Mission--Memory Recall

by Virginia Vaughan

  He didn’t like the sound of that. “Goodbye?”

  “That’s right. You’re coming with me and the tale of the man who was raised from the dead will fade into obscurity. You’ll either become a ghost tale, or the rumored story of a soldier who betrayed his country and was never heard from again.”

  “And what about Bethany?”

  “She will be disgraced among the Agency when it’s discovered that the Marcus Allen she found alive didn’t really exist. She’ll quietly retire and disappear from the government’s radar.”

  It was the same scenario he’d given him in the barn. Now, why didn’t Marcus believe it?

  “I want to know she’s safe before I come with you. Let her go now. She can take my truck and disappear.”

  “No. That’s not happening.”

  Marcus pointed his gun at Dillon. “Then I’m not coming with you. We’re going inside to get Bethany and we’re both leaving here.”

  Dillon flashed him a grin again, this one smug and knowing. “That’s not going to happen, either.”

  A shot rang out. Marcus couldn’t tell from what direction it came, but a moment later it dug into the skin on his hand, jamming through bone and flesh and zipping out the other side. Searing pain pulsed through him, causing him to drop his gun and grab his hand, which was oozing blood.

  Dillon howled with laughter. “Look at that. He made the shot. It might be the only accurate one he makes today, but he did it.”

  In Marcus’s ear, the rangers were shouting out to one another, trying to identify where the shot had originated. “I have no visual! No visual!” came their frantic yells.

  “Draw him out,” Matt yelled.

  Shots began to ring out from all around Marcus, trying to pull the sniper into firing again and giving up his location.

  Marcus fell to his knees, mostly trying to avoid the gunfire but also because the pain shooting through him was devastating. He used his teeth to tear off a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around his hand to stop the bleeding. He didn’t think they would draw out the sniper. If he hadn’t been hiding in the place the others had identified as the best proximity to shoot from, then he’d found another, even better, place to perch.

  The voices in Marcus’s ear and the sounds of gunfire around him made his head spin. Flashes of memory began flooding back to him. Another situation where he was trapped, rangers were yelling in his earpiece and shots were ringing out.

  He tried to push the memories away and hold on to the reality of the moment. He couldn’t get lost in them, not now.

  Suddenly the images came to life and someone grabbed him. Dillon had managed to sneak up on him, knock him over the head and grab hold of his jacket. He dragged him to the other side of the SUV. His actions were so sudden and so unexpected that Marcus didn’t even have time to protest or to fight back.

  “I’ve got you now.” Dillon dragged him toward the building as the sound of confusion and chaos played out in his earpiece.

  “Ambush!” someone yelled. “It’s a trap!” But Marcus couldn’t be certain if he was hearing the shouts now through his earpiece or in the flashbacks that were flooding back to him.

  Just then an explosion rocked the area that sent both him and Dillon reeling toward the underpinning of the concession building. Dillon swore and clicked on a mike in his ear. “What was that?” he demanded.

  Marcus heard a voice respond, “Just a few RPGs.”

  Rocket powered grenades. The rangers hadn’t been prepared for RPGs. He grimaced, realizing he had led them into an ambush again.

  The memories kept coming, pouring back into his mind like a waterfall of horror and angst. He remembered scanning an area and seeing a familiar face lurking in the shadows. “You...you were there,” Marcus rasped. “The night my team was ambushed.”

  Dillon huffed. “Of course I was there.”

  Another image flashed through his mind. An image of another man, a familiar face he couldn’t quite see but he knew the uniform and the gear. Levi? Was it Levi he’d seen talking with Dillon that terrible night?

  Dillon reached down and ripped out the earpiece and mike from Marcus’s gear. The gunfire and sounds of explosions and yelling continued, proof that this was all happening in real time. Dillon yanked him to his feet and down a hallway. He opened a door and shoved him. Marcus tumbled inside, hitting a wall and sliding to the ground.

