Neal turned and waved at them to hurry up. “We can’t get any closer until we take out the cannon.”
Icarus, are you in range?Jamie asked.
Right above you,Annabelle replied.
Pick up Nova and go rain some hell on the fuckers.
Yes, sir.
Madison rocked to a halt for the pickup while Alexei and Jamie continued forward. Alexei glanced over his shoulder in time to see Annabelle pull out of a steep dive and grab Madison by the straps of her tactical vest. She flew into the sky with Madison in her grip, dodging the streak of the neural jammer energy bolt as the shooter took aim at them.
“Thanks for the reprieve, Apollo,” Neal said as Alexei and Jamie reached their position.
A few of the closer SWAT members were staring at Jamie with shocked expressions on their faces. Alexei figured it had less to do with the bloody dress shirt Jamie wore and more with the fact he wasn’t in any combat uniform and his face was bare to the world. Their reactions made Alexei think he should’ve shot that drone out of the air after all.
Alexei’s attention was drawn down the street as Madison dropped several large energy blasts directly over the neural jammer cannon impeding their way. While some of the police instinctively ducked, Alexei and the other MDF field agents barely blinked. Miriam didn’t lower her telekinetic shield.
“We need to disable the cruise missile launcher,” Jamie ordered, already striding forward. His voice still had a flat quality to it that sounded out of place in the moment.
Wraith?Alexei asked, letting Katie guide his thoughts to his lover’s mind.
Not close,was Sean’s reply. I’m on the other side of the National Mall with Knight and Tank. I won’t make it in time.
Guys, the cruise missile launcher is moving to set its target!Madison warned.
They’re aiming for the White House,Annabelle added.
Alexei reflexively jerked at that announcement. Cruise missiles varied by range, but were programed to hit their target no matter what. Smart technology enabled them to change trajectory in order to dodge defensive fire. With the White House shields down, it made an easy target.
“Shit.”
Viper!Jamie snapped.Take down the operators! Warn everyone to get clear!
The people overseeing its launch aren’t controlling it,Katie told him.It’s being positioned remotely.
“Declan must have control,” Alexei said.
Something flickered across Jamie’s face, an emotion that momentarily slipped free of Katie’s telepathic wall. Alexei recognized it all too well.
Rage.
The roar of the cruise missile launching drowned out the sound of two motorcycles screeching to a stop behind them. Alexei didn’t have to look to know Katie and Trevor had arrived.
Alexei’s heart pounded in his chest as he watched the cruise missile arc high into the sky, locked on its target—when it suddenly jerked off course, veering due west. While the cruise missile could dodge a defensive attack, it couldn’t escape what its computers couldn’t see and process. Trevor’s telekinesis didn’t register to its sensors.
Alexei stayed rooted to the spot long enough to see that the cruise missile wouldn’t reach its target when he realized Jamie was on the move. Grimacing, Alexei ran after his captain, sparing only a single look over his shoulder as the missile hit in the center of the National Mall.
The Washington Monument had stood for centuries, a marker for the most revered of the nation’s Founding Fathers.
It took less than a second to destroy it.
The explosion reverberated through the air and ground, vibrating up Alexei’s feet as he ran after Jamie. Alexei left it to Trevor and the others to handle that mess while he stayed on Jamie’s six, a map burning bright in his mind courtesy of Katie.
They ran down a street between two tall government buildings, passing police and abandoned vehicles. Alexei could see two parks—one on either side of the street—up ahead at the intersection where several fire engines, ambulances, and one or two news vans were gathered. It looked like a makeshift triage area, with only a few police officers attempting to guard it against whatever threats might come until they could all get clear.
But there was no getting clear of the enemy in their midst.
With so many players on the field, and no one knowing who was the enemy and who wasn’t, Declan and a couple of his last remaining loyal fighters managed to reach the triage area before the police recognized them as a threat. By then, it was too late. Alexei heard the gunfire up ahead and he put on a burst of speed to keep up with Jamie.
