Chapter 5
They awoke to the click of the door opening. Kristin looked up to see Professor Tremblay staring curiously at her.
"You two are much more trusting than I am." the Professor commented.
"How so?" Kristin asked, rubbing her eyes.
"You don't even realize I had you locked in this room." Marie shrugged. "You just went to sleep. The only reason I opened the door is because your fingerprints checked out in the database."
"Database?" Kristin sat straight up. "What database?" She glanced over at Luc, who lay unmoving and stonefaced.
"I have… resources." the Professor smiled knowingly. "But you both checked out; at least, you did as far as I'm concerned. You, my dear, are wanted by the Snakeheads for questioning in Paris, but your boyfriend… well, let's just say he's a much more interesting case."
"How so?"
Luc was sitting up now, but he still hadn't spoken a word. He only stared intently at Professor Tremblay, his blue eyes fixed on her in a way that demanded attention.
The Professor apparently wasn't immune to this, as her gaze immediately dropped to the floor, in an attempt to avoid his.
"Your record with the Snakeheads is much more serious." she noted. "There's a world-wide warrant out for your arrest. Seems that you escaped some kind of high security Snakehead prison. Only, when I went to access your records there, the information turned out to be classified. All I could get was your picture and your name."
"So, how come you lied to me, Mark?"
"That's not my name." Luc said flatly.
"The Snakeheads seem to think it is. And judging by the way they've got your records locked up tight, I'm guessing that you were someone of great importance to the Federation. Yet, you're so young…"
"He doesn't remember." Kristin blurted out. "They did something to his memories." She neglected to mention that she was having issues with her own recollections of the past. The Professor might think they were truly insane if they both came up with stories of unremembered pasts.
Professor Tremblay appeared thoughtful for a moment, and then she nodded.
"I can see that. It's been done before. I should know."
"Why would you know?" Luc asked curiously.
"Because before the Snakehead Invasion, I was researching higher brain functions for Galaxy Security." the Professor revealed. "My team was working on the next generation of cerebonic implants for the G-Force Team. Memory blocking is child's play, compared to what we were accomplishing..."
"Is that what's in the laboratory?" Kristin questioned her.
"You're thinking of my little problem." Marie smiled thinly. "At least I know that you've got your mind on the job. Yes, that's just one of the things I'm worried about."
"What are the others?" asked Luc.
"This was a highly classified lab. I'm not sure even President Kane knew where it was, God rest his soul. Most people weren't even aware that it existed. We lived down there, about a hundred of us, on twenty-four month rotations, researching the most delicate and dangerous technological advances we could come up with. Our primary mission was to develop technology for the G-Force team, but we also researched various weapons and such for other Galaxy Security forces as well."
"I can see why the Snakeheads would be interested in this research." said Kristin. "Is the data still there?"
"When the Snakeheads attacked, everyone was immediately evacuated to an above-ground facility, in case the laboratory needed to be destroyed." Marie revealed. "Unfortunately, the transport they were using was hit by a missile just as it was surfacing. Everyone aboard died instantly. The order for the laboratory to self-destruct was never initiated, as it was supposed to be."
"How do you know all of this?" Luc asked suspiciously. "If you were a researcher in the lab, why weren't you with the others?"
"I'm glad to see that you have some brains, Boy." the Professor laughed. "That's a very good question. The reason is because I was up here, on the surface, attending my mother's funeral. She was my only remaining living relative, and I had been granted special permission for a short leave. When the attack occurred, I hid with everyone else, of course, but afterward, I did what I could to investigate what had happened to my colleagues… my friends." The woman's eyes glistened, and Kristin's heart went out to her.
"It must have been devastating for you to hear that their transport had been destroyed." she said. The Professor's expression turned from one of grief to one of frustration.
"Not as devastating as discovering that the laboratory was never destroyed, as it should have been. I'm fairly certain that until now, I've been the only person still on Earth who still knew of its existence. I've been unable to access the laboratory systems remotely, to initiate the self-destruct. Physically, the entire facility has been sealed off with bulkheads. And now, my worst fears are about to materialize, because the Snakeheads are mining down there. Sooner or later, they're going to discover the lab."
"So, you want us to destroy the lab?" Luc asked.
"I don't know." The Professor suddenly appeared tired, and she slumped down to sit on the chair in the corner of the room. "For the first few months, that's all I could think of, but now, I have to wonder if the data locked away in there could prove to be too valuable to be destroyed. The Snakeheads have been occupying Earth for nearly a year now, and there's no sign that the Federation is going to make a decisive move to regain control of the planet. But, perhaps, if they had access to this technology…"
"You think the Federation could use this research to develop new weapons against the Snakeheads?" Luc asked.
"I know they could." the Professor nodded emphatically. "The question is, could we possibly retrieve the data and get it safely to them, while at the same time preventing the Snakeheads from discovering it?"
"It's worth a try." Luc said emphatically. "If there's any chance at all that this could result in kicking those smug bastards off of our planet, then I'm all for it."
"But, how do we get it to the Federation?" Kristin asked. "Even if we recover the data, the Federation government is now centered on Riga. That's a long way to travel, and getting out of Earth's atmosphere without the Snakeheads noticing… I'm not sure how it could be done."
"Let's retrieve the data first." Marie suggested. "Then, after you return with it, I can use the few connections I have to arrange something."
"I suppose…" Kristin wasn't entirely certain that this plan was well thought out, but Luc's and the Professor's excitement was contagious. The three of them began discussing specific details.
