlier,” said Powers. “We’ve eagerly awaited your arrival.”
“Of course you have,” said Reznikov, nodding at Sokolov. “And him?”
“You’re both our guests,” said Powers.
“I’d prefer not to have to look at him while I’m here,” said Reznikov.
“We presumed as much. His quarters are located on the opposite side of the site from you, with a separate recreation facility.”
“That’s very considerate of you,” said Reznikov.
“My instructions are to keep you happy,” said Powers, glancing around. “Within reason. You’ll have twenty-four-hour access to gourmet food—”
“And drink?”
“As long as it doesn’t impact your work,” said Powers.
“Women?”
“We can make that happen, occasionally. Like I said, my instructions are to keep you happy.”
“Within reason,” Reznikov repeated.
“Exactly. You have a busy schedule.”
“You know what would make me very happy?” said Reznikov.
“A few bottles of ice-cold Grey Goose and a few days to relax poolside? We have a pool, though you can’t really work on your tan,” said Powers, glancing upward at the canopy.
“That would certainly make me happy, but not very happy,” said Reznikov.
Powers shrugged. “What would make Dr. Anatoly Reznikov very happy? It’s your first day, and I’d like to make a good impression. Within reason.”
Reznikov switched to English and nodded at Sokolov. “Is killing this piece of shit within reason?”
“I can’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t be,” said Powers, turning to the group of heavily armed guards next to him and nodding.
Sokolov had already started backing up slowly, his English apparently a little better than Reznikov had guessed. Before the Russian mercenary could make a sudden move, the two guards raised their compact rifles and fired quick bursts into Sokolov, dropping him to his knees next to the SUV’s front bumper.
Reznikov held an open hand toward the gunmen. “No more!”
Powers repeated the order, stopping the men from firing again.
“May I borrow your pistol? I promise to only use one bullet,” said Reznikov.
Powers nodded and glanced at the guards, who shifted their rifles to cover Reznikov.
“The pistol is ready for action. Just pull the trigger,” said Powers. “Once.”
Reznikov walked up to Sokolov, who had braced himself against the vehicle by wedging his right elbow between the bumper and the grill. He spit blood onto the dusty ground and looked up at Reznikov, a grin on his filthy face.
“You’re just as dead as I am, you pathetic fuck,” said Sokolov.
“I’ve risen from the dead before,” said Reznikov, nudging the pistol against Sokolov’s forehead.
Reznikov pressed the trigger once, kicking the mercenary’s limp body off the bumper. He held the pistol at shoulder height and pointed it toward the sky, his finger out of the trigger well. A hand snatched it from his loose grip a moment later. Turning to face his new captors, he smiled pleasantly at Powers.
“I believe you mentioned something about vodka and a pool?”
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Work by Steven Konkoly
“2035. A sinister conspiracy unravels. A state on the verge of secession. A man on the run with his family.”
Fractured State (Book 1)
Rogue State (Book 2)
“2019. Six years after the Jakarta Pandemic, life is back to normal for Alex Fletcher and most Americans. Not for long.”
The Jakarta Pandemic (Prequel)
The Perseid Collapse (Book 1)
Event Horizon (Book 2)
Point of Crisis (Book 3)
Dispatches (Book 4)
“Daniel Petrovich, the most lethal operative created by the Department of Defense’s Black Flag Program, protects a secret buried in the deepest vaults of the Pentagon. A secret that is about to unravel his life.”
Black Flagged Alpha (Book 1)
Black Flagged Redux (Book 2)
Black Flagged Apex (Book 3)
Black Flagged Vektor (Book 4)
Black Flagged Omega (Book 5)
JET BLACK (Novella)
GENESIS (Compilation of novellas set in Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines story)
About the Author
Steven graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1993, receiving a bachelor of science in English literature. He served the next eight years on active duty, traveling the world as a naval officer assigned to various Navy and Marine Corps units. His extensive journey spanned the globe, including a two-year tour of duty in Japan and travel to more than twenty countries throughout Asia and the Middle East.
From enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq as a maritime boarding officer in the Arabian Gulf, to directing aircraft bombing runs and naval gunfire strikes as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) assigned to a specialized Marine Corps unit, Steven’s “in-house” experience with a wide range of regular and elite military units brings a unique authenticity to his thrillers.
He lives with his family in central Indiana, where he still wakes up at “zero dark thirty” to write for most of the day. When “off duty,” he spends as much time as possible outdoors or travelling with his family — and dog.