Rend, p.15
Rend, page 15
When they escaped from this place, they’d make the humans pay for rekindling this war with them.
*****
08 March, 1245 hrs local
The National Archives
Washington, DC
Emotions warred within Allyson because she’d just received a call from Kestrel. He’d pulled it off and rescued a crewman. They were only a few minutes from returning to the Archives where she would have to face him and let him know that what he’d done was unacceptable. On the one hand, Allyson was grateful that Asher and Agent Campbell had been able to rescue the helicopter crewman—and that they were both still alive—but she was also furious that the men had violated her direct order to return. She already knew that Campbell would use the deputy director’s order against her; so for all intents and purposes, he was going to get away with the insubordination.
Asher, however, was directly responsible for forcing Campbell to disobey her. She should have known that someone coming from the CIA would be uncontrollable and therefore would be a risk to the mission. It broke her heart to think that the short-term future she’d been thinking about with him was already ruined. Why couldn’t he have followed her orders?
Because he did the right thing, her mind answered. If he hadn’t rescued that crewman, then she would have had yet another death on her shoulders. She was thankful on a personal level, but professionally, she couldn’t abide by his decision to disobey her orders. She’d ordered him over the command frequency to return to the Archives and he said no. It made her sick, but she knew what she needed to do.
She switched over to the third radio frequency that would cause the phone on the deputy director’s desk to ring. After a moment the line picked up and her superior answered, “Reston.”
“Sir, this is Agent Harper,” she said.
“Allyson, good to hear from you. The helicopter carrying the Declaration landed a few minutes ago and the document is headed to the shielded security site. Good job.”
“Thank you, sir. I’m glad that we achieved the first objective.”
“We haven’t heard from Kestrel. Did he secure the crash site?”
“That’s why I’m calling you on this line, sir. Kestrel was able to rescue Sergeant Helms, one of the crewmen—”
“That’s excellent!”
“Yes, sir,” she agreed. “During their movement to the site, Kestrel and Agent Campbell encountered a large force of zombies and at the time it appeared to me that they wouldn’t be able to reach the helicopter. I ordered them to return to the Archives, but Kestrel refused.”
“What about Agent Campbell?”
“He wanted to return, but without Kestrel, he would have been moving in the city on his own; something that you explicitly ordered us not to do.”
“Hmm. Sounds like he used my directive to his advantage,” Reston answered intuitively.
“Yes, sir. I know that Campbell is cleared because of your directive, but how do I handle Kestrel?”
“He saved that crewmember’s life and he’s a hero.”
“Yes, he is. But he also disobeyed a direct order to abandon the secondary mission and return to the primary one. He risked both his and Agent Campbell’s life by disobeying me.”
“You’re correct. Look, you’re the agent in charge of this operation, so just like I supported your decision to bring him in, I’ll support your decision to reprimand him, if that’s what you want. However, you need to be prepared that the director will want to give him a medal for what he did.”
“I understand,” she replied. “I can’t have him on my team if he won’t follow my instructions. When we load up the next documents, I want him on that helo out of here.”
“You sought his help specifically for this mission. If you send him back, you’ll burn that bridge—both with Kestrel and with the Agency. Are you sure?”
She thought about it for another moment and made up her mind. “Yes, sir. I’ve thought about it and I think it’s best that the other members of the team see that he gets punished for his actions. I want him to leave.”
“Alright, if that’s your call then I’m behind you. I’ll meet him on the ground here at HQs. Once he’s been decontaminated and debriefed, we’ll send him on his way back to North Carolina.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll tell him that he has to get on the helo,” she replied.
“That’s fine, Harper. Anything else?” Reston asked.
“No, sir. I just wanted to let you know what I was about to do.”
“Okay. Good luck on the rest of your mission and I’ll see you when you get back.”
He hung up before she could respond so she clicked the radio back to the team’s command frequency and trudged up the stairs to meet in the Archives lobby where Kestrel should return in a few minutes. How had it deteriorated to this so rapidly? Yes, they were meeting the mission objectives, but this wasn’t part of the plan. At all. All four pages of the US Constitution were on the roof, ready to go in the next helicopter and they were finalizing the preparations to transport Bill of Rights now, but they still didn’t know what was going on in the National Gallery of Art and why there had been snipers on the roof willing to fire on federal agents.
Reston gave her instructions to clear that building immediately upon the downing of the helicopter, but she’d pushed back after confirmation of the snipers’ death by helicopter overflight. Allyson argued that her mission was to secure the Charters of Freedom and then she’d have her team clear the building. Eventually headquarters had relented, but she knew that was still a barrier to her team leaving for the day. Everyone was extremely concerned with who those people were.
For the immediate future though, she had to deal with Kestrel. She heard the doors facing the Mall open and then quickly close again as her foot hit the landing. Across the lobby, two men stood on either side of another, who’d slid to his knees and appeared to be crying. She straightened her shoulders, stood tall and then walked across the floor to where Kestrel and Campbell stood high-fiving the HRT members who guarded the doors. Their uniforms were absolutely shredded and the metal of the sharksuit shown through brightly in the gloom of the lobby. What did those two go through out there?
