Chapter 14 #2
“The receptor compounds in the water have a neural half-life of forty-eight to seventy-two hours,” Kate explained, her voice coming through surprisingly clear.
“So even if we take down the cell tower tonight, we’re looking at a window of at least two days before the affected subjects start coming out of it naturally. ”
“And that’s the good news,” Ozzy added. “The bad news is tomorrow night’s synchronization event.”
My stomach dropped. “Synchronization event?”
“A synchronized pulse through the neural network,” Ethan explained. “It’s like a firmware update, but for human brains. Ozzy, details.”
The tech specialist’s fingers flew across his keyboard. “They’ve been building toward this for days. Each broadcast from the cell tower has been conditioning the subjects, preparing their neural pathways. The synchronization event will lock those pathways permanently.”
“Like setting concrete,” Alistair added. “Right now, the effects are reversible. After tomorrow night, they won’t be.”
Oh, God. Two hundred people—people like Beth, who’d once shown such kindness to Sophia—trapped forever in their own minds, aware but unable to control their actions. “We have to stop it.”
“That is the plan,” Ozzy said, somewhat grumpily.
“The mining facility is holding resistant subjects for ‘enhanced treatment,’” he continued, bringing up schematics that looked like they’d been hacked from a secure server.
“Those who didn’t respond to the initial water-based compound are being given direct neural injections. ”
Gage’s hands tightened on the edge of the table, his knuckles going white. I watched as a tremor ran through him, his jaw clenched so hard I could see a muscle jumping in his cheek.
Kate’s voice softened through the speakers. “Breathe through it, Gage. Count of four.”
He closed his eyes briefly, then nodded once. Whatever had happened to him at Innovixus’s hands, it must have been brutal.
Ethan surveyed the room, his sharp gaze landing on each team member in turn. “This will be a three-phase operation,” he announced. “Phase One: Dutch coordinates local resistance to evacuate unaffected civilians while Preacher establishes a field medical station at the rally point.”
Dutch nodded. “Six miles east of town, there’s the old empty resort lodge on Lone Quill Reservoir. Enough room for triage and temporary housing.”
“Phase Two,” Ethan continued. “Team Alpha—“ he looked at Trent, Flynn, and Rafe, “—assaults the cell tower. Take it down by any means necessary. Phase Three, Team Bravo—” he nodded to Decker, Leo, and Lyric, “—infiltrates the mining facility via service tunnels. The primary objective is intel recovery and locating resistant subjects. The secondary objective is sabotage of communication systems.”
“The tunnels haven’t been used in decades,” Dutch cut in. “They could be collapsed in sections, but I’ve got maps.”
“Appreciate it,” Lyric said.
“Team Charlie—“ Ethan continued, including himself and Gage with a sweep of his hand “—holds perimeter. We maintain communication links and ensure extraction routes stay open. Nolan will provide air support.”
Nolan straightened in his chair and raised his hand to his temple in a lazy salute.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We’ll be cruising at an altitude of fuck-all-nothing because we’re staying low to avoid getting our asses shot off.
Flight time to your destination will be however long it takes me to not die, and our in-flight service today includes suppressing fire, emergency extractions, and—if you’re very lucky—not crashing. ”
Leo snorted into his coffee.
Kate’s voice came through the laptop speakers, dry as dust. “Nolan, you’re not funny.”
“Disagree,” Nolan replied cheerfully. “I’m hilarious. You’re just mad I didn’t include you in the safety demonstration.”
“The only demonstration you’re giving is how to be a walking HR violation,” Kate shot back.
Ethan’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t take the bait. “As I was saying—“
“In the event of a water landing,” Nolan continued, clearly not done, “your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device. In the event of Bricks looking at me like that, I shut the hell up and fly the damn helicopter.”
Flynn shook his head, grinning. “You really do have a death wish.”
“It’s called commitment to the bit,” Nolan said. “Some of us have personality.”
“Some of us have impulse control,” Alistair muttered.
“Not as fun, though, is it?”
Ethan’s voice cut through the banter like a blade. “Nolan.”
The Irishman held up both hands in surrender, still smirking. “Right. Air support. Got it. Keeping everyone not-dead from above. Extremely serious business.”
“Good,” Ethan said flatly. “Now, as I was saying before the comedy hour, Oz and Kate will provide technical support remotely.”
“We’ve got kill codes for their primary encryption,” Kate added through the speaker. “If we can access their mainframe, we can potentially lock them out of their own systems.”
Ethan nodded. “If we get access, fine. But if not, we’ll go the old-fashioned route and blow it. Once the charges are set, we’ll—”
“Get the hell out?” Nolan suggested.
