Chapter 49
In Country
0530 hours, 31 May 2002, Megan Martin's Apartment, Washington D.C.
It was a knocking on the door that had gotten her out of bed, and boy was she pissed. She grabbed her M9 from her nightstand, and still dressed in her nightgown, answered the door. What she found standing there were 2 uniformed Marines. "Morning Mam, I'm Gunnery Sergeant Foley, this is Corporal Russo"
"I have shot people for less" Meg said, her right hand gripping her pistol.
"May we?" the Gunnery Sergeant said, as he and the corporal, followed by a female Secret Service Agent, entered the apartment. "I'm gonna use this chair here" he said as he put down his briefcase and opened it.
"We can't do this at work?" She said.
"Mam, according to our logs, you usually exit the White House here, at the east exit" he said holding up a blue, laminated diagram.
"Yes" she said skeptically.
"You're gonna wanna use the west gate now, its closer for your parking. Also in the event of an emergency situation, you'll need to exit here as well; it's closer to your pickup point"
"What kind of situation?" she asked as she watched the Secret Service comb through her things.
"A nuclear attack"
"Are we expecting one?"
"Well, any attack, but nuclear kinda tops the list" the Marine explained. "Once you exit the building, you head for Marine One" he said as he flipped to a green diagram. "You'll sit at S-5, behind the president, to the left of the National Security Advisor"
"Ok" Meg said.
"If there is an situation in your residence, we ask that you make your way, with all due haste, to this field off Danville road, it's about a mile to the east"
"A field?"
"A pasture more like"
"I'll be standing with cows?"
"A couple of horses, but they scoot out of the way, as soon as the Helo shows up. It won't be more than 3 minutes"
"Wonderful" Meg said.
0630 hours, 31 May 2002, Executive Residence, White House Washington D.C.
Once the doors opened, Meg, manila folder in hand, quickly rushed off the elevator towards the door to the President's bedroom. "Your not waiting are you?" she asked to Rex, who was standing in front of them.
"I just knocked" Rex said. "You ok?" he asked.
"In the event of a nuclear attack, I stand in a field with cow and wait to be airlifted" she said as the door opened and the President emerged.
"Hey, there she is" President McCain smiled. "You excited?" he asked.
"Yes Sir' she said.
After giving the President a quick briefing, Meg made her way to Sonny's, no wait, her office, where Margaret, Sonny's, no wait, there it is again, her secretary was waiting. "This is Elroy" she said pointing to a man who was pushing a large messenger cart filled with binders. "He brings the briefing books" Margaret said.
"These are this week's?" Meg asked.
"Today's" Margaret said.
"Oh" Meg said as she stepped into her office, where Will McAvoy, the Communications Director, was waiting.
"You ready?" he asked.
"Oh yeah" she said taking a deep breath.
"She ready?" yelled Taylor Warren, the White House Press Secretary as she passed by in the hall.
"How many times are people gonna ask me that?" she said.
"Come on" Will said as they made there way to the Press briefing room, where Taylor was standing behind the podium.
"Ladies and Gentlemen" she began. "The President of the United States" Taylor concluded, stepping back, allowing President McCain to take the podium, with Meg standing right behind him. Everyone in the room stood up as the President cleared his throat.
"After emergency coronary bypass surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital 72 hours ago, I revealed to announce that Michael "Sonny" Corinthos Jr. is in stable condition, and headed for a full recovery. Though he will always be a valuable part of this administration, he will not be returning to his post as White House Chief of Staff" he paused. "I am therefore pleased, and terribly proud to announce, that effective immediately, the position of White House Chief of Staff will be filled by Mrs. Megan North Martin" he finished proudly.
