Bagram Airfield Afghanistan Desert
September 23, 2002
Fiona noticed that even at 0100 that the base is chaotic like New York City during Christmas shopping season. A thousand moving parts occurred while the group waits for their security clearance for entering the SpecOps area. The highly controlled structure only had top military personally and SpecOps soldiers, which even George W. Bush himself, would require extreme vetting if he weren't the commander in chief.
Bagram is the largest US military compound in the Eastern Hemisphere. Even with her nightly run that took her in various directions of the base, explored the base, she never seen this portion of the base and it was kept top secret from all but essential personnel. Even discovering the section, they required extreme vetting for clearance. She understood the need for it since people like Captain Faulks lives depend on it. If some traitor got access to mission briefs, Captain Faulks' team could be jeopardized, which cost their lives and the lives of the people they are rescuing. Ultimately, this factor also jeopardizes the people they sworn to serve.
After the clearance had settled, officers escorted the team to a holding area inside the hangar area where a C17 stood. Captain Faulks and the flight crew were preparing the mission with a scary amount of efficiency. However, the logistics meant nothing to Fiona. She was distracted by how handsome the Captain looked in his regulation black ops uniform, which displays his muscular form to perfection.
"He is one tall, dark and Eskimo drink of oozing sexual deliciousness, isn't he?" Mari leans in as though she could read Fio's thoughts.
Fio jumped and blinked several times, startled and mortified by her friend's intrusion into her thoughts.
"Lafferty!"
"Oh c'mon!" Mari smacked Fio's arm. "It's written all over your face. You are literally salivating! Are you denying it's true?" Mari leans forward resting her chin on her palms while raising a playful eyebrow.
Fio stares at her for a moment then laughs.
"Ok, yes. It is true! I have a mad crush on the Captain! Happy?"
"I knew it!" She squeals excitedly. "I've seen the googly eyes between you two."
Fio presses her lips together giving her a half smile while shaking her head.
"Well don't get all excited, the feelings are not mutual."
Mari scoffs.
"Are you kidding me?" She looks over at him then back at Fio. "Sweetie, he is looking at you all the time. You are the only one he spends any time with outside of training and maneuvers. Believe me, baby, that boy KNOWS you exist."
"There was a time I thought so too." She looks at her dejectedly. "And then we went on survival training and the world went to hell…" Fio paused briefly. Although so much had happened since they returned, that night was not far away from their memories. There had been no time to reflect on what happened, only move forward. Sensing her rare break of emotional self-control, Mari placed an arm around Fio's shoulder as she too became emotional. Wiping the onset of tears from her eyes, Fio continued. "…and now he is stiff-arming me. It is as if somebody told him I have STD's or something. I don't know what his problem is."
Mari tilted her head curiously.
"Why do I get the feeling there is something more?"
Fio nods.
"Yesterday I went to the gym to blow off some steam. He was there…we fought for a bit and did some sparring…" She paused as she reflected. "I guess you could say we had a moment and it even seemed like we might kiss…but then his comm went off and he was right back to treating me like a leper. Now mind you…the comm he received was about this mission, so that could have been it, but..." She shrugged. "Who knows."
Mari giggled.
"Sweetie, I'm sure that was it." She assured her. "If he was going to kiss you, well that means that boy is into you. I predict you'll be knocking boots with that sexy Captain before you know it.
Fio's head drops as she watched several people look in their direction. "Well why don't you say that a little louder for everybody on the west side of the base because I don't think they heard you?"
"Conner, you're sleeping with the Captain?" Rodriguez retorts looking up from his comic book. "I was wondering how your climbing through the ranks so quickly."
"That ain't the ONLY thing she's going to be climbing." Lafferty adds as they all burst out laughing causing Fio fold her arms and shake her head.
"You guys are NOT funny! And why does everybody think I am sleeping with somebody all of the sudden? I am NOT sleeping with anybody. I don't have time to sleep with anybody…" She was interrupted by a loud groan to which she exhales while rolling her eyes. "Problem Hayes?"
"Well? We're here." Zach Hayes paces back and forth anxiously. "I dragged my ass out of bed after 2 hours sleep and all we are doing is sitting around listen to you bitch about your lack of sex. When is the transport going to leave? How long is this shit going to take?"
"Hayes…" she takes an extra-moment to consider her words. "You are the best marksman on our squad, but you have the patience of a 4-year-old that has to pee." She slowly turns her head in his direction. "Faulks told us to arrive on the airfield at 0100 hours; he did not say we were LEAVING at 0100 hours. And if you got 2 hours sleep, you got 2 hours more than I did but you are the only one complaining, so I am going to ask you nicely put a sock in it!"
"This is bullshit, man!" He continues his rant as though he did not even hear her. "I have better things to do than…."
"Hey!" She jumps to her feet and shouts to get his attention. "How many hours of sleep do you think the average Delta Force soldier gets before we call for them to get our asses out of the line of fire? You joined the Army because you wanted to be a hero, right? Well THIS is what heroes do! They make sacrifices and they go when the order comes through without question and without fail! And Keller is your friend! You grew up with him! Why aren't you livid about this? Don't you want to put a bullet into the twisted fucks that are torturing your friend? And all you are worrying about is missing out on some sleep! You are a real piece of work, Hayes!"
"And you are NOT my SO, Conner!" He retorted back using his index finger insolently pointing at her. "The only reason you even got this position was because you showed Faulks your tits!"
Fio's right hand clenched into a fist as she began to fume. It took every effort right down to the very tip of her smallest toe not to haul off and beat the shit out of him, but from somewhere she found the serenity.
"The instructions were to get his rifle out of his hands and nobody said how! You were idiotic enough to go up against an MMA fighter who is twice your size and can kick your ass with a single eyelash. I KNEW it was stupid to even consider fighting him. I got the gun away from him because I was using my brain and you are a fucking MORON because you actually thought you could fight him for it! So it was NOT because I unbuttoned a few buttons of on my uniform, but because I showed that I can think outside of the box and I got results. So shut your whiny, mama's boy ass up!"
"Ok…" Hayes sneered at her venomously. "…maybe your right, but I refuse to address you as my superior when you are in no way my equal. So don't ask me to respect you."
Fio just stood in place staring hard at him without saying a word.
"Oh…dude." Ryder face palmed and shook his head into his hands. "Why are you such an idiot?"
"I'm going to kill him!" Rodriguez shouted as he stomps toward Hayes, but stopped when Fio placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Stand down Roddy." A controlled smile spread across her lips while continuing to keep her eyes focused equably on Hayes. "I would have to report you and this piece of shit is not worth it." She folded her arms in front across her chest taking a few steps in Hayes's direction. "You don't like me? I don't like you either. You don't respect me?" She gave a slight shrug. "I'm ok with that." She continued her cold stare that bore right through him. "But let's make one thing VERY clear; like it or not, I AM the lead and I AM point for this this team while we are on this mission! I don't give two shits how you feel about me, but I will not tolerate any insubordination from you and I WILL report your noncompliance to Faulks and Phillips. Got it?"
"Got it…Puta!" He smiled acerbically and flicked his thumb off his teeth.
"Oh MY GOD!" Lafferty nearly screamed as Hayes stormed off. "Are you really going to let him get away with that shit?"
Fio smiled and shook her head.
