by Darien Cox
“Okay.” Brett raised his hands. “You made your point.”
Brett groaned in pain as Nolan dragged him by his hair toward the windows. “JT. Open the skylights.”
Nolan glanced over at his friends, momentarily stunned to see the state of them. JT’s chin was swelling, his blond hair crazy and disheveled. Christian’s mouth was bleeding, though he wiped it away defiantly and spat on the floor. Elliot limped over from the corner. “You okay?” Nolan asked.
Elliot glared at Brett. “Fine. Just bashed my knee on the wall.”
JT shook himself and stumbled to the wall. He hit a button and the giant skylights that ran from the sloped ceiling retracted. A gust of cold night air blew in on them.
“This is so unnecessary,” Brett said as Nolan shuffled him closer. “Who are you people? What do you want with me?”
“Still?” Elliot said, limping over. “You better start talking, Skipper, or my buddy here’s gonna toss you out that window.” Elliot rounded Brett and got in his face. “I know you’re probably used to heights, being an astronaut and all.” He leaned in and whispered, “But you’re on planet earth now. The gravity’s a bitch.”
“Astronaut?” Brett’s breath hitched as Nolan tugged his hair. “What are you talking about? I’m not an astronaut. I’m a teacher. Whoever you’re looking for it’s not me. You’ve got the wrong guy! Please. Let me go.”
“I’ve barely slept for two days and personally I’ve had enough of this asshole,” JT said. He sidled up to the other side of Brett. “Nolan, you agree?” JT nodded toward the window.
“I agree wholeheartedly.” Still gripping Brett’s hair, Nolan tossed the gun to Christian. JT grabbed Kuna’s arm, and in one swift movement, he and Nolan tipped him out the open skylight. Brett screamed as he fell, back slamming against the side of the building. Nolan held onto one leg while JT wrapped his arms around the other. They let him dangle upside down, a biting breeze slapping their faces, the street below very far away.
“Let me up!” he bellowed. “I don’t know anything! You’ve got the wrong guy. Jesus, let me up!”
“This guy is fucking relentless,” Christian mumbled through his battered lip.
“I didn’t dooo anything!” Brett shouted as he twisted in the wind.
“He’s not gonna talk,” Elliot muttered.
“He will,” Nolan said, muscles straining as he held on tight. “Or he can stay out there and freeze to death.”
“You better change your tune quick!” JT shouted down. “You’re getting real heavy, friend.”
“I have nothing to say! I don’t know what—”
A violent mountain wind gusted through without warning, sending Brett’s body flailing outward. “Fuck!” Nolan shouted as Brett’s leg slipped through his hand. Nolan’s gut slammed against the ledge as he adjusted his grip and got hold of Brett’s calf. JT, holding tight to his other leg, turned to Nolan with wide eyes.
Oops.
The slip had been an accident, but it was enough to send Brett into hysterics. “Okay!” he shouted hoarsely. “I work for Ogden! Pull me the fuck up. I work for Ogden, you crazy fucks! Pull me up now or I promise you’ll regret it!”
“Help me,” Nolan shouted, and Elliot and Christian were there, aiding them in dragging Brett’s body back through the skylight.
Once they maneuvered him back inside, they let him drop to the floor. Brett lay on his back, panting, water streaming from his eyes and nose.
JT hit the button and closed the skylight.
“What…” Elliot stared down at Brett. “What did you just say?”
Brett wiped his eyes and looked up at Elliot. A smile crept over his face. “I work for Ogden.” He pointed a finger up at Elliot. “And you assholes have a lot to answer for.”
Chapter Ten
Everyone took a big step back, away from the man lying on the floor, his dreadlocks askew from the wind, cheeks bright pink. He sat up and wiped his nose, then winced and looked at his shoulder. “God damn it.” Brett stood with effort, wobbling, then took his jacket off, examining it. “Great. It’s ripped. Do you know how much this suit cost?”
“Cut the crap,” Elliot said. “What do you mean you work for Ogden?”
