The cast looked each other over some more before Grant stepped up and said, “We're camping here tonight, so we might as well look like it.” He signaled to his driver who dropped a pile of firewood in the middle of the clearing and went to grab some rocks for a border.
The other drivers watched the proceedings carefully and when they saw the start of the fire pit they jumped out and headed to their respective trunks for additional supplies. Folding chairs, tents, blankets, and a moderate amount of food were stuffed in the backs of the SUVs until knowing hands quickly put them to use around the small fire. Chris couldn't help but think how normal-esque the meeting enfolded and continued through the night.
Once most of them had eaten, war stories started and stopped regularly. Klaus began the mall shooting while keeping the rest of his group in the corner of his eye for an interjection of support or a quip-y anecdote. Chris noticed their driver hip to hip with Klaus during the retelling and smiled at the immediate connection the two had made with one another.
Chris sat in between Frank and Johnykin as usual but nowhere near as close as the budding romance. He looked at Johnykin who was locked into Klaus's bigger than life storytelling. The notion of scooting over, maybe putting an arm around her waist danced happily in Chris's mind but the imagined romance superimposed Sadie’s face on Johnykin's.
Chris immediately went for his phone. The screen lit up his face even against the light of the fire and everyone looked. It took a moment, as Chris stared at the 'no signal' sign to recognize the quiet. He raised his eyes to see everyone else's. Frank grabbed the phone. Chris lit up with fear and anxiety. He imagined the metal and plastic crackling in the fire.
Frank was ready to throw it head long into a tree or simply the fire as Chris pictured in his head. Instead he shoved into Chris's chest and said in a growled whisper, “No phones.” Chris pocketed the lifeline and stared into the fire until Klaus resumed his epic tale.
Why can't I look at my phone? What are they so paranoid about? Johnykin pulled his arm, stood up, and waited for him to follow. They stepped just out of ear shot but still in plain sight of the campfire.
“I know you don't understand, but God, Chris,” said Johnykin. “Wake up sometimes. This is simple shit.”
“What is? I just checked my phone to see if Sadie called or texted me. I wasn't going to start recording them or anything. Why did they freak out?”
Johnykin put a hand on a hip and looked down frustrated. “We’re building a fucking camaraderie. You have no idea how disrespectful it is to show you're bored or willing to look somewhere else besides the people sitting around you during that time. They have to trust you and know you'll back them up.”
“I see. This is all military stuff. We're marines or whatever getting ready before a big battle. I don't know how these things work and I don't want to know.”
“You have to right now. We’re depending on you. You can't be a liability.”
“Thanks for that. I can feel the pressure melting away.”
“Shut up, Chris. There’s a battle coming. You need to get focused.”
They paused. Chris's lips parted slightly to begin but stopped. He had nothing.
Johnykin finished it off, “We both need to hear what they're saying.” She twirled on her heel and jumped back into her old seat by the fire. Chris dutifully followed.
They didn't miss anything and as soon as Chris sat back down Klaus broke into business, “What are the details? One of you has been briefed.”
On cue Alan rolled off the saved information, “First, everything we do is under extreme scrutiny. Expect to be filmed, either by our own crew or civilians.” He motioned to the drivers and then took the moment to also look everyone in the eye deliberately. Chris felt the gaze linger slightly longer on himself. Alan continued, “The actions we take are done with the goal of peace. Do not be delusional. It will not happen tomorrow or even the next day, but it shouldn’t be forgotten.”
“Shit. You sound like a pre-recorded message. You better not self-destruct on us now,” said Gerard to Alan’s expressionless face. Gerard added, “Sorry,” but with a grin that suggested otherwise.
Alan continued undaunted, “The mission tomorrow is simple, but caution must be taken. The field is unpredictable and being away from home means we have a lot less control over what happens here. The rebels located a warehouse storing chemical weapons. A small security team handles the site and shouldn't offer much resistance.”
“They've used chemical weapons!?” asked Johnykin.
“Not yet, but as the revolution builds steam we see no reason why they wouldn't,” said Alan.
