Camp chaos, p.29
Camp Chaos, page 29
part #1 of The Unit Series
“The only person to blame for everything is that guy in chains ahead of us,” Crow said.
Spud walked with his arm around Hank’s waist. She leaned on him and said, “After that, I think I need a shower. Let’s go home, Marine.”
Voice walked into Doc Rich’s office behind her. “Doc, can I talk to you?”
“Sure, Voice,” Doc Rich said, her tone sounding defeated. “What can I help you with?”
Voice sat down. “Maybe this is a half-assed idea, but I don’t think I’m the only one who sees that the whole unit is bummed out right now.”
“No, not by a long shot.”
“I realize I’m sort-of the odd man out in the team. I wasn’t in law enforcement nor in the military. But it seems to me we need something right now to get everyone up out of the ditch.”
“I can’t help but agree, but I don’t see what we could do,” Doc Rich said.
“Well, I was thinking. When Spud and Hank decided to become a ‘spousal unit,’ as the reg calls it, it was a pretty sterile event. No sort of celebration. Just ‘do you make the request,’ ‘do you give consent to the request,’ etc. How ‘bout we plan a proper wedding?”
“I think our priority right now has to be to get the bad seed out the door.”
“Yeah. Yeah. But think about it?”
“Sure, Voice.” I sound as depressed as I feel.
Mike and James escorted Spot out of the BEQ, followed by Cloud who was keeping an M4 trained on their prisoner. Spot was handed over to two federal agents, while a third sat in the driver’s seat of the van that would transport Spot to the airstrip. A military transport would then deliver him to Leavenworth. He got in and sat, a sadistic grin on his face, while his shackles were secured to the bench he sat on. His chest sported a fresh bandage where his bum ticker had been removed.
As the van pulled away from the BEQ, Spot carefully assessed everything around him. Taking me out in the dark of night. As the van started through a wooded area, he noticed the guard with him take out a stick of chewing gum and pop it into his mouth.
“Got another piece of that?” he asked the guard.
The guard just looked at him.
“Look, they’re not going to give me gum in Leavenworth,” he said. “What’s it gonna hurt if I have a piece.”
The guard reached back into his pocket and drew out another piece. “Here ya go.”
“Could you just pop it in my mouth for me?” Spot held up his manacled hands. “Kind-a hard to reach with these things on.”
The guard leaned over to put the gum in Spot’s mouth, and Spot flung the shackle connecting his hands and feet around the guard’s neck, yanking it hard, hearing the man’s neck snap. “These things all use universal keys,” he muttered, going through the guard’s pockets. Finding what he was looking for, he opened the fetters that were binding his hands and feet, then started rocking the van by throwing his body back and forth from one side of the van to the other.
The driver braked to a halt, and the guard riding next to him jumped out, running to the back of the van and opening the doors. He was greeted by Spot, who had taken the taser of the guard he had killed. Spot kicked him in the face, then tasered him and ran off into the darkness.
Voice sat while the others finished their breakfast, doing the first of his daily routines: reading the newspaper. He had ignored the rest of the paper and was concentrating on the Classifieds.
“Anything for us?” Edge asked.
“Still looking.”
“Seems like there was a lot of helicopter activity last night,” Hank said. “Is that usual?”
“Not really,” Voice muttered, still scanning the Classifieds. “How did you know?”
“We went up into the BEQ last night and just sat and looked at the stars out the window,” Spud said.
Voice sat up. “There’s a message from Quantico HQ for us here.” He pulled a pencil from a breast pocket and started to jot things down.
“Oh, shit.”
“What is it?” Crow asked.
“Message reads: ‘Prisoner escaped. Killed guard. Aerial search negative. Prisoner no longer believed on base.’”
“Spot is loose out there?” Cloud asked, incredulously.
“Apparently.”
“See Spot run. Run, Spot, run,” Spud muttered.
21
“Doc Rich?”
“Come on in, Voice.”
