Battle Road

by Gerry, Frank

  Maybe she understands, Dylan thought. He gave her an approving look and nodded his head. He continued the charade, “I didn't give it a lot of thought. Tonight I'll empty out my savings and I'll catch the first flight to a Caribbean Island. From there I'll fly to Brazil or Argentina. I'll just disappear.” “Oh, good plan Romeo. Like you wouldn't be on a no fly list at all of the airports. And even if you were lucky enough to get out of the country. You know full well DHS agents would track you down eventually and bring you back.” Tien spoke in a sarcastic tone proving she could act as well. “We're going have to come up with something better than that. Just let me think,” she added.

  Dylan was pleased. He knew if Agent Goodman was listening and he was pretty certain that he was, Goodman would no doubt be convinced Tien was falling into his trap.

  This buys us more time, he thought.

  Dylan continued to drive the back roads until reaching the shopping mall in Watertown. He took a right into the main parking lot of the mall, then drove around the back to reach a smaller lot that was less used at night. “Where are we going?” Tien asked. Dylan put his finger to his lips again, then spoke, “We need some time to think. Were getting off the road. I know this area, it's a good spot.” Tien gave Dylan a quizzical look but played along.

  A single car was parked near the far the corner of the lot. It was backed into the parking spot, the car's front end facing forward. Dylan drove towards it. The running lights of the parked car flashed on and off one time as they approached. He looked over at Tien and once more put his finger to his lips. Dylan pulled the StarCruiser along side the solitary car and parked. His drivers side door facing the other vehicle's driver side door.

  Dylan pointed to the manual door handle on Tien's door and quickly put his fingers to his lips, indicating to her to get out of the car without using the computer voice controls. She did. He exited the SUV immediately after. By the time Tien walked around the back of the SUV to the driver side, she saw Jack Brooks standing in front of the open door to his car. “What the hell is going on?” Brooks lamented to his friend. Before Dylan could say a word, Brooks caught sight of Tien. “Hi Tien, how are you doing?” he asked. She froze in her footsteps, not uttering a word.

  Joanne Neely jumped out of the passengers side of the car and ran over to Tien. “Thank God you're OK.” She cried, embracing Tien in a bear hug. “I never thought I'd see you again,” Joanne said, wiping the tears away as stepped back a foot to give Tien room to breath. “I'm good, I'm good” Tien repeated herself. Dylan grew angry with the unfolding scene, “What's she doing here?” Brooks looked perplexed. “What's she doing here? What are we doing here?”

  Dylan shook his head and grabbed Brooks by the arm, leading him a few feet to the rear of his car. “We need to get the fuck out of here fast. Where are our clothes? Once we're out of here I'll tell you everything.” Brooks opened the trunk and pulled out two small plastic burlap bags with clothing and shoes. Dylan grabbed the bags and sprinted over to Tien. “Come on, follow me.” They ran to the opposite side of the SUV.

  Dylan looked in the plastic bags and handed one to Tien. “We have to move fast. Take all of your clothes off. Every single piece, everything. These shoes and clothes will have to do for now.” To Dylan's surprised, Tien didn't say a word as she stripped off her clothes in a matter of seconds. He expected her to complain of being out in the open, or of the cold, or the mismatched clothes she was putting on. She knew in an instant why the clothes had to come off. She also started to have a feeling in the pit of her stomach that Dylan may be genuine.

  Joanne and Brooks got back in their car and waited. Tien finished dressing first and stuffed all the clothes into one of the bags. Dylan opened the back door of the StarCruiser and threw almost everything he had onto the floor; his wallet, video phone, keys, badges. He looked over the final item for a few seconds, the faux credit card tracking device, before tossing it on top of the pile. He kept his cash and one bank card, just in case. Tien tossed the bag of clothes onto the back seat. Dylan slammed the door. “Alright, we're outta here.” Tien was already making a dash to the getaway car.

  Brooks drove off once they were all inside. With the car speeding away, Dylan turned to look back through the rear windshield to see his prized SUV for the last time. He turned to Tien. “Now I think we have a lot to talk about.”

