Code Name: Luminous (17 page)

“Tinman?”

He turned his attention to Ditz.

“They’re westbound on I-40.”

Tony’s eyes strayed to each face. “They’re
bound for Las Vegas. We have to stop the vehicle.”

Ditz broke off to communicate to someone else.
Tony’s
band of brothers were
geared up, waiting for
his command.

“Wait one,” Ditz yelled out. He spoke again to
someone on the radio. As he listened he nodded and his eyes met Tony’s.
“Tinman, Admiral, the team has secured the house.”

“Any information we need?” he asked.

Ditz nodded but looked toward the ground when
he said, “It’s confirmed. Lumin was injected.”

“And we have the serum. Let’s retrieve her.”

“No, Tinman. Ah, shit,” Ditz said, and then
cleared his throat. “One of the viral specialists said she was injected with a
new strain.” Ditz shook his head. “We were wrong about Bjornson. He was working
on the antiserum to the newest strain.”

“There are two viruses?” Ghost asked.

“Bjornson escaped as we thought, and he has
the only vaccine to the new strain. The first one has a shelf life. It dies off
quickly, but the second one…nothing will stop it. That’s why Dafoe wants him.”

Tony’s soul careened. “Are you sure Lumin was
injected?”

“I’m sorry, Tinman. Dafoe is gone and they don’t
know where. The people in that vehicle are the weapon and they’re planning to
infect as many as they can.”

Tony gave the order to fallout and for
everyone to board the
helo
. There was no sense in
chasing them by vehicle. Fox alerted DEVGRU to deploy and search for Dafoe. The
chopper lifted into the air. The squad at the other lab was given orders to
prepare to block Highway 40 where it branched into Highway 93 headed for Las
Vegas. Every man in the squad sat silently in the aircraft, and stared at anything
but him. Dafoe had turned Lumin into an unwitting enemy, and she had to be
stopped.

The
helo
touched
down in the desert off Highway 93. Military vehicles waited in the darkness for
orders to stop all traffic. Tony watched the headlights on the highway as they
approached. None of the vehicles tried to veer off. They kept coming. How would
he stop himself from taking her into his arms? Why had he agreed to allow her
to be used by the Navy?

“Tinman, the vehicle is under a
klick
away,” Fox said. “Don’t worry
man,
we’ll get Lumin out of there.”

He waited with twenty other men. His squad and
two others from DEVGRU had joined them.

“Half a
klick
,” Ditz
called out.

“Lock down the highway,” Tony ordered.

Flares, trucks, and men swarmed the highway,
stopping traffic. To the oncoming vehicle it would look like an accident.
Before they realized it was a trap, they’d be secured. As the vehicle rolled to
a stop, the entire squad surrounded it, weapons pointed at the occupants.

Fox yelled, “Out of the vehicle.
On the ground.”

Three of the four doors cracked open. The
driver got out with his hands in the air. “On the ground,” Tony yelled, and
others did the same to the men who appeared.

Lumin was still inside, and he held his
breath. There was a scream, and a weapon fired. The back window cracked with
the impact and blood splattered against it. One of the Tangos released a wail
of grief and dove back into the car. He reappeared with a limp body in his arms
wailing in another language, “My brother.
My brother.”
Tony recognized it as Dari, one of the most common languages of Afghanistan.

“Don’t move.” One of the men from DEVGRU took
a couple steps toward the vehicle and looked inside. “Get out of the vehicle,
lady,” he yelled.

“Hold fire,” Tony ordered. The SEAL could make
an easy kill shot.
“Lumin?”

“Don’t come near the car, Tony. Please,” she
cried out.

He dropped his weapon and signaled for the
other men to do the same. Putting one foot in front of the other, he positioned
himself away from the vehicle but able to see inside. “My lady, I’m here. It’s
okay.”

“Tony move back.
Five yards.
You need to keep away.”

Defeated, her bright blue eyes shone with
fear.

