Rogue (Book 2) (The Omega Group) (14 page)

The short flight back to the hotel was filled with innocuous
conversation about the wonders they’d just seen. Captain Hancock, once again
their pilot, happily answered their banal questions about his experiences over
the last few years. The more he spoke, the more convinced Carter became of his
innocence. There was no way a man like that would willingly be involved in a
rogue general’s illegal plan.

As soon as they were alone in Myrine and Steve’s suite, the
real discussion began.

“Hypnotism and computer chips? That definitely points to
Steve’s earlier assumption of mind control,” Myrine said. “But it doesn’t prove
any wrongdoing on Persaud’s part.”

“You didn’t hear what I heard.” Mirissa came forward.
“Rewind the recordings back to the start. I think we may have found the missing
tribe members.”

Carter’s phone rang while Ken worked at the computer. “Hey,
Gina. What’s up? Are you guys all right?”

“We’re fine. But I just got a call from our chief. Lou’s
gone. He never came home last night. It might be nothing, but considering
everything that’s happening, I thought you should know.”

Carter felt his anger rise as he remembered his time with
the kid at Mooney Falls.
Why couldn’t they have taken his brother, instead?
“Don’t worry, we’ll find him and bring him home. Any news on the tourists?”

“Kell said it’s the same story as the others. They don’t
remember anything. She had blood samples taken this time and sent them off to a
lab in Flagstaff. If they were given something, we’ll know soon enough.”

“Are you guys about ready to head back?”

“In a little bit, yeah. Kell’s busy getting a strip torn off
her by her boss. He’s none too happy about her involvement in this case. I’m a
little worried about her coming out of this with her job intact.”

“She can hold her own. Besides, she’ll be the hero when we
finish this. She’ll probably end up with a promotion.”

“I hope you’re right. And, Carter? Find Lou for me. He’s a
good kid.”

“I know he is. We met on my first day here. We’ll find him.”

When he ended the call, Ken was just beginning the playback.
The sound quality was sorely lacking as, not only were the devices substandard,
but they were listening through walls. Of the six microphones Han placed, only
two of them had recorded any discernable content so far.

Myrine turned to her daughter. “You’re going to have to walk
us through what we’re listening to, Mirissa. Your auditory capabilities are a
lot better than those microphones.”

“It was a lot clearer for me,” Mirissa said. “In three of the
locations, I heard animal sounds. Growling, snarling, and even howling in one
of them. The other two spots were different. One of them sounded like an
episode of
Grey’s Anatomy
. Lots of stuff like ‘Scalpel, please’ and
‘Hang two units of O neg.’ That one could be totally legitimate because a place
like that would have an infirmary, but since our tour had already included what
they said were their procedure rooms, I thought it might be worth a listen. The
other one was less clear. It sounded like a meeting between scientists. They
were in the middle of an argument about Captain Hancock. Something about his
chip malfunctioning.”

“Ken,” Myrine said. “Find that last one.”

It took a little doing, but Ken found the right device and
played what they had. It was disjointed and a little garbled.

“…he’s fighting it… not sure how long… that could kill him…
too much invested… General needs him ready… we’re too close to…”

“It sounds like their poster boy is giving them some
trouble,” Han said. “What about the animal sounds? Did it sound like bears and
wolves to you?”

“Well, it certainly wasn’t gerbils.” Mirissa turned to
Carter and gave him a sympathetic look. “It sounded like they were in cages or
something. I kept hearing loud clanging noises like something was banging
against metal. They sounded like they were hurting, too.”

Carter took a deep breath before responding. “We need to get
them out of there. Either Persaud’s running experiments on them, trying to
synthesize our shifting ability, or he’s implanting those chips in them to put
them under his control. Maybe both.”

“Would a chip work?” Myrine asked.

“I’m not sure. Our minds work like everyone else’s, so it’s
a possibility. But having any foreign body implanted will effectively keep us
in whatever form we’re in when it’s put there. Years ago, one of our council
members broke his leg and the surgeon put a metal pin in him. When he tried to
shift afterward, he said it felt like his bone was being broken all over again.
He hasn’t shifted since.”

