Page 27 of Ashfall
“Adam and I called her. We'd been doing some digging around and found a file where she and Noc were disciplined. When we were trying to figure out if Noc was alive and what he was doing in Russia. She agreed to meet us, and started to tell us some of the details, but she never got to the names. I remember her saying my mother would never forgive her if she didn’t help me when I asked, especially with this. But I only went and got her killed for it.”
Hawk exhales sharply on a breath he seemed to be holding since I started speaking. “Damnit, Ashley,” he mutters to no one in particular. “Noc hasn't updated her status, but he knows. When your mom asked Noc to protect you, she also knew you'd need to be made aware and brought in on this for your own safety. You should have been a part of the team with Noc; hewas going to be the Commander. But everything just went south so quickly, our plans were readjusted. I know you think it's your fault she died, but Ashley knew the risks. She was asked to look out for you too. You were always going to be a part of this one way or another, Nyx.”
Taking a life is one thing, we’ve been hardened against it, our souls so black that it no longer makes an impact. We're so ruthless that when an enemy falls, we tell ourselves the world is better for it. But when someone dies protecting you… that’s a weight no amount of discipline can prepare you for. Even though Hawk means well, he and I both know it never lifts the burden. Blitz finally speaks, quiet this entire time whilst analyzing it all. “So, what's our next move, Hawk?'' For once, she looks nervous. No sign of her usual, playful self, always trying to add some brightness into our dark days. And if Blitz is nervous, we all should be. The girl is as fearless as they come.
A rush of unease grips me when I think about Noc. We need to get him out. And we need to get to himfast. Hawk turns over his shoulder. “Adam, anything on the feed?”
He nods. “Been observing. The camera isn’t on in the back, but there’s only containers at the far end of the perimeter. They’ve taken him there. No sign of Graves.” Good, the last thing we need is to try and act unaware, not when the weight of the last two hours is still settling over us. Graves istheenemy.
Hawk straightens, his voice sharp. “Graves is compromised 616. He's officially the primary X. You do not engage him alone. We stick together if he shows up. I'll park the cruiser outside and we'll monitor the area before going in. We're going to need to go rogue, team.'' Phantom salutes him and speaks on behalf of all of us ''We're with you, Sir.''
It takesus thirty more minutes to get back, the eagerness rolling off me to get to Noc. How the tables have turned in less than five hours. Almost three weeks ago I was willing to kill him, and tonight I've found out that it's all been lies. Lies to make me hate him, when it was the very man pulling the strings who was responsible, trying to make me his secret weapon. His second in command. There's been so much betrayal and lies. I can feel the electricity crackling beneath my skin as it all forms together inside me. I need to kill a motherfucker.
The car rolls to a stop just past the hut and we all get out, weapons drawn and earpieces in as we stalk through the night toward the perimeter. Hawk gives Phantom the signal, and he makes his way up the watchtower, checking it's empty. ''Clear, keeping watch.'' We copy and the four of us move in a single line, Adam and Blitz checking our sixes and threes as Hawk and I lead the way. We make it a third of the way round when we spot the containers. It's eerily silent, my favorite kind.
''What's our move, sir?'' I ask Hawk, my eye looking through the night vision to check, there's two guards at the front of the doors, another at the side. ''Three hostiles. 2 o'clock, twenty meters. Phantom, what's your position?'' Hawk asks him.
''Four. Hostile moving behind the containers. He's just come back from taking a piss or he'd be ghost.'' Great, this will be awkward without alerting any of the off duty patrols.
''Blitz, sweep over twenty meters at 3 o'clock. I want you to take the east side. Adam you follow but fall back ten meters, and keep her covered. Nyx, you're with me. We're pushing ahead. Phantom, give us the signal when all are in position.''. We all confirm in unison ''Copy.'' and begin to move.
