31. Chapter 31
Chapter thirty-one
Alex
“Finish your meal, gentlemen, and start packing,” said Ryo, stepping out of the elevator. “We’re leaving in an hour. You must pack light and not bring any PGC electronics or credit cards that could leave an electronic trail. We’re going off-grid. Meet Hoko at the exit to the private elevator at the back loading dock at six p.m. The cameras in the area will be off to allow us to slip out under the cover of night.”
Alex and Galen hurried down the hall with their marching orders. Upon rounding the corner, Alex turned to Galen. “OK, I’ve never been off-grid. What the hell does it even mean? I’ve no idea what to pack,” said Alex.
Galen said it meant they would rough it and avoid contact with other people. Pack light, primarily t-shirts, jeans, and a good winter jacket, and nothing flashy or that you don’t want to ruin. Don’t forget the toiletries, Galen cautioned; they had no idea what conditions they would be living in, and to pack for at least seven days.
“No Gucci boots?” said Alex.
Galen gave him a disapproving scowl.
“Tough crowd tonight. What was your longest period off-grid in the military?”
“Two separate year-long tours in the Afghan desert. Get yur arse in gear, Alex,” Galen said as he entered his room.
Alex and Galen met Hoko and Ryo at the loading dock at PGC, where Ryo said they were early and told them to load their gear in the back of the Grand Wagoneer. He suggested they sleep if they could, since they had a six-hour drive ahead of them. Ryo turned from the driver’s seat to look at Alex and Galen. He said from here on out; they were operating on military rules of engagement, which meant following his orders without hesitation and with no questions asked. Ryo smiled and said his first order was not to make him stop the Jeep, or they would regret it. Galen and Alex nodded in forced compliance. Although Alex recognized Ryo’s attempt at humor, he knew Ryo was deadly serious.
Two hours into the drive, Alex leaned over and nudged Galen with his elbow. Galen opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to glare at Alex.
“Aye?”
Alex motioned for Galen to take off his ring. Galen raised an eyebrow and looked at Alex, questioning. Alex again gestured for Galen to take off his ring, and Galen reluctantly complied. Alex reached over with the ring finger on his right hand and tapped Galen on the forehead.
Galen, can you hear me?
“Aye, Alex?”
Alex raised one finger to his lips and shook his head no.
Please don’t say it, Galen. Think it.
Galen nodded. Are ya showboating telepathy now?
Maybe I wanted to test a theory and have a private conversation.
Yur theory works. What conversation is so private that Hoko and Ryo can’t hear it?
I’m scared, Galen. I can’t get the image of Danyal lying on that dirty mattress, suffering, out of my head.
Show me, Alex. Show me the scene.
Alex closed his eyes and sent the mental image to Galen, whose face turned pale.
Sorry ya had to see that, mate. It’s cruel. Keep an image of Danyal in yur mind of what it will feel like when he returns.
Alex briefly imagined him and Danyal lying in bed naked, embracing before this whole ordeal started.
Galen took his hand and covered his face.
Didn’t mean to start thinking about it now, arsehole. Give a bloke a warning next time!
Alex quietly chuckled.
I think I established that my memory is pornographic.
Galen sharply punched Alex on the shoulder.
Try to sleep, Alex. Got four hours left.
Galen, one last thing.
Eh, Alex?
Stop talking so much about my ass and giving it orders. You’re giving me a complex. I’ve worked hard on my glutes.
Galen rolled his eyes and sucked his teeth as he put the ring back on and turned away, resting his head upon the pillow he’d made with his jacket against the window.
A sharp poke to his ribs awakened Alex.
“Wake up, sleeping, beaut. Have arrived,” said Galen.
Alex wiped the sleep from his eyes and looked at his watch. One a.m. was late for a meeting, but Alex was ready to make a plan to save Danyal.
“Where are we, Ryo?” asked Alex.
Ryo said they were at a construction site in Manchester, PA, retrofitting a high school outside town, far enough from York to not draw attention. He told Alex PGC had paid the construction company to stop work for the week so they could come and go as they needed. Ryo added it had plenty of space and amenities for their needs, and locals would think they were part of the construction crew. He told the group to grab their stuff and meet in the cafeteria in ten minutes for a sitrep with the rest of the strike team.
Alex and Galen walked into the cafeteria to see Hoko and Ryo greeting three other strike team members. The only woman in the bunch, dressed in camo pants and an army green t-shirt, ran over to Galen and jumped towards him, where he caught her in a warm embrace. Alex could see she was beautiful, with long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, a lean, muscular body, and perfect cheekbones. By any beauty standards, she was striking, and Alex could see the spark in her chest pulse when she hugged Galen.
Before Alex could introduce himself, a bald man with a long brown beard walked toward Galen and put him in a bear hug. He was a couple inches shorter than Galen but as broad and muscular, with multicolored tattoos completely covering his bulging arms that now wrapped around Galen. The third man didn’t approach but observed from a distance. He was slender but muscular, with dark black hair and thick five o’clock shadow, highlighting his dark eyes and handsome face.