“That makes sense,” Jackie said. “The anatomical differences
between your two forms are too great. Unless you could shift the implant at the
same time as your biological parts, you’d be stuck. But the guy who shot at us
at the airport shifted right in front of us. If he was under Persaud’s control,
either they found a way around that problem, or they’re controlling them by
some other means.”

“From what Dr. Powell said, the chips were a later addition.
They don’t use them on everyone,” Han said. “So, what’s the plan, boss?”

Myrine rubbed her temples as she thought. “We’ll need to get
to the general while he’s on the outside. It’s our only shot. Once we have him
in custody, there are several ways we can force him to cooperate.”

“How do we know when and where Persaud will be?” asked Han.

Carter smiled. “Unless he likes the doghouse, he’ll be home
for dinner.”

General Persaud’s home was in a beautiful wooded area just
north of Flagstaff. The two-story log cabin, now enveloped in shadows, blended
perfectly with the rustic terrain that surrounded it. Carter had to give the
general credit. He had great taste in homes. In fact, it was exactly the kind
of place that Carter had dreamt of living in with Gina all those years ago. All
the comforts of a luxury home, with the open wilderness of Kaibob National
Forest at the doorstep.

Julian had pulled up the schematics of the house, as well as
everything else he could find online. They knew the layout of both the cabin
and the land, and were certain the only occupants were Persaud and his wife.
They didn’t know, however, what kind of security system they had. There were no
electronic records of one ever being installed, but that didn’t mean much in
this instance. The general could easily have had a system installed by his own
people. If that were the case, it would most definitely be top of the line.

A quick pit stop at the airport allowed them to load up on
the equipment necessary to pull off this kind of mission. The new jet was
stocked by the team in Jacksonville with all of their usual accoutrements, and
everyone was more than happy to discard the army surplus store gadgets. They
had served them well, but nothing could compare to the real thing.

Carter donned his goggles and scanned the area in front of
him, searching for any signs of a laser grid. Nothing. Switching to night
vision, he inspected every tree for cameras and sensors. Still nothing. Maybe
he was just being paranoid. Persaud had no reason to suspect an ambush on his
private residence, and it wasn’t unheard of for people to forego security
systems when they lived this far out in the woods. Still, Carter was vigilant.
Underestimating the enemy was not a mistake he wanted to make.

His earbud crackled as the rest of the team reported in. One
by one, they each gave the same “all clear” signal. Silence followed as
everyone waited for Myrine’s order.

“Go one,” she said.

Weapon drawn, Carter double-timed it to his target: the back
door. Peering through the decorative glass panes, he found an empty mudroom.
The view to the kitchen beyond was limited, but he knew Han had it covered.

Myrine had split the ten of them into two groups. Carter,
Han, Jackie, Mirissa, and Greco covered the back of the house, while Myrine,
Steve, Ken, Asteria, and Myrick covered the front. If all went according to
plan, they would enter together and overpower the general before he even knew
they were there.

“Go two,” Myrine said in his ear.

Carter knelt in front of his door to inspect the lock. He pulled
out the appropriate tools and went to work first on the bottom lock, then the
deadbolt. Forty-five seconds later he said, “Back done.” Moments later the
other lock pickers announced their success.

“Go three.”

Silently, Carter opened the door and stepped inside. The
artificially cool air raised goose bumps on his sweat-dampened skin as he
slipped through the kitchen entrance. The smells of a recently cooked dinner
filled the air, and Carter found himself wishing he’d eaten more before coming.

He passed through to the dining room with Han at his heels.
The table was set for an intimate dinner for two that hadn’t happened yet. Room
by room, the team cleared the main floor, then moved upstairs.

Something was off. Carter couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling
that grew with each empty room they found. Persaud said he was going home for
dinner. The aroma in the kitchen confirmed that it was prepared, but the clean
table showed it was never eaten.
So, where did they go? And why?

Myrine’s voice was in his ear. “Maybe they went for a walk
before dinner. Their cars are still in the driveway so they can’t be far.
Everyone head downstairs. We’ll wait there, out of sight.”

