Chapter Three
“I've got reports of teams already heading there.” The radio on the dash of Nate Reinhart’s pickup truck blared as he barreled down the abandoned road leading to the ranch.
“Almost there.” Nate pressed down on the gas pedal. The main road to the house was littered with debris, forcing him to take the back way.
“We need to get the lab locked down immediately!”
“I know, Alex! Is there anything about survivors?” Nate twisted the steering wheel to the left as he drifted around the bend in the gravel road.
“Nothing yet.” Alex's voice was quiet.
Nate felt sick. “Keep monitoring them. I'll be there in under a minute.”
“Yes, sir. Contact me when it's finished - and be careful. TERA wants that lab more than anything. Over and out.”
Time was of the essence. Nate needed to focus. He pushed his worry about Gabriel and Jessica aside. Alex was right - locking down the lab was critical. He couldn't let his feelings get in the way, but his heart ached to know they were alright. The truck struck potholes, and bounced violently all over the road as he struggled to control it. It skidded sideways as he slammed on the brakes, barely avoiding a smashed up gardening shed. Damn it. Turning off the ignition, he kicked the door open, snatched up his duffel bag and sprinted up the hillside. As he reached the top, the leveled buildings came into view. The barn had fallen over onto one side – crumpling the entire structure down onto itself. Farm equipment was turned over everywhere, their steel frames bent and beaten by the storm. The house was a pile of shredded wood, littered around the foundation. His home was destroyed. It hit him like a punch in the stomach.
“Gabriel! Jess!” He raced down the hill so fast he nearly fell.
He reached the level ground of the yard and he sprinted towards the house shouting their names. Let them be alive. Please. Nothing in the shattered house moved. His military training told him not to panic, but his heart sank. It was his job to keep them safe. He had promised Calvin he would. It couldn’t end like this. He scaled the side of the flipped over tractor and stood on the huge tire.
“Jessica! Gabriel! Where are you?” The strain of his scream left him coughing as he tried to catch his breath.
He was torn. Dr. Cymru’s team from TERA would be there soon, hoping the storm might have uncovered a clue about Calvin's hidden laboratory. If TERA found Calvin's research – the war would be over. Nate had spent the last ten years protecting it – he wasn’t about to give up now. He jumped off the tall tractor, absorbing the shock of the landing as he dropped to one knee in front of the barn. He focused on the fallen structure, searching for a way to enter. Everything was in shambles. He circled the building and found a break in the wall. He dropped his duffle bag and knelt down, carefully crawling under the structure. The small space was tight, he could barely get through. It was slow, but he got close enough to the spot he needed. He stretched out along the floor and brushed away the broken bits of wood littered across it.
Nate dug into his vest and pulled out a small flat, metallic plate no bigger than the palm of his hand. The cover slid open at his touch to reveal a keypad. He punched in a ten-digit code and slid the cover closed then stretched his arm out as far as he could and laid the metallic plate against the flat wooden floor. A high-pitched buzz filled the air around him, and the ground trembled. A minute later it stopped. He picked the plate back up and slid it back into his vest. It was done. He squirmed out from the wreckage of the barn and snatched up the duffle bag. Nate knew he would need both keys to unlock the lab later, but the second one was in his strongbox in the loft. He scanned the barn wreckage for the one-and-a-half foot by two-and-a-half foot silver box. It was more than strong enough to have survived the storm. The loft should have been right on top of the broken barn, but nothing in the ruin looked familiar. It had to be here. As he climbed up on the wreckage, the quiet was broken by the hum of an engine and a stranger's voice. He ducked back down behind the rubble of the barn, keeping silent as he moved to get a view of the main road.
“Carl, just move the debris off the road so we can get the truck closer,” the driver yelled out the window.
A thin man hurried along the road in front of the truck, dragging pieces of wreckage off to the side. Nate watched them silently. They weren't TERA. He slipped quietly back up the hill without being spotted. As he crested the top, he dropped to his belly and crawled towards some tall grass for cover. He retrieved the high-tech binoculars from his bag. Resting his chin on the dirt, he lifted the binoculars to his eyes.
The black screen illuminated. He held steady on the strangers and opened the bottom of the binoculars. A tripod dropped out automatically, positioning itself in the dirt, each leg perfectly balanced. An earpiece also dangled underneath. He stretched out the cord and hung it over his right ear. The two men’s voices came in crystal clear.
“– be the worst one.” The voice was deep and couldn’t belong to the skinny one.
“I dunno, the last house was pretty bad, too, Brett. That whole family was dead.” The high-pitched tone was a better match.
“Let’s hope it ain’t the same here.”
Nate zoomed in on the heavier man – Brett. The man ran his fingers through his thick red hair, then scratched at his full beard. His hair and beard made a mane around his face, his mouth hidden in the fuzz. He was a mountain of a man. His chest and arms were thick, and he was a solid foot taller than the other one. He put on his protective overalls, his hands moving routinely to each button and strap, as he stared at the leveled buildings.
Maybe they were from TERA after all?
His concentration broke as Brett shouted, “Carl! Get your ass over here and put your gear on before you go checking things out!”
Nate zoomed out to see the small bean-pole of a man hurry back to the truck and start suiting up. The two men were total opposites. Carl was short and thin all the way from his feet to his hair line. He wore thick-rimmed glasses that made him look like a big-eyed goldfish.