0705 hours, 31 May 2002, White House Chief of Staff's Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"Well that was fun" she said as she stepped into her office, but then stopped in her tracks. She looked around at the walls and shelves, all still adorned with Sonny's things. On the wall across from her desk, was an encased American Flag that was burned around the edges. On the morning of Sunday, December 7th 1941, that flag had been flying atop the USS Nevada, the only battleship to survive the attacks of that morning. Sonny had received it as a gift from his father, when Sonny had returned from Vietnam. On the bookshelves behind the desk, each shelf was filled with the works of history's finest Military tacticians. But what caught her eye the most, by sitting in the middle of the desk: Sonny's Green Beret. Meg was pulled from her thoughts by a knock in the door. Her office had 3 doors. The 1st led to the outer office, where Margaret had her desk, the other led to the hallway, and the 3rd, led to the Oval Office. This particular knock, came from the 2nd door, which led to the hallway.
"A lot of history of these walls" the man said as he entered.
"General Clark" Meg said. Wesley "Wes" Clark was undoubtedly Sonny's oldest friend. They had served together for nearly a decade in Vietnam, and a few years after that. Unlike some of his fellow war buddies, Wes had rapidly risen through the ranks following the war. From 1996-2000, he had served as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe. In 2000 he was brought back stateside as Army Chief of Staff. Finally, following the events of 9/11, and the subsequent declaration of War on Afghanistan, Wesley was promoted to General of the Army (5 stars), and promoted to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"Congratulations Madam Chief of Staff" he said as the 2 shook hands.
"Thank you General" Meg smiled. "Have you visited Sonny yet?" she asked.
"I saw him last night" Wes said. "He asked me to make sure I got all of this stuff out of your way" he said. "Except that" he said pointing to the flag on the wall. "Sonny said its yours" Wes smiled. "May I inspire you to never give up, and always keep fighting" Wes said. "I have a meeting on the Hill, so, if you'll excuse me" he said as he bowed out of the room.
"Ok Margaret, let's do it" Meg said.
"Yes Mam" she said as she walked in. "The CIA briefer is on his way, security will be by for a palm print and an eye scan, the President has Treasury in 10 minutes, you're on the call, EPA is waiting for feedback on the clean air markup, and Sec Def is coming over for a talk about upping the budget for the next fiscal year"
"And what does that take us to?"
"0845" Margaret replied. Meg took a deep breath and glanced over at the TV, which showed Taylor doing her morning press conference.
"Will Meg Martin function in the same way as Sonny Corinthos?" a reporter asked Taylor.
"Title, parking spot, gym membership, everything" she replied.
"But she isn't coming into this with any National Security experience" the reporter continued.
"The President has a flock of National Security professionals, prepared to address his questions, and the Chief of Staffs" Taylor answered.
"We're in the middle of a war"
"Yes, a war against the most violent and radical terrorist network the world has ever seen, Meg Martin isn't the only one working without a net" Taylor replied.
"Oh no, no no no" Meg said in horror.
"So no one working with the President has this kind of experience" the reporter continued.
"The Pentagon has experience, as do the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the national Security Council, but in the event they all loose their way, The President can always sent Meg Martin to swat at terrorists and suicide bombers with her purse"
"My Purse!" Meg yelled, loudly enough to disturb the President, who was in his own office.
President McCain stood up from his desk, walked to the outer office, and asked "What the fuck was that?"
"On live, National Television, Taylor just told the world that you can send Meg to Kabul to swat at Al Qaeda with her purse"
"I wasn't aware that was a viable option" the President joked. "I take it Meg is a little perturbed?"
"She's pissed" Rex replied.
As Taylor was leaving the briefing room, she ran into Jared Franklin, The Deputy Chief of Staff. "How'd the briefing go, I missed it" he said.
"Good" Taylor said.
"So, I was thinking about our anti-substance abuse initiative, think we show send Meg to Compton to swat at Drug dealers with her purse"
"Funny" Taylor replied sarcastically as they walked into Meg's office for the Senior Staff meeting. They were met in the outer office by Sam Seaborne, the Deputy Communications Director.
"How's Meg doing?" Sam asked, as they all walked into Meg's office.