"Not necessarily." She replied keeping surprisingly calm. "He will get what's coming to him without any help from me." Without another word she sat back down reviewing coordinates.
"How can you stay so calm?" Isaac Gambino agitatedly jumped from his seat after witnessing the exchange. "Where I come, you talk that way to a lady, my daddy would have fried my ass!"
Fio give a soft chuckle then shrugs.
"I'm considering the source."
"I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience." Rodriguez channels his inner Yoda which broke through the tension causing them to all burst into laughter.
"There is no death...there is only the urgent desire to slap the shit out of Hayes." Ryder sighed while shaking his head.
"Can it, guys." Fio looked down at her paperwork ignoring Hayes for now. "If you let him get under your skin, your are allowing him power over you."
"Please tell me you only brought him on this mission as collateral damage or as a trade for Keller." Mari spoke out of the side of her mouth so only those close by could hear.
"As much as I like the collateral damage idea, I brought him along because he is a damn good fighter and knows his way around an assault rifle. Yeah, he's an arrogant little prick, but he is one of the best we got." She looks up at them raising an eyebrow. "But if they request him a trade for Vincent, I won't hesitate for a second." She grins wide as the others broke out laughing.
"Ok team Charlie, you're up!" Faulks entered the hanger shouting and clapping his hands loudly. He did not need to shout with the acoustic of the hanger, but he knew how to make his presence known. "Move it, move it, move it!" he started signaling the troops to get their asses to the plane. Fio lips turned upward as it shows the contrasting difference in Faulks' personality. In private, he is soft-spoken; perhaps even gentle, but his command voice could shake the rocks right off the Afghanistan landscape.
Team Charlie did not hesitate despite him telling them to move it. Without a groan, they grabbed their gear and prepared to board the plane with a resounding "Yes, sir!"
Fio lingered behind waiting for Alex who offers a polite nod as he fell into step with her. Upon his approach, she stands up straight and saluted. "SIR!"
"Lieutenant." He returned her salute. "Your team was here and ready to go on time without fail. I am very impressed."
His compliment made Fio smile.
"Thank you Sir."
"At ease." He looks down at her as they follow her team toward the plane. "You chose your team well; but I am confused at some of your choices. Lafferty has not reached her potential in any of her skills and Hayes…he is a known insubordinate. I trust your judgement, but can I ask why they were included?"
Fio raises an eyebrow.
"And by insubordinate, you mean asshole, am I right?" Right after it came out of her mouth she regretted using profanity to regard a team member. "Please accept my deepest apology sir, that was not appropriate."
"Yes Lieutenant, that was not appropriate." His response boomed harshly making her cringe with discomfiture. "He is an insolent dick-head. In the future please choose your adjectives carefully." She caught his dry smile creep across his lips which made her shake her head and giggle relieved.
"You can really be a brat sometimes." She folded her arms smiling, keeping her voice low so nobody around them could hear. "You know that, right?" He laughed softly before she became serious again. "I understand your concerns, Captain. But Keller isn't here for reasons that should be obvious, so I do not have a large selection of prospects to work with. And while I agree that Hayes is a pain in everybody's ass, he is a very good marksman and his fighting skills are better than yours." The comment was in jest, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.
Alex stops walking, ready to set her straight until he saw her playful smirk.
"Cute." He retorted looking at her. His expression softened as he watched how the moon played off her skin and hair.
"We all know you are mastered in 4 martial arts disciplines, and you can pulverize any one of us without batting an eyelash." She smiles, enjoying their banter. "And as for Lafferty, she was chosen for this program because she is the boss with a blade. And while she is not physically the strongest member on the team, she makes up for it in mental strength and can keep her head together in a crisis. My gut tells me she has untapped potential. I would like to see what she can do when she is standing in front of the enemy."
Faulks nods.
"I see." Fio waits for a for a "but " or elaboration on his statement, but instead he offers a smile and kept walking toward the plane. "I trust your instincts."
"Ok then…good." She was surprised and elated at his unquestionable faith in her. While stoic in appearance and manner, he was a hard-ass in training sessions. They came to a stop in front of the staging area for the C17 the that would carry them to the mission site. "So where is that beast going to land? I don't think there are any airports within 100 miles of the area."
"Land?" He nearly choked on his own spit. "This is top secret, black ops mission, Lieutenant. We are not landing this plane, we are going to jump."
Fio blinked quickly looking as though she was hit between the eyes then looked up at him.
"We're going to jump?" She began to feel clammy all over. "Seriously?"
Alex nods slowly and cocks his head curiously.
"You didn't think we were going to land at the local airport with limo service, did you?"
"Of course not." She scoffed irritably in his direction for even thinking she would consider that as an option. "I am not completely ignorant, Captain, but the briefing did not go into transportation details; I figured it was a safe bet to assume we would be deployed at Pratt or Spann and ride in vehicles until a few miles from our destination. It appears I assumed incorrectly."
Alex exhaled and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Sorry." He replied apologetically. "I tend to assume too much. I forgot we are dealing with the kid squad." He regretted his potentially derogatory statement. "But so you are in the know, vehicles are too loud and take too long. They could execute Keller before we are within a klick. We will go in silent, fast, and precise. I will relay that to your team. Again, sorry I didn't make that clear." He now smiles. "So…are you ready to show off your extraordinary aerial skills for me?"
"Yes Sir! Of course!" She responds and salutes confidently; her body language, however told a different story
"Great." Alex nodded, seemingly distracted as he touches her shoulder. "Hey, I gotta run ahead and check last minute details. I'll see you on the plane."
And with that he was off and Fiona stood looking like she was ready to pass out. "Great." She wrinkles her nose bristling. "Just…great."
Uzbekistan Desert
September 23, 2002
"I will be dead in 23 hours. Nobody is coming for me."
This belief circulates through Vincent's mind over and over as he hung onto the last hours of his life by a thread. He had given up all hope of being rescued; even if he was rescued, he did not believe he had the strength to survive. It has been days since he had been given any sort of nourishment and only a few sips of water a day was more torture than his body could take.
Why he was chosen among those in his squad he would never know. His friends were probably dead and nobody knew where he was. He had hoped for days that somebody may have seen the direction the truck went, but as every moment passed, he knew any hope was gone; after all, if they could not find a high profile criminal like Osama Bin Laden with all of the man power coming from every branch of the military, what hope did he have left?
And he could not stop thinking about the people holding him captive. Who were these men? He knew from day one that something wasn't right. The man in charge had dark hair with some gray showing through the scarf he wore on his head and he could detect a slight southern drawl at times. The blue eyes that looked out from behind his mask were cold and piercing. The majority of the men were from Afghanistan or the United Arab Emirates states; however, Vincent knew the leader was an American as were those just under his command. Why would a patriot do this to his own countryman?
Once again he closes his eyes under the shroud that covers him hoping to succumb to death before tonight. Although his hope had vanished, he bowed his head to speak to the only one he knew could hear him now.
"Please God, I know I have not been the man I should be and you know that I only talk to you when times are desperate. Maybe I don't deserve mercy, and maybe it really is my time to go. If this is the end of my time here, I can take whatever is coming to me, but please…don't allow my family to watch my death. Bring them comfort and help them make it through losing another son…."
"But, if there is any outside chance that somebody is coming for me…please give me the will and the strength to survive."