“There’s no vaccine for what they put in me,
Tony. That’s why they were looking for Bjornson. He’s got it.”

Tony lowered himself to his haunches. “We
know, Lumin.” He’d never wanted to hold a woman so bad in all his life. Every
muscle in his body strained to go to her. “Are you feeling the symptoms yet?”

She nodded, and let out a sharp breath. “But
we stopped it, right?”

“Yeah,” he lied. Dafoe was a fanatic. He
wouldn’t give in. He’d have a backup plan and access to more of the virus.

Lumin covered her face. As her tears fell, the
feeling of loss overwhelmed him. Even as a boy with a mother who cared more
about opening her legs to the stragglers she brought home from the bar than she
did about her own son, nothing had ever affected him like this.

“Lumin, I won’t let you die.” He said the
words and at first he didn’t know if he was lying or not, but she raised her
head and stared at him.

“How?
There’s no cure.”

“Sure there is,” he said.
“Love.”

“What?” her voice warbled.

“I love you, and when a SEAL loves a woman,
there’s nothing that stands in the way of that. Not another man. Not doubt. Not
even a virus. I will find Bjornson. I will save your life, and maybe you’ll
agree to go to dinner with me again, and if I’m a lucky man, you’ll fall in
love with me.”

She smiled through her tears, and he smiled
through his.

A warning shout from several men
came
only a breath before gunfire started. Men in body armor
rushed from three SUVs behind them. Glass, metal, and sand erupted with bullets
ricocheting off every surface. The SEALs dove for cover, but there wasn’t much.
“Get down, Lumin!”

They hadn’t counted on this, but the Tangos
obviously had, and they were ready. The SEALs fired back. He saw Ditz holler,
grab his leg and fall to the ground. The firefight turned a corner when the
muzzle of a grenade launcher appeared over the door of the first SUV in the
line of cars on the highway.

“Take cover,” he yelled. Dafoe’s men took out
the transport vehicles which exploded into a fireball of flame as the gas tanks
ignited. “Ditz is down, Admiral.” Ghost didn’t come back.
Jesus
fucking Christ.
“Captain Cobbs, report.” Tony quickly checked his
comm
gear. “Fox, you copy?”

Nil response.

“Drop your weapons,” a voice called out that
didn’t belong to the good guys.

Tony’s guts untwisted when he heard Ghost say,
“We can stand off all night, but within an hour you’re going to have the entire
Nellis
Air Force Base up your ass. Put your weapons
down and surrender.”

“We don’t surrender to Americans.”

“Then stand clear of the vehicles so I can
kill you faster.”

“We want the woman.”

Ghost’s voice came from a different angle.
Tony knew what he was doing. He had no
comms
,
he had to trust that Cobbs was instructing the squad to
take an offensive position.

“Lumin, stay down. I’ll be back.” She didn’t
respond.
“Lumin?”

“Here.”

She’d scrambled into the front seat. “Stay on
the floor until I come back for you.”

Tony slid on his stomach toward the next car,
keeping himself hidden. If they wanted a firefight, they’d get one up close and
personal.

Ghost kept them engaged. “My men are prepared
to die just like yours.
Stalemate, friend.”

Tony reached the right side of the car ahead
of Lumin’s and saw Fox. They signaled to one another.

“Aw, fuck,” Tony swore when three men showed
themselves, each with a hostage in front of them. A woman and her two children
stood rigid with fear as the terrorists held a gun to each of their heads.

“The woman in exchange for
their lives.
Lumin’s dying already, but you can save this
family.”

The
whip
of incoming choppers, at least five of them, approached. Reinforcements had
arrived.

“Times up,” Ghost said from the darkness.
“Cavalry has arrived. Step away from the woman and her children.”

A vehicle roared to life and Tony knew it was
Lumin’s. The car lurched ahead, made a sharp U-turn and headed south. The terrorists
all opened fire on her vehicle and Tony with the rest of the team launched to
their feet and fired on Dafoe’s men. They dropped one after another. One of the
SEALs from DEVGRU started to fire on Lumin’s car and he yelled a cease fire.

