Chapter 16
The private airfield outside of Washington was exactly what Dan had expected.
It was small, discreet, the kind of place where people came and went without questions or paperwork.
The Guardian jet sat on the tarmac, sleek and purposeful, its cargo bay doors open to reveal the organized chaos of a team staging for deployment.
Dan stood beside Raven and felt the heaviness of what was about to happen settle over him with more reality than any briefing could provide.
This is it.
He looked at Raven.
She was watching the aircraft with the focus of someone running through mental checklists, confirming variables, readying for the moment when preparation gave way to execution. Her go-bag was slung over her shoulder, and her operational face was on, the one that kept everything contained and ready.
But when she glanced at him, her expression softened just slightly.
"Ready?" she asked.
"As I’ll ever be, I guess."
"They're going to have questions."
"As I said, I'll answer them. Unless they ask us what happens in the bedroom."
She elbowed him in the gut. “Stop. You sound like them now. You know a couple of them are going to be ridiculous."
He smiled. "I can handle ridiculous."
"Good. Because Phantom specializes in it."
As if on cue, the largest human being Dan had ever seen ducked out of the aircraft's cargo bay and headed toward them across the tarmac.
“And he must have heard us. That’s Phantom.” Raven’s smile turned into a smirk as the man stalked toward them.
Dan had seen the file Ring had provided on her teammates.
No pictures, just a listing of operational history, skillsets, and the notation that Phantom was "effective at making statements.
" Needless to say, the file hadn't quite captured the reality of the man.
Six-foot-five, if not taller, and built like he'd been spawned from muscles and some very bad intentions.
He had the kind of presence that made doors seem wholly inadequate and rooms feel smaller.
He reached them in a few strides, grinned at Raven, and then turned that grin on Dan.
"So, you're the ghost from her past," Phantom said. His voice was exactly what Dan expected. Way too deep, carrying the kind of authority that could fill a room or a battlefield with equal effectiveness.
"Dan Miller," Dan said, extending his hand.
Phantom took it. His grip was firm but not a test. Then he slapped Dan on the shoulder hard enough that a smaller man might have staggered.
"About time someone tried to tame her," Phantom said, jerking his thumb toward Raven.
Raven flipped him off without looking.
Phantom laughed. It was a genuine, booming sound that cut through the afternoon. "Yeah, I like him already. Come on, let's get you settled."
They followed him up the cargo ramp.
The interior of the aircraft was everything the exterior had promised.
It was configured for tactical deployment rather than comfort, with bench seating along both sides, storage compartments packed with gear, and a center section that had been converted into a mobile operations center.
Screens, communications equipment, and what looked like enough weaponry to outfit a small army.
Guardian's resources. The vastness of their resources still dumbfounded him.
A man was already on board, methodically checking equipment with the attention of someone who'd done this hundreds of times and would do it hundreds more. He looked up when they entered, and his eyes went to Raven first.
Recognition. Warmth.
He crossed the cargo bay in three steps and pulled her into a hug.
Dan felt his chest tighten, which he didn't entirely like. He was territorial. He had no right to be. It was ridiculous, but there it was.
The man released Raven and turned to look at Dan. His eyes were sharp, assessing, the kind of look that cataloged everything in a glance and filed it away for later. He looked between them, extended his hand, and said, “Rook.”
“I’m Dan.” Rook nodded and then pointed at Dan.
"Yours?" Rook asked Raven. His voice was quiet, direct.
Raven didn't hesitate. "Yes. He's mine. And always will be."
Always will be.
His chest may have puffed out a bit on that comment.
Rook's eyebrows went up. A slow smile spread across his face. "Got it," he said. "Glad to have you."
"Thank you."
Rook held his gaze for another moment, some final assessment happening behind those sharp eyes, then nodded and turned back to his equipment check.
Another figure emerged from the forward section of the aircraft. Smaller than Phantom, leaner than Rook, moving with the economy of someone who made every motion count.
He looked at Dan without speaking. No greeting. No acknowledgment beyond a careful, measuring look that lasted three seconds and communicated everything.
I see you. I'm aware of you. I'll decide what I think about you later.
Then he nodded once and kept moving toward the equipment bay.
Raven leaned over. “That was Specter. He warms up slowly.”
“You weren’t exaggerating about eleven words a day, were you?”
