Peace - A Navy SEALS Novel (DeLeo's Action Thriller Singles Book 3)

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

“Copy that,” Bull said, and a moment later, he and Doc Jameson streaked diagonally towards the enemy stronghold.

  One man popped up not more than ten feet in front of Bull, only to have his head explode as Peace double tapped him from above.

  “Come out or die!” Bull shouted.

  When no one moved, Bull and Doc, lobbed concussion grenades, following the explosions in, firing short bursts as they swept around the crewmembers’ cover. Only three of the crewmembers survived the assault. They were quickly restrained, and dragged into the open.

  “Main deck secured, Lieutenant,” Bull spoke loudly into his com unit. “Peace has the high ground, and JT and Tracer are holding the bridge.

  “Hold position, I’m calling in backup,” Righter replied.

  “Copy,” all members of the team acknowledged one after another.

  Peace pulled himself up to his feet, using the open railing. With his night vision goggles back in place, he scanned the ship on all sides for movement. Two armed transport helicopters swept in quickly on each side of the ship. Two other teams rappelled to the deck of the tanker. In the next hour, all crewmembers were brought to the main deck. All areas of the ship were secured and guarded.

  “Peace?” Lieutenant Righter called out over the com unit. He repeated his call out. A moment later, he called to the men on the bridge. “JT, do you have backup on the bridge?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Then you or Tracer go on up and see if Peace lost communications. Tell him I want him down here. I need his language skills.”

  “Aye, Sir.”

  “I’ll go get Weenie,” Tracer said, hurrying through the hatch.

  Tracer skirted the bloody section of the ladder, and angled past the dead crewmember. Peace sat slumped against the open railing, the first gray dawn light making it easy for Robards to see his makeshift bandages. Dropping down next to Peace, Robards quickly established Peace was breathing.

  “Doc, bring your kit. Peace is hit,” Tracer broke in over the other chatter on their line.

  “On my way,” Jameson replied, running from where he had been standing with Bull on the main deck. He grabbed up his pack, with Bull close behind.

  They reached the top of the conning tower in less than forty seconds. With Bull and Tracer helping, Jameson stripped the wetsuit from Peace after Doc made sure of the extent of his wounds. The makeshift bandages were soaked in blood. Peace’s gray pallor and trembling from the sudden exposure to the air indicated he had passed out from blood loss. As Jameson directed Bull to hold antibiotic compresses tightly to each side of the shoulder wound, he cleaned the welling ankle injury. With Tracer pressing a fresh compress to the ankle, Doc wrapped Peace’s upper torso, cinching the compresses in place, before repeating the procedure to the ankle. Tracer ran down to the main deck, and gathered clothing and blankets. By the time he had reached the conning tower, Peace was stirring.

  Peace’s eyes fluttered open, and his mouth clenched as he reacted to the cold. His teeth began chattering as Bull helped Tracer get him into the clothes. With the blanket around his shoulders, Peace’s breathing began to stabilize.

  “Hey, you with us, Wolvy?” Bull asked in concern.

  Peace opened his eyes, gritting his teeth. “Ye…yea, I…I’m ju… just waiting ti…till my teeth st…stop cha…chattering.”

  “Why didn’t you call me, Peace?” Doc asked, readying a syringe.

  “I…I waited to…too long, Doc, sorry.”

  Bull put a restraining hand on Jameson’s arm. “Don’t stick him yet, Doc. He’s the only one on board who can speak the language of the natives. Suck it up, Wolvy, the Lieutenant needs your language skills.”

  Peace grinned in spite of the lancing pains. “Ca…can I at least have a couple of aspirin?”

  “Maybe,” Bull replied, giving the high sign to Doc and Tracer. “It depends on if I have to carry your ass down to the main deck or not.”

  Peace nodded good naturedly, as his teammates helped him to his feet so he could put weight on his ankle. Doc gave him some water to drink. Peace drank thirstily, until Jameson pulled on the canteen. “Easy, Peace, have some more when we get down from here.”

  “Okay, Doc,” Peace agreed, testing his ankle.

  “How’s it feel?” Tracer asked.

