HALLOWED_GROUND Read online

  Agent Wong made a mental note of it. “Thank you, Dr. Young. Keep me posted if you run across anything else that might help us stop him. I’m going to get on the horn and try to get some help on this.â€�

  Jay stood to see the agent out. “I’d say you’ll need it.â€�

  “I can at least say one thing for the kid…he’s done away with a major problem. We never could touch the men running the Ring, through the courts. Stokes has done Imperial City a favor,â€� Agent Wong mused.

  Jay gave him an unsure look. Agent Wong stifled a laugh. “Don’t look so surprised, Dr. Young. I’m a realist. Those men were about as guilty as anyone could be, but they operated above the law. I can appreciate justice, even when it comes from outside the system.â€� Agent Wong tapped his ID card and slipped it into the download slot on the holo-reader. The file on Stokes downloaded within a second, then pinged.

  He removed the card, replacing it in his jacket pocket. “I’ll be in touch, Dr. Young. Get your people out of here as soon as you can.â€�

  Jay nodded, watching him go. He turned to Todd, still waiting with his cell phone. “Should I give the evacuation order, sir?â€�

  “Tell the department managers to send everyone home, but don’t call it an evacuation. I don’t want panic. In the meantime, I’ve got a special job for you to take care of.â€�

  HALLOWED_GROUND

  8 CRYONICS

  Jay descended in the magnetic lift deep into the bowels of the Halo Tech building. He had sent Lily with Margot to a safe house and gone throughout the building meeting with department heads while this final matter was attended to. He couldn’t leave without this one person.

  The lift opened at sub level ten located nearly one hundred feet below ground. Jay had been required to produce his ID card and a retinal scan to even enter this particular lift. Only two other individuals had the clearance to get this far, Todd Metz being one. The other individual stood waiting at the lift door.

  “Dr. Mathers, how are you?â€� Jay asked as he exited. A middle-aged Caucasian with slicked back, white hair rubbed his hands nervously in the corridor.

  “Well, a little surprised to tell you the truth, Dr. Young.â€� The two men walked together down a short corridor where a coded vault door waited. Dr. Mathers entered his code, hit enter, and then scanned his retina. The vault door opened smoothly. “I know you wanted to proceed hurriedly, Jay, but these things take some time.â€�

  Jay walked through the door, following Dr. Mathers. “I understand, Tim, but we’ve got a big problem probably heading our way.â€�

  “What sort of problem?â€�

  “One of Sarkov’s Halo Project kids has escaped…Samuel Stokes to be precise,â€� Jay said, rubbing his forehead.

  Dr. Mathers stopped short. “I thought Stokes had already been taken to Compound Seven months ago.â€�

  “Apparently not. Sarkov was trying to do just that, when the Ring sent people to kidnap him. Some of Sarkov’s staff were working with them.â€�

  “What could they possibly do with the boy—offer him for ransom?â€� Mathers asked.

  Jay rubbed the back of his head. “They wanted a weapon. He’s killed some of them and escaped. Samuel also flattened the Psy-Corp laboratory last night—dropped the American Standard Bank building on top of it.â€�

  Dr. Mather’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “I had no idea the boy commanded such power.â€�

  “I don’t think any of us realized it. I’ve started an evacuation of Halo Tech.â€�

  “Why would he come here?â€� Mathers asked.

  “The FBI is working the case now, and they feel Samuel might target Halo Tech as the controlling force behind Psy-Corp.â€� Jay started walking further into the vault chamber. “I hope they’re wrong, but we can’t take any chances. That’s why we have to get Jonathan out of here.â€�

  Dr. Mathers led Jay to a chemical chamber where Jonathan Hallowed’s cryonically preserved body floated within a bath of pink fluid. “I began the emergence process as soon as you told me.â€� Intravenous tethers linked Jonathan’s body to a control module located on the outside of the tank. Plastic bags of plasma, whole blood, and electrolyte solutions hung from an IV pole mounted on the unit. “He’s receiving fluid transfusions now…probably take another two hours to complete the process, including starting his heart again and bringing his body temperature up to normal parameters.â€�

  Jay watched his friend and mentor floating lifeless in the tank. He had wanted for so long to wake the man who had changed his life, but the cure for the hyper-metabolism, caused by Trenton Hallowed’s mutagen, had never come to fruition. Now, Jay had no choice. He couldn’t simply leave him here to die in the same sort of disaster Stokes had wrought upon Psy-Corp. “I’m going to go back upstairs and make sure everyone gets out safely. I’ll bring some dinner when I come back in a few hours.â€�

  “I’d appreciate it, Jay. I’m not sure if Jonathan we’ll be in the mood for solid food yet, but I’d sure like something—maybe a sirloin, if anyone is still in the cafeteria to cook it?â€�

  Jay turned to go. “I’ll see what I can rustle up. Take care of Jonathan for me.â€�

  “He’s in good hands,â€� Mathers assured him.

  Jay walked back toward the vault entrance. He glanced to his right at a steel chamber left unmarked, save for the small backlit interface displaying temperature data and structural integrity of the cell within. Jay shuddered, remembering the beast caged within this special cryo vault.

