Page 49 of The Surrogate Omega, Part Two

I kiss his ear lightly. I see the other guy watching us out of the corner of his eye, but I’m not doing anything inappropriate. “That’s fine. I want you to focus. I won’t bother you, and I’ll try not to ask any questions.” I can’t guarantee I won’t ask anything, but I’ll try. The last thing I want to do is distract Lake and cause a problem for the guys on the mission. I’m fully aware that I’m out of my depth here. I won’t be a hindrance.

Lake has completely tuned me out now, so I grab the extra chair in the room and slide next to him, but I’m far enough that I won’t be in his way.

Obviously, the team isn’t on the island yet, but it seems like Lake and Donnelly are accessing some kind of surveillance so that they can have eyes on the team. For a moment, the monitor goes black, and I hold my breath, wondering what’s happening. Then it flicks on.

I can’t make anything out at first, since it’s so dark, and then I realize we’re staring at a dense forest, or at least a shit ton of trees. Lake and Donnelly are talking back and forth at each other, but their words don’t mean anything to me, so I focus on the monitors.

The images keep shifting, and eventually I’m staring at some makeshift buildings and a rundown shed and houses that seemed to have sprouted right in the middle of the woods. This must be their base.

“I’m pulling up the thermals now, so hopefully our guys will know the numbers they're working against,” Donnelly tells Lake, who nods briskly but doesn’t respond.

About a minute later, I can see that Donnelly is successful as red and orange blobs start appearing inside some of the shelters and wandering the surrounding area.

It’s hard to make out what’s what. There’s a group of orange blobs huddled together, and I have to wonder if that’s the kids. Just then, a staticky sound comes out of the communication device they have set up before a voice comes through. “Goon squad, this is wolf pack. We have eyes on our destination. ETA: 2 minutes.”

Lake responds without looking away from his work. “Roger. We have visuals on the target. I’m sending the coordinates to where I believe the children are. There are two allies that we know of and they will meet you when you land.”

“Roger that.”

The line goes dead, and I’m left wondering exactly how they plan on getting on the island. In all the chaos, I forgot to ask. I don’t ask now either. Lake is way too preoccupied to answer my questions. I’m not even sure he knows I’m here now.

Lake is hunched over his keyboard, all his focus on the screens, but occasionally, I see his hand sneak down and cup his rounded belly. I think it’s an unconscious movement, but it’s still adorable. I love seeing that protective side come out of him.

Just then, Donnelly swivels towards us. “The extraction team is in the water. The beach is empty; they’re in the clear.”

In the water? Are they swimming onto the island? I mean, it’s probably the easiest way to get on undiscovered, but how are they planning on getting the kids out of there? I seriously doubt they can swim with all those children. And I don’t even know what shape they will be in . . .

There’s a couple of minutes of utter silence. The only sounds that can be heard in the room are the faint humming of the heater and the occasional clicking sound of Donnelly or Lake typing. I’m terrified to breathe, to move a muscle, as if somehow me making a noise will compromise the mission.

And then, after some excruciatingly long minutes, I see some movement in the water, and one by one, faint yellow and orange blobs start emerging.

It’s impossible to make out which one is Logan from their heat signatures, but I pick one anyway, imagining it’s him. It seems to be one of the largest blobs and towards the front, and I keep my laser focus on that random orange blob, willing it to be Logan, willing him to be safe and get home to us.

“Come in, goon squad. This is wolf pack. We’re on the island. Where are your guys?”

“There are two incoming signatures from the West,” Lake says in response. “I do not have confirmation they are friendlies. Stay alert.”

“Understood.”

The images aren’t clear, but there’s rustling and the sounds of weapons being readied through the communication device. I’m on the edge of my seat, gripping the armrests for dear life. It’s like watching a suspense movie, only real life, and I’m torn between being fascinated by the process and horrified.

“Incoming,” the voice through the speaker says. “Hold your positions.”

I’m stock-still as two more heat signatures burst through the densely wooded area. I can barely pay attention to their words. My focus is on the screen, and since I have no idea what half the things they are saying means, I’m just listening for certain sounds: yelling and aggression, guns cocking, triggers being pulled, and bullets flying. Any sign that these aren’t the allies and that their cover has been blown.

I can only breathe when I hear the, “All clear,” from the voice beyond the device.

“Thank fuck,” I mutter to myself. So far, so good.

“Ok, what’re we walking into?” someone asks. I think at first, they’re speaking to Lake, but when another voice answers, I realize he’s asking one of the undercover agents.

I zone out and focus on my random heat signature. I just need them to move already. I know they haven’t been on land for long, but it seems like ages, and the longer they’re there, the more likely things will go wrong. My heart can’t take much more of this waiting game.

After some time, the heat signatures start to move. Lake keeps track of them through the monitors, occasionally providing directions and new instructions as the group carefully makes it through the woods. All these trees make me nervous. I know enough of the plan to know that they’re lighting this place up once the kids are off. I just hope they’re able to get to safety before it spreads too much. These trees look like just a flicker of a flame will cause them all to fucking burst.

It’s crazy how fast things can go from zero to one hundred. Everything is relatively calm as the group maneuvers through the woods. But it’s like a switch is flipped once they get to the edge of the trees and are nearing the makeshift village.

There are no signs of the traffickers in the area when our group starts to emerge. All heat signatures are on the other side of the village, and no one is guarding the far end where they enter. Then, as soon the extraction team is out of the cover of the trees, two traffickers emerge out of fucking nowhere, like they just respawned in a video game.

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