Secrets of PEACE

by T. A. Hernandez

  Collins did attempt to contact someone about his package. First he sent a message, which Jared replied to in the politest and most unhelpful manner possible. He told Collins the package was on its way and would be delivered “soon.” The man’s response was considerably less civil, and Jared didn’t bother answering.

  While Zira and Jared were on one of their morning runs, Collins finally tried to call customer service. Jared took a few seconds to catch his breath before answering. “Hello, thank you for calling the Nevarez Industrial Supply Support Center. How may I help you?”

  “I ordered a package from you two weeks ago and it still isn’t here,” said Collins. He sounded flustered. “Can you tell me where it is?”

  “One moment sir. Can you just verify some information for me?” He proceeded to ask for Collins’ name, address, and order number, then pretended to look it up in his system. “Sir, our records are showing that the order is en route and should be arriving soon.”

  “That’s what the last guy told me. Listen, this package is very important. Can you at least tell me where it is now?”

  “Of course, sir. According to our system, the package appears to have left the South Atlantic Region this morning.”

  “Why did it go all the way over there?”

  “I don’t know, sir.”

  “I want a refund,” said Collins. “It was supposed to be here three days ago. I needed it for a job, and these delays are putting me behind schedule.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t issue a refund until you have received the shipment and returned it to us.”

  Collins screamed curses at Jared, then disconnected. “Such a nice man,” Jared said as they walked back towards the hotel.

  “You were way too good at that,” said Zira.

  “I guess I know where I can find work if I ever decide to quit this job,” he joked. They both knew quitting the PEACE Project was not an option. Once you were in—and most of them had been in since infancy—you were there for life, one way or another.

  Jared’s CL lit up again, showing that Collins was now trying to contact Li. Jared disconnected him. Collins tried a second, third, and fourth time before giving up.

  “Don’t you think that will make him suspicious?” Zira asked as Jared disconnected the final call.

  Jared shrugged. “Maybe. More likely, he’ll think it’s some kind of threat. Either way, I doubt he’s stupid enough to do anything about it. If I were him, I’d tread lightly around Li and Feng right now.”

  “So now what?”

  “Now, we hit the streets in that beautiful van again,” said Jared. “It’s only a matter of time before Li comes for Collins, and we need to be there when he does.”

  Zira groaned. “When we’re finished with all of this, I’d love to set that van on fire and watch it burn.”

  * * *

  True to Feng’s orders, Li gave Collins exactly one week to make progress on the bomb before coming to get him. Jared and Zira were parked around the corner from Collins’ house when the black SUV pulled up. “This is it,” Jared said as Li and another man got out of the vehicle. “Run the plates.”

  “Already on it,” said Zira. She entered the license number into the Project’s database. The vehicle it was linked to appeared to match the one sitting in front of Collins’ house now. “Got it,” she said, pulling up the autopilot navigation system for the SUV. “The location matches, too. We’re all set.”

  They watched Li and the other man return to the car with the bomb-maker in tow. Collins looked terrified as he tried to tell the men something, but they paid him no mind. All three of them got in the SUV and it pulled away from the house.

  Zira watched the holographic map above her wrist. The red dot in the center moved with Li’s car, leaving a thin line behind it. They waited a few more minutes, then Jared started the van and began to follow the same route as their targets. Zira gave him directions along the way. They drove for twenty minutes before the red dot on Zira’s map stopped. “Just a little farther,” she said. They were in an old, deserted area on the outskirts of the city, without single person in sight. The buildings were boarded up and abandoned, the road broken and pockmarked from lack of maintenance. Zira pointed out the windshield. “There—that abandoned trailer park up ahead.”

  Jared pulled the van into a nearby alley and cut the engine. The sudden silence that fell in the absence of the vehicle’s clattering seemed heavy and strange. Jared’s face took on its familiar, hard scowl. Zira could only imagine what he might be thinking or feeling right now, but she didn’t know what to say, so she slipped into the back of the van without a word and began unpacking the bag they’d brought along.

  She found her jacket and slipped it on, then tossed Jared his. Bulletproof material lined everything but the sleeves, making them much heavier than they looked. In the bottom of the bag, she found two suppressed handguns, a pair of rifles, and several knives. She picked out her own weapons and handed the bag up to Jared with the rest.

  Zira’s heart started pounding. Her hands shook as she checked the mags in both the rifle and the handgun. Jared looked back at her. “You okay?”

  She nodded. She could manage her nerves once they got moving; it was always the few minutes leading up to the action that rattled her most.

  “There are at least four of them,” Jared said as they exited the van. “Maybe more. We’ll have to act fast. Suppressors or not, they’re going to hear that first shot and come looking for us. You ever been in a real firefight before?”

  Zira’s throat felt dry. “No. Just simulations.”

  “That’s okay. You’ve been training for this for years, remember? Just let that training take over.” He put a hand on her shoulder and leveled his gaze at her. “I’ve got your back.”

  “Let’s just get this over with.”

  He smiled. “That’s what I’m talking about. Come on. Eyes on me.”

