Chapter Twelve #4
It looks like a decent ramp and Brothers above show that no one was killed. I throttle up and kick it in gear to be the next to make it or die trying just so I’m not getting shit for the rest of my life.
Riding the transport ramp up, I breathe when I’m not sliding on the metal slab piece sitting on the bucket. A cheer goes up when I fly over the edge and hit the wood planks that look like they’re embedded in the cliff for this crazy purpose.
I pull right and stop to see the team come up. Every single one makes it, the last went past the wood landing and the Brothers get loud. Crazy bastards.
Taking my helmet off, I look around and see Mase with no fire and Putam from Rescue. Mase points. “They’re waiting on you at Ops.”
I nod and clip the helmet on the bar in a way it’s not interfering. The fresh air will clear my head and hopefully, hair, face and neck. The Bravo gate is open for me and a Prospect takes the bike and says he’ll clean up my coat and helmet. The bark has me turning before I go through the door.
“Brother, I’m glad you’re here.”
He chuffs then shakes, spreading dust and sand all over the Portico stone. I shake with him. I’m not likely to leave a mess but it feels like I lost some grit.
Inside, I look toward the smirking Prospect. “OPs the same as the other Clubs?”
“Same as most, VP. Second floor across the Officer hall to training, a floor up is only Ops.” He must have gotten a heads up to know I’m a VP.
I nod and get moving with my dusty K9. The doors open with my hand or a thumb. OPs is busy with ground Ops, clean up and two full decks of Flight running just past the glass wall. I step in and look for familiar. There are six stations.
“Girard, Pres and VP are in Flight. Cort and Justice are on the back wall.” The blue eyes have me nodding. It’s Mag but all I see is from the eyes up showing there’s another station that I didn’t see.
“Thanks.” We walk through without anyone shooing Havoc away.
Past the glass doors is bigger than I thought too. Cort waves me over. “This is just about done. Give me five.” I nod and step back so I can see the two back decks.
Jessie James-LaPonte is on the second. Mag mistook Jessie for Justice? Jessie laughs and looks at me. “Justice is up. I’m his control. He took over for Teller so Mag could keep running ground. He wasn’t needed there and likes flying better.”
I nod and watch his virtual thing. The chopper is setting down.
Cort steps back. “Falcon said you met the three paratroopers.”
I nod without correcting him. He talks to Jessie about Knight.
He’s okay and mad as hell. I would be too.
He got hit with rubber bullets on rapid fire just before the north gate.
He was coming back from Colorado where he spent time with his son.
The military closed the gate but Knight was outside it taking hits until the warehouse Brothers called in the shots fired.
That’s when they realized the satellites were down.
I thought it was just one. Jessie says Uncle Danny is pissed; he wants the fucks that shot Steve in the back.
Cort tells him he’ll help. This ought to be interesting.
“This is Hud. The new Club is Liminal and Hud is VP, like Harky and MB.”
Jessie throws chin. “We met because of the cruise try on Alder.”
Cort nods. “He’s going to go for the dicktwats at the gate.
They knew enough to cause some shit but Web had the AB IT organized and working to find out where it’s coming from.
I didn’t think he’d get it but with code he can trace it like the spider jumps from Michael’s Op.
New technology made it a fuck of a lot faster.
So, Danny can be paired with Hud and the paratroopers.
SOAR has a full team ready and waiting. This is all air with a team of five going in. I need when.”
Jessie nods and pulls his phone.
I step back to the wall with Havoc.
Cort turns toward me. “The K9’s are like watching Cujo. Seamus does a great job.”
I nod. “I read a report to collect players from a lab that went bad. They had old cc TV that showed how bad they went with those chips.”
He watches me then does a quick shake of his head. “The paratroopers can fight and think on their feet?”
I nod. “They’re air-assault. I trained for everything like them. I did the two missions as scout too. I shouldn’t have but they put me there and I completed the mission. So, flight, infantry, sniper, rapid response means tactical everything and anything.”
He looks interested. “You’re a Ranger.”
I nod. “I trained like Stone and his crew. I was satellite for teams like his.” It dawns on me. “Like Solaita. He left a few months after I moved to the EU base.”
“Brinks was a satellite?”
Fuck. I look at the empty deck. “Mario said you’re his family. It’s not mine, Boss.”
He nods. “Relax. Classified is not something you tell even family. I know that and respect it.” He’s got truth in his eyes.
I nod and think of anything else I can say that isn’t fuckin’ with someone’s life. “Before I go anywhere, I need to see Sophia. I don’t mind it being on a screen but I need to see she’s okay.”
He pulls me over to the deck and tells it to locate my ol’ lady. I smile when I see her clean face with an orange-red dusted neck. She’s eating. I go to the window and look down. The chairs and food are at the other side but it’s the same table and chair set up my girl is in.
Two tonight or a.m. is what Jessie gave to Cort. He turns my way. “See your girl, get some food and sleep then meet back here at one-thirty.”
“Roger, Boss. I’ll stay in a room here; they have a gearbox for me.”
He smiles. “I bet Sophie has one here too. You two are more alike than different. She went up the ramp without stopping to assess it too.”
I smile and head toward the door. “That’s my girl.”
Jessie laughs following me out. “I’ll be on that chopper, too, Brother.”
I didn’t think he’d stay and watch. His son is just like him. He flew today to contribute more than a gun on a bike. I like that.
I like my girl more so I turn toward the tables and hunt her down.