by Randal Sloan
“Your force is tasked with taking out the outside group. A sniper team will take out the overwatch before the mission begins. Zeke and I will assist with that team. Once he is down, Zeke and I will move to the primary assembly point where we, along with Agents McAvoy and Zane as our backup, will be tasked with entering the building to take out the three on the inside. We will go the instant you have the perimeter taken out. Your team lead will discuss your individual assignments.
“We go hard and we go fast once the operation begins. Allison’s life may well depend on it. Are there any questions?”
One of the DHS men was not happy, the one Julie had expected might be a problem based on his attitude since he had arrived. “Why are you two leading the inside force? Nothing personal, but this is our everyday job and you’re at best an amateur.”
Julie gave him a hard look, but before she could answer, Jimmy stepped back in. “I’ll answer that one. Despite what you may think, Miss Randolph has more experience in this kind of thing than you do, Mr. Mitchell, and her level of training exceeds what you have had to date. If you had bothered to look at her file, you would have known that. But if you don’t like the mission as it’s laid out, you’re welcome to leave.” He looked over the whole group. “Anyone that doesn’t want to continue, you can leave without repercussions. But you need to leave now.”
Jimmy waited a moment, but no one got up to leave. Mitchell was still not happy, but apparently he wasn’t willing to say anything else. Jimmy had said no repercussions and meant it, but as far as he was concerned Mitchell was gone. He would be getting transfer orders before the end of the week.
The sniper for the team had a completely different take. He spoke into the silence. “I personally do not question your ability, Miss Randolph, as I have read the file we have on you, although I recognize that it is also incomplete. I am glad the two of you will be assisting with my setup to take out the overwatch. After we take out the target, I would then suggest that I remain in our own overwatch position to support the team.”
Julie immediately liked him. “That is a very good idea. Based on what I read in your file, I believe that you would be able to make the shot without assistance, but I agree it doesn’t hurt to have backup. I will do anything to reduce the risk to the life of this girl.”
She nodded at Jimmy. “I’ll turn this back over to Mr. Cooper. Since time is critical, we will move out in fifteen minutes.”
#
Thirty minutes later, Julie, Zeke and the DHS sniper, who had introduced himself as Special Agent Bill Dennison, were in position on the rooftop across the street. DHS had been monitoring and had determined that the guards checked in every half hour. What Julie hadn’t said was that she was setting her rifle up as part of that backup. She knew that if he somehow missed, with her reflexes she could get a second shot off before the target would be able to react, but she hadn’t seen a reason to announce that to the group. Both rifles had a high-end silencer on the gun that would guarantee the other Organization guards wouldn’t hear them.
Waiting until the Organization sniper had completed his check in before setting up for the shot, Julie watched as Bill carefully set up for his shot. Sometimes a file didn’t tell you the full story. She knew hers didn’t.
Zeke helped them both with their setup and was also assisting with the range finder. Because they suspected the target might have equipment that would detect their laser range finder, Zeke did it the old-fashioned way, although the optical range finder he used was still pretty sophisticated. It was equipped to use infrared in the dark, and it had an internal computer that calculated the precise distance. It also indicated the wind, a slight breeze blowing out of the west-northwest at 5 mph. Julie and Bill finished their setup, each checking the other’s.
Bill waited a couple of minutes to let the other sniper settle down, the quiet of night working on him after the com check. Flashing a ready hand signal, he concentrated on his sniper rifle and made the shot, dropping the target. Glad that she didn’t have to make a second shot, Julie quickly broke her sniper rifle down, stowing it in her specialized shoulder harness.
“Great shot, Bill,” she told him as Zeke finished packing up his equipment. “I know that we are in great hands with you watching out for us. We are depending on you to not only protect our agents, but also to prevent anyone in the outside group from raising the alarm. The survival of the girl might well depend on that.”
