by C. G. Cooper
Chapter 27
Battleship Mountain, Grand Teton Mountain Range, Wyoming
11:19am, September 28th
Ponder paced back and forth on the hardwood floor. The pieces were coming together, but he still had some concerns. Most importantly, he hadn’t heard from either Terrence Zheng or Jack Malone. His greedy mind hoped they were too busy to call because they were torpedoing SSI.
Ponder figured that it was impossible for a security contractor not to be into some kind of illegal activity. Hell, he’d skirted the law for years. Jack Malone knew how to find things and would be even more effective with the Zheng’s help.
Still, he couldn’t shake the thought that something was wrong. He moved to his laptop and checked the email account he shared with Zheng. Nothing. Next he scrolled through his other email accounts for word from Jack. Nothing again.
Ponder allowed himself to think about the worst case scenario. If the assholes at SSI had figured out not only his involvement, but also the actions of Zheng and Malone, his path was less certain. The thing he had to focus on was the money that would soon be in his bank accounts. He’d scatter the funds to the four corners of the globe through transfers he’d already arranged with his international brokers. Ponder would be paying some hefty fees, but it would be worth it. With his money safely stashed he could make a new home anywhere.
Cracking his knuckles, he imagined Trapper silently stalking his quarry. If he survived, fine. If not, there would be one less person to pay from his treasure chest. Ponder smiled despite his nerves. Maybe a new house in Costa Rica was just what he needed.
Chapter 28
Camp Spartan, Arrington, TN
12:35pm CST, September 28th
“Are they all gone?” Travis asked Dunn, who’d just stepped into his office.
“Yeah. The last SUV just rolled out with Agent Jack Malone hog-tied in the back.”
“Did you get everything squared away with the Bureau?”
Dunn nodded. “We shouldn’t have another audit for a while. They even apologized and thanked me for helping with Malone.”
“Good. Let’s get some more personnel out to Cal.”
“Isn’t the weather turning to shit out there, Skipper?”
Travis’s eyes went cold. “I don’t care. If they can’t fly onto that fucking mountain, get them as close as we can.”
“I’ll go with them and make sure it’s done.”
“I can’t spare you right now, Todd. We’ve got to…”
“I’m going, Skipper,” Dunn interrupted curtly.
Travis looked at his friend in surprise. He couldn’t remember the last time Dunn had put his foot down. The fact was he’d gotten used to having Dunn around. With his own time in the field effectively at an end, he’d kept his head of security with him. Although barely in their forties, but still fit enough to be in any Special Forces unit, they’d both become consumed with the day-to-day running of SSI. There were times Travis longed to be on the battlefield again. His position as CEO pretty much negated that option.
“I guess it would be wasted breath trying to persuade you to stay?”
“It would.”
“Why now?”
“Honestly?”
“Honestly,” Travis answered.
“Two reasons. First, it’s been a while since I’ve been out with the boys. No disrespect, Skipper, but sticking close to the office can wear on a guy.”
Travis smiled and motioned for Dunn to go on.
“Second, I’ve got a really bad feeling on this one. I think Cal’s gonna need every man he can get.”
“Then let’s get our things packed,” suggested Travis, already heading to the locker room.
“Wait…but you can’t go!”
Travis swiveled around and flashed Dunn a sly grin. “Why not? I’m the boss. I think you’re right. Cal needs every man we can spare.”
Dunn’s mouth was hanging open. He couldn’t order his boss to stay behind.
“But what about…?”
Travis stopped the question with a raised hand. “Come on, Todd. If things blow up in our face it’s not gonna be because I jumped on a plane to rescue my cousin.”
Dunn knew he was right. They were both warriors and felt compelled to run to the sound of battle.
“Okay. You let Haines know what we’re doing - she’s gonna shit by the way - and I’ll mobilize the men and book the flight.”
“Make sure you get the craziest SOB pilot you can find. We’ll need one to fly into that snowstorm.”
