Monsters of the Apocalypse Read Free Page B

bait
worked! I mean, why would you go looking in the first place? Who
told you to go looking into the camera feeds of the Alpha's?! Who are you
working for you pathetic little twerp?!"
    October
grabbed the small man by his throat so tight that the specialist started the
involuntary squeaking that comes from the strain of torn larynx.
    "You,
sir, he's working for you."
    October
turned to find Miho and Flores standing in the room having just entered in the
side door. Miho pointed at the choking man as she continued.
    "We've
had men searching through the Alpha feeds to find Jacob for ten years - he's
just the only one good enough to have succeeded. And you're killing
him."
    October let
go of the man and nodded to Flores who, after a glance to Miho, carried the
convulsing man out of the room.
    "Did
that big Indian Ape just look at you for permission to follow my orders?!"
October snarled.
    "Did
you just almost kill a man for no reason, Mr. President?"
    October
turned away, not interested in losing yet another staring contest with the
woman. He opened the fridge, grabbed a beer and sat down at the kitchen
table. The foam from the can burst forth with a hiss as he tore it open.
    "Damn
it. Why, Miho? Why did he want us here? Am I going to walk out of
this mansion and be shot? Is that what this is about?”
    “We took the
time to do a two-hour sweep of the area, sir. The house was protected by
various jamming devices and scrambling insulation, so we weren't sure what was
inside, but the outside and the surrounding area were clear, we knew for sure.
Infrared cameras, radar and drones have all been searching this property for
the last two hours. If there were a bomb or a human, any kind of threat
even near here we’d know it. Now that the house is clear we can be sure
that you’re not in danger.”
    "Really?
So outside when I wanted to charge in: there was danger, but now that I'm
inside: there is none? Which is it, Miho? Am I in danger or
not?!"
    "I just
explained how…" Miho stopped with a sigh, and gathered herself before she
continued. "It's wise to expect danger, sir. It will keep you
alive longer. Risks that are unnecessary, like charging into the house of
your most dangerous enemy, should be avoided. Risks that are necessary,
like leaving the house of your most dangerous enemy, shouldn't be avoided."
    "You're
so damn clever, aren't you," he said as he crushed the empty beer can and
threw it against the wall before finally returning to his normal breathing
pattern. He stared at his hands, watching the beat of his heart in his
fingertips.
    “Okay then, Ms.
Walker. Okay. If the danger isn't here, then the danger is
somewhere else and he wanted us distracted. I would assume that the two
hour sweep would have drawn all of the local resources?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “So in the
last two hours there has been no patrol, drone sweep or security checks, in
what…? A five-mile area beyond this target zone?”
    “Perhaps ten
miles,” she said with hesitation.
    “Miho,
what’s the most high security, high clearance building in the ten-mile area?”
    President
October Carnegie watched as Flores reentered the room and took up his post
behind Miho's shoulder as she searched the glowing screen of her tablet.
    “Something
called Operations Control 4B. I’m not exactly clear…” she read out loud.
    “Oh, Jacob,
that's very clever,” October laughed.
    “Sir, what
is Operations Control 4B?”
    “It’s one of
the few places that can operate the cameras in an Alpha. It’s a relic
really. No reason someone like you, someone as young as you, would think
twice about it. But…”
    October got
up and walked into the living room and stared into a mirror hanging crooked on
the wall. He looked at his fat face and he knew that this image, this
viewpoint, wasn’t his alone at this moment.
    “Jacob,” he laughed.
“Jacob.”

Chapter 7
***
    Jacob sat calmly and watched as
Nestor walked through the door and sat down across from him at