Water

by Anna Petrovich

  “He’s an erratic crime boss with the brain of a man.” Matthews protested, her argument again revealing Carlson’s assessment was holding true.

  “That’s where our collective planning will come in. In the country, people run the dumb animals through a tight fence toward the slaughter house. It has no capacity to understand orders, yet it is guided toward its own destruction. Patricks can be made to cut his own throat, the pressure must be applied and the illusion must be created.” Despite his revulsion to the cold reasoning of the assassin, Ethan agreed with the end result, remembering the similar situations put into play on the field of war. All those men were successful, defeat happened after the illusions were broken. We are on a smaller battlefield, the possibility of civilian casualties is higher, yet to leave the target will increase that number. His thoughts ran to the child, then to the man in the chair across the street.

  “Exactly what kind of pressure are you intending to apply?” The assassin grinned, gesturing toward the bedroom.

  “Continue to threaten the well-being of the child in exchange for his corporation, eventually he’ll be forced to make a move. Our job will be to ensure the nature of that attack.” A memory came flashing back into the soldier’s mind, forcing him to sink into a chair.

  “You’ll need a turning point, a scene to make that man break. The illusion must be our own morality, Matthews.” She turned to face him, blowing smoke into his face and taking a defensive stance.

  “You got any under that belt?” Ethan ignored the insult, allowing a small smile to break the tight grip of his jaws.

  “Patricks has a pre-conceived notion in his mind, supplied by the very man who began this mess – Trevor Parks, also known as Captain Wade Waters. We’ve been portrayed as “good” people who won’t step over a line. That line is taking the life of an innocent, particularly his own son. The illusion has already been created by our own enemy. To break his focus, we just need to show him that line was never in our minds to begin with.” Both of them turned to stare at him, the disgust even evident on Tuvia’s face.

  “You are willing to murder that child who has just fallen asleep because of the promise of security you gave him?” Tuvia asked, his hand suddenly resting on the weapon at his side.

  “That’s what he’ll understand as the events that will occur in about twenty-six hours.” Ethan pointed to the man seated across of them, swiveling back and forth in impatience. “On the contrary, the child will be perfectly safe. Your job will be to begin to feed this doubt about the lengths that I am willing to go, got it?” A slow smile spread on the assassin’s face as he took his hand off the gun, the realization of the ingenious idea beginning to dawn on his mind.

  “It will provide the pressure that is necessary to crack the operation wide open.” Matthews still stood, smoking, and looking skeptically at them. “Contact your wife, we should run the idea through the handlers.” That’s when the female soldier dropped the cigarette, lunging at the speaker’s chest with a flashing knife.

  26

  Amber sat stupefied in the warehouse, staring at the footage with unseeing eyes. A traitor had been sent into the database – Matthews. It had come out of nowhere, but somehow her psychotic mind had snapped underneath the conditions, alerting them to her intentions before their plan was revealed to Patricks. She saw Ethan jab a needle into the woman’s neck before pulling her off the younger man who had barely escaped the knife’s edge by rolling partially to the side. Even though the man was a murderer for hire, she couldn’t wish the fate of dying by a traitor’s knife on his head. It’s all madness that’s so contagious and will lead to so many deaths.

  The door opened, light pouring in from the sun rays and casting shadows against the wall. Morgen entered, the signs of a sleepless night evident on her face. “How’s the eagle’s nest? You and Davis doing okay?”

  “Yeah.” She glanced over at the sleeping man who had been up all night, cracking more code and feeding information to Patricks. “We should get back to work. I’ll get him some coffee.”

  “I’m going to check on the field team next, anything to pass along?” Amber shook her head with a smile, slipping out of the door with a light step. The sunlight shone on her skin, warming the blood and cheering the soul. When she returned with the coffee, Davis was sitting up again and bending over the screen.

  “Here, drink this.” He took it with a grateful smiling, sipping the hot liquid with enjoyment. “Do we have him where we want him? According to the time frame, the whole thing will be going down in two hours.”

  “Yeah, Dolinsky’s been keeping an eye on the man from the roof all morning. His men have been running in and out with boxes with papers. One of Zara’s guys followed them and discovered an immense bonfire outside of town that is being fed with these boxes, most likely evidence. He’s afraid.” She pursed her lips, staring at the screen for a moment.

  “Are we sure that he’s not just playing us?” Davis looked up with concern in his face. “This guy has been doing this since before the war, buying off the city officials and intimidating other criminals into joining his organization. In his position, it takes a smart man to stay on top of the game.”

  “We’re screwed if he has thought that far ahead. But there’s nothing to indicate that it’s a set up.”

  “Do we have a fallback plan in case the mission goes wrong?” The man shook his head, biting his lip. “Contact the field team. I’m not comfortable with overseeing this operation unless there is a sufficient buffer for mistakes.”

