47. Max
47
MAX
M ax braced against the vibration rattling through his seat and tried to ignore the constant roar of the helicopter's engines. The earpieces he wore filtered out enough of the clamor to keep him from going temporarily deaf, but the low-frequency thudding of the rotor still vibrated in his ribs. He adjusted the collar of the olive-green uniform he'd put on less than an hour ago—a counterfeit Revolutionary Guard ensemble. It felt all kinds of wrong to wear it, almost like donning a Nazi uniform, but stealth and safety trumped all other considerations.
Across from him, Jade and Drova sat side by side. Their body language was more like two hardened warriors heading into a daunting trial rather than a mother and her young and inexperienced daughter.
They were both combat-hungry Kra-ell, although Drova seemed a little nervous despite her fierce expression. He saw how her fingers clutched the harness as if it were a lifeline.
He stifled a chuckle. If the girl hadn't revealed her incredible compulsion ability by pulling stupid pranks, she wouldn't be riding a helicopter into enemy territory on a dangerous mission. She was only seventeen and should be focusing on getting her high school equivalency instead of going on missions.
He was grateful she was there, but he also felt a little guilty on behalf of the clan for dragging her into something she wasn't ready for.
Jade put a comforting hand on her daughter's thigh, a rare gesture. Drova's eyes widened, and she turned to look at her mother. Jade nodded and smiled, conveying her encouragement without saying a word.
They were all wearing earpieces with the channels open, so whatever she said to the girl would have been heard by everyone else. She chose to convey her encouragement through nonverbal facial expressions.
Drova released a breath and gave her mother a small smile in return. When she glanced at him, he smiled too, thumped his chest, and extended his fist to her in a gesture that was meant to say, I got you.
Drova returned the gesture and then turned to look out the window.
It was dark outside, a black void not even broken by the glimmer of stars because of the clouds.
Yamanu had cloaked them with his shroud, making them practically invisible to human eyes. However, they would still show up on radar. If they did, the pilots had a script they could recite about this being a secret diplomatic mission of whichever Iranian minister they were told to mention. A second helicopter trailed behind and below, also covered by Yamanu's shroud.
The mental strain emanating from their shrouder was almost palpable, but there was nothing any of them could do to help. The best thing was not to disturb him.
On the bench behind Jade and Drova, two Kra-ell fighters were checking their weapons and exchanging hand signs that Max didn't recognize. Probably some stealth Kra-ell warrior language.
Asuka laid several gleaming knives across her lap, even as the helicopter bounced and shook, and started sharpening one. The thing probably didn't need it, but it was probably her form of meditation before the battle.
Max regretted not having a sharpening stone so he could do the same.
Ell-rom and Jasmine sat close together. Their faces were mere inches apart, so they could converse without the benefit of the common earpieces' feed. Ell-rom's expression flickered between worry and resolve, as though he couldn't decide whether his presence on this mission was beneficial or detrimental.
"Everything okay?" Max said into the comm, turning his head so they would know he was addressing them.
Ell-rom lifted his eyes. "I don't know," he admitted. "A part of me is afraid that I might freeze when the time comes."
"You won't." Max tried to keep his tone reassuring even though he shared Ell-rom's concern. "We're going to thrall and compel whoever we can, subdue who we must, and get out. If all goes according to plan, you should have no cause to reach for your talent."
If Max could trust Ell-rom's ability, knowing he was their fallback would have been comforting. If they found themselves cornered by a squad of Doomers, Ell-rom could be the difference between victory and defeat.
Hopefully, his special talent wouldn't be needed, and if it were, he wouldn't hesitate to use it.
Jasmine placed a hand on Ell-rom's knee. "I'm just worried about whether Kyra is even there. For all we know, she was there sometime in the past or not yet. Syssi's visions don't come with a time stamp."
Max met her gaze. "The last one did. The television was playing in the background, and current events were being shown. That was not accidental. The Fates wanted her to know that Kyra needed help now."
"But what if she was there recently but has been moved?" Jasmine voiced the same concern all of them shared.
