Soldiers of Fame and Fortune Full Series Omnibus: Nobody’s Fool, Nobody Lives Forever, Nobody Drinks That Much, Nobody Remembers But Us, Ghost Walking, 12 Book series...

by Michael Todd

  Dan smirked and shook his head.

  The man shook JB’s hand. “I think he would have been proud.”

  “Thanks, man. That really means a lot.”

  Hickok whimpered faintly with relief, leaned back in her chair, and crossed her legs. She wore a long blonde wig, a suit with a skirt that hugged her legs tightly past her knees, and shoes reminiscent of the 1920s. While she carried a clutch in one hand, Marcus lugged her bag over his shoulder. He put his hands on his knees and sat slowly. His clothes now matched his old-man face—a brown checkered suit that fit loosely and a bow tie that didn’t match at all, except for the suspenders.

  Marcus set the luggage in front of him, pulled on his collar, and scratched the edge of his fake nose. “This shit is for the birds. Seriously. Why couldn’t I disguise myself like you did? You merely changed clothes, put a wig on, and donned a suit.”

  Billie smiled. “Because I am easier to disguise. Besides, I’m used to it. I’ve been in disguise more often in my life than out of it.”

  He shook his head in disgust. “I always was a bit bugged by the makeup and stuff. I never really appreciated what you had to do out in the field.”

  After a moment’s thought, he retrieved his laptop and opened. “Actually, now that I think about it, I might be able to come up with something that would make this disguise thing more bearable.”

  Billie noticed that he typed wildly on his keypad and shook her head. “Slow down, geek boy. You’re an old man, not a computer nerd. While a geriatric might know their way around a laptop, they won’t go at it like a fucking hacker on steroids. You have to stay in character.”

  He rolled his eyes but slowed his fingers to a rapid crawl. She did have a point, but all it did was remind him how much he still had to learn about the clandestine life. He chewed on his nails and narrowed his eyes. “If I can plug this info in, I might be able to figure out how to make some sort of mouth appliance that can change your look. Or maybe something added under your skin that can be turned on and off by you.”

  She raised her eyebrow and stared at him for a moment. He grinned nervously. “Okay, maybe not that one. I guess if it doesn’t bother you, then whatever. I probably won’t do this whole disguise thing very often.”

  Hickok wasn’t sure if he would need a disguise anywhere else they might venture to in the future, but as he had never been to the Zoo, he could hang up his 007 antics for a while once they arrived. She was simply glad that she didn’t have to wear one all the time as Jean. Keeping out of the public view when she was working definitely made life easier for her.

  The two sat in front of a large window and watched the planes take off and land. She turned to Marcus and fixed him with a serious look. “Are you really okay with coming to the Zoo after everything that you said before? I know it’s a touchy subject for you.”

  Marcus leaned his head back. “Well, I wasn’t safe in the middle of nowhere. I wasn’t safe in my own home with a security system or a gun. I think that having thousands of people with weapons around me is probably safer. Security by obfuscation isn’t a choice. It’s time I decided what is more dangerous.”

  Billie rubbed his hand. “I think you will be okay once you settle in. The company we are starting will actually give us the chance to help people instead of being the ones who kill them. The serum you took can save so many lives. It truly is the future of mankind. However, making it the future of all mankind means we have to make sure we don’t allow others to decide who benefits. We will work in the dark. It will truly be black ops.”

  He listened intently and folded his hands nervously in his lap. “Can we really do it?”

  Her eyes crinkled at the corners and she leaned forward to pat his six-pack. “Who else do you know who can already bring back the dead?”

  A concealed room was located in an equally secret location, three stories beneath the ground and secured by soundproof walls with no cameras in place. Only a handful of people knew about it, and three of them stepped off the elevator and walked silently down the hall. They stopped and waited as guards scanned them and their belongings. After a retinal scan, the men moved to the side and allowed them to proceed.

  They walked into the large room and sat at a big round table in the center. The woman, who was middle-aged with white hair and a pressed suit, was codenamed Raven One. She cleared her throat and pulled up a screen in the center of the table. “We have two jobs that currently need review.”

  The man to her right, Fire Fox, leaned forward. “These are interesting.”

  Python Eleven on her left sighed. “We were all agents once. We know the risks and we constantly review shit that should never have happened.”

  Raven One blinked several times before she launched immediately into the issues at hand. She didn’t want to start a debate like the meetings before. “The first order of business is that someone has figured out more information than they should have about our organization. The threat is real, and the information could easily be released.”

  Fire Fox fiddled with his tie. “I think we know the course of action. The normal mission. Send one of our best agents.”

  Python Eleven nodded vehemently. “And make sure the information is completely gone.”

  The woman typed on the keyboard. “Noted. We will send an agent in to confirm that all physical copies of the information have been eradicated. They will then destroy the digital evidence and ensure that the person receives a warning that to continue the search is a death sentence for them. If they do not agree, they will be terminated without prejudice.”

  She finished what she was typing and sent the information through their system. With a deep breath, she leaned back and put her hand to her lips. “This one is a little more interesting. There is a rumor of a monster in the Amazon that could very well be a creature from the Zoo.”

