Chapter 18

The flight was long and boring, but at least Jo was able to use her IAC the further away from home they got. Rather than spending her time chatting with other team members who had also rediscovered the wondrous device that was the IAC, she spent her time looking through the archives, trying to get a sense of what tools she would be working with, what sort of strategies might work given the terrain and the obstacles they’d face in locating Holland and bringing her in, and researching the teammates she wasn’t familiar with. She slept a little, only ate a few bites when they stopped for fuel, and probably said less than ten words to anyone else on the plane, so by the time they landed in Moscow, the plane waving around in the snowy breeze like a ribbon, she was exhausted and felt just as ill at ease as she had when she’d agreed to do this several hours before.
It didn’t seem like it should be snowing this time of year, even in Moscow, but it was. Rumors that the change in the socio-economic demands of the world’s new status quo had had an effect on even the weather came to mind, but Jo wasn’t sure that was the case. Perhaps it was just one of those unlucky coincidences that seemed to haunt her no matter where she went. Jo grabbed her backpack, slung it over her shoulder, and hopped out of the plane, ignoring the hand of the kid who’d apparently been sent out to service the aircraft.
Snow blew around her feet in swirls, but Jo didn’t feel the cold. She’d lost any sensitivity to the weather long ago, when she’d first Transformed. They would still wear coats in order to blend in with everyone else, but right now, wearing the black leather jacket her mom had given her years ago, one that had belonged to Cadence before Jo and Cadon were even born, she didn’t feel the whipping wind or the chill that left the humans around them hunkering down and moving quickly to unload the luggage and get the plane taken care of.
They’d packed light, nothing that couldn’t be carried on their backs, other than the weapons that were in the suitcases the baggage handlers unwittingly set on the asphalt. Brandon and Zane snatched up the bigger bags, leaving Cassidy to grab the smaller two. Realizing she was being rude, Jo wandered over, intending to help, but her aunt waved her off.
The pilot came around and asked Brandon if they were all set. He answered with a nod, and Jo tried not to be offended that she hadn’t been asked since, apparently, she was in charge. She knew she couldn’t have it both ways, though, be angry to be the leader and offended when someone else was addressed, so she let it go. Brandon was the oldest of the four of them, while she was the youngest, and he probably looked a lot more authoritative than she did. As a matter of fact, she probably looked like a scrawny kid who had begged to tag along with her older family members. It would be difficult to get anyone to take her seriously. Perhaps her father had messed up this time after all, and someone else should be leading this.
“All right, bosslady, where to?” Brandon asked, once the pilots were squared away. “Where’s the vehicle?”
A memory of Brandon’s dad calling her own mother the same thing jabbed Jo in the heart. She pushed the pain and the memory aside and looked around. There was supposed to be a black SUV waiting for them.
“Over there,” Cassidy said, pointing with her head because her hands were full. Jo noticed she rolled her eyes as she started walking.
Without a word, Jo headed that direction. Maybe her aunt thought she should’ve been scouting out the car while the others were getting the bags. She would’ve been right. At any rate, they made the long trek over to the waiting vehicle.
Cassidy had the back open before they reached the SUV, and the weapons were carefully set inside. Jo remembered she’d received a map a few hours ago from the Russian team, so she pulled it up on her IAC and sent it to the rest of the team members. It looked like it would be a couple of hours drive to the secluded cabin where they were to rendezvous.
“Who’s driving?” Jo asked, once the weapons were secured. They all looked at each other, and Jo felt ridiculous for not just assigning someone the task, but who would be the best choice left her debating herself for far too long as Cass’s eyes rolled to the back of her head again, and Brandon volunteered to take the wheel.
“You’re navigating,” Cass told her with a glare, and Jo nodded, realizing that meant her aunt thought she should sit up front. She went to the passenger side and got in, wondering exactly what sort of vehicle this even was. It was an older model, stripped of most of its identifying markings. Inside, she found cheap vinyl seats and none of the bells and whistles the LIGHTS team in the US had grown used to, back in the day, but it would work.
Brandon got behind the wheel and waited for Cass to get in behind him, looking at his wife in the rearview mirror. She cleared her throat, and the vehicle started. Jo wondered what they would’ve done if they’d actually needed a key but figured it would’ve just been left with the airport workers, although these days, you couldn’t trust anyone. With Zane sitting behind her, Brandon headed toward the exit, and she studied the map.
The landscape outside of her window was startling. Everywhere she looked, there was evidence of a strong military presence. No one walked down the street, hardly any civilian cars passed them, bars on the windows of every building, and heavy iron sliders on the doors were signs that the Russian government had responded differently to the Vampire crises than either the US or Canadian leaders. Which was better--the ravaged streets of the majority of America--or the militarized desolation she saw out the window here, she wasn’t sure. How Canada had managed to keep the Vampires at bay and not strike fear in the hearts of all of the citizens was beyond Jo, but she didn’t like what she saw out the window. A cold, barren, wasteland where the only other people they saw were as heavily armed as they were, most in military uniforms.
A quick check of the glove compartment revealed the keys were there. At least they’d have them for later, if Cassidy should be in a different vehicle. She gave them to Brandon, and he slid the proper one into the ignition.
Brandon drove on, following her directions, and they wound their way out of town into a heavily wooded area. Jo was lost in thought, following the map, but paying more attention to the profiles of the people she was about to meet when she heard the other occupants of the car muttering curse words and looked up to see what appeared to be a military checkpoint ahead.
“What the hell?” Brandon exclaimed, looking around through the window like he might be able to spot an alternative to driving ahead toward the military vehicles and armed guards in front of them “Why is this out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“We’re approaching a village,” Jo said, trying to keep herself calm. “The military likes us here, though, right?”
“Sure, in theory,” Brandon replied, realizing he had no choice but to drive straight ahead unless he wanted to engage them in a high speed chase. Two motorcycles were at the ready, the riders seeming to dare anyone to turn back. There was only one other car in sight, and the guards were interrogating the driver pretty roughly, even making her show them her teeth.
“Relax,” Cass said, scooting forward onto the edge of her seat. “If I have to handle things, I will. We should be fine. You have your badges, right?”
“Yeah,” Brandon said, fumbling in an interior pocket of his leather jacket. Zane and Cass pulled theirs out pretty quickly as well as Jo tried to remember what she’d done with hers when her dad had given her the new one earlier that morning. It was the same information as the usual one, only written in Russian.
“Jo?” Cass said, gaining her attention. She reached into her pockets, felt around, and finally found it in the back pocket of her jeans just as Brandon pulled forward, the other car allowed to head on down the road.
The Guardian rolled his window down, and Jo held in a breath, praying this went well. She didn’t feel like killing any humans at the moment, but if that’s what it took to get to the rendezvous point, she’d do what she had to do.