Chapter 20 #2
“After that, we became good friends. I trust that man with my life.” I don't know whether to smile at the fondness with which he speaks about Noc or leave my mouth open at the fact that Hawk had known Nocturne this whole time, has literally turned a blind eye to him and made out he didn't know a thing.
“Noc reached out to me again four years ago.
I thought I'd lost my mind because I'd heard about his passing, and it wrecked me. Then I had someone claiming to be him calling from beyond the grave. I was suspicious. He sent me the file, and it was a no brainer. Ashley managed to get my name included with the recommendations for Graves’s team beforehand and, by chance, I proved myself well enough to join Ashfall - to keep an eye on Graves. We were working on our own covert mission from within. Noc, Ashley and I were going to bring Graves and Volokov down.”
God this is too much. There's too many revelations crashing down at once. I feel like I’m trapped in a simulation, caught between reality and illusion.
I need someone to hit pause. I rub my temple to ease my words, “So, Noc's basically infiltrating Volokov’s gang? That’s fucking risky, Graves surely knows Noc has been working with him? ”
Hawk catches my eye in the rearview mirror.
“Yes, and No. I don't know the full circumstances of how Noc got in with Volokov, he hasn't been willing to share. But I trust what I know so far. As for Graves, he only found out Nocturne was alive when you mentioned it in the hotel. He had suspicions, but he couldn't track him down. Volokov’s also gone silent on him the past few weeks, and their relationship’s been rocky these last couple of years.”
I frown, why hasn't he told Hawk? But something else pops into my head, something a bit more pressing. “Do you know Ashley is dead? We thought it was Noc.” Sadness creeps into the edges of Hawk’s eyes as glances away from the mirror, eyes back on the road.
“Yes, we expect that Graves made the call.
She told us she was coming over here, to deal with some unfinished business, but she wouldn't tell us why.
Said she would confirm later that night at her motel.
I hadn't heard from her, but when I got there I saw the police on scene and knew she'd been discovered.” My heart aches.
I look over at Adam who looks like he feels the same.
We're responsible. It’s time to own up to it.
“Adam and I called her. We'd been doing some digging around and found a file where she and Noc were disciplined. When we were trying to figure out if Noc was alive and what he was doing in Russia. She agreed to meet us, and started to tell us some of the details, but she never got to the names. I remember her saying my mother would never forgive her if she didn’t help me when I asked, especially with this. But I only went and got her killed for it.”
Hawk exhales sharply on a breath he seemed to be holding since I started speaking.
“Damnit, Ashley,” he mutters to no one in particular.
“Noc hasn't updated her status, but he knows.
When your mom asked Noc to protect you, she also knew you'd need to be made aware and brought in on this for your own safety.
You should have been a part of the team with Noc; he was going to be the Commander.
But everything just went south so quickly, our plans were readjusted.
I know you think it's your fault she died, but Ashley knew the risks. She was asked to look out for you too. You were always going to be a part of this one way or another, Nyx.”
Taking a life is one thing, we’ve been hardened against it, our souls so black that it no longer makes an impact.
We're so ruthless that when an enemy falls, we tell ourselves the world is better for it. But when someone dies protecting you… that’s a weight no amount of discipline can prepare you for.
Even though Hawk means well, he and I both know it never lifts the burden.
Blitz finally speaks, quiet this entire time whilst analyzing it all.
“So, what's our next move, Hawk?'' For once, she looks nervous.
No sign of her usual, playful self, always trying to add some brightness into our dark days.
And if Blitz is nervous, we all should be. The girl is as fearless as they come.
A rush of unease grips me when I think about Noc. We need to get him out. And we need to get to him fast. Hawk turns over his shoulder. “Adam, anything on the feed?”
He nods. “Been observing. The camera isn’t on in the back, but there’s only containers at the far end of the perimeter.
They’ve taken him there. No sign of Graves.
” Good, the last thing we need is to try and act unaware, not when the weight of the last two hours is still settling over us. Graves is the enemy.
