by Peter Hoole
“That would be a very good start.”
“About, I don’t know, maybe twelve months ago, Emmett and I were recruited.”
“Recruited? By who?” Darcy asked.
“By Pierre. I didn’t know his name at the time. All he told me was to meet him at the local YMCA. There, he told me that I was chosen, that ‘they’ had been watching me for some time, and he asked me if I wanted to be part of something special.”
“Who are they?” Casey demanded.
“To be honest, I still don’t really know. Pierre called them ‘The Colonials’.”
“Okay, we’ll get back to them later. Go on. What happened next with Emmett?” asked Caleb, trying to focus on the more immediate task.
“We all met in a park in North Carolina, there we were given an ultimatum. Basically, we could go off with Pierre and learn more, or we could leave. All but one of us – there were nine of us to start with – all but one of us went with him.”
Caleb and Darcy glanced at each other. “Matthew… just hold up. Why did you go with him? How did you know where you were going?” asked Darcy.
“Ma’am, you know I’m really not sure. All I know is that, I was, I dunno, just looking for something important to be a part of. You know that feeling?”
“I certainly do,” said Caleb. But I joined the Marines instead of a cult, he thought.
“So anyway, we were driven to a warehouse where we went through heaps of training. Most of it was theory, learning things. Stuff about physics, chemistry, and biology. We were tested on stuff all the time. After a while, some of the other guys were taken away—”
“What happened to them?” asked Darcy
“I’m not sure, ma’am. I never saw them again. I guess they went home.”
Caleb wasn’t so sure that was the outcome, but he could not focus on that.
“So, obviously you and Emmett made it through.”
“Yeah, eventually it was just me and him. We were pretty much separated from then on. I was trained in hand-to-hand combat, sniper rifles. You know, just… army stuff.”
“And Emmett?”
“He… he was training with rockets. Specifically, MANPADs.” the young man continued.
Caleb’s calm expression was swiftly replaced with one of deep concern.
Darcy was unsure of what Matthew was talking about.
She turned to Caleb, and saw the look on his face. She scanned the rest of the group. Casey and Dunleavy also had similar expressions to Caleb.
“Caleb, what’s a MANPAD?” Darcy asked.
“A MANPAD is a Man Portable Air Defence System. In civilian terms, it’s a rocket launcher. You know, the one’s you put on your shoulder—”
Understanding dawned. “Holy shit, Caleb, is he gonna…” Darcy’s voice trailed off as she lifted a hand to her mouth.
“Yeah, babe – in about two hours, Emmett’s gonna shoot down a plane.”
A myriad of thoughts were passing through Emmett’s mind as he waited. They were the same thoughts he’d been dwelling on since he’d first received his mission parameters. While he was honoured to be carrying out the task, he was equally burdened by its lofty ambitions.
By now, various governments were probably going crazy searching through all the variables to the messages he’d sent. They were probably wondering where and when a plane would be shot down. Emmett had even fed them specific details about where they could find members of the New Light cell. The thought made him smile.
His smile intensified when he remembered his reward. His place in the colony, in the plan, in Phase Two – it was all about to come to pass. And he couldn’t wait.
He looked at his watch. There was less than an two hours remaining.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Caleb got to his feet. Knowing there was a plane about to be shot down, there was a greater sense of urgency to their actions.
From a positive viewpoint, it did provide them with some mission parameters. Where Caleb felt as if he’d been chasing his tail for the past twenty hours, now it seemed he had something tangible to work with. “Casey, come with me,” he ordered. “Mike, you keep watching Matthew. Darcy, try to get more information out of him.”
“Like what?” asked Darcy.
“I don’t know… anything that could help,” Caleb muttered as he strode towards the front of the plane, Casey close closely behind. Taking a seat at the front, Caleb began planning. “Casey, do you have your tablet with you?” he asked.
“Of course.” Casey reached over to the seat where he’d first been sitting, and grabbed the large backpack he’d brought on board with him. “You know I’m always prepared.” Casey pulled the tablet out of his pack.