“What’s she doing?” Fox asked, watching the
tail lights grow smaller.

Tony dropped his weapon to his side. “Creating
a diversion and taking
herself
out of the formula.” He
grinned to himself. She was a warrior after all.

Chapter Twelve

Date: 07.26.2014

Time: 0300UTC 1900hrs PST

Mission: Code Name Luminous

Lumin floored the gas pedal. Staring into the
beam of her headlights, she concentrated on staying between the lines.
Migraine-strength pain thumped so hard in her head it felt like her eyes would
pop out. She snapped up the cell phone she’d picked out of the dead guy’s hand
in the back seat. She swerved once, and shook her head to clear it. Darting
glances downward, she dialed Tony’s cell number.

“Lumin, where do you think you’re going?” he
answered.

“Away—from everybody, but I need to tell you
something. When I was with Dafoe, he said General Caufield helped him. He said
he was close to the President.”

“Okay,
sweetheart,
got it. Now turn the vehicle around. Everything is under control.”

“No, Tony.”

“What do you mean, no?” he said sharply.
“Lumin, get your ass back here. We need to get you to USAMRIID.”

“There’s no point. There’s no vaccine. No
cure. I’m going to find somewhere to hide.
Away from people.”

“You can’t hide, Lumin. I’ll put a chopper in
the air now. You can’t outrun it.”

“Don’t be stupid, Tony. I’m infected. There’s
nothing you can do.”

“I care about you, woman. Turn the
fuc
—
flippin
’ car around.”

Lumin shook her head. The lines on the road
began to slither like snakes. “Tony, I know I’ve said this enough, but I’m
sorry. Sorry I brought this to you. I should have never called you.”

“I can’t do my job if my lady is in danger.”

“Tony, how many women did you screw between
last December and now? I might be—unskilled in the bedroom, but I’m not
stupid.” Tony covered the phone and spoke to someone.

When he uncovered the phone he cleared his
throat. “Maybe, but it’s not like I didn’t think about you, a lot. I just
didn’t know what to do about it. We were together for a few short hours. I had
workups for the deployment, and—shit, I know
this sounds
like excuses.”

“That’s what it sounds like. Do me a favor and
call Moira Porter. Tell her what’s happened. But she can’t tell Steven. He’ll
go crazy trying to save the day.”

“Maybe he should have been a SEAL.”

“I’m sure he would have made a good one.”
Lumin broke off and clutched the wheel with both hands, trying to blink away
the dizziness.

“Lumin?
Lumin!” he shouted.

“Please don’t follow me. I’ll make sure I go
far away from people. I promise.”

“What? You think I’m going to let you crawl in
some hole and die alone? Why are you doing this?”

“I’m a realist and you have to get real too.
I’m going to die.
Phone Moira.
That’s all I’m asking
you to do. Don’t make this into a big deal.” She could hear Tony running.

“It’s a big deal to me. Now turn that fucking
car around.”

The sound of helicopter blades whirling got
louder in the phone. “I don’t want you to get sick. Don’t follow me, Tony,” and
she hung up.

She had to ditch the car, and soon. There
weren’t a lot of places to hide in the desert, but she could double back to
Kingman. Maybe she could borrow another vehicle, but she had to do it without
running into someone. The cover of darkness helped, but the clock had now
started for her, and she wouldn’t survive.

She reached the outskirts of Kingman and drove
slowly until she spotted a Travel Lodge sign and turned into the parking lot.
Getting out and striding across the lot, she looked toward the front of the
building. Sound moved freely in the desert, and she heard the blades of a
helicopter in the distance. Could she actually steal a car and get away with
it? She needed an RV, not a car. In Las Vegas she’d seen RVs parked in the
Walmart parking lot.

