Missy's First Mission

by P. G. Allison

  Hanson actually laughed. “Okay, I get that. General Blake over there is practically salivating at the thought of our letting him employ weapons … nuclear, biological, chemical, and supernatural. We can’t have that. Not anymore. So, there’ll be no angels of death for this Campaign.”

  “Just so we’re in a position to defend ourselves against all those weapons.” General Blake figured this was a good time to remind everyone why he was recommending putting teams in place. “The Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists are very capable of using all those types of weapons against us. And, as Winword said, we need better Intel.”

  The Defense Secretary said, “Okay, then. Put some teams out there and go get us some Intel, just as long as there’s absolutely no exposure. By that, I mean zero risk of anyone accusing the U.S. of using force or being aggressive in any way. There’ll be no asking for forgiveness later. I realize that’s not what you want to hear and that it means lives might be lost because of it. Such sacrifices are needed to defend and protect this country. But, it’s more important that we avoid any possible accusations.”

  This was discussed for another ten minutes and then the meeting ended. Once again, it was agreed to meet in a month to learn what progress and developments this approach might yield.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Apr 4, 2019

  Ben Marchitto closed the door to Sal’s study, walked over to where Sal was seated and sat back down in the easy chair opposite to Sal’s. They already had drinks sitting on the small table between the two chairs. “I got the follow up report today from Sergeant Chasen. It confirms what he told us last week. McCrea spent the entire week in Texas, vacationing with her family and her boyfriend.”

  “Why Texas? Does the report explain that?” Sal had been curious after hearing the earlier report.

  “She has a classmate who lives there … Chasen says this classmate is not only her best friend at the academy but she’s also her brother’s girlfriend. Seems McCrea’s older brother and this girl are really into each other, hot and heavy. At any rate … lots of backyard barbecues and get-togethers with both families, plus visiting old friends of this classmate … all normal social activities.”

  Sal stared at Ben and shook his head. “So, are you saying our witch is now normal?”

  Ben chuckled and said, “No, I’ll never say that about her. Especially not after watching the video Chasen sent us. Merely that she’s only doing normal stuff at the moment and nothing we need to worry about.”

  “Okay. What about the girls on that video? Nadine and Madeline, right? Do we need to worry about them?”

  “Nah, they’re not any problem for us … they’re getting full immunity for all the help they’re giving the FBI. I talked to them both … they’ve also agreed to keep quiet about everything and not go to the press. Same for the other girls belonging to us who the feds have turned up. The Army is very worried about details somehow getting out and is still hoping to minimize the scandal.”

  When Ben had first watched the video, he’d recognized who the girls were on that stage, in spite of their masks. He then had made some calls and quickly had verified that many of the girls who’d been going to parties at West Point were indeed from Sal’s organization. And, Cadet Kion Gosselin was well known; although all his payments had actually been indirect with no clear paper trail, Sal’s guys had always known where their money was really coming from.

  Ben then had brought the video in so Sal could see it. After Sal had gotten over the shock of watching “his witch” in action, they’d wondered whether Sal’s organization was vulnerable and had strategized on how best to avoid being dragged into this. These girls were part of the very lucrative webcam sex business that Sal had gotten into. Although many parts of that business were supposedly legitimate, many parts were not.

  Girls who were willing to perform on webcams could generate a lot of money from millions of willing viewers every month, all over the internet. Live shows were very popular, where the girls would strip and masturbate -- sometimes in public shows and other times in private -- all with payments being somehow processed, in one form or another, by the website’s studio/webmaster. That’s where Sal’s organization came in. They handled everything and had a very large infrastructure for doing so.

  Viewers would pay with their credit cards and the girls would get some percentage. These girls might also have their own web sites with photos and especially their videos, along with their panties and other items, all available for sale. Again, that’s where Sal’s infrastructure took care of things.

  Many of these cam girls were in college, paying tuition they might not otherwise be able to afford. Some, like Nadine and Madeline, further supplemented their income by performing sex shows for parties and clubs, in front of live audiences.

  Since Sal’s organization also managed the call girls for these parties and clubs, with college girl hookers especially popular, the sex business he ran had very blurry lines between legitimate webcam modeling, escorts and prostitution. There was a lot of overlap and Ben, as Sal’s lawyer, was very involved in all of it. Having enjoyed watching Nadine and Madeline perform on more than one occasion, Ben had quickly recognized them on the video Chasen had sent him from West Point.

  Sal said, “I’m glad to know we’re not getting sucked into any witch hunt.” He looked at Ben and there was actually a humorous gleam in his eye.

  Ben was sensing a change in Sal’s attitude about Missy McCrea, hearing him now actually crack jokes about a witch hunt. What he planned on bringing up next might take that change a step even further. “There’s been an interesting development with some of our college girls, lately. Quite unexpected. It seems your organization is being viewed by them as the one to get in with. There have even been several transfers. I’ve had complaints from a couple of the other families about that.”

