The Mason Walker Bundle 3

by Alex Howell

  Bradley answered, “It is a sonic sound device.”

  Raina’s eyes widened, “A what?!”

  Carefully closing his hand protectively over the device, he explained, “Similar to a dog whistle, this thing when activated emits a high-pitched tone that although not quite audible to the human ear, creates severe distress.”

  Raina gasped, “Oh man—that’s like that stuff that China was using against U.S. diplomats back in the 2010’s!”

  Bradley shook his head, “Woah, whoa… Before you make comparisons, this baby is not as brutal as what the Chinese used—a hypersonic blast of that stuff could shake people up enough to practically give them an out of body experience!

  Chris held out the device for them to see as he again affirmed, “Don’t worry, this thing is mild in comparison. It won’t leave anybody paralyzed or with brain damage. The effects are only temporary!”

  As the rest of the group skeptically looked on, Bradley assured them with a smile, “Just temporary enough anyway… To get them the hell out of our way!”

  Raina gave him a skeptical glance, as she incredulously remarked, “Umm… sonic attacks? Just to get to our seats? Are you sure about this?”

  Right after the words came out of her mouth, a woman desperate to find her own seat before commencement began, delivered a wicked elbow to the side of Raina’s head as she tried to get past, eliciting a sharp, “Ow!!” from Raina as she tried to stand her ground.

  Bradley taking this as his invitation to go forward, cleared his throat as he informed them, “Ahem… Anyway, as I was saying.”

  He then reached in his pocket and pulled out a plastic bag full of titanium steel ear plugs. Holding them up as if they were some kind of appetizers he was serving, he instructed his colleagues, “Go ahead and help yourselves.”

  After Mason, Raina, and Benton were all outfitted with their ear protection, Chris Bradley then instructed, “Okay gang—follow me.”

  They started to follow Bradley in a single line, but it wasn’t long before ceremony attendees were blocking their path. From just behind his broad shoulder, Mason watched carefully as Chris Bradley turned on the device. The effect was almost immediate. Even though they didn’t audibly recognize the sound, the tremendous high-pitched burst ripped right through their auditory cortex causing an immediate headache and disorientation to anyone that heard it.

  In other words, the once aggressive audience members were quite easily subdued and pushed to the side, and the bewildered crowd melted like butter as the group made their way to their seats.

  Seated at the end of the front row and waiting for them, were the other members of Onyx, Luke Simon, Marshal Oliver, and Kyle Garrison. Kyle always ready for a sarcastic remark, looked up at Mason and remarked, “What happened—you get lost? Took you long enough!”

  Mason was in such a good mood, he couldn’t help but smile even while telling Kyle, “Shut the hell up.”

  Mason then happened to notice that Kyle, Marshal, and Luke all had the same earplugs in place. They must have arrived in similar fashion with Chris Bradley just moments before. Mason jokingly thought to himself, ‘Good job team Onyx! Successfully navigating through Stanford Stadium, this must be our finest hour.’

  As Mason stood and stared, Kyle gave him a mock salute as he told him, “Okay boss—have a seat.”

  Just as he was bidden, Mason sat down next to the smart-alecky Kyle. Benton was right behind Mason but careful to leave a space next to Mason for Raina, sitting down in the next seat over. Raina making her way over, then prepared to take her seat as well.

  It was as she sat down in between Mason and Benton that she heard a woman nearby gasp, “Oh! I don’t know what it is! I just feel so loopy all of a sudden! I think I might pass out!”

  She then leaned uncomfortably close to Raina seated right in front of her as she muttered, “I think I might throw up.”

  Raina envisioning fresh projectile vomit splattering all over the back of her head, gave a stern look to Chris Bradley seated on the other side of Mathew Benton and demanded, “Alright! Turn it off Chris!”

  Chris smiled, “Certainly.”

  Before he pulled out the device that was causing so much unease, and hit the big blinking red button on the side of it. As soon as he did, the whole mood in their immediate vicinity changed and Raina heard the woman seated nearby that had previously been complaining of a migraine chirp, “I don’t know what happened—but I suddenly a whole lot better!”

