A New World: Conspiracy (38 page)

“Driver, stop.” To the others, he says,
“There’s a night runner out there that I shot off the top. We can’t
have the others find it in the morning. Get out and pick up the
body.”

The hatch drops once again. Moments later,
two of the soldiers drag the carcass of a night runner aboard,
dropping it in the middle of the floor. The round did a tremendous
amount of damage, almost tearing the night runner in half. Blood
covers its tattered clothing and exits its nostrils and mouth.
Entrails leak from its torso. Diane eyes the pale figure once and
vomits into the mess. A couple of the other soldiers turn pale as
well. The stench of bowels and vomit permeates the Stryker.

Greg looks to Kyle and nods forward. Kyle
gathers Diane and makes her look into his eyes. He then directs her
forward where Greg settles her into a corner where at least the
sight of the night runner is minimized. The smell, however, grows
stronger until everyone is gagging.

“Move…now!” Greg commands the driver.

The motion causes blood to run down the
narrow aisle. The stench becomes a physical presence making it hard
to breathe. The Stryker reaches its exit point and they begin their
slow climb into the hills once again. Greg halts them half way up
the quarry road and has the night runner carcass tossed down into
the ravine. Brandishing the few towels they have, the team cleans
up the blood, feces, vomit, and a few pieces of the night runner
left behind. After finishing, the smell is still there but much
diminished.

It’s now that Greg looks at the poor soul
the team rescued. Through the grunge covering him, Greg sees that
it’s a young lad about twelve years old. He looks to Kyle asking if
this is his brother. Kyle shakes his head. The other soldiers check
his vitals and assure Greg that the boy is only unconscious but
should recover. They slowly resume their ascent and reach their
former position.

With very little sleep because of the reek,
the team emerges at first light. For some, it feels like the first
time they’ve been able to draw a full breath in months. Greg
organizes the team – two will stay with the Stryker, the remaining
five will accompany him. The boy they rescued moans but doesn’t
waken. The two remaining will attend to him and Diane while the
others are away.

“Clean up this mess while we’re gone. We
don’t want to have to suffer through it another night. If you
haven’t heard from us by morning, leave and make your way back to
the compound.”

Gathering the others at the rim, Greg shows
them the cave entrance and their approach. He still hasn’t reckoned
whether this will be just to rescue the prisoners or whether he’ll
bring the horrors committed here to an end. He’ll have to play that
one by ear.

Dirt puffs out with each step as Kyle guides
them along the sand which has been ground down to a fine powder
from the heavy equipment traveling back and forth across its
surface. The early morning sun casts long shadows from the hills
and undulations inherent in the open mine. Each team member has a
coil of rope draped around their neck extending under their arm.
The arrangement allows them freedom of movement should it come down
to a firefight. The tension emanating from each is palpable and
they make their way in silence.

Greg’s heart is pounding, but his mind is
too busy with thoughts to take notice. He is engaged in running the
scenario endlessly through his head – searching for something he
may have missed. They toil onward until they find themselves at the
mouth of a steep ravine leading downward between steep bluffs. To
Greg, the angle seems more like one of the speed slides you’d find
at a water park than a path. Only this water slide is complete with
rocks, scrub brush, and scree which would make the ride unenjoyably
painful.

With careful slowness, they begin their
descent in single file due to the narrowness of the ravine. At
first they only have to skirt around brush and over stunted fallen
pine trees. The angle steepens and they soon find themselves
scrambling over boulders and through rocky shale. They struggle to
keep quiet and not dislodge any rocks which would start a small
landslide. From here, any noise they make will be carried along the
valley floor, echoing off the steep bluffs…and to the
buildings.

The caution and care required to make the
descent takes the soldiers’ minds from their impending mission as
all thought and action is directed toward staying on their feet.
Anyone starting to fall is caught by the teammate behind them until
they are stable enough to continue. More than once, lips press
tight to refrain from uttering curses. They know that the mission
is entirely dependent on a stealthy approach, and they strive to
keep it that way.

