Causing a Commotion Ch. 02

"She swallowed a transmitter, so Callie told me." I said. "Please let me know when Major Martin arrives."

"Did Callie see this Tomoko woman?" asked Moynahan.

"No sir." I said. "That's part of the problem. I was telling these Federal people just a few hours ago... Tomoko Shimono is dead, and apparently has been since Raymond Westboro murdered her right after the 'Eyes Only' case.

"What?!" exclaimed Teresa.

"Yeah, but I figured it out too late." I said. "The bastard has made his move."

"Which bastard?" Teresa asked darkly.

I looked at Laura and the DepDirector, who just nodded, then I said "The man who tried to kill me in Paris. The man who is responsible for the death of Goth Girl Kathy, who sacrificed herself for other CIA Agents in Paris. The man who is now trying to murder my sister Elizabeth... and apparently is trying to get at me through my family and loved ones."

"And Dr. Eckhart just went to Malaysia." Teresa said. "Is... is this guy going to hold Cindy for ransom? Make you give yourself or your sister up for her?"

"Maybe," I said, "but I think it's more, ultimately a lot more."

"So do I." said Laura, getting her composure back. "Don has taken out several Establishment leaders, especially Mitt Willis, as well as saving his sister twice and helping Israel. The bastard's hatred is personal, and I think he's become demented over it. He needs to be taken out as CIA Director, but I'm not sure how we can do that without triggering a disaster in Washington.

"I'm more worried about getting Cindy back, alive, right now." I said. "I will take care of that bastard once we've saved her." I saw my wife and the DepDirector peer at me, and my wife looked none too happy at my last comment.

"What assets do you neeeeeed, Commander?" asked Chief Moynahan.

"We have one Cobra gunship and one Bell." I said. "Three more Cobras and one troop transport chopper would be nice. I'm also requisitioning the Hospital's life-flight chopper or its backup."

"I'll get you that." said Laura.

"Commander," said the DepDirector, "it sounds like you know where she is."

"I have ideas, sir." I said. "I'm hoping Myron and Major Martin can make the confirmation so we can act."

*Whirrrrrrrrr*

Hearing Tanya's wheelchair driving up, I opened the door and looked out. Indeed, it was my Captain of Detectives.

"Sir," she said, "I've gotten word from the Officers we sent to get Tilden. He's dead. It was bad. It looks like they tortured him to get the access code to his smartphone, then they slit his throat..."

Part 9 - Desperate Gamble

I'm a gambler, and I will take you by surprise,

Gambler, I'll aim this straight between your eyes,

Gambler, yeah I know all the words to say,

'Cause I'm a gambler, I only play the game my way...

--- Madonna, 'Gambler'

3:00pm, Thursday, September 27th. Lieutenant Myron Milton came to my office. I was in my 'black' uniform, ready to put on armor and gear as soon as we got something.

"I've got something, sir." Myron said. "The Benning County bridge over the State Line River at the Water Works, north of the town. Most traffic comes over the larger road that crosses the river near the town, so the Federal DEA and the SBI-NTF have camera surveillance of the Water Works Bridge in the event drug traffickers think they can use the road less traveled."

"I'm not even going to ask what you did to get the video." I said. "What did you find?"

"Ambulance matching the one in our Town, sir." said Myron. "Same license plate all the way." He showed me the various sections of tape on his iPad.

"That's it." I said, feeling very sure. I led the way to the Chief's office. "Sir," I said, "I think I know where they took her." I had Myron show the Chief the video clips. As he did, I explained: "You remember those secret Federal missile silos across the State Line in the 'Lost Drone' case?"

"Oh yes." said Moynahan. "But they abandoned them and sold the properties, didn't they?"

"They were supposed to, sir." I said. "But the southernmost of the facilities in Clinton County, which wasn't a silo but a command-and-control center, wasn't sold off. And I suspect it was maintained in case they needed to use it."

"It seems too obvious." said the Chief. "They could've taken Ross somewhere else, and they're setting up a trap for us. Can you activate her transmitter and see for sure? Or are we too far away?"

