Trev
I dropped the clip and ejected the round, "Now we can talk like civilized people," I announced.
Kate stared at me in surprise and pain, "You're supposed to be dead," she said.
I motioned her into the room. I drew out four objects from my backpack. They looked like those lights people place under cabinets with the sticky stuff under them. I placed on on each of the four walls. I hit an icon on my PDA. The things started too hum a little bit, just barely audible. These things were designed to vibrate the walls vary minutely, and emitted a jamming signal. They turned any room into a sound-proof Faraday cage.
I motioned her in, "If you want, I can explain everything," I offered.
She slowly went into the room, looking as if she couldn't believe what was happening. I didn't blame her. I closed the door behind me. With the jammers in place, no one could hear us.
Shaw regarded me warily, "So, you're the famous Jake Tanner," it wasn't a question.
"Jake Tanner is just an alias," I said, "Someone I created to squeeze some money from the enemies of my hits."
"Hits?"
"Fine, 'assignments'. Damn political correctness even invaded Black Ops," I muttered.
"What use would political correctness be in Black Ops?" Castle asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Same with the sexual harassment seminars I had to take."
"Black Ops?" Shaw asked. I guess Kate is still in shock.
"Yep," I confirmed, "I'm one of the best."
"How?" Kate whispered, "Why?"
"I'll start wherever you want me too," I said.
"The beginning," she fixed me with a piercing stare, "Your 'death',"
I sighed, "I was selected into PRODIGOUS WARRIOR, remember?" she nodded, "I was selected to go into the deepest tiers of the Project. The Black Ops. I was put into the State Departments Consular Operations. There, I was placed on the Tracker Team of the Political Stabilization Unit. I faked my death so that I could become untraceable."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?" I said, "I was different then. I needed the violence. I still need the violence. I can just control it better."
"That... is complete bullshit," I winced. Kate didn't curse unless she was really pissed off, "You think you needed a way out? My mother-"
"I know what happened to your mom, Kate," I interrupted, "Shit happens. You dealt with it better than I did."
"What?" she shouted, "What 'shit' happened for you to abandon your family? What happened in Afghanistan?"
I gulped. I knew she would breech this topic, "Remember Lieutenant Williams?"
"What?" she looked confused.
"Ya know... big, Georgian accent?"
"Your first CO?"
"Exactly," I took a deep breath, "Williams was my father figure in uniform. He recognized my knack for close up work, and helped me lay the foundations of Trevodur MCMAP."
"Yeah, I met him once," she said, "He's the one who wrote your recommendation to Recon School."
"We, ah, it was our first day on patrol, three days after we came to Afghanistan..."
Al-Jahan, Northern Provinces, Afghanistan.
"Hey, Billy, turn that crap off," I asked.
"That's Lance Corporal Billy to you, Private," the Marine replied, "And everyone loves Hollywood Undead."
"I can stand Hollywood Undead," I replied. The group was often played while the Cougars weight lifted, "I can't live with freakin Lil' Wayne, however."
"This ain't-" I showed him the CD case. He swallowed his words, "Shut up, Private."
"Private First Class," I corrected. My Letter of Completion from Colonel in my high school's JROTC program had earned me accelerated promotion. And I was damn proud of that.
"Both ya'll shut up," El-tee commanded, "We're almost to the village."
Welcome to al-Jahan. Population: 53 people. Maybe 52, depending on if an old guy hangs around till tomorrow or kicks it tonight. We were well away from Taliban or other insurgent groups. This was just a dry run, get the platoon used to doing this kind of thing, since most of us were newbies fresh out of Recon School. It was a milk run, a drill at most. Come in, talk to the elders, give out candy-bars to a few starving kids, leave, repeat until it becomes ingrained like a fire drill.
The driver parked the Humvee a few hundred yards away from the village. The five of us, El-tee, Billy, Mark, Jacob, and me got out of the vehicle. I was the newbie in the squad, and saw the others automatically lace their hands on the grips of their rifles and scan the surrounding hillsides. This village was deep in the mountains. Only the Northern Alliance had kept Taliban and insurgents from reaching this village.
Though the sun beat down on us, it didn't warm us. We were well above sea level. It would snow here if it had precipitation. The people here eked a living off of the cold, hard ground using wells and irrigation. It think a single calculator was used by the whole village. And that is how technological these people are. The buildings were made of mud and straw.
The entire platoon, all ten Humvees carrying some fifty something Marines parked outside the village. The village itself was composed of a few dozen residential and a single government building, all composed of mud brick. They surrounded a sort of bazaar type area where they sold food and other goods to passing travelers, their main source of income.
We wandered into the bazaar, a good two thirds of our platoon. I saw the Lieutenant tlking to the village chief. I wandered around, keeping close to the middle of the bazaar. I scanned the stalls and shops, always curious, always alert for new things. Maybe I could get Kate a piece of Afghan jewelry? They should have some trinkets here...
I saw a guy struggling to lift a basket of potatoes. The vegetables rolled around in the basket. I caught sight of something green. Military green...
"AYE E DE-"
Hell exploded around us. I was swatted aside like a ragdoll. My backpack saved me from blacking out, absorbing my impact. The world was silent, save for a ringing n my ears. I looked around, my vision sluggish. I saw bits and pieces of dead bodies everywhere. To my right I saw...
I saw El-tee's head, separated from his body, his lifeless eyes staring back at me.
One sound cleared my hearing. The rattle of an AK. My vision began to tinge red. Rage swept through me. Bloodlust...
Kill...
Fight...
Revenge...
Murder...
Death...
PAIN! PAIN ONTO THE ONES WHO DID THIS!
I swallowed, the memories fresh as day. The only thing I couldn't remember was sating my bloodlust. I learned that Al-Queda had struck at us with one hundred insurgents. They wanted to steal our Humvees to use as road bombs. I killed close to fifty of them that day. I was awarded the silver star for saving to lives of over twenty Marines.
