CodeY

by Lamar Rutherford

  “Hmmm, could we give them enough information for them to be prepared, but not give away all we know?” asked Drew.

  Pele contemplated this idea, “Maybe. I’ll have to think about that.”

  “As of now, the children are all going to be at the game anyhow, so they might not be too safe as is.” Drew added.

  “Regrettably, true. I thought about telling Keece, but I’m pretty sure that, if she knows, she wouldn’t let Rane play. But, unfortunately, I don’t think that would mean Rane is safe. I’d bet they’d go after her at another time. “

  “I think you’re right about that. She is such a symbol to them of empowering women.

  I also agree with your concern about telling the military too much. We can’t afford to lose the communication we have, and ISEX would probably simply destroy anything even remotely related to exposing them, which, even if they couldn’t trace Devon’s tracks, they might come after you, knowing your previous involvement with Jaber. Who else could have exposed his ploys?”

  “Yah, none of those results sound good. Let’s see if we can come up with Plan B.”

  Drew smiling ironically in agreement, “Yah.”

  “What if we create a leak to the military through a fake ISEX source? One they can’t trace back to us, but they might be able to verify his information.”

  “That could work.”

  “Sanji is astonishing with languages and accents. Maybe we could somehow steal an ISEX commander’s phone, send some messages from it to another ISEX commander. It could be in one of the codes that we already broke for the military when we helped decipher Jaber’s messages.”

  Drew hesitated, “Okaaay, but how do we get an ISEX commander’s phone?”

  “Aren’t there still a few rebel groups they are tracking down in Argentina? Maybe our friend Luca can help.”

  Drew, “Okay, say we can tip off the military this way. How is this all going to go down? Your whole family and close friends will still all be in that stadium.”

  Pele, “Yah, we have a few details to work out still…

  “Let me try to reach Luca first. Let’s reconvene first thing tomorrow morning in the clubhouse.”

  Chapter 16

  Prior to leaving for the Junior World’s Championship, Pele decided to tell Rane about ISEX’s plan. He had debated because he wanted her to stay focused on the game, but ultimately, he decided telling her was too important. She would be down on the field, separate from the rest of the family, and, for her own safety, he felt she should know.

  “Unfortunately, we don’t know their exact plan, but we’re pretty sure something is going to happen during or towards the end of your match,” Pele explained. “Drew, Devon and Pace know, but I think it’s best if we don’t tell the others. I’m pretty certain your mother would try to keep you from playing. Understandably. I’m still questioning whether letting you play is the right decision.”

  “Dad, you can’t keep me from playing. That's as good as admitting defeat!” exclaimed Rane.

  “I know. I’m just worried about your safety,” he was clearly still struggling with the decision.

  “Don’t worry Dad. I’ve got my team and Kaz to protect me,” Rane said bravely.

  Pele gave her a hug, “Well, to help, we’re going to sneak in a Robustor suit for you and some protective gear for Kaz, just in case you need them. Let’s head over to the training center. I want to show you how they work.”

  The Robustor suits had improved greatly over the past few months. Now that Pele was back working directly with Johann, and he was no longer holding back information he had been afraid to share with Jaber, he and Johann had made great progress in the effects.

  “This is great Dad! If only I could play in one of these,” Rane commented eagerly as she kicked further, ran faster and demonstrated a wicked slide tackle technique. She was clearly enjoying the enhancements.

  Pele and Drew were laughing from the sidelines. “I think she’s getting the hang of it,” joked Drew.

  “We’ll see if you can’t teach her something a little more useful in combat than kicking a soccer ball.” replied Pele.

  Drew saluted sarcastically, laughing as Pele left the center, “I’m on it, Sir.”

  The World Junior Men’s Football (soccer) finals match was being held in King Abdullah Sports City, 60 km north of Jeddah, the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia, and the largest city near Mecca, Muslim’s holiest city. The stadium, often called the Jewel, al-Jawhara, was originally built in 2016 but was recently modernized due to the continued growth of soccer’s popularity around the world. It was an iconic source of pride for the local Royal government. A complete sports complex, with a round central large, imposing dome stadium, it was decorated in traditional Islamic style, but with a modern, functional design, built to be flexible to adjust for all types of sporting events.

  Today the arena was packed with fans from around the globe, avid soccer enthusiasts eager to support their favorite team, boldly displaying their colors like walking billboards. Rane’s presence, the only woman playing in the tournament, brought on heightened tensions due to the disparities in male and female roles in the different cultures, fueling the boisterous fans as they mixed throughout the stadium passages and seating.

  Approaching the stadium, Rane could hear and feel the buzz of the crowd, like a busy bee colony, ready to explode at the slightest offense to their queen. Rane was heavily guarded by a special forces team, assigned by the local government. Saudi Arabia, the host country, knew their reputation depended on protecting her and the team. The masses were loud and intense, both in support and against Rane. Karo, her dark, menacing guard stood closest to her and her dog, Kaz. One withering glance from Karo and the crowds parted, melting out of the way. Rane marveled at the contrast from when she met him the night before. His broad grin was so welcoming it was like a beam of bright sunshine against a dark sky, instead of his intimidating, fierce presence now. She certainly felt safer with him by her side.

