“Leave that to us. Just get out of there in one piece.”
Bullets ripped into the tree trunk at her back and across the dense ferns around her. She rolled, pulled the handgun from her holster, and emptied the magazine. She saw three soldiers fall. There were at least ten more behind them. She slid her last magazine in and began limping away. They were gaining on her, moving slower now, taking their time, hiding behind the palm trees that swayed in the wind. The smoke issuing from the window descended into the jungle and streaked across the glowing moon above. The darkness aided her retreat, but it wasn’t enough. Her time was short.
Explosions lit up the night sky above her—missiles from the expeditionary strike group, being intercepted by a missile defense system on the island. It was breathtaking, some of the world’s most advanced weapons of war fighting a duel over this placid island in the South Pacific. The strike group was winning. Their missiles began reaching the ground, which shook with every impact.
Avery hoped the soldiers would desist in the face of the air power, but they kept coming, closing in. She slid behind a tree and caught her breath. She was cornered. There was only one thing left to do.
“Overwatch, Medusa. Request tactical strike against hostiles near my location.”
The CIC responded immediately. “Medusa, Overwatch. Negative. Hostiles are too close—”
“Do it or I’m dead, Overwatch.”
A barrage of bullets ripped into the tree trunk beside her. Splinters sprayed across her left side as she dove to the ground. In the air, she saw a flash—a missile launch from a drone. A second later it landed at the feet of the soldiers, annihilating them. The ground below Avery erupted. She could feel the heat. For a split second, it felt as if she were in the grasp of a hurricane. The blast tossed her through the forest. A tree trunk broke her fall. But she didn’t get up this time. Her limp body lay there as burned debris fell on her, burying her.
Chapter 126
In the office above, Desmond rushed the troops who had fired at Avery. He leaped, colliding with Conner and one of the men. A fist connected with his face. He nearly blacked out from the impact. They pulled him to the ground and kicked him in his already injured ribs. He gasped for breath, but a knee landed on his chest, crushed him, suffocated him. The last thing he saw was the butt of a rifle coming down and connecting with his forehead.
Yuri eyed William. “Who did you bring with you, William?”
William stood silently, his hands still bound.
“Surely you didn’t bring your daughter here. That would be very dangerous.” Yuri studied him. “Then again, you were never afraid to push all-in, especially when the stakes were high.” He paused. “You did, didn’t you? Where is she?”
William didn’t answer.
“She’s not in the building,” Yuri said. “We would have seen her on the cameras.” Realization dawned on him. “But we don’t have cameras in the labs. The risk of espionage is too great. She’s there, isn’t she?”
When William still said nothing, Yuri snatched the handheld radio off the desk. “Major Reeves, Pachenko. Send a unit to the labs—right now. Secure Rapture access control. You’re also to apprehend Pey—”
William jumped up and rushed forward. His sprained ankle protested, but he closed the distance between him and Yuri. His hands were still bound behind his back, but he threw his head forward, connecting with his captor’s. He had to stop the man—to give Peyton and Charlotte a chance of escape.
Yuri slammed into the wall, William the floor. Yuri was out cold. William got to his feet just as the office door flew open and two guards rushed in, assault rifles raised. They fired as William desperately tried to lunge behind the desk.
In the situation room at the White House, the recently sworn-in president of the United States watched Chinook helicopters lifting off from air bases across the country. Drone footage showed BioShield reserve troops raiding the locations Rubicon had provided. Every single one of them had held doses of the cure so far. Those doses would be distributed within minutes.
The UK, Germany, Australia, China, Russia, and Canada had also confirmed dozens of Citium sites. They had done it. The United States would survive, but the president couldn’t help wondering what the nation he loved so much would look like in the aftermath of the pandemic.
The lab complex shook when the first blasts went off. Ceiling tiles dropped to the floor. Glass cabinets rattled. Vials fell and broke.
“We need to get out of here,” Lin said.
Peyton shook her head. “No. I’m not leaving until I get some answers.”
Charlotte matched her tone. “Neither am I.”
Peyton faced her brother. “Tell me what the cure is.”
He studied her but said nothing.
“Are you willing to risk our lives to keep your secrets?” She paused. “Explain it, and then we’ll leave.” It was a bluff, but she needed to know what the cure was.
Andrew swallowed, then spoke quietly. “It’s something new. A nanotech device.”
Peyton knew very little about nanomedicine. It was a growing field with incredible potential. Doctors were experimenting with nanorobots to do a number of things: treating cancer, delivering drugs to hard-to-reach parts of the body, and identifying pathogens. It was conceivable that it could be used to neutralize a virus or bacteria.
Her brother confirmed her theory with his next words. “The nanorobots find and inactivate the virus. They’re also programmed to do limited tissue repair in critical areas, reducing mortality.” His tone changed, grew bitter. “If more of the world’s governments had complied, the death rate would be a fraction of what it is.”
Peyton studied him. “What else does it do?”
Andrew said nothing.
“That’s what this is about, isn’t it? The pandemic was for this moment. The nanorobots you’re distributing within the cure—that’s the Looking Glass.”