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  The comment from Carrie lowered Rydel's head and seemed to put him in a silky-spun cocoon, not responding in any way to Carrie's inquiry.

  Steve stood up from the table to get another beer and tried to take some of the attention away from Rydel, seeing that the man was humiliated.

  "Wow, real class act there, Carrie. We all go out on long missions. We all cope. Well, except for you, I guess. Like when Sal and I caught you humping your hand in your tent after only three days out last year in Afghanistan."

  Carrie gave Steve the finger and looked back at Rydel. "Sorry, didn't mean to offend you there, Rydel. But, shit, he's right. I did get all worked up after only three days out that time because I hadn't seen my boyfriend in, like, two weeks. I can't imagine what you're going through, man."

  An embarrassing situation started to become worse for Rydel. He tried to reply to Carrie but couldn't. His words got caught in his throat; he was too embarrassed to speak. So Ray stood up from the bench.

  "Carrie." Ray's voice was flat and direct as he spoke her name.

  Carrie shot up out of her seat at the sound of her name—and because of the way Ray had spoken to her, like it was an order.

  "Yes, Ray?"

  "Go get another beer."

  Carrie walked toward the refrigerators to get a beer without saying another word. With Carrie and her to-the-point conversation out of the way, Adriana stood up from the table and took a seat next to Rydel.

  "They do let you out of here, though, don't they?"

  "I go out sometimes. It's not like they're keeping me behind bars."

  "Got family?" Adriana asked Rydel.

  Rydel gave Adriana a thankful smile for her questions, which seemed to be going in a different direction, even if the last question she had just asked opened another topic he was uncomfortable talking about. One not embarrassing, but painful.

  "My mother passed away two years ago," Rydel said bluntly and stopped talking. After a few seconds, he straightened up into a proud posture. "I have a sister. She took the path of religion. She is a nun. A beautiful soul."

  Carrie made her way back with a beer in her hand, but then she stopped and turned around, walking toward the surrounding forest. "Oh shit, a nun? Guess I'm going to hell for the horned-up remark I made to you, Doc. I'm gonna take a piss in the woods."

  "There are lavatories to your left, just up ahead," Rydel yelled out to Carrie.

  Carrie held up a hand as she continued to walk away. "No, that's okay, Doc. I just need to pee, not shit." Carrie slipped through the trees in front of her and was gone. Rydel was shocked and amused by Carrie's frankness. He wanted very much to know all about these men and women. However, his social skills were lacking when it came to a person like Carrie saying exactly what she was feeling. People were like that on the outside, but not at the lab. Nobody associated with the lab really spoke about how they felt. All waited before answering a question, choosing their words carefully.

  Ray noticed Rydel lost in his thoughts, staring blankly at where Carrie had been before she disappeared into the woods.

  "Yeah, Carrie just says it like it is, Rydel. She may cross the line a couple of times, but you’ll always know where you stand with her."

  Rydel slowly turned his head toward Ray.

  "Sorry. I must seem kind of out there to you guys," Rydel said, his eyes on Ray before glancing at the others. "I think the way she says what's on her mind is fantastic. It's just not like that here. Sorry."

  "No reason to be sorry, Rydel," Ray said.

  "I don't get out that much…as I'm sure you can all tell."

  Ray stood and grabbed a split oak log, placed it on top of the fire, and sat back down. It was quiet, only the sounds of crackling wood burning in the fire pit and birds singing their last songs to the night could be heard over a soft breeze rippling along the canopy. Adriana then asked Rydel another question.

  "What age did your sister take the vow?"

  The question by Adriana seemed to strip away some of the shyness Rydel had when talking about himself.

  "Seventeen," Rydel said. "Right after she graduated high school. She just knew."

  "That's awesome, Rydel."

  "I think so. Every Christmas Eve I visit her in New York City."

  All were quiet again, taking in the fire Ray had built up. Martinez stretched his arms toward the sky and looked over at Rydel.

  "Anything else to do around here for fun, Rydel?" Martinez asked.

  "Yes. With the seclusion and the time away from the outside world, we do have other amenities to help us unwind. There's a basketball court, gym, and three hot tubs located on two levels inside the lab that all of you haven't seen yet."

