Chapter 2: HALO
C-17 – Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
United States Senator Alexa Lawrence eyed the men of SEAL Team Bravo as they bedded down in hammocks. Frustration mounted with each passing moment, and the nonchalance of the men who were supposed to save her son irked her. "Shouldn't they be planning their mission or something?"
Blackburn looked up from his laptop to peer at the senator who sat across the jet from him. "They've thoroughly discussed the details of their mission and are fully prepared."
"They only spent thirty minutes going over their plan. How can they be prepared for all eventualities? Can you guarantee they will bring my boy home in one piece? Or will he be left behind due to lack of preparation."
Suppressing a sigh, Blackburn eyed the woman. "Senator, I can assure you my men are properly prepared. Master Chief Hayes leads the best of the best. He and his men will do everything in their power to bring your boy home safe. And we will use every asset at our disposal to ensure they are successful in their mission."
"I hope your faith in your men is not misplaced, Lieutenant Commander. Because if they don't bring my boy home, I will not hesitate to ensure these men never see another mission. Their careers will be over, and so will yours. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal, ma'am." Blackburn returned his attention to his laptop, effectively ending the conversation with the senator. He noted the expression on Jason's face and didn't blame him. No one was pleased Lawrence demanded to accompany them on the mission. He sighed and hoped Bravo brought everyone out alive, or there would be hell to pay.
Davis peered at her watch and stood. Striding to Jason's hammock, she gave it a shake until his gaze met hers. "It's time."
Nodding, Jason rolled from his hammock, understanding Lisa's cryptic comment. "Come on boys, time to wake up."
Ray groaned as Jason shook his hammock. "Come on J, I was just getting to the good part of my dream too."
"Can't be as good a dream as lover boy's," Sonny quipped as he stretched.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Clay beamed as he took down his hammock and tucked it away with the others. He's probably right though. Dreaming of Stella … not much better than that.
Brock shook his head and chuckled. Kid's not getting a break at all this time out. Not with proposing as we received the call. Settling in his seat he called Cerberus up next to him and slid the canine's oxygen mask in place.
"What are they doing?" Lawrence irritated at being woken by the sound of rustling in the plane. The sight of the SEALs tucking away their beds and pulling on oxygen masks confused her.
"They have to pre-breathe one hundred percent oxygen for at least thirty minutes before they jump," Davis explained.
"Why?"
"They have to flush the nitrogen from their bloodstream. Could be deadly if they don't. Then who would rescue your son?" Davis rose and checked in with each of the guys, then Blackburn and Ellis. The last thing she wanted was to get roped into a conversation with the senator.
"Break down the palettes," Jason ordered as he turned off his oxygen tank and replaced the mask.
Bravo began opening the cases stacked in palettes along the center of the plane. All the gear they would need for the op had been carefully packed and arranged by Davis before the wheels ever left the tarmac.
"Y'all remember the first jump the kid did with us?" Sonny glanced at Clay, his trademark smirk in place.
"How could we forget? Kid's first day on Bravo and we HAHO in China, spend the day sightseeing, and enjoy a game of don't blink first with Russian Alpha." Ray shook his head at the memories.
"One heck of a first day." Jason grinned as he donned his body armor.
"Racked up eighteen cases of beer by the time we made it back to the jet." Clay chuckled, remembering wondering how he would afford all the beer he owed the team. He retrieved his sniper rifle case, double checked the contents, then added it to his pile of gear to don before they jumped.
"You guys all set?" Davis approached the guys, needing to ensure she hadn't overlooked anything in her preparations. She beamed when everyone indicated they possessed all the needed supplies. "Be safe out there."
"Aren't we always?" Sonny smirked then winked at her.
Davis laughed, shook her head, and strode away.
Jason and Ray made the rounds, ensuring all the guys were set and all gear securely strapped down.
"Let's do this." Jason led the way to the back of the jet where they lined up in pairs and donned their oxygen masks for the jump.
Brock double checked Cerberus' gear, ensuring the dog's protective wear and oxygen remained firmly in place.
Jason looked over his team one last time, earning a thumbs up from each, before nodding and facing the rear of the plane. When directed, each member of Bravo stepped off the back of the jet and began their freefall.
Lawrence's gaze remained fixed on the cargo door for several minutes after the guys jumped. "They just walked right off the back of the plane."
