The world dropped out from under him. He crashed to the ground on his knees, stretched his arms out to his side and fisted his hands. The overwhelming grief inside him exploded in the form of a deep, earthshaking, bone-splintering growl that could be heard for miles. He cursed the fates for every moment that led him to this point in his life.
As he fell forward banging his fists against the charred ground hoping to dull the agony in his heart with physical pain he heard a shrill beeping that sang in unison with the woman’s cries, constant, unrelenting and familiar.
Boomer dived from the bed and crouched, ready for another attack. His eyes darted around the room, his breathing heavy and fast. The annoying beep continued. It took a few seconds for him to shake off the sleep still lingering in his brain to realize it was his beeper.
He glanced at the clock, two forty-three in the morning. He snatched the beeper off his nightstand and glanced at it. W&S Inc, time to go to work. He reached up to wipe what he thought was sweat from his face and froze when his fingers became drenched with salty tears.
“This is crazy,” he mumbled and then made his way to the bathroom.
His eyes were red and swollen, his face puffy. He needed to take a shower to wash away any evidence of his nightmare but there wasn’t time. Instead he ran cold water in the sink and splashed it on his face. Once he dried off he dressed in his black work clothes, grabbed his duffel bag and raced out the door.
* * * * *
Sam rechecked her pack as they waited for Boomer to arrive for the briefing. She and Kong were the first to arrive. Ricochet loped in about five minutes after they did looking half-asleep and a bit hung over. Kong pressed for details about his evening, only to receive a big smile and a grunt.
When the door flew open and Boomer rushed into the room they all stopped and stared. He didn’t look right, not to Sam and apparently not to the others. Kong and Ricochet shared a look with each other and then continued securing their gear.
“Boomer, you okay?” Sam asked stepping up to his side.
“Yeah fine why?” he answered without looking at her.
“Just asking.” Not wanting to push the issue she returned to her pack.
“Has he been home yet?” Kong whispered to Ricochet.
“Don’t ask me.”
“You two went out last night, what happened?”
“I set him up with a pretty little redhead who had a look in her eye,” he said mimicking Boomer. “He left alone. After that I can’t tell ya.”
“A look in her eye?”
“Yeah, somethin’ about a woman on the hunt and he won’t be taken in again.”
“I thought he was over that episode by now,” Kong said rubbing his whiskered chin.
“Yeah, well he’s not. Let me tell ya, that oaf doesn’t scare me but a few hours ago I swear I saw murder in his eyes.”
“Good, you’re all here,” Walt said walking into the room with a file in his hand.
“What’s up, Uncle Walt?” Sam asked sitting in a chair in front of his desk.
“A big one.”
“They’re all big,” Ricochet grumbled.
Sam looked at him and smiled when he winked at her.
“I hate sending you out again so soon after your last mission but I can’t risk a rookie team on this.”
Walt sat at his desk and glanced at his ace team before continuing. “We have a situation at a school that needs to be ended immediately.”
“Locals can’t handle it?” Kong asked knowing full well that if they had been called in the local cops were in over their heads.
“They could if they had time. Unfortunately time is something they don’t have.” He looked at each one individually. Concern flooded his face when he took a good look at Boomer. “You okay, Campbell?”
“Yes sir, I’m fine.”
“You’re sure because I need each one of you on top of this.”
“Never been better.”
Sam watched her uncle’s face carefully. When he glanced at her she knew what he was silently asking.
Is he okay? she asked in her head.
He is fine.
He doesn’t look fine. Will he be all right on the mission?
He will do well on the mission, her guide reassured her.
Sam looked at her uncle and nodded once, telling him she’d gotten the all clear.
“Okay. Here’s the story. We have a radical hold up in a private school with a classroom full of hostages. He wants political prisoners released or he claims he will blow the building and everyone in it to hell. The problem is he can. He’s shown local authorities the explosives and if he sets it off there won’t be anything left to identify.”
“He knows what he’s doin’ doesn’t he?” Ricochet snorted.
“How so, Underwood?”
“Most of these guys go after military hostages. People feel bad but hell, they knew what they were gettin’ into right? This guy goes for the meat. Take a bunch of teenagers and the world listens, raises a fuss. He’s smart.”
“He is smart,” Walt agreed. “But he doesn’t have teenagers.”
“I thought you said it was school?” Sam asked.
“It is. A private school that has kindergarten through high school.”
Sam’s stomach clenched and rolled. This wasn’t going to be good. Without moving her head she glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw the fear in her teammates’ faces.
“Go ahead Uncle Walt, tell us,” she whispered.
“He has a mixture of ages with him, six through fourteen.”
Kong took an audible breath. “Son of a bitch. He’d kill babies?”
“Locals believe it and I’d rather err on the side of caution than take a chance.”
“How many?” Boomer asked in his deep, rumbling voice.
Walt tossed the file on the desk, leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. “Twenty-two.”
“Fuck,” Ricochet’s high-pitched voice shrieked through the room.
