Sentients in the Maze Page 11

  “Lydia Castillo.”

  Someone passed a large canvas duffle bag into the room. Rodriguez snagged it and emptied the contents onto the floor. She passed tactical gear, body armor and uniforms to Jonah and Tiana. They slipped them on over their clothes and put on the helmets, buckling and tightening the chinstraps.

  “Are you all right?” asked Tiana.

  Jonah offered a tight smile, “Emergency mode. I’ll freak later.” He noticed that she hadn’t used his name since the attack.

  Damage control. She’s protecting my identity.

  Tiana moved back to Sackett; she slid him into the vest and fastened the helmet under his chin. “You’ll be fine, Charles,” she patted his arm and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Jonah grinned. He doubted the kiss was ‘just for fun’. No doubt it included something that would benefit Sackett.

  Rodriguez returned from the office. “All teams report ready to move, sir. . . and ma’am. Harris, you take the prisoner; don’t get careless. She’s an operative, and she fooled everyone for six years.” Rodriguez walked out again. As she passed Jonah, she brushed against him, and a slip of paper materialized in his hand as if by magic. With a sigh, he put it in his pocket, knowing what it was.

  Two men with a stretcher hurried into the room and eased Sackett onto it. Sackett opened his eyes, looked as though he was thinking about waving them off for a fraction of a second then closed his eyes and muttered. “Don’t drop me, eh?”

  “We’ll be careful, sir, won’t we, Jacksie?” said the one by his head, a rangy, red-headed Texan by the twang in his voice.

  “That we will, sir. We ain’t hardly dropped anybody all day,” said Jacksie, deadpan.

  “I hope I survive to laugh at that later,” said Sackett.

  “We’re gonna make the seatbelts nice and snug for this ride, sir,” said Jacksie, tightening the straps around Sackett’s thighs and ankles. His partner snugged the chest strap and slid a neck-supporting cushion in place to keep Sackett’s head from wobbling.

  After Jacksie fastened the straps, he moved Sackett’s hands in a position to grasp them. “Everybody wants to have ahold a somethin’ when they’re getting a ride like this. It’s better to hang on right here than on the side poles. You can get a finger smashed between a pole and a door or a railing if things get rushed and, believe me, that hurts like a motherfucker, sir. And, between you and me, you look like you’ve had your share of pain already today.”

  “Hands on the strap; got it,” said Sackett. “Thanks, Jacksie.”

  “You bet, sir. You ready, Austin?”

  Austin handed his bullpup to Tiana. Pointing to the lever by the trigger he said, “Safety. Shoot ‘em up. Lock ‘em down.”

  Jacksie handed his bullpup to Jonah who checked the safety—it was locked down too. He slipped the strap over his shoulder.

  Jacksie and Austin lifted the stretcher. They glided it out the door, making it look effortless.

  Rodriguez snapped orders. “Parker and Jones on point. Jacksie and Austin right behind then me and you, sir.” She nodded to Jonah.

  Rodriguez continued. “Your weapons are on three-round burst. I suggest you leave them there because they empty the mag PDQ on full auto. We should be clear now, and we hope you won’t need to fire any shots.” She touched her headset. “Clean-up crew. When finished, leave four here to hold this position until you’re relieved. Don’t let anyone in unless it’s a law enforcement official with a warrant and this place had better be clean before they get one of those.”

  “Can you run sweeper for us please, ma’am?” She looked at Tiana who nodded.

  “What’s in the magazine and what’s the setting for single shot?” Tiana asked.

  Rodriguez showed her the setting. “It’s like a SIG-550; AP rounds. You don’t miss, eh?” She looked around and touched her headset. “Everyone clear?” She waited until all the teams responded then touched the broadcast button again then said, “Moving out now.”

  Parker and Jones went through the fire escape window. Jacksie and Austin followed on their heels, dancing their way through, making Sackett seem to float between them. Rodriguez stepped out and Jonah stayed close behind her; their feet drummed on the stairs almost in unison. The afternoon sun beating on the south side of the building had turned the stairs into a giant barbecue grill, scorching his feet through the bottom of his shoes. He followed a few steps behind Rodriguez as they snaked down the back of the seventeen-story building. Team Two had stationed a sniper at every floor, blocking entrance onto the fire escape and covering the line of fire from the South.