"Yes." Blackburn glanced up and grinned.
"They didn't even think about it. They simply …"
"Yup."
"With no thought to their own safety?" Alexa's gaze met the lieutenant commander's.
"It's their job, ma'am."
"Huh."
Clay kept a close eye on his altimeter. He always loved jumping when with Team Three. However, ever since Brian's accident during his time on Green Team, he had to work to maintain focus and not freak out when performing a HALO jump. The sight of Brian falling from the sky with no chute still haunted his dreams at times.
Jason ensured he ended up close to Clay. Although Spenser gave no indication he couldn't perform the jump with confidence, he remembered the accident which ended in Armstrong's death. As Brian and Clay were close, Jason tended to stick close to the kid during jumps. Didn't want anything happening to him.
As the ground rushed up to greet them, Bravo spread out enough to pull their chutes. One by one, the parachutes unfurled, filled with air, and slowed their descent. All but one.
Pulling the cord to release his primary chute, Clay resisted the urge to panic when the fabric failed to unfurl.
Jason counted chutes as the men began the slow descent to the ground, fear gripping him when he noted Spenser's chute failed to deploy correctly. Come on, Kid. Cut it away and deploy the reserve. Relief surged through him when the chute drifted away from Clay and moments later the reserve chute unfurled without incident.
Clay closed his eyes a moment to thank his lucky stars. When his primary failed, all Clay could think of was that Stella would lose him before they ever married. All from a one in a thousand, fluke accident. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Clay focused instead on landing near the rest of Bravo.
"Where's Spenser?" Ray's words leaving his mouth the moment his mask was off.
"Should be close. Had to deploy his reserve." Jason made quick work of tucking away his parachute. Once completed he drew in a deep breath and keyed his comms. "Bravo One to Bravo Six."
Silence reigned as the guys gathered around.
"He make it down okay?" Sonny adjusted his grip on his weapon.
"HAVOC to Bravo One, sitrep?"
"This is Bravo One. All but Bravo Six accounted for. Looking for the kid now," Jason reported, informing Blackburn that Clay had been separated from them.
"Copy, Bravo One."
"Let's go find him." Jason nodded to Brock who instructed Cerberus to find Clay. The dog took off like a shot and Bravo followed close behind.
Clay removed his oxygen mask and sucked in a deep breath. Bending down, elbows on his knees, he closed his eyes for a moment. Relief washed through him. This being his first failed chute deployment since Brian, the few moments before his reserve chute opened terrified him. Gotta get to the team.
Keying his comms, Clay realized they would already be searching for him. "Bravo One, this is Bravo Six."
"Six, good to hear your voice, Kid." Jason's relief came through the airwaves loud and clear.
"Got blown off course when my chute failed."
"Understood. Cerb is bringing us to you."
"Copy." Clay pulled in his chute and hid it among the bushes before rearranging his gear for the hike to the target location. The rustling of bushes a few moments later indicated someone approached. Although he suspected it to be his team, he pointed his weapon in the direction of the faint noise just in case.
"Eagle, eagle," Jason called out when Cerb indicated Clay to be nearby. He didn't think anyone wanted to face the business end of Clay's weapon.
"Bout time you got here." Clay emerged from the bushes, a wide grin on his face.
"Hey, if your done playin around, can we get going now?" Sonny's southern drawl brought a smile to Spenser's face.
"Waiting on your sorry ass."
"HAVOC, Bravo One. Found Six. We are Oscar Mike," Jason reported in.
"Copy, Bravo One. Have a nice hike."
"Trent, on point."
Bravo fell into formation as Trent took the lead. They moved swiftly and silently through the night, drawing ever closer to their target location.
Jason sidled up to Clay where he sat on watch while the team rested for a few minutes. The Kid remained quiet on the hike, and Jason needed to ensure his head was on straight. "How you doing?"
"Fine." Clay suspected the reason Jason approached him was due to the malfunction with his chute. However, he hoped his CO wouldn't ask. He didn't get his wish.
"You good after the jump? First chute mishap with us."
"I'm good. Really." Clay met Jason's gaze for a moment. He sighed, "Yeah, made me think of Brian, the terror he felt must've when his parachute failed to deploy. But also makes me more thankful for Davis. She works hard to ensure our gear is in tip-top condition. Yeah, stuff happens and things don't always go as planned. But, if she hadn't ensured my reserve was packed correctly as well. Let's just say you'd be having a hard conversation with Stella when you get back. And that is not something I want to happen."
