Apocalypse Cult (Gray Spear Society) (3 page)

"Yes!" he yelled.

He was on a rough dirt road that led into a forest as dark as ink. Instead of turning on the headlights, he flipped down his night vision goggles, and night became monochromatic green day. Rocks and fallen branches on the road forced him to slow from suicidal speed to merely reckless.

Somebody knocked on the back window. He stole a quick glance and saw Joseph sitting there.
Almost forgot about him
, Aaron thought.

He stopped the truck just long enough for Joseph to enter the cab.

"I guess I owe you. Thanks."

"I can't leave a teammate behind," Aaron said as he drove off, "not even one who lied to me. You told me you would stay with Galina."

"Change of plans."

Aaron waited for a more elaborate answer, but Joseph kept quiet.

"I bet the plans never changed," Aaron said. "You always intended to go into the compound."

"Oh?" Joseph said.

"Yeah. I was a decoy. A distraction. I was supposed to get caught instead of you. I bet there was nothing in that building you told me to investigate."

Joseph looked at Aaron for a moment. "You're a real smart guy. We figured as long as you were going in, we might as well use it to our advantage. We didn't cheat you. We gave you the intelligence and night vision goggles we promised."

"Who are you?" Aaron said. "Who do you work for?"

"Don't ask that question. Trust me. You don't want to hear the answer. It would change your entire life, or end it."

Aaron clenched his jaw in anger. Under the circumstances, he felt Joseph owed him some kind of explanation, at least a partial one.

Joseph took out his oversized gray phone and made a call. The device looked armor plated. Aaron was surprised he could get a signal so far from any town.

"It's me," Joseph said into the phone. "Aaron rescued me. Yes, I know. I know! Don't rub it in. I'll meet you at the secondary rendezvous point.... Huh? You really think that's a good idea? OK, but it's your call, not mine." He closed the phone.

"That was Galina?" Aaron said.

Joseph nodded.

Bright lights illuminated the forest behind them, indicating the cult was in hot pursuit. Maybe Aaron could outrun them. He did have a good head start, but the truck's engine was making an odd rattling noise.

"Pull off the road," Joseph said. "Hide in the forest, and let them go past."

"I don't take orders from you."

Joseph shrugged.

Pride and resentment made Aaron keep driving, even though he knew Joseph's suggestion was a good one. It took a few minutes for Aaron's emotions to cool enough for him to accept that fact. He turned off and parked behind a thick stand of bushes. Mere seconds later, a group of six cars roared along the road without slowing down.

"Now we walk." Joseph stepped out of the truck.

"From here?" Aaron said. "We're miles from civilization."

"The woods are safer than the road right now. What's the problem? We both have night vision gear. My phone has a navigation system so we can't get lost. Let's go."

Joseph marched into the forest, and Aaron jogged to catch up. For such a big man, Joseph moved with surprising grace.

"You don't seem bothered by all this," Aaron said.

"I've been in plenty of tight spots before. This is no big deal."

Joseph picked up his pace, and staying with him demanded all of Aaron's attention and energy. Travelling through a dense forest in the dark was tough, even with night vision goggles.

When they finally stepped out of the forest, Aaron was so physically exhausted he could barely lift his legs. Joseph had also slowed down noticeably during the long hike, which had lasted a couple of hours.

They arrived at a huge lot behind a truck stop. A row of 18-wheelers had parked for the night, and the place was very quiet. Aaron checked his watch and saw 3:16 AM.
Too damn late, or too early
, he thought.
Either way, I need sleep.

Joseph waved his arms several times. A blue sedan turned on its headlights and glided over to him. Galina was driving, and Aaron thought she looked like an angel arriving in a chariot.

"Stow your gear in the trunk," she said. "All of it."

Aaron stripped off everything except his clothes and shoes, then took the back seat. It felt wonderful to sit down. Joseph sat in front.

Galina drove out of the truck stop and onto a country road. "Hungry?" she asked. "We're going to an all-night diner."

"No, thanks," Aaron said. "Could you take me back to my car instead?"

