Chapter 5

Situations change, someone may be holding a grudge all this time or is being blackmailed by someone else.

-0-

As promised, every other Sunday morning Tank had a message on his private computer address, not a Rangeman account. Each message was less than ten characters and untraceable. There was no doubt they were from VC. The messages included: "Tank", "Miss you", "Grnchile," "GrtKisser, "Mylove," but the last one was disheartening, "Pray4us." After that, there were no more.

The only unusual news from the Middle East was of an earthquake in an area not thought to have an active fault. The earth shook to the point where buildings collapsed for miles around. The Syrian government blamed a previously unknown fault. Conspiracy theorists believed it was actually an underground weapon storage area, even a nuclear storage bunker that exploded. Those rumors were quickly denied. Orbiting satellites could not detect a radiation signature.

As the weeks went by, Tank's heart sank. She wasn't coming home. He had lost fellow soldiers and friends, but this was worse. He finally found her again only to lose her. Living the dream of seeing and being with her was easier than knowing the dream was gone.

"Tank, you have a visitor at the street desk," Binkie relayed from the 5th-floor operations desk.

Tank responded, "Does the visitor have a name?"

"Army Colonel Christo-something."

His heart jumped in expectation. She survived and was downstairs! Why didn't she call or email to say she was coming? Did she want to surprise him? He didn't realize he had asked a question but the answer took his breath away, "Man or woman?"

"Man, sir."

He knew the "Christo-something" and it shouldn't be attached to a man. Tank took the stairs to the main floor stopping before he entered the lobby. A rock was forming in his gut and was growing large and might soon crush his heart.

As Tank came through the lobby door he extended his hand, "Colonel, my name is Pierre Sherman, but I go by Tank."

Nikolaos Christofondodoulous was 6'5", muscular and very well conditioned, but not as massive as Tank. He had the same mixed race color as VC.

"Colonel, normally I'd invite you in, but I'd be more comfortable walking outside. I hope you don't mind."

The Colonel was surprised. "As you wish, Mr. Sherman."

They cleared the building Tank asked if the Colonel would mind driving around town as they talked. "Please excuse me for not inviting you inside, but we have a security breach and are trying to track and trap the perpetrators. It is easier to talk away from the building."

The Colonel quickly slapped on the granite face, "I understand. I appreciate you keeping me clear. I assume you do not have your cell phone on you."

"I left all devices in the building."

They entered a large American SUV and Tank reached for the radio and the air conditioning to create background noise. The Colonel watched but said nothing. As he drove for a while, he suddenly doubled back on his route indicating he knew how to identify possible tails. When he was sure they were not being followed he began, "I'm Vassiliki's brother. She contacted me before she left Ft. Bliss ten weeks ago that in the event something happened to her, you were to be contacted."

The boulder in Tank's gut was about to smash his heart.

"I cannot tell you where she was or what she was doing. All I can tell you, and this is top secret, is she is alive but badly injured. Her mission was successful beyond anyone's expectations, and, frankly, none of the six-man team was expected to return. Small thermonuclear devices were being readied to be transported into Israel in cargo containers. The team went in and destroyed the lot. Somehow they found a way to get back to the command center where my sister was blocking electronic transmissions that would have triggered the devices. The underground explosion destroyed all the buildings in the area. Somehow the team found her under the rubble and all reached the exfiltration point."

"Will she survive?" Tank asked.

"Doubtful, but if she does she could be a paraplegic," Niko said softly.

"But will she survive?" Tank asked forcefully.

"She has lost her will to live."

"Is she stateside?"

"No, sir."

Tank never took his eyes off the Colonel, "Can I go to her. Is there time?"

"She's in a secret location." The Colonel tried to keep a calm voice.

Tank reiterated, "Can I go to her?"

The Colonel was impressed and thankful. This man could not be dissuaded and actually was deeply concerned and desperate. Pierre Sherman was their last hope to pull his sister back from death's door. Nikolaos had reviewed Pierre's military record as soon as he received Vassi's request. He was a warrior who stood in battle including special and black ops, received countless citations, and meant something very special to his sister. He also had mid- to high-level security clearance. Vassi was near death. Maybe this man could bring her back. His father agreed.

