“Took it out of you? Both of you? I don’t understand. Are you saying he fought his way free?”
“No, I’m saying she did. The shooter’s a woman named Jay. We don’t know who she is or who she works for. Or even where she disappeared to. We just have the name.”
“How do you know she’s the shooter?”
“She admitted it to Ray after he slept with her.”
Jericho stopped pacing and closed his eyes for a moment. “Of course, he did.”
“It’s the craziest goddamn piece of bad good luck I’ve ever seen, but that’s where we are. So, we know that after she left Paluga, she traveled to Brooklyn and took out Ray’s old contact. Then she tried to take out Ray. Sounds like she knew who he was from the get-go. You know I won’t ever defend his exploits, Jericho, but he was played. It almost cost him his life.”
“Shit.” Jericho rubbed his temples. “How is he?”
“He caught more damage than I did in the fight. She went toe-to-toe with us both and got away. She also killed our two-man escort.”
Jericho frowned. He’d heard concern in Julie’s voice plenty of times before. But this was different. This almost sounded like fear.
“Julie, are… are you okay?”
“I said I’m fine, Jericho,” she snapped.
He took a patient breath. “Hey, Julie… this is me, okay? It’s me. Are you all right?”
There was a long silence on the line. Jericho simply waited.
“She’s a level of dangerous I’ve never seen before,” said Julie eventually. “I wasn’t prepared for how violent she was. How… wild. You should’ve seen her, Jericho. She was practically feral.”
He nodded. “Hey, it’s okay. You were caught off-guard. It happens. We’ll get her next time.”
“Is this it now? Have things gotten so out of control that we’re fighting people this… demonic? Are we in over our heads here? Buchanan’s got his back against the wall in Washington. He’s on his own, no lawyers, no nothing. You’re stuck overseas in a political powder keg. And Ray and I… we’re fighting in the streets with a new breed of trained killer I honestly don’t think we’re equipped to go up against.”
“What makes you say that?”
“We have limits. We have rules. We have obligations to other people at all times. This… Jay, she didn’t. She was fighting for her life and seemed to relish every second of it. How are you supposed to compete against that?”
He shook his head. “I… I don’t know. So, you have no leads on where she went after you encountered her?”
“No, nothing. Not even anything on any local security feeds, either. It’s like she vanished into thin air.”
“Okay, let me see what I can do.” He took a deep breath, eager to change the subject. “Have you spoken with Buchanan?”
“Not since before he headed to Washington.”
“No idea how the hearings are going, then?”
“We’ll know when we need to, I guess. Until then…”
Jericho missed the tail end of what she said, distracted by the sudden noise of hurried footsteps from all around. From every corridor and every room nearby, Palugan soldiers poured out, running toward the entrance. He looked behind him to see Ramirez storming after his men.
“Julie, I gotta call you back.”
He hung up without waiting for a response and fell in line with the colonel.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
Ramirez’s gaze was focused ahead, his expression hardened. His mouth was a thin line of determination.
“The general and his men are outside,” he said.
“How many men?”
Ramirez turned to Jericho. “Too many.”
“Great…” Jericho tapped the comms unit on his chest to open a channel to all GlobaTech operatives based in the palace. “I want everyone in the courtyard now. Re-group on me.”
They marched side by side to the main entrance and stepped out into the mid-afternoon heat. Despite an inherently milder climate than most countries on the mainland, it was still scorching. Dust sizzled and swirled in the warm breeze. Jericho put his sunglasses on to protect him against the unrelenting glare of the sun.
Both he and Ramirez lingered at the bottom of the steps. All twenty-five GlobaTech operatives appeared and formed a tight cluster around them. Scattered across the courtyard and the upper balconies were Palugan soldiers loyal to Ramirez—just over fifty in total. The sound of helicopters just outside the palace’s airspace faded into existence, quickly becoming deafening.
“Mother of God…” muttered Ramirez.
Just beyond the large gates, two platoons of Palugan soldiers stood grouped together, spread across the road and hillside, surrounding the palace. Well over a hundred men in total. Behind them, a small fleet of armored Jeeps and MPVs were parked haphazardly, blocking the view of the decline that led back to Maville completely. Overhead, three helicopters hovered ominously, full of men—at least another forty in total.
In the middle of it all was a tank, painted in desert camo. A man stood tall, with his upper body visible through the open hatch. His thick, dark mustache dominated a battle-hardened face. He wore his military beret and medals for all to see. His body was rounded by age, but his broad shoulders did well to hide the onset of obesity.
Jericho flicked a discreet nod toward the tank. “General Guerrero?”
Ramirez nodded. “Yes. Christ, he must have a hundred and fifty men with him.”
“At least. Probably closer to two hundred, with those men in the birds overhead.” Jericho turned to the nearest GlobaTech operative and held out his hand. “Pass me your binoculars.”
The man did. Jericho lifted his sunglasses and looked through them, scanning the scene in front of him in more detail. Every man standing by the gate was armed and wearing heavy-duty body armor. The vehicles on either side of the tank were also armored and full of soldiers. He zeroed in on the general’s face. He wore an arrogant smirk. He believed he had already won simply because he showed up.