  TWENTY TWO

  “Is somebody going to tell me what the hell is going on?” Brooks asked no sooner than having driven a hundred yards outside of the Watertown Mall. The other three occupants let out a collective laugh. They laughed not only to let out the tension, but also because it really was funny that Brooks was the only one who didn't have a clue what was going on.

  “I'll tell you everything. Just get us out of here fast. We've got quite a story for you Brooksie,” Dylan said. He looked at Tien again, this time with an expression of relief. She didn't acknowledge him, instead she leaned forward in her seat to talk with Brooks, “Head over to Cambridge. Take the back roads. We need to find a quiet place to park the car for a couple of minutes.” Cambridge was the next city over from Watertown. There weren't any back roads at that point, but Brooks knew some less busy streets.

  They drove on in silence. Tien was calmed by the presence of her friend Joanne. “Take the second left, River Street is quicker. That will take us to Fresh Pond,” Joanne said. “OK,OK, I'm just gonna do what all of you want me to do. I'll take the left. I'm an accomplice now. And somehow I just know this is all going to end badly. Mark my words,” Brooks shook his head for added effect.

  Tien finally looked over at Dylan, giving him a smile. A minute or so passed before Dylan spoke to his friend, “Jack, you have no idea how much I appreciate you picking us up. Thank you buddy. I knew I could count on you.” Brooks could never remember a single time when Dylan called him by his actual first name. “I can't wait to hear the story. This bett'ah be wicked good,” he said.

  Tien spoke next, “It's good to see you're OK, Joanne. I didn't know whether the entire group had been compromised. Though, I am surprised to even see you here.”

  “She's one of you. She's another terrorist?” Dylan asked incredulously.

  Tien responded firmly, “A Patriot. And yes, who do you think made friends with Brooksie and introduced the two of us.”

  “Sorry, Patriot. I'm still just getting use to all of this,” Dylan said.

  “Oh, this is just great. I can't wait hear what you're going to tell me,” Brooks butted in sarcastically. He thought for a second then turned to Joanne, “You're still a lesbian, though, right?” Joanne smirked at him before answering, “Sorry to disappoint you buddy, but, ah, nope. We thought that was the best way to establish a friendship with you.” Of all the news he'd heard so far, that disappointed Brooks the most.

  Joanne turned around to speak with Tien, “As soon as I heard you were arrested I got out of sight. I left work and went over to Brooksie's place. He let me spend the day there while he went to work. I was expecting to leave town tonight. That was, until he came home early in the afternoon, complaining about having to find some cloths for Dylan and you. When I heard that I made it a point to tag along.”

  Brooks slowly shook his head from side to side, “This story is getting bett'ah and bett'ah.”

  Tien spoke over Brooks' complaints, “Joanne, did you contact David?” “Yeah, he's OK. He's already gone underground,” she said. Tien nodded, “Good. Then you're next. We'll drop you off in Cambridge. Get out of sight ASAP. I'll contact you when the time is right.” Joanne protested, “I should stay with you. We can handle the situation together.” Tien pulled rank, “You know the procedure in this situation. We split up and go underground. Besides, I'm not asking you. That's an order.”

  Reaching Fresh Pond Parkway in Cambridge, Tien issued Brooks further instructions, “Drive over to the supermarket at the end of the mall. Find a dark corner we're we can stop and drop Joanne off.” “Alrighty then,” Brooks said as he pulled into the entrance of the mall
, then drove around to the far side.

  Once they found a spot to park, Tien got out, followed by Joanne. “I need your v-phone,” Tien gently commanded her friend. “I can't give it to you. I need it for ….. ,” Joanne couldn't find the right words at first, then collected herself. “For letting my family know that I'll be going away for awhile,”

  “You can do that with an encrypted messages once you're safely away,” Tien said. “I need to contact Command. That takes priority,” she spoke more forcefully, holding out her hand. Joanne had no choice, handing over her phone begrudgingly. They hugged one another. “Stay safe and I'll see you soon enough,” Joanne said.