"Not something I want to do either." Jason drew in a slow breath. "If you need to talk when we get back, I'm all ears."
"Thanks." Clays focus returned to the forest ahead of them. He appreciated Jason checking in on him, but he truly was good to go. During the hike, his thoughts had been on Brian and his friend's final moments. But then he realized he was lucky, and he instead felt an intense amount of thanks he survived another jump. He would get to go home to his fiancé.
"HAVOC, this is Bravo One. We have reached Budweiser."
"Solid copy, Bravo One." Blackburn marked the checkpoint on the board before turning his attention to Davis and the ISR feed.
Ray took a knee at the top of the hill, gesturing for the rest of Bravo to do the same. As they gathered around him, he pulled out his binoculars to scope out the compound below.
Around the perimeter sat a high, chain link fence with curled barbed wire along the top. The humming box in the corner of the compound and signs along the fence indicated the fence to be wired with electricity. Guard towers sat in each corner of the compound, and one in the center. Each contained a bright searchlight. Two main buildings took up residence in the center. Intel indicated one housed the doctors, and another the soldiers which traveled with them. They would need to confirm the details before they entered the compound.
"We gotta take out those searchlights, and the power to the fence before we can approach," Ray observed.
"You think it's all wired into that power box in the corner?" Clay observed the item in question, deciding if he could take out the power with a single shot. The sound of the exploding generator could mask their approach and the report of his rifle.
"Don't see any other source of power," Sonny commented as he scanned the compound.
"Dogs," Brock commented as Cerberus shifted anxiously beside him. "I see four roaming the compound."
"Gonna be trained to kill," Trent suggested.
"So are we." Jason suppressed a sigh. Dogs, not something we needed tonight.
"How we going to deal with them?" Sonny wrinkled his nose at the canines. He liked dogs, well, he liked Cerberus. The mangy mutts he saw below them, however, did not rank highly on his list.
"Could poison them," Brock suggested. Cerb nudged his hand and Brock rubbed behind the dog's ears. "Not talking about you, boy."
"Can't we just lure them out of the compound?" Clay eyed Brock.
"We would still have to deal with them at one point or another."
"I can dose them with a sedative," Trent suggested.
"Don't want you using your supplies. We may need them for the hostages." Jason argued, his mind working overtime to find a solution.
"We could just go in and deal with them as they come." Ray glanced at Jason. "Use knives, Cerb can distract them until we take them out."
"Could work. Hate putting Cerb in that position though."
"He can take them." Cerberus' tail wagged beside his master.
"Okay." Jason keyed his comms. "Bravo One to HAVOC."
"Go for HAVOC."
"Can you give us a bead on how many are in which building?" Jason returned his attention to the compound below.
"The building to the north has nine heat signatures. Seven in one room, relatively still. The other two in another room. The south building contains nine as well. Three heat signatures completely still, the rest gathered around and appear to be beating the three. Could be our soldiers."
"Copy."
"Clay, take out the generator, then you and Ray hit the guards in the tower. Eliminate as many of the dogs as you can in the ensuing chaos, then join us below to help with extraction." Jason ordered.
"Copy." Clay began to unpack his sniper rifle and settle into place.
"Brock, Cerb will help us with any remaining dogs. We need to be vigilant, they may have more than we plan for." Jason checked his weapon. "Trent, Brock, you go to the north building. Appears our hostages are there. Sonny, you and I get the soldiers. Ray and Clay will meet us there."
Sonny nodded once and stood to move.
"Move to the fence and hold. We go on Ray's command."
Jason, Trent, Brock, and Sonny moved into position as Clay and Ray prepared to execute the first step of the plan.
"You find the sweet spot?" Ray asked as he scoped the guard in the tower furthest from the generator.
"Yep. Bravo One, going dark." Clay caressed the trigger between heartbeats. Sparks flew from the generator before the compound was enshrouded in darkness.
Ray and Clay quickly sent off several rounds. Eliminating all five guards, and three of the dogs in short order.
"Two to One. Coming to you." Ray stood, swung his sniper rifle over his shoulder, and lifted his assault weapon in preparation to move.
