Fuller Part 1
- Thread starter alangator
- Start date
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Close is a star, thanks for the new chapter
nancy98,
I thought maybe since these people were essentially in the spy game that their real hometown or where people they cared about lived might be secret. Close showed her experience and did the guy a favor and mis-lead Victor yet still kept the region similiar so if there were trends in fashion Victor could recommend good gift choices. I saw Victor as sketchy chracter affilitated with Russian organzied crime that aqquired his goods off the back of a truck or in this modern version he stole containers from an East Coast port.
Thanks for your attention to detail and for tracking the stories continuity.
alangator
I thought maybe since these people were essentially in the spy game that their real hometown or where people they cared about lived might be secret. Close showed her experience and did the guy a favor and mis-lead Victor yet still kept the region similiar so if there were trends in fashion Victor could recommend good gift choices. I saw Victor as sketchy chracter affilitated with Russian organzied crime that aqquired his goods off the back of a truck or in this modern version he stole containers from an East Coast port.
Thanks for your attention to detail and for tracking the stories continuity.
alangator
Fuller Part 22
STAG-
After Close placed the handbag orders with Victor and confirmed the two men’s shipping addresses the thankful driver of the truck gave Close the instructions she needed to get to Grimm’s quarters. She headed down the hallway to give Grimm an update on her team’s progress. The good news was that they were making good progress in locating their target’s base of operations. The not quite as good news was they still didn’t have an exact locations to give to him but she felt that they were almost there. She moved quietly as she got to the edge of the room and glanced around the corner to see Grimm unaware. While common courtesy dictated that she knock on the side of the door she wanted a watch him without his knowledge. She watched as Grimm meticulously did push-ups. The movements seemed perfectly timed and he came within 10 millimeters of the floor each time not likely varying the height by more than a millimeter or 2. His movements were so precise they resembled a robot in a manufacturing plant more than a human taking care of his body.
Grimm knew that Close was on her way from down the street and had heard the garage doors go up less a few minutes ago. But he knew she was in the hallway outside his room from a slight shuffle he had heard down the hallway seconds earlier. Grimm glanced to the side to see Close watching him do his push-ups from the room’s doorway. “Spy much?”
“It’s kind of what I do for living. I like to stay in practice. Keep the skills sharp and all that.” Close stood 10 feet away at the room’s doorway. She was wearing an expensive looking blouse that was cut to reveal the very top of her tan breasts. She was wearing trendy which translated to expensive denim blue jeans and from his angle Grimm even doing push-ups he could see that the shoes she was wearing had 3 inch heels. Her hair had been dyed a dark black and styled to more closely resemble a cut that might be found on a Juarez woman with some financial means. Her nails had also been painted the most common color of the demographic that were trying to mimic. And even pushing out his push-ups at a good clip Grimm was very aware that Close was dressed to the nines and she was making it work without much trouble. “I love what you’ve done with the place. If it were me I’d hang some Thomas Kincaid prints just to help make it feel like home. I love the way he depicts the light, it seems so real.”
Grimm smirked and almost laughed aloud while he was finishing up his push-ups. “He was French but I still prefer the stark black and white photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson. He was originally trained as a painter by Cubist André Lhote and a few other notable French painters of the time and came to photography in the early 30s. If you’re not familiar with him I can loan you a book. Now that we’ve discussed art, photography and room design you have some information for me?”
Close turned slightly away from him and Grimm was aware that her posterior looked very good.
“I met with your girl today. She is scared, didn’t realize that she was on our radar and very much wants to get the opportunity to work in the US. We chatted in the women’s rest room at an upscale clothing store for 15 minutes. She understands what she needs to do and gave up everything she knows. She also agreed to provide information and any help we need moving forward. She is super motivated to make sure we’re happy if it insures that she will be granted entry into the US for work. It turns out she was as vacuous as I had hoped. She is scared to death of her boyfriend but is more concerned about her career. I don’t think that she realizes that this isn’t a game and she could end up dead very easily if something goes wrong or if he suspects anything. Guys like that don’t make it this far up the food chain without an unhealthy dose of paranoia.”
Grimm pushed out the last push-up and propelled himself to his feet without any effort. Instead of a push-up he just pushed off and kicked with his legs and was standing in front of Close. “Well her ignorance works in our favor. So do you have the place he sleeps at night and what his security arrangements look like?”
Close moved toward the mini-fridge that Grimm kept stocked with bottled water and yogurt the warehouse preparation contractor brought in weekly from over the border. He was again drawn to the view of that denim and the way it outlined and accented her butt. He was stuck momentarily when he realized that Close was talking and he was busying enjoying her bending over instead of listening to what she was saying.
“Actually she is telling me that he uses 3 different rentals to sleep in at night. It seems that they are all upper end homes that have walls and video surveillance. She sketched me some rough drawing and gave me the approximate addresses. She doesn’t have the exact addresses but her rough directions and the descriptions should help us figure out which homes he’s using. We’re also monitoring a micro GPS unit I hid in her handbag. She’s a clothes horse so it might be static by the end of the day but it might give us one confirmed address to work with. I’ve got people heading to each possible location now and we should have hard addresses within a few hours. She also told me that his security detail never numbers less than 10 and all the vehicles are armored.”
Grimm thought about what she had said. “Any weakness that we might exploit? The thought of spoofing decent video equipment and then trying to get past 10 security guys isn’t doing much for me. We could get him but I’d lose men and he’d end up deader than hell. Him dead would defeat the whole purpose of this little operation and piss my bosses off.”
Close took another quick swallow of water from the bottle. “Well, now that you mention it seems our man has a thing for Tiger Woods and has recently been learning to play golf. He plays twice a week at a Club and is also taking lessons. It’s supposed to be a nice Country Club that allows Cartel members and other less than legitimate businessman to join assuming that they have the initiation fee and pre-pay a year’s dues and service minimum. The only thing that is risky for these ‘businessman’ is that they don’t allow security in the locker room or weapons in plain view. I drove by the place and it’s nice, even has its own security force on premise. And security isn’t rent-a-cops with Tasers. Their security contingent is ex-military or Police looking thugs wearing tactical gear, vests and toting M-4s of 5s. They all look fit and not very friendly. Maybe your technical people can hack the Country Club’s computers and see if there is anyone that we can get to so that we can get access to the place.”
Grimm nodded as he wiped his sweaty body of with a white towel. Give me ten minutes to get a shower and we can work thru the directions that she gave you for the safe houses and get solid addresses. Then we can take a look and see if the Country Club is a better place to do the snatch than the rentals.” He turned to go to the hallway.
Close smiled at Grimm’s back. “Need someone to wash your back for you?” Her smile actually got bigger as she watched Grimm pause to frame his reply to her possible flirtation.
He quickly went through possible responses finally settling on one without turning around to address her. “If you wash my back it’s going to take much longer than 10 minutes and I’m on a deadline. Unless you want to explain to my boss why we are behind schedule I suggest we keep our sights on the X ring.” With that Grimm quickly headed out of the room amazed that he might have just been flirted with by Close and damming those jeans and her sensual curves.
Before he had taken 3 steps Close replied. “I remember you as being more fun.”
From the edge of the room next to the door Grimm retorted. “And I don’t remember ever seeing you in any shoes that had heels. And you in heels and those jeans I will remember because you are definitely rocking that outfit Close.” With her flirtatious comment addressed and the compliment given Grimm faded into the hallway to get a shower. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
Close enjoyed watching Grimm leave the room and found the scent of his sweat familiar as he walked past her. Like they said she didn’t want him to leave but she sure enjoyed the view. She was surprised that she had found a way to integrate a mild degree of flirting into her interaction with Grimm. She was not a flirty person by nature and in fact nobody that knew her very well would say that she even had the ability to flirt unless it was for work and then it was insincere and designed to manipulate someone into doing something they weren’t willing to do without some gentle prodding. She found the thoughts she was having disconcerting and realized that she might be at that very moment blushing. It was an emotional response that wasn’t something she did very often and told her a lot.
Grimm carried his towel to the makeshift shower they had rigged in the old employee restroom and pondered what seemed to have just happened. Internally he might have just forgiven Close for her part of that terrible night years before. Maybe a few minutes under a hot shower would bring things back into perspective. It wasn’t like Grimm to second guess himself but he considered that maybe the reason he had called Close and not brought in another team that could get the job done was that on a certain level he was finally ready to forgive her. She had contributed to a mistake that had killed and seriously wounded men he cared about and that he was responsible for leading into harm’s way. Maybe by blaming her he absolved himself for any mistakes he had made during the botched mission.
Today Close had finally found an opportunity to have a chat with the Cartel girlfriend and during the time she was watching and waiting with her people to get the job done she found herself reminiscing about the time she and Grimm had spent together. Now that he had mentioned it she realized that she had never been around Grimm in anything but military uniforms and sweats. In fact in the sandbox other than her issue Desert Tan boots she had just one pair of running shoes and a pair of hiking shoes. She had carted around a comfortable pair of jeans and one pair of non-issue undergarments. Grimm had seen the frilly bra and panties but the jeans never left her bag. The jeans she was now wearing were $225.00 but Close knew they made her butt look almost perfect and she could feel Grimm staring at it when she had reached for the bottle of water. She wasn’t really thirsty she just wanted to see where the man’s head was at. Luckily when she stood back up his eyes had told her everything she had needed to know.
Close made her way around his work area and waited for Grimm to return. She was a natural snoop but resisted the temptation. She knew that he would be back any moment and didn’t have any desire to get caught violating his fragile trust. Because Grimm was the quietest moving person she had ever met if she simply moved two papers on a desk he would materialize from the darkness. She wanted to make a slight adjustment to her jeans but knew that he could be watching her at this very second and that might be embarrassing. While the jeans might look really good they were at times less than 100% comfortable. For hundreds of years woman had accepted discomfort as the price they paid to look desirable to the male species. Hell of a trend.
Grimm walked into the room wearing faded jeans and flip flops. He had a white towel around his well developed shoulders and his forehead was shiny with moisture from his 3 minute shower. Close made the mistake of looking lower and saw that his stomach had the casual six pack of an exceptionally fit man. It wasn’t the type of six pack you saw on fitness models in magazines it was the type of six pack that men that worked their bodies in a variety of methods and not just weights and sit-ups. Grimm had always been a hell of a physical specimen. But Close felt the most alluring aspect of Grimm was his devotion and utter faith in what he believed in. That uncompromising belief was one of the things that made him a great soldier and a first class operator. Even in the rarified world of the Spec. Ops. Community Grimm was rated in the top 10% of men and woman that had served since the tragedy of 9-11. Close was quiet and watched as Grimm walked over and pulled a blue tie-dye shirt from a duffle and pulled it over his head after spraying deodorant under his arms. The familiar smell of the deodorant triggered a tidal wave of memories she tried hard to ignore.
Grimm stared at Close trying to figure out what she was thinking. She seemed distracted and then realized that the reason might be the casualness that he’d shown by entering his room without a shirt. But after all it was his room, if she had a problem that was on her. “Ready to get to work?”
Close wanted to sit down but the jeans she was wearing were meant to show off her butt. They were designed for social situations were standing was the norm and the thought of sitting just made her remember that the jeans were a half size smaller than she should have bought. Hell they were more likely a full size smaller than she actually could comfortably fit into. While the outfit looked really good today a few things had happened that made her think she should have elected to purchase the next size larger. She stood there dreading sitting in the slightly too tight jeans without her vanity exposing itself and Grimm noticing. “Listen Grimm I’m really, really sorry about the men you lost. I know I’ve said it before but I really mean it. Part of the intelligence we used was sourced from outside. Some S-2 was given a tip by a pissed off neighbor and didn’t do anything other than rate the source as ‘moderately dependable’ and pass it on. By the time the information came to us two others REMF had OK’d the intelligence and we just went thru the motions like we had been told to do. That was wrong and for the rest of my time there I worked my ass off to make sure something like that never happened on one of my ops again.”
Grimm plopped down on the chair in front of the battered metal desk he was using to hold all his electronic gear and his laptop. He was very disappointed that the mighty intelligence behemoth inside the United States Military had signed the death warrant of good warriors because of laziness or stupidity. “The tipster, what happened to him?”
Close looked directly into Grimm’s eyes. “I leaked the source of the tip and he was beheaded 2 weeks later by the Mahdi Army after being tortured. Not really my style but I thought we needed to send a message that turning in your neighbor over some B.S. grudge was a risky game to play and could get you killed. I heard his son was furious and blamed the US for his death. But hey you play with fire, you just might get burned. Well beheaded in this case.” Close showed no outward emotions about what she had caused to the misguided tipster justifying his death against the death and serious injury of good men sworn to protect and serve their country.
“Any fallout from anyone over his death?”
Close swallowed so hard that Grimm could see it and as he waited understood that what she was about to say was difficult for her to share with him.
“I loved you and you hated me because of what happened. Whatever the fallout was I was prepared to suffer the consequences of my actions. When I talked to the guys that originally sourced the tip they seemed blasé. Men die and are seriously injured and their response is. So what, it’s not my problem. My time was up a year later and by then I know I was leaving regardless of what they offered.” She still stood waiting while Grimm did the math and framed his response to her admission about her feelings.
Grimm looked up and now he felt that for sure that she was asking him to bury the hatchet and forgive her for what had happened. The cool room felt warm as he instantly turned the corner that would allow him to believe in and care for Close again. “And how do you feel about me now?”
“That’s difficult to put into words. Can you give me a minute to slip into the head real quick?
“Sure it’s 36 feet down the hallway on the right. It’s clearly marked in Spanish.”
Close grabbed her backpack off the floor near the doorway where she had set it when she had walked into the room and made the short walk down the hall. By the time she got to the restroom she was convinced that telling Grimm how she felt was going to be hugely uncomfortable for her so she quickly pondered her choices and came up with something she saw on TV. ‘The Naked Man’ was on a show she had seen on TV and involves someone just getting naked when things look dicey to encourage the target to take pity on you and have sex with you through humor, pity or sheer spontaneity. Close stripped off the expensive jeans she was wearing and decided that she would keep both her shirt and her wispy panties on should the gambit fail to adequately sway Grimm. As a precaution to the lack of cleanliness of the warehouse’s floor she slipped back into the 3 inch heels she had been wearing. In her mind wearing the heels was a win/win. She rumpled the expensive jeans up and stuffed them into the backpack she had brought to the bathroom with her. Then she got in the backpack and retrieved her toothbrush and a micro bottle of perfume. She slowly brushed her teeth and applied one drop of the perfume she had been wearing earlier. She was confident as she peed and washed up. As she exited the bathroom she reached into her inner predator and brought her confidence to the forefront of her mind ready for whatever happened. She had left the backpack in the restroom because she understood that backpacks were not and might never ever be sexy. Carrying a backpack said I might leave at any second and I can take everything I need with me. It might also distract Grimm from the fact that she was in the process of getting naked. She had all the props she needed to get the job done now it was down to emotions and luck.
Close thought the silence from Grimm’s work area was an indication that he was working at his laptop and was 10 feet into the room before she realized that Grimm wasn’t alone. She stopped suddenly confused about what she should do.
Grimm and the other man crowded around the laptop turned to look at her at the same time.
Close was pretty good at her job and didn’t freeze up or look embarrassed at all. “Sorry I must have spilled red wine on my pants earlier and I was hoping that I could borrow something from the clothes you’re men picked up for me if it’s not too much trouble. Those are the only decent looking jeans I brought with me. Your driver said they picked up some stuff for me?”
The men had been distracted because while the front of the blouse plunged slightly the side was cut higher in the leg and the piece of fabric that joined the two sections of the panties was half as thick as a piece of 550 cord. Being men they were distracted by what they know was located under the shiny fabric of the blouse Close was wearing. Even from 10 feet away the heels were just a bonus and further distracted both men as they stared openly at the unexpected encounter.
Grimm recovered first. “I’ll have Lep bring some jeans down for you.” Grimm picked up his radio from the desk and called the security guy they called Lep. “Lep, you have the jeans for our female visitor?”
“”Yes I do. Is there a problem?”
Grimm looked over and smiled at Close. She stood there as if not wearing pants around a stranger was a common occurrence for her. “Lep just bring the pants.”
Close smiled. “That would be great. It’s a little chilly in here.” Already goose bumps were rising on her arms and she was thankful that she still had the blouse on and a $100.00 push-up bra to protect her modesty.
STAG-
After Close placed the handbag orders with Victor and confirmed the two men’s shipping addresses the thankful driver of the truck gave Close the instructions she needed to get to Grimm’s quarters. She headed down the hallway to give Grimm an update on her team’s progress. The good news was that they were making good progress in locating their target’s base of operations. The not quite as good news was they still didn’t have an exact locations to give to him but she felt that they were almost there. She moved quietly as she got to the edge of the room and glanced around the corner to see Grimm unaware. While common courtesy dictated that she knock on the side of the door she wanted a watch him without his knowledge. She watched as Grimm meticulously did push-ups. The movements seemed perfectly timed and he came within 10 millimeters of the floor each time not likely varying the height by more than a millimeter or 2. His movements were so precise they resembled a robot in a manufacturing plant more than a human taking care of his body.
Grimm knew that Close was on her way from down the street and had heard the garage doors go up less a few minutes ago. But he knew she was in the hallway outside his room from a slight shuffle he had heard down the hallway seconds earlier. Grimm glanced to the side to see Close watching him do his push-ups from the room’s doorway. “Spy much?”
“It’s kind of what I do for living. I like to stay in practice. Keep the skills sharp and all that.” Close stood 10 feet away at the room’s doorway. She was wearing an expensive looking blouse that was cut to reveal the very top of her tan breasts. She was wearing trendy which translated to expensive denim blue jeans and from his angle Grimm even doing push-ups he could see that the shoes she was wearing had 3 inch heels. Her hair had been dyed a dark black and styled to more closely resemble a cut that might be found on a Juarez woman with some financial means. Her nails had also been painted the most common color of the demographic that were trying to mimic. And even pushing out his push-ups at a good clip Grimm was very aware that Close was dressed to the nines and she was making it work without much trouble. “I love what you’ve done with the place. If it were me I’d hang some Thomas Kincaid prints just to help make it feel like home. I love the way he depicts the light, it seems so real.”
Grimm smirked and almost laughed aloud while he was finishing up his push-ups. “He was French but I still prefer the stark black and white photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson. He was originally trained as a painter by Cubist André Lhote and a few other notable French painters of the time and came to photography in the early 30s. If you’re not familiar with him I can loan you a book. Now that we’ve discussed art, photography and room design you have some information for me?”
Close turned slightly away from him and Grimm was aware that her posterior looked very good.
“I met with your girl today. She is scared, didn’t realize that she was on our radar and very much wants to get the opportunity to work in the US. We chatted in the women’s rest room at an upscale clothing store for 15 minutes. She understands what she needs to do and gave up everything she knows. She also agreed to provide information and any help we need moving forward. She is super motivated to make sure we’re happy if it insures that she will be granted entry into the US for work. It turns out she was as vacuous as I had hoped. She is scared to death of her boyfriend but is more concerned about her career. I don’t think that she realizes that this isn’t a game and she could end up dead very easily if something goes wrong or if he suspects anything. Guys like that don’t make it this far up the food chain without an unhealthy dose of paranoia.”
Grimm pushed out the last push-up and propelled himself to his feet without any effort. Instead of a push-up he just pushed off and kicked with his legs and was standing in front of Close. “Well her ignorance works in our favor. So do you have the place he sleeps at night and what his security arrangements look like?”
Close moved toward the mini-fridge that Grimm kept stocked with bottled water and yogurt the warehouse preparation contractor brought in weekly from over the border. He was again drawn to the view of that denim and the way it outlined and accented her butt. He was stuck momentarily when he realized that Close was talking and he was busying enjoying her bending over instead of listening to what she was saying.
“Actually she is telling me that he uses 3 different rentals to sleep in at night. It seems that they are all upper end homes that have walls and video surveillance. She sketched me some rough drawing and gave me the approximate addresses. She doesn’t have the exact addresses but her rough directions and the descriptions should help us figure out which homes he’s using. We’re also monitoring a micro GPS unit I hid in her handbag. She’s a clothes horse so it might be static by the end of the day but it might give us one confirmed address to work with. I’ve got people heading to each possible location now and we should have hard addresses within a few hours. She also told me that his security detail never numbers less than 10 and all the vehicles are armored.”
Grimm thought about what she had said. “Any weakness that we might exploit? The thought of spoofing decent video equipment and then trying to get past 10 security guys isn’t doing much for me. We could get him but I’d lose men and he’d end up deader than hell. Him dead would defeat the whole purpose of this little operation and piss my bosses off.”
Close took another quick swallow of water from the bottle. “Well, now that you mention it seems our man has a thing for Tiger Woods and has recently been learning to play golf. He plays twice a week at a Club and is also taking lessons. It’s supposed to be a nice Country Club that allows Cartel members and other less than legitimate businessman to join assuming that they have the initiation fee and pre-pay a year’s dues and service minimum. The only thing that is risky for these ‘businessman’ is that they don’t allow security in the locker room or weapons in plain view. I drove by the place and it’s nice, even has its own security force on premise. And security isn’t rent-a-cops with Tasers. Their security contingent is ex-military or Police looking thugs wearing tactical gear, vests and toting M-4s of 5s. They all look fit and not very friendly. Maybe your technical people can hack the Country Club’s computers and see if there is anyone that we can get to so that we can get access to the place.”
Grimm nodded as he wiped his sweaty body of with a white towel. Give me ten minutes to get a shower and we can work thru the directions that she gave you for the safe houses and get solid addresses. Then we can take a look and see if the Country Club is a better place to do the snatch than the rentals.” He turned to go to the hallway.
Close smiled at Grimm’s back. “Need someone to wash your back for you?” Her smile actually got bigger as she watched Grimm pause to frame his reply to her possible flirtation.
He quickly went through possible responses finally settling on one without turning around to address her. “If you wash my back it’s going to take much longer than 10 minutes and I’m on a deadline. Unless you want to explain to my boss why we are behind schedule I suggest we keep our sights on the X ring.” With that Grimm quickly headed out of the room amazed that he might have just been flirted with by Close and damming those jeans and her sensual curves.
Before he had taken 3 steps Close replied. “I remember you as being more fun.”
From the edge of the room next to the door Grimm retorted. “And I don’t remember ever seeing you in any shoes that had heels. And you in heels and those jeans I will remember because you are definitely rocking that outfit Close.” With her flirtatious comment addressed and the compliment given Grimm faded into the hallway to get a shower. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
Close enjoyed watching Grimm leave the room and found the scent of his sweat familiar as he walked past her. Like they said she didn’t want him to leave but she sure enjoyed the view. She was surprised that she had found a way to integrate a mild degree of flirting into her interaction with Grimm. She was not a flirty person by nature and in fact nobody that knew her very well would say that she even had the ability to flirt unless it was for work and then it was insincere and designed to manipulate someone into doing something they weren’t willing to do without some gentle prodding. She found the thoughts she was having disconcerting and realized that she might be at that very moment blushing. It was an emotional response that wasn’t something she did very often and told her a lot.
Grimm carried his towel to the makeshift shower they had rigged in the old employee restroom and pondered what seemed to have just happened. Internally he might have just forgiven Close for her part of that terrible night years before. Maybe a few minutes under a hot shower would bring things back into perspective. It wasn’t like Grimm to second guess himself but he considered that maybe the reason he had called Close and not brought in another team that could get the job done was that on a certain level he was finally ready to forgive her. She had contributed to a mistake that had killed and seriously wounded men he cared about and that he was responsible for leading into harm’s way. Maybe by blaming her he absolved himself for any mistakes he had made during the botched mission.
Today Close had finally found an opportunity to have a chat with the Cartel girlfriend and during the time she was watching and waiting with her people to get the job done she found herself reminiscing about the time she and Grimm had spent together. Now that he had mentioned it she realized that she had never been around Grimm in anything but military uniforms and sweats. In fact in the sandbox other than her issue Desert Tan boots she had just one pair of running shoes and a pair of hiking shoes. She had carted around a comfortable pair of jeans and one pair of non-issue undergarments. Grimm had seen the frilly bra and panties but the jeans never left her bag. The jeans she was now wearing were $225.00 but Close knew they made her butt look almost perfect and she could feel Grimm staring at it when she had reached for the bottle of water. She wasn’t really thirsty she just wanted to see where the man’s head was at. Luckily when she stood back up his eyes had told her everything she had needed to know.
Close made her way around his work area and waited for Grimm to return. She was a natural snoop but resisted the temptation. She knew that he would be back any moment and didn’t have any desire to get caught violating his fragile trust. Because Grimm was the quietest moving person she had ever met if she simply moved two papers on a desk he would materialize from the darkness. She wanted to make a slight adjustment to her jeans but knew that he could be watching her at this very second and that might be embarrassing. While the jeans might look really good they were at times less than 100% comfortable. For hundreds of years woman had accepted discomfort as the price they paid to look desirable to the male species. Hell of a trend.
Grimm walked into the room wearing faded jeans and flip flops. He had a white towel around his well developed shoulders and his forehead was shiny with moisture from his 3 minute shower. Close made the mistake of looking lower and saw that his stomach had the casual six pack of an exceptionally fit man. It wasn’t the type of six pack you saw on fitness models in magazines it was the type of six pack that men that worked their bodies in a variety of methods and not just weights and sit-ups. Grimm had always been a hell of a physical specimen. But Close felt the most alluring aspect of Grimm was his devotion and utter faith in what he believed in. That uncompromising belief was one of the things that made him a great soldier and a first class operator. Even in the rarified world of the Spec. Ops. Community Grimm was rated in the top 10% of men and woman that had served since the tragedy of 9-11. Close was quiet and watched as Grimm walked over and pulled a blue tie-dye shirt from a duffle and pulled it over his head after spraying deodorant under his arms. The familiar smell of the deodorant triggered a tidal wave of memories she tried hard to ignore.
Grimm stared at Close trying to figure out what she was thinking. She seemed distracted and then realized that the reason might be the casualness that he’d shown by entering his room without a shirt. But after all it was his room, if she had a problem that was on her. “Ready to get to work?”
Close wanted to sit down but the jeans she was wearing were meant to show off her butt. They were designed for social situations were standing was the norm and the thought of sitting just made her remember that the jeans were a half size smaller than she should have bought. Hell they were more likely a full size smaller than she actually could comfortably fit into. While the outfit looked really good today a few things had happened that made her think she should have elected to purchase the next size larger. She stood there dreading sitting in the slightly too tight jeans without her vanity exposing itself and Grimm noticing. “Listen Grimm I’m really, really sorry about the men you lost. I know I’ve said it before but I really mean it. Part of the intelligence we used was sourced from outside. Some S-2 was given a tip by a pissed off neighbor and didn’t do anything other than rate the source as ‘moderately dependable’ and pass it on. By the time the information came to us two others REMF had OK’d the intelligence and we just went thru the motions like we had been told to do. That was wrong and for the rest of my time there I worked my ass off to make sure something like that never happened on one of my ops again.”
Grimm plopped down on the chair in front of the battered metal desk he was using to hold all his electronic gear and his laptop. He was very disappointed that the mighty intelligence behemoth inside the United States Military had signed the death warrant of good warriors because of laziness or stupidity. “The tipster, what happened to him?”
Close looked directly into Grimm’s eyes. “I leaked the source of the tip and he was beheaded 2 weeks later by the Mahdi Army after being tortured. Not really my style but I thought we needed to send a message that turning in your neighbor over some B.S. grudge was a risky game to play and could get you killed. I heard his son was furious and blamed the US for his death. But hey you play with fire, you just might get burned. Well beheaded in this case.” Close showed no outward emotions about what she had caused to the misguided tipster justifying his death against the death and serious injury of good men sworn to protect and serve their country.
“Any fallout from anyone over his death?”
Close swallowed so hard that Grimm could see it and as he waited understood that what she was about to say was difficult for her to share with him.
“I loved you and you hated me because of what happened. Whatever the fallout was I was prepared to suffer the consequences of my actions. When I talked to the guys that originally sourced the tip they seemed blasé. Men die and are seriously injured and their response is. So what, it’s not my problem. My time was up a year later and by then I know I was leaving regardless of what they offered.” She still stood waiting while Grimm did the math and framed his response to her admission about her feelings.
Grimm looked up and now he felt that for sure that she was asking him to bury the hatchet and forgive her for what had happened. The cool room felt warm as he instantly turned the corner that would allow him to believe in and care for Close again. “And how do you feel about me now?”
“That’s difficult to put into words. Can you give me a minute to slip into the head real quick?
“Sure it’s 36 feet down the hallway on the right. It’s clearly marked in Spanish.”
Close grabbed her backpack off the floor near the doorway where she had set it when she had walked into the room and made the short walk down the hall. By the time she got to the restroom she was convinced that telling Grimm how she felt was going to be hugely uncomfortable for her so she quickly pondered her choices and came up with something she saw on TV. ‘The Naked Man’ was on a show she had seen on TV and involves someone just getting naked when things look dicey to encourage the target to take pity on you and have sex with you through humor, pity or sheer spontaneity. Close stripped off the expensive jeans she was wearing and decided that she would keep both her shirt and her wispy panties on should the gambit fail to adequately sway Grimm. As a precaution to the lack of cleanliness of the warehouse’s floor she slipped back into the 3 inch heels she had been wearing. In her mind wearing the heels was a win/win. She rumpled the expensive jeans up and stuffed them into the backpack she had brought to the bathroom with her. Then she got in the backpack and retrieved her toothbrush and a micro bottle of perfume. She slowly brushed her teeth and applied one drop of the perfume she had been wearing earlier. She was confident as she peed and washed up. As she exited the bathroom she reached into her inner predator and brought her confidence to the forefront of her mind ready for whatever happened. She had left the backpack in the restroom because she understood that backpacks were not and might never ever be sexy. Carrying a backpack said I might leave at any second and I can take everything I need with me. It might also distract Grimm from the fact that she was in the process of getting naked. She had all the props she needed to get the job done now it was down to emotions and luck.
Close thought the silence from Grimm’s work area was an indication that he was working at his laptop and was 10 feet into the room before she realized that Grimm wasn’t alone. She stopped suddenly confused about what she should do.
Grimm and the other man crowded around the laptop turned to look at her at the same time.
Close was pretty good at her job and didn’t freeze up or look embarrassed at all. “Sorry I must have spilled red wine on my pants earlier and I was hoping that I could borrow something from the clothes you’re men picked up for me if it’s not too much trouble. Those are the only decent looking jeans I brought with me. Your driver said they picked up some stuff for me?”
The men had been distracted because while the front of the blouse plunged slightly the side was cut higher in the leg and the piece of fabric that joined the two sections of the panties was half as thick as a piece of 550 cord. Being men they were distracted by what they know was located under the shiny fabric of the blouse Close was wearing. Even from 10 feet away the heels were just a bonus and further distracted both men as they stared openly at the unexpected encounter.
Grimm recovered first. “I’ll have Lep bring some jeans down for you.” Grimm picked up his radio from the desk and called the security guy they called Lep. “Lep, you have the jeans for our female visitor?”
“”Yes I do. Is there a problem?”
Grimm looked over and smiled at Close. She stood there as if not wearing pants around a stranger was a common occurrence for her. “Lep just bring the pants.”
Close smiled. “That would be great. It’s a little chilly in here.” Already goose bumps were rising on her arms and she was thankful that she still had the blouse on and a $100.00 push-up bra to protect her modesty.
Fuller Part 23
Fuller
Part 23
STAG
Grimm’s hasty introductions were fairly typical of a situation like this involving two people that were professional intelligence operatives. In this line of work anonymity was important so not only did Grimm skip real names assuming that he would ever know Kitty’s real name he changed what he called Close to help insure her safety should Kitty be captured and tortured at some point in the future on either this operation or any other assuming he survived this assignment. Lions, tigers and a half crazy murderous Cartel boss meant that the possibility of Kitty being dead within the next 72 was 50/50 or better.
Grimm pointed to Close. Cat this is Call.” He then pivoted slightly and addressed Kitty. “Call this is Cat. I think we’ll skip the fake first names today, it’ll confuse everyone including me.” A mischievous grin crossed Grimm’s face at the understanding that both people understood that the names he used for the introduction were not the names they had been born with. Grimm like everyone in his operations unit didn’t use his real name and the only person that actually knew his real name was Close. So reciprocating the favor seemed only natural.
Close was the first to acknowledge the less than truthful introduction. “Cat nice to meet you. Sorry about the casual attire. I’ve been a little busy the last few days at work.”
Close in just a shirt, panties and heels had been the highlight of Kitty’s week. “Listen it’s no problem. I understand how when a job is up and running sometimes modesty suffers. Plus, I’m totally loving the heels with that blouse. The combination is definitely working.”
Grimm chimed in. “Cat we get it. You saw a pretty woman without pants on. Call can you give us 15 minutes to get through this and I’ll be with you? This man needs to get to work, someone’s expecting him. A very suspicious and cranky someone that is prone to violence for the sake of violence. The sooner he gets going the safer he’ll be.”
Close looked casual as she answered. “As soon as I have pants I’ll do whatever you want.”
Grimm heard movement down the hallway so he moved toward the doorway. Before Lep had gotten within sight of the inside of the room Grimm had taken the jeans and sent Lep back to his security perch. He handed Close the jeans as he walked by. “Hope these fit. I think maybe you’ve lost a few pounds since we worked together last time.”
Close felt satisfied that Grimm had noticed that she had lost some weight and was appreciative of the compliment. “I’m sure they’ll be fine. Gentleman do you mind turning around for a second? This might be a tad unladylike.”
Both men complied with her request and turned around to face the room’s far wall. They listened as Close took off her shoes and quickly wrestled the jeans over her hips and pulled them up. For the men standing mere feet away the sound of the jeans being zipped up was as if they were getting dressed themselves. Grimm listened and remembered a time that he had un-dressed Close and it distracted him for a moment before Close said they could turn back around.
Close nodded that she understood. “Is there someplace I can hang out while you guys finish up?”
Grimm replied. “Down the same hall as the bathroom and up the first set of stairs there’s a make shift gym. Should be easy to find”
“I’m on it. Just come get me when you’re done here. Cat good to meet you and good luck.”
Kitty replied. He made sure to keep steady eye contact with Close so that she wouldn’t get freaked out or think he was unprofessional. “It’s nice to meet you to and thanks. Good luck to you to.”
Grimm nodded and watched as Close turned and left the room. He liked the first pair of jeans much better than the jeans he had the guys pick up for her. The first pair was form fitting and had been cut to compensate for the heels Close was still wearing. The pair of jeans that Grimm and Kitty had just listened to her put on was typical boot cut jeans available at any store in the US. That meant that the length didn’t work as well with the heels Close was wearing. Grimm understood the second Close had walked into the room that Close was in a randy mood and that pivotal moment in their relationship had been denied due to bad timing and his commitment to his work. He wondered if a moment like the one that had just passed would present itself again. He was old enough and experienced enough to understand that sometimes a split second is all you have to influence events. Strange as it seemed the two places he identified the most with that philosophy was shooting bad guys and chasing woman. As different as the two activities were his thinking had always allowed him to seize those precious seconds and turn them to his advantage. Make that moment work for you or an opportunity can evaporate forever. Just now that moment had slipped past and Grimm didn’t even get to influence anything at all. Well maybe another time. The other part of his thinking was sometimes when you did miss that moment you were granted another opportunity. Again his experience with chasing bad guys and trying to expand his social circle had taught him that.
Grimm turned to Kitty and the men continued talking about Kitty’s mission and how he and his team could and would support it. Grimm was a tad confused at why Kitty would be sent to him for help. While his team was working outside the standard channels Kitty was likely working closely with someone like the CIA or maybe the DEA. That meant Kitty was being continuously monitored and he had a better chance of getting help from any US Embassy or Consular Office in Mexico if a problem arose. Chances were that by the time a handler figured out something had gone wrong Kitty would be dead. That also meant that he might be recognized by the State Department depending on his status and his employer. That was an advantage that Grimm and his men didn’t have.
He didn’t share too much information with Kitty just gave him a look into what he might be able to do if he ran into trouble. He did manage to keep the anger at his presence and his manners in check. Using this operation for other intelligence gathering mission seemed the height of irresponsibility. If Kitty was captured and tortured he would likely gave Grimm and his team up and burn their safe house. For a team working outside standard US Government channels finding, securing and equipping a base of operations was expensive and time consuming. The fact that it could be compromised by an outsider was offensive to him.
The meeting broke up and Kitty headed to his new job as a glorified circus performer. He had a distracted look in his eyes that meant he understood the enormity of the mission he had been assigned. But by the time he walked out the door to the warehouse escorted by Grimm he looked like he had put his game face on.
The next item on the agenda was to go get Close and try to get a better idea of where her head was at. The whole I don’t have pants on was a little over the top. He wasn’t buying that whole wine on my jeans things and pondered the ramifications of her actions while he moved toward the gym. It was only just as he was almost to the gym that he realized that he had heard something that made a small scraping sound as if Close was putting her shoes back on. Grimm fully expected that Close would be partially undressed again.
He rounded the corner and apparently Close had spilled something on her blouse. She stood there wearing just a small piece a high tech fabric around her waist. Her hip bones were visible and he was excited that he had gotten that moment from earlier back. The blouse and bra he assumed she had been wearing were laying over the controls of the treadmill.
“They call it the ‘naked man’. I saw it on TV and it’s supposed to break the ice for those awkward moments when things are dicey. I got diverted from priority one the first time so I’m almost all in. I thought the panties and heels were the ticket. Was I right or wrong on that one?” Close then turned slowly around in a circle giving him the full 360 perspective.
Grimm stood taking it all in. Close carried a few extra pounds when they had known each other from before. While it wasn’t many extra pounds the weight gave her a more approachable vibe but this trimmed down version of Close showed Grimm that she had been eating better and making more time to get to the gym. From 12 feet away she looked really good and he actually searched for his words. “Yeah, the naked man. I’m not a big fan of the name because a naked man standing in our gym would just be creepy. From this point forward we will refer to this obvious attempt to distract me as ‘Showtime’. Whenever I see you doing Showtime I think we should just decide now that whatever points your trying to make have been made.”
Close smiled. “I forgot to mention that our guy considers himself a bon vivant and is a wine collector. The model told me that each rental house has a below grade specifically designed wine cellar. Our girl told me he spends an hour or so down there every single day fondling his collection. Also he visits the café we have footage of twice a week on Mondays and Fridays.”
Grimm looked at her as she shifted her body slightly and her hips canted away from him and the opposite side was outlined. “I guess my question to you is. Are you looking for a real relationship or are you thinking vacationship?”
Close answered without hesitation. “I’m thinking long term but we can start with a vacationship and go from there. I feel the same way about you today as I did then and if it works out we can spend time together after this assignment is over. I got the perfect place. You’ll like it, there are lots of weapons and it’s rustic. I should clarify that statement by saying it has indoor plumbing but it has exposed timber and leather couches. It looks more like a guy’s place than a woman’s but I bought it furnished. The leather couches are really comfy for lying on and reading a book and drinking a cup of tea.”
Grimm smiled and stepped closer to Close. He put his hands on her hips and seconds before they kissed she jumped up and put her legs around his waist and hooked her arms around his neck. Grimm carried Close back to his room that way and before they dived in Grimm told the security guys that his area of the warehouse was being locked down. He turned on the sensors that would alert him to anyone in his section of the building and laid back to enjoy their reunion.
Fuller-
Fuller and Mongo watched the video for the third time from Fuller’s laptop. There on the screen a man they had followed back to his food processing warehouse was breaking into a co-workers truck and riffling thru it. They had watched as he expertly worked with a handful of break-in tools to have the truck open within 15 seconds. On Fuller’s desk in front of him stood the man’s employment file.
Mongo broke the silence. “He’s good boss. I know you need to fire him but we might want to keep his contact information handy. We might want him doing a class in Texas or might need him to walk us thru something up here.”
Fuller agreed with Mongo. For decades the Law Enforcement Community and the military had been using criminals and the criminally minded to educate their people about various illegal activities. These same criminals also taught hands on classes designed to teach these ‘good guys’ how to do things that were illegal. ”Well lets go talk to this guy and see if he’s working alone or has partners. Grab a few guys and have them up the road blocking it. Make sure they are wearing vests and that they take the old dump truck to block the road. I don’t want to risk one of the newer trucks and this guy might try to flee when he figures out what’s going on.”
Mongo picked up the phone and called the security room. He waited 3 rings and someone was on the phone. “David who’s on standby?” Mongo waited for the reply. “Good, have them put on vests and take the old dump truck to the corner up from the food plant and wait for us on channel 2.” Mongo listened again as his orders were confirmed and he received an ETA. “15 minutes works for me.” He hung up the phone and turned to Fuller.
Fuller looked at his most valuable employee. “15 minutes works for me. You have a vest on?”
Mongo shook his head no. “It’s in my locker; I’ll go grab it and met you at the truck.”
Fuller nodded. “See you there. You might want to grab a stun gun while you’re there. I’d rather taze the guy than have to fight him if there’s a problem.”
15 minutes later the men both sat in one of the mines pick-ups while Mongo drove them toward the food processing plant. Both men were silent and while Mongo understood why they wouldn’t be calling the Police and letting them handle this he sometimes liked the instant gratification that letting the Police deal with criminals brought. Mongo pulled the truck in beside the thief’s little car. It was one of the hybrids that sipped fuel and it was the first time that Mongo had seen a criminal driving one of the environmentally responsible vehicles.
As they got out of the truck Mongo slipped over to the Hybrid and jotted down the VIN. He re-checked the VIN and moved toward the rear and wrote down the plate number. Mongo then placed a quick call to a friend in the Police Department. “Gomez this is Mongo can you run a VIN and a plate for me?”
The person of the other end of the call agreed and minutes later Mongo was walking toward Fuller. “Bad news. The car was stolen at gunpoint in Columbia Missouri 2 weeks ago and the plate is stolen. Nobody was hurt but apparently our guy is a man of many talents.”
Fuller was slightly pissed. He thought he might have found an asset out of this whole pain in the ass thing and now it turns out that he had solved a carjacking. “How long till the patrol car gets here?”
Mongo looked sheepishly. “He said that if we’re lucky it will only be 15 minutes but he was guessing 30 minutes. Do we want to bring him out and take control of him or let them do it?”
Fuller considered the question for a minute. “Tell the guys to block off the road and let’s grab him.”
Mongo contacted the other security people to let them know what was going on. Then the two of them walked thru the door to Fuller’s business. Within 3 minutes a cussing and spitting ex-employee bound by flex cuffs was being led out the door with Taser barbs still in his shirt. In the brief struggle the carjacker had kicked Mongo in the shin and Mongo looked like he wasn’t happy. Mongo had been a professional ass kicker all his life and didn’t feel that it would be a bad idea to remind their wayward now ex-employee that it might have been a better idea to pick on someone his own size. Mongo was significantly bigger than the carjacker slash warehouseman but one look from Fuller quelled the urge he had been feeling almost instantly.
The moment passed and Mongo smiled at the man. “That carjacking at gunpoint is going to get you some good time Bra. Have fun at State. Oh, and if we ever see your face here again it will be a big problem for you.”
The Police cruiser showed up within 15 minutes and 2 Patrol Officers took custody of their detainee. Fuller explained that they were investigating some vehicle break-ins and that he would be filing charges on them also.
The Police understood that Fuller had made friends in their Department and treated Fuller as if he was a VIP citizen. Some of the local Patrol Officers and their superiors were allowed to use the facilities indoor range occasionally. That meant that Fuller had the names and phone numbers of a dozen cops he could call to get help or a favor if he needed it. Their prisoner didn’t fare as well with the two Patrol Officers and quickly earned the royal treatment. They quickly bound him hand and foot in addition to the transport mask that put over his head to reduce his opportunity to spit on anyone.
Mongo and Fuller watched as the man was man handled into the back of a late arriving paddy wagon. He was still squirming and they watched as the man tried to kick out and injury one of the officers despite the leg restraints. The three Patrolmen must have gotten tired of the hassle because the female Paddy Wagon driver screamed. “Taser, Taser, Taser.” A second later the sound of the Taser deploying could be heard and the Officers’ quickly stepped in to catch the man before he fell to the ground. After he was on the ground they all hefted him up and placed him gently into the vehicle as if he was made of glass. After he was buckled in the three Officers climbed out of the back and the driver of the Paddy Wagon waved before heading off.
The original responding Officers moved toward Fuller & Mongo to talk to them. The Sergeant smiled when he reached them. “I’d say there is a fair probability that we’re all going to get sued by that idiot.”
Fuller nodded at the Patrolman’s observation. “Well he was breaking into employees’ vehicles so he can sue all he likes but regardless of what he says we have video of us detaining him and of the arrest. It looked like you guys did a professional job so I guess it is what it is. I’ll e-mail the footage to Lt. Colven later today. That should keep you three from getting in any trouble.”
The Patrolman smiled at the offer. He had heard that Fuller had contacts in the department. “We’d appreciate that Mr. Brown. Feel free to contact us whenever you need something.”
Fuller replied. “We’ll do that. And officers everyone calls me Fuller and this giant of a man beside me is Mongo. If you give me your cards I’ll make sure you get put on the list for the next range day if you’re interested. Once a month we invite some of our local Law Enforcement friends in to shoot and serve lunch afterwards. Mongo makes this thing called Huli Huli chicken that is very popular. It’s also a good opportunity to mix with some of your superiors in an informal setting.”
As soon as Fuller finished talking the radio on the Patrolman’s shoulders squawked. They listened carefully to what was being said. One of the men jotted something on a small notebook that had been in his shirt pocket and replied to dispatch.
“Well Fuller we’d both enjoy that. Here are our cards, I hate to rush but we need to respond to a call down the street.”
Fuller nodded that he understood and took the offered cards. “Be careful guys and thanks for the assistance. See you next month”
With that the men jogged toward their patrol car and zoomed away.
Fuller
Part 23
STAG
Grimm’s hasty introductions were fairly typical of a situation like this involving two people that were professional intelligence operatives. In this line of work anonymity was important so not only did Grimm skip real names assuming that he would ever know Kitty’s real name he changed what he called Close to help insure her safety should Kitty be captured and tortured at some point in the future on either this operation or any other assuming he survived this assignment. Lions, tigers and a half crazy murderous Cartel boss meant that the possibility of Kitty being dead within the next 72 was 50/50 or better.
Grimm pointed to Close. Cat this is Call.” He then pivoted slightly and addressed Kitty. “Call this is Cat. I think we’ll skip the fake first names today, it’ll confuse everyone including me.” A mischievous grin crossed Grimm’s face at the understanding that both people understood that the names he used for the introduction were not the names they had been born with. Grimm like everyone in his operations unit didn’t use his real name and the only person that actually knew his real name was Close. So reciprocating the favor seemed only natural.
Close was the first to acknowledge the less than truthful introduction. “Cat nice to meet you. Sorry about the casual attire. I’ve been a little busy the last few days at work.”
Close in just a shirt, panties and heels had been the highlight of Kitty’s week. “Listen it’s no problem. I understand how when a job is up and running sometimes modesty suffers. Plus, I’m totally loving the heels with that blouse. The combination is definitely working.”
Grimm chimed in. “Cat we get it. You saw a pretty woman without pants on. Call can you give us 15 minutes to get through this and I’ll be with you? This man needs to get to work, someone’s expecting him. A very suspicious and cranky someone that is prone to violence for the sake of violence. The sooner he gets going the safer he’ll be.”
Close looked casual as she answered. “As soon as I have pants I’ll do whatever you want.”
Grimm heard movement down the hallway so he moved toward the doorway. Before Lep had gotten within sight of the inside of the room Grimm had taken the jeans and sent Lep back to his security perch. He handed Close the jeans as he walked by. “Hope these fit. I think maybe you’ve lost a few pounds since we worked together last time.”
Close felt satisfied that Grimm had noticed that she had lost some weight and was appreciative of the compliment. “I’m sure they’ll be fine. Gentleman do you mind turning around for a second? This might be a tad unladylike.”
Both men complied with her request and turned around to face the room’s far wall. They listened as Close took off her shoes and quickly wrestled the jeans over her hips and pulled them up. For the men standing mere feet away the sound of the jeans being zipped up was as if they were getting dressed themselves. Grimm listened and remembered a time that he had un-dressed Close and it distracted him for a moment before Close said they could turn back around.
Close nodded that she understood. “Is there someplace I can hang out while you guys finish up?”
Grimm replied. “Down the same hall as the bathroom and up the first set of stairs there’s a make shift gym. Should be easy to find”
“I’m on it. Just come get me when you’re done here. Cat good to meet you and good luck.”
Kitty replied. He made sure to keep steady eye contact with Close so that she wouldn’t get freaked out or think he was unprofessional. “It’s nice to meet you to and thanks. Good luck to you to.”
Grimm nodded and watched as Close turned and left the room. He liked the first pair of jeans much better than the jeans he had the guys pick up for her. The first pair was form fitting and had been cut to compensate for the heels Close was still wearing. The pair of jeans that Grimm and Kitty had just listened to her put on was typical boot cut jeans available at any store in the US. That meant that the length didn’t work as well with the heels Close was wearing. Grimm understood the second Close had walked into the room that Close was in a randy mood and that pivotal moment in their relationship had been denied due to bad timing and his commitment to his work. He wondered if a moment like the one that had just passed would present itself again. He was old enough and experienced enough to understand that sometimes a split second is all you have to influence events. Strange as it seemed the two places he identified the most with that philosophy was shooting bad guys and chasing woman. As different as the two activities were his thinking had always allowed him to seize those precious seconds and turn them to his advantage. Make that moment work for you or an opportunity can evaporate forever. Just now that moment had slipped past and Grimm didn’t even get to influence anything at all. Well maybe another time. The other part of his thinking was sometimes when you did miss that moment you were granted another opportunity. Again his experience with chasing bad guys and trying to expand his social circle had taught him that.
Grimm turned to Kitty and the men continued talking about Kitty’s mission and how he and his team could and would support it. Grimm was a tad confused at why Kitty would be sent to him for help. While his team was working outside the standard channels Kitty was likely working closely with someone like the CIA or maybe the DEA. That meant Kitty was being continuously monitored and he had a better chance of getting help from any US Embassy or Consular Office in Mexico if a problem arose. Chances were that by the time a handler figured out something had gone wrong Kitty would be dead. That also meant that he might be recognized by the State Department depending on his status and his employer. That was an advantage that Grimm and his men didn’t have.
He didn’t share too much information with Kitty just gave him a look into what he might be able to do if he ran into trouble. He did manage to keep the anger at his presence and his manners in check. Using this operation for other intelligence gathering mission seemed the height of irresponsibility. If Kitty was captured and tortured he would likely gave Grimm and his team up and burn their safe house. For a team working outside standard US Government channels finding, securing and equipping a base of operations was expensive and time consuming. The fact that it could be compromised by an outsider was offensive to him.
The meeting broke up and Kitty headed to his new job as a glorified circus performer. He had a distracted look in his eyes that meant he understood the enormity of the mission he had been assigned. But by the time he walked out the door to the warehouse escorted by Grimm he looked like he had put his game face on.
The next item on the agenda was to go get Close and try to get a better idea of where her head was at. The whole I don’t have pants on was a little over the top. He wasn’t buying that whole wine on my jeans things and pondered the ramifications of her actions while he moved toward the gym. It was only just as he was almost to the gym that he realized that he had heard something that made a small scraping sound as if Close was putting her shoes back on. Grimm fully expected that Close would be partially undressed again.
He rounded the corner and apparently Close had spilled something on her blouse. She stood there wearing just a small piece a high tech fabric around her waist. Her hip bones were visible and he was excited that he had gotten that moment from earlier back. The blouse and bra he assumed she had been wearing were laying over the controls of the treadmill.
“They call it the ‘naked man’. I saw it on TV and it’s supposed to break the ice for those awkward moments when things are dicey. I got diverted from priority one the first time so I’m almost all in. I thought the panties and heels were the ticket. Was I right or wrong on that one?” Close then turned slowly around in a circle giving him the full 360 perspective.
Grimm stood taking it all in. Close carried a few extra pounds when they had known each other from before. While it wasn’t many extra pounds the weight gave her a more approachable vibe but this trimmed down version of Close showed Grimm that she had been eating better and making more time to get to the gym. From 12 feet away she looked really good and he actually searched for his words. “Yeah, the naked man. I’m not a big fan of the name because a naked man standing in our gym would just be creepy. From this point forward we will refer to this obvious attempt to distract me as ‘Showtime’. Whenever I see you doing Showtime I think we should just decide now that whatever points your trying to make have been made.”
Close smiled. “I forgot to mention that our guy considers himself a bon vivant and is a wine collector. The model told me that each rental house has a below grade specifically designed wine cellar. Our girl told me he spends an hour or so down there every single day fondling his collection. Also he visits the café we have footage of twice a week on Mondays and Fridays.”
Grimm looked at her as she shifted her body slightly and her hips canted away from him and the opposite side was outlined. “I guess my question to you is. Are you looking for a real relationship or are you thinking vacationship?”
Close answered without hesitation. “I’m thinking long term but we can start with a vacationship and go from there. I feel the same way about you today as I did then and if it works out we can spend time together after this assignment is over. I got the perfect place. You’ll like it, there are lots of weapons and it’s rustic. I should clarify that statement by saying it has indoor plumbing but it has exposed timber and leather couches. It looks more like a guy’s place than a woman’s but I bought it furnished. The leather couches are really comfy for lying on and reading a book and drinking a cup of tea.”
Grimm smiled and stepped closer to Close. He put his hands on her hips and seconds before they kissed she jumped up and put her legs around his waist and hooked her arms around his neck. Grimm carried Close back to his room that way and before they dived in Grimm told the security guys that his area of the warehouse was being locked down. He turned on the sensors that would alert him to anyone in his section of the building and laid back to enjoy their reunion.
Fuller-
Fuller and Mongo watched the video for the third time from Fuller’s laptop. There on the screen a man they had followed back to his food processing warehouse was breaking into a co-workers truck and riffling thru it. They had watched as he expertly worked with a handful of break-in tools to have the truck open within 15 seconds. On Fuller’s desk in front of him stood the man’s employment file.
Mongo broke the silence. “He’s good boss. I know you need to fire him but we might want to keep his contact information handy. We might want him doing a class in Texas or might need him to walk us thru something up here.”
Fuller agreed with Mongo. For decades the Law Enforcement Community and the military had been using criminals and the criminally minded to educate their people about various illegal activities. These same criminals also taught hands on classes designed to teach these ‘good guys’ how to do things that were illegal. ”Well lets go talk to this guy and see if he’s working alone or has partners. Grab a few guys and have them up the road blocking it. Make sure they are wearing vests and that they take the old dump truck to block the road. I don’t want to risk one of the newer trucks and this guy might try to flee when he figures out what’s going on.”
Mongo picked up the phone and called the security room. He waited 3 rings and someone was on the phone. “David who’s on standby?” Mongo waited for the reply. “Good, have them put on vests and take the old dump truck to the corner up from the food plant and wait for us on channel 2.” Mongo listened again as his orders were confirmed and he received an ETA. “15 minutes works for me.” He hung up the phone and turned to Fuller.
Fuller looked at his most valuable employee. “15 minutes works for me. You have a vest on?”
Mongo shook his head no. “It’s in my locker; I’ll go grab it and met you at the truck.”
Fuller nodded. “See you there. You might want to grab a stun gun while you’re there. I’d rather taze the guy than have to fight him if there’s a problem.”
15 minutes later the men both sat in one of the mines pick-ups while Mongo drove them toward the food processing plant. Both men were silent and while Mongo understood why they wouldn’t be calling the Police and letting them handle this he sometimes liked the instant gratification that letting the Police deal with criminals brought. Mongo pulled the truck in beside the thief’s little car. It was one of the hybrids that sipped fuel and it was the first time that Mongo had seen a criminal driving one of the environmentally responsible vehicles.
As they got out of the truck Mongo slipped over to the Hybrid and jotted down the VIN. He re-checked the VIN and moved toward the rear and wrote down the plate number. Mongo then placed a quick call to a friend in the Police Department. “Gomez this is Mongo can you run a VIN and a plate for me?”
The person of the other end of the call agreed and minutes later Mongo was walking toward Fuller. “Bad news. The car was stolen at gunpoint in Columbia Missouri 2 weeks ago and the plate is stolen. Nobody was hurt but apparently our guy is a man of many talents.”
Fuller was slightly pissed. He thought he might have found an asset out of this whole pain in the ass thing and now it turns out that he had solved a carjacking. “How long till the patrol car gets here?”
Mongo looked sheepishly. “He said that if we’re lucky it will only be 15 minutes but he was guessing 30 minutes. Do we want to bring him out and take control of him or let them do it?”
Fuller considered the question for a minute. “Tell the guys to block off the road and let’s grab him.”
Mongo contacted the other security people to let them know what was going on. Then the two of them walked thru the door to Fuller’s business. Within 3 minutes a cussing and spitting ex-employee bound by flex cuffs was being led out the door with Taser barbs still in his shirt. In the brief struggle the carjacker had kicked Mongo in the shin and Mongo looked like he wasn’t happy. Mongo had been a professional ass kicker all his life and didn’t feel that it would be a bad idea to remind their wayward now ex-employee that it might have been a better idea to pick on someone his own size. Mongo was significantly bigger than the carjacker slash warehouseman but one look from Fuller quelled the urge he had been feeling almost instantly.
The moment passed and Mongo smiled at the man. “That carjacking at gunpoint is going to get you some good time Bra. Have fun at State. Oh, and if we ever see your face here again it will be a big problem for you.”
The Police cruiser showed up within 15 minutes and 2 Patrol Officers took custody of their detainee. Fuller explained that they were investigating some vehicle break-ins and that he would be filing charges on them also.
The Police understood that Fuller had made friends in their Department and treated Fuller as if he was a VIP citizen. Some of the local Patrol Officers and their superiors were allowed to use the facilities indoor range occasionally. That meant that Fuller had the names and phone numbers of a dozen cops he could call to get help or a favor if he needed it. Their prisoner didn’t fare as well with the two Patrol Officers and quickly earned the royal treatment. They quickly bound him hand and foot in addition to the transport mask that put over his head to reduce his opportunity to spit on anyone.
Mongo and Fuller watched as the man was man handled into the back of a late arriving paddy wagon. He was still squirming and they watched as the man tried to kick out and injury one of the officers despite the leg restraints. The three Patrolmen must have gotten tired of the hassle because the female Paddy Wagon driver screamed. “Taser, Taser, Taser.” A second later the sound of the Taser deploying could be heard and the Officers’ quickly stepped in to catch the man before he fell to the ground. After he was on the ground they all hefted him up and placed him gently into the vehicle as if he was made of glass. After he was buckled in the three Officers climbed out of the back and the driver of the Paddy Wagon waved before heading off.
The original responding Officers moved toward Fuller & Mongo to talk to them. The Sergeant smiled when he reached them. “I’d say there is a fair probability that we’re all going to get sued by that idiot.”
Fuller nodded at the Patrolman’s observation. “Well he was breaking into employees’ vehicles so he can sue all he likes but regardless of what he says we have video of us detaining him and of the arrest. It looked like you guys did a professional job so I guess it is what it is. I’ll e-mail the footage to Lt. Colven later today. That should keep you three from getting in any trouble.”
The Patrolman smiled at the offer. He had heard that Fuller had contacts in the department. “We’d appreciate that Mr. Brown. Feel free to contact us whenever you need something.”
Fuller replied. “We’ll do that. And officers everyone calls me Fuller and this giant of a man beside me is Mongo. If you give me your cards I’ll make sure you get put on the list for the next range day if you’re interested. Once a month we invite some of our local Law Enforcement friends in to shoot and serve lunch afterwards. Mongo makes this thing called Huli Huli chicken that is very popular. It’s also a good opportunity to mix with some of your superiors in an informal setting.”
As soon as Fuller finished talking the radio on the Patrolman’s shoulders squawked. They listened carefully to what was being said. One of the men jotted something on a small notebook that had been in his shirt pocket and replied to dispatch.
“Well Fuller we’d both enjoy that. Here are our cards, I hate to rush but we need to respond to a call down the street.”
Fuller nodded that he understood and took the offered cards. “Be careful guys and thanks for the assistance. See you next month”
With that the men jogged toward their patrol car and zoomed away.
