Event Horizon, page 26
Dakota walked away without saying another word. He sensed fear and anxiety from Aleah. She wanted nothing to do with this place and the people in it. At least they shared that in common. They both wanted to go home. Dakota paused. Since when had he thought of Event Horizon as home? A week ago, he wanted to be done with that craft. What had changed?
Following Aleah's instructions, Dakota arrived at Walker's quarters. Nobody had stopped him. In fact, the hallway was empty. As he entered the adjacent hallway, he peered down. At the end was a door with stairs stenciled on it. Two guards stood on both sides of the door. Dakota thought of making a distraction. Leaving through the door once the coast was clear. Running up to the surface, seeing the forest, feeling the sunlight. But Eli would be trapped down here without an ally. And the need to speak with Walker, and to speak with him right now, tugged at him. He continued towards Walker's quarters.
Dakota stood in the opened doorway. Joseph Walker leaned against a small table in the center of the room. The muscles in his arms and neck were stiff. Black hair partially covered his face. Wilf Ericksen stood off to the side, wringing his hat in his hands. Maddock and a woman Dakota did not recognize stood in front of the table. The woman eyed Maddock. A sense of unease wafted from her.
"What happened?" Walker barked. His eyes shifted from Maddock to the woman and back again.
"Jem and I," explained Maddock, "noticed a scouting party, and we tracked them as best we could."
"Stupid bastards were nowhere near here," the woman, Jem, added.
"Well, one party got kinda close, so we scared them off."
"Scared off how?" asked Walker, moving to the other side of the table and standing mere inches away from the other two. He crossed his arms and locked eyes with Maddock. The man averted his eyes. Walker repeated, "Scared off how?"
"They shot at them," said Dakota, entering the room. The images flashed in front of him. A forest clearing. Snow and dead leaves scattered on the ground. The explosion of gunfire. Blood dyeing the snow a dull red. "Armor piercing rounds."
"Who the hell is this?" Jem asked.
"Is that true?" Walker asked. The air grew uncomfortably warm around Dakota, as though someone had flipped the switch from winter to summer. Walker had no idea that he had captured a seer. Dakota saw the gears clicking in the man's head. No point in hiding now.
"Wait," said Maddock, "you're one of the hostages. Who let you out of your cell?"
"They tracked the group heading west," Dakota continued, not paying attention to Maddock. "That group broke into smaller groups, and they tracked a group of three. They rested in a small clearing about three kilometers from here. They shot at them, two soldiers and one civilian. One soldier and the civilian were injured. The second soldier is dead. The bullet went through his throat and severed the spinal cord. They don't even know who fired which shots, it happened so fast."
Dakota trembled. Jude Graiko's screams for help echoed in his mind.
"Is this true?" Walker demanded, his body seething. Maddock glared at Dakota, eyes like daggers. Walker grabbed Maddock by the chin, forcing him to look him in the eye.
"This guy's full of it," said Maddock, shoving away Walker's hand. He shot another glare at Dakota.
"It's not like we meant to kill them," said Jem.
Walker ran his fingers through his black hair and paced over to the opposite side of the table. He picked up the room's sole chair and flung it against the wall. The impact bent one of the metal legs. Maddock and Jem jolted. Wilf whimpered, hiding behind Dakota.
"How many know?" Walker asked. Nobody looked at Walker. No response. Walker turned and rushed over to Dakota, grabbing him by the jacket and shoving him up against the door frame. The wooden frame grated against Dakota's spine. "How many know?"
"The whole military base knows by now."
"How the hell do you know?" asked Maddock.
"I'm a seer," Dakota said without hesitation. His heart rate tripled, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he realized what he said. But what was the point in lying? Walker was already halfway through putting the pieces together.
Walker took his hands off Dakota and stared at him. "Are you screwing with me?" His voice was oddly calm.
"No. And you should know that the injured civilian is the other hostage, Eli Carnaki's, brother."
"Are you really a seer, Nate?" asked Wilf, his eyes bright and wide. The expression reminded him of Kelsi.
