That was fair.
“Out there, I’ll be coordinating with Braydon, as per Shadow’s instructions,” I said. “He’s the field leader. He has the experience out there.” I pointed to the control console which Reiko had set up. “I have the experience in here.”
Beau raised a brow. “And how much experience is that?”
“About twenty minutes worth,” Reiko answered for me.
“We’re all going to die,” Cairo muttered.
Braydon rose from his seat and then pointed towards the directions of the couches in the other room.
“Let’s have a few words,” he said. His voice was strangely calm and reassuring.
I nodded. “Reiko, in the meantime, can you wire up everyone with the Bluetooth mics?”
She nodded.
We took a seat on the white couch. By instinct, I grabbed a cushion and hugged it close to my body using it as a safety blanket to calm my nerves.
Braydon leaned back in his seat, draping one arm over the armrest. If he was nervous, it certainly didn’t show. He was a walking totem of confidence.
“I’ll be blunt. If I can’t trust you, we’re going to have problems,” he said. “I have no problem tuning you out and redirecting this group of stragglers as I see fit.”
“That’s not a good idea,” I said. “From mission control, I have full visibility of everything. You’ll be able to only see what’s in front of you.”
“Agreed,” Braydon said, “However when I signed on for this mission, I was reassured I’d have a well-oiled team out in the field.” He pointed a finger at the others. “Not a steroid-infused meathead, the wicked witch of weird, and my shit-for-brains brother. Now add onto the fact that the entire show is being run by a…” he paused. “What did you do for a living?”
“Classical pianist in training.”
“Great…like I was saying, this entire gong-show being run by a classical pianist.”
“You just met me,” I stated. “You can’t start making judgments about my ability to lead.”
Braydon rubbed his chin and stared at me with thoughtful eyes. “This isn’t a game.”
“No shit.”
He leaned forward. “Tell me, after we grab this Lincoln fellow, what’s the best route to take?”
“That’s classified info. Shadow specifically said to trust no one with the plan in advance.”
“Give me an answer on this, girl. If you want me to follow your orders without doubting you, then I need to know you’ve done your research. Out there in the field, there can be no hesitation when it comes to decisions. If I can’t trust yours, I’m ignoring them all. Also keep in mind that unlike you, I have no emotional attachment to anyone here. I’m willing to make the calls that will keep me alive, even at the expense of the others.”
“That’s kind of selfish.”
“Don’t go mistaking me for a man who doesn’t follow orders. I can and will, but only to a general I can trust. I’d chew broken glass if the order came from someone who had my respect. They tell me to leave no man behind on this mission; I’d be the last man to leave. However, if it were my call, everyone on this mission is expendable.”
“Even Beau? Your own brother?”
We both turned to look at him. For some reason, beyond my reasoning, Beau was flicking the Bluetooth bud with the tip of his tongue in an effort to either gross out or impress Isadora. She looked at him like he had worms on his face.
“Not the greatest loss in the world,” Braydon said.
I didn’t want to agree aloud.
“I’m going to ask you again, Aria. What route is the best to take after we extract Lincoln? I need reassurance that you know what you’re talking about.”
“The Foxway underpass tunnel,” I replied.
“Why?”
“Because it’s sheltered from aerial view, limiting the line of sight Calisto will have on us. Also just 3.5 miles shy of the tunnel there’s a roundabout, allowing us to separate into different directions, scattering us in the event of a chase, which most likely will happen.”
Braydon seemed pleased with my answer. “Good,” he replied. “Good.”
“We done?” I asked.
“No, not yet. I want to see how much you know about the actual army airport facility. What’s the best mode of entrance in?”
“There are two,” I replied. “The first one is the underground sewer system that leads into the basement of the command tower. The second is the unnoticeable and often forgotten south east gate, which is surrounded by dead aircrafts. Both provide stealth accesses of entry.”
“So which one will we take?” Braydon asked.
“Both,” I replied, “There’s four of you going in. Two of you will take the sewers and two will take the southeast gate. Those who take the sewer will have to clean out the command tower to gain control of the enemy’s highest vantage point. That’s also the location of all the backup generators. We’ll need them all disabled.”
“Shouldn’t we all be going into the sewer then, if that’s the case?” Braydon asked.
I shook my head. “The sewers are narrow quarters. Putting four people through it will slow things down. The sewers are essentially a tunnel. If, God forbid, the ones down there are discovered, there’s pretty much nothing they can do. We’ll need the other two for backup as a secondary option.”
“And who do you plan on throwing down into the sewers?” Braydon asked.
“You and your brother, of course.”
He laughed. “I guess it is fitting. We’ve both been called little shits numerous times, by our dearly departed father.”
Braydon seemed at ease with all that I’ve told him thus far. I hoped that was a good sign.
“Well?” I asked.
“What?”
“Do I get the thumbs up to be your fearless leader? At least until Lincoln’s broken out and Shadow gets his head in order.”
Braydon nodded. “For now,” he said, “for now.”
“I still need you as field tactical leader. There will probably be things that come up that I can’t possibly see from the command center.”
