CHAPTER FIFTY
Wednesday the fourteenth of April, nineteen ninety-nine, nine am. Jason caught his first glimpse of the Florida coastline through the fluffy white clouds staked like cotton wool across the horizon.
ADAM had supplied him with the lowdown on Seadragon, a fleet of nuclear powered autonomous submarines. It was capable of navigating the globe by itself and was an attack weapon. One of the fleet’s units, about half the size of a conventional submarine, was capable of staying at sea for ten years with no crew to cater for. Their strike arsenal made the Russian and Chinese fleets look like toys.
A few things stood out that made Jason sure he had found his first member of the Six-Sided Circle. Seadragon had a cloaking device described as identical to the one used to shield the whereabouts of the radio transmissions that caused the Dover affair. Another was Ridge Mortimer. He was born on the right day and was in a position to control what the Six-Sided Circle needed. The final thing was that as his plane touched down on a lonely fortified airstrip adjacent to the coast tide line, he felt within himself the growing presence of much evil. He could see buildings towering above the tide line over the water and felt driven towards them, as if nothing else mattered at the time. American defence radar had confirmed the presence of two flying objects, some ten thousand metres from Jason’s aircraft and maintaining its presence as long as Jason was out of Australian air space. It had identified itself as ADAM. Ten members of Jason’s government including Briggs were with him. Quinn Packard was keen to develop the clean running transport systems he had witnessed in Australia and Jason’s government had been invited in force to initiate a program of introduction for such. Jason was keen to assist as without American input, neither ADAM nor its industrial spin off would exist.
Quinn Packard and George Mortimer met Jason and his entourage at the base of the access stairway from their aircraft; Packard greeted them all. He mentioned ADAM’s presence and how keen he was to have ADAM work with Seadragon to eradicate the threat of Global Warfare. Jason asked Quinn a question.
“I have it on good authority Quinn,” said Jason, “that Seadragon is an attack weapon and had been developed as such; is this correct?”
Packard removed his glasses and looked sternly at Jason. “Jason, controlling the defence of the globe is something we have done for a long time. If I was to say we could control hostile armies with a bag of candy I would be very silly. We have never had the luxury of having a weapon that could not only destroy but also immobilise its prey, leaving no point in destroying it in the first place. We are pleased that now exists, but warfare in the past relied on strategic strikes to opposing military installations. Seadragon does that well, with no threat to the lives of our own; it’s as close as we have been able to get. It’s really no more an attack weapon than ADAM, which could, as I am told by your own people, destroy the entire military might of the globe in thirty minutes. Both exist to stop that; now may we continue with the tour?”
Jason smiled. “As we have come to the right people, most definitely yes.” Jason turned to Mortimer. “Your son couldn’t make it George?”
“No, not at all,” replied Mortimer. “He is keen to meet you and is arranging everything at the installation; it’s a big day for him.”
“Yes,” said Jason. “He probably doesn’t realise how big.”
Meanwhile, below the Bermuda Triangle, Baden Steel and the rest of the Six-Sided Circle had gathered. The entire might of the world’s military surveillance was turned towards ADAM. Steel wanted control of the weapon. He studied the facts before him at the table of the Six-Sided Circle; Ridge Mortimer’s seat was empty.
“The more we study this thing, the more it learns of us,” grunted Steel. “An IBM launched at one of its satellites was destroyed ten seconds after launch this morning. In all my time since the dawn of good and evil I have never encountered such a thing. It seems only yesterday I thought King Richard the Lion heart was an arsehole but this is ridiculous. We wait to see what number two can learn from his meeting with Brinkly, the man who controls this weapon. I feel something deep within me I have never felt before, I believe a normal man may call it ... fear.”
Jason entered the Seadragon complex, it was ten thirty am. Ridge Mortimer was in his office. He noticed his hands starting to shake; he could not control them. He looked in a mirror, his eyes were heavily blood-shot, he felt scared as he shook and began to dry retch.
