CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“The tech boys have been helping add a little technology to some of the toys,” smiled Ghost. “I have to admit, it’s pretty damn cool what they’re doing.”
“Those guys always amaze me,” said Nine. “Same with the boys at the shop. They were able to build twenty-seven dirt bikes for kids asking this year. They’re amazing.”
“We’re amazing,” said Gaspar. “I mean, I think I always knew we were amazing but all of this proves it. Look at this place. Hundreds, maybe thousands of gifts waiting to be delivered Christmas Eve.”
“Uh, not to be a wet blanket,” said Ian. “But just how are we supposed to deliver all of this in one night. I mean, this stuff must be going to three or four hundred families, maybe more. What are we going to do?”
“You let me worry about that,” said Matthew. “I’ll give you a list of names to take things to and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Pops, this is a lot. Maybe we give some of it before Christmas Eve.”
“There will be some that we do that with but for now, just let me worry about that part of the plan. Right now, I need for all of you to take a trip with me.”
“A trip? Like, a trip trip?” frowned Ghost. Matthew laughed.
“A real trip, son. Evie is waiting at the chopper. Don’t worry, this will be one that you’re all going to enjoy and understand.”
Without question, twenty of the team followed Matthew. They had no idea where they were going or what they were doing. Three hours into the flight, they were still in the clouds.
“Pops?”
“Gaspar. Son. Relax,” smiled Matthew. “We’ll get there when we get there. Gabriel? Trak? Is everything prepared?”
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
Matthew only nodded, the others looking at them with a strange expression. Trak and Gabriel were sworn to secrecy. They would not say a word.
After another four hours, the men were beginning to worry. When they felt the plane begin to descend, they stared out the window. It was a land they recognized but couldn’t name. They’d been in lands like this on and off their entire lives.
When the plane finally touched down, Matthew ordered the men to place their stealth netting on. Doing as instructed, they all dressed in the stealth netting and followed Matthew into the desert-like land.
After walking for nearly thirty minutes, they finally stopped near an outpost. It was an American outpost with more than thirty soldiers standing around, dirty, tired, and injured.
“When is our relief coming?” asked one of the men.
“They were supposed to be here three days ago,” said their leader. “I think they may have been ambushed.”
“Damn,” muttered a man. “I don’t want to sound selfish but we’ve been fighting to keep this place safe for weeks now. But for what? There’s nothing here. There’s nothing that needs to be protected. We were scheduled to go home. My wife is pregnant and it’s Christmas.”
“Same,” nodded another man. “Maybe we attack them.”
“We can’t,” said their leader. “We don’t have the ammo to survive.”
Matthew pulled the men back a few hundred yards to ensure the others wouldn’t hear.
“Pops? What is this?” asked Jean.
“Those men have been out here for weeks, months,” he said. “On the other side of that ridge is the enemy preparing to attack them tonight and kill them all. They will not have the ammunition to win the fight and no one is coming for them.”
“We can get someone in to help them,” said Antoine.
“We did. We are,” smiled Matthew. “The plane is loaded with ammunition and explosives.” Matthew turned and grinned at his son, Pierre.
“Pops, are you going to make my Christmas?” he grinned.
“Son, I believe that I am. If you all can end this fight, now, here, tonight, you will save the life of a future engineer, a groundbreaking scientist, a senator, and so much more. You will impact the present and the future.”
“One last fight,” smirked Nine. “You know I’m good for that.”
“Same,” nodded the others. Alec looked around and frowned as Angel and Miller huddled together.
“Where did Trak go?” he asked.
“Trak is off doing what Trak does. He will have the intel you need in a few minutes. I will watch over those exhausted young men. Go. End this now so those boys can go home.”
Still under stealth netting, the men grabbed every ounce of ammunition and firepower at their fingertips. The enemy felt secure in their position and superior numbers but they had no idea there were additional men waiting for them.
Sure enough, just as Matthew had said, over the ridge was more than a hundred rebels waiting to kill the American troops tonight.
But their fight was ending and the men would ensure it. Unable to see them, they easily killed the rebels, blew their weapons and ammunition stores, trucks, tanks, and more.
At the American camp, the men stared at one another, unsure of what the explosions were. They heard the fighting, the firing of weapons and wondered if they were finally going to be able to go home.
