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  As De Boer regained his seat he turned to Hawk and said, “ETA at our destination, ten minutes, then things get interesting.”

  Tanya looked at Hawk with a worried expression and asked, “Interesting how?”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine, trust me,” Hawk replied avoiding the question, and she glanced at De Boer who winked at her as he turned to face the front of the shuttle once more. Although his comment was made to unnerve her, to make her rethink her decision about coming along, to make her realise she was putting herself in harms way, it was unnecessary because she already understood that. She wasn’t some dumb kid hell bent on a thrill ride or some spoiled brat determined to get back at Daddy for stopping her allowance. Okay, she was spoiled but that was not the point. Her father was responsible for the deaths of more people than she liked to think of and she had no reason to think he wouldn’t continue if he wasn’t stopped. These men were going to try and stop him and they had a better chance at success if she helped them. Yes, it was dangerous, she understood that, but she had to do it; it was the right thing to do, it was that simple. She was comforted by the fact that she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the man seated beside her would protect her no matter what.

  Having gone through the recent situation in the mall she wondered what the Colonel’s definition of interesting could possibly be and knew that in less than ten minutes she would find out.

  JONAS WILDE SAT IN his office thinking. Having delayed his departure until he’d learned what his daughter was about to do, he’d made certain contingency arrangements. The master plan, which he was determined to stick to, would go ahead no matter what, but for that to happen certain other things had to take place first. It was a fluid situation and he had to adapt to the constantly changing scenarios.

  He would have preferred to have kept his daughter out of it but it appeared she was as determined to involve herself as he was to see it through. Honestly speaking he hadn’t considered her in his master plan, it was almost as if he had no daughter, which saddened him. The bond that should have been present between father and daughter was just missing; it had been prevented from forming by his involvement in Col Sec, which he blamed for everything. Col Sec was the focus of his hatred, he had devoted his life to it, forsaken everything else for it and they had kicked him out because of a failed psyche evaluation, or so he thought.

  What his mind wouldn’t accept, wouldn’t allow him to see, were his own psychotic tendencies. He considered himself above everyone else, his own needs were always put first. When he thought he was devoting his life to Col Sec it was for his own selfish personal gratification and not for the betterment of the Confederation. The bond between himself and Tanya, that he blamed Col Sec for destroying by not allowing to develop, had not been there from the start. He simply did not love her; he was incapable of loving her. She loved him though, and despite his long periods of absence her love was unconditional for he was her father. During the times they had spent together, when he had gone home on leave, she had bonded with him. Those were instances that his psychotic mind chose to forget.

  Now she was involved in his plan, there was no denying it. What he needed now was to see exactly what she wanted, what she expected of him.

  No doubt she would bring along that meddling agent who had escaped death too many times, but why, to what purpose? What did they hope to gain?

  They had his files and call records which logged his involvement at the chamber and the subsequent attack on Hawk and his team there, but what did they intend to do? Were they planning on coming to arrest him? Were they that stupid?

  The computer continued to trace his daughter’s progress. It extrapolated her route and showed that she would be at the MaxCorp building in around five minutes or less.

  If she was coming there to see him then he must make sure he made the proper arrangements, he thought with a sly grin.

  “I’VE HAD THE PILOT invoke Col Sec authority to allocate us a landing area in front of the building so we can go in through the front door,” De Boer said over his shoulder to Hawk and Tanya. “ETA thirty seconds, get ready,” he added.

  “We’re ready, Colonel,” Hawk replied and he turned to Tanya with a reassuring smile to ask, “You okay?”

  She nodded her head and returned his smile and then they all felt the landing thrusters fire as they came in to land.

  As the shuttle settled onto its landing struts and the engines powered down the straps automatically retracted into the seats, freeing the passengers.

  The doors slid open and Hawk and the rest were on their feet moving out from the confines of the sleek shuttle back into the warmth of the Cordoban air.

  Before them was the huge building that stretched up towards the azure sky. The sun had almost set below the horizon but there was still quite a lot of light left as they headed up the steps towards the huge entrance.

  As they walked through the huge doors the foyer opened out before them. The reception desk was in the centre of the floor; a circular desk at which sat two young women who greeted visitors, answered any questions and announced new arrivals. They presented a very human face that many businesses had rejected in favour of automation.

  A huge staircase ran up the centre of the building with balconies at each floor as it snaked its way up the middle of the huge tower block.

  A group of men came towards Hawk and the team from the staircase where they had obviously been awaiting their arrival. One man led them, a man Hawk and De Boer recognised instantly as the clone they had captured in the chamber and transported to Earth, or at least, another like him. Behind him were eight burly men all dressed in business suits, all with the same hard expressions worn by security men all over the galaxy.

  “Good afternoon Miss Wilde, we’ve been expecting you,” the Rover said as he walked up to the group at the entrance. The guards all fanned out just behind him forming a barrier.

  “I don’t know you but I’m here to see my father,” Tanya said casually, she was on home ground here and felt more confident.

