by R. D. Brady
Tears trailed down her cheeks. She couldn’t do this. It hurt too much. Drake’s face floated through her mind, his green eyes intense as his words came back to her. You will dust yourself off and you will jump back into the fight. Things go wrong, Laney. You can’t prepare for everything. But you can choose to keep fighting.
She wasn’t sure that she could this time. Everything hurt. And at the same time, she felt like she was completely cut off from her other emotions. Did she really care if the world fell apart? Hadn’t she already done her part?
But even as she thought it, she knew that wasn’t her speaking. That was the grief. Because she hadn’t done everything. Others had given their lives, and here she was, still living. They deserved for her to give her best. Kati and Maddox had lost their lives protecting Max. Max deserved a future. Jen and Henry’s little one deserved a future. She just needed to get through this one last battle. She just needed to see it to its end. She didn’t need to live through it. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure she wanted to live through it. But she needed the people she loved to make it through, to have a chance at a better future.
But I can grieve now. Tomorrow, I’ll be strong. Tonight, I don’t have to be. She turned her head into the pillow and cried for all those who had been lost to this stupid quest for power. And somewhere in the middle, God took pity on her and let her sleep.
A hand shaking her shoulder cut through the darkness. “Laney.”
She opened her eyes, seeing Yoni highlighted by the dim hallway light. She frowned. “Yoni? What’s going on?”
“You need to get up, Laney.” Her mind was working slowly. She couldn’t piece together what Yoni was saying or why he was saying it. She glanced at the window in confusion. It was still pitch black out. The clock confirmed that dawn was hours away. “Why? We don’t have to leave for hours.”
“The convoy’s on its way. Plans have changed.” He paused. “It’s started.”
“What’s started?”
“The war.”
Chapter 68
Yoni all but shoved Laney into the shower to wake her up. She put the water on ice cold and stepped in. In less than five minutes, she was still shivering as she pulled open the bathroom door. Pulling her wet hair back into a ponytail, she strode across the bedroom to where Yoni waited in the doorway. “What the heck happened?”
Yoni handed her a thermos of coffee. “Someone tipped them off. Chinese communications were intercepted, which shows they know we’re heading to Giza, and they have put out an order for all available forces to head there as well.”
“What’s the timetable?”
“They’ll be there in seven hours. But some of their troops were a lot closer, along with their allies.”
“What about us?”
“We’ll be there in seven and a half hours. The media has already picked up the story. They’re calling it ‘the showdown in Egypt.’”
“Damn it.”
Brakes squealed as Laney pulled open the front door. Tingles ran over her skin, making it feel alive. A large military truck pulled to a stop across the end of Sharecroppers Lane. People were heading for it in droves. Laney stopped, staring at the crowds of people. “Where’d they all come from?”
“We had some volunteers in the last few hours as the news broke.”
Laney caught sight of a man who looked familiar. He turned and nodded at Laney but kept heading for the truck.
“Is that . . .”
“It’s Charlie Garner. You saved his family a few years back. He was one of the first to show up.”
Laney watched the procession of people walk by. She knew a lot of the faces. People she had saved in one way or another over the years. Her heart felt heavy at the sight of them.
“Why are they doing this?”
“The same reason you are. The same reason I am. They want to fight for a better future.”
“This is really happening.”
“It is. Now come on. It’s time to get this show on the road.”
Laney followed Yoni into the crowd. Her heart squeezed a little as she walked. These people were all fighting for people they loved. And yet she knew not all of them would be able to come back to those loved ones.
How many more would they lose in the fight to come?
Chapter 69
Norfolk, Virginia
Laney had just rounded the hangar when she spied Henry and Jen squared off against each other. They’d traveled by convoy to Norfolk and had been getting set up for close to an hour. Now, the first of the planes had been loaded.
“Absolutely not.” Henry glared down at Jen.
Jen glared right back up at him, her hands on her hips, which only served to accentuate her belly. “I did not ask your permission.”
Henry looked over at Jordan and Mike, who were watching the discussion with rapt attention. “You guys agree with me, right?”
Jordan took a step back. “You know, I think I forgot to pack my toothbrush. I’m going to go see if anyone has an extra.” Jordan turned and headed for the group of soldiers milling outside the hangar.
Mike pointed at Jordan’s retreating back. “I think I’ll go help him.” He hightailed it after his twin.
Henry glared at them before he spied Laney. “Laney, you’ll agree with me.”
Jen rolled her eyes, a look of disgust on her face.
Laney stopped next to them. “Somehow I doubt that. But go ahead.”
“Jen thinks she’s coming with us.” Henry crossed his arms over his chest.
“And?” Laney asked.
Henry’s mouth fell open. “And? And? She’s pregnant!”
Laney’s mouth fell open. “Holy crap! When were you guys going to tell me?”
Henry glared at her. “Not funny.”
“Henry, they’re loading people onto planes. Why don’t you go see if you can help?” Jen said.
Henry pursed his lips. “We are not done with this conversation.” Henry stormed toward the group of people being shepherded toward the planes.