  Rane carried Kazi to ensure his safety, but she walked with her head high. She had learned long ago not to look in any way intimidated on the way to a game. This was part of her pre-game ritual. Stand tall, and lead your team to victory, she told herself, almost reveling in the cries for and against her, feeling energized and powerful as she followed the guards through the melee of bystanders.

  Right as they entered the stadium, Kaz growled towards a man who was fiddling with his drink. Karo signaled to a guard to check the man out. As the guard reached the man, the man threw the liquid in his cup toward Rane. But the guard was too quick and caught the man’s arm as he raised it. Instead of hitting Rane, the liquid splashed on the man and the guard. Both got acid burns, the perpetrator much worse than the guard. Karo was all over Rane and Kaz now, almost carrying them through the crowd to the locker room. Rane, slightly shaken from the attack, was not entirely surprised. She was on high alert knowing ISEX’s potential plans.

  Karo hustled her into the players' area. Once inside the locker room area, Rane felt safer. She was given an office for her makeshift locker room. The Arabs clearly not used to accommodating teams with both men and women. To be fair, this was a common problem in stadiums all over the world. Rane and her team had long ago learned to adjust. The boys all knew to be fully dressed ten minutes before game time so she could join them in their locker room for their pre-game pep talk.

  She also felt safer because she was closer to her Robustor suit now. They had been able to smuggle it in amongst soccer balls and training gear, with her coach’s help; he insisting the team needed the gear. It helped that the suit easily folded up into a solar-powered locking backpack. Her suit and Kaz’s protective gear would both be hidden right inside the tunnel, where the team stored its practice gear. At the first sign of trouble, she would run for them.

  In the meantime, Rane needed to focus on the game. She was here to play soccer and help bring her team to victory. If she worried too much about ISEX attack and not the game,
it would feel like ISEX had won, regardless. She also knew that there was a good chance ISEX would not attack. The intel her father and Devon uncovered could all be a ruse, a ruse used to throw her off her game.

  The office was a typical sparse, practical, back-of-the-house sports office, except for the décor, much more ornate than she was used to in American stadiums. But there was room for her to stretch and relax a bit before the big game. She found a quiet place to meditate. Kaz curled up in front of her, always on alert for her protection. Rane focused on reviewing the game strategy, going through the opponent’s team members in her mind, reviewing their strengths and weaknesses. She remembered her father’s advice, to simply play her game. If she did her best the outcome did not matter. It was simply about playing to the best of her abilities, helping her team do their best, and enjoying the sport for what it was. A slight smile came across her lips as she thought about how much she enjoyed the sport, the pure joy of sprinting down the field, moving the ball away from the opposing players, scoring. She loved getting completely absorbed in it, and the mental and physical challenges that were part of the game.

  She jumped up, ready now, and eager to rally her team.

  The coach, Gordon Sheffield, affectionately referred to as Gordo, gave her a brief hug as she came in. Gordo, a former soccer pro, was a big man for a soccer player. The truth was that he came from a long line of rugby players, but he loved soccer, or football, as it was called in his native England. He was also extremely quick and agile for a man of his size. He was a tough disciplinarian, but at the same time, warm and caring, with a big jolly laugh. He knew how to help his players keep the game in perspective, but at the same time draw out their best talents.

  “How are you doing? Ready to have some fun?” Gordo asked.

  Rane smiled eagerly, “Absolutely!”

  Gordo said to the team, “You guys remember we play this game to win, but if you’re not enjoying playing, it’s time to get off the field. You have had a tremendous run just getting here, defeating all the odds and the naysayers. This was only possible because you played as a great team. So, go out and play your game and show them who’s the best.”

  They cheered together and headed out through the tunnel, each with their earbuds set on the encrypted team channel for their communication. Rane tuned to her music channel to help her focus and keep out the noise from the stadium. She also glanced to the side to make sure the box with her gear was still in place.

  Karo appeared by her side, picking up Kaz as they moved through the tunnel, a hand firmly on her back for support. As they entered the stadium, there was no drowning out the roar from the crowd. Both cheers and boos were deafening. A few scuffles broke out but were quickly squelched in the audience. Rane could not help but wonder how simply playing the sport she loved to the best of her ability, could have such an impact on the world.

  She gave Kaz a good rub for support to let him know everything was okay. He gave her his typical devoted look. Then she turned her focus to the field, leaving all the outside noise and visuals as a background blur. She was eager to be on the field, executing plays.

  Keece, Pele, their children, and the rest of the group were in their centerfield box seats. Pele had hired extra security for them, under the guise that the crowd could get rough with so much anti-women player sentiment. Pele’s plan was to head down to the tunnel area with Devon, Drew, and Pace at the end of the third period. Pele had gotten permission to do this, successfully convincing security that they needed to be close to Rane in case she needed protection at the end of the game.

