by Alex Howell
Benton then peeked into the unit, “Don’t worry! It’s empty! Trash day was today—looks like they already picked up.”
Raina muttered, “Lovely…”
Grabbing a hair tie and quickly tying her hair behind her head she remarked, “So now I’m dumpster diving? Just what the hell was I thinking when I signed up for this kind of work?”
Mason came over and clumsily reached for her waist, in an attempt to hoist her into the dumpster, telling her, “Come on Raina—it’s not that bad. Let me help.”
Raina surprised him however, by expertly knocking his arm away as she insisted, “Forget it Mason—I can get in myself.”
Mason was impressed with the fashion in which she had used her forearm to knock his hands away, he knew that this was a taste of her finely-honed martial arts ability.
Realizing he had met his match, Mason acknowledged, “Alright, that’s fine Raina. Go ahead.”
Raina then stepped on top of a crate and impressed all of them with her finesse as she leaped like a cat right into the dumpster. Mason and Benton were a little less artful as they basically grabbed the top of the rusty trash bin and hoisted themselves over.
Raina staring at her teammates as they stood across from her in the belly of a dumpster that smelled like a mixture of beer and rotten tomatoes asked, “Okay so now we wait?”
Mason pointing to the ventilation crack in front of them that gave them a full view of the hidden graffiti door, informed her with what amounted to an old military motto, “Yeah Raina—it’s time for us to hurry up and wait.”
ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER. The group getting frustrated in their smelly confines were about to call the whole thing off, when suddenly they saw movement. A man with dark hair and mustache, dressed in an expensive Armani suit came into view as he hurriedly made his way down the alley and straight to the hidden door.
Mason seeing the sight, remarked, “Well—it’s not like you see that every day. Someone dressed to the hilt sneaking around the back alleys in the seedy side of Brooklyn.”
The group then watched as the guy opened the door and was greeted by a man with a big thick beard, and dress that seemed to indicate he was perhaps Mideastern in origin.
Seeing this, Benton added to the commentary, “Ah—and it gets even more interesting….”
The well-dressed man then went into the door and the Mideastern looking fellow shut the door behind them. Raina suddenly thinking of Kyle and how distraught he was to think his facts had been wrong, told Mason, “Hey Mason—we better report back to Kyle what we found out.”
Mason not really feeling like it, asked, “Is it really necessary?”
Raina gave him a look that meant business however and ordered, “Just tell him.”
Mason giving in to her demands, put Kyle through on the commlink. “Hey Kyle! You there?”
Seeming to hesitate for a moment, Kyle answered in a subdued voice, “Uh—yeah. Yeah I’m here.”
Mason then informed him, “Well—you remember how I told you your lead was wrong?”
Kyle already defensive answered, “But it wasn’t!”
Mason laughed, “Alright boss you win. You were right after all! We found them! The bastards are here just like you said!”
Kyle feeling tremendously vindicated by this turn of events, joyfully shouted, “I knew it! I knew it!”
Mason knowing that time was of the essence however, sought to cut through his chatter, and asked, “How’s your satellite data? You got a lock on this place?”
Kyle affirmed, “Yes—yes I do.”
Mason answered, “Okay good, because we’re going in.
16
On the Inside
S tanding right in front of the hidden door and hoping to God that they don’t have hidden cameras somewhere—the group was preparing to break in. Benton putting one of his specialties to use, had worked a long metal needle through the old-fashioned locking mechanism of the door and successfully picked it.
In what had become almost routine for Mason, he flung the door open as Benton barreled through with gun drawn. Seeing that he was inside a dimly lit warehouse, Benton quickly ducked behind some wooden crates and then motioned for his comrades to quickly follow him.
Mason looked to Raina and hissed quietly, “Ladies first.”
Raina muttered, a slightly less then genuine, “Thanks…”
As she darted into the building and ducked behind the same crate Benton was using for cover. Mason then made his way inside, carefully shutting the door behind him, before he joined Benton and Raina behind the crates as well. Mason staring out at the sheer expanse of the structure muttered, “Only in Brooklyn could a whole warehouse be hidden in plain sight with no one even knowing it was there.”
Mason then informed the group, “Alright, I’m going to go solo and see what I can find out. Raina you stick with Benton and go in the other direction. We can cover more ground in teams of two.”
Raina scoffed, "Teams of two—sounds more like you think you are an army of one!”
Mason dryly chuckled, “Army of one—funny.”
Raina wasn’t laughing however, as she complained, “Why are you going out by yourself? Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?”
Mason pointed to the comm link, “Raina please, I’ll be in constant communication the whole time. And besides we’re still in the same building. I won’t be far. If I have any trouble, I’ll let you know. I promise.”
Mason then looked at Benton and added, “And if you don’t hear from me again—make sure you burn this place to the ground!”
‘Okay—real comforting Mason. Just what I wanted to hear.’’ Raina thought to herself, as she watched Mason spring across the warehouse. He knew that Raina didn’t like him taking any solo missions anymore, but he just couldn’t help himself. It was in his blood.
These adrenaline-charged moments took him right back to his days in the SEALS when he would singlehandedly infiltrate compounds, free hostages, and kick the asses of several combatants all at the same time. This is what he lived for.
