Page 97 of Enemy Within

He turned to Faisal. “You and I will check the main building. Offices, dorms, labs, everything they’ve got here.” Nods all around. “Report back updates on everything you find.”

More nods, and then Adam dismissed the team. They broke apart, Coleman taking Park and Kobayashi with him to the shipping containers, and Doc and Ruiz heading for the generators and antenna farm. Antennas, satellite dishes, and geodesic domes crowded on top of one of the shipping containers, covered in snow and dripping with icicles.

Adam hefted his rifle and gestured down the first dark hallway. Like the other station, the lights were dark, generator power offline. Faisal clicked on the flashlight mounted to his rifle and followed Adam.

“THIS IS BULLSHIT,” RUIZ grumbled as he scanned the snow, searching for footprints outside the station.

“What is?” Doc rammed the butt of his rifle against the frozen lock on the shipping container behind the generators. It snapped and fell to the snow. Ruiz followed him inside, scanning the container with his flashlight.

“L-T keeping Prince F inside the station. Why can’t any of us be inside the station? Where it’swarmer.”

Doc picked his way through the dark shipping container. Cables lay in bundles, and chains wrapped around thick wooden spools. Tools hung on one wall. He grabbed a crowbar. “Okay, first of all, that station is creepy as fuck. I don’t want to go down those dark hallways. Fuck no.” He turned and pointed the crowbar at Ruiz. “And second of all, you’re from fucking Minnesota. Faisal is from Saudi Arabia. Who do you think is doing better in this shitshow?”

Ruiz scowled. “You don’t think he’s giving Prince F all the good stuff? Better treatment and all that?”

“I think he’s fucking Faisal, yeah. Is that better treatment?” Doc shrugged. He banged on the sides of the first drum he passed. Thick booming echoed back like it was full of liquid. “I thought you liked Faisal. Would you be bitching more if Faisal were given a mission on his own? Sent out here?”

“How would I know he knows what the fuck he’s doing?” Ruiz grumbled. “He ain’t trained with us. And, naw, I don’t hate him. But he ain’t one of us.”

“You’re just jealous of the new baby.” Doc winked and slammed the crowbar into another drum. Another heavy echo. “So where else should he be? Where would he be doing the best he canandbe out of our way?”

Ruiz said nothing.

Doc smirked over his shoulder. “L-T’s trying to do everything for everyone. Making sure we all don’t go flying off the handle about Faisal and keeping Faisal alive. I mean, c’mon. The nephew of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,here?” He shook his head.

“Fuck, Prince F is that important? I thought he was just another prince. They have five fuckin’ thousand.”

“Nah, he’s big shit. Maybe the next king, even.” Doc swung his crowbar against the next drum as Ruiz whistled.

This time, the drum rang loud and clear.

COLEMAN SPLIT HIS TEAM up at the shipping containers. He sent Park down one row and Kobayashi down the third. He took the middle. None were locked, and after cracking through the ice built around the handles, they swung each container open and looked inside.

Coleman found more snowmobiles. A bright-yellow arctic construction vehicle on treads. Parts for drilling, long, long lengths of pipe that would be right at home on an aircraft carrier, and drill bits the size of a minivan. Pistons and engine parts that could have gone on a tank. Whatever the station’s purpose was, it wasbig.

He pressed his throat mic and radioed his team. “Found anything?”

Static nearly drowned out Park’s response. “Nada, Sarge. Just equipment. I think I see you, Kobayashi.”

“Kobayashi?”

“I just flipped you off, Park. Nothing relevant, Sergeant.” More static.

He set off for the next container. More drill equipment.

His radio chirped again. The static over the line was worse than before. He could barely hear Park’s voice, tinny through the connection.

“Park to Coleman… approaching ice hole… something… gotta see…”

“Park? Park, come back?”

Nothing.

Coleman tried Kobayashi. “Kobayashi, come back. Kobayashi?”

Static and dead air.

He took off, jogging down the long line of snow-blown steel boxes toward the ice hole. His finger curled around the trigger.