Bloodstorm sts-13

by Keith Douglass

  When their lips parted, Helen let out a sigh. “Oh, my,” she said. “Wow, I mean, I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

  “That wasn’t your first kiss, Helen, was it?”

  “Well, no. I mean I’ve kissed boys lots of times.” She hesitated. “Just not… just none of them felt as wonderful as that time.”

  “One more,” Jaybird said.

  Helen smiled and backed away. “No, not right now. I think we better find two books I can take home.”

  They found the books and checked them out, then went back to a reading room and sat and stared at each other for a minute. The talk came then, both anxious to learn more about each other.

  “So, on my fifteenth birthday I got a new portable CD player and ten CDs. But I’ve never even tried to play them. Some kind of a package deal and the discs were gloppy. I have my own set of CDs I play. You have a CD player?”

  The talk went on until she checked her watch and they hurried the six blocks toward the Dobler house. Half a block before they came to the house, a big liquidambar tree shadowed the sidewalk from the streetlight nearby. They stopped in the darkness and kissed gently, then again with more feeling.

  “Oh, oh, yes, but that is fine, Jaybird. But no more. You stay here until I get in the front door. When you call me, try to make it at five o’clock. Daddy isn’t home yet and Mom is getting dinner and I can usually answer the phone first.”

  “Done,” Jaybird said, watching her walk away. What a fine little body, so neat, compact, so… just right. Jaybird turned to walk the mile and a half back to the apartment he shared with another SEAL.

  Oh, yeah! Only now he had to major in sneaky. One slip and the senior chief would simply fillet him and hang his two slabs of meat out to dry in the California sun.

  The next three days they had training exercises as if they were just off the boat and hitting BUD/S for the first time.

  Jaybird’s dislocated shoulder had become strong again. He was second fastest on the OC rope climb. Canzoneri had full use of both his lungs now, and showed no ill effects from the last mission when he’d nearly drowned.

  Ron Holt was still in Balboa Naval Hospital there in San Diego. They set up a schedule so at least one of the platoon went to see him every day they had enough time off. Usually it was in the evening. They all knew that Ron would never get back in the SEALs, not with his bad wound.

  The next day Senior Chief Dobler interrupted their OC workout. The platoon gathered around him on the obstacle course. “We picked up some special duty. All right, I volunteered you. There’s a thirteen-year-old girl missing down on the strand. She’s been missing for four hours from a swim with her family. Her name is Janice and she’s the daughter of a SEAL, a guy in First Platoon. I know how this guy feels.

  “I have a daughter, and if anything happened to her…” The senior chief looked away as his voice caught and he dabbed at his eyes. “Anyway. Any monster who attacks a thirteen-year-old girl should be eating his balls for lunch just before somebody empties a whole clip of 9mm rounds into his goddamned head. Yeah, I get emotional about this. My daughter Helen was missing for an hour once. She was with friends. Her mother and I almost went out of our minds. Hey, not so much of a problem now, she’s fifteen and damned responsible.

  “Okay, give me a line of ducks. We move out to the start of the shoreline and go to a line of skirmishers, and we search every square inch of the sand and grass until we find her. Janice. Her name is Janice.”

  Jaybird felt like somebody had kicked him in the head and then in the balls. He’d heard right. Senior Chief Dobler wouldn’t lie about something like that. Helen was fifteen years old. Oh, damn. How could he have missed it? She was still in high school. She didn’t have a driver’s license because she was too young. Oh, damn! He’d almost blown his whole career in the SEALs.

  They jogged to the end of the sand, where the grass started along the strand, and spread out. He was near the highway and watched every blade of grass growing in the sand.

  Jaybird shook his head in wonder. That was an almost. He would call her today or tomorrow at five o’clock and ease out of their little innocent affair. Friends. Yes, they could still be friends, but not kissing friends. He valued his head too much for that.

  The platoon worked the rest of the afternoon. They searched their side of the road, then the other side. They sloshed along knee-deep in the edge of San Diego Bay on the other side of the strand, watching the water. Nothing.

  Dobler led them back to the platoon area about 1730. Master Chief Gordon MacKenzie met them.

  “Thanks for your good work, lads. We have a happy ending. The girl has just been found. She’s been with a young lady friend. The girls thought they told Janice’s mother, but evidently not. She’s well and safe, and the family thanks you one and all.”

  That night Jaybird stayed home, watched TV, and read a thriller about a biological weapon attack on New York City.

