Cornerstone (Phantom Squad Series Book 1)

by J. M. LeDuc

  CHAPTER 52

  High on the mountain, the wind cut through Brent’s flesh. He was on the verge of frostbite. His hands and face discolored, his beard laden with ice. He had climbed past thirteen thousand feet and Mount Ararat was a sheet of ice. The gradient of the climb and the ice had increased causing his footing to be less stable. For every twenty feet he climbed, he slid down five.

  He felt for, reached, and grabbed a strong finger hold in the ice, took a deep breath and heaved himself upward. He lunged with both feet and felt his hold break loose. He fell backward, slamming his body off the frozen tundra as he tumbled. He came to rest on a slab of exposed rock. Rock he had climbed forty minutes ago. He lay still, afraid to move. Too tired to move. Distraught, and drained, tears began to fill his eyes. He brought a shivering hand, a hand covered in a torn, weather beaten glove to his face and scraped away the frozen tears.

  As he lay on the frozen rock, a tornado of contempt tore through him. Contempt at himself, at the world, and at God. He clenched his jaw and his teeth began to chatter. He tried to relax his muscles, but to no avail. It felt as if his teeth would crack and his mind would break, but he didn’t care. His resentment consumed him. Fists balled up, he slammed them off the jagged surface. He felt the electric shock of pain shoot from his fingers straight up his arms and find a home in his head. “Damn You,” he screamed. The sound echoed off the mountain. “What do You want from me?” Brent stood on the rocky cliff and reached toward heaven with both arms. “I’ve given You everything, and You have taken from me the one thing that mattered.”

  Physically spent from his last outburst, Brent dropped to his knees. He lay, hoping God would take him at that very moment.

  “You must continue your quest. The answers will be found at The Beginning.”

  Brent heard the words and slowly stood. “I’ll continue the climb,” he mumbled, “because I have nothing else to live for.” His muscles spasmed and cramped as he lifted himself from the permafrost.

  As evening fell on the third day, the light he could see through his blindness became so bright he squeezed his eyes shut trying to douse it. When he dragged himself over the next icy face, he felt the ground in disbelief. It didn’t feel icy or cold, it felt like grass and was warm.

  Touching the ground, the light became so bright it hurt, but with the pain came pleasure. Insurmountable pleasure.

  “You have journeyed a long way.”

  Brent dropped to his knees when he heard the voice of God. “I have done as I was told,” he scowled.

  “You lay before God, and yet you are filled with anger.”

  “Don’t I have a right to be angry?”

  Brent could feel the presence of God step closer. As He neared, nature seemed to grow in reverence. Brent could hear birds chirp and the temperature continued to climb. “Stand, my son.”

  Brent stood, grass still clutched in his hands.

  “You have the right to be angry, but not at Me.”

  Brent was speechless. Words seemed hollow at this point. He dragged his body to a standing position and found his voice. “I did everything You asked of me, and You let Chloe die!” he bellowed. “Who should I be angry at?”

  “I too cried at Chloe’s death. I held her hand as she passed from her earthly life and welcomed her with open arms when she entered her eternal one.”

  No longer able to hold his body erect, Brent fell at the feet of God. “Why did you allow her to die?” he wept.

  “The wheels of time were put in motion when this garden was created. Man’s choices have dictated what will and what will not occur. I comfort those who seek Me, but all other answers will not be revealed to anyone of this world.”

  Brent’s tears continued to fall as God’s words bore into his soul. “I thought I was climbing the mount to find the beginning of Noah’s lineage, the Ark. Why do you refer to this place as the garden?”

  “Where ever I step, the Garden of Eden will be found.”

  “Then, my climb must continue?”

  “No, you have reached The Beginning.”

  Brent dragged himself off the ground, leaned on his elbows and looked toward the face of God. Confusion washed over him. “The beginning of what?”

  “The beginning of everything. The cornerstone of creation. You have climbed to search for answers. All answers come from Me. I am the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega.”

