Author's Note: SATs are evil things.
The Gift of Daylight
Chapter 15: Day of Destiny
Location: Catalina Island, California
Time: 7:00 PM PST
The sun had settled indefinitely for the day and darkness veiled the area they had come from, the location they currently were, and the place they were going to be. It was raining heavily outside, and the sound of water pounding against the trees and leaves that covered the area was soothing to Max. Max felt the calming vibrations of the van's engine against her back as she leaned casually on one of the side walls.
Her group was with her in the back of the military van also, tensely silent and attentions diverted elsewhere. She wouldn't bother them, she knew they were each either mentally preparing for the task at hand, or stressing over what was to come. Immediately to her right sat Alec, and to the other side was Zack. They had wasted no time rushing from the airport to a meeting room where they were briefed on the entire plan. A few hours of waiting were done before then joining the awaiting military convoy outside. Now here they were, driving through a forest of scattered trees, fastly approaching the area where they would deploy. Having seen the land's map, Max decided that the island looked somewhat like a doughnut. There was one large piece of land in the center, and a large circle of water surrounding the exterior. So even with the army stationed in the forest around the facility, they couldn't approach the dam without either setting off the alarm, or catching the plague and ultimately dying. The Conclave had wisely planted trees around the area, and judging by the height of them, this entire facility had been here for a long time since trees normally took years to grow to a respectable height.
The General himself was personally seeing this mission through. He was in the passenger seat, directing the driver every once in a while to make turns, but otherwise, silent as well. It was perhaps unnerving for him to think that the fate of humanity was in the hands of a small group of transgenics, transgenics who had been forsaken by their creators, by the public, and by their country. Yet, here they were— ten of them altogether— ready and willing to die for what was right. The public had often portrayed them as monsters— but who were really the monsters?
"We're two clicks away from the makeshift harbor," the General announced gently, looking over his shoulder to address the group. They all looked up individually. "Upon reaching the area, you'll take the boat we've prepared there. Halfway into the water, you'll need to sink the boat to avoid detection, and swim the rest of the way using the wetsuits we've prepared. The military will of course maintain radio silence, the few of us who are here will be absolutely hidden away from view. Rest assured that this surprise attack is genuinely a surprise. Any questions?"
Rest assured ... right, Alec thought bitterly. "Yeah," he spoke up, no usual grin evident on his features. "How are we suppose to get back across the water if we sink the boat?"
This caused murmurs of agreement to run through the group.
"We'll be in contact throughout the entire mission. Should you complete the mission, just say the word, and helicopters will swoop into the area to pick you up," the General replied coolly to skeptical faces. "Don't worry, I have no intention of abandoning your group. You have my word on the matter," he affirmed.
"If you say so," Alec retorted. His hand dove into his pocket to extract a thin black earpiece. He fitted the device over his right ear like a headphone. He adjusted it a bit. Everyone else already had his or hers on.
Krit's hand went up.
"Yes?" the General acknowledged him with a nod.
"I know we each have our individual tasks," Krit stated, in reference to the briefing. "But if any one of us happen to get stuck, what then?" he didn't want to implant a seed of doubt, but it was a serious question that needed to be addressed.
"I'm afraid, Krit," the General was on first name basis with everyone now, "that they would be on their own," he said regretfully, there was something lingering in his voice ... "We have no way of sending in a rescue team due to contamination, and little problems that occur are up to you to handle. Though ... if the entire mission becomes completely compromised ... I want you all to know that I have clearance to decimate the facility," he stated weakly, avoiding their stares, "with disregard for the people left inside. This came in before we departed from the airport," he said sadly, "directly from the President's office."
"Oh God, that's just great," Krit murmured, casting a worried look at Syl.
"God can't help you now," Zeke retorted dully. He didn't seem disturbed at all with what the General was saying. Do or die— it was crystal clear to him. And by the look on Zack's, Alec's, Seth's, and Max's faces, they knew it too.
Syl shook her head and patted Krit's hand comfortingly. "Don't worry about it. We won't fail," she assured him.
"I'm sure it won't come to that," the General stated quickly. "I have the utmost faith in your success." He flashed them an authentic smile, and the mood slightly brightened.
"If you succeed, you'll be heroes of the highest caliber. Your names will be etched in history for eternity," he reminded them, as if this entire mission was strictly for glory— which it certainly was not. Whether it was to save the life of someone they loved or a personal vendetta, each person in the group had his or her own reason for being here. The bottom point was that they were here now, and they were committed.
"But if you don't succeed," the General started soberly, "I guess it won't matter either way."