Vincent's eyes slowly closed. He had lost all but a faint glimmer of hope that his prayers had been heard and that the Cavalry would come tearing onto the scene and rip up those tents carrying him to safety. It was not death that he feared; as a soldier death was always on the line and he had come to terms with this. But just the very thought of being executed by the assholes who had murdered his brothers and thousands of others on September 11, 2001 when the towers fell infuriated him. He had come to Afghanistan to fight and kill these men, but here he was; a victim of circumstance. And he was powerless to do anything about it.
It was at that very moment that he heard the faint sound of the Velcro on the tent's opening being carefully separated followed by faint footsteps moving in his direction. Was this someone here to help him, or was his execution coming early?
When he felt the cool hands of this unknown entity touching his shoulders, he knew his prayers had been answered. The touch did not reflect the angered weight of a killer; this was a gentle soul which gave Vincent cautious optimism. He wanted to believe this man was there to help him, but it could be he was cleaning him up to the TV cameras.
"Shhhhhh." This was the only sound this person made as the ropes on his wrists were removed. His wounds were tended to and wrapped with gauze and replaced making the pain so much more tolerable. It had crossed his mind punch this man and run while his hands were free, but he knew in his debilitated condition his captors would make short work of retrieving him.
Next, the hood covering his head was slowly removed; his eyes slowly adjusted to the light as he watched his protector's form slowly take focus. Vincent recognized him as one of the 3 men who had been attending to him since he was captured. Vincent attempted to speak, but the man places his finger over his lips and shook his head then reaches under his robes retrieving a bottle of water then unscrewed the cap and places it up to Vincent's lips.
Vincent did not hesitate. The moment the nozzle hit his lips he began to gulp down the gratifyingly cold liquid, taking short breaths in between as not to shock his system. Once that bottle had finished the man opens up another and another until Vincent gave him the signal that his thirst was quenched.
"Thank you." He offers a raspy whisper as the man gave a short nod then opened a small bag filled with seasoned beef that he fed in small pieces to Vincent. It was the first real food he had eaten in days. His captors were not concerned for his health and he could almost feel his bones just inside his skin tissue. He ate and ate and ate…it was difficult not to swallow before chewing, but as a doctor he knew what affect the sudden rush of nutrients would play on his system. As he ate he felt his strength coming back. Yet, while he was grateful, he wondered why this man, who had been responsible for some of the torture he had endured, was now here helping him. For whatever his reasons were, the man would not speak or allow him to ask any questions of him. But as he was leaving, he reached under his robes and pulled out an MK5 that he placed on the inside of Vincent's shirt.
Once he had finished, he picked up the shroud to place on Vincent's head. Just after doing so he leaned in just next to his ear and whispered so softly Vincent could scarcely hear him.
"Be ready." Was all the man said before he replaced the shroud over his head.
Then as quietly as he had appeared, he was gone; Vincent was alone.
"Be ready." He whispered to himself feeling optimistic for the first time since being brought to this hellhole. The man had retied his hands after treating his wounds, but Vincent discovered that he was able to move within the ropes. This prompted him to see how far his hands would move. A bright smile spread across his face from under the shroud for the first time in days as his thumb slipped out of the bindings.
"Delta is coming to my rescue." He thought to himself. If the shroud had been removed, his elation would have been evident, making him grateful for its darkness. He did not know what was coming, or when…only the hope of a rescue.
But whatever it was, Vincent Ryan Keller would be ready.
Once the C-17 had reached its maximum altitude, Fio took the opportunity to wander to a less populated section of the plane and took a seat in a quiet location. Her team was hyped up about the rescue and the jump as well as being selected to join the elite team of soldiers. As they listened to their stories of their past missions, she could hear them all talking and laughing. It was not that she wasn't interested in taking part in the dialog taking place; the last thing she needed was for any of her crew, or team Delta to see her this way. The thought of jumping from the plane frightened her to the point of anxiety; her skin was clammy, palms sweating and her heart raced rapidly. Being trusted as a lead for her team was not a responsibility she took lightly and she would be damned to hell for all eternity before she allowed anybody to view her in a moment of weakness; even if it was because she was human.
Her father always said it is a sign of a great leader to never show your fear. Once that happens your men will never look at you the same way. While she did fully agree with her father, she now admitted to herself that her father had a point. It was not that she was steadfast in her composer, far from it in fact, she felt it best to keep to herself until she could regain her composure.
The only person to have ever witnessed her fears was Vincent Keller. She may have been chosen over him as squad leader; and that was only because she let Captain Faulks look at her cleavage, but she considered him her equal in every way, so when she was ready to crack the day they hid in that cave during the airstrikes, he was her rock. Small, tight spaces had long been her fear and she felt at ease to let her guard down with him. It did help that he was as frightened as she was by the loud noises created by the spraying of bullets and bombs going off around them. They sat side by side working through their fears together by telling each other stories of growing up in New York, where they hung out, about their neighborhoods, friends, etc. This was the moment they had bonded as true friends.
These memories lead to a soft smile playing across her lips; but the reality of the present changed that smile to tears. She missed him and wondered what he would say to her and how he would encourage her to fight her fears. But he wasn't there...and it was up to them to take him home. And right now she hated herself! Vincent was being held captive, tortured and would be dead in a matter of hours...and she was too scared to even jump out of the goddamned plane to rescue him his fate.
"You can do this, Fi." She whispers to herself as she took deep, cleansing breaths. "Just jump, pull the ripcord and you will be on the ground in a few minutes. People do this every day. You went over this over and over again in OTC...it's all going to be fine. It's time to put on your big girl panties and get your shit together!" But her self-pep talk was not working and she was quickly reaching the vomiting point. "Oh my God! What is wrong with me?!" She slams her fists against the jumper seat with rage.
"Well for one thing you are beating up on the only thing separating you from a 25,000 foot drop." Captain Faulks took the seat across from her and grins; that was until she looked up at him and he could see her tear stained face. "Lieutenant? Are you alright?"
"Yeah." She nods quickly then wipes off her face with a baby wipe from her pack then shoves it in her pocket. "I just needed some quiet to get my thoughts together...you know...first black ops mission and all." She shrugs. "I don't want to mess anything up."
Alex chuckles.
"Well if you do, we will just take you out to the desert, bury you up to your neck in sand, and leave you to the vultures and sidewinders." He leans forward placing his folded hands against his knee offering her a wry grin.
Fio's brow furrows while giving him a repulsed twist of her nose.
"Harsh."
Instead of a response he stares at her, making her uncomfortable.
"You know I don't believe you." He finally spoke. "You are as nervous as a virgin at a prison rodeo. Tell me the truth."
He watches her head drop as she closes her eyes and sighs before looking up at him again.
"Not buying it, huh?"
Faulks shook his head. "No. Anything you care to discuss with your Superior Officer?"
She took note of the emphasis he placed on "Superior Officer" as though he was making his role very clear to her.
"I told you…I'm fine. I'm just nervous."
Leaning forward in the jumper seat, he raises an eyebrow.
"Did you know when you lie, the left corner of your lip quivers slightly? You are also severely perspiring and…" He gestures toward her neck. "...I am watching a vein in your throat pulsing...that could mean a lot of things like acid reflux...or you just got finished running 20 laps..." He leaned in even closer. "...or you are having an anxiety attack because you are terrified of making this jump."
Fio gives a short laugh and a shake of the head.
