What I Would Do for You

The "cabin" turned out to be a very expensive looking mountain retreat. Summers had stopped by Merle's bookstore that morning and had given the directions.

"Looks like we have hit the big time, Mark." Merle said, "We need to get out of this vehicle slow and easy." Being called Mark is way better than Darlinda.

The Dixons eased out of the Suburban and stood there for a minute until Summers came out, "Merle, drive your vehicle into the garage."

Summers met them in the attached garage and ushered them into the house and up to their room. Two twin beds and two dressers. "Come on down when you're ready. The rest of the crew came in earlier today." I finally made it to a fraternity house.

Summers introduced them when they ventured downstairs. Chopper was very large and very fit, blond hair cut short. Amigo was slightly but equally fit. Both men just nodded at them. They gave Daryl the willies. It was their nonchalance. They act as if they did this sort of shit all the damn time.

Morgan and Jesse shook their hand and made eye contact. Morgan was a dark skinned black man of medium height. Not tall, not short, not old, not young, but somehow Daryl knew from the get go that Morgan was in charge. He bends into the background. Don't underestimate Morgan.

Jesse was good looking. He was never going to be unnoticed in any crowd. A light-skinned Black man with blue eyes. Probably in his mid-thirties and he moved like a panther. Graceful and silent.

Morgan led the way downstairs, "Let us begin."

The basement meeting room had comfortable chairs and expensive technology. Morgan waited until the others sat down. He used a remote to dim the lights and then a photo of a mountain meadow appeared.

"The White Warriors meet here early in October every year. Their Oktoberfest celebration. Kind of an homage to German Nazis and it gives the separate branches of the group a chance to meet with the Stowers family. It's our best chance to take down the leadership. "

Morgan paused for a drink of water, "The Stowers got immunity from the government for some reason. We're in murky waters, gentlemen. I believe that there are forces within the government that are giving the White Warriors free rein to commit an act of domestic terror. I believe it's a false flag operation. The backlash from such an attack will strengthen their case that they need more money and more power to keep America safe."

"We're acting as individuals. We're on our own. We've got one shot to take down the power structure of this group."

He brought up another image. It looked like a standard target for bow shooting. Circles within circles. Morgan used a pointer. "The outer circle is the rank and file White Warrior. Typically blue collar types. Not well educated. They don't make decisions; they carry out orders. They commit the crimes that makes money for the entire group. Some men work in the legitimate businesses. They get a paycheck from the business, pay their taxes, but they understand that all blessings flow from the top. Stealing is punished by death."

"The second ring is the branch leaders. They control their branch. They recruit members and they have some autonomy in their branch. The high command sends the money to them for wages, supplies, equipment. So they have power of their own, but they know that the money comes from the Stowers family. They get off the reservation and the Stowers send someone to take them out."

Morgan pointed at the innermost circle and the image expanded to show the photos of all the family members. "Here is the real power. None of these men is anywhere near the meth and the heroin, or the other avenues of crime. Yet they reap the rewards and except for Larry Stowers they have avoided imprisonment. We have no real estimation of the wealth of the family. The intel is that they have invested in gold bars."

"The male members of the family will be at Oktoberfest. Larry, Gerald, Robert, Charles, and the oldest brother Roger. Linda Stowers will be the only woman in attendance. She is as deadly as any of them."

"There is a large house on the property. That is where the high command meets with the branch officers. Getting in there will be tough. We have to be in place before they get there. We have to stay in place while they are there. Then the rank and file will be dismissed and the branch leaders will stay on the mountain for the meeting. That is when we strike. Has to be quick and then we have to exit. We get one shot at this and then we go."

Morgan handed out folders with detailed maps of the area and pages of photos and information on the Stowers family and each branch officer. Daryl began to leaf through the pages.

Jesse tapped Daryl on the shoulder. "You and I are on the same team. We should talk". Merle was leaving with Morgan and Summers. Chopper and Amigo had already left.

"Let's go upstairs. I'm hungry," Jesse started out the door and Daryl followed.

Jesse turned the stove on, "I'll bake the pizzas. Soon as these guys smell food they'll want something to eat. How about a beer?"

Daryl nodded and Jesse handed him a cold bottle of beer, "I'm a sniper. You are my spotter. You ever been in combat?"

Daryl shook his head and took a long swallow of beer. His throat was very dry. "No, Merle was in the army. I've hunted with my crossbow and a rifle."

Jesse began to take the uncooked pizzas out of their boxes, "It's not the same thing. I use a very large gun to shoot a long distance. Your job is to tell me if I am high or low or left or right. The other thing that you do is keep me alive. I can't watch my back and be a sniper. I'm depending on you to do that."

Later after the others had been fed he and Jesse took their pizza and beer to the deck. It was chilly out here but the stars were out. Jesse took a bite of pizza, "Why are you here?"

"Merle started all this because he wanted to do the right thing. That changed both our lives. He started us on this path and this is the way it was always going to go. We are going to do the right thing, make ourselves worthy of being loved, and earn our place in this world. I'll have your back and I'll do what I have to keep you alive."

