Limits of Protection

by Kelly Utt

  Before I can collect my wits and make sense out of our predicament, Liam and his half of the team are gone. They’ve disappeared down another dark hallway. The only sound is that of our shuffling feet. We’re on the move again. There’s no time to stand still. If we stand still, we’re an easier target. I tell myself to get it together. I cannot risk harm coming to all of us because I am unable to control my emotions. I steel myself and I suck it up. I tell myself to remember how good it felt the other night on the rooftop when I stepped out onto that ledge and took action to save Ethan. Even though I was terrified, taking that action felt so much better than being a helpless victim. I know it’s the same right here and right now. I resolve to do whatever it takes and to be brave. This is where I’m needed. And besides, I don’t have any other choice. I’m in far too deep to back out now.

  I follow Eriksson and another one of the SEALs to a stairway. Draco is behind me and Frida is not far past him. A third navy SEAL is in the rear. We fall in quickly and orderly as we shuffle down the stairwell. We keep our guns raised and our eyes peeled for any sign of danger. To my relief, we reach the bottom of five flights of stairs without incident. Maybe we just got lucky. Tucker bursts through the door at the bottom and we all see it. We’ve found the lab.

  Before I can process what’s happening, shots ring out. Bullets begin to fly so fast that I can’t tell if they’re coming from our guys or not. I spot at least four greenish figures on the other side of the room using my night vision. They’re rushing towards us. I put my finger on the trigger and begin to pull it when I remember that we have to be extra careful in this room because we don’t want a bullet to hit the wrong thing and release a chemical weapon. We have to take a much more targeted aim in this setting and I don’t feel qualified to do it. I will if I have to, but I decide to hang back as much as possible and let the SEALs do the precision work they’re used to. Tucker Eriksson and his two team members step in front of me, Draco, and Frida and take the lead. The firefight lasts less than two minutes before the SEALs have the enemy combatants taken out. Without hesitating for even a second, Tucker and his guys then rush forward to snap photos of faces and transmit them back to base. Once that’s done, they drag the bodies out into the stairwell and then barricade the door with us inside. For the first time since we stepped onto the helicopter at Camp Shorabak, Tucker speaks.

  “You’re on,” he says to me, Draco, and Frida. “We will secure the door to prevent entry. Do your thing and do it fast.“

  We nod our understanding and resolve to get busy. No sooner do I reach my foot forward and take a single step to do my job than an explosion rocks the entire building. Pieces of concrete fall from the ceiling and crumble down around us. The floor beneath us shakes as if a major earthquake is happening. We drop to the ground because we can’t remain on our feet.

  “Was that Bravo Two’s team?“ one of the SEALs asks Tucker. “Could it have been a strategic breach?“

  “I don’t know,“ Tucker replies. “But that was far more powerful than a door breach. Bravo Two’s team didn’t cause the blast. I guess the terrorists know we’re here and have decided to destroy the lab with us in it.“

  12

  Collateral Damage

  I have my gun in hand and am rushing the door when Tucker Eriksson stops me.

  “Get it together, Hartmann,” he says. “You have a job to do. You know I can’t let you out of this room until it’s done.”

  “But, my uncle…” I plead. “I have to get to him.“

  I try and push past Tucker. It’s a foolish move. He’s far bigger and stronger than I am. Not to mention, two of Tucker’s team members stand close beside him as Hutch gnashes his teeth at the end of his lead. But I’m not thinking logically. I just need to get to Liam.

  “Hartmann,“ he begins again, his voice louder and more forceful this time. “You have your orders and so do I. Assess the technology in this room like Colonel Becker told you to. Now!”

  Tucker keeps his body firm and doesn’t let me pass. He has his feet spread shoulder-width apart. It’s a solid stance. There’s no way I could physically move him, no matter what I tried. My mind knows that. But my heart tells me to find a way to get to my uncle.

  “I know,” I say. “And I will. I intend to do my job here. But I have to get to my uncle first. If he needs me, I’ve got to get to him and help him. It’s that simple. I’ll come back here just as soon as I’m done. I’ll drag Liam over here if necessary.”

  Realizing that I’m not hearing him, Tucker reaches out both of his huge arms and places his hands on my shoulders. He shakes me, hard.

  “Soldier, follow your orders or I’ll have you court-martialed. Millions of lives depend on what we’re doing right now, in this moment. If you don’t collect this information now, there might not be anything left to collect. The place could be blown to pieces at any minute. Focus! Do your analysis and transmit the information back to base as fast as you possibly can. Everything depends on you, Draco, and Frida getting it right, right now. Before this place blows.“

  Tucker’s tone reminds me of Roddy’s. I remember back to our recent conversation in the kitchen of the Lake Tahoe vacation home when he told me to remember my training and start thinking like a soldier. That was before Clive ran Ali, Marjorie, and the boys off the road. It was before Ali was presumed dead and then found, clinging to life, unconscious in a hospital bed. It was before I was called back to active duty for this dangerous mission. If feels like that was many years ago. But it stuck with me. I think about Roddy’s cancer diagnosis and how he wants to teach me what he knows in case he isn’t around long term. He’s already taught me so much. I think about my decision to be a predator on offense instead of prey waiting to be victimized.