"You can see all that just from looking at me?" Her head cocked slightly.
Alex sighs and rolls his eyes.
"It's my job and don't change the subject, Lieutenant." His voice was ardently strong without being harsh. "You are a very important player on this mission and if there is something distracting you, then you need to discuss it with me...or you need to forget about it and focus."
Fio sighs and nods.
"I was plucked from OTC and brought to Afghanistan...I never really finished my training...then shortly after I was plucked up for Project Muirfield..." She stares at her boots as she spoke then looked up at him. "I am stoked about this mission...I can't wait to get in there and bash their fucking bastard skulls in for what they did to my team and what they are putting Vincent through. These assholes do not scare me…"
"But you have never jumped out of a plane?" He raises an eyebrow and looks at her for a reaction.
Fio took a deep breath then shook her head.
"We did the drills...I learned how make the jump, but only went 30 feet into the world's biggest inflatable mattress. I know how to land...but I never actually made the jump."
"So, if you know how to do jump and you know how to land, you have all the skills you need." He probes her hoping to get at core of the problem.
"Because the world's largest mattress won't be there to break my fall if the chute doesn't open!" She finally blurted. "Happy?" She threw out her hands displaying the exasperation she was feeling as she waited for his reaction expecting the laughter to begin any moment.
But he did not laugh.
"So your fear is not jumping out of the plane…" He pressed his lips together looking at her attentively. "You are afraid your shoot won't open."
"Yeah." She exhales and gives a short laugh. "I know how idiotic that sounds…"
"No. It is not." He stood up and took the seat next to her. "Believe me, every single one of us on this transport was terrified when we took our first jump. They can tell you differently, but it is terrifying to jump out of a plane with 10,000 feet between the air and the ground. Even more so when despite the check and rechecking of the rigging, there is always a small chance your chute won't open." He paused briefly and folded his arms. "So here's what I don't understand. I have known you long enough to know that you are an adrenaline junkie. You can scale the outside of a building like a cat. You face the possibility of falling to your death all the time. I thought the idea of jumping out of a plane would give you the kind of rush you crave…why is this different?"
Fio thought for a moment; his question was reasonable and her response took some thought.
"I plan each jump in my mind before I execute my moves. I control the force and velocity and the failure or success of the jump is mine alone." She paused briefly before continuing. "When I jump from that platform, I can only trust that the person who packed the chute did their job and it is going to open. I am not in control and if the chute does not open, I will be killed because some asshole failed to do their job.
Alex reached over placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I'll be right behind you the entire way." He gave her shoulder a gentle caress with his fingers as his voice softens. "Don't worry…I got you." He touched her hair then quickly pulled his hand away.
Instead of letting it go this time, Fio quickly grabs his arm.
"No." She cocks her head and took note of the torment on his face. "Not this time. Why do you always do that?"
Alex shook his head and looked away.
'"Lieutenant, you are in a relationship with another man. It is not appropriate for me to be this close to you, especially while we are on a mission rescue Lieutenant Keller, the man you are involved with." He shifts his eyes so he was looking at her. "And how can you even allow yourself to get this close to me when your man is being tortured? I care for you and I want to be close to you…."
"Captain…" Fio attempts to interrupt him but Alex kept talking.
"This is not right!" He shouts as though he was convincing himself rather than her. "Once Keller is rescued, things are going to go back to the way it was before…."
Fio places her hand on the side of his head turning him to face her.
"Yes Captain." She nodded zealously. "Things will go back to the way they were." She gave him a grin so wide the dimples in her cheeks displayed prominently. "Vincent is my best friend. And he will be my best friend once he is back with us." She gave a laugh. "Where in the hell are you under the impression that he is my boyfriend?"
Alex blinks and jerks back his head.
"Wait, what?" He sputters and nearly chokes on his words as they registered. "I saw you two together during the survival training sitting close together, then you stood up walking arm in arm. It looked like the real thing."
Fio laughs and shook her head.
"No. Vincent and I are friends." As recalled the moment he was referring to, the realization hit her making her cross her arms. "Now wait a minute….so, you were there in the desert when we were on survival training?" She raises an eyebrow.
Alex nods.
"You didn't know there was a support team in place because you weren't supposed to." he stares at her and crosses his arms, then cocks his head as the reality finally hits him. "So... you and Keller? You're not…."
"No." She shakes her head knowing full well how that question would end. "What you saw was two friends having an in-depth conversation. Its contents will remain in confidence between me and Keller...but the only thing that happened between us that night, was our friendship became cemented for life."
"Well…" He took a few steps closer to her. "...this changes things on the playing field."
"Not really." She stared hard at him. "There is still the matter that you have been acting like a colossal dick toward me lately." Her stare did not display anger, or even hurt; only that she required a direct explanation with no bullshit. "I was laying on the ground with a rifle pointed at my head certain that I was going to die along with my crew. And then…we learned that Vincent is going to be executed on live TV! I have not been myself in several days! I do not know if I am ever going to be myself again…but you are worried about your feelings? You did not even once ask me how I was, or if I was ok."
Alex sighs realizing that she was right. The truth was that he was there when she was rescued and he had a larger role in her squad's rescue than he could share. It was not because of what he suspected about her relations to Keller that caused him to keep his distance, but she did not know that.
"I'm sorry. It was neither right, or professional of me. I am not a man that deals with emotions...or feelings...or…"
"You could have just asked me rather than taking what you saw through binoculars at face value." Her reply came in a slow, even tone. "Why was it so much easier to be an asshole than…"
"I wasn't really finished…" He held his hand up which made her abruptly stop talking…which was not a simple task when the young Irish woman was loudly processing her thoughts. But she stopped immediately as an audible gulp could be heard.
"Fiona, you have to understand that there was much more that has been on my mind since arriving back from Uzbekistan." He retorts. "There many things that happened behind the scenes than you even know. Even if you knew the truth you may not understand…" He looks at her face before continuing; the last thing he expected was to find her smiling. "What?" He shrugs wondering what he did to make her look at him in that way.
"That was the first time you called me by my name….and not Lieutenant...or Conner…" She moves in closer looking up at him. "...Alex."
His name flows from her lips like a beautifully composed melody. Had this been at any other time at or place he would have stroked her hair and face and kissed her without hesitation, allowing the flow of the moment to take them wherever it went. However, he was the Captain of this team and as much as he wanted her, his focus had to remain on the mission at hand.
"I…" He opened his mouth to speak, but he was at a loss for what to say.
"Look..." She began fairly certain what he was going to say. "...we have a lot to talk about once this is over. But right now rescuing Vincent takes precedence above all else." Her look had become serious. "But there is something I need to know." She touched his hand and looked up at him imploringly. "How did we get rescued that night?"
Alex's mind was now reeling in multiple directions taking him into territory he never wanted to enter. It was classified information deemed so by those present that night, but didn't she have a right to know? Didn't they all?
He was relieved to dodge the bullet as the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom.
"May I have your attention please...we are 15 minutes from the drop zone. Starting with the first row, please secure your static line and you will be instructed when to jump. When instructed it is your turn to jump, you will not hesitate. You will exit the aircraft immediately. God help me if I have to send Brutus over to give you the boot! Godspeed to each and every one of you."
When the announcement ended, Fio felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest.
"Damnit! I can't do this."
