Disclaimer: I don't own the Syphon Filter series.

Syphon Filter: The Novelization

Prologue

Guacimo, Costa Rica

Caribbean Rain Forest

So, they are coming, thought Eric Rhoemer. He hated to leave his plantation, but he has no choice. Logan and Xing may be just two agents, but they have already proven to be taken seriously. They have already taken out the plantations defenses, gotten past the majority of the guards, and they are on their way to his location. Which means you better move before they get you too. He looked to his left. Anton Girdeaux had his flame-flower, ready to burn the plants and Logan. As much he would love to see Logan burn, they just would have to settle with burning the plants.

He addressed to everyone around him, "they are coming." He turned to Girdeaux, "go, torch it. Burn it all."

"But what about the-"

"Leave nothing!"

Girdeaux looked at him for a few more seconds, nodded, and then he started to burn the crops around him. He didn't know why Girdeaux questions him so much.

He turned his attention to the pair on his right. Aramov had a .45 to the Informant's head. Mara Aramov. The Expert Assassin. He would never admit it, but she scared him a little bit. She always seemed to enjoy her job to much. But he would be stupid to fire her. She always did what she was told, without asking questions, and she is very loyal to her employers.

He spoke loud so everyone else could hear him, "now I will show how I deal with informants." He turned around and started to walk towards the cargo plane, turned around half way to look at Mara, "finish him." As he turned around he heard her reply, "with pleasure." A cold shiver went down his spine. She said it in a purring, pleasurable, manner. Like he said, she enjoyed her work to much.

***

Gabriel Logan turned his head from left to right, but he still didn't see Ellis. That was weird. He should be here. He sat on a crate and took out his GPS, and coordinates that Ellis had sent. They were at the spot, but where was Ellis? Had something happened to him? He hoped not. He had fought with Ellis since they had both been in the Army Rangers from back in the early 1980s.

He looked up to see his partner, Lian Xing, coming up to him. Crouch walking, with her .45 in front of her. She had been with him since he got her into the Agency. They had met before, back when he was a Ranger, but now was not the time to relive old memories. When she got up to him, she shook her no, as an indication that she didn't found Ellis either. "Strange," he said. "These are the coordinates Ellis sent."

Before Lian could reply two shots range out from behind Logan. At he first one both stiffened up. On the second, Logan brought his 9mm out in the direction of the shots. Lian pointed in the same direction, "over there." Both of them took off in that direction. On the way they saw two helicopters. One was leaving, and another was landing. They decided to keep on in the direction of the shots. Soon they came to an area with tents, and plants were burning around it. In the middle he saw Ellis' body, with blood coming out of the back of his head. No, Ellis. One of his best friends were dead. H started to feel angry, but he put it away. One rule he made was when your friend died in the field, never let revenge rule your emotions. There would be time to mourn and be angry later. For now, he and Lian had work to do.

He reached out with his left hand and closed his eyes. After that he waved over Lian. She was looking at the plants that were being burned. She came up to him and knelt down on the other side of Ellis' body. "It's Ellis. Executed." He looked up at her and asked, "Lian, did you find anything?" She shook her head. "The place is torched. I don't know what they were growing, but it wasn't narcotics." He looked around, and turned back to her with an angry face. "Rhoemer knew we were coming." She nodded in agreement. "So what's our next move?" He stood up. "We watch for the next viral outbreak. We won't have to wait long."

***

Washington D.C.

The Agency

"Logan's report is clear enough," replied Agency Deputy Director Edward Benton. Agency Director Thomas Markinson looked up and nodded in agreement. It was very clear. They needed to find Rhoemer quick. He will have to assign another team to find him faster. "I want two additional teams assigned to this." He looked at Benton and added a little edge into his voice, "find Rhoemer." Benton nodded in agreement. "I understand." Then, he left the office.

After he left, Markinson turned his attention to the man standing behind him. He called the Shadow Man, because he always stood in the shadows. "Logan is my best agent. What do you want to do?" After a few moments of silence, he replied, "nothing. We will wait" He said in a cool and calming way. No matter in what situation, he always had that self-controlling, calm voice. "We will wait and see what he can discover."

