In The Valley Of Shadows

by Kat Smith

  “Last step. It’s installing on their main network server. Thirty seconds.” Her gaze was glued to the progress bar. Fifty percent…sixty percent…seventy percent.

  Suppressed gunshots came from the back of the house, and seconds later, the front door splintered as one of the rebels kicked it open. Another shot from the back, then a thud as a body hit the floor. Lena picked off one of the assailants as he bolted into the foyer, then turned and got another coming through the door from the kitchen.

  Devan heard Teona scream, then another shot followed by a thud. Four down, three to go. She barked an order to her team, “Johnson, with me. Everyone else out the back.”

  There was dead silence in the TOC as they watched the figures breach the house. Mara wrestled with the anger boiling in her gut as she turned to Payton. “Your fucking operative was compromised.” She turned to the communications sergeant. “Connect me to Colonel Bowman in Vaziani.”

  Payton didn’t bother to argue that the operative wasn’t hers but instead belonged to the CIA. Her gaze was glued to the small square of video on the screen that represented Captain Conner’s helmet cam. She inhaled a sharp breath when the back of Alex’s head flickered onto the screen. In a flurry of movement, the camera image blurred, and she saw one of the rebels barreling toward Devan. It was quick; the rebel’s body flinched, then he dropped to the floor in a heap. The camera caught Devan’s foot as she kicked the rifle away, then as the camera grew close to the rebel’s face, Payton saw Devan’s hand come into view to press two fingers against his neck. A whisper escaped her tight throat. “Damn, that was close.”

  Devan grabbed Alex by the arm, pulled her out of the chair and through the bedroom toward the back door. Alex struggled against Devan’s grip. No, stop. The flash drive. I can’t leave it.”

  “Damn it, Alex. Fuck.” Devan shoved Alex toward Johnson. “Get her to the helo. I’ll get the flash drive.” Devan raced to the bedroom and ripped the flash drive from the port on the side of the computer. As she turned, she felt the shock wave as a bullet passed millimeters from her head and exploded into the wall behind her.

  She didn’t think, didn’t have time to, just reacted. She dove to the left, rolled, and fired. The rebel was dead before he fell over her legs, with a hole in the middle of his forehead. “Fuck.” She heaved him off and scrambled to her feet.

  Devan peered around the doorway, knew there was another one out there, and prayed that he had tucked tail and ran back from wherever the hell he’d come. After three quick breaths, she bolted through the house, hit the back door at full speed, leapt off the porch, and sprinted across the backyard. She was halfway over the fence, the most vulnerable spot she could be in with her ass in the air when the shot rang out. Pain exploded, blurred her vision, and she fell in agony on the opposite side of the concrete barrier. “I’m hit. I’m hit.”

  Alex heard Devan’s cry over the headset, jerked away from Johnson, and turned back toward the house. Lena grabbed one arm and Johnson the other, and they dragged her back and into the helo.

  “Let me go, damn it.” She struggled against the two soldiers’ firm grip.

  Alligood grabbed his medic kit and jumped from the helo. “Hang on, Captain. I’m on my way.”

  Devan ordered him back. “Go. I’m good. Get everyone loaded. Don’t wait on me.”

  The team piled into the helo, guns at the ready. Seconds seemed like hours until Devan emerged from the woods. Washington jumped from the helo to help Devan, but she waved him off.

  “No, no, get back in. I’m fine.”

  The co-pilot screamed into the comm. “Local PD is five blocks out. Gotta go now.”

  Lena screamed from the helo bay, “No!”

  The helo shuddered as the rotors picked up speed. Dirt swirled in the air, stinging Devan’s face and obscuring her view. As the helo lifted off the ground, Devan leaped and grabbed the side rail and held on for dear life.

  The pilot banked sharply, away from the flashing lights of the police vehicles, and the unsecured team in the back was hurled against the far wall of the helo bay.

  Hank screamed into this mic at the pilot, “Set it down. We don’t have the captain.”

  The co-pilot responded, “She said go.”

  Hank fought his way forward. “Bring it the fuck down.” He reached for the co-pilot’s arm. “We are not leaving without the captain.”