"She's fine, she's a pro" Jared replied.
"Like a ninja with a Prada clutch" Sam joked.
"My Men of Valor… and Taylor" Meg said as Will, Sam, Jared and Taylor all assembled in her office.
"To be fair, I've never seen you throw anything other than a briefcase over your arm" Taylor said.
"Enough" Meg said. "We're moving on" Meg said. "Ok, priority one, we need a new lawyer. I'm promoting Ainsley Hayes from Associate Counsel to Deputy, so coordinate with her. 2nd, the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) is coming over to talk about November"
"That oughta be a hoot" Will said.
"November itself will be tough. The President is a Moderate. Democrats and about half of the Republican Party hate us" Meg said. "So we're all working without a net today" she said. "Good, now get out of my office" she said as she took a seat behind her desk.
"Meg" Will said. "Gosh, this is hard. I couldn't be happier that you got this gig, but I think it's just time for me to go" Will said as he reaching into his jacket pocket. "This is my letter of resignation" he tossed it on Meg's desk.
"I don't wanna pile on, but I don't think this is gonna work either" Jared said as he tossed his envelope on Meg's desk. Meg was speechless, when the President walked in.
"Oh good, you're all here, so I'll make this quick. I don't know if I can work this close with a women, so I think it's time I called it a day, give the VP a chance to steer the ship" The President said as Sam cracked up.
"Wait, what's going on?" Meg said with a smile.
"You are weak, you are all weak" The President said. "I was waiting to see if she'd pull out the continuity of Government plan" he said as he stepped back into his office.
"I hate all of you" Meg joked.
"On behalf on everyone here, and perhaps every guy who's ever had a Wonder Woman fantasy, congratulations" Sam said.
"Out" Meg yelled as she walked over to the door to the Oval Office and knocked. "Enter" yelled the President. He cracked up laughing when Meg walked in.
"Have your fun for the day?" she asked. "Good" she smiled.
"How you doing kid?" the President asked.
"I have a Secret Service Agent babysitting my 1-year old son, my Husband is in Afghanistan and in the event of a nuclear attack, I stand in a field with cows" she said, getting a chuckle out of the President.
"So what's' on the plate for Today?" he asked.
"The Speaker of the Illinois House died last night" Meg said.
"Sad, but remind me why we care?"
"He was Speaker for over 40 years, including in the early 70s" Meg said.
"Oh no" the President said in a complaining tone. "ERA?" he asked.
"Between 1972 and 1977, 35 states ratified the Equal right amendment. Since then, 5 states have rescinded it. However, states have the power to ratify, not rescind, meaning that if they get Illinois, they'll only need 2 more states" Meg said.
"Where do you stand Meg?" he asked.
"My opinion is irrelevant"
"Meg, your at the chief advisor to the leader of the free world, you opinion is very relevant"
"I find it redundant, unnecessary, and unneeded" Meg said.
"Where do you stand on women in the military?"
"Mr. President, I graduated in Annapolis in 91' and served 5 years as a Judge Advocate" she said. "I believe that women shouldn't serve in combat or in submarines" she said. "I've been shot at, a few times; I was hit once, in the head. I believe most women can't handle something like that" she said.
"Why did you leave JAG?"
"It was after I got shot. My boyfriend at the time was Army enlisted, in violation of regulations. Admiral Chegwidden was going to prefer charges. So I resigned my commission"
"Charges were never filed?"
"Someone intervened, then Major Barack Obama, intervened at the request of then Captain Tony DiNozzo" she explained. "They got the charges and investigation squashed, and I resigned" she said.
"What happened to the boyfriend?"
"I married him" Meg smiled as she held up her left hand.
"Keep me up to date on the ERA thing"
"Yes Mr. President" Meg said.
0230 hours local time, 1 June 2002, Arma Mountains, Afghanistan.
"Lima X-ray, this is Movie Buff, target painted, over" Tony said into his radio as he looked through the scope of his rifle. "Keep that truck painted Ironman" he whispered to Chester.
