by Summer Lane
Uriah’s face is fixed into one of stern annoyance – he’s not religious and the Mad Monks have never been his favorite people. Vera, on the other hand, is expressionless.
“We’re all in this together,” I say, sighing. “If the world falls, we fall with it. Omega has killed so many of us already – friends, family. They’ve taken away everything, but we can still stop them. It might not be easy – and we might die in the process. But we can do it. We have something they don’t: motivation. We want victory more than they do, because this is our home.”
“I know this, Commander,” Father Kareem answers, slowly. “My people have been persecuted more than yours have – we have indeed both suffered greatly.” He turns around, his hands clasped behind his back. The woman with the white hair regards us with a cool, calm gaze as he stares at a mural on the wall: it looks fairly new, a painting of a black cross twisted with thorns, and around the base, fire is burning all around it.
“The world is in a dangerous and precarious position, young soldier,” Father Kareem goes on. “We are on the precipice of destruction, in its most ungodly and blackened form. We are all that stands between the earth and total annihilation.”
“Nuclear war,” I whisper.
“Indeed. A war of fire and ash.”
“It’s impossible,” Sister Leslie suddenly says. Her eyes – and her voice – are stone cold. “We cannot outmatch or overpower the enemy. Not with sheer brute force. We simply don’t have enough manpower.”
She seems desperate to convey this to Father Kareem, fixing me with a tense glare.
“Sister Leslie speaks the truth,” Father Kareem agrees. “If we keep fighting, it will be a fight to the death. They will overcome us all.”
For a long while, nobody speaks.
“But,” Father Kareem says at last, “I would not be a true man of the Holy God and neither would my people if we simply denied help to those who ask us to come to their aid.” He looks at me, an ever-so-slight smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. “My people and I will help you, Commander Hart, but there are conditions.”
My heart does a back flip, stunned. This…this is wonderful.
Reinforcements at last!
“What are your conditions?” I ask, keeping my expression calm.
“Father,” Sister Leslie says, “we have been doing incredibly well here in Alaska, attacking the enemy from our winter fortress. Leaving will kill us all, and we –”
Father Kareem holds up a hand, and she immediately falls silent.
“We will do this,” he says. “And that is the last we will speak of it.”
Sister Leslie bows her head, her jaw clenched. She glares at me again, then crosses herself and looks at the mural on the wall, refusing to face the rest of the people in the room.
Em Davis looks at me, her face grave. She slowly shakes her head, as if trying to convey some secret message to me. I raise an eyebrow but say nothing, turning back to Father Kareem.
“My conditions are simple,” Father Kareem replies. “Total transparency, and of course my men will ultimately answer to me, not the militias.”
“Of course,” I agree.
“Commander, you and your men have a reputation; Angels of Death, I believe they call you,” he goes on. “It is an apt nickname. If you help my men strike a deadly blow at the enemy here in Alaska, we will go wherever you want us to go, and we will gladly fight by your side until this war is over.”
Em closes her eyes, shaking her head.
“What do you want us to do?” I ask.
“Fulfill the prophecy,” he replies.
Chapter Eight
A hush falls over the room. The Mad Monks’ prophecy regarding the apocalypse and a certain girl with “flaming” hair has long been a running joke in the militia ranks. No one takes it seriously, but here, in the room with Father Kareem, I am suddenly afraid of what he’s about to say.
“What prophecy?” I ask, hesitant.
“You fear religion,” Father Kareem replies, raising one eyebrow. “You fear it because you cannot grasp it, and yet it is shaping you even now, as we speak.”
“I don’t understand,” I say.
“I foresaw this apocalypse long before it ever happened,” he goes on. “And I am not the only one who predicted it. The Holy God gave me a vision, along with several others, of our saving grace, and I know only that you will have a part to play in it.” He shrugs. “Perhaps your work here will fulfill the prophecy.”
“What do you want us to do?” I ask.
