Chapter 82
Northern California, yesterday afternoon
As Matt barreled down the mountain-slope and raced along the dirt road to the ranch, Katya cocked the automatic weapon and prepared to spray the Watchers at the gate with ammo. She had no illusions as to what they'd have to do.
The two men at the gate yelled out and brought their weapons to bear. Katya stood up and let fly several short bursts. The men fell and Matt barreled through the gate.
Once inside… Katya turned and began firing at anything that moved. Three more men went down. One of them got a shot off at her. The bullet pierced her left arm. She hissed and kept firing.
"That's five," Matt yelled from behind her as he brought his own weapon up. "Let's go!" He leaped from the SUV. Katya sat still a moment… letting her arm heal… then followed him out into the deadly still compound. They hunkered behind the Rover and each scanned the dark windows of the bunkhouse and the ranch house.
"I don't see anything!" Katya said.
"Neither do I… and that's what worries me," Matt replied. He took a deep breath. "Cover me… I'm headed to the bunkhouse."
"Wouldn't the ranch house be a more likely target?"
"Yes… and that's why I want to eliminate the bunkhouse." He fiddled a moment with his earpiece, and then ripped it out. "They found her microphone." The FBI agent raced across the compound… bullets peppered the ground at his feet as he dodged back and forth.
Katya took a bead on their point of origin. Switching to the sniper rifle… she peered through the telescopic site and aimed carefully, firing at the small glint of metal on the roof of the barn. There was a cry of pain and the man's weapon slid down the barn roof and tumbled to the ground.
By this time Matt had reached the bunkhouse and was preparing to force his way in through the door. Katya could see blood pouring down Matt's leg. Her arm was healed by this time. She slung the sniper rifle down and lifted the automatic once more… carefully scanning ranch house roof and windows.
Matt took a deep breath, kicked open the wooden bunkhouse door, and fired through it. A few moments later he waved an all clear to Katya before disappearing once more inside the bunkhouse. As thorough as he seemed to be, Katya realized he was checking to see if there was more to the bunkhouse than was apparent. A few minutes later he raced out and returned to their vehicle. No shots rang out.
"No one in there, but I saw signs of at least eight men living there by the looks of the bunks and the clothes."
"Someone must live in the farmhouse," Katya remarked darkly.
Matt nodded. "So… six down and at least two… maybe more in the house. By now they've likely heard the commotion. We need to move."
"What about the barn?"
Matt grinned and pulled grenades from his pockets. "Cover me again!" He raced toward the barn. This time no shots rang out. Once he reached the barn doors… he pulled the pin on one of the grenades… eased the door open and ducked as shots rang out from within. He tossed the grenade in and then ducked for cover.
The explosion splintered the bar doors. Rising, Matt waved at the smoke as he stalked into it. Katya heard three shots. Matt emerged moments later, motioning for her to take point on the farmhouse. Katya focused on the wide veranda… noticing the small red wooden door and the red wooden shutters to either side of the two front-facing windows.
Clasping the automatic before her… her finger on the trigger… Katya began the longest fifty-yard dash of her life. She'd covered half the distance when a single shot rang out and glass shattered. She felt the thud on her chest and spun about… falling to her knees. She gulped air even as she heard shots from Matt ring out behind her. Glass shattered once more and a man's head and arms lay across the windowsill.
Katya took another ragged breath… thankful for the body armour… and rose. Matt grabbed her arm as he reached her and dragged her along to the porch.
"Now you see why I insisted," he grinned at her. Katya nodded. She picked at the bullet impacted in the armour and pulled it out… holding it before her in her hand. Her chest hurt as much as if it had gone in… but the bruising was already fading. If the bullet had pierced her chest… she'd be dead… and Matt would be short-handed.
He thrust the butt of his automatic through the glass on the window and tossed in the second grenade. They grimaced as the blast shattered the door and the remaining glass window.
Matt raised a fist and quietly counted to three, before he leaped through the door and squeezed off several shots. As the smoke cleared… except for the body half-in and half-out the window… the long room was empty. The two immortals swiftly raced through the rooms and found no one… nor anything to indicate where Amber might be held.
