Bravo
Eight Years Later
Yvette sat relaxed in her desk chair, her eyes sweeping over the monitors that lined the counter in front of her within the Shepherd Security Operations Center.
Seated to her left was her Ops partner that morning, Alpha Team Operator Madison ‘Xena’ Miller, also known as Mrs. John Cooper.
It was zero six-forty-five. Madison came on shift at zero six hundred.
Yvette had been on since zero four hundred and would be getting off at thirteen hundred.
They staggered the start times of the two team members assigned to Ops for better continuity and coverage, which better supported critical missions.
“I finished the tracker report for Shepherd and am about to email it. Anything you want to add to the report?” she asked Madison.
Madison glanced over the report displayed on one of the monitors in front of Yvette. “No, all movement was routine.”
Yvette attached the report to an email to Shepherd, Cooper, and Madison and then hit send. Madison immediately chimed in, confirming her agreement with the report also noting that she had no additional comments. A second team member always reviewed the reports per Shepherd’s protocols.
Yvette liked Madison. She respected that Madison was easy-going when things were mellow yet had the ability to switch to a laser-focused intensity on a dime when situations demanded it.
Plus, Madison was a dedicated professional who would pick up shifts in an emergency staffing situation if she wasn’t deployed on a mission despite that Madison was a mother to a young, adopted daughter she couldn’t leave behind when they encountered her on a very rough mission.
They worked well together, and Yvette considered Madison a friend, one of many Yvette had gained who were connected to the agency.
By zero seven hundred each morning, Shepherd wanted several reports emailed to him from Ops.
The Shepherd Security Operations Center staff were the overwatch team for all agency personnel and their families, not just of the team during operations they engaged in.
All team members and their adult family members had trackers injected into their upper back/shoulder areas.
The children wore snug ankle bracelets made of tungsten, with their trackers embedded in a charm.
The proprietary tracker technology had a lifespan of six months before the old one was removed, and a new one was injected.
The trackers were the creation of team member Michaela Karras-Johnson, who they referred to as their Tech Goddess, and had saved countless lives over the years.
Yvette also considered Michaela to be a friend.
For many years, she and Michaela were the only female staff at Shepherd Security.
That was before Jackson, one of the Operators assigned to Alpha Team, became involved with a protectee and married her.
That woman, Angel, became the agency’s office manager and the personal and executive assistant to Shepherd.
After that, each of the men assigned to Alpha Team, and then Delta Team, followed by Echo Team met and fell in love with women who became part of the Shepherd Security family, beginning with Cooper when Madison was hired.
This broadened Yvette’s circle of friends as well as broadening the scope of overwatch the Ops Center performed.
Yvette never regretted her decision to leave the ranks of the CIA for Shepherd’s team.
Quite the contrary, her decision was reinforced daily when she was in Ops providing overwatch and more to the teams in the field and their families, making a difference.
Working alongside professionals she respected, she did her best work.
And she never had to second-guess Shepherd’s motives, unlike her former superiors at the CIA.
Shepherd protected his people, period, and in all ways.
There were no acceptable losses. And when injuries occurred, which was a reality of this job, Shepherd took care of his people with the best medical care and the best support for their families.
Yvette removed her headset and set it on the desk. “I need to use the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back,” she said.
Madison grinned and nodded. Ops was quiet for now but both women knew that was about to change as Ops would be online with three of the other members of Alpha Team plus three members of Bravo Team as they performed a takedown of the target of their weeklong CIA Referral case in Huntsville, Alabama.
Yvette walked down the hallway to the bathroom, enjoying the quiet on the floor.
All the teams were either in the field on missions, in the process of traveling back to HQ, or had the day off.
After she used the bathroom, she walked back and passed the door to Ops.
She made an extra loop around the hallway to stretch her legs, passing by the offices that belonged to the members of the Digital Team, the other Ops Analysts, and the Operators who routinely staffed Ops when they were in town.
At the end of the hallway was Michaela’s Tech Lab.
Michaela was on maternity leave, having given birth to a daughter just a month earlier.
