by Ali Vali
* * *
Aidan stood on the deck after the planes circled to give the helicopters room to land. The SEALs jumped down and gathered at the last one to touch down to help Baylor and Wiley carry the stretcher out. She took another deep breath to calm herself, already knowing Berkley had been hurt.
“Hey, Sailor,” Berkley said when she saw her and saluted. “The Chandler family are some really mean people.”
“Hey,” she said, laughing as she moved with the group that carried Berkley to the medical unit. “I’ll make sure to put that observation in the report.” The doctor was waiting, but Berkley was alert and talking, which was like a tranquilizer to Aidan’s system.
“Everyone wait out here until we’re finished with our assessment,” the doctor said.
“Thank you, Baylor,” she said when the big man came out with her and shook her hand. “You got everyone home safe, and I owe you a debt.”
“When we were at the Academy together, Cletus kicked my ass in pretty much everything,” Baylor said, sitting with her since she didn’t want to leave until the doctor had a report. “It would’ve pissed me off, but she was so damn likable, you know. She made me laugh even when she was teasing me mercilessly, but she helped me pass calculus. Without that, I probably would’ve ended up swabbing a deck somewhere.”
“Sounds like you two had some fun.”
“We did, and when I graduated from SEAL training, she came, since my parents died early. If not, I wouldn’t have had anyone there to share that accomplishment with,” he said, wiping his eyes with what seemed like embarrassment. “She’s always been a good friend, and today was my way of repaying her for always having my back. Because of all that, you don’t have to thank me. Believe me, when she took that big breath, I almost went weak in the knees I was so happy. She’s got a great retirement ahead, and that bitch almost stole it from her.”
“We’ve run into a few bitches lately, so you have to narrow it down,” Aidan said, making Baylor laugh.
“Ruby Chandler shot Cletus. The bitch had been beaten up by someone, I’m guessing Dick, and then gave us all the information he left behind without a problem. She even unlocked the computers for us but freaked out when Cletus asked about a basement.”
“What happened to her? Ruby Chandler, I mean.”
“When she was done with Cletus she tried to shoot me. Then a New Horizons soldier gave her a piece of his mind by leaving pieces of hers all over the wall.”
“Captain.” The doctor came out before she could comment about what he’d said. “Captain Levine has some bruised ribs and kidneys, and the gunshot was a through-and-through. She should be laid up for at least six weeks but make a full recovery. We’ve sedated her, and I’ll clean and close the wounds, but I don’t foresee any problems.”
“Thank you, Doctor. We’ll leave you to your job, but could you call me when she’s awake?”
“Yes, ma’am. Give her about three hours, and she should be coherent by them.”
“Devin will send someone down to keep watch. I don’t want to take any chances.”
“Captain.” One of the medics held up the radio receiver. “Call from Killer.”
“Go ahead.” She pinched her brow, knowing she’d have to leave since the mission wasn’t done yet.
“The helicopters did head to the coast, and they’ve landed at a pier that has six subs a few hundred yards offshore.”
“Are they boarding?”
“Not yet, ma’am, from what we can tell, but we might’ve missed something in our flybys.”
“Keep them in sight, and I’ll call Command. I’d like to sink their escape route, but they keep preaching about not leaving any fingerprints. If they fire on you, though, go ahead and do just that.” She gazed at the doctor again, and Baylor kept his seat. “I’ll be on the bridge. Please call me when she’s awake.”
“Go ahead, Captain. I’ve got this,” Baylor said. “She won’t wake up alone.”
“Thank you,” she said before making her way up. Devin was waiting outside and gave her a preliminary report on what casualties New Horizons had taken and what forces they estimated were left.
“They had five full battalions, ma’am, and from our room with a view, I don’t think that Lapry guy was exaggerating,” Harvey said as he walked with them. “Is Cletus okay? I wanted to talk to the commander while it was still all fresh.”
“She’ll be laid up for a while, but she’ll be fine,” she said with a smile. “Are you sure he said five?”
“Yes, ma’am, and Cletus and Jin both heard the same thing. I can’t figure out why have them all here. It was like a big militia, but they were in the wrong country.”
“It’ll really be interesting to find out what he promised Kim to be able to operate so freely in his country with this many men and that kind of firepower.”
“We locked up the files, hard drives, and everything else they brought back from Chandler’s. It was a good call on Cletus’s part,” Devin said. “The other thing I don’t get, though, is why be that helpful, then turn around and shoot Cletus?”
“Because Mrs. Chandler had her ambush party in the basement,” she said, and Harvey nodded. “If Cletus and the guys had been curious and started searching the files, letting their guard down, they would’ve been easier to kill. If you’re dead, you take Chandler’s secrets with you.”
“Cletus was the one who got shot, but she’s also the one who warned us about that,” Harvey said. “It was bad enough that we had to stand there and watch that bastard whale on her. It doesn’t seem fair that she gets the bullet too.”
“She’ll recover from all that, but right now we’ve got a job to finish, and I plan to whale on Chandler for a change.”
“Sounds good. It’s a shame it couldn’t be Cletus dropping a bomb on that asshole,” Harvey said.
