Beyond the Checkpoint

by Addison M. Conley

  Thinking quick, Lynn said, “I think it’s prudent to limit his access to JETT reports. You’ve been here longer than me and see a side of him that he doesn’t dare show to another officer. So, what’s your opinion?”

  “This Brigade has a lot of hidden garbage.”

  “Such as?”

  “Haven’t you noticed they bicker with Special Forces all the time? It’s harmful and plain un-American.” Ali scooted closer. “The month before you arrived, they refused medevac if Special Forces didn’t divulge their plans with the Brigade before execution.”

  “Are you sure they threatened to withhold medical services to wounded soldiers?” Lynn was aware of the overall complaint but not the details.

  “Yes. They were trying to strong-arm Special Forces into giving up their plans.”

  “Did you report this? What did your agency say?” Ali gave her an odd look and turned away.

  “The colonel told him that I misunderstood the words spoken by the briefer. With all the ops going on, he said they had limited air support, and that medical helicopters were in high demand.” She turned back toward Lynn. “He said that under such conditions,” Ali made air quotes, “medevac helos could be unavailable if they were dispatched elsewhere. That is the only reason why he supposedly advised Special Forces to inform him of their movements.”

  “Sounds reasonable.”

  Ali grabbed Lynn’s hand. “Yes, Lynn, but that’s not what was said.” In a whispered shout, she said, “Major Ratcliffe leveled a threat against Special Forces in the colonel’s name. I swear it. And others were talking about it too. Ask the other JETT members. And do you know why Special Forces won’t reveal their operations to the Brigade ahead of execution?”

  “No.”

  “The Brigade trains the Afghan Army. Special Forces thinks someone’s been leaking info to the Afghans.”

  Lynn’s mouth hung open. “I believe you.”

  “Yeah, so be happy we’re on a different computer network than the Brigade. They can’t get any info from us unless we release it to them.”

  Lynn’s mind spun, and her stomach clenched. With what Evans had said the other day, it sounded as if the spy or spies had found a way to tap into the computers.

  “This is horrible. JETT is going to have to be more cautious. I’ll have to consider more options to keep us safe.” Pushing Ali too hard might backfire. Lynn decided to wait before prodding her for the names of her sources. “Let’s get going.”

  Ali filled her in on a few more details on the walk to the truck. Lynn needed more info and decided to slowly drive the long route back to the Ops Center.

  “There’s another story that’s repulsive and could have cost lives.”

  Lynn swallowed. “Tell me more.”

  “Before I arrived, the gate to the Afghan Special Forces enclave on another base was welded shut in the middle of the night. The base is under the Brigade’s command.”

  Lynn was familiar with the report and feigned ignorance. “Who would do such a thing?”

  “I was told the Brigade, but they denied it. After the gate was opened, the command refused to allow the Afghans into the chow hall for a week. They forced them to eat MREs, but the Afghans were low on supplies.” Ali balled her hands into fists. “And the disgusting battalion gave them MREs with pork! Lynn, the Afghan Special Forces have American advisors, which we both know are deep covert soldiers. Somehow, the battalion got away without punishment, and the higher-ups in the Brigade pushed it under the rug.”

  The pork comment was never in the official report. “Was the incident reported?”

  “It was. Another reason why the Special Forces guys don’t talk to the Brigade unless it’s an emergency. But that’s not the most interesting part.”

  Ali’s hand was now on Lynn’s shoulder.

  “Which is?” Lynn said in the calmest voice possible.

  “Dalton was in charge of the intel company on base. He was moved here one week after the Special Forces filed a complaint against the Brigade. Coincidence? Perhaps. But I wouldn’t put it past him to be involved.”

  Lynn popped the clutch while trying to shift gears. She couldn’t recall Dalton being in the official report.

  “Ali, these are grave allegations. Who told you this?” Lynn didn’t mean to blurt it out and softened her voice. “I’m not trying to get you or your friend into trouble. I’ll be honest. I’ve had concerns about Dalton all along. I don’t want him accessing top-secret JETT reports.”