Brett looked up at the four faces glaring at him. He smiled and flung his jacket to the floor, leaving him in black slacks and a white silk shirt. He threw his arms up. “Woo!” He jumped up and down, punching the air. “Woo hoo! What a ride. That was fucking intense!” He pointed at Nolan. “Am I right? Seriously, that is not how I thought this thing was gonna end. You idiots almost killed me!”
“We still can,” Elliot said, losing patience. “Start talking. How do you know Ogden?”
“He doesn’t,” Nolan said. “He’s bluffing. He probably just knows his name and is using it to his advantage.”
“Okay.” Brett raised his hands. “Guess we should start with introductions. I already know all about you idiots.” He placed a hand on his chest. “My name is Brett Mallory.” He did a little bow. “And I used to work at Kennedy Space Center.”
“We figured that out on our own,” Christian said.
“And it fucking took you long enough!” Brett shouted. “You’ve grown lazy. Complacent. Distracted. And just plain stupid.”
JT started toward him, but Elliot grasped his arm. “If you want us to believe you work for Ogden, we’re gonna need proof.”
Brett waggled his fingers. “Bring me my phone.”
“No way,” Elliot said. “So you can activate your failsafe?”
Brett walked toward Elliot, hands on his hips. “Oh, Elliot. So cautious. Just not when it counts. Why didn’t you contact Ogden when I broke into your house and did my beautiful artwork all over the big guy’s truck?”
Elliot swallowed hard. “The team has discretion to act on its own if there’s a problem.”
“Protocol states Ogden should be informed of any serious breach immediately. You dragged your feet. You were sloppy and negligent and didn’t do your job. Tell me why.”
“I’m not saying another word,” Elliot hissed, “until I have confirmation on who the hell you are.”
Brett twirled his finger. “Go ahead. Text the man. Just ask him if Brett Mallory is for real. Let’s get this over with.”
Elliot and Christian locked eyes. “Do it,” Elliot said.
Christian wiped his lips and scowled, pulling his phone out. “Okay. Sent.”
Brett leaned against one of the loft support beams, looking smug. “It’s all right. I’ll wait.”
Nolan placed a hand on Elliot’s shoulder. “You sure you’re all right?”
“Fine. Looks like Christian’s gonna need stitches though.” They both glared at Brett.
Brett shrugged. “Hey. You cornered me. I fought back. Not my fault you got your asses kicked. But hey, Christian Boucher! Nice moves, babe. Shouldn’t have let your guard down once you had me pinned, though.”
Nolan pointed at him. “You stop talking until—”
All four of their phones buzzed simultaneously. They dug them out.
Elliot stared at the text from Ogden. ‘Brett Mallory works for me. Listen to what he has to say. Do as he asks. I’ll be in touch soon about the next meeting. Don’t contact me until then. I’m very busy.’
“Shun of a bitch,” Christian said. He glared at Brett. “You set us up? You and Ogden?”
Brett lifted his arms and shrugged. “I tried. But you lot are so incompetent it turned into a paint by numbers game.”
“Who the hell are you?” Elliot demanded.
“Me?” Brett moved toward him. “I’m your new boss.”
Nolan huffed. “The fuck you are!”
Brett turned and strode toward Nolan. “Nolan. The handsome whiz kid Ogden pulled off the battlefield.” He looked Nolan up in down in a way Elliot didn’t like. “Not such a kid anymore, are you? Hmm.”
“What the hell was this?” Elliot said. “Some kind of test?”
“And one you failed miserab
ly,” Brett said. “You especially.” He pointed at Elliot. “Was it not obvious I knew something when I sent you that message online? I was told you were good at this job. Yet you failed to act on an obvious threat of disclosure.”
“That’s why we went by the school,” Elliot said. “Ogden had ordered us to go up on the mountain, we had no time—”
“You knew the message came from the science lab!” Brett shouted, making them all jump. “You suspected I was the culprit from the start. But you just walked out of my classroom. Didn’t tap my phone. Kept no surveillance. You didn’t even go to my house until someone finally got his shit together and planted a camera on my front window. Who did that by the way?”
“I did,” Christian said.
He glanced at Christian. “Nicely done. I didn’t even find the thing until this afternoon. I’ll give you a few points for that, even if it was a delayed response.”