Fuller
Part 24
Shelter
Tim Fields stood at the entrance to their property and shook his head. Dead in the ditch next to the entrance to the property was a decent sized whitetail. Tim thought maybe it had been shot too far back and the hunter that had shot it was unable or unwilling to track it. The hole in the whitetail’s side didn’t look very big but there should have been enough blood that it could have been tracked. Tim knew many avid hunters that were responsible but he understood that some hunters just liked the thrill of the hunt and didn’t concern themselves with the pain or suffering of the animal or the inconvenience to property owners when a wounded animal finally succumbed to its injuries. His temper was slowly getting back to normal when he heard the unmistakable rustle of brush 50 feet down the road. He turned around and two camo clad younger men stepped onto the road. They carried rifles and looked him in the eye as if they owned the very road they were walking on. Tim stood and watched as the men approached.
The younger one glanced at the ground a few time and Tim thought that maybe the men were tracking the deer he had been staring at for 5 minutes. Tim got an impression that these men were dangerous or unpredictable and waited to see where the situation would lead. He slowly moved his right hip away from the men. His firearm was in a holster there under his oversized sweatshirt and he thought it best to not telegraph that he was armed. He’d never pulled his weapon on anyone and statistical he wasn’t likely to have to but just the same no use in showing a weapon. He stood on his own property but showing a weapon could cause problems he didn’t want or need. He had a carry permit and had met the Sherriff but the key to keeping the shelter a secret was keeping an extremely low profile so he just watched as the men moved toward him.
“You guys looking for a gut shot deer by any chance?”
The men were now close enough that they could see the deer in the ditch. The older of the two youngsters nodded. Tim guessed he was maybe 20 or so and both men had that look that they hadn’t shaved in a week or two. Scruffy beard covered their face and gave them a somewhat rough looking appearance that made Tim think of ill groomed prisoners. “Looks like we were looking for a deer and that we finally found him. We got a partner up the road and we’ll be out of your hair in 10 minutes.” He turned to what Tim assumed was his younger brother. “Bo, call Jimmy and tell him to head this way.” He paused from his orders to take quick drink from the hydration pack on his back. He bit the nipple and slurped like using it was still awkward for him. Clamping down on the nipple and sucking at the same time seemed to be causing him a problem.
His partner Bo whipped a cell phone out and dialed a number and mumbled something into it. He hung up the phone and replaced it in a pocket of his hunting vest.
Tim looked and noticed that the bolt action and scoped rifles they had on their backs looked small. As Bo leaned over to wipe something off his boots Tim began to wonder if the rifles were actually 22s. Tim was thinking that the State had a minimum caliber that they required to hunt deer to insure a humane kill and these guys looked at tad short in that department. He also saw red so that meant the guns weren’t on safe and one thing that he abhorred was improper gun safety. “Hey guys what caliber are those rifles?”
The younger one looked at Tim. “Hey buddy he said we’d call somebody and we’ll be out of here in a few minutes.”
Tim just watched the guy. “I was just thinking that those rifles look like they are 22s and I thought the State required something a little bigger for whitetails. I mean it none of my business how you hunt or what you use to hunt but it just seems small to me.”
The man that had spoken replied. “They’re 22s, but hey it got the job done right?”
Tim nodded at the answer to his question and he decided that he didn’t like these two idiots at all. “Hey you’re right; it looks like it did get the job done. I mean it was a poor shot from an underpowered gun. But the deer is dead and you only had to track it for a mile or so right?”
Now the other man stepped into the conversation. “Look buddy we just want to get our deer and get home. Shouldn’t be too long our guy is just down the road.”
Tim nodded and while his instincts were telling him to back off something about these two idiots was just pissing him off. “Hey no problem. I assume you have a current tag for this animal.”
The older one squinted at Tim and he knew he had hit a sore spot. “We can’t get a tag. State won’t issue one. We have some back child support issues we’re trying to resolve. So how about you mosey back inside that house of yours and leave us to our business?”
Tim nodded again becoming more annoyed with each passing remark from these guys. “Well guys I’d love to do just that but the problem for me is that that deer is sitting on my property. And as you can see from the no trespassing sign posted on that gate behind me I’m afraid I’ll have to ask that you respect that sign and respect my right to deny entry onto our property by the two of you unless you can produce a valid State deer tag.”
The other one looked even more pissed than before. “It’s in the ditch so your sign doesn’t matter to us. We’re taking that deer. You have problem with that then you better go call the Sheriff but by the time he gets here we’ll be long gone.”
Tim smiled. “Technically the ditch while being maintained by the County is part of my property. If you research it you’ll find that the portion of the property does have deeded access to various entities like the water and phone people but a have the legal right to ask that you not violate the property line which starts at the edge of the road. Of course legally you can stand on the road as long as you want since that is county property. But as I mentioned you’ll not be crossing into that ditch to retrieve that animal.”
Just then Tim heard the sound of a car or truck heading their way. He turned to see an older pick-up with a flatbed on the back. Before any of the men could continue the disagreement the truck pulled into the Fields driveway and stopped just short of the gate. An older man dressed in overalls and a denim work shirt stepped out of the truck and Tim could hear an aluminum can hit the gravel drive. Tim watched but the man didn’t reach down to pick the can up and toss it back into the truck’s cab he simply moseyed over toward them. Tim lived outside the suburbs and one thing that had always upset him was that people dumped trash and unwanted pets on or near his property like it was a dump and not the area surrounding his home.
Tim took the offensive in dealing with the older man. “Sir I’ll ask that you pick up that can and move your truck off my driveway.”
The man was staring at the deer and didn’t introduce himself or the other men to Tim. “Just going to load up that deer and be out of your hair in a minute. Boys load it up let’s get going.”
The older of the two hunters looked at the back of the older man. “Dad, man says that we can’t take the deer because we don’t have a tag and it’s on his property.”
This stopped the older man from his task and he looked at the older of the two young men. “Dam it boys what have I told you two about getting tags? If the Game Warden catches you taking deer without those tags and not wearing orange he’ll have you in front of a judge before you can say boo.” He stopped the turned back toward Tim. “My boy shot that deer and we intent to take it with us. I’ll talk to him about not having gotten tags but we keep the deer under control for a retired farmer that owns some farmland up the road. Now if we can quit yakking we can get it loaded and be on our way.”
Tim looked at the man in the eyes. “My name is Tim Fields and this is my property. I’ll tell you what I told these two. Without a deer tag the deer lies where it is. I’ll have the County come pick it up and they can worry about it. If you have a problem with that you can talk to them. Now for the second time I said pick up that can and move that truck off my property. If I have to ask again I’m calling the Sherriff.”
The old man turned to stare at Tim. He looked annoyed and was about to say something. Before he could the younger of the two hunters moved his hand to shift his rifle off his shoulder. By the time the rifle had moved off the man’s shoulder and while it was still pointed at the ground Tim had his pistol out and was aiming it at the three men. Their eyes registered the surprise they were feeling along with the contempt they had for Tim. The boy that had almost unslung his rifle stopped his movements as soon as he saw the pistol pointed in his direction. The hunters had held numerical superiority mere seconds ago but where now the prey. And Tim who had been the prey had in an instant morphed into the hunter.
“Not smart. Now here’s what’s going to happen. One at a time you are going to set your weapons down on the ground. After that you need to lie down on the road and put your hands on your head. If that goes smoothly then nobody gets shot today. If there is a problem then someone gets shot in the head a few times. Are we clear?”
The older man was clearly past being mad. His forehead was a very bright shade of red and as he spoke fought the urge to stutter trying to contain his rage. “Son, you just bought yourself a heap of trouble. Last chance to make this right. After that I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Tim smiled at the men he had under his gun. “I’ll take my chances. And don’t call me son; I’m not your son. FYI, anything and I mean anything happens to me, my family or the property I’ll assume you’re responsible and you and your boys will be held accountable.”
It took 5 minutes to get the men to the ground and three times Tim thought that he might have to shoot one of them but it worked itself out. They took turns and explained why Tim should let them take their deer and leave. After they were on the ground they realized that talking wasn’t going to work so they quickly switched gears and started with the threats. In graphic detail they described how they were going to kill Tim and anyone else he cared after making him watch as they set fire to his home.
While the older man threatened Tim and his Smartphone took pictures of the truck’s license plate as well the VIN while the phone remained connected to Tim’s voice mail meaning that every second of their conversation was being recorded in a manner that might skirt the laws regarding taping a conversation without both parties knowledge.
Tim still held his weapon toward the ground with his finger outside the trigger guard. If there was a problem in the worst case scenario he could have it up and on target in a fraction of a second.
The trio of obnoxious locals ran out the steam and accepted that they weren’t going to sway Tim’s actions so they piped down and waited.
Tim walked toward Jimmy the dad. “I need you each to slowly roll over one at a time and pull out your wallets and threw them away from you and toward me.”
Jimmy groaned as he turned to face Tim. His face was still red and the hate in eyes told Tim that this was a man that might actually try to fulfill the threats he had made against Tim and his family. “What the hell you playing at boy. We aren’t handing our IDs over to you. Now are you going to call the Sherriff or what?”
Tim reached into the watch pocket on his jeans and quickly inserted the foam ear plugs into his ears. He waited while they expanded and after feeling to make sure they were properly seated pointed his gun toward the ditch that fronted his property and fired a round into the ground 10 feet from the group. “I said I want to see wallets and IDs right now.”
Jimmy clam replied understanding they were out in the country and Tim could easily kill them and claim self defense. With no witnesses it would not be hard to claim the pulled one of the rifles on him and he defended himself while standing on his property. “I’m rolling over to get my wallet out of my back pocket. The only weapon I have on me is a knife in my front right pocket. I’ll keep my hands away from it. Let’s just calm down here. Nobody needs to get hurt.”
Tim spoke in a serious tone. “Roll over slowly and pull that wallet out. You’ve told me that you are in procession of a weapon so no tricks or I’ll be forced to defend myself. OK get to it.”
The getting of IDs took another 5 minutes of careful movements and the demeanor of the trio of poachers was significantly more respectful.
After Tim took photos of the ID he took advantage of the lull in the insults, threats and posturing and called the number of Fuller’s burner phone.
Fuller answered on the second ring. “Tim, how you doing today?”
Tim steeled himself unsure that he had done the right thing in causing an issue with Jimmy and his sons. “Not great, we have a slight problem and I’m going to send you a few pictures of the info on a truck of a few guys I’m holding at gunpoint on my driveway. I also am sending pictures of their IDs to make sure you get them before I call the Sherriff. That way if I cannot get back to you soon enough you can be looking into these guys and see if we’re going to have a problem.”
Fuller paused this was something he didn’t want to hear. “Tell me what happened. Let’s figure out the best way to deal with these guys.”
Over the next 10 minutes Tim explained what had happened and what he had done while keeping an eye on Jimmy and his 2 sons. Fuller listened and asked a few questions. A few times he asked Tim to repeat something and Tim thought maybe he was taking notes. Finally Fuller was satisfied that he understood what had happened.
“OK, let me talk to the dad let’s see where his head is at and see if we can work something out so that we can all get along and nobody dies.”
Tim moved over to the men on the ground and spoke to Jimmy. “It’s for you. You can turn over and take the phone slowly.”
Jimmy took the phone and spoke into it. “Yea, it’s Jimmy.”
Jimmy laid and listened and after a few minutes replied. “I think I’d appreciate a meeting. Try to get this resolved peaceful like.”
Jimmy listened. “We’re in no hurry, I can live with that.”
He handed the phone back up toward Tim. “He needs to talk to you.” Jimmy then slowly rolled back onto his stomach without being told or threatened.
Tim carefully took the phone and watched as Jimmy rolled back onto his stomach. “What’s the plan?”
Fuller paused. “Some of our friends and I are heading your way. We’ll be there in 25 minutes or so. Jimmy agreed to talk to me and is hoping we set him and the boys loose with just a warning. I think an object lesson in fear might sway his thinking about the threats they’ve made. Is that plan OK with you?
“If you think we can make these guys think that giving me some space and not hurting anyone I care about is in their best interest. Otherwise it might get a little too interesting.”
Fuller nodded to himself since obviously Tim couldn’t see him do it. “Tim I get it completely. I’m bring three guys to make Jimmy understands that you don’t stand alone. I think we will make an impression on him concerning your vulnerability or lack of said vulnerability. We have some experience with this type of thing and the non-verbal cues are very important. Right now the guys a bully and isn’t very well liked. He’s crazier than most the people he deals with and has less to lose so he always has less to lose than the people he intimidates. We’re going to make him reconsider that equation and when he does I think he’ll give you a wide berth moving forward. Just make sure you don’t talk to him unless you have to. He needs to think that you’re trouble for him and if he sees or senses and type of weakness it makes my job harder.”
Tim replied. “I can live with that. See you soon.”
Part 24
Shelter
Tim Fields stood at the entrance to their property and shook his head. Dead in the ditch next to the entrance to the property was a decent sized whitetail. Tim thought maybe it had been shot too far back and the hunter that had shot it was unable or unwilling to track it. The hole in the whitetail’s side didn’t look very big but there should have been enough blood that it could have been tracked. Tim knew many avid hunters that were responsible but he understood that some hunters just liked the thrill of the hunt and didn’t concern themselves with the pain or suffering of the animal or the inconvenience to property owners when a wounded animal finally succumbed to its injuries. His temper was slowly getting back to normal when he heard the unmistakable rustle of brush 50 feet down the road. He turned around and two camo clad younger men stepped onto the road. They carried rifles and looked him in the eye as if they owned the very road they were walking on. Tim stood and watched as the men approached.
The younger one glanced at the ground a few time and Tim thought that maybe the men were tracking the deer he had been staring at for 5 minutes. Tim got an impression that these men were dangerous or unpredictable and waited to see where the situation would lead. He slowly moved his right hip away from the men. His firearm was in a holster there under his oversized sweatshirt and he thought it best to not telegraph that he was armed. He’d never pulled his weapon on anyone and statistical he wasn’t likely to have to but just the same no use in showing a weapon. He stood on his own property but showing a weapon could cause problems he didn’t want or need. He had a carry permit and had met the Sherriff but the key to keeping the shelter a secret was keeping an extremely low profile so he just watched as the men moved toward him.
“You guys looking for a gut shot deer by any chance?”
The men were now close enough that they could see the deer in the ditch. The older of the two youngsters nodded. Tim guessed he was maybe 20 or so and both men had that look that they hadn’t shaved in a week or two. Scruffy beard covered their face and gave them a somewhat rough looking appearance that made Tim think of ill groomed prisoners. “Looks like we were looking for a deer and that we finally found him. We got a partner up the road and we’ll be out of your hair in 10 minutes.” He turned to what Tim assumed was his younger brother. “Bo, call Jimmy and tell him to head this way.” He paused from his orders to take quick drink from the hydration pack on his back. He bit the nipple and slurped like using it was still awkward for him. Clamping down on the nipple and sucking at the same time seemed to be causing him a problem.
His partner Bo whipped a cell phone out and dialed a number and mumbled something into it. He hung up the phone and replaced it in a pocket of his hunting vest.
Tim looked and noticed that the bolt action and scoped rifles they had on their backs looked small. As Bo leaned over to wipe something off his boots Tim began to wonder if the rifles were actually 22s. Tim was thinking that the State had a minimum caliber that they required to hunt deer to insure a humane kill and these guys looked at tad short in that department. He also saw red so that meant the guns weren’t on safe and one thing that he abhorred was improper gun safety. “Hey guys what caliber are those rifles?”
The younger one looked at Tim. “Hey buddy he said we’d call somebody and we’ll be out of here in a few minutes.”
Tim just watched the guy. “I was just thinking that those rifles look like they are 22s and I thought the State required something a little bigger for whitetails. I mean it none of my business how you hunt or what you use to hunt but it just seems small to me.”
The man that had spoken replied. “They’re 22s, but hey it got the job done right?”
Tim nodded at the answer to his question and he decided that he didn’t like these two idiots at all. “Hey you’re right; it looks like it did get the job done. I mean it was a poor shot from an underpowered gun. But the deer is dead and you only had to track it for a mile or so right?”
Now the other man stepped into the conversation. “Look buddy we just want to get our deer and get home. Shouldn’t be too long our guy is just down the road.”
Tim nodded and while his instincts were telling him to back off something about these two idiots was just pissing him off. “Hey no problem. I assume you have a current tag for this animal.”
The older one squinted at Tim and he knew he had hit a sore spot. “We can’t get a tag. State won’t issue one. We have some back child support issues we’re trying to resolve. So how about you mosey back inside that house of yours and leave us to our business?”
Tim nodded again becoming more annoyed with each passing remark from these guys. “Well guys I’d love to do just that but the problem for me is that that deer is sitting on my property. And as you can see from the no trespassing sign posted on that gate behind me I’m afraid I’ll have to ask that you respect that sign and respect my right to deny entry onto our property by the two of you unless you can produce a valid State deer tag.”
The other one looked even more pissed than before. “It’s in the ditch so your sign doesn’t matter to us. We’re taking that deer. You have problem with that then you better go call the Sheriff but by the time he gets here we’ll be long gone.”
Tim smiled. “Technically the ditch while being maintained by the County is part of my property. If you research it you’ll find that the portion of the property does have deeded access to various entities like the water and phone people but a have the legal right to ask that you not violate the property line which starts at the edge of the road. Of course legally you can stand on the road as long as you want since that is county property. But as I mentioned you’ll not be crossing into that ditch to retrieve that animal.”
Just then Tim heard the sound of a car or truck heading their way. He turned to see an older pick-up with a flatbed on the back. Before any of the men could continue the disagreement the truck pulled into the Fields driveway and stopped just short of the gate. An older man dressed in overalls and a denim work shirt stepped out of the truck and Tim could hear an aluminum can hit the gravel drive. Tim watched but the man didn’t reach down to pick the can up and toss it back into the truck’s cab he simply moseyed over toward them. Tim lived outside the suburbs and one thing that had always upset him was that people dumped trash and unwanted pets on or near his property like it was a dump and not the area surrounding his home.
Tim took the offensive in dealing with the older man. “Sir I’ll ask that you pick up that can and move your truck off my driveway.”
The man was staring at the deer and didn’t introduce himself or the other men to Tim. “Just going to load up that deer and be out of your hair in a minute. Boys load it up let’s get going.”
The older of the two hunters looked at the back of the older man. “Dad, man says that we can’t take the deer because we don’t have a tag and it’s on his property.”
This stopped the older man from his task and he looked at the older of the two young men. “Dam it boys what have I told you two about getting tags? If the Game Warden catches you taking deer without those tags and not wearing orange he’ll have you in front of a judge before you can say boo.” He stopped the turned back toward Tim. “My boy shot that deer and we intent to take it with us. I’ll talk to him about not having gotten tags but we keep the deer under control for a retired farmer that owns some farmland up the road. Now if we can quit yakking we can get it loaded and be on our way.”
Tim looked at the man in the eyes. “My name is Tim Fields and this is my property. I’ll tell you what I told these two. Without a deer tag the deer lies where it is. I’ll have the County come pick it up and they can worry about it. If you have a problem with that you can talk to them. Now for the second time I said pick up that can and move that truck off my property. If I have to ask again I’m calling the Sherriff.”
The old man turned to stare at Tim. He looked annoyed and was about to say something. Before he could the younger of the two hunters moved his hand to shift his rifle off his shoulder. By the time the rifle had moved off the man’s shoulder and while it was still pointed at the ground Tim had his pistol out and was aiming it at the three men. Their eyes registered the surprise they were feeling along with the contempt they had for Tim. The boy that had almost unslung his rifle stopped his movements as soon as he saw the pistol pointed in his direction. The hunters had held numerical superiority mere seconds ago but where now the prey. And Tim who had been the prey had in an instant morphed into the hunter.
“Not smart. Now here’s what’s going to happen. One at a time you are going to set your weapons down on the ground. After that you need to lie down on the road and put your hands on your head. If that goes smoothly then nobody gets shot today. If there is a problem then someone gets shot in the head a few times. Are we clear?”
The older man was clearly past being mad. His forehead was a very bright shade of red and as he spoke fought the urge to stutter trying to contain his rage. “Son, you just bought yourself a heap of trouble. Last chance to make this right. After that I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Tim smiled at the men he had under his gun. “I’ll take my chances. And don’t call me son; I’m not your son. FYI, anything and I mean anything happens to me, my family or the property I’ll assume you’re responsible and you and your boys will be held accountable.”
It took 5 minutes to get the men to the ground and three times Tim thought that he might have to shoot one of them but it worked itself out. They took turns and explained why Tim should let them take their deer and leave. After they were on the ground they realized that talking wasn’t going to work so they quickly switched gears and started with the threats. In graphic detail they described how they were going to kill Tim and anyone else he cared after making him watch as they set fire to his home.
While the older man threatened Tim and his Smartphone took pictures of the truck’s license plate as well the VIN while the phone remained connected to Tim’s voice mail meaning that every second of their conversation was being recorded in a manner that might skirt the laws regarding taping a conversation without both parties knowledge.
Tim still held his weapon toward the ground with his finger outside the trigger guard. If there was a problem in the worst case scenario he could have it up and on target in a fraction of a second.
The trio of obnoxious locals ran out the steam and accepted that they weren’t going to sway Tim’s actions so they piped down and waited.
Tim walked toward Jimmy the dad. “I need you each to slowly roll over one at a time and pull out your wallets and threw them away from you and toward me.”
Jimmy groaned as he turned to face Tim. His face was still red and the hate in eyes told Tim that this was a man that might actually try to fulfill the threats he had made against Tim and his family. “What the hell you playing at boy. We aren’t handing our IDs over to you. Now are you going to call the Sherriff or what?”
Tim reached into the watch pocket on his jeans and quickly inserted the foam ear plugs into his ears. He waited while they expanded and after feeling to make sure they were properly seated pointed his gun toward the ditch that fronted his property and fired a round into the ground 10 feet from the group. “I said I want to see wallets and IDs right now.”
Jimmy clam replied understanding they were out in the country and Tim could easily kill them and claim self defense. With no witnesses it would not be hard to claim the pulled one of the rifles on him and he defended himself while standing on his property. “I’m rolling over to get my wallet out of my back pocket. The only weapon I have on me is a knife in my front right pocket. I’ll keep my hands away from it. Let’s just calm down here. Nobody needs to get hurt.”
Tim spoke in a serious tone. “Roll over slowly and pull that wallet out. You’ve told me that you are in procession of a weapon so no tricks or I’ll be forced to defend myself. OK get to it.”
The getting of IDs took another 5 minutes of careful movements and the demeanor of the trio of poachers was significantly more respectful.
After Tim took photos of the ID he took advantage of the lull in the insults, threats and posturing and called the number of Fuller’s burner phone.
Fuller answered on the second ring. “Tim, how you doing today?”
Tim steeled himself unsure that he had done the right thing in causing an issue with Jimmy and his sons. “Not great, we have a slight problem and I’m going to send you a few pictures of the info on a truck of a few guys I’m holding at gunpoint on my driveway. I also am sending pictures of their IDs to make sure you get them before I call the Sherriff. That way if I cannot get back to you soon enough you can be looking into these guys and see if we’re going to have a problem.”
Fuller paused this was something he didn’t want to hear. “Tell me what happened. Let’s figure out the best way to deal with these guys.”
Over the next 10 minutes Tim explained what had happened and what he had done while keeping an eye on Jimmy and his 2 sons. Fuller listened and asked a few questions. A few times he asked Tim to repeat something and Tim thought maybe he was taking notes. Finally Fuller was satisfied that he understood what had happened.
“OK, let me talk to the dad let’s see where his head is at and see if we can work something out so that we can all get along and nobody dies.”
Tim moved over to the men on the ground and spoke to Jimmy. “It’s for you. You can turn over and take the phone slowly.”
Jimmy took the phone and spoke into it. “Yea, it’s Jimmy.”
Jimmy laid and listened and after a few minutes replied. “I think I’d appreciate a meeting. Try to get this resolved peaceful like.”
Jimmy listened. “We’re in no hurry, I can live with that.”
He handed the phone back up toward Tim. “He needs to talk to you.” Jimmy then slowly rolled back onto his stomach without being told or threatened.
Tim carefully took the phone and watched as Jimmy rolled back onto his stomach. “What’s the plan?”
Fuller paused. “Some of our friends and I are heading your way. We’ll be there in 25 minutes or so. Jimmy agreed to talk to me and is hoping we set him and the boys loose with just a warning. I think an object lesson in fear might sway his thinking about the threats they’ve made. Is that plan OK with you?
“If you think we can make these guys think that giving me some space and not hurting anyone I care about is in their best interest. Otherwise it might get a little too interesting.”
Fuller nodded to himself since obviously Tim couldn’t see him do it. “Tim I get it completely. I’m bring three guys to make Jimmy understands that you don’t stand alone. I think we will make an impression on him concerning your vulnerability or lack of said vulnerability. We have some experience with this type of thing and the non-verbal cues are very important. Right now the guys a bully and isn’t very well liked. He’s crazier than most the people he deals with and has less to lose so he always has less to lose than the people he intimidates. We’re going to make him reconsider that equation and when he does I think he’ll give you a wide berth moving forward. Just make sure you don’t talk to him unless you have to. He needs to think that you’re trouble for him and if he sees or senses and type of weakness it makes my job harder.”
Tim replied. “I can live with that. See you soon.”
Fuller Part 25
Fuller
Part 25
Tim moved the men onto his property and behind the sole overgrown area near the front gate. That way if a vehicles passed by nobody would see Tim holding the three men at gunpoint. He would have moved the truck in his driveway but didn’t want Jimmy and the boys rabbiting so he just sat and waited hoping that the plan that Fuller had would work.
30 minutes later two of Fuller’s trademark black Suburban drove around the truck in the driveway and came through the gate onto the Fields property. Two men filed out of each vehicle at the same time as Jimmy and his boys took an audible breath in unison. Fuller, Mongo and the other two men wore tan form fitting long sleeve shirts under body armor and had on khaki pants. They also wore tan colored ski masks so that their faces were covered and had pistol on their sides in drop leg tactical holsters. Each man was armed with the new brand of M-4s that Fuller’s team had adopted. They looked like the pictures the media had been showing a few years ago of the Private Military Contractors working in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mostly because all the men Fuller had brought to the meeting had been Private Military Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As the men made their way toward Tim and the men on the ground with their hands on their head Fuller began giving orders. “Flex cuff those guys. If they give you problems just give them a whack with your collapsible batons.”
The three other moved toward the men and while one man completed the task the other two covered them. After the task was completed the men were searched and a growing pile of items was thrown onto the ground next to them. The pile was close enough to see yet far enough away to prevent them from grabbing anything from the pile.
Jimmy and his boys were absolutely silent for the first time since they had walked over to Tim an hour earlier. After the search was completed the three men including an obvious Mongo helped the men to their feet.
While they had been searched Fuller was looking at the contents of the pile of stuff they had in their pockets. “I’m X. James Xavier Mackman it looks like you should be glad Tim called me instead of the Sherriff. I see twp problems right of the bat. That bag appears to contain a small amount of marihuana and the two knives are an illegal length. While carrying those knives on your own property isn’t a problem, ridiculous as it seems the State limits the length of knives that can be carried in public. Also the State’s laws about marihuana seem old-fashioned but I can assure you they take procession very seriously. Give me your full names and let’s make sure I had the right background checks run. Dad you’re first.”
“My name is James Xavier Mackmann. 223 Euclid St. these are my boys Richard Austin Mackmann and Hunter Tyler Mackmann.”
Fuller looked at the man standing in front of him. “Good. Let’s get down to it. Tim told me there was a dispute over a deer and one of the boys went to unsling his rifle which I might add is another violation of State law. Hunting without a tag and not using the State minimum caliber which is greater than .23 inches in diameter and a cartridge case greater than 1.280 inches in length. Now if it was me and this was my property we might go a different route but here’s the dealio. Tim is a good enough friend of ours that if he said let’s just shoot them and plant them we’d be fine with that. So here are your options.” Fuller paused and pulled a map from his pocket. He set it the hood of the nearest Suburban and gestured for the men to walk over to where he stood. He waited while they moved toward the truck. Then he placed magnets on the corners to keep the wind from blowing it away. He pulled a compass from his pocket and began getting their exact location. “Jimmy I know you were a Marine so I trust you’ll follow this.” Fuller pointed at a spot on the map. “So here’s where we’re at and here is your place. I make that distance almost a mile. Let me be very clear, if you come within a half mile of this place or threaten or mess with Tim or anyone from this property then we’ll be back. The next time we come back there will be blood and pain for you.”
Jimmy stood chaffing at the flex cuffs binding his wrists. “Can you point how far this way we are allowed to come?”
Fuller studied the map and pointed to a spot almost exactly between the two properties. “Right there. That’s how far you can come. If it was me I’d stay well on the other side of that line so that there isn’t any confusion in the future. Jimmy I’d ask that you make sure the boys understand that this is no joke and respect that boundary as if their life depended on it. I’m leaving a guy here for a while and if there’s a problem that would be bad. Are we clear?”
Jimmy looked at Fuller. “Mr. X we understand. Boys apologize to Mr. Fields and we can be our way.”
Both young men looked at the ground and repeated at almost the same time. “Sorry Mr. Fields we were out of line.” It was clear that they had some experience with apologizing for something they had done.
Tim looked at the two young men now that their heads were lifted and looking at him. “Forgiven, but never forgotten. You boys need to be more careful about who you threaten in the future.”
Fuller looked at the boys and determined that they might have learned a lesson but doubted it. Their dad’s influence would determine how this played out. “Cut them loose. Boys get that deer in the truck I need to speak to your dad a minute. I’m keeping the rifles for now. Next week I’ll call your dad and if he thinks you boys understand the seriousness of this situation they’ll be returned clean and checked out by a qualified gunsmith.”
Mongo cut the men loose and the boys went to grab their deer and load it in their truck. Tim and the three men Fuller had brought with him drifted off to let Fuller and Jimmy have a private word.
After Fuller determined that he and Jimmy were out of earshot of the others he leaned toward Jimmy. “Jimmy I sorry to hear that you’re a widower. Must be hard trying to raise two boys that age. I checked and your boys are in excellent health and haven’t had any run-ins with the law that would prevent them from serving in the military. Ever thought of encouraging them to enlist and spent some time serving their Country like you and I did? A few years in the Marines might do them a world of good.”
Jimmy rubbed at his wrist as he answered Fuller’s question. “Every since they were little I taught them that serving in the military is a good thing. But I know people whose kids have kids that have had to do multiple deployments and it was really tough on the families. I was waiting for thing to even out and the number of deployments to decrease. Between the PTSD and the brutal IED injuries at seemed better to wait than to go in too early.”
Fuller nodded agreeing with what Jimmy was saying. He had seen enough broken bodies and messed up lives to last a lifetime. While fighting overseas the thing Fuller did worry about wasn’t being shot it was the effectiveness of the IEDs that had injured 1000’s of US military personnel. ”Listen Jimmy I spent a few years over there in the Marines and another 2 years working for a PMC doing convey escort & security work and you’re right it was dangerous but it seems the boys are in need of some direction. I’ll give you a number for a friend that can help them get in and get a real chance at a MOS that will be useful after they’ve served. The right training can make a big difference for them after they get out and shape their lives. From what I was told it seems that they are both a little hot tempered and have poor manners. I wasn’t kidding when I said that some guys would have shot you dead instead of looking over their shoulder for the rest of their life. If it was my ranch I would have had to think about what to do and most likely I would have beaten my point into you and took my chances. Back home I have a relationship with the Sherriff and the Head Judge that is over our County so I wouldn’t be worried much about getting in trouble. But no one appreciates being threatened and I know that includes you so let me say that I’m sorry that I disrespected you in front of your boys and hope we don’t have any further problems.”
Jimmy looked up at Fuller again. Jimmy was confused that the man that had showed up with three other men dressed for war had not only offered to help him and his sons. To make matters more confusing Fuller had apologized for disrespecting him in front of his sons. It almost looked like Jimmy had a tear in the corner of his eye as he replied. “Those boys miss their mother something fierce and I can barely keep them in check. Every single day I worry that I’m not doing right by them and keep hoping that a solution will present itself. I hadn’t thought about the military for them in a while. Maybe it’s time for them to grow up a little and let them take their chances. Teenagers what can you do? Every time I think I’ve figured something out something else comes up to knock us down. Not to mention the drama that’s going on with my grandchildren’s mothers. Both those girls are bad for the boys but they keep breaking up and getting back together.”
Fuller nodded at Jimmy’s comment. He didn’t have kids but while serving in the Marines he had been responsible for countless young men and woman trying to find their way in the world and they could often be challenging. “Jimmy, you just do the best you can and hope what you taught them takes hold before they do something that cannot be un-done. I was a Sergeant when I was in so I have some experience with very young men and they can be a handful at times. But, if you want my hand in friendship then I’m willing to invest some of my time to see that they have a few extra opportunities. Tim told me the boys couldn’t get tags because they have past due child support. Maybe the military can give them some maturity and help them get that issue taken care of?”
Jimmy stared at the ex- Marine. “Thanks for the break and the help. I’ll take that contact information and gave that guy a call.”
Fuller almost smiled. “Semper Fi Marine. Oh, and that guy is a woman.”
Jimmy did smile. “Semper Fi.”
The deer had been loaded and the three piled into the truck and were gone. After the truck pulled out Tim noticed that the aluminum can had been picked up and they had taken it with them. All that remained as a reminder of the incident was a small blood stain on the side of the ditch.
Fuller moved toward Tim. “Well let’s hope that is the last of that. You did the right thing by calling me. Overseas we had times that we needed to convince the locals that working with the enemy would result in their death. I’m pretty good at it. Because of the language barrier over there we relied heavily on non-verbal communications to let them know we were serious. If being held at gunpoint by one man was intimating at all imagine having the 4 of us hop out of the trucks dressed the way we were. I think Jimmy will talk to the boys and make my point. You might want to keep an eye out for awhile just in case.”
Tim nodded glad that his weapon was back in its holster where it belonged. “Fuller I’ll be keeping an eye out for the rest of my life. Better safe than sorry. I hope they got the point. Now I have to explain to my wife what happened and hope she understands.”
Fuller nodded at the man standing beside him. “She’s smart she’ll understand. Tell her if she ever gets worried about something that we are a team and if we can help we will.”
Tim shook the hands of each man that had come to help him and walked toward the house.
Fuller
Part 25
Tim moved the men onto his property and behind the sole overgrown area near the front gate. That way if a vehicles passed by nobody would see Tim holding the three men at gunpoint. He would have moved the truck in his driveway but didn’t want Jimmy and the boys rabbiting so he just sat and waited hoping that the plan that Fuller had would work.
30 minutes later two of Fuller’s trademark black Suburban drove around the truck in the driveway and came through the gate onto the Fields property. Two men filed out of each vehicle at the same time as Jimmy and his boys took an audible breath in unison. Fuller, Mongo and the other two men wore tan form fitting long sleeve shirts under body armor and had on khaki pants. They also wore tan colored ski masks so that their faces were covered and had pistol on their sides in drop leg tactical holsters. Each man was armed with the new brand of M-4s that Fuller’s team had adopted. They looked like the pictures the media had been showing a few years ago of the Private Military Contractors working in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mostly because all the men Fuller had brought to the meeting had been Private Military Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As the men made their way toward Tim and the men on the ground with their hands on their head Fuller began giving orders. “Flex cuff those guys. If they give you problems just give them a whack with your collapsible batons.”
The three other moved toward the men and while one man completed the task the other two covered them. After the task was completed the men were searched and a growing pile of items was thrown onto the ground next to them. The pile was close enough to see yet far enough away to prevent them from grabbing anything from the pile.
Jimmy and his boys were absolutely silent for the first time since they had walked over to Tim an hour earlier. After the search was completed the three men including an obvious Mongo helped the men to their feet.
While they had been searched Fuller was looking at the contents of the pile of stuff they had in their pockets. “I’m X. James Xavier Mackman it looks like you should be glad Tim called me instead of the Sherriff. I see twp problems right of the bat. That bag appears to contain a small amount of marihuana and the two knives are an illegal length. While carrying those knives on your own property isn’t a problem, ridiculous as it seems the State limits the length of knives that can be carried in public. Also the State’s laws about marihuana seem old-fashioned but I can assure you they take procession very seriously. Give me your full names and let’s make sure I had the right background checks run. Dad you’re first.”
“My name is James Xavier Mackmann. 223 Euclid St. these are my boys Richard Austin Mackmann and Hunter Tyler Mackmann.”
Fuller looked at the man standing in front of him. “Good. Let’s get down to it. Tim told me there was a dispute over a deer and one of the boys went to unsling his rifle which I might add is another violation of State law. Hunting without a tag and not using the State minimum caliber which is greater than .23 inches in diameter and a cartridge case greater than 1.280 inches in length. Now if it was me and this was my property we might go a different route but here’s the dealio. Tim is a good enough friend of ours that if he said let’s just shoot them and plant them we’d be fine with that. So here are your options.” Fuller paused and pulled a map from his pocket. He set it the hood of the nearest Suburban and gestured for the men to walk over to where he stood. He waited while they moved toward the truck. Then he placed magnets on the corners to keep the wind from blowing it away. He pulled a compass from his pocket and began getting their exact location. “Jimmy I know you were a Marine so I trust you’ll follow this.” Fuller pointed at a spot on the map. “So here’s where we’re at and here is your place. I make that distance almost a mile. Let me be very clear, if you come within a half mile of this place or threaten or mess with Tim or anyone from this property then we’ll be back. The next time we come back there will be blood and pain for you.”
Jimmy stood chaffing at the flex cuffs binding his wrists. “Can you point how far this way we are allowed to come?”
Fuller studied the map and pointed to a spot almost exactly between the two properties. “Right there. That’s how far you can come. If it was me I’d stay well on the other side of that line so that there isn’t any confusion in the future. Jimmy I’d ask that you make sure the boys understand that this is no joke and respect that boundary as if their life depended on it. I’m leaving a guy here for a while and if there’s a problem that would be bad. Are we clear?”
Jimmy looked at Fuller. “Mr. X we understand. Boys apologize to Mr. Fields and we can be our way.”
Both young men looked at the ground and repeated at almost the same time. “Sorry Mr. Fields we were out of line.” It was clear that they had some experience with apologizing for something they had done.
Tim looked at the two young men now that their heads were lifted and looking at him. “Forgiven, but never forgotten. You boys need to be more careful about who you threaten in the future.”
Fuller looked at the boys and determined that they might have learned a lesson but doubted it. Their dad’s influence would determine how this played out. “Cut them loose. Boys get that deer in the truck I need to speak to your dad a minute. I’m keeping the rifles for now. Next week I’ll call your dad and if he thinks you boys understand the seriousness of this situation they’ll be returned clean and checked out by a qualified gunsmith.”
Mongo cut the men loose and the boys went to grab their deer and load it in their truck. Tim and the three men Fuller had brought with him drifted off to let Fuller and Jimmy have a private word.
After Fuller determined that he and Jimmy were out of earshot of the others he leaned toward Jimmy. “Jimmy I sorry to hear that you’re a widower. Must be hard trying to raise two boys that age. I checked and your boys are in excellent health and haven’t had any run-ins with the law that would prevent them from serving in the military. Ever thought of encouraging them to enlist and spent some time serving their Country like you and I did? A few years in the Marines might do them a world of good.”
Jimmy rubbed at his wrist as he answered Fuller’s question. “Every since they were little I taught them that serving in the military is a good thing. But I know people whose kids have kids that have had to do multiple deployments and it was really tough on the families. I was waiting for thing to even out and the number of deployments to decrease. Between the PTSD and the brutal IED injuries at seemed better to wait than to go in too early.”
Fuller nodded agreeing with what Jimmy was saying. He had seen enough broken bodies and messed up lives to last a lifetime. While fighting overseas the thing Fuller did worry about wasn’t being shot it was the effectiveness of the IEDs that had injured 1000’s of US military personnel. ”Listen Jimmy I spent a few years over there in the Marines and another 2 years working for a PMC doing convey escort & security work and you’re right it was dangerous but it seems the boys are in need of some direction. I’ll give you a number for a friend that can help them get in and get a real chance at a MOS that will be useful after they’ve served. The right training can make a big difference for them after they get out and shape their lives. From what I was told it seems that they are both a little hot tempered and have poor manners. I wasn’t kidding when I said that some guys would have shot you dead instead of looking over their shoulder for the rest of their life. If it was my ranch I would have had to think about what to do and most likely I would have beaten my point into you and took my chances. Back home I have a relationship with the Sherriff and the Head Judge that is over our County so I wouldn’t be worried much about getting in trouble. But no one appreciates being threatened and I know that includes you so let me say that I’m sorry that I disrespected you in front of your boys and hope we don’t have any further problems.”
Jimmy looked up at Fuller again. Jimmy was confused that the man that had showed up with three other men dressed for war had not only offered to help him and his sons. To make matters more confusing Fuller had apologized for disrespecting him in front of his sons. It almost looked like Jimmy had a tear in the corner of his eye as he replied. “Those boys miss their mother something fierce and I can barely keep them in check. Every single day I worry that I’m not doing right by them and keep hoping that a solution will present itself. I hadn’t thought about the military for them in a while. Maybe it’s time for them to grow up a little and let them take their chances. Teenagers what can you do? Every time I think I’ve figured something out something else comes up to knock us down. Not to mention the drama that’s going on with my grandchildren’s mothers. Both those girls are bad for the boys but they keep breaking up and getting back together.”
Fuller nodded at Jimmy’s comment. He didn’t have kids but while serving in the Marines he had been responsible for countless young men and woman trying to find their way in the world and they could often be challenging. “Jimmy, you just do the best you can and hope what you taught them takes hold before they do something that cannot be un-done. I was a Sergeant when I was in so I have some experience with very young men and they can be a handful at times. But, if you want my hand in friendship then I’m willing to invest some of my time to see that they have a few extra opportunities. Tim told me the boys couldn’t get tags because they have past due child support. Maybe the military can give them some maturity and help them get that issue taken care of?”
Jimmy stared at the ex- Marine. “Thanks for the break and the help. I’ll take that contact information and gave that guy a call.”
Fuller almost smiled. “Semper Fi Marine. Oh, and that guy is a woman.”
Jimmy did smile. “Semper Fi.”
The deer had been loaded and the three piled into the truck and were gone. After the truck pulled out Tim noticed that the aluminum can had been picked up and they had taken it with them. All that remained as a reminder of the incident was a small blood stain on the side of the ditch.
Fuller moved toward Tim. “Well let’s hope that is the last of that. You did the right thing by calling me. Overseas we had times that we needed to convince the locals that working with the enemy would result in their death. I’m pretty good at it. Because of the language barrier over there we relied heavily on non-verbal communications to let them know we were serious. If being held at gunpoint by one man was intimating at all imagine having the 4 of us hop out of the trucks dressed the way we were. I think Jimmy will talk to the boys and make my point. You might want to keep an eye out for awhile just in case.”
Tim nodded glad that his weapon was back in its holster where it belonged. “Fuller I’ll be keeping an eye out for the rest of my life. Better safe than sorry. I hope they got the point. Now I have to explain to my wife what happened and hope she understands.”
Fuller nodded at the man standing beside him. “She’s smart she’ll understand. Tell her if she ever gets worried about something that we are a team and if we can help we will.”
Tim shook the hands of each man that had come to help him and walked toward the house.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
thanks for the chapters, been missing your work, great as always
Fuller
Part 26
STAG
Grimm and Close understood that they had a responsibly to do their best to capture or kill the men and women responsible for the uptick in violence along the Border directed by someone in the Juarez Cartel. With that in mind they allowed themselves two hours to spent together and invest the time in their possible, maybe even probable reconciliation. For the both of them the initial rush of passion was supplanted by a brutally honest yet raw emotional interplay. That emotion ride allowed them each to forgive the missteps of the past and welcome the potential for a relationship in the future.
During that time stolen from their important tasks the intensity of those intimate moments moved Close to briefly weep and Grimm felt a stirring inside him that had been dormant since they had last been together. But like all things are when people or a Country is depending on you their private time together was interrupted by their need to fulfill their righteous duty. The alarm Grimm had set before they got carried away chimed and they reverted back to the committed Patriots that they both were. They allowed themselves a quick shower and Close grabbed her laptop from her backpack and started going though the information her team had e-mailed here while they had been unavailable. While Close was occupied perusing those updates Grimm did the same thing with the information that a small team of analysts had send while they had been busy getting reacquainted.
Grimm had set his encrypted phone to mute and as soon as he changed the ring setting it instantly rang. The caller display showed that he had missed 4 calls from people in his organization. He answered the phone. “Sol’s Hunan Palace. Will this be dine-in or take-out?” Grimm listened as took notes as members of the intelligence team relayed information to him on a conference call from their end. They must have been excited because Close could hear what they were saying from almost 10 feet away.
Close smiled at the take-off from a vintage comedy that she had seen years ago and watched as Grimm nodded that he agreed with what was being said despite the fact that no one could see him doing it. With the phone still at his ear he moved toward a stack of gear in hard sided plastic transport boxes in the room’s corner and started moving boxes around till he found what he was looking for. Within minutes he had the equipment out of the box, plugged in and connected to his laptop. He hung the phone up and hit the button turning the far wall into a 10 foot long and 7 foot high resolution video screen. Well, as high a resolution you can get using a concrete wall with peeling and bubbling paint as a screen. Close hadn’t seen the projector hanging from the ceiling. It was size of her fist and in the corner where the light didn’t seem to penetrate. As she marveled at the small unit she wondered what other high-tech gadgetry was housed in this non-descript building.
Grimm moved over to the wall switch and dimmed the room’s lights. “I think I have some good news. In the last 15 minutes a support team of researchers and tech gurus were able to confirm 2 of the locations our guy is using based on the information that you and your crew were able for get us. Both locations are being analyzed to get every bit of information about them that we can get. They’re still searching for the last location. One of the confirmed locations was taken off the GPS transmitter that you placed on your new best friend. They are hoping that today she will end up at the last location and they can tag it. They’ll trying to ping her phone every 5 minutes but that so far that isn’t working so it might just be awaiting game. They think they found the neighborhood but they’ll keep working the problem till it breaks.”
Close nodded happy that things were moving so quickly. She was about to say something when her phone rang. She looked at the number on the screen and didn’t recognize it. “Qué pasa?” Close listened and moved toward the desk and grabbed a piece of paper and began writing on a scrap of paper. “OK, thanks. Be careful.” She then ended the call and smiled at Grimm.
Grimm stood waiting for what he hoped was good news. “I hope that’s something for me.”
Close handed the sheet of paper to him. “Our model friend called and gave me an address we can work from. She doesn’t have an exact address but gave me the address of the house two doors down from where they’re staying. She said they’re in the tan stucco place with the statue of a Stallion atop the fountain in the parking courtyard. We’ll need to cross check but I think it’s the location of the last rental. We’re going to need whatever they have here that is the same as Google Street or get permission for a Predator over flight.”
Grimm smiled and took the piece of paper. “Good work, let’s see if the database archive has any information on that location we can use to get a fix on the address we need. You said you had an idea how to pry this guy away from his people? I’d be very interested in hearing it.”
Close nodded. “I want to see satellite or Google map photos of the place before I let my big mouth make me look like an idiot. I actually have a few ideas that might be workable.”
Grimm began the process of e-mailing the possible location of the last and final safe house to the Intel and data people to see what they could find. “I understand.” He hit some buttons on his computer and the small projector above their heads put the images of the first two confirmed locations on the wall with very good resolution considering they weren’t using a screen of any sort. “These are the two locations that they have began gathering information on. The rentals are both being billed to a shell company called Shielder Holdings Limited based in the Cayman Islands. It’s an Exempted Company under Cayman law and the database shows that the listed agent is a lawyer in the Bahamas that can practice law in the Caymans under the Organization of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations (OCCBA). They followed the paper trail through a fair number of dead ends and cut-outs until they eventually got the information we needed. Our research and tech people are very capable and they told me that it was very well hidden. But unfortunately for our guy it eventually led to the company name and then they simply linked it to a company controlled by the shady lawyer in the Bahamas. He caught the attention of Interpol 8 months ago and is suspected by them of laundering money for the primary Cartel operating out of Juarez. A team is going to be sent to the Bahamas or to the Cayman Islands to grab him up. If he’s smart he’ll work out a deal and tell us everything he knows about the Juarez Cartel and show us where their money is hidden. If he does that then they’ll offer to deal for his crimes and offer to re-locate him and his family someplace where Cartel assassins aren’t going to be able to torture and kill him for knowing too much or giving up their laundering operation.”
Close listened and looked at the diagrams and blueprint overlays on the wall. As Close had hoped the two locations that had been confirmed sat over 100 feet from any of the homes surrounding them. Cartel violence had turned Juarez into one of the most dangerous cities in the world. To make matters worse for the local residents the shootings and assassinations that took place there often seriously injured or killed innocent by-standers. Before Close had made her way down to Juarez to meet with Grimm she studied the reports and the video footage of innocent by-standers killed or seriously wounded by assassination attempts and random Cartel violence. The last thing they needed on their conscious was a busload of people being killed in the attempt to capture this asshole.
In less than 12 hours either Close’s team of surveillance specialists or Grimm’s people would be surveying the locations with high tech equipment that would allow them to get a better idea of the security in place and any tactical advantages the locations would grant them. Also in that time frame either a satellite would be tasked to look at the locations or a plane or a drone carrying the most sophisticated equipment in the US intelligence arsenal would fly over and provide them with reams of useful information. Close spoke. “When the model told me that the rentals had basements and that the guy was spending an hour a day in there I thought maybe he would have had a tunnel dug to allow an escape route if things went bad. The Border Patrol is seeing more and more tunnels along the border so he might have diverted a crew to make him a quick escape route if things got dicey.” Close paused letting Grimm take in what she had just said.
After a few seconds he began laughing. “I get it. We isolate him in the basement and either call and threaten a breech or tell him we’re going to level the place unless he gives up his organization’s leadership. He heads out the tunnel alone without his guards and we pick him up. That’s an interesting idea; I saw it in a movie called “The Mechanic” a few years back. The target circumvented his own security and the assassin completed in his job in a less dangerous setting.” Grimm paused thinking for a few seconds and putting an idea together. “Close do you know any good military dog handlers that have made the transition to the private sector?”
Close thought for a minute and nodded. “Two top notch people that I’ve worked with come to mind. Both have at least 5 years of experience and are breeding and training their own animals in the U.S. Last I heard one was overseas doing contract work and the other was breeding, training dogs and picking up the occasion odd job stateside. I can write their names down and you can have someone track them down and see if their security clearance is up-to-date and where they’re at assuming that I’m right and the rentals have subterranean back doors.”
“Something tells me that you spot on with that hypothesis. Man has been going underground to live and stay safe for thousands of years. If I owned a real home it’d have as much dirt and rock over my secret place as I could. As it is I have my gun and weapons collection in a vault at a friend’s house that is in his basement. There’s just something about secret rooms and being underground that makes it seem safer than anything that sticks up out of the ground.” Grimm hit a few buttons on his computer and almost instantly his encrypted cell phone rang. He answered on the second ring. “How long till I can get real-time satellite tasking for those locations?”
Grimm listened and Close could see that he was satisfied with the answers he was receiving. He mouthed the words 6-10 hours to Close. “OK, sooner is better. If you can get it done sooner let me know. We have a priority 1 asset we need to wrap up and get south. Also I need information, military records and current contact information on the two people I’m e-mailing to you in 2 minutes. If we could get that information ASAP that would be very helpful.” Grimm then disconnected the call.
Grimm nodded at Close. “Great work. I’m going to have you and one of my guys work up a surveillance plan that can get us Intel without compromising our operation. Our target is important enough that his tradecraft and technology should be really good. With the obscene amounts of money flowing through these various Cartels getting a hold of top notch and state-of-the-art equipment wouldn’t be very difficult for them since money is no object. So we’ll need to be very and I mean very careful.”
Close nodded. “I agree. The information that I looked at mentioned that the Intel geeks thoughts that this Cartel might have a connection with an electronics expert working out of Israel. Right now Israeli electronic companies are thought to be spending money on R&D this year that is equal or more than they have spent in the last three years combined. Now they might be trying to carve out a niche against their international competitors but they could also be receiving funds from Cartel or other illegal sources. The last few years I’ve been teaching my people that just because we’ve never seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. If you assume that you understand every product on the market then you’ll quickly come to understand that the lag between beta testing and product roll-out is getting smaller and smaller.”
Grimm hit a few keys on his computer and against the wall a diagram popped up. “This is the schematics for a pin-hole camera that we’re using that is 6-9 months ahead of any commercially available unit on the market. We have it especially made by a retired American engineer out of his workshop somewhere in Taiwan. He doesn’t even allow us to buy them we rent them and the fee for losing one is $25,000 per unit. That way he reduces the risk of his proprietary technology or manufacturing process being stolen by another entity. He filed a Patent but as far as anyone is concerned the item hasn’t made it into production.”
Close studied the drawing sand understood that the capability of the pin-hole far surpassed even the equipment she had used a few years ago working for the US Government. “This is why my people are taught to be so careful. This is twice the camera that the ones we use are. I swear keeping up with the technological aspect of this job is killing me. All the good gear is crazy expensive and every time I buy something it’s 30% cheaper a year later and obsolete.” She paused as if considering something. “You said that you have a few people to roll-up after this guy. If you’re interested and can use us my team can stay and help with the next phase of the job. I’d even be willing to take part of our fee in cast-off equipment.”
Grimm considered the question and cogitated at where they were at professionally and personally. “I was going to ask if you completed your part of the mission clean and if you and I could work together. So far I’d say we’re on track for both those benchmarks. Let’s see how the next phase of grabbing this target goes and then we’ll talk.”
“Speaking of being useful I have an idea.”Close turned around and entered the unlock code to her phone. She scrolled down her contact list and hit the button for one of her contacts and listened to the phone ring. After a few rings a man answered. Close greeted the man as if he was a long lost friend. “Hey Lesco it’s me. I need a priority secure tele-conference with your guy for a job I’m embedded with. Think he’ll fit me in if we offer to field test his most recent upgrade on a real live mission in a semi-hostile environment?”
Close listened carefully and without thinking about it clenched her fist and pumped her arm back to signify that she was excited and happy about the answer she had just gotten. As she listened she glanced over at Grimm who didn’t understand what she doing. “Lesco you’re the best. That works for us and I’ll talk to you then.” She shut her phone and smiled at Grimm.
Grimm was confused and didn’t understand what Close had just done why Close was so thrilled at setting up the conference call. He guessed that she wasn’t talking to anyone on her crew. People that worked with Close were usual a little more casual. “OK, do I get a hint why you are acting like an excited school girl that just got a pony for her birthday?”
Close smiled at what she was able to share. “So, I have a friend at a company that is doing final testing on something I think might be useful to us and I wanted us to talk to them and see if our mission might meet their needs for a beta test in the field. They have a 40 Taser pod array that is controlled by a computer that tracks movements and alters point of impact 20 times a second. That means in fluid environments it can track and fire the full load out when the probability of hits is maximized for greater effectiveness. Each and every individual pod can be controlled by an operator using a joystick for non stationary targets or targets where clothing or other issues are a concern. I’ve studied the layout of the Café extensively and think that it might be viable to hit the cartel guy and his crew there. Just like I teach my people to not assume that they know everything after looking at the way the Cartel bodyguards are arranged they don’t do a very good job of studying current US doctrine. We might be able to do the job with a minimum risk of innocent by-standers or your men being harmed.”
Grimm considered what he was hearing. He’d never heard of the devise but then again he wasn’t exactly getting weapons platform development updates from DARPA or any of the branches of the US Military. “That sounds promising. If we could knock most of those guys to the ground and incapacitate them we could employ snipers to neutralize the rest of the security contingent. After that it’s just a matter of crash, snatch, burn and exfil, no problem.”
“I consult with the people doing the development work and final testing. They tell me the latest prototype is accurate 70% of the times so if we programmed two pods for each person there we could potentially disable all of them within a fraction of a second. Toss in a few flash bangs and we might get in and out with no casualties on our side and with your target intact. The only problem I see is letting the bad guys know we have this new technology.”
Grimm looked serious. “If we did the snatch there we’d kill all the bodyguards anyway. If we used your toy we would burn the area after we left to remove any trace of our DNA and destroy any trace of the Tasers. When our guy eats there he rents the whole place, right?”
“That’s what’s on the video and what the model told me. I know they are Cartel bodyguards but are you sure you need to kill them all?”
Grimm nodded. “Close I cannot risk one of them getting a shot off and hurting one of my team or the Police finding DNA from any of our people. Technology makes the perfect crime or perfect covert op almost impossible. As the technology to analysis and process DNA gets simpler and cheaper more and more agencies across the world will be linking up and comparing DNA profiles. If a sample from this week’s job was taken and then two years down the road was routed to Brazil and passed off as a part of a current investigation my people could be compromised. In that environment I can’t find anyone to do this work so we are taking precautions. We have a cleaner that degrades DNA samples if it comes into contact with it but the safest way to alleviate the threat of viable samples be collected is by fire.”
Close shook her head considering the statement Grimm had just made. “So you’re saying you think that the threat of DNA evidence might at some time cause each and every serious crime to followed up with a fire to cleanse the area of viable samples? It was a dark thought that on some level Close had thought about but the stark reality saddened her. Crime left enough residual anguish and to think that it could be worse saddened and depressed her.
Grimm answered as if he was lecturing to a roomful of college students. “DNA offers one of the best if not the best tool ever developed to assist Law Enforcement. Now on one side it’s a great tool for Law Enforcement to use to identify decayed bodies and catch rapists and murders. Yet it also is a tool that can be misunderstood or abused if it’s used out of context. The men working this assignment are Patriots wholly committed to serving their Country in any way they can. The fact that they could be held accountable for killing Cartel murders that the government of Mexico has elected to ignore because of greed and corruption is a travesty. I don’t intent to allow that to happen. Before we started this assignment we set out very clear guidelines to reduce the risk of something like that happening. Let’s move on. So tell me when this secure conference call is happening?”
Close shuffled her feet and looked at the ground. “The best I could do is tomorrow at 9am. The problem might be convincing them to part with a prototype for a program that has cost over 2 million in R&D and counting. Also the funding agency might have a say so in what the prototype is used for.”
Grimm nodded understanding the large amount of money that had been expended working on the engineering to get the project this far. In some circles R&D funding was being squeezed by lower than anticipated sales and the need to satisfy investors and corporate types that based everything on short term results. “I’ll stand good for the whole 2 million if the equipment is damaged or destroyed. I’ll also assign two men to babysit the equipment 24 hours a day and if there is a chance that it could be compromised they’ll destroy it and your friends get paid for each and every dollar they have sunk into the project so far.”
Close was surprised that Grimm had that much available cash to insure the safety of the experimental equipment.” I’ll pass that on. I have a quick question?”
“Sure.”
Close stood close to Grimm. The room was dark with the exception of the overhead projector. “I have a relationship with these people so I have to ask you if you can really access that much money.”
Grimm nodded. “That and more without even making a phone call.”
Close smiled. “Great. I’m going to bill the hell out of you for wardrobe and transportation. One of our rental vans was stolen and torched and I signed for two genuine designer bags for Lep and your other security guy earlier tonight.”
Grimm stared back up at the projection of the wall. “Somehow I think you’re going to earn your fee on this one so I’m not worried about it.”
The two of them spent the rest of the night till 3am game analyzing data and game planning possible solutions to the problem. By the time they crashed they had lists of possible strategies and felt they were making progress in taking down the Cartel responsible for attacking their Country. For people like them it was a good end to a long day and stressful day.
Close had changed back into her fancy jeans earlier and she was ready to take them off and get into a comfortable pair of sweats and climb into a real bed for a few hours of sleep before the conference call the next morning. 15 minutes after she called a sedan arrived at the gate to the warehouse and Sasha her driver tapped on the horn. She kissed Grimm on the lips briefly and headed to the car lugging her backpack over her shoulders.
Part 26
STAG
Grimm and Close understood that they had a responsibly to do their best to capture or kill the men and women responsible for the uptick in violence along the Border directed by someone in the Juarez Cartel. With that in mind they allowed themselves two hours to spent together and invest the time in their possible, maybe even probable reconciliation. For the both of them the initial rush of passion was supplanted by a brutally honest yet raw emotional interplay. That emotion ride allowed them each to forgive the missteps of the past and welcome the potential for a relationship in the future.
During that time stolen from their important tasks the intensity of those intimate moments moved Close to briefly weep and Grimm felt a stirring inside him that had been dormant since they had last been together. But like all things are when people or a Country is depending on you their private time together was interrupted by their need to fulfill their righteous duty. The alarm Grimm had set before they got carried away chimed and they reverted back to the committed Patriots that they both were. They allowed themselves a quick shower and Close grabbed her laptop from her backpack and started going though the information her team had e-mailed here while they had been unavailable. While Close was occupied perusing those updates Grimm did the same thing with the information that a small team of analysts had send while they had been busy getting reacquainted.