  “I don’t understand,” Brent said. “Why did I have to climb to find You? Why was this quest necessary?”

  “Stand and walk with Me.”

  As Brent walked with God, he felt a peace never achieved.

  “Why do you think you had to come here?”

  Brent thought hard and long before answering. He just shook his head. “I’m not sure,” he mumbled. “I’m not sure of anything.”

  God stopped and sighed. “All your life, you were kept in the dark. When you were young, you were kept in the dark about your family. As a man—as the Chosen, you were kept in the dark about your destiny. You needed to come to this place to see the Light.”

  “You speak in riddles,” Brent said.

  “Riddles to those who are in the dark, but my words are clear to those in the Light.”

  “So,” Brent said, “is my destiny fulfilled?”

  “Your destiny is what you make it. Do you think it is fulfilled?”

  Again, Brent thought long before offering an answer. “No,” he said, “my destiny lies in my daughter.”

  God nodded. “You must continue your quest as My Chosen so that your daughter can live out hers.”

  Brent bowed his head.

  “Must I continue blind?” he asked.

  “That is up to you. Tell me, Chosen One, what do you clutch in your hands?”

  Brent remembered that he still held the grass in his hands. He brought it to his nose and inhaled the scent. “Grass, a plant of some kind.”

  “And what plant would be found here that cannot be found anywhere else?”

  Brent rubbed his fingers together feeling the moisture of the plant. As he brought it to his lips and as he was about to taste it, revelation struck him. He quickly lowered it from his lips. “The Herb of Life!”

  “Well done.”

  “But I don’t understand. How can this plant help me? I can’t eat it. Your covenant with Noah and his descendants tells me so.”

  God stayed silent and continued to walk.

  “Is there any other reason you came to the beginning?”

  “I came because I seek understanding.”

  “Have you found it?”

  Brent shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  God reached out and held Brent by his shoulders. “You have spent most of your life hiding your true emotions. You have done so for good reason, but you must now release all that you have kept pent up in your heart. All of your hatred, all of your remorse, all of your guilt must be left here. You must leave all of your baggage at My feet if you are to be the father you wish to be. You must leave it all behind if you are to save the ones who need you.”

  Brent knelt at the feet of God and prayed for forgiveness. He prayed for God to take all of his guilt, all of his sins and all of his anger. He prayed for a new beginning.

  “Your prayer for forgiveness has been answered.”

  Brent prostrated himself at the feet of God and wept. His tears were not tears of anger or of frustration, but tears of forgiveness and of peace.

  CHAPTER 53

  Brother Gregory ran through the monastery calling for Tag. Tag’s pulse quickened when he heard the monk screaming. When Gregory found him, he grabbed Tag’s robe and pulled him along.

  “Wait,” Tag yelled. “What’s wrong? Where are you dragging me?” In his heart, he was praying that nothing bad had happened to Brent.

  “Come,” Gregory smiled. �
��You must come and see.”

  The two ran through the monastery, up the stairs, and out into the dark of night.

  Gregory pointed to Mount Ararat. “Look.”

  Tag look out at the mount, but could see nothing. “See what? It’s pitch black out here.”

  Gregory smiled. “Exactly!”

  Tag thought the monk was crazy, but then it hit him. “The light—it’s gone.”

  Gregory laughed as he clutched his knees in exhaustion. “He’s done it,” he said. “Brent has found the ark. He has found the beginning.”

  The two stared into the black of night and laughed with unspeakable joy.

  Brent continued to kneel and as he did, he heard laughter. He then heard the voices of Tag and Gregory. How can that be, he thought. How can I hear them up here?

  As he stood, he realized he was no longer on the mount but was now in the valley by the monastery. He brought his hands to his face and felt the herb caress his skin. His skin tingled when the herb touched it. His weather torn skin became new again. He opened his eyes and ground the plant into his eyeballs. Streaks of lightening shot through him as all the colors of the rainbow flickered past. Brent opened his palms and let the plant drop from his hands. He looked to the ground and watched as the Herb of Life disappeared.

