The Apocalypse Contract

CHAPTER 23 - SAMANTHA

Peter's friends had delivered. The domain registration for the inactive website had led to a series of shell corporations that had ultimately traced back to Bergbau Mining Incorporated, just an hour west of Boston. Now Samantha and Peter were parked across from the entrance to the Bergbau campus, home of their headquarters and one and only active mine.

"Is there a reason we're doing this ourselves instead of letting the police handle it," Samantha queried. A massive truck trundled past, heading into the facility and leaving a huge cloud of dust in its wake.

"Hey, we gave them everything we got from the laptop, and they just sat on it."

"We could give them this info about Bergbau."

"And how exactly do we explain how we got it? Hey officer, my hacker friends illegally broke into a Maryland Department of Financial Institutions server and got us these records. We thought you might find them useful."

"We call in an anonymous tip?" Samantha suggested. Another truck barreled past, this time leaving.

"Come on, it's not like we're pulling off a jewel heist. We'll just pop in, pretend like we're lost, and see what it's like. We'll be in and out in five minutes. I just need to see that this place is real."

"What do you even mean by that?"

"Their name is Bergbau Mining. Do you know what Bergbau means in German? Mining. The company is called Mining Mining."

"How do you even know that?"

"I used Google translate. Anyway, something about this stinks. I need to see this place for myself."

Samantha reluctantly started the car and drove down into the facility, pulling into the visitors parking near the office building. Trucks continued rolling past, driving beyond the office to and from the mine site somewhere behind.

They entered a richly paneled reception area. The receptionist was entrenched behind a wooden edifice that defied being called a mere desk. "May I help you?" she asked as they approached.

"Yes, we're here to see Mr. Burke," Samantha replied, supplying the name of one of the people Sydney had set up a phone interview with.

The receptionist began flipping through a folder. "I don't think there is a Mr. Burke here. Are you sure you have the right office?"

"It's Mister Samuel Burke. He's with your Negocio division. We were told he was working out of this office."

The receptionist made a show of flipping through the folder again. "No, nobody by that name. In fact, I've never heard of any Negocio group. You must have been misinformed."

Peter donned a convincing look of disappointment. "Bummer. And we drove quite a ways. Mind if I use your bathroom before we go?"

"That way, just past the elevators." She waved her hand in the general direction.

Samantha watched Peter walk off. "So, um, you like working for a mining company?"

"It's alright. Really quiet. Almost nobody comes in here. You're the first people in days, as a matter of fact. It gives me plenty of time to read. Right now I'm learning Italian."

"Italian. How interesting." Samantha fidgeted. Something about all this didn't feel right.

"I'm planning to go next year and see everything. The Vatican, the Colosseum, the leaning tower, the incorruptible saints. Have you heard of those, the incorruptible saints?"

"Can't say that I have." Samantha peered toward the bathrooms, watching for Peter's return.

"They're these bodies that are hundreds of years old, but they haven't decomposed at all. The Catholic church says it's because they are so pure and holy that decay can't touch them."