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Chapter 10
Frank saw everything clearly after a few moments of staring at the ceiling. What at first appeared to be a hazy black cloud became more and more vivid, foggy lines tightening until the individual ceiling tiles took on a normal aspect. With a groan he put a hand to his temple and slowly sat up, angrily enduring the increasing pain.
Chesterton was sitting in a chair, staring down at him. His face was impassive. “You all right, Doctor?” he asked.
Frank felt for the communication headset at his waist.
“They took it,” Chesterton added. “I'm sorry for what happened in the computer room, Frank. I jumped in and threw Adler off. Manhandled him pretty good, I think. And the rest of 'em too, for whatever it's worth. I didn't spend six years in the middle of three wars for nothing. But you'd already been hit.” He paused. “You're something like a prisoner, Doctor.”
“Something like?” Frank looked up with the words. He grimaced at another jolt of pain. “What does that mean, Chesterton? Does that mean I'm actually a prisoner in this place?”
“That's about the size of it, Frank. But it wasn't my call. Blake's running the show now, and I don't like any of it. But I have to take orders. And they're coming from way, way up the chain.” He was plainly apologetic. “I really don't have any choice, Frank.”
“Are you a prisoner too?”
Chesterton shook his head. “Nobody makes me a prisoner, son. They'll die if they try. But we've been put on a bad detail to secure the perimeter of the Containment Chamber and the front gate.” He stared. “Blake's so-called MPs, which are really just some kind of covert CIA goon squad, are controlling the rest of the cavern. Within twelve hours they'll have relieved all my men. They're flying in more CIA mercenaries from the States. This place is being taken away from Army jurisdiction. From my jurisdiction.”
Frank looked around the room. There were no speaker-receivers where he could communicate with GEO. He looked up at the ceiling again, as if checking to see if it was still there.
“Have they done the tests yet?” he asked, focusing on Chesterton.
“No. But I think they've circumvented GEO. It won't unlock completely because it's still asking about you. But they've sort of disconnected a Cray and they're rigging it up to run the Observation Room. I think they managed to turn off the Voice Control System.”
“Have they flooded the cavern with oxygen?'
“No.” Chesterton shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Then you've got to stop them before they do, Chesterton.” Frank tried to rise, leaned back suddenly on both hands. “This situation is out of control, Colonel. Stygian Enterprises or ... or the CIA or the NSA or whoever blew up a Japanese facility because they had succeeded with ECM. Tolvanos admitted it. He was proud of it.”
A long pause and Chesterton nodded. “Then it'll go before a Senate Intelligence Committee, Frank.” His voice was thoughtful. “But I can't really deal with it right now. Right now I've got enough to deal with. I've got to stabilize a very bad situation.”
“What time is it?”
“About 0-dark thirty.”
“No, really, I need to know what time it is.”
Chesterton didn't look at his watch. “It's four in the morning.
Frank spoke with difficulty. “Leviathan will achieve immunity to nitrogen in less than six hours, Chesterton. We've got to get off this island as fast as we can.”
Silent for a moment, and Chesterton finally shifted. His voice dropped lower as he began, “And just what would you have me—”
Tolvanos entered the room, staring suddenly at Chesterton. Adler was beside the Russian, turning slowly to Chesterton. “Are we disturbing something, Colonel?” he asked.
“No,” Chesterton replied. “You're not disturbing anything at all. Dr. Frank here was just waking up.”
“Good,” Tolvanos said, walking forward. His face was ghastly, a smiling corpse. “I would like to catch you up on events, Doctor. Things have proceeded nicely since we overrode GEO's Voice Control. Shortly we will begin final tests.”
Frank caught the image of Adler smiling down, trying unsuccessfully to hide admiration of his pugilistic work: No, Frank thought dimly, there is no more need for illusions.
“Just wait a few hours, Tolvanos,” Frank said, closing both eyes. “In a few hours Leviathan is going to wake up on its own. Then you can give it the last test of your life.”
“The creature is enclosed in nitrogen, Doctor. It will be doing nothing until I allow it.”
“Unless it develops an immunity to nitrogen.”
“That is impossible.”