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Ruth did as she was ordered, shutting the hatch and plopping into one of the chairs directly to the front of the desk. “What can I do for you, sir?”

  “I think the colonel’s in trouble.”

  “Considering we can’t reach him, I’d concur, sir. What would you like us to do?”

  Hanson leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “That CBI Director just contacted me and said he’s out of comms range, along with that CIS agent—Eldred. Qadir was sent to get help.”

  “With respect, sir, what are you waiting for? Send in the QRF. Master Chief MacDonald and his team are standing by.”

  “It’s not that simple. We don’t have authorization.”

  “Are you shitting me?” Ruth snapped. “Since when has not having authorization ever stopped Colonel Cohen?”

  “I’m not him.”

  Ruth’s eyes flashed anger, and her lip quivered. “If you can’t make a difficult decision, Major, relieve yourself, and I’ll do it for you.”

  Is that what I wanted her to do? So I don’t have to make the hard call? “I…”

  “Arthur, come on. I’ve known you for a long time now. You have to know what the right thing to do is here.”

  “I do… I just…”

  “What?”

  “What if I make the wrong choice? What if it starts a war with Gilead, or gets those men killed along with the colonel. How do I live with it? I’d much rather work on my engines and do my job.”

  Ruth chuckled in a bitter tone. “It doesn’t work like that, Major. You’ve got the bars on your shoulder, now get your rear end in gear, get out there, and send help. If it’d make you feel better, ask MacDonald to volunteer and tell him you can’t send more troops without starting a war. I promise you, his team will jump at the chance.”

  Hanson stared down at the desk, overcome with shame.

  “Arthur, look at me,” Ruth said, her voice much softer.

  He glanced up to find her sadly smiling.

  “Colonel Cohen saw something in you. He put you in charge of the ship while he and Colonel Aibek are gone because he thought it was time for you to step up. Prove him right. He’s always been there for us, we’re there for him. I get it, having someone tell you what to do, and being great at a specific job is easy. It’s less responsibility and fewer decisions that could leave your friends dead. But it’s not about the easiest road or how little chance we can take. If I’ve learned anything in the last ten years, it’s that sometimes we have to make a best guess and see where the chips fall. If you can’t do it, tell me, and I’ll do it for you. I won’t look down on you, and we’ll still be friends.”

  Hanson’s brow furrowed as he frowned. “Thank you, Ruth.” Somewhere, deep inside, amid the doubt and self-questioning, another voice sounded in his soul. What would the colonel do? Just emulate him as best as you can, and this will all be fine. “I have a request.”

  “What’s that?” Ruth asked.

  “I’d like you to serve as my acting XO.”

  Ruth broke into a large grin. “Gladly, sir. But I’m currently on tactical.”

  “Call your relief.”

  “Aye aye, sir.”

  “Let’s get on with it,” Hanson said as he sprang up from the chair, a pep in his step that wasn’t there half an hour ago.

  21

  David glanced down the barrel of his battle rifle as he rounded yet another corridor inside of Feldt’s house of horrors. This guy makes the League look like an ideal governmental system with exceptionally fair prison systems. Another hallway of alloy-reinforced doors greeted him, while Eldred took up the rear.

  “Clear,” David said, his voice quiet. He peered in the window of the first door and saw a male near death.

  Eldred took the other side of the hallway and systematically worked her way down. Toward the end of the section, she called out excitedly, “There’s a woman in here, Colonel!”

  “First woman we’ve seen. Maybe it’s our lucky day.”

  He quickly walked down to her, and tried the handle. “It’s locked.” Rearing back, he tried kicking the door, only to be rewarded by a metallic clang. He nearly fell in the process.

  Eldred snickered. “I brought detcord, Colonel.”

  With a smirk, David stepped back and gestured to the door. “By all means.”

