Sunrise to Shadows: Midnight to Morning Trilogy, #2

The Present

Can a worm or pill bug tell the difference between day and night while living underground? Can it sense the Earth rotating or the sun as it warms the soil? When it comes to the surface, is it shocked by the sudden light and busy world around it?

I looked up from my train of thought and stared at the artificial daylight above me. My eyes wandered across the high ceiling to the nearest wall and down to the long row of tables and desks. Computers, printers, digital tablets, phones and scattered paper met my eyes. A projector and screen took up half of another wall, lit up with a map of the world. I stared hard at the map, trying to make a pattern form from the dots which had been placed in specific locations. Shaking my head, I finished scanning the large room. It was more of the same but with the addition of a complicated listening station and scattered monitoring equipment.

With a sigh, I turned back to the task in front of me. It had been too long since I had seen true daylight. The room I sat in was over one hundred feet underground, part of a large bunker hidden below a small military base. It was early December and, on the rare moments when we were above ground, the sun had already set. I was finding it hard to keep track of time. Minutes, hours and days blended together as we battled against an evil so powerful it could bring humanity to the point of extinction. We unofficially called ourselves The Guardians, although only a handful of people on the outside even knew we existed. Many knew the rumors of the highly secretive group who had been preventing the evil from dominating, but there wasn't much in the way of concrete proof. Very few even knew the extent of the threat, as deception ran high on both sides. 

Our main enemy was a shadowy organization known as Unus Universum. They had many other names as well, but this was the one we saw the most. Global control is what they wanted, and they would stop at nothing to get it. Already they had set off multiple nuclear bombs in the United States. Cities were leveled, the capital had been destroyed, people had fled to refugee camps inside and outside of the country, and havoc reigned. The only consolation was that secondary bombs, which were destined for military bases and smaller government buildings, had been stopped. There had been attempted large-scale attacks elsewhere, but The Guardians had been successful in making it impossible for them to complete the destruction. However, small scale, non-nuclear, blasts had occurred and Unus Universums's technology had been the main bomb components. I looked around quickly before lowering my head in sorrow for those losses. Anger soon replaced the emotion though as my mind tracked back to the task at hand.

Pretending that all they wanted was the good of all mankind, for everyone to be equal and all needs to be met, the masterminds had started a public campaign to gain support. So far, it had been only radio and slapped together internet shows, but it was enough. In the shattered United States, a handful of officials who favored one world government had recently been elected to higher power. Across the globe, the same was happening. I knew the truth though; this paramount of evil would rule with an iron fist and not hesitate to kill millions more in order to achieve their goals. Not only would they kill, but they would poison Earth so much it would no longer be able to sustain life.

Leaning back in my chair I looked up again; there were only three other people in this part of the world who knew those same facts. This life I found myself leading was like something out of a science-fiction book, except it was all true. It was cold, hard, scientifically proven reality, and my survival was a prime example.

Hearing a crashing noise from the other side of the hall, my eyes and mind shifted. Laughter followed, so I stood up and walked out of the room, across the hall, and stopped in the large entryway of our training facility. Before my eyes was one of the three who knew the secrets. Rick, my best friend, was roaring with laughter at another member of our team. I permitted a small grin at the sight. Mitch and Jason, our bomb technician and medic respectively, had been wrestling and gotten carried away. Somehow, they had managed to not only knock into, but knock over, one of the weight training machines. Mitch was underneath the edge of it and Jason had pulled off a shoe and was trying to tickle his foot. Considering the facility was nearly as large as half of a regulation football field, I wondered how they could have possibly hit anything, never-the-less a piece of equipment of such size.

I smiled, watching Jason laugh and carry on. He and I had a lot of ups and downs, especially in my first months on the team. Jason had tried to get me to date him and was becoming over-protective, something which should not happen in our line of work. It put us at odds with each other on more than a handful of occasions. However, he now understood where I stood, and that I could take care of myself. Mitch, on the other hand, was usually very serious. His dry sense of humor meshed well with my own, and he was my favorite person to have research tasks with. We accented the other skills and our teams worked well together. He and Ryan, our other bomb technician, were quite the force to be reckoned with.

My eyes wandered the room, settling on where Dara was working out alongside Max on the mats. She was a master at military strategy and hand to hand combat. She was also the only other female on the alpha team. Unlike myself, Dara was a shopping maniac, and most of my wardrobe was from her selections. We were friends, but we also had our conflicts. She knew there were deeper secrets I kept and had cornered me about those on several occasions. Like myself, her skills had been surgically enhanced.

