by Mark Tufo
Jack ran through his plans continuously in his mind. Playing and replaying every possibility until he had all avenues of recourse panned out in his head.
Before he realized it, the time had passed and Rufus entered the room. “Good evening, Mr. Thompson.”
“Rufus.” Jack nodded. “How soon can you arrange transport to the mainland?”
Rufus was somewhat shocked at the abruptness of Jack’s request. “Is there a rush?”
“Let’s just say that I’m ready to fulfill my obligation to you.” Jack was unreadable. Rufus studied him a moment, then nodded.
“I can have the boat ready within the hour. Once you reach shore, I shall have a vehicle standing by at your disposal.”
“It would really help if I could get something with government plates. Or is that asking too much?” Jack asked.
“Non, that should not be a problem,” Rufus said. “I believe black SUVs are the norm, oui?”
Jack smiled. “Oh, yeah.”
“I believe we can fill that request.” Rufus turned then asked, “Anything else?”
“How far south are we? I need to get to Oklahoma City and I wasn’t carrying cash when we were on the op.” Jack blushed.
“I shall see to it that you are adequately seen to for your journey.” Then he stepped out of the room.
Jack stepped to Rufus’ bar and checked out the different decanters. He purposely stayed away from anything with a red tint. Amber looked good. He pulled the stopper and sniffed. Smelled like alcohol. He poured himself a small glass and knocked it back. “For luck.”
Franklin’s phone rang and he glanced at the screen. Blocked number. Must be the hacker, he thought. “Franklin,” he said, answering the phone.
“Right. Look, Senator. I got your package.”
“Great! Send it out! Send it out, now!” He practically jumped up out of his chair as he stood.
“Seriously? Do you have any idea how much shit is on here? What kind of shit is on here? And you want me to send this out? Who are you, really?” the hacker asked.
Franklin went past mad and straight to infuriated. “Does it really matter? You’ve already been paid haven’t you?!” he practically screamed into the phone. “Just do as you’re fucking told!”
The hacker almost lost his temper, but decided to take the high road. He was a world-class destroyer in the digital world. It didn’t matter if the victim was an internet forum troll or a leader of the free world, he really didn’t like being spoken to like this. Still…he had already been paid. Handsomely. And, whether the voice on the line truly was the ‘Distinguished Gentleman from Illinois’ or not, if he truly wanted this data released to every media source tonight, then so-fucking-be-it. Still…
“Hey, man, I don’t want to be the one to piss in your Post Toasties, but do you have any idea what is on this flash drive?” he asked.
“Of course I do, you idiot!” Franklin hissed into the phone. “It’s exactly what I need to destroy the son-of-a-bitch who has made my life a living hell since I met him! It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not, it’s all true! So for the love of God, just do it! Release it! Send it out! Send it out, now!” Franklin screeched.
The hacker shook his head as if Franklin could see it. “Okay, man. It’s your funeral.” Franklin could hear the clicking of keys and the hacker said, “Hold on, it’s uploading to the main server now.” Franklin was practically shaking in anticipation. This time tomorrow, Matt Mitchell would be no more! “Okay, man. Last chance. I can just as easily delete this and…”
“No! Don’t you dare! Send it out. Please. I beg you. Just do it and I’ll leave you alone forever,” Franklin pleaded.
“Okay, man. Whatever.” A few clicks later. “It’s done, dude. Data is sent,” the hacker said. “But remember, dude. What’s been seen, can’t be unseen. Later cocksucker.” And hung up.
Insolent little shit. Franklin started to get angry, but then realized…it had been done. Mitchell was done for! By this time tomorrow, every news agency, tabloid, internet blogger…every single media source in the world would know about the Monster Squads and Colonel Matt Mitchell!
Senator Leslie Franklin had won! He actually whooped aloud and pumped his arm in victory.
Laura sat patiently while Matt told her his story. She would nod when expected and gasp when it was appropriate, but the whole time, in the back of her mind she kept telling herself, why didn’t I see this? It makes such perfect sense. Why didn’t I notice the little signs?