“Fine,” he said as he rose from the couch. “Now, if you excuse me, I have to get myself wired up and prepare myself for a mile long hike in shit.”
I watched him stroll calmly towards Reiko, who had just finished wiring up Cairo. There were no loving words exchanged between the two former lovers, only averted eyes. I could tell Cairo’s silent treatment of Reiko was tearing her up inside.
Men. Why did they have to be so stupid about things?
My thoughts naturally gravitated towards Shadow. I supposed now was a good time as any to pay him a visit.
I walked up the winding staircase of the mansion and past the long hallway, which featured full-length windows overlooking the gorgeous ocean. The setting sun reflected rays of dusk along the surface of the crystal waters. I exhaled.
At times like these, it was important to stop and take in the beauty wherever I saw it.
I found Shadow inside the panic room, sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat, cell phone pressed up against his ear.
“The sooner you can get here with your person, the better. I need to know what kind of damage Calisto has done to me. Perhaps there’s something implanted in there that can help us find her…”
He seemed agitated.
“I seriously don’t know. I tried digging around in there but every time I do, I blackout. I end up waking up with a raging headache.”
Who was he talking to?
His eyes eventually locked onto my own.
“Gotta go,” he said. He shoved the phone back into his pocket and then smiled.
“Ready?” he asked.
I shook my head. “How can I ever be?”
He rose from where he sat and leaned up against the doorframe of the panic room, arms folded across his chest. A thick layer of glass still separated us.
“After Abraham’s death, do you know why I chose you to be his r
eplacement?”
“Because you’re an idiot?”
He smirked. “There’s a little bit of that. But I also saw a lot of qualities in you that make you a leader, the same qualities Abraham shared. To put you in the role, based on personality alone, was a seamless fit.”
“You can’t compare me to Abraham. He was a great man.”
“And you’re a great woman,” Shadow reassured me. “I trust you more than anyone in planning and coordinating tonight’s escape; myself included.”
I walked up to the glass and pressed myself against it. “Is everything okay in there?” I finally asked, pointing to his head.
“I don’t know. It’s a scary thought knowing that I don’t have full control over myself. Lord knows what else I’ve done under Calisto’s influence.”
I thought about our relationship again and how the basis of it was because of Calisto’s brainwashing. Shadow had reassured me he loved me, in spite of it all. But still, there were moments where I couldn’t help but wonder...
“Who was that on the phone?” I asked.
“Someone who can help,” he replied. “Let’s leave it at that for now.”
I could tell he wanted to keep this one close to his chest. Despite my curiosity of who this person was, I respected Shadow’s wishes.
Everyone was entitled to their secrets. I certainly had my own fair share of them.
“I better get going,” I said. “I need to go over my notes one last time and make sure I’m not missing anything.”
“You’ve got this, Aria,” Shadow said as he pressed his forehead against the glass.
“Any chance you’ll let me put down this barrier so you can give me a hug?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Believe me, I want to. But I just can’t risk it. Don’t worry. I’ll have my head sorted out soon enough. Once we have Lincoln back, we can concentrate on our endgame in taking Calisto down.”
I nodded.
“I love you,” I said.
“Ditto. Now go save Lincoln.”
Chapter Sixteen
Aria
I hated to think of my friends as chess pieces, but tonight, that’s what they were. They were each chess pieces that I wasn’t willing to sacrifice, which made planning tonight’s escape all the more difficult.
“Isadora and Cairo have reached location A,” Reiko said to me, as she readjusted the Bluetooth headpiece in her ear.
“Good,” I replied. I addressed the two out in the field. “Team A, how’s it looking?”
It was Cairo who responded first. “The entire place is heavily patrolled. Shit, just to get into the second zone, I’m thinking we need to take out at least four guards.”
I frowned. There were three zones in the airport. I assumed the other zones were heavier guarded.
“Stay there and don’t do anything. I’m going to try and get some direct eyes on you,” I said, turning to Reiko. “How are we looking with the satellite hack?”
She checked one of the monitors, which was flooded with scrolling numbers and symbols. “Another two minutes and we’re in. Let’s just hope we can pull this entire thing off before the pentagon realizes we hacked one of their satellites.”
“How much time do you think that’ll be?”
Reiko shook her head. “No idea. I’m hoping the subroutine I created will be able to simulate enough raw data for them for at least ten minutes before they notice something’s amiss.”
Ten minutes wasn’t a lot of time.
“Shit, things are looking worse,” Cairo grunted. “An entire army just touched down. It’s the Chinese.”
“Yuen Xi,” Reiko whispered. From the hard lines across her brow, I could tell she was worried.
“You two be careful out there,” Reiko said. “Please.” She was addressing Cairo specifically.
However, it was Isadora who responded. “We will.”
Not a peep from Cairo.
Reiko leaned back in her chair, took the Bluetooth headpiece out of her ear, and then turned to me. “Please tell me this plan you have will bring them all back home alive.”
For a moment, I was stuck for words. I certainly couldn’t give her that guarantee truthfully. I was sending four people into a warzone and my only experience in tactical strategy was limited to the video games I played.