  Alex screamed into the mic, “She’s on the rail.”

  Lena fought her way to the bay door and reached out to grab hold of Devan. Alligood used all his strength to fight against the force pinning him to the interior wall of the helo. He knew there was no way Lena could pull the captain in by herself.

  Mara didn’t breathe as she stood with a hand over her mouth and watched helplessly as the action unfolded on the screen. Her stomach knotted as her gaze flicked through the helmet cam screens. “Bring up number two.”

  Her breath caught when she saw the camera angle from Lena’s helmet cam. Devan was hanging on to the side rail with one hand and looked directly at her second in command. Mara could see Devan’s face clearly as she struggled to pull herself up and reach for Taylor’s outstretched hand.

  Payton’s hands clenched into fists as the tension mounted in the room. She heard low murmurs of encouragement for Devan from the soldiers manning the desks behind them and whispered her own. “Come on, Devan, you can do it.” She flicked a glance at Mara, saw the muscles in her jaw flinch, and couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind as she watched her best soldier hanging on for dear life.

  Devan struggled to hang on as the helo cleared the trees. She threw her leg up to the rail, but her boot, covered in blood, slipped off. She couldn’t get a purchase on the skid and felt her fingers slipping. All she could do was hold on to the side rail as the helo lifted higher.

  Lena screamed at the pilot, “Level off. Level off, you son of a bitch. The captain is on the rail.”

  The young pilot overcompensated, jerked the controls, and the helo banked sharply in the opposite direction. The soldiers in the back bounced around like rag dolls against the walls, and Alligood, now close to the door, was almost flung out as the pilot swung back again and leveled off. Ward hit the side wall hard and was knocked out cold.

  The co-pilot screamed, “We’re going to hit the lines. Climb, climb, climb.”

  Alex crawled to the door just as the pilot made another sharp left and watched in horror as Devan’s fingers slipped from the rail. She and Lena watched as Devan fell and disappeared into the trees below.

  Alex released a gut-wrenching scream, “No!” Alex tried to crawl out onto the rail but was grabbed from behind and pulled to the floor.

  Lena pinned Alex to the floor with her body, but she was strong and threatened to roll her off. “Alex, stop.”

  Alex fought against Lena. “Go back. We have to go back.”

  Washington joined Lena, and together, they held Alex down. They feared, given a chance, Alex would dive out the door. Washington pulled Alex into his lap and held her tight. “She’s gone, baby girl.” Tears streaked his face. “I’m sorry. She’s gone.”

  There was a collected gasp as everyone watched the image from Lena’s helmet cam as Devan fell from the helo, then watched the tormented face of Alex as she pleaded for them to go back.

  Mara heard Washington’s words echo through the room and Alex’s primal screams. She ripped the headset from her head and hurled it onto the desk. “Goddamn it. What the fuck just happened?”

  She ignored the white pallor of shock on Payton’s face as she turned on her and barked. “They knew we were coming.” She paced like a feral cat. “How the fuck did they know we were coming?”

  Payton tried to stay calm against the onslaught. “He couldn’t have known he had been compromised.”

  Mara stopped and turned to Payton. “Yeah? Well, someone sure as hell knew he was there.” She turned to the analysts and barked out a barrage of orders. “Get Conner’s camera on the main screen. Switch t
he drone to thermal and find her. Get a rescue helo on standby. Get me a secure line to Vaziani.”

  The analyst was terrified as he updated the colonel. “The Reaper was recalled as soon as they left the house. It’s already out of range of Captain Conner’s helmet cam.”

  Mara spun around. “Well, turn the goddamn thing around.”

  Frank Gilbert, the gray-haired man who had stood annoyingly in the back of the room observing the mission, approached Mara. “There will be no rescue mission.”

  Her head snapped around to him. “You don’t run my mission, sir.”

  He presented his badge. “Frank Gilbert, CIA.”

  She pinned him with steely eyes. “I know who the hell you are, Mr. Gilbert, and it was obviously your man that caused this fuckup.”

