Page 11 of Ashfall
Every muscle in my body locks up. “Small things at first. Well, small in comparison to what was leaked later.” Adam shifts as we listen intently, hanging onto every single word that comes from her lips. “At first, it was blueprints of all the bases in the US. Then, how many soldiers were at the largest of our bases. The processes of each one, should they be called upon to assist in a statewide emergency. Then, Government-listed buildings nearby.” She leans her hands out across the counters, like she needs support to keep going. “Then it progressed to individuals at the base, chains of command, which missions were ongoing and the areas the units were being dispatched to - very particular ones.”
She turns and folds her arms as she stares through me, worry eats into each of her features. Like the secrets she's spilling have ripped her apart, and she’s reopening old wounds. A feeling I’ve recently become accustomed to. “The missions that were shared, funnily enough, were ones we'd classed as all a variety of failures. Camps were being uncovered, even some special ops missions had to be aborted due to unreliable intel.” She pulls out three glasses from behind her and walks over to us. “And by God, that’s not even the worst of it.”
I stare through the spot where she stood, my mind working overtime at her words, dreading to hear where Noc comes into this, unwanted thoughts fight their way to the front line. The clink off the wooden surface as the glasses are placed, brings me back. Ashley scrapes over a chair to join us. “We're all gonna need a bit of Dutch courage for this.” She lets out a humorless laugh and her eyes bore into mine when I look up at her. She heads back into the mini fridge and pulls out a bottle ofVodka and examines it. “Cheap ass motel, with its faulty ass refrigerator.”
The bottle looks warm, as I'd expect a spirit to be. But apparently, some people have cold vodka shots. I’m not going to turn that down right now. “If we're going to do this, we're doing it in style. There's an ice dispenser round the corner. I'll grab a bucket. Watch the door and keep it covered.” Adam gets to his feet, raising a brow at me, unspoken as to whether we should trust her. I nod at him, because I do. He follows her to the door as she tucks her gun under her sweater, keeping watch like she asks, clearly paranoid with the secrets she’s already spilled - and I wonder just how deep this truly goes.
Adam turns the light in the room off, Ashley’s footsteps fade further down the walkway. He crouches to his knees at the room’s threshold, allowing him to see into the car park. His head batting back and forward in a rotation to keep a lookout, hand resting on his gun in his pants. I check my phone and see that over seven minutes have passed, rapping my knuckles on the table's surface as a signal to Adam. The space she entered is straight in our line of sight - it shouldn’t take this long. I stand up and pull my Glock 19 from the belt. Adam instantly mirrors me, not needing to turn to know what I’m doing. We’re well-versed in the sounds of a gun sliding from its holder.
“I'll take the inner, you the outer.” My blood begins to rush in my ears, dread seeping through my skin that we’ve been part of a setup. I’m not waiting around and finding out. We move like wraiths as we clear the walkway. My gun aimed to the open space behind him, covering his six, my back against the wall - anyone could come from either side, this place is far too open for my liking. Adam breaches the room, gun raised when he instantly lowers it and then whispers-yells “Shit!” I follow him in, my eyes immediately drawn to the once closed window on the wall facing the road, now wide open.
My mind concludes she’s made a run for it, that uneasy voice in my head steering towards a set up, or she's been spooked. Unless she's got help, she's not getting far. But that perception vanishes as her lifeless body tugs at my gaze, a pool of blood spreading around her head. “Oh my god.” I run and drop to my knees - the material of my cargos instantly soaked in the red liquid. Adam rounds us as he shuts the window, the sound of the blinds dropping following. I pull off the leather gloves from my hand and check her pulse, in the very marrow of my being, I know there’s no point - but I do it anyway.
“Ashley... Fuck, I'm sorry." Indignation tightens in my throat, burning behind my eyes, but I force it down. She’s gone. Because of me. The weight of it crushes my chest, an unforgiving truth settling inside me. She came here because I needed help. My mother’s friend risked it all by coming, because of loyalty to her. It got her killed. She willingly came to share the information I so desperately needed, a secret she lied on an official military document to keep concealed - for who? Istilldon’t know. She never had the chance to share it all. She died for nothing.
Adam pulls me up by the collar of my jacket, stealing me from the spiral of guilt threatening to consume me. He looks into my eyes, seeing the ice I usually keep as a sheath on them has melted. “This isn't on you, Nyx. We need to leave. Now.” I manage to freeze it back over, moving with him through the walkway - guns aimed. When we reached the reception, my eyes glimpse through the window to the girl who I assumed was sleeping. But that was only just from my angle. All I could see was the back of her head which was resting on her forearms atop of the desk. From this side, I can see her face. I know by the marks on her neck, the way her eyes bulge, and how her tongue sticks out her mouth - she's been strangled. I didn't even pick up on it.
