Cloud Invasion (20 page)

Honey
, I sent,
what should we do?

We must confer with Colonel Hunter
. His words were accompanied by a mental sigh.

I understood that sigh all too well. I wanted to find their stash of creature blood and destroy it. I wanted to turn the mountain into dust. I wanted former President Phillips deader than a doornail.

If I did the first two things, it would put Phillips on alert, letting him know we were still alive, because we still didn't know where the bastard was. Whatever or whoever was hiding him was also on my list.

Let's get out of here,
I said and folded space.

* * *

Half an hour later, Auggie and James sat at our island, eating a sandwich and staring at the photographs Ilya had taken. I hadn't felt safe sending these through even the securest methods. Therefore, I brought both of them here for an hour so they could see for themselves what was happening only a few miles away.

"It makes sense that they'd take samples from all of those creatures," Opal said. "I just didn't expect them to make more-not like this."

"This pisses me off," Auggie grunted, staring at the image of DB Jr., swimming in his newly filled pool.

Nick said, "If you don't have a clone, get one."

"Cori," Auggie turned to me, "Do you think these clones know that they're clones?"

"Some of them do," I said. "The Baikov clone in Vancouver didn't have a clue that he was, although he knew his lover was a Mary clone."

"So this Baikov thinks he's the original?"

"That's what I understood," I said.

"What's the difference, then? Why would some know and some not?"

"Somebody is deciding that for them, I suppose," Richard offered.

"What about the ones who realize they're clones?" James asked. "Do they remember who they were before?"

"Some of the original creatures did-and still do," I said. "Remember, DB recalled who he was for a while, and that held him back from eating his handlers, I think. When the animal began to take over more, he remembered less and less. I think that's the case with the others, unless things happen like Richard said and somebody, somewhere, decides differently. The ones who remember, well, I can see that in them. The trouble is, not many of them remember. That fog over their brains has caused me problems all along."

"What about these?" Auggie pointed to the photograph of the dining area where at least fifty men ate a meal while Ilya and I wandered through, unseen and unremarked.

"Probably candidates for cloning," Ilya huffed.

"What are we going to do?" Maye asked.

"I have to consult with Matt, but let's face it, if we build up a military presence here, it'll tip our hand."

"Build it up elsewhere and let Corinne bring them in if needed," Opal suggested.

"Not a bad idea-I'll put that on the table," Auggie agreed.

"I'd like to stop their cloning before the fifty here get turned into creatures," I said.

"You have any suggestions?"

"I may have something, conveniently attributed to Mother Nature," I said. "With some help, you understand."

"How dangerous?" Auggie asked.

"Not as dangerous as setting creatures loose in Seattle," I said. "Especially not as dangerous as letting DB Jr. out to play in Elliott Bay."

"When?"

"Two-three days, maybe."

"The less I know, the better off I'll be, I'm sure," Auggie stated baldly. "Take us back to D.C., Corinne, and plan carefully. You know what's at stake."

"Yeah. I know that, all right."

* * *

My plan was in place, but had to be postponed; another plane was shot down-this time in Argentine airspace.

The plane-Australian, this time, had flown from Sydney and was scheduled to land in Buenos Aires. It didn't quite make it.

Again, all on board perished.

Matt transferred most of his team in Colombia to Argentina, leaving only a few behind to continue working the first crash site while they set up the investigation into the second.

Understandably, we received a call from Auggie, asking us to go, only under cover and invisible when we went to launch sites.

That's how we ended up in Buenos Aires an hour after Auggie's call.

This time, nobody could blame anything on Colombian rebels. Argentina was in complete confusion as to what had happened, and at first considered that the plane had developed some sort of mechanical problem.

The media ran wild with speculation while Colombia denied any involvement on news programs from pole to pole and sea to sea.

"We won't be staying here long," I said, after we checked into a hotel as tourists.

I intended to get us back to Seattle once we gathered available information and sent it to Auggie. I didn't want to leave the clone factory alone for long-I worried that they'd suddenly release their army on an unsuspecting population and things would get worse in a hurry.

Nick had information from James, with possible coordinates for the launch site. The information had come from a satellite feed, just like before. This time, I was concerned because the last one was a definite convenience-for those who'd tried to kill us.

Too afraid to speculate about sources of information and the hands it had passed through on its way to Auggie, we gathered in Maye and Richard's suite and worked out our plan.

"You can hide us from all eyes?" Richard asked.

"We hid from those at the facility," I said. "I'll have to make a bubble shield so even your footsteps won't impact the ground, but yes-nobody will know we're there."

"Will I be able to use my nose?" Nick asked.

"Yes. We're invisible from the outside. You'll still get scents because we're not blocking the air."

"I'm not sure how you do that, but I trust you," Opal said.

"Cool."

"This says the launch site is in the Andes, west of Mendoza. That's more than seven hundred fifty miles," Richard studied Nick's tablet.

"They're testing their devices with propulsion and guidance," Maye offered. "Something that small and with that big a punch-that's genius."

"Matt's team may not find much if they've gotten away from those antique metal shells," Nick nodded.

"Let's go-at least we won't be climbing this time," I sighed.

