Opposing Force: Book 01 - The God Particle (16 page)

Major Gant stared at the collection and shook his head. A voice from behind put words to his thoughts: "Kind of crazy, isn't it?"

He turned around and saw Brandon Twiste standing at the door. A shiny new "Red Rock Mountain Research Facility" security ID tag hung from a lanyard around his neck.

Gant grinned a little and replied, "I have yet to go on an Archangel assignment that was not at least a little bit crazy. That seems to be a part of our mission parameters."

"Not like this." Twiste wandered into the room and looked over the gear. "A little something for every occasion—that's what bothers you, isn't it?"

"I see you still think you can read my mind," Gant said and then squinted and eyed Twiste's hair. "It also appears you have added more gray to your collection."

"Spending two days with The Tall Company will do that."

Twiste circled the table, looking over the collection of weapons and high-tech gizmos. He reached out and touched one particularly nasty-looking piece.

"Jesus, Thom, this thing is a little old, don't you think?"

"A flamethrower," Gant identified the weapon. "Vietnam era, actually."

"I thought we got all the good gear."

"I am sorry but did you not get the memo? The United States banned flamethrowers over thirty years ago. Finding one in working condition was quite a challenge."

Twiste said, "Like I was saying, a little bit of everything, and that's the type of thing that drives you batty." He stopped, considered, and added, "Hell, if it drives you batty it probably is making Campion climb the walls."

"All right, all right," Gant waved his hand as if trying to dissipate something in the air. "Enough of the awkward small talk. It does not fit you, my friend. It is nice to have my science officer back, but it is a lot more important to have you back. So stop all this dancing around and tell me what they had you doing at Tall."

Twiste chuckled and the atmosphere relaxed. He walked around the table and extended his hand, and Gant gave it a good shake.

"I guess they tried to make me just another cog in the machine," he said. "Something like you, I think."

"I quite doubt that is possible. By the way, welcome to Hell Hole."

"Yes, I heard that." Twiste gently slid aside a shotgun and rested his butt on the edge of the table. "Nice place, as far as circa 1975 underground bunkers go. At least Darwin has all the modern amenities."

"So tell me, what kind of fun was to be had at Moreno Valley?"

"Well, first of all, this whole experience just confirms my belief that our bosses don't have a clue. I'm a doctor—a physician and a biologist—yet I find myself over at Tall Sciences getting trained on a device that is so far out of my league it might as well have come from Mars."

"Let me guess," Gant led. "Something to do with quantum mechanics?"

Twiste cocked his head back as if slapped.

Gant said, "I am glad to see I can still surprise you now and then."

"Well then let me tell you, it seems you're already as knowledgeable on all this as I am. Maybe you should operate the thing."

"What thing?"

"This machine I just spent hours and hours learning how to operate. Wait, that's not exactly right. I know what buttons to push and how to set it up, but I don't have a damn clue how it does what it does. Like I said, I am most definitely the wrong science guy for this job."

"I think someone upstairs appreciates your intelligence, doctor."

Twiste moved off the table and stood close to Gant. His voice dropped and his eyes lost any sign of levity.

"No, Thom. Listen to me. You're in the military; you're a soldier. But you're not a pilot so you wouldn't think the Pentagon would put you in an F-14 and send you off to bomb a terrorist camp, now would you?"

Major Gant shook his head no.

"So that's my point. I may be your science officer, but I'm here because I'm a doctor and I understand biology. Like that thing in the Everglades a few days ago. I have a background and knowledge base that allows me to deal with living things and understand them; even develop things like that Net Taser to help capture our visitor. But this is different. It's like, well, it's like they wanted someone smart to learn enough about the machine to get it to work, but also someone who doesn't know enough about all this physics shit to figure out the details."

Gant did not know what to say, but it did not matter; a quick knock on the door drew his attention. Lieutenant Colonel Liz Thunder stood there.

"Thom, sorry to bother you, but General Borman is upstairs. He wants to see us right away." The glare in her eyes told the rest of the story.

No, Borman is not happy at all about yesterday's field trip.

Thunder glanced at Twiste.

Gant interceded. "I'm sorry. Lieutenant Colonel Liz Thunder, this is Captain Brandon Twiste, my team's science and medical officer."

She offered a quick, polite smile and extended her hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Captain."

Twiste's reaction, however, was much different than expected. He accepted the colonel's handshake but did not share the polite smile. Furthermore, his eyes narrowed and his head tilted just a bit.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, do I know you? I'm certain I've heard your name before."

Gant offered, "Not many Thunders in the military, I would imagine."

His light tone did not lighten the exchange.

"Not that I'm aware of," Liz answered, then she rocked on her feet as if her physical balance had gone awry. "Major, we have to get upstairs."

"Yes, colonel. Let me lock up and I'll meet you there."

The fact that she turned around and marched away without offering to wait told Thom a lot more than any of her words. Of course, like everything else at Red Rock, he did not know what her actions suggested, leaving him again with nothing but questions.

Twiste followed him out of the room. Gant shut the door and sealed it with a padlock.

"Well, you heard her, I have a meeting to attend. I believe my ass is going to get chewed off."

Twiste did not find any humor in the situation at all. In fact, he reached out and grabbed Gant's arm.

"Thom, I know I've heard her name before. I just can't place it. But I've got this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach."

"Yes, this place has that effect."

"No, look, I mean it," he said, locking his eyes on Gant's. "I have this feeling that trusting her would be a big mistake."

—

Lieutenant Colonel Thunder and Major Thomas Gant stood at attention, Liz behind her desk and Gant to the side.