Once Matt explained who he was, how he became a wolf, the fact that the bane only helped to curb the urges, but didn’t prevent the shift, all of the pieces fell into place. Matt then told her that something big was coming. He didn’t know what, but he had been feeling it build up for some time now and he feared that whatever it was would come during a full moon, when the squads were the busiest and he was ‘preoccupied’. He also told her that he expected her to pick up the reins and take over when he was no longer able to.
Laura sat patiently and listened. She debated for some time on whether to interject her own opinion a few times, but decided prudence was the best policy. Until the end when she asked for permission to speak freely, and he foolishly granted it. Laura expressed her opinion, but at least she did so calmly and professionally. She told Matt that she had respected him for many years, however, recently, his behavior had her questioning whether she was cut out for the position any longer. She also told him that she had come within a hair’s breadth of turning in her resignation letter because of it. To his credit, Matt listened carefully, and after a long discussion from both sides, Laura agreed to add a new position to her job description…as the good Colonel’s moral compass.
She accepted that the more often he shifted, the more the wolf was exposed and the more influence it had on his attitude and behavior when he was human. A side-effect, he called it. The bane helped, but it could only do so much…and after years of shifting, the wolf had recently begun to have much more influence on his aggression and competitiveness. Laura claimed to understand, but she couldn’t really know what he was going through. Still, she agreed to act as his moral compass for as long as she could. And Matt agreed that when the day came that he could no longer effectively lead, to step down and let Laura take the reins. Both felt a certain amount of ‘cleansing’ had taken place when they were done, and Laura felt a lot better about resuming her position as XO. But she told Matt, if he gave an order that she felt went beyond what was right, she may have to call him on it publicly. If the wolf caused him to ever try to retaliate or to try to embarrass her…and Matt assured her that as long as he had any control left, that day will never come.
Laura hoped he was right.
Chapter 259
Jack made landfall a lot sooner than he expected. The Monterey open bow craft had skimmed the surface of the water at sixty knots, and apparently the island was a lot closer than he had expected. A group of men were waiting at the dock and threw a line to the approaching craft. Jack grabbed it and pulled them in alongside the floating dock. The boat’s pilot never moved from behind the wheel, but he handed him a satellite phone. “When you’re ready to return, I’m speed dial pound-sign-one. I can be back within the hour,” he said and shot Jack a wink. Jack took the phone, but wasn’t sure if he ever would return.
He walked to the rear of the craft and one of the men extended a hand to help pull him to the floating dock. “Your car is waiting outside the gate. Fully fueled. Government plates, as requested.” He reached inside his bomber jacket and retrieved an overstuffed envelope. “Travelling money.”
Jack felt the heft of the package. Good grief, he wasn’t travelling Europe, he was just travelling up the state of Texas and into central Oklahoma. “Overkill?” he asked.
“Rufus takes care of his people,” the man said. “Besides, you may need to hire backup or acquire more firepower, or…whatever.”
“This isn’t a raid,” Jack explained. “It’s a…diplomatic mission.”
The men raised eyebrows and shot him quizzical looks. “Good luck with that.”
Jack considered their disbelief and realized that he was going to need all the luck he can get.
He grabbed the bag that Rufus had provided him and walked to the car they had provided. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear it was a government vehicle. Black SUV with government plates, just as requested. He glanced at the windshield and noted that it even had a base sticker from San Antonio. Nice touch. Should make entry a lot smoother.
Jack tossed his bag into the passenger seat, unhooked his P90 and laid it in the floor next to him and started the truck. He turned to the man in the bomber jacket. “Tell Rufus I’ll do the best I can, just like I told him. I’m going to drive straight through if I can.”
“Full moon’s tomorrow. You should have enough adrenaline pumping through you to make it,” he replied. He leaned against the window and added. “I meant it when I said good luck. There are a lot of us on the ground whose lives depend on your success.”