"Damn!" snarled Matt. "I must have missed something."
Katya crossed to a blanket-covered wall and rested her hand thoughtfully against it… then lifted one corner with a grin. "Elevator!" she said simply.
She and Matt reloaded their weapons with fresh clips.
"It's a key access," Katya murmured as she searched the body of the Watcher. Finally she lifted a key.
"Shall we take him along," chuckled Matt and hauled the body up before him.
Katya inserted the key and turned. The elevator doors opened. The immortals entered and Katya pressed the unlit button.
"Next stop… the depths of Hell," she chuckled as the doors closed and the car descended.
When the elevator doors opened, Matt thrust the dead body of the Watcher through the opening. Nothing happened. Carefully he peered around it and saw a dimly lit hallway. A set of double doors was at one end. He motioned with his head for Katya to proceed as he lowered the body to the floor… propped so that the car doors would not close. The elevator was effectively trapped on this level until the body was moved.
They inched down the hallway covering one another. Once they reached the doors… Matt again counted silently with his fingers… three… two… one. He burst through the swinging doors into the room… bringing his weapon to bear on the elderly man leaning over Amber's body and fiddling with an IV.
"Want to live," the immortal snarled.
The man nodded… raised his hands and backed away from Amber. Her clothes had been removed and a sheet was thrown over her. Katya covered Matt while he pulled the IV from the young woman's arm.
"I didn't hurt her. It just makes her sleep," the old man said.
"Are there any more?" Matt asked.
When the man nodded and pointed toward some gurneys on the back wall, Matt grabbed him and propelled the man before him.
"Please… I'm only here to watch over them until they are transferred.
"The transfer's canceled," Matt whispered in his ear. "Bring them back."
The old man nodded and when Matt shoved him at the first body… he fumbled with the IV and pulled it out.
"Is there anyone else here?" Katya called out to him.
"No… my assistant went upstairs to see what the shooting was about."
"How many guards?" Matt asked.
"Eight… They're not allowed down here. Not after the last time."
"Last time?" Katya asked.
The old man cleared his throat. "Some tended to take liberties with the females. I found that distasteful."
Amber struggled awake… lashing out even as she drew in a ragged breath. She sat up gasping and holding her head.
"She should be fine in a few moments." The old man turned and pulled the IV out of the man on the second gurney of the two gurneys by the wall. "These two will take a little longer."
Matt motioned him to a nearby chair and grabbed a roll of surgical tape to restrain him. Thoughtfully he pulled an IV pole over and handled the needle.
"Please don't…" the old man begged. "That solution is too strong for mortals. It would kill me."
"Do tell," Matt said and glared.
Amber climbed to her feet and wrapped the sheet around her. "I'm gettin' verra tired of this."
"Welcome back," Katya said from her position by the door. She didn't trust that it had been this easy. She kept her weapon trained on the hallway.
Amber crossed to the old man and spit in his face. Matt handed her the IV needle and his pistol. "Watch him," he said as he crossed to the gurneys and leaned over the body of the female who was beginning to stir.
"It's all right Jade… You're safe now." Softly Matt ran his hand through her hair and leaned over to smile at her.
Jade gasped and then began to shudder.
"That's the drugs," the old man said. "Give her a few minutes. You people recuperate very swiftly."
From the other gurney… Jeremy Dexter gasped and moaned as he, too, began to shudder uncontrollably.
Matt helped Jade to a sitting position and wrapped the sheet around her. She smiled and stood up… nearly collapsing. Matt steadied her. She smiled at him and then took a few tentative steps toward her lover.
"Whoa!" Jeremy managed to say. "What a rush!" He held his head as Jade leaned over him.
"Hello love… long time no see!"
Jeremy groaned. "Don't make me laugh… my head is throbbing from the rest of you."
"At least it's still attached," Matt said and backed up to lean over the old man. "Do you have a name?"
"Dr. Ronald Petrie," the old man said.
"Why are you people collecting immortals and drugging them?" Matt grabbed his handgun back from Amber and thrust it against Petrie's temple. Behind him, Jeremy slowly sat up as Jade embraced him tearfully.