"I'm on it Top" Chester replied. There was a loud screen as the Hellfire missile slammed into the target vehicle. "Hot damn" Chester smiled.
"Move!" Tony yelled. "Target has 1 brown eye, one blue, confirm ID" Tony yelled. Tony, Chester and Three all quickly rushed down the slope to the target.
"2 brown" Three said as he checked a body.
"2 blue, Top" said Chester.
"Another 2 brown" Three yelled.
"Lima X-ray, this is Movie Buff, target not among the deceased" Tony said into his radio. "Fuck!" he yelled in discussed.
0950 hours local time, 1 June 2002, USS Seahawk, Task Force 84, Arabian Sea.
"What's the word LT?" Jenn asked as she and Lieutenant Singer made they're way up to the flight deck.
"Early this morning, Special Forces tried to kill Kabir Atef via a drone strike. They failed. But in the process, they captured 2 AQ fighters" she said.
"Are we going to question them?"
"No, Petty Officer, we are merely to observe" Loren said as they stepped out to the flight deck as the CH-46 Sea Knight touched down. The 2 prisoners were escorted off by some Mps and were followed closely behind by a young man dressed in sanitized desert fatigues.
"Waz up!" he said.
"Is that how you address a superior officer, Staff Sergeant DiNozzo?" Loren asked.
"You know it is Cuz" Three smiled. "I'll keep this short and sweet" he began. "I'm here for one reason and one reason only" he said as he pointed to the 2 prisoners. "I trust you'll give me a wide birth while I do what I gotta do" he said.
"Even if it brakes the law?" Loren asks.
"Most laws are in place to protect people from criminals. The laws I break, protect criminals from people like me" Three smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do" he said.
1030 hours local time, 1 June 2002, Firebase Whiskey, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
Still upset about the night before, Tony was sitting on a rock at the edge of the camp, smoking a cigarette, when an open HUMVEE pulled up. "Don't you know those things'll kill ya" said Bridget as she jumped out of the HUMVEE. She was dressed in desert camo fatigues, same as Tony.
"What the fuck are you doing back in country?" Tony asked with a smile.
"You fucked up last night, T" Bridget said. "There might be an investigation into it" she warned.
"They had weapons on em, I'll be fine" he said.
"None the less, Marshlands has partnered us up for the duration, until we find Kabir" she said.
"I'll drive" he said as he picked up his M4A1.
Within a few minutes they had grabbed their packs and were on the road. "hey look, a camel" Tony said.
"You like it here" Bridget said.
"Call me crazy" Tony said.
"Why? What's so great about this place?"
"You wouldn't understand. It's a man's country" he said.
"I guess that's why there are 2 of them up there" Bridget said as she brought the HUMVEE to a stop at a makeshift checkpoint, armed by 2 men armed with AK-47s.
"Do you speak Farsi?" Tony asked in the same language. When the man remained silent, Tony tried again in Pashto. Again, the man remained silent. "Ok, language problem" Tony said.
"Seriously, you speak 34 languages" Bridget said.
"33, you can't speak sign language" Tony said. "They speak over 16 different languages in Afghanistan, half of which I don't know word 1 of" he said.
"We wanna go through" Bridget said as she pointed forward. One of the men walked up next to her and rubbed his thumb over his palm. "A man's country indeed' she said as she pulled out a roll of money. The man held up his hand, to indicate "5". But when he saw the large roll, he held up his other hand too. Bridget paid the man, and they were let through.
"Even I know better than to show the whole roll" Tony said.
"Just keep your eyes on the road" Bridget said. "We got a long drive ahead of us" she said.
1730 hours local time, 1 June 2002, Shorabak, Afghanistan.
