Cloud Invasion: R-D 2 (R-D #2)(64)

"Maybe that's what we need-a direct confrontation," Auggie sighed. "We can have people in place ahead of time, watching for any activity. We already have surveillance on Askins and his buddies."

"You know the bodies will pile up," I warned.

"Corinne," Auggie said. "Destroy those creatures in Iraq. That's a command."

*

"Where have you been?" Maye demanded when Ilya and I arrived in the compound kitchen two hours later.

"Starting World War Three," I said.





Chapter 14

Merle Askins' Office

"What the hell are you saying-they're all dead?"

"Including the ones at the Seattle facility."

"Holy f*cking hell," Askins snapped. "She's alive. This is impossible. Have you notified?"

"Hell yes," came through his cell phone. "You're not dealing with a moron, here. I've notified everybody involved."

"I'll start the hunt immediately."

"I think that's prudent."

Merle Askins shrieked when the creature's body landed in his office, breaking furniture with a resounding crack and scraping artwork from the walls while glass shards tinkled to the floor. All this occurred while the huge, scaly body pinned him against a window that threatened to break. Dropping the cell phone from numb fingers, Askins realized the dark-scaled creature was quite wet as well as very dead.

She'd killed their prize in its pool and then dumped it in his office. He screamed for his assistant before realizing that nobody could get in or out-the creature filled every bit of space in the room.

*

Notes-Colonel Hunter

Madam President was late returning from a meeting-Matt and I sat in the Oval Office, expecting a tongue-lashing when we informed her that Corinne was alive.

"Gentlemen," Madam President swept in. We rose and nodded respectfully to her. "What do you have for me?" She sat behind her desk, indicating that we should sit, too.

"We have a confession to make," Matt began.

"What confession is that?"

"Well, we lied. For a good cause, you understand."

"Let's hear it." I could tell she wasn't happy with whatever meeting she'd gone to, so we were walking into a landmine.

"Corinne is alive," Matt said. "As are Rafe, Maye and Nick. Jeff is the only one who died in Ketchikan."

I didn't expect what happened. I expected a drubbing. Instead, she blinked away tears and her hand trembled as it covered her mouth.

"Please say this is true," she whispered.

"It's true. I can probably get them here if you want to see for yourself."

"No-keep them safe," she said.

"There's more," Matt admitted. "We were forced to bring Corinne out of hiding this morning, because they sent twenty creatures to Iraq, to join the insurgents."

"They're dead?"

"All of them. Including the cloning farm they set up in the Seattle facility shortly after we left it behind."

Madam President considered that information for a moment. "Will they be able to make more elsewhere?"

"We don't know. Corinne destroyed everything at the facility, so they won't be able to do it there again."

"Where is she? Never mind-I can't say what I don't know," Madam President held up a hand.

"She'll move if it's warranted," I said. "We have another plan to put in place, but we need your permission, first."

"Tell me," she said, pulling a tissue from a desk drawer and dabbing her eyes.

*

Corinne

"Everything inside the mountain facility is destroyed or useless, including the drug they had there," I said. Everybody was eating lunch while we had our impromptu meeting around the kitchen island.

"Anybody left alive?"

"I left a few humans alive, but all the creatures are dead."

"Which humans?"

"The ones that didn't have fogged brains," I said. "There were only five of those; they worked the computer system and didn't know what was going on above their heads."

My cell phone rang. Auggie was calling.

"Corinne, do you know anything about a creature landing in Merle Askins' office?" he barked at me.

"Uh, yeah."

"Nice work."

I savored the compliment for a moment before I spoke. "Thanks. It'll take chain saws and a small army to get it out of there."

"Even better."

"I sent information to the newspapers," I said.

"What sort of information?"

"Showing his department spending taxpayer funds for experiments, as well as photographs of those experiments. One of those photographs eerily matches what just landed in his office."

"Corinne?"

"Yes, Auggie?"

"Remind me never to piss you off again."

"Good plan."

"Thank you."

"You know this'll piss the enemy off and he'll come after us soon?" I said.

"We know. Madam President also knows. She gave Matt permission to substitute his agents for you and the others."