Light of the Last

by Chuck Black

  “Believing him had nothing to do with it,” Ethan said, trying to avoid looking like he cared about Drew. “I treat sick people no matter who they are.”

  “Oh,” Sydney said, but it was clear she knew better.

  Jake got a call on his radio, so he stepped out of the room. Ben took that as a cue for him to exit too.

  Ethan began setting up the IV. “And I knew you cared about him,” Ethan added, then turned away to prepare the needles.

  Sydney didn’t respond.

  —

  It took a few hours to administer the transfusion; then Drew slept the rest of the night. By morning, he felt like a new man.

  There was a gentle knock on his door.

  “Come in,” he said.

  Sydney peeked in. “Hey,” she said with a smile. “Can I come in?”

  “Please.” Drew sat up in bed. His shoulder still hurt pretty badly, but it was bearable now that he had the strength to deal with it.

  Sydney pushed the door open with her hip to reveal a tray holding a delicious breakfast—orange juice, scrambled eggs, sausage, and fruit. “I’m a little late, but I thought I’d return the favor.”

  Drew smiled. “Except I have a feeling you didn’t call room service for this one.”

  “No, but that just means you’ll have to deal with my runny eggs and burnt toast.”

  Drew laughed.

  “Actually, it’s all rehydrated, so it probably isn’t that good,” Sydney finished.

  “It looks like a feast to me.”

  She set the tray in his lap, and there was a moment of awkward silence.

  Sydney tucked her hands in her back pockets. “Well, I guess I should get going.”

  He didn’t want her to go, but it wouldn’t be right for her to stay, even for a few minutes. “I owe Ethan a lot,” he said. “He’s a good man, Syd.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I know.” She turned and went to the door.

  “Thanks for the breakfast,” Drew said.

  Sydney spun around. “You’re welcome. Glad you’re feeling better.” She turned back to the door.

  “Sydney?”

  She spun around again, her eyes searching him. “Yes?”

  Oh, how he wished he could tell her how much he loved her. But instead he needed her help on something else that was just as important.

  “Do you really think that what I’m seeing are angels and demons? I mean…really?”

  With the turn of recent events, Drew needed his confidence back. He needed to know he was solid again. Asking Jesus Christ into his life seemed to change everything, and he began wondering if perhaps it might even change his perceived reality about himself.

  Sydney looked down at the floor as she thought for a moment. “I don’t think I can answer that for you, Drew. But I do know this—I believe God has called you to something great. His Word says to humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. You’ve been down for quite a while. Maybe He’s getting ready to lift you up.”

  She gave him a quick smile and then left, closing the door behind her. It wasn’t the answer he was looking for, but strangely, it helped. Thinking that almighty God might have a specific plan for his life was both thrilling and frightening. It was like being handpicked for a secret mission for the CIA…only bigger.

  He finished the breakfast, cleaned up, then went looking for Ethan. He found him in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

  “I just wanted to say thanks, Ethan. I appreciate—”

  “Don’t, Carter.” Ethan looked up at him with fierce eyes. He looked around to make sure no one else was near, especially Sydney. “You nearly got Sydney killed, just like I said would happen, and now we’re hiding out in some godforsaken hole in the ground, and I don’t even know if you and this gang of mercenaries are the good guys or criminals. You’ve got Sydney so messed up in this, she’s not even thinking straight. So keep your gratitude to yourself.”

  Drew didn’t know what to say. Ethan was right. Sydney had been put in jeopardy again, and there wasn’t much to convince anyone that they were actually the good guys.

  “Fair enough. Thanks anyway.”

  He left just as Sydney entered, and he grimaced as they passed. He found Ben at the table in the main room of the bunker, trying to ascertain the damage to the Witness jacket to effect repairs.

  “Hey, how are you doing?” Drew asked.

  “Much better now that a gun isn’t being pointed at my head.”

  “I’m sorry about all that, Ben,” Drew said. “Things have gotten out of control in a hurry.”