Max, on the other hand, was our light-hearted sniper. He was the youngest on our team but was the deadliest. Everyone around here was in awe of how accurate he could be with most any weapon, even when on the run. In my early days on the team, we had spent many hours together, as he quickly learned I too had a knack for accuracy when shooting. We quickly got into the habit of placing bets with each other on everything from daily target practice to who was going to win at billiards on pub night.

Rick noticed I had come to the doorway and stifled his laughter. Without hesitation, he came over to where I stood and yanked me to him in a strong one arm embrace. Rick was quite tall, muscular, and had an uncanny gift for both languages and music. He was also the first person I became close to when my life was saved by the eight members of the most elite Special Forces team of Guardians. Their leader saw a latent talent in me and wanted me with them. Rick harbored strong feelings for me but was too tightly bound by the secrets he knew and the Life's Vow he made for protecting those same secrets, to act on the feelings. In that Vow, Rick had added in being celibate and, personally, would not permit himself to be in a relationship. Over the past months, he’d found ways to make his feelings work for the better of both of us. He had become my safe harbor, the one I could go to whenever this life became too much. Rick is also who I spent a great deal of my few off hours with: attending concerts, writing and recording music, watching musicals and having impromptu jam sessions.

You missed all the fun, Bear! He grinned, using my code name as most of the team chose to do. Loosening his grip, he whispered, Any luck?

I shook my head, It doesn't make any sense no matter how I look at it. The locations of the stations playing the Universum commercials still seem random. Some are in locations we know to have discourse, others are in the most stable governmental systems. A handful are so remote that I cannot believe anyone would even bother.

The grin faded, with no pattern then we could not anticipate where they would advertise next and send a group in to sabotage it. We were going to have to increase our listening and recording outposts and move agents blindly. The other issue was, without some sort of pattern of increased activity, we couldn't follow which elections to monitor closer or, worse yet, anticipate where the next attack would take place. 

You should take a break or at least get some physical training done. You've been at this for nearly two weeks now.

I looked up at his bearded face and deep blue eyes.

The General is not going to be pleased if he returns from Canada and we are no farther along in solving this puzzle. I muttered. It was sad but true. We had been caught so off guard by the recent explosion of recruitment messages that we were overwhelmed. What started as a single radio transmission one of our researchers accidentally came upon, had now turned into a mass media disaster for us. In four short weeks, nearly every major nation had some form of mastermind propaganda taking place.

Rick dropped his arm and turned to face me, True, but you'll also be worthless when we need to hurry back into the field if you do not stay in shape and are not resting. You are barely getting an hour of training in each day and working after hours. I know he assigned this monster task to you and your researchers, but... He stopped mid-sentence and turned to stare at the opening door on the other side of the facility. I knew what made him stop as I had felt it too, the slightest tingling at the back of your head which let you know your emotions were being watched. Rick was one of the few people who could sense it. He had latent empathic abilities, more like emotional intuition than anything else.

Turning to follow his gaze, I forced myself to keep a straight face. As if on cue, the others in the room paused for just a moment in their daily routines in order to acknowledge the presence of our leader. The second passed, and they dove right back into training. Commanding Officer Jamyson Davies was not as tall as Rick, nor was he as built. His dark brown hair was constantly in a state of disarray from him running his fingers through it. However, he stood like a military officer, spoke like an officer, ran this organization like an officer, and delivered consequences at a deeply personal level where it would sting the most. He had the deepest emerald green eyes which seemed to see into your soul. He was also a full-blown natural-born empathic, able to sense detailed emotions from everyone inside this underground bunker we called home.

I was also a strong empathic, that latent talent had been activated surgically shortly after my rescue. My mind flashed briefly to those first weeks. It had been nearly a year since the series of tragic events which had culminated in my rescue from a squalid refugee camp, and nearly ten months since my first life ended there and this one began.

Back then I was known as Nicole Jones. She and her husband had fled the disastrous effects of the nuclear attacks in America while she was expecting her first child. He was a British citizen, so they had fled to his home country of Wales, only to find out she could not join him there. Refusing to leave her behind, they were moved into a refugee camp, Iachad, in Wales. Gareth was a talented researcher, and The Guardians were trying to secure both his and her release. He had died from medical neglect before it could happen, and her daughter was born too early shortly afterward. Nicole had then become a victim to the demands of a soldier there in the camp. The night her release was secured, he tried to kill her to cover up his actions. She was beaten, raped, and was close to death when the Special Forces team rescued her.