Adam and Blitz move off to our right as Hawk and I edge forward, using the darkness to our advantage as we crouch between the bushes and mangled rusted fence. Our path is too far in the open, we need to army crawl on our stomachs toremain hidden. The grass grows thicker as it stretches toward the woodland, forcing us to move at an agonizingly slow pace. Any faster and we’re exposed. I don’t dare lift my chest, not even slightly - that’s how you get shot. I lead with my fingers, careful to keep my gun low, distributing my weight to avoid sudden shifts and to judge the ground beneath us.
Thankfully it's soft, the temperature not cold enough to cause the dirt beneath us to freeze and crunch with our weight. I'm following Hawk’s lead here, so when he stops, I stop. His movements are measured, adjusting his gun out in front of him, so I do the same. We remain like this for a few minutes, allowing for Adam and Blitz to get into position. “All in position, ready to engage.” Phantom confirms from his watch, but we can only act on Hawk’s order as he whispers, “Adam, take the front. Blitz takes the back. Nyx, you're left. I'm right.” He gives us three seconds to train on target. “Free to engage.”
We each fire a single shot; the bodies of Graves’s patrols all drop with a distant thump as they hit on the ground. It’s twisted how beautifully executed that was, each of them dropping to the ground in their final dance with death in unison. That’s what happens when you're in this game for too long, you appreciate the darker side that would make most people faint.
Hawk and I rise to a crouch, moving forward in sync. Blitz and Adam follow, each of us keeping vigilant eyes on our six as we close in on the doors. Hawk tests the padlock, and it's locked. We waste no time as we search the dead patrols, Phantom keeping watch from above. Adam strolls over from the further patrol, handing the key to Hawk, who yanks the padlock off and eases the door open. A metallic groan splits the silence. It’s deep and drawn-out, the kind of sound that carries across an area like this. Shit. That was loud. Not ideal. I flick the torch attached to my gun, the others doing the same. Beams slice through the darkness, illuminating the inside – rusted beyond belief, thickwith mold and dirt clinging to every surface, the decay building up over its abandonment.
The guys keep their lights low, careful not to turn us into an easy target. I use the faint light to move forward. My heart short circuits - I can't see him. Then, in the far corner, a shadow shifts, uncrossing one ankle from the other. A figure poised to strike, tense like a coiled python. “Lev?” I say, keeping my voice low but not enough that he doesn't recognize it’s me. He's covered in blood, his jacket gone, and his once crisp white shirt soaked through. His hands are cable tied at the back, brutally tight, his skin looks numb gauging by the color. His eyes find mine, and he exhales sharply. Relief crashes through me, he’s still standing. “You took your time.” I see his asshole attitude is still intact. But I don’t think, I just adjust the strap of my gun to rest behind my back and rush to him. He groans as I wrap my arms around him, his head resting on top of mine.
This is how I imagined I would have felt when I first found him alive, if it were different circumstances and none of the other shit had happened. My heart doesn’t feel as heavy anymore to know the truth, to know that I never loved the wrong man, just trusted the wrong one who got between us. “Anytime, Hawk,” his voice rumbles above my head. A muffled laugh comes from beside me as Hawk heads to us to cut the ties with his flick of his knife.
With his arms now free, he wraps them behind my neck, a tight squeeze at the base. Neither of us say a word as Hawk checks him over. I can feel that the blood on his shirt is still wet, my arm sticking to his side. “You hurt?” I pull back from him, noticing the blood on my arm that seems to have come from a wound that’s actively bleeding. “Just a surface wound; the old prick caught my side.” He lifts up his shirt to show a four-inch slash that starts at his front and works its way back, like theblade’s been flicked off his waist in a taunt. That'll need to be cleaned out and stitched.
Just then, Phantom’s voice comes over the earpieces. “One patrol is making his way north to you, he's forty meters out.” We move swiftly; I bring my gun back to a high-ready position, Noc lifts one from a fallen patrol. Retracing our path, we weave through the terrain, a little less stealthy than before as the grass rustles beneath us as we push forward. There should only be a couple of the patrols left by now. Phantom spots us and descends the tower ladder in one swift drop. We break into a sprint towards the truck, urgency crackling between us to get the hell out of here. Blitz slides into the front passenger seat, but I notice Hawk’s not getting in.