* * *

Mount Aconcagua was easily accessible from the north, or by using my method. Landing at a spot more than twenty-thousand feet up, the snow remained undisturbed as we looked about the launch site. I was glad we didn't disturb anything-the snow told a grisly tale of its own.

Blood spatter and spray surrounded us; the body of the man responsible lay a few feet away from the launcher. Little more than a metal tube with a firing mechanism, the launcher remained anchored on the side of the mountain.

It wasn't difficult to determine that the person responsible for the launch had then used the gun lying near his body to commit suicide.

Yes, he was dressed as a local.

Ilya recognized him, however, even with a sizeable hole in his right temple. He wasn't happy with the knowledge, I could see that easily.

"Leonid Dubov," he muttered softly. I nodded-I'd seen the same thing. Leonid was in his fifties at least, although he looked to be fit enough to be where he was. I could see Ilya was troubled by the fact he'd taken his own life.

"He would never have done this," Ilya muttered.

"I've got pictures," Nick said. "Can you get us to the other side of the body so I can get that, too?"

"Sure." I moved us around. He recorded additional images. "Don't touch anything," I said. "It's all booby-trapped beneath the snow."

"Including the body?"

"Yeah. Once his body temperature dropped far enough, it enabled an explosive planted inside it," I said. "If you move the body now, it detonates."

"Clever," Richard said. "Is anyone watching?"

"I wouldn't be surprised. If we touch anything here, somebody will know."

"Then let's take these photographs back to Buenos Aires," Nick said.

"Sure." I transported us back to Maye and Richard's suite.

* * *

Notes-Colonel Hunter

Everything's booby-trapped
, Corinne reported.
I'll come for you in an hour so you can take a look at what we found
.

True to her word, she arrived in my office in an hour and hauled me to Seattle. James knew to keep anyone else out of my office while I was gone.

"What the hell?" I gazed at the photographs Nick handed to me. "Who is this guy?" I asked.

"Funny you should ask," Rafe responded.

* * *

Corinne

"He was a thorn in the President's side in Russia. Leonid disagreed with most everything Baikov or President Zoran did. He would not do this for anything, yet there he was, on the side of that mountain," Ilya explained.

"Corinne, did he really do this?" Auggie turned to me.

"Yeah. I saw a fog in him like I've seen in others. Somebody else was behind that, and I believe Ilya when he says this guy wouldn't do that. Someone forced him to do it."

"So they take out an enemy and implicate him in a terrible crime at the same time," Auggie shook his head in confusion.

"And they want to take out anybody who finds the evidence, and destroy it at the same time."

"What are we going to do with it, then?" Auggie asked.

"I think I know," I said.

"What?"

"There's a pile of rock and snow higher up. All we need is an avalanche," I shrugged.

"How do we make one without alerting them," Auggie began. "Oh," he said.

"Already done. If they're recording the site, they'll see the snow begin to slide and watch it hit the site in seconds, detonating their devices. You should have a report in ten minutes. Maybe less," I said.

"Damn," Auggie rubbed his forehead.

"Ready to go back?" I asked.

"Yeah."

* * *

Notes-Colonel Hunter

"We just had a report of an explosion on Aconcagua," Matt said the minute I answered my cell phone.

"I see. Any other activity?"

"Should we be watching for it?"

"I think so."

"I'll put someone on it." Matt didn't bother saying good-bye-he was already barking orders at someone when the line went dead.

* * *

Corinne

"You knew him, didn't you?" I let my hand wander gently down Ilya's back.

"I did. He was the one that told me who murdered my son."

"A friend, then?"

"Of sorts-yes. I trusted him."

"Everything is so fucked up." I sat beside Ilya on the glider by our heated pool.

"I don't feel like cooking tonight, cabbage."

"I'll cook," I said.

"No, I want to take my cabbage to dinner."

"Where would you like to go?"

"Dublin?"

"It shall be so," I said and transported us away from the compound.

* * *

"I told Maye we were going out to eat," I said as Ilya pulled a chair out for me at his daughter's hotel restaurant.

"Good. They won't shoot us when we get back, then."

"I hope you're right."

"The soup is good," he smiled and shook out my napkin for me.

"Then I'll have soup."

The broccoli-stilton soup was wonderful, as it turns out. As was the pasta primavera. I was full and sipping the last of my wine when Ilya took the glass from my fingers and set it aside.

"Cabbage," he said, taking both my hands.

"What, honey?" I asked.

"I want to marry you."

Several questions ran through my mind; one of them was-why? He already had me-mind, body and spirit. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"More than anything." He wore a nervous smile, suddenly, and I realized how much this meant to him.

"Then yes-I'll marry you anywhere and anyway," I said.

"Good. Very good. I will buy a ring soon. You will help."

"Okay," I said. "Just let me know."

He couldn't pay fast enough to get us out of there so I could take us home. Once we were back at the compound, I was undressed and in bed with him as quickly as he could make it happen.

* * *

Ilya

"What's wrong?" I asked. I woke to find Corinne sitting up in bed, arms wrapped around her knees and staring at the bedroom wall.

"Some of the creatures were moved last night," she said.

"Do you know where?" I was sitting beside her quickly.

"Out of the country," she said. "And into Iraq."

I cursed and slid off the bed. "Cabbage, we must inform Colonel Hunter. If those terrorists have creatures at their command, what might they do?"