by Alex Siegel
He just stared at her.
They ate their food. She tried a little from each box and discovered a chicken dish that was absolutely delicious. It was spiced with oranges and chili paste, and she had never eaten anything like it before.
"When I have time," Marina said, "I'll have to try all the best restaurants in the area. I heard the food in San Francisco is great."
"It is," Ipo said, "and you can find just about every kind under the sun. I've never been to Chicago. They have good pizza, right?"
"Chicago is famous for deep dish pizza, but I'm not a fan of it. Too much cheese. Just one slice makes me feel bloated. Actually, Chicago is really known for meat. A lot of slaughterhouses used to be there, and you can still buy amazing steaks at great restaurants. Encased meats are also a local specialty."
"What are 'encased meats'?"
"Sausages and hot dogs," Marina said. "I know a place that sells the best spicy Italian sausage in the world."
Ipo snorted. "I never thought of sausage as a delicacy, ma'am."
"That's because you've never had a great one."
After she finished eating, Marina walked over to check on Min Ho. He and Jia were hard at work on their computers.
"How is it going?" Marina said.
"Pretty well, ma'am," Min Ho said. "We have a lot of data to sift through. Soulfriends is a big, complex operation."
She nodded. "Tell me as soon as you discover anything interesting."
"Yes, ma'am."
She wandered back to where her legionnaires were seated. Having a headquarters with an open floor plan meant she could see what everybody was doing, which she liked.
"The hackers are working," Marina said, "so while we wait for results, we'll train. I had Imelda run out and buy a few supplies this afternoon. Clean up the kitchen while I get everything ready."
All three of them gave her wary looks.
She grabbed a cardboard box which was sitting on a couch. She pulled out blue plastic tarps and laid them on the floor. She placed them edge-to-edge to create a plastic surface which was twelve feet by sixty feet. Then she took a big bottle of mineral oil and poured it over all the tarps to make them super-slippery. The last step was scattering rubber squeaky toys across the tarps. It would be hard to avoid stepping on one.
Her legionnaires finished cleaning the kitchen and joined her at the end of the tarps.
"This exercise is simple," Marina said. "Walk from one end to the other without making any noise or falling on your ass, blindfolded. Like this."
She pulled off her shoes and socks. She took a soft, black blindfold from out of the box and pulled it down across her eyes.
She stepped onto the lubricated tarp and immediately had to steady herself. It was like walking on wet ice. With exquisite care, she moved forward, one step at a time. She made sure her balance was perfectly centered over her feet, and at the same time, she felt for the squeaky toys with her toes. The slippery surface allowed no margin for error.
It seemed like it took an hour to reach the other side, but it was actually more like five minutes. When she felt the cold, tile floor again, she took off her blindfold and turned around.
Her team was staring at her with wide eyes. They spontaneously broke out in applause, and she took a little bow.
She walked around and handed the blindfold to Ipo. "You're next, big guy."
He grimaced.
He took off his shoes and socks, put on the blindfold, and proceeded. He went ten steps before his feet shot out from under him. He landed on his hands with some dignity, but he had still failed.
Hanley and Katie took turns next and performed even worse. She could barely stand on the tarp without slipping.
"The most important element of martial arts is balance," Marina said. "You can't fight if you're falling over."
She performed a standing backflip and landed on her hands.
"On the other hand," she said with her feet pointed straight up, "if you have good balance, you can fight from almost any position."
She twirled her legs and came within millimeters of kicking Hanley in the face. He flinched an instant too late. She pushed off and landed gracefully on her feet.
She pointed at the slippery tarp. "This exercise teaches balance. You're going to do it until you succeed, or until I decide you have enough bruises. Ipo, you don't get an out. You'll work on this all night if you have to. A fourth degree black belt in Judo and an experienced legionnaire like you should be able to beat some oil and plastic."
"Yes, ma'am." Ipo nodded. "I agree."
Katie was staring at the ground mournfully.
"What's wrong?" Marina asked her.
"I'll never be able to do the things you do, ma'am," Katie replied softly.
"Never is a strong word. If you train hard every day and obey all of my instructions, you'll make progress. That's all I ask. What I can't tolerate is somebody who gives up or accepts mediocrity. You're one of God's elite warriors. It's better to die than disappoint Him."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll do my best."
"I hope that's true for your sake." Marina gave Katie a stern look.
* * *
Peter Hastings pressed his lips together anxiously. He was ready to begin the next phase of his scheme, and even though he had analyzed it thoroughly, he still didn't have complete confidence in it. The equations had too many unknowns. One fact was certain though: people would die.
That detail didn't bother him much. He didn't like people. They were unpredictable and destructive. They valued animal attributes such as athleticism and beauty over intelligence. People ridiculed and bullied geniuses like Peter just because he had poor social skills. In his opinion, the world needed fewer people and more computers. He had done the calculations, and a global population of fifty million humans was the right number for a sustainable, advanced civilization. The Soulfriends Network would ultimately allow him to achieve that objective, but it might take a few years.
The network tap was still sucking data out of Soulfriends and blasting it into the internet. Peter was monitoring the situation carefully, and so far, no critical data had been stolen. He had constructed the Network with internal layers of protection so that no single security breech could bring down the system.
