by Finley, Zack
"We need to know where those Humvees are going, tell Jules to meet up with Ben," I said, my mental processes starting to function.
"Ben, Zeke, and Matt, all radios, but ours are in enemy hands," I radioed. "Find Jules and get him to the airport, stat. Have him locate and follow the kidnappers until we can pursue in force. Once they cross the Mecklin River, they have a lot more back roads to choose from. The kidnappers are locals, so they are familiar with most of them." I paused, still trying to catch my breath.
"Jules is at the gatehouse, helping with the wounded. I'll send one of the Gammas from Justice up with him, they know the roads, too. What is the situation at your house?" Zeke radioed.
"Unknown number of hostiles, unknown hostages. They say they are waiting for dark, but that is probably a lie," I radioed.
"Ben is coordinating at the gatehouse, I am with the team monitoring your house. Nothing to report here," Zeke radioed. "Craig is on overwatch."
"Ben, make sure Jules tops off the plane's gas tank. I don't know how far these shits are going. The kidnappers claim to have people watching the bridge. Anyone leaving should use the west side emergency rope crossing until further notice. Sneak Jules to Bravo. If all the vehicles at Justice are trashed, give him the Bravo ninjas," I radioed.
Roger now seemed satisfied with my mental state, he squeezed my arm before loping off toward the river gatehouse. I wanted to go straight for my house but ducked back into the radio hut instead.
"Sally, did we hear anything on the radios before this went down?" I asked.
"Just before we got the alarm from the gatehouse, we heard a few messages that we thought came from your guys," Sally said. "The first suspicious broadcast was 'Zulu, Zulu, Zulu.' None of us knew that one. Then, 'wait for us, you assholes." The last message before the gunshots was 'meet you later, alligator.'"
"That might actually make some sense," I said. "They were discovered early and took off. Can you pull all the repeaters offline except my team's radios?"
"I can disconnect ours from the hut. I'll coordinate with Justice by phone," Sally said, projecting a sense of calm.
I sucked it up, finding a detached sense of calm from somewhere. I didn't know how I functioned. Something stronger took charge. The wounded, terrified, part of me hid beneath a veneer of ultra-calm. My doppelganger was mechanical and emotionless, but he was no stranger to me. He assumed control in times of immense stress, although not often. And never with so much at stake.
"Zeke, these people probably have sympathizers," I radioed. "Some may carry FRS radios."
"Roger, we are staying out of sight, for now," Zeke radioed.
"Ben, is Jules on his way?" I radioed.
"He, Scott, and some volunteers are at the west-side river crossing now. They will meet up with Bravo, then Justice," Ben radioed.
"Ben, is Roger near you?"
"Roger here," a few ticks later.
"We should round up and disarm the rest of the malcontents. Can the defense group handle that?" I radioed. "I don't want any of our people shot in the back by a third column."
"I agree, we'll start that as soon as we clean up here. Glenn has a copy of the list; He'll start picking people up. Heads up, Aaron is on his way to the hut. Roger, out."
I warned Sally that my dad was coming and reluctantly stepped out to meet him. I failed to keep my family safe. The blackness hovered around me, and only the sheer force of will pushed it back. I couldn't afford to fall apart. Countless deployments and 20 years with the Rangers were barely enough.
My father stumbled up to the hut, tears streaming from his eyes, "What do we know?" he demanded.
"Not much. Three Humvees with an unknown number of Tangoes shot their way out of the Valley, en-route to an unknown destination. After rendering all vehicles at Justice inoperable, they turned south on US 27. They claim to hold at least one Breckinridge hostage on each Hummer. Jules is on his way to the airport, and two ninja scouts are following the fleeing vehicles." I breathed.
"We have an unknown number of Tangoes holed up in my house with an unknown number of hostages. Granny, mom, Jennifer, Melissa, Joe, Billy, and Ellie are unaccounted for, leading us to conclude they are now in enemy hands." I fought through the gut-wrenching pain that statement cost me.
"Roger thinks the group of rebels holed up in my house was left behind when someone at the garage caught the kidnappers by surprise and raised the alarm. The kidnappers holed up in my house are waiting for us to bring them a loaded Humvee to escape in. We believe bad guys are monitoring the bridge, they promise to shoot hostages if we attempt to pursue."
My dad made no attempt to wipe the tears, "Rescue our people, then kill the fuckers," he said. "I'll take over here, you get our people back."
"Dad, are you sure?" I asked.
"I know I look a mess, and this caught me raw. We can't afford any 'woe is me' time. It's like a 50-year-old scab got ripped off. But, I will handle this," he pointed at the radio hut. "Engaging them may buy you the time we need. Go, Son." He disappeared inside.
"Zeke, what is your 20?" Seeing my dad’s resolve added another layer keeping the tide of despair at bay. I had to do this.
