No Woman Left Behind (21 page)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

I heard someone swearing via my helmet comm. It seemed like I lay there with sand in my face for an endless minute, trying to process what had just happened.

Wills’s voice sounded in my helmet, “Alpha Star, get a move on. Now.”

I rolled onto my side to get my knees under me and grabbed my pack, slinging it on my back. I glanced over my shoulder at the telephone pole standing near the shack, with its power transformer hanging just under the crosspiece. I was struck by how normal it looked. It could have been one of any thousand such poles in Maryland, and yet here it was in rural Somalia.

“Alpha Star, the smoke is starting to thin.” Wills’s voice was pleasant, but urgent.

I scrambled toward the door where Wills was waiting. I glanced around. The vehicle was sitting there with all four doors open. I could see Hulk’s feet, but the rest of him was hunkered down. I couldn’t see Hands so he was probably beyond the SUV. Beyond the vehicle and through the smoke I could just make out the dark bulk of Jar Hill rising about fifteen to twenty feet above our position. At the left end of it, large clumps of the thorny thicket provided cover to anyone hiding there. It was absolutely silent except for my harsh breathing. Looking up, I saw a camera mounted on the roof, facing to the southwest. Broodryk wanted an outside view, too.

“We’ve got a camera on the roof,” I said. “Pointed southwest.”

“Roger that.” Hands’s voice came through my helmet, sure and steady. “Just like we planned, Alpha Star. You’ve got this.”

I didn’t trust myself to answer, so I nodded at Wills. I stood directly behind him to protect his back and hide what we were doing in case anyone was watching through the smoke. He bent down on one knee to the side of the door, then pulled something out of his pocket about the size of a cell phone, opened the door a crack and stuck his hand inside. As the door opened, an alarm inside began to sound insistently. It took about three seconds before he withdrew his hand and gave the device to me. He left the door ajar.

According to the plan, he’d snapped a few photographs in a panorama of the room. I glanced quickly through the pictures getting familiar with the layout. The room was pretty dark, without windows and lit by a single bare overhead bulb. A large television screen hung on the wall opposite the door. Beneath it, a small table held a laptop with cords running to the screen. There was a door to the right that probably led to another room based upon the dimensions of the shack. The rest of the room was empty except for a camera mounted high on the back left wall and positioned so that it covered the entrance door, the laptop, the television screen and the mystery door to the right. Assuming there wasn’t another camera above our heads over the entrance door, it was good news because it meant Broodryk would only have one fixed view.

Elvis wasn’t in sight, but behind the door to the right was probably where we would find him. On the phone screen it looked like there was some device on the door handle, but I had only a dim, partial view. I handed Wills the camera and nodded again.

I glanced over my shoulder and could see parts of the hill emerging from the smoke.

“Now,” I said, tapping Wills on the shoulder. “Remember, whatever we say inside will probably be monitored, so be discreet.”

He nodded and withdrew something from his pants pocket, opened the door a bit wider, then tossed in another smoke grenade. I heard a thump and a hiss. The alarm was still sounding inside.

“Time to party,” Wills said.

He rose from his knee and entered the room in a half crouch. I couldn’t see a thing, but I followed him in until I felt the wall. The door banged shut behind me. I felt along the wall to the left until I was under where I estimated the camera hung. I knelt down, shrugging out of my pack and unzipping it.

“Well, how nice that you’ve finally arrived,” Broodryk voice said from the smoke, startling me until I realized it came from the television screen I couldn’t see. The alarm cut off and it was eerily quiet.

“Well, well. What’s this? A smoke grenade? Really? How crude. I assure you there are no hostiles in the house. However, now that you are here I would suggest you don’t try to leave. I have an expert marksman, whom I believe you know, covering the door with instructions to shoot anyone who attempts to leave.”

Pentz
. Oh my God. He had come and now he was out there hunting SEALs. The sound of gunfire from outside made me jump. Broodryk’s game of life and death was officially underway. I felt sick to my stomach knowing that Hands, Hulk and the others were out there exposed so we could complete our mission inside.

Have faith, Lexi. Everyone is doing their job. Just do yours and it will be all right.

“Crude or not, I don’t trust you, Broodryk,” I said. “Tell your guard dogs outside to stand down. This is between you and me.”