  “Your father is extremely busy Miss and not to be disturbed,” Rover replied smiling, his expression remaining calm and pleasant throughout.

  “I’m sure he’s not too busy to see his own daughter,” Tanya insisted.

  “I’ve been instructed to allow you through Miss if the situation is extremely urgent, but I’m afraid these gentlemen will have to remain here in the lobby,” Rover said.

  “But they’re with me and are here to see my father also.”

  “I’m Matthew Hawk from Col Sec Intelligence Division and we’re here to see Jonas Wilde to ask him some questions regarding a grave security matter,” Hawk said by way of introduction as he stood by Tanya’s side.

  “Do you have a warrant?”

  “No.”

  “A representative from the Local Constabulary?”

  “No.”

  “Then I must ask you to leave, and these gentlemen here with me are to ensure that you do. You have no jurisdiction here Mister Hawk and any attempt to gain access to this building now would be deemed as trespass and we would be within our rights to evict you, forcibly if need be, and then bring charges against you. Is that what you want?”

  “Haven’t we already met?” Hawk said suddenly changing tack.

  “No, sir, we haven’t. I’m sure I’d remember if we had,” replied Rover calmly.

  “How long has Mister Eisenhower employed clones, you are a clone aren’t you? Identical in every way to the clone I captured and took to Earth and who then committed suicide by activating a bomb he’d somehow hidden inside his body. Do you have a similar device hidden inside you? Is it something you’re all equipped with or was he specially designed for that purpose?” Hawk continued as he watched the expressions not only of the clone but also the guards with him, to gauge just how much they knew of their employer and the business he ran. None of them showed any signs that they were disturbed in the slightest by his words or that they’d even heard them
. They were there to do a job and their attitude was truly professional. The clone on the other hand, with a knowing smile slowly spreading across his face emphasising his air of supreme self-confidence, said in a calm and pleasant voice, “Again, sir, I must ask you to leave.”

  “And if we refuse?” asked De Boer, stepping forward to stand next to Hawk.

  “And you are?” asked the clone.

  “I think you know, so let’s drop all the charades shall we,” De Boer said bluntly.

  “Ah, the voice of the military no doubt,” Rover said in way of recognition, then gesturing for them to look at the guards added, “Gentlemen it seems the numbers favour the house as it were, and as any gambler knows, it’s unwise to bet against odds as the house invariably wins. In laymen’s terms, for our military friend here, we will use force if required to prevent you getting any further.”

  De Boer smiled at the sarcastic jibe but kept his cool preferring to ask, “Would you risk a gun battle here if we decided to force our way in?”

  “Would you?” Rover replied calmly.

  De Boer looked at Hawk and they both knew the answer to that question. Although they were both soldiers and accustomed to battle conditions, their priorities had always been the protection of the Confederation and it’s people and they would never needlessly endanger innocent lives in the pursuit of their goal.

  “Thank you for your time, sir,” Hawk said as he turned to go, then as the group were about to leave he added, “Tell Mister Wilde we’ll catch him later.” Within seconds they were through the entrance and out of the building.

  Softly, more to himself really, Rover said, “I’ll pass that message along personally, sir.”

  Outside the building De Boer said, “Well that went well.”

  “At least now we know how deeply ingrained this goes,” replied Hawk thoughtfully.

  “How so?”

  “Well, look, who or rather what was the representative who spearheaded our welcoming committee, a clone. I now think this goes right to the top although it is conceivable that Wilde could have run a programme of cloning through a business as big as this one with so many offshoots and subdivisions without Eisenhower knowing, but somehow I doubt it. He didn’t get to run one of the largest mega corps in the galaxy without at least some idea of what’s going on throughout the entire business structure, otherwise he could be ousted by an internal coup. No, I think Eisenhower is also involved here which makes our job just that much harder I’m afraid.”

  “What do we do now then?” Tanya asked, voicing the concerns they were all feeling.

  “I think our best bet is to return to the Valkyrie for now. I’ll contact General Sinclair with an update and take it from there. He may be able to get a warrant issued so we can come back and do this legally through the proper channels or he may want us to take other action. We’ll know better when I’ve given him my report,” Hawk suggested, leading them back inside the shuttle.

  “Other action? I don’t like the sound of that,” muttered Tanya as she followed Hawk inside the shuttle.

  JONAS WILDE HAD WATCHED the exchange through the Rover’s eyes, the Rover’s NI having been linked to the building’s computer so that the visual images seen by the clone were transformed into electrical impulses that the brain recognised. These impulses were transmitted to the computer via the NI and transferred to the monitor on Wilde’s desk, something the mega corp. was trying out for the military to eradicate the need for helmet cams. One day soon he hoped to make it possible to link the images NI to NI and therefore enable soldiers on the ground to see what each other saw. It would take some getting used to but he was confident it could be done and his Rovers would be the testing ground.

  After hearing the exchange and watching his daughter leave he called the Rover 5, who by that time had arrived at where Tanis Rygar and his team were waiting.