“—exfil,” Ethan concluded. “We evacuate the residents we can to the rally point and hold there until the effects of the mind control wear off.”
“What about Langston?” I asked, the question burning in my throat. “Is he a target?”
A heavy silence fell across the table. Ethan’s eyes met mine, coolly assessing.
“Winslow is not the primary objective,” he said carefully. “But he is a person of interest for intelligence purposes.”
Translation: they’d take him if they could, but destroying the mind control technology took precedence. I couldn’t argue with the logic, even as part of me wanted Langston to pay for what he’d done.
“Ms. Phillips,” Ethan continued, his use of my formal name creating instant distance.
“Your knowledge of Garnett’s layout and residents is invaluable.
You’ll assist Dutch with civilian evacuation—coordinating transportation, identifying unaffected individuals, and ensuring safe passage to the rally point. ”
I stiffened. “I should be with Team Alpha or Bravo. I know Langston. The way he thinks, his habits—“
“Which is precisely why you can’t be anywhere near the front line,” Ethan cut in. “If Winslow captures you, the entire operation is compromised. He’d have exactly what he’s been looking for.”
“And leverage,” Trent added quietly, his eyes meeting mine across the table. “Leverage he’d use against us all.”
I wanted to argue, to insist I could handle myself, but the logic was irrefutable. My presence on the front lines would be a liability, not an asset. Still, being sidelined to evacuation duty while others fought the battle I’d brought to their doorstep felt wrong.
“What about Sophia?” I asked, looking over at my daughter who was still engrossed in Paw Patrol.
“She stays at the rally point with Alistair,” Ethan said, his tone softening slightly. “Maximum security, well outside any affected zone.”
I nodded, relief warring with the guilt of putting her through this at all. Alistair caught my eye across the table and gave me a small nod—a silent promise to protect her with his life.
“We move at sundown tonight,” Ethan concluded, checking his watch. “That gives us nine hours for prep and rest. Check your gear, check your comms, check your teammates. Once we start, there’s no backing out.”
As the team dispersed to their assigned preparations, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Trent stood beside me, his eyes holding a question I couldn’t quite decipher.
“It’s the right call,” he said quietly. “Keeping you and Sophia safe is—“
“I know,” I cut him off, not wanting to hear the logic again. “But these are my neighbors. My friends. Beth was the kindest person in town, and now she’s...” My voice caught. “I’m tired of running, Trent. I want to fight.”
He turned me toward him. “You are fighting. Just not with a gun.” He pulled me into his chest. For just a moment, I allowed myself this comfort—his heartbeat under my ear, his hand stroking my hair, the rumble of his voice in his chest as he spoke.
“I need you safe. I’ve already lost you once,” he murmured into my hair. “I can’t do it again.”
I closed my eyes, letting his words sink in.
The solid warmth of him anchored me when everything else felt like it was spinning out of control.
My neighbors turned into puppets, my daughter traumatized, my carefully constructed life shattered—yet here was Trent, steady as the mountains surrounding us.
“Aw, look at that,” Nolan called from across the room. “Turns out our brick wall has a squishy center after all.”
“Nolan,” Trent growled, not releasing me.
“What? I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking.” Nolan grinned, completely unrepentant.
“Besides, some of us find your transformation from emotionless robot to lovesick puppy quite heartwarming,” Flynn added, wrapping an arm around Lyric’s waist. “You know, since you spent six months insisting you didn’t need anyone.”
I felt Trent’s chest rise with a deep breath, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, his arms tightened around me just slightly.
“Enough,” Ethan said, his voice cutting through the teasing. “Gear check in twenty. Everyone focus.”
The team dispersed, but not before several of them shot knowing smiles in our direction. I reluctantly stepped back from Trent’s embrace, already missing his warmth.
“Your friends are... interesting,” I said quietly.
“They’re assholes,” he replied, but there was fondness in his voice. “Professional, lethal assholes who will die for each other without hesitation. That includes for you and Sophia now.”
I looked around the room at these strangers, these men and women who were preparing to risk their lives, all because Trent had called. All because of us.
I didn’t have words for the wave of emotion that hit me. Gratitude, fear, and something else—a sense of belonging that I hadn’t felt in years. These people had accepted me into their fold without question, simply because I mattered to Trent.
“Thank you,” I whispered, not just to him but to all of them.
“Bricks.” Ethan’s voice cut across the room. “Need a minute.”
It wasn’t a request. Trent’s jaw tightened slightly, then he nodded. His hand lingered at the small of my back for just a moment before he followed Ethan out onto the porch.
Through the window, I watched them face off with each other. Ethan’s posture was rigid, his expression unreadable. But Trent’s shoulders tensed in a way I’d never seen before.
Whatever Ethan was saying, Trent wasn’t liking it.