Chapter 2 Emery #3
Bridger waves his hand dismissively and stands at the head of the table while Nolan takes a seat across from Erik.
Clearing his throat, the captain says, “Lieutenant, it’s always good to see you.
It looks like you’ve succeeded in properly taming Mori.
” His eyes scrutinize Mori’s careless posture, then shift laxly to me, making me flinch.
“And this must be our new recruit who subdued said beast. Morphine, correct?”
I lower my chin in a slow nod, reluctant to actually say words to this guy. His gaze is heavy. Analytical. Holding some of the world’s darkest secrets, I’m sure. Anything we know as secret soldiers, he knows five times more and in greater detail.
From what I’ve gathered since waking, the world is truly a dark and terrible place.
And I’m not just saying that after Gage made me watch all those awful fucking war movies.
I learned from hearing all the heinous shit the soldiers in the Dark Forces are expected to do. Kill. Don’t ask questions. Kill.
I listen to that gut feeling deep in my chest that says everything is not what it seems. Be wary.
The longer you see what’s under the covers, the more monsters you realize have been beside you.
Worse yet, inside you. One person can wear as many as five faces.
Which one will give them away? I wonder.
“Well done. Now then, on to the matters at hand. Fury Squad, we have a level black mission in which you’ll be shutting down an entire operation of illegal goods that are being distributed throughout the world.
This is a two-part mission. The first being recon and retrieving intel from their hideout located in the Great Basin, the second being execution of the operation once all assets are in our possession.
” Bridger’s voice is grave. My heart seizes at the word execution.
What was that? I fist my hands over my knees, not wanting to make any attention-grabbing expressions in front of the captain. It felt familiar.
“The good news is that you’re going somewhere warm, the bad news is that the item you’ve been tasked to locate and retrieve is small and will be a pain in the ass to get. We’re talking about absolutely no mistakes,” he says darkly before snapping his fingers.
The double ebony doors to the room open and a slender female walks in.
Her bronze hair is tied back into a ponytail and her plum-shade lipstick complements her olive skin tone magnificently.
She has big red-framed glasses and a small digital pad in her right hand.
The navy blue suit she’s wearing makes her appear important.
It’s obvious that she’s not a soldier like we are.
She strides in and stops at the head of the table nearest the doors.
Captain Bridger motions his hand to her as he proclaims, “This is Mikah. She’s our best hacker in the Dark Forces, and your primary goal will be to safely escort her to the data room.
The locks on the door are impenetrable except by way of manually opening them with the kill code.
Mikah has the ability to hack into any security system in the world and disarm an entire facility in a matter of minutes, but she needs to have time to get that done.
We’re counting on the Fury Squad to keep her safe while she disarms the doors and can retrieve the thumb drive. ”
Thomas’s eyes widen and dart to Erik. “Are you serious? An escort mission on level black is suicide…more than a high-stakes mission like this usually is. How do you expect us to get in without being detected and keep guards off her for minutes? That’s like a fucking hour when you’re actively fighting,” Thomas snaps, standing and slamming his hands on the table.
I flinch at the motion. He’s usually so calm that I’m surprised he’s this upset.
Lieutenant Erik’s mouth firms and he levels Thomas a haughty gaze.
“Which is why they’re entrusting this mission to the Fury Squad.
Our superior officers know we can get it done—” I don’t hear what he says for a few seconds because Mori kicks my shin under the table.
My eyes flash to his, rage fueling the blush that burns over my cheeks.
“What?” I say with my eyes, emphasizing that I’m not impressed with his timing by the way my brows knit.
He lets his jaw slack, parts his lips enough to make my pulse jump, and then leans forward on his hand, shutting his jaw abruptly. His eyes pointedly saying, “Close your fucking mouth.”
My jaw quickly clamps down. I didn’t realize my mouth was parted from the absolute shitshow mission we were just dropped with.
I shoot Mori a glare and he winks at me with his scarred eye. Was that supposed to be playful? He didn’t so much as crack a grin, yet there’s something in his gaze that holds amusement.
“Besides, I’ll be in attendance as well. There’s no room for error on this mission. We don’t come home until we get that flash drive,” Erik states sternly. The set of his jaw dismissing any arguments.
My eyes skirt across the room to assess how the squad is taking this. Their expressions are discouraging, making an uneasy flutter rise in my stomach.
For some reason though, the thought of a mission like this doesn’t make me feel the same way they do. Maybe it’s because I have nothing to hold on to. No past, no baggage, no one I’m thinking fondly of.
It’s really no different than just trudging on like I already am, but with more action. I could use some change, it might spur my memories to return. Excitement stirs up the chemicals in your head, doesn’t it? Sex does the trick too, at least that’s what I heard from Gage.
The thought of sex snaps an image of Mori straight into my head.
As big as he is I can only imagine the size of his package.
I shouldn’t think of his muscles or his weighted stare that pierces me relentlessly.
The only cortisol released from him would be from stress alone. I can’t imagine a world in which we’d…
I shake my head, heat flushing over my cheeks as I think of him touching me, sliding his callused hands down my stomach and dipping beneath my waistband. Oh God, stop thinking like that. I shift in my seat and refocus.
In terms of the mission and it being lethal, I have nothing to lose, no one to mourn me. I’m already technically declared deceased to the civilian world.
So who cares if I die?
I sense heavy eyes on me and glance at Mori.
His chin is still firmly planted on his palm, steadfast as he stares at me.
There’s a softness somewhere in those heartless eyes, but he insists on keeping a wall of ice between us.
His gaze shifts to my hair, pulled back into a loose bun.
Disdain wrinkles his nose before he returns his attention to Erik and Bridger.
What, now he has a problem with the way I have my hair?
“Mori, you and Morphine are going to be the first ones entering the territory. We’re counting on you two to cause a scene out there and draw as many of the guards out as you can.
I’ll hand out everyone’s detailed instructions after dismissal this morning.
You’re to immediately start preparing. We have one week until load out,” Captain Bridger says, eyeing both of us more than the others.
I’m not surprised that we’re the ones going in first. We’re the two most unstable soldiers they have. I’d send us in first too.
Nolan threads his fingers together as he chimes in, “On another note, we are beginning trials for the next series of our enhancement drugs. Any takers besides Mori?” His voice is smooth but it still sounds like a serpent’s.
Something about Nolan just gives me a rotten feeling.
It could be the lack of humanity in his gaze.
The way he only ever looks at us like weapons ready to fire.
I think it’s more than that, though. A knowledge I once had of him in the Under Trials, perhaps. He is a man made of lies. I have nothing to prove that belief, it’s an instinctive feeling. One I trust.
But when it comes to the experiments, I’ve seen firsthand the advantages of the drugs. Mori is living proof of it. The new series will be based on all the progress they’ve made with him, so it must be safer, right?
I slowly lift my hand. Nolan grins, it’s hollow and greedy.
“Excellent. I’ll steal you for a few minutes after the briefing,” he mutters.
Mori’s glaring at me. I can feel his eyes burning holes into the side of my head and hear the sharp breath he takes.
The others are afraid of the aftermath. They still have freedom they reach for.
I have nothing.
I am nothing.
And what’s more fun than getting to do things everyone else is too afraid to do?