He laughed. “True, but I did promise them some fun. Ah, it’s so nice to hear your voice again. I’ve missed you, you know. But I’m afraid you aren’t in charge here, my dear.”

With the thick smoke swirling around me, I spread my arms and walked around trying to locate Wills to give me a boost to reach the camera. In the meantime, I had to keep Broodryk busy.

“Where’s Elvis?”

“He’s fine and in the other room,” Broodryk answered. “But first, I want to see you. Open the front door and clear out the smoke or I’ll kill him right now.”

I really needed to find Wills. Just then someone or something grabbed the top of my right shoulder. The combination of the dark, the smoke, and jittery nerves made me scream.

“It’s just me.” I heard Wills’s comforting voice in my helmet.

My scream amused Broodryk. “Screaming already, are we? I am most disappointed. I assumed that you had a little more fortitude than that.”

I pressed my lips together and tugged Wills in position beneath the camera. First it was the face plant and now the scream. I wasn’t an honorary SEAL. I was a freaking basket case.

“You wanted me here, so I’m here. Let’s get down to business, Broodryk. Why did you bring me all the way to Africa? Afraid to meet me on my own soil?” I spoke loudly to try and hide my position and buy myself a few more moments.

“Why not? It’s my show. Why should I suffer from jet lag?”

I knelt, groped for my pack until I found it. Unzipping it, I pulled out my laptop. I opened it, took the side cord already attached to my computer in one hand and then stood. Holding the cord in my teeth, I fashioned Wills’s hands into a step and then stuck my foot there. He caught on and helped boost me up. I used my hands to feel for the line leading from the laptop to the camera.

I took the cord from my mouth and tried to stabilize myself against the wall. “Just so we’re clear, not everything is on your terms. Still, I’ll play. Might as well, seeing as how I’m already here. But I’m not your puppet. I’m not going to do what you want for the sake of your show. My participation will be on my terms.”

My voice sounded confident, but my hands were trembling as I unscrewed the jack on the back of the camera. I nearly wept when it came loose and I was able to slip my intercept device in between the connections and secure the connection again. I wiggled my foot and Wills helped me down. I knelt down next to my laptop and felt around for the return button. When my fingers found it, I pushed it activating the pre-loaded application.

Now the next time he accessed that camera
our
game began.

“I’m warning you, Lexi. Clear the room or suffer the consequences.”

I pushed my laptop back against the wall under the camera where it wouldn’t be visible from either of the cameras on the wall or the laptop.

“Fine. But I need some reassurance first. I need to know Elvis is alive.”

Outside the shooting intensified slightly. I could hear Hands on the unit comms shouting for Alpha Team to reposition and talking to Mother on the radio about assisting with identifying the location of the hostiles shooting at them.

“You are operating on limited time,” Broodryk said. I could hear the growing anger in his voice. He didn’t like my little stunt with the smoke grenades. The audience wouldn’t tune in if they couldn’t see. “Every minute you waste is one minute you don’t have to try and save your friend. Tick tock. From this moment forward, you have thirty minutes. The countdown has started.”

Thirty minutes to live.

“We have a confirmation on the Snake,” Hands’s voice came through my helmet. “Repeat, the Snake is in the grass. I recognize the crack of his gun. Alpha Three is down. Status unknown.”

I covered my mouth in horror. Hulk was down. Pentz had shot him.

“Bravo Team, hold your position,” Hands said. How he managed to keep his voice steady was beyond me. “The Predator feed shows we have no newcomers to the party yet. It looks like most of the hostiles are facing Bravo. Beware of them trying to flank your position. Mother also reports that we have weather moving in that may impact their ability to provide video. We need to take care of Snake or no one will be able to leave the shack. I’m going to coordinate with Mother while we still have options to see if we can make him move so I can go after him. It won’t be easy for him to reposition in that brush with his large rifle.”

My helmet radio fell silent. I steeled myself. Time to focus on the here and now.

“Where is Elvis, Broodryk? I need that or I don’t play.”

He sighed. “He’s in the side room. Since you can’t see, you’ll have to feel your way there. Do not try and open the door. It is wired. Simply knock on it and yell to him. He’s drugged but he might respond to your voice.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. I stumbled across the room to the door and banged on it.

