Lean on Me (37 page)

“
Cliff?” Alex asked. “Music
for our short journey?”

Cliff nodded. Soon they were listening to
the introduction of “Road to nowhere” by the Talking Heads. Alex
lay back on her litter and sang along.

FFF

Thirty minutes later

Wednesday morning

November 4 – 4:27 a.m. AST

Over the Indian Ocean

“
Are we ready?” Alex asked
and lay back on her litter. The Pave Hawk was safely parked on an
aircraft carrier ten miles away from the action. Alex watched the
feed from two protector drone boats, one on either side of the
pirate ship, and the satellite on a laptop. The small drone boats
provided heat and radar information which gave her a window into
the interior of the ship.

“
Intelligence ready,” Raz
said over the feed. “Awaiting orders.”

“
Joseph?”

“
Team ready,” Joseph said.
“Awaiting orders.”

“
Sergeant?”

“
Awaiting orders,” Sergeant
Dusty said.

“
Captain Hutchins?” Alex
asked.

“
In position,” Vince said
from a Zodiac one mile east of the pirate ship. He was leading four
Navy SEALs to secure the pirate ship. “Men?”

“
Yes sir,” the four Navy
SEALs he’d selected for the mission called. The rest of the SEALs
waited in a similar dinghy five miles away.

“
Awaiting orders,” Vince
said.

“
Captain Hutchins, you are
a go,” Alex said.

Vince and two SEALs slipped into the water.
The other two SEALs waited in the Zodiac. Vince and the SEALs
sliced through the water with quick, graceful ease.

“
In range,” Raz
said.

Vince rolled onto his back. One of the SEALs
removed a heavy waterproof pouch from the second SEAL’s waterproof
backpack. The sailor swam the pouch to Vince. With the SEAL’s help,
Vince removed a metal box with an antenna from the pouch and set it
on his stomach. He signaled to the protector drone boat that he was
ready.

“
Go,” Alex said.

Vince pressed a button on the metal box.

“
We have detonation,” Raz
said. “Joseph?”

“
Every device detonated,”
Joseph said. “Confirming detonation.”

Vince looked at the drone boat for
orders.

“
Retreat to Zodiac,” Alex
said.

Vince gave a hand signal and they swam to
the Zodiac. The men in the Zodiac pulled them into the boat. From
the feed, Alex watched people on the ship stumble and fall.

“
Mission is a go,” Joseph
said.

“
Go,” Alex said.

Vince and the SEALs rowed to the pirate
ship. With his body pressed against the hull Vince climbed up the
ladder. A Navy SEAL followed him. The other SEALs rowed the dinghy
around to the other side of the ship where they climbed the ladder.
Vince lifted his camera from his helmet to give them a view of the
ship’s deck. After a few minutes, the doors to the interior of the
ship banged open and a few pirates stumbled from the interior of
the ship. Smoke wafted out of the door. The men guarding the deck
sounded the general alarm.

Vince and the SEALs clung to the ladders out
of the pirates sight and waited for their orders.

“
Captain Jakkman,” Alex
ordered.

The Pave Hawk rose off the deck of the
aircraft carrier. The helicopter flew fast across the Indian Ocean
until it was hovering over the pirate ship. The pirates on deck
shot at the helicopter.

“
Go,” Alex said.

Vince hopped over the side of the ship onto
deck. The SEALs followed him. Sergeant Beetle and Trece jumped from
the helicopter to join the battle. MJ helped Alex up so that she
could watch. From the helicopter, MJ engaged in a firefight with
the pirates guarding the ship. Between Vince’s team and Sergeant
Beetle and Trece, they easily subdued the ten pirates who’d escaped
from the interior of the ship. Vince left two SEALs to secure the
subdued pirates.

