Last Strike

by Regan Black

“That’s enough,” she said. “What is the plan?”

  Chameleon sighed. “Assuming your new boyfriend has no objections, Amelia wants to take everything you know about the program and transfer it for safekeeping. She and John, formerly known as the notorious Bulletproof, can take care of it from there.”

  “Which leaves us flapping unprotected in the wind like paper targets,” Noah observed. “Not a chance. We’re not sharing intel without an escape route in place.”

  “We?” Chameleon gave another one of those creepy laughs, this time from the other side of the room. “The great and silent End Game is willing to turn on his master? Doc, you must be one hell of a kisser.”

  “Careful,” Noah warned.

  “When it was just me and her, the doc was gonna give up her information without any terms or conditions,” Chameleon said with pride. “She wanted to talk and let the chips fall wherever. Like I told you, the first packet of info is on its way to the media already.”

  Noah applied his lesser known gift and crossed the room in a blur, his hand outstretched. With any luck he’d pin Chameleon to the wall. When he heard the soft thud of a head against concrete and felt the invisible man’s warm throat squirming under his grip, he bared his teeth. “Gotcha.” He tightened his grip just enough that a ghostly outline of the man appeared. “No one will be careless with her life.”

  “Not even you?” Chameleon rasped. His wraithlike hands tugged uselessly against Noah’s hold.

  “Noah, let him go.” Daria rested her hand lightly on his shoulder. No judgement, merely a gentle reminder that he could be human if he chose to be. He spread his fingers and stepped back. For her.

  “You really think you can stop yourself from doing the deed? Sparing me doesn’t mean you’ll forget your assignment. Messenger owns you, man. We all know he gives an order and you follow it. Frankly I’m surprised you’ve fought it this long.”

  “Quiet, Ben!” Daria pulled him back when he wanted to lunge for the crazy jerk again. “He’s not under any kind of mind control.”

  Noah hoped she was right. There were times when it had felt as though Messenger’s will overrode his common sense and the decency she seemed to believe he’d been born with. Not to mention his dignity. Until she’d said his name, he hadn’t thought of himself as a person independent from his work in ages. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  What if it was a proximity thing? He’d seen something similar in testing, though not specifically mind control. When a device was close enough, it would trigger an enhancement or bring an alteration to the forefront of a subject. It had failed frequently, but Noah had seen it work on one or two UI agents who made it through and served the program.

  “Why don’t we hand over my laptop to Chameleon along with notes about what you know and then we’ll catch the next plane out of here,” Daria suggested.

  Chameleon laughed and Noah’s fists flexed, ready to pound that sick sense of humor right out of him. “You’re wicked funny, Doc. That tracker inside your big bad boyfriend will pinpoint his location wherever you go. Anywhere in the world.”

  Noah knew Chameleon was right. Useless to fight it. He should share what he knew and get as far from her, from all of them, as possible. He would do that. As soon as he’d extracted Chameleon’s promise to get her to safety.

  “Will Bulletproof have a better suggestion?” She voiced the question with more control than he felt.

  Glancing down, he caught the slight move as she drummed her fingers on her thigh under the table. It was nice to know the invisible man was getting under her skin as well. He was about to explain his plan when the security panel downstairs chimed and the hinges on the door squeaked. A light flashed on and quickly blinked out again.

  “Who’s there?” he called down, putting his body between Daria and any potential danger.

  “You really have to ask?”

  Great. He glared at the two people moving up the stairs. Bulletproof, one of the original stars out of the UI labs, had joined the party. Offended that he needed the help of a man officially dead, he rubbed at the goosebumps rushing over his forearms while he considered his dwindling options. Once Daria was safe he could go back and tear UI apart one facility at a time.

  He waited until Bulletproof and Bennett, the reporter no longer dead by explosion, joined them on the upper level. “John Noble and Amelia Bennett,” the former agent said, hand extended to Daria.

  Noah ignored a strange rush of jealousy over the brief contact and Daria’s warm greeting.