  “Not bad, but I’m a little light headed.”

  “You’ve been light in the head for some time,” Bull seized the moment. “How’d you spot the difference?”

  “Ouch,” Peace said, as Doc and Tracer chuckled. “I wa…walked right into that one. You guys bring my stuff, will you?”

  “Okay, okay,” Bull said, shouldering the sniper rifle, and MAC 10, masking his relief with sarcasm. “A little scratch, and now Cinderella here needs a caddy.”

  Peace, with Tracer above him, and Bull under, slowly descended to the main deck, where Dan anxiously waited with the rest of the team.

  “How is he, Doc?”

  “I get an IV going, and he’ll be useable.”

  The rest of the team laughed, coming around Peace to get a closer look at their only casualty so far.

  “At least they didn’t get you in the face, Peace,” Nick told him. “Your beauty is intact.”

  “Ge…gee thanks, Nick,” Peace replied, his voice chattering again.

  “Get him down below, and warmed up with food and an IV,” Dan said to Doc and Bull. “If he can talk and help us out with communications, it would help.”

  “I…I can do it, Lieutenant. If I…I could suggest…”

  “Get out of my sight, Peacenik, until you don’t sound like Elmer Fudd,” Dan cut him off, as his teammates enjoyed the moment.

  “C’mon, Wolvy, we’ll break out food and a soda pop IV for you,” Bull told him, pulling him towards the hatch, with Doc Jameson close behind.

  “Po…Porky Pi…Pig stutters, no…not Elmer Fudd,” Peace called out over his shoulder.

  During the next twenty minutes, while a blood plasma drip was attached to Peace’s arm, Jameson disinfected both wounds thoroughly, stitched the folds of skin, and re-bandaged them. Peace ate some rations Bull gave him while Doc finished.

  “Man, that feels a lot better, Doc,” Peace said between mouthfuls.

  “Yea, well you sure look a hell of a lot better,” Doc replied.

  “You looked whiter than Dracula,” Bull added.

  Doc handed him two pills.

  “Take these. They’re only 800mg aspirin tabs, but they’ll help until we see what the Lieutenant wants you for.”

  Peace nodded, and popped the aspirin into his mouth, chasing it with water from the canteen Bull gave him. “How’d we do?”

  “Good,” Bull answered. “Lots of prisoners, and a couple of Chinese advisors. They’ll be busy with them for a long time at Gitmo, or wherever else they’ll be taking them.”

  “What’s the Lieutenant need me for, directing traffic?”

  “I think he just wants to see how these guys answer some questions before they get sent to that terrorist luxury facility,” Bull answered.

  “We could interrogate them privately, Chief,” Peace suggested. “Only the two of us have to know.”

  “I like it, but I don’t think the Lieutenant is quite up with your new interrogation methods, Wolvy. I…”

  “What’s this about interrogation methods, Chief?” Dan asked, coming into the small alcove where Doc had worked on Peace.

  “Nothing, Sir,” Bull answered stiffly.

  “Can you talk, Porky?” Dan asked Peace, evoking laughter from Bull and Doc.

  “I have an idea, Sir,” Peace said, ignoring the jibe. “If you can get me a uniform, I can go on in and guard the prisoners in the main berthing area. They…”

  “They don’t know you speak the language,” Dan broke in. “Not bad. Bull, you, Nick, and Tracer go on in with Peace, and relieve the guys watching the prisoners with him. Get Porky dressed like a soldier, and see if he can pick up anything useful. I’ll have the Chinese guys put in there too. Without T
ony around, they’ll think they’re safe to talk too. I hope you’re still up on your Chinese, Porky.”

  “You should come and get a prisoner from our group as if he were to be interrogated somewhere, right after we relieve the guys watching them now,” Peace added, smiling at Dan’s continued digging. “They know at least one of us speaks the language.”

  “Very sharp,” Dan conceded. “I’ll have one collected twenty minutes after you guys get settled.”