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Location: Catalina Island, California
Time: 7:25 PM PST
Approximately half an hour later, they reached the deployment area. Each of them filed out of the truck silently, mindful of the rich forest environment around them. It was raining heavily but they were in their wetsuits which had a coat of waterproof oil to keep their bodysuits that were underneath, dry.
"We just had to come in through this way," Alec muttered, swatting a branch out of the way before it scraped him on the face.
"You know as well as I do it was the perfect area to sneak in from," Syl replied behind him, stepping over a protruding root. "The foliage provides a natural cover from any prying eyes, and the rain—"
"—Okay, you made your point," Alec snapped.
"This is where we part ways," the General announced quietly, blowing some water out of his mouth. He was getting soaked just by standing there, but for some reason, he didn't mind. "Continue a few hundred meters this way," he gestured in the correct direction, "and continue according to plan. We'll be in touch." He gently nudged a leaf out of the way. "And ... good luck, soldiers," he said gravely, snapping into a brisk salute.
Max was taken back by the gesture, as were the others. Nevertheless, they replied accordingly, stiffening to attention and returning the salute. Zeke watched as the General trudged back towards the van, and then into it. The vehicle silently backed up in the direction they had come from, slowly disappearing from view. Zeke felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Joshua gesturing to the others, who had already started towards the boat. Pulling his thoughts together, he started towards the same direction.
The boat could hardly be called a boat. Brin was the second to reach the flimsy looking wooden vessel. It was filled to the brim with water due to the rain, but after a quick flip upside down, and then back right side up, the problem was solved. "It's a row boat," she announced to the others who hadn't yet seen it, the volume of her voice carefully controlled. "I'm not surprised," she finished, grabbing one of the paddles.
"Neither am I," Max said monotonously, taking one of the extended paddles. She felt the weight of her backpack shift as she removed a breathing mask from one of the pockets. She boarded the boat towards the front and kept the mask on her lap for later use. The others observed this and mimicked her actions. No one said a word as they got into the vessel. Everyone had his or her own backpack, but the boat was large enough so that everyone fit in comfortably. Or at least, comfortably enough.
Zack and Joshua, the last two to get on were equipped with the remaining paddles. Slowly and surely, they eased the boat off the slick mud and into the water where it swayed a bit. Everyone who was trained at Manticore did the right things to maintain balance. And everyone who wasn't trained at Manticore sat stiffly still so that the others could work.
"I hate water," Zeke murmured quietly to Dalton as the boat traveled farther and farther away from land.
"Yeah, I've heard that one before," Dalton retorted lowly. "I was just thinking, since you're a human lighter and all ... you'd be pretty useful on camping trips. You know, for boiling water and all that."
Zeke looked offended. "I'm not camping equipment, you genetic lemon," he shot back.
Dalton twitched. "I'm not a genetic lemon, you pyromaniac—"
"You two," Syl interjected. She shot them both a reproving look.
They both instantly quieted down.
Krit had been dreading the moment they had to jump in the water, which was probably why the trip to the middle of the lake seemed quicker than it really was. That was common with most things in life. When one dreaded an event— it usually came faster.
"We're here," Max announced, pulling the paddle out of the water and laying it down in the middle of the boat.
"... Is it just me or does that ... not look like a dam?" Alec pointed out.
Max blinked, looking over his shoulder to see what everyone was now staring at. Alec was right, he was completely right. The facility was sitting on top a hill of land, overlooking the water that surrounded it. But the facility itself looked more like a stone castle from the medieval ages. It had an aged look to it, with a mock drawbridge and watch towers included. Black rock was scattered across the artificial island, creating little caves. Max's head jerked back in shock, and she looked around to see if anyone had any input.
"That's not a dam," Alec said the obvious. "And if it is, then someone doesn't know the definition of 'dam'." His mind immediately fell on the General, Alec was weary of being misled, especially by government figures.
"It's not a dam literally, it's more of a distribution facility. The pumps are underwater, and all bodies of water empty out into the ocean," Zeke pointed out.
"So why does it look like a Las Vegas hotel instead of a poison producing machine?" Krit demanded. But somehow, he already knew the answer to his question.
"So it won't attract attention," Dalton cut in, before Zeke could explain.
"This is a tourist area, you know," Zeke pointed out. "It's not like they'd have a neon sign stating that they're killing millions of people."
"Yeah," Dalton agreed, a bit weary that Alec and Krit didn't figured it out themselves.
"Adults," Zeke scoffed.
"Yeah, seriously," Dalton agreed, rolling his eyes.
Zack chuckled and spared a glance at Syl, who was laughing also.
Alec and Krit both paused, then glared heatedly at the two teenagers.