  Thirty seconds later, she’d expertly attached the breach strip to the outline of the doorframe and stepped back. “Fire in the hole!” The explosive material burned brightly, cutting through the locks and hinges, leaving the red-hot outline of where it had done its magic. Eldred delivered a kick of her own, and the door fell inward, crashing to the floor with a loud thud.

  David was greeted by a sight that overwhelmed him with disgust. The woman inside the cell looked as if she’d been beaten for days. Her face was black and blue, and he figured she was already dead. He rushed in, basic combat medical training taking over. He felt for a pulse, and to his surprise, found one. “She’s alive.”

  Eldred pulled out a small first aid kit and started scanning the woman. “Severe internal injuries. She’s got active bleeds. There’s no way she’ll survive this, Colonel.”

  David balled his fist in anger. “I refuse to believe we’ve come all this way to be too late.”

  “I can wake her.”

  “You said she’s dying.”

  “Yes, but I can wake her up, and we could try to get some answers. Her death wouldn’t be in vain.”

  “I’m no doctor, but I’m pretty sure if you wake her, there’s no hope.”

  Eldred’s eyes met his. “There’s no hope either way.”

  “God help us. Do it.”

  Without another word, Eldred pulled an autoinjector out and pressed it against the woman’s neck.

  It did the trick. A few seconds later, she came to, wildly clawing the air with her hands and moaning loudly.

  “Hey! Calm down,” David said, grabbing one of her hands and taking it in his. “My name is David. We’re here to help.” A string of words came from the woman in a language he didn’t speak.

  To his surprise, Eldred fluently interjected and spoke to her. The moaning calmed, and the woman looked between the two of them. “She’s speaking an offshoot of Spanish, Colonel.”

  “Is this your contact?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Find out,” David replied.

  Eldred again spoke in the strange tongue, and the young woman nodded.

  “Yes, I speak English,” she said weakly. “How do I know you are who you say you are?”

  “Do I look like one of Feldt’s goons?” David asked. “We’re here to help.”

  “Do not take me for a fool,” she said softly. “I know I’m dying. I had only hoped my jailers would allow me last rites.”

  “Look, I’m Colonel David Cohen. This is Agent Eldred, Coalition Intelligence Service. She has a contact here, and I want to bring down Feldt. If you’re her contact, tell us what your codename is, and where the info you have on him is.”

  The woman glanced from one of them to the other, then focused on Eldred. “Z. I am the one you call Z. My name is Carmina Ramirez. I’ve been here for six years. My parents thought they were sending me to a better life in the Terran Coalition… but the man who they paid instead brought me here.”

  Human trafficking. The most disgusting of all things the criminal underworld engages in. David felt rage build within him. The desire to punch the wall with all his might returned.

  “You’re right,” Eldred said softly as she knelt next to the other woman. “There’s nothing we can do for you. Maybe if there was a level one trauma team right here, but with the amount of time it would take to get help…” Her voice trailed off. “I won’t lie to you. You’re dying, You told me the reason you were doing this was to atone for your sins. You can still do it.”

  “A final act of contrition?”

  “Yes.”

  “I was smart once I got here. I realized some of the men were less brutal than others. I made them my f
riends in exchange for inhuman acts.” Tears began to roll down Ramirez's face. “Feldt noticed me. He made me become his.”

  “I can’t imagine,” David said, his voice quiet. “You used that, didn’t you? To get information?”

  Ramirez’ eyes met his, and she nodded. “I realized a year ago, I must do something to make up for all this death and despair. This is my final act of contrition. You will find several data discs in the air vent behind my bed, in my apartment. It’s in the main building, ninth floor. Number six.”

  “Feldt lives on the top floor, yes?” Eldred asked.

  Even in her weakened state, Ramirez was able to let out a bitter laugh. “Outstanding intelligence you CIS people have.”

  “In God we trust, all others we monitor.”

  David’s ears perked as a distant sound grabbed his attention. The clanking of feet and shouts of men became louder and more insistent. He looked over to Eldred. “We’ve got company.”

