“LA is personal for us, man, and especially me. I grew up on those shitty streets. Ain’t no criminal organization gonna use some kinda bioweapon there.”
“The Pythians are more than just a one-hit wonder.” Drake took a sip from his bottle. “We will have to destroy them totally to beat them: head, body, tail. And when they’re dead it’s immolation. Crushing. Burial. No mercy.”
“If I had my way it’d be the same for all criminals and terrorists.”
“Are you ex-military, Silk?”
“Not exactly. I was recruited into the CIA at a very early age. Trained. Sent to black spots. I guess I earned my stripes in the field.”
Drake nodded, saying nothing. Silk had been a CIA black-ops specialist. Those guys were ghosts, slick, lethal and smart. He nodded toward the other three members of the Razor’s Edge.
“They all as good as you?”
“Nah, but they think they are.” Silk grinned. “Trent comes across as remote, stand-offish, but that’s just because he’s always been a leader and shouldered all the responsibility. I couldn’t ask for a better man to guard my back. Radford — childish, makes every mistake in the book at a personal level, but in the field? He’s top dog. And Collins?” Silk smiled fondly. “A few months ago I wanted to shoot and bury her. Now… I’d have her babies if she asked. She’s diamond-cut, man. Hard, reliable, trustworthy. And more fun than Johnny Depp on a mad bender. Believe me, I’ve been there.”
Drake raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that what all Angelinos say? That they know some kind of famous star?”
“Nope. Not really. But when Collins has done chewing you out, busting your balls for an afternoon, she’ll take you out to the Sunset Strip and dance with you till dawn. Viper Room. Skybar. We’ve done ‘em all. And the next working day she’ll come right back and take your head off again.”
Drake couldn’t help but stare at the baby-faced, black-haired FBI agent. “Maybe we could trade her for Dahl.”
“The big Englishman over there? He looks tough.”
“Ah, he’s Swedish. And not too bright. Our weakest link. Make sure you tell him I said that.”
Silk gave Drake a knowing look. “Yeah, I’ll get right on it. So, what’s the plan, action man?”
Drake laughed. “I think Hayden and Crouch over there are laying something out. We’ll have tech support from Caitlyn Nash—” Drake pointed the blond girl out, “And Karin Blake. Both based in the field.”
“Isn’t that a little risky?”
“Normally, yes, but with this super-plague about to hit hard we’re guessing that there’s no longer any ‘normal’. We’re up to the whacked-out, do-or-die leagues now, mate, and the risk is…” Drake paused. He’d been about to say “acceptable”, but memories of friends that had died along the way hit him abruptly, and hard.
He turned away.
Silk, a soldier in arms, knew the look and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m right with you, bud. Right with you.”
Hayden walked to the front of the conference room and called the meeting to order. “Hey guys, thanks for being here. This will have to be quick so we’ll save introductions for the celebration party later. For now, let’s focus on survival. The Buffalo FBI and Niagara Falls DOJ have been running CCTV operations and physical black-and-white sweeps for about twelve hours now. Nothing relating to Nicholas Bell has come up, but Callan Dudley was spotted by a traffic camera about twenty minutes ago.” She tapped an extending pointer against the wall where a large map of the city had been projected. “Here. Kister Road. It’s a tree-lined, open-plan industrial area with several large warehouses and businesses. Wide roads. Big junctions. Hard to approach without being seen. My guess is the Pythians have rented a plot there for their second facility.”
“Could he just have been passing through?” Trent asked quickly.
“Doubtful. He passed the traffic cam both ways in a matter of minutes. There’s a small strip mall in the direction he went.”
“Still…”
“We’re watching the area in unmarked cars and through civilian walk-bys. We have guys on industrial lawn mowers, that kind of thing. There aren’t any sidewalks as such, but it’s still a popular area for locals to get a good deal,” Hayden said. “Techs are scrolling back through the last few days of camera footage. In truth, Aaron, we have little else.”
“Any word on the Pythian HQ?” Collins asked.
“All we have are the testimonials from Lauren Fox’s associates and this sighting of Dudley. We also know that General Stone made several visits to Niagara Falls in the last few months, overnight stays each time. Facts like this appear much clearer when you have something concrete to back them up. My guess? If we take out the second facility the Pythians will burst out of the woodwork.”
“It would be helpful to know the identities of the rest of the Pythians,” Dahl said. “We know Le Brun is dead, but how many more are there?”
“Not many,” Drake said. “Webb is one, whoever he is. They’d want to keep it exclusive.”
“Maybe,” Hayden acknowledged. “But this is the new breed of secret regime. Who knows how screwed up their agenda is? Or even if they have an ultimate goal.”
Saint Germain, Drake thought, but said nothing. That was a conversation for another day.
“We go in one group?” Trent questioned. “That’s going to be hard to manage.”
“Blitz them,” Hayden said as Kinimaka nodded at her side. “Caitlyn and Karin can handle the operational logistics.”
“Speaking of which,” Karin spoke up. “Our vehicles are fifteen minutes out along with an ensemble of Canadian authorities. We might wanna wrap this up.”
Drake noticed the soldiers in the extreme gathering starting to assess their clothes and belongings, taking an inventory of what they needed and checking the status of what they had. Alicia, quiet since their last little exchange, meandered over just as Mai came up.
“Good luck, you two.”
Drake saw a fire in Alicia’s eyes, a reminder of the days when she and Mai had been enemies. Was Alicia challenging Mai? Or was she merely urging the Japanese woman to get a fucking grip and see what was right in front of her?
Mai didn’t hesitate. “Now isn’t the time, bitch. Test me later if you want to stay upright.”
Alicia just smiled, content in the knowledge that she’d ruffled Mai’s composure. Again. Drake ignored them both and began a weapons check of his own. In front of him, Smyth had whipped out his cell, firing off another text.
“Lauren?” Drake asked.
“Yeah. The, um, nurses are having to text for her now.” Smyth’s glum face held its downward position.
“She’s safe here at least,” Drake said. “And close to the antidote.”
Hayden stopped next to them. “C’mon guys, we gotta get moving. They say Lauren has about an hour before she’s beyond help.”
Drake flinched. “Bollocks. Maybe we should—”
He later thought the attack succeeded merely because the three teams were so intent on absorbing information and making ready to move out. It was certainly true that they hadn’t deemed it essential to place a guard around their perimeter, rather every member of their group would function better if fully briefed.
And besides, no one knew they were there.
The mercs hit at air and ground level, a devastatingly huge two-pronged assault. Reactions were instant and effective within the room, every man and woman organizing their efforts into decisive action. Drake ran to the windows as cars squealed into the car park and choppers thundered overhead. Kevlar-clad men leaped out of the still-running vehicles, machine guns panning left and right. He counted twenty in three seconds.
Looking up, he saw a flock of helicopters gathering overhead. All bore civilian markings and could probably even produce tourist licenses, but no doubt belonged to the Pythians. Could this be part of their exfil plan?