Dunn returned his boss’s smile and said, “I think I know just where to find one.”
+++
Thirty minutes later, Travis, Dunn and twenty four fully loaded SSI warriors climbed into three separate helicopters. They’d make the quick hop to Nashville International Airport and then catch a special flight out to Wyoming.
Travis put on a headset so he could talk to Dunn.
“Who are we meeting at the airport?”
Dunn smirked at the question. “It’s a little surprise, Skipper.”
“You know how much I hate surprises, Mr. Dunn.”
“I think you’ll like this one.”
With no explanation forthcoming, Travis turned back to his phone and texted Cal again. None of his previous attempts had gone through. Must be the weather out there.
The flight didn’t take long, and Travis peered out the window as they neared the airport. Instead of heading to the helicopter pad Travis was accustomed to, the pilot veered the aircraft to the south. He turned to Dunn.
“You want to tell me where the hell we’re going NOW?”
Dunn could see he’d maxed out his boss’s patience. “We’re getting a lift from the 118th Air Wing.”
“The Air National Guard?” Travis couldn’t remember ever having any interaction with the unit. Their base sat right next to Nashville’s airport.
“Yeah. I’ve got a buddy I served with in the Army. He left the Army and re-enlisted as a First Sergeant in the Air National Guard. I gave him a call and asked if they were looking to run any practice drops. He said yes and the deal was done.”
“Did you say practice drop?”
“Oh, yeah. Didn’t I mention that we’re gonna parachute in?” Dunn’s smile reminded Travis of a certain overly-chipper instructor he’d had at BUDS. The damn guy always seemed so cheery about making the SEAL candidates do anything dangerous.
“You’ve got to be shitting me, Todd.”
“Now why would I do that, Skipper?” Dunn asked innocently, the bright smile still plastered on his normally serious face.
+++
To expedite the process, the helicopters landed just yards from the waiting C-130 Hercules. Dunn’s friend made the quick introductions and had a crew waiting to help load gear.
“You sure this is just gonna be a one way trip, Todd?” the grizzled First Sergeant asked.
“That’s all we need. Thanks again for the last minute lift.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Your pilot, Captain Jeffries, is known as a little bit of a cowboy around here. In fact, his call sign is Cowboy. Might make for a fun ride.” He patted Todd on the back and moved to help his men finish loading the packs.
Dunn looked at his friend in confusion then stepped in line to board the aircraft. By the time he got onboard, Travis was chatting with the pilot. Capt. Jeffries looked to be about sixteen years old. Despite his youthful appearance, he sported a very blond and very waxed handlebar mustache. A pair of aviator sunglasses was perched on his head, and he leaned his small frame casually against the plane’s bulkhead.
Travis turned as Dunn approached. “Todd Dunn, meet Captain Jeffries.”
Jeffries smiled and shook Dunn’s hand firmly. “Call me Cowboy.” He pointed to the patch on his flight suit that sported his moniker.
“Good to meet you, sir,” Dunn offered carefully. He never knew how to handle these non-military-looking pilots. “Thanks for giving us a ride.”
“Not a probl
em, buddy. Thanks to you guys I won’t have to fly a thousand circles over Nashville today. Gets boring after the first two turns. Besides, I’ve always wanted to fly into a snowstorm. Should be fun!” Jeffries really did look like a kid on Christmas day when he smiled.
Travis was enjoying Dunn’s unease. He decided to push it a little farther. “Hey, Cowboy, I know Mr. Dunn was just dying to ask you about your mustache.”
Cowboy beamed and carefully stroked both ends of the impressive formation. “I know it’s not really within military regs, but my boss lets me keep it because of all the trips I take to Afghanistan. It wouldn’t be right if I crashed and got captured with my baby face. At least this way the terrorist that gets his hands on me might be impressed by my studly ‘stache and keep me in the land of the living.”
Dunn didn’t know how to respond. Travis just chuckled and moved to find a seat. It would be an interesting flight to Wyoming.