  “Please don’t leave me. Say the final prayers with me so I don’t die alone,” Ramirez pleaded.

  “I’ll buy you as much time as I can,” David said as he stood. He checked the magazine in his combat rifle and ensured it was seated correctly. “Not sure how long that is, so when I come back, be prepared to go.”

  “How are we going to get out?” Eldred asked.

  David bit his lip. “You’ve got more explosives, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’ll blow a hole in the wall and exfil that way. They won’t see it coming.”

  “Thank you, Colonel,” Eldred said, her gaze fixed down on the dying woman.

  “Miss Ramirez, I wish we’d gotten here earlier,” David began. “I want you to know I admire your courage and bravery. Doing the right thing in the face of certain death is nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “I am only ashamed that I sinned before God by not doing something sooner.”

  True faith is present in this woman. Could I have shown the same courage, placed in her circumstance? “I can’t speak for God, but it’s a Jewish maxim that if you save the life of one person, you save the entire universe.” As the rapping of boots smacking the hard floor surface got closer, David turned to go. “Godspeed.” Without waiting for a reply, he darted out of the room, rifle at the ready. It only took him about fifty meters to encounter the enemy—a group of heavily armed men in civilian clothing.

  Gunfire erupted as the cartel gunmen fired off at full auto. Bullets filled the corridor as David stepped back into cover. At least these idiots aren’t trained soldiers. I’d be in a hot mess if they were. He leaned out and opened up with tight three-round bursts, quickly felling several enemies. For every one he killed, three more came up. Using a grenade to cover his retreat, he fell back to a more defensive position and waited for them to charge.

  The sharp report of sustained weapons fire echoed throughout the building. Eldred was still knelt next to Ramirez, trying to squeeze every ounce of intelligence out. The sounds of combat came closer, and she realized it would soon be time to go. “When Colonel Cohen gets back, we’ll try to carry you out.” The lie sounded lame, even before she said it.

  “If you move me, half my guts will spill out.”

  Eldred glanced down at the floor. “I’m so sorry. I was sure we could save you.” Immediately, her mind responded, Liar. You knew you couldn’t before you started.

  “Is there any way you can administer last rites?”

  “I’m not a priest.”

  “But you told me you were a practicing Catholic. Surely you have a Host?”

  Eldred’s lip curled up, and she fought to avoid showing emotion. You lied to her. To get information. Like you lie to everyone. “Carmina, I haven’t been to confession in years, taken communion or set foot in a church. I make my living as a liar.” Tears began to stream down her cheeks. “I lied to you. Orbita is ravaging the Terran Coalition, and I did whatever it took to stop it.”

  “Satan is the father of lies,” Ramirez replied, sadness in her eyes. She reached her hand out tentatively.

  Eldred took the hand in hers and openly wept. “I saw a church. I could go try to find the priest.”

  “Now you’re just being silly. Do you remember your catechism?”

  In spite of everything going on around her, Eldred laughed softly. “I spent a dozen years learning it. It’s ingrained into me.”

  “Then pray the Viaticum with me… don’t leave me here to die alone.”

  “It won’t count. I don’t have a Eucharistic, and I’m not a priest.”

  “It’s all I have.”

  Eldred stared down at her tear-laden eyes, and condemnation swept her soul. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Thank you.”

  “If memory serves, we begin with an Act of Contrition.”

  Ramirez nodded and struggled to raise her head, folding her hands in front of her. “I confess to almighty God and to you, my sister, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do. I have done many unspeakable things in the service of an evil man. Please, Lord, forgive me. I ask the blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my sister, to pray for me in the Lord our God. May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.”

  “The Lord’s Prayer?”

  “Yes. I’m having trouble breathing. Could you say it for me?”

  Eldred grasped her hand and nodded. “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name,” she began. The words of the prayer were etched into her mind and spirit, said so many times throughout her life. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.”

