Swords Of Exodus Part 27

I cracked a mean smile. "Oh please, pops, I've got you beat by a tenth of a second, easy. We were there recovering a nuclear warhead that was supposed to go to General Al Sabah."

"We'll settle this on the range someday, kid. So . . . wait, wait a second. Is it my bad ear, or did you just tell me that Anders got his hands on a nuke?"

"You heard me right. An old Russian ICBM warhead. We intercepted the transaction in the middle of nowhere Yemen. Anders was there for the raid. We lost guys, too. Christ, he let Singer bleed to death. The guy was supposed to be our medic and the c.o.c.ksucker didn't even open his trauma kit."

Lorenzo thought that over for a second. "Sounds about right. What else?"

"That's all I know. I never saw him after the raid on Rafael Montalban's yacht. I didn't know what happened to him."

"He told me about it. He went underground after Bob leaked all of that information to the press. He fled the country when you killed Gordon Willis. He thought Majestic sent you to clean up loose ends."

I chuckled sardonically. "Yeah, Gordon thought Majestic had sent me to kill him, too. Blew his f.u.c.king mind when I told him I was there on my own."

"Were they going to kill him?"

"I think they were going to take him alive, to interrogate him about Project Blue. The guys that were supposed to capture Gordon entered his house while I was confronting him. They captured me right after I shot him."

"d.a.m.n. Couldn't have timed that better, could you?"

"I should've just stayed with Hawk. It would've saved me a lot of trouble."

Lorenzo leaned in closer to me, the tone of his voice darkening. "It would've saved us all a lot of trouble. You did the worst possible thing: you got caught. You talked. My brother could be dead because of you."

"You think this is what I wanted? You think I don't regret it every single f.u.c.king day I'm alive? You think it doesn't just kill me on the inside knowing that my choices have gotten almost everyone I know killed?"

"I don't give a s.h.i.+t how bad you feel," Lorenzo said. "You got stupid. You let your childish rage compromise you. And you didn't just compromise yourself, you compromised Hawk, my brother, me, Jill, Reaper, everyone!"

"Really? You're going there? Okay, okay, let's talk about your little high-speed chase down a public highway and shooting down a jet. Way to keep it low profile. And using your real last name as your pseudonym? Jesus, Batman, you think they'll ever figure out that you're really Bruce Wayne?"

"First off, that was never my last name. Second, that's not even the same f.u.c.king thing! I did what needed to be done! And shooting down that jet was awesome and you know it."

I couldn't argue with that, but I felt like arguing anyway. I was sick and tired of Lorenzo jumping my s.h.i.+t. "Whatever. I've had enough of you blaming me for your problems. Enough people have suffered because of me. I'm not going to take responsibility for the people that suffered because of you. I never asked for your help. You didn't have to get involved in any of this. Your brother wouldn't have gotten into this mess if he'd have quit while he was ahead and stopped digging. You're p.i.s.sed off at him and you're taking it out on me."

Lorenzo stepped back and seemed to deflate a little. I folded my arms across my chest. He thought for a moment, then looked up at me. "I'm trying to help you, G.o.dd.a.m.n it," he insisted. "I've been where you are. Nothing to lose, nothing to live for, no longer giving a f.u.c.k. I lived that way for a long time. Look where it got me. You gave me some advice when were in Las Vegas. Do you remember? You told me to get out of this life, for Jill's sake."

"I remember," I said sullenly.

"I wish like h.e.l.l you'd have listened to your own advice, kid," Lorenzo said. "It was the first smart thing I ever heard you say."

I sighed heavily, looking around the warehouse. "Yeah, well, it's too late now, isn't it? For both of us. Look at everything that's happened, Lorenzo. Look at all this crazy s.h.i.+t and tell me that it's just a coincidence."

"I don't believe in fate," Lorenzo said stiffly. "Or destiny, or predetermination, or unicorns, or pots of gold at the ends of rainbows."

