Operation Chaos

by Watkins, Richter

  “The Blacksnake team?”

  “Yeah. It’s inside the perimeter.”

  Mora snapped off a quick salute to Rainee, then vanished down the alley, joining a female wearing a black T-shirt and fatigues and carrying an assault rifle.

  They waited, communication going on, men coming and going. Then moved forward again. Other men appeared like ghosts, checked her out as if the word had spread, then disappeared.

  Now they jogged, not fast, but steady, turning down streets and into alleys, then slowed to a walk. She was directed through a door of a warehouse, down some steps and into a tunnel. The only lights came from small camp lanterns placed on crates every so often.

  Mora reappeared and waved them forward. They went into a building, down a corridor, down some steps, into what looked like a longer tunnel.

  They passed one young man sitting in a chair with a blindfold on.

  “Is he a prisoner?” she asked Duran, though not seeing any restraints on him.

  “No,” Duran said. “That’s Alan Frey. He thinks when he opens his eyes, somebody at some secret base will see what he sees. He thinks he’s got a special chip and he doesn’t want agents tracking him. He’s okay when he gets his meds. At least for a time. We have all sorts of problems. Paranoia is rampant. But we’ve cut down on suicides by bringing them into the organization. That seems to be the only therapy that works.”

  They stopped. Keegan and another man were talking quietly in the semidarkness of a staircase.

  Armed men watched nearby.

  After a few minutes, Keegan left the man and walked back to them.

  “What’s going on?” Rainee asked. “Where’s Metzler?”

  Keegan said, “Complications. He’s trying to work something out. You’ll see him soon.”

  He turned toward two men coming toward them across the warehouse floor and he went to meet them. Then vanished.

  Maybe half an hour went by before Duran got some news. He motioned her to follow. They turned and went up three steps, into a large open and seemingly empty warehouse.

  He stopped her suddenly and got in front of her with his weapon raised. Whatever he’d expected, something else was happening that Duran didn’t like.

  She saw men up ahead talking in strained voices, one leaning against a large crate and massaging his elbow, and the man questioning him, by the sound of the voice, was Keegan.

  “Who’s Keegan talking to?” Rainee asked.

  “He’s talking to a big problem. That’s Landra, the Blacksnake team leader. He’s a nasty bastard that you really don’t want to deal with.”

  Rainee said, “How is it he’s here if he’s not welcome?”

  “You have to understand the situation here. Nobody wants a war. It’s all about working out some agreement.”

  “Agreement?”

  Duran gave her a glance, then said, “You’ll understand when you talk to Metzler. I don’t know how much you know about the situation, but let’s just say it’s not good. A chopper dropped this Blacksnake team in here. They want you, and Metzler. That’s what we’re dealing with at the moment.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You will. This Blacksnake team leader, Landra, is here to take you, Keegan, and Metzler to the Facility. This could get ugly in a hurry if Keegan and Metzler don’t come to terms. You’re here to convince Metzler to cooperate.”

  “You don’t think Metzler will.”

  “I have no opinion.”

  “If you did man up to an opinion?”

  Duran smiled. “No.”

  “This is a lot bigger than just Metzler?”

  “Yes. He’ll tell you.”

  “Who is Keegan in the scheme of things that he was the one to grab me and bring me here?”

  “Seneca is his code name. But those who know him, know what he’s doing, we call him the Urbanwolf.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s not something I want to talk about. Just know that he’s the one who trained up the top cell leaders, including Landra, and he’s at the top of the urban-commando food chain.”

  “What is the purpose of the cells? What’s the reason all of this is going on?”

  “That’s way above my pay grade,” Duran said. “I’m just a grunt.”

  “You’re a soldier. I’m a soldier. What are we dealing with?”

  Duran had a grimace that she interpreted as a desire to tell her, and a conflicted need not to. Rainee said, “I was kidnapped early this morning. I witnessed two men shot to death. Another later, trying to get here. I’m a major part of this on many levels. Somebody has to start telling me what I’m dealing with.”

  Duran nodded, stared off for a moment, then said, “The wars, longest in our history, didn’t end. They just came home. And the people you treated, and all the others who didn’t get treated, are still at war. Only the enemy has changed. Look, Doc, I can’t tell you what you want to know. That’s up to Metzler and Keegan.”

  “You mean you won’t?”

  “That’s only half true. But I can say this much—it’s no small thing.”

  22

  After a necessary refueling in Burbank, Colonel Tesser’s chopper swung south of the Los Angeles center’s high-rises, his eyes constantly tracking images both on his multi-function goggles that revealed a multi-screen deck showing views of the airspace above L.A. They had clearance well below the news and police choppers, but that wouldn’t last once the National Guard moved in.

  “Strac Able One moving four blocks locked north east.”

  “Roger Able One. Elements slowing us down. We’re on target in ten to fifteen.”

  “Blacksnake Three . . .”

  “Fifteen to twenty minutes, flash mobs slowing us down.”

  “Blacksnake One. In contact. Talking to principals.”

  Good news. Damn good news! Landra was the best of the best at this. Their main guy on target.

  Tessler felt a powerful sigh of relief, a vindication and release from something that could have been catastrophic.

