by Knights, BJ
“Uncle Jim is getting him right now,” Samantha replied.
Annie jumped from her mother’s lap and gasped. Samantha grabbed her shoulders. “What’s wrong, baby?” Annie looked at her mother with fear in her eyes. “We forgot to tell Uncle Jim to get Tigs!”
Samantha let out a sigh and smiled. “I’m sure Jim will remember to bring Tigs with him, Annie. You don’t have to worry about her.” The tent flaps flew open as Hult entered. “He goes on in an hour,” he said. “He’s got watch for four hours, and halfway through, Matt’s scheduled for a bathroom break. We’ll get him to a computer station then.”
“Where’s the station at?” Jim asked.
“There won’t be a crew in the report stations outside his holding cell. We can put him on a computer there. I’ll keep watch outside while he’s in there,” Hult said.
“I’ll be outside with you,” Jim said.
“Farr, it’s too risky,” Hult replied.
“I got the drive,” Jim continued, “Locke made this my mission. I’ll see it through.”
“What if somebody sees you?” Brett asked. “Hult’s supposed to have not found you remember?”
“Nobody recognized me when I came through the front gate. I’ll just make sure I keep some extra gear on while I’m out,” Jim said. Annie had fallen asleep. Samantha peeled her arm off of the hot leather and slid out the door quietly. Coyle was still leaning up against the truck when she got out.
“I’m really beginning to hate the desert,” Coyle said. He took a swig from the cantina and passed it to Samantha. She didn’t say anything as she rested her head back on the window and passed the bottle back to Coyle. He could feel her worry. “It’ll be fine. Despite my jokes, Jim’s actually pretty good at what he does,” Coyle reassured her.
“Being a marine mechanic?” she replied.
“No, I still think he’s terrible at that,” he said. That got a small smile out of her.
Coyle’s voice became very soft as he spoke. “He got me out of San Diego alive. He saved a half dozen people along the way and, despite a few setbacks here, has kept us going since we’ve arrived here.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “He’ll bring Matt back.”
She nodded. “I know.”
Jim paced around the tent as he checked his watch. Brett was sharpening his blade with a whetstone. The slow, precise movement of the stone in his hand made a rhythm that sounded throughout the tent. Jim glanced back down at his watch. “Checking it every five seconds won’t make it tick by any faster, Jim,” Brett drawled. Jim stopped. He found a seat and dropped himself in it. He leaned forward onto his elbows and rubbed his hands with his face.
Brett frowned and paused while sharpening his blade. “What are you worried about? We have the drive. We have a plan. All we have to do now is sit back and let the computer nerd do his thing,” Brett said. He picked the stone back up and restarted his sharpening of the blade. “What if we’re wrong?” Jim glanced around the tent for any of Hult’s men. They weren’t there. “What if Locke’s in on it?” Jim said. Brett threw him a look of “c’mon man.”
“I’m serious, Brett,” he replied. “Locke doesn’t trust anyone here at this base? Anyone? What if this is all just a ploy to cover up his tracks?” Brett stopped sharpening his blade. “If Locke wanted us dead then Hult would have done it out in the dunes when he had the chance. He wouldn’t have brought us back here if he was in on it.”
Samantha started to laugh. Coyle went on with his story and was holding back a smile. “I’m serious. I ran through the entire dormitory butt ass naked screaming that I was the Duke of Snatch.” He paused a moment to ponder. “Surprisingly enough I wasn’t very popular with the ladies that year.” Coyle shook his head as he continued. “I shouldn’t have had that fifteenth beer.”
Samantha had to cover her mouth from laughing too loud. She put her finger to her lips. “You’ll make me wake up Annie,” she said and as she turned around to look in the window of the cabin truck. Annie was gone. The door on the other side of the truck was open. Samantha ripped open the truck door and climbed through to the other side.