“It happened so quickly,” said Johnykin.
“And it’ll only get worse,” said Klaus. The group looked at him expecting more, but he clasped his hands together in front of his mouth and studied the fire.
“Keep going,” said Frank to Alan.
“A group of four will infiltrate the site while being covered by the rest. Again, the security is small. Our mission time is under an hour. Our extraction point will be just outside the warehouse. I’ll call it in once the four-man team has secured the package.”
“How are we doing this?” asked Chris. “Are chemical weapons small? I don't even know what they look like. Plus, won't the security guys have guns. Are we using guns?”
“We’re Supers. We don’t need guns,” said Alan, “but you two will.” He motioned to Frank as well.
“Wonderful. Breakfast at dawn,” said Rachel and moved into her tent with her partner Hal right behind. Everyone else took the hint and did the same.
Chapter Seventeen
The drivers began packing as soon as the sun pierced the little clearing of tents. Frank was already stretching outside, but Chris woke up to a clattering and then a bunch of canvas hitting him in the face. He scrambled out half-conscious it was nothing and half-terrified they were under attack.
The laughter told him everything. Almost everything.
“We’re taking down the tents, Chris, not pitching them,” said Frank, with an obvious glance at Chris’s underwear.
The laughter appropriately intensified. Chris crossed his fists in front of his morning erection while he tried to remember where he put his pants.
Breakfast, cleaning, and packing took less than fifteen minutes and then the four SUVs maneuvered around the tree line on the same path as last night. The drivers obviously knew where to go. They were a single line across the freeway with an intimidating purpose.
Twenty minutes later, they were on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere heading into even more desolate space. Chris felt the nervousness tingle in his stomach and the urge to pee even with an empty bladder. He checked on Frank and Johnykin from the corners of his eyes. They still looked better than he did in the black suits he thought. But however better looking, nerves still affected them. Frank’s neck bulged with each swallow of air as he clenched his jaw. Johnykin did her usual stare out the window, but Chris saw her hands grasp and tug at one another making pink blotches appear and disappear.
The convoy stopped at the bottom of a hill. The driver relayed the obvious, “It’s over the hill.” She then continued with more pertinent details, “Alan has seniority and will call us in to pick you up. I’m not supposed to tell you, but you’ll find out anyways. We, the drivers, will be perched on top videotaping you guys. I’m also pretty sure a couple others have mini cameras attached to their suits too.” She shrugged as if it really wasn’t that important.
“I'll be my charming best,” said Klaus, who squeezed the driver’s hand before getting out.
The driver smiled at the gesture. She then unloaded two bags filled with ammunition and two very big guns. One went to Frank and the other to Chris. Holding this gun was nothing like the handgun Frank had him fire a couple rounds from. Chris felt like he was back in the nursery soothing Louise. It was heavier and more awkward than he would have believed and the responsibility of not dropping it hung in the front of his mind
.
“Why…” said Chris and then leaped back into his head to wrangle with the situation and the feelings jamming up his thought process. He wasn’t going to shoot anyone. His brain clicked over an example of self-defense. He saw generic faces shooting at him. The Supers needed protection. No they didn’t, they’re super. Frank would need support. Frank shouldn’t even be here. He shouldn’t be here.
Chris dropped the gun. “No.”
“It’s for your protection,” said the driver and picked up the gun.
“If I need protecting then I shouldn’t be here. I’m a liability,” said Chris.
“It’s just like the target practice,” said Frank.
“No it’s not. It’s nothing like that. Plus I barely got through one clip. I’m not gonna pull a Matt Damon and bust out some Bourne Identity marksman skills.” Chris looked to Frank. “How much shooting have you done? I know you’re tough and you think you’re tough, but you’re not them.”
“You don’t know shit. You don’t know half the missions I’ve been on and what I’ve done to pull my weight.”
“That makes you ready for this? Fine. Maybe it does. Go ahead, but I’m not. I’ll help videotape if I have to.”