“Sister Leslie,” Father Kareem says. “Bring the map.”
Sister Leslie scurries to the far end of the room, peeling a map off the wall, then laying it flat against the table. We stand up and gather around it. I see a map of the lower southern coast of Alaska, reaching into the coastline of Canada.
Near Juneau, there is a red marker circling a white spot.
“What is it?” Uriah asks, flashing a dark look at Father Kareem.
“The enemy,” Father Kareem replies. “Omega has taken over Juneau, but they are harboring a secret military base at Mendenhall Lake, miles away from the actual city.”
“What kind of a base are we talking about?” I ask.
“It’s a defense base,” Sister Leslie answers, her words clipped. “It’s small, but it’s heavily stocked with Omega weaponry – guns, vehicles, tanks and rockets. A detachment of maybe two hundred Omega soldiers are stationed there at all times, guarding it.”
I feel a shiver of excitement – only two hundred men standing guard?
Piece of cake.
“So they’re just guarding their compound?” Vera asks.
“They’re guarding their compound and their weaponry,” Father Kareem tells us. “And it is quite a considerable amount of goods. Our intel suggests that Omega has more than mere tanks and guns stocked here – possibly something more dangerous.”
“Like what?” I ask.
“I suppose that is the question that cannot be answered until we get inside, but we theorize that they may have valuable intel that could greatly aid our cause.”
“You just want us to infiltrate the base?”
“I want us to infiltrate the base,” he corrects. “And kill every breathing Omega soldier inside, and seize their weapons, vehicles, aircraft and computers. Commander, I want our forces to take their base and make it ours.”
A military occupation.
I think about this for a moment – what an incredible goldmine this would be. It could change the game for us: access to their weapons, their aircraft, and a peek into their top secret computer databases. Imagine the kind of stuff we could dig up on Omega – locations of secret bases, supply drops, troop deployments…everything!
“Why us?” I prod. “Why haven’t you made a move on this place before? You’ve got a sizable force of men at your disposable – and Commander Davis has a fairly big detachment of men.”
“I have been waiting for the opportune moment,” Father Kareem says. “And you, Commander, are it. I believe you and your men have been in enough tight spots to understand that what I need for this mission is experience – and lots of it. The National Guard here…their hearts are pure, but they are lacking the skills that I need to make this mission a success.”
I get it. He wants seasoned vets to fight against Omega. I’d want the same.
I look at Em.
“You seem distressed,” I say, gauging her pained expression. “Spill.”
“It’s just logistics,” Em replies, shooting a pointed look at Father Kareem. “This locale is extremely dangerous; the guards there aren’t just your run-of-the-mill Omega soldiers. They’re Elites, essentially Omega’s Special Forces. They’re dangerous – well trained, and two hundred of them isn’t just a walk in the park.”
I consider this.
“Have you ever tried attacking them before?” I ask.
“No.”
“Then we have the element of surprise on your side. That’s goo
d.”
“Mendenhall Base is a suicide mission,” Em snorts. “I won’t send my men in there.”
“Okay,” I say, shrugging. “Nobody’s asking you to. This is a deal between Father Kareem and my men. Nobody else.”
She looks surprised, then shifts her gaze to the table.
“Will you do this?” Father Kareem asks. “Are you willing?”
I glance at Uriah. His firm, steady gaze tells me what I need to know.
“Yes,” I say. “We’re all in.”
***
My hands are slicked with sweat as I stand in the meeting room, staring at the fiery cross on the wall. Elle, Bravo, Cheng, Manny, Andrew and the rest of my detachment slowly filter inside. Many of the men here comprise the Angels of Death, my personal strike team – the same team that completed the dangerous HALO jump into the Kings Canyon in California, into the heart of enemy territory.
These guys aren’t just fighters. They’re the definition of fearless.