Fury boils inside of me, Ashley was being watched. I tear my eyes away from her as we go back-to-back and check all our angles, getting into the open area and back to our entrance route. My eyes roam the ground and notice there's tire marks on the dirt road - ones that weren't here on the way in. There’s no footprints apart from mine and Adam’s, the stone I left from earlier untouched between the set we made. The only new addition is the tread marks. I follow them as the gravel pulls up, evidence of where the vehicle stopped just a couple of feet up.
It looks to have reversed and headed to the west. They’ve stopped far back enough that they wouldn’t get in our line of sight, and I can only imagine they’ve cut through the grass and made the long way round, taking the opportunity to catch Ashley alone. “I think we're clear but stay alert and stay low with me.” I speak, my voice feeling gritty. Adam nods, both of us silently moving along the open road back to base.
It takes us two hours to get back. We were slower than the journey here, having to keep our eyes and ears open in the event we were being followed. We didn’t say a word the whole way back to our quarters. I slide into my room, but Adam's hand tightens around my bicep, making me pause, but then he lets go and I hear him close his room door. I stand in the darkness of my own for an age, before leaning against the door, letting gravity draw me to the ground. How the hell did that go so wrong? I knew this shit was risky, I know Ashley likely did too. I just didn't expect it to end with a death.
Whoever it was, they’ve been watching for a while, waiting for an opportunity. They arrived after we did. If we were their target, they would have ambushed us immediately. Killed Ashley first. Then come for us. The perfect chance. And yet... they didn’t.
The agitation forces me to my feet, stripping out of my blood-soaked clothes. My limbs move on autopilot as I change into anoversized t-shirt and collapse into bed, mind wired like a spark as I run over the last few hours. Even though I didn’t know Ashley that well, my mother did. She'd be so disappointed in me, that I'm the reason one of her friends is now with her instead of living out the rest of her retirement in peace. Lying on an old, rotten floor half the world away from her home. The guilt has its claws penetrating my armor; this one feels heavy on my soul.
A shard of ice jolts my eyes open. What if Noc did this? What if he threatened her to keep quiet - hence the statement saying she couldn’t remember. Was it him leaking the information, and he was asking Ashley to get him the intel he needed? If the information could’ve compromised him at the time, maybe he’s been keeping an eye on her. He’s not that far away from here that it would raise his suspicions for her coming here. A retired cyber operator in Russian enemy territory is going to raise his eyebrows. Especially with the little information she did share, I don’t doubt attaching the name to the culprit would've been something she’d be killed for.
Another thought cuts through me like a blade, an unwanted, possible conclusion. Did Noc kill Ashley? No… Did he? He's a dark soul; I'll give him that. But responsible for the leaks? What would he gain? I need to stop. My head is starting to pound, the pressure brewing like a storm cloud ready to break. A pitiful laugh slips from my lips, the absurdity of it all crashing over me. I thought Noc might be a prisoner, someone in need of saving. But now, I’m starting to think there’s an awful truth here. Has he faked his death and is now on the run?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
nyx
The next week goes by in a blur, I’ve hardly spoken a word to anyone. My mind is battling a twister trying to grasp all the facts that lead to Noc being a traitor, and responsible for Ashley’s death. I replay it all in my mind. How she’d gone quiet when I said his name on the phone, the unease in her eyes when she stared straight through me, telling me the story. I’ve fully convinced myself he’s responsible for it now. That he’s somehow tethered to Volokov. Otherwise, why was he at his warehouse?
I’ve lost count of the number of times the bile has shot up my throat at the thought. I loved a man who was playing the whole army like a damn fiddle. There's only two things I can’t get my head around: One, if people knew - why wasn’t the Seattle base notified? Was his faked death enough for them to close the case? Two, where did I fit into it all? Was I just something to pass the time? I only started getting close with him after my mother died. Did he see me as emotionally vulnerable, and thought to take advantage?
My eyes shut and I shake my head before entering the command room, clearing the thoughts before we get a mission update. Adam catches me and gives me a nod, I take a seat nextto him and stare straight at the operation map. Right now? I feel like telling Hawk exactly who the shadow figure is. I could show him the image I have and tell him exactly what he’s done - yet something stirs inside me urging me not to.
