Erebus by R. K. MacPherson

Author:R. K. MacPherson [MacPherson, R. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-02T22:00:00+00:00

Eighteen

YIFEI HELD DASH’S hand in silence. Several wads of tissue lay on the workbench, soaked through with tears. Puffy-eyed and red-nosed, Dash stared at a knick in the plastic surface.

“I’m so sorry,” Yifei whispered for the twentieth time.

Dash heard the words but didn’t know how to respond. Leaving a trail of corpses was not part of the life he wanted to lead. He had rejected his father and his morally flexible employment. He’d chosen to tell the truth, not bury himself in lies.

Not to become a killer.

Fasil was dead. So was Rasul. Whatever else happened, he didn’t have much time before Castillo’s agents would come for him. The woman was like a digital bloodhound, always pulling Dash’s scent out of the internet. They couldn’t afford to wait for that to happen.

“Where are we?” Dash asked.

Yifei shook her head. “Some rest stop. We’re about an hour north of the city.”

“What time is it?”

“Dinner time!” Yifei rubbed her stomach. “Sadly, there’s nothing to eat.” She looked sheepish. “I, uh, already checked. Twice.”

A smile clawed its way out of Dash’s heart and raised the corners of his lips.

“I’m okay,” he said. “Thanks.”

Yifei wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him into a side-hug. “What are friends pulled into crazy, illegal, certain-death situations for?”

Dash’s expression hardened. “We’re not going to die, Yifei. We’re going to blow this wide open. I don’t care what it costs, or who it pisses off.” He looked around the van. “Where’s my bag?”

“Front seat.”

Dash retrieved it and pulled out the memory sticks. “I assume there’s no Wi-Fi here.”

“My phone is even hungrier than me,” Yifei replied.

“Fine. Let’s see what the Olympus Initiative is concealing in their NASA liaison office.”

Dash plugged the two sticks into his father’s laptop and pried the lid open.

“Since the initiative had armed guards outside the office, and that asshole Rockwell worked for Castillo, I have to assume we’re on the right track. All these rocket launches can’t be a coincidence either.”

Yifei scooted closer to get a better look at the screen. “What are the rockets for? People?”

“No,” Dash replied. “Okay, stick one has the Erebus data I snagged. Stick two...” Dash opened the storage device and scanned the contents. “Engineering, agriculture, medical, morale—what is this, an org chart?”

“Let me have that one,” Yifei said. “I’ve got my laptop.”

Dash ejected the memory stick and handed it over.

The Erebus directory contained hundreds of files. Dash ran down the list, looking for any file names that looked promising. Enterprise and Kennedy each had their own presentation decks. Dash opened Enterprise’s and gasped as it loaded.

The image on the first page showed a wireframe drawing of the aircraft carrier, but with the massive shock-absorber cylinders and pusher plate of an ORION engine. Rasul’s pictures showed the same components in the same configuration.

Kennedy’s file showed the same basic image—a Ford-class supercarrier, minus the island superstructure, plus the nuclear impulse engine.

Dash skimmed through the slideshow, noting the main details. Each ship was stripped of aviation gear, as well as armaments. From what he could understand, most of the ship’s interior was given over to consumables.

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