  He spoke calmly. “This was a joint CIA/ICC mission, Colonel, and yes, I am overseeing this mission.”

  She stood toe to toe with him. “Captain Conner is my soldier, not yours.”

  He looked down at Mara and spoke matter-of-factly. “Colonel, Captain Conner was seriously wounded prior to the fall. She’s most certainly dead.”

  Payton stepped closer and spoke gently but firmly. “Colonel, the police were nearly on site. Regardless of her condition, you know she’ll either be in custody, but most likely, she’s―”

  “Dead,” Mara finished and absorbed the finality of that word. She stood silently, fought to rein in her fury and grief, then turned and jabbed a finger toward Gilbert. “I want your operative in a room as soon as my team returns.”

  He sneered at her. “Sorry. That’s not going to happen.”

  Mara ignored Gilbert. She turned to the door and shouted, “Get that helo on standby and transfer the call to Colonel Bowman in Vaziani to my office.”

  The team sat in silence as the Black Hawk banked toward the halogen lights around the helo pad at Vaziani. Ward regained consciousness after the unbelievable scene had unfolded. He sat with a bandage on the back of his head trying to think through a third-grade concussion.

  Alex was inconsolable, and with Washington’s assistance with restraining her, Alligood had injected her with a sedative. She now lay unconscious with her head in Taylor’s lap.

  When the helo landed, two ambulances waited, lights flashing. Alligood helped Ward out of the helo and led him to one of the waiting ambulances. Washington scooped Alex into his massive arms and carried her to a waiting gurney.

  Lena climbed into the ambulance with Alex. She suddenly realized that she was now the team leader. She turned to Washington. “I’m going with Ward and Alex. You’re in charge here until I get back.”

  Washington snapped a nod. “Yes, sir. You take care of them.”

  Lena battled for control of her emotions. “If the colonel calls, let her know I’ll update her as soon as possible.” She looked past him and saw Johnson round the helo and grab the pilot. She pointed to the two scuffling men. “Take care of that, will you?”

  Washington spun around. “Well, fuck.” He saw Johnson was easily winning and decided to take his time breaking up the brawl.

  Johnson had the pilot pinned against the helo. “What the fuck do you think you were doing out there?”

  The pilot shoved against Johnson. “Get the fuck off me, asshole.”

  Washington grabbed each of the men by the collar and pulled them apart. “That’s enough, Johnson.”

  “This isn’t over, asshole.” Johnson shoved Washington’s hand away and stormed toward the barracks.

  Washington still held the pilot by the collar and pulled him up until his toes were off the ground. “You got my captain killed tonight. You’ll answer for that.” He released the pilot and watched him crumble to the tarmac. “One way or another, you’ll pay for this, flyboy.”

  Washington turned and walked off, leaving the pilot scrambling up and looking around to see if anyone had seen the encounter.

  The darkness was absolute under the gently swaying limbs of the spruce trees. The only remaining rebel hid in the thick stand of trees out of sight of the local police. He watched and waited until they had searched the house, interrogated the woman, and removed the bodies of his comrades. When he was certain that the police had moved on to their next assignment, he began to move.

  He zigzagged through the forest of trees searching. He would swear he saw one of the soldiers fall out of the helo. If he was lucky, the soldier would be alive. If he could capture the soldier, it would make his return to camp easier than going back alone and without the American CIA agent.

  Their orders had been simple. Follow the agent from Moscow and bring him back to camp so he could be interrogated. They needed to determine just how much of their plan had been compromised. The others would be moving into place in the next few weeks, and failure was not an option.

  He pressed the button on his watch, checked the time, and knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to cut his losses and get on the road back to Moscow. He ducked into the shadows and avoided the many lights that now illuminated the surrounding houses. Some of the residents had been awakened by the chaos and stood on their doorsteps and watched the police and medical services remove the bodies from the house. Others slept through the noise, used to the comings and goings from the airfield across the lake.

  He ran between the houses until he was several blocks away. Only then did he relax into a casual stroll for the remaining kilometer to his vehicle.