  They crouched low as they moved down the street, hugging the walls of buildings and sticking to shadows wherever they could. They reached the nearest mobile home, and Jared opened the door and motioned Zira inside. The floor was littered with dirt and debris, and Zira took care not to step on anything that would make too much noise as she crossed to the window. Jared moved the ratty curtain aside and they peered out. “There’s Li’s car,” he said. “The other one is probably Feng’s.”

  The man they’d seen with Li at Collins’ house stood outside one of the trailers, armed with an assault rifle. “You think they’re in there?” she asked Jared.

  “Got to be.”

  Movement caught her eye and she turned her head. “I’ve got another man patrolling the area over here. He’s armed, too.”

  They watched for a few more minutes, but only saw the same two men. “I think that’s all there is,” Jared said. “There might be one or two more inside with Li, Feng, and Collins. You okay with that?”

  Zira nodded.

  “You get the guy guarding the door. I’ll get the other one. Fire as soon as you hear my shot.”

  She nodded again and they slipped back outside. She shifted her rifle against her shoulder, raising it in front of her as she hurried to the next trailer. Peeking around the corner, she surveyed her options. There was a spot about thirty yards ahead with decent cover that would give her a good angle. She looked at her target; his back was turned. Zira darted to the spot she’d picked out, pressed herself against the side of the trailer, and took aim.

  The muffled sound of Jared’s gunshot cracked twice. Without thinking, Zira pulled the trigger. The man went down with a new hole in his head, but Zira followed it up with another round just to be safe.

  The door of the trailer burst open and another man ran out. Zira didn’t recognize him and was so startled by his sudden appearance that her first shot only grazed his shoulder. He fired back at her. Zira ducked behind the trailer, took a breath, and tried again. This time, she hit her mark.

  Collins came through the door in a panic and t
ried to run between two trailers, but dropped just before he reached them. Jared stepped out over his body and made his way to Li and Feng, who still cowered in the relative safety of their shelter. Zira swung her rifle to her back and pulled out her handgun as she ran to the trailer.

  Shots rang out in rapid bursts. She took the stairs in a single leap. Inside, Jared crouched behind an upturned couch. Someone peered out from a room down the hall. Jared shot him twice. Li’s head jerked back as he fell to the ground.

  Jared jumped over the couch and bolted down the hall. “Wait!” Zira called after him. By her count, there was at least one more enemy still in the trailer, and rushing headlong into the unknown was a reckless move. She sprinted after him.

  Jared burst into the room at the end of the hall. He jumped back an instant later as Feng came at him with a knife. It was a clumsy attempt, probably due to the fact that he’d been shot in the other arm and bled heavily. Jared grabbed his wrist and slammed him against the wall, then wrenched the knife from his grasp. It clattered to the floor and Jared kicked it away. He loomed over Feng, every muscle of his face twisted in rage as he stared down at the Brotherhood leader. “Sit down,” he barked.

  Feng complied, and Jared crouched down in front of him. The anger dissipated from his face, leaving an expression that was as impassive as still water. Zira felt like an intruder as she stood in the doorway and watched. This was something deeply personal and important to Jared—something she shouldn’t be seeing—but there was no escaping it now.

  Shock and recognition flickered across Feng’s face as he met Jared’s gaze. “I remember you,” he said. The corners of his mouth turned up in a cruel smile. “You’ve come a long way for your revenge.”

  Jared’s voice took on an eerie chill as he answered Feng. “This is bigger than revenge.”

  “I doubt that. It doesn’t matter why you came or who sent you. Deep down, this is all about the way we killed your friends and chained you up in that cell.”

  If Jared was at all bothered by any memories Feng’s words dragged up, he didn’t show it. “I’m finally ready to answer all those questions you kept asking me two years ago.”

  “I thought you said you’d never tell.”

  Jared shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re dying. I think you should know why.” He stood up, towering over Feng. “My name is Jared. I’m a member of the PEACE Project. Two years ago, my team and I were sent to kill you and the rest of your organization. We failed. Today, I’m fixing that mistake.”

  “I didn’t realize the PEACE Project employed mercenaries,” said Feng.

  Jared crossed his arms. “Sometimes killing people like you is the only option. Every breath you take is a threat to the peace and safety of this country.”

  “You think you can stop that threat just by killing me? My organization is stronger now than it ever was before.”

  “We’ll see,” Jared said. “As far as I can tell, your predecessor was twice the leader you are. Once you’re gone, I don’t think it’ll be long before everything else starts unraveling.”

  Feng spat at Jared’s feet and glared up at him. Jared brought his gun back up to Feng’s head and fired twice. Zira watched, unblinking, as blood sprayed across the floor and onto Jared’s arm.

  He turned away from the crumpled figure on the floor and walked past Zira. “What about the bodies?” she asked.

  “Let their friends find them,” said Jared. “Come on. I’m sick of this place.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Zira pretended not to notice the way Jared’s hands shook so much he couldn’t even get the key into the ignition. He dropped it on the floor and slammed his hand against the steering wheel, cursing. Zira focused on the branches of a tree outside, but she could see him in her peripherals, hunched over with his head bowed as he rubbed his hands over his coarse, black hair.