After 5 minutes of interrogation, Three knew the AQ prisoners didn't k now shit. Left with nothing, he left the ship, with Jenn's promise to keep questioning them. He head back in country to meet with General Shah, who had intern, sent Three to the southeastern district of Shorabak, which was garrisoned by the local commander, Colonel Zahir Fazeem. Fazeem's Headquarters, was located atop a plateau, overlooking a small valley, in the Kandahar province. Accompanied by Chester and Cole, Three made his way to Fazeem's compound. He entered the main building, M4A1 in hand, while Chester and Cole waited outside. "Colonel Fazeem" he said in clear English.
"Who wants to know?" one of the men said.
"General Shah, sent me to see you"
"You are Anthony?" the man asked, to which Three nodded.
"I am Colonel Zahir Fazeem, Afghan National Army"
"Poppy harvest?" Three asked as he looked around.
"Who am I to prevent the farmers from making money? That is capitalism, the American way, no?" the Colonel said.
"You would if your son was addicted" Three said.
"My son would never do drugs, he likes having fingers" Colonel Fazeem said.
"We lost Kabir" Three said.
"Why is it you Americans think you need to tell me about what is going on in my own country?"
"My apologies" Three said. "What do you know?"
"Much" Fazeem said.
"Can you tell me where Kabir is?"
"Sadly, I cannot"
"What do you need? Weapons? Ordinance?"
"Well stocked, thank you" the Colonel said.
"Then what the fuck do you want?" Three asked.
"Nothing he can't get more of from me" said a voice from the shadows. Three turned to look, and saw Clayton Webb step out of the shadows.
"I see you're taking the whole "watching from the shadows" quite literally" Three said.
"You know this boy?" Fazeem asked Webb.
"My Godson" Webb said. "The Colonel believes Kabir is staying in a cotton mill 60 miles north of here"
"Some of my men spotted him in the area, buying gasoline" Fazeem explained.
"Any verification?" Three asked.
"In progress" Webb said.
"How do you know it was him?" Three asked as he turned back to the Colonel.
"1 brown, 1 blue" the Colonel said.
"I wanna piece of this asshole" Three said.
"I'm not interested in your personal vendettas DiNozzo" Webb said. "This is the business of saving American lives. We do it fast, we do it thoroughly, and we do it my way" he said.
"What way is that, Uncle Clay?" Three asked.
"We watch while planes drop bombs" he said.
"You're no fun" Three said as Webb's satellite phone rang.
"Sexy Beast" Clay said when he answered, which sent Three into a laughing fit. Realizing it wasn't the time or place, Three quickly composed himself.
"You want to slit Kabir's throat?" Colonel Fazeem asked him.
"A lot of people do" Three replied.
"You Americans take things so personally. A few buildings fall down, and you scavenge the planet for those responsible"
"This, coming from a man whose country cuts off your hands for stealing a chicken?" Three retorted.
"Almost every building in Kabul has collapsed. War is our life here, you can be it's victim, or you can find out what it can do for you" Kabir said as Webb stepped back into the room.
"My nephew and I are taking off" Webb said. "I'll call back when we have strike confirmation" he said.
"And my shipment?" Fazeem asked.
"On it's way" Webb said.
"May Allah be with you" the Colonel said.
When Three and Webb finally stepped back outside, Three was now dressed in local garb. "I'm with Webb" Three said as he tossed his rifle to Cole and picked up an AK-47. "I'll see y'all later" he said as he and Webb walked away. "So where's this cotton mill?" he asked Webb.
"Forget the cotton mill, we're on our own. Intel says the mill is occupied by a rival drug lord. Fazeem was setting us up to do his business" he explained.
"And you traded explosives for this information?" Three asked.
"I promised him explosives" Webb smiled.
"What's he getting?" Three asked.
"Folding chairs" Webb said.
1800 hours local time, 1 June 2002, Sangin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
"Go for Sky Train" Three said when his sat phone rang. The phone bounced around in his hand, as the land rover he was in, driven by Clay, bounce along the dirt road.
"It's Jenn" said a familiar voice.
"How the fuck did you get this number?" Three asked.
