CodeY

by Lamar Rutherford

  Drew laughed, “It seemed like you needed a challenge!”

  Pele rolled his eyes and they all laughed.

  Seeing Devon sulking in the background, Drew asked him, “Devon, how are you doing? Burrowed your way into ISEX’s communication den yet?”

  Devon stood taller with the attention. “Working on it,” he responded somewhat despondently. He looked much healthier and stronger now that he was fully recovered from his near-death overdose and was no longer using any drugs, but he still had a propensity to be moody. Drew had been a good stabilizing presence in Devon’s life, especially after the death of his father, Radi.

  Drew, always the instructor, “Well, I know all of you are upset about what happened to me, and to the girls, none as much as I am, but remember how we channel that energy. Don’t waste it on getting mad, use it to figure out a way to beat your opponent. In this case, we need help beating ISEX. We’ve got a lot of work to do to outmaneuver them.”

  He glanced at Pele for confirmation before continuing. Pele gave him a slight nod. “We got permission from the military to put together a secret strike team to try to diffuse ISEX before they execute their next phase.”

  He paused, letting the news sink in before continuing. He had everyone’s attention. “You’ve all been selected because I’ve seen how well you work together and execute as a team. We’re going to be our own covert operative team.”

  Pele had gone to his commanders who were plotting a large-scale takeover attack against ISEX on the Arab Peninsula. Pele suggested that before they brought about all that potential death and destruction, what the Modern Block really needed was the vaccine to the virus in order to protect their people from it. He had suggested he could put together a team of top “agents” to go in first and extract some of the vaccine, before the large-scale attack. When the General asked about his team, Pele insisted that their identities had to be kept secret for their protection, but that the General could verify their skill by reviewing their Navy Seal simulation results. The General had reviewed the impressive results, verified with Drew that they were accurate, and then approved the mission, referred to as VEP, for vaccine extraction plan.

  Drew continued to the children, “But you must remember to keep this confidential. No talking about our plans to anyone, including your close friends. Understood?” There were nods of agreement and a rustling of excitement. Jadyn and Jaya quietly high-fived, Pace nudged Kala, and the others exchanged eager glances.

  “Does this mean we’ll have to have cool undercover names?” asked Zander excitedly.

  Pele and Drew exchanged looks, smirking slightly.

  Pele shrugged, “He’s got a point. We do need to keep their identities secret.”

  Drew nodded in agreement, “We could always go by numbers.”

  Sanji asked eagerly, “Do I get to be 007?”

  “And I can be Agent 99!” exclaimed Kala.

  Then Zander, “Do we count down by age? Or alphabetically? Agent 010 sounds a lot better than Agent 004.”

  Pele interrupted before they all started bidding for numbers, “I think code names might be a lot easier to remember.”

  Zander again, “Yah, well I guess that rules out “Rainmaker” for Rane. Only the whole world knows that one!” Everyone laughed in agreement.

  Kala piped up, “How about ‘Striker’ for Rane? Seems like that’s a fit.” She was referring, of course, to Rane’s best skill on the soccer field.

  Pace confirmed proudly, “Can’t argue with that.”

  Zander chimed in again, “Devon should obviously be Killer.”

  A hush settled over the room as everyone waited to see how Devon would react to Zander’s rather off-color comment. There was a collective sigh of relief when Devon smiled and replied, “That’s right. And you better stay out of my way or I might broaden the meaning to include you!” He playfully took a swipe at Zander, who hastily ducked out of reach.

  Rane tried to move on quickly, “We already call Pace ‘Pilot’ and Kala ‘Speed Racer’ or really just ‘Racer.’”

  Kala added, “Yes and Calice is ‘Fin’ and Jaya ‘Peanut.’”

  Sanji then commented to his sister, “‘Red Cross’ seems like an appropriate one for you, Shanta. Maybe ‘Cross’ for short.”

  Shanta smiled warmly, then added back to him, “And ‘Linguist,’ or how about just ‘Lingo’ for you.”

  “Lingo,” repeated Devon nodding his head, “That’s definitely appropriate. How about you, Zander? ‘Guns?’” he asked with a tinge of mockery, really referring to Zander’s love of weapons, but also amused by the fact that Zander’s bicep “guns” were still on the underdeveloped side.

  Zander gave him a big grin and then showed off to Kala as he flexed under her nose. “What do you think? I might have to work on these a little to fully earn the title.” He was always trying to catch her attention, but she paid him little heed.

  She rolled her eyes now and responded sarcastically, “I think you've got your work cut out for you.”

  Everyone giggled.

  “Great,” said Pele, who had been jotting the names down in his phone while they talked. “We’ve got everyone except Jadyn.”

  Zander jumped in, “We always called him Little Devil growing up. Seems like that still fits.” You could tell by Jadyn’s impish grin, that he knew he had earned that title.

  Everyone laughed again, and there was a sense that they were genuinely pleased with themselves for coming up with their undercover identities.

