BlackStar Mountain

by T C Miller

  “Need help out here,” she yelled back into the mine and Nora joined her.

  “Three perps trying to come across,” Joanna said in a low voice. “Get down low and fire at the two still on the other side. I’ll work on the three coming across.”

  Nora dropped to a prone position and poked her head out. “Anytime you’re ready, Baby Girl.”

  “Now,” Joanna yelled.

  Nora covered the younger woman and hit at least one of the men on the platform with a burst of fire.

  Joanna stepped partially out of the cave. One of the men was no more than three feet away from the end of the rock face and was probing with a foot to finish his way when she fired. The round ricocheted off the rock inches from his head.

  The mercenary turned to his partners and motioned for them to go back. They quickly retreated.

  Joanna aimed at them as a merc leaned out and sent a burst of automatic rifle fire her way. One of the rounds hit a rock next to her and sprayed chips in her face. “Can’t see,” she screamed in pain and retreated into the mine opening.

  Nora took her place and fired two bursts toward the platform, forcing the mercenaries to withdraw.

  She turned her attention to the wounded young warrior, who sat on a rock inside the mine holding her face in her hands. Trickles of blood streamed between her fingers.

  “Let me take a look,” Nora said in a soft tone.

  “I’m okay, Momma...just some scratches.”

  “I know, Baby...Let me look anyway.”

  She slowly pulled her hands away and Nora bent closer while shining a flashlight in the younger woman’s eyes.

  “You sure are the lucky one...No damage to the eyes. A cut in your eyebrow is causing blood to drip down.”

  Nora pulled an antiseptic pad out of the first-aid kit she kept in her rucksack and carefully wiped the blood away. A quick application of a styptic pencil and bandage stanched the flow of blood and within a few minutes Joanna stood and hugged her.

  “Thanks, Momma,” she whispered in Nora’s ear.

  “Anytime...Just don’t get in the habit. By the way, good job on the bad guys.”

  Seth stepped out of the shadows of the mine. “Are you really her mother?”

  “Might as well be.”

  “Real momma died when I was young...This here’s the closest thing I’ve ever had.”

  She gave the older woman a hug to go with the compliment.

  “Now we’re just being maudlin,” Nora said. “Let’s get back inside and see how we can help.”

  GLACIER BASIN CAMPGROUND

  ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

  The moonless night worked to the advantage of the camp defenders and nightvision goggles gave them a clear edge.

  “Anybody got eyes on bogies?” Onkst whispered into his throat mike.

  No reply.

  Gwen had quickly dressed and joined them. She provided the fourth corner for the perimeter as they silently waited.

  Ted tore off a piece of homemade beef pepper jerky from the stash he always carried and chewed the spicy snack.

  Gwen shook away the sleepiness she felt from less than thirty minutes of rest and contemplated her assignment. Lot more exciting than baby sitting. She realized the irony as soon as the thought occurred. Just older babies.

  The wind shifted and they all heard the snap of a tree limb coming from the trees across the path.

  “Hold your fire till we get a clear ID,” Bob softly commanded. “Wait for my go...Acknowledge.”

  Four mike clicks confirmed the experienced team members understood. It wasn’t long before a figure separated itself from the trees and looked in both directions along the path that paralleled the camp.

  Guess his mama taught him how to cross the street. Bob smiled.

  The figure moved across the path in a semi-crouch and hid behind a tree at the edge of the camp. He was carrying a rifle with the bulge of a suppresser clearly visible.

  Three more figures emerged from the trees and started across the hiking path. They stepped off the path into the camp as Dog pressed the clacker to send an electric signal down the detonation wire to the Claymore.

  The explosion sent over seven hundred steel balls at hypervelocity that cut down all three like a scythe through wheat. The fourth gunman behind the tree took one of the deadly pellets in the face and screamed in pain.

  Dog quickly moved up to him. “Drop your weapon!”

