by L S Barron
Becca didn’t know what to say and who would believe her anyway, so she threw down the Postcard on the table towards Jack and simply said “Jenna!” She walked away before anybody could even ask. She headed back to her room and plopped down on her cot. She laid there for quite awhile fuming at the gall of Jenna to send her a postcard. “Wasn’t ruining her life enough? She had to rub it in too?” Becca mumbled to herself. As Becca laid there for awhile she began to calm down and finally it came to her that Jenna was messing up by making it known she was out there. Becca knew that it would be only a matter of time before Jenna cracked and pulled something stupid that would give her away. “All I have to do is be patient. It’s gonna work out.” she told herself. Feeling revived now, Becca got up and went back into the kitchen.
Levi was still sitting there going through his stack of letters. “What’s up” he asked Becca smiling like he didn’t have a clue, which Becca figured was probably the case. She told him “Just a postcard from the lady I killed, no biggy.” He looked at her with his mouth open and a shocked look on his face. Then Becca smiled and they both started laughing. Becca did notice that Jack had left the kitchen and he had taken the postcard with him. Becca wondered what Jack would do with it, but she figured probably nothing because what was written on the postcard wouldn’t mean anything to anybody but her. So, she decided to just let it go and continue on like their was no hope of ever getting out of this place. “But stay alive, just incase,” she thought.
Jack met her in the yard and neither one of them mentioned the postcard. Becca was okay with that, it was probably better left alone. She just asked Jack “What training you up for today?” He replied looking at Becca as if to try to see what she was thinking and said “How about some hand to hand combat practice?” Becca smiled saying “Oh yeah, bring it on.”
Becca really enjoyed a little rough house from Jack and she didn’t hold back much in her fight. Pretty soon Kai and Levi joined in and wanted a shot at one on one combat with Becca. Becca had always been a rough-housian and loved the physical aspect of a good fight. Becca was letting all her rage out and it felt great, at least for her, not so much for Kai and Levi. Jack could hold his own though and was actually holding back a little, letting Becca get the best of him. They all spent the rest of the day doing combat training. By evening they were all just laying on the wrestling mat exhausted but somehow they all felt great too. That’s when Jack stood up and said “Dinner’s on me. I sent Officer Brady awhile ago to get some pizza and a few beers too. You guys in on that?” The roar of a “Oh yes we are!” could be heard clear to the guard towers.
After some good pizza and a few beers, Jack pulled the postcard out of his pocket. “You might want to hold on to this,” he said as he handed it to Becca. “Anything you want to tell me?” he asked. Becca just said “You know, guilty until proven innocent.” She could see Jack trying to process what she had said as she smiled and said “Maybe someday I hope that you will see what I mean.” As she took the postcard, relieved that he didn’t hand it over to his boss at the CIA, she worried that it might have just disappeared. She worried that she was in this secret program supposedly for life and the CIA might not appreciate it if something disrupted the security of that. She wondered what Jack did with the postcard while he had possession of it. It is not like it would mean anything to anybody else but her.
Becca thought about giving the postcard to her father so he could follow up on it, but decided that he had already spent too much time searching and it had probably caused enough financial problems for him. So, she decided she would just hold on to the postcard for the time being. Although she did think “I might make a copy and send it to the prosecuting D.A.,” and then she laughed and thought “that dufus wouldn’t get it anyway.”
What’s Next On The List?
Scott and Kai would make it back after a long two months. They talked for days about their adventures and how many times they had to escape death. They told stories of the violence growing in the Afghanistan area and of how many splinter groups from the Mujahideen were starting to form. Their main objective was to hinder some of these group from forming any further. There was one militia group growing that they said they struggled with and really never had any luck disbanding. It was a known as al-Qaeda. Scott said “This group I guarantee you, we will see again.” It seemed funny to Becca that the CIA once again, while initially having good intentions, in the end would cause greater problems. She wondered while the CIA was trying to push out the Soviet’s control in the Afghan region, how many militants and how many weapons ended up in the wrong hands.