My thoughts switched back to the present, and I grimaced internally. Whenever my thoughts turned to Nicole, my mind switched from first to third person... almost as if it were watching a movie. She was dead to the rest of the world, and most of the time, she was dead to me. I was now Harlie Anwyn Berryman, the empathic diplomat, spy, and research chair for that same team. I lived in a village on the Welsh side of a well-known river. My above ground place of residence was a small cottage at the edge of that village. It was nice, and I enjoyed having a place which seemed normal. However, the bunker was home and the other members of the team were my family.

Harlie? Rick nudged me into reality. I looked up at him and smiled faintly. You were obviously elsewhere and now James has noticed. I turned to see emerald eyes peering questioningly at me from across the large facility. One of his hands raised, a finger pointed at me first, curled into a beckoning gesture and finally pointed to the floor in front of him. Rick chuckled, Think that means now.

Looking around the room to see if any of the last few moments had been noticed by anyone, I started to make my way to the small office attached to the far wall. That meant veering around our latest equipment which was a more advanced ropes course with a climbing station, crossing the circuit we ran daily, stepping over weights, and dodging various fitness equipment.

Bear! You coming out to play? It was Skull, and he was grinning evilly. Skull was our walking talking atlas, and as far as we knew, both his code name and real name were the same. He was dangerously strong, bald, and not so skilled in anything outside of geography and brute strength fighting. Like me, Skull had a latent talent and had been enhanced surgically.

Not right now, Skull, the boss needs to see me. I made my voice sound like a pout.

The closer I moved to the office, the more the back of my head tingled. I had strong mental shielding, so he could not see my emotions or thoughts unless it was lowered. It was possible to reach out to touch each other’s shield, even to attack it and pull it down. We could also speak mentally to each other, mind to mind, without the shield being lowered. It was a crazy first few months as we realized all I could do, and all which our minds, together, were capable of. There was also conflict as he trained me to handle the new abilities, something which the team was always on the lookout for. If James and I were in one of our conflicts, the entire team felt it.

At the entrance to the office I stopped and waited. His eyes were piercing into mine, the slightest of smiles on his face. I was going to call you over for a formal update, but that faraway look you had a few moments ago has changed my mind. His voice was barely above a whisper, too low for the others to hear. But, they do not need to know this little detail. He turned, motioned me into the room and shut the door. I knew that, outside a call from The General, no one would interrupt our meeting.

Jamyson's eyes turned from piercing to warm, I agree with Rick, you need release some stress by working out, but you also need to rest more. He reached up to brush a finger across the bags under my eyes and then down my cheek. It was a tender contact, something not to be expected from ones’ commanding officer. However, when it came to James and me, nothing was as one would expect. From day one there had been an intensity between us which no one could explain. Emotions were always running on high, and those first months had me going between trying to please him, to being afraid of him, to him convincing me friendship was possible, to working together as an almost unstoppable duo. The dynamic became more complex after our highly successful Rio mission. He had expressed more intimate feelings for me back in July, but it took until September for me to accept that I felt the same and desired commitment. Because of our line of work, the relationship had been kept secret from everyone except Rick and The General.

His hand moved down my arm and settled on my waist, where the other hand was already resting. Since evidence seems to prove there is no pattern, you should quickly spread out the agents to cover more ground.

My head shook, While we need to stop more stations from airing the propaganda, it's too dangerous to put more agents where the masterminds actually are residing. The researchers are too tied up to get them into better locations with updated information.

James pulled me closer to him, You can argue your case at this evenings' debrief. For now, you are going to take a much-needed break. Even though we were on duty, he leaned closer; his lips gently touched mine in a tender kiss. I reached up to rest my hand against his cheek, and he smiled.

We had only been able to spend a few hidden hours together since returning from our latest missions, and moments like this never lasted long enough. The days had been so long and stressful that even his normal evening visits to the cottage had only happened sporadically. Most nights, I was too tired to bother with going above ground and slept in my quarters here. James had been on two extra missions and had been overwhelmed with logistics in between. There had only been a few nights when he could slip into my quarters, hold me close for a short time, then leave to sleep. Our comfort came from the mental connection we shared. So long as we were in each other’s range, a brief glance in his direction and I would sense his warm smile or thoughts. It wasn't enough, though, as it was simple physical contact which calmed us the most.