  "Let's go, then," Martinez said, standing up.

  Rydel flashed one of his eager-to-please smiles at Martinez. "There's also a fully stocked bar and a pool table."

  All in the Unit cheered, ready to seek out the two-level super rec room that Rydel was talking about with a fully stocked bar. All were ready to let go for a little while, as high-fives and fist bumps were shared with one another.

  Todd noticed Ray seated stoically, staring at them all. A ripple effect went through the rest of the Unit so fast that the sound of them celebrating cutting loose for a night turned into a moment of silence. Unaware of what was going on around him, Rydel continued to celebrate by himself, with his awkward little fist-pumps pumping in the air.

  The abrupt quietness by the rest soon confused Rydel. He looked over the faces of the men and women around him and finally turned his attention toward Ray sitting alone. Ray leaned back, stared at the stars above, and spoke to the members of his Unit.

  "We'll enjoy tonight. But tomorrow we start to prep. We are leaving Thursday."

  __

  Two days later, Rydel entered one of the rooms at the lab that was not white from wall-to-wall to show off its cleanliness—something Will was oh-so adamant about when it came to the lab's appearance. The room had tan walls, a brown floor, and three black tables.

  Ray and the members of the Unit stood at the tables, packing their new gear provided by Genesis into black military bags. They all noticed Rydel enter the room and gave him only slight nods.

  They were different now. Rydel was almost afraid…it was as if he meant nothing to them after the time they had shared at the lab. He was hurt. He came to wish them all the best. Maybe reminisce with a story or two about their time together, like the fire-pit steaks or playing pool later that night. Rydel flashed back in his mind to Sal singing into his ear the theme song from The Jeffersons for some strange reason, trying to make him miss on the eight ball.

  Sal's singing had only made him concentrate that much more, sending the winning ball across the pool table on its way to victory…right-side pocket. Rydel found it funny as hell later recalling Sal singing in a whisper into his ear: Now we're up in the big leagues.

  Sal was generations removed from the show, just as Rydel was; however, both had connected with the show through reruns.

  Rydel felt he had a bit of a connection with them all (more so with Sal and Ray). But maybe I’m wrong, Rydel thought as he stood in front of Ray and the others. They seemed distant, almost bothered by him being there.

  "Sorry to just walk in like this. I—I…I just wanted to say good-bye and good luck. The time we've had here…I feel very close to all of you."

  Unresponsive, Ray and the Unit continued to ready themselves for their next mission without even a glance at Rydel. And then it hit Rydel: no matter what kind of friendship he thought he had forged with these people, he should not overstep the line. He was intruding.

  Rydel shook his head and turned away, his eyes focused on the floor, knowing he had made a mistake by coming here to wish them all a safe mission. At the door, Adriana and Todd stood guard, making it so Rydel couldn't leave the room. How the heck did they get there so fast without making a sound, Rydel's confused mind asked as his heart pounded inside his chest.

  Rydel felt a hand on his sh
oulder and spun to face Ray standing with the rest of the Unit, all glaring at him.

  "Payback."

  "Huh?" Rydel squeaked out.

  "That's for beating our asses in pool. We're a proud group, Rydel. That ass-kicking was a bitter pill for us to take, you hustler."

  The relief on Rydel's face was priceless to the Unit, all laughing and cheering, getting one over on the Doc.

  "Okay, you got me. I thought that maybe I crossed the line coming in here to wish you good luck. Thinking we were…"

  Rydel was unable to finish what he wanted to say, as the members of Ray's Unit had stopped laughing and cheering. "Thinking we were what, Rydel?" Janice asked.

  "Friends."

  "We are friends, Rydel," Adriana said, speaking for Ray and the others.

  Sal walked over to Rydel and, with both hands, drew Rydel's head closer, kissing him on the forehead. "Fucking love this guy. We'll see you again, Doctor G. Count on it."

  __

  Colonel John Adams sat behind his desk in his office at the Genesis lab. Two sharp knocks on the office door turned his attention away from the laptop in front of him.

  "Come in."

