The Genesis Plague - Michael Byrnes [136]
‘Please. Don’t.’
‘Let the games begin.’ Crawford hit another key and the countdown began. ‘You’ve got less than twenty minutes. Plenty of time for some fond memories and a few prayers. Then it’s off to reunite with your papa. In the meantime, I’ve got some work to do.’
‘Crawford!’ a deep voice bellowed out from the darkness.
The colonel’s bravado instantly turned to alarm. He wheeled and drew his M-16 - all in one motion. His light lanced the darkness and found the target near the entrance tunnel: one of those damn mercenaries; the Goliath-sized guy they called ‘Meat’. ‘Don’t you assholes know when to die?’ He opened fire before the man could raise his weapon. But Meat managed to duck for cover into the tunnel. ‘Fucker,’ he grumbled.
Meanwhile, with Crawford’s attention focused on Meat, Jason crept up the ladder leading to the platform. He glanced down at the unbelievably huge brood of rats - all those gleaming red eyes filled with malice staring back at him. Crawford’s tirade filled in many of the blanks as to what Stokes’s master plan entailed, making it perfectly clear that the rats themselves were to be what Flaherty had dubbed the plague’s ‘delivery system’. All this sophisticated equipment Stokes had installed was no doubt designed to increase the rats’ numbers, while pumping them full of virus.
As he’d advanced through the shadows, Jason had seen Crawford tap the device on his belt and refer to it as a ‘whistle’ - the tool he’d be using to drive the rats out from the cave. Judging from the way the rats stayed far away from Crawford’s position, he guessed it was a variant of an ultrasonic transmitter commonly used by the marines to ward off critters and pests from camp provisions. He could see that the rats were trying to break through the invisible barrier that kept them at a distance of ten metres. A wave of rats would spill into the void, cower against the ultrasonic blast and scrabble back in retreat. Then another bunch would test their mettle with the same result. Fortunately, the natural bottleneck at the cave’s centre contained the rats. But they needed to be destroyed - every single one of them.
Near the top of the ladder, Jason peeked up over the edge of the platform. Crawford was facing sideways, using his light to probe the entryway for Meat. Though Crawford was wearing a helmet and a flak jacket, Jason could easily put a bullet through his face. However tempting that might seem, he’d need to try to take him alive. With Roselli and Stokes out of the picture, Crawford was the lone survivor of the twisted cabal who’d masterminded Operation Genesis. And there were plenty of questions still unanswered.
‘You are finished, Crawford,’ Hazo whispered, smiling grimly.
‘Not even close, Haji,’ he said, turning to face Hazo. Glowering, he pressed the M-16’s muzzle against Hazo’s head.
It was exactly what Hazo expected Crawford to do. And it drew all the attention away from Jason, who was now quietly stepping up on to the platform.
At the last instant, however, Crawford was alerted to Jason’s presence by the subtle shift in the metal grating under his feet. By the time Crawford turned, Jason had lunged forward like a linebacker, burying a shoulder into Crawford’s abdomen and thrusting him back against the safety rail that looped in front of the reactor.
Jason drove his elbow up into Crawford’s jaw, then landed a smashing head-butt on the bridge of his nose. Blood sprayed everywhere. Jason grabbed for Crawford’s right forearm and pushed the M-16 away. Shots sprayed wildly into the cave’s vault. Then with all his might, Jason pressed the forearm longways over the metal rail - kept pushing down until he heard bones snap. Dazed, Crawford yelped in pain, thrashing viciously. The M-16 slipped out from his grip, tumbled over the railing and disappeared.
Crawford brought his left elbow down between Jason’s shoulder blades directly