ASYLUM: Chapter 35

 

Chapter 35

   Holloman was interesting. The first question I heard was, “How is Captain Monroe after giving birth to twins?” It was strange, they really have a thing for her. Don’t get me wrong, she deserves all the attention she receives, and I firmly believe if they could, they’d steal her away without a second thought. Danni? They’d take her too if they could figure out a way to get her. I think they’re worried that Danni’s capture might have put them in a bad light. The security detail that was with her were all Air Security and were very trusted to perform their duty in a professional manner. They are all dead, but they took a significant number of the attackers with them. Two armored vehicles joined our convoy, Bearcats, and the crews are Air Security and Tactical Air Controllers. The Captain in charge of them has assured me we will have air support in the form of Predators as we travel towards Austin. I have a feeling they may come in handy. I was also told that a full company of Marine Raiders that are paratroopers will be on alert until we return with Danni in case we need them. Denver is also offering ground troops that they say they can have in the air at a moment’s notice. We have a lot more military strength available than I thought we would. We were in Holloman for two days before I finally put my foot down and we hit the road again. Now, if I can just find out where, exactly, Danni is being held, Austin is a big city. Julia and Terry are working on that and say they have a couple of leads, we’ll see.

   I told Rich to do the same thing we did when we went to Denver to find Debra, we’re staying on the roads less travelled and driving at night as much as possible. We still travel during the day, but we try to keep a low profile. The good thing is, the Air Force guys have some outstanding communication gear and it’s well encrypted, so we are keeping in contact with home.

  

   A new message from Asylum, Julia says Becker isn’t in Austin; where the hell is he and where is Danni? All we think we know right now is, he still has her.

 

   El Paso! He’s in El Paso and right under Holloman’s noses. We’re hundreds of miles past there and now have to turn around and head back the way we came. The only good thing is, we’re coming from a direction he won’t expect. Holloman and Denver are co-operating and already have Scout Snipers headed that way.

 

   One of the Marine Raider scout teams was discovered and engaged by ZPGer troops. Holloman flew in a reaction team and then had to reinforce it with more Raiders. A battle is breaking out and I’m still nowhere near getting there. General Packer is sending two companies of Rangers and an entire Battalion of Militia to close off the area and reinforce the Marines. Denver has troops on the way via airlift.

 

   We’re on the outskirts of Fort Bliss and pushing hard to get there, we’re only a reinforced platoon, but the people with me are spoiling for a fight. This has turned into more than just a rescue mission, even though I still see it that way. Intelligence has determined a large force of ZPG troops have congregated in El Paso and Fort Bliss and there are also Mexican Army troops there as well. Packer has two more battalions of Militia on the way and Holloman is taking out targets identified by forward air controllers with Predators. F-16s and A-10s are preparing for combat sorties.

   We were switched from advancing on Fort Bliss and told to assist some Air Security people who have turned back a group of ZPG troops that were apparently trying to make it to the Mexican Border. The enemy forces took shelter in a hotel near the I-10 Freeway, but the Air Force didn’t have the manpower available to commit to a concerted attack and take the facility.

   When we arrived, Air Force Lieutenant Jack Fremont met Rich and I, then brought us up to speed. “Major Monroe,” he started.

   I’ve been going by Stacey’s last name, but after a while it gets tiresome explaining why my name is different. “Lieutenant, what do you have?”

   “It’s a mixed force of Mexican Army and Zippers, Sir. They don’t seem well coordinated, but they outnumber my platoon. With your assistance, I think we can breach the building and take them out. The upper floors give them an advantage with observation and defense, but like I said, they do seem to be disorganized.”

   “Mexican and what, Lieutenant? The ZPGers, the Zippers, have a litany of different people working for them.”

   “My guess? Most were light-skinned and were answering commands given in German. They were also wearing Desert Flectarn camo, so I’m guessing they are Germans, Sir.”

   I started tensing up, “Did you see the officer in charge of the Germans? Was he a big, barrel-chested guy? Late fifties, maybe early sixties? Did he have a female prisoner?”

   “I know why you’re out here, Sir, you’re searching for Captain Monroe, but no, he didn’t have a prisoner though he fits the description you just gave me.”

   I glanced up and said, “It’s going to be dark soon, Lieutenant, are your men equipped with night vision?”

   “Just my squad leaders and fire team leaders. We have six men with NVDs, Sir.”

   “If I lead my platoon in, can your people hold them from squirting out another side of the building?”

   “We’ve identified seven exits. Four are fire escapes, the main entrance out front, the entrance from the parking structure behind the hotel, and a loading dock out back, so yes, Sir, we can take care of the squirters.”

   “Do you have flares, so your men can light up their areas of responsibility?” Rich asked.

   “Unfortunately, no.”

   “We have a shitload on our trucks, we’ll provide you with some in case you need to light up the night for your men without NVDs.”

   “That would definitely be appreciated.” All three of us went silent as we heard a flurry of gunfire from within the hotel, “What the fuck is that about?” Fremont asked.

   “Lieutenant! Get those exits covered, now! Rich! Squads One and Two here, one to press the attack through the front doors and one to clear the floors behind the assaulters! I’ll take Three and Four through the parking structure and do the same. Stay in radio contact and avoid friendly fire!” I took off at a run and gathered Three and Four as I passed our trucks. I told three men from Fourth Squad to gather a slew of highway flares and bring them along.

   At the back entrance of the hotel, I turned to Sargent Emily Fousekis and asked, “Offensive grenades?”

   “Yes, Sir,” She opened a grenade pouch and slipped it out. Offensive grenades are sort of like a flashbang, but with more bang than the originals.

   I reached for the glass door to open it so she could toss it in, but one of the other men of the squad stopped me and then moved around me so he could reach the door, “I’ve got this, Major, you move to the rear of the stack.”

   Christ!

   Fousekis grabbed one door, he grabbed the opposite, and on her count of three, they pulled them open and she tossed the grenade in. They held the doors open as they leaned away from the opening until the grenade went off and then more Rangers rushed through with their weapons at their shoulders. I slipped through in their midst and Fousekis started cursing. She caught up with me and seized my left arm, “Damn it, Major! This is a well-trained squad and you’re screwing up our entrance discipline. We know what we are doing, don’t fuck it up!”

   It had been a long time since someone had reamed my ass for me, well, someone that wasn’t sleeping with me, “You’re right, Sargent, my apologies, carry on.”

   I faded back and brought up the rear as they quickly advanced down the hall. After passing several doors, I started watching our rear as Fourth Squad entered behind us and started clearing rooms. A long story short, it took two-and-a-half hours to clear the hotel completely. As we were clearing the building, we found numerous bodies of the enemy who had been killed before we entered. There had obviously been a falling out between the two groups occupying the hotel and most of the Mexican soldiers ended up dying. The German soldiers were actually Danish and surrendered in mass. Their Commanding Officer was Major Mathias Moller and he was more than willing to surrender his command.

   “May I ask who I am surrendering to?” He asked.

   Fousekis answered, “Major Daniel Menendez, Grant County Rangers.”

   I stepped forward and said, “That’s me. You were quick to throw in the towel. Major Moller, why?”

   “When I was offered the chance to form an expeditionary company and be employed in the Middle-east, I never dreamed I and my men would end up in America and doing what we were ordered by the people we were hired to protect. Then, to be forced to serve alongside men who are obviously contaminated, or butchers anyway, it has become too much. We no longer want to serve those who hired us, even if it means surrendering to those who fight against our employers.”

   I nodded and said, “Welcome to the club. Anyone smart is bailing out of the ZPGers program as fast as they can. Answer me truthfully, and there’s a chance you can be on your way soon.”

   He nodded.

   “Heinrich Becker, do you know where he is?” I was caressing the grip of my bullpup.

   “A brutal man, that one, and my men refuse to serve him. The last time I saw him was four days ago at the officers’ billet at Fort Bliss.”

   “Did he have a young woman as a prisoner?”

   “I heard he did, but I never saw her in person. My understanding was, he wanted to use her as bait so he could get his hands on her husband; word is, the man was responsible for the death of Becker’s son.” He seemed forthcoming, but I wasn’t ready to be understanding, not yet. I did notice some of his men were definitely acting uncomfortable.

   “We’ve allied ourselves with others who were once working for the ZPGers, so there is always the possibility of that option, Major.”

   “So, we will be treated honorably and allowed to keep our weapons? Will we be allowed to leave? My men and I would like to investigate returning to Denmark as soon as possible.”