Trotting back to the car, she headed for the
downtown area. She couldn’t ask anyone for directions, and pulled over.
Searching on the phone, she found its location and headed toward the address.
She rolled into the parking lot with a slow crawl. The moon climbed the night
sky and shed an eerie glow. She was hungry. When was the last time she’d eaten?
No wonder she had a headache. Her muscles hurt like hell, as if she’d run a
Tough
Mudder
race. Spotting a bottle of water tucked
in the door pocket, she took a big gulp. Warm or not, wet went a long way to
quench her burning thirst.

A car drove in the opposite parking lot
entrance and she slouched low in her seat. A young girl emerged from an old
Honda Civic and quickly sauntered toward the front doors. Lumin watched the
RVs, hoping a revelation would strike with a bolt of brilliance. If she stole
one, a call to the police would have them chasing after her and she was
surrounded by miles of open desert. Kingman wasn’t a big city, the authorities
would find her. Options were narrowing, but she didn’t want to spend her last
hours on earth in a plastic bubble in USAMRIID. She wasn’t irresponsible. No
one would die because of close contact, but she had to think of something. The
virus was taking over her body, and it seemed to be getting worse with every
minute. How long would she have before she couldn’t think straight anymore? She
was an hour away from Kaibab National Forest. Could she make it without being
seen? She was so damn tired. Slipping her fingers across the bottom edge of the
seat, she reclined and closed her eyes for a moment. The phone in her palm
jingled and she clutched it.

“Tony, give it up. Find the men responsible
for this. Stop calling me.”

“Lumin,” Kayla answered.

She
sighed,
glad that
she wouldn’t have to fight with the SEAL that had whisked her heart away from
her. “Kayla, I know he told you to call me.”

“Yes, he did, and for a good reason.”

“You’ll understand, even if Tony can’t, but I
don’t want to die in an air-tight room surrounded by doctors watching me like a
lab rat.”

“
Neither did Nina, but she’s
there, and
you’re not going to die. The squad wouldn’t let that happen.
My husband won’t let it happen. You don’t know us, and I’d probably feel the
same as you, but I want you to trust us.”

“There’s no cure for this second strain. Dr.
Bjornson has fallen off the map. He might even be dead. Finding him will be
impossible. If Tony finds me, he’ll get sick. I can’t let that happen.”

“Didn’t I tell you Alpha Squad can accomplish
the impossible? If you run from us, we won’t be able to save your life.
Tinman’s going all SEAL crazy to find you. Let him.”

“Tony doesn’t have to sacrifice himself for
me. Please help me find a place to hide, Kayla. I don’t want to make anyone
sick. The SEALs need to find Dafoe. He’s out of his mind. There’s nothing but
vengeance inside that man, even if it means he has to die.”

Kayla inhaled deeply and said, “I can’t do
that, Lumin. Tony won’t stop until he knows you’re safe. He, Mace, and my
husband are made from the same man-cloth.
Stubborn and brave.
When their hearts take up the call of duty, there’s no turning them back. Nina
is getting stronger by the hour and Mace has rejoined the squad. They’re
wasting time looking for you when they should be searching for Dafoe.”

“Then tell them to stop. Convince them, Kayla.
They’ll listen to you.” Lumin gulped down the rest of the water. She was so
thirsty she’d drink from a mud puddle.

“Lumin, I don’t want you to die. If you hide
from us, we can’t get the vaccine to you.”

Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach
realizing she’d never see Tony again. It was a mistake falling in love with
him. “I should have never called him. I hate that I can’t take it back.”

“Love is never a mistake. I’d bet my life on
the fact that Tony is the man of your dreams and the man you’ll grow old with.
Trust him.”

“I know he wants to save me, but he can’t,
Kayla. I’m infected. He’d say anything.”

Kayla adjusted the phone, hearing the whisper
of hair being brushed aside. “Like what?”

“He just told me he loved me, but I don’t
believe it.”

“Why not?
As far as I know, he’s never told a woman that. That man walks
around with a shield of valor, but his past keeps him as the underdog when he
should be flying. Some things are a sacrament to a SEAL, truth being one of
them. Those three words are never said unless they’re real.”

