Perifidy

Chapter Twenty Two: Operation Scorched Earth Part Two (Cont.)

"Do you know who I am?" she asked calmly, a hint of snideness in her voice.

"You wouldn't believe how little I care. You and your friends are coming with me," Kade said, making sure his tone reflected how there would be no room for discussion on the point. He felt cold metal pressed against his ear.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," a eastern accent whispered into his ear. He smiled. The Russian perked up.

"Hey, why is he smiling?" He heard a slight rustle behind him. He knew his back up had arrived. He glanced behind him. Ela stood, pointing her pistol at the woman of Asian descent with pure hostility while the others focused their weapons on those sitting at the table.

"We're not the bad guys," Kade's captive said coolly. Kade jerked her to her feet.

"You might as well be. Don't say a word, any of you," he growled. The group was instructed to act naturally, as if they were traveling in a cohesive group, just before exiting the library. It was all Kade could do to keep his hands from shaking.

***

          When they got back to the command center, he had the five individuals all sitting around a medium sized table in the middle of the room. By this point they'd been quickly briefed on this crew of misfits. A rich, up and coming mercenary outfit, Night Haven founded and run by the Indian woman he had threatened, Miss Jaimini Kalimohan Shah. She seemed to have an almost permanent smirk strung along her lips. Her enormous ego was radiating off her like a musk. There were few things that annoyed Kade more in the military than a smug mercenary. They had no professionalism, no consideration for others, and a self-centered mindset that could be destructive depending on the circumstances.

"So, we're here now. What do you want?" Shah asked. Kade narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you here? Who hired you?" Kade demanded. She leaned back in her chair.

"No one. Heard on the airwaves through our intelligence grunts that something big was happening here. Thought we'd show and see what chaos we could bring," she said. Kade could hardly believe his ears. He glanced at Marsha. She looked less than pleased.

"Do you have any idea what's happening here?" she asked. Shah shrugged.

"Not a clue. We came here to find out." Kade was about to lose his mind.

"I'm not going to read you in because you haven't been cleared. What I will say is you and your comrades just stumbled into one of the most precarious operations currently running on United States soil. Galavanting around the campus as you were could have caused the deaths of thousands-we still don't know if we got to you in time. The fact that you landed down and started strolling around without knowing why has to be one of the most stupid things I've ever heard," Kade said, the smug smirk immediately disappearing from her face. "Mercenary or otherwise, you must have the self-awareness of an ant if you thought coming in here and walking around like you own the place was a good idea," Kade continued, feeling his anger continue to build.

"Now-"

"I'm talking. Not you," Kade growled at Shah. "I don't care how much money you have. I don't care how good your tech is. I don't care how many successful missions you've completed. This isn't hopping onto some ship and killing a bunch of pirates with faulty AKs that barely know how to shoot a weapon. The gravity of what you just so haphazardly waltzed into is far bigger than you realize. What your conduct and track record tell me is that what you lack, most fundamentally, is leadership. That's a shame, seeing as it appears you have some capable people following you. You have little experience and it shows. Dropping in and flying by the seat of your pants is what gets people killed. I'll wager a guess you don't care much about that as long as the mission is completed. I almost envy your ignorance," Kade continued, Shah's face growing red and twisting in anger.