“Excuse me,” she said. Kestrel turned toward her with a huge smile. Oh God, I can’t do this, she moaned internally.
“Hey, Agent Harper!” he said enthusiastically, obviously caught up in the emotion of the moment. “Let me introduce you to Sergeant Helms.”
She shot Kestrel the sternest look she could muster and then offered the sergeant a smile and her hand. “Nice to meet you, Sergeant. I’m glad that you’re safe.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I’m glad that these two came along after me,” the young man replied with a distorted voice through his military-issued gas mask. “I was down to my last bullet and I was saving that for… Well, you know.”
“Well, I’m certainly glad that you didn’t have to use it then, Sergeant. My boss tells me that these two are probably going to get medals for their bravery,” she stated. “We’ll have you lifted out on the next helicopter and back to the safety of Quantico in no time. We’re going to start loading the Constitution in a few minutes and then we’ll send you up in a harness, okay?”
He missed the irritated tone in her voice. “Alright, ma’am. I really appreciate it…” the sergeant trailed off. “Ma’am, do you think the Army has already told Chief Halsey’s wife and kids that he’s dead?”
“I don’t know, Sergeant. We’ll make sure that they get you all that information once you’re flown to safety.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
She glanced at Campbell and said, “Agent Campbell, please take the sergeant up to the roof so he’s ready to get on the next bird out of here.”
Campbell ducked his head and took Sergeant Helms’ elbow to lead him toward the stairway. Allyson silently watched them go and then turned back toward her former lover. “Kestrel, I need to talk to you in the office.”
“Sure thing, Agent Harper,” he replied and held his hands wide to indicate that she should lead the way.
As she walked stiffly across the floor, she asked herself repeatedly if she was doing the right thing. If she carried out her intentions, it was over between them. Asher was a man of honor and she knew that if she crossed him, their friendship probably wouldn’t recover from the slight. She set her shoulders again and lifted her chin. My career comes first, she told herself. Last night was an interesting fling, but I can’t allow this man to ruin my reputation.
When they reached the office, she gently pushed the rolling chair holding the former manager out into the lobby and then had Kestrel go inside. As she reached for the handle to close the door she could tell that the men were smirking behind their face shields about what they thought would happen in the office. Idiots. That’s just another reason why he can’t be here.
When she turned around Kestrel reached for her to bring her into an embrace. She shoved hard against him and wondered if she should bring one of her teammates in the office with them as a witness but decided against it. “Hey, what gives?” he asked.
“You know damn good and well what’s wrong. You disobeyed my direct order to return to the Archives,” she stated coldly like she’d rehearsed.
He held up his hands in a placating manner and said, “You’re right. I disobeyed your orders and saved a man’s life,” he replied. “I’m sorry that I upset you.”
What the fuck? “You’re sorry ‘that you upset me’? Are you fucking kidding me, Asher? I’m not ‘upset’ like some school girl,” she said while she made quotation marks with her fingers. “I’m fucking furious that you disobeyed a direct order from me, your superior officer on this operation. You knew that I decided that it wasn’t worth the risk of two trained operators’ lives to go to the crash site. You jeopardized this entire mission by not returning when I decided to bring you back.”
“Wait a goddamned minute, Allyson. You gave me permission to leave the perimeter with Campbell and then you chickened out once it got a little tough out there. We were already halfway to the crash site and I wasn’t about to leave a crewmember to die when I had the capability to go get him.”
“So you’re saying you’d do the same thing again?” she asked.
“You’re fucking right I would. We make a promise to one another. We don’t leave our comrades behind. The men and women in those choppers expect that we’ll do everything in our power to rescue them if shit goes bad. That promise is what keeps them up there flying in support of us.”
She opened and closed her hands at her sides. This is it. “Asher, I want you on the helicopter with the Constitution. I’ll need you to—”
“You’re kicking me off the mission?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes.” She took a deep breath to steady herself. “You’re off the mission. Deputy Director Reston is expecting you at the airfield along with the document. You’ll turn in your ammo, undergo decontamination and then debrief. And then you’re cleared to return to North Carolina. I need someone that I can rely on to follow my orders and you obviously can’t do that.”
“What kind of bullshit, Mickey Mouse operation is the Bureau running here? I did the right fucking thing and I saved that man’s life!” he shouted and pointed toward the lobby. She flinched involuntarily at his outburst and he noticed her movement. His face softened from the look of pure rage into a blank canvas that she was sure they taught him in the Agency.
He started to say something but thought better of it and his eyes darkened once more. Kestrel pushed his way past her to the door and spoke over his shoulder without looking back at her, “You’re the boss. Make sure I get paid.”
