Chapter 17 : Show time
Day was harsh at SWAT. Chris arrived at the headquarters very early and enjoyed being alone to train a little. Jump rope. Weighs. Punching bag. She felt better as soon as she reached the locker to take a shower and put her uniform. Time to roll, no more time to think about her personal life. For the better.
When she put this outfit, it was as if she was another person. A fearless, self-confident person who was not afraid of anything or anyone. And it felt good to feel like this.
"Hey Chris, already there?"
She jumped and turned to see Hondo who had just arrived. "Got up early so I enjoyed the free sport room all for myself."
He laughed and got dressed. Luca and Tan arrived after. She loved talking with this team. They were like the brothers she never had. Deac arrived later. He was his reassuring figure. Like a big brother, or a dad. She always listened to what he had to say to her. Like this time when he told her implicitly he was not fond of her throuple experience. She didn't listen to his advice as first, being stubborn as she always was but in the end, he had been right. Such a thing couldn't work, despite all the love you could have for the people you were involved with. And to be honest she loved Kyra but she had never felt something for Ty. Unfortunately for her, Kyra was in love with Ty…
She was distracted from her reverie by Hondo calling the team for a small debriefing in the control room. "Let's go, guys, Commander Hicks is waiting for us. He has new information for us about Karlsson."
They all followed him and found Hicks and Lynch, talking in a low voice. They had their serious faces, nothing good was going to get out of here.
"Hi everyone. Thank you for joining us so early. I know some of you were not supposed to work either. Thanks a lot for coming" He looked at Rhokker and his team. Chris smiled at Alicia. She loved having another woman around. It proved that women could be real SWAT officers. And she was glad she was not the only exception anymore.
"This night we receive a very important information about Karlsson."
Everyone in the room ended any joke and became serious. They had to arrest this man for what he had done to their teammate and brother in arms. This man couldn't get out of this shit with impunity.
"One of our informants called to tell us Karlsson will receive an arm load this afternoon. The load is declared as a clothing one. I doubt he'd be here but his faithful lieutenant, Olsen, will be for sure. Let's catch this bastard and let him spit about Karlsson's hiding place."
Lynch gave them more details. She was the one in touch with the informant she knew for more than ten years and always gave them really good information. The loading was supposed to arrive at the end of the afternoon at Los Angeles harbor. It let some hours to the squads to organize and set a plan to catch this Olsen guy.
20-David squad met in the locker room to decide of the way they were gonna act in the afternoon. Then Hondo will deal with Rhokker to know how to articulate the two teams.
"What about a frontal attack?"
Hondo pouted. He didn't like this kind of approach. Not since... Anyway, he preferred not to think about this painful moment right now, even though it would be in his mind forever. His look met Chris's one and he knew she was thinking about the same exact moment right now. Still hard to process despite the months that had passed. The pain was still there. Always.
"I was more into a tactical approach. I mean these men are really well-organized, over- trained. If we go frontal, it could end in blood bath. What if we post Tan and Chris as sniper on containers while Deac and I remain lively on the ground and Rodriguez stands in the car in case they escape. We can couple with members or Rhokker's team to be more efficient."
"Good idea, Boss." Luca was always so enthusiastic. It was good to have someone like this in the team. Chris and Tan were already focused on the target. He could see their black looks. Rodriguez was shyer.
""Don't worry, it's gonna be OK."
"It's just my first big case, boss. Kind of stress."
"You've no reason to be, Alicia. You're good at your job. And you can count on your teammates, anytime."
He turned to the team. "Stay liquid?"
The team yelled in the next seconds "Stay liquid". Alicia smiled. "Told you that you can count on your teammates! They can make a lot of noise and but they will never leave someone behind! Hey team, give some comfort words to Alicia, she's scared for her first big mission." Chris reassured her.
"You're gonna make it! " Tan told her, tapping her shoulder.
"Time to roll" Hondo announced.
"You've got this girl!" Luca was overjoyed as always.
All of them gave her a word of comfort while they were walking to their different tasks. Tan and Luca will check and charge all the materials in Black Betty while Deac, Chris and Alicia will repaper the guns and count the munitions. Chris liked to assemble and unassembled these huge machines to check every of their nooks and crannies. It helped her to keep focusing, to keep her personal life away from her mind. And the mission of this afternoon was an even better reason to love her job.
Hondo went to see Rhokker to handle some last stuff. Who were gonna be associate in the field. What tactics will be the best to stop Olsen and the rest of the gang. The two men talked for at least one hour before Lynch and Hicks joined them to perfect the mission. Lunch time had arrived and all agreed to tell the two teams to come to the meeting room to talk about the action plan just after they had eaten something. They needed to be in perfect fit for this afternoon.
The briefing lasted at least one full hour. The tactics. The position that each person needed to take and hold as soon as he or she arrived to the location. The role they had to play in this big operation. They formed the duo for the day. And gave some last advice. They needed to catch Olsen to keep the pressure over Karlsson who was closer than ever.
"Time to roll, people!" Hicks yelled in the room. All the officers there yelled back "Stay liquid!" The operation was on.
Luca drove them till the harbor in less than 30 minutes. A record for Los Angeles. Rhokker's team was just them in their own black Betty. When they parked their cars, hidden in a big container lent by the city of Los Angeles, the place was empty. Nothing could tell something would be about to happen some hours later.
