by T. C. Edge
To that end, President Rashmore himself had spoken with him, keen to extent a hand of friendship, and forge a temporary alliance.
Watching history being made like this - and being part of it herself - gave Chloe a strange thrill. She had little to contribute, of course - mostly, she just poked her nose into other people’s plans, trying to help where she could, but finding herself surplus to requirements - but still…she was here! She was a part of something huge. A coming together of nations to stop a terrible threat. Now that was exciting.
Then again, her current elation was about more than that…
Ragan came forward now, the source of that tingling buzz that swarmed her insides, long strides advancing him at a pace. He reached the falcon, eyes fixed with purpose, the synthetic marching along by his side.
“So,” Chloe said eagerly, smiling at Ragan as he reached her, “what happened?”
“Inside, Chloe,” he said. “I need to update everyone.”
Chloe sank away as he climbed aboard, placing a hand to the small of her back. He led her onwards with a soft touch, pressing her over towards where Tanner, Nadia, and Jason were poring over the schematics, considering what explosives they’d need, and where they’d have to be set to ensure the destruction of the facility.
Everyone looked to him and Cal as they came, eager and expectant. This, right here, was where they’d determine whether or not the synthetic could truly be trusted.
Ragan moved to the briefing table, the others gathering round. He surveyed them, nodding, reading the questions in their eyes.
“What Cal told us was the truth,” he said, glancing across at the young man, who lifted a proud smile. “His communicator did link directly with Martha’s, and I just spoke with her to confirm her involvement. Yes, she is indeed intent on destroying the facility, and has already fed me useful intel.”
A murmur spread around the group, an energy swelling despite the lateness - or earliness - of the hour.
“What intel, specifically?” asked Colonel Slattery, leaning forward, casting away what must have been a growing feeling of fatigue. The poor man had collapsed from exhaustion only days ago, suffering a heart attack in the bargain. He’d need to rest soon or else endure another.
“For a start,” Ragan said, “she was able to confirm that the location Dax discovered was right. So, we know exactly where we’re going. Next, she updated me on the facility’s external defences. They’re not as bad as we thought, and shouldn’t be a hindrance. Finally, she was able to provide information on numbers of soldiers there, both nano-augmented, and synthetic.”
“And?” asked Rashmore, cocking an eye at Cal. “Are his…former colleagues back there now?”
“No, Mr President,” Ragan said. “According to Martha, the plan is for the three strike teams - the two from New York, and the one from LA - to continue their assault at other sites early this coming morning. A military base near New York is one such target, apparently. Another is the WSA’s primary intelligence agency in LA. There’s a third, but she isn’t sure exactly where that one is. The point is they will be busy tomorrow. I suggest we strike then.”
“Sooner the better,” said Tanner, grinning.
Chloe noticed Cal grin too - although it was more of a sneer - watching the scars deepen on Tanner’s face. He seemed so pleasant mostly, but there was an undercurrent of something decidedly unpleasant flowing within him.
“So, do we warn them?” asked Nadia. “The military base, and the agency? They should know what’s coming.”
No one answered immediately. The thinking, to Chloe’s mind, was clear enough - warning them might just cause a leak, which might be picked up by the MSA. That would suggest the possible presence of a mole at the Lake Michigan facility, which would in turn initiate a lockdown there, and maybe even a transfer of her father’s research elsewhere, to another location, if that were even possible now.
“It’s…too risky,” Slattery eventually said, brave enough to give voice to what they were all thinking. “We’ve already risked a possible leak by contacting the various forces in Cincinnati. Anything more than that needs to be avoided.”
“So, we just let them face it?” Nadia asked solemnly. She looked at President Rashmore. “These are your men, sir,” she went on.
“I’m aware, Nadia,” Rashmore said, voice low. “But…the Colonel is right. From what I saw this evening, I’m not sure giving warning would help them, anyway.”
He drew a breath, some of the energy stolen from the room, and then turned to Ragan.