“Annie!” she screamed. Coyle ran around to the other side as Samantha checked under the truck bed. “I don’t see her,” she cried. Her face was stricken with panic as she whipped around in all directions looking for her daughter. “Annie!” she screamed again. “Look,” Coyle said as he pointed to a pair of tracks that went up and over one of the dunes.
The two of them ran up the dune. Samantha reached the top first and all she could see were the rolling dunes in the distance leading to the camp in front of them. Coyle gasped for breath once he got to the top. “She went… to the camp?” he said sucking in wind. “Why would she go back there?” Samantha shook her head. “The cat.”
Annie was just outside the perimeters of the fence as she waited on the other side of a large dune. She was spying on two soldiers who were outside the back of their tent. There was a small hole in the fence she thought she could squeeze under, but it was right in front of where the soldiers were sitting. A third soldier came around the back and motioned for them to follow him. Annie waited until they were out of sight and then rushed down the hill and under the fence where she squeezed through the opening. She poked her head in the tent to see if anyone was inside. It was empty.
Hult came back into the tent. He nodded to Jim, “It’s time to get started.” Jim threw on a cap and wrapped a bandana around his mouth to help conceal his face.
Jim handed Hult the drive before they left the tent and the two set off to where Matt was being held. There was only one guard at the front door entrance. Jim hung back as Hult walked up to him with a friendly smile and the two shook hands. He saw Hult slide the drive into the guard’s hand when they shook.
Hult came back over to where Jim stood next to a gas truck and nodded. “He’s got it. In ten minutes he’ll go in to check on him, then we’re on watch.”
Samantha and Coyle crawled the last hundred feet as they got closer to the backside of the camp. The sun was getting lower behind them as they peaked over the last dune before the gate. Coyle pointed towards the small opening at the bottom. “She probably went through there,” he said.
Samantha grabbed the pistol out of Coyle’s cargo pocket and tucked it in her belt under her shirt. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Getting my daughter,” she replied.
She started to get up, but Coyle pulled her back down immediately as two soldiers came back around the tent in front of the opening in the gate.
“Do you want to get yourself killed?” Coyle whispered angrily. “Wait here,” he commanded. He crawled back down the backside of the dune and took off at a run keeping his head and body low. She watched him go about a hundred yards down and then stop. She heard him fire off a few rounds into the air. The two soldiers at the tent immediately started running towards the gunfire. Samantha glanced back down at Coyle who was taking off at a sprint in the opposite direction. She checked the perimeter of the fence once more. Nobody was there.
She took her chance and sprinted down towards the hole. The wires cut her deep across her clothes and the skin along her back as she pulled herself inside the base. Jim and Hult shot each other a look when they heard the gunfire. Sirens started to go off as men were running towards the back of the camp.
“The girls,” he whispered through the cloth of the bandana. He started to move forward, but Hult held him back. “No, we don’t know what that is. We have to finish this,” Hult said. He signaled over to the guard who nodded and went inside the door.
Hult motioned to Jim as he started walking. “C’mon, we’re up.” Annie ducked under a tent when she heard the gun fire go off. Luckily it was empty, but filled quickly with soldiers running in and grabbing their gear. She tucked herself under a cot that was in the corner and watched the boots scuttle around the floor as men shouted at each other. Then she heard a faint meowing over the sounds of the soldiers leaving the tent. The sound came from the corner o
f the tent. Once the last soldier had left, she darted towards the corner of the tent and found Tigs’s cage stacked up against a desk.
“Tigs!” she cried. Tigs looked up at her through the cage door. Annie opened it and the cat jumped up into her arms. “C’mon,” she said, “let’s go find dad.”
Samantha’s back was bleeding as she knelt hidden behind a tank. She pulled the pistol out of her waist band and clicked the safety off. She stayed crouched behind the tank as soldiers rushed past the front of it. The cell to Matt’s door flew open as he sat listening to the distant sound of the sirens going off. A guard stormed into the cell and grabbed him. Matt jolted up and was taken down the hallway into the data stations where he was given the thumb drive.
“How much time do I have?” Matt asked.