Pulling back to look at me he sighed heavily. Come, sit down. He led me to the desk and sat me at his chair. Standing behind me, his hands rested on my shoulders and gently started to knead at the tense muscles. Sheesh, Harlie, it's like trying to massage a rock. This will not do at all; you are letting the stress build up too much. Stopping for a moment, he added sternly. No more research today, you are banned from the tactical facility. He continued to massage the tense muscles. As he did, my mind drifted off to the last month and what had led us to this point.

Remembering November

Icould feel the excitement as the others started their preparations. We were leaving the bunker in just two days on individual missions. Each of us had a small team of agents assigned to us and would be going separate directions. It was highly unusual for the team to be totally split up like this. Normally, the nine of us would be broken into two or three groups at the most. But this situation was different; we had to work apart in order to have the maximum chance at success.

Our mission was to sabotage twenty-four key radio towers that had been broadcasting the masterminds' propaganda. Our targets were across the eastern hemisphere, from Indonesia to Ireland, and Sweden to South Africa. We only had these few days to plan our targets, mission steps, and backup plans, then pack and go.

This was our first big mission since the incredible success in Brazil back in July. Its success had left me with minor physical injuries, but there had been serious damage to my unique abilities. It had taken months for the mental shielding to heal enough so that I could attack and defend if, by some chance, another trained empathic was encountered. The thought made me shudder. The one I had come across was working for The Universum and had secretly been made by the same person who had enhanced me. Both had been quite evil and completely insane. 

I listened closely to learn how the others were planning on moving so quickly without being seen. Ryan and Mitch made sure we each had enough explosives and Max loaded us up with enough firepower to take out a platoon. The linguistics team, led by Rick, along with the legal team, started putting together fake announcements of who claimed responsibility for the attacks. ID's were printed, key phrases were learned in other languages, and equipment was checked numerous times. By hour forty, the training facility was filled with eight piles of luggage. For once, we did not have to sneak onto commercial planes. Instead, we were using funds to charter or use transports offered by the U.N. That made it much easier to pack.

In the hours before departure, we crammed into the conference room to announce our targets and plans. Mitch, codenamed Ka, would be destroying stations in Russia and Chechnya, as he was born in Russia and knew many of the regional languages.  Because he grew up in the Middle East, Ryan, codenamed Boom, would be taking out two targets in Saudi Arabia and one in Iraq. Max, known as Root, would be in Indonesia and the Philippines. James, The Commander or Boss Guard, was taking Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dara, known as Bruce, had targets in Egypt and Lebanon. Jason, codenamed Stitch, would be in South Africa and Somalia. Skull had stations in Poland, Germany, and Bosnia. I would be close to home as well, disabling stations in France, Sweden, and Ireland. 

Those teams with targets farthest away would be leaving almost immediately. Any sleep would have to happen on the flight out. The rest of the elite team went to our common room and quarters. The other agents slept either above ground in the one barracks building or in the small secondary bunker across the river.

James crept into my room shortly before his departure. He sat, propped up on pillows, wrapped an arm around me, and mental fingers traced over my shield, pausing over the battle scars. I could sense his concern and frowned.

"It's fine, Jamyson." My mind whispered to his. We've had some practice and you've seen I'm strong again. Remember that the abilities have even grown some since then.

His silent nod was frustrating. With only minutes until the others woke, I had to do something to erase his doubt. He could not be distracted by anything while in the field, especially not with thoughts of me. Without giving any warning, I reached out mentally and stabbed sharply into his own shielding. When he responded with surprise instead of retaliation, I grabbed a handful of it and tore downward. James physically jumped as part of his shield collapsed. Just to prove my point, I held that part of his shield down for many long seconds. Somehow, my expression managed to stay neutral, although not without immense effort.

See? I whispered as his shield started to resist the pressure. I let go and smiled slightly at the success. Honestly, I had doubted being able to catch him off guard enough.

Indeed, you are quite capable. It has been many years since someone was able to do that. His lips touched my forehead. Too bad I have to leave now - would have been interesting to see where this incident would have led.  He paused and held me close, Be careful out there, you are yet to see just how desperate the masterminds are and to what lengths they will go to. With that, James stood and left.

Skull and I were the last to leave the bunker. Because our targets were the closest, we had to give the others enough time to reach their first goals. I had decided to remove the farthest threat first, so my team trekked into Sweden. The easiest and quickest way to get there was by airplane, so we had chartered a local prop plane and pilot. It was nice to not have to drive into London, and the pilot was retired from the military base the bunker was under... so no questions were asked. We were quickly waived through security in the small regional airport, and our bags were loaded with no hassle.

