by Ben Hale
At 0300 the weathered dock stood empty. It creaked from their movement, causing a dog to bark in the distance. Robar tensed, but no one materialized in the gloom. He made a motion with his hand.
All clear.
Captain "Rowdy" Rawlins responded in kind. Proceed. Alpha team to point.
Like wraiths in the dead of night, they advanced into the city of Rostov-on-Don. The ancient city abutted the Don River delta in southwestern Russia. Aging architecture and crumbling warehouses greeted them. The scenery appeared grainy and green through Robar's night vision goggles.
Concrete sidewalks ran along old buildings, and were littered with trash. A scattering of trees clung to patches of earth in a desperate attempt to beautify the area.
Wolf jerked to a halt and the whole team paused. Then he motioned, go to ground.
Robar darted into an alley and waited, his whole body tense and ready. The threat proved to be a drunk mumbling a Russian song. Oblivious to the sixteen elite soldiers around him, he stumbled by and his voice faded. When he was gone the team glided back into motion. Five minutes later they reached their destination.
Marked by a crumbling staircase, the ancient apartment building had endured a century of neglect. Wolf eased the door open, releasing a creak of protest from the hinges. Once they were inside Rowdy issued crisp orders into his radio.
"Beta, cover the exits. Alpha, with me. We'll clear the building and then secure the asset."
Half the team peeled off to guard the entrance and exit. Smooth yet fast, Robar led Alpha to clear the first two floors of the building. Then they reached the third, and he glided to the door that contained a ribbon of light underneath.
Robar slid to the side and pointed his gun down the hall. Wolf took the opposite side of the opening. Then Rowdy tapped a faint sequence on the door. Seconds later an older man swung it open. Rowdy led them inside, where a kerosene lamp cast a dim light onto the faded wallpaper. Robar eased the door shut before the light could show up outside.
"Thank you for coming," the man said nervously, his Russian accent heavy. "We should be ready in a moment."
Rowdy motioned to the side room. "Robar, you have the daughter. Ten minutes until extraction."
Inwardly he groaned, but accepted the order. He'd lost the bet after the briefing, so he'd been shackled with babysitting duty. Stepping to the side room, he opened the door and found a young girl packing a suitcase. The girl, Katya, he recalled from the briefing, smiled up at him, her face flickering in shadow from a second lamp. She appeared undeterred by the armored and painted SEAL towering over her.
"You came to protect papa?"
Robar couldn't resist the smile. "And you."
She frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Do all Americans look like you?"
"Just the lucky ones," Robar replied, eliciting a tinkling laugh. The old bedroom had no windows, but he scanned the exterior anyway.
"Are you going to keep us safe?"
His gaze returned to her. Her expression was the most serious he'd seen on anyone. "That's what we do," Robar said.
"Are you going to keep us safe?" Her eyebrows had creased in annoyance.
He almost laughed, but the intensity of her expression stopped him. "With my life," he finally said.
She gave a somber nod. "Promise?"
"Promise," he said, and meant it.
Finally satisfied, the girl talked to herself as she loaded her things. "I can't forget this. Mama would be angry if I left it behind. And this will look nice in America. This will too."
Robar's heart softened. The girl was precocious, and she spoke like an intelligent adult. Her green eyes seemed to have the weight of authority, even for one so young. Briefly he wondered if she'd gotten them from her mother.
Wolf appeared in the door and flashed a grin at Robar. "Are you and the kid ready?"
"Of course," Katya replied, and zipped her backpack closed. "And don't call me 'the kid'."
Robar snorted, and exchanged a look with Wolf. He grinned in turn. "We're ready."
"Whatever happens," Robar said to Katya, "Stay by me."
The girl gave a nod. She turned off the lamp and they stepped into the living room. Robar was struck by the excitement in her features, contrasting sharply with the father's fear. Several times Rowdy had to remind the asset to be quiet as they turned off the remaining lamp. Their path lit by flashlight, they descended to the first level. At every step Robar was conscious of the small hand holding his elbow.
