Rogue (Book 2) (The Omega Group) (13 page)

“We have work to do,” Myrine said. “Ranger? Miss Ankte?
Jackie will take you to another one of our rooms in the hotel. I’m sorry, but
you can’t be here right now.” With a nod, Jackie gathered Kell and, after a
quick, reassuring kiss from Carter, Gina. When the door closed behind them, the
team looked to Myrine.

“Are we sure that the general is behind this?” Han asked.

“No, but it makes sense,” Myrine answered. “Think about
everything that’s happened. The car bombs that were disarmed by his men, who
happened to be in the area, conveniently carrying the proper tools. They said
they saw Yavapai men messing with the trucks, but it could easily have been
them.”

“But, the general was furious with them for putting us in
danger by leaving the vehicles unattended,” Mirissa said.

“Or, he was furious with them for not finishing the job. He
took the explosives to his lab and conveniently found nothing that could trace
their origin.”

Carter added, “The chopper he sent to pick us up at the
airport was just late enough to give the shooter a chance to do his job. Persaud
was even the one who pointed us at the Yavapai in the first place.”

“Our delay yesterday with the helicopter could have been
orchestrated by him, too. It was his man that killed Bill before we could get
answers out of him,” Steve said.

When Jackie came back, they gave her a quick update on what
they were thinking. She wasn’t convinced. “What possible motive could he have?”

Each person in the room looked to the next, but no one spoke
up. Then Carter had a thought. “Could it be about his super soldier program?
Maybe he somehow found out about our shape-shifting abilities and, I don’t
know, wants to replicate them in his men.”

“That’s a stretch,” Jackie said. “There are alternate
scenarios for everything. He could just be the patriot he looks like.”

“Maybe,” Myrine said. “But the override on the jet points to
him, and him alone. There’s no alternate scenario for that.”

Everyone in the room, including Jackie, nodded their
agreement. But she still had a question. “What about the shooter at the
airport? He was Yavapai, right?”

Carter had to put some thought into that one. There was no
connection that he could discern between the Yavapai and General Persaud. “I
guess it could have been an isolated incident, yet another unrelated crime.”

Steve stood up and began pacing the floor in front of the
glass doors to the balcony. “I don’t think so. Look, this is going to sound
crazy, but what if that guy was under Persaud’s control at the time? We know
from Gina that he was one of the men that went missing, but we don’t know where
he was kept, or what was done to him. If Persaud really is the maestro from the
healers’ visions, then having a Yavapai take shots at you would certainly
further his goal of pitting your tribes against each other.”

“You’re talking about mind control,” Carter said.

“Yeah, I am. It’s definitely possible, and it would go a
long way to explaining how Persaud convinced his men to turn on us. Soldiers
follow orders, but they don’t follow those
kinds
of orders.”

Han’s sat phone rang and he quickly answered it. They all
listened to his side of the conversation.

“
It’s
fine, Kell. What’s up?” There
was a long pause and then he said, “Hold on for a second.” Removing the phone
from his ear, he spoke to Myrine. “Kell just got a call from the Ranger’s office.
There’s been another group of tourists to turn up with no memories. They’d been
missing since last night.”

“What the hell is going on here? Ask her to head over there
and find out everything she can.”

Carter added, “Can you also ask her to keep Gina with her? I
don’t want her left alone.”

Han nodded and repeated their requests over the phone.
“Thanks, Kell. Keep me posted, and be safe.” He returned the phone to his
pocket. “So, what now?”

Carter pulled out his phone, along with a slightly crumpled
business card, dialed, and waited. “General Persaud,
it’s
Carter Mockta. We’re pretty much done here, and I was wondering if I could take
you up on that offer of a tour of your facility.” There was a short pause and
then, “Perfect, thanks. We’ll be waiting.” He pressed the end button and spoke
to the room. “Get ready, everyone. We’ve just been invited into the lion’s
den.”

Although this visit with General Persaud was only to be a
fact-finding mission, Carter could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stir
as they took the long ride down the elevator to the secret research facility.
If the general was indeed responsible for the attacks on his team as well as
the local tribes—and that was still uncertain—there would be politics to
consider when deciding upon their response. If there was one thing Carter
hated, it was bureaucracy. It would be difficult enough to take down the
general on his home turf with possibly innocent super soldiers defending him.
If their hands became tied by politicians, well, it certainly wouldn’t get
easier.

Their escort, another one of the general’s men, stood aside
when the elevator doors opened, allowing them to exit first. Perhaps yesterday
Carter would have thought him being polite. Today, though, it felt more like he
wanted to keep them all where he could see them.

The cavernous room was exactly as Carter remembered it, with
rows of golf carts of varying sizes lining the rock walls. They were guided
toward the two front carts and began the long ride through the tunnel. Once
again, Carter’s wolf strained against his control in the confined space.

“Do I need to remind you all of the consequences of breaking
your non-disclosure agreement?” their driver asked.

No one felt the need to answer as the agreement itself made
it clear enough. Besides, they weren’t there to uncover the government’s
secrets, just the general’s.