"He's lying, dumbass," said Maddock.
Walker took a quick step back and elbowed Maddock in the face. Blood gushed out of his nose. He tumbled backwards and fell. He covered his nose with his hand. Blood seeped through the fingers.
"What the hell, Seth?" Jem asked, crouching down beside Maddock.
"I should be asking you that. What the hell were you and Maddock doing out in daylight? Did I tell you to stalk the mils?"
Jem shook her head, shrinking away. She stood up, her head lowered. Maddock removed his head and inspected the blood. Based on its new angle, his nose was definitely broken.
"Whose idea was it?"
Jem hesitated and then said, "Maddock's."
"Someone has to put them in their place!" Maddock shot to his feet, eyes glaring. Wilf clung to Dakota's arm and whimpered. Dakota did not blame him. Blood covered Maddock's mouth and chin and dripped onto his shirt. Not a pretty sight. "They have no right to be here!"
"You're the reason they're here," Walker screamed. "The embassy bombing was your idea. That's the reason they're here."
"Republic soldiers have been on Bedlam for months," said Jem.
"Not in Farson. We were just a logging town with anarchists. So what if there was an embassy? Farson wasn't a real threat until the bombing."
"They shouldn't have underestimated us," added Maddock.
Walker pulled a butterfly knife out of his pocket and held the blade against Maddock's throat. Maddock's eyes widened. He stood frozen in place. Walker's eyes blazed. This was not mere theatrics.
"Seth, stop! Please, don't," cried Wilf and Jem.
Walker withdrew the knife and placed it back in his pocket. He took several steps back and glared at the floor, his breathing erratic. His mind was a conglomeration of conflicting thoughts, each pulling him in a different direction. Dakota forced himself to break away, his head throbbing.
"Get out!" Walker yelled.
Jem and Maddock fled from the room. Wilf timidly followed them, closing the door behind him. Dakota remained with Walker, not saying a word. He still needed to speak with Walker, about what he was not sure.
A few minutes passed before Walker spoke. "A seer, huh?"
"Yes."
"So, you read their minds? That's how you knew..." He stared at Dakota in disbelief, the blue and green eyes studying him. Unlike their painted counterparts, these eyes did not burn.
Dakota nodded.
Walker exhaled heavily. He paced around the room, always staying within a couple of feet from Dakota, never taking his eyes off him. "What about the other one? Eli?"
"No, he's not a seer."
"How much do you know about me?" It sounded more like a dare than a question.
Dakota cleared his throat and, thinking carefully, answered, "I know that you're not as guilty as people think. But you're not innocent either."
Walker nodded in agreement. Some of the pressure left him. "Who else here knows you're a seer?"
"Just Eli."
Walker was quiet for a moment. Dakota thought it best not to read the man's mind. He had already proven how unpredictable he could be. "Stay here." Walker opened the door and spoke to a person walking by. "Go get Grendel, tell him to meet me here." He closed the door again.
"I'm not leaving this bunker, am I?" Dakota assumed. Not only was he a hostage, but a very valuable one. Where was Uriel? Why wasn't the angel by his side, as always? Dakota hoped he was planning an escape. Walker would never let Dakota out of his sight now. No chance of making a run for it.
"Just answer one question," said Walker, holding up an index finger. "Can you put thoughts in people's heads?"
Dakota peered inside Walker's mind. He saw the military base, faces of the people in charge. The plan was new, far from being fully formed. But Walker had a large enough window of time.
"I've never tried."
Walker grinned. "First time for everything."
42
Who's Fault Is It?
Margo entered the military clinic, trailed by Cass and Donovan. The building had originally been a clinic for the lumbermen. She imagined this building had seen more than its fair share of broken bones. They had been told nothing except that there was an accident. Her crew member had been injured during military activity, and she should come to the clinic immediately.
"Do you know where Hugo Carnaki is?" she asked a doctor.
The doctor tapped a few icons on his screen and replied, "He's in the recovery area. Down that hall at the end."
Margo thanked him and continued on her way.
