Chapter Seven
Nate opened the glass door to the empty electronic repair shop on the east side of Burlington. It was important they know that TERA would be coming for the hidden lab. They had found Gabriel alive, and Nate could only hope Jessica was in the same condition. He had managed to slip away from the ranch unseen as more emergency crews arrived, but he still needed to be careful. He glanced around outside before shutting the door and locking it. A man stepped up beside him and flipped a switch, illuminating a hologram on the door that read “Closed for lunch.”
“Alex.” Nate kept his eyes on the street. "Any updates?"
"TERA channels just went crazy." The young man took a deep breath. "They're saying there was some kind of explosion on the ranch."
Nate's head snapped towards him. "What happened? Is Gabriel alright? Did they find Jess?"
"No one knows – a TERA medical team was the only one on the ground at the time. The rest had left, and TERA had three teams en route to scan the site. The medical team was examining Gabriel."
"And?" Nate's mind buzzed.
"And they lost contact." Alex shrugged. "Even TERA is in the dark on this one. A garbled message came in from the medical team just before the blast. They were screaming something about an ore user."
"An ore user?" Nate frowned. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would an ore user be in the area?" They were an anomaly within the population – under one percent – the only individuals in the world who could bond with the ore.
"Maybe they're after the lab." Alex suggested.
It didn't make any sense to Nate. "Why would an ore user want the lab?" He shook his head. "How would they even know it exists?"
"I dunno." Alex shrugged. "But it complicates things."
"I need to talk to Osho." Nate pointed towards the back of the shop.
“An encrypted line is all set up. It should be clean to call from.” Alex leaned against the wall beside one of the front windows. “I’ll keep watch, sir.”
Nate nodded, turned around and marched to a door at the back of the shop. Inside was a large work table covered in electronic parts and small tools. In the centre was an old headset wired to an open box that contained a complex circuit board. Nate chuckled. Alex must be getting bored. He rigged up something different every time. At least it kept him busy. The headset fit over Nate's ear without too much discomfort. Still, it was awkward.
He waited, tapping his fingers on the table until an English accent echoed in his ear. “The connection is secure, Nathaniel.”
“We’ve got problems. I don’t know if you saw the news, but a massive storm hit the ranch.” Nate cleared his throat as his emotions welled up. “I wasn’t there, but Gabriel and Jess got caught it in.”
“Are they alright?” The voice quickened.
“I saw them move Gabriel out of the wreckage … Jessica – I don’t know.” Nate slammed his fist against the table. “I shouldn’t have been out on a mission! I should have been at home with them!”
“I’m sorry. If we had known this was coming, you would have been. Believe me.”
Nate exhaled, rubbing his face with both hands. “Damn it.”
“The storms are nearly impossible to predict in advance, with all the climate change. There is nothing you could have done differently. Let it go. God willing, Jessica is alright.”
“It’s my job to keep them safe!” His fingers clenched the table edge, lifting it upwards.
“Calvin’s last request was that his family would be safe from any retaliation from Cymru or TERA. Not from a storm. Gabriel will be alright, your training over the years will kick in. He’ll manage on his own for the time being. What about the lab?” The voice crackled in his ear.
Nate stood up and wandered the small room as he spoke. “It’s locked down. Cymru sent a team in immediately – they showed up right after the first emergency team. Luckily, the emergency crew wouldn’t let them on the property. The lab should be completely hidden by the time they get back, but it won’t stay hidden forever. The system will run out of power eventually if we don't maintain it. Once the area is cleared by TERA I’ll need to get my chest to unseal the lab. It should still be in the wreckage.”
“The chest shouldn’t draw too much attention. Cymru is looking for the lab – he knows of its existence – but I don’t know if he truly believes it is on the ranch. Once their scans come up empty, he should move on. Then we can deal with the lab.”
“You sure he doesn’t know where it is?” Nate didn’t believe Cymru would give up that easily.
“Calvin said Cymru knew about his private lab when they were partners, but he never revealed its location. Regardless, we will need all of Calvin’s research on the black ore. If TERA gets their hands on it, no one in this world will stand a chance.”
“Why Calvin ever partnered with that man is beyond me.” He shook his head.
“They were both the top researchers in their respective fields. He was determined to find a new energy resource and TERA had nearly unlimited resources. Partnering seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime. If he’d known it would cost him his life, he would have never agreed to it.” The voice sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah, well, things are now more complex – apparently an ore user blasted the area. Some kind of an explosion. TERA isn't going to leave so easily.”
“That doesn't make any sense.”
Nate sighed. “I know.” The door in the room opened as Alex poked his head in, signaling Nate that the line would not be secure for much longer. “I don’t have much time left.”
“Ensure that the lab is safe. Then find your family – make sure Gabriel and Jessica are alright. I'll have a team track Cymru’s movements for the time being. You’d better increase your contact. I will meet you in Denver in two days, the usual place.” An audible click ended the conversation.
Nate set the headset down and walked out of the small room to join Alex.
Alex glanced over from his lookout at the window. “What did he say?”
“The usual. Keep an eye on the ranch for me and continue tracking TERA's signals. I’ll be back in a couple of days.” He could trust Alex with anything.
“You got it.” Alex walked over and unlocked the door. “Have a good day, sir. Thank you for shopping here.”