Grimm had set his encrypted phone to mute and as soon as he changed the ring setting it instantly rang. The caller display showed that he had missed 4 calls from people in his organization. He answered the phone. “Sol’s Hunan Palace. Will this be dine-in or take-out?” Grimm listened as took notes as members of the intelligence team relayed information to him on a conference call from their end. They must have been excited because Close could hear what they were saying from almost 10 feet away.
Close smiled at the take-off from a vintage comedy that she had seen years ago and watched as Grimm nodded that he agreed with what was being said despite the fact that no one could see him doing it. With the phone still at his ear he moved toward a stack of gear in hard sided plastic transport boxes in the room’s corner and started moving boxes around till he found what he was looking for. Within minutes he had the equipment out of the box, plugged in and connected to his laptop. He hung the phone up and hit the button turning the far wall into a 10 foot long and 7 foot high resolution video screen. Well, as high a resolution you can get using a concrete wall with peeling and bubbling paint as a screen. Close hadn’t seen the projector hanging from the ceiling. It was size of her fist and in the corner where the light didn’t seem to penetrate. As she marveled at the small unit she wondered what other high-tech gadgetry was housed in this non-descript building.
Grimm moved over to the wall switch and dimmed the room’s lights. “I think I have some good news. In the last 15 minutes a support team of researchers and tech gurus were able to confirm 2 of the locations our guy is using based on the information that you and your crew were able for get us. Both locations are being analyzed to get every bit of information about them that we can get. They’re still searching for the last location. One of the confirmed locations was taken off the GPS transmitter that you placed on your new best friend. They are hoping that today she will end up at the last location and they can tag it. They’ll trying to ping her phone every 5 minutes but that so far that isn’t working so it might just be awaiting game. They think they found the neighborhood but they’ll keep working the problem till it breaks.”
Close nodded happy that things were moving so quickly. She was about to say something when her phone rang. She looked at the number on the screen and didn’t recognize it. “Qué pasa?” Close listened and moved toward the desk and grabbed a piece of paper and began writing on a scrap of paper. “OK, thanks. Be careful.” She then ended the call and smiled at Grimm.
Grimm stood waiting for what he hoped was good news. “I hope that’s something for me.”
Close handed the sheet of paper to him. “Our model friend called and gave me an address we can work from. She doesn’t have an exact address but gave me the address of the house two doors down from where they’re staying. She said they’re in the tan stucco place with the statue of a Stallion atop the fountain in the parking courtyard. We’ll need to cross check but I think it’s the location of the last rental. We’re going to need whatever they have here that is the same as Google Street or get permission for a Predator over flight.”
Grimm smiled and took the piece of paper. “Good work, let’s see if the database archive has any information on that location we can use to get a fix on the address we need. You said you had an idea how to pry this guy away from his people? I’d be very interested in hearing it.”
Close nodded. “I want to see satellite or Google map photos of the place before I let my big mouth make me look like an idiot. I actually have a few ideas that might be workable.”
Grimm began the process of e-mailing the possible location of the last and final safe house to the Intel and data people to see what they could find. “I understand.” He hit some buttons on his computer and the small projector above their heads put the images of the first two confirmed locations on the wall with very good resolution considering they weren’t using a screen of any sort. “These are the two locations that they have began gathering information on. The rentals are both being billed to a shell company called Shielder Holdings Limited based in the Cayman Islands. It’s an Exempted Company under Cayman law and the database shows that the listed agent is a lawyer in the Bahamas that can practice law in the Caymans under the Organization of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations (OCCBA). They followed the paper trail through a fair number of dead ends and cut-outs until they eventually got the information we needed. Our research and tech people are very capable and they told me that it was very well hidden. But unfortunately for our guy it eventually led to the company name and then they simply linked it to a company controlled by the shady lawyer in the Bahamas. He caught the attention of Interpol 8 months ago and is suspected by them of laundering money for the primary Cartel operating out of Juarez. A team is going to be sent to the Bahamas or to the Cayman Islands to grab him up. If he’s smart he’ll work out a deal and tell us everything he knows about the Juarez Cartel and show us where their money is hidden. If he does that then they’ll offer to deal for his crimes and offer to re-locate him and his family someplace where Cartel assassins aren’t going to be able to torture and kill him for knowing too much or giving up their laundering operation.”
Close listened and looked at the diagrams and blueprint overlays on the wall. As Close had hoped the two locations that had been confirmed sat over 100 feet from any of the homes surrounding them. Cartel violence had turned Juarez into one of the most dangerous cities in the world. To make matters worse for the local residents the shootings and assassinations that took place there often seriously injured or killed innocent by-standers. Before Close had made her way down to Juarez to meet with Grimm she studied the reports and the video footage of innocent by-standers killed or seriously wounded by assassination attempts and random Cartel violence. The last thing they needed on their conscious was a busload of people being killed in the attempt to capture this asshole.
In less than 12 hours either Close’s team of surveillance specialists or Grimm’s people would be surveying the locations with high tech equipment that would allow them to get a better idea of the security in place and any tactical advantages the locations would grant them. Also in that time frame either a satellite would be tasked to look at the locations or a plane or a drone carrying the most sophisticated equipment in the US intelligence arsenal would fly over and provide them with reams of useful information. Close spoke. “When the model told me that the rentals had basements and that the guy was spending an hour a day in there I thought maybe he would have had a tunnel dug to allow an escape route if things went bad. The Border Patrol is seeing more and more tunnels along the border so he might have diverted a crew to make him a quick escape route if things got dicey.” Close paused letting Grimm take in what she had just said.
After a few seconds he began laughing. “I get it. We isolate him in the basement and either call and threaten a breech or tell him we’re going to level the place unless he gives up his organization’s leadership. He heads out the tunnel alone without his guards and we pick him up. That’s an interesting idea; I saw it in a movie called “The Mechanic” a few years back. The target circumvented his own security and the assassin completed in his job in a less dangerous setting.” Grimm paused thinking for a few seconds and putting an idea together. “Close do you know any good military dog handlers that have made the transition to the private sector?”
Close thought for a minute and nodded. “Two top notch people that I’ve worked with come to mind. Both have at least 5 years of experience and are breeding and training their own animals in the U.S. Last I heard one was overseas doing contract work and the other was breeding, training dogs and picking up the occasion odd job stateside. I can write their names down and you can have someone track them down and see if their security clearance is up-to-date and where they’re at assuming that I’m right and the rentals have subterranean back doors.”
“Something tells me that you spot on with that hypothesis. Man has been going underground to live and stay safe for thousands of years. If I owned a real home it’d have as much dirt and rock over my secret place as I could. As it is I have my gun and weapons collection in a vault at a friend’s house that is in his basement. There’s just something about secret rooms and being underground that makes it seem safer than anything that sticks up out of the ground.” Grimm hit a few buttons on his computer and almost instantly his encrypted cell phone rang. He answered on the second ring. “How long till I can get real-time satellite tasking for those locations?”
Grimm listened and Close could see that he was satisfied with the answers he was receiving. He mouthed the words 6-10 hours to Close. “OK, sooner is better. If you can get it done sooner let me know. We have a priority 1 asset we need to wrap up and get south. Also I need information, military records and current contact information on the two people I’m e-mailing to you in 2 minutes. If we could get that information ASAP that would be very helpful.” Grimm then disconnected the call.
Grimm nodded at Close. “Great work. I’m going to have you and one of my guys work up a surveillance plan that can get us Intel without compromising our operation. Our target is important enough that his tradecraft and technology should be really good. With the obscene amounts of money flowing through these various Cartels getting a hold of top notch and state-of-the-art equipment wouldn’t be very difficult for them since money is no object. So we’ll need to be very and I mean very careful.”
Close nodded. “I agree. The information that I looked at mentioned that the Intel geeks thoughts that this Cartel might have a connection with an electronics expert working out of Israel. Right now Israeli electronic companies are thought to be spending money on R&D this year that is equal or more than they have spent in the last three years combined. Now they might be trying to carve out a niche against their international competitors but they could also be receiving funds from Cartel or other illegal sources. The last few years I’ve been teaching my people that just because we’ve never seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. If you assume that you understand every product on the market then you’ll quickly come to understand that the lag between beta testing and product roll-out is getting smaller and smaller.”
Grimm hit a few keys on his computer and against the wall a diagram popped up. “This is the schematics for a pin-hole camera that we’re using that is 6-9 months ahead of any commercially available unit on the market. We have it especially made by a retired American engineer out of his workshop somewhere in Taiwan. He doesn’t even allow us to buy them we rent them and the fee for losing one is $25,000 per unit. That way he reduces the risk of his proprietary technology or manufacturing process being stolen by another entity. He filed a Patent but as far as anyone is concerned the item hasn’t made it into production.”
Close studied the drawing sand understood that the capability of the pin-hole far surpassed even the equipment she had used a few years ago working for the US Government. “This is why my people are taught to be so careful. This is twice the camera that the ones we use are. I swear keeping up with the technological aspect of this job is killing me. All the good gear is crazy expensive and every time I buy something it’s 30% cheaper a year later and obsolete.” She paused as if considering something. “You said that you have a few people to roll-up after this guy. If you’re interested and can use us my team can stay and help with the next phase of the job. I’d even be willing to take part of our fee in cast-off equipment.”
Grimm considered the question and cogitated at where they were at professionally and personally. “I was going to ask if you completed your part of the mission clean and if you and I could work together. So far I’d say we’re on track for both those benchmarks. Let’s see how the next phase of grabbing this target goes and then we’ll talk.”
“Speaking of being useful I have an idea.”Close turned around and entered the unlock code to her phone. She scrolled down her contact list and hit the button for one of her contacts and listened to the phone ring. After a few rings a man answered. Close greeted the man as if he was a long lost friend. “Hey Lesco it’s me. I need a priority secure tele-conference with your guy for a job I’m embedded with. Think he’ll fit me in if we offer to field test his most recent upgrade on a real live mission in a semi-hostile environment?”
Close listened carefully and without thinking about it clenched her fist and pumped her arm back to signify that she was excited and happy about the answer she had just gotten. As she listened she glanced over at Grimm who didn’t understand what she doing. “Lesco you’re the best. That works for us and I’ll talk to you then.” She shut her phone and smiled at Grimm.
Grimm was confused and didn’t understand what Close had just done why Close was so thrilled at setting up the conference call. He guessed that she wasn’t talking to anyone on her crew. People that worked with Close were usual a little more casual. “OK, do I get a hint why you are acting like an excited school girl that just got a pony for her birthday?”
Close smiled at what she was able to share. “So, I have a friend at a company that is doing final testing on something I think might be useful to us and I wanted us to talk to them and see if our mission might meet their needs for a beta test in the field. They have a 40 Taser pod array that is controlled by a computer that tracks movements and alters point of impact 20 times a second. That means in fluid environments it can track and fire the full load out when the probability of hits is maximized for greater effectiveness. Each and every individual pod can be controlled by an operator using a joystick for non stationary targets or targets where clothing or other issues are a concern. I’ve studied the layout of the Café extensively and think that it might be viable to hit the cartel guy and his crew there. Just like I teach my people to not assume that they know everything after looking at the way the Cartel bodyguards are arranged they don’t do a very good job of studying current US doctrine. We might be able to do the job with a minimum risk of innocent by-standers or your men being harmed.”
Grimm considered what he was hearing. He’d never heard of the devise but then again he wasn’t exactly getting weapons platform development updates from DARPA or any of the branches of the US Military. “That sounds promising. If we could knock most of those guys to the ground and incapacitate them we could employ snipers to neutralize the rest of the security contingent. After that it’s just a matter of crash, snatch, burn and exfil, no problem.”
“I consult with the people doing the development work and final testing. They tell me the latest prototype is accurate 70% of the times so if we programmed two pods for each person there we could potentially disable all of them within a fraction of a second. Toss in a few flash bangs and we might get in and out with no casualties on our side and with your target intact. The only problem I see is letting the bad guys know we have this new technology.”
Grimm looked serious. “If we did the snatch there we’d kill all the bodyguards anyway. If we used your toy we would burn the area after we left to remove any trace of our DNA and destroy any trace of the Tasers. When our guy eats there he rents the whole place, right?”
“That’s what’s on the video and what the model told me. I know they are Cartel bodyguards but are you sure you need to kill them all?”
Grimm nodded. “Close I cannot risk one of them getting a shot off and hurting one of my team or the Police finding DNA from any of our people. Technology makes the perfect crime or perfect covert op almost impossible. As the technology to analysis and process DNA gets simpler and cheaper more and more agencies across the world will be linking up and comparing DNA profiles. If a sample from this week’s job was taken and then two years down the road was routed to Brazil and passed off as a part of a current investigation my people could be compromised. In that environment I can’t find anyone to do this work so we are taking precautions. We have a cleaner that degrades DNA samples if it comes into contact with it but the safest way to alleviate the threat of viable samples be collected is by fire.”
Close shook her head considering the statement Grimm had just made. “So you’re saying you think that the threat of DNA evidence might at some time cause each and every serious crime to followed up with a fire to cleanse the area of viable samples? It was a dark thought that on some level Close had thought about but the stark reality saddened her. Crime left enough residual anguish and to think that it could be worse saddened and depressed her.
Grimm answered as if he was lecturing to a roomful of college students. “DNA offers one of the best if not the best tool ever developed to assist Law Enforcement. Now on one side it’s a great tool for Law Enforcement to use to identify decayed bodies and catch rapists and murders. Yet it also is a tool that can be misunderstood or abused if it’s used out of context. The men working this assignment are Patriots wholly committed to serving their Country in any way they can. The fact that they could be held accountable for killing Cartel murders that the government of Mexico has elected to ignore because of greed and corruption is a travesty. I don’t intent to allow that to happen. Before we started this assignment we set out very clear guidelines to reduce the risk of something like that happening. Let’s move on. So tell me when this secure conference call is happening?”
Close shuffled her feet and looked at the ground. “The best I could do is tomorrow at 9am. The problem might be convincing them to part with a prototype for a program that has cost over 2 million in R&D and counting. Also the funding agency might have a say so in what the prototype is used for.”
Grimm nodded understanding the large amount of money that had been expended working on the engineering to get the project this far. In some circles R&D funding was being squeezed by lower than anticipated sales and the need to satisfy investors and corporate types that based everything on short term results. “I’ll stand good for the whole 2 million if the equipment is damaged or destroyed. I’ll also assign two men to babysit the equipment 24 hours a day and if there is a chance that it could be compromised they’ll destroy it and your friends get paid for each and every dollar they have sunk into the project so far.”
Close was surprised that Grimm had that much available cash to insure the safety of the experimental equipment.” I’ll pass that on. I have a quick question?”
“Sure.”
Close stood close to Grimm. The room was dark with the exception of the overhead projector. “I have a relationship with these people so I have to ask you if you can really access that much money.”
Grimm nodded. “That and more without even making a phone call.”
Close smiled. “Great. I’m going to bill the hell out of you for wardrobe and transportation. One of our rental vans was stolen and torched and I signed for two genuine designer bags for Lep and your other security guy earlier tonight.”
Grimm stared back up at the projection of the wall. “Somehow I think you’re going to earn your fee on this one so I’m not worried about it.”
The two of them spent the rest of the night till 3am game analyzing data and game planning possible solutions to the problem. By the time they crashed they had lists of possible strategies and felt they were making progress in taking down the Cartel responsible for attacking their Country. For people like them it was a good end to a long day and stressful day.
Close had changed back into her fancy jeans earlier and she was ready to take them off and get into a comfortable pair of sweats and climb into a real bed for a few hours of sleep before the conference call the next morning. 15 minutes after she called a sedan arrived at the gate to the warehouse and Sasha her driver tapped on the horn. She kissed Grimm on the lips briefly and headed to the car lugging her backpack over her shoulders.
Fuller Part 27
Fuller
Part 27
Shelter
Tim Fields drudged into his home dreading having to explain to his wife what had happened with the poachers and their father. He asked the kids to go watch a video and sat Becky down at their kitchen table and told the story of what had happened. She was concerned but relived when she heard that Fuller, Mongo and two other men had come to Tim’s rescue. When he started telling the story of what had happened she looked at him like maybe he had made a mistake in not letting the young men take their poached deer. However by the time Tim had finished telling her the whole story she seemed to be comfortable with what had happened and accept the fact that her husband was a principled man and respected the way he had handled it. The fact that Fuller had offered to send someone out if she was ever uncomfortable for any reason was comforting to her.
The couple had lived outside the suburbs long enough to understand that where they lived was a much smaller community and things like this incident could easily cause problems for a long time. In the city or the suburbs before the housing bubble had burst families were moving something like every 7 years and so a problem with a neighbor might disappear with one party or the other moving away. Out here the pace of re-locating was slower so neighbors that were having problems might be forced to live in proximity to each other for some time. Tim also gave Becky the number to Fuller’s burner phone. She programmed it into her phone hoping that she would never need to use it. It had been an oversight that Tim or Fuller had never given her the number or explained when she should use it. Having the number and knowing that help could be summoned 24 hours a day made her more comfortable than just being able to dial 911. And while 911 was exceptionally useful under most circumstance today’s event had proven to the both of them that their needs might exceed the limitations of the conventional safety net that most all people in the US had at their beck and call.
After Tim felt that his wife Becky was centered again he asked that she make time to go over to Fuller’s mine slash office complex and take instruction on handgun shooting at the mine’s shooting range. He also asked her how she felt about them both taking some basic self-defense classes. Becky agreed that it was a good idea and agreed to both his heart felt requests. They also thought keeping a better eye on the property was prudent and vowed to keep the front gate closed more often. While not perfect it was better than nothing and could at least keep someone from driving up to their home.
All in all even if Tim had been worried while it was happening the incident would serve to remind them both that sometimes trouble finds you even if you’re hiding from it and have the resources to counter the threat.
Fuller
After the trip to the Field’s property Fuller came back to the office and started going over the electronic security catalogues that he received on a weekly basis. He quickly found a low cost camera from a wholesaler that supplied equipment to his facility that he could rig to the existing CCTV system out at the property and ordered all the equipment to install 2 of the pan, tilt and zoom systems. He need to clear the installation with the Fields but having increased video coverage would be a benefit to them and he hoped they would agree to his request to install them. In this case inexpensive was a fairly misleading way of seeing the system’s price. At almost $1300.00 per camera the cameras offered more than what Fuller felt was the minimum standard they should use on the shelter property. They would provide a system that offered important options like remote monitoring and small size which made them more difficult to detect. He’d run the purchase thru the facilities books so that he wasn’t out of pocket. He was usually pretty selective about what he charged off to his other business’s but with the recent vehicle break-ins he would also order some additional equipment to keep his facility as safe as possible.
Fuller hadn’t been in the office space management business for very long but understood that quality employees were easier to hire for every business in the complex if they felt they were safe at work. An extensive camera system and a cadre of security personnel that respected the employees and made them feel like people and not potential problems went a long way toward accomplishing those goals. All Fuller’s people had military experience and were extensively trained to interact with all people within the complex as professionals and not intimidate anyone unless they were absolutely sure that they were doing something improper. Fuller had heard numerous horror stories of what happened when under-trained or over-zealous security personnel harassed people. One of the goals of the complex’s security contingent was to insure that no one could ever say something like that about his security force.
Satisfied with his camera selections he began compiling the data that would need to be sent to the Police concerning his car-jacker turned warehouseman. After that data was sorted and sent he then reviewed the files to figure out how the criminal had been hired inside the food processing plant that he owned. As he scanned the files he was saddened to see that an assistant manager in his plant had skipped reading the background check that he had sent and hired the man against Fuller’s direct orders. While a manager ran the day-to-day operations Fuller still contributed input from time to time and clearly this was a circumstance were the guidelines in place had been ignored. Fuller pulled the assistant managers file and began analyzing it. Perhaps the assistant manager would also get the axe as a result of this unnecessary incident. Within 15 minutes he had seen all he needed to see and called over to the plant to have the offending assistant manager sent to his office.
As he waited he filled out the paperwork to fire the man. He was careful to make sure that all the T’s were crossed and all the I’s dotted to avoid any legal snags down the road. Fuller had never been a fan of firing people but he had a business to run. That meant in addition to needing to make profit that people depended on him for their livelihood and to keep them as safe as possible. If the meeting didn’t go the assistant’s way a woman working as a production line manager would be offered the job and she looked like a promising addition to his management team.
Soon a knock sounded on his door. “Come in.”
A young man wearing the food processing company’s logoed shirt and khakis stepped into the office. He was clean cut and no more than 25 or so. While he was smart and had a college degree this was not the first time Fuller had questioned his judgment. “Julius have a seat, we need to talk about what happened today.”
Fuller
Part 27
Shelter
Tim Fields drudged into his home dreading having to explain to his wife what had happened with the poachers and their father. He asked the kids to go watch a video and sat Becky down at their kitchen table and told the story of what had happened. She was concerned but relived when she heard that Fuller, Mongo and two other men had come to Tim’s rescue. When he started telling the story of what had happened she looked at him like maybe he had made a mistake in not letting the young men take their poached deer. However by the time Tim had finished telling her the whole story she seemed to be comfortable with what had happened and accept the fact that her husband was a principled man and respected the way he had handled it. The fact that Fuller had offered to send someone out if she was ever uncomfortable for any reason was comforting to her.
The couple had lived outside the suburbs long enough to understand that where they lived was a much smaller community and things like this incident could easily cause problems for a long time. In the city or the suburbs before the housing bubble had burst families were moving something like every 7 years and so a problem with a neighbor might disappear with one party or the other moving away. Out here the pace of re-locating was slower so neighbors that were having problems might be forced to live in proximity to each other for some time. Tim also gave Becky the number to Fuller’s burner phone. She programmed it into her phone hoping that she would never need to use it. It had been an oversight that Tim or Fuller had never given her the number or explained when she should use it. Having the number and knowing that help could be summoned 24 hours a day made her more comfortable than just being able to dial 911. And while 911 was exceptionally useful under most circumstance today’s event had proven to the both of them that their needs might exceed the limitations of the conventional safety net that most all people in the US had at their beck and call.
After Tim felt that his wife Becky was centered again he asked that she make time to go over to Fuller’s mine slash office complex and take instruction on handgun shooting at the mine’s shooting range. He also asked her how she felt about them both taking some basic self-defense classes. Becky agreed that it was a good idea and agreed to both his heart felt requests. They also thought keeping a better eye on the property was prudent and vowed to keep the front gate closed more often. While not perfect it was better than nothing and could at least keep someone from driving up to their home.
All in all even if Tim had been worried while it was happening the incident would serve to remind them both that sometimes trouble finds you even if you’re hiding from it and have the resources to counter the threat.
Fuller
After the trip to the Field’s property Fuller came back to the office and started going over the electronic security catalogues that he received on a weekly basis. He quickly found a low cost camera from a wholesaler that supplied equipment to his facility that he could rig to the existing CCTV system out at the property and ordered all the equipment to install 2 of the pan, tilt and zoom systems. He need to clear the installation with the Fields but having increased video coverage would be a benefit to them and he hoped they would agree to his request to install them. In this case inexpensive was a fairly misleading way of seeing the system’s price. At almost $1300.00 per camera the cameras offered more than what Fuller felt was the minimum standard they should use on the shelter property. They would provide a system that offered important options like remote monitoring and small size which made them more difficult to detect. He’d run the purchase thru the facilities books so that he wasn’t out of pocket. He was usually pretty selective about what he charged off to his other business’s but with the recent vehicle break-ins he would also order some additional equipment to keep his facility as safe as possible.
Fuller hadn’t been in the office space management business for very long but understood that quality employees were easier to hire for every business in the complex if they felt they were safe at work. An extensive camera system and a cadre of security personnel that respected the employees and made them feel like people and not potential problems went a long way toward accomplishing those goals. All Fuller’s people had military experience and were extensively trained to interact with all people within the complex as professionals and not intimidate anyone unless they were absolutely sure that they were doing something improper. Fuller had heard numerous horror stories of what happened when under-trained or over-zealous security personnel harassed people. One of the goals of the complex’s security contingent was to insure that no one could ever say something like that about his security force.
Satisfied with his camera selections he began compiling the data that would need to be sent to the Police concerning his car-jacker turned warehouseman. After that data was sorted and sent he then reviewed the files to figure out how the criminal had been hired inside the food processing plant that he owned. As he scanned the files he was saddened to see that an assistant manager in his plant had skipped reading the background check that he had sent and hired the man against Fuller’s direct orders. While a manager ran the day-to-day operations Fuller still contributed input from time to time and clearly this was a circumstance were the guidelines in place had been ignored. Fuller pulled the assistant managers file and began analyzing it. Perhaps the assistant manager would also get the axe as a result of this unnecessary incident. Within 15 minutes he had seen all he needed to see and called over to the plant to have the offending assistant manager sent to his office.
As he waited he filled out the paperwork to fire the man. He was careful to make sure that all the T’s were crossed and all the I’s dotted to avoid any legal snags down the road. Fuller had never been a fan of firing people but he had a business to run. That meant in addition to needing to make profit that people depended on him for their livelihood and to keep them as safe as possible. If the meeting didn’t go the assistant’s way a woman working as a production line manager would be offered the job and she looked like a promising addition to his management team.
Soon a knock sounded on his door. “Come in.”
A young man wearing the food processing company’s logoed shirt and khakis stepped into the office. He was clean cut and no more than 25 or so. While he was smart and had a college degree this was not the first time Fuller had questioned his judgment. “Julius have a seat, we need to talk about what happened today.”
stjwelding
Veteran Member
This is one fantastic story I hope to see more of it soon. Thanks for taking the time to write and post it hear for us to read.
Wayne
Wayne
Fuller
Part 28
For Grimm and his team the two days after the discovery of the addresses where Sergeant laid his head at night were very busy. After Grimm and Close’s initial reunion a short conversation was had and they both decided with the workload for both of them in the coming days would be punishing. Both had teams to manage and people to protect and neither wanted to be distracted to the point that their judgments would be impaired. With that in mind they both readily agreed that they could re-address where they stood after the Sergeant had been captured or killed. If Grimm still needed Close and/or her team after that then again the mission would come first and their needs and desires would be delayed for the greater good. Both had spent their career putting their job before their own personal happiness so they were both well equipped to accept a wait.
After that the first thing that Grimm did with his team was to work out a surveillance plan with Close and her team. Close and her team would be handling a majority of the surveillance work since they were highly trained and experienced professionals with tons of the sophisticated equipment needed to take on the task. With Close and her team keeping track of the Sergeant Grimm and his men could work on the various plans they thought might be workable for the snatch. Also Grimm made it very clear that while he felt that his team was proficient with surveillance work the true specialists were Close and her team of chameleons. He explained that he had every intention of exploiting Close and her team’s talent so that his team could integrate the people they had arriving from Fuller’s ranch to provide the support they would need in the next few days. The additional personnel would provide additional manpower and lend a hand where they were needed since at this point in the planning phase it was imperative to focus on the snatch itself and not Intel gathering. Grimm was using the Fuller farm over the Border to stage his people before sneaking them into Juárez. He was also using Fuller’s hanger to outfit the truck that would be used if they did the snatch at the café. While bringing the proprietary equipment over the Border in the back of or inside a truck was too risky a team had spend the last 32 hours outfitting a truck they had bought in El Paso to house the Taser Array and the sophisticated computer that ran the system’s automated targeting system.
Each and every person in Close’s team understood that they faced a crafty well trained adversary. The Juarez Cartel had made counter-surveillance part of the training for their people at every level. Every person in the Cartel’s organization from look-outs at the Border fence watching for Border Patrol agents patrolling the dry and dusty ground on the US side of the fence and watching for suspicious activity on the Mexican side to Cartel leaders intent on staying alive and out of the hands of US and Mexican authorities had been taught that they should always assume that someone was watching and listening to them. The smart mid-level and higher ups kept phone conversations to a minimum using disposable phones, used cut-outs and varied their routines.
The ridiculous amount of money that the Cartel earned every year insured that they were able to hire top-notch experts from around the world to teach them the various methods that the intelligence and law enforcement community used to watch and listen to criminals and terrorists targets. Many retired or disgraced member of the Law Enforcement community or ex-intelligence operatives spend time either in Mexico or in Central American training camps teaching Cartel people about the tools and techniques that were currently in use. Not only that, but years ago the Juarez Cartel had hired an ex-high ranking KGB operative to head up their intelligence and counter-intelligence apparatus. Grimm had learned yesterday that the CIA had known for years that the man was running all things Intel for the Cartel but somehow the information had not been shared with the other agencies that Grimm’s people lifted information and Intel from. The comprehensive CIA file that Grimm had read had been updated within the last 48 hours and indicated that the Intel people at the CIA thought that Alexandr Grigori Madrago the ex-KGB Colonel was unlikely to be directly involved in the terror campaign that the Cartel was waging in the US and might be enticed to help bring the situation to an end assuming that they could provide for his comfortable re-location to a warm and safe sanctuary. The file mentioned that the name Grigori was considered to mean watcher, watchful or vigilant. Ironically the ex-KGB Colonel chose to encourage people to call him Gregg an anglicized version of his middle name Grigori and not his given name Alexandr.
Grimm’s people understood that Close’s team would have the advantage in carrying out the surveillance. And Close’s people understood that the assignment had a high degree of risk. If someone on Close’s team was captured actively surveilling the Cartel big wig it would insure their torture and eventual murder. While they accepted the risk they also put measures in place to reduce the chance of them being caught as well as the measures they could take to insure that if they were discovered that they stood a good chance of breaking off and fleeing to safety.
Grimm also had requested additional personnel be allotted to his effort. Grimm felt that the capture of the shady lawyer from the Bahamas the previous day and the pending capture of the Sergeant would provide a vital link in determining who was responsible for what was happening along the Border areas that abutted the Juarez Cartel controlled areas. Grimm was betting that there was a fair chance that they were close to obtaining the information that they would need to kill/capture the Cartel leader or leaders responsible for waging a war of terror on the US. At that point Grimm understood that there was a fair chance that the powers that be would take the assignment away from him. If and when that happened then the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida would be responsible for deciding how to drive the final nails into the Juarez Cartel organization’s coffin.
Authorities inside the US were also doing their part to exert pressure on the Juarez Cartel by increasing the Border Patrol presence in the Plazas or corridors that the Juarez Cartel uses to smuggle undocumented aliens or drugs across the Border. They also temporarily transferred agents to the El Paso area that had shown to be highly effective or a tad more aggressive than the standard agent to make the point that they were serious about ham-stringing the Cartel in every way possible. For a huge organization like the Cartel money and the hope that there was little chance of being caught were their best recruiting tools. Squeeze the smugglers moving north and the money headed back south and things could get interesting. Couple that with increased arrests and seizures and eventually word would get out that it was far safer to use another Plaza controlled by another Cartel. That hampered the Cartel’s ability to find willing illegal’s to hand over large amounts of hard earned money and fewer drug smugglers willing to risk capture . South of the Border in Mexico those that were trying to cross illegally would talk to others and it would be learned that the more illegals were being caught than normal.
While immigration rights groups were complaining about the so-called Human rights violations that were taking place the Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security made it clear that they were intent on making the smuggling of people in those areas as tough as they possibly could. After receiving pressure from those same immigration rights groups and various mainstream media outlets the Border Patrol released data integrating that the occurrence of dog related injuries had spiked and was up 120% over the previous year. The information was released to dissuaded illegal crossers from attempting to cross in the areas they were actively trying to dent the smugglers access to. Dogs working along the Border had a tendency to frighten crossers and more than a few had given themselves over to Border Patrol agents rather than risk being attacked. For years the Border Patrol had been deploying a program to use the psychological effects of the working dogs that Border Patrol used to make their jobs easier and the results had been encouraging.
So as Grimm sat at his desk and waited for the dog handler that Close had recommended he had a lot on his mind. For close to 48 hours Grimm had been constantly playing a mental excise to determine which plan had the greatest chance of success and the lowest probability of any of the people under his command being seriously injured or killed. He spoke with Dark Voice, the man that he worked for and the leader of this covert organization. He also was given access to other leaders in STAG to gain their valuable input concerning the mission and listen to any ideas or concerns they may have had. At this point in the planning the most likely scenario was that they would kidnap the Sergeant at his favorite café using the neuromuscular incapacitation devise Close had managed to borrow from a colleague in the States. If the operation was done at the trendy café then the operation would commence with finned Taser projectiles flying through the air disabling the target as well as his bodyguards, all the bodyguards being killed in-situ, Sergeant kidnapped and the scene being set ablaze using a pre-determined amount of accelerant to reduce or eliminate any DNA evidence at the scene.
While aspects of that plan appealed to Grimm certain aspects of that plan felt incomplete. The variables involved in doing the snatch at the café were much higher than Grimm and his advisors were comfortable with. Traffic, stop lights, pedestrians, law enforcement presence and a host of other circumstances beyond their control could cause the mission to be scrubbed. They would need to arrange a diversion nearby to reduce the police and military presence in the target area. They would also need to place snipers on the roofs on near-by buildings and spotters to assist them. Also they would strategically place small teams of operators at street level to assist in any way they were needed. One of Grimm’s concerns was that the operation at the café would call for men and possibly woman that he had never worked with to join his team. That meant that someone that might not have the correct physiological make-up for this type of high stress operation was backing them up. His original team had all been hand selected by him and the men under his command that came from the other team had been picked by a man he knew and whose judgment he respected. The man he called the “Dark Voice” approved each and every operative and contractor involved with STAG. Dark Voice was Grimm’s boss and had been an integral part of the Cold War for almost 2 decades while climbing up the CIA ladder retiring with an elevated position in upper management and an impressive list of friends, ex-coworkers, associates and contacts that would be very useful in his new role as leader of the ultra covert STAG organization. Grimm wasn’t a man to easily impress but everything about Dark Voice inspired confidence. Grimm understood that men of substance and power in the top echelon of un-official Washington had chosen Dark Voice to head up the STAG project. While the money used to fund the operation had been relatively small the legal and political risks being taken were enormous. If the operation was leaked at the wrong time or under the wrong circumstances then men and women that had been above reproach would find out how miserable testifying before various Senate Committees could be and at risk of real jail time.
Grimm was distracted from his thinking as he heard a noise from down the hallway. He put the thoughts of the problems involved with the kidnapping out of his mind and turned to see a woman leading a dog on a leash down the hallway. He stood and moved toward the doorway.
The woman was maybe 30 or so and had dark hair pulled away from her face and held in place with a brightly scrunchie below and tan colored baseball cap. Her skin was dark enough to make her appear to be a local and her jeans and work shirt looked like something a woman in Juarez might wear. She looked just like a local trying to stay alive in a dangerous city or a mother trying to do her best to take care of her children in a difficult time. Her dark hair and the symmetry of her face made her appear to be Hispanic and she wore a dark jacket that Grimm had seen many times while in Juarez. She also wore sunglasses and as she walked toward Grimm she reached up and slid them off and hooked them into the pocket of her work shirt. Except she wasn’t Hispanic at all. She was a natural blonde from Minnesota that claimed more than her fair share of Swedish ancestry. She was also a highly skilled and well respected dog handler that had spent over 3 years in the “sandbox” doing a very dangerous job while in the Army. Her specialty had been IED interdiction and she and her 2 K-9 partners had very respectable records. After her last deployment she had been selected to teach for a year at Lackland AFB outside of San Antonio Texas. In the United States Lackland was considered the center of the working dog universe and spoke to her level of expertise.
She stared at Grimm as she approached him. “You Grimm? The guy at the door told me to head over here.”
Grimm nodded and put his hand out while he watched the fawn colored Belgian Malinois watch him. “I’m Grimm.” They shook hands and the dog didn’t seem concerned at all, it just watched Grimm to make sure there wasn’t any type of issue that would require his intervention. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.” She was close enough that Grimm could smell sunscreen on her skin and mint on her breath.
The dark haired woman nodded and a slight smile crossed her face. “You can call me Rosie and this is Ales. Thanks for the opportunity.”
Grimm almost felt bad for Rosie. A woman working in Mexico against a powerful Cartel member was a very tough way to make a living and he hoped that she fully understood the danger this job had attached to it. “A few quick things and then I’ll have someone get you settled. First I was told that Ales is your personal animal and that he doesn’t have a tattoo or any type of ID chip that could identify him. Is that correct?”
Rosie nodded. “Ales was born in Serbia and imported after his initial training and has never been chipped or tattooed. As far as I know no picture of him exists anywhere. The trainer never listed his picture on their website and as part of their guidelines all pictures of the dogs they train are destroyed after the animal is sold. As my resume and references indicate Ales and I did over a year of contract working for a friendly embassy in the green zone. That information is of course classified and I’d appreciate it if wasn’t shared with anyone. We did mostly explosives and protection work but occasionally ventured out of our core duties when it was needed. When we were over there I was concerned about retaliation so I dyed Ale’s coat and my hair to alter our appearances. We were very careful to the point that I never left the embassy building without a hat and a pair of glasses.
Grimm had been impressed with the woman after reading her file and added to that she had taken the intuitive in protecting herself and her K-9 partner while overseas. It told Grimm something else about her professionalism and commitment. There was a history of dogs being involved in the US Military dating back to the Revolutionary War. But for all intends and purposes they had built the current program out of the ashes of the previous program when it was determined that it wasn’t a very high priority. It seemed that like many things related the defense of the United States that after the conflict or serious threat of conflict ended pressure was exerted to shelve bases, programs, units or weapon systems. The fabled OSS broke up and its duties divided in 45, many weapons systems were abandoned or funding greatly reduced after hostilities ceased and various military units were disbanded after almost every 20th century conflict only to be re-established at a later time. When the error of those decisions was recognized and the need arose the leaders of the Military gravitated back to trying to build a program on the remnants of programs whose fortunes had ebbed and flowed. “Good. As I explained when we spoke we are targeting a Cartel higher up and are looking to snatch him and turn him over to our Intel team for a full de-brief. We are narrowing down the particulars of the operation and thought that you and Ales might come in handy. As you know this town is in the mist of chaos and has been recently referred to as the most dangerous city in the world. Recently it seems that either Homicide’s are either down significantly this year or they are doing a better job of hiding or disposing of the bodies. Regardless it is important to always remember that this is a very dangerous place and death can easily find you here. Do me a favor and please never venture out on your own without your team and always maintain quick access to your weapon. The last thing we need to happen is that we lose people to avoidable violence.”
Rosie nodded fully understanding the seriousness of what Grimm had told her. “I’ve read all the briefing information you sent me and don’t plan on taking any unnecessary risks. I take Ales everyplace I go but I appreciate you assigning me to a team that can act as my security detail and promise that Ales and I will do what you need us to and do it when you need it done. As you saw in my file Ales and I work well together and look forward to completing our part of the operation and returning home uninjured.”
“Good, let’s get you settled and you can get done what you need to get done. I know you need to be careful with the heat with Ales so I have a few fans in your assigned room and there is plenty of clean water in there. Also I had a guy put a thermometer on the wall to help you keep track of the room temp and we have an assigned area for Ales to do his business in. I’d appreciate it you bagged the poop and placed it in the portable incinerator. If we need to bug-out quickly make sure that you hit the dump switch on the bleach dispersal system and light the fire in the incinerator. Those tasks are assigned to the caretakers but if things get interesting we want to make sure that we do what we can to eliminate any DNA footprints. The rest of the building also has a make-shift system to cover the interior areas in bleach and another product that degrades and destroys DNA. The chemicals aren’t exactly toxic but I’d advice that you and Ales spent as little time in the mist as possible. The studies indicate that some short term breathing problems may result in expose to the chemicals. And please stay in the areas designated with blue tape on the floor. Those are the areas that are protected by those systems. Any questions?”
Rosie pondered for a moment before shaking her head back and forth. “I think we’re good. When will I meet the people that I’m assigned to work with?”
Grimm replied. “Right now you are assigned to 4 person team called simply “three”. If we execute our primary assault scenario your team is a support team assigned to provide support and assistance to the main assault force in the general vicinity of the operation. Under another scenario three is the main snatch team assigned to a location located roughly 1300 feet from the target’s residence. The men you’ll be working with are professionals and have impressive resumes, outstanding references and plenty of trigger time. These are men I’d stake my life on and I think you’ll be impressed with their level of training and their commitment to this mission. Also we checked and none of them have any allergies to dogs and they are all more dog people than cat people.”
Rosie looked down at her Belgian Malinois and scratched his head subconsciously. She was confident that the Serbian born animal would get the job done just as he always had. In a hostile environment she felt comfort in knowing that Ales stood at her side ready to defend her to his dying breath. “Dog people are good; in fact dog people are perfect. Ales likes cats but I never hold it against him, he wasn’t taught any better when he was a pup.”
Grimm nodded. “Just like every other place you’ve been you might want to keep him from the local dogs. They are a rough a neglected lot and might fight with him or spread disease.” Grimm reached out and shook Rosie’s hand. “Welcome to the team, we’re looking forward to your input.”
With that out of the way Lep came and took Rosie to her room and showed her around the warehouse including areas that were restricted and how the spray system worked. Rosie was happy to see that a separate area had been set aside for Ales outside in the back of the warehouse. Yesterday in anticipation of the arrival of a war dog Grimm had three 40 foot shipping containers delivered to the warehouse and set up in an enclosed square outside one of the fire doors. Now Rosie and Ales had an outside area to use for training and Rosie’s needs. The arrangement of the containers also meant that what they did inside the enclosed area wasn’t viewable from the outside. It might seem a little strange that a trained dog and their handler were loitering around a warehouse that was not producing or shipping anything. Grimm had not forgotten about the two crooked cops that stopped by every week to collect their weekly payoff.
Part 28
For Grimm and his team the two days after the discovery of the addresses where Sergeant laid his head at night were very busy. After Grimm and Close’s initial reunion a short conversation was had and they both decided with the workload for both of them in the coming days would be punishing. Both had teams to manage and people to protect and neither wanted to be distracted to the point that their judgments would be impaired. With that in mind they both readily agreed that they could re-address where they stood after the Sergeant had been captured or killed. If Grimm still needed Close and/or her team after that then again the mission would come first and their needs and desires would be delayed for the greater good. Both had spent their career putting their job before their own personal happiness so they were both well equipped to accept a wait.
After that the first thing that Grimm did with his team was to work out a surveillance plan with Close and her team. Close and her team would be handling a majority of the surveillance work since they were highly trained and experienced professionals with tons of the sophisticated equipment needed to take on the task. With Close and her team keeping track of the Sergeant Grimm and his men could work on the various plans they thought might be workable for the snatch. Also Grimm made it very clear that while he felt that his team was proficient with surveillance work the true specialists were Close and her team of chameleons. He explained that he had every intention of exploiting Close and her team’s talent so that his team could integrate the people they had arriving from Fuller’s ranch to provide the support they would need in the next few days. The additional personnel would provide additional manpower and lend a hand where they were needed since at this point in the planning phase it was imperative to focus on the snatch itself and not Intel gathering. Grimm was using the Fuller farm over the Border to stage his people before sneaking them into Juárez. He was also using Fuller’s hanger to outfit the truck that would be used if they did the snatch at the café. While bringing the proprietary equipment over the Border in the back of or inside a truck was too risky a team had spend the last 32 hours outfitting a truck they had bought in El Paso to house the Taser Array and the sophisticated computer that ran the system’s automated targeting system.
Each and every person in Close’s team understood that they faced a crafty well trained adversary. The Juarez Cartel had made counter-surveillance part of the training for their people at every level. Every person in the Cartel’s organization from look-outs at the Border fence watching for Border Patrol agents patrolling the dry and dusty ground on the US side of the fence and watching for suspicious activity on the Mexican side to Cartel leaders intent on staying alive and out of the hands of US and Mexican authorities had been taught that they should always assume that someone was watching and listening to them. The smart mid-level and higher ups kept phone conversations to a minimum using disposable phones, used cut-outs and varied their routines.
The ridiculous amount of money that the Cartel earned every year insured that they were able to hire top-notch experts from around the world to teach them the various methods that the intelligence and law enforcement community used to watch and listen to criminals and terrorists targets. Many retired or disgraced member of the Law Enforcement community or ex-intelligence operatives spend time either in Mexico or in Central American training camps teaching Cartel people about the tools and techniques that were currently in use. Not only that, but years ago the Juarez Cartel had hired an ex-high ranking KGB operative to head up their intelligence and counter-intelligence apparatus. Grimm had learned yesterday that the CIA had known for years that the man was running all things Intel for the Cartel but somehow the information had not been shared with the other agencies that Grimm’s people lifted information and Intel from. The comprehensive CIA file that Grimm had read had been updated within the last 48 hours and indicated that the Intel people at the CIA thought that Alexandr Grigori Madrago the ex-KGB Colonel was unlikely to be directly involved in the terror campaign that the Cartel was waging in the US and might be enticed to help bring the situation to an end assuming that they could provide for his comfortable re-location to a warm and safe sanctuary. The file mentioned that the name Grigori was considered to mean watcher, watchful or vigilant. Ironically the ex-KGB Colonel chose to encourage people to call him Gregg an anglicized version of his middle name Grigori and not his given name Alexandr.
Grimm’s people understood that Close’s team would have the advantage in carrying out the surveillance. And Close’s people understood that the assignment had a high degree of risk. If someone on Close’s team was captured actively surveilling the Cartel big wig it would insure their torture and eventual murder. While they accepted the risk they also put measures in place to reduce the chance of them being caught as well as the measures they could take to insure that if they were discovered that they stood a good chance of breaking off and fleeing to safety.
Grimm also had requested additional personnel be allotted to his effort. Grimm felt that the capture of the shady lawyer from the Bahamas the previous day and the pending capture of the Sergeant would provide a vital link in determining who was responsible for what was happening along the Border areas that abutted the Juarez Cartel controlled areas. Grimm was betting that there was a fair chance that they were close to obtaining the information that they would need to kill/capture the Cartel leader or leaders responsible for waging a war of terror on the US. At that point Grimm understood that there was a fair chance that the powers that be would take the assignment away from him. If and when that happened then the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida would be responsible for deciding how to drive the final nails into the Juarez Cartel organization’s coffin.
Authorities inside the US were also doing their part to exert pressure on the Juarez Cartel by increasing the Border Patrol presence in the Plazas or corridors that the Juarez Cartel uses to smuggle undocumented aliens or drugs across the Border. They also temporarily transferred agents to the El Paso area that had shown to be highly effective or a tad more aggressive than the standard agent to make the point that they were serious about ham-stringing the Cartel in every way possible. For a huge organization like the Cartel money and the hope that there was little chance of being caught were their best recruiting tools. Squeeze the smugglers moving north and the money headed back south and things could get interesting. Couple that with increased arrests and seizures and eventually word would get out that it was far safer to use another Plaza controlled by another Cartel. That hampered the Cartel’s ability to find willing illegal’s to hand over large amounts of hard earned money and fewer drug smugglers willing to risk capture . South of the Border in Mexico those that were trying to cross illegally would talk to others and it would be learned that the more illegals were being caught than normal.
While immigration rights groups were complaining about the so-called Human rights violations that were taking place the Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security made it clear that they were intent on making the smuggling of people in those areas as tough as they possibly could. After receiving pressure from those same immigration rights groups and various mainstream media outlets the Border Patrol released data integrating that the occurrence of dog related injuries had spiked and was up 120% over the previous year. The information was released to dissuaded illegal crossers from attempting to cross in the areas they were actively trying to dent the smugglers access to. Dogs working along the Border had a tendency to frighten crossers and more than a few had given themselves over to Border Patrol agents rather than risk being attacked. For years the Border Patrol had been deploying a program to use the psychological effects of the working dogs that Border Patrol used to make their jobs easier and the results had been encouraging.
So as Grimm sat at his desk and waited for the dog handler that Close had recommended he had a lot on his mind. For close to 48 hours Grimm had been constantly playing a mental excise to determine which plan had the greatest chance of success and the lowest probability of any of the people under his command being seriously injured or killed. He spoke with Dark Voice, the man that he worked for and the leader of this covert organization. He also was given access to other leaders in STAG to gain their valuable input concerning the mission and listen to any ideas or concerns they may have had. At this point in the planning the most likely scenario was that they would kidnap the Sergeant at his favorite café using the neuromuscular incapacitation devise Close had managed to borrow from a colleague in the States. If the operation was done at the trendy café then the operation would commence with finned Taser projectiles flying through the air disabling the target as well as his bodyguards, all the bodyguards being killed in-situ, Sergeant kidnapped and the scene being set ablaze using a pre-determined amount of accelerant to reduce or eliminate any DNA evidence at the scene.
While aspects of that plan appealed to Grimm certain aspects of that plan felt incomplete. The variables involved in doing the snatch at the café were much higher than Grimm and his advisors were comfortable with. Traffic, stop lights, pedestrians, law enforcement presence and a host of other circumstances beyond their control could cause the mission to be scrubbed. They would need to arrange a diversion nearby to reduce the police and military presence in the target area. They would also need to place snipers on the roofs on near-by buildings and spotters to assist them. Also they would strategically place small teams of operators at street level to assist in any way they were needed. One of Grimm’s concerns was that the operation at the café would call for men and possibly woman that he had never worked with to join his team. That meant that someone that might not have the correct physiological make-up for this type of high stress operation was backing them up. His original team had all been hand selected by him and the men under his command that came from the other team had been picked by a man he knew and whose judgment he respected. The man he called the “Dark Voice” approved each and every operative and contractor involved with STAG. Dark Voice was Grimm’s boss and had been an integral part of the Cold War for almost 2 decades while climbing up the CIA ladder retiring with an elevated position in upper management and an impressive list of friends, ex-coworkers, associates and contacts that would be very useful in his new role as leader of the ultra covert STAG organization. Grimm wasn’t a man to easily impress but everything about Dark Voice inspired confidence. Grimm understood that men of substance and power in the top echelon of un-official Washington had chosen Dark Voice to head up the STAG project. While the money used to fund the operation had been relatively small the legal and political risks being taken were enormous. If the operation was leaked at the wrong time or under the wrong circumstances then men and women that had been above reproach would find out how miserable testifying before various Senate Committees could be and at risk of real jail time.
Grimm was distracted from his thinking as he heard a noise from down the hallway. He put the thoughts of the problems involved with the kidnapping out of his mind and turned to see a woman leading a dog on a leash down the hallway. He stood and moved toward the doorway.
The woman was maybe 30 or so and had dark hair pulled away from her face and held in place with a brightly scrunchie below and tan colored baseball cap. Her skin was dark enough to make her appear to be a local and her jeans and work shirt looked like something a woman in Juarez might wear. She looked just like a local trying to stay alive in a dangerous city or a mother trying to do her best to take care of her children in a difficult time. Her dark hair and the symmetry of her face made her appear to be Hispanic and she wore a dark jacket that Grimm had seen many times while in Juarez. She also wore sunglasses and as she walked toward Grimm she reached up and slid them off and hooked them into the pocket of her work shirt. Except she wasn’t Hispanic at all. She was a natural blonde from Minnesota that claimed more than her fair share of Swedish ancestry. She was also a highly skilled and well respected dog handler that had spent over 3 years in the “sandbox” doing a very dangerous job while in the Army. Her specialty had been IED interdiction and she and her 2 K-9 partners had very respectable records. After her last deployment she had been selected to teach for a year at Lackland AFB outside of San Antonio Texas. In the United States Lackland was considered the center of the working dog universe and spoke to her level of expertise.
She stared at Grimm as she approached him. “You Grimm? The guy at the door told me to head over here.”
Grimm nodded and put his hand out while he watched the fawn colored Belgian Malinois watch him. “I’m Grimm.” They shook hands and the dog didn’t seem concerned at all, it just watched Grimm to make sure there wasn’t any type of issue that would require his intervention. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.” She was close enough that Grimm could smell sunscreen on her skin and mint on her breath.
The dark haired woman nodded and a slight smile crossed her face. “You can call me Rosie and this is Ales. Thanks for the opportunity.”
Grimm almost felt bad for Rosie. A woman working in Mexico against a powerful Cartel member was a very tough way to make a living and he hoped that she fully understood the danger this job had attached to it. “A few quick things and then I’ll have someone get you settled. First I was told that Ales is your personal animal and that he doesn’t have a tattoo or any type of ID chip that could identify him. Is that correct?”
Rosie nodded. “Ales was born in Serbia and imported after his initial training and has never been chipped or tattooed. As far as I know no picture of him exists anywhere. The trainer never listed his picture on their website and as part of their guidelines all pictures of the dogs they train are destroyed after the animal is sold. As my resume and references indicate Ales and I did over a year of contract working for a friendly embassy in the green zone. That information is of course classified and I’d appreciate it if wasn’t shared with anyone. We did mostly explosives and protection work but occasionally ventured out of our core duties when it was needed. When we were over there I was concerned about retaliation so I dyed Ale’s coat and my hair to alter our appearances. We were very careful to the point that I never left the embassy building without a hat and a pair of glasses.
Grimm had been impressed with the woman after reading her file and added to that she had taken the intuitive in protecting herself and her K-9 partner while overseas. It told Grimm something else about her professionalism and commitment. There was a history of dogs being involved in the US Military dating back to the Revolutionary War. But for all intends and purposes they had built the current program out of the ashes of the previous program when it was determined that it wasn’t a very high priority. It seemed that like many things related the defense of the United States that after the conflict or serious threat of conflict ended pressure was exerted to shelve bases, programs, units or weapon systems. The fabled OSS broke up and its duties divided in 45, many weapons systems were abandoned or funding greatly reduced after hostilities ceased and various military units were disbanded after almost every 20th century conflict only to be re-established at a later time. When the error of those decisions was recognized and the need arose the leaders of the Military gravitated back to trying to build a program on the remnants of programs whose fortunes had ebbed and flowed. “Good. As I explained when we spoke we are targeting a Cartel higher up and are looking to snatch him and turn him over to our Intel team for a full de-brief. We are narrowing down the particulars of the operation and thought that you and Ales might come in handy. As you know this town is in the mist of chaos and has been recently referred to as the most dangerous city in the world. Recently it seems that either Homicide’s are either down significantly this year or they are doing a better job of hiding or disposing of the bodies. Regardless it is important to always remember that this is a very dangerous place and death can easily find you here. Do me a favor and please never venture out on your own without your team and always maintain quick access to your weapon. The last thing we need to happen is that we lose people to avoidable violence.”
Rosie nodded fully understanding the seriousness of what Grimm had told her. “I’ve read all the briefing information you sent me and don’t plan on taking any unnecessary risks. I take Ales everyplace I go but I appreciate you assigning me to a team that can act as my security detail and promise that Ales and I will do what you need us to and do it when you need it done. As you saw in my file Ales and I work well together and look forward to completing our part of the operation and returning home uninjured.”
“Good, let’s get you settled and you can get done what you need to get done. I know you need to be careful with the heat with Ales so I have a few fans in your assigned room and there is plenty of clean water in there. Also I had a guy put a thermometer on the wall to help you keep track of the room temp and we have an assigned area for Ales to do his business in. I’d appreciate it you bagged the poop and placed it in the portable incinerator. If we need to bug-out quickly make sure that you hit the dump switch on the bleach dispersal system and light the fire in the incinerator. Those tasks are assigned to the caretakers but if things get interesting we want to make sure that we do what we can to eliminate any DNA footprints. The rest of the building also has a make-shift system to cover the interior areas in bleach and another product that degrades and destroys DNA. The chemicals aren’t exactly toxic but I’d advice that you and Ales spent as little time in the mist as possible. The studies indicate that some short term breathing problems may result in expose to the chemicals. And please stay in the areas designated with blue tape on the floor. Those are the areas that are protected by those systems. Any questions?”
Rosie pondered for a moment before shaking her head back and forth. “I think we’re good. When will I meet the people that I’m assigned to work with?”
Grimm replied. “Right now you are assigned to 4 person team called simply “three”. If we execute our primary assault scenario your team is a support team assigned to provide support and assistance to the main assault force in the general vicinity of the operation. Under another scenario three is the main snatch team assigned to a location located roughly 1300 feet from the target’s residence. The men you’ll be working with are professionals and have impressive resumes, outstanding references and plenty of trigger time. These are men I’d stake my life on and I think you’ll be impressed with their level of training and their commitment to this mission. Also we checked and none of them have any allergies to dogs and they are all more dog people than cat people.”
Rosie looked down at her Belgian Malinois and scratched his head subconsciously. She was confident that the Serbian born animal would get the job done just as he always had. In a hostile environment she felt comfort in knowing that Ales stood at her side ready to defend her to his dying breath. “Dog people are good; in fact dog people are perfect. Ales likes cats but I never hold it against him, he wasn’t taught any better when he was a pup.”
Grimm nodded. “Just like every other place you’ve been you might want to keep him from the local dogs. They are a rough a neglected lot and might fight with him or spread disease.” Grimm reached out and shook Rosie’s hand. “Welcome to the team, we’re looking forward to your input.”
With that out of the way Lep came and took Rosie to her room and showed her around the warehouse including areas that were restricted and how the spray system worked. Rosie was happy to see that a separate area had been set aside for Ales outside in the back of the warehouse. Yesterday in anticipation of the arrival of a war dog Grimm had three 40 foot shipping containers delivered to the warehouse and set up in an enclosed square outside one of the fire doors. Now Rosie and Ales had an outside area to use for training and Rosie’s needs. The arrangement of the containers also meant that what they did inside the enclosed area wasn’t viewable from the outside. It might seem a little strange that a trained dog and their handler were loitering around a warehouse that was not producing or shipping anything. Grimm had not forgotten about the two crooked cops that stopped by every week to collect their weekly payoff.
Fuller Part 29
Fuller
Part 29
While that was happening Grimm turned back to his various plans and again reviewed the plans for a snatch at the café. Close had called and told him that the model had planted a tracking devise on all of the Sergeants’ favorite shoes last night and told him that her grandmother was sickly back in Columbia. So this morning the Cartel big wig and his revolving crew of bodyguards had all piled into two armored SUVs and taken her to the airport for her flight back home to Columbia. The model texted Close from the cabin of the plane and told Close that he was oblivious to the fact that anyone was taking an interest in him and his routine seemed appropriate based on what the model had seen prior to meeting Close. The fact that the model had confided in Close would make the snatch easier than if they had to do the job without her occasion suggestions or other input.
As the day went on and Grimm met other operatives sent to support their mission he was anxious to get a look at the Taser type device coming from the US. He had been granted access to the reports and training manuals and it looked like it had potential. But Grimm had learned in the military and in life that potential didn’t always translate into anything significant. Later Close and his primary team would be traveling with him to the desert to see a live demonstration of the high tech device at work.
An hour later Close entered his room wearing a simple pair of jeans and a white Tee under a dark blue jacket that would look at home on any middle class woman in Juarez. The dark blue jacket hid her firearm from prying eyes since Mexico had very restrictive gun laws and getting caught with one would be problematic. Her feet were covered by a pair of simple work boots and she was wearing a broad brimmed straw hat that left her face in shadows. “The equipment is downstairs being installed on the truck and the tech is running a quick diagnostic check to make sure nothing was damaged in transit. After that he’ll load the practice projectiles and we can head out to test it. He told me that it’ll take an hour or so to get everything done.” She continued into the room and plopped down on Grimm’s makeshift bed. “Is it just me or is this bed softer than it was two days ago?”
Grimm nodded and hit a few keys on his encrypted computer. “New mattress pad. Moving on, I have a slight change to our plans. I think maybe we’ll do the beta test here and I want the device loaded with standard projectiles. I need to see for myself that the projectiles have the power to put a man on the ground and the best way to do that is to offer myself and a few others as guinea pigs. I don’t want to risk the exposure of testing the equipment off-site. I can just see getting in an accident or getting a flat tire and all the problems that could cause. I’ll take his word for it that the heat, dust and the rough roads will not factor into the effectiveness of the device.”
“No problem. Let’s go meet him and let him know about the changes.”
“OK.”
Close followed Grimm to the area they had given over to the engineer from the US. He was typical of what you’d expect from a brilliant scientist tasked with developing technology that would end up being used by the US military. He was a trim 6 feet tall and Grimm estimated that he was in his late 20’s or early 30s. His dark hair was longer than normal and disheveled almost like some dark headed Einstein. His plain face was clean shaven with the exception of a full soul patch that sat directly underneath his lower lip and gave him the appearance that he thought of himself as being cool. If Grimm saw him in the shower or in the workout room without his shirt he’d guess he had at least one Chinese character tattoo as well as various tribal ink to reinforce his cool perspective of himself. His clothing had a very hipster vibe and consisted of skinny jeans, a vintage shirt for a band that hadn’t been popular in 20 years and clunky brown velour skate shoes that reminded Grimm of Chuck Taylor sneakers.
Close walked up and tapped the man on the shoulder.
