The disappointment about Ridley and Manifold Genetics still stung. She had left the Army and Iraq disappointed enough, and she had gone to work for Gen Y, a security firm, whose sole client was Manifold Genetics. Manifold had seemed like the real deal—a biotech company that actually cared about people and about saving the world. Only a short time after going to work for them though, Beck had learned the truth. Manifold had been run by a megalomaniac that was obsessed with learning the secrets of human regeneration and immortality, at any cost. When it came down to it, she switched sides and helped Chess Team take him down. But at the end of the battle, she had taken the opportunity to slip away, unsure of her next move. She had traveled around a while, until running into a member of Chess Team once again, and this time, the team had had a job offer for her.
As Black Zero, she was Deep Blue’s right hand assistant in all things non-technical; White Zero handled the tech stuff along with Lewis Aleman and Deep Blue himself. Beck was computer proficient, but she was far better in the field. The Black side of the support organization was all pilots, mechanics, spooks and her. Deep Blue had told her she was to be his assistant in things logistical as well as an assistant to the team in field support matters, but she was also tasked with acting as Deep Blue’s personal bodyguard, and it was a task she took to heart. It didn’t take long to learn to like the guy. He was a natural and charismatic leader, calm and good natured, but startlingly brilliant in his ability to see the bigger picture. Beck hadn’t paid that much attention to the man when he was president, but when she was brought into the team, she quickly gained a huge respect for him as Deep Blue. She rapidly gleaned that this time, there was no mistake—Chess Team were the good guys, and Deep Blue was one of the best. The man had given up everything so he could keep his fingers in the game and make the most amount of difference. Within weeks, Beck went from enjoying the new job, to considering her role to be more of a calling, like a position in the priesthood. Tom Duncan was her guy, and she was dedicated to the core.
She continued her descent on the line, her climbing harness digging into her crotch. The rebreather equipment was a bit awkward—she’d never rappelled wearing it before—but she was still enjoying herself. She had always been up for adventure. That was why the Army had called to her, why she had gone to work for Manifold, why she had eventually bailed on them and ultimately why she had accepted the position with Chess Team’s support organization. She wanted to be on the side of the angels, but more than that, she wanted action. She knew helping a group that had recently dealt with creatures from Greek mythology, worldwide contagion and murderously animated rock monsters would put her in the thick of it. She slowed her descent as the floor of the cavern came into view below her in the small pool of LED light from her headlamp. The dark outside the circumference of the headlamp was complete, and she could hear nothing but the sound of her own breathing.
When she reached the floor, she unclipped her harness from the line, pulled out a strong Wagan 2057 12-volt halogen spotlight and swung the beam in a wide arc around her. The cavern was cold and damp, yet the heat from the contained air of the rebreather’s mask against her face had caused her to perspire slightly. The cavern was immense, with small tunnels and areas that weren’t quite tunnels, but rather smaller caverns, leading off in all directions. The beam of her spotlight could reach almost a mile, but there were sections of the chamber the beam could not reach, the distant darkness impenetrable. She turned the beam down to her feet. She could see the scuffle marks in the sand on the floor from where the Army team had come in and removed the explosive device.
Today, Deep Blue had tasked her with taking a look around, in case Manifold had left any other surprises in the cavern. The clean up team the Army had brought in years ago had only had retrieval of the device on their minds. Now that Deep Blue was going to make the Alpha facility into Chess Team’s permanent base of operations, exploration was warranted—or at least as much exploration as she could perform given the hour or so of fresh air her breathing apparatus contained. She checked the air gauge and again checked her wristwatch. The thing was bulky as hell, but she loved it because it was like a badge of honor—the first piece of team equipment she had been issued. Everyone got a Suunto. It wasn’t a watch she would have picked for herself, but she had come to love the day-glow yellow plastic around the bezel and the little level-bubble set into the plastic face of the device. The company that manufactured the watch called it a wrist-top computer, and she agreed with that assessment after Deep Blue had given it to her and handed her an inch thick instruction manual to go with it. Right now though, she was only concerned with the compass feature on the watch.