They rejoined the rest of the team, and Rowdy clicked his radio. "Eyes open. Lights off. Ten minutes to the boat. Don't fall behind—"
The front door exploded as hundreds of rounds impacted the old wood. Robar yanked Katya to the floor as splinters filled the air, and he covered her form with his own body. Honed by years of combat experience, the SEALs responded with lethal force, and the exterior assault tapered off.
The SEALs returned fire with a deafening volley of combined lead, and the suppressive fire allowed Robar to get a look at their adversary. Lit by the muzzle flashes of dozens of weapons, Russian Special Forces were lined up behind temporary barricades, firing PKM light machine guns.
Without warning the back of the safehouse exploded in a fireball that channeled down the hallway, incinerating the peeling wallpaper and filling the air with ash. Then gunfire erupted from the rear as the other half of the team retreating. Several supported wounded comrades as they fired.
"Wolf!" Rowdy bellowed. "Get us out of here!"
Wolf darted to the stairs and led them up a level. One by one the SEALs retreated. Several had been injured, but others were quick to support them.
"Frag out!" several voices shouted.
Four grenades clattered into the entryway just as the Russian soldiers stormed through the door. The sharp cracks sent sizzling shrapnel through them, forcing them to retreat. The respite allowed the SEALs to gain the second floor.
Carrying Katya, Robar sprinted down the hall, trusting Wolf and his instincts. Then the man in front of him leapt through a demolished window. Robar grasped the trembling girl to him and leapt after him. Darkness blurred across his vision, but he caught a glimpse of the neighboring roof as he landed.
He stumbled, but controlled his fall so Katya wouldn't be crushed. Rolling to his feet, he caught her up and bolted after the others. A glance revealed her terrified expression, and her lips were pressed together as if to keep from screaming.
"Good girl," he said in approval as he reached the opposite side of the squat building.
He caught the edge of the roof with one hand as he leapt over. His body slammed into the side of the building, and then he released. Grunting from the impact with the concrete ground, he managed to stay on his feet. SEALs rained down around him as the rest of the team hustled to escape the trap. Then they raced into a back alley. From there they exited onto a different street and bolted toward the river.
Rowdy was near the lead, hustling the asset toward the extraction point. Gunfire still rattled behind them, and angry Russian voices filled the night. The op was blown, but they just might be able to exfiltrate before the military closed down the area . . .
—Robar saw the impact before he heard the shot. The asset snapped to the side as the high caliber round entered his torso. Then the report echoed down the street as the man collapsed.
"Sniper at seven o'clock!" Wolf bellowed.
Jamison whirled and dropped to one knee. At the same time he drew the long barreled weapon from his back and aimed upward. The rest of the team dived behind cover as Rowdy unloaded on the sniper's location, trying to pin him down.
"PAPA!" Katya screamed.
Robar struggled to drag her out of the street. She fought like a lion, and in that moment her strength rivaled his. Empowered with rage and adrenaline, she tore herself free and sprinted to her father. Robar surged after her, but it was too late. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she knelt at her father’s side. Then she cast a withering look at Robar.
With gunfire crackling around her form, she leveled her gaze at Robar. "YOU PROMISED—"
She folded in half as a bullet struck, and her body slammed into the ground. He skidded to her side but blood was already pooling beneath her limp form. The accusation in her green eyes did not abate even as her life faded. He covered the gaping wound with a hand and pressed.
"Don't die on me," he growled.
"You promised . . .," she mumbled through bloody teeth.
Robar maintained pressure on the wound, frozen in place. Jamison finally silenced the sniper and Rowdy called a withdrawal. Russian soldiers filled the street as the SEALs were forced back. A bullet struck Robar, causing him to grunt. He did not move.
Dimly he was aware of a voice in his ear, shouting for him to pull back. He did not respond. Katya's lifeless glare robbed him of strength, rooting him in place. The image of her condemning green eyes seared into his brain—an eternity of blame conveyed in the span of seconds. Then a rifle butt struck him in the head, and darkness claimed him.
