INCURSION: Knightmare (Knight's Bane Trilogy Book 1)

by Bryan Donihue

  Smith turned toward each of them and said, "Well, I'm off to collect your next team member."

  After Agent Smith left, Burt showed John the facilities, and John took his personal effects into his apartment. As the mess hall staff dropped off the food for the galley, Burt and John put together cold cut sandwiches and grabbed bags of potato chips and sat at the large table in the middle of the dining area. As John took his first bite, he chuckled to himself. "This sandwich is incredible. I'll have to admit, when I saw that we had a mess hall and galley, I figured we were getting government food. I was starting to regret signing up."

  Gradually, Burt and John began to get to know each other. While they were both very guarded about their youth, they talked about their backgrounds before coming to Section 28 and about their hobbies. They discovered that they both enjoyed really bad sci-fi movies. Realizing that they shared some common ground, each man started to drop his guard little by little. They sat back to watch a couple favorite movies in ultra-high definition splendor.

  Late Tuesday afternoon, Agent Smith brought another gentleman to what Burt was beginning to call "the barracks." As Jesús Rivera was introduced as the team's sniper, Burt looked over his new teammate.

  Jesús was a tall Latino man in his late twenties. His black hair and brown eyes showed his heritage, and the lean, muscular body told of a man who worked out and ate right. Wearing a black tactical shirt and black BDUs usually showed that someone was a "wannabe" or "tacti-cool" operator. On this man, however, the BDUs looked natural and hinted that this man was authentic... the kind of operator that Burt had worked with and got along well with.

  The three men sat in the lounge area and slowly began to talk together. Reluctance and wariness stifled conversation. When Burt pointed out that they needed to begin to trust each other as they would soon be working as a team, both men became a little more forthcoming.

  Jesús was the first one to cautiously bring up monsters. Recounting what Agent Smith had said about the lone werewolf, he asked the others if they had any similar stories. Burt admitted that he had seen what he thought was a UFO, although Agent Smith had said that it was something else. And then John began talking about ghosts. When Burt snorted in disbelief, John just looked at him.

  John's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Sure. Werewolves and UFOs exist, but ghosts are crazy? Think about this. Just what the heck is Section 28 hiding? If I had my laptop, I could start climbing inside this network."

  Jesús and Burt looked at each other and laughed. Burt clapped John on the back, almost bending him over and said, "Point taken, John. Save the hacking for after we're officially sworn in. I'm sure we'll get a chance then."

  It was three days later, on Friday afternoon, when Agent Smith brought in their final team members. "Rebekah Callahan, Explosives, and Doctor Noelle Sorenson, Vampire Hunter," said Agent Smith as he introduced the two women to the team.

  Everyone gave a slight start at the word "Vampire," wondering if it was a joke. As the team members exchanged bewildered stares, Doctor Sorenson knowingly smiled and said, "I hunt all monsters. But vampires are my specialty."

  Agent Smith said, "Alright, team. Take the weekend to get to know each other." The DHS agent looked around at the new team. "Monday morning, you'll get sworn in and begin training together. Team meeting is at 0800 Monday. I'll have a staff member come for you then." He then walked out the door.

  Burt looked at the two newcomers. Rebekah was a pretty 26-year old with close- cropped black hair and piercing, bright blue eyes. She was about five inches shorter than his five-foot-nine-inch frame and carried no extra weight. Maybe weighing in at one hundred twenty pounds, she was a beautiful young woman with a very pretty, pixie-like face. The way she carried herself and the Navy BDUs and white t-shirt told Burt that she was fresh from the Navy.

  Doctor Sorenson, on the other hand, did not look like she belonged on this team. Likely in her early forties, she wore a gray pantsuit and was very prim and proper. Her light brown hair was wrapped in a very tight bun, setting off her unusual gray eyes. Just a couple inches shorter than Burt's own five feet and nine inches, she looked like she weighed about one hundred fifty pounds. Even though she wore the weight well on her large frame, she did not look like someone who could fight a monster. So how did she hunt vampires? Burt asked himself. Wait! Now I'm supposed to believe in vampires? What in the heck did I get myself into?