  “Elsing says Witness may have saved your life after all. The Kevlar kept the bullet from penetrating deep enough to do any serious damage.”

  “I thought so. A gunshot wound at that range should have really messed me up. I guess I owe you again.” Drew put a hand on Ben’s shoulder.

  Then he reached into his pocket and laid the three USB drives on the table in front of Ben. One from Ross, one from the late Senator Hanson, and one from Hadad and the Mossad. Somewhere in those encrypted files was the answer to all of this.

  “Ben, Alice told me she couldn’t decrypt Ross’s files. I need access to every file on all of these drives. Something big’s happening, and I think that somewhere in these files is the answer.”

  Ben grabbed the drives. “I’ll need to get back to NexTech to do it.”

  “I’ll talk to Jake, and we’ll come up with a plan,” Drew said. “NexTech should still be under the radar of the government, since we are not officially affiliated with the company, so we should be able to get you back there.”

  Jake and Reed joined them at the table and sat down. Drew could hear Sydney and Ethan talking thirty feet away. He tried not to listen and instead focused on the three sitting at the table with him.

  “I’m still waiting to hear what this is all about,” Jake said.

  “Honestly, I’m still trying to figure it out myself,” Drew said. “A few days ago I was on a routine drop mission and things went sideways. For some reason, there appears to be a lot of people who want me dead, and I don’t know why.”

  Reed stared blankly at Drew. “I thought you were out, Drew. No explanation was given to me. I guess they turned you into a NOC after all.”

  Drew scrutinized Reed. Of all people, he would be the one to know what had happened. “Reed, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Sure,” Reed said, looking surprised.

  “Jake, Ben, we’ll be right back.”

  They walked back to Drew’s room, and Drew shut the door behind them, then crossed his arms. “Do you want to tell me what’s really going on, Reed?”

  Reed looked genuinely confused. “Carter, I haven’t seen you for months, and then I come to save your butt. Now you act like I’m the bad guy. What’s going on, partner?”

  Had he read Reed wrong all along? Drew was starting to wonder if he could trust anyone. The words of Hadad began to work their paranoia on him.

  “Why did you report to Ross so that he had me…reevaluated?”

  Reed’s face twisted into a look of concern. “What are you talking about? I haven’t seen Ross since that day in Chicago when he asked me to watchdog you. And my last communication with him was when I cleared you three months after you left the Farm.”

  Drew looked for signs of deception in Reed’s face and body language, but there were none. “You mean you didn’t tell Ross that I was seeing things, that I needed to have a psych eval done?”

  “Is that what happened?” Reed asked. “That’s why they kicked you out?” He laughed, but it wasn’t funny to Drew. “It makes perfect sense. Ross needed to get you out so he could use you as a NOC. He used a psych eval to do it.” Reed seemed lost in thought for a moment. “So how did they justify it? What got reported?”

  Drew stared at him, trying to decide whether to believe him or not. “PTSD,” he said slowly.

  Reed looked at Drew again. “Why would you think I had anything to do with it,
Carter? Ross wouldn’t need anyone to pull a hokey psych evaluation. After you disappeared I got transferred to Langley. I had no idea what went down or where you were until Jake contacted me.”

  Drew slowly came to the conclusion that Reed was telling the truth. “How did you know to help me and where to find me?”

  “Actually, our pal from the Farm, Hadad, contacted me. Told me you were in trouble and that your stepfather might have the resources necessary to help you out.”

  Drew realized that the Mossad must have tracked him after the café incident.

  Reed looked straight into Drew’s eyes. “You’ve saved my life more times than I can count. I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to return the favor.”

  Drew warmly offered Reed a hand and a hug. “I’m sorry for doubting you. It’s really good to see you again.”

  They joined Jake and Ben back at the table, and by now Sydney and Ethan were with them too. Ethan stood back and watched. Drew figured he was trying to decide whether or not he was a real agent or a criminal.

  “This mission, Drew, what was unique about it to trigger an assassination squad?” Jake asked.

  “How about we watch and see if we can find out?” Ben asked.