  Lynn reached over and squeezed Ali’s hand. “I trust your judgment, but I’d feel a lot better if I knew who told you the info. No offense but a person’s experience and years of service add credibility.” If Ali had full access to the mission, this charade today would be unnecessary. Who or what agency is against Ali obtaining the special clearances?

  “My friend isn’t a young sergeant.” Ali scooted down in her seat. “It’s two people. Dan and Sergeant Cramer have both complained about him. Cramer’s had more run-ins.”

  Lynn squinted her eyes. “Dan’s excellent reputation as a retired E9 gives him clout. Who’s Cramer?”

  Ali propped her lug boots on the dashboard, and Lynn worried she was going to clam up. “Please talk to me. This sounds serious. I can help. And we need to protect JETT if Dalton is a bad guy.”

  “Let’s go to the lookout. There’s probably no one there this time of day.”

  They drove the rest of the way in silence. Lynn barely had the truck in park when Ali jumped out and sat on the hood. The lookout was only a small hill. It wasn’t much, compared to the rest of the flat, desolate land, but it was elevated enough for them to see most of the base.

  “What’s up?” Lynn could see the muscle in Ali’s jaw tighten.

  “When you invited me today, I planned on telling you. It’s just hard.”

  Lynn didn’t like the sound of this. “Go on.”

  “Sergeant Jill Cramer is Miller’s wife.”

  “What!? Sergeant Michele Miller of JETT?”

  “Calm down.”

  Lynn kicked the dirt. “What the frak, Ali?”

  “They had a private commitment ceremony in Massachusetts back in 2005 that they kept secret. They didn’t want to get kicked out of the military.” Ali turned to Lynn. “This is the first time they’ve been assigned together since Fort Devens. The Army has no problem letting straight married couples deploy and sleep together.”

  Lynn rubbed her face. “DADT is still in place. They’re taking a hell of a risk. Since Miller’s performance has been exemplary, I have no problem looking the other way if their relationship doesn’t interfere with the mission.”

  “I know you’re not happy but—”

  “Let’s chalk up the violations. There’s us, and now my third in command and her wife. Okay, despite all that,” Lynn threw her hands in the air, “is Dalton just a condescending jerk or has he done something? Is someone else doing something they shouldn’t? Ali, it’s your duty to inform me.” Calm down or she’ll freeze on you. Lynn put her arm around Ali. “If you’re in trouble, I’ll try to help the best I can, but don’t make it worse by hiding information. The hole will only get deeper.”

  Ali bit her lip, took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled and sharply said, “Dalton’s blackmailing Cramer.”

  “How?”

  Ali filled in Lynn on Dalton’s improper security handling of a laptop and meeting Afghan locals without another military person present.

  “Ali, those are security violations and should have been reported!” Lynn’s face was hard.

  “She did report them.”

  “How long has this been going on?”

  “I’m not sure. When Cramer persisted, he brought up her marriage to Miller and threatened to out her to the colonel.”

  “You said Cramer reported it. To whom?”

  “Dan.” Ali turned away when she said his name.

  “He’s a civilian and has no authority in this particular situation.”

&nb
sp; Ali shrugged. “Dan’s connected and has some folks checking into it.” She walked away.

  It was not proper protocol reporting to a civilian not in the chain of command, no matter how well he was connected. Maybe this was why Ali is being kept out of the loop. Dan and Cramer’s involvement needed to be reported, but Lynn made a snap decision to play dumb if Miller and Cramer’s relationship ever surfaced.

  Lynn walked up to Ali who had her arms crossed. She ignored Lynn and stared out at the vast expansiveness of sand and stone.

  Get her to talk more. “Ali, how did you find out about Cramer and Miller if they have been discreet?”

  “We met in the chow hall.” She turned and was biting her lip. “One day, I left my tablet for a few minutes to go back for a drink. Cramer accidentally bumped it and, in the process, saw my LesFic eBooks.”

  Lynn’s eyebrows shot up. “You have to engage the lock screen on your devices! I’ve seen your phone and tablet in the designated drop-off storage bins outside the Operations Center. Anyone could pick yours up by accident.”