  “Daria Johannson and Noah D’Cruz,” she answered for them.

  Behind them, Chameleon coughed up some awkward sound that landed between a hairball and the End Game nickname. Noah ignored him.

  “D’Cruz?” The redheaded reporter gave him a long look before she slid a glance over her shoulder toward Bulletproof. “I remember a story about a Marine by that name, several years ago.”

  Noah didn’t offer any comment. He didn’t know anything about his history other than what Daria had shared. “Thanks for the hideout. What will it cost me?”

  Daria made a little gasping sound, a sure indication he was being rude. He didn’t care. Any time wasted on pleasantries gave Messenger more time to track them down.

  “Depends on what you’re after.” Bulletproof crossed his arms over his chest.

  Noah ignored the posturing and the long, assessing gaze. Everyone in this room knew disclosure and transparency weren’t the hallmarks of the UI system. Secrets and the handy need-to-know excuse, those were the keys to survival. “I want her,” he tipped his head to Daria, “out of Messenger’s reach.”

  “We were working on that when you interfered,” Bennett muttered.

  He shot Daria a hard look, his new-found confidence taking a hit. “You said -”

  “I’ve only spoken with Ben. I swear it,” she murmured. “He hadn’t yet told me who he planned to contact.”

  Her steady brown gaze offered enough reassurance he wasn’t being played. Not by her. The others were still wild cards. No matter the connections, he didn’t trust any of them. Friendships weren’t lasting in his line of work.

  “Why don’t we all sit down,” Daria suggested, gesturing toward the table. “If it needs to be in terms of a deal, I’m offering full disclosure about the researching and testing programs in exchange for an escape route for both of us.”

  Noah stared at her, suddenly understanding why Messenger was willing to kill her before he confirmed who she’d spoken to. After years of dedicated service, he knew how the man in the gray suit thought. Messenger had confirmation of Daria’s intentions through other sources. His boss had sent him into a no-win situation. If Last Strike became collateral damage while carrying out the kill order, it was a tidier outcome for UI.

  “We’re all on the kill list,” he muttered without thinking. He’d never cared about dying, but a tiny, almost imperceptible part of him regretted the inevitable fate racing toward the others like a runaway train.

  “Such encouraging words,” Chameleon muttered. “Ever try digging up an ounce of enthusiasm for us humans?”

  “Enough,” Bulletproof said, no less intimidating in a chair than he’d been standing up. The man was a legend. “We’re not picking a fight, Ben. We’re sorting things out.”

  “Are we?” Noah held the other man’s hard gaze, unwilling to yield.

  Bennett cleared her throat. “We are. You saved her, when we have it on good authority you were sent to kill her.”

  Ha. Now Chameleon was an authority? “I was sent to find out who she was talking to. Call it a bonus for Messenger if I let myself get so distracted by my own vengeance that I didn’t notice the backup team he sent along for the ride.” That short speech shocked them into silence. In the quiet, he could make out Chameleon’s movement behind him. “Call off your invisible dog,” Noah said to Bulletproof. He waited out the arched eyebrow and the barely perceptible twitch of the other man’s head. When Chameleon grumbled agai
n, from the other side of the room, Noah returned to the pertinent topic. “Dr. Johannson wants out of the UI system. How can I help you make that happen?”

  “How do we know you won’t double cross us?” Bennett’s eyes were sharp.

  “You don’t,” he admitted. Chameleon’s comments echoed in his head. He could only hope they got her away from him before Messenger ordered him to fulfill his assignment.

  Bulletproof leaned forward. “You’ve saved her life twice. Why?”

  Noah scowled. How could they know about the parking garage? He’d corrupted the security feed himself. He glanced in Chameleon’s last known direction.

  “That’s right,” the disembodied voice confirmed, near the railing overlooking the first floor. “I had eyes on her when Gerardi tried to gas her.”

  Noah’s temper flared. “And you were going to let her die?” No way he’d trust Daria to that much unpredictable crazy.