  His vision was bleary but he saw Dillon grin just before he slammed the door closed. Then a face hovered over his. He jerked away, startled that he wasn’t alone and uncertain where he was or who was with him.

  “Marcus, are you hurt?”

  He knew her voice the moment she spoke and suddenly her touch soothed him instead of startled him. Releasing a ragged breath, he saw an outline standing over him but he couldn’t make out her face. He was fading fast, but he longed for one more look at her. He tried to reach for her face, but his hand refused to move.

  “Beth,” he managed to whisper and she eagerly responded.

  “It’s me. I’m here.”

  Then the last thing he knew was the feel of her lips on his as he faded away into darkness.

  Ten

  Marcus slumped against her and Bethany felt fear rattle through her. She checked his breathing. It was steady and his heart was beating strongly. That relieved her, but she could see that his hand was bleeding through the makeshift bandage wrapped around it. And he hadn’t seemed to see her or even been able to stand when Dillon had shoved him inside.

  She checked him for other wounds and found no other bleeding except for his hand. But when she felt his head, a large knot was already forming. Dillon must have hit him hard and unexpectedly. She took comfort in the fact that he would likely awaken soon.

  She just hoped it was soon enough. The gunfire and explosions outside were deafening even from inside the concrete room where Dillon was keeping them. She thought it must have once been a freezer for the concession stand because of the shelves, the steel door and the lack of windows. What was happening out there? Were they in a war zone?

  Marcus began to stir and she ran back to him on the floor, relief flowing through her.

  He groaned and his eyes fluttered. “What happened?”

  “I think someone hit you on the head. You’ve been unconscious for several minutes.”

  He grunted then tried to pull himself up. “Dillon.” He spewed out the name with such animosity.

  “Yes, I can’t believe I ever trusted him.”

  He reached out and touched her face, his eyes brimming with elation before he pulled her into his arms. “I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered.

  She melted into his embrace. There was so much she wanted to say to him, to tell him that she knew he wasn’t a traitor and apologize to him for ever believing he was. “I was afraid, too.”

  He framed her face with his hands. “Are you hurt?”

  “No, I’m fine.” Another blast shook the room. “For now.”

  He took her hand and squeezed it. “Don’t worry. We’ll get out of here. The rangers won’t let anything happen to us.”

  “How can we trust them? Levi is working with Dillon and he’s one of them, Marcus.”

  “So am I,” he reminded her. “I can’t explain it, but I trust them. Levi may be working with Dillon, but I guarantee the rest of the team didn’t know it. They’re on the lookout for him. They’ll do the right thing.”

  “We have to get out of here.”

  “We will.”

  He started moving along the walls, looking for a weakness. She had already done so earlier but she didn’t mention it. She started again. There had to be some way out of this room.

  An explosion detonated and the aftershock knocked Bethany to the ground. It was loud and close, and made the ground shake. Marcus hit the floor, too, but she saw more than shock on his fac
e. Fear flashed across his eyes and he crawled to the corner, holding his head and giving a low, guttural groan.

  She scuttled over to him. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  His fingers dug into his head and he groaned again. “The images. I can’t stop them. I...can’t...”

  She understood. Memories were flooding him. Memories of the night of the ambush, the attack against him and his team. The current battle must have brought them all back. He was paralyzed by them, unable to separate the real battle from the one occurring in his mind.

  She gave a beleaguered sigh. What a time for him to regain his memories.

  Bethany heard the lock on the door slide. She ran to the wall and braced herself. Marcus was helpless against Dillon and Levi like this. It was up to her to fight for them both.

  The door opened and Dillon stepped inside, spotting Marcus huddled in the corner.

  From behind the door, Bethany lunged for him before he turned and spotted her. She jumped, kicked the back of his knees, causing him to lose his balance, then she grabbed him around the neck and throat punched him.

