by Peter Hoole
“Before I answer that, just need to know one thing.” Brett replied.
Caleb grew frustrated, but it was clear that he was not going to get any further information until he gave up some.
Jace looked at Caleb and nodded. Caleb took it as a sign that Jace wanted him to take the lead. Caleb was happy to oblige.
“There’s only five of us here.”
Jace, obviously sensing what Caleb was doing, kept his mouth shut.
“So… five of you? You two and three more?”
“That’s right.” Caleb lied.
“How about any… extras?”
Caleb grew concerned. How did he know of Zach? Or was he just guessing?
“What do you mean?” Caleb asked, hoping Brett’s answer would provide some further clarity.
“Any prisoners?”
“Why do you ask?” Caleb said, reluctant to relay any further strategic information.
Brett paused. It was obvious to Caleb he was trying to think of an answer.
It was at that moment Caleb realised Brett and his were people not to be trusted.
But were they a threat? Caleb was still not sure. He decided to let the situation play itself out a bit more.
After several moments, Brett said, “We assumed you would… after all… your message mentioned we had to come asap. I imagined you were under threat, and when we got here, you were fine. I guessed you had won whatever fight you were in.”
Caleb wasn’t buying his explanation but let them continue.
“So, what’s the situation?” asked Brett.
Jace looked to Caleb for guidance, and Caleb nodded back. It was time for the Australian to take control of the conversation.
“We’ve got five guys,” he said, “us and three in the cabin.”
Brett looked up at the cabin, “They armed?”
“Yeah mate. Why?”
“Just want to know what we’re up against.”
In an instant, Brett had pulled his sidearm out from behind his back. He had it pointed straight at Jace.
The Australian was taken aback.
“Mate?” he said, as he stepped backward, “What’s going on?”
Caleb surveyed the other people in Brett’s team. He surmised half of them had their weapons pointed at Jace, and the others at himself. He knew it was an unwinnable position, and he felt deflated. But they had not shot him yet, and while he was alive, there was always hope.
He looked around at his surroundings. To his right was their vehicle. If he could be fast enough, he could jump behind and get some cover.
As Caleb contemplated the move, Brett spoke, “Jace… you poor bugger. You really have no idea what is going on… and you’ve got yourself into the middle of something here.”
“What?” Jace asked, almost desperately, “What is it?”
Suddenly, another voice spoke, “That’s not for you to know.”
The man that had waited in Brett’s vehicle had emerged.
As the man emerged, they both stood in stunned silence.
“William??” he said, the words barely audible to the people around him.
Jace was lost for words, while Caleb was looking for a solution to the situation. He was hopeful that Jace could keep them distracted.
It was the final confirmation that Jace needed. No more than twelve hours earlier, Jace and Dunleavy had moved his dead body from the safe house in Sydney.
William smiled, seemingly relishing the surprise.
“What?” the Englishman asked, “You didn’t think we’d be that easy to kill?”
“We?” Jace asked.
And then it struck them both. Brett was one of them. He was working against them.
“Yes mate.” Brett replied. He then reached behind his back. Before Jace could react, Brett fired.
The gunshot was loud and decisive. Jace’s blonde hair soon turned a dark, crimson red as parts of his brain and skull flew out the back of his now broken cranium.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
While Caleb was shocked, he was still able to react. His training, which had mostly served him well, was once again his ally. As soon as he saw Brett draw back the trigger, Caleb leapt to his right, behind the vehicle he had previously noted. As he jumped, the bullets from the members of Williams’s team flew towards him.
For a moment, he was reminded of the previous day, when he had done the same manoeuvre, only to be struck by William’s bullet.
Fortunately, the incident did not repeat itself, and Caleb landed at his intended destination. He quickly got to his feet and crouched down behind the car.
Though he had escaped being killed in the initial flurry, his life was still in imminent and extreme danger. With around a dozen enemy combatants only a few yards behind him, he knew the odds were not in his favour.
He also knew they would be quickly baring down on his position. He had to act fast.
His position, while defendable, was also relatively vulnerable. There were two entry points at ground level, to his left and right. There was also the space above him, though this would prove more problematic to a would-be attacker.
And then it struck him. The vehicle he was hiding behind was a ‘Bat. Though this was no doubt a detail that would be apparent to William, Caleb knew he could still use it to his advantage.
Caleb stood, knowing the bullet proof windows would provide some semblance of cover. As he stood, he was able to pivot much better. The view through the tinted windows, while dark, also gave him some indication as to the movements of the opposition.
From his new vantage point, he found it hard to see what was happening, but he could see some movement. Most of the movement was to his left, towards the cabin.
Logically, this meant that William’s men would move on him from the right of the car. As Caleb quickly thought of this, he was faced with a conundrum – to stand and fight, or to chase the men running to the cabin and attack them from behind.