Voice sat down opposite Doc Rich. “Have you given some thought to what we talked about the other day?”
“The wedding idea? There’s been a lot going on, Voice, so I’m sorry, but no.” She was only half listening to him while working on something else.
“I think we could all use a distraction. Something other than having to watch our backs because we’ve got a rogue on the loose.” He fidgeted. “Maybe I’m the odd guy out, like I told you, but I really think the morale of the unit could use a shot in the arm. And who doesn’t love a wedding?”
Doc Rich sat back. Visualizing the biometric traces she’d seen in the past few days, she admitted to herself, He’s right. The entire unit is being dragged down by this Spot business. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
“A Marine Corps wedding. Dress blues, sword arch, the whole works. I thought maybe I could get Edge to help me with it. Get Mike to make a wedding dress for Hank. See who’s willing to tackle a wedding cake. Luigi can make the wedding rings. Maybe one of the nurses can get a bouquet.”
“Looks like you’re planning to have almost everyone in the wedding party,” Doc Rich observed.
“Including you.”
Doc Rich’s interest perked up a bit. “How?”
“Of everyone here, you’ve been here the longest, right?”
“And?”
“So, that kind-of makes you the captain of the ship, being the most senior member of the unit. Seems to me the captain of the ship is the one who does the marrying.”
“I’d be honored,” Doc Rich said. “But I know not one thing about conducting a Marine Corps wedding, so you’d better get with Edge and see if he has a bit of guidance for us.”
“You want a Marine Corps wedding for Spud and Hank?” Edge asked.
“Yeah. That business we went through before with just ‘I’m making a request’ didn’t strike you as pretty... lame?”
“Well, yeah. But it’s not like they can show up at the county courthouse and get a marriage license.”
“Who cares? At least they get to have a wedding. Nobody talks about the marriage certificate – they talk about the wedding. And they’ve kind-a been cheated out of having one.”
“Can’t argue with you there. Spud is going to need his dress blues. Hank is going to need a wedding dress, and if you and I know Mike, that’s probably going to be the slow part of the process. Before that can start, we’ve got to get Spud to pop the question.”
Voice tapped his watch, bringing up the facility map and team locator. “Hopefully, the idea will cheer him up. He’s in the library. Come with?”
“Sure. I don’t mind watching cartoons.”
Edge and Voice made their way to the library, finding Spud as expected, watching cartoons. Even Spud’s down because of this crap. They sat down on either side of him.
“Hey, Spud.”
“Hey.”
“Edge and I have got a project that we really need your help on.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Spud paused the cartoon he was watching and said, “Mission-related?”
“Well, kind-of,” Voice said.
“Why does ‘well, kind-of’ need me?” Spud asked.
“It seriously can’t happen without you being involved,” Voice said.
Spud sighed. “And why is that?”
“Because you’re the groom,” Edge said.
“Because I’m the... groom?”
“Yeah,” Edge said. “You can’t have a wedding without a groom.”
“You guys don’t remember that little meeting when the fraternization rule was changed?”
“That wasn’t a wedding,” Voice said. “A wedding has a man waiting at the end of the aisle and a woman walking up in a wedding gown on the arm of someone who will give her away.”
“A wedding has a minister to pronounce that man and woman husband and wife,” Edge said. “And because we’re all Marines, it’s got a sword arch for the newlyweds to walk through.”
“And a bridal suite so the man can carry her over the threshold.”
“Don’t you want to be the groom?” Edge asked.
Spud turned off the cartoon he was watching. “So, you’re planning to have the whole works? Cake, dancing, all the hoopla?”
“Yeah. But you’ve got to do something first.”
“Which is?”
“You’ve got to pop the question,” Voice said.
“Before I can pop the question, I’ve got to get a ring.”
“We thought about that. Want to head on down to Luigi’s shop?”
Spud got up and led the way out of the library. “Gunsmith, you’re about to get visitors.”
