07: A Slight Shift in Plans

I am an old man and have known a great many troubles,
but most of them never happened [yet].

Martin Farquhar Tupper*

“Just so you’re warned, Dan is a little ... peculiar.” Alison turned to the vets she’d recruited, leading them into the cemetery. “He’s earnest and honest, but he’s in a unique position, which requires a particular approach. So, don’t hold it against him and give him a chance to make his pitch before you react.”

“This is already sounding sketchy,” Captain Lawrence said, glancing at his previous teammates, each out of service and working in other professions.

“You’re right,” Tom said, surveying the area, taking in the wind, absence of mourners and even the surrounding birds, which were mostly stationary. “This doesn’t feel kosher. I don’t know why, but the hairs on my neck are standing on end!”

“It is unusual, and there’s a reason why you feel so uneasy, but Dan’s legit. What’s more, he’s in a bind and in dire straits without your assistance.”

“Even more cause to be cautious,” Lawrence said, shaking his head.

“What kinda crap is this?” the army vet groused, viewing the two middle-aged civilians, standing among the Cypress Hills National Cemetery gravestones.

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” Alison cautioned, addressing the five men she’d brought. “What he’s proposing will take some explanation, so he’s here to present a demonstration.”

Dan, whose head was momentarily bowed, looked up. Focusing on one man, he waved the group over as he made his way through the gravestones, heading for one particular marker.

“This better not be what I suspect it is,” another warned, his nostrils flaring, but they moved towards the two anyway. As they approached, Dan turned, facing the still irate individual.

“Jacob, Dennis wants you to let him go. He insists you weren’t responsible and it’s time to move on.”

“What do you know about it?” Jacob Morris shouted, approaching with his fists clenched. “Besides, what would he know anyway, he was decapitated?”

Dan didn’t flinch. “That’s true, but though he wasn’t aware of his death, he now knows what occurred.” Dan turned, looking into Jacob’s eyes. “He wants you to leave his Saint Christopher medal here. It’s dragging you down, and deserves to be here, so you’ll only remember it—fondly—when visiting.”

“How’d you know—”

“Dan has a knack for these things,” Laura said, stepping closer. The men glanced at him. Though Jacob was caught off guard, the others were no less leery.

“Did you tell him who we are, or help him research our histories?” Thomas Lawrence demanded, turning on Alison. But she held up hands up.

“No. As you know, I have no idea of your specific battlefield engagements. But ... this is what Dan does. As I said, give him a chance and you’ll see he knows what he’s talking about.”

“You weren’t responsible for his death,” Dan continued. “It was an accident. As he prepared to fire in one direction, he was hit by a stray bullet from another. No amount of planning or caution would have prevented it.”

“I don’t know what games you’re playing but—”

Dan turned, trying a new approach. “Michael McGrath, your father, an initial supporter of the war, switched positions upon learning there were no mass-destruction weapons. When he learned of your enlistment, he called you ‘shit shine’. Does that sound right?”

“How dare you!”

“I’m not siding with your father in this, as he still disapproves, I’m merely relaying what the spirits are conveying.”

“I’m sorry, but I want no part of this. I’m not willing to put up with this nonsense. I’m out of here!” Jacob turned and left, not glancing back.

“Not cool, man,” another man said.

“Yeah, that could’ve gone better,” Dan acknowledged, shaking his head. “I probably should have stuck to family, rather than such an emotional trigger.” Dan’s head tilted again, his eyes blurring, looking past the gathered soldiers, before he turned, shouting at the departing figure.

“Jacob, I can’t make you stay, but do me a favor, take a different route back.”

“You really think he’s gonna listen to you after that?” Laura asked, as they both watched him glance back, only to stride away more rapidly, soon lost among the trees lining the cemetery road.

“No, but ... I had to try.” He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and said a quick, silent prayer.

“What else did Dennis say?” another man asked.

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“Yeah, I’m curious how far you’ll play this little ruse?”

Dan considered him. “He was eager to prove himself, leaping into action to show he wasn’t afraid just as captured AK-47s sprayed the area just above their...” he paused. “But you’re not actually interested are you, Sargent Balms? Because at the time, you were in Peshawar, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.”

“How do you know that? It’s not listed in my military records since I was transitioning between bases and was tied down for the night. I got the reports of what happened to the others two days later.”