"If there were pots of gold at the end of rainbows, I can only a.s.sume that you'd have a lot of gold and there'd be a lot of murdered leprechauns buried in Ireland."

Lorenzo actually smiled. "d.a.m.n straight."

"Yeah, well, I don't believe in any of that stuff either. But look around you. Can you honestly tell me you feel like you're in control? I don't know, man. There's something wrong with this place, with this whole thing."

"It's a third-world, drug-trafficking, slave-trading, arms-dealing h.e.l.lhole," Lorenzo said, almost like he was trying to defend the place. "It's going to feel wrong."

"Not like that. I've been to places like that too. I worked in Africa for almost a year, you know. This is different. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something seriously messed up here. We don't belong here. I have a terrible feeling about this whole thing."

"Have you told Ling that? She's pretty into you. She might listen."

I raised an eyebrow at his comment, then shook my head. "Not on this. These guys are dedicated. They're going to go through with it one way or another."

Lorenzo sighed and rolled his eyes. "Bunch of fanatics is what they are. No offense. I can't complain, though. This insanity is the only shot I've got at finding Bob."

"What about your friend Katarina? Is she for real?"

"She's for real," Lorenzo said. "And she's not my friend. The b.i.t.c.h is crazy. Genuinely, legitimately, totally screwed-in-the-head bug-nuts. She's a businesswoman, though. She'll uphold her end of the bargain, especially if she thinks she's got something to gain, but if Exodus knows what's good for them, they won't trust her."

"Exodus doesn't strike me as the trusting sort. I have no doubt they'll have a contingency plan."

Lorenzo gave me a hard look after that comment, but I said nothing more. He didn't know about the raid on the dam, and he didn't need to. This whole thing was already complicated enough.

And for the life of me, I just couldn't shake the bad feeling I had.

Chapter 17: Dance Partners.

LORENZO.

Somewhere in Kazakhstan March 20th There was an awkward silence in the small cabin. Terrorists on one side, gangsters on the other, n.o.body speaking, kind of like the uncomfortable beginning of a middle-school dance when the music starts and the boys are too intimidated to go talk to the girls. The Montalban Exchange was represented by Katarina and Anders, Exodus by Ibrahim and a tough-looking Czech named Fajkus. Outside the single room dwelling, several other Exodus members and Montalban goons watched each other with nervous alertness while their bosses talked business.

The meetingplace had been agreed upon by both groups. The house stood alone in a mountain pasture forty miles into Kazakhstan. It was a cramped, wooden shack, but since it was alone in a sea of stunted yellow gra.s.s poking out of the snow, there was no place for either side to set up snipers or an ambush. It was too open for any of us to have been tailed by Jihan's spies. The lone shepherd who lived here had been given a small sum of money and sent off to watch his goats.

I had introduced the various parties, and was now leaning back in my rickety chair, arms folded across my chest, just an impartial observer at this point. I didn't trust either side, but sadly I needed these people to free Bob.

After sizing each other up, Ibrahim broke the silence. "Lorenzo has told me that you wish to a.s.sist us. I'm willing to listen to your proposal. However, you must know that Exodus does not need your help. We are more than capable to accomplis.h.i.+ng our mission."

Kat smiled. "No. No, you are not. Otherwise you wouldn't be here today."

"I'm afraid you are mistaken," Ibrahim stated flatly.

"Then why haven't you killed Jihan yet?"

Fajkus scowled. The Czech was probably in his mid thirties, stocky, with bulldog jowls, and short, spiky, black hair. The Exodus XO wore small, round gla.s.ses, and it was rather obvious from his expression that he didn't like this meeting. "The Pale Man will be dead soon enough."

"Oh, but think of all those poor slaves, dying by the score every day, living in squalor and suffering, while their saviors wait in relative comfort." She gestured at the walls of the cabin. The only decorations were antlers off of some animal that I didn't recognize. "That must be infuriating."

"Don't patronize me, Ms. Katarina," Ibrahim said. "We both know that you do not care about the welfare of the slaves."