“That’s not the worst of it.” Walt said in a very quiet voice.
“You mean there’s more to this happy story?” Ricochet asked sarcastically.
“Yeah.” Walt looked to Boomer and settled his gaze on the man’s face. “I want you to be sure you’re up for this Campbell because we’re gonna need your skills.”
“Pack’s loaded. Everything else is locked up and ready to go.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about, Ben.”
Sam’s head jerked to attention. Walt never called the men by their first names.
“Sir?”
“This school, it’s a school for the deaf. Those kids in there can’t hear a damn thing and have no idea what’s going on.”
Sam watched as Boomer’s face paled making his red-rimmed eyes look eerie. His jaw clenched so hard she was sure he’d break teeth. Even his hands balled into tight fists.
“Sam, you and Ben are vital in getting these kids out of there.”
With Sam’s guide and her ability to sign as well it would be up to them to keep the kids calm.
“This guy did his homework. I’ve been going over the intel. He went through each classroom and hand-picked his hostages. The ones he took can’t read lips yet.”
Sam closed her eyes and grabbed hold of the fury building inside her before asking the question she knew she wouldn’t receive an answer to. Will we get them out alive? It was no surprise when an answer didn’t come.
Sam bit the inside of her lip to keep from cursing. When she glanced over at Boomer she swore he’d gotten even paler. Would he be able to handle this? Whatever was wrong with him, would it affect his performance on the job?
I don’t think he’s ready for this. Look at him, something’s wrong.
It is his decision to make, Samantha. Just as you, he has his own free will.
Like a light bulb turning on she remembered him mentioning a dream he’d had.
His dream, is it linked to the mission?
I cannot
say, Samantha.
“We’ll get them out, Uncle Walt,” Sam said staring at Boomer. “Between the two of us it’ll be fine.”
When Boomer glanced over at her she saw something she’d never seen before in the large man’s eyes, fear. Her heart actually shivered.
“Okay,” Walt continued and then handed Kong an envelope. “The plane is staged on the runway ready to take off.”
Everyone stood ready to leave except Boomer. Sam walked over and laid her hand on his shoulder. He jumped and then shook his head as if clearing away the thought that had its hold on him.
“Ready Boomer?” she asked softly.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
When everyone was out of the room Sam turned to her uncle.
“You’re sure about him?” Walt asked.
“No but it said he was fine so I have to believe it’s going to be all right.”
“Keep in touch, Sam.”
“I will, Uncle Walt.”
As they boarded the plane Sam tried to figure out how she was going to approach Boomer about his dream. After running a few scenarios through her head she decided the direct approach was best with him. Hit it straight on.
“Hey Kong, how long’s this trip anyway? Where exactly are we headed?” Ricochet asked taking his usual seat on the plane.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I read the file.”
Sam kept a close eye on Boomer as he quietly stowed his gear and sat. The plane rolled down the runway as Kong began reading the intel.
“It’s not a long a trip. The school’s in Philly.”
Sam leaned over and whispered in Kong’s ear. “I’m gonna try to talk to Boomer.”
“You think he’s going to be okay?” he asked in a hushed voice without looking at her.
“I don’t know. That’s what I want to find out.”
Sam rose from her seat once they were leveled out in the air and dropped down in the seat next to Boomer. His color had returned and his eyes didn’t look nearly as red as they had. Maybe his only problem was a late night.
“Hey Boomer, we have a little time. Want to tell me about your dream?” She could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to decide whether he should tell her or not.
“I had another one tonight,” he whispered.
Sam could barely hear him so she leaned toward him. “Is that why you look like hell?”
“Yeah.”
“Must be pretty bad. Tell me about it maybe we can work it out together.”
Boomer scrubbed his face with the palms of his hands. “It was just a dream, Sam. Nothing but a dream.”
If he thought he was going to get off that easily he was sadly mistaken. “So tell me about it anyway. Sometimes talking about it helps clear the mind. I’ve found that out myself recently.”
Boomer’s gaze met hers followed by a slow, lazy grin.
“The first dream was cryptic, it didn’t really make sense. There were all these hands signing at me, no bodies connected to them, just hands. They were signing so fast I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Then I saw faces, young and older trying to speak to me but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Then there was the loudest explosion and all the hands fell away bloody.”
“Wow.”
“When I woke up my ears were still ringing from the blast.”
Sam sat for a few moments thinking about what he’d told her. “Okay, it sounds to me like you were having a premonition about this mission. Since it was cryptic as you say, it only means that you were being warned. I wouldn’t read much more than that into it.”
“Ricochet sort of had the same dream, only like from a different perspective.”
“Makes sense to me,” she said not feeling the least bit worried about it.
“Neither of us has ever had a premonition, why now?”
Sam could hear the disbelief in his voice. “Well you’ve been around me for the last couple of months. Maybe I’m rubbing off on you.”
When Boomer laughed Sam took his hand. “What about tonight? Was it the same dream?”