Elle keeps Bravo close to her knee as they sit, Cheng sliding into place beside her, his eyes trained on the map on the table. I am not nervous about presenting the idea of another mission to them; no, that is not what frightens me. What scares the living daylights out of me is the knowledge that there is a very real chance that most of the people in this room – including the ones I love and care about the most – may not make it back alive.
And that is the most terrifying part of this war: the threat of loss. I can see the bewilderment on Manny and Andrew’s faces as they come inside, faced with Father Kareem, the legendary leader of the Mad Monks. They are just as shocked as I was an hour ago, wondering how on earth we crossed paths again…how this all happened.
Maybe Father Kareem is right, and this is all part of a greater plan.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” I say, folding my arms across my chest. “You’re here today because Father Kareem and his men have made us an offer that I have accepted. Reinforcements in return for our aid on an attack on Omega.”
There are some low murmurs – some laughter. I know what they are thinking: Easy. A walk in the park. No problem. We can max this mission in an hour.
“I want it to be made perfectly clear that this is a volunteer mission,” I say. “It’s very dangerous – different than anything we’ve ever done before. We’ll be tackling Omega Special Forces on their turf, and seizing their assets, establishing an occupation in their base. If anyone here wants out, let me know right now, because there’s no turning back.”
The room is stone silent.
“Good,” I say. “Our mission codename is Glacier, and our target is this place right here.” I place my hand on the map. “Mendenhall Base. It’s a lake, and we’re going to kill the Special Forces there and take everything they have. And I do mean everything, guys. We’re seizing their aircraft, their vehicles, their weaponry, their intel. Everything.”
I see some smiles, hear some excited dialogue. This is a big deal. All this time, we’ve been on the defensive, hiding from Omega and hitting back at them. This mission is different. We’ll be dealing out the punishment, taking their stuff, and best of all…we’re getting reinforcements out of it, along with an occupied military base. We’ll be on offensive for once.
“How are we going in?” Elle asks.
“We’ll come in by air six klicks behind enemy lines,” I reply. “And then we’ll continue to the base on foot.”
Father Kareem sets another map on the table, one I’ve never seen before.
“The base is heavily guarded on three sides, and the waterfront is overlooked,” Father Kareem says. “The reason is simple: they have a large lookout tower on the island in the middle of the lake – it’s their communications building.”
“But we’ve found a hole,” I say. I press my finger against the front of the compound, etched onto the map. “There are large drainage pipes running underneath the base, and we can infiltrate the compound by using these pipes as an entrance point. We’ll scale the sides of the building and get inside. Once there, we’ll separate and systematically take our platoons through the building, taking down anybody who gets in our way.” I take a step back. “No mercy. Understood?”
There are murmurs of, “Yes, Commander.”
“What about the communications island?” Manny asks.
“We’re going to take them out by using their own weapons on them,” I reply.
“Indeed,” Father Kareem agrees. “Once we seize the base, taking the island should be simple. Air support will arrive from Yukon City after we have taken the compound and killed the Elites. Blackhawks will cover the island and make sure Omega does not evacuate their communications buildings. We will not only take the island, but we will take the intel workers there hostage.”
“How many Special Forces are we looking at?” Andrew asks.
“Two hundred, give or take,” Father Kareem answers. “Your detachment is thirty fighters, and mine is fifty.”
“Risky odds,” Vera mutters.
“We’ll be fine,” I assure her. “We’re better than they are.”
She doesn’t seem so sure, but she doesn’t verbalize her doubts – just like I don’t verbalize mine. We have to stay positive, after all. It takes me another hour to finish the details and assignments for the mission.
“Any questions?” I ask, looking around the room of hardened faces.
Cheng says, “This move will either be the smartest thing we’ve ever done or the most dangerous. Omega will be infuriated if we take a base like this from them – Veronica Klaus will be infuriated.”
“Good,” I say. “They need to be put on the defensive for once.”
“They may retaliate with another nuclear attack,” Cheng replies.
I exhale.