  His laughter mixed with the sound of his friends.

  Tag and Gregory stared into each other’s eyes when they heard Brent’s voice.

  “It can’t be,” Tag said.

  Gregory leaned his head toward the heavens and laughed even harder. “All things are possible with God.”

  A shadow emerged from the darkness and around it glowed a heavenly light.

  “Look!” yelled Tag.

  Gregory looked wide-eyed at the shadow. “He has walked with God,” he gasped.

  Brent drew near and Gregory dropped to his knees.

  “Get off your knees, Brother,” Brent smiled. “I am just a man.”

  Tag ran towards Brent and threw his arms around him. “It is so good to see you.”

  “And it is good to see you,” Brent emphasized.

  It was then Tag knew Brent had regained his sight.

  CHAPTER 54

  The helicopter carrying President Dupree and the squad neared Alpha Camp. The past two days had gone better than Seven expected. The troops were as excited to see and hear the president as he was excited to see them.

  “Alpha was notified two hours ago of the president’s arrival,” Seven said. “We take no chances. I want weapons drawn and ready when we touch down.”

  President Dupree peered down at the landing zone and saw three men, a color guard in dress uniform, holding the American flag. “No weapons will be drawn,” he said. “This visit must be one that shows complete trust in this unit. Your weapons will reflect otherwise.”

  “They are soldiers,” Seven said. “They will understand.”

  The president glared at Seven. “I said no! That’s an order.”

  Seven glared back, packed his lip with tobacco and sucked in his lower lip. “You heard the man, weapons down.”

  The squad members flipped the safety on their weapons and let them hang by their shoulder straps.

  As the helicopter landed, Seven started to get a bad feeling. Everything at and around Alpha was calm, a little too calm. He reached down and released the safety on his HK MP5 submachine gun. Jefferson and Fitzpatrick were out of the chopper before the landing gear had touched down. Scarlet and Alana flanked the president as he stepped down off the chopper. Seven followed close behind.

  The soldier in the middle of the honor guard stepped forward and saluted. “Mr. President, the men of Alpha Camp are honored and welcome you to their home.”

  Seven stepped forward. “Where is your commanding officer, Colonel Matthews, Captain?”

  “He sends his apologies for not greeting the president in person, but with the short notice of arrival, he felt his duty was to stay in the camp and make sure everything was ready.”

  Seven spit at the feet of the captain. He was about to continue when President Dupree stopped him. “Stand down, Seven,” he said with a forced smile. “Everything is fine.”

  The president entered Alpha Camp to a standing ovation. The troops lined the entrance of the mess tent and clapped as he walked by. Colonel Matthews stood at the far end of the line, in full salute.

  Seven was getting more uncomfortable as they approached the colonel. When the colonel brought his hand down from his face, Seven stared at a ghost. A distant memory flooded his mind. He drew up his MP5 and yelled, “Trap!”

  He squeezed the trigger and shot anyone he could as he watched the soldiers draw their weapons and fire. In the instant Seven yelled, two things happened simultaneously. Falcon had grabbed the man standing next to him and used his as a human shield as he dove for cover, and the squad went into action.

  Fitz kicked over a stable and Alana and Scarlet dropped to a prone position. Each had begun shooting even before they had taken aim. At the same time, Jefferson grabbed President Dupree by the collar and dragged him behind the barricade.

  The squad mowed down everyone they could see. Members of the Brotherhood who had stayed hidden began firing at the squad from the rear flank. Bullets hit the dirt behind President Dupree causing three of the squad members to drop their weapons and jump on top of the president.

  “Drop your weapons and I’ll let the president live,” Falcon yelled.

  Seven clipped off another burst of ammo as he felt a knife-like pain bore through his shoulder. The bullet hit the nerve going to his hand and his gun dropped from his grip.

