by Young, Mark
He heard men grunting behind him and turned to see two men carrying Joe on a stretcher. As they passed, Joe yelled out, “Put me down for a moment. I need to talk to my nephew.”
The man in the lead looked at Gerrit for direction. “Just give us a minute. Then he’s all yours.”
Joe tried to sit up as they laid the stretcher on the ground. Gerrit squatted and held him down. “Just relax. Let these guys do all the work.”
His uncle gave him an exasperated look but lay back, looking up. “We don’t have time to go into all the details, Gerrit, but you need to know that you can trust Alena. That everyone—including me—makes mistakes. She has more than made up for her past sins.”
“And the death of my father and mother,” he said, raising his voice. “Has she made up for that?”
Joe tried to raise himself again. “That’s what I am trying to tell you. Kane recruited her many years ago. She didn’t know what he and the others were all about. She thought they represented the U.S. at the time.”
“So he used her to kill my folks? Your brother?”
“Hear me out. At first, she thought your father was a threat. That Kane—through his government contacts—had been sanctioned to neutralize that threat.”
“Neutralize the threat? Give me a break. Dad was never—”
“I know that. And later, so did Alena.”
“What do you mean later? After my parents were killed?”
Joe shook his head vigorously. “That’s what I’m trying to get through your thick head. She came over to our side before your parents died. But by then, it was too late.”
Gerrit said nothing, waiting for his uncle to continue. One of the choppers lifted off and began heading toward Seattle.
Alena had moved closer to the cliffs, standing on the ridge looking down. Joe saw her standing in the distance and pointed toward her. “She was sent in by Kane to get close to Thomas. To find out where your father might be vulnerable so a second team could come in and take him out if need be.”
“So she spied on them? Betrayed Mom and Dad?”
“Would you put a cork in it for a minute and let me finish?” Frustration tightened his uncle’s features. “She got to know Thomas and your mom. They even invited her over for dinner. That’s where she first saw your photo and heard stories about you.”
Gerrit clenched his jaw, remembering the peace his parents’ home always seemed to bring when he visited. When he and dad weren’t arguing.
“She came to learn that your dad was not a threat to anyone, and that what Kane and the others were doing was actually a threat to our country. She warned your father about the danger, and he contacted me. Right after that, Kane’s men took me to that high-rise and had me do a midair dance.”
“So how did my father get lured into the garage? Why didn’t he have a security detail on him?”
“There was security. But he slipped away from the detail to be with your mother. He wanted to have a private dinner alone with his wife. It was a stupid mistake and it cost them their lives.”
Another thought came to Gerrit as he listened. “Does Alena know who triggered the bomb. Who actually killed my parents?”
Joe shook his head. “She was feeding information to Kane until she came to know and care for your folks. She cut off all communication with Kane and began her own preparations to live off the grid. Once she heard of the bombing, she hunted me down and helped me disappear. That’s when I contacted Travis, and he put me in contact with Beck Malloy.”
Gerrit’s shoulders sagged. His search for the actual killer would still continue. Sure, Kane called the shots, but Gerrit wanted to get his hands on the person who literally built and detonated the bomb. He wanted to find that person and put a bullet in his worthless brain. With Kane dead, he might never find out the truth. Or who, higher up, might have been involved.
He motioned to the medical team. “Can you guys get my uncle on the chopper? Need to have him checked out at a hospital.” Joe started to protest, but Gerrit waved him off. “I’ll come to visit you as soon as Beck and the colonel get here. Just relax and let these people take care of you.”
Resigned, Joe leaned back. “Talk to Alena, Gerrit. Let her tell you her side of the story.”
Before answering, Gerrit glanced toward the cliffs and saw her still standing on the edge, peering into the night. “I promise. Now, just let these guys take care of you.”
Joe seemed satisfied. “Okay guys, let’s get this over with.” They scooped him up and made their way to the second chopper.
Chapter 66
Washington, D.C.
Stuart leaned back in his banker’s chair, the red leather creaking under his weight. He glanced at the clock; it was now three hours after midnight. Still no word from Kane. Other reports came in about a firefight at the lab in Washington. Outcome unknown.
He fingered the phone for a moment before dialing his contact in Seattle. The phone rang three times before he heard someone pick up on the other end.
A man’s voice, tense and alert, answered. “Yeah?”
“This is Stuart.” He waited for a moment to let the name sink in. “Kane’s associate.”
“Yes, sir. What can I do for you?”
“Do you have any word on how our friend is doing?”
“Kane?”
“Exactly.”
“I’ve been monitoring radio transmissions and sent a text message a while ago. Got nothing. Now I’m copying that federal authorities have been alerted. FBI. ICE. Secret Service, and CIA. I think our friend and his people may have…fallen.”
Stuart thought for a moment before speaking. “I need you to sit tight. Take no chances. I may have you pick up where Kane failed. Are you up for the job?”
Stuart could almost hear the greed in the man’s voice. “You bet, sir. I will have to close things down here first. I assume you want me to relocate to your area.”
