Code Name: Luminous

by Natasza Waters

  Enough posturing. “Dr. Clarke, can you split your team? Half at the Cochito Dam and half at Caballo Dam?” Tony asked.

  Lewis finally acknowledged the geologists and eyed the director with interest.

  “Yes, Petty Officer Bale, we can do that, but there’ll be resistance.”

  Tony rested his knuckles on the planning table, giving the map a scan. What had he missed? “Resistance?”

  “Cochito is on native land. The closure would have to be approved by them.”

  “If you run into a roadblock, call me.” They exchanged numbers. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with from the air. Alpha Squad, you’re with me.” Captain Cobbs nodded at the Admiral and made his way with the squad toward the helo.

  “Ghost will speak with Lewis,” Cobbs said, keeping in step beside him. “If Lewis wants it by the book, Ghost will shove the whole thing down his throat.”

  Tony grinned. “I know it.” They both bent over, running below the whirling blades of the chopper. “Did I pass the test?” He knew Ghost had stood back to see how he’d deal with Lewis.

  Cobbs gripped the bulkhead and jumped in, Tony right behind him. They were the last in and sat on the deck, each draping a leg out the door as the pilot began to lift. “Not bad, but I think Ghost expected you to know ‘fuck off’ in five languages.”

  They both chuckled. Cobbs scanned the horizon with his sharp eyes.

  “You gonna miss this?” Tony asked, not able to read Cobbs’ stoic rigidity.

  “Nope. I did my time. I missed too much of Rayanne and Cindy’s years growing up. I’ll be there for Kelsey.” Suddenly the harshness left the edges of his expression. “Marg has put up with this job for twenty years. I owe her my undivided attention for the next fifty.”

  The hot wind buffeted them as the Black Hawk flew above the desert floor toward the Rio Grande. “How long did you know Marg before you asked her to marry you?”

  Cobbs’ head tilted and he grinned. “A SEAL year is like comparing driving to a destination by car vs ‘as the crow flies.’ Calendar days, it was nine months.”

  “And the time you were together?”

  Cobbs scratched the scruff on his chiseled jaw. “I would have asked her after the first night we spent together, but we had some things to work through, so I waited.”

  “Until when?”

  He laughed and looked toward the horizon. “Until she asked me.”

  “Seriously?” This he didn’t know.

  “Never forget it. The woman didn’t give me an option.” He grinned. “Not that I wanted one.”

  A second Black Hawk flew abeam of them. Dr. Clarke with her team onboard were bound for Cochito Dam. “Lumin hasn’t finished her degree and she’s only twenty-four. I don’t want to take her options away.”

  “Let her decide that. Marriage isn’t about rescinding choices. It’s about making them together.” Cobbs leaned against the bulkhead. “A wise woman told me that once.”

  “Any regrets?”

  “Every time I left her and the girls. Knowing they wanted me home and in one piece gave me the determination to see my way through every mission.”

  They sat in silence until the topography changed as they neared the Rio Grande valley. Tony’s mind was a jumble of duty and Lumin, switching back and forth in high gear. She’d have to put up with his life as a SEAL. It wasn’t fair to her or any serving member’s spouse.

  Captain Cobbs gave the order to the pilot to hover over Los Chaves and then fly downriver. When they reached Highway 85, they saw the twin bridges. “Highway Department is going to hate this,” Cobbs said into his comm set.

  “The water’s high already,” Tony said. “I’ll confirm with Fox, but if we blow a trench to the west in front of the bridge, it looks like a swell in the landscape could buy us some time.”

  “Tinman, we have enough explosives to blow a trench back to San Diego,” Cobbs stated.

  “Those farms are damn close,” Tony noted. The entire valley was covered with them. “Anyone have a better plan?”

  “Captain Cobbs, Base Command Coronado,” the pilot interrupted.

  “Link her in,” Cobbs ordered, waited, then said, “Go ahead, Snow White.”

  “I’ve got Origin Ozone on the line wondering if they should begin racking up canisters and where to send the bill? I’ve already advised Admiral Pennington and Admiral Hoskins of the plan. He says Eagle has approved whatever it takes.”