Carter stepped from what appeared to be a guest bedroom into
the hall, then froze. Asteria lay crumpled on the floor just outside the next
room. “We’ve got trouble. Asteria’s down.” He checked her pulse—slow and
steady—and found no outward sign of injury. “She’s unconscious, but…” Carter
shook his head to clear it of the sudden deluge of cobwebs. “Gas… Get out now.”

Carter knew he only had seconds before he would lose
consciousness, and then he wouldn’t be able to help anyone. He stumbled to the
end of the hall, raised his weapon, and fired at the picture window. Glass
exploded as he leapt through the opening onto the lawn far below. He rolled as
he impacted the ground, trying to stave off serious injury, but the popping
sound made by his left shoulder told him he hadn’t completely succeeded.
Struggling to his feet, he cradled his injured arm and took several deep
breaths of the clean night air.

His mind sharp once again, Carter ran for the front door. He
could still get his team outside, even with only one arm. It would just take a
little longer. He took a few more deep breaths to expand his lungs as much as
possible, then held the last one. Grabbing the door handle, he pulled, and was
immediately thrown back through the air by a shockwave that blew out every
window on the first floor.

Carter groaned at the new painful sensations that wracked
his body. Rocks felt as though they were embedded in his spine, and his head
thudded with every heartbeat. He reached up and pulled a glass shard from his
cheek, wiping at the blood with his sleeve.

After an explosion like that, he expected flames and smoke
to follow. When they didn’t, it became clear what had happened.
Well done,
Mirissa.
Although she’d obviously used her powers to force the gas-laden
air out of the house, the scene was still too quiet.

Carter dragged himself to what was left of the front door
and stumbled inside. Myrick lay at the bottom of the stairs. He was still
unconscious, so Carter dragged him out to the front porch. He did the same with
Steve, Myrine, and Jackie. He found Mirissa in the living room on her hands and
knees. “You okay?” he asked.

She lifted her head and slowly nodded. “I just need a
minute.”

“That’s about all you’ve got, I’m afraid. We’re probably
going to have company soon, and I could use your help getting everyone out of
here.”

Using the couch for balance, Mirissa rose to her feet.
Carter grabbed her when she swayed and said, “Maybe you should wait on the
porch for a bit.” He wrapped his good arm under her shoulders and walked her
outside. “When you’re ready, give me a hand. I’m down to one right now.”

The rest of the team was on the second floor, where most of
the windows were still intact. He held his breath once again, charged up the
stairs, and dragged Asteria painfully down.

Before heading back inside, Mirissa grabbed his arm. “Let me
take care of the rest.”

Carter had no problem acquiescing, as his shoulder felt as
though only a few tendons were holding it in place. He all but collapsed on the
porch next to the others and waited. Less than three minutes later, Mirissa
returned empty handed. “You can’t find them?”

She smiled and continued outside. “Nope. I got them.”
Trailing behind her like some bad magician’s trick were the floating bodies of
Han, Greco, and Ken.

“Show off.” Carter scowled.

The fresh air quickly succeeded in bringing everyone around,
but they remained huddled on the porch until the last of the gas’s effects wore
off.

Han was the first to speak. “So, I guess we need a new
plan.”

Carter’s phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. Gina’s
number flashed across the screen. “Hey, how’s it going?”

A deep voice that didn’t belong to Gina answered. “It’s
going very well, Mr. Mockta. I’ll give you a moment to get your team’s
attention and place me on speaker.”

Carter did just that. “We’re all here.”

“Good. Let me start by saying congratulations on your narrow
escape tonight. I’ve been watching you since you arrived and am quite impressed
by your abilities. I’d originally thought I just needed to kill all of you, but
now you’ve shown me an even better path. Let’s make a deal, shall we?”

“Why the hell would we make a deal with you?”

“Because you don’t have a choice.” The joviality in his
voice was gone, replaced by calm anger. “I have your friends, and you have two
hours. You know where I am.”

The line disconnected, then Carter’s phone dinged as a text
message was received. The picture on the small screen caused his blood to boil.

Gina and Kell, bound and gagged.