"Anyway," Max interrupted, wiping a grin off her face. "The blueprints we got of the place still applies and everything will go according to plan. Brin and I are going into the water first. Swim in a straight line, and don't waver. Joshua," she called out. He had just put his paddle away, and now she had his attention.
"Hm?" he grunted.
"You're last to get off, you'll need to sink the boat," she instructed. "A few bullets should do it."
Joshua nodded, clicking the safety off his silencer.
"And don't drink the water. I heard it's not healthy," Alec grinned wryly.
"What he said," Max pointed out. "Are we ready?"
A few seconds later, they all nodded their confirmations.
Max slipped the breathing mask over her face and secured it. Zeke, Joshua, and Seth had to put on extra goggles for sight. In actuality, the X5s didn't need breathing masks for the swimming to be done. But holding their breath was an energy draining action, and the group wanted to be in top shape when they arrived at the fortress. Max offered them all a nod before leaning back and then slipping into the water. She expected it to be cold, bordering on freezing, but to her surprise, the water was pleasantly warm. Max could make out blurry lights down below and a reverberation that made ripples in the water. She guessed those to be the generators. All in due time.
The swim was an easy one, and as Max climbed out of the water, the first thing on her mind was to check on the others. She undid the straps of her backpack and set it on the sand, knowing full well that it was waterproof and everything inside was fine. She saw as Brin stepped out of the water and removed her oxygen mask. Then, one by one, they filed out of the water like soaked shadow monsters. The rain was still pouring so the second thing on Max's mind, of course, was shelter. She spotted a makeshift cave in the distance and led them towards it. "Don't lag behind," she shouted above the sound of the rain.
"That water was warm ..." Dalton stated blankly, putting his air mask back into his backpack.
"And you know what they say about warm water ..." Zeke added.
Krit coughed into his fist, stifling a snicker. While Brin and Syl rolled their eyes.
"Over here," Max invited, trudging up the hill of sand and closing in on the cave. She quickly rid herself of her wetsuit, which made way for the bodysuit underneath. "We have nine hours until dawn, people," she announced lowly as they peeled off their own wetsuits.
"Agh, well that's a load off," Alec dropped his backpack and settled down into the sand.
"We're not resting," Brin reminded.
"Of course we're not," he replied distractedly.
"Everyone okay after that little swim?" Max asked, giving her group a once look over.
"No, that sucked," Zeke said dully, raking his fingers through his damp hair.
"Everyone's okay," Syl confirmed with a smirk.
"Okay people, listen up," she declared, checking to make sure her ponytail was still tight. "You all know your duties. Brin, Alec, Dalton, and Joshua are going straight for the command center. Syl, Krit, and Seth are hitting the generators. And Zack, Zeke, and I will handle the science labs."
"Command Center," Dalton slapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Sounds fun."
"Yeah, at least this time I won't end up in an interrogation room," Alec muttered. Seeing Max's frown, he quickly added, "just kidding, Max." And he was honestly just playing around.
"Are you two done?" Brin snapped.
"Yep," Zeke smiled meekly.
"You were saying, Max," Brin glanced at her.
"Right," she quickly snapped out of a daze. "This is ... where we go our separate ways until the end of the mission," her voice trailed off, but she quickly got it together. "I want you all to look after each other, complete the mission, then get out of there and return to this spot." She stomped her foot into the sand and motioned to the makeshift cave. "After everything's done and we're all out safely," she put extra emphasis on the word 'all', her jaw set tightly and her chin lifted proudly as she observed them. These were people she trusted, through hell and high water. She trusted her life to them, and theirs to hers. "We'll all go to Crash to celebrate. On me." She smiled wryly.
They all chuckled.
"That's right, you better all get through this. Especially you, Krit," Alec jabbed a finger in the man's direction. "You still owe me fifty bucks."
At another time, Krit would have groaned. But instead, he smirked. "Yeah yeah."
"Good luck, Brin," Zack spoke up, having said nothing for the past few hours. He caught the woman in a hug. Then hugged the rest of his siblings except for Max. He would be by her side the entire time after all. "Keep your guard up and keep your head in the game," he warned, sounding like their big brother yet again. "Remember— constant vigilance, patience is a virtue, silence is—"
"—golden," Syl finished, having heard that motto many times in the past. "Yeah, Zack. We got it," she grinned, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her eye.
"All right then," Max announced suddenly. She casted one last look at her team, then took a step back into the rain. They would approach the castle from different points and then enter through three of the four water drainage systems. It was a flawless plan. Well, she hoped it was at least.
"Let's get this bitch over with."
A/N: Just a little fun chapter before I get to the more serious parts.