   “We are not foolish, Major, so your weapons will not be returned until we are comfortable with the possibility, and you will be interned until a decision can be reached by upper command. All of your men will be interviewed and then a decision will be made on what you are allowed to do.”

   “I am the only officer left and my enlisted personnel do not speak English, so it will be necessary for me to be present when my men are interviewed, but I don’t see that as a problem.”

   I nodded and said to Rich, “Take them outside and keep them under watch until someone decides to take responsibility for them. Notify Asylum and see what they want done with them. Treat them fairly in the meantime, but keep in mind who they’ve been working for.”

   “Yes, Sir.” Morrison started handing out orders to his people and they began escorting the Danes out of the building.

   Sargent Fousekis stood next to me until all of the Danes were taken away and then said, “Sir, my grandmother was from Denmark, she met my grandfather when she was an exchange student here in the States.”

   “Do you speak Danish?” I asked.

   “No, Sir, just a couple of words here and there, but my grandmother said almost 90% of Danes speak English. It’s required in school and seems kind of odd to me that none of Moller’s men do.”

   “I was thinking the same thing, Sargent, thanks for that bit of information. If you can, before I do, make sure the Lieutenant knows that as well.”

   She saluted and said, “Yes, Sir,” as she followed our people back down the stairs.

   Yeah, I didn’t much care for this Major Moller. I followed everyone else and when I reached the bottom floor, I pulled Rich aside, “Rich, separate Major Moller and his men, watch the men and see how they group up, then separate the groups. I want you to interrogate each man from each group and see if their stories match.”

   He looked around and then softly said, “Dan, I don’t have anyone that speaks Danish.”

   “Our Sargent Fousekis says English is required in Danish schools, be very suspicious of anyone who claims they don’t understand your questions.”

   “Right, consider it done.”

   I hunted up Fremont and touched bases with him, he told me his platoon was being sent back up the I-10 to Highway 375 where they would set up a roadblock to stop any vehicles trying to leave the Fort Bliss area. We were needed to lock down the El Paso International Airport and make sure no aircraft landed in an attempt to evacuate Zippers out that way. I had never heard the ZPGers referred to as Zippers and frankly, I kind of liked it; it was easier than constantly saying Z-P-G-ers. So, Zippers they were. I left Rich and two squads to hold the Danes while they were questioned and I and the two remaining squads headed for El Paso International. That was a bust as the airport runways had been damaged with explosives. Then, Rich called me on the radio and in the clear.

   “Daniel, we’re having some good luck with the interrogations and it looks like Moller was handing us some real bullshit. Once he was separated from his men, a good two thirds have turned against him. The troops are actually Danes, but he’s German and is Becker’s military advisor. Apparently, he’s new and just took over command.”

   “Do any of the Danes know about Danni?”

   “Yeah, Becker took her to Biggs Army Air Field at Fort Bliss. I’ve already called the Holloman people and they’re calling in attack aircraft to patrol the area to make sure no aircraft land there.”

   “Okay, I’ve got a map of the area, it’s not very detailed, but I should be able get there. Keep me updated, okay?” Rich had our main communication gear and I was relying on a Citizens Band Radio to talk with him. I was hoping we didn’t get too far apart.

   “Of course.”

   We pulled out of El Paso International and headed for Biggs, but it was going to take a while; there didn’t seem to be any direct routes between the two locations. We hadn’t been on the road longer than ten minutes when Rich called again.

   “Major Menendez, this is Lieutenant Morrison, over.” Someone else must have been listening, otherwise Rich would have been less formal.

   “Menendez here, over.”

   “Holloman is warning us off of your intended location, they are in the process of landing assault troops as of fifteen minutes ago. Your vehicles could be misidentified and fired upon, stay clear, over?”

   “Roger that, Lieutenant, keep me in the loop.” Damn it!

   The driver of my truck asked, “Major?”

   “Keep going, we can stop when we get closer.” This had been the best lead we had so far, I was not giving up on Danni. We kept going, but eventually came to a sign indicating we were approaching the main gate of Biggs Field, “Pull over and let’s see if we can get any information.”

   I climbed down out of the truck and was quickly joined by one of the people riding with me as I started pacing back and forth. The desert around us was flat in every direction until it reached the foothills of low mountains that were barren and rocky, it made me wonder why anyone would have wanted to build a town here to begin with.

   “Sir, Major Menendez?” The Ranger manning the radio was leaning out of the cab to get my attention, “They’re asking for you on the radio.”

   I climbed back into the truck, “Menendez,” I said.

   It was Rich again, “Major, proceed to the control tower next to the main runway and ask for Colonel Malone. They have information for you they don’t want to discuss over radio frequencies.”

   “Roger that,” I answered. I pointed in the direction of the tower with the microphone as the driver restarted the truck and sped away with the other two trucks following us. I switched to the frequency we were using in our small convoy and said, “This is Menendez, we’re headed for the control tower; heads up, we don’t know if the area is secured yet. Form a defensive perimeter when we come to a stop.”

   I was surprised when we reached the Air Control Tower because I had been told Biggs had been around for over a century. The tower was obviously a newer addition and most of the facilities looked upgraded; later I was told it was an extremely active base before the fall. There were quite a few busy men and women about and most of them appeared to be Air Force Air Security. I climbed down from my truck and approached the first noncom I saw.

   “I’m Major Menendez, Asylum Rangers, I was told Colonel Malone had some information for me, where can I find him?” I assumed he would be in the tower, but I was wrong.

   The noncom pointed and said, “See those buildings over there? He’s inside the one on the right, Sir; he’s questioning several prisoners.”

   “Thank you.” It was several hundred yards away, so I told everyone to load back up and we drove to the front of the building the noncom had pointed out. Once there, we were approached by a team of Marine Raiders and asked what we wanted.

   “I’m Major Menendez, Asylum Rangers, I was told Colonel Malone had information for me.”

   “Yes, Sir, he told us to keep an eye out for you. You can leave your people here if you wish; just warn them to stay close to their vehicles.”

   I relayed what I was told and the three people from my truck followed me as the Raider took me into the building. It was obviously an administrative building with an abundance of offices and work areas, but he led me to a stairway and down to a sub-floor, “The lower levels are reinforced and protected from the effects of nuclear attack,” he said as we descended. “There are long-term emergency habitation provisions built into it with filtered air and water storage. There’s actually a well incorporated into the lowest level that could supply the needs of a small community, so the Zippers have been using it as command bunker for the area.” He opened a door and held it as I and my people stepped through and entered the level marked ‘Sub-level One’ where we were met with the vision of six people stacked prone on the floor next to a freight elevator. “Some of the previous security personnel,” he commented.

   They were dressed in an odd-looking shade of brown and I wondered if it was their normal uniforms, or an adaptation to the surrounding desert. “Were they tough to root out?” I asked.

   “Probably would have been, but they were dead when we arrived. We think some sort of gas was used to wipe them out,” he answered.

   “They were dead when you arrived? Then who attacked them?” We followed him past the bodies as I asked the questions.

   “Colonel Malone is still working on finding that out. We found quite a few people down here who were unaffected by the attack because of the rooms or work areas they were in when it happened.”

   Sargent Lawrence muttered, “Best to get the bodies out before they start smelling the place up.”

   “We will,” the Raider said. “HQ is thinking about taking over the facilities and establishing an on-going base here. The air support capability is almost as good as the Air Force has at Holloman.”

   Corporal Summers asked, “What kind of attack was made on this place? It might help figure out who killed these people.”

   “Word has it, it was some sort of non-persistent chemical. Apparently, it was injected into the air ducts and spread through almost the entire lower area.” He stopped beside a door and then opened it for me, “In here, Sir.” Then he led us down a side corridor, “The survivors were mostly in one of the hospital units meant for quarantining infectious patients when the attack was made. I guess you could call them lucky.”

   Slate nodded in agreement as he said, “Sometimes being lucky is better than being good.”

   I asked, “What’s your name, Marine?”

   “Staff Sargent, Louis Ramirez, Sir.”

   “We have been trying to locate Heinrich Becker who has been holding my wife, Captain Danni Monroe, captive; have you heard anything?”

   “Sir, I was sent up to bring you down when you arrived, other than that, I’m as much in the dark as you are. I know we have at least one High Value Individual, and his personal bodyguards, that are refusing to surrender, but nothing else. I met your wife a couple of times, Sir, she’s a testament to the Corps and I would be proud to serve under her.”