Laney shrugged. “He means well.”
Jen smiled as she watched him go. “I know.” She looked at Laney. “You know why I’m going, right?”
Laney nodded. “Yeah. But I wouldn’t mind if you kind of stayed at the back a little bit.”
“I will. I’m not planning on getting into the thick of things unless it becomes absolutely necessary.”
“Excellent,” said Gina, who walked over carrying a giant bag. She smiled at Laney. “Thanks for getting my situation squared away.”
“Least I could do.” Laney eyed Gina’s camouflage uniform. “Are you coming to see us off?”
“Nope, I’m going with you. It seems to be an all-hands-on-deck kind of moment.” Gina knelt down, unzipping the bag. She pulled out a large bulletproof vest. Standing, she handed it to Jen. “Here. I stopped by the base. This is the biggest size I could find. It should cover that little baby bump of yours.”
Jen took it, holding it up to herself. “Thanks, Gina.”
Gina looked beyond her, nodding. “First plane’s taking off.”
Laney and Jen turned. The giant military plane took flight at the end of the runway. “How many people in that one?”
“Two hundred.” Gina nodded to the plane taxiing down the runway. “Another two hundred.”
Laney swallowed. This was it. They were actually going to war.
Jen looked at Gina. “You’ve done this before, right?”
Gina’s voice was soft, her gaze locked on the plane as it took off into the air. “Yeah, but each time it’s different. Each time it feels like the stakes are a little higher.”
“How do you handle it?” Laney asked.
“Same way we’ve been handling everything the last few months. One day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time. You break it down into increments you can deal with.”
Jake strode from the other hangar, scanning the tarmac before his gaze came to rest on Laney. He waved her toward him before
disappearing back inside the hangar.
Laney stepped away from her friends. “I think I’m needed.” She walked toward Jake, Gina’s advice playing in her mind with a slight change.
One step at a time, one breath at a time, one second at a time.
Chapter 70
The hangar was a mix of military folks in fatigues and non military people in regular clothes, the latter being the enhanced people who’d come with Laney and did not have any official training. Everyone was checking gear and getting ready. Laney stopped just inside the entrance, her hands on her hips. The regular folks looked nervous as they glanced at the soldiers who looked battle ready. The enhanced might have a natural advantage, but without training, Laney wasn’t sure how helpful that was going to be.
The soldiers looked nervous as well, but due to their continued glances at the enhanced, she was pretty sure their fear had less to do with the coming battle and more to do with trusting the people about to fight next to them.
She spied Jake over by the weapons crates and made her way toward him. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself. Got something for you.” He reached into the crate behind him and pulled out a handgun, along with an extra magazine. He handed them over to Laney. “Special ammo.”
“Oh.” She slid the magazine in the gun out. It was full. The bullets were a silvery blue. Omni. “Who’s got these?”
“Most of our people, at least the ones I think can be trusted.”
“You don’t trust all of them?”
He dropped his chin, staring at her. “Do you know me at all?”
Laney chuckled, placing the handgun in the holster on her left hip. Omni on the left. Real bullets on the right. Please let me not screw that up. She slid the extra magazine into her vest.
Jake grabbed the clipboard next to the crate and made a notation. “All right. You were the last one.”
Laney’s gaze roamed back over the group in front of them. “Think they’re ready?”
Jake scanned the group. “I don’t know. The soldiers’ training will kick in, but when going against enhanced, that might not be enough.”
“And our enhanced aren’t soldiers, so their abilities might not be enough.”
“Yup.”
“Speaking of which.” Laney’s fingers drifted over the handle of the Omni weapon. “Have you thought of taking the Omni? It will probably give you an edge.”
Jake placed the clipboard down. “I won’t lie. It is tempting.”
“But . . .?”
“But when you succeed—”
“If.”
He shook his head, his eyes locking on her. “When you succeed, all the enhanced will lose their abilities. We don’t know what that will look like. The enhanced could be stopped in their tracks, unable to move, unable to fight. If that’s the case, I think we need some people around who will still be able to fight.”
She nodded. “You’re right. That’s the big unknown, isn’t it? How this is all going to work.”
“Yeah. But it will.” Jake closed the crate behind him.
“How can you be so sure?”
He shrugged. “You haven’t let me down yet. This will be no different.”
Laney looked away, the emotion, the grief that was just under the surface choosing that moment to try to rise. “I’m not exactly in fighting shape right now.”
“Hey, look at me.”
Laney faced him.
“You will do this. I know you. You won’t let people be hurt, not if you can help it. So I have no doubt you will succeed. But I also know how much you are already hurting. Mary Jane, the kids, they are a blessing. But I want you to know, you are my family too, Laney. And when this is all over, whatever you need, I’ll be there.”
Laney swallowed hard, the lump in her throat making it difficult to talk. “Thanks, Jake.”
Captain Fielding chose that moment to walk up. “How’s it going?”
Laney looked away, taking a breath and giving herself a moment to pull her emotions back.
“We’re good,” Jake said.
“Last of the planes are ready. We need to start getting the rest of your group on board. You guys ready?”
