Meteorite Strike (12 page)

DON'T!

The soldier froze. Sarah aimed the dart-rifle at him, still gasping for breath.

Drop yours in the water. And the pistol.

Without a word, the soldier tossed his weapon into the broken section. It disappeared under the water. He then unclipped his pistol from its holster and tossed that as well.

Very good. Now sit down with your hands on your head.

Sarah laughed spontaneously as the soldier, muscle-bound and over two metres tall, sat down obediently before her. She lowered the dart-gun and shook her head.

“What are you doing?” Major Bright demanded excitedly, running up as the other soldier emerged from the tank, shaking his head in confusion. “Why did you throw away your weapons? Tell me!”

“I don't think they had much choice,” a female voice said from the edge of the pool.

Both Sarah and Major Bright looked round at the person who'd spoken. She was an attractive woman dressed in a white lab coat. Sarah detected an air of authority about her that suggested she was more than just another HIDRA scientist, however. She was a little breathless, as if she'd been running, and there was anger in her eyes.

“I'm calling off this little experiment, Major Bright,” the woman ordered, glaring at him.

“Colonel Moss wants results—” Bright began.

“That's enough, Major!” the woman interrupted, clearly trying hard to keep calm. “You seem to have forgotten I outrank you, even if I am a scientist.”

Inside his helmet, Major Bright's face went a shade of red that bordered on purple, but he said nothing. The woman ran a hand through her long, black hair and turned her attention to Sarah. She was about Major Bright's age, but her face was warmer, more intelligent. She certainly didn't look like any of the military people Sarah had met so far at HIDRA.

“Hi, my name's Rachel,” the woman said with a smile. “I'm sorry we haven't met before now.”

Sarah took a step forward and pointed the dart-gun at her. Rachel gestured to the open door behind her.

“Come on, I want to help you,” she said. “How far do you really think you're going to get like that?”

Sarah looked at the weapon in her hand – not much use against all of HIDRA. The woman had a point. She lowered it.

Rachel smiled. “We've got a lot to talk about, Sarah. I'll leave your men to clean up this mess, Major.”

He gave a grunt of disapproval.

Sarah looked from Rachel to Major Bright and back again. After a moment's consideration, she threw the dart-gun into his arms and walked to the edge of the tank. Rachel draped a towel over her shoulders and led her out of the building.

17

“Shouldn't I be in one of the bubbles?” Sarah asked as Rachel led her from the building across the HIDRA complex. It seemed strange to be walking around with nothing to separate her from the outside world. The atmosphere inside the dome was unexpectedly stuffy, as if it were full of air recycled too many times. There was something stale about it.

“Your tests came back negative,” Rachel explained. “You're not a carrier any more and neither is Robert. So, no more bubbles.”

Rachel led her to a small building and showed her inside. It was some kind of office, with computers, microscopes and other machines Sarah didn't recognize arranged on tables. There was also a television and DVD in one corner, next to a folding bed. Sarah frowned at the set-up as Rachel showed her over to a chair and flicked on a kettle.

“Do you live in here?” she asked as the woman fixed two mugs of instant coffee.

Rachel looked round the room and nodded with a faint smile.

“I don't get out much,” she admitted.

“You're a scientist?” Sarah asked, looking along a line of expensive-looking microscopes. It was then she saw the name plaque next to the computer:
Dr. Rachel Andersen, Chief Scientist
.

“Oh, I see,” Sarah said. “You're the one in charge here.”

Rachel turned and handed her a mug. “I wouldn't say that. But I have some say in what goes on. Enough to put Major Bright in his place. He's Colonel Moss's second-in-command, but I outrank him.”

“Was the water tank your idea or his?”

Rachel pulled up a chair and sat before her, cradling the coffee in her hands. She looked into Sarah's eyes. “I didn't know that was going to happen. The moment I found out, I came running. Do you believe me?”

Sarah concentrated on Rachel and had the overwhelming impression she was telling the truth.

“I guess.”