“Agent Hunt, you say the defences are lighter at the facility?” he asked. “Might an airstrike be possible, then?”
“No,” Ragan said immediately. He planted his hands to the table, pressing down firmly.
“And why not?” asked the President, clearly unused to such swift rebuffs. And from Ragan…that was pushing it, Chloe knew.
Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t make him retract that pardon…
“Ah yes,” Rashmore went on, as if he’d forgotten. “The families…”
“Yes, sir,” Ragan said. He’d told the group earlier about the presence of families, children, in the facility. “There are many innocent people there who are no more than prisoners under guard. Martha confirmed this to me. The scientists were often forced to work there against their will, some bringing their spouses and children with them…”
“A clever ploy,” mused Rashmore, nodding. “It certainly makes the idea of a remote attack more difficult…morally speaking.”
“Impossible, if you ask me,” said Nadia, siding with Ragan. “Those people don’t deserve to die.”
“No…” said Rashmore softy, turning his eyes away.
Chloe could see the conflict in him. And, well, she was starting to understand it too.
This man ran a nation. He had a responsibility that none of the others could possibly fathom, not even Colonel Slattery. And, as he’d explained to Chloe earlier, such positions of power came with difficult decisions, the two inextricably linked. The loss of a few dozen, a few hundred, innocents might be an acceptable cost.
Jeez, am I starting to agree with Rashmore? Chloe thought.
She didn’t like the idea particularly - in fact, she felt rather ashamed by it, especially listening to Nadia speak out - but it came nonetheless.
Just keep your mouth shut on this one, Chloe. No one needs to hear your thoughts.
“In any case,” Slattery chimed in, “an aerial assault will be difficult regardless as to the facility’s personal defences.” He looked to Jason, who added his own voice.
“Yes, as we discussed earlier,” the intelligence officer said. “A well coordinated infiltration will be our best bet.”
“And without the synthetics there,” said Tanner, flicking a hand towards Cal, “it shouldn’t be too difficult.” He turned to Ragan. “Did Martha mention others?”
“There are others,” Ragan nodded, “but they’re mostly those who aren’t taking to the transference so easily. As…Cal describes, it takes more time for some soldiers to adapt than others.”
“They’re also kept in the depths of the facility,” Cal added, smiling. He was handsome, there was no denying that. Just…odd, as well. “The soldiers’ accommodation, and training areas, are down in the lower levels. It will take them some time to reach the top. And those soldiers…well, they’re not like me. They won’t be as formidable as the ones in New York and LA.”
“Yes, and the families and children of the staff members are at the top,” said Ragan. “Which simplifies things a little. We enter, secure the area, evacuate the innocents, and set the charges. If we place them in the right areas on the first couple of upper levels, the entire facility should be flooded and destroyed by chain reaction.”
“And…that just leaves one problem,” said Tanner, glancing around the room, then leaning in. “How, exactly, do we get in? We need that entrance floor above the surface. Can Martha see to that?”
Ragan hesit
ated in his answer.
“She’ll have to,” he said eventually. “She has her bodyguards there with her - Kurt and Rick, who many of you know personally. She thinks she can convince them to help. If so, she’ll be able to get into the control room and extend the upper floor for us. All she asks is that we get her daughter, Sarah, and herself out before any of our own soldiers board.”
“Fair trade,” smiled Cal. “It was…her plan all along.”
Chloe wasn’t so sure. It all just seemed so…convoluted. OK, she could almost understand Martha going through everything to get the data, in order to save her daughter. But, to now turn against her nation? To risk her daughter’s life, and her own, in this daring attack?
It didn’t seem to add up.
“So, seems like we’ve got a plan then?” said Tanner, turning his remaining good eye around the group. “I guess we leave for Cincinnati as soon as possible? We’ll have to brief the Panthers and Spectres in person, make sure they’re willing to play along.”
“I agree,” said Colonel Slattery. “We should arrange a neutral place to meet, perhaps north of the city, and set up a temporary basecamp there. General Linklater will want to involve himself in this.” He seemed to shudder slightly at the idea of facing his old superior.