  Everyone looked at Ben, bewildered.

  “You got a download from Witness?” Drew asked.

  “A partial. Jake’s got a decent system here…for a survival bunker.”

  “Let’s do it,” Drew said.

  “What about revealing classified information?” Reed asked.

  “It’s just a video in a café—not much different from a security camera,” Drew replied.

  They gathered around the twenty-three-inch monitor as Ben initiated playback from the moment Drew entered the café. The video was crystal clear and so was the sound. When Senator Hanson sat down, Ethan stepped forward.

  “Whoa…that’s Senator Hanson from Massachusetts. You met with the senator?”

  “Tell Ross the infiltration is much worse than we thought,” Hanson said. “The Patriots are ready, but we need solid proof before we can move.”

  “Freeze,” Jake said. “What does he mean by that, Drew?”

  “I don’t know yet. I think the answer is on those drives Ben is decrypting.”

  Jake wore a look of dread on his face. “That’s why they came after you.”

  “I know…and watch what happens next,” Drew said.

  Ben resumed Play, and seconds later, Senator Hanson’s eyes bulged and he dropped over dead. Ethan and Sydney both gasped. The gunfight that ensued was intense, and there were times when it was difficult to follow because of how fast Drew moved. Drew had Ben stop the video just before Hadad came to help him so as not to reveal his friend’s identity.

  Drew looked at his friends. “I’m sorry you’ve all been dragged into this. It’s not what I wanted for any of you.”

  Sydney still looked horrified at having watched the murder of a US senator, and Ethan looked shocked. He turned and walked away, apparently numb from the fact that Drew really was who he said he was and not some insane criminal.

  Drew felt as though he needed to give them all at least some measure of explanation. After all, their lives were now in danger.

  “I can’t give you details, and I must be careful about what I do tell you, but I think you all deserve to know why this is happening. When I was officially released from the CIA over a year ago, I was contacted by a high-ranking official to carry on nonofficial operations within the US. What you just saw was one of those missions. I was to deliver some encrypted files to Senator Hanson, and obviously someone didn’t want that to happen.”

  Jake looked concerned. “Have you decided on your handler yet? Is he trustworthy?”

  Drew took a moment to think. He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know, Jake. I’ve asked myself the same question a hundred times. I’ve tried to piece together my ops over the last year, but I don’t have the big picture. The information I’ve gathered could be used for good”—Drew hesitated—“or for evil intentions. Since he’s my only contact, the only way to find out is to meet with him.”

  Reed was deep in thought. He knew exactly who Drew was talking about.

  “We’re all going to have to be extremely careful in the future,” Reed said. “Whether we like it or not, we’re all part of this now.”

  Drew and Jake agreed. They discussed their options and came to the conclusion that it would be safe for Ben to return to NexTech and Reed to the CIA, but everyone else needed to stay off-grid at the bunker until Drew could make contact with Ross and figure out what was going on.

  “That can’t happen,” Ethan protested. “I have to get back to the hospital. My work is too important.”

  Jake looked at Drew.

  “We can’t force anyone to stay, but if you go back, your life could be in danger, Ethan,” Drew said.

  “I have patients whose lives are in danger if I don’t get back there. I’m sorry, but I’m going. I think I’d go crazy in this place anyway.”

  “No, Ethan,” Sydney pleaded. “It’s not safe.”

  “I’m going, Sydney.”

  “We’ll have to keep the location of this bunker secret from those who are leaving,” Jake said, “so that if something happens, the safety of the rest of us will not be compromised.”

  Everybody agreed.

  “I can have a chopper here in a few minutes,” Jake said.

  Sydney pulled Ethan to the far end of the bunker so that no one else could hear them—almost no one else. Drew tried not to watch and he tried not to listen, but it was impossible. To distract himself, he and Reed looked over Ben’s shoulder as he worked on the computer system, uploading the encrypted files to Alice.

  “You can’t do this, Ethan. I don’t want you to go,” Sydney pleaded.

