Cornerstone (Phantom Squad Series Book 1)

by J. M. LeDuc

  The townhome was the same one Brent had lived in with his grandfather when he was younger. After he and Chloe were married, they convinced Lucille to move in with them. They bought the home attached to theirs, knocked down the dividing wall, and made her a spectacular living quarters as well as a nursery for a future child. When Joseph, thought to be dead, was found alive, he too moved in to be with his wife.

  Every detail in the home had Chloe’s signature. Everyone could still smell her perfume and sense her presence. They started to understand how hard the past month must have been on Brent. What broke their hearts the most was how much the baby looked like her mother. She had Chloe’s lips, skin and temperament, or maybe it just seemed so.

  Brent was cordial, but as the night wore on, he became more subdued and more distant. Every conversation became stunted because it was so hard to talk about Chloe and even harder not to.

  After the guests left, Brent tried to help his parents clean up, but Lucille would have no part of it. “Go be with your daughter.”

  He knew better than to argue with her, so he left them in the kitchen and went into the nursery. He picked her up from the bassinet and sat in the antique rocking chair that Chloe had meticulously restored. That was the moment he called her by her name for the first time. He looked at her, so comfortable in his arms, and knew she was to be Faith Chloe Adler.

  Because of his involvement with the Phantom Squad, his name and identity had been wiped clean from every database known to man. Like all the other members, his born identity ceased to exist. As he rocked, his mind drifted back to his squad days.

  After their final training mission, Seven gathered them in the hanger one last time. “When the powers in charge asked me to train this squad, I always envisioned it as a four man operation. Only three of you made it through.” Seven packed his lower lip full of tobacco and spit. “I still see it as a four man op, so therefore you’re stuck with me. I have asked Captain Venturi to lead the squad,” he looked at Brent, “and he has accepted the position.”

  The men looked at each other in confusion.

  Before they could ask any questions, he explained. “First, you have all earned a promotion and second, I know a leader when I see one. The captain was born for this. All of our orders will come directly through him from Washington. I am no longer your commanding officer and you are to no longer call me sir.” He looked at Brent and smiled. “The moniker he gave me seems to have stuck, so from now on, I’m just Seven.

  “I have papers for each of you to sign, making this little group official, but before you do, you need to hear me out. From here on out, we will be known as the Phantom Squad. Although Uncle Sam paid for your training and will continue to write your checks, they will never . . .” He raised his voice. “They will never acknowledge our existence. In the field, we are totally autonomous. If we get caught, no one will send help. We, the Phantom Squad, do not exist. Not as a unit and not as individuals.” He picked up a pen, tapped the papers and then pointed it at each of them. “You will no longer exist to anyone. Your names, social security numbers, ranks and files will be erased. It will be as if God never put you on this earth.”

  Seven bent over and signed a sheet. “One of the reasons you were originally picked for training is because none of you have any immediate family. Whatever family and friends you do have will think you died . . . killed in action. It’s like the witness protection program without new names and without government assistance. Think long and hard before putting your name to paper. Once inked, you will be wiped from the earth.” Seven looked at the men, squeezed some flavor from the tobacco, and spit in his cup. “I’ll leave the hangar, so you can talk about it.”

  Before he could move, Brent stepped forward and signed the paper. The other two, Sergeant Malcolm Jefferson and Sergeant Tommy Fitzpatrick followed suit. Seven smiled.

  “I guess that makes it official then.” He looked over at Brent. “Anything you’d like to say to your troops?”

  Brent faced his squad. “I am honored to have been asked to lead you.” He eyed each man. “Look around. This is your new family.” He stepped forward and hugged each one and gave his promise to put their lives before his own. Each man did the same. “Okay then, you are to gather your belongings and get the hell off this godforsaken mountain. At your bunks, you’ll find a satellite phone. It is set at a wavelength that no one can intercept, not even the President of the United States. Your documents will contain temporary identities and the location of your new homes. Go there and blend in with your community. You’ll be called when we have our first mission. Everyone’s dismissed.”

  When Brent married Chloe, he was disappointed that she could not legally take his name. Looking down at his daughter, he felt a different emotion. Her taking Chloe’s last name seemed right. A fitting tribute to the mother she would never know. He smiled, genuinely, for the first time since her death.

  As night turned to early morning, he decided to take Faith on a short walk. There was a lot he needed to say and this wasn’t the place to say it.

  CHAPTER 10

  He walked to the beach and held Faith close to his chest. He sat on a bench on the boardwalk and cradled his daughter, one hand supported her head, the other held her tiny body. She opened her eyes, reached up and grabbed a handful of hair and gurgled. A lump formed in Brent’s throat. He desperately wanted Faith to understand his actions, but he knew his words would be fruitless.

  How do I tell a four week old that I have to leave because I am useless the way I am, because I can’t be the father she deserves and needs until I get my head on straight?

  He looked down at the miracle of life in his arms and sighed. He kissed her cheek and whispered, “I promise to return to you a stronger and better person.”

