Page 99 of Enemy Within
Six cables came together at the base of a thick steel needle, like a syringe for a giant, that pointed toward the sky.
Jesus, this was the satellite. Some kind of crazy, cutting edge satellite transmitter, low-profile for black missions. He’d seen things like it before, back when he was working in the field, but they’d never been this huge or this high-powered. Standing next to it, Adam felt like his organs were vibrating, like his spleen was trying to duke it out with his liver, and the winner would punch through his stomach to escape his body.
But how were they transmit—
His gaze traced the black cables, radiating out from the satellite. Of course. The cables, lying in the snow,werethe antenna. One giant antenna spread around the station.
Whatever this was, itwasn’tRusFuel tech. Russian state-owned scientists did not work with technology that still had the stink of DARPA on it. Which meant—
“Hey!” Doc’s shout broke over the station. “Hey!I need some fucking help over here!”
Adam sprinted to the edge of the roof. Below, Doc dragged Ruiz behind him through the snow, trailing a line of blood that stretched from Ruiz’s head to the antennae farm. “What the fuck?”
“Someone fucking jumped us!” Doc looked up, and Adam saw a gash on his temple and a smear of blood coating the side of his face, all the way down to his chin. “We were opening up the oil barrels and someone fucking jumped us!”
“Ruiz?”
“Out cold.” Doc dropped to his knees, breathing hard. He grimaced, swaying like he was about to faceplant.
“I’m coming down. Hang on.” Adam scrambled to the edge of the roof and slid over on his belly. There wasn’t anything beneath him except snow and ice, six feet down. Jesus, he hoped it was a soft landing. Adam let go, pulled his knees in close, and dropped.
“L-T!”
He landed on his side, powdery snow puffing up around him as his hip hit a hard chunk of ice. Coleman’s voice made him scramble to his feet. He limped toward Doc and Ruiz and saw Coleman jogging toward the pair as well. “Sergeant?”
Coleman’s eyes were wide, wider than he’d seen before. Coleman wasn’t a man easily rattled. He’d been Adam’s right hand from the moment he’d taken over as team leader. Unflappable. Solid as steel. Adam had borrowed his strength, his determination, more than once.
“Park and Kobayashi are gone.” Coleman dropped to Ruiz’s side and rolled his chin, peering at the gash in Ruiz’s temple. Blood oozed from the wound and over the back of his head.
“Gone? What do you meangone?” Adam knelt beside Doc and took his face in his hands, shaking him gently when Doc wouldn’t focus on him.
“They were checking out the ice hole. I couldn’t hear anything over the radio. I went to join up with them, but they both vanished.” Coleman’s gaze hardened as he poked at Ruiz’s blood-covered head.
Adam’s gaze flicked over Doc’s shoulder to Coleman. Coleman’s jaw clenched hard, a vein pulsing across the center of his forehead. Even though he knew it was useless, he tried the radio again. “Wright, come back. Anything on the perimeter?” The laser tripwire hadn’t gone off, but still.
Nothing but static. “Park? Kobayashi?”
More static.
Slowly, Adam turned back to the station. The still, silent station.Faisal.
“Get inside,” he growled. “Everyone get inside, now.”
COLEMAN CARRIED RUIZ FIREMAN-STYLE while Adam helped Doc stumble up the stairs and into the main station. Faisal met them at the door, helping Adam carry Doc the rest of the way in, and then clearing one of the tables off for Coleman to lay Ruiz on.
“He’s dazed. Maybe a concussion.” Adam crouched down as Doc breathed deep, bent over as he sucked in large gulps of air. His eyes were squeezed shut, but he nodded to Adam.
“I’m okay,” he grunted. “I’m okay. Just need some air.”
“Can you treat Ruiz?” Behind Adam, Faisal had taken over, putting pressure on the gash and trying to wipe away the blood that matted his hair and covered one half of his face.
Doc nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, I can.”
Adam went to Coleman as Doc joined Faisal. His sergeant paced like a caged tiger, his jaw clenching as he stared out over the icy expanse and the eerie stillness of the station. A barren world had swallowed two of his people. Where had they gone?
Someone—or someones—was here with them. And unless RusFuel technicians were deadly serious about their drilling, Adam would put money on their mystery guest being one of Madigan’s men. They must have taken the station. The techs were most likely dead.
So where were the bodies?