Hawk straightens, his voice sharp. “Graves is compromised 616.
He's officially the primary X. You do not engage him alone.
We stick together if he shows up. I'll park the cruiser outside and we'll monitor the area before going in.
We're going to need to go rogue, team.'' Phantom salutes him and speaks on behalf of all of us ''We're with you, Sir. ''
It takes us thirty more minutes to get back, the eagerness rolling off me to get to Noc.
How the tables have turned in less than five hours.
Almost three weeks ago I was willing to kill him, and tonight I've found out that it's all been lies.
Lies to make me hate him, when it was the very man pulling the strings who was responsible, trying to make me his secret weapon.
His second in command. There's been so much betrayal and lies.
I can feel the electricity crackling beneath my skin as it all forms together inside me. I need to kill a motherfucker.
The car rolls to a stop just past the hut and we all get out, weapons drawn and earpieces in as we stalk through the night toward the perimeter.
Hawk gives Phantom the signal, and he makes his way up the watchtower, checking it's empty.
''Clear, keeping watch.'' We copy and the four of us move in a single line, Adam and Blitz checking our sixes and threes as Hawk and I lead the way.
We make it a third of the way round when we spot the containers. It's eerily silent, my favorite kind.
''What's our move, sir?'' I ask Hawk, my eye looking through the night vision to check, there's two guards at the front of the doors, another at the side. ''Three hostiles. 2 o'clock, twenty meters. Phantom, what's your position?'' Hawk asks him.
''Four. Hostile moving behind the containers. He's just come back from taking a piss or he'd be ghost.'' Great, this will be awkward without alerting any of the off duty patrols.
''Blitz, sweep over twenty meters at 3 o'clock. I want you to take the east side. Adam you follow but fall back ten meters, and keep her covered. Nyx, you're with me. We're pushing ahead. Phantom, give us the signal when all are in position.''. We all confirm in unison ''Copy.'' and begin to move.
Adam and Blitz move off to our right as Hawk and I edge forward, using the darkness to our advantage as we crouch between the bushes and mangled rusted fence.
Our path is too far in the open, we need to army crawl on our stomachs to remain hidden.
The grass grows thicker as it stretches toward the woodland, forcing us to move at an agonizingly slow pace.
Any faster and we’re exposed. I don’t dare lift my chest, not even slightly - that’s how you get shot.
I lead with my fingers, careful to keep my gun low, distributing my weight to avoid sudden shifts and to judge the ground beneath us.
Thankfully it's soft, the temperature not cold enough to cause the dirt beneath us to freeze and crunch with our weight. I'm following Hawk’s lead here, so when he stops, I stop. His movements are measured, adjusting his gun out in front of him, so I do the same. We remain like this for a few minutes, allowing for Adam and Blitz to get into position. “All in position, ready to engage.” Phantom confirms from his watch, but we can only act on Hawk’s order as he whispers, “Adam, take the front.
Blitz takes the back. Nyx, you're left. I'm right.” He gives us three seconds to train on target. “Free to engage.”
We each fire a single shot; the bodies of Graves’s patrols all drop with a distant thump as they hit on the ground.
It’s twisted how beautifully executed that was, each of them dropping to the ground in their final dance with death in unison.
That’s what happens when you're in this game for too long, you appreciate the darker side that would make most people faint.
Hawk and I rise to a crouch, moving forward in sync.
Blitz and Adam follow, each of us keeping vigilant eyes on our six as we close in on the doors.
Hawk tests the padlock, and it's locked. We waste no time as we search the dead patrols, Phantom keeping watch from above. Adam strolls over from the further patrol, handing the key to Hawk, who yanks the padlock off and eases the door open. A metallic groan splits the silence. It’s deep and drawn-out, the kind of sound that carries across an area like this.
Shit. That was loud. Not ideal. I flick the torch attached to my gun, the others doing the same.
Beams slice through the darkness, illuminating the inside – rusted beyond belief, thick with mold and dirt clinging to every surface, the decay building up over its abandonment.