“I understand,” Bill answered. “Thank you for letting me take the shot. I know you could have just done it and left me out, but I have been training for a long time and knew I could do it. I just need to get more experience in the field.”
Julie smiled at him. She didn’t tell him she had been ready to follow up if he had missed. “You convinced me you could do it, and that you are going to become one of the best. Just keep up your hard work.” Turning to Zeke, she asked, “Zeke, are you ready?”
He nodded and they quickly hurried down from the rooftop to the primary assembly point for the assault. It was nearly time. Julie was going to get her new friend out, and no one was going to stop her.
#
Julie and Zeke met the others at the primary assembly point designed for the attack. Using their coms, Julie checked that the group at the secondary assault point was ready, and finally with Bill to insure the guards were in the places designated on their overlays of the site. One of the guards was out of position, so they waited some moments to see if he would return.
Looking at the overlay while waiting, Julie got to thinking about their armor and helmets. She wanted to design her own armor that would also function as a spacesuit when needed. That would have the advantage of also protecting the wearer in a hazardous environment. She also had an idea that the helmet could be set up to show a real time overlay of the site. The military probably already had something like that. She planned to send the request to Space Tech Design when this was all done, adding one of Zeke’s AI systems to the helmet to take advantage of the capabilities that would offer. Now that was something the military didn’t have.
Finally, Bill signaled that the guard was back in position. Julie queried for everyone’s readiness, then sent the go signal. The electronic tech sent the signal to hijack the camera feeds, sending a loop of the signal they would expect to see. That was made significantly easier by the fact that the warehouse had only a commercial system in place and the Organization didn’t have time to replace it.
Both teams deployed rapidly, the red icons for the Organization starting to disappear. Trusting Bill to protect them, as soon as their path was clear, Julie and Zeke ran to the side entrance they had chosen for their entry point. The demolition expert assigned to the team was right on their heels, Kris and Agent Zane behind him.
Based on her feel from the VR call, Julie believed that the men inside were all at this end of the warehouse, and specifically the room on the end by the door. Designed as the offices to support the warehouse, the plans indicated the stairs leading to the second floor were on this end of the building. Jackson had not walked very far before climbing the stairs.
When they reached the doorway, Julie realized that she was shaking. Not with fear, but with anger. She knew if she didn’t get it under control, she would do bad things when she went inside. She forced herself to go deep, momentarily slowing herself down, using the techniques she had learned on the island. She would use her anger, but she would control it! Finally, she felt her body relax, and Zeke beside her seemed to do the same thing.
While Julie was working through her mental struggles, the demo agent had determined that the door was not booby-trapped, and that it was held closed only by a single metal deadbolt. He sprayed the lock with an acid designed to eat through the metal. It did its job silently in just a few seconds, the only signs a slight curl of white smoke. As soon as it was through, he gave the ready signal. His remaining job was to open the door far enough for the two of them to enter, which he did with dispatch.
Julie
and Zeke were through the door instantly, Julie rolling to the right upon entering, with Zeke rolling to the left a split second behind her, the two of them communicating silently their intentions.
Julie quickly determined the situation. Compared to Kinza, it was much simpler. Jackson was sitting against the wall cleaning his gun and had it completely disassembled on the table in front of him, a pair of knives on the table beside him. The two other guards were playing a card game and were not even looking at the door, their guns lying on the floor.
Mentally flashing a “You take the two big uglies, I’ve got Jackson” message to Zeke, Julie yelled, her voice amplified by her helmet, “Nobody move!” She strode toward Jackson, her gun raised. She didn’t use a two-handed grip because she already had a knife in her left hand. She knew she could shoot him easily before he made a move, but she wanted to try to take him alive. She had no qualms about killing him, but she thought he might testify against his boss.