***

Khumbu, Nepal

Sherpa Village

Great. Another outbreak, Logan thought. He looked around. Chance and the other CBDC agents were cleaning up. Nice spot for a test. Isolated, no advanced hospitals for miles, and also a nice environment to see if the virus can survive. Up here it was cold and snowing. And from the looks of things, it seemed that the virus has survived, and done its job well. Chance told him that everyone within a hundred miles is dead.

He sighed. He wondered when this madness would end. He looked around for Lian. She was a few meters away, examining a victim. He walked up to her. "Our W.H.O. contact was correct. Everyone within a hundred miles is dead." She shook her head, "not everyone. This man is still alive." What! A survivor! It's about time. But, how. This virus is very deadly. How did he survive. Time to find out. "How is that possible?" he asked. She looked up at him, "it's not," she said, bluntly. She held up something for him to take. It was a needle, and it was empty. He doubted that they would find any traces left in it, but anything is possible. He sighed again. And he once again wondered when this madness would end.

Author's Note: Sorry about the long update. The power supply and switch went out on my computer. Took about a full month to get them replaced. And I had to work a lot at school. Enjoy.

Chapter 1: Another Threat

Logan unlocked the door to his apartment, and walked in. After he shut the door and turned on the light, he let out a deep sigh. He was tired. Erich Rhoemer and his main guys escaped from Costa Rica, and there have been no trace of them since. Hopefully he can rest one night without being called into the office.

He set his bags down in the living room, and got a bottle of water from the fridge. He went back to the living room and sat down in the chair. He looked at the clock. It was 3 P.M. He decided to take a short nap. He leaned his head back in his chair and drifted off to sleep.

***

At this time Lian was just getting home, too. Unlike Gabriel, she was full of energy. It was because she slept on the way home, but Logan stayed up and worked. After she put all of the files on the table, she decided that she might as well work while she is awake.

But, after several hours of working, she too fell asleep. When she woke up it was nine thirty-five. Whoa. Now I won't be able to sleep very well, tonight, she thought. After she got a drink from the kitchen, the phone rang. She went over and picked it up.

"Lian Xing. Who is this?"

"This is Markinson, Xing." Great, now what?

"Whatever it is, Boss, get someone else to do it for you. I want to relax for the remainder of the day."

"I wish you could, but it is serious. Rhoemer is here."

Her eyelids shot up. "WHAT!"

"I will tell you everything when you and Logan arrive. Call him up and warn him that you are coming to get him. After you get him head over here quickly. Good-bye."

After Markinson hung up, Lian went to get her gear on. Then she saw that she had never taken it off. She went to the phone to call Gabe. All she got was an answering machine. When she looked at her watch it was nine forty-five. She left the time she called and said that she was coming over. She hung up the phone and ran to her car in the garage building.

***

Gabriel suddenly shot up in his chair. When he looked at his clock it said that it was nine fifty. He couldn't believe that he was this tired. He decided that he better get a shower, shave, and get to bed. On his way to his bathroom, he paused in front of the full length mirror in the bedroom.

He looked at himself for a few minutes. He saw just how old he was getting. He may be thirty-five years old, but he looked forty. His job's work is wearing him. He needed a vacation. Ever since he joined the army he had been working nonstop. In 1983, when he was 19, he joined the U.S. Army ROTC. He was in it until he was 23. In 1987 he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. Ever since then he was always working. In that time he also gained degrees in different parts of science. In sixteen years he had done nothing but work. He also needed to start a relationship with someone. He was tired of coming home alone. He shook the thoughts from his mind. He needed to get cleaned up, and get some more rest.

In the bathroom he shaved and showered. After he finished, he looked at himself in the mirror, again. That shower and shave have seemed to taken off five to ten years from his face. He just chuckled at himself. He needed to quit this self-pity. He still has a few years left to settle down and have some kids. At that time he heard a knock at his door.

Who could that be? He walked over to the door and opened it. Lian was there, "Gabe, why aren't you ready?" He looked at her with a confused look. "What are you talking about?" "Haven't you checked your machine, yet?" she asked. He shook his head, then he checked it. Lian's voice rolled off the speaker. He looked at her, apologetically. "Sorry, Lian. What's the emergency?" "Rhoemer is here. Markinson wants us at HQ, now." Before she finished, Logan had already ran into his bedroom and was already changing back into his combat uniform.