Greg, making his way behind Kyle, slides
across yet another boulder. The tall hills to either side make him
think just how small the team really is. They are five people
struggling down an incline and attempting to infiltrate a base,
potentially outnumbered eight to one. They are far from any support
and if they get caught in the open, they could become just five
bodies rotting in this wilderness valley – quickly forgotten.
They’d be no different than the billions lying in homes, parking
lots, fields, and buildings. Nothing but bones bleaching under the
sun year after year. He shakes these thoughts loose as they reach
the bottom.

Some day that will be true, but today
isn’t that day
, he thinks, gathering in his surroundings.

The valley is in shadows with sunlight only
illuminating the top of the bluffs on the western side. The cliffs
rise sharply on either side of the narrow valley floor. The gorge
they are in looks like it was created by a jagged knife splitting
the hills in two. Stunted pine trees dot the sides with clumps of
scrub brush growing between. The shrubs become denser on the valley
floor but there is a small path that meanders through the
shoulder-high bushes. It’s no wider than a game trail but, most
importantly, it’s free of tracks.

In single file, they begin a slow march
south along the floor. The path rises a short distance on one hill
and then crosses the valley floor to proceed along the adjacent
hill, eventually intersecting a larger path. Greg halts them in the
bushes and observes the path with Kyle.

From here, the outline of the rooftop of the
structure sitting atop the opposite cliff is visible. The dirt path
is wide enough to comfortably accommodate two people walking side
by side and proceeds up the bluff in a series of switchbacks.

“Sir, this path leads to the sink hole. We
won’t be seen until we reach the very top. If there’s anyone inside
the back of the building, they’ll have a direct view of the path
and entrance,” Kyle says.

“Let’s hope no one’s home then,” Greg
states.

With that, they leave the cover of the
bushes in intervals and begin scaling the path. Greg takes the lead
and feels tension build the closer he draws to the top. His mouth
goes dry as adrenaline begins seeping into his system. His
heartbeat pounds in his ears and he subconsciously strokes the
trigger guard of his M-4 pointed ahead of him. Slowly, more of the
building is revealed as he climbs higher. After negotiating the
switchbacks, he nears the top and goes prone, crawling the last few
feet toward the crest.

Listening, he only hears the swish from a
strong breeze that blows through the trees and bushes. Below, the
wind travels down the narrow canyon with a soft roar. Peeking over
the edge, he sees the rear of the structure. What he initially took
to be a series of buildings is actually a single one – the
differing angles of the structure joined together. Windows show at
the rear, the ones on the eastern side reflect the strong sunlight
filtering down. Near the building is the sinkhole. Around it, a
single rope runs through rings attached to the top of metal poles
sunk into the ground. He watches for any sign of movement.

Assured that no one is observing this part
of the facility, he crawls backward to the rest of the team.

“Okay, it doesn’t appear that anyone is
watching. We need to work fast. There are metal poles surrounding
the sinkhole. We’ll use one of them to secure the line. Kyle, do
you have the knotted rope?”’

Kyle nods. The previous night, they put
knots every three feet in a length of rope that would hopefully
reach the bottom. This will aid guide their descent and their later
ascent.

“We’ll move quickly and set up against the
wall of the building. Kyle, you secure the rope and descend, when
he vanishes, the next will proceed. NVGs on when it gets dark
enough. Any questions?” Greg briefs.

A nod from every member indicates that they
understand and are ready to go. Greg sequences their order of
descent with him going down last. They crawl upwards on their
stomachs and spread across the crest. Greg watches for any changes
and sees none.

“Go,” he says softly.

As one, they rise and scramble across the
short distance, going into ready positions against walls near the
picture windows. Kyle races to the hole. Taking the rope off his
shoulders, he quickly ties it around one of the steel poles set in
concrete. Giving a sharp tug to test its weight-bearing capability,
he looks to Greg and gives a nod. Greg returns the nod. Kyle swings
his legs into the hole and begins lowering himself. His head
vanishes and Greg nods to the next soldier.

