Friction

by Dwayne Gill

  Only Hart, Barkley, and Calvin seemed to know the purpose of the early gathering, and Daniel feared it wasn’t for a good cause. The faces in the room showed curiosity and bewilderment as they waited for an explanation.

  “Something big is happening,” said Hart. “Calvin found a livestream, and it’s about to come on screen. Hide the kids’ eyes.”

  That can’t be good, thought Daniel. With everyone accounted for, what could be happening that was so urgent?

  The word “livestream” should have clued him in, but it only took a moment to realize what was going on. As the television screen came to life, it displayed a masked man standing beside an aged, nice-looking woman bound to a chair. Daniel would have had no idea who she was had he not heard Layla murmur, “Marcene.”

  Instantly, Daniel knew the anonymous captor was either a lieutenant or Vinson himself. He was a large, muscular, imposing figure who looked comfortable with the circumstances. He held a large combat knife in his left hand but wasn’t moving, likely waiting for the right time to begin. The stillness of his stance, along with Marcene’s calm, added an extra creepy vibe to an already disturbing image, and the murmurs and gasps around the room mirrored the feeling the video exuded.

  “That’s Marcene, for those who don’t know,” said Bowman, rising from his chair, indignant. “The bastards have her.” He sat and put his head down, fuming.

  The room grew quiet as they waited for what was sure to be a live execution. The masked man snapped into character like someone off-camera had shouted action, and he walked back and forth while Marcene drooped her head.

  “You thought it would be that easy?” asked the man behind the mask, speaking to the audience. “You watched your loved ones be set free and thought everything was okay. What you didn’t know was that I traded their lives for hers,” he said as he pointed the knife at Marcene. “She’s the one I’ve always wanted.”

  The mystery was solved, concerning both everyone’s sudden release and the masked man’s identity. It was Vinson.

  “Now you’ll watch her die,” said Vinson. “This woman was your only hope of succeeding. The bitch who stole my father from me.”

  Without hesitation, Vinson sliced the combat knife’s serrated edge against Marcene’s throat and pulled. The knife vibrated as it dug deep into her flesh and blood spewed. Marcene’s eyes grew large, but there was something serene about her expression. She looked at the camera, and Daniel swore he saw compassion in her eyes, for she knew the people that mattered most to her were watching. Daniel couldn’t imagine how she could have died with any more dignity.

  Because of the force of the slash, Marcene bled out fast, breaking eye contact with the camera and dropping her head. Sobs could be heard around the room, including Layla’s, and Daniel pulled her close. There was an awkward silence as everyone waited to see what happened next, but Vinson wasn’t in any hurry. He faced Marcene, watching her in her last moments, while blood from the knife dripped on the floor.

  A full minute passed before Vinson turned back to the camera. He smiled through his mask and pointed his bloody knife at the screen. “The game’s over,” said Vinson. “Marcene is gone, and without her, you have no chance. My plan is in place, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You have your friends, alive and well. It will stay that way unless you continue to cross me. If you don’t back off, I will find them again and kill them in front of the three you. And next time you won’t have a bargaining chip like Marcene. You don’t want to piss me off. Stay. Out. Of. My. Way,” he said as the footage faded into static.

  The abrupt ending left everyone speechless for a moment. The display had been quick but effective, and Daniel could guess its purpose. Vinson wanted them to feel alone and powerless now that Marcene was out of the picture.

  Layla had stopped crying and just stared ahead, and Daniel saw the others in the room dealing with the situation in their own way. Of the ones who were most intimate with Marcene or had experienced her, Cane appeared the least affected, which wasn’t a huge surprise. Kristy seemed more bothered, in fact. Bowman looked physically wounded and drained, like what he’d just seen had hurt him more than the physical torture he’d endured. He kept shaking his head back and forth, almost as if he were in denial. William was grieving in his own way, through his expression, but had otherwise maintained his composure. April was upset, too, but was preoccupied with keeping Mercy entertained. The gravity of their loss seemed to hover over the room like a cloud, but it couldn’t last. Cane retrieved his phone from his jacket pocket and held it out.

  “He’s calling,” said Cane.

  “Vinson?” asked William.

  Cane nodded. “He’s been trying to call me since yesterday.”

  William walked toward Cane. “Let me talk to him.”

  Cane extended the device, and William took it. “I have nothing to say to him,” said Cane. “He’s just trying to gloat or to get us angry enough to do something stupid.”

  Daniel watched William stare at the phone for a moment, and the ranger’s demeanor seemed to change. His grieving face turned into an expression that reflected determination, authority, and anger. He answered the phone and let Vinson talk.

  “Well, I figured you’d answer this time,” said Vinson. “I trust you saw the show?”

  William looked around at all the long faces, but his expression never changed. “This is Sergeant William Garrett.”

  Vinson got quiet, but only for a moment. “The third man. Finally. I don’t know you well, William, but I’m sure that’ll change real soon.”

  William said nothing, which prompted Vinson to continue. “Look, you all gave it your best shot. You’ve been formidable opponents. But let me tell you what happens now…”

  Vinson’s voice was suddenly gone. Daniel thought William had hung up on him but realized he’d only taken Vinson off the speaker. All Daniel could hear was muffled words in the distance while William took Cane’s earpiece and mic and attached them. Afterward, William talked, interrupting Vinson in the middle of his rant.

