A/N- As always, a big thank you to Elodealeaf, my wonderful beta reader!
I apologize for the delay in this update. I was on a cruise in the Western Caribbean with no computer...so it took me a little longer to get this out to you. Thank you for your patience and I hope the wait was worth it! Thanks for reading my story and a huge thank you to everyone who takes a moment just to post a comment to tell me how you feel and what you think. RB
Chapter Thirty-six
Four hours prior:
"General King, we have a problem." MP August Booth stood in the conference room doorway.
"If you'll excuse me." The General dismissed the roomful of officers who were gathered around the meeting room table. He waited until they left before he turned and warned the soldier. "This had better be damn important." His temper flared at Booth's impetuous behavior in front of the group of officers.
"Sir, I wouldn't have come to you if it wasn't. Cora Mills has spoken to her daughter on the phone."
"Her relationship with Regina doesn't concern me, Chief Master Sergeant."
As he spoke, Sergeant Gold and Chief Mendall walked into the room, holding a small micro tape player. "Actually, Sir, Chief Master Sergeant Booth is right." Sergeant Gold intoned. "You'll want to hear this for yourself."
Tamara jumped in. "The Intelligence Division has cracked the encryption program that Cora Mills had been using. Fortunately, Sergeant Gold and I were the ones on duty when it came through, so we intercepted it and scrambled it with a higher encryption value."
"I saved one copy for you to listen to; I wouldn't expect you to just take our word for it." He said, casting a sidelong glance at the Chief.
She caught it and scowled, but said nothing.
"That's why I insisted on bringing you a copy to hear for yourself." Sergeant Gold handed the General the machine. "What would you like us to do, Sir?"
He eyed all of them before making a decision. "Let me listen to the tape first, then I'll decide. Booth, you're with me."
"Yes, Sir." Tamara nodded sharply.
"Perhaps we should give them some space." Rum suggested.
"Thank you, Sergeant. If you'll just wait outside the door."
"Of course, Sir." Rum answered as he stepped towards the doorway. "Chief?" He hinted at Tamara.
She looked between the men once more before nodding and heading outside. Once they were in the hallway she turned on Rum. "What the hell was that about, Sergeant?"
He smirked. "I'd say the General appreciated my idea that we bring him a copy to listen to; despite your seeming mistrust, perhaps you might learn a few lessons from me. If you're ever going to be anything more than a foot soldier in the General's cause, you need to learn to take initiative and show him that you can think for yourself."
"I do as I'm told. That's what makes me a valuable soldier to him."
"If you're satisfied with just being another pawn in the game, then well done; you've achieved your goal. But!" He struck one finger in the air. "If you want to be respected by the General, you would do well to start making some suggestions to help the cause along."
She eyed him warily. "And you think you've made an impression on him?"
"Indeed, I have. Let's just say I've managed to work a little side-deal with the big guy."
"All of us who work for the cause get their fair share of the Lantth we recover." She replied unimpressed.
"I assure you that my dealings include more than just the Lantth." He gave her a cold smile.
She was about to respond when the door swung open and the General beckoned them inside. "Thank you, both, for bringing this to my attention. It's time we move forward before more damage can be done. Chief Master Sergeant Booth, assemble the team." He turned to the intelligence soldiers. "I'd like you both to stay."
"Yes, General King." Rum smoothly replied. "Is there anything we can do in the meantime? Perhaps bring you some supplies or a beverage?"
The General nodded. "Good idea. Chief Mandell, we'll need a couple pitchers of water and a tray of glasses. You can ask Corporal Yarelle where he keeps them." He turned to Rum. "Why don't you and I have a chat before the others arrive."
Tamara's face hardened, but she gave the General a nod and walked away to fulfill his request. The men waited until she was out of earshot before talking.
"It appears Cora Mills is no longer to be trusted." The General stated flatly.
"Which doesn't bode well for PPI's profits nor for your reputation, Sir. I do hope you have a contingency plan in place."