He turned to glare at Close and his look of annoyance told Grimm that he was focused and didn’t appreciate being disturbed. “I’m busy here. Can’t this wait?” It was then that he saw Grimm standing behind Close. For a beat he hesitated trying to gather his thoughts. A look of concern spread across his facial features. “Sorry, my allergies are killing me. The truck that brought me over must have had a dog in it recently. Either that or there was mold in it.”
Close nodded without commenting. “Darrell, this is Grimm the man we’re working for.” Close then turned around and smiled at Grimm. “Grimm this is Darrell. I think from the look in his eyes that you and he will get along fabulously.” A thin smile spread across her face as she stepped back to let the men get acquainted.
Grimm offered a hand and was rewarded with a handshake that had more presence than he had anticipated. “Thanks for coming on short notice. Close told me you’re doing good work and I’m looking forward to seeing your technology in action. As a war fighter I’m always grateful for less than lethal ways to deal with anything that comes up. Even in war every death is a tragedy.”
Darrell’s facial features changed and pride could be seen on it. “Well, our guys deserve the best that we can offer them. This device also has law enforcement applications beyond what is currently being offered. Our hopes are that domestically it will be deployed as area denial situations and in crowd control where lives are at risk. A good example might be the various G-8 and G-20 meeting protests were only a small percentage of the crowd is anticipating in vandalism or actively engaging the Law Enforcement presence. We are also prototyping a devise to be used in correctional setting that can increase the safety of Correction Officers.”
Grimm wasn’t interested in hearing any more about how great the device was. He was more interested in seeing the testing and forming his own opinions. Hell he understood that anything that kept people from being killed needlessly was a useful tool. “Darrell that’s outstanding and I look forward to seeing the thing in action. Due to security concerns we will be conducting the field testing here. Also, I assume you brought spare projectiles is that correct?”
Darrell looked at Grimm and nodded. “We brought 3 full load-outs and a few spares. We test each and every projectile before it’s loaded to insure that it tests within acceptable parameters.”
Grimm replied. “Excellent. Excellent. Darrell, the mission that we are going to attempt is very dangerous and I’ve changed the testing parameters. I’ve decided I need to see the weapon in a live test with live ammo. A few of my people and I will be the test subjects.”
Darrell paused to take in the information he had just be given. “Well…. We really hadn’t planned on using live projectile for the testing. Are you sure that’s a good idea? I wouldn’t want any of your people getting hurt this close to game time. I mean the projectiles have been fully tested and all but. What of something goes wrong and...?”
Grimm nodded to let Darrell know he understood his concern. “Darrell my people are Special Forces trained and have all undergone some type Taser training. That means they have been Tazed numerous times in training and can take whatever you can dish out. Please, let me worry about their safety.”
Darrell nodded. “You’re the man in charge. I’ll have the device ready for testing in 90 minutes.”
Grimm replied. “Thanks, I’ll see you then. Oh and Darrell, we have a dog on-site that just got here today. The dog is critical for our mission so if you have allergy meds you might want to take them. If you didn’t bring anything just write down what you need and we’ll get it for you.”
Darrell considered what Grimm had said. He hated dogs and the thought of sharing space with one almost made him break out in hives. “I’ll be OK. I brought something to take for the allergies. We’re not sharing a room are we?”
Grimm replied without looking at the man to hide the smile on his face. “Different parts of the building. If you have meds you should be OK.”
Grimm turned and walked away and Close followed him after saying goodbye to Darrell. They talked about the slightly strange scientist after they arrived at Grimm’s room and then spent the remaining time till the testing going over the most recent surveillance data.
2 hours later Grimm was shaking hands with Darrell and the other members of the team that had been involved in the demonstration were gathered around Darrell congratulating him on the test. Grimm had been told by Close that Darrell had a reputation as being an attention hog and needed constant adulation to fulfill his needs. With that in mind Grimm had asked his people to make a big deal out of a successful test to stroke the scientist’s ego.
Darrell stood with an aw-shucks look plastered on his face and emitting good feelings to those around him. Darrell had promised Grimm that he and his precious equipment would be ready 30 minutes from when Grimm called on him and the technology to help get the job done.
Back in Grimm’s room a few minutes later Grimm’s encrypted phone rang. He answered it and said a few words.
“Well that complicates things.”
Close scrunched up her face and looked Grimm. “Problem?”
Grimm looked at her. “Cat needs a meeting here in 30 minutes. He didn’t elaborate but he sounded shaky.”
Close nodded. She understood that undercover work could be frightening. “Well that is complicated. Can you bring him through another door so he doesn’t see the new toy we get to play with?”
Grimm replied. “Don’t really have a choice in the matter. What the hell were they thinking letting him use this place as a safe house? If he is compromised the whole operation could be destroyed.”
Close agreed and they talked about the short sightedness & serious missteps that were part of the business they had chosen. For the obscene amounts of money the various intelligence agencies spent sometimes it seemed that the whole thing was being run by 4th graders suffering from ADHD. Running parallel investigations made good sense but exposing the STAG operation to an outside agency was fought with unacceptable risks and Grimm was still steamed that it had happened. In the back of his mind he was still concerned that Kitty would make an error and face the dark and remorseless men that the Cartel used to extract information. If he was suspected of being anything other than a desperate guy trying to make a few dollars then it would compromise the whole operation that STAG had in play.
So 30 minutes later when Kitty called Close left Grimm’s room and headed to the security room to hang out while Grimm dealt with Kitty. A few minutes later Lep led Kitty into Grimm’s room. Lep nodded to Grimm and left the room.
Kitty looked drawn and pale like he hadn’t been sleeping very well the last few days. Grimm could understand his position. When you handled Lions and Tigers that could end your life in a matter of seconds and drew your pay from a psychotic murdering drug dealer life could get complicated. “Hey Kitty, how you holding up?”
Kitty wiped his hand through his hair. A nervous tick he had picked up since Grimm had seen him last time. “As well as can be expected, I guess. That crazy asshole had me feeding some of the big cats inside the enclosure with a whip and a stool like some god dam Siegfried and Roy impersonator from 1973. You’d think that murdering son-of-bitch would have listed being able to handle a whip as a prerequisite of the job. The old trainer must have been one cruel and ballsy guy. Those animals fear me like hell. Just holding the whip and twirling it around seems to be keeping them in line. They had some video of the regular guy and I discovered that he used a long fiberglass handled whip and a stick that was like a small baseball bat to control them. So, I asked around and someone brought me the correct equipment and I’ve learned to use it well enough to get by. I swear if I get the chance I just might kill that mean ass crazy soma bitch Lee.”
Grimm nodded understanding that what Kitty was doing was uber dangerous. “Well just make sure you never turn your back on the cats. You remember what happen to Roy and he had been working with animals all his life.”
Kitty looked at Grimm with a look of fear in his eyes. “I remember what those animals are capable of every second of every waking moment. Did I mention that the trainer had a special suit he wears underneath his coveralls? Nobody told me till I’d been in the enclosure a few times. The suit helps protect the trainer against claw and bite injuries and as I read up they say that feeding can be dangerous time and some recommend altering feeding times to avoid the aggressiveness that can happen when they anticipate it’s time to eat. But no, Lee wants to have a show that he or his crazy sycophants can watch like they were sitting down in front of one of his enormous TVs. Honestly I think they’re all hoping that I get attacked to break up their day and so that they can watch some blood flow or watch me get killed.”
Grimm was concerned that this guy was going to fold and jeopardize not just his own life but also Grimm’s operation and Grimm’s rapidly expanding team. “You need to take a break maybe get a nap or something to eat?
Kitty started at Grimm with hope in his eyes. “You mean it? I could use some sleep.”
Grimm looked at him and nodded. “When are they expecting you back?”
Kitty shrugged. “I told them I was going to get a drunk and go get laid. I checked and nobody followed me. I also stripped down into a different change of clothes and shoes. Your guy wanded me when I got here and he said I’m clean. All today’s feedings are done so I’m good till 5 or 6 tomorrow morning.”
“Sleep or eat? It’s your call.”
Kitty still looked haunted but looked less anxious than when he had arrived. “Sleep, if that’s OK?”
“You can use the same room as before. I have other guests so I’ll ask that you confine yourself to the bunkroom and the bathroom. Just hit the button on the intercom when you get up.”
Kitty nodded. “You got it. Thank you. Thank you I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Grimm was a man that could be sparse with words he simply nodded and watched as Kitty moved into the hallway. He hoped Kitty didn’t have any bad dreams. The man was clearly struggling with the pressure of his dangerous assignment. He’d sent an e-mail to Dark Voice and let him know that Kitty was getting a little shaky. Someone somewhere might want to think about pulling Kitty before his nervousness got him into trouble.
Grimm then called Close back to his room from the security room where she had been hiding. She told Grimm that the two security men had received phone calls from their girlfriends thanking them for the bags that had been sent to them. Grimm cracked a genuine smile. Here they were getting ready to carry out an important and dangerous assignment that would risk the lives of a dozen people he was responsible for and Close was talking about hand bags. Man this woman had guts. In 48 hours one or both of them could be dead or in the hands of Cartel enforcers armed with pliers and a blow torch.
Fuller
Part 29
While that was happening Grimm turned back to his various plans and again reviewed the plans for a snatch at the café. Close had called and told him that the model had planted a tracking devise on all of the Sergeants’ favorite shoes last night and told him that her grandmother was sickly back in Columbia. So this morning the Cartel big wig and his revolving crew of bodyguards had all piled into two armored SUVs and taken her to the airport for her flight back home to Columbia. The model texted Close from the cabin of the plane and told Close that he was oblivious to the fact that anyone was taking an interest in him and his routine seemed appropriate based on what the model had seen prior to meeting Close. The fact that the model had confided in Close would make the snatch easier than if they had to do the job without her occasion suggestions or other input.
As the day went on and Grimm met other operatives sent to support their mission he was anxious to get a look at the Taser type device coming from the US. He had been granted access to the reports and training manuals and it looked like it had potential. But Grimm had learned in the military and in life that potential didn’t always translate into anything significant. Later Close and his primary team would be traveling with him to the desert to see a live demonstration of the high tech device at work.
An hour later Close entered his room wearing a simple pair of jeans and a white Tee under a dark blue jacket that would look at home on any middle class woman in Juarez. The dark blue jacket hid her firearm from prying eyes since Mexico had very restrictive gun laws and getting caught with one would be problematic. Her feet were covered by a pair of simple work boots and she was wearing a broad brimmed straw hat that left her face in shadows. “The equipment is downstairs being installed on the truck and the tech is running a quick diagnostic check to make sure nothing was damaged in transit. After that he’ll load the practice projectiles and we can head out to test it. He told me that it’ll take an hour or so to get everything done.” She continued into the room and plopped down on Grimm’s makeshift bed. “Is it just me or is this bed softer than it was two days ago?”
Grimm nodded and hit a few keys on his encrypted computer. “New mattress pad. Moving on, I have a slight change to our plans. I think maybe we’ll do the beta test here and I want the device loaded with standard projectiles. I need to see for myself that the projectiles have the power to put a man on the ground and the best way to do that is to offer myself and a few others as guinea pigs. I don’t want to risk the exposure of testing the equipment off-site. I can just see getting in an accident or getting a flat tire and all the problems that could cause. I’ll take his word for it that the heat, dust and the rough roads will not factor into the effectiveness of the device.”
“No problem. Let’s go meet him and let him know about the changes.”
“OK.”
Close followed Grimm to the area they had given over to the engineer from the US. He was typical of what you’d expect from a brilliant scientist tasked with developing technology that would end up being used by the US military. He was a trim 6 feet tall and Grimm estimated that he was in his late 20’s or early 30s. His dark hair was longer than normal and disheveled almost like some dark headed Einstein. His plain face was clean shaven with the exception of a full soul patch that sat directly underneath his lower lip and gave him the appearance that he thought of himself as being cool. If Grimm saw him in the shower or in the workout room without his shirt he’d guess he had at least one Chinese character tattoo as well as various tribal ink to reinforce his cool perspective of himself. His clothing had a very hipster vibe and consisted of skinny jeans, a vintage shirt for a band that hadn’t been popular in 20 years and clunky brown velour skate shoes that reminded Grimm of Chuck Taylor sneakers.
Close walked up and tapped the man on the shoulder.
He turned to glare at Close and his look of annoyance told Grimm that he was focused and didn’t appreciate being disturbed. “I’m busy here. Can’t this wait?” It was then that he saw Grimm standing behind Close. For a beat he hesitated trying to gather his thoughts. A look of concern spread across his facial features. “Sorry, my allergies are killing me. The truck that brought me over must have had a dog in it recently. Either that or there was mold in it.”
Close nodded without commenting. “Darrell, this is Grimm the man we’re working for.” Close then turned around and smiled at Grimm. “Grimm this is Darrell. I think from the look in his eyes that you and he will get along fabulously.” A thin smile spread across her face as she stepped back to let the men get acquainted.
Grimm offered a hand and was rewarded with a handshake that had more presence than he had anticipated. “Thanks for coming on short notice. Close told me you’re doing good work and I’m looking forward to seeing your technology in action. As a war fighter I’m always grateful for less than lethal ways to deal with anything that comes up. Even in war every death is a tragedy.”
Darrell’s facial features changed and pride could be seen on it. “Well, our guys deserve the best that we can offer them. This device also has law enforcement applications beyond what is currently being offered. Our hopes are that domestically it will be deployed as area denial situations and in crowd control where lives are at risk. A good example might be the various G-8 and G-20 meeting protests were only a small percentage of the crowd is anticipating in vandalism or actively engaging the Law Enforcement presence. We are also prototyping a devise to be used in correctional setting that can increase the safety of Correction Officers.”
Grimm wasn’t interested in hearing any more about how great the device was. He was more interested in seeing the testing and forming his own opinions. Hell he understood that anything that kept people from being killed needlessly was a useful tool. “Darrell that’s outstanding and I look forward to seeing the thing in action. Due to security concerns we will be conducting the field testing here. Also, I assume you brought spare projectiles is that correct?”
Darrell looked at Grimm and nodded. “We brought 3 full load-outs and a few spares. We test each and every projectile before it’s loaded to insure that it tests within acceptable parameters.”
Grimm replied. “Excellent. Excellent. Darrell, the mission that we are going to attempt is very dangerous and I’ve changed the testing parameters. I’ve decided I need to see the weapon in a live test with live ammo. A few of my people and I will be the test subjects.”
Darrell paused to take in the information he had just be given. “Well…. We really hadn’t planned on using live projectile for the testing. Are you sure that’s a good idea? I wouldn’t want any of your people getting hurt this close to game time. I mean the projectiles have been fully tested and all but. What of something goes wrong and...?”
Grimm nodded to let Darrell know he understood his concern. “Darrell my people are Special Forces trained and have all undergone some type Taser training. That means they have been Tazed numerous times in training and can take whatever you can dish out. Please, let me worry about their safety.”
Darrell nodded. “You’re the man in charge. I’ll have the device ready for testing in 90 minutes.”
Grimm replied. “Thanks, I’ll see you then. Oh and Darrell, we have a dog on-site that just got here today. The dog is critical for our mission so if you have allergy meds you might want to take them. If you didn’t bring anything just write down what you need and we’ll get it for you.”
Darrell considered what Grimm had said. He hated dogs and the thought of sharing space with one almost made him break out in hives. “I’ll be OK. I brought something to take for the allergies. We’re not sharing a room are we?”
Grimm replied without looking at the man to hide the smile on his face. “Different parts of the building. If you have meds you should be OK.”
Grimm turned and walked away and Close followed him after saying goodbye to Darrell. They talked about the slightly strange scientist after they arrived at Grimm’s room and then spent the remaining time till the testing going over the most recent surveillance data.
2 hours later Grimm was shaking hands with Darrell and the other members of the team that had been involved in the demonstration were gathered around Darrell congratulating him on the test. Grimm had been told by Close that Darrell had a reputation as being an attention hog and needed constant adulation to fulfill his needs. With that in mind Grimm had asked his people to make a big deal out of a successful test to stroke the scientist’s ego.
Darrell stood with an aw-shucks look plastered on his face and emitting good feelings to those around him. Darrell had promised Grimm that he and his precious equipment would be ready 30 minutes from when Grimm called on him and the technology to help get the job done.
Back in Grimm’s room a few minutes later Grimm’s encrypted phone rang. He answered it and said a few words.
“Well that complicates things.”
Close scrunched up her face and looked Grimm. “Problem?”
Grimm looked at her. “Cat needs a meeting here in 30 minutes. He didn’t elaborate but he sounded shaky.”
Close nodded. She understood that undercover work could be frightening. “Well that is complicated. Can you bring him through another door so he doesn’t see the new toy we get to play with?”
Grimm replied. “Don’t really have a choice in the matter. What the hell were they thinking letting him use this place as a safe house? If he is compromised the whole operation could be destroyed.”
Close agreed and they talked about the short sightedness & serious missteps that were part of the business they had chosen. For the obscene amounts of money the various intelligence agencies spent sometimes it seemed that the whole thing was being run by 4th graders suffering from ADHD. Running parallel investigations made good sense but exposing the STAG operation to an outside agency was fought with unacceptable risks and Grimm was still steamed that it had happened. In the back of his mind he was still concerned that Kitty would make an error and face the dark and remorseless men that the Cartel used to extract information. If he was suspected of being anything other than a desperate guy trying to make a few dollars then it would compromise the whole operation that STAG had in play.
So 30 minutes later when Kitty called Close left Grimm’s room and headed to the security room to hang out while Grimm dealt with Kitty. A few minutes later Lep led Kitty into Grimm’s room. Lep nodded to Grimm and left the room.
Kitty looked drawn and pale like he hadn’t been sleeping very well the last few days. Grimm could understand his position. When you handled Lions and Tigers that could end your life in a matter of seconds and drew your pay from a psychotic murdering drug dealer life could get complicated. “Hey Kitty, how you holding up?”
Kitty wiped his hand through his hair. A nervous tick he had picked up since Grimm had seen him last time. “As well as can be expected, I guess. That crazy asshole had me feeding some of the big cats inside the enclosure with a whip and a stool like some god dam Siegfried and Roy impersonator from 1973. You’d think that murdering son-of-bitch would have listed being able to handle a whip as a prerequisite of the job. The old trainer must have been one cruel and ballsy guy. Those animals fear me like hell. Just holding the whip and twirling it around seems to be keeping them in line. They had some video of the regular guy and I discovered that he used a long fiberglass handled whip and a stick that was like a small baseball bat to control them. So, I asked around and someone brought me the correct equipment and I’ve learned to use it well enough to get by. I swear if I get the chance I just might kill that mean ass crazy soma bitch Lee.”
Grimm nodded understanding that what Kitty was doing was uber dangerous. “Well just make sure you never turn your back on the cats. You remember what happen to Roy and he had been working with animals all his life.”
Kitty looked at Grimm with a look of fear in his eyes. “I remember what those animals are capable of every second of every waking moment. Did I mention that the trainer had a special suit he wears underneath his coveralls? Nobody told me till I’d been in the enclosure a few times. The suit helps protect the trainer against claw and bite injuries and as I read up they say that feeding can be dangerous time and some recommend altering feeding times to avoid the aggressiveness that can happen when they anticipate it’s time to eat. But no, Lee wants to have a show that he or his crazy sycophants can watch like they were sitting down in front of one of his enormous TVs. Honestly I think they’re all hoping that I get attacked to break up their day and so that they can watch some blood flow or watch me get killed.”
Grimm was concerned that this guy was going to fold and jeopardize not just his own life but also Grimm’s operation and Grimm’s rapidly expanding team. “You need to take a break maybe get a nap or something to eat?
Kitty started at Grimm with hope in his eyes. “You mean it? I could use some sleep.”
Grimm looked at him and nodded. “When are they expecting you back?”
Kitty shrugged. “I told them I was going to get a drunk and go get laid. I checked and nobody followed me. I also stripped down into a different change of clothes and shoes. Your guy wanded me when I got here and he said I’m clean. All today’s feedings are done so I’m good till 5 or 6 tomorrow morning.”
“Sleep or eat? It’s your call.”
Kitty still looked haunted but looked less anxious than when he had arrived. “Sleep, if that’s OK?”
“You can use the same room as before. I have other guests so I’ll ask that you confine yourself to the bunkroom and the bathroom. Just hit the button on the intercom when you get up.”
Kitty nodded. “You got it. Thank you. Thank you I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Grimm was a man that could be sparse with words he simply nodded and watched as Kitty moved into the hallway. He hoped Kitty didn’t have any bad dreams. The man was clearly struggling with the pressure of his dangerous assignment. He’d sent an e-mail to Dark Voice and let him know that Kitty was getting a little shaky. Someone somewhere might want to think about pulling Kitty before his nervousness got him into trouble.
Grimm then called Close back to his room from the security room where she had been hiding. She told Grimm that the two security men had received phone calls from their girlfriends thanking them for the bags that had been sent to them. Grimm cracked a genuine smile. Here they were getting ready to carry out an important and dangerous assignment that would risk the lives of a dozen people he was responsible for and Close was talking about hand bags. Man this woman had guts. In 48 hours one or both of them could be dead or in the hands of Cartel enforcers armed with pliers and a blow torch.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Well dang post at nearly midnight would ya. Thank you for the 2 chapters.
stjwelding
Veteran Member
alangator Thanks for the 2 new chapters you never fail to amaze me with your the directions you take this story and the attention to detail. Thanks for the time and story.
Wayne
Wayne
223shootersc
Veteran Member
good stuff, thanks
stjwelding
Veteran Member
Hello alangator I hope this post finds you well, I am really missing your writing I check every day hoping for another chapter. I want to also thank you for all of your work in giving us the story so far and am looking forward the reading the rest of it.
Wayne
Wayne
Fuller
Part 30
Shelter-
Mongo guided Fuller’s black Suburban 20 feet past the driveway and stopped. Then he quickly popped the shifter up into reverse and backed the Suburban up the long gravel driveway. He moved the vehicle up the driveway as he looked at the area he was pretty sure he needed to stop at.
Fuller sat beside him staring at GPS coordinates on the hand held devise. Slow down you’re within 20 feet and stop. Now crank the wheel all the way to the left and move slowly, I’ll tell you when to stop.”
Mongo did as he was told and when they moved he barely allowed the front end of the truck to swing through and placed the rear of the vehicle facing toward the home where Jimmy Mackmann and his two young sons lived.
“Stop.” Fuller turned around and looked between the two front seats and looked out the rear window of the big SUV and made some mental calculations in his head. “I think that angle works. If I say baseball cap that means there is a problem and I need you to do the deal. We clear?”
“Crystal. Be careful, I still don’t trust these guys.”
Fuller nodded to his friend and employee. They had served together in the Marines and after they had both left the service worked as contractors in Iraq. Fuller had been wounded and had left 6 months before Mongo but when Mongo left the Marines Fuller had a job ready for him. That job was short lived and both men never got the last 30 days wages so Fuller elected to form his own company that hired ex-military and ex-law enforcement people to be contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mongo didn’t have much money to invest since he was helping out his family with various bills so Fuller gave him 20% of the company to act as his second in command and for awhile they were doing very well. Then an ambush of a supply convey they were protecting changed everything. That incident in a dry and dusty abandoned town in Iraq changed Fuller’s attitude. They had both escaped the ambush with minimal injuries however the team lost men, suffered 4 men serious injuries but worst of all Fuller had seen the bodies of the civilians that had been wounded and killed during the intense firefight. Fuller was forever a changed man and the company finished out the contract, sold their equipment to another PMC, returned their people to the US that wanted to return and disbanded. Fuller and Mongo had a bond that was strong because they had faced countless risky and dangerous situations and had always come through their ordeals in one piece and mostly unhurt. They watched each other’s back and today might be another day that Fuller required Mongo to save his life. “Hey, I think we’ll be OK here. If something does go wrong I’ll be running out one of those doors like my ass is on fire. You might want to keep the truck running.” Fuller slid out the front passenger side door and opened the door behind him and retrieved a simply nylon laptop case. He shut the door and then came around to Mongo’s side which didn’t face the house and opened the rear driver’s side door. He quickly pulled out a carbon fiber box shaped liked a big square suitcase and set it on the ground two feet outside the rear tire. He hit a rocker switch on the top of the housing and stood back up after seeing the flash from yellow to green. Fuller then unreeled a set of wires from the box and handed the remote to Mongo thru the driver’s window. He cleared his mind and pushed the driver’s rear door shut with his hip as he walked back around the back of the oversized SUV. Now that he was done he headed to the front door of the modest home in need of a fresh coat of white paint. As he walked he quickly scanned his surroundings looking for potential problems and listening to make sure the tailgate window of the vehicle was rolling down in its tracks. The Mackmann home sat on a 10 acre lot and while the main yard didn’t contain any trees or bushes the border of the property was lined with trees that could easily hide even an inexperienced hunter or sniper. Fuller know that because Tim Fields was 70 yards away looking at him and the house through his scope and if Fuller didn’t know exactly where he was he’d never locate him in the bushes and trees that surrounded the yard.
The yard had looked like you’d expect based on the time of the year. A grey metal building sat away from the house and from the satellite photos they had studied earlier Fuller thought it was maybe 40 by 50 feet meaning it was right around 2000 square feet. But the woods surrounding the property interested him the most. While he had been invited by Jimmy Mackmann he was aware that maybe Jimmy was ill tempered or stupid and had invited him here to kill him. Fuller hoped that wasn’t the case because if it was then every Mackmann in the house would die. Fuller had used a thermal imager that detected heat the first time they had driven by the house and knew that 1 person was in the house and two where in the metal building. He wasn’t too concerned that an innocent person would be hurt or killed if things didn’t work out. He hoped that Jimmy Mackmann and his sons understood that he didn’t mess around.
While Fuller had driven up with just Mongo the two men had dropped Tim Fields off away from the property 30 minutes ago and right now Fields was lying prone on the cold ground looking at the house through the scope of his 7.62x51 AR-15 rifle. Hidden inside the case Fuller had set by the rear tire of the Suburban were 2 basic 40mm grenade tubes loaded with a combination of a powerful pepper spray and Tear Gas that were triggered using a wired remote controls. That launcher was supplemented by another launcher located in the rear cargo area of the Suburban that held two more 40 mm grenade tubes loaded with the nasty pepper spray and tear gas combination. The idea is that if Jimmy or one of his sons attacked Fuller then Mongo would lay down a fog of the gas to help Fuller escape to the awaiting Suburban.
The weapon system had been developed by Fuller back when Fuller was in the Private Military Contractor industry. The initial idea came to him while in the field one day and as soon as he thought about it for a few minutes he felt he had an idea that needed an investment of time, energy and money to see if it had potential. He was running a small business in a hostile environment and wasn’t confident with his understanding of which materials should be used to construct the weapon so he hired a weapons engineer that had been laid off from his previous job due to cutbacks in military spending of all things. The units were designed and developed as supplemental defensive devices in fixed defensive positions and to be used on trucks on convey duty in Iraq and in Afghanistan. The mobile applications suffered from various problems and were never adapted. But the simplicity of the weapon system and its low cost was seen as useful by the military procurement office and the fixed position unit design was adapted on a very limited basis.
The genius of the design was its simplicity and the fact that it could be transported flat, used standard 40mm grenade tubes, could use standard 40mm grenades in a pinch or where the terrain dictated and was quickly and easily assembled in the field by soldiers with no previous experience with the system. They simply slid the unit out of the box, separated the two large pieces and folded up the legs on the bottom plate and bolted the top plate to the legs. After that they affixed the tubes to the tube base and they were done. Two simple rotating wheels adjusted the direction the barrels pointed and the angle of the trajectory which determined where the projectile would land. The boxes were designed to be set on the ground, easily bolted to the wall of a building or attached to the one of the Hesco barriers that were used so often by the military now. While not as devastating as indirect fire like mortars the units would isolate one area and make that area more difficult to attack effectively. Since they had only so many tubes the idea was to use the less than lethal munitions to incapacitate attackers in the target area. The combination gas could also used in areas that had civilians without the risk of causing deaths as insurgents and fundamentalists fighters had a tendency to use civilian populations to block facing the true wrath of the US military’s might. The effects of the incapacitating gas could be reduced or eliminated by wearing a quality gas mask. But the fighters they faced were most often part-timers and hadn’t been properly trained in the proper methods of fighting wearing a gas mask. That meant that once they donned the protective mask their ability to fight was greatly compromised.
When Fuller was developing the weapon he understood that while members of Al-Qaida and other insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan might be able to get their hands on as many AK-47s,RPGs, artillery shells and as much ammo as they could shot obtaining other standard military gear was often difficult. He had fought insurgents that lacked the basis equipment that would be issued to even the most ragtag units under control of even an impoverished nation. The upside of lacking the proper equipment is that it kept the under equipped insurgent fighters mobile and faster than soldiers weighted down with the weight of body armor and rucksacks loaded with equipment they might or might not need.
For the insurgents getting a hold of gas masks and the matching filters that were still inside their service life was a little more difficult than you would have thought. A prime source should have been Israel thru the used market but most of those well made used units were exported to the US and other western countries. Israel was a country that had been under the constant threat of a war breaking out with their Arab neighbors every single day since the last war with their Arab neighbors ended. Recent tensions and the overall instability of various Middle Eastern governments meant that everyday Israelis’ understood the true threat of ABC doctrine better than many western Generals with decades of military experience. For decade’s citizens of Israel all had access to gas masks and other ABC protection and yet the insurgents were still unable to obtain enough gas masks to protect their fighters from something as basic as tear gas or pepper spray. Evidence indicated that many of their Arab neighbors had at one time or another had biological and chemical weapon programs so the risk of an ABC event was higher than anywhere else in the world.
In a way that was uniquely regional to the area along the Afghanistan/Pakistani border in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) much of the arms and ammunition that the fighters used was produced in small family run workshops in places like Darra, Bara and Jamrud Pakistan. US Intelligence sources indicated that they thought that those small primitive workshops had made attempts to manufacture the masks needed to protect fighters from the tear gas and pepper spray without much success. Darra and other cities in the area were notorious for their illegal weapon’s manufacturing workshops. But their experience and expertise in those places was focused more on manufacturing guns made of steel and wood or producing ammo and the complexities of various high-tech plastics and filter technology weren’t something they had perfected quite yet. Plus many fighters had beards that made the masks significantly less effectively and were seldom properly trained in using the protective equipment. More than a few fighters had been arrogant enough when the tear gas/pepper spray grenades exploded to don their masks assuming that they’d be OK only to succumb to the gas and let themselves become excellent targets. They were the type of targets that US soldiers and their Iraqi and Afghani counter-parts were very good at dispatching effectively sending the insurgent to his meeting with Allah in Paradise.
Part 30
Shelter-
Mongo guided Fuller’s black Suburban 20 feet past the driveway and stopped. Then he quickly popped the shifter up into reverse and backed the Suburban up the long gravel driveway. He moved the vehicle up the driveway as he looked at the area he was pretty sure he needed to stop at.
Fuller sat beside him staring at GPS coordinates on the hand held devise. Slow down you’re within 20 feet and stop. Now crank the wheel all the way to the left and move slowly, I’ll tell you when to stop.”
Mongo did as he was told and when they moved he barely allowed the front end of the truck to swing through and placed the rear of the vehicle facing toward the home where Jimmy Mackmann and his two young sons lived.
“Stop.” Fuller turned around and looked between the two front seats and looked out the rear window of the big SUV and made some mental calculations in his head. “I think that angle works. If I say baseball cap that means there is a problem and I need you to do the deal. We clear?”
“Crystal. Be careful, I still don’t trust these guys.”
Fuller nodded to his friend and employee. They had served together in the Marines and after they had both left the service worked as contractors in Iraq. Fuller had been wounded and had left 6 months before Mongo but when Mongo left the Marines Fuller had a job ready for him. That job was short lived and both men never got the last 30 days wages so Fuller elected to form his own company that hired ex-military and ex-law enforcement people to be contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mongo didn’t have much money to invest since he was helping out his family with various bills so Fuller gave him 20% of the company to act as his second in command and for awhile they were doing very well. Then an ambush of a supply convey they were protecting changed everything. That incident in a dry and dusty abandoned town in Iraq changed Fuller’s attitude. They had both escaped the ambush with minimal injuries however the team lost men, suffered 4 men serious injuries but worst of all Fuller had seen the bodies of the civilians that had been wounded and killed during the intense firefight. Fuller was forever a changed man and the company finished out the contract, sold their equipment to another PMC, returned their people to the US that wanted to return and disbanded. Fuller and Mongo had a bond that was strong because they had faced countless risky and dangerous situations and had always come through their ordeals in one piece and mostly unhurt. They watched each other’s back and today might be another day that Fuller required Mongo to save his life. “Hey, I think we’ll be OK here. If something does go wrong I’ll be running out one of those doors like my ass is on fire. You might want to keep the truck running.” Fuller slid out the front passenger side door and opened the door behind him and retrieved a simply nylon laptop case. He shut the door and then came around to Mongo’s side which didn’t face the house and opened the rear driver’s side door. He quickly pulled out a carbon fiber box shaped liked a big square suitcase and set it on the ground two feet outside the rear tire. He hit a rocker switch on the top of the housing and stood back up after seeing the flash from yellow to green. Fuller then unreeled a set of wires from the box and handed the remote to Mongo thru the driver’s window. He cleared his mind and pushed the driver’s rear door shut with his hip as he walked back around the back of the oversized SUV. Now that he was done he headed to the front door of the modest home in need of a fresh coat of white paint. As he walked he quickly scanned his surroundings looking for potential problems and listening to make sure the tailgate window of the vehicle was rolling down in its tracks. The Mackmann home sat on a 10 acre lot and while the main yard didn’t contain any trees or bushes the border of the property was lined with trees that could easily hide even an inexperienced hunter or sniper. Fuller know that because Tim Fields was 70 yards away looking at him and the house through his scope and if Fuller didn’t know exactly where he was he’d never locate him in the bushes and trees that surrounded the yard.
The yard had looked like you’d expect based on the time of the year. A grey metal building sat away from the house and from the satellite photos they had studied earlier Fuller thought it was maybe 40 by 50 feet meaning it was right around 2000 square feet. But the woods surrounding the property interested him the most. While he had been invited by Jimmy Mackmann he was aware that maybe Jimmy was ill tempered or stupid and had invited him here to kill him. Fuller hoped that wasn’t the case because if it was then every Mackmann in the house would die. Fuller had used a thermal imager that detected heat the first time they had driven by the house and knew that 1 person was in the house and two where in the metal building. He wasn’t too concerned that an innocent person would be hurt or killed if things didn’t work out. He hoped that Jimmy Mackmann and his sons understood that he didn’t mess around.
While Fuller had driven up with just Mongo the two men had dropped Tim Fields off away from the property 30 minutes ago and right now Fields was lying prone on the cold ground looking at the house through the scope of his 7.62x51 AR-15 rifle. Hidden inside the case Fuller had set by the rear tire of the Suburban were 2 basic 40mm grenade tubes loaded with a combination of a powerful pepper spray and Tear Gas that were triggered using a wired remote controls. That launcher was supplemented by another launcher located in the rear cargo area of the Suburban that held two more 40 mm grenade tubes loaded with the nasty pepper spray and tear gas combination. The idea is that if Jimmy or one of his sons attacked Fuller then Mongo would lay down a fog of the gas to help Fuller escape to the awaiting Suburban.
The weapon system had been developed by Fuller back when Fuller was in the Private Military Contractor industry. The initial idea came to him while in the field one day and as soon as he thought about it for a few minutes he felt he had an idea that needed an investment of time, energy and money to see if it had potential. He was running a small business in a hostile environment and wasn’t confident with his understanding of which materials should be used to construct the weapon so he hired a weapons engineer that had been laid off from his previous job due to cutbacks in military spending of all things. The units were designed and developed as supplemental defensive devices in fixed defensive positions and to be used on trucks on convey duty in Iraq and in Afghanistan. The mobile applications suffered from various problems and were never adapted. But the simplicity of the weapon system and its low cost was seen as useful by the military procurement office and the fixed position unit design was adapted on a very limited basis.
The genius of the design was its simplicity and the fact that it could be transported flat, used standard 40mm grenade tubes, could use standard 40mm grenades in a pinch or where the terrain dictated and was quickly and easily assembled in the field by soldiers with no previous experience with the system. They simply slid the unit out of the box, separated the two large pieces and folded up the legs on the bottom plate and bolted the top plate to the legs. After that they affixed the tubes to the tube base and they were done. Two simple rotating wheels adjusted the direction the barrels pointed and the angle of the trajectory which determined where the projectile would land. The boxes were designed to be set on the ground, easily bolted to the wall of a building or attached to the one of the Hesco barriers that were used so often by the military now. While not as devastating as indirect fire like mortars the units would isolate one area and make that area more difficult to attack effectively. Since they had only so many tubes the idea was to use the less than lethal munitions to incapacitate attackers in the target area. The combination gas could also used in areas that had civilians without the risk of causing deaths as insurgents and fundamentalists fighters had a tendency to use civilian populations to block facing the true wrath of the US military’s might. The effects of the incapacitating gas could be reduced or eliminated by wearing a quality gas mask. But the fighters they faced were most often part-timers and hadn’t been properly trained in the proper methods of fighting wearing a gas mask. That meant that once they donned the protective mask their ability to fight was greatly compromised.
When Fuller was developing the weapon he understood that while members of Al-Qaida and other insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan might be able to get their hands on as many AK-47s,RPGs, artillery shells and as much ammo as they could shot obtaining other standard military gear was often difficult. He had fought insurgents that lacked the basis equipment that would be issued to even the most ragtag units under control of even an impoverished nation. The upside of lacking the proper equipment is that it kept the under equipped insurgent fighters mobile and faster than soldiers weighted down with the weight of body armor and rucksacks loaded with equipment they might or might not need.
For the insurgents getting a hold of gas masks and the matching filters that were still inside their service life was a little more difficult than you would have thought. A prime source should have been Israel thru the used market but most of those well made used units were exported to the US and other western countries. Israel was a country that had been under the constant threat of a war breaking out with their Arab neighbors every single day since the last war with their Arab neighbors ended. Recent tensions and the overall instability of various Middle Eastern governments meant that everyday Israelis’ understood the true threat of ABC doctrine better than many western Generals with decades of military experience. For decade’s citizens of Israel all had access to gas masks and other ABC protection and yet the insurgents were still unable to obtain enough gas masks to protect their fighters from something as basic as tear gas or pepper spray. Evidence indicated that many of their Arab neighbors had at one time or another had biological and chemical weapon programs so the risk of an ABC event was higher than anywhere else in the world.
In a way that was uniquely regional to the area along the Afghanistan/Pakistani border in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) much of the arms and ammunition that the fighters used was produced in small family run workshops in places like Darra, Bara and Jamrud Pakistan. US Intelligence sources indicated that they thought that those small primitive workshops had made attempts to manufacture the masks needed to protect fighters from the tear gas and pepper spray without much success. Darra and other cities in the area were notorious for their illegal weapon’s manufacturing workshops. But their experience and expertise in those places was focused more on manufacturing guns made of steel and wood or producing ammo and the complexities of various high-tech plastics and filter technology weren’t something they had perfected quite yet. Plus many fighters had beards that made the masks significantly less effectively and were seldom properly trained in using the protective equipment. More than a few fighters had been arrogant enough when the tear gas/pepper spray grenades exploded to don their masks assuming that they’d be OK only to succumb to the gas and let themselves become excellent targets. They were the type of targets that US soldiers and their Iraqi and Afghani counter-parts were very good at dispatching effectively sending the insurgent to his meeting with Allah in Paradise.
Fuller Part 31
Fuller
Part 31
Since nothing looked out of place and confident that the grenade launchers, Mongo and Tim Fields would do their jobs Fuller climbed the 2 stairs to the front door and knocked. Almost immediately Jimmy opened the door and propped open the screen door. “Thanks for making time for us we appreciate it.” He then extended his hand and the men shook.
Fuller stepped into the house carrying the briefcase containing 2 stun grenades, a fighting knife, a gas mask, the back-up to his back-up pistol and some spare magazines that fit all three handguns he had with him. “Jimmy I’m glad to be here. My friend called and told me that you called about getting the boys into the Marines.”
Jimmy ushered Fuller into a clean front room with furniture that had obviously seen better days. But the room was clean and Fuller could smell the sharp smell of the cleaning products that had recently been used to bring the room up to par.
Jimmy continued. “I talked to the boys and they are both almost ready to make the commitment but they have a few questions and their girlfriends are trying to talk them out of it. You mentioned you’d talk to them if they had questions or concerns you might be able to help with. I’ve been out of the Marines long enough I was hoping they benefit from your more recent experiences in the Corps.”
Fuller nodded. “No problem. Are they here?”
Jimmy nodded. “They’re both in the metal building working on a truck they bought a few months ago. They buy a truck here and there and fix it up and sell it at a profit. They never get rich doing it but they’re both really good with their hands.”
“Hey that sounds promising. The Marines are always looking for good mechanics and when they get out they can take their training and maybe parley it into a well paying career. “I have a full time diesel guy that works for me and he makes good money. OK, let’s go see this truck and see what’s what. They know I’m coming to talk to them?”
Jimmy nodded. “I mentioned you offered and they asked to see you. I think maybe something clicked in them boys head and they realize that they better straighten up before it’s too late.”
Fuller followed Jimmy toward the front door and out onto the steps in front of the house. “That’s good maybe they can get onto something good before the door closes and they do something stupid.” Fuller paused after they stepped onto the front yard. “Jimmy, you understand that I didn’t come here alone.”
Jimmy snickered. “Sir I didn’t think you would, you seem to be a very cautious man. And if you can drum up 3 guys in rattle in less than an hour that tells me that you’re a man best not trifled with. And if your friend can get 4 men like yourself to drop what they’re doing and come running loaded for bear he has my respect also. You’re safe here; you have my word as a Marine.”
Fuller followed Jimmy toward the metal building. “Glad to hear you feel that way. It makes things quite a bit easier. I was afraid for a second you were going to give me your word as a gentleman.”
“Sir, that isn’t likely to happen. The day I claim to be a gentleman is the day the boys should put me in a home because surely that means I have gone plum crazy.”
Fuller snickered at the remark but didn’t reply further.
The men were silent as they strolled across the yard and toward the metal building. Jimmy opened the door and stepped in. Fuller could hear music playing over a radio or an MP3 docking station and smiled. When Fuller was still living at home he and his brother would be working in the garage listening to music and girls or discussing what they planned on doing when they got older. It was nice to see that times may change but music remained as a constant companion to some that valued the entertainment it provided. To Fuller music was the soundtrack of his life and ironically he remembered some songs as stirringly as the things that had happened. His memory was broken as Jimmy called to his sons.
“HEY BOYS, turn down that dam music down. We have a visitor.”
Fuller saw the boys peek out from underneath the black truck they had been working on and the music abruptly went silent. The truck sat on sections of railroad ties and all the wheels and tires had been removed. They were working in the front of the truck so Fuller guessed they were either doing brake or suspension work. They slid out from under the truck and stood. Both of them wiped their hands on red shop towels they pulled from their pockets and moved toward Fuller.
The younger one Bo put his hand out to shake and Fuller ignored the grease and grime and shook his hand like men do even if it means getting their hands dirty. “Sir, good to see you again. Thank you for talking the time out of your schedule to talk to us. I know we were out of line last time we saw you and I’d like to apologize again for our behavior.”
Fuller was thinking maybe these immature knuckleheads might be redeemable. “Bo it’s no problem. Ex-Marines like your dad and I stick together.”
Hunter had waited his turn and stepped forward as his younger brother stepped back. Hunter stuck his hand out and repeated the process. “Sir, we appreciate you making the trip out to talk to us. We told dad that we’d buy you lunch to thank you for your time but he said you told him that you’d rather talk here. The reason we asked him to call you is the last few days we’ve been talking to Dad about joining the Marines like he and you did and we have a few questions we were hoping you could help us with.”
Fuller nodded. “Your dad offered to buy me lunch and while appreciate the offer I thought we’d be able to talk more honesty in this environment. Just so you know I expect and demand total honesty. Is that understood?”
Both young men nodded their heads to indicate that Fuller’s request was reasonable and acceptable to them and replied with a respectful yes sir.
“Now, tell me what going on and maybe I can help.”
Jimmy had been moving the group toward a beautiful workbench and sat at the stools that surrounded it. The workbench was the type you see in woodworking magazines and had 2 vices and an oiled hardwood butcher block top. The boys explained that they were getting grief from their girlfriends. Neither woman wanted them to join the Marines and leave them. While neither young man made much money their girlfriends were stuck on the idea of turning them into husbands and all that entailed.
Fuller explained that to start life with the best possible outcome that sometimes sacrifices had to be made. While missing loved ones had been part of duty since the dawn of time the US military offered advantages unheard of before the modern times. The specialized training and educational benefits alone could often be parlayed into a comfortable and productive life. And while Fuller understood not wanting to leave someone that you cared about sometimes it was necessary to prepare for one’s future at the expense of emotional and financial hardships in the present.
The two men and the boys discussed it for 45 minutes. Fuller made them an offer that he thought might be appealing to the young men. First of all he would arrange for the boys to undergo a psychological screening similar to the one that the Marines used to determine if a candidate was fit to serve in the US Military. If they passed that test a friend in Arkansas ran a boot camp for troubled teens. The camp ran a course for those thinking of joining the Armed Forces. For the first 30 days they themselves would be undergoing a mini version of Marine Boot Camp before taking on the various responsibilities of acting as an instructor at the part of the camp that dealt with the troubled teens. If they could hack the both phases of 60 day course then they would most likely be able to handle the rigors of Marine Boot Camp. Since Fuller was pretty sure based on he had found in their pockets at Tim Field’s place that one or both the boys had recently smoked marihuana they needed time to allow their bodies to completely clear the illegal substance. The Marines had a very rigid view of the drug’s use and he understood that for some heavier users the time the drug stayed in the body could approach 90 days. So he asked and was told that they would smoke weed a few times a week but not any more than that due to the high cost of the illegal substance.
The boys both agreed to be evaluated and to refrain from all illegal substance and alcohol. If they passed the initial testing then they would be looking forward to getting a small taste of what life was like in the military. The young men rose and thanked Fuller for his time. During the meeting Fuller vaguely alluded to the fact that he had done work as a contractor overseas and that he now had various successful business’s that employed 30 people or so. He had also spoken of the companies that made hiring ex-veterans a priority. Employer’s liked the fact that ex-military personnel were used to a set of conduct that would advance their business and were usually well disciplined and motivated.
Fuller walked around the SUV and flipped the switch to the 40mm grenade launcher collected the remote from Mongo and put the case back in the backseat. He then walked around the back of the SUV and reached in thru the rear window and did the same thing to the other unit. Fuller walked around to his door while waving to Jimmy and the boys and Mongo pulled out heading back toward the road. Fuller dialed Tim Field’s phone and waited for an answer. While the men were inside talking Fields had changed positions and was at the corner of the Mackmann property near the driveway. That was basically where Fuller picked him up just out of sight of the Mackmann house. Mongo and Fields had been listening to the microphone that Fuller was wearing for the meeting and heard every word that was said. Tim Fields walked in from the woods and removed the rifle’s magazine, ejected the shell in the chamber did a visual and manual check of his rifle and set it in a case in the back seat before bending down to retrieve the shell that had been ejected before climbing into the rear passenger side seat.
Fuller turned around and was vaguely facing Fields in the back seat. “Tim thanks for making the time to help out.”
Tim fields smirked. “Hey I’m the one that caused the problem and Becky was glad to hear that you were going to make peace with them. That means I should thank you for stepping in and helping. I will be honest and tell you I was a tad freaked at the possibility of having to shot someone even if was to save your life.”
Fuller nodded out the front window. “That is perfectly understandable. Everyone feels that way the first time they are put in that position. My experience is that when things go bad that many people just adapt and roll with it. If it ever gets to the point that something happens and you do have to shoot or even kill someone you come to one of us and we’ll talk it out. Shooting people should be a big thing. Those feelings keep the world from defaulting into chaos. But today you did great.”
Tim fields reached for the water bottle in the armrest and took a drink. “Fuller do you think those boys are going to turn it around and get civilized?”
Fuller thought about the question for a moment. It was a very good question and he was wondering the same thing during the meeting with Jimmy and his two wayward sons. “Listen I offered to help them get on the right path to getting into and thriving in the Marines. Let’s face it the rest is up to them. But I can definitely see them in trouble if they don’t do something to turn their lives’ around. Military service just might be the thing that redeems them but it might be something else entirely. This is one of those times were time will tell.”
Mongo spoke up for the first time since Tim had gotten back into the truck. “I dhink them two young men are going to go into the Marines and do their fadder proud. I heard a pretty big difference between when we talked to them a few days ago and today. Joining the Marines was the best decision I ever made. When I was younger I was a hell raiser and the Marines made me a man. It can do the same for them.”
Fuller replied. “Well let’s hope that’s the case for those two boys. Having them wondering around on Tim’s property isn’t very good for keeping the shelter a secret.”
Mongo gripped the steering wheel of the big SUV and turned onto Tim’s road. Now that the meeting with Jimmy Mackmann and his two young sons was done he needed to drop in on one of Cole Smith’s neighbors and beg for the opportunity to hunt his property next season. One of Fuller’s trail cameras had caught sight of a stunning 12 point buck on Cole Smith’s concrete plant property and the only way he knew to get a quality shot on the buck was from the neighbor’s property.
Fuller
Part 31
Since nothing looked out of place and confident that the grenade launchers, Mongo and Tim Fields would do their jobs Fuller climbed the 2 stairs to the front door and knocked. Almost immediately Jimmy opened the door and propped open the screen door. “Thanks for making time for us we appreciate it.” He then extended his hand and the men shook.
Fuller stepped into the house carrying the briefcase containing 2 stun grenades, a fighting knife, a gas mask, the back-up to his back-up pistol and some spare magazines that fit all three handguns he had with him. “Jimmy I’m glad to be here. My friend called and told me that you called about getting the boys into the Marines.”
Jimmy ushered Fuller into a clean front room with furniture that had obviously seen better days. But the room was clean and Fuller could smell the sharp smell of the cleaning products that had recently been used to bring the room up to par.
Jimmy continued. “I talked to the boys and they are both almost ready to make the commitment but they have a few questions and their girlfriends are trying to talk them out of it. You mentioned you’d talk to them if they had questions or concerns you might be able to help with. I’ve been out of the Marines long enough I was hoping they benefit from your more recent experiences in the Corps.”
Fuller nodded. “No problem. Are they here?”
Jimmy nodded. “They’re both in the metal building working on a truck they bought a few months ago. They buy a truck here and there and fix it up and sell it at a profit. They never get rich doing it but they’re both really good with their hands.”
“Hey that sounds promising. The Marines are always looking for good mechanics and when they get out they can take their training and maybe parley it into a well paying career. “I have a full time diesel guy that works for me and he makes good money. OK, let’s go see this truck and see what’s what. They know I’m coming to talk to them?”
Jimmy nodded. “I mentioned you offered and they asked to see you. I think maybe something clicked in them boys head and they realize that they better straighten up before it’s too late.”
Fuller followed Jimmy toward the front door and out onto the steps in front of the house. “That’s good maybe they can get onto something good before the door closes and they do something stupid.” Fuller paused after they stepped onto the front yard. “Jimmy, you understand that I didn’t come here alone.”
Jimmy snickered. “Sir I didn’t think you would, you seem to be a very cautious man. And if you can drum up 3 guys in rattle in less than an hour that tells me that you’re a man best not trifled with. And if your friend can get 4 men like yourself to drop what they’re doing and come running loaded for bear he has my respect also. You’re safe here; you have my word as a Marine.”
Fuller followed Jimmy toward the metal building. “Glad to hear you feel that way. It makes things quite a bit easier. I was afraid for a second you were going to give me your word as a gentleman.”
“Sir, that isn’t likely to happen. The day I claim to be a gentleman is the day the boys should put me in a home because surely that means I have gone plum crazy.”
Fuller snickered at the remark but didn’t reply further.
The men were silent as they strolled across the yard and toward the metal building. Jimmy opened the door and stepped in. Fuller could hear music playing over a radio or an MP3 docking station and smiled. When Fuller was still living at home he and his brother would be working in the garage listening to music and girls or discussing what they planned on doing when they got older. It was nice to see that times may change but music remained as a constant companion to some that valued the entertainment it provided. To Fuller music was the soundtrack of his life and ironically he remembered some songs as stirringly as the things that had happened. His memory was broken as Jimmy called to his sons.
“HEY BOYS, turn down that dam music down. We have a visitor.”
Fuller saw the boys peek out from underneath the black truck they had been working on and the music abruptly went silent. The truck sat on sections of railroad ties and all the wheels and tires had been removed. They were working in the front of the truck so Fuller guessed they were either doing brake or suspension work. They slid out from under the truck and stood. Both of them wiped their hands on red shop towels they pulled from their pockets and moved toward Fuller.
The younger one Bo put his hand out to shake and Fuller ignored the grease and grime and shook his hand like men do even if it means getting their hands dirty. “Sir, good to see you again. Thank you for talking the time out of your schedule to talk to us. I know we were out of line last time we saw you and I’d like to apologize again for our behavior.”
Fuller was thinking maybe these immature knuckleheads might be redeemable. “Bo it’s no problem. Ex-Marines like your dad and I stick together.”
Hunter had waited his turn and stepped forward as his younger brother stepped back. Hunter stuck his hand out and repeated the process. “Sir, we appreciate you making the trip out to talk to us. We told dad that we’d buy you lunch to thank you for your time but he said you told him that you’d rather talk here. The reason we asked him to call you is the last few days we’ve been talking to Dad about joining the Marines like he and you did and we have a few questions we were hoping you could help us with.”
Fuller nodded. “Your dad offered to buy me lunch and while appreciate the offer I thought we’d be able to talk more honesty in this environment. Just so you know I expect and demand total honesty. Is that understood?”
Both young men nodded their heads to indicate that Fuller’s request was reasonable and acceptable to them and replied with a respectful yes sir.
“Now, tell me what going on and maybe I can help.”
Jimmy had been moving the group toward a beautiful workbench and sat at the stools that surrounded it. The workbench was the type you see in woodworking magazines and had 2 vices and an oiled hardwood butcher block top. The boys explained that they were getting grief from their girlfriends. Neither woman wanted them to join the Marines and leave them. While neither young man made much money their girlfriends were stuck on the idea of turning them into husbands and all that entailed.
Fuller explained that to start life with the best possible outcome that sometimes sacrifices had to be made. While missing loved ones had been part of duty since the dawn of time the US military offered advantages unheard of before the modern times. The specialized training and educational benefits alone could often be parlayed into a comfortable and productive life. And while Fuller understood not wanting to leave someone that you cared about sometimes it was necessary to prepare for one’s future at the expense of emotional and financial hardships in the present.
The two men and the boys discussed it for 45 minutes. Fuller made them an offer that he thought might be appealing to the young men. First of all he would arrange for the boys to undergo a psychological screening similar to the one that the Marines used to determine if a candidate was fit to serve in the US Military. If they passed that test a friend in Arkansas ran a boot camp for troubled teens. The camp ran a course for those thinking of joining the Armed Forces. For the first 30 days they themselves would be undergoing a mini version of Marine Boot Camp before taking on the various responsibilities of acting as an instructor at the part of the camp that dealt with the troubled teens. If they could hack the both phases of 60 day course then they would most likely be able to handle the rigors of Marine Boot Camp. Since Fuller was pretty sure based on he had found in their pockets at Tim Field’s place that one or both the boys had recently smoked marihuana they needed time to allow their bodies to completely clear the illegal substance. The Marines had a very rigid view of the drug’s use and he understood that for some heavier users the time the drug stayed in the body could approach 90 days. So he asked and was told that they would smoke weed a few times a week but not any more than that due to the high cost of the illegal substance.
The boys both agreed to be evaluated and to refrain from all illegal substance and alcohol. If they passed the initial testing then they would be looking forward to getting a small taste of what life was like in the military. The young men rose and thanked Fuller for his time. During the meeting Fuller vaguely alluded to the fact that he had done work as a contractor overseas and that he now had various successful business’s that employed 30 people or so. He had also spoken of the companies that made hiring ex-veterans a priority. Employer’s liked the fact that ex-military personnel were used to a set of conduct that would advance their business and were usually well disciplined and motivated.
Fuller walked around the SUV and flipped the switch to the 40mm grenade launcher collected the remote from Mongo and put the case back in the backseat. He then walked around the back of the SUV and reached in thru the rear window and did the same thing to the other unit. Fuller walked around to his door while waving to Jimmy and the boys and Mongo pulled out heading back toward the road. Fuller dialed Tim Field’s phone and waited for an answer. While the men were inside talking Fields had changed positions and was at the corner of the Mackmann property near the driveway. That was basically where Fuller picked him up just out of sight of the Mackmann house. Mongo and Fields had been listening to the microphone that Fuller was wearing for the meeting and heard every word that was said. Tim Fields walked in from the woods and removed the rifle’s magazine, ejected the shell in the chamber did a visual and manual check of his rifle and set it in a case in the back seat before bending down to retrieve the shell that had been ejected before climbing into the rear passenger side seat.
Fuller turned around and was vaguely facing Fields in the back seat. “Tim thanks for making the time to help out.”
Tim fields smirked. “Hey I’m the one that caused the problem and Becky was glad to hear that you were going to make peace with them. That means I should thank you for stepping in and helping. I will be honest and tell you I was a tad freaked at the possibility of having to shot someone even if was to save your life.”
Fuller nodded out the front window. “That is perfectly understandable. Everyone feels that way the first time they are put in that position. My experience is that when things go bad that many people just adapt and roll with it. If it ever gets to the point that something happens and you do have to shoot or even kill someone you come to one of us and we’ll talk it out. Shooting people should be a big thing. Those feelings keep the world from defaulting into chaos. But today you did great.”
Tim fields reached for the water bottle in the armrest and took a drink. “Fuller do you think those boys are going to turn it around and get civilized?”
Fuller thought about the question for a moment. It was a very good question and he was wondering the same thing during the meeting with Jimmy and his two wayward sons. “Listen I offered to help them get on the right path to getting into and thriving in the Marines. Let’s face it the rest is up to them. But I can definitely see them in trouble if they don’t do something to turn their lives’ around. Military service just might be the thing that redeems them but it might be something else entirely. This is one of those times were time will tell.”
Mongo spoke up for the first time since Tim had gotten back into the truck. “I dhink them two young men are going to go into the Marines and do their fadder proud. I heard a pretty big difference between when we talked to them a few days ago and today. Joining the Marines was the best decision I ever made. When I was younger I was a hell raiser and the Marines made me a man. It can do the same for them.”
Fuller replied. “Well let’s hope that’s the case for those two boys. Having them wondering around on Tim’s property isn’t very good for keeping the shelter a secret.”
Mongo gripped the steering wheel of the big SUV and turned onto Tim’s road. Now that the meeting with Jimmy Mackmann and his two young sons was done he needed to drop in on one of Cole Smith’s neighbors and beg for the opportunity to hunt his property next season. One of Fuller’s trail cameras had caught sight of a stunning 12 point buck on Cole Smith’s concrete plant property and the only way he knew to get a quality shot on the buck was from the neighbor’s property.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Wonderful, thank you for the 2 new chapters 
.
.Fuller
Part 32
STAG
Swing and a miss
The flatbed delivery truck moved down the wide and well kept avenue toward the La Fin Café as Grimm listened to his people report over their encrypted radios. They were helping him to keep abreast of what was going on in and around the target site. For most of them if the operation went as planned their job would be to simply indentify bodyguards stationed away from the café itself and keep them out of the fight by any means necessary. The other concern that they would be responsible for was dissuading the army of private security guards that were present at almost every business on the Avenue to mind their own business. The high crime rate coupled with affluent patrons meant that shops and restaurants almost always provided a security presence. Traditionally the security guards handled the inside of the shops/restaurants and the business’s parking lots and the Police patrolled the streets. The Avenue itself housed upscale shopping and dining so the various Police forces maintained a strong presence to insure that the area’s patrons stayed safe from the violence that plagued the city and their lives. Kidnappings and bloody assassinations in upscale shopping and dining districts had a tendency to spook patrons and the authorities made a valiant attempt to keep the area free of the bloodshed and violence that had plagued Juarez for far too long.