“Good,” Caleb began, “there’s something I need to cover first though, Sergeant.”
“Yeah, what’s that Cap?”
Caleb glanced towards the cockpit. “You and Murphy?”
The words caused Casey some obvious discomfort. While Caleb didn’t have a rule in place regarding relationships between officers, it was never advisable. Especially in such a tight team as the one Caleb had formed. Any relationship could compromise each mission, causing some members to act for personal reasons rather than for the good of the team.
“Don’t worry sir…” Casey said, “We won’t compromise the mission.”
Caleb tried to calm him down. “Casey… Darryl” Caleb said, adding familiarity to the conversation, “I’m just glad you two have finally got together. Shit, you’ve been tip-toeing around it long enough.”
“Not really, sir,” Casey replied.
“What do you mean?”
“Well… we’ve been together nearly a year and a—”
“Half right? Eighteen months?”
Casey looked dumbfounded. How did Caleb know?
“It was right after the London mission right? I noticed a change in both of you then.”
“Shit Cap, I’m sorry…” Casey began
“Darryl, it’s ok. I know you would have told me if you thought you were compromised. But I never saw any of that. I just wanted to confirm it with you, to make sure it’s all out in the open, okay. I mean…” Caleb turned his head and glanced back at Darcy. She was quietly chatting with a relaxed-looking Matthew. “We’ve all got a personal stake in this,” he said when he turned back.
“Yes, sir, we do.”
“Okay then, get on the tablet, pull up a map of Seattle – we need to get a plan together.”
Casey opened a mapping program on his tablet, and pulled up an aerial shot of Seattle.
As they began their planning, Dunleavy wandered over to them. He sat down next to Caleb.
“So, what’s the plan guys? How can I help?” he asked.
Caleb looked at Casey, and they shared the same look.
“Mike. I think we need to stick to protocol as much as possible on this one. I mean, this is our area of expertise, and we don’t need—” Caleb began.
Dunleavy looked offended. “Still don’t trust me, Jackson?”
Caleb made direct eye contact with Dunleavy, not wanting to cause any confusion. “That’s not it at, sir. You ask me if I trust you,” Caleb began, “in this entire world, especially after everything that’s happened recently, there are very few people I trust. One of them is sitting down the back of the plane with the guy who was sent to kill her, trying to help him to help himself. Three of the others I trust, well… there’s one in front of me…” Caleb pointed towards Casey. “And there’s another two flying this plane. I don’t distrust you – I just need a lot more from you before I let you in on our planning.”
Dunleavy looked annoyed. “Okay then, I get it,” Dunleavy said, trying not to cause any reason to annoy the soldiers, “I understand the lack of trust. Just remember though, I was CIA before I was in politics. I can help you.”
“I know sir. Believe me, I will let you know the part you can play,” Caleb said. “I’d just like to keep the specifics in-house for now.”
“Okay
” Dunleavy said. “You know where to find me.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Dunleavy turned, but stopped short. “Jackson, let me just make a phone call.”
Caleb narrowed his eyes, watching Dunleavy with something akin to suspicion. “Why, sir?”
“Look, we don’t have much information at the moment. Frankly, all we’ve got is the word of some kid who seems to have gotten himself caught up in something he didn’t expect.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I still know a guy. He has his ear to the ground. I can ask him if he’s heard anything.”
Caleb considered Dunleavy’s offer looking to Casey for some advice.
“Couldn’t hurt, sir. Might I suggest he make the call on speaker phone, though, to ensure there’s no confusion?” Casey suggested.
“Of course,” Dunleavy replied.
Caleb inhaled heavily before he spoke. “Okay then, call your guy,” Caleb said.
Dunleavy pulled out his phone, and dialled a number, pressing a button to switch the call to speaker. “He may not be awake…” Dunleavy warned as the phone rang, but even as he spoke, the connection was picked up.