  He looked to his rear and saw that his men and the president were completely surrounded. Any further action would result in the loss of lives.

  “Cease fire!” he yelled.

  Seven watched as Falcon moved from his cover and stood in front of him. His face was encompassed in a revenge-filled sneer.

  Seven glared at him. From his peripheral vision, he saw the butt end of an automatic weapon slice toward his head. It was the last thing he remembered.

  The next thing he felt was a kick to his ribs.

  “Wake up, asshole, we’re home.”

  Seven squirmed, but couldn’t move. He’d been bagged and gagged. He and the rest of the prisoners were jerked into a sitting position. Through cloudy vision, Seven focused on the person in front of him. Private Jensen, the washout from the Phantom Squad.

  “I’m gonna have my boys remove your gags so we can have a little talk,” Jensen said. He walked the line of prisoners dragging his knife across their backs as he went. “If I get any lip from anybody, I start cutting.” He stopped behind Seven while the gags were removed. “Is that understood?”

  “Screw you, Private Jensen.”

  Jensen hit Seven on the back of his head with the handle of his knife. “One more remark like that, you piece of shit, and I’ll cut your tongue out.” He pushed Seven causing him to fall face first in the dirt. “The name’s Falcon,” he said as he kicked Seven hard, breaking a couple of ribs. He walked around Seven, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, like a dog, and yanked his head up. A depraved grin on his face. “Although some of my friends at the pentagon know me as Phoenix.” The expression on Seven’s face caused him to laugh. “You like the irony, scumbag?”

  “Enough!”

  Falcon snapped his head up and stared into the barrel of a semiautomatic handgun. A gun held by Omar.

  “I like torturing my enemies as much as you do,” Omar said. “but we have accomplished nothing if we cannot get their leader here. The Brotherhood of Gaza cannot extract its revenge if the leader of the Phantom Squad does not show. I want the entire world to witness the demise of the Black Militia and the President of the United States.” He stepped in front of the president. “By killing both of you, the Brotherhood will stake its clai
m as the most powerful terrorist organization this world has ever known. We will bring about a jihad that others have only dreamt of.”

  President Dupree stared back at Omar, but said nothing.

  Omar delighted in the silence. He turned and addressed Falcon. “And you,” he said, “Falcon or Jensen or whatever you want to be called cannot collect the rest of your money if you cannot bring Venturi to me.”

  Falcon stepped into Omar so that the barrel of the gun pushed up against his gut. “I’ll get him here,” he snarled. He leaned into Omar and whispered, “The next time you draw a gun on me, you better pull the trigger or I’ll blow your freaking head off.”

  Omar squeezed the trigger a bit harder. He wanted nothing more than to kill the pig who stood in front of him, but killing the leader of the Phantom Squad meant even more. He knew he still needed Falcon because of his Pentagon connection. He lowered the gun and walked out of the room.

  Falcon turned and addressed his men. “I want two men for each of theirs at all times.” He looked around the small cave. “You are to keep them up and walking around this shithole, twenty-four-seven. If they fall, pick them up. If they need to pee, they can wet themselves. They are not to be given food or water unless I give it to them. Is that understood?” He didn’t wait for a response. “If any one of you fails to follow my orders, I will kill all of you.” He looked around at his surroundings. “I’ve got a thousand more sand-niggers I can replace you with.”

  CHAPTER 55

  When Q returned to pick up President Dupree and the squad, he found Alpha Camp vacated. He immediately called Maddie to alert the SIA.

  Maddie ran down the hall of headquarters and threw open the door to Joan’s office. One look and Joan knew something bad had happened.

  Maddie’s mascara was smeared and her eyes were red and swollen. Her words choked her as she spoke. “They’ve been captured.”

  Joan shot from her chair. “Dear God,” she said. “By who? Where are they?”

  “I don’t know. Q just radioed. He said when he went back to Alpha everyone was gone. Everyone.”