  Mason seated next to Raina gave her hand a little squeeze as he wistfully surmised, “I have the feeling that we are in for quite a night!”

  1

  A Whole Other Night Entirely

  MEANWHILE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD

  The only member of the Onyx team that was not present for Clara’s graduation festivities was the quiet soldier of fortune known simply as “Case”. Case was a man of few words, but little did most outside observers realize—he had a lot on his mind. As was the case with his current clandestine mission he had been employed to carry out; not as a private contractor for Onyx but as a military intelligence liaison for a UN peace keeping force in Athens, Greece.

  This force was about to be deployed to the Aegean islands in an effort to stave off what until recently had been an unchecked Turkish incursion. Turkey and Greece had been embroiled in never ending disputes in the region for at the very least—a couple thousand years. Greece after all could be said to be the left-over remnant of the Greek Byzantine Empire which lasted until 1453 when Turkish armies seized its grand capital of Constantinople and transformed it into Istanbul, Turkey.

  As the Greek Empire declined, even Greece proper was eventually forced to become a tribute nation of the Turk’s until Greek independence was once again achieved in the early 1830’s. Now, roughly 200 some years later in the 2030’s the pendulum was seeming to shift again and forces both inside and outside of Greece were actively seeking to incorporate the ancient Hellenistic Greek nation as part of a Greater Turkish state.

  In this great flashpoint of geopolitical affairs, there was indeed a lot at stake. And where was Case, the inveterate adventurer and consummate soldier of fortune while the above-mentioned events were being played out? He was smoking opium in a brothel on the seedier side of Athens.

  For the past few weeks Case had been knee deep with all sorts of unsavory types in the backrooms of the Greek capital. And Despite appearances, this delving into the dark underbelly of Greece was not for recreation; it was for information.

  And although Case at the moment was inhaling deeply from an opium pipe, immediately before his arrival, his handlers with the UN had given him an antidote injection that would immediately neutralize the effects. Unlike former president Phil Quinton who famously quipped that he “didn’t inhale” Case could breathe in the fumes of the opium pipe as much as he wanted with no ill—or any other—effects whatsoever.

  Case fortunately was a good actor however, and knew full well how to play the part. After taking a big drag of the pipe, he tilted his head back as if in euphoria and began blowing out huge billows of smoke up toward the roof as he exclaimed with exuberance, “Poly kala!! Poly kala!!”

  Which in Greek meant simply, “Very good! Very Good!” His acting was a little bit too good however, as the man next to him growing wary of his feigned euphoric release, reached over and roughly shook him by the shoulder to remind him, “Alright—alright…. Save some for the rest of us!”

  Case then dutifully handed the pipe to the man next to him commenting, “Sorry Alexander….”

  The one named Alexander then took the pipe, from him and laughed, “It’s alright Case….”

  Alexander took a quick hit off the pipe before he pointed to the man seated cross legged in front of them and remarked, “But Mustafa over here might want some too.”

  Mustafa then grinned, “Alright Alexander—why is it you think us Turks like to smoke so much, huh?”

  It was a reaching question, coming from a man wh
o loved to go on fishing expeditions. Alexander merely wanted to offer him a turn on the pipe, yet his friendly entreaty had suddenly become an open indictment on the smoking habits of all Turks.

  Alexander growing wary of his drama, answered by taking a hit and blowing smoke in Mustafa’s direction, as he blithely asked, “I don’t know Mustafa—you tell me.”

  Alexander then handed Mustafa the pipe as Mustafa grumbled, “Well, maybe we do like to smoke…. But don’t blame the Turks, it’s the Greeks that introduced us to it in the first place.”

  At which Alexander laughed, “Ah yes—the ancient Thessaloniki drink of the Peloponnese!”

  Case still leaning back and pretending to be under the throes of the drug, with his eyes half shut sleepily muttered, “The ancient Thessaloniki drink? What the hell is that?”