Clay nodded once to Ray and they were on the move. While they eliminated the targets, Bravo Three cut a hold in the fence and they moved towards the target buildings. Ray and Clay met up with Jason and Sonny as they prepared to enter the building. The fact they remained undetected up to this point a miracle considering the darkness of the compound brought several from neighboring buildings out to investigate.
Jason held up three fingers, lowering one at a time in countdown. When he lowered the last finger, Sonny kicked in the door and four of Bravo Team entered. They quickly dispatched the hostiles in the room who were beating the three soldiers hanging from the roof. The blood and bruising on the soldiers indicated minor injuries. Ray retrieved the bolt cutters from Sonny's pack and the four SEALS began cutting down the captives.
Meanwhile, Brock and Trent made entry into the north building. Finding two guards playing a board game at a small table, they quickly took them out. Moving to the only door in the room, one containing a padlock, Brock positioned the shotgun to blow off the lock.
The moment the door opened, Trent rushed inside and began to clear the room. Only the seven hostages occupied the bare room. All were huddled together in the corner.
"U.S. forces. We are here to take you home." Trent knelt in front of the group, recognizing the relief on the captive's faces at seeing them. Despite the painted faces and tactical gear, they were a sight for sore eyes. "Are any of you hurt?"
"Minor injuries, but nothing which will slow us down." One of the young men reported for the center of the group.
Brock's gaze met the young man and he recognized him as Benjamin Lawrence, the Senator's son. "We need to move."
Cerberus' growl from the door alerted Brock to movement outside. He strode towards his dog just in time to see a Doberman launch himself at Cerb. The fight which ensued proved to Brock his dog was in better shape, and better trained than the other. When Cerb threw the black dog against the wall, Brock quickly fired, instantly killing the dog.
Once he ensured the other dog wouldn't be moving, Brock knelt to roam his hands over Cerberus, checking for any injuries. "Good boy." Brock beamed, finding nothing more than a couple shallow scratches.
"He okay?" Trent approached, the doctors following.
"Yep." Brock stood, glanced over the group, and keyed his mic. "Bravo One, this is Bravo Five. We have the seven doctors."
"Copy, Bravo Five. Meet us at the rendezvous point."
"Be advised, Cerb took out another dog. Should make four."
"Solid copy. Good work." Jason grinned.
"Cerb must be pretty pleased with himself right about now." Clay chuckled as he hoisted the arm of one of the soldiers over his shoulder.
"As he should be." Sonny beamed.
"Let's move," Jason ordered as he took lead. Ray, Clay, and Sonny each helped one of the soldiers. All were aware enough to move out but still needed assistance due to stiff and sore muscles. He would have Trent look them over once they were clear of the building.
"Bravo One to HAVOC. Passing Guinness."
"Copy, Bravo One. Good work." Blackburn marked the next checkpoint off.
"They have my son?" Senator Lawrence strode forward as the lieutenant commander marked of the line indicating they retrieved the hostages.
"Yes, ma'am," Eric noted the slump in the woman's shoulders as relief washed through her.
"Is he alright?"
"We will know once they are out of the target area and in a safe place. They will check everyone over, report in, then move to the exfil location."
"Thank you." Lawrence moved to the back of the jet, dropped to a chair and cried tears of joy. I'll see you soon, my boy.
AN: Thank you for your patience waiting for this chapter. I've been spending quite a bit of time on a novel which just came out.
Anyway. I'd love to hear what you think in a review!
If you enjoy my writing I'd like to encourage you to check out my new novel. Just go to Amazon and search "Martha Pruett" or "Clubs: Heart of a Hero" and you'll find it.
Clubs: Heart Of A Hero (Book 1 in the Slater's Deck Series)
How far will heroes go to protect the ones they love? Drew Slater, a dedicated Marine, husband, and father must endure constant separation from his family to keep them safe. For three years, he and his Special Forces unit have endeavored to locate and stop the efforts of those who threaten his family.
Roxy Carter-Slater, Baltimore SWAT officer, devoted wife, and mother wants nothing more than her husband to return home to her and their daughter, Ava. She understands the sacrifices all three are making to safeguard Ava, but her heart still yearns for them to be together.
When the life of an innocent is at stake, Drew, Roxy, and their teams must make difficult choices in the face of the enemy. Will one of them be called to make the ultimate hero's sacrifice for a child? Will Drew find the peace he so desperately seeks?