Peter hit a key which fed a carefully crafted chunk of data to the network tap. He waited a few seconds to make sure the message was sent to the enemy. Then he hit another key which blocked the tap from accessing the network. The flow of stolen data stopped instantly.
He smiled. It begins, he thought. Unfamiliar excitement made his heart beat fast.
Chapter Fifteen
"Ma'am!" Min Ho yelled. "The network tap stopped working!"
Marina left her legionnaires to their training and ran across the room.
"Why?" she asked her senior hacker.
"Unknown. Maybe the battery died. We received terabytes of data though."
"Quantity doesn't impress me. Was any of it useful?"
"We got an employee list with names and phone numbers," he said. "That's useful, ma'am. We also have the complete sales and marketing plan."
"Who owns the company?"
Min Ho typed on his computer for a minute. "We didn't get that. Sorry."
"Why are they causing so much domestic violence?" Marina said impatiently.
He typed some more and frowned. "It seems parts of the network were inaccessible."
"In other words, we couldn't get the information we really cared about."
"We don't know that, ma'am. We need time to analyze the millions of files we received."
"We don't have time to waste," she growled.
He winced.
Marina went back to observe her legionnaires. After several attempts, Ipo had successfully crossed the slippery tarps silently, so he was done. Now, he was coaching the other two. Poor Hanley and Katie had mineral oil all over their clothes and skin. Marina also expected they were covered in bruises from falling so many times while blindfolded. This ex
ercise was teaching several good lessons. The rarely heard voice of compassion inside her head was telling her the lessons had gone on long enough.
"You can quit," Marina told Hanley and Katie, "but as punishment for your failure, you have to clean up the mess. Make sure there is no oil left on the floor."
"Yes, ma'am," they said in tired voices.
Katie touched her hip and winced. She wasn't complaining though, and Marina was proud of her for that. Katie had the fighting spirit of a warrior, at least.
"Ma'am!" Min Ho yelled again. "We got something!"
Marina ran back over.
"We found an email in the data capture," he said excitedly. "I'll read it. 'Alameda Marina. 11 AM tomorrow. First pier on the left. Use fastest boat. Package is hot.' That's all."
"Do you know who sent it or received it?" Marina said.
"The email came from inside Soulfriends, but the sender name is blank. The receiver is an anonymous account. All identifying information was stripped out of the email. This didn't happen by accident."
"Hmm. Where is Alameda Marina?"
"Alameda is on the east side of the Bay near Oakland," Min Ho said.
Marina contemplated what to do with this information as she went back to her legionnaires. She found that Ipo was helping with the cleanup even though he didn't have to. She didn't mind. It was good to see them working as a team, and clearly, Hanley and Katie needed the assistance. They were walking rather stiffly.
"Something is happening tomorrow at eleven in the morning at the Alameda Marina," she announced. "It could become violent. All of us are going."
"But, ma'am," Ipo said, "you told us somebody needs to stay here to guard headquarters."
Marina didn't like having her own words thrown back in her face. She wanted to snap off a sharp retort, but she fought down the urge. He was making a reasonable point which demanded a reasonable response. She wouldn't earn his respect by biting his head off whenever he said something that annoyed her.
"That's true," she said, "but I only have three legionnaires, and two are rookies. That's not enough manpower to handle a situation which could get messy. A secret package will be smuggled onto a boat. We'll need two people in a chase boat on the water and two more on land. Anything less would be inadequate. This place will have to go without protection for a few hours."
Ipo maintained his usual stern expression. Finally, he said, "Yes, ma'am. We need a security chief for situations like this."
"We need a lot of things."
* * *
Marina and Katie were sitting in a car together in the parking lot of the Alameda Marina. Katie was in the driver's seat, but the car was parked and turned off. Both women were equipped with basic weapons, other combat equipment, and body armor. Jackets covered the hardware, and the extra bulk was making Marina too warm. She wanted to step outside and get some fresh, cool air, but standing in the open would look suspicious.
She had learned that Alameda was actually a large island. A narrow strip of water called the Oakland Estuary separated it from Oakland. Several bridges and underwater tubes connected the island to the mainland, so getting across was easy. Alameda was as densely populated as Oakland, and only an accident of geography distinguished the two.
The marinas were on the estuary instead of facing out into the San Francisco Bay. She had been told the Bay had powerful currents and waves, while the estuary was much calmer and more suitable for a dock. Marina still wanted to go sailing on the Bay, but playing tourist would have to wait until the current crisis passed.
She looked over at Katie. Her dark brown hair and blue eyes created an interesting contrast. She had a plain but very pleasant face which lit up whenever she smiled. She was soft and curvy like a normal woman instead of a legionnaire. She was frowning vaguely.
"What's wrong?" Marina said.
"Nothing, ma'am," Katie said.
"Lying to your commander is a very dangerous habit."
"Sorry, ma'am. I'm just worried about the things you'll order me to do. I may not be able to do them... or want to do them. The idea of having sex as part of a mission disgusts me. I'm not a whore. Just dressing like one bothers me."
"What about killing people?" Marina said softly. "Does that bother you, too?"