Rachel smiled. “Are you warm enough? How's the drink?”

“Very good,” Sarah replied, taking another sip. Her eyes fell on a set of photographs pinned above a computer workstation: two girls about Robert's age in identical school uniforms. They were both dark-haired like Rachel and had her brown eyes.

Rachel followed Sarah's gaze. “My girls. Audrey and Katherine. They're nine and eleven.”

“Are they here?” Sarah asked.

“No, with their father back in England,” Rachel replied, sadness in her voice. “I get back to them as much as possible, but the fall virus has kept me pretty busy since the outbreak in South America. Looks like I won't be seeing them for a while now…”

“It must be hard for you,” Sarah said. “To be so far away, I mean.”

Rachel nodded and looked back at her. “It's the hardest thing in the world. But whenever I miss them too much, I think about what would happen if something like the fall virus found its way to Europe. That's what I'm working for – to keep them safe.”

“So, you can't go home until you find the cure,” Sarah said.

“Something like that.”

“What do you want from me, Rachel?”

“I'd like you to tell me how you got out of the tank,” the scientist replied bluntly.

Sarah shrugged. “The soldiers are the ones who broke the glass. Ask them.”

“I don't think they'd be able to tell me themselves, do you? They didn't seem fully in control of their actions. I can help you, Sarah. But you have to start being honest with me. You must've worked out by now that the tests are about more than just finding a cure for the virus.”

Sarah thought back to the sleep sensors, the room with the noise, the tank.

“Okay, let's do it like this,” Rachel said finally. “I'll answer one of your questions truthfully for every one of mine you answer. Deal?”

Sarah thought for a moment. “Fine. What are—”

“And I get to ask the first question,” Rachel interrupted, holding up a finger. “How did you get out of the tank?”

“I made the soldier shoot the glass,” Sarah replied, giving as little as possible. “What are you doing with Robert?”

“He's safe, undergoing tests like you have. But I promise he won't be put in the tank. Nobody will be again. How did you make the soldier do that?”

“I can do…things. I saw into his mind and made him draw his gun.”

Saying it out loud, it sounded unbelievable even to Sarah herself. However, Rachel merely sat back in her chair and nodded as if she'd been expecting such an answer.

“Why am I being kept apart from Robert?” she pressed.

Rachel regarded her evenly. “Because some people around here are afraid of what you might be able to do together. That's why you've been isolated. Have you spoken to your brother since the tests began?”

“No,” Sarah began, but then corrected herself. “I hear his voice sometimes. In my head. Why are they afraid? Who's afraid?”

Rachel grinned. “That's two questions, so I'll only answer one. Young people who come into contact with the fall virus and are immune to its effects tend to develop new abilities, just like the ones you've talked about. Mind-reading, telekinesis, telepathic communication – all possible side-effects for those who have immunity. Pretty scary, don't you think?”

“Yes,” Sarah replied. “And I'm counting that as a question. So tell me who's afraid.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow at that, but answered anyway. “Some of the soldiers. HIDRA is made up of both scientists, like me, and the military, like our friend Major Bright. Let's just say, each group has different ideas about how things should be run. What happened in the tank today isn't going to help. They probably won't like the idea of a fourteen-year-old girl being able to control where they point their guns.”

“Then they shouldn't have tried to drown me, should they?” Sarah replied angrily. “Why did they do that?”

“The development of these abilities has been linked to traumatic events,” Rachel explained, even though it was her turn to ask a question. “It seems that a highly stressful situation – like the water tank – can give the mind a push. Maybe it's the natural survival instinct forcing the body to use the power given by the virus. Colonel Moss developed the tank test after the Colombian meteorite. I hate to say it, but it seems to have worked with you, hasn't it?”

Sarah shook her head, remembering what happened when Colonel Moss told them about Daniel. That's when Robert had first projected his thoughts into her mind. Was it the shock that broke his mental block? And she had to admit the tank had forced her to discover how to control the soldiers…

“That's horrible,” she said. “And you work for that guy?”