With Sergeant Beetle, Trece, and the SEALs,
Vince went after the pirates guarding the ship. Trece chased a
pirate to the end of the ship where he was ready to jump. The
bodybuilder lifted the pirate over head. With the pirate screaming
bloody murder, Trece carried him to the rest of the detained
pirates. Sergeant Beetle engaged in a firefight with two pirates on
the bridge of the ship. Zack ended the fight by firing a rocket
into the ship’s bridge. The SEALs made easy work of the rest of the
conscious pirates. When the pirates on deck were subdued, Alex
called the rest of the SEALs. Using outboard motors, they arrived
in no time. The men ferried duffle bags of gear onto the deck.

“
Do you have any movement?”
Vince asked.

“
No,” Raz’s voice came from
her laptop.

“
Negative,” Alex
said.

“
We will go through the
entire ship,” Vince said.

“
Captain Hutchins your feed
is pointed down,” Sergeant Dusty said.

Vince adjusted his video camera and
instructed the SEALs to check theirs. Sergeant Dusty went man to
man adjusting their feed. Because the team wasn’t there and Alex
was ill, the video feed was vital to the operation.

“
Ready,” Sergeant Dusty
said. “Sir?”

“
Loud and clear,” Alex
said.

“
Confirming order not to
open the pirate Captain’s quarters?”

“
Affirm,” Alex
said.

“
Willco,” Vince said. “And
the hull?”

“
Take a look, but do not
engage the hostages,” Alex said. “The gas should have knocked them
out too. If they’ve endured what I think they have, I’d rather they
remain asleep.”

“
Roger,” Vince
said.

“
Gear up,” Alex
said.

Vince and his team took gas masks from the
SEALs. They checked and reloaded their weapons. Zack landed the
helicopter and Trece and Sergeant Beetle returned.

“
Ready for action,” Vince
said. “Clear.”

“
Clear,” Alex
said.

The men put on their gas masked and Vince
and the team of Navy SEALs entered the dark, smoke-filled ship. The
only noise was the ship mechanics and the men’s feet on the deck.
They moved quickly through the gas cloud, stopping only to check
rooms or secure pirates in place. Everyone within the ship had been
sedated by the gas. The men moved fast as they efficiently secured
every pirate. They checked every foot of the ship before standing
outside the hull where Alex believed the hostages were being
held.

“
We are at the hull,” Vince
said.

“
Copy that,” Alex said.
“Proceed.”

Vince opened the door. His video feed spoke
of the horror inside. The US Navy SEALs hostages had been
brutalized. Every thin, crumpled body was tattooed by broken bones,
burns, bruises, and seeping wounds. The walls were painted with
blood splatter. The decking was worse. Vince stepped around blood,
pus, dark smears of diarrhea and vomit. Knocked out by the gas,
they lay in puddles of their own waste. The SEALs from Norfolk
vomited at the sight of the hostages.

“
Send your men deckside,”
Alex called. “Retreat. This is Fey work.”

“
Roger,” Vince
said.

He ordered the SEALs out of the room. He
went hostage to hostage to confirm their identities and health
status.

“
Did you get that?” Vince
asked.

“
MJ?” Alex asked. MJ nodded
and continued looking through his supplies. “Affirm.
Retreat.”

“
Roger,” Vince said.
“Clear.”

“
Clear,” Alex
said.

Vince jogged through the ship. When he was
on deck, he waved. Zack easily landed the helicopter.

“
Report,” Alex
said.

“
They are in bad shape,”
Vince said.

“
Get me there,” Alex
ordered Trece. “Vince, get your men to set up the fans to air out
the ship. MJ, with me. Sergeant Beetle, can you do this? You saw
what happened to the other men.”

“
Yes sir,” Sergeant Beetle
said. “Bill and I have been in worse situations.”

“
Do you have a gas mask for
Bill?”

“
Of course,” Sergeant
Beetle said.

“
I need you to secure the
dogs,” Alex said. “Did you see them on the feed?”

“
Seven sir,” Sergeant
Beetle said. “I will need help moving them to their
crates.”

“
Let Captain Hutchins know
what you need,” Alex said. “When you’re done, I’d like Bill to
assist in guarding the pirate Captain’s chambers – no one in, no
one out. Can he do that by himself?”

