CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Eleven hours later
February 4 — 5:05 A.M. EDT
Wednesday early morning
Sheridan Circle Mansion, Washington DC
“This is your call to duty,” Alex said.
In the cold clear morning, her team stood in front of her at attention in the backyard of the Sheridan Circle house.
“We’ve sat around for weeks,” Alex said. “No more. Now is a time for action. I’ve spoken with Captain Mac Clenaghan and Major Walter and we are in agreement. We are wasting away here.”
“Yes sir,” the team called.
“We have no idea how long this hearing will last,” Alex said. “But the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are paying our salary. It’s time to earn our keep while the politicians sort out their own mess. Captain Mac Clenaghan?”
Matthew broke rank to stand next to her.
“We will split into three teams and rotate through the hearing,” Matthew said. “When your team is not in the hearing you will either be working out or fulfilling your assignment. We’ve been eating and lying around for weeks. We will return to top condition by the end of this month, if not sooner. To that end, we are going running this morning when this briefing is completed. Major Walter?”
Joseph stepped forward to stand on the other side of Alex.
“You will each be assigned to a task and a partner,” Joseph said. “You will be expected to make a full report of your progress at the end of every day. Our joint effort will move our team forward.”
“Sir,” Margaret raised her cast. “Permission to speak.”
“Yes Private Peaches,” Joseph said.
“If we don’t have funding for the team, how can we move forward?” Margaret asked.
“Good question,” Joseph said. “Lieutenant Colonel?”
“We have our salaries,” Alex said. “Our objective was set by the Admiral: retrieve hostages from around the world. We are going to do our jobs, Private. Team funding will be resolved one way or the other.”
“Sir, with all due respect, that doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Margaret said.
“How do we win at a no-win situation?” Alex asked.
“We refuse to play,” the men said in unison.
“There you go,” Alex said. “Olivas, you’ve been running every day. Will you lead us on a five mile run this morning?”
“Yes sir,” Troy said.
“Major Walter and Private Peaches have permission to stay behind,” Alex said. “Let’s go.”
Troy and Matthew led the team out of the backyard. Trece and White Boy fell in behind Troy and Matthew. Vince and Royce followed Trece and White Boy. Alex started in behind them. Raz joined her side.
“You’re faster than Troy,” Alex said. “Why not run with him?”
“Is that an order?” he asked.
“Just a question,” she said.
They ran in silence for a while.
“I like running with you,” Raz said. “We’ve run together all over the world.”
Alex smiled.
“Cold this morning,” she said. “I wonder who came up with this idea.”
Raz laughed.
FFFFF
Eight hours later
February 4 — 1:25 P.M. EDT
Wednesday afternoon
Washington DC
“So I said to him, ‘Listen I’m booked,’ and he said…” Trece was relaying his struggle to stay in Washington DC with the team. “’You have better things to do with your time.’ And I’m thinking, ‘I have a hell of a lot better things to do with my time than work for you, so…’”
Alex and Trece were walking into the hearing. Trece had talked all through lunch and the trip to the hearing. Alex let him talk. She couldn’t imagine his challenge to stay silent in the hearing. Even Alex could barely keep from screaming.
“Lieutenant Colonel Hargreaves!”
Alex heard someone call her name.
“Just a second,” Alex said to Trece. “I think someone called my name.”
“Lieutenant Colonel Hargreaves!”
They heard running feet. Trece pushed Alex behind him. Alex pulled her handgun. Trece spun in place to face the person. His stretched his muscular bulk to it maximum size. Alex heard the feet skid to a halt.
“What do you want?” Trece asked.
She peeked around Trece to see a terrified young man.
“I… um…,” the young man said.
“Lieutenant Colonel Hargreaves is late for a hearing,” Trece said.
“Hearing, yes,” the young man said. “I’m supposed to catch her before she goes into the hearing.”
“And who are you?”
“I’m an intern at UN Security,” the young man said.
“ID?”
The UN intern gave Trece his identification. Trece pulled a handheld computer from his pocket and scanned the card.
“Thumb print,” Trece said.
The intern gave his thumb print. Trece stared at the computer until the intern’s identification was confirmed.
“Go ahead,” Trece said.
“Lieutenant Colonel Hargreaves is needed,” the UN intern said. “Now. Right away. Well last night, but we couldn’t find her.”
“The Lieutenant Colonel is due in this hearing,” Trece repeated.
“I know,” the UN intern said. “We really need her help. It’s about Bosnia and what happened when she worked in the UN Security Force.”
