“Do we have any information regarding security?” Asa asked.
“Oh, so much,” Calliope quipped. “If these people are collecting data for the military, they should be court-martialed just for their shitty firewall. I’ve already gained access to their system. Once we get closer to go time, I’ll loop the footage, so the guys in the security booth are blind. You’ll still have to take out the two armed guards patrolling topside and scale some pretty intense razor wire if you want to go in the front door.”
“We need two teams, clearly,” Noah said, looking to Thomas as if to make sure he agreed. Thomas gave a singular nod. “I think Jericho should lead his guys and August will lead ours. Jericho will be red team for this. August will be blue.”
Everybody looked at Atticus. He frowned in confusion. “What?”
“You’re not going to argue that you should be lead as the oldest?” Avi asked.
Atticus rolled his eyes. “We’re not children. I just want to get in and get out with all of us in one piece.”
They all stared at him for a long moment before Asa nudged Avi, muttering, “That dick must be fucking magical.”
Felix groaned. “Gross.”
Avi feigned contrition. “Sorry, kitten.”
Thomas looked back and forth between Felix and Avi, eyes narrowing. Avi immediately dropped his gaze to his hands. How did a man get seven psychopaths to respond with such deference? Were they afraid of him? Grateful? Could psychopaths be grateful?
Jericho reached beneath the table to grip Atticus’s thigh, earning a startled response before his hand came to rest on top.
“We should blitz attack from both sides,” Noah continued. “They’ll have nowhere to go. This will give you a huge advantage, but also means people are going to fight for their lives by any means necessary. This means you need long range weapons. Guns with silencers. Blue team should breach the front since we’ve got more experience with large scale elimination missions. Also the patients are less likely to be closer to the front entrance. Red team will take the back and meet in the middle.”
“What’s the goal here?” Seven asked. “Are we shooting to kill?”
Thomas smiled at Seven. “Yes. If they aren’t a patient, they need to be eliminated. You go in with faces and tattoos covered. There won’t be any staff left to ID you but the patients might, and we don’t want this backfiring on us.”
“What about the patients?” Felix asked.
Thomas studied him. “What do you mean?”
Felix bit his lower lip, worrying it between his teeth for a few seconds before saying, “I mean, Carlos said these people have had their brains scrambled for months, even years. Are we just going to dump them on the street?”
Lucas looked at Thomas, shaking his head. “We can’t do that to them. If we dump them on the street, they’ll get lost in the system. They’ll end up homeless and completely helpless.”
Thomas nodded slowly. “Calliope, you know who to call, don’t you?”
“Yes, I’ll make sure there’s a team standing by to take the patients to the…place,” Calliope stumbled.
“The place?” Lake asked.
“That information is need to know and none of you need to know,” Thomas said, not unkindly. “There are many powerful people who help me do what I do. People who would get into a lot of trouble if their identities ever became known.”
Lake dropped his gaze to his hands folded on the conference table. “Oh.”
“Which brings me to another matter,” Thomas said, earning the attention of all in attendance. “Jericho, it seems as if you’re here to stay and, by extension, so is Felix. That invitation is being extended to all of you as well, if Jericho is willing to vouch for you.”
Jericho looked at his brother, who seemed to take that information in stride. He and Atticus must have had quite a talk.
“Being part of this family comes with a lot of hazards, one being if we’re ever found out and you’re linked to us, none of us are ever getting out of prison. I don’t think that will scare you, but these boys are barely old enough to drive. They should know what they’re getting into.”
Seven scoffed. “You think jail scares us? We go where Jericho goes. We’re ride or die.”
Lake and Levi nodded. “What he said.”
Thomas nodded. “Then it’s settled. We go in tonight. After shift change. Coms stay on. Calliope will be your eyes and ears. Noah and I will be watching from here. Jericho, I would suggest picking one team member to get the patients to the garage to make the drop.”
“I’ll do it,” Lake said without hesitation. He looked to Jericho. “If that’s okay.”