“And I’ll run the Panthers,” said Captain Maddox, “alongside Major Mitcham.”
Major Mitcham was, Chloe had found out, the commander of the Panthers in Cincinnati, and their point of contact for this mission. Really, the Panthers wouldn’t be a problem, what with Maddox being with them, and the fact that their actual President, Hogan Rashmore, was now fully on board.
The Spectres? Well, they might be another matter. But Colonel Slattery seemed convinced that they’d cooperate, and Tanner said the same. He might, in fact, have a few ex-colleagues among them too…
“Excellent,” Slattery said. “Cliff, how long will the flight be?”
“From here? I’d guess under two hours,” said Tanner.
Slattery groaned audibly. He was clearly intending on sleeping during the flight, and had hoped it would be a little longer.
The group completed their discussion at that, Tanner speeding off to the cockpit to start up the falcon, Jason moving off to do the same in the sparrow. Slattery went with his intelligence officer, probably thinking the sparrow would be the slower jet, and the President followed at Ragan’s suggestion.
“It’ll be a nicer ride, sir,” he said, leaning in conspiratorially. “Cliff isn’t the best flyer.”
Chloe noticed Rashmore smiling at that. A genuine smile, it seemed. Then he moved off, and headed for the other jet, drawing Captain Maddox - who refused to leave Rashmore’s side with that synthetic around - along for company.
Unfortunately, Cal remained on the falcon, a presence that made Chloe uneasy. With Nadia joining Tanner up front, she found herself with only Ragan as a buffer between the two of them. Yes, he was a wonderful buffer, but still…
Before the jet took flight, however, Ragan nodded for Chloe to join her by the door. With Cal busying himself at the briefing table - something that seemed to fascinate him - Ragan led her out of the jet and into the quiet night. He drew her off into the gloom, waving to Tanner through the window of the cockpit to make sure he didn’t leave.
“Um…where are we going, exactly?” Chloe asked.
Ragan lifted a finger to his lips, instructing her to stay quiet, and then continued to lead her another hundred feet or so across the grass.
Finally, he turned to her, glancing back to the falcon, eyes narrow. He leaned in, and Chloe thought he was about to kiss her. Her heart beat with a sudden rush, and she shut her eyes, puckering her lips, waiting for the glorious connection.
It didn’t come. She opened her eyes and found his stubbly cheek right in front of her, his lips having veered off to her ear.
Then she heard a whisper.
No kiss, then…
“We have to speak very quietly,” he said.
She drew back, frowning. She could barely hear him as it was. What was the problem?
He leaned in again.
“I’m taking no chances,” he whispered. “Cal’s hearing is…well, I don’t know exactly how proficient it is, but it’s good enough to hear a whisper across a room.”
“Right…” Chloe said, her own voice barely making a dent in the silence. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing too much to worry about,” Ragan said. “I just want to consider contingencies.”
“Contingencies?”
“Yes, in case he gets violent, or…” he stopped, pulled back, and looked to the falcon again. Chloe followed his eyes, but saw no shape in the doorway, lit bright by the interior lighting.
He leaned back in.
“I just need you to scan him with Remus. See exactly what’s on the inside. Look for weaknesses. But, do it in secret it.”
“In case we need to kill him,” Chloe said, feeling she could get behind the idea. “OK, no problem. Remus can be discreet.”
“But if you find anything, you can’t tell me on the falcon, not with him near. Got it? Don’t update me until Cincinnati.”
“Of course.”
“Good. But…it’s just a contingency,” Ragan stressed. “Hopefully it won’t come to that.”
“Yeah, sure. Um, is he going to be attacking the facility with us?”
“I…don’t know yet. He’ll want to.”
“Then let him,” Chloe muttered. “He seems to think he’s better than all the others. Let’s just set him loose in there.”
“Hmmmm, maybe. I guess it’s his decision either way. It’ll be hard to stop him if he wants in.”
