Chapter 53
Alpha and Grim set to work, and in less than an hour the operation was ready. After all, it was quite straightforward. So, by the time Sam came to the control room, the mission was completely planned. Grim explained it to him, and Alpha went to wake up Kestrel.
He was slowly emerging from the depths of the sleep, and she sat next to him on his bed, caressing his cheek and kissing him. He mumbled indistinctly but grabbed her around the waist and pulled her on top of him. She laughed and kissed him more than ever. He half opened an eye, then said:
_ Is it a dream?
_ No, Misha. I'm really lying on you and I'm trying to wake you up.
_ Good luck, then, he said. All I want is to stay here on my comfortable bed with you.
_ That can be arranged for a while.
He opened one eye, and she saw he was surprised. She kissed him again and caressed him. Soon he was wide awake and aroused, and he helped her taking off her clothes. They made love, slept a little and made love again. Her last day with him was beginning well enough, she thought while cuddling in his arms.
At noon they got up and took a shower together before coming to the dining room. Grim had been busy cooking and they ate a wonderful beef casserole with rice and green beans, followed by a delicious home-made brownie. Alpha ate little but enjoyed the meal, and she shot a grateful look at Grim. By then the plane had landed at Baltimore, and Sam told the team to go out and enjoy fresh air for a while.
So, after lunch, Alpha dressed in casual civilian clothes, gulped down her pills and had Dr Collins injecting her with morphine as to enjoy a nice walk in Baltimore with Kestrel. They hailed a taxi at the airport, then made it stop downtown. They saw the famous landmarks like the Washington Monument, Pennsylvania Station and the skyscrapers, but Alpha insisted to visit the grand cathedral. It was a Roman catholic one, and she told Kestrel she was a believer in this particular religion and wanted a religious funeral.
_ Why tell me this now? Kestrel asked her with a grimace.
_ Because I have little time left, she said calmly. And I trust you to carry out my last wills.
_ Alpha...
_ Misha, I know. It's hard for you to think about my death. But it's coming, and although I don't want to leave you, I await it impatiently as it will be the end of my suffering. And I can't stand the pain any longer, my love. I hurt so much!
She looked at his pained expression and almost started to cry again, but she forced back the tears. She had to be strong for the two of them. He took her in his arms, and she wanted to melt into his chest, becoming one with him, leaving the pain and sadness behind. But she was there, watching him suffer, and suffering herself more than she would have thought possible. Her head was throbbing so painfully it was like having ten jackhammers under her skull permanently. Her stomach was constantly heaving, aching like mad. Every muscle in her body was tensed. She had tried to hide all these things from him and lead on an almost normal life, but she knew it couldn't go on for much longer.
They hugged in the cathedral for a few minutes, then she asked:
_ Can we go in a hotel somewhere? I need to lie down a moment.
_ Sure, my love, he said kindly.
He smiled at her, and her heart leapt joyfully in her chest. She loved him so much, and with the beard he kept on he was simply more handsome than any other man. They exited the church and found an empty cab, who drove them to a five-star hotel. Kestrel had insisted and paid the bill without raising an eyebrow, and Alpha let him please her.
She had a wonderful bath, and lay down in the king-size bed with the man she loved. They spent the afternoon and the night there, ordering dinner through the room-service. Alpha was happy, and enjoyed every minute with him.
After a good night's sleep, they left the hotel and came back to the Paladin. Alpha was smiling serenely, even if she was screaming inwardly in pain. It was 8 am, and the mission was to start at 9. She and Kestrel met the team in the control room. Grim had a pale face, but she smiled bravely. Briggs and Charlie, unaware of the situation, welcomed them with dirty jokes, and Kestrel asked them politely to stop. Sam was concentrating on the operation and asked her if she was ready.
_ I am, she said.
And it was true. She was in peace with herself. She had done all she could to thwart Meggido, and her last stand would be the fatal blow. She had only one regret: leaving Kestrel alone and suffering because of her death. But she knew he was strong and would live through the pain, and trusted the team to support him.
