Chapter 25 - Opfree
The next few days were crammed full of preparation for the operation during the daytime. In the evenings, I spent time with my family. Katie and Irma were fast becoming very close friends. This was an important development for me because I wanted them to get along. I learned more about the Second Family during this time. The disappearance of the third family nagged me but every time I tried to question my grandfather about them he would change the subject. I put down the report I was studying when I heard a knock on the door to the office I was using. “Come in.” I called.
A small man stepped through the door and walked to the front of the desk I sat behind. He came to attention and said. “Sergeant Bradford reporting for duty Major Smidt.”
I had been given the rank of Major in the new organization. I returned the salute and waved to a chair he was standing beside. “At ease and take a seat Sergeant.” I waited for him to sit, then stood up and walked to the coffee service that had been rolled in earlier. “How much have you been briefed on the operation? Coffee?”
“Yes thank you sir. I have been fully briefed by the General sir.” He took the cup of coffee, sipped it and waited for me to sit down again. “The full briefing without covers”
So he knew Smidt was a cover name. “Very well Sergeant. You are to be in charge of the extraction team and will remain outside the complex until you receive the signal from me. Additionally, you will guard the talent sent to you with your own life. She is more important to this operation than anyone in the platoon you will be in charge of.”
“Talent sir? Why is this person so important?” Bradford asked.
“Because she is my future wife Sergeant. While the men in your platoon and yourself are important, you have to insure she makes it out of any trouble that may arise alive. Failure is not an option. The fate of the human race hinges on this operation.” I sipped my coffee and peered at him over the edge of the cup watching his reaction at what I had just said.
“I will personally make sure she is safe sir.” He replied.
“Good, Sergeant. Now give me a report on the men you have assembled for the operation.” I said.
“Yes sir, I have been with this group of men and women for two years now. Every one of them are highly trained and have been in multiple operations. In my opinion they are the best group of people I have ever had the honor of leading.” Bradford replied. “They fight hard and play hard, so a few have things in their records that they are not proud of but every one of them would put their own life on the line for any other member of the group.”
“Good. Because if this operation fails, life as you know it would never be the same again. I will be inside the complex as the head of the security detail around Blackthorn. When I signal for the extraction, the talent will do her job and you personally will escort her out of the area. If you have to knock her out to get her out then do it.” I continued with a smile.
“You mean she might resist?” he asked.
“I know my future wife Sergeant and that is a definite yes.” I said with a chuckle “You will send the team to the front of the complex to meet up with me. We will handle any firefights that may develop as myself and my team exits the complex. Make sure they know that I personally will be taking command of the exit operation.”
“Yes Sir. How long till the extraction takes place?” Bradford asked.
“It can happen at any time within the next few months.” I replied. I handed him a file from my desk and continued. “Go through this with your people. Those are data sheets of the people I will have inside the complex with me. Every one of these people me can direct your people on what they have to do. Make sure they know this and are prepared to follow orders. Even if the person is lower rank. My team has command at all times during the operation.” I had made sure that my entire team from the army had been released from duty and reassigned to me within the new organization. “That will be all for now Sergeant.”
“Yes sir.” he replied standing up. He saluted and exited the room.
I turned my chair and looked out the window at the complex below.
I reflected on how much my life had changed over the past few years and wondered how much more would change before we even made a dent in the forces we battled. As I stared out the window I knew mankind had a fight like never experienced before and the cost of failure was not an option. The loss of Origan tormented my soul. Even more so the fight we faced scared me more than I was willing to admit. I vowed to myself that mankind would survive.
My conversations with my grandfather bothered me excessively. The loss of the North American Continent to the Death Walkers was something I could not fathom. A small group of the tribe remained behind under the protection of Great Grandmother Cara and a few of the inhabitants of Origan. Their primary duty was to maintain surveillance on the Death Walkers over there. They were spread across the US in small groups. We first had to get rid of Blackthorn before anything could be done about the States. I turned when the door opened and smiled at my mentor.
“I sense deep concern in you my student.” Moevin entered the room with the peculiar gliding motion she used to move. “You have many questions laced into your thoughts and I feel a jumble of emotions emanating from your mind.”
I tried to collect my thoughts and settle my mind, using a technique she had taught me. “These are chaotic times Moevin, and it’s hard to settle on where to begin. I know that Blackthorn is a priority but I fear for my family and people back home. What about Katie’s family, are they protected?”
“Even though they are not a member of the First or Second Family they are a rare find indeed. I am impressed that when you first met her, even though your abilities were in such a raw state, you were able to sense just how special she is. As a human, her mind shows enormous potential. With the proper guidance she will be able to handle the task ahead. She progresses in her training at a rapid pace. Her parents minds are not as advanced but the desire to protect Katie and their grandchild give them a protection that other humans are not able to attain”
“Well one of my main thoughts does concern the others who are under the control of the enemy.” I stood up, walked to the world map and stared at it in silent thought for a few moments. I turned back around and asked, “once their minds and bodies are taken over by the enemy is there any way that they can be saved?”
