Shattered (Guardian Series Book 1)

by Shawna K. Rockey

  “I am Peter Grieb. I live in Biloxi, Mississippi. I am 27 years old. I serve the US Navy. I am a Cryptologist who works closely with R.J. in telecommunications and computer software. I decode and analyze intelligence submitted through electronic communications.”

  “Good to see you man.” I said to Peter with a smile.

  Peter is of Asian descent. He has jet black hair with a few gray’s seeping through. He is slightly on the shorter side standing 5’5 but muscular with an obvious six pack on is his abdomen. Both of his arms are covered in tattoos along with phrases on his back. He and R.J. are the only married ones on my team.

  “Lastly, I am Matt Bates. I live in West Palm Beach, Florida. I serve the US Army. I am a Special Force Op Specialist also known as a Green Berets. I’m a master of escape operations, air flight operations, various combat skills ranging from ground to air.”

  “I’m happy to see you man,” I said.

  Matt is of Hispanic descent. He’s a little on the shorter side but rough around the edges. The man can spew a hundred words in a second. He’s a fast talker and even faster on the field. He’s covered in tattoos from his head to his toe. His hair is shaved close to his scalp and has light hazel eyes. He’s also an attractive bloke.

  “Well done,” I say as I stand and work my way over to the white board on the opposite side of the room. “Thank you, everyone, for the introduction. Now, for those of you who do not know me. I am Sergeant Major Jaxon Sanchez. I am 30 years old and I am from Barkley Springs, South Carolina but currently live in Pennsylvania. I specialize in all facets of artillery, marksmanship, sharp shooter, escape specialist, and the list goes on. I will lay my life down first before you give yours.”

  The boardroom is small with a 10 foot oval table with a 50 inch wide screen TV mounted on the wall with a laptop floating in the center of the oval table. There is a white board with markers and an eraser. I prefer to use the white board during instruction, so I can ensure everyone is paying attention to details.

  I draw a diagram of Iran and place a star to show where the capital, Teheran is located.

  “This is where we believe Arman is hiding,” I said. “We will use all resources to catch the terrorist and remove any rebels in our way. We have full authority of the United States government to complete this mission and eliminate anyone in our way. That permission however does not give us the right to torture or mutilate our captives. We will not show mercy. We are here for one mission and one mission only and that is to kill Arman and all who serve him. The government created us, they created a team who is the best of the best.”

  I pause to catch my breath.

  “Ladies and gentleman, there is nobody better than those of us in this room right now.” I said. “Our government personally hand selected us based upon our skills and ability. I ensure you will use those skills to the best of your ability. I do not accept less. We cannot afford a mistake. We cannot afford an oversight. We cannot afford a miscalculated judgement, because that very well may cost my life or the person sitting next to you. I may be the assigned leader of this mission, but in my eyes we are all leaders. Together, we provide knowledge and insight in our own unique ways. Your ideas are not any better than the person next to you. Nobody in this room is better than the next person. I want to make that clear right now. I will not tolerate childish behavior of snitching on each other or he said, she said. We are adults and I expect you to act as such, in a professional manner.”

  I pause and return my attention to the white board. I draw in the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf. “We will utilize the water masses to secure ships in the area and learn what weapons they have on board. Nathan and Peter, I expect you to learn as much as you can about the ships at sea. Not only ours, but the enemies.”

  “Yes sir,” Nathan and Peter said in unison.

  “Now there used to be an old underground headquarters in a small village outside of Teheran. I will learn from the Commander if that is the post he wants us to occupy first.”

  I turn my attention to R.J. and Peter. “I want you both to establish eyes in the skies and ears on the ground.” I command. “Create a list of what you need, take it to the communications building and make sure they provide you everything on your list. The sky’s the limit. If they do not have what you need, make sure they can get it for you. If you have any trouble or receive backlash, come to me right away.”

  I look to the remaining three.

  “Erica, Matt, and Jimmy,” I continue “All three of you will be my eyes on the ground and on the roof tops. I need the three of you to obtain field maps with specialized markers of previous and current landmarks, weapons of all kinds, collect vegetable cans for Nathan and whatever else you feel you need to be able to send us in there safely. Most importantly, Erica, I need you to secure a helicopter to get us in there. Look on the maps to see if there is an area to hide the helicopter.”

  “Now, the last thing I want to discuss before we adjourn is safety and confidentiality,” I say, sternly. “This mission must remain confidential. You cannot share your location or the details of what you are doing with family or friends. You may contact them when R.J. and Peter say that the lines are secure; otherwise, you are putting your family and friends at risk. If we are watching them then you can assume they are watching us. I expect you to remain rigid and emotionless when stationed in the field. If you want to cry out your wife’s name in the bunk room at night that’s up to you,” I say, as I look over to R.J. He gives me the evil eye and I chuckle to myself. I will never let him down for that.