  “Victor to Delta team.” The communication device vibrated on Ethan’s shirt, he sighed as his fingers pressed the button to receive the transmission. “Ethan, we need to be able to recover from a repercussion…if the mission goes wrong.”

  “We don’t have time to figure out a plan for that. The time table had to be moved up, the kid’s getting anxious and the mission depends on his cooperation. Delta, out.” He strode over to the child’s side where the boy was sitting on a chair, his little eyes wide with fear and excitement. “Do you still think you can go through with this, Alex? Remember, all you have to do is cry and scream, then keep quiet. We’ll take care of the rest.” The little head bobbed up and down while the ruby lips began to tremble. “Are you sure?”

  “I can do this!” Before he could react, the little arms were around his neck again in a tight hug. A smile spread across the man’s face despite the dicey situation that they were heading into.

  “Alright, Ethan, you are on in five, four, three, two, one!” Zara hit the button on the computer, as the child leaned back in his chair and began to sniffle. His little fists were crammed into his eyes, while a rope was attached around his waist.

  In the office room, Patricks leaned forward to see on the small screen. His face flushed scarlet with rage as his son came into view. “Tell that man that I’ll have his head by tonight!” The cool gaze that was directed at the camera, sending a chill down the watcher’s back.

  “You had your chance, Patricks. Now it’s time to live with the consequences.” A shot echoed on the camera, the chair fell back and the cry of the child stopped. The man at the desk sat, stupefied by the video. His son who had never been a part of his life was dead. He glared at the killer who looked dead into the camera again. His eyes were a cold icy glare, those of a hardened killer. “Don’t forget, we’re coming for you.” The electricity cut out, leaving him in utter darkness.

  Ethan sank down next to the child, pulling the rope off and pulling him into a hug. Even the experience of portraying the child’s death had drained his energy, causing his knees to buckle. They sat there, reveling in the safety that the other provided for a brief moment. Finally, he stood up again to face the rest of the long day ahead. “You have men around the perimeter?” Zara nodded, her eyes red from crying and exhaustion. “It wasn’t real, kid.”

  “You made it real.” She said, pulling back the hair from her eyes with a frantic gesture. “The look in your eyes scared me, dad.” />
  “Do you really think that I have the capability to murder an innocent child in cold blood?” His voice had a hurt, tired tone – too exhausted to argue with his own daughter. She’s right, god help her, she’s right. I’ve really done it now…maybe they were right, there is no returning from the war. Amber. I can’t do that to her. She made another frantic gesture, shaking her head.

  “No!” Her blue eyes were wide with horror. “It just…that was the man they told me had abandoned me after mom died. They said he was a killer who didn’t have any remorse or guilt.”

  “Let’s get through this day.” They shook hands, not wanting to disturb the sleeping child. “Almira, take this child to Amber, she’ll be able to handle him without compromising her post or effectiveness. His name is Alex.” Morgen took the child, slightly unsure of the situation that was going on in the warehouse since she’d only taken two steps before the order was given by her brother. “Have your men suit up, we have to strike soon or he’ll have time to recover.” His voice faltered for a moment before regaining its usual strength and vigor, neither woman noticing the difference.

  “Carlson wants to send in a replacement for Matthews.” Morgen handed an iPad to her brother who glanced at it, then handed it back.

  “No.” There was something in his voice that told her to argue back would be a dangerous move, but Carlson was insisting on putting another man in the field.

  “Then how about me?” He whirled around, unable to reply because of the unheard-of audacity of such a proposal.

  “You are a handler, sister. Handlers stay out of the line of fire, otherwise their men have no back up to rely on. Do your job, I’ll do mine.” His harsh tone kept the rest of the words from leaving her mouth. Silently, she slipped back out to the car with the child. The stress was beginning to drive them all to their limits, they could only hope that it wouldn’t cause another issue to face.

  Inside the warehouse, Amber was leaning over the computer screen, pointing something out to Davis. She turned, running forward to take the child from Morgen’s arms with a grateful thank you mouthed from an unheard gratitude. Instantly, the child leaned in close to her chest, his breath becoming steadier than it had been. Morgen could see that this woman was a good mother, it made sense that Ethan was attracted to her. He needed the calming nature that seemed to follow her around, especially now after everything that had passed. “His name is Alex.” She offered, quietly, with a quick smile. “I’ve got to go, but keep an eye on Ethan. He’s nearly at his breaking point.”

  “What made you think that?” She quickly conveyed the events of the past hour in more detail to the woman who sank down with the child in her arms onto the cold cement. Her brown eyes were beginning to lose their luster from the stress and exhaustion, they were worried. “Is there a way to put me in the field without needing to be in combat?” Morgen shook her head, trying to figure out a method to get the two people she loved must in contact with each other. Her fear was that the stress would cause the mental health of her brother to begin to slip again. Although the doctor had declared him, field read, there were signs of forgetfulness and difficulty in reacting correctly to various situations.