"Let me make some telephone calls. I'll contact you in a few hours. Do you have a safe number?"

Tank gave him the number of a burner phone. As they pulled up in front of Rangeman, Tank thrust his hand out, "Thank you."

"I'm not guaranteeing anything..."

"I know, but you'll try."

Once back on the 5th floor, Tank knocked on Ranger's door and waited to enter then shut the door. Ranger could tell something was wrong. Tank was the model of calm, but today his eyes showed concern. With the bugging, they were forced to talk obscurely.

"Boss, I just got word there's a family emergency."

"Who?" Ranger knew every one of Tank's family and came up with near zero.

"It is my cousin, the one you met at El Cam about 4 months ago. She's been injured severely."

Ranger understood the deception. Tank was referring to the Colonel. Her mission apparently went badly. "I'm very sorry" and truly he was. "Are you going to her?"

"There may be no time, plus there are travel complications."

Ranger showed real compassion for his friend, "Keep me informed, and Tank, I'm truly sorry." As Tank left the office, Ranger shook his head. The poor man has suffered all these years and when she suddenly reappears, he might lose her forever.

Stephanie came onto the fifth floor by way of the stairs. Working full time for Rangeman and working out in the gym had her wanting more exercise. She avoided the elevator now. As she opened the door she nearly ran into Tank's massive chest.

"Excuse me, Tank," she said but got no reply, not even a grunt. Tank's mind was elsewhere.

She crossed the control room and knocked on Ranger's office door before entering. "I just saw Tank. Is there something wrong?"

Ranger couldn't entirely rule out Stephanie being the one behind the bugging but was 99.9% sure she was clean. "He has a family emergency."

Stephanie mentally went through what she knew about Tank's private life and came up virtually empty. There was the Colonel he met in New Mexico and the brief fling with Lula, but they were not family. Tank never mentioned family. She was going to ask Ranger more but realized he had his head back down reading papers. She'd ask later and left.

A few hours later Tank's private line rang. He was in a coffee shop on Hamilton Ave. "Ft. Dix front gate, 2300 tonight. Bring nothing. You'll be gone 48 hours max. "

"Roger."

Returning to Rangeman and Ranger's office, Tank stepped in, "I need 48."

Ranger nodded.

After presenting his ID, the MP led Tank and his vehicle from the front gate to a parking area. The MP indicated a parking spot. "It will be secure here, sir." Tank was driven by the MP to the flight line and a hangar. The G650 jet with Swiss markings was waiting for the last passenger. Tank was searched after leaving the MP vehicle and again before boarding the plane. Ducking into the smaller aircraft, he saw Nikolaos Christofondodoulous. Taking his hand he said only, "Thank you."

Two other men also entered the plane and sat in the front. Tank saw two others in the back of the cabin. He figured they were security.

The first three hours of the flight nobody spoke. Tank watched the stars and figured they were heading generally east. That was not unexpected. During the three hours, Tank silently prayed. He was raised Catholic and, like most, had fallen away during his adolescence and time in the Army and mercenary work. But after seeing and enduring what he had, he found a sense of peace and refuge in his faith. He surprised himself how often he prayed and attended Mass.

He was deep in prayer when Nikolaos sat down next to him. They were quiet for a while. Tank knew the man next to him wanted to speak and would do so in his own time.

Nikolaos sat up straighter and took a breath, "I was surprised when my sister sent me the note adding you to her notification list. Vassi is very private. She gets along well within the Army but I know of nobody outside with whom she associates. So, of course, I did background checks on you. I, too, am in Intelligence, but not to the degree of my sister. It was your jaw that was broken back in the Philippines."

"Yes, sir."

"You were in Somalia."

"Yes." Tank remembered the spotter-sniper who protected them until they could withdraw but never saw him...or her.

"And North Korea?"

"I was carrying the dead medic back home. I don't remember much about the sniper suturing Ranger."

"And finally Nicaragua."