  Ray entered the office, closed the door, and stood where he was, looking over the room of burgundy with two framed paintings. On one wall, a painting of a lone soldier walking out of an apocalyptic battlefield set against the dying rays of the sun. Glancing over at the other wall, Ray observed a painting of a blazing fire in the middle of an empty desert.

  Behind the desk where the colonel sat, a floor-to-ceiling window splashed sunlight over the room. Outside, armed soldiers patrolled the area.

  "I'm guessing that guy Will running the lab doesn't have the best room in the house anymore since you got here, does he, Colonel Adams?" Ray asked as he continued to stare at the desert painting.

  "Fuck no."

  The colonel stood up from behind his desk and met Ray where he stood, wrapping him in a bear hug. Easing away from the embrace, John smiled at Ray.

  "My brother."

  "Guess it did pay off to marry the sister of a colonel. Thanks for all the new toys."

  "That wasn't me. That would be the general. Dowling knows how important you and the members of your Unit are."

  "Really?"

  "I might have had Rydel add a couple of things here and there that are still in development but are ready to go for you and your Unit."

  "Where the hell have you been for the past few days, man?" Ray asked.

  "Yeah, had to get back to Ridge so I could oversee how your mission is playing out. Good to go…good to go."

  John stepped closer and put his hands on Ray's shoulders. Ray knew John was worried by the way he said "good to go" and waited for him to say what he really wanted to say.

  "Careful, hear me? You come home safe."

  Afghanistan

  The thin-clouded half-moon in the sky lit only the tip of the mountaintop, leaving the rest of the mountain in near blackness. A whispering breeze rustled a few loose pebbles on the mountain's precipice. Other than that, nothing moved.

  Out of the blackness surrounding the mountain, a hand reached out and settled on moonlit shale. The hand lay unmoving, and then an arm emerged from the dark, fingers digging into pebbles and dirt. Reaching hands started to slip out from the darkness, and from the shadows, Ray's Unit (in their head-to-toe new Genesis gear) slowly crawled into the light of the moon and ascended the narrow tip of the mountain. With Ray leading the way, he quickly motioned for all behind him to stop and stay down. Ray eased himself forward to get a look over at the other side of the mountain.

  Below, rudimentary barbed-wire fencing surrounded three lamplit tents in a mobile-looking compound with three dirt-crusted, beaten-up trucks. No one guarded the compound's perimeter. As he stared down, Ray heard the words clearly in his head.

  Wrong, too easy. Are we being baited by this crude compound—a way to draw us in and be taken out by explosives? Smartround guns can detect IEDs, but not ones dug deep enough into the ground.

  Too easy.

  This devastating threat to the nation, deep here in the desert with its half-assed compound, looked and felt wrong. Ray decided he would have to go down alone.

  "Todd."

  Crawling, Todd joined Ray at his side.

  "I have to go down alone."

  "You have to what?" Todd quickly replied.

  "It can't be this easy. We're being baited."

  "Send Sal."

  "No. Have Adriana and Steve track me."

  Without further discussion, Ray started his descent down the mountain, quickly and quietly.

  He made it to the bottom without being blown up, which was a good thing, Ray thought. Ray scanned the ground ahead of him using a slide-out screen on his Smartround gun. He then circled the entire compound on his elbows and knees, taking it all in at ground level with his rifle. The Smartround rifle: black and boxy with a short stock, compartments on each side of the action, a long barrel, and a large muzzle.

  Ray finished his recon around the compound's perimeter and confirmed that what was in front of him was exactly what he’d initially thought—a half-assed compound. Crawling, he returned to where he’d started and then stood up, raising his right hand toward the night sky with his middle and ring finger pressed against the palm of his hand.

  The Unit crawled down the mountain on their stomachs, taking less than two minutes to join Ray. They stood behind him and waited for orders.

  Ray nodded at Carrie.

  "The gate."

  Carrie ran without a sound toward the compound and stopped alongside the gate leading inside. A sturdy iron lock held two thick wood-framed, chicken-wire doors together. Carrie removed a handheld blowtorch from her cargo pants pocket and melted the lock's shackle, and it fell to the sandy ground. She then held up her left arm with her fist clenched tight, signaling the others.