A few hours later, we arrived in Stockholm. There were four members under my command, two were from my research team and two were security experts. All had served in the military and all had field experience. In Stockholm, we rented a mini-van and settled into a motel to verify plans for the next day. We would be driving to the radio tower, not to the station which broadcasted the propaganda. The tower sat on a hill far outside of the city. The plan was to park outside of sight and walk until we could observe any human security or cameras. We had a video scrambler, if needed, as well as equipment to disable cameras, but hoped to sneak in and out without having to damage anything other than the tower.

The next morning was cold and windy. We bundled up with civilian clothing on top of our camouflage and Kevlar. I carried my normal handgun as well as a smaller back-up one on the right ankle and a knife on the left. One of the researchers carried the tranquilizer gun we used if an innocent was involved. The injection would knock the person out for several hours, and the concoction would help erase memories of what happened before it. We hated to use the stuff, but it beat the alternative. It took us almost two hours to reach the hill with the radio towers. The one we needed to disable was the second closest, and we were relieved to see that no guards were present. A simple chain-link fence stood between us and the target.

After spreading out to observe a couple of security cameras and scanning for other detection devices, I called everyone back to the van. It seems even though the enemy is using radio to spread their message, they are not securing the individual stations. Either they do not believe we are large enough to detect them and do enough damage, or they do not have the resources to cover. I'm choosing to believe the first, although that is the most dangerous. Once the attacks start, we are going to be on a short timer to maximize destruction. Expect retaliation and stay on guard. Once they all acknowledged, I continued to the plan to disable the tower.

The best chance at success lay in destroying the power source as well as the electronics in the tower itself. We had a device which would cause a powerful but localized electromagnetic pulse. The pulse would fry most of the internal electronics of that tower. The other radio towers were close enough to be damaged as well. Since this tower controlled more than one large station, several would be lost, and that would draw a lot of attention. It would make the attack look more random though and less like we had a focal point. Once the pulse was sent, the technical team would set up a tiny explosion to destroy the generator. It would look like a failure in one of the internal systems started a fire.

My heart was racing as the plan was put into action. We slipped closer via the blind spots on the camera. At my signal, the cameras were jammed, and the research team ran right under the tower and set off the pulse. They ran back to safety, and I released the video system. Three minutes later, just long enough for those at the stations to start receiving calls about the outage, the second team went in and placed the small explosive. As we slipped back to the hidden van, I pressed the detonator, and we turned to watch the short fiery blast. No words were exchanged until we were back in front of the motel.

All of us carried small digital recorders and used them to save our reports verbally as the mission progressed. The devices made it easier, come the missions end, to write the formal reports and not forget details. Once finished with the recorders, we packed up the equipment, checked out, and drove the van one hundred kilometers to another motel where we spent the night. The next morning, we drove it back to the rental company, loaded up onto a different small plane and made the trip into France. The fake ID's and stories made it look as if we were wealthy tourists on an autumn holiday, and we acted and dressed the part.

Once in France, we checked in with the bunker to report our success. Rick had been monitoring the stations and let us know the first target was completely disabled. Our plan to have it appear like a freak accident with the internal systems had been successful too. Rick also let us know that Skull and two others had disabled their first target. So far, no one had connected the two incidents.

I gathered the group together and repeated all the information. We are on a tight schedule from this point on. My fear is we will be discovered before those farther out can complete their missions. Let's make sure we are successful.

The station was near Tours, so I sent the two researchers ahead of us to scout it out while we set up in a hotel about half way between there and Paris. They returned late in the evening saying it was similar to Sweden, but the wall was cinder-block with only two small gates. No human security was present, and there were two cameras. Internally, I gave a small sigh of relief. I knew about the wall from the satellite images. It would be an issue, but perhaps this target would be as successful as the last one. We rested a few hours, then I contacted Rick again. All the teams had successfully taken down their first targets, but two had been reported to the media as terrorist acts. We geared up and left for the second station minutes later.

The rented SUV was bouncing along a back road, only a few kilometers from the tower, when I sensed something.

Slow down! I ordered, then focused out as far as I could go. There was definitely something amiss in the direction of a farmhouse. It seemed familiar, and I stretched my abilities as far as they would go.

Turn on the target station. My voice came out strained due to the effort I was putting out mentally. Sure enough, one of the propaganda commercials was playing. From the direction of the farmhouse, I sensed a pleased response. We drove out of sight, and I thought quickly.