"Do we have the fiberoptic camera?" I asked Zeke, joining him at the command post near my house.t
"Joel has the camera, but getting it in the zone won't be easy," Zeke said. "Your house is too tight. Infrared doesn't help either, too much insulation. The only way in is probably through the second floor, and someone may be waiting there, too."
"Expect six Tangoes or less, since they are all planning on exiting in one Humvee," I said with a confidence I didn't feel. "Storm doors may be open on the balcony, I don't think we put them back up after the people moved in. Replacing them wasn't a priority."
"Joel, Jeremy thinks the second-floor balcony might be a way in, can you access the location unobserved?" Zeke radioed.
"I'm on it," Joel radioed.
"Who is on-site?" I asked.
"Craig, Joel, Tom, Allie, Mike, Ben, you, and me," Zeke said. "Scott should be on his way back soon. Everyone else is still at Justice."
"Ben, send Grady and his troopers to meet with Zeke and me," I radioed.
"Roger. Do you need me, too?" Ben radioed back.
"I need to know if someone is monitoring the bridge; can you handle that?" I radioed.
"Sounds up my alley. I'm assuming we want intel?" Ben radioed.
"Very much so," I said. "Take Mike with you, once Grady comes my way."
"Mike, meet me at the guard tower," Ben radioed. "We are going hunting."
"Roger that,"
"Jeremy, this is Matt, do you need me to send backup?"
"Send six Rangers, stat. The rest should prepare to move out. Provide Jules with appropriate security," I radioed.
"Six on the way, Jules is arriving on the Bravo ninjas now. Good luck, you guys," Matt radioed.
Grady arrived with four men. "Where do you need us?" Grady asked.
Joel crouched on the balcony to the side of the sliding glass doors. Tom hunkered down next to the ladder below. Allie squatted next to Tom, her back to his.
Zeke and I could see all the main doors. I sent Grady to monitor the backside of the house. He was the only one on his team with our radio.
"Upstairs looks deserted," Joel radioed. "No one visible in the main room off the balcony. Do you want me to break in?"
"Wait a few, let Grady move into position," I radioed. "Sally, are we talking with the kidnappers?"
"Not since you left," Sally radioed back.
"We are checking for a way in, some noise would be helpful," I radioed. "Alert me to any traffic from them."
"We'll make some noise," Sally radioed.
"You stay here," Zeke said, "I'll go with Joel's team."
I started to object.
"You need to coordinate, backup is coming, and decisions will need to be made. You can't do that if you are on the breach team," Zeke said.
I finally nodded, and Zeke scurrie
d way. Zeke moved so smoothly it was easy to forget he lost the lower part of his leg to an IED.
"Tom, Allie, I'm joining your team," Zeke radioed.
"Form up next to Allie," Tom replied.
"Roger."
The intangibles were currently on the hostage-taker's side. Especially with an intel source monitoring the bridge. While I felt they held most of the cards, I forced myself to consider matters from their point of view. They were barricaded inside with the hostages, while surrounded by hundreds of armed enemies. If Roger was right, their fellows deserted them. Our badass reputation must worry them, increasing the fear we will attack regardless of hostages. Their quick exit plan failed, and the earlier group mocked them for falling behind. They were probably desperate and on edge, on steroids. We needed an opening before their desperation reached critical mass.
Would it be better to assault the building, intervene during the transfer to the Humvee, or wait until they joined up with their main force?
"Joel, hold in place. No breach until reinforcements arrive," I radioed.
"Roger," Joel radioed back.
"Ten minutes out with six men," Buzzer radioed.
"Sally, anything from the house?" I radioed.
"Aaron is encouraging the guy to rant on. It's the same man you spoke with. The bozo thinks he is still talking with you. He seems very angry about being left behind. He sounds scared and miserable," Sally radioed. "Someone else made two calls on the frequency the Humvees' used."
"What did he say?"
"First message 'update' and the second 'give me an update you assholes.' Don't know if the Humvees are out of range or are ignoring him. Advise when you want us to take the repeaters down," Sally radioed.
"Ben is hunting for the spies, I don't want to risk it until we either find one or determine they don't exist," I radioed.
"Joel, how many flashbangs do you have?" I radioed.
"Two."
"We have six on the ground," Tom radioed. "Everyone but Allie carries a suppressed pistol.
"Standby until spy hunt concludes," I radioed. As eager as I might be to free the hostages, acting without a better plan and intel seemed too reckless. We were in that indeterminate mission twilight waiting for a break or for something to happen. Time sped along and crawled simultaneously.
"This is Mike, we captured your spy."
"Take the spy to the shed," I radioed. "Tom, meet Mike at the shed. Breach team pull back to await reinforcements."
"Sally, shut down the repeaters," I radioed. This might be the break we needed.
Soon afterward, Buzzer arrived with five more Rangers. I sent one to beef up Grady's team and spread the others around. We sent Ben and one of the new guys to the armory for more radios, including one for Roger.
"Jeremy, this is Matt."
