The FO Officer

The body was of some guy that could best be described as someone who lived rough, or rather kept away from civilization. A hairbrush I recognized as Ashley's stuck in his left eye, at full force. It would have pierced his brain. He was very dead.

I thought the worse and looking at Halo, I was beginning to think he thought the same. "Tell me now if this is another exercise, because what I see in front of me worries me a great deal."

Rick shook his head and re-affirmed his statement by saying. "No. this isn't a mock up, it's real. She's been snatched."

Rick turned to his wife, her own hand already holding her cell phone. "Phone Constance, tell her what's going on and get her to give that information to Jo Jo. She needs to be kept in the loop, but she can't come here or bring the Unit with her. Your mother is the only person who is going to be able to talk her down."

Almost as an afterthought, he added. "Tell Constance to remind Jo Jo, that she already has three members of the Unit here, they can deal with this."

He turned to me, stared hard and then said. "You may be new to the Unit, but Jo Jo chose wisely, I can see it in your face. Get changed into combats, I'll meet you at the armory. We're getting Ashley back."

I was already at a run so I barely heard Rick tell Brooke. "Get in touch with the parks people we've dealt with. Tell them what's going on up here."

By the time I had returned to the armory, Rick had changed as well. He was giving Brooke a Sig that she slipped into a hip holster already attached to her. She was still giving details to someone on the phone. A couple of webbing sets were on hooks, they were an American design, basically a vest with pouches attached.

I spent a few minutes adjusting one to my preference and adding spare magazines and cleaning kits plus a few other items that caught my eye, all to be sorted later.

After grabbing another chest rig off the wall, Rick handed me a Sig plus magazines to slide into the pockets in my rig. We both pulled MP5's from the rack and ran our own safety checks on them before pulling magazines and ammunition from boxes on the floor. We quickly loaded more than enough for a small war, we knew we could carry it all we had adrenalin on our side. Anger played a major factor as well. Someone out there had one of our team members and we wanted her back.

He then gave me a wire headset that covered one ear and with a small strap went around my neck for the throat mike. "In this place it's good for three hundred yards. Turns to shit after that but there are going to be times we separate so it's the best I have with what we're facing."

He then leaned in and kissed his wife, she stopped talking to whomever to kiss him back. I almost told them to get a room.

"I have my cell on me but its only on vibrate, use the signal as a way of keeping track of us. I need to conserve the battery so please don't expect me to answer anything you send unless it's an emergency."

She nodded her head and then Rick added. "I'm thinking worst case scenario here, if whoever doubles back, I don't want them taking you, so lock yourself in the armory until help gets here."

With a nod of Brooke's head and a smile of understanding, she walked into the armory as we turned and headed out.

*******

We found their exit route from the compound. Rick let me lead and my lead-man/scout training took over. I may be the leader of my team in our last combat zone, but out of sight of the bosses, I kept my skills sharp by sometimes taking point. My people humored me and thought it funny that the lead scout was in fact the boss.

I counted three footfalls; one was heavier than the rest. This one was carrying Ashley over his shoulder. They were obviously in a rush. After a couple of miles they started to get smarter and the signs became harder to find. That's when I spotted the blood, just a couple of drops, and the crushed vegetation close to the drops caused by the person carrying Ashley.

Halo's hand on my shoulder made me almost reach for my Sig. I looked back, he pointed down and we then both took a knee.

As I followed him down, he leaned in, close to my ear. "You're better at this than I ever was, but you can't keep up that level of concentration for too long. I've let you take lead for as long as I dare, but you need to rest. Take a few minutes for a water and candy-bar break."

Nodding in agreement got me a smile back from a man I've come to respect more than many I've met in my life. A part of me actually felt I would have liked to have known him when all the stories started about the phantom known as Halo Two-Five started. For the last two weeks we had been at the lake, I've watched a legend and his wife and even discovered that he's human.

Although I've not stuck a tape measure against him, I would have gone with six foot one maybe two inches. He has one of those faces that you tend to forget as you pass him in the street, but it's his eyes that pull you. Almost like he's reading your mind with those brown eyes. After the second day at the lake, when he took his t-shirt off both Ashley and I stopped talking and looked, or stared.

It was Brooke who broke the spell. "He's a hunk isn't he? And just think, his all mine, well mine and our girls of course."

Rick still worked out, the muscles on him proved it, the six pack backed that up as well, just like his scar tissue on his back and arms attested to him being at the front end of a fire-fight.