When they finally arrived at the end of the tunnel, they
were greeted by a smiling General Persaud. “I’m glad you decided to come. After
the day you guys had today, I was surprised you called.”

“We almost didn’t, General,” Myrine said with a
much-improved poker face. “But after signing all of those forms, it seemed like
a waste to not at least take a peek at what you’ve got going on down here.
Thanks for giving us the opportunity.”

A middle-aged man wearing a crisp white lab coat shuffled
over to the general’s side with clipboard in hand. His glasses were perched on
his beak-like nose, and his eyes darted between each member of the group.
Carter thought he looked more like a caricature of a scientist than an actual
one.

“This is Dr. Powell. He’s the lead scientist for our MDS
research. If it’s all right with you, we’ll begin our tour there.” The general,
not waiting for their response, headed down one of the many corridors that ran
off the main room with Dr. Powell close at his heels.

Myrine and Steve fell in step behind them, followed by the
rest of team. As was decided earlier, Mirissa and Han took up the rear. The
plan was to use Mirissa’s expanded hearing to eavesdrop into any areas they
weren’t given a tour of. If anything interesting was heard, Han would quietly
place a small wireless microphone inside the wall. Since their equipment came
from local mom-and-pop stores, their only option to keep it concealed was Han’s
unique ability to pass through solid surfaces.

If they’d had some time to prepare, the plan would have been
more impressive and the equipment top-of-the-line. But that would have required
coming up with a realistic reason for them to be staying around the canyon
after they’d supposedly already caught the bad guy. The risk of tipping the
general off to their suspicions was too great, so they made do.

“As you all know, having a metabolically dominant soldier
tips the odds of winning any battle steeply in our favor.” General Persaud
sounded more like a tour bus guide than a rogue megalomaniac. “But finding the
right balance of abilities, healing, rejuvenation, and intelligence is the real
key to success. Currently, we have twenty-six soldiers in the testing stage of
one or more of our advancements.”

“How do you choose your test subjects, General?” Steve
asked.

Dr. Powell answered before Persaud had the chance.
“Excellent question. As you’ve obviously deduced already, not everyone is suitable
for our program. Not only must they be in the best possible physical condition,
but their minds must also be open to accepting the changes that will occur.
When we first started out, we only focused on the physical. Now we know better.
It’s like walking a tightrope, really. If their mindset is too rigid, they’ll
reject the physical advancements. They need to be malleable.”

“How do you test for malleability?” Steve seemed genuinely
interested.

“Simple. We hypnotize them. If they can’t be put under hypnosis,
they’re sent on their way. Of course, the addition of the computer chip helps
in the borderline cases. That was a lesson I wish we’d learned sooner.” The
doctor cackled and snorted as though he’d just made some sort of joke. The
general didn’t appear to find the same humor.

“It’s a very simple testing process,” Persaud said, giving a
look to the doctor that warned him to watch himself. “No different than that of
an entertainer choosing his subjects for a hypnosis show. The health and safety
of our men is our first priority. If their minds can’t handle the changes, we
don’t accept them as candidates. Ah, here we are. This is our initial testing
lab for the recently enhanced soldiers. I think you’ll be quite impressed.”

As they filed through the door, Myrine sent a quick look to
Mirissa, who just shook her head. Apparently, she’d yet to hear anything
unusual. That seemed to change when they entered the lab.

The walls, floor, and ceiling were gleaming white.
Treadmills and stationary bikes lined two of the walls, while a third held
weight machines. All of the equipment was draped in wires and looked as though
it had been modified for extreme use. At the moment, there were only three
soldiers occupying the room. One on a leg press that held more weight than
Carter had ever seen on a single machine, one on a treadmill, and one on a
bike. None of the men had broken a sweat.

“These are three of our newer subjects. Each has had one
enhancement so far.” He pointed to each man in turn. “Strength, speed, and stamina.
As you can see, they are progressing quite well.”

Carter watched as Mirissa made her way around the room,
ostensibly checking out the men and machines. What she was really doing was
listening. She paused beside the runner and glanced at Han, who slowly wandered
over. That was everyone’s cue to attract attention away from him while he
planted the microphone.

“Dr. Powell, what you were saying about hypnosis earlier was
really interesting,” Myrine said as she walked over to the occupied weight
machine opposite the stationary bike. As expected, the touchy subject matter
caused the general to follow closely. “Can you tell me what kind of hypnosis
you use? Do you make them cluck like a chicken or hop on one foot?” She laughed
good-naturedly.

Looking a little uncomfortable to be talking about it again,
the doctor said, “No, of course not. We just need to make sure they’re
susceptible to suggestion.” He looked at Persaud as though waiting for his
approval.

Instead, Persaud finished the conversation for him. “I’m
afraid the doctor has made this part of our selection process sound more
extensive than it really is. It’s a simple matter of ensuring the subjects
accept their new abilities. Nothing more.”

“Still, it might be fun for the boys to see each other
clucking.” Han laughed as he crossed the room. The three soldiers joined in the
laughter, causing the doctor, and even Persaud, to chuckle as well.

