“An arrow?” Dianne spoke the words out loud, softly, and traced the length of the piece of fiberglass. The head of the arrow was firmly embedded somewhere inside the guts of the camera while the shaft had snapped in half, most likely from the impact, shattering bits of fiberglass and leaving a dangerously sharp end sticking out of the device. Whoever had fired the arrow was clearly a good marksman, as they had managed to both destroy the camera’s function and knock it off of the house with what appeared to be a single shot.
Whether it was the lateness of night, the long-term lack of sleep or some other factor, the seriousness and gravity of Dianne’s find didn’t set in for a few more minutes. When it did, though, she stood up straight, dropped the camera to the ground and bolted for the front door. All semblance of stealth was forgotten as she realized that there were likely eyes in the woods watching her every move. Why they hadn’t fired upon her with the same bow they had used to destroy the cameras on the house was anyone’s guess, but the last thing she wanted was to suffer from a similar fate.
Dianne’s feet were both on the wooden porch and she was reaching for the handle of the front door when a searing, red-hot pain exploded in her lower left leg. Though her brain was sending it signals to keep moving, to keep her up and continue going toward the door, Dianne’s leg didn’t listen. She felt like she was moving in slow motion as she collapsed to the ground, just barely grabbing onto the handle to keep herself partially upright, wondering why her leg had stopped working and why it hurt so very much.
As Dianne Waters looked down and saw the fiberglass shaft of an arrow protruding through her calf, she realized what had happened. The men they had driven off weren’t taking a few days to lick their wounds. They might not have even been driven off in the first place. They had regrouped, formed a new strategy and had managed to successfully sabotage one of the most important parts of the house’s defense mechanisms. They had drawn her outside, wounded her and were likely preparing to do something even worse.
The battle for the Waters’ homestead had finally come to a head, and it was about to get far, far worse.
Chapter 14
Three days before the mission
Deep in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia
Beneath Mount Yamantau
Ostap Isayev is not normally a nervous man. A career soldier and veteran of countless wars fought in both the light and the shadow, he is used to interacting with people of all statures in government and civilian life. Extracting information from an adversary in the field, performing a night raid on terrorists who have kidnapped dozens of schoolchildren or performing HALO jumps into the heart of enemy territory have nothing on the current situation.
As the weaponized computer virus continues to escalate its attacks across the globe, the Russian government is in a state of turmoil. Inside the mountain bunker the President still reigns supreme, but fractures are forming as small groups of military personnel begin whispering about how things should be done. Unlike most parts of the world where one of the biggest issues is a lack of food and water, the slow-burning chaos inside the mountain is focused on things further up on the hierarchy of needs.
“Mr. President?” The office is cold and dark, chilled by the layers of impenetrable rock that surround it and all the rest of the bunker. A small fire crackles off in a corner, one of the luxuries afforded to the man who was once in charge of an entire nation.
“Da.” The answer comes from a large chair near the fire. The outline of an outstretched arm appears, and the figure beckons Ostap to draw closer.
“You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Da.” There is a long moment of silence following the answer before the man speaks again. “You have been given your mission, correct?”
“Yes, sir. And all of the relevant information surrounding it. We will stop this weapon, Mr. President, or—”
“Nyet. You will not.”
“I… sir?”
Another long silence. “You will not stop the weapon. Not completely.”
Ostap’s initial panic at the President’s negative response quickly turns to confusion. He stands near the chair, opening and closing his mouth as he struggles to figure out what to say. The President continues before he can say anything.
“This ‘Damocles’ is a weapon that we must have in our arsenal, if we want to rebuild in this shattered world. Once you have retrieved the access information for the weapon, you will transmit that information back to us. You will not shut down the weapon yourself. We will access it, analyze it and ensure that it no longer poses a threat to our people.” The President turns in his seat and faces Ostap, his thin eyes cold and hard as he studies the figure standing nearby. “Do you understand?”
“Of course, sir. We’ll handle it.”
“Good.” He shifts back to his original position. “Ensure that your partner knows about this requirement. Do not inform the technicians, however. Once they have retrieved and verified the information is legitimate, you are to consider them expendable.”
“Yes, sir.”
The silence from the President is a notice. Ostap is to leave. He gladly does, exiting the room as quickly as possible. Though he does not understand the intricacies behind the order he has been given, he will obey it without question, no matter
who or what stands in his way.
Chapter 15
The Waters’ Homestead
Outside Ellisville, VA
“Mom!” Mark shouted as he opened the door, having seen what happened through one of the front windows. Dianne waved him back as she struggled to pull herself through the door, expecting another arrow to come flying in and embed in her back or skull at any second. Mark reached out and pulled her inside, twisting her leg and sending another wave of pain through it as the arrow flexed and bounced. “Mom, what happened?”