  Cobbs gave him a hand signal. Go or no go? Eagle was a common code word for the President of the United States. Cobbs was leaving it up to Tony to decide. “Snow White, what’s the time line?”

  “Standby.”

  Nina came on the radio. “Tinman, we’ve got a yellow light on transport aircraft for deploy from San Francisco. Deploy from San Diego too long.”

  “Earliest ETA?” Tony requested.

  Nina responded. “Four hours to Albuquerque. Chopper deploy to drop point.”

  Tony groaned and shook his head. “We have to hold the river back for hours?”

  “Several.”

  What choice did they have? “We’re going to need civil law enforcement and the National Guard to evacuate the valley between Cochito and Caballo Dams.”

  “I’ll advise the C.O.”

  “Ninja Girl, one more thing.”

  “Roger, go ahead.”

  “Stop all traffic east and west bound on Highway 85 where it crosses the Rio Grande at Los Lunas north of Isleta Pueblo.”

  There was a pause.

  “You copy?”

  Snow White came on the radio. “There’s a bridge in that location.”

  “Negative, Snow White. There’s two.”

  “I’ll locate the closest demo depot.”

  “Any further reports from health authorities?”

  “Negative.”

  “Advise ETA when the canisters are in the air.”

  “Roger, good copy. Base Command out.”

  “Pilot, sweep south down the river to Caballo Dam,” Cobbs ordered.

  A nod from the pilot and the Black Hawk arced in the sky.

  “Ditz, radio the Admiral. The request for explosives will have to come from him.”

  Ditz gave him a thumbs up.

  “Why is the river so damn high?” Tony asked, seeing the water was near the bank’s edge.

  “Must be getting rain from up north,” Stitch said.

  Tony’s cell rang. He didn’t recognize the number, but he already knew the voice.

  “Petty Officer Bale, this is Lieutenant Lewis.”

  “Go ahead, sir.”

  “Admiral Austen has advised me on the mission. Caballo Dam has been locked down.”

  “What about Cochito?”

  “Initial response from the native band is negative.”

  Shit. The chopper settled on the ground and the squad jumped out. “Standby, Lieutenant.”

  When Tony cleared, he got back on the line. “Politics are involved here. Who can talk them into changing their minds? We don’t want to start a war with the local native band. We’re here at Caballo, the reservoir is three-quarters full, and the river has a good rip to it. We need that dam closed.”

  “One of the SEALs from DEVGRU mentioned a comm gal in Coronado might be half squaw.”

  Tinman stopped in his tracks and the hair on the back of his neck stood out. Did this fucking asshole just call Kayla a squaw?

  “If she’s a redskin like them, she might be worth something to us.”

  Tony blinked. He could straighten out Lewis now, but there might be a better way to take care of this idiot. “Sir, approach Admiral Austen with your thoughts. He knows all the staff in Coronado Base Command. Tell him what you just told me.” An evil grin grew on his lips; he just wished he could be there to see what happened.

  “I’ll do that before I order her to call them. For a change, a chugg will be a help instead of a pain in the ass. Least she’ll be good for something, ya know what I mean?”

  Holy fuck, was
this guy for real? “Chugg?”

  “Yeah, Natives. Redskins.”

  Tony squelched what he wanted to say to Lewis. Keep talking, asshole, your life expectancy just shortened by about fifty years. “Sir, I believe you’re talking about Kayla, team name Snow White.”

  “She’s got a team name?” he exclaimed. “Oh, I see, she screwed someone to make her mark.”

  Tony choked and shook his head. Instead of giving more away, he said, “I’ll check on progress in fifteen minutes.” That’s all it should take before Lewis was buried somewhere in the Arizona desert.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Thane spoke with the captain of DEVGRU. The Development Group was the best in the country for anti-terrorism missions.

  “Callum Dafoe has gone into hiding, Jake,” Thane said as he led him to the coffee.

  Jake Ackerman accepted the cup. “Need one of these. I got your brief. Still hard to believe General Caufield turned against us.”