  Whatever trouble Keegan had gotten himself into with the assets, he was now back in their hands. Landra would deal with whatever the situation was.

  The only longer-term concern was that the assets Keegan had killed in San Diego, and the guy on the freeway, were connected to the powerful Baja cartel they used for security in Baja. They had deep roots in related gangs in California and were very usable assets in the campaign but, yes, ultimately, were expendable. Maybe this was all going to be a lot of panic for nothing.

  He told Landra to locate Doctor Hall and report immediately. “And get the principals ready to go. L.A. will be under the control of the National Guard in a matter of hours.”

  Tessler checked potential building-roof landing spots in the block where Landra and the principal were. “Once you lock down the area and get the package ready, we can come down and get them out.”

  He gave Landra the building and street intersects.

  The gnawing dread in Tessler’s mind that maybe Keegan had undergone something like Metzler’s meltdown couldn’t be completely dismissed, but Tessler didn’t want to think along those lines. Keegan was their top dog. It was just a situation he’d run into with the assets.

  As his circled the area where Landra had the contact, Tessler felt a strong sense of confidence that it would all end soon, and they’d get the package out.

  He hated Metzler. That bastard really needed to be taken out. But that wasn’t the mission. They wanted to get back into his brain. Fine. But at some point, Tessler wanted the traitor dead.

  Metzler was dangerous. His rebel zone covered a big swath of the downtown L.A. to the south and west. This area was full of well-armed, homeless soldiers who lived in the dark backwaters of the city, in the underground, empty warehouses, alleys. It was an army and it could, if ordered, take over the entire city.

  The fear of disaster began to subside in Tessler. With Landra and the Blacksnake team in contact, the crisis could be quickly reso
lved. One way or another.

  Though he was giving Landra orders, the Blacksnake leader didn’t have to follow them. He took direct orders from a much higher level. That was fine. Just as long as this crisis ended and ended soon.

  He wanted to inform Doctor Raab at the Facility that everything was finally under control and that the doctor should relax and enjoy the big dinner he was throwing for his powerful guests, including the next president of Mexico.

  23

  Rainee didn’t like anything that was happening in front of her. She heard yelling in several directions. Threats of some kind.

  She stood in the dark near a massive concrete slab that leaned against the wall, waiting with Mora and one other guy.

  Duran came back to where she was. “This could go to hell fast. Let me go see what the hell is going on. Be right back.” Duran and two other men stayed with her as Mora took off at a jog.

  Above, the flames a chopper crossed the sky from the north and continued west.

  “Is Landra one of Keegan’s?” she asked.

  Duran said, “They all are. He trained Landra and the other Blacksnake team leaders.”

  “Can’t he handle this?”

  “No. They are controlled by people far above Keegan. Look, I’m just a grunt. You’ll get answers from Metzler. Landra, like Keegan, is a Delta Tier One. This doesn’t work out and we get into a fight with these Blacksnake teams, it’s going to be all-out war.”

  All the answers to her questions were now close, but getting to the answers meant dealing with the potentially degenerating situation.

  A few minutes later, Mora returned and motioned them to follow, saying, “Landra wants to talk to you, Doc, before he deals with Keegan and Metzler.”

  “That a good idea?” Duran asked.

  “I want to talk to him,” Rainee said. “I need to talk to him.”

  “Metzler has men in place if there’s any attempt to grab her,” Mora said.

  They went into an alley, through a door, into a large, empty warehouse, across a room filled with empty racks, and into another room.

  A group of men were talking, the only light coming from a small lantern sitting on a crate. Then she saw Landra come in to talk to them.

  Landra looked over at Rainee, saying something before breaking away and coming over to her. He had an Uzi-style weapon across his chest and wore, appropriately, black cargo pants and a black shirt.

  Landra smiled as he approached. “Doctor Hall, I’m Martin Landra. We need to resolve our little problem.”

  Up close, she wondered if she hadn’t seen him before. Maybe at one of the Stand Down projects.

  The tall, broad shouldered Landra said, “Here’s the situation, Doc. There’s been a slight change in plans. A chopper will come down on the roof of a nearby building, and you’re to get on board with or without Keegan and Metzler.”

  “The doc’s got a say in this,” Duran said.

  Landra gave him a cold look. “Stay out of it.”

  Rainee said, “I’m not going anywhere without first talking to Keegan and Metzler.”

  Landra studied her a moment, then said, “They’ll come down later, once it’s worked out. We just want this to be a peaceful negotiation.”

  Rainee stared back at him. “I’m here to see Metzler?”

  “I’m just following orders,” Landra said. “We need this to work quickly or there could be a lot of trouble, and nobody wants that. At the moment, Metzler isn’t in the mood to be cooperative and Keegan is working on that. I know that was originally why you were brought up here, but things have changed. L.A. is on the verge of chaos. We need to get moving.”

  His men were moving off to either side, as if getting ready if things went bad.

  Rainee wanted to defuse the situation. Mora and Duran and the others with them weren’t going to let Landra take her, and she had no interest in any battle developing.