  In his apartment, that same night, Murdock tried to be patient. “Yes, yes, big-city girl. You can buy salsa in a half-dozen different types. But none of it is as good as the special Murdock Salsa. Watch and learn, young lady.”

  Ardith Manchester leaned over the table, knowing full well what it did to the neckline of her silk blouse. Murdock saw the sagging silk material and the two marvelous revelations behind it, and chuckled.

  He kissed her gently. “Lady Ardith. If you ever want to have the fabulous Mexican feast I’m fixing, you’ll have to restrain yourself.

  “Salsa, for instance. First I chop up these dead ripe tomatoes into quarter-inch chunks. Then I do the same with half a medium green bell pepper. No, you don’t need to use jalapeno peppers for good salsa. Next I add an equal amount of chopped onions. Same as the tomatoes. Next a pair of pinches of finely ground black pepper, a half-teaspoon of salt, and a teaspoon of grated lemon peel. Then we top it off with two tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix well and let sit for ten minutes to blend. Then you have Murdock Salsa.”

  “What about the cilantro,” Ardith asked.

  “Hate the stuff. Tastes like sinkhole water. Now test this with some absolutely plain taco strips.”

  She dipped one in, captured the lumps of tomato and onion, and ate it. “Yes, good. I’ll take a gallon. Now, I had a talk with Don Stroh today. He’s all excited about a new mission coming up, but he wouldn’t tell me what it was.

  “I talked with my dad, and then your dad, and we have an idea what it might be. They know what’s hot out there right now.”

  Murdock pushed a loaded taco into her mouth.

  “Stop, stop. I don’t want to hear about it. I’m off duty now. I just want to play house with this beautiful lady I lured up here with my salsa. Do you think it’s going to work?”

  Ardith unbuttoned the silk blouse. She wore nothing under it. “I don’t know about the salsa. Maybe the burritos you told me about would do it. In the meantime, between courses, let’s see what else we can become involved with.”

  Murdock smiled, then chuckled as the blouse hit the floor. “Oh, yes, I do enjoy the negotiations. My first suggestion is that we move from the kitchen down a ways to that next door, the one with the king-sized bed right behind it.”

  Later, Ardith Manchester decided she loved the bean burritos almost as much as the Murdock Salsa.

  SEAL TALK

  MILITARY GLOSSARY

  Aalvin: Small U.S. two-man submarine.

  Admin: Short for administration.

  Aegis: Advanced Naval air defense radar system.

  AH-1W Super Cobra: Has M179 undernose turret with 20mm Gatling gun.

  AK-47: 7.63-round Russian Kalashnikov automatic rifle. Most widely used assault rifle in the world.

  AK-74: New, improved version of the Kalashnikov. Fires the 5 .45mm round. Has 30-round magazine. Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute. Many slight variations made for many different nations.

  AN/PRC-117D: Radio, also called SATCOM. Works with Milstar satellite in 22,300-mile equatorial orbit
for instant worldwide radio, voice, or video communications. Size: 15 inches high, 3 inches wide, 3 inches deep. Weighs 15 pounds. Microphone and voice output. Has encrypter, capable of burst transmissions of less than a second.

  AN/PUS-7: Night-Vision Goggles. Weighs 1.5 pounds.

  ANVIS-6: Night-Vision Goggles on air crewmen’s helmets.

  APC: Armored Personnel Carrier.

  ASROC: Nuclear-tipped antisubmarine rocket torpedoes launched by Navy ships.

  Assault Vest: Combat vest with full loadouts of ammo, gear.

  ASW: Anti-Submarine Warfare.

  Attack Board: Molded plastic with two handgrips with bubble compass on it. Also depth gauge and Cyalume chemical lights with twist knob to regulate amount of light. Used for underwater guidance on long swim.

  Aurora: Air Force recon plane. Can circle at 90,000 feet. Can’t be seen or heard from ground. Used for thermal imaging.

  AWACS: Airborne Warning And Control System. Radar units in high-flying aircraft to scan for planes at any altitude out 200 miles. Controls air-to-air engagements with enemy forces. Planes have a mass of communication and electronic equipment.

  Balaclavas: Headgear worn by some SEALs.

  Bent Spear: Less serious nuclear violation of safety.

  BKA, Bundeskriminant: Germany’s federal investigation unit.

  Black Talon: Lethal hollow-point ammunition made by Winchester. Outlawed some places.

  Blivet: A collapsible fuel container. SEALs sometimes use it.

