The Quantum Prophecy - Ryan Matthew Harker (best management books of all time TXT) 📗

to say anything. “Tol, Donin, I want the two of you to get your gear ready but don’t leave. I’ve got a different mission objective that I’d like to discuss with you tomorrow morning, so don’t go anywhere. Understood?”
Both men looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded at McAriicoys.
“Good,” he said standing up. “Alright then, dismissed!”
The six men stood, saluted, and walked out the door. McAriicoys waited until they were gone and then looked around the room uneasily. He was still getting the feeling he was being watched but there was no one around. Strange, his instincts had never been so off. Whatever it was had definitely evoked a little paranoia or else he would not have told Tol and Donin to wait. His plan had been to have the two men follow the other four in concealment, full cloak but something had made him hesitate, had made him change his mind about even mentioning his plan to the two of them. McAriicoys took one long look around the room before shaking his head and leaving.

The next morning dawned gray and overcast. McAriicoys was awake with the birds and making rounds before most of the Complex had gotten up. His first stop, after wandering around for a while, was the barracks where Donin and Tol were bunked. Both men were expecting him and were up making last minute adjustments to their gear. McAriicoys was at ease as he walked in. He had not had any misgivings all morning, no strange sensations of being watched, and no feelings of being followed.
Donin and Tol looked up from their packs and saluted McAriicoys and then went quickly back to work. McAriicoys waited patiently for the two men to finish, watching the efficient way in which everything was checked and double-checked.
When they were finished Donin looked up and spoke in a quiet tone. “What’s this about boss?”
McAriicoys knew that he could trust Tol and Donin so he stuck to the truth, laying down all of his mixed up feelings and instincts seemingly gone awry and finally wrapping it all up with his on the spot decision of the morning before. “I don’t know what it was but all of a sudden I felt like I had to postpone what I was going to say. That’s why I told you guys to wait until today.”
Both men had been quiet until McAriicoys had finished and then Donin spoke again. “So do you think someone was eavesdropping?”
“I don’t know,” McAriicoys shook his head. “But today everything seems normal. I took a long walk around the Complex this morning, everything feels fine.”
Tol made some quick gestures with his hands and fingers. He was a born mute and nothing in either magic or science had been able to help him. McAriicoys had always meant to learn the sign language him and the other men employed but as of yet had not gotten around to it. He turned to Donin for translation.
“Tol’s asking what we’re supposed to do.”
McAriicoys nodded. He should have guessed. Like Pen, Tol was all business.
“Yesterday I was going to have the two of you go out in full cloak, right behind the others, as backup. Today this is still the plan but now you’re going to have to play catch up. Will this be a problem?” The two men shook their heads. “Good. When you get caught up with the other four I want you to warn them to watch their steps, especially once you get to New York. Just in case...”
“In case someone was eavesdropping,” Donin said.
“Precisely.”
Tol’s hands and fingers flew. “He says the goblins came in under concealment, do you think some could’ve stuck around?” Donin translated.
“I don’t know,” McAriicoys told them. “But that would certainly explain my jumpiness. I’ve never once had my instincts betray me, not in almost a thousand years and I don’t see why they’d start now.”
Tol’s hands moved. “It’s something to think about. If there were goblins lurking around following you yesterday, what did they learn?”
McAriicoys looked grim. “Who knows what could’ve been picked up just by wandering around? Let’s hope not much, some gossip maybe. It’ll be up to you and the others, to find that out. As far as following me, well the only things I did yesterday were talk to you guys, and I spoke with Pentooli about the new security measures.”
“That’s not good,” Donin muttered.
“It’s not necessarily bad either,” McAriicoys thought for a minute. “We’ll have to effect some more changes that’s all. I’m going to speak with Pentooli right now for a status report; I can mention these possibilities to her and get her opinion. For now you two know your mission. I want you to get to it. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Donin spoke and Tol nodded.
“Good. Dismissed!”
McAriicoys left the two men to finish their preparations, confident they would leave immediately, and went to find Pentooli. He was a little perturbed at the idea that a couple of goblins might have stayed behind to spy on them. Another detail they had shortsightedly failed to consider, it was entirely possible and more than a little probable. It even made sense they would not have stuck around after learning about the new sensor array, explaining why everything felt normal today.
This morning McAriicoys found Pentooli in her barracks. It appeared as if she was just getting ready to leave.
“Morning, Mac,” she greeted with a salute.
“Good morning, Pen. Going somewhere?”
“I was just getting ready for breakfast. I’ve been up since daybreak working on those sensor mods you wanted. Would you care to join me? Or are you too busy this morning, also?”
“Not at all, actually there’s a small matter that I need to discuss with you.” McAriicoys smile concealed his nervousness. What was it about this woman?
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Don’t worry I don’t think it’s anything major, if we take care of it now, otherwise it could be. Anyway let’s get breakfast. I haven’t eaten yet and I’ll tell you then.”
The two soldiers made their way to the dining hall and found a small table somewhat away from the others. McAriicoys picked it out. He did not want to needlessly alert any of the nearby soldiers with tales of lurking goblins sneaking around camp. It was entirely possible he was being paranoid, but better safe than sorry.
He waved over a soldier and ordered him to fetch breakfast for Pentooli and himself. Being a ranking officer did have its perks. Normally he would stand in line with all the rest but today he didn’t want to waste any time, what he had to say to Pentooli was potentially too important. He wanted her to be able to act on the information as quickly as possible.
While they were waiting for their food McAriicoys proceeded to tell Pentooli everything that had happened since he had left her the day before, even how he had embarrassingly ducked into a closet, he told her all about the feelings he had been having, the briefing of the New York team, and how he kept Tol and Donin behind. He told her of his discussion with those two this morning and of the theories they presented. When he was done he sat back, their food had arrived and was growing cold on the table before them.
“Well, I don’t think any of this should prove to be a problem. At least from a home security standpoint,” Pentooli told him. “Everything that we’ve implemented is pretty standard defense. Everything else we talked about is standard stuff, also. The team that got in here was probably expecting to encounter it and considered themselves lucky when they didn’t. The only thing out of the ordinary will be some of the offensive systems that I’ve been customizing from scratch and we didn’t say a word about those. But if you’re worried I could slip in some of the less conventional fail safes.” She grinned wickedly.
McAriicoys felt his legs go a bit rubbery at that smile but retained his composure. “Excellent. I was having some of those same thoughts but wanted to run everything by you just in case I had missed something.”
“I wouldn’t worry Mac, everything’s under control. We’ll have plenty of warning the next time the bastards try to sneak in.”
“Good. I never doubted it for a second. I’ve got full confidence in your expertise Pen, that’s why I came to you in the first place.” And with business settled McAriicoys dug into his breakfast. Pentooli sensed that they were done and followed suit.

