Extinction (11 page)

“So it
is
on,” Makara said.

“We might be able to access the Bunker security system from here,” Samuel said. “If so, we could use the cameras to find other Angels.”

“And enemies,” Julian said.

“Not just that,” Makara said. “We might even be able to
communicate.
I’m sure an intercom system is built into this entire Bunker.”

“Probably,” I said. “Ours had one, so I imagine they all would.”

Samuel logged in with his username and password. Instantly, the desktop screen loaded.

“Surprised it took it,” Michael said.

“It did at Bunker One,” Samuel said. “It must have updated at every Bunker still online.” Samuel paused, thinking. “Don’t know much about computers, actually. All that stuff I said...I have no idea how to do it.”

“Ashton would know,” I said.

“We can try contacting him,” Makara said.

“This deep underground?” Michael asked.

Makara didn’t have an answer for that.

“There
has
to be a way to communicate,” I said. “Ashton called Bunker 84 while he was in Skyhome.”

Samuel clicked the start menu. As soon as he did, the other computer screens came to life, bathing the control room with blue light.

In addition, the large display screen ahead flashed on, slowly gaining in color and clarity. A large map of the United States and Canada was displayed.

“What did you do?” Makara asked.

Samuel shrugged. The large screen displayed red dots pinpricking the topographic map, each with a number above it. 84. 16. 108.

“Bunker locations,” I said.

A similar map had been on the LCD of the plane that took us to Bunker One, only this one was far more detailed.

The map also appeared on Samuel’s screen.

“It looks like I can control the map,” Samuel said.

He clicked on the location of Bunker 84, located in Northern California. Immediately, he was taken to a web site of some sort, dedicated to the Bunker. On the screen were links naming different departments. Hydroponics. Recycling. The Citizens’ Council. Security.

“Click that last one,” Makara said.

Samuel clicked on “Security.” The website was bare and utilitarian, and obviously not meant for most residents’ general use. There were several more links. An Officers’ Directory. Nuclear Development. I wanted to tell Samuel to click on that one, just out of curiosity, but nukes weren’t what we were after. One of the links said “Security Feed.”

“There,” Makara said.

Samuel clicked on it. More screens popped up, displaying on the large screen ahead as well as on Samuel’s computer. Row upon row of camera feeds loaded, ranging in number from one all the way to three hundred and six. Not all the camera feeds could fit on Samuel’s screen, so he had to scroll down to see them all. As he scrolled, the main screen ahead also scrolled down, mimicking Samuel’s actions.

The only problem was, all of the video feeds were dead, with completely black screens. The word “offline” showed in the bottom right corner of each feed.

“Offline,” Makara said.

“Go back,” I said. “And click on the ‘Power Plant’ link.”

Samuel complied, digging his way back from the camera feeds until he arrived at the listing of departments. He clicked on “Power Plant.” It took us to a screen that showed basic schematics for the reactors that must have been powering the Bunker. There was a “details,” which Samuel clicked.

Hibernation. Backup module available.

“What does that mean?” Makara asked.

“It means the reactor must have shut down once it realized it wasn’t being used,” Samuel said. “Probably.”

“Then how is this place running?” Michael asked.

Samuel shrugged. “There must be some form of backup power for the Command Center servers alone. This place would be the most important to keep online. I guess the cameras have lower priority.”

“Try turning the backup module on,” Julian said.

Samuel clicked it, setting it to on. The computer thought a moment before accepting the change.

Nothing happened. Then, a message appeared on the computer screen, giving a timer.

“What?” Makara asked.

Samuel read the message out loud. “Backup module online in five minutes...”

“Is it really turning on?” I asked.

“I guess,” Makara said.

“While we’re here,” Samuel said, “might as well look at some of that other stuff.”

Samuel backed out of the screen. The countdown was minimized while he clicked on the “Nuclear Development” link.

“Really, Samuel?” Makara asked.

He shrugged. “Might as well take a look.”

A wealth of information overtook the screen. There were twelve silos. One through three were empty, while the rest read “armed.”

