by Bob Blink
Janet nodded and stepped away again, already dialing the first contact.
Mark helped Jeff into one of the vehicles. Ed and Andy were fully mobile on their own. Everyone else followed along, weapons close at hand, scanning for any sign of a possible follow-up attack. Stephanie looked pale, and anxious to get far from this place.
"I killed him," she'd told Jessie when they came for in her room.
"Good for you," Jessie said with praise. "The first is the hardest."
"I think we surprised them," Glen said. "I think they believed it was just the four of us. But now they know, they might return with a larger team. We didn't get them all before they disappeared."
Glen's insight was shared by the others. There had been no time to review the digital records to see if there might have been a missed alert, but Ed believed that wasn't the case. His men were better than that. Somehow they had been tracked and found, and the attackers had gotten inside without a problem, attacking and nearly winning in the first few seconds of the battle. If they could do it once, they could most likely repeat the attack. That left the longer term matter of where would they be safe to work out, and how they went forward? This was the most secure facility Ed had ready access to.
They took two of the three armored SUVs, leaving the Jeep and the last of the sturdy military style SUVs behind. Jeff and Andy rode with Mark and Janet, while Jessie, Steph Ed and Glen rode together.
"We'll have some of the team joining us at the doctor's clinic," Janet told Mark as he drove following the first vehicle. "A couple of the group have elected to pull out. I think more because of the likely repercussions from the Agency than the risk of further confrontation."
"Repercussions?" Mark asked. He looked over at the small warrior, her black hair still speckled with white powder from the firefight at the safe house, along with several smears of dirt across her face. The AR rifle she'd used so effectively was settled safely between the seat and the door where she could get to it quickly if needed. She may have been small in stature, but Mark had a newly found respect for her. She'd stayed beside Jeff and Andy and made certain they remained safe through the confrontation. Even now as they talked, he could see her eyes moving, examining vehicles outside their own for potential threats.
Janet's eyes flicked his way momentary, then resumed their scan outside the car.
"There's no way to hide what happened from the Agency. Five men are dead, and all but Joe are expected at work later today. What do you think will happen when they don't show up, and don't call in?"
Mark couldn't help noting a hint of a catch in Janet's voice when she mentioned Joe's name. He couldn't help wondering if there might have been something between the two, as unlikely a pair as they might be.
"Maybe they'll assume they are out sick," he suggested.
The Agency keeps better tabs on its people than that. They'll start checking within hours if they don't show up or call in."
"What will Ed do?" Mark asked.
"I don't know. We'll have to discuss this and several other topics once the doctor has done his work. There are also going to be a lot of questions when the owner of that safe house discovers the condition it is in. But the more immediate problem will be our own people. They will see what happened as an unauthorized action. Company people engaging in a confrontation without proper approvals."
"You all were simply trying to help protect a friend, and a fellow agent," Mark protested.
"Protection of a group wanted by the FBI, an action that wouldn't be supported by our own group given the level of approvals that it has seen, and the public media coverage. Getting our people killed helping wanted fugitives isn't high on the career advancement list."
Mark was silent as he considered this aspect of things.
"I'm sorry," he said finally. "I never considered the implications."
Janet shrugged.
"Shit happens," she said. "Ed is the one who will be in the most trouble. It won't be as bad for the rest of us, but you can see why some of the guys are dropping out to protect their own asses."
Janet pointed to the small medical facility they were pulling into.
"We're here," she said, indicating he should pull around back where they wouldn't be observable from the street. "So are some of our guys," she added spotting some of the others in their group. Mark even recognized a couple from the day before.
"We'll see if that yields any results," Ed said as he checked the makeshift bandage on his left arm. The wound wasn't overly painful, but he could tell that he was still bleeding as the dark color of blood was starting to show through. He'd just send off the image Glen had taken of the man he'd shot a short time earlier. It was the only picture they had of any of the intruders, and other than believing they had recognized Pam Chou, an interesting situation since she'd been autopsied and declared officially dead some time ago, they had no idea who the attackers had been. Glen still had the MP5 he'd taken from the body, but all other weapons had disappeared as neatly as had the intruders. In a way it would have been more telling had the enemy used some kind of impossible scifi-like weapon, instead of standard military issue guns. The Pam-clone, if that's what the woman had been, had used the vanishing ray, but they had no proof of that, and Ed could predict what reaction such a story would receive.
"I have a feeling he'll be in one of our databases," Jessie replied, "but it'll be someone we don't suspect."
"It still might tell us something," Ed said. "But the bigger issue at the moment is how did they find us, and how were they able to avoid all of our security?"
"Somehow Johnson, whatever he is now, must have followed some member of your team back to the safe house," Glen suggested.
"My men are better than that," Ed said defensively, " but I can think of no other explanation."
"They had to get in the same way they disappeared," Steph said. "They have some way of transporting themselves from place to place. Sort of like Star-Trek and the transporter."
"That's an unsettling thought," Ed replied. "That would mean almost any defensive perimeter we set up would be useless."