But as part of the overall operation plan, Grimm working with Close and the team in the US had devised methods to decrease the likelihood that they would be hampered by local authorities. 2 minutes earlier a native Spanish speaking member of Grimm’s Intel team operating in the US had called in a massive shooting with multiple injuries to the Police that they hoped would move the Police from the shopping area that the STAG team was working in and toward the reported shooting. 5 minutes ago a small car bomb was detonated a few more miles outside 180 degree corridor that they hoped would draw the attention of various Police and military personnel. Along with the reported shooting incident and the car bomb Grimm’s Intel team had instituted 5 other scams in the last 60 minutes that were likely to cause problems for authorities’ area wide. 2 vehicles were broken down on busy streets 10 and 15 blocks away the opposite direction from their planned escape route. The staged break downs were positioned to maximize congestion and cause traffic snarls that would require the Police to dispatch personnel hoping to untangle traffic and encourage motorist to keep a cool head. Back in the US hackers working for the STAG program had a tripped an alarm at a bank that indicted a robbery was in progress. An hour ago it was announced that the local professional soccer team referred to as the Indios announced they had obtained permission from the league to re-establish the team in Juarez starting the beginning of the next soccer season. The statement indicated that security would be a team priority and that a soon to be announced Mexican National player would be part of the team as an owner and a player. To thank the citizens of Juarez the team was offering tickets to the first 5 home games for the equivalent of half off what the tickets had cost when the team abandoned the city a few years earlier. Mexico just like most of the world saw soccer as the world’s sport and people from all over the city were making their way toward the stadium and the other listed ticket outlets to take advantage of the deal and support their team. Many were excited about the fact that the team had landed at least one top flight international player. The catch was that the tickets were only available at the Stadium or at 10 locations throughout the city that Intel had identified as being fronts for Juarez Cartel human smuggling activity. The stadium and the 10 ticket locations were along the corridor that would allow the team’s egress after their mission. The Mayor’s office had received a press release from the team and immediately held a news conference lauding the fact that the team was returning to their home stadium and taking credit for the accomplishment. The last and possibly the most cumbersome scam involved the hacking of the data and communications network of the various local, State and Federal Police as well as certain military units. The voice communications systems were compromised and STAG personal were sending Police and the Military willy-nilly all over town. The hacking sent responding units to a multitude of false calls and all those calls moved members away from the area and moved them so that they weren’t in a position to intercept the fleeing STAG team members after the mission. All in the entire plan wasn’t perfect but the team had a better chance of success than if they had done the operation with the assets they had ignored the deception operations.
The truck being used was a newish commercial truck outfitted with a flatbed and had been turned into a rolling advertisement for a Mexican Beer. On the flatbed an elaborate sign hid all the pieces of the Taser weapon in plain sight. But the Mexican Beer didn’t exist anyplace but in the heads of the equipment techs at Fuller’s borrowed hanger in Texas. To keep the illusion alive someone in Grimm’s organization in Texas had bought 20 cases of a decent Mexican beer in El Paso and steamed the labels off and replaced them with labels they had printed in the make-shift workshop. They had also put vinyl wrap with the brands name on one of the vans they would use in Juarez and the two vehicles whisked through Mexican Customs in record time after offering a generous amount of the re-labeled beer to the morally suspect inspectors as a tribute. As soon as the van hit the warehouse the inside of the van was fitted with the equipment that might needed for operating in the notoriously dangerous city.
So now Lep one of the warehouse’s security team members sat behind the wheel of the truck with the big billboard as it made its way through the midday traffic. Lep was pleased to see that Police presence seemed to have been diverted to the problems that the STAG team had manufactured. To insure that they had eyes on the HVT and his team of bodyguards Grimm had deployed 2 sniper/spotter teams as well other operatives that would keep an eye on things on the street. The 5 man team that was responsible for snatching their HVT was in the beer van behind the billboard truck geared up and anxious to get to work. In the back of the van a hand rested on the door handle ready to slide the door open at a moment’s notice. The passenger in the front held two flash bangs in his lap waiting for the command that would start the operation.
For the last few hours Grimm himself had been laying on a piece of cardboard with a burlap tarp covering him. He had picked a three story building for his over watch position and despite its modest height the building overlooked the target area. For hours he and the sniper/spotter teams had been scanning faces in the area that might be affiliated with their HVT. Now that the HVT was actually at the café they were looking for people that were taking an interest in the Sergeant and/or his people. Grimm was encouraged to see that nobody seemed too interested in what was happening at the cafe. Of course people noticed the Cartel boss and his bodyguards but always gave them a very wide berth. In fact most of them crossed the street or did what they needed to do to insure that they didn’t pass in front of the café or if they did that they passed in front of the café very quickly. Grimm had almost smiled an hour before the Cartel idiot and his henchman got to the restaurant as he watched tow trucks whip in and tow all the vehicles on both sides of the block away. A few owners objected till they realized that the vehicles weren’t being stolen but merely moved and they were handed money for their trouble by a large and intimidating looking bodyguard. Grimm was excited to see that today was no different than what they had been expecting based on the model’s description of how the security team handled the threat of car bombs near the cafe.
Lep slowed the commercial truck hoping that he would catch the light at the corner that was next to the café at the right time and be able to stop right beside the café and inside the area were the NID could be used with a high level of confidence that it would do its job. Beside Lep sat Darrell the scientist that had been instrumental in the new product’s design. The scientist who usually called a lab his office was quiet as he anxiously awaited finding out if their first pass would be good enough to use his weapon. Darrell stared at the computer screen on his lap and watched as they came down the street to see if the computer was going to automatically lock on the targets they needed to incapacitate and put the heavily armed lunch party on the ground so the assault team could complete their grizzly mission.
Darrell’s right hand rested on the joystick that manually controlled the projectiles trajectory and fired the weapon. The joystick was similar to one seen in fighter airplanes or used to control some video games. A red cover on the top covered the master power switch and needed to be flipped before the trigger was pulled. The system in some form or another had been used for as long as weapons had been attached to airplanes and the master arm switch helped reduce the possibility of a premature or accidental discharge. Darrell’s hand was wrapped in a death grip around the controller’s stick and his index finger hovered above the joystick’s trigger. He could feel the sweat forming on his hands from being nervous but was afraid to take either hand away from the controls and wipe the sweat on his pants. His left hands rested above the button that controlled the camera views that would allow him to aim individual projectiles at assigned targets that hadn’t been targeted completely or showed any type of malfunction. Now like every other member of the team he was forced to watch and wait.
Lep spoke under his breath to the scientist beside him. “Spotter 1 says that we’re off on this pass. He says we’ll be 7 yards behind the space you designated as our fire zone. Hold one.”
Lep pushed the button and replied to Grimm. “Go for two.”
Grimm spoke into his radio. “I’m enacting an abort on this pass. Swing around and let’s try it again. We’ll see if we can do better the next time around. If the next pass isn’t workable then we’ll defer to Plan B.”
Lep replied. “Copy. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” As he replied to Grimm’s order as he caught a brief glimpse of Rosie the dog handler and her K-9 partner Ales crossing the street a half a block down from the café. The plan had been that she be placed slightly away from the café to contend with stray bodyguards lurking by blending in with pedestrian traffic and insure no security became involved in things that didn’t concern them. Lep was thinking that she mis-timed her crossing and was hopeful that she could re-position without gaining the attention of the seemingly alert bodyguards. As he looked away he saw Tru another operator assigned to Team 3 duck into a shop not 30 feet from Rosie and Ales.
Lep spoke to the scientist sitting beside him in the truck. “One said that he wants us to swing on through. Hopefully we’ll have better positioning on the next go round.”
The technician nodded his head. “Roger, I’m showing less than optimal tracking.” As he watched the various projectiles lock onto targets in their engagement area he was getting even more concerned. As they passed the café his concerns were confirmed. Granted they were moving at 5 mph but the monitor showed him that less than 50% of their targets had been effectively tracked with a high degree of putting projectiles on their assigned target. He knew that under these circumstances that trying again was a much better choice than risking working outside the parameters he and Grimm had established. “The system is lagging slightly so that’s a very good idea. I’ll be ready when we get around and we can see where we’re at.” The system was tracking like it should but with vehicles and people moving in or near the target area it meant that the tracking was slower than the technician would have preferred. Darrell even noticed two cameras that were tracking perceived targets that were reflections in the Café’s plate glass window. He and his R&D team had never thought of the possibility that movement from a reflection could interfere with the targeting software and was both excited and mollified at his discovery. While the computer tracking system was doing OK he now understood that the system and the software needed more work to be ready to field. The theory as they designed the weapon had always been that the computer would do most if not all the work. But it also depended on a split second window in which to fire the darts and reflections were sure to set their progress back until they figured out how to rectify the problem. In the lab and in the simulated scenarios they had used to test the equipment thus far the level of activity surrounding the target area had been a fraction of what they were experiencing in real time on the streets of Juarez. He’d be sure to add the new information to his notes for when he got back to the lab.
Before the truck made the right turns they needed to make to get back in front of the café the over qualified field technician would fiddle with the speed setting on the tracking software and run a quick diagnostic check to see if the equipment would operate properly on the faster setting if he disabled the pods that weren’t need. He was gladdened to see that he could bump the speed of the tracking and was hoping the tweak would get them the accuracy they would need to get the job done. Even so he was apprehensive, he needed this trial to come off without a hitch and so far it wasn’t looking good.
Lep and the technician drove past the café without looking toward it and their targets. Lep’s eyes were glued to the road and traffic in front of him and Darrell was engrossed in his high tech toy’s screen sitting in his lap.
On the second pass traffic, the lights and fate put them exactly in the area Darrell had determined was their optimal firing point. As the truck stopped for the light directly in front of the café Darrell was disappointed to see that only 7 of the 11 targets had been targeted by two projectiles. Grimm had told Darrell that he felt more comfortable with two projectiles targeting each man and the monitor told him that hadn’t happened and he wasn’t confident that he could manually target the remaining targets in the seconds he’d have for the targeting to be successful. He spoke to Lep without turning his head from the monitor. “Locked on 7 of 11. I recommend we abort.” Darrell stared at the monitor realizing that the devise he had spent so much time working on wasn’t going to be able to get the job done today.
Lep spoke to Grimm who was now standing around the corner from the café. “One, this is two, at this point we have positive and good lock on only 7 of 11 targets. Advise.”
Almost instantly Grimm came over both their earpieces. “Mulligan, I repeat I’m calling a mulligan. All teams RTB.” And with that sentence Grimm had just aborted their best plan to take out the Sergeant without injury to the STAG team and any innocent bystanders.
On the way back to the warehouse the scientist scanned the video playback and determined that only 7 of 11 targets had been targeted effectively and continuously tracked. The other four targets had marginal locks that were risky at best and possibly deadly at worst.
The scientist took a deep ragged breath and closed the laptop he had been working from and shook his head. He had been heading the targeting part of this project for 6 months and now he understood that they were farther away from getting the bugs worked out than he thought. Worse still if the DARPA people that provided the funding for the project saw an after action report from this mission they were going to be insufferable. To Darrell’s way of thinking too many people at DARPA seemed to be really good at making demands for added reliability and didn’t bat an eyelash at adding features half way into development without any understanding of what it took to get a project like this field ready. “I could use a beer and a massage.”
Lep was busy driving the truck in the crazy traffic and risked glancing over at the tech guy to see if he was serious. “Darrell I’m sorry to say that isn’t going to happen. The guidelines on this operation prohibit the consumption of any alcoholic beverages and we are under strict orders not to fraternize with the locals. In fact as you know from the agreement you signed as a civilian consultant you are expressly prohibited from leaving the warehouse without 2 members of the security contingent. No way they cut you lose in Juarez to go Party Rocking with what you have in your head. If you were snatched by the Cartel then all the money they spent on your toy back there would be wasted and the Cartel would have that knowledge for free before they killed you. It wouldn’t take them long to find a buyer for the designs and specs for the weapon. Next thing you know there’s a Patent applied for and granted to an anonymous French or Chinese company and your company just wasted millions of tax-payer dollars.”
The technician pounded his hand on the dash of the truck. At a trim 6 feet tall Darrell wasn’t exactly an imposing presence so Lep just ignored the frustrated outburst. Lep understood that the scientist was frustrated and that later today he was going to have to explain to his boss that the NID was unusable at this time and still needed more work. Lep also knew that explaining what had happened to Grimm was not going to be fun for the well educated man/child. Grimm had spent enough time listening to some geek that was supposed to be smarter than him make excuses that this was going to royally piss him off. Grimm and his team were tried and true professionals and he expected, no he demanded that those that worked with them uphold the same level of professionalism regardless of their job. Grimm had a very low tolerance for excuses and Lep was tempted to offer Darrell some advice about how to deal with Grimm but instead kept his mouth shut. Luckily for Darrell he worked for a manufacturer and not Grimm or he really would be concerned about his future.
As Lep had expected when they returned to the warehouse in the fake beer advertising truck Grimm stood waiting next to the truck’s parking area. To keep Darrell as safe as possible a bullet resistant film had been applied to the truck’s windows that were rated to stop most handgun rounds. They had also inserted a 4 inch specially designed Kevlar blanket in the space between the door and Darrell’s body. After the other team members unstrapped and removed the protective blanket Grimm nodded to Darrell and asked him to drop by his office as soon as he had powered down and secured his equipment. Looking at Grimm it wasn’t hard for Lep to know how the conversation would go for Darrell. He expected that the man accustomed to doing his job inside the safe confines of an anonymous lab would be hearing some harsh words concerning his devise and its overall effectiveness.
20 minutes later Lep saw Darrell in the hallway heading toward the truck and thought he looked OK and assumed that Grimm had taken it easy on the scientist. Grimm had told everyone to meet in the garage an hour after they returned from the mission so the dozen people had driven or walked onto the warehouse grounds to keep interest in their presence to a minimum. The 13 people including Close and her second in command were waiting to hear what the plan was while members of the team milled around, ate or used the restroom. The air was ripe with anticipation as they waited for Grimm. They waited knowing that there was a possibility that they would attempt to assault one of the homes the Sergeant used depending on which one he headed back to after running errands or doing whatever the hell high level cartel kingpins did with their day after a large lunch.
Of the three homes their target used their research had determined that one was clearly a mistake to assault and the second was marginal at best. But the third was a prime candidate for assault. As Close had predicted the home was equipped with an escape tunnel that they could use to their advantage and satellite imagery showed it had an extensive wine cellar as the model had told them. To everyone’s surprise Grimm walked into the garage area of the warehouse 10 minutes early and stood next to the truck advertising a fake beer.
Grimm didn’t smile but spoke as soon as he entered the room. “On me.” People moved so that they could see him and were sure to hear each and every word Grimm uttered. “First I want to say that everyone did outstanding work and thank you for the effort. For a second I was half tempted to attempt the snatch with the 70% target lock we had on the second go around. That is how confident I am with this team’s level of professionalism. As you know we had a problem with the Taser array and were forced to abort. Dr Darrell is working on fixing the problem so that piece of equipment might be available to us within a matter of days. We are now waiting on implementing Plan B which everyone knows is doing the snatch at one of the three Mansions our targets sleeps in. We have assessed the three locations and determined that only one house fits all of our needs and that assessment stands. So now we wait for the target to end up there barring any dramatic changes that is the place we’ll get our work done. As we’ve discussed for the last few days the target has excellent tradecraft with a few exceptions. Call, the leader of the surveillance team will now brief you on what we know about the security at this location.”
Close stepped toward the front of the gathered team and Grimm turned around to face Close and listen to her briefing. “Everything we’ve seen indicates our HVT’s organization has a reputation as being very adept at surveillance and counter-surveillance. Each and every one of his known homes appears to be very well protected. In the last few days we’ve done an extensive survey of this specific location and have mapped out the security to the best of our ability. At this point we estimate there are at least 20 covert cameras on the property to go along with the 12 we can see without much trouble. We’ve identified the location of cameras and listening devices up to 350 meters away from the target location and suspect there are some we missed. At 500 plus meters there are a few devices that we need to look out for. Review the pictures and maps we have provided and make sure you understand where each and every listening device and camera is in your area of responsibility. Also please remember that this Cartel has access to equipment that we only hear and dream about. That means very small and very effective. They also are thought to have acquired night vision that is every bit as good as ours. In fact some of it is likely to be stolen from the US military inventory. If that’s the case then one stray blink of an infra-red illuminator could tumble the whole thing so please be careful. With that in mind both my second and I will be briefing each and every team about the cameras and listening devices in your area. Listen to what we say and look at the maps and diagrams carefully. For the 2 larger teams a surveillance member will be assigned to you. Listen to them and trust their experience. That’s all I have and I’ll see you after this meeting.”
Grimm stepped back in front of Close or “Call” as he referred to her in the presence of other team members.
“Call’s surveillance team has confirmed our HVT usually travels with 10 bodyguards and rotates another 10 to wherever he sleeps. So that means when we assault our primary location there will be upwards of 20 armed and dangerous people that have the advantage of knowing the terrain. I recommended to Dark Voice that we assault that location tonight if we can. He agreed and everyone needs to head to their primary and prepare to assault if the HVT ends up there tonight. If he does show up there our hope is that we can set-up before he makes his daily trip down to admire his wine collection. Take a minute and hit the head and grab a bottle of water and a snack and then head to the briefing with Call and her people. This might be a long wait so do what you need to do to prepare. Dismissed.” Grimm looked around the room and his eyes met Close’s. “Call, a minute please.”
Close moved toward Grimm and followed him as he headed to his room without saying anything that could be over heard by others. He was silent was they traversed the hallways. When they entered his room he turned to Close. “You mind if we move your people back? Something tells me that the security might pick them up if we keep them in place while we set-up.”
Close considered the request. “Hey you’re the boss. If you need to covertly enter the neighbor’s garage then the best thing to do is pull everyone that is not mission critical out until that team is in place. Lull the guy at the monitor into complacency. The less activity in the area the better. Do you still want my guy to provide the expertise in disrupting the feed to the garage and the yard around it?”
Grimm nodded. “You said he’s very, very good and I need the best I can get. I’ll pick him up at the corner down the street from the taco stand in 30 minutes. Keep on the air just in case I need you and stay safe.”
Close smiled. “You too and good luck.”
Close left to do her team briefings. Later after that was done she would join members of her team that had been assigned to observe the area surrounding their HVTs neighborhood. Grimm re-checked his gear and mentally prepared himself for the rest of his day. The assets and other support they needed for the snatch were being reallocated to Grimm’s mission and he was slightly nervous. Part of him feared that the high value target would balk at surrender and decide to fight it out which would endanger the people he was responsible for and might kill their HVT. And while they would again be using trickery to divert the attention of the authorities they weren’t totally stupid and might realize something was wrong.
Part 32
STAG
Swing and a miss
The flatbed delivery truck moved down the wide and well kept avenue toward the La Fin Café as Grimm listened to his people report over their encrypted radios. They were helping him to keep abreast of what was going on in and around the target site. For most of them if the operation went as planned their job would be to simply indentify bodyguards stationed away from the café itself and keep them out of the fight by any means necessary. The other concern that they would be responsible for was dissuading the army of private security guards that were present at almost every business on the Avenue to mind their own business. The high crime rate coupled with affluent patrons meant that shops and restaurants almost always provided a security presence. Traditionally the security guards handled the inside of the shops/restaurants and the business’s parking lots and the Police patrolled the streets. The Avenue itself housed upscale shopping and dining so the various Police forces maintained a strong presence to insure that the area’s patrons stayed safe from the violence that plagued the city and their lives. Kidnappings and bloody assassinations in upscale shopping and dining districts had a tendency to spook patrons and the authorities made a valiant attempt to keep the area free of the bloodshed and violence that had plagued Juarez for far too long.
But as part of the overall operation plan, Grimm working with Close and the team in the US had devised methods to decrease the likelihood that they would be hampered by local authorities. 2 minutes earlier a native Spanish speaking member of Grimm’s Intel team operating in the US had called in a massive shooting with multiple injuries to the Police that they hoped would move the Police from the shopping area that the STAG team was working in and toward the reported shooting. 5 minutes ago a small car bomb was detonated a few more miles outside 180 degree corridor that they hoped would draw the attention of various Police and military personnel. Along with the reported shooting incident and the car bomb Grimm’s Intel team had instituted 5 other scams in the last 60 minutes that were likely to cause problems for authorities’ area wide. 2 vehicles were broken down on busy streets 10 and 15 blocks away the opposite direction from their planned escape route. The staged break downs were positioned to maximize congestion and cause traffic snarls that would require the Police to dispatch personnel hoping to untangle traffic and encourage motorist to keep a cool head. Back in the US hackers working for the STAG program had a tripped an alarm at a bank that indicted a robbery was in progress. An hour ago it was announced that the local professional soccer team referred to as the Indios announced they had obtained permission from the league to re-establish the team in Juarez starting the beginning of the next soccer season. The statement indicated that security would be a team priority and that a soon to be announced Mexican National player would be part of the team as an owner and a player. To thank the citizens of Juarez the team was offering tickets to the first 5 home games for the equivalent of half off what the tickets had cost when the team abandoned the city a few years earlier. Mexico just like most of the world saw soccer as the world’s sport and people from all over the city were making their way toward the stadium and the other listed ticket outlets to take advantage of the deal and support their team. Many were excited about the fact that the team had landed at least one top flight international player. The catch was that the tickets were only available at the Stadium or at 10 locations throughout the city that Intel had identified as being fronts for Juarez Cartel human smuggling activity. The stadium and the 10 ticket locations were along the corridor that would allow the team’s egress after their mission. The Mayor’s office had received a press release from the team and immediately held a news conference lauding the fact that the team was returning to their home stadium and taking credit for the accomplishment. The last and possibly the most cumbersome scam involved the hacking of the data and communications network of the various local, State and Federal Police as well as certain military units. The voice communications systems were compromised and STAG personal were sending Police and the Military willy-nilly all over town. The hacking sent responding units to a multitude of false calls and all those calls moved members away from the area and moved them so that they weren’t in a position to intercept the fleeing STAG team members after the mission. All in the entire plan wasn’t perfect but the team had a better chance of success than if they had done the operation with the assets they had ignored the deception operations.
The truck being used was a newish commercial truck outfitted with a flatbed and had been turned into a rolling advertisement for a Mexican Beer. On the flatbed an elaborate sign hid all the pieces of the Taser weapon in plain sight. But the Mexican Beer didn’t exist anyplace but in the heads of the equipment techs at Fuller’s borrowed hanger in Texas. To keep the illusion alive someone in Grimm’s organization in Texas had bought 20 cases of a decent Mexican beer in El Paso and steamed the labels off and replaced them with labels they had printed in the make-shift workshop. They had also put vinyl wrap with the brands name on one of the vans they would use in Juarez and the two vehicles whisked through Mexican Customs in record time after offering a generous amount of the re-labeled beer to the morally suspect inspectors as a tribute. As soon as the van hit the warehouse the inside of the van was fitted with the equipment that might needed for operating in the notoriously dangerous city.
So now Lep one of the warehouse’s security team members sat behind the wheel of the truck with the big billboard as it made its way through the midday traffic. Lep was pleased to see that Police presence seemed to have been diverted to the problems that the STAG team had manufactured. To insure that they had eyes on the HVT and his team of bodyguards Grimm had deployed 2 sniper/spotter teams as well other operatives that would keep an eye on things on the street. The 5 man team that was responsible for snatching their HVT was in the beer van behind the billboard truck geared up and anxious to get to work. In the back of the van a hand rested on the door handle ready to slide the door open at a moment’s notice. The passenger in the front held two flash bangs in his lap waiting for the command that would start the operation.
For the last few hours Grimm himself had been laying on a piece of cardboard with a burlap tarp covering him. He had picked a three story building for his over watch position and despite its modest height the building overlooked the target area. For hours he and the sniper/spotter teams had been scanning faces in the area that might be affiliated with their HVT. Now that the HVT was actually at the café they were looking for people that were taking an interest in the Sergeant and/or his people. Grimm was encouraged to see that nobody seemed too interested in what was happening at the cafe. Of course people noticed the Cartel boss and his bodyguards but always gave them a very wide berth. In fact most of them crossed the street or did what they needed to do to insure that they didn’t pass in front of the café or if they did that they passed in front of the café very quickly. Grimm had almost smiled an hour before the Cartel idiot and his henchman got to the restaurant as he watched tow trucks whip in and tow all the vehicles on both sides of the block away. A few owners objected till they realized that the vehicles weren’t being stolen but merely moved and they were handed money for their trouble by a large and intimidating looking bodyguard. Grimm was excited to see that today was no different than what they had been expecting based on the model’s description of how the security team handled the threat of car bombs near the cafe.
Lep slowed the commercial truck hoping that he would catch the light at the corner that was next to the café at the right time and be able to stop right beside the café and inside the area were the NID could be used with a high level of confidence that it would do its job. Beside Lep sat Darrell the scientist that had been instrumental in the new product’s design. The scientist who usually called a lab his office was quiet as he anxiously awaited finding out if their first pass would be good enough to use his weapon. Darrell stared at the computer screen on his lap and watched as they came down the street to see if the computer was going to automatically lock on the targets they needed to incapacitate and put the heavily armed lunch party on the ground so the assault team could complete their grizzly mission.
Darrell’s right hand rested on the joystick that manually controlled the projectiles trajectory and fired the weapon. The joystick was similar to one seen in fighter airplanes or used to control some video games. A red cover on the top covered the master power switch and needed to be flipped before the trigger was pulled. The system in some form or another had been used for as long as weapons had been attached to airplanes and the master arm switch helped reduce the possibility of a premature or accidental discharge. Darrell’s hand was wrapped in a death grip around the controller’s stick and his index finger hovered above the joystick’s trigger. He could feel the sweat forming on his hands from being nervous but was afraid to take either hand away from the controls and wipe the sweat on his pants. His left hands rested above the button that controlled the camera views that would allow him to aim individual projectiles at assigned targets that hadn’t been targeted completely or showed any type of malfunction. Now like every other member of the team he was forced to watch and wait.
Lep spoke under his breath to the scientist beside him. “Spotter 1 says that we’re off on this pass. He says we’ll be 7 yards behind the space you designated as our fire zone. Hold one.”
Lep pushed the button and replied to Grimm. “Go for two.”
Grimm spoke into his radio. “I’m enacting an abort on this pass. Swing around and let’s try it again. We’ll see if we can do better the next time around. If the next pass isn’t workable then we’ll defer to Plan B.”
Lep replied. “Copy. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” As he replied to Grimm’s order as he caught a brief glimpse of Rosie the dog handler and her K-9 partner Ales crossing the street a half a block down from the café. The plan had been that she be placed slightly away from the café to contend with stray bodyguards lurking by blending in with pedestrian traffic and insure no security became involved in things that didn’t concern them. Lep was thinking that she mis-timed her crossing and was hopeful that she could re-position without gaining the attention of the seemingly alert bodyguards. As he looked away he saw Tru another operator assigned to Team 3 duck into a shop not 30 feet from Rosie and Ales.
Lep spoke to the scientist sitting beside him in the truck. “One said that he wants us to swing on through. Hopefully we’ll have better positioning on the next go round.”
The technician nodded his head. “Roger, I’m showing less than optimal tracking.” As he watched the various projectiles lock onto targets in their engagement area he was getting even more concerned. As they passed the café his concerns were confirmed. Granted they were moving at 5 mph but the monitor showed him that less than 50% of their targets had been effectively tracked with a high degree of putting projectiles on their assigned target. He knew that under these circumstances that trying again was a much better choice than risking working outside the parameters he and Grimm had established. “The system is lagging slightly so that’s a very good idea. I’ll be ready when we get around and we can see where we’re at.” The system was tracking like it should but with vehicles and people moving in or near the target area it meant that the tracking was slower than the technician would have preferred. Darrell even noticed two cameras that were tracking perceived targets that were reflections in the Café’s plate glass window. He and his R&D team had never thought of the possibility that movement from a reflection could interfere with the targeting software and was both excited and mollified at his discovery. While the computer tracking system was doing OK he now understood that the system and the software needed more work to be ready to field. The theory as they designed the weapon had always been that the computer would do most if not all the work. But it also depended on a split second window in which to fire the darts and reflections were sure to set their progress back until they figured out how to rectify the problem. In the lab and in the simulated scenarios they had used to test the equipment thus far the level of activity surrounding the target area had been a fraction of what they were experiencing in real time on the streets of Juarez. He’d be sure to add the new information to his notes for when he got back to the lab.
Before the truck made the right turns they needed to make to get back in front of the café the over qualified field technician would fiddle with the speed setting on the tracking software and run a quick diagnostic check to see if the equipment would operate properly on the faster setting if he disabled the pods that weren’t need. He was gladdened to see that he could bump the speed of the tracking and was hoping the tweak would get them the accuracy they would need to get the job done. Even so he was apprehensive, he needed this trial to come off without a hitch and so far it wasn’t looking good.
Lep and the technician drove past the café without looking toward it and their targets. Lep’s eyes were glued to the road and traffic in front of him and Darrell was engrossed in his high tech toy’s screen sitting in his lap.
On the second pass traffic, the lights and fate put them exactly in the area Darrell had determined was their optimal firing point. As the truck stopped for the light directly in front of the café Darrell was disappointed to see that only 7 of the 11 targets had been targeted by two projectiles. Grimm had told Darrell that he felt more comfortable with two projectiles targeting each man and the monitor told him that hadn’t happened and he wasn’t confident that he could manually target the remaining targets in the seconds he’d have for the targeting to be successful. He spoke to Lep without turning his head from the monitor. “Locked on 7 of 11. I recommend we abort.” Darrell stared at the monitor realizing that the devise he had spent so much time working on wasn’t going to be able to get the job done today.
Lep spoke to Grimm who was now standing around the corner from the café. “One, this is two, at this point we have positive and good lock on only 7 of 11 targets. Advise.”
Almost instantly Grimm came over both their earpieces. “Mulligan, I repeat I’m calling a mulligan. All teams RTB.” And with that sentence Grimm had just aborted their best plan to take out the Sergeant without injury to the STAG team and any innocent bystanders.
On the way back to the warehouse the scientist scanned the video playback and determined that only 7 of 11 targets had been targeted effectively and continuously tracked. The other four targets had marginal locks that were risky at best and possibly deadly at worst.
The scientist took a deep ragged breath and closed the laptop he had been working from and shook his head. He had been heading the targeting part of this project for 6 months and now he understood that they were farther away from getting the bugs worked out than he thought. Worse still if the DARPA people that provided the funding for the project saw an after action report from this mission they were going to be insufferable. To Darrell’s way of thinking too many people at DARPA seemed to be really good at making demands for added reliability and didn’t bat an eyelash at adding features half way into development without any understanding of what it took to get a project like this field ready. “I could use a beer and a massage.”
Lep was busy driving the truck in the crazy traffic and risked glancing over at the tech guy to see if he was serious. “Darrell I’m sorry to say that isn’t going to happen. The guidelines on this operation prohibit the consumption of any alcoholic beverages and we are under strict orders not to fraternize with the locals. In fact as you know from the agreement you signed as a civilian consultant you are expressly prohibited from leaving the warehouse without 2 members of the security contingent. No way they cut you lose in Juarez to go Party Rocking with what you have in your head. If you were snatched by the Cartel then all the money they spent on your toy back there would be wasted and the Cartel would have that knowledge for free before they killed you. It wouldn’t take them long to find a buyer for the designs and specs for the weapon. Next thing you know there’s a Patent applied for and granted to an anonymous French or Chinese company and your company just wasted millions of tax-payer dollars.”
The technician pounded his hand on the dash of the truck. At a trim 6 feet tall Darrell wasn’t exactly an imposing presence so Lep just ignored the frustrated outburst. Lep understood that the scientist was frustrated and that later today he was going to have to explain to his boss that the NID was unusable at this time and still needed more work. Lep also knew that explaining what had happened to Grimm was not going to be fun for the well educated man/child. Grimm had spent enough time listening to some geek that was supposed to be smarter than him make excuses that this was going to royally piss him off. Grimm and his team were tried and true professionals and he expected, no he demanded that those that worked with them uphold the same level of professionalism regardless of their job. Grimm had a very low tolerance for excuses and Lep was tempted to offer Darrell some advice about how to deal with Grimm but instead kept his mouth shut. Luckily for Darrell he worked for a manufacturer and not Grimm or he really would be concerned about his future.
As Lep had expected when they returned to the warehouse in the fake beer advertising truck Grimm stood waiting next to the truck’s parking area. To keep Darrell as safe as possible a bullet resistant film had been applied to the truck’s windows that were rated to stop most handgun rounds. They had also inserted a 4 inch specially designed Kevlar blanket in the space between the door and Darrell’s body. After the other team members unstrapped and removed the protective blanket Grimm nodded to Darrell and asked him to drop by his office as soon as he had powered down and secured his equipment. Looking at Grimm it wasn’t hard for Lep to know how the conversation would go for Darrell. He expected that the man accustomed to doing his job inside the safe confines of an anonymous lab would be hearing some harsh words concerning his devise and its overall effectiveness.
20 minutes later Lep saw Darrell in the hallway heading toward the truck and thought he looked OK and assumed that Grimm had taken it easy on the scientist. Grimm had told everyone to meet in the garage an hour after they returned from the mission so the dozen people had driven or walked onto the warehouse grounds to keep interest in their presence to a minimum. The 13 people including Close and her second in command were waiting to hear what the plan was while members of the team milled around, ate or used the restroom. The air was ripe with anticipation as they waited for Grimm. They waited knowing that there was a possibility that they would attempt to assault one of the homes the Sergeant used depending on which one he headed back to after running errands or doing whatever the hell high level cartel kingpins did with their day after a large lunch.
Of the three homes their target used their research had determined that one was clearly a mistake to assault and the second was marginal at best. But the third was a prime candidate for assault. As Close had predicted the home was equipped with an escape tunnel that they could use to their advantage and satellite imagery showed it had an extensive wine cellar as the model had told them. To everyone’s surprise Grimm walked into the garage area of the warehouse 10 minutes early and stood next to the truck advertising a fake beer.
Grimm didn’t smile but spoke as soon as he entered the room. “On me.” People moved so that they could see him and were sure to hear each and every word Grimm uttered. “First I want to say that everyone did outstanding work and thank you for the effort. For a second I was half tempted to attempt the snatch with the 70% target lock we had on the second go around. That is how confident I am with this team’s level of professionalism. As you know we had a problem with the Taser array and were forced to abort. Dr Darrell is working on fixing the problem so that piece of equipment might be available to us within a matter of days. We are now waiting on implementing Plan B which everyone knows is doing the snatch at one of the three Mansions our targets sleeps in. We have assessed the three locations and determined that only one house fits all of our needs and that assessment stands. So now we wait for the target to end up there barring any dramatic changes that is the place we’ll get our work done. As we’ve discussed for the last few days the target has excellent tradecraft with a few exceptions. Call, the leader of the surveillance team will now brief you on what we know about the security at this location.”
Close stepped toward the front of the gathered team and Grimm turned around to face Close and listen to her briefing. “Everything we’ve seen indicates our HVT’s organization has a reputation as being very adept at surveillance and counter-surveillance. Each and every one of his known homes appears to be very well protected. In the last few days we’ve done an extensive survey of this specific location and have mapped out the security to the best of our ability. At this point we estimate there are at least 20 covert cameras on the property to go along with the 12 we can see without much trouble. We’ve identified the location of cameras and listening devices up to 350 meters away from the target location and suspect there are some we missed. At 500 plus meters there are a few devices that we need to look out for. Review the pictures and maps we have provided and make sure you understand where each and every listening device and camera is in your area of responsibility. Also please remember that this Cartel has access to equipment that we only hear and dream about. That means very small and very effective. They also are thought to have acquired night vision that is every bit as good as ours. In fact some of it is likely to be stolen from the US military inventory. If that’s the case then one stray blink of an infra-red illuminator could tumble the whole thing so please be careful. With that in mind both my second and I will be briefing each and every team about the cameras and listening devices in your area. Listen to what we say and look at the maps and diagrams carefully. For the 2 larger teams a surveillance member will be assigned to you. Listen to them and trust their experience. That’s all I have and I’ll see you after this meeting.”
Grimm stepped back in front of Close or “Call” as he referred to her in the presence of other team members.
“Call’s surveillance team has confirmed our HVT usually travels with 10 bodyguards and rotates another 10 to wherever he sleeps. So that means when we assault our primary location there will be upwards of 20 armed and dangerous people that have the advantage of knowing the terrain. I recommended to Dark Voice that we assault that location tonight if we can. He agreed and everyone needs to head to their primary and prepare to assault if the HVT ends up there tonight. If he does show up there our hope is that we can set-up before he makes his daily trip down to admire his wine collection. Take a minute and hit the head and grab a bottle of water and a snack and then head to the briefing with Call and her people. This might be a long wait so do what you need to do to prepare. Dismissed.” Grimm looked around the room and his eyes met Close’s. “Call, a minute please.”
Close moved toward Grimm and followed him as he headed to his room without saying anything that could be over heard by others. He was silent was they traversed the hallways. When they entered his room he turned to Close. “You mind if we move your people back? Something tells me that the security might pick them up if we keep them in place while we set-up.”
Close considered the request. “Hey you’re the boss. If you need to covertly enter the neighbor’s garage then the best thing to do is pull everyone that is not mission critical out until that team is in place. Lull the guy at the monitor into complacency. The less activity in the area the better. Do you still want my guy to provide the expertise in disrupting the feed to the garage and the yard around it?”
Grimm nodded. “You said he’s very, very good and I need the best I can get. I’ll pick him up at the corner down the street from the taco stand in 30 minutes. Keep on the air just in case I need you and stay safe.”
Close smiled. “You too and good luck.”
Close left to do her team briefings. Later after that was done she would join members of her team that had been assigned to observe the area surrounding their HVTs neighborhood. Grimm re-checked his gear and mentally prepared himself for the rest of his day. The assets and other support they needed for the snatch were being reallocated to Grimm’s mission and he was slightly nervous. Part of him feared that the high value target would balk at surrender and decide to fight it out which would endanger the people he was responsible for and might kill their HVT. And while they would again be using trickery to divert the attention of the authorities they weren’t totally stupid and might realize something was wrong.
Fuller Part 33
Fuller
Part 33
Back in his room and ready for the rest of what might prove to be an interesting day Grimm put the spare battery from his encrypted satellite phone on the charger and sat down at his desk to gather his thoughts for a few minutes. On the way back to the warehouse Grimm felt disappointed that the café hadn’t worked out and yet he was adaptable so that failure was put out of his mind and he had moved on. Grimm mentally reviewed the second mission of the day that they might or might not be carrying out later. He let bits and pieces of the mission’s details refresh themselves in his mind still looking for ways to improve the overall plan. After 10 minutes he was convinced that they had prepped well and that his people were as ready as they were going to get. He returned from his intense concentration and called his boss on his encrypted satellite phone to give him an update. He had called Dark Voice on the way back from the café and let him know that the equipment on the truck had failed to live up to expectations but wanted to touch base with him and see if everything for the second possible mission was prepared and ready.
“Go for Dark Voice.”
Grimm wasn’t surprised the man answered on the first ring and gave him a status update. “Everyone is moving into position and morale is excellent. I talked to the scientist and he thinks he might be able to work the bugs out within the next 4 or 5 days or so. He seems like he might be able to handle the pressure. Lep told me he was calm in the truck and seemed centered and very focused.”
Dark voice replied with his trademark smooth delivery. “Excellent. I’m glad to hear it that everyone is excited to get this guy caught. It seems like we’re getting there with the tech guy and his weapon. Keep me informed and let me know what you think about him and the weapon. Things are moving along here so if all goes according to plan we should be fully staffed and ready to go in 50 minutes. We’ll launch that drone we borrowed at dusk and have approval to deploy signal jamming whenever you need it. Any idea when the HVT generally heads down to spent time in his wine cellar?”
Grimm replied without giving away the fact that he hadn’t ever understood the obsession some people have with wine. “The model told Close that he usually headed down a few hours before dinner to pick out a few bottles based on what the chef was preparing. Close was told that he ate promptly at 9pm every night. He will also go down there at random times to check this or that. The model speculated that maybe he had a laptop or a secure landline down there and was doing business.”
Dark Voice spoke up. “If he had a wired connection from another house in the area or directly from the cable companies box it would be a tricky way to keep everyone out of his business. With his pull he could have threatened or bribed someone very easily. And you told me that the area is saturated with video and audio surveillance, is that correct?”
Grimm replied. Close the leader of our surveillance team told me she’s never seen so many devices attached to an active residence before with the exception of a few locations used as diplomatic residences or estates owned by reclusive billionaires. She’s made some calls to a few trusted associates and they said the same thing.”
Dark voice took in the information and considered the mission for a moment. “If there’s a laptop in that cellar we need to obtain it. Did we ever talk about what we we’re going to do to get it if the HVT doesn’t bring it out with him?”
Grimm was surprised Dark Voice even had to ask. “We haven’t discussed this but if he comes through the tunnel without the laptop a team will go retrieve it in the cellar assuming the path back to the house isn’t blocked or extensively booby trapped. There is a chance that he’d destroy it before he scrambles out the back. If we end up having to assault the house the laptop will likely be destroyed before we get to it or it will be unobtainable without risking serious injuries or getting someone caught.”
“Good. I’d be interested in seeing what’s on that laptop if indeed it exists. When do you think we’ll know if he is at our primary assault location?”
Grimm looked his watch. “Anytime between now and say 6pm. If he cooperates then a 3 man team and the video guy will go into the neighbors around dusk. Within 30 minutes we’ll have people in the garage set up and waiting for him.”
Dark Voice replied. “It seems like we’re as ready as we’re going to get. Call me the second you arrive at your position and we’ll start the wait together. I have a good feeling about this. From everything we’ve been able to find out about this guy I think he’ll opt to run and leave his people to their own devices.”
Grimm nodded to himself. “I hope that our assessment is correct and that’s what he decides to do. Be a shame to pull in all these assets and fail. We need this guy and if we miss him it’ll screw up our timetable. The next people on the list will be even more paranoid and it would be weeks to get the next person up or down the food chain into custody.”
Dark Voice chuckled. “Point taken. We have everything that you need to get this done. Now it’s up to our people and fate. Good luck and good hunting. I’ll talk to you in 30 minutes or so.”
With that the line immediately went dead.
Grimm grabbed a few things from his room and headed to the van he’d be working out of. Before he left he visited the restroom and radioed Fuzzy the security man staying at the warehouse that he was leaving. He and Lep would be driving together and after he got to the garage he climbed into the passenger seat of a work van with the name and logo of a local telephone company on the side. The exterior of the van looked about as ragged as the real telephone companies fleet of service vehicles but the van had recently had a new modified engine and heavy duty transmission installed, the brakes had been replaced and upgraded, the front suspension had been modified to add stability in corners, the tires all had run-flat inserts and adjustable shocks made it possible to carry all the people and gear they needed without sagging in the rear and drawing attention to the fake service vehicle.
Grimm sat in the van and listened to reports about their HVTs movements and was excited two hours later when the HVT and his security team pulled into the driveway of the house that Grimm and his boss Dark Voice had determined was the best to assault.
Grimm conferred with his boss and was assured that they had everything in place back in the US and were fully prepared to support Grimm and the other members of the STAG team.
Next he keyed his radio to let his people know that they were in luck and their HVT had ended up where they needed him to. “One to all players. We have confirmation of HVT at target location #1. Proceed to your secondary point and prepare for operation. Mobile one I need you at the edge of the box and scanning for occupants inside location 2.”
The next 30 minutes were a whirlwind of activity as Grimm confirmed that everyone was in position and knew what their job was. The team that would gain access to the garage where the tunnel ended had been moved to be close enough to scan the house for heat signatures and observe anyone at that location. The other teams were moved nearer to their HVT location without exposing them to counter-surveillance and all the team members did equipment and comm. checks.
When he was sure the operation was ready to be implemented he almost smiled. He was ready to capture this guy because he hopefully held a piece of the puzzle that would move them toward the person or persons responsible for the brazen attacks in the US. As a side benefit Grimm and Lep wouldn’t have to spend 8 hours a day in the back of the van which smelled like over ripe bananas and whey powder. He pressed the button on his radio to alert the members of his team
Now the hard part began. They would need to wait while the HVT went about his business hoping that he held to his normal routine and visited his wine cellar before dinner. Just after dark a 4 man team entered the house next to the detached garage and began doing what they needed to do to place them in a position to grab their HVT as he exited the tunnel.
Finally after working all day and waiting for 3 hours ready to go Grimm heard from Close. “One this is Sur 1. Thermal tracking indicates that HVT appears to have gone into the basement.”
Grimm replied. One to Sur 1 message acknowledged.”
“Over watch one to One. We concur. We show HVT in the basement and if it’s him he’s alone.”
Grimm replied to the good news. “Good job, all teams prepare for go signal.”
Grimm switched the satellite phone back to his ear to confer with Dark Voice. “We have confirmation that he’s in the cellar. Can you notify the drone pilots and ask them start Feedback?” ”
Dark Voice replied. “Pilots report Feedback has been activated.” The man paused for 10 seconds as if thinking about something. “And the dance begins.”
Dark Voice picked up the red desk phone in front of him and nodded to a technician across the room. He heard a dial tone and then heard the phone ringing.
Sergeant their High Value Target glanced at his phone and didn’t recognize the local number. His people and his associates were constantly switching phones to throw off authorities and competitors so it wasn’t uncommon for a number he didn’t recognized to call his phone. Without thinking about it he answered the phone. “Hola.”
When he heard the voice on the other end of the phone he froze. The men on the phone spoke English and it betrayed no hint of any type of accent and was totally devoid of emotion. His deep resonate voice projected confidence and utter belief in and each and every word he uttered. “We have a Special Operations team and close to 100 Mexican National Police ready to assault your location on Mesa. You need to tell your men to throw down their weapons and come out with their hands up and unarmed. You have 2 minutes to comply then we open up with 50 caliber machine guns and 40mm grenades. I you fail to comply with that directive we have received permission from your Country’s President to assault the house. If there is too great a risk of civilian casualties he has assured us that he will allow two 250 pound laser guided bombs to be deployed. They are the bunker buster bombs designed to destroy hardened targets. That means that if you live through the initial attack then you’ll most likely get blown up or the shock wave will scramble your insides. If there is anything left my team and 80 Mexican National Police will kick down the door and scrape you off the floor. Your crooked Lawyer in the Bahamas has been taken into custody and rendered to a secret detection facility outside the US. He has been useful and was willing to talk an exchange for his life. At this time I’m authorized to offer you 20% of your invested holdings and anything you have at your disposal at all three of your safe houses. We will provide documents from a friendly Country that will allow you to seek sanctuary in a South American or Caribbean location of your choosing. Forfeiture of the majority of your amassed wealth and information about the person or persons responsible for the attacks in the US will serve as the price you’ll pay in exchange for your life. ”
The Cartel big shot considered his position. He was standing inside his wine cellar in the homes basement. A mere 12 inches of rebar reinforced concrete protected him from whatever happened above him. He didn’t want to abandon his job or his wine collections and was hoping this was part of an elaborate American PSYOPs operation and not a SEAL team and 100 Mexican National Police coming for him. The assault that he had just been threatened with was in clear violation of his nation’s treaties with the US and would constitute a clear act of war unless it had been authorized by the Mexican Government at the very highest levels. He and his organization had people embedded in the government up to including the President’s Office and no warning had come so whatever the Americans had in mind was a huge risk to them. “How to I know this is not a joke? I can just run down into my bunker and wait for the authorities to show up then what have you accomplished other than making my Country’s President furious? Let us not forget that your Country desperately needs my Country’s oil to keep your Country’s economy and way of life viable.”
The Dark Voice continued the dialogue. “Do I sound like a man that makes jokes like a child or makes idle threats? Just so you know if you fail to cooperate and live you will be returned to the US to stand trial for crimes you and your organization have committed in the US and all your assets will be sized. I have authorization to either capture or kill you. It’s your call.”
The man they called Sergeant moved to the phone on the wall and hit the intercom button so that his words were transmitted to each and every room in the house. He hit the talk button and yelled into it. “Code Black. I repeat Code Black. This is not a drill. Security office I need a report in 30 seconds.”
He then turned and looked at the phone in his hand knowing that he know a thing or two about the house and the arrangements he had made ahead of time that the Americans did not. “We’re ready to die when you are. Give me a second and let’s what’s what.” He muted the phone and set it down so he could talk on the in-house business phone system without being overheard.
Over the phone system’s intercom the security office replied. “We checked the video and it was looped remotely. There is a tactical assault vehicles outside the gate and 2 others positioned around the property. But we don’t see any men on thermal so they must be shielded. The cells, landlines and the satellite phones are all being jammed and the internet is non-functional. Orders sir?”
The man calmly considered his position and hit the intercom button. “I need 5 minutes and if I escape then everyman that lives will receive a million US. Light them up. Show them they are impotent against our family and then surrender in 10 minutes. I’ll pay the bribes to either have you released or to break you out.”
Even through the open intercom in the security room he heard guns being pulled off the wall and magazines being inserted into them. He could hear the excitement in the voices of his men as they pondered out loud what they would do with that much money. Other than the excitement of the prospect of being rich they sounded calm as they went about the business of preparing to fight members of one of the most elite fighting units in the world. They laughed and yelled to each other as they psyched themselves up for the impending battle and within seconds the men that vowed to protect him with their life would attack armored vehicles outside his compound with everything up to and including RPGs and belt fed 50 caliber machine guns. He smiled and spoke into the phone after un-muting it. “Typical Americans always thinking technology is the answer. You fail to understand that the true test of any army is its men and their commitment to their leaders and their cause.’ He had said everything that he intended to say so he raised the arm with the phone and smashed it on the concrete floor. Before the pieces of the phone had even came to a rest he was at the counter in the cellar stuffing his laptop into a nylon bag. He then opened a hidden compartment in an old bench along the wall and grabbed his go bag. The backpack contained legitimate passports in three different names from 3 different Countries. The bag also contained 3 handguns and $250,000 US. The guns were to kill anyone that got in his way and the $250,000 was his traveling money to get safely out of Mexico. He slid the laptop bag into the pack and moved over to the corner as he slung it onto his back. Next he moved a massive humidifier that covered a hole in the floor that accessed his escape tunnel. He quickly grabbed on the rungs of the ladder and climbed down the 10 feet till he felt solid ground beneath his feet.
As soon as he touched the ground he felt along the wall and grabbed a headlamp and strapped it over his head and switched it on. He then hit the switch that turned the LED placed all the way down the tunnel and provided minimal illumination. As he sprinted down the tunnel he heard the powerful 50 caliber machine guns open up even through the bunker like walls of his wine cellar.
The man they called the Sergeant was a fine shape and he covered the quarter mile with his pack on in less than 2 minutes. As he stood panting at the end of the tunnel he stared at a video monitor that was connected to a pinhole camera that had excellent low light resolution. The camera was inside the detached garage of the house located ¼ mile from his rental and faced a well used street. Even without much light he could see that the two car garage was empty except for his 4 year old minivan. He flipped a button and the scene on the monitor changed and he could see that the street in front of the small house and the area around it were devoid of people or any activity that might mean that US and Mexican forces knew about his tunnel. This camera was a thermal camera and detected body heat. Satisfied the area was clear he hit the switch on the wall in the tunnel. A tall metal cabinet in the garage rotated silently away from the wall and he could see and feel that he was alone. He climbed the ladder and just as he stepped onto the garage floor as was standing to his full height he heard the sound of Velcro ripping and felt a searing pain in his shoulder and then the pain radiated out from his stomach as he fell to the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and when he opened them he could make out the shadows of two men falling from the exposed beams of the garage. Even in the low light of the garage he could see what might have been plastic that looked just like the ceiling. It hung in tatters from where they had dropped from and almost instantly they had him in flex cuffs.
The men quickly disarmed him of the 2 weapons he carried and grabbed the bag that contained his passports, laptop, spare weapons and his running for his life money. Pain radiated along his whole body and he suspected that he had been tazed or shoot with a dart of some kind that introduced drugs into his body. He didn’t have time to consider what had happened because now one of the masked men injected something into his neck and almost instantly he lost consciousness.
One of the masked men quickly went through the backpack and found the laptop and spoke over his radio. “HVT and laptop in our procession. No causalities. We’ll be ready for extract in 15 seconds.”
Grimm felt relief wash over him. “One to team 2 you did an outstanding job. We’ll pick you up in 30 seconds. All personnel move to static locations and good job. Wait for contact in pre-arranged manner. One out.”
The van with Grimm and Lep pulled up to the garage. Before they had stopped moving they saw the two operators moving toward them from the garage’s side door. One had the equipment and their trash in a big cloth trash bag. The other had their HVT over his back in a fireman’s carry. Grimm slid the side door of the van open and the operator with their HVT plopped him on the floor of the van and slid in behind him while closing the door. The other operator got in the front passenger seat. Before the sliding door had completely closed they were moving.
Instantly Grimm took the hood off the HVT and shined a flashlight into his face. Grimm had studied the target and knew instantly they had the right man. Still he moved the HVT and lifted shirt on the right side. Right there at his waistline was the scar the model had told him about. Grimm picked up the phone in his lap. “I have positive ID on HVT. We’re heading for the airstrip now. Be there in 30.”
Dark Voice was excited to hear the good news. “Thank God. Please tell your team I said they did an outstanding job. Also I’ve authorized a $20,000 bonus per team member and the bonus for the outside contractors. Make sure everyone knows not to spend it all in one place. Let me know when he’s in the air.”
Grimm replied to the order. “Copy. I’ll contact you when we’re in the air.”
“Dark Voice out.”
30 minutes later Grimm and his men piled out of the van in almost total darkness while Lep sat behind the wheel of the van prepared to make a quick getaway if needed. The helicopter that would take Grimm and their HVT to a secluded airfield 50 miles away was approaching their location. The pitch of the engines changed as the pilot expertly maneuvered the Bell and it gently touched down 100 feet from them. The operator that had carried the gear from the garage now carried the HVT over his shoulder as he and Grimm jogged toward the chopper through the debris kicked up by the rotors.
The operator helped Grimm strap the rider in and then turned and moved back toward the van. After Grimm slid the door shut he placed the big headset over his head. “Ready when you are.”
The pilot responded as he manipulated the controls to lift the helicopter off the ground and toward their destination. “We should be in the air for 30 minutes or so. There’s water and sport drinks in the cooler beside you.”
Grimm reached down and opened a bottle of water and drank half of the liter bottle in one go. “Thanks, I sure needed that. It seems like I’ve been talking all day long.”
The pilot snickered. “You’re welcome. Good job on the mission. Think he’ll get us the information we need? Honestly boss this is the most boring job ever. I don’t have anything to do but eat and I’ve gained 5 pounds since I was hired.”
Grimm considered the question a moment. “I think this guy is a vital part of the equation and will be instrumental in getting the people we need to get. When I get back to Juarez you need to come in to the warehouse and we’ll put together a plan to shed that weight and get you eating healthier. We can’t have our pilot failing his physical fitness evaluations.”
The pilot realized he had made a mistake and over shared. He had heard of Grimm adherence to a rigorous fitness program and what he expected of the people on his team. “I can’t wait.” As he uttered the words he was focused on flying the helicopter as a good pilot should. But in the back of his mind he was thinking of eating another half bag of fun sized candy bars after he landed.
Fuller
Part 33
Back in his room and ready for the rest of what might prove to be an interesting day Grimm put the spare battery from his encrypted satellite phone on the charger and sat down at his desk to gather his thoughts for a few minutes. On the way back to the warehouse Grimm felt disappointed that the café hadn’t worked out and yet he was adaptable so that failure was put out of his mind and he had moved on. Grimm mentally reviewed the second mission of the day that they might or might not be carrying out later. He let bits and pieces of the mission’s details refresh themselves in his mind still looking for ways to improve the overall plan. After 10 minutes he was convinced that they had prepped well and that his people were as ready as they were going to get. He returned from his intense concentration and called his boss on his encrypted satellite phone to give him an update. He had called Dark Voice on the way back from the café and let him know that the equipment on the truck had failed to live up to expectations but wanted to touch base with him and see if everything for the second possible mission was prepared and ready.
“Go for Dark Voice.”
Grimm wasn’t surprised the man answered on the first ring and gave him a status update. “Everyone is moving into position and morale is excellent. I talked to the scientist and he thinks he might be able to work the bugs out within the next 4 or 5 days or so. He seems like he might be able to handle the pressure. Lep told me he was calm in the truck and seemed centered and very focused.”
Dark voice replied with his trademark smooth delivery. “Excellent. I’m glad to hear it that everyone is excited to get this guy caught. It seems like we’re getting there with the tech guy and his weapon. Keep me informed and let me know what you think about him and the weapon. Things are moving along here so if all goes according to plan we should be fully staffed and ready to go in 50 minutes. We’ll launch that drone we borrowed at dusk and have approval to deploy signal jamming whenever you need it. Any idea when the HVT generally heads down to spent time in his wine cellar?”
Grimm replied without giving away the fact that he hadn’t ever understood the obsession some people have with wine. “The model told Close that he usually headed down a few hours before dinner to pick out a few bottles based on what the chef was preparing. Close was told that he ate promptly at 9pm every night. He will also go down there at random times to check this or that. The model speculated that maybe he had a laptop or a secure landline down there and was doing business.”
Dark Voice spoke up. “If he had a wired connection from another house in the area or directly from the cable companies box it would be a tricky way to keep everyone out of his business. With his pull he could have threatened or bribed someone very easily. And you told me that the area is saturated with video and audio surveillance, is that correct?”
Grimm replied. Close the leader of our surveillance team told me she’s never seen so many devices attached to an active residence before with the exception of a few locations used as diplomatic residences or estates owned by reclusive billionaires. She’s made some calls to a few trusted associates and they said the same thing.”
Dark voice took in the information and considered the mission for a moment. “If there’s a laptop in that cellar we need to obtain it. Did we ever talk about what we we’re going to do to get it if the HVT doesn’t bring it out with him?”
Grimm was surprised Dark Voice even had to ask. “We haven’t discussed this but if he comes through the tunnel without the laptop a team will go retrieve it in the cellar assuming the path back to the house isn’t blocked or extensively booby trapped. There is a chance that he’d destroy it before he scrambles out the back. If we end up having to assault the house the laptop will likely be destroyed before we get to it or it will be unobtainable without risking serious injuries or getting someone caught.”
“Good. I’d be interested in seeing what’s on that laptop if indeed it exists. When do you think we’ll know if he is at our primary assault location?”
Grimm looked his watch. “Anytime between now and say 6pm. If he cooperates then a 3 man team and the video guy will go into the neighbors around dusk. Within 30 minutes we’ll have people in the garage set up and waiting for him.”
Dark Voice replied. “It seems like we’re as ready as we’re going to get. Call me the second you arrive at your position and we’ll start the wait together. I have a good feeling about this. From everything we’ve been able to find out about this guy I think he’ll opt to run and leave his people to their own devices.”
Grimm nodded to himself. “I hope that our assessment is correct and that’s what he decides to do. Be a shame to pull in all these assets and fail. We need this guy and if we miss him it’ll screw up our timetable. The next people on the list will be even more paranoid and it would be weeks to get the next person up or down the food chain into custody.”
Dark Voice chuckled. “Point taken. We have everything that you need to get this done. Now it’s up to our people and fate. Good luck and good hunting. I’ll talk to you in 30 minutes or so.”
With that the line immediately went dead.
Grimm grabbed a few things from his room and headed to the van he’d be working out of. Before he left he visited the restroom and radioed Fuzzy the security man staying at the warehouse that he was leaving. He and Lep would be driving together and after he got to the garage he climbed into the passenger seat of a work van with the name and logo of a local telephone company on the side. The exterior of the van looked about as ragged as the real telephone companies fleet of service vehicles but the van had recently had a new modified engine and heavy duty transmission installed, the brakes had been replaced and upgraded, the front suspension had been modified to add stability in corners, the tires all had run-flat inserts and adjustable shocks made it possible to carry all the people and gear they needed without sagging in the rear and drawing attention to the fake service vehicle.
Grimm sat in the van and listened to reports about their HVTs movements and was excited two hours later when the HVT and his security team pulled into the driveway of the house that Grimm and his boss Dark Voice had determined was the best to assault.
Grimm conferred with his boss and was assured that they had everything in place back in the US and were fully prepared to support Grimm and the other members of the STAG team.
Next he keyed his radio to let his people know that they were in luck and their HVT had ended up where they needed him to. “One to all players. We have confirmation of HVT at target location #1. Proceed to your secondary point and prepare for operation. Mobile one I need you at the edge of the box and scanning for occupants inside location 2.”
The next 30 minutes were a whirlwind of activity as Grimm confirmed that everyone was in position and knew what their job was. The team that would gain access to the garage where the tunnel ended had been moved to be close enough to scan the house for heat signatures and observe anyone at that location. The other teams were moved nearer to their HVT location without exposing them to counter-surveillance and all the team members did equipment and comm. checks.