   “Thank you, Staff Sargent, she always speaks highly of the Raiders at Holloman.”

   “Thank you, Sir, I’ll pass that tidbit on to my fellow Marines.” He slowed and then stopped at a door marked ‘Emergency Operations’, “The Colonel is in here with his staff, Sir.” He opened the door and stepped to the side as I walked in.

   “Thank you, Staff Sargent.” There wasn’t a lot of men and women in the room, but they were definitely busy.

   Though I had never met Colonel Malone, he was easy to pick out where he sat behind a desk with a hardline phone held to each ear as he switched back forth between two different conversations. He looked up, ran his eyes over my nametag and stated, “Wait one,” into both phones and then used one to indicate a chair across from him. “Have a seat, Major, I’m making some last-minute preparations.” He looked around and said to a young Marine, “Corporal, coffee for the Major and his security.”

   “Sir.” The young man handed me a cup and said, “It’s fresh, Major, and actually pretty good, sugar, creamer?”

   “Black is fine, thank you.”

   He started handing out cups to my three people as Malone hung up, first one phone, and then finally the second. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and then said to me, “I’ve called for a medivac; as soon as we take possession of Captain Monroe she’ll be sent to the hospital at Holloman, I assume you will want to accompany her?”

   I spilled the coffee I was sipping down the front of my smock, “What? You have my wife here? In this building?”

   He frowned and said, “You didn’t know? You were supposed to be informed as soon as you arrived. My apologies, Major, but the situation has been rather fluid and chaotic.”

   I sat the cup down on the desk and stood as I said, “Where is she? How badly is she injured? I need to see her right away!”

   “Hold up, Major, she’s here, in the building, but we don’t have her yet. The guy that has her has been demanding to meet with you before he will negotiate her release.”

   “Becker?” I asked.

   “That’s what he claims, but I don’t know having never met him. He does have your wife though.”

   “Where?”

   “Next floor down in a quarantine room of the old hospital. We haven’t been pushing him because he seems unstable.”

   “If he’s like his son, I wouldn’t doubt it, what does he want, or hasn’t he informed you yet?”

   “He wants you, a safe path to the helipad and a bird. Apparently, he claims he has a pilot, but he needs a helicopter standing by to evacuate him and you when he’s ready.”

   “Alright, let’s go have a talk with him,” I said. Lawrence stepped up next to me on my right, Summers to my left and Slate stepped behind me, it seemed I wasn’t going anywhere without them.

   Malone stood up and gathered an M-4 from where it leaned against the desk, “Okay, Major, let’s do that.” He led the way back to the stairs as we were followed by his own entourage. We dropped down a floor and then wound our way through the corridors until we reached another group of Raiders who were obviously at a heightened state of alertness.

   “Lieutenant,” Malone said to one of the Marines. “Situation?”

   The young officer indicated a large plate glass window, “He still won’t talk except to make his demands, Sir.”

   Malone turned to me and said as he indicated the same window, “He has your wife in there, we have been avoiding conflict with him because he takes out his frustrations on her, so be prepared when you see her, he’s treated her pretty harsh.”

   I stepped in front of the window and looked inside as Kate Summers gasped beside me, Lawrence said, “Motherfucker.” Becker was sitting in an office chair with Danni at his feet. She was nude and her porcelain flesh was striped with angry looking welts and cuts across her breasts, belly and thighs. Both eyes were still swollen shut and her face was a dark red; the duct tape around her throat was severely restricting her ability to breathe. It took a moment for me to realize, the duct tape was also wrapped around his left hand and the pistol he held. In effect, the muzzle was taped to the back of her neck. All he had to do was squeeze the trigger if he didn’t get what he wanted and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

   Becker saw me at the window and leaned forward, “Ah, so you finally gathered the courage to come, good.” I could barely hear what he said, so I pointed to my ears and shook my head. He smiled and motioned for me to enter the closed door. From a holster on his belt, he drew another handgun and used it to wave me in again. I stepped sideways and put my hand on the door lever as Lawrence grabbed my wrist.

   “Sir? What are you doing?”

   “He has my wife, Sargent, I’m the one he wants.”

   “No, Sir, I won’t allow…”

   “Stand down, Sargent, let’s see where this goes.”

   “Sir, please, there has to be a better way.”

   “Let me know when you figure it out, in the meantime, standby, this son-of-a-bitch does not walk out of here without my agreement, understand?”

   He released my wrist, “Yes, Sir.”

   I pushed the door open and walked in as Becker’s smile widened, “Your weapons, Smith, remove them.”

   I looked at Danni as she silently shook her head; I removed my sidearm and placed it on the surface of a desk. Then I pulled the sling of my carbine off over my head and placed it beside the 9-millimeter. Over my shoulder I said, “Sargent, if Becker doesn’t release Danni now that he has me, kill him.”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   I looked at the pistol that was taped to Danni’s neck, it was a revolver and the hammer was already pulled back in the cocked position, the slightest pressure on the trigger and it would fire. It would probably go off if Becker was shot. At least Becker would be dead like his son.

   “I’m here, let Monroe go.” I decided I wasn’t going to give him any info he might not already have. Did he know we were married?

   “You call your wife by her maiden name? Come, come, Smith, how odd.”

   “Let her go, now.”

   “Maybe I’ll keep her, she has been entertaining.”

   “Let her go, or you die, right here, right now.”

   “She will die with me,” he said as he wiggled the gun and caused Danni to choke.

   “Yes, she will, but better that, than to stay in your hands. She, and I, are the only chance you have of walking out of here.”

   He smiled and said, “Of course, I know that and I fully intend to walk out of here, with you.”

   “Then let her go, now, I won’t ask again.” I looked over my shoulder and said, “Sargent?”

   Lawrence activated the laser on his carbine and when I looked back, the red dot was centered on the bridge of Becker’s nose; at this close of range, the bullet would hopefully pass through his mouth and sever his spinal cord at the base of his skull, “Say the word, Major.”

   “It looks as though the two of us think we are in control, Smith, perhaps neither of us are. It seems my continued existence depends on how much you care for this woman, but then, you have another, yes?”

   “The fact I love her is the only reason you’re still breathing.”

   “I have already informed your allies from Holloman I need a helicopter; it will come, I will be escorted out of the building and to the helicopter. When you and I are safely onboard, I will release your wife and we will fly away. Agreed?”

   I shook my head, “No, I don’t think so, you will release Captain Monroe immediately and I will be your hostage. That is the only way, the only way, you walk out of here. Believe it!” We stared at one another and then I said, “You really screwed up, didn’t you? All these people here who were found dead, they’re dead because someone wanted you out of the equation. Someone is finished with you and this was a good way to relieve themselves of a problem. I’m right, aren’t I?”

   He was silent a moment and then smiled, “There are a few who do not appreciate my talents.”

   “That’s why you are stuck here, they’re not coming for you, are they?”

   He shrugged, “It doesn’t matter, there are others who will appreciate my abilities, my talents, I’m just going to relocate to more favorable conditions.”

   I became quiet and just stared at him until he muttered, “Do we have an agreement, or not?”

   “Danni Monroe is to be released now, then we leave.”

   He stared a moment longer and then smiled, “Agreed, see how easy it is to reach an accommodation?” He stood and twisted the pistol pointed at Danni, she groaned in pain as he ordered me, “Remove your equipment, Smith, all of it.” I unzipped my flick, shrugged it off, and placed it beside my weapons on the desk. “The belt also,” he said. I removed my sustainment belt and laid it atop my flick. “Empty your pockets.” From my right cargo pocket on my pants, I pulled my backup IFAK and again placed it on the desktop. From the left cargo pocket, I removed a vinyl bag that held a pair of dry socks, a wool scarf, and a Carhartt watch cap. I placed those beside the rest of my gear. “Is that all?” He asked.

   “Yes.”

   “You’re lying, Smith, there’s something in your right front pocket.”

   I slid my hand into the pocket and deposited the large folding knife on the table, “Oops,” I said.

   “Don’t press your luck, Smith, it’s running out.” He turned and said over his shoulder, “Come out now and secure Smith!” Two men stepped through a door in the back of the room and approached me. One had a roll of duct tape and the second held a pistol. They turned me around and then I heard a long ripping sound as a length of duct tape was pulled and then wrapped around my neck, tightly. More tape was added and then attached to the barrel of the gun. Then they twisted it until there was barely an inch from the muzzle to the back of my neck.

