Page 10 of Digit's Deflection
Before I can continue, the door opens, and I turn to face the room once more. “Ah, Mikhail. Please, come in. Allow me to introduce you to Commander Jones. Commander, my associate, Mikhail Novak.”
Something crosses the man’s face that tells me he’s heard of the infamous man for hire.
“Ah, I see you’ve heard of Mr. Novak. Excellent. Well, that makes introductions so much easier. And now that my duty is done, I’ll leave the two of you to become acquainted.”
For the first time, I see fear in the good commander’s eyes, and the feeling is simply delicious. Feeling much happier knowing I’ve gotten to the stoic former SEAL, I leave them to it, whistling a popular tune as I go in search of breakfast. Causing misery is hungry work.
Digit
A buzz of anticipation can be felt in the air as the plane’s wheels touch down on the runway. Much is riding on the success of this mission and, while we can feel the pressure, we’re eager to get out there and inflict maximum damage to Armatrout’s holdings.
A three-pronged attack has been planned down to the last detail we could think of, to take out three of his known compounds to remove them from play. Leaving him with that many fewer hidey-holes to slither back into at any point.
Boots on the ground, we make haste to our overnight spot to make camp. Once the sun goes down, we’re limited in what canbe done. With no light pollution in this neck of the woods, it gets pretty damn dark.
Comparing the actual lay of the land to satellite surveillance images and topographical maps, we seek out the best place to set up our comm center. Finding somewhere well hidden, yet open enough to receive satellite signal, easy to defend but also covered enough to allow us to make an escape relatively unscathed is always a challenge. Mother Nature doesn’t make maneuvers in the field easy.
The spot identified during satellite recon turns out to be perfect, and it takes no time at all to set up camp. I check the time and find I’ve still got roughly ten minutes before connecting in with the other teams.
“Knight, seven minutes to dial in,” I say quietly.
“Thanks, Digit. I’m ready when you are,” he replies.
Making sure everything’s ready, I count down the time in my head. It helps to center me, cutting out the distracting thoughts of worry.
As my watch hits the designated time, I connect Knight with Wolf and Merlin, the team leaders from the other two teams we’re executing this joint mission with.
“Wolf, Merlin, you guys safe and settled?” Knight asks by way of greeting.
“Yeah, all good this side,” Wolf replies.
“Yep, everything’s a go my side,” Merlin adds.
“Excellent. So, to confirm, at oh one hundred we’ll make our way to the compounds for a final recon. Once we’ve got eyes on the targets, we’ll do a final check in to coordinate the attack, and then it’s all systems go. Yeah?”
“Affirmative,” Merlin responds.
“Affirmative,” Wolf echoes.
Our team leaders chat strategy for a few minutes before signing off. “All right gentlemen, oh one hundred is going to behere before we know it. Let’s get some shuteye while we can. Gator, you’ve got first watch. Scooter’ll relieve you.”
“Got it, boss,” Gator says, grabbing up his rifle and making his way over to the lookout post, while the rest of us head for our bed rolls.
Try as I might to empty my mind and give myself over to sleep, thoughts of Liora keep intruding. After a solid ten minutes of frustration, I finally give up and go over to the comm center.
“Everything okay, Digit?” Knight appears out of the dark, without so much as disturbing the air.
“Yeah, all good.” I nod to emphasize my reply, hoping Knight will let it go. But I should know better. The scrutiny I’m subjected to makes me uncomfortable, and I try my best not to squirm.
“Yeah, I’m going to have to call bullshit on that one, brother. You are never this twitchy. Over anything. You’re the calmest, most laid-back person I know. But just lately, something’s got you unsettled – not your usual chilled self. Wanna talk about it?”
“How? I need you to tell me how you do this?”
“Do what?” he asks, allowing me to redirect the conversation for a moment.
“How do youalwaysknow when shit’s going on with one of us? You know, and then you’re there to offer support – a shoulder to lean on or an ear to listen. How do you do that shit?”
Knight chuckles quietly. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