Laney looked at Jake, who nodded back at her. She squared her shoulders. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Chapter 71
Laney’s people had been split up amongst three of the planes. She tried not to think that was done so the government could keep an eye on them, but it was difficult not to. She was on the last plane. She saw everyone else into their seats and made sure gear was double-checked before she stepped onto the Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy. It seemed that all of the two hundred soldiers inside watched as she climbed up the ramp.
Well, this isn’t awkward, she thought as she ignored the prying eyes. Jake stood up and waved her over to an empty seat next to him. Henry was on the other side. Laney made her way over to them. Across from them, Jen sat with Gina and Jen’s brothers. Matt and Hanz, one of the SIA agents, sat next to Henry. Mustafa, Gina, and Yoni were in one of the other planes with Lou, Rolly, and Danny. She wasn’t sure which plane exactly David had disappeared into. But she saw him speaking with Maldonado and Susan so she figured they were together in one of the other planes.
We’re just getting started and I’m already having trouble keeping track of my people.
She took a seat between Jake and Henry and quickly strapped herself in. The ramp was already closing. Fielding walked down the fuselage, nodding at Laney as he passed on his way to his seat toward the front. In what seemed like only seconds, they were taxiing down the runway and taking off into the sky.
Laney settled back into her seat, letting out a breath. Minutes later, they were had started to level out. An image of Drake’s smile floated through her mind.
Where you go, I go, Ring Bearer. Pain, sharp and deep, cut through her chest. She sucked in a breath.
He had left. He was gone. He was leaving her to fight this battle on her own.
Henry looked down at her, concern etched into his face. “Laney? You okay?”
She nodded, trying to keep back the tears that wanted to fall. She could feel the eyes of the soldiers on her. The last thing she needed was to burst into tears in front of them. It wouldn’t exactly instill confidence in her abilities.
But the image of Drake had been the first crack in her defenses. One by one, as memories of Drake and Cleo rolled through her mind, the defense against her grief began to crumble.
She gripped the edge of her seat, trying to hold back the tide, but she didn’t think she’d be able to do it this time. Since Yoni had woken her up, she’d kept herself busy, checking on people, speaking with Fielding, handling a million last-minute details. But now, like last night, all those distractions were gone. Now, all she had was time and nothing else to think about.
“We’re going to need these seats, gentlemen,” Jen said.
Laney looked up. Jen and Gina stood in front of her, shooing Jake and Henry out of their seats. Hanz and Matt now stood in the middle of the fuselage, blocking her from the view of the other soldiers.
Jake frowned. “What are you—”
Jen placed her hands on her hips. “I love you, Jake, but you need to move, or I’m going to move you.”
Jake glanced over at Laney, understanding flashing across his face. He quickly undid his straps. Henry was already up and standing with Matt and Hanz, offering more cover.
Jen slipped into Henry’s seat, and Gina took Jake’s as soon as he left it. Each of them took one of Laney’s hands. Jen squeezed Laney’s hand gently. “We’re here, Lanes.”
She just nodded as the tears rolled down her face.
Gina leaned over, speaking quietly. “Cry, Laney. Let it out. You have nothing to prove to us.”
Laney’s chest shuddered. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Gina squeezed her hand. “You can. We all can. Everyone’s carrying invisible wounds into this fight. But we’ll get through.”
&
nbsp; Laney stared at her, reading the pain in the Marine Corps major’s eyes. “What happened?”
Gina tried to give her a smile, but it was too sad to truly be considered that. “I learned yesterday that my mom passed away. She had a stroke shortly after the charges against me were manufactured. She lasted a month, but . . .” Gina shrugged.
Now it was Laney’s turn to offer comfort. “I’m sorry.”
“My sisters are blaming me. Saying the stress of my situation is what caused the stroke.”
“That’s crazy,” Jen said.
“That’s grief,” Gina said. “But feeling that pain, it’s a reminder of what can be good in this world. You had two people you loved with all your heart. Never doubt they loved you back just as fiercely.” Gina wiped away a tear at the corner of her eyes before it could fall, and Laney knew her words were not directed just at her.
“Drake and Cleo loved you, Laney,” Jen said. “There are a lot of things in this world we can doubt. But you can’t doubt that.”
Laney looked over at Jen, who had her other hand resting on top of her baby bump. It hadn’t been that long ago that Jen had lost her first child to this madness. And now she was going into this fight not knowing what the days ahead would hold for this child.
“We’ll get through this. Together.” Jen laid her head on Laney’s shoulder. Laney leaned her head into her friend’s and squeezed Gina’s hand. They were right. They’d all been through a lot. They were all walking into this fight with open wounds. But they’d do what needed to be done. Because to do any less would be to ensure the pain they felt now was dwarfed by the pain to come. Not just for them but for people everywhere.
She shuddered, glancing up at her shield keeping her hidden from the prying eyes of strangers. It meant that for right now, she could let herself feel the pain, the loss. Because if she didn’t let some of it out now, she would explode. So she let the memories of Drake and Cleo run through her mind, an unending loop as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