  BLU-43B: Antipersonnel mine used by SEALs.

  BLU-96: A fuel-air explosive bomb. It disperses a fuel oil into the air, then explodes the cloud. Many times more powerful than conventional bombs because it doesn’t carry its own chemical oxidizers.

  BMP-1: Soviet armored fighting vehicle (AFV), low, boxy, crew of 3 and 8 combat troops. Has tracks and a 73mm cannon. Also an AT-3 Sagger antitank missile and coaxial machine gun.

  Body Armor: Far too heavy for SEAL use in the water.

  Bogey: Pilots’ word for an unidentified aircraft.

  Boghammar Boat: Long, narrow, low dagger boat; high-speed patrol craft. Swedish make. Iran had 40 of them in 1993.

  Boomer: A nuclear-powered missile submarine.

  Bought It: A man has been killed. Also “bought the farm.”

  Bow Cat: The bow catapult on a carrier to launch jets.

  Broken Arrow: Any accident with nuclear weapons, or any incident of nuclear material lost, shot down, crashed, stolen, hijacked.

  Browning 9mm High Power: A Belgium 9mm pistol, 13 rounds in magazine. First made 1935.

  Buddy Line: 6 feet long, ties 2 SEALs together in the water for control and help if needed.

  BUD/S: Coronado, California, nickname for SEAL training facility for six months’ course.

  Bull Pup. Still in testing; new soldier’s rifle. SEALs have a dozen of them for regular use. Army gets them in 2005. Has a 5.56 kinetic round, 30-shot clip. Also 20mm high-explosive round and 5-shot magazine. Twenties can be fused for proximity airbursts with use of video camera, laser range finder, and laser targeting. Fuses by number of turns the round needs to reach laser spot. Max range: 1200 yards. Twenty round can also detonate on contact, and has delay fuse. Weapon weighs 14 pounds. SEALs love it. Can in effect “shoot around corners” with the airburst feature.

  BUPERS: BUreau of PERSonnel.

  C-2A Greyhound: 2-engine turboprop cargo plane that lands on carriers. Also called COD, Carrier Onboard Delivery. Two pilots and engineer. Rear fuselage loading ramp. Cruise speed 300 mph, range 1,000 miles. Will hold 39 combat troops. Lands on CVN carriers at sea.

  C-4: Plastic explosive. A claylike explosive that can be molded and shaped. It will burn. Fairly stable.

  C-6 Plastique: Plastic explosive. Developed from C-4 and C-5. Is often used in bombs with radio detonator or digital timer.

  C-9 Nightingale: Douglas DC-9 fitted as a medical-evacuation transport plane.

  C-130 Hercules: Air Force transporter for long haul. 4 engines.

  C-141 Starlifter: Airlift transport for cargo, paratroops, evac for long distances. Top speed 566 mph. Range with payload 2,935 miles. Ceiling 41,600 feet.

  Caltrops: Small four-pointed spikes used to flatten tires. Used in the Crusades to disable horses.

  Camel Back: Used with drinking tube for 70 ounces of water attached to vest.

  Cammies: Working camouflaged wear for SEALs. Two different patterns and colors. Jungle and desert.

  Cannon Fodder: Old term for soldiers in line of fire destined to die in the grand scheme of warfare.

  Capped: Killed, shot, or otherwise snuffed.

  CAR-15: The Colt M-4Al. Sliding-stock carbine with grenade launcher under barrel. Knight sound-suppressor. Can have AN/PAQ-4 laser aiming light under the carrying handle. .223 round. 20- or 30-round magazine. Rate of fire: 700 to 1,000 rounds per minute.

  Cascade Radiation: U-235 triggers secondary radiation in other dense materials.

  Cast Off: Leave a dock, port, land. Get lost. Navy: long, then short signal of horn, whistle, or light.

  Castle Keep: The main tower in any castle.

  Caving Ladder: Roll-up ladder that can be let down to climb.

  CH-46E: Sea Knight chopper. Twin rotors, transport. Can carry 25 combat troops. Has a crew of 3. Cruise speed 154 mph. Range 420 miles.

  CH-53D Sea Stallion: Big Chopper. Not used much anymore. Chaff: A small cloud of thin pieces of metal, such as tinsel, that can be picked up by enemy radar and that can attract a radar-guided missile away from the plane to hit the chaff.

  Charlie-Mike: Code words for continue the mission.