“David told me. He wouldn’t have known at the time, but was worried about each of you, and checked up on you, after he died.”

“Don’t the dead have bigger concerns than us? Dennis wasn’t the nicest of guys,” someone else said. He was a big man, towering over the others, and weighing at least fifty pounds more than the rest, apparently all muscle.

“They do, Shortie,” Dan replied, “but they remain tied to those they loved while here, and check in occasionally, especially when they’re in danger. Your camp came under fire that night, didn’t it?”

“It did,” Shortie said, startling slightly at the name but not reacting otherwise.

“A bullet passed by your head, so close you heard it whistling past, leaving a hole in your bedding. The one in your tent was near your head.”

“There’s no way you could have known that!” But Dan merely shrugged because they all knew his source.

“He never mentioned that to any of us,” one of the others said.

“It frightened him, and he didn’t want anyone to know, afraid it might undermine their confidence in him. After the mission was over, he let it go since he’d kept it quiet for so long.”

“Is David really all right? He’s not in purgatory or something?”

“He’s doing quite well, though he continues watching over each of you. He’s gone, but still worries.”

“What does he think about this mission of your?”

Dan tilted his head, closing his eyes momentarily. “He’s nervous. At the moment, neither of us is sure what’ll happen, which means virtually anything can, but ... he assures me that it’s essential. For some reason, they can’t tell me anything which may affect my future, such as telling me what we’re facing. That’s why I need you guys. Alison says you’re all experts in urban combat, identifying dangerous elements and responding quickly. While looking for information, I screwed up and was apparently spotted, so I’m destined to die before the mission is complete.

“If I am, I won’t shy away from it, but I’ll need aid ensuring we can circumvent the loss of so many lives once I do. I’m asking for your assistance,” he pleaded. “I’m certainly not equipped for this, especially on my own, and I’ve apparently already alerted those planning whatever this is, so I’m requesting for your help.

“Therefore, you’ll either need to back me up, saving my life, or if that’s not possible, take over and prevent what’s likely to happen.”

“And what’s that?”

“As far as I can determine, several major explosions, spread over a wide area uptown. I’m guessing they’ll occur one at a time, so those nearby run directly into the next, making the panic grow with each additional explosion.”

“Sensible strategy, but often difficult to orchestrate, since people fleeing for their lives don’t run in straight lines.”

“They may not have to,” the group’s commander said. “They aren’t after the survivors.”

Everything faded away and Dan found himself in the same area as the other attacks. The heights of the buildings were similar, and he appeared to be at the site of the second attack, though no one was running anymore. Along with the demolished building and multiple injured bodies, multiple police cars were stationed in the street.

There was even an armored van, as the SWAT team combed the area, looking for active shooters, as the first ambulance pulled up. It parked, and several others drew near as the EMTs exited their vehicle and began working on someone nearby when gunshots from multiple locations rang out. The police started dropping, while others sought cover, but with no idea where the shots originated, had no clue how to respond or where to hide.

“They’re looking to assassinate the rescue crews,” Dan said, as he found himself back, his hand bracing himself against a nearby tombstone. Laura was holding him, and Alison and the vets watched nervously.

“That’s what I would’ve guessed,” Michael confirmed, “though another stationary bomb is just as likely. It’s harder to escape if there are surviving cops, which means they’re not expecting to but trying to kill as many as possible before they die.”

“Yeah, that fits everything I’ve seen. Without observing everything, there’s hundreds dead, with many more soon to die in rapid succession, though I’m apparently already eliminated too.”

“I don’t know. I’m highly skeptical. What do the rest of you think?” Thomas asked his men. While they no longer worked with or reported to him, they still viewed him as the group’s leader, in whatever they undertook. He’d saved their lives and gotten them through tough situations before and they trusted his judgment. It was this mission they questioned.

“I don’t trust him either, but everything he said checks out.” Michael McGrath glanced around the table, his beer growing tepid as they considered each other. “There’s no way he could possibly know those things. Yet somehow he does.”

“Just because he knows private details doesn’t mean he’s reliable,” Will Tompkins, otherwise known within the group as Shortie, said as he fidgeted nervously in his chair. Never good at mission prep, it seemed he desperately needed to pee, but once the objectives were laid out and his marching orders were set, he was dependable, whatever they faced.

Mike Balms studied each person, trying to measure their faith in this admittedly wild scheme. “There’s also the question whether there’s any successful resolution, in which case we’d be signing our fate. If this guy does in fact die, what’s to say we won’t too?”