"We're too far away, sir." I said, "But I talked to Major Martin when he got here an hour ago. They've got an AWACS plane circling the region with Southport as the center point. It's on a 'training exercise'. It can activate the transmitter and receive its signal. The big problem is that Major Martin and Laura are pretty sure that the perps will know the signal was activated as soon as we do activate it. So we have to be practically on top of them, or they'll kill Cindy and lay that trap for us."

"And you're sure she's there? In that Clinton County facility?" asked the Chief again.

"Not one hundred percent, sir." I said. "But we don't have much choice. I suspect she'll be dead if we don't find her by nightfall, midnight at the latest."

"Okay, let's go to the airport, then." said the Chief.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The helicopters for the mission were assembled at County Airport. Major Martin was with the Deputy Director at the FBI Building, in the Top Secret Communications Room on the top floor. The University Helicopter's pilot had volunteered to fly the life-flight chopper, and Sergeant Andrew Prince of the TCPD could not be held back from flying the 'troop transport' chopper.

The four Cobras were being flown by Chief Moynahan and three of his old buddies from his Air Cavalry unit. He introduced them to me as 'my comrades in battle', and I could tell they had a strong bond that could only be forged under combat fire.

And in the troop ship? Warriors: Takaki Nagamasa. Todd Burke. Teddy Franklin. Lt. Hugh Hewitt and three TCPD SWAT Officers, all 'Blood Orange'. And of course, wearing all black and carrying her swords as well as an M-4, Teresa Croyle.

I had my swords, also, as well as grenades, and several of the legendary Japanese shuriken, throwing stars. I said to Teresa "You and I will ride on the life-flight helicopter. I have a radio to tell the AWACS to activate Cindy's transmitter."

As we went to board the chopper, I looked inside... and got the shock of my life as I realized who I was seeing. On board, in all black, was Dr. Laura Fredricson, my wife.

"You'll need a doctor, and someone with the authority to tell Federal people what to do." my wife said.

"And of course you volunteered." I said as Teresa and I climbed aboard.

"It's a matter of family." Laura said. I could only nod in agreement. Definitely not the time to argue with my wife.

Also aboard was a medic from the 3457th Signal Intelligence Battalion, and Takaki Mariko, Todd's assistant at BOW Enterprises. Seems she'd had extensive medical training herself.

As we flew down, I showed Teresa a trick I'd picked up from my Army days: I took a bootlace, guided it through the top handle-piece and sight post of my M-4, and also through a small brass ring on my front armor assembly. The rifle could hang from the ring, and be guided by my arm, as well. It also could not be easily separated from me, which was a major plus at ROTC Advanced Camp. Cadre just loved to separate weapons from cadets, then exchange them for negative spot reports.

Teresa liked it, and used the other bootlace to ready her weapon for fast combat.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

5:30pm, Thursday, September 27th. The sun was lowering into the western sky as our formation followed the State Line River. We were seeing farms on both sides, and also the abandoned buildings of the missile silos.

I saw the road that Cindy and I had driven on in the Black Beauty as we investigated the Eldon murders. I remembered how we were facing the power of the Federal Government in that case... and we were facing that massive power again.

But most of all, I was realizing that the person we were trying to find and rescue was not just a Police Officer, not just my Police partner, not just my first cousin. We were looking for my Kato, my Green Crowbar, the woman who busted her ass to have my back and keep me out of trouble.

And now, in the greatest gamble of my career, with Cindy's life as the chip on the table, we were going to put it all on the line to go to this one place in an attempt to rescue her, to take her back from the Forces of Evil that had snatched her from us...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"On approach to Target Alpha." I said into my powerful radio as a gray building could be seen to our south. "Activate transmitter!"

"Activated..." said the voice in my headphones. "Signal detected! I say again, signal detected! Transmitting numbers one-zero-six-niner. Location... Target Alpha."

"That it!" I said. It was Cindy's TCPD Badge number. I got on the mike that fed into the helicopter's radio and said to all "Target confirmed!"

"Roger that." replied Chief Moynahan. "Attack formation! We're going in hot!"..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*BEEEEP!*

"What the hell was that?" asked the leader of the perps as he saw the noise accompanied by a blinking light on the labcoated-man's panel.

"It's an alert." said the man, as he looked at his readout display. "Apparently she's swallowed a transmitter, and it was just remotely activated. They're looking for her."

