Friction

by Dwayne Gill

  “These men are dangerous,” said Natalie. “You’re better off not seeing one alive.”

  “I’ve heard,” said the doctor.

  “For Jesse, is there anything we could do to help him? To override whatever has brainwashed him?”

  Another sigh. “If it were me, I’d approach it the same way as an amnesiac. The memories are still there but are suppressed. From what Duncan told me, he’s not gaining new memories. Nothing has been downloaded into him, so to speak. So make him remember who he is.”

  “Show him photos of his family?”

  “Sure,” said Grayson. “Photos, videos, tell him stories, anything. It’s the only chance you have.”

  After a few more questions, Natalie ended the call and exhaled sharply.

  “Well?” asked Lynks.

  “We may have been able to help Jesse,” said Natalie as she relayed the conversation.

  “His explanation of amnesia makes sense, but it’s still just speculation,” said Lynks.

  “We’ll never know,” said Natalie.

  Natalie left the room and walked through the house, looking for everyone else. As she passed the study, she saw Jordyn standing in front of the panic room, her hand pressed to the door. Jordyn stirred when she heard Natalie walk inside, spinning around to see who’d entered.

  Seeing it was Natalie, she smiled. “He’s right there. Yet so far away.” Jordyn turned to the door again, crying softly.

  Natalie stepped close and wrapped her arms around Jordyn, allowing the poor woman to release her sorrow. Natalie’s heart broke for her; she could only imagine what Jordyn was going through.

  As Natalie listened to Jordyn’s gut-wrenching sobs, an idea struck her. She felt silly for not thinking of it before.

  “Jordyn, do you have any old photos and videos of Tom?”

  “I have a ton,” said Jordyn.

  Natalie smiled as she embraced her.

  Familiar Faces

  September 30, 2028

  1:00 p.m. EST

  Miami, Florida

  Vinson arrived at the house in Miami to check on Travis and Mary Swelling and was glad to see the lady was relatively unharmed. Travis could be overeager in these situations, especially since he harbored so much hatred for Cane.

  Swelling was still gagged as Travis watched television with his arms crossed, looking frustrated. Swelling’s eyes were large and wild, and she thrashed at her restraints when she saw Vinson. She was shouting something incoherent through the rag taped over her mouth.

  Vinson smiled at her. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk.” He waved for Travis to join him in another part of the house.

  The two sat at an old, wooden table in the kitchen that had seen better days. No one had lived in the house for almost three years, but they had kept the place in case they needed it. Vinson had to have the electricity turned back on yesterday, but there was still a stale, musty smell lingering.

  “She’s wild,” said Travis. “I’m gonna have to hurt her to make her cooperate.”

  Vinson patted his shoulder. “Let me have a crack at her. I can be more delicate.”

  “Be my guest,” said Travis. “How’d the rest of the meeting with the Russians go?”

  Vinson had spent most of the morning finalizing plans. “They’re on board, but what other choice do they have?” The Russians had already invested much into the grand scheme, and it would take something catastrophic for them to pull out. “Voronoff is staying in Miami for a while. Apparently, he enjoys the clubs.” Vinson thought the choice was stupid, considering they’d already destroyed one establishment.

  “What about Bowman?” asked Travis.

  “I have men watching him closely,” said Vinson. “He’s meeting with a high-ranking officer at Fort Bragg within the hour.”

  Vinson had yet to make a move on Bowman, for it was a risky gamble. He’d been hiding out for weeks, and they’d assumed he was in Chicago with Cane, Daniel, and the rest of their crew, but they’d recently found him digging around for information. Vinson didn’t know what he was after but hoped it was the third man of the trio they’d been looking for.

  “We knew they were in Chicago,” said Travis. “We should have been more prepared at the safe house.”

  Vinson should have known they’d go after Tom Boles, even though he didn’t know what strategic purpose it offered them. It made him wonder about Tom’s daughter, Jordyn, who’d escaped their execution, twice, years ago. He’d always suspected Marcene of intervening, but was the girl still alive?