The guard shook his head. “I don’t know. Just find what you need fast,” he responded.
Matt plugged the drive into the computer and pulled up the files. His fingers were swift on the keyboard as the guard hovered over him. The encryption files pulled up and he began opening sources and typing in code. Hult stood on the corner of the building with Jim watching the door. Everyone was too preoccupied with the gunshots to worry about the data center now. Hult peaked around the corner as the sirens continued to wail. “God help the asshole that started shooting at them,” Hult said.
Coyle was in full sprint back to the truck and was practically tripping over the sand dunes. “I swear to God if I die I’m gonna be so pissed. I’m gonna come back and haunt the shit out of that stupid cat.” He took a glance back and saw jeeps heading in his direction. “Shit.”
Matt had multiple files up on the duel screen monitors. His eyes darted back and forth from different documents as lines of code filled the screen. The guard looked at them like they were a foreign language. “What is that?” he asked. Matt didn’t look away from the screen as he spoke. “These are the final orders that were trying to get sent before the attacks.” The guard walked over to the door to peak out the window with his back to Matt. “Well, just track whoever was going to send it,” the guard said.
Suddenly, a smashing blow collapsed the back of the guard’s skull. He fell to the ground instantly. Blood dripped from the corner of the monitor Matt had hit him with and stood over the guard’s body. “I’ll make sure they get to the right place,” Matt said as he smiled and tossed the monitor on the ground. He ripped off the man’s uniform as he collected his weapons and ammo.
Hult shook his head. “He’s taking too long. He should be out of there by now.” Hult peeled around the corner towards the door and Jim followed. Hult swung the door open and saw the guard on the floor and reached down to check his pulse. Jim entered as Hult sat crouched on the ground next to the soldier. Matt glanced up at the two men and pointed a pistol at him. “Drop it,” he said.
“You son of a bitch.” Hult reached for his pistol and Matt shot him through the head before the gun left his holster. The silencer on the gun muffled the shot as Hult dropped to the ground. Matt quickly turned the gun to Jim whose mouth hung open in shock.
“Matt…,” he said.
“Where are the girls, Jim?”
The sirens continued to wail outside the building. The collection of both Hult and the guard’s blood combined and pooled at Jim’s feet as he glanced down at the two lifeless bodies. “Jim,” said Matt. Jim looked up at the pistol pointed in his direction. Matt’s eyes were a wild calm. There was blood splattered on his shirt and arm. Matt glanced down at the screens in front of him that were downloading a program. It was at thirty percent and rising.
“Where are the girls?” Matt asked again.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jim asked.
“My job. Now drop the gun.” Matt motioned to the floor. “ Drop it!” he shouted. Jim lowered the rifle. He rested it gently on the ground and slowly rose with his hands in the air. “We’ve got less than,” Matt checked the status of the download, “ten minutes before this position gets uploaded and a missile strike is ordered that levels this entire camp, so I’ll ask one more time, where is my family?”
Annie ran along behind a line of trucks parked next to the fence and ducked under them when she heard someone coming. Footsteps thumped close to her. She crawled further under a jeep right next to the front tire. Tigs squirmed as the feet appeared in front of her face. Tigs let out a meow and the feet stopped. They slowly backtracked until they were right in front of her, causing Annie to cover her mouth. She started to shake as the legs bent down and the person’s knees came into view and they ducked their head under the jeep.
“Annie,” Samantha said. “Thank God.”
She reached for her daughter and pulled her out. She immediately wrapped her in her arms and kissed her forehead. Her joy soon gave way to anger as she gripped Annie’s arms tightly. “What were you thinking?” she yelled harshly. Annie’s face looked down. “I didn’t want them to forget Tigs when they came to get daddy.” The cat crawled out from beneath the jeep and meowed up at the two of them. Samantha’s face softened. “Come on,” she said.
Jim stood frozen at the door next to the two dead bodies at his feet. It just didn’t make any sense in his mind. Matt glanced down at his watch. “Eight minutes, Jim,” Matt said.