"Of course not. I care about profit and compet.i.tion. But for you, every day you wait, every hour, the odds of Jihan learning about you increase. My spies were able to discover you, so you are vulnerable. Should Jihan learn of you, he'll hunt you down like dogs, but still mighty Exodus hesitates." Kat leaned forward and rested her hands on the plank table. "No, you are not ready yet. You lack something."

Ibrahim and Fajkus exchanged glances, conveying information like only two professionals who had worked together for a long time could. Ibrahim nodded. Fajkus turned back toward Kat. "We are waiting for a few more swords, our strike teams, to arrive. Jihan's compound-"

"Is a fortress. Impenetrable walls, every building a concrete bunker, guarded by a legion of disciplined troops, and even if you carpet-bombed the entire place, your target spends most of his time at the bottom of an armored pit designed to survive a near hit from an atomic weapon. To take it will require a huge force."

Ibrahim raised a single bushy Kurd eyebrow in my direction. "Perhaps by stealth then?"

"They're thorough, no discernible gaps," I answered truthfully. "The gates stay closed. Incoming traffic is searched. Walls are too high to scale. Guards everywhere, and there aren't so many of them that they don't all know each other. It would be difficult, but not impossible. I could find a way."

"Trust me. Your usual methods of disguise won't work. I've sent men in before, impersonating slave soldiers, and they were always spotted. Somehow they just know. You can't impersonate a Brother, because n.o.body on the outside has ever heard them speak. How will you respond when questioned?" Kat shook her head. "You will fail. Jihan cloaks his people in mystery, but that secrecy becomes a formidable defense. You can't get inside the head of something you can't understand."

"Oh, I'll get in," I responded. Kat of all people should have known that. Every defense has a weakness.

"And then what? a.s.sa.s.sinate Jihan?" Kat had a cold laugh, more of a cackle. "Many have tried. Yes, that benefits me if you succeed, but if you fail, he'll suspect the Exchange. And even if you manage to kill Jihan, it would be a suicide mission, which isn't your style, and that does not free your brother. No, you need a full a.s.sault to a.s.sure his death and destroy his organization. It is the only way to be sure."

"So what's your plan then?" Fajkus spat. "Are we supposed to rely on your hired thugs?" He gestured angrily at Anders. "Murderers and trash? You expect me to believe that Montalban sc.u.m is going to take those monster walls and watch our back? I say horses.h.i.+t to that!"

Anders shrugged, seemingly calm, his ma.s.sive hands resting in his lap. The big man looked bored. He'd been called worse things than hired thug.

Ibrahim raised a hand to calm his subordinate. Fajkus was done, his distrust for the Montalban Exchange having been noted. I liked the Czech. He was angry. He kind of reminded me of a young Carl. Ibrahim nodded toward Katarina. "Please continue."

"Just because your people are suicidal fanatics, do not underestimate what my hired trash is capable of. I offer you more than just men with guns, I offer you resources, and I offer you a way into that compound."

Ibrahim kept up his poker face, but I could tell his interest was piqued. "And how exactly do you propose to do that?"

Katarina glanced absently at her absurdly expensive Swiss watch. She raised her head, and an evil grin split her perfect features. "Like this . . ."

The cabin door flew open. It was one of the Exodus operatives that I had met earlier, the Russian woman, Svetlana. She had a big bolt action sniper rifle cradled in her arms. "Ibrahim, we have incoming." Fajkus rose, his hand moving under his sweater to his holstered pistol.

"Don't worry," Katarina said. "They're with me."

A CZ 97B appeared in Fajkus's hand. "Treacherous-" He was cut off as Anders' .45 materialized right under his nose. The big man had moved so fast that I hadn't even seen the draw stroke.

"Calm down," Anders ordered. Svetlana jerked her rifle to her shoulder and pointed it square at Anders' back, then looked to Ibrahim for guidance. The Exodus commander shook his head slightly as he studied Katarina. Fajkus slowly placed his .45 on the table and removed his hand. Ander's pistol didn't move, and it was obvious that the Exodus man was only a few pounds of pressure on a trigger between life and death.