  Dillon’s knees buckled and he went down but Bethany didn’t let go. He’d taught her this move and probably never thought she would use it against him. The irony didn’t escape her. She didn’t release her grip as he struggled to grab her to no avail. Finally his hands went limp and he fell. But she also knew from his training that he wouldn’t be out for very long. They had to get out of there now before Dillon regained his composure. She also checked him for a gun but found nothing but a Taser. It would have to do.

  She grabbed Marcus’s arm and he jerked at her touch.

  “It’s me,” she said softly. “It’s Bethany. We have to get out of here now.”

  He nodded, seeming to understand, and she helped him to his feet. She placed his arm over her shoulder and helped him out, past Dillon, who was still lying on the floor trying to catch his breath. But that didn’t keep him from grabbing out for her. She turned and kicked him, knocking him back again and stuffing the urge to keep kicking him until he was unable to come for them again.

  As she headed for the door, another explosion rocked the ground. Bethany stumbled and Marcus flinched at each round of gunfire. What was going on out there?

  Dillon grabbed for her again and this time connected with her ankle, pulling it and yanking her off her feet. She hit the concrete and the Taser flew from her hand. Marcus fell, too.

  Bethany spun around as Dillon lunged for her. She tried to kick him and grab for the Taser but he was faster getting to his feet. He scooped up the Taser and used it on her, sending unknown volts of electricity shooting through her. Bethany screamed then slumped and Dillon caught her. She’d completely lost control of her body with the pain ripping through her from the electrocution. He dragged her back into the freezer and left her lying on the floor, unable to move except for the jerks of her muscles, fighting to remain conscious. As he walked to the door, he spoke to her. “Don’t try that again, Bethany. You can’t defeat me.”

  Tears slid down her face as she fought to regain her motion. Was he right? Had he truly won?

  And where was the God that Marcus believed so much in? Why wasn’t He helping them?

  * * *

  Dillon turned from the door and Marcus kicked his legs out from under him. He’d made a huge mistake in assuming Marcus was too far out of it to know what was happening. Bethany’s cries had helped him push through the flood of memories and grab hold of the here and now.

  Dillon went down. Marcus leaped to his feet, grabbed Dillon up and slammed his head against the concrete hard enough to knock him out. He went limp and Marcus searched his pockets and bag, finding a roll of duct tape. He used it to bind Dillon’s hands. He also found his keys and opened the door.

  Bethany lay still on the concrete floor, causing a moment of panic to surge through him. He rushed to her side and rolled her over. She was twitching from the Taser blast, but she was slowly regaining movement.

  “Are you okay, honey?” he asked urgently. “Can you speak?”

  She tried but only managed to nod. He picked her up and cradled her gently against him as he carried her down the hall. They needed to find a way out of there and to contact the rangers. He passed a room where he saw a computer set up on a makeshift desk. It had to be Dillon’s command center. His gun and radio were probably in there, too.

  He walked in and carefully placed Bethany on the floor. “I’ll be right back,” he whispered and she managed to give him a small nod. He knew she was quickly regaining muscle control and would be fine in a few moments.

  He moved to the computer and checked the screen. Several boxes appeared to have different camera angles covering the entire area. Dillon had this drive-in wired with cameras. Marcus could see several of the rangers gathered behind a concrete barrier from an overhead angle and another camera showed Levi loading up another RPG.

  Marcus had to warn them. He glanced around and saw his gear in the corner. Pulling out his mike, he shoved in the earpiece and began to speak. “Rangers, this is Marcus. I have visual on Levi. Prepare for another RPG firing. He’s in the trees on the east side of the camp. Repeat, he’s on the east side in the trees.”

  “Roger that” came Matt’s voice. A moment later the blast came, shaking the building.

  Marcus ran to the front and saw that both vehicles were now in flames.

  “Marcus, where are you? What’s your status?”

  “I’m inside the concession building. Dillon is down and I have Bethany. He has cameras surrounding the place and streaming to a laptop in here. I’m on my way out there to help you.”