Jesse looked at the stars, "I believe you, Daryl. You don't have to do this to become a good man. You are doing this because you are a good man. You are already worthy of being loved but you need to show your worth by doing this. When you get back to your real life? You walk proud. You are going to earn that." Glad you said when and not if. Jesse's a good guy.

The next morning he and Jesse drove a couple of hours to a firing range. Daryl learned enough about to being a spotter to help Jesse. Their job was to kill as many of the leaders they could and then get the hell out and back to the safe house. I am still a little leery about the kill part but I totally get the hell out part.

Chopper and Amigo were cutting power off to the house as soon as they heard the first rifle fire and then were attacking the house with rocket launchers. And they are so damn cheery about it. Just another day at work for them.

Morgan, Merle, and Summers were going into the house to take out as many as possible and set off a bomb that would level the place. That's the hardest job. Nothing is gonna kill Merle but Merle. Right?

The Oktoberfest was scheduled for next Friday afternoon and then the bulk of the White Warriors would leave. The branch commanders and their lieutenants would be staying for a few more hours and then they would leave. The plan was to attack while they were here because the Stowers and their body guards usually left at the same time. Don't know where they got their intel, but they trust it.

Daryl and Jesse studied the maps, the intel reports, and discussed possible exit routes. They were parking their vehicle at a parking lot close to the AT. Then they were hiking along the trail for miles and then off the trail for more miles. Their exit strategy was basically to retrace their steps back to the vehicle and then drive to the safe house.

Merle's route was much shorter. He was coming in with Summers and Morgan just over two miles from the next property. The owners of that property used it as a summer retreat from the heat of Charleston, South Carolina. They had gone back to Charleston last week. Merle's team was driving in and staying for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. They were doing as much surveillance as they could and keep reporting to the others.

Early Wednesday morning Daryl hugged Merle goodbye. All three teams were taking off. Their only communication was by sat phones that they would turn on at nine o'clock tonight and only after that when they could talk without compromising the mission.

That afternoon Daryl and Jesse were on the AT headed south. They camped out that night under the stars. Merle had called at nine, "The fishing is great here. Come on up this weekend."

Daryl answered, "Maybe I will. Maybe my wife will let me out early for good behavior."

The next day they hiked for a couple of hours before leaving the white blazed trail and plunging into the woods. They stopped at a creek and filled every bottle that they had with water and treated it with iodine. They stopped later and changed to the ghillie suits that enabled them to blend into the foliage. It was late afternoon before they got to their destination. They chose a spot with an open shot to the house and then carved out a hiding spot a little further back. There were lights in the house and they could see people moving around. Daryl wished it was a go right now. Waiting one more day was going to be excruciating. There was the plan, the backup plan, and the backup backup plan. So many things could go wrong.

There were guards along the perimeter of the meadow and in the woods surrounding the house. Daryl and Jesse took turns sleeping that night. The meadow was beginning to fill up the next morning by ten o'clock. Food and drink were available and there were portable toilets set up on the sides of the open field. Guess they didn't have jerky for supper last night and breakfast this morning.

Armed men were walking through the woods making sure that no one had wandered in. Daryl could have touched their boots as they walked past. How in the hell is this going to get this done?

Roger Stowers welcomed the visitors to the Eagle's Nest at noon. They all pledged allegiance to their flag which looked a lot like a Nazi flag to Daryl. Rewards were given to branches that had been particularly productive. Everyone shot in the air at the end of that and the noise echoed off the mountains. The Stowers family mingled with the partyers for a while. Every so often a drunk would unleash his weapon at the sky and all three teams reported to be in place. We're good. Merle is safe for right now.

At two o'clock the party started to wind down. Not all at once but there was a gradual movement of the rank and file to the vehicles and by three o'clock the branch commanders and their lieutenants were drifting toward the house. There were two guards standing very close to where Jesse needed to set up his sniper rifle. The Stowers family was talking to the commanders and Larry and Robert had gone inside. Soon the others would too and their window of opportunity would close. It has to happen and it has to happen now.

Daryl had hoped that the armed patrols would start to migrate back to the house but these two must have been ordered to stay where they were. Jesse looked at him and held up his knife. Daryl nodded and took his out. Game time.

The two bored guards were bitching. They were hungry and thirsty. One had plans to visit his girlfriend after work and the other one was going to a party where "the beer is cold and the bitches are easy." Jesse went left and Daryl went right and they grabbed them backwards at the same time. Daryl did what they had trained him to do. He cut the man's carotid artery in one sweep and then released him to die at his feet.

Jesse had already hustled out his sniper rifle by the time that Daryl collected himself enough to get the binoculars out. Jesse was sighting in. Daryl used the phone, "We're ready."

Summers answered, "It's a go. Good luck."

Jesse's first round put a hole in Roger's head. His brother Charles was standing beside him and he got the next round in the chest. Jesse was methodically wiping out as many as he could and Daryl got to his feet. He had to keep Jesse alive and he knew the sniper rifle was going to attract attention.