"We won't have much time, then." said the leader. He left the room and went into another. "Activate the radars. They activated a signal on the prisoner. Depending on where they are, they could be here in as little as half an hour."

A man activated the installation's radar. "Nothing so far." said the radar man as he watched the sweeping band of light on the display. Some clutter moving sideways at 50 miles, probably geese."

"What's the range of this radar?" asked the leader.

"About 100 miles, depending on weather and... oh, shit!"

"What?"

"These dots are right on top of us!" gasped the radar man. "They're already here!"

"How can that be?... oh, shit." said the leader. He went to a panel on the wall and pressed a button. A klaxon-call alarm went off. "Action stations! Action stations! We are under attack. This is not a drill. Action stations!"

The men in the room saw the leader leave, but thought nothing of it. What they did not see was the leader go into another room. Inside that room, a door led to an underground passage that was an emergency escape tunnel. The leader was abandoning his perp army to its fate...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"They're coming out!" said Chief Moynahan into his radio microphone. As men on the ground poured out of the building and began firing on the choppers, the Cobras began spitting their venom of copper rounds, decimating the men on the ground below.

"Double-A battery on the roof." said Moynahan, meaning an anti-aircraft gun. "I've got it." He fired, and a missile took out the one true threat to the choppers coming in.

The life-flight chopper and the troop transport landed around the corner of the building to where the perps had come out. We got ourselves into some semblance of a formation. Do not be surprised to learn that Your Iron Crowbar didn't make it to the front... Teresa Croyle beat me to it. We got to the entrance...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Sir, I just got a Priority One signal from our facility in Clinton County." said an aide to the CIA Director as he sat behind his desk in his home in West Virginia. "They just came under attack. Several helicopter gunships."

"Contact the leader there." said the CIA Director. "He'll know how to deploy his men to bring maximum lethality against the invaders."

Moments later, the aide was back. "We couldn't get in touch with the leader there. The radar man said that the Enemy had entered the facility and was pushing our people back."

"I hope they have the brains to kill Ross before they're overrun." said the CIA Director.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*BOOM!*

The concussion grenade I'd thrown over Teresa's head and down the hall went off. Teresa immediately rushed in, followed by me, my ninja, then SWAT team elements. As perps appeared around corners, they were picked off by Teresa's gunfire.

The others led the way down the hall. We came to a large square opening. Every door was covered as the SWAT Team came in and took up positions. And I felt a vibe...

As the door across from the one where we'd come in opened, I was already in motion. I threw the four shuriken in my hand at the crack of the door, one by one. As four perps came through in a charge, they each received a sharp metal ray of a star into their left eyeballs. As they howled in pain, they were cut down by a hail of bullets.

Teresa resumed the point and led the way down that hall as our people found and eliminated more Enemy troops. The final push to Cindy's prison began...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hearing the commotion outside, the radar man said to the other man at the controls "They're here. Are you going to surrender?"

The door swung open and the men faced a broad-shouldered redhead wearing black with a circular red-and-black icon on his chest armor over his black uniform shirt. The look on my face was one of unappeasable ferocity.

"We surrender!" said one of the men as they raised their hands to the air. I rushed the first man, the Crowbar Katana stabbing right through his chest. As I withdrew and he folded over, my sword sliced through the air and removed his head from his shoulders.

The second man was too shocked and horrified to move, and he died the same way, his teeth chattering in his head as it lay on the floor.

Surrender? I thought to myself as I went back into the square hallway. Too late for that. I'm taking no prisoners today...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Teresa had gone into another room. It was the room where Cindy was handcuffed to the bed. She saw a man in a labcoat raising a huge 'Rambo' knife into the air, about to stab it into Cindy's chest.

*BANG!* *BANG!*

The bullets from Teresa's M-4 ripped into the perp, literally throwing him against the far wall. He crumpled to the floor, dead. Teresa turned and began uncuffing Cindy's wrist from the bed, trying hard to not break down crying at what she was seeing...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I could see by Teresa's face that it was bad. She looked at me, then blocked me from looking in, much less going in. "She's alive." Teresa said. "But don't look in there. Let Laura handle it, Don." She took me by the elbow and led me away from the door as my wife hustled past me into the room, followed by the medic from the 3457th Signal Intelligence Battalion and Takaki Mariko.