Soon enough, he did not have to make the decision himself. As he moved, a figure emerged from the rear of the ‘Bat. Caleb quickly turned in the direction of the movement and fired.
It only took a couple of rounds before the man had fallen.
After a few moments, Caleb turned his attention back to the men advancing on the cabin. His only thought at that point was stopping them, as Darcy was still inside. He momentarily cursed himself for forgetting, but not even twenty seconds had passed since Jace had been shot, and he had some other distractions that were taking his attention.
He ran up the side of the ‘Bat and made his way around the front.
As he rounded the front, a few of the men fell backwards. Or rather they flew backwards. Shots had been fired by Adam’s people, and the advancing soldiers were being cut down. A slight smile crept across Caleb’s face, as he realised that though Darcy was in a precarious position, she still had some level of protection.
But his smile quickly turned. He was grabbed from behind and pulled backward.
His attacker had one arm wrapped around his neck, choking him.
Though he could not see the man behind, Caleb wagered he still had the advantage. The man had sound technique, but was obviously slightly shorter, and, lighter, than the Marine.
Plus, Caleb had a knife.
Caleb reached down the side of his leg, slid the knife out of its composite sheath, and readied himself for the attack. A normal person may have been too overwhelmed by the surprise of the assault.
But not Caleb.
He held the knife, so the blade was coming out the bottom of his hand, facing towards the man behind him.
With poise and dexterity, Caleb thrust the blade into the man’s leg. The shock and pain forced the man to loosen his grip around Caleb’s neck.
Unfortunately for Caleb’s attacker, it would be the last mistake he would make.
Caleb seized the opportunity and shook the man’s grip free.
Caleb took a half-step backwards leaving about a foot and a half between him a
nd the man. With a deft move, Caleb swung the knife directly toward the man’s throat. As the knife severed the neck, blood shot in various directions.
The amount of blood always surprised Caleb. The sheer volume was enough to paint most of the ‘Bats window in a red sheen.
Caleb, though happy he had beaten his assailant, quickly turned his attention back to the cabin… and Darcy.
He raised his weapon and stepped forward a few steps. He rounded the front of the ‘Bat and observed the scene.
Four of the attackers had been taken down by Adam and his people. Their now-limp bodies strewn across the dirt landing in front of the steps.
Caleb raised his weapon and pointed it towards one of the attackers.
As he was about to pull the trigger, a loud bang interrupted his concentration. It was a sound he recognised, as he had only heard it a day or so earlier.
Accompanying the bang was a whooshing sort of noise, like an object being propelled quickly through the air.
Caleb looked on in horror as he watched the rocket fly towards the cabin. At that time, there was nothing he could do but watch.
As the rocket approached the building, Williams men took cover.
Caleb could do no such thing.
Darcy’s life was about to come to an end… and all the Marine could do was watch.
Caleb, knowing there was little he could do, jumped to his left, into the minimal bushes. As he hit the ground, he saw the explosion.
The noise was immense, accompanied by a plume of flames. It was not dissimilar to the explosion he had seen in Seattle.
The shockwave from the explosion send him backwards. Not as much as if he had been standing, but enough that he changed position. Fighting through the pain, Caleb rolled back around to face the now exploded cabin.
And what he saw broke his heart. If Darcy had stayed in the cabin, there would be no hope for her.
She would be dead.
Even the serum would not be able to help her.
But she still could have made it out, Caleb forced himself to think. He could not fight if he had nothing to fight for.
In what was briefly a moment of weakness, Caleb knew he could turn it to his advantage.
He quickly stood up, and though his hearing was still somewhat effected, he had been near enough explosion and unexpected situations in his life to be able to deal with them.
As he got to his feet, Caleb quickly surveyed the situation.
As he expected, the men on the ground were not as prepared as Caleb. Most of them, including Brett, were still in awe of the explosion and what had happened to the cabin.
Seeing this, Caleb did not hesitate to strike.
He raised his weapon and fired.
One at a time, Williams men were taken out.
Caleb started with the man closest to him.
With a quick squeeze of the trigger, the bullet flew out of his Carbine, and eviscerated the back of the man’s skull.
Caleb, feeling no remorse for the man involved in Darcy’s death, turned his attention to the next man. Again, he squeezed the trigger and again, the man was killed.
Only five more to go.
Caleb kept firing, but after the first two shots, his intended targets grew wise to the current situation.
As they shuffled, Caleb was unable to get as clear a shot as he had intended. But a clear shot was not required. He was still able to do some damage.
One man he shot in the shoulder, one in the calf.
By the time they had fully realised their predicament, Caleb well and truly held the upper hand. The remaining trio of men had run behind one of the remaining SUV’s.
Caleb fired as they ducked, narrowly missing Brett.
Caleb started walking towards the men, knowing that he had to act fast before they were able to formulate any kind of attack plan.