The expression on General Borman's face made Thom think of an angry Texas sky about to spawn a twister.

"Let me try to understand this. You took an unauthorized trip to discuss
your—"
he glared at Thunder, "—top secret facility and
his—"
a head motion toward Gant, "—classified mission with a woman who isn’t even cleared to know either of you exist. You left Corporal—
Corporal
—Sanchez in charge of this facility for several hours?"

"Sir," Thunder replied despite the obvious fact that Borman was in no mood for replies. "Given the lack of information available to my command in regard to the nature of the threat here at Red Rock, I took action I deemed necessary to enhance security at this facility."

"Don’t try that bureaucratic bullshit with me, Colonel. I’m not a fat-ass senator at a subcommittee hearing where we can dance like a couple of whore-lawyers. This is a military operation, not the goddamn girl scouts. You’re not my priest—either of you—and I don’t have to confess to you, do you understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir," came the dual chorus.

Borman's anger seemed to increase, but instead of his voice growing louder, it became deeper, making him all the more menacing. Anyone could shout, but it took a master of intimidation to sound calm while at the same time unleashing a hellish fury.

"You have only one job here and you still managed to fuck that up. Should I be surprised, Colonel? Isn't that on your resume—she fucks things up. I pulled your sorry ass out of the closet and put you back on the front lines and this is the shit you pull?"

"Sir, trying to do my job."

"Don't you do it. Don't you pull that with me. Your job was to stay at this desk and make sure the men on this base keep their heads in the game. Instead, your head wasn't in the game. Let's get one thing straight, Lieutenant Colonel: you are a mother hen sitting on eggs. Your ass doesn't move. I'm of the mind to throw you back to the wolves. How would a charge of insubordination sound?"

Gant felt compelled to speak.

"Sir, I am as responsible for that excursion as the colonel. I needed intelligence for tomorrow's entry."

Borman swiveled around, sending the twister crashing into another barn.

"Who the hell are you, Major? You are a military asset. Nothing more. You go where I tell you to go. You do what I tell you to do. If I think you need intel, I pick up a spoon and feed it to you."

The general circled Gant and leaned in close, his nose nearly touching the side of the major's face.

"You and your little group think you're above it all, don't you? Look at you. Task Force Archangel, Friez's little darlings who get to walk around without any rank on their collar, sideburns and mustaches, and fancy equipment straight out of DARPA. You act like you're in some kind of goddamn fraternity."

Thom stood straight and still, but as he listened to Borman's rant his mind raced back to the Darwin facility a few days ago. He and Twiste had witnessed General Albert Friez arguing on the telephone and Frieze had not seemed comfortable with Archangel's new orders. Now Thom saw why.

It became clear his unit was here for reasons beyond the mission. Borman's choice of words … his tone … the disdain frothing from his lips as he growled … Archangel was Borman's prize.

"Albert protected you and covered for you and kept making excuses for why you could never come to Red Rock; how you were too valuable. Not this time. This time you belong to me. Tomorrow morning you and your men are marching downstairs to that vault door and going in. I will tell you what you need to know. Not Friez; me. And you'll do it or so help me God I will bury the entire Archangel program so deep they'll have to add ten more sublevels at Darwin just to find your bones. Are we clear?"

Gant mumbled, "Perfectly."

"I can't hear you, Major. I asked if we were clear."

"Sir, yes, sir, my ears are fully functional and I comprehend the meaning of your words, sir. We are clear."

Borman backed off, apparently satisfied that his browbeating had obtained the necessary results.

"This is what you need to know, Major. Your unit will enter the quarantine zone tomorrow morning at 1100 hours. Captain Twiste will take with him a package that you will safely deliver to the Red Lab on sublevel 8. That is your target zone. Twiste has been trained to operate this package. All other considerations are secondary, and all team assets with the exception of Captain Twiste and his package are expendable. Do you understand, soldier?"

"I understand, sir."

"As for your speculation as to the cause of the quarantine or the status of the quarantine zone …" Borman hesitated.

Thunder seized on that momentary hesitation to take the initiative.

"Sir, with all due respect I wish to formally protest this mission."

Borman gaped at her, incredulous. He had just walked up one side of her then down the other, yet there she was still pressing forward.

Thunder hurried before she could be cut off: "Without understanding the nature of any hostile activity or conditions inside the zone, Major Gant’s team is almost certain to fail. I request additional information as to the nature of the threat and the estimated odds of success."

Borman replied to her, "Major Gant is the element leader. You are in no position to request further information. If the major feels that he is not capable of carrying out this mission without additional information then he's free to say as much," the general said, but the look in Borman's eyes told a much different story. There would be no questions and no answers.

"Sir, we can handle it."

Borman nodded approvingly. "Then that’s that. Prep your team, Major, You’re going in tomorrow morning."

Borman stepped to the door and opened it.

Liz broke from attention and gasped, "That's it? You're just sending him in there without any information, without any reason to believe things have changed since those first teams disappeared? It's a suicide mission."

"You stand down, Colonel," Borman shot back, but it appeared that his previous outburst had sapped his strength to fight. Nonetheless, he still threatened, "The only reason you're still standing in this office is because I don't want to waste my time getting another replacement in here. But don't push me or you will be on the first chopper out of here."

Thom saw that this was going nowhere, so it made no sense for her to get thrown out on her ear for a lost cause. He had received his orders and would do as commanded. Not because he agreed with the mission, not because he felt good about it, and certainly not because he enjoyed working under General Borman's command.