When he was sure the operation was ready to be implemented he almost smiled. He was ready to capture this guy because he hopefully held a piece of the puzzle that would move them toward the person or persons responsible for the brazen attacks in the US. As a side benefit Grimm and Lep wouldn’t have to spend 8 hours a day in the back of the van which smelled like over ripe bananas and whey powder. He pressed the button on his radio to alert the members of his team
Now the hard part began. They would need to wait while the HVT went about his business hoping that he held to his normal routine and visited his wine cellar before dinner. Just after dark a 4 man team entered the house next to the detached garage and began doing what they needed to do to place them in a position to grab their HVT as he exited the tunnel.
Finally after working all day and waiting for 3 hours ready to go Grimm heard from Close. “One this is Sur 1. Thermal tracking indicates that HVT appears to have gone into the basement.”
Grimm replied. One to Sur 1 message acknowledged.”
“Over watch one to One. We concur. We show HVT in the basement and if it’s him he’s alone.”
Grimm replied to the good news. “Good job, all teams prepare for go signal.”
Grimm switched the satellite phone back to his ear to confer with Dark Voice. “We have confirmation that he’s in the cellar. Can you notify the drone pilots and ask them start Feedback?” ”
Dark Voice replied. “Pilots report Feedback has been activated.” The man paused for 10 seconds as if thinking about something. “And the dance begins.”
Dark Voice picked up the red desk phone in front of him and nodded to a technician across the room. He heard a dial tone and then heard the phone ringing.
Sergeant their High Value Target glanced at his phone and didn’t recognize the local number. His people and his associates were constantly switching phones to throw off authorities and competitors so it wasn’t uncommon for a number he didn’t recognized to call his phone. Without thinking about it he answered the phone. “Hola.”
When he heard the voice on the other end of the phone he froze. The men on the phone spoke English and it betrayed no hint of any type of accent and was totally devoid of emotion. His deep resonate voice projected confidence and utter belief in and each and every word he uttered. “We have a Special Operations team and close to 100 Mexican National Police ready to assault your location on Mesa. You need to tell your men to throw down their weapons and come out with their hands up and unarmed. You have 2 minutes to comply then we open up with 50 caliber machine guns and 40mm grenades. I you fail to comply with that directive we have received permission from your Country’s President to assault the house. If there is too great a risk of civilian casualties he has assured us that he will allow two 250 pound laser guided bombs to be deployed. They are the bunker buster bombs designed to destroy hardened targets. That means that if you live through the initial attack then you’ll most likely get blown up or the shock wave will scramble your insides. If there is anything left my team and 80 Mexican National Police will kick down the door and scrape you off the floor. Your crooked Lawyer in the Bahamas has been taken into custody and rendered to a secret detection facility outside the US. He has been useful and was willing to talk an exchange for his life. At this time I’m authorized to offer you 20% of your invested holdings and anything you have at your disposal at all three of your safe houses. We will provide documents from a friendly Country that will allow you to seek sanctuary in a South American or Caribbean location of your choosing. Forfeiture of the majority of your amassed wealth and information about the person or persons responsible for the attacks in the US will serve as the price you’ll pay in exchange for your life. ”
The Cartel big shot considered his position. He was standing inside his wine cellar in the homes basement. A mere 12 inches of rebar reinforced concrete protected him from whatever happened above him. He didn’t want to abandon his job or his wine collections and was hoping this was part of an elaborate American PSYOPs operation and not a SEAL team and 100 Mexican National Police coming for him. The assault that he had just been threatened with was in clear violation of his nation’s treaties with the US and would constitute a clear act of war unless it had been authorized by the Mexican Government at the very highest levels. He and his organization had people embedded in the government up to including the President’s Office and no warning had come so whatever the Americans had in mind was a huge risk to them. “How to I know this is not a joke? I can just run down into my bunker and wait for the authorities to show up then what have you accomplished other than making my Country’s President furious? Let us not forget that your Country desperately needs my Country’s oil to keep your Country’s economy and way of life viable.”
The Dark Voice continued the dialogue. “Do I sound like a man that makes jokes like a child or makes idle threats? Just so you know if you fail to cooperate and live you will be returned to the US to stand trial for crimes you and your organization have committed in the US and all your assets will be sized. I have authorization to either capture or kill you. It’s your call.”
The man they called Sergeant moved to the phone on the wall and hit the intercom button so that his words were transmitted to each and every room in the house. He hit the talk button and yelled into it. “Code Black. I repeat Code Black. This is not a drill. Security office I need a report in 30 seconds.”
He then turned and looked at the phone in his hand knowing that he know a thing or two about the house and the arrangements he had made ahead of time that the Americans did not. “We’re ready to die when you are. Give me a second and let’s what’s what.” He muted the phone and set it down so he could talk on the in-house business phone system without being overheard.
Over the phone system’s intercom the security office replied. “We checked the video and it was looped remotely. There is a tactical assault vehicles outside the gate and 2 others positioned around the property. But we don’t see any men on thermal so they must be shielded. The cells, landlines and the satellite phones are all being jammed and the internet is non-functional. Orders sir?”
The man calmly considered his position and hit the intercom button. “I need 5 minutes and if I escape then everyman that lives will receive a million US. Light them up. Show them they are impotent against our family and then surrender in 10 minutes. I’ll pay the bribes to either have you released or to break you out.”
Even through the open intercom in the security room he heard guns being pulled off the wall and magazines being inserted into them. He could hear the excitement in the voices of his men as they pondered out loud what they would do with that much money. Other than the excitement of the prospect of being rich they sounded calm as they went about the business of preparing to fight members of one of the most elite fighting units in the world. They laughed and yelled to each other as they psyched themselves up for the impending battle and within seconds the men that vowed to protect him with their life would attack armored vehicles outside his compound with everything up to and including RPGs and belt fed 50 caliber machine guns. He smiled and spoke into the phone after un-muting it. “Typical Americans always thinking technology is the answer. You fail to understand that the true test of any army is its men and their commitment to their leaders and their cause.’ He had said everything that he intended to say so he raised the arm with the phone and smashed it on the concrete floor. Before the pieces of the phone had even came to a rest he was at the counter in the cellar stuffing his laptop into a nylon bag. He then opened a hidden compartment in an old bench along the wall and grabbed his go bag. The backpack contained legitimate passports in three different names from 3 different Countries. The bag also contained 3 handguns and $250,000 US. The guns were to kill anyone that got in his way and the $250,000 was his traveling money to get safely out of Mexico. He slid the laptop bag into the pack and moved over to the corner as he slung it onto his back. Next he moved a massive humidifier that covered a hole in the floor that accessed his escape tunnel. He quickly grabbed on the rungs of the ladder and climbed down the 10 feet till he felt solid ground beneath his feet.
As soon as he touched the ground he felt along the wall and grabbed a headlamp and strapped it over his head and switched it on. He then hit the switch that turned the LED placed all the way down the tunnel and provided minimal illumination. As he sprinted down the tunnel he heard the powerful 50 caliber machine guns open up even through the bunker like walls of his wine cellar.
The man they called the Sergeant was a fine shape and he covered the quarter mile with his pack on in less than 2 minutes. As he stood panting at the end of the tunnel he stared at a video monitor that was connected to a pinhole camera that had excellent low light resolution. The camera was inside the detached garage of the house located ¼ mile from his rental and faced a well used street. Even without much light he could see that the two car garage was empty except for his 4 year old minivan. He flipped a button and the scene on the monitor changed and he could see that the street in front of the small house and the area around it were devoid of people or any activity that might mean that US and Mexican forces knew about his tunnel. This camera was a thermal camera and detected body heat. Satisfied the area was clear he hit the switch on the wall in the tunnel. A tall metal cabinet in the garage rotated silently away from the wall and he could see and feel that he was alone. He climbed the ladder and just as he stepped onto the garage floor as was standing to his full height he heard the sound of Velcro ripping and felt a searing pain in his shoulder and then the pain radiated out from his stomach as he fell to the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and when he opened them he could make out the shadows of two men falling from the exposed beams of the garage. Even in the low light of the garage he could see what might have been plastic that looked just like the ceiling. It hung in tatters from where they had dropped from and almost instantly they had him in flex cuffs.
The men quickly disarmed him of the 2 weapons he carried and grabbed the bag that contained his passports, laptop, spare weapons and his running for his life money. Pain radiated along his whole body and he suspected that he had been tazed or shoot with a dart of some kind that introduced drugs into his body. He didn’t have time to consider what had happened because now one of the masked men injected something into his neck and almost instantly he lost consciousness.
One of the masked men quickly went through the backpack and found the laptop and spoke over his radio. “HVT and laptop in our procession. No causalities. We’ll be ready for extract in 15 seconds.”
Grimm felt relief wash over him. “One to team 2 you did an outstanding job. We’ll pick you up in 30 seconds. All personnel move to static locations and good job. Wait for contact in pre-arranged manner. One out.”
The van with Grimm and Lep pulled up to the garage. Before they had stopped moving they saw the two operators moving toward them from the garage’s side door. One had the equipment and their trash in a big cloth trash bag. The other had their HVT over his back in a fireman’s carry. Grimm slid the side door of the van open and the operator with their HVT plopped him on the floor of the van and slid in behind him while closing the door. The other operator got in the front passenger seat. Before the sliding door had completely closed they were moving.
Instantly Grimm took the hood off the HVT and shined a flashlight into his face. Grimm had studied the target and knew instantly they had the right man. Still he moved the HVT and lifted shirt on the right side. Right there at his waistline was the scar the model had told him about. Grimm picked up the phone in his lap. “I have positive ID on HVT. We’re heading for the airstrip now. Be there in 30.”
Dark Voice was excited to hear the good news. “Thank God. Please tell your team I said they did an outstanding job. Also I’ve authorized a $20,000 bonus per team member and the bonus for the outside contractors. Make sure everyone knows not to spend it all in one place. Let me know when he’s in the air.”
Grimm replied to the order. “Copy. I’ll contact you when we’re in the air.”
“Dark Voice out.”
30 minutes later Grimm and his men piled out of the van in almost total darkness while Lep sat behind the wheel of the van prepared to make a quick getaway if needed. The helicopter that would take Grimm and their HVT to a secluded airfield 50 miles away was approaching their location. The pitch of the engines changed as the pilot expertly maneuvered the Bell and it gently touched down 100 feet from them. The operator that had carried the gear from the garage now carried the HVT over his shoulder as he and Grimm jogged toward the chopper through the debris kicked up by the rotors.
The operator helped Grimm strap the rider in and then turned and moved back toward the van. After Grimm slid the door shut he placed the big headset over his head. “Ready when you are.”
The pilot responded as he manipulated the controls to lift the helicopter off the ground and toward their destination. “We should be in the air for 30 minutes or so. There’s water and sport drinks in the cooler beside you.”
Grimm reached down and opened a bottle of water and drank half of the liter bottle in one go. “Thanks, I sure needed that. It seems like I’ve been talking all day long.”
The pilot snickered. “You’re welcome. Good job on the mission. Think he’ll get us the information we need? Honestly boss this is the most boring job ever. I don’t have anything to do but eat and I’ve gained 5 pounds since I was hired.”
Grimm considered the question a moment. “I think this guy is a vital part of the equation and will be instrumental in getting the people we need to get. When I get back to Juarez you need to come in to the warehouse and we’ll put together a plan to shed that weight and get you eating healthier. We can’t have our pilot failing his physical fitness evaluations.”
The pilot realized he had made a mistake and over shared. He had heard of Grimm adherence to a rigorous fitness program and what he expected of the people on his team. “I can’t wait.” As he uttered the words he was focused on flying the helicopter as a good pilot should. But in the back of his mind he was thinking of eating another half bag of fun sized candy bars after he landed.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
thanks for the new chapter, good stuff
stjwelding
Veteran Member
alangator; great chapters, this is a great story looking forward to more if it thanks for the time and effort you share with us.
Wayne
Wayne
Fuller
Part 34
10 minutes into the helicopter ride Grimm’s encrypted satellite phone rang and he saw that Dark Voice was calling. He moved his headset aside and answered the call. “Grimm speaking. What’s up? Is there something wrong?” Even with the noise cancelling package outfitted to the helicopter it was almost impossible to hear over the cabin noise.
Dark voice replied. “No, not really.”
“You going to have to talk louder I can barely hear you.”
Dark Voice raised his voice and Grimm could make out almost everything he was saying. “We just got word that we have a medical issue at the site and you need to swing around and pick up the Doc before heading to the plane. I’ll send the GPS coordinates and contact protocol. He’s a really decent guy. I think you might actually like him.”
Grimm thought it was unusual that they would delay a HVT transfer to pick up a passenger and thought maybe he had misheard. Every minute they delayed meant that the Cartel might alter an aspect of their security that would make it harder to capture or kill the next person on their list of idiots. “Sorry, I thought you said we’re making another pick-up.”
“Affirmative. You are picking up another passenger.” Dark Voice boomed over the phone.
Grimm continued keeping his voice raised to be heard over the noise of the cabin noise. “Seems like a risk but I assume you have a good reason for the change. Can I ask why we are diverting to pick a passenger up?”
Dark Voice hesitated. “I have a reason but I’ll tell you when you get to the site and we can talk face to face. I brought a case of the good stuff to celebrate.”
Grimm was surprised that the boss was coming down to the site. Dark Voice headed the whole STAG program and visiting a black detention facility that had anything that had to do with torture meant he was exposed to capture or arrest and that could result in imprisonment if the authorities happened to show up when he was visiting. And if he was captured on-site then the media would quickly make the connection to his old job at the CIA and label the site a covert CIA facility. Any media attention would prove to be the end of the STAG program and likely result in everyone associated with the project being thrown into jail and the US Government being ostracized politically on an international scale. While Mexico and Belize might be considered “developing nations” the actions of the STAG program had violated numerous laws in those countries as well as recognized International Law. “That’s good enough, I’ll see you there.”
Grimm could tell Dark Voice was almost smiling as he spoke. “I need to work on my tan and get centered. You want me to book you a massage if I arrive before you?”
Now Grimm laughed aloud. Dark Voice was not a tan and a get centered type of boss. He was more of the how many of these assholes to we need to snatch or kill to complete our mission type of guy. And forget about him sitting on the beach getting umbrella drinks delivered to him because he made it a point to find out what a person drank in their off time. He associated with Scotch and Bourbon drinkers if possible and would compromise and let vodka and gin drinkers into his world if he really needed to. Now with Grimm and his type of warriors Dark Voice made an exception. The warriors were the ones that risked their lives for their Country and as far as Dark Voice was concerned they could drink whatever the hell they wanted to. They earned his respect the hard way, with blood, loss and sacrifice. Since Dark Voice was ex-CIA he seemed to appreciate the decisive action that Grimm and his people showed during their missions despite having little in the way of support compared to Special Operations units working under the command of USSOCOM out of MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL. “Well I can hardly wait to hear this story.”
“And so it shall be. Dark Voice out.” Was all the man responsible for the STAG program said and then satellite phone showed that the boss had ended the phone call.
Grimm slid his headset back over his head and seconds later the pilot came over the headset and spoke. “We just got diverted to make an unscheduled pick-up so add 30 minutes to our airfield ETA. Anything I need to know?”
Grimm spoke over the intense noise of the helicopter. “I just got the same orders from the boss so we’re OK. Are we good on fuel?”
Over the thunderous noise inside the cabin heard the pilot reply over the sound cancelling headsets. “I topped off prior to the mission so we’re OK.”
“Good. If you can add a few more MPHs that might be useful.”
The pilot replied. “Copy. I can do that.”
The helicopter flew over the dark rural landscape of Mexico. Grimm glanced out the window and was amazed at how few lights he saw below him. So with nothing to do he turned his attention back to the passenger and made sure his vitals looked good and that there weren’t any problems. He also insured that the sound cancelling headset was sitting correctly on the HVT’s head. The cabin was as quiet as any helicopter he had ever been in but his HVT would soon need to hear all about his future and Grimm wanted to make sure there weren’t any problems with his hearing.
15 minutes later the pitch of the helicopter changed and Grimm looked out and saw a series of blinking lights signaling to the helicopter from the ground. Without thinking he grabbed his rifle and checked to be sure that it was loaded and the safety was on. Despite the darkness he was able to complete the task in the near darkness as he had hundreds of times before. He turned the dim red lights in the cabin off and as they reduced speed and forward momentum he placed his hand on the handle to the door and waited while he peered into the into the darkness with his night vision goggles. The moon was middling so he could clearly see a man about 60 or 65 standing back 100 feet from the make shift landing pad. He had a full head of hair and carried a duffle on his right shoulder and carried another duffle in his left hand. Grimm was happy to see he looked calm and like he was supposed to be there so he wasn’t part of the Cartel. As STAG victories mounted the pressure would be on to identify the people killing and kidnapping their organization’s members.
Finally after what seemed like minutes but was really a minute Grimm felt the helicopter lightly touch the ground. Grimm swung the door open carefully and the man jogged up and climbed in. He threw his gear to the deck and buckled in before he spoke a word. Then he glanced around and found a pair of headphones in the dim red lights that almost illuminated the cabin. He slid the cumbersome cans over his head and stuck a hand out to shake with Grimm. “Hello you must be Grimm, I’m Doc. You can close the door and tell the pilot I’m strapped in and ready to go. How’s the patient?”
Grimm spoke into the headset. “Hey Red were set to go back here.”
Almost immediately the Helo bound back into the sky toward its next destination.
“I’m Grimm.” He paused and then remembered that when the two teams had consolidated that a Doctor that had been assigned to the other team and their medical equipment and make-shift surgery had been co-located to the area along with the Doctor and equipment that shadowed Grimm’s team and their activities in Juarez. the Doctor assigned to them originally had been working out of a delivery van and had a few low profile locations that they could do surgery in if absolutely necessary when they were Texas. Now that they were primarily based out of Juarez, the Doctor and a 2 person security detail had found a quiet place and cobbled together a make shift clinic complete with surgical supplies, portable imaging equipment and enough anesthetic to complete 2 major surgeries. The improvised field expedient surgical suite was based on the military model and could be used to treat even traumatic injuries. That meant that essentially the Doctor sitting next to him worked for him. “The patient is within acceptable parameters. If you want to double check my effort I won’t be offended.”
The Doctor smiled in the dim light and Grimm waited to see what he was going to say. “I might just take a quick look see and make sure everything looks OK. I’m sure you did great but it never hurts to have another set of eyes.” The helicopter was stable now and flying toward their destination so the Doctor un-hooked himself and scooted over next to the HVT and began examining everything that had been done. The exam by the light of a small flashlight was quick and professional.
After a few minutes he came back over the headset. “It looks like you guys did a great job. The dose that he received should hold him till we manage to get off the airplane and onto the floatplane. Just in case we need to keep the restraints on him to be safe. Everybody reacts to these types of drugs slightly differently. When was the injection administrated?”
Grimm stared at his watch. “44 minutes ago and I think he might have had a glass of wine or two at lunch earlier in the day if that matters.”
Doc considered this information a second and then slid the hood back over the HVT satisfied with his condition. “Having alcohol that long ago won’t alter anything. Any idea if he had anything to drink later. Say in the last few hours?”
“We only had loose surveillance on him but the team didn’t mention anything and I never asked. He’s a big wine guy and was snatched before dinner down in his cellar. He was only in there for a matter of minutes before he fled the house.”
The Doctor smiled and even in the dim red light Grimm could see his genuine amusement. The world will be a better place when these guys realize that regardless of how many $200,000 cars and $1,000 bottles of champagne and wine they buy they’re still low life assholes. Before the team moved to work with you guys we rigged a car accident for a middle management guy and he ended up smashing his $175,000 sports car into a delivery truck. He thought it was funny making a game of losing his security people. So after this low speed wreck we swoop in and grab him before they catch up and he’s a little confused. So we’re alone with him and the things that came out of his mouth were simply shocking. We had him in the fake ambulance within 30 seconds and once he realized that we weren’t legit he about pissed himself. Those people have bribed and threatened everyone for so long that he thought he was immune from the consequences of his actions. But here he was and no amount of money and no threats to kill anyone could change that. I saw his file and he was tasked with smuggling people over the Border. Last year an abandoned trailer outside Corpus Christi yielded 25 bodies of people that had died from dehydration. Intel told us they thought it was one of his group’s shipments.”
Grimm nodded. “Yea, they’re incredibly brutal. As soon as we get rid of one of them at any level someone else steps in to take his place. It’s going to be tough to break the cycle.”
Doc nodded. “Politicians should have built a fence along the Border after World War II and we figured out that we weren’t as isolated in the world as we needed to be. Then if they had been upgrading it all along it might have done some good instead of trying to play catch up now. Good fence might have kept the smuggling to the water which would be easier to detect and prevent. It would have cost some lives but that is a small price to pay for security.”
Grimm paused and considered the statement. “The problem now might be that generations of people from Mexico and Central and South America have been coming over or the International Border as if it wasn’t there. Their natural instinct is to flee rather than take back their governments from the people that are running their Countries into the ground. Well the Genie’s out of the bottle now and we can’t put it back in. Maybe we can get lucky and at least keep the violence concentrated to the south.”
Doc looked over at Grimm. “It could happen.” His face showed that he didn’t believe that it was going to be possible to reverse the trend and that he had would have a hard time accepting the fact that the US he grow up in had been changed forever.
The rest of the trip passed with any words being exchanged by the two men.
The pilot put the helicopter down and they all transferred to a plane. Then they transferred to a float plane hours later and finally after that the pilot of the old floatplane came over the headset and told them they were 10 minutes from the site. The 1500 miles journey had taken all night and an hour ago the sun had made its daily appearance in the East. Grimm and the Doctor both checked their lap belts and prepared for the landing on water. Grimm had a wealth of experience on/in nearly every type of vehicle invented but this was to be his first landing in a float plane. But like all elite warriors he approached the new experience as something that might teach him something to would be useful down the road. With that in mind he just relaxed and let it happen, he kept his senses attuned to what was happening around him and thought it was sort of neat.
10 minutes later they were at the dock and tying up. Two fit men were standing waiting for them at the dock in khaki shorts and t-shirts. Grimm could tell they wore sidearm’s under their shirts and they appeared to be security. Beside them stood a man wearing the ugliest Hawaiian shirt ever made. He wasn’t much over five and half feet tall and looked to be around 180 pounds or so. His graying hair had been trimmed to less than an inch and his nose was sunburned. All the men wore sunglasses and stood as if they owned the place. Their body language screamed we belong here and you do not. Grimm would ignore their posturing; he didn’t have the time or energy to get invested in this location. His job was back in Juarez and along the Texas border. Until he returned he’d do what he needed to do and let others work out the own issues.
Grimm cracked the door and climbed out. Before he stepped on the pontoon he was talking. “I’ve got a delivery for you. Well two actually. Is someone here that can sign for it?”
The man in the shirt stepped forward as Grimm stepped onto the dock. “Dark Voice told me to make sure that I get you some pancakes, bacon and a tall glass of orange juice for a job well done. I’m White, I oversee this location.”
Grimm studied the man in front of him and stuck his hand out. “I’m going to let your guys take this idiot from us and get some sleep first. I’ll place my breakfast order later. Now I need some sleep and a shower so what do I need to know before I zone out for a few hours?”
Now Doc was on the pontoon and stepping onto the dock. He looked at the two security guys. “You guys mind dragging him out of there?”
“Sir, no problem.” One of the security guys replied. He moved toward the plane as Doc moved toward their host.
“I’m Doc. You can call me Doc. Thank you for inviting us. This place is beautiful.”
Their host smiled. “Thanks for coming. As they told you one of the security guys is down. We had a video conference with a Doctor stateside and he thought the man might have a problem with his appendix. They say you’re a hell of a surgeon if the appendix needs to be removed.”
Doc nodded. “I’m good enough. Well let’s get going then. You can tell my friend what he needs to know on the way to the clinic.”
“Doc is there anything in your bags that you need now or should have them sent to your room?” white inquired.
Doc replied instantly. “Hang on one second.” Doc walked over to the security man holding his bag and unzipped a side compartment. Then he reached in and pulled a bag out. “OK, I’m good.”
“Please have them delivered to Doc’s room. Let’s get moving then we have some things to get done.” White began his walking tour of the island’s role in their work while Grimm listened carefully. “OK now. This 55 acre site has been operational for 5 months and deals exclusively with Mexican Nationals connected with drug/human smuggling and other crimes in the US perpetrated by Cartel members. We use a variety of fairly benign enhanced techniques coupled with psychological stressors to illicit useful and actionable information. Torture per se is not practiced here and we have a very strict guideline to insure that the detainees aren’t hurt too bad. I few of them have been smacked but the worst results were a broken tooth and a few bruises.”
As they walked through the picturesque jungle Grimm decided this just might not be as bad as he had originally feared. As a warrior he felt torture was a poor way to interrogate detainees. Mostly because he thought it debased the torturer and left them feeling guilty for what they had done. Too many people tasked with intense interrogation had consciousness’s that were too sensitive for them to accept torture as an acceptable way of obtaining information. The interrogators like Grimm and his people had been raised to have conflicting notions about what they did in the name of God and country. “Surely these Cartel people are immune to the threats you make. They work in an industry that allows very few mistakes and the mistakes they do make can result in a painful death for them and sometimes even their family.”
“Actually they have grown accustomed to the threat of slow and painful death. That has worked to our advantage. A few of them have told me they dream of being snatched off the street or from and meeting and being taken to an abandoned building and tortured and then killed. Many of them have seen a tortured body or a body that was assassinated and they are very aware that it could happen to them. In most cases their mind does all the work for us we simply give them an option that keeps them from suffering a fate that they believe is foretold in their nightmares. We are also running one of the most elaborate deceptions operations I have ever heard about complete with 5 full time actors. We put on Hollywood-style mini plays designed to instill fear at a fundamental level. Here we are. Hang on here and let me get Spool.”
From the lush jungle path they had emerged into a clearing that housed a beautiful colonial style building. The windows were missing but other than that it reminded Grimm of places he had seen in other Colonial era British controlled Caribbean locations like Jamaica, Bahamas or Bermuda. The setting reminded Grimm of an old movie that was from a time when British power was supreme and their rule extended across the globe. Grimm decided he much preferred this vintage atmosphere over the modern gaudiness of resort location that stretched along the Mayan Riviera. The people that had designed this place had it right for those that wanted something a little more traditional.
White walked into the white tropical style building and left his guests standing at the front stairs. Inside was bright and cheery and within a minute was back out. “Grimm someone will be with you in a minute. Doc can you follow me to the clinic.
Doc nodded and the two men moved off while Grimm waited for his escort looking out of place in his assault gear from the night before and carrying a weapon.
“Grimm sorry to keep you waiting.”
Grimm glanced at the entryway to the building and there stood Dark Voice. He was past retirement age by a few years and had a good solid set of shoulders and a flat stomach. Like many men of the age he shaved his head and the most striking thing about him was his blue eyes surrounded by a slightly weathered face.
Grimm smiled as he looked at his boss. “Ah-ha, the boss himself. Are you here to carry my pack or lead me to a drink?”
Dark Voice moved down the stairs and shook Grimm’s hand. “I think you’re capable of carrying you own bag. How about I lead you to the bar and we can tell stories and lie to each other for a while. You definitely deserve a little down time and this place isn’t as bad as you would think. The brothers run it more like a Disney attraction than a covert interrogation facility. 20 minutes ago I saw a guy using the blender in the kitchen to mix up a batch of fake blood. It’s crazy, but it’s working. They are getting good results so I give them some latitude.”
Grimm was confused. “Fake blood. The man told us the place was run like a production but fake blood. Where’d you find this guy?”
Dark voice smiled. “Classified, need to know only. I will tell you his results are better than projected. Best run place I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a few of these types of places including ones in foreign countries. Now let’s get that drink and later we can talk about our next move.”
The two men walked off and found a drink in the buildings completed bar. They regaled each other with tales of daring and bravery. A few of the stories were even true.
Part 34
10 minutes into the helicopter ride Grimm’s encrypted satellite phone rang and he saw that Dark Voice was calling. He moved his headset aside and answered the call. “Grimm speaking. What’s up? Is there something wrong?” Even with the noise cancelling package outfitted to the helicopter it was almost impossible to hear over the cabin noise.
Dark voice replied. “No, not really.”
“You going to have to talk louder I can barely hear you.”
Dark Voice raised his voice and Grimm could make out almost everything he was saying. “We just got word that we have a medical issue at the site and you need to swing around and pick up the Doc before heading to the plane. I’ll send the GPS coordinates and contact protocol. He’s a really decent guy. I think you might actually like him.”
Grimm thought it was unusual that they would delay a HVT transfer to pick up a passenger and thought maybe he had misheard. Every minute they delayed meant that the Cartel might alter an aspect of their security that would make it harder to capture or kill the next person on their list of idiots. “Sorry, I thought you said we’re making another pick-up.”
“Affirmative. You are picking up another passenger.” Dark Voice boomed over the phone.
Grimm continued keeping his voice raised to be heard over the noise of the cabin noise. “Seems like a risk but I assume you have a good reason for the change. Can I ask why we are diverting to pick a passenger up?”
Dark Voice hesitated. “I have a reason but I’ll tell you when you get to the site and we can talk face to face. I brought a case of the good stuff to celebrate.”
Grimm was surprised that the boss was coming down to the site. Dark Voice headed the whole STAG program and visiting a black detention facility that had anything that had to do with torture meant he was exposed to capture or arrest and that could result in imprisonment if the authorities happened to show up when he was visiting. And if he was captured on-site then the media would quickly make the connection to his old job at the CIA and label the site a covert CIA facility. Any media attention would prove to be the end of the STAG program and likely result in everyone associated with the project being thrown into jail and the US Government being ostracized politically on an international scale. While Mexico and Belize might be considered “developing nations” the actions of the STAG program had violated numerous laws in those countries as well as recognized International Law. “That’s good enough, I’ll see you there.”
Grimm could tell Dark Voice was almost smiling as he spoke. “I need to work on my tan and get centered. You want me to book you a massage if I arrive before you?”
Now Grimm laughed aloud. Dark Voice was not a tan and a get centered type of boss. He was more of the how many of these assholes to we need to snatch or kill to complete our mission type of guy. And forget about him sitting on the beach getting umbrella drinks delivered to him because he made it a point to find out what a person drank in their off time. He associated with Scotch and Bourbon drinkers if possible and would compromise and let vodka and gin drinkers into his world if he really needed to. Now with Grimm and his type of warriors Dark Voice made an exception. The warriors were the ones that risked their lives for their Country and as far as Dark Voice was concerned they could drink whatever the hell they wanted to. They earned his respect the hard way, with blood, loss and sacrifice. Since Dark Voice was ex-CIA he seemed to appreciate the decisive action that Grimm and his people showed during their missions despite having little in the way of support compared to Special Operations units working under the command of USSOCOM out of MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL. “Well I can hardly wait to hear this story.”
“And so it shall be. Dark Voice out.” Was all the man responsible for the STAG program said and then satellite phone showed that the boss had ended the phone call.
Grimm slid his headset back over his head and seconds later the pilot came over the headset and spoke. “We just got diverted to make an unscheduled pick-up so add 30 minutes to our airfield ETA. Anything I need to know?”
Grimm spoke over the intense noise of the helicopter. “I just got the same orders from the boss so we’re OK. Are we good on fuel?”
Over the thunderous noise inside the cabin heard the pilot reply over the sound cancelling headsets. “I topped off prior to the mission so we’re OK.”
“Good. If you can add a few more MPHs that might be useful.”
The pilot replied. “Copy. I can do that.”
The helicopter flew over the dark rural landscape of Mexico. Grimm glanced out the window and was amazed at how few lights he saw below him. So with nothing to do he turned his attention back to the passenger and made sure his vitals looked good and that there weren’t any problems. He also insured that the sound cancelling headset was sitting correctly on the HVT’s head. The cabin was as quiet as any helicopter he had ever been in but his HVT would soon need to hear all about his future and Grimm wanted to make sure there weren’t any problems with his hearing.
15 minutes later the pitch of the helicopter changed and Grimm looked out and saw a series of blinking lights signaling to the helicopter from the ground. Without thinking he grabbed his rifle and checked to be sure that it was loaded and the safety was on. Despite the darkness he was able to complete the task in the near darkness as he had hundreds of times before. He turned the dim red lights in the cabin off and as they reduced speed and forward momentum he placed his hand on the handle to the door and waited while he peered into the into the darkness with his night vision goggles. The moon was middling so he could clearly see a man about 60 or 65 standing back 100 feet from the make shift landing pad. He had a full head of hair and carried a duffle on his right shoulder and carried another duffle in his left hand. Grimm was happy to see he looked calm and like he was supposed to be there so he wasn’t part of the Cartel. As STAG victories mounted the pressure would be on to identify the people killing and kidnapping their organization’s members.
Finally after what seemed like minutes but was really a minute Grimm felt the helicopter lightly touch the ground. Grimm swung the door open carefully and the man jogged up and climbed in. He threw his gear to the deck and buckled in before he spoke a word. Then he glanced around and found a pair of headphones in the dim red lights that almost illuminated the cabin. He slid the cumbersome cans over his head and stuck a hand out to shake with Grimm. “Hello you must be Grimm, I’m Doc. You can close the door and tell the pilot I’m strapped in and ready to go. How’s the patient?”
Grimm spoke into the headset. “Hey Red were set to go back here.”
Almost immediately the Helo bound back into the sky toward its next destination.
“I’m Grimm.” He paused and then remembered that when the two teams had consolidated that a Doctor that had been assigned to the other team and their medical equipment and make-shift surgery had been co-located to the area along with the Doctor and equipment that shadowed Grimm’s team and their activities in Juarez. the Doctor assigned to them originally had been working out of a delivery van and had a few low profile locations that they could do surgery in if absolutely necessary when they were Texas. Now that they were primarily based out of Juarez, the Doctor and a 2 person security detail had found a quiet place and cobbled together a make shift clinic complete with surgical supplies, portable imaging equipment and enough anesthetic to complete 2 major surgeries. The improvised field expedient surgical suite was based on the military model and could be used to treat even traumatic injuries. That meant that essentially the Doctor sitting next to him worked for him. “The patient is within acceptable parameters. If you want to double check my effort I won’t be offended.”
The Doctor smiled in the dim light and Grimm waited to see what he was going to say. “I might just take a quick look see and make sure everything looks OK. I’m sure you did great but it never hurts to have another set of eyes.” The helicopter was stable now and flying toward their destination so the Doctor un-hooked himself and scooted over next to the HVT and began examining everything that had been done. The exam by the light of a small flashlight was quick and professional.
After a few minutes he came back over the headset. “It looks like you guys did a great job. The dose that he received should hold him till we manage to get off the airplane and onto the floatplane. Just in case we need to keep the restraints on him to be safe. Everybody reacts to these types of drugs slightly differently. When was the injection administrated?”
Grimm stared at his watch. “44 minutes ago and I think he might have had a glass of wine or two at lunch earlier in the day if that matters.”
Doc considered this information a second and then slid the hood back over the HVT satisfied with his condition. “Having alcohol that long ago won’t alter anything. Any idea if he had anything to drink later. Say in the last few hours?”
“We only had loose surveillance on him but the team didn’t mention anything and I never asked. He’s a big wine guy and was snatched before dinner down in his cellar. He was only in there for a matter of minutes before he fled the house.”
The Doctor smiled and even in the dim red light Grimm could see his genuine amusement. The world will be a better place when these guys realize that regardless of how many $200,000 cars and $1,000 bottles of champagne and wine they buy they’re still low life assholes. Before the team moved to work with you guys we rigged a car accident for a middle management guy and he ended up smashing his $175,000 sports car into a delivery truck. He thought it was funny making a game of losing his security people. So after this low speed wreck we swoop in and grab him before they catch up and he’s a little confused. So we’re alone with him and the things that came out of his mouth were simply shocking. We had him in the fake ambulance within 30 seconds and once he realized that we weren’t legit he about pissed himself. Those people have bribed and threatened everyone for so long that he thought he was immune from the consequences of his actions. But here he was and no amount of money and no threats to kill anyone could change that. I saw his file and he was tasked with smuggling people over the Border. Last year an abandoned trailer outside Corpus Christi yielded 25 bodies of people that had died from dehydration. Intel told us they thought it was one of his group’s shipments.”
Grimm nodded. “Yea, they’re incredibly brutal. As soon as we get rid of one of them at any level someone else steps in to take his place. It’s going to be tough to break the cycle.”
Doc nodded. “Politicians should have built a fence along the Border after World War II and we figured out that we weren’t as isolated in the world as we needed to be. Then if they had been upgrading it all along it might have done some good instead of trying to play catch up now. Good fence might have kept the smuggling to the water which would be easier to detect and prevent. It would have cost some lives but that is a small price to pay for security.”
Grimm paused and considered the statement. “The problem now might be that generations of people from Mexico and Central and South America have been coming over or the International Border as if it wasn’t there. Their natural instinct is to flee rather than take back their governments from the people that are running their Countries into the ground. Well the Genie’s out of the bottle now and we can’t put it back in. Maybe we can get lucky and at least keep the violence concentrated to the south.”
Doc looked over at Grimm. “It could happen.” His face showed that he didn’t believe that it was going to be possible to reverse the trend and that he had would have a hard time accepting the fact that the US he grow up in had been changed forever.
The rest of the trip passed with any words being exchanged by the two men.
The pilot put the helicopter down and they all transferred to a plane. Then they transferred to a float plane hours later and finally after that the pilot of the old floatplane came over the headset and told them they were 10 minutes from the site. The 1500 miles journey had taken all night and an hour ago the sun had made its daily appearance in the East. Grimm and the Doctor both checked their lap belts and prepared for the landing on water. Grimm had a wealth of experience on/in nearly every type of vehicle invented but this was to be his first landing in a float plane. But like all elite warriors he approached the new experience as something that might teach him something to would be useful down the road. With that in mind he just relaxed and let it happen, he kept his senses attuned to what was happening around him and thought it was sort of neat.
10 minutes later they were at the dock and tying up. Two fit men were standing waiting for them at the dock in khaki shorts and t-shirts. Grimm could tell they wore sidearm’s under their shirts and they appeared to be security. Beside them stood a man wearing the ugliest Hawaiian shirt ever made. He wasn’t much over five and half feet tall and looked to be around 180 pounds or so. His graying hair had been trimmed to less than an inch and his nose was sunburned. All the men wore sunglasses and stood as if they owned the place. Their body language screamed we belong here and you do not. Grimm would ignore their posturing; he didn’t have the time or energy to get invested in this location. His job was back in Juarez and along the Texas border. Until he returned he’d do what he needed to do and let others work out the own issues.
Grimm cracked the door and climbed out. Before he stepped on the pontoon he was talking. “I’ve got a delivery for you. Well two actually. Is someone here that can sign for it?”
The man in the shirt stepped forward as Grimm stepped onto the dock. “Dark Voice told me to make sure that I get you some pancakes, bacon and a tall glass of orange juice for a job well done. I’m White, I oversee this location.”
Grimm studied the man in front of him and stuck his hand out. “I’m going to let your guys take this idiot from us and get some sleep first. I’ll place my breakfast order later. Now I need some sleep and a shower so what do I need to know before I zone out for a few hours?”
Now Doc was on the pontoon and stepping onto the dock. He looked at the two security guys. “You guys mind dragging him out of there?”
“Sir, no problem.” One of the security guys replied. He moved toward the plane as Doc moved toward their host.
“I’m Doc. You can call me Doc. Thank you for inviting us. This place is beautiful.”
Their host smiled. “Thanks for coming. As they told you one of the security guys is down. We had a video conference with a Doctor stateside and he thought the man might have a problem with his appendix. They say you’re a hell of a surgeon if the appendix needs to be removed.”
Doc nodded. “I’m good enough. Well let’s get going then. You can tell my friend what he needs to know on the way to the clinic.”
“Doc is there anything in your bags that you need now or should have them sent to your room?” white inquired.
Doc replied instantly. “Hang on one second.” Doc walked over to the security man holding his bag and unzipped a side compartment. Then he reached in and pulled a bag out. “OK, I’m good.”
“Please have them delivered to Doc’s room. Let’s get moving then we have some things to get done.” White began his walking tour of the island’s role in their work while Grimm listened carefully. “OK now. This 55 acre site has been operational for 5 months and deals exclusively with Mexican Nationals connected with drug/human smuggling and other crimes in the US perpetrated by Cartel members. We use a variety of fairly benign enhanced techniques coupled with psychological stressors to illicit useful and actionable information. Torture per se is not practiced here and we have a very strict guideline to insure that the detainees aren’t hurt too bad. I few of them have been smacked but the worst results were a broken tooth and a few bruises.”
As they walked through the picturesque jungle Grimm decided this just might not be as bad as he had originally feared. As a warrior he felt torture was a poor way to interrogate detainees. Mostly because he thought it debased the torturer and left them feeling guilty for what they had done. Too many people tasked with intense interrogation had consciousness’s that were too sensitive for them to accept torture as an acceptable way of obtaining information. The interrogators like Grimm and his people had been raised to have conflicting notions about what they did in the name of God and country. “Surely these Cartel people are immune to the threats you make. They work in an industry that allows very few mistakes and the mistakes they do make can result in a painful death for them and sometimes even their family.”
“Actually they have grown accustomed to the threat of slow and painful death. That has worked to our advantage. A few of them have told me they dream of being snatched off the street or from and meeting and being taken to an abandoned building and tortured and then killed. Many of them have seen a tortured body or a body that was assassinated and they are very aware that it could happen to them. In most cases their mind does all the work for us we simply give them an option that keeps them from suffering a fate that they believe is foretold in their nightmares. We are also running one of the most elaborate deceptions operations I have ever heard about complete with 5 full time actors. We put on Hollywood-style mini plays designed to instill fear at a fundamental level. Here we are. Hang on here and let me get Spool.”
From the lush jungle path they had emerged into a clearing that housed a beautiful colonial style building. The windows were missing but other than that it reminded Grimm of places he had seen in other Colonial era British controlled Caribbean locations like Jamaica, Bahamas or Bermuda. The setting reminded Grimm of an old movie that was from a time when British power was supreme and their rule extended across the globe. Grimm decided he much preferred this vintage atmosphere over the modern gaudiness of resort location that stretched along the Mayan Riviera. The people that had designed this place had it right for those that wanted something a little more traditional.
White walked into the white tropical style building and left his guests standing at the front stairs. Inside was bright and cheery and within a minute was back out. “Grimm someone will be with you in a minute. Doc can you follow me to the clinic.
Doc nodded and the two men moved off while Grimm waited for his escort looking out of place in his assault gear from the night before and carrying a weapon.
“Grimm sorry to keep you waiting.”
Grimm glanced at the entryway to the building and there stood Dark Voice. He was past retirement age by a few years and had a good solid set of shoulders and a flat stomach. Like many men of the age he shaved his head and the most striking thing about him was his blue eyes surrounded by a slightly weathered face.
Grimm smiled as he looked at his boss. “Ah-ha, the boss himself. Are you here to carry my pack or lead me to a drink?”
Dark Voice moved down the stairs and shook Grimm’s hand. “I think you’re capable of carrying you own bag. How about I lead you to the bar and we can tell stories and lie to each other for a while. You definitely deserve a little down time and this place isn’t as bad as you would think. The brothers run it more like a Disney attraction than a covert interrogation facility. 20 minutes ago I saw a guy using the blender in the kitchen to mix up a batch of fake blood. It’s crazy, but it’s working. They are getting good results so I give them some latitude.”
Grimm was confused. “Fake blood. The man told us the place was run like a production but fake blood. Where’d you find this guy?”
Dark voice smiled. “Classified, need to know only. I will tell you his results are better than projected. Best run place I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a few of these types of places including ones in foreign countries. Now let’s get that drink and later we can talk about our next move.”
The two men walked off and found a drink in the buildings completed bar. They regaled each other with tales of daring and bravery. A few of the stories were even true.
Fuller Part 35
Fuller
Part 35
Juarez
Close and her surveillance partner stopped 2 blocks down the street and pulled their rental over to the curb. In the US everybody including poor people had cars while in the rest of the world that was often not the case. In this part of Juarez very few cars were on the street and both Close and her partner were thankful for the darkness that partially hid their presence.
As soon as the car stopped moving Close had the shotgun microphone pointed to where the corrupt cops were parked. She listened as she minutely moved the devise to get the best signal. Beside her the partner put the ear bud in his ear and listened.
He paused. “This could be a problem.”
Close’s Spanish was useless with these guys. Between their thick accents and their rapid delivery she was lucky to get one word in 4 so her partner was translating. “They’re talking about raping the girl that lives in that house. She sounds like she could be very young. One of them specifically said that she was 14 years old. Apparently she works at a factory with her mother and should be home in 15 minutes. They just said that if the mother objects too much they are going to just knock her out and continue to party. It sounds like one of them is more interested in the mother than the daughter. Any ideas?”
Close considered the problem for a minute. She was an American and regardless of what she did this place was befouled by the Cartels and their bribery and lawlessness. Yet she felt a strange protective connection with this young girl. “Are you sure the house they are interested in is the one directly in front of the car?”
Even in the darkness of the rental her partner nodded. “The other house has the lights on and I just saw a shadow pass in front of the window. I also see someone on the porch of the house across the street. So I’d guess it’s the dark house with nothing going on.”
Close made up her mind. “I’ll break in to the house thru the back and wait inside to see what happens. You radio me when the mother and daughter get home. If the cops take off let me know and I’ll talk to the mother and give her some money to move tonight. They look pretty poor we should be able to get them enough to get out and get to someplace safe.”
The partner paused and looked intent. “They’re talking about a kit they keep in the truck of their car. The tall one just mentioned needing to replace the batteries in his stun gun. You better get moving it sounds like they expect them any minute.”
Close agreed and slid out of the vehicle quietly and opened the trunk. She already had her vest on under her blouse and was armed but she was going to need her equipment bag. Inside the bag were all the equipment you’d expect anyone in law enforcement in the US to carry with them on patrol. The only things that were missing from the bag were a half a ream of the forms that bogged down street cops and a badge. Close clicked her flashlight’s tail cap once and used the dimmest setting to insure that everything she was going to need was in the bag. Satisfied she had what she needed she slipped her pick gun into her pocket and gently closed the lid. She spoke thru the open window on the passenger’s side. “Call the 2nd team and have them bring the van. If I have to make a move I should be able to get the mother and daughter out in 10 or 15 minutes. If the cops go in and you hear gunshots keep an eye out for me. When I hit the front pull up in front and be prepared to get out of here quickly. You good with this?”
The passenger looked over. “I have a daughter that’s nine. If that was her and her mother I’d hope someone had the courage to do what we’re doing.”
Close paused. “Sorry, I didn’t know you had any children.”
He looked back at her. “Mother and I split when I was overseas the second time. If I’m lucky she lets me see Shelia when I get back into town. I’d push for custody and stay in the US but I’m afraid if I lose in court Sheila’s mom would leave town. She is one angry woman. She didn’t handle my deployment very well.”
Close felt the pull of home life since she had struggled with similar issues while deployed herself. “I’m sorry to hear that. It seems like there’s a lot of veterans that have had similar experiences when they returned home after being overseas. Not much of a thank you for serving your country and keeping the world safe for Democracy. Keep an eye out.”
Close set her phone to vibrate and called Grimm as she started down the block.
Interrogation Site- off the coast of Belize
Grimm felt his encrypted phone ringing and saw that it was Close. He had asked her to follow the two corrupt cops back in Juarez so this might be something he needed to hear about. “Grimm.” He listened for a minute and then spoke again. “Let me OK it with the boss I’ll be back to you in two minutes.”
Grimm ended the call and turned to Dark Voice sitting on the veranda beside him. “I had a problem with a few local cops that were pressuring us for more money and taking an interest in the warehouse because we had no viable business operating there. I asked Close to follow them around some to get a line on where their loyalties laid. She and her partner just picked up them talking about raping and 14 year old girl and her mother. Right now the cops I was having problems with are in front of the family’s house waiting for the mother and daughter to get home from the factory. Close wants to go into the back of the house and if there is a problem when they get home she wants to stun the cops and give the mother and the daughter enough money to move someplace safe.”
Dark Voice considered what he had just heard. “That’s fine with me if she thinks she can do it clean. I have a friend that runs a resort not far from Cancun and she can find them good work. I can text you the contact information and the mother and daughter can head there knowing a job is waiting for them. My question is what are you going to do with the cops?”
Grimm considered the question. “I’ll send two guys to lend a hand and bring them back to the warehouse. After that they and I are going to have a chat.”
Dark voice nodded. He understood the possible ramifications of one of Grimm’s chats. “You take them back and do what you need to do then when you’re done chatting they go into the ground. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
Grimm dialed the number to Close’s phone. He waited for her to answer. “Authorized. Call the emergency number and have two of the guys from the warehouse meet you and help you bring them in. we have jobs lined up for them outside Cancun. Please be very careful and let me know if you need anything. Oh, and be sure to stash the cop car at least a mile away and not get caught.” Grimm paused and listened to what he expected to hear. ”That’s correct.” He paused again while Close shared her thoughts. “That’s fair enough. Let me know when it’s done.” Grimm then ended the call and set the phone down. This Cartel mess was tragedy because it added onto the corruption that had been part of Mexican life for generations. Grimm worried that it turned people that might have had a chance to be good into greedy opportunistic predators. Grimm was a predator for all the right reasons and he’d feel bad about having to kill the corrupt cops but not too bad. They were everything that was bad in Law Enforcement the world over. They used their authority to badger, intimidate, extort and hurt the people they were supposed to protect.
Dark Voice sat quietly letting Grimm come to terms with the decisions he had just made. Killing civilians was never part of the job description but in the fight against the cartels exceptions had to be made. The upside other than possible saving the mother and her daughter’s lives was that the pressure would be off the warehouse and they’d be able to use it longer than if they did nothing at all. They’d never kill policeman to save a safe house they’d just move and start over. But this might mean they could keep the warehouse and avoid using their secondary staging location. Finally Dark Voice decided to break the silence. “It’s the correct decision. We extend the usefulness of the safe house and might have saved a teenager and a mother from a brutal attack from men whose job it is to keep them safe.”
Grimm picked up his rocks glass and took a small amount of the quality liquor into his mouth. He paused to let the taste of the fine alcohol be absorbed by his tongue and mouth and then swallowed the amber liquid and felt its mild burn. “I know it’s the right thing to do but I hate having to do it none the less. Now our waiting begins.”
Dark voice smirked. “Now you know what I feel like having to wait to hear if everything worked out the way it was supposed to. It sucks, trust me on this.”
Grimm crossed his legs. “This is what I get for letting you talk me into having a drink before noon.”
Dark voice replied. “Hey we were celebrating. This is the first drink I’ve had in three weeks. Last week I had dinner with my daughter and she asked me if I was sick because I didn’t have a drink or two with dinner. I couldn’t tell that I was working or on call 24 hours a day and needed to stay clear headed. She thinks I’m taking time off to make sure I find the perfect job that will allow me to spend more time with everybody. She’s 30 now and 5 months pregnant with my first grandchild. I’m hoping we get this Narco-Terrorism thing wrapped up before she delivers or my cover is going to be blown.”
Grimm nodded. “A few weeks to get Juarez wrapped up would be nice. Might not be such a bad thing if MacDill took over and finished this one out. They have the assets and the political clout and could benefit from the positive P.R. and it would lessen our exposure. After that we can do a short training cycle and then get back to it someplace else with far less scrutiny and a hell of a lot less pressure.”
Dark Voice raised his glass. “From your lips to God’s ears.”
Off the Coast of Belize
When the Sergeant came awake his lungs and throat were burning and he needed water desperately. His mouth and throat were so dry that the mere act of breathing caused him agonizing pain. Even laying down his balance seemed wrong and his mind was just now taking in his surroundings. The stark white room with the sun shining through somehow felt tropical and looked like a treatment room in a hospital or in clinic. A cabinet with a built-in stainless steel sink and chrome fixtures sat across the room. Slightly above him there was one of those large lights on a telescoping arm that you see in a Dentist’s office. He realized he couldn’t seem to move any part of his body and he looked down and realized that he was in what looked like a dentist’s chair. His arms were attached to the chair’s arms with bands of fabric and his legs were wrapped in what looked like sport wrap.
Slowly it all came back to him. The threat from the man with the soulless voice and the attempted escape that resulted in his subsequent capture. He remembered that big faceless men in masks had drugged him and brought him here. If there was any good news it was that he had been captured by Americans and not the Cartel assassins that worked for his Bosses. They were experts at inflicting pain and took pleasure in killing people slowly. He had watched them ply their trade and they were singularly scary men. But the Americans were soft and would try to get him to betray his family by threatening and cajoling him. As if that was even a possibility. The family had given him a job when he needed it and entrusted him to always put the family’s business above his own needs. They had allowed him to become a wealthy man by any standards one cared to use. He and his family that lived outside Cancun were financially comfortable and he had all the cash, cars and homes he had ever dreamed. The Family had also bestowed upon him power and that power allowed him take his pick of beautiful mistress’s eager to satisfy his every whim and desire. He was feared and respected by the men and woman that worked under him. Growing up in Juarez he had never dreamed his life could possibly be like this. He had been an undersized kid with no large family or friends to keep him from getting beat up and abused every single day of his life. He had grown to be a hard and merciless man and had killed his father when he was 13 years old. After that he felt free and learned to fight back against anyone that would hurt him and it turns out he was good at it. Living with an alcoholic father had bred in him a child’s confusion about why he had been constantly beat and the rage that could manifest itself in the hurting of others. Cartel life appealed to him because he understood the way the organization worked. You did your job and if something was screwed up or money was stolen or lost then you were in danger. It was as simple as that.
Recently there had been the threat of death from competing cartels but he also understood they were just doing business. Every single one of them was just like him and was entrusted to increase their family’s share of the lucrative drug and human smuggling business. The US was an easy path to riches that the various cartels had been effectively exploiting for decades. It had been just in the last decade or so that the cartels had truly learned to expand their business to the point where it now stood.
“I see our guest is awake.” A man with a mask over his face stepped around the back of the chair and stared at the Sergeant. He wasn’t very big in fact he was less than 5 and half feet tall but his eyes had a dull glint in them that reminded the sergeant of the eyes of the sicarios he had met. The cartel assassins referred to as Sicarios were a notoriously grime and dangerous groups of individuals and the Sergeant thought that if you looked into their eyes you could see the toll the killing had taken on them. They had the dull lifeless eyes of a predator uninterested in anything except obtaining its next meal.
“Where am I?” the Sergeant demanded. His tone sounded like a man used to having people listen to what he said. “I need water.”
The man in the mask picked up a plastic cup and guided a straw into the Sergeant’s mouth. As the detainee began drinking the water the man in the mask started explaining things. “Unless you give us the information we need you’re in hell. Let’s get started.” He pulled a chair from around and set a notebook on his lap. “Who is responsible for the bombing and killings in the US and where can we find them?”
“The information that you seek is very valuable. If I give you information the men that run our family will kill my family unless you can protect them. I have a wife, 4 children, a sister, 3 nephews and a mother just outside Cancun. Get them out of the city and into the US and grant me entry into the witness protection program and I will give you the information that will allow you to end the violence in your Country.”
The offer that I have been allowed to give you is the same as the one that we offered you before you decided to make a run for it. “You can have 20% of your amassed wealth along with your life. As a courtesy we will arrange for documents allowing you to re-locate in the place of your choosing to enjoy your family and your retirement. Your wife and the rest of your family have been detained and await your decision. Unless we work something out we’ll make arrangements to return them to Juarez and they can take their chances there broke and alone. Before we release them we might also float rumors that you turned traitor and are working with us. They might live 72 hours but I doubt it. Even your trusted bodyguards will have to take orders from your bosses who are sure to be pissed.”
“No. No. I refuse to betray my family. They made me a man and give me power and wealth.”
The short man in the mask moved toward the cabinet. He opened the door and pulled out a box. He set the box on the counter where his subject could see it. Then after he was sure he had the criminal’s attention he opened the box and pulled a metallic smock from it. “I am under a strict deadline. Take the deal or else you will wish you were dead.”
The Sergeant saw the light reflected off the blanket or whatever it was. “No. never.”
“The chair you are on is made of a carbon/Kevlar material that isn’t conductive. That means when I put this metallic smock on you and hook it up to the transformer that I can light you up like a Christmas tree. You understand what I’m saying. I’m going to electrocute you until you tell me what I need to know or you die. If you die a Doctor will revive you and we start all over. This isn’t a joke, trust me. What’s it going to be?”
The detainee remained absolutely silent. Then he closed his eyes and waited.
Fuller
Part 35
Juarez
Close and her surveillance partner stopped 2 blocks down the street and pulled their rental over to the curb. In the US everybody including poor people had cars while in the rest of the world that was often not the case. In this part of Juarez very few cars were on the street and both Close and her partner were thankful for the darkness that partially hid their presence.
As soon as the car stopped moving Close had the shotgun microphone pointed to where the corrupt cops were parked. She listened as she minutely moved the devise to get the best signal. Beside her the partner put the ear bud in his ear and listened.
He paused. “This could be a problem.”
Close’s Spanish was useless with these guys. Between their thick accents and their rapid delivery she was lucky to get one word in 4 so her partner was translating. “They’re talking about raping the girl that lives in that house. She sounds like she could be very young. One of them specifically said that she was 14 years old. Apparently she works at a factory with her mother and should be home in 15 minutes. They just said that if the mother objects too much they are going to just knock her out and continue to party. It sounds like one of them is more interested in the mother than the daughter. Any ideas?”
Close considered the problem for a minute. She was an American and regardless of what she did this place was befouled by the Cartels and their bribery and lawlessness. Yet she felt a strange protective connection with this young girl. “Are you sure the house they are interested in is the one directly in front of the car?”
Even in the darkness of the rental her partner nodded. “The other house has the lights on and I just saw a shadow pass in front of the window. I also see someone on the porch of the house across the street. So I’d guess it’s the dark house with nothing going on.”
Close made up her mind. “I’ll break in to the house thru the back and wait inside to see what happens. You radio me when the mother and daughter get home. If the cops take off let me know and I’ll talk to the mother and give her some money to move tonight. They look pretty poor we should be able to get them enough to get out and get to someplace safe.”
The partner paused and looked intent. “They’re talking about a kit they keep in the truck of their car. The tall one just mentioned needing to replace the batteries in his stun gun. You better get moving it sounds like they expect them any minute.”
Close agreed and slid out of the vehicle quietly and opened the trunk. She already had her vest on under her blouse and was armed but she was going to need her equipment bag. Inside the bag were all the equipment you’d expect anyone in law enforcement in the US to carry with them on patrol. The only things that were missing from the bag were a half a ream of the forms that bogged down street cops and a badge. Close clicked her flashlight’s tail cap once and used the dimmest setting to insure that everything she was going to need was in the bag. Satisfied she had what she needed she slipped her pick gun into her pocket and gently closed the lid. She spoke thru the open window on the passenger’s side. “Call the 2nd team and have them bring the van. If I have to make a move I should be able to get the mother and daughter out in 10 or 15 minutes. If the cops go in and you hear gunshots keep an eye out for me. When I hit the front pull up in front and be prepared to get out of here quickly. You good with this?”
The passenger looked over. “I have a daughter that’s nine. If that was her and her mother I’d hope someone had the courage to do what we’re doing.”
Close paused. “Sorry, I didn’t know you had any children.”
He looked back at her. “Mother and I split when I was overseas the second time. If I’m lucky she lets me see Shelia when I get back into town. I’d push for custody and stay in the US but I’m afraid if I lose in court Sheila’s mom would leave town. She is one angry woman. She didn’t handle my deployment very well.”
Close felt the pull of home life since she had struggled with similar issues while deployed herself. “I’m sorry to hear that. It seems like there’s a lot of veterans that have had similar experiences when they returned home after being overseas. Not much of a thank you for serving your country and keeping the world safe for Democracy. Keep an eye out.”
Close set her phone to vibrate and called Grimm as she started down the block.
Interrogation Site- off the coast of Belize
Grimm felt his encrypted phone ringing and saw that it was Close. He had asked her to follow the two corrupt cops back in Juarez so this might be something he needed to hear about. “Grimm.” He listened for a minute and then spoke again. “Let me OK it with the boss I’ll be back to you in two minutes.”
Grimm ended the call and turned to Dark Voice sitting on the veranda beside him. “I had a problem with a few local cops that were pressuring us for more money and taking an interest in the warehouse because we had no viable business operating there. I asked Close to follow them around some to get a line on where their loyalties laid. She and her partner just picked up them talking about raping and 14 year old girl and her mother. Right now the cops I was having problems with are in front of the family’s house waiting for the mother and daughter to get home from the factory. Close wants to go into the back of the house and if there is a problem when they get home she wants to stun the cops and give the mother and the daughter enough money to move someplace safe.”