  Pele had been able to get Luca’s help in confiscating an ISEX commander’s phone. Sanji had sent the fake message that was intercepted by military. Pele knew the fake message had worked for warning the US Military when his commander came to warn him about the potential plan. Unfortunately, Pele was not convinced the military was taking the warning as seriously as he thought they should, but at least they were investigating. However, prior to leaving for the game, Pele had still not heard if they were taking any kind of action. Either the military was keeping their response very secret, or they had not yet formed a strong response. Disconcerting either way.

  Chapter 17

  Rane’s team, the Dogs, faced Tunisia in the finals. Tunisia had a surprise victory over Argentina in the semi-finals. They were explosive but unpredictable. A favorite for Rane because they presented more of an initial challenge but were usually more easily defeated if the momentum swung out of their favor.

  The teams entered the field following the typical protocols, filing in behind their respective country’s flag. Then the announcer started down the line with introductions. Rane’s caused the usual animated ruckus, with both fans for and against her trying to drown each other out, nothing she wasn’t familiar with by now, but they seemed especially eager today. She waved gracefully, proud to be part of this team, and a woman, doing her best to stay focused on making sure she and her team played well. The players went down the line shaking each other’s hands. As Tunisia’s best defender got to her, he winked and whispered with a cheeky grin in broken English, “I’ll be coming for you, madam.”

  She raised her eyebrows and smirked as if to say, “I hope you do.” She did hope he came for her. She had paid special attention to his playing style. He was good, but he had two attributes she relished in an opponent; his moves were fairly predictable, and he got frustrated easily. She looked forward to meeting him on the field.

  The game started and Tunisia immediately got a breakaway. The Dogs’ left defender tripped and missed his slide tackle and the Tunisian advanced unchallenged. The Dogs’ next defender was too far behind to catch up. The Tunisian made a rapid shot on goal, aimed for the far-right corner. The Dogs’ goalie stretched out for it in a flying leap, the tips of his fingers just barely tipping it out. But as the ball ricocheted out, one of the Dogs’ other defenders, rushing to the play to help backup the goalie, ran by. The ball clipped his heal and slipped into the goal. The Tunisian’s had scored by pure luck.

  The Dogs regrouped at half time. They knew they had to clamp down hard on defense to keep the Tunisians from gaining momentum. As the second half progressed the game went back and forth, both teams parlaying, but no one getting enough of a breakaway to score.

  Rane checked in with Gordo via her headset when there was a pause in the action.

  “Too conservative,” she said to him.

  Gordo nodded.

  “We’ve got to change the pace of the game. I think they’re lulled into the rhythm. We can’t take a chance on them getting a breakaway and gaining momentum. The bullet play?”

  Gordo shook his head in agreement, “I think so. Better take the risk now. We’ll still have time to recover if needed.”

  As Rane headed back down the field, Gordo shouted at her with a grin, “Spice it up baby. It’s time for some fun.”

  She glanced over her shoulder with a smile and a wink as she trotted into position.

  The team rarely used their bullet play. Its effectiveness was primarily due to the surprise effect. Most teams moved the ball down one sideline or the other because it was easier to defend, but this play went straight down the middle at lightning speed. It was risky and worked only if the lead player was quick and agile, Rane’s specialties.

  Rane got the ball near the opponents’ twenty-yard line and signaled the play. Two of her team members immediately flanked her as she shot up the middle. As one opponent came in for the slide tackle on the right, she shot the ball to the player on her left. She leaped over the slide tackle and continued. Her player immediately shot the ball back to her. They were over the midfield line at this point and two more opposing players were coming in for slide tackles, one on each side. She shot the ball back to the player on the left, who immediately shot it to the one on her right. She jumped the first tackle, took off for the second. As she left the ground, the tackler kicked his foot up and caught the tip of her toe. She lurched forward, stumbled, strugglin
g to maintain her balance. She half-heard Kaz barking crazily on the sidelines, but no whistle was blown. She landed hard on her right foot, wavered, but managed to pull herself up enough to regain her balance. The crowd cheered loudly as she bolted forward to intercept the pass from the player on her right. Now in the clear, she faked the goalie out, knowing he was most likely to dive right; she shot the goal left. It sailed high, looking for a moment like it would clear the top bar, but then skimmed under it at the last second for a goal. The audience was on their feet. It was an incredible play. No one could deny the skill and agility she demonstrated with that goal.

  The game was now tied. Rane knew they needed to get another shot on goal to throw Tunisia off their game. She signaled her best midfielder, “double-blind.” He gave her an almost imperceptible nod without looking her way. As the ball came in play, he charged the opposing player as if to steal the ball, this was really a decoy so that the player would not see Rane coming in for the real steal. She snagged the ball and charged downfield, her team’s other forward running in unison with her. Right before the goal, one of Tunisia’s defenders charged her. She got the pass off to her teammate, but she couldn’t get out of the way before the defender slammed an elbow into her back ribs. She heard Kaz again, barking wildly, as she sank to the ground, looking to the nearest ref for the call. Her eyes met his, no call. Her teammate got the shot off on goal, but it hit the top bar and took an unlucky bounce out. As she collapsed, gasping for breath, she heard the second ref’s whistle, amid loud booing from the crowd.