Vincent’s eyes widened as he looked up at Jericho, who nodded to him.
“He’s right,” he confirmed. “Their primary objective is to get what’s in this case.” He patted it for effect. “If we destroy it, there’s a chance they’ll back down.”
“Or a chance they’ll just kill us all,” offered Julie, casually. “There’s no way their orders don’t include killing him, or anyone trying to protect him.”
“I think I’ve bought you a way out,” interjected Josh. “Just hang in there, thirty seconds.”
The three of them aimed their guns in different directions, protecting their perimeter. Ahead of them, through the flames and the screaming crowds, Jericho caught sight of Chris Black. Their eyes met, and they both leveled their weapons at each other.
“I see you, mother—” began Jericho, but he was interrupted by the wail of sirens, as police cars and fire engines arrived in waves at the scene.
“Put your weapons away,” said Josh. “Ditch your earpieces and flash your I.D. badges. They won’t like it, but you were doing your jobs: protecting your client. You don’t know who attacked you, and you want to be taken to the U.S. Embassy. Got it?”
“Copy that,” said Julie, taking her comms out and tossing it away to her left. Jericho did the same, but never took his eyes off Black, glaring at him in the smoke. Black smiled and lowered his weapon, disappearing back into the alley before the local authorities took over the scene.
A few moments passed, and then a group of six armed officers approached them, fanning out and raising their weapons.
“Nikdo ani hnout!” said one of them, glaring at the group.
The three of them had a basic grasp of the language, and knew that translated to ‘Nobody move’. They raised their hands slowly in compliance. Vincent sat up and raised his right hand; his left clutched tightly at the briefcase.
“So, how are ya enjoyin’ your first day on the job?” Collins asked Jericho, turning to look at him, smiling.
He smirked back. “It’s kinda boring…”
Collins laughed, while Julie shook her head and sighed. “Men…” she muttered.
LANGLEY, VIRGINIA, USA
April 22nd, 2017
The door opened to General Matthews’ office, and his secretary walked in, standing uncomfortably in front of his desk, keeping a respectful silence. He looked up from the report he was reading, eyeing her up and down before speaking.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Sir, there’s a call for you. It’s—” she said.
“Tell them I’m busy.”
“Sir, it’s the president.”
Matthews raised his eyebrows, unable to hide the surprise. He placed the report on his desk and straightened the jacket of his military suit, taking a deep breath to compose himself.
“Put him through,” he said.
The secretary nodded and made a hasty exit from the room. A moment later, his desk phone rang.
“Mr. President, good morning,” said the CIA director.
“Is it, Tom?” asked President Cunningham, his voice full of frustration. “You clearly haven’t seen the news.”
Matthews frowned. “No, sir, what news?”
“Turn on the TV. It doesn’t matter which channel…”
Matthews’ heart rate increased as he fumbled for the remote to the TV in his office, which was mounted on the wall to the right of his desk. He clicked it on to see a news report showing live video footage from Prague, where according to the caption, a shootout had taken place earlier in the day, both inside a hotel and outside in Wenceslas Square.
“What is this?” he asked, absently, turning up the volume.
“Just watch…” said the president, patiently.
A news reporter on the TV was in the middle of speaking. “…local authorities arrived on the scene, prompting at least two gunmen to flee. Three people were taken in for questioning, but were later released to the U.S. Embassy. They were employees of GlobaTech Industries, the military contractor currently providing almost all of the foreign aid to nations affected by 4/17. A spokesman for the company released an official statement just over an hour ago, explaining they were protecting a client from a suspected kidnapping attempt, and they did everything they could to minimize the number of casualties. Local security footage that has been made available to the press certainly seems to back that up.
“Over thirty people were injured by the initial blast from the car bomb, with at least a hundred more sustaining minor injuries in the rush to leave the area. There are currently seven confirmed fatalities, but reports suggest that number could rise…”
Matthews turned off the TV. He could feel the color draining from his face. “Mr. President…” he began. “Sir, I don’t know—”
“What to say? I wouldn’t say anything, if I were you. Jericho Stone is one of those three GlobaTech employees, in case you were wondering. Your D.E.A.D. unit were the people fleeing the scene. The information Daniel Vincent has is now in the hands of the only people capable of preventing the next stage of the plan from going ahead… To say I’m upset would be an understatement.”
“Sir, leave this to me. I’ll—”
“You won’t do anything, Tom. I’ve already told you to take a back seat. But you better make damn sure you get your house in order. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. President.”
“I’m going to make life very difficult for GlobaTech Industries, Tom. Nothing can stand in the way of what’s coming next. Not now.”
The phone clicked off, leaving Director Matthews standing behind his desk, sweating and feeling genuinely nervous for the first time in his life.
He took a few moments to compose himself, and then stormed out of his office; his face a picture of anger. He made his way down the hall and left, bursting through the door to Julius Jones’ office without knocking.
Jones was sitting behind his desk, watching his own TV. He looked up as Matthews entered. “Was wondering when I’d see you, Tom.”
Matthews’ fury boiled over. “I’m the goddamn director of the CIA, and you will stand when I walk in the room!” he bellowed.
Jones raised an eyebrow, before slowly getting to his feet.
Matthews continued with his tirade, pointing to the TV. “That is a fucking nightmare — for the president, for me, and for this agency! Your D.E.A.D. unit caused that shit-storm, Julius, and it’s unacceptable!”
Jones took a deep breath, raising his hands and gesturing for the director to calm down.
“Tom… Sir — you need to take a moment to relax.” He knew the president would have been on the phone to him, and he could guess how that conversation would’ve gone.
“Don’t tell me to fucking relax, you arrogant bastard! All this is your fault!”
Jones frowned, taking exception. “Hey, wait a goddamn minute, Tom. I get that Black and his team screwed up, but the fact they were there was your call. Which you made with the president’s backing. I’m not saying this isn’t a shit-storm — I agree with you on that — but barging in here and pointing the finger at me, simply because the president likely just tore you a new one and you need to feel better about yourself, isn’t going to make things better!”
Matthews was livid, and he stood taking in deep, adrenaline-fueled breaths, staring Jones right in the eye. After a few moments, he calmed down enough to see sense.
“Fuck,” he hissed, turning to pace around the office and clear his head.
“We just need to think of a way to spin this so that it tarnishes GlobaTech’s reputation,” offered Jones.
Matthews waved his hand dismissively. “That ship’s sailed, Jones. It’s already on the news that Jericho Stone and his new friends were innocent bystanders, simply doing their job… blah, blah, fucking blah.”