Chapter 44

44

The world swam back into focus, but it took way longer for Paige to sort nightmare from reality. Cody filled her field of vision. Cody. Not the hard-edged Tanner.

He smiled softly. "Sorry about tranqing you. I had to make this up on the fly."

She groaned, her hand instinctively moving to her shoulder where the dart had pierced her.

Her fingers probed the tender spot, wincing at the dull, insistent pain that radiated down her arm. The back of her head felt tender and swollen, a souvenir from her ungraceful collapse to the floor. She gingerly touched the lump forming there, hissing through her teeth.

Struggling to her knees with Cody's help, she blinked hard, trying to clear the fog from her mind. Coherent thought remained frustratingly out of reach as she swayed, bracing herself against the cold floor. Her gaze landed on Cody, and a fresh wave of confusion washed over her.

"You shot me."

Cody's face tightened with regret. "Sorry."

Jason rose, clearly unsteady, and eyed the three unconscious operatives. "That your work?"

Cody grunted. "They're secure for now. Our problem's up there."

The rhythmic thwack of helicopter blades punctuated their exchange, each beat sending vibrations through the building. Paige struggled to her feet, clutching a nearby table for support as the room tilted around her.

"Kate?" she mumbled, her tongue feeling thick and uncooperative. "Or Bridger?" The names of her teammates floated through her mind, a lifeline of hope in the chaos.

Cody's face swam back into view, concern etched in his features. "Not likely."

Paige tried again, forcing her muddled thoughts into some semblance of order. "The helo. Did you contact the team while we were out?"

"Negative." Cody shook his head, his expression grim. "Never got the chance."

Jason, looking as bad as Paige felt, pulled a face. "So there's no way it's our people."

Cody stared out the wide window with its missing glass. "Doubtful."

The urgency of their situation finally broke through Paige's mental fog. They were trapped, outnumbered, and help wasn't coming.

An idea sparked in her mind, desperate but possibly their only shot.

"The flash bangs," she said, her voice stronger now. "We create a diversion. Use the confusion to slip back down the stairs."

Cody's eyebrows shot up, a glimmer of admiration in his eyes. "That could work."

Jason was already moving, snatching up the go bags. "Better decide fast. We've got seconds before our new friends drop in for a visit."

Paige nodded, adrenaline finally cutting through the last of the tranquilizer's effects. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all they had. As the helicopter's roar grew deafening, she steeled herself for what came next.

The helicopter dipped to window level, hovering close enough for the wind from its rotors to slap her in the face. Through the gaping holes where windows once stood, she could make out the vague outline of figures inside the cockpit.

If they had any decent armament, they'd destroy what was left of the condo walls in a heartbeat. And anyone inside.

"The staircase," she shouted over the deafening roar, gesturing wildly. "It's our only shot!"

Cody nodded grimly, already moving toward the exit. But Jason's face was a mask of doubt.

"There's no cover once we leave the garage," he yelled back. "They'll blow us away."

Before Paige could argue, a new sound cut through the chaos. Footsteps, lots of them, pounding down the hallway toward them. A booming voice crackled over a megaphone, the words "Metro Police" barely distinguishable through the din.

Police? Here? How?

The helo disappeared from sight. She sprinted to the crumbling balcony, her legs still wobbly from the tranquilizer. The scene below made her jaw drop.

The helicopter was touching down on a patch of bare earth, its rotors kicking up a maelstrom of dust. SWAT trucks screeched to a halt nearby, their sirens wailing a discordant symphony with the chopper's dying whine. Uniformed officers poured out of the vehicles, their movements crisp and coordinated.

She blinked at Cody and Jason. "Well, this complicates things."

As if on cue, the front door burst open. SWAT team members flooded in, their weapons trained on the three of them. Paige raised her hands slowly, noting Cody and Jason doing the same out of the corner of her eye.

"On the ground! Now!" an officer barked.

Paige complied, wincing as her bruised body protested the rough treatment. She watched as another officer moved to check on the unconscious forms of the old man and his guards.

As they were zip tied and patted down, Paige managed to catch Cody's eye. She jerked her head slightly towards their captors, raising an eyebrow in silent question.

They needed a plan, and fast. The tranquilizer's effects might wear off any minute, and if the old man or his goons started talking before she, Cody, and Jason could explain the situation ...

She took a deep breath, steeling herself. Somehow, they needed to convince these officers of the truth without revealing classified information. And they had to do it before their unconscious adversaries woke up and spun their own version of events.

