“It’s risky,” Wolf said.
“Everything about this operation will be risky,” Trevor replied. “They have to know I called you. They will be ready for both of us. If we insert Snake Jackson in place of Chris Carpenter, it will add a third Navy SEAL to our side.”
Wolf nodded, “And an element of surprise?”
Trevor shrugged, “That’s the idea. And, of course, we will not have to put Mr. Carpenter at risk.”
Caroline looked at the pictures, "We'll have to add a little gray to Snake's hair and shave back his hairline a couple of inches to match."
"And find some glasses to match those of Mr. Carpenter," Trevor added. "I googled Chris Carpenter. There are only a scant few pictures of him on the internet anywhere. Ahmet Orfali knows him mostly by reputation. He probably has a few photos that are five years old or older. This could work."
“I can help with this,” Caroline said.
“I’m counting on it,” Trevor replied.
"There is one big problem," Wolf said.
"You mean the fact that Snake Jackson is not a rocket scientist?" Caroline asked.
"That could come up in conversation," Wolf jibed.
"I've already called Mr. Carpenter and shared the plan," Trevor said. "You’re right. He is frightened that Snake will be recognized as an imposter and Honor will be killed."
"I can see why he'd be worried," Wolf said. “It worries me, too.”
"By the same token, he also understands the benefit of having an additional decorated Navy SEAL on hand during the exchange," Trevor continued. "He's going to meet with Snake and prep him as much as possible before the call comes in."
"And we still don’t know when that is?" Wolf asked.
"They didn't say," Trevor replied. "They just instructed me to keep this phone with me and turned on at all times."
“Assume we manage to pull off your little ruse with Orfali,” Caroline said. “What happens when Honor sees the man we brought is not her father and…”
“She won’t do that, I know it,” Trevor interrupted. “She’s smart.”
"There he is," Wolf said, nodding toward the baggage claim exit.
Trevor turned and saw Kevin "Snake" Jackson approaching.
"Jesus," Trevor replied. "He sure has stayed in shape. Look at those biceps and shoulders."
"Yeah, we're gonna need a loose sweater, an overcoat or something to cover his arms and chest. IfAhmet Orfali catches sight of his physique, this little party will be over before it starts. He’ll never buy it that Mr. Carpenter is in that kind of shape."
“Leave the fashion stuff to me,” Caroline said.
“Snake!” Trevor called out. “Thank you for coming, man.”
Trevor stepped outside the truck to greet Snake, who gave his fellow SEAL a bearhug, “I wouldn’t miss it,” he said and then glanced at Wolf, who also stepped out of the truck.
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed. “Wolf Steele. The legend himself.”
The two men locked hands in a firm handshake, “It’s you who are the legend,” Wolf replied. “What’s in the case your tugging?”
“Counter surveillance equipment,” he said. “I have a private investigator’s license. I was able to get it through security. Boot is worried that your personal phones and perhaps Mr. Carpenter’s house and phone may be bugged. If they are, I’ll know it.”
“How did you come about that equipment?” Wolf asked.
He smiled, “I live the life of a security consultant. I test all kind of things. This equipment is top notch.”
“Were you able to bring any weapons?”
He shook his head, “Not on a commercial flight, but there’s a man I know who lives in the Seattle area on Queen Anne Hill. He’s a private collector. He can supply us a Colt M4A1, a Sig Sauer P226 and a couple of Glock 19’s.”
“Ammunition?” Wolf said.
“Plenty,” came the reply. “Unless I miss my guess, when the time comes, it’s all going to go down pretty quick. I called him as soon as I landed and gave him Mr. Carpenter’s address.”
“Thank you,” Trevor said. “Cost?”
“It’s taken care of,” Snake replied.
“No, really,” Trevor began. “I can’t let you…”
“It’s covered,” Snake replied.
Trevor started to protest again but, then, simply nodded.
TheColt M4A1was the standard issue Navy SEAL machine gun. The P226 and Glock 19 were handguns that Trevor and Wolf had both used in the past.