"Get back to your car and start it up. I'll be down in a few minutes." Lian ran out the door and to the front of the building. Of all the places for Rhoemer to be why here? Logan was pissed. There goes his nice weekend. Now he was glad that he fell asleep when he got home. He felt refreshed. After he finished getting dressed and putting on his side arm, Logan locked up his apartment and ran to join Lian out front.

***

They were running through the hallways toward Markinson's office. On the way to HQ they heard that there was an attack on the D.C. Subway system by terrorist. They had no doubt that this was Rhoemer's work.

When they got to Markinson's office, his secretary let them in. Markinsion was sitting in his chair behind his desk, and Benton was sitting on one of the chairs in the office. Markinson looked up at them, "Good, you're both here. I take it that both of you have already heard about the Subway attacks?" Logan nodded, "Yes, we have. Are they using any virus weapons?" "Yes," Markinson replied. "They have a few viral bombs in the Subway, and a few on the streets. CBDC trying to find them. They are headed by Lt. Jason Chance." Good. At least someone else I know will be down there helping me.

"Tell us, when did this operation begin?" Logan asked "Our intelligence within the FBI was not clear, but Rhoemer's men are already inside the Subway." Lian was looking at the screen in front them that had a layout of the city, when she asked, "Is it the same virus?" "Yes. They have enough to eliminate everyone within a hundred miles or more," Markinson answered. Logan turned around to face them and asked, "what's the procedure?" "Standard intercept and eliminate." Benton stood up and walked toward them, "This is from our contacts inside Interpol. Jenkin's team is on search and diffuse. You are the trigger."

Lian was looking at the footage of the activity that was going on in the system. "I recognize Anton Girdeaux and Mara Aramov, but who is the other guy?" "That is Horvel Kravitch. RHOMAS Communications expert. When you eliminate him you will also have to destroy his Comm up-link. You will be dropped into the strike zone where the firefight begins. You'll have an hour to find your targets and take them out." After Benton finished Logan turned around. "Do the locals know what they're dealing with?" "No," Benton answered.

Markinson looked up at Logan and Lian, "Your chopper and equipment are ready and waiting. Good luck you two." They nodded and headed toward the helipad. Logan was hoping that this will finally be his chance to get Erich Rhoemer.

Chapter 2: Georgia Street

Logan was checking his equipment one last time as they came up to the drop-off point. He had his silenced 9mm, his sniper rifle, a few grenades, his taser, and a flashlight. After he finished he looked out the window through a pair of binoculars. He could see the CBDC trading fire with the terrorist at the Subway entrance and at the National Bank. He wondered what they were doing over there. He decided to check that place out first.

Lian turned towards him and gave the low down on the mission operations. "While you find and eliminate terrorist, I will monitor your progress and the terrorists movements." He nodded in approvement. "I will have I.D matches for you in a few moments on where they are," she told him. When they came to the spot he turned back to Lian, "I'm going down. Call me as soon as you have a location on the terrorist." After she nodded he strapped the rope to his belt and lowered himself down to the street. When he landed on the road, he unhooked the rope and the helicopter lifted off.

As he got ready to move out Lian came on his radio, "I've got an I.D. match for Rhoemer on level 1. Girdeaux is on level 2. No location, yet, for Kravitch, and I don't see any sign of Aramov." "Copy. I'm on my way," Gabe replied. He looked down at his watch. It read 8/23/99; 10:45. He was right on time. He turned left to go see what was happening at the bank. Along the way he had to dodge sniper fire. With his sniper rifle he was able to take them all down.

As he arrived at the bank, he saw some CBDC agents taking fire. He came up behind the terrorist and took them down. The agents came out from their hiding place, "thanks." "No problem." Then Lian came in on the radio, "CBDC have a few more agents pinned down in your location. Think that you can lend a hand?" "Copy that. Out."