Mason was careful not be seen, but as he delved deeper into the warehouse, he realized that it would be just a matter of time before his cover was blown. This was a bigger operation than any of them had realized. The two men they saw earlier had now multiplied to about 20 as Mason saw guys in coveralls running back and forth bringing in different packages, parts, and components.
What were they doing? What was it all for? Mason somehow knew that these weren’t shipments from UPS—something really nefarious was going on. These guys were all true-blue terrorists. Mason continued to watch and listen. He then witnessed the man they had seen earlier—the guy dressed in the expensive suit—walk up to a couple of guys hauling some crates and shout at them, “Is it ready yet gambinos?”
‘Gambinos? That’s Italian slang.’ Mason thought to himself. He couldn’t quite hear what the other men were saying, their voices were muffled. But the man who appeared to be directing them was loud and clear as his voice boomed, “I don’t care what kind of excuses you may have—we have to get it ready for the Little Italy Festival on the 19th ! So, get your sorry asses moving!”
‘Little Italy Festival?’ Mason thought to himself.
That’s a big shindig in Brooklyn every year on May 19th ! Just a few days from now! Mason then realized that this must be the date of the planned attack as well. Figuring that he had enough intel, he waited for the group to disperse before darting like a cat between boxes and back to the rest of the group.
Before even reaching their position, Mason hissed into his comm link, “Got what I need. Let’s roll.”
The phrase, “Let’s roll” brought back instant memories for Benton, who had heard the two words several times before on countless other missions in the past. From Kosovo to Mogadishu, Benton knew that when Mason said “Let’s roll” he meant it, and it was time to evacuate.
Benton led Raina to the door, and out into the alley, keeping a lookout lest anyone foll
owed them, as Mason barreled through shortly thereafter. Benton spoke into his phone to summon his car, “Come pick us up.”
After doing so, the hummer dutifully arrived on the scene, parking right outside the alley waiting for them. After letting Raina into the car, Mason hopped into the passenger seat next to Benton.
Wasting no time, he got on the comm link with Kyle and instructed him, “Hey Kyle get a hold of Luke Simon for me, I’ve got some intel I’m sure he would be interested in hearing—we’ve just uncovered a plot to attack NYC.
ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER AT OYNX’s NYC COMMAND CENTER. Luke Simon’s face was ashen. Mason had rarely seen Luke so shaken, but this one was bothering him. As Luke made clear when he moaned, “Unbelievable—thousands of people attend that festival every single year.”
He then added, “I have relatives that go to it. The annual Little Italy Festival is how they kick off the start of summer. And these terrorists want to unleash hell on Earth in the middle of this happiness?”
It was General Thomson, in for a surprise visit that answered for him, “I don’t know why you would be surprised Luke; we’ve dealt with this type of humanity before.”
Raina asked, “Type of humanity?”
Thomson nodded, “Yes, the type that has no conscious whatsoever—these are cold blooded killers. All they are worried about is whatever kind of twisted agenda they are promoting. Anything else for them is just collateral damage”
Thomson paused before adding, “If even that…”
Mason agreed, “These guys could care less how many people they kill—their motto is ‘by blood we cleanse’.”
Mason gave it some thought, “You know most terrorists decide to kill a certain number of people in order to terrorize their targets—that’s the whole point. But these guys are different. They seem that they not only want to terrorize but they want to literally kill as many as possible in order to ‘cleanse the Earth’—or whatever the hell else twisted dogma they believe.”
Luke then cut in, “At any rate, we have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Marshal Oliver who had been quietly sitting in the corner remarked, “You got that right.”
It was then Kyle’s turn to awkwardly ask, “Are you sure of the date and time Mason?”
Mason replied, “Sure of it, I heard it with my own ears—they said May 19th .”
Kyle puffed up his chest and in an awkward attempt to be ‘one of the boys’, declared, “Then we’ve got to—I guess—we’ve got to stop them!”
Mason couldn’t help but mock Kyle’s indecisive choice of words as he shot back with a smirk, “Right Kyle… I guess so .”
Benton then asked more seriously, “Okay so what’s the game plan. What is the easiest way to stop these clowns and prevent this attack from happening? They said the 19th ? That’s tomorrow, so what can we do today to stop them?”
Mason declared, “I don’t know about today, but I know tomorrow I’ll be at that festival myself to get those bastards—even if I die trying.”
Although Mason was known to make dramatic statements such as this, Raina was just a little bit alarmed at the quiet finality of his words when he muttered, “even if I die trying”. She couldn’t help but feel that he meant it, and it disturbed her.
After the meeting was over and everyone dismissed themselves. Just as Mason was getting ready to leave Raina tapped him on the shoulder and asked, “Can we talk a minute?”
Mason nodded, “Sure—what’s up?”
Sitting down next to him at the now empty conference table, Raina admitted, “It’s just that… you seem kind of distant lately. I’ve been really worried about you. Is everything alright?”
Mason lied, “Yeah—everything’s fine.”
He then came up with the excuse, “I’m just a little bit overworked and under-sleeped lately.”
