Operation (32 page)

Was it the way he kissed you?

The thoughts unwillingly entered her mind, forcing her to consider the possibility. She laughed at the absurdity of her own question and chased it away by saying aloud, “Not likely.”

Yes, you do, remember? It was like the man that ruined you so many years ago: passionate and deep and you loved him. You can still feel those kisses, can’t you? Traitorous kisses that he gave you when he told you that he loved you.

“Shut up!” she said, as she rose from her chair and began to pace the room, becoming irritated by these unusual thoughts. What was happening to her? She felt as if someone else was asking these questions, rather than her own mind. Her actions with Jake this evening: she had never taken him so close to death before—what was that about? What was happening to her? She knew there would be no answers to these questions tonight, none that would satisfactorily explain her current mood anyway. Nor did she want to think about it any longer. She would go to sleep and forget for a while what she had unearthed this night.

She checked on Jake again. He was breathing normally but his skin was still pale. He would recover with rest, she thought—but she also considered the possibility of ending it for him as well. It would be easier tonight after what she had done, he was at least halfway there and it would be less painful for him. If she left him alive, he might discover the truth: that she did not intend to turn him so he could obtain immortality. In fact, she never intended to do it. It was what she did, giving the illusion of love so that they would serve her faithfully. How many times had she done it over the years? Too many and she couldn’t or didn’t want to remember.

She pulled the blanket and tucked it around him.
Not yet,
she decided. She still needed Jake for a while longer. Beside, he had been a faithful—

Lover,
the inner voice suggested.

“No, a source of food,” she said as she rose. “Just a source of food. The love is an illusion for him.”

She walked down the dark corridor and stopped at an entranceway to a room. On the wall outside of the door, her hand opened a small box that revealed an electronic keypad. She input her code and the door opened. Stepping inside, she closed the door, locked it electronically and then placed a large steel beam in the holders across it. 

She removed her clothes and dropped them on the floor. As she crawled into her own bed, she closed her eyes and allowed the darkness to bathe her with peace and quiet. As she began to quietly slip toward sleep, she entered that gray area, that place somewhere between wakefulness and utter relaxation of the mind. Unknowingly, her hand rose to her face and her fingers traced along the contour of her lips. Her plush lips slowly parted and a smile settled in their place as she drifted off to sleep, remembering a kiss.  

Chapter ELEVEN

On his drive to work in the pre-dawn light, Reese reveled in the events of only hours ago. He could not get his thoughts from Christina. She was attractive and she overflowed with such enthusiasm toward things: he wondered if anything ever got her down or depressed. Her entire demeanor excited him: a mystery waiting to be carefully unfolded, the joy coming in the solving of it. Yet, he couldn’t help wondering, why him? She was extremely attractive; any man would desire her—and she could have her pick of any of them. Why had she gone through all the trouble to find where he lived and risk being arrested for breaking into his house? Did she really possess the same interests as she had or was it just a front to…to what?

These are negative thoughts, John, ole boy…

Yes, they were, he agreed with himself. He had not had much success in relationships ever. Not before the Team of Darkness affair, and certainly not after
.
Sure, his work got in the way sometimes, but that wasn’t the only reason why relationships failed. Something always drove women away.

That’s not correct. Not something. You, John.

Yeah, he knew he was a control freak, in a way. He tried to govern his relationships like his work: everything followed a pattern, his pattern. He tended to jealousy when he was with a woman. This disease slowly ate away at the relationship, until it was like a cancer that consumed everything in its path.

It ended badly. It always did.

But this time, he thought it could be different. He hoped it would be different. If he could bury all the bodies of his conscience, then it would be possible.

That’s a lot of burying… 

How ridiculous this entire conversation with himself was becoming. He had known Christina for what—a matter of hours? And here he was analyzing his life and planning to change his perception about everything.

Pretty tall order there, John…

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he said aloud. “But just this once, maybe it can work. Maybe I can change.”

The song,
Dream On,
came on the radio, as if in affirmation of his negative thoughts.

“That’s reassuring,” he said. But he had decided he was going to try. Really try, this time, not to screw things up. He would call her as soon as he could; he only wished that his meeting with her had been at a more opportune time. He had a very strong feeling that time would not belong to him until this operation was over—and unless it ended the right way, he might never be able to return to a normal life.

The radio challenged his thoughts again as the lyric of a tune drummed,
stuck in the middle with you…
 

“Enough,” he said as he turned the radio off. “I have more than an ample supply of self doubt. I don’t need any help, thank you very much.”

Right now, he needed to stop focusing on his personal life and focus on the mission. The transition from the thoughts of Christina to the young vampire girls and the Team of Darkness was so dramatic that he felt his head swim.

Think, John! You have to think or these people will put you somewhere where thinking will be the only occupation for passing the time: in a jail cell! Think! Focus on the issue, John…

He set about organizing his thoughts on his approach to this operation. He knew he would have to put aside his sympathetic feelings toward the two girls. It was unfortunate what had happened to them, but he felt confident that he was the only one who thought that way. They were just a tool to be used and if he didn’t switch to that mindset, it could possibly implicate him in freeing Dimitri and the others. There were also too many people involved. Before he just had to deal with General Stone, but now there was an additional layer: the agency.

He had a very bad feeling about this agency that was riding roughshod over the operation. People were scared. General Morris had been very blunt about that. Just the fact that Morris had obtained bodyguards showed how scary these people were. Reese would do well to remember that. Smith was also another potential problem he would have to deal with, and he would do well to remember that.

