Tom Brand Escapes

12-Escapes NJ

Leah was in a small room across from where they had been detained. She had her head down on the metal table when they came in. She picked it up and looked from Smetterelli to Brand to Petras to Kate.

"Bloody hell," she said.

"Hi Leah," Brand said, "You're it."

Kate laughed. Leah gave him a dirty look.

"How long have you been a double agent?" Brand asked.

Leah looked at Smetterelli, "Really?"

"Come on, Leah. He figured it out."

"The whole time, Brand. I was recruited by the American government almost immediately after I was positioned in BANTER. They want to bring me in because they think my cover is about to be blown."

"Why would they think that?"

"Hacked Pentagon accounts. Some brilliant data analyst was taking classified work home with him and doing it on his personal computer. It's only a matter of time before my name comes up."

"So why did you set me up in the bar?" Brand asked.

"BANTER found out about the extraction but thought it was against my will. They told me to follow whatever instructions I was given and that Smetterelli would meet me. I knew the name. I had heard him mentioned before as a mole for us. BANTER said he would intercept the government's extractor and I should just play it dumb if something went wrong. The thing is, I didn't know what either of you looked like and you made me before he arrived. When you said your name was Brand, I activated my safety."

"The woman with the gun?"

"Yes. Radkova," said Leah. "She must be pissed. She's also probably wondering why she's still alive. Actually, death is preferable to messing up a job like that," Leah shook her head, "It's too bad, too, she was actually a pretty nice person."

"Yeah, for an assassin. You thought it would be that easy to take out a professional extractor?" Brand asked.

Leah shrugged, "I wasn't sure but in the confusion, I was able to walk away from you. Had I made it just a few more feet, Mike was there waiting for me. That's was Radkova was shouting. She was telling me, and him, where to meet. When you caught up with me, he backed off."

"You speak Czech?"

"Ano. I was surprised you didn't"

"I knew enough to know she was saying she was hit."

Brand looked at Mike, "Why were you sent in?"

"Russom. He got cold feet about you. He knew I was tight with BANTER, so he had me set it up."

Brand narrowed his eyes, "I don't believe you."

"It's true. He gave you the assignment for Leah before he heard about the how you left some loose ends after the Bahamas. He wasn't certain you'd get the job done."

"So all the time BANTER thought you were working to get Leah back for them, when you were really working for our government?" Kate asked.

Smetterelli nodded. The ensign came into the room and shut the door behind her.

"You should know something, Leah," Brand said to her while he carefully watched Mike, "The loose end I didn't tie up was an innocent woman who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Isn't that right, Mike?"

"Well, sure, but she was pretty dispensable. And pretty hot. The consensus is that you may be susceptible to any cute, young thing."

"If you had made it to Mr. Smetterelli, Leah, you would not be sitting here right now," Petras said.

The ensign pulled her gun and handed one to Mike. She was trained dead on at Brand. He would not be able to reach the gun in his waistband without being shot. "You have no idea what my pay grade is," she said.

Leah shot to her feet, "You son of a bitch. You were going to kill me?"

"Were. Are," Smetterelli said. "It doesn't really matter. I'm done playing games. Your concern for your brother is what has really made you a target, Leah. We can't be sure you wouldn't continue to work for BANTER to save his skin."

"Wait," Kate said, "Our government wants you to kill her?" Her eyes widened and she turned to Petras, "We do that?"

"Kate," Petras clucked his tongue, "Your naiveté disappoints me."

"Certainly the whole spying thing is upsetting to them, but to kill a young girl."

"Shut up," Mike said, "She's a double agent. A spy. The only loyalty she knows is to herself."

"And to my brother," Leah said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Well," Mike said, "That confirms it, doesn't it? Unfortunately, this is going to be much more of a mess than I anticipated. I should have put a bullet through your head the moment you got here."

"There's no way you're doing this, Mike," Brand said.

"I don't see how you can stop me," Mike said. "You think that the order from POTUS to release you meant anything to me? That dude is just following the codebook. He wouldn't even be privy to a mission like this. You three were never going to make it off this base." He waved his gun, "All of you. Move back against the wall."

As they stepped back, Mike moved closer to the door, keeping the table between them. Brand positioned himself as well as he could to shield Leah and Kate. Petras stood beside him, cracked his neck, opened and closed his fists, prepared for a signal to strike.

Mike tilted his head toward the ensign, not taking his eyes off Brand, "Where are the others?"

"I sent them to the front gate. I told them you and Brand asked that they meet you there."

"Thanks. That gives us some time. I always heard that Coasties were supposed to be so smart, but these guys let me just walk right in here. It was pretty incredible, actually. Just wave a badge and...."

As Mike prattled on Brand flexed his fingers. He tried to gauge if he was fast enough to shoot at least one of them and get off another shot or two without getting them all killed in the ensuing gunfire. Figuring the ensign for the better shot, he was about to go for it when there was a rumble and the ground seemed to shift beneath their feet. Mike paused mid-sentence and they all seemed to listen. A split-second later the ceiling began to fall in. Brand grabbed Leah and Kate and swept them with him beneath the table, joined immediately by Petras as the wall behind Mike and the ensign blew in. The sound was tremendous and a thick veil of ash and smoke was thrown into the air. The table shook above them and then just as abruptly stopped. Brand's ears were ringing and his head felt like it was in a plaster cast, muffling all sound.