Thirty minutes later, Trevor, Wolf, and Snake were sitting with Chris Carpenter at the dining room table of his home. Trevor had already destroyed his personal cell, but Snake Jackson was able to verify that neither Wolf’s or Chris Carpenter’s cell phones were bugged, nor was Carpenter’s home.
“I’ll be willing to bet Honor’s apartment is bugged,” Trevor said, “but we don’t have time to find out right now.”
Carpenter had a three-inch thick file sitting in front of him – Snake's homework assignment, he called it.
Carpenter patted the file, “I’m going to teach you everything I can about Blue Horizons and rocket propulsion in as much time as we have,” he said. “Do you know anything at all about propulsion?”
Snake shook his head, no.
Carpenter sighed and looked at Trevor, “Are you sure about this? If this doesn’t work…”
“Mr. Carpenter,” Wolf interrupted. “We believe this is the best plan.”
“And if Orfali even gets a hint that the FBI or CIA are involved, Honor will be killed,” Trevor added.
“I know, guys, I know,” Carpenter said. “It’s just that…”
“We do clandestine operations for a living, Mr. Carpenter,” Wolf pleaded. “Let us do this. It’s Honor’s best chance.”
Carpenter rubbed his eyes and sighed, “It will be impossible to teach Mr. Jackson what he needs to know about propulsion.”
“He doesn’t have to know a lot,” Trevor interrupted. “None of Honor’s captors know jack about propulsion, either. You can give him a high-level overview. We just need for Snake to have enough information to get him through the door. It will all go down very fast from there.”
Carpenter spent the next two hours giving Snake Jackson a high-level overview of propulsion. He was impressed with Snake’s ability to retain what he was being told.
Carpenter also pulled out his wallet, his company ID card, driver's license, passport, and social security card. He also laid out several articles of his clothing on the couch in his living room.
The next order of business was clipping and coloring Snake's hair to match that of Chris Carpenter, and shaving a portion of his hairline.
Caroline looked at the two men side by side, “I think we can pull this off, especially if it’s just for a short while.”
"I can't thank you enough for doing this for us," Chris Carpenter said to Snake.
"I'm proud to do it," Snake replied. "I'd do anything for any of my SEAL brothers. You’d do the same for me, I know."
"What have you been doing with yourself?" Wolf asked.
"I've been doing some consulting with local law enforcement, some private investigation and some security work," he said. "I've been staying pretty active, mostly in Seattle and the rural areas of Washington State."
“I heard about your wife,” Wolf said. “I’m sorry. I never had the pleasure of meeting her, but I heard she was a terrific woman.”
Jackson’s wife of 22 years passed away eighteen months earlier after a two-year battle with cancer.
“She was,” he said. “Thank you.”
“You sure you want to do this, Snake?” Trevor said. “I know you haven’t been on active duty in a long time. Now that you know everything, I’d have no problem if you bow out.”
“Bootstrap,” he began. “Do you remember Operation Red Wings?”
“It was a little before my time but I know the story well, sir,” Trevor replied.
“Then you know my answer,�
� he said.
“I do, and thank you,” Trevor replied.
Caroline turned to her host, “Mr. Carpenter, perhaps I could help you gather some stuff we need. We’ll need scissors, razors, and shaving cream. We’ll also need towels.”
“Certainly,” he said. “Let’s get started. Right this way.”
In the master bathroom, Carpenter began gathering the needed supplies.
“You have everything you need?” Trevor asked, checking in.
“I think so,” Caroline replied.
“What did he mean about Operation Red Wing?” Carpenter asked when they’d left the room. “How did that answer your question?”
