24. Patrick
The lights went out briefly while the screens flickered but managed to stay on. The only images we can see now are from the cameras wired into the house’s electrical system. The barn and paddock cameras all went dark, along with any cameras within a quarter of a mile radius. A few beeps punctuated the silence as the microwave and oven clocks reset.
“Woo wee! I can’t believe it worked! I thought Ethan was being overzealous when he installed it, but I have to give him kudos,” my dad hollers.
“What happened? How were they able to cut power to the barn and outbuildings? And what are you talking about?” I ask in rapid fire, utterly baffled.
“Son, your bosses outfitted this ranch house with an EMP shield. It’s a device that’s attached to the breaker box, and it acts like a Faraday cage, dispelling the electromagnetic pulse of energy before any of the electronic components can be overloaded. Those men out there came prepared, but I’m sure they’re a little shocked to see that we still have power,” he says, all smiles.
“You’re like a kid in a candy store, Don.” Despite his joke, Jerry’s tone indicates he isn’t as happy about the turn of events as my father seems to be.
“What’s the matter, Jerry? I thought you, of all people, would think it’s a cool toy. You’re almost as geeked out over electronics as my boy here.”
“If I had known you had one of those shields, I wouldn’t have set up over a quarter of a million dollars worth of surveillance equipment in the bunkhouse, which is likely ruined now. I would have set it up in the basement instead,” Jerry growls.
“Oh. Sorry.”
I grip Jerry’s shoulders, “Don’t worry, Jerry. Ethan isn’t going to take it out of your paycheck. Let it go for now because we need to get moving before those guys outside do something even crazier than detonating an EMP. We have a slight advantage since things didn’t go as they planned. We should get going while they’re still confused.”
“Alpha One, this is Alpha Three,” Savannah calls out.
“Go for Alpha One.”
“Jordain’s men are not coming out into the open like I expected them to. They are skirting the tree line, heading South toward Juliette’s men. If you are going to do something, now would be the time. We don’t want them to rendezvous and then attack in full force. Do you want me to stay in position or join you?”
There’s no point in Savannah staying put if she can’t get a clear shot. “Join us by circling around toward Delta Two, but only if you can get there undetected. Mama and Papa Bear, you two defend the den and flip the breaker. The rest of us will try to flank Julietta’s men and incapacitate them before Jordain’s guys beat us there.” I bark out.
My dad does as I ask, and within 30 seconds, we’re cast in darkness. We immediately flip down our NVDs and turn them on, heading for the west exit. It’s in the opposite direction of our targets but should provide us enough cover to loop around behind Julietta’s men. Hopefully, it will be in time.
As soon as we leave the house, we have our weapons in the ready position in the event that we come under fire. God is on our side because we make it to the woods undetected. I pray the rest of the way will be as easy.
“If they used an EMP, why didn’t our cellphones and earpieces get fried,” Jessie asks as she moves fast but steadily through the brush.
I’m about to answer her, but Jerry beats me to it. “The antennas are too small. We might experience some degradation as we continue using them, but they should be all right for what we need to do. We’ll resort to using our comm-out procedures if they fail.”
When we get closer to our destination, I see movement about 100 yards ahead of us and realize that Savannah still hasn’t regrouped with our team.
“Alpha Three, Alpha One,” I say.
“Go for Alpha Three,” Savannah replies.
“What’s your status?”
There’s silence for a moment, and then her voice comes through in a whisper, “I didn’t have the opportunity to rally up with you without being spotted. I’m following Jordain’s men to catch them by surprise so that when you encounter them, their attention will be on you, not me.”
“Roger, that.” I point my weapon toward the movement and hold up my fist with a single digit, informing the team silently that the range to target is approximately 100 yards. Jerry and Jessie each head in opposite directions from me so we can stagger our approach and split their focus.
I’m less than fifty feet away when a muzzle flash lights up the night, and the sound of gunfire echoes through the trees. I take cover, even though it wasn’t aimed in our direction.
“The area’s hot,” I say as two more shots ring out. When I get close enough, I take aim and discharge my weapon using the nonlethal rounds, watching as one of Julietta’s men falls to the ground. Once the guard next to him notices that we’re there, he points his gun at me. I roll to the left just in time and hear the bullet as it wizzes by my head.
“Take cover!” My team doesn’t waste time following the directive, but another one of Julietta’s men falls in the process.
“I don’t think they’re shooting at us!” Jessie whispers loudly into her comm.
A bullet ricochets off the tree I’m behind, pieces of bark pelting my skin. “Speak for yourself. At least one of them has me in their sites. If either one of you can figure out who it is and take him out of the fight, I’ll buy you a car.”
“I want a 1967 Stingray Corvette!” Jerry says as he takes aim, shoots, and hits his mark. Not only does his target fall to the ground but so does the man next to him.
“Are you using live ammo?” I ask. Our rounds can’t penetrate the body like a bullet would, so taking two out with one shot isn’t possible.
“No! That wasn’t me. Someone else must have done it. Possibly Alpha Three.”
