Play of Shadows

4.05: Curtain Call

An urgent beeping startled General Hull out of an uneasy slumber.

The General straightened with a groan. The office chair he had commandeered for a brief rest groaned along with him. A bleary glance around the room revealed the source of the incessant sound. One of the many monitors mounted in the wall panels glowed in bursts, like a firefly caught in a jar. A single line of text scrolled over the screen.

pick up pick up pick up

The General rose to his feet. The screen darkened as soon as his fingers brushed over the matted surface. In his pocket, his phone started ringing.

The number was unidentified. The digits changed in front of the General's eyes, morphing into a new sequence every other ring. The General's mouth twisted into a frown.

"Hull."

"Sleep well?" a familiar voice asked.

General Hull ground his teeth at the silky tone. His forgotten headache returned in full swing.

"What do you want?" the General bit out.

Svetlan laughed, entirely at ease. His manner was that of someone chatting with a good friend and not a man who would have him in custody at the slightest opportunity. "How kind. I do have a request, if you are offering."

"I am not," the General said.

"Hear me out even so. I understand you have Alexander?"

The General said nothing. They had secured the man only recently, and with great effort. The hive-like structure of the compound and lack of access to accurate floor plans, combined with Alexander's familiarity with the forsaken place, meant a whole lot of trouble and wasted personnel time.

Svetlan carried on as if he had heard an agreement. "We are ready to attempt extraction. I request Alexander to be in attendance."

"Ready? You," the General spluttered, caught between elation and irritation as he fumbled with his pad, typing a short missive to a trusted aide. A thought struck him and he paused, irritation winning out, "You have Kellan."

Alexander had been alone at time of detention, and mulishly unwilling to share his brother's whereabouts. The VELES techs were just as stumped as the military personnel in how the man had managed the feat of hiding away an occupied pod.

"Mhm. The pod's an old model, pretty slim build. Fitted with wheels, somewhat like a wheelbarrow," Svetlan said, as if reading the General's thoughts.

General Hull choked on air. Wheelbarrow.

"The compound is built on a grid of powerlines and ports. It is relatively easy to move tech around and maintain connectivity," Svetlan explained. As if that was the main issue with wheeling a man around like a sack of potatoes.

"Location. Immediately," the General said.

"The coordinates will be shared with Alexander, once he is able to receive the message," Svetlan said.

The General's expression worsened. "It seems to me that you are already aware of his state," he said. Svetlan had eyes and ears on the ground, of that the General had no doubt. That the man could gather information so quickly spoke to how deeply his informants were buried. The knowledge rankled.

Indeed, Svetlan sighed, adopting a chiding tone. "Was sedation truly necessary?" he asked.

"He'd overdosed on stimulants. His heart was about to give out," the General said.

"I can give you another half hour to get him ready," Svetlan said, as if he had heard nothing at all.

The General stared at the blank screen in momentary incomprehension. "Impossible. Do you know what that'd do to him?" he demanded. The stress of a forced sedation emergence could very well send the man into a cardiac arrest.