MEGA-AX1 The Inferno

by LaShawn Vasser

  Jessie was so engrossed in the report that when her phone rang on her secured line, she almost missed it. It was Téa. “Jessie you’re never going to believe this. I’ve just decoded some of the cache of documents that I found. It looks like Dr. Sheitz was working for both Mr. Wellington and another group. This other group is fronted by incredibly rich religious fanatics who appear to want to create an ‘Armageddon’ so they can build ‘the new world’. It’s been hard for me to get sound out of the compound because it’s so deep into the ground.”

  “Téa, I’m elevating this situation to a level nine. Have Jake and Gray put two teams on alert. We’re going to need them to go into that compound.”

  “What did you find out…?”

  Jessie’s other phone rang. It was Kyoshe. “Téa, I’ve got to take another call. I’ll call you back with details.”

  Chapter 19

  Kyoshe never spoke to Jessie in English. So Jessie spoke to her in her native Mandarin tongue, “Kyoshe…what is going on? It feels like all hell is going to break loose.”

  “Wellington was telling you the truth. What he doesn’t know is that Dr. Sheitz only worked for him so that he could continue his research. Wellington had the resources. Once the research was finished, he took it and staged his ‘abduction’. The Council only recently found out about this device.”

  “I know where both he and the device are. I have two teams on standby plus my team. We can be ready to go if you can provide us with more Intel of the layout of the compound. We can extract and terminate on site.”

  “No. I’m afraid it is too late for that. The compound is a virtual Fort Knox. We intercepted a carrier who confessed to us that they plan to use the device within the next six to twelve hours. You’ve seen the damage it can do, and that video showed it being tested on its lowest levels.

  Apparently, they’ve divided the world up into six quadrants and plan to use it on four. North America is one of them. The only thing you can do now is get the people you love into the bunker just as I will do.”

  For the first time ever, Jessie heard Kyoshe’s voice in English. “I hope and pray like hell that we survive this thing so we can live to fight another day. If not, I love you my daughter.” The line went silent.

  Jessie was stunned and confused by that display of emotion. Kyoshe believed to show emotion was weakness, so Jessie was stunned and confused by the unexpected display. My daughter? Did Kyoshe think of her in that way? She didn’t know what to say, but was humbled and honored. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much time to process her words.

  Jessie pressed her amulet twice. Téa, Max, Jake, Tony, and Gray appeared, “Change of plans, my friends. We will not be infiltrating the compound. I’m afraid there isn’t enough time. This situation has just been elevated to a level ten.”

  Everyone started talking at once. Jessie closed and rubbed her eyes. “Listen, please. Not only is this a level ten, but we also need to activate our survival protocol.”

  It suddenly got really quiet. Max spoke out, “Is this a drill or a test?”

  “It’s neither. I’ve just confirmed that the damage that is going to be done will affect millions. They won’t survive it. And…time is not on our side; this action is scheduled to happen in the next six to twelve hours.”

  “Jessie how long have you, Max, Tony, and Shelly been in the air?” Téa asked what everyone else was coming to realize.

  “They’ve been in the air about an hour and a half. They should make it before the process starts. I’ve been in the air about twenty minutes.”

  Gray cursed, “Is there any way you can be here within six hours?”

  Jessie smiled weakly, “I can talk to the pilot but I’m guessing no. We’ll do our best though.”

  It was silent, again. Jessie couldn’t stand the look of helplessness in their eyes. She hoped it wasn’t a mirror of hers.

  She was the leader. She set the tone and the tone needed to be survival, “Look, we’ve all got the amulet. Let’s activate the protocol and get our loved ones to safety. We’ll check back with each other in two hours.” Jessie tapped the amulet twice and all the people she loved disappeared.

  *****

  Jessie had to make one more call. She dialed Brian’s number. “Hi. It’s me. Can you talk?”

  Brian could hear in Jessie’s voice something was really off. “What’s wrong? Hold on a minute.” There was some shuffling and muffled voices, and then it was all quiet before he spoke again. “You okay?”

  After a long pause, Jessie exhaled, “Not really. I’ve had better days. I need to tell you something that’s going to sound so unbelievable you might think I’m crazy. But, every word of it is true.”

  “I don’t like the sound of this. You’re making me nervous.”

  “When we met, I told you that I owned a Network and Security Management Firm. Which is true. But, what I didn’t tell you is that it’s a little more intricate than just protecting internet passwords. I’m the leader of an elite Black-Ops team who works mostly with a world organization that nobody really knows exists.”

  Jessie paused for Brian’s reaction. He was silent…too silent. “Brian are you still listening?”

  His voice was tight, “Yes. We’ve known each other over a year now, why are you just now telling me this?”

  “So many reasons but mostly to keep you safe. I can’t imagine how angry you must feel, but I’m hoping you can put that aside for now because I really need you to trust me.”

  “Are you serious Jessie? You’ve lied to me for over a year! I let you into my hea…my house. You know I live in a world full of cut-throats and lying snakes and how important honesty and trust are to me.”

