“Very well. What can I say? You won, I lost. That means you get to dictate what happens. May I use the radio?” she asks, nodding to the radio in front of her.
I get the feeling that she brought the radio here knowing full well what it would be intended for and how this was going to go down. At one time, we may have worked together, but events have transpired that make that impossible. Sitting in front of me is a person who was a ghost in all senses of the word; more of a fairy tale than real. If half the stories of her are real, or if the stories are only half real, then there is a remarkable mind behind those eyes.
“It had better be a clear and short conversation. If I get a whiff of any code being used, it will not end to your liking. Do we understand each other?” I ask.
“Only too well, I’m afraid. We aren’t really that much different,” she responds.
“Lady, we are worlds apart.”
With a sigh, she picks up the radio. “How would you like for this to go down?”
“First of all, you give the order which each commander will verify, indicating that they will comply. Each room will empty according to the orders of my team lead. Then, you will contact the remaining personnel with the same order. I warn you, Nahmer—” I begin.
“Call me Gav.”
“I warn you, Nahmer, if there’s any shot fired after you give the order, you know how it will have to end,” I finish.
“I would have thought you above clichés, but it will be as you say,” Nahmer states.
She then turns up the volume and contacts the companies, telling them to lay down their weapons and to comply with the commands of the opposing forces. After I hear the corresponding verifications, I radio Lynn and let her know what is transpiring.
Soldiers begin emerging from the barracks on Lynn’s orders and she rounds them up, placing them into small groups against one corner of the bay. She places those under guard and then gathers the operations center people, followed by the rest of the personnel. Barring anything unforeseen, we have the complex under control.
I continue to keep Nahmer separate so she can’t communicate with the others or initiate some other kind of action. I mean, who knows, she may have the place rigged to blow just in case.
With the security forces and personnel rounded up and under guard, Lynn directs two teams to search the maintenance areas and quarters for anyone else, finding no others. With her radio call that all is clear, I feel an immense relief. My body, which has been under continuous stress for hours on end, relaxes to some degree, allowing fatigue to replace the adrenaline which had been my mainstay. We’re not out of this yet so I can’t allow my guard to fall.
Part of the problem now is that I have no idea what to do with the prisoners. I guess I really didn’t expect to have any, so I hadn’t given it much thought. We just aren’t set up to take prisoners, and I don’t know what we would do with them in the long-term. I don’t trust them enough to fold them into our structure as they may cause problems in our group. But we can’t exactly kill them in cold-blood either. Well, we can and may have to if we can’t think of something else, but the thought doesn’t really sit too well with me. Turning them loose may just cause the same problems for us down the road.
If I thought the soldiers were truly evil, then it would be an easy decision. It may be that they were only following orders. However, even that isn’t a good enough reason to attack without provocation. There is the chance that they may not have known what was going on. That’s the problem I’m wrestling with. They may have been pulled directly from the military, or they may just simply be hired guns. If they are only hired mercenaries, that wouldn’t explain all of the military vehicles sitting in the equipment bay. Those had to come from some military base, or perhaps directly from the manufacturer, which implies high-level connections in the past.
And then there is this Nahmer herself. She is far too dangerous to have with us or to leave her to her own devices. We have several dead to attest to that. The deep anger I felt at the loss of our people is allayed to a degree; both from the tiredness creeping over me and from standing face-to-face with our antagonist.
“Where did the security personnel come from?” I ask Nahmer, who remains seated.
“They were selected from various units and were ordered here,” she answers.
“So, they are regular soldiers. What will they do now?”
“I can’t speak for them, but I assume they will do whatever you tell them to do,” she replies.
“What do they know?”
“Next to nothing about the reality of this place, which I assume you already know about seeing you’re here,” she responds with a questioning look.
“Yes. I know what you and the others did, and why,” I state.
“Well, they know what happened…but not who or how. As far as they know, they are guarding one of the last establishments of government.”
At least I know the status of the soldiers under guard. However, that doesn’t mean that I can trust them or that they don’t have some other orders. It’s a tough decision, and one we’ll have to make soon.
“Lynn, I’m going to call Robert and have him land to drop Harold off. He’s the only one who can possibly decipher the equipment in the ops center. Can you send a team to escort him?” I radio.
“Things are under control here. I’ll send Watkins and then I’m joining you. I want to get a look at this bitch,” she answers.
I open up and give Robert a brief synopsis of where we stand. “Land in the field and drop Harold off. Alpha Team will meet you. How’s your fuel?”
“We have enough for a few more hours but that’s it,” he replies.
“Okay. Shut down and Alpha will return to provide security.
“Okay, Dad. We’ll be on our way shortly.”
“Lynn, Robert is on his way. After Watkins escorts Harold in, have him return to the aircraft for security,” I call.
“Okay, Jack. I’m on my way.”
Gonzalez maintains her alert guard, having replaced her M-4 with her handgun. Lynn arrives looking a little the worse for wear. Her bloodshot eyes tell of her tiredness, but she enters the room with a look of grim determination. Seeing Nahmer sitting calmly at the table, her lips tighten even more.
“Are you alright?” I ask, seeing blood streaks on one side of her face.
She runs her fingers across the wound. “Yeah, it’s just a scratch.”
Nahmer looks from Lynn’s entrance to me, her calm expression never leaving.
“Before you discuss what to do about me, or do anything else, I would beg your indulgence with something,” Nahmer asks, her accent only slightly betraying her origins.
“You are not in a position to ask for anything,” Lynn states firmly.
“That is true, but I would ask it nonetheless,” Nahmer replies.
“And what is this indulgence you want us to give you?” Lynn asks, staring hard at Nahmer.
“I have some… business to take care of before you decide what to do with me,” Nahmer says, her implication clear.
“They are here? In this facility?” I ask.
“Yes, they are.”
“Why would you want to see them dead?” I question.
“Because, it was their foolishness that made me lose,” she asserts.
As much as her winning would have been the end of us, I can understand her desire.
“We’ll escort you,” Lynn asserts, taking any decision out of my hands.
Nahmer rises with both Gonzalez and Lynn covering her, their faces tightened by anger and alertness. With Nahmer leading, we gather Henderson and Denton and proceed farther into the complex, turning down several halls. We walk slowly to make sure we aren’t being set up for an ambush, but it seems this part of the bunker is empty. Rounding a corner, Nahmer comes to halt.