  The man they’d been turning, Jesse Vercher, was also missing from the house, but the only thing they could do with him would be to turn him over to the police. It didn’t seem like their style, though. Vinson hoped he might get lucky and have Jesse kill them all in a moment of transformation. He’d been slowly relinquishing his identity, but what if they mistook him for an innocent man and let their guard down?

  After the last weeks’ failures, he found it hard to be optimistic. Cane, and even Daniel, had proved to be more resourceful than he gave them credit for, which was why he thought it prudent to change his approach.

  “We have men swarming Chicago,” said Vinson. “If any of them make a move there, I’ll know about it.” He’d filtered a ton of manpower to cover Chicago after their raid of the safe house, sick of being outmaneuvered.

  Vinson’s newest plan was to stress Cane and Daniel on multiple fronts, causing them to eventually make a bad decision. To accomplish that, he had to capture Bowman and needed Swelling’s cooperation.

  “Let’s go have a chat with Swelling,” said Vinson.

  Travis sat in the corner of the bedroom while Vinson marched over to where Swelling lay.

  “I’m an old friend of Cane’s,” said Vinson. “I know you’re probably wondering how you ended up in this predicament, and let me assure you, I don’t want to hurt you. I want Cane.”

  Swelling thrashed at her bonds and tried to yell, but Vinson held up a hand to silence her. “I will give you a chance to speak,” he said. “You’re gonna have to be civil, though. Can you do that?”

  She nodded, so Vinson leaned forward and ripped the tape from her mouth. It surprised him to see her calmly gather herself as she took a dozen deep breaths to gain her composure.

  “I know you have the means to reach Cane,” said Vinson. “Whether it be a direct line or through someone else. I’m gonna need you to contact him.”

  Vinson couldn’t help but admire Swelling’s steadfastness; even after spending hours restrained and in the presence of a man like Travis, she had a hardened look on her face. Vinson knew she’d need extra motivation.

  “I won’t do it,” said Swelling. “I don’t care what you do to me.”

  I doubt that, thought Vinson. She did not understand what he was capable of. He smiled at her then turned to Travis. “Hand me her phone.”

  Travis walked the cell over and handed it to Vinson, who scrolled through the device until he found what he was looking for. He held it up above Swelling so she could see. “Shauna Pool, age eight. Abducted 4/3/2026. Case solved by Mary Swelling.”

  Swelling looked at the photo with her lips shaking but said nothing.

  “Time to reopen the case,” said Vinson. “I’ll bet you won’t save her a second time.”

  *

  September 30, 2028

  2:30 p.m. EST

  Fort Bragg, North Carolina

  Bowman had been waiting thirty minutes for the colonel’s meeting to end, reminiscing on his younger days as a soldier. He’d been to Fort Bragg many times as an army ranger and had once sat in this very waiting room. The place had changed a lot since those days, and so had Bowman. He sometimes missed the times of less responsibility, as opposed to now, having such a burden weighing on him.

  His life had changed forever after meeting Marcene twenty-seven years ago. Her beautiful smile and crazy theories still haunted him all these years later. He had no idea at the time just how much was at stake when he’d ag
reed to help her, and now the fate of the country was possibly riding, at least partially, on his shoulders.

  Cane knew a lot but was still in the dark about much, and it had been better that way. Marcene had always insisted that he be kept ignorant until the time was right, and though it seemed absurd, he couldn’t imagine things playing out differently than they had. Not only had Cane been emotionally incapable of handling such a burden, but his potential reaction to being manipulated for so long wouldn’t have sat well with him, either. Currently, Cane thought the only tampering had been with his genes, but that wasn’t close to all of it.

  Marcene had big plans and spoke of fantastical conspiracies in those days, and Bowman still wondered what had made him believe her. Whatever the case, he’d plunged right in, and all these years later, he didn’t regret it.

  They’d nearly come full circle, for he was sure he’d find William’s whereabouts today. If the colonel, his old friend, didn’t know where he was, no one did.

