by Sean Liscom
The team leaders all stood before me with a little apprehension in their eyes. I’m sure they’d all heard the grumbling after the arrest and subsequent escape of my father. There was a tension in the room that you could almost cut with a knife.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” I began. “We have a situation brewing within this camp that I cannot and will not tolerate. If I allow the discord to continue, it will not end well for any of us. This needs to be dealt with, today. I’ll lay out my plan to deal with the tensions and I fully expect each of you to help me fine tune it. Once that is done, I expect, no, I demand that you help me implement that plan. Do you understand?” I held the gaze of each man and woman for a few seconds. They all nodded in the affirmative. “Alright, here’s what I want to do....”
Thirty minutes later, the five team leaders left the shack. The only thought that was running through my head was a silent prayer this worked. That and a few, choice, curse words for my father. Yet again, he’d managed to leave me holding the bag. At 8am sharp, Bill poked his head in the door and told me that everyone was assembled as instructed.
I stood from behind the desk and straightened my uniform shirt Jill had brought me. I took a few deep breaths, said another prayer and strode out of the office with my head held high. On the grass between the shack and medical, all five teams were standing at attention. Each team leader was standing in front.
In front of the team leaders, the senior leadership of the ranch was also assembled. Jill, Dan, Mark, Braden, Dale, Bill, Doc, Samantha, Susan, and Mike all made up that line of people. Behind the teams, the rest of the people of the ranch had also assembled. Everyone was dressed in BDU’s. The only ones who weren’t were the small children. They were either standing next to their parents or being held by them. I cleared my throat and stepped off the porch.
“Good morning, everyone,” I began. “The very first time I set foot on this ranch, there were three people here and that included me. I was an outsider. My last name was Sterling, but I was still an outsider. Also, on my very first visit here, I told Jill that I was in way over my head. I didn’t have the first clue as to how I was going to run this place.”
“Truth is, I don’t run this ranch. You do. With a lot of help from people I trust, I’m simply the guy at the tip of the spear. Without the weight of those same people, I’d be nothing more than a shiny piece of metal.”
“I do know this; we are now one big family. We wear the same uniform. We respect each other and we will always be ready to sacrifice for one another. We’re not perfect. We make mistakes and we fumble the ball occasionally. We rely on each other; we help each other, and we would die for each other.”
“That’s the great part about this community. In a tight knit community, such as ours, word travels fast. Many times, the last people that hear the story, don’t get the full story,” I said loudly. I wanted everyone to hear what I had to say. “Many of you are asking about what happened to my father, Jack Sterling. You want to know why he was arrested last night. You want to know if things are really that bad here.”
“Truth is, I don’t really know what happened with Jack last night. He became verbally and physically combative. His own daughter, Isabella Sterling, was forced to pull a gun and fire a round into my ceiling before he would stop his tirade. The ONLY option I had left to me was to place him under arrest. I didn’t want to do that, but that was the only option I had.”
“I’ll make no bones about it; it was a bad situation to be in. Do I allow Jack to pummel a member of my staff? Do I allow his own daughter to shoot him down? Do I act as if nothing happened and allow him to possibly hurt someone, or himself?”
“The answer is; NO. I cannot allow a loose cannon to be rolling around on the deck. I made the only choice I had that did the least amount of damage, or so I thought. Some of you aren’t happy with my decision and that’s understandable.”
“The decision was mine and mine alone. You cannot and should not place the blame anywhere except squarely on my shoulders,” I walked past the staff members so that I was standing in front of the Teams. “I want each and every one of you to look at the men and women around you. Go ahead, take a look,” they did as I asked, and I gave them a few moments.
“The men and women around you are not to blame for what transpired last night and early this morning. I AM! There’s more to the story though. A story that I’d be willing to bet none of you have heard. Would you like me to fill in the blanks for you?” I asked.
“YES, SIR!” came the resounding reply.
I launched into a 15-minute dissertation about why they left Costa Rica in the first place and what I knew about Jack's true reason for coming north again. Some heads were shaking in denial. Some mouths hung open in disbelief. Still others were masking their anger with pursed lips. Kari and Isabella were just as shocked and angry as the rest of their troops.
“I’ve told you this because I want you to know the truth about why you are here. I will not lie to ANY of you about anything. No matter how bad the news may be, I’ll give you the truth.”
“Judging by the looks on your faces, some of you think I’m full of shit. I can’t make you believe anything I say, and I won’t even try. Instead, I will implore you to verify everything that I’ve told you. Only then can we begin to build a relationship based on trust,” I turned my attention to my sisters. “Kari, Isabella, when was the last time you had contact with the Fortuna ranch?”
“We’ve been under strict, long range communications black-out since we left. It’s been over four months since we’ve had contact with our home,” Kari reported. That’s what I’d figured. How else could Jack keep the real reason for their departure a secret?
“I’d like the two of you to pick one member from each of your teams and go into the security shack and make that call, now, please. The HAM radio has the range and you shouldn’t have any problems,” both looked at me with questions in their eyes. “I want you to either confirm or debunk what I just told you,” I explained.