Jack nodded and put the truck into drive and pulled away. He took the first highway he found heading north and started working his way toward I-35. Thankfully, the wolves had put a Garmin GPS in the SUV to make the trip a bit easier. The hardest part was keeping the cruise control set at the speed limit and not flooring the accelerator. He was in for a long trip. He longed for a good cup of coffee like the wolves made back at the island. Somehow, they knew how to make it so that it tasted good, unlike any other cup of coffee he had drank since the augmentation. His taste buds had changed, but his desires hadn’t.
Jack turned on the radio and flipped through the stations until he found one with old time rock and roll and settled back into the seat for the drive. Although he was as tense as he ever was prior to an operation, he did his best to try to relax. He may be going home, but this was no homecoming.
Franklin was practically giddy when he returned home and walked through the door. He was actually whistling to himself as he came in through the kitchen entryway. He should have noticed the breeze blowing back through that slowly shut the kitchen door, but he didn’t. It wasn’t until he stepped into his study and saw Damien sitting behind his chair, his feet propped on his desk, that he even noticed the study window open. Franklin paused and set his briefcase next to his desk, then hung his suit coat on the coat tree in the corner.
“You have a key to the house, Damien. I don’t see why you insist on using the window.”
“Keeps my skills honed, father,” Damien said, scraping his nails clean with his father’s letter opener. “Somebody once told me to find my skill and exploit it.” He paused his nail cleaning and glanced at his father. “I think that somebody was…you?!” He chuckled to himself.
Franklin sighed. “Why must you be this way, son?” he asked. “Didn’t I provide for you? Send you to the best schools? Give you everything you could ever want?”
“Give it a rest, father. The things that I truly wanted, you didn’t have time for,” Damien stated. “But we’ve been down this road far too many times to rehash it now.” He took the letter opener and stabbed it into the desk while sitting up. “Look what you do to me, father! I’m a fucking vampire with daddy issues!” He burst out laughing.
Franklin hated it when Damien got like this. His outbursts were so unpredictable and with his strength and bloodlust, the violence was palpable. He bordered on insanity when he was human, but now that he was undead…he was completely unmanageable.
“But, father, there is one thing I’ve learned since being turned. Do you know what that is?” Damien asked, jumping up onto Franklin’s desk and squatting down like a gargoyle. “Never make the same mistake twice!” His maniacal laughter echoed out through the hallway. Franklin felt his hand begin to shake so he placed it behind his back in order that Damien couldn’t see it. Never show him fear, it only feeds his dementia. “But with you…now, with you, father, I make the same mistake five or six times. I just can’t help myself. You bring out the worst in me.”
“Why are you here, Damien?”
Damien instantly sobered. His hysterical laughter squelched. “How is your mind, father?”
“Clear as a bell,” he said honestly.
“You’re welcome.”
Franklin nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
“And Mitchell?” he practically spat the name out.
Now it was Franklin’s turn to allow his features to twist into an evil smile. “The wheels have already been put into motion. It seems that while the son-of-a-bitch may have screwed with my memory, during his interrogation, he forgot to ask one tiny little question. And that question is coming back to bite him in the ass.”
Damien turned a skeptical eye to his father. “What question is that, father?”
“If I still had the USB with the virus on me.” Franklin smiled. “You see, it not only held the virus that would try to connect their secure computers to the internet, but it also downloaded all of their data onto its flash-drive.”
Damien hiked a brow. It seems his father wasn’t a complete idiot after all.
“They were so busy trying to secure their computers again and drilling me with ‘why would I do this’ that they forgot all about the device I used. It was still in my trouser pocket when I returned home.”
“Where is it? I want to see it,” Damien demanded.
“Already sent to the hacker and released to the news agencies,” Franklin said with an evil smirk.
Damien’s eyes bugged out. “What?!” He jumped down from the desk and grabbed his father’s tie, pulling him closer to him. “Did you at least check the data first?!”
Franklin stuttered and stammered, “N-no! It was encrypted! I couldn’t have checked it even if I wanted to!”
“You fool!” Damien threw him across the study to crash into his mother’s armoire. “They could have compromised the drive and put anything they wanted on it!”
