Mac
I guess that release last night was what I needed—mentally and physically—whether I knew it or not. I slept hard, and, for the first time, I didn’t have nightmares about Allee, which was a relief. Regardless, as weird as it sounds or as selfish as it may seem, I feel well-rested, clear-headed, and focused. Now, I’m going to see why my superiors called this meeting.
I stride through the hall with my head held high, Gunner by my side.
I have a feeling I’m in for an ass-chewing because meetings like this are rarely called. I’m doing my best to mentally prepare for it. It’s one of the things I’ve struggled with since joining the military, and something I’m sure I’m going to continue to struggle with throughout my career.
And that’s the fact that I’m not afraid to go against the grain when the situation calls for it. I’ve learned to do it tempered with the level of respect required for superiors in the military, but it’s still risky.
Commander Sus Buckley and Commander Bart Hampton are waiting for me in Buckley’s office, and ever since I received the notification to attend said meeting, I’ve been bracing myself for how it will go.
When I walk into the office, I’m surprised and a bit put off to find Lieutenant Commander Nathan Beckett is also present. He’s the guy I’m always butting heads with, and I’m a bit confused as to why he’s present, considering he wasn’t supposed to have anything to do with this mission.
“Joint Task Force: Liberation - Mission Alpha.” Commander Buckley says, and pauses.
“Was a huge success if you ask me, sir,” I volunteer.
“It was successful, I won’t argue that,” Buckley replies with a nod. “But what I want to know is how this mission that was supposed to fly under the radar and lowkey turned into what it did.”
“Sir?” I ask.
“What he’s referring to is the assault,” Commander Hampton cuts in. “Not only did the team have to ward off the aerial, but there were shots fired on the ground, too.”
I sigh and drag my hand over my face, feeling the stubble growing there. I really need to shave, and I’m surprised I haven’t already been called out on that.
“Sir, I think we all know that the risk of shots being fired is pretty high in every military operation such as this one. I don’t understand why–”
“What we’re trying to understand here,” LTC Beckett interrupts, “Is how your mission turned into the ordeal that it did.”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” I say. “This wasn’t an ordeal by any means. Yes, there were shots fired, but we didn’t lose anyone or even suffer any casualties.”
“You made the headlines.”
I turn to Commander Buckley. “Permission to speak freely, Sir?”
“Go.”
“Isn’t that what PR is for?” I snap, turning my attention back to Beckett. “This should have already been handled. We had both our men and FES men on the ground! Sell it as a joint training operation that the Cartel stuck their noses in. I don’t give a fuck what you tell anyone, we got the intel we were after, and if you ask me, that makes it a successful mission.”
“This right here is what I’m talking about,” LTC Beckett says to Commander Hampton. “There’s a protocol that must be followed, and I find it highly questionable for someone in charge of anything to feel comfortable allowing a mission to get out of hand for the sake of getting some information.”
I roll my eyes internally. Beckett is clearly blowing the entire situation out of the water, and he’s throwing me under the bus while he does. I want to throat-punch him, and it’s not the first time that thought has crossed my mind.
“When you look at what happened just recently with the victims – three men and two women - of the last so-called rescue mission, you can’t deny that this mission is a cover for something else.”
“I had nothing to do with that mission,” I practically yell, and then his accusation registers and I see red. “Wait – what?!! A cover for what?”
“I’m not going to speculate,” Beckett says. “But I find it suspicious that you’re so relaxed about this. It makes me wonder where your loyalties lie.”
“Beckett!” Commander Buckley roars.
Beckett appears startled by the commander’s sudden reaction, and both he and I naturally stand more at attention than we were.
“Sir?” Beckett asks, but instead of addressing him directly, Commander Buckley turns his attention to Commander Hampton.
“I apologize you were brought all the way out here for this,” he says before turning back to Beckett. “Lieutenant Andrews knows what he’s doing in the field. I trust him implicitly to make the best decisions while he’s out there. I understood your concern when you expressed it, which is why I allowed you to join the meeting, but now that I’m here and I’m hearing what you have to say, I’ve heard quite enough.”
He pauses, and Beckett opens his mouth as if he’s going to respond. Before he can, however, Commander Buckley holds up his hand.