The recovery area of the clinic was eerily quiet. Only Hugo, a young soldier, and two doctors occupied the pristine, white space that contained enough cots for a dozen patients. Hugo noticed Margo enter the room and turned the other way, facing right.
"I heard there was an accident," Margo said as she approached Hugo's cot.
"What else?" he asked.
"I know enough." In fact, she had only been told vague details with the promise that more would come. No reason Hugo should know that. If he believed she knew everything, he would be less inclined to lie.
Hugo slowly turned to face her, revealing the bandages on his right ear.
"Serves you right," said Margo. She had expected a lot worse. She walked away from Hugo's cot and went over to the soldier. The sleeve of his uniform had been cut off, and a bandage was wrapped around his upper left arm. Blood transfusions and stimulation wires connected to the major muscle groups were hooked up all over his arm. A common tactic used to save limbs from amputation.
"Excuse me?" Hugo replied as he whirled around and sat upright. "Why did I deserve to lose half an ear?"
"Because you were stupid enough to go after an anarchist."
"That anarchist has my brother. What was I supposed to do? Wait around and hope that he'll have a change of heart? That he'll do the right thing and let Eli go?" His voice trembled and his face grew deep red. Margo rarely saw him this upset. Even when he and Eli were neck deep in an argument, Hugo still maintained a sense of control.
"The military has the situation under control," replied Margo. "It was reckless of Captain Christie to allow civilian involvement in the first place."
"What if Eli's dead?" asked Hugo. Tears welled in his eyes. "What if this was my only chance to save him?"
"Nate's out there, too," said Cass. Tears brimmed her eyes as well. The poor girl blamed herself for Nate and Eli being captured. From what Margo understood, the fault laid in Nate running after Walker.
"Eli is my brother!" he yelled at her.
"And Nate is my friend." A single hot tear ran down Cass's cheek.
Donovan remained silent. He had not said a single word since learning of Eli and Nate’s capture. Another sight Margo had never seen. He just stared at Hugo, at the bandaged ear.
Hugo scoffed. "Some friend. He has done nothing but lie to us this whole damn time. Why even bother calling him Nate? It's not his real name."
One of the doctors glanced over at Hugo. She whispered something to her colleague. The other doctor nodded, casting a quick glance at Hugo. She then placed a medical chart on a counter and walked out of the room.
"It doesn't matter what his name is," Margo said, her eyes following the doctor and cursing under her breath. If Hugo screwed this up... She would deal with that issue later. "Cass is right. Two of our people are out there, and there's a good chance they might die. But someone already has."
Hugo buried his face in his hands. He remained motionless for several minutes, so long that Margo thought the conversation was over. Then Hugo said, "That's my fault, too. He's dead because I was so stupid. Dammit, I don't even know his first name."
"He's first name was Jacob, and it's nobody's fault," said the soldier. The name on his uniform read Graiko. A shot of panic coursed through her. That was Myrddin’s last name. Was there a relation?
"Is that supposed to make it better?" asked Hugo. He lied down on the cot, one arm crossed over his chest and the other over his face.
"Do you really think that's true?" Margo asked Graiko. He looked eerily similar to Nate and Myrddin. Same skin tone and build, but the eyes were a different color. Dark brown. Perhaps it was only a coincidence.
He sighed and said, "I mean, it's more my fault than his. My gun misfired. That's how they knew our position. And Zaks was heading off path."
"Off path?" Margo questioned.
Graiko hesitated. They must be in the territory of classified information. "Captain Christie designated the paths each team took today."
"Do you think it's possible that Walker intercepted that data?" Margo asked.
Graiko thought it over. "It would make sense. He seems to always be a step ahead of us."
"Could he have a contact from inside the base?" The answer to that, at least to Margo, was both logical and obvious.
The young soldier's eyes narrowed, reminding her of Myrddin. Maybe it was not coincidence. She filed it away for later contemplation. "That would make even more sense."
Margo turned and addressed Cass and Donovan. "Donovan, stay here and keep tabs on Hugo. Cass, come with me."