"Sorry, but the free meal is mandatory. So is the appointment."

"Appointment with who?"

"Our boss. She wants to talk to you. I strongly recommend that you be polite and respectful. She dislikes bad manners."

Aaron perked up a little. He might finally get some answers.

Galina turned to Joseph and said, "What the hell happened to you?"

"When the lights came on, I was caught in a bad spot," he said. "Too many guys, coming at me too fast. They were everywhere."

"Knowing you, I bet you decided to fight when you should've run instead. And Aaron, a
civilian
, had to save
you
from your own pride." She shook her head.

Joseph's face reddened. He looked out the window.

"You always have to be the tough guy," she said in a sharp tone. "Are you so afraid of appearing weak?"

He snarled. "I could've fought my way out, eventually. I just needed a little more time."

"What if they had started shooting?"

"Then I would've started shooting too."

"You know the rules of engagement. No deadly force until..." She glanced back at Aaron. "...until it's authorized. You fucked up."

Joseph pounded the door with his fist hard enough to shake the whole car. His knuckles left a deep imprint on the upholstery.

"Did you at least get the evidence we need?" Galina said.

"I left it behind," he said in a low voice. "I was too busy fighting."

She rolled her eyes. "Icing on tonight's shit cake. Our commander is going to have some choice words when she hears our report. The operation wasn't that hard. There is no excuse for screwing it up so badly."

He slouched down and sulked in silence.

Aaron smiled. From his point of view, the operation had gone very well. He had planted the cameras and had made a clean getaway. In fact, he was the hero of the night.

Galina drove to a restaurant called the "Better than Home Diner," which had a brick exterior and a green, shingled roof. Everybody went inside. There was a long, white counter with padded stools, and booths ran along the wall on the right. Too many white fluorescent lights made Aaron squint. Framed posters of advertising slogans from the 1950's and 60's hung on the walls. The odor of burnt grease and cigarettes was everywhere.

There was only one customer, a middle-aged black woman sitting in the booth in the corner. She wore a sharp gray business suit. Her dark skin created the impression she was sheathed in shadows. Galina and Joseph went directly to her.

"This is Aaron," Galina said. "Aaron, our boss."

Aaron shook the black woman's hand, and her strong grip surprised him. Her graying hair was tightly curled and cut short. Even though she was sitting down, he could tell she was very lean and fit, like a marathon runner.

She studied him intently with a pair of very strange eyes. The color was so dark it was hard to tell they were brown. Her enlarged pupils weren't just black, they were like black holes with infinite depth. He felt like he could see all the way to the far side of the universe, the cold, dead side.

"Glad to meet you," she said in a warm voice. "If you don't mind, I'd like a few minutes alone with my people. I need to debrief them."

"Of course," Aaron said.

He walked to the far side of the diner. He couldn't hear any words, but body language told a story by itself. Joseph sat beside his boss with his face down and his hands at his side, not moving an inch. He didn't look up even when he answered her questions, which appeared odd because compared to his great bulk, she seemed as small as a child. Galina was a little more animated, but still deferential with every gesture. When the boss opened her mouth to speak, the other two immediately closed theirs and listened. There was no doubt about who was in command, and Aaron even detected a hint of fear.

The boss waved him over. "Please join us," she called out.

Aaron took the last available spot in the booth next to Galina, which he didn't mind at all. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes." The boss had a manila folder full of papers in front of her, but she didn't open it yet. "I'd like to hear your report. What happened tonight, exactly, from your perspective?"

He didn't know why he should report to her, but her tone made it clear she expected compliance. He was swimming in unknown and treacherous waters now. He decided to go with the tide instead of fighting it. There was no reason to hold back information.

As a cop, he had learned how to make a proper report, and he delivered his in a professional manner. The trick was to include all the important details and none of the unimportant ones. His audience listened attentively.

After he finished, the boss said, "You're a resourceful man. I like the part where you hot-wired the truck."

"Thanks."

"Give me a postmortem. What mistakes were made tonight?"