_ Then it's time, Sam said.
She grabbed the badge Charlie had made for her, had a last smile to the team, and walked towards the ramp of the plane, Kestrel right behind her. Before climbing into the taxi waiting for her, she turned round and kissed him, the only man she had ever loved. He hugged her tightly and said:
_ Be careful, my love. I would gladly accompany you.
_ You know you can't, she said evenly, but her heart squeezed in anguish. Don't worry, I'll be careful.
_ I love you.
_ I love you too. See you later, Misha, my darling.
She kissed him a last time, then climbed in the cab. She smiled at him, but waited to be outside the airport to dissolve into tears.
When the taxi dropped her in front of Fort Meade, she had regained composure and was even smiling a little. She knew the time had come, and she only thought about the relief it would be. She presented her badge at the gate and pressed her thumb for her fingerprint, and the gate opened. She came in and walked to the great black building looming into view.
_ I'm in, she murmured to her earpiece.
Sam had insisted that she had one, even if Grim had tried to dissuade him. But for Alpha it was all the better, like that Fourth Echelon would know what was happening.
_ Good, Sam's voice replied in her left ear. O'Brian is currently meeting his staff, you have less than half an hour to penetrate his office before he arrives.
_ It'll be enough.
She quickened her pace, and ten minutes later she was in the NSA's lobby. Another five minutes and she entered O'Brian's office. Nobody was around as they were attending the meeting. She put her USB key in the laptop, and in three minutes the green light appeared. She retrieved the USB key and pocketed it. She had programmed it to be empty after that last hacking, so no evidence would be found. The other computers also made the ghost programs appearing at that moment, and a copy had been sent to the NSA, the CIA, the FBI and Interpol. And she had sent an email to O'Brian to make him come in his office. Then she waited for a few minutes, and said:
_ It's done. I hacked into his computer.
_ Very good, Sam said, now go to the extraction point.
That was the moment she had to start her role-playing game, the last one. She steeled her nerves as she heard running footsteps towards the office, and murmured:
_ Someone's coming!
Then she picked up the earpiece and set in behind O'Brian's laptop, where it would record all that was going to happen. Willing her pain to wait a little bit more, she faced O'Brian. He entered his office in a run, and looked shocked to see someone there.
_ Who are you? How did you get in?
_ It's true we've never met, Alpha said calmly, but you know who I am.
_ Who? he demanded furiously.
_ AlphaOmega.
He gasped and looked stunned, and fear crept upon his face. He knew the hacker had many times thwarted the Engineers, and he suspected her to work with Fourth Echelon on the downfall of Meggido. Alpha could almost read his thoughts on his expression. But he soon regained composure.
_ I don't know you, and you're trespassing in a federal agency, so I'll...
_ You'll not call anybody, O'Brian, she cut him. It's over. I hacked into all the computers of the Meggido members, and you were the last one. As we speak, the existence of Meggido is revealed to every American agency and Interpol. You're done for, O'Brian. I've had enough of Meggido. I've decided to act, and you are the last one. You're too late to escape prison, or maybe the death penalty awaits you since you are the real man behind the Engineers. You see, AlphaOmega always wins.
She smiled serenely at his face contorted with fury, and braced herself. He threw himself at her, throttling her neck, but she backed away towards the window, gripping his arms tightly and screamed:
_ No! What are you doing? Please, nooooo!
He looked bewildered and wanted to let her go, but she held him firmly and backtracked to the window. She thrust her elbow behind her and felt the window shattering. Then she jumped, still holding O'Brian in her grip. She screamed a last time, and rejoiced at the incredulous and panicked look on the face of her arch-enemy. Then as they started to fall, she let go of him.
During the three seconds of the fall, she closed her eyes and smiled at Kestrel, who was smiling at her and holding out his arms in her mind. And as her pitiful body broke on the ground, her last image was Kestrel kissing her, and it was like she was in his arms again.