“Possibly.” Moevin sat down and folded her arms. “Humans have an impressive will to survive and the possibility remains that with your help and the help of both the First and Second Families that we may be able to save perhaps half of them.”
“Why only half?” I asked sinking back into my chair.
“Because we are so few and they are so many. There is only so much we can do given our numbers. You have to understand, my student, When we lost Origan we lost billions of capable minds. We were set back centuries of progress with the last action by the Death Walker who now possesses your General Blackthorn.”
“Tell me more of this Death Walker. Who is he?”
Moevin paused for a moment as if she were contemplating whether or not I should receive the information. Then she sighed and continued. “His name is Xilis and he is a defector from our race who dabbled in what we consider the dark art of mind manipulation. He grew fascinated by these dark arts until he was consumed by them. He found a way to merge with the enemy. At first we thought this was a blessing for it caused in internal conflict of proportions our enemies had never experienced before. The conflict however was short lived and Xilis soon took leadership of the attack. The result you have already heard and we were forced to flee our world and come here. Xilis got wind of our retreat, left his very capable second in command back on Origan and followed us here. The attack on what you call the North American continent was swift and brutal. Before we even realized it his army had control of all key posts within your government and began to systematically destroy the freedom your people enjoyed. We barely had time to set up the counter offen
sive we did and to spread your people out so we could maintain proper surveillance on the situation. It is our hope you are strong enough soon to completely burn out his mind before he does the same over here.”
I got up and began pacing around the room. “I don’t know if I can do it. I am so unsure of myself now.”
Moevin smiled at me and waved toward the chair. “Sit down Jason and let us begin the exercise in the new shielding technique. I am sure you will be strong enough for the task at hand. Remember the point of this exercise is to only allow Xilis superficial access to the fringes of your mind. You must protect the core of your mind from him. He must never be aware of just who you are or he will call for a merge and overpower your mind.”
For the next six hours, I concentrated on using the technique I had been taught. At the end of that time I could see that my mentor was exhausted and called for an end of the exercise.
“Already your mind is stronger than mine my student. We will continue this after I have rested.” Moevin got up and began to head toward the door. Just before she got there she turned and looked at me. “Don’t worry so much Jason. You have the ability to do the mission and complete it successfully.” She opened the door and exited the room.
I watched her leave and mulled over what she had told me at the beginning of the session. Glancing at my watch I noted how late it was and knew I would probably not see my daughter tonight but I would be able to spend some time with both Katie and Irma. It would be the last night for a while because after this evening I would be forbidden contact with my family.
Chapter 26 - Operation Black Cloud
The first day of the operation dawned as a cold December day. I stood by my car waiting for the guard at the gate to check my newly forged documents and let me through. I checked my watch and looked out over the complex. The link chained fence stretched out to the left and the right. I made mental note of the video cameras which seemed to be placed at intervals of fifty feet. The presence of additional wires trailing down the posts suggested that pressure sensitive sensors were in place around the complex. I turned back as the guard walked back to my car.
“Your papers are in order sir. The General is waiting for you in his office. That is the first building past the last hanger” He stepped back and saluted me.
I returned the salute, got into my car, and said. “Very good Sergeant. I will be back to inspect the guard stations after my conversation with the General.” I dropped the salute and put the car in gear. Driving through the gate, I noted the roving patrols at the fence-line and knew there were going to be trouble trying to infiltrate this compound on the day the operation finally went down. The men here were good. Almost as good as my own men. I drove past the hangers and wondered why the General chose this base for his center of operations. Normally, Army personnel stayed on Army bases and did not displace the personnel from other armed forces. I found the building and parked in front of it. As I exited the car and began in the direction of front entry, I looked at the building.
It was made of massive blocks. Each of the windows were covered with metal bars. The place looked like it could double as a prison. I walked in the front door and took note of the security station to the left and reception desk to the right. The receptionist smiled at me and said. “The General is waiting for you in his office Major.”
I nodded at her and checked to make sure the mental shield was in place, protecting my mind before I stepped to the door, opened it and entered the office.
“Ahh Major Smidt. So happy to finally meet you.” He stood up behind his desk and walked toward me with his hand extended.
Blackthorn was a short man, shorter than I was, but as I looked into his eyes I could almost see the evil within. There was something behind the eyes that made my skin crawl but I firmed up my emotions and clasped hands with him shaking. His grip was firm but his hands were cool to the touch. An almost icy dread crept up in my stomach.
