Machinations by Hayley Stone

Author:Hayley Stone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2016-07-26T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

When the day of the attack comes, just shy of a week later, McKinley swells with anticipation. The entire base collectively holds its breath and waits.

In the meantime, the war room has finally made good on its name, and is all geared up for the offensive. The walls are powered on, cluttered with live images from both teams. Adding to the feeling of chaos, anyone with even a small claim to authority is here, pushing the occupancy limit. It’s the fullest I’ve seen the room since I crashed the debriefing, what seems forever ago now.

I’m in the center of activity, flanked by Clarence, who’s the real expert here. A few feet away, Camus coordinates with Meir, who now appears only as a pretty face on a screen, miles and miles away, having returned with her delegation before the conclusion of our investigation. Convenient timing at best; a sign of guilt at worst. But she’s moved her people into position as promised, and now isn’t the time to foster dissension among the ranks. I might be little more than a glorified rallying point, true, but at the very least I hope to create a feeling of community. The machines are going to present a united front; so will we.

It’s hard enough keeping my thoughts clear amidst the half dozen different conversations going on, so when Clarence addresses me, I don’t hear him at first. “Commander?” he repeats, a little louder. “The Prudhoe teams are active and ready.”

“Right,” I say. “Camus, how’s Fairbanks coming along?”

He holds up a finger in the universal sign for “One second,” and covers an ear with a hand, listening to his earpiece. “Their assault teams are on location now.”

“Okay. Good.”

I’m watching the screens with the live feed of the area. The footage is shaky and partially obscured by a scratchy static from time to time, but it’s as close to being there as any of us in the war room are going to get. I feel a little nauseated, although I’m not sure whether it’s nerves or the shakiness of the camera feed. I close my eyes for a moment, trying to imagine a serene place like a beach to calm myself. Instead, I remember the dreams I had while in the Alaskan forest, and it has just the opposite effect. I feel like I’m back on that cliff, poised above a frozen shore, ready to jump.

Except this time, Camus isn’t holding me back; he’s watching to see if I’ll fly.

“Give the order,” he tells me, although the words themselves get lost in the noise. I’m forced to read his lips instead. Not that it’s necessary. I already know what needs to happen next.

“Teams Sasquatch and Barbados, you’ve got the green light. Commence with Operation Pigs in a Blanket,” I say into my headset, somehow managing to make it sound serious.

The mission’s code name was Hanna’s idea, joking, although I was given the credit after proposing it in council. I can just see the history books now.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.