"Yes. You can." Alex assured her gently. "I always jump last, so hang back with me and you go right before me…I'll be right behind you. Ok?
Fio shook her head.
"And if my chute doesn't open, what are you going to do? Scrape me off the pavement?"
Alex exhales then laughed.
"We will be landing on dirt, and your chute is going to open. I am heavier than you, so I will fall faster, if the unthinkable happens, I have you covered. The chutes are sturdier than they look." He placed a finger under her chin and lifted it so he was looking in her eyes. "Remember who you are. You are fierce, strong and fearless. You can scale tall buildings, and I have seen you take out men twice your size. You got this."
Fio nods quickly.
"Ok." She replied breathlessly.
When the other jumpers had gone, it was their turn. Fio approaches the jump off and froze the moment she looked out. She started hyperventilating and broke out into a sweat.
"Oh SHIT!" she shouts looking at the ground which looked like it was miles away.
"Just jump, Conner." The Sergeant standing next to the hatch shouted. "Just take a deep breath, close your eyes and don't look down…or think about your mortality options."
"Shut up, Kriegel!" Tl.
"You have to go now!" Another soldier working the door shouted above the engines. "Ten Seconds!"
Seeing her struggle, Alex approached her and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"Ok…count of 3…. close your eyes and jump. I'm right behind you. You can do this…. your squad is counting on you. One…. Two…. THREE!"
Taking a deep breath, Fiona closed her eyes and leapt from the platform. She opens her mouth to scream, but before she could do so her chute opened breaking the freefall and carried her safely toward the ground. Instead, she shouts from the rush and exhilaration the feeling brought her.
"I told you could do it." Alex hollered as he had caught up to her. "How does it feel?"
"This is AMAZING!" Her voice was filled with exhilaration and wonder like a child riding a roller coaster for the first time. "I can't' believe I was so terrified!"
"I knew you had it in you!" He smiles as he floats further toward the ground as he said he would. "I'll see you at the bottom."
Again Fio emitted an exhilarated shout as Alex shakes his head and laughs.
125th Precinct
Manhattan, New York City
Alex slowly tapped on Captain Vargas's office door in response to a note sprawled across a piece of printer paper in large, red, letters ordering him to report immediately to her office waiting on his keyboard.
This was his was his first day on the job, and to his knowledge he had not broken any rules…at least not yet; but he was fairly certain after learning he was friends with Vincent, Captain Vargas would want answers.
"I sensed you wanted to see me." He grinned while waving her note hoping to defuse Tess's anger which did not work.
"Take a seat Faulks…. if that's even your name." Tess snarled before taking a seat in her own chair and folding her arms attempting keep her anger at bay.
As instructed, he took a next to Cat who offered a contrite smile which lead him to believe she was not nearly as pissed off as Vargas.
"Of course Faulks is my name." He furrowed brow echoed the confusion he was feeling." Why would you have any doubt?"
Tess stared him down before responding.
"When you gave me your career history, you left out the part that you were drafted by the NSA right out of the Army. And you weren't exactly an errand boy…you were a lead field agent! Now why in the FUCK would anybody leave a high six-figure salary position to a police detective? Explain!"
Cat rolled her eyes and sighed heavilly.
"Tess! Stop! You said you were just going to ask him a few questions! Give him the benefit of the doubt."
"It's ok Catherine..." Alex moved forward in his chair clearly annoyed by Tess's line of questioning. "…I can speak for myself." He folded his arms staring complacently in her direction. "As I told to you yesterday, my motives for leaving the NSA to become a police detective is my own private business, and with all due respect, is none of yours."
Tess paused briefly to regroup her thoughts before responding. There was no reason to believe Detective was anything but what the Chief said he was. And she could only hope that one eighth of the cops in her precinct were as skilled as Faulks with a track record of the same level. Tess placed her palms against her thighs and exhaled before responding. "Yes, we did discuss this last night. But that was before I learned that you served in Afghanistan with Vincent Keller, the husband of my best friend and my brother from a different mother. AND to top it off, we learn that you were the lover of the same woman who served in the same unit with you and Vincent and for some reason was blocked from Vincent's memories. You have got to understand my point of view and why I find it a little difficult to believe that and has all of the sudden been having flashes of memories from the war…a WAR from which Fiona Grace Conner disappeared and nobody has even received a postcard from her since!" She stared hard at him. "And yes…your reasons for why you took a 70% pay cut to become a detective are none of my business…but your timing is a little but much to accept as a coincidence…don't you agree?"
Alex folded his arms and slouched in his chair before looking up at Tess again.
"Ok, Captain, I am going to say this once more and with all due respect as my captain and colleague, I do not need to share my reasons for wishing to keep this information off of my records, I do not have to tell you and I am not going to tell you. Are we clear?"
"Faulks…you are treading on thin ice…." Tess began to shoot back at him, but was quickly interrupted by Cat.
"Goddamnit Tess, shut the hell up!" she hollered over her. "You know damn well he does not have to divulge personal details and if you keep bullying him like this, he has a case for Internal Affairs! Now calm your ass down!"
Clearly taken aback by Cat's outburst, Tess's eyes shot open as she gulped audibly.
"Ok, Cat just cussed…shit just got serious." Her lips pressed together somewhat amused by her friend's eruption…and she was also very right. Turning to look at Alex, she offered a contrite half-smile. "Cat is right. I was out of line and I sincerely apologize. But I am saying this not as your captain, but as a friend of Vincent's and one that is close to this situation, you have to know that the timing of your arrival is suspect."
Cat shifted in her chair so she was facing Alex's direction.
"Alex, I really don't think you have done anything wrong…" She shifted her eyes in Tess's direction. "And neither does Captain Vargas." The look she shot her made Tess press her lips together while lowering her head. "But instead of doing this on your own, why don't we all work together to find the answers? We are all trying to find out what happened to her. Vincent because he does not understand why a girl that was like a sister to him just disappeared and he forgot she ever existed…and I know you loved her." She reached out placing her hand on his arm empathetically. "A few years ago, Muirfield came and took Vincent away. He was gone for months. I missed him so much and I could not take not knowing. Thank God I got him back. I can't even imagine what hell you have been going through all these years." She placed her hand over his. "Let us help you find her."
Alex had always been a loner, especially since joining the army and it was difficult to open himself up and work with people. He stood up and moved toward the file cabinet. He paused for what seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke.
"She disappeared that morning. She was gone…without a trace. It was like she never even existed. Her clothes were gone. By the end of the day nobody remembered her."
Cat stood up and walked over to him.
"But you did?" She asked him gently.
Alex nodded and turned to look at her. Cat could see a single line of a tear that fell down his cheek. It was clear he was doing everything he could to keep it together and she did not wish for him to bring him further pain. He continued.
"I played along. There was a reason she was missing and we are taught not to ask questions. But I did ask. General Weller said she had been transferred; but I knew she wouldn't leave just like that without saying goodbye. I was the good soldier and did as I was told. But I never stopped looking for her. And I will never will until I know."
"I know it hurts to talk about it…" Cat folded her arms and leaned her back against the cabinet. "You don't have to do this now. Do you want to come to our apartment tonight and we can all put our heads and resources together?"
Alex sighed and offered a half smile.
"Yeah. I'd like that." He then added quietly. "I've been going this alone for so long without anybody to trust…maybe it is time to get some more brains involved."