It was his knowledge that kept Ashley and I spellbound. Ashley and I were career soldiers, we had both seen action, and yet when this man spoke, we shut up and listened.

We both looked at our watches at the same time, then smiled. I took lead once again. We had gone another three or so miles when the foot pattern changed. There were no longer three footfalls, but four. Only this one scuffed the ground with the left boot. Ashley was left handed and she knew we would be out here. She was leaving us a signal.

The game of cat and mouse lasted the rest of the day. The four never went in a direct line and at one stage, almost doubled back a hundred yards. Then I saw something that caused me to point down. Both of us took a knee, allowing the tall undergrowth to almost engulf us as we watched and waited. Suppressing the urge to stand and move forwards was the hardest thing ever, but while that feeling sat in my head and wouldn't vacate it, this was where I was staying. Rick trusted me enough to wait and back me up on this.

After half an hour, the birds left the trees nearly two hundred yards further up from us. This was also the first time we had eyes on them. Halo was close enough behind me to whisper in the knowledge that that whisper would reach only me. "I hereby doth christen you Trapper-John. Dammit Brendan, that's the best piece of tracking work I've ever had the privilege to see."

The three looked almost identical to the one that Ashley had killed, Ashley herself had a rope around her neck and her hands tied behind her back, the evening breeze carried the rough grunts from the guy holding the rope, Ashley's voice came clear across the distance from us in precise detail of what she intended to do to her captor when she was free.

Even looking at Halo made me aware that he knew what I was going to ask and he was just about to crawl through the undergrowth off to the right. My hand came up and Halo stopped, the man from the rear took over the lead, leaving Ashley and the man holding her at the back of the line, he followed my eyes and we both watched Ashley use sign language. I knew why I hadn't moved from when we both took a knee, because I could sense Ashley and if I could sense her, that meant she was close. I now had to wonder if she could sense us.

My hand pulled out a scope to take a closer look at things. I focused on her hands to get a clearer idea of what she was trying to tell us. I was getting most of what she was saying, but she was limited with her hands tied at the wrists, sign language sometimes meant you used your wrists and arms as well. Ashley was doing the best with the limited movement of her fingers, some misspelling came into play, not the mention made up words.

But I was getting the gist of what she was saying, and that's when my shoulders slumped and "Fuck it." Left my lips at a whisper of my own.

Halo was waiting for an explanation when I lowered my scope.

"She's found out from the others that they have five other women with them. She wants us to follow along and we'll effect a rescue of all the women these men are holding."

Halo thought this was too big to keep to himself so he phoned Kitten to get an update on our back up. She handed her phone over and a man named Jefferson from the FBI. He let us know that the Forestry Service people had passed on our message to the Bureau and that he was part of a Hostage Rescue Team. Rick could hear the helicopters in the background of the phone call.

Halo gave him a situation report and when he did, I just looked at him and stared. To talk to the HRT leader he had switched seamlessly to an American accent. He added that there were five other women hostages to add to the list. This situation was escalating and the HRT boss wanted to talk to his own boss.

"Well, you may want to do that on the way to this grid reference, because I doubt my cell signal is going to last much longer beyond this point."

That statement tilted the team leader's decision to get his people on the move.

"Your wife has insisted on coming along."

"Bring her, she can keep up with you, we could do with another female with us to put the hostages at ease, she's also a qualified medic and has seen combat before."

When the call was over, he finally spotted me staring at him. A smile crossed his lips, before he once again reverted to British English and explained. "A bunch of English folks on American soil, causing trouble will get broadcast around the world. Land of the free and internet, remember that Trapper. With an American in charge it will hold the HRT folks in check until Constance can get a cover story together. We are the Unit Trapper; we have to work in the grey of this world."

He caught me shaking my head, before I uttered the words. "The many faces of Halo Two-Five."

It also brought home the fact that I still had a lot to learn. I was still in awe of a man who made it all look so easy.

*******

Even with the HRT's more direct route, it still took them a couple of hours to catch up with us. The folks in front seemed to think the double back had worked and no one was following them, so they stuck to getting back to their camp.

I acted as point. Rick kept the Hostage Rescue Team further back: more boots on the ground make more noise. A scared bird will panic, taking many others with it. That action shouts 'he's behind you' to anyone smart enough to read the land and it was clear to us that these guys lived off of it and used it to hide as well. After all, until they took Ashley, no one even knew they existed, let alone how long they had been in this area.

The group followed a track down the hill. I smelt smoke and took a knee. The HRT leader and Rick joined me. I had a scope to my eye by