by C. G. Cooper
“How hard would it be to get inside that room?” Cal’s mind was already running with possibilities.
“Almost impossible,” Neil said matter-of-factly. “Besides, I’m sure they probably have some kind of kill switch to destroy all the evidence in case of an investigation.”
“Either way, I think we need to try. Any other ideas?” Cal looked around the group. No one could think of anything better. It was a classic dilemma. They had one of the smartest computer geniuses on the planet, plus nearly unlimited technology at their disposal, but what they really needed was boots on the ground. The CIA was learning the same lesson the hard way. Human Intelligence (HUMINT) was invaluable.
“Let’s let this sink in for a couple hours. Meet back here at noon. Don’t worry, lunch is on me,” Cal deadpanned. It was already after 7:30am and he wanted to make a quick call before meeting with Daniel. He excused himself and headed to his new room across the hall.
He dialed a number and entered the bedroom as he waited for someone to pickup.
“Andrews.”
“Andy, it’s Cal.” Capt. Bartholemew Andrews was Cal’s former platoon commander from the fleet. They’d seen a lot of combat together and each had a Navy Cross and wounds to prove it. When they were SSgt Stokes and 1stLt Andrews they had grown close after saving each other from the clutches of death, on more than one occasion. No one ever called Capt. Andrews by his given name. He’d always gone by Andy to his friends.
“Hey, Cal! What’s going on?”
The last time they’d been together was during Jessica’s funeral. Being assigned to the Marine Silent Drill Team kept Andy pretty busy.
“They still have you serving canapés for the Commandant?” The Marine Silent Drill Team was stationed at Eighth and I, the traditional home of the Marine Commandant. Extra duties for assigned officers often included attending cocktail parties with visiting VIPs.
“All that crap stopped as soon as I went to Silent Drill. Where are you calling from?” Andy was one of the very few people outside of SSI that actually knew what the company did behind the scenes. He’d even been a part of the extract team that had infiltrated Dante West’s tunnel system and rescued Cal a year ago.
“Me and a couple of the boys are in Vegas doing some work.”
“No shit!? We’re heading out there tomorrow for the big convention.”
“Which one?”
“The Democratic National Convention.”
“Really? I thought you guys just traveled to do shows at football games.”
“Usually we do. Apparently, the President pulled a few strings and might’ve threatened to end a couple careers. He wants to look really presidential for his re-election.” Andy’s disgust was obvious.
“Maybe we can get together. You think you’ll have time?”
“You kidding? We always make time to get out when we’re on the road. It’s one of the few perks we have.”
“That’s great. Hey, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”
“You want me to get a signed picture of Chesty for you?” Andy laughed. Chesty was the name given to the Marine Corps mascot, an English bulldog. The name was a tribute to a Marine Corps legend, Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller. Every young Marine learned about Chesty in their first days of boot camp.
“Very funny. No, I was wondering if you could look somebody up for me.”
One of the advantages of being near Headquarters Marine Corps was the ability to access information about almost any Marine.
“You actually caught me about to log-off of my work computer. Who do you want me to look up?”
Cal gave him Daniel’s name and told him that Briggs was a scout sniper. Using his name and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), the corresponding record popped up after a couple of clicks.
“Got it. What do you want to know?”
“Just wondering what his current status is. Guy told me he got out with PTSD. Wanted to get a better feel for him.”
Cal waited as the Marine Captain scrolled through the record.
“Did multiple tours overseas. Wow. He’s got over a hundred confirmed kills. Where’d you meet this guy?”
“I’ll tell you when you get out here. What else does it say?”
“Honorable discharge as a sergeant, and…wait a minute,” Andy clicked on a note under the Awards section. “Holy shit.”
“What?” Cal asked, thinking the worst.
“He’s nominated for the Medal of Honor.”
“Really?! For what?”
Andy skimmed through the citation and read the highlights to Cal. It sounded like the story Briggs had told him. He’d failed to mention that in the firefight he’d probably killed close to fifty insurgents. What was even more impressive was that it was the SEAL Team Commander that put Briggs in for the nation’s highest military award.
An additional note added that the sniper’s fire was verified by a UAV that had loitered long enough on station to get video of the entire gun battle.
“Thanks for checking on that, Andy.”
“No problem. You need anything else?”
“Nope. Just give me a call when you get in.”
“Will do.”
Cal placed his phone on the wet bar. What the hell am I going to do with this guy?
+++
Daniel Briggs knocked on Cal’s door precisely at quarter ‘til eight. Cal opened it and invited Briggs inside.
“Can I get you anything?”
“No, thanks.”
“Any more interesting nights on the street?”
“Not yet.”
“I wish I could say the same.”
Briggs cocked his head in concern. “Anything I can help with?”
“I’m not sure.” Cal didn’t know how much he should tell Briggs. On one hand, he knew he probably wouldn’t say anything. Most Marines knew how to keep their mouths shut. On the other hand, SSI’s mission in Las Vegas was completely off the reservation. If anyone so much as caught a whiff of what they were doing, it could spell real trouble for Cal and the company.