  “You must be in full gear every time you leave headquarters,” I add. “Your life depends on it. There are no exceptions to these rules. If I find you break any of these rules or if I feel you do not have what it takes to complete this mission then I will remove you immediately. You will wait out the mission in Headquarters until I can return you safely to base. Most importantly, you need to make peace with yourself and your maker. I need you to wake up every morning knowing you are satisfied with the decisions you make on and off the field. I will not put my life on the line because you are incapable of acknowledging and dealing with your own struggles. Understood,” I ask, firmly.

  “Yes, sir,” all the soldiers agreed.

  “Good. We will leave at 0400 tomorrow, unless Erica is unable to secure a helicopter. Take a minute before you leave and exchange cell phone numbers with each other,” I say, turning my attention to my future brother-in-law.

  “James, excuse me, Jimmy, I would like you to remain seated while everyone else leaves. I have a matter to discuss with you.”

  “Yes, sir.” Jimmy says.

  I take a seat at the head of the table and watch everyone exchange numbers. It’s vital they have as much information on their teammates as possible. The more connected they feel with each other the more they will trust their decisions and actions in the field. As ridiculous as it may seem, it reinforces the human element in a world that is dark and twisted. When soldiers are away from their home, their family and friends, they long for the basic human connection; friendship, trust, and companionship.

  “Erica, please close the door on your way out,” I ask, firmly but politely.

  Now that everyone has cleared out the room, I address my concerns with Jimmy, “Does your father or Jaycee know you are on this mission with me?”

  “Yes, sir. Glenn knows,” Jimmy explains. “The only information I shared was that I had to leave quickly for a mission and that you were my Commander. I didn’t give him any other details.”

  “I earnestly ask you to keep our personal relationship private,” I state. “I do not want the others to know that we know each other and to what capacity. I realize R.J. knows because we’ve shared cookouts together, but I trust him to not mention anything to the others.”

  I eye him up and down, “Do you have any questions about the upcoming mission or my leadership abilities?”

  “No, sir.” Jimmy affirms. “As a matter of fact, I’m glad you are leadi
ng this mission because I trust you and feel confident your main priority is our safety and that we will make it home safely.”

  “Thank you for the compliment, Jimmy. Go find the others. You are excused,” I say, dismissing him.

  “Jaycee, I love you. I need to go. I’ll call as soon as I can,” I managed to say before I quickly ended the call. That was three days ago. I haven’t had the chance to contact her yet. I need to wait until our connections are more secure.

  These fucking insurgents just don’t know when to give up. An air missile was just unleashed on the ground above our command post, located in a small village outside of Tehran that houses no more than 1000 natives. Our secret bunker is nestled beneath the village’s center market. Our access point is a small crawl space located under the watermelon wooden containers. The bunker is roughly 10 feet underground and extends about a thousand feet before it ends below the Iran National Reserve. The place where they least expect American soldiers to hide. The owner of the market is an undercover American soldier who shares the same Iranian nationality. The cover suites him well. He goes by the name Kenan, which may actually be his true American name. I never took the time ask.

  Kenan not only secured us an entry way into our post, but he feeds us intelligence on what he hears on the ground. He also stores some of our larger weapons inside the wooden containers that the fruit and perishable food sits on.

  Our office is about 100 feet away from the access point inside the Iran National Reserve. R.J. and Peter installed camera and audio devices around the village, including inside the National Reserve. We spend most of the days listening and watching the day-to-day to activities for any intel on the whereabouts of their spineless leader, Arman Shah.

  Our sleeping quarters are directly across the hall from headquarters. The waste room is a short walk down the tunnel’s hallway away from the command center and the bunk room. There is an opening into the ground similar to an outhouse. When we are finished using the restroom, we cover the hole with the wooden panel. We dump chemicals in the hole every morning to mask the smell. I’m not entirely sure what the chemicals are, I just know it works. You can’t smell sewage down here.

  “Sanchez, you need to get in here now,” R.J. yells for me through our connected earpiece.

  “Damn, man.” I call back.

  I enter the command center; which is wall to wall TV monitors linked to the computers below. Each monitor displays various buildings, public domains inside of the village as well as the outer terrain of the village. There is a computer station set up for each of us with our own monitor to watch live feed. R.J. is focused on his monitor which is currently fixated on the Reserve building.

  “What’s up,” I ask, as I approach him from behind.

  “Whoever unleashed the air missile a few days ago just pissed off a few of the Iranian soldiers in the Reserve building,” R.J. says, with excitement in his voice. “Just be aware that our connection is delayed by 50 seconds. The audio feed is being routed to a different server to decode their words into English. What I’ve recorded so far is they suspect he’s hiding 10 miles outside of Teheran in a mountain side bunker. One of the men wants to rip Omar’s face off because he killed his wife and daughter with the air missile attack. His family was walking home from the stream after gathering water and they were caught in the missile’s path. That’s what we’ve heard, so far.”

  “Great job! Okay all, let’s listen in and take notes with everything they discuss, then research any landmarks mentioned,” I say.

