Firestorm: Book III of the Wildfire Saga (36 page)

Charlie threw his weight into one final effort so the Marines could clear the elevator door.
 
It slammed back into the housing with a loud
bang
and one of the Marines nearly tumbled into the empty shaft.

"We're in business," he said.
 
Charlie leaned out into the elevator shaft and pointed his flashlight down.
 
"Looks clear all the way to the bottom," he called over his shoulder.

Cooper turned to Levinson.
 
"We need to rig up a pulley system or something to lower it down?"
 

Levinson shook his head.
 
"No need!
 
I know exactly how deep the shaft is—I programmed it for an altitude drop.
 
I set the altimeter and it'll cook off as soon as it reaches bottom."

Cooper approached the open elevator shaft and leaned over the side.
 
"We're only gonna get one shot at this—you sure you don't want to use a timer?"

"Don't worry about it!
 
This thing is instantaneous.
 
Once it's triggered, the pulse goes out at the speed of light.
 
It doesn't matter how fast the case is going, as long as the pulse escapes before the entire weight of the device hits the ground, she'll be fine."

Cooper shook his head.
 
"Hey, man, you're the expert.
 
What do you need us to do?"

The scientists pulled out a tape measure and checked the width of the elevator door against the width of the machine, then measured the distance from the device to the opening.
 
He nodded to himself, reached down and flipped a switch on his side of the device.
 
It shook and rattled to the sound of whining hydraulics.
 
Cooper watched as the entire thing lifted off the floor by about a half-inch.

"Built-in wheels!" shouted the scientist over the racket coming from the device.
 
"I'll need your help to push—this girl's heavy!"

"Let's go, everybody push!" said Cooper, circling his hand over his head.
 
Once the Marines were arrayed around the device, Cooper coordinated with Levinson and they slowly pushed the device forward, inch by inch on its eight squeaky steel wheels.
 

Cooper heard a sloshing sound from inside.
 
"What the hell's in this thing?"

"Heavy water!
 
Deuterium!
 
Use it to keep the circuits cool enough until it's triggered—wait at the edge, so I can set it."

They got to the edge of the elevator shaft and the scientist called everyone to halt.
 
"Time to set it!"
 
He reached down into the open panel on top and the pitch of the humming increased a few octaves.
 
One of the Marines turned away and put his hands over his ears.
 

"This may get a little uncomfortable!" warned the scientist.
 
"You and your men can move back—I only need one person to get her over the edge from here," he yelled.
 

Cooper turned, signaling the Marines to move into the Oval Office.
 
"You too," he yelled, pointing at Charlie.
 
Charlie grabbed his gear and hustled after the Marines.

"Okay, I'm all set!" shouted Levinson.
 
"Push with me."
 

Cooper nodded.

"Now!"

Both men put their shoulders into the device and for a second nothing happened.
 
Then Cooper felt a subtle shift inside the device and it moved an inch.
 
Then another squeaky inch.
 
As the first wheels crossed the edge of the elevator shaft, the entire machine dropped to the floor with an earth-shaking tremble.
 
At the same time the scientist grabbed Cooper's arm and pulled him back.
 

"Back up!"

Cooper couldn't see how something with that much mass could slip over the edge with just 6 inches sticking out over the empty shaft.

"The water!
 
It'll pull it forward!"
 
The scientist pointed at the device.
 
"Watch!"

Cooper watched it jostle forward and slide so that half of it hung over the edge.
 
In the blink of an eye and with a heinous screech of metal on metal, it flipped up and disappeared down the shaft.

The scientist grinned, like a child opening presents on Christmas morning.
 
"Hold on to your butts!" he called out.
 
He turned away from the shaft, squatted and wrapped his arms around his head.
 

Cooper heard the device impact the bottom of the elevator shaft with a muted roar.
 
From the amount of noise it made, he assumed it must've smashed right through the President's armored elevator car.
 
The room shook with the impact and a few books tumbled to the floor.

The scientist checked his watch and stood.
 
"Okay, you're good to go."

"Just like that?" asked Cooper.

"Just like that," grinned Levinson.
 
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
 
"My work here is done.
 
When did they say our ride out of this hell hole is coming?"

"Pardon me for asking," Cooper said, eying the elevator shaft, "but how do you know?
 
I didn't see any smoke or hear an explosion or anything…"

"Trust me," said Levinson.
 
"That baby just fried every electronic circuit below us.
 
I guarantee it.
 
Might even see some disruption all the way up here."

"Striker 2-1, Overwatch!
 
Be advised, a large group of noncoms are pushing past the barricades south of the Ellipse.
 
Looks like at least a couple hundred people.
 
I don't see any weapons, so I don't know what the Marines will do about it, but we're gonna have to get out of here quick."

"Roger that, Overwatch," Cooper replied.
 
He turned toward the Oval Office.
 
"Gunny!"

Morrin appeared in the doorway.
 
"Yeah?"

"Get these Marines set up with your men—they're yours now."

"Let's go," Morrin said to Levinson's EMP mules.

"Charlie," Cooper called, "let's get the rappelling lines set up."

"On it!"
 
Charlie pushed past several of the Marines as they dispersed back into the Oval Office.
 
He dropped his bag on the floor and pulled out bundles of rope.
 
He put his flashlight in his teeth and reached inside the elevator shaft above the door.
 
Cooper turned back to the Marines.
 

"You wouldn't by chance have a couple sets of green googles we can borrow, would you?" Cooper asked Gunny Morrin.

