Patience, patience, he knows what he’s doing, he’s going slow for a reason. Who knows? There could be listening devices as part of the security system. I just hope this mist holds out—
Barnes took thirty minutes to crawl to the open hatch. He turned to Mercy and pointed into the shaft; a yellow ladder beckoned.
Yeah, I got this. Rose, we’re coming for you—
Mercy crawled past Barnes and lowered herself down the ladder and through the blast door. She blinked in the dim interior, waiting for her eyes to adjust. A spiral staircase descended below her, she looked up and beckoned to the others. They followed her in. Mercy took out her silenced HK45 and moved down the staircase. She began counting the steps.
Eighty three, eighty four, eighty—
A scuffing sound came from further down.
Shit—
Mercy froze and peered into the dimly lit level below.
It’s pretty dark down there… just emergency lighting, I can’t see… wait—
Movement. A flash of white. A fleeting glimpse. A mottled blue face glanced up at the shaft.
Christ, what the hell is that thing?
The ruined, heavily veined face squinted at the spot of daylight far above.
It’s some kind of trope, it’s bald… wearing a white coat. A trope… left over from before the Fall? Christ… don’t move, wait for it to go, best not to engage unless we have to—
Mercy held up her hand for the others to see. She crouched down on the stairs and watched the creature below. Five minutes later the thing moved away from the light and disappeared.
Good enough. No alarm raised. Was it blind? Did it hear us? Can’t do anything about it, we’re committed now—
Mercy stood up and started descending again. The staircase creaked in places, she forced herself to slow down.
Not as silent as I had hoped but no sign of that thing. Keep going—
They made it to the lower level and fanned out across the open space. Dim emergency lighting glowed in the walls and ceiling. A narrow luminous strip ran in the centre of the floor.
OK, emergency power is good. No need for torches and enough shadows to hide in, for us… but also for them—
Mercy switched off her pistol’s safety and worked her way down the narrow concrete corridor.
Just wide enough for one person—
She stopped and listened. A distant hum came from somewhere deep within the complex.
There’s a slight draft, the life support systems are on. This place is fully automated, don’t forget the AI—
Mercy looked up at the ceiling. An air conduit lined the passageway above.
Are we being watched?
Goosebumps rose on her arms.
You’re just paranoid. Keep going—
Mercy pressed on, and slowed as a new room appeared ahead. She peered through its open door into a high ceilinged room.
Gurneys, strip lighting, clear plastic curtains, old blood stains on the floor. It looks like some kind of medical station—
Mercy crept into the room and raised her hand. A figure, wearing a bloodstained white coat, stood in the corner. Its hands hovered over a table full of medical instruments. A stethoscope hung from the thing’s neck.
Is it a normal trope or an alpha? Its hands… What is it doing? It looks like it’s trying to remember something—
Mercy crept forwards, her pistol held out in front of her. The trope tilted its head, as if listening. Mercy froze and took aim.
Has to be a headshot—
The creature stepped sideways, to a bench in the shadows on its left. Mercy’s eyes widened.
Wait, what?
Mercy took a step forwards.
Shit… it’s glowing—
Chapter 26
Riptide
Mercy aimed her silenced HK45 and squeezed the trigger. The trope’s head vanished in a mist of blood and bone fragments.
No time to investigate why it’s glowing. Press on—
Mercy brushed past the plastic curtains and entered the next corridor. It was dark, she peered ahead, moving slowly. Brighter lights shone at the end of the corridor and a lone silhouette stood in the distance. Mercy stopped and stared, her heart pounded.
Human or trope?
A slight scuffing came from behind.
Dammit guys, no noise—
The figure’s head jerked up, its body stiffened. It spun around and stared in Mercy’s direction. With a shriek it raced towards her.
OK, so not human—
Mercy took aim, waiting until the creature was at close range. She squeezed her trigger twice, her first round caught the alpha in the neck, the second round entered its right eye. It dropped to the ground at her feet.
Mercy turned to the others, “We’re making too much noise, these things can hear as well as smell. That one was an alpha. I’m going to take off my boots and walk in bare feet. It’s quieter on the metal floor. I suggest everyone else does the same—”
They removed their boots and progressed to the next room. Computer screens lined the walls. The monitors were alive with images and data.
Barnes drew close to Mercy, “This looks like some kind of security hub, there’s camera feeds from inside and outside the silo.” He gestured at the nearest computer, “That one’s got information on air filtration and temperature regulation… it looks like the AI’s running the place pretty well. Some of the systems seem to be in standby mode—”
“Which means?” Mercy asked.
“Something’s… pending?” Barnes searched for the correct word.
“Something’s in progress?” Mercy said, examining one of the monitors.
“Hey, what the fuck?” Flynn exclaimed. “That’s Rose’s picture… on this screen, it’s similar to the files they had on us in Cheyenne Mountain. Look… it’s got all her biometric data; fingerprints, iris and retinal recognition, DNA, you name it—”
Mercy joined Flynn and peered at the screen, “It’s not similar, it’s the exact same file. The NSA’s got files on you, me, Tawny and Rose. Why have they accessed her biometrics? What the hell’s going on here?”
Tawny looked around the room, “It’ll be Mitchell… or his mind upload, he’s merged with the AI, he’s up to something.”
“He’s not going to—” Jade said.
“I didn’t want to go there… because it’s unthinkable—” Mercy interjected.
“He’s going to launch a nuke? Against who?” Annalise asked.
Mercy chambered