  “Colonel Mathis will see you,” said the sergeant who came to fetch him. He was probably twenty-five but could’ve passed for eighteen. He saluted and Bowman followed the baby-faced soldier down a hallway until he reached the colonel’s office.

  Mathis was standing behind his desk, and after they exchanged salutes, Bowman sat in a chair in front of the colonel’s desk. The young sergeant left the room, shutting the door behind him.

  “Thanks for seeing me, sir,” said Bowman.

  Mathis looked around the room and back at Bowman. “It’s only us here, ain’t it? Cut the formalities. I haven’t seen you in years.”

  It had been too long. Bowman had great respect for this man and missed his friendship. “It has,” he said. “Where’d the time go?”

  Mathis laughed. “What are you up to these days? You had a hell of a time with the Red Delta program.”

  Bowman had trained the boys in the program from their births and had commanded the program until 2024, months before it was terminated. He’d stepped down when the higher-ups began targeting American civilians, though he’d still come under heat after it disbanded. Bowman was looked at suspiciously by the FBI but was still highly respected in military circles. Mathis had certainly followed his career, which ended with Red Delta’s closure.

  “Sitting on my ass,” said Bowman. The two laughed.

  “I find that hard to believe,” said Mathis.

  Bowman leaned forward. “You know why I’m here, don’t you?”

  Mathis looked at him and sighed. “I’m pretty sure I could make a good guess.”

  “What happened to William?”

  “We sent his squad to Tajikistan to extract two American diplomats,” said Mathis. “It all went to hell.”

  Bowman knew about the civil war there; the Islamic State had taken over the government back in March.

  “The HT killed one diplomat and badly wounded another,” said Mathis. “Things got tense real fast. William came across some innocent families being held in the caves. He went off-script, got the kids out, and killed a bunch of Russians in the process.”

  “There were Russians there?” asked Bowman. They were supposed to be neutral in the war, though many doubted it.

  “They’re still there,” said Mathis. “They don’t hide it now, since William’s shenanigans.”

  “The Russians have him,” said Bowman.

  “Yes,” said Mathis. “And there’s not a damn thing we can do about it without starting a war.”

  “How long has he been captured?” asked Bowman.

  “Almost five months,” said Mathis. “He was badly injured too. We don’t know if he’s still alive.”

  “You know he’s alive,” said Bowman.

  Mathis sighed loudly, knowing where this was headed. “I’ve tried, Dennis,” he said. “No one will green-light a rescue.”

  “So you know where he is,” said Bowman.

  “Of course I do,” said Mathis.

  “I know a man who can get him out,” said Bowman.

  Mathis’s eyes were hard. “The assassin? And how would you get him in there?”

  “All he needs is the address,” said Bowman. Mathis fidgeted at his desk, pondering the information. “You know how valuable he is.”

  “I do,” said Mathis. He paused again, thinking hard. “You know I can’t help you, right? I can’t even admit I gave you his location.”

  “I’ll manage,” said Bowman.

  “Please tell me you have more than one man going in,” said Mathis.

  “I have a few buddies, too,” said Bowman.

  Mathis sighed and fidgeted again. “Dammit, Bowman, you’re gonna be the cause of me starting a war. But if you send in a handful of men past their primes, you’re gonna fail, and we’ll still be in it up to our ears. This guy, your assassin, can he get the job done?”

  Bowman laughed. “Don’t act like you don’t know who he is. Red Delta, remember? He’s the best there is.”

  “I know a guy who’d be pissed as hell if he didn’t tag along,” said Mathis. “He can’t be there, officially, so he’d better make it out. But he’s the real deal.”

  Bowman wouldn’t turn down help of any kind, not with so much at stake. “We’ll get William out, Lucas.”

  “Damn you for introducing me to William,” said Mathis. “That man is everything you said he’d be and then some.”

  “I know,” said Bowman. “He’s more important now than ever.”

  Mathis grinned as he slid over a note to Bowman. “You still buying into the conspiracy theory nonsense?”