“Is that our relief?” asked one man.
“I don’t think so. We’ve had no communication at all,” said their leader. “It can’t be possible.”
They waited, anticipating an attack at any moment but when the sounds of explosives and weapons ended and silence consumed the night sky, they stared at one another, fearful of what might come.
“Coming into camp,” yelled a voice, a decidedly American voice.
“Who are you?” yelled their leader.
“I’m a former American Navy SEAL,” said Nine followed by their team. “We’ve taken care of the rebels and we’re here to get you all back to base.”
“Wh-who are you?” whispered one of the men.
“Not really important but let’s get out of here before anyone else comes along. We need to get you boys home for the holidays.”
While they were boarding the strange plane, Gaspar was on the line talking to the base command.
At first, they were confused as to how in the world they would have known where those men were located.
The base had been trying to find them for weeks now and were constantly sent in the wrong direction.
“How did you know where they were?” asked the commander.
“A little birdie told us,” he smirked. “Just promise me these men will go home.”
“I can definitely promise that, Gaspar. We thought they were lost. Their comms were malfunctioning and we couldn’t get anyone over that area to see what was happening.”
“Where are the drones?” he asked.
“Most were destroyed and those that weren’t are being used in the active war zones.”
“Active war zones? What the hell did you think that was? Those men were in a death trap! They should have never been there. What the hell were they protecting?”
“I can’t answer that. You know I can’t,” he said.
“Can’t or won’t? Never mind, I know the answer to that,” frowned Gaspar. “I tell you what. Get me the clearance to take them directly back to Bragg. No stops. No paperwork. Give these guys a fucking break.”
“Robicheaux, you’ve got balls, I’ll give you that.”
“You have no idea,” said Gaspar. “Do it. Or when I return I’ll have a conversation with the press about how those men were forgotten.”
There was silence on the other end of the line, then mumbling to what was most likely and aide. When the phone was active again, he got his answer.
“Take them home.”
When Gaspar reappeared to the exhausted team, they were enjoying the delicacies of a Gray Wolf jet. Eating, drinking, their face and hands finally washed and clean for the first time in weeks. They were smiling and relaxed.
“Sir, who are you? Who are all of you and what the hell kind of plane is this?” asked their leader.
“We are retired SEALs, Delta, Rangers, and Green Berets.”
“Holy fuck,” muttered a young man. “They’re REAPER, I mean, Voodoo or whatever.”
“Sort of,” smiled Nine. “We were Gray Wolf Security. Our sons and grandsons run the other businesses.”
“How did you know where we were?” asked the man.
“Let’s say you have a guardian angel,” smirked Gabriel. “We just received permission to take you home. You’re going to Bragg and you’ll be home for Christmas.”
The men who had babies on the way broke down and cried. Matthew, in his infinite wisdom, with his loving fatherly touch, and divinity, touched their heads.
“It’s alright boys. You’ll be home in plenty of time. You’re going to see the births of you first children and more. You’ll be fine.” The two men looked up at him, seeing an ethereal glow around the older man’s head.
“I-I don’t understand,” whispered the first man.
“No need to understand. You’ve done your work. You’ve done your time. It’s time to devote to your family now.”
The men slept until they felt the plane descending, shocked that they were already arriving in America. Their shock was amplified when they realized that their families were there, on the runway, awaiting their return.
“How?” asked one man. Then he held up a hand and shook his head.
“Never mind. Don’t tell me. It doesn’t matter.
I’ll never be able to thank you all for what you did back there.
We were tired, exhausted and knew we were going to die.
We’ve all written our farewell letters to our families.
Because of you, we didn’t have to send them. ”
The Gray Wolf team stood at the bottom of the stairs, smiling, watching the reunions happening.
“How?” asked a woman hugging her husband. “How did this happen? We got word that you were headed home only a few hours ago.”
“Honey, I wish I could explain it but I just can’t. Those men got us home.” She blew a kiss to the men, hugging her husband once more. Her belly was swollen and ready, and now, so was her husband.
“Pops, this was the best mission I’ve ever been on,” said Alec. Matthew nodded at the men, smiling as he touched each one.
“Let’s go home.”