It took them a few seconds to get moving but they finally did. I was willing to wait outside with the entire ranch community for as long as it took. My initial estimate was about an hour wait while they called home. I was a little surprised when they returned after 28 minutes.
I watched them walk out of the shack and the looks on their faces was all too readable. My sisters and the two men they chose to go with them were shaking their heads. I waited for them to return to their places before I spoke.
“Would you mind telling the rest of us what you found out?”
“Fortuna has fallen,” Kari said quietly.
“Please say that again, only louder so everyone can hear you.”
“FORTUNA HAS FALLEN!” she shouted. The wave of a slow murmur began to spread through the people behind her.
“Elaborate, please.”
“The current leadership of Fortuna has thrown in with the new government of Costa Rica. They are loyal to the dictator Vasquez,” the murmur was getting louder.
“Is the source of your information credible?” I asked.
“I spoke directly with James Tucker. He was the head of operations when we left. He also said that if we returned to Fortuna, we would be destroyed, we are not welcome there!” her voice cracked, and I could see the moisture at the corners of her eyes. I allowed the murmur to continue for nearly a minute before I spoke again.
“So, I told you the truth?”
“Yes,” she nodded.
“Let me tell you something else; Jack Sterling got you here. That was no small feat and from what I’ve learned, you had to claw your way for every mile. You’ve endured hardships and losses and you owe your very lives to my father. His leadership got you here and I’m grateful for that,” I took a long pause while I chose my next words carefully.
“Had you stayed in Fortuna; you would have died. Jack knew that. He brought you north with him because he knew it was your best shot at survival. He brought you with him because he kne
w that you weren’t weak, like those you left behind. Jack may have gotten you here under false pretenses but I think we can all agree, he did the right thing.”
“I’ve been told that I’m a hell of a poker player, not someone you’d want to bet against. Jack is a much better player than I. He forced my hand last night and he deliberately threw the game. In the end though, he got exactly what he wanted. He left you here because he knew that I would treat you well and adopt you into this ranch. He also knew that I would do everything in my power to keep all of you as safe as humanly possible.”
“He also left you here because he had a mission of his own to complete. Again, I won’t lie when I tell you what I’m about to tell you.... I think it’s safe to say that Jack knew the mission he was about to embark upon has slim margins for survival. For him, this is probably a one-way ticket. As a true leader, he wouldn’t ask you to be a part of that....”
“Even if we’d known the truth, we would have followed him,” a young man directly behind Kari said.
“Please, step forward. What’s your name?” I asked. The man took one full step forward.
“Cory Rockwell, sir.”
“Cory, could you please repeat what you said so that everyone can hear you?” he did as I asked.
“Thank you, Cory. By a show of hands, how many of Specter and Wraith teams feel the same as Cory?” as expected, every hand shot into the air.
“I see.... I’m no fool,” I began again. “I know your loyalties lie with Jack, as they should. He earned that from you just as I must also earn it. By another show of hands, who, from my three teams, would be willing to assist Wraith and Specter teams in completing Jack’s mission?” before I finished the question, every member of Badger, Mustang, and Wolf teams had their hands in the air. I expected this too.
The members of Kari’s and Isabella’s teams looked around in shock. The show of support had the desired effect. They knew now, they were a part of something even bigger.
“Thank you,” I said, and they lowered their hands. “By the end of the day, I’ll have a plan for you. It may be that we stay here and allow Jack to do what he needs to do. Logically speaking, by the time we catch up to him, his mission would likely be completed. I’ll work closely with Kari, Isabella and the other team leaders and we’ll have orders for you. Again, bear in mind, we may not be going after Jack. Instead, we may fulfill his wish of keeping you here. In the meantime, Specter and Wraith teams, you have equipment that needs to be repaired. I expect you to do what you can to get your rigs back on the road.”
“I only ask for one thing from each and every one of you.... However, this mission may end, remember one thing. We are all on the same team. However dysfunctional our family may be at times, we’re still family. Understood?”
“YES, SIR!” everyone shouted.
“That will be all for now. Badger Team, you have the duty today. Mustang and Wolf, please assist Wraith and Specter in making repairs to their rigs. All team leaders, please get your people lined out and then meet me and the senior staff in the security shack. We’ve got to figure out our next step. Any questions?” I asked. There were none. “DISMISSED!”
I turned and walked back into the shack, Jill, Braden, Dan, and Bill were right behind me. Once all of us were through the door, Dan pulled it closed.
“You did good, Jason,” Bill remarked.
“I just hope it’s enough. Last thing I need is a bunch of infighting around here,” I said. I looked at Jill and could instantly tell something was wrong. “You okay, babe?” she was sweating profusely. It was already warm outside and standing at attention for nearly an hour was hard on everyone.
“I’m....” she started but broke ranks and bolted for the bathroom. Both of her hands were clasped over her mouth. The door had no sooner slammed shut when the sound of her vomiting reached our ears.