"Yes, sir, I remember too much about that mission. It continues to cause nightmares. The delays were maddening. Finally when we arrived we had to run through the jungle to get to the camp. I remember all the rebels were trying to find the snipers and didn't notice us at first. Dead bodies littered the camp and I mentally thanked the snipers for clearing the field for us. I didn't know it was just one sniper. I didn't remember the helicopter incident until she reminded me."

"Are you the one that got the Barrett?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you know what happened to her after the bar incident in the Philippines?"

"She told us about the Court Martial and reassignment."

"I look at my life and my sister's and I wonder if I have the mental and physical strength to endure what she has throughout her life. I cannot think of one person any stronger than she, and I pray this will not be her end. She was such a happy child, we both were. She constantly laughed, mostly at herself. Then...well, it isn't fair someone should suffer so much. She needs peace and happiness."

Tank remained quiet and let the Colonel continue.

"We are twins. Our father is Army, now a Lt. General. We grew up as Army brats in a loving, happy family. Vassi was always a tomboy. She was like a brother. We'd hunt with our father. She could outshoot all of us, my father, mother and me. She hated ballet so my parents let her study Tae Kwon Do with me. She was a natural. She went on to study other disciplines. It seems whatever she studied, she excelled at it." He smiled at the memories. "You two were evenly matched in the Philippine bar, you had strength, training, and bulk; she had superior skills and far more agility, but I doubt either of you was out to win that day."

Tank sat and once again relived the Billabong bar incident and the tall MP Captain and how he didn't want to fight her and was reluctant to spar. She was a woman and an officer, but her eyes sparkled as she promised not to injure him. She moved differently than what he expected. Her movements were unconventional, loose and quick. Her skills were truly beyond his, she was pulling moves he had never seen before...then the hit to the jaw. He felt it, but put the pain aside. She didn't. Moaning as if in pain she mumbled, "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Quickly, she turned from fighter to medic. The touch of her hands, the care she took in rigging up the jaw support was so intense, he could still feel it. How well he remembered the feel of her body on his lap. Instantly, his body started to react to her and he couldn't stop it. Then there was the kiss. It wasn't a haphazard kiss, a little peck. It was a kiss with meaning.

After a while, the Colonel continued...

"We were in Egypt. Like typical 13-year-old adolescents, Vassi developed sexually faster than I did. She looked to be at least 16, especially with her height. I was truly her little brother at that point. My father was part of a military mission and the family tagged along for a vacation. We did the museums, Nile, Pyramids, Karnack, and camel ride. The last night, Vassi was sick so our mother decided to sleep with her, and I slept with my father. Sometime in the middle of the night, someone entered the hotel room, first killing the security men outside our door, then shooting my mother in the head and kidnapping Vassi. If I had been in that room, I'd be dead."

Tank was stunned.

"We brought Mom back to the States to bury her and I went to St. Basil's Academy near West Point. Dad returned to Cairo. After a while, the Egyptians closed the investigation saying my sister was probably sold in some world-wide slave trade and untraceable."

Tank said nothing, he'd let the horror story play out.

"Mossad contacted my father. They wanted to know if he needed their help. He had no contact with Mossad prior to that, working only with the Israeli government and military. Of course, he said yes.

"About two months later, Mossad brought Vassi to Tel Aviv. She had been horribly abused. The bastard who had her kidnapped was the doctor brother of the high-ranking, Egyptian Army General who shut down the investigation. The bastard got her pregnant and when she miscarried, she became frightened and fought back. He flogged her nearly to death." Nikolaos paused to regain control. "The Israeli doctors and psychiatrists started to put her back together and she joined me at St. Basil's. After five years, we graduated. She wanted to go to West Point. My father was not in favor at all, but it turned out she needed structure in her life, chain of command. She and I both went to the Academy.

"She was studying law to become a JAG but asked for training in MPs and CID before completing her law degree. Her evaluations were glowing...until the Philippines."

Niko continued, "The Court Martial was a travesty, but it was the opportunity needed to root out military brass doing the bidding of a Senator and his cabal.