"Well, you are getting free resources from Manhattan's finest detectives, plus JT and Vincent." Tess quipped.
Alex's wrinkled his nose and shrugged indifferently.
"I get that you two are cops, but JT is a biochemist specialist and Vincent is a doctor. What do they bring to the table?"
"Actually…" Tess had calmed down and was joining the discussion. "…JT has been helping Vincent hide from Muirfield for years; he is also a hacker. And Vincent…well, he's beast…he has a good sniffer. Between the 5 of us I'm sure we can pound out a few clues."
"Ok…so are we good?" Cat stood up to leave.
"No, sit." Tess ordered them both. "You have not been dismissed for good reason
Catherine did so immediately. When Tess said "jump" you ask how high on the way up.
"Ok." She gulped nodding quickly. "I'm sitting!"
"Now we are going to talk about business." She spread a report and photos across her desk facing in her direction. "We finally got a lead on our cybercriminal."
"So he struck again?" Alex thumbed through the report while studying the photos.
"Actually...no." Tess sat back in her chair folding her arms against her desk. "He has been quiet for a while now, but intel shows the hacker has made a sizable withdrawal from an offshore account and there are close to 50 transfers into personal bank accounts in the United States that will hit at midnight."
"How sizable of a withdrawal are we talking about?" Cat stared at the photos thinking she recognized the buildings.
"One Hundred and Fifty Million Dollars." Tess replied. "There will be some 50 people waking up with three million dollars' tomorrow morning."
"Ok…" Alex sat the report down looking bewildered at Tess. "…so why has this fallen into our laps? International cybercrimes aren't our jurisdiction?"
"No, but we are working in compliance with Homeland and the FBI because the culprit is right in our own back yard and some of these funds are being deposited into local bank accounts. We have been asked to conduct our own investigation."
"I know this place." Cat held up one of the photos pointing at it. "That is near fraternity row down the street from the university." She gave Tess a knowing smile. "We investigated this place back when Vincent and I first met...remember the fan boy who was staging his crimes in the bell tower?"
Tess nodded.
"Yes, how could I forget." She folded her arms as she sighed recalling the details surrounding the offender. "He was working here in the lab with Evan the whole time right under our faces and we had no idea. But I don't recall him being a frat boy."
Cat shook her head.
"No, but there were a few names on the suspect list and we made some house calls and every one of them wanted us to chug from the beer bong." They both laughed.
"Now that I remember." She shook her head. "If we weren't on duty, we would have made history that night." She chuckled. "Ok, go…" Tess shooed them toward the door. "And we'll see if the team of Chandler and Faulks can come even close to the dream team of Vargas and Chandler." She gave droll grin while raising her eyebrow.
"That's KELLER and Faulks!" Cat corrected her before walking out the door.
"Keller! Keller! Keller!" Tess slapped her palm against her for head with each repetition of the name. "I'll get used to that one of these days."
"Are you ready?" Cat asked Alex as he took a seat next to her in her mustang.
"Are you?" He flashed a buoyant grin as he buckled up his seat belt.
Cat chuckled and started the car.
Saint Vincent's Hospital
New York City
Present Day
Vincent sat in the chair reviewing the chart belonging to Jake Conner shaking his head as he stares hard at the patient as though he was looking for a sign from him. He had been there for several days with no sign of waking from his coma. This was even more perplexing than his appearance; his vitals were good; brainwave activity was functioning normally. Although the cuts were healing, his bruises appeared to be getting worse.
Completely exasperated Jake's mysterious circumstances, Vincent exhales loudly and slaps the chart onto his lap. "Why are you here, my friend." He whispered aloud then leaned forward in his chair thoughtfully.
"Well did you think that maybe it was something else keeping him in the coma?" He heard the female with the heavy Brooklyn accent coming from behind him. "God, you call yourself a doctor? Did you get your medical degree from a box of Cracker Jacks?" Whipping his head around, Vincent saw the same young woman he had kicked of Jake's room out a few days ago.
"I told you are not allowed in here!" He shouted and stood up, but before he could get the words out she was gone. He took off on foot after her, but she had vanished; he could not even pick up a scent. "Hey…" He turned to the security guard patrolling the ICU. "I told you that woman was not allowed in here!"
The guard, who was caught off guard by Vincent's accusation, looks to his right and to his left. "What woman?" He shrugs. "Nobody has come through here that isn't hospital staff or family in the last 10 minutes."
With the guard and everybody around him looking at him like he was crazy, Vincent started to question the staff if anybody had seen anything…it was then that they heard the loud crash of glass breaking coming from the end of a corridor. He took off running toward commotion followed by the guard as a small group gathers …it was clear the window had been broken from the inside.
"Did any of you see what happened?"
They all shook their heads, but one nurse spoke up
"No. I only heard the crash a few seconds ago when I was over there with my medicine cart…I notice everything and I will swear on the Lord's word that nobody came down this way!"
"It had to be something damn strong and damn blunt to break through that." A patient wearing a hospital gown walked up to the scene and stuck his head through the open window. "Not even bullets can break those windows."
"Did you see anything?" Vincent asks the man.
"Negative." He replied shaking his head. "But I heard something…like somebody wearing heavy boots running very fast."
This causes Vincent's eyes to flash wide open. "Heavy boots?" He shrugs before continuing. "Like Cowboy boots or work boots?"
"Combat boots." The patient was quite affirmative in his answer. "I did 2 tours in Nam; I would know that sound anywhere."
"Should we call the police, Dr. Keller?" The nurse asked him
Vincent shook his head and flashed a boastful grin. "I share my bed with one of New York's finest. I'll call my wife." He turned to the guard. "See what you can find out and I'll get the police in here to investigate."
He turns and walks back toward Jake Conner's room while removing his phone from his pocket and dials. "Hi babe…." He spoke quietly as Cat picks up.
"Oh honey! I'm glad you called…Faulks and I are working on a case…can I c…" He cut her off before she could finish.
"We can talk about that later. Right now we have something far worse." As he spoke he looks around to make sure he was not heard. "There is somebody in this hospital that has been flagged by security who keeps trying to get in close to Jake Conner…" He enters Jake's room and closes the door behind him. To his relief, Conner was in the same condition he had been in before he left him. "…it's a young girl that says she is his girlfriend. This is the second time she has been in the ICU and she is somehow getting past the guards without being seen. The only evidence that she was even here is a broken window at the end of the corridor made of bullet proof glass that was broken from the inside. In the Military, this is what we would have called a Ghost."
Cat stopped walking and stood still. "Ghost? And by Ghost I assume you don't mean the spirit of a dead person?"
"Well for the training these people have to go through and what they have to give up, it is like losing your soul, hence part of the reason they are called Ghosts. But this would be a deep cover military operative that is able to get in and out of places without being seen or even detected. It is a very rare breed that can pull it off."
Cat held up her hand to Alex signaling him she would be a moment. "Is she still inside the hospital?"
"I don't know." Vincent shook his head then places his hand behind his head and paces about as he spoke. "But that is not even the weird part…moments after I saw her, somebody was able to break through a bulletproof window from the inside. A lot of people heard the commotion and the window break, but not a single person saw how it happened."
"Any blood on the glass?" She asked.
"None." His tone echoed his astonishment. "It looks like somebody took large high-powered cannon and shot clean through." He looked around to ensure he was not heard before continuing. "I don't even think I could make that kind of impact on my best days."