  The Seal Team Six detail, with a slightly limping Peace, moved into the berthing area with MAC 10’s. The guards already there filed out after a few words from Bull, as if it was merely a change of guard. Peace moved over where they had put the two Chinese men. They were all bound with plastic ties holding their hands behind their backs, sitting upright, packed together as a group. Peace figured there were nearly fifty men in this section. Many of them looked up sullenly at the new guards; but when the Seals simply spread out around them in an attentive fashion, the prisoners ignored them. Peace listened intently to the snatches of conversation whispered back and forth. The Chinese men did not speak, nor did they look up.

  One of the prisoners near Bull shouted out in Arabic.

  “Your mothers suck cocks in hell.”

  Instead of laughing, all the prisoners remained quiet, but looked up at their guards expectantly. None of the Seals moved, nor gave any indication they knew what the man had said, other than glancing at him curiously. One of the Chinese prisoners whispered in Chinese to his companion.

  “These fools will get us all killed.”

  “No, they wish to see if any guards here understand. They know one speaks their language,” his companion replied quietly.

  “Do you think it safe for us to talk?”

  His companion looked around at his Seal guards, who were all looking curiously at the man who had shouted. “I do not know. Let us see how this goes.”

  Peace listened, trying not to betray the pain from his injured shoulder. He had strapped his MAC 10 around his left shoulder, holding it at the ready with his left hand, while trying to keep his right arm immobile. It throbbed with every heartbeat, making his concentration on the conversations extremely difficult.

  The man, who had originally shouted an insult, now launched into a string of profane personal tirades. Bull merely shrugged at the man, and shook his head in a negative fashion. Two men came into the berthing area, and took one of the men near the front of the group, leading him away, while the rest shouted protests and questions. One of the men in the front jumped to his feet, screaming at the top of his lungs as he ran at Bull, who simply side-kicked him. The man flew into the back of the group, where he lay gasping for air, curled into a ball. Nick and Tracer smiled, but gave no further indication of their enjoyment. Peace watched the others carefully, who had quieted immediately after Bull’s handling of their fellow crewmember.

  “These pigs do not understand,” the man, who had originally shouted, said through clenched teeth, while he stared in hatred at Bull.

  “What can we do?” the man next to him asked.

  “Do nothing. They may take us to the bridge to be interrogated. One of us may get the chance to reach the control panel.”

  “We would all be killed,” another whispered fearfully.

  “We would be martyrs,” the first man said, looking back disdainfully at the man who had just spoken.

  “I told you these fools mean to kill us all,” the Chinese prisoner reiterated to his companion.

  “I do not wish to die with these idiots,” his companion replied. “Perhaps we can gain our own release.”

  “We should have talked to their interrogator. We may still be able to deal.”

  “Our families will be executed if they find out we have betrayed them.”

  “True, if they find out. Do you have another suggestion?” The original speaker asked.

  “Speak in Arabic!” The insulter shouted at the two Chinese prisoners. “What are you saying?”

  “Nothing,” the Chinese man replied quickly in Arabic. “We were talking about what to do as you were.”

  “Do not betray us!” The insulter screamed back.

  Peace reached into his jacket pocket, grimacing in pain as he pushed the transmitter button. A few minutes later, Lieutenant Righter came into the berthing area with the original guards. He looked questioningly at Peace.

  “Let Nick and Tracer take these two Chinese guys out, Sir,” Peace indicated the two Chinese prisoners, who looked up at Peace, and then at each other.

  Dan nodded at Nick and Tracer, who immediately walked over and helped the two Chinese to their feet. After they had escorted their prisoners out of the compartment, Peace walked over in front of the men around the insulter. He pointed at the man, who had shouted all the insults.

  “I don’t know whether this guy knows anything, but I’d peel his skin off in small pieces while the others watched,” Peace said, watching the other men around the insulter.

  Three others nearby, along with the insulter, blanched at Peace’s words. Peace smiled. He singled out the three men, who were dragged forward by the other guards. Bull, who had been grinning broadly in appreciation of Peace’s deception, brought the squirming insulter forward, lifting him up by the neck.

  “These guys all speak English, Sir,” Peace said.

  “Nicely done, Porky,” Dan replied, nodding. “How you holding up?”

  “I could use something for my shoulder, just to take the edge off,” Peace admitted.