“Dunleavy? What the fuck?”
“Nice to speak to you too, Carl. Didn’t wake you, did I?” Dunleavy said, offering Caleb a wry grin.
“Matter of fact, you did,” Carl replied, an obvious lie. Judging by the man’s voice, he’d been awake for some time.
“Bullshit, Carl,” Dunleavy said. “Listen, I need to ask you something.”
“Shit Mike, I don’t have time for this.”
“Carl – you owe me, okay. I need to know something?”
Carl huffed out an impatient breath. “Fine. What is it?”
“Is there any chatter this morning? Anything about an imminent strike?”
Carl lapsed into silence.
“Carl?” Dunleavy prompted.
“How did you know?” Carl asked, clearly stunned.
“I keep my ear to the ground. What’s the chatter?”
“Shit Mike; I really shouldn’t be talking about this.”
“Carl – don’t forget I still have the photos. Pretty sure your wife and kids would rather not learn about the whore in Brasilia. Or the one in Naples, or the one in—”
“Okay, okay! Jesus, Mike! Fuck!” Carl paused, presumably considering his options. “Okay. What do you want to know?” he asked
“The details? Have you heard about anything imminent?”
Carl again lapsed into silence.
“I can send the photos via email or regular mail, Carl. Up to you.”
“Fine! We’re hearing a lot of talk from New Light. They’ve been building up to something for a while. From what we can tell, they’re planning to hit something in the northern United States. Probably New York”
“Hit? What do you mean hit?”
“The chatter points at a plane, but we’re really not sure.”
“Shit… well, I’m thinking it’s gonna be Seattle.”
“Seattle, why do you say that? Shit Mike, what the fuck have you been up to?”
“Nothing really, just keeping my ear to the ground.”
“Nothing we have indicates the north west. All our guys are being mobilised to New York. The place is in locked down, so—”
“Do me a favour, Carl…”
“Fuck you and your favours, Mike. I’m done.”
“Just send someone to Seattle. Anyone. Can’t hurt, can it?”
“Fine. I’ll send local SWAT. Can you let me know where?”
“Just get them to lock down SEATAC.”
“Fine.”
“Thanks, Carl.”
“Mike – do NOT call me again. I’m done with this. Either send me those pictures, or send them on. You do not own me!”
“Carl, if this pans out, I’ll burn the pictures. You have my word.”
The call disconnected and Casey and Caleb looked at each other. It was almost confirmation, and it looked like they might be getting some help.
“Thanks for that Sir,” Caleb said to Dunleavy. “He’s not your greatest fan, is he? Remind me never to get on your bad side, okay.”
“Yeah, that would be a good idea,” replied Dunleavy with no real emotion.
“Sir, he spoke about New Light. Is that the group that took out the President?” asked Casey.
“Yeah, that’s what the intelligence said,” Dunleavy replied.
“You don’t sound confident, sir.”
“No, I’m not. While I do get the occasional intel, I don’t get nearly enough to be certain of anything. Still…” Dunleavy paused.
“Go on, sir,” Caleb requested.
“Boys, I don’t know about you,” said Dunleavy, “but if I was planning a terrorist attack, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t leave any bread crumbs about when and where it was going to happen.”
Caleb and Casey exchanged a long glance. “It makes sense, Cap,” Casey said.
Caleb nodded in agreement. Should they have been heading toward New York? Should they have been chasing New Light? Caleb wasn’t sure. All the agencies seemed to think their concerns about Seattle was incorrect. Still, Caleb doubted the intelligence agencies had ever heard of Matthew, let alone Emmett and the MANPAD training.
“What should we do, Cap?” Casey asked.
Caleb decided to do what Darcy said in the diner, and follow his instincts. “We stay the course, Sergeant. We go to Seattle.”
Casey nodded in agreement.
“Thanks for the intel, Mike, but we’ll take it from here,” Caleb said to Dunleavy.