He shrugged. "Worst-case scenario, we confirm that she's not there, get intel from the guards about where she was moved to, and go look for her." He placed a hand over his chest. "I have a feeling that she is there, though. She is waiting for us even though she doesn't know we are coming."
He'd fallen asleep on the plane and dreamt about Kyra, a woman who looked a lot like Jasmine, with the same golden eyes and dark, rich hair but with a harder, fiercer expression. She stood on top of a hill, just like in Syssi's first vision of her, but her face wasn't covered, and she was looking straight at him. She didn't say a word, but the way she regarded him said that she counted on him to come for her.
He didn't put much stock in the dream. It was just a manifestation of the thoughts that had been occupying his mind for the past forty-eight hours or so.
But what if it wasn't?
It didn't matter. He was coming whether Kyra was waiting for him or not.
Jasmine nodded. "I hope you're right, because we can't fail. This is not just about finding my mother. It's about finding Khiann. That's why the Fates showed Syssi where to find my mother when she asked them about Annani's beloved."
The helicopter rattled as they hit a pocket of turbulence, and Max grabbed hold of the seat's edge to steady himself. He glanced forward to where the pilot sat behind the cockpit console, wearing a full Revolutionary Guard uniform like the rest of them. Turner's contact had arranged for these pilots—men who didn't ask too many questions as long as the pay was good and who weren't fond of the regime these uniforms represented. Next to him Yamanu, dressed similarly, kept his eyes closed, lips slightly parted in concentration.
The pilot's voice came through. "We're about ten minutes from our final approach. The other chopper is holding formation. You should get ready."
Jade turned to her Kra-ell team. "Dima, Anton, you go first. Secure the perimeter. Asuka and Mehira, back them up." Her gaze flicked to Drova. "Stay with me until we're certain there are no immediate threats, then do your job. Everyone, keep your comm channel open at all times."
Drova nodded so vigorously her helmet strap slipped across her cheek. Jade squeezed her shoulder and motioned for her to put her sunglasses on while pulling her own out of her pocket.
Ell-rom pressed the earpiece deeper into his ear as if trying to block out the rotor noise that still slipped past the filters.
Jade nodded. "Don't stray from the plan. We secure the landing site, and as soon as everyone is on the ground, we double-time it to the compound. When there, they won't realize we're not who we appear to be until we're already inside. Drova's compulsion will take care of humans and Doomers alike, as long as they are in hearing range."
Drova pulled out a mouthpiece that was only slightly larger than a whistle but was a powerful voice amplifier. It was another technical gizmo from the prolific lab William was running.
Jade clapped her on her back. "I'm glued to you, Drova."
When the girl glared at her, Jade lifted a finger to shush her. "Not because you are my daughter but because you're our number one asset, and I need to protect you."
The helicopter veered left, a tilt that forced everyone to brace. Max felt rather than heard the engine shift as the helicopter began its descent. As if on cue, he felt an adrenaline surge, prepping his body to erupt into motion.
He forced his breathing to slow. This was nothing new. He'd been on many missions before, albeit in different places. But every mission was unique. You never knew when the unexpected would claw its way out of the shadows and tear the plan to shreds.
"Ninety seconds to the landing zone," the pilot announced. "Wind's picking up, but nothing we can't handle."
Jade shifted, glancing once more around the cramped interior. "Last reminder that if we get separated and things go badly, the fallback is the southwestern ridge."
Outside, the rotor wash churned dust and scattered pebbles in swirling gusts. The whine of the engines built to a higher pitch as the pilot slowed them, preparing to touch down. Max clenched his jaw, adrenaline lacing his veins.
"Approaching landing zone in ten… nine…" the pilot counted down.
Max's grip tightened around his weapon.
"Three… two… one…"
The helicopter touched the ground with a jarring thud, rotors still spinning overhead. Max could barely make out the silhouette of the ascending hill through the open door, but faint illumination from behind its ridge was a clear indication that they were in the right place. The compound lay beyond.
This was it.
"Go," Jade commanded, her voice sharp through the earpiece.