   I turned my head and looked at Becker, “Let her go, now.”

   “Of course, just as we agreed,” He dragged Danni to her feet by her neck and guided her to the desk where my weapons and gear were. Slamming her face down on the table, he picked up the pocket knife and flipped the blade out before slicing through the duct tape between her neck and the muzzle of the pistol. Then, holding her head pressed to the desktop, he reversed the blade of the knife and pressed the tip into her shoulder as he leaned over her and said, “A little something to remind you of our time together.” He pulled the blade the length of her back leaving a shallow cut as she screamed.

   I rushed forward, but the man behind me jerked back on the gun taped to my neck, my feet went up and I landed hard on the floor. Becker then pulled Danni’s hands behind her back and spinning around, threw her across the room and into a wall where she collapsed and laid still.

   “You motherfucker!” I screamed.

   Lawrence stepped through the doorway with his weapon pointed at Becker, but withheld his fire as the man behind me said, “DON’T, I’ll kill your Major, I will!”

   They pulled me to my feet and Becker asked Malone, who was now at the doorway, “Where is my helicopter!”

   “It’s arriving now, if you…”

   “No threats, Colonel! I am in control! I have always been in control! Now clear the corridors immediately, or Smith dies!”

   The Marines and my people cleared a path and as I passed Kate Summers, I said, “Take care of Danni, don’t leave her side.”

   “Yes, Sir!” There were tears running down her cheeks. Becker and his Zippers rushed me up the stairs and outside towards the helipad where a small commercial bird was waiting with the prop spinning slowly around. One of the men ran forward and climbed into the pilot’s seat while Becker and his other man directed me towards the open side doors. Becker climbed in first and sat on the front set of two bench seats facing one another. I was pushed in and sat facing Becker as the man holding the gun taped to my neck, sat next to me. Because of the cramped quarters, the butt of the gun was angled off to my left side and I decided it was the best I could hope for.

   I reached up with my left hand and grasped the wrist of the man holding the gun. Jerking it forward, it moved the muzzle out of alignment with my neck, hopefully, I raised up and drove the heel of my right boot into Becker’s chin and throat as I reached under my smock and pulled the short little dagger I carried there, from its Kydex sheath. Taking an ice pick grip, I pushed my fist up between myself and the man holding the gun and then slammed the short blade into the right side of his neck as I tried to force the blade as deep as possible. I jerked my elbow backwards and was rewarded with a scream. I repeated the move and this time I was rewarded with a heavy spurt of blood from the carotid artery. The pistol taped to my neck discharged and I felt an intense wave of heat radiate up the back of my head and down the collar of my smock. I turned my attention back to Becker to find he was struggling to remove his pistol from its holster. I stomped his throat again and then leaning forward, I ice pick stabbed him in the right side of his neck, the same as the first man. Becker was a big burly man and it took three slashes to open the artery. The pilot was in the process of banking away from the buildings and was trying to see what was happening behind him. I reached forward with my left hand and grasped the forward rim of his flight helmet and jerked his head violently backwards as I sawed through his neck. The helicopter continued to bank away, but I could see through the open side door, it was rapidly losing altitude. The ground was rushing up at me, so I tried to brace myself for what I decided was going to be a very rough landing. First, the engine revved up as the rotors struck the ground and shattered, then the side of the helicopter…I was slammed into the soft, sandy soil and then it felt like something grabbed my ankles and threw me pinwheeling into the air. I came down hard on my knees and hands as pain shot up from my wrists and into my elbows. Blood was starting to drip from my left eyebrow and something kept slapping my ear and left cheek. I pushed myself back and rested my ass on my heels for a moment before I realized I was falling to my side…

   I opened my eyes and promptly shut them again as they began to fill with dust. I squinted with my eyes barely open and tried to look around, but the thick dust in the air was limiting the view to less than ten feet. The cloud of dust was also choking me, so I pulled my smock up and covered my mouth and nose in an effort to filter it out. Why wasn’t I in the helicopter? Where was the helicopter? I was eventually able to make out the glow of flames and decided to walk in the opposite direction. After stumbling through the dust cloud for a short distance, I stepped out into fresher air and was met by both Lawrence and Slate as they were running towards me.

   I raised my hand in greeting and said, “Hey, guys, either of you have some water? This El Paso dust tastes like shit.”

   Both of them appeared shocked and confused, but Lawrence collected himself and said, “What? How did you…”

   I turned to look at him and something heavy slid over my shoulder, “What the hell is that?” I asked. “Is it that fucking gun?”

   “Yes, Sir, hold still and I’ll…”

   I reached under my smock for my dagger, but it was gone, “Damn, I think I lost my dagger, do you have a knife?” Glancing down, I saw the handle of my dagger protruding from my thigh, “Oh, here it is.” I pulled the blade out of my leg and handed it to Slate, “Cut that damn gun off for me?”

   We were surrounded by Marines and Malone said, “Get him down before he falls down; he’s in shock.” He turned to someone else and said, “Radio that medivac and find out where it’s at, we’ll send the Major to the field hospital with his wife.”

   I sat down and, no, I fell down as Lawrence and Slate slowed my fall. “Danni,” I said. “Where’s Danni?”

   “Medics have her, Sir, she was knocked unconscious, but they say she’ll be okay, physically. No, stay sitting down, Sir, you may have just walked away from away an air crash, but you look beat to hell.”

   I felt tugging around my neck, and then a sensation of lightness as Slate said, “That’s it, Sir, the duct tape and the gun are gone, but you have a really nasty powder burn back here.”

   “Where’s Danni, I need to find Danni.” I was starting to panic.

   “The medics have her, Sir, remember? I just told you.”

   “You did? Shit,” I said.

   “Major?” Malone’s face was in my field of view, so I concentrated on his lips. “What happened up there, why did the bird crash?”

   “I killed it.”

   “Excuse me?”

   “Uh, sorry, I killed the pilot, seems pretty stupid now, but at the time…I’m thinking I need to lie down, yeah; I’m going to lie down for a while.”

  

   “But you told me he was going to be alright, why isn’t he waking up!”

   “Captain Monroe, my prognosis was based on past experience, should he have awakened by now? Yes, but everyone is different, he is responding…”

   My nose was itching, but when I raised my hand to scratch it, I clubbed myself in the face with a cast that was on my right wrist. I tried to raise the left hand and it was strapped down with a needle inserted in my arm above the other cast, damn. The inside of my mouth was dry and it was difficult to swallow. It tasted…nasty. I cleared my throat and said, “I can still taste El Paso, anyone have some water?”

   “Daniel!” Danni bent over and kissed me, “Thank god, it’s been a day and a half, do you hurt anywhere? Are you confused? Are you thirsty? God, of course you are, you said you were, I’ll get you some water right away.” She straightened up and looked around, “There’s no water in here, why isn’t there any water in here? Somebody better get me some god damn…”

   “Honey! Hey, come on, calm down, okay?” I was becoming alarmed by her actions.

   “No! I mean, damn it!” She took a deep breath and released it, something I’ve seen her do before in order to calm herself. “Sorry, it’s just, you almost got killed saving me and now…I’ll go find a pitcher of water.” She walked out of the room and I raised my eyebrows at the doctor.

   “She’s suffered through an extended period of intense physical and psychological torture, Major, and she’s going to have some difficulties for the time being.” He cleared his throat and continued, “The only thing that seemed to engage her, is caring for your needs while you were unconscious.”

   I nodded and said, “Believe it or not, she has a lot of experience caring for me; it’s probably providing her with a sense of normalcy.”

   “Yes, she told me about some of your exploits and the consequences. This man that had her, Becker, she says his son did much the same to you?”

   “Yeah, that’s why I came as fast as I could, I didn’t want her to…” My voice choked up and I had difficulty swallowing because my mouth was so dry. Danni hurried back into the room and poured me a glass full of water, raised the head of the bed and then held the glass as I sipped from it. The inside of my mouth felt gritty and tasted bad, so I stopped her and said, “Something to spit in?”

   The doctor handed her a curved, stainless steel pan and said, “Use this.”

   I took a mouthful of water and sluiced it around before spitting it into the pan, it was actually murky looking. I repeated the process several times until what I spit out looked like what I sucked in. With that out of the way, I allowed Danni to once again hold the glass to my lips as I drank from it.

   I smiled at her and said, “I bet I need a shower after being caught in that dust cloud.”

