by Dwayne Gill
“It’s unfortunate it has to be this way, but I’m afraid Cane’s right,” said Plumber. Hart was still in shock but didn’t look as angry, and Daniel figured as much. Hart was a smart guy and would see the necessity of Cane’s actions, although admittedly, the brutality of the murder was something he had every right to be offended by.
“We’ll make sure everyone’s checked for markings,” said Mathis. “I’ve had to learn that lesson the hard way myself. One of my sergeants had the marking.”
Daniel was slightly worried about Cane, for although his relentlessness was no secret to those who knew him, something seemed to grip him, and it reminded Daniel of his own darkness. Perhaps being so close to losing Kristy again, or maybe Lynks’s injuries, had triggered something, for the assassin looked untamed and very dangerous.
“Can we get him out of here?” asked Barkley, who’d risen to her feet and joined Hart. “In fact, can we all take a break?”
“Let’s do that,” said William. “Cane, I need to talk to you and Daniel.”
Everyone except Daniel, Cane, William, Mathis, Plumber, and Layla exited, and surprisingly, Kristy came in to join them. She looked curiously at the dead FBI agent being carried away, while Plumber lay towels on top of the pool of blood on the floor. Kristy stood beside Cane and hugged his arm but didn’t ask any questions.
When the room thinned out, William looked over at everyone. “Do you trust me?” he asked.
Cane was the only one who didn’t nod. “Until I know what I’ve been left in the dark about, I don’t fully trust anyone,” he said. “I trusted Marcene enough to let her lead me to this point, but I know there’s a lot I don’t know. It’s time everyone comes clean.”
William grinned and nodded. “You’re right. I promise you there’ll be nothing left to the imagination. If I do that, will you trust me?”
Cane nodded. “I already do, but everyone here is on a different footing. All I care about is keeping my people safe and killing Vinson.”
“From this moment on, we work as a team,” said William. “The past weeks have shown what happens when Vinson and his men have us spread in different directions.” He spoke directly to Cane. “You’re right. You were born a certain way, made into the man you are, and we need you that way. I don’t want to stop you from being the monster; I want you to become a better one.”
Cane gave him a curious look. “We’re all genetically altered. Was it by Marcene?”
William frowned. “It was. And while you have your own skills, so does Daniel, and so do I.”
William glanced at Daniel and grinned. “It’s time we stop backpedaling and move forward. And I want to lead you. It’s what I was born for.”
Daniel at once understood William’s ability, although it should have been clear during his earlier pep talks. “I promise you we can defeat Vinson, but we’ll have to do it together,” said William.
Cane didn’t react to the request, and Daniel wondered how following would sit with him. Cane had always been a lone wolf, although Daniel was sure William wasn’t trying to alter that part of him.
“We’ve gotta know what their plan is,” said Cane. “Right now, we’re just fumbling around in the dark.”
“I agree,” said William. “You haven’t investigated the bigger plot because you’ve been busy rescuing everyone and uniting us. Now we’re together, though, and distraction-free.”
“And I have leads,” said Mathis. “I’ve had a guy in Baku pumping that weasel Malakhov for information.”
Cane seemed to perk up. “What have you found out?”
“Well, he doesn’t seem to know anything about the bigger picture,” said Mathis. “I figure that’s not a huge surprise, from what Bowman tells me. Vinson and his lieutenants keep things tight-lipped. We know the Russians are playing a big role, but their relationship has been strained lately. Vinson recently met with a man named Vladimir Voronoff, a Russian officer, at a nightclub in Miami.”
Cane frowned. “I know exactly which one.”
Mathis nodded. “Apparently, Voronoff isn’t in any hurry to leave Miami. I think he’s enjoying the vacation. This guy won’t know any big details about the terrorist plot, so you probably won’t get what you’re hoping for. They sent him in as a sort of marketing rep, so to speak, to determine if the Russians wanted to involve themselves in Vinson’s plot.”