  “I’ll tell you what happens next,” said William. “You don’t know me. I’ve been hiding from you and your men all my life. While you and your lieutenants have been preparing your grand plot, I’ve spent my life being trained to stop you. Let’s not pretend that your worst nightmare hasn’t just come true for you, for now you have all three of us to deal with.”

  Though, admittedly, Daniel hadn’t known the man long, he’d noticed the abrupt difference in William’s tone. His voice was loud and carried authority, though not a word sounded panicked or forced. There was no bravado present in what he said, only cold, hard truth, and Daniel smiled as he listened.

  “You’ll never find us distracted again, either. It must have been real fun for you all, being able to play while the big boys were away. You’ll have our full attention from this moment forward.”

  Daniel wondered just how pissed Vinson was on the other side of that line. He’d be willing to bet Vinson had pictured this call going in a very different direction.

  “You think by killing Marcene you’ve put us away?” said William. “You haven’t. In fact, you’ve bonded together three of the most dangerous men on the planet. You’re right. No more games. It’s real simple. You have a plan. We are coming to stop you. If you think you’re gonna roll through the United States with ease, without resistance, let me assure you you’re gonna have to come through us. And if you don’t think that’s a tall task, look at what you’ve lost to get to this point.”

  William paused, and Daniel strained to hear Vinson, but the man was silent. “You’re about to lose a lot more,” said William. “Don’t bother trying to find us again, because you won’t have to. We’re coming for you.”

  With that, William disconnected the call and dropped the phone to the floor. “Did he just mic drop?” asked Daniel. I friggin’ love this guy.

  Daniel noticed Cane’s smile before anyone else’s, but the entire room’s climate changed immediatel
y with William’s passionate speech. It was like in one moment everyone went from defeated to invigorated.

  William wasn’t done. He looked over the crowd and shook his head. “Marcene was many things: crazy to some, passionate to a fault, and reckless sometimes. She took risks with all our lives. But she was right about certain things. She saw the danger Vinson and his lieutenants presented long before any of us had any clue, but no one listened. Here we are, though, gathered in a room, speculating about how they’re planning to bring down our country. She was right. No matter what you may think of her or her methods, she brought us here, and we have a chance to take those bastards out before they destroy everything.

  “I’m not stopping them in the name of Marcene, and I don’t care about finishing what she started. We’re gonna stop them because we can. Not because we were born to do it, but because they screwed with the people we cared about.”

  William looked directly between Cane and Daniel. “Yes, we were made monsters, and we had no say in the matter. And through our own lives and experiences, we overcame the shortcomings embedded in our genes and defied the odds. Cane, you weren’t supposed to feel. Daniel, you were supposed to be a raging maniac. But you’re both more.

  “But who cares? They designed us how we were for a reason, and the only thing that’s changed is that now we have our own motives to kick their asses. So pick yourselves up and get dusted off. If Vinson wants monsters, let’s give him monsters.”

  The room got quiet again, and Daniel couldn’t help himself. He started applause that quickly spread to every corner of the room. Some of William’s ranger buddies whooped with delight, though most probably still weren’t aware of what they were signing up for.

  When the noise died down, William continued to stand front and center. “Now, there are lots of questions and things we need to address, especially between me, Cane, and Daniel. What we’re here to do right now, though, is to get everyone on the same page. There are many of you who didn’t ask for the conflict you now find yourself in the middle of, and we’re not here to force anyone into duty they don’t feel compelled to perform. I’m giving you a chance to excuse yourselves now, and that’ll be the only offer you get. The enemy we face is more formidable than any you’ve seen, and by staying, you are not only surrendering your safety, but you may also be subject to the scrutiny of the law. We’re not sure what the status is of our group; for all I know, our own government could hunt us. The choice is yours. You won’t be judged or ridiculed. The only thing we ask is that you keep your mouth shut. If you expose us or our location, to anyone, you’ll be considered a hostile like the rest.”

  “What about our families?” asked a voice from the crowd. It was one of William’s fellow rangers.

  “Good question,” said William. “As you can see, space here is limited. This place is temporary for some, or most, so I can promise you we’ll have the living arrangements sorted soon.”

  “As soon as we know more about our legal situations, we’ll be able to tell you more,” said Colonel Mathis. “For every ranger that helped me last night, you will not face the same consequences as I do. I will see to that, no matter what they do to me.”

  “Until then, hold tight here,” said William. “We can’t have a lot of traffic coming and going.”

  William looked around the room, asked if there were more questions, and fielded a few about the overall threat. He answered vaguely, for it was something to be discussed with a smaller group.

  Daniel was admittedly nervous seeing all these strangers in the room, even though most were rangers, a trusted group. The thought it would take only one bad egg to put everyone in danger was unsettling and a sizable risk.