  When he reached the Lada Largus, he sat for a few minutes to catch his breath and look around to see if anyone had noticed him walking along the road, then he started the engine and casually drove away.

  Mara closed the office door behind her and leaned against the hard, cold steel, needed that strength as her legs were weak. How had it all gone so horribly wrong? she thought. She pushed off the door, walked to the window, and looked out at the flag in the middle of the exercise yard. The U.S. flag had covered the coffins of too many of her soldiers when their bodies were returned home in pieces to their families. The flag stood for strength, loyalty, freedom, and justice.

  As she watched it defy gravity and wave proudly in the breeze, she wondered where she would get the strength to continue serving a military run by a government that too often placed the hunger for power above the loyalty of the people it served. People who fought for the freedom that every single citizen of this country enjoyed.

  One thing she knew was Captain Devan Conner would never see any justice. Her name would be officially chronicled in a register somewhere in the bowels of the Pentagon. Her service record would be tucked amongst the dusty archives of the hundreds of thousands who came before her. There would be no simple white cross planted in the rolling hills of Arlington National Cemetery. There would be no family to mourn and grieve her death. No, Captain Devan Conner would never see the justice that she deserved.

  A light tap on the door brought Mara from her melancholy thoughts. “Come.” She didn’t turn but knew it would be Director Cardina, knew she would be the only one brave enough to tread so close after the events they’d just witnessed.

  Payton silently crossed the room to stand beside Mara. She wanted to pull her into a hug, tell her it would be okay, but she knew she couldn’t do that because it wasn’t okay, it would never be okay. Instead, she went to Mara’s desk, pulled out the lower drawer, and retrieved the bottle of Scotch she knew was there. She poured them both doubles and took both glasses back to where Mara still stood by the window. She placed a glass on the ledge in front of Mara. “Drink.”

  Mara picked up the glass and downed the amber liquid in a single gulp. “Thanks.”

  Payton wanted to do something, but there was nothing to do. “Go home, Colonel, get some rest. There’s little we can do at the moment.”

  Mara returned to her desk. “I need to stay. I need to make a couple of calls.”

  “To Devan’s family?

  Mara shook her head. “She doesn’t have any family.”

  “None?” Payton pondered that fact and felt a
n overwhelming sadness as she realized there would be no one to grieve the loss.

  “She listed me as her emergency contact.” Mara turned away from Payton’s sympathetic gaze.

  Payton propped a hip on the desk and placed her hand on Mara’s shoulder. “Oh, Mara. I’m so sorry.”

  “She had a grandmother at some point, but all that woman ever gave her was a good beating.” Mara swiped her face. “She’s mine now.”

  Payton blinked back a tear that threatened to tumble down her cheek. When Mara’s phone rang, Payton stepped back to the window to collect herself.

  Mara punched the speaker button on her phone. “Sergeant, I asked not to be disturbed.”

  Sergeant Maggie Hughes, Mara’s adjunct, spoke her apology. “I’m terribly sorry, Colonel, but I thought you’d want to take this one. Vaziani Communications Center is trying to push through a video call from Lieutenant Sheridan.”

  Payton spun on her heels from the window. “Colonel, you don’t need to take that call. I can talk to her.”

  She looked up at Payton. “No, I’ll take it.” She then spoke into the phone. “Give me two minutes to log onto SecCom, then push it through.”

  Payton planted herself in the seat across from Mara and out of sight of the video camera, a move that let Mara know she was staying, and it wasn’t up for debate.

  Mara sat at her desk and waited for the connection to go through. She scrubbed a hand over her face and raked back her hair. She was sure she looked as bad as she felt. The monitor beeped, and Alex’s swollen face filled the screen. Before Mara could speak, Alex started in on her.

  “We have to go back.” Tears streamed down Alex’s face.

  Mara swallowed the lump in her throat. “Honey, you know she isn’t there. The police were almost on scene.”

  Alex was adamant. “We have to try.”

  “I’ve already tried to get a rescue mission approved, and I was shut down.”

  “Then try harder damn it.” Alex understood the process, had heard all the information in their pre-mission meeting, but this was Devan, this was personal.