Page 53 of Stryker

“Thank you, Freddie,” Johnsaid, before ruffling the hair on the boy’s head. He didn’t wanthim to feel odd or bad about his gift.

“You’re welcome. Can we goget a snack now?” Freddie asked.

“You got it, buddy,” Kylesaid before leading Freddie out of the stables. “Are you coming,John?”

“Yeah, I’ll be along in acouple minutes.”

Kyle nodded his understanding andwalked away with Freddie, leaving John to his thoughts. He reachedinto his pocket and pulled the envelope out. John easily recognizedhis father’s handwriting on the outside addressed tohim.

He glanced around the area, unsure ofwhat he was looking for. A sign, maybe, that his dad was there.However, he didn’t have Freddie’s gift; all he saw were hay balesand empty stalls.

“I don’t know if you’rehere or not. I don’t know how many times I’ve wished to be able totalk to you again. I can’t say I understand everything thathappened back then when you found me or what was going through yourmind. Why you and Mom decided to keep me, but I do want to thankyou for everything you tried to do for me. I miss youguys.”

John wasn’t sure if he looked like afool talking to himself or if his dad’s spirit was even stillaround. He shoved the envelope back into his pocket and headed forthe door. As he was about to walk through, he caught a glimpse of areflection in the pane of glass that wasn’t his. When John spunaround, no one was there.

He sucked in a deep breathand smiled.Maybe the people we love neverreally leave us.It was a calming thoughthe decided to hold on to.

“I’ll read the lettersoon. I promise.”

With that agreement, John walked up tothe ranch house, a slightly different man than before. A better,less lonely man.

***

Stryker

The area was quiet as they approachedstealthily from three different directions, and split into smallergroups to closely examine the building. Over the last two days,movement in and around the building had increased significantly.Stuff was moved in, and other stuff taken out. The team had to findout what was going on inside.

The full moon made traversing the areaeasier but harder to stay under the radar. The building was onlyfive stories tall, and they weren’t sure how many of those storieswere manned. Stryker and Conor were coming in from the east, only ahundred yards from their target.

The others approached at differentangles while Gunner watched everyone from above on a nearbybuilding. It was almost two in the morning, and the place wasquiet. Dressed in their gear, they moved as they had beentrained—silent and deadly.

When you realized they were there, itwould already be too late.

They ran the final distance andpressed their backs against the wall beside a largeair-conditioning unit twice as tall as they were and at leastfifteen feet wide. A metal door was on the other side, and thatwould be their entry point. From the schematics Spencer had pulledon the building, that door should lead to a maintenance area in theback of the building.

One team would come in from above,while the other would take the underground parking below. Strykerheld his rifle to the side and looked at his watch.

“Fifteen seconds,” hewhispered to Conor, who nodded in agreement.

As he counted the seconds, he knew theother team members would do the same.

“Team A in place,” Bricksaid.

“Team B in place,” Strykerresponded.

“Team C in place,”Fletcher said.

“All clear from the eyesin the sky,” Gunner announced.

Stryker maneuvered around theair-conditioning unit and approached the door. Conor followed himin and picked the lock while Stryker remained on the lookout. Withone final glance at his watch, they entered the building, silent asghosts.

They carefully made their way down anempty hallway, checking each room along the way. Most rooms wereempty. Some had filing cabinets and desks, while others had largeboardroom tables and chairs. Typical office equipment. However,things took a strange turn when they reached the rooms fartherback.

There were medical chairs, similar tothose in a dentist’s office, in some rooms; others had narrowhospital beds and large overhead lamps. There was a laboratory withmicroscopes and jars of different-colored liquid. As they went, thepictures they took were automatically sent back to Spencer’scomputer to be analyzed in real time.

Conor placed his hand on Stryker’sarm, stopping him mid-stride. When Stryker looked back, Conormotioned for them to go into one of the rooms. Without question,Stryker followed Conor in, and soon, Stryker heard two sets offootsteps coming from down the hall. Conor had sensed someonecoming their way, so they waited for whoever it was to pass.Stryker had left the comms open to ensure the entire team couldhear any noise or conversation.

“This job sucks big hairyballs,” a male voice said.

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