“Listen up, soldiers, let’s get this meeting going. You might as well start with a quick introduction and your specialties. I’ll start. Yuzuru Ryo, Navy SEAL, breach specialist, and head of security at PGC. Let’s go around the room to the right.”
“Andrea Cane,” said the tall, attractive woman standing next to Galen. “Canadian Special Forces, and hand-to-hand combat.”
“Galen Tucker, New Zealand Special Forces, sniper, and tactical planning.”
“Michael Christie,” said the bald, bearded man standing on the other side of Galen, “Canadian Special Forces, sniper, and all-around badass.”
Galen rolled his eyes. “Second-best sniper.”
“Zoltan Ivonav, Russian Special Forces, and I’m the ‘bomb whisperer.’”
“Hoko Mahomet, shaman, and I’ll be helping with the logistical coordination of this operation.”
“Alex Lieth, college professor, and I guess I’m your backup.”
“You’re going to make sure our papers are graded on time, Pretty Boy?” laughed Michael.
“Stop being an arse,” said Galen, “ya haven’t changed.”
“Go ahead and tell them your abilities, Alex. We need to be honest and on the same page,” said Ryo.
“My abilities are super strength, invulnerability, telekinesis, remote viewing, and energy manipulation. Oh, and limited teleportation…when it’s working.”
Michael let out a deep belly laugh. “I can see Pretty Boy left out stand-up comedian from his list. He’s our mascot.”
“Shut up, Michael,” said Galen. “Can smite ya where ya stand. Don’t mock him.”
“It’s OK, Galen. I can defend myself. Which ability would you like to see, Mr. Christie?”
“Dealer’s choice, Pretty Boy.”
Alex looked around the room at a four-person cafeteria table sitting to the right. With the motion of his hand, he telekinetically lifted the table off the floor and began slowly spinning it before it crashed to the floor after ten seconds. The pounding headache was well worth the look on Michael’s face. He turned to see the other stunned faces in the room, but Hoko, Ryo, and especially Galen, all wore gigantic smiles.
“Enough show and tell,” said Hoko as he placed his hand on Alex’s shoulder, “you need to save your strength.”
Alex nodded.
Ryo told the group to gather around as he unrolled blueprints onto the cafeteria table. He explained these were the blueprints for the abandoned York County Prison. Based on intel gathered by Alex and Hoko, he outlined there were fourteen hostiles from the terrorist group, the Sons of Enyaluis, and one hostage.
“Where’s Danyal being held, Alex?” said Ryo.
“He’s being held in a cell here, the third from the left on the first floor,” said Alex.
Ryo marked the position on the plans before outlining what would happen––in order to reach Danyal and get out as fast as possible. The plan was to breach the southern wall closest to Danyal’s cell. Ryo placed a second X on the map before telling the group they needed the element of surprise for this operation to be effective. He indicated it was best to breach the building at night while most of the group slept. Alex and Hoko would be at a safe distance in the cargo van, while Alex used his abilities to put a noise-dead zone around the building so the enemy couldn’t hear, giving them an element of surprise.
“Who are these Sons of Enyaluis? I’ve never heard of them,” inquired Zoltan.
Ryo replied that they were a rogue terrorist group that, until recently, hadn’t made much impact. However, they’d now jumped to the major leagues and represented a high-level threat.
“What do they want?” asked Andrea.
Ryo said they wanted a powerful substance that couldn’t fall into their hands. He went on to suggest that the substance was so dangerous, the potential impact it could have on the world didn’t bear thinking about.
“Better yet,” said Michael, “who’s this hostage we’re risking our lives for?”
“His name is Danyal Sarif,” said Alex. “He’s my boyfriend, and they’re holding him hostage because they think I have access to the substance they’re demanding.”
“Since this is personal for Pretty Boy, should he be near this operation?” asked Michael.
Ryo said they wouldn’t have any information about the situation without Alex. He admitted it was highly unusual, but Alex’s abilities brought too much to the table to be ignored. Ryo turned to Galen and said that, given his recent injury, he wouldn’t be going out in the field.
“Ryo, come on,” Galen protested.
“The PGC staff hasn’t medically cleared you,” said Ryo.
“Where do I fit into this plan?” asked Zoltan.
Ryo said he needed Zoltan to be in Harrisburg, PA, to defuse a dirty bomb the Sons of Enyaluis planned to detonate. He cautioned that Alex had identified the location, and the loss of life could be catastrophic if the bomb exploded Ryo indicated projections for the fallout distribution based on wind pattern forecast models suggested the radioactive material could hit urban centers, including Harrisburg, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. He stated millions of lives could be at risk. Ryo said they needed to be smart and not rush or make mistakes. He outlined they would take shifts conducting surveillance for the next twenty-four hours, wrapping up the briefing by saying they would review the plans again tomorrow and, all being well, would launch the offensive at three a.m. on Tuesday morning––a little over twenty-five hours from now.
“Hit the sack,” said Ryo, “you’ll need all the rest you can get to operate at optimal capacity.”
Fuck, this shit’s getting real!
Alex didn’t know if he could go back to sleep with all the adrenaline coursing through his veins.