ANOMALY.MIL (The Conspiracy Series Book One): A Romantic Suspence Novel (23 page)

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Win was going to kill Gunner. He hated running, especially long runs like this one.
Ten fucking miles.
 

"Come on, fat ass," Drew said, and if he wasn't so fucking tired, Win would have punched him. The guy was a goddamn gazelle. They had run nine miles, and Drew wasn't even winded.

"Fuck you," Win managed. Barely.

He was more of a weightlifting kind of guy, but the downside to muscle mass was that it was heavy. Difficulty swimming and running were the price he paid for strength.

Fortunately, in this particular instance, his aversion to cardio was helping their mission. He was now drenched in sweat, and who is gonna look twice at two guys out on a strenuous morning run? No one.

So here he was running a fucking marathon in the middle of the desert in nothing more than his boots, cover, and BDU's.

"There it is," Drew said, as a red brick building came into view.

Win wiped the sweat out of his eyes. "Roger that." Adrenaline was giving him a second wind.

They ran past cars and military personnel arriving for work. Hell, they even ran past another runner, but nobody gave them a second glance.

"You sure you wanna go first?"

"We need to know if they’re expecting us," Drew said, bouncing along. "And besides, I have to go first."

"Why?" They were a hundred yards out.

"Because ain't
nobody
gonna believe that you beat me," Drew grinned and then took off, sprinting the rest way to the isolation of the Visiting Officers quarters.

By the time Win caught up, Drew was already talking to the guard on duty.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but I don't have you on the list of visiting officers. I'll have to call-—"

One of the benefits of being big was that he intimidated people.

"What's the problem, Private?" Win demanded.

"I'm sorry, sir. But I don't have the Lieutenant on my list of visiting personnel."

"That's because we arrived last night on special detachment with a classified research team," Win said, adding, "The key word there, Private, being
classified."

"If I could just see your identificat—"

“Do you carry identification when out doing physical training?” Win stared down at the kid, who was all of nineteen.

“Well, no sir,” the kid was stuttering. “But if I could just see—“

"How 'bout we just show you our dogtags, Private?" Drew pulled out the fake dogtags.

"Captain Jones," Win growled then pointed at Drew with his thumb. "Lieutenant Montgomery." He brushed past, daring the kid to stop him.

"Thank you, Private," Drew smiled, and then walked away as if trying to catch up to Win. "We better go through visiting quarters before heading to the barracks where they’re keeping Catherine."

"Agreed," Win said, and he could feel tension pulling at the muscles in his neck as they listened for the alarm. But the young private must have believed them, because no alarm came.

They walked through the visiting barracks, and out the far side where they were saluted by several enlisted soldiers who saw their fictitious ranks emblazoned on their covers. They kept walking toward the older buildings, and their increased isolation put them more at ease.

"Let's head to those empty barracks," Win whispered. "I wanna see how many guards are on duty before we go in and get Catherine."

"Roger that."

The abandoned building was not locked, because they were on an army base and there was nothing to steal. They slipped inside, and it took a moment for their eyes to adjust before they were able to look around the large room.

Rows of old metal bunks lined the walls minus their mattresses. The barracks was slightly dusty, but was obviously being well maintained. However, the one thing that was not cleaned regularly were the windows. A film of light brown dulled every pane, making it hard to look out.

But also, hard to look in.

With guns drawn, they proceeded to the back of the building which had showers, bathrooms, and several small offices. Once they cleared the building, Drew walked over to a broken window pane and stared outside.

"I'll go get her and bring her here."

"We'll both go," Win objected.

Drew laughed at him. "General Hawkins would not send a sweat-soaked man to go get Catherine Miller."

Win looked down at his shirt and then at Drew's. With the exception of a thin dark ring around the edge of his collar, the son of a bitch was already dry.             

"Roger that," Win grumbled, knowing they didn't have time to wait for his shirt to dry.

"Back in two shakes of a dog’s leg." Drew grinned, and then walked toward the other building with a confident swagger that made him smile. But Win stopped smiling, when he saw two soldiers appear on the adjacent walkway.

The woman's head snapped around and she looked straight at Drew. "Morning, Lieutenant," the woman saluted.

"Sergeant," he thought he heard Drew say.

The two soldiers walked toward Drew, meeting him halfway to the barracks. "May I be of any assistance, Lieutenant?" the woman asked, smiling.

"No, thank you, Sergeant. Carry on." Drew tried to walk passed her, but the woman stopped him again.

"Are you quite sure I can't help you?" The woman pulled out a gun, and the man followed suit. "Sergeant Stockton."

Fuck!
Win froze.
How did they know?

The general must have put out a base-wide BOLO on them. All of them. And if that were the case, Gunner was in trouble too. Win peered through the window, trying to decide what to do.