“I’m not finished!” he snaps, and Beckett wisely holds his tongue.
“To question Lieutenant Andrews’ loyalties is akin to questioning my own,” he continues. “And I find that insulting as fuck. Any time Andrews and his team are in Mexico doing what they do, there’s a chance the Cartels are going to intervene. That’s what they do. I would say the fact we didn’t experience any losses makes the mission every bit as successful as Lieutenant Andrews has stated. And with that, I do not wish to hear another word on this.”
Beckett’s ears are turning red, and I’m not sure if he’s embarrassed or angry. Perhaps a bit of both, but we both know there’s no way in hell he’s going to talk back to the Commander—not if he wants to keep his job today.
“Do you have any concerns after hearing what’s been said here today?” Buckley asks Hampton, and Commander Hampton shakes his head.
“I’m glad I was present for the meeting,” he says, “But I agree with you, Buckley. You know the situation better than I do, and better than Beckett does, too, for that matter. I trust you have a handle on things, and Lieutenant Andrews, I’m sorry we wasted your time.”
“Never a waste of time to debrief, Sir,” I say as I salute him.
He salutes me in return, and both he and Lieutenant Commander Beckett leave the room. I turn back to Commander Buckley, waiting to be dismissed. But, he doesn’t send me out of his office immediately, instead shaking his head.
“I’m sorry about that, Mac. That was a crock of shit,” he says. “If I had known Beckett was going to take that angle with things, I would have told him to shove his opinion up his scrawny ass without involving you or Hampton.”
“Not a problem, Sir,” I assure him.
“There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Sir?”
“Alejandra Gonzalez,” he says, and for a brief moment, my heart skips a beat.
For a split second of panic, I am terrified he would tell me that he’d heard the worst. He’s always had the best poker face, able to withhold any kind of information, be it good or bad.
“Sir,” I ask, keeping my voice even.
“I understand she’s still in a coma,” he says. “I’m sure you’ve heard the news that the other FES soldier who was targeted that night has died from his wounds?”
“I wasn’t aware of that, no sir,” I say. “I’m sorry to hear it.”
“As am I,” Commander Buckley says. “But it leads to what I want to talk to you about. I’ve been in touch with FES Central Command, and they believe it’s for the best if we push in the media that Gonzalez has also succumbed to her injuries.”
I’m trying to wrap my mind around what he’s saying. I’m relieved he didn’t have bad news for me, but there’s a knot that’s formed in the pit of my stomach when I’m reminded once again the possibility Allee might not ever wake up.
At the same time, my instincts are kicking in. I can see there’s a plan being formed in regards to Allee, and I’m grateful Buckley is cluing me in on what’s going on with her and what the FES Command has in mind.
“Considering the Cartel attacks were spread across the city, with two of the intended targets killed on scene and one of them dying of their injuries, they feel it’s best for her safety that we put it out there that the attack was successful. If the Cartel thinks that she’s dead, obviously they’ll say ‘mission accomplished’ and be done with it.”
“Agreed,” I say with a nod. “Do you want me to have an active role in this? Put out some sort of statement?”
“No, no, nothing of the sort,” he says quickly. “Just go along with the story and keep it under wraps. The fewer people who are aware of her situation and condition, the safer we can keep her. We’re getting some intelligence officers on this to monitor the chatter and hopefully, we can prevent any further targeted attacks.”
“Roger that, sir,” I tell him.
“Keep me informed, of course, and don’t worry about what’s happening with Beckett. I have that situation under control. Keep up the good work, Andrews. Dismissed.”
After saluting, I leave his office. Gunner trots out the door on my heels and follows me back to my workspace.
I’m still seething inside with what Beckett insinuated, but I’m also satisfied with how Buckley put him in his place. Not that I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to throw down with Beckett if the opportunity ever presented itself, though I doubt that ever would happen. I’m twice Beckett’s size easily. I think he has “short man’s syndrome” which is why he feels the need to assert himself around people he feels threatened by. I doubt the man has any friends, but it’s not my circus, not my monkeys. With as much tension and stress I’m carrying lately, it sure would feel good to take out my frustrations by going toe to toe.
Clearly, I need to get a workout in… stat.