Donovan complied with a simple nod. He sat down in a spare chair, facing Hugo and Graiko. Cass followed Margo out of the clinic, close on her heels.
"What are you thinking?" Cass asked once they were outside.
"I have an idea who the leak is. Do you know who's here all the time but isn't here today?"
Cass racked her mind, going over every familiar face. "No! It can't be Wilf. He's too much of a sweetheart to be involved with Walker."
"Appearances can be deceiving." Margo had learned that lesson the hard way. "Have you seen that reporter again?"
"No," Cass scoffed. "He's probably back in Farson."
"Probably." But Margo had gone over that meeting multiple times. Singer was right next to her when they exited the headquarters. She looked at Cass for just a moment, not even two seconds, and then Singer was gone. Vanished into thin air. The area around headquarters was clear for several meters. So, unless he was a top tier athlete, he could not have disappeared that quickly. There was no logic to it.
"Stop," said the guard in front of the headquarters. Margo did not recognize her. Always someone new. "State your purpose."
Margo had not realized they were already there. Looking around, nothing about the surroundings had changed. Still no way she could have lost sight of Singer.
"I need to speak with Captain Christie," Margo explained. "I have vital information regarding Joseph Walker."
The guard rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you and every other local."
"I'm not a local." Though she did have the common dark hair and fair skin. "My name is Margo Symms, transport captain. Two of my crew members were captured by Walker—"
"Oh, that's you," exclaimed the guard, her eyes widening. She stepped aside and gestured for her and Cass to enter. "The captain was just talking about you and..." She grimaced. How well had she known Zaks, Margo wondered. "I'm so sorry. You may see Captain Christie if he's not busy."
Margo and Cass entered the building and walked down to the main office. Captain Christie was hunched over a map, discussing the best strategies with Commander Kurosawa. The three-dimensional overlay showed every part of the forest and town in exact detail. They looked up when Margo knocked on the door.
"Ms. Symms, please, come in," said the captain. His eyes were bloodshot. He opened his mouth to speak, but Margo beat him to it.
"Captain, I believe I know why Walker is getting the best of you."
"And why's that?" He furrowed his brow. The man acted more suspicious than the last time she met with him.
"I think Wilfred Ericksen is his mole, or was. Nobody seems to have seen him today."
The captain shook his head. "Are you telling me he was playing dumb this entire time?"
"That's my theory."
Christie turned to his second in command. "Kurosawa, put out an arrest warrant for Ericksen, create a search team. I want him found ASAP."
"Understood," she replied and exited the room.
"I should have never let that local into this camp. Maybe Lt. Zaks..." He sighed and shook his head slowly.
"I think he's capable of fooling anybody, sir."
Cass elbowed Margo in the arm. A look of disgust and disbelief spread across her face. Margo was sorry about hurting her feelings, but hard truths could not be ignored.
"Was there something else you wanted?" asked the captain, realizing that Margo was still there. He had returned his focus to the map.
"I wanted to know if you had a plan to finally capture Walker. He's holding two of my people hostage. The longer they're with him, the less chance they have of getting out alive."
"There is a plan that will be executed the day after tomorrow."
"But that could be too late," said Cass.
"That's a risk we must take." The captain stood ramrod straight, arms behind his back. "Walker is on to us now. Knows we're close. If we move out tomorrow, there's a high chance he will be waiting for us. More soldiers could be killed. And your people caught in the crossfires. But if we wait until the 20th, he will think we've backed off. He will be less prepared, and we'll have a much better chance of taking him alive. And getting your friends home safely," he added.
"I see the logic," said Margo. Better safe than sorry. Nothing inherently wrong with that strategy. She had used it herself plenty of times. But never against people willing to bomb a building filled with innocent people. Playing it safe might lead to disaster. "Anything we can do to help in the meantime?"
"Yes. Stay out of our way. If I've heard correctly, your crew member was with Zaks and Graiko during the ambush and might be responsible for Zaks's death. I will not allow another civilian to aid in military affairs. I believe you know the way out."
