“Why, Jade? Why do you think that?”
“Who else could it be? You were there; you saw the hardware and how they flaunted it. Who else has access to ordnance capable of this kind of damage? What other entity remains functional and adept at perpetrating an attack like the one we just saw?” A pause. “And how do I absolve myself of being a plausible motive for the swift increase of hostility towards these people?”
Ken perked up. “Wait—what was that?”
Jade gripped her mug tightly with both hands, her eyes welling up. “What’s happening here, to the people in this valley…takes guile, Ken. It’s pure treachery, hatred laced with a particular bitterness and venom. A vindictiveness I happen to know…from past experience. And that makes me ultimately responsible…accountable.”
“Jade.” Ken reached for her hands. “Tell me what you mean by that.”
“Don’t!” She pulled away violently. “Fucking touch me.”
“Is this the alcohol talking?” Ken quipped, “because the more you psychobabble, the more it sounds like you’re intentionally omitting a crucial piece of information. If you have carnal knowledge of this or what might’ve caused it, even if it’s just a hunch, you need to check your pride at the door and come clean.”
“I don’t own any pride,” she began. “I can try explaining this to you, but it’s a big jumble right now…I’m far from certainty and way off from establishing a basis, cause and effect, endgame, what, or rather who is to blame, yadda fuckin’ yadda. I wasn’t ready for a tell-all.”
“Maybe we should put the drink away, hit the rack, and try again tomorrow. You’re exhausted, sad, drunk, and—”
“And a hundred percent on point,” Jade interrupted, resigning the mug for her M4. She brought it close, checked the safety, dropped the magazine, and extracted the chambered round into the air, catching it between the index and middle fingers of her left hand while staring Ken directly in the eyes.
Ken leaned back in his chair. “I’m not denying that, nor would I ever. I’ve just never heard you talk like this before, and I’ve never felt the need to worry about you, but I’m beginning to feel like I should. Help me out a little. Should I worry?”
“Maybe.” Jade gently set her rifle down and glided her fingers over it, her lips drawing a grim line. “These are my demons; I’ve lived with them a long time. I’ll suffer them and overcome them somehow.” She turned up her mug, finishing off the remainder of her drink, then wiped her lips, looking as though she was beginning to fade off.
“Hey, don’t go dark on me,” Ken pled. “We’re on the verge of a breakthrough, here.”
“Sorry…I wasn’t this tired a minute ago.”
“How drunk are you?”
Jade stretched her eyes and looked to the ceiling. “Lots.”
“You’re going to feel awful when the sun comes up.”
“I already feel awful,” lamented Jade, with trembling lips. She spun her empty mug around on the table with her fingers.
Ken rolled his eyes and smirked. “We should talk more about this when you’re sober and…ready. Right now though, you should consider shutting down. Just my advice; you can take it or leave it.”
Jade smiled at him and rose. “I think I’ll take it.” She rounded the table and draped herself over him, kissing him sloppily on the cheek. “Thank you, fam. I never knew you were such a good listener. My cup runneth over.”
Ken grimaced, pulling away from the raunch of distilled rye emanating from Jade’s mouth. “Don’t mention it, bourbon breath. Rinse out some of that nasty before you crash.”
She turned and pranced unsteadily off. “Not a chance. It might help me fall asleep.”
Chapter 32
Private Will Sharp stood sentry at the vacant bridge marking the valley’s northern barricade, feet away from where three fellow infantrymen had taken their last breaths mere days ago. Overrun with exhaustion, he paced with his head on an erratic swivel while taking periodic snapshots of the road and the sky above with eyes he could barely keep open.
Three full days had passed since the incident, and there had yet to be any signs of a follow-up attack, but that wasn’t a clear-cut indication that the threat was over. From the evidence obtained thus far, it had been concluded that an unmanned aerial vehicle armed with air-to-ground missiles had been utilized to surgically destroy four targets: Will’s current post, the muster of heavy machinery and fuel storage tanks at the former Perry residence, the unit’s forward operating base situated within St. James Church, and the Russells’ shed, where Neo had assembled the unit’s communications outpost. The targets could have been selected for any number of tactical rationales, or for no other reason than to inflict harm and psychological damage.
Predator and Reaper UAVs made their approaches from cruising altitudes above twenty thousand feet, making them not only silent but virtually invisible, and the missiles with which they could be outfitted travelled well above supersonic velocities. If another attack was imminent, it would come with next to zero forewarning, same as before. Apart from wishing for overcast skies, which severely inhibited the functionality of most UAVs, all Will could do was stay alert and watch for objects in the sky, doing so with a view partially obstructed by nearby rocky peaks and towering trees, some in the early stages of sprouting leaves.
He pried open the