"I know there was someone in the control room when we charged it," Jessie said, "but there was no one in there when we got there. We know they have a device that can target a person and make him vanish. Maybe it doesn't kill, but teleports them someplace else. The trouble is, even if we had captured the one that guy you killed was using, we wouldn't know how it worked or what it was doing. We would be simply guessing."
"We need a live prisoner we can interrogate," Ed said.
"Not so easy when your enemy can up and vanish at will."
"Maybe it's not that easy, but if we can separate them from their devices maybe we can hold on to one of them," Jessie mused.
"All thoughts we need to discuss at length," Ed said, "but for the moment, we need to consider where we go after the doctor finishes his work. I don't have access to another safe house, and even if I did, that last one proved to be less than a secure fortress. We need a place to regroup and consider how we move forward."
"What about checking in with the Agency?" Jessie asked. "Agents have been killed."
"Those of us on leave they won't be keyed to," Ed answered. "Jeff and Andy have agreed to call in sick, so they can duck any questions for a bit. They will be looking for those who were killed, but we know they won't find them, and since I'm on leave they won't be able to contact me to ask if I know anything."
"There will be hell to pay later if we approach it that way," Jessie warned. "That shot-up safe house is going to raise an alarm sooner than we want, and they'll have a hard look at it. They will tie it to you, and guess about the missing agents. They are all men you work with. You are putting your career on the line. It won't help any when they learn who you have been doing this for."
"Too many questions we can't answer just yet, and going in now makes us a static target. As the old saying goes, it's easier to ask forgiveness later, than to ask permission now. If we figure out w
hat is going on, the issue will be minimized, and if we fail, it won't matter. I don't see the appropriate action being taken based on anything we can tell management at the moment."
Jessie wasn't entirely comfortable with Ed's plan. She was starting to feel they needed some serious support, but then she was a wanted felon and any options open to her were limited.
"So, we are back to where do we go to regroup?" Jessie asked.
"I'm still thinking on that," Ed admitted.
"The cabin," Glen suggested.
"Cabin?" Ed asked.
"Too small, and Burrows knows about it," Jessie said.
"It'll be cozy, but it worked for us before, and unless we come up with another idea, it might give us a night to think of a better location," Glen persisted.
"I want to hear more about this cabin," Ed said, "but we are here so let's get the doctoring done and get away from this place. The longer we are in a fixed location, the greater our risks."
Jessie could see that Jeff and Andy were being helped out of the other vehicle by a couple of Ed's men who had come as support. Solid men, given what Janet must have told them.
"Don and Mitch are inside with the doc," the heavily armed agent informed Ed when he walked over to the group. Five armed agents had come in support, and were scattered around, using available cover while scanning for threats.
"Good," Ed said, as he activated his own Comm gear which he still had in place from the conflict at the safe house.
Then he and the others headed inside; Glen, Mark and Jessie taking positions near the front entrance where they could watch the street side of the facility.
Doctor Benson was nearly sixty, and while his full head of hair was gray, and he was showing his age, he was extremely competent and had dealt with these kinds of situations many times in the past. He saw at a glance that Andy and Ed could afford to wait, and went immediately to work on Jeff. Muttering to himself as he stuck in several needles, and then stripped away clothing so he could get at the wounds, he worked swiftly and competently. His nurse, a heavyset man in his forties, clearly knew what the doctor wanted almost without being asked.
Once Jeff was patched up and appropriately medicated, Andy and Ed had their turn. Ed required half a dozen stitches, and a more effective bandage. He was offered some powerful pain killer, but elected for a small bottle of Ibuprofen, not wanting the lack of mental sharpness that went with the stronger meds.
Wanting to keep as much capability as possible at hand, rides were arranged for Jeff and Andy, which would take them home. The dangers of going to a known location were discussed, but both chose to take the risk, believing their names weren't important to those after Jessie and her friends, and it would be safe enough.
Once they were safely on their way, Ed said, "We'll have a look at this cabin." He'd probed Glen and Jessie during the time the doc was working on Jeff, and decided it might do for a night. He liked the fact his men could set up positions in the woods, and not have to worry about civilians should they somehow be traced to the location.
Thanking the doctor, and knowing that word of the repair work would get back to the Agency sooner than he would like, they headed toward the back door with the intent of relocating to the mountain cabin, when a rough voice interrupted their departure, "FBI. Don't any of you move. You are under arrest."
Mark turned toward the voice and was surprised to see Agent Burrows and an older man, both with weapons drawn and badges displayed. They had clearly come in the back way, but how had they eluded the armed men that had been watching the facility?
Ed's men that had been keeping an eye on the situation inside were quick to realize the situation, and almost before the FBI Agent's words were spoken, a pair of AR-15's were pointed at the agents, along with appropriate warnings.
"Awkward," Steph said uncertainly, looking back and forth between the two groups.
Special Agent Max Geller shot a glance toward Mitch that said he didn't consider the difference in firepower between the two important, despite the fact Mitch had a fully loaded AR-15 pointed his way and Max had only his service Glock in hand.
"You are threatening an FBI agent," he warned. "That carries serious consequences."
"Homeland Security," Ed said, explaining who they were.