  “Hey, they can’t complain about me! Those damn girls aren’t like the ones our pimps control … they come and go as they damn well please, with very little we or anyone else can do about it.” It had always pissed Sal off that he wasn’t able to control a large number of the webcam girls. There was a huge turnover, of course, and his organization found itself actually competing with the other New York families. Unlike the drugs, prostitution and loan sharking, there were no territories when it came to these girls. Especially the ones in college.

  Ben said, “Well, it’s all because of this Roseanne Fund and that Alice Mathews we have as Trustee. You know I’ve always made sure whatever suggestion she’s made to benefit those damn Roseanne girls always gets done, right?” Sal had agreed they should avoid any possible complaints Alice might ever make to her witch friend Missy at all costs. They did not want to deal with Missy McCrea and whatever supernatural mayhem she might bring down on them. She seemed to be leaving them alone now that they’d done everything she’d asked for and they wanted to keep it that way.

  “So, what does that have to do with anything?”

  “Well, this Alice … I mean, she’s only a college girl herself, right? But, everyone knows the Roseanne Fund is ours and those Roseanne girls were ours. And, they call this Alice the crazy mob lady. Everyone thinks she’s working for us. Then, whenever she’s mentioned how any guy was a problem for any girl? Even if that girl was only a sister or a friend? We’ve always leaned on the guy to make sure he wouldn’t be a problem anymore.”

  Sal nodded to show he was following this. “So, everyone thinks I’m responsible for helping these girls and that this Alice is mine, making things happen. Okay. So?”

  Ben said, “So, the word has somehow gotten out there … you know how this social media crap is, with Twitter and Tweet and all that internet stuff, right? The word is that you take care of problems for your girls. If they had an abusive stepfather or maybe it was their mom’s boyfriend? And, now their sister is a target? A lot of these girls left home because they were being abused … they’ll do almost anything to protect their sisters. So, when your crazy mob lady Alice comes
along and you take care of things? Your organization is what these camgirls now all want to be part of.”

  Sal stared at Ben and tried to process all the implications. “Are you saying my revenues are gonna increase, because my crazy mob lady has been making this Roseanne Fund seem like some sort of employee benefit?”

  Ben laughed. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. When you figure the tax break we get and this sudden revenue shift? By the end of the year, we’re not only going to be much better off, it’ll even cover all the damage your witch did here with those lightning bolts. Our accountant tells me he wants to increase what we’re putting into that fund and that, whatever this Alice is doing, we should make sure she keeps doing it.”

  -----

  Apr 6, 2019

  The weather was cooperating and it was a glorious day, cool but clear and bright. Conditions out on the range were perfect and both Missy and Tracy were enjoying their special class tremendously. They’d had two earlier classroom sessions with Sergeant Frele, each over two hours and covering various aspects of sniper training. Today, they’d finally been able to do some live firing.

  Frele had arranged this just for them and had done an amazing job. While sniper training like this wasn’t normally done at the academy, he’d been able to get clearance for their being out on a special range where he’d set up various targets, some going all the way out to a thousand meters. And, he’d brought along his close friend, Sergeant Chasen, as an additional spotter. That way, both girls could fire at the same time.

  Frele had also managed to provide M24 bolt action sniper rifles equipped with ultra 10x M3A telescopes. They were using 7.62 mm ammo. While there were other scopes and other ammunition that could be used with the M24 -- and indeed, other sniper rifles -- this was ideal for their training. As Frele had explained, he was only providing them all this for familiarization; it wasn’t as though they were actually qualifying or anything.

  An hour later, after zeroing their weapons and doing some preliminary firing to find the most comfortable position providing them the greatest support, they began shooting at targets that were 600 and 800 meters away. Both girls performed well and quickly became familiar with the scope, the adjustments for focus and parallax, for windage and elevation and with minute of angle measurements.

  Their spotters Frele and Chasen used wide angle binoculars and directed them from one target to the next. Once the girls identified their new target, they would call their shot, predicting where their impact point would be. Then, after the shot, they would determine how accurately they had fired. If the shot was not on call, they needed to isolate what might be the problem or what changes might be needed. Tracy only needed to make corrections a couple of times, and those corrections were minor. Missy didn’t need to make any corrections at all.

  When they finally took aim at the 1000 meter targets, Tracy admitted she just didn’t have the same confidence and her accuracy was not as good. But, Missy continued to hit each of her targets with precision. She was able to use her enhanced vision with the scope just as effectively as with the sights on all the various rifles and pistols she’d learned to shoot with previously. Her marksmanship skills were amazing and she was thrilled at this opportunity to apply and demonstrate those skills.

