Free Eden Rising by Brett Battles

her computer screen and smiled. “You’re getting better at this. Still have six minutes before group fifteen.”
    “What areas are in that one?”
    She turned back to her screen, but didn’t answer right away.
    “Claudia?” he asked.
    She looked up. “Sorry. We received a call from Sims a few minutes ago. If you’d like, I could get him on the line.”
    “Yes, do it.”
    Sims and his associates had become Perez’s special projects team, handling the delicate matters the majority of Project Eden’s membership didn’t need to know about. Sims’s latest task was one Perez had been putting off for over a week. It was a simple reconnaissance job, one he was sure would turn out to be a complete waste of time. Still, he couldn’t afford to leave it unchecked, so he had finally sent out Sims.
    Several seconds passed before the bottom center monitor filled with Sims’s hard-edged face, surrounded by dancing snowflakes.
    “Principal Director,” Sims said.
    “Report, Mr. Sims.”
    “Yes, sir. We arrived at the Montana location about two hours ago.”
    “Was there anyone left alive?”
    “Sir, we didn’t find anyone. Dead or alive.”
    That was definitely not what Perez had expected. “No one?”
    The camera twisted away from Sims, but other than snow and darkness, Perez could make out nothing.
    “The main building, the one that burned down during our attack, is that direction,” Sims said. The camera swung a few degrees to the left. “The smaller building was over there.”
    “I’m familiar with the layout, Mr. Sims. I assume there is something new you’re trying to tell me?”
    “Sir, we made a thorough search of the wreckage. No one was in either building when they burned down.”
    “So they were already gone when you attacked? Didn’t your team kill one of their men then?”
    “Yes, sir. About a half mile from here. He was the only one seen that day. But, to answer your other question, I don’t think they were gone.” The camera swung in a one-eighty before tilting down. A pile of dirt and snow and pine needles sat next to a hole in the ground, and propped open in the hole was a hatch. “They had an underground facility. Pretty damn extensive, too. Lots of offices, storerooms, barracks.” He paused. “It’s also equipped with an indoor shooting range and medical facilities. Both high end.”
    Again, not what Perez expected. Perhaps he’d been underestimating the people who had been there. In his mind, they were no more than a gnat that posed no real threat to the Project. That was undoubtedly still true, but the sophistication of the facility Sims described was troubling. “And you found no one inside, either?”
    The camera turned back to Sims’s face. “No, sir.”
    “What about computers? Anything that might have information on it?”
    “Unfortunately, the few computers left were thoroughly destroyed. If there were any other records, we didn’t locate them.” He looked away from the camera, scanning around. “I can tell you one thing, this place was not cheap.”
    “Any sign of where they went?”
    “The snow didn’t start falling until maybe an hour before we arrived. We found some indentations where tire tracks and boot prints had been, so I don’t think they’ve been gone for long.”
    “They drove out?”
    “I believe so. Yesterday at most.”
    A gnat could be annoying, but ultimately it couldn’t hurt you. Chances were these people knew they were defeated, and were only trying to find someplace to stay safe as the dust settled.
    “You think you can find them?” he asked.
    Sims grimaced. “Possibly, but it won’t be easy. Have to do it by instruments until the storm clears. If you’d like, we can give it a shot.”
    “All right. For a little while, but I don’t want to waste too much effort on this, so if you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, call it off.”
    “Yes, sir. We’ll get right on it.”
    “Report in if you find anything,” Perez said, then