Greg feels the coolness of the building
through his clothing and vest. The sun is warming the walls, but
the chill is still there. The climb was a steep one which caused
more than one trickle of sweat to seep down his back. Blinds are
drawn across the large panes of glass looking across the back of
the building which gives them a measure of concealment. He notes
each soldier making sure that their shadows don’t reach across
windows as their turn comes to race to the hole and descend. He
hears Kyle on the radio saying that he has reached the cavern floor
and that the rope is more than long enough. As each soldier mounts
to rappel down, the rope gives a creak of strain, but both it and
the metal pole hold. The last soldier vanishes and, with a last
look at the windows, Greg races to the hole and begins his
descent.

The knots are both a help and hindrance as
he descends. They don’t allow for a quick rappel and he has to go
down hand –over-hand. However, it will make it much easier to
climb. The rope swings slightly as he makes his way down, but with
the bottom being held tight by those below, the sway is minimal.
After a short distance, the darkness closes over him. IN the dark,
the light streaming in through the hole above is dazzling. Dust
motes dance in and out of the beam of light shining into the cavern
depths. Greg pauses to lower his NVGs. The cavern springs to life
with a green glow. He finishes his descent and joins the
others.

Kyle was right about the temperature, it’s
near freezing and plumes of breath are visible with each
exhalation. Greg shivers as the cold envelopes him, but then he
pushes it out of his mind. Nearby, a wall climbs out of the cavern
with a cave exiting at the top. Kyle indicates that’s their path.
Carabiners are attached to the rock surface with ropes leading
upward. Dropping their ropes near their descent point, they make
their way to the wall over the uneven, rocky ground.

The climb is an easy one with plenty of
outcroppings to use as footholds. Before long, they are all
kneeling in the upper cave. From here, it will all be hand signals
and low whispers as the cave will carry the sound of their voices
far into its depths.

They slowly make their way across the sandy
and rocky ground, making sure not to scuff their boots. Any
equipment that would make noise when moved was taped down prior to
leaving the Stryker. Their M-4s are poised in front of them, ready
to pour suppressed fire down the narrow cave. With Greg leading and
Kyle behind, they continue in single file. Ahead, a metal door bars
their path. The rectangular frame is set into the rock wall at the
top and bottom, but the curvature of the cave causes gaps on the
sides. It isn’t possible to slide bodily through, but they are wide
enough to pass an arm through. Greg halts the team and looks to
Kyle.

“Well, that’s new. At least since the last
time I was there,” Kyle whispers.

An unknown noise comes from the other side.
The team freezes and becomes even more still –which means that they
become part of the stone. To Greg, the sound is like a scraping or
shuffling sound. It’s not loud, but it’s there near the other side
of the door.

Greg motions for the others to hold their
positions and, with Kyle in tow, he inches toward the door. Peeking
through one of the apertures to the side of the doorway, Greg sees
two men leaning against a roughhewn wall approximately forty feet
ahead. They are listless and appear bored, occasionally breaking
the silence with an exchanged word or two which only reaches Greg’s
ears as mutterings. At the two men’s feet lie several gas-powered
camping lanterns that cast pools of white light.

Greg looks on the other side of the three
inch solid steel door to see that it’s padlocked on the other side.
Their entrance is guarded and locked.

This is beginning to look like a
no-go
, Greg thinks, studying the lock, door, and guards.

He watches for a few additional moments. No
one else comes into view and the two kick at the ground. The
indications are that they’ve been there for a while with no one
coming or going. The armed nature of the guards gives a clear
indication that they are the bad guys. Greg looks at the lock on
the other side of the door once more.

“Do you have a good angle on the one to the
right?” Greg asks.

“Yes, sir.”

Greg decides to take a chance. Putting the
muzzle of his suppressor into the opening, he places his red dot on
the head of the figure to the left. It’s easy to hold his aim as
neither person is moving.