   She shook her head and said, “No, I made sure you were cleaned up, it took a while but you’re good to go.”

   “Okay,” I said. “Enough about me, how are you doing?”

   Her eyes went dead and she mechanically replied, “I’m fine.”

   “No, you’re not, I saw what he did to your back, how bad is it?”

   The doctor spoke up, “She needs to limit her movement, so the injury can start healing up. I’ve already had to re-staple the wound.”

   I looked at her black eyes and asked, “You had to drain the eyelids?”

   She nodded as he said, “Yes, I was very concerned to begin with because it went so long untreated, but it went pretty well after all is said and done. If you look, you’ll notice the right is almost returned to normal, which really surprised me, but the left is drooping still, though I expect it will continue to improve.”

   I shifted my focus to her mouth and asked, “Your teeth?” I had already noticed she was speaking with a lisp.

   Her hand drifted up and covered her mouth as he said, “Unfortunately, we couldn’t save any that were broken, but we were able to fix the inside of her mouth. I understand the dentists at Asylum have some expertise in replacing lost teeth?”

   I touched the left side of my face and said, “Everything on this side and I have had zero problems with them.” I reached up and pulled her hand down with the fingertips protruding from my cast, “You’re going to be fine, Honey, I promise.” She nodded and squeezed my fingertips.

   “Okay,” I said. I glanced around and asked Danni, “Where are you sleeping?”

   “She hasn’t,” the doctor replied again. “She has been in here with you and we gave up trying to get her to sleep.”

   “He needed me to be here for him.”

   “Yes,” I said. “And now we’ll be here for each other.” I turned to the doctor and asked, “Can you move her bed in here with me, or vice versa?”

   “It’s already in the works, Major, in fact, I’ll go see why that hasn’t happened already.” He walked out and Danni immediately leaned over me and gave me a lingering kiss.

   Then she said, “I didn’t want you to come, I knew what he would do to you when you did, he told me.”

   “He didn’t get the chance,” I said.

   “When I heard your voice, I died inside, you were going to give him, you, for me.”

   “Of course, I was, there was nothing else I could do, Danni. You and Debra and the kids? You’re my everything, the hole left from losing even one of you would be too much to bear.”

   “Debbie and I were talking one night when you were away, she said if anything ever happened and I was taken, that I shouldn’t give up, you would come for me, the same way you came for her. I didn’t really think that, you know, what with your responsibilities to Debbie and the kids, that you would really come, but you did, you really did.” She started softly crying and wiping at her bruised eyes. “She said that,” she hesitated and then rushed on. “She said that no matter what was done to me, you would want me back, you would want me by your side.”

   “Yes, she told you the truth, Honey, no matter what.”

   She started crying harder as she said, “The things he did to me…” She couldn’t finish.

   “I want to say everything is going to be okay, but I can’t. What I can tell you is that whatever he did, it will not affect the love I have for you, nothing will ever change that; do you believe me?”

   She nodded and then straightened up wiping her eyes as the doctor returned, “Captain Monroe, your bed will be here in short order and they’ll get the room fixed up for the two of you. Major, some of your men will be arriving in the morning and we are making arrangements to provide them quarters.”

   “Good,” I said. “I hope they have my weapons and gear. Thank you, Doctor…?” I questioned him with my expression.

   “Keppler, Jonathan Keppler.”

   “One last thing, Doctor Keppler, I realize my wrists are broken, but I’m noticing some discomfort in the area of my knees and ankles, were they checked for fractures?”

   “Yes, and there are some greenstick fractures in both legs at the knees and ankles, you are extremely lucky, Major.”

   “I had the same thing happen before and it ended up being completely broken from an additional trauma, can I assume I face the same possibility again?”

   “Yes, and no, technically, what you have is not a greenstick fracture per se, those generally happen when a young child experiences a lateral trauma that bends the bone but does not completely break it. Your injuries are more along the lines of a series of micro fractures within a small area. You could say that the affected bones were almost splintered, that’s why I said you were very lucky. You could have suffered amputations if the breaks were complete.”

   “So, no marathons, mountain climbing, parachuting…”

   “Right.”

   “Damn, what am I going to do for exercise?” I said as I wiggled my eyebrows at Danni.

   She actually started turning red, “Danny?!”

   “Okay, one more final last thing, where are we?”

   Danni said, “Holloman hospital, so we’re safe, you can rest easy.”

   We were interrupted by orderlies arriving with Danni’s bed and the doctor took his leave. Within a few minutes, we were side-by-side and the last thing I told her before she fell asleep was Debra gave birth to twins. She said we needed to get home right away because Debbie was going to have her hands full. Yeah, her back is stapled from the shoulder to her waist, broken out teeth, tortured and, more, the only thing she could think about was taking care of me and getting home to see her new children and help Debra. That’s our Danni.

 

   The next morning, we lay in our beds next to each other and talked as we were examined, monitored, poked and prodded. I kept having sneezing and coughing fits until Doctor Keppler ordered a nasal irrigation. I’d like to meet the person who came up with that shit, I mean, it wasn’t painful, but having clear water pumped through one nostril and a bunch of crap coming out the other is kind of disconcerting. Even Danni, who has a cast iron stomach, turned away and gagged. You know what though? I could breathe better through my nose than I had in a long while.

   At eleven o’clock, Lawrence, Summers, and Slate came to visit and I could tell something was off as they gathered at the foot of our beds. “Okay, guys, what’s wrong?” I asked.

   “Sir,” Lawrence started. “I’m afraid we have bad news.”

   “What is it?”

   Lawrence glanced at the other two and then said, “Lieutenant Morrison and almost all of 1^st and 2^nd Squads were killed yesterday in an ambush in El Paso.”

   Danni gasped and said, “Oh no, no, no!” Rich Morrison was a long-term friend and more. When I had been falsely accused of treason by the Federal Government, it was him and his wife that released me so I could escape.

   I took a deep breath and asked, “What happened?”

   “There were three survivors, they said they were transporting that Major Moller and the Danish prisoners here, where the platoon was supposed to regroup. One of our trucks was leading the convoy and another was bringing up the rear. Most of the Danes, the ones that turned against Moller, were in one bus and those still loyal to Moller were in a smaller shuttle van from the airport. Rocket propelled grenades were used against both our trucks and the larger bus with most of the Danes inside. Then assault troops took out the driver and guard in the shuttle van. According to what we have been told, Lieutenant Morrison was killed instantly in the lead truck when an RPG hit the cab. Like I said, three of us survived the attack and…four?” He glanced at Katie and Jimmy and they both nodded. “Four of the Danes also survived.”

   “Have we recovered the remains?” I asked.

   “It’s in the process, Sir, Holloman is helping with the recovery.”

   I laid in bed and thought for a moment, “Moller is a lot more important than I thought.”

   “Yes, Sir, one of the surviving Danes told us Moller, who had just taken over command of their unit, wasn’t working for Becker, Becker was basically working for Moller.”

   “You’re fucking kidding me.”

   “No, Sir. Becker was the Director of Intelligence in Austin; Moller was CO of the security forces there. Like us, Intelligence is a component of the security force and therefore…”

   “Becker was working for Moller,” I finished.

   “Yes, Sir. Becker was originally higher on the food chain, but was demoted after the crap that went down with his son.”

   Danni brokenly said, “It’s my fault, Rich and the others are dead because of me.”

   “No,” I firmly said. “They’re dead because some assholes killed them.”

   “The Major is right, Captain Monroe, this isn’t on you, it’s on them.” He turned back to me and said, “Find us a target, Major, we’ll burn it down and salt the earth when we’re done.”

   “You can bank on that, Sargent Lawrence, whose senior NCO in the platoon now?”

   “I am, Sir.”

   “Good, consider yourself officially in command until we can get our feet under us again. Have you notified Asylum yet?”

   “Yes, Sir, they know everything.”

   “Okay, have you been assigned temporary quarters yet?”

   “Yes, Sir, we’re good to go until you and the Captain are ready to travel home.”

   “I thought we were having a good day,” I said. “Now, not so much. Give your people some downtime, Sargent, get cleaned up, full stomachs, and we’ll figure out when we can leave.”

   “Yes, Sir,” he reached into a pocket and handed me a slip of paper. “There’s a phone where we’re billeted and this is the number, call if you need us and we’ll come running.”

   “Thank you, Sargent.” He saluted and the three of them left.

