Omega Squad
Page 25
Zayden shocked everyone with an idea of his own. “Honestly guys, me and a normal life don’t mix. I just can’t do that shit. Not to mention I wouldn’t get to kill anymore. I like my life with the military…so how about this?” He looked up at us then. “I’ll make contact – say I’m not sure if any of you survived. We can hear what the General has to say and then all of you can decide what you want to do.”
“Wow Zay,” Trinity exclaimed. “That’s actually a really good idea.”
He scoffed in response. “Hell, you don’t have to sound so surprised.”
I looked over at Ava as I spoke again. “Any other ideas? Or are we in agreement?”
Ava looked up at me, and then looked at Zane. She sighed. “Let’s think about it for a few more minutes before we do anything. This is a really big decision we’re making, no matter what we decide to do. I don’t want to regret whatever we decide.” She then glanced at Zayden. “But that really is a good idea Zayzay.”
Surprisingly, he blushed and looked away. We were all quiet then as we thought everything over. I looked back down at Liz, who was mesmerized by the crackling flames. “Liz,” I whispered. “Do you have any thoughts about it?”
She looked up at me, her blue eyes seeming shocked that I would even ask. “No, I just want to do whatever you do.”
I felt hesitant about being blunt with her, but I didn’t think it was a good idea to act like the situation wasn’t what it was. I sighed. “But you aren’t worried about the fact the military might still be trying to kill you?”
Her expression was…trusting…as she gazed into my eyes. Her words echoed what her face clearly stated nonverbally. “I trust you,” she whispered.
I nodded quietly, and then sighed, looking at the flames again. Liz immediately returned her head to my shoulder.
After everyone was quiet for a lengthy amount of time, Zane finally pulled off the radio backpack he was carrying and handed it over to Zayden. “Unless anyone objects, I think we should go with your plan for now. We’ll see what the General has to say. Granted, that still doesn’t eliminate the possibility that those higher up are the ones who want us dead. However, right now we really just don’t have enough information to make the best decision. Maybe speaking with the General can give us an idea of what to do.”
As Zane looked at each person individually, they all nodded in agreement.
“Alright then,” Zayden replied. “Let’s do it.” He immediately turned on the radio and reported in twice before a response came. All of us were really quiet whenever he spoke. The person who initially replied seemed frantic, but we didn’t get an explanation of what was going on until the General was on the other line.
“Devil reporting in.” Zayden said in a level tone. “I was separated from the others. Our target was hit with what appears to be a nuclear bomb. I haven’t been able to regroup with anyone yet. I’m not sure if they survived.”
The General’s tone was hard but rushed, like he was trying to get his words out as fast as possible. “Glad to hear you’re alive Devil. Your top priority is to locate everyone else who survived. We have a massive crisis on our hands and we need Omega Squad more than ever. It appears the syndicate you were targeting was involved in a mass hacking that set off hundreds of nuclear warhead all over the world. It’s estimated roughly ten percent of the world’s population has been killed. They targeted large cities and other strategic locations to cripple most world military organizations.” He paused briefly before continuing. “And what’s worse is that almost all of our nuclear warheads were never online to begin with, which means it should be impossible for even more than one to be hacked. The only possible explanation is that this is the result of a powerful metahuman, although we have no idea the nature of their ability. All we know is that we need your group to help us take them down before they do any more damage. If they are able to hijack all of the world’s nuclear weapons then they’ll be able to drive us almost to extinction, not to mention the lasting effects the radiation will have on the planet.”
We all stared at the radio as we listened to what the General was saying. Zayden finally spoke up when it sounded like the General was finished. “Copy. I’ll try to find the others and report in when I do. If I’m unable to make contact, then I’ll report in by this time tomorrow to provide an update.”
The General quickly confirmed that was what he expected and then disconnected. Zayden turned the radio back off.
We all looked at each other for a few seconds before anyone responded. Finally, I decided to state the obvious. “Well, it looks like we have two decision then. Either we use this opportunity to run away under the guise that we all died…or else we use our unique skills to try to save the world.”
I looked down at Trinity for her opinion and saw that she was staring at me intently. She slowly reached up her hand and rested it on my cheek. “I agree with Liz. I’ll do whatever you decide.”
“Me too,” Zane announced. “There’s a reason why I’ve survived this long, and it’s because I’ve always made choices based on the best outcome for survival. It’s instinctual – I am part wolf after all.” He looked over Liz’s head at me then. “And as far as I’m concerned, sticking with the three of you is going to be our best chance no matter which choice you make.”
I looked over at Ava, and she nodded. “I agree. I’ll do whatever you decide Jake.”
I sighed, surprised that I had unintentionally and unofficially become the leader of our group. Finally, after a long pause, I looked at each of them individually, before resting my gaze on Trinity’s trusting red eyes. With a deep breath, I announced my decision.
“I guess…Let’s save the world.”
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Acknowledgments
Special thanks to:
Esther Eckstein
Bethany Worcester
Patreon Super Supporters:
Kerry Eckstein (Apr 2018)
Tanner Dutmer (Sep 2018)
Luke Campbell (Sep 2018)
About the Author
Kurtis Eckstein is a huge fan of coffee, books, and anime. He first started writing stories in high school but didn’t get serious about it until over ten years later when he was working on his graduate degree.
That’s when his interest in writing short-stories turned into a full-blown hobby with the publication of his first fiction book, The Keras Genome. Now, with the addition of Demon Seer and Omega Squad, he is one step closer to creating a huge selection of stories for people to enjoy.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. New Recruit
2. Succubus
3. First Mission
4. Triggered
5. Feelings
6. Diet
7. Disobedience
8. Priorities
9. Shield Maiden
10. Trauma
11. Panic
12. Performance
13. Insomnia
14. Inferno
15. Liz
16. Date
17. Havoc
18. Sabotage
19. Trust
20. Sacrifice
21. Choice
Acknowledgments
About the Author
tein, Omega Squad