"Sergeant, I always have a backup plan." The older man snapped. "But I need some information before I can make an informed decision. Sergeant, I need to know the location of Regina Mills and Master Sergeant Emma Swan's team. That's your task right now; once you know where they are, report back to me immediately."
"Of course, General. It shouldn't take too long to track them down. I'll be back as soon as possible."
True to his word he was back in fifteen minutes with his report. He walked into the conference room and found the General alone. "Sir, I can narrow their location down to two possible spots. They are either at Combat Outpost Carile or Isler."
The General pursed his lips. "That'll work. We have a small team in place at Isler, but communication between them and us is only one-way. They can start there and work south to Carile and then to Kelling."
"The team must be very good because I was stationed at Isler on my last tour and I never suspected any subterfuge from my fellow soldiers."
"Lieutenant Mendall's team has been in place for only five months."
"Any relation to Tamara?"
"Yes, Greg is her husband. They're both hardcore about the cause." The General's eyes sparked.
"If you don't mind me asking, Sir, what exactly do you plan to have them do?"
"Kidnap Regina Mills; she's the only leverage we have against Cora. Once we have her daughter, we can convince Cora to keep her mouth shut." The General spat the woman's name.
"So kidnapping Ms. Mills is the only objective? I assure you that Master Sergeant Swan's team won't make that an easy task. I know Emma Swan and she'll put up one hell of a fight, General."
"She can't be everywhere at once, Sergeant. The plan entails destroying the three outposts. Killian Jones already has Volpurian soldiers imbedded in some of the local warlord's armies. They'll assist to make it look like the attacks are coming from two opposing factions in the Frey. It will be swift, merciless and leave no witnesses behind."
"Do we have enough manpower to pull off a coordinated attack of all three outposts at once?" Rum voiced his concern just before three team members entered the conference room for the briefing. Tamara followed behind the trio, with a tray of snacks and a pitcher of water in her hands.
"No, but we have no other choice." The General conceded.
"Sir, if you give me a heads up right before you trigger the attack, I could jam the airwaves and make communication between the outposts impossible. Then the element of surprise will be on our side since Isler won't be able to relay a message that they're under attack."
"You can do that from here?"
"Absolutely. But I'll need a bit of time to set it up without raising Major Morrow's suspicion." Rum nodded.
"That could be the lynchpin to ensure our total success. An excellent suggestion Sergeant. How much time do you need?"
"Thirty minutes should suffice." Gold estimated as the General's team trickled into the conference room.
"I can't give you a minute more. The attack needs to happen asap, and once I give the order, it's our of our hands."
"Thirty minutes and I'll be ready. Just call me right before you issue the orders."
"Get going, Sergeant; the clock is ticking."
The General walked over to the table and softly greeted Tamara Mendell. "Specialist, once Sergeant Gold has jammed the frequencies, eliminate him. We'll only need the core team alive once the attack is over."
"Of course, Sir." She handed him a glass of ice water. "My pleasure."
Sergeant Paul Gold walked into the intelligence division building, his mind reeling from the implications of the planned attacks. He was met in the hallway by Major Vic Morrow, head of the Intelligence Division. The Major subtly tilted his head before going into his office. Sergeant Gold looked around to ensure he wasn't seen before he followed the Major into the office and closed the door.
"I trust you heard the entire conversation, Sir." Rum pulled a wooden chair closer to the Major's desk and sat on it.
"Every word, Sergeant. Well done."
"So now we warn the outposts?"
"Unfortunately we have to wait for the General to actually call you and say he is giving the order. We can record his conversation with Lieutenant Mendell, but we can't risk tipping off his team that the Army knows about the planned attacks."
"Doesn't that put the soldiers at Outpost Isler at risk?"
"It's the lesser of two evils, Sergeant. Once he orders the attacks, we'll have enough evidence to arrest him. I know it's hard, especially with your team out there, but we can't jump the gun on this one."