  When they reached the ground, Austin and Jacksie rushed Sackett into a blocky Ford F550 ambulance. Rodriguez grabbed Jonah’s arm, led him running to a black Suburban and urged him through side door. Jonah piled in and Tiana slid in behind him. Rodriguez slammed the door. A second later, she was in the passenger seat and—after a solid thump of armor plated door panels hitting heavy-duty frame—the outside sounds faded. The rear compartment held a kneeling gunner with an assortment of assault weapons. The driver glanced over his shoulder and grinned at Jonah.

  “Roll wheels after the ambulance, Daniels,” said Rodriguez, voice steady. She waved her hand out the window.

  A Scorpion armored personnel carrier pulled onto the street in front of the building, blocking the one-way traffic headed east; an identical APC led the way down Church Street. The ambulance followed, running silent. Daniels accelerated smoothly and pulled in behind the ambulance. They shot down the street past City Hall, horn sounding as they passed assembled veterans with signs proclaiming, ‘Honk if you support our troops’ and ‘689 weeks in a row’.

  “Really, Daniels?” Rodriguez snapped, failing to hide an underlying note of amusement in her voice.

  “Just blending in with the environment, ma’am,” replied Daniels.

  Jonah looked back to see the other APC roaring up behind, their horn blaring as well. The troop-supporting crowd by Monument Steps cheered and pumped their flags. Jonah craned his neck at a slap slap slap sound of rotor blades coming up behind them and spotted a black helicopter following them down Church Street.. The chopper was built on a Huey chassis with what looked like fifty caliber gun barrels sticking out from each side.

  “Don’t worry, that’s our air support,” said Rodriguez glancing over her shoulder.

  Jonah looked at Tiana. “This what you expected when you asked for reinforcements?” he said for her ears.

  “Like hoping for a breeze and getting a hurricane,” she whispered back. “Can you turn off your phone and take out the battery? It’s possible someone could link you with me because your GPS records match our current route and time.”

  Jonah pulled out his phone and ejected the battery.

  Rodriguez saw him and nodded her head. “No other GPS enabled devices? Smart watches? Health monitors?”

  Jonah shook his head.

  “Good,” she said turning back to the road.

  They careened out of downtown, Traffic lights all held green for them and traffic was scarce for Friday rush hour. Jonah figured someone on their side had hacked the traffic lights. In his experience, life never worked that way without direct intervention. The chopper flew over them as they turned down the steep hill to the river basin, and was waiting for them at the bottom of the slope in the big lawn at Riverfront Park. Daniels ran the Suburban over the curb and onto the grass, pulling up next to the chopper with the passenger exit facing the idling Huey.

  Rodriguez turned around. “Okay, the three of us are boarding the chopper, but wait for the shields.”

  Four men spilled out of the chopper holding large, armored shields. They ran to the Suburban and formed an arching passageway to the chopper. Rodriguez stepped out of the car and crouched in the corridor they formed. She opened the door on Tiana’s side. “Please exercise caution when exiting the vehicle,” she said with a grin. Tiana slid out of the seat, staying low. Jonah followed, sliding out of the seat and ducking down behind her. Rodr
iguez moved up close behind Jonah, resting her hand on the small of his back. “Okay,” she said. “On one. Three, two, one!”

  They moved like a fast, fourteen-legged turtle across the grass, hands reached out to pull them in and push them toward seats. The door slid shut and the rotors on the Huey sped up, lifting the chopper up and forward. In a moment, they were skimming over the James River, heading upriver. The pilot’s voice came over the speakers. “Everybody please buckle their seat harnesses. Gunners lock the guns and shut the doors. The route will be NOE to minimize radar detection and fast with lots of bouncing, so fasten in tight. The fun begins in about thirty seconds.” Jonah had already buckled his seatbelt, but there were chest straps that needed fastening too. Rodriguez leaned over and helped him. Tiana had already figured out the puzzle and the gunner on her side only checked her straps, making sure they were snug before tightening his own.

  They chopper banked sharply and cut away from the river, dodging through an opening in the trees. Then they were bouncing and swerving across a blurring Amherst County countryside.

