Gabriel blew out a breath, climbed off Fowler's body and patted him down. There was a knife strapped to his left wrist, and a small two-way in his right jacket pocket. He took the knife, squashed the two-way under his heel and stripped off Fowler's jacket. Then he tore off the bloody remnants of his own shirt, and dragged the body into the bushes.
Using what was left of his shirt, he wiped the blood off his stomach and back. The wounds on his stomach were a good quarter of an inch deep each, and oozing steadily. He could also feel warm stickiness across his back and down the side of his face. Trophies from his descent through the tree, no doubt. There wasn't anything he could do about the bleeding right now, other than hope there were no feline shapechangers in the immediate area — they'd smell his scent a mile off. He tossed the bloodied shirt on top of Fowler's body and covered both with leaf litter.
After pulling on Fowler's jacket and zipping it up, he grabbed the rifle and checked the laser's charge. Nearly full. Good. He turned and made his way to the bushes where Fowler had first appeared. A faint path wound its way through the trees, heading down the hillside.
He followed it carefully, listening intently to the sigh of the wind, alert for any hint of pursuit or discovery. He was halfway down the hillside when several buildings became visible through the trees below. Squatting, he studied them. It looked like an everyday farm, only this farm, unlike most others, had a helicopter pad, complete with a silver bird. It also had a sentry guarding the entrance to its driveway. The slight shimmer in the air near the guard's box suggested the gates themselves were an energy field.
As he watched, a car pulled up to the guard's box. The car's windows were tinted so dark it was impossible to see the driver. Meaning the passenger was possibly a vampire. The sentry walked across, talking to the driver for several minutes. Then he stepped back, and the shimmer of energy died.
The car drove on and came to a stop near the front porch. A woman climbed out, then hesitated, her gaze searching the hillside. Mary, Gabriel thought, surprised. Mary, who was supposed to be a vampire and yet was standing there in the full sunshine. She turned, studying the trees in which he hid. Perhaps she'd sensed his presence. She'd always been intuitive that way.
After several seconds, she headed for the front door and disappeared inside.
He continued down the hill. As he neared the fence, energy zipped across his skin, as sharp as a knife. He picked up a rock near his feet and gently tossed it forward. One foot away from the fence line, there was a sharp whine, then a flash of white light, and the rock shattered. The remaining dust drifted to the ground. He picked up another rock, this time aiming far higher. The result was the same.
So, they didn't only have the front gate guarded by an energy field. The generators had to be either in the sheds or underground, because they weren't anywhere else that he could see. Given that the sky was also shielded, the front gate was obviously the only way in and out, at least until the generators were knocked off-line.
Which meant he'd have to take out the guard. Keeping low, he raced along the fence line until he was level with the sentry box. Then, getting down on one knee, he sighted the laser on the tree just behind the box and fired. There was a sharp crack, then the branch he'd aimed for fell almost gracefully to the ground. The guard scrambled out, weapon raised.
Gabriel sighted again and fired. The guard dropped and didn't move. He waited several seconds, not sure whether there was a second guard inside. When no one appeared, he made his way down to the road.
The guard was dead. With a hole the size of a fist shot through his gut, it came as no surprise. Knowing the guard would have done the same to him given half a chance, he stepped over the guard's body, feeling no remorse, and entered the sentry box.
A half-eaten sandwich and a tattered Playboy magazine rested on the shelf near a small com-screen. He moved over to the unit and watched the images flickering on the screen. Mary came into view, walking swiftly along a corridor that curved to the left, gradually taking her out of the camera's sight. The image flickered and changed, this time revealing a room filled with coffin shaped boxes. After several seconds it changed again, sweeping across the front of the farmyard.
No one was about — at least, no one he could see. He had no doubt there would be guards. It was just a matter of where. All he had to do was get into the house. He pressed a button on the com-unit. Nothing happened. The energy field remained in place.
"Computer, disengage gate."
The computer hummed softly, and then a metallic voice said. "Please confirm identity."
He swore softly, then spun and walked out to the fallen sentry. Ignoring the stench of burned flesh, Gabriel rolled him over and patted him down. In the shirt pocket he found what he was looking for — a security tag.
He dragged the body to the back of the sentry box, then went inside and swiped the card. The computer hummed.
"Gate disengaging. Twenty seconds before field is reengaged."
He pocketed the security card, and headed through the gate. The farmhouse was as quiet as it had looked on the screen, and the closer he got to the old building, the more obvious it became that the farmhouse hadn't been used in some time. The place smelled of neglect, dust and mildew. So why had Mary gone in there? And where had Kazdan gone? And the trucks?
He ducked past a window and walked quietly along the front porch, stopping near the door. Through the wire mesh he could see half a room. Faded daisy wallpaper hung in tattered strips from the walls, swaying gently in the breeze. Dust gathered in the corner, along with an old mouse trap, the cheese long gone.
Yet, the room wasn't as empty as it looked. Someone breathed softly, a whisper sound barely distinguishable from the sigh of the wind. Like him, they were standing close to the door, close to the wall.
He waited, not moving. After several long minutes, the watcher muttered. Then soft steps crossed the wooden floors, and a chair squeaked. Stepping back, Gabriel raised the laser, sighting along the wall until he reached the approximate position of the squeaking chair. Then he fired. The acid smell of smoke and burnt wood stung the air. After a moment, the smell of burnt flesh began to taint the air.
He kicked the door open and rolled through, gun at the ready. No angry shots greeted his arrival. The guard lay slumped over a com-unit, half his chest burned away.
Gabriel did a quick check of the rest of the room, noting only one other exit. He rose and walked across to the com-unit. This one had print identification. Old fashioned, but still reasonably effective in an outpost like this. He grabbed the dead man's hand and pressed it against the screen. The door to his left clicked open, revealing the corridor he'd seen Mary disappear down.
He approached it warily. The corridor was long and white, and it wound down several levels before flattening out. He stepped forward and peered over the handrail. No one below, either. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. He kept his back to the wall as he moved down.
The corridor did a sharp right at the bottom of the ramp. Halfway down were two doors, both closed. He eyed them, unable to ignore the uneasiness beginning to weight his gut. Something just didn't feel right. It wasn't like Kazdan to be so haphazard with his security.
He checked the laser's charge — half full. Probably not enough to handle the trouble he sensed waiting ahead. Keeping the weapon at the ready, he moved forward. The sensor above the door to his right blinked to green as he neared, and a heartbeat later, the door silently opened. He stopped, body tense, ready to retreat or attack. The only sound he heard was the soft hum of the air-con. He dug the security card from his pocket, and tossed it into the room. There was a quick whine, like that of a motor gearing to life, then a white flash. The card flamed briefly as the laser burned it, the ashes falling softly to the floor. Obviously, there were movement-sensing laser rifles inside, which meant that while it was definitely a room he should investigate, it was a no-go for now.
The other door was locked. He edged past it and continued on. The corridor curved to the left, and another door came into view. The sensor above the door flicked to green as he approached, and the door opened, revealing several long rows of coffins.
The uneasy sense that something was wrong was growing. It had been far too easy to get this far. Kazdan was up to something — or was he giving the man too much credit? Surely if Kazdan was aware of his presence, he would have stopped him before now. Still, despite the sense that he was walking into trouble, he really only had two choices — and retreat had never been an option he'd favored.