Franklin struggled to regain his footing. “They couldn’t. There was no way for them to access it. It was encrypted…”
“They have the best people on the planet working there,” he hissed. “There are no secrets to those who hold all the keys.”
Franklin was on his hands and knees. “You’ll see, son. You’ll see…” he gasped. “Tomorrow. Mitchell will be destroyed. He’ll be pulled out of the dark and into the light of the public eye. You’ll be safe my son. He won’t ever be able to touch you…ever.” Franklin lifted his eyes to plead to his son…but he was gone. A breeze blowing softly through the study window the only indication he had ever been there.
“Jesus, Apollo, I think you could bench a friggin truck!” TD said, spotting for Apollo in the gym. The bar was so loaded that it curved in a distinct ‘u’ shape and Apollo stared intently at the ceiling, huffing and grunting as he pushed out the last rep.
TD helped him place the bar back on the rack and listened to the metal stress as it took the load, the clank of the Olympic plates a welcome sound. Apollo sat up and Jimmy handed him a towel to wipe down. “I wish they would find something to give us a better work out besides this old stuff. It’s getting to where it’s barely a challenge anymore and we can’t fit anymore plates on the bar.”
“I’m telling ya, man. There’s a nice Toyota Tundra out in the parking lot!” TD joked.
Marshall stopped with the arm curls and turned to him, “I think that’s Spanky’s truck, dude. He may not appreciate you pressing it.”
Jimmy got a gleam in his eye. “Hey. Let’s go pick it up and move it!” The others groaned. “No, seriously. Let’s go stick it in between something so he can’t get it out!” he giggled. Marshall hooked his chin toward Jimmy and then pointed over his shoulder.
Jimmy turned around to be eye to sternum with Spanky. “Not a good idea, Tango. That truck is my baby.”
Jimmy looked up and smiled. “You know I was just messing around, right, Spank?”
“Mm-hmm. I’d say that too if I got busted.”
Apollo walked by and snapped Jimmy with his towel. “Busted!”
“Hey, I’m just trying to cook you up a better workout, Jolly Black Giant,” TD joked.
“Maybe we could find you something else to lift?” Marshall asked. “I think there’s a Humvee around here somewhere.” He laughed.
Apollo stopped and struck a pose, mocking the bodybuilders they’d all made fun of so many times before. Catcalls and whoops from the other guys in the gym echoed through the room and Apollo ate it up. Changing poses and flexing his muscles for the crowd. He had just assumed the ‘crab’ position when he felt a pinch on his ass and he jumped, propelling himself forward into Wallace’s arms. Wallace, being so much shorter than Apollo, looked up at him, then abruptly dropped him to the floor to a roar of laughter. “Sorry, buddy, I don’t swing that way!”
Apollo quickly looked around for the offending pincher only to find Sanchez standing in the doorway smiling at him. “Looked too good not to,” she quipped.
“Girl, you’re gonna get it now,” he said, scrambling to his feet.
She squealed and ran out of the gym with Apollo hot on her heels.
Jimmy stood there a moment staring after them. “Well, damn,” he said, disappointed. “He was supposed to spot me when I got through spotting him.”
“I have a feeling he’s going to be ‘spotting’ her,” Marshall quipped.
“Dude, how is it you can make anything sound dirty?” TD asked. “Seriously. Somebody ask you to change the oil in their car and you could make it sound dirty as hell.”
“It’s a talent.” Marshall grinned.
Sanchez ran by the door again squealing with Apollo hot on her heels. TD walked to the door and watched them go down the hall. “I think he’s gaining on her.”
“She could give him the slip if she wanted. She’s slippery that way.” Marshall wiggled his eyebrows.
“Dude!” TD exclaimed. “Seriously? Again?”
“Tell me you haven’t thought about changing her oil…come on, tell me. We’ve all seen her naked,” he said. “Hell, I got a woman at every base I’ve been assigned, but I’d still use my dipstick on her and check her oil level!”