  Chief to Chief: Bad conduct by EM handled by chiefs so no record shows or is passed up the chain of command.

  Chocolate Mountains: Land training center for SEALs near these mountains in the California desert.

  Christians In Action: SEAL talk for not-always-friendly CIA.

  CIA: Central Intelligence Agency.

  CIC: Combat Information Center. The place on a ship where communications and control areas are situated to open and control combat fire.

  CINC: Commander IN Chief.

  CINCLANT: Navy Commander IN Chief, atLANTtic.

  CINCPAC: Commander-IN-Chief, PACific.

  Class of 1978: Not a single man finished BUD/S training in this class. All-time record.

  Claymore: An antipersonnel mine carried by SEALs on many of their missions.

  Cluster Bombs: A canister bomb that explodes and spreads small bomblets over a great area. Used against parked aircraft, massed troops, and unarmored vehicles.

  CNO: Chief of Naval Operations.

  CO-2 Poisoning: During deep dives. Abort dive at once and surface.

  COD: Carrier Onboard Delivery plane.

  Cold Pack Rations: Food carried by SEALs to use if needed.

  Combat Harness: American Body Armor nylon-mesh special-operations vest. 6 2-magazine pouches for drum-fed belts, other pouches for other weapons, waterproof pouch for Motorola.

  CONUS: The Continental United States.

  Corfams: Dress shoes for SEALs.

  Covert Action Staff: A CIA group that handles all covert action by the SEALs.

  CQB: Close Quarters Battle house. Training facility near Nyland in the desert training area. Also called the Kill House.

  CQB: Close Quarters Battle. A fight that’s up close, hand-to-hand, whites-of-his-eyes, blood all over you.

  CRRC Bundle: Roll it off plane, sub, boat. The assault boat for 8 SEALs. Also the IBS, Inflatable Boat Small.

  Cutting Charge: Lead-sheathed explosive. Triangular strip of high-velocity explosive sheathed in metal. Point of the triangle focuses a shaped-charge effect. Cuts a pencil-line-wide hole to slice a steel girder in half.

  CVN: A U.S. aircraft carrier with nuclear power. Largest that we have in fleet.

  CYA: Cover Your Ass, protect yourself from friendlies or officers above you and JAG people.

  Damfino: Damned if I know. SEAL talk.

 
DDS: Dry Dock Shelter. A clamshell unit on subs to deliver SEALs and SDVs to a mission.

  DEFCON: DEFense CONdition. How serious is the threat?

  Delta Forces: Army special forces, much like SEALs.

  Desert Cammies: Three-color, desert tan and pale green with streaks of pink. For use on land.

  DIA: Defense Intelligence Agency.

  Dilos Class Patrol Boat: Greek, 29 feet long, 75 tons displacement.

  Dirty Shirt Mess: Officers can eat there in flying suits on board a carrier.

  DNS: Doppler Navigation System.

  Draegr LAR V: Rebreather that SEALs use. No bubbles.

  DREC: Digitally Reconnoiterable Electronic Component. Top-secret computer chip from NSA that lets it decipher any U.S. military electronic code.

  E-2C Hawkeye: Navy, carrier-based, Airborne Early Warning craft for long-range early warning and threat-assessment and fighter-direction. Has a 24-foot saucer-like rotodome over the wing. Crew 5, max speed 326 knots, ceiling 30,800 feet, radius 175 nautical miles with 4 hours on station.

  E-3A Skywarrior: Old electronic intelligence craft. Replaced by the newer ES-3A.

  E-4B NEACP: Called Kneecap. National Emergency Airborne Command Post. A greatly modified Boeing 747 used as a communications base for the President of the United States and other high-ranking officials in an emergency and in wartime.

  E & E: SEAL talk for escape and evasion.

  EA-6B Prowler: Navy plane with electronic countermeasures. Crew of 4, max speed 566 knots, ceiling 41,200 feet, range with max load 955 nautical miles.

  EAR: Enhanced Acoustic Rifle. Fires not bullets, but a high-impact blast of sound that puts the target down and unconscious for up to six hours. Leaves him with almost no aftereffects. Used as a non-lethal weapon. The sound blast will bounce around inside a building, vehicle, or ship and knock out anyone who is within range. Ten shots before the weapon must be electrically charged. Range: about 200 yards.

  Easy: The only easy day was yesterday. SEAL talk.

  ELINT: Electronic INTelligence. Often from satellite in orbit, picture-taker, or other electronic communications.