"I know," Ed replied. "That doesn't matter. These four are wanted fugitives of which I am certain you are very much aware. If you have been aiding them in any way, you are in very much the same trouble as they are."
Mark glanced toward Burrows who mouthed a silent, "I'm sorry," reply to the look.
"So you two intend to arrest the lot of us?" Ed asked. "Just the two of you? Or do you have a whole contingent out there arresting the rest of my men?"
For the first time Geller looked confused.
"There aren't any more of your men out there."
"There are half a dozen armed men outside, guarding the back entrance," Janet said, but she'd been wondering how these two had managed to slip past her friends. They were well trained and would have seen these two were armed, and probably guessed they were FBI. They would have either detained them, or warned Ed that they were coming.
Ed was suddenly more alert. He glanced at Don and Mitch, and attempted to call the outside team over the secure net. Jessie and Mark slipped the rifles off their shoulders and prepared for a possible engagement.
"They must have run off," Geller said, pleased with his wit. "Now, are you going to submit to arrest or are you thinking of shooting a couple of Federal Agents?"
Jessie knew she wasn't going to be arrested, but wasn't planning on killing any FBI agents. She was considering her options when it happened.
"The bright light that encompassed Agent Geller was something she had seen before. The glow spread quickly, and then as it faded the agent faded with it. In a matter of a handful of seconds, he was gone.
"Holy shit!" Janet cursed, realizing what had happened.
Mark was also quick to realize what was happening, but not the quickest. He glanced in the direction the burst had come from. After seeing her at the safe house, he wasn't too surprised to see Pam Chou holding one of the odd weapons. He flinched as the sharp crack of Glen's diminutive .357 blasted his eardrums. The major had been even quicker to spot the source of the deadly beam and had acted accordingly. The man's shooting skills were still on the money, as Pam dropped the strange, deadly weapon and crumpled to the ground, shot through the forehead. There was little doubt now what happened to Ed's men who were supposed to be guarding the back door.
While he'd been somewhat prepared for the return of Pam, he wasn't ready for the other three figures that raced for cover, each carrying one of the weapons. The first he didn't recognize, but the second two were very familiar.
"Jessie, that's you," Ed said stunned by what he was seeing. As the first of the running figures found cover, what appeared to be Jessie and Mark, each carrying one of the silvery weapons, raced after him.
"Impossible," Glen said watching the two familiar figures race across the back parking lot.
Mark knew who he was, so the other "him" was an imposter, a clone as they suspected might be possible. They had just never considered that there might be a clone of themselves existing simultaneously. Not much longer Mark decided, and raising the AR, he fired several quick but aimed shots, striking his counterpart with each. The clone tumbled toward the ground as his legs failed him, and partway to the hard surface, burst into a bright greenish flame that Mark had seen before and simply vanished.
Hesitating because his target appeared to be one of them, Janet was first to fire her weapon when Ed barked a firm command, "Shoot, damn it!"
Janet took the direction seriously, and cut loose with a series of shots at the second of the fleeing targets that was still visible.
Mark realized what was happening when the clone he'd shot when up in flames and the one Glen shot had simply collapsed.
"Shoot them in the head. Disable the brain," he shouted.
His di
rection was too late as the Jessie-clone went up in flames just as the copy of him had done. As Janet finished firing, the remaining clone figure got off a burst that vaporized the slow to shoot agent that had failed to take down the Jessie-clone. Don vanished just as Agent Geller had.
Mitch, Ed, Janet, and Glen were already shooting at the last of the armed clones. It is amazing how much damage several semi automatic weapons can do when fired by skilled marksmen. Add to that, Glen was firing the MP5 full automatic. Several cars, a pair of trash cans, and the concrete wall of the structure behind where the individual had sought cover were shredded and punctured by nearly a hundred high velocity bullets. Mark's warning went unheeded, and once again he saw the bright greenish flash that suggested some of the fired rounds had found their target.
Suddenly there was no one to shoot at. Everyone scanned the area, looking for potential threats, but all was calm.
"I believe that might be all of them," Mitch said, albeit a bit uncertainly.
"Keep an eye out," Ed ordered, then belatedly turned his weapon toward Burrows. "I'll take your weapon," he demanded. "Did you bring them here?"
As Agent Burrows handed over his Glock, he reminded Ed that his own partner had just been killed, and that he'd been through this gun handover with Jessie and the others once before.
"That was then, this is now," Ed replied, taking the service weapon. "Somehow they knew we were here, and I don't believe they followed us from the safe house, so how?"
"This attack was different," Mark pointed out. "Not the same kinds of attackers and weapons. All four of these were using the strange weapon. No conventional firearms."
"We need to get moving," Glen urged. "More might be coming, and the police can't be far behind.
The rear of the clinic was somewhat isolated from the increasingly populated street out front, but even the concrete block walls of the parking area wouldn't have muffled the sound of suppressed automatic weapons fire, let alone the sharp blasts from Mark and Glen's handguns. People would have heard, and panicked calls would have been placed. As yet, there was no sound of approaching sirens, which might mean the police were still slow to arrive, or that they were coming fast and silent. Ed scanned the area outside the back of the small clinic.