Like a waterfall, Alex’s entire being flooded with anxiety and dread. She felt Trece jerk with surprise. He turned slightly to look at her. Her anxiety must have shown on his face because he said:
“She’s not available.”
“But… she has to help,” the UN intern said. “She’s the only one alive who knows what happened in Bosnia. You were there, Captain Ramirez, right after it happened. You and Captain Blanco protected the Lieutenant Colonel and Sergeant Abreu. You’re why they survived. We need your help too. We’re desperate.”
“Why?” Alex whispered. “Why now?”
“Why?” Trece repeated to the UN intern. “Why now?”
“Our investigator has disappeared,” he said.
“And?” Trece asked.
“He was investigating what happened to you in Bosnia,” the UN intern said.
Alex fainted.
FFFFF
A half hour later
February 4 — 2:05 P.M. EDT
Wednesday afternoon
Washington DC
“I’m really all right,” Alex said.
She smiled her biggest smile to Matthew, Trece, and White Boy. When she fainted, Trece managed to catch her before she hit the ground. He carried her to a bench near the hearing. He sent the intern into the hearing to get Matthew and White Boy.
“I’ve never seen you faint,” White Boy said. “Ever.”
“You’ve never seen me after more than three weeks of no sleep, hopelessness, a billion maps, and a very boring hearing,” she said. “I’m under a significant strain. And this is very upsetting.”
Matthew hugged her tight.
“We worry about you,” Matthew said.
“I know,” Alex said.
“Sir, we have a car waiting for you,” the UN intern said. “The Jakker is waiting at the Bolling Air Force Base to take you to New York City. We asked him because we knew you would feel more comfortable with him there.”
“I need to go,” Alex said. “Will you call Vince and Margaret to sub in at the hearing?”
“They are on their way,” Matthew said. “Trece and White Boy will go with you.”
Alex nodded. Matthew hugged her again. When he let go, he helped her to her feet.
“Drink your water,” Matthew said.
Alex held up the metal Klean Kitchen bottle he’d given her.
“Ok, we’ll see you,” Matthew said. “White Boy, you’ll keep in touch?”
“I don’t know if we can,” White Boy shrugged.
The worry on Matthew’s face made Alex smile again. Her big smile couldn’t erase his worry lines. Walking between Trece and White Boy, Alex made her way out of the hall. At the door, she turned to wave at Matthew. He winked at her then turned to go into the hearing.
Trece, White Boy, and Alex followed the UN intern to a waiting limousine. The intern went to sit in the front seat. Trece checked the back seat then slipped in. Alex followed him and White Boy slipped in behind them. The driver closed the door and the car joined the Washington DC traffic.
“Everyone else died?” Alex asked.
Trece nodded.
“Why didn’t I know that?” she asked.
“They were reassigned,” Trece said. “They were killed in their subsequent assignments.”
“You kept me and Jesse alive?” Alex asked.
“We mostly monitored threats,” Trece said. “I don’t remember any actual events.”
“There was that one time. Remember…” White Boy said.
Alex saw Trece shake his head at White Boy. White Boy didn’t say anything else.
“I’m just blown away that twice now, I’m the only one who has survived an assault,” Alex said. “Are the two related?”
“Good question,” Trece said. “Our team hasn’t found any link, but maybe the Fey Team can.”
“By your team, you mean Steve Pershing’s team.”
“Correct,” Trece said.
“You’ve been looking into this?”
“Since it happened, sir,” Trece said. He turned to look at her. “We were tasked to protect you and the Fey Special Forces Team. We believed we were.”
“No one could have prevented what happened,” Alex said. “After finding the other vault? And Joseph getting shot by some weird mechanism? The men showing up at Jeb’s farm? Funding called while we’re in the air? They’ve been a step ahead of us the entire time. I just…”
Alex fell silent. She sighed and leaned into the back seat.
“Feel guilty?” White Boy asked.
Alex’s head jerked to look at him. She gave him a curt nod.
“Well you shouldn’t,” White Boy said. “Everyone knew the risks. The Fey Special Forces Team knew the risk. You knew the risk and continued anyway.”
“Our new team? The guys all know the risks,” Trece said.
“Yeah, I know the risk, and I continue anyway,” White Boy said. “That’s what it means to be alive.”
Alex raised an eyebrow at the philosophy coming from the White Boy.
“I know, I know,” White Boy said. “I’m not very smart. But there are some things I know for sure. One of them is that I won’t live in fear. I look at the risk and make my choice.”
“I won’t live in fear either,” Trece said.
Alex nodded and returned to resting against the seat. When the limousine slowed for the security gates at Bolling Air Force Base, Alex sat up.