  “Negative,” Garrett commanded. “Get Bethany and run. Get out of here. We’ll take care of Levi.”

  The others agreed. He didn’t like running, but he needed to get Bethany to safety. Of course, with their vehicles out of commission, they would have to make it to one of the ranger’s vehicles. They were closest to the one Garrett and Blake had driven but they would have to go through the woods to reach it.

  He knelt beside Bethany. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m better,” she said, pushing to her feet. “I’m ready to go.”

  He slipped his gear on and grabbed his rifle.

  “Marcus, look,” she cried, pointing at the computer. “He’s getting away.”

  He glanced at the screen and saw that Levi had abandoned his post and was disappearing into the woods. The gunfire outside continued, telling him his friends had no idea Levi was gone and probably wouldn’t for several minutes. That was enough of a head start for him to get away and, if they didn’t catch Levi in action, no one would ever be able to prove that he was involved. He could claim ignorance and, although the rangers might have their suspicions, they would always also have doubts.

  He couldn’t let him get away. Levi, like Dillon, had to pay for his crimes. He spoke into his microphone. “Levi is escaping into the woods. I’m going after him.” He stopped and looked at Bethany, suddenly realizing he couldn’t leave her alone.

  “Go,” she told him. “Go get him. I’ll be fine and I’ll keep an eye on Dillon.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, hesitant to leave her.

  “I’m fine.” She picked up the Taser that Dillon had used on her. “I’ll be safe here.”

  He dragged Dillon into the room and set him in the corner. “Keep an eye on him,” he told Bethany and she nodded, looking pleased at the task as she held the Taser in her hand.

  “I almost hope he tries something.”

  He started to walk out then turned back. There was so much he wanted to say to her. He didn’t want to wait to say it, but he had to. If he didn’t go now, Levi would be gone for good. He touched her face and cut to the chase. “I remember,” he told her. “I remember everything, and I promise you, Beth, my feelings for you were never faked.”

&nb
sp; Her face lit up but the pressure of the moment kept her from asking for more. She placed a quick kiss on his lips. “Go and come back to me soon.”

  He assured her he would be back and he meant it. Nothing would keep him away from her ever again.

  * * *

  Bethany glared at Dillon in the corner and he glared right back. Marcus had taped his hands and legs and mouth. She’d never seen him look so vulnerable. She owed him a world of hurt for all the grief he’d put her through. He’d shot Marcus, leaving him for dead, then pretended for years to care about her enough to follow her investigation. That alone, in her opinion, made him deserve a bullet to the head, but she didn’t have the right to make those decisions. She would bring him in to the CIA and let them exact justice for his crimes. He had hurt more people than just her.

  “You tried to break us,” she said to him. “You tried to bring us down, but you couldn’t.” She couldn’t help the smug tone of her voice. He deserved much worse. “Did you hear what he just said to me before he left? He said he remembers everything.”

  Dillon’s eyes widened and he looked as if he wanted to lunge for her.

  “He remembers, which means he knows what you were up to that night and he’ll tell everyone. I’ll be there to back him up. You’ve lost, Dillon.”

  She turned back toward the computer and looked at the images of the devastated drive-in. The gunfire had settled down since Marcus’s report that Levi had escaped into the woods.

  She set the stun gun on the desk and shook her head at all the violence Dillon’s actions had caused. It infuriated her to know that one person could affect other people’s lives in such a negative manner. It angered her, but it also annoyed her to know that God allowed such things. Marcus believed in Him and trusted Him, but, to Bethany, this was just one more thing that He could have prevented.

  They’d already lost so much time together and she didn’t want to spend another moment away from him. But was it likely that too much had happened between them to make a relationship possible? She didn’t know, but she wanted them to have time together to figure out if they could make it work. But that meant she had to stop waiting and watching for the other shoe to drop. She sighed, wishing she didn’t have such a negative opinion of everyone.