"Is that really important at the moment?" Jenn replied.
"A little bit, but we can get into that later. This better be important" Three said.
"It is. One of the AQ prisoners is talking" she said.
"Jenn, you didn't do what I think you did? There's a big difference from when I do it, to when you do it" he warned. "What did he say?"
"I got the location of one of Kabir's compounds" she said.
"Alright" Three said. "I doubt Captain Johnson has the balls to order an airstrike" Three complained. "Ok, get your pretty little butt over to the Dakota. Speak with Admiral Carsten, tell him I sent ya. Tell him what ya just told me, bring any relevant documents, etcetera" he said.
"Will do" she replied. "Three?"
"Yeah?"
"Promise me you'll be careful" she asked.
"I promise" he said as he hung up.
0930 hours, 1 June 2002, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"What's the latest from Illinois?" The President asked.
"They've elected a new speaker, a woman. She's scheduled the vote on ERA in 48 hours"
"Fuck" the President said. "If this thing passes, it'll be the only thing that matters in November" he said.
"Shall I make some calls Sir?" Meg said. "Call in some of our chips" she said.
"No, let this one go. I'm hoping they have they have the common sense to do the right thing" he said.
"Yes Mr. President" she said.
"Anything on the hunt for Kabir Atef?" he asked.
"Drone Strike last night, 3 KIA, no Kabir" she said. "There are rumors they're might be an investigation into Tony and Chester" she said.
"Talk with the Vice President, have him speak with Major General Romig, the Army JAG"
"Yes Sir" she said.
"Meg, why are you here? Today is Saturday" The President.
"I could say the same to you" Meg replied.
"Meg, I live here" The President said.
"Yes Sir, and as long as you do, it's my job to be here incase you need me" She said. "Same with Rex, and Deb"
"What would I do without you guys?" The President said.
"You'd be in a lot of trouble" Meg smiled. Before anything else was said, there was a knock on the door, and Rex stepped in.
"Mr. President, General Clark and Dr. Ramsay are here to see you" he said.
"Send them in" The President said.
"Mr. President" they both said.
"What's up?" The President asked.
"Mr. President, we've heard from Admiral Carsten in the Arabian Sea. He has Intel of the location of one of Kabir Atef's compounds in Afghanistan. He's recommending Airstrikes, followed by ground troops" he said.
"When would we launch?"
"A flight of 4 F-18s would launch off the Seahawk in 2 hours time, its 2 hours to target, so were looking at 2300 hours local time" General Clark said.
"Mr. Ramsay, what does the Agency have to say about this?" The President asked his National Security Advisor, Dr. Stephan Ramsay, PhD.
"The CIA has several agents in the field, all of which are tracking Kabir" Dr. Ramsay replied.
"Have someone get a hold of my Godson, I want his team leading the mop up" The President ordered.
"Yes Mr. President" they all said.
1930 hours local time, 1 June 2002, Reg District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
"Ya know, we would have been there by now if I was still driving" Tony said from the passenger seat as Bridget drove down the dusty road. Bridget responded by sticking her tongue out. "Oh that's real mature" Tony said sarcastically. "How di..." he said before an explosion from under the HUMVEE forced them off the road and through Tony from the HUMVEE.
"Tony!" Bridget yelled as Tony lay on his back, several yards from the HUMVEE. "Tony don't move, your in a minefield!" Bridget yelled.
"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock" Tony groaned, a trickle of blood running down his face. "They were anti-personnel mines" he said. "Ok, I'm gonna stand up" Tony said, his patrol cap, blown away by the wind.
"Ok, just do it in place" Bridget said as she stood up in the HUMVEE.
"Bridget, stop giving me advice" Tony said as he slowly stood up. "The right rear tire is shredded" he observed.
"So is the left front" Bridget said as she leaned over the side to look.
"What do you suppose the chances are that the mines we hit were the only ones?" Tony joked.