Nate switched back to Brett, following him back to the cab of the truck. He grabbed a handset off the dash of the truck and spoke, “This is unit 619 on Range Road L19. We are going to need some heavy equipment here and a medical team on standby. I am turning on the GPS unit.” He took his finger off the handset and waited.
Rescue workers. Nate resisted the urge to rush down and help them. He needed to keep watch. Alex said TERA was on their way, and he was always right about those types of things.
The speaker finally buzzed back after several minutes. “Roger, we copy. On our way to your location.”
Brett got out of the cab and reached for the toolbox resting in the large truck bed. He handed two laz-saws to Carl who had finally gotten his overalls on right.
“Why’d you call in a medical team? I doubt anyone is alive,” Carl whined.
“Because that’s the procedure!” Brett barked. “It don’t matter if no one’s left alive, it’s part of the protocol.”
“This was the biggest storm we've seen in years. None of the other teams have found anyone alive,” Carl pointed out. “Seems like a waste of fuel if you ask me.”
Brett grabbed the handle of the three foot laz-saw and swung it up onto his shoulder with ease. “Well, no one is asking you, Carl! Now let’s go check this out!” He marched towards the farm house, slowly looking around the area. Carl clopped up behind him, tripping over his own feet as he tried to keep up with Brett’s large strides.
Brett pointed. “You go check out the barn. I’ll go through the house.”
Good, send the stupid one to the barn. Nate followed Carl, zooming the binoculars out to see the wreckage. The lab still needed time to completely lock down. Nate took a deep breath and pulled a pistol from his duffle bag. He might have to deal with these two.
Carl fired up the small high-pitched saw, a red glow forming around the spinning blades. He sliced up a poorly chosen piece of the barn and the rubble shifted. Part o
f the barn collapsed around the dim-witted man, narrowly missing him.
Nate grinned. The dolt might just bury the whole thing.
Brett stormed over. “You call out for survivors first! How many times do I have to –” His focus shifted back towards the road.
“Who’s that?” Carl pointed.
Nate twisted and watched as a black cube van rolled down the lane towards the house, every window tinted to hide those inside. It was TERA.
“We better talk to them before they rush the wreckage. It’s probably the family.” Brett grunted. “You stay here.”
It was definitely not family. It was Dr. Cymru's men – Calvin’s old research partner. Behind those van doors was most likely a death squad. No doubt he had sent his men down to see if the storm had uncovered the hidden laboratory. Nate grabbed his pistol and checked the clip, then loaded the weapon. He kept it in his hand as he watched two men in black suits step out of the van and marched towards Brett.
“Gentlemen, I cannot let you approach the wreckage. I realize you might have family here, but you need to let us look for them. I must ask that you get back in your vehicle and we will contact you as soon as we find something. ” Brett crossed his arms in front of his large chest.
“I understand you completely.” The driver of the van spoke. “However, we are not with the family – we are representatives of TERA: The Energy and Resource Acquisition.”
“I know what it means.” Brett didn’t move, blocking them from walking any further.
“Of course, you do.” The driver smiled. “This location is of interest to us. Have you found anyone yet?”
“We were just getting started as you arrived. Once you gentlemen leave, we will continue.” Brett just stared at them.
“There could be sensitive material on the site, and we are just asking to do a quick sweep of the area. The faster we can do that, the faster we will be out of your way.” The stranger attempted to hand Brett a card.
“Can you do it from where you’re standing right now?” Brett kept his arms crossed.
“No, I’m afraid not.” The stranger shook his head.
“Then, I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait. I have to clear the area before the rest of our team arrives.” Brett turned to walk away.
“You don’t understand. TERA needs to scan the area now!” The stranger followed Brett.
Brett pivoted on the spot and stepped up to the stranger, towering over him. “Either bring me a court order, or get lost. This is me being nice.”
Nate chuckled as the two men got back into their van and slowly backed down the lane. He knew they would be back and with the court order. It didn’t matter. By then the lab would be invisible to almost any scan.
“Let’s do this, Carl!” Brett shouted, drawing Nate’s attention back.
Carl gave a thumbs up and Brett called out, “Hello, anyone in there? If you are, please do not move! I will be clearing some safe paths around the house to reach you!” After a few moments, he sighed loudly. “Just like all the rest.”
Nate’s heart sank as he watched them work. That was his home, shattered and broken. He swallowed, his throat dry. Somewhere down there were Jessica and Gabriel. He could only pray they had made it to the shelter.
Brett made quick work of the house, despite Carl’s cries of disgust from the barn. Carl’s constant commentary of what he was finding let Nate keep a visual on Brett’s progress in the house. The large man had made several paths into different areas of the house, and he now stood in the direct centre of the rubble calling out once again for anyone to respond. Silence.
Nate watched his movements, willing him to see the entrance to the basement in the wreckage. Please, let them have made it to the shelter. He thought Brett had tripped when he saw the man take a few steps then drop quickly to the ground. Nate’s heart quickened. Brett was clearing debris – same as before – but something was different. His movements were faster, not as careful. He zoomed the binoculars in on the wreckage. What was Brett looking at?
“Carl! Get some med-packs and some blankets!” Brett commanded from his knees.
“Why?” Carl yelled back.
“Because I got someone here. Now stop asking stupid questions and get me what I need!” he roared.
Nate nearly charged down the hill. His hands dug into the dirt as he watched. He took a deep breath and held it, his heart pounding in his chest. Brett didn’t move, and the wreckage blocked Nate from seeing who was lying at his feet.