"I've killed in the line of duty, but those were just isolated incidents. The Gray Spear Society slaughters enemies in bunches. Even though I served in the Air Force, I never participated in a real battle. I don't know if I can handle it, and if I can't, you'll kill me."
"Listen. When your duties seem impossible, just remember Who you're fighting for and what you are. The rest will happen naturally."
Katie sighed uneasily. "Yes, ma'am."
* * *
Hanley and Ipo were standing in a speedboat floating on the Oakland Estuary. It looked like a wide river except it was full of green seawater. Small waves lapped against the red fiberglass hull of the boat. They had wanted a vessel that was less eye-catching, but none could be found on short notice. Speed was the most important thing. Hanley and Ipo's assignment was to make sure nobody escaped by water.
The nearby Alameda Marina was populated by small yachts, sailboats, and other private vessels. Hanley guessed there were about five hundred total. Despite his many years in the Navy, he had never ridden on a sailboat, and he was curious. He had seen them out on the Bay braving the shifting winds and choppy waters.
"I'm still a little vague on the rules of engagement for this operation," Hanley said. "Are we supposed to kill anybody who tries to escape?"
"That's my assumption," Ipo said, "but Marina wasn't very specific. We'll try warning shots first. Certainly, if they shoot at you, you can shoot back. A legionnaire is always permitted to kill in self-defense."
Hanley instinctively rechecked his weapons under his jacket. He was armed with a FN Five-seven, a handgun known for light weight, low recoil, and excellent accuracy. In case the situation got hot, he also had a MP5K hidden under the back of his jacket. A Kevlar vest was helping him stay warm on a cool, breezy day.
"I still can't get used to the lack of bureaucracy in the Gray Spear Society. The FBI had regulations for everything. If anybody got shot, it always took days to make sure all the I's were dotted and T's crossed. We counted every bullet. We wrote a pile of reports and then another report about the reports. Now, if Marina says something is OK, then it is, and that's the end of it."
Ipo nodded.
"What if she makes a mistake?" Hanley said.
"She's not completely on her own. She gives regular reports to the legate, and the chain of command goes all the way up to God. I know He generally keeps an eye on things. But the system isn't bulletproof. The Society places enormous trust in its commanders, maybe too much. That's why Xavier was able to escape detection for so long."
"What should we do if Marina also turns traitor?"
"We call the legate," Ipo said, "but we'd better be damn sure of ourselves. When the legate comes to town, heads roll, literally. And the legate was Marina's commander in Chicago for many years, so they're very close. The legate will demand ironclad proof of Marina's betrayal, and if we can't provide it, it will be our necks on the chopping block. It will never happen anyway. I can already tell Marina would die a thousand times before she would betray the Society."
Hanley noticed another speedboat puttering down the estuary. It slowed to a gentle stop near the marina with the engine idling. He used binoculars to get a closer look at the blue and green boat. Two men were seated in front, and they were wearing blue vests. Their eyes were focused on the marina.
"Must be our guys." Hanley checked his watch. "Right on time."
Ipo took out his phone and made a call. "We see a suspicious boat, ma'am."
Hanley heard Marina's voice through the speaker.
"Good," she said. "When they move, you move. Box them in. Our goal is to capture and interrogate everybody involved."
"What if they don't want to be captured?" Ipo said.
"Be forceful."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Bye," she said.
He closed his phone and faced Hanley. "Are you ready to be forceful?"
Hanley patted his gun in its holster. "Always."
* * *
Marina licked her lips with anticipation. The fun was about to begin.
"Start the engine," she ordered. "Get ready to move."
Katie turned the ignition key, and the engine roared to life. They were in a brand new, black BMW sports car.
A red Ford Mustang suddenly blasted through the parking lot, squealing its tires. It passed through an open gate and entered the section where the docks were located.
"Follow!" Marina yelled. "Make sure they can't get back out!"
Katie stomped the accelerator, and the car shot forward. She spun the car and made it slide sideways with a nifty driving maneuver. The car came to a hard stop in front of the gate, blocking it completely.
"Nicely done," Marina said. "Let's go."
She bailed out and started running. The Mustang was parked next to a pier in a spot normally used by pedestrians. A man in a green Kevlar vest was running up the pier with a cardboard box in his hands.
Marina glanced at the water. A blue and green speedboat was closing on the pier. The red speedboat with Ipo and Hanley onboard wasn't far behind. It looked like the plan was working perfectly.
Marina drew her 9 mm Beretta from a holster under her jacket. "Freeze!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Don't move, or I'll blow your head off!"
Katie joined her and drew her own gun.
The man on the pier stopped running, turned, and looked past Marina's shoulder.
The sound of a loud diesel engine made her glance backwards. A big, yellow dump truck smashed through her shiny BMW, wrecking it. Men armed with hunting rifles and handguns swarmed down from the back of the truck. There were too many for her to fight in a straight-up gun battle.
More engine noise drew her attention to the water. Two new boats were closing on Ipo and Hanley from behind, and both boats had four armed men onboard. Marina's team was surrounded.
"It's an ambush!" she yelled. "Katie, stay close! Don't fall behind!"