  Jaycee

  Present

  I start my car and make my way down our long, curvy lane. Our driveway really is a beautiful sight. It’s covered in cherry trees, both the Japanese and Yoshino weeping variety, symmetrically placed on both sides of the lane. It’s truly a stunning view when they are in full bloom. I woke this morning with no real destination in mind other than I needed to escape the house and the reality of what might possibly be. I made a list of things I need from the market and if I have time or feel up to it, I’d like to stop and check out the hot tubs. If anything, at least I can pick up a brochure that I can read later at home.

  At the end of the driveway, I turn right to head to town. It’s a warm spring day and you can see mother nature trying to breathe life back into the world around me. I see vibrant colors of red, yellow, pink, dark pink, violet, and bright green as I pass homes, fields, and entry points into the forests. As much as I dislike winter and cold weather, I do enjoy spring in Pennsylvania. To go from death and coldness and dreary weather to witnessing rebirth; there’s nothing more precious in life than watching nature give birth before your eyes.

  I arrive at one of our local farmer’s markets. I grab a wooden basket and leisurely walk around to see what they have to offer. I hand pick a few tomatoes, peppers, onions, a head of cabbage and a miniature shoe fly pie. For a brief moment, sadness creeps in. I miss cooking for Jaxon. I don’t enjoy cooking for myself and I definitely don’t like eating by myself.

  I approach the cashier.

  “That’ll be five dollars,” she kindly says, as she places my items inside a plastic bag.

  I reach in my wallet and hand her a ten.

  “Please keep the change. Have a good day.”

  She thanks me, hands me my bag, and I slowly walk back to my car. I place my keys in the starter and I glance at a black Audi, parked adjacent to me, and can see there are two men inside looking in my direction. I don’t think anything of it, just merely an observation. Many people, including men, enjoy shopping at farmers markets. I’d rather support my local farmers than a big corporate store. Besides, their prices are much cheaper than even our local chain grocery store.

  I pull out of the parking stall and continue my way down Main street. I drive for a few miles stopping at the red lights and crosswalks along the way. It takes a while to get across town. I pull into Thermal pools and spa and exit my car. It’s a fairly large store. They are starting to move some of their units outside to set up the seasonal displays. I nod and say hello to the gentleman carrying out a large filter of some sort.

  “Hi, I’m Sherry. How can I help you today,” she says, with a smile on her face, as I enter the store.

  I look around taking in the display’s they have inside of their store.

  “Hello, I am interested in learning about your hot tub selections, but I have to be honest, I have no idea what I’m looking for. We are considering purchasing one in the near future, once my better half returns from the service.”

  “Okay, well let me ask you a few questions first. What size are you looking for? We have ones that can fit up to ten people and ones that fit two,” Sherry explains.

  I see one that captures my attention. It’s a black and gray one with a marbling appearance, very sharp looking. I can see the shadows of blue led lights from where I’m standing. “Well, I would like a six person tub at least. I’m drawn to the black and gray one that you have over there,” I say, pointing to the one that captured my attention.

  “That’s one of our popular ones,” Sherry explains as we walk our way over to the tub. “This is a seven person tub with 83 stainless steel jets with an ozonator led light polar insulation. The hard cover is included in the sale price. This tub has several different color options available, not just the black and gray. It features multi-colored led lights with a control center on the top left corner of the tub. It also boosts Bluetooth connectivity with eight surround speakers. This particular model isn’t as hard on your electric bill than some of the others. This model is more energy efficient. Most higher end tubs are promoted as energy efficient but they really aren’t. You have to know your brands. The off brands advertise low cost energy savings but that is false information. That is why we only sell brand name units. We want our customers be happy with their purchase for years to come.”

  “Do you have a few brochures that I could take with me? I’d like to go home and do more research. Could you only provide me information about the hig
her end models. If we are going to invest in a hot tub, we would rather it be worth our investment.”

  I walk out to the car and place the brochures on the passenger side seat. I noticed she stapled her card to the front page of the brochure. I reach across my shoulder for my seat belt, buckle it in place and, as my eyes look up and peer out the window, I see the same black car, the same men sitting directly across from me. Four eyes are angrily looking at my two. I notice they have a front license plate of an image of a red arrow tip attached to a long rod placed horizontally.

  Now, I’m starting to get concerned. This is more than a mere coincidence. The only business in this lot is Thermal Pool and Spas and I was their only customer for the past thirty minutes. Did they follow me here? I need to pay attention to see if they will follow me when I leave.

  I put the car in drive and drive to the end of the lot, ready to enter the main road. They, too, pull out behind me. Okay, I’m starting to get scared. I turn on my left blinker and wait for the right moment to pull out in front of a line of traffic. I need to create distance between me and them. I speed up the road and know there is a small turn off that leads down a back road towards a farm. As I approach the turn off, I see they are not in my rear view mirror. I quickly pull in and out of eyesight from the road. I edge my car closer to the brush line and hide under the trees. I can barely catch a glimpse of the passing cars through the openness of the leaves. I pull my phone out of my purse and text the only person I know who can help me.

  Me: I’m being followed by two men. Black Audi. Front plate with an image of a red arrow attached to a long rod.