"Stand them against that wall," Westlake said.
The guards moved Nick, Selena and Ronnie over to the wall and backed away.
Westlake looked at Nick. "You have no idea what you've done."
"I know exactly what I've done. You're missing a few cards in the deck, General. Like all the other assholes who think they can decide how the world ought to be run and who should run it."
"Ajax would have made America supreme. Secure. We would have taken back our rightful place in the world. It would have initiated a New World Order that would have lasted a thousand years."
"Where have I heard that before? We don't need a New World Order. Much less someone like you running it."
"Enough talk," Westlake said. He pulled back the bolt on the rifle, checked to see if a round was chambered. He let the bolt slide home.
Nick turned to Selena. "I love you," he said.
"I love you, too," she said.
"How touching," Westlake said. He raised the rifle.
One of the technicians called out. "Sir, we have a security breach."
"What? Where?"
"Terminal entrance, sir."
On the large screen, images appeared from cameras placed around the complex. Most of the cameras showed empty hallways and rooms. Two showed men moving down the hallways. They were in full tactical gear, black uniforms, vests, helmets. They carried MP-5s and a breaching ram.
"Looks like the cavalry's here, General," Nick said. "That makes us worth more alive than dead. You need hostages."
Westlake considered and lowered the rifle. Nick let out his breath. He hadn't realized he was holding it.
"You'll stay alive for now," Westlake said.
"What do we do?" Martinez asked.
"We evacuate and fight another day." Westlake turned to Miller. "You watch these. Bring up the rear with them. Any more trouble, kill them."
"Sir."
Westlake went to the computer console and pressed a sequence of keys. A door opened in one wall in the bunker. Nick saw a passage beyond.
"This way. Hurry up," Westlake said.
Westlake and Martinez went into the passage beyond the door, followed by Abingdon and the rest of the technicians. There were two other guards besides Miller.
"You go ahead," he said to them. "I'll bring up the rear with the prisoners."
"You sure?"
"Go. Protect the General."
The two men entered the passage. Miller looked at Nick. "You were a Marine?" he said.
"Yes. What about it?"
"So was I."
"What do you expect me to say? Semper Fi?"
"Westlake was going to shoot you. It's not right."
"He's crazy," Nick said. "He'll take you and everyone else down with him."
"I heard everything he said, about Ajax and what it would do. I didn't know that. I thought it just caused trouble."
"He used it against a city in Russia," Nick said. "Thousands of people died. The city was left in ruins. He was going to do the same to Riyadh and London, but we stopped him."
"Riyadh and London?" Miller said. "That doesn't make sense."
"It does if you're crazy," Nick said.
Miller looked at the screen. The black-clad shock troops were close.
"It's not right," he said again, "shooting unarmed prisoners. I cut you loose, you put in a word for me?"
"You cut us loose, they'll probably give you a medal," Nick said.
Miller set his rifle down. He took out a knife and cut the ties on Nick's wrists, then Selena's and Ronnie's. Nick rubbed his hands together, getting circulation back.
Ronnie bent down and picked up the rifle. "What about Westlake?" he said.
"He's long gone by now. Let the others go after him." He turned to Miller. "You did the right thing."
Miller said, "Westlake has some kind of backup plan."
"What plan?" Nick said.
Miller shrugged. "I don't know. I heard him talking with Martinez. Something with a Greek name like Ajax, only different. A second satellite."
"Drop your weapons!" Nick looked at the doorway. It bristled with rifles pointing in their direction.
"Better set it down, Ronnie." Nick raised his hands.
Ronnie raised one hand and held the rifle away from his body. He bent over in slow motion and set the rifle on the floor.
Selena raised her hands.
"That was sweet," she said to Nick, "what you said when Westlake was about to shoot us."
CHAPTER 55
The tactical unit in black was part of an FBI SWAT team. Once things got sorted out, Nick called Harker.
"Nick. Are you all right?"
"Yes. Westlake and Martinez got away. Korov is dead."
"What?" she said, "Martinez? Who's Martinez? Korov is dead? You'd better start at the beginning."
Nick ran it down. When he was done, there was silence at the other end of the connection.
"You still there, Director?"
"I'm here. What's happening where you are now?"
"The team leader sent men after Westlake and the others, but I don't think they'll have much luck. How did the FBI know about this place?"
"Hood sent them. He gambled that the Bureau wasn't part of whatever was going on. He went to see Rice. Hood briefed him and got full authority. He knew where the underground entrances were and told the Feds where to go."
"They got here just in time. Westlake had us lined up against a wall and was going to shoot us. He's crazy, Director. When he escaped, one of his men kept us back and freed us. He thinks there's a back up plan. Selena brought down the satellite, but there might be another one, with a Greek code name. If there is, and Westlake gets to somewhere that lets him control it, he could still make a lot of trouble."
"Hood and the Bureau are tracking down officers who may have been involved. The DOJ is trying to sort it out but it's a snake pit. Rice has reassumed the duties of the Presidency. When Hood told him about the Ajax Protocol, he almost blew a gasket. He's pissed."
"I'll bet."
"He ordered Hood and the FBI to pull out all the stops. The Director of Homeland Security is under arrest, though it's not being called that. Officially, she's on administrative leave until it can be determined what role she played."
"What about Edmonds?"
"There's no evidence against him, but Rice has isolated him. He has no power. He couldn't order a cheeseburger in a fast food joint. We didn't know about Senator Martinez. I don't think Rice is going to like that when I tell him. The DOJ will follow up."
"There have to be other politicians involved," Nick said. "Look at all the preparations they made to take over. They've been getting ready for a long time. The new FEMA centers, the AFVs for Homeland Security, all that. It took political clout to do that and it can't be a coincidence. It's a long-standing conspiracy."
"The Ajax Protocol," Harker said. "They were really going to implement it."
"We have to find Westlake," Nick said.
"I'm still in Texas with Stephanie, but we're going back to Virginia. I want you and the others back as well," Harker said. "We can't do anything without more intel. You might as well be where we have resources."
"All right."
"I'm sorry about Korov," Harker said.
"Yeah," Nick said.
"I'll make the arrangements to send him home. I'll talk to Vysotsky after we're done here."
Selena saw him put his phone away.
"What did Elizabeth say?"
"She wants us back East. Nothing we can do until we get an idea of where Westlake went, or what he might do."
"I'll be glad to get back," she said. She paused. "What about Korov?"
"Harker is taking care of it."
"He saved my life, Nick. He jumped in front of me."
"I know."
"Why did he do that?" her eyes were moist.
"I don't know," Nick said. "I don't know why he did that. I don't mean this to sound cold, but I'm glad it's not you lying back there."