“Yes. As soon as possible. We need to start assessing the damage and moving forward on our other projects.”
“Give me a week.”
“Two days.” Stuart hung up.
He sat back in his chair, waiting; he knew another call would be coming in at any moment. He grimaced as his phone vibrated on the desk. He picked it up and saw The White House identified on its face.
Stuart listened to the caller speak, then cleared his throat. “Project Megiddo has been launched, but the main facility has been compromised.”
The caller rattled on as Stuart patiently waited for the man to stop speaking. “No. We need to regroup and push on. This is just a temporary setback. We are taking all necessary steps to sanitize the situation.”
Again, the caller launched into a tirade Stuart knew he had to endure. “Yes, sir. I promise you, there will be no blowback. I have already taken steps to make sure this never happens again. Even if they try to live off the grid.”
He quietly hung up and stared out into the night.
The war has just begun.
Gerrit watched the second helicopter lift off, carrying his uncle to the nearest hospital in Seattle that handled medevacs. Beck and Jack should be here soon.
As darkness swallowed up the helicopter, his gaze caught a figure standing on the edge of the cliff.
Alena.
He took a deep breath and walked toward her. She stood with her back to him. He drew near. “Hey, they just airlifted Joe out of here kicking and complaining. I think he’ll be all right.”
She didn’t say anything, nor did she move.
“I think we put a real dent in Kane’s operation—or whoever’s pulling his chain.”
“There will always be someone else trying to kill us.” Alena’s words seemed laced with bitterness and tiredness.
“Then we just keep on fighting. We can’t give up.”
She finally turned toward him, grief and regret filling her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Gerrit.”
He shrugged. “Joe gave me a quick rundown on what happened. That you tried to
save my dad.”
She ran a hand through her hair, sadness seeming to be pressing down on her. “I tried to think back on all the information I gave Kane about your dad. Before I came to know your folks. It haunts me that that information might have been used to kill them.”
“How did you get mixed up with Kane?”
Alena faced the water again. “It is a long story, Gerrit. And not a very pretty one.”
“I need to know, Alena. I need to know if we’re going to continue to work together.”
She looked back, inquisitive. “You would still work with me? After…”
He let her words wing their way into the night, thinking about what her question implied. “All I know is that you tried to save my father. That you turned away from Kane once you learned the truth about him. I need to know about Kane and his group. To help me put everything in perspective.”
Alena looked at him for a moment, then turned to gaze at the water once again. “Kane found me in Russia. I was much younger, and my boyfriend—if you want to call him that—used me in his gang activities. Used me to get information. To help the gang set up scores. And he taught me how to fight. How to use weapons and to create false identifications. How to exist in a society in which violence and power were the only commodities others respected.”
“How did Kane find you?”
She turned toward Gerrit. “His group—whoever he was working for—would use my boyfriend’s connections to get information and access to Russian organized-crime leaders. My boyfriend used me in these operations, and I caught Kane’s eye about the same time my boyfriend was killed.”
“I think he had plans for me way back then. Got me out of the gangs by arranging a visa for me and my folks to move to Israel. Once there, I was recruited into the Israeli army at Kane’s direction. Spent a few years learning how to fight, and then an opportunity came up to work intelligence. Again, I think Richard pulled the ropes.”
“Pulled the strings.” Gerrit gave a half smile. He saw the strain on her face as she dredged up the past.
“One day, he asked if I would like to join a unique unit of people working for him. He said they were trying to create a global community between nations, to help bring peace and stability on an international scale. After my parents were killed by terrorists, it was not hard to persuade me to work for peace. Kane got my Israeli handlers to approve my transfer to his outfit.
“He started working on me the first moment we met, luring me away with promises of a new life, a chance to live in the United States.”
“That’s how you got connected to my father?”
She nodded, her shoulders sagging. “Later, after I’d been with Richard for a few years and participated in some of his clandestine operations, he assigned me to make contact with your father through Thomas’s work and to assess whether he might be a threat to our overall operation. We hit it off right away. Before I knew it, Thomas had me coming over to his house, having dinner with him and your mom.”
Her words seemed to choke her. It took a moment before she brought herself under control. Finally, she took a deep breath and continued. “It was the first real home I had ever been in since my folks died. That’s where I first saw you…your pictures all around the house. They were so proud of you, Gerrit. Off serving your country.”
He thought of the last conversation he had with his dad, fighting over the fact he was returning to combat. His father didn’t seem proud at the time.
She turned, her eyes glistening as light from the helipad shone on them. He thought she might have been crying, but he could not be sure.
“Your mom even mentioned that you and I should meet when you returned home.”
He shook his head, not knowing what to say.
“She was worried about you. That you never took time to enjoy life. To date. Any of that normal stuff.”
“She seemed to share a lot about me. Little did she know—”
“—she was talking to the woman who betrayed them.”
“But Joe said you changed. That you told them about the threat.”
