Page 70 of Red Rabbit
“Say when.” I heard Graham say outside the window.
I took a deep breath.
“Go,” I said.
He flipped the switch and I hardly dared to breathe as I heard the generator sputter then kick to life. I looked at the computer as it lit up and pushed the power button, hoping to god it was a fast boot up. I ticked down the seconds in my head. Graham appeared at my shoulder, assault rifle in his hands. The computer fought to boot up, wasting precious time.
“Jesus, are we in 1998 here or something?” He grumbled.
“It’s only been a minute,” I said.
“We don’t have very many of those.”
It was painfully slow but the computer finally booted up and I immediately got to work accessing the military’s remote internet system they used for deployments or when in areas without internet access. With my credentials, the internet was up and running in minutes.
“Now,” I said to Graham.
I moved aside so he could access the keyboard and he leaned over and typed out a quick message. I heard the generator sputter as he was typing and nervously tapped my foot.
CALLING IN FAVOR
NEED EXTRACTION FOR TWO PEOPLE
68.602092, -122.150103
COME IN HOT
ENEMY COOPER, HAS TAC TEAM
He hit send and it was like a scene out of a movie. I saw the confirmation for a split second before with a pathetic whirl of fans and belts the generator died and everything went dark.
26
GRAHAM
I let out a breath when everything died. I had to admit, it was impressive to watch Kaelin pull up the internet. In front of the computer she seemed calm and methodical even under the intense pressure. For a moment I saw her settle into her true self and leave the trauma behind and I was glad for it.
“Do you think they’ll come?” She asked, looking at me fearfully.
“He better,” I grumbled.
“Who did you contact?”
“His name is Cal. He’s one of my old army buddies.”
She looked at me with an assessing look that turned smug as she eyed me up and down.
“Ah, so youwerearmy—I was right.”
“Yeah, he was with Cooper and I for a while.”
Calvin McCoy, Cal for short and call sign “Chaos.” He was one of my closest friends from my time in the military and while he was ten times more stable than Cooper, there was a reason we called him Chaos Cal. We saved each other’s lives on numerous occasions but the most recent was a few years ago when we worked for the same PMC and I went back for him when he took a hit in a building set to explode. His first words to me once we were clear was that he owed me. After that I needed a break so Igot out entirely and ran wilderness excursions for back country big game hunters.
Cal now ran his own PMC and when he wasn’t running around the world on jobs, he was trying to recruit me to join him. He was one of the guys who couldn’t seem to put down the gun and live a normal life. Although I’m not sure any of us were really successful at a normal life. I looked at the arsenal on the table and my fingers twitched. Being around that much fire power again was like coming home—it felt right.
I watched Kaelin leave the room and followed after her. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight. She scared the shit out of me the last few days. When she grabbed the gun, my blood ran cold. I knew all too well what it felt like to break and lose yourself to the pain and suffering. I’d gone through it and come out the other side but I’d also seen many who didn’t make it out. It’s a dark and desolate existence when you feel like your body and mind aren’t your own. When reality is a confusing place but your dreams are even worse.
When your very soul is broken, there aren’t any safe places.