Gold grimaced. "At least they're safe at Outpost Carile. They'll have time to prepare in case the General's team makes it that far south."
Major Morrow checked the clock. "Time to man your post, Sergeant. You've done one hell of a job infiltrating the General's inner circle."
"Sir, I'm just glad the ruse will be over soon. Though the tidy sum from PPI in the bogus checking account will be hard to let go." He gave a mirthless smile. "Let's just bring all these bastards down before they do any more damage."
Rum sat at his station, counting down the minutes as he waited for the General's phone call. He fiddled with the controls to ensure that the General would be convinced that the channels were truly blocked. The phone finally rang, startling him with the loud tone. "Intelligence Division, Sergeant Gold speaking."
"Is this line secured?" Rum recognized the base commander's voice.
"Yes." Sergeant Gold lowered his voice to answer.
"Change of plans Sergeant. We've received word that Mendall's team is enroute to Outpost Carile for a supply exchange. We'll delay until they arrive there, and then I'll give the orders."
"Of course, Sir. I'll be ready."
"Sit tight, it might be a couple of hours."
"I'm here as long as it takes." He assured the General.
"I'll call when it's time." The General said before he hung up the phone.
Rum tapped his fingers on his desk as he dialed the phone number that was saved in his cell phone. It rang three times before the woman's voice answered it. "Hello."
"Kelly, it's Sergeant Gold." He stilled his hand. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am to hear that your Aunt Rose has fallen ill."
There was a pause as the woman processed the coded sentence. "Thank you, Paul. Yes, Henry and I were planning on leaving to go visit her. Will you let Emma know that I won't be in cell phone range until I return."
"Of course, of course. Have a safe drive."
...
"Get in the car, Henry. We have to leave." Kelly frantically opened the safe from beneath her bed and pulled out a key and a bundle of cash she had been saving.
Her son walked into the room and cocked his head. "Why mom, what's going on?"
She stood and gently grabbed his shoulders. "We have to leave right now. I'll answer all your questions in the car. Just grab your sweatshirt and meet me at the door, but don't go outside." She let him go and walked over to the closet. Using the key, Kelly unlocked the gun safe and pulled out two Glock handguns and three boxes of ammunition. She closed and locked the safe before throwing the weapons in a small duffle bag and rushing to the door. "Henry, just act like you normally do." She instructed as she handed him his backpack and his baseball glove and bat. "Pretend we're going to ball practice." She said as she noticed his confused expression.
She locked the front door, willing her hands to stop shaking. Once they were in the car and on the main road in the Base, she took a deep breath. "Okay, Henry, that call was to tell me that we might be in danger, so we have to leave the base for a little while." Kelly hoped her voice sounded calmer than she felt.
"Is Emma alright?" His forehead furrowed.
"I hope so, baby. But she'll be a lot more alright once she knows we're safe." They pulled up to the Base exit gate. "I have to let some other people know so they can be prepared, too." She smiled at the soldier on duty as he waved her on.
"Like who?" Henry asked as she pulled her cell phone out of her purse.
"The families of the rest of Emma's team." She dialed the first number. "Hello Mr. Nolan? This is Kelly Swan, Emma's ex-wife. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that your Aunt Rose is ill...Of course, yes, I'm sure you're quite upset, too...well if there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to call...Okay, you take care of yourselves, too, goodbye."
"How did you know their Aunt Rose is sick?" Henry peered at his mom.
"It's the code phrase that Mom Emma's team uses to let their families know that we might be in danger, sweetie." She gave him a tight smile as she next dialed Sergeant Graham's uncle and then Sergeant Blanchard's father. Once she was finished she turned her cell phone off, tossed her GPS unit out the window and turned south to head to the destination she and Emma had designed in case this situation ever happened.
"What about food and clothes and stuff?" Henry looked in his backpack and pulled out two small packages of beef jerky and an apple.