Then there was a noise. Faint at first, but it quickly grew, as the thunder closed on us. The dirty windows began to vibrate, clay pots rattled, and dust fell from the ceiling like fat brown snowflakes. Then it was deafening, as ma.s.sive engines drove giant rotors, an endless deep scream, like some sort of leviathan descending on us. The room darkened as something blocked the sunlight.

"That's certainly a large helicopter," Ibrahim said.

"It's a Mil-26. The Halo. Biggest in the world, I'm told," Katarina shouted over the noise. "I have two of them." Kat always had liked to make a big entrance. She was such a drama queen. The noise receded as the huge helicopter tore away, demonstration of speed and ma.s.s complete. Anders slowly lowered and reholstered his gun. Svetlana dropped the muzzle of her rifle. Fajkus grudgingly returned to his seat.

"An impressive fly-by, but we've already thought of air insertion," Ibrahim said. "They'll see us coming, and shoot us out of the sky."

"I run the finest smuggling operation in Asia. My pilots are better than yours. We can run the mountain pa.s.ses on night vision at a hundred and eighty kilometers an hour. Radar won't see a thing until we exit the pa.s.s. We'll be on top of the compound before Jihan even knows we're there. I can drop all of your strike teams right into his lap. At the same time my men will destroy his garrison in The Crossroads and the Brothers. Once they and their master are dead, the slave soldiers at the mines will collapse."

Fajkus shook his head. "It'll still take a minute to make it from the mouth of the canyon to the target, and our intel indicates there's a s.h.i.+lka in the compound. That thing will tear your choppers apart."

He was right. I had seen that antiaircraft monstrosity when we had reconned the compound. Flying right into four quick and responsive 23mm cannons with active radar and an alert crew? Screw that.

"How do you propose we deal with that?"

Kat examined her nails like this was boring her. She took her sweet time responding. "You see, this is why Exodus needs me. I've been studying Jihan's weaknesses for quite some time. I have a way to get someone into the compound undetected. I've been laying the groundwork for months. We'll need someone capable of infiltrating when the choppers are in place, then at a predetermined time, that individual will disable the AA. It will be extremely dangerous and require someone skilled."

Every set of eyes in the room turned toward me.

I snorted. "Yeah . . . figures."

LORENZO.

Crossroads City March 24th The last few days had been spent in preparation. I had gone over my part of the plan repeatedly, and had worked closely with both Exodus and Kat's forces. The choppers were prepped and stashed in Mongolia. Exodus would be riding in style. Kat's choppers could carry a small army, so they wouldn't even be close to full, but if one was disabled, they'd still have a way out. The Montalban foot soldiers were going to a.s.sault the garrison in town. The final group consisted of me, Anders, and a handpicked group of Exodus members.

On the other side, Jihan had several hundred fanatical soldiers in his fort. We needed to work fast though, because he and another hundred guarding the dam and a around a thousand or so possible reinforcements at the slave mines only a few miles away. We were leaving the dam and mines alone, because it was better to cut off the head and let the body die.

In twenty-four hours the great raid would begin.

Exodus was spread thin. I had not realized at first just how much this operation meant to their organization, but I had pieced together a few facts. Exodus wasn't a huge operation by any means, and the force gathered here was one of the largest they'd ever a.s.sembled. Swords had gathered from every corner of the world for this. Ibrahim was their most experienced commander. Exodus literally had all of their eggs in one basket.

The Montalban Exchange was risking just as much. As soon as Kat struck against Jihan, she would either win total control of The Crossroads, or they were done, and they would be lucky to escape with their lives.

I had spent the last four days bouncing back and forth between the Montalban Exchange, the Golden Cloud, and various Exodus meeting places. Today I was once again on the top floor of the Exchange, near a crackling fireplace, sitting around a table with Ibrahim and Fajkus of Exodus, and Katarina, Anders, and a man named Diego from the Exchange. I'd been told Katsumoto was the other hotshot Exodus boss in town, and I was a little suspicious as to why I'd not seen him at any of the meetings with the Montalbans, but Exodus was probably just hedging their bets in case this was an elaborate plot for Kat to sell out their leader.