  “Relax. I now press the button before laying them down to lock instantly, and I changed the screen lock from a two-minute timer to ten seconds in case I forget.”

  “So, Cramer and Miller eventually confided in you?”

  “Days later, they told me their love story. They’re like you—dedicated to the max to serving.”

  “This is a lot to take in Ali. I’m going to restrict Dalton’s access to reports. I’ll give him some excuse. For now, let’s keep this conversation between us. I need to figure out what to do, and I don’t want Miller living in fear. Okay?”

  Ali nodded.

  “All right. Keep your eyes and ears open and let me know if you suspect any more possible security violations. I want to keep JETT clean.”

  Evans and headquarters had been tracking Dalton for about a week, and this new information helped. Why did Ali not come forward until now, and why did she go to Dan? This sure doesn’t look good.

  Lynn drove Ali back to the Operations Center. “I have a few things to take care of.”

  “Okay.” Ali didn’t close the door right away. “I shouldn’t have said anything today, but my gut is telling me something’s terribly wrong.”

  “You did the right thing. I’ll see you later.”

  As Lynn drove away, she saw Ali in the mirror. She hadn’t moved.

  “Frak. Frak. Frak. I can’t let her down.”

  Lynn drove back to her tent and ran up the steps. Her tent mates should be working. Make sure. “Hello. Anyone around?”

  She plopped onto her bed. The enormous tent was divided into individual rooms separated by plywood walls with a twin bed and a wobbly nightstand made of scrap wood. It was basic compared to ISAF Kabul headquarters, but heaven compared to combat outposts. Right now, I wish I had been assigned to a COP instead of this NSA fraking mess.

  After resting for a few minutes, she cleaned up with facial wipes. Staring into the tiny mirror taped to a board, she looked older than her mid-thirties. “Get a grip and get back to work,” she mumbled. The report would be lengthy and painful but had to be done.

  To clear her head, she decided to leave the truck and walk, grabbing a take-out dinner and shuffling to her desk. After nodding to Ali and the rest of the team, she passed the 1800 briefing preparations over to Evans and settled down to the computer with a thick paper file next to her. As she typed her report, she would glance down and pretend to be engrossed in the data, occasionally taking bites of her sandwich.

  “Aren’t you calling it quits?” Ali asked. Apprehension was written on her face.

  “I have to finish this boring monthly report. Nothing special, but you know they’ll bust my chops if I don’t. You all head out. Miller, why don’t you wrap it up and walk Ali back. We can handle things for a few more hours.” Lynn motioned to two junior members of the team sitting at the far end from her.

  “Are you sure?” Miller asked.

  Lynn shooed them away. “Go. Tomorrow’s another day. It’s quiet, and everyone’s doing an outstanding job.” She leaned back and crossed her legs, smiling. “No need to worry. I have things under control.”

  Ali nodded slightly, and Lynn wanted to wrap her arms around her. Someday, this will all end. I hope she’s still talking to me.

  An hour later, Lynn finished the report for NSA headquarters and reviewed the details on the screen. There was no mention of sex with Ali last week. Bare bones were in about Cramer, but Lynn did not discuss her marriage to Miller. Frak. You’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. She punched the “Send” button.

  Glancing at the clock, it was three hours until midnight but only just after lunch back on the U.S. East Coast. Rubbing her face and yawning, she had just stood to stretch when an icon signifying an encrypted Jabber text from Fort Meade popped up on the screen. It had only been twenty minutes. Her pulse rose, and her hand briefly hovered over the keys before typing in her password. The screen unlocked, displaying the mission message and the electronic signature of Admiral Kent. She hit the “Accept” button.

  Admiral: Dan Galvarino interviewed four days ago at Bagram. Very informative. His agency is cooperating. Get introduced to Cramer somehow. And STEP IT UP. We need Evans’s technical, and your human intel as proof. Otherwise, the case is weak. This has to wrap ASAP!”

  Lynn: Is Dan involved with Dalton? I feel he’s hiding something, but Ali trusts him.

  Admiral: No.

  Bolting upright, the near instantaneous response surprised her.