“Do you mind if I ask you a couple questions first?”
“Sure.” Briggs nodded.
“Okay. First, anything I tell you today you can consider Top Secret. Cool?”
“Cool.”
“Second, what’s the deal with the CMH?” CMH is short for Congressional Medal of Honor.
Daniel’s eyes went cold. “How did you find out about that?”
“I have ways of finding out anything I need to. You okay with that?”
“Why were you checking up on me?” Briggs accused.
“Wouldn’t you do the same thing? You meet this guy that looks like he just stepped out of the jungle and he saves your life. Oh, AND he’s a Marine?”
Daniel’s temper cooled and he actually laughed. “You’re right. I guess I forget how I come across sometimes.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t like to go into many relationships blind. With the resources I have at my disposal, I usually checkup on everybody I can. So you want to tell me about the CMH?”
After a brief hesitation, Briggs explained. “Apparently the SEAL Commander put me in for it. I don’t want it.”
“Why not?”
“The damned thing makes it sound like I’m a fucking hero. I’m not. A hero would’ve saved those guys.” Cal could see tears coming to his eyes.
“It’s just recording what you did, Daniel. From what it sounds like, you deserve it. And that’s coming from a guy who knows a thing or two about awards Marines don’t want.”
Daniel looked. “What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say I won an award for killing some bad guys and saving some buddies. I’d give it away if it meant getting my Marines back. It took me a long time to acknowledge the fact that I did something heroic. I don’t think I’m a hero either. I did just what they trained me to do: kill the enemy and take care of my Marines. The faster you come to that realization, the faster you’ll heal,
man.”
Briggs nodded thoughtfully. Was this the missing piece? Was God finally answering his prayers?
Cal went on. “I want to introduce you to some of my guys. We’re all part of a company called Stokes Security International; SSI for short. My dad started it a few years back after he got out of the Corps. Who knows, maybe you’ll like it enough to stick around. We can never have enough lead-slingers around.”
Cal smiled and was pleased when Daniel did the same. He was on unfamiliar ground. Of course he had the authority to hire new employees, but he hadn’t yet. Cal just got the feeling that there was something to Briggs that could really complement his team.
He gave Briggs a quick rundown of what SSI did but decided to leave out the covert aspect. Better safe than sorry for now. They talked for a few more minutes. Cal was impressed with Daniel’s knowledge of Las Vegas. Like a true sniper, he’d evaluated the area with a cunning eye.
Cal gave his new friend a quick brief on what they were up against. He left out the details concerning Zimmer’s blackmailing, and kept it to the threat coming from Ichiban.
“How about you join us for lunch at noon? I can introduce you to the rest of the guys and maybe you can poke holes in our plan.”
Daniel accepted the invitation and excused himself to run a few errands.
Cal watched him go, all the time wondering if he’d just found a diamond in the rough.
+++
Ishi had spent the morning trying to run damage control. His father had flown into a murderous rage at the news of the escape. It was only the impending coup that had finally calmed the incensed Nakamura.
“From now on, you will not leave Matsura’s sight!” Kazuo Nakamura pointed at the third man in the room. The small man smiled and bowed to his master.
“Matsura has already coordinated our deliveries. It is now a simple matter for him to monitor the situation. I have talked to our contact about recent events. He assures me that he can provide information that will eliminate the threat of this Calvin Stokes.”
“What kind of information, father?”
Nakamura glared at his son. “It will be provided to Matsura when I receive it.”
“What about the Congressman?” Ishi dared to ask.
Father smiled at son. “I have taken care of Congressman Zimmer. He is no longer your concern.”
He walked away. It was a dismissal.
Ishi’s embarrassment was complete. His failures laid bare, the young Japanese felt afraid. Would his father keep him from the coming glory? Just as he had the thought, he shook it off. His father wouldn’t throw him to the side. Ishi was his only child. Since the day of his birth, they’d groomed him for this moment. Ishi would listen to his father for the time being. Soon enough, he would exact his vengeance on his family’s enemies. His father would come to see that all his training was not in vain.
+++
The SSI team met at noon. There were no immediate updates from Neil. Cal was desperate for more intel on the Ichiban organization, so he allowed Neil to keep clicking away while the rest of the group talked.
He’d started the meeting by quickly introducing Briggs to his team. It was clear that Zimmer wasn’t happy about having an outsider involved, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. After hearing the story about Briggs coming to Cal and Brian’s aid, the Congressman couldn’t disagree that the sniper might be a valuable asset.
“So now that we have a lock on where Ichiban houses its main servers, we need to get in there and see what we can find. As of now, we don’t have anything concrete on these guys. At least nothing we can take to the Feds,” explained Cal. “We know they’ve augmented their own security staff with some Russian thugs. Me, Brian, and Top are compromised. We won’t be able to set foot in any of their hotels. That means it’ll be up to Gaucho’s guys.”
Gaucho raised his hand. “How much money are you gonna give us to hit the tables, boss?”
The assembled men all laughed. Leave it to Gaucho to keep it light.