  To which Alexander answered, “In ancient Greece, Greek soldiers would psyche themselves up for battle by drinking a special potion mixed with opium.”

  Case staring up at the ceiling murmured, “And that got them ready to fight?”

  Mustafa who had just taken a long drag and forcefully exhaled, coughed, before interjecting, “Or it made them make love!”

  Mustafa then added with a laugh, “To each other! Right in the middle of a warzone! Crazy Greeks!”

  Alexander taking the pipe from Mustafa and setting it down in ashtray on the coffee table, not offended in the least, chuckled, “Alright—alright. I think we have all had enough Thessaloniki spirits for today. Now let’s get ready for our own personal war.”

  Alexander then put a hand on Case’s shoulder and declared, “And thanks to my American agent here. We know exactly what we need to do.”

  Case ruefully thought to himself, ‘His American agent? He will soon learn how wrong he is about that.’

  Alexander then continued with his narration, and pulling out a tablet, he placed it on the small coffee table in front of them and pulled up a map of the Greek border with Turkey. He then zoomed in on the Greek/Turkish border town of Ipsala.

  Staring at the screen, Alexander remarked, “This one small border town is on the frontlines over the argument of whether or not Turkey will be admitted into the European Union.”

  To which Case sat himself up and made himself appear to be more alert as he answered, “Right…”

  Mustafa then interjected, “And it is here that the pro-entry EU partisans and the anti-Eu hacks are protesting correct?”

  Alexander nodded, “Yes….”

  Mustafa then remarked, “And we have our stooges in place on both sides of the debate, right?”

  Case knew that this meant that they had operatives and agitators on the ground. Alexander nodded, “Yes we have our own instigators in place ready to light the fuse of this powder keg any minute.”

  Alexander then motioned toward Case and remarked, “And speaking of powder kegs, this is where our American friend comes in.”

  Alexander grinned, “He is a demolition and weapons expert.”

  Mustafa looking at Case with what seemed to be caution or even slight skepticism, remarked, “Oh?”

  Alexander nodded, “Yes…” Before continuing, “And Case here will rush in posing as a pro-entry demonstrator and set off an explosion right when the anti-EU demonstrators take the stage”

  Mustafa raised an eyebrow, “And—that’s it?”

  Alexander’s face darkened, “And that—Mustafa my friend, is when you will send in your death squad to start the real bloodshed. Soon enough the fighting will be so thick on both sides that the new Greek/Turkish conflict will begin in earnest.”

  At which Mustafa laughed, “So you want a war Alexander? No problem at all my friend—then a war you will get.”

  2

  The Big Day Has Arrived

  MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE CAMPUS OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY.

  Raina Walker clutched onto her newly wed husband Mason’s arm tight as they waited for Clara to step out onto the stage. In this moment of anticipation Mason’s mind went back to Clara’s high school graduation just a few years prior. She was the valedictorian at her graduation back then, and Mason couldn’t hardly believe it at the time.

  But now that she was stepping up to the podium as valedictorian once again, this time as a straight A student at Stanford, he was even more amazed by his little girl’s efforts. He always said that she got her brains from her mom, but Clara attributed her ability to excel to her dad much more than he ever even realized. As would be evidenced in the few remarks his daughter was about to make before the crowd that had assembled before her.

  As she walked across the stage, the audience cheered the beautiful young woman on, but no one was cheering louder than Mason, Raina, Marshal, Kyle, Chris, Matt, and Luke—the members of Onyx who were in attendance. Even though with the exception of her father, none of them were blood relatives, they all cheered her on as if she were their own personal family member.

  In many ways she was. Clara Walker had indeed become a big part of life for the Onyx team members and they wished her all the success in the world. They knew that she had a bit of a Midas touch just like her father, and they truly believed that whatever Clara was a part of would become gold in just a short amount of time.

  As such they all sat in raptured silence as Clara opened her mouth and began to speak, “Hello everybody.”