  Rainee said, “I’m sorry, but until I talk to Metzler, I can’t be going anywhere. That’s what I’m here for. If you tell me what’s really going on, what’s behind all this, maybe I can be more helpful.” Get him talking. Explaining.

  “That’s not your call,” Landra said. He put a finger to his earpiece, walked off a few steps, nodded.

  Then he turned back to her. “We need to go now. The city will be in lockdown soon.”

  “She wants to see Metzler,” Duran said. “That’s going to happen.”

  “I told you to back off,” Landra said. “You and your men aren’t part of this. I’m under orders.” He turned and nodded. There was movement in the dark recesses of the building. He turned to Rainee. “You don’t have a choice in this. Come with me, Doc. No harm will come to you, that’s for sure. The chopper is landing on the roof as I speak.”

  “Not happening. She’s going to wait for Keegan,” Duran said. “Those are my orders.”

  Landra turned and said, “You boys don’t seem to understand. I’m not making the decisions. They want her airborne now. Don’t get in the middle of this. Keegan isn’t running the show and neither is Metzler. This is from headquarters. Back the hell off.”

  Rainee felt this was going to go bad in a hurry. She said, “Landra, I’m here to deal with a problem that affects the whole program. I’m going to see Metzler before I go anywhere. Don’t start a stupid war over it. I think the golden oak leaf makes me the highest ranking person on the ground here at the moment.”

  Landra gave her a thin smile, not much impressed. He said, “I take orders from a higher rank who in turns takes them from a much higher rank. Let’s not quibble. We need to go.”

  She could hear the chopper above them now.

  Duran said, “Ain’t nobody taking the doc anywhere until Metzler okays it. That’s why she’s here. Let’s just ease on down.”

  “You’re making a bad mistake,” Landra said angrily. “I got no argument with you, Duran. But my orders are my orders. I’m not part of Metzler’s team. Or Keegan’s. They don’t run the show. So get out of here. She’s going to the roof to be picked up and that’s the end of it.”

  “Everybody calm down,” Rainee said.

  Landra ignored her. He glared in Duran’s direction.

  Rainee, in her best command voice, said, “Hey, this isn’t going to work if you shoot each other and me in the process. Everybody, back down. I’m not leaving until I see Metzler and I don’t want a bunch of dead soldiers.”

  Duran said, “Pull back like the doc says.”

  Landra had something else going on, hearing something they couldn’t hear. Then he said, “No can do. That’s the big dog talking from above. Duran, get your boys out of here.”

  When Landra moved his hand ever so slightly on his weapon and made a slight nod of his head, she knew something bad was about to happen.

  She didn’t know where the first shot came from, but even as Duran hit her like a linebacker and drove her hard to the floor behind some crates, she saw Landra stagger. Gunfire echoed loud in the building, seemingly from all sides.

  24

  The smell of gunfire, a smell she knew well, and the familiar post-violence stillness.

  Duran helped her up and said, “Sorry I hit you so hard.”

  “Rather you than a bullet.”

  The firefight had ended as quickly as it started. She saw men coming down from their hidden perches on old cargo racks.

  Mora went from body to body to see if any of the four Blacksnake members had survived. None had.

  Landra lay on the floor some fifteen yards away.

  There was only one wounded among the men who were protecting her, and his wound turned out to be superficial. Mora took out his medical kit and bandaged him. It was so much like a combat zone.

  The four Blacksnake men with Landra were also dead.

  She heard gunfire somewhere outside the building, and overhead she heard the sound of the chopper dwindling as it pulled away.

  Were Metzler’s men trying to shoot the chopper down?

  Duran had
his finger on his earpiece, then said, “Doc, follow me. You’re going to meet Metzler. Then I think we’re going to get out of Dodge before they get more teams in and we get into a real war.”

  “What about Keegan?” she asked.

  “He’ll have to come with us.”

  “Where?”

  “Downriver. Problem is, we’ve all had our tracker chips removed. He hasn’t, and that’s why the Blacksnake team got here as fast as they did.”

  They left the building, went a short distance down the alley, then stopped as two men grabbed a slab of cardboard leaning against a wall of an adjacent building. They pulled back the cardboard and there was a hole in the wall.

  She followed Duran inside. She heard some conversations ahead. Metal doors open and shut. Then, as they moved forward, they were in low lights, and then through another door and down into a tunnel.

  She saw rooms, little underground dorms, women as well as men sitting on boxes, chairs, talking, their rooms lit by small lamps. And they had plenty of guns. This was looking like the underground vet headquarters.

  They moved on toward a larger opening.

  “Wait here,” Duran said, nodding to Mora to stay with her. Duran went on ahead.

  Rainee turned to Mora. “Don’t the authorities know about this?”

  “They surely do. Which is why they don’t come anywhere around this area. They know it’s here and don’t want any part of getting into a battle with vets. That wouldn’t look good on any level.”

  Rainee had long heard the rumors that former gangs in cities like L.A. had been recruited into something that was referred to as a super gang run by former soldiers. Now she was seeing the reality. One of those scary realities people didn’t like to think about with all the other troubles in the world.

  It was a few minutes before Duran returned, behind him came two men, both in green T-shirts and jeans, both carrying submachine guns over their shoulders and pistols in their belts.