He lowered the binoculars, confused. “What the…”
“What is it?” asked Ramirez.
Jericho looked through them again, focusing on one of the soldiers nearest the gate. Specifically, his gun. It was state-of-the-art, similar in design to some of the more advanced weapons that GlobaTech manufactured. But these were unlike anything Jericho had seen before. The ergonomic shape of the gun and barrel. The scope that seemed to be built into the accessory rail, just in front of the upper receiver. The two different types of magazine chambered underneath. He squinted through the lenses, trying to make out the name etched onto the stock.
“It can’t be.” He absently held the binoculars out to the side, handing them back to whoever took them. “That’s not possible.”
“What isn’t possible, Mr. Stone?” asked Ramirez.
Jericho turned to him. “Those men out there are armed with weapons made by a company called Tristar.”
The colonel shrugged. “So?”
“So… those guns leave anything GlobaTech makes for dust, which in itself wasn’t thought possible. We have competitors, sure. But our tech is cutting edge. Even the stuff that comes close isn’t actually that close to what we can do.” He pointed out to the men beyond the gate. “Not only are the weapons those men are using far beyond anything your country’s military has any business using, but they’re apparently manufactured by a company that, last I checked, didn’t make weapons. Tristar is nothing more than a piss-ant private security firm. Third-rate mercenaries at best.”
“Surely, it’s a different company? It’s a common name, no?”
Jericho shook his head. “Same company. Same logo. I don’t understand.”
Just then, a loud, high-pitched whine shattered the silence that gripped the tense standoff. General Guerrero placed a megaphone to his mouth.
“Colonel Ramirez, I am ordering you to stand down. You are relieved of your command, effective immediately. You are to be pla
ced under arrest until this situation is resolved.” His voice boomed clearly and with authority, making the soldiers within the palace grounds shift uneasily. “The city of Maville and the surrounding areas are under military control until further notice. My soldiers have orders to use deadly force should anyone resist. This is for their own protection until the rioting has subsided.”
Jericho leaned in toward Ramirez. “This guy’s just admitted to conquering his own country without the paperwork.”
Ramirez nodded, not looking away from the general. “Pretty much.”
The general continued. “We now know it was GlobaTech behind the assassination of our president, a move orchestrated by the U.S. government to prevent true democracy from reaching our shores. Any and all GlobaTech operatives in our country will be arrested. Once I am installed as leader of our nation, I will deal with the United States. You have one hour.”
There was a crackle of static as the megaphone was switched off. No one moved an inch. Grips were adjusted on weapons. Uneasy glances were exchanged on both sides of the gates. Silence blanketed the area, as if suffocating the air around them.
The general’s words hit everyone like a freight train.
Ramirez looked at Jericho. “Well… now what?”
“Someone’s feeding the general bad intel,” said Jericho, already taking out his phone. “If we’re not careful, this is gonna get a lot worse real fast. I gotta make a call.”
“I hope it’s to call in a favor from up high, Mr. Stone. The general is basically in charge of the country right now, and I don’t have enough men to stop him from taking the palace.”
Jericho placed a hand on his shoulder before walking away. He began dialing as he headed back up the steps and inside the palace, relishing the cool exterior. Julie answered.
“I didn’t expect to hear back off you so soon,” she said. “Is everything okay?”
Jericho stopped for a second, then began pacing around the deserted hall. Few government officials were still on site. All the administration staff had left yesterday. All the soldiers stationed here were currently standing outside.
It was eerily quiet.
“No,” he replied. “Julie, we have a big problem. I need you to get a message to Buchanan right now.”
“I’m not sure I can. He’ll be in the hearing. Wait, what’s happened?”
“I imagine it’s already on every news channel. General Guerrero has taken control of the country. His military is out in force. Every civilian is locked down in their homes under threat of violence.”
“Are you kidding me? He can’t do that. That’s a—”
“Coup. Yes, it is. It could also be a violation of human rights and a war crime. Julie, all of our operatives are in danger here. The general believes GlobaTech was behind the assassination, acting on orders from the U.S. government.”
“What? That’s bullshit!”
“I know, but that doesn’t matter anymore. He seems to think that’s what happened, which means every single one of our guys will be executed on sight if they do anything other than stand down and allow themselves to be arrested.”
Julie sighed. “This is… I don’t know… this is insane. How much time do we have?”
“He’s outside the palace right now in a goddamn tank, surrounded by enough men to outnumber the combined GlobaTech and military forces inside the palace grounds almost two-to-one. We have one hour, then he’s coming in. He can say whatever he wants to sound diplomatic, but if he breaches those gates, it’ll be to kill us. No doubt.”
“Oh my God…”
“He also said, once he’s done that, he’ll be coming after the U.S. You have to get a message to Buchanan. If he’s on the Hill, call around and get someone to interrupt the hearing and put a phone in his hand. He has to do something, or we’re screwed.”
“Okay, let me try. I might be able to… wait a second…”
“What? What is it?”