  “I’m sorry,” Zira said. “About your team and…what he did to you.”

  “I don’t need your pity,” Jared growled.

  “I know. I don’t pity you.”

  He sighed and sat up. “Yeah, well, it’s over now.”

  “Are you relieved? That they’re dead?”

  Jared met her gaze, and Zira was caught off guard by how much pain she saw in his eyes. She hadn’t noticed it before, or maybe he’d just done a good job of hiding it until now. “I wouldn’t say that I’m relieved. But I do feel better somehow—safer—knowing they’re gone.” He took Zira’s hand, an unexpected gesture that made her flinch. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “I’ve been dreading this since we first saw Li in that diner. It was easier knowing I wasn’t going into it alone.”

  “Anyone could have done that.”

  “Maybe. But it was you who put me at ease all week and gave me something else to think about.”

  “I didn’t—”

  Jared shook his head and gave her a small smile. “It’s just a ‘thank you,’ Zira. You don’t need to get defensive about it.”

  “All right,” she muttered. “You’re welcome.”

  They left the trailer park and drove the van to a scrap yard, then took a bus back to the hotel to gather their belongings. An automated taxi took them to the airport and they boarded the first flight back to Amarillo. Doubts and questions raced through Zira’s mind as she watched the clouds outside her window. She replayed the past few days in her head, trying to determine if she’d done everything right. She knew what her mistakes might cost her, and she wasn’t ready or willing to face those consequences. Judging from the way the past week had gone, she thought she’d earned Jared’s approval. He was so hard to read sometimes, though, and Zira didn’t dare make any assumptions.

  When the plane landed, she retrieved her bag from the overhead compartment and went to meet Jared at the car. “All set?” he asked as she slid into the seat beside him.

  She nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  The car began driving them home. “Nervous?” Jared asked. It was the same question he’d asked her as they’d left the compound together, though perhaps with a bit more understanding between them now.

  Zira raised her eyebrows at him. How could she not be nervous?

  He shrugged. “You did good. If it makes you feel any better, I plan to give Ryku a good report.”

  Some of Zira’s tension began to dissipate, but she bristled when she realized that Jared might have his own reasons for wanting to give Ryku a good report. “You’re not just saying that because of all the stuff back at the trailer park, are you? I helped you deal with Feng and Li, so you feel obligated to do me a favor or something? I don’t want you telling Ryku anything unless it’s true. I don’t need your pity, either.”

  “What? No—that’s not—” He sighed. “You still don’t trust me.”

  “I trust you,” she said, and frowned at how easily the words had come out. There were few people she truly trusted, and in just a few weeks, he had become one of them. She stared at her feet. “It’s just—ever since I was placed in this unit, I’ve been fighting to prove I deserve the spot. People look at me and all they see is a small, weak little girl. I hate that.”

  “That’s not what I see.”

  “Maybe not now, but you did. Right?”

  “Small, yes. But almost everyone looks small to me.”

  Zira shook her head, but smiled. “I guess that’s true.”

  “I never thought you were weak. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you when we were first assigned to work together. It wasn’t your fault; I just didn’t like the idea. My last partner was killed right in front of me. I didn’t want to work with anyone else after that. Ever.”

  Zira regretted that they’d gotten off to such a bad start. It seemed they had both misunderstood each other, but Zira couldn’t deny that she’d enjoyed working with him since then. She’d learned a lot from his experience, but it was more than that. In all the time they’d spent together these past few weeks, they’d become friends.

 
; “Look, I’m going to tell Ryku the truth when we get back,” Jared said. “And the truth is that you’re a great operative. He’d be making a mistake if he got rid of you.”

  It was one of the highest compliments Zira had ever received. “Thank you.”

  Even though it was late when they got back to the compound, Jared suggested they go straight to Chairman Ryku’s office. Anxious to get the whole thing over with, she agreed. He went in alone while Zira waited in the hall for what seemed like hours. When the chairman finally opened the door and beckoned her inside, Zira’s first thought was that he seemed angry. Then again, Ryku wasn’t the sort of man who put too much stock in smiles and reassuring words.

  Jared was standing next to Ryku’s desk and nodded to Zira as she sat rigid on the couch. She nodded back, unable to relax until she heard the verdict from Ryku himself. The chairman stared at her for a long time, almost as if he enjoyed making her squirm. Just as Zira was about to demand that he get on with it, he said, “Jared seems very impressed by your work. With his recommendation, I am allowing you to continue your work as a member of this unit.”

  The tension in Zira’s muscles released. “I appreciate the opportunity, sir. I won’t make you regret it.”

  “I hope you’ll remember this lesson. Always be aware of your actions. Mistakes cost lives, and we don’t need more blood on our hands than necessary. Is that clear?”

  “I understand. Thank you, Chairman.”

  Ryku turned his back and gave them a wave over his shoulder to dismiss them. As soon as they were outside, Zira let a broad grin break across her face.

  “I told you it was going to be fine,” said Jared.