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civilian in here is kept safe until this situation is resolved.” He leaned forward in his chair, steepling his fingers together. “That is my job. Not to save the world. Not to listen to crackpot theories. Not to do anything except for my job.”
“But General, this is crazy!” Rick shook his head. “If we don’t do something soon then Damocles will escalate things and then—”
“And if things do escalate then you’ll be relieved to know that we’ve got five years’ worth of supplies down here so you’ll be alive through whatever happens.”
“General.” Dr. Evans took off his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt before replacing them again. “I’m aware of a few of the particulars of this base having been—as a child—a secret admirer of the place.”
“I’m elated. What’s your point?”
“I know that this complex can’t survive a direct nuclear strike. An indirect one, sure. But a direct one? With today’s missile technology? No.”
For the first time since meeting the man Rick noticed that General Black was visibly disturbed by what he was hearing. Dr. Evans noticed it as well and pressed his advantage. “I believe that Damocles is trying to decide what to do next. Nuclear weapons may be on the table. If that’s true then we have to move right now. Otherwise if we’re too late…” Dr. Evans trailed off and shrugged.
General Black’s eyes turned to darkened slits and his chest expanded as he took in long, deep breaths. Rick could feel the general’s rage as the uniformed man stood up from his desk and pointed a long finger at the opposite side of the room. “Get out of my office.”
“But General—”
“One. More. Word. And all three of you will find yourselves in cells eating bread and water for the next month!”
Dr. Evans opened his mouth to speak again but Rick elbowed him in the side and turned to the door. The trio slowly walked out, with Rick being the last. He turned to give General Black one final look before closing the door. “Asshole.” Rick mumbled to Dr. Evans and Jane as he stood next to them.
“Time for Plan B?” Jane looked at Dr. Evans and Rick. “Or do you two think you could wrestle him down and beat some sense into him?”
Rick shook his head and looked around in the hallway before whispering to the others. “No. We need to move on and it sounds like we have a limited window. Only forty-eight hours till they lock this place down.”
“We must find a way out of here by tomorrow.” Dr. Evans gulped nervously. “Knowing where to search for the information we need would be helpful as well.”
Rick put his hand to his head, rubbing away sweat and grease. “We all need some sleep. We’ve been at this far too long. Come on, let’s head back and get showers and a few hours of rest. We’ll reconvene in the morning and figure something out.”
As the trio headed back down the hall towards the building that housed their rooms a uniformed figure approached from a nearby cross-hallway. “Mr. Waters?”
Rick turned to look at the man and nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.”
The uniformed soldier glanced at Jane and Dr. Evans before looking back to Rick. “I need to speak with you privately for a moment, sir. It’s about your gear from your vehicle.”
“Oh thank goodness. Finally!” He turned and waved at Dr. Evans and Jane. “You two head back. I’ll take care of this before I head back.”
The three exchanged quick goodbyes before Rick turned back to the soldier. “You said something about my gear?” The soldier looked both ways down the hallway before ducking into a nearby office and pulling Rick along with him.
“Ow! What the hell?” Rick pushed the soldier back and gave him a confused and angry look. “What’s your problem?”
“Mr. Waters! Please, keep quiet.” The soldier was whispering as he approached Rick again. “We don’t have more than a minute before I’m missed.” Rick, sensing that something important was about to be communicated, kept his mouth shut and nodded in understanding.
“I’m a technician, Mr. Waters. I work on the scanners and have had the opportunity to work with other agencies as part of interdisciplinary studies. I’ve learned… a lot. A lot about how different systems work. The observational ones in particular.” The soldier licked his lips nervously. “I love my country, Mr. Waters. I love it dearly. I can’t stand to watch things happen like this.”
“What are you talking about? Rick whispered. The soldier reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box about the size of a large cellphone.
“I’ve done a bit of sleuthing myself, Mr. Waters. Dr. Evans is right. The only way to defeat this virus is to attack it head-on.” The man held out the black box and Rick gingerly accepted it.
“What’s this?”
“It has a thirty-day battery life on standby and eight days if you’re using it at full capacity. I’ve disabled the network connectivity so it won’t get infected. But it will help you get to the systems you need to have a shot at ending this.”
Rick fiddled with the box for a few seconds before looking at the soldier. “Who are you? Why are you helping us?”
The soldier ignored the questions. “Your best bet to leave is early in the morning. The shift change is at zero four hundred. Take the General’s car. You won’t get as many questions that way. Just tell them you’re running an errand for him.”
A shout from down the corridor made the soldier freeze in fright before stepping around Rick, a nervous expression painted on his face. “Please, Mr. Waters. Don’t let it end like this.” With that final statement the soldier was gone, running down the corridor before Rick could get another word in. Utterly confused by what had just happened Rick looked down at the small box in his hand for a long moment before slipping it back into his pocket and hurrying out of the office, down the hall and back towards his room.