"Very long, incredibly long, astronomically long, the chances of you winning the lottery..."
"Bridget!" Tony yelled. "Not helping" he said. Bridget then took her seat behind the wheel and started the engine. "Bridget, what are you doing?" Tony yelled over the sound of the engine.
"You can't walk over, so I'll drive over" she said.
"The mines!"
"You said that they are anti-personnel mines, they won't blow up a HUMVEE!" she concluded.
"Bridget! I'm not in a HUMVEE!" he roared.
"Oh yeah" she realized as she killed the engine. "How about that trick from "Anzio" , where Robert Mitchum tosses the rocks" she said.
"Bridget, just stop talking" Tony said. "We'll figure a way out of this"
"Hang on, I'll help" she said as she jumped over the side.
"No wait!" he yelled as he darted forward, not looking where he was stepping. He was stopped dead in his tracks by a very distinctive. "Click". "Oh shit" Tony said. "Bridget, get back in the HUMVEE" Tony yelled.
"Why, what?"
"Damn it Bridget, get back in the HUMVEE!" Tony yelled.
"But"
"I'm standing on a mine!" Tony yelled.
"Oh God" Bridget said as she stepped back onto the HUMVEE. "Then how are you still alive?" she asked.
"I'm lucky" he said.
"You're standing on a mine, how is that lucky?" she asked.
"Because, it's not pressure detonated like the ones we drove over. It's probably an old Soviet butterfly mine" he said. "It won't blow me up until I take my foot off of it" he said.
"So what are we gonna do?" she asked.
"You ever heard the old saying, "desperate times call for desperate measures". Well, right now, times like this call for stupid measures" he said as he bent down and picked up his Patrol cap, fixing it properly on his head. "Take cover" he ordered. "Recognizing, that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Rangers" Tony recited as he leaped for the HUMVEE, the explosion, knocking over the hood, to the far side.
"I can't believe that worked" Bridget said. "They didn't teach me that in ROTC" she said.
"They don't teach it at Selection either" Tony said. "I saw it in a movie" Tony said as he grabbed his pack and M-16.
"They don't use real booby traps in movies!" Bridget yelled.
"My Sat phone is busted" he said as he tossed it away. "Looks like we gotta long walk ahead of us" Tony said. "Grab your gear"
1330 hours, 1 June 2002, White House Situation Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"Ten-hut!' General Clark yelled from the far end of the table as President McCain, followed by Meg, entered the room.
"At ease" the President said as he took a seat at the far end of the long table, directly opposite of General Clark. Meg took her seat directly adjacent to the President. "What do we got?" the President asked.
"Mr. President, the Hornets are in the air" said General Clark.
"Loadout?"
"2000lb LGBs"
"TOT?"
"Time on Target: 12 minutes" General Clark said.
"Ground team in position, Tom?" The President asked, turning to Colonel Colleton.
"Yes Sir. Bravo Team is on sight, target is painted" Tom said.
"Patch them through" The President ordered. General Clark turned and nodded to one of the technicians.
"Bravo Leader, you are on with Whiskey Hotel" Colonel Colleton said.
"Copy that, Whiskey Hotel" replied a heavily accented voice.
"Tom, where's Tony?" The President whispered.
"Sir, we are currently out of contact with both Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo and Captain Sullivan.
2250 hours local time, Reg District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
"We'll stop here for a bit" Tony said as he unslung his pack and slid down, up against a large rock. Bridget set her things down a few yards away. "Ya know if ya want, I can call down to the front desk and ask em to send up a room divider" Tony joked.
"I thought you'd want your own space" Bridget said.
"The temperature gonna keep dropping, if we don't share body heat, we're risking hypothermia" Tony said.
"You make it sound so inviting" Bridget smiled.
"You want an engraved invitation or something?" Tony asked, jokingly.
"Yes" Bridget smiled.
"Get over here" Tony said as he unbuttoned his jacket. Bridget moved over and curled up next to him. Tony then pulled his jacket around her, snuggling her in against his chest.