Pull over as soon as you see a good spot. About a hundred meters later the vehicle stopped on a side road. I turned to the others. There was something going on at the large farm we passed. At first, I thought it was just an innocent with bad intents, but there was something familiar about the emotional atmosphere. When the station was on, I sensed pleasure and anticipation after the commercial. I want you to go ahead to the towers. Do whatever is necessary to disable it. I am going to get closer to the farm and see if I can figure out more of what is happening there. I have a feeling it is a local cell. If it is of the masterminds, then we might be able to learn something more valuable. 

They stared at me for a long moment before jumping into action. Quickly my civilian cover clothing was off, revealing the camouflage and Kevlar, and I reached into a bag for face paint. The technical team set up a transmitter and earpiece and uploaded our latest codes. I grabbed a long-range microphone, electric binoculars, a meal bar, water, a small notepad with a pen and the same weapons set as in Sweden. With a few last second orders, I headed into the shrubs, and they left for the tower.

If this really was a terrorist cell, then I had to assume they had security set up around the farm. I laid low and stretched my abilities. They were too far away, so I slowly started to creep back up the road towards them. The common roadside hedge fence offered perfect protection from road detection, and there was enough wild shrub and trees on the other side that I was safer than I felt. Within an hour, I was far into the property and the minds were well within my range. If they had heat-seeking cameras or other systems of security, it did not seem to pick up on my presence. Stretching out again, I counted how many were gathered. There were four people inside the main house and ten more in a nearby barn. Going by their emotions, the conversation seemed to be about the broadcast and its responses. Two people in the house seemed to be new, and I frequently caught wisps of confusion from them. Perhaps what was happening there was an orientation or presentation of sorts.

The barn was another issue entirely. I set up the microphone and pointed it in that direction, doubtful of picking up anything, but hoping for the best. There was a lot of deception and focus on some task. I sighed and braced myself. Nothing valuable would be attained this way. I would have to get close enough to attempt what I had done once with a mole at our base. Listening for the hum of electronics, watching for wires and laser detection, I crept closer to the barn, following a hedge and tree line which went up the side of the property. I knew being farther from the road was more dangerous, but it had to be done. Forcing my heart rate to slow down, I stared at the barn and zoomed in with both the binoculars and my mind.

From this distance, I could pick out each individual mind with less effort. Moving the binoculars slowly, I used its image capture feature to map out the farm. Mentally, I mapped the inside of the barn and sketched it onto the pad, using the men inside as markers. At this range, I knew all were male, and from the unique wavelengths of their minds, many were not from the area. Placing the microphone so it faced the barn, I put the earpiece in and listened. I only had moments to register the voices and accents when my team signaled their start. Quickly moving from mind to mind, I found the most confident one and hoped he was a leader. The microphone was picking up the radio station as well as their voices. One man was by the door and seemed to be on a mobile phone. Focusing on the confident one, I tried to see past the emotions to what was inside his mind. It was more than an empathic should be able to sense, but something I had been able to do, though with immense effort.

He was thinking about how successful the radio initiative had been. Most of the men there were newer recruits, and many had extended families who believed the same way. This world was too full of chaos, too many people arguing over trivial things and not looking at the big picture. Land barons were making those below them more and more poor. Humanity had become too self-centered to survive. I had to agree with him on all of these points but knew his belief of what the best solution would be was erroneous.  

At that moment, the radio turned to static. I held my breath and counted how many seconds it would take for them to realize what happened. On second ten the mind I had been watching put the pieces together. These were not random events of accidents or minor terrorist groups, this was sabotage. He grabbed a mobile phone and dialed. I saw most of the numbers in his mind and wrote them down. He spoke rapidly in a language I almost understood, but his emotions and the images in his mind were clear enough. They were part of a group planning attacks on major government buildings! This group was supposed to do a test run with the explosives and, if it worked, a date would be set to attack multiple targets. It would be blamed on some other organization, and Unus Universum would take their prospects of peace public the very next day. Our sabotage would be catastrophic to their efforts if more stations went down. I smiled at that point, but it soon faded. The person on the other line said something and the man’s response chilled me. Local cells would be called in to guard as many of the remaining towers as possible–effective immediately. The man asked if he and his associates should return home and the other agreed. Suddenly, I recognized the language. The man was from rural Ireland, our next target.

Rapidly, I put the equipment away and started sneaking back towards the road. I was nearly to the drop off point when the others chirped their arrival. Doubling my pace, I raced through the hedges and hopped into the SUV.

We are in trouble now. I panted, wiping off the face paint with the towel a researcher handed me. It is a cell meeting over there, and the leader is from our next target. With this blast and the others that have gone off in the last twenty-four hours, they figured out it was sabotage. An order is being put out to man the remaining towers.