But, after he took a few steps, he realised he had made a mistake.
Out of the corner of his right eye, Caleb saw him.
A man stood with a gun pointed straight towards him.
“Well, well, well.” said William, his English accent brimming with bravado and arrogance, “Doesn’t this feel familiar?”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Caleb remembered.
He remembered they had been in virtually the same position the previous day.
Caleb standing there, aiming at someone else, while William had his weapon trained on him.
Caleb, as he had done the previous time, tried to assess his options.
He realised he didn’t have any. No doubt William would not shoot him in the side again, especially knowing he had the serum.
Caleb knew William would go for the kill shot, straight to his head.
But he also knew William.
He was a classic narcissist, so much so that it was a liability.
If Caleb could stall for long enough, he knew that another choice may reveal itself.
Realising he had no other option; Caleb lowered his weapon from the attack posture.
He turned towards William.
“Good choice, Captain.” said William, smiling.
Caleb did not say a word. He didn’t have to. For some reason, he knew William would take the opportunity to gloat. It was an opportunity William could not seem to resist.
“Looks like I have you Captain. After all that effort, after all that time. You couldn’t stop us, and your girlfriend… I assume she was inside?”
Caleb nodded, knowing what was coming.
“Well… you couldn’t even save her could you?”
Caleb felt a fury welling up inside him. But he still did not have another option. He knew that he would be dead as soon as William wished it.
It took all his willpower not to run towards the cocky Englishman.
He imagined strangling him.
He imagined watching the life flow from Williams face.
But, now was not the time.
As William continued to monologue, Caleb tried to look around, looking for an option to escape.
As William spoke, Caleb realised there was only one option. It was risky and would surely result in his death. But, without Darcy, Caleb wasn’t even sure he wanted to live.
Caleb decided to raise his weapon. It was movement that surprised William, enough to cut him off mid speech.
“Now, Captain, what do you expect to do. If you shoot, they will shoot you. And, you can be certain I will shoot you if you miss.”
“I don’t care,” said Caleb, and he squeezed the trigger.
***
“We’re in range, Sir,”
The voice was muffled through the headset. After several hours of flying, they were finally able to contact Walker.
In fact, they could have contacted their colleague much sooner, but the closer they were to the states, the less chance there would be for the communique to be intercepted.
And Dunleavy knew that people would certainly be listening in to their conversation.
There was currently a no-fly ban imposed across most of the world. The only exceptions were for military vehicles and high-ranking government officials.
And as they were unable to mask their approach, they needed to be travelling officially. And, as none of them were government officials, the only option they had was to travel as military.
And military transports were always monitored, and their communications.
And this was just the obvious aspects.
Dunleavy, while sure they were being tracked and monitored, had no idea who it was that would be monitoring them.
He knew he had to keep any outgoing calls as vague as possible, to not alert anyone else of their potential movements.
Plus, there was one other problem Dunleavy had. He had promised Caleb that he would rendezvous with Walker at the Nest. But, as the hours ticked by and time ran out, Dunleavy knew that they could not delay any action they needed to take.
As a result, he wanted to change their plans.
Now that th
ey were in range to better talk to Walker, he spoke to Murphy and Casey.
“I have an idea,” he said, loudly.
The plane they were travelling on, while the same size as the Kite they used to travel to Australia, it had none of the bells and whistles. The Colonials obviously had a much more focused military and were not confined by the processes that world governments had to apply.
And they were not subject to the oversight.
Dunleavy envied them for this. He often lamented the need for the democratic process. He believed much more could be done without the constant interference.
But he also saw the flip-side.
While often the American people were happy to have a high level of military spending, they were usually less than happy to have their tax dollars spend on frivolous additions.
Unfortunately, what the people considered frivolous was often basic comforts like seats and insulation.
So, while Dunleavy spoke, he had to raise his voice and crouch down next to the Lieutenant and Sergeant.
“We need to contact your people.” He said to Murphy and Casey.
Murphy looked concerned as she sat on the floor of the cargo bay. Casey was beside her, crouched down.
Dunleavy had interrupted their conversation.
“Why?” asked Murphy.
Dunleavy shook his head. He was not used to soldiers questioning him.
But, then again, Murphy was no ordinary soldier. And Dunleavy knew he couldn’t really control her.
But he had to try.
“We don’t have much time. We need to get them to head straight there… We need to head straight to Minot. We need to go straight into the lion’s den.”
Murphy paused for thought. She turned to Casey.
The big marine shrugged his shoulders.
Casey was clearly not a decision maker. He followed orders verbatim and executed them to perfection. That must have been why Dunleavy liked him so much.
In this situation, he was not being overly helpful. Dunleavy had wanted Casey to back him up, to tell Murphy to do as she was told.
It was evident Casey was not going to do this.