“Don’t count her out on that, but I’m sure she’ll enjoy hearing about it just as much.”
* * *
“Those are American jets, sir,” the marine team leader said, and Tyler Lapry grunted his agreement.
“We go with our doomsday plan, gentleman, and we finally take the fight home. We have enough troops left to train the recruits back home, and after we replenish some of our equipment, we’ll be a go.”
“I don’t know about that, sir,” Mark Lapry said. “We suffered heavy losses of our best people, and we don’t have that many stateside for the wave you had planned.” Mark was talking but staring at the sky, his eyes widening. The reaction made Dick look in that direction, seeing the jets circle back around.
“Is this your resignation speech? I took you and your brother in and gave you leadership ranks on faith, and on your father’s word.” The men started making the ferry trips to the subs, one submerging once it was full.
Dick was leaving on the Vengeance with the most experienced captain in the fleet, August Shields, who stood on the deck with binoculars to his eyes. The jets were coming back, only flying lower, and he hesitated before getting into the ferry. No way had he come this far only to have Preston Sullivan’s little blond bitch of a kid blow him up.
“Sir, it’s time to be realistic,” Tyler said, and Mark moved closer to his brother. “With the men we had, and people like my father back home, we had a good shot. Problem is, I’ve tried my father, and he’s not answering. He’d never ignore me, which means we have a problem. Robyn made me watch the news, and they’re reporting that he’s been taken into custody. What are you planning to do about that? I’m not leaving him somewhere to die a slow death waiting for you.”
“You don’t think I’ve sacrificed for the cause? You realize my son’s facing death, and my daughter is headed for the same fate.” The only way to reestablish his authority was through a show of strength—his grandfather had taught him that early. He slapped Tyler, the sound making the men around them stop talking and stare. Tyler took a step toward him, stopping when Robyn and two others aimed their guns at his head.
“My apologies, sir,”
Tyler said, grabbing Mark by the bicep and stepping back. “We’re with you all the way.”
“Come on,” he said to Robyn, ready to do what he could. August came to attention and saluted when he boarded, and they submerged after the crew and the men with them were aboard. “Are you ready?”
August gave the command to start moving before he faced him and answered. “With the entire fleet we have a shot, but you have to accept losses. We’ve had a catastrophic day, so I wanted to give you all the possibilities before you make a decision.”
“What kind of losses?” He sat and watched all the men working to get them underway.
“At least two vessels, maybe four, if they found a way to locate us on radar,” August said softly as if he didn’t want to be overheard.
“But we can sink it?” he asked as Robyn stood on his right.
“Yes, sir, but we need at least two vehicles to complete the rest of what you have planned.”
“Then the losses are acceptable, Captain. Proceed.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
“Are we sure each sub belongs to New Horizons?” Secretary of Defense Rooster asked as General Carl Greenwald sat on his right listening intently.
“From what we think, Chandler and some of his men were able to get away by helicopter to the coast. Our team on the ground saw the evacuation vehicles, and the subs you can see here,” Aidan said, showing the video the jets had captured.
“And Ruby Chandler?” National Security Advisor Neil Perry asked.
“We talked to all the individuals present, and they all said the same thing from their position in the room,” she said, feeling they were wasting time. “Ruby Chandler shot Captain Levine, one of New Horizons soldiers shot her, and one of the SEALs shot him. The important thing to concentrate on is that Ruby Chandler aimed to kill. That’s a dead subject.”
“Ma’am,” Vader said, interrupting her. “All six subs have submerged.”
“We’ve lost our window,” Aidan said, aggravated. “If he intends to fire on us, we have to warn every ship here for the war games.”
“We’ll take care of that,” Rooster said, pointing to someone out of Aidan’s view. “Our subs are also patrolling the area, and they have a green light to fire. It might be better if they’re taken out under the water and not under the watchful eyes of the North Koreans.”
“Regardless of whether they fire on you or not, Chandler is now back in the wind. That’s disappointing, considering all you’ve accomplished,” Neil said, and Preston appeared ready to slap him. “What can we do to finally bring him in?”
“We can start with the files our team recovered,” she said. “Considering the losses he took, he should be surrendering, but he’s boarded a heavily armed sub. We know they have sophisticated firepower on board, since they shot Cletus down. He’s planned something other than giving up, which makes it imperative to find and sink him.”
“All of you need to be on high alert,” Carl said, having brought in Captains Washington and Greer from the other ships. “Chandler isn’t our only problem. The North Korean regime has contacted the White House about the bombing and are demanding the people responsible.”
“Sir, we’ll be vigilant, but we’ll also use any plane or ship that fires on us for target practice.”
“Ma’am,” the radio operator screamed. “Incoming torpedoes.”
She put the receiver down and ordered countermeasures. “Vader, Killer, or whoever’s closer.”
“Go ahead, ma’am.”
“Lay down a line of fire on our port side.”
“Aye, Captain,” Vader said.
“We’re clear of fishing boats,” Killer said.