With the other agents, Logan ran into the bank. When they came in, the terrorist inside began to open fire. The agent in the bank was waving a hand. Logan saw that there was a viral bomb behind. When he reached him the agent turned his attention to the bomb. "Cover me!" he shouted. As he disarmed the bomb, Logan and the other CBDC agents took out the terrorist. When the agent finished, he took out his gun and joined in. "Bomb disarmed," he yelled. A few seconds later they had taken out the terrorist. Lian came in on the radio, "all clear, Gabe." He left the agents there to take care of the bomb and headed toward the Subway entrance.

When he arrived at the entrance he saw CBDC agents battling with terrorist. He helped them take them out. One of the agents walked up to him after the battle was over. He took off the hood and Logan broke out a grin. It was Lt. Jason Chance. Chance is one of his best friends.

"Great to see you, Chance."

"Great to see you too."

"What's the situation?"

"Rhoemer has the Subway entrance locked down. We can't get in."

"I'll see what I can do." Logan spoke into his radio, "Lian, Rhoemer's men have locked down all of the Subway security gates." "You will have to find the bypass switch. See if you can find a service elevator," she replied. "Copy," he said. He turned back to Chance, "Chance, can I get a M16 and a couple of clips?" "Sure." He gave Logan a M16 rifle with five clips.

He couldn't find the elevator near the Subway entrance, so he went to the next building. It was a pool hall. As he went down the back hallways, he shot a guard hiding in a small room. As he went on Lian came back on the radio, "Gabe, I'm getting some interference. You must be near their communications array." "Kravitch." He must be near by.

Soon, he came to the end of the hallway. As he peered around the corner, he could see Kravitch working at a table. Kravitvh must have spotted him, because he suddenly shot up, started firing, and shouting in Russian. He could hear him mention his name during the battle. Logan ran out from the entrance and started firing. For a few moments they ran from hiding place to hiding place, firing at each other. Logan took out the M16 he got from Chance and waited behind a wall. When he saw Kravitch run from his hiding place, he ran out too. When Kravitch took a shot at him, Logan went into a roll and started firing. He emptied four bullets into Kravitch. He stumbled back from the impact and fell down. He didn't get up.

Towards the back of the room, Gabe spotted the communications array. He shot a few bullets into it, and it exploded. He radioed Lian, "I've taken out Kravitch and destroyed the Comm equipment, but I don't see their uplink dish." "I'll trace it," she replied.

As Gabriel started to leave, he wondered what the guard was doing in that room. When he went back there he saw a window. He had an idea. He shot the window and climbed out the other side. When he looked to his right, he saw an elevator. He shot off the lock and went down the elevator.

As he reached the bottom he turned on his flashlight and radioed Lian. "Lian, can you tell me where I am?" "This must be where the Subway security bypass switch is located. Find it and shut it down."

"Copy. See if you can find a copy of the Subway system security protocols." "Got it." He went to work, looking for the switch. It didn't take him long to find it. When he pulled the switch, Lian came back on the radio. "You bypassed the Subway security. The ramp in the first terminal should be clear, now."

Logan headed back to the Subway entrance. When he got there, terrorist were flooding out of the entrance. He got behind a car and started to help the CBDC take down the terrorist. When they finished, Chance walked up to him. "Did you do something? One minute there was peace and quiet. The next moment, terrorist come flooding out of the entrance." "I found the bypass switch. Now we can get in the Subway."

"I'll gather up some men."

"No. Not yet, Chance. I want to check out the place first."

"I don't like this, but have fun."

"Thanks. And can you get me a shotgun?"

"Yes, I can."

He gave him a fully loaded shotgun with extra rounds.

Logan crept up to the entrance. He peeked around the corner, but saw no one. As he was walking slowly down the ramp, Lian radioed him, "Rhoemer's men have set a viral bomb on level 1. If you find it, tag it. I'll give its location to CBDC."

"Copy. Where's Rhoemer?"

"Level 2"

"I'm on my way."

He continued down the ramp. As he reached the bottom, he spotted a guard off to the side. He took him out without trouble. As he continued to sneak through the Subway, taking out terrorist when he found them.

When he looked across the tracks he saw the bomb. A few seconds after he crossed them a train came by. Good. The train will block me while I work. After he finished attaching the beacon on the bomb, he radioed Lian. "Beacon set. Tell CBDC to get its guys down here." "Copy."