“You can’t,” said the driver. “There are strict orders on who holds the cameras.”
“Perfect timing to throw a hissy. You should’ve never fucking came,” said Frank. “We’re wasting time. Leave him in the car.”
“He can’t,” said the driver. “Mission protocol.”
The other Supers and drivers walked over to get a first-hand account.
“What’s taking so long?” asked Alan. He scanned their faces as if he already knew but believed the question needed to be posed to be fair.
“What’s the procedure from here?” asked Klaus.
Now Alan was confused and repeated his question in a different form, “What’s wrong here?”
“Chris isn’t cooperating. What’s next?” said Klaus.
Alan spotted Chris’s empty hands versus Frank’s gun toting hands. He moved on. “Grant and I will disable the two sentries and then join Jean, Bernard, Hal, and Rachel as perimeter support. Frank and Chris are to lead in disabling all surveillance equipment including the data bank located in the northeast corner with Klaus and Johnykin on their backs to secure the package. Take the gun or not, you’re heading in.”
“I’m not shooting anybody,” said Chris.
“They’re only cameras,” said Grant.
“Why am I shooting cameras if the drivers are videotaping this anyway?” asked Chris.
Alan looked at Chris and then turned to Frank, “You have the program ready?”
Frank pulled out a flash drive for confirmation and then pocketed it just as quickly.
“Let’s move out,” said Grant as he slapped Alan’s shoulder to diminish the theft of what should have been their leader’s line.
The Supers jogged up the hill at different points and then crawled up to the peak to peer over. The drivers hustled back to their SUVs, adeptly pulled digital camcorders and shotgun microphones from padded suitcases and followed their Supers up the hill as well.
Johnykin and Klaus were up the hill, but Frank stayed behind with Chris. The driver had placed the gun reserved for Chris back in the duffle bag it came from. Chris stared at it.
“Just take the damn thing. You’re not going to go to hell for shooting plastic and metal,” said Frank.
Every willful fiber in Chris’s being screamed ‘no’ as he continued to stare. Frank had said enough and caught up to Johnykin and Klaus. If it meant anything, Chris told himself, he was making the choice. He picked up the gun and jogged up the hill.
Just as Alan said, two guards were outside the warehouse. One was sitting, possibly sleeping, on a chair in front of the door. The other walked lazily around the building, which was surprisingly small. To Chris it looked a third the size of the X-Tech store he worked at. Chris looked over to his left to check on Alan and Grant. They were checking on him too. Grant gave a thumbs up, which Chris thought was for him, but was really the cue for the drivers who all simultaneously clicked on their camcorders and pointed the microphones directly where the action was about to begin.
The walking guard was around the back of the warehouse out of sight. Alan and Grant jumped to their feet and sprinted down the hill towards the stationary guard in his chair. They moved swiftly, but not as fast as Chris thought they should have. Johnykin and Klaus were blurs at top speed and these two looked merely Olympic level.
It didn’t matter as the guard in his chair must have been sleeping, because when Grant made it to him he didn’t move a muscle until Grant’s fist pounded into his head. The blow sent the guard into the dirt and into an even deeper sleep than he was in before. Alan went around the building to catch up from behind on the second guard.
A single shot echoed and everyone tensed, but Alan ran back into sight immediately with a wave to continue the mission. Frank bumped Chris intentionally to start him following a path down the hill. Two cameras perched on the front corners of the building peered down at the approaching sidekicks. Frank squeezed the trigger for a short three burst shot at the camera to the left obliterating it. Chris moved in front of the one on the right and hesitated. Frank moved towards him about to do the same damage to this camera as the left one, but Chris widened his stance, took aim, and fired. His three bullets surrounded the camera, missing it completely.
Frank stifled a laugh as Chris steadied his hand and aimed the weapon the way he saw it in the movies. This point of reference surprisingly worked and the next three bullets shattered the plastic and metal. Frank sprinted past Chris to the back corner wall of the warehouse where the next camera waited for its destruction. Chris pushed down the adrenaline fueled smile to check the other back corner and almost tripped over the guard lying on the ground. He looked quickly at the unconscious body before taking out the last outside camera.