Over the next several years, many new missions would come down the pipe. While most of the military was concentrating on the Gulf War, the fall of the Soviet Union became big on the program’s list. The CIA turned many of its resources to technology spying. Basically stealing technology secrets from foreign companies allowing them to give, or as Becca suspected to sell the secrets to American companies. Also, the CIA’s involvement in Central America with drug cartels was an ongoing mission for the program. This is where Becca and Levi would spend most of their time.
Levi was killed in his second year. He was caught and executed by a drug lord known as Carlos Caro of a Colombian cartel. Becca remembered the week he was killed and the overflow of mail in the kitchen bin that was left for him. No one wanted to throw it out, so it was just left there for weeks until Officer Brady finally got rid of it. With regard to mail, Becca would receive a postcard from West St Paul, Minnesota, at least a couple times a year. She thought that nothing would ever come from it, so she kept them hid away in a desk drawer in her room.
Kai would disappear after being sent on a mission into Russia and was never heard from again. The group didn’t know what had happened to him. No one ever said if he was dead or just sitting in prison somewhere in Russia. Becca knew that the CIA had to know because of the GPS chips they so kindly implanted into each of them. After Kai’s disappearance, the program would welcome four newcomers. Becca tried to keep her distance from the newbees, she was tired of getting to know and like someone and then just lose them on a mission. However, Becca had grown even closer with Jack, but with these newcomers he had been busy with training. She sure missed it when the program was just the small initial group of guys. Now, for Becca, it was just her, Scott, and James.
Becca had become one of the program’s main go to agents, or rather their main go to prisoner. She was used mostly in Central America and had become well adapted to the languages and the culture of many Central American countries. Becca now had caused several deaths, which she still couldn’t get use to, but they were always situations where it was either them or her. She liked to think that they were all bad guys anyway, and most were. She still proudly valued her top skill as being able to sneak around without having to shoot someone directly, at least not too much. However, she knew in the end that her awesome explosions were leading to some poor soul’s demise.
Becca had forgotten about the life she once had and now fully enjoyed her life in the program. Her room looked like something from a Norman Rockwell picture of the typical American home.
The only thing missing was a family, but the guys had become her family and even though she hadn’t ever slept with Jack, he had become the important man in her life. She did wish sometimes that things were different and could imagine the two of them together in a real life, but mostly she just tried to focus on what she did have and that kept her happy.
Colombia Beck and Call
The group was gathered in the Kitchen for breakfast, which Becca and James were tag teaming. They did so on a regular basis now since Kai’s disappearance. They did a pretty good job, but it was never as good as the ones Kai used to cook. Becca had just set down with her own plate when Officer Brady came into the kitchen and said as he pointed to Becca “you’re up little miss. Jack is waiting to brief you in his office.” Becca sighed, lately it seemed to always be her, but she was also happy to get out a
nd do something exciting. As she was getting up the guys were razzing her, like usual. Scott said “Go get’em Tiger” smiling at her. She said “Of course I’ll go get’em, I always do,” and then paused and said “unlike you yahoos,” and then, of course she met with a vicious attack of toast and jelly flying across the room.
Jack was sitting at his desk when she knocked on the door to his office. He stood up as she entered, actually showing Becca some respect. He usually didn’t do this for any of program’s prisoners. Becca smiled and said “What’s up? Tell me I get to pack my explosives this time.” He replied “As a matter of fact you do.” Then he looked at Becca in a serious manner and said “You do know Becca that I actually do care about you guys, right? Even if you are a bunch of …. “ Becca interrupted him “Even if we are a bunch of murderous violent criminals?” Jack said “You drive me crazy sometimes. I was saying even if you are a bunch of shamming sappers.” Becca laughed and said “oops”. Jack motioned for Becca to take a seat. Becca took her time as she was still trying to remember the military slang for shamming and for sappers. As she sat down it finally came to her “wait a minute, he just called us a bunch of goof-offs that blow things up.” Then she chuckled, still wondering if sappers wasn’t a term for an enemy who blew things up. “Ah, never mind. I know he means good,” she thought.