“Alpha Three, was it you who took the shot? What’s going on? Do you have eyes on the situation?”
“No, that wasn’t me. It was one of Jordain’s men. It doesn’t look like the two groups are working together. Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on.”
When the sound of gunfire stops long enough that I finally get a chance to peek around the tree and line up a shot, I’m unable to take it. My jaw drops at what I’m witnessing.
At least a dozen men are engaged in hand-to-hand combat, Julietta’s men being overpowered by Jordain’s.
Jessie stands up and looks over at me, shrugging her shoulders. “Should we get involved or let them duke it out?”
“I think we should make popcorn and enjoy the show,” Jerry chimes in, lowering his weapon so it’s not pointed at anyone.
I can’t make heads or tails of what’s happening, but I’ll gladly let Jordain’s guard battle it out with Julietta’s, reducing the number we’ll have to face once they’re done. “Whatever you do, stay sharp. This might be an ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’ scenario. I don’t want to be caught with our pants down if they flip on us.”
As soon as Julietta’s cadre of guards have been subdued, Jordain’s men turn to face us. Instinctually, I point my weapon in their direction. I’m not going to go down without a fight.
“Hold your fire, Knight! We are not here to harm you but to help!”
“Forgive me if I’m not quick to believe you. You’ve been scouting our property, sending in drones, trying to disrupt our communications, and never bothering to stop by for coffee.”
I hear the man chuckle. “You can keep your weapons pointed at us while we carry your enemy from these woods. Our hands will be full and unable to hurt anyone. Then we shall make introductions and have a cup of tea.”
It’s not the worst idea, but I don’t like it either. “Will you agree to surrender your weapons until this is sorted out?” If he agrees, it will go a long way in establishing a rapport.
“If you insist. Men, place your weapons on the ground and step back!” It’s nice to know that I’m dealing with someone with authority.
I speak softly so only my team can hear. “Alpha Three, keep your cover and your eyes out. If any of these guys make a move, knock them out.”
“Alpha Three copies. I’ve got your six. Well, from my position, I’m at your twelve.” Savannah giggles, and my mouth quirks up imperceptibly.
“Alpha Two and Alpha Four, please collect their weapons.” Jerry and Jessie promptly comply, gathering up nine guns in total. She slings four of them over her shoulders and walks back to her position. As she does so, I notice the weapons on her back aren’t your typical rifles. They’re lightweight rifle dart guns. Jerry returns with the remaining five of them, handing me two so that he’s not bogged down and has the mobility to point his weapon.
“After you,” I tell the leader. I’m ready for answers, but standing here in the woods isn’t the place to get them.
We surround them as they drag the bound men the final 300 yards to the clearing in front of the house. Savannah emerges a few seconds later, surprising all of them.
“Nice. I had no idea she was even there,” the man says with a smile.
I lower my weapon toward the ground. “I guess it’s time for introductions.” Before the man can give me his name, a car comes barreling down the driveway with his lights on full bright, blinding us in the process. Everyone flips up their NVDs to prevent damage to our retinas. It takes a minute for my eyes to adjust, but when they do, I watch as Kiernan and a man I haven’t seen in almost ten years get out of the SUV.
I immediately put Kiernan in my sights, and he raises his hands in surrender. “What’s with the hostility, Patrick? We’re here to save the day!” he jokes. I don’t laugh, and neither does anyone else.
“Now’s not the time for banter, Kiernan,” the older gentleman says. “My son-in-law has been through enough and doesn’t need to deal with your shenanigans right now.”
Trevor Caras approaches me and gives me one of those “man hugs” where you slap the back three times. Then he does something I don’t expect. He goes over to the man heading up Jordain’s royal guard and does the same.
“I see you got my message. Thank you for using tranquilizing darts, as I requested. These men were lied to and were just following orders. Though they were misguided, their hearts were in the right place,” he says, genuinely grateful.
“What do you plan to do with them?” I ask.
“We will return them to Cothena, where they will be reprimanded. But they aren’t the ones who deserve to be punished. The person behind all of this is. Where are my daughter and grandson?”
I point toward the house, “In the panic room.”
Trevor gasps, “You left them alone?”
Jerry steps forward, “They’re safe and in a place no one can get to them, not to mention Patrick’s parents are inside.”
Trevor shakes his head adamantly. “You don’t understand. We need to get to her now!” He tells me who’s behind everything, and I take off running, followed by Trevor and Kiernan. Before joining us, the head of Jordain’s guard snags three of the weapons we had placed in a pile on the ground.
When I reach the house, it doesn’t appear to have been breached. We split up and circle around, searching for any signs of forced entry. We don’t find anything until we get to the side door of the garage.
“Be careful and stay alert.” Pointing to my team, I tell them, “Go clear the house and check on my parents.” Pointing to Kiernan, Trevor, and the guard, “You three come with me.”
My team clears the garage, finding it empty. However, my heart sinks when I see the doors to my dad’s man cave and the house are both wide open.
I guess this isn’t over yet.