  Later, the newly formed team gathered their meals and sat at a long table together. Conversation ranged from personal backgrounds to speculation about what they were doing there and soon shifted to a raging debate about whether they were watching a sci-fi movie or the latest romantic comedy. The argument was finally settled by watching a reality TV show about storage locker auctions.

  AS AGENT SMITH walked through the complex toward his own living quarters, he received a message on his secure phone. Looking at the message, Smith turned and walked briskly toward the operations room.

  As he walked through the doors, the analyst who had sent him the message waived him over to her station. After a brief glance at her data, Smith motioned to the analyst to follow him to the planning center. He unlocked his phone and sent a pre-coded message to both Timothy, his secretary, and his boss, Director Day. The message to Timothy was simple: it instructed Timothy to call a list of staff and have them assembled in the planning center. Timothy was also to arrange with the kitchen staff for delivery of food, coffee, and other snacks.

  The message to Director Day told his boss that there was a developing Incursion, and that the planning staff was being assembled. Smith knew that Director Day would want a report first thing on Monday morning.

  Smith reached the planning center to find that Timothy was already there, deciding which food the kitchen staff would be bringing to the planning center. As Smith reached his seat at the head of the table, the other staffers began to trickle in. A mix of analysts, planning strategists, and logistics experts, this staff was trained and assembled for this kind of meeting.

  The lead analyst showed Smith a thumb drive, and he plugged it into a receptacle built into the table in front of Smith. As the computer spooled up the drive, the analyst grabbed the remote, and the last staffer came through the door. Closing the soundproof door and engaging the red meeting light, the final staffer took her seat. Smith nodded to the analyst and said, "Go ahead, Joan. What do you have for us?"

  Joan looked around the room and made sure that every staff person in the room was ready. Seeing the staff staring at her, she fumbled with the remote. The analyst took a breath to calm her nerves and began the presentation.

  Joan began by displaying a map of Colorado with a dot fixed near the southern border of the state, almost directly south of Pueblo. "Trinidad, Colorado. Population, just under eighty-five hundred. An hour and a half south of Pueblo. The search algorithms popped a hit, with an Incursion probability of eighty-nine percent.

  "According to the data, there have been five deaths in the last month and a half. Last one happened a couple days ago. Average murder rate prior to this? Zero. The algorithms have also found ten missing people in the area in the last two months.

  "Every death has shown signs of feeding at the normal locations. Local M.E. is signing off as post-mortem animal activity, but that's only because he isn't that good. The bad news is that the FBI has been alerted, and they are trying to decide if they want to send the BAU."

  Smith frowned. He knew that the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit would get in the way of whichever team they sent. He asked the analyst, "Sounds like Incursion activity. Recommendations?"

  Joan looked at her notes. "Team Alpha believes that this is likely a single creature. Most likely a vampire. Team Beta concurs on vampire activity but believes that there may be two. Both Alpha and Beta recommend priority Red."

  Section 28 had a priority system set up to triage Incursion events. The highest priority is Black. Next is Ultra-Red, and then Red, Orange, Yellow, White, and Blue, in descending order.


  Smith agreed with the Red priority. Vampires needed attention, but one or two fresh ones were not enough to classify and event as Ultra-Red.

  Smith looked around the room. "OK. Priority Red in Trinidad, Colorado. Who do we have available to handle this?"

  A woman next to Smith spoke up. "Knightfall is closest, but they're still recovering from their Priority Black," she said. "They are down to twenty percent capable, and their team leader is in rehab for her leg for another month. We also need to replace the casualties from that team."

  Another analyst consulted his notes and spoke up. "Knightsdawn is still on location with their Ultra-Red. They are hunting down the 'fae' that came through in Oregon."

  Smith thought for a moment and then began, "As most of you know, I've recently recruited the new team, Knightmare. They will swear in Monday morning. They are brand new, but there is a vampire specialist from the Vatican on the team, and most of them are from some sort of federal service. They should be able to handle one or two new vamps. This will be a great field test for them.