“It sure would be a shame if something happened to him,” said Daniel.
“A crying shame,” said William. “Our express goal is to uncover what Vinson’s big plan is, but we’d be fools if we didn’t already know what it involves.”
Daniel looked around the room and felt like everyone knew what William was referring to except him, so he listened closely.
“Their connection to BioFare is unquestioned,” said William. “In fact, they had two Metal Storms back in Maryland, which shows just how much access they have to the military’s most powerful weapons. Since BioFare is producing the vast majority of Eguns for the military, what would be the one game-changer Vinson could pull off?”
“EMPs,” said Cane, who looked more relaxed and normal again.
William nodded. “For years it’s been a race of sorts to keep hardening technology ahead of the EMPs’ capability. When they captured me in May, an EMP blast disabled my E-SCAR instantly. I had wondered how that could be possible back then, but it becomes clear now.”
“We’ve seen the same phenomenon,” said Cane. “Vinson is making sure the military’s weapons aren’t hardened against his EMPs.”
“And it’s too late to do anything about it,” said Mathis. “Even if we could convince the powers that be that this was happening, it’s not as if they’d recall every firearm to make the improvements. It would take too much time and money, not even mentioning the impracticality of disarming the military for any length of time.”
“So, we really think their plan is to deploy a ton of EMPs?” asked Daniel. “Sounds like a flimsy plan.”
“I think they’re thinking something bigger,” said William. “And maybe that’s where the Russians come in the picture.”
Daniel knew what he was suggesting, which was a frightening scenario. “An actual nuclear attack?”
“Nukes detonated high in the atmosphere,” said William. “The fallout would render all electronics useless.”
“Which would send us back to the stone ages,” said Plumber. “The military would be unarmed, most cars wouldn’t operate, and we wouldn’t be able to communicate. It would be chaos.”
“That’s why they’ve been smuggling traditional guns into the country,” said Cane. “Vinson doesn’t plan on his own men being unarmed.”
“And that’s why he’s spread these turned men all over the country,” said Daniel. The plot seemed so obvious that he was ashamed he hadn’t thought of it before now.
“We must work in multiple phases,” said William. “We must attempt to expose their plot to the right people. Our best hope rests on official action being taken to stop this from happening. But we won’t sit around until that occurs. We move on these bastards, and we do it now. We’ll uncover elements of Vinson’s plans and sabotage them.”
“Starting with the Russian in Miami,” said Daniel.
William smiled. “Vinson tried to make a splash. Let’s send a wave back at him.”
Daniel saw Cane nod, relieved to see his friend falling in line and approving. Why wouldn’t he? If it involved the words splash and wave, he was all in.
“Which brings us to Mick,” said William. “We need to discuss what to do with him.”
“Leaving him in the panic room isn’t an option,” said Daniel, thinking more about how his traumatized friends would feel.
“He’s a lieutenant,” said Cane. “His only use for us involves him not breathing.”
“I’m not so sure,” said William. “His arrest could be Plumber and the FBI’s ticket back to Washington. If there’s any way for that to happen, that would be the catalyst.”
“Will you try to stop me from killing him?” asked Cane.
Daniel suddenly felt the tension in the air rise a notch, and now he wondered how William would react. Daniel smiled, for he was okay with Mick being alive or dead. He saw value in both positions.
“I won’t,” said William. “In fact, we may discover later that it was the right decision. Or, after Vinson successfully cripples our country, we might wonder if Plumber could’ve done something officially to stop it. There’s only one benefit to killing Mick. His death won’t slow Vinson down. The reason to leave him alive, though, has immediate, measurable benefits that could help us. Our goal isn’t simply to kill them all; it’s thwarting their plan. Let’s remember that if Vinson succeeds, it may well lead to everyone’s death.”
Cane brooded, but William’s words seemed to influence him. Daniel knew Cane was conflicted anyway, even before the discussion, or else he would already have killed Mick.