  “Give us this day,” Ramirez rasped, “our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Her voice trailed off, failing.

  “For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen,” Eldred finished. I am such a hypocrite, sitting here and praying with her. The knowledge that she’d caused the woman’s death was overwhelming. Guilt, shame, and doubt flashed through her mind as the tears continued to flow.

  Ramirez grasped her hand a little bit tighter and struggled to speak. She motioned to come closer and whispered into Eldred’s ear, “I forgive you.”

  The sounds of battle had grown louder but were punctuated by a loud burst of gunfire followed by the telltale explosion of a grenade. David crashed through the door, coughing. His face was bloodied and a fresh bruise spread across his left arm.

  “Colonel,” Eldred said as she glanced up. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. You should see the other guy. Well, guys,” David replied. He stared at her for a moment before continuing. “Time to go. These idiots fight like retail rent-a-cops, but there’s a lot of them. We need to get out of here. How’s she doing?”

  “She’s about to pass. I need to say a final prayer with her, Colonel.”

  “It’s not your fault,” David said suddenly, as if he could hear her thoughts.

  “Yes, it is. If not for me, she’d still be alive. I’ve done some horrible things, Colonel. Things I’m not proud of… and I know in my heart that God condemns me for them.”

  David pointed his battle rifle toward the opening where the door used to be in the cell. “Tell you what, what do you say we do our best to stay alive, and I’ll personally make sure you get to a church to confess your sins?”

  There was something about the way he said it, something that touched the depth of her soul. Eldred looked up and smiled. “The charges are in my bag. Place them on the wall while I finish, okay?”

  “You got it, agent.”

  While he worked, Eldred turned her attention back to Ramirez, whose breathing had become shallower and labored. She appeared to be on the verge of losing consciousness again. “I have to go soon.”

  “I know,” Ramirez whispered.

  “Let me pr
ay once more with you.” Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “Lord, we commend to You the soul of Carmina Ramirez and beg of You, Lord Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the galaxy, that You would admit her to the number of the blessed and redeemed in Christ. May the Virgin Mary intercede for her, so when she is freed from the prison of her body, she will be admitted into the kingdom of heaven.” Eldred made the sign of the cross and rested her hands on the woman’s arm. It took her a moment to realize she’d stopped breathing.

  “Charge set!” David called out, interrupting her thoughts and forcing her back to the mission. Both took cover behind the footer of the bed, while he held up the detonation controller. “Fire in the hole!”

  Eldred put her hands over her ears and closed her eyes.

  A moment later, the colossal roar of the explosives went off. The pressure wave swept out, nearly knocking the wind out of both of them. As soon as it subsided, David jumped to his feet, grabbed her by the arm, and made for the exit. They emerged into the harsh desert sunlight, with sand and dunes visible for as far as the eye could see.

  Standing to the side, Eldred scanned the horizon while David fiddled with something. “What are you doing, Colonel?”

  “Just a little surprise for our friends. Now let’s go!”

  Not needing further encouragement, she fell in behind David as he took off across the sandy landscape. They had barely made fifty meters when an explosion went off. Whirling around, she saw smoke pouring out of the hole they’d blown in the prison’s wall.

  “Oh, heck,” David grunted. “Not going to buy us much time after all. Come on. Double quick!”

  Turning back, she ran as fast as her legs would carry her through the sand. How are we going to get out of this? There’s a small army after us!

  22

  Gordan MacDonald checked the compound sight on his battle rifle one more time. One can never inspect the tools of their trade enough.. As if confirming the axiom, he discovered the alignment was off by a millimeter and adjusted it. Assigned to QRF duty, Alpha team was composed of six tier-one special operators from Space Special Warfare Command. Together for years, they formed a tightly cohesive and integrated team. He let the rifle drop into its sling on his special forces issue power armor and looked to his right, where Senior Chief Dennis Harrell was performing a similar duty with a modified breaching shotgun. “Locked and loaded?”