"I'm not certain. The new council requested we locate, drug and ship immortals to Europe. There is something going on… some research project. The drugs were sent to me from there."
"Who's in charge of this little research project?"
Petrie shook his head. "I don't know exactly. I do know Henry Rawlins… a member of the Tribunal signed off on it. I've dealt mainly with a man named Avril Mishkov. He toured the facilities here last year when they were set up."
Amber grabbed Petrie's face sharply in one hand and pulled it toward her. "How many have you transferred?"
"Three months ago we sent off four. Those were the first."
Matt lowered his handgun. "My people need clothing."
Petrie shook his head. "There's none down here. We cut off what they were wearing and disposed of it. What remains of the young lady's is over there."
Amber pulled away and went through the pile. She laughed. "Well… at least I have boots. Damn… I liked those jeans. Do ya have any idea how hard it is to find comfortable jeans!" She pulled her socks and boots on and re-tied the sheet more tightly around her. Finding her weapons in the pile, she slipped the knife into her boot and brandished the sword and the small handgun.
Jeremy and Jade were doing much the same.
From the door, Katya called out. "We may have company… the elevator is humming." The doors kept slapping open and shut on the dead Watcher's body.
Matt placed his handgun against Petrie's temple. "Is there another way in… or out?"
Petrie shook his head. "Just the elevator."
"Then they'll be waiting for us when we go up," Jeremy said sharply.
"And they'll be armed," Jade added.
Matt tossed Jeremy his handgun and pulled extra clips from his ammo bag to toss to Amber and Jeremy.
Katya tossed the automatic to Jade. "Unless you're good with a sniper rifle?" She laughed when Jade shook her head.
All armed, the five immortals headed down the hallway and stepped over the Watcher's body and into the elevator car. Matt pulled the body into the car and held it before him. The doors closed and the car began to rise.
"Any directions McCormick?" Jeremy asked.
"Just shoot anything that moves."
The doors opened and shots rang out… plunging ineffectively into the dead Watcher. Amber took aim under Matt's arm and fired at the source… as did Jeremy.
A man stood and spun around… falling to the floor from where he'd hidden.
Matt thrust the body out of the elevator. Two more shots rang out. He pulled back as Jade stepped forward firing Katya's automatic rifle. Another body hit the floor. The immortals let the elevator doors close… but held the car on that level. When they were set… Jade pushed the door open button and Matt and Katya leaped out.
Two more shots rang out… striking them. They fell to the floor as Jade aimed in the direction of they'd come from and poured a volley into the heavy oak table… watching as it splintered. A cry rang out. By this time Katya and Matt had sat up and were rubbing their chests.
"Once again… thank God for the armour!" Matt winced as he pulled a bullet from the vest.
"It still hurts!" Katya replied.
Amber stepped out of the car. "I think that may be the last of them here."
"True," Jeremy countered, "But these likely called in reinforcements."
Matt nodded. "Then let's make like the shepherd and get the flock out of here."
Jade grinned. "Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon…" she smirked.
Matt shrugged. "It's still a good line… and it still applies."
They eased out of the ranch house and made a mad dash for their SUV. Matt started the ignition… gunned the motor and peeled out of the compound.
"I hope you have a shelter of some sort in mind," Jeremy yelled from the back seat over the engine's roar. "And clothes… I never much cared for togas."
Matt nodded grimly. "I'll see what I can do."
They vanished down the road in a trail of dust.
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Fifteen minutes later a chopper landed and a squad of heavily armed men alighted and swept the compound.
Once certain the compound was clear… a burly man alighted from the chopper and stalked into the ranch house. He surveyed the damage and then descended in the elevator.
A few moments later a single gunshot rang out from the lower depths of the ranch house. The squad leader rode grimly up on the elevator. "He told them everything he knew. We need to get word to headquarters that this facility is compromised and put the others on high alert. This may no longer be a capture mission… it may be search and destroy." The squad leader drew a machete from its sheath and grinned. "I rather think that I'd enjoy that."