"It's beautiful" Bridget said as she looked up at the stars. "So much light pollution back home"
"There were a lot of nights like this, back in the Gulf" Tony said. "Should grab some shut eye" he recommended.
"What about you?" she asked.
"I'll be ok" Tony said. "You hear that?" Tony said.
"What?" Bridget asked.
"Move!" Tony yelled as explosions began in the distance, moving right for them.
1345 hours, 1 June 2002, White House Situation Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"Target destroyed" General Clark observed as everyone in the room watched the satellite fed on one of the large screens.
"Well done" The President smiled.
"Bravo Team is conducting mop up operations, we'll know within the next few hours if we got Kabir" Tom said.
"Keep me informed" The President said as he stood up.
"Ten-hut!" General Clark yelled as president McCain left the room, Meg right behind him.
"I want an update every half hour, from either you or Wes" The President said to Meg as they walked up the stairs.
"Yes Sir" Meg replied.
0630 hours local time, 2 June 2002, Reg Alaqadari, Reg District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
"I count 35 dead, all hostile" Chester said. "Not to bad for a night's work" he said.
"Not bad indeed" concurred Sergeant 1st Class Jonathan Cole. "Well I'll be damned" he smiled. "Take a look" he pointed to the road leading into camp.
"We've been looking for you guys!" Chester smiled, his grin breaking up the darkness of his face, his face blacked out by camo paint and soot, as well as the shade from his boonie hat. His smile grew as Tony and Bridget walked up, their faces and hands all cut up with abrasions.
"We nearly got blown up twice yesterday" Tony said. "Once by our own Navy"
"Rough day?" Chester joked.
"Did we get em?" Tony asked.
"35 EKIAs so far, no Kabir" Chester said.
"Enjoy your vacation, did ya?" yelled Webb as he and Three walked over.
"Fuck off": Tony said before looking his son over. "You jump ship?" he asked, wondering why Three was dressed like an Afghan militia fighter.
"When in Rome" Three replied.
"We got something" yelled Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Rivera. Rivera's Force Recon Team was helping the Unit comb through the destruction. Carlos walked over, a severed finger in his latex gloved hand. "Look at the ring" he said. Tony grabbed it.
"It's inscribed, with Kabir's name" Tony smiled.
"What's it say?" Bridget asked.
"Blessed all eternity, Osama Bin Laden" Tony translated.
"So we got em?" Cole asked.
"Hold on" Tony said. "This finger, the cut is too clean" he said. "It wasn't blown off, it was cut off" he said.
"Kabir cut off his own thumb?" Chester asked.
"These guys strap bombs to their chests, compared to that, cutting off their own thumb, not that crazy" Tony said. "He's trying to throw us off"
"Colonel!" yelled Master Sergeant Gardocki from atop a pile of rubble. Tony jogged over, and saw Gardocki, a Geiger counter in hand.
"What is it Vegas?" Tony asked.
"Take a look Sir" Ronnie said as he flicked the switch. The needle on the counter quickly went to the far side of the spectrum, and the machine was clicking like mad.
"Oh fuck" Tony said.
"They were building something?" Chester asked as he walked over.
"Or transporting it" Webb added.
"Either way, Kabir is still alive, and so is his plan, and now he has radioactive materials to boot" Tony said grimly.
PLEASE REVIEW!
(Tony's voice)- Next time, in the final chapter of "28 Seconds: Strength & Honor"-
When Tali goes into pre-mature labor, Robin must act quickly to save both Tali and her baby. Meanwhile, The Unit's hunt for Kabir leads Webb and Tony, and the Unit to Iran, where Kabir's deadly plot is revealed. Finally, when it's all said and done, a Unit member, is going down. All will be revealed, next time, on "28 Seconds: Strength & Honor"
Stay tuned, for the unbelievable, shocking conclusion to "28 Seconds: Strength & Honor"! Don't Miss it.