  “If you’ve seen what I have, you would think differently,” said Bowman. “What will happen to him, Mathis? Will he be brought up on charges?”

  Mathis looked down. “There was a ton of misinformation spread about him when all this went down. The Russians tried to spin it a certain way. There were reports he was AWOL, which were false. There are people that want to have a conversation with him. That’s about all I can tell you. I’ll do what I can to keep him out of serious trouble, but he broke the rules. My influence only reaches so far.”

  Bowman was afraid he’d say that, but he expected it.

  “We need him here, Dennis,” said Mathis. “Don’t be getting any funny ideas. That note, dedicate it to memory, because I’m discarding it. It’s his location.”

  Bowman stared at the note, soaking in every digit of the coordinates.

  “If you get caught, I’ll say I had nothing to do with it,” said Mathis.

  The same sergeant escorted Bowman out of the colonel’s office and led him to the front exit. Bowman wasted no time calling his buddies, Orlando and Wayne, giving them the necessary information to arrange transportation. Afterward, he called Cane to let him know the plans. “You and Daniel will meet me and Orlando in Chicago. There’ll be another coming. An army ranger. He and Wayne will join you at Eglin. We have one shot at this. Don’t screw it up.”

  “Where’s William?” asked Cane.

  “Turkmenistan,” said Bowman. “Wayne will have the precise location and find us a way in. I’ve got a lot of traveling to do.”

  Bowman walked back to his truck in the visitor’s parking area. He thought about William, hoping the soldier was faring well. Little did Cane know that William had been another prized pupil of his, though he’d never trained him. He’d helped get him into the Army Rangers years ago, despite his troubled past. Mathis had gone out on a limb for Bowman, taking him at his word that he wouldn’t regret giving the young soldier a chance. Bowman always knew the day would come when Marcene wanted to pull him out of the army and into the real battle, but she’d never foreseen having to break him out of a foreign POW camp.

  Bowman thought about all he’d kept from Cane, realizing that soon his friend would know the whole truth. Either Bowman would tell him, or he’d find out from William, and he preferred it being the former. He’d talk to Cane on the way to Turkmenistan.

  An army-issue SUV pulled up beside Bowman and skidded to a stop. The b
ack door opened, and a uniformed officer stepped out. “Captain Bowman, if we could have a word,” said the sergeant. No salute, no formality. Bowman smelled something off.

  “What’s this about, sergeant?” asked Bowman.

  “I need to ask you to get in the vehicle, sir,” said the officer.

  Bowman turned to run, but the officer was on him quickly, and before he could struggle, he felt weak and light-headed. He drugged me, he thought.

  He felt himself being loaded into the vehicle and knew he was in serious trouble.

  Sudden Departure

  September 30, 2028

  3:00 p.m. CST

  Chicago, Illinois

  Daniel was resting on the sofa when Cane arrived back at the mansion. “Let’s get everyone together,” said Cane. Daniel nodded and left the room.

  The group waited in the den as Cane stepped inside; even the three guards were present. Cane looked around then focused on Daniel. “Bowman found William’s location. We leave Chicago at midnight.”

  There was a mixture of emotion in the air, for this was good news to some and stressful to others. Daniel couldn’t have been more excited. Aside from their stakeout, he’d been confined to the house for weeks while recovering from his gunshot wound.

  “Where’s he at?” asked Daniel.

  “Turkmenistan,” said Cane.

  “Turk who?” asked Daniel.

  “It’s a country in the Middle East, south of Russia,” said Cane. “The Russians have him.”

  “How’d they get him?” asked Lynks. “Do they know who he is?”

  “No,” said Cane. “He’d be dead already.”

  “Let’s hope he’s wearing sleeves to cover his marking,” said Calvin.

  “How are we getting there?” asked Daniel. “I can’t exactly fly first-class.”

  “Orlando and Wayne are taking care of it all. We’ll meet them at Midway Armory tonight.”

  “How long will you be gone?” asked Kristy. The look on her face spoke volumes, but she wasn’t alone in her feelings. Everyone in the house would sweat their absence.