Corps Justice Boxed Set: Books 1-3: Back to War, Council of Patriots, Prime Asset (25 page)

My time of redemption
nears
.

+ + +

The SSI inner circle gathered in the secure
conference room down the hall from where Cal and Travis had just
been. Each member walked in quietly and waited for the information.
This was not their first emergency session.

Travis took a seat at the head of the table
and the rest arrayed themselves close by. Cal stayed standing as he
continued to pace the length of the room.

TRAVIS
:
Cal, why don’t you give everyone a quick rundown of the
conversation you had with West?

Cal did in a tone that suggested his mind
was already searching for possibilities.

TRAVIS
: OK.
We’ve got about four hours until Cal needs to be there. The good
news is that as smart as West is, he has no clue that Cal’s got SSI
assets behind him. Anyone have any questions or
comments?

TODD
: I
think we need a few teams to infiltrate into the area right now. We
can take them in low with the two helos we have on site and drop
them in about a mile away. Hell, there’s so much farmland out there
the launch will be easy. After landing the teams, the helos can
take up station and give us some video using their infrared
cameras. We should be able to get a damn good idea of who’s with
him and the layout of the place.

TRAVIS
: OK,
get it done.

Dunn grabbed his phone, slipped to the
corner, and made the call give clipped, whispered commands.

TRAVIS
:
What else?

NEIL
: I’ll
make sure all the teams have multiple drones at their disposal.
They’ll each be rigged with non-lethal darts. Might help take out
some of West’s friends.

Travis nodded and pointed to Dunn.

TRAVIS
: Go
talk to Todd and make sure those guys don’t leave without getting
as many of your toys as possible. I mean it, Neil. Anything they
need.

NEIL
: Got
it.

Neil got out of his seat and headed over to
chat with Dunn.

TRAVIS
:
Who’s next?

DR. HIGGINS
: I know I’m asking the obvious, but have any of you cowboys
thought about how young Calvin is going to get out
alive?

CAL
: I’m
not worried about that, Doc.

DR. HIGGINS
: I know how you feel. You will, however, be going in unarmed
into the lion’s den, as they say.

TRAVIS
:
Doctor Higgins is right, Cal. It won’t do anyone any good if West
gets his hands on you.

CAL
: I
don’t care about me right now. I need to get them out of there. If
that means I go in alone, then I’ll go in alone.

TRAVIS
: I
know you’re upset, cuz, but you need to take a step back on this
one. If you don’t, you’ll be playing right into his
hand.

Neil stepped back into his spot and snapped
his fingers.

NEIL
:
Dammit!

TRAVIS
:
What?

NEIL
: I
can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. I’ve got a couple of
things that might be able to help Cal out.

TRAVIS
: You
want to elaborate, Mr. Wizard?

NEIL
: Let
me run down to the Bat Cave and grab a few more toys. It’ll be
easier to show you than to explain. I’ll meet you guys
outside.

He ran out of the room with an excited,
almost childlike, grin on his face.

TRAVIS
(shaking his head): I don’t know sometimes with him. Okay, so
who else has a brilliant idea? Marge, you got anything?

Haines thought for a second before she
answered.

HAINES
:
Clearly, you guys have the operational stuff taken care of. I’m
just trying to think of the aftermath. Anyone give a thought to
what we do with the any bad guys you might capture or, worst case,
kill?

CAL
: We
take out anyone we need to. I’ll deal with the consequences
later.

HAINES
: I
know you’re upset but that’s not how we run around here, Cal. We
HAVE to think about the next step. For instance, if we do take
prisoners, what do you do with them? Especially if they’ve seen
your face. We have to make absolutely sure that S.S.I. is not
linked to the rescue.

CAL
: Sorry,
you’re right. So how do you guys usually do it?

TRAVIS
: If
it’s something overt like this we usually wear masks or face paint
at least. It really depends on the situation. It’ll be hard for you
to do that. So the question again is, what do we do with West and
his henchmen?

CAL
: I know
I’m the most amped up about this, but what if, worst case, we just
kill them all? I’m not a murderer or anything but these guys asked
for it, right?

TRAVIS
:
True. But then you’ve still have to think about the aftermath.
Disposing the bodies is no big deal. Jess’s parents are another
problem. We can’t have them blabbing about this team of guys
dressed in black coming to save the day.

CAL
: I
thought Frank and Dad were good friends. Doesn’t he know some of
what we do?

TRAVIS
:
Sure, but not at this level. I guess we just have to be careful
about how much we expose them to.

HAINES
: I
agree. The less they know, the better. If it ever comes to sitting
on the witness stand, I want them to have plausible deniability.
They need to be able to say they didn’t see anything and don’t know
anything.

TODD
(looking up from his phone): Hey, Trav. We’ve got the two
helos warming up and we’ve got six two-man teams getting ready.
I’ve got ‘em suiting up in black with suppressed weapons and
non-lethals. Along with night vision and Neil’s toys, they should
be good. Anything else?

TRAVIS
:
Nope. That sounds perfect. Tell them we’ll meet them at the helos
in ten minutes.