“This is fascinating. What else have you got to show us?”
Myrine asked.

For several hours, they were given an extensive tour of the
facility. There were more labs for testing the soldiers’ acquired abilities, as
well as the procedure rooms where the subjects were treated. But it was the
tech lab that Carter found most interesting. The devices they were engineering
were the stuff of sci-fi movies. Persaud had told them about the liquid body
armor on their first trip, but to see it in action was incredible. The same was
true for the Spring Walker Boots. The other gadgets were equally impressive.

All in all, Han placed four more listening devices along the
way, where Mirissa heard things she deemed interesting. Their primary goal,
however, was to get a microphone in General Persaud’s office. The chances of
him adding his private space to their tour were slim at best, so they went for
a simple, classic ruse. It probably wouldn’t work, but it was worth a try.

“Um, sir? Would it be too much to ask for a telephone? Our
satellite phones don’t work down here,” Han asked innocently.

“Of course. We have phones in the main hall. Feel free to
use one,” the general replied.

Han leaned in conspiratorially. “Do you have somewhere
private? I’ve been here a lot longer than I expected to be and Ranger Christner
will not be pleased with me.”

Persaud smiled and winked. “Now, that I understand. I’m
sorry to report, though, that it never gets better. I’ve been married for
almost thirty years and I still get put in the doghouse when I’m late and don’t
call. Let me take you to one of our private offices.”

As a group, they moved to a hallway that looked like it
belonged in any office building in the world, not a super-secret underground
research facility. Persaud opened an office door that was labeled “Lt. Jason
Fairbanks” but stopped before entering and spoke to Han. “I’m sorry. He’s on a
call right now.” They tried two more offices with the same results. “Why don’t
you just use my office? At least I know that one isn’t currently in use.”

Carter let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been
holding. They’d just gotten very lucky. Persaud led them to the end of the hall
and opened a set of large double doors.

“The phone’s on the desk. Dial nine to get an outside line.”
Once Han was inside the room, the general closed the door behind him and smiled
at Carter. “Did you have a chance to spend any time with your family while you
were here?”

“Yes, sir, I did. Thanks very much for asking. It’s been a
bit crazy but I was able to fit in a few personal moments.”

“Crazy is an understatement. I understand this Bill Soyala
was a friend of yours? You have my sympathies. It’s always difficult when
you’re betrayed by someone you know.”

Carter maintained eye contact as though he was being tested.
“Yes, it is. I owe you and this facility my thanks. Had Captain Hancock not
acted when he did, I’d be dead. He’s quite the soldier. Has he been with the
program long?”

“Almost three years. He’s the most advanced subject here.
There’s not much that we haven’t been able to enhance in him. He’s sort of our
poster boy.”

Han opened the door and looked at the general. “Thank you
very much. I think I may have just dodged a bullet there.”

“Excellent. I’m glad to help. Speaking of doghouses, though,
I’m going to have to end our tour here. As much as I’ve enjoyed having you as
visitors, my wife will have dinner waiting on me.” He pressed a button on what
looked like a walkie-talkie and spoke. “Sergeant, please come to my office and
escort our guests back to the helicopter.”

Myrine smiled. “Thank you for your time, General. This was
truly enlightening.”

As they all shook the General’s hand and said their
goodbyes, the same young soldier that had met Carter, Han, and Jackie at the
airport on their first day joined them. “Good to see you again. If you’ll
follow me.”

Carter wanted nothing more than to be out of there and back
at the hotel. They’d set up the receivers for the microphones in Myrine’s suite
before they left, and Carter was looking forward to hearing what was going on
behind closed doors.

********

General Persaud watched the Omega Group until they’d rounded
the corner. When they were all out of sight, he locked his office and used a
biometric scanner to open the unmarked door directly across the hall.

The small room was furnished with only a long desk and one
chair. A bank of computer monitors glowed with screens running various data
streams. Two monitors with split screens showed several low resolution, wobbly
images.
We really need to improve the quality of these things.

He sat at the keyboard on the desk and typed a series of
commands. The images flashed as the recordings made by tiny robotic insects
rewound. Only one interested him at present.

He watched Han Li enter his office, pick up the phone, and
push some numbers. His lips were moving, but the micro drone’s lack of audio
capabilities limited the information Persaud could glean. For a moment, it
seemed that his suspicions were unfounded. Perhaps they
had
just come
for a tour. Then it happened.

Han, holding the phone to his ear, took a step backward and
leaned on the wall behind his desk. A moment later he replaced the phone and
left the room. It looked innocent enough, but the general had a niggling
feeling he couldn’t shake, so he rewound the recording again and, this time,
played it at half-speed.

He almost missed it, even in slow motion, but it was there.
Han’s hand wasn’t leaning
on
the wall; it was passing
through
it.
He rewound and played those few seconds over and over until he was absolutely
sure.

The image quality was too poor to make out what it was, but
something was in Han’s hand before it went through the wall, although not
after.

General Persaud felt his spirits rising at this new piece of
information. He’d started the tour thinking he’d have to deal with some nosey
government agents. Now, he had something far more interesting in mind.