"Hell yes."
 
The Marine tucked his chin to his shoulder and activated his radio.
 
"Parker, Jones—get in here and gimme your night vision gear."
   

"Thanks," Cooper said, taking the night vision goggles from the Parker and Jones, two PVCs with wide eyes who'd come running when Morrin called.

"Well don't just stand there with your mouths open, get your asses back on the line," Morrin growled.
 
Parker and Jones retreated back into the Oval Office as fast as they could navigate the debris field.

"All right, Guns, here's the plan," Cooper began.
 
"We'll drop and breach, then hold the landing.
 
You follow down behind us and clear the Bunker.
 
We got some HVTs to extract."

"Sounds good," said Morrin.
 
He turned to his men.
 
"Perkins, Gonzalez, Walker! Get your asses up here—it's tunnel rat time."

"Ready for the housewarming gifts!" called Charlie from the elevator shaft.

Cooper dropped his pack and pulled out two large satchel charges.
 
He tossed one Charlie.
 
"Five second fuse," he said as he programmed the timer.
 
"If we haven't made a hole down there yet, this should do it."

"All set," replied Charlie.
 
"Everybody hold on to your butts."

"Close your eyes, cover your ears, and open your mouths," barked Gunny Morrin to his assembled strike team.
 
"Danger close!"
 

Cooper stepped up to the elevator shaft.
 
"On three, one…two…three!"
 
Both men lobbed their
 
charges then turned and dove for cover.

Cooper gripped his rifle as the explosion shook the floor and blew hot smoke and fumes up the shaft to flood the study.
 
Gravel, plaster, and bits of debris rained down on them.
 
When the ground stopped shaking, Cooper got to his feet and stayed low under the smoke.
 

"Toss
 
the lines!
 
Jax, on me!" he called.

"Moving!" replied Jax.
 

Cooper stepped up behind Charlie and tapped him on the shoulder.
 
Without a word Charlie clipped the rope hanging from the shaft to his rappelling rig and disappeared into the darkness.
 
Cooper grabbed the second rope and clipped it onto his own harness, then stepped over the edge and dropped after Charlie.
 

Cooper slowed his descent until he landed somewhat gracefully on top of the smoking wreckage of the EMP device at the base of the elevator shaft.
 
Charlie was already unhooking his rope and brought his rifle to bear through the smoke-filled opening when Cooper landed and unhooked.

"Clear left," Charlie whispered.
 
"Lights are out."

Cooper moved to the other side of the hole where the exit doors had been and scanned the right side of the hallway.
 
He stepped through and took a knee just inside the door, gritting his teeth against the pain in his leg.
 
"Clear right."
 

"Which way?" asked Jax as he stepped out into the corridor between Cooper and Charlie.

"Communications room is this way," said Cooper, gesturing down the hallway in front of him.
 
"Last known position of Barron.
 
We need the body," he said.

"
Striker, Alpha is descending on your six
," reported Gunny Morrin.
 

Cooper waited until the Marines arrived at the base of the shaft and spilled out into the hallway, taking up defensive positions before he led the SEALs toward the comms room.

"Sweep and reap, Gunny," Cooper whispered into his throat mic.

"
Oorah
."

Cooper crouch-walked painfully down the corridor, checking every door they passed to see if it was locked.
 
Most were.
 
He threw open the ones left unlocked, but they'd all been deserted.
 
"Where is everybody?" he whispered.

"Probably scared shitless.
 
This place is scary in the dark…" replied Jax down the hallway.

Cooper stopped and raised a fist.
 
"I got eyes on the Comms Room.
 
Charlie left side, Jax right."
 
He waited for his men to get into position.
 
Jax gripped the doorknob and looked back.
 
Cooper nodded and Jax threw the door open.
 

Cooper stepped inside and examined the room through his night vision as he moved with his rifle at high-ready.
 
Before him stood the tangled blue curtains from the video.
 
They were smeared with Vice President Barron's blood.
 
He stepped forward and checked the podium.
 

"This is it—I got blood on the curtains and floor.
 
No body."

"Over here!" called Charlie.
 
Cooper turned and moved to Charlie's position on the far side of the room.
 
Slumped over behind some overturned chairs and a small table lay the body of the late Vice President of the United States.
 
Cooper gently turned it over.
 
"Positive ID."
 
He stepped back so Jax could take pictures with a small camera.
 

"Cutter Actual, Striker 2-1, Actual.
 
We have positive ID of HVT One.
 
Repeat: we have located HVT One, positive ID."

"Dead or alive, Striker?"

Cooper looked at the body.
 
"Dead.
 
Very
dead."

"Roger that Striker, I'll have Alpha extract the body.
 
Proceed for HVT Two."

"Copy that, Cutter.
 
Striker is Oscar Mike."

Cooper knelt next to the Vice President.
 
He pulled out his folding knife, flicked his wrist to snap the blade open, and cut away a section of bloodstained shirt from the President's chest.
 
He slipped the fabric into one of his plate carrier's external pouches, closed the knife, and stood.
 
"You got the pictures?"

Jax closed the camera and hit a button on the back.
 
"Transmitting now."
 
When it beeped, he popped out the SD card and flicked it to Cooper.
 
"Here's the backup."

Cooper pocketed the card and brought his rifle up.
 
"All right, let's go find this blonde bitch."
 

They hadn't even made it out of the room before gunfire erupted in the distance, echoing like artillery down the closed corridors.
 

"Gunny!
 
You got contact?"