Jack had the usual yellow envelope sitting in front of him. “This is an important one to me,” he said. Then he went on to explain the mission and it was not going to be an easy one. The place, was Cali Columbia and the mission was to rescue 3 marines captured during a mission to stop an illegal arms deal headed to Iraq. Normally the marines would rescue their own, but the government was not allowing the military reentry into the region due to the high alert of the drug cartels, who were just lying in wait for military action. The higher ups decided that they would give Officer Randale and his program a chance first. Better to risk the Program’s life serving murderers first.
The Cali Cartel were demanding two things for the prisoners, money and a prisoner exchange for one of their family members that had been caught in Miami Florida. The government would not pursue any negotiations with the likes of a drug cartel. Basically, the Program was the only hope for these three marines. Becca thought “No wonder why Jack is so interested in this one,” knowing as he was an ex-Navy seal he would have a soft spot for missions concerning any soldiers. Jack went on to tell Becca that the CIA was willing to stall by pretending to work on negotiating with the cartel, trying to buy us some extra time. Jack handed Becca the envelope and told her to study it in great detail. “You have a few days before we have to ship out.” he said. Becca stood up and reached for the envelope “Wait a minute, did you say ‘ship out’?” she said as she stopped her reach for the envelope. Jack laughed “Ya, I know how you love to travel by sea.” Becca grabbed the envelope like she was mad, but then looked back, smiled and said “this one’s for you.”
Becca took the envelope back to the quiet of her room to study the mission. This would be a very high risk mission. The cartel would be on a heightened security lockdown and would be expecting some kind of action by the Americans. The Cali cartel had grown stronger by taking advantage of the Colombian Government’s focus on the Medellin Cartel. Like many of the drug cartels of Colombia, the Cali Cartel had been tolerated by the CIA in the 80’s in exchange for help with the Nicaraguan Contras. So, once again the CIA had helped support something it now had to deal with. This particular cartel also had many allies, making the task even more difficult. They had allies such as the Russian Mafia, Los Pepes, Sinaloa Cartel, Juarez Cartel to speak of a few. They had a vast intelligence network with spies throughout the region. This would make it especially difficult and dangerous for Becca to gain access into the cartel.
The prisoners were being held in the Jungle to the south of the city of Santiago de Cali. The sight was a huge working cocaine lab with many workers and guards. The CIA had a trusted contact for Becca. She would have to reach the city on her own. The cartel had too many informants watching for flights, so Becca would have to go by ship. She would have to make her own way to Cali and find her contact, who hopefully was still committed to the CIA’s side. A laundry lady for the workers at the drug lab would become deathly ill and the contact would get Becca in as the new laundry lady. She would have two weeks to become familiar with the site and the activities.
Becca had gone over her mission details several times. She had finally put it aside, realizing it was already after lunch. She was just getting up to head into the kitchen, when Jack knocked on the bars of her cell. “Well, what do think? Is it doable?” he said. Becca smiled as usual and said “Piece of cake,” knowing she was lying but wanting to give Jack some reassurance. He answered “Sure it is. You are really something you know.” “I know” she replied.
He walked with Becca to the kitchen and sat down at the table while she made herself something to eat. “What about having a barbeque tomorrow before we have to head out?” Becca turned as she had just grabbed the lunchmeat out of the refrigerator, and said “Are you crazy? You want to have a barbeque? Just like we did for Johnny right before he was killed? I don’t think so.” She couldn’t help but think that would be a bad luck thing to do. It also brought up memories of Johnny and left her feeling kind of empty. Jack looked at her and must have seen the sadness in her face and said “Ya I guess not. I didn’t mean it because I think it’s your last mission, you know like Johnny.” She replied “It’s okay. You know some Taco Bell is sounding pretty good though.” Jack just laughed, but Becca was actually serious, for some reason some bean burritos with extra sour cream sounded like a wonderful parting dinner. “No” she said “for real.” “Okay, Okay. Tomorrow will be Taco Bell day for Becca.”