  “Davis, get her an earpiece that only connects to Ethan. We’re going to have them in constant real-time communication in order to keep his mind in the game.” The young man scrabbled around in the mess on his desk, handing her a small black earpiece and another to Morgen. “I’ll take this back to him. Let’s hope this mission can be carried out without civilian lives being lost.” As she left the building, the child woke up, a smile growing on his face. There wasn’t any whining, just the little arms wrapping around her neck with a confiding glint in the green eyes.

  “Do you think he’ll really be able to go through with it?” Davis chewed on his pen, a nervous habit.

  “I hope so.” She looked down at the child, then at her partner for a moment. “He has to…for the sake of half the city now. It started out so small, this seems crazy.”

  “Half the world’s problems would be solved overnight if only there were men who dared the impossible, like your husband. Most of us are just sitting behind our comfortable desks, never risking any skin in the game. It’s strange that there aren’t more of us who are willing to risk it all. Your husband is part of a rare breed, Mrs. Ryde.” She didn’t contradict his words, thoughts heading inward to the times that the words had penetrated her armor. Men who care about women like you don’t exist. They all want one thing and it isn’t a long life with you. A smile played at the corners of her mouth as she realized that one of those rare men had given his heart to her. It suddenly meant more than any love that had grown in her heart, even surpassing that for the children. She had found a good man and could lose him. The thought sent sensations of joy and terror through her chest, the heart fluttering in excitement.

  27

  Ethan bent low along the side of the office building, his knees aching from the strain and a temporary pain in the back of his head. To his left, Dolinsky walked upright, ignoring the windows in his typical reckless fashion. It would be useless to order him to conform to the agency’s tactical procedures, the man had survived countless situations without them. They stood at opposite sides of the door, eyes meeting for a brief moment. Ethan could see the cold clear eyes, yet deeper than that, into the man’s very soul. There was a boyish fear that hid behind the tough, emotionless mask. Then he gestured for them to move inside, the door opening to reveal a long dark hallway with water dripping from the pipes.

  There was silence, aside from the dripping of the pipes and the loud breathing of each man. Dolinsky suddenly bent down, slid underneath a slab of cement that jutted out at the end of the tunnel. An expletive escaped his mouth as he crawled out, his face blanched a haggard grey. “That must have been where the bodies were thrown after…they were done with them. You know that woman who disappeared and the rumor went around that Patricks was behind her death?” Ethan nodded, his eyes going down the entrance to the place, a realization dawning on him. “She’s down there…I think. Recognized the purple dress and that metal bracelet from the photographs.”

  “It’s just getting worse and worse.” He put a hand on the younger man’s shoulder, surprised that there was no resistance. “Let’s bring this man down, for all of them.” They moved forward up the stairs which were also abandoned.

  “This isn’t right.” Dolinsky gestured to the emptiness, a grim expression on his face.

  “There should be guards swarming all over this corridor, it’s a weak spot.” Realization sent Ethan running up the stairs, pain shooting through his chest and legs. Throwing open the door to the office at the end of the hall before the rest of the team could gather, he stood transfixed at the sight at the desk. A pool of blood was descending off of the desk’s edge, all coming from the man lying there with a note in his hand. His throat had been slit, then the note had been slipped between the fingers. Bending down next to the body, he fought the revulsion in his stomach in order to identify the body. What am I going to tell Amber? We’ve wanted this…no…not this. I don’t know anymore.

  Zara was horrified at the look on his face after leaving the office. It was dead, seemingly no life in his face or eyes. “It’s Wade, the authorities will arrive shortly. We have to get out of here, otherwise…” He walked back the direction that the entrance had been, Dolinsky running after him. Inside the darkened stair well, the assassin suddenly pinned the older man to the wall.

  “You can’t let your wife see this in your face.” Confusion asked a question with the blue eyes. “She may not have loved the man, but to know that he’s dead…it won’t be easy. Don’t make it any harder on her than it already will be. It’s our job to keep them safe, don’t mess it up.” Although it sent burning curiosity surging through his mind, something about the younger man’s tone and demeanor prevented the questions.

  “You’re right, let’s get out of here before the authorities show up.” Outside in the cool night
air, his head began to ache terrible. A hot heat seemed to sear the brain nearest the forehead, then his eye sight turned into black and stars before everything went dark. The younger man struggled to pick the body up, dragging the unconscious form after him. Shouts from the police force began to echo in the narrow streets of the city. Swearing quietly, Dolinsky dragged the body after him into the sewers before contacting the team.

  “This is Delta to Victor.” Amber hurried over to the radio, her trembling fingers struggling to push the button.

  “Yes, this is Victor. What’s going on? The earpiece went offline!” Her voice was raised to a higher pitch from the panic.

  “Ethan’s down, we’re stuck in the sewers with the authorities swarming all over the building. We need extraction immediately.” Amber clapped her hand over her mouth to stop the scream of terror that threatened to escape her lips. She fought the tears that tried to spill over onto her cheeks.