  Jessie threw her head back onto the headrest. She whispered to him, “I know and I wanted to tell you so many times. As angry as you rightfully are, I need you to put it aside and trust me one last time. I need you to drop everything you are doing and go home. Pack a few things and wait for a couple of my men to pick you up. They are going to bring you to a safe place.”

  “Are you kidding me? What are you talking about? You’re right, you do sound crazy. I have the opening of my movie tonight! Don’t forget the press is still having a field day with the mini-PR crisis from this morning. I can’t just up and disappear.”

  “Brian your life depends on it.”

  All the anger drained from his body, “What? Is this some kind of a sick joke?”

  Sounding more and more exhausted, “I wish it were but it’s not. You and Michael are not in a safe place.”

  “Is there like a crazy assassin looking for me because of the work you do?”

  “No. It’s bigger and broader than any one individual.”

  “Then tell me what it is?”

  “I can’t. Not over the phone. You’re line is not secure.”

  “If this is not about me, then whatever is happening, will it affect other people I care about?”

  “Yes.”

  More silence. “Is Brigitte safe?”

  “No.”

  “Then, I want her to come with me.”

  “You’ll have two hours to get your things together, and I’ll tell my men to expect three.”

  Chapter 20

  There was a flurry of activity at the MEGA-AX1 compound. Jessie uploaded the video she’d gotten from Wellington so that everyone knew the magnitude of the situation.

  There was a steady flow of family members coming to the compound and being set up for who knew exactly how long. M-AX1’s headquarters could comfortably house more than a couple hundred people. The underground bunker was like a self-sufficient city.

  Téa was nervous. She’d just gotten confirmation that Michael, Brian, and Brigitte had arrived. They were on elevator 3. She hadn’t had an opportunity to tell Michael about her secret life before this situation arose. She’d planned on doing it this weekend. However, when they talked briefly on the phone she could tell he was beyond angry.

  So there she was anxiously standing around wi
th other M-AX1 employees waiting for her loved ones to arrive. The elevator dinged and the door slowly opened. It was full of people. It took a moment, but there they were, Michael, Brian, and Brigitte.

  Michael’s eyes connected with hers immediately. He was furious. Both he and Brian were furious while Brigitte looked on like a deer in headlights.

  Téa stepped up to them, “I’m glad you made it.”

  Michael couldn’t believe this was his Téa. Instead of her carefree low-rider jeans and midriff-baring shirts, she was dressed in all-black wearing some kind of military pants and jacket with the MEGA-AX1 logo on it. She wore a military hat with her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail just like Jessie. She was also wearing her weapons on the outside of her uniform. Her carefree persona had been replaced with a woman who looked like she could take care of business.

  “We need to talk.”

  “I know, but not here. Let me take you to where you’ll be staying first. After you’re settled and we’re in private, I’ll answer all of your questions.”

  They followed Téa past the throngs of people. As she took them to their quarters they entered the wing where the guards were stationed. Each one stood at attention when Téa walked past. She was their superior. This was all so surreal for Michael and Brian.

  Finally, they’d made it to where Brian and Brigitte would be staying. Brian had so many questions, first and foremost where was Jessie? Téa promised she’d answer their questions once they were settled. He would have to wait just a little while longer.

  “This is where you’ll be staying. Your access and keycards are on the coffee table. You’ll have the freedom to explore the compound with those cards. However, please wait until I come back before you begin to explore.”

  Brian and Brigitte nodded. His glare unlike Michaels was cold with suppressed fury. They went inside and closed the door behind them.

  They walked several yards from Brian’s room to Téa’s suite. She opened the door and Michael walked ahead of her into the room. The rooms seemed to be outfitted with the simple necessities. There was a king-sized bed, armoire, sofa, and coffee table.

  He dropped his bags right where he stood. His back was still to her, “What can you possibly say to me to make this okay?”

  “I…don’t…know, but I’m going to try because I love you.”

  Michael closed his eyes. It hurt to hear her says those words to him. He turned around, his eyes hot with anger, “How could you possibly love me? Look at you? You’re a whole other person that I don’t even know!”

  “I wanted to tell you so many times.”

  “But…you didn’t. You had over a year’s worth of chances to tell me. From the looks of things, you live a pretty dangerous life. Téa, I run a Hollywood talent agency and…you…I don’t even know what you do!”

  “I’m the technology guru for this outfit. When I said I handled the communication systems security that wasn’t false, it just wasn’t the whole truth. I’m also a member of an elite Black-Ops team, Mega-AX1. We work mainly for a secret world organization responsible for making sure we don’t destroy ourselves.”

  Michael looked at her like she’d grown a third head. “You let me put my family in danger, and I didn’t have a say as to whether I wanted any part of it. Can you imagine the guilt that I feel? I introduced all of this to Brian!”

  “I know and I’m sorry!”

  “Téa, I was prepared to make you my wife? Hell, is your name even really Téa Carlisle?”

  “It is now.”

  Michael sat down on the bed, “Unbelievable.”

  Téa sat down next to him, “Believe it or not I was going to tell you everything this weekend and then all hell broke loose. Michael, I love you. I would never have married you without telling you everything.”

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As furious as he was with Téa he still loved her. “Why are we here?”

  “You’re here because we weren’t able to stop the world from going to hell.”

