“I see you have a preference for Israeli weapons,” Sam commented.
“There’s a valid reason for that, you know,” Lou replied. “Take these, for example. The Tavor is compact, precise, low-recoil, configurable, the perfect choice for our mission.”
Sam took the Tavor from Lou’s hand and checked it out thoroughly.
“I’ll pass on the AK47, thank you very much,” he added, holding the Tavor.
“Lou, you mentioned urban combat, yet we’re flying in the middle of nowhere, a forested swamp,” Blake intervened. “How come?”
“These weapons will do nicely in open terrain, but we also have to be ready to storm that airbase, or whatever facility they are using to hold the passengers. Most likely, close-quarters weapons and tactics would be valuable there,” Lou explained.
Blake nodded, frowning a little. He looked worried, but resolute.
“All right,” Lou spoke louder, getting everyone to listen. “Everyone, please pay attention. We have a long flight ahead of us, and some new guns to get used to. I have personally checked each gun, and made sure they’re unloaded; I will check them again. Please get to know them during this flight. Become familiar with how they feel, how they handle. Simulate loading and unloading until you’re lightning fast; I will provide empty clips for practice, simulate targeting, and firing your weapon. Don’t load your weapons until we’re on final approach at our destination; let’s try not to put holes in this plane, if possible. When we’re close to landing, I will hand you your ammo clips and everything else you need. We good?”
“We are solid,” Alex replied, feeling tension in her shoulders, as the perspective of going to battle became more and more real.
“Golden,” Sam replied.
Through the open door of the cockpit, they heard Dylan call San Diego ATC.
“Good morning, San Diego Tower, this is flight November Sierra 1413 ready for takeoff, runway 2–7.”
“November Sierra 1413, winds two six zero at fifteen, cleared for takeoff.”
They buckled up quietly as the plane started to pick up speed, immersed in their thoughts.
…46
“We can’t do this anymore, we just can’t,” Dr. Adenauer said, unable to hide the pain in his voice. “Not anymore. I won’t stand for it.”
“Please don’t say that, think about my family,” Wu Shen Teng pleaded, tears flooding his eyes.
“I am thinking about your family,” Dr. Adenauer replied. “How would you like them to die, like that?” he thundered, pointing at the monitors that had been switched off the day before, right after the test had ended with the loss of an innocent man’s life.
“Theo,” Marie-Elise said, “don’t say that. Maybe there’s hope.”
“You’re a fool, Adenauer,” Gary Davis said. “What do you think will happen?”
Dr. Teng stood there, paralyzed, tears streaking his cheeks as he stared at the dark monitors.
Bogdanov entered the lab and slammed the huge door behind him.
“Are you ready to run the aerosolized test? The same formulation should be good.”
They fidgeted uncomfortably, and a deathly silence engulfed the lab.
“No, we are not,” Adenauer spoke calmly. “We will not be proceeding with the tests anymore.” He cleared his voice, drew a deep breath, and then continued, “I stand behind my decision with my life.”
Bogdanov stared at Adenauer, who didn’t flinch. Then he turned and said something in Russian to King Cobra. Cobra left.
Now that he’d said it, Adenauer felt better, calmer. Man can only die once, he thought. He remembered something he’d once heard someone say. “Life is wondrous, death is peaceful, it’s the transition that’s troublesome.” He wasn’t sure those were the exact words, and he couldn’t remember for sure who’d said it; maybe it was Isaac Asimov? In any case, for some reason, his mind found solace in those words at that moment. He was ready to die. He couldn’t bear to be responsible for another human being’s demise.
Cobra came back, dragging with him a middle-aged woman, her upper arm held tightly in his grasp, yanking her at every step as he walked. She sobbed loudly, pleading with him in what sounded like Swedish, but Cobra didn’t care. He threw the woman on her knees in front of Bogdanov. She curled up in a ball, hugging her knees, and sobbing hard.
“So, you are willing to stand by your decision with your life, yes?” Bogdanov asked calmly.
Adenauer felt his gut churn with fear. Oh, no! Please, God, no!
“Are you willing to stand by your decision with her life too?” Bogdanov asked.
Before he could answer, Bogdanov drew his sidearm and shot the woman in the head. Her sobs instantly quieted, as she fell to the floor with a thump. Blood began draining from her wound, pooling at Adenauer’s feet. He took a step back, staring in disbelief, his jaw dropped, feeling his ice-cold blood draining from his head.
“That was your last warning,” Bogdanov said. “You have 24 hours.”
…47
Alex watched the vast expanse of forested Russian territory draw closer, as the Phenom started its descent.
“All right, guys, this is it,” Lou said. “We’ll touch down in a few minutes. We all know what to do. Lock ’em, load ’em, and get ready.”
The Phenom landed smoothly on a poorly maintained runway, then taxied slowly to the end of the terminal.
As soon as the plane slowed down, they all snapped out of their seat belts and closed the window blinds on both sides.
“I’ll go get us a hangar somewhere,” Blake said, grabbing a wad of cash from the duffel bag. “US dollars still work here?”
“Better than ever,” Sam replied, grabbing a fistful of hundred-dollar bills for himself and shoving them in his pocket. “I’ll go get us a car; we’re some 45 miles away from the hangar coordinates. We need transpo.”
“How on earth are you gonna get a car?” Blake asked. “This place doesn’t look like it has Enterprise.”
“Ah… the old spy way,” Sam winked, then opened the aircraft door and hopped off in a couple of steps. Blake followed.
“Let’s gear up,” Lou said. “Start with the vest first, just like I showed you.”
“Yes, boss,” she replied, unable to contain a tension-loaded smile.
She strapped her tactical vest on. It was black, rigid, and had a lot of pockets, making her look bulky. She felt her abdomen through the harsh fabric, then traced her waistline and her hips, barely noticeable under the tactical vest. She groaned.
“You gotta be kidding me,” Lou said humorously. “Really?”
“Hey, a girl’s gotta be careful about how she looks, all right?” she replied. “G.I. Jane wasn’t exactly sexy, you know.” A nervous chuckle showed her real state of mind.
“No, but she was effective, deadly. And so are you. You’ll do fine,” Lou added, softening his voice. “Trust me.”
“Yeah,” she replied, still tense.
Oh, boy… Her first real gunfight, behind enemy lines no less. Yet it was more than just pre-battle jitters that kept her on her toes and put tension in her heart. She just wanted to know if she’d been right. Would they find the missing plane? Would they find Adeline and the passengers? Most of all, would she find V? Would she be proven wrong about V’s involvement in this? Or right? She had no evidence, no real reason to suspect a connection, but she believed there was one. She believed that with all her heart. She just had to find it, then she’d learn V’s identity and finally nail the brilliant, evil son of a bitch.