Desmoterion, page 18
Saunders let out a long sigh. “Then I guess this is goodbye. Tell Mike he was the only one who seemed to believe I could do better. I’ll never forget that.”
Trent’s jaw clenched as he watched Saunders shuffle down the tunnel. He knew what would happen to Saunders and couldn’t do anything about it.
“How pathetic. A loser like him won’t last a week there.” Stevenson laughed.
Anger raced through Trent’s body. He knew letting that remark get to him wasn’t wise, but he couldn’t stop it. He walked forward and punched Stevenson in the middle of his chest.
Stevenson tumbled to the ground, gasping for breath and pawing at his shirt.
Trent glanced down at him and said, “Now, who’s pathetic?”
* * *
Kipper’s eyebrow arched when he spotted Trent walking into his area with an enormous grin. “What’s up with you?”
Trent picked up his headset and put it on. “Just teaching someone a lesson in respect.”
“Where’s Stevenson?”
Trent rolled his eyes before turning around to face their leader. The plan had been so obvious that a toddler could have figured it out. Either way, he had to play nice to execute the plan’s next step — figuring out what Girish’s mission was and trying to subvert it. “He’ll be along, I’m sure.”
“You’re not leading this mission, Trent.”
Kipper frowned, turning a little to look at Trent again.
Trent paid it no heed, connecting with the radio in the vehicle’s main comm. “All right, if you’re ready, then proceed to the first mark. Let me know if you run into any problems.”
Emyr’s voice came over the channel, “Wasn’t Stevenson supposed to be on this mission too? I only have Saunders.”
Trent pushed aside his regrets about that fact. “Saunders is doing a solo mission at this point. The mission changed at the last moment. Proceed as outlined.”
Stevenson stumbled into the area and swung at Trent while his back was turned. Trent heard it and sidestepped the attack, causing Stevenson to miss and tumble to the floor.
Kipper bit his lip to stop himself from laughing over the comm. The last thing he needed was the leader giving him gruff during a mission.
Trent talked into his headset, “Tell the driver to re-route at the next light. There’s a traffic accident a few blocks above.”
Emyr’s voice came back on. “He’s already told me via the panel. We’re re-routing for a few blocks and then back on course.”
“Just don’t overshoot your mark. Also, make sure Saunders is wired if he isn’t already.”
Stevenson got to his feet again and tried another shot at Trent when the leader intercepted his hand. His body stiffened.
“Enough of this nonsense. I didn’t promote you to be a hothead who can’t rein in his emotions. Either fix this right now, or you’ll be eliminated.”
* * *
The transporter stopped in an alley.
Emyr glanced over at Saunders, who wore a frown. “Looks like we’ve arrived. I’d hoped to have two of you for a better chance of success, but I guess it all rests on you.”
Saunders stared at the ground. “I guess so.”
“Something on your mind, recruit?”
Saunders lifted his head. “You know Mike pretty well, don’t you?”
“Uh, what does that have to do with anything?”
Saunders got up from his seat. “Nothing really, I just wanted to make sure he knew I respected him. I know I struggled in his class, pretty much dead last of anyone, but I liked that he never gave up on me. It shows how dedicated he is to his craft.”
“You can tell him yourself later. We’re not leaving until your part is done.”
Saunders shook his head. “Somehow, I don’t think you are. I have a feeling this is my last mission. That’s why I wanted Mike to know that. Will you tell him?”
Arden glanced over at Emyr.
“Yeah, I’ll tell him, but you can tell him yourself. I’m telling you, you’re coming back.”
Saunders opened the side door. “I wish I had your confidence.”
Emyr watched Saunders climb out into the alley to stand against the wall. The door closed behind him, and Emyr patched into Trent, “What the hell is going on with this mission? I thought we were waiting for them to make contact and then pull Saunders back.”
Trent’s voice came over the radio, “Proceed to the next step. No one will show up if you’re there.”
“That’s not what I asked, Trent.”
“Do as I say and get to your next mark. I will not repeat it twice.”
Arden knocked on the glass between them and the cab.
The vehicle started up to move away from Saunders’ position.
* * *
Trent stared at the video footage of the alley.
Stevenson snorted behind him. “What a waste of time. No one in their right mind would fall for such a pitiful ruse.”
Trent turned to glare at Stevenson. “I didn’t ask for your opinion, recruit.”
“I’m not a recruit anymore. Hell, I’m your rank now, and I’m supposed to be leading this mission.”
Trent looked back at the display. “Like you even know what that means. How many hours have you devoted to mission creation? How many hours for mission briefing and debriefing? Girish has more experience than you do at this point.”
The leader spoke up from the right side. “He will have the training soon; that much is certain. For now, he will observe what you do for this mission. It will be the basis for my decision later.”
“You mean the one supposed to amount to Girish killing me? I’m pretty sure I can take him with both arms tied behind my back.”
Kipper happened to turn to see their leader shaking with anger. He swallowed hard and wondered if Trent would be offed right before them. Instead, he looked down at Delgado’s console. “Anything from Saunders’ ambient feed?”
Delgado shook his short black hair. “Nothing so far other than random animals scurrying about.”
