Lance turned his back on the meddlesome couple, hoping they wouldn’t cause a scene. As his phone continued to vibrate, Lance reached up to tap the Bluetooth device in his ear. Unable to utter a single word, Lance coughed, hoping that would be enough.
“Good, good, good. Mr. McGee, I’m so glad you’re still with us. I don’t really expect you to answer me, given that someone talking on a phone these days would definitely attract attention. We wouldn’t want to do that, now would we?”
Just the sound of the man’s voice sent Lance over the edge, gasping for air. His eerie, composed politeness brought forth images that were anything but tranquil, images of torture—not just his own, but the torture of his children as well.
“Now, now, Mr. McGee. We can’t have you carrying on like this when we’re so close to being finished. Do calm down, sir. Please.”
Lance knew he had to get a grip – and fast!
“That’s much better, Mr. McGee. I really do wish we could have one of our pleasant talks, but I guess we’ll have to settle for a boring, one-sided conversation. Kind of funny, don’t you think? For decades every man, woman, and child walked around talking on a phone, fiddling their little fingers around on a mobile gadget doing all manner of silly things. It wasn’t long ago that you would be positively out of place if you didn’t have some sort of do-hickey in your hand. Oh, how the tables have turned! If you pulled that phone out of your pocket right this second, I bet people around you would start screaming and running from you like you were an alien with a ray gun. Anyway, I’ve gotten quite far from the topic at hand, haven’t I? You’re still with me aren’t you, Mr. McGee? Give me a little cough so we can get this party started.”
Lance cleared his throat angrily
“Excellent! That little phone in your pocket is telling me you’re about twenty yards from the front gate. I just wanted to chat with you in case you were having some crazy thoughts about backing out on me and doing something foolish like trying to get help. It occurred to me a few minutes ago that you might think I won’t keep my end of the bargain, that no matter what you do your family will die either way, so why cooperate? That sound about right? Go on now; give us another one of your angry coughs.”
Lance’s face was awash in tears as he obeyed.
“Fantastic! I have your lovely wife here ready to talk to you one last time. Don’t you worry now; she knows you won’t actually be doing any talking. You be extra careful not to get caught up in the moment and draw attention to yourself. Are we clear?”
This time Lance could only manage a sob, his signal of recognition tangled in his throat.
“Okay now, here she is. And Lance? Remember, your family’s lives are riding on your performance.”
Lance closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could to control himself.
A few seconds later, his wife’s sweet voice filled his ear. Lance was so proud that Sheila sounded completely calm.
“Lance, my darling, me and the kids are okay. They actually brought us back home! I’m sitting in the living room, and the kids are in their beds. You just have to do what they want and they’ll leave. I really, really think they’re gonna go. Please darling, be brave for me and think of the children. We’ll be safe, I promise. I love you so…”
“Mr. McGee, wasn’t that just lovely? Your wife is an exceptional woman indeed. Now then, I trust you have the proper motivation to proceed? No need to respond, Mr. McGee. I know you and I are on the same page. Oh my! Looking at my little screen here I see that you’re almost at the front gate! How positively exciting! I’m going to stay on the line all the way to the end to ensure that we won’t need to pursue certain … liberties with your dear wife. And one last thing, Mr. McGee. I really do hate to even bring this up, such nasty business, but my two associates are very fond of your lovely daughter. You must be so proud that she made varsity cheerleader before the country just went to pot. She has been entertaining us with some very enthusiastic cheer routines. She wasn’t really into it at first, I’m afraid to say, but after I asked her if she’d rather my associates, uh… occupy their time with her little brother, she just beamed a big smile with every cheer! A real treat indeed! Anyway, you just make sure you hold up your end of the deal, and you have my solemn word that my associates will focus their attention elsewhere. Mr. McGee, it has been a real pleasure working with you. I thank you kindly for your time. Good luck to you, sir. I know you’ll do what needs to be done.”
Lance felt a strange sense of relief wash over him. The hell he had endured for the previous four days was finally ending. In a few short minutes, he would leave this world for a much better one. He would be reunited with his father and his younger brother.
Just past the front gate was a large gymnasium that had been repurposed as an orientation center. Lance watched as a Middle Eastern family was taken at gunpoint from the front of the line to a holding area. He looked into the holding pen and saw naked men and women shivering in the cold while their clothes and belongings were searched. Dignity had been replaced by stark racism, and Lance couldn’t help but feel a sick sense of irony at his current predicament. He stepped into the doorway and turned around. Lifting his arms, Lance squeezed both fists, launching two projectiles from the tube rockets strapped to his forearms. Not concerned with their trajectories, Lance pushed his way to the center of the gymnasium and ripped open his coat, detonating the forty pound vest that hugged his torso.
The two guided projectiles found their targets. The first missile burst through a window on the top floor of the headquarters building and detonated, killing Brigadier General Matthew Jacobs, commanding general of Fort McClellan, along with most of his senior staff. The second rocket smashed into the front lobby of the base hospital, bringing the second floor crashing down into the first, killing hundreds of innocent patients.
When Lance’s vest detonated, a high powered explosive many times more potent than C-4, vaporized his body along with every living thing inside the gymnasium. The structure that had once promised frightened, weary refugees the possibility of a new life came crashing down. Since most of the deceased had not yet been processed into the system, no one would ever know that three hundred nineteen innocent people had just been murdered.
The polite man on the other end of the phone told his two associates that he was going out to the car for a quick smoke. He walked to the end of the driveway and opened the driver’s-side door. With great anticipation, he lit his cigarette, took a long, satisfying drag and slowly exhaled. Once the nicotine rush hit him, he reached into his coat pocket and produced a small device. Carefully typing in the requisite five digits, the man hit the enter key and watched, smiling, as the McGee residence erupted in an explosion that rocked the neighborhood. Car alarms wailed, dogs barked. The polite man always tied up loose ends, and he certainly wasn’t looking to take the blame when The Silent Warriors would be more than happy to take credit for his actions.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Are you sure it’s time to make such a bold move, Richard?” Howard Beck knew the day was coming, but he never envisioned it would be so soon.
“We have a lot of preparation to deal with before we’re ready to move forward, but it’s time to set things in motion. What do you think, Max?”
“I’m nice and comfy with things the way they are, but we have to move at some point and it might as well be now. My only concern is maintaining the resources we have to secure our own borders.”
“You don’t think Hal can manage it?” asked Howard.