"Go for Jeremy," I radioed.
"Jules is at the airport. We are hoping he can stay in touch with us from the air. If not, he will circle back to report where the hostiles are headed," Matt radioed. "Our two ninjas are pursuing, but we could sure use a few more. Jules took the two from Bravo to the airport. We are still trying to start one of the county's pickup trucks. Then we'll use it to start one of the school buses. Not sure how long this will take."
"Ben and Mike caught a rat, once we confirm it is solo, we'll send ninjas and vehicles your way. The current plan is to move your force to flank and observe only. I don't want them to spot any followers, but I really doubt these suckers plan to stop and wait for the last group," I radioed.
"We won't wait for the ninjas, once we have vehicles, we will send them to follow immediately," Matt said.
"Jeremy, this is Craig."
"Go for Jeremy."
"At least two active observers inside the house, one in the mudroom and one in the kitchen. They opened the peepholes in the last several minutes," Craig radioed. "When it comes time, I can put a round in each peephole in seconds."
"Roger, just observe for now. I'm particularly concerned about possible activity upstairs," I radioed.
Mike slid in beside me, "Where do you need me, boss?"
"Where was the spy?" I asked.
"She hid in the eastern woods above the Mecklin River with her rifle, ammo, an FRS radio, and binoculars. She may have dated one of our Gammas. Tank, I think."
"Did you tell Tom?" I asked.
"Not yet. We will really miss Razor on the interrogation. He would have scared the bejesus out of her," Mike said.
That gave me an idea. "Stay here and monitor," I said, slipping away from the surveillance location before running to the shed.
We used the tiny shed for interrogation before and kept it empty except for a chair and a bucket. The shed was too small for real storage but made a fine place to hold temporary prisoners.
I hated questioning females, but I wouldn't ask one of my guys to do something just because I found it distasteful. Besides, my family depended on the information she had, and I certainly wouldn't need to fake my rage.
I tapped on the door and waited. Tom eased out within a minute. "Too early to know anything," Tom said.
"I figured; do you need a bad guy?" I asked.
"She might crater quicker with a little more fear. She overflows with righteous indignation."
"My knife is still dull, is yours sharp?" I asked.
"Yeah, Zeke issued me a new one; it's going to take months to put a proper edge back on my original knife. I need a good knife for too many medical things."
"Lend me your knife, I'll try not to dull it. Bring me a bucket of water and a sack to put over her head." I said. "I'm going to channel Razor if I can."
I stepped into the shed.
"You can't do anything to me," the young woman said. She was probably 19 years old, brown hair, Fit looking, not gaunt. Clearly, not starving. She shivered in the cold, wearing only a tee-shirt, jeans, and athletic shoes. Zip-ties forced her hands tightly behind her back. Her feet were zipped together. A strap around her waist threaded through the rungs on the back of the chair. She wasn't getting loose unless the chair broke.
I knocked her chair onto the floor, grabbed her hair, and began sawing it off with Tom's blade. Her violent reaction caused a few scrapes to her scalp as I hacked most of the hair off. She screamed and writhed, attempting to break free. Only my firm grip on her neck kept her from getting a deep scalp wound.
When I finished removing her hair, she was sobbing but still too defiant to turn her back over to Tom.
I used Tom's knife to remove her clothing, coldly, and methodically. Letting her feel the icy metal of the blade against her skin. By the time she was naked, the defiance was long gone. She was broken, whimpering and blubbering uncontrollably. I jerked up the chair and set it back on its feet. She wouldn't look at me.
Using the back of the knife to lift her chin, I said, "You have one chance to live through this, tell Tom everything he wants to know. Or I will come back in here to finish the job." I covered her head with the hood, then dumped the bucket of water over her head, cascading icy water over her body. I left her in the garden shed, wet, cold, and vulnerable.
"She's all yours," I said to Tom. "Call me if she gets her spine back."
"First priority is whether we have another rat," Tom confirmed. "Second, how many shooters are with the hostages. Third, who are the hostages. Fourth, where they are going, plus anything we can learn about the end game."
"You got it," I said. "Share as you gain intel."
She was no hardened ISIS religious fanatic. I doubted Tom would need me to come back. Terrorizing a young woman was not my proudest moment, but I would do a lot more to rescue my family. Interrogating a hostile and antagonistic subject took time, and we had little of that. Forced interrogation was all about balance. Going too far, and the subject invented information just to make the questioning stop. It was like cracking an egg. Enough to extract the intel you needed, but not so much the egg was smashed beyond use.
"Jeremy to Tank, come in."
"Ta
nk for Jeremy."
"What is your ex-girlfriend's name?"
"Lucy Matthews," Tank responded.
"She is the spy," I radioed.
"What?"
"Tell Matt everything about her that might help us determine who else is involved," I radioed.
"I got this," Matt radioed.
"Jules you in the air yet?" I radioed, testing our new repeater.