“General, pleased to meet you.” I looked around the room taking in the surroundings and followed him back toward the desk. When he waved at the chair in front of his desk. I sat down and waited for him to take a seat before continuing.
“I notice the rest of the men from my organization arrived today. I hope you were satisfied with the security arrangements I have made in the past few weeks and apologize for not getting here sooner.”
Blackthorn was silent for a moment. I felt him probing the fringes of my mind. I tightened the shield protecting the core of my mind.
“Not a problem Major. General White informed me that you were out of country and would be arriving back this week. I hope you realize that the military normally does not engage civilians to provide security but there are a number of projects on this base where we could not take a chance on being discovered by the general public.”
I nodded and replied. “I am aware of that General and you can count on me and my men to provide the security required.”
“Of course, I would not have it any other way.” He said. “You are not going to ask the nature of the projects?”
“My job is to provide security and nothing else. What your people do inside the buildings I protect is of no concern of mine General,” I coolly returned.
“Fair enough Major. My secretary will provide you with your permanent security badge and I will leave you with your duties. There will be a staff meeting on Friday in the main conference room. I expect you to be there.” The General looked down and began writing something on his notepad. He looked back up and said “That will be all Major.”
I stood up and turned to walk out the door saying as I went. “I will be there on Friday General.” I stepped outside and spoke to the secretary. “The General said you had something for me?”
The General’s secretary was a young woman of about twenty. Blonde hair which was common here in Germany and intense blue eyes. She handed me a security badge and said. “Welcome to the base Major. My name is Lilly. If you need anything at all just let me know.”
“Nice to meet you Lilly. I am sure we will work well together.” I replied in a no nonsense manner. I took the badge from her, slipped it onto the flap of the pocket on my suit coat and walked out of the building.
Once outside I took and deep breath and headed toward my car. Before I reached it, a jeep pulled up and a uniformed soldier jumped out of it.
“Here is your jeep sir. The General does not allow civilian vehicles to be used within the compound.”
I nodded at the soldier and replied, “That’s fine Private Jones. I suppose you are to be my new driver?”
Jones stood at attention and said, “That’s correct sir. Where you go I go. Those are the orders I received from headquarters.”
I nodded at him and climbed into the passenger side of the jeep. “Take me to where ever they set up my office, Jones.” The Private climbed into the jeep without a word and started driving. I reflected on my new companion while I drove. The man was obviously not a member of the enemy but just a lowly pawn in a game of life and death. Blackthorn however was a different case. His eyes glowed with that now familiar color I associated with the enemy. The near close proximity of one of the leaders of the Death Walkers was unsettling at best. I mentally checked the shield that protected my mind. It was firmly in place. I relaxed externally and took note of the environment around me as we drove.
We took the road that went behind the hangers and again I wondered what could be going on inside. I would have to wait until I was not expected to be visible in the performance of my duties before I could investigate. This would probably be better when Blackthorn was not around and I did not have to maintain such a tight shield around my mind. I was not yet mentally strong enough to use the full capabilities of my mind while maintaining a tight shield on it. Moevin was attempting to train me to do so but the going was extremely slow. I still have not figured out how to shield and let a small portion of my shield open to allow me to probe minds.
My mental monolog was interrupted by our
arrival at another building. Jones stopped the jeep and said. “This is your base of operations, Major. What would you like me to do while you are inside?”
I stepped out of the jeep and looked at him. “I am sure there is somewhere around where you can go for coffee or a cold drink. Report back here in an hour and we can make the rounds to the various posts.”
“Yes sir. If you need me I will be in that building on the other side of the road.”
He pointed behind him and I noted the facility he was pointing at. “Ok Jones, be back here in one hour.” He nodded and took off in the direction he had pointed. I walked up to the door of my command facility and stepped inside.
Once inside I was surprised to note that Moevin was sitting near the reception desk.
“Do not worry, my student,” her mind-speak seemed to be somewhat more muted than normal. “The other humans cannot see my because I have removed my presence from their minds and I have also shielded this building for you. You can let your mental shield down.”
I did as she asked and began to search the building with my mind for other minds in the area. There where twenty people in the building and most of them were preoccupied with the performance of their duties. One man was trying to decide how to hide his relationship with another woman from his wife. Another was trying to decide if he should continue stealing office supplies. A third man was thinking about wearing the purple dress instead of the red one during his performance. I had to do a double take on that though.
I nodded to the receptionist and asked. “Where is my office Sergeant?”
The receptionist looked at me and visibly straightened in his chair. “Major we were not expecting you until later.” He stood up and continued speaking. “This way sir.”
I followed him down the hallway that ran to the right of the entry and noted that my mentor followed us. I stepped inside the office he indicated and turned to speak to him.
Rise of the Death Walkers (The Circle of Heritage Saga) Page 25