“Elvis,” I shouted. “Elvis, are you in there?”

There was silence and then, “Lexi?” The voice was faint but unmistakably Elvis’s.

I nearly burst into tears as I pressed a hand against the door. “Hang on, Elvis. I’m right out here. Okay?” I could hear some noise on the other side.

“How do I know it’s not just a recording or something?” I said to Broodryk. “That you aren’t tricking me.”

“Go ahead and ask him a question and see what he says. But you are wasting valuable time. It’s him, I assure you.”

I turned to the door again. “Elvis. It’s me, Lexi. Look, I need to make sure that it’s really you. Can you hear me?”

His voice was weak, but I heard him. “Yes. I hear you.”

“What’s your mother’s first name?”

There was silence and then he said, “Ottilie.”

“It’s him. Open the front door, but don’t get in the line of fire,” I ordered Wills.

I heard Wills’s footsteps cross the room. The door swung and the smoke began to drift out. With the additional light from the door I was able to take a closer look at the device on the handle. It looked like an oversized cell phone with a numeric pad on the front. Wires ran from the back of it through the crack in the door and snaked inside the room. The device was firmly secured to the handle and couldn’t be easily removed. I carefully examined the back as best I could. I’d never seen anything like it.

“Ah, that’s better.”

I could see the TV and laptop now. Broodryk was on the television screen watching me. He was masked again, probably to keep his identity as secret as possible from whomever else might be watching the show. But his eyes... I knew his eyes. Ice Eyes, I’d called him, and it fit. Pale blue and devoid of any feeling or remorse.

He chuckled. “So what do you think of my little set-up?”

I straightened and crossed my arms against my chest. “You really don’t want to know what I think.”

He studied me for a moment. “Why, look at you. You’re dressed for the part—playing soldier. How delightful. You amuse me.”

“The feeling isn’t mutual.”

“Actually, I didn’t think you’d make it this far. Even with the help of the entire US government behind you. You’ve got spirit, my dear.”

“I’m not your dear. But yes, I’m resourceful.”

“Indeed, you are. But that’s not all you are. You’re my destiny. We were fated to meet at that high school. I see that now. It was all leading to this glorious moment in time.”

Wills shot me a glance across the room. I didn’t have to be a psychologist to understand the meaning behind it. Broodryk was completely certifiable. It chilled me to the bone, but I had to act unaffected. I remembered Gray’s words about being a worthy opponent. That was important to him. Do not show fear.

“Whatever. I’m here now. What do you want?”

“Well, in the next twenty-six minutes, one of two things is going to happen. Either you will save your friend or you will save your country. It’s your choice. I love giving my adversaries options.”

“What?” I frowned. “What do you mean I have to save my friend or my country?” I had to repeat Broodryk’s words for the benefit of the team listening in, but it also gave me extra time to process.

“It means you have a choice to make. You can spend time working on the device on that door to break the code in time to save your friend. It’s not difficult and shouldn’t take you too long. All you have to do is to come up with the right four digit number sequence. Once you plug in the code, it neutralizes the wires running to him and he is saved. However, if you take longer than your allotted minutes or try to force open the door, he will be electrocuted.”

“Electrocuted?”

“Yes.”

I opened my mouth to reply when the lights in the house suddenly flickered off and the television screen went dark.

I stood frozen to the spot. “Broodryk?” I whispered.

Chapter Forty

Before I could figure out what had happened, the lights turned back on. Broodryk’s face on the television screen wavered back to life.

I looked around the room. Wills had his gun out, pointed at the door. I shook my head and he lowered the gun, leaning back against the wall.

“What happened?” I asked Broodryk.

He studied something to the right of him, probably his monitoring equipment. “A storm is coming. A bad one. There was a surge. I’d suggest you hurry. A similar surge might just kill your friend earlier than planned. Oops.”

My hands shook, so I clasped them behind my back. “You said something about a choice. What’s the other one—the country choice? I presume we’re talking about Pruxrat.”

