Page 23 of The Fixer
Lyndsey stood in the center of the cabin, watching as Jake and Reyna meticulously went over their plan. The air was heavy, every word they exchanged charged with the risk they were about to take. Jake’s brow was furrowed, his usual calm veneer cracking slightly.
“Okay,” Reyna said, circling the map they’d pinned to the table. “We’ve got entry points, escape routes, and timing down to the second. The only real problem is…” She paused, glancing at Jake.
“No backup,” he finished, his tone grim. “We’re going in blind with no one on the outside to monitor the situation.”
Lyndsey frowned, stepping closer. “Isn’t that… I don’t know, kind of critical?”
Jake nodded. “It is. Normally, we’d have a team in a secure location running comms, tracking movements, keeping an eye on the bigger picture.”
“But we don’t have that luxury,” Reyna added, crossing her arms. “Cerberus is spread too thin right now, and we’re on our own.”
Their words settled over Lyndsey like a heavy blanket. She hated feeling useless, like a bystander in a situation that had completely upended her life. Her mind raced, searching for a solution. Then, it hit her.
“What if I did it?” she said, her voice steady despite the nervous energy buzzing through her.
Jake and Reyna both looked at her, surprise flashing across their faces. “No,” Jake stated his voice emphatic.
“Why not?” asked Reyna.
Before Reyna could continue, Lyndsey stepped closer, her eyes locking onto Jake’s. “I have the skills. I can run comms, monitor movements, track you both in real-time. It’s not much different from coordinating a lab team or running simulations.”
Reyna let out a low whistle, a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Gotta say, Doc, you’ve got guts. But we’d need a secure location for you to work from.”
“And the right equipment,” Jake added, skepticism clear in his tone.
Reyna’s grin widened. “Good thing I’ve got a tricked-out van parked not too far from here. It’s got everything we need—monitors, comms, the works. Not quite Cerberus-grade, but it’ll get the job done.”
Jake’s frown deepened. “You’ve had a van this whole time?”
Reyna shrugged. “Didn’t seem relevant until now.”
Lyndsey ignored their bickering, her focus sharp. “If I’m going to do this, I need to know exactly what to look for. Movement patterns, audio cues, anything that might give you an edge.”
Jake turned to her, his expression unreadable. “I don’t know about this. Involving the client in an op doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
“The doc is smart and like she said, it’s kind of what she does, anyway.” Reyna turned back to Lyndsey. “You think you can do this?”
“Yes,” she said firmly. “I can’t just sit here and wait anymore. If there’s something I can do to help, I’m doing it.”
Reyna clapped her hands together. “All right then, Doc. Welcome to the team.”
Jake looked like he wanted to argue, but after a moment, he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. But you stay in the van. No exceptions. If anything feels off, you call it in, and we pull out. Got it?”
“Got it,” Lyndsey said, meeting his gaze head-on.
The three of them spent the next hour preparing. Reyna drove the van around to the cabin, and Lyndsey was impressed by the sheer amount of tech crammed inside. Monitors covered one wall, displaying feeds from various cameras, while a console in the center housed the comms equipment.
“This is incredible,” Lyndsey said, running her fingers over the sleek controls.
Reyna grinned. “Built it myself. Pretty badass, huh?”
Lyndsey nodded, her nerves momentarily forgotten. “Very.”
Jake stepped into the van, his presence filling the small space. “All right, let’s run through it again. Reyna and I will infiltrate the building. Lyndsey, you’ll monitor from here. If you see anything—anything at all—you call it in immediately.”
“Understood,” Lyndsey said, her voice steady.
As they finalized their plan, the stakes felt higher than ever. The danger wasn’t just theoretical anymore—it was tangible, pressing down on them with every passing second. Jake’s eyes lingered on Lyndsey as she adjusted the comms headset, his jaw tightening.