Frank leaned against the entrance door, waiting for Chris to catch up. When Chris arrived he jumped into position to face whatever waited inside.
“You open the door on my signal,” said Frank, and pulled his gun to eye level.
“Uh-huh,” said Chris, breathing hard and placing his hand on the door handle.
Frank moved his gun down and then up to signal. Chris tugged at the handle. His fingers slipped out and he stumbled back as the door stayed completely shut.
“Shit, it’s locked,” said Chris.
Out of the corner of his eye Frank saw Klaus and Johnykin jogging up behind them ready to go. Frank released an unnecessary amount of bullets on and around the door’s lock and then kicked to check if it was effective. The door was loose and Chris pulled it open. Frank moved in and Chris followed with Johnykin and Klaus right on his tail.
The warehouse was fully lit and empty besides a dozen crates scattered to create a maze. Bullets rang out as Frank took out another camera. Chris scanned the ceiling as he maneuvered around. There was only one more camera he could find, but Frank got to it first and riddled it with bullets. Johnykin and Klaus walked calmly around and inspected the crates. Stamps in Syraic were placed on every side of the crates. Chris wasn’t sure if Johnykin or Klaus could read it but they all looked the same.
Chris just remembered the second part of his role when a hand slapped his butt hard. His finger still on the trigger fired a bullet through the roof. As he turned to complain to Johnykin not to scare him like that, he found himself face to face with Klaus.
“Nice job, but keep your finger next to the trigger until you find another deadly camera.”
“Quit fucking around Chris and get over here,” said Frank, from a corner of the warehouse.
Chris hustled over to see Frank crouched next to a computer tower and a monitor. At a quick glance the setup looked simple and Chris couldn’t see why Frank needed his help.
“Do you see a USB port?” asked Frank. “There is none. I’ve looked everywhere.” He grabbed the tower and m
oved it left to right in order to find any kind of opening but the case was smooth plastic with only a couple blinking lights breaking up the clean finish.
“What do you have a virus for, the air conditioning unit? That’s all that’s on the monitor,” said Chris.
“Dumb ass, it’s controlled from an outside source. If I upload the virus it will reach that source and any others that should be connected to it. But I need a damn port.”
“If I had some solder and a couple other tools we could directly connect it to the motherboard,” said Chris.
“We don’t and we don’t have time,” said Frank. He raised his gun at the tower.
Chris jumped back to get away from the ensuing shrapnel. His leap put him straight into a crate that screeched a few feet across the floor upon impact.
“Thanks for the hand,” said Klaus pushing another crate closer to the large sectional door for their eventual exit.
“Chris, take a look at the control panel for the door. Hopefully it’ll open without Klaus and I tearing a couple big holes through it,” said Johnykin.
Simply enough was a two button panel on the wall. Chris walked over and pressed one button, nothing happened, and then pressed the second one which rolled up the door like a garage opener. The mission seemed over until Frank rushed in front with his gun sweeping the area ready to fire. Chris startled and followed the lead bringing his own gun up.
Nothing appeared. Klaus and Johnykin pushed the crates through and out away from the warehouse while Frank continued his protective lookout with Chris in tow. Once everything was cleared from inside, Klaus touched his ear and spoke into his radio. Chris forgot they had them.
The other Supers closed in on them in less than a minute. They were relaxed, but still eyeing their surroundings. Alan called up the extraction on his radio and just as swiftly as the Supers, the SUVs circled the team and crates. Everyone stood around watching.
Chris was dying to make a joke or say something stupidly sarcastic to get past the climactic point, but the steady drone of a helicopter did it for him. It came over the hill they had come from and then hovered above. A large pallet lowered from the helicopter’s belly just to the side of the dozen crates. As soon as it hit the ground with slight maneuvering by Alan and Grant, Johnykin and Klaus loaded the pallet. The drivers brought out the camcorders again to capture the end of the successful mission.
Just Another Job Page 15