  “Greed.” Thane snagged another cup of coffee. He was living on the shit. “We squeezed everything we could out of him. Dafoe’s residences have been checked, but they’re clean. We need your team to roust him out.”

  “He’s got to have another residence not registered to him that he’s holed up in. These guys like their comfort.”

  Thane nodded. “My gut tells me he’s hesitating from launching a full deploy of the virus until he figures out how not to die. He’s not protected from the second virus, but with us squeezing in on him, he might launch regardless.”

  “Wouldn’t be surprised.”

  Jake Ackerman equaled Thane in height. He’d been a SEAL just as long, and holding the position of commanding officer of DEVGRU meant he’d earned his metal. Thane had worked with him numerous times over the years. The man prided himself on never giving in. His wife must agree, since they had six children.

  “Admiral Austen?”

  They both turned to see Lewis standing behind them. “Yes, Lieutenant.” He wasn’t going to give Lewis the courtesy of introducing Jake. Lewis looked hungry to shake anyone of higher rank’s hand. The guy was a ladder climber. He could scrape up the rungs himself.

  “Lieutenant Abraham Lewis, sir,” he said to Jake.

  Jake barely acknowledged him. This guy’s reputation must be right up there with Mr. Brocklehurst in Jane Eyre. Jake had to know him since both had been stationed in Little Creek.

  “I spoke with Dr. Clarke. The native band at Cochito will not close down the dam, but there might be an opportunity to resolve the situation without a lot of red tape.”

  “And that is?” Thane asked. Lewis eyed the coffee, but Thane waited, not offering.

  “A woman in Coronado Base Command. Apparently she’s got some redskin in her. The natives might listen to her.”

  Thane’s cup only got halfway to his lips. He saw Jake dart a knowing glance at him. “Redskin?”

  Lewis gave a jerk of his head. “Yes, sir. One of your men, Captain Ackerman, said she’s half squaw.”

  Jake cocked his head to one side as if stretching his neck and his expression distilled into dislike.

  “I spoke with Petty Officer Bale, he called her Snow White. Oxymoron no doubt.” Lewis let out a sarcastic laugh. “Regardless, he said you’d probably know her.”

  “Yes, I know her,” he said, his blood already boiling in his veins.

  Jake coughed and turned away, snagging a bottle of water from the table. He slowly twisted off the cap while taking a step back.

  “She’s our warfare analyst, retired, but she’s working on this mission.”

  Lewis rolled his eyes. “I’ve had to deal with minority staff. All you can do is harness them the best you can. I’m sure you were glad to see her go.”

  Thane stole a look at Jake, who shrugged his shoulders and said, “I assume Petty Officer Bale didn’t tell you her name.”

  Lewis flicked a hand in the air. “Don’t need to know her name; as long as she looks like an Indian, she might convince them to close the dam. If they throw the war paint on, she can talk their talk. Providing she’s got half a brain, which most don’t.”

  Thane ran his finger down the seam of his cammo pants, brushing the leather on his holster. “She has a sharp mind, and she’s the best analyst Coronado has ever hired.”

  “Why did she retire?”

  Thane slammed his cup on the table. “Because…” he said, his anger turning into a hurricane force warning. “She married the Admiral of the West Coast chain.”

  The sarcastic look on Lewis’ face evaporated as his mouth snapped shut and he paled. “Sir, I thought that was your pos—”

  Thane glared at him with a hefty grip on his emotions to kill one of his own, not that Lewis portrayed a single virtue of a SEAL. He leaned into him. “I strongly suggest you pull your head outta your ass, Lieutenant. If you ever call my wife a squaw again, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your fucking career putting silencers on dog tags.”

  “Lewis, you are one dumb fuckin’ bastard,” Jake added, leaning back on the table and crossing his arms.

  “Sir, I had no idea.”

  Jake gave him a disgusted look. “That’s because you’re too busy sucking some ranking officer’s cock.” His brow rose. “Glad he’s your problem now, Ghost.”

  “Get your ass on the next bird back to Coronado. When this is over, I’ll dispatch your next assignment,” Thane said.

  They watched Lewis scurry from the tent. “Think that’s the closest he’s ever come to dying,” Jake commented.