“Fair enough” he replied. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Dunleavy returned to the back of the plane, and Caleb watched as he took the seat next to Matthew, listening to the conversation between Matthew and Darcy. Caleb turned his attention back to Casey’s tablet. “Alright then,” Caleb said.
“Sir, while Mr. ‘Former-CIA’ was sticking his above-average nose into our business, I’ve pulled up a map of the city. Now, the airport is here,” Casey pointed to Seattle-Tacoma (SEATAC) International Airport.
“No other major airports?” asked Caleb
“Nothing major, sir. King County’s nearby, but being a Sunday it will be too quiet there. I can’t imagine there would be any other priority targets, at least none that you could take out with a MANPAD.”
“Okay then. Sounds like a good enough basket to put all our eggs into.”
“Sir?”
“Let’s face it, Sergeant, we don’t have a lot of information to go on right now. We need to pick a place, and just hope we get lucky.”
The pair examined the map closely. As with every mission, the planning they performed was based largely on trying to assess the state-of-mind, motivations and predilections of their target. In this instance, the only information they had, the only person they had to base their decisions on, was Matthew.
What they knew of Matthew led Caleb to believe Emmett was a young man who’d been led astray. He had been led astray with the promise of… something. What that something was, Caleb did not know. That would be information they would need to seek out later.
“Sir, I think,” began Casey, studying the map intently. “if it was me, and I was working with a MANPAD with the intention of taking out a flight, I think I would position myself somewhere around here.” Casey pointed to a large parkland area, just east of the 509.
“Agreed,” Caleb concurred.
The area was roughly five hundred feet wide – plenty of space for a person to hide, and it would provide a great view of the planes as they took off and landed.
“Quite a large area to cover Sergeant, any chance of narrowing it down?”
“Give me a chance, sir, I know I’m brilliant, but at this time of morning my brilliance is somewhat dampened,” Casey muttered, his eyes flicking over the map as he studied the various options.
“Okay.” Caleb turned his attention to the cockpit. “How long have we
got, Murphy?”
Murphy checked the GPS. “About twenty minutes, sir,” she shouted back.
“Sergeant?” Caleb turned his attention back to Casey.
“Yes, sir, I’ll have an option for you in time.”
“Good. I’m gonna prep.” Caleb stepped into the cockpit. “Did you bring my gear?” he asked.
“Yes sir, in my pack,” Murphy replied, motioning towards the bag tucked in behind her seat.
Caleb opened the all-purpose survival pack. Amid the various devices and technology, he came across a spare set of clothes.
Murphy was second-in-command, his go-to officer. While he held the same level of trust in her as he did the entire team, Caleb always respected her decisions. In fact, after only their first mission together, he’d recommended her promotion to Lieutenant.
After that, he’d always made sure he had spare equipment he could leave with her, and she did the same with him. She was always his first call whenever they received a mission, from Dunleavy or the President.
“Thanks Murphy,” Caleb said, as he left the cockpit.
He entered the main cabin, and began to change. Removing his shirt, he heard a voice.
“Caleb, we need to talk,” Darcy said.
He removed his shirt, and exposed his cut and defined physique. He looked up, and caught Darcy staring. She had always been happy with his body and looks, but she knew that eventually, they would fade, and she would still love the man beneath.
While she began by admiring her boyfriend’s physique, Darcy’s attention was quickly drawn to the scars. There were numerous healed knife wounds, and one or two bullet wounds on his body.
Having never been part of any of the missions, nor having met anyone that Caleb had worked with, Darcy had no real concept of where the scars came from. Now that she was getting an insight into Caleb’s work, she looked at the scars differently.
The pain he must have been through was inconceivable to her, and the fact he bore it with such silent bravery was something she admired.
And it made her love him even more.
Still shirtless, Caleb removed his denim jeans having lost all sense of modesty in front of the other passengers. Still, with his girlfriend, a member of his team, and two other men in the cabin, there was no real need for modesty.