All Aboard
Like usual Jack woke up Becca at about 4:00 in the morning, she hated that but really wasn’t sleeping well anyway. The flight to San Diego was uneventful and Becca spent the whole flight going over the mission information. She liked the fact that her name was going to be Ana Maria Alexandria Hernandez, more likely just Ana. She wondered “Who comes up with these names for our mission anyway.” She imagined some nerdy CIA guy with thick rimmed glasses sitting at a desk making up names. The thought of that made her laugh.
They flew into Naval Base San Diego and boarded the USS Tarawa (LHA-1), a United States Navy amphibious assault ship. Becca was amazed at the sight of the USS Tarawa. This was a big ship with heavy armament and a large complement of marines. It could also hold up to 35 Helicopters and 8 Harriers. Becca told Jack “I really don’t like ships, but this is so cool.” He laughed at her as usual.
Once again they were escorted on board by two members of the Brig staff as their gear was taken by two other navy personnel. Becca wondered what all the sailors and special forces men thought of her as she walked aboard the ship. She could only imagine that it was probably pretty bad. She tried not to make eye contact with any of them, but instead concentrated on the escort in front of her. “He does have a nice butt” she thought as they made their way to the brig.
The Brig, once again was to be her living quarters. “Oh, here we go again with several days of being bored to death and sea sick too,” she thought as walked herself into the cell. The Master at Arms was Chief Petty Officer Victor Martinez. Seaman Thompson was the one officially assigned to keep an eye on Becca. There were several others too, but Becca didn’t really want to learn their names or even get to know them for that matter. She just wanted to get this boat ride over as fast as possible. Jack was talking with Chief Martinez while Becca was putting her gear away in the cell. She heard Jack tell Chief Martinez “make sure she gets anything she needs,” and he said it pretty sternly. Becca liked the fact that Jack was looking after her best interest.
The ship journey had been uneventful so far. It was a longer journey than the ride to Haiti had been, but Becca didn’t feel near as seasick as the last boat ride. She figured it was because of the monstrous size of this shi
p, at least as far as she was concerned. It wasn’t all that bad. The crew of the brig kept her entertained and Jack came by a lot more often than he had previously. They spent quite a bit of time in the fitness room because it seemed the best way to pass the time. Several of the marines assigned to the ship actually talked with Becca, to her surprize. She knew they didn’t know the details of her mission, but she got the feeling that they knew she was the one who was being sent to try and free the captured marines.
They were one day out of Buenaventura. The boat wouldn’t be going too close to shore. A CRRC would be used to escort Becca ashore just south of the city of Buenaventura so as not to be spotted. Becca, with Jack’s help had started to get the necessary gear ready for deployment, when Chief Martinez came in and said “Jack, an urgent message came down through the C.O. and he says you’re to read it straight away.” Jack took the message as Becca watched wondering “What has the CIA changed now?”
After reading the message, Jack stopped for a moment and then read it again. “Holy crap!” he said as he turned to Becca “The governor of Colorado has informed us that they have found the women, Jenna that you supposedly murdered, alive and living under a false identity in Minnesota.” “Holy crap!” he said again, “The mission is off.” Becca dropped to her knees in tears, holding her hands up to the sky. She couldn’t believe it. “Finally!” she said out loud. Jack pulled her up off her knees and grasped her tightly in a hug, holding her so tightly she finally had to say “Jack, I can’t breathe.” She stepped back from him and started laughing as she wiped the tears from her face she said “Wow! Didn’t see that one coming.”