2041 Sanctuary (Dark Descent) (36 page)

‘Can she hear me?’ he asked.

‘She drifts in and out of consciousness,’ the nurse said. ‘Whenever she wakes, she asks where you are.’

Steiner gently moved aside a lock of Amelia’s hair, which had fallen across one eye, and as he did so her eyelids flickered open. Turning her head with painful difficulty she focused on his face.

‘George,’ she said, her voice barely audible.

Her hand grasped his and he leaned in closer. ‘I’m here, my love,’ he told her, ‘I’m here.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, as ever thinking about him rather than herself.

‘What have you got to be sorry for?’

‘I don’t want to leave you, it’s too soon.’

‘You will never leave me,’ he said, his voice choking as his emotions overwhelmed him. ‘I love you.’

Her voice grew fainter. ‘Promise me, you will follow your dreams.’

‘I promise I will,’ he said as his tears came.

‘You can do great things, George,’ she whispered. ‘I believe in you—’

At those words she had lost consciousness, never to regain it. They’d turned off the life support equipment a few hours later and Steiner’s world had been changed forever. The first few years after his loss, his carefree demeanour had left him and bitterness had sought to consume his mind. His work had been his only motivator, fuelled by Amelia’s final words. Eventually he’d learnt to enjoy life once more, although he knew he’d never be able to love another woman like he did Amelia and so shied away from emotional bonds. On the odd occasion later in life when loneliness raised its ugly head, Steiner was in no position to act upon the instinct, as he was, by then, far too deeply entrenched in directing the GMRC’s Subterranean Programme.

Now, whenever Steiner needed inspiration or courage, something to light his darkest hours, the memory of Amelia, inextricably linked to the single gold band on his ring finger, gave him the strength of will he needed. Her presence, as ever, guided him in life as he knew it would in death.

The door to the washroom opened behind Steiner and a familiar face appeared to snap him out of his poignant thoughts. ‘They’re ready for you, Professor,’ Sophie said.

‘Thank you, my dear.’ He mustered a smile. ‘I’ll be right out.’

Steiner looked at himself in the mirror one last time. His usual grey GMRC uniform had been replaced by new and alien attire. A heavy climbing harness overlaid a pair of sturdy red coveralls normally reserved for Steadfast’s maintenance workers. Unlike the Special Forces commandos he was about to join, Steiner’s body was small and slightly rotund, his frame unsuited to the gear worn by the SFSD. Even the clothes he wore now had been hastily adjusted to suit. His normal footwear, comfortable GMRC issue, had also been substituted by special climbing shoes, adapted for use inside the man-made confines of USSB Steadfast.

Various ropes, krabs, cams, pulleys and clamps hung from him like the small tassels on a brightly coloured piñata; he just hoped he wouldn’t be broken open so others could see what lay inside. ‘Right then,’ he said to himself, ‘let’s get this show on the road.’

Pushing open the door, he walked out into a clearing surrounded by tall fir trees on one side and a sheer, light grey rock face on the other. Behind him stood the small outpost he’d just been inside, the building normally utilised by workers managing the underground ecosystem and bio-chamber complex in which he now found himself. The air here seemed fresher than elsewhere in the base, a pleasant by-product of the oxygenation process taking place within the forest of trees and plants that surrounded them. In the treetops a few birds could be heard whistling and chirruping to one another, unaware and uninterested in the events unfolding close by. A few hundred feet above, bolted to the chamber’s vast ceiling, the powerful, magnificent and all-encompassing sunlight generator threw down rays of light, bathing those beneath it in a warm and pleasant glow.

‘Professor,’ Nathan said, moving away from a crowd of people to meet him. ‘The team is assembled and ready to depart. As requested, the Darklight captain, Iwamoto, will be accompanying you along with nineteen of his men. With Samson’s Terra Force unit and the three communication technicians, there’ll be seventy-four of you making the ascent. Do you have everything you need? Iwamoto says he has some bulletproof clothing for you for when you reach the surface. Make sure you follow their every command. If the fighting is fierce, stay back until a safe path has been cleared.’

Steiner placed his hand on Nathan’s wrist. His friend’s face already looked stressed due to his new role as Acting Director of the base and his concern for Steiner’s safety was evident and quite touching.

‘Don’t worry about me,’ Steiner said. ‘I’m in safe hands.’