“On one condition,” said Cane.
“Name it,” said William.
“Lynks has these advanced tracking devices. We insert one in Mick, too, so we can follow him. If we turn him in, I predict he won’t remain captive for long. Either one of the corrupt officials will get him off or Vinson will break him out by force.”
“You’re probably right,” said William. “And that’s a hell of a plan.”
“I’d like every one of us to have a tracker implanted,” said Cane. “We’ll never have to wonder where another person is from now on.”
“That would have been nice to have before,” said Daniel.
“That’s great,” said William. “How do they work?”
Cane held one out to demonstrate. The tracker was smaller than the tip of a ball-point pen. “They’re pushed against the skin with a little force,” he said, pressing the tiny device into his left forearm. When he removed his hand, a small red spot remained that resembled an ant bite. “It burns for just a split second. Like having your finger pricked.”
“So you’re being tracked now?” asked Daniel.
“Yep,” said Cane. “Kristy?”
Kristy placed a laptop on the table and after a few clicks had software pulled up to show Cane’s location on a map of the United States. “This is state-of-the-art technology,” said Cane.
There was no doubt about that. Kristy continued to zoom in until it revealed the tracking icon precisely on a localized map. “The only limitation lies with the mapping software, but it’s accurate to within feet of the actual target,” said Cane.
“Zoom back out,” said Daniel, wanting to examine something he’d seen more closely. Kristy clicked and scrolled until the states of Indiana and Illinois were displayed. “Right there,” said Daniel, pointing to what looked like another tracking dot. “What’s that?”
Cane smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“When we were in the panic room, we had spare time,” said Kristy. “Cane and Lynks had some of their gadgets in a bag inside, and Calvin told me what they did. When all hell broke loose, I grabbed one of these and stuck it on Rick while I wrestled with him. I honestly thought we were all going to die, so I wanted to give Cane a way to find him.”
Daniel looked at the screen with the red dot and back to Kristy. “That’s Rick?” She nodded. “You did that?” Kristy smiled. “I love you,” said Daniel, grabbing and hugging her. Daniel looked at the screen again and waved. “I see you,” he said as he ran his finger along the screen.
“Remember how I told you about our different strengths and what yours was and wasn’t?” asked William.
Daniel rolled his eyes. “Don’t start with that. This asshole tried to take everything from me. You know I can’t let this go.”
William grinned, and Daniel saw his eyes drift to Layla. Crap, thought Daniel. When he looked at her, he saw those disarming eyes. They didn’t belong to the innocent little girl he once knew. Though she was grown up, they hadn’t lost that persuasive quality he remembered.
“I can’t lose you again,” she said.
“You know what’ll happen if you face him alone,” said William.
Daniel’s darkness was surprisingly not as present as he’d have liked, probably because of Layla’s magic. However, as he mulled over the situation, he also realized how far his own reasoning had come in the past few days. Daniel had been endowed with more information about the overall plan and knew more about his own role. This, added to the recent scares he’d been faced with by the near death of his friends, and having Layla miraculously appear in his life, had offered perspective he’d always lacked. More importantly, he wanted to function as a unit, and he wanted to be alive to contribute in the long term. They all needed him.
Daniel sighed. “So what’s the plan?”
William smiled. “Oh, you’ll like the plan.”
Turning the Tables
October 6, 2028
3:00 p.m. CST
Chicago, Illinois
Rick strolled down the street and saw the six-story apartment building where he’d been staying for weeks now, though lately he had spent little time there. The events of the past month had finally reached a point where they could all take a temporary break while they regrouped and Vinson finished up figuring out the details of their big plan.
It had been a busy month, filled with both high and low points. Rick had seen the aftermath of Amos’s death, which still enraged him, but he’d also had the chance to witness the execution of their primary nemesis, Marcene. Rick shivered at the thought of having Lynks and the rest of Cane and Daniel’s people captured in a safe room, only to release them. He wished he could’ve had the pleasure of killing them all. There’ll be other opportunities, he thought, trying to stay positive.