   “Nadia and the boys, Daniel, what is she going to do?”

   “The same things you and Debra would do, she’ll push through for the kids because she has to. She won’t be alone though; she’ll have us to lend a hand when she needs it and we’re not her only friends.”

   “Rich was always there, fun and loyal, loving and competent. The Rangers are going to miss him.”

   “I’m going to miss him even more,” I said. I wanted to say how much his loyalty had meant to me, how his rescue of me had earned him an important place beside me, but I also wanted to avoid dumping a load of guilt on Danni.

   “Did you know Packer offered him a job as a Company CO, but he turned it down so he could continue running your security?”

   “No, he never mentioned it to me.” I felt somewhat guilty to discover he had turned down the offer in order to continue leading my security team.

   “Did you know Debbie turned down the rank of Air Force major so she could stay at Asylum with you?”

   “Yeah, Packer told me because she didn’t. I’m torn between wanting her to be recognized for her abilities and wanting her with me. I guess I’m being selfish, but when either one of you are gone there’s an empty place inside of me.” I lay there for a moment and finally asked, “What about you? What have you turned down in order to stay with us?”

   She simply stared at me for a moment and then said, “Scoot over some, I want to feel you against me.” I did and she crawled from her bed to mine and pressed herself against me with her head on my shoulder.

   “Well?” I asked.

   “Both Denver and Holloman have tried to get me to come and work full-time for them, but I can’t imagine being so far from you, Debbie, Danni Lynn, and now the twins. I know John would be affected also. No, my place is with you. Always.”

   “I don’t know what the future holds, but I feel the same, it’s going to be us, no matter what.” I reached up to caress her face and clubbed her with my cast instead.

   “Ow?”

   “Oh, shit, Honey! This damn cast; I’m not used to it being there! I’m so sorry!”

   She actually smiled, the first real one since I woke up, “It’s okay, really, I just wish the two of us weren’t so screwed up. I could really go for some quality time, you know?”

   I groaned and said, “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, but there’s not a lot of privacy around here either.”

   She raised up and said, “I need to pee, I’ll be back in a minute.” She crawled off the bed and left the room for several minutes and then came back. As she reentered the room, she closed the door and then pulled the curtain around the beds closed before she climbed back beside me, “I spoke with the nurses, we have 45 minutes to ourselves before they come check on us.” She gave me a passionate kiss and then added, “Let’s figure out a way to make the most of it.”

 

   It was a week before Doctor Keppler gave us the go ahead to travel. Danni’s wound was healing and he said I could use canes when the casts on my wrists were removed, but until then, I should use a wheel chair. I could remember the multiple times I had injured my right leg before, and Danni stated unequivocally I was going to be restricted from walking as much as possible.

   Holloman helped recovering the bodies of Rich and the rest of our dead, and provided transportation for the remains back to Asylum. They even provided aluminum caskets for them which was greatly appreciated. The ride back was painful to say the least; Danni’s wound forced her to sit sideways and every little bump in the road reminded me my legs were less than optimal. Needless to say, our return was somber and sobering. Packer and Gilly arranged a military funeral with full honors for those we lost and Debra, Danni, and I, sat with Nadia during the entire process. On the surface and in front of most, Nadia stood up rather well, but she was devastated to say the least. Packer and Felicia decided that widows, widowers, and the children of fallen Rangers and Militia should be provided permanent housing and construction was started for more homes outside of the interior of Asylum.

   It wasn’t all sadness though, Danni was delighted with our two new additions and spent as much time with all of the children she could. Debra still hadn’t named the two newborns because she said she wanted Danni and I home before she did. My new son has been named Richard Michael Monroe and my new daughter has been named Nadia Michelle Monroe. I requested the names as tribute to Rich and Nadia, the two friends who rescued me from the Feds and the two middle names connect them together as fraternal twins. Debra and Danni were on board 100%.

   Debra, at first, was at her wits end trying to care for me, Danni, and the kids, all at the same time, but she finally relaxed and let us help. The first night we were home was a comedy of sexual frustrations as the three of us tried to figure out the best ways to work around all the injuries, but the girls are very adaptive and figured it out. Packer and Gilly dropped off a cart for our use and they brought a wheel chair for me, but all we have at either the front or rear doors are steps. Packer says he’s going to call Morgan at Facilities and have a ramp built for the wheel chair. That sounds like a hell of a plan.

 

   The Intel Office has an official runner now and I see her so often she’s starting to become a member of the family. Carrie Michaels is fourteen, red headed, more freckles than you can shake a stick at and a definite late bloomer, physically. I think Julia likes her around because Carrie is the only person in Asylum that Julia looks tall next to. I think Carrie likes delivering massages to me because she has so much fun with the kids when she comes around. She doesn’t have any family and I think maybe she’s adopted ours as her own. I don’t mind, she’s a real sweetheart and her bright personality seems to be infectious.

   Danni’s back has finally healed up and I don’t worry so much about it anymore. She’s started working out again and is back to giving hand-to-hand combat lessons to Cadets and anyone who wants them. ‘Charlie’ Maniker is acting as her assistant trainer and damn that little girl is growing up fast. Her dad must be frantic with all the boys following her around, but I’ve noticed she spends an inordinate amount of time in the company of Toby Tyler. Remember him? Mister ‘he won’t miss a slice out of the middle?’ Yeah, him. He seems to have grown up quite a bit though and even Debra is looking at him a little less dubiously. I actually kind of like him after all is said and done and I overheard General Packer saying the kid was on a fast-track to promotion. Whenever Debra and I are together and we see him, she always leans over and growls in my ear before laughing. Danni has started doing it also; those two are incorrigible when they’re together.

   The casts are off my wrists and damn, I lost an awful lot of strength while they were on. My legs are another matter though, it seems the slightest use sets me back in the recovery process. Of course, sliding down an icy ramp and doing an end-over-end at the bottom didn’t help matters much. That shit really hurt, but what was worse was Debra’s reaction. She had just pushed me out the front door and Danni Lynn wanted to climb up and give me a goodbye kiss before I left for the Intel Office. Debra was able to grab Danni Lynn, but wasn’t able to slow my race to the bottom of the icy ramp and had to let go in order to keep from falling with our child. It got to the point I would grit my teeth in order to avoid making any noise she might consider as a result of pain whenever I had to stand or walk a short distance, like to the toilet. Man, that woman buys into self-guilt way to easy.

   Like I said, Danni’s wounded back has healed, but it is still causing her grief and she is very self-conscious of it. It had to be re-stapled in several places because she kept doing things to pull them out. like taking care of me. I finally had to raise some hell and explain to her that every time she re-injured herself, I felt as though it was my fault. I told her that if she didn’t stop, I was going to go to the Adobe outside Cliff until she was healed up. She got the message and started allowing me to do for her, the way she did for me. The end result of all the re-injuries though, is the scar from Becker’s cut is very pronounced and prominent. It doesn’t bother me except it’s a constant reminder of the pain she suffered at his hands. Her skin is so pale, and the scar so red and dark, it’s hard to miss and I’ve caught her numerous times standing in front of a mirror with a smaller one in her hand and looking at it. She started wearing a button up shirt to bed and when we made love, she would allow me to unbutton the front, but wouldn’t let me take it off. She would allow Debra to apply an ointment to it to try and soften the scar, but not me. Debra and I sat her down one night and explained she was doing the same thing I did after my shoulder had to be extensively carved out and it was insulting to me that she thought I would be repulsed by the scar. She relented and started allowing me to help treat the injury. I think she’s finally realizing that though I hate what the scar represents, I don’t hate the scar.

   Another thing I’ve noticed, Danni keeps mentioning how much she misses being pregnant and how she feels she isn’t doing enough to add to our menagerie. All three of us want a large family, but I let the girls decide when that is going to happen. I think she wants me to say, hey, isn’t it time for another? I think I might suggest it, you know, sort of.

   Sargent Lawrence is now Lieutenant Lawrence and commands my travel platoon. Captain Jacobs has been released from the Militia and has returned to Red River, which means, you guessed it, I became CO of Golf Company. Golf Company is the only Militia Company with an extra platoon, my travel Security Platoon, plus, it’s Rangers rather than Militia, so we’re sort of a hybrid formation. It’s led to some interesting developments. The Rangers, as a unit, are the more highly trained of the Asylum armed forces, sort of an elite unit. It stands to reason since most militia members have day jobs. Since I have incorporated my security into Golf Company, the entire Company has benefited from the combination. Formations are tighter and more precise; training is more intense and the Militia members of Golf are becoming even more professional in bearing and capability. 1st Lieutenant Merrell is XO and I can see him becoming Commanding Officer of Golf when the time comes. He and Lieutenant Lawrence work together to develop training sessions and I lay a lot of Golf’s success at their feet.