  Jonah braced his feet on the floor. “How fast are we going?” he yelled to Rodriguez.

  “Not so fast, with all the turning and weaving we’re doing, but when we hit the straightaway, we’ll probably hit 170 knots for awhile. That won’t seem so rough as this.”

  Jonah converted the numbers in his head, about 195 miles per hour.

  “Don’t worry,” yelled Rodriguez. “I flew ten missions with Davy in Afghanistan. He can fly this baby through hell and back. This is a milk run for him.”

  “Dammit, Rodriguez,” came the pilot’s voice over the loudspeakers. “You know better than to call a mission a milk run before it’s over.”

  Rodriguez reached up and turned off her microphone. “He’s just a bit superstitious,” she said with a grin. After a few more minutes of bouncing, the chopper leveled out and poured on the speed. They were still flying at or below treetop level, moving so fast that the terrain below them blurred. Jonah guessed they were somewhere in Rockingham county, but he couldn’t be sure. Abruptly, the rotors flared, tipping back to slow, and they dropped into a small clearing, in a smooth landing.

  “End of the line,” called Rodriguez, unsnapping her harness. The gunner pulled open the side door and Rodriguez dropped to the ground. Jonah followed, still wobbling after all the bouncing. Tiana put her hand on his shoulder and brushed the side of his neck with her fingers.

  Jonah patted her hand; it was her way of checking on him.

  “Am I okay ?” he said, grinning.

  “You’ll do,” she said, patting his bottom. She handed him a water bottle from the cooler in the chopper, reached into her bag and pulled out a package of beef jerky. “Can you eat this please? It’s important. Drink and eat as much protein and sugar as you can.” Jonah opened the bag and stuck one of the dry slices of beef in his mouth. He trotted back to the Huey and asked the gunner for any snacks they might have. The gunner came up with three bags of trail mix. He thanked Davy for the ride, the gunners for their help and snagged another water bottle; he’d need it with all the salt he was about to eat.

  Jonah hurried after Tiana, while Rodriguez knelt at the tree line, covering them with her bullpup. When Jonah reached the trees, the three of them set off down a logging road. A few minutes walking, with chewing and drinking for Jonah, brought them out on another road with a Chevy Yukon parked in a wide spot. Rodriguez pulled a key out of her pocket and hit the button to unlock the doors.

  “Ms. Rodriguez. I hate to be unsociable, but Jonah and I need to ride in the back. We have things to discuss. Will we be driving far?”

  “No problem, Ma’am. We'll be on the road about twenty minutes.”

  “Thank you. If it’s not critical, can you make it about thirty?” Tiana said with a smile. She opened the door and stepped through the second row seat to the rear compartment, already folded down into its luggage-carrying mode. Jonah climbed in behind her, raising an eyebrow in query. Tiana popped the passage seat back in place and reached out to pull him to her. She put her mouth to his ear, whispering. “I’m sorry to ask this, but I have injuries from the gunfight and not enough reserves to do the repairs. I need almost a liter of blood, badly. I will take it slow and boost your system. Keep drinking. Here is a bottle of something sweet. ”

  Jonah nodded, “Can you do that while we are moving or should we ask her to wait awhile before we go?”

  “It won’t matter,” Tiana said tucking her head into his shoulder. Her lips formed a seal on his neck. A soft pop followed a gentle sucking there. Drowsiness crept over him. He finished the orange drink, and soon the rocking of the car and the gentle strokes of her fingers lulled him to sleep.

  Dreams of sailing ended in an orgasmic explosion. He opened his eyes to see Tiana, milking him. Her suction and his contractions continued until the SUV pulled to a stop and she pulled her head back.

  “Thank you, Jonah,” she whispered. “You are a life saver.”

  “No problem,” he said running a finger across her cheek. “All better?”

  “Getting there. I’m lucky they were using armor-piercing rounds instead of hollow-points.”

  Jonah struggled to pull his pants up. Tiana had to help him. He was groggy. Tiana pushed the second row seat back down then slid out the side door. Jonah followed, managing not to stagger very much. He looked around to see they’d parked under a camo net, deep in a pine forest next to a cluster of twenty-foot boulders, sprawling beside a small, rocky hill.