Walking into Luigi’s shop, Spud began with, “I need you to work up something for me.”
“Need a new gun?” Luigi asked.
“Need a set of rings.”
“Ok. What kind-a scope you need them for?”
The three men laughed.
“Not that kind of rings,” Spud said. “I need a wedding set.”
It was Luigi’s turn to laugh. “You finally decided to make an honest woman of her?”
“These gentlemen here have informed me that Hank and I never had a proper wedding, so, yes.”
Luigi smiled. “Gonna cost ya.”
“How much?”
“Not how much. What. I get to give the bride away. I always wanted to do that, but my wife just gave me boys.” He shrugged. “Gotta make up for not givin’ away a daughter somehow.” He walked over to his jeweler’s bench. “I think I’ve got something you both will love, too. It’s very unique material.”
He came back to Spud with a bar of metal that looked like waves of alternating silver and black. “This is mokume gane. It’s a Japanese technique that fuses two or more different metals together. Kind-a like Damascus, but not quite the same process. This is made of titanium and zirconium. I can make a couple of nice weddin’ bands with this and line them with gold. And if you need an engagement ring, I can do another band with some diamonds set in it.”
“This is gorgeous stuff, Luigi. I think Hank will love it as much as I do. I’m going to need the engagement ring first, because I’ve got to pop the question.”
“Ok, but you gotta give me a little time, and I gotta get her ring size. This stuff isn’t easy to work with, and I don’t want to have any funny-lookin’ seams. It will be better if I can mill it to the correct size right from the start. That way, the pattern on the mokume will match all the way around.”
“How are you going to get her ring size without her knowing something is up?”
“She’s tapped for infiltrator and covert ops, right? Not just sniper. Someday, she’s gonna have to go to some swanky affair on someone’s arm as his wife. So, I need to have rings ready to go, right? Then I can get the ring size the same way a jeweler always does.” He reached over and picked up a set of ring gauges. “The same way I’m gonna get yours right now. Stick out your hand for me.” He slipped a ring gauge on Spud’s left-hand ring finger. “I’ve got a good eye. Got it right first time. You’re a size 10. Like I said, give me a little time.”
“Not a problem. We’ve got a trip to do to Tucson to bring in the new guy, so hopefully you’ll have the ring done, I can get her to say yes, and then we can wait forever while Mike fusses over her dress.”
“Welcome aboard, Mr. Sanchez,” ‘Katie’ said. “Please take a seat with the gentleman at mid-deck.” Hank smiled and pointed the way, then followed him down. “We’ll be taking off shortly, so please buckle up and make yourself comfortable. Once our crew gives the go-ahead for movement around the cabin, I’ll be happy to bring you something to eat and drink. Do you have a preference?”
“I assume there’s coffee. Do you have a bagel?”
Something tells me I’m going to like him. “Certainly. Would you like it toasted?”
“Sure, thanks. Do you have cream cheese and jelly?”
Yeah, I’m definitely going to like him. “I think I can scare some up in the galley.” Hearing the tone over the PA, she said, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to take my seat. Relax, enjoy the flight, and I’ll be back as soon as our crew tells us we can move around the cabin. I assume, sir,” she added, addressing Edge, “that you’ll want your usual?”
“Thank you, yes, Katie.”
Hank went and took a seat on the jump seat. “What do you think so far, Hank?” she heard Cloud say in her earpiece. In the background, she could hear Crow reading back their clearance.
“What can I say? He likes bagels with cream cheese and jelly, and you might recall that was my choice as well. We’ll have to wait and see if he wants seconds.”
Cloud laughed. Over the PA, she heard Crow announce, “We’ve been cleared for takeoff, everyone. Enjoy the ride. Our flight time today will be approximately three hours and ten minutes, with arrival around 2 PM local time at Quantico.”
Hank had a sense of nostalgia watching the plane lift off from Tucson’s runway 11 Left and climb over the Rincon Mountains to the east. Almost like coming home. Once Cloud and Crow had the G550 above 10,000 feet above sea level, she rose and went to the galley, took place mats and utensils to set the table between Edge and Sanchez, then made the trip again with their food.