   I spend most of my time dealing with Golf Company, but I still get down to the Intel Office at least once a week to keep my fingers in it. It’s not that Julia isn’t doing the job well, it’s just I like doing it so much and it keeps my mind working; I feel more in tune with everything, more connected to what is happening. Kansas is communicating with us constantly and requesting Militia instructors to train their fledgling military. They say they have a surplus of military veterans who want to help fight the Zippers and some of them are very well-trained, but Asylum has gained a well-earned reputation and they want to be a part of that. Packer says he wants to put together a training cadre to send out there and he wants me to go to set up their intelligence arm. Shit.

   Oh, and Danni is pregnant. I hope she doesn’t have twins, especially twins with colic.

 

 

 

   I’m not going to Kansas. Things have come up and General Packer wants me here to work it out. Instead, he’s sending Julia Ortiz, and three of our staffers from the Intelligence Office; Terry and I have to train three more newly hired people. Plus, I’m still commanding Golf Company, but apparently not for long. I was confined to the wheelchair for so long that Packer made Lieutenant Merrell Provisional CO until I returned, which I have. Golf Company has become a highly mobile, premiere combat unit with the changes I instituted and Packer wants me to step up and take command of 3d Battalion, 2^nd Regiment, Militia, in which, Golf is one of three Companies. I won’t be taking Golf’s fourth platoon, the Rangers, with me because they are going to Kansas with Julia and one other senior officer, Debra, as security.

   I was freaking fit to be tied when Packer informed me and only managed to stay calm because Debra was there to keep a lid on things. I guess they learned from the last time they sent one of my wives and child on a mission without informing me first. There will be additional training personnel going also, but Debra will be in overall command of the mission with the rank of Major. Yeah, she finally received the rank Holloman wanted to give her if she would re-enlist in the Air Force. On the one hand, I’m as proud as a man can be for his wife, on the other, she has two babies to care for and I used that as an excuse to question the decision. Packer was ahead of me and informed me Debra was going to have a nanny for the kids in order to free her up so she could perform her duties. When I looked at Debra, I could tell she was getting apprehensive about how I might react and decided to keep my shit to myself and gave the mission my blessing.

   One good thing about the mission, Debra and our people won’t be alone so far from home. Both Denver and Holloman are sending detachments also. Holloman is sending a group from their Predator Wing with Air Security and Denver is sending a platoon of their Rangers. In addition, they won’t be driving, Holloman is providing the aircraft to fly them there along with some support vehicles. C130s, damn, I’d love to ride in one of those. Of course, I said the same thing about helicopters and the first time I got the chance, I crashed it. Maybe it’s better if I do stay home.

  

   Watching Debra leave again was difficult, very difficult, and Danni was beside herself with worry. After Danni’s last mission away from Asylum, she’s more than a little jumpy. She still has nightmares, periods of depression, and what I believe are anxiety attacks. Keeping busy with her job duties and helping me with running my new job seems to help her cope. Then again, maybe it’s just masking the problem.

   Being a Battalion CO is a bear; the only good thing is, my staff members are outstanding. Luckily, I didn’t have to do the battalion Executive Officer job before taking command. Company XO was one of the worst jobs I have ever held and it just does not stop, ever. I probably immersed myself in a lot of the crap that shouldn’t be done by the XO anyway. I know Danni says I need to lighten up and let my staff do their jobs, she’s probably right. One of my first priorities was getting the vehicles my men needed. Golf Company was good to go after I was there for a while, but now Hotel and Item Companies have needs and guess who is responsible? It’s not just Hotel and Item either, Battalion Headquarters needs all kinds of crap also. I’m working on Hotel Company first and acquiring vehicles the same way we did for Golf. One of the biggest headaches is dealing with personalities amongst the battalion officer corp. Everyone thinks they should be getting priority status and rightfully so. It’s a Company CO’s job to put his company first after all, but damn.

   Long story short, I used Golf’s trucks as transportation to send troops to different locations in attempts to find vehicles for Hotel and Item. Terry and I worked long hours establishing the most likely places to find the vehicles we needed and it has been paying off big time. As of the moment, Golf, of course, is fully equipped with the vehicles it needs. Item is nearing their final count, but now I’m on another path; what if each company had a platoon, or company for battalions, equipped with armored vehicles? I’m not talking about high-end Bearcats, or MRAPS, I’m thinking about some of the things that were done to up-armor normal transport trucks that has been done in the past. The two squads I lost in El Paso wouldn’t have benefited from the armor, at least I don’t think so, but protection from small arms would be greatly appreciated by everyone. I need steel plate and reinforcement materials; this could be very interesting if it works out.

   Initially, I didn’t say anything to Packer about the armored truck idea, I just went with it and sent elements of Hotel Company to Tucson in search of steel plate, welding equipment, specialty tools et cetera. When they returned, I put the Motor Pool to the task of developing the first truck as a test of the feasibility. I went by every day and watched the progress and though it was slow, it was still advancing. We used a six-wheel-drive power company truck as the prototype and after three weeks, it was finished. We drove it up to the end of the airstrip and tried shooting holes in it and you couldn’t even see where the 5-5-6 rounds ricocheted off. 7-6-2 dimpled the armor, but none penetrated. I then had them deliver it to Morgan at facilities and they painted it Coyote Brown. I and several others then visited the Art Department at Human Resources and we collaborated on a graphic to symbolize the Grant County Militia. We settled on a simple silhouette of the helmet warn by Greek Hoplites, some of the original citizen-soldiers, with a spear and sword crossed behind it. The Art Department designed the stencil and we used flat black paint to apply it.

   The following day, I met the men assigned to the armored truck in front of the Ranger Bunker, had them stand at ease with a full set of weapons and away gear, while I went inside and asked General Packer for a moment of his time.

   “What do you need, Daniel?”

   “I have a sort of, well, proof of concept example outside and I was wondering if you would look it over and give me your opinion?”

   “A proof of concept involving what?”

   “An armored truck, Sir.”

   He looked at me for a moment and then said, “Really? You’re not busy enough getting 3d Battalion up to speed, now you’re designing vehicles as well?” He stood up and exited his office as I followed.

   At the building exit, I heard the Sargent of the Militia Squad shout, “ATTENHUT!” As Packer and I walked outside. He looked the men over, congratulated them on their bearing and then we walked slowly around the truck as he examined it closely.

   At the first door bearing the graphic, he stopped and examined it, “Sweet, is that a Hoplite helmet?”

   “Yes, Sir, same with the sword and spear as well.”

   “Citizen soldiers, same as our Militia,” he said.

   “Yes, Sir.” We continued around the truck until we reached the front again.

   “Will the plate stop small arms?”

   “Yes, Sir, both 5-5-6 and 7-6-2. I wouldn’t hold my breath with .50 caliber though.”

   “No, of course not, but it will probably turn away a lot of shrapnel as well.” He dropped to his knees and checked the undercarriage. “It’s going to be susceptible to ground and road emplaced mines and IEDs, you might want to consider some sort of armor for underneath.”

   “Yes, Sir, I know we’ve never run into IEDs, but yes, it’s something to think about.”

   “Okay, get started on the follow up and see what we can do for the undercarriage protection. Work me up a projection on a company of armored vehicles in each Battalion. Tactics, SOPs, the works, then get back to me.”

   “Yes, Sir, I was hoping you’d agree it was a worthwhile project.” I was breathing a sigh of relief.

   “This is good, Daniel, you’re thinking of the safety of your men, I’m liking it.”

   “Thank you, Sir.”

   Packer complimented the men again and then returned to his office as we loaded up and returned to my Battalion headquarters. I started thinking about the things I had left undone while concentrating on the armored truck and gritted my teeth; I was over-loading myself again. I sat down with the Battalion Personnel Officer and had her pull our records and start looking for people who might have experience in armored units of the US military and eventually she found thirteen. I had her call them in and discussed with them what I wanted to do and the suggestion Packer had made to improve the protection of the undercarriage. They were very interested in the idea and set to work developing standards for the improved armor and the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures. They were coming up with so many good ideas I started wondering if there were more people in the Rangers, or Militia, that had previous armor experience and decided to find the answer.