  “Great!” he muttered. “I have no idea where the hell I am.”

  “Thirty miles north of Lexington,” Tiana said.

  “Washington Jefferson National Forest?”

  “So it would seem. Pockets of private land are scattered throughout the national forest. I would venture we’re on very private land. Of course, the key card at the gate and the eight-foot fence was a dead giveaway.” Tiana turned her head, “I think I smell. . . .” her voice trailed off, and she closed her eyes.

  A noise from the SUV made him turn and look back at the Yukon. Rodriguez was collecting the bullpups and storing them in a cache under the luggage compartment. She kept her own slung on her shoulder. When finished, she came over to where they stood.

  “I’ll take you to the door,” she said. “… If you’ll follow me.” She walked past them, stepping on irregularly spaced stones to disappear between the boulders. Jonah followed in her steps, and Tiana fell in behind him, holding on to his arm.

  In among the standing stones, Rodriguez stopped at a door set into the side of the hill. It looked like an elevator door with a large five-foot green circle surrounding a brass knob.

  Jonah laughed and Rodriguez and Tiana looked at him; he pointed at the doorknob. “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” He shrugged at their perplexed expressions. “Just Google it,” He muttered, “when it’s not a security risk.”

  Rodriguez pushed the knob and an intercom activated with a beep. “It’s Amber Rodriguez with your delivery,” she said into the intercom. After a moment, the door slid open and a rangy, sixtyish version of Charles Sackett V stood framed in the opening to a wood-paneled entry hall. He wore jeans, a black polo shirt and a tough ex-military officer’s bearing.

  Tiana stepped past Jonah onto a polished granite floor and stood looking up into the man’s face.

  “Charlie?”

  The man bowed low. “At your service, as always.”

  Tiana grabbed him in a desperate hug. “I smelled you, but I couldn’t be sure. I thought everyone was dead,” she said, her voice tight.

  Charlie looked over Tiana’s shoulder “Amber, I realize you’ve just finished a mission,” he said, “but I need you to do a few hours of sentry patrol too,”

  “I’m on it, sir,” said Rodriguez then turned and vanished into the boulders.

  Jonah’s mind felt as though it had gears grinding on what was happening, but he stepped forward and held out his hand. “So you’re the
Charlie I’ve heard about, You look good for a man born about the time Lincoln was assassinated. I’m Jonah Brandyr.”

  “My partner,” Tiana added, “full partner.”

  “Congratulations, to both of you. I go by Major these days to my friends and family.” He smiled. “It’s not a military rank. You’ve met the only Sackett that still gets to use the name Charlie, although we still call him Minimus when he needs to be reminded he’s inexperienced.”

  “He seemed competent to me,” Tiana said. She turned and walked down the hall. “Charles?” she called. “I know you are here. Come out this minute.”

  Another man stepped into the hall. He looked like the first man’s brother. “I lost the toss on who got to open the door,” he said as he greeted Tiana with a hug, “and I go by Max now. We decided using my old nickname was a security risk.”

  “Maximus, eh? Okay, I can work with that,” she said grinning. “Who did I speak with on the phone when I called for help?”

  “That would’ve been Ivy,” said Max.

  “Your great-grandson.”

  “Well, actually my grandson, but he is still the fourth Charles Sackett. My other grandson, Trey, chose not to follow in the family traditions, but we kept things going.” Max replied, smiling. “It’s been a long time, Tiana.”

  “For me it was only a week ago.” She hugged him again.

  Tiana unwound her arms from Max and turned back to Jonah. “Max, may I introduce Mr. Jonah Brandyr, my partner.”

  Max stepped forward and shook Jonah’s hand with a not quite crushing grip. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brandyr,” he said warmly. “Come in and take off the body armor. Charlie told us the two of you had gotten hitched.”

  “Hitched?” Jonah said, pausing in the middle of removing the heavy vest.

  “Well, yes. A lot more stable than marriage, I would say.”

  “My experience with marriage would support that,” Jonah replied with a dry smile.

  “We already know a little about you Jonah,” said Max. “Charlie had his team researched you and they sent it to us. We assumed Tiana would partner with someone of the highest caliber, so we weren’t snooping, just forming ideas about how we might work together.”