“Still, he’s talking about a mass casualty event, here in our own city.” Thomas wiped his brow, partly because the smoky bar was stifling. “We can hardly stand by and let it unfold, knowing what’s about to happened. If we did, we’d never forgive ourselves.”

“Don’t forget, we’ll likely be seen as terrorists too if we’re seen packing arms and acting suspiciously in public. And there’s no guarantee the police don’t already know something’s up, in which case we’ll stand out like walking targets.”

Alison cleared her throat, sitting quietly at the bar. They’d wanted to talk privately, but in the otherwise quiet space, their voices carried, and they weren’t watching their volume. “If anything was predestined, he’d have seen it when first meeting you, as he typically either gets visions or your dead relatives spill the beans about you. Apparently, they won’t reveal what’s destined to occur, but wouldn’t be pressing him so relentlessly if it were a done deal. Chances are, if you can prevent him from being shot, he’ll see what happens or he’ll get enough clues to figure it out.”

“Still, it doesn’t look promising.” Tom regarded Alison and addressing the others. “With that many shooters, each situated on the rooftops, it’ll be difficult escaping their notice. The odds are stacked against us before we even start.”

“It’s also clear we have time until it occurs,” Alison offered. “There’s no indication these people have actually implemented any plans, nor even set a specific date. We’re dealing with future events, not current conditions. Hopefully, we’ll figure out where it’ll occur, so we can intervene before they take up their firing positions.”

“That’ll help,” Mike admitted, “though it’s certainly not guaranteed. Even then, we may not be able to access the rooftops anyway, especially if they’ve already scoped out the location, which I’d expect.”

“We’ve never seen a case where we couldn’t circumvent their defenses,” Tom said. “You’re making excuses. We’re either in or we’re out, but waffling won’t help. We need honest suggestions so we can make an informed decision. Both Alison and Dan have a better feel for the situation than we do. The sooner we decide, the better our chances.”

“It’s also possible,” Alison said, “if you accompany us while surveying the area, it’ll trigger additional visions, since he’ll likely see what’ll happen if any of you are in mortal danger.”

“What about you, Alison?” Tom asked her directly. “Are you willing to risk your life, or are you planning on working that day and waiting for the inevitable casualties?”

“No, this is the one time I’ll be part of the action, rather than the extraction team. If anyone’s going to get killed, I’m going to be there right along with the rest of you. If you won’t, Laura and I will try to protect Dan on our own, leaving us to solve this ourselves. Face it, it’s not just him who needs you, each of us is risking our lives in this venture.”

Thomas leaned forward, resting on his elbows on the table. “All right. Since we’re not under orders, everyone gets a vote. If you think this is too dangerous, we won’t hold it against you. But we have to figure out whether we even have enough volunteers to make this mission viable.”

“I’m in,” Mike said, “but because Jacob is definitely out, that’s essentially a wash.”

“So am I,” Shortie seconded his choice. “Your friend already knows he’s gotten under my skin, he not only saw what happened to me, he also knew precisely what I was thinking at the time. At least if I catch one, hopefully he’ll survive to convey my wishes to my family.”

“Speaking of which, how do your families impact this decision,” Alison asked, countering her own interests.

“This is like 9/11. It affects our city. If we don’t act, they’ll be just as involved as we will, and if we don’t, they’ll have to carry our guilt.” Tom glanced around, just to ensure no one disagreed with him. “Either way, we can’t dump this on them. This is our choice, not theirs, though we’ll tell them just enough so they’ll know something’s up and will know if the inevitable results.”

“Good, I’ll worry just as much for them as I do each of you,” Alison said. “But as long as you’re all clear on that, I’ll tell them I’m responsible for getting you killed.”

“No, if we agree, which I am,” Michael volunteered, “we’re responsible for our own decision. The only one responsible for this entire thing is Dan, and since he’s already laying his life on the line, I support his choices.”

“That leaves you, Tom,” Mike said. “If we’re all in, are you going to bail and leave us leaderless?”

“No,” he said, frowning. “You each know me. I wouldn’t suggest you endangering yourselves unless I was willing to myself. I hate admitting it, but Dan convinced me with that first revelation about Jacob. So, we’re on.” He turned to Alison. “Care to tell your friends? We have some strategizing to do!”