   I organized a dinner for the Commanding Officers and XOs of each battalion of Rangers and Militia with the express purpose of making inquiries into anyone with armor training and experience. After I started the ball rolling, I contacted Packer and told him of my general plan; we needed a training cadre to teach what they most likely knew. Again, he told me to run with it and Gilly helped Danni with the planning of the dinner. I told Danni she had responsibilities of her own and planning parties for me wasn’t one of them, but she insisted and I finally acquiesced. She really seemed to relish the role of supporting her husband’s interests. Then again, she also seemed to relish working her own ideas into the mix. It didn’t bother me in the least; she generally was more helpful than some of the other officers that attended. We discovered we had quite a few experienced armor people and we chose those with the best qualifications to form a training cadre. Danni, in addition to her own responsibilities and her experience in developing educational programs for the Cadets and training for Militia members, became an advisor for Major Jeff Stills, the head program administrator. I wasn’t the only one who was getting overloaded.

   Major Henry Sanchez is the XO for 3^rd Battalion and what a catch he was. Seems kind of odd for him to be saluting me since I’m a major also, but he says I have seniority because I’ve been a major longer than he has. Okay. I asked why he didn’t take command of the Battalion when it was offered to him and he said he just wasn’t comfortable with the responsibility. He liked being the Executive Officer and he enjoyed performing the job. I relaxed a little more and turned over a lot of the BS tasks I had been doing, to him, and concentrated on the training and the leadership role. The entire 3^rd Battalion was coming along nicely as I continually adjusted training cycles to meet our needs.

   The Motor Pool finished modifying our first armored truck and built a ‘V’ shaped hull below the vehicle which was supposed to deflect an explosion away from the bottom. The idea sounds good, but I have no experience with the concept, so I’ll take their word for it. We now have enough trucks being modified to equip one of the companies. I requested the help of Facilities and Morgan loaned us a team of fabricators and welders. They started training guys in the Motor Pool and before long, the modifications to our salvaged trucks were really coming along.

 

   Debra has now been gone two months and it’s starting to stress the family. Danni Lynn has started to constantly ask for Mamma and John seems to notice her absence as well. Danni Lynn has started what will become the family norm; Debra is Mamma, and Danni is Mommy. Don’t get me wrong, as far as Danni goes, Danni Lynn considers Danni her mother, but she recognizes that Debra is her biological mother and the connection is closer. John is the same way with Danni and I think it must have something to do with the olfactory sense, maybe. Interestingly, both Danni Lynn and John miss the twins and ask about them as often as they ask about Debra. Danni says when Danni Lynn is having a bad day and is missing her Mamma, she perks up and becomes more normal when I am there. Yeah, it makes feel good my little girl can find solace in my presence, but it eats at me she misses her mother. I asked Packer about Debra’s mission duration, but he has no firm answers for me and I get frustrated. There’s been nights when Danni cries because she misses Debra so bad. I try to be there for her, but I’m not Debra, and the two of them have some sort of special bond between them. I mentioned it to Danni and I believe she thought there might be some sort of jealousy on my part, but there isn’t, not really. In fact, I think it’s great they feel the way they do for one another. I have a special relationship with Debra that’s different from the one I have with Danni, and the same goes the other way as well; there are things between Danni and I that Debra isn’t part of. I don’t mean anything secretive, just…different.

 

   Twelve weeks, three months, I want my wife back. Danni is depressed and Danni Lynn is listless when I am not close to her. Even Gilly has noticed and accosted Packer with demands he do something about the situation. He told her he would try and make something happen as soon as possible, but I see as it as problematic. If he does do something out of the ordinary, it could cause friction within the Rangers and Militia if some people detect preferential treatment for my family over others. Additionally, there is the problem of intelligence security. We avoid any type of personal messaging over the radio or satellite connections; there’s no telling what information might be exposed unintentionally. My family isn’t the only one suffering from separation. I try to rationalize the situation by remembering family separation is part of military life and in the past, separations could last much longer than just three months. I also recognize, I can expect Debra’s and the twin’s return while others, like Nadia Morrison, will never know the return of their loved ones.

   We spend time with Nadia and her little ones at least two or three times a week and I see her often due to Militia concerns. Nadia is now the Company XO for Baker Company, 1^st Battalion, 1^st Regiment, Militia. Due to how busy she is with her Militia duties, she had to give up her position at Facilities, but like me, she has to be available to give advice when it’s needed. According to her Company CO, who is an ex-National Guard officer, she is the best XO he ever had the pleasure to know. I’m not surprised.

 

   Son-of-a-bitch! I am so excited! The communication guys at Holloman devised a way to send burst communications in encrypted packages! So? Mail! Danni and I just received our first letter from Debra and she even included pictures she took of herself, Nadia, and Richie! She says she believes she will be able to wrap up the trip to Kansas soon and will be coming home. I’m a little worried though, in the picture she looks thin, too thin. It reminds me of the way she looked after we got back together after the Gupta picture. When I mentioned how thin Debra looked, Danni laughed and said I was the pot calling the kettle black. I guess I’ve lost weight as well and Danni says she probably would have if she wasn’t pregnant and had me harping at her constantly to eat. God, it will be good to hold Debra and the kids again.

 

   Danni is in a deep state of depression. Not because she misses Debra, she does, but this is something else. Terry dropped by late in the day and asked me to go over some reports he had received and weren’t making sense to him. I invited him in and we sat at the dining table as he started spreading out sheets of information and a series of pictures of different people. One I recognized right away, Major Mathias Moller.

   “I know this guy, Terry.” I pointed at the picture of Moller.

   “Yeah, I figured you would. We received a report he was out in Kansas and in the general vicinity of where Debra and our people are.”

   “Really?” I picked up the sheet of paper and studied the man’s face. “What’s he doing out there?”

   “I’m not sure, but it seems to me he’s searching for someone. He’s alluded to it in several messages.”

   I glanced at him as I asked, “In what way? I mean, what has he said?”

   “Mostly, his communications are pretty vague, but once in a while, he gets more descriptive.” He shoved a sheet across to me and said, “Like this one, this is one of the ones that has raised my awareness and caused me to draw a bead on him.”

   I read the transcript and shook my head, “The Queen of Clubs and the Hangers On? What the hell is that?”

   “Like I said, not what, but who. He’s looking for someone and is getting agitated by delays.”

   Danni walked out of the back bedroom, said ‘hi’ to Terry and then leaned over and kissed my ear, “Kids are down and out, they must have had a busy day at the Child Care Center today.” Straightening up, she asked, “Terry, would you like a glass of Bock?”

   “Yes, thank you, Danni.”

   “Babe? How about you?”

   “Yes, please.” She walked to the fridge as I started glancing through several more transcripts. “This Queen of Clubs, is there someone in the anti-zipper movement it could be?”

   “Maybe, but I don’t know who it would be. From what I’ve gathered from the comms with Debra, the leadership of the Kansas Militia is all male. They have a few women in their ranks, but nothing that might…” He suddenly stopped as Danni dropped a bottle of Bock that spilled over the papers and the dining table.

   She gasped and shakily said, “Why is a picture of HIM on our table?”

   I turned to the scattered papers and focused on Moller, “Moller? When did you run into Moller?”

   “Daniel,” she looked desperate as she said, “That’s not someone named, Moller, that’s Becker!” She tried to pick up the fallen bottle of Bock, but her hands were shaking too badly.

   I reached out and grasped her hands and held them, “Honey, that’s Major Mathias Moller, he’s the one we captured in the hotel in El Paso. Remember? He escaped when Rich was killed after I killed Becker in the helicopter. Becker had you at Biggs, remember?”

   “All I know is,” she stabbed at the picture with her finger. “That, is Becker! I will never forget what he did to me, the way he smiled as he did it! That is Becker!”

   “Honey, I killed the man that had you at Biggs, he said he was Becker, I realize your eyes were swollen shut, but you heard his voice, surely you would have…”

   “He never spoke to me, not a word before I couldn’t see any more. He just laughed as he did things to make me scream.”

   I put my arms around her and she seemed to melt into me, “Terry,” I said. “Call Packer, tell him Becker is alive and somewhere in Kansas near Debra and the twins. Then make sure Debra knows he’s there; I think we know who the Queen of Clubs and the Hangers On are.”

   Danni began to shake as she said, “Oh, God, he’s after Debbie and the twins!”