The Ghost Pattern

…45

Alex listened to the Phenom’s engines revving with a pleasant sound that seemed surreal under the circumstances. Everything looked so peaceful, so perfect, and yet, at their destination, somewhere halfway around the globe, things were bound to be drastically different.

Blake’s pilot, an old acquaintance of hers, was wrapping up his preflight, getting ready to taxi. Alex took a deep breath of crisp morning air, and climbed the five steps to board the elegant aircraft. Yep, this is it… better have it together, girl, she encouraged herself.

She’d packed her small duffel bag in a hurry, taking the bare necessities: spare socks, a sweat suit, a couple of Ts, and her toothbrush. Normally, she wouldn’t have gone anywhere without her makeup kit and hair spray, but this time she doubted any of that stuff would make a difference out there, in the depths of hostile Russia.

“Here you are,” Lou said. “Let me give you your stuff.”

He handed everyone SatSleeves.

“What are these?” Blake asked.

“This device fits on your cell phone and turns it into a satellite phone. No matter where you are, it just works. It will come in handy, believe me. Give one to your pilot,” he said, handing Blake an extra SatSleeve.

“Dylan?” Blake called.

The pilot came into the cabin.

“Alex, Sam, Lou, meet Dylan Bishop. He’s been my pilot for seven years, I think, right?”

The men shook hands. Alex simply said, “Hey, Dylan,” then added for the rest of them, “We’ve met before. He hauled me out of India one time… I owe him a big one.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right, me too!” Sam added and shook Dylan’s hand again. “Thanks for doing this; we appreciate it.”

“All right, let’s focus,” Lou said, as Dylan resumed his role in prepping the jet for takeoff. “Radios. We have encrypted, long-range radios equipped with ear buds and laryngophones, which you wear like this,” he demonstrated, putting on a collar that held a throat microphone. “These radios integrate with our cell phones. When you receive a call, you have the option to patch the call into our radio environment, and allow everyone with an encrypted receiver to hear or participate in the communication.”

“Wow,” Alex said, “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“For a lot of money, you can do anything,” Lou replied, smiling. “Weapons.”

He opened a large, khaki-colored duffel bag filled with guns, and started handing them out. “I have Tavor automatic weapons for everyone, handguns, and tactical knives. I brought tactical vests, night-vision goggles, handheld GPS, the encrypted radios I was telling you about, and survival kits that will hold us up to 72 hours.”

“What’s this other stuff?” Alex asked, seeing how there was a lot more hardware left in the duffel bag.

“Just some grenades, an AK47 for Sam, in case he misses the old days, and a CornerShot that will fit your handgun. I’ve brought some ammo too.”

“Wow… I’ve heard of these, but never used one. How does it work?” Alex took the CornerShot from Lou, examining it closely.

“It’s the best accessory to have in urban combat,” Lou said. “You attach your handgun to it like this,” he demonstrated with Alex’s Walther, after removing all its ammo, “Then you aim through this pop-out LCD screen, giving you visibility around the corner without any exposure to the enemy. When ready, you pull the trigger, also from a covered position.”

“I see you have a preference for Israeli weapons,” Sam commented.

“There’s a valid reason for that, you know,” Lou replied. “Take these, for example. The Tavor is compact, precise, low-recoil, configurable, the perfect choice for our mission.”

Sam took the Tavor from Lou’s hand and checked it out thoroughly.

“I’ll pass on the AK47, thank you very much,” he added, holding the Tavor.

“Lou, you mentioned urban combat, yet we’re flying in the middle of nowhere, a forested swamp,” Blake intervened. “How come?”

“These weapons will do nicely in open terrain, but we also have to be ready to storm that airbase, or whatever facility they are using to hold the passengers. Most likely, close-quarters weapons and tactics would be valuable there,” Lou explained.

Blake nodded, frowning a little. He looked worried, but resolute.

“All right,” Lou spoke louder, getting everyone to listen. “Everyone, please pay attention. We have a long flight ahead of us, and some new guns to get used to. I have personally checked each gun, and made sure they’re unloaded; I will check them again. Please get to know them during this flight. Become familiar with how they feel, how they handle. Simulate loading and unloading until you’re lightning fast; I will provide empty clips for practice, simulate targeting, and firing your weapon. Don’t load your weapons until we’re on final approach at our destination; let’s try not to put holes in this plane, if possible. When we’re close to landing, I will hand you your ammo clips and everything else you need. We good?”

“We are solid,” Alex replied, feeling tension in her shoulders, as the perspective of going to battle became more and more real.

“Golden,” Sam replied.

Through the open door of the cockpit, they heard Dylan call San Diego ATC.

“Good morning, San Diego Tower, this is flight November Sierra 1413 ready for takeoff, runway 2–7.”

“November Sierra 1413, winds two six zero at fifteen, cleared for takeoff.”

They buckled up quietly as the plane started to pick up speed, immersed in their thoughts.