“Ah, so you know about my baby. Resourceful, indeed. Yes, you are correct. See the laptop underneath the television? There’s another challenge there. Crack that program and you’ll have access to the source code for Pruxrat. You can then take the program and delete it, copy it, or do whatever the hell you want with it. Once you have it, it’s useless to me because you’ll be able to figure a way to counter it. That means I’ll have to start from scratch and create a new virus. As you know, that takes time. Therefore, your country will be safe...at least for the time being. So which will you choose, Lexi? Friendship or country?”

My brain raced. There had to be another option.

“What if I do nothing? What if I don’t choose between friendship or country?”

He laughed. “Then the virus is released and your friend dies, along with all of your soldier friends outside.”

“And me?”

“Well, I still have hope for you, my dear. However, I will have to think about the worth of your life based on your choices and performance today. Right now, I am not impressed.”

Determined, I headed for Broodryk’s computer. I quickly pulled up the program and the code that protected it. I recognized it. It was a relatively simple code challenge given to second-year students to introduce them to critical security concepts, but it was complex enough that it would take me a full twenty minutes or more to solve—unless he had left any additional traps, and I couldn’t rule that out. He could easily have set this up so I failed on both fronts.

I returned to the door with the device on the handle and studied it. Broodryk had made this challenge easier. Much easier. But I still didn’t have time to do both.

In the background I could hear Hands requesting that Mother target the Predator’s Hellfire missile to the upwind side of Jar Hill. There was something about a fire to smoke him out but I lost the rest to static.

So what choice could I make? Would I make?

The unit comms were silent. Even the firing had stopped for some inexplicable reason. It was as if the entire world was waiting for me to say something, do something. When neither option was acceptable, what was the right answer?

Think, Lexi. Think.

Thoughts flashed through my brain so fast it made me dizzy. Some part of my brain knew something, but where was it? I could see Broodryk sitting there on the television watching intently, smirking. He knew I had only unacceptable choices.

Suddenly the phrase “unacceptable choices” jogged a memory of a class I’d had at Georgetown called Red Teaming and Deception Analysis. What had the professor asked us?

When surrounded by only unacceptable choices, what should you do?

I’d raised my hand and answered logically that a decision should be made as a result of the calculations of the consequences, thereby making the best decision based on the least amount of adverse reaction.

My professor had slammed his hand down on the desk, startling all of us, as he was normally a pretty unassuming guy.

“Wrong! When all the choices are unacceptable, you must create a new choice. There is always another choice somewhere. That’s the correct answer.”

Of course. That
was
the correct answer. I had to create another option. But what?

I stared at the wires running from the device on the door and disappearing into Elvis’s room. If I didn’t think of something fast, he would be electrocuted mere steps away from me.

Electrocuted!

Just like that, I had it. The third option.

Hands’s voice sounded in my helmet. “This is Alpha One. I need that fire started now. We’re running out of time and can’t get a visual on the Snake. He is too well hidden. I need to force him to move so I have a chance. Have the second Predator ready if the first one doesn’t start the fire.”

“Affirmative. Stand by Alpha One. Your firing pass is in progress.”

I glanced up at the television and saw Broodryk watching me, an amused look on his face. He had no idea what was going on in my head. He was simply enjoying my pain, indecision and stress, reaping the rewards of his meticulous planning. Hulk had been shot, probably dead, Elvis was possibly minutes from electrocution, and Hands was going to have to expose himself to hunt a well-hidden sniper. A strange powerful force surged through me. I didn’t like it, but I was sure going to use it.

Hate.

I’d never imagined hating anyone as much as I hated Broodryk at this exact moment. This was new emotional territory for me. While popular literature says that hate is the first step down the road to the dark side, I needed it now to get through this. It helped steady my nerves and gave me a newfound determination. I’d have to worry about the consequences later, if I lived that long.

I stalked across the room to Wills. “Do you have a piece of paper and a pen? I need to make calculations.”

He looked startled, but gamely fumbled around in his pockets. A bit sheepishly, he handed me a candy bar wrapper and a pen. It would have to do.

I walked back to Broodryk’s laptop on the table. I turned slightly so that my body shielded my writing from the wall camera and the angle from the laptop was bad. While the laptop camera and keylogger would monitor every keystroke, it didn’t matter to my plan now.

“Ah, so she is going for country over friendship,” Broodryk said. “Interesting. Didn’t expect that of you, but I understand. You do owe them for bringing you here. Hooray for the red, white and blue.”