  “No. I was going to figure out what that creaky old bastard wanted with her.”

  “He was probably after my new formulas and data,” Daria said. “I’d been working on improved cell regeneration to aid in recovery and healing. I’d been sabotaging results. I’m sure he wanted the details so he could turn it around and take all the credit.”

  “Healing? The way Bulletproof does?” Noah asked.

  “No.” Her gaze dropped to her hands. “He’s unique.”

  Bennett’s eyebrows arched. “What it is doesn’t matter if we can expose the whole corrupted system. Why don’t we get started?” The reporter reached into her purse and pulled out a digital voice recorder along with a notebook and pen. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  Daria’s face was sad as she shrugged. Instinctively, he wanted to toss them all out and carry her away. Somewhere safe, out of Messenger’s reach. He fisted his hands on his thighs. As far as he knew, these two were the only people who’d successfully evaded Messenger, even after being spotted in Boston just a few weeks ago.

  “I mind,” he said, reaching over and taking the device off the table. “Why are you still here?”

  “Here?” Bulletproof tapped the table. “Or more generally speaking?”

  Noah glared. “Here in the States. It’s foolish to stick so close to your last known position.”

  “I’m not done here,” Bulletproof replied as if the answer should be obvious.

  “UI is dangerous. Deadly,” Bennett explained.

  “I’m aware,” Noah said.

  “Right.” She cleared her throat and continued, “The program is controlled by a well-funded, well-protected source. We need to find and expose that source before something worse happens.”

  “I agree with her,” Daria said, taking the digital recorder out of his hands. “You should too, all things considered,” she added under breath.

  He thought of the bullet meant for him at her house and the attacks that followed. Years of loyalty to Messenger - a man who’d apparently twisted the facts to suit his agenda - hadn’t done him any good. Maybe the others could show him a different option.

  “I don’t have to tell any of you about the enhancement process,” Daria began. “It’s in there, though.” She traced the corners of her laptop with her index finger. “More recently I’ve gathered documentation about the men and women who were washouts. I have proof of at least one honorable record altered to gain a volunteer’s cooperation.” She opened her laptop and kept talking, walking Bulletproof and Bennett through the years of UI history.

  Beside her, Noah watched the files he hadn’t found fill the screen. Well, technical research wasn’t why Messenger kept him around. No. He was on call for the sole purpose of eliminating enemies. He’d enjoyed unrestricted access to UI facilities and overheard countless secret conversations. He didn’t see how Bennett’s article, or even a series of articles, would make much difference.

  He raised his chin at Bulletproof and indicated they should leave the women to chat. When they were on the other side of the room, he asked, “How will you protect her?”

  “I’ll manage. I have sources.”

  That answer only filled Noah with more doubts. “Messenger knows you’re alive,” he said. “Go public with all of this and you might as well declare war. He won’t stop until you and your sources are dead.” He looked back at Daria and Amelia, silently adding them to the inevitable death toll. “He already suspects the two of you interfered with that serial killer bust on Valentine’s Day.”

  Bulletproof’s smile had a sharp, battle-ready edge. “Got any other good news for me?”

  “No. How have you kept this place off his radar?”

  “Don’t give him all the secrets, John. He could double-cross us.”

  Noah ignored Chameleon’s annoying voice.

  “He’s just looking for advice, Ben.” Bulletproof kept his eyes on Noah as he spoke to his invisible friend. “Will you take all our secrets back to Messenger?”

  Noah shook his head. “He won’t have me, not after I helped her escape.” He hadn’t checked in on schedule. Messenger would consider him a threat. He thought of Daria’s obliterated house. The one apartment he maintained in New York City would already be compromised. “His best move is to find a way to kill me before I get away. He can’t leave me alive, not after what I’ve seen. What I’ve done on his orders.”

  A disbelieving laugh sounded from the shadows.

  Bulletproof studied him closely. “You’d rather die than escape with her or fight with us? We can make better use of you and what you’ve seen.”