Alena nodded. “At first your dad was shocked. And your mom…well, let’s say her idea about us getting together just flew out the chimney.”
“Window, out the window,” he said, trying to smile. “And yet, here we are.” His joke didn’t seem to lighten the moment.
“Then your dad seemed to pull things together. For some reason, he became concerned about the threat against your uncle. He tried to warn Joe, but something happened.”
“Yeah, Kane’s men tried to force him to walk on air. A life-changing event that made him back away from Dad.”
“Until after the bombing. Then Joe had a change of heart. We started running from that day until now.”
“You probably saved his life, Alena. Joe has faith in you.”
“Actually, Joe saved me. Did you know your uncle is a Christian? A believer?”
Gerrit must have looked shocked.
“It is true. He is the one who got me going to church. I was carrying a lot of guilt after your folks. He helped me straighten out my head.”
“From what I could tell, Joe believed in you from the time you first met, Alena. I could tell by the way he urged me to give you a chance.”
“And you?” Her eyes searched his. “What do you think of me now?”
He cleared his throat. “I think we’ve all made mistakes. I include myself in that group.” He briefly thought of his father’s face that day, clouded with frustration. “I walked away from my own father when he needed me most. He may have died because I was not there to protect him.”
“He was trying to protect you, Gerrit.”
“I never got a chance to clear things up. And now, it’s too late.”
He heard the whirling thump of rotor blades. Another chopper headed in their direction. “That must be Beck and Thompson. Maybe they have some news.” He welcomed this intrusion. He didn’t want to dwell on memories he was powerless to change. Nor did he want to talk about a future that might have been.
It was like the last time he saw his folks before returning to the battlefield. Putting his personal affairs in order and placing everything on hold until—or if—he ever returned from war. One never knew whether he would survive the next conflict.
Again, after his houseboat was bombed and his friends were killed, he found himself in the same mindset. Putting his affairs in order. Placing his feelings on the shelf. As far as he could determine, he would never be able to enjoy a normal life again.
It was not his destiny to settle down, have a family, and live as if life offered more tomorrows. He had become a warrior, first in defense of his country and now for his country’s survival. He would be fighting a war the rest of the nation—the world—might never hear about. A war fought in the shadows, in the night, in those dark places that are only known by those like him—living and dying in that gray shroud of a secret war.
Take this skirmish tonight. People died, dreams became crushed, and tomorrow—no one would even know they’d been here. A news blackout would drop an impenetrable curtain over this whole affair. The only ones who might wonder would be medical staff watching the wounded and dying carried into their emergency rooms.
He and Alena watched in silence as the helicopter drew nearer, as if the past no longer existed, his folks and their dreams left behind. They both needed to live in the present and prepare for the struggle ahead. Circumstances dictated their lives now. They needed to get used to it.
Gerrit turned to Alena. “Just one more question.”
She nodded.
“How did you know the lab code here? You knew right where to go and which codes to press.”
“This was our base of operations when I was turned loose on your folks. Back then, this was just a training and housing facility. It wasn’t until I saw Willy’s site plans that I knew where we were headed. Once I got here, I took a chance that Kane left the same codes in place. I was right.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I knew that everything would have to come out. We just did not have the time to stand around and dredge up my past.”
He nodded, turning as the helicopter approached. “Someone knew we were coming and alerted Kane. I know it wasn’t you. So that leaves us with a big problem.”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing, Gerrit. Who turned us in?”
Chapter 67
Gerrit and Alena waited for the chopper to set down before approaching the aircraft. As soon as it came to rest, Beck Malloy and Jack Thompson emerged. They crouched down until they cleared the rotors and then dashed to where he and Alena stood waiting.
The colonel was the first to reach them. “Good work, Marine. You too, Alena. You cut the head off this operation before it could cause further damage.”
Gerrit watched Willy running across the clearing in their direction. “I don’t know how much damage we did, Colonel. Project Megiddo is still in place.”
Willy, out of breath, reached them at about the same time Beck walked up. “I heard what you said about Megiddo, Mr. G.” His nickname for Gerrit made Jack scowl, but the colonel seemed to keep his thoughts to himself. “I ran a data systems check just before you guys started WWIII.”
Beck interjected. “Did it take, Willy? Tell me you got inside.”
Nodding, Willy turned to Gerrit. “Remember how I had you upload their files in Albuquerque?”
Gerrit nodded.
“Well, as you know, I left a surprise present for them, thanks to you, Mr. G.”
Gerrit smiled. “I meant to ask you about that, Willy, but everything was happening so fast. What kind of mischief did you get me involved in?”
“Since you guys were already going into their system, I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone. Joe and I created a certain kind of computer program that buries itself inside their system.”
Gerrit was incredulous. “You infected their programs?”
“I didn’t infect anything. I just expanded their program without their knowing it. See, I thought that whoever ran that lab would want to back up their system somewhere other than the site you guys hit. Just in case something like that did happen.”