  "Logistics, prepare for the team's departure at 1000, Monday morning. Make sure you have proper ground transport available at the airport for them. Let the Armory know that they will be coming. Oh, and let Norbert know that the new team is coming to him. Send him their files.

  "Intel, get everything that you can on the town of... Trinidad, Colorado. We need to know who the local government and law enforcement is. Also, find out who is currently the SAC in the Denver office. We may need to give them a 'head's up.'

  "Operations, get the ball rolling. Good catch on the Incursion. Let's make sure this new team has all the support they need. Dismissed."

  8

  GEAS

  SECTION 28 AGENT APARTMENTS, LANGLEY, VIRGINIA.

  By seven o'clock Monday morning, the block of apartments was frenetic with activity as the new teammates prepared themselves for the day. Each person performed their morning routine with a touch of nervous energy, as no one had any idea what to expect that day. As the dining crew delivered breakfast at seven thirty in the morning, everyone was out in the lounge area waiting, except for John. He came stumbling out of his apartment about five minutes later with large, dark rings under his eyes attesting to another late night of watching bad science fiction movies.

  As the dining crew was leaving, several staffers wheeled large wardrobes through the halls of the apartment block. As the team gathered round, one of the staff said, "Alright guys. Welcome aboard. I am Agent Timothy Wilson, but you folks can call me 'Tim.' I am Agent Smith's assistant, so we'll be talking quite a bit." Wilson shook each team member's hand.

  Burt appraised the assistant. Timothy Wilson was in his late twenties and looked like the stereotypical "preppy" college frat boy. Standing at five feet eight inches, Tim was blond with blue eyes and very fit and looked like he weighed in just over one hundred fifty pounds. Dressed in an immaculately pressed shirt and tie, Tim looked like he could be on the recruiting poster for any number of federal law enforcement agencies. Burt noticed that Tim was the first staffer that he had seen in the complex who was carrying a pistol. Tim had what looked like one of the Glock handgun models carried in a shoulder holster under his left arm.

  Burt realized that Tim had continued speaking. "Today was scheduled to be an orientation day for you guys; however, your team will be going to work earlier than expected. I'll let Agent Smith handle all the details with you, but I wanted to stop by this morning for two reasons. First, I wanted to help drop off your training gear and your official tactical uniforms to be used while on a mission. There are multiple sets of each outfit in here for each of you. If you haven't discovered it yet, we do offer a complete laundry service for you. Just use the bags in your closets, put any special instructions on the form, and drop it off in the laundry area just inside the doorway to your team quarters. They will be returned, folded and pressed, to your individual rooms within twenty-four hours.

  "Other than that, I really wanted to introduce myself. I know a lot of details from your file, but that does not mean I know you. When you receive your phones today, my contact information will be pre-programmed. You ladies and gentlemen can feel free to contact me about anything your team liaison cannot handle. Anyone have any questions?"

  Burt cleared his throat, "So, we'll be able to leave our quarters today?"

  Tim nodded, offering a good-natured smile. "I really apologize about that. Unfortunately, until you have officially been sworn in and signed your contracts, the vast majority of this complex is classified way above any of your former clearance levels. When we brought you here, we didn't anticipate having you in here this long. We really appreciate how patient you have been, especially you, Mr. Holstein.

  "We ask that you not stray at all between here and the conference room where you will swear in. Once you are sworn in, you will have access to the vast majority of this complex, and your room keys will act as your access cards to the complex. Any other questions?"

  When no one spoke up, Tim made a final request. "Agent Smith would like you to finish your preparations and then be ready at oh seven fifty-five. Your new team liaison will be coming down here to take you to the conference room then. I'll see you guys later."

  After Tim left, Burt reached into the wardrobe marked "Training" and grabbed a large bundle of hung clothes wrapped in plastic. Reading the name on the tag, he said, "Rebekah," and handed her the bundle. He then repeated the process until the wardrobe was clean, and everyone had a bundle in his or her arms.

