Page 2 of Zero Visibility

Ben did his best to assure him they’d be okay even though he lacked confidence in what lay ahead. “We can’t afford to take the planes. Legion will instigate martial law quickly. All commercial and private flights will be grounded. There’s only one way out and it’s by vehicle.” He glanced around at the men who would follow him anywhere. “We’ll have to drive.”

That Legion had chosen not to use their cache of nuclear weapons was a shock. Ben had a feeling there was another wave of attacks coming that would be far more crippling than this one. Attacks that were meant to confirm Legion’s world dominance.

“Take the SUV.” Ben whirled to find his boss and good friend, Cole Hernandez, standing nearby holding his wounded chest. He’d come close to dying when he was kidnapped by the true leader of Legion, Martin Collins.

“Thank you, Cole, but that means the team here will be without a means of escape should Legion discover our new headquarters.” And the threat was real. Their first headquarters in Wyoming had been compromised, forcing them to leave in a rush just to survive. If they lost their current location in Montana, there was no contingency plan in place.

“If Legion discovers our location, the SUV won’t be enough to evacuate all of us. We’ll have to fly out. Take the vehicle. It’s registered under an alias and all the information is current. No one should be able to tie it to us.” Cole looked him in the eye before adding, “You all should be safe enough. For now.”

Ben read between the lines. If he and his men were discovered, they’d be on their own with no means of rescue.

“Be careful. Find Jen. Bring her home. We’ll all be praying for you.” Cole was one of the strongest Christians Ben knew. As the director of the CIA at the time, he’d tasked Ben to set up Strike Force because he saw the potential threat Legion posed, the reality of which played out on the screen above them.

By now, Legion would know Cole had survived the attempted assassination and was working with Strike Force. They’d be gunning for him as well.

“Guys, I have Abby and Brookes on the phone.” Sidney came over to where they talked and eyed each one curiously. “Collins and his people are loading Nolan onto a plane. They’re going to D.C. It’s happening.”

Thanks to the advanced technology capabilities of Strike Force member, James Cooper, the team had managed to have access to a meeting between members of Legion that had taken place at the vice president’s ranch in Amarillo, Texas. Ben had watched his former commander, Deputy Director Kyle Evans, and another member of Legion murdered before their eyes by Martin Collins. Collins was ruthless and proved himself to control Legion with an iron fist.

Collins had directed Nolan Emerson, Strike Force’s mole within Legion, when the time was right, he was expected to kill the president of the United States. Apparently, the time had come.

Ben and the rest of the team joined Sidney at the computer control center. The destruction on the screen was replaced by Abby Temple’s worried face.

“Abby, everyone’s here. What’s going on there?” Sidney asked.

The woman on the screen glanced over her shoulder. “We lost all communication with Nolan a little while ago. Brookes and I moved in quickly. We managed to get close enough to the vice president’s ranch to see what’s happening without being spotted.” Abby faced forward; her voice was barely audible. “I’m switching to the video on my night-vision binoculars so that you can all see.”

A grainy view of the ranch replaced her face.

“Nolan’s being forced onto Ahmad Hassanzai’s diplomatic plane,” Abby whispered into the mic of the phone. Hassanzai—a distant relative of the Afghan royal family who worked the Afghani ambassador in Washington D.C.—was one of the founders of Legion along with Martin Collins.

Ben leaned forward to get a better look. “Can you tell who’s traveling with him?”

A second passed before Abby responded. “It appears Martin Collins and several of his men along with the vice president and his secret service agent who is part of Legion.”

Ben stared at the screen in shock as the last man boarded the plane and the door closed. “Collins is no longer trying to conceal his relationship with the vice president. That tells me Legion is in firm control of the government. Abby, you and Brookes need to be airborne as soon as possible.”

The night-vision feed disappeared, and Abby’s face returned to the phone screen. “We’re leaving now. We’ll do our best to reach out to Nolan on the flight, but we don’t know what caused the loss of communication in the first place. It will take us longer to reach D.C. by chopper. We’ll have to refuel several times.”

“I’ll get you locations for the safest places to do that,” James assured her and began working on the challenge.

Ben shifted to Cole. “Still nothing from the president?” Cole and President Douglas had been close friends for many years. Since Cole’s attack, there’d been no word from the president. Troubling, but Ben was convinced the president being kidnapped around the same time as Cole’s assassination attempt was no accident. Now, Nolan was en route to D.C. There was no doubt his purpose for going there was to take the president’s life.

“Nothing,” Cole said. “And I don’t like it. I’ve called his private cell phone a dozen times. It goes straight to voicemail.”

“It may have something to do with the attacks. Cell towers could be damaged.” Yet the uneasiness in the pit of Ben’s stomach said otherwise. Ben turned to his men. Was he leading them to their deaths? “I don’t know what I’ll be facing once I get to Denver.” He glanced around at their worried faces. “Legion will have done their homework. They’ll know of my connection to Jen and go after her.”

Will shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. We’re coming.”

As much as he appreciated their support, this mission could end in all their deaths and he loved these men too much to put them in danger.

“We’re going, Ben. Deal with it.” Peter inserted as if reading Ben’s doubts.

He thanked God every day for the men and women of Strike Force. They’d all been recruited because in some way Legion had destroyed their lives. Today in particular, the challenge facing each of them was brought home.

“All right.” Ben gave in with a smile. He hugged Cole. Prayed he’d see all of the members of Strike Force again.

Cole swallowed deeply. “Be careful, my friend. The world is in confusion now and we don’t know if the president is still alive. If he is, they could be holding him captive somewhere until Nolan arrives to eliminate him. Then they’ll blame Nolan and the rest of us for the murder. He’ll never leave D.C. alive.” He paused and looked Ben in the eye. “If they would do such a thing to a sitting president, they won’t think twice about taking out all of you all. Or Jen for that matter. Keep in touch regularly.”

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