Brad Taylor - Hunter Killer

To my Deputy Commander of Everything, for keeping the ship sailing through the storm

There are hunters and there are victims. By your cunning, you will decide whether youre a hunter or a victim.

General (Ret.) James Mattis

The road in front of me was empty. Just a narrow alley leading to the entryway I intended to penetrate. A fetid, cobblestone lane built centuries ago, it was dimly lit, with more shadows than light and piles of trash hiding what may lie within.

Anywhere else in the world I would have silently cheered at the luck, but here, in Salvador, it raised the hackles on my neck. Empty roads in Brazil were like hearing the wildlife in a jungle suddenly go quiet, all the birds and monkeys realizing there was a predator afoot.

I was in the historical section of the old capital city, with plenty of folks less than a hundred meters away at restaurants and bars, but nobody was walking down this alley. Meaning there was a reason for the lack of activity. It was counterintuitive to anything Id felt before, where the bystanders were most often the threat. Crowds allowed camouflage for individual hostiles, like pickpockets, but more important to me, they prevented offensive actions by a team.

There were just too many cameras and cell phones in todays world, devices that recorded an event no matter how careful one was, so an empty alley was the perfect approach for me, and yet, Id learned in my short time in Brazil that empty meant dangerous. For some reason, the humans here knew not to enter, an instinct that I should pay attention to.

Unfortunately, that was out of the question because a bad guy, my target, held my best friends life in the balance.

I turned to Aaron, and said, That damn alley is going to be trouble. I can feel it.

He knew what I meant. We didnt worry about the trouble, per se; we worried about the mission, and whatever was waiting for us there could hinder that.

He said, Hey, we only have twelve hours before the clock is up. Thats a blink of an eye for hostage rescue. We need to go tonight, or were not stopping what the police have in motion.

I said, Shoshana seems to think this is bad juju because of the monks. Maybe shes right.

He chuckled and said, My wife is a little off. Like you.

I nodded, but still hesitated, running through my options. He squinted his eyes and said, You believe her. You think this is going to go bad because of what she felt.

I said, Aaron, cut the crap. Shes crazy all right, but sometimes she has a point. Thats all.

He withdrew a Glock pistol, press-checked the chamber, and said, One way or the other, we need to make a decision. And I think youre afraid of her saying I told you so because of this alley.

I grunted a laugh and said, Yeah, something like that. But youre right. Too late now.

I clicked my earpiece and said, Koko, Koko, Im about to penetrate. Whats your status?

Koko was the callsign of my partner in crime, Jennifer, so named because she could climb like a monkey. She said, Im good. On the roof over the balcony. The OP is in position, and I have a clear shot.

Roger, all. Carrie, Carrie, you have lockdown of the front?

Carrie was Shoshanas callsign. Because she was bat-shit crazy just like the Stephen King character.

Ironically, the man I was working to save had anointed both of them with their callsigns. Which is why they were both willing to risk their lives to free him. They loved him as much as I did.

She came back, This is Carrie. Front is secure. But I still think this is a mistake. We should not be assaulting a church. Its bad. Bad all the way around.

I looked at Aaron and said, Yeah, I agree, but I dont get to pick where terrorists stay. I just wipe out the nest, wherever that ends up.

She said, Its not the church itself. Its something else.

I took that in, then looked down the alley. I said, You want to help here? I think I have your bad feeling, too.

She said nothing on the net. Aaron whispered, Good call. The front is facing the tourists. Shes not needed out there. Get her in play.

Through a combination of means, wed tracked our target to the back of an old convent tacked on to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Called the So Francisco Church, it had existed since the sixteenth century, with an ornate Gothic faade that now was the anchor of a square housing outdoor cafes and art galleries.

The front of the churchand the square it facedwas a completely safe place for tourists in the old capital of Salvador, but just outside the light, down the cobblestone streets we were on, the predators prowled, waiting on a stray lamb to leave the lights and laughter.

I took a look down the dimly lit alley, seeing the narrow confines of the ancient street snaking down the left-hand wall of the church, reconsidering whom I was asking for help. Id left Shoshana to pull security within the crowds of tourists for a reason.

Off the net, to Aaron, I said, Im not sure thats so smart. Shes better protecting us defensively. Out front. Away from the action.

Aaron said, Because you dont trust her offensively?

Youre damn right. Shes a walking disaster. Better for Jennifer to do it.

Jennifers on the roof. Shoshanas perfect for this and you know it. Jennifer would be better as bait, with her blond hair and innocence, but Shoshanas the next-best thing.

He turned away for a moment, then looked me in the eye, saying, Shoshanas a killer, but shes pure. She wont do anything if its not warranted. Honestly, Im more concerned about you.

Aaron had seen what I was capable of, and he was hitting at the core of the mission. Could I maintain control? It was a good question, because in an earlier life, hed almost killed me, and in so doing, hed killed a friend of mine. The results hadnt been pretty. Hed seen what I was capable of when I was walking the edge, leaning way over, and now I was operating in that same zone. Something he knew about.

I said, Im good. Dont worry about me. Just worry about the threat.

He nodded, but I could see he wasnt convinced.

Shoshana came back on the net, whispering with an urgency neither Aaron nor I understood, You feel something too, Nephilim?

Aaron grinned, and I returned it, holding up a finger before he got on the net. I said, Yeah, but its not because of some damn ancient church. Its because I cant get to entry. I dont want a gunfight. I need quiet, which means I need you.

So you want me to do what?

Walk down this alley from the back. Expose any threat that may prevent our entry.

She said nothing for a moment, then came back, Thats what you want? Me as bait?

Aarons eyes widened, and I saw him reaching to key his mike, him saying, Thats not how to get her to execute.

I held up my hand again and beat him to the punch, saying, Carrie, this is the threat. This is what I feel. And this is what I need.

Aaron and I looked at each other, and I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket. Shoshana came back on and said, This is Carrie. Im moving to the south of the alley. Ill be coming south to north. Ill have the light on my phone going.

I pulled out my cell, saw it was Jennifer, and realized she didnt want to talk on the open net. I held it up, then whispered to Aaron, Tell Shoshana that all we need is to flush out any threats. Well handle it. I dont need any crazy shit here. She just walks toward us until someone triggers. Or until she reaches us without a trigger.

Aaron nodded and I answered the phone, saying, What?

Jennifer said, Youre going to let Shoshana loose in that alley, after you felt a threat? Lets back off. Attack a different way.

I saw a pinpoint of light at the back of the alley and said, Too late. Shes in.