“Shut up,’ I said curtly. “You’re interfering with my concentration.”

I scribbled a message to Wills.
Take out electrical transponder on telephone pole. Shoot for the ceramic insulator on the top. Break that and it will short the transformer. Be quick and use the distraction of the approaching firebomb. It should keep Pentz busy long enough for you to get off a shot.

I pretended to shake the pen. “Damn, it’s not working.” I walked back over to Wills. Keeping my back to the television monitor, I pressed the wrapper in his hand. He read it and our eyes met. He nodded slightly.

“Do you have another pen?” I asked him.

He shook his head and I gave a loud sigh. “Never mind. I’ll just do the calculations in my head.”

I returned to the computer and started working. I knew Broodryk would not keep his word even if I broke the code, but I had to make it look like I was making a good faith effort. Time was of the essence. I had to give Echo Team time to respond to the house in Gabon.

The electricity surged again, wiping out my last set of calculations. I stood, glared at Broodryk. “Hey, what happened? I just had my work cleared.”

He laughed. “It’s the cost of working in a hellhole. The storm is closer. You may have mere minutes left.”

“It’s not a fair game if you cut my time,” I warned.

“Since when has life been fair? Hasn’t anyone told you that yet? Nonetheless, you’ll have your full thirty minutes. I am a man of my word, after all.”

I sat down and had just started to redo the calculations when I heard a voice in my helmet. “Missile away. Alpha One, impact in five seconds.”

“Standing by,” Hands said. His words were followed almost immediately with a ground-shaking
boom
.

I looked over at Wills and then he was out the door. I was alone with the monster.

“What was that?” I asked Broodryk.

He was looking at something off screen, most likely the outside monitor. He swiveled his head back to me. “Apparently the US government is trying to make a show of force. It’s a mistake. It will do nothing but draw unfriendly persons to you. I have made arrangements to keep this gathering small, but I cannot stop others from crashing the party if you insist on attracting attention. Unfortunately, it’s out of my hands at this point. So, where did your protector go? I see we’re all alone now.”

“I don’t know where he went. He doesn’t ask my permission to do his job.”

“I like it this way. Just you and me.”

A voice spoke in my ear and I stiffened. “This is Alpha Two. I’m out of the shack and in cover. Alpha Star has requested I take out the electrical transformer. I’ll need to be exposed momentarily to do it.”

“Negative.” Hands sounded emphatic. “Do not attempt at this time. I still do not have a visual on the Snake. The smoke from the fire is progressing up the hill, but it may not have affected his position yet.”

“Alpha Star needs that electricity off now. I believe I can get a shot off before the Snake could hit me. I don’t think he knows where I am. Besides, if he shoots me, he reveals his position to you. It’s a win-win situation. Request permission to proceed, sir.”

I froze. Wills would take a bullet
on purpose
to knock the transponder out and get Pentz to reveal himself?

Oh, God. Had I just sent a man to his death?

There was radio silence and I stared blindly at the code on the laptop. At this rate, I wouldn’t get one fourth of the code unraveled, but I had to make a show of trying.

Tick tock.

Time stood still for no one. I wanted to know if Elvis was okay in the next room. I wanted to make sure Wills would be safe. I wanted an update on the SEAL team in Gabon. I wanted to go home.

Keep the faith, Lexi. Keep the faith.

The radio cackled. “Alpha Two, proceed.”

I closed my eyes. Move and countermove. Kill or be killed. My hands clenched into fists.

Please be safe, Wills. Please.

“Alpha Two is in position. Stand by.”

I stood, then planted myself in front of the television. I needed to keep Broodryk focused on me so he couldn’t monitor what was happening outside. I’d have a better chance of things working if he thought the electricity went down as a result of the storm rather than a deliberate act by the man I’d just sent out of the shack.

“Look, Broodryk, I can’t work under these conditions.” I tried to sound demanding, bossy. Like I wanted his attention and I wanted it now. “If you wanted a true test of my ability, you should have chosen a place with consistent electricity.”

His icy eyes met mine and I had to suppress a shudder. “I keep getting these surges that are messing up my work and—”

Kaboom
. The television screen and the lights blanked out at the same time.

Score one for Wills.

I made my move.