  Somehow, hearing Roddy’s words in my mind, I gather myself and agree to do my job here in the lab before searching for Liam. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Liam could be injured right now. He could be bleeding out, or worse. I could be missing the last few moments of his life. But I know I have a job to do. I know people are counting on me. And I know Liam would want me to do it. I stand up straight and put my shoulders back. I take a deep breath and muster all of the courage that I can. Then I turn around and join Draco and Frida in the intelligence gathering and assessment of the lab’s capabilities.

  I pull out my mobile phone and snap a series of pictures as I open drawers and cabinets to examine micro drones and their components. Using a knife from my belt, I break open the machines and look carefully at their parts. I dig through drawers of schematics and blueprints. And I navigate to pertinent computer files. It becomes clear to me very quickly this terrorist group does, in fact, understand our technology. They have duplicated it successfully and, from the perspective of the microdrone tech, they have the capability to carry out the chemical weapons attacks on major cities exactly as they’ve threatened to do.

  “Elias,“ I call to Draco from across the room. “They have everything to carry out their planned attacks as far as I can tell. Their engineering is sound. What are you seeing on the chemical weapons side of things?”

  “Same here,” he calls back. “They’ve got nerve agents in gas form. So far, I’ve found sarin and soman. They also have chlorine gas, a choking agent, and sulfur mustard gas. Any of which could be airborne and dropped over cities. Their capabilities appear to be advanced.“

  “Send it in!” Tucker yells from his post at the door.

  The building continues to rumble as if the explosion is causing aftershocks while the structure settles. I take a few more pictures and then transmit key findings to Colonel Becker and his team.

  “Guys,“ Frida yells to us. “Come get a look at this.“

  Draco and I walk towards her quickly. She points to a map of the United States that she found in a desk drawer. On it, there are red circles everywhere. The biggest circles surround the five cities that Colonel Becker told us about, but there are many more. At a glance, I count at least fifty r
ed circles around American cities. Most are on the East and West Coasts to coincide with population density, but few states are spared.

  “Did you get this to Becker?” I ask.

  “Already sent,” Frida confirms. She looks dazed and in shock.

  “Do you think these are all targets for chemical weapons attacks?“ I ask.

  “I’d say so, yes,“ she replies.

  “They don’t have enough drones here to launch that many attacks,” I say. “Nowhere near enough. They don’t even have enough for the first five cities. There must be a second facility.“

  “Same with the chemical agents,“ Drago says. “This looks like more of a testing facility. My guess would be they focus on implementation somewhere else.“

  “Send it in!” Tucker calls again. “Type up a quick summary of your assessments and send them in. Right now!“

  It’s unnerving the way we have to send our assessments in frantically. We all know it’s because we could be killed at any moment. I’ve never been under this kind of pressure and, frankly, I’m surprised I’m holding up as well as I am. Frida, Draco, and I do as we’re told and speedily type up summaries on our mobile phones, then hit send.

  “There’s more,” Frida says.

  “What?“ I ask, not sure I want to know the answer.

  “See for yourself,” Frida says as she hands me a black file folder.

  I open it quickly and am surprised that, inside, there are pictures of me and Liam. This terrorist group must know we designed the microdrones. I flip through the papers and look further. To my horror, they have my home address in Ithaca as well as Liam’s in D.C. There are pictures of the front of our houses. On the very last page in the back of the file, there is a list of the names of all our family members.

  I’m speechless.

  “I’m sorry, Hartmann,” Frida says. “I know this is disturbing. Beyond disturbing.”

  “Send it in!” Tucker calls out again, sounding like a broken record now.

  “Already done,” Frida yells back in response. “It’s in.”

  “Did you get pictures of every page?“ Draco asks. He can tell I’m too distressed to speak for myself and he’s stepping up to fill in. Maybe I misjudged the guy.

  “Yes,” I did,” Frida confirms. “I got everything. And like I said, I sent it in. My work here is done.”

  Just as Draco and I move to agree with her, another loud blast rocks the building. As happened before, chunks of concrete fall from the ceiling while the floor rocks and heaves. This blast was stronger than the first. Whatever they’re using, they’re getting closer.”

  “We’re done here!” I yell to Tucker. “It’s time to go.“

  “Roger that,“ he says. The two SEAL team members with him surround us as we prepare to make our exit.

  “Stay low and close,“ Tucker says. “Getting to the extraction point is not going to be easy.“

  “What about the rest of the team?” I ask.

  “I haven’t been able to get Bravo Two on coms” Tucker explains. I can hear the sadness in his voice. “Colonel Becker has been apprised of the situation. My orders are to get you three to the extraction point. If we don’t rendezvous with Bravo Two by the time we get there, we’re to return to base without them.”

