“We certainly are,” said Jericho.
“This technology is incredible,” added Julie.
Josh shrugged. “Only the best for my team. You’ll have plenty of time to figure out how to use it in the air. Your flight leaves in…” he paused momentarily to check his watch, “…four minutes.” On cue, a transport vehicle arrived on the road alongside them. “Jump in. Everything you need is on the plane.”
“Jesus… we ain’t hangin’ around, are we?” observed Collins.
Josh shook his head. “Time is of the essence. Good luck, boys and girls.”
The three of them climbed aboard, and the driver set off. Ten minutes later, they were in the air, en route to Prague.
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
April 22nd, 2017
Jericho Stone, Julie Fisher, and Ray Collins sat in their anonymous, black sedan, parked by the side of the road in Wenceslas Square, facing the museum. The sun was rising, casting a picturesque glow over the skyline from behind the spattering of gray cloud.
They had landed a couple of hours earlier. Their body clocks hadn’t fully adjusted to the massive time difference, so they made the journey from the airfield where they landed stretch to three hours, stopping for some food along the way.
They had all managed to get some rest on the flight over, and Jericho was feeling more like his old self. The seemingly endless uncertainty and paranoia had made way for more familiar feelings — purpose, self-belief, and a sense of duty.
He looked around, watching the people go about their lives. Already the streets were filling up. Prague was closer than most to the atrocity that was 4/17, with their northern neighbors, Poland, absorbing a sizeable percentage of the overall damage caused. Jericho was reminded of the atmosphere in New York, in the days that followed 9/11. People were carrying on as normal, but slower, and quieter, which he put down to a show of respect more than fear.
It’s like when you tried to sleep as a child after your mean older brother told you the monsters you thought were under your bed were, in fact, real… nighttime was never quite the same — never as easy.
Behind him, Collins was sitting in the middle of the rear seat, resting his head back and staring at the roof as he smoked a cigarette. He blew out a thin stream of smoke with a heavy sigh.
“Do you have to do that in here?” asked Julie, glancing over her shoulder at him from the passenger seat.
“I really, really do, sweetheart,” he replied, as he fought the onset of jetlag. He lifted his head, catching Jericho’s eye in the rearview mirror. “So where the fuck is this guy?”
All three of them were wearing their Tech Sleeves, and Jericho glanced down at his forearm, pressing a few buttons and bringing up the information on his display. He looked around as he read the information. “He’s in the hotel at the back of this row of stores,” he announced, pointing in front of them.
“So what’s the plan?” asked Julie.
“I’ll make the approach,” said Jericho. “Ray, you follow me inside, but keep your distance. Watch for anything out of the ordinary. Julie, wait outside by the car. Watch the street — you’re driving when we come out.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way or anything mate, but I reckon I’m better making the approach,” said Collins.
Jericho looked over his shoulder, raising his eyebrow and silently questioning his logic.
“It’s just… ya know… you’re really big and scary,” he continued.
Julie rolled her eyes, and Jericho frowned.
Collins sighed, quickly tiring of trying to be polite. “I just mean, if this guy’s on edge anyway, what’s he gonna think when a seven-foot pirate, built like a fuckin’ tank with a scar across his head like Frankenstein, walks toward him holding a gun? I’m a people person. Let me go in, talk to him, make him see we’re here to help, and then walk him out.”
Jericho stared out the window, resting his elbow on the doorframe and absently tapping his eyepatch with his index finger, thinking about what Collins had said. Daniel Vincent was GlobaTech, so all he’d need to see is some ID, and problem solved… But he wasn’t naïve enough not to see that Collins had a point.
“Okay, here’s what we do,” said Julie, sounding impatient. “There are three of us, so we put it to a vote.”
Both Jericho and Collins looked at her, frowning with disbelief. She shrugged. “What? Winters isn’t a field commander, and we don’t have a definite leader between us, so we resort to diplomacy. Rock, Paper, Scissors… I’ll decide if it’s a tie.”
They all exchanged glances and shrugged, before shuffling in their seats and holding their hands out in the middle, each with their right fist in their left palm.
“On three,” she said. “One… two… three.”
Jericho and Julie went for rock, while Collins went for paper.
“Heh, fuck yeah!” he said.
“Fine,” said Jericho. “Collins, make the approach. Julie, you back him up inside. I’ll cover the area out here. Everyone on comms?”
The three of them put their earpieces in.
“Check,” said Julie.
“Check,” said Collins.
“Check,” said Jericho.
There was a crackle of static, and then another voice sounded out.
“Everybody set?” asked Josh.
“We’re good,” confirmed Jericho. “Ray and Julie will make the approach, I’m on damage control.”
“Good. Listen, we’ve been monitoring Vincent since you left here. He’s made no attempt to contact anyone, but keep your eyes open — in the current climate, there’s no way you’re the only ones after him. We don’t want to cause a scene.”
From the back seat, Collins tapped Jericho on the shoulder. “Hey, Jerry, ya hear that? We gotta keep our eyes open! Ha! You’re fucked!”
Jericho shook his head, glancing at Julie, who was doing her best to suppress a smile.
“Hey, Ray, you hear that?” he replied.
Collins frowned and shook his head. “Hear what?”
“The sound of you getting your ass handed to you by three security guards.”
Julie laughed, and even Josh’s sly chuckle could be heard on comms.
Collins frowned. “Well, it’s good to know I’m never livin’ that down…”
“Not as long as you keep making jokes about the eye patch.”
“Alright — focus, children,” interrupted Josh. “I’ll be tracking your progress from here. I’ve got a real-time satellite feed on you now. I’ll offer support where I can.”
“Copy that,” said Julie.
Everyone stepped out of the car, standing and looking around casually for a moment. Jericho made sure his weapon was concealed under his top. They had all dressed in civilian clothes, changing on the plane just before it landed. He was wearing loose-fitting jeans and a hooded sweater.
Collins set off down the narrow side street on their left, which led to the hotel. He’d opted for a more conventional plain T-shirt with dark jeans, instead of another of his trademark Hawaiian shirts.
A few moments later, Julie followed him. Jericho couldn’t help but cast an appraising eye over her as she walked away. Since ditching her nurse’s uniform and dropping the innocent act, Julie’s true beauty had very much shone through. Her figure was slender, but toned — not overly muscular, retaining her femininity. Her shoulder-length brown hair was tied back, and she was dressed in fitted black leggings, with light brown low-heeled calf boots. Her top was loose fitting, and concealed her gun easily. She had sunglasses on, and she looked amazing.
“Stay alert, okay?” said Jericho on comms. “Like Josh says, we might not be the only ones here. Watch your six.”