"I don't know what the fuck you think you're doing, Sergeant," Drew said, trying to bluff his way out of the precarious situation.

The woman ignored him. But rather than escort Drew to the brig like he expected her to do, she walked toward the abandoned barracks Win was standing in.

"Who else is here?" she asked Drew, screwing on a silencer to her sidearm.

Win moved to the rooms in the back of the building, positioning himself in the most strategic location. The showers.

The man opened the door, and wisely stepped away from Drew as they walked into the empty barracks.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sergeant." Drew shook his head. "And if you don't—"

"Shut up and get down on your knees," the woman ordered.

"I swear to God, you are going straight to the brig for this, Sergeant." Drew got down on his knees and the woman stood behind him, pointing the gun at his head.

"I know Sergeant Stockton is not alone," the woman said to the empty room. "Captain Holstad, Sergeant Caffrey…" She let that sink in. "I've been looking for you for quite some time, but you're not easy men to find."

"I don't know who you’re talking to, Sergeant," Drew chuckled, trying to convince her that he was alone. "I've never heard of a Captain Holstad, and…Who did you say again?"

She didn't buy it, and neither did the guy standing next to her. "Turn yourself in, and I'll put you in the brig with Sergeant Babineaux. That’s why you came, after all. To rescue him?"

"Now, why in the hell would they turn themselves in?" Drew smirked at the woman, giving up all pretense. "I'm getting locked up either way, so there is absolutely no need for him to join me."

Fuck.
Drew was right. Frustrated, Win's hand balled up into a fist, knowing that he would be forced to watch as Drew got hauled off to the brig.

"'Him'?" the woman smiled. "So, there's only one of them here?"

"Fuck you, lady," Drew stared at the far wall. "Just take me to the brig."

"Oh, I'm not taking you to the brig, Sergeant Stockton," the woman said to Drew, smiling. "I’ll have both of you or neither of you."

"What the hell does that mean?" Drew asked, as confused as Win was.

The woman scanned the dark room, saying, "I know you're here. And if you don't give yourself up in the next five seconds, I will kill Sergeant Stockton."

Win's heart stopped and Drew laughed, "You're not gonna shoot me on an army base."

"I'm going to
kill
you," she corrected Drew. "On an army base by order of the commanding officer, General Hawkins. One."

"You wouldn't dare," Drew growled.

"I would, and I will kill him. Let me guess, Sergeant Caffrey?" she said to the room. "Two."

"She’s bluffing, Winchester. Get the fuck out of here."

"Three."
Was she
? Drew couldn't see her cold eyes.

"Don't you do it, Caffrey! You're the only one who can do anything about this."

"Four." The woman looked in Win's direction as if she knew he was there.

"Don't, Win."

His heart was pounding. She was going to shoot Drew. He knew it.

Win stepped out and she looked him in the eye, cocking her head to one side and saying, "Five," before pulling the trigger.

Time stilled as Win watched Drew's body fall forward into a mist of his own blood, a dark hole where his forehead should be. Win lifted his head to meet her eyes and she smiled.

Smiled
at him after killing Drew.

Win flew at her, covering the distance faster than she anticipated. He kicked the gun out of her hands, fully intent on killing her.

The man lifted his gun toward Win, but the woman said, "No."

Win threw a forearm at her face but she spun around, punching him in the right kidney. He groaned, stunned that a woman could hit so hard.

He dropped to one knee, and before she could react, he swept her legs out from under her. The woman fell flat on her back with a satisfying thud as he brought down both fists. But she had already rolled out of the way, and his fists slammed into the hard concrete floor.

This isn't possible.
She was too fast, too strong.

She was on his back, and then he was on the ground. He rolled to the left to get on top of her, but she used his own weight to keep his momentum going.

The woman spun as they rolled, and then she was squeezing her knees around his left arm.
Fuck!
She threw her body backward, and Win realized too late that he was in an arm bar, right before she dislocated his elbow with a loud snap.

The pain was blinding, and he could barely breathe. The woman stood up, pointing at his dead friend, "Bury that one in the desert."

Drew.
His name was Drew.

"Get up," she ordered, showing no signs of exertion from their combat. "And if you come at me again, Sergeant Caffrey, I'll kill you, too."

He had no doubt of it.

"Where are you taking me?" he growled, holding the weight of his damaged arm as he stood.

"To the brig." Her smile was cruel. "Who better to tell Sergeant Babineaux of the death of his friend, than the man who caused it?"

Win's head snapped round, his jaw clenched as he stared at her, promising, "I'm going to kill you."

The woman laughed, motioning him forward. "Not today Sergeant Caffrey. Not today."

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

The general finished reading the psychologist’s report on Heidi Johnson, and he was concerned. The child's transition was not going as well as he had hoped, and he wasn't sure what to do about it.

She wasn't eating, she wasn't sleeping, and her tutor had just given up trying to teach her anything.