“We barely know one another. It can’t be.”

“Don’t you feel the same? He’s special and you
know it. Don’t deny it.” Kayla released a deep breath. “You’re his chance to
find his wings. He’ll become the man he’s supposed to be if you give him a
chance, he’ll prove it to you.”

“Kayla, I know you went through a lot in your
life, and you got a second chance with the Admiral, but I’m not like you.”

“No, you’re not, but you’re exactly what
Tinman needs. Stand beside him.”

“If there was a drop of hope, I would try.
Believe me I would, but there isn’t. Will you tell him something for me?”

“I will.”

“I’ll always be his light, and I love him
too.”

Lumin cut the call. Kayla had kept her talking
too long, and she didn’t know if she could track her cell phone, but she wasn’t
going to risk it.

* * * *

Thane, accompanied by Admiral Pennington,
stepped out of the
helo
that landed on the south lawn
of the White House. A security team escorted them into the world-renowned
structure whose first cornerstone was laid in 1792. He kept the grin from his
face remembering Kayla rubbing the war of 1812, when the British set it on
fire, into his backside. Through a rear entrance, they followed security into
the main hallways and toward the West Wing and the Oval Office. The guard
tapped on the door, and the President himself opened it. He extended a hand and
Thane gripped it. He liked this President; they had become friends over the
last four years, but they’d known each other for much longer.

“Greetings Admiral Pennington.
Thane,” the President said, “Coffee, admirals?”

Thane needed it since he’d been up for a
couple days. He’d snagged a few winks in transit to the East Coast, but he was
still tired as hell. “A couple gallons will do, John,” he said.

A Presidential aide quickly brought the coffee
to the table, and they made themselves comfortable on the opposing couches.

The President poured himself one, but didn’t
relax in his chair. He began, “I’m assuming you wanted to meet here to talk
about the virus. For you to fly all this way, I’d also have to assume that you
want to speak about how a protected strain of the Bubonic Plague ended up with
a terrorist in the United States.”

Thane noticed the President’s hands didn’t
shake, but they squeezed the cup he held with a Presidential symbol embossed on
it.

Gulping back the first cup, Thane nodded.
“John—”

Another knock landed on the door and the aide
opened it. They all stood. Admiral Felix Hoskins, the Commander of the Special
Operations Command and the highest ranking SEAL in the country, strode in.
Behind him the Commander of JSOC, Admiral Cagney, entered. Admiral Hoskins
oversaw
the various Special Operations component commands of all the
United States Armed Forces. When an operation required all the forces to work
together, the command of the operation fell on his shoulders. A plague about to
be launched on the world definitely fell into that category. The President rose
to greet both men.

“Mr. President,” Hoskins and Cagney responded,
then
took a seat.

The President turned to his aide. “Please advise General
Caufield, Secretary of Defense—”

“Not yet,” Thane said harshly.

The President blinked and his chin dropped.
“Why not, Thane?”

Admiral Hoskins’ black gaze held Thane’s. Being the ranking
officer it was his responsibility to pass on the bad news, of which he’d
already been informed.

“Sir,” Hoskins began, “Callum Dafoe, the man responsible for
obtaining the Plague, had
help
from inside the White
House.”

“What?” The President put down his mug and his expression
deepened with concern. “That’s not possible if you’re intimating
it’s
Darrin Caufield. He is a decorated General. He has served
this country from the day he joined the forces. I know him personally.”

Thane clasped his hands together and grilled the President
with a look that spoke of apology, but no bullshit. “Caufield gave the plague
to Dafoe. The intelligence is not wrong. We wouldn’t be here if it was a hunch,
John.”

The President rose while shaking his head. “He is the
Secretary of Defense, this country’s most important asset in protecting its
people. He served on my Intelligence Advisory board. I’ve known him for thirty
years.”

“Mr. President,” Admiral Cagney, a twenty-year SEAL veteran
and one hell of a warrior, leaned forward. “We all have a weakness. Your
position is his.”