  “Sydney, I don’t want any part of this. Whatever he’s involved in is contrary to everything that I am.” Ethan’s voice was easier to hear. “And I don’t like what it’s done to you. It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”

  “I know it’s a little bizarre—”

  “A little?” Ethan interrupted. “No, this is beyond bizarre.”

  Sydney didn’t respond. There was a moment of silence between the two of them that was filled with Ben’s voice.

  “Drew, the files from your café agent aren’t even encrypted.” Ben opened one that displayed a list of names.

  “Make sure they’re uploaded to Alice so I can access them through my glasses,” Drew said.

  “Done,” Ben replied. “The others I’ll have to work on when I get back to NexTech.” Drew nodded, but Ben could tell he was distracted. He glanced over at Sydney and Ethan ninety feet away, then back at Drew. “You can hear them?”

  “Of course he can,” Reed said. “He doesn’t miss a thing.”

  Drew winced a smile, then looked at Sydney and Ethan.

  “I’m breaking off our engagement,” Ethan said.

  “No, Ethan, please. Why would you do that? That’s not what I want!”

  Ethan took her hands and held them. “Sydney, you’re an amazing girl, and I love you.”

  “And I love you!” Sydney exclaimed.

  Ethan put a hand to her cheek. “I know you do, but you also love him.”

  She looked stricken. “But I choose you, Ethan.”

  Ethan shook his head. “You choose me with your head, Sydney, but your heart says something else.” His voice lowered with sadness. “When you took care of Drew in your apartment, I saw something in you I’ve never seen before.”

  “He was shot and bleeding, Ethan. That’s what you saw in me.”

  Ethan shook his head. “No, it was something deeper. Something I want my wife to have for me. I’m not going to live in his shadow, and I don’t want you to live with regrets and what-ifs.” He let go of her hands. “It’s taken me a few days to sort this out, and as much as I hated it, I kept coming to the same conclusion.”

  “But Ethan—” Sydney began; Ethan stopped her with
a shake of his head.

  “Please don’t, Sydney. Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love him?”

  She didn’t say a word.

  Ethan nodded, then pursed his lips. “Call me selfish, but I won’t share my wife’s love with anyone.” He shrugged.

  Sydney had no response. She wiped her eyes.

  “I think I knew all along that something was holding you back,” Ethan finally said. “I think you were trying not to love him, but sometimes, love just has its way with us.”

  Sydney released a nervous laugh through her tears. “You are too good for me, Ethan.”

  Just then Jake stepped in from outside. “Chopper arriving. Be ready to roll in five minutes.”

  Ethan smiled. “You just be careful around him, okay? Just because I won’t be with you doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. He’s a walking 911 wherever he goes.”

  Sydney nodded and smiled, then reached up and hugged him. “There’s someone better than me out there looking for you,” she said as she stepped back.

  Ethan smiled sadly. “Take care of yourself, Sydney. I’ll be praying for you.” He turned and started walking toward Drew and Ben, leaving Sydney behind.

  Drew looked at Reed and stuck out his hand. “I can’t thank you enough, partner.”

  Reed took his hand and gave Drew a serious look. “I’ll see if I can find out what’s going on, but in the meantime, you be careful. This is deep.”

  Drew nodded.

  “And if you need me, you let me know,” Reed continued.

  “You watch your back too, Reed. Whoever is behind this has a lot of power.”

  Reed joined Jake at the entrance to the bunker just as Ethan passed Drew. He stopped and turned to face Drew. Anger, pain, and regret were evident in his eyes.

  “Take care of her, Carter, or the next time you need patching up, I’ll put a few extra holes in you where they don’t belong.”

  Drew nodded.

  “You know you don’t deserve her,” Ethan said with a fierce look.

  “Yeah, I know. Neither of us do.”

  Ethan snorted, then nodded. He grabbed the few things he had, then went outside with Jake and Reed.

  Ben looked toward Sydney. “Not sure what that was all about, but that’s my cue to leave too. Alice is functional, and I’ll communicate with you through her.”