  Pele interrupted their thoughts, wanting to make sure, before they got too excited, that they understood the gravity of the assignment, “Remember, this is not some virtual reality game or Navy Seal simulation, this is real life, with real dangers. We will all have to be very careful and work closely as a team. Are all of you sure you’re ready for this? You have a choice. You don't have to do this.”

  He looked around the room, making sure they were all fully on board. He still had reservations about putting any of them in harm’s way, but he also knew how talented and effective they could be as a team. The stakes were too high not to take a chance. They would all suffer much greater dangers, or risk of life under Sharia rule if ISEX succeeded.

  Flexing as he said it, “Guns is definitely in,” replied Zander.

  Sanji “Lingo too”

  Pace added with a salute, “Pilot reporting for duty.”

  Rane, “Striker’s in.”

  Devon, “As is Killer.”

  Jadyn, “The Devil is in.”

  Jaya, “Peanut too.”

  Kala, “Racer’s ready.”

  Shanta, “Cross too.”

  And last, but not least, Calice stepped forward and saluted, “Fin is in!”

  She said it with such emphasis and strength, no one could help but smile.

  Pele exchanged glances with Drew and Keece, “Okay, I guess we have our team. We’ll have to figure out what to call our Top Ops team, but I’m sure the government will have some ideas on that.”

  Chapter 29

  The training room was buzzing with activity the next day, as all of them dug into their assignments. The room, airy and bright, with a large garage door that opened onto the workout field and track was half-covered in mats and various workout gear, the other half more like an open living room with a communal couch and comfy chairs. Today most of them were huddled in this lounge area, computers and screens everywhere, filled with maps and data. Shanta was researching possible viruses, related supplies that might have been ordered recently, and which scientists might be involved. Zander was studying their weapons, supplies, soldiers, drones, training, everything he could find on their military resources. Devon was focused on communications and attempting to hack further into their systems undetected. The others were searching maps and movements, looking for strategic clues. Sanji bounced between all the groups, translating whenever needed.

  Rane, sitting with Pele and Keece, was discussing their findings to date and strategizing a plan.
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  “Did the military give the final stamp of approval for the team and mission?” asked Rane.

  Pele nodded, “Yes, we are officially sanctioned for mission VEP, the vaccine extraction plan from ISEX.”

  Kala listening nearby asked, “Did they come up with a name for our team?”

  Pele smirked, “I’m afraid they weren’t too creative on that. Our team is referred to as Top Ops or T.O.P.O. for short.”

  Zander, listening in, exclaimed, “Topo?! Doesn't’ that mean ‘mole’ in Spanish?”

  Sanji, looking perplexed and amused at the same time, confirmed, “It sure does.”

  Zander, laughing now, replied sarcastically, “Oh, that’s awesome. The Moles. Now there’s a sexy name for ya. Somehow that doesn’t have the same cache as MI6 or CIA.”

  Pele laughed and added, “Well in some ways it is appropriate. You are doing an underground or undercover mission.”

  “Oh Geez!” exclaimed Zander, “You could still come up with something cooler than mole!

  “What about Hawk or Lioness. They go out and scout their prey.”

  Everyone was cracking up at this point. Pace piped in, “Top Ops sounds pretty cool.”

  Kala added, “I think TOPO’s kinda cute.”

  “Me too!” chimed in Calice. “I like moles.”

  Sanji jokingly jumped on the bandwagon. “Yah Zander, what do you have against moles?”

  Zander made a sound of disgust, rolled his eyes, and turned away, shaking his head.

  Pele clearly amused, “Well, I’m not sure we have a choice, but I guess TOPO it is.”

  Keece asked, bringing the conversation back to the strategy discussion, “When do we start?”

  Pele, more serious now, “The General and his team have given us six months.”

  “Oh God!” cried Pace, not known for his patience. “I hope we don’t have to wait that long!”

  Pele shook his head, “Oh, there is no way we’re waiting that long. I’m too concerned the damage might be done by then.”

  “We just need to find a good way in. How can we get the team in undercover?” asked Keece.

  They continued to brainstorm ideas and evaluate the information they were getting from ISEX. From the pieces they had collected, it looked like ISEX was targeting Africa first. They would spread out through the continent, moving from East to West. Pele and the others knew ISEX’s plan involved a virus. Their best guess was that ISEX would infect the population with a rapidly spreading virus and then offer the vaccine only to those willing to swear allegiance to their belief system and Sharia law. It was a horrible prospect, but if the team could get in, destroy the virus and get access to the vaccine, ISEX would likely be thwarted, and then backup US forces could come in and take back the Arabian Peninsula.

  Pele’s phone buzzed, interrupting the conversation. “It’s Luca,” he said to Keece. “I’d better take this.”

  Keece looked puzzled, “Why is Luca calling you?” Luca had always been closest with Keece. They had dated years ago and remained good friends. Luca was an especially good friend to Keece when she thought Pele had left her for another woman.