So what was he going to do? Give them the girls? If he could find them. This was not the Balkans: this was the Tidewater area of Virginia, one of the most heavily populated areas in the state. They could have been hidden anywhere. But if he didn’t find them, he figured Samantha would follow through with her threats. She had hinted at Fort Leavenworth and, he felt confident that she was not the type of woman who bluffed about anything. Overall, that was a good incentive to do what he was told. But he had to find them first.

Once inside the SEAL compound, he entered the main building and grabbed a cup of coffee, before heading into the conference room. He normally took it light and sweet, but this morning, he bypassed the amenities. He would need it strong to get through the day, considering he had not slept very much.

He wasn’t really tired. Rather, he was still reeling from the effect Christina had on him. Christina. He loved just saying her name. She was fascinating…not to mention beautiful. He remembered the feel of her lips on his when they had kissed, the uncanny way she could almost read his thoughts: she knew him, but more importantly, it seemed as though she understood him. That was something he had not experienced…ever. It all felt so good.

“Good morning, Reese,” a voice said.

Reese left his thoughts and returned to the present. He looked at Pattoon. He thought about needling him about the phone call of hours before, but decided to just let it go. He didn’t want any problems from this man—only information.

“Morning,” Reese said curtly. “Is that my briefing package?”

“Yes. It’s a beginning. There is a list of possible properties fitting the criteria you gave us. I’ll have a file on some news-related items about unusual occurrences by the end of the briefing.”

“How many are on the properties list?” Reese asked.

“About three dozen.”

“That’s not too bad,” Reese said, feeling the slight bit of hope at the low number. “Anything else in the briefing package?”

“That’s it for now.”

A young male petty officer walked into the room. “Commander Reese, they are ready to begin the briefing.”

“Thanks,” Reese said.

Reese took a few steps in the direction of the door.

“Mind if I attend?” Pattoon asked.

Reese stopped and turned back to face Pattoon. “Not my show, up to General Morris.”

“He won’t have a problem,” Pattoon said flippantly. “He and I see eye to eye on this matter.”

Reese took a step closer to Pattoon, stopping about six inches from his face. “Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but kiss the fuck off. I don’t have the stomach or the time to play your little political ass-kissing game. When this is done, I’m out of here. If you can’t deal with the fact that I’m here, then maybe I need to mention how uncooperative you are to General Morris and we’ll see just how much you and him see eye to eye. Any questions, Commander?”

Reese didn’t wait for an answer. He turned and headed out of the room. He didn’t hear footsteps behind him. He removed the smile from his face before opening the conference room door.

“Good morning,” he said as he entered the conference room.

Around the table were the Navy SEAL commanders from yesterday. General Morris sat at the head of the table.

“Please proceed, Commander,” Morris said.

Before he began, the door opened and Commander Pattoon entered, carrying the stack of folders.

“The briefing packages, sir,” Pattoon said as he approached the table.

“Thank you, Commander,” Morris said and then added abruptly, “Next time, have them here before we begin.”

“Yes, sir,” Pattoon answered.

Reese was surprised when Pattoon did not ask for permission to stay, but quietly left.

“Now, Commander Reese, begin.”

“Yes, sir. Good morning, gentleman. Yesterday, you had a chance to look at the information concerning the Team of Darkness operation,” he said, figuring he might as begin with getting rid of any doubts that they may have. “I know it sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but it’s all true. These creatures actually do exist and they are very dangerous. Let me emphasize that most strongly: they are very dangerous. Do not let the fact that the subjects are two little girls distract you. It doesn’t mean that they are any less vicious than a full grown adult. My research indicates that size has nothing to do with the strength factor. Are there any questions regarding the Team of Darkness op or about the creatures?”

The others shook their heads. Reese knew the looks on their faces: two little girls were no match for the pride of the Special Forces.

“Proceed, Commander,” Morris said.

“These little girls we are dealing with are highly specialized creatures. Their instincts mainly focus on their survival and they will do whatever they need to survive. Whatever they need to,” he repeated. “Luckily for us, they are young vampires, recently changed. They lack experience and they are likely to make mistakes if they are on their own. At this point, we know someone helped them escape, but it is not certain why they helped them, or if they continue to help them. 

“Based on this information, until we have something more concrete to go on, I have decided that the best approach pursuing the subjects is to ascertain where they are holing up. We have secured all means of probable escape from the area so we assume that they are still somewhere within a reasonable distance of this base. However, what is unknown is whether they are on their own, or at the mercy of others. Nevertheless, the requirements necessary to maintain these subjects would basically be the same.”

Reese continued. “As I mentioned, their primary concern will be survival. They will need to obtain a secure environment where they can rest during the day, and to obtain food. I feel the logical approach will be to focus primarily on a safe haven: a place where they can rest undisturbed and be safe from the light of day. Our first step will be to conduct surveillance on locations that might be potential places they would hold up at. The package you have in front of you consists of a listing of properties in the area that have certain characteristics which I feel would be important to their safety. We have narrowed down the list to thirty-six potential sites that need monitoring. I know some of you are thinking that this is a long shot, but it’s all we have for the moment.”

Reese turned his attention toward General Morris.

“General, I would advise that we begin surveillance and whatever checks can be made to establish whether any of these properties are harboring the subjects. However, I would caution that no moves be made against them until we have thoroughly ascertained what their position is. If they get spooked, it will only be harder, if not impossible, to find them again.”

“I agree,” Morris said. “Gentleman, I want you to divide the properties up among your teams and set up the appropriate surveillance. This is urban warfare, gentleman, but nonetheless, it is a war and you must treat it as such. You are all aware at the potential mess that could result from a fouled op. Keep that in mind when you brief your men. Coordinate all reports back here with Commander Pattoon. Anything else, Commander Reese?”