Raina smiled, “Under-sleeped? Is that even a word?”
Mason laughed, “It is when I make it one.”
Mason then repeated, “I’m fine though. Really—don’t worry about it.
Raina didn’t believe him however, as she insisted, “No Mason, everything is not fine. I know that something is wrong. I know you well enough now to see through the mask you wear, and I know that something is really troubling you—so what is it?”
Mason hesitated before responding, “Raina…”
She then looked at the sadness in his eyes and wondered if any of it could have anything to do with her as she quietly inquired, “Is it me? Or is it us? Is something wrong with us Mason?”
Mason was insistent on this point however, as he denied, “No—it’s nothing to do with us. I’ve just still got some things to work out with…”
Although thoughts of her consumed just about every waking moment of his life, he couldn’t quite bring himself to finish the sentence enough to say Bree—still got some things to work out with Bree.
Whether the spirit world was real or not, Mason was most certainly haunted by the ghost of a memory that he just could not shake.
Raina knew it too, as she supplied what he couldn’t bring himself to admit, “Bree Mason. You still have some things to work out with Bree, don’t you?”
Raina then put her hand on Mason’s, outstretched on the desk, and gently informed him, “Look, I know that you have a lot to deal with and that this is something that is never going to be easy for you. I know that this will stick with you for quite a long time as you work your way through it.”
She then gave his hand a squeeze as she told him, “I know its not going to be easy as you make your journey. But I just want you to know that I am there to help you through it.” With these gentle words Mason’s mask fully crumbled and as he looked at Raina in complete vulnerability. With tears welling up in his eyes, he asked, “Really?”
The great big giant of a man who towered over everyone with his strength and confidence had suddenly become a lost little boy that needed to be cared for. Raina looking full-on into Mason’s fragile state couldn’t help but be moved.
She wrapped her arms around him, in an almost protective fashion as she assured him, “Really. I’m right here Mason. And I’m not going anywhere. You can count on that.”
The spell, of his temporary attempt to create distance between the two of them had been broken. She sidled her chair over to his, he put his arms around her, and before he knew it, his lips met hers and they were in the middle of a long, passionate kiss.
17
At the Festival
D espite all of their preparations the day prior, before anyone knew it May 19th was upon them and the Little Italy festival had arrived. And the small section of Manhattan in which the festivities took place was even more crowded than usual. With thousands of people filling the street in what seemed like a New York version of Mardi Gras the team was under some pretty serious pressure to find the virus before it could be unleashed upon the crowd.
As Mason stared out at a young couple nearby, with a mother pushing a baby in a stroller, he could only imagine the carnage that would occur if the terrorist’s plot succeeded. He again vowed to himself to not allow that to happen. Benton and Raina were standing next to him as he waved at the throng of people filling the streets and declared, “I think you both understand the gravity of the situation—all of these people you see here today could be dead by tomorrow if we don’t do something.”
This prompted Raina to ask him, “So—any luck on finding the source of the device.”
Mason then patched Kyle in with the comm link and asked very much the same thing, “So have you found anything out Kyle? Any heat signatures?”
Kyle in a tone and manner of speaking that the group sometimes called his “condescending professor voice”, informed the group, “Well, it’s not heat-signatures that we need Mason, it’s wavelengths.”
Mason asked, “Wave—what?”
Kyle informed him, “Yeah—the device should emit subtle wavelengths just before it is put into gear to disperse the poison into the water
or air.”
Mason wasn’t a scientist or chemist, and still didn’t quite get it, but being in the military long enough he knew that it didn’t matter. Kyle knew what he was looking for, and he needed to find it. So, without seeking any further explanation he told him as much, “Okay sure, just let me know what you come up with.”
Kyle shot back, “Will do. Over and out.”
Mason chuckled slightly at Kyle’s nerdy insistence at using archaic radio lingo but obliged him nonetheless, “Right Kyle—over and out. ”
Raina not sure what lay in store next, then asked, “So what do we do now—just wait?”
Mason knowing that there was always something else to do in the world of preparation, shook his head, “No—for now let’s just get a better feel of the place.” Benton agreed,
“Right let’s scope out all of the exits in case we need to evacuate this place.”
Raina a bit confused asked, “Exits? But we are out in the open street? What kind of exit do you mean?”
Mason then supplied, “Yeah but certain side streets would be used for crowd control in the event of a panic.”
Raina imagining the terrified crowd, choking on poison, stampeding through the streets like bulls, began to feel a little nauseous at the thought. Mason eyeing a line of police cars on 5th avenue with road blocks in place offered, “Opening up 5th Avenue would probably be the best thing for the authorities to do.”
Raina wasn’t so sure that would be possible however as she answered, “Good luck with that.”
It was shortly after this suggestion that Kyle piped in, “Hey guys I found it.”
Mason quickly responded, “You did?”
Kyle nodded “Yeah, it’s right in the center of the main thoroughfare on top of the main float.”
Kyle then paused before IDing the float exactly, “It’s a float of St. Genaro.”
The mention of which sounded familiar to Benton who supplied, “Yeah—the float of St. Gene, it’s a towering replica of the patron saint of Naples. They always glide that thing through the square.”