  Pele answered and told Luca, “One second,” then responded to Keece, “I asked Luca to help us with some intelligence before we went to Rane’s Championship match. Now he wants to know if I think it’s safe to go to Dubai’s Polo Gold Cup tournament. Can you believe that? These Arabs are so crazy about their polo, even ISEX doesn't dare cancel the tournament. I guess they realize how important it is to keep the Royalty happy. Anyhow, I’ll be right back.” Pele stepped outside to take the call.

  Pace looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. “That’s it!” he proclaimed. “We’ll go in as part of the polo team.” There was a stunned silence as he jumped up and rushed out of the room to interrupt Pele.

  They watched as Pace stopped Pele and briefly explained his idea. Pele nodded enthusiastically and then told Luca he would call him back, presumably on a more secure connection.

  Pele looked at Keece as he came back in.

  “What do you think? Seems like it could work,” he commented.

  Keece nodded and responded a little cautiously, “I think so.”

  Pele found Devon and was soon connected with Luca on a more secure connection. Pele outlined the VEP mission for the TOPO team. Luca, of course, was on board. He knew all too well the threat of ISEX. He had moved back to his home in Argentina many years ago to protect his family, especially his sisters, for that very reason.

  Never too confident in the secure connection, they decided it was best to discuss details of the plan person to person. There was a medical conference the following week in Buenos Aires, a good excuse for Pele and Keece to go down and take the children. Luca would meet them in town for a few days and then they would all visit his ranch for a family vacation, where the plan details would be sorted.

  Chapter 30

  The planes were loaded and ready for takeoff. Argentina’s top polo team, La Dolfina, their forty horses, and support staff were onboard the two chartered horse transport 727s headed to Dubai for the Polo Gold Championship. Ten horses for each of the four players. The players needed one to two horses for each of the six chukkers they would play in the tournament. Luca, Keece’s former coach and beau from years ago, was team captain, and one of the star pros on the team.

  With the care needed for so many horses and the pros, it was easy to slip all the children in as grooms, horse exercisers, or other roles to help out the team. Pace was a good enough player to be slotted in as the team’s backup player, in case one of the other members got hurt during a match. Sanji helped groom but also acted as translator. Rane and Kala were grooms and pony exercisers. Rane, at risk of being too recognizable, kept a hat and sunglasses on almost constantly and changed her hair color with a fake black ponytail. Calice, too youthful to pass as a groom, posed as the cook’s daughter. The cook, thrilled to have the extra help, was more than happy to keep her secret. Jaya, also too small to be a likely groom was simply a stowaway, easily slipping into hiding places as needed. Jadyn, also grooming, acted as her lookout. Shanta was assistant to the team’s head doctor. Pele and Keece, also at risk for being recognized, manned communications offshore, this time in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. Drew, still healing, stayed back home as military liaison.

  Devon was responsible for managing the staff and finances, which allowed him to be in front of a computer most of the time where he could surreptitiously continue tracking ISEX communications. He did get out frequently enough so that he could check on the staff, making sure the work was done properly. Several times he found the “groom” Zander slacking off.

  One night, while they were still in Argentina, Devon was doing his rounds, he caught Zander, headphones in, belting out a tune, using his pitchfork as a dance partner. Fortunately, the horse in the stall kept contentedly munching its hay during the performance.

  “Guns,” Devon tried to interrupt. They were going by their team nicknames to hide their true identities.

  “Guns!” this time much louder. Still no response. Zander was completely oblivious to Devon’s presence, fully into his dance moves and music.

  Devon knocked Zander on the side of the head.

  “What!” Zander looked almost offended to be interrupted.

  Devon, “I don't care if you sing, dance, or stand on your head during the job, as long as you do it right and efficiently. But you should have been done an hour ago! And you’re doing a shit job!”

  Zander could not help himself, with a pitchfork poised to scoop up a pile of horse manure, he gave Devon a cheeky grin, “Literally a shit job,” he replied, emphasizing the manure as he said it. They both cracked up.

  Devon, shaking his head, said over his shoulder as he walked away, “Just get it done.”

  The next day, Zander was reassigned to security duty, much happier with a gun on his hip.

  As the planes touched down at Dubai International Airport, the tension for both t
he players and the children was palpable. ISEX had continued to strengthen their hold on the Arab peninsula through further military action. They operated mostly through force and intimidation to get the various governments to comply, with beheadings for those who did not fall in line broadcasted regularly, and public stonings for any woman who did not abide by their strict Sharia law. But, at the same time, they also seemed to be trying to win over the population, providing better access to food and water, and supporting local popular events, like the polo tournament and soccer games. Familiar techniques often used by brutal regimes to gain support from the local people, effectively luring them into passive compliance, so the commanders could have more control and leeway for executing their typically horrendous and unfair practices.