“And, he has kinda come through for us,” Chloe admitted begrudgingly. “I don’t know what harm could come of it.”
“Probably none but…” He stopped again, leaning back, brows furrowing. “Did you say, attacking the facility with ‘us’ just now?”
Chloe fixed him with a flat stare.
“Yes,” she said dryly. She could sense what was coming.
“No,” Ragan said, shaking his head, voice no longer a whisper. “No way. You’re not coming too.”
“To hell I’m not!” Chloe responded. “You think I’m going to just sit back and let you go without me. I’ll bet you won’t say this to Nadia.”
“Nadia’s a trained special forces soldier,” Ragan exclaimed.
“And what am I?”
“Well…you’re not.”
“I managed to outfox you lot for three years, Ragan. I can handle myself.”
“That’s different and you know it!”
She huffed, not knowing exactly why she felt so…insulted by this. He was right, wasn’t he? She’d been on the run, sure, but that wasn’t the same as operating with a team of nano-augmented soldiers on an infiltration mission.
But then…she had done some of that already.
“What about Martha’s mansion,” Chloe said. “And…and Cincinnati. I helped there, didn’t I?”
“Well, yeah, with reconnaissance and surveillance. But this isn’t the same as that. Remus won’t be needed and…” He cut off, as if realising he’d said something that might strike a nerve. “I…”
Chloe nodded pointedly, looking to one side.
“Yep, I’m nothing without Remus,” she said, probably being quite puerile about it. It was true, after all. Without Remus, she’d have died or been captured a hundred times over. But still, it hurt.
A short silence swelled out there in the darkness, only broken as the two nearby jets began to hum, engines warming. Chloe felt Ragan come forward, hands taking her arms. The touch forced her eyes up to his, dark and brooding in this light, offset by the thickening growth on his cheeks and chin.
“Chloe, you know how much I care about you. I just want you to be safe.”
She dropped her eyes again, though felt a warm flood inside her at his words. Was that partly why she was arguing? Just to get him to admit his feelings? She wasn’t th
at crafty, was she?
“I guess,” she whispered, eyes down.
“No…you should know,” he said. “I…I…” She looked up, blue eyes suddenly bright in the moonlight, and gave him strength. “I…love you,” he finished.
She smiled, the warmth inside blazing brighter, and reached out to grab his fuzzy cheeks.
“I love you,” he repeated, breathing out, as if he’d been holding it in for so long. As if saying the words out loud to her gave him such relief, dismissing so much pent up emotion.
She smirked wide, eyes flashing, curling with joy
“Same,” she said. “I love you too.”
At those words, a brilliant white smile blossomed on his face, parting the thick black bristles that had accumulated around his lips, glowing bright like a sudden light in the dark sky.
He leaned in, and did kiss her this time. A glorious, perfect kiss. She felt his hands, fingers, rush into her hair, body pulled tight towards his. His heart thrashed inside, thrumming against her own, their two pulses quickening together as if engaged in a sudden race.
And in that wonderful moment, the argument fled away. The idea of attacking the facility, of joining the other soldiers, sounded stupid in her head. No, she wasn’t a soldier. She wasn’t a trained Panther or Spectre. She wouldn’t fit in on a mission like that at all.
She opened her eyes and drew back.
“You’re right,” she said. “About the mission. I’d only be a burden.”
“No,” he said firmly, taking her shoulders. “You’d never be a burden, Chloe. But…I’d be happier knowing you’re safe away from it all. Honestly, I’m not even sure Tanner will go on this one, with his eye as it is. Maybe even Nadia too. We’ve done enough, all of us. We don’t need to do any more.”
“And you?” asked Chloe. “Why can’t you stay behind as well? We have enough men, don’t we? Please, Ragan…stay.” Her voice trembled a pleading tone, though she knew it wasn’t fair. She couldn’t ask this of him. She had no right to use this emotional blackmail, to force him to pass on this responsibility.