Daryl didn't bother with the knife. He stood against trees knowing that he would be harder to spot if he didn't move. He could hear thrashing footsteps from his right and he moved that direction bringing up his rifle and took both of them out with one burst. Then he moved left and just fired at the first movement he saw.

In less than two minutes he and Jesse were out of the area. Chopper and Amigo were using rocket launchers to blow the front of the building to hell. Everyone in the meadow was running for cover in the woods. Time to get the hell out.

Jesse was on his feet and both of them were running through the woods. He felt the sting of a bullet graze his side but didn't slow down. Jesse stumbled once but got back up. He'd been hit in the leg but somehow they kept on going.

They stopped to get more water and to clean their wounds. Daryl's was an angry stripe that burned like fire but the bleeding had stopped. Jesse had a bullet in his leg and had lost too much blood. Daryl used the sat phone. "We're a couple of miles from home. I need to stop and pick up some beer before I get there." Home meant the AT and stop and pickup were their codes that there were injuries.

Merle answered, "We've caught some big fish today. We're cleaning them now. Take your time. We'll be at home when we can get there. "

Jesse looked at Daryl, "You are going to take the bullet out and sew me back up. Then we're going to head north on the AT until we get to our vehicle. Give me that first aid kid."

Daryl washed his hands with alcohol and sterilized the tweezers. "Let's see if you are as tough as you think you are, Jesse."

Daryl narrowed his focus to right here right now. Jesse was gripping the root of a tree with both hands and Daryl stared at the bullet hole for a few seconds. It looked as if the bullet wasn't too deep and he opened up the tweezers and reached in and pulled it out in one move.

Jesse cursed with creativity and feeling for minutes while Daryl cleaned the wound and applied antibiotic powder and then covered the wound with duct tape. He gave Jesse a pain pill and got him on his feet. "Gotta go, Jesse."

Jesse said, "Just try to keep up with me."

Daryl took everything they needed out of Jesse's pack and put it in his. He hid the pack in a hollow trunk of a tree.

The sun was going down and Daryl took out his head light. There was enough light to see now, but they would have to keep going. They needed to get to their car before morning. Get Jesse somewhere safe.

Jesse was moving slower but he was moving. Daryl put his arm around Jesse in a supportive way and half carried him along the trail. We've got places to go and people to see and nothing is going to stop us from getting there.

When Jesse collapsed, Daryl put him on his back and continued on. It was still dark when he met Morgan and Merle on the trail. They took over carrying Jesse and by dawn they were back in the safe house. Morgan had conjured up a doctor, a real porch dick from the way he talked but he seemed to know what he was doing.

Morgan cleaned Daryl's wound and then they went to check on Jesse. Dr. Anderson had tended to the wound, started Jesse on strong antibiotics, and fluids. "He's going to be fine. He just needs to rest." Morgan handed the doctor an envelope.

The doctor bolted out the door, Merle commented, "He's a druggie. Jonesing to get some happy from something."

"That's why he lost his license, but he is a hell of surgeon." Morgan looked down at a sleeping Jesse. "My sister would never forgive me if something happened to this guy. They're expecting a baby. Jesse is my brother in law."

Daryl put his hand on Jesse's shoulder, "We're going home. Both of us."

Daryl slept most of the rest of the day. Jesse was awake when he went in to check on him. Morgan and Merle were sitting with him.

"Sleeping Beauty just woke up. About damn time, Lil' Bruther." Merle looked up and actually smiled at him. Love you, Michael-Merle. I love both of you.

Morgan said, "Sit down, Daryl. We'll give you the news. We all made it out. Chopped and Amigo are already gone. Summers is on his way to Washington. Got a job offer."

Merle took over, "We got in the house. Set the bomb and got out. I might have found a safe that was left open. Might have taken a few souvenirs." He picked up a small duffel bag that was sitting on the floor by his chair.

Merle stood up and one by one he took out eight gold bars and laid them on Jesse's bed. "The other three took their share. Two for each of us. It's at least a million dollars for each of us."

Daryl sat down. "Is it over? The Stowers are dead?"

Morgan patted his shoulder, "Most of the commanders ran toward the house and they were inside when the bomb went off. The Stowers are gone. Daryl and Merle are gone. Hell, I'm keeping the money too. Saving the world doesn't always pay all that well."

Jesse grinned, "I'm buying an airplane. Michonne wants to move to a small town and just be a country lawyer."

"I'm going to send two kids to college and make their mother very happy. I am going to marry Christie and enjoy the fuck out of the rest of my life."

Daryl leaned over and picked up the heavy gold bar. "I'm keeping part of this back."

The other men looked at him and Daryl grinned, "I want enough for two wedding bands." Oh, Carol. I am coming to get you.

AN

The threat is over because I am the author and I say so.

It's time to right this "ship" and to bring Carol and Daryl back together. Daryl is all about that but Carol may take a chapter or two to come on board.

I can see Merle happily looting the gold bars and crowing about it.

I quite fancy Michonne and Morgan as siblings in this story and could see them as a couple in the show.

I always write Michonne with Jesse. I have this crush on Michael Ealy who was wonderful in "Almost Human" and scary in "The Perfect Guy". Jesse is Michael Ealy.

Review?