Dark Voice considered what he had just heard. “That’s fine with me if she thinks she can do it clean. I have a friend that runs a resort not far from Cancun and she can find them good work. I can text you the contact information and the mother and daughter can head there knowing a job is waiting for them. My question is what are you going to do with the cops?”
Grimm considered the question. “I’ll send two guys to lend a hand and bring them back to the warehouse. After that they and I are going to have a chat.”
Dark voice nodded. He understood the possible ramifications of one of Grimm’s chats. “You take them back and do what you need to do then when you’re done chatting they go into the ground. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
Grimm dialed the number to Close’s phone. He waited for her to answer. “Authorized. Call the emergency number and have two of the guys from the warehouse meet you and help you bring them in. we have jobs lined up for them outside Cancun. Please be very careful and let me know if you need anything. Oh, and be sure to stash the cop car at least a mile away and not get caught.” Grimm paused and listened to what he expected to hear. ”That’s correct.” He paused again while Close shared her thoughts. “That’s fair enough. Let me know when it’s done.” Grimm then ended the call and set the phone down. This Cartel mess was tragedy because it added onto the corruption that had been part of Mexican life for generations. Grimm worried that it turned people that might have had a chance to be good into greedy opportunistic predators. Grimm was a predator for all the right reasons and he’d feel bad about having to kill the corrupt cops but not too bad. They were everything that was bad in Law Enforcement the world over. They used their authority to badger, intimidate, extort and hurt the people they were supposed to protect.
Dark Voice sat quietly letting Grimm come to terms with the decisions he had just made. Killing civilians was never part of the job description but in the fight against the cartels exceptions had to be made. The upside other than possible saving the mother and her daughter’s lives was that the pressure would be off the warehouse and they’d be able to use it longer than if they did nothing at all. They’d never kill policeman to save a safe house they’d just move and start over. But this might mean they could keep the warehouse and avoid using their secondary staging location. Finally Dark Voice decided to break the silence. “It’s the correct decision. We extend the usefulness of the safe house and might have saved a teenager and a mother from a brutal attack from men whose job it is to keep them safe.”
Grimm picked up his rocks glass and took a small amount of the quality liquor into his mouth. He paused to let the taste of the fine alcohol be absorbed by his tongue and mouth and then swallowed the amber liquid and felt its mild burn. “I know it’s the right thing to do but I hate having to do it none the less. Now our waiting begins.”
Dark voice smirked. “Now you know what I feel like having to wait to hear if everything worked out the way it was supposed to. It sucks, trust me on this.”
Grimm crossed his legs. “This is what I get for letting you talk me into having a drink before noon.”
Dark voice replied. “Hey we were celebrating. This is the first drink I’ve had in three weeks. Last week I had dinner with my daughter and she asked me if I was sick because I didn’t have a drink or two with dinner. I couldn’t tell that I was working or on call 24 hours a day and needed to stay clear headed. She thinks I’m taking time off to make sure I find the perfect job that will allow me to spend more time with everybody. She’s 30 now and 5 months pregnant with my first grandchild. I’m hoping we get this Narco-Terrorism thing wrapped up before she delivers or my cover is going to be blown.”
Grimm nodded. “A few weeks to get Juarez wrapped up would be nice. Might not be such a bad thing if MacDill took over and finished this one out. They have the assets and the political clout and could benefit from the positive P.R. and it would lessen our exposure. After that we can do a short training cycle and then get back to it someplace else with far less scrutiny and a hell of a lot less pressure.”
Dark Voice raised his glass. “From your lips to God’s ears.”
Off the Coast of Belize
When the Sergeant came awake his lungs and throat were burning and he needed water desperately. His mouth and throat were so dry that the mere act of breathing caused him agonizing pain. Even laying down his balance seemed wrong and his mind was just now taking in his surroundings. The stark white room with the sun shining through somehow felt tropical and looked like a treatment room in a hospital or in clinic. A cabinet with a built-in stainless steel sink and chrome fixtures sat across the room. Slightly above him there was one of those large lights on a telescoping arm that you see in a Dentist’s office. He realized he couldn’t seem to move any part of his body and he looked down and realized that he was in what looked like a dentist’s chair. His arms were attached to the chair’s arms with bands of fabric and his legs were wrapped in what looked like sport wrap.
Slowly it all came back to him. The threat from the man with the soulless voice and the attempted escape that resulted in his subsequent capture. He remembered that big faceless men in masks had drugged him and brought him here. If there was any good news it was that he had been captured by Americans and not the Cartel assassins that worked for his Bosses. They were experts at inflicting pain and took pleasure in killing people slowly. He had watched them ply their trade and they were singularly scary men. But the Americans were soft and would try to get him to betray his family by threatening and cajoling him. As if that was even a possibility. The family had given him a job when he needed it and entrusted him to always put the family’s business above his own needs. They had allowed him to become a wealthy man by any standards one cared to use. He and his family that lived outside Cancun were financially comfortable and he had all the cash, cars and homes he had ever dreamed. The Family had also bestowed upon him power and that power allowed him take his pick of beautiful mistress’s eager to satisfy his every whim and desire. He was feared and respected by the men and woman that worked under him. Growing up in Juarez he had never dreamed his life could possibly be like this. He had been an undersized kid with no large family or friends to keep him from getting beat up and abused every single day of his life. He had grown to be a hard and merciless man and had killed his father when he was 13 years old. After that he felt free and learned to fight back against anyone that would hurt him and it turns out he was good at it. Living with an alcoholic father had bred in him a child’s confusion about why he had been constantly beat and the rage that could manifest itself in the hurting of others. Cartel life appealed to him because he understood the way the organization worked. You did your job and if something was screwed up or money was stolen or lost then you were in danger. It was as simple as that.
Recently there had been the threat of death from competing cartels but he also understood they were just doing business. Every single one of them was just like him and was entrusted to increase their family’s share of the lucrative drug and human smuggling business. The US was an easy path to riches that the various cartels had been effectively exploiting for decades. It had been just in the last decade or so that the cartels had truly learned to expand their business to the point where it now stood.
“I see our guest is awake.” A man with a mask over his face stepped around the back of the chair and stared at the Sergeant. He wasn’t very big in fact he was less than 5 and half feet tall but his eyes had a dull glint in them that reminded the sergeant of the eyes of the sicarios he had met. The cartel assassins referred to as Sicarios were a notoriously grime and dangerous groups of individuals and the Sergeant thought that if you looked into their eyes you could see the toll the killing had taken on them. They had the dull lifeless eyes of a predator uninterested in anything except obtaining its next meal.
“Where am I?” the Sergeant demanded. His tone sounded like a man used to having people listen to what he said. “I need water.”
The man in the mask picked up a plastic cup and guided a straw into the Sergeant’s mouth. As the detainee began drinking the water the man in the mask started explaining things. “Unless you give us the information we need you’re in hell. Let’s get started.” He pulled a chair from around and set a notebook on his lap. “Who is responsible for the bombing and killings in the US and where can we find them?”
“The information that you seek is very valuable. If I give you information the men that run our family will kill my family unless you can protect them. I have a wife, 4 children, a sister, 3 nephews and a mother just outside Cancun. Get them out of the city and into the US and grant me entry into the witness protection program and I will give you the information that will allow you to end the violence in your Country.”
The offer that I have been allowed to give you is the same as the one that we offered you before you decided to make a run for it. “You can have 20% of your amassed wealth along with your life. As a courtesy we will arrange for documents allowing you to re-locate in the place of your choosing to enjoy your family and your retirement. Your wife and the rest of your family have been detained and await your decision. Unless we work something out we’ll make arrangements to return them to Juarez and they can take their chances there broke and alone. Before we release them we might also float rumors that you turned traitor and are working with us. They might live 72 hours but I doubt it. Even your trusted bodyguards will have to take orders from your bosses who are sure to be pissed.”
“No. No. I refuse to betray my family. They made me a man and give me power and wealth.”
The short man in the mask moved toward the cabinet. He opened the door and pulled out a box. He set the box on the counter where his subject could see it. Then after he was sure he had the criminal’s attention he opened the box and pulled a metallic smock from it. “I am under a strict deadline. Take the deal or else you will wish you were dead.”
The Sergeant saw the light reflected off the blanket or whatever it was. “No. never.”
“The chair you are on is made of a carbon/Kevlar material that isn’t conductive. That means when I put this metallic smock on you and hook it up to the transformer that I can light you up like a Christmas tree. You understand what I’m saying. I’m going to electrocute you until you tell me what I need to know or you die. If you die a Doctor will revive you and we start all over. This isn’t a joke, trust me. What’s it going to be?”
The detainee remained absolutely silent. Then he closed his eyes and waited.
Fuller
Part 36
Juarez
Close stood inside the kitchen waiting to hear from her partner over the radio. A thin curtain separated the kitchen from the small living room and the two family members shared a bedroom. She had been standing inside the house for 20 minute when her partner spoke over the radio. “Hey.”
Over the phone her partner relayed what was going on outside the small rental home. “Mother and daughter just walked up. The cops are talking to them and one of them is holding onto the daughter’s arm above the wrist. The mother looks like she is very scared. They’re all moving toward the door.” He paused while the action stopped momentarily. “Door’s opening. Mother and daughter are leading and the cops and their bag are following. They still have a hand on the daughter. Good luck, I’ll be waiting for you.”
Close held her pistol in her right hand and a stun gun in the left. Almost as soon as they crossed into the house she heard the slap. Then a body hit the ground and she heard a moan.
There was loud talking in Spanish from one of the woman. She would guess it was the daughter from the voice. The men laughed and she could hear the other woman near the floor talking to reassure the other victim.
Close took a deep breath and slid through the curtains. Both corrupt cops were standing next to the closed door and the mother was on the ground with her daughter knelling next to her. One of the cops caught her movement and looked surprised the instant before Close fired the stun gun at him. The darts stuck to his chest and he folded and hit the ground before the other man completely understood what was happening. By then Close was within 7 feet of him and her gun was pointed at his chest. “On your knees and cross your ankles. Try for the gun and you die right here and right now. I know you are both cops and are armed.”
The cop hesitated and began to talking. “No habla ingles. Policia, Policia.”
“Nice try asshole. Now on your knees and cross your ankles.” If I say it again then I’m going to shoot you.” She manipulated another cartridge for the stun gun out of her pocket and set it on the table next to her. She quickly glanced down at the cartridge and lined it up with the stun gun and pressed the stun gun onto the cartridge. She heard the click that let her know that the cartridge had seated and the weapon was ready to fire again. So instead of sharing another word she lifted the stun gun and fired it at the corrupt cop’s chest. The shot found its mark and he collapsed to the ground. Close looked at the two women who appeared to be in shock from what had just happened.
She moved forward and pulled flex cuffs from her rear pocket and began explaining to the mother and her daughter what was happening. “These cops were going to rape you.” She worked the problem as she spoke. Within seconds she had bound the first cop she had tazed. “I don’t know if they were going to kill you or make you sleep with them over and over again but trust me these guys are scum.” As she was securing the second cop she looked up. Do you understand English?” then she reached in and took their guns and put them into the waistband of pants. She quickly frisked them and found another gun on both of them in addition to knives on both men.
The mother was still on the ground and her daughter spoke in a soft accented voice. “I understand English. I’ve been studying to go to America since I was 7 years old. These men were going to make us sleep with them?”
Close finished up securing her prisoners. “I heard them say that you both worked at a factory and that they were going to rape you. I was a cop back in the states and my sister was attacked by them 6 months ago while she was in town. She is…was a teacher just outside of town and they hurt her. I was following them when I heard them talk about what they were going to do. Listen this is on me not you and your mother. I can give you money and you can leave tonight. A friend of a friend has a job waiting for you in Cancun.”
Close felt her cell phone vibrate in her pants pocket. She looked at the number and saw it was her surveillance partner. She answered the phone. “It’s under control; it was a pretty simple take-down.”
“Sorry to call. I didn’t want to use the radio just in case you hadn’t made your move yet. Everything looks good out here. No one noticed that there was anything wrong. I’ll sit tight and keep an eye out. The two primaries from the other thing are inbound. ETA is 15 minutes.”
Close was glad to hear that they would be going soon. “Keep watch and let me know over the radio if anything exciting is going on.”
Mom was now on her feet and was speaking with her daughter in rapid fire Spanish. Close didn’t even try to understand assuming that the daughter would translate for her. The pair went back and forth for a minute and then stopped.
“My mother wants to know what you are going to do with these men. They are Policia. If anyone finds out we were involved they will kill us.”
Close looked the mother in the eyes. “These men will be taken to the Border and turned over to the Border Patrol to stand trial for crimes they have committed across the Border in the US. The list of charges includes kidnapping and the attempted murder of a Border Patrol Agent. I have been assured that they will stand trail and that the State Department will not fold under pressure from the Mexican Government. But you two need to flee the area and never return just in case they are released. If they know your names or where to find you could be in danger from them or people that are associated with them.”
Just then one of the men regained use of his mouth to the extent that he could talk now. “Punta liar. We have never did crimes in the US. Is lie. Da bitch lies.”
Close didn’t respond she just hit the button on the stun gun which was still connected to the cop’s body. He arched and a look of fear and pain was etched on his face. Close looked at her handiwork and wasn’t surprised to see that the man had urinated in his pants. The other man was struggling against his bindings and Close removed a mini unit from her coat pocket and placed it against his neck. She depressed the button and that ominous sound was heard again.
Close had looked around quickly when she had entered the house through the back door and thought that the mother and daughter didn’t really have much in the way of processions. They had very little clothing but what they did have was clean and in good shape. She did find some photo albums and a stash of inexpensive jewelry in between the cushions of the sofa. It was a hiding place Close had never seen used for jewelry and the small velvet bag was duct taped in there to keep it from spilling out if the couch was overturned. The rest of the small house’s contents looked like they might have come with the rental. A thrift store in the US would have thrown the stuff in a dumpster it was that used up. “Gather your clothes and whatever has sentimental value. You’re leaving in 10 minutes and we need to be ready to go when the rest of my people get here.”
The daughter turned to explain what was going on to her mother. She spoke for a minute and then the mother reluctantly nodded as if she understood was had happened and what was going to happen. “Gracias, gracias. Pack, vamonos.”
“Yes, yes we need to leave quickly.” Close’s ear bud came to life again. “Yes.”
Her partner in the street replied to her casual greeting. “Your van’s here. Our friends recommend you egress through the back.”
Close thought it over. “Tell them I need 5 minutes to get them packed and when we’re done I’ll flash my light out the front window twice. If they could wait to pull around till then that would be helpful. I’ll be at the back door and as soon as they are at the door I’ll come in and flash twice more. We’ll load the mother and the daughter in the front and they can come through the back and take care of the others.
While Close had been talking the mother and daughter had grabbed two trash bags and were loading all their worldly processions in them preparing to abandon their home. As Close ended the call they stood in front of her holding their bags.
The daughter spoke. “We are ready to go. My mother thinks this town is cursed and is glad to be leaving. Many bad men live here and there are murders almost every day.”
Close agreed with the mother’s take on Juarez completely. “You sure you got everything you need?”
“Si, it is not too much but we earned it honestly.” The teenager looked only slightly concerned. Growing up in this country meant you were tough or else.
Fuller’s Underground Office Complex
Fuller paced the room anxious to do something that didn’t involve the incessant scratching that had become his life in the last 24 hours. Yesterday the right side of his chest, neck and face tingled and were somewhat painful. It almost felt as if he had been burned and they affected areas itched like crazy. Today the pain was accompanied by a rash that felt like sores. The sores were ugly and mean looking and anything that came into contact with them was painful. When the Doctor visited him on-site this morning he explained that he was suffering from shingles. A virus that lays dormant in people that have had chickenpox at some point in their lives. The doctor wrote prescriptions for steroid cream, antivirals, pain meds and an anti-inflammatory. He also told him that he could be better in a week or two or it could be a month or two. There was also a chance of long term health complications that Fuller didn’t want to even think about.
But as Fuller paced his office he was thinking of how this was going to affect his life and his businesses. Mongo was out filling the scripts but Fuller’s face was taking on a very un-professional appearance and he realized he might need to push some meeting and activities till his condition was under control. Even now he was stripped down a thin pair of running shorts. Clothes rubbed him and it was uncomfortable to sit or lay down. And while shingles was not really contagious he could still infect someone that hadn’t already had chickenpox. And he needed to stay clear of infants and those with compromised immune systems. Business was good and he had people working for him that he trusted but he still felt he was at a critical point on a few different projects.
Just then there was a knock at the door and Mongo stepped in. On his face was a mask that Fuller assumed was an N-100 respirator from the storage room. The big Pacific Islander smiled at his boss and friend. Fuller couldn’t see the smile because of the respirator but he heard the smile in the big man’s voice “Sorry the line at the pharmacy was brutal. I ordered the new bed and sent two of the security people to pick it up. Here you go.” He set the white pharmacy bag on the desk and then set another bag next to it and stepped back.
Fuller almost chuckled but he was in too much discomfort. “Mongo have you had the chickenpox?”
“I called to ask but no one answered the phone. So I’ll keep my distance till I know for sure. No offence.”
Fuller ripped the bag open and started looking thru the contents. “I understand. You want to check the security people and make sure everything is OK. Then call and make sure we are where we need to be at the shelter.” Fuller opened a bottle and dry swallowed a pill.
Mongo headed back toward the door. “I’ll call if I need anything.”
Before Fuller could reply Mongo had slipped out the door.
Part 36
Juarez
Close stood inside the kitchen waiting to hear from her partner over the radio. A thin curtain separated the kitchen from the small living room and the two family members shared a bedroom. She had been standing inside the house for 20 minute when her partner spoke over the radio. “Hey.”
Over the phone her partner relayed what was going on outside the small rental home. “Mother and daughter just walked up. The cops are talking to them and one of them is holding onto the daughter’s arm above the wrist. The mother looks like she is very scared. They’re all moving toward the door.” He paused while the action stopped momentarily. “Door’s opening. Mother and daughter are leading and the cops and their bag are following. They still have a hand on the daughter. Good luck, I’ll be waiting for you.”
Close held her pistol in her right hand and a stun gun in the left. Almost as soon as they crossed into the house she heard the slap. Then a body hit the ground and she heard a moan.
There was loud talking in Spanish from one of the woman. She would guess it was the daughter from the voice. The men laughed and she could hear the other woman near the floor talking to reassure the other victim.
Close took a deep breath and slid through the curtains. Both corrupt cops were standing next to the closed door and the mother was on the ground with her daughter knelling next to her. One of the cops caught her movement and looked surprised the instant before Close fired the stun gun at him. The darts stuck to his chest and he folded and hit the ground before the other man completely understood what was happening. By then Close was within 7 feet of him and her gun was pointed at his chest. “On your knees and cross your ankles. Try for the gun and you die right here and right now. I know you are both cops and are armed.”
The cop hesitated and began to talking. “No habla ingles. Policia, Policia.”
“Nice try asshole. Now on your knees and cross your ankles.” If I say it again then I’m going to shoot you.” She manipulated another cartridge for the stun gun out of her pocket and set it on the table next to her. She quickly glanced down at the cartridge and lined it up with the stun gun and pressed the stun gun onto the cartridge. She heard the click that let her know that the cartridge had seated and the weapon was ready to fire again. So instead of sharing another word she lifted the stun gun and fired it at the corrupt cop’s chest. The shot found its mark and he collapsed to the ground. Close looked at the two women who appeared to be in shock from what had just happened.
She moved forward and pulled flex cuffs from her rear pocket and began explaining to the mother and her daughter what was happening. “These cops were going to rape you.” She worked the problem as she spoke. Within seconds she had bound the first cop she had tazed. “I don’t know if they were going to kill you or make you sleep with them over and over again but trust me these guys are scum.” As she was securing the second cop she looked up. Do you understand English?” then she reached in and took their guns and put them into the waistband of pants. She quickly frisked them and found another gun on both of them in addition to knives on both men.
The mother was still on the ground and her daughter spoke in a soft accented voice. “I understand English. I’ve been studying to go to America since I was 7 years old. These men were going to make us sleep with them?”
Close finished up securing her prisoners. “I heard them say that you both worked at a factory and that they were going to rape you. I was a cop back in the states and my sister was attacked by them 6 months ago while she was in town. She is…was a teacher just outside of town and they hurt her. I was following them when I heard them talk about what they were going to do. Listen this is on me not you and your mother. I can give you money and you can leave tonight. A friend of a friend has a job waiting for you in Cancun.”
Close felt her cell phone vibrate in her pants pocket. She looked at the number and saw it was her surveillance partner. She answered the phone. “It’s under control; it was a pretty simple take-down.”
“Sorry to call. I didn’t want to use the radio just in case you hadn’t made your move yet. Everything looks good out here. No one noticed that there was anything wrong. I’ll sit tight and keep an eye out. The two primaries from the other thing are inbound. ETA is 15 minutes.”
Close was glad to hear that they would be going soon. “Keep watch and let me know over the radio if anything exciting is going on.”
Mom was now on her feet and was speaking with her daughter in rapid fire Spanish. Close didn’t even try to understand assuming that the daughter would translate for her. The pair went back and forth for a minute and then stopped.
“My mother wants to know what you are going to do with these men. They are Policia. If anyone finds out we were involved they will kill us.”
Close looked the mother in the eyes. “These men will be taken to the Border and turned over to the Border Patrol to stand trial for crimes they have committed across the Border in the US. The list of charges includes kidnapping and the attempted murder of a Border Patrol Agent. I have been assured that they will stand trail and that the State Department will not fold under pressure from the Mexican Government. But you two need to flee the area and never return just in case they are released. If they know your names or where to find you could be in danger from them or people that are associated with them.”
Just then one of the men regained use of his mouth to the extent that he could talk now. “Punta liar. We have never did crimes in the US. Is lie. Da bitch lies.”
Close didn’t respond she just hit the button on the stun gun which was still connected to the cop’s body. He arched and a look of fear and pain was etched on his face. Close looked at her handiwork and wasn’t surprised to see that the man had urinated in his pants. The other man was struggling against his bindings and Close removed a mini unit from her coat pocket and placed it against his neck. She depressed the button and that ominous sound was heard again.
Close had looked around quickly when she had entered the house through the back door and thought that the mother and daughter didn’t really have much in the way of processions. They had very little clothing but what they did have was clean and in good shape. She did find some photo albums and a stash of inexpensive jewelry in between the cushions of the sofa. It was a hiding place Close had never seen used for jewelry and the small velvet bag was duct taped in there to keep it from spilling out if the couch was overturned. The rest of the small house’s contents looked like they might have come with the rental. A thrift store in the US would have thrown the stuff in a dumpster it was that used up. “Gather your clothes and whatever has sentimental value. You’re leaving in 10 minutes and we need to be ready to go when the rest of my people get here.”
The daughter turned to explain what was going on to her mother. She spoke for a minute and then the mother reluctantly nodded as if she understood was had happened and what was going to happen. “Gracias, gracias. Pack, vamonos.”
“Yes, yes we need to leave quickly.” Close’s ear bud came to life again. “Yes.”
Her partner in the street replied to her casual greeting. “Your van’s here. Our friends recommend you egress through the back.”
Close thought it over. “Tell them I need 5 minutes to get them packed and when we’re done I’ll flash my light out the front window twice. If they could wait to pull around till then that would be helpful. I’ll be at the back door and as soon as they are at the door I’ll come in and flash twice more. We’ll load the mother and the daughter in the front and they can come through the back and take care of the others.
While Close had been talking the mother and daughter had grabbed two trash bags and were loading all their worldly processions in them preparing to abandon their home. As Close ended the call they stood in front of her holding their bags.
The daughter spoke. “We are ready to go. My mother thinks this town is cursed and is glad to be leaving. Many bad men live here and there are murders almost every day.”
Close agreed with the mother’s take on Juarez completely. “You sure you got everything you need?”
“Si, it is not too much but we earned it honestly.” The teenager looked only slightly concerned. Growing up in this country meant you were tough or else.
Fuller’s Underground Office Complex
Fuller paced the room anxious to do something that didn’t involve the incessant scratching that had become his life in the last 24 hours. Yesterday the right side of his chest, neck and face tingled and were somewhat painful. It almost felt as if he had been burned and they affected areas itched like crazy. Today the pain was accompanied by a rash that felt like sores. The sores were ugly and mean looking and anything that came into contact with them was painful. When the Doctor visited him on-site this morning he explained that he was suffering from shingles. A virus that lays dormant in people that have had chickenpox at some point in their lives. The doctor wrote prescriptions for steroid cream, antivirals, pain meds and an anti-inflammatory. He also told him that he could be better in a week or two or it could be a month or two. There was also a chance of long term health complications that Fuller didn’t want to even think about.
But as Fuller paced his office he was thinking of how this was going to affect his life and his businesses. Mongo was out filling the scripts but Fuller’s face was taking on a very un-professional appearance and he realized he might need to push some meeting and activities till his condition was under control. Even now he was stripped down a thin pair of running shorts. Clothes rubbed him and it was uncomfortable to sit or lay down. And while shingles was not really contagious he could still infect someone that hadn’t already had chickenpox. And he needed to stay clear of infants and those with compromised immune systems. Business was good and he had people working for him that he trusted but he still felt he was at a critical point on a few different projects.
Just then there was a knock at the door and Mongo stepped in. On his face was a mask that Fuller assumed was an N-100 respirator from the storage room. The big Pacific Islander smiled at his boss and friend. Fuller couldn’t see the smile because of the respirator but he heard the smile in the big man’s voice “Sorry the line at the pharmacy was brutal. I ordered the new bed and sent two of the security people to pick it up. Here you go.” He set the white pharmacy bag on the desk and then set another bag next to it and stepped back.
Fuller almost chuckled but he was in too much discomfort. “Mongo have you had the chickenpox?”
“I called to ask but no one answered the phone. So I’ll keep my distance till I know for sure. No offence.”
Fuller ripped the bag open and started looking thru the contents. “I understand. You want to check the security people and make sure everything is OK. Then call and make sure we are where we need to be at the shelter.” Fuller opened a bottle and dry swallowed a pill.
Mongo headed back toward the door. “I’ll call if I need anything.”
Before Fuller could reply Mongo had slipped out the door.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you
stjwelding
Veteran Member
alangator Thanks for the new chapters I just caught up, this is a great story hope to see more of it soon.
Wayne
Wayne
Fuller
Part 37
STAG Interrogation Facility- off the coast of Belize
Grimm tried to ignore the knocking at his door and rubbed his eyes and glanced at the bedside table which told him it was just after 7am. “I’m coming. Hold your dam horses.” Resigned to wakefulness he just gave up hoping the knocking would go away and rolled out of bed. Grimm took two long strides and was at the door and swinging it open. He stood there in his boxers irritated that he had been awoken. It had been months since he had been able to sleep in and he had looked forward to the rare occurrence. “Yea.”
In front of him standing in the wide hallway was a young man. He was similarly sized as Grimm and had the deep tan of someone that had been spending a lot of time outside on this island oasis. His dark blonde hair was longer than a standard soldier’s haircut and that combined with the tan and the way he stood led Grimm to assume that he was part of the island’s security force.
The man stood smiling at Grimm. Grimm was irritated that his irritation seemed to have no effect on the man standing in front of him. His rude visitor had perfect white teeth that he kept using to smile at Grimm and seemed to be enjoying the morning. “They call me Gracie. The boss thought we could get a workout together this morning. He even told that if I go easy on you I might be able convince you to do some light sparring.”
Grimm replied. “Give me 15 minutes and I’ll meet you in the lobby.” Without another word he stepped back into the room and closed the door. Grimm headed to the bathroom and did the same things he did every morning and then rifled thru the few items of clothing that he had brought with him to find something to wear.
He had brought a set of workout clothes but if there was going to be sparring he was going to need a cup. 5 or 6 years ago he had made the mistake of sparring with a lesser opponent without protection and it was an experience he would never forget. Just thinking of the debilitating pain of that injury made him tingle slightly in his groin. It was not a good type of tingle. As much as the memory haunted him he hoped they kept spare protective equipment in the workout area or that he could borrow something. It had been weeks since he had worked up a good sweat fighting another man. Grimm left the room and headed toward the lobby.
His sparring partner stood there waiting. Gracie stood looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Grimm would need to go easy on the kid since Dark Voice had conned him into essentially asking Grimm to beat up on him. Grimm was a practical man and understood that no matter how skilled or tough you are there is always, always someone tougher and more skilled. Grimm hadn’t met that man in combat, on the mat, in a ring or in barroom brawl in the last 10 years. In fact before he had left the service he had been assigned to places where the man that might be a challenge for him had fallen ill suddenly or suffered an injury that had prevented him from sparing with Grimm. Grimm had acquired a reputation that preceded him and even hardened Special Operations operators avoided risking an injury that could put them out of commission or even end their career prematurely.
“Ready to go? I thought we’d get in a workout before the temperature got too hot. Today is supposed to top at out 37 degrees Celsius. Did you bring all the equipment you need?”
Grimm nodded. “All I need is a mouth guard, a cup and a set of sparring gloves and I’m good to go.”
Gracie nodded. “We keep extras on hand in the equipment locker at the octa-to. We better get moving then.” Gracie turned and walked toward the front door of the building and took the steps two at a time as he followed a path that Grimm had not explored the day before.
Yesterday after learning that Close and his people had captured the crooked cops and send the mother and daughter away Grimm was finally able to take a nap. After 5 hours Dark Voice retrieved him from his assigned room and gave him a guided tour of most of the facility. Grimm was happy to see that while some enhanced interrogation methods were used that the interrogators relied more on psychology to motivate people to turn on their ex-coworkers. He had also seen the actors at work and was shocked at how good they were. One detainee was forced to sit and watch a brutal beating of another detainee that ended in the detainee dying. A minute after the detainee was removed from the room the actor that had taken the alleged beating rolled over and stood up. A few places on his body would show moderate bruising but other than that he was fine. It was then that Grimm remembered the masked guard that had administered the beating was the man that called himself Gracie. Grimm remembered that strange mole on the man’s neck near his shoulder and that didn’t get covered up by his shirt or the mask Gracie was wearing.
A pleasant 5 minute walk thru the jungle brought the men to a MMA type of elevated octagon covered with simple corrugated metal roof 12 or 13 feet above the fighting surfaces deck. A dark smallish dog sat waiting for them and at his feet was a rat. The dog paused and then brought the dead rat to Gracie and dropped it at his feet.
“Good dog Teddy.” Gracie then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bit of food and dropped it. The dog was instantly on the food and paused only to glance up at Gracie and give him what might have been a dog’s version of a smile. “Rats and snakes are a problem here so the power’s that be imported a few terriers and the best rat killing tom cats they could lay their hands on. They also imported two or three mongooses from India, I think. Personally I’ve never seen the mongooses but we have found more than a few dead snakes. I work security here and most the guys are wearing a new type of light weight snake gaiters that protect their legs. If you’re not wearing pants I’d recommend staying on the paths and out of the jungle.” Gracie moved toward one of two metal lockers under the metal roof and opened the door carefully and peered around the corner of the door
Gracie then stepped back and took a broom stick that was leaning against the locker and probed around inside the locker. Satisfied nothing dangerous was inside he then banged around the outside of the locker and waited.”Looks safe enough, just grab what you need. Is 30 minutes of stretching enough for you?”
Grimm nodded and walked up to the cabinet. He rummaged around until he found the box that held the protective equipment. He quickly pulled out a mouth guard and a new cup in a clamshell package that would work for him. Grimm had seen the cheap knife on the side of the locker hanging from a string and quickly opened the package for the cup and mouth guard. While he would have preferred to place the mouth guard in hot water to get a better fit he simply put the guard in his mouth and inserted the cup and started doing an abbreviated version of his stretching routine on a mat placed outside the fighting octagon. Grimm examined the mat and found it looked clean enough and was free of mold or mildew. He was always careful where he put his bare feet.
Gracie was doing the same thing and without making a big deal of it Grimm observed the man getting ready out of the corner of his eye.
The men took the 30 minutes and stretched, ran in place and did a few combination moves that were more boxing than MMA.
Gracie stopped his warm-up and went to the other locker and repeated the process of trying to insure the locker wouldn’t have anything that came after him. Satisfied with his efforts and confident that the locker was empty of anything that might sting, bite or simply scare the hell out of him he reached in and pulled two sets of MMA style gloves, a few pairs of latex exam gloves and a small white plastic first aid kit marked with a red cross. He turned to Grimm. “You ready?”
Grimm walked over and chose a pair of gloves and nodded. Even with the warm temperature he was not completely happy with the small amount of sweat he had worked up but he needed a good sparring session and this just might be it.
The two men walked into the cage of the professional looking octagon and a moved to their corners. Gracie leaned down to one of the rails and hit a button. “The timer will start in 60 seconds. We run standard MMA 5 minute rounds with 1 minute rest periods. Three round maximum. I was told that you’re more of a MMA guy than a boxer. I prefer Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu myself. I thought since we both have work to do that we adhere to standard MMA rules and tap out early if we’re compromised so no one gets too banged up.”
Gracie was an accomplished fighter and Grimm could detect that he had extensive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training prior to his military service. Grimm was able to identify at least three other fighting styles but Gracie used what he know best and if Gracie had trained for MMA professionally Grimm wouldn’t have been surprised. What did surprise him in the first round was a wicked shot to the head that he barely avoided taking the full force of. The front kick came out of nowhere and rung his bell for a few seconds despite it being a glancing blow. Gracie followed that up with a quick back fist that Grimm had anticipated and countered and that led to Grimm putting a quick hook into Gracie’s side that connected with the lower ribs on his left side.
The other fighter let out an audible grunt and for the rest of the round neither fighter was able to effectively get past the other’s defenses. What blows that got through their individual defenses were glancing or just not quite what was needed to be effective. Still Grimm was impressed as he stepped to his corner and took advantage of the 1 minute breather. Sweat now dripped freely off his face and body. Gracie had brought two water bottles and Grimm took a mouthful of cool water and swished it around in his mouth and spat it out through the cage’s side.
Grimm took his mouth guard out and ran his tongue around inside his mouth during the rest period fearing that a tooth had been knocked loose or chipped and was happy that he had avoided that particular injury. He guessed that getting dental work done on the island wasn’t a possibility and so far in life despite his chosen occupation he had avoided getting a tooth knocked out of his head or breaking his nose.
30 seconds into round 2 Grimm lost his balance and succumbed to a lightning fast morote-gari or double leg take down and the fight went to the ground. He assumed that if Gracie was as good as he feared on the ground that that would be a good place for him to get punished and he was absolutely right. Grimm took 3 or 4 blows that would have put most fighters out of the fight and managed barely to escape Gracie’s repeated submission attempts by sheer willpower and luck. Back on his feet he realized that as good as Gracie was on the ground he had a slight technique issue on his feet that Grimm might be able to exploit if Gracie wasn’t setting him up.
Grimm leaned into a move then countered himself after Gracie had committed to a back fist and landed a decent kick into Gracie’s ribs on the left side at almost the perfect time. That blow caused Gracie to hesitate. If they were real MMA fighters Grimm would have attacked the man brutally at that moment and might have been able to conclude the fight in a flurry of blows designed to convince his opponent that he needed to tap out or risk serious injury. But instead he waited the second that Gracie needed to get re-focused and wasn’t surprised to see that he held his hands up in surrender.
Garcie sucked in a ragged breath. “Think you might have just cracked a rib. Excellent fight, thanks for the workout
Grimm nodded. “Good fight. You’re very good. I thought you had me when we went to the ground.”
Gracie nodded. “I should have but a made a mistake in the timing and underestimated your skill level.”
With that both men moved to the center of the ring and tapped gloves as a sign of respect for each other. Then they both slipped their gloves off.
Grimm almost smiled at the security man’s pain as Gracie put on the brave face. “Gracie maybe we should find that Doctor I came in with and have him take a look at you.”
Gracie nodded. “That might not be a bad idea. I go on duty in a few hours and need to be patched up by then.”
Grimm nodded. “Listen, you find the Doc and get looked at and I’ll meet you after and we can have breakfast and a chat. I’d like to learn more about how you got here.”
Gracie almost winced and caught him as he reached out to shake Grimm’s hand. “It would be a pleasure. You’re a really good fighter and I’m looking forward to a rematch.”
Now Grimm actually laughed aloud quickly. “I’m not. I bet that I’ll be feeling the aftereffects of this little sparring match for a week.”
Then the men headed back to the main house so that Gracie could get looked at and Grimm could ice and elevate his knee. He hadn’t said anything to Gracie but Grimm’s knee was definitely not functioning as it should. Later on the path the men split up and Grimm went back to his room and called the Doctor and asked him to drop by after he had seen Gracie. Grimm mentioned that while they had been training together he didn’t want anyone to know that he had been injured. He showered, took some pain reliever and then laid on his bed keeping his knee elevated while he waited for the Doctor to make a house call.
10 minutes after he laid down there was a knock at the door. He limped carefully to the door and swung it open. Dark Voice stood there almost smiling holding a file in his hand. He had a room service cart beside him loaded with covered dishes. “I heard you had an interesting morning. Ever think maybe you’re too old for this profession?”
Grimm stepped back and motioned Dark Voice inside. “Even if I am too old for this then who are you going to get to replace me?”
Dark Voice was pushing the cart into the room and replied. “Take it from a has-been Cold War warrior there’s always someone that can do your job. Maybe not was as well or with the same panache but they can always find somebody to do what we do. It’s one of the things that makes our country so great. I got you the Denver Omelet with a side of turkey bacon, whole grain toast and a half a carafe of OJ. Doc told me you got a little banged up.”
Grimm nodded. “Kid’s good. What’s his background?”
Dark Voice rolled the cart in front of where Grimm had sat on the bed. “Kid’s dad moved them around a lot. He did some Martial Arts in the US until he was 7 or so. Then the family moved to Brazil where the dad got a job as an engineer and he got into a pretty good little academy that was run by a Gracie disciple. Being the outsider he was forced to apply himself and learned quickly. Gracie’s family moved from Brazil right before he turned 17 and his instructor offered to let the kid live with him and his extended family until his training was completed. He obtained his black belt at 19 and immediately enlisted in the Marines. Did well in basic and scored 113 on the DLAB and since he already spoke almost perfect Portuguese he was assigned to language training and put into the language program to study Spanish. During his time in the Marines he did 18 months in Afghanistan and completed Force Recon training. He left to go to school and train to be a professional MMA fighter before an injury made that career path unlikely. While he trained he attended College and is half way to a 4 year degree. A friend in intelligence found his resume and forwarded it to me. His Portuguese is almost perfect and his Spanish is very, very good. He was being looked at by other Federal agencies but wanted to do something exciting. He’s on the wait list for one of our teams. Thought you might want to talk to him and see what you think. If he’s ready to start working in the field you can take him back with you.”
While his boss filled him in Grimm had arranged the plates from the cart in the order he would attack them. He had already used a salt substitute on his omelet and was depressed to see that Dark Voice had indeed brought him turkey bacon instead of real bacon. As DV finished his run-down of Gracie’s past Grimm was masticating a bite of his omelet and eyeing the fake bacon with a look that many would have taken for contempt, which it was. He finished chewing and wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin. “I’ll talk to him and if he seems like he will work I’ll move him to Juarez and let him help us until we make the final move or you’re forced to let the Spec Ops guys step in.”
Dark Voice nodded glad to see that Grimm had bonded with Gracie. “Great, let me know how your talk goes. Sorry to run but the Intel geeks are dying to get me into Ops. Apparently they have some intercepts they need me to listen to.” With that DV turned and walked toward the door.
Grimm made the mistake of standing up and walking toward the door to see DV out. He felt the pain in his knee from his sparring match with Gracie yet made no noise or comment. “I’ll get together with Gracie after the Doc looks at him. I might have cracked one or two of his ribs.”
Before Dark Voice slid out the door he stopped and turned toward Grimm. “Might want to take it easy on your teammates they’re not easy to find.”
“You’re the boss. Talk to you later”
With Dark Voice gone and Grimm resting his knee he studied Gracie’s file for an hour and liked what he saw. Satisfied that he knew what he needed to know he drifted off to sleep and was awoken 30 minutes later as the Doc knocked on the door and stepped in without being invited.
“You wanted to see me. I just finished up with your partner and at the very least he has a bruised rib and I really think he might have a cracked rib or two. He’s to take it easy for a few days and I told him to head into town and get x-rayed… Now what’s wrong with you?”
Grimm moved upright. “Just tweaked my knee a little Doc. Thought maybe you’d look at it and tell me if I’m going to need to go in someplace and have it imaged and looked at by a specialist?”
Doc smiled. “Soldiers, always hurting or breaking something aren’t you? Let’s get this done. I need to finish with you and check on the guard I did surgery on yesterday.”
With that Doc examined Grimm’s knee and recommended that he seek care back in the US when he got the chance. After a few days of light activity the knee would be better but the Doc mentioned that Grimm might have issues he was unable to assess without better equipment.
After Doc left Grimm called the desk and had them notify Gracie that he would meet him in the lobby ASAP. So with that done Grimm grabbed a quick shower and dressed before heading to the lobby.
Gracie had showered and changed clothes and sat in a floral covered chair that must have been left over from the original developer’s time on the island before the IRS got after him. When Gracie stood Grimm saw a very slight wince. “Gracie. Well seems we both got a tad banged up this morning. How’s are your ribs feeling?
Gracie reached out and the men shook hands as Gracie replied. “I’ve had worse. You wanted to talk to me?”
Grimm nodded. “Let’s head outside and take in the air.”
Grimm led Gracie toward the veranda area where he had talked and sipped alcohol the day before with Dark Voice. He gravitated back to the chair he had sat in before and sat down ignoring the slight discomfort he was feeling from his knee. “Dark Voice told me that you’re interested in joining us and I need to make sure you understand what we are doing against the Cartels. The people we are up against are as bad as any in the world. They are brutal, well-funded and highly motivated.”
Gracie nodded from where he sat. “Grimm, I signed up to do field work in the field. I’m qualified and have a pretty good resume. I’m hoping not to play paddy cake on a tropical island babysitting sociopaths and psychopaths and doing dinner theatre. I guess what I’m saying is that I accept the risks that are involved and hope you and Dark Voice feel I’m ready for the job. If you two say I need more time to prove myself I’ll accept that but running off divers, realtors and resort developers is killing me. Today is the first time in a month that I sparred with another person and I think maybe I’m losing that sharp edge. Also since we are so exposed here firearms proficiency is limited to nighttime with suppressors and I miss shooting.”
Grimm looked at the younger man. Grimm had read his file from his time in the military, perused his resume, examined his evaluations by a litany of experts prior to his hire and fought the kid in the octagon. If he brought the passion and experience that he showed in the match he would be a welcome addition to the STAG team’s growing cadre of operators. “Here’s what I’m thinking. I can take you back with me, but due to your injury I’ll place you in non-critical role where your injury is a non-factor. I have a female dog handler and I promised her protection in the field and that will likely be what you do to start. During that time you are encouraged to get back to shooting and get your marksmanship up to par. As we move on and you get back to 100% you’ll be assigned something more in line with your various skill sets. Our main goal is to get missions done safely and with a minimum of attention from the public or any law enforcement or military forces. Welcome to STAG. May your tenure be safe and rewarding.” Grimm stood and stuck his hand out.”
Gracie stood and shook Grimm’s hand. “Thank you sir. I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
The men broke the shake. “Better go pack we leave tonight at 19:00. Leave your firearms here and we’ll outfit you when we get to where we’re going. And remember no identifying IDs just the forged one’s that you used to get down her. I have a dedicated encrypted reader that will cover most if not all of what you need to know about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. I also noticed in your file that the stylist hadn’t done a workup on you so when we get to Mexico prepare for a make-over.” A smile almost crossed Grimm’s face. With Gracie perfect teeth, deep tan and good looks the stylist would need to figure out how to alter his appearance enough that he didn’t stand out so much. Men and woman in their line of work needed to keep low profiles and Gracie was by far the most memorable of the men in Grimm’s group of specialists.
The men headed back inside and took it easy. For Grimm the afternoon would be spent with White the short director of the facilities’ interrogation program that seemed to favor gaudy Hawaiian shirts. The goal of the familiarization tour was to become more familiar with the islands services. It was a task that Grimm had little interest in. As far as Grimm was concerned he and the people in the STAG program grabbed individuals that might have relevant information and then it was the people on the islands job to extract the information they needed to get the next phase of the job done. Warriors didn’t blast music at detainees and make them sit in positions that stressed their bodies. And they sure as hell didn’t yank a detainee off the ground with ropes attached to the wrists and then take them down only to water board them. Warriors fought for their country and its way of life. They found the enemy and did what needed to be done despite the risk to themselves. They sweated, bled and sacrificed to uphold the values that were ingrained in the history of the United States. It was simply as that.
Three hours later Grimm found himself standing next to White watching a video monitor. In the next room the Sargeant was sitting in what looked like a dentist’s chair with a customized paint job. White’s identical twin Black was masked and placing what looked like a metallic smock on the naked and strapped down detainee and trying to encourage him to take the deal that was being offered. For his efforts the interrogator was being yelled at and spit on. Despite the response from the detainee Black maintained his composure and continued to explain why the Sergeant should cooperate.
Grimm and White listened through the in-room microphones as Black prepared to help the man change his mind.
After a few minutes of verbal abuse Black stepped back and leaned against a counter where the control box laid waiting to be turned on. Wires ran from the box to the metallic smock on the detainee’s body.
Grimm watched the video monitor as Black used a finger to press something and the detainee instantly stretched his bindings and his body rose of the tilted chair. After 10 seconds another press of the button with a single finger and the detainee was again sitting like normal. Black gave him 20 seconds and then repeated the process. This went on for 30 minutes before Black announced that he needed to use the head and left the room.
Visible relief showed on the Sergeant’s face as he tried regaining his composure. He had already voided his bladder 5 minutes into the session and the angle of the chair meant that when he urinated uncontrollably the pee squirted back and stuck Sergeant’s face and made sparks on the smock he was wearing on his bare skin. The Sergeant began to mumble prayers in Spanish with his eyes squished together so hard the observers could see the determination on his face on the video monitor. Without warning his body jerked and he was again propelled a few inches off the chair he was sitting on. Again 10 seconds with around 20 seconds before the next shock assaulted the detainees’ body. As the machine cycled back off the detainee spit blood through the air that landed on the floor.
Black stood at the sink washing his hands. He wasn’t happy with what he was doing to the man in the chair on the room down the hall but as one of the leaders at the facility he and his brother tried to do most of the things that would be distasteful to a civilized person. Their contract called for a large sum to be paid for mental health treatment and as far as the brothers were concerned that covered a lot of ground. They had decided before they accepted the job that they would take some time off every so often and seek intensive therapy. After they were back to an acceptable level of guilt for their actions they would devote some time participating in some sort of charity work that helped people in developing countries like Mexico. His brother was leaning toward a clean water project while he was more interested in a vaccine program where their training in medicine might be used more effectively than funding and building wells and water treatment apparatus for rural villages long denied access to clean and safe drinking water. He dried his hands off and headed back to the interrogation room.
Black entered the room and saw that his subject looked exhausted. Sweat covered his face and head and the room smelled strongly of urine. Thinking he had a few minutes of respite and then being shocked again had been off-putting for him.”
Before he had closed the door the man spoke. He sounded broke and was anxious to speak before the next round of shocks.
“I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything I knew if you turn the machine off. For the love of God and everything that is Holy please turn that machine off.”
Black reached into his pocket and turned the machine off with the remote control. Both men could hear it click off. “I’m listening. You better have something good.”
He detainee turned his head toward Black. “Lee, the man you need to talk to his named Lee. He is one of the 4 Horsemen. He’ll know who authorized the activity you are interested in. But be careful of him he is vicious killer. He has killed or had killed more men than the other Horseman put together.”
Black considered what he had just been told. “For your sake I hope that you are being honest. If I have to turn that machine back on it’s going to be very bad for you. We have a Doctor here and if you are lying to us you’ll sit in that chair until you die and then we will revive you and do it again till I get the information I need. Am I being clear?”
The man in the chair nodded so hard his whole body was moving. “Yes, yes I understand.”
Part 37
STAG Interrogation Facility- off the coast of Belize
Grimm tried to ignore the knocking at his door and rubbed his eyes and glanced at the bedside table which told him it was just after 7am. “I’m coming. Hold your dam horses.” Resigned to wakefulness he just gave up hoping the knocking would go away and rolled out of bed. Grimm took two long strides and was at the door and swinging it open. He stood there in his boxers irritated that he had been awoken. It had been months since he had been able to sleep in and he had looked forward to the rare occurrence. “Yea.”
In front of him standing in the wide hallway was a young man. He was similarly sized as Grimm and had the deep tan of someone that had been spending a lot of time outside on this island oasis. His dark blonde hair was longer than a standard soldier’s haircut and that combined with the tan and the way he stood led Grimm to assume that he was part of the island’s security force.
The man stood smiling at Grimm. Grimm was irritated that his irritation seemed to have no effect on the man standing in front of him. His rude visitor had perfect white teeth that he kept using to smile at Grimm and seemed to be enjoying the morning. “They call me Gracie. The boss thought we could get a workout together this morning. He even told that if I go easy on you I might be able convince you to do some light sparring.”
Grimm replied. “Give me 15 minutes and I’ll meet you in the lobby.” Without another word he stepped back into the room and closed the door. Grimm headed to the bathroom and did the same things he did every morning and then rifled thru the few items of clothing that he had brought with him to find something to wear.
He had brought a set of workout clothes but if there was going to be sparring he was going to need a cup. 5 or 6 years ago he had made the mistake of sparring with a lesser opponent without protection and it was an experience he would never forget. Just thinking of the debilitating pain of that injury made him tingle slightly in his groin. It was not a good type of tingle. As much as the memory haunted him he hoped they kept spare protective equipment in the workout area or that he could borrow something. It had been weeks since he had worked up a good sweat fighting another man. Grimm left the room and headed toward the lobby.
His sparring partner stood there waiting. Gracie stood looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Grimm would need to go easy on the kid since Dark Voice had conned him into essentially asking Grimm to beat up on him. Grimm was a practical man and understood that no matter how skilled or tough you are there is always, always someone tougher and more skilled. Grimm hadn’t met that man in combat, on the mat, in a ring or in barroom brawl in the last 10 years. In fact before he had left the service he had been assigned to places where the man that might be a challenge for him had fallen ill suddenly or suffered an injury that had prevented him from sparing with Grimm. Grimm had acquired a reputation that preceded him and even hardened Special Operations operators avoided risking an injury that could put them out of commission or even end their career prematurely.
“Ready to go? I thought we’d get in a workout before the temperature got too hot. Today is supposed to top at out 37 degrees Celsius. Did you bring all the equipment you need?”
Grimm nodded. “All I need is a mouth guard, a cup and a set of sparring gloves and I’m good to go.”
Gracie nodded. “We keep extras on hand in the equipment locker at the octa-to. We better get moving then.” Gracie turned and walked toward the front door of the building and took the steps two at a time as he followed a path that Grimm had not explored the day before.
Yesterday after learning that Close and his people had captured the crooked cops and send the mother and daughter away Grimm was finally able to take a nap. After 5 hours Dark Voice retrieved him from his assigned room and gave him a guided tour of most of the facility. Grimm was happy to see that while some enhanced interrogation methods were used that the interrogators relied more on psychology to motivate people to turn on their ex-coworkers. He had also seen the actors at work and was shocked at how good they were. One detainee was forced to sit and watch a brutal beating of another detainee that ended in the detainee dying. A minute after the detainee was removed from the room the actor that had taken the alleged beating rolled over and stood up. A few places on his body would show moderate bruising but other than that he was fine. It was then that Grimm remembered the masked guard that had administered the beating was the man that called himself Gracie. Grimm remembered that strange mole on the man’s neck near his shoulder and that didn’t get covered up by his shirt or the mask Gracie was wearing.
A pleasant 5 minute walk thru the jungle brought the men to a MMA type of elevated octagon covered with simple corrugated metal roof 12 or 13 feet above the fighting surfaces deck. A dark smallish dog sat waiting for them and at his feet was a rat. The dog paused and then brought the dead rat to Gracie and dropped it at his feet.
“Good dog Teddy.” Gracie then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bit of food and dropped it. The dog was instantly on the food and paused only to glance up at Gracie and give him what might have been a dog’s version of a smile. “Rats and snakes are a problem here so the power’s that be imported a few terriers and the best rat killing tom cats they could lay their hands on. They also imported two or three mongooses from India, I think. Personally I’ve never seen the mongooses but we have found more than a few dead snakes. I work security here and most the guys are wearing a new type of light weight snake gaiters that protect their legs. If you’re not wearing pants I’d recommend staying on the paths and out of the jungle.” Gracie moved toward one of two metal lockers under the metal roof and opened the door carefully and peered around the corner of the door
Gracie then stepped back and took a broom stick that was leaning against the locker and probed around inside the locker. Satisfied nothing dangerous was inside he then banged around the outside of the locker and waited.”Looks safe enough, just grab what you need. Is 30 minutes of stretching enough for you?”
Grimm nodded and walked up to the cabinet. He rummaged around until he found the box that held the protective equipment. He quickly pulled out a mouth guard and a new cup in a clamshell package that would work for him. Grimm had seen the cheap knife on the side of the locker hanging from a string and quickly opened the package for the cup and mouth guard. While he would have preferred to place the mouth guard in hot water to get a better fit he simply put the guard in his mouth and inserted the cup and started doing an abbreviated version of his stretching routine on a mat placed outside the fighting octagon. Grimm examined the mat and found it looked clean enough and was free of mold or mildew. He was always careful where he put his bare feet.
Gracie was doing the same thing and without making a big deal of it Grimm observed the man getting ready out of the corner of his eye.
The men took the 30 minutes and stretched, ran in place and did a few combination moves that were more boxing than MMA.
Gracie stopped his warm-up and went to the other locker and repeated the process of trying to insure the locker wouldn’t have anything that came after him. Satisfied with his efforts and confident that the locker was empty of anything that might sting, bite or simply scare the hell out of him he reached in and pulled two sets of MMA style gloves, a few pairs of latex exam gloves and a small white plastic first aid kit marked with a red cross. He turned to Grimm. “You ready?”
Grimm walked over and chose a pair of gloves and nodded. Even with the warm temperature he was not completely happy with the small amount of sweat he had worked up but he needed a good sparring session and this just might be it.
The two men walked into the cage of the professional looking octagon and a moved to their corners. Gracie leaned down to one of the rails and hit a button. “The timer will start in 60 seconds. We run standard MMA 5 minute rounds with 1 minute rest periods. Three round maximum. I was told that you’re more of a MMA guy than a boxer. I prefer Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu myself. I thought since we both have work to do that we adhere to standard MMA rules and tap out early if we’re compromised so no one gets too banged up.”
Gracie was an accomplished fighter and Grimm could detect that he had extensive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training prior to his military service. Grimm was able to identify at least three other fighting styles but Gracie used what he know best and if Gracie had trained for MMA professionally Grimm wouldn’t have been surprised. What did surprise him in the first round was a wicked shot to the head that he barely avoided taking the full force of. The front kick came out of nowhere and rung his bell for a few seconds despite it being a glancing blow. Gracie followed that up with a quick back fist that Grimm had anticipated and countered and that led to Grimm putting a quick hook into Gracie’s side that connected with the lower ribs on his left side.
The other fighter let out an audible grunt and for the rest of the round neither fighter was able to effectively get past the other’s defenses. What blows that got through their individual defenses were glancing or just not quite what was needed to be effective. Still Grimm was impressed as he stepped to his corner and took advantage of the 1 minute breather. Sweat now dripped freely off his face and body. Gracie had brought two water bottles and Grimm took a mouthful of cool water and swished it around in his mouth and spat it out through the cage’s side.
Grimm took his mouth guard out and ran his tongue around inside his mouth during the rest period fearing that a tooth had been knocked loose or chipped and was happy that he had avoided that particular injury. He guessed that getting dental work done on the island wasn’t a possibility and so far in life despite his chosen occupation he had avoided getting a tooth knocked out of his head or breaking his nose.
30 seconds into round 2 Grimm lost his balance and succumbed to a lightning fast morote-gari or double leg take down and the fight went to the ground. He assumed that if Gracie was as good as he feared on the ground that that would be a good place for him to get punished and he was absolutely right. Grimm took 3 or 4 blows that would have put most fighters out of the fight and managed barely to escape Gracie’s repeated submission attempts by sheer willpower and luck. Back on his feet he realized that as good as Gracie was on the ground he had a slight technique issue on his feet that Grimm might be able to exploit if Gracie wasn’t setting him up.
Grimm leaned into a move then countered himself after Gracie had committed to a back fist and landed a decent kick into Gracie’s ribs on the left side at almost the perfect time. That blow caused Gracie to hesitate. If they were real MMA fighters Grimm would have attacked the man brutally at that moment and might have been able to conclude the fight in a flurry of blows designed to convince his opponent that he needed to tap out or risk serious injury. But instead he waited the second that Gracie needed to get re-focused and wasn’t surprised to see that he held his hands up in surrender.
Garcie sucked in a ragged breath. “Think you might have just cracked a rib. Excellent fight, thanks for the workout
Grimm nodded. “Good fight. You’re very good. I thought you had me when we went to the ground.”
Gracie nodded. “I should have but a made a mistake in the timing and underestimated your skill level.”
With that both men moved to the center of the ring and tapped gloves as a sign of respect for each other. Then they both slipped their gloves off.
Grimm almost smiled at the security man’s pain as Gracie put on the brave face. “Gracie maybe we should find that Doctor I came in with and have him take a look at you.”
Gracie nodded. “That might not be a bad idea. I go on duty in a few hours and need to be patched up by then.”
Grimm nodded. “Listen, you find the Doc and get looked at and I’ll meet you after and we can have breakfast and a chat. I’d like to learn more about how you got here.”
Gracie almost winced and caught him as he reached out to shake Grimm’s hand. “It would be a pleasure. You’re a really good fighter and I’m looking forward to a rematch.”
Now Grimm actually laughed aloud quickly. “I’m not. I bet that I’ll be feeling the aftereffects of this little sparring match for a week.”
Then the men headed back to the main house so that Gracie could get looked at and Grimm could ice and elevate his knee. He hadn’t said anything to Gracie but Grimm’s knee was definitely not functioning as it should. Later on the path the men split up and Grimm went back to his room and called the Doctor and asked him to drop by after he had seen Gracie. Grimm mentioned that while they had been training together he didn’t want anyone to know that he had been injured. He showered, took some pain reliever and then laid on his bed keeping his knee elevated while he waited for the Doctor to make a house call.
10 minutes after he laid down there was a knock at the door. He limped carefully to the door and swung it open. Dark Voice stood there almost smiling holding a file in his hand. He had a room service cart beside him loaded with covered dishes. “I heard you had an interesting morning. Ever think maybe you’re too old for this profession?”
Grimm stepped back and motioned Dark Voice inside. “Even if I am too old for this then who are you going to get to replace me?”
Dark Voice was pushing the cart into the room and replied. “Take it from a has-been Cold War warrior there’s always someone that can do your job. Maybe not was as well or with the same panache but they can always find somebody to do what we do. It’s one of the things that makes our country so great. I got you the Denver Omelet with a side of turkey bacon, whole grain toast and a half a carafe of OJ. Doc told me you got a little banged up.”
Grimm nodded. “Kid’s good. What’s his background?”
Dark Voice rolled the cart in front of where Grimm had sat on the bed. “Kid’s dad moved them around a lot. He did some Martial Arts in the US until he was 7 or so. Then the family moved to Brazil where the dad got a job as an engineer and he got into a pretty good little academy that was run by a Gracie disciple. Being the outsider he was forced to apply himself and learned quickly. Gracie’s family moved from Brazil right before he turned 17 and his instructor offered to let the kid live with him and his extended family until his training was completed. He obtained his black belt at 19 and immediately enlisted in the Marines. Did well in basic and scored 113 on the DLAB and since he already spoke almost perfect Portuguese he was assigned to language training and put into the language program to study Spanish. During his time in the Marines he did 18 months in Afghanistan and completed Force Recon training. He left to go to school and train to be a professional MMA fighter before an injury made that career path unlikely. While he trained he attended College and is half way to a 4 year degree. A friend in intelligence found his resume and forwarded it to me. His Portuguese is almost perfect and his Spanish is very, very good. He was being looked at by other Federal agencies but wanted to do something exciting. He’s on the wait list for one of our teams. Thought you might want to talk to him and see what you think. If he’s ready to start working in the field you can take him back with you.”