The announcement left us in silence until we found a hotel at the eastern edge of the country. The five of us crammed into one room and set up the equipment to contact the bunker. The pictures and recordings were uploaded, and Rick began to translate the actual conversation. It was indeed Irish Gaelic, and what I had interpreted was accurate. I sighed sadly as the effort put into the impromptu spy mission caught up with me. Rick heard the change in my tone as it went from confident and clear to shaky and pain filled.

Bear, give me a minute to finish translating. Do what needs to be done to get a handle on that before the others start to wonder. His voice was gentle, and I could almost feel his arm go around my shoulder and guide me to the bag which held my relief, a custom-made combination of medications. When an empathic, enhanced or natural born, overworked or overstretched their abilities, that person’s blood-pressure tended to skyrocket, a migraine would happen, and pain would spread elsewhere. I had overstretched my abilities and stared at my options, liquid form with a wait for relief or the pre-filled syringe. Both held a dose of blood pressure medication and something to dull the pain. Normally, I shied away from the injected form, as it was usually too strong. We were in the field though and most likely going to be on the run. I grabbed the latter, pulled off my civilian shirt, rolled up the camouflage sleeve under it, held my breath, and injected into the first vein I saw. It was the first time I had ever needed to inject myself and was surprised at how quickly I was able to do it. The others stared, and I pointed to my head.

Overdid it a little. A half-truth but they fell for it. I sighed again, this time with relief as the pain dulled and my blood pressure dropped to a reasonable level. Picking up the headset again, I returned to the conversation with Rick.

Good girl. He switched to speaking in Welsh, and I smiled slightly at how easy it had become for me to translate. I updated The General, and he is sending word to the others. Some of them are mid-transport or mid-mission so it will take time. We can only hope the enemy needs more time to mobilize. He wants your group to rest for a few hours then meet up with a friend of one of the Founders. She will fly you close to the tower in Ireland. An SUV will be waiting, and you are to load up, rush to the location, do whatever it takes to disable it quickly and return to her for extraction. I'm sending over a code phrase for identification and the location of the private airstrip. Remember, Bear, whatever it takes. There is more to Ireland than what we have told you. With that, he sent over the information and disconnected the line.

More to Ireland than what they had told me? By his tone, I knew instantly that we was James, Rick, The General, and the few above him who knew the entire truth. Ricks' tone had chilled me more than the hours outside in the hedge.

I noticed the room was now dead silent. All were looking at me, waiting, and pondering my expression and actions. Quickly repeating the information they needed to know, I ended with sending them off to rest. The next twenty-four hours were going to be fast-paced and highly dangerous.

The pilot was a retired employee of the U.N. who had worked under the Founder I had recently met. She owned her own private airpark of houses with hangars under or next to them. Residents either flew or drove out to their destinations near daily. At the front office, we greeted her with a polite conversation which happened to contain the key phrase in it. She nodded and shook my hand before leading us out to the plane.

I watched as we flew over England and the tip of Wales before crossing into Ireland. We were below the clouds and the view was stunning. One of the technical team pointed out major landmarks as we approached. We were not allowed to discuss our plans around her, so the short flight ended up being a time to relax. Shortly after touchdown, we loaded up a dark blue SUV and drove towards our target. Using the maps Skull had provided we circled around it, stopping several times to scan the area. Once we found a secure and inconspicuous place to park, I delivered the bad news.

There is no place to drop off and move in if we are taking into account possible human interference. We are going to have to use what previous information we have, drive right up to it and surprise whoever is there. Let's set up here, get everything in hand so we can jump out, and start instantly. I'll need one of you to stay with the vehicle. Keep it moving if possible. A researcher raised his hand, and we began preparations. 

Fifteen minutes later, we crashed through one of the gates and drove up to the tower. The cameras had been scrambled on the way in, and I shot them out to buy us more time. The others paused long enough to grin when I hit all three on the first try. During our circling, I had sensed two humans but quickly told the others that they were paid security and not the enemy. They were tranquilized, and I monitored them while the two technical members laid explosives and set the detonator. I was looking out when danger was suddenly sensed, and it was coming in fast.

Finish it now. Enemy incoming! Giving the guards one last check, I ran to the tower, picked up some of the equipment and raced back to the SUV. The others quickly set the explosives and followed. We were tearing out towards the gate when a vehicle turned off from the main road. I sensed they were armed but could not see us yet.

