by Pinki Parks
“Bentley, I can’t get a signal. I knew it was too good to be true when I found my phone still intact. We are too far away, but I will keep trying.”
We had fashioned the parachute over top of us like a canopy to ward off the effect of the blazing sun. We had removed as much clothing as we could to avoid hypothermia. The body heat generated over the last 24 hours helped us to stave off the effects of nature at its worst. There was no way we were going to survive a storm.
“It’s almost comical when you think about it. We’ve been complaining about having not enough time to be with one another. We couldn’t be closer even if we wanted to. I’m learning a lot about you and it doesn’t scare me. I was worried for the longest time that we were fooling ourselves. I’ve heard stories about you.” Those stories had kept me up at night rethinking my decision about marrying him.
“Everything you have heard about me is true. Some people thought I had a death wish, but it wasn’t like that. I was able to see the best course of action no matter how dangerous it was. The odds were always stacked against me, but I never let that get in my way.” He felt no remorse, but he carried the burden of his choices with him everywhere he went.
“I don’t want there to be a day when I open up the door and there’s somebody there to tell me of your untimely demise. Death is a constant in our lives and there’s no getting around that. I wouldn’t want you to act any differently. I don’t know how I would forgive myself if you walked away without doing everything you could to protect others from harm.” The shade underneath the canopy made from the parachute was the difference between life and death.
It was still stifling and suffocating, but at least we weren’t baking. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
“It’s nice to hear that you don’t want to change me. We accept each other for what we are and not for whom we pretend to be in front of others. It’s what makes us the perfect couple. Compromise is the benchmark for any marriage. This is a partnership.” He was telling me everything I wanted to hear and I believed every word coming out of his mouth.
“I’m not going to let the accusations fly. There’s no point in revisiting history. There’s enough blame to go around for the both of us. I know primarily this falls on my shoulders, but you willingly followed me. I now know what the meaning of love is.” I didn’t want to die, but these things were sometimes out of my hand.
“I walk beside you and I know I’m a better man. It staggers me to think of not having you in my life. I never want to be set free from your loving eyes. We both have the capacity to have mercy when it’s deemed appropriate.” I smiled and laughed at him.
“You have a big heart and I don’t want you to ever forget that. I know what I have done. Throwing away these hours on a knee-jerk military loyalty is wrong on several levels. It’s ingrained in me. I sometimes wonder if it’s worth it. The aggravation of having the responsibility of the free world on our shoulders is sometimes a heavier burden to carry than I would like.” It was depressing confessing my sins, but I was lucky to have a man like him to hear me out without judgment or condemnation.
“Don’t you think I feel the same way? Ask anybody in the military and they will tell you the same thing. It’s what you haven’t said that you should be worried about. Getting these things off your chest is good for the body and the soul.” I was holding onto something and he was doing his best to draw the truth out of me.
“I’m not going to justify that with a response. A classified mission means that we sometimes have to keep secrets from one another for the greater good. It’s a cross we bear. Let’s change the subject.” Pride looked at me and shrugged his shoulders knowing that I was right.
“I wish we had something to make a fishing pole with. I’m sure there are things in the water that would make for a tasty treat to prolong our lives. The longer we can survive the better chance for rescue. We keep that thought alive by constantly reminding one another that we are stronger together.” He was always thinking three steps ahead which made him a great soldier
“We live on a different level constantly striving for excellence in everything we do. We have the motivation to keep going because we are never going to give up on one another.” I didn’t feel the need to fold myself up into the fetal position.
I need not wonder for the reason that our relationship was stronger than ever. It was almost funny, but this ordeal had given us a reason to depend on one another. The strength he exuded was returned. We were holding our heads high.
The water was choppy, but we managed to barely hold on when the force of the waves was the roughest. I didn’t know what the future planned for me, but I couldn’t bear to think of this being the last time I was going to enjoy the simpler things in life. A fine bottle of wine, a perfectly cooked barbecue steak, and mom’s apple pie was only a few of those things that made life worthwhile.
“So much water and we can’t drink a drop without dehydration setting in. It might be refreshing, but it’s dangerous to pollute our bodies with salt water.” I took a bottle of water and drank a mouthful tempted to drain it dry, but I forced myself to relinquish my hold on it. Our other option was to drink our own urine, which is a survival tactic for us seals.
“You got any ideas?”
“Over there!” As Pride asked me that question, a piece of the plane floated closer. It was a piece of netting used to secure the cargo in the back of the plane. The holes in the mesh were large but we overlapped the mesh to create a fishing net.
“I like that we don’t know everything there is to know about one another. There has to be some mystery to keep things fresh in and out of the bedroom. We don’t want to get bored and find ourselves looking for a way out several years in the future.” Pride wasn’t telling me anything that I didn’t already know. He swam over to a nearby piece of wreckage large enough to hold a fish, if any were to swim by us. We knew this wasn’t likely but when you are desperate and starving, you will try anything. We held onto the other end of the next on our float.