  The invader started to blindly raise his weapon to fire. Dog stepped to the side, knocked the weapon out of his hands, hit him in the back of the neck with his rifle and took him to the ground.

  “Don’t hear too good, do you, Slick?” he hissed.

  The man mumbled something and tried to pull a K-bar knife from his belt.

  Dog pushed it away. “Geez, what’s the matter with you? You wanna die now?”

  He secured the man’s hands behind his back with thick zip-ties.

  Dog started to stand when a noise behind him caused him to whirl around. He found himself squarely in the cross hairs of a Steyr machine pistol.

  The attacker smiled at Dog’s predicament. A red dot appeared in the middle of the intruders forehead and a millisecond later his head snapped back. He released his grip on the weapon and pitched backward as the impact of the steel-jacketed round hit him.

  Dog heard a muffled pop behind him at the same time and Onkst stepped out from behind a tree.

  “Thanks, Gunny,” Dog whispered into his mike. “Think there are more?”

  “Who knows?...Give it a minute...And you’re welcome. Everybody else, check in.”

  This time there was only one mike click. He waited for a second and spoke gently into the mike, “Gwen, you okay?”

  “I’m good.”

  “Ted, check in...Ted, acknowledge.”

  Dog had already moved weapons away from the dead intruders and stripped one of them of his radio. He alternated between listening to the intruders headset and his.

  “Anything?” Bob inquired.

  “Heard two men talking at first...Nothing now.”

  “Understand it?”

  “Not all...Sounded like coordinating a pickup by helo.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yeah...Told the pilot he had four to extract...Him and two prisoners.”

  ***

  CHAPTER 16

  NSA DIRECTOR’S OFFICE

  WASHINGTON, DC

  The Director sat ramrod straight behind his desk with hands folded on the desk pad in front of him. John Banner had taken a redeye flight into DC and occupied a wing-back chair set up against the right side of the desk. Justin Todd and Marvin Hawkins sat side-by-side in arm-less chairs in front of the desk facing him. A palpable sense of impending doom hung over the figures.

  Justin doodled on a yellow steno pad and waited for the meeting to begin. A bead of sweat trickled down in front of his ear and made its way under his collar. He detected a whiff of body odor from Hawkins, who must suspect that he was about to receive a severe tongue-lashing for his lackadaisical work performance.

  The Director cleared his throat. “I have summoned you here to present the findings of an investigation John conducted into a leak in my office. We have discussed the findings and I feel compelled to take action.”

  Justin went over the possibilities in a flash. Hope I have time to run. He had a stash of hidden identities, cash and credit cards in a locker at a nearby gym and access to millions in secret offshore accounts. Need an excuse to get away ...Maybe the men’s room. He started to speak, but Hawkins beat him to it.

  “Look, I have no idea why I’m here...I’ve done nothing wrong!” He huffed and squirmed in his chair.

  “Don’t waste our time,” the Director replied. “I have all the evidence needed to put you in a cell for the rest of your life.”

  “You can’t...Won’t do well in prison...Have medical issues...”

  “This is the first time I’ve heard of any illness.” The Director sat back in
his chair and stared at the AD.

  Marvin fumbled with the notebook on his lap and sweated profusely as he spoke, “I’m, um, addicted to painkillers, you see.”

  The Director and John Banner exchanged glances.

  “Sex with young women, maybe, but painkillers?” the Director said. “For how long?”

  “I’ve been secretly seeing a psychiatrist for some time,” Marvin answered. “Broke my leg in a skiing accident...”

  The Director flipped open the file and found a passage. “Your psychiatrist has their office in Room 216 of the Marriott Hotel?”

  “No, he’s in the Jefferson Medical Building on Reservoir Road, Northwest,” Marvin stammered.

  “Then who have you met with on a regular basis at the Marriott in Wardman Park.”

  “I don’t think I have to answer that...It’s private.”

  “Nothing you do is private as long as you work for the NSA!”

  The Director placed both fists on the desk and rose from his chair. “Who have you been meeting there?”