Overall, things were headed in the right direction. Vinson had the Russians almost completely on board now, and even though Cane, Daniel, and William were together and plotting against them with the help of some official government leaders, Vinson was one step ahead, as always. Marcene’s little crew had no idea what was on the horizon or just how futile their attempts would be to stop it.
The last few days had seen a couple of tragedies: Mick was captured, though it was only a matter of time before that changed. Levi had been killed overseas, but it was hard to feel true remorse for the beast, for he could barely be considered human. Apart from these small setbacks, they’d won, and they had their enemies backpedaling and scrambling for answers while licking their wounds. Losing Marcene would be a huge blow that Rick doubted they could recover from, both from the emotional impact and from a strategic standpoint.
Rick couldn’t wait for the future. He still had unfinished business with Daniel. He would see the brute on the battlefield someday, he knew, and he hoped it was sooner than later.
As Rick walked into the lobby, he noticed a suspicious-looking character leaning against the wall, causing him to stop in his tracks. The man wasn’t looking at him, but there was something about him that set off alarm bells. Rick looked through the rest of the lobby and saw nothing else that was cause for concern, but he backtracked out of the building anyway.
Rick took inventory of the exterior, though he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. The rooms all had outside balconies, and he could see lots of people using theirs on almost every floor. Rick’s room was on the top story, so when he cast a cursory glance upward, it was easy to find his own balcony. He had two men staying with him in his room, but the man he saw on his platform was neither of them. Rick suddenly felt a rush of excitement. Someone’s found me, he thought. This was not bad news in the slightest, for he had the upper hand in this engagement. They’d apparently already stormed his room and killed his two marked men, and now they were trying to find him.
Rick wondered how anyone had discovered his location, for he’d been careful. There was no way anyone knew his face well enough to identify him other than Cane and Daniel’s crew, but it seemed doubtful it would lead them here. It’s no big deal, thought Rick. My opportunity may have co
me sooner than I thought.
Rick knew he had to be wary of Cane. The assassin was the only one who possessed the skill to give him a challenge. They’d underestimated him before, and he’d killed Amos as a result. Rick refused to be another victim of carelessness.
Glancing back inside the lobby, Rick didn’t see the suspicious character from before, and he wasn’t anywhere else in the big open area. Rick strolled forward casually, paying attention to his surroundings, until he reached the door to the stairs. He entered slowly and quietly, looking up the subsequent flights for activity. Two floors above him, he saw someone leaning over the railing. It could just be a tenant talking on his phone, but Rick heard nothing to confirm it. He could just shoot the person, but that would be a reckless move, alerting whoever else was here.
Rick backed out the door and returned to the lobby to have another look. Nothing appeared out of place, though he noticed there was less traffic than normal. He had to get upstairs to his room while he still had a chance to corner his attackers, so he walked over to the elevators, which would be far less dangerous than the stairs. He tried the first elevator, but the light wasn’t even on, so he moved to the middle one. After a minute of waiting, he heard the door bing, and he backed inside while keeping a close eye on the lobby in front of him.
When the doors slid closed, Rick saw his own image on the reflective surface and then of another man standing right behind him. His heart sank as he instantly recognized the giant, who had to bend forward slightly. Daniel. The image on the doors also revealed the brute was holding a prosthetic leg, which was already in midflight, about to crash down on him.
“Let’s see you wiggle your way out of this one,” said Daniel as the weapon struck Rick on top of the head.
The next moments were a blur as Rick battled more to stay conscious than to fight back. Daniel threw him against the elevator walls hard, repeatedly, never giving Rick a chance to mount a proper defense or retaliation. At one point the brute abandoned the leg and resorted to using only his hands, and Rick could feel pain shooting through his extremities. He felt his arm snap, his leg break, and he was hit so many times in his face that he was numb.