Aaron looked at Galina and Joseph. To Aaron's expert eye they seemed nervous, but they were hiding it well.

"Don't worry about them," the boss said. "Just give me your honest opinion. Don't sugarcoat it. I hate that."

"I've been doing all the talking," Aaron said. "When do I get to start listening?"

"When I say so."

Increased tightness in Galina's face and a slight loss of color suggested she was afraid. Aaron took it as a sign of danger, and he decided continued cooperation was probably wise.

"Obviously," he said, "the big problem was the floodlights, but now that I think about it, I don't know why they were such a surprise. The lights were on big poles all over the compound. Steps should've been taken."

"Steps?"

"Like cutting the power before I went in."

The boss looked at Galina and said, "Do you agree?"

"We..." Galina cleared her throat. "We actually discussed that idea, ma'am. We decided cutting the power would warn the enemy we were coming. It seemed better to let Aaron draw attention away from the focus of the operation. The plan almost worked." She shot a hostile glare at Joseph.

"I see." The boss nodded.

Aaron couldn't tell whether she approved or disapproved.

"On to other business." She flipped open her manila folder, and Aaron saw his own picture inside. "Let's see. You were a Chicago police officer for nine years. Correct?"

"Yeah. What do you have there?"

"Just some notes my staff prepared."

"You ran a full background check on me?" he said in astonishment. "What's going on here?"

"Standard procedure." The boss smiled disarmingly at him. "You had a distinguished career: high test scores, awards, and rapid promotions."

"So?" He sat back with his arms crossed. He didn't like this situation at all. The time had come for them to answer
his
questions.

"A year ago, you were fired. Tell me about that. My notes are intriguingly vague."

"Is this a job interview?"

She leaned towards him. "Please, answer. It's very important that I know more about you." Her strange dark eyes rattled his composure.

Remembering those last days as a cop caused old rage to rise within Aaron. He would never forget what had happened or forgive the people who had done it to him.

"Officially," he said, "I was terminated for falsifying evidence and intimidating witnesses, but that was just a load of made-up shit. The truth is that I blew the whistle on a sergeant for taking bribes. He went to jail, but my career was dead. Nobody trusted me anymore."

"That's unfortunate. What jobs have you held since then?"

"Part-time bouncer, part-time private eye, part-time whatever pays the rent. I hope all these questions have a point." Aaron's patience was wearing thin.

The boss flipped through her notes. "You got into some trouble as a teenager."

"You have my juvenile records, too? Those are sealed!" He slapped the table, causing glasses of water to slosh. "Who the hell are you?"

"You were arrested a couple of times for stealing cars. I guess that's where you learned how to hot-wire them."

"Never convicted."

"Because your rich parents paid good lawyers to defend you. Why did you do it?"

"I was a teenage rebel," he said, "and my friends thought it was cool. Nobody got hurt."

"Indeed. What else..." She studied her notes. "Divorced. No children. Do you have a steady girlfriend?"

"That's none of your business! This is crazy. I'm going home." He stood up.

"What about Brittany Waters?"

He hesitated.

The boss continued, "The surveillance cameras may be in place, but you can't use them without our receiver. Even if you locate Brittany on your own, you won't be able to get her out. The cult is on high alert now. You need us a lot more than we need you."

Aaron took another step towards the door just to spite her. Then he reached into his pocket and took out the picture of Brittany that he had borrowed from her parents. The girl's innocent face cooled his anger and reminded him that this assignment was about her, not his ego. He sat down again in the booth.

"I asked about your girlfriend."

He shook his head. "None right now."

"That's surprising. You're a virile, young man with a handsome face. You look like you're in great shape."

"I've had plenty of women, but the relationships didn't last. I guess I haven't found what I'm looking for."

He glanced at Galina for an instant, hoping she wouldn't notice his attention. She was so close to him, just inches away. Was it possible she was the one? Would he ever have a chance to find out?
I need to calm down and think straight,
he thought.
I'm a grown man, not a horny teenager. I don't know anything about this woman.