  Although these were only stationary targets, Frele explained how she could appropriately lead moving targets and assured her she’d have no problem with them. He was obviously very impressed with her and as the day wore on and she continued to accurately hit every target, his enthusiasm about her ability continued to grow. While having the telescopic sight enabled a person to see the target better, it didn’t make them a better marksman. But, Missy had already developed her marksmanship during all her Combat Weapons and Rifle Team matches.

  Tracy was very happy with her performance. She wasn’t as gifted as Missy but she had excellent marksmanship skills, having been taught by her Dad and having put in many hours of practice before coming to West Point. She really loved hitting targets and, by the end of the day, both girls were flushed with excitement. They’d really done great and they knew it.

  Tracy handed her rifle to Chasen and said, “This has really helped build up my confidence. I can’t thank the two of you enough for taking the time to do this for us. When Missy told me how she’d asked Sergeant Frele if he’d give her this training and how he’d agreed to do it, and did I also want this, I absolutely couldn’t resist and jumped at the chance.”

  Chasen smiled at her and said, “Well, Miss McGonagle, my buddy Kirk was honored that Miss McCrea asked him. He’s very proud of his years in the Special Forces and she’s been eager to learn whatever he can teach her. With her being such a champ at all those shooting matches, he figured this was the least he could do. Your friend is a natural. But, I have to say that you’re the one we both are rather surprised about. It’s obvious you’re not out here just to keep your friend company. You have some real ability for this as well.”

  “Thanks, Sarge! My Daddy taught me how to shoot and I do really like doing this.”

  Missy walked up and handed her rifle to Chasen. “Thanks for coming out here with Sergeant Frele today. My friend Tracy really does love this and if you hadn’t agreed to come along, she might not have gotten to shoot as much as she did.” Missy’s eyes were full of gold specs and sparkling brightly. She was very pleased with how well things had been going lately and today’s adventure had been perfect. She didn’t know when she might ever get another chance like this and was very glad she’d now had this firsthand experience.

  Frele stood off to one side, watching as the two girls walked off together, busy talking about all the shooting they’d done. Chasen joined him after stowing the rifles away in their cases. When Frele thought the girls were out of earshot, he said, “Vince, do you see why I’ve been saying this girl is so special? Look at her. She and her friend Tracy are more excited about the fun they’ve just had out here with the two of us old farts than most girls get when they go out partying.”

  “Yeah, they’re really something. Your girl has been the center of attention around here all month but instead of any of that getting to her? She stays focused on her own goals as though nothing happened. She wants sniper training? She gets sniper training. And, now that basketball playoffs are over? She’s playing softball? Right?”

  “Yep, she sure is.” Frele talked about the way the softball team coach had made an exception, agreeing to let Missy miss several games while she finished out the season with basketball. He’d been very anxious to get her and willing to go to whatever lengths were needed to make that happen.

  There were a lot of other teams and clubs who all wanted Missy, but she’d said she wanted to play shortstop, just as she’d done in high school. It had only taken the coach one afternoon’s tryout session, back the beginning of February, to recognize how good she was. In addition to covering half the infield with her amazing speed and ability, she was also a power hitter. When he’d checked her high school statistics, he’d learned how she’d never struck out. Not once.

  After the big sexual harassment scandal that broke with Missy being heralded by all the women as some sort of hero, there were no complaints about her getting special treatment. Her athletic abilities, along with her marksmanship, had already earned her the reputation as someone destined to be one of their all-time legends.

  -----

  Apr 21, 2019

  Easter Sunday. Missy had been too busy to consider going home on any pass so Missy’s family had all come down to visit. She was able to get off post privileges, as was Tracy who joined them for both Saturday and Sunday. While they needed to return to the barracks at night, they were again visiting during the daytime over at the same hotel as when their families had come there for the Acceptance Day weekend back in August.

  Missy’s brother Patrick was there this time and she couldn’t believe how tall he’d grown since last seeing him at Thanksgiving. John was there, of course, which was why Tracy had not gone hom
e on a pass. Since John and Tracy had first met at this hotel during that August visit, they considered it very meaningful to be back there once again. This time, of course, they were adding to how meaningful a place it was by spending some fun hours making love up in John’s room there.

  Heather was also there and she’d brought along Donald Whalen, the guy she’d been dating for over a year now. She was planning to move in with him after her graduation, now only a month away. She was getting her degree in mechanical engineering and wanted to begin working with that for a while before considering any grad school opportunities.

  She’d been offered an engineering position at the jet engine factory in Lynn, where she’d done some co-op assignments. That’s also where she’d met the guy she was moving in with, who was working there as an engineering manager. Since the family had not yet enlightened Donald about Missy and Tracy being supernaturals, something Missy had asked them all to keep secret for now, the conversation during their big dinner meals had avoided any mention of that. With all that was going on at West Point, there were more than enough other things to talk about.

  Missy and Mike had managed some alone time on Saturday and now they were again alone for a couple of hours. Missy looked around the suite he’d booked this time and said, “You know, you didn’t have to get us such an expensive room, Mike.”