Cat exhaled and paced back and forth. "I want to come check it out, but right now Alex and I are questioning persons of interest in one of our cases. I'll call the precinct and get and investigation going, and we'll be there when we're done here., ok?"
"Noted." Vincent's response was only half focused as he noticed some movement coming from Jake's brainwave monitor. "Babe, there is something I need to look into I gotta go."
"Ok." She replied. "We'll be there as soon as we can. And Vincent…let the police handle this."
But Cat's warning fell on deaf ears as Vincent had already hung up.
Placing his phone back in his front pocket, he cocks his head studying Jake's monitor. There were several spikes recorded in the last few minutes. "You can hear me, can't you?"
The spikes appeared once more which brought a smile to Vincent's face.
"If you can hear me, you aren't too far from waking up." He quickly frowns as he recalls what the woman had said to him before she took off.
"Well did you think that maybe it is something else keeping him in his coma?"
Vincent grabs Jake's chart checking it quickly as though looking for something specific.
"Shit!" He groans then picked up the phone next to Jake's bedside. "Yeah…has anybody run a toxicology screen on the Conner kid?" He abruptly asked the person on the other end then paused listening to the response. "I am not convinced the beating he received was what put him in a coma. Call the lab and get that tox screen…stat. I want him checked for any Neuromuscular blockers." He hung up the phone and looks at the monitor which was showing more and more activity. "You aren't in a coma at all? You're in a state of paralysis, aren't you? You were put in this state by someone…but why?"
The monitor was beeping out of control.
"Ok…Jake just calm down. I'm a friend of your sister's. I know you can't talk to me, but you can hear me. I am going ask you some questions. If the answer is no, try not to make any noise…or very little. If the answer is yes, you make as much noise as you can." He looks up at the monitor. "If you can understand what I am telling you, do something that will make this monitor beep."
The monitor made a series of short beeps.
Vincent grins and pulls out his clipboard and clicked his pen. "Alright, let's get this started. Did somebody do this to you?"
Beep
Vincent wrote something on the clipboard.
"Ok…good. Was person, or persons who did this for you someone that knew your sister?"
No sound.
"Do you know the person who did this to you?"
Beep
"Was there more than one attacker?"
No sound.
"Was your attacker a male?"
No Sound.
"Female?"
A series of beeps resonated from the monitor as if there was something he wanted to tell him. Vincent's closes his eyes feeling exasperated. He could only ask questions that required a yes or no response and the beeps could give him the whole story.
"Do you know why…." He stops and sighs before redirecting his question. "Did you request to be placed in this state?"
The monitor beeped several times.
Vincent places his palms against his forehead unsure of what direction he should take his questions next.
"Well did you think that maybe it is something else keeping him in his coma?"
The words of that insolent girl claiming to be Jacob's girlfriend came back to him as if a light had been
turned on. He stood up looking over Jake's bruises wondering why they were not healing faster; the swelling had gone down, and typically, the recovery rate for bruises of this level would show at least signs of healing. The bruises seemed to be getting worse instead of better.
"Jacob, are you a hemophiliac?"
BEEP
"Goddammit!" Vincent shouted and picked up the phone next to the bedside. "Yeah, This is Keller again did anybody check Jacob Conner's medical history when he checked in?" He barked into the phone. His expression grew more and more confused as he listened. "What do you mean that information was not available when he was admitted? It is your job to…" He stopped talking as the person on the other end cut him off. "Records do not just get up and walk away?" He blinked several times as the person responded. "Erased? How is that even possible? Everybody who walks through here goes through an admission process and any observations…." He went quiet as the very persistent voice on the other end repeated that his records have been erased in the computer system. "I see." He repeated quietly not feeling closer to the answers than before he called. "Thank you." He slowly hung up the phone than sat down dejectedly for several minutes placing his elbows against his knees as his face was covered by his palms.
Moments later he exhaled before picking up the phone again and dialing. "Hey, this is Vincent Keller." He greeted the person on the other end. "I really need to talk to you and get this figured out. I feel like there is more at work that what is on the surface." He paused while the person at the other end responded. "Ok, 5 PM, can you come to my office? Great, see you then."
Uzbekistan Desert
September 23, 2002
After the jump, Fiona and Alex were quickly reunited with their team and hiked to the staging site where they were given a small meal. There was no time for socializing; for the next several hours they were in strategy meetings before they were allowed 10 hours to rest before they would hike to the tent compound where Keller was being held.
After the rest period, the team gathered in the war room where they would go over the strategy for the rescue. There would be no time for pleasantries; planning this mission required quick work and strategic preparation.
Fio was surprised to see Colonel Phillips come forward and take his place next to Alex during the briefing. For sure he was a man full of surprises; where was he on the flight?
Standing next to Phillips was another man dressed in civilian desert style clothing. Fio did not recall seeing the man before, but by the arrogant manner in which he was carrying himself, she assumed he was Murifield. Phillips's eyes darted back and forth between him and General Weller and did not appear overjoyed that either of them was there. The man appeared to be in his late 30's, maybe early 40's with black hair graying at the temples. Although he was very handsome, Fio's instinct told her that was as on the level as a $3-dollar bill. The moments that followed confirmed her instincts were valid.
As Phillips took the podium, all stood at attention.
"At ease." His cadence projected over the soldiers gathered. "Ok, I'm going to make this quick. We have all been briefed and each of you should know your role." He pointed to a figure on the infrared map. "According to our intel, this has been Keller's location since he was taken hostage. You should all have the coordinates. If everyone plays their parts correctly, this will be a quick in and quick out. We are going to surround the parameter, Conner is going to use her fancy cat woman skills and lower herself into the tent just above Keller while covered by Faulks and Gambino and get him to safety. The rest of you walk in with your guns blasting and take no prisoners... I'm not transporting that terrorists shit anywhere." He took a long pause looking at the faces of each man and woman sitting before him with a slight smile on his face before continuing. "Let's remember when we get down there, this is not a simulation; we will be facing real blood and real bullets! You have all seen combat before , but I guarantee that this will be unlike any battle you have faced before. For any of you who may have doubts about going in shooting…know there will be blood spilled. If you even think of hesitating for a moment before shooting, that blood will be yours. These people are terrorists and will not give a second thought about blowing out your brains. And when we return to Bagram, my plan is to sleep this mission off until my body has recovered and I'll be damned if I am going to use any of that time send a letter to mom and dad informing them of your death."
The newcomer walked up to the podium and stood next to Phillips and cleared his throat. "If you don't mind, sir there is something I would like to add to your eloquent speech."
Phillips's sigh pounded against the mic as he turned in the man's direction.
"And now a word from our sponsor…" He gave a smirk then rolled his eyes before gesturing for him to take over. Fio had come to trust Phillips judgment of character, and if he was rolling his eyes, then there was good reason.
"Thank you Colonel, you really have a way with your words, I don't know how I'm going to follow that rousing speech." His heavy Southern accent was charming enough, but the body language still indicated he was a tool. "Hello ya'll, most of you do not know me. My name is Silas Christian. I am the Vice President of Operations for the Murifield Corporation. I just want to say that I am very proud of each and every one of you soldiers. We are asking a lot of you by being a part of this program, but I guarantee when this is over, you will also become an elite team that will be unstoppable!"
Everyone broke out in cheers…well, almost everyone….