  I throw my head back upon hearing this and look up to the heavens. I understand why, but it’s not fair. Becker wants me, Draco, and Frida back so that he can debrief us about what we’ve seen. The mission is the assessment and it’s more important than the lives of the second string team. The weight of the realization settles over me. Our assessment of this facility is more important to the United States military than Liam Hartmann’s life. The reality chokes my insides like a boa constrictor. There’s not a damn thing I can do. Tucker and his team are here to not only get us in and out, but to protect the intelligence and the mission at all costs. Their orders are to get those of us who were privy to the contents of the lab back with the intel. They wouldn’t let me try and get to Liam no matter what I did. I’m completely and utterly helpless. I have no control. And I hate it. I loathe it. It makes me simultaneously sad and angry and frustrated and every other negative and heartbreaking emotion.

  “Now, let’s move,” Tucker says without giving me time to absorb his last statement.

  Draco, Frida, and I hunch down and move on the inside as the SEAL team members make a protective barrier around us. We again jog quickly up the stairs and down the long hall the same way we came in. Several armed men show up and shoot at us, but Tucker and his team members take them out almost as soon as they appear. The building continues to rock and shake. I think to myself how this feels like a war zone. And then I realize that it is.

  Suddenly, I remember our orders to burn the place to the ground once we’ve gathered the intelligence. My knees go weak when I realize what this means for my uncle. If I don’t see him at the helicopter, it’s unlikely that I’ll ever see him again.

  “Tucker!” I try to yell. It’s so loud, that I doubt he hears me. “Tucker!” I try again, as loud as my voice can go. No response. He probably couldn’t turn around even if he did hear me. He has to keep his eyes ahead. And he can’t have any distractions.

  Finally, we make it out of the building and into the night air. A few more men with guns show up and take shots at us, but they’re quickly eliminated. We jog again. Only this time, the sound of our shuffling feet is against the backdrop of both the rumbling building and more gunshots which have just broken out in the distance.

  “Eyes ahead, Hartmann,” Tucker says. “Keep moving.”

  I’m not sure how he even knows what I’m doing. He must assume. Things are beginning to become a blur. My body threatens to fail me. I am overwhelmed with grief and sadness. I don’t think Liam is going to make it out. It should’ve been me. I have failed my uncle in the worst way. And I feel like I’ve failed my dad right along with him. My dad would have wanted me to keep his little brother safe. Somehow, my legs continue to work and I keep pace with the group as we scurry out of the village towards the extraction point. The SEAL team sniper perched in the bell tower provides us cover as we move, then abandons his position to join us. The helicopter lands just as we reach it, in a perfectly timed extraction. When the doors open, I climb in and look around frantically for my uncle. He’s not there. None of Bravo Two’s team is. Unable to stop it, my stomach lurches and I vomit, barely getting my head out the door in time. My body heaves as I puke all over the ground outside and the liquid gets blown around in the wind from the helicopter blades. It’s the perfect physical depiction of what my life has become.

  Just when I think it can’t get any worse, I hear a pair of aircraft screaming through the night sky overhead. I know that sound. Those aircraft are bombers. I should’ve known it when Tucker didn’t set fire to the building on our way out. Becker called in air support. They’re going to bomb the building with Liam in it.

  Everything goes black. Not just the sky. I lose consciousness and descend into dark nothingness. I become truly helpless. Unable to do anything to help myself. Or the Americans at home counting on me. Or Ali and the boys. Or Liam.

  My failure is complete and absolute.

  When I wake up, I’m in a private room at what I assume is Camp Shorabak. I have no idea how long I’ve been out. There’s an IV in my arm and it looks like this place may be the infirmary. I’m groggy and not quite lucid. My vision is blurred. It’s hard to make out anything in the room. My head aches and my entire body feels weak and useless. It takes me a minute, but finally, I remember the raid. I remember the extraction. And the bombers overhead.

  “My uncle…“ I say, not sure if anyone is there to hear me.

  At least, I think I get the words out. It’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s only in my mind.

  “Hello?“ I try, praying that someone hears me.

  Nothing.

  “Is anyone there?” I ask, using all of my energy.

  Still nothing. Only silence.


  I begin to wonder if this is a dream. Maybe I fell asleep on the helicopter out of sheer shock and exhaustion. Maybe I’m going to wake up and Liam will be there along with the rest of Bravo Two’s team. Maybe we will all be transported back to base safely and I’ll be able to call Roddy to tell him that the mission is done and I’m coming home.

  I hear a voice on the far side of the room. “Yes,“ a young man’s voice says quietly. “Major Hartmann is awake.“

  I turn my head sharply to try and see the man, but it only causes me to feel dizzy and even more disoriented. I raise one arm to rub my eyes when I feel a sharp pain and the tightness of bandages. I’ve been injured.

  “What happened to me?“ I ask, again to no one in particular. The young man doesn’t respond. I can’t be sure he’s still in the room. I call out, louder. “Where am I? Who put these bandages on me?“ I begin to get agitated. I need answers. I have people counting on me. I can’t just sit around passing time like I don’t have anything else important to do.

  Just as I am tearing at my IV and shifting myself onto one side of the bed to try and stand up, a pretty female doctor enters the room and tells me to lay back down. She’s about my age with dark-rimmed glasses and long, blonde hair worn in a loose, side-swept braid. She looks intelligent. Even though she’s wearing a lab coat, she has an elegance and a sophistication about her. She reminds me a lot of my Ali. I instantly feel like I can trust her. I do as she says and lean back in my bed.