  Peace indicated Lieutenant Righter follow him into the back berthing area. Dan watched Peace limp with some concern. When they were out of hearing, Peace turned to speak.

  “We need to seal off the bridge area. They have something on one of the panels, which can trigger something deadly,” Peace whispered. “The ringleader, Bull helped up, knows more; but I’d have to interrogate him differently than you might be comfortable with.”

  “Do what you have to, Peace,” Dan replied. “Do it out of sight, and we’ll get rid of the evidence later. Like I told you, Mr. Rogers moved out of the neighborhood. I’m no damn expert, but the way they have the stuff stored below, there’s no doubt it was for something huge.”

  “Good, first off, Tony and I need to talk to the Chinese. They want to cooperate, and they don’t want to die. If we can get authorization to make a deal, those two might be the keys to the kingdom.”

  “You ain’t looking too good, Porky.”

  “I ain’t feeling all that good either, old buddy,” Peace grinned crookedly. “If I can get my shoulder to stop throbbing like it’s ready to drum roll off my torso, I can get it done.”

  “I’ll give you a hand when it comes to our little Middle Eastern friend,” Dan nodded.

  “I’d rather Bull help me, Sir,” Peace said. “You need deniability on this.”

  “Bull’s had enough of your interrogation techniques. I don’t know what you did with Ken, but whatever it was, it made a lasting impression on Bull.”

  “I don’t plan on making Bull do anything, Lieutenant Dan. I have a plan, which won’t involve any physical abuse at all. It’s an idea I picked up from something the Russians did a while back with some of their peaceful Islamic brethren. I just need Bull around as a prop, and to make sure no one touches my shoulder and makes me scream like a girl.”

  Dan laughed, and nodded his assent. “Okay, but see Doc, and get something for the shoulder. I made some coffee. You can chug that while you work.”

  “Oh man, nectar from the Gods,” Peace replied. “I’ll take as much of that as I can get.”

  “You and Tony talk to the Chinese. Bull and I will escort big mouth, and his cohorts to the main deck.” Peace nodded, and turned to go.

  “Peace, good job up there,” Dan said before Peace walked away. “Bull said you really helped him and Doc. It looks like taking the bridge like you did may have saved all our lives.”

  “I didn’t take it by myself, Lieutenant,” Peace grinned, looking bac
k for a moment, “but thanks.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Helpful Interrogation

  Tony and Peace sat in front of the two Chinese prisoners, across a table they had set up for the meeting on the bridge, where a fully armed squad guarded the area. All ship’s personnel had been taken to the main deck.

  “Do you both speak English?” Peace asked in Chinese.

  The two men looked at each other, and then the older one looked back and shook his head no.

  “You knew what we were saying below,” the older man stated to Peace.

  “Yes, and I would like to offer you a deal. If you both cooperate fully, we can set you both up in America, and bring your families over in secret later. No one need know either of you survived this.”

  “May we discuss this in private?”

  Peace stood up, motioning for Tony to join him outside the bridge area. “The guards stay where they are. We know about the link to setting off what is being stored below. Tony and I are the only ones who speak Chinese.”

  “Very well,” the older man sighed.

  Peace and Tony moved out of the hatch entrance. A few feet down the way they stopped and waited. Tony looked at Peace with an appraising look.

  “You spoke like a native in there. You’ve been holding out on me,” Tony remarked.

  “Practice, practice, practice, my friend.”

  “Okay,” Tony laughed. “What did you have the Lieutenant order flown in by chopper? I only heard something about grease.”

  “Pork grease, pig’s feet, ham hocks, or anything that might look like it, and any skins I might be able to pass off as pig skin,” Peace smiled. “I’m going to play a little game of chicken with the big mouth from down below.”

  “You are far too tricky, round eye,” Tony replied, shaking his head. “How’s the shoulder and leg?”

  “Not bad, since Doc hooked me up with a couple pain killers. The coffee helps me keep from drooling.”

  “I…”

  One of the guards stepped out into the corridor, and motioned for Peace and Tony to come back in. When they were again seated at the table, the older Chinese man spoke.

  “We wish to take you up on your offer. How do we begin?”