  Both men leaned forward. Fire Fox slammed his fist on the table. “How could that even happen?”

  Raven shrugged. “My suggestion is that we send a hunter class agent to this one. They will be required to send us weekly updates.”

  Everyone relaxed and gave a thumbs-up in agreement. Raven One was the lead council member and although the two others had been there just as long, they had lost the urgency to be the ones to make the decisions. Unless it could cost them their anonymity, of course, and more importantly, money. The rest of the time, they were happy for Raven to cut the decision short and clean so they could get back to their mansions and yachts.

  The room went silent for several moments and everyone present knew there was an issue they had avoided up to that point. The woman shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “Now, I know that we don’t want to open one certain file, but we have avoided it for long enough. We have all had more than enough time to look at the details.”

  Python sighed. “Yes, and I think we can all agree that it very likely is proof that Agent Outlaw and her control are alive.”

  Fire Fox agreed. “Two of our agents were killed after we had sent them out based on positive confirmation that both Outlaw and her handler were alive. I am under the assumption that her handler was unable to kill the operatives and she took matters into her own hands.”

  The three of them sat there in silence for a moment. Raven closed the file. “I know we are wary of continuing. She is completely capable of destroying our agents. She was, after all, our best, the most extensively trained agent in the field. Half the agents we currently have were, in some way or another, trained by her.”

  Python shook his head. “It’s a scorched earth decision.”

  Fire Fox groaned and rubbed his face. “What choice do we have? They know too much. None of the information we have in hand proves that they are trustworthy, and there are only two options. They must either be controlled or removed. I vote for eradication.”

  Python raised his finger. “I vote eradication.”

  Raven sat there and stared in awe at her colleagues. “You are willing to repay this agent by completely removing
her and any trace of her from the world? I struggle with that decision. There is obviously a reason why they went rogue. Perhaps a conversation with them would yield—”

  Fire Fox shook his head. “Yield what? Excuses? The realization that they have more information than we ever thought was possible? The fact that they may attempt to blackmail us or even sell the information regarding our agents to outsiders who would definitely love to get their hands on it? I think not. They are too dangerous out here. They must be taken care of.”

  She shook her head firmly. “I vote against.”

  Fire Fox slapped his hand on the table. “That’s a vote, two to one. The two shall be terminated immediately.”

  Raven sighed and turned the screen off. “May God have mercy on our souls.”

  All around the world, phones vibrated—from a lone woman who sat quietly in the back of a café, to the agent already on a mission and who sneaked quietly through the halls of a government building. All in all, fifteen agents were notified.

  The woman in the café glanced around, opened her phone, and pressed her thumb to the screen. It scanned for her identity and opened the message. On the screen was a picture of Marcus and twenty-seven different versions of what they thought Hickok might look like.

  Below the pictures, the instructions were simple. Terminate with Extreme Caution.

  Chapter Six

  JB sat in his apartment, his feet propped up on his other office desk. He had used the office upstairs to avoid the possibility that anyone might accidentally see him not acting like the new JB. He needed that privacy every once in a while. On this occasion, though, it was more about secrecy than anything else.

  He leaned back, closed his eyes, and tried to focus his attention on his breathing to calm his nerves. Across the room, the door opened and he groaned. “Locked…it is always locked.”

  Hickok chuckled and walked in with Marcus in tow. Neither was in disguise at that point. The patrons of the bar knew her as Jean, and Marcus was a brand-new face. JB opened his eyes and pulled his feet down.

  She motioned for him to stay seated. “No need to get up. JB, I would like to introduce you to Marcus. He was my handler for the entirety of my career in my last job. I was able to get him out of the organization and I brought him here because, like me, he needs to lay low.”

  The other man walked up and shook JB’s hand. “She brought me up to speed on your situation. It seems that all three of us have taken the magic potion.”

  JB chuckled. “It does seem that way. Though I think you and Billie might be in a better position than me at this point with your ability to walk in as newcomers. Either way, it will help with future goals. At least it will get one stressor off our backs.”

  Billie clapped her hands and patted Marcus on the back. “Yep, and Marcus here is a technological genius. He will join the company and do whatever he can to help.”

  Paula knocked on the door and poked her head in. JB glared at Billie. “You didn’t lock it?”

  She shrugged. “I knew they were coming up.”

  The bartender walked in with Holly, who looked at Billie with a deep sigh. “Look who decided to get the hell back here. And you must be Marcus.”

  He chuckled and shook her hand. “And you must be Holly.”

  She smiled. “The one and only.”

  Billie snickered. “Thank God.”

  The five of them chatted easily for several moments and discussed the general status of the company. Now that Hickok was back, they would be able to move forward a little quicker than they had been. Nothing was set in stone yet, but the details would have to come sooner rather than later.

  After another light tap on the door, Amanda stuck her head around and grinned. “Hey everyone. Wow, for once we’re all in the same damn room.”

  JB waved her in. She locked the door behind her. “There isn’t a bartender downstairs and there are people waiting for drinks.”

