Book 2: Chapter 100: Hubris (1/2)
”I hope you have a really good plan,” Dan said as he appeared inside the Summers mansion beside Abby. She immediately latched on to his hand like it was a lifeline, pressing herself shoulder to shoulder with him.
The haggard Coldwater commander barely flinched at Dan's appearance. His helmet was off, and he was panting from exertion. His men were behind him, finalizing lockdown procedures. They were all gathered near the center of the mansion. Heavy steel shutters blocked off all entrances, windows and hallways. The Summers family and their retainers had been evacuated to a panic room directly below with varying levels of protest. Only Abby remained above ground.
The security room was located behind a revolving bookshelf, and it was currently turned perpendicular to the wall for easy access in and out. There was a wide array of screens and sensors, and a pair of Coldwater guards kept careful watch over each monitor. The armory was attached to the security room, accessible from the same door, and the surviving Coldwater mercs were in the process of rearming themselves.
”Our plan is the same as with any attacker,” the Coldwater commander said stoically. ”Fortify our position and wait for reinforcements.”
”There's a lot of walls between us and the outside, but I don't think it'll stop Cannibal forever,” Dan pointed out. ”What kind of reinforcements are you thinking?”
”Lady Summers has been alerted. She should be en route shortly.”
”'Lady Summers',” Dan quoted acerbically, ”is in Austin. She's over a thousand miles away. I don't think she'll be arriving in time to do much.”
”She will depart via rocket sledge,” the commander replied, redonning his helmet. ”She should arrive somewhere around half an hour from now, depending on how quickly she can make it to the craft.”
Dan blinked. ”That's...” He ran some calculations in his head. ”Really fast.” And they weren't nearly as screwed as he'd feared they would be, but that was still a long time to wait. Assuming Anastasia could actually take on Cannibal.
”So we're stalling,” Dan summarized.
The commander accepted a handful of rifle magazines from a subordinate and began to slot them into his tactical vest.
”We're stalling,” the mercenary confirmed.
”Where's Cannibal?” Abby interrupted. Her eyes were on the screens in the security room. Various feeds from around the manor appeared and disappeared as the guards searched feverishly for the hunting serial killer.
”We can't find him,” one of the guards admitted. He pressed a few buttons, and the feeds image turned a deep purple, with various shades of yellow, green and red filling out the shape of the forest. Thermal vision, Dan recognized immediately.
”Don't bother,” the commander said. ”Cannibal doesn't show up on thermal. No idea how that's possible, but there you have it.”
”He hasn't tripped any of the motion sensors, sir,” the guard noted. ”I don't see him on any cameras either.”
”He's avoiding them somehow,” the commander stated with certainty. ”There wasn't a hint of anything wrong before Ms. Abigail called in Jenkins' body. His death didn't even register on the vital signs monitor until after the fact. And he wasn't the only one we lost. I'm down a dozen men, over half of which we didn't even notice were missing until it was too late.”
”So Cannibal has more going on than just durability and sharp teeth,” Dan summarized. ”What's his next move?”
”Cannibal is acting outside expectations,” the commander said. ”Lady Summers believed he would be unwilling to target her family members before herself. Lesser prey, I believe she called it. His psychological profile indicates that Cannibal targets the strongest Naturals he can find, and none of the Summers fit that bill.”
”I'm thinking his priorities have changed.” Dan looked at Abby with concern. ”He tried to go after her several times, before you fellas pissed him off.”
”Grandma was the one who captured him,” Abby said, worrying at her lip. ”Revenge seems like a pretty obvious motive to me. I don't understand how this wasn't expected.”
The Coldwater commander looked uncomfortable. ”As I said, Lady Summers thought it unlikely. Cannibal's powers alter his state of mind, and given the duration and isolation of his imprisonment, it was thought unlikely for him to have substantially changed in overall character.”
”Clearly she was wrong,” Dan stated, trying to keep his voice civil. It sounded like Anastasia was risking Abby's life on a series of misinformed guesses. He knew she was arrogant, but this was beyond the pale.
”We have contingencies in place,” the commander said stiffly. He glanced at Abby who looked about as happy as Dan did, then turned towards the security room. ”The longer Cannibal stalls, the better our chances are. He can't surprise us again. We have a clear view of the surrounding area. Cannibal is obviously not completely invisible to cameras—that turret would not have been able to track him if that were the case—so we have to assume he has some sort of sixth sense for where there are openings. If there are no openings to exploit, he must show himself.”
Dan scowled at the screens. They showed nothing but an empty forest. It should bring him comfort. Best case scenario, Cannibal had retreated in frustration. They could comb the island for him once backup had arrived, and nobody else needed to die.