The Decay

Chapter 20 - Briefing

20

This had better work, thought Mike as he entered the Council Hall. Everyone else had gathered, apart from Anita who was standing right behind him. As they saw him, the room grew silent, everyone waiting for him to speak. He drew a deep breath and started, “Hello everyone. Thank you for coming.” Everyone remained silent, so he continued, “You all know why you're here. To stop the Epsilon company and to stop John.” Darius spoke up, “So what's this big plan of yours?”, his annoyance reflected in his voice. Mike made eye contact with him. “Destroy the brain of any creature and it will fall. In this case, the brain is their leader. Benjamin Ylver. He goes down, they all do. With Darius' help, one team will place explosives at key points to seal off all exits into and out of the underground base. They will be trapped, at which point the team will introduce toxic gas. A second team will take care of any mercenaries on the surface, after which we all head to the control room, the location where Benjamin will be.

“How do you know he'll be there?”, asked Sam. Mike's lips curled into a smile as he replied. “Darius will take care of that.” Darius nodded, a grim smile on his face. “I look forward to killing him,” he said biting his teeth together. Mike continued. “Team A will consist of Christy and Alexander, with Darius leading. Team B will consist of Anita and Sam, with myself leading. The last team, Team C, will consist of Mr. and Mrs. Autrey. You will be providing suppressive sniper fire.” Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Also,” he continued, “If Darius' team needs backup, a signal will be available.” “What should we look for?" asked Anita. Alexander faced her and said, “A nice, big white flare,” a grin on his face.

Mike waited a few moments before continuing. “Once we take out Benjamin, we won't be done yet, however. We need to stop John before he finishes the nuclear bomb.” Darius stood up suddenly, an angry expression on his face. “I don't care about that. I have a problem with the mercs. I don't care about John or anyone else.” “I cannot force you. If dealing with Epsilon is all you want, then so be it. I know that I'm going after John, that's for sure.” “And I,” echoed Anita, soon joined by Sam and Christy. With hesitance, Alexander voiced his commitment as well. Mr. And Mrs. Autrey remained quiet. “Let us focus on one thing at a time. First we deal with Epsilon. Any questions?” Christy spoke up. “What if something goes wrong? They outnumber us by at least 10 to 1.” “It won't,” said Mike, flatly. “As long as the charges detonate, we won't have trouble being outnumbered. Everything else can be left to chance.” Christy nodded briefly. “The details are set,” said Mike. “Alexander, Christy and Darius, take care of the charges. We'll clean and sweep mercenaries top-side. Mr. and Mrs Autrey will be providing the sniper support.” Anita glanced quickly at Mike before speaking, “Grab whatever you need. In 30 minutes we'll be meeting near the exit to the city.” Everyone stood up and left the hall. Mike's eyes met Anita's. Their look said more than any words ever could. Mike nodded towards the exit and they left the hall as well to prepare.

Back at Mike's house, it was Anita who broke the silence. “Do you really think this will work?” Pray to God that it will. “I hope so,” replied Mike, forcing a smile. “And besides,” he continued, “We have you on our side. What could possibly go wrong?” A smile flashed across her face. “Oh right, because I can totally take down a bunch of mercenaries.” She paused, thinking. “On second thought, I probably can.” They both began laughing loudly, at which point Mike proceeded to hug her. They made eye contact once again, but this time Anita followed through with a brief kiss on the lips. Mike blushed, red as a tomato, but remained silent. He looked down shyly, a smile on his face.