Allyson watched his retreating form stalk up the stairs for a moment and then pulled the door closed again. She sat heavily on the manager’s desk and wrapped her arms tightly around herself. Why was this so hard? She didn’t sign up for this when she volunteered to lead the recovery effort. First, the men that she’d lost in the initial attempt, then the helicopter crew and now Asher. The mantle of leadership was a heavier burden than she’d ever imagined.
*****
08 March, 1324 hrs local
The National Archives
Washington, DC
Kestrel prowled around the roof of the Archives like a caged animal. He was furious. He’d never been relieved of an assignment and it made him want to start breaking shit and beating up these fucking Bureau assholes. How dare that woman do this? He did the right damned thing. His entire career, first in the military and then in the Agency, they’d always taken care of the helicopter crews. Those guys were your only lifeline out of most situations—this shithole included—and if they weren’t confident that you’d do everything in your power to save them or recover their bodies if something went down, then you’d be fucked.
He pulled the SCAR off his shoulder, sighted in on several creatures moving along the gore-filled Constitution Avenue and killed everything that moved. He was going to have to turn in the ammo anyways, so he might as well expend it on the stupid fucking zombies. He tried the relaxation techniques that his therapist had taught him, visualize someplace calm where he was the only person around—he usually visualized a snowy pine forest on the lower slopes of a mountain range—and breathe in for a count of three, out for a count of six. That shit barely worked for him when he was sitting on the couch, it sure as hell wasn’t working now.
The beat of the helicopter rotors coming closer told him that it was almost time to go. If he’d bothered to turn his radio back on, he would have known the entire details of the load, but he didn’t give a fuck. He just wanted to get out of here and get back to his nice, comfortable chair at his house. Why he’d agreed to come back was beyond him at this point. Because it’s the same reason you went after that helicopter: It’s the right thing to do, his mind disputed.
Besides, you got your dick wet. He could always count on his conscience to have a filthy side. It had been a few months since he’d been with a woman and he’d really enjoyed that part. He let his rifle settle onto its side on the building ledge while he thought. She was exactly what you needed at the time. Again, he couldn’t argue with his own logic. She felt so nice pressed against you, almost like there was more there than just the sex. Yeah, he’d really enjoyed her company over the week. They’d become good friends, even lovers. It probably hurt her more than you’d ever imagine having to kick you off the team. Then why’d she have to do it? You’d have done the exact same thing. She’s right; there’s no room for disobedience in this environment. He thought about it and decided that he would have kicked a motherfucker’s ass for pulling that shit. Sometimes doing the right thing is hard. You chose the hard way by going after the helicopter and she chose the hard right and had to get rid of you or else she’d risk the others thinking that she was a pushover. Fuck you, internal monologue.
He shoved away from the ledge and slung his rifle. Allyson stood beside the winch cable that had been lowered from the hovering helicopter as her team carefully placed one of the encasements into the canvas bag. He sauntered over to her and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned around and her questioning eyes shot wide when he tapped his helmet for her to turn on the command frequency. She slowly reached across her chest and flipped the switch that turned it on. “Yes?” she asked.
“I just want you to know that you were right.”
“Kestrel, I—”
“Hold on, wait a minute,” he said to her attempt to interrupt him. “You’re doing the right thing by sending me out of here. I don’t agree with you that we should have abandoned the helicopter, but I would send anyone who disobeyed my orders home as well. What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry. Kicking me off the team is the right thing for you to do.”
She nodded slowly and in the hazy morning light he could see that there were tears running slowly down her cheek. “Thank you for understanding my side of this mess. You’ve got to know that I don’t want to do this.”
He reached out and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. “I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.”
“Are you going back tonight?” she asked awkwardly realizing that the team members on security who weren’t actively loading the encasements were watching them.
“Yeah, I’m gonna go back to Rocky Mount and take some time to think about things.”
She nodded again and absently brought her gloved hand up to her face shield to wipe away the tears. They both laughed softly at her futile gesture and he took a step backward to allow the recovery team to work. Allyson glanced around her and then smiled at him. “Thank you for understanding, Kestrel.”
“Nope, it’s Asher. Kestrel is retired, remember?”
“Asher,” she amended.
“Okay, you get back to leading your mission. I’ve got about a hundred rounds that I’d like to use up on some target practice instead of trying to turn in since they’d just get destroyed because they’re radioactive.”
She nodded a third time and Asher wondered how he hadn’t noticed her do that before. He started to turn when she called out, “Asher, can I call you? I mean… later.”
He thought about it for a moment and then cursed himself for seeming to take too long, which only added more time between her question and his response. “I’d like that. But I think that I’ll need a few days. I’m a big boy, but my pride’s been hurt, you know?”
“Alright. I’ll call you in a few days then,” she grinned.
He stepped close again and said, “Be safe in here. I know that your mission is also to figure out what the hell is happening at that other building, but you don’t have to go with them. Stay safe over here. Stay on the roof, those things can’t climb stairs.”
“I will. I’ve already been discussing it with Agent Campbell. Once we secure these documents, he’ll lead a team over while we continue moving the remaining Constitutional Amendment documents and the American copy of the Magna Carta.”
