Sam Sisavath - The Isles of Elysium

The rest of Tobias’s people were packing up their things, everyone moving with purpose. There was an efficiency to the way supplies were being bundled up, despite the fact that they were now working with fewer men. These people had been doing this for a while now, and even still clearly dazed and shell-shocked by yesterday, it didn’t stop them from doing their jobs. Tobias had trained them well.

The man himself stood over a table, looking down at a map. He was talking to a couple of men when he glanced over. Unlike last time, Keo didn’t see Captain America in those eyes-instead, he saw his would-be executioner.

Damn, this better work.

“You come up with a story yet?” Jordan asked, keeping her voice just low enough that only he could hear.

“Yes,” Keo said.

“You better, because I’m not going to be able to get you out of this.”

“Any advice?”

“Just pretend Tobias is one of those women you pick up in bars. If you can get him to drop his pants, you’re home free.”

Keo grinned.

By the time they reached him, Tobias had folded the map and slipped it into his back pocket. He nodded at Reese, then said to Keo, “Let’s talk outside.”

He led them to the same back hallway that Keo and Jordan had come through yesterday, limping noticeably on his wounded leg. There was another guard at the back door, and Tobias pushed the door open for them. They stepped out into the thick backyard jungle, the bright and warm sun hitting them in the face.

Keo breathed in the cool, crisp morning air. He hadn’t realized how thick and musky the interior of the YMCA was until now. Out here, he could almost believe he had a decent chance of surviving the next few minutes.

“Jordan,” Tobias said. He had stopped and turned around. “Step aside.”

Jordan didn’t move. “No.”

“He has a lot to pay for.”

“He didn’t know Miller was using him to draw us out.”

“Bullshit,” Reese said. He stood slightly to the right of Tobias, his hand still resting on the butt of his holstered sidearm, finger tapping anxiously against the walnut grip.

Keo heard the sentries moving around on the rooftop above and behind him and wondered if they were paying attention to what was about to happen down here.

“Ron shot at Keo first,” Jordan said. “Then he called the others in to finish the job. Ron did what you put him up there to do, Tobias.”

“I didn’t know anything about an ambush,” Keo said.

“But you came from T18,” Tobias said. His voice was calm and measured. Compared to Reese, who had a tendency to raise his voice, Tobias could have passed for the Dalai Lama…with an assault rifle.

“Yes, I did.”

“What were you doing there?”

“The same reason everyone else ended up at T18. I was captured at Santa Marie Island.”

Tobias’s eyes moved to Jordan.

“Like I already told you, we know each other from Louisiana,” Jordan said. “My friends and I came to Santa Marie first, and Keo was supposed to follow. It just took him longer than expected.”

“Got held up,” Keo said. “Better late than never, right?”

“But you left T18 with your weapons,” Tobias said. “That’s not possible unless you’ve also put on a black uniform.”

“You see a uniform on me?”

“You don’t need to wear one to be one.”

“Like a spy,” Reese said.

“I’m not a spy,” Keo said. “I’m not very good at sneaking around. I prefer the frontal approach.”

“The fact remains,” Tobias said, “you left T18 with your weapons. That says everything.”

“That’s because Miller gave me a job.”

“Steve?”

“Yeah. Steve Miller.”

Tobias narrowed his eyes. “What kind of job?”

“Find you, and kill you.”

Reese reflexively gripped his weapon but stopped short of pulling it out.

Jordan, meanwhile, had tensed up beside Keo; apparently she hadn’t expected him to use this tack.

For his part, Tobias hadn’t reacted. Either the man had ice water in his veins, or he wasn’t surprised by Keo’s admission.

Cool as a cucumber, this guy.

“Steve sent you here to kill me,” Tobias finally said.

“I had to find you first,” Keo said. “That’s what I was doing when your sniper took a shot at me. What happened after that was out of my hands. I didn’t know Miller was planning an ambush using me as bait. It’s not my fault you converged on one lone target so close to T18. That’s a leadership problem.”

Tobias grunted. There was a heaviness in his face that Keo recognized. He had seen that look in the eyes of commanders who actually cared if he survived a job or not. Those types of men were far and few, but he could always tell them apart from the ones who didn’t give a damn if they lived or died.

“And what do you get in return?” Tobias asked.

“I get to live happily ever after.”

Tobias looked to Jordan, who nodded. “My friend Gillian,” she said. “The one that came with me to the camp. She and Keo are involved.”

“A woman,” Tobias said. Then he chuckled. “It’s always a woman, isn’t it?”

“It’s the truth,” Keo said.

“I believe you. The question is, what do I do with you?”

“That’s the easy part.”

“How so?”

Christ, I hope this works, Keo thought, and said, “Miller expects me to kill you and return to T18. But he didn’t say anything about bringing back your head on a pike. You understand what I’m saying?”

“Steve never asked you to bring back proof.”

“Right. It didn’t occur to me until now why that was. It’s because he didn’t think I was going to survive yesterday’s action. They pointed me up the road and waited for your guys to swoop in and try to kill me. It was win-win for him. I either kill some of your men, or your men get me, then his men get yours. I’m guessing he had people in the woods nearby, waiting for me to walk past like a sucker. I doubt he expected you to send that many to finish me off. That was stupid, by the way. Why the hell did you send so many to kill one man?”

Tobias shook his head, looking very frustrated. “There were only five men backing up Ron, and they weren’t supposed to engage you. I had to send reinforcements when Steve attacked.”

“What did they use, technicals?”

Tobias nodded solemnly. “And ground forces. It looked like he threw everything he had at us. It was overwhelming. We’re lucky we only lost seven men. It could have been much worse. All-of-us-dead-level worst.”

“The point is, Miller doesn’t expect me to come back. So when I do, and with proof that I killed you, he’ll want to see it.”

“Proof?”

“I need to convince him I got the job done.”

“What kind of proof?”

“You tell me. You’ve been fighting him for how long now? What would it take for Miller to believe I killed you?”

Tobias seemed to think about it before he said, “And then what?”

“Then I kill the fucker,” Keo said. “That sound good to you?”

*

“That’s your big plan?” Jordan said. “Convince him to let you double cross Miller?”

“He’s thinking about it,” Keo said.

“Yeah, but…”

“Jordan, it’s not like I had a lot of options. It’s either this or let them execute me. I really don’t want to be executed. I kinda like living.”

They were back in the classroom, except this time they were alone, with a guard outside the door. Everyone was gathering their things into the vehicles parked up front, leaving Keo and Jordan to wait for Tobias’s decision. He would know in a few minutes if he was going to live or die.

If he were a betting man, Keo would guess fifty-fifty.