Nathan eyed Colonel Samson as he readied his men on the outer edge of the clearing. ‘That’s debatable.’

‘I was actually referring to Captain Iwamoto,’ Steiner said, following his friend’s gaze towards the man on whom so much of his plan rested.

‘The fact Samson knows about the next wave of asteroids unnerves me more than I can say,’ Nathan said as he looked back to Steiner, his brow creased and his voice drawn.

Steiner had been quick to tell Nathan about Samson’s new insight into the events that would be unfolding on the surface over the coming years. Nathan’s reaction had been that of shock and utter consternation, a feeling that Steiner well understood and shared.

‘There is little we can do about it,’ Steiner told him. ‘It appears he’s willing to keep the information to himself; we must hope he’s true to his word. The repercussions in Steadfast if such knowledge got out could be devastating, but if word spread on the surface—’ Steiner left his sentence hanging.

‘Would be an unprecedented disaster,’ Nathan finished for him. ‘I don’t understand why you didn’t have him arrested when you had the chance.’

‘Because he would have told all and sundry about the next wave of asteroids and his team wouldn’t act while their leader was imprisoned. Furthermore, despite what he says to the contrary, he may have another recording of the message I sent to Richard Goodwin. I trust Samson about as far as I can throw him.’

‘Perhaps he should be taken care of when he’s served his purpose?’

‘No,’ Steiner said. ‘I’m not Malcolm Joiner. Such a thought is beneath you, Nathan, I’m surprised at you.’

Nathan sighed. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just worried for you, for us all. The GMRC has worked so hard to ensure humanity’s continued survival. For a man such as Samson to have the slightest chance of endangering that, no matter how small that possibility may be, shouldn’t we do something about it?’

‘I’ll keep a close eye on him, you can be assured of that. Besides, Joiner’s Intelligence Division, despite its methods leaving a repugnant taste in the mouth, would be able to quash any chatter, if word did somehow begin to circulate.’

Nathan didn’t look convinced and he had to admit that Samson’s unpredictability left Steiner himself feeling nervous and exposed. The information Samson was now privy to gave him power a man such as he shouldn’t possess. As he looked in Samson’s direction again he saw that the colonel had completed his duties and was striding across the forest floor towards them.

‘This should be fun,’ Nathan murmured as Samson drew nearer.

‘Colonel,’ Steiner said to the Terra Force commander.

‘We’re ready,’ Samson answered the greeting, his customary lack of manners and respect seemingly unaltered.

‘Are you and your men prepared to engage U.S. Army personnel on the surface, Colonel?’ Steiner asked.

Samson bristled. ‘Why wouldn’t we be?’

‘Your team is still part of the U.S. Army. You’ll effectively be fighting men on your own side. Now that the time approaches I find it hard to believe your team hasn’t voiced any concerns over the issue.’

‘They haven’t and nor will they,’ Samson said matter-of-factly. ‘We’re Special Forces; we are trained for all eventualities. My men will follow my orders without question.’

‘And you will follow the professor’s,’ Nathan added.

Samson paused as he looked at Nathan and then back to Steiner. ‘Of course.’

‘I only ask, Colonel,’ Steiner continued, ‘because we’re in a highly unorthodox situation. Our priority is to ensure the safety of the men and women of this base, despite what Intelligence Director Joiner has planned for them.’

‘How do you know the GMRC or the government aren’t complicit in Joiner’s action?’ Samson said. ‘Perhaps you have been deemed surplus to requirements, along with everyone else in Steadfast.’

Nathan’s temper rose. ‘Preposterous. The professor has almost single-handedly made the global Subterranean Programme the force it is today; without his innovations and designs the world’s preparations would be a shadow of what they are.’

Steiner, remaining calm, touched Nathan’s arm to halt his defence. ‘You are quite right to question the motives of those above ground, Colonel. We are cut off and without any knowledge of what occurs in our absence. However, let me be clear that I believe Joiner is acting alone and does not have the support of the Government or GMRC Directorate. He may well be manipulating those in power to deflect his actions and explain away Steadfast’s communication issues and my sudden disappearance. Make no mistake, as soon as I have regained a position of safety and a platform from which to address the Directorate, I will have Joiner removed from office and punished for his crimes, along with all those that aided him.’

