Chapter 20

Several days later, the Reapers were in position around the installation. The plan was to stand watch, day and night, for several days. The 'on duty' crew was equipped with FLIR and night vision goggles, as well as radios. They were looking for any kind of activity.

John was still berating himself for his sloppy leadership, when Donna sidled up to him as he stood watch.

"Look, big Bro; you need to get a grip, here. Stop browbeating yourself. You did what you did! Now move on. What the hell has gotten into you, lately? This isn't the team leader I followed into battle."

"Oh, I don't know, little Sis. All of a sudden I'm second-guessing my plans, and decisions. I don't get it, either, but you're right."

"Good! Now what are we going to do about this place?"

"The place looks deserted, but..."

"Your gut again?"

"Yeah. How about your women's intuition? You have any feelings here?"

"Yeah, the place makes my skin crawl. Like that time in Angola."

"That bad?"

"John, I actually feel worse. This place really creeps me out."

"Rianna? Would you come to the forward observation site, please?" John asked telepathically.

"Be right there, Gramps."

A few minutes later, the young woman appeared at his side. Both John and Donna jumped in surprise.

"Damn, girl, you're getting good at moving around silently! I didn't hear a thing," said Donna.

"You guys are good teachers. Now what can I do for you?"

"Both of us are creeped out by this place. I was wondering if you had any bad vibes, too?" her Grandfather asked.

Rianna bowed her head for a moment. When she looked up there was a frown on her face.

"There is something ... but I can't get a good reading. There is some sort of cloak blocking me. Whatever is down there, is really big ... huge, in fact."

Suddenly Rianna went white!

"They know we're here. There are men, a whole bunch of men! Gramps! We're surrounded!"

John blanched, and asked, "How many and how are they armed?"

"There are sixty five around us with another fifty in reserve. All of them are carrying automatic weapons!"

John nodded and spoke into his radio "Everyone, to me! Make no hostile moves! Move slowly and keep your weapons down! Now move!"

John heard a series of clicks on his earpiece as his team members acknowledged.

"Rianna, Sweetheart, keep a continual scan going but don't talk, use telepathy with me for anything other than ordinary things. Understand?"

"Yes sir," said the terrified Rianna

John sent calming thoughts to her, telepathically. Slowly, she calmed down and concentrated on her job.

"Except for five or six, they mostly don't seem to be terribly hostile, just intensely focused."

"Ok, that means that they are pros. That's good! It's the amateurs that are unpredictable."

As John stood thinking the rest of his team gathered around him.

"Don't make any sudden moves. We're surrounded by a superior force and I don't want to lose anyone to a rash act."

All made sure that their weapons were pointing toward the ground and waited.

"Gramps? They know you, all of you," Rianna thought to her Grandfather.

John furrowed his brow and thought to himself, "Shit! This could go terribly wrong!"

"They call themselves 'Team Abattoir'. Does that tell you anything? Gramps?"

John nodded in answer as well-armed soldiers closed in around them.

"Stay calm, Rianna, stay calm, and whatever you do never reveal your powers."

The young woman was very near to panic, but the words of her Grandfather, again, settled her.

A mature looking man separated himself from the surrounding warriors and walked slowly up to John.

"It's been a long time, Sir."

"Yes, it has."

"I heard that you had disbanded and retired."

"That's true, we were. Then Vezza came after us," John said with a shrug.

"That shithead again! He's always causing trouble and now his kids have joined the game."

"Not any more. The twins are dead."

The man stared at John with a shocked and concerned expression.

"Really? Your work?"

John nodded again.

The other man nodded thoughtfully. He then turned to gaze off into the distance.

"The old man will go nuts because of that, you know that don't you? He won't stop until all of you and yours are dead."

John turned to look into the distance, too.

"Yeah ... I know."

"So ... What brings you here, Sir?"

"We need a training base now that Vezza is coming after us, Jacob. I heard that this place was for sale. So we came for a look-see. When we found equipment still in place, well..."

Jacob snapped his head around to glare at John and asked, "This place is for sale? Where did you hear that?"

"On the government web site," said John flatly.

"Well, shit!"

"I see that your minders haven't kept you in the loop. Do you remember what happened to my team when they cut us out of the loop?"

"Yes, I do!" said Jacob with a scowl.

"Jacob? Do they know about this base?"

"No. This isn't my base, we're sort of on loan."

Jacob stared at John for some time and then said, "You have never, ever let me down, Sir. I hope that this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass but this base is..."

Before Jacob could finish his sentence a young man interrupted, "Sir, the satellite is due in five."

"Of course, get the men started in," said Jacob.

He then turned to look John in the eye and said, "I'm sorry, Sir. Please don't take offense, but I can't let you keep your weapons, right now.