“Snake was part of one of the deadliest rescue attempts in recent history,” Trevor said. “In 2005, Snake was part of a SEAL team sent to the Kunar Province in Afghanistan. Their mission was to neutralize Ahmad Shah. We knew that terrorists were planning to do whatever was necessary to sabotage the elections there. In late June, 2005, Snake was supposed to be part of a mission led by Lt. Mike Murphy. At the last moment, he was replaced by another team member. There was a covert helicopter drop the team was delayed by unexpected weather that also resulted in communication outages. They then ran into three Afghan goatherders, who gave away their position and they ran into overwhelming opposition. Snake was part of the team sent in to save them but only one SEAL team member survived. Snake has been carrying around guilt about that mission this entire time.”
“But it wasn’t his fault,” Carpenter said.
“I know that and so do you,” Trevor replied. “I don’t think you’ll ever convince Snake of that. That man will spend the rest of his days on earth looking for ways to help other SEALS in need.”
“You guys are very special,” Carpenter said.
“Let me get Honor home before you say that,” Trevor said.
Chapter 6
Honor Carpenter tried to reach her head to massage her aching temples, but her hands were bound. She was sitting in a chair in what appeared to be the dining room of a small country-styled house devoid of much furniture. She felt as though she had awakened after drinking too much wine the night before. Her brain was in a fog.
She remembered how she was taken. A black van had been waiting for her in the parking lot of her doctor’s office. She didn’t know if the van had followed her or had been waiting on her. Two men approached her from behind. One wrapped a sack around her head. The second man stuck a needle in her neck. Whatever they injected her with, it was fast acting. She remembered nothing else until this very moment.
She saw a window. The curtains were open but all she could see was an open field. Honor deduced she was sitting in a house in a very secluded area and that her captors had little concern they would be discovered.
She saw two men of Middle Eastern descent passing by the window on a regular basis, smoking. Each man carried an automatic weapon on his shoulder. Sentries, Honor thought. Inside, she saw two men sitting at a kitchen table and two more sitting on a couch in the living room, watching The Rifleman on a television that used old rabbit-ears for an antenna. No cable television? Secluded, indeed.
“Ah, Ms. Carpenter, I see you are awake,” a man’s voice said, in near-perfect English.
Another Middle Eastern man approached her. He was perhaps 5-foot-7 and 150 lbs. Honor placed him at 45-50 years old, with dark curly hair, peppered gray with a thick, unkempt beard.
“Ahmet Orfali, I presume,” Honor said.
“So, you know who I am?” he said.
“I know my fiancée is going to kill you for this,” she replied.
Orfali laughed and clapped, “Bravo, Ms. Carpenter. You are not nearly the shrinking violet your profile would lead one to believe. I expected begging and pleading and more begging.”
“A lot has changed since you tried this before,” she said.
“It would appear so,” he said. “One thing that hasn’t changed is our need for the technology your father developed. Another thing that has not changed is American arrogance.”
“How so?” Honor asked.
“The CIA and FBI both dropped surveillance on you and your father,” he said. “They were duped so easily into believing I was no longer a threat.”
“Intelligence told us you had been expelled by the Syrian Space Agency,” Honor said.
“The truth is, I continue to work for the Syrian government in name only,” Orfali said. “In reality, I work for myself. My government is a… a means to an end. I needed their resources. I began planning this operation the day my brother was killed.”
“You’ll never get away with this,” she said.
Orfali leaned in and grabbed Honor by the chin. He slowly turned her face to the left and then to the right as if examining her. He then moved in closer. She tried to recoil but his grip on her was too strong. He moved closer still until his nose was mere inches from hers. She could smell a foul food odor on his breath.
“You think just because you are on American soil that you are untouchable,” he said. “You thought just because a little time had passed that I’d forget. You thought I’d forget that you killed my brother. Guess what, Ms. Carpenter? I didn’t forget.”
He flashed a wicked smile. It gave Honor chills.
“It’s not that we thought you’d forget,” she said, fighting off her fear. “We just thought you’d learn from your first failure. You lost what, ten men in the first attempt?”