  Ray and the rest of the Unit joined Carrie at the gate. Ray pointed ahead, and the Unit slipped through the gate one by one into the compound. Ray took a few steps to his left into a pocket of darkness and slowly moved his Smartround gun over the compound—the rifle's small screen, sliding out from the side of the weapon, outlined the members of his Unit in blue. Aiming his rifle at one of the tents, a boxed-in image of his Unit shot up toward the top right-hand corner of the screen. Ray scanned the tent with his gun, and a larger image of three men outlined in red flashed on the slide-out screen. Ray spoke into his headset:

  "Tent on the left. Three targets. All appear to be sleeping. Weapons leaning by their sides."

  Each Unit member received Ray's message.

  The Unit approached the three ragged tents set up in the middle of this nowhere desert they found themselves in and lowered their night-vision goggles into place, moving forward with their backs to Ray. The silhouetted Unit closed in on the far tent as Todd pointed at Ben and Steve to enter. Ben reached inside his cargo pants pocket, pulled out his KA-BAR knife, and silently slit a long L-shaped entryway.

  The quick cutoff of three men taking their last breath could barely be heard. Ben and Steve slipped out the same way they had entered and met up with Todd, both giving Todd a slight nod.

  Todd and the rest hustled back to Ray, who was standing by the edge of the compound.

  "Targets down," Todd confirmed.

  Ray waved at Kevin and Janice to join up with him. "You two come with me." He then tapped Todd on his shoulder. "Stay here with the rest. Cover us."

  Kevin and Janice followed Ray as he led the two back to the tents. The three lifted their Smartround guns and aimed them at the tents, the screens on the side of their guns sliding out. All three tents now appeared to be devoid of any living humans.

  Ray stopped, looked over his shoulder at Kevin and Janice, and pointed at one of the tents, the largest of the three. Kevin and Janice jogged toward the tent without making a sound and stood in front of the zip-up entrance, waiting. Ray joined them and eased his way into the tent first.

&nbs
p; Inside, the three adjusted the night-vision apparatus strapped to their helmets and quickly searched the spacious, dark tent. After a minute, Ray flipped up his night-vision goggles.

  "Janice, light it, right corner," Ray ordered from out of the dark.

  Janice, then Kevin, flipped up their goggles as Janice lit up the right side of the tent with her flashlight. Ray took a couple of steps and then stopped. In front of him was a line of disassembled missiles supported by a wooden rack. Next to the wooden rack were tools, along with casings to fit each missile part. Were they still a work in progress laid out like this? Ray thought as he heard Kevin and Janice move closer.

  "Fuck," Janice whispered.

  Ray wasn't sure why Janice sounded so shocked. Yeah, they looked real. They might work. But how the hell would they know? Surface-to-surface missile authentication was not in any way their forte.

  "Move out. Next tent," Ray ordered.

  Outside, the three reached the middle tent, entered, and found nothing. Stepping back outside, they reached the last tent. Inside the tent, a lone lantern close to extinguishing trickled a weak flame. Three deceased men, twenty-five, twenty-eight at the most, lay on thin mattresses with their throats recently cut. Janice, Kevin, and Ray performed a sweep of the tent. After a two-minute search, the three began to file out of the tent. Kevin exited first, then Ray. Janice started to make her way out when a sound stopped her. She looked at Ray, who was already looking back inside the tent. He pointed for her to light the tent with her flashlight—then quickly gestured for Janice to kill the light. The two lowered their night-vision goggles.

  In the weak light coming from the flickering lantern, the two could see crystal-clear through their goggles that the sand floor was beginning to rise. The sound of pouring sand grew louder in the tent. Ray tapped Janice on her shoulder, and the two slipped outside.

  A trapdoor in the floor inside the tent opened and an arm reached out. A man clothed in black started to emerge from an underground wood-framed safe room. Able to make out some images from a simple surveillance camera below, he now could see that the men he traveled with were dead. Their throats undeniably cut. The handsome man with a ducktail beard reached inside his black jacket and slowly left the tent.