  Brent closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, Faith was sound asleep. He bundled her up and slowly made the walk back home.

  When he arrived, Lucille was waiting for him.

  “Where did you go?” she asked. “You had me worried sick.”

  “I just needed to take a walk and have a talk with Faith.”

  “You needed to talk to a one month old? That’s a bit . . . did you call her Faith?” she smiled.

  “Yeah,” Brent beamed, “Faith Chloe Adler.”

  Lucille radiated with joy as she took her granddaughter from his arms. “That’s a beautiful name. Chloe would have loved it.”

  “I think so,” he said. “It just seems right.”

  Lucille leaned forward and kissed Brent on the cheek. She could taste the saltiness of his dried tears. “Get some rest. It’s been a long day.”

  Brent nodded. “I will.” As his mother began to walk towards Faith’s room, Brent whispered, “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you more.” Without realizing it, she used the exact words Chloe always said when Brent told her he loved her.

  Brent walked to his bedroom, but had no intention of going to sleep. He still had a lot to do before he left later that morning.

  CHAPTER 11

  Brent waited until he was sure everyone was sound asleep before he made his way to the basement. He removed the air conditioning grate and stepped inside the Endowment tunnel.

  A little more than two years ago, he and Chloe found the tunnels buried under Palm Cove, thanks to the contents inside the Ark of the Endowment as well as a note that his grandfather had left him. The tunnels were only known to the Ambassadors and their most trusted allies. Each Ambassador had only a handful of people who knew his identity. They were known as the Inner Circle. Brent’s had consisted of the members of the Phantom Squad as well as the SIA directorate and his family.

  Memories flooded his mind as he flipped the electrical breaker and lit up the tunnel. He fondly remembered Chloe’s words at first seeing the tunnels. She said it was a miracle that they existed at all.

  The tunnels were ten to fifte
en feet underground, completely handmade, and so close to shore that they were composed entirely of coral and shell. He could still hear her saying that it was archeologically impossible that they didn’t flood and collapse. Their existence had to be divinely inspired. They dated back well over a hundred years.

  Continuing to walk, Brent remembered bringing Charlotte Dupree, now known simply as Scarlet, into the tunnels. She was a bitter, scared, angry young woman who had been brought to Palm Cove against her will due to the escape of the Omega Butcher.

  Jonas McFarland aka The Butcher had gone on a two-year killing spree centered on college sororities until finally apprehended. Scarlet had been his last victim and the only one to survive, thanks to the squad. Her ordeal left her psychologically scarred.

  That memory alone was enough for Brent to bug out. He finally came to the spot in the tunnel which was a true miracle. When he and Jessop had followed the clues found in the Ark of the Enlightenment, they had found the hidden chamber that was an exact replica of the Holy of Holies: The tabernacle inside of Solomon’s Temple.

  He reached up and placed his hand on the etching of the alpha and omega. The wall began to vibrate so hard that each time he did this, he was sure the entire system would collapse. When the vibration stopped, the wall was gone and in its place was a purple curtain—the entrance to the tabernacle. Brent pulled it aside and walked onto holy ground. After he entered, the ground shook again. The curtain was gone and the wall had returned.

  He looked around at God’s glory. The only light in the tabernacle came from a luminescent glow which shined from the Sword of Truth. The sword he had been given by Archangel Michael, the one Brent used in his fight against Satan during a time known as The Enlightenment.

  He dropped to his knees. “Father, I am lost,” he prayed. “I need to find my way back to who I was. You have told me that I must seek the beginning in order to do so, so I ask you to please help me in my quest. While I am gone, please keep watch over Faith, my family, and those I love.”

  He blessed himself with the sign of the cross, stood up and approached the altar. On it laid the sword as well as the three arks, the Ark of the Endowment, the Ark of the Enlightenment and the Ark of the Covenant. Brent slid an envelope out of his backpack and stared at it knowing the magnitude of what he was about to do. He opened the Ark of Endowment and placed it beneath the letter Joseph had left for him. Joseph’s letter explained the covenant forged between God and Noah and all of his descendents. The envelope that Brent placed in the Ark gave explicit instructions of what was to happen if he never returned to Palm Cove. An envelope he hoped would never be opened. He then closed the Ark and stood in front of Sword of Truth.

  Brent lifted his arms and head towards the heavens and asked God to allow him to use the Sword of Truth in his quest. He lowered his arms and grasped it, knowing that he would not be able to lift it if God did not deem it so. It was weightless in his hands. The glow that came from the sword shot through him and filled him with the Lord’s glory.

  He sheathed the sword and tied it around his waist, thanking God for the gift. He turned to leave and saw that new words had been divinely etched over the curtain which once again appeared.

  To find the beginning one must walk through the past and be willing to step into the future.

  Brent didn’t understand their meaning, but with all things, he knew God would help him to understand when it was time. Until then he would step blindly and follow His word.

