by T C Miller
Jake added, “Pretty good chance of it, too…Her father’s supposed to bring some computer chips here to exchange for her.”
“Computer chips…That’s what this is about?”
“Mostly, as far as the Russians are concerned…Remember, though, we need to add Rick Eichner and the nukes into the mix. If he’s made a deal with them to skip the country, my guess is there’s a boatload of money involved…pardon the pun. They might not come back and decide to take the girl along as a bonus… Could get one big chunk of change for her on the black market.”
Nora shuddered. “Imagine the hell they’d put her through on the trawler…then the sex trade? A nightmare I wouldn’t wish on anybody.”
“So, Kemosabees, what’s our plan of attack?”
Joanna stared at Bart, “Kemosabees?”
Jake leaned toward her, “Old TV show called The Lone Ranger. What Tonto, his sidekick, called him…Way before our time…You know…old people’s stuff.”
“Hey, I heard that…Y’all need to show proper respect for a classic TV hero.”
Nora shook her head in agreement.
“By all means…and out of curiosity…Was it in color or black and white?”
“Both, as a matter of fact.”
“Like I said, way before our time.”
“Y’all might learn a thing or two, hangin’ out with us.”
“Sure…might help us win a really important trivia contest someday.”
Bart’s radio beeped. “This is Black Star Command…Be advised, we have a DEA rotary-wing aircraft operating in the vicinity that is refusing to stand-down…DEA is not, I repeat, not authorized to take part in this op…Factor it in and proceed with original plan.”
“Nothing like an uninvited guest at the party.” Bart looked around at the group, “Wonder what they’re up to…Any ideas?”
Nobody responded, so he continued, “Then I’d say it’s time to clean up this mess. TRT-1 and 2 teams are in place and ready to go…Customs has a boat team standing by to assist, once the hostage is safe. They also have a helicopter ready to join as needed. All they’re waiting for is the go-ahead…We ready?”
“Ready as ever, boss.” Joanna was shifting from one foot to the other in excitement.
“Hang on a second…Y’all were hiding out in a rest room, right?”
“Yes, why?”
“Occurs to me we might wanna take a quick rest room break. Jake, if you’ll guard the hallway we’ll take turns and then get this game on.”
“Roger that, Colonel. How about ladies first…since they found it?”
“Sounds good,” Nora replied. She checked the hallway, slipped out the door and turned right toward the rest room. Joanna followed closely behind.
Jake watched the hallway while Bart carried on a steady conversation with the command helicopter. He moved up next to Jake and whispered, “Other teams are gettin’ antsy waiting for our signal.”
The women returned and the men took their turn. Nora guarded the hallway with Bart’s rifle. Joanna cocked the pistol she had taken from the unconscious guard and they watched together.
“You okay?” Nora asked the younger woman.
“Just waiting for the fireworks.”
“You seem to like the action.”
“Wouldn’t say it to the guys, but you’re right…Never feel more alive than when I’m under fire…adrenaline pumping, senses hyper-alert…Everything in slow motion…Staring death in the face does that.”
“Ever worry you’ll become addicted to the rush?”
“Haven’t thought about it much…Why?”
“Wouldn’t want you to take unnecessary chances.” “Only the necessary chances, Mama.”
“I like it when you call me Mama…You’re like the daughter I never had.”
“Just don’t ground me or start giving me a curfew, okay?”
“Only if you do something bad.”
“If I do, I’ll make sure it’s really bad.”
***
CHAPTER 25
INSIDE CANNERY
“I repeat, BSOG-1 to Command.…Are you there, over?” Bart and Jake were getting ready to leave the rest room. “Yes, Colonel, sorry about that…Have a rogue DEA operator up here I’m dealing with…Sorely tempted to shoot the bastard down, but afraid DC wouldn’t appreciate it.”
“Know how you feel…Can be a real pain.” “This one’s more nuisance than anything…Anyhow, what can I do for you?”
