“What’s the location?” Before he could move forward with helping Collins, he had to make sure the former CIA agent wasn’t leading him on.
Collins rattled the coordinates off while Ben typed them into his phone. “I’ll see if James can procure satellite images of the site and check the radiation content of the space. It should tell us if the weapons are still there.”
“They won’t be there,” Collins insisted. “Walton knows I not only have the location of the bunker, but the code to enter it. He’ll have moved them by now.”
“We’ll need the code.” Victor waited for Collins to give it. The man hesitated for a breath before reciting it.
Ben typed it into the phone and headed for the door. “I’ll send this to James.”
With everything taking place at a rapid pace, Victor prayed Kirkpatrick hadn’t had time to remove the nukes. Because if they were gone, there’d be no way of tracking them.
“I appreciate your cooperation so far, Martin, but we’ll need more. What does Kirkpatrick have planned for the weapons? For the peace talks? Something’s in the works. You must know. He trusted you.”
Collins was without words for the longest time.
“Martin, whether or not you believe it, what Kirkpatrick is planning will affect you and your family. I don’t know what he told you to convince you to go along with him in the first place, but he was using you to put the world in a state of chaos so that he could make himself indispensable for a reason. What is that reason?”
Victor watched the man who appeared defeated, and he wavered between believing Collins would keep his secrets to himself and wondering if there was anything useful if he shared them.
“What peace talks?” A frown formed between Collins’ brows as he glanced around the room. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The declaration seemed to confirm Collins would be of little use beyond possibly locating the nuclear weapons, yet the brokenness Victor witnessed in this man who had caused so much carnage made him appear almost human.
As believers, Christ called them to love their enemies. Could Victor find love in his heart for this man?
“You don’t know anything about what’s been happening in Berlin.” The confusion on Collins’ face confirmed the truth. Victor explained about the unexpected press conference that had taken place in Berlin. For the time being, he withheld information about the failed attack on Israel.
“Kirkpatrick reached out to the world leaders well ahead of the conference to be able to pull off such an enormous feat. Did he mention the peace talks to you? What is he planning?” Victor watched Collins and knew the truth. He’d been kept in the dark about the future events because Kirkpatrick hadn’t planned on him being part of them. “You had no idea this was coming,” Victor surmised.
Collins’ expression froze. He stared wide-eyed at Victor. “I thought he was my friend. He took me under his wing when I was just a young agent at the CIA. Walton told me about all the good we could do in the world together. It was with his urging that I faked my death and brought my team in with me. It was supposed to be the next phase in our grand plan. But it was all a lie.”
Now that they had Collins talking, Victor wanted to hear the whole story. Wanted to know how he’d become the most wanted man in the world.
“You said you met Kirkpatrick when you were new to the Agency?” Victor glanced over at Cole, the former director of the CIA. Cole had experienced firsthand the dangers of Legion when he’d been lured to his family’s cabin and shot by Collins.
Collins’ shoulders slumped and he looked away. “I’ve done some bad things in my life, and I only have myself to blame for them. Walton might have filled my head with grandeur, but I had the choice to do the right thing and didn’t.”
The contriteness on Collins’ face was almost believable. . . if Victor didn’t have a dossier filled with the terrible crimes this man was accused of committing.
Collins proceeded to tell the story of how a young CIA agent had been flattered by the faith Kirkpatrick had shown him. The ideology Kirkpatrick had spewed was a familiar one that came straight from the prince of darkness. It would allow for Collins to make a difference in the world, a dedication that came with a cost. Many would hate him, but in the end the change he’d help bring into being would be honored along with his sacrifices. It was a story as old as time. And one Victor didn’t understand. How could someone as intelligent as Collins let themselves be blinded by lies?
◆◆◆
“With the exception of the missing nukes that may or may not still be in Alaska, Collins really wasn’t any help at all,” Cole said as they headed back to the war room. It was a crushing blow to the team. Was the risk of lives to bring Collins back to the states justified if the man had nothing useful to offer? Yet, he couldn’t help but believe God had a reason for wanting them to go after the terrorist.
What is Your plan, Father? Help us understand.
Victor expelled a frustrated sigh. “No, he wasn’t. I have a feeling Kirkpatrick may have suspected at some point Collins outlived his usefulness.” He stopped outside the door. “I want confirmation on the nukes one way or another.”
“With everything happening in Berlin, there’s a small chance Kirkpatrick hasn’t moved them yet.” If the weapons were still in Alaska, Cole wanted to be part of the team that went there to confiscate them.
“You want to go there?” Victor’s gaze locked onto his, reading Cole’s mind.
“Yes, I do.”
Victor hesitated. “It’s risky and we could be walking into a setup. The weapons may not even be there.”
Cole understood the risks all too well. “I understand, and I wouldn’t ask anyone to come without them knowing those risks.”
“Well, I’m in,” Kaid confirmed.
It seemed only fitting that Kaid—one of the original members of Strike Force—should be part of the team.
Cole smiled and turned to the woman at Kaid’s side. “What about you, Sidney? You’ve been through so much at the hands of Legion. Being accused of killing your entire CIA unit and forced into hiding. I can imagine it would be a good feeling getting those weapons out of circulation.”
Sidney exchanged a look with her husband that had him wondering what he was missing. He’d expected her enthusiastic confirmation. “What’s going on?”
Kaid nodded to Sidney who pulled in a breath before answering. “I’m pregnant.”
The news was a welcomed surprise. “Sidney, that’s wonderful.” Cole gave both his teammates a hug. “With everything going on in the world, the promise of new life is a true blessing. I’m so happy for you both.”
“Thanks.” Sidney squeezed his arm. “With the possibility of radiation, I don’t want to take the risk of harming our child, but I’ll be there with you in my heart and standing guard in the war room with James to help in any way I can. We need to get those weapons out of play. Because as bad as Collins was, Kirkpatrick seems to be operating at a different level all together.”
“Yes, he does. Almost as if he has someone of great importance backing him up.” Cole scanned the faces of the men and women of Strike Force. Many had witnessed the attack over Israeli skies recently and had seen firsthand how God protected His people.