  He made his way through the tunnel until he came to the entrance which led to the rooms behind his office in the library. Flipping the breaker, the lights dimmed and the metal door slid open. He walked through the doorway to face his past and his future.

  CHAPTER 12

  As his sight adjusted to the bright light, he saw Joan staring back at him. She was once his ward and was now his confidant. She was a scared, emotionally distraught sixteen-year-old when he first met her in Washington D.C.

  He thought of her mother. She has grown into a beautiful, young woman, Monica. You would be so proud.

  She turned her attention back to the computer and continued typing. Brent opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand to quiet him. He walked closer, watching her type in an encrypted language to which only he had the key. Finished, she closed out the program, shut down the computer, stood and faced Brent with red puffy eyes.

  “I’ve loaded everything you asked for and some other materials you may find useful.”

  “Thank you. I don’t know what I would . . .”

  Joan threw her arms around Brent and cried like a baby.

  “Hey,” he whispered. “Everything is going to be all right.”

  She wiped her tears on his sleeve and with sarcasm said, “All right, for whom? I’m only saying goodbye to the one person I trust.”

  He ruffled her hair. “That’s not so, you have Maddie and everyone else here who loves you.”

  She punched him in the arm. “You know what I mean. With you it’s different. It always has been.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m just trying to make this easier.”

  “The only way to do that,” she said, pointing to the sword, “is to put that thing away and stay here where you belong.”

  Brent ignored her comments and placed the laptop in his backpack. “Are you sure the video feed will work and that I’ll be able to communicate with you and Faith while I’m gone?”

  A smile spread across her face. “Faith?”

  He returned the smile and nodded. “Faith Chloe Adler. Like it?”

  “It’s perfect,” she sobbed. “Chloe would love it.”

  Again he nodded. “I, ah . . .” Brent cleared his throat in an effort to stop his own tears from flowing. “I have papers here that have been notarized naming you as her guardian until I return.” He handed them to Joan as he continued. “Are you sure you don’t mind living in the townhome with Lucille and Joseph while I’m gone? It’s not the penthouse you’re used to.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Besides, I’m sure Scarlet will like the place to herself for a while. She just better not get used to it.”

  He then handed her another note. “This is only to be opened if something catastrophic occurs.”

  Joan took the envelope and placed it in the top drawer of the desk.

  An awkward silence enveloped the room as neither knew what to say next. Brent looked at his watch. “It’s ten minutes after four. I better get going if I want to leave before anyone notices.”

  “Yeah, you better,” she mumbled.

  He turned to leave when she again wrapped her arms around him. “I swear,” she said, “if anything happens to you, I will hunt you down and make your life a living hell.”

  Brent hugged her and laughed—nervous laughter—because he knew she could.

  “Here,” he said, handing her a letter. “I want you to read this to everyone after I’m gone.”

  Joan opened the note, read it, and sighed, “Kinda final isn’t it?”

  “It’s the way I feel, the reason I need to leave.”

  Joan swallowed hard. Her words seemingly choking her as she spoke. “I’ll see that everyone hears it.”

  He kissed her forehead, turned, and stepped back into the tunnel. One more stop before I leave.

  CHAPTER 13

  Brent stepped on to the sand just as the sun began to rise over the water. The peace he once felt at the water’s edge was nonexistent. His mind raced back to his marriage proposal on this very spot. He prayed that he would feel that joy again one day. As he stood looking out at the rolling waves, he heard a familiar voice.

  “No goodbyes? No see you later? Is that how you treat your best friend, Professor?”

  He looked up the beach and saw Seven standing in the sand twenty feet away. “It seemed easier this way.”

  “You were never
the type to take the easy way out.”

  Brent shrugged, not knowing what to say. He noticed Seven carrying a guitar case. “Come to serenade me?”

  Seven spit in the sand and tossed it to him. “Do you really want to hear me sing?”

  “You sing about as good as you brew coffee, so I’ll pass.” He glanced at the case and then back at Seven.

  “A long haired freak with no known identity and a sword attached to his waist is sort of conspicuous. I thought it might come in handy.”

  “Conspicuous? Big word for a southern hick.”

  “Yeah, well I picked it up hanging out with this Harvard tight-ass I knew.” They both smiled and walked toward each other. “Are you sure you don’t want some company on your trip?”

  Brent shook his head. “You know I have to do this alone.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I had to ask. If you ever need me, you know how to reach me.”

  Brent nodded and walked up to his friend. They embraced, slapping each other on the back. “You take care of everyone while I’m gone, understood?”

  “Is that a request or an order?” Seven said.

  The left side of Brent’s mouth rose in a half smile. “That’s an order.”

  “Good. You’re already sounding like the tight-ass I once knew.”

  “And you still sound like that gap-toothed hick I knew.”

  Seven spit the tobacco out of his mouth, pulled the tin out of his pocket and pinched off a fresh dip. “You better pack that geetar and git a move on.”

  Brent opened the case and saw a guitar.

  “It has a false bottom. A place to put that.” Seven pointed to the sword.