“We went into this thing with our eyes wide open. I never thought in my wildest imagination that we would be found in the ocean drifting miles away from civilization. Looking over my shoulder is getting old.” As Pride climbed back onto our float, he began to put the pieces together.
“If the Russians want you alive so they can get the code. Then who wants you dead so the code doesn’t get out?”
“I’m not sure. It would have to be one of our own, in Washington.”
“Yeah but which politician would have something this big to hide?”
“It would have to be someone important. They would have committed a crime that they thought they could get away with. The only people that can do that are the ones with deep pockets and in a position of power. The Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Head of FBI…the Head of the NSA…the President…the Vice President.” As I said that out loud, my mind flipped through a rolodex of profiles of those who might be corrupt. From the look on Pride’s face, I could tell he was doing the same.
“This means we are in deep waters, Bentley. If this goes all the way to the top, there’s no telling if we can get out of this alive. We are looking for a politician who’s involved with the Russians or someone who has committed treason against our own country.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. Pride, that was Xavier on the plane. They will do whatever it takes to keep themselves from being exposed. Even worse than that…” Sending a killer like Xavier, one of the top weapons in counterintelligence was a sure sign that this was big.
“What?”
“There could be multiple people involved. Pride, we are being hunted by our own government.”
“There’s got to be a connection somewhere. What did Riker want with you in the tent at the wedding?”
“He was acting suspicious. He wanted me to give him my part of the code. His excuse was it would be a burden for me to have to keep the secret whi
le on my honeymoon and that I would be caught off guard.”
“So, he knew someone was after the code. Are you going to tell me what this code is?”
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
“We are stranded in the ocean, my love. Don’t know if we will make it out of here.”
“Have you lost hope?”
“No, just stating the facts.” Pride was curious and I had no reason not to tell him about the code. Perhaps these were our last moments together. Besides, if we did get back, his life was on the line.
“I don’t know what the code means. I just know they unlock a series of top secret files that the CIA have kept locked up called Operation Eaglestone.”
“Who do you know at the CIA who could give us access to these files?”
“I have two contacts there that could help but we would need the second half of the code.”
“Riker. Commander Riker always lands on his feet. I had my misgivings when I heard that you were taking your orders from him. I didn’t want to say anything to disparage his name, but he can be selfish without meaning to. I won’t insult your intelligence by asking you to quit what you love to do. I should have warned you, but I didn’t want to change the way that you thought about him.” I could see his seething resentment every time that he was in the same room with Commander Riker.
I was about to say something when I heard what sounded like an air horn going off. I shielded my eyes with my hand and looked toward the horizon. This wasn’t a mirage. A Japanese oil tanker was announcing its intentions to pick us up. They had seen the plane crash. A motorized raft came barreling toward us slapping against the waves. Luckily, neither of us were dressed in our military uniform. They were going to find out sooner or later. Japan was our ally. The authorities didn’t want a national incident on their hand over the two of us. Especially because they needed us to back them if North Korea were to start WW3. They were already peeved by their regular bomb test into the ocean, every time inching closer and closer to Japanese land.
“I want us to go to Washington and find Commander Riker.” There was no way to know if he was still alive, but he was too damn stubborn to kick it without fighting every step of the way.
“I’m going to get in touch with the Viper see if we can’t crack this code or at least trace it back to someone.”
We were rescued. I had no idea if this was a case of something being a little too good to be true. They spoke very little English but it was enough to let us get to a phone. They had a ship to shore radio and I was able to get in touch with the proper authorities.
Chapter 20
Pride
We had made considerable strides and found suitable transportation on a military cargo plane. We weren’t the only ones in attendance. It was a long trip over the Atlantic Ocean and I was pinching myself to make myself believe we had survived an assassin’s direct attack. It would’ve been easier to kill us with impunity, but it would have left too many questions.
We finally landed and were given a military escort to Washington, DC to stand in front of the Secretary of Defense, Captain Dobbs himself. We had to call in a few favors, but they agreed to see us on short notice.
“You might have come all this way for nothing. Commander Riker was scheduled to report for a debriefing two days ago. We have all of our resources at work to find him, but so far, Commander Riker has been missing. We agreed to see you in hopes that you might know where to find him.” The Secretary of State was waving the flag of surrender and hoping that we had some inside knowledge about the man.
“I don’t know what this is all about, but I would think the rational response would be to be insulted. We have two problems. The contract is something you already know about, but there’s also a faction of this government working against us. Most of you are unaware of this latest development, but somebody in this room is playing with our lives.” I took a detailed account of everyone in attendance and watched their reaction when I threw the grenade into the middle of the room.
I wanted somebody to stand out from the crowd, but there were too many shifty eyes and those squirming nervously in their seats. I had to believe there was one mastermind behind the whole thing. Xavier was still out there. Failure was going to make him more dangerous. I could only imagine what his next step was going to be.
