Sitting in the golf cart left me bored out of my mind.
"I need to make a call," Warner said, leaving me behind to my own devices as he disappeared into the control tower.
A call? About what? Not to mention that the phones didn't work anyway.
I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, my brain racing over every situation that could possibly go wrong. After the longest fifteen minutes of my life, Warner waved from the top of the control tower.
The control towers were composed of a slate colored stone, built with a square base that opened up into a small room at the top. A metal shingle roof held up by supports in each corner blocked cover from the sun and the elements, but not from the wind. There was no glass surrounding them, leaving them open and free to shoot. It was a glorified balcony that functioned as a sniper's nest.
Two flanked every gate like an extra pair of guards, though these were smaller than the ones at the main gate. Less room for soldiers and supplies. Since this side of the base faced nothing but an endless expanse of trees, it made sense to me.
Warner disappeared from the top, striding through the bottom doors of the tower to get to me. If the guard watching the door had any concerns with my presence, he didn't bother to act on them.
"Good news and bad news." Warner slid onto the cart beside me. "Do you have a preference on which I tell you first?"
"How bad is the bad news?" I asked, not really sure that I wanted to know.
"We'll start with the good news, then," Warner said, which was not very reassuring. "Good news is that I heard from Mark."
He looked at me like that was supposed to have some sort of meaning. "Who is Mark?"
Warner furrowed his brows. "You know Mark. He usually is on guard duty at Cal Hall where you've been staying."
"Oh," I said, covering my mouth with my hand. I knew who he was talking about and I felt horrible that I didn't remember the guy instantly. In my defense, it was my first day on the base and I was a bit of a hot mess. "Yeah, yeah, Mark Reyes, right?"
"Yeah," Warner said, his eyes lightening. "He's been stationed at the admin building since we've been back to base. I got in touch with him about Ian and Luke." He took a long deep breath before continuing. "This is where the bad news comes in. Ian didn't cut all the wires and stuff. The op is still on."
"I hoped for the best and planned for the worst," I said. "I didn't expect him to. I had a bad fee that we were probably going to need to do it tonight."
"That's not all the bad news."
I nodded as I pursed my lips. "It never is just one thing, is it?"
"There are more guards slated for duty tonight. This place is going to be crawling with people."
"How are we going to get into the control tower?"
"That brings me to my other piece of good news," Warner said with a big smile.
"I love good news."
His grin widened at my words, but it slipped quickly. "I told Mark about the op."
My jaw dropped. "What?"
"Like us, he was pretty pissed. Started cussing out the Colonel in Spanish and everything."
"Why is this good news?"
"Because he's discreetly getting the word out to some of the other guards. If we can get them on our side..."
I threw my arms around Warner in excitement. "You're a genius. We wouldn't have to worry about getting in at all. They'd let us in or even do it themselves if we asked."
Warner flicked my nose and I pulled back, sticking my tongue out at him. "It's too much to ask of them," he said. "Letting us in isn't that big of a deal since they can claim plausible deniability, but making them cut it themselves is implicating them fully in our treasonous plot. Besides, I want to see those wires cut with my own eyes."
"I hate to be that person, but," I hesitated. Warner was not going to like this.
"Spit it out, El."
"What happens after?" I tugged on the ring at my neck, the metal sharply cold. It stung that I still hadn't taken it off, but I wasn't ready to part with it yet. "I mean, say that we stop this. We cut the wires and everything. What's to say the Colonel won't fix it and then try again?"
"Shit," Warner muttered. "You're right. Especially with the suits here. They're the ones in charge. The fucking bureaucrats. But they want results and fast. They'll get us out of the way and do this again."
"Unless it screws with their window too much."
"WHat do you mean?"
"In an experiment," I said, "you want every condition to be exactly the same except for the variable that you are testing. That includes time. Maybe they won't do it if it doesn't occur at the right time."
"That seems a bit far fetched, El. I doubt they would throw away the million of dollars they spent on this because they were a day behind schedule."
He was right. It was just a vain hope. "I don't know, then. But this can't be inevitable. It's wrong."
"Sometimes the wrong thing prevails. You can do everything right, make no mistakes, give 100% of your best effort, and still fail. Sometimes you can't change fate." He shook his head grimly, a sort of macabre acceptance. "Sometimes the good guys lose."
"I don't believe in fate," I said. "I believe that we can make a difference despite everything. We have to, otherwise we are just pawns in a game run by gods."
"Who do you think is playing god? Not you or me. It's those men that want to control everything. They think that we are less than they are." He leaned back against the seat, letting his head fall back. "If we don't realize that and fight back, it gives them power over us."
"Then, let's fight back," I said, leaning closer in challenge. "It doesn't matter if the Colonel tries to carry out his plan later if we don't stop him now. Let's worry about the problems we actually have, not the what ifs."
He pressed his lips together for a long moment before he finally met my gaze. "You're right. We need to focus on this plan. Not anything else. Go one step at a time."
"One step at a time," I echoed, a note of confidence rising in my tone. "So now that we knwo we have to break in, what's our first move?"
"Your firsrt move is to take a nap."