  Noah considered. “I could tell you what I know about programs and facilities. If you attack, he’ll move them, if he hasn’t started that already. Any facts you find he’ll spin to gain public sympathy. He has contingency plans. The program is already too big, Bulletproof.”

  “Call me John. I owe it to the others to keep trying.”

  Noah nodded, not ready for anyone but Daria to call him by his name. He understood that classic philosophy of self-sacrifice and honor. Or he had at one time. Funny, how one story out of Daria had ignited that small kernel of belief. There had to be more he could do for her and their cause. He thought about the tracker inside him that worried the others. “What if I lure him into the open? Divert him while you gather evidence.”

  “No way.” Bulletproof shook his head. “We’d lose you for sure.”

  “Sad but true, man,” Chameleon added.

  Noah snorted. “Have you forgotten just what I can do?”

  “No,” Chameleon muttered. “I’ve seen the new guy.”

  He and Bulletproof exchanged an uneasy look. A trickle of ice coursed through his blood stream. “New guy?”

  “End Game 2.0,” Chameleon mused. “One of Gerardi’s.”

  He’d been replaced? Why did such a practical decision hurt his feelings? Since when did he even acknowledge he had something vaguely soft enough inside to count as feelings? His gaze drifted to Daria. Since she’d treated him as if he was a worthy sort of person. Since she’d kissed him boldly rather than doing the smart thing and running away in the opposite direction.

  The idea of her running made him want to chase her. Catch her. Keep her. He shook it off and applied his strategic skills to their purpose. “I’ll tell him I have her body and the link to her contact on the outside. I’ll say I want to come in.”

  “You just said he’ll kill you first.”

  “True.” That was the most logical move Messenger would make. “I don’t have to make it easy. While he and his new assassin are busy with me, you can get Daria out of harm’s way.”

  “You’re not going anywhere without me,” Daria corrected, joining them. “If we’re going to be a diversion, the others should go after a target Messenger can’t move or ignore.”

  “Like what?” all three men asked simultaneously.

  It unnerved Noah to be in accord with men he would’ve viewed as viable targets yesterday. He focused on Daria, ignoring the others. “You want us to hit the lab?”

 
“No.” Her smile was quiet, sneaky. He liked it. “Too obvious.” She raised her big brown eyes to his, held him captive without a touch. “I suggest you and I get caught searching Gerardi’s home office and financial records while the others hit the proving ground in West Virginia.”

  “Proving ground?” He puffed out a weary sigh, considering the idea. It was a smart choice. Rural, lightly guarded, with test results and weapons shipment records stored in the bunker under the gatehouse. How did she know about that?

  “It’s a cross between a survival training site and a weapons range,” Chameleon explained to the others. “Good times. But I swore I’d never go back. The bugs are awful. Do I have to go back?”

  “No,” Bulletproof replied. “You’ll stay with Noah and Daria. Amelia and I will see what we can find in West Virginia.”

  “Not so fast,” Noah said. “We still need an exit strategy for Daria.”

  “Then keep her alive until we come up with one.” Bulletproof put his arm around Bennett. “Text me your plan when it’s set. The security panel will send me a text when you leave tomorrow.”

  Noah gritted his teeth, wanting to shake the other man, the one he could see. He held back, knowing Chameleon would intervene. Being invisible didn’t negate the threat he posed to people he considered enemies.

  Anticipating the various outcomes, Noah would have to figure out something to protect Daria. He didn’t care about causes or righting wrongs. He refused to leave her survival to chance.

  Chapter Six

  After John and Amelia left, Daria talked through options and plans with Noah and Ben until her eyes were dry and gritty, her voice nearly gone and her sense of time and logic reduced to a puddle of mush.

  Long lab hours had prepared her for everything but two deadly men determined to create a fail-proof plan. The lack of trust meant they couldn’t easily compromise or agree. She’d slept fitfully on the only bed. Noah had slept on the floor in the doorway, guarding her. The plan hadn’t changed and communication hadn’t improved much by breakfast, though at least Noah had stopped trying to leave her behind.