  Brooks got out of the car and gave Joanne a hug. “Take care of yourself,” he said. Dylan followed. “Be careful,” he said, as he hugged her. Tien spoke last, “I'll contact you in three days. You know the procedure.” Joanne bade her final farewells then walked towards the supermarket.

  Senior Agent Goodman paced back and forth in one of the Command Centers at Homeland Security's headquarters in Burlington. He was chain smoking, issuing various orders, and trying to get updated status on the mission. “Have they moved yet?” He loosened his tie further. “No Sir. The subjects have been stationary for three minutes,” one of the junior DHS Agents called out.

  The Command Center being used was one of the mid-sized rooms, with just two rows of console stations, four stations per row. Each station had a computer with several monitors along with various communications equipment. Against the main wall was the operations display screen. It was nearly twelve feet wide and took up most the wall. At the rear of the command center sat the operation commanders desk. Only six agents were working the command center. The need for secrecy required a small group of trusted officers. The room was abuzz with activity. Agents yelled back and forth as they monitored the electronic tracking and listening devices, controlled various hover drones, maintained communication with other DHS departments, as well as, coordinating efforts amongst themselves.

  Senior Agent Goodman turned and walked over to the other side of the room before asking his next question. “What about the audio? Can we hear anything yet?” The agent who was responsible for the listening devices installed in the SUV was quick to respond, “Not yet, Sir.” Another agent called out, “We're checking the diagnostics on the listening device now, Sir. Hold on, OK, we just got the return signals. They all came back with positive results. Everything should be working fine, Sir.” “Damn it,” Goodman shouted. Agent Greene who was leaning against the wall next to the main door of the Command Center approached Goodman and spoke to him privately, “Agent Fraser is most likely improvising at this point in his mission. Though sending in a high altitude drone, keeping it as high as possible, and in stealth mode would be advisable, Sir.”

  Goodman pondered his options. He had not wanted to tail Dylan's SUV with hover drones. If their subject spotted them, the mission would be blown. Everything counted on Dylan executing the plan. A minute passed while Goodman paced the room. He looked at Greene with a serious expression, then began issuing commands. “Send in one high altitude drone over the vehicle. Stealth mode. Maintain a six hundred foot level. I want two more drones at the same altitude, kept back four hundred yards. I also want unmarked police cruisers to get over to the mall right now. But keep them back until I say the word.” Several agents called out, “Yes Sir,” before proceeding with their tasks.

  “It should take about five to six minutes to get those drones in place, Sir,” Agent Greene said. They both knew how long it would take. Greene was just talking out loud. One of the agents spun his chair around from his console to address Goodman, “Drones are airborne and on their way, Sir. ETA five minutes.” Another Agent stood up, “We have Watertown police sending two unmarked cruisers. ETA is four minutes.” A third Agent called out, “Three unmarked DHS patrol cars dispatched. ETA is seven minutes for the first cruiser to arrive.”

  Agent Greene broke the silence as they awaited the drones to arrive on station. “We know they didn't have any additional clothing when they left the building, nor did they have any in the vehicle. That means they must still be in the car and wearing the uniforms. The tracking signals installed in the SUV and in the uniforms are reporting identical locations. All we're missing is the audio transmission. And you know we've seen listening devices malfunction while the diagnosis telemetry reported everything was good. Most probable scenario is that Agent Fraser got off the road to provide the subject with an explanation of how they managed to just walk out of DHS Headquarters. I imagine he has one hell of a story he's giving her.” Goodman nodded. “I hope you're right. But sending in the drones is our best course of actions to take at this point.”

  Tien rushed back to the car after saying her goodbye to Joanne, jumping into the front seat. Brooks sensing the urgency, drove off before she finished closing the door. “So where's this friends house you mentioned? I'll tell you the whole story as we drive,” Dylan said. Brooks shot back, “Start talking! I want to hear whole story.” Dylan replied, “OK. You got it buddy. But it's going to take a while”

  Dylan proceeded to tell them both of the meeting he attended that morning with the DHS officers and Goodman, what he first thought about Tien's betrayal, the plan to penetrate the terrorist high command. He described the acting he did to get Tien out of the detention center and out of the Homeland Security complex. It all started to make sense to Tien. But she knew it wasn't the complete answer. Brooks on the other hand was more confused than before.