Ward spoke up, “I have a black limo approaching Saunders’ position. Not sure if they’re just passing by or not.”
Trent looked at the console. “Get an ID on the license plate.”
Ward typed something into his computer. “It’s not coming up. Must be fake.”
* * *
The sleek transport door slid open to reveal a man in a dark blue suit. He knelt down by Saunders and said, “Well, look at you. What’s your name kid?”
Saunders glanced up. “Frank, but most just call me Saunders.”
“Nice to meet you, Frank. It’s cold out here tonight, you might feel warmer back at my place. I can get you some food and a clean place to sleep.”
Saunders shrugged. “Why me?”
The man grinned in the darkened light. “Because you remind me of a friend I once had in prison. A scared kid who tried to be out of everyone’s way so he could survive.”
Saunders frowned. “Wait, you aren’t Shauner? The guy with a red stag on his arm.”
The man chuckled and pulled up his coat sleeve to reveal a red stag. “Long time no see, kid. Come on, this neighborhood is shit, and you might get messed with.”
Saunders got to his feet. “That’s wild that you would show up like this. What are the odds?”
The man put his arm around Saunders’ shoulders, leading him back to his vehicle. “Pretty much astronomical.”
* * *
The feed coming into his ears surprised Trent, and that was a rare enough occurrence. “Give me Saunders’ prison information now.”
Ward typed into their system to access Saunders’ record. “He spent six months in Leuven Prison with various people. I’m looking up the Shauner name he mentioned.”
Delgado made a face at the sound coming through his headphones. “Sounds like this Shauner guy is trying to seduce Saunders. He’s laying it on thick.”
Kipper nodded. “Probably. If this guy is connected to what I think he is, he has to inspect the merchandise before handing it over for slavery.”
Ward finished typing into his computer and said, “Thomas Shauner was let go from Leuven Prison six months ago. It doesn’t mention how his sentence was lifted, just that he was let go. He supposedly works for a consulting firm in Lahti.”
Kipper snorted. “Consulting firm? Is that what they call that now?”
Trent pushed a button on the console to patch into the transporter’s comm. “The mission is over; come back to base.”
Emyr’s voice came into Trent’s ears, “You can’t be serious. He’s still out there.”
“No, he isn’t. They picked him up in a black limo. There’s nothing left for you to do at this point as we’re tracking him from here.”
Emyr opened the side door to see a black limo turn in the opposite direction. He frowned at it and came back inside.
The transporter started moving away from the alley.
Emyr leaned back in his seat while shaking his head.
* * *
Trent took off his headphones and turned to the leader. “I assume Kipper’s team can take care of the rest. It’s now just a matter of tracking that limo and figuring out where their headquarters is. Though I doubt this Shauner guy is stupid enough to bring Saunders there right off the bat.”
“Indeed. No, there is nothing further. I will have Stevenson monitor the situation with Renard.”
Trent glanced over at Stevenson, who wore a smug grin. “Have fun listening to them rape Saunders. It’s likely to go on all night long.”
Stevenson’s grin fell from his face as Trent walked away.
“Not so fast, Trent. I’d like to have a word with you in my office.”
Trent’s jaw clenched. He didn’t want to hear what their leader had to say, but playing along would serve him well. He turned around to face the leader again. “Right now?”
The leader nodded and looked over at Kipper. “Ensure Stevenson is briefed on operating the console and radio systems.”
Kipper glanced over at Trent before responding. “Yes, sir.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Mike waited by the hallway, as he always did when Emyr was on a mission. He half wondered what anyone thought of his repeated appearance but figured he couldn’t care less if the leader hadn’t brought it up to Trent.
Arden came through the doorway wearing a frown.
Mike rushed forward to get the gear out of Emyr’s hands when he saw the large frown on his face. “What’s wrong? I thought the mission was a success?”
“A success? We left him to die.”
Inwardly, Mike flinched. “Yes, but it will get us closer to figuring out this new organization. Plus, it’s not like Saunders knew what was going to happen, anyway.”
“He knew all right. In fact, he asked me to tell you that he admired you for pressuring him to be a better fighter.”
“But Trent wasn’t supposed to tell them beforehand.”
Emyr shook his head. “It doesn’t matter how he found out, Mike; it’s the fact that he’s saying stuff like that to me. I try my best not to get close to these recruits because I know many of them will be cannon fodder. They’ll all die unless they rise above it all, like we did.” He stopped to sigh. “I don’t want to hear them feel remorse for their actions or pass on sad messages like these to you. It’s not part of my job.”
“I should have told you beforehand. Trent said not to, so I followed it, but if I’d known, it would affect you like this....”
Emyr cut him off. “Don’t patronize me; I’m not in the mood for it tonight.”
“I’m not patronizing you; I’m just trying to tell you why I didn’t let you know. I’m trying to sympathize with you.”
“Yeah well, right now I don’t want to hear it,” said Emyr while walking away from Mike, who opened his mouth to protest further but then changed his mind.
* * *
Trent entered the leader’s office and stood before his desk, waiting for him to sit behind it like always.
Instead, the leader stood beside Trent. “That was out of line, what you did tonight.”
