We were very close now. I could feel it. Whatever we were here for it was right on the other side of this thick wall of brush and vines. As we approached it, I held up my left hand and made a fist. Everyone came to a stop.
Tucker whispered to me. "What is it?"
I shook my head helplessly. "Unfortunately, we aren't the first ones here. Listen closely."
Tucker nodded and fell silent. Through the damp air and thick wall of foliage, an unintelligible mix of words was audible.
I glanced at Tucker before putting my earbud in. "Let's swap over to comms and then fan out. We'll say hi once we've surrounded them."
Tucker nodded and then turned to the team. With his left hand, he pointed to his ear twice and then held his finger over his mouth. Then, he held up five fingers before pointing once to the left and once to the right.
Everyone started putting their earpieces in before splitting into three groups of 5 and moving to encircle the potential adversaries on the other side of the natural wall. Tucker, Leighton, and I remained in the middle.
I glanced at my padawan and nodded towards the trees. He nodded and then disappeared into the darkness in complete silence.
I noticed a bead of sweat roll down Tucker's face so I whispered to him. "Glad he's on our side, huh?"
Tucker nodded and whispered back. "How did you even find him?"
I shrugged. "I was bored before shit hit the fan during Operation Barren Charge. It was just dumb luck."
Three voices then came through comms. Everyone was in position.
I nodded and shot Tucker a glance. "Well, big man, give the order."
Tucker tightened his grip on his rifle and tensed up as he moved towards the wall of green. "Execute on go. 3, 2, 1, go."
I leapt through the air, easily clearing the bushes. As I flipped through the air, I saw two distinct groups of mostly white men and women.
Quickly, I committed the landscape to memory. Opposite me was a short cliff face mostly consumed by the jungle. Trees and their roots were covering a barely visible stone structure. The roots twisted around an open doorway that was even darker than the night engulfed jungle outside.
Several crates and portable flood lights illuminated the area. Under the lights were around 3 dozen operators of an unknown association.
I landed on the ground like a feather and took aim at one of the operators.
Tucker bulldozed through the bushes and came to a halt next to me with his rifle raised. "LET ME SEE SOME HANDS!"
All of the unknown operators raised their weapons and aimed them towards us. One of them spoke calmly with a thick southern accent. "Come on, now. Ya'll 're clearly outnumbered. Identify yourselves."
I glanced up at the hulking tree that was clutching the cliff face. With a simple nod, I had unleashed the wraith.
A shadow shot out of the tree. A glint of moonlight reflected off of polished metal as the shadow flew through the air.
Leighton landed behind the man that spoke. His tanto flashed before coming to rest on the man's neck. In response, several of their operators turned and aimed their weapons at my padawan.
The man quickly dropped his rifle, letting it hang from the strap attached to his vest. "Alright, alright. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, ya hear?"
I suddenly felt an unexpected emotion welling up within Tucker. Was he suspicious? With a glance, my interpretation was affirmed due to the look of pure shock on his face. "Tucker, what's wrong?"
The man whose life was in Leighton's hands then asked, "Did you say Tucker?"
The shock faded from Tucker's face as he pulled his mask down and lowered his weapon. "Deacon... Stand down."
The man visibly relaxed and raised a finger. He slowly pushed Leighton's blade away from his neck. "Stand down."
Everyone lowered their weapons. There were several sighs of relief among the crowd as well. I nodded at my padawan. In response, he pulled his blade away and returned it to its sheath.
I turned to Tucker, ready to demand an explanation. "What's this about?"
Tucker gestured towards the man. "That is Deacon, Delta Force A team leader. We served together during the war. After it was over, I got poached by your uncle and he was promoted to team leader."
My shoulders sank slightly as my head fell back a bit. "Haaaaaa, we've been here for all of 30 minutes and it's already a mess."
Tucker and Deacon approached each other. Deacon was a lean man with clear power behind each movement no matter how subtle. His straight brown hair was parted down the middle and his green eyes sparkled in the night. He was slightly shorter than Tucker at bout 6'2."
They shared a short hug and patted each other's backs. Deacon laughed as he pulled away. "What the fuck are you doing here, man?"
Tucker nodded towards the concealed ruins. "That."
I started walking over as they conversed. Leighton stood by my side. Deacon sighed. "You're not making this reunion very easy on me."
Two men and a woman also started walking over from the side. The woman had a particularly irritable expression on her face. This expression was complemented by her sharp features and black hair tied into a bun.
The two men, after a quick examination, were definitely not American. Their facial structures did not match the usual profile. One of them had dark brown mutton chops and was smoking a cigar... The other was quite posh looking. He had blond hair combed into a side part with bright blue eyes.
(Can anyone guess who mutton chops is before reading on?)
Tucker shook his head and stood firm. "I can't back down on this one, Deac."
Deacon smiled wryly. "Considering the nature of this op, I know what you mean."
The irritated woman stopped just a few feet from Deacon. "Colonel, what the fuck is this?"
Deacon sighed and glanced at her. There was clear helplessness in his eyes. "This is Tucker, the Santon Foundation's Chief Operative."
She furrowed her brow in confusion. "That Senator's project? I thought they mostly did humanitarian stuff. Dissolving trafficking rings and the like."
I shook my head but remained silent. The Santon Foundation was a lot more than just a humanitarian group. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be here.
Tucker smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you."
She shook her head. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same at this time. This area is an active CIA AO. Civilians can't be here."
I scoffed. Now I had to speak up. "Not happening."
She shot a glare at me and spoke succinctly. "Kid, the adults are talking."
I chuckled. "Ohhh, miss. You are sorely mistaken." I gestured to Tucker. "I'm his boss."
Her eyes quickly widened in shock. "You're Kyle Zimmerman?"
I rolled my eyes but nodded. "Yep. That's me. Since you know my name, I'd like to know yours."
She clicks her tongue, clearly frustrated. "You can call me Olivia."
I nodded. "You should really meditate more. Clearing your mind will help you put a leash on those emotions. Regardless, it is nice to meet a fellow Jedi. Although, it seems you are not the only one in this group of yours."
Olivia sighed and nodded. "Blondie here is Lyle, MI6 and a Jedi Knight. Mutton chops over here is Captain Price, SAS."
I smiled and clapped. "Wonderful. Now that we're all acquainted and on the same side, let's flesh out our cooperation."