  “Think you’re right.”

  “Aside from the prejudice, he does have a point, Thane. Kayla might be able to help.”

  Thane seamed his lips, ordering his temper to recede. He flicked open his cell.

  “Hi, darling,” she answered on her personal cell.

  The rest of his ire dissipated with the sound of her voice. “Hi, baby. We’ve run into a roadblock and need your help.”

  “Hit me.”

  Thane turned and put a few paces between him and Jake. “Rather be doing something else to you.”

  Kayla laughed. “I would think so, it’s been more than twenty-four hours, poor Admiral.”

  He coughed out a laugh. “You’re a hard woman to resist, isn’t my fault.”

  “I’m already knocked up, what more do you want?”

  “I can find a secluded corner and talk you through it.”

  She hissed out a laugh. “Stop. What do you need?”

  “I hate to say it, but your bloodline.”

  “Say again?”

  Thane explained the hedging from the local native band, but made sure to exclude the lieutenant’s prejudice.

  “I can try, but I’m not like you, Thane. I can’t talk people around my little finger.”

  “You did a fine job with me, baby. We need that dam closed or we’re gonna be opposing Mother Nature the whole way.” He heard the tap of her low-heeled shoes on the elevated tile floor of the ops room. Her fingernails clicked on a keyboard. “What are you doing?”

  “Recon, SEAL, what do you think?” She paused. “Okay I’ve got the band leader’s name. I don’t like doing this over the phone.”

  “I don’t want you coming into the hot zone. It’s too dangerous.”

  “Fine. And we just spoke to Nina’s parents.”

  “How’s our boy?”

  “Missing Mom and Dad, but he’s safe.”

  A warmth he only got when he thought about his family seeped into every corner of his heart. “Kayla, I know you’re sick of hearing it, but thank you for falling in love with me.”

  She breathed out a satisfied little hum. “I’ll never be sick of hearing that from your lips, which I wish I could nibble on right now.”

  “Phew.” He adjusted himself, glad he was facing the tent wall. “I want to find Dafoe and annihilate that bastard for too many reasons, but the most important is forcing us to be apart.”

  “I want us to collect our son and go home. That’s all I wa
nt.”

  “Your wish is my command. Call me when you’ve spoken to the tribal chief.”

  “Aye, aye, Admiral.”

  He grinned as he disconnected. Fuck, he loved his wife, and now he had to stop thinking about her to get his hard-on under control. Damn woman did it to him every time, but his mind had its own course and it wanted to replay the last time her soft curves were in his hungry hands, especially when she was pregnant. Their sex life never dimmed, but there was something totally irresistible about the woman when their baby was growing inside her. She’d lost a lot of weight after Adam was born, but now her hips were filling out again being pregnant with Sloane. He ordered his mind to stop thinking about it. He inhaled a deep breath and turned to see Jake give a quick jerk of his head.

  “Better watch it, Ghost, that’s how I ended up with six kids.”

  “I want four, but she’s putting the stopper in at two. Our little girl is on her way now.”

  “Congrats, man. Let’s make sure we find Dafoe. Don’t want anything getting in the way of that master plan.”

  * * * *

  Callum Dafoe paced the floor of the small industrial building in southern New Mexico. In the corner, several metal crates lined the wall filled with EA2. His storage unit in Idaho had been located, but he had more than enough to create a pandemic of global proportions. Eleven men stood warily watching him. The last of his security team and one scientist waited for his instructions. They’d escaped the university but he knew the manhunt for him had begun. The American forces would be split trying to contain the virus in the Rio Grande. Something he doubted they’d accomplish.

  “Dr. Palin, we have lost our chance at retrieving the vaccine Dr. Bjornson created. What are our options?” He stopped in front of the scientist. Dr. Palin was in his early forties and if he wanted to live to see fifty, he would give him an acceptable answer.

  “Very few.”

  “Not—good enough,” he said. “I’m sure your family wants to see you again. A viable option is what I need.” Although Callum’s wife was dead, he had other family and wanted them protected.

  “There’s only one option and no way to confirm it at this point in time.”