"This guy is a crowd pleaser for sure." Mari's whispered sarcastically to Fio who nodded in agreement.
"I don't even think he knows that only 10 of us here are recruits for their project." Fio smirked back.
"Yeah, but he's very easy on the eyes…and that accent…hell, I'd do him." Mari quipped as Fio closed her eyes and shook her head.
"You're messed up." She chuckled. "There is no hope for you."
"What?" Mari shrugged and pretending to be naive.
Christian continued his speech.
"The United States took a hit on September 11, 2001 and now we are hitting back. So let's all get out there and kick some camel jockeys in the ass. And more importantly, let's be safe out there!" His speech was quick and to the point. Most cheered once he had finished; likely because they felt they had to, but Fio and others were turned off by his racial slurs. Everyone in that room hated Al Qaeda, but the citizens of Afghanistan were generally good people. They were families with children living in a war torn world with their lives being held in peril because of a dictator they did not even want. So to hear this piece of shit Silas Christian refer to them as camel jockeys made Fio's blood boil.
"At least he didn't say Semper Fi." Rodriguez cracked.
Once Christian had finished his drivel, he stepped away from the podium and gave it back to Phillips.
"Thank you for that inspiring speech, Mr. Christian. We will carry those words into battle and cherish them always." Phillips attempted to sound polite, but anyone who really knew the would know that every word dripped with disdain.
"And for our rookies, we have a tradition which we follow…we ask our maker to stand beside us and protect us from our enemies. So if you are a believer, or somewhere in the middle we ask you to pray with us, if you are an atheist…you better be right. Let's all bow our heads." All present bowed their heads as Phillips began to pray.
"Lord make me fast and accurate
Let my aim be true
And my hand faster than those who would seek to destroy me
Grant me victory over my foes
And those that wish to do harm to me and mine
Let not my last thought be
If I only had my gun
And Lord, if today is truly the day that you call me home,
Let me die in a pile of empty brass."
"Amen"
Fio made the traditional Catholic gesture of the cross and smiled to herself as she saw Alex do the same.
"HOOAH!" Phillips shouted as they all stood up shouting the army battle cry in response.
"OK DELTA DEPLOYMENT LET'S MOVE OUT!" Faulks shouted while clapping his hands loudly. "ON YOUR FEET! GO! GO! GO!"
"YES SIR!" They all echoed back in unison before grabbing their gear and lining up single file at the door.
That night team Delta lead the chosen Operation Muirfield recruits intrepidly into the night; each of them in full throttle and ready to fight the enemy to bring home their brother!
But no man or woman would be prepared for the fate that awaited them that night.
And they would never be the same.
Manhattan
Present Day
"Ok Vincent. I will be recording this session….do you have any objections to being recorded?" Justin held up his digital voice recorder and waited for Vincent's reply.
"No objections." Vincent replied as he leaned his head against the back of the couch attempting to relax. Due to his schedule Justin had agreed to hold a session in his office. The atmosphere made it nearly impossible to relax, but the hope was
"Excellent." Justin wrote something down. "Are you feeling relaxed enough for me to put you under today, or do you want to share any memories you may have had since our last session?"
Vincent released an exasperated sigh and leaned forward.
"I don't think I'm going to reach that state today; I have way too much on my mind. But I have been having some memory breakthroughs that we can talk about?"
Justin nods.
"Of course. Sometimes just being in a familiar setting helps. So why don't you tell me about these memories."
"Well most of these memories stem from an old friend, Captain Alex Faulks." He began. "In Afghanistan he was our superior training officer. Great guy and very good friend. But even the first time I met him I realized there was something different about him…at that time I was 22, and he wasn't much older, maybe 24 or 25. But he was already in a high level position in leading Delta Deployment and superior to soldiers much older than he was."
"How was he different?" Justin cocked his head inquisitively with a slight squint of his eye lids.
"It's hard to explain." Vincent leaned forward folding his hands against his knee. "I can't really put my finger on it, but he had the maturity of a person much older. He mostly kept to himself and only spoke if he had something to say. Most of the time he was just very focused and reserved."
"Would you say he was anti-social:" Justin was clearly interested in the direction Vincent was taking him. "Did you ever feel there was anything about him that was…a little off?"
Vincent shook his head.
"Not at all. He was a great guy and I wouldn't call him anti-social. He was always approachable and once in a great while we would sit with his crew or even us for a beer or two. I never sensed anything off about him. I guess I would describe him as quiet, stoic or studious even. But the one trait that stood out was he was very calm…" He balanced his hands back and forth searching for an adjective. "…like a Jedi Master. He was every ounce a soldier. But when it came to battle, he was like a war machine; he was in charge and knew how to run the show. It was quite phenomenal." He looked up at Justin who remained silent. "And you are probably wondering how this is relevant?"
Justin shook his head.
"I suspected you were going somewhere; you have mentioned Captain Faulks before, so carry on."
"Well last night, just out of the blue he appeared on my doorstep. He was as shocked to see me as much as I was to see him, but it appears he has recently relocated to Manhattan and was assigned to the very precinct my wife works out of."
Justin nodded and wrote something in his notes. "Continue."
"I took him out for some drinks, we talked about the war…or at least the good times before everything went batshit. We talked about her. And then I heard a song that reminded me of the Military Ball the night we graduated from the Murifield Program…" He smiled as he remembered in detail dancing with her with both of them laughing, then Faulks cutting and seeing the love in their eyes as they danced together. It reminded him of his first dance with Catherine at her father's wedding. "I didn't even want to go because I was still going through depression, but Fiona would not hear of it." He laughed out loud as he reminisced on the memory. "She came to my dorm and refused to leave until I put on my dress uniform and stop feeling sorry for myself because they did not go through the trouble of rescuing my sorry ass so I can cry over almost getting killed. She reminded me that I am very much alive and it is time to celebrate what I have, not dwell on what could have happened." There were now tears in his eyes as he continued to laugh. "That was how she was…or is…she felt if she didn't get a moment dwell on what may have been, then neither did you."
Vincent started to relax now and drifted into a light sleep as he continued to speak. "He had blue eyes…" He mumbled as Jason frowned baffled by his sudden change of subject. "He's watching her…. they are walking out the door and he is right behind them…"
"Vincent…?" Justin leaned forward. "Who has blue eyes? Captain Faulks? Are you speaking of somebody else?"
"She left with him that night…" He continued as though he did not hear him. "She was holding his arm and all I remember was her turning to look at me before they left. She was happy and in love. She gave me a smile and a wave then walked through the door." Tears began to form as he cried in his sleep. "After that, I never saw her again." He abruptly stood up and shouted. "FIONA! DON'T GO! HE'S FOLLOWING YOU! FIONA PLEASE!" He screamed loudly as though he was shouting across the years to her, while reaching out his hand. He then crumbled to the floor sobbing uncontrollably as Justin placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.
"Ok Vincent…on the backward count from 3 you will awaken from your sleep. You will remember everything, and you will know that your memories cannot hurt you. Three…you can hear the sound of my voice. Two…you are becoming aware of where you are and your surroundings. One…open your eyes...you are refreshed and your memories remain with you...you are safe."
Vincent opened his eyes looking around before looking at Justin. "I remember everything…" He voice was calm, but there was a panic in his tone. "And I know exactly who is responsible for her disappearance."