She chuckled. “Nope.”
Two more figures came up the cargo ramp together, their voices audible before they were seen. They had an easy banter, the kind that came from people who'd worked together long enough that silence and conversation were equally comfortable.
“The one on the right is Viper, and the other is Demon.” Raven made the introductions. “This is Dan.”
They stopped when they heard Raven, and the banter adjusted immediately to genuine warmth.
Viper was tall and rangy and had the build of a distance runner.
He grinned and offered Raven a fist bump that she returned.
Demon was shorter, more compact, with the kind of face that looked perpetually amused.
He hugged Raven briefly and then turned his attention to Dan.
"You must be the infamous ghost from the past," Demon said. His voice carried humor without mockery. "We've heard stories."
"Good ones, I hope," Dan said.
"Mostly about how you managed to stay dead for years while actually being alive. That takes skill."
Raven shot him a glance, but she was smiling when she countered, "Or stubbornness."
"Also acceptable." Demon extended his hand. "Welcome to the team. Try not to get killed for real this time."
Dan shook his hand and answered, "I'll do my best."
Viper stepped forward and offered his hand as well. "Good to have you. Raven doesn't trust easily. If she trusts you, that's enough for me."
Dan shook the man’s hand. "I appreciate that."
"Don't make me regret saying it," Viper said, but his tone was friendly.
The last figure to board was impossible to miss.
“And finally, this is Z. Short for Berserker. That’s his wife with him.
She’s a pilot.” The duo came up the cargo ramp with excessive energy.
As if someone decided life was meant to be lived at maximum volume, and they had committed to it completely.
The guy was suntanned with a broad smile and a presence that filled the space without trying.
His wife had dark hair pulled back in a practical braid, a pilot's jacket, and the kind of calm competence that suggested she was the reason Z hadn't vibrated out of the aircraft.
“Z, Willow, this is Dan,” Raven said.
Dan extended his hand, and Z pumped it up and down.
“Good to meet you. You must be the bloke who's been keeping our Raven occupied these past weeks.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Welcome aboard, mate.
Jinx is pulling up with the co-pilot, and Havoc has an assignment.
Right then!" Z announced to the aircraft at large. "Everyone here? Good! For those of you who haven’t met her yet, this is my lovely and talented wife, Willow, who’ll be keeping us aloft and alive, in that order. "
He turned toward Dan. “You any good with explosives?”
"Adequate."
"Adequate. I like him already." Z smiled and released his hand and turned to Raven. "He's adequate with explosives. That's practically a marriage proposal in my book."
"Your book is questionable, Z. It always has been," Raven said, but she was smiling.
"My book is magnificent." Z looked around the aircraft. "Willow, love, how's the bird looking?"
"Pre-flight complete," Willow said from the cockpit door. Her voice was calm, professional. "We're wheels up in fifteen minutes. Everyone, strap in and settle. It's a long flight."
Phantom secured the cargo ramp as the team found their positions.
One last team member and the co-pilot ambled on before Dan took a seat near Raven.
Jinx shook his hand and winked at Raven before taking a seat by Phantom.
Dan glanced around the cargo bay and was aware that everyone was still watching him with varying degrees of curiosity and assessment.
This is her family. These are the people who kept her alive while I couldn't.
Raven leaned toward him slightly, keeping her voice low as she asked, "You okay?"
"I will be."
"They're a lot to wrap your head around."
"They're good men."
She looked at him, her expression warm. "Yes, they are."
The engines spooled up, and Willow's voice came over the intercom. "Buckle up, children. Hawaii first, then the Philippines. Try not to break anything expensive. Z, you’re not allowed to touch your pack until we are on the ground in the Philippines."
“Where’s the fun in that, love?” he shouted against the roar of engines that Dan figured were revved so he couldn’t be heard. Laughter spread across the bay.
* * *
The mission brief started an hour into the flight.
Raven stood at the front of the cargo bay with a tablet in hand and a projected map showing on the screen behind her. The Cagayan Valley region of the Philippines, satellite imagery of dense jungle and mountainous terrain, and a red marker indicating the approximate location of the Scroll's den.
"This is what we know," she said.
Dan watched the team shift into operational mode. The easy banter from the boarding gave way to the focus of professionals receiving a threat assessment.
Raven walked them through it methodically.