She rounded the corner, and she came face to face with Ryan ‘Requisition’ Grant, the two of them nearly colliding, as he came out of the door from his space. They both emitted a startled grunt.
“Sorry, Yvette,” Ryan said.
“No apology needed, Ryan,” she said. Ryan Grant was their supply clerk extraordinaire.
He stayed on top of the agency’s needs, from toilet paper to bullets and everything in between.
Yvette did not recall a single time that an item was needed and not in stock.
“I didn’t know you were working today.” When she’d pulled the tracker report, it showed him at his nearby condo.
“Just for a few hours. The PGP Team is scheduled to return soon. I want to take inventory of their supplies and assist them in preparing the necessary items for their upcoming deployment on Tuesday. That way, I’ll know if I need to order any replacement parts.”
One of the contracts Shepherd had was to install proprietary equipment and software monitoring on the nation’s power grid, protecting it from cyber-attacks. The PGP, or Power Grid Protection Team, installed that equipment. “Ah, so that’s your secret to being a supply ninja,” she joked.
Ryan laughed. “Shh, don’t ruin my reputation.”
Yvette laughed as well. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Who’d have guessed that a dedication to your job function and working the hours needed to achieve your goals was all it took to look like a ninja?”
“Who’d have guessed?” Yvette agreed, laughing. She took a step around him. “I need to finish my walk and get back. Have a good rest of the weekend.”
“You too,” Ryan said and then he walked down the hallway, in the other direction.
Yvette returned to Ops with thirty minutes to spare before Cooper rang in. “Ops, go,” Yvette answered. She put the call on speaker so Madison would also hear when she saw the incoming call was from Cooper.
“We’re in a strip mall a mile from the target’s residence. We just went on comms and are getting ready to initiate the takedown,” he said.
“Roger that, Coop,” Yvette said. “Are you planning to wear body cams?”
“Negative, Control. This guy’s not getting a day in court, so we don’t need to document anything or play it by the numbers.
The State Department doesn’t have to justify jack to expel him, so we’re just going to grab him and the physical evidence he removed from the lab this morning and deliver him to the two babysitters who will put him on his flight home.
We should be clear and ready for pickup in two hours max, which is about when our ride will land for us. ”
“Affirmative. The Lear’s on its way, ETA two hours twenty minutes,” Madison chimed in. “We’ll be online and watching your six. Talk to you on the flip side.”
“Roger that,” Cooper said.
“Recording comms now,” Yvette said. She clicked a few keys, and the comms line came through the speaker, plus it was being recorded. Cooper ended the call then.
Yvette and Madison listened to the normal chatter through comms as the team drove in three vehicles to take up positions near the target house.
Once Coop announced they were pulling up on site, all chatter stopped.
Yvette saw the expression on Madison’s face turn serious.
Yvette noticed she already had information on the closest trauma center pulled up, just in case.
A second later, they heard the unmistakable sounds of several car doors closing. There was a long pause before they heard pounding, presumably the knock on the front door, which was then followed by what Yvette knew was the battering ram smashing in the front door.
Several voices overlapped. Yvette recognized Coop’s voice, Ethan ‘Jax’ Jackson’s, and Tommy ‘Louisa’ Flores’ yell, “Federal agents with a warrant! Get your hands up! Hands! Let’s see your hands!”
In her mind’s eye, Yvette could see the action taking place as she’d seen it live through body cam footage countless times in the past. Anyone within the house was now secured, face-down on the floor.
The team was in the process of securing their hands behind their backs with zip ties, and they would then be searched for weapons.
Other team members searched the house. This was confirmed when voices came over the speaker, “Kitchen clear! Garage clear! Bedroom clear!” She recognized each man’s voice, Doc, Kenny ‘Ducky’ Gallup, and Elijah ‘Kegger’ Robinson.
All the background noise from the six men’s comms sounded routine. Yvette was tuned in to conversations during Ops and could instantly identify when things were proceeding to plan or if something was troubling or going to hell.