While his boss filled him in Grimm had arranged the plates from the cart in the order he would attack them. He had already used a salt substitute on his omelet and was depressed to see that Dark Voice had indeed brought him turkey bacon instead of real bacon. As DV finished his run-down of Gracie’s past Grimm was masticating a bite of his omelet and eyeing the fake bacon with a look that many would have taken for contempt, which it was. He finished chewing and wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin. “I’ll talk to him and if he seems like he will work I’ll move him to Juarez and let him help us until we make the final move or you’re forced to let the Spec Ops guys step in.”
Dark Voice nodded glad to see that Grimm had bonded with Gracie. “Great, let me know how your talk goes. Sorry to run but the Intel geeks are dying to get me into Ops. Apparently they have some intercepts they need me to listen to.” With that DV turned and walked toward the door.
Grimm made the mistake of standing up and walking toward the door to see DV out. He felt the pain in his knee from his sparring match with Gracie yet made no noise or comment. “I’ll get together with Gracie after the Doc looks at him. I might have cracked one or two of his ribs.”
Before Dark Voice slid out the door he stopped and turned toward Grimm. “Might want to take it easy on your teammates they’re not easy to find.”
“You’re the boss. Talk to you later”
With Dark Voice gone and Grimm resting his knee he studied Gracie’s file for an hour and liked what he saw. Satisfied that he knew what he needed to know he drifted off to sleep and was awoken 30 minutes later as the Doc knocked on the door and stepped in without being invited.
“You wanted to see me. I just finished up with your partner and at the very least he has a bruised rib and I really think he might have a cracked rib or two. He’s to take it easy for a few days and I told him to head into town and get x-rayed… Now what’s wrong with you?”
Grimm moved upright. “Just tweaked my knee a little Doc. Thought maybe you’d look at it and tell me if I’m going to need to go in someplace and have it imaged and looked at by a specialist?”
Doc smiled. “Soldiers, always hurting or breaking something aren’t you? Let’s get this done. I need to finish with you and check on the guard I did surgery on yesterday.”
With that Doc examined Grimm’s knee and recommended that he seek care back in the US when he got the chance. After a few days of light activity the knee would be better but the Doc mentioned that Grimm might have issues he was unable to assess without better equipment.
After Doc left Grimm called the desk and had them notify Gracie that he would meet him in the lobby ASAP. So with that done Grimm grabbed a quick shower and dressed before heading to the lobby.
Gracie had showered and changed clothes and sat in a floral covered chair that must have been left over from the original developer’s time on the island before the IRS got after him. When Gracie stood Grimm saw a very slight wince. “Gracie. Well seems we both got a tad banged up this morning. How’s are your ribs feeling?
Gracie reached out and the men shook hands as Gracie replied. “I’ve had worse. You wanted to talk to me?”
Grimm nodded. “Let’s head outside and take in the air.”
Grimm led Gracie toward the veranda area where he had talked and sipped alcohol the day before with Dark Voice. He gravitated back to the chair he had sat in before and sat down ignoring the slight discomfort he was feeling from his knee. “Dark Voice told me that you’re interested in joining us and I need to make sure you understand what we are doing against the Cartels. The people we are up against are as bad as any in the world. They are brutal, well-funded and highly motivated.”
Gracie nodded from where he sat. “Grimm, I signed up to do field work in the field. I’m qualified and have a pretty good resume. I’m hoping not to play paddy cake on a tropical island babysitting sociopaths and psychopaths and doing dinner theatre. I guess what I’m saying is that I accept the risks that are involved and hope you and Dark Voice feel I’m ready for the job. If you two say I need more time to prove myself I’ll accept that but running off divers, realtors and resort developers is killing me. Today is the first time in a month that I sparred with another person and I think maybe I’m losing that sharp edge. Also since we are so exposed here firearms proficiency is limited to nighttime with suppressors and I miss shooting.”
Grimm looked at the younger man. Grimm had read his file from his time in the military, perused his resume, examined his evaluations by a litany of experts prior to his hire and fought the kid in the octagon. If he brought the passion and experience that he showed in the match he would be a welcome addition to the STAG team’s growing cadre of operators. “Here’s what I’m thinking. I can take you back with me, but due to your injury I’ll place you in non-critical role where your injury is a non-factor. I have a female dog handler and I promised her protection in the field and that will likely be what you do to start. During that time you are encouraged to get back to shooting and get your marksmanship up to par. As we move on and you get back to 100% you’ll be assigned something more in line with your various skill sets. Our main goal is to get missions done safely and with a minimum of attention from the public or any law enforcement or military forces. Welcome to STAG. May your tenure be safe and rewarding.” Grimm stood and stuck his hand out.”
Gracie stood and shook Grimm’s hand. “Thank you sir. I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
The men broke the shake. “Better go pack we leave tonight at 19:00. Leave your firearms here and we’ll outfit you when we get to where we’re going. And remember no identifying IDs just the forged one’s that you used to get down her. I have a dedicated encrypted reader that will cover most if not all of what you need to know about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. I also noticed in your file that the stylist hadn’t done a workup on you so when we get to Mexico prepare for a make-over.” A smile almost crossed Grimm’s face. With Gracie perfect teeth, deep tan and good looks the stylist would need to figure out how to alter his appearance enough that he didn’t stand out so much. Men and woman in their line of work needed to keep low profiles and Gracie was by far the most memorable of the men in Grimm’s group of specialists.
The men headed back inside and took it easy. For Grimm the afternoon would be spent with White the short director of the facilities’ interrogation program that seemed to favor gaudy Hawaiian shirts. The goal of the familiarization tour was to become more familiar with the islands services. It was a task that Grimm had little interest in. As far as Grimm was concerned he and the people in the STAG program grabbed individuals that might have relevant information and then it was the people on the islands job to extract the information they needed to get the next phase of the job done. Warriors didn’t blast music at detainees and make them sit in positions that stressed their bodies. And they sure as hell didn’t yank a detainee off the ground with ropes attached to the wrists and then take them down only to water board them. Warriors fought for their country and its way of life. They found the enemy and did what needed to be done despite the risk to themselves. They sweated, bled and sacrificed to uphold the values that were ingrained in the history of the United States. It was simply as that.
Three hours later Grimm found himself standing next to White watching a video monitor. In the next room the Sargeant was sitting in what looked like a dentist’s chair with a customized paint job. White’s identical twin Black was masked and placing what looked like a metallic smock on the naked and strapped down detainee and trying to encourage him to take the deal that was being offered. For his efforts the interrogator was being yelled at and spit on. Despite the response from the detainee Black maintained his composure and continued to explain why the Sergeant should cooperate.
Grimm and White listened through the in-room microphones as Black prepared to help the man change his mind.
After a few minutes of verbal abuse Black stepped back and leaned against a counter where the control box laid waiting to be turned on. Wires ran from the box to the metallic smock on the detainee’s body.
Grimm watched the video monitor as Black used a finger to press something and the detainee instantly stretched his bindings and his body rose of the tilted chair. After 10 seconds another press of the button with a single finger and the detainee was again sitting like normal. Black gave him 20 seconds and then repeated the process. This went on for 30 minutes before Black announced that he needed to use the head and left the room.
Visible relief showed on the Sergeant’s face as he tried regaining his composure. He had already voided his bladder 5 minutes into the session and the angle of the chair meant that when he urinated uncontrollably the pee squirted back and stuck Sergeant’s face and made sparks on the smock he was wearing on his bare skin. The Sergeant began to mumble prayers in Spanish with his eyes squished together so hard the observers could see the determination on his face on the video monitor. Without warning his body jerked and he was again propelled a few inches off the chair he was sitting on. Again 10 seconds with around 20 seconds before the next shock assaulted the detainees’ body. As the machine cycled back off the detainee spit blood through the air that landed on the floor.
Black stood at the sink washing his hands. He wasn’t happy with what he was doing to the man in the chair on the room down the hall but as one of the leaders at the facility he and his brother tried to do most of the things that would be distasteful to a civilized person. Their contract called for a large sum to be paid for mental health treatment and as far as the brothers were concerned that covered a lot of ground. They had decided before they accepted the job that they would take some time off every so often and seek intensive therapy. After they were back to an acceptable level of guilt for their actions they would devote some time participating in some sort of charity work that helped people in developing countries like Mexico. His brother was leaning toward a clean water project while he was more interested in a vaccine program where their training in medicine might be used more effectively than funding and building wells and water treatment apparatus for rural villages long denied access to clean and safe drinking water. He dried his hands off and headed back to the interrogation room.
Black entered the room and saw that his subject looked exhausted. Sweat covered his face and head and the room smelled strongly of urine. Thinking he had a few minutes of respite and then being shocked again had been off-putting for him.”
Before he had closed the door the man spoke. He sounded broke and was anxious to speak before the next round of shocks.
“I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything I knew if you turn the machine off. For the love of God and everything that is Holy please turn that machine off.”
Black reached into his pocket and turned the machine off with the remote control. Both men could hear it click off. “I’m listening. You better have something good.”
He detainee turned his head toward Black. “Lee, the man you need to talk to his named Lee. He is one of the 4 Horsemen. He’ll know who authorized the activity you are interested in. But be careful of him he is vicious killer. He has killed or had killed more men than the other Horseman put together.”
Black considered what he had just been told. “For your sake I hope that you are being honest. If I have to turn that machine back on it’s going to be very bad for you. We have a Doctor here and if you are lying to us you’ll sit in that chair until you die and then we will revive you and do it again till I get the information I need. Am I being clear?”
The man in the chair nodded so hard his whole body was moving. “Yes, yes I understand.”
223shootersc
Veteran Member
thanks for the new chapter, been missing your work
stjwelding
Veteran Member
Thanks for the new chapter, it made my good day a great day when I found a new chapter hope to see more soon.
Wayne
Wayne
Fuller
Part 38
STAG Facility off the coast of Belize
With darkness falling on the island Grimm stood on the dock and watched as their plane moved toward them riding small waves up and down as it maneuvered toward the floating dock. Grimm wore a small backpack riding easily on his shoulders and had a duffle on his shoulder that contained his weapons and other work gear. He had told Gracie to leave his weapons here but he was loath to take his own advise since both his primary weapons had been worked on by an excellent civilian gunsmith that started his career building guns for the US Army Marksmanship Unit and both his M-4 and the sidearm on his hip were very good shooters.
Beside Grimm standing on the smallish dock stood Gracie and he looked ready to be leaving the heat and humidity of the island anxious to prove that he had what it took to operate in the field.
Gracie however was carrying one of the largest civilian packs Grimm had ever seen on his back. Just looking at the dark green duffle made Grimm happy he was a light packer. Gracie would understand the benefit of packing lightly and mailing some of his belongings after he wrestled that huge bag on and off the various aircraft that would transport them to Juarez.
Grimm was confident that Gracie would adapt to his work with Rosie the female dog handler and her partner Ales. Rosie was very lucky, between Ales her K-9 partner that would defend her with his life and Gracie and his Team 3 teammates Rosie was now officially in good hands. Grimm had been a little worried that they weren’t doing enough to keep Rosie safe. Now she clearly was safer than Grimm who depended on just himself a majority of the time.
The floatplane was at the dock now and White and a security man were pulling ropes to bring to the plane close enough for him and Gracie to jump on. Both men quickly loaded their belongings and climbed in after them while the plane idled at the dock and the pilot remained in the cockpit ready to leave at the first opportunity. The ropes connected to the plane were still being held by White wearing one of his customary gaudy Hawaiian shirts and the security man. Grimm took the ropes from the men at the dock and pulled the door closed. Grimm then gave White a quick thumbs up through the plane’s small window letting him know everything was OK. With the lines clear it was mere seconds before the pilot had the big motor spooled up and they were cutting across the water before gently lifting off and soaring into the night sky heading to one of, if not the most dangerous cities in the world.
Grimm stared at his phone and was distracted momentarily while Gracie settled in and returned his attention to the encrypted devise. He hadn’t talked to Close for just over 24 hours and was missing her. He punched in her number and waited while the satellite phone did what it needed to do.
“Hey.”
Grimm replied. “Hey.”
Close replied. “And how’s your vacation? Getting a tan and sucking down umbrella drinks?”
Grimm considered his reply and kept it simple. “Heading back to town and I was just thinking of that Showtime thing we talked about the other day.”
Grimm could hear the smile on Close’s face. “Yea, I was thinking about that to. Maybe when you get back we can schedule time to view the current data on it. I’ve got a few ideas I think you’ll be interested in. I mean if you can fit it in.”
Now Grimm was smiling at the wordplay. “I’ll do whatever I need to do to fit it in. It’s a priority to me.”
Close paused thinking of a flirtatious way to frame her response. “Good, I look forward to getting that on the books.”
On the outside Grimm was stone-faced but inside he was smirking. “Yea, me to. I need to get going I’ll call you soon.” Close said goodbye and Grimm planned to call her as soon as he landed assuming that nothing needed his immediate attention. He’d need a few hours to clear his head and think about what the next steps in the mission would be. Now they had a target that had serious potential to give them the answers they were seeking. Every Cartel member they re-located to the island brought them one step closer to where they needed to be. Grimm was anxious to complete the mission in Juarez so he could take a few weeks to figure out his future. Well not really his future. He had a job he liked a lot but he was interested to see what Close thought about them as a couple. With their commitment to their jobs the question was if they could find the time and energy to make it work?
Fuller’s Office Complex
Fuller studied the printed pages in front of him and pondered what he was going to do. He knew what he should do but there remained a brief moment of indecisiveness. He was going to do what was right despite the small possibility that he would gain economically from the situation that had presented itself. Recently a small business owner had toured some space that was ready to be leased and a few problems had arisen as Fuller looked into the business.
Chance had dropped what he thought was a good thing into the “oh crap” pile. 95% of Fuller’s facility was only accessible through the interior underground roads that snaked through the complex. But one space that they had just opened had been looked at repeatedly by an automotive repair shop owner that was interested in getting into the work truck re-conditioning business. He told a slightly rough faced Fuller that he would move the automotive repair shop into the front of the underground space. That meant that the remaining space in the back toward the interior access road would be utilized to house the new business that would recondition trucks and repair vehicles he acquired from the auto auction that he would sell to the general public.
Fuller’s dilemma is that he knew the business was clearly a bad fit for his complex. Just looking at the submitted paperwork from the owner would have allowed Grimm to lease space to the business without a moment’s hesitation, but there was a complication. The very first time that the auto repair company owner had came onto the property their agent had been confused and entered through one of the underground entrances that ringed the complex. That meant that everyone in the vehicle was required to produce valid ID and a copy of those IDs were kept on file in the security office. All first-time visitors to the complex signed a copy of the guidelines that outlined acceptable and unacceptable behavior while they were on the property. Those simple yet commonsensical rules governed access to the underground space and dictated what was expected in the complex. Part of that notification stated that all entrants were subject to security screening that included the possibility of a full background check. When the group had originally came to see the space in the back seat sat the owner’s Uncle who came along to give the fledgling entrepreneur his input on the space since he was slated to be a silent partner in the new venture.
The owner of the auto shop’s criminal history came back clean but his “uncle” had been arrested twice for running a chop shop and being in procession of stolen automotive parts. The owner never offered much information about the Uncle other than the fact that he was a silent partner and was putting up some of the money for the shop’s expansion. He left out that his “uncle” had been in prison until recently serving 2 years of a 4 year sentence. Fuller wasn’t surprised that the Uncle’s name was never submitted as part of the background package. After all, the Uncle was a “minority partner” and wouldn’t be involved in the day to day operation of the business. Or so Fuller was told.
Fuller had long understood that the underground facility he had developed would be a good place to locate a chop shop since cellular phones and GPS tracking would be hampered in the underground facility.
If vehicle thieves could spoof or jam the signal of the GPS tracking units when the vehicles neared the area then they could move vehicles into the underground complex and disable any hidden or hard to detect devises that would allow the vehicles to be tracked. Of course to facilitate communications with the outside world the complex had an extensive network of cell phone signal boosters that allowed cell phones to be used inside the complex. Inside the complex it would be fairly easy to jam the cell phone reception boosters that allowed people inside the underground complex to use their phones as if they were aboveground. If that network was inoperable for 30 or 45 minutes at a time in the middle of the night it might be chalked up to a technology glitch and dismissed as a fluke allowing the criminals to scan the incoming vehicles for tracking devises at their leisure.
As Fuller developed the site he realized that the nature of the location would mean that certain types of criminals would be interested in leasing space in the complex. The underground space was not generally patrolled by the local Police and the commercial nature of the facility meant that vehicles and people would come and go at all hours of the day and night. Chop shops, drug labs and pot growing operations where all criminal activities that would be benefit from being located someplace where the threat of Police intervention was greatly reduced and any unusual electricity usage would be chalked up to that of a legitimate business. The underground complex would also hamper investigative efforts since the ability to place law enforcement personnel was greatly limited making surveillance almost impossible without detection.
As a prepper Fuller was briefly tempted to allow the shop to open with the contingency that their shop equipment be pledged as additional collateral to their deposit. That would mean that if they failed to meet their obligations that Fuller would retain legal ownership of the equipment. The down side of that plan was that the authorities would likely seize everything in the space if they could prove that the people in the space were engaged in any illegal activity.
Knowing what he needed to do Fuller picked up his office phone and called the commercial broker that was negotiating the lease with Fuller. He was able to get a hold of the agent at his office and explained that he was passing on the tenant and that they would be better off leasing space elsewhere.
The leasing agent was either desperate for the commission or had been incentivized by the automotive repair shop. It was possible that the client had offered a cash bonus if they could lease space in Fuller’s complex. The commercial realtor expressed outrage that a Hispanic owned business was being denied access to the space and quickly claimed discrimination. Fuller explained that the background check had unearthed some inconsistencies and that if the agent or his client had further issues that they should feel free to contact his lawyer. He explained that the repair business simply failed to meet the complex’s leasing criteria. Fuller’s underground facility had an in-house security team and prided themselves on their commitment to keeping tenants, their employees and visitors safe. They also tried to alleviate burglaries and employee theft so their standard was their standard regardless of what a person’s ethnic or religious background was. Fuller also mentioned that the nature of the business in an underground facility would require additional equipment that he was unable to justify installing or allowing to be installed.
The leasing agent vowed to never show property in the complex again and hung up after referring to Fuller in unkind terms. During the agent’s tirade a reference was made to Fuller’s mother and her lack of morals. Fuller smirked at the leasing agent’s poor attempt to rile him up. The next call he made was to the local Police where he shared his findings with the auto theft unit and asked that the tip be considered confidential. The Detective thanked him for his vigilance and promised to follow up the lead with addition investigation. The detective also informed Fuller that the area had was experiencing a slight yet noticeable increase in vehicle thefts and resources were being put together to start an inter-agency task force that would hopefully reverse the trend.
After hanging up the phone Fuller considered if it was possible that another criminal enterprise had infiltrated his complex and called Mongo. He waited while the phone rang.
Mongo answered on the 4th ring. “Aloha, what’s up Brah?”
“Mongo I need your help. Can you head over when you get a few minutes”
Mongo smiled and Fuller could hear it through the big Pacific Islanders tone of voice. “Let me finish the security schedule and I’ll see you in 15 minutes. Do I need to bring anything?”
Fuller considered what he had in mind. “I just need you for now, we can figure out the other stuff after we talk.”
“See you then.”
Fuller then picked up the phone again and called the woman that ran the commercial real estate brokerage that the offending agent worked for. He had met her briefly at the open house that kicked off leasing at the complex but had never really interacted with her other than an occasional e-mail when they opened up a new section that was ready for tenants. He had heard that she was a consummate professional and took her profession very seriously. He waited while the phone rang as he considered how he was going to handle the problem.
A young woman with a great voice and impeccable phone etiquette answered and Fuller requested the President of the company. He gave his name and waited while he was transferred to the President’s assistant where he again explained who he was.
A woman came on the line and identified herself as the President of the Young and Mann Commercial Real Estate Corporation. Fuller told her who he was and explained what had happened with the agent but left out the part about the ex-con uncle. Fuller told the companies’ leader that while he was willing to take a look at business’s that others might be wary of security was a high priority and his decision was made purely on business considerations. He also explained that he personally felt that being accused of making a business decision based on race to be highly offensive. He expressed his disappointment at the agent’s unprofessional conduct and personal references to him and his family and notified the companies’ president that he would not allow her agent back into the complex for any reason. The agent had been effectively banned to the extent that Fuller could ban people from his complex. And with the security that the complex boosted that meant he would not be entering the space again.
The woman promised to look into it and get back to Fuller. She then thanked Fuller for bringing the matter to her attention and apologized for the lack of professionalism that her employee had displayed while interacting with Fuller. She explained that their very high standards were a hallmark of the company and that she thought every single one of her employees understood what she expected. Fuller understood that he was making an enemy but the man had insulted his mother. Fuller had done a background check on the agent after he realized something was out of whack and found out he had only been licensed and with the company for a year or so. The agent had been a car salesman previously and appeared to be good at it but selling cars and selling and leasing commercial property were two very different endeavors. Fuller was now was managing 100s of thousands square feet of property. Having relationships with brokerages was important to his business and he refused to be undermined by a rookie that clearly didn’t understand the rules of the game.
Fuller was glad to see that he was correct in drawing attention to the agent’s lack of professionalism as he read the e-mail threatening him with legal action from the broker despite it being less than 15 minutes since he had delivered the news that his clients wouldn’t be leasing space in Fuller’s complex. After reading that e-mail for the third time Fuller decided that the only way to make this right from the brokerage’s standpoint was to terminate the employee. He wasted no time in forwarding the e-mail to the president of the company and expressed his disappointment at the circumstances. He didn’t mention the desire to see the man fired but the tone of his e-mail was frosty and intimated that he expected accountability.
A while later Mongo entered Fuller’s office. Last week Mongo had talked to his Aunt and was told that he had been exposed to chickenpox as a child and was now comfortable being around Fuller as he suffered through his case of Shingles. The two friends had even been able to crack a few jokes at the severity of what they referred to as Fuller’s “disfigurement”. With sores, uneven skin and small scabs covering one side of his face down to the middle of his chest and intense itching Fuller was happy to be able to joke at his misfortune and wait while the condition ran its agonizing course.
The men sat and Fuller got right to it. “When we opened up the first phase of this project I realized that this would be a very good place to house a criminal enterprise and we talked about what we could do to minimize that possibility. I thought we were doing a good job until the carjacker working in my own plant started burglarizing vehicles in our lot. And now with this automotive place wanting space to possibly disassemble stolen vehicles I wonder if we are doing enough to keep the people that work and visit here safe and keep crime outside our doors.”
Before Fuller could continue Mongo spoke up. “I know a person that can help us. She has a drug detection dog and works for the Police here in town. The dog is a drug detection dog and searches for marijuana and other illegal drugs. We could request that she survey the area after hours and see what she and her K-9 partner come up with.”
Fuller nodded. ‘That was exactly what I was thinking. It might not a bad idea to also run the dog around the areas outside that house the exhaust vents. I’d also like to search the area for guns inside the leased spaces where they are prohibited. I’d hate to think that an illegal weapons dealer was using the space to store illegal firearms or explosives. Let’s get the drug dog out here and then we can see what we can do about searching for illegal weapons and explosives. Now that I think of it this would be a good place to open up a gun shop or a law enforcement supply house. I know not everyone is comfortable buying guns and gear on-line and the space near the shooting range could be adapted and built out very easily. I was thinking of leasing it to those paintball guys but honestly their clientele would burden the security checkpoints and most pre-teens and teenagers annoy me.”
Mongo nodded agreeing with his boss and friend. “I’ll call the Police Department and talk to them about getting the K-9 team to inspect some of the areas here and see if they have any other concerns we could help with. The 2 patrolman seemed super easy to work with when we corralled that carjacker.”
Fuller replied. “I agree they were very professional. I wrote a note for the two officers that helped us out and mailed it to their Chief. I approved Gert, the shorter one’s request to use our shooting range for his son’s birthday party assuming he brought along a NRA Certified Handgun Instructor and everyone signed a liability releases. I’ll check on that but I think the parties next month.”
Mongo brought his considerable girth out of the chair he had been sitting in and stood in front of the desk. He then removed a small notebook from his pocket and wrote a few notes in it while he spoke. “I’m on it. I’ll let you know what we can get done. We should be able to arrange something in the next week or so. Were you thinking about doing the search from the street or entering the businesses?”
Fuller considered the question. “If we do the search on a weekend night when everyone’s shut down and we get some good hits then we can go from there and analysis the business looking for suspicious behavior or activity not consistent with stated use. I don’t want to enter any of the businesses without a good reason. I’m hoping the dogs won’t find anything interesting but I’d rather error on the side of caution.”
Mongo moved toward the door. “I’m calling them right now. I’ll talk to you as soon as I know something.”
Fuller was alone in his office again and thinking about the scabs that covered one side of his face and part of his neck. The urge to scratch was strong again despite the prescriptions that the Doctor had given him. Sometimes, like when he was cold or extremely tired he could use his mind to will himself to ignore what was happening and he successfully applied the technique and was relieved that the urge to scratch quickly passed allowing him to again focus on work. Sometimes the drugs to keep the itching under control would quit working and the urge was distracting. Then like now he would utilize his mind to control his condition. He focused his mind and the urge to scratch passed.
Now that he felt more focused he thought about which of the businesses in the complex were most likely house criminal activity. A few weeks ago he would have told anyone that asked that was satisfied that he had a good mix of tenants and he hoped that his current investigations wouldn’t turn up anyone betraying his trust and putting the complex’s workers at risk.
Part 38
STAG Facility off the coast of Belize
With darkness falling on the island Grimm stood on the dock and watched as their plane moved toward them riding small waves up and down as it maneuvered toward the floating dock. Grimm wore a small backpack riding easily on his shoulders and had a duffle on his shoulder that contained his weapons and other work gear. He had told Gracie to leave his weapons here but he was loath to take his own advise since both his primary weapons had been worked on by an excellent civilian gunsmith that started his career building guns for the US Army Marksmanship Unit and both his M-4 and the sidearm on his hip were very good shooters.
Beside Grimm standing on the smallish dock stood Gracie and he looked ready to be leaving the heat and humidity of the island anxious to prove that he had what it took to operate in the field.
Gracie however was carrying one of the largest civilian packs Grimm had ever seen on his back. Just looking at the dark green duffle made Grimm happy he was a light packer. Gracie would understand the benefit of packing lightly and mailing some of his belongings after he wrestled that huge bag on and off the various aircraft that would transport them to Juarez.
Grimm was confident that Gracie would adapt to his work with Rosie the female dog handler and her partner Ales. Rosie was very lucky, between Ales her K-9 partner that would defend her with his life and Gracie and his Team 3 teammates Rosie was now officially in good hands. Grimm had been a little worried that they weren’t doing enough to keep Rosie safe. Now she clearly was safer than Grimm who depended on just himself a majority of the time.
The floatplane was at the dock now and White and a security man were pulling ropes to bring to the plane close enough for him and Gracie to jump on. Both men quickly loaded their belongings and climbed in after them while the plane idled at the dock and the pilot remained in the cockpit ready to leave at the first opportunity. The ropes connected to the plane were still being held by White wearing one of his customary gaudy Hawaiian shirts and the security man. Grimm took the ropes from the men at the dock and pulled the door closed. Grimm then gave White a quick thumbs up through the plane’s small window letting him know everything was OK. With the lines clear it was mere seconds before the pilot had the big motor spooled up and they were cutting across the water before gently lifting off and soaring into the night sky heading to one of, if not the most dangerous cities in the world.
Grimm stared at his phone and was distracted momentarily while Gracie settled in and returned his attention to the encrypted devise. He hadn’t talked to Close for just over 24 hours and was missing her. He punched in her number and waited while the satellite phone did what it needed to do.
“Hey.”
Grimm replied. “Hey.”
Close replied. “And how’s your vacation? Getting a tan and sucking down umbrella drinks?”
Grimm considered his reply and kept it simple. “Heading back to town and I was just thinking of that Showtime thing we talked about the other day.”
Grimm could hear the smile on Close’s face. “Yea, I was thinking about that to. Maybe when you get back we can schedule time to view the current data on it. I’ve got a few ideas I think you’ll be interested in. I mean if you can fit it in.”
Now Grimm was smiling at the wordplay. “I’ll do whatever I need to do to fit it in. It’s a priority to me.”
Close paused thinking of a flirtatious way to frame her response. “Good, I look forward to getting that on the books.”
On the outside Grimm was stone-faced but inside he was smirking. “Yea, me to. I need to get going I’ll call you soon.” Close said goodbye and Grimm planned to call her as soon as he landed assuming that nothing needed his immediate attention. He’d need a few hours to clear his head and think about what the next steps in the mission would be. Now they had a target that had serious potential to give them the answers they were seeking. Every Cartel member they re-located to the island brought them one step closer to where they needed to be. Grimm was anxious to complete the mission in Juarez so he could take a few weeks to figure out his future. Well not really his future. He had a job he liked a lot but he was interested to see what Close thought about them as a couple. With their commitment to their jobs the question was if they could find the time and energy to make it work?
Fuller’s Office Complex
Fuller studied the printed pages in front of him and pondered what he was going to do. He knew what he should do but there remained a brief moment of indecisiveness. He was going to do what was right despite the small possibility that he would gain economically from the situation that had presented itself. Recently a small business owner had toured some space that was ready to be leased and a few problems had arisen as Fuller looked into the business.
Chance had dropped what he thought was a good thing into the “oh crap” pile. 95% of Fuller’s facility was only accessible through the interior underground roads that snaked through the complex. But one space that they had just opened had been looked at repeatedly by an automotive repair shop owner that was interested in getting into the work truck re-conditioning business. He told a slightly rough faced Fuller that he would move the automotive repair shop into the front of the underground space. That meant that the remaining space in the back toward the interior access road would be utilized to house the new business that would recondition trucks and repair vehicles he acquired from the auto auction that he would sell to the general public.
Fuller’s dilemma is that he knew the business was clearly a bad fit for his complex. Just looking at the submitted paperwork from the owner would have allowed Grimm to lease space to the business without a moment’s hesitation, but there was a complication. The very first time that the auto repair company owner had came onto the property their agent had been confused and entered through one of the underground entrances that ringed the complex. That meant that everyone in the vehicle was required to produce valid ID and a copy of those IDs were kept on file in the security office. All first-time visitors to the complex signed a copy of the guidelines that outlined acceptable and unacceptable behavior while they were on the property. Those simple yet commonsensical rules governed access to the underground space and dictated what was expected in the complex. Part of that notification stated that all entrants were subject to security screening that included the possibility of a full background check. When the group had originally came to see the space in the back seat sat the owner’s Uncle who came along to give the fledgling entrepreneur his input on the space since he was slated to be a silent partner in the new venture.
The owner of the auto shop’s criminal history came back clean but his “uncle” had been arrested twice for running a chop shop and being in procession of stolen automotive parts. The owner never offered much information about the Uncle other than the fact that he was a silent partner and was putting up some of the money for the shop’s expansion. He left out that his “uncle” had been in prison until recently serving 2 years of a 4 year sentence. Fuller wasn’t surprised that the Uncle’s name was never submitted as part of the background package. After all, the Uncle was a “minority partner” and wouldn’t be involved in the day to day operation of the business. Or so Fuller was told.
Fuller had long understood that the underground facility he had developed would be a good place to locate a chop shop since cellular phones and GPS tracking would be hampered in the underground facility.
If vehicle thieves could spoof or jam the signal of the GPS tracking units when the vehicles neared the area then they could move vehicles into the underground complex and disable any hidden or hard to detect devises that would allow the vehicles to be tracked. Of course to facilitate communications with the outside world the complex had an extensive network of cell phone signal boosters that allowed cell phones to be used inside the complex. Inside the complex it would be fairly easy to jam the cell phone reception boosters that allowed people inside the underground complex to use their phones as if they were aboveground. If that network was inoperable for 30 or 45 minutes at a time in the middle of the night it might be chalked up to a technology glitch and dismissed as a fluke allowing the criminals to scan the incoming vehicles for tracking devises at their leisure.
As Fuller developed the site he realized that the nature of the location would mean that certain types of criminals would be interested in leasing space in the complex. The underground space was not generally patrolled by the local Police and the commercial nature of the facility meant that vehicles and people would come and go at all hours of the day and night. Chop shops, drug labs and pot growing operations where all criminal activities that would be benefit from being located someplace where the threat of Police intervention was greatly reduced and any unusual electricity usage would be chalked up to that of a legitimate business. The underground complex would also hamper investigative efforts since the ability to place law enforcement personnel was greatly limited making surveillance almost impossible without detection.
As a prepper Fuller was briefly tempted to allow the shop to open with the contingency that their shop equipment be pledged as additional collateral to their deposit. That would mean that if they failed to meet their obligations that Fuller would retain legal ownership of the equipment. The down side of that plan was that the authorities would likely seize everything in the space if they could prove that the people in the space were engaged in any illegal activity.
Knowing what he needed to do Fuller picked up his office phone and called the commercial broker that was negotiating the lease with Fuller. He was able to get a hold of the agent at his office and explained that he was passing on the tenant and that they would be better off leasing space elsewhere.
The leasing agent was either desperate for the commission or had been incentivized by the automotive repair shop. It was possible that the client had offered a cash bonus if they could lease space in Fuller’s complex. The commercial realtor expressed outrage that a Hispanic owned business was being denied access to the space and quickly claimed discrimination. Fuller explained that the background check had unearthed some inconsistencies and that if the agent or his client had further issues that they should feel free to contact his lawyer. He explained that the repair business simply failed to meet the complex’s leasing criteria. Fuller’s underground facility had an in-house security team and prided themselves on their commitment to keeping tenants, their employees and visitors safe. They also tried to alleviate burglaries and employee theft so their standard was their standard regardless of what a person’s ethnic or religious background was. Fuller also mentioned that the nature of the business in an underground facility would require additional equipment that he was unable to justify installing or allowing to be installed.
The leasing agent vowed to never show property in the complex again and hung up after referring to Fuller in unkind terms. During the agent’s tirade a reference was made to Fuller’s mother and her lack of morals. Fuller smirked at the leasing agent’s poor attempt to rile him up. The next call he made was to the local Police where he shared his findings with the auto theft unit and asked that the tip be considered confidential. The Detective thanked him for his vigilance and promised to follow up the lead with addition investigation. The detective also informed Fuller that the area had was experiencing a slight yet noticeable increase in vehicle thefts and resources were being put together to start an inter-agency task force that would hopefully reverse the trend.
After hanging up the phone Fuller considered if it was possible that another criminal enterprise had infiltrated his complex and called Mongo. He waited while the phone rang.
Mongo answered on the 4th ring. “Aloha, what’s up Brah?”
“Mongo I need your help. Can you head over when you get a few minutes”
Mongo smiled and Fuller could hear it through the big Pacific Islanders tone of voice. “Let me finish the security schedule and I’ll see you in 15 minutes. Do I need to bring anything?”
Fuller considered what he had in mind. “I just need you for now, we can figure out the other stuff after we talk.”
“See you then.”
Fuller then picked up the phone again and called the woman that ran the commercial real estate brokerage that the offending agent worked for. He had met her briefly at the open house that kicked off leasing at the complex but had never really interacted with her other than an occasional e-mail when they opened up a new section that was ready for tenants. He had heard that she was a consummate professional and took her profession very seriously. He waited while the phone rang as he considered how he was going to handle the problem.
A young woman with a great voice and impeccable phone etiquette answered and Fuller requested the President of the company. He gave his name and waited while he was transferred to the President’s assistant where he again explained who he was.
A woman came on the line and identified herself as the President of the Young and Mann Commercial Real Estate Corporation. Fuller told her who he was and explained what had happened with the agent but left out the part about the ex-con uncle. Fuller told the companies’ leader that while he was willing to take a look at business’s that others might be wary of security was a high priority and his decision was made purely on business considerations. He also explained that he personally felt that being accused of making a business decision based on race to be highly offensive. He expressed his disappointment at the agent’s unprofessional conduct and personal references to him and his family and notified the companies’ president that he would not allow her agent back into the complex for any reason. The agent had been effectively banned to the extent that Fuller could ban people from his complex. And with the security that the complex boosted that meant he would not be entering the space again.
The woman promised to look into it and get back to Fuller. She then thanked Fuller for bringing the matter to her attention and apologized for the lack of professionalism that her employee had displayed while interacting with Fuller. She explained that their very high standards were a hallmark of the company and that she thought every single one of her employees understood what she expected. Fuller understood that he was making an enemy but the man had insulted his mother. Fuller had done a background check on the agent after he realized something was out of whack and found out he had only been licensed and with the company for a year or so. The agent had been a car salesman previously and appeared to be good at it but selling cars and selling and leasing commercial property were two very different endeavors. Fuller was now was managing 100s of thousands square feet of property. Having relationships with brokerages was important to his business and he refused to be undermined by a rookie that clearly didn’t understand the rules of the game.
Fuller was glad to see that he was correct in drawing attention to the agent’s lack of professionalism as he read the e-mail threatening him with legal action from the broker despite it being less than 15 minutes since he had delivered the news that his clients wouldn’t be leasing space in Fuller’s complex. After reading that e-mail for the third time Fuller decided that the only way to make this right from the brokerage’s standpoint was to terminate the employee. He wasted no time in forwarding the e-mail to the president of the company and expressed his disappointment at the circumstances. He didn’t mention the desire to see the man fired but the tone of his e-mail was frosty and intimated that he expected accountability.
A while later Mongo entered Fuller’s office. Last week Mongo had talked to his Aunt and was told that he had been exposed to chickenpox as a child and was now comfortable being around Fuller as he suffered through his case of Shingles. The two friends had even been able to crack a few jokes at the severity of what they referred to as Fuller’s “disfigurement”. With sores, uneven skin and small scabs covering one side of his face down to the middle of his chest and intense itching Fuller was happy to be able to joke at his misfortune and wait while the condition ran its agonizing course.
The men sat and Fuller got right to it. “When we opened up the first phase of this project I realized that this would be a very good place to house a criminal enterprise and we talked about what we could do to minimize that possibility. I thought we were doing a good job until the carjacker working in my own plant started burglarizing vehicles in our lot. And now with this automotive place wanting space to possibly disassemble stolen vehicles I wonder if we are doing enough to keep the people that work and visit here safe and keep crime outside our doors.”
Before Fuller could continue Mongo spoke up. “I know a person that can help us. She has a drug detection dog and works for the Police here in town. The dog is a drug detection dog and searches for marijuana and other illegal drugs. We could request that she survey the area after hours and see what she and her K-9 partner come up with.”
Fuller nodded. ‘That was exactly what I was thinking. It might not a bad idea to also run the dog around the areas outside that house the exhaust vents. I’d also like to search the area for guns inside the leased spaces where they are prohibited. I’d hate to think that an illegal weapons dealer was using the space to store illegal firearms or explosives. Let’s get the drug dog out here and then we can see what we can do about searching for illegal weapons and explosives. Now that I think of it this would be a good place to open up a gun shop or a law enforcement supply house. I know not everyone is comfortable buying guns and gear on-line and the space near the shooting range could be adapted and built out very easily. I was thinking of leasing it to those paintball guys but honestly their clientele would burden the security checkpoints and most pre-teens and teenagers annoy me.”
Mongo nodded agreeing with his boss and friend. “I’ll call the Police Department and talk to them about getting the K-9 team to inspect some of the areas here and see if they have any other concerns we could help with. The 2 patrolman seemed super easy to work with when we corralled that carjacker.”
Fuller replied. “I agree they were very professional. I wrote a note for the two officers that helped us out and mailed it to their Chief. I approved Gert, the shorter one’s request to use our shooting range for his son’s birthday party assuming he brought along a NRA Certified Handgun Instructor and everyone signed a liability releases. I’ll check on that but I think the parties next month.”
Mongo brought his considerable girth out of the chair he had been sitting in and stood in front of the desk. He then removed a small notebook from his pocket and wrote a few notes in it while he spoke. “I’m on it. I’ll let you know what we can get done. We should be able to arrange something in the next week or so. Were you thinking about doing the search from the street or entering the businesses?”
Fuller considered the question. “If we do the search on a weekend night when everyone’s shut down and we get some good hits then we can go from there and analysis the business looking for suspicious behavior or activity not consistent with stated use. I don’t want to enter any of the businesses without a good reason. I’m hoping the dogs won’t find anything interesting but I’d rather error on the side of caution.”
Mongo moved toward the door. “I’m calling them right now. I’ll talk to you as soon as I know something.”
Fuller was alone in his office again and thinking about the scabs that covered one side of his face and part of his neck. The urge to scratch was strong again despite the prescriptions that the Doctor had given him. Sometimes, like when he was cold or extremely tired he could use his mind to will himself to ignore what was happening and he successfully applied the technique and was relieved that the urge to scratch quickly passed allowing him to again focus on work. Sometimes the drugs to keep the itching under control would quit working and the urge was distracting. Then like now he would utilize his mind to control his condition. He focused his mind and the urge to scratch passed.
Now that he felt more focused he thought about which of the businesses in the complex were most likely house criminal activity. A few weeks ago he would have told anyone that asked that was satisfied that he had a good mix of tenants and he hoped that his current investigations wouldn’t turn up anyone betraying his trust and putting the complex’s workers at risk.
Fuller Part 39
Fuller
Part 39
Field’s Shelter
The sun had set 30 minutes ago and Tim and Becky Fields pulled up to the outside entrance to the shelter in their golf cart towing a small 6foot trailer with pipe hanging off the back of it. The trailer held items they planned to install on and in their space in the shelter to make it more comfortable should they ever be forced to stay there under emergency conditions. Tim had found cheap used gas pipe on-line and bought the pieces he needed to make the frames for shelves for storage in their unit. Since they actually owned the shelter they had been allowed to slightly oversize their unit and that including having a small walk-in closet in their unit that Becky wanted to organize.
The Field’s and their golf cart slid through the door once it opened and Tim steered it to the wall that housed one of the master power switches. He then closed the door with the remote and they sat in the growing darkness until the door had been completely closed before switching on the headlamp that sat on his head. Tim then slid out of the cart and threw the switch that illuminated the entry area. He turned on just enough lights in the entrance area to make their way back to the living area in the shelter. There Becky slid out and turned on all the lights bringing the area from partially lit to full brightness. The lights while being eco friendly cast enough light that it would be possible to read a newspaper or book without any difficulties. The couple then drove to their unit and stopped and climbed from the cart. They entered their assigned unit and turned on the lights illuminating the small space. While small compared to what they were used to they fully believed under emergency circumstances it would be entirely adequate for their families needs. They also had a space in the storage area they could utilize for storage if absolutely necessary. Today the goal was to organize their closet in the main space and if they had time they would also put in shelves in their storage space increasing its overall storage capacity.
Becky was a great organizer and had drawn up plans on their computer and printed them off to allow the most effective use of the space in their closet and storage area. Now that she was evaluating the space she eyed the closet again and glanced at the plans she had drafted. “This should be easy. All we need to do is basically put together a closet organizer like you see in the magazines from one of those companies that specializes in organizing closets. Two, maybe three hours tops.”
Tim had done his fair share of do-it-yourself projects and understood that often the scope of the work expanded or a problem would arise that caused projects to take longer than anticipated. He smiled at his wife’s optimistic assessment of the job. “Well it could happen.”
Becky turned and looked at him. “A man of little faith. A bet you a pizza that we’ll be done with the closet in three hours.”
Tim nodded. “And if you win?”
Becky smiled at her husband. “If I’m right all it will cost you is a 30 minute back rub.”
Tim replied after pondering the arrangement. “Deal, but I’m not touching your feet.”
Becky gave her husband a look as if he was simple. “Have you ever touched my feet?”
Tim shook his head back and forth. “No, and I never will. Feet freak me out. Exactly why the hells are they so damn ugly?”
Becky was rearing to get to work. “They carry you’re impossibly gullible head around. That’s no easy job so cut them some slack and prepare to lose sucker.” She smiled at Tim and his irrational dislike of feet. She was looking forward to knocking this project out and collecting on her wager.
Tim had a mildly uncomfortable look on his face as replied to her taunts. “Can we talk about something other than feet? It’s giving me the willies.”
Becky considered the request and thought she had already given Tim enough bad thoughts for one day. “OK. Let’s get the stuff off the trailer. That means you. I’m going to take another measurement and start marking the ground and walls up with chalk.”
Fuller’s Ranch- West Texas
The operators in the two man team were called Romeo and Taco. They worked for STAG and would likely end up on Grimm’s team by the next time the people in Juarez did another snatch. But for at least the next day or so they were assigned to Fuller’s ranch in Texas waiting to be called over. Grimm had directed that the ranch remain on high alert so someone manned a video console 24 hours a day. In addition to the video surveillance covert ground sensors had been placed around the perimeter of the property and could be monitored either in the hanger or over an encrypted smart phone or wirelessly enabled pad.
All seismic detections over a certain rating that could not be verified with video as wildlife had to be investigated to insure that the Cartel hadn’t found their location and sent people to kill them or capture members of the team. The Cartel was big on kidnapping people and then torturing them to death so it paid to respect their abilities. Dark Voice and Grimm had seen the information on Gregg Madrago. The ex-KGB Colonel that headed the Juarez Cartel’s intelligence operations had a storied career and was thought to be very capable at his job. While Dark Voice was putting out feelers to see if they could turn Madrago it was critical that the people at Fuller’s ranch maintain good security.
Tonight Romeo and Taco were on guard duty so when the seismic detectors began activating and the duty operator was unable to confirm it was a big Texas Mule Deer or other wildlife they scrambled and started making their way toward the sensors that had alerted.
As they crawled up the back face of a hill they slid to the crest like shadows. Almost as soon as they raised their night vision binoculars they detected the group of suspected illegals. They radioed the contact in and watched while the group made their way across the uneven ground moving around an interior Border Patrol inspection station.
Romeo and Taco were pretty sure that despite the massive amount of money involved in human and drug smuggling that the group was not using any night vision equipment so they moved from behind the hill to a vantage point that allowed them a better sight line. They were lying on the ground behind a scrubby looking tree watching the group of what they suspected where illegal’s move down into an arroyo.
The group constituted 20 people and was mostly male with the exception of 4 females. Age wise like many groups illegally crossing they had mostly men in it that were in their late teens to early 30s. The hard, often dangerous and unpredictable journey was better suited to younger people just starting out in life. Younger workers from Mexico were known to work hard for less money than US born workers but eventually that rough life took its toll and all too often the older workers weren’t as in demand as their younger Countrymen. The 4 woman were the exception, they were all in the teens to mid-20s age range. It was not an uncommon occurrence for younger Mexican woman to migrate to the US illegally and give birth to their offspring while here. In fact the fertility rate of foreign-born woman regardless of immigration status was higher than that of US-born females based on overall population percentages. It was a trend that showed little sign of abating.
With the night vision goggles Romeo and Taco identified what they thought were the two guides called coyotes moving the people at a slow pace across the broken ground on a moonless night. Even from the vantage spot the men watched as the coyotes used a GPS unit to insure that they were staying on a pre-planned course.
The group of illegal’s had triggered portable sensors at the edge of the property 20 minutes ago and were seen in the aircraft hanger’s video monitor a few minutes later. the team watching the property wasted no time notifying Border Patrol giving them the exact GPS location of the group and suggesting routes they could use to gather the illegal’s up to be detained and possibly deported back to their Country of Origin.
The men could now barely hear a truck making its way down an adjacent property at least a half mile away. While the truck’s motor was almost too quiet to be heard the sound of gravel bouncing off the vehicle’s body was making a racket that could scare a feral pig off road kill. Both men hoped the Border Patrol agent was familiar with the roads because from where they were crouched the truck seemed to be traveling at an excessive speed. Then the men heard the sound of a helicopter a ways out moving toward their position.
The small group of illegals had also heard something and the group dropped to the ground and it looked like there was activity that Romeo and Taco couldn’t quite make out. Everyone was fumbling around in there packs and the men could see them pulling out blankets and laying on the ground and covering themselves with the blankets.
Romeo whispered into his encrypted radio. “Rover to base. Targets are 100 yards due south of my coordinates and have covered themselves with blankets or some type of covering. We had a vehicle making tons of noise a half mile out and the helicopter sounded like it was heading in just before they dropped.”
“Base copy, I’ll pass the Intel on to Border Patrol.”
The truck on the next property over was now silent and they couldn’t see if it was moving or was stationary. The helicopter moved away from the area and sounded as if it was not moving toward them anymore. But the group hunkered down and waited to insure the area was safe to move through. Taco looked back to be sure their IR strobe was still working. The teams from the Border Patrol might have miscalculated their position and moved off to await assistance from additional personnel in the area. Corralling 20 men and woman was not a job for one agent. And while it regularly happened previously since the problems in the area Border Patrol seldom allowed any less than 5 agents to apprehend any groups larger than 10. The agency had also re-assigned a Predator B out of North Dakota and borrowed a dozen micro UAVs being tested by the Army. With the border situation still not resolved every available resource was being utilized to insure that the situation was dealt with as effectively as possible and that US citizens were being kept safe.
The men waited 30 minutes watching the group the whole time. Only once did anyone from the group get off the ground and that was one of the suspected coyotes who stood to urinate despite the possibility that there might be Border Patrol agents in the area.
“Base to Rover. Border Patrol reports that they have your position in sight and are seeing your IR beacon. They report that they are awaiting additional personnel and request that you stay in place until they move in. At that point they request you vacate the area moving west toward the ranch. They will coordinate with us and we’ll let you know when it’s time to move.”
“Copy.”
Romeo and Taco waited without moving anything but their eyes. At night in the dark noise traveled in the desert and the last thing they wanted to do was alert the experienced Coyotes that other people were in the desert with them or give away their position. Human smugglers were rarely armed but it paid to assume the worst so the STAG men worked on the assumption that the coyotes they were observing had firearms and were willing to use them. 15 minutes later they heard movement to their immediate left. It was far enough away they assumed that it was Border Patrol agents jockeying for position. They swung their NVG around and were unable to observe anything. A few minutes after they heard the noises it stopped and it was again just the normal sounds of the desert on a moonless night. The noises they heard before resumed and the radio again summoned them.
“Base to Rover. Border Patrol requested that you begin to slowly and quietly exfil area toward the ranch. They have people in place and are awaiting additional personnel that are surrounding the area. They request that you hang IR beacons off your gear and be clear of the area to insure your safety.”
“Rover to base, copy. Moving now.”
With that Romeo and Taco began to slowly work their way out of the area paying special attention to being as quiet as possible when moving around dry scrub or areas that had loose soil. Their task was made easier with the NVG goggles and from what the men understood their night vision units were better than the units issued to Border Patrol personnel. But moving through the desert at night even with extensive training and night vision means some amount of noise and the coyotes must have been alerted because Romeo and Taco heard a burst of movement from the area that was hiding the suspected illegal’s and their coyotes guides.
Fuller
Part 39
Field’s Shelter
The sun had set 30 minutes ago and Tim and Becky Fields pulled up to the outside entrance to the shelter in their golf cart towing a small 6foot trailer with pipe hanging off the back of it. The trailer held items they planned to install on and in their space in the shelter to make it more comfortable should they ever be forced to stay there under emergency conditions. Tim had found cheap used gas pipe on-line and bought the pieces he needed to make the frames for shelves for storage in their unit. Since they actually owned the shelter they had been allowed to slightly oversize their unit and that including having a small walk-in closet in their unit that Becky wanted to organize.
The Field’s and their golf cart slid through the door once it opened and Tim steered it to the wall that housed one of the master power switches. He then closed the door with the remote and they sat in the growing darkness until the door had been completely closed before switching on the headlamp that sat on his head. Tim then slid out of the cart and threw the switch that illuminated the entry area. He turned on just enough lights in the entrance area to make their way back to the living area in the shelter. There Becky slid out and turned on all the lights bringing the area from partially lit to full brightness. The lights while being eco friendly cast enough light that it would be possible to read a newspaper or book without any difficulties. The couple then drove to their unit and stopped and climbed from the cart. They entered their assigned unit and turned on the lights illuminating the small space. While small compared to what they were used to they fully believed under emergency circumstances it would be entirely adequate for their families needs. They also had a space in the storage area they could utilize for storage if absolutely necessary. Today the goal was to organize their closet in the main space and if they had time they would also put in shelves in their storage space increasing its overall storage capacity.
Becky was a great organizer and had drawn up plans on their computer and printed them off to allow the most effective use of the space in their closet and storage area. Now that she was evaluating the space she eyed the closet again and glanced at the plans she had drafted. “This should be easy. All we need to do is basically put together a closet organizer like you see in the magazines from one of those companies that specializes in organizing closets. Two, maybe three hours tops.”
Tim had done his fair share of do-it-yourself projects and understood that often the scope of the work expanded or a problem would arise that caused projects to take longer than anticipated. He smiled at his wife’s optimistic assessment of the job. “Well it could happen.”
Becky turned and looked at him. “A man of little faith. A bet you a pizza that we’ll be done with the closet in three hours.”
Tim nodded. “And if you win?”
Becky smiled at her husband. “If I’m right all it will cost you is a 30 minute back rub.”
Tim replied after pondering the arrangement. “Deal, but I’m not touching your feet.”
Becky gave her husband a look as if he was simple. “Have you ever touched my feet?”
Tim shook his head back and forth. “No, and I never will. Feet freak me out. Exactly why the hells are they so damn ugly?”
Becky was rearing to get to work. “They carry you’re impossibly gullible head around. That’s no easy job so cut them some slack and prepare to lose sucker.” She smiled at Tim and his irrational dislike of feet. She was looking forward to knocking this project out and collecting on her wager.
Tim had a mildly uncomfortable look on his face as replied to her taunts. “Can we talk about something other than feet? It’s giving me the willies.”
Becky considered the request and thought she had already given Tim enough bad thoughts for one day. “OK. Let’s get the stuff off the trailer. That means you. I’m going to take another measurement and start marking the ground and walls up with chalk.”
Fuller’s Ranch- West Texas
The operators in the two man team were called Romeo and Taco. They worked for STAG and would likely end up on Grimm’s team by the next time the people in Juarez did another snatch. But for at least the next day or so they were assigned to Fuller’s ranch in Texas waiting to be called over. Grimm had directed that the ranch remain on high alert so someone manned a video console 24 hours a day. In addition to the video surveillance covert ground sensors had been placed around the perimeter of the property and could be monitored either in the hanger or over an encrypted smart phone or wirelessly enabled pad.
All seismic detections over a certain rating that could not be verified with video as wildlife had to be investigated to insure that the Cartel hadn’t found their location and sent people to kill them or capture members of the team. The Cartel was big on kidnapping people and then torturing them to death so it paid to respect their abilities. Dark Voice and Grimm had seen the information on Gregg Madrago. The ex-KGB Colonel that headed the Juarez Cartel’s intelligence operations had a storied career and was thought to be very capable at his job. While Dark Voice was putting out feelers to see if they could turn Madrago it was critical that the people at Fuller’s ranch maintain good security.
Tonight Romeo and Taco were on guard duty so when the seismic detectors began activating and the duty operator was unable to confirm it was a big Texas Mule Deer or other wildlife they scrambled and started making their way toward the sensors that had alerted.
As they crawled up the back face of a hill they slid to the crest like shadows. Almost as soon as they raised their night vision binoculars they detected the group of suspected illegals. They radioed the contact in and watched while the group made their way across the uneven ground moving around an interior Border Patrol inspection station.
Romeo and Taco were pretty sure that despite the massive amount of money involved in human and drug smuggling that the group was not using any night vision equipment so they moved from behind the hill to a vantage point that allowed them a better sight line. They were lying on the ground behind a scrubby looking tree watching the group of what they suspected where illegal’s move down into an arroyo.
The group constituted 20 people and was mostly male with the exception of 4 females. Age wise like many groups illegally crossing they had mostly men in it that were in their late teens to early 30s. The hard, often dangerous and unpredictable journey was better suited to younger people just starting out in life. Younger workers from Mexico were known to work hard for less money than US born workers but eventually that rough life took its toll and all too often the older workers weren’t as in demand as their younger Countrymen. The 4 woman were the exception, they were all in the teens to mid-20s age range. It was not an uncommon occurrence for younger Mexican woman to migrate to the US illegally and give birth to their offspring while here. In fact the fertility rate of foreign-born woman regardless of immigration status was higher than that of US-born females based on overall population percentages. It was a trend that showed little sign of abating.
With the night vision goggles Romeo and Taco identified what they thought were the two guides called coyotes moving the people at a slow pace across the broken ground on a moonless night. Even from the vantage spot the men watched as the coyotes used a GPS unit to insure that they were staying on a pre-planned course.
The group of illegal’s had triggered portable sensors at the edge of the property 20 minutes ago and were seen in the aircraft hanger’s video monitor a few minutes later. the team watching the property wasted no time notifying Border Patrol giving them the exact GPS location of the group and suggesting routes they could use to gather the illegal’s up to be detained and possibly deported back to their Country of Origin.
The men could now barely hear a truck making its way down an adjacent property at least a half mile away. While the truck’s motor was almost too quiet to be heard the sound of gravel bouncing off the vehicle’s body was making a racket that could scare a feral pig off road kill. Both men hoped the Border Patrol agent was familiar with the roads because from where they were crouched the truck seemed to be traveling at an excessive speed. Then the men heard the sound of a helicopter a ways out moving toward their position.
The small group of illegals had also heard something and the group dropped to the ground and it looked like there was activity that Romeo and Taco couldn’t quite make out. Everyone was fumbling around in there packs and the men could see them pulling out blankets and laying on the ground and covering themselves with the blankets.
Romeo whispered into his encrypted radio. “Rover to base. Targets are 100 yards due south of my coordinates and have covered themselves with blankets or some type of covering. We had a vehicle making tons of noise a half mile out and the helicopter sounded like it was heading in just before they dropped.”
“Base copy, I’ll pass the Intel on to Border Patrol.”
The truck on the next property over was now silent and they couldn’t see if it was moving or was stationary. The helicopter moved away from the area and sounded as if it was not moving toward them anymore. But the group hunkered down and waited to insure the area was safe to move through. Taco looked back to be sure their IR strobe was still working. The teams from the Border Patrol might have miscalculated their position and moved off to await assistance from additional personnel in the area. Corralling 20 men and woman was not a job for one agent. And while it regularly happened previously since the problems in the area Border Patrol seldom allowed any less than 5 agents to apprehend any groups larger than 10. The agency had also re-assigned a Predator B out of North Dakota and borrowed a dozen micro UAVs being tested by the Army. With the border situation still not resolved every available resource was being utilized to insure that the situation was dealt with as effectively as possible and that US citizens were being kept safe.
The men waited 30 minutes watching the group the whole time. Only once did anyone from the group get off the ground and that was one of the suspected coyotes who stood to urinate despite the possibility that there might be Border Patrol agents in the area.
“Base to Rover. Border Patrol reports that they have your position in sight and are seeing your IR beacon. They report that they are awaiting additional personnel and request that you stay in place until they move in. At that point they request you vacate the area moving west toward the ranch. They will coordinate with us and we’ll let you know when it’s time to move.”
“Copy.”
Romeo and Taco waited without moving anything but their eyes. At night in the dark noise traveled in the desert and the last thing they wanted to do was alert the experienced Coyotes that other people were in the desert with them or give away their position. Human smugglers were rarely armed but it paid to assume the worst so the STAG men worked on the assumption that the coyotes they were observing had firearms and were willing to use them. 15 minutes later they heard movement to their immediate left. It was far enough away they assumed that it was Border Patrol agents jockeying for position. They swung their NVG around and were unable to observe anything. A few minutes after they heard the noises it stopped and it was again just the normal sounds of the desert on a moonless night. The noises they heard before resumed and the radio again summoned them.
“Base to Rover. Border Patrol requested that you begin to slowly and quietly exfil area toward the ranch. They have people in place and are awaiting additional personnel that are surrounding the area. They request that you hang IR beacons off your gear and be clear of the area to insure your safety.”
“Rover to base, copy. Moving now.”
With that Romeo and Taco began to slowly work their way out of the area paying special attention to being as quiet as possible when moving around dry scrub or areas that had loose soil. Their task was made easier with the NVG goggles and from what the men understood their night vision units were better than the units issued to Border Patrol personnel. But moving through the desert at night even with extensive training and night vision means some amount of noise and the coyotes must have been alerted because Romeo and Taco heard a burst of movement from the area that was hiding the suspected illegal’s and their coyotes guides.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you for the new chapters.
stjwelding
Veteran Member
Thanks for more of the story, glad to see you continuing it, I really enjoy this story.
Wayne
Wayne