Zeke’s two guards were so surprised that they dropped their cards, neither of them making a move toward their guns. They quickly raised their hands. Jackson was not so compliant. He grabbed the two knives lying beside him, throwing them toward Julie. Julie had already thrown her own knife, the blade catching his sleeve and pinning him against the wall. She had also determined that neither of his knives would hit her, but she shot one out of the air for effect and caught the other, slamming it into the floor with enough force to bury it halfway. A second knife flew from her left hand, this one pinning his other arm to the wall, not that she expected he would be able to use it for anything useful. His eyes widening in surprise at the exchange, she told him, her voice as cold as ice, “The next move you make will be your last unless it is a nod to tell me you understand.” No surprise, he nodded, very carefully.
Smiling coldly Julie told him, her voice hard, “The final test that will determine whether you live or not depends on if the girl is alright.” This time he nodded, much more vigorously than before.
“The boss made me promise not to touch her until the morning, so we could make one more call,” he told her in a trembling voice, his sense of terror obvious. He had never seen anyone move like her, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt she would kill him in an instant. He didn’t entirely understand why, but this girl standing in front of him was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen. Not even his boss, or the man who had beaten his boss nearly to the point of death, scared him like her.
“That’s the only reason you’re alive. Best you remember that later when we have a little talk.”
Only seconds had passed. Julie touched her com, signaling the team. “All clear. Hostiles detained. Primary and secondary teams secure the exterior, backup team inside.”
Kris and the other agent must have been at the door, because two seconds later they were inside, their guns ready. Julie told them, “Hold these guys. If any of them move, shoot them.” She was already on the move, rapidly ascending the stairs, the only thing on her mind was to get to Allie. Opening the door at the top, preparing to rush in to free the girl, Julie was completely taken by surprise by what she saw.
Allie was standing beside the door, the chair she had been tied to in her hand, ready to swing it at her captors as the only weapon she had. Seeing Julie, she dropped the chair, rushing to her arms. “You came,” she breathed, tears running down her face.
Holding tightly to her, Julie spoke softly. “Nothing was going to keep me away from you!” She smiled at her. “I got your message, by the way. DHS and Space Tech intelligence had given me a list of potential sites. Between the sounds I heard while Jackson talked and your brilliant little message, I was able to narrow it down to this warehouse. And somehow all that stuff you sent me told me what to expect here. You are a very amazing girl.”
Pulling back enough to look at her, Allie told her, “Jason and I talked about you that night, you know. He swore me to silence when he explained about the violin solo you played. We all knew it was special, but he knew who you were.”
Julie laughed, a happy little laugh. “I knew I had blown my cover with him. Come on, let’s get you out of here.” She led her back down the stairs, calling on her com for the DHS medic transport to meet them outside. Zeke followed them out, smiling broadly. She handed Allie off to the medic, telling Allie, “As soon as everything settles down, I would like to have a long talk with you, if that’s alright?”
Allie gave a nervous laugh. “You know where I will be. I expect my parents won’t let me out of their sight for a while.”
Julie nodded. “Let them smother you with love for a little while. You all deserve a little of that. I will call you tomorrow.” She turned, walking back toward the building and grasping Zeke’s arm to pull him into the building with her. Time for a little discussion.
Kris and Agent Zane had zip-tied the three prisoners, after pulling the knives from the wall to release Jackson. Julie could see the look in Kris’ eyes. Now she really understood what had happened that night in the parking lot. When Julie held her hands out, she handed her the knives. Julie inspected each of them before placing it back in its sheath, but she already knew what she would find. Perfectly fine. Nothing normal was going to affect those blades.
“Anything from them?” She asked the two agents.
“Those two don’t know anything,” Kris answered, pointing to the two card players. “They were just hired by Jackson to do a job.” She pointed to Jackson. “This one has been talking up a storm. He agreed to tell us everything and to testify against his boss, if we just keep you away from him. We, of course agreed, not that I could stop you if you wanted to get to him.” She couldn’t resist a smirk at Jackson’s reaction before going on, “We have a location for Kincaid, and have already dispatched agents to pick him up. We think he will cooperate if we protect him from his ‘friends’ in the Organization.”