“Just turn it off, Matt. I don’t know who’s making you do this, but,” Matt cut him off.
“Making? Making me do this?” he asked laughing. “No one is making me do anything, Jim. This is my choice. This is what I was trained for.”
Matt sidestepped around the desk and slowly began to walk towards Jim while he spoke. “We were able to strike every major city in unison while leveling the biggest logistical military base on the West Coast.” He inched closer to Jim, tilting his head to the side. “We made the largest military force in the world look like fools. They couldn’t stop us. They can’t stop us.”
Jim’s breathing became sharper. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Matt was less than six feet away from him now. “People died, Matt. Innocent people,” said Jim.
Matt’s face became distorted with rage. Spit flew from his mouth as he spoke, “Innocent? I would kill a million innocent people if it meant keeping my family stayed.”
“You want your family safe? Shut the program down,” Jim said. Matt gripped the pistol tighter and walked closer. The gun was less than an inch from Jim’s forehead. Jim’s eyes didn’t leave Matt’s. Matt was shaking now. Jim shook his head slowly. “Don’t do this, Matt,” he said. Matt pushed the barrel into Jim’s forehead. His finger was on the trigger. His knuckles turned white against the gun’s black grip as he squeezed the gun hard.
The door flung open as Samantha walked in with Annie following behind with Tigs in her arms. Samantha’s eyes went straight to the gun in Matt’s hand. Annie started to cry as she looked at the men lying on the ground surrounded in a pool of blood.
“Samantha get behind me,” Matt ordered.
“Matt, what are you doing?” she gasped.
“Now, Samantha!” Matt shouted.
She stepped over the bodies and moved behind Matt with Annie close.
Matt gripped the pistol with both hands as he gritted his teeth. “Move, Jim,” Mat said.
Jim slid to the left as Annie peaked up from her mother’s arm at her uncle.
“Matt, what’s happening?” Samantha asked. “It’s fine, Sammy,” Jim said. “Just do what he tells you.” Jim looked to Annie. “Annie, you take care of Tigs for me okay?” he asked.
She nodded and held the cat close. “I’ll see you guys real soon,” Jim said.
“No, you won’t,” Matt said as he brought the handle of the pistol across Jim’s face, knocking him on the ground. Samantha screamed and, as a result, Annie began to cry while Tigs meowed incessantly. Matt peaked out of the door. Men were scattered around from the sound of the sirens still blazing in the background. He grabbed Samantha’s hand and rushed out the door.
A jeep sat idled next to the fuel truck and Matt climbed into it. Samantha stood
motionless and afraid. “Get in!” he shouted. She stood clutching Annie in her arms. Matt crawled across the seat and held her face in his hands gently. “Do you trust me?” he asked. She nodded as tears streamed down her face. “Yes,” she replied. Matt flung the door open and Samantha climbed in with Annie and Tigs.
Brett and Twink burst through the door of the room to find Jim lying on the ground as Brett put his finger on his neck to check for a pulse. “Jim,” Brett said. He patted him on his face a few times. “Jim wake up.” Jim started to stir and then Brett slapped him really hard across the face.
“Wake up!” he screamed. Jim jolted up. He felt the trickle of blood fall onto his lips from the cut across his face. He slowly got up with Brett’s help as Twink checked the pulse of the two dead men on the ground. “What the hell happened?” Brett asked.
Jim’s hand slowly rose to his temple as he tried to gather the thoughts of what had just happened. The words felt foreign as they slipped out of his mouth. “It was Matt,” he said.
“What?” Brett asked. Jim glanced over to the computer. “The files,” he said as he rushed to the monitors where Matt had been working. There was an upload bar spread across the screen. It was at sixty-seven percent.
Twink and Brett watched as the bar on the screen increased in percentage.
“I’m guessing this is bad,” Brett said. Jim tried to hit a few key strokes, but the keyboard was locked. He couldn’t move anything, not even the mouse. Anytime he tried, an encryption code popped up on the screen.