Jason got directions from a guide as to the location of Ridge Mortimer’s office; he was only fifty metres away. While the guides had everyone’s attention as to the layout of Seadragon, Jason slipped quietly away from the main group. At the end of the corridor adjacent to the conference room, he was confronted by two more than well built plain clothed guards. The guards pulled automatic pistols from their body holsters.
“Identify yourself. This is a restricted area; you are wearing only a visitor’s pass,” said a voice with a marked Australian accent.
Jason recognised the voice immediately. “Lance, it’s me, Jason.”
The large figure removed his sunglasses and embraced Jason. “I didn’t recognise you; your hair is gone.”
The second guard removed his gold rimmed Ray Bans and held Jason tight, it was Zup. “We heard you were coming so we made ourselves available, it’s so good to see you bros.”
Jason had an arm around each of them. “I must see Ridge Mortimer, alone.”
“I’ll tell him you’re here,” said Zup.
Zup entered Mortimer’s office to find him huddled in the corner with a mobile phone, he had rung Steel. Steel was screaming from the other end, “Kill him! It’s Brinkly, he must be the chosen one! Kill him!!”
Ridge Mortimer croaked between bouts of green vomit. “Kill Brinkly, kill him!”
Zup left the office and closed the door behind him. “What the hell is going on Jason? He wants me to kill you. He looks like he’s really sick.”
“No way do we kill Jason!” said Miller.
“I know, I feel the same,” said Zup. “Why, Jason?”
“It’s no twist of fate that you are here, I need you. Please believe me, let me into his office. Our whole existence depends on it.”
Miller and Zup looked at each other, they nodded. “Go in, we’ll cover for you,” said Miller.
Jason entered the office, Mortimer dropped the phone and shielded his eyes from Jason; he screamed in terror. Baden Steel listened. Jason stood over Mortimer.
“If there is any good in you at all, you best find it now, for I am going to wipe you from the face of the earth. You and all of your kind’s days are numbered. You are not the Supreme Demon; who is?”
Jason placed his hand on Mortimer’s head, Mortimer screamed. “Baden Steel!” He coughed out more green vomit and drew breath no longer. Jason covered Mortimer’s face with his suit jacket from the back of the chair behind his desk and closed the door behind him as he left. Baden Steel crushed the phone in his hand.
“The circle has been broken, plans have changed; I’ve made a terrible mistake. We will cause as much devastation as quickly as possible. Initiate Armageddon. We have a non-righteous man with no military background bearing the sword of the cross. Why? Not to hard to answer the question now.”
Jason spoke to Miller and Zup in the corridor. “George Mortimer may be a misled man, but he still loves his son. The shit’s going to hit the fan now. Come on I need your help.”
Jason entered the conference room where a lecture on Seadragon was still in progress. Miller and Zup flanked him; he made his way to the rostrum above the small crowd of dignitaries and took the microphone.
“If I could have your attention please. George, I’m afraid your son is dead. He has died at my hand.” The crowd was silent.
Mortimer ran from the room to his son’s office; he returned with security men. “I want this man arrested for the murder of my son,” said George pointing at Jason.
Miller and Zup drew their pistols. “No one will be coming near Mr Brinkly.”
Jason put his hands on his friends’ guns and lowered them. “That won’t be necessary thanks guys.”
Quinn Packard came forward. “What the hell is going on here Jason? I am told we have a dead man, George’s son, covered in green vomit.”
“He is one of six I must find,” said Jason. “They have been sent by evil to perpetrate the battle of Armageddon. They all hold high office throughout the military world across the globe. Unfortunately, George and his son are not all they claim to be. George’s son was a demon, I couldn’t help him. George on the other hand is misguided; I’ll let him help himself.” Jason looked at George. “You may redeem yourself and muster any good that is inside you George, for your time has come. Join us, or I will banish you from the face of the earth and beyond.”
Quinn looked at Jason. “You really expect us to believe this Jason? I feel like I’m in a bad episode of the X files or something, you funded by Hollywood.”
Buck Cameron interrupted. “We have had suspicions of Ridge for some time now. Investigation has shown that the security man that Jason caught at the airport in South Australia was in fact a plant by Ridge Mortimer. He was after information on ADAM. We have been able to do nothing as Ridge and George between them control the CIA and The FBI.”
