Page 5 of A Gathering Storm

“With the exception of the missing nukes that may or may not still be in Alaska, Collins really wasn’t any help at all,” Cole said as they headed back to the war room. It was a crushing blow to the team. Was the risk of lives to bring Collins back to the states justified if the man had nothing useful to offer? Yet, he couldn’t help but believe God had a reason for wanting them to go after the terrorist.

What is Your plan,Father? Help us understand.

Victor expelled a frustrated sigh. “No, he wasn’t. I have a feeling Kirkpatrick may have suspected at some point Collins outlived his usefulness.” He stopped outside the door. “I want confirmation on the nukes one way or another.”

“With everything happening in Berlin, there’s a small chance Kirkpatrick hasn’t moved them yet.” If the weapons were still in Alaska, Cole wanted to be part of the team that went there to confiscate them.

“You want to go there?” Victor’s gaze locked onto his, reading Cole’s mind.

“Yes, I do.”

Victor hesitated. “It’s risky and we could be walking into a setup. The weapons may not even be there.”

Cole understood the risks all too well. “I understand, and I wouldn’t ask anyone to come without them knowing those risks.”

“Well, I’m in,” Kaid confirmed.

It seemed only fitting that Kaid—one of the original members of Strike Force—should be part of the team.

Cole smiled and turned to the woman at Kaid’s side. “What about you, Sidney? You’ve been through so much at the hands of Legion. Being accused of killing your entire CIA unit and forced into hiding. I can imagine it would be a good feeling getting those weapons out of circulation.”

Sidney exchanged a look with her husband that had him wondering what he was missing. He’d expected her enthusiastic confirmation. “What’s going on?”

Kaid nodded to Sidney who pulled in a breath before answering. “I’m pregnant.”

The news was a welcomed surprise. “Sidney, that’s wonderful.” Cole gave both his teammates a hug. “With everything going on in the world, the promise of new life is a true blessing. I’m so happy for you both.”

“Thanks.” Sidney squeezed his arm. “With the possibility of radiation, I don’t want to take the risk of harming our child, but I’ll be there with you in my heart and standing guard in the war room with James to help in any way I can. We need to get those weapons out of play. Because as bad as Collins was, Kirkpatrick seems to be operating at a different level all together.”

“Yes, he does. Almost as if he has someone of great importance backing him up.” Cole scanned the faces of the men and women of Strike Force. Many had witnessed the attack over Israeli skies recently and had seen firsthand how God protected His people.

Though they were a long way from making the trip to Alaska again, he believed if the weapons were still there, they wouldn’t have much time to retrieve them.

Cole stepped inside the room where it became immediately clear something big had broken. “What’s wrong?” The troubled feeling that had become his constant companion slipped into the pit of his stomach.

“It’s Abby. She and the team have run into trouble. They were approaching the Illinois border, when she noticed an unusual amount of air traffic. Abby landed the chopper. She said they’ll try and wait it out, but I don’t like it.” Garrett Craig, one of James’s intelligence team, had been monitoring Abby’s progress along the way.

“Who do we have in the area that can get them out by vehicle?” Victor asked. “It’s too dangerous to continue in the chopper.”

James brought up a map of the state on his laptop and the team gathered around. “Abby brought the chopper down near the town of Cherokee. That’s not far from Storm Lake.” He blew up the area on the screen before facing Garrett and Jordyn Adams, another member of his team. “Do we have someone vetted in that area that we can trust?”

After setting up Strike Force’s website, James’s intelligence team had accumulated a wealth of supporters throughout the country and beyond. The team organized the supporters by states and were actively vetting them to ensure their true allegiances.

Jordyn scanned her database of supporters. “There’s no one except for a new member who hasn’t been fully checked out yet. He’s a recent supporter who lives in Akron, Iowa.”

Cole’s bad feeling doubled. “What do you know about this man?”

She opened up the file she’d started. “Not much. His name is Michael Hurt. He’s thirty-five, a firefighter, and single.”

Cole shook his head. “It’s too risky. Who else do we have that can reach them?” He didn’t like trusting someone who hadn’t gone through the complete check system that James’s people had developed.

“Closest to the area will be Denver,” Jordyn told him.

Cole turned to Victor. “What do you think?”

“I agree with you. We don’t know this Hurt person well enough to trust our people’s lives to him. Get in touch with our Denver contact and get them on their way. In the meantime, see if you can confirm Hurt, in case we need backup.”

“You got it.” Jordyn reached for her phone and went to work.

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