The Last Second (A Brit in the FBI #6)(88)
“You can call me Mike. This is Nicholas. And as for him”—she nodded toward Vince Mills—“exactly what he is, I’m not sure yet.”
“Then call me Bernard.”
They all piled into the vehicle and said hello to their driver, Samuel, an older man with shaggy black hair and aviator glasses, who was chewing on a toothpick and only gave them a nod. The caravan set off, winding out of Colombo toward the mountainous nature preserves in the middle of the country. It was slow going. Their wipers were on high, the water splashing across the glass so hard it was difficult to see out the windshield.
Bernard gave them a quick lesson in Sri Lankan colonialism and the recent civil war, which explained why the military was on the streets and there were tons of roadblocks—choke points, really, cutting the trucks off from the remainder of the street, which meant they could be easily overpowered if they didn’t meet with the approval of the soldiers manning the gates. IDs were shown again and again and again to soldiers bedraggled by the rain, and even though the winds were picking up and the streets were becoming waterlogged, trishaws and cars made for near gridlock.
Finally, after an hour of stops and starts and a final warning of the roads’ deterioration by a small group of soldiers who looked to Mike to be about seventeen, they were out of the city and winding into the mountains.
Bernard said, “Now, Aquarius. The facility was under construction for several years, they even had roads built into the area. It sits on the edge of the nature preserve, with tall fencing, electrified, not unlike a military installation. It runs on generators, so cutting the electricity isn’t an option, everything will power up within moments. There are guards—many ex-military—armed with automatic weapons, who patrol the grounds. With a typhoon of this magnitude nearly upon us, it is possible they will take shelter, assuming no one would dare try to breach the facility in such bad weather.”
Mike said, “What’s our best entry point?”
Bernard opened his tablet and brought up several photos. “As you can see, there is only one road in, and there is a guard tower in this location, as well as an electrified gate.”
She groaned. “Those fences are ten feet tall, with razor wire. Not exactly what I want to be scaling in a hurricane.”
“Yes, I agree it would be most difficult. The best way in is to be let in. We can’t force our way through the gate unless we are able to both turn off the electrical grid and destabilize the generators, and this could be too challenging.”
Nicholas said, “I could do it—” but Bernard raised a hand.
“It won’t be necessary.”
Mike grinned. “Bribery, then. That’ll work.”
Bernard laughed. “When we were made aware guests were coming”—he looked pointedly at Mills, who gave him a feral grin—“we rotated an asset onto guard duty. One of the gate guards was suddenly taken ill, and our asset was next on the roster for duty. He will meet us at the gate and make sure it is opened.”
Mike arched an eyebrow at Arndt. “Now that’s handy. However did you manage to have an asset in place already?”
“It is my brother’s son. He doesn’t work for your government, he works for mine. He has been assigned to this facility since its inception. Though there has not seemed to be anything illegal happening, the fact the owners set up such extreme protections for the facility so closely set off warning bells. My government took the steps they thought necessary to protect our people in the event the facility did end up being an illegal operation of some kind. There are several buildings on the property, and the main building, in the center, has a retractable roof. This is where the telescope lives.”
“Is the telescope why they call it ‘Statue to the Stars’?”
“Yes, exactly. It is massive. It took three days to maneuver it into place with a crane brought in especially for the job. It’s been finished for a little over a year now. Oh yes, the woman who owns Aquarius is rarely in residence.”
Nicholas said, “She is there now, though, yes?”
“Oh, yes.”
“You brains should’ve asked that first,” Mills said. He didn’t wait for Mike or Nicholas to try for a comeback. “Bernard, there are plans, blueprints, documents we can use to ascertain where our targets are, yes?”
Bernard shook his head. “Unfortunately, the office holding those documents burned down. For some reason, the plans for the facility have never been entered digitally, so all we have to go on is what we know from my nephew, and the lore surrounding the facility.”
“Lore?”
“Yes. You must understand, the locals shun this place. They fear it is evil.”
Mike asked, “Why?”
“There were several accidents when it was being built. Three local men disappeared. One or two bodies were found in the rivers, as if they’d slipped in and drowned, but the bodies had been—interfered with. And it is claimed the bodies of animals have been found on the site as well. Something that kills lives on the land. Napaurau ??tamaya, or avat??rayak. An evil spirit, or a ghost.”
Mike said, “What do you think it is?”
Bernard grinned. “I am an educated man. I don’t believe in ghost stories or phantom evils. There are leopards, boars, bears, and venomous snakes roaming free in this area. They are all natural, explainable deaths, at least to me.”