“No. No tonight’s dream was anything but cryptic. I may not have understood it but I sure as hell felt it.” He said as his laugh faded away. “The pain was so real.”
“Were you injured?”
“It wasn’t me who was injured, Sam. I was trying so hard to get inside the building and save someone.”
“Who?”
“Hell if I know but it was like my life, my soul depended on it. The only way I can describe it is an intense desperation that was choking me. Then it happened.”
Sam waited for him to continue. She watched as he swallowed hard, fidgeted in his chair and clenched his fists. She could sense the deep turmoil he was going through, trying to decide whether it was just a dream or something he should be concerned about.
“What happened, Boomer?”
“An explosion like nothing I’ve never witnessed. Like God’s fury was unleashed on one spot of the Earth. Hell’s fire rained down on me, Sam. I swear it looked like the end of the world.”
“Keep going, Boomer,” she urged knowing it would be easier to get it out fast.
“Then I heard crying. Not really crying, but sounds of pain that ripped at your guts. I knew I had to get to the source. I knew something was wrong. It was like I knew what had happened but didn’t really know. Does that make any sense?”
“Yes.” She knew all too well what he was saying. Many times she experienced the same thing.
“When I got to the source everything inside me crumbled into dust. I was empty except for the rage and loss I felt. It was horrible, Sam. A tiny, little white foot stuck out from underneath a pile of rubble and next to it was a woman half-burned alive sobbing in grief.”
Sam closed her eyes and forced herself not to cry.
“In the dream I knew them. At least I think I did, that’s the way it felt. It was crushing, the grief was unbearable.”
She could see the affects in his face, the torment the dream had put him through. What’s it all about? she asked her guide hoping to be able to tell Boomer it was nothing more than his overworked brain telling him it was time for a vacation.
We have our own ways of preparing you for what lies ahead.
Sam took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “I wish I could tell you it was nothing Boomer. But I’m not sure what it all means.”
Boomer nodded his head.
“From my experience I can tell you that certain signs tell you certain things. The fact that you saw hands signing at you could mean you were being prepared for this mission. Let’s face it, how many people do you run into who sign on a regular basis? The explosion could mean that’s what this guy is prepared to do and will if given the chance. Now maybe the death of a child and the mother crying next to her is what could happen if we don’t do our job. Since I didn’t have the dream or feel what you felt it’s hard for me to interpret.”
“What about your guide, will it tell you what it means?”
“No. It’s my guide and concentrates on me. It will help through the mission but won’t give me answers to give you. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay I understand.”
“I wish I could help more, Boomer,” Sam said rising from her seat.
“You helped a lot, Sam. Talking was what I needed. Thanks.”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for right? Now get your head together so we can get those kids out of that place and take down this nut.”
“Yes ma’am,” Boomer said giving her a two finger salute and a bright smile.
When she returned to her seat next to Kong, Ricochet was asleep, lightly snoring. Kong looked up at her.
“Heads up on this one, Mark. I think our friend over there received a warning about how serious this is.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s had two dreams that seem to pertain to this particular mission and they don’t end well. That one did too,” she said nodding toward Ricochet.
“Well hell, how come I was left out?” Kong said sarcastically.
“Because you have me, what more do you want?” Sam placed a big wet, noisy kiss on his cheek.
Chapter Five
By the time the plane landed Boomer was in a much better frame of mind. He’d convinced himself the dream was not a prediction of what would happen but a warning of what could be. Nothing was written in stone. With that knowledge he could focus his attention on the job at hand.
Before the team left the plane they smeared their faces with black paint. Sam donned her mask. They rechecked their gear and then disembarked. The mood was serious as they walked toward the helicopter that would take them to their final destination.
“Sam you think the mask is a good idea? Won’t it scare the kids?” Kong asked.
“Kids are more understanding than you think they are, Kong. They’ll think it’s cool,” Boomer told him.
“Cool?”
“Wouldn’t you have liked to have been rescued by a masked hero when you were a kid?” Boomer asked smiling.
“Now that you mention it,” Kong said looking Sam up and down, “it would have been cool.”
It took ten minutes to deliver the team to the school. When they arrived the local authorities were gathered around a black van looking dismayed and panicked. Boomer walked past without a glance. It was Kong’s job to deal with them.
He looked over the campus area. The old, stone buildings that had been converted into school houses looked spooky yet majestic in the moonlight. An icy breeze bit into his skin sinking its teeth into his bones. He shivered slightly then shook it off.
Which building were the kids in? Were they frightened, harmed? Did the target have them positioned at windows and doors as shields? Were they bound in some way to keep them stationary?
“Okay listen up,” Kong said strutting up to the rest of the team. “Here’s the story. He’s had them in there for more than twelve hours. They have managed to keep it out of the press so far but figure in the next four hours the press will be all over it. The families are being held at the police station away from media and anyone else who could leak the info. Feds are standing by if we take him alive.”
Boomer's Fall Page 6