"The bulkhead system is nearly impossible to get through." Professor Tremblay revealed. "But I suspect that you could get around it by entering via the ventilation shafts. That would allow you to bypass the blockages."
"What makes you so certain that way hasn't been blocked off as well?" Kristin asked.
"It would still be working, just in case anyone had remained inside." the Professor replied. "I'm fairly certain no one did, but the safeguard is in place, all the same."
"How do we access these ventilation shafts?" Luc questioned Marie.
"I can show you the outside vent." the Professor said. "I know where two of them are, because I had to check them once for blockages, and to ensure that they were secure and appropriately hidden."
"So, once we're in, we just crawl down into the laboratory?" Luc asked. "That doesn't seem very secure."
"It's not," agreed Marie, "at least, not as much as the rest of the lab. But you'll still have to bypass a few force fields at various access points. I can give you the passcodes for those."
"What do we do once we've entered the facility?" Kristin wanted to know.
"After entering, you will make your way to the main Data Storage Center." the Professor instructed them. "You can download the research information from there. Once that's complete, you'll need to start the self-destruct sequence with the appropriate delay to allow yourselves to get out."
And on it went. The Professor continued to give them detailed instructions, access codes, maps: everything they needed. The more the three of them spoke, the more excited Luc grew. His eyes were shining, and Kristin had never seen such an expression of anticipation on his face. And yet, he was methodical, even when clearly excited by the implications of this mission. He didn't let his enthusiasm for the project blind him to the small details, and he was meticulous in mapping out their strategy.
Even more, Professor Tremblay was clearly noticing and approving of Luc's attitude. Kristin could see the older woman gaining more and more confidence as they developed their plan.
They stopped for a break to eat, and while Luc was occupied, Professor Tremblay took Kristin aside.
"Luc…" she said quietly, "you don't know who he is? And he has no idea?"
"No." Kristin shook her head. "We tried to find out, but the only ones who seem to have any idea as to his true identity are the Snakeheads, and we haven't really been able to access much of their information."
"I might be able to help." the Professor replied, a contemplative expression on her face.
"You know!" Kristin deduced. "You know who he was, before the Occupation!"
"I don't know," Marie clarified, "but I have strong suspicions. If I'm right… I don't even want to think it, for fear my hopes will be crushed, but dear God, if I'm right… it's the answer to all of our prayers…"
"Tell me!" Kristin urged her. "Better yet, tell Luc! He needs to know!"
"No." the Professor replied adamantly. "I don't want to scare him, particularly if I'm wrong, and there's no need for it. But there's something you can do, to help us find out for certain, one way or the other."
"What's that?" Kristin asked.
"Bring back this calibration device when you leave the laboratory." Marie instructed her. The Professor pulled up a diagram of the instrument on Kristin's computer pad. "I can use it to confirm his identity, if he is who I hope he is."
"I can do that." Kristin agreed. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes." the Professor nodded. "When you get to the last access point before entering the facility, rather than use the codes I gave you, have Luc place his palm on the handprint reader. If he is the man I suspect, it will grant him access. If not, you can then use the passcode I supplied."
"Are you sure you can't tell me now?" Kristin asked. She knew that she was begging, and she hated to do that, but she just had to know, for Luc's sake.
"Just get that calibration device and all of our questions could be answered." the Professor stated firmly. It was clear that the subject was closed.
Over the rest of the day, Kristin attempted to get the Professor to change her mind, but to no avail. She got the distinct impression that the older woman was excited about her suspicions, but did not want her hopes raised too high. Kristin was also excited by the potential knowledge of Luc's true identity, but frustrated to be so close, only to come up against a brick wall in the form of the middle-aged Professor.
They all retired for some rest, and a few hours later, less than two hours after midnight, they awoke and made their way to Professor Tremblay's car. The Professor thought it better to approach the surface access to the ventilation system under cover of darkness, and Luc and Kristin agreed.
"The laboratory lies far beneath the ground's surface," Professor Tremblay explained as she drove, "underneath Mont Blanc. The facility was built secretly, when the tunnel was rebuilt at the beginning of the twenty-first century, but not used until much, much later. By that time, anyone who had been part of the original construction had long since forgotten about it."
"Sounds like a good hiding place." Kristin commented.
"It was," the Professor replied wryly, "until the Snakeheads decided to mine the area for undiscovered uranium deposits."
"We can do this, Marie." Luc assured Professor Tremblay.
"If anyone can, I know it will be you." Marie smiled, and again Kristin wondered what the Professor thought she knew about Luc's identity.
Professor Tremblay drove them up into the mountains, into a remote area well off the beaten path. She pulled over and instructed Luc and Kristin to get out of the car. Once outside, they followed the older woman to a small, unmarked walking trail through the rocky landscape.
After about thirty minutes of hiking the Professor stopped, indicating an unremarkable outcropping of rock.
"Under there." she said, pointing.
Luc crept forward, examining the outcropping. Underneath was a small hole, approximately one meter long and half a meter wide.
"Tight fit." he observed.
"It gets bigger further in." Marie assured them. "You'll join up with the Mont Blanc Tunnel ventilation system for awhile, then branch off and down toward the laboratory."
"Thank you for all of your help, Marie." Kristin said gratefully.
"No, it is I who should be thanking both of you." the Professor replied. "I wish you luck. Hurry back as quickly as you can."
"We will." Luc smiled, holding out his hand. To his and Kristin's surprise, the older woman grabbed it in both of hers, and clutched it to her heart for a long moment.
"My prayers are with you." she said, before turning away and heading back down the mountainside. Luc turned to Kristin.
"Time to get this show on the road." he smiled.