“Colonel Moss's methods have become very questionable since the Colombian meteorite,” Rachel said, leaning forward in her chair. “But he still has the support of some influential people. That's why I believe I can do more good on the inside of HIDRA. When I have enough evidence against him, I'll make sure he's removed.”

Sarah looked at her sceptically. She was getting used to not trusting anyone around the base.

Rachel seemed to read her thoughts. “Look into my mind, Sarah. You'll see I'm on your side…”

Sarah hesitated for a moment, before focusing her attention on Rachel, picking a spot between her eyes. Slowly, images began to form, as if a wireless connection was downloading them directly into her brain. At first they were a confused jumble, just as when she had connected with the soldier, but this time Sarah found she could sort them more quickly. One image stood out from the rest and she zeroed in on it, until it filled her consciousness. She closed her eyes…

Inside a building Sarah has never seen… Rachel stands opposite Colonel Moss, hands on her hips…

“I want to know why we're putting these children through this, Colonel,” she demands. Behind her, Sarah can make out monitors showing children in other rooms. Some are sleeping, while others are being attended by suited scientists – all are alone…

“The side-effects have priority, Dr. Andersen,” Colonel Moss replies curtly, as if this is a conversation they've had before.

“HIDRA's primary objective is finding a cure for the virus,” Rachel protests. “General Wellman made it perfectly clear—”

“General Wellman is sixteen thousand kilometres away,” Colonel Moss interrupts. “As long as we contain the virus to mainland Australia, the general will be perfectly happy. You might have his ear at the Paris HQ, but you're a long way from there now and way out of your depth.”

The colonel opens a drawer and pulls out a wad of email printouts. He throws them on the desk. Rachel runs her hand over them.

“You've been intercepting my emails?” she says, anger rising in her voice. “This is a gross breach of privacy, Colonel. On what grounds have you done this?”

“I don't mind you going behind my back to the general,” Moss continues, ignoring her question. “Now, what did you write again…?”

“That your methods are questionable,” Rachel replies. “And that you seem to have lost sight of our humanitarian objective.”

Colonel Moss's blue eyes are as hard as diamonds. “What disappoints me, Rachel, is that you can't see that we're in the middle of something bigger than finding vaccinations for a few civilians. We're at the start of a war, and you're either with us or against us.”

Rachel shakes her head. “Our only priority is the sleepers! We've got an epidemic on our hands.”

Colonel Moss slams his fist on the desk. “HIDRA's priority is whatever I say it is. This is a military–scientific operation, Dr. Andersen, but the military comes first. The power those children are developing is a weapon, whether you want to acknowledge that or not. Either we unlock the secrets of that weapon, or the wrong people will. We've been getting nowhere with the Williams girl. I've decided it's time to push a little harder.”

“What are you talking about?” Rachel demands.

“Traumatic events clearly force their abilities to new heights,” Colonel Moss states. “Telekinesis. Telepathy. The CIA has been trying to develop this for sixty years! Putting those kids under stress can yield excellent results, as we saw with the Colombian boys…”

“The tank!” gasps Rachel. “I won't allow it again…”

“Too late,” Colonel Moss replies. “The girl is already being processed.”

Rachel runs from the room…

Sarah opened her eyes again and the images faded.

“The colonel – why did you want me to see that?” she asked.

“Because I want you to trust me,” Rachel replied. “Not everyone here is like Colonel Moss and Major Bright. As soon as I can get enough evidence to use against him, I'm going to make sure he loses his command. But for the moment he's in control. That means we have to work with him.”

Sarah looked round the office – so cramped and small compared to Colonel Moss.

“Why don't your people just take over?” she asked.

Rachel shook her head. “Again, my people are scientists – not fighters. The majority of HIDRA soldiers are just following orders, but the colonel's Special Forces are one hundred per cent behind him. Colonel Moss isn't just going to relinquish command because a few scientists ask him to – and don't think for a moment they wouldn't use force to put down a mutiny. Right now, we can achieve more by playing along with the colonel.”