“Jericho, when did all this happen?”
“What do you mean? It’s happening right now. I’m assuming it’s been happening since the general first deployed his men after Herrera’s assassination three days ago. The palace would be the last stop on his world tour, so he’s had three days to secure the country and lock down all the cities and major towns.”
“There’s… there’s nothing.”
“Are you serious?”
“Jericho, there is no mention of any of this on any news channel.”
“That’s impossible. The media are grounded here just like we are. They’ve got nowhere to go and nothing else to do except report what’s going on.”
“Do you think they’ve…”
Her voice trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.
Jericho sighed, understanding what she didn’t want to ask.
“Do I think the general’s kidnapped or killed everyone?” he said. “Honestly, I hope not, but nothing would surprise me anymore. He’s being fed bogus intel from somewhere. Who knows what he’s going to do next? But even if that were the case, it’s still unlikely that no word of this has gotten out. The internet, social media… surely, someone here would say something?”
“So, how else do you explain it?”
“I honestly don’t know.” Jericho stopped pacing and leaned back against a nearby wall. “All I know is we have about fifty minutes before a full-blown civil war breaks out, and the presidential palace is the battlefield.”
“What do you have?”
“I’ve got twenty-five of our guys. Colonel Ramirez has maybe sixty soldiers. I’m guessing they’re all that’s left of those who remained loyal to Herrera. If Guerrero has the country like he claims, then he will be holding any soldier who doesn’t support him at one of their military bases.”
“Do you really think he has total control?”
“I think he has enough control, yes. There was no sign of him or his men the other day. Over half of the entire Palugan army were sitting quietly inside their military bases, scattered across the country.”
“Like they were waiting for something to happen…”
“Exactly. I don’t know if the shooter is working for the general or not, but Guerrero was perfectly positioned to take over this entire country in a matter of hours on almost no notice. Combine that with these random claims about GlobaTech and the U.S, and something doesn’t add up.”
“I agree. Give me ten minutes.”
“Okay. Oh, there’s one more thing.”
“What?”
“The general’s men… they’re armed with weapons I’ve never seen before. State-of-the-art tech. We’re talking shit that rivals anything we have.”
“Are you kidding me?” Julie sighed and went quiet for a moment. “How? No offense to Paluga, but the country isn’t exactly at the forefront of technological advancement.”
“Here’s the kicker. I got a look at one of the rifles. It was made by Tristar.”
“Tristar, as in the security contractor that just got shot to shit a couple of weeks ago?”
“Same logo and everything.”
“But… they’re not a weapons manufacturer. Christ, they were barely a security contractor.”
“That’s what I thought. Something’s going on here, Julie. Something big. Something we’re not seeing. Too much of this doesn’t make any goddamn sense. But if he has access to this kind of tech, there’s no reason to think he doesn’t have access to more. We should treat his threat of retaliation against the United States seriously.”
“I agree. Hang in there, Jericho.”
“We got forty-five minutes.”
“I know…”
She ended the call. Jericho stared at the phone in his hand for almost a minute, lost inside his own head. He could count on one hand the number of times in his life when he had felt completely overwhelmed and out of his depth. This was definitely one of those times. He felt powerless. He felt like everyone was having a conversation, and he was the only one who didn’t understand th
e topic.
“Well?”
The voice startled him, snapping him from his trance. He looked up to see Colonel Ramirez standing in front of him, his hands on his hips.
Jericho held the phone up. “Just waiting to hear back.”
“Is your higher power going to come through?”
He smiled, trying to mask his own concern in the hope that it would inspire confidence in the colonel. “Let’s hope so.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
Jericho held his gaze for a moment.
“We should get all our men inside and into position,” he said finally. “We need to coordinate our efforts and come up with a strategy. If they come in, they’ll come in hard and fast and try to overwhelm us. We need to be smarter than them.”
He set off walking, heading for the door. Ramirez held out a hand and grabbed his arm as he drew level. Jericho stopped and looked at him.
Ramirez let out a tired breath. “My men are good. I trust them. I have no doubts about the capabilities of you and yours, either. But I’ve been in the military my whole life, Mr. Stone. I’ve seen many conflicts, as I’m sure you have. You know as well as I do, there comes a point where numbers simply mean more than skill.”
Jericho shrugged his arm free. He wasn’t angry at the colonel for grabbing him, and he understood his concern. But he found his apparent lack of confidence frustrating, and his hardened expression did little to mask it.
“Just get your men ready, Colonel,” he said, his lips barely moving. “One way or the other, someone’s entering the history books today.”
21
Buchanan let out a long, weary sigh as he struggled to maintain focus on the person speaking to him. He was three hours into the meeting, which included members from the Senate Committees for both Foreign Relations and Armed Services, representatives of the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission, the president of the United Nations Security Council, and the U.S. secretary of state.
He sat alone in a large, mostly empty room inside the Capitol Building, facing the intimidating bench. He had no legal advisors, no investors, no directors… nothing. Just him, unprepared, in a closed hearing that he thought made no sense.
Danger Close Page 17