“Excuse me,” I said and started that way. I slipped into the bathroom and found her on her knees praying to the porcelain god. Her hair was up in a bun, so I didn’t have to hold it this time. Instead, I wet a hand towel and filled a glass of water for her. When she was done, I passed both of them to her.
“You gonna go see Doc now?” I questioned as I helped her to her feet.
“I’ll see him later, we got things to do.”
“You’ll see him today,” it wasn’t a request and she knew it.
“Fine. Not until we’re done here though,” she retorted.
“Look, you may have gotten some bad water or any number of other things. You NEED to see the Doc,” I insisted.
“It’s hot out there, Jason. I haven’t had breakfast. I didn’t get any sleep last night and I’m exhausted. Pile a shitload of wound up nerves on top of that and, yeah, I’m gonna get sick. It’s not a big deal.”
“After this meeting, you’ll go see him?” I ignored her attempt at reasoning.
“If it’ll make you happy, YES. I’ll go see Samantha when were done here,” she wiped her face with a towel and threw it on the counter.
“Thank you. I don’t need you down with the creeping crud. I need you to be at 100%, I’m just worried,” I pulled her into a hug that lasted for a minute or so.
“I’m so hungry,” she said as she pulled away.
“Me too. I’ll have Megan send breakfast over for everyone. You sure you’re up to this?”
“I’m fine,” she said as she stepped toward the door. “C’mon, we got work to do before we have a revolt on our hands,” she smiled and led the way out of the bathroom. When we walked back into the main office, I couldn’t help but notice the smirks on the faces of the three men.
“What are you grinning at?” I asked. I pulled the chair at the desk out so that Jill could sit down.
“Nothin, not a thing,” Braden replied for the trio.
“Whatever,” I grumbled and pushed the button on the intercom. After asking Megan to have food brought over. We were joined by Kari, Isabella, Alex, Jeff and Jake.
“How did you know?” Kari asked me.
“How did I know that Fortuna was gone?”
“Yes. If you’d been wrong, that could have ended very badly.”
“Jack told me, and I gambled that he was telling me the truth on that one.”
“You didn’t know, for sure?”
“Nope.”
“You are a better gambler than you give yourself credit for, Jason Sterling,” she said and took her seat.
“The question is; was the payoff worth it?”
“Meaning?”
“Are your people going to have a problem working with my people? Will they, ummmm, will they fall in line, so to speak?”
“You earned some respect from them, Jason. The rest will take time, but I don’t think there will be any problems,” she said. “You played a dangerous game this morning. If you had been wrong about Fortuna, they would have no respect for you and their allegiances to Jack would have only increased.”
“Where do your allegiances lie?” I asked.
“I believe that it’s safe to say, Isabella and I are confused at the moment. Likely just as confused as you and Braden were when we met you at the gate the other night. Does that make sense?”
“More than you’ll ever know.”
“I have a question for you, Jason. A question from my heart, not my head.”
“Kari, I’m an open book. Ask me anything you want.”
“You are aware of how dis-approving our father was of the relationship between Melissa and me. You don’t think that he will hurt her, do you?”
“Honestly? I don’t think he’d do that. I think Melissa was in the wrong place at the wrong time and he took her because he needed her. I say that because it’s the only thing that makes sense. If he were going to hurt her, he’d have done it and left her behind,” I could see relief behind her eyes. “Don’t worry, Kari. She’s a tough kid and we will bring her home.”
For the next four and a half hours we planned for a pair of missions. One was the mission to chase
Jack down. It was a no-brainer as to where he was headed, the question was; could we get there in time to help him? Without the exact coordinates of the ARK, it was impossible to put the finishing touches on the mission plan. The second mission was how to fully integrate Jacks people into our ranch. That was a much harder mission to plan.
Bill had been able to get several satellite photos of the L.A. area, but it had been covered by clouds each time he tried. He’d still had no luck getting aerial images of Ambrose or Fortuna either. It was decided that the mission to L.A. would be on hold until he could get the images we needed. Besides, it wouldn’t do us any good to start people that way if we didn’t know exactly where we were sending them. Braden, Kari and Isabella agreed that they needed to get to work on decoding the journals immediately. That’s where the ground coordinates were hiding, and they vowed to find them.
The meeting was breaking up and we were walking out the door when we heard a noise that we’d not heard in a long time. The sound of multiple turbo-prop engines could be heard faintly, in the distance. Everyone stopped and looked skyward for the source of the noise. Alex spotted them first.
“There!” he pointed low over the eastern wall. “Two, no, three aircraft!”
“Those are C-130’s,” Dan said, shading his eyes from the sun.
“What the hell....” I muttered; the aircraft grew larger as they approached.
“Scratch that! One C-130 and 2 AC-130’s!” Dan corrected himself. Before I could say anything, Jeff yelled from inside the shack.
“JASON! Get in here, boss! There’s someone on the radio that wants to talk to you!” I tore my eyes from the aircraft and ran inside. Jeff handed me the mic.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“They asked for you by name....”
“WHO?”
“Air Force One….”
