Chapter Twenty-Nine: Planning and Execution

Claire had called Jason into the main office. She was sitting far up the back and in front of a computer.

‘I did it. I manaed to hack the security cameras of Jandakot Airbase. It was heavily protected but i-‘

‘Claire. You got in. that’s all I needed to know’ Jason told her’

‘I’ve only had about fifteen minutes before they found me, which they didn’t’ Claire told him.

‘Show me what you’ve got’ Jason told her. Claire pulled up some footage.

‘I was lucky enough to see them at the end of a shift and I heard this’ Claire played the footage. It showed a military truck carrying personnel leaving through a checkpoint. All Jason could hear was static.

‘I don’t hear anything’ Jason said.

‘Neither did I, at first anyway. Listen to just the static’ Claire said as she removed the video and played just the static. Jason still didn’t hearing anything. She played it again and again until finally he heard it. The faintest beep amongst the static background.

‘I don’t get what it means’ Jason told her.

‘The outer defences of the airbase are not going to give in easily from assault. If we want to get in then we need an identification card and move from the inside out’ Claire said.

‘They’ll never let all of us in at the same’ Jason said.

‘So we get a small force in on a shift and have them let us all in. Shift’s change every eight hours so next won’t take place for another six or seven’ Claire told him.

‘So we need to move fast and get as much info as we can’ Jason said.

‘But most importantly is the ID card. No point in any of this without it’ Claire said.

‘Ok. I’ll have Carlisle put together a force and you can conduct the interviews with the Nexus prisoner’s if we’re lucky they’ll already have one, if not they’ll know someone who does’ Jason said.

‘Why me?’ Claire asked.

‘You don’t have to personally do it. You can have someone else do it, have them report to you and then you report to me,’ Jason told her. ‘Also, look into that envelope again. We might’ve missed something with the spy’ Claire nodded.

‘Alright’ she answered. There was a knock at the door. Carlisle was there.

‘It’s time’ he said. Jason nodded, getting up.

‘Time for what?’ Claire asked.

‘Stay here,’ Jason told her.  ‘Keep working’ and Jason walked out and into the main grandstand with Carlisle.

‘What’s she working on?’ he asked.

‘You’ll find out soon enough. What’s the vote count?’ Jason asked.

‘One hundred and twenty-three to forty-seven. Guilty. That’s more than the fifty percent plus one that you need’ Carlisle answered.

‘I want to talk to him first’ Jason said. They were at the door to where Miles was being held.

‘Alright, just don’t take too long’ Carlisle told him. Jason opened the door and walked down to see Miles.

‘How you doing Captain?’ Jason asked, sounding confident. He knew he needed to be if he was going to get anything out of Miles now.

‘Been twenty-four hours hasn’t it?’ Miles asked gruffly. His voice had become deeper and scratchier during his imprisonment.

‘It sure has. You wanna know the count?’ Jason asked him.

‘I’m guessing it’s not good news otherwise you wouldn’t be down here right now’ Miles replied.

‘Oh, I’d be down here anyway. But you’re right, it’s not good. For you anyway’ Jason said. There was silence for a minute.

‘Well are you going to tell me, or keep me hanging?’ Miles said testingly.

‘One twenty-three to forty-seven in favour of guilty. So, if you have a name for me now would be a really good time to tell me’ Jason told him.

‘I swear to God I don’t know’ Miles said.

‘Well. We’ve got about an hour to sunset so why don’t you have a good think?’ Jason said, smiling.

‘I know other things. Other things that are useful’ Miles said quietly.

‘Going to elaborate on that?’

‘Things about your father. There were rumors’ Miles replied.

‘No way. No way he was a spy’ Jason replied.

‘No, no, no. Not him being a spy. The rumors were about his death being orchestrated’

‘The military wouldn’t kill him. He was their best soldier. Their best commander’

‘That’s right. He was next in line after Carson to take command’ Miles told Jason.

‘And the last thing the Nexus would’ve wanted was my father in command of the military. Alright, I’m buying so far. But I still need a name’ Jason said.

‘I told you! I don’t know!’ Miles yelled at him.

'Death penalty is still on the table. Enjoy your last hour’ Jason said as he left.

The hour passed and Miles was marched out the parking lot outside the racecourse where he was surrounded at gun point by soldiers.

‘If it’s alright with everyone, I’m going to skip over the vote count, because everyone already knows the number,’ Jason said, the silenced forty-five millimetre pistol in his hand. ‘Captain Miles, as you know, you have been found guilty by the court of your peers. Do you have any last words?’ Jason said.

‘I’m an innocent man-‘

‘Go to hell’ a soldier said as he spat on the ground.

‘I’m an innocent man,’ Miles said again. ‘So kill me if you must. But I’ll still be here. I’ll be that voice in the back of mind, constantly reminding you that you killed the wrong man. That you put an innocent to death. That you betrayed the memory of your father’ Miles finished.

‘You done?’ Jason asked.  Miles nodded.

‘Yeah I’m done’ Miles replied. Jason stepped around him, pointing the pistol at the back of Miles’ head.

‘I don’t savour bloodshed. In these times, every drop spilled is a loss and a waste and I was hoping that it wouldn’t come to this. That you would give me a name. Captain Miles, by trial of peers you have been found guilty of treason. Under the laws of the military, treason is punishable by execution and you are hereby sentenced to death’ Jason said, cocking the pistol. He turned his head, closing his eyes. He couldn’t watch, he didn’t want to watch, and as he took a deep breath in he felt his finger squeeze the trigger and heard the shot followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground.

‘What do you want done with his body?’ Carlisle asked.

‘Bury it. He may have been a traitor but he’s still human and therefore deserves the same respect anyone else would get’ Jason said, handing Carlisle back the gun as he walked back inside the Grandstand and then back to his tent where he found Celeste waiting for him, sitting on the edge of his bed.

‘Hey’ Jason said, sitting to her. Celeste kissed him softly.

‘While I was in my tent, I realised I never really thanked you for saving Sarah, so thank you’ Celeste said. Jason closed his eyes, sighing.

‘Yeah, saved’ He said. Celeste gave him a look.

‘I know she’s dead, but at least you tried. And then you saved my life too’ Celeste said.

‘I know. What were you thinking Celeste?’ Jason asked her.

‘I wasn’t. I was drunk. I was devastated and I missed her. To lose her once was bad enough and then to have you bring her back I couldn’t say goodbye, was too painful. Add that to the loss of the baby…’ Celeste said. Jason put his arm around her.

‘I get it. It was a lot to process. If I were you after losing the baby, Sarah would’ve been the only thing keeping me going’ Jason said.

‘She was’ Celeste admitted to him, wrapping her arms around his middle. Jason wanted to tell Celeste that her sister was alive, but he knew that the truth was more horrifying than letting Celeste believe that Sarah was dead.