by C. G. Cooper
HELO #2: Spartan six, this is Spartan Mobile Two.
TRAVIS: Go ahead, Mobile Two.
HELO #2: Roger, how does my video feed look, over?
TRAVIS: Clear and pretty, Mobile Two.
HELO #2: Roger, zooming in for a closer look.
The group stood transfixed as the pilot zoomed in on the main house. It appeared to be a one-story ranch. The infrared camera easily picked up the heat signatures in and around the house.
HELO #2: Six, I’ve got what looks like twelve bodies on location. You getting this, Six?
TRAVIS: Roger, Mobile Two. Can you really get it there with the zoom and pan around the house, over?
The pilot did as instructed and panned from room to room. There were six people in the house itself. Four were in what looked to be a back bedroom or master suite.
TRAVIS: Zoom in some more on that back room, Mobile Two.
HELO #2: Roger.
The screen enlarged and the team could see the white outlines of two people sitting on the ground and another two pacing around the room.
CAL: That’s gotta be them.
TRAVIS (nodding): Mobile Two, can you give us a better look at the perimeter?
HELO #2: Roger.
The video slowly zoomed out and panned around the property.
HELO #2: Six, I’ve got what looks like four teams of two patrolling the perimeter, over.
Silence reigned as the team continued to follow the moving video. Each man was analyzing the battlefield in a different light. They could already make out the patrol patterns.
TRAVIS: Are we patching this to the assault teams?
NEIL: Yep. I gave them some tablets that have the video streaming live. Each two-man team has one.
TRAVIS: Good. I want to make sure we’re all seeing the same things.
They continued to watch the live feed knowing that the landscape they now observed would soon be under foot.
+ + +
The fourth patrol had just checked in. Nothing but a bunch of deer and turkey. His boys weren’t used to farm landscape but none had complained. They knew better than to gripe now. West walked to the master bedroom and addressed the captive couple.
DANTE: You have about another hour until your hero gets here. Don’t go thinking you’re gonna try anything. Both of my boys here have orders to shoot you if you run. Don’t worry though. I told ‘em only to shoot you in the legs. It’ll hurt like hell but it’s better than being dead.
The bound pair said nothing for fear of more beatings. They’d already silently agreed to wait until Cal showed up. They believed in Cal’s abilities and, more importantly, Frank secretly hoped SSI would be involved.
+ + +
MSGT TRENT: You ready, Cal?
CAL: Yeah. Thanks again for loaning me your truck.
MSGT TRENT (smiling): No problem. I know if anything happens to it, you’ll buy me something better.
CAL: You bet.
Travis walked over to join Trent and Cal. He had the look of brotherly worry already etched on his face.
TRAVIS: Are you ready?
CAL: Jeez. How many dads do I have around here? I’m fine, Trav.
TRAVIS: Had to ask.
CAL: I know.
TRAVIS: Anything else you need?
CAL: How about you have a nice glass of The Famous Grouse waiting for me when we get done?
TRAVIS: You got it. But really, Cal, are you sure you’re ready for this? You did just get shot like two weeks ago.
CAL: I’m still a little sore and weak, but I’m not planning on doing any of the heavy lifting. I’ll let the assault teams take on the bad guys.
TRAVIS: Good. Like we talked about, keep your head down and our boys will take care of the rest.
Travis patted him on the back. Cal nodded and jumped in the truck. He had to adjust the front seat to accommodate his smaller frame. Starting the engine, he looked back as his friends gathered next to the truck.
CAL: Alright, boys, I’ll see you on the other side.
He closed the door and didn’t look back. Pressing on the gas, he wondered if this would be the last time he’d see them.
+ + +
Dante played the scenario out in his head. He knew that the Stokes kid would probably try something. Hell, he’d try some little trick too if he was in the same boat.
It didn’t matter though. The plan West had concocted couldn’t even be foiled by an FBI raid. Revenge was fast approaching.
Chapter 20
Williamson County, TN
Cal pulled into the dirt driveway that led to the appointed rendezvous point. He knew the assault teams were simultaneously tracking their targets and getting ready. Taking a deep breath, he drove the oversized truck up the lane.