The smile on Orfali’s face disappeared. Honor braced for a violent reaction, but instead, he relaxed slightly and sighed, “It’s true we had not planned on the presence of the Navy SEALS. Our ability to execute our original plan was pushed off track when they came to your aid.”
“Pushed off track?” Honor repeated incredulously. “Is that what you call sending ten men to their deaths? Pushed off track?”
“You are certainly spunkier than I anticipated,” Orfali noted. “Your language is quite…”
He paused, “What’s the word I’m looking for?”
He thought for a moment and smiled, “Sassy. Yes, your demeanor has become quite sassy.”
“I try,” she said.
Honor sensed that Orfali’s mood was darkening.
“The point is, we have planned for your fiancée’s involvement this time,” he said. “And we know he will bring the SEAL named Wolf.”
“So, you are expecting that?” Honor asked.
“Not only expecting it, I’m counting on it,” he replied. “I will not rest until all of you are dead. Capturing you was simple and uneventful. Within two days, your fiancée will bring your father to us. He will also bring the SEAL named Wolf. We will be ready.”
“Why two days?”
“We are currently monitoring whether or not your fiancée brings in the CIA or FBI,” he said. “So far, he’s been a good boy. He hasn’t done so.”
“What would happen if they did call the CIA?” Honor asked.
“I would do as I promised,” he said. He leaned in close to her face. “I would cut off your head and send it to him in a box.”
“My fiancée will never bring my father here,” she said.
“Oh yes, he will,” Orfali insisted. She sensed his anger building, “Your fiancée would do anything to bring you back alive, even if that means putting your father’s life at risk, and I know your father will insist.”
“Navy SEALS don’t give in to the demands of terrorists,” she said.
His anger was reaching a boiling point. She could see it on his face, “Never underestimate the power of emotional attachment, Miss Carpenter. When someone’s fiancée is in danger; it is quite a different story; normal protocols go out the window. Emotion takes over. I assure you though, we have contingency plans.”
“What contingency plans?” she replied.
In a deft move Orfali slapped Honor across the face so hard the force of the blow tipped the chair she was bound to and she crashed to the floor. He reached down and grabbed her by her hair and violently pulled her
up, chair and all, into an upright position. Honor howled in pain, but she didn’t cry. There was fire in her eyes.
Still holding her by the hair, he leaned in again, “The truth is, I’m going to keep you alive long enough to lure your Navy SEAL here. I’m going to use you to make them surrender. I am going to inflict so much pain they will wish they were dead, then I’m going to accommodate their wishes. For me, it’s personal – I want you, your boyfriend, and the SEAL named Wolf, all dead at my feet. The rest is secondary.”
“They will find you and they will kill you,” she screamed.
“They will find me, that’s true, but on my terms. And they will not like what they find. I am going to tie both of them up facing you,” he said. “Then I’m going to have my two very large and quite smelly friends outside strip you of all your clothing. Once you are naked I’m going to have them violate your body in the most painful and humiliating fashion imaginable and they will do it while your fiancée and father watch helplessly. Once they have finished ravaging your body I will slit your throat and allow them to watch the life drain from your body.”
“You need my father, though,” she screamed.
Orfali laughed, “That’s the best part. We don’t need your father. We need his notes, the ones he keeps in his personal ledger.”
Honor gasped.
She had no idea how Orfali could have known about her father’s personal ledger. It was a closely guarded secret that the ledger even existed. She knew it contained every idea he’d ever had about advanced propulsion for Blue Horizon. It also included proprietary information about rocket technology that her father needed to have for his work. He never really trusted the company’s ability to protect electronic information. Her father guarded that ledger like nothing else.
Orfali laughed again, “You didn’t think I knew about it, did you?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” she insisted, knowing he knew she was lying through her teeth.
Orfali laughed, “Your reaction a moment ago said otherwise. I have many resources,” he said. “The point is, once I have the ledger, your father is useless to me. I might hand him over to my government… or I might just kill him. The ledger is quite a different story, however. That, I have special plans for.”
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Fighting for Honor (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 4