  Dylan went on with his explanation. Turning his gaze toward Tien. “The real question is why. Why did I do what I did?” Dylan pointed to a restaurant parking lot up ahead, “There, pull over in that lot. I have to talk to Tien in private” “Yes Sir, Captain. That is your rank, right?” Brooks said with another shake of his head.

  Tien and Dylan got out of the car and stood a few feet apart, under the dark star filled night. Only the distant street lights illuminated their faces. Dylan spoke in a somber tone, “I didn't know what to think after what you told me last night. I was really angry. Then this morning when I found out about your involvement with the terrorists, I mean, Patriots, your plans for me, your arrest, I mean everything, I was in a daze. Seriously, I was tripp'n. Half of me wanted to follow my instructions from Goodman and get back at you, to really hurt you. The other half of me just wanted to curl up in a ball and die. During my training for the mission today, I was left alone by the Agents for a few minutes and I had time to think. I mean, really think about everything. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. I guess you'd call it an epiphany.” He paused, reaching forward to take hold of Tien's hands. She willingly accepting it. “I realized ... It just all came to me at once. That it wasn't a matter of what I thought. I realized what mattered was how I felt. I knew at that moment that I simply had to follow my heart. For the first time in my life, with all this insane shit happening all around me. By just following my heart, I came to understand what you were trying to say to me last night. That everything in my life was a lie. But I couldn't hear it when you were trying to tell me.”

  Dylan shifted his body a little more forward and looked directly in her eyes. “Tien, I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you. I fell more and more in love with you every day. There wasn't a moment that went by that I didn't think about you.”

  Tien attempted to speak, but Dylan stopped her by raising one of his hands. “Before you say anything. I just want to let you know it's OK. I understand you had your job to do. I accept that. And I did what I did today knowing full well I was just another assignment for you. But none of that matters. I'm going to help you however I can. No matter what.”

  “Are you going to let me speak?” Tien asked in a lighthearted fashion. Dylan shifted back a few inches, preparing himself for the expected letdown. He was prepared for it. “I feel the same way about you. I fell in love with you the first night we met. I do love you so incredibly much. I really do, Dylan.” A few tears fell from her eyes
that she managed to wipe away. “And yes, it's all true about my assignment. But once I met you, everything changed. I never expected to fall for you. By the third date, I canceled my assignment. I wanted to tell you everything. But I couldn't. Finally, I tried to tell you last night. But it all went wrong.” She wanted to continue her explanation, but was prevented by Dylan who lunged forward to kiss her. Tien returned the kiss passionately.

  Brooks was touched by the sight of the two lovers, but was more nervous than ever. He waited a minute before getting out of the car and yelling over the cars' roof, “Alright already you two. We need to get out of here!” Tien and Dylan continued to kiss one another for a few seconds longer, then stepped apart, nodded to each other, and dashed to the car. Tien jumping in the front seat, Dylan the back. They drove away carefully and under the speed limit.

  Brooks told them of the safe house while he drove, “I've been house sitting for a lady friend who's vacationing in Spain. She has a beautiful home in Belmont.” He paused as a street light turned green, focusing on his driving for a moment. “She got it in her divorce. You'll be safe there. But you can only stay a couple of days. She'll be back on Friday.”

  “UUAV #16 is over the vehicle now, Sir,” the agent responsible for the hover drones informed her commander. “Video is coming up on the main screen in three, two, one.” The greenish glow of night vision video flashed across the huge display screen on the wall. The image came in and out of focus, until the correct focus was shown. A single SUV in the corner of a parking lot was visible. A smaller video display popped up in the upper corner of the screen. A picture within a picture containing the infrared imagery.