  Paula rolled her eyes dramatically and left, her reluctance very evident. It occurred to JB that maybe, the next time they met, she should pretend to run errands and call in a casual.

  Holly pointed to Marcus. “This is Billie’s handler, the tech person we have told you about.”

  Amanda let her gaze drift quickly over him, unsure of his thoughts about her. She swallowed softly and put her hand out. “Nice. I’m Amanda. You’re the one who made all that superhero armor Billie always wore.”

  Marcus puffed his chest out. “I am, actually. I am pleased to see that someone appreciated the technology in it.”

  She laughed. “Damn right I did. I’ve never seen anything like it before. When she came to me to get it fixed, it took me a while to really understand how it was made. It was incredibly well put together.”

  Marcus’ smile was a little smug but also faintly impressed. “So you’re the one who worked on Isabelle. I have to say, for someone who knew nothing about the armor, you did a fantastic job.”

  Amanda’s eyes lit up. “Thank you! I knew how important she was to you and to Billie, so I took really good care of her. There were so many switches and lights and cords. It took me a while to figure it all out but I have to admit, it was fucking genius. Every part of it was so damn meticulous.”

  Marcus beamed with a mixture of pleasure and pride. “That’s my specialty. I have to be able to make things that no one else has. That’s how the business works. With Billie being the top agent, she received the special shit. Anything to make her missions go more successfully. I had a lab with everything I would ever need to make this stuff. Money was no object to them. It definitely is the part I miss the most.”

  The armorer looked at him with sympathy. “I can’t even imagine. You created all that technology and you had to leave it behind. Poof. Gone. Like all the blood, sweat, and tears you put into it never actually mattered. That really sucks.”

  She and Marcus walked to the small living area and sat while they geeked out over all the different things he’d created. Billie watched them with both eyebrows raised and realized that technically, they were gone. They had spiraled into some crazy bullshit world that neither of them would climb out of anytime soon. She rolled her eyes, turned toward JB, and shook her head.

  The desert was dark and clouds covered the moon high in the sky. The French base was quiet and most of the soldiers were asleep in the barracks. The runway was lit up and one soldier stood out front and watched a small jet touch down and taxi to a stop outside the farthest hangar bay. The door opened and he pushed a set of stairs into place, then stepped back to wait.

  Three agents stepped down and onto the tarmac and glanced at the SUV. In the distance, a light rattle of gunfire clattered into the otherwise silent air all the way from the Zoo. One of the agents nodded. “Time for our own little trip into hell.”

  Holly and Amanda sat in the shop on one of the tables, drinking coffee and eating pastries they had bought from the new bakery in town. Holly took a bite of her bear claw and shrugged. “This is all coming on me so fast, and I haven’t yet fully decided what to do.”

  Amanda put her fingers to her full mouth as she swallowed. “I feel like you’re overwhelmed. Your main focus is the science, right? That is where you excel. So that is where you should concentrate. It won’t do us any good to have a black ops team if we don’t have something to help people with. We will merely be some strange group with no real purpose sneaking in and out of the Zoo.”

  Her friend giggled. “And I’ll be the mad scientist in my apartment lair with a tabletop chemistry set and bags under my eyes.”

  The armorer shook her head. “No bags. You need sleep, even if I have to come up there and knock you the fuck out. Create a sleep aid or something with that shit.”

  Holly snorted in protest. “If it were only that easy. It took me a long time and a whole shit ton of luck to get what I gave those guys. And even when I gave it to them, I had no idea it would do what it did. Not until I saw the reaction to it.”

  Amanda looked at her with cur
iosity. “So what are you planning to do now? I know you have that one serum, but not everyone will need to be brought back from the dead. It might be overkill on a papercut.”

  The other woman choked on her coffee as she hooted. “Yeah, I’ve thought about all that. I pulled all the research I’ve done and coupled it with the research that was already in the system. I need to play with my original recipe to see what I can come up with. Really, though, when I looked at the different compounds in the serum, it looks like I could easily create some sort of magical healing potion with what I have. The kind that could heal wounded soldiers, gunshot wounds, missing limbs, and who knows what else.”

  Her companion nodded in agreement. “And papercuts.”

  “And papercuts. And I might as well do some on the job testing, right?”

  A truck pulled up out front and the two women leaned back to look through the glass as the driver got out. He opened the back, extracted a dolly, and lowered the ramp. Amanda’s eyes went wide with excitement and she waited to stand until the man rolled down with a large box and his clipboard balanced on top of it.

  She hopped down from the table and ran over, opened the door, and directed him into the garage, where she had him set the box beside a mannequin in the center of the room. When he left, she closed and locked the front door and the door to the garage, then turned with excitement.

  Holly raised her eyebrows and wiped her fingers off on the napkin. “Why do you look like a kid who finally got a bike for Christmas?”

  The armorer turned the box to reveal a special delivery notice from Heavy Metal. She rolled her eyes in bliss, opened the lid, and drew out the first piece. As her head leaned back, she moaned as if she were having an orgasm. In fact, Holly wasn’t sure that she wasn’t. She continued to unpack various pieces while she shrieked and bounced up and down with excitement.