  Trenton Hallowed remained entombed there. Jay had often thought about destroying the remains of the Nemesis creature Trenton Hallowed had become. He had never been able to bring himself to do it. Trenton Hallowed might still hold the final key to saving Jonathan—too dangerous to awaken, too valuable to destroy.

  Jay continued toward the vault entrance. He entered his code, and the massive door allowed him to exit. He glanced at the emergency ladder tube which accessed the street level directly, then kept walking. He punched in his code at the elevator and waited. The doors opened, he stepped inside. Just a few more hours and they could get out of the Halo Tech building. He only hoped it would be enough time.

  HALLOWED_GROUND

  9 DIRECTIVES

  Agent Daniel Wong descended several stories underground within the Federal Building, located on the west side of Hilton. When the elevator doors opened, several guards waited in the corridor armed with machine guns. A plexiglass arch stood between the guards and Agent Wong.

  The guards watched him as he left the elevator and approached the retinal scanner located on the right side of the arch. Daniel placed his face in the chin cup, waiting while his retinal pattern was identified. He then spoke his password into the vocoder. A chime indicated a correct identification, and the static field held within the arch dissipated.

  Daniel walked through the arch, giving a slight nod to the guards as he passed. Beyond, stood the door to the office of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Martin Cash. The director had his own office in every state. Daniel had only met the man twice—once at his swearing in ceremony and another time at a dinner honoring the former director before passing the torch.

  Daniel stood at the black door and waited until a female voice responded to his presence. “Identify please.â€�

  “Special Agent, Daniel Wong, to see Mr. Cash.â€�

  The black door slid to the left inside the door frame with the slightest whisper. Daniel walked inside the office of the director’s personal assistant. He saw that the voice coming over the speaker in the door belonged to a young woman of Indian descent. Her dark hair fell around her shoul
ders. She did not smile when she looked at him. “Mr. Cash will see you now.�

  Daniel nodded. “Thank you.â€� Then he went to the next door. It slid aside for him. Beyond, sat the desk of the director. He motioned for Daniel to come inside from his brown leather chair. “Please take a seat, Agent Wong. I trust you’ve acquired some interesting information for us?â€�

  Daniel sat down in one of the two chairs situated before the large wooden desk. “I have indeed, sir.â€� Daniel removed his ID card and placed it in the reader slot built into Mr. Cash’s desk. The holo-display instantly accessed the data files and displayed icons for each. Daniel tapped the floating icon labeled “Samuel Stokes.â€�

  Mr. Cash watched the image through steepled fingers. Stokes performed each test, mastering greater complexity with his power. Cash’s right eyebrow rose as he watched the boy manipulate the stream of water. “Very interesting.â€� He leaned forward, watching Stokes blow apart an old surplus M-1 tank. “Impressive.â€�

  Daniel sat straighter in his chair. “I thought you would find it so, sir.â€�

  “So impressive that we want him,â€� Cash said, bluntly.

  “Excuse me?â€�

  “Daniel, do you have any idea how valuable this kind of power could be to us? Why, the research alone is worth billions…imagine the possibilities…if we could produce an army of these people, they would tip the balance of power in the world.â€�

  Daniel cleared his throat. “Sir, the boy is out of control. He’s already killed Dr. Sarkov and everyone else at Psy-Corp, not to mention wiping out the men behind the Ring.â€�

  “I thought Sarkov was killed by the hijackers.â€�

  “Yes, sir, he was, but my point is that Stokes destroyed Psy-Corp out of revenge. No one has been able to control him. What he did in that video footage is only the beginning of his power. Dr. Young, over at Halo Tech, told me the boy has become even more powerful since going through puberty.â€�

  Mr. Cash was still staring at the video rather than listening to Daniel’s warning. “More power? That’s a good thing. The more valuable he will be to us.â€�

  “Sir, the research at Psy-Corp has been destroyed…Stokes saw to that personally. We don’t have any idea how to replicate what he was doing—â€�

  “That’s why it’s so imperative that we get the boy.â€� Mr. Cash stood up and walked around the desk. “Daniel, I understand you have concerns, but this comes straight from the Director of National Intelligence.â€�

  Daniel nodded. “Yes, sir, I understand.â€�

  “We’ll give you anything you need, but we want the boy captured alive. Anything you can uncover that might help us to hold the boy’s loyalty would obviously be invaluable, as well.â€�

  Daniel stood. “I’ll do the best I can, sir.â€�

  Mr. Cash patted him on the shoulder and turned him toward the door. “I’m sure you will, my boy, I’m sure you will.â€�

  HALLOWED_GROUND

  10 REVENGE

  Joey Fortello watched the GPS map and the blinking dot representing Silas Chang’s car. He clenched his teeth, thinking about his former crew boss. He had sent some of his people to retrieve Silas the night before, only to have them all killed when the bank building, across the highway, came down on top of the Psy-Corp Laboratory.