“So three of the silos have shot off missiles?” Makara asked, now curious. “Where to? When?”

“Let me see what I can dig up,” Samuel said. “Maybe Elias had been busy.”

“If they had gotten to this computer,” I said, “don’t you think they would have restored power a long time ago?”

“Good point,” Samuel said. “Which makes me believe that the Community did not fire any missiles. They probably couldn’t even get past the login screen.”

“So, who shot them off?” Makara said.

“This would have been before the Community,” Julian said. “The U.S. fired three nuclear missiles in the fifteen years Bunker 84 was online.”

Why would Bunker 84’s authorities launch nukes? Had they been aware of the xenoviral threat long before Bunker One was? Or had Bunker One given the order itself?

“Found it,” Samuel said.

We crowded around the computer. In a column labeled “expired targets” three dates were listed: November 22, 2034, December 5, 2036, and July 17, 2045. Next to these dates were target locations.

The first two were nothing like what I expected.

Bunker 23. And Bunker 144.

“What?” I asked. “They nuked Bunkers?”

It was a moment before Samuel answered. “Apparently.”

“Why?”

Something about Bunker 23 was tripping my memory. I remembered it being mentioned, somewhere...

Fortunately, Makara filled in the blank.

“That was the one you talked about, Samuel, when we found the Black Files. It was in Nebraska, the closest one to Ragnarok Crater. Could that have something to do with it?”

“Maybe,” Samuel said.

“Maybe?” Michael said. “I say probably.”

“You said Bunker 23 was where the first infections happened,” Makara said. “Maybe Bunker 84...panicked a bit.”

It would never be clear what had happened in those early days, unless we found a detailed explanation somewhere. Something we didn’t exactly have time for unless we just happened to run across it.

“Okay,” Julian said. “What about Bunker 144?”

“Elias mentioned that one,” I said. “It was built in Alaska. Bunkers One, 84, and 144 were all meant to be counterpoints to one another. It’s hard to imagine the xenovirus finding its way up there, especially if it was only 2036.”

“Maybe they saw Bunker 144 as a threat,” Makara said. “Also, I don’t see how nukes can hit Bunkers. Aren’t Bunkers built underground to
avoid
that sort of thing?”

“They are,” Samuel said. “But it’s possible they used bunker-busters – not designed to detonate until they are underground. A nuclear explosion like that would wreak havoc – not just from the awesome power, but from collapsing tunnels and burying exits.”

“Where did the third one go, then?” I asked.

It showed it launching in mid-2045, but it gave no target location. 2045 would have been around the time Bunker 84 fell.

A moment later, the fluorescent lights flashed on above, one after the other. Power had been restored in full. I blinked as my eyes adjusted.

“Let’s check on those cameras again,” Makara said.

***

S
amuel returned to the directory and cycled through the cameras, one at a time. Many were still black, but the rest were up and running, revealing people in rooms and hallways, seeming confused that the lights had come on. Both Lords and Angels suspected some trick on the part of the other side.

“So how do we find out who’s on our side?” Makara asked.

“Maybe Lionel can help with that,” Samuel said.

Samuel motioned Lionel down to the control room floor. Lionel reached the bottom of the curved steps and ran to stand next to us. He looked over Julian’s shoulder at the monitor.

“Can you tell Angel from Lord?” Samuel asked.

“The Lords control most of the Bunker,” he said. “Their base is on the bottom level.”

“Why did they attack in the first place?” I asked.

“They didn’t think you were coming back. And there’s the matter of food. There was no way we had enough to go around. So, the Lords decided to save themselves.”

“See anyone we know on here?” Makara asked. “We can head to that location first, then hit the rest as we gather our forces.”

Lionel narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the screen. “Can you pull up a map of the Bunker on the big screen?”

Samuel nodded. “I’m sure I can. Somehow.”

He created a new tab and began to search the directory for a map. Within a minute, he’d found it. A large map of Bunker 84 was put up on the big screen. The size of Bunker 84 became all the more apparent, considering the map only showed one level at a time. For now, level three was displayed – the one we were on. There were twenty levels total.

