It had been an incredibly long and frustrating day and it wasn't even lunchtime yet. The Colonel looked to the ground and rolled his head from side-to-side in an effort to relax his neck muscles as he left the conference room. Seeming to misunderstand this as a gesture of shaking his head in the negative, a female guard at the door fell into step with him and inquired,
"Was your proposal rejected sir?"
"Actually it was approved. The sporting injury I acquired is acting up."
"Do you need to go to the infirmary and get it looked at?"
"No thank you Sergeant, I just need to learn to duck when my daughter lets go of the bat when I'm playing umpire."
"How is your son's team doing?"
"Its not my son playing. I'm umpiring for the boy's league until the regular umpire returns from vacation. I also hear you are in line for a promotion at the next board?"
"Yes sir, but I'd prefer if I could keep this assignment. There are certain 'perks' around here that I've gotten used to." They shared a wink at the last comment.
The conversation seemed to be average banter between two colleagues to the casual listener. It was in reality a carefully choreographed series of codes that had been scripted by the Security division.
She held the door open but did not enter as he proceeded into his suite of offices. There was another individual waiting for him and she was under strict orders that they not be disturbed. As the Colonel approached, he handed the man, who was wearing a dark blue suit, the folder he was carrying. Blue suit took the folder and glanced at the label as he followed the Colonel into the office at the far end of the foyer. The Colonel eased himself into the overstuffed chair near the wall and gestured for blue suit to use the small couch as he said,
"Read it." Blue suit quickly pored over the contents with a slightly bemused expression. It took less than 10 minutes. Blue suit paused as he got to the end and made a pinched expression. He then glanced at the Colonel and asked,
"Is this a theoretical scenario you want me to evaluate? This last page of signatures has more brass than my nephew's antique shop during a clearance sale. On top of that, why do you have a Congresswoman from the Armed Services Committee as well as a Senator from the Appropriations Committee signed off? Hard to believe you got a Republican and a Democrat to agree on something like this." He chuckled the last part dryly under his breath. The Colonel shared his laugh and replied,
"This is completely real. The scenario is an Op which took place yesterday evening. Two dozen RAINBOW operatives are dead. I have 72 hours to put together a team to handle domestic operations. I have complete autonomy on this project and I want…need your help."
"First off, I already have a job. Secondly, from what I can tell, everyone on page 8 is from the 'BRAVO File' just like I am and Six would never agree to a functional command of this nature." The Colonel held up a hand to stop blue suit as the man was about to hand the folder back. He then took a deep breath before addressing the man's protestations, however valid they were. The Colonel made sure there was an edge to his voice as he replied in a matter-of-fact manner,
"As for the Second part, you are quite correct. Unfortunately desperate times call for desperate measures and our collective backs are against the wall because of an enemy which is becoming at least as good as we are. The current Six has no say in this matter since you will have separate jurisdiction and an independent command under my authority."
"As for the First part, well I would think that a man of your qualifications would have gotten tired of babysitting self-important celebrities. They pay you to carry a gun while they act like an expert on CNN about the horrors of gun violence and cite factually inaccurate data."
"At least they pay me enough to ignore their stupidity."
"Check out the next to last page. Your new War Chest will help you to forget about wanting to be a technical consultant for a procedural drama about crime scene investigators which is about as realistic as American Idol." Blue suit looked again at the page and his eyebrows actually twitched in surprise. He sighed,
"Yes it would be nice to not have to remind that actor about the proper way to fire a pistol almost every day."
"Good then its settled. My first official act is to inform you that your record is hereby expunged. This means your demotion is invalidated and your old rank restored. Since you have also had enough time in grade, your pending promotion is hereby approved. Congratulations Lieutenant Colonel O'Donnell!"
"I guess my first order of business is to assemble my Team." O'Donnell said while rising from the couch.
"By any means necessary within the next 48 hours. For all intents and purposes, I am RAINBOW Six. You are Team BRAVO Lead."
"If any of your people need special authorizations, tell them to contact the switchboard and refer to operation Mustang which will grant them national security priority. Since your snipers will need command authorization to bring their long guns, your code name for the duration is Wildcat. Their destination, and ours, is Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia. We chose this location since it is not only the 'Prime Beef' location for the defense of Washington DC should an aerial strike be detected against the East Coast, but it is also the old home location…"
"…of the Team's commanding officer who happens to have some contacts in the area." O'Donnell chorused the end of the sentence.