  William asked the inner group to meet in a more private area of the house, the library. Daniel cringed at the sight of the panic room door and wondered if it bothered the ones who’d just been imprisoned in the last one. Either the joy of their reunion had overpowered their dread, or they disguised it well, for no one paid much attention to it as they filed in. Daniel stood behind Layla as she sat, not willing to let her out of his sight.

  William and Mathis stood at the head of the table while everyone else found a seat around it. Daniel couldn’t help but be reminded of how much smaller this group could’ve been had things gone differently.

  “What will we do about the little ones?” asked William, looking at Barkley. Swelling, Tina, and Shauna were elsewhere, oblivious to the conversation.

  “We’ll return them to their families,” said Barkley. “It’s just too risky at the moment.”

  “As long as they’re safe,” said William, smiling.

  “Let’s discuss the wounded,” said Mathis.

  “We’ll set up a temporary triage area,” said William. “If anyone reaches the point where better care is necessary, we’ll get them the help they need.”

  “Director Plumber, can you give us a word on what we’ll do moving forward?” asked Mathis.

  The director rose slowly from his seat, exhausted and sore. “I’ll make calls in the morning,” he said. “At this point I’m certain the attorney general is involved with Vinson, and of course, Senator Simon. Before I expose us to possible detainment, I’ll try to get a bead on the atmosphere in Washington. We can only hope not everyone is corrupt.”

  “Someone in your group is a plant,” said Cane, his voice coming out of nowhere. Plumber raised an eyebrow. “Vinson knew you were coming in Maryland, didn’t he?”

  Plumber nodded and looked at Hart, and the two seemed to register what Cane was getting at. “What makes you think it was one of our own agents?” asked Plumber. “All but two gave their life.”

  “I’d be curious to know more about the lucky two,” said Cane. “Especially the one who’s been distracted since he’s been here.”

  Daniel hadn’t noticed the agent in question, but then again, Cane was the one who’d spot behavior like that, if anyone did. Plumber and Hart maintained eye contact, maybe trying to play back the night to see if they missed something. “Bring them in,” said Plumber.

  A few minutes later, Hart escorted the two FBI men into the library, and Daniel already knew which one was the suspect, if his fidgeting was any sign. After verifying neither had markings, Cane pointed to the one Daniel thought he would, and Plumber waved him forward. “Agent Gibson, is there anything you’d like to share with us?” asked Plumber.

  The agent was sweating and looking around, likely trying to determine how much everyone knew. Cane stepped forward. “His way,” said Cane, pointing to Plumber, “is the easy way. If you don’t tell us, we do things my way.”

  Gibson looked ready to vomit. His legs were shaking, and Daniel hoped the man would just ‘fess up, for his guilt couldn’t be any plainer. “They have my family,” said the agent. “They’ve had them since yesterday. I had no choice.” He sounded like he was about to cry, and Daniel noticed he still had a death grip on his cell.

  “He’s been on his phone all day,” said Cane. “Let’s see who he’s been calling or texting.”

  Gibson desperately extended the device out to Cane. “Check,” he said. “I’ve only been trying to reach my family.”

  Cane took the phone and scrolled through. “You told the marked men we were coming?” Hart asked Gibson.

  Gibson’s head dropped as he nodded. Daniel felt a little sympathy for the man, but he’d nearly gotten a lot of people killed. He was curious how Hart and Plumber would handle this betrayal. Cane tossed the phone back to Gibson, who was still too shaken to catch it, and the device tumbled to the floor. Gibson left it where it lay.

  “I’ve known you for years,” said Hart. “I trusted you, even handpicked you for the mission. I don’t—”

  Daniel jumped a little when he saw Cane lunge at Gibson, who had turned his back to him. Daniel hadn’t seen Cane extract a knife, but there it was, slicing the agent’s throat wide open. The entire display happened too quickly for anyone to react to it, and Gibson fell to the floor in an already
substantial pool of blood.

  The room was understandably shocked and shaken, though everyone there had seen their share of violence in the past month. Hart’s mouth was wide open as he looked down at his slain friend, and Plumber looked ready to dart over to do something. Layla gasped and turned her head away, which reminded Daniel of her past aversion to violence, and he squeezed her shoulder.

  “What the hell?” asked Hart. “That man—”

  “Almost got you and maybe everyone else killed,” said Cane. Daniel thought he looked angrier than he’d ever seen his assassin friend. “I’m a monster. Blame it on Marcene,” he said. “How long until he told them our location in exchange for the lives of his family?”

  “He’s right,” said William, though Hart didn’t seem to be appeased. “We have too much at risk.”

  “Either someone checks every ranger here for markings, or I will,” said Cane. He paced for a moment then faced the crowd. “Protecting your own is no excuse to risk the lives of everyone. Some here may disagree, but I have nothing for these people. If anyone, and I mean anyone, endangers the ones I care about, I will end them. It’s very simple.” When he saw Hart’s stubborn expression, he looked right at him. “If my methods don’t suit you, or anyone, there’s the door. I am Cane. I was born a monster, and that’s who you’ll have to be okay with.”

  Daniel watched for Layla’s reaction and hoped she wouldn’t march out of the room, which would be awkward considering Daniel was on Cane’s side of this argument. However, not only was she staying put, she was staring ahead and nodding.