“This place
is
huge,” Makara said.

“Seems as if they could fit a lot more than two thousand people in here,” Julian said. “I think there was more to this place than just the nukes.”

“What do you mean?” Samuel asked.

“You’ve seen the dorms,” Julian answered. “There must be
hundreds
just like the ones we saw. As if...an entire army had been here.” He paused. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong.”

“No,” Makara said. “It makes sense. It’s another reason why Askala would have targeted this place. Can you imagine if Bunker 84 had stayed alive?”

According to the Black Files, the U.S. government knew there was
something
guarding Ragnarok. The final Guardian Mission failed because it had been attacked directly. If they believed an alien invasion was imminent, it made complete sense they’d keep an entire army down here.

“We need to focus on finding our own,” Lionel said.

Level three was mainly dedicated to barracks, a training center, and the Command Center.

Samuel clicked the other tab, revealing the cameras once again.

“It looks as if the cameras are coded to each level. Like this one...”

Samuel clicked on it, and it showed a shot of a couple of men bearing rifles, standing next to a pair of elevator doors stuck halfway open. The number three was painted on the wall next to them.

“Level three,” Samuel said.

“Those are Lords,” Lionel said.

As Samuel clicked the camera, part of the map highlighted on the screen – a periphery corridor on the level’s western side.

“Looks like every time you click on a camera, it highlights where that camera is,” Lionel said. “We can make a list of what places to go to, and what places to avoid.”

“Good idea,” Samuel said.

“Let’s go through each of the levels,” Lionel said. “I can take some notes for each one.”

We did just that – Samuel scanned each level while Lionel took notes in a spiral notebook he’d found on a nearby desk. On most levels, the Lords had set up positions, especially the lower we got. It seemed as if there would be a lot of fighting once we got to level ten and lower.

Thirty minutes later, Lionel had taken notes all the way to level twenty. One of the cameras showed Jade, Rey, and Cain, sitting at a table over which a large map of the Bunker was spread. Apparently, they were making their own plan. They, too, had a map of the Bunker. If they knew this was where the Command Center was, then they probably wanted to gain control of it as soon as possible.

It seemed as if Samuel had come to the same realization.

“We need to find reinforcements,” Samuel said. “Once we have some fighters, we can start taking back territory.”

“See if you can call Ashton from here,” Makara said. “He’ll want the update.”

S
amuel used Bunker 84’s encrypted communication network to contact Ashton. We updated him on everything that had happened so far. Ashton said he’d be on standby for when he was needed.

We left the Command Center, Lionel carrying his notebook that listed Angel locations. Our first destination was on this level.

Bunker 84 looked different with the lights on. In a way, the lights were a curse because it would be harder to remain hidden and the fighting would pick up again.

But the time for hiding was over. We had to make an end of the Lords while we had the men and firepower to do so.

We left the Command Center behind and entered a long corridor. About fifty feet ahead, the corridor had been buried in rubble.

We stood before the twisted pile of concrete, rebar, and dirt.

“No good,” Makara said. “That’s the way we need to go.”

“There has to be a way around,” Michael said.

Michael backtracked a bit, poking his head in a doorway.

“This could work.”

We followed him inside, finding a room that had once been a clinic. A wheeled gurney lay on its side. Bandages and unused syringes spread over the dusty floor, where they had spilled from the countertop. Another doorway led out of the clinic on the other side, leading into a corridor running parallel to the first.

Once we were through the clinic and into the opposite corridor, the temperature dropped drastically. As we walked on, the temperature continued to plummet.

The corridor took a ninety-degree turn to the left, at the end of which was a group of four men with rifles. It was a moment before one of them cried out and pointed at us.

As their guns were raised, I dove for an open doorway on right side of the corridor, Makara and Samuel right behind me. As the first shots were fired, I crashed into the floor. It was freezing cold in here. I looked back, across the corridor, to see that everyone else had remained behind the corner, cut off from us. Anyone who tried to walk across that corridor would be shot down.