Dunn nodded and continued to relay his
orders through his cell.

TRAVIS
:
Alright, let’s all go grab whatever gear we’ll need and meet back
up outside.

Everyone left the room knowing it was going
to be a long night.

T
he
assault teams and supporting staff met ten minutes later at the PT
field that doubled as an expedient landing zone. Andy and Brian
Ramirez were both suited up in identical black utilities. MSgt
Willy Trent stood nearby talking with Dr. Higgins and Haines. Todd
Dunn was giving the assembled troops their final orders and Travis
listened and chimed in periodically.

Neil wandered around the pairs of assault
men handing out his goodies. Each pair nodded as they were handed
their gift bags. They all knew Neil well and always liked getting
to try out his array of new gadgets. These were all highly skilled
operators with extensive real world experience. Warriors, one and
all.

Cal walked around the group not really
knowing where to fit in. He was a key part of the operation, but he
still felt disconnected. Everyone else knew their part and none had
hesitated to come to his aid. It was in that moment, as he observed
the silent preparation of each man, that he finally felt at home. A
feeling of peace wrapped itself like a blanket around his body and
mind. The clarity of battle suddenly enveloped him. He knew what he
had to do.

He stepped up to men that would put
themselves in harm’s way and ask for everyone’s attention.

CAL
: I
wanted to say a couple words before we step off. First, although I
think I know the answer, any man that feels uncomfortable with the
upcoming mission and the possible repercussions can leave right
now.

He looked around at the gathered men and
none stirred. No one moved a muscle until someone chuckled. It was
Travis. Then the laughs spread to the assault teams.

CAL
: Didn’t
anyone ever tell you not to volunteer for anything?

The snickers changed to outright guffaws as
a smile spread across Cal’s face. One of the men in the back row
shouted.

TROOP
: We
don’t have a choice, Staff Sergeant. You sign our
paychecks!

Cal laughed. It was good to be with his
family again. Another man in the front row joined in the
ribbing.

TROOP #2
(pointing at Travis): Shit, I didn’t volunteer. The recruiter
screwed me.

Cal held his hand up for silence.

CAL
: As
long as we understand each other, I just wanted to say thanks. I
feel like I’m back with my Marines.

TROOP #3
:
Semper Fi, Staff Sergeant!

TROOP #4
:
Ooh-rah, Staff Sergeant!

Followed by a din of barks and backslapping,
the men lined up to shake Cal’s hand. He somehow held in his
emotions of gratitude and he looked each man in the eye as they all
quickly shook his hand and boarded their respective
helicopters.

As the last man boarded, the pilots of each
helo looked to Cal, saluted and lifted off.

Travis walked up behind Cal and put a hand
on his cousin’s shoulder.

TRAVIS
:
Well I guess I know what your answer is.

CAL
: Yeah.
I’m in.

+ + +

It would be a short twenty-minute car ride
out to the location West held his captives. It gave them a chance
to finalize their strategy.

They had devised a plan that would both keep
things simple and maximize their chances of success. Cal would
drive MSgt Trent’s truck to the rendezvous point while the others
(Travis, Dunn, Brian, Neil, Andy and MSgt Trent) would board one of
the returning helos and fly to a nearby loitering area. It would
allow them to monitor the situation and provide almost immediate
support if needed.

Neil explained his new gadget to Cal and the
others as he helped him put it on.

NEIL
: Just
remember, since this is a prototype you’ll only get one shot with
it. It doesn’t have the ability to recharge yet.

CAL
: Got
it. One helluva way to field-test it.

NEIL
: Yeah.
You’ll owe me a full debriefing when you get back.

Patel paused as he suddenly realized there
was a high probability that Cal would not return.

CAL
(cheerfully): No problem. I can’t wait to use it.

He’d seen the change in Neil’s demeanor and
wanted to diffuse the sudden tension. Patel relaxed and slapped on
his quirky smile once again.

CAL
: You’re
a genius, brother.

MSGT
TRENT
: I’d really like to see the look
on West’s face when you use it.

CAL
: To
rehash really quickly: once I get eyes on Frank and Janet, I give
you guys the signal and you send the teams in. I’ll take care of
West.

TRAVIS
:
Yeah. Just remember to keep your head down when our boys come
crashing in. I told Dunn not to use flash bangs so you should be
good there. With any luck, those Baby Birds will take out a few bad
guys. Hey, Neil, you got the helo cams up yet?

Neil had resumed his position in front of
the numerous computer screens.

NEIL
:
Almost there. They just called in to say the insertions were
successful.

CAL
: Can
you patch that through your speakers?

NEIL
: Just
a sec. Got it.

The small group looked over Neil’s shoulder
to see the live stream from the two helicopters. They’d positioned
themselves at a distance and altitude that wouldn’t allow their
locations to be heard from the farm held by West and his crew.

HELO #2
:
Spartan six, this is Spartan Mobile Two.

TRAVIS
: Go
ahead, Mobile Two.

HELO #2
:
Roger, how does my video feed look, over?

TRAVIS
:
Clear and pretty, Mobile Two.

HELO #2
:
Roger, zooming in for a closer look.