Connected Infection

2. Casas Ibanez - Prologue.2

The helicopter soon dropped beneath the tree-line and began blasting up clouds of dry dust. Raven forgot about Popescu and reached for the door. He rolled it open and peered out, but the dust blocked his view. He squinted and waited to leap, and his boots hit the ground at the same moment the copter did.

He ran out of the choking cloud towards a group of police officers moving to meet them. A large grey-haired man stepped ahead of the others, and his impressive handlebar moustache twitched as he greeted them. 'Hello,' he said. 'UNAXI?'

'Buenos… afternoon,' Raven said as he and Popescu flashed their IDs. 'I'm Raven. This is Agent Popescu. Are you the officer in charge?'

'Capitán Alfonso Flores Morales.' The man extended his hand. 'It's good to see the UN have provisions for leaving their debating tables.'

'The UN has provisions for things you wouldn't believe, Capitán,' Raven said. 'Any activity so far?'

'Sí. We have seen men and women moving around inside the compound. Some of them are armed.'

'Any contact?'

'No. We are maintaining a perimeter, and have the surrounding area covered. Soldiers are on the way too, but there is no sign of them yet. You will approach from the front?'

Raven nodded, turning to Harris and Chase as the copter lifted off and banked away behind them. 'Okay,' he said, indicating both directions along the cordon of vehicles and uniforms and flashing lights emerging from the dissipating dust. 'I want you guys at L4 and L5. Popescu and I are going in on foot, and I need you watching both the entrance and our backs.'

The junior agents nodded, exchanged a brief look, and jogged off in opposite directions.

'Capitán,' Raven said, turning back. 'Will your men be ready to storm the compound if necessary? If we can't wait for the army?'

Morales nodded. 'We await your orders.'

'Good.' Raven turned to his partner. 'Are you ready to do this, Agent Popescu?'

'Absolutely, Agent Raven,' she said. 'Are you?'

Raven laughed. They cut through the line of police officers, between a pair of patrol cars, and looked upon their destination.

The electrical substation to which the world's data was downloaded was an otherwise undistinguished node on the Spanish power grid. It was an isolated compound set in rural farmland, to and from which lines of pylons marched across sun-drenched fields.

Behind the heavy security fences Raven could see several low buildings; racks of high-voltage switchgear; rows of transformers, regulators, things for which he had no name, but was pretty sure he didn't want to touch with a screwdriver - all set on a featureless asphalt apron.

He started across the no-man's land towards the substation entrance gate, with Popescu at his side.