Episode 3
Chapter 29
Grand Teton Mountain Range, Wyoming
11:58am, September 28th
Visibility had turned to shit. In order to avoid being split up, Cal’s team had opted to close the gaps between men. It wasn’t the best tactical decision based on proper troop dispersion, but it was a practical call made out of necessity.
They’d just entered another gully that had only recently been a stream full of running water when an explosion knocked Cal from his feet. As he settled in the snow, he looked around. He could see a couple of the men struggling to get up and find cover. One man had a hand pressed to his bloody face. Where the hell did that explosion come from? Cal thought as he crawled over to a rock outcropping and made himself as small as possible. A minute later Gaucho was next to him, his white trouser leg covered in blood.
“You okay?” Cal asked, concerned.
“No problem, boss. Just a scratch.”
Gaucho had already applied a hasty bandage to the shrapnel wound.
“Have any idea where that came from?” Cal said as he tried in vain to see anything through the incessant snowfall.
“I’m pretty fucking sure nobody shot at us. I think it was a triggered IED.”
“Anybody hurt?”
“Just some minor cuts and bruises. We got lucky because of the snow, I think. I’ll bet that damn thing was on a delay or I would’ve been smoked. We’ve gotta get off this trail.”
Cal nodded. The terrain wouldn’t open up for a while. Staying on the narrow trail had been a gamble they’d just been called on. They were sitting ducks despite the snow cover. It would be easy for their enemy to rig traps all along the winding path. Taking to the higher trails would slow their journey considerably, but was necessary considering the alternative.
“Okay. Why don’t you run point on the left side of the canyon and I’ll take the right. As long as we keep going uphill and don’t shoot straight across the ravine, we should be all right.”
Gaucho didn’t look pleased with the idea of splitting his team further, but he trusted Cal’s judgment. The Marine was a formidable warrior in his own right and could handle himself.
“Just promise me one thing, boss.”
“What’s that?”
“Wait for me to catch up before you take out all the bad guys.”
Cal grinned and crawled off to find Daniel.
+++
Trapper peered through his thermal scope. He could only pick up faint blurs because of the blizzard, but he could see that his plan had worked. The small IED wasn’t meant to kill anyone, although the ruthless mercenary wouldn’t have minded. His goal was to get them to do exactly what they were now doing: separating.
Ponder’s second-in-command loved a challenge. Trapper knew that if his boss was with him he would’ve wanted the attackers killed quickly. “Kill those fuckers right now,” he would’ve said. That wasn’t Trapper’s style. He liked to take out enemies slowly and methodically.
Trapper loved the hunt almost as much as the final kill.
+++
Cal found Daniel and Lance behind a pile of fallen trees. The men were deep in conversation.
“What’s going on, Daniel?” Cal asked over the howling wind.
“Lance thinks the explosion was from his friend Trapper.”
“The guy that got away?”
Briggs nodded. “He’s some kind of tracker. Lance says he’s really good. Tell him, Lance.”
Lance looked at Cal uncertainly. “Yeah. Trapper likes the hunt. I think he was an MP in the Army. He gets off on seeing other people in pain.”
Cal didn’t know what to believe. While he trusted Daniel’s judgment regarding their prisoner, he couldn’t bring himself to believe in Trapper’s former partner. “So where do you think he is?”
Lance pointed up to the ridgeline. “Up there somewhere. He used to bring me over here to scope out the area and check on his hides. He liked to shadow hikers. Trapper said it kept his skills sharp.”
“Did you say he has hides up there?” Cal asked incredulously. “Why didn’t you tell us about that before?”
Lance looked to Daniel for support. Daniel answered for him, “I asked him the same thing, Cal. He figured Ponder would probably keep Trapper close to home. They don’t have a ton of guys to guard the place. I believe him.”
Cal knew it was a moot point. “You think you can show us where the hides are?”