“Delayed?” JT said. “He did that right after you broke into Elliot’s house. We—”
“Too late!” Brett shouted. “Too late, too late, too fucking late. You get a few points, JT, for finally deciding to follow me around in the car. But all too slow going. If I’d actually planned to leak info you dumbasses sure gave me a lot of time to do it before you finally decided to take me down. The bachelor auction ruse was a little weak, but at that point I was so tired of waiting for you to pull your heads out of your asses I just wanted it over.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Nolan asked. “And what do you mean you’re our new boss? Ogden is our boss.”
“Yes, he is.” Brett smiled at Nolan. “Think of me as an overseer. You see, Ogden has concerns. That you’ve all gone soft. Too wrapped up in your personal lives.” He glanced at Elliot. “Too loyal to each other. Not focused enough on the job.”
“That’s bullshit,” Christian said. “Look at our files. What we’ve achieved—”
“I know what you’ve achieved.” Brett whirled around. “A few wins doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. You’d been made aware of a possible disclosure threat, and what did you all do? You went to spooky world and drank beer and had a good old time. With nothing yet resolved.” He turned his stony gaze on Elliot. “Partying. While I was breaking into your house. Where you keep all your little secrets. Some disinformation agent you are, Nicholson. If it were my choice I’d have you replaced.” He pointed in Elliot’s face. “You have obviously lost control of your directive.”
Elliot hated to even think it, but the guy had a point. Elliot should have moved faster. Been more decisive. He should have done the job he was paid to do—keep outside forces from discovering the truth, at all costs. Extinguishing potential threats with precision and haste.
But he’d hesitated, putting everyone in potential danger, because he couldn’t stomach the idea of something happening to the team. He couldn’t handle the idea of Ogden even separating them. Couldn’t handle the thought of being ripped away from Nolan, because he was confused and invigorated and focused on his own feelings.
He took a deep breath and he sighed through his nose. “Okay,” Elliot said. “So what’s the deal? You just blew into town to fuck with us? Ogden planning to fire us all? What?”
“Ogden’s not gonna fire you.” Brett rolled his eyes. “Apparently you’re all too valuable, though we tend to disagree on that point. But you brought him alien DNA, so Daddy’s in a good mood this week. As for me? Afraid you’re stuck with me, boys. And I’m gonna be on you like mud on a pig snout. So get your shit together.”
JT’s nose wrinkled. “You’re staying in the village?”
“Of course.” He smiled and patted his chest. “I’m a teacher, JT. Think of the children, won’t you?”
“What’s your deal?” Elliot asked. “How’d you end up working for Ogden?”
“That is none of your business.” Brett strode toward the exit. “Gonna be big changes around here, boys!” he called back. “Oh, and JT?” Brett stopped and turned around.
JT glared at him. “What?”
“I’ll be attending your Halloween soiree tomorrow night, and I don’t plan on paying for my drinks. So see to that, will you?”
They all glared at him, silent.
“Don’t look so glum!” Brett smiled widely. “Change is good! You’ll see.”
He spun on his heel and disappeared through the door.
“Let me see it,” JT said, moving to Christian and examining his lip. “You need stitches.”
Christian nodded, wincing. “Guess I won’t be giving good head for a while.”
“I can’t believe Ogden is doing this to us,” Nolan said. “First he leaves Tyler and the other baby soldiers in the village, now this asshole? Have we not done enough for him? Making contact with the Whites? Finding their base? All the intel we’ve given him over the years?”
“Guess he thinks we need a babysitter,” Christian said.
“Well, it’s bullshit,” Nolan said. “Too loyal to each other. What a load of crap. We work well together, that’s how we get results.”
“The guy had a point,” Elliot said.
They all turned to him. “What?” Nolan shook his head. “What are you talking about?”
“Isn’t it obvious? We delayed acting because I was afraid to make the wrong move, so I hesitated. Because I wanted to protect the team first and foremost.”
“You did nothing wrong, Elliot,” JT said.
“Yes, I did! I put personal feelings before everything. As Ogden is so quick to point out all the time, we’re not here on holiday. Maybe we have gotten too wrapped up in our own shit.”
