Chapter Forty-One
Gabriel and Nate left Saint Petersburg in the dark morning hours. The small plane they boarded took them to a remote airstrip inside Kazakhstan. Upon arriving they off-loaded the plane’s cargo into a waiting van and drove three hours on dirt roads to their final stop. It was a small building in the middle of the woods, miles from anywhere.
A pair of priests hustled to set up a remote command centre for Nate as Gabriel stood out of the way, unsure of what to do. He watched an old clock on the wall tick away minute after minute. slowly getting closer to the strike time later that evening. Their attack would trigger dozens more around the world and slow TERA’s expansion. The Church, the IP, the European Commonwealth were all in agreement to cripple TERA. But for him, the only solution was to destroy the ore, to remove the reason behind TERA and their greed. This world would find another path – perhaps return to simpler times. Despite his fondness for the ore in his chest, he wished it had all stayed in the ground.
He wandered into a small room. It offered a quiet place he could work out his thoughts. He had the facilities layout that Father Clarence had given him – each page a different tint, separating them by floors. It highlighted the most direct routes to stairwells, access panels, and any other route to the next floor down – he did his best to memorize it. His destination was on the lowest floor and his job was simple. Destroy as much of the black ore as possible, while remaining strong enough to escape. It was a task he was more than willing to do, but inside, he was terrified. How big would the pieces be? How much could he truly withstand? If he couldn’t destroy it, then the future he wanted would be impossible. Maybe God had designed it that way as a final reminder to a technological world that we are not our own masters.
“Still here?” Nate stepped into the room, carrying a small black duffle bag, like the one he always travelled with. He set it down on the table and leaned on the flat surface.
Gabriel sat up, pleased to see him. Being alone only left him with his fear to think about. “I’ve got nowhere to go. You ever think about things before you go on a mission? No worries about being killed around the next corner?”
Nate shrugged. “I guess, when I find the time. There’s nothing I can say to make what we are about to do okay … It’s scary. What happens in the next 24 hours is going to play out across the world. It’s our ticket home, a non-negotiable one. If we can stop TERA and keep things safer here, we get to go home. I’ve already spoken with Cardinal Vincent.”
Gabriel smiled. Nate’s words always seemed to set things on the right path. “So, you’re scared too?” The tension in his stomach was eating away at him.
“Me?” Nate made a face at him. “Nah, I just said that so you would feel better!”
He laughed. “I appreciate the lie.”
Nate pushed the bag out of the way as he sat down on the table. “I’ve seen you do some amazing things. And in the end – of all of the tight spots you were in – you came out, okay. Hell! Bullets bounce off your hands!” He gave Gabriel’s shoulder a small shake, then looked into his eyes. “I’m not going to be far from you. We will be in radio contact the whole time. You just focus on blowing up as much of that black ore as you can. I’ll worry about everything else. We’re going to do this and get home.”
“Good to know.” He squeezed Nate’s hand on his shoulder.
“It is good to know! This is what I do!” Nate laughed, changing the mood and grabbing the bag on the table. “Okay.” He unzipped the bag. “Here’s your gear.”
He began pulling things out and tossing them in front of Gabriel as he listed what they were. “Pants … shirt … vest … helmet … boots … hell, I even put some socks and change of underwear in here; all in black camo!” The pile of clothes made a pile of dark grays and black stripes, all blending together with one another.
“Alright … see this vest.” Nate showed him. “Radio all dialed in for you. Earpiece – works as a mic too.” He began opening the pockets. “Some flares, a small light, your electronic magic key for any locks, snap lights … there’s some rations here … first aid kit in this pouch, but I don’t think you will be using it much.” He winked.
Gabriel grabbed the vest and tried it on over his shirt. An empty holster rested under the arm. He looked back to Nate. “I think you forgot something.”
Nate barely smiled at the joke, looking quite serious. “Not this time. I don’t want you in this fight. You need to just stay behind cover. Keep hidden. Let me and my team do our job if we get into a fire fight. I don’t want the other side to even know you exist … if they don’t know you’re there, they won’t aim for you.”
He nodded. “Alright.”
“Good!” Nate grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him in for a hug. “You just stay safe.” Nate held on to him, his hand giving him a strong pat on the back. “Nothing crazy, alright?” He held Gabriel’s face. “You’re all the family I got. I’m not losing you.”
Gabriel’s eyes stung with tears. He grabbed onto Nate’s shoulders, trying to keep his emotions inside. Gabriel took a deep breath. “I’m afraid.” He swallowed hard.
Nate nodded in agreement. “I know, kid. We all are.” They hugged, thumping each other on the back. “You get changed and ready. I’ll be back for you in an hour. Then we move out.”
Nate left the room and Gabriel changed into his gear. Everything fit, right down to the boots. He sat down on the bed, drumming on the mattress under him. The clock still showed thirty minutes until Nate would be ready to leave. He lay back on the bed, leaving his feet still touching the ground. He stared at the discolored ceiling, eventually closing his eyes.
His thoughts drifted back to his family. He saw his parents in each others’ arms, laughing, no fear in their eyes. His dad’s long dark hair hung down over his face, while his mom rested her head against his chest. Her arms wrapped around him as he kissed the top of her head. The image settled his heart. Gabriel thought of Adin. Not the Adin in a pressed black suit, but a younger version – running through the fields in a raggedy T-Shirt with “I love rocks” on the back of it. His face was flecked with dirt, his cheeks covered with blonde peach fuzz. He called out to Gabriel, telling him to keep up, laughing as he ran through the endless sun and tall grass. Gabriel choked on a sob at the image of his brother leaving him behind as he ran happily into the bright horizon.
Adin was lost. He might never find him. Tears rolled down his face as he struggled to come to terms with that. Now was not the time. The loss of his father, his mother and his brother all had something in common. The pain was still fresh in his heart, but his mind was focused on one purpose. Destroying the ore.