“Wanted to let you know we’re ready to…”
Bart was interrupted by the roar of a low-flying chopper passing over the building again.
“Just what the hell does he think he’s doing?”
The DEA bird passed directly over the trawler and small arms fire took out the tail rotor—the Russian mercenaries knew how to disable a helicopter. It started a corkscrew motion like a spinning top, moved up, down and up again as the pilot tried to maintain some semblance of control.
The erratic spiral toward the water showed the pilot was losing the battle. He tried to move back toward the shoreline, but momentum had carried him too far out into the bay.
Banner watched the barely-controlled flight path unfold from his perch in the NSA helicopter. He switched the radio to the airborne control channel. “Don’t set down on those boulders near the shore…They’ll pound you to pieces. Move further out into the bay if you can…We’ll fish you out of the water.” The aircraft continued its haphazard path for a moment, then pitched upward.
“Back off, Morgan…You’re heading right toward the Customs bird!” Banner’s warning was too late.
The pilot of the Customs helicopter was busy talking to the boat crew below to let them know they might have to perform a rescue and didn’t see the change in course of the DEA craft.
“Watch out Arnie!” was all Banner could get out.
The two aircraft clipped each other hard enough to disable both and plunged toward the waves in a series of moves that seemed to mirror each other. Pieces of aircraft rained down on the moonlit bay and splashed across the silver-tipped waves. Impact of the two aircraft with the icy water was almost simultaneous.
Banner lost sight of them and changed to the Customs channel. “Customs boat crew, this is Black Star Command, you heading to the crash site?”
“This is Customs Sea Leader, affirmative…But we’re making slow progress in the breakers…Can you fish them out?”
“Affirmative to both…Rigging the harness now…We’ll drop down as close as possible…Let me know when you’re near the rescue site.”
“Roger that, Command…Be there ASAP.”
Banner switched back to the ground team frequency, “TRT One, Two, and BSOG-1…Be advised…two choppers in the water…Proceeding with rescue. Perps have commenced hostile fire. Implement assault plan and proceed with caution, out.”
Bart slowly opened the door to the hallway and eased out. “May just be the diversion we need,” he whispered. “Think it’s time we board the trawler.”
“Right behind you, Boss.” The two women followed Jake and Bart took up the rear position.
They reached the end of the hallway and Bart peered cautiously into the main part of the cannery. “Looks clear…But let’s not take chances…Jake, move to the outside door and make sure no perps are hangin’around…Teams One and Two will cover the trawler while we clear the building…Then we move onto the boat…Questions?”
Joanna raised her hand. “I’ll take the door, if you want Jake with you.”
“Sure?”
“Yes.”
“Jake, switch with Joanna...”
“But...”
“That’s an order..”
“Yes, sir.”
The other three nodded to indicate they were ready. Joanna moved up next to the outside door. Bart and Jake headed down one of the corridors, clearing each room as they went. Nora took cover behind a heavy metal work cabinet that gave her a view of all three hallways.
Bart and Jake searched th
e middle corridor and returned in a matter of minutes.
“Clear,” Bart announced as they moved down the last hallway.
Nora heard the exit door they had left open squeal as they closed it.
They strolled back into the main room with Bart mumbling under his breath, “Something’s wrong…They’re mercenaries, yet there’s no resistance…No booby-traps, no surveillance and no guards to boot…Feels like they knew we were coming…Hell, feels like they invited us…What’re they up to and where are they?”
Nora realized they were mostly rhetorical questions, but spoke up anyway, “Think you’re right about them wanting us here…They went to great lengths to make sure…what with three kidnappings and hints planted all over the place…So, if they wanted us to be here, maybe they didn’t want us to be somewhere else…The question is where would that be?
It was Joanna’s turn. “I see what you’re getting at…Obvious answer is they don’t want us where they are…”
Bart broke in, “That covers a lot of ground…Like the whole planet.”
“Yes, Baby, but we can narrow it down…We have one trawler…Where’s the other?”