Around a bend, he caught the winking beam of a flashlight. He figured it was probably two of the guards sitting by the interior fence. Sure enough, as he pulled up he saw two thugs armed with rifles flagging him down.
He slowed and approached the gate.
GUARD #1: Get out of the truck.
CAL: OK.
Cal complied and slowly opened the truck door. He came out with his hands raised.
GUARD #1: You have anything on you?
CAL: Just my cell phone.
The guard shouldered his weapon and expertly frisked Cal. He took out the cell phone and gave the other guard a thumbs-up.
GUARD #1: Get in the truck. We’ll be in the back with our guns pointed at your head so don’t try anything stupid.
CAL: I wouldn’t think of it.
The three men climbed into the truck and one guard directed Cal to drive up to the house. Cal did as instructed and they made it to the modest structure without further interference.
The other guy in the cab ordered Cal out of the truck. For the second time that night, Cal carefully stepped out of the cab. He looked up to the porch and saw another thug standing in front of the door. He motioned for Cal to come closer. Once again, Cal was subjected to a thorough frisking. These guys weren’t messing around.
The first guard handed Cal’s cell phone to the house guard and walked back to the truck.
GUARD #3: Go in through the door right there. Dante’s waitin’ for you.
Cal nodded and headed to the door trailed by the third guard. He opened it and stepped inside. The guard motioned to the right. Cal walked towards what he knew was the kitchen. As he moved, he imagined the assault teams quietly moving into their final positions, drawing beads on West’s patrols.
He walked into the kitchen and tensed as he saw the familiar face of Dante West.
DANTE: Welcome to my humble abode.
CAL: Where are Jess’s parents?
DANTE: Right down to business, huh. Okay, (yelling) bring them out.
Cal heard footsteps and waited anxiously for his one time future in-laws to appear. They shuffled slowly into the room. Jess’s mother looked disheveled and scared. Frank’s appearance made Cal’s blood boil.
CAL: Are you guys ok?
FRANK: We’re fine, son.
CAL: I thought you said they wouldn’t be touched.
DANTE (shrugging): It’s not my fault the old guy wanted to put up a fight.
CAL: You’re going to regret touching them.
DANTE: I don’t think you’re in a position to do much threatening, white boy. So anyone tracking you with that cell phone?
CAL: I told you I was coming alone. Now let them go.
DANTE (to the guard with the cell phone): Take the battery out of the cell phone and give them to me.
The man did as ordered and gave them to Dante. West looked at it briefly then put it in his right pant pocket.
West pointed to his two prisoners and spoke to his men.
DANTE: Take these two out back and get rid of them. I’ll take care of the hero.
CAL (screaming): You motherfucker!
Cal lunged at Dante trying to make contact with his enemy. West side-stepped and watched Cal drop to the floor.
DAN
TE: It’s time for you to take a nap, white boy.
West pulled out his pistol and slammed Cal in the back of the head. The last thing Cal remembered before blacking out was a foggy image of a screaming couple being dragged out of the house.
+ + +
NEIL: Oh, shit.
TRAVIS: What?
NEIL: Cal and West just disappeared.
TRAVIS: What do you mean they disappeared?!
NEIL: One second they were there, clear as day, on the infrared video screen, then there was a scuffle and the two disappeared.
TRAVIS: Could they be in a basement?
NEIL: It’s possible, but we’d still have even a weak signal if they were in a typical basement.
ANDY: Wait. What if it’s not a typical basement?
TRAVIS: What do you mean?
ANDY: Neil, what does it look like on the screen when someone walks into a secured bunker?
NEIL: They disappear.
BRIAN: But this is a normal house.
ANDY: That’s what it looks like from the outside. Neil, can you pull up the ownership records for the property again?
NEIL: I’ve got it right here.
ANDY: OK. It says here that the property was quitclaimed over to some entity called Williamson Enterprises, LLC.
NEIL: Yeah. I already looked that one up. It looks like a typical shell entity used to hold real estate.
ANDY: What if this LLC is controlled by West?
NEIL: You really think he’s that sophisticated?
ANDY: You heard what Dr. Higgins said. This guy’s been underestimated his whole life. I think he owns this property and has built something under the property.
TRAVIS: Is that even possible?