Chapter 37: Weight of the Lost
Robar fell silent. His shoulders hunched, he did not meet her gaze. In the distance Tess could hear the others finishing their preparations. For once it didn't seem as important. Her whole attention was on Robar.
"What happened next?"
"I woke up in the Black Dolphin prison," he said. "The warden told me that my government listed me as KIA. No one would ever come for me."
"But you didn't kill her," Tess finally said.
"But I let her go," he said, and turned to face her. "After all my training and conditioning, a tiny girl proved stronger than me. I could not hold her. I could not save her. When she bolted into the open I knew in my gut she would die—that I had failed her. I might as well have pulled the trigger.
"Every day I see her eyes look at me. She stares at me, judging me for not protecting her and her father. It is the first image I see in the morning, and the last one at night. I should have died that day, not her."
"You don't deserve to die," Tess said. "You tried to save her, and you did save me, remember?"
He flashed a faint smile. "When I saw you falling in the Dark it reminded me of the way Katya collapsed."
"It's not your fault," Tess said. "Failing to protect someone isn't the same as killing them."
"How do you know?" Robar asked. "I've done both, and I know exactly how it feels. Taking a life isn't the worst thing about combat, Tess. Killing someone rends a part of you, but witnessing a friend die haunts your very soul."
"Why tell me that now?"
"Because you should prepare yourself," he said. "Chances are you are going to lose someone tomorrow—someone you care about. Are you ready for that?"
Tess met his gaze, and slowly shook her head.
Robar issued a snort. "You are one of the most valiant women I have ever met. In the weeks that I have known you, you have faced down the Dark, Twisted, and a black reaver. There is no doubt that you have the courage to fight, and to lead. But can you survive losing someone you love?"
"I don't know," Tess whispered.
Robar got to his feet. "Then prepare yourself tonight. When the fighting starts tomorrow you won't get the chance."
Robar walked away, but Tess remained. She felt as if his weight had shifted to her. It hunched her shoulders and bowed her head. After a while she stood and returned to her friends. She found them mingling with the soldiers.
"Your optics were woefully inadequate," Iris was saying to Kate. "Now it should automatically calculate velocity, wind, and—no, Uri, I can't talk right now. Yes, I know that Breaker wants to talk to Jack. I'll send him over—and pinpoint the best place to fire," she finished.
Kate bore a bemused expression, but thanked her. Before she could turn away Iris caught Kent's arm. "Silence her weapon, would you?"
Kent grinned. "Sure."
Iris then groaned. "What?" Derek asked.
Her eyes were flicking back and forth so fast they appeared to vibrate. "Keidon just arrived at the Mage Technology Bureau."
"Who's Keidon?" Chuck asked.
"He was the head of the Bureau," Derek said, "and is a very powerful techno mage."
"That's an understatement," Iris growled. "He invented the Gralisian charm, and is the only mage with a rank higher than thirty in any field."
"I don't understand what his presence means," Chuck said.
Iris spun to face him. "The whole plan hinges on the techno shroud coming down so you can bring your planes in—I'll just have to draw him into an Iotian when we get there." She nodded to herself and then began muttering to someone else.
"Er, okay," Chuck replied, clearly confused by the piercing expression on the diminutive girl facing him.
Across the refuge Shorn sat with Rox. Their proximity and muted conversation prevented others from approaching. Several feet away, Wolf and Freezer spoke with Janson and Linda. Their expressions were somber as they talked. Nearby, Jack and Hawk were huddled over the lightcast model of Auroraq. Most of the Order members had returned to their dorm rooms. The soldiers and Tess's friends remained.
Jack stretched and caught her eye. Excusing himself from Hawk, he strode to her side. "Are you alright?"
Tess wanted to say no, but nodded. "Just worried."
He sighed. "You and me both." He passed his hand over his face. "I'm standing in a magic city floating in the clouds, but all I can think about is that I'm going to get you killed."
Tess shook her head. "That's not going to happen."
His eyes bored into hers. "I've planned operations like this before, but none had my daughter spearheading the assault."