“Coast Guard says seventy miles north.”
“What about other transportation…airplanes, trucks or cars?”
The quizzical look on Joann’s face caught Nora’s attention. “Baby-girl, looks like you’ve got a thought.”
“Yeah, Mama…Took a step back…Asked myself where they’ve been while all this is going on…Personally, I don’t think they’re on the ship…Won’t know ‘til we search it…”
“You gotta admit, it’s a pretty obvious way to escape.”
“Not really…Too slow…Too easy to spot…especially at sea…Even if they made it to International waters, they’d still be fleeing felons…Easy enough to board them…”
“So you think it’s a red herring?”
“Red herring?”
“Something to misdirect us.”
“Exactly. We’d be out tracking them on the Pacific, while they made their getaway.”
They looked at Bart, who opened the channel to Banner. “Command, know you’re busy but what’s the current sitrep?”
“Busy’s not the word…TRT-1 will move in on your command…TRT-2 ran into some trouble moving around the cliffs on the other side of the bay…Nobody can raise TRT-2’s sniper…Could be comm failure.”
“Or could’ve been taken out…Anybody who can check it out?”
“Not really…Tied up with this rescue…Can you take command on the ground?”
“No problem, out.” He turned to his team. “I think we’re on the right track…But, there’s something else in play…ideas?”
Nora took the lead again. “Logically, they’d have to be close enough to check on prisoners in this building…But far enough away to escape unnoticed…Are there buildings big enough to hide a whole bunch of bad guys?”
“Two…from the recon photos…An old power plant and a transportation barn…Both up by the highway.”
“Either one look better to the Russians?”
“Barn…Easier to hide vehicles and a hostage.”
“Nobody’s checked them out?”
“TRT-1, this is BSOG-1, sitrep, over.”
“Two minutes out, ready to move in on your mark.”
“Copy…Start by clearing power plant and transportation barn up near highway…Proceed with caution.”
“Roger that, One.”
NSA COMMAND HELICOPTER CANNERY BAY, CA The rescue helicopter hovered carefully over the site of the two downed craft as John Banner directed the pilot lower. Two NSA technicians in the back had locked the sliding side door open and were rigging the rescue hoist out the starboard side.
Banner heard it lock into place, “Okay, get a line down to the water.” He glanced over toward the cannery and dock and muttered an expletive under his breath. “All teams, be advised…Trawler is starting its engines.”
Puffs of black smoke were clearly visible in the moonlight, and soon turned into a steady stream of white exhaust.
“Roger that,” Bart answered. “Cannery is clear…BSOG-1 team will board ASAP.”
“Approach with caution…Repeat, use caution…Three armed men taking cover behind equipment.”
“Thanks for the warning…Can the snipers neutralize them?” “S-1 and S-2, confirm status, over.”
“S-1, negative on target acquisition.”
“S-2, Back on air after equipment problem…Two perps targeted…Negative on third…Advise.”
“Command to S-1 and 2….fire upon BSOG-1 Team Leader’s command.”
“Roger that, Command.”
“TRT-1, this is BSOG-1, sitrep?”
“BSOG-1, this is TRT-1 leader…Preparing to breach power plant entrance…No bogeys in sight.”
“Proceed. Two Leader, status report.”
“Two Leader…Approximately four hundred yards from objective…ETA in five minutes or less.
“BSOG-1 will secure trawler…2, send three troops to assist. Be advised, Team members have IR markers…Civilian hostage is not IR marked, repeat, hostage does not have IR marker.”
“Roger that.”
“BSOG-1, this is Command, status report.”
“Command, this is BSOG-1 Leader, preparing to board trawler.”
“Roger that. Command’s going fishing, over and out.”
INSIDE CANNERY Bart, Nora and Jake joined Joanna at the front door. They checked their weapons and made sure extra mags were within easy reach.