Come with us peacefully, please trust me and I promise, I promise you on my life, that everything will work out."

"Rianna?" John asked telepathically.

"He's telling the truth, Gramps."

John thought for a moment and then gave the order to the Reapers to stand down and relinquish their weapons. There was no hesitation as the team members handed off their weapons. Such was their trust in their leader.

The Reapers walked with the man called Jacob, without being manhandled by the rest of their captors. John was surprised that they didn't head toward the access bunkers that his team had found. Instead they moved away from the known complex.

In less than two minutes, the whole group stopped in a small clearing. Suddenly the ground dropped away from the surface. They were on a huge elevator!

When the elevator stopped the group moved off into a huge downward sloping tunnel. The elevator started up again, when the last man stepped off of it. In no time the surface was back to normal. When the satellite passed over the site there was no sign that anyone had been there.

As the group continued down the corridor Rianna became upset.

"Gramps, there is some sort of energy field here. As the men in front of us passed that red line on the wall I lost them. Gramps? I'm afraid that..."

Rianna wavered, staggered and then grabbed for her Grandfather's arm.

"Put your shields up as strongly as you can, Girl! Seal your mind off!" John thought to his Granddaughter.

"What's the matter with her?" asked one of the soldiers.

John thought fast. He needed a good story to cover his Granddaughter's actions, or rather lack thereof, "She's terribly claustrophobic!" said John. "The deeper we go the worst she is going to be. How much further is the place you are taking us?"

The man laughed nastily, and said with a sneer, "Oh a lot deeper! We're taking you lot to the bottom, ten levels down. Get her moving, or I'll have to do something about the delay."

Before John could react to the offensive words of the soldier Jacob yelled, "These people are our guests not our prisoners, Addams! Go to the front and tell the Captain that they will be housed on level one. There are enough rooms for them at the end of this corridor. Now move."

"Sir! Yes, Sir!" said Addams with a salute, but it was very clear by the look on his face that he was not happy.

Jacob looked at John and said, "Sorry, Sir. That man is not one of my best. He's a cowboy and..."

Jacob stopped and considered for a moment, and then continued, "He and few of the others know your reputation. Your group is the standard that all others are measured by. He wants to be the one to take your title away, sort of like the old west gunfighters."

"Yep, heard it before, Jacob. You know that I'm going to have to deal with him if you don't."

"Yes, Sir. That I do."

"Jacob, I would prefer that it be you."

Yes, Sir. Understood."

"Ok. Lead on," said John as he lifted his unconscious Granddaughter.

Jacob turned and got his men moving again. They only moved about two hundred feet before the corridor branched off. The main corridor went straight on, deeper into the underground complex, but the branching corridor led off to the right, and into a cluster of rooms.

The area was clearly a large berthing area for a contingent of troops. There was a large theater type meeting room, a dining area, and a kitchen. These were surrounded by bedrooms with four beds each. The place had the feeling of a berthing and staging area for pilots on an aircraft carrier!

"I'll let you sort yourselves out as to who gets which room, Sir. Please make yourself comfortable. Is there any thing that I can do for the young lady?"

"No, Jacob, I can handle things from here. I'll let you know if we need anything."

Jacob nodded, turned and left.

John and the others gathered around the unconscious young woman wondering what to do.

"Rianna? Are you ok?" John asked telepathically.

"Yes, Gramps. I'm ok now. There is some kind of an energy field around this place that knocked me for a loop but once inside ... well let's just say I'm better now."

"Are you well enough to do a scan?"

"Already have. This is a huge complex that is run by the Mossad, well not THE Mossad. This is a group of extremists; they are a group of renegade agents that have left the main organization because they think that the original organization and its leaders have become weak! They call themselves M2 and hire out to the highest bidder, as long as the target is Islam!

"This place is supposed to be a secret base for anti-terrorist training, and the Canadian government doesn't know a thing about it.

"Gramps, this whole place is a trap of some sort and the only remaining M2 people here are to cover up the fact that the main body of M2 has left for good. These guys aren't very high up on the food chain and were told to make there own way out in three days. That's all that I have for now but we're in a bad place here. We need to tell Jacob, and get out, VERY soon!

"Oh, and that nasty guy is planning on ambushing us! He wants us all dead, so that he can claim bragging rights."

"I figured as much, Honey."

"I didn't know you were claustrophobic. Are you ok now?" asked Donna.

"I'm ok now, Aunty Donna. It just hit me harder than normal," said Rianna, maintaining the cover her Grandfather had set up.

John checked out their lodgings and then began to assign rooms. Once that was accomplished he went to the door and spoke to the guard, asking for Jacob ASAP.

Donna found that the kitchen was fully stocked and set up a kitchen detail to prepare a meal. Shortly the smell of fresh coffee brought the whole crew into the dining hall.