“I’m afraid you have us at a disadvantage. Nobody here would endanger your lives. It’s a serious allegation. I’m guessing you don’t have anything to substantiate your claim. I suggest, Captain, that you refrain from making unfounded accusations without something concrete to back it up. We deal in facts and not fiction.” Mr. Secretary of State, Joseph Pitman’s white hair showed what kind of stress he was under and how many balls he was juggling at one time.
“I hate to be blunt, but I’m tired of walking around on eggshells. I was given strict instructions by Commander Riker to keep these codes away from prying eyes. And now I am being hunted.” Bentley was strong and confident.
“Do you have any idea of what you are holding against us? I don’t have to tell you this is a matter of National Security at the highest level. This committee is inclined to give you some room to breathe. You are only part of the solution. I doubt anything we do is going to keep you from going after Commander Riker.” He had relented and it seemed out of character, but I was out of the loop to know how serious the information was going to be in the wrong hands.
It was meant to be intimidating to stand in front of them at attention. On the other side of the conference table were eight individuals with their pulse on the nation. Each one was held in high esteem making this betrayal even worse. The flaw in any system was the almighty dollar. Money could make a normal man sweat and do things that they wouldn’t normally do.
“I know exactly what these codes mean and it’s the reason why I’m keeping quiet. I won’t reveal what I know until Commander Riker is standing right beside me giving me the green light. I want to comb through his life. I’m not asking for your permission.” She slammed her hands down on the table and a few of them flinched, but Joe Pitman wasn’t one of them.
“We are here to resolve the issue at hand, Captain.” Captain Dobbs tried to remind Bentley where she was and who she was talking to. Her little outburst didn’t help.
“I don’t like these kinds of theatrics. It’s against my better judgment, but those of the committee have agreed unanimously. We do insist that you take somebody along with you. I do believe you know him quite well. We would greatly appreciate a united front.” The man came through a door in the back with a bulge underneath his jacket that didn’t reflect that he was happy to see us.
“Xavier…I hate you.” Bentley’s reaction was exactly how I felt when she revealed him to be our assassin. “You have no idea how much I want to leap over the table with my hands around his throat. Somebody in this room sent this pit bull after me. I might be able to forgive, but I will never forget. Take that into account.” Bentley wasn’t the only one feeling the itch to treat Xavier to a pummeling he was never going to forget.
“I personally don’t get involved in military matters. This man has proven to be an invaluable asset and above reproach. We have seen his work firsthand to know that he can be counted on when the chips are down.” Mr. Pitman was doing his best to deflect any suspicion from himself.
I couldn’t see Joe Pitman being complicit in trying to kill us. He was considered a national hero.
The committee disbanded and left the room with the three of us glaring daggers at one another. I pulled my gun with the safety off and my finger on the trigger.
“Captain Carlotti, put the gun away. I said stand down. I recommended Xavier for this mission. He is our best.” Dobbs said calmly.
“Relax, this time I’m on your side. I’m impressed that you were able to put your fear aside to work together. I follow the money. I don’t care where the committee gets their money. I’m given an order and I follow it to the letter. My orders are
clear. I have been requested to keep you both safe by any means necessary. It’s a sad state of affairs when you have to depend on me.” I could definitely reissue my complaint, but I had a feeling it was going to fall on deaf ears.
“I don’t know how you expect us to work with you.”
“Be that as it may, he’s got his orders to work with you. This is a new reality that you need to adjust to fast, Captain Bentley Carlotti. Are we clear?”
“Yes, sir.” Dobbs walked out of the room with his men leaving the three of us alone in the room. Bentley reeled back and punched Xavier square in the nose.
He stumbled back and landed on a chair. He was nursing his pride and his nose in that order. It must’ve made her feel better to make him suffer for his trespasses. I put my hands up and moved away letting her determine what punishment fit the crime. My gun was back in its holster, but it was in easy reach had he decided to retaliate.
“I had that coming. The one thing I understand better than anybody is revenge. That was a free shot. I wouldn’t expect to be able to get close enough to do that again.” The room was undoubtedly under surveillance and somebody was obviously watching from a secure location.
“You should have told me I had only one shot. I would’ve made sure that you were singing soprano. I’m wearing steel-toed boots. Let that sink in for a moment.” She had him covering his family jewels and it made me cringe as a man to think about the kind of pain he might endure.
“I have something that might mend some broken fences. I’ve been looking into Commander Riker’s holdings. I would rather not say anything here in case the walls have ears. Hiding was his best recourse. It won’t be long until those in the shadows come looking for him. My solemn duty is to protect you and Commander Riker. I have no ill will toward Pride, but he’s on his own. I have enough on my plate dealing with protecting you and Commander Riker. This is a twist of fortune in your favor. I can be quite creative and my weapons vary by using my environment. I have many ways to kill, but I pride myself on being the best at leaving no discernible footprints.” We went down into the parking structure and got into his black suburban.