He continued to the end of level 1. He went into on of the side rooms and found the elevator to the next floor. He called it up, and rode it down to the next level. A few seconds after he exited the elevator, Lian radioed him, "I've located Rhoemer. He's on the lower level arming another bomb." "I'm moving." This is it. He is so close. Logan knows that this is his chance to get revenge for Ellis' death.

He started walked out from the room into the Subway and started towards the front. He flipped out from behind corners, dodged gunfire, and took down terrorist left and right with his shotgun and M16. Nothing was going to keep him from taking down Rhoemer. Soon he reached the other end of the Subway level. There was no sign of Rhoemer, yet. He would find him. Here he found another viral bomb.

Soon Lian radioed him, "Gabe, what's happening?" "Lian, I found another bomb. I'm setting a beacon." He was about to set it, when he found a few differences from the viral bombs. "Wait. Lian, this one's different from the others. It has a shorter timer and it looks like-." "Gabe, that's not viral. It's-" "TOO LATE!" Logan stood up and ran away from the bomb. A few seconds after that, the bomb went off. Trains flipped over, tunnels started to collapse, and the ceiling started to come down. As all this was going on Gabe was trying to find shelter. But it was looking pretty grim. Well Gabriel Logan. Lets see if you can get out of this one.

Chapter 3: Destroyed Subway

Gabriel coughed as he pushed the debris off of himself. Damn, Logan. You are very lucky, he said to himself. He couldn't believed that he made it. That bomb was only a few yards from where he is now. If it wasn't for that subway train he would have been a goner. That train absorbed the majority of the blast that would have hit him. Suddenly, Lian's voice came on the radio. "Gabe. Gabe. Are you there." He smiled. That was the sweetest voice he had heard all day.

***

"WHAT THE HELL!" Those were Lian's first words when the area around the Subway exploded. 20 blocks of D.C. sank into the ground. Oh my God. Gabriel. He was right in front of the bomb when it went off. Not like this. It can't end like this. She had seen Gabriel survive firefights, go up against armies, tanks, and a whole lot more. This should be nothing. Chance came on over the radio, "LIAN! Tell me Gabe got out of there!" "He was right near the bomb when it went off." She could hear Chance cursing in the line. "It's going to take more than this to take him out. We are going to try to dig our way into the subway. Call us when you get a hold of him." "Got it." She turned over to Gabe's channel to try to reach him. "Gabe. Gabe. Are you there." "Yeah (cough, cough ) I'm alright."

Relief flooded her. It was good to hear his voice. She shouldn't have panicked. It was going to take a lot more than a subway exploding to take down Gabriel Logan.

"Oh my God, Gabe. I've thought you've been killed."

"Not yet. Get on the wire and tell Benton the subways a decoy, the main bomb is somewhere else. Where's Rhoemer?"

"My video feeds are dead. The last visual had Rhoemer moving towards level one, Girdeaux was moving through the main tunnel just beneath the street."

"The ramps down here have collapsed. I'll have to find another way up."

She switched back to Chance. "Chance, good news. Gabe has made. He is going to continue looking for Rhoemer and his group." "That's great, but we also have a problem." "What is it?" "The bomb that Gabe tagged, we can't get to it. Debris is blocking the tunnel. See if Gabe can help us get in there." "Got it."

***

After Logan finished with Lian, he looked at his surroundings. The whole place was ablaze. He didn't know why the place was still here. Thank you God. He had to find Rhoemer fast. He turned right and headed that way, until he saw an opening in between two trains. He was about to turn left when he heard screaming. One of the terrorist was on fire. Usually he would let him bur, but he no time to mess around. He shot him in the head, and moved on.

He turned to the right. He saw that he is where the bomb went off. Continuing to the right, he saw two terrorist, one was on top of a train. First he shot the one off to the side, then the second one that was running along the top of the train. The platform was blocked by debris. The only way to pass was to climb on top of the train. As he reached the top, and started to walk, Lian came over the wire. "Gabe. The viral bomb you tagged on level one, CBDC can't get to it. Debris is blocking the ramp up to the street." "Tell them to stand by. I'll find some of Rhoemer's stashed explosives, and clear it from my side."