Aidan watched through her binoculars, knowing their proximity to the North Korean border and where they had reported the subs. Chandler was now a cornered animal, and the closest target for him to lash out at was the US Navy ships that had brought about the beginning of his end. Until now she hadn’t given Chandler the credit she probably should have because his goals had been so bizarre, but he was obviously set on burning the world around him to the ground.
That might not have resulted in the change he wanted, but it was necessary to his plan. If he didn’t destroy what existed, nothing new would rise from the ashes. In his mind, she guessed, he saw himself as the phoenix and the rest of them as the heap he had to create to fuel his rise.
“Captain Sullivan.” A voice she didn’t recognize came over the radio on the intercom so everyone could hear. “This is the USS Seawolf, and we’re coming around your starboard side. Please hold your fire.”
“We’ll hold for now, but advise if you need any backup.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“More missiles in the water, ma’am,” her radar leader said.
“How many and where?” The urge to deploy countermeasures was hard to ignore, but she had to have faith not everyone was out to sink them.
“Two off our starboard,” the man said, never taking his eyes off the screen. “They had to have come from the Seawolf.”
The impact came half a mile from them before they went through the same exercise three more times. They did have to deploy their countermeasures when the Seawolf and the Saratoga didn’t hit their targets before they were able to get torpedoes away. Their subs destroyed four enemy vessels, but another twelve hours of searching didn’t find the other two. That required Washington to contact the Russians again for failing to disclose the sale of two more subs. If they’d hidden that sale, what else had they kept to themselves?
“Our sub captains were supposed to keep our ships from getting hit, but they completely destroyed Chandler’s vessels,” Rooster said of their naval subs. “That’ll prevent us from doing a body count. If Chandler’s on the two boats that got through our net, we can’t prove it.”
“I doubt he’s headed to another rogue state,” Aidan said as she sat for the first time in hours. “His drive to stay alive and away from the front lines might prove me wrong though.”
“You have full security clearance, as do Cletus, Wiley, and Baylor. We’re adding Commander Clark to that list in the interest of time and getting this done,” he said of Devin. “Start searching through the capture documents and raise anchor. The president wants all of you out of range of the North Koreans and the information you gathered stateside.”
“We’ll start on that, and Cletus can join us when she wakes up.”
“Send her our best, as well as our thanks. Those documents are our best bet to finish this with a red bow on top and have confidence it’s done.”
“Will do, sir, and we’ll see you soon. We’re coming home.”
* * *
“All four have been lost, sir,” August said as he slowly placed the radio receiver down. “We aren’t alone down here, so we’ve got to make tracks if we’d like to stay alive.”
“We’re giving them a good fight if they brought in subs as well,” Dick said, not too concerned with the news. He’d tried to sink the Jefferson, or any of the others, but it had been a long shot. They’d expected him to make that play, but his next move would balance out all his losses.
“They’re anticipating our strategy, sir, which means we should consider surrender before anyone else gets killed.”
He stared at August for over a minute, but the captain didn’t look away. “If you ever question me again, or speak of surrender, you’ll be relieved of duty when I put a bullet in your head.” The men around them seemed to try to ignore them as they concentrated on the consoles, but he could tell they were listening. “I’m down here with you, and I have no desire to die or surrender. Set a course for these coordinates, and let’s be done with all this the quickest way possible.”
August studied the paper he handed over and took a deep breath. “Are you sure?”
“Dead sure, and we’re prepared to win,” he said, but August appeared skeptical. “Are you?”
“Yes, sir,” August said, his voice tight. They had some time before they r
eached their final destination, and he didn’t trust August’s sense of survival over what he wanted.
“Take turns watching him,” he said to the Lapry brothers and Robyn. “If he makes a move to contact anyone that’s not on the other sub, shoot to kill.”
“Yes, sir,” Tyler said quickly. “What about our parents?”
“Once we’re done, your parents will be my first priority.”
“Then we meant what we said. We’re with you until the end,” Mark said.
“It won’t be long before we’re done.”
* * *
Berkley opened her eyes and took as deep a breath as she could without pain. The light in the room was dim, but the nurse hovering over her seemed to be writing something in her chart with no problem.
“Welcome back, Captain,” the young woman said, smiling. “All your vitals are normal, but now that you’re awake, you can tell me how you feel.”
“Like I got beat up and shot.”
“That’s because you have the worst luck in North Korea,” Aidan said from the door. “We need to find you a better place to hike in.”
“You know me,” she said, turning her head and looking at Aidan and feeling like it’d been months since she’d seen her. “I love meeting new people.”
“I do know you, and you should know me by now. I get upset when you’re this late, and don’t get me started on you getting shot. That wasn’t in the plan we reviewed before you left.” The nurse laughed and excused herself to go get the doctor. “Honey, look at you,” Aidan said, touching over the eye that was still swollen shut.
“I’m sure I look like hell, but how else will I get you to coddle me?” she asked and held her hand up. “We almost made it out, and I’m really sorry I put you through that again.”
“You kept your promises, honey. You’re here and you’re breathing. That’s all I care about, and I’ll remind you of this when I have a GPS tracker installed on your ass.” Aidan kissed her fingers, then pressed them to Berkley’s lips.