  Lynn: When is Dan coming back? If you’re sure he’s not involved, could he be helpful?

  Several long seconds passed while the cursor blinked, and she was beginning to wonder if there was a malfunction. Suddenly, the message popped up.

  Admiral: There was a hit-and-run last night. He died. Murder investigation underway.

  Every nerve in Lynn’s body fired. This sounded more elaborate than a few rogue Brigade officers.

  Lynn: Is our cover blown?

  Admiral: Standby.

  She leaned back, rubbed her forehead, and took in a breath, fighting back the emotions. Why is Kent’s answer taking so long? She stared at all the exposed wires running along the ceiling and rocked in her chair. Like my life, twisted. Ping. An official email from Kent sat in her inbox with “Security Forms” in the subject line and an attachment in the body.

  She clicked on the various agreement buttons before the system allowed her to view the full document. It gave her access to yet another special program. As far as she knew, clearances were never granted without someone in the know physically present. Hastily, she read and electronically signed, then sent it back. Another Jabber chat window flashed with a different warning. She hit the “Accept” button.

  Admiral: Dan Galvarino was CIA, and they didn’t tell us that Ms. Clairmont was one of his sources until yesterday.

  Stunned, she reread the message. Ali was involved with the CIA. What the frak is going on?

  Lynn: What about Evans? Is he really an Army CID investigator? I need the truth to be successful.

  Admiral: Evans is also CIA but works with CID.

  Lynn: WHY WASN’T I TOLD?

  She stared at the screen, half waiting for the administrative order to punish her.

  Admiral: Don’t use caps on me again! I will ignore it for now. For whatever reason, CIA wanted Evans’s and Galvarino’s affiliation hidden. Forget it. You need to concentrate.

  “Frak, I might as well go all in,” she mumbled over her mug before taking a swig, setting it down, and banging on the keyboard.

  Lynn: This has been a dangerous mission from the start. I am happy to serve my country, to assist in stopping the breach of security, bring justice for Dan, and protect Ali. But, you throwing my former relationship with Ali in my face was a threat to ensure I’d take the assignment. You insinuated, and Evans continues to suggest, that I use that relationship to control Ali. She should have been brought in from the start
. Why wasn’t she?

  Lynn pulled out a deck of cards, shuffled over and over, thinking this text was the one that probably would get her in trouble. She doubted the admiral would pull her out, but she had to know.

  One sergeant yelled across the room, “I know it’s late, ma’am, and I’d love to play, but we’re still at work.”

  She forced a laugh and reshuffled the cards. They’ve used us all along. Damn you Kent, answer! Her fingers flew back to the keyboard as Admiral Kent’s reply displayed.

  Admiral: Evans was placed for technical. Your past work for me at headquarters and your service record showed dedication to duty and exceptional skills, and it was agreed that no one knows JETT operations better than you. Yes, I thought you’d be good at squeezing info out of Ms. Clairmont, but a genuine concern about her safety was expressed from the start. NGA refused to pull her out. We didn’t know why. With CIA’s revelation, now we know. It was also suggested you were the best choice to protect her without raising suspicion. As for your “friendship,” nothing more needs to be said. As for Evans, tell me if it happens again. I will take care of it! He is only there for technical!

  Lynn tilted her head. Someone else wants me in this job? She stared at the latter part of the message. Kent did not say the precise words but clearly gave her a huge “don’t tell” warning. Lynn wondered if Kent’s support would change if she were faced with a written allegation. Another message flashed, snapping her back to the moment.

  Admiral: I agree that Ms. Clairmont should be told. We’re waiting on all the other agencies to concur. I will get back to you soon. Remain silent about Galvarino’s murder and the mission until I give the word. And let me worry about CIA playing its own game. Understood?

  She had the urge to ask more questions but thought better of it.

  Lynn: Roger.

  Admiral: Since you’re calling Mr. Galvarino and Ms. Clairmont by their first names, I hope you’re not getting soft. Get some rest.

  Lynn lowered her head in her hands. She still couldn’t believe everything that was happening. After 9/11, all agencies were supposed to coordinate. This is a fraked up mess.