Chris climbed above a container with O'Rourke. Tan did the same with Witt while Deac and Rodriguez followed Barry at one corner of the place. Luca teamed up with Kotonin at the extreme opposite. Hondo and Rhokker went to inspect the place one last time before taking place above the building to have a global view of the place. They tested the radio frequency and repeated the operation in their minds to be OK at the moment Olsen will arrive.
They waited for hours under a blazing sun before things started to move. Olsen arrived in a huge black SUV. He was with two big and large men. Russian type. Not the kind you wanted to have troubles with. He waited for his buyer for almost half an hour. The man was getting angrier minute after minute. Not a good thing for their mission.
"Keep silent. I repeat keep silent. No one moves till the buyer is not here. We need to get them all."
No one told a word. They remained focused on the target who was hopping in the harbor waiting for the person he needed to sell his guns to show up. The buyer finally arrived. Thirty minutes late. He knew he was in position of strength and he intended to use it as long as he could. They saw them talk for long minutes before Olsen ordered his men to open the trunk of the car.
The two Russian bodyguards got a big case from there and put it between Olsen and the buyer. Olsen nodded at his hitmen and they opened the big case to get a massive rocket launcher out. "Things are getting interested" Hondo whispered in the radio. "Stay alert, only a few minutes before we catch these guys."
"Copied, boss." All the men and women on the field answered simultaneously.
Few minutes passed and the hitmen brought the rest of the loading to the buyer. At least, a dozen of rocket launchers and some light-machine guns. Hondo watched the scenes some more moments before sharing a nod with Rhokker. It was time. "Time to roll people. You know what to do."
Deac, Rodriguez and Barry were the first to enter the round, calling out the hitmen of the buyer in the bottom. They were followed by Tan and Witt who took care of Olsen's hitmen. Luca and Kotonin entered the field with both Black Betties while Chris and O'Rourke were covering any assault attempt on their teammates from the top of their container.
Hondo and Rhokker came closer to Olsen and the buyer to take them down. Olsen started to shoot to defend himself and ran to escape. Chris shot and hit him in the shoulder. The man fell on the floor due to the pain. She reloaded her gun. O'Connor took care of the buyer who was trying to come after Rhokker. Their two boss nodded in agreement to them.
Luca and Kotonin came in back-up to Tan and Witt who were in a difficult situation face to Olsen's hitmen. The men were overtrained. Luca grabbed one of them from behind while Kotonin tackled the second on one side and made stumble and fall. Tan got up and pushed one of the men on the ground. Witt ended the work by putting his foot over the neck of the man.
Hondo and Rhokker entrusted Olsen and the buyer to the LAPD officers there in back-up before running to join Deac, Rodriguez and Barry who were still fighting against the hitmen of the buyer. Rodriguez hit one of them with the grip of her gun. He felt on the floor, totally stunned. Hondo winked at her. She was good. Deac finished with the second hitman and Barry cuffed him.
As they started to congratulate themselves, they were stopped by Chris and O'Rourke calling them by radio.
"Hey Boss, we've got company."
"Copy that, 24- David. What's happening?"
"56-David and I see 2 cars coming in the far away. Moving fast. Coming right at us. What's the order boss?
"Keep an eye over them and if they come too much closer, you take care of them." Rhokker answered.
O'Rourke kept an eye on the two cars moving faster and faster. "They're coming right at us. Permission to shoot?""
"24- David, permission granted and don't miss the target. "
"You know me, boss."
O'Rourke and Chris exchanged a nod before reloading their rifles and pointing each other one of the cars. She shot first, right in the wheels of the first car. He did the same in the wheels of the second. The cars zigzagged before stopping at about one mile from the location of their teams. They knocked their fists together. The job was done.
"56-David to 50-David. Vehicles neutralized. The men are walking your way. Eight men. Heavily armed. Coming from North side. 24-David and I will cover you as soon as they come closer."
"Copy that." Hondo was already focused on these men coming to get either Olsen, or the buyer back.
Tan, Deac, Rodriguez and Witt went with the LAPD officers to cover them as they brought the two suspects in custody. At the same time, Chen, Kotonin and Barry redeployed according Hondo and Rhokker's orders. The men in black ran fast, they had no time to waste. Chris and O'Rourke shot once and took two men down. Did the same a second time and shot two other men. They felt on the ground, not moving anymore. Before they had the time to reload their rifles the four other men had vanished from their field of vision.
"Four men down, four men coming at you, 20-David."
"Understood, 24- David. With 56-David, stay in position and take down any of these men as soon as you see them."
Chris and O'Rourke answered "Understood" at the same time. The men were moving fast. Coming closer than ever of their colleagues. Chris and O' Rourke shared a nod before targeting the men. They shot. The signal for the others it was time to act. Hondo ran first in the direction of the shots, Kotonin and Barry followed him and Rhokker brought up the rear. Chris and O'Rourke kept covering them from the top of the container.
Hondo and Kotonin took care of the first man they saw while Rhokker and Barry fought the one coming in second. The men resisted and tried to reach a knife tied in their belt. Hondo caught it first and threw it away. Kotonin came and hit the hitman on the head, leaving him unconscious.
"Well done!" Hondo congratulated him. In the time, Rhokker and Barry knocked the second man down.
"I guess we won!" He shouted at Hondo.