  “A lot of people...”

  “Names, Hawkins, I want names.”

  “Maybe I need a lawyer...”

  “No, what you need right now is a savior. I’m willing to help you pull your fat out of the fire, but you’d better start talking.”

  The Director sat back down and straightened his tie. He waited patiently while Hawkins gathered his thoughts.

  “It all started with a young lobbyist,” he began. “Supposed to meet a friend in the bar at the Marriott, but he didn’t show. She sat next to me while I was waiting and struck up a conversation.

  “My wife and I’ve been a little distant lately, so it was nice to chat with someone friendly. We exchanged cards...I gave her one from Hawkins Imports to be safe...Hers said she was a consultant.

  “A few days later I called to see when she’d be back at the Marriott...Turned out it was that night. We had a few more drinks and ended up in Room 216...Staff keeps it available for me. I think you can figure out the rest.”

  The Director paused for a moment while he glanced at a report. “Jordan Carstairs...Not an alias...Lives in a rented condo in Alexandria. Why didn’t you go there?”

  “Too far from the hotel...Besides, heat of the moment and all...I’m sure you understand.”

  “Actually, I don’t...I was faithful through forty-two years of marriage. Besides the sanctity of your marriage, you’ve violated half-a-dozen rules of this agency...I have no choice but to remove you and refer the case to DOJ for review. You could be facing prosecution under a number of Federal laws.”

  “You can’t do this! I have very powerful friends...You’ll be out on the street...I’ll have your job,” spit flew from his mouth as Hawkins shrieked out the words.

  “Too late, Hawkins...I’ve already presented the evidence to a Senate Select Subcommittee, including many of your so-called friends and they concur...Also nominated John to be your replacement and they accepted it on an eleven-to-one vote. Two security people are waiting outside this office to escort you from the building. Unless you have something of value, I say good bye and good riddance.”

  Hawkins sank back in the chair like a deflated balloon before rising slowly to his feet. “This isn’t over, Harold...I’ll be back.”

  “Not as long as I’m Director...Now get out before I have you dragged out by your feet.”

  Marvin started to speak, but turned and shuffled toward the door, instead. As promised, a uniformed security guard stood on each side of the door as he opened it and stepped between them.

  Hawkins turned toward the guard on his right and unsnapped a holster on the man’s equipment belt. He withdrew the guard’s service pistol and hit him in the face with the butt of the weapon.

  He whirled and ran back into the Director’s office, firing four rounds that hit the Director squarely in the chest.

  The second security guard stood motionless for a moment, shocked by the shooting. A cloud of hazy-blue smoke hung heavily in the air.

  The Director gasped and slumped in his chair, blood draining from his face. Hawkins turned toward John Banner and was about to pull the trigger again when the second security guard fired two rounds in quick succession. One went wild and shattered the window behind the Director’s desk. Another hit Hawkins at the base of the neck and he fell motionless to the floor.

  The guard’s aim instinctively followed Hawkins down and he reflexively pulled the trigger a third time. The round was off the mark and struck Justin in the outer calf of his left leg. He cried out in pain.

  John Banner sprang from his chair to render aid to the Director. “Hang in there, Harold, we’ll get help.”

  He stared at the wide-open eyes of his mentor and knew it was already too late. His eyes welled up and his heart ached.

  The security guard who lost his weapon hurried into the room with blood streaming down his face from a broken nose. He checked Hawkins for a pulse and found none, but followed procedure and handcuffed him anyway.

  His partner froze in place and stared at the body of the Director. He finally responded when John Banner calmly issued orders.

  “Holster your weapon, Officer Knox. Call the lobby and tell them to lock down the building.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Banner was, by default, the new Director. “Tell them to get a Medical Response team up here ASAP, along with a forensic team.

  “You,” he pointed to the other guard and then Justin, “See if you can stop the bleeding...Justin, you okay?”

  “I...uh, think so, sir...I have never been shot before...it stings rather ferociously.”