“I’ve never talked to anyone about Bosnia,” Alex said. “You?”
Trece and White Boy shook their heads.
“Jesse?” Trece asked.
“He’s here,” Alex said. “When it was over, he and I never talked about it. He says he never told Maria.”
“John?” Trece asked.
“Not a chance.” Alex shook her head. “Jesse and I got accepted to SF training at the end of our tour in Bosnia. I met John after training.”
“Max has read the file,” Trece said. “It was one of his conditions to work with us. He also interviewed Chris and myself.”
“Did you tell him anything?” Alex asked.
“Not a chance,” Trece shook his head. “No way.”
“I told him we went to Bosnia to protect you,” White Boy said.
“Yeah, I said that too,” Trece said. “That’s kind of obvious.”
“I want to make sure Alex knows everything,” White Boy said.
“Thanks,” Alex smiled at him.
She fell silent as the vehicle worked its way through the maze of the Air Force base.
“Do you think we can do this?” Alex asked.
“Only if we have direct orders,” Trece said.
“From Steve?” Alex asked.
“I’d have to see his mouth move,” Trece said.
White Boy nodded.
“He’s standing next to the Admiral,” Alex said.
Alex pointed to a group of men ten feet away from the running Black Hawk helicopter.
“Fuck,” Trece said.
“Fuck is right,” Alex said.
FFFFF
Eight hours later
February 4 — 10:25 P.M. EDT
Wednesday night
Sheridan Circle Mansion, Washington DC
“Where’s my sister?” Max asked as he came in the door.
“Where’s your manners?” Trece asked. “Hi Andy, how are you? How was your day?”
“Where’s my sister?” Max repeated. He smiled at Trece. “I already know your day sucked.”
“Yes, Maxwell, my day sucked,” Trece said. “Your sister is in the basement shooting. There’s a shooting range down there.”
“How long has she been down there?” Max asked.
“About two hours,” Trece said. “She picked up a couple of cases of ammo at Bolling. I bet she’s almost done with them.”
“That’s not good,” Max said.
“I tried to talk to her,” Matthew said. “She told me she’d shoot me if I didn’t leave her alone. Raz talked to her when she got home.”
Matthew nodded toward the room off the entryway. Raz was working on his laptop. He looked up at Max. Standing, Raz held his arm out and the men hugged.
“Nice to see you, Max,” Raz said.
“You talked to Alex?” Max asked.
“I went with Matthew to pick them up at the airport,” Raz said. “Trece and White Boy are ordered not to relay their day. Even with Alex. The three of them are not allowed to speak to each other on this issue.”
“What did she tell you?” Max asked.
“Nothing,” Raz said. “But she’s very upset. You heard she fainted?”
“Outside the Senate hearing?” Max nodded. “I heard that.”
“Max?” Margaret asked. She came across the living space. “Are you going to talk to the Lieutenant Colonel?”
“I’m going down there,” Max said. “Why?”
“I’ve been trying to talk to her all day,” Margaret said. “She was either in a meeting or gone at the UN.”
“What do you need?” Max asked.
“Can you tell her Mike’s journals are gibberish?” Margaret asked. “I’ve gone through the journals five times. Backward and forward. I can’t make sense of them.”
“I’ll tell her,” Max said. “How do I get…?”
“I’ll take you,” Raz said.
Raz pointed toward a door off the entryway.
“Max?” Joseph held two cases of 9 MM Glock ammunition. “You’ll probably need this.”
“I’ll take it.” Raz took the ammunition from Joseph.
Max nodded. He followed Raz down the stairs to the basement. In the basement, they could taste the nitroglycerin that escaped the ventilation system after Alex fired hundreds of rounds. Max followed Raz to the back right corner of the basement. Raz pressed the buzzer to indicate someone was coming in.
“I’d encourage you not to expect much,” Raz said. “She…”
Alex opened the door and flew into Max’s arms.
“I’ll leave the ammunition here,” Raz said.
When Alex looked up, Raz saw her distress. She nodded to him. He set the ammunition just inside the door. Taking her hand, Max led Alex back into the shooting range. He pulled closed the outer door, and then closed airlock door. Even though the small shooting range had been under such heavy use, the air was clear of smoke and lead.
Alex held out a pair of earplugs which Max put in. She gave him a pair of over the head ear protection. While he put his ear protection on, Alex opened the new cases of ammunition. By the time he was ready, she had her ear protection on and was ready to shoot again. Pulling out his identical Glock 9 MM, he nodded to his identical twin. They began firing.
F