*****

Donin and Tol made good time in catching up with the others.
McIntovov, Hardim, and Stick were sitting beside a small fire sipping coffee. Stanfvorf was a little further off relieving himself behind a tree when he heard Hardim swear. He turned just in time to see Hardim’s coffee cup hit the ground and the other two men go flying into the air. There was a shimmer of rainbow luminescence and all of a sudden Donin was standing in front of him with his rifle aimed at his chest.
“Bang,” Donin said quietly.
The other three men were reaching for their weapons when the form of Tol shimmered into view, his whole body shaking with silent laughter.
“You dead head mothers!” Stick jumped up and punched Tol in the chest. The mute paid him little attention and continued to laugh.
McIntovov picked up the coffee cups and refilled them, handing one each to Donin and Tol. “About time you two got here,” he said gruffly.
“What took you so long?” Hardim interjected.
Donin had dropped his pack and taken a seat around the fire. Keeping his rifle close at hand he shrugged. “How’d you figger we’d show?” he asked.
Stanfvorf looked at him in disgust. “Do you have to ask?”
Tol, still laughing, made some quick signs. “It was obvious to you also?” The five companions all understood his signs. The language he used was actually a more sophisticated system based on the hand signals the spies had developed for use in the field.
“Of course,” Stanfvorf said. “We all knew you were meant to come with us. We could tell that something had McAriicoys spooked and he changed his mind about telling us at the last minute, why?”
Donin went into detail, filling the other men in about McAriicoys suspicions.
“Now why didn’t I think of that?” Stanfvorf shook his head after Donin finished.
“It makes sense,” McIntovov grunted.
“Yeah, great,” Hardim enthused sarcastically. “So Harmony knows we’re coming. We’re walking into a trap.”
“We’ll have to build our plans based on that assumption, yes,” Stanfvorf stated matter-of-factly. “But that just might work in our favor. Harmony doesn’t know about Tol and Donin. Even if he suspects them he won’t be certain and that gives me an idea.” So as the team ate, and still later, until well after the fire had burned low and they were all ready for bed, they discussed various plans and hammered out the strategies they would employ in their infiltration of Harmony’s capital of evil.

The reconnaissance team made its way across the country to the outskirts of the city in a surprisingly short time and their progress was quickly made easier. One morning as everyone was getting up a battered old station wagon rolled up to their camp with Hardim behind the wheel wearing an ear to ear grin. When they first made their way to Earth none of the mercenaries had any experience with these types of vehicles but all of them had picked up plenty of experience in the decades since.
The mercenary spies were ecstatic at not having to walk any longer and eagerly piled into the ancient automobile. Tol and Donin resumed their concealment and while they joined their