Free Down by Brett Battles Page B

then followed the corridor to a large, empty chamber. Once she was sure no one else was about, she lowered her weapon.
    On the opposite wall was a large, closed door that looked similar to the Bunker’s blast door back at the Ranch. Apparently the tunnel had not only been sealed at the top, it had also been cut off at the bottom. No wonder there had been no response to the explosion.
    “How in God’s name are we getting through that?”
    Chloe turned and saw Robert, Estella, and the others trickling out of the hallway.
    “There has to be a release here somewhere,” she said. “Spread out and help me find it.”
    A guy named Tanner discovered a metal box that matched the one at the top of the funicular, only this one was locked.
    “Who has tape?” Chloe asked.
    A roll of duct tape was passed forward. She used a small piece to affix a blasting cap to the box right where the lock was, and then set it off with another remote. The sound was nothing like the explosion up top, but still enough to make her wince.
    The twisted front panel of the box hung precariously by a single hinge, but there was little other visible damage. Inside the box was a softly glowing touch screen. After tapping it, a dialogue box appeared that read:
     
    INSUFFICIENT DATA POINTS
     
    A palm reader. She glanced back. “Diaz, bring your friend here.”
    Diaz led the prisoner forward. The Project Eden man’s eyes were half-closed, his mouth slack from the weak dose of sedatives they had given him to make him compliant.
    “Will your palm activate this?” Chloe asked.
    His brow furrowed. “Uh…”
    Instead of asking again, she forced his right palm against the panel. The screen brightened as it scanned the hand and then darkened again after a beep .
    For several seconds, nothing, then:
     
    NAGEL, TIMOTHY
    SECURITY SECTION
    CLEARANCE LEVEL 4
     
    OPEN
    Yes   No
     
    Using the prisoner’s finger, Chloe touched YES .  
    Immediately, the screen went blank and the door began moving inward with only a faint hum. As soon as it stopped, Chloe motioned for everyone to stay where they were and then peeked around the door into Dream Sky.
    Beyond the opening was a large, well-lit concrete room, half filled with crates. A man and woman stood by a table near the center of the room, pulling up hospital scrubs as they gaped at the opening.
    Chloe stepped out, her rifle raised. “Don’t move.”
    __________
     
    L EAVING HARDEN IN the control center to monitor the security cameras, Ash and the others descended into Dream Sky. Their first priority was to disable the remaining members of the base’s security team, and then subdue the rest of the Project personnel, preferably without anyone sending a distress message.
    From the base schematics, they discovered that the security team’s barracks and the apartment used by the security director were on level three.
    The short-distance elevator took them down to level one, where they switched to the eastern elevators for the ride to three.
    The doors whooshed open on a brightly lit hallway that arced to the right and left, following the outer edge of the circular floor.
    Following the directions from the map, Ash led the team to the right. For a few moments, they were the only ones there, but then, just ahead around the bend, he heard footsteps heading in their direction.
    Ash fought the overwhelming urge to pull his rifle off his shoulder, and instead tried to project the appearance of a tired and bored security guard.
    The person approaching was a woman in blue hospital scrubs, her attention focused on a tablet computer. When she noticed them, she glanced up for a brief second and then returned her gaze to her work, unfazed by their presence. Before finally reaching their destination, Ash and the team passed three other people—a man and then a pair of women, all in the same blue scrubs, not one even acknowledging them.
    The map showed that the barracks consisted of three rooms—an outer one for storing