“Jesus shit,” the King muttered. “They got a fuckin’ army down there.”
The steel, barbed wire-topped fence which enclosed the complex of interconnected buildings was patrolled by men holding dogs, weapons or both. They were dressed in green combat fatigues and Special Forces caps.
“That is the army, King,” Bane told him. “COBRA officially qualifies as a defense installation so the government takes responsibility for perimeter security.”
“Terrific …” The King turned his binoculars toward the front gate where a limousine was pulling up. “Better take a look at this, Josh boy.”
Bane refocused the binoculars.
“Make anything?” Cong wondered.
“Two men in the back seat. I can only see their silhouettes.”
The gate guard spoke briefly to the limousine’s driver and then signaled him through. The gate had not even closed entirely when another limousine pulled up.
“Must be havin’ a fuckin’ convention in there,” mumbled the King.
“Something like that,” agreed Bane. “Just one man in the back seat of this one.”
The gate opened and allowed the second limousine to follow the first. Bane swept his binoculars in a wide arc across the spacious grassy grounds between the fence and the main COBRA entrance where both limousines were pulling up.
“A lot of ground to cover in the open,” he said as much to himself as to the King.
“In the daytime anyway. Night’s different.”
“Not for the dogs.”
The King winked. “Then we’ll have to think us up a way around them. You figure the fence is electrified?”
Bane shook his head. “Not the kind of image COBRA wants to present to its neighbors. We passed a little league field about a half-mile back. The problem is that getting inside the complex is only half the fun. I’ve also got to get into the maximum security levels underneath.”
“We could just kill that shit Chilgers.”
“That won’t help us find the machines that will be controlling the paths of the missiles.”
“You mean makes ’em invisible?”
Bane nodded.
“So if we destroy these machines, they’ll become visible again, right?”
Bane shrugged. “I guess.”
“And then the Russians’ll sure as shit know they’re comin’. They ain’t gonna be too happy ’bout that, Josh boy. We might be lookin’ down the mouth of another world war that even the Winter Man couldn’t win.”
Bane recalled Von Goss’s description of the alternative. “At least there’ll still be a world.”
“You ever figure that maybe lettin’ it blow up might be a ways better?”
“Not for long.”
The King cracked a smile. “Me neither.” The smile vanished as his eyes sought out a black knapsack resting against the tree behind him. “Ain’t gonna be enough to just flip the off switches on them machines, Josh boy.”
“That’s why you’re here.”
The King’s eyes held Bane’s as his head twisted back toward the knapsack. “Been a long time since I messed with that kinda stuff. It’s changed a whole lot since Korea.”
“Only for the better. More stability and ten times the power easily.”
“Yeah, yeah. Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that settin’ the charges is like fuckin’: once you get the hang of it, you got it for life.”
“As a matter of fact…” Bane tried for humor but it eluded him. “You’ve helped me get this far, King. Nobody says you have to—”
“Bullshit, Josh boy!” The King’s eyes flamed. “I ain’t felt alive now for ten years. The world’s changed, even Harlem, and there ain’t much room for my kind no more. Know somethin’, Josh boy? I hated Korea while I was over there but I never felt more alive. Last night brought all that back to me, and I’m not much inclined to let it slip through my fuckin’ fingers.”
“We can live without blowing up the whole complex, King.”
“Is that a fact, Josh boy? And how you fixin’ to get by all that genuine government security without the kinda diversion we got stored in that knapsack? I don’t give much of a shit ’bout the world and even less ’bout COBRA. But if you think I’m gonna let you fry alone in there, you’re fuckin’ crazy.”
“If I wasn’t crazy, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
The King steadied his breathing. The massive forearms that could break a man’s spine in two relaxed. “How much of this has to do with that kid I lost?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Bane said reflectively. “A lot I think. I spent over ten years of my life saving little parts of the world, so fighting to save the whole thing at once really isn’t that new. But there’s something about the kid I can’t get out of my mind. I haven’t gone an hour without thinking about him since I pulled him out of that hotel room. I don’t know what it is.”
“I do,” said the King. “The two of you is the same. The kid and you both got powers nobody else got that make you feel all alone. And you both been runnin’ too. People used you for your power for all those years like you just said, and now you see ’em doin’ the same to the kid. The kid tried to run, but they caught him. You tried to run, Josh boy, but there was no place to hide.”
Bane simply shrugged.
“You’ll get him outta there, Josh boy, and I’ll be ’round to help ya.” The King fixed his gaze on the COBRA complex. “I’ll be goin’ in at night. Night’s my time; always has been. ’Cept the way you been talkin’, you gotta get in before I make my move or you’ll have no time to stop ’em. Any ideas how to crash this party?”
Bane watched a third limousine pull up to the gate. “Just one.”
Teke found Chilgers walking through the red-marked COBRA corridors, briefcase in hand. Red lines punctuated the walls in three of the five below-ground levels, signaling access was allowed for only those with top-level security clearances.
“The members of the surgical team have all arrived,” the doctor reported.
“When will you be ready to start?” Chilgers asked, still walking.
“Within six hours, maybe five.”
“So long?”
“They must be briefed on the particulars of the operation. The requirements and procedures promise to be rather … extraordinary.”
“How much will you have to tell them?”
“Just enough to emphasize the importance of the surgery they are about to perform. All members of the team are cleared at the highest levels. They know when to stop asking questions.”
Chilgers stopped. They had reached the private underground garage which allowed him to pass in and out of COBRA’s most secure operations level without ever seeing what lay above. He pushed a button and part of the wall rose, revealing his black limousine with his driver/bodyguard poised to open the door for him.
“I’ll be back in time to watch the operation from the observation area.”
Teke regarded him with shock. “You’re leaving the complex—”
“Business as usual, Doctor, the front must be kept up at all times. There’s a dinner in the city I committed myself to attend months ago and my absence would raise too many eyebrows, political eyebrows. We can’t have that, especially tonight.”
Teke moved with Chilgers toward the car. “We won’t start until you return.”
The colonel seemed not to hear him. “A glorious night, Teke, a glorious night. The dawn of a new age. The greatest weapon presently known to man is about to alter the balance of power, while we stand on the threshold of discovering an even greater weapon that will preserve the new balance. I won’t activate the final stage of Vortex until the operation is underway. There’s a symbolism there I rather fancy.”