‘Strong words,’ Samson said. ‘I hope you’re able to back them up when it matters.’

‘It matters now.’ Steiner watched Sophie, now Nathan’s primary aide, approach.

‘Gentlemen,’ she said by way of interruption, ‘the last of the engineers has pulled out of the tunnel; the way into the conduit shaft is clear.’

‘Thank you, Sophie,’ Steiner replied and then held out an arm to Samson, inviting him to lead the way. ‘Shall we?’

Samson grunted and stalked off to his fifty strong SFSD contingent, who had now assembled close to where the entrance to the destroyed emergency stairwell had been excavated. Steiner, followed by Nathan and his retinue, walked over to the twenty strong Darklight team. Captain Iwamoto extricated himself from an animated conversation with his lieutenants to meet Steiner as he approached.

‘Director General.’ Iwamoto greeted him with a perfunctory bow, his Japanese accent indicative of the various nationalities that made up the private security forces of Darklight.

‘Captain Iwamoto,’ Steiner said, addressing the lean figure of the black-clad officer, ‘ready for the off?’

‘Yes, sir.’ Iwamoto’s voice implied otherwise.

‘Is there a problem, Captain?’

‘Sir, some of my team are still reluctant to work alongside the Colonel and his men.’

Steiner stifled a sigh. ‘I thought this wasn’t going to be an issue.’

‘I didn’t think it would be, sir, but now that they’re alongside the SFSD it seems tensions are running high.’

‘It is understandable,’ Steiner said. ‘I’ve asked a lot of the men and women within the Darklight ranks while you have been deployed here at Steadfast. Ever since you arrived circumstances have been anything but run-of-the-mill. I can well understand the difficulty of working with those who, only some months ago, were responsible for the deaths of many of your colleagues. Since I ordered your release from their custody, I have tried to keep Darklight personnel away from U.S. military forces within the base as best I could. To put your two sides together now would not have been considered were it not totally necessary.’

Steiner made sure they were out of earshot of anyone else before continuing. ‘I require your protection, Captain. While I believe that the colonel will do his duty, I do not have the same faith in him as I do in Darklight. The colonel will be susceptible to being coerced into the fold of his military superiors once on the surface and, as we know, these generals are being controlled, directly or indirectly, by Malcolm Joiner. I will be relying on your men and women to ensure my safety and freedom; my capture may prove disastrous for those left behind in this base. If you can instil in your unit the importance of their involvement in this mission, it may serve to help put aside their animosity to those working beside them.’

Iwamoto, after listening intently to every word Steiner said, nodded his understanding. ‘Thank you, sir. Your words are welcome and I will relay them to my team.
Aisatsu wa toki no ujigami
,’ he added in Japanese.

Steiner raised an eyebrow, unsure of what had just been said.

‘It means,
a word of mediation at the right time is blessed
,’ Iwamoto said.

Steiner smiled, nodded and held out a hand, which Iwamoto shook. The Darklight captain then bowed low before retreating to re-engage his lieutenants.

Steiner watched the captain for a moment and then moved away to make his final goodbyes to those remaining behind, including Sophie, who gave him a warm embrace.

Nathan came to stand by Steiner’s side as the first of Samson’s men disappeared into the excavated hole in the cliff face. ‘This is it then.’

‘It appears so,’ Steiner said, feeling a mixture of emotions as he prepared to say goodbye to his friend, quite possibly for the last time. ‘I will do everything in my power to get you all out as soon as I can. If I fail you know what to do.’

Nathan nodded and held out a hand, which Steiner clasped in both of his.

‘Be careful, Professor.’

‘Likewise my dear friend; good luck.’

‘Good luck to you too, to us all.’

Steiner gave Nathan’s hand a final squeeze, released his grip and looked around at those assembled. ‘Until we meet again,’ he said, and with a confident smile and a farewell wave he turned and followed Samson’s men into the tunnel.

Chapter Twenty One

The climb so far had been cramped, long and arduous, and they still had a way to go until they reached the surface. Steiner had lost count of the number of times his small safety helmet had clonked against a wall or pipe of some description. Sweat drenched his clothing as he exerted himself far beyond what he normally had to endure. Those around him took some of the strain, assisting his ascent using a pulley system laid down by those preceding them. He was grateful for all the help he could get; he was, after all, in his early sixties and by far the oldest of those making their way to the surface.