“Coffee, black, two Danish for you, sir,” she said, setting the items in front of Edge, “and a toasted bagel with cream cheese and jam, plus coffee,” placing coffee, cream, bagel, and the jam and cream cheese in condiment dishes by Sanchez. “Let me know if there’s anything else you need or would like at any time.”
“She’s a pleasant gal,” she heard Sanchez say via her earpiece as she made her way back forward to the jump seat. “It must be nice to have such friendly service. I’ve got to ask, though: this certainly isn’t anything I’ve known the Border Patrol to fly.”
He’s suspicious. Not so quick to jump and sign paperwork.
“The aircraft is owned by the Department of Justice,” Edge told him.
“So at least we’re talking about law enforcement, am I correct?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Can you tell me who you are?”
“Unfortunately, not at the moment,” Edge said.
The conversation sounds a bit familiar, Hank observed. As in, very similar to the conversation I had with Spud on my way from Albuquerque.
It wasn’t until about two hours into the flight that Edge called her back. “Katie, could you bring our guest the lunch menu, and bring me the paperwork, please?”
She took the menu she already had tucked under her arm and handed it to Sanchez. “In addition to what’s ordinarily on our menu, Mr. Sanchez, I also have enchiladas in the galley today.”
“Now that’s something you’ll never find flying the airlines,” Sanchez said, “and please call me Joaquin. Mr. Sanchez sounds a little too formal for someone who makes his living chasing drug runners through mesquite thickets. I’d love enchiladas.”
“Red or green?”
“Bring on the heat. I’ll take the green. Hatch chili, I hope?”
“Of course.” She turned so that Sanchez couldn’t see the smirk on her face and asked, “What about you, sir? Would you like to try the enchiladas today?” She grinned broadly at Edge.
Edge quashed a full-blown scowl and said, “I think I’d just like the usual, thank you, Katie.”
“Wuss,” she mouthed. Edge smiled at her, but his eyes said “fuck you.”
As she returned to place food in front of them, Hank noticed that Sanchez was carefully reading over the paperwork in front of him. He read each document methodically, then went back to the first one that needed his signature and read it again. He then spread all of the documents out and studied them. Then he began to sign.
Once again, she wondered what he would think when he discovered after landing that he had been in the presence of two-thirds of the team. But unlike the flight with Spot, she had no nagging sense that something wasn’t right about Sanchez. Her little voices were silent. I think we’ve found our man.
Spud walked into the cafeteria, the small velvet box Luigi had given him with the engagement ring inside sequestered in his pocket. “Hey there, Amigo,” he said, addressing the new recruit. “Glad to see you here. How’s the incision?”
“Still sore. But what this thing does is amazing.”
“Wait until you get your watch and earpiece,” Spud said. “You’ll suddenly find yourself in a different world.”
“I already feel like I’m on the Starship Enterprise with the doors automatically opening for me all the time.”
“You got it?” Voice asked Spud.
Spud patted his pocket and took a seat at the team table.
Hank walked in, grabbed a plate and filled it with food, then sat down next to Spud and proceeded to eat. She noticed that the cafeteria was unusually full of personnel.
“Hard workout this morning, Hank?” he asked her.
“They’re all hard, but you don’t make progress unless they are. I’m up to sixteen pull-ups now. Mike says that’s good enough to qualify for SEAL.”
“You should rehydrate, then.” Spud got up and got her a glass of water.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t even think to ask you if you wanted some ice in that glass.”
“It’s fine, Spud,” she mumphed through a mouthful of food.
“No, I think you need some ice in that glass,” he said.
“Here it comes,” Voice said quietly.
Hank looked at Voice, then looked at Spud. She noticed that now everyone at the table and throughout the cafeteria was looking in her direction. “You two conjuring something up?”