  Linking the call also to Rygar, he said, “They are heading back to their ship in orbit, make sure they don’t reach it. I want them all dead.”

  Rover 5 looked at Rygar coldly and said, “Let’s go.”

  15

  As the shuttle lifted off from the parking area allotted them in front of the MaxCorp building, Hawk was in contact with General Sinclair via a secure sub space channel. “It seemed like they knew we were coming, sir, and had time to prepare,” he added after he’d recounted what had happened.

  “Damn, I hate all this red tape and jurisdictional crap,” Sinclair replied, giving vent to his frustration.

  “Do you want us to go back and bring him with us, sir? We could do it as a black op, monitor his whereabouts and go in after dark around three am in the morning,” asked Hawk.

  “The direct method may turn out to be our best option, but not yet, Matt. As much as I want to give you the green light I must try other alternatives. I don’t like the implication that Maxwell Eisenhower may be involved. I agree that it seems improbable that Jonas Wilde has done an end run around him and that he’s unaware of the situation, which only makes it that much harder to make a case against them. The legal power they can bring to bear against us is phenomenal. For Christ’s sake, they supply the Confederation with seventy-five per cent of our weapons technology and eighty-seven per cent of the rest of our software so we have to be very careful here. I dread to think what would happen if they could raise any military force against us. They’d be a formidable threat,” Sinclair commented.

  “I don’t want to be a doomsayer, sir, but what if that is their plan? I mean why else would they have a cloning programme? I’ve seen two of the normals and one military grade, who’s to say there aren’t any more? We need to close them down and soon, sir,” Hawk suggested.

  “I take your point, Matt, and will take it under advisement. This is another reason why we have to bring an airtight case against them before the courts so we can stop all their activities,” Sinclair agreed.

  “You mentioned that they supply seventy-five per cent of our weapons technology?”

  “That’s right.”

  ”What’s to say that they haven’t kept a few new developments for themselves plus, if they know what they’ve supplied us, then they know how to get around our security protocols, defence shield configurations and all the rest. If they could gain access to our computer network they could shut our entire military operation down, they could even cripple civilian operations too. What would the Alliance give to own that technology or what does OMEGA plan to do with it? Are they capable of implementing it themselves? Sir, I feel this threat is very real and we have to move fast.”

  “I agree, Matt, and believe me we’re moving as fast as we can on this. Sit tight on the Valkyrie and I’ll get back to you shortly with new orders,” Sinclair said before closing the com. channel.

  “You paint a pretty bleak picture,” De Boer commented after Hawk had finished speaking. He’d noticed the expression on his face and knew how worried he was about what could happen.

  “I just hope I’m wrong. So far in everything we’ve done they seem to either be one step ahead of us or at the very least, one step behind and able to catch up and keep pace with us. It’s almost like they’re listening to our every word and watching our every move,” Hawk replied.

  Before De Boer could comment the pilot said, “We’ve got company,” and the shuttle was buffeted by plasma cannon fire.

  “What the fuck?” exclaimed De Boer as they were tossed around in their seats. Had it not been for the safety harnesses holding them in place they would have been thrown around the interior of the shuttle like rag dolls.

  “Get the shields up,” ordered Hawk, then to no one in particular, asked, “How did they find us so fast?” As soon as that thought was aired he looked at Tanya. A thought was clawing at his mind trying to break free but another salvo of plasma cannon fire rocked the shuttle sending it back into the recesses of his subconscious to languish there until the time it could safely surface once more.

  “Get us back to the Valkyrie and fast,” Hawk shoute
d to the pilot.

  “I’m trying, sir,” replied the pilot.

  Inside the shuttle, situated on the back of the headrests of each seat, were monitors that could be used for external views and Hawk had the one facing him tuned to a rear view so he could see who was firing at them.

  “Isn’t that the same damn craft that attacked us before?” Hawk asked when he had a clear visual. The pilot of the shuttle was taking evasive action, throwing the sleek shuttle through a series of aerial manoeuvres he hoped would help him lose the attacking craft.

  “It looks like it is,” replied De Boer, once he had his monitor tuned to the same view.

  “Then we’re in serious trouble, if I remember right that thing had superior shielding, enough to withstand several missile strikes that should’ve destroyed a craft of that class.”

  “Yea, military class defence capability,” agreed De Boer.

  “This is a military shuttle too, sir. We have a few tricks up our sleeve also,” the pilot added confidently from his seat as he threw the shuttle through a tight looping turn to starboard throwing his passengers against their seat harnesses once more.

  “Do we have any weapons on board? I’d love to give those bastards a bloody nose,” asked De Boer.

  “We have plasma cannons fore and aft and a compliment of Sabre missiles,” replied the pilot, “but I could sure use an extra pair of hands up here on the weapons console though.”

  “I’m on it,” said the marine seated next to De Boer. He overrode the safety protocols on his seat so that he could release his harness, then he was up and running towards the forward section.

  “Right then, one bloody nose coming up,” he said as he strapped himself into the co-pilot’s seat and began to familiarise himself with the weapon’s console controls.