ANDY: I wouldn’t put anything past this guy, Trav. You better tell…
NEIL (nervously excited): Hey, guys, it looks like some of the guards are dragging Jess’s parents outside.
TRAVIS (into his microphone): All teams this is Six, mission is a go. I repeat, mission is a go.
+ + +
Silently in the dark night, each of the teams launched their quiet drones. Every man knew how critical it would be to hit their targets with their one and only non-lethal shot.
In staggered intervals, each team took out their targets with swift precision using the drone’s dart capability, save one.
The pair dragging the prisoners outside got halfway to the backyard before one of the men was immobilized. The second gang member bent down to pick up one of his stumbling prisoners just as the dart meant for his neck sailed harmlessly high and into the side of the house.
Standing back up, he looked to his left and noticed his partner unconscious on the ground.
Guard #2: What the fu…
Two muffled rounds in the face silenced the man forever. The assault team moved in quickly to secure Jess’s parents.
Each pair called in to Travis to report their success.
TRAVIS (to his companions): All of West’s men are secure. One dead. They’ve got the parents and are moving to the evac LZ.
BRIAN: What about Cal?
TRAVIS: There’s no sign of him. The house is empty.
Chapter 21
N.O.N. Underground Facility, Williamson County, TN
Cal awoke to find himself strapped to a two-wheeled dolly by a set of orange vehicle tie downs. He was being carted down what looked like a narrow tunnel with intermittent lighting. It was cold, musty, and damp as he tried to get his bearings. Suddenly the dolly stopped and West stepped around to face Cal.
DANTE: You awake?
CAL: Where are we?
DANTE: Where nobody will find us.
CAL: Underground?
DANTE: Not as dumb as you look, white boy.
CAL: Where are you taking me?
DANTE: I guess I can tell you now. Once my boys take care of your girl’s parents they’re gonna join us down here. Then the fun starts. Before that happens, you’ll get a little tour of my facility here.
Without further explanation, Dante moved back behind Cal and started pulling the dolly again.
Cal’s eyes were wide as they kept moving farther into the hillside. They soon passed rooms full of marijuana plants and high powered halogen lighting. It looked like they had one impressive growing operation down there. It was no wonder West could keep operating even on the run. Cal decided he’d try some questions.
CAL: You want to tell me how you built all this?
DANTE (voice filled with pride): It wasn’t hard. Economy sucks right now. For the right price we had some really good contractors down here building for a while. We even had a couple of consultants from the Army Corps of Engineers. I got the idea from something I read about a redneck here in Tennessee who built something similar for his weed growing, but got caught when someone noticed how much electricity he was using. We solved that problem. No one knows this place exists.
CAL: What about the guys that built it? You can’t keep their mouths shut.
DANTE: We were choosy about who we picked and where they came from. Shipped them in from a couple of states and kept them on property until they were done.
CAL: Are you telling me they’re still working?
DANTE (chuckling): Sort of. Let’s just say they’re fertilizing the local vegetation now.
So that was it. He promised to pay a king’s ransom and then he killed them. Higgins was right. This guy was smart and ruthless. Cal decided to keep trying to build rapport.
CAL: How did you guys get around the power problem?
DANTE: That was the easiest part. My boy in the White House decided to start giving out tax credits for new energy sources like solar and geo-thermal. We’ve got a huge geo-thermal footprint all around the underground tunnels. On top of that, we’ve got dedicated generators powered by everything from gas to solar. Not bad for a kid from the hood.
CAL: Is this your only facility?
DANTE: Now why do you think I’d tell you that?
CAL: I figure you’re probably going to kill me, so what’s the harm?
DANTE: Fair enough. We’ve got a total of five of these babies scattered around Williamson County. Three are operational. We get to make our goods right under one of the richest counties in the nation. We’re starting out with marijuana then we’ll probably get into the meth business. That’s what you white boys like, right?
Cal was impressed by the size of the underground facility. The sheer magnitude of dirt moved illustrated the power of West’s burgeoning empire. The problem: How the hell was he going to get out?
+ + +
The assault teams gathered on the front porch listening to Travis give orders. The incapacitated gang members had been quickly interrogated. Not one knew anything about the secret tunnel they’d just uncovered. Worse still, the one man who probably could’ve helped had been killed. He’d apparently been Dante’s number two.