Geronimo
The meeting with the ATF man was wrapping up. Unfortunately, a distraction doesn't work on an entire gunrunner compound.
Damn.
"Thank you, we will monitor the location and formulate a plan of action" said Ranger, escorting the ATF agent to the door of
the safe house in Baltimore.
"So, at least we got that old weapons charge in Vegas fixed" commented Tank. "This operation would have been a bitch
otherwise. South Hollywood Boulevard. You couldn't pay me enough to live in Vegas."
Ranger snorted. "Enough people seem to want to live there. Look at that clusterfuck of houses just to the west - it is solid
with houses."
Tank grunted. Walking closer to the huge monitor mounted on the wall, he compares the forced green of Horseman's Park to the
sere desert that the tiny gem of the target hidden behind walls. Ranger read off the information that the ATF's snitch passed
along.
"Lets cruise. Back at Haywood we can bounce ideas around with the others." Ranger shut down the laptop and monitor, Tank
flipped off the lights and together they locked the house down and fobbed the alarm system back on. They both got into the
Cayenne and headed back up 95 to Trenton. Ranger settled into his zone and the two hours passed smoothly.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Ranger, Tank, Woody, Steph, Cal and Lester moved into the small conference room next to Ranger's office and threw the map of
Las Vegas up onto the wall monitor. Steph and Woody sat with laptops ready to pull up any information.
"So, our target is in this compound. While to the West it is crowded to the east it is pretty empty. Unfortunately, Abdul
Majeed is very well guarded. Optimally we need to get in and fade out without really disturbing the residents to the west."
"So carpet bombing is not an option," wisecracked Lester.
"No. And the icing on the cake, we have about 2 weeks to pull this off before he flies out." Ranger flips through the file
slower. "On the good side, ATF didn't say we needed to keep him alive. They just want to stop the deal he is trying to set
up. If we can make it look like a doublecross it would be perfect."
Steph and Woodie start snickering.
"Ranger, we think we have the perfect cover."
"OK Babe, walk us through it please."
Steph splits the display, and starts her explanation.
The room gets noisy as Ranger, Tank, Cal and Lester break out with exclmations of disbelief. The room goes silent.
"Babe, that might work."
The 16 men filed into the hangar and stand next to the duffles they were issued back in Newark and wait to be issued any
further equipment. Ranger and Tank walk in and are followed by a pair of odd looking men. Well, I guess uemployed Elvis
impersonators must be a dime a dozen in Vegas.
"OK men, come grab the bag with your name on it and change into your distraction gear."
Baffled, the men changed into the new gear, adding kevlar vests underneath and checked their partners gear and were checked
in turn. Still quiet, they all filed onto the surplus gooney and picked a jump seat and belted in for takeoff. As the plane
gained height and headed towards the drop zone, every man double checked their weapons and got into their zone.
As they circled the drop zone, the jump master pops the door and one of the unemployed Elvis impersonators stood up.
"All right, boys - light them up and jump."
And 18 men, dressed like Elvis Presley with flashing lights decorating the white jumpsuits exited the plane.
Comment: Why yes, I was swacked on painkillers and watching Honeymoon in Vegas. Well, disguising an insertion team as the
Flying Elvi seemed like a good idea at the time.