“We’re fighting for our lives,” I tell him. “This is something we’re doing, because we have no other choice, and because we need the reinforcements and weapons in California.”
“Father Kareem and his men will return with us to California to join the Freedom Fighters when this is over,” I say. “And we will take the Omegan weapons that we seize with us.”
“Wow, this really is a big mission,” Andrew remarks. “This is bigger than anything we’ve ever done before – this could really help California.”
“Yes,” I say. “That’s why we have to do it.”
There are no arguments.
“We move out at 0400,” I say. “Get your rest, eat up. We’ll rendezvous at Begich Towers and rally from that point onward. Understood?”
“Yes, Commander,” they echo.
“You’re dismissed.”
They rise from their seats, talking quietly among themselves. My personal lieutenants, including Uriah and Vera, hang back to talk with me.
“So what if we get there and we’re outnumbered?” Vera asks. “What do we do? Where do we run? There’s nowhere to run to.”
“We’ll have an RV point in case of a retreat,” I reply. “Alaska is the perfect terrain for us, Vera. It’s a lot like fighting in California, guerilla-warfare style. That’s our expertise, remember?”
She sighs. “Yeah. I remember.”
“We can do this.”
“Indeed,” Father Kareem interjects. “God will guide us. We will be victorious.”
Vera looks at me and rolls her eyes, whisking away with Andrew in tow. Uriah remains at the table with me, along with Elle and Cheng.
“So we’ll be able to bring back reinforcements,” Elle says. “Plus enemy weapons and seized enemy intel. I think this is a good mission – a great one.”
“If we survive,” Cheng replies, darkly.
Father Kareem places a hand on my shoulder.
“We will,” he says. “If God is willing, the vengeance of the persecuted will be swift and powerful.”
I’m not sure what I think about Father Kareem’s violent take on religion, but I don’t care. All I know is that we’re finally getting something that we want, and I’m willing to tak
e this risk to achieve it.
“O400,” I say again. “Be ready.”
Father Kareem nods.
I head with Uriah outside, into the dark compound. All around me, the Mad Monks – or the Roamers, as the people of Yukon City call them – are silently watching us. They are like their leader, solemn and silent. I notice Sister Leslie standing in the shadows, the hood of her dark robe pulled over her bare scalp. She is watching me with a piercing gaze. I don’t like it, so I look away, mentally noting to keep an eye on her in the future.
“Cassidy,” Uriah says quietly.
“Yeah?”
“You really think we can do this? Omega Special Forces aren’t anything any of these guys have been up against before.”
“We are the militia’s Special Forces,” I say. “This isn’t anything we can’t handle.”
“I know.”
“But you’re doubting. Because Chris isn’t here.”
Uriah shrugs. “He’s a SEAL. This is his expertise.”
“You don’t think I should be leading this mission?”
Uriah stops and looks at me, long and hard.
“I didn’t say that,” he tells me at last. “I just think this is dangerous.”
“Give me one scenario so far in this war that hasn’t been dangerous,” I snap. “This is war. We fight to the death.”
“I’m not questioning your leadership, Cassie,” Uriah says, quietly. “I didn’t mean it like that. You know that I’d die for you.”
I see a flash of raw emotion in his dark eyes, and I feel a lump in my throat.
“Don’t die for me,” I tell him, sharp. “Die for something bigger than that.”
I don’t speak to him again until we leave the compound.
Chapter Nine
We return to Begich Towers for the night. When we arrive, pulling up in our small convoy, the icy air kissing our faces, there is a commotion outside the building. Civilian refugees are gathered at the base of the edifice – children are holding makeshift signs that read: “MILITIAS KILL” and “JUSTICE FOR CLAUDIA.”
I knit my brow and slowly approach the gathering of people blocking the doorway to the building. Uriah and Vera fall into step beside me, with Andrew, Elle, Cheng, Manny and Bravo taking up the rear. The Angels of Death emerge from their vehicles, too, wary of the situation.