  While Burt was passing out the training gear, Jesús opened the wardrobe labeled as "Duty." He continued the process started by Burt and passed out similarly marked bundles to almost everyone on the team. Looking in the now empty wardrobe, he looked puzzled. Jesús turned to Noelle and said, "Sorry, Doc. It looks like they forgot to add a bundle of clothes for you."

  Noelle laughed lightly. "I'm sure they didn't forget me, Jesús. My action gear is a little more specialized. And customized. Trust me, I won't look like one of you guys when we go into action."

  Jesús thought about it for a moment, nodded, and smiled. "I never thought about it, but I can see where your specialty might require a bit of a different setup."

  "I recommend that we put our new gear away before we have to leave," Burt said as he looked at his teammates. "It sounds like we won't be needing the training gear today."

  The others nodded their assent and took their clothing into their respective apartments to change.

  As they met in the lounge a few minutes later, they all remarked that the training BDU uniforms seemed to be the perfect size. It was almost as if each set were tailored specifically for each person. While they were speculating, there was a slight knock on the door, and a staffer opened up the door to the apartment block.

  Standing at the door was a stunning young African American woman. She was just over five feet tall, her naturally curly black hair was gathered loosely in the back to form a ponytail, giving her a very youthful appearance. Her brown eyes perfectly complemented her mocha skin. The business pantsuit she wore accented her athletic build. As Burt welcomed her, he spotted a tell-tale bulge as her loose suit jacket flipped open slightly, revealing the butt of a handgun. Another DHS agent?

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Agent Gretchen Massey. Please call me Gretchen. I am your team's direct administrative assistant; my official title is Team Liaison. It is my job to coordinate your life here at the Complex." Burt could almost hear the capital letter she placed on the word. She continued her introduction. "I help coordinate everything from meals to laundry, to entertainment so that you can concentrate on our mission. If you have any issues with the quarters, with your apartment block, or any services we're providing, please let me know. My number will be programmed into your SSP. That's the official designation of the secure smart phone equipment that you will be assigned.

  "Now, if you will follow me, I'll take you to the conference room. Agent Smith is waiting for you."
r />   As the team walked through the warren of hallways and buildings, Burt noticed that there were several identifying marks at every corner that he could not decipher. While there were never any maps that he could see, Burt guessed that a simple glance at a corner to read the markings would tell a knowledgeable employee exactly where they were in the complex. As they turned down a corridor mysteriously labeled "Ex1.3.NE," there was a subtle shift in atmosphere. The hall got quieter, as if the very sounds were dampened, and the staffers seemed to be in less of a hurry to move along. Burt noticed that the carpeting in the hallway went from standard industrial to a higher quality carpeting, and the plain metal doors became interspersed with wood doors and the occasional set of windows in the hallway. None of these windows ever showed an outside view. Instead, they always showed the interior of an office or conference room.

  Gretchen led them to a door marked "Conference Room Ex.1.A." She opened the door and ushered the team into a large, beautifully furnished conference room. With wood paneling, a large wooden table, and comfortable seating, this room would have been fit for a boardroom for a Fortune 500 company. The large plasma screen at the end of the room nearest the door and the recessed speakers in the ceiling bespoke of fully integrated media. The only thing missing was an executive speakerphone in the middle of the table. At the far end of the table stood Agent Smith.

  As the team filed in, Agent Smith motioned for them to sit down. This morning he was wearing the same gray pinstripe suit, immaculately pressed, with the jacket fastened. Agent Smith opened his arms in an expansive gesture and said, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am so glad we can finally get all of you officially sworn in to Section 28. I know that some of you have been puttering around in your apartment complex for several days now, and I thank you for your patience. As Timothy explained earlier, after this morning, you will not be confined to the apartment complex. In fact, you will not even be confined to this operations complex. Although you will be busy with training and missions, your downtime is your own to do with as you please. Timothy will arrange for any transportation needs that you might have. We'll talk about a lot of that later. I'd like to begin with the formal contracts and swearing in."