Rising From The Flames

Chapter 21 - What The World Needs

Calvin stared blankly at the wall. Back and forth she swayed while holding onto the bar above her. They had already taken hold of the shipment, she rode in the back of the shipping crate watching the road fly by through a small hole.

In her ear, Christiansan had already told her the rest of the plan was going as it should. Their job was to reduce civilian casualties and to keep the local law enforcement off of her ass. They weren't in it for the constitution or keeping peace. The law here went under Simmon's word. He was the richest person in the area, there was no stopping him unless you had his trust.

"Hey Harris-" a voice called out to her in her ear.

"Yeah Christensen?" She muttered back raising her eyebrow.

There was a hesitance from his end. "Why'd you do it?" He suddenly asked into the com.

Blinking hard, she looked to her boots while licking her lips. "What do you mean? "

"The guy you were with... you left him behind, didn't you?"

Closing her eyes, Calvin took a breath. She didn't like the feelings she had these past couple of weeks. Everything that Jake made her feel, it was nothing that she ever felt before.

In the depths of her heart, she hated every second of it.

That's why she wasn't good for Jake.

She would never treat him how he deserves to be treated.

"This isn't his fight." Calvin finally croaked out

"Not ours any more than it is his."

"And that's why I'm not taking you inside." She groaned looking around the crate again. "Simmons sees you, he'll kill you on the spot. Only I go in."

"He won't kill you?"

"He would." She nodded. "But at least with me he'll try to showboat first."

"Look. I know we don't know each other, but- if anything happens we-"

"You leave."

"What?"

"This guy that we're going against, he has friends on friends on friends. This doesn't stop with him. Once it's over, you clear out. If I don't end it today though, there will always be someone else. Someone else will come for him, but it doesn't have to be you."

On the other line, Christensen held his breath. "I don't know Chica, you're kind of starting to grow on me."

Calvin chuckled. "That's your mistake." reassuring herself that her pistol was in it's holster, Calvin let out a breath. "I'm almost to the compound, once I'm inside, I'm going dark. You guys are on your own for the rest of the plan, you good with that?"

"Yeah." He assured her. "You be careful okay?"

"You too."

"Alright. We'll see you on the other side."

Pressing her finger to her ear one last time, Calvin closed her she's knowing her next words were a lie. "Yeah. See you on the other side."

Then, as she was left alone in the darkness with her thoughts, Calvin let out a long breath and looked up towards the roof of the shipment crate. "This is it boys." She breathed almost feeling them at her side. "Im coming home."

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Jake remained sitting on the ground, his hands flipping the tags back and forth over and over again. She had left them here, sitting on the warehouse table knowing that he would find them.

On the chain was a tag from each of the boys she lost, and two of her own.

To him, it meant she wasn't coming back.

This was her final goodbye, and the only thing he was going to have left of her.

If Calvin didn't want to be found, she wasn't going to be found.

The girl used him just like she was trained to do. He was just a stepping stone for her to get to where she needed to be.

But last night, that meant something, didn't it? It couldn't have been for nothing. That's not something even Cal could throw away.

Why would she leave though? The shipment wasn't for two days- that meant he had two days to find her.

Giving him that much time, it was stupid.

That how he knew t was a lie. Calvin wasn't stupid, about anything.

She was making her move today, maybe even right now, and he was sitting here, moping, wearing about what could have been when he could be making he difference that he needed to right now.

However, Jake wasn't Calvin. He couldn't do it alone.

He needed help, help from his fellow losers.

So that's what he was going to get.

=========================================

Calvin ducked behind one of the wooden crates as the security opened the door to the shipping crate outside the gate. It was a certain box, one that wasn't in the shipment earlier. They had planted t there, for this reason especially.

Instead of going through and checking each and every box, Simmons' man pulled out a scanner. It illuminated the crate, checked for thermal energy and scanned for anything unwanted. Behind her specially designed crate however, she was completely camouflaged from it all.

For good measure, Calvin held her breath and clutched onto her ankles. She didn't move, she wouldn't move.

Calvin was the utter definition of silence.

As the door finally closed again, that's when her body loosened and she knelt instead of crouching. This was it, this was her time. In exactly eight minutes she needed to be out of this crate and inside the shipping unit of Simmon's compound.

So, she locked, she loaded, she ran through her plans one last time- then moved towards the doors holding onto the lever that would allow her the escape she needed.

Calvin waited, watched the electronic map on her wrist band. The blueprints moved, illuminated, and changed upon her location. The green zone was the angle there was no coverage by cameras.

Whether there were people there, she was going to have to risk.

But that was her way of living.

Risks was what her life was about.

This was her time to get the revenge she had been seeking the past year. The moment she was waiting for, this was what she needed.

This was what her boys needed.

It was what the world needed.

It would be a better place without him, without her. They just didn't see it yet- but they would. Soon they all would.