She forced a smile. "You know I'm not defenseless. With Hawk at my side I'll be fine."
He looked at her for several long seconds, and then relented with a sigh. "I know. To be honest, I've known that for a while. Sometimes you act so much like an adult I forget you aren't."
Breaker then stepped through the gate, and Jack went to speak with him. Tess watched him go with a knot in her gut. An air of tension and worry prevailed in the refuge. This was the battle they had yearned for, the one that could change this war. Tess looked between her friends, her family, and ultimately her gaze settled on Derek. A single question whispered in her mind like a voice from the Dark.
Which of them would not return?
Chapter 38: Death of a Voidling
Jack was the first to wake. Unable to sleep, he dressed quickly and then stood before the lightcast table. Again and again he went over the plan, and the possibilities of how Alice would retaliate. Did she already know? Was there an ambush waiting? Or would she bring in as-yet unseen forces? The questions lingered. To his surprise, Derek was the first to join him. Unable to resist, Jack asked him pointed questions in regards to the battle, and found himself impressed by the boy's answers. Then the others appeared.
Ritsu stepped into the refuge as she strapped on one of the anti-Dark swords. She'd spent all evening testing its balance. Janson stood at her side. Iris, Rox, and Shorn joined them. Then the SEALs appeared en masse. Already armored and painted for war, they stood loaded down with ammunition and gear. Assigned with Wolf for the mission, Linda stood at his side. After a moment's hesitation, Robar moved to stand with them. Freezer gave him a subtle nod, which he returned.
Hawk entered, and then joined Breaker when he stepped from the gate. Tess appeared with Kate, a smile creasing her features as she saw the gathered force. Without prompting Tess strode to the center.
"Our adversary fights for control," she began quietly, stilling the room. "We fight for something greater. Today we fight for freedom and family."
Her words drew a murmur of praise. Then she continued in a voice Jack had never heard from his daughter. "I have had the fortune of knowing many of you. Your courage cannot be denied. Your defiance against the Dark is nothing less than supreme. For the first time in thousands of years, auren and mage stand as one people in this room. In unity we will be victorious."
Her words echoed into silence. Jack wanted to cheer, but a knot of emotion thickened his tongue. He was not the only one. Tess his daughter, young and yet wise, turned a slow circle. Her challenging gaze was met by warriors, soldiers, and friends. Then she gave a solemn nod.
"Today . . . we win."
Led by Wolf, the SEALs saluted. Tess seemed surprised and gratified by the gesture. Overcome with feeling, she motioned to the Gate. "Come back alive."
Jack strode to her side and embraced her. "I've never been so proud of you."
"I love you, Dad," Tess said, and squeezed.
They parted, and she moved to embrace her mother. Hawk took her place. He offered his hand to Jack, and Jack didn't hesitate to accept it. The sadness in Hawk's eyes was striking and for the first time, Hawk spoke into Jack’s mind.
I have lived for eons, and yet have rarely seen such devotion for a daughter. You deserve to call her your own.
Surprised, Jack impulsively responded in kind. But am I willfully placing her in danger?
She was born to danger, he replied. You cannot shelter her from it.
Sheltering her would not save her, Jack said. It would weaken her.
Hawk flashed a faint smile, and spoke aloud. "Unto fears does one fall, and unto strength does one rise. This is the devotion of a true parent, to allow their blood to stand alone, to become tempered as only the fire can forge. Such is valor born of tempest."
His words echoed like a proverb, and yet sounded much more personal to Hawk. Jack realized that Hawk was speaking about Tess for himself as well as for Jack. Any doubt that he would protect her evaporated. At the expense of his very life, Hawk would do what was necessary to save hers.
Jack inclined his head to him, and Hawk reciprocated the gesture. It was the mark of two men dedicated to the same cause. Both cared for and loved Tess, and both would give their lives for her.
"We're ready," Tess exclaimed. It was as if a switch had been flipped. From daughter to oracle, her jaw had set into a firm line and steel had seeped into her gaze.