cover—just gotten a little bloody when she’d looked out from under the car, just as an Undead got squished by a taxi.
She considered going after Alice, and that other woman, but… no. If they took her with them, that would be deserting JudyTech. She could never do that. JudyTech was the only reason she had any kind of hope at all.
I’m not just a clone, she thought fiercely. And I’m going to prove it to the world…
So Dori stayed where she was for another twenty minutes or so, then she crawled out, looked around, and set out to find her mother.
Luther and the other four men followed a long concrete corridor that led from the bottom of the elevator shaft to the submarine pens. As they approached their destination Leon gestured for them to hang back, and they found cover, peering into the gigantic, dimly lit chamber from the doorway as he slipped out and ran from cover to cover
Leon’s breath was steaming in the cold room; sometimes that was all Luther could see of him.
There were six docking bays, and two of them were occupied by large Soviet vessels. A couple of masked Umbrella troopers were setting up a machine gun post atop one of the submarine conning towers. Leon appeared behind the troopers, moving with a stealth that didn’t seem humanly possible. Using a silenced pistol, he shot them both in the back of the head— the two shots so rapid they almost blended into one— dispatching them silently.
He looked around, then signaled for the team to emerge. When they came out into the colossal room that contained the submarines, Luther paused, and whistled in awe.
The chamber was dull, dusty—overhead lights illuminated the soaring reinforced-concrete walls— the cement surfaces were stained with rust that bled from iron studs. The two huge submarines were rebuilt Soviet vessels now painted with the red and black colors of the Umbrella Corporation. They were as big as high-rises lying on their sides, and they seemed motionless. But they were floating, he knew; countless tons of steel and glass, fluids and weaponry, suspended in seawater.
Did they have nuclear weapons on them, he wondered? It seemed unlikely, at this point. But who knew what else they might contain. Might be a real handy thing to have, a sub like that. Just let the Undead try to get at you in there.
Then Luther shook his head sadly. That was the first thought that came to a man, now, when he walked into a new place. If I can’t eat it or have sex with it… then how does it help me survive? How does it protect me from the Undead?
The others were double-timing across the pens to catch up with Leon. Luther easily kept pace—running was something he was good at. He spoke up as they reached the shadow of the first big submarine.
“That’s some hardware…” he began.
“Typhoon class,” Sergei said blandly. “Biggest nuclear subs the Soviets ever built. Umbrella used them to transport bio-weapons all over the globe. Secretly of course.”
“How come you know so much about Umbrella?”
“I used to work for them,” Sergei replied. “For a boy from Murmansk, it was a good job.” He added thoughtfully, “Now I like to consider it a youthful indiscretion.”
Luther snorted.
“You used to work for the bad guys—but I’m the one nobody trusts?” He shook his head, but let it drop.
Sergei shrugged as Leon rejoined them, looking at his countdown watch.
“Let’s pick up the pace!” Leon said. “We have less than ninety minutes!”
An empty street in New York City…
Except it wasn’t. Alice and Ada walked down the middle of the empty avenue, making their way around a series of abandoned vehicles.
“When do I see Luther?” Alice asked, trying to sound as if she were only mildly interested in the answer.
“The strike team will rendezvous with us in the next environment,” Ada said. “But until then, we’re on our own.”
“Of course,” Alice murmured. She’d been mostly on her own since the day she’d
She considered going after Alice, and that other woman, but… no. If they took her with them, that would be deserting JudyTech. She could never do that. JudyTech was the only reason she had any kind of hope at all.
I’m not just a clone, she thought fiercely. And I’m going to prove it to the world…
So Dori stayed where she was for another twenty minutes or so, then she crawled out, looked around, and set out to find her mother.
Luther and the other four men followed a long concrete corridor that led from the bottom of the elevator shaft to the submarine pens. As they approached their destination Leon gestured for them to hang back, and they found cover, peering into the gigantic, dimly lit chamber from the doorway as he slipped out and ran from cover to cover
Leon’s breath was steaming in the cold room; sometimes that was all Luther could see of him.
There were six docking bays, and two of them were occupied by large Soviet vessels. A couple of masked Umbrella troopers were setting up a machine gun post atop one of the submarine conning towers. Leon appeared behind the troopers, moving with a stealth that didn’t seem humanly possible. Using a silenced pistol, he shot them both in the back of the head— the two shots so rapid they almost blended into one— dispatching them silently.
He looked around, then signaled for the team to emerge. When they came out into the colossal room that contained the submarines, Luther paused, and whistled in awe.
The chamber was dull, dusty—overhead lights illuminated the soaring reinforced-concrete walls— the cement surfaces were stained with rust that bled from iron studs. The two huge submarines were rebuilt Soviet vessels now painted with the red and black colors of the Umbrella Corporation. They were as big as high-rises lying on their sides, and they seemed motionless. But they were floating, he knew; countless tons of steel and glass, fluids and weaponry, suspended in seawater.
Did they have nuclear weapons on them, he wondered? It seemed unlikely, at this point. But who knew what else they might contain. Might be a real handy thing to have, a sub like that. Just let the Undead try to get at you in there.
Then Luther shook his head sadly. That was the first thought that came to a man, now, when he walked into a new place. If I can’t eat it or have sex with it… then how does it help me survive? How does it protect me from the Undead?
The others were double-timing across the pens to catch up with Leon. Luther easily kept pace—running was something he was good at. He spoke up as they reached the shadow of the first big submarine.
“That’s some hardware…” he began.
“Typhoon class,” Sergei said blandly. “Biggest nuclear subs the Soviets ever built. Umbrella used them to transport bio-weapons all over the globe. Secretly of course.”
“How come you know so much about Umbrella?”
“I used to work for them,” Sergei replied. “For a boy from Murmansk, it was a good job.” He added thoughtfully, “Now I like to consider it a youthful indiscretion.”
Luther snorted.
“You used to work for the bad guys—but I’m the one nobody trusts?” He shook his head, but let it drop.
Sergei shrugged as Leon rejoined them, looking at his countdown watch.
“Let’s pick up the pace!” Leon said. “We have less than ninety minutes!”
An empty street in New York City…
Except it wasn’t. Alice and Ada walked down the middle of the empty avenue, making their way around a series of abandoned vehicles.
“When do I see Luther?” Alice asked, trying to sound as if she were only mildly interested in the answer.
“The strike team will rendezvous with us in the next environment,” Ada said. “But until then, we’re on our own.”
“Of course,” Alice murmured. She’d been mostly on her own since the day she’d
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