Thirty-One

Green, fragrant vines climbed the walls of the fortress, and a great silvery moon broke through the cloud cover. The 3t3s, with their long spindly arms, pulled themselves onto a balcony that overlooked the ocean, then moved into an adjacent, richly-appointed room. Both approached a nearby wall. One took up a wary sentry position while the other began cutting with a laser device emitted from the center of the 3t3’s chest. The laser cut through the thick stone, leaving just a tiny hole. The computer calculated a circumference just large enough to allow the child-sized 3t3s to pull themselves through. They climbed inside.

The robots entered a sterile and futuristic environment quite unlike the ancient stone outside. The infrared heat signatures indicated that guards were also present, carrying shotguns and AK-74s. Loki sent the two drones to grab onto a wall, and like enormous geckos they crawled forward. He sent one of their proboscis-like eyes around the corner.

Loki swore under his breath. Two guards blocked the main interior door. This was a problem that he and his team did not need right now. He touched the communicator in his ear to relay the bad news to Daniel and Reyes.

His voice broke the tense stillness inside the Norseman’s command deck. “I've got a problem,” he said. “There's some serious shielding in here, and there are some guards that didn't show up on our scan. We need these guards gone. The 3t3s should maintain their connection, but coms will be out.”

Markus hovered over Loki and considered his options. This was not the worst situation the Norseman’s squad could be in right now, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. “Why will the coms go out, but you can still maintain a connection to the 3t3s?”

“The coms are a simple encrypted radio frequency: easy to jam. The 3t3’s actually use the Ducat blockchain to route and reroute around any jamming or firewalls. It’s expensive, but nearly impossible to jam if there’s enough devices in proximity. Some of the guard’s own cell phones are providing our link to the 3t3’s.”

Careerwise, Markus was now metaphorically stuck behind a desk. In moments like this, he missed being young and out in the field. Now, he got to make the hard decisions. He enjoyed the camaraderie of the military, always being on the move, going from one station to the next. Knowing the guy beside you always had your back. New people to meet, new things to do, new cities to explore, new challenges to overcome, new women to...well, he was a married man now, too.

But, now, the Norseman was starting to get to him. To be fair, it was the best accommodations he’d ever had on a mission, but there was still a need for economy. There was poor ventilation, stress and too many long hours for the young men and women who were on this craft. There was the strange, sterile smell, tinged with a slight hint of BO from his computer specialist who needed to bathe more frequently.

He was happy to get these brief opportunities to return to his former life, but Markus had long ago decided he much preferred being a freelancer to a soldier.

Markus made a mental note to lose the legacy comms systems and replace it with one based on the Ducat network. “And that is why you always need human assets,” Markus said to no one. “Never send a computer to do a man’s job.”

He clicked on his headset. “Reyes, Locke, you’re up.”

“They always call us when things look bad, don’t they?” Reyes said to Daniel.

He glanced at her. Half laughing, he replied, “Yes, yes they do.” He pressed his ear. “On our way.”

Reyes could hear laughter nearby. She looked over her shoulder at the wedding and all the happy-looking guests. Wondering whether their good time might soon be interrupted, she turned back to Daniel, and they walked with purpose towards the main staircase that led from the courtyard into the fortress.

“As I was saying,” she continued, “you need people who work in the shadows. People like me.”

Daniel raised his eyebrows. He decided to see what he could learn about his colleague.

“Right. Of course, in my experience, most Mossad aren't as good-looking as you.”

Reyes turned, a bit of surprise in her eyes, trying to guess just how much he knew.

“Maintain radio silence,” said a voice in her ear. “No com traffic unless necessary.”

Inside the Norseman’s command deck, Gideon watched and listened to the proceedings on his real-time display. He couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Daniel’s game needed some work.

Loki's voice rang out in the war room and on Reyes and Daniel's ear pieces. “You will lose coms in four... three... two... one.”

“See you when we see you,” was the last Markus and Gideon heard from Reyes before the coms went dead.

“Good luck and godspeed,” Gideon whispered to no one.

To be continued. Upvote for more!

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