Element Zero

wet floor, where several sets of clothing were bunched. The smell got worse as I headed down a row of equipment, my sleeve pressed over my nose and mouth.

Fawkes, you cannot destroy that transmitter. The variant is spreading out of control.

That’s the point.

Past the racks of dark equipment were three bodies lying facedown in the chemical spill. The lab must have been sectioned off from the main climate system, and Leichenesser had dissipated before it made it this far in. All three of them looked human, and were dressed in lab coats. One of them had been shot in the throat.

Something’s wrong, Fawkes. They’re going to nuke the city anyway.

You’re lying.

I’m not lying. The launch has been initialized.

If that’s true, then it doesn’t matter if I destroy the transmitter or not.

They’re trying to stop the spread. If it can’t be stopped using the transmitter, then those nukes are going to fall, Fawkes. I believe you; I don’t think you ever had any intention of destroying this city. Don’t let this happen—

Fawkes broke the connection.

A heavy, temperature-controlled vat sat in the wreckage ahead, and I saw that a gray hand had broken the surface. A series of glass jars connected with chrome tubes had been shattered, the sharp edges stained black. Inside one I saw the slick lump of a human liver trailing wires. Another had spilled out a long coil of intestine that hung from the glass edge down to the floor, where black blood had pooled. I stepped in something soft as I banked left around the equipment, toward the exit.

As I shoved open the door, something lunged out in front of me. I ran headlong into a large figure, almost bowling us both over as I grabbed a fistful of shirt collar and spun the man around. I slammed his back into the wall and pressed the barrel of my gun to his forehead.

“Don’t shoot!” he yelled. Pale-skinned, he was a man I didn’t recognize. He was wearing a long coat that was wrapped tightly around him. He brought his hands up where I could see them, his eyes wide. His face was covered in sweat. “I’m not armed! Don’t shoot!”

A high-pitched whine began to sound. It was coming from the man.

“Get this thing off me,” he said. His eyes were wild. “Get this thing off me…. ”

He grabbed my lapels and pulled me toward him. I stumbled, shoving him back.

The man’s coat fell open, and I saw a light flash underneath through a nest of wires.

“Help me!” he screamed. “I don’t want to die!”

Energy was building up fast in the device. There wasn’t time to stop it from detonating. I knocked his hands away from my jacket, and the material tore free from his fingers. He tried to grab me again, and I put one heel in his chest, kicking him back through the office doorway. He crashed against the desk behind him as smoke began to trail between the wires of the device strapped to his chest.

“I don’t want to—”

I spun to the left, around the corner, as the air thumped and the bomb went off. Overhead lights rained glass and sparks down over me as fire boiled down the corridor, throwing me to the floor as the wall in front of me flew into pieces.

I reeled, my ears ringing, and static flickered across my HUD as a message came through from the outside.

Wachalowski, this is Alice. The first nuke is set to launch in six minutes. Where are you?

Inside Heinlein.

Stopping the launch from this end might not happen. If you stick to the lower levels over there, you stand a good chance of surviving any blast.

What about the control center at Stillwell?

They’re cutting their way in, but it’s going to take time.

You don’t think they’ll make it in before the launch?

I don’t know, Wachalowski.

What about Motoko? I asked. What did your team find at Alto Do Mundo?

The first team never made it. They got swarmed at the station, and we lost contact. No word back from teams two or three, either. Motoko isn’t responding, and neither is any of her personal guard.

If someone there is influencing Vaggot, I said, what happens if they die?

I can’t—

Alice, answer me. If I’m right and the one doing it is killed, will Vaggot stop the launch on his own?

I don’t know. Maybe.

Then you have to try to—

I know, Agent, believe me. Additional teams are moving in, and Chimeras are en route to the penthouse, but I can’t guarantee they’ll get there in time.

I checked Fawkes’s signature again. He was almost at the transmitter.

Stopping him was beginning to look like the only option left, and I was running out of time.

Faye Dasalia—Satellite-Dish Control Tower

The entrance to the transmitter’s control room required security clearance, but Heinlein’s systems were still offline and the scanner was dark. I pulled it open, and lights flickered on overhead as I stepped inside. The room was situated off the northern face of the building, with a huge, wide window that looked out onto the base of the transmitter itself. The outer rim of the main dish formed an arc across the sky far above.

There were many sets of clothes strewn throughout the room. Empty shirts lay against the backs of several chairs, still situated inside suit coats, neckties still in place. Pants legs dangled over empty shoes. Fawkes had forced them to initiate the first code transfer, then he’d had them killed at their workstations.

I’ve accessed the control room, I told Nico.

I pulled up the instructions that Dulari had given me, along with the sample. The dish should still be aligned with the geosynchronous satellite in orbit above from the previous transmission, but I had to make sure. I tapped into the system and began the verification as I scanned the room. There were arrays of panels covered in minute controls and readouts, none of which I recognized or understood.

Using the included map of the consoles, my computer was able to identify both the main control station and also the image reader that would analyze and queue the sample for transmission. After that, I had no choice but to take Dulari’s instructions on faith.

Queuing up the current version requires two keys, the instructions indicated. They may still be in place. If not, use the provided override code.

I found the console and checked it. She was right; each panel was fitted with a large metal key with a thin hanging chain. Each was turned to the ON position.

Fixed beneath them was a thin metal door with a turn latch. With a twist, I pulled it open, and cold mist drifted out.

Satellite alignment verified.

Reaching through the mist, my fingers found the edge of the sample container, and I pulled it out of the bay. Carefully, I removed the sample Dulari had given me from its case and slid it into the slot. I shut the door and when I turned the latch, several lights on the console lit up. Messages began to scroll across one of the screens there.