Lance nodded. “It might be a little harder with the snow, but I’ve been here a few times, and I’m pretty good at land nav. I think I can find them.”
“Good. The three of us will go together. Daniel, go find Gaucho and tell him what we’re doing. I want to have a little talk with Lance.”
Daniel stared at Cal for an extended moment then left to brief Gaucho. Cal knew what Daniel’s look meant. Keep your temper in check, Cal.
Cal turned back to Lance. “I want to make sure we’re on the same page here, Lance.”
The blonde giant gazed back in confusion. “What…what do you mean, Mr. Stokes?” Lance had seen how the other men respected the young leader. He looked uncomfortable under the Marine’s scrutiny.
Cal’s eyes went cold. “I appreciate you helping us this far and not giving us any trouble. But I want to tell you that if you so much as think about betraying us, I will take care of you personally.”
Lance’s face turned serious. “Mr. Stokes, I know what you’re saying, but let me tell you something. You guys have treated me nothing but decent. I mean to repay that favor by helping you find Trapper and Mr. Ponder. I won’t let you down, sir.”
It wasn’t the reply Cal had expected. Up to this point, Lance hadn’t said a word to Cal.
“Okay. I’ll make you a deal. When we get out of this thing alive, I’ll put in a good word for you when you look for a new job.”
Lance knew it was more than he deserved. He was grateful for the chance. The disgraced former Marine knew that Ponder wouldn’t give him the same chance.
“Thank you, Mr. Stokes.” Lance reached out to shake Cal’s hand.
Cal grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. “Just one thing. Stop calling me Mr. Stokes. It’s Cal.”
+++
Five minutes later, Lance was leading the way up the steep slope. He’d told Cal and Daniel that Trapper had as many as twenty observation points in the area, but that of those, only two or three were in the immediate vicinity.
The rest of the team was fanning out in pairs, keeping as much dispersion as possible considering the heavy snowfall. Over Gaucho’s objections, Cal had ordered the rest of the men to proceed toward Ponder’s hideout. He knew they were running out of time. Daniel and Cal would take care of Trapper.
Chapter 30
Grand Teton Mountain Range, Wyoming
1:36pm, September 28th
“Have you heard from Cal? Everybody okay after that IED?” Brian Ramirez asked MSgt Trent as they both stopped for a quick sip of water. The going had gotten a lot tougher since they’d left the trail. They had to resort to taking quick breaks
both to recharge a bit and to check in with the other teams that were somewhere out in the invisible terrain. Their small radios were struggling to transmit in the storm.
“Last time I had a signal, they were breaking into smaller groups too. Cal said he and Briggs were gonna find that guy that escaped.”
“The guy with the nose?”
Trent nodded as he stuffed a whole Power Bar into his mouth. “Cal says the Upshaw kid might know where he is.”
“I don’t know if we should be trusting him.”
Trent just shrugged. “If Snake Eyes thinks he’s cool, that’s good enough for me. Besides, if Cal takes out Ponder’s number two guy, we’ll be doing a lot better than we are now, Doc.”
Brian had a hard time agreeing. From the start, the whole operation felt like they were three steps behind. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, least of all Cal’s, but Brian couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap.
After checking in with the rest of their team, Brian and Trent continued up the mountain.
+++
The first hide they found was empty. Lance told them that normally there was a stash of survival goods hidden in a small depression in the back of each small cave. They didn’t see any signs of recent passing.
Cal looked down at his watch. They were losing a lot of time looking for someone that might not even be there. “I think we need to split up. The next two hides aren’t too far apart. Maybe we can save some time if I take one and you and Lance take the other.”
By the look on his face, Daniel didn’t like the idea. “We’re already spread thin, Cal. It won’t take much longer for all three of us to check the other two hides. We might need all the firepower we can get.”
Cal knew the sniper was right, but he’d already made up his mind. “Let’s split up and then meet at the next checkpoint. If one of us doesn’t show an hour after that, we can go looking for each other.”
