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Episode
175
“Nice to know the ultimate battle between good and evil
“Wow.” Morgan said, staring at the crowd of knights as they all
stared at the single black van that had arrived. “There’s certainly a
lot of black and red around these here parts.”
“Yes
the hell there is.” Roland nodded, in mild shock.
Everett
stepped out of the van, the first one to put his feet on the desert soil.
“Who are you guys?” The black knight asked.
“Is
that a rhetorical question?” Came a familiar voice. The crowd parted as
Vincent stepped forward, a warm smile on his face. “Glad you guys could
make it. We were about to start without you guys.”
“No,
no. Go right on ahead.” Morgan grumbled, getting a playful slap on the
back of the head from Sydney.
“Okay.
What’s your plan?” Everett asked.
“We’re
glad you’re here.” Vincent said, still smiling.
“Great.”
Everett said gruffly, not caring. “The plan.”
“What
part of ‘we’re glad you’re here’ did you not get?” Vincent
reiterated more clearly.
“Ah.”
“I’m telling you, it’s nothing.” Mint maintained.
“We
saw some movement in the shadows.” Said a tech, as he brought up the
video camera footage on the main screen. An image of the camera inside the
gas station showed a series of shadows outside the station’s glass
windows.
“Go
to Infrared.” Jericho said.
“We
can’t sir.” The tech apologized. “Until the reactor is on-line,
we’ve been keeping everything at an absolute minimum. That includes the
security cameras.”
“Okay.”
Jericho accepted. He looked to Mint and Eli, preparing to speak.
“It’s
just a fox or something, Jericho.” The woman still argued.
“Fine,
Mint.” Jericho relented exhaustively. “We’ll send out a small car
and see what’s going on. If it’s something serious, we’ll have time.
If it’s not, they’ll fix it.”
“Fine.”
The woman conceded.
“Fine.”
Jericho affirmed.
“Here are some recon photos taken by the local team of
knights.” Vincent said as the gathered crowd of knights moved in close
around the single car behind the gas station. The small mass of cars,
enough for a good-sized car lot, failed to do anything to the desert heat.
Everett
took the photos, flipping quickly through them. “I still can’t believe
you guys didn’t come up with a plan.” “I
guess we got crossed up over who was supposed to do what.” Vincent
offered as a weak explanation. “Okay.”
Everett said, shaking his head as he handed the pictures over to Sydney
and Edgar, then looked to Vincent. “Okay. I think our best point of
entrance is going to be through this parking deck, here on the lowest
level, and simultaneously here on the battle mounts. These are the only
things exposed to air on the fortress.”
“The
battle mounts getting assaulted will be expected.” Vincent said. “But
this parking deck. How are we supposed to get in?”
“I’m
working on that.” Everett said, going back to the familiar schematics.
“Like I said, I thought you guys were going to have a plan. I’m still
trying to remember the one I came up with when we first got these
plans.”
“Listen.” Jericho said, taking Eli’s arm and pulling him
close. “I want you to go ahead and start the preparations for
defense.” He whispered. “I trust Mint, but I don’t trust this
situation. If someone’s invading, they’re going to be here real soon.
Start everything. At the first sign of trouble, I want this place
operational in ten minutes, got it?”
“Yes
sir.” The sniper nodded.
“Okay.” Everett said, pulling Vincent off to the side of the
knights, just at the edge of the flashlight-lit parking lot. “We’re
going to need a team to infiltrate the Brotherhood’s fortress ahead of
the main force.”
“How
big is said team going to be?” Vincent asked with a hard swallow.
“Five.
No more.” Everett said. “They will infiltrate, and disable the main
lines of security. That will enable us to get inside. After that, we will
split into five groups of thirty knights and take the fortress level by
level. We will secure each floor, five at a time, and move on down. With
any luck,” Everett went on. “This shouldn’t take more than ninety
minutes or so.”
“Are
you kidding?” Vincent asked. “It’s a huge fortress.”
“But
ninety minutes?” Vincent asked.
“I
thought I’d give the infiltration team the extra ten minutes to do the
job properly.” Everett said.
“Okay.
And what suicidal group of yahoos are going to be the first ones
inside?” Vincent asked.
“Well,
that’s the hard part.” Everett said. “We’re not ordering anyone.
They have to volunteer.”
The elevator doors slid open as Mint stepped out. Dressed in black
jeans and a red shirt, the girl sauntered over to the three men as they
loaded up into a van mad to look like a local power company repair
vehicle. “Guys.” She said, getting their attention. “You do know
where to go right?” She asked.
“To
the gas station.” Said the driver, standing at semi-attention for the
woman.
“Why
does everyone keep saying that?” She nearly shouted, her volume seeming
impossible for someone with her stature. “It’s at the pumping station
by the old river bed.”
The
three men looked at each other. “Our, our report said to go to the . .
.”
“And
that’s why Jericho sent me down here, to make sure of that.” The woman
said, angrily snatching the assignment page in question from the driver.
“Now, here’s the appropriate destination. Understand?”
“Yes
ma’am.”
“Yes
ma’am.”
“Yes
ma’am.”
“Good.”
Mint said, whirling around from the three and storming back into the
elevator.
“Operation Sword Hilt will initiate in thirty minutes.” Everett
explained as he stood on top of Vincent’s car, the flashlights of the
gathered knights on him as he spoke. “Phase one of the operation will
begin when an infiltration team of five knights will go in first. Their
assignment will be to disable the primary and back-up security systems,
thus enabling the rest of the knights to enter.”
“Phase
Two,” The leader of the knights continued. “Will be when the rest of
us, as has been already decided by Vincent, enter into the fortress and
take it floor by floor. Team leaders, you have your assignments of floors
and operational information.”
“Phase
Three,” Everett summarized. “Is when we vacate the fortress and leave
it for the buzzards to pick clean.”
“Who’s
going to be on this infiltration team?” A knight from California asked,
holding up his hand.
“That’s
the hard part.” Everett said with slight reservation. “Potentially, no
one because this is going to be volunteer only. No one, under oath or
guilt, will be asked or pressed into joining this team.” He paused,
holding out his hands in a calming fashion. “Now, before you all raise
your hands to volunteer,” Everett started.
“No
chance of that.” Came a voice.
“We
need people who are trained in infiltration. More so than regular
knights.” Everett cautioned with a reserved look in his eye. “Don’t
sign up simply because your parents never caught you when you snuck out of
your bedroom after curfew. Real competences at this. We need real,
well-trained people for this.”
“I’m
in.” Ledger called, holding up his shotgun.
One
hundred and forty-nine heads turned to him.
Everett
smiled. “Okay. One. Any other takers?”
“Two.”
Sydney said, standing up.
“Three.”
Jason said, calling from behind Everett and Vincent. Vincent
looked at his friend, then grinned. He looked at Everett and laughed.
“Four.”
“Are
either of you capable of infiltration?” Everett whispered unconvinced.
“More
than most.” Jason argued.
Everett
turned back to the crowd of knights. “Okay.” He called. “That’s
four. Where’s our fifth?”
A
motion by the black van got the knights’ attention. As the crowd watched
in communal disbelief, the black and red shape stood up next to Sydney, in
front of Ledger. He held his head low; the man stared right at Everett.
Morgan
stood up.
“I’m
five.” He said clearly. |