I gave the SWAT Team members coming in instructions to gather any papers they could find, and then rig the building to be destroyed. Then I went to work...

*WHOOSH!*

Teresa was watching as I went from perp to perp, my sword slashing in glittering arcs as I sliced open every one of their throats. I felt her eyes watching me, absorbing what I was doing. I did not care. I was numb, not feeling... well, trying not to feel.

A perp on the floor coughed. With lightning speed I stabbed my katana into his chest, right through his heart. Then I sliced his throat open. I was in a 'zone', an eerie surreality where nothing mattered but to exterminate every wet bit of existence out of these worthless bastards...

The door to the room opened. Nagamasa and Teddy Franklin were carrying a stretcher, which was bearing Cindy. She was under a sheet and unconscious. I could see the mottled color of the bruises on her face, the swelling around her right eye. Laura was walking beside them, holding up an IV bag.

"She's stable, but weak." Laura said. "Let's get her home."

The SWAT Team was finished rigging the rooms with explosives. Now they followed the medical litter back down the hall. I motioned for Teresa to go, then brought up the rear myself. No one was left to ambush me from behind...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

One of the perps that had rushed out of the building to attack the helicopters had run for the tall grass about 100 feet from the building, and he'd made it. He saw his comrades mowed down by the Cobras, then the Enemy troops getting off helicopters and going into the building.

He watched and waited. He saw the pilot of the large helicopter that was meant to be a med-evac chopper get out and open the side door, just as people began exiting the building. He aimed his rifle, and fired.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*POW!*

"AAAUUUGHH!" screamed the life-flight pilot. "I'm hit!"

Chief Moynahan and Sergeant Prince had seen the flash of gunfire from the high grass. They drew their handguns and returned fire. Then Prince circled around as Moynahan watched for movement. A moment later, Prince announced the gunman was dead.

Chief Moynahan then went to the pilot, who was being helped by Moynahan's Air Cav buddies. "Upper arm." one of them said. "He'll be okay."

"But can you fly this bird?" asked Moynahan. The pilot shook his head: no.

Just then, we all rushed up, and people went to their transports out of here. The Chief told me what had just happened.

"Okay, let's put him in the back so Laura can treat him." I said.

"Who's going to fly the chopper?" Laura asked.

"Who do you think." I said, opening the door and getting into the pilot's seat. Teresa ran around and got in the co-pilot's seat. I handed her my sword and started the engine. It started, but was not speeding up properly. Then Teresa reached up and flipped a couple of switches, and everything 'got right'.

"Atomic power to battery, turbine to speed." Teresa said as she looked over the instrument panel.

"Roger, ready to move out." I replied, taking the controls.

As we began lifting off, someone pressed the button and explosions began tearing apart the facility from the insides. Then Chief Moynahan and his buddies swung their choppers around and fired missiles into the building from the outside. The flaming conflagration was visible for miles as the sun began setting in the west.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The escort gunships caught up to me and we flew north-by-northeast in formation. As we passed the nuclear power plant and cleared its airspace, we set a beeline course for home.

We were hailed by County Airport Air Traffic Control, who asked us to identify ourselves. I gave the life-flight chopper's call sign, then said "We are on a life-flight mission to University Hospital with Police helicopter escort. How copy?"

"Loud and clear." said the air traffic controller. "Maintain your present course."

That course took us right over 'The Vision'. The sun was touching the horizon as I looked down and saw acolytes on the ground waving up at us. They had no idea who we were transporting; the daughter of their great leader. Or maybe they did know...

For some reason, the theme to the movie 'Patton' was playing in my head as we flew northeast, and I'd imagine that anyone looking west would see an impressive sight of a formation of choppers flying with the sun as their backdrop.

And then Teresa pointed ahead. The blue lights of the sign on top of the building spelled out 'UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL'. As the gunships peeled off to return to County Airport, I hovered over the landing pad on the roof, then brought the big bird down right onto it. Though I'd never flown this particular model of aircraft, it had not been a bad first effort.

Nurses and Dr. Cordell had come out, and were now moving the patients inside. As I shut the engine down, the release of tensions began shutting me down, also. I was just looking forward, staring out, when I felt a hand on my arm. It was Teresa.