I stared to protste. "There's no time for sleeping. I have to--"
"No," Warner said with finality. "You are going to pass out soon and I need you rested for later. I'll handle some communications with Mark. Your job is to get your shit togtehr so we can execute the plan. Got it, soldier?"
I grimaced, knowing that he was right, but not wanting to comply. He raised his eyebrows and I finally bent to his will. With a sardonic flick of my hand, I saluted him. "Sir, yes, sir."
"Take your hot rod back to Cal Hall." He patted the roof as he slid back onto the gravel. "I'll get you as soon as it's time."
"Thank you, Warner. Really." I smiled sadly. "I can't imagine how hard this is for you."
A look of anguish crossed his features, but his facade slipped back up to cover it. "Hard is my middle name," he said with a wink/
I mimed throwing a punch at him even though I was too far to really hit him. "I'm leaving."
"Be safe, El," he called as I reversed away, his concern spilling like an afterthought, a reflex.
I ended up back in the room, surveying the mess with critical eyes. Leo was passed out on the couch, catching up on sleep before he had to get Oliver from his shift. I just prayed that Leo would wake me as a warning. If Oliver came back while I was asleep, I didn't think that interaction would go well.
The bed was still messily made from the last time I slept in it, the blankets still wrinkled and slightly crooked on the side I slept on.
I took the most luxurious shower of my life, basking in the steam and relishing being clean. Not bothering to turn down the covers, I collapsed onto the bed and drifted off.
----
I woke in the darkness to slamming doors. Startled, I rolled onto the floor, landing hard on my side. I groaned, fumbling to my feet as Warner flung open the door and flooded the room with light from the hall.
Using the pillow I dragged with me to the floor, I threw my projectile at Warner.
He dodged easily. "Go time, El. Get your ass up."
I rubbed at my eyes as I searched for my shoes. "You wish you could see this ass."
"Your ass is going to get attacked by the infected if you don't hurry up."
I scoffed, but pulled on my shoe and my boot with haste. Having slept in my scrubs, I only needed to get my hair out of my face.
"I'm ready, Mom." I rolled my eyes as I tied my hair into a tight ponytail. "Let a girl have a minute."
"We don't have a minute." Warner's tone was snippy, overly aggressively. "It's almost 3:30."
"Why didn't you wake me earlier?" I bolted out the door with him hot on my heels. "That's barely enough time."
Judging by the flush on his cheeks and his bleary eyes, he fell asleep, too. "We have plenty of time."
"Then why are we running?"
"We are walking with excitement," he corrected.
"More like panic."
"Would you like to lead this mission, O Great and Holy One?"
I flipped him off. "We don't have time for this. We need to get to the main gate."
"Trusty Garrett is outside."
I wanted to strangle him. "Who is Garrett?"
"The golf cart," he said matter-of-factly. "You didn't name him so I did."
"I live with giant children," I said with exasperation as I exited the building.
"But you love your children unconditionally so you can't complain about us," Warner said, not missing a beat. He flipped the key to turn on the golf cart, readying us for our mission.
I rolled my eyes, sliding into the passenger seat with a huff.
"Now who's acting like a child? Pouting because she got woken up from her nap." Warner slammed on the accelerator with too much fervor, flinging me forward in the cart.
I turned to him, ready to yell, but he held a finger to his lips with a hard look. Play time was over. Something was happening.
It was endless darkness, the witching hour, the blackest night. A moment meant for illicit affairs, especially our treasonous rescue mission.
He slowed us to a stop, our headlights off to leave us obscured in the lurking shadows. Hissing voices shattered the silence, murmuring about stupid commands and unneccessay patrols.
I shivered, the warm summer night suddenly frigid, the danger finally real. Warner kept his finger hovering just above his face, his ear turned towards the front of the cart, listening and waiting. A thousand years passed in a tense, agonizing tableau before Warner relaxed and slowly started the cart again.
"What was that about?" I whispered, too terrified to speak much louder.
"Extra guards out tonight," Warner said, his knuckles turning white against the steering wheel. "More trouble for us. This cart will be too noticeable as we get closer. We'll have to ditch it."
"Okay," I said, not sure what else to say. He knew more than I did and I couldn't help but feel like I was going in blind. What didn't I know? "Is there anything else I need to know before we go in?"
Warner didn't answer for a long while. "No, El. I've got it covered."
I wanted to protest, but he wouldn't avoid telling me without a good reason. I just hope that the reason didn't put us in jeopardy.
"We're close. It's time to leave Garrett behind." Warner pressed the pedal into park and offered me a hand to help me slide out. I took it, savoring the warmth of his hand as the wind picked up. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be." I stuck out my fist with a weak smile.
He grinned and bumped it with his own. "Right on."
With a small surge of confidence, I forced my chin back. "Let's get this show on the road."
Warner smirked. "More like prevent the show from getting started."
"Don't steal my thunder," I said, sticking out my tongue. "You don't need to have the last word."
"Oh, but I do," he insisted, starting towards the control tower that lay partially illuminated in the distance, the eerie glow of fire casting dancing shadows along the slate. "That's why we need to be silent now. Too close to take any chances." He winked, miming lokcing hi slips and throwing away the key.
He was so immature, but I valued his humor in the moment. It took the edge off just enough that I didn't panic. This was our last shot, our only shot. We couldn't afford panic.