"So, that was Afghanistan," I said, "A hell-hole right from the start."
"I have a question," asked Agent Shaw, "You displayed signs of PTSD..."
"Insomnia, depression, hallucinations, but it wasn't enough to hamper my performance," I said, "I think you're asking why I don't show signs now."
"Exactly."
"Seeley Booth," I said, "After I was recruited into Stab, they needed me trained in sniping. Booth was a former Ranger sniper, one of the best. They called him the 'Mile-Shot Master'. He was asked to train me, and agreed. He personally knew what I was going through, and helped me out of it."
"How?"
"He prayed and played Journey" I said, "They are like almonds: you can hate them, but they are so addicting. What, have you ever ad just one almond?"
"Journey?" Kate looked incredulous.
"She was just a small town girl..." I stopped when Kate sent a death-glare to me.
"What about Bourne?" Shaw asked.
"Bourne worked with almost every major criminal and terrorist group in the world," I said, "He knows names, crimes, account numbers, meeting places..."
"The ONI guy?"
"Patriks? He was assigned to take down Bourne."
"Then why are you here?" Kate asked.
"I was supposed to be your bodygaurd," I explained, "But the again, I like my private parts."
"Good call," Castle smiled.
"Sounds like a police thing," Shaw said, irritation evident in her voice.
"Sounds like something Booth would say," I countered.
"So Booth knew all along-"
"Nah," I shook my head, "Booth is a devout Roman Catholic," I explained, "Unlike me, he has a moral compass. A strong one. He prefers not to hear of my exploits. Speaking of which," I turned to Castle, "If a character like me ever appears in one of your books, I will find you and beat the crap out of you."
"But-" he shut up at the resulting glare from me.
"Ever," I emphasized, "But you can use the techniques I told you about."
"What techniques?" Kate asked.
"Ya know... wear layers, makes it easy to change your appearance, use draw string backpacks, small, easily transported and concealed. Avoid fedoras, even though they are completely awesome, that sort of thing."
"Spy techniques," he clarified enthusiastically.
"I don't spy. I kill," I corrected, "But they can be used in spying."
I could almost hear a snap coming from Kate, "Kill? You murder."
"No duh," I replied.
"Not only that, but you take pride in it!"
"Guilty."
"You arrogant, self-centered, manipulative BASTARD!"
"I am self-centered, am I? Have you looked in the mirror, Kate? I read your reports, I know how much you bitch about Castle! Why you take the weird cases, you like the attention!"
"Umm, I'm just going to step out for a minute," Castle said nervously.
"Me too," Shaw and Castle hastily exited.
"You have a daughter! Have you ever thought of that? Or have you been too busy killing people to care?"
I snapped. Blood pounded my head. I charged and slammed her against the wall, holding her six inches from the floor, "YOU DON'T THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT? I DO! I MISS EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING IN HER LIFE BECAUSE I HAVE A JOB! A JOB PROTECTING PEOPLE JUST AS MUCH AS YOU DO! AND WHAT AM I GOING TO SAY? 'HI KIDDO, YOUR DADDY'S A KILLER'? IS THAT WHAT YOU WAN ME TO SAY? EVERYTHING Kate, EVERYTHING! EVERY STEP, WORD, EVERY FUCKING MILESTONE IN HER LIFE I WILL MISS BECAUSE I PRTOECT THE PEOPLE I LOVE! SO DON'T YOU DARE, EVER DARE THINK THAT I DON'T CARE!"
I panted through clenched teeth. Kate's fright filled face began to blur as tears worked their way through, "She died angry at me, Kate. Angry at me..."
Seven years ago, Norco, California...
Knock knock.
A small girl opened the door. She had raven black hair and a heart shaped face with a small button nose, "Oh, um, hi, Jon."
"Hi, Alyssa," I greeted nervously, "How are you?"
"If Dad sees you he's gonna shoot you," she warned.
"Where is he?" Alyssa's mom had discovered the two of us passed out, naked and drunk on their living room carpet. By the time I managed to get out with all my clothes,her dad was awake and scrambling for his shotgun. I was just lucky it took him a few tries to get the gun safe to open.
"Work," she replied, "Your safe for now."
"I umm, I was wondering if you want to talk. Ya know, about last night," contrary to popular belief, some Californians don't use the word "dude" in every sentence. At least, not in this watered-down South town transplanted to the middle of the California Desert. The town smelled like horse crap, had horse rap everywhere, even the water tasted like horse crap.
"Um, not right now," she replied.
"Has to be know," I said.
"Why?"
"I get deployed to Afghanistan tomorrow."
"What?"
"Calm down! You're not the-"
"Was that all I was to you? A pre-deployment screw?"
"What? No!"
"Then what?"
"A mistake!" I shouted back, angry, "I barely know you! I don't screw those I don't know!"
"Get out!" she slammed the door in my face.
13 months latter...
I punched the bag, my knuckles bleeding. I revealed in the pain, driving away images of Billy, the El-tee, Jacob. I heard the door open. I sparred just enough time to check who it was.
Alyssa smiled nervously, leaning on the doorframe. I went back to punching the bag. She asked, "I would like to talk, now."
"You had your chance last year," I reminded her, in no mood to deal with her again.
"You're-"
"Things change," I interrupted, "Get out."
"You- I only wanted to talk!"
"About what?" I stopped punching the bag, "What is so important?" I demanded, "I'm not going to be here, day after tomorrow. I ship out again."
"How can they do that, you-"
"I requested it," I went back to punching the bag, her angry face becoming another to drown out in the pain.
I dropped Kate to the ground and and slammed the door behind me.
Remember, 3REVIEWS=1CHAPTER