"Thankfully, the Leavenworth sentence didn't stand. Instead, the Senator made certain she was in Hell and hopefully died there. She became a foreign operative and sometime assassin. She did her job well but became solitary and morose. Then came Nicaragua. While waiting for your team to arrive, she watched two local men tortured, abused and throats slit but she couldn't stop it. When it was Carlos Manoso's turn, someone she recognized from Billabong bar, Somalia and North Korea, she snapped. Way before your team arrived, she began firing. She shot the three officers through a window then turned the Barrett on the camp. You saw the results. It was returning to the transport site where she was shot. Mentally, she was back in that hellhole in Egypt. She needed to escape even if it meant death. You grabbed her and held her, allowing her mind to return, at least partially. When the helicopter landed, she was going off to die and wanted you to have her beloved Barrett. She collapsed on the C130. The loadmaster got her medical help."

"She knew me?"

"First, she recognized Manoso, as someone from the Philippines. Then you came into the rebel camp."

The Colonel stopped for a few minutes to stabilize his emotions. He resumed, "It was just before Nicaragua when the whole situation regarding Simpson blew up. The Senator, foreign and domestic businessmen were bribing Senior Staff to do their deeds. The kickbacks were very generous. The general of her Court Martial admitted he was only doing Senator Simpson's bidding. Her conviction was overturned. She didn't know and without you, would have died. With the exoneration, she held on and rebuilt herself…again. She left field intelligence and joined me. Her mind is like an ever-evolving machine but with field experience; she is cagey, thinks not only off-planet but in an entirely different universe. She's done wonders for our intelligence capability."

Niko paused, went to the galley and returned with two bottles of water. "She wasn't on an Army mission. She was working for Mossad. This is their aircraft, their guards."

"Mossad?"

"She does work with them, with Washington's approval, but I think she goes beyond what the brass knows...the brass being our father. She says she owes Mossad her life. She nearly died in Egypt years ago and you saved her in Nicaragua. Now, she is again seriously injured but this time she went into the mission expecting, maybe even wanting, to die. It will take something special to pull her back. We are hoping it is you."

"I barely know her."

"Pierre, she divested herself of everything save her most private, personal files. Those she sent to me. She has been looking in on you for years. Not stalking, just keeping you in her sights. One of the reasons she's been willing to work with Silvio, other than she was his commanding officer, is his association with you and Carlos Manoso. Her flash signals to you on Sundays were the only time she has reached out to anyone other than Silvio."

"You know about those?"

"We discussed how she could pull them off."

"Colonel, I admit, I've thought about her often since the Philippines. I tried to learn her name but got nowhere. Every time I inquired, I was shut down."

"It was the dirty general in the Court Martial. He was afraid the defense would locate you, Manoso and others on the team to repudiate Simpson's claims and reopen the case. The general, at Senator Simpson's bidding, went to great trouble to keep you, Manoso, Harold Olsen, and the others buried deep. He found ways to send you or your team on difficult missions. I suspect he thought you'd be killed, but you were an exemplary team."

Tank was surprised this Army Colonel knew so much about him, Ranger and Hal. "The Sunday signals, are you the only one who knew about them?"

"No, Silvio, your man in Miami, was monitoring them for backwash...somebody trying to backtrack."

"Why didn't Silvio say anything?"

"He was sworn to secrecy. Many of the search and security programs you use at Rangeman, she wrote, just for Rangeman and gave to Silvio to take credit."

"Why?" Now Tank understood how the messages came in on his private email. Only the Core Team and Silvio had the address.

"You. All I can think is love at first sight or infatuation," Nikolaos said with a small smile. "I never knew my sister to show interest in anyone, except you."

Tank was stunned. Was that what happened to him as well? His life is solitary, too. Was this the reason?

Nikolaos controlled the emotion in his voice by lowering it, "Dad and I as well as Ari hope you can bring her back."

"Ari?"

"He is the head of Mossad now and the one who carried her out of that hellhole in Egypt. He considers VC his adopted daughter. He sent her to Syria knowing she could die. I can't begin to imagine the pain he must be feeling, even worse than Dad's and mine."

AN/ I promise next chapter we begin to tackle the Rangeman bugging.