The moment we are out, detonate, I yelled while unholstering my main gun and aiming for the incoming vehicle. Before they had a chance to process the scene, I rolled down the window and opened fire. One of the others did the same. I aimed low, hoping to hit the tires and succeeded. Just as the enemy started firing, two tires blew, and they careened off the road. We raced past, and the tower went up in a fiery explosion. Cheers and high fives were exchanged before I sat back and scanned for any more signs of trouble. There was nothing. It seemed we had made it to the target in Ireland faster than the enemy could mobilize. They would not underestimate us again.

We drove directly to the airfield where the plane was refueled and ready. I checked the SUV for any damage while the others loaded up then cleaned it from top to bottom to remove fingerprints and residue. Two hours after the blast, we were back in the air and headed for Wales. A van was already waiting at the same airport we departed from. We all came down the elevator at the back of the warehouse the bunker was hidden under and marched right into the conference room. Per regulations, all had been silent until arriving there.

We were alone, and it gave me an eerie feeling. No one greeted us, the forms were left on the table with some food and drink. Something was not right, but I was not allowed to leave the room until the report was filed. The rest of my group was looking at me, waiting to see what I had to say.

Something is obviously wrong. Start your reports while I scan the building to find out. They nodded, and I stretched out into the tactical facility to where Rick sat. He sensed the intrusion and sent out a wave of emotion that made me shudder. Rick was asking me to look deeper into his mind, so I could know exactly what was happening. I did not want to intrude into the thoughts of someone I was so close to. At my hesitation, a flash of intense frustration slammed me back into the chair where I had been leaning forward. The others glanced at me in concern and confusion. I did what was silently ordered.

Max's team was in trouble and so was Dara's. No one had heard from Max in over thirty hours, and Dara was in the middle of a fierce firefight. One of her men had been injured when the tower exploded prematurely and was now missing. The others were trying to complete taking out their third towers, but it looked like they might have to abandon. Unlike us, it seemed that the enemy was close at hand to the other sites. What I had observed must have been a regional meeting of some type. The evidence had not been processed yet. The only good news was that Skull had just taken down his third tower and was en route back here. Rick begged me to hurry with debriefing because he needed me in there at his station. With that, he went back to his work, and I backed away from his mind.

Looking at those staring at me I sighed and updated them on what was happening. It took nearly two hours to complete reports and to talk it over with The General. He was proud of our success, especially in Ireland, but was visibly upset over the current situation. With a nod and brief clap on the shoulder, I was dismissed to tactical.

Despite the late hour, the room was crammed with staff and nearly every workstation was being used. Uncaring about who was watching, Rick stood up and took me into his arms. I felt him sigh with relief that I was home and unharmed. He then reached into his pocket and handed me a syringe. I laughed harshly; he knew me so well. The pain was incredible, and if I had not been so used to living with it, I might have collapsed. I smiled up at him, leaned against his chest for a moment, then pulled up a chair and sat at the station next to him.

We worked through the rest of the night, pausing only for quick naps and even quicker meals. Rick had me answer the contact from James. I could hear in his voice the relief of my safe return. They had been successful in taking out the third target, but all of them had minor injuries. They were in a similar situation as my team had been with the enemy incoming. Due to a firefight, they were not totally clear of the blast zone and anything which was out of the vehicle window was singed. He did not sound as if he were in pain though, and I smiled a little at the thought of him taking that crap as I had once called our source of relief. Because he was in a war zone, the U.N. would be extracting - making a couple of random stops to prevent from being followed before bringing him and his group back here.

During the next day, Jason and Mitch had to abort their third targets and Ryan was only able to disable his third and only temporarily. Skull arrived in the morning and, after debriefing, was put right to work tracking down where Max could be hiding out. By now we assumed he had been detected and had to go underground. Dara had secured the rest of her team and reviewed footage. It showed her injured man being captured by the enemy. I was saddened to learn it was the same agent that drove the stealth boat back in Rio. We were too far out to attempt a proper rescue, so the U.N. had been called in to find where he was being held and try to secure his release. Dara, and the rest of her team, had taken refuge in the British embassy. It was a risky maneuver which might lead to the discovery of who we really were, but at this point was necessary. I started working on getting them outside again and into a different region of the country where we could bring them home.

It was a full day before the others started to trickle back into the bunker. First Ryan, then Mitch, followed by Jason and finally James. His team was sent straight to Doc to have their minor burns and abrasions treated. The General told Mitch, Skull, and Jason to rest up because they would be sent to Indonesia to locate