Jake looked over at Bart, “Don’t like the setup out there. Only way onto the boat is up that gangplank, with no cover between the dock and the deck…Perps, on the other hand, have plenty of cover…Gunwales, for a start…Anyway, I’m concerned about running up there with no cover…Could be a Russian behind half of the stuff on deck. So, what’s the plan, Colonel?”
“For starters…a diversion…’though, in this case, maybe two’d be better.”
“Whatcha got in mind?”
“Well, we have two teams out there…How ‘bout a little help? T-2 and S-2, this is BSOG Leader, on my mark fire at perps for two minutes.”
“S-2 copies.”
“T-2 Leader copies.
“BSOG will proceed with assault two minutes after cover fire commences. S-1, acquire target and fire for two minutes, on my command.”
“S-1 copies.”
“Remember, people…There may be a hostage on the trawler. Confirm target is hostile before firing…T-2, S-1 and S-2 commence firing on my mark…now.”
Bart looked at the others. “Got two minutes for T-2 to draw their attention away from the gangway…Since you ladies don’t have vests, Jake and I’ll take point. Cover us from here for about a minute, then follow…Find a good firing position once you’re on board. Jake and I’ll head for the wheel house. Let’s hope Licia is onboard with Peters and Eichner…Questions?”
Nobody responded. They checked their weapons one last time. “All right, Jake, let’s get it.”
The sound of small arms fire originating from TRT-2’s position along the side of the bay reached them immediately, followed by the pinging sound of rounds ricocheting off the steel sides of the trawler. Sniper Two took a careful shot from the hill north of the bay and a trawler crew member who was standing on a catwalk plunged ten feet to the deck. Sniper One dropped a Russian who was hiding behind a winch-housing.
As Bart predicted, most of the Russians headed toward the side of the trawler away from the gangplank. A few moved to the stern, but most avoided it, since there was very little cover from the withering fire directed at them by T-2. Bart checked his watch and nodded at the others. “All right, y’all, let’s stop that sucker from leaving.”
The two men left the double-doorway side by side and headed for the gangway at a dead run. One of the Russians had been left facing the cannery and started firing. He collapsed after Joanna stitched his chest with three rounds.
Bart and Jake reached t
he foot of the gangway without further interference and jumped onto the deck of the trawler five steps later. A crew member stepped out of a doorway and lowered a machine-pistol at them. His finger started to squeeze the trigger when a single shot to the forehead from S-1 took his life from him.
“Thanks,” was the quick comment over the radio from Bart. He moved past the lifeless body of the crewman toward the steel stairs on the other side of the deck that led to the bridge. Jake followed a few steps behind and after he passed the doorway a black-suited figure stepped out and pointed a pistol at the back of his head.
“Hey, scumbag,” Joanna shouted as she ran up the gangplank. The figure turned his attention to her and she moved sideways to get a target angle that did not include Jake. They fired at the same instant.
Her shot tore off the right side of his face and he fell to the deck—no longer a threat. His shot hit her pistol and was deflected along the top of her right arm. It pinged as it hit the steel gunwale behind her. It hadn’t penetrated the muscle, but pierced the skin and created a furrow that began to bleed profusely. She stopped and stared at her arm. Am I lucky, or what?
***
CHAPTER 26
ABOARD THE TRAWLERSEAWIND STAR Jake froze in his tracks and turned toward Joanna in time to see the smuggler fall to the deck. He watched as the errant round struck her weapon and tore into her arm. His legs were numb, but he forced them to move in her direction until she held up the hand in a halting gesture. “Only a flesh wound.” She realized it sounded like a comedy skit and smiled. “Looks worse’n it is, really.” She dropped her damaged weapon to the deck and in the same movement retrieved the smuggler’s machine pistol and two mags of ammunition from his belt.
Jake watched her go through the motions of a combat hardened veteran. She motioned toward the stairs “Go on I said…Go help the Colonel…We’ll hold it together down here.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Nora, can you help her clean out the wound?”
“Sure, if she promises not to shoot me when it hurts.”