Great. More trouble. Now he only had to wonder where to find them. When he reached the end of the train, he saw some more terrorist of to the right. He took out the M16, backed up, and dived off the roof. As he fell, he turned on his side and started to fire. He killed the terrorist, or so he thought. He suddenly heard a grenade rolling his way. He quickly picked it up and through it back. He turned and jumped onto the tracks. As he landed, the grenade exploded and he heard a man scream. As he was about to stand up, he saw a crate.

He took out his flashlight. He opened it up and shined the light inside. There C4 in it. "Lian. I found a crate full of C4. Looks like there is about 5 or 6 pounds in it." "That should be all the C4 you need to blow open that passage." Now all he had to do was find a way to level one. He climbed back on the platform. He crossed to the other side and turned right. He reached a dead end. He was wondering where he was going to go next, when he heard a noise from above.

He looked up, and saw someone on a piece of metal, sticking out from the wall. Gabe took careful aim and shot him in the head. As looked closer, he could see a way up to the next level. He started to climb from one piece to the next. Finally, he reached the top. He was partway down the platform, when Lian came over the wire. "Gabe, I have restored video to portions of the undestroyed subway. Rhoemer's men are moving through the main tunnel." "Check the Subway map. Where does it lead?" "This branch feeds into the Washington Park lines." "That's it. Tell Jenkins to get his men to the park and exercise extreme caution. Girdeaux is there." "Benton says he'll handle it."

Logan continued, until he reached the gate. A little ways to the back and right, he saw the bomb. He set all the C4 and ran. Seconds later the C4 blew. He turned back and saw that the debris was cleared. Lian came back on, "CBDC is on there way in." Seconds later, Chance came running down the ramp. "Hey buddy. Nice to see that your still in one piece." "Thanks. Nice to see you too." "Lets continue this conversation later. Right now, I need you to cover me." "Right."

Chance went to work on the bomb. Seconds later, terrorist came running. With the M16, Logan took them out like fish in a barrel. Soon Chance joined in, "bomb disarmed." They continued to fire at the terrorist for a minute or two. Then Lian came over the wire. "All clear, Gabe." Chance turned to Gabriel. "Thanks for the help. Now go kick Rhoemer's ass. "Right." Logan turned and headed towards the tunnel, where Rhoemer made his exit. When he arrived, there was fire blocking his way.

Great. The gas lines must have ruptured. He radioed Lian. "Lian, the tunnel's blocked. The gas lines have ruptured." "You'll have to find the gas main, and close it." He remembered where the gas main was. He saw it on his way in. He turned around and headed back halfway through the subway. He turned right and crossed the tracks. It was dark so he took out his flashlight. To his left was the gas main. "Lian, I found the gas mains. I'm shutting it down." He walked over and flipped the switch. He turned around and headed back to the tunnel entrance. On the way he saw the CBDC taking care of the bomb. Chance gave him a thumbs up. Gabe returned it and continued towards the tunnel. He reached it and headed in.

It wasn't long before he came to a train blocking the way. He ran up to it and climbed on top. Seconds later, Lian radioed him. "I'm getting a message from Jenkins. Their team is in the park. They are under attack. One of the terrorist has a...flame-thrower?" "Girdeaux." "Benton wants us to head over there. STAT." "Tell them as soon as I take out Rhoemer, I'll be on my way." He jumped off the train, and continued down the tunnel.

A few yards down, a terrorist came out of the fire, screaming. He Logan quickly shot him. Suddenly, someone shot at him from behind. He turned around and quickly shot him. He continued to the next train. He heard someone on top. He shot the man in the foot. He quickly climbed on top. The terrorist was about to shoot him, when Gabe rolled to the left and fired. The terrorist fell into the fire, screaming. At the end of the train he could see the main branch. He jumped off. Then he heard a sultry voice.

"Mmm. Logan." In the main branch he saw Mara Aramov. She started to run when he ran at her. He called Lian. "I've spotted Mara Aramov in the tunnel. I'm going after her." Then he took off into the tunnel.

Chapter 4: Main Subway Line