  Mason couldn’t help but smile at the simple, informal, and completely unassuming way in which Clara addressed the crowd. She spoke to those who heard her as if they were all her personal friends. Instead of displaying the high-minded hubris that affected many others in her position, she kept it simple and down to earth. And her opening remarks would have this same kind of humility on full display.

  Everyone listened in as Clara continued, “Today is a big day for all of us. We have struggled, we have worked hard, and we have achieved much, and there is much to be proud of. But we would be remiss to pretend that we made this journey on our own. Because all of us have had those that have served as watchmen along our path to success, we have all had stewards of our good fortune along the way. But as it pertains to me personally, I have just one person that I would have to thank beyond any other—and that would be my dad Mason Walker.”

  Upon hearing the mention of his name, Mason’s mouth dropped wide open as he stared in astonishment. The only thing that brought him out of his shocked state, was Raina giving him a gentle nudge and beaming at him, “She’s thanking you Mason!”

  Clara then clarified as much when she pointed to her father in the crowd and announced, “He’s seated right over there. How about it, folks? Can we have a round of applause for my dad?”

  To this request the crowd gladly complied, giving a round of cheers and applause for the proud papa in their midst. In her next breath, Clara then explained why it was that Mason was such an important fixture in her life. She expressed, “Even though it wasn’t always easy, my Dad has been with me through thick and thin.”

  She took a deep breath and continued, “And when it came to raising me… It was hard from the very beginning in fact.”

  Looking passionately into the crowd she continued, “Shortly after I was born, my mother passed away from cancer, making her young husband suddenly a single father.”

  She paused as the audience expressed sympathy in various muted “aww and oh” sounds of sympathy. She then continued, “Other men might have collapsed under the weight of the pressure he felt, but as true as his Navy SEAL roots my father soldiered on and that is why I’m up here speaking to you today.”

  Upon hearing this the audience once again broke into applause, before Clara continued, “My father is the kind of man that would put his family before anything else in life.” Mason smiled at the mention.

  Clara had a few more words to say, but what everyone remembered most was how she summed up her dad’s contribution to her life as she closed with, “He was always there when I needed him, I didn’t even have to ask. Although he parachuted into harm’s way under heavy gunfire on
countless missions of extreme danger, I could always rest assured that he was just a phone call away.”

  As the tears began to roll down Mason’s face she again repeated, “I would just like to thank you.” Before addressing the entire auditorium and again repeating, “Thank you.” She then turned and walked back to the side of the stage to sit with her peers as applause followed her short, determined steps. Wiping tears from his face, Mason happily sighed, “That’s my girl.”

  A FEW HOURS LATER, AT REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA

  Mason, Raina, and the whole Onyx crew are seated around a big table at a local crab shack restaurant nestled in the tourist driven enclave of Redondo Beach, waiting for Clara to return from the lady’s room. It was a bit of a drive from Stanford, but it was a favorite hangout for both Mason and Clara during her college days when he would meet up with her on the strip, and the tradition had stuck ever since.

  And besides all this, the place had some pretty good seafood to boot. A fact that Mason commented on as he chomped down another fresh batch of scampi that had just been dropped off by their server.

  Completely oblivious to any known etiquette or protocol, rough and tumble Mason remarked in between bites, “Damn—well what do you know? This crap is good!”

  At which Raina seated next to him laughed, “Mason, you are the only person I know that would say ‘crap is good’ Mason.”

  Mason now shoveling some scallops into his mouth, paused for a moment to reply, “Well—I guess I just like to be modest that’s all.”

  Swallowing the scallops, Mason chuckled, “Well it’s like this. When it comes to food, I keep my expectations low, so that when I swallow, I won’t be disappointed.”

  As Raina soaked in Mason’s absurdity, he continued, “You see, before eating I look down at my plate like it’s a bunch of tasteless crap, and then that way when I bite into it, and find its really good, you hear me exclaim in pleasant surprise, ‘Wow! This crap is good!’”