The little boy from Salt Lake City had tried to befriend her. But as the kid had no parents, he did not comprehend the depth of Heidi's grief. It was a difficult thing to lose a parent, and the general sympathized with the little girl, but there was no point in sugarcoating the mother’s death.

Of course, he could always tell Kevin Kilgore that he was Heidi's father. But what purpose would that serve? The man never wanted to be her father in the first place. And if he rejected the girl again, it could have dire consequences. Not only for Heidi's health, but for the future of the program he was trying so hard to build.

Frustrated, the general poured himself some coffee, then glanced at the clock mounted above his door. It was nearly seven thirty. By now, the girl would be awake and sitting in her room waiting to be taken to breakfast.

She would be tired, hungry and truthful. So, he decided to see the child's progress for himself.

"At ease," the general said to the two young guards who had just come on duty in the barracks.

He pushed the door open, gaining the attention of three of the adults as they watched the morning newscast. They stared at him with anger in their eyes as he walked across the large room, having yet to accept that this was now their home, their obligation.

"Morning," he nodded at them to no response, not that he was expecting one. Nor did he care.

The children with the anomaly were far more important to the program. Not only could they be harvested, they could be taught. Be taught to understand their value to this country. Be modified to become the perfect soldiers, and raised to accept their lot in life.

But first, they needed to be healthy.

The general peeked in the square glass window of the girl's room. He saw her sitting on the floor, working on a brightly colored puzzle. She was small and thin, and had huge dark circles under her big blue eyes. It was unacceptable, and something needed to be done.

He knocked on the door and the girl jumped onto her bed, scrabbling to get under the covers before anyone entered the room.

"Hello, Heidi," he said in soothing tones.

The girl was wary, which was understandable. She did not know him. When he had taken her in South Dakota, she had been asleep, and then they had given her a light sedative on the plane to keep her that way.

"My name is General Hawkins, and I run this place," he said, and the girl hunkered down even more. The general smiled. "I came to see if you were all right and to ask you a question."

Suspicion pulled her delicate brown brows together.

"Do you need some more puzzles?" he asked, looking at the half finished puzzle on the ground. So did she.

The girl nodded, slowly.
Progress.

"What about books? Do you need more books?" She shook her head and he laughed, sitting on the corner of her bed. "You don't like to read?"

"I don't like homework," Heidi whispered, hugging her knees to her chest as if she might get in trouble for saying so.

"I never liked homework eith—" His phone rang.
Shit.
He glanced at the number. Sergeant Munoz. "I'm sorry Heidi. I need to answer this phone call." He touched the button, and lifted the phone to his ear. "General Hawkins."

"
General?"
Inez sounded…happy.

He stood up and walked to the opposite corner of the room. "What is it?"

"They're here." She didn't need to explain who 'they' were. "I killed Stockton, and took Caffrey into custody. He's injured." And then as a form of explanation, she added, "They were coming for the woman."

"And Captain Holstad?" The general put himself in the captain's shoes. "Where is he?"

"Unknown, sir. However, I did send a team to Sergeant Babineaux's cell."

"Good." It was where he would go if he were the captain. A simultaneous infiltration. "Put out a base wide alert—"

"Already done, sir," his protégé said, and he smiled, proud that he had taught her so well.

The general glanced over at his new project, who just stared back at him with wide eyes.

"Also, I want the guards on the sister doubled. If Captain Holstad does manage to get Babineaux out of the brig and then fails to make contact with the rest of his team, they might come for her."

"Very good, sir."

Inez started to hang up but he stopped her. "And Sergeant Munoz."

"Yes, sir?"

The general switched his phone to his other hand, whispering, "Was it absolutely necessary to kill Sergeant Stockton?" She paused and he growled, "This is becoming a habit with you, Sergeant." One which he needed to address. "Let me know when you've captured Captain Holstad." He made sure to add, "And the captain better be alive and unharmed when you bring him to me."

"Yes, sir."

The general hung up, and turned to the little girl. "Heidi, remember I said I wanted to ask you a question?" The girl nodded, tentative. "Well, what if I got you something better than a toy."

"Candy?" she asked, and he smiled.

"Even better than candy." The girl's eyes grew even bigger as she tried to imagine anything better than candy. "What if I got you…" The general leaned forward, so he could better gauge the girl's reaction. "A puppy." She gasped, her little mouth hanging open. "Would you like a puppy?"

"Yes." The girl was animated, happy for the first time since arriving at the base.

"Now," the general warned. "You will need to take care of the puppy. Walk him, and feed him. Do you think you can do that? Are you old enough to take care of a puppy?"

"I'm seven," Heidi offered, as if this were some ringing endorsement.

"Okay, Ms. Johnson." The girl smiled, feeling very adult. "We'll get you a puppy."

And if the girl refused to eat, neither would the dog.