“Sounds like the trick used on me with Project Whirlwind,” Locke said.
“When we dug deeper, we found some tenuous links to Sebastian Garrett, but we could never prove it.”
“Was one of these scientists named Sam Watson?”
“Yes. He died of a heart attack last week.”
“No,” Locke said. “He was poisoned.” Finally something his father didn’t already know.
The General narrowed his eyes. “How can you be sure?”
“Because the person who was with him at the time, an archaeologist named Dilara Kenner, came to see me two days later and told me he was poisoned.”
“Where is she now?”
“Sebastian Garrett has her,” Locke said, disgusted at the thought of her at Garrett’s mercy. “She was abducted while I was chasing that rogue FBI agent. We need to get her back.”
The General gave a dismissive wave. “She can’t tell him anything. Don’t worry about it.”
“I will worry about it,” Locke said heatedly. “She’s my responsibility.”
The General put his index finger on Locke’s chest. “What you should be worried about is that Garrett will be on alert now, which puts our plans in jeopardy. We’re attempting an assault on their compound tonight.”
“You mean on Orcas Island?”
The General nodded. “We did some checking on your guess that his facility on Orcas is where the bunker is located. The FBI found a record of earthmoving equipment leased for use on his property. The only problem is, if there is a bunker there, there should have been a substantial amount of earth removed, and state records show no permits for that kind of disposal. We still haven’t figured out what happened to the dirt.”
“It’s still there,” Locke said.
“Where?”
“Inside those hangars. I did some calculations. Based on the size of the bunker, those hangars could easily hold the dirt and rock that was excavated.”
“You’re sure?”
“It’s the only thing that fits.”
“Well, we’re going to make sure tonight,” the General said.
“How?”
“We’re going to infiltrate the compound. Once our ground-penetrating radar is on site, we can verify that there are underground chambers there. We’ve already checked his other labs. This prion agent wasn’t found in any of them. It must be underground.”
“How are you assaulting the lab?”
“With a full platoon of Delta Force. The compound is heavily guarded. It might be impossible to get in, so we have a backup plan. We either have to secure the agent for ourselves, or we need to destroy it before it’s released.”
“What about Dilara?”
“She’s not a mission priority.”
“Then I’m going with the team,” Locke said.
The General glowered at him. “The hell you are.”
“What’s your intel on the internal bunker schematics?”
“We don’t have any,” the General said grudgingly.
“You’re going in blind?”
“We don’t have any other choice.”
“Yes, you do. I saw the original specs. I know how they designed and built the bunker.”
The General looked up at the ceiling as if searching for some other alternative. Locke knew there was none.
“Dad, you know that for this mission to have any chance, I need to be on the ground with them.”
“And if he’s going,” Grant said, “I’m going.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Locke said.
“Have I ever volunteered for something I didn’t want to do?”
“Only if you thought you’d get laid as a result.”
Grant smiled. “No chance of that here.”
“Okay, enough!” the General growled. “Against my better judgment, you’re both going. Tyler’s got the expertise we need, which is the reason I invited you here in the first place.”
“For what?” Locke asked.
Someone in the trailer called out, “One minute to release.”
“Have you heard of MOP?”
“The Massive Ordnance Penetrator?” Locke recalled it from an article in the International Journal of Propellants, Explosives, and Pyrotechnics.
“That’s right. Boeing has been developing it for us specifically to target underground bunkers holding weapons of mass destruction. I never thought we’d use it on our own soil. We’re doing final testing today. If it succeeds, I’ve been authorized to use it to take out Oasis.”
“You mean, that’s your backup plan, sir?” Grant said.
“If we can’t get in and neutralize it by conventional means, yes.” The General turned back to Locke. “So my question for you, Captain, is will it work?”
Locke recalled the specs on the bomb. At 20 feet long and 30,000 pounds, it was heavier than the infamous MOAB, the Massive Ordnance Air Burst bomb, and could destroy bunkers that were up to 200 feet below ground.
Locke was aghast. “There are 300 men and women in that bunker,” he said.
“That should make sure you understand the lengths the president is willing to go to keep this prion agent from being released. So I repeat, will it work? Will it completely destroy Oasis?”
Locke nodded solemnly. “If they built it according to the original specs, it’ll wipe out the entire facility.”
The timer was counting down from ten, and a voice accompanied it. One of the screens showed a view from a chase plane of the B-52 that was carrying the MOP. When the count reached zero, a huge bullet-shaped bomb fell from the B-52, which banked away once the bomb was clear.
“Thirty seconds to impact,” the countdown voice said.
“Dad,” Locke said, “you’re making a mistake. We aren’t even sure that this agent would be destroyed by the bomb.”
“There are 5300 pounds of explosive in that bomb. Whatever isn’t incinerated will be buried in the rubble.”
“But we’re talking about 300 lives.”
“The President agrees with our assessment. Those lives are expendable to make sure this threat is neutralized. If you want to save those people, make sure you secure that compound before 2100.”
The airman reached the end of the countdown. “Three…two…one…”
For a fraction of a second, Locke could see the enormous bomb that plunged into the side of the mountain. A moment later, the microphone on the camera picked up a rumble deep within the mountain. The side of the mountain rose then collapsed, creating a depression 300 feet across and 40 feet deep. Dust cascaded into the air, but the explosion was too far underground to blast outward. The trailer erupted in cheers and applause, but Locke was chilled by the fearsome sight.
“The cave that MOP just destroyed was buried in 125 feet of granite,” the General said.
“The rock at Orcas Island isn’t as strong,” Locke said.
“You still want to go?”
“You’re a stubborn bastard,” the General said with a hint of a smile. “Just like your father. All right. You’ll have until 2100 hours tonight to give us the all-clear. After that, I’ll have no choice but to turn Garrett’s compound into a crater.”
“When does the assault begin?”
“We can’t give them any time to prepare. It’s set for 2000 hours, Pacific time, enough time for complete