I was damn good at them though.
Giving Reiko the truth wasn’t going to be very reassuring. I lied instead.
“They’ll all make it out of this alive,” I said, doing my best to imitate confidence.
It seemed to work. Reiko exhaled and turned her attention back to the console, shoving her headpiece back into her ear. “One minute left before we have access to a satellite view.”
It was time to check in on Team B.
“Beau, Braydon, how are you guys doing?” I asked.
There was static on their end at first, but eventually I heard Beau’s voice pop into my earpiece.
“I’m crotch-deep in an unsanitary collection of people’s shits. Aria, I hate your plan and I’m starting to hate you for sticking me in here.”
I had to admit, when I realized I’d have to send someone down into the sewers, Beau was the first name that popped in my head.
That hooligan deserved it for all his past offenses and all future ones which were bound to occur.
Before I could respond, Braydon spoke up. “Shut up. That’s life. You drew the short end of the straw and now you’re stuck here.”
“What straw? We didn’t draw any straws,” Beau stated. “I swear if I catch any kind of disease while I’m down here, I’ll be sure to spread it to the rest of you. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a vengeful and spiteful man.”
“Don’t forget a whiny bitch as well,” Braydon added.
“We gave the two of you full body thermal suits,” I said. “Shit shouldn’t come into contact with your skin, unless you decide to dunk your head in the sewage.”
“I’m talking about inhalation,” Beau said. “Fecal matter can go air born, you know. That’s why I don’t put my toothbrush anywhere near a toilet: fecal matter dispersion.”
What was he talking about?
“Look, one more word out of you and I’m pushing your head into the drink,” Braydon said. “Just let the woman do her job.”
Reiko turned to me. “Satellites are up.”
I locked into the location of the airport and surrounding area, providing me much needed eyes.
“What about any security cameras in the airbase,” I asked. “Can we get visuals inside?”
Reiko nodded. “Just finished. Check out screen one. Meanwhile I flooded their systems with recycled images. To them, everything will seem normal.”
A grid popped up onto my screen, each square displaying a section of the airbase. Now we were talking.
I found Cairo and Isadora, though they were difficult to spot at first. Their sleek black outfits camouflaged them with their dark surroundings.
“I see you both Cairo and Isadora. You guys are looking good,” I said.
“Forget us, what about them? What are we up against?” Cairo whispered.
Reiko had already begun mapping the video cameras onto the satellite image on the screen. I was in awe of how fast and efficient she worked.
“Cairo, you have six guards you’re looking at within your zone,” she said.
There was a moment of silence on their side. Finally, Cairo replied to her.
“Thanks, Reiko.”
A slight smile drew across her face. For weeks, Cairo had been ignoring her. I knew how grateful she felt to have the love of her life acknowledge her again. After all, I experienced this first hand. “Be careful,” she said.
“I will.”
Suddenly, something on one of the video displays caught my eye. Despite the grainy texture of the video, I could make out both Lincoln and Calisto. They were standing a few yards away from the runway, where a plane was waiting for them.
Thank God he was still alive, and from the
looks of it, still in one piece. I could only imagine what he had gone through over the past couple of weeks while in captivity.
“Guys, I have eyes on our package,” I said.
“Is that what we’re calling Lincoln now?” Beau asked. “The package?”
I ignored Beau. “We don’t have much time. From the looks of it, they’re about to load him onto the plane.”
“We’re almost in position,” Braydon said. “Cairo, Isadora, how fast can you get to zone two?”
“I don’t know. We’re going to have to figure a way around—or through—six armed men,” Cairo replied.
“Kill the lights,” Isadora instructed.
“You don’t even have your night vision on,” Cairo said.
I wasn’t down with Isadora’s suggestion either. “We’ll also lose complete visibility of you two,” I added.
“Kill the damn lights,” she repeated.
It was Braydon who responded. “You heard the woman. Command control, let’s comply with that request.”
Reiko took control of the grid screen, and one by one, she began shutting down elements of the grid.
In a matter of seconds, the entire zone was blacked out.
Over the headphones, I heard shuffling, followed by Cairo cursing.
“Crazy woman, get back here, I’m not ready yet.”
And then suddenly there was the sound of gurgling. It was followed by a scream that was quickly muffled, and then the gruesome sound of cartilage snapping.
“Cairo, what’s going on?” Reiko asked.
“Holy shit,” he replied. “Isadora has gone loco.”
I recalled how single handedly, she had taken out an entire hit squad back the night of the wedding massacre.
“Best stay out of her way then,” I said.
A few minutes later, the sounds of men dying finally stopped and Isadora spoke. “Zone one is clear,” she said which was quickly followed by, “Delilah said she’d take a look at zone two for us.”
“Who the fuck is Delilah?” Braydon asked.
“Her dead wife,” Beau replied.
“Okay then…”
Cairo was quick to defend her. “The woman’s a ninja. I don’t care if she’s chatting with her dead wife or Dom Delouise; as long as she’s possessed by the fists of Bruce Lee I’m fine with it all.”
Revenant: The Midnight Society Book Three Page 11