“That is also true,” said Miller. “We have been asked to plant men and get information for them for the last two years.”
Quinn looked at George. “Well George, is there any truth in this”
George looked at the floor. “Ridge had been onto a lot of information that I thought he didn’t really need. It was just a harmless drug distribution operation, money was all I wanted. I know nothing of consorting to global warfare.”
“Come on George,” replied Quinn. “Your son developed the most powerful seafaring weapon known to man; he needed that to better your drug running operations? I don’t think so. I think you better sit down with me and Buck so we can get to the bottom of this George.”
A United States Marine General burst into the room; confronted President Packard and handed him a piece of paper. The President read it then looked at Jason with a look of disbelief. “We have lost control of all our armed forces. Nuclear strikes have been ordered around the globe. The Russian, Chinese, British and French forces are reporting the same thing. Global decimation is predicted in twenty-four hours.”
Briggs interrupted. “I have Beagle on the satellite communication system Jason, he’s in the bunker. He confirms that code red has been issued to all western super power military forces. The source of the directives is from the same area as the Dover affair, somewhere in the Bermuda triangle. ADAM has gone to red alert and is requesting your code word to initiate counter defensive moves across the globe.”
“Tell him to insert the code word to act immediately, the word is Armageddon, for that is what we are about to face.” Jason handed Quinn a mobile phone. “This will keep you in contact with me; it works on ADAM’s own satellites, keep it with you at all times. I must get back to the bunker, ADAM is our only hope.”
Another high-ranking Marine entered the room and spoke directly to the President. “We have lost control of Seadragon sir, it’s deploying itself to all parts of the globe and sir ... its first targets are Washington and New York.”
“Good God, how long do we have?” asked Quinn.
“Of the twenty units launched by Seadragon, five will be in range of their targets in fifteen hours.”
Briggs again interrupted, “Beagle informs us that ADAM has taken out ninety percent of the communication capability of global armed forces by disabling their satellites with a communication virus. It’s left ten percent active to try and track the source. This gives us more time.”
Quinn turned to Jason. “We have something that can get you and Briggs back home in eight hours. We have to get you back to this bunker you talk of that controls ADAM, as soon as we can. I am informed we still have control of our tanker planes across the South Pacific; unfortunately we don’t have control of the South Pacific Fleet, which is on its way to engage the Chinese and Russians. Our fastest spy plane is stationed here; it has been doing reconnaissance for Seadragon all over the Globe. By the time we get to the airstrip, it will be ready to take you home. The rest of your people best stay here until this is over.”
Not much more was said as they rushed Jason and Harry to the airstrip. They pulled up beside a lean long black jet; a Negro Marine officer in a flying suit saluted at the President and approached him with Jason and Harry.
“Wing Commander Scott Pearson reporting as ordered sir.”
“You know what you have to do Scott?” asked Quinn.
“Deliver two persons to Woomera rocket range South Australia, at full mach speed sir. I will be refuelled over Jarvis Island in the South Pacific by a tanker out of Hawaii sir. Our ETA is eleven hundred hours today sir, we will fly with the sun, time will stand still for us sir.”
“You know how important this is Scott?”
“We are attempting to stop World War Three sir, the obliteration of mankind. Our only defence is our speed and height sir. I am concerned about refuelling sir; we will be sitting ducks.”
Briggs interrupted, “When you take off, radio in your destination and cargo. Your radar will show that you are being flanked by two UFOs, they won’t let us down.”
Pearson smiled, “I am familiar with ADAM sir.”
As Jason and Harry were strapped into the rear cockpit of the newly developed X25 spy plane, Scott Pearson explained that all major cities around the world were undergoing evacuation to avoid first strike devastation. As Quinn Packard watched the X25 streak into the sunlight and bank towards Mexico, Briggs answered a call from Beagle in the bunker; it wasn’t good news. ADAM reported it had to destroy all ground based Inter Ballistic Missiles held by western powers as launch was imminent. Military and civilian casualties had been sustained.
The battle of Armageddon had begun.