"Everything's already in the trunk; we have everything we need to get where we're going." She scruffed her son's hair. "I promise we're going to be fine."
"But what about Emma?"
"Just say a prayer for her, that's the best we can do right now."
...
Sergeant Gold once again looked around; this time he spied Specialist Mendell walking in the main doorway. He acknowledged her with a nod before opening a file on his desk and pretended to study it. He waited for her to put on her headphones before he carried the folder to Major Morrow's office. The Major greeted him at the doorway, hoping to belay any suspicion that Tamara might have about Rum.
"Sergeant, do you have that report I asked for?" He gestured to the folder.
"Ah, yes, but I have a couple questions about the data." Rum opened the file and pointed to a blank piece of paper. "How would you interpret this?" Gold asked, pointing to another spot on the paper. Neither man looked at Specialist Mendell, but both could feel her watching them.
"Sergeant, I'll have to look into this and get back to you. I don't know how long it'll take to get you the information you need to complete your report. It might be an hour or more."
"No hurry, Sir. I'll stay late tonight if that's alright with you. I'd really like to wrap this up before tomorrow."
"Of course. I appreciate your dedication to your job, soldier." He clasped Rum on the shoulder. "Stay as late as you need to."
Rum subtly gave Tamara a thumbs-up as he returned to his desk. He spent the next two hours working on his bogus report data as he waited for the call. It was the longest two hours that he could remember. His team was about to be attacked and he had no way to let them know. Tamara was also working late, in part, he was sure to be there when the order was given. He turned his chair around and got her attention. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry your husband has to be on the front line in this."
"We've always been willing to die for our cause." She insisted.
"Even so, I'm sure it's not easy to know that he's out there."
"The only regret is that I'm not by his side when he goes to battle." Her eyes took on a glassy stare.
Rum tried another tactic, hoping to deescalate the situation. "At least it will be over soon."
"You just make sure to do your job when the time comes, Sergeant."
"Have no doubt, Specialist. I will." His lips formed a thin smile. "You just make sure you have my back." He heard the unmistakable sound of a pistol slide being pulled.
"I'll have your back, or your head. It all depends on you." She warned just as the phone rang.
"Gold here."
"It's a go." The General stated.
Rum pushed a button. "Signal is scrambled, Sir. You're good to go." His eyes never left Tamara's as he hung up the phone. "It's time."
"Drop the gun, Specialist." Tamara heard the Major's voice as she felt the metal of his gun against her skull.
"Go fuck yourself." She spat as she turned around and raised her weapon towards Sergeant Gold. She never had the chance to make the shot as her lifeless body dropped to the ground.
"Get on the phone and make those phone calls, Sergeant." The Major ordered as he picked up the receiver at an adjacent desk and called the security department. "This is Major Vic Morrow, security code A463B722, ordering base status increased to Defcon Charlie+. Close the gates, no traffic in or out, and that includes General King." Immediately the announcement went out basewide.
Morrow's next call was to the Commander of Security. "Colonel Anderson, Operation Blind Hydra is a go. One operative, Specialist Mendell is down. Sergeant Paul Gold is secure. The status of rest of the list is unknown. Good luck, Sir."
Sergeant Gold dialed the number to Outpost Carile. A series of clicks and static began as he waited for the overseas number to connect. Finally he heard two rings before the line was answered.
"Outpost C. Corporal Anton speaking." Anton answered the direct line from Fort Brookes.
"Corporal, this is Sergeant Paul Gold from Fort Brookes Intelligence Division. Please let Master Sergeant Emma Swan know that everyone has gone to visit Aunt Rose. Now Major Vic Morrow needs to speak to your outpost commander."
He passed the phone to Major Morrow and listened as his supervisor filled Captain Arlo in on the details of the imminent attack on his outpost. As he heard the Major's report, including the detail that Regina Mills being the primary target, his eyes trailed back to the body of the dead Specialist and he worried how Emma's team would survive in the battle.