“I’m not giving you a fucking penny, Gaucho,” Cal joked. “I heard about your shitty luck in Tunica.”
Everyone laughed again. The Hispanic commando did like to spend his time off at the Mississippi casinos. Contrary to what Cal said, he often came home with pockets bulging.
Briggs raised his hand and the room went silent. Up to that point, he’d said little more than hello to the elite team. They all sensed a warrior in him, even without knowing about his exploits.
Cal pointed at him. “Whatcha got, Daniel?”
“I was wondering if maybe I could be one of the guys going into that hotel.”
Everyone looked to Cal. It’s not what he’d expected. “I really just brought you here for a little Vegas insight. I’m not sure I feel comfortable putting you in harm’s way.”
“I’ll stay out of the way. It’s just that I know these places a lot better than these guys. No offense, fellas.” He looked around the room to nods of agreement.
“Okay,” Cal assented, “Gaucho, use Daniel however you need. I’d prefer he sticks to recon.”
Gaucho nodded and patted Daniel on the back.
“Okay, any other questions?” Cal asked his men.
“You want me to stay with the Congressman?” Trent asked.
“Yeah. Make sure that we…”
“Oh shit.” Everyone turned toward Neil. He was clicking his mouse frantically, pulling up multiple screens.
“What is it, Neil?” asked a concerned Cal.
“They just posted the murder scene video on YouTube.”
Congressman Brandon Zimmer paled and looked close to vomiting.
“I guess they just called our bluff,” Cal offered conversationally.
+++
After Daniel and the contingency team left, the remaining men crowded around Neil’s computer screen. The video was exactly one minute long. There was no sound, only a flickering subtitle: “Woman butchered by popular politician. More details coming soon.” Zimmer cringed as Beth’s naked body flashed into focus. Luckily they’d decided to blur her face, for now. The camera panned around the dismembered body and bloody bed. No one said a word.
I can’t imagine waking up to that, Cal thought. Although he’d resisted it before, he now allowed a shred of sympathy for the Congressman’s predicament. Cal was pretty sure the man standing next to him had not been the culprit of the gory scene replaying over and over again on the computer screen.
+++
“Did you really think that was necessary?” the politician asked Kazuo Nakamura.
“The Congressman forced our hand. He was given explicit instructions. He decided not to follow them. Now he will know that we are very serious about exposing him.” Nakamura took another sip of his green tea. Posting the video had been a gamble, especially in the presence of his current guest, but he had to maintain his position of power.
“Very well. How is the rest of our little agreement progressing?” asked the politician, between sips of his own tea.
“The upcoming convention is proving to be a problem.”
“Why is that?”
“The Secret Service is being extremely diligent. We are concerned that all the pieces will not be in place on time.”
“You assured me that this would not be a problem. What do we need to do to remedy the situation?” the politician asked through gritted teeth. He’d put a lot of faith in the Japanese businessman. They were too far along to turn back. Besides, he’d waited long enough for his day in the national spotlight. Only yesterday, he’d listened as the blithering idiot in the White House had bowed to yet another foreign dictator. The President had become a foreign policy nightmare. It was time for strength within the Democratic Party once more. FDR must be rolling in his grave, the politician thought, not for the first time.
“I think we can handle the Secret Service. I am, however, concerned with this SSI organization. Do you have the information you promised?”
The politician smiled. He’d called
in a lot of favors for the contents in the manila envelope. There’d also been some substantial bribes to loosen the tongues of some ultra-patriotic federal agents. Nevertheless, the information contained in the envelope would not only take care of the SSI problem, but would bolster the politician’s new platform as President. Yes, it was time to clean the skeletons out of the closet. America would be a shining example of strength and transparency. No more pansy pandering to terrorists and third world countries. It was about time America had a real democratic leader at the helm.
“Everything you need is in this envelope. Do not release the information to the public until the hour we discussed. You may, however, use the information to dissuade SSI from further involvement near our little operation.”
Nakamura finally smiled to his guest. He would have to remember how ruthless this man could be. Unconcerned, Nakamura knew he had enough evidence to condemn the man should the politician decide to cast the Japanese aside. Besides, the packages that were presently being delivered were his organization’s ultimate insurance policy. The two men were connected for better or worse.
+++
The Council members sat in stunned silence as the YouTube video replayed across their screens for the second time. Pres. Waller pressed STOP and addressed the group via video conference.
“So as you can see, the ante’s just been upped. I’ll be heading out to Las Vegas soon for the convention. I’m planning on having regular contact with Stokes. Once I know more I’ll get you an update.”
The members of The Council of Patriots disconnected from the call. To a man, no one would correctly predict the final outcome of the coming drama.
Chapter 23
Las Vegas, Nevada
9:12am, September 18th
The Democratic Party was converging on Las Vegas. The convention began in two days. Congressman Zimmer had already gotten ten phone calls from staffers and fellow Congressmen traveling to Vegas. They all wanted to ask if he’d watched the YouTube video and see if he had a guess as to who the murderer might be. He’d laughed off the questions and asked whether they were the guilty party.