Page 43 of Peaceful Chaos

Lucien walks around one. There's no gas tank and no throttle, just a button to start it. He leans over and presses the button. It purrs to life, not completely silent, but it doesn't have the growling roar a dirt bike usually makes. Satisfied the bikes won't bring attention to us, Lucien presses the button to turn it back off.

Getting there is only a small fraction of the mission. Once we're inside the property it's likely we'll have to fight our way in and out of the manor. Javier has faith in his soldiers and their training to survive this mission. I have trust in myself, Lucien, and even Ted to a certain extent to escape that house of horrors for a second time.

Since Luce and I are going in alone, I start to load up on all the weapons I can carry and still move freely. The cargo pockets and utility belt of the uniform make it easy to store knives, hand guns, multiple loaded clips, and a few flash grenades. Javier hands each of us a semi-automatic rifle from the crate they unload from the plane. As if we synchronize it, Lucien and I loop the strap over our necks at the same time and let the weapons hang against our backs.

Ted loads a clip into the bottom of his gun. "One of these days I'm going to fight alongside the two of you, but at least you aren't leaving me behind. I'd feel better if I were making sure you come out of there in one piece," he says to Lucien.

Lucien grips the back of Ted's neck. Without saying a word, they lock eyes. The moment stretches between them, and I start to feel like I'm intruding standing here. I turn around and let them have their moment.

Instead, I look around at everyone else gathered, and realize there are at least three other units not accounted for in Javier's mission plan. "This is a very ambitious plan, but again, what are we supposed to do if Damien's men manage to respond faster than what you are allowing for?"

Javier points to the hangar. "We use that for more than storing aircrafts. If the need arises, the remaining units will come to our aid. And what is in there will make sure we get out."

Lucien and Ted split apart, and Luce mounts one of the dirt bikes. "No time like the present. But you better tell those boys to get the toys out of the hangar, because if I know my father at all, we're going to need them."

The rest of us copy Lucien and start our bikes. As we enter the forest, the soft hum of the bikes is drowned out by the crunch of dried leaves and twigs and the rhythmic rustling sound of the mostly bare branches in the canopy. This late in the year, there aren't many leaves left to block out the light, so we are able to see without using headlamps or headlights. It's a plus since the noise of three different teams moving through the forest is still too loud for my liking, even with so-called silent bikes.

Lucien rides a few feet ahead of me and stops just before he exits the woods. He gives me the signal to stop, and we both turn off our bikes and do our best to conceal them behind some brush. We melt into the shadows, and it feels like a part of me wakes up.

I let that sink in for a moment before I shut all emotions off. It's easier to be this version of myself when I'm here. All the horrors I've seen, the trauma I've experienced, it can't touch me when I'm like this.

I've no guilt, no moral lines I refuse to cross, there's only living and dying. I'll do what is necessary to make it out of here in one piece. Anything to keep my promise to Raven.

Most of the house is dark, but a few lights flicker from the windows on the first floor. Silently, I move toward Lucien without so much as snapping a twig. "Have you ever seen the house this quiet?" I whisper.

Lucien shakes his head. "This feels off. Where is everyone?"

There were unusually people loitering on the back porch, guards patrolling in shifts, and endless noise coming from inside the house. Tonight, though, there barely seems to be anyone here at all.

"Off or not, we still need to get your uncle out of here," I reply.

Together we creep through the remaining part of the forest and emerge not far from the house. The windows in the basement are mostly dark, but I can see the naked bulb swinging back and forth casting its sallow light into the cold gray room.

The well around the window is reinforced with a corrugated steel frame. We wait for Javier and his team to breach the main floor to provide the distraction we need to cover the sound of breaking glass as we gain entry to the basement. The clamor of a flash grenade goes off; as soon as we hear it, I use the butt of my rifle to take out the glass. Anyone not wearing hearing protection, like we are, will be disoriented for a while and not notice the sound of the window shattering.

Blackstone Manor is a very old building, built while Illinois was a territory. It's constructed with thick stone walls, which muffle sound from the outside but manage to amplify it inside. In consideration of this, I reach for the large hunting knife strapped to my thigh. It's fitting really, for me to choose this weapon tonight. After all, this is how I set myself free, why shouldn't it be the way I free Holbrook?

The basement has been modified since I was a helpless preteen. The once open space has been subdivided to provide some privacy for Damien's more deviant clientele. Lucien and I clear one room after another, but Holbrook isn't in any of them. We make our way up the stairs and join Javier and his team. There are only a few of Damien's men present, and Javier has them restrained with zip ties in the middle of the room.

"Did you find Agent Holbrook?" he asks.

"No, the basement is empty. Any sign of him up here?" I ask. Lucien was right, something is most definitely not right.

I pull a gun from the holster at my hip and point it at one of the men Javier restrained. "Where is Agent Holbrook?" I demand.

The guard, who I think is named Greg, spits at me. I might be unsure of his name, but I know who he is. There are two types of people who work for Damien. Those like Lucien and I who aren't given a choice, and people like Greg who seek it out.

I tap the barrel against his temple. "Real fucking stupid. All you have to do is answer my question. Where is Holbrook?"

"If I tell you, I'm as good as dead. You know as well as I do how well Damien tolerates failure."

I cock the hammer on the gun. "If you don't tell me, you're dead now. At least if you speak now you get a chance to run." The vengeful side of me hopes he stays quiet. It's been a while since I delivered my brand of justice, and someone who enjoys torturing the innocent belongs on my list.

"Fuck you! I'm not saying shit. You won't kill me."

"Jackson," Javier steps up next to me. "There are other ways of finding him."

"Slower ways," I snap. My mental alarm tells me I should have listened to Raven.

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