“You might as well brief me on your plan, Ryan, as I know you’ve already thought of one,” said O’Reilly.
For the next few minutes, Mitchell outlined his plan. When he was done, O’Reilly and Donaldson sat there, staring at the screen and saying nothing. It was a plan born of desperation. It would either work or not. There was no way for them to influence what was about to happen from their offices three thousand kilometers away.
“Okay then, we all have to wait until thirteen hundred hours,” said O’Reilly.
“Good luck,” said Donaldson.
“Talk to you in a few hours, General,” said Mitchell as he ended the teleconference.
Sitting back in his chair, Mitchell looked over at Yuri and Jackson. “So what do you think of my plan?”
Yuri shrugged and said nothing. He trusted his friend, and if that was what he thought would work, he intended to back him all the way.
“It’s not the worst you’ve ever had,” said Jackson. “If it can get my boy out alive, then I’m all for it.”
With a look of fear in his eyes, Taro Satomi reached over and placed a hand over his daughter’s left hand. “This is a very risky plan. Are you sure you wish to go through with it?”
Meekly nodding, Atsuko looked into her father’s pained eyes. “Father, I have allowed myself to become embroiled in this nightmare. I will not have the blood of an innocent child on my hands. I will do what I must.”
With that, the cabin grew silent, each person lost in their thoughts. In a few hours, they would either have Daniel free and on his way home, or they would all be dead.
With a look of fierce determination in his eyes, O’Reilly looked over at Sam and Cardinal, both of whom had been sitting quietly in his office throughout the conference. “Well, what do you think? Do they stand a chance of pulling this off?”
Sam turned her head and looked over at Cardinal. His right arm was still in a sling. The many bruises and cuts on his face had slowly begun to heal. His body might have been battered, but his resolve was stronger than ever. His friends needed them and injuries aside, he was going to help. With a quick nod, they were committed.
“How quick can you get us down there?” said Sam.
“I still have a couple of connections with the air force. I know a few folks who still owe me a favor or two. Pack your gear and then stand by,” said O’Reilly. “I’ll see if you can be picked up by helicopter and then flown to Joint Base Andrews where a plane hopefully will be waiting for you.”
After shaking their hands, O’Reilly watched Sam and Cardinal leave his office. He reached down for his phone and made a call. A few minutes later, with several slates wiped clean, he sat back and looked up at the clock hanging above the door to his office. The next few hours, he was certain, were going to go by far too slowly.
44
The sun hung high in a cloudless, azure sky.
The heat shimmered off the tarmac like waves rippling across the surface of the ocean as the Gulfstream jet began its descent.
An armadillo sniffed the hot air and decided not to cross the landing strip; instead, she turned back and ambled under the shade of a clump of cacti as the jet noisily landed meters away.
Turning away from the main terminal and taxiing over to a private hangar, guided inside by a couple of airport technicians, the jet parked, turned off its engines and then made ready to receive a customs agent already waiting to board the plane. Like clockwork, the plane’s door opened and the stairs extended.
With a practiced smile on his face, the customs agent boarded the plane and, without looking closely at the motley mix of people waiting inside, he stamped their passports and welcomed them all to the United States. Used to dealing with VIPs, the agent didn’t ask any prying questions. After a cursory glance around the plane, he thanked them for their time. The agent left the plane, jumped back in his air-conditioned car just as three black Hummers with tinted windows drove into the hangar.
“Company’s here,” said Jackson as he watched from the window as the Hummers pulled up into line beside the plane with military precision.
“Okay, let’s go,” said Mitchell firmly.
The temperature, even inside the shaded hangar, felt like stepping into a furnace. Mitchell looked over at the people who had been sent to collect them and saw that they were a real mix. They were dressed identically in tan fatigues, and from the hard looks on their faces, he guessed that they were all former soldiers from all over the globe. The men took up positions around the plane.
A man with blond hair and a jutting jaw spotted Mitchell and walked purposefully over to him.
“Are you Ryan Mitchell?” asked the man.
“In the flesh,” replied Mitchell with a smile.
The man ignored the quip and looked past Mitchell.
“Are any of you armed?”
“No, we followed your boss’ directions to the letter. You can search us if you like, but you won’t find a single pistol or knife on any of us. We are completely unarmed.”
“I will take your word for it. Be warned that if you try anything foolish, the boy in our care will be killed.”
“Fair enough.”
“Is Atsuko Satomi with you?”
“Yes, I am,” said Atsuko with as much pride as she could muster as she stepped out from the plane. Dressed in loose-fitting clothing, Atsuko was the only one had put on a new outfit.
Seconds later, Mitchell, Jackson, Mister Satomi, and Atsuko stood there, quietly eyeing the men in front of them.
“Mitchell, Jackson, and Miss Satomi are to come with us. Mister Satomi and the flight crew are to remain here until our business is conducted,” ordered the blonde-haired man.
Atsuko looked into the frightened eyes of her father. Forcing a smile on her face, she embraced her father and held onto him, knowing that she might never see him again.
“We have a schedule to keep,” the blonde-haired man said bluntly. “Get in the back of the vehicles. Mitchell in mine, Atsuko the middle, and Jackson can ride in the last one.”
Atsuko’s heart felt heavy in her chest. She knew there was no turning back. She was as responsible as Cypher for all that had happened. If this small act could help someone, then she was going to do it, no matter what her fate may be.
“Take care, Father,” said Atsuko. Letting go of him, she gently kissed his forehead and turned about. Without saying another word, her head held high, she walked over and got in the middle Hummer.
With a nod at Jackson, Mitchell followed suit, got into the back of the armored Hummer, and buckled himself in.
Seconds later, the small convoy of vehicles exited the hangar and then made its way out of the airport and onto the main road.
Inside the plane, Yuri stepped out from the bathroom and made his way to Taro Satomi, who had taken a seat. Yuri could see that Satomi looked heartbroken and drained.
“Do not worry, Mister Satomi,” said Yuri. “Ryan will do all he can to look after your daughter. She’ll be back on board your plane in no time.”
With a forlorn look on his face, Satomi sat up. “Yes, of that I have no doubt. However, my heart tells me that Atsuko doesn’t intend to return. She’s going to pay her debt for all those who have died because of her when she meets Cypher.”
Yuri had nothing more to say. If she intended to die there was nothing he or Mitchell could do to stop her. As he made his way off the plane, Yuri felt like he was walking into a wall of heat.
“Yuri,” called out Cardinal, walking out from an office on the side of the hangar.
“Gordon, you look like crap,” replied Yuri, looking over at his battered and bruised friend.