“
Of course,” Sergeant
Beetle said.

“
When you’ve secured the
Captain, come to the hold to assist MJ,” Alex said. “MJ has a TBI
and loses the capacity to speak while he’s working.”

“
Sergeant Scully informed
me on the chopper,” Sergeant Beetle said. “I’m honored to assist
him. I will meet you in the hull.”

Sergeant Beetle saluted. He put on Bill’s
gas mask then his own and ran into the ship.

“
Vince, you have the com
and the deck,” Alex said.

“
Yes sir,” Vince said.
“Would you like my video feed?”

“
We’re so fancy I have my
own Fey feed,” Alex said.

Vince smiled.

“
Zack, I need you to ferry
the injured,” Alex said. “Cliff, did you find the
Comfort
?”

“
Yes sir,” Cliff said.
“They are awaiting our delivery.”

“
Perfect,” Alex said. “But
Zack?”

“
On my life, I will come to
get you,” Zack said.

“
Thanks,” Alex
said.

“
MJ?”

MJ injected her with pain medication.

“
This will hold
for?”

“
Thirty minutes tops,” MJ
said. “Sir, I have to protest, you’re…”

“
Do you see anyone else
here who can assess these men?” Alex whispered. “Who has experience
with hostages? Is a little pain really worth forfeiting these men’s
lives or mental health?”

“
Point taken,” MJ
said.

“
Trece, can you carry a
backpack too?” Alex said. “It has duplicate supplies. From the
feed, we’re going to need them.”

“
Easy.” Trece put on the
backpack and his gas mask. Alex put on her gas mask and he put her
hip on his shoulder. Alex held onto his waist to keep from bumping
around.

“
Go,” Alex
ordered.

F

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

They left the helicopter and entered the
ship.

“
I love this view,” Raz
said.

“
Stop looking at my ass,
Rasmussen,” Trece said. “I know I’m hot and you’re not, but this is
not the time for sexy games.”

Raz laughed. The SEALs ran by them with fans
to air out the ship. They reached the pirate Captain’s quarters and
MJ went inside.

“
He’s not alone,” MJ said.
“They seem to have been busy when we set off the gas.”

“
Vince?” Alex
asked.

“
Roger that,” Vince said.
“Men on their way to you.”

They waited until the men arrived to take
the woman from the room before returning to the room. MJ injected
the pirate Captain with enough anesthetic to keep him quiet while
they rescued the hostages. They left him sprawled out on his bed
with a Navy SEAL to guard the door.

They continued through the ship until they
reached the hull. Alex patted Trece’s butt and he let her down. She
grunted with pain when she landed on her feet.

“
You have each seen what’s
in this room?” Alex asked.

Trece and MJ nodded.

“
The most important thing
for these men’s recovery is that we treat them like human beings,”
Alex said. “It’s horrible to see another human in this shape, but
you’d be amazed at how quickly the body heals. The mind heals much
more slowly. When you’re with these men, imagine you are with a
tiny baby. When someone is injured like this, their minds are that
of the smallest child.”

Trece and MJ nodded.

“
Are you able to fulfill
your mission?” Alex asked.

“
Yes sir,” Trece and MJ
called.

“
Can we get to work now?”
MJ asked.

“
Trece with me,” Alex said.
“MJ? We will follow your lead.”

“
Yes sir.”

Trece flipped open the door to the room.
Without hesitation, MJ ran from man to man. They waited on the edge
of the room until he reported back.

“
Sir, we have three, maybe
four men who may not survive a trip to the
Comfort
. The others… aren’t much
better,” MJ said. “The pirates did this to these men?”

Alex nodded.

“
Permission to get to work
sir,” MJ said.

“
Granted,” Alex said. MJ
ran across the room to a man whose crumpled body had been dumped in
a corner. “Vince, we need twelve gas masks with full tanks for the
men.”

“
Affirming they are on
their way,” Vince said.

“
I need to speak to the
NAS,” Alex said.