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The shot was loud, more so than Jason had expected with the foam earplugs he had dug out of his bag and placed in his ears a few minutes prior. The crack of the rifle echoed through the still night, cutting across the compound like a flaming blade. By the time the noise of the rifle reached the ears of those in the compound the damage it dealt had already been done.
The generator coughed and sputtered for a few seconds before going out. The lights around and inside the gas station blinked out along with it. Even as far out as he was Jason could hear the shouts of panic from the people inside the compound. Time to up the ante.
He fired six more shots, three of which were just to make noise and the other three of which were to further incite panic. One of the metal pots over a fire clanged as the bullet passed through, spilling the contents of the container out into the flames. Another bullet pierced the bottom of one of the fuel trucks sending a slow but steady trickle of gasoline pouring out into the dirt. The final shot went through the glass on the front door of the gas station, turning the safety glass into small chunks that fell with a loud crash into a heap on the ground.
Satisfied with the level of distress he had caused to the people in the compound, Jason scanned it again with his scope to make sure there was nothing he was missing. As he panned over to the south side of the compound he took in a sharp breath as he saw a man with a gun running for cover at the back of the building where Dianne was presumably rescuing Tina.
***
Behind the compound Dianne jumped up at the sound of the first shot and headed through the burned out SUV. She glanced around to look for any guards before hopping out and running headlong for the shed at the back of the gas station. While the lights in the compound had gone off there was still just enough residual sunlight left for her to see the crude latch on the outside of the shed. She opened it, threw open the door and hissed inside.
“Tina? Tina! Are you there?!”
“Who’s that?” The tired voice came from the depths of the shed and a small form came shuffling forward. “Dianne?” Dianne held out her hand to Tina to help her down when a deep shout came from off to her right.
“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Dianne turned her head to see a large man carrying a rifle in his hand skid to a stop. He looked just as surprised to see Dianne as she did to see him and both of them stood stock-still for a long second as each tried to figure out their next move.
Chapter 16
Cheyenne Mountain Complex
Outside Colorado Springs, CO
“A sports car?” Dr. Evans asked the question again. “Are you sure?”
“It was either that, a white sedan or an SUV that looked like the back bumper was about to fall off.”
“Hm.” Dr. Evans scratched his chin. “I wouldn’t think the general would be a sports car type of person.”
“That’s what I said.” Rick chuckled. “I know it’s not ideal but the more I think about it the more it makes sense that it’ll be the best way to escape. The guards will recognize it so they won’t be as prone to stopping it and it’ll be fast enough to get away from whatever they send after us.”
“You think they’ll send people after us?” Dr. Evans’ eyes widened and he gulped nervously.
“I don’t know for certain but I wouldn’t be surprised.” Rick sat down across from Dr. Evans and gestured at the small computer in the man’s hands. “How’s it coming with this?”
“Hm?” Dr. Evans seemed to be lost in thought and took a few seconds to respond. “Oh, yes. The data. I’m afraid I’ve found nothing yet. Bits and pieces here and there but nothing new. Everything I’ve seen so far mirrors what I already know.”
“Do you think you’ll find anything?”
Dr. Evans shrugged. “There is an enormous amount of data on this device and its configuration makes it difficult to quickly search through it. I am thankful, though, that the power port is the same for other mobile devices. At least I won’t run down the battery while using it.”
Rick stood up, patted Dr. Evans on the back and nodded. “Excellent. Keep at it, please.” He glanced over at Jane. “Do either of you want anything to eat? It’s just after lunchtime, apparently. You wouldn’t know it without looking at a clock, though.”
“Yeah, I could do with a bite.” Jane nodded.
“Hm? Yes, yes. Excellent. Please.” Dr. Evans nodded without looking up from the miniature computer.
Rick chuckled and turned toward the door. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
***
After taking a break to eat a quick meal Dr. Evans returned to his work. He sat at the desk in Rick’s room, hunched over the computer tapping away at the small touchscreen and keyboard as he tried to locate information relating to Damocles. The archives in Cheyenne Mountain were enormous and contained data from dozens of government agencies of all types. Every once in a while he would come across a folder, document or search results relating to Damocles that looked worthwhile but ended up revealing nothing new.
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The clues and hints of something larger buried in the data prompted Dr. Evans to continue working while Rick and Jane rested. It was around seven in the evening when Rick woke up and decided to take a stroll around the complex to relax his nerves and work some of the pent-up energy out of his system. He headed up to the main entrance into the complex to watch the people going back and forth. When he got there he noticed a strange uptick in the stress levels coming from everyone he saw.
“Hey!” Rick waved at a soldier who was running by and the woman slowed down.