At this stage, I don't care if I get reprimanded, but I can’t let Adam get tangled with me. They'd know I wasn’t capable of clearing that image. It’s not in my area of skill. Then, there’s the whole Ashley scenario for my source of intel. I could easily take the blame and say I met her alone, but everything before would give up Adam. I let out a broken chuckle at how easy loyalties are for me. Noc on the other hand, clearly doesn’t know the meaning of it. Adam leans forward, pretending to fix his laces when he gives me a concerned look. “I’m fine,” I mouth at him.
Blitz and Phantom head in with Hawk on their heels and take the seats next to us. “Morning devils.” While his playful nickname for us is there, he looks stressed. There's none of his usual banter present, and he looks tired. His stubble is more visible than normal and there's dark shadows forming under his eyes. “We're going to go ahead and intercept the club tonight. We’ll be settling into a hotel within a thirty minute radius. You'll have time to head into the center and get supplies to go undercover. There's enough outlets for you to purchase necessities to be completely unrecognizable. You need to blend in with the crowd.” He shows us some photos 656 have taken of clubgoers standing outside waiting to get in.
“Why aren’t 656 going in?” Phantom asks, Hawks eyes shift to the map as he speaks. “I need them back here for Graves’s return and to settle into the base for strategic rest. They’ll also need the debrief of everything so far.” He eyes each of us before landing “Blitz? Please take note of this. No yellow.” She rolls her eyes and huffs, “No fun Hawk,” and he gives her a tight smile.
The more I stare at him, the more I see just how utterly spent he looks. He must be rushed off his feet with Graves being out.“We leave within the hour. No weapons upon entry. We can’t raise suspicions. I’ll have you all linked in to communicate with each other. If shit hits the fan, you get the hell out of there. If you feel like someone's watching you. You abort the mission.”
He looks each of us in the eye. “This is not an engagement task, people. We're going straight into the viper’s nest. I want you to survey only. If you spot Volokov, keep an eye on how many people are around him. You'll head in together as two teams. Shadow one - Phantom and Nyx. Shadow two - Adam and Blitz. Play the part guys.” Blitz turns to Adam and beams him a smile. “Oh Adam! I know you've been waiting for this day your whole life little guy, how'd you feel?” For the first time in what feels like forever, I laugh. Phantom rolls his eyes, fighting to hide his amusement. I pat Adam on the back, “Good luck buddy,” my voice breaking through a smile. He's going to have his work cut out for him, Blitz thrives in role play.
We arrive at the hotel,check-in and load our belongings into the rooms. Hawk’s due to arrive in two hours, which gives us enough time to head out for some civilian attire. We all split up and head in our own directions. I've seen undercover missions go very wrong, very quickly, very early on. I head into the hair salon first, racks and racks of all varieties of hair hanging on their walls. From hair extensions to bright colored wigs to expensive looking realistic hair - exactly what I want. Whilst I don't want to draw attention to myself, the only different color I can get that'll make a difference is red or blonde.
I would be a beacon with blonde - so that's a no. I head over to the section that looks like the red-colored section, from deep cherry all the way through to luminous. My eyes catch on a realistic wig with long, loose curls - this should do. It's a nice light shade, and with my green eyes? Perfect. I look at the pricetag and my eyes bulge. Jesus Christ, what's this in dollars, 600? Glad it’s not my budget being used.
The rest of my trip is rushed. I’m not much of a shopper - you kind of lose the want for those luxuries after a while. I’m happier walking through an ammunition store. I take advantage of my new focus to steer myself away from the lurking thoughts that keep penetrating my distraction every so often.Will Noc be there?Nope, bat it away. I manage to find a black, coated bandeau dress. It’s tight, and I feel like I should have melted myself down to pour into it. But from the photos Hawk showed us - this seems to be the vibe civilians wear to this club. I snatch a pair of platform heels from the shelf on my way to the cashier, not even bothering to check if they go; black on black works for me.
I push through the exit and onto the street, and something catches my eye up ahead. Blitz. She’s skipping down the street, drawing the attention of a guy who runs behind her. He looks older, by at least twenty years. I can’t make out what he says, but it's in Russian. She stops her merry jolly, catching my eye and winks.Oh no, I hope she’s not about to cause a scene, and by scene I mean punch his throat – she’s got a wicked gleam in her eye. But instead, she whips around and walks up to him. I can feel her sultry vibes from here as I lean against the wall of the store.