  Somebody knocked on her door. Téa got up to open it. It was Max. She threw her arms around him, “Oh thank god you made it.”

  Michael got up and walked over toward them. As mad as he was with Téa he sure as hell didn’t want to see her wrapping her arms around another man. “I sure hope that’s your brother.”

  Max was still hugging Téa and looked up to see a jealous-looking Michael. He released Téa and smiled at Michael. “I’m the closest thing to it.” Max held out his hand, “And…you are Michael, the fiancé. I’ve heard a lot about you. Sorry we’re meeting like this.”

  Michael shook his hand as Téa closed the door, “Well, I’m sorry I can’t say I’ve heard anything about you.”

  Max understood his frustration and didn’t take his comment personally. Téa ignored his remark.

  Max turned back to Téa, “Have you heard from Jessie? Is she close?”

  Téa shook her head no. “I haven’t heard from her and I can’t see her. She jammed the amulet; although, they are still tracking the plane. The fireworks are set to possibly start in a couple of hours, and she is still at least three hours out.”

  The tension was so thick Michael could cut it, “Is Jessie in danger?”

  Téa’s eyes welled up with tears and she had to clear her throat, “Yes.”

  “Okay can someone finally tell me what…is…going…on? This feels bigger than some thug wanting to kill us.”

  “It’ll probably be easier if I told you, Brian, and Brigitte all together.” Téa asked one of the guards outside the door if they could go get them.

  Chapter 21

  Everyone was assembled in Téa’s suite. She’d introduced Max to Brian and Brigitte. Téa still couldn’t understand what Brian saw in Brigitte; she seemed so fragile.

  When Jessie wasn’t available Max was in command. She gave him the floor to explain.

  “I hate to have to meet you under these conditions and then have to be the bearer of this type of news. If Téa hasn’t explained to you already, we are a special team of Black-Ops operatives. We’re known as Mega-AX1. Our job is to prevent catastrophes from destroying our way of living from rogue nations or people.

  This is Jessie’s operation, but most of our missions come from an organization called the Council. It’s a group of people who live in the shadows. They watch, they listen, and they take action when necessary. MEGA-AX1 is a part of the muscle. I’m Jessie’s second-in-command and Téa is the head of technology.”

  Max tried to add some levity to an extremely tense situation. “Don’t let Téa’s smile fool you…she can build a supercomputer out of toothpicks and a piece of gum and she can physically take you down just as easily.” The humor fell flat. Everyone was tense.

  “Anyway, we are here today because there is a threat that’s so big we expect it to destroy two-thirds of the world as we know it in possibly less than two hours. We are not sure that we are safe here, but we have more of a chance of surviving in this bunker than we do out there.”

  Brian couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This whole situation would make for a great script if it weren’t happening in real life. “If this ‘Council’ is the eyes and ears, how the hell could they have missed something so big? And if this is Jessie’s operation, where is she?”

  Téa noticed Brigitte move into Brian’s arms when he mentioned Jessie. As much as she felt there was something strong between Brian and Jessie, she could also no longer ignore that Brian must really have strong feelings for Brigitte to bring her here.

  “Those are very good questions. My guess is that no matter how hard you try, you can’t always see and hear everything. For example, we’ve been here in Phoenix for nine years and no one would ever know we do more than just clean up system viruses. And Jessie…” his voice trailed off slightly, “….she’s not here because she’s out doing what she always does, trying to save the world. We’re all praying that she makes it back before the process starts.”

  Brian released Brigitte. His
response didn’t go unnoticed by her. “What do you mean you hope she makes it back in time?”

  Michael knew, even if Brian didn’t, that he was in love with Jessie. He touched his brother’s shoulder to offer comfort. “She’s on a plane on her way back here. But contingencies are being made because she’s not scheduled to be back before everything is set to happen.”

  The color drained from Brian’s face and the anger immediately dissipated. “She knew she might get caught out there in whatever the hell this is when she called me? I need to talk to her. Can someone get me through to her?”

  Téa’s throat was bulging with a lump of emotion, “Once she got confirmation that we were all here, she jammed all communications to her. The only thing we can do is track her plane. I can’t see her or talk to her either, Brian.”

  The only thing any of them could do now was hope and pray that she made it back safely.

  *****

  Jessie was monitoring what was happening on the ground from the plane. She felt so helpless. None of the satellite images had shown any unusual disturbances or weather patterns. Maybe Kyoshe was wrong. Everybody could be wrong at least once…just as the words left Jessie’s lips her monitors started going haywire. The readings that it was giving over Europe was impossible! It had begun.

  The pilot came on over the intercom, “Jessie, my instruments are going haywire, I need you up here to help me co-pilot. I’m going to have to fly this bird using blind skill.”

  The plane started to shake uncontrollably.

  Chapter 22

  Everyone had gone back to their own rooms. Téa and Michael were alone lying in bed, just holding each other. “Téa, I’m still so pissed at you that I could choke you. But if these are my last moments alive…I wouldn’t want to spend them with anyone else.”

  Téa reached up and cupped his face looking deeply into his eyes. She gently kissed him on the lips, “I love you, too.”