Trent’s eyebrow rose. “Oh? So doing my job is out of line now? That’s news to me.”
The leader shook his head. “You had so much potential, and now you’ve pissed it away, thanks to Kannan.”
“It was already pissing away even before Girish arrived. I could see that you’d grown tired of me and were looking to find someone to replace me. It’s the reason why I kept choosing recruits who had no desire to lead instead of former supervisors. That way, you’d have to choose someone less than ideal, like Stevenson, who, by the way, won’t last a month without me.”
“Maybe not, but I believe our time together is coming to a close.”
“You think someone like Girish can kill me?” Trent grinned at the leader. “I don’t care how elaborate of a mission he comes up with, it’s going to fail. Then, when it does, you’ll have him eliminated too. What a waste of talent.”
“You think of me as that petty? Kannan will come back here regardless of the outcome. Though I expect you’re going to try something else while it’s happening. Escaping, perhaps?”
“If I did, you’d be able to find me.” Trent shrugged. “They tagged us when we arrived here. What would be the point?”
The leader smiled at Trent. “I don’t believe that for a minute. The fact that you know about them to begin with means you’ve figured out a way to remove them.”
“Suffice to say, if I wanted to disappear, I could, but again, what would be the point? I have no money to my name, nowhere to go, nothing. Why would I escape when I have what I need here? Food, gear, and clothes, all provided without question. Out there? Not so much.”
“I don’t believe you, nor do I believe you’ve been hatching a plan to escape for a while now. That’s the reason Girish was watching you, to find out about your plans.”
“Then you’re an even bigger fool than I thought you were. Like I’d brazenly give away that kind of thing to just anyone, assuming I’m making such plans.”
“And that conversation with Mike about throwing Stevenson to the wolves while keeping Saunders back?”
Trent laughed. “To get you to fall for the ruse. I knew you were listening in, and I knew Girish wouldn’t say anything because he didn’t want me to beat the shit out of him later. I’m guessing it was Samson, your usual spying pet. God knows he’d love to get the drop on me after humiliating him a while back. People are so predictable when you ruffle their feathers enough.”
The leader moved away from Trent to sit behind his desk. “Not even you are smart to pull off such a thing. I have a feeling you liked Saunders and wanted to spare him the suffering. You’ve grown soft, Trent, and quite frankly, I’m done talking to you. You will remain in your quarters for the rest of your time here.”
“And if I don’t comply?”
The leader glared at Trent. “Don’t tempt me with such things. It might be the last thing you ever do.”
* * *
He wanted to beat the crap out of Trent, not kill him. Girish frowned at the computer monitor and wondered if this was a good idea. The whole point of sparring with someone is getting another chance to beat them. If he killed Trent, that would end, and he had nothing left to replace it.
The prospect of such a thing didn’t sit well with him.
His whole reason for pushing on was to best Trent. All the training, all the painful lessons from Mike, all of it was to beat Trent. That was his motivation for everything.
And yet, he was now tasked with killing that motivation.
Assuming he’d get lucky, and what would happen after he killed Trent? What then? What would motivate him to survive the Desmoterion hellhole for another day? Would he resort to killing himself to end it when death seemed the only way to leave?
“You think too much. Just write the damn mission.”
Girish turned to see Trent behind him. “How the hell did you get in here?”
Trent leaned down, typing in the box for the requested gear. “You might as well go all out if you’re trying to take me down.”
When he read what Trent was typing, Girish’s mind bugged out. He listed several cases of ammunition, grenades, various handguns, and rifles. “The leader won’t approve this.”
“Sure, he will if it’s successful. I’m making sure it is.”
“You want to die? Why not off yourself with the handgun you hide under your bed?”
Trent winced at the mention of it. “That won’t help your mission. Besides, that’s the easy way out, which is what I end up telling myself every night. If I’m going to go out, I might as well go out with a bang.”
“But this isn’t very fair. I want to beat you one-on-one, not with an arsenal of gear.”
Trent turned to wink at Girish. “Just because we’re loading up with stuff doesn’t mean it might not come down to that. The question is, are you ready to best me, even without the gear?”
Girish looked away, doubt eating away at him.
Trent’s eyebrow rose. “I see; then you might as well use the gear. It’s quicker and less having to think of a way to justify taking out your only motivation to live.”
“Too late, I’m already doing that. What the hell will keep me going if I manage to kill you?”
Trent smiled, turning his head so his face was right in front of Girish’s, with mere inches between them. “I’m sure you’ll find something to occupy your time with. Hell, you can aim to beat Mike if you want. I’ll tell you it took me thousands of hours of practice to beat him, and all it left me with was an empty void that needed to be filled again.”
“Exactly my point, Trent. Why don’t you save face and apologize to the leader? Then you can stay, and I can get my chance at beating you once and for all.”
Trent pulled back to stand up straight. “I can’t do that. It’s all falling into place now, and I’ve known for a while the leader wanted to replace me. My time is ending, and it all hinges on this mission being submitted.” He stopped to nod at the screen. “Just make up some way to off me using that gear. Maybe setting me up in some secluded location or a booby-trapped warehouse. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just make sure you are well armed and prepared for everything.”