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. The SWAT team's radios crackled with chatter, adding to the cacophony of sounds assaulting her still-fuzzy senses.

Suddenly, a familiar voice boomed from the doorway. "Stand down, gentlemen! We'll take it from here."

Paige's head whipped around so fast the room spun. Hands on his hips, Bridger strode into the room with the confidence of a general leading troops into battle. Mason, Graham, Kate and Fenn filed in behind him, each of them looking tense and slightly out of breath.

Relief stole the last of her energy. She watched, barely suppressing a grin, as Bridger smoothly inserted himself between the SWAT team and their little group.

"We can't thank you enough for your prompt response," he said, his voice dripping with authority. He flashed a badge so quickly that Paige doubted anyone got a good look at it. "But I'm afraid this situation falls under our jurisdiction now."

The SWAT team leader frowned, clearly caught off guard. "And you are ... ?"

Bridger leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "I'm sure you understand that I can't divulge that information. Let's just say we operate at a level that doesn't officially exist." He pulled a phone from the chest pocket of his tactical vest, holding it out toward the officer. "Here's my boss. He can explain."

A skeptical look on his face, the leader put the phone to his ear. His mouth dropped open, his puzzled gaze tagging Bridger as he listened. "Sir. Yes, sir," he responded finally. "Of course, sir."

Dazed now, he handed the phone back to Bridger, who put it to his own ear. "All accounted for, sir. Yes. I understand. Keeping it under wraps. No blowback. Affirmative." He stowed the device. "The general wants you people gone. This never happened. The call turned out to be a false alarm. Just some kid pranking the police. Are we clear?"

The man swallowed hard. "Absolutely."

Bridger thrust out a hand, giving the man's hand a hard shake. "Outstanding. Now get gone."

Paige had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Bridger was laying it on thick, but she could see the uncertainty creeping into the SWAT team's expressions.

The leader raised a hand, twirling his finger in the air. "Area is secure. We're done here. Move out."

"What about them?" One officer jerked his thumb towards the still-unconscious bad guys. Fenn knelt between them, checking their zip ties. Probably dosing them with another round of tranquilizer, too, if she knew Fenn.

"Part of an ongoing operation," Kate chimed in smoothly. "We'll need to take them into custody as well."

For a moment, Paige thought the SWAT leader might argue. But then he sighed, shaking his head. "Above my pay grade, I guess. All right, boys, let's pack it up."

As the SWAT team filed out, Paige felt the adrenaline that had been keeping her upright start to ebb. She swayed slightly, and suddenly Cody was at her side, his arm around her waist to steady her.

Bridger turned to them. "I can't wait to hear how this all went down." His gaze shifted to the unconscious men. "We should handle your buddies first, though. What's the plan?"

Jason exchanged a loaded glance with Cody. "We've got options, but none of them are perfect."

Cody nodded, his arm still supporting Paige. "We could try to contain them ourselves, but that's risky. The Consortium has resources we can't match."

Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We could try to turn one of them. Offer protection in exchange for intel."

"That's assuming any of them would flip," Cody countered. "And even if they did, can we trust the information?"

"A fair point." Jason nodded. "I've got it. I have a contact at Langley. Someone I trust. They'll love a chance to get more intel on the people at the top."

"You mean this Seven-Five group?" Paige asked, looking straight at Cody.

"They're the new power in town," Cody said.

"They run the Consortium," Jason added.

Cody's eyebrows shot up. "You sure about this, Jason? Once we hand them over, we lose control of the situation."

"It's our best shot," Jason insisted. "My contact can keep them secured and isolated. Plus, they have ways of extracting information that we don't."

Paige liked the sound of that. Then they could get back to what they did best.

Bridger nodded his approval. "Make the call, dude. Let's get these guys out of our hair and figure out our next move."

Paige couldn't help but chuckle, despite the ache in her shoulder and the pounding in her head. "You have no idea how much explaining we have to do," she said, leaning into Cody's support. "But maybe we could do it somewhere with fewer unconscious bad guys and broken windows?"

Jason whipped out a phone, texting quickly. "My contact can be here in an hour. How about you kids head back to whatever luxury pad Mason's found and I'll join you after I take out this trash."

As they made their way out of the battered apartment, Paige felt a curious mix of exhaustion and elation. They'd made it through by the skin of their teeth, and she had a feeling this was just the beginning of a much bigger adventure.

First, though, a bath. And a homecooked Mason meal.

After that, she'd figure out how to code an antidote to the virus.

Way down the list, she'd figure out a way to heal once Cody disappeared.