  Silas’ black BMW sedan drove down Tenth Street ahead of them. “This is it, boys. Payback time. Cut him off at the next light.â€�

  Joey’s driver nodded. “I’m on it.â€� Three gunmen sat ready in the rear seat with machine guns. A black van followed behind with even more men and weapons. Joey had no intention of taking any chances. “Remember, the kid’s dangerous. Don’t give him a chance to use those powers of his. We hit him hard and fast. Remember what he did to our crew.â€�

  •

  Samuel sat back in the driver’s seat trying to relax. The Halo Tech building loomed ahead reaching toward the sky at eighty stories. Somehow, he had expected to feel the girl’s presence, but nothing yet. If nothing else, he knew Dr. Young worked here and that would lead him to the girl.

  The traffic light turned red as he approached the intersection. Dusk would not come for another hour. He stopped at the intersection and waited. Only a mile to go. Then he would be at Halo Technologies.

  Samuel heard a squeal as a black BMW, like the one he was driving, charged around and stopped in front of him. Another squeal came from behind. He watched through the white tire smoke as a black van lurched sideways in the street. The side door flew open, revealing armed gunmen. He turned back to find the windows down on the BMW and a gun barrel aimed in his direction. Two men got out on the other side, rounding the car with machine guns.

  They all opened fire at once, spraying the car with hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Samuel was trapped. He ducked below the dash, the windows exploding all around him. Glass cut into his skin. At least two bullets hit him in the leg and upper arm, near his left shoulder.

  Samuel screamed in anger and pain. With his mind, he blew the pocked roof right off the car and shot his body out of the deathtrap as though from a cannon. The startled gunmen backed off for a moment, the roof flipping away from the car into the street. They hadn’t realized Samuel was out of the car.

  He came down softly in the middle of the intersection behind their BMW. One of the gunmen saw him and cried out to the others. “There he is!â€�

  Samuel squeezed with his mind, and the black BMW, with three men still inside, imploded like an old aluminum can crushed in hand. The gunmen stared in disbelief, until the gas tank erupted. The two men standing near the car burst into flame before they could run.

  One of the men fell, burning in the street while the other screamed, firing his gun into the ground until, he too, fell over dead. The others were too dumbfounded to know what to do. Samuel didn’t wait for them to figure it out.

  He lashed out with his mind, and the men flew back into the side of the van. The windows burst out, and the side caved in with the impact. The driver mashed the accelerator, trying to peel away, but Samuel held the vehicle—tires squealing like a pig. He flipped the black van over onto the gunmen. Exhausted, Samuel collapsed in the middle of the street.

  His wounds bled through his clothes in several places. Commuters had stopped by now and stood far off, wondering what to do for the situation. Police sirens already screamed from some distance away. He had to get out of here.

  Samuel sat up, examining his wounds. One bullet had gone into his left thigh, the other into his left bicep and out again. There was nothing he could do for the arm. He concentrated on the bullet in his leg, willing it to surface. The pain grew unbearable. Samuel did his best to separate his mind from it, concentrating.

  The bullet surfaced at the skin and fell out as he exhaled the breath he’d been holding. It brought some relief, but not much. Fresh blood pooled to the surface and ran down his leg. The sirens grew closer. He had to leave.

  Samuel managed to stand again, hobbling down the street toward Halo Tech. His leg burned and ached. So did the arm. He had been surprised by some of Silas Chang’s thugs—ironic that Silas had already been dead for hours when his revenge came calling. Samuel tried to concentrate on walking and slowing the blood flow to his wounds.

  Behind him, bystanders cried out to one another, trying to do something for the men lying under the van, but it was too late for them. No one seemed willing to approach Samuel, though he obviously needed medical attention. In his mind, Samuel dared them to say anything. He trudged on. Halo Tech waited.

  HALLOWED_GROUND

  11 RESURRECTED

  Dusk approached, when Jay entered the secure elevator on his way back down to the underground cryo vault facility. Li
ly had called already to say that she had fed Margot and sat her in front of one of her favorite movies at the safe house—actually Jay’s second home purposely left unregistered to his name. It comforted him to know his little girl was safe.

  The elevator deposited him down at the cryo vault. Dr. Mathers didn’t meet him this time, so Jay passed through the code doors alone. At the last, he stopped and took a deep breath. He had not seen Jonathan awake in thirty years.

  While Jonathan had remained a young man, Jay had entered middle age. Jonathan had been his mentor when Jay was fifteen. Now the tables had truly turned. Jay wondered if Jonathan would even recognize him.

  He punched in the last code and walked through the doorway into the cryo vault. At the far end of the vault, he spotted Dr. Mathers. He stood looking at someone out of Jay’s view whose legs were dangling over the edge of an exam table, wearing dark blue, scrub pants. Dr. Mathers looked at Jay as he walked toward them.

  When Mathers stepped back away from the exam table, Jonathan slid down to the floor on his bare feet. He wore the matching scrub top. His head held only a light stubble since he had been told to shave it for cryo preservation. Jonathan looked noticeably rattled when he laid eyes on Jay.

  They walked toward one another. Jonathan still looked so young. Jay couldn’t believe how old he had become while Jonathan remained the same. They came within a few feet of one another. Jonathan looked him up and down. “Jay, is it really you?â€