Julie nodded. “They’ve already beat him badly enough to put him in the hospital. Tell them to include in his deal a requirement that he keep the Organization believing that the guys have agreed to accept the package tomorrow. We want to capture that package and the deliveryman.”
Kris quickly realized the significance of that. “I’d better tell Jimmy to have a bomb disposal team come with us in the morning.”
Julie agreed with that one. “Tell him we need his best, and they need to bring one of those disposal boxes just in case.” She looked at Zeke, a smile on her face. “Zeke and I are going to get out of here. We need a little down time. See you in the morning.”
Zeke smiled back at her. This time it was him grabbing her arm, pulling her toward the door. “Yeah. We didn’t get to finish our last conversation, the one we started out by the command center.”
As they walked out, Kris heard Julie say, “I forgot where we were. Maybe we should just start over at the beginning, you think?”
Kris couldn’t help but smile as they left. Then she frowned. She had meant to ask Julie about the knives Jackson said he threw at her. He swore that Julie shot one out of the air and caught the other. One was definitely badly damaged and the other was stuck in the floor so deep she had been unable to pull it out. She decided that maybe she didn’t want to know the answer.
#
The next morning went smoothly. Jimmy, Kris, Julie and Zeke waited in the command center. A DHS agent took the place of Thomas. He looked enough like Thomas with a cap pulled down over his eyes that the ‘delivery man’, who had been only given a general description of Thomas, didn’t suspect a thing. That is, until a gun appeared suddenly in his face as soon as he handed off the package. Just in case, DHS was jamming all frequencies so that a trigger signal could not be transmitted to the device. The bomb squad quickly did their job, disarming the device but leaving it in the disposal box just in case.
The situation finally resolved, Julie breathed a big sigh of relief. She quickly made a phone call. Remembering Allie’s statement about the pizza, she decided the girl had earned some of the best pizza in the world.
When Julie invited her and her family, they quickly agreed to meet her and Zeke for lunch. Jason and Allison had explained to their parents that Julie and Zeke had become involved because of Emily, Zeke’s sister. They didn’t give any details, saying only that Julie had called upon Space Tech and Homeland. Allison also explained that she had seen Julie at the warehouse when she was rescued. She only knew that Julie was the first one to reach her, not having any idea about how she had gotten there.
Julie and Zeke had to travel under full Space Tech security. They arrived to find the family already at the restaurant. Allison rushed to hug Julie, the joy on her face making it all worth it to Julie. Allison quickly introduced her family. Darla, her mother, like her daughter was a beautiful blond and she had a quick smile. She also gave Julie a hug. Tears in her eyes, she told Julie, “Thank you for helping us get our daughter back.”
Jonathan, her father, was much more reserved, but he quietly expressed his gratitude. Julie could see a lot of him in Jason and she suspected that he was musically talented too.
Julie smiled at them. “When I heard about Allie, there wasn’t any question about what we were going to do. We were going to get her back, no matter what. We were able to get a lot of people working with us, but it was because of your very brave daughter that we were able to figure out where they were holding her.” Turning toward Allison, she told her, “Allie, it was your reference to the greasy pizza that let us pinpoint which one of the several possible locations where they had you. So to make up for you missing out on the pizza, we thought maybe you would enjoy having some of the excellent pizza they have here. I promise it’s not the least bit greasy.”
The group was quickly seated, Julie suspecting the owners had something to do with that. That was fine. She planned to not only leave a huge tip for the waitress, she was going to leave a big tip for the kitchen. She knew who was the secret behind the great pizza they served. Julie asked their waitress to take their order for several pizzas, having each person tell her their favorite two pizza topping combinations and telling the waitress to make each pizza half to those choices. Julie knew she was being extravagant, but this one time it was worth it. Both parents tried to protest that was too much, but Julie shook her head.