Noc leans against the door, arms folded as the realization reaches the rest of us – Hawk’s not coming with us. “What the fuck are you doing Hawk? Get in.” I scold him, but he shakes his head. “You’re going to need someone on the inside. We need to make it look real. You’ve all gone rogue. One of you needs to hit-” His words are replaced with anoomph. Noc’s first connects with his face with a swipe of a sharp twist, a strike so effortless, if you blinked, you’d have missed it. Phantom lets out a low whistle, impressed by the seamless execution.
Hawk hits the ground with a thud, but before he can process the blow, Noc extends a hand, as quick as his strike had been. There's no hesitation in Hawk as he’s helped back to his feet, a chuckle sounding from his chest. “Asshole, how long have you waited to do that?”
Noc’s wry grin is his answer. “A good few years. More so after what you just let come out your mouth.”
“Well, that'll do it - but let me fucking finish first.” Hawk’s tone is firm. “I need you to tie me up, knock me out – make it look like you've overthrown me. I'll be in touch as soon as Ican.” I don’t like this one bit. And judging by everyone’s uneasy glances around me, they aren’t comfortable either.
“'Hawk?” Blitz tries to reason with him, but the Exec’s mind is set.
He shakes his head. “That’s an order, 616.” His voice leaves no room for argument “Now come on, Noc, Nyx - stay out here and keep watch. We'll be quick. Since you’ve already primed my skull.” The rest of them head inside, their voices fading as Hawk fires instructions, leaving Noc and I alone.
My neck tingles with awareness as I feel Noc's eyes on me, drawing my own to glance up at him. I roam over his features; his sharp jaw pierces through the night like a blade, the moonlight reflecting off his side profile. He looks like a fallen angel, and in some ways he is. And whilst we have this moment alone, I have the urge to explain myself. “I didn't make the call at your house, just so you know.” I clear my throat, tilting my head. “I had planned to once you told me everything, but I didn't expect anything like this. I thought you had some sick explanation for what you did. Then, I was going to call in Hawk once we left.” I exhale a breath, feeling a little lighter now that I’ve managed to get that off my chest.
The silence lazes between us, and when he does speak, his voice mirrors the darkness of the night sky above us. “And what is it that you know, Malyshka?” My heart stutters at that name, a name meant only for me. “That it was Graves behind it all, and that he killed my mother. Not you.”
Noc nods as he stares into the tree line, then his body goes rigid. In one swift motion, he snaps the gun up, aiming to take a shot as his eyes narrow down the scope. “Get behind the car, Brodie.” His dark tone still threads through his words. And I find myself caught between the two names, both carrying their own meaning. One, steeped in desire. The other, tethered to something far deeper.
His stone-like arm pushes me aside, shielding me behind cover. I scowl, irritation burning through me now that the lust-induced fog has finally lifted. I roll my eyes, raise my gun, and shift behind the cruiser. “If you haven’t noticed, Noc, I can handle myself. Probably got a better shot in me than you.” He lowers his gun slightly, glancing away from the scope with a huffed laugh, but before he can respond, I fire. The shot rings out, and Noc’s amusement vanishes as he snaps his focus back down his scope. There's a rustle in the bushes ahead, a patrol that was moving from the tree line, weapon raised. My bullet meets its mark. A distant groan confirms he’s down. I lower my gun, eyebrow raised in challenge as I face him, letting a devilish smile stretch across my face.
He runs his tongue over his teeth as he nods. “Not ashamed to admit that made me a little hard, but I would’ve gotten him if you hadn’t distracted me.” Typical, can't admit when he's wrong - I see that's something that hasn’t changed. I roll my eyes at him, my mouth opening for a witty comeback, but footsteps pounding towards us stop me. Noc and I shift instinctively, pressing back-to-back at the cruiser, guns raised. “Stand down, it’s the guys.” I say, lowering my weapon. “All good?” I ask as they reach us, all piling into the cruiser. Phantom takes the wheel, throwing a bundle of clothes over the center console for Noc to change into. Adam hands them over, along with a first aid kit as the two of us settle into the far back.