Reaper and I were at the end of the table. Jill was at the Golden Cloud. I was not comfortable having her near Kat, as I was still waiting for my ex to fly into one of her rages and kill somebody. Though she actually seemed a lot more grounded and sane than when I had last been around her. This mafia-don thing seemed really good for her.

In the middle of the table was a scale model of the compound. It was actually rather impressive, with carved foam blocks mimicking each building, the wall, and the surrounding terrain, with a red number painted on each structure to help us keep track. The compound was at the border between the windswept valley and the edge of the mountain. Three sides of the compound were exposed to open ground. The fourth hung over the side of the mountain, and had a near-vertical drop to the rock below. A red arrow was painted on the table, pointing to the northeast, the direction of the canyon mouth, where the helicopters would be coming from.

Katarina reached across the table and moved the toy tank that represented the dreaded ZSU antiaircraft cannon slightly. She turned the turret so it was pointing at me, and grinned. "So, you've had a chance to think it through. Can you do it?"

I stood, so I could have a better bird's eye view of the fort. We had been through this a dozen times, but it never hurt to look again, to try and find that one hidden problem that was just waiting to bite you in the a.s.s. There was approximately two hundred meters from the cliff edge to where the ZSU had last been parked, and most of it would be navigable in the dark without being seen.

"a.s.suming phase one goes according to plan. Yeah. I can do it. Phase one gets hinky, and I'm probably dead."

"Then we'll abort. Turn around and fly back to Mongolia, and be home in time for cocoa," Kat replied. "If not?"

"Phase one complete. I'll initiate phase two, bring up my team, and when we're ten minutes off the ZSU I'll give the signal," I replied mechanically. I would only be on my own for the initial engagement. After that, in theory at least, I would have some help. I had received some good news from Exodus before the meeting. Shen had arrived, and would meet me at the staging point. I had worked with the man before, and had faith in his abilities.

"At Go, phase three will begin," Ibrahim stood, and moved two plastic helicopters across the board, and into the red path of the red arrow. "We'll move off station, and proceed through the canyon at maximum speed. My chopper will be in the lead position. One minute behind will be the second." Ibrahim had insisted that the chopper he was riding on be in front, that way if I failed and the ZSU blasted something out of the sky, it would be his Halo. That way half of his men could still escape. "That is the point of no return." He slowly sat back down. Once the choppers exited the canyon and were seen, we had to win, or Jihan's forces would expunge our existence from the earth.

Reaper looked up from his laptop. "As soon as I see the radar go down, that's when I'll bring in our eyes. By the way, weather still looks good. Chances of snow the next morning, but we should be clear during the raid." I had been adamant that he and Jill would not be placed in harm's way. Later today they would be leaving town, just in case this all went horribly wrong. Reaper still had a job to do, but it could be done remotely just as easy as it could be done in town. Having my people out from under the gun was going to be one less thing on my mind.

"When you leave the canyon, my men will attack The Crossroads barracks and kill any Brothers present." Diego spoke for the first time. He was relatively young, and had cultivated that Big Eddie Euro-trash vibe, down to the puffy hair and a suspicious amount of eye shadow. Ibrahim's spies had confirmed that when Diego wasn't working for Kat, he was cross dressing at one of the local clubs. Typical Montalban employee, but apparently Kat thought he was pretty sharp. He would be leading the Exchange's forces in town as they surrounded and burned Jihan's barracks to the ground. We still didn't know how many Brothers there actually were, but as of this morning, intel indicated that there were at least two in town.

Fajkus spoke directly to Katarina. "How is your men's morale?" His voice implied what he thought of the mercenaries.

Diego cut in. "The Montalban troops are as good as yours."

I snorted, perhaps a little too impolitely.