“We’re allowed to have a personal life,” Nolan said, his eyes hard on Elliot. “Just because we care about each other doesn’t mean we’re not fit to do our jobs.”
“Maybe it does, Nolan. Maybe that’s exactly what it means. Brett’s right. We’ve grown complacent. Content. Too wrapped up in our personal lives.”
“So what then?” Nolan moved toward Elliot. “You think you can’t do your job if you have a personal life?”
“Oh come on,” Christian mumbled. “We all have personal lives, we all do our jobs just fine.”
“Not fine enough if Ogden felt he had to send that asshole in,” Elliot said.
“Give me a break, Elliot,” JT said. “What changes could we make that would possibly make a difference to our work? Shit, you barely have a personal life as it is. Maybe it’s easier for you to just say fuck it. I have a boyfriend. So does Christian. You’re saying we should give that up because it hinders our job performance?”
“No!” Elliot glanced at Nolan. “I just don’t know…maybe it’s me. I’m the one who fucked up. I forced you guys to handle things my way. You all trusted me. But I made the wrong decisions. Maybe I’m not cut out for this anymore.”
“Don’t do that.” Nolan’s scowl deepened. “You feel like you made a mistake, not acting fast enough on the disclosure threat. Big deal. We’ve made hundreds of mistakes over the years. But we do more good than harm.”
“It was a big fucking mistake, Nolan. I thought I was protecting us, but I was putting everyone at risk. Because I was selfish, and didn’t follow protocol. As much as I hate that cocky asshole who just walked out of here, this is a wakeup call.”
Nolan’s eyes narrowed. “Meaning what exactly?”
“Yeah,” Christian said. “Meaning what?”
Elliot took a deep breath. The truth was, he was rattled. Blindsided. His mind a shattered mess. And he wasn’t sure if he was speaking of Nolan, or of the job, or both when he said, “I’m not sure I’m the right person for this. Not anymore.”
“Oh bullshit, Elliot,” Christian said. “Ogden still deems you valuable, how is that not enough for you?”
JT strode forward and got in Elliot’s face. “This again, Elliot? You’re gonna leave? A little heat from Ogden and you’re just gonna quit?”
“I don’t know. I need to think. I need to get out of here.”
He started fo
r the exit when JT stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Wait! You can’t say that and just walk out. We’ve got the Halloween party tomorrow night. You said you’d emcee, judge the costume contest and all that. Don’t check out on me, Elliot.”
Elliot chuckled and shook his head. “Do you even hear yourself? This is just what Mallory was talking about! I’m worried if I can still do my job effectively and you’re worried about a fucking party.”
Elliot told himself to stop, just stop talking. He was lashing out because he was angry, angry Ogden had ambushed them, angry that he felt like he’d failed. Combined with the stress of things changing with Nolan, he was a naked nerve, and needed to cool off.
But he’d already said too much, he could see the hurt and anger in JT’s eyes. “Fine,” JT said through clenched teeth. “You think you can’t toe the company line and still have friends? Leave then. Get the fuck out of here.”
“JT!” Christian said. “Elliot, you’re reacting to the adrenaline of what just happened. We all are. You’re not thinking straight. Just go get some rest.”
“Seriously.” JT’s face was red and flushed. “Go.”
“I’m going.”
Elliot stormed out, trotting double time down the stairs. He sprinted through the second floor pub and down the stairs again, pushing through patrons on the main floor.
He’d made it out the door and into the parking lot when Nolan grabbed his arm from behind. “Elliot, slow the fuck down.”
Elliot closed his eyes and sighed. “Not. Now. Nolan.”
Nolan spun him about. “What the hell was all that? You’re talking about quitting again? Now? With everything happening? With us?”
“I’m not sure I’m the best person for this job anymore.”
“Why? Why now?” Nolan’s jaw was tight, neck muscles pulsing. Elliot had seen this anger from his friend before, just never leveled at him.
“Nolan, calm down. I just need time to think.”
“Because you made a mistake? Or because of all that shit you said about having personal lives?”
“Both.”
Nolan let go of him and stepped back. He nodded. “I see. I get it. Just say it. You think you dropped the ball because of me.”