  “Sit back and wait for the medical team...Prop your foot up on a chair...Try to avoid going into shock...Here, drink this.”

  Banner poured a glass of water from a carafe on the desk and handed it to Justin.

  “Thank you, sir.” He sipped the water. Guess that takes suspicion off me.” He sat back in the chair and tried to steady his nerves. Closest I have ever come to being caught.

  The Medical Response Team made their entry six minutes later carrying large gray plastic boxes with red crosses on the lid and began treating Justin.

  Jim Carver directed them as he spoke to Justin, “You’re lucky...A through-and-through...Cleaned it out and bandaged it. I’ll call in a couple of prescriptions to the pharmacy and see you in my office tomorrow.”

  Carver had already pronounced the Director’s death and ordered his body to be taken to Forensics for examination. Two technicians took dozens of pictures of the scene and carefully loaded the Director onto a gurney.

  There was nothing more to be done for Hawkins, so he ordered the body to also be taken to Forensics.

  Banner sat with his head in his hands.

  Carver took the chair Hawkins had used that had been pushed aside to make a path for the gurney and crew.

  He spoke in a low tone, knowing that Banner might be suffering from shock, “What happened, John? How did Hawkins get a weapon into one of the most secure offices in the country?”

  “Unlikely scenario,” Banner answered in a near-whisper. “Don’t think it was planned...Knew he was trapped...Directed his anger at Harold...Still trying to fully grasp what happened. I was here, but it was so surreal...Like a movie in slow motion...Been under fire a lot of times, but this was different.”

  “We’ve both lost a good friend and the nation lost a real patriot, Carver replied. “I’m not even sure what happens next...”

  “The Director and I talked about such an event. There’s a succession plan written into agency rules. I take over as Director and notify Congress. My appointment as Assistant Director was approved by the Oversight Committee yesterday.”

  “I’m sure there won’t be a problem with you taking over...”

  “Not so sure...The Director had enemies...”

  “But, with him gone...” Jim choked on the words before continuing, “Don’t see how they can prevent it.”

  “Not prevent...delay. I’ll
be the Acting Director until after the funeral and a Senate hearing...Has to go before the NSC for approval...Could take weeks.”

  “Let’s hope not...This is no time for bureaucratic foot dragging. Besides, they won’t want the appearance of hindering national security, will they?”

  “Don’t think they’ll worry about that so much as trying to line up all their political ducks...Don’t worry, I can handle anything they throw at me.”

  “Which is why the Director chose you.”

  “Thanks...I can use the vote of confidence.”

  “It’s more than that. I’m just a country doctor, but you’re the closest thing to the Director I’ve ever seen in this agency...I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

  “May have to confide in you. I need to get started on the notifications and paperwork. With Justin injured, guess I’ll have to draw help from the secretarial pool...”

  Justin walked into the room with notepad in hand. The slight limp was barely noticeable.

  He sat down in the other visitor’s chair. “I believe my injury is referred to in the vernacular as a ‘flesh wound’, sir...a mere scratch. I am ready to begin whenever you are.”

  “I’ll get out of the way,” Jim Carver said as he stood. “Looks to me like everything is in good hands.” He shook hands with Banner. “Congratulations on your new position, Director, and good luck.”

  “Thanks...Going to need all I can get.”

  GLACIER BASIN CAMPGROUND

  ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

  Licia shook her head to clear her mind and squinted at the darkness inside the tent. She was exhausted from the long day and had joined Star in dozing off while waiting for Uncle Bob to return. A pleasant dream about surfing on the ocean with dolphins swimming beside her was rudely interrupted by a rough hand clamped over her mouth.

  “Make a sound and I blow your friend’s brains out...got it?”

  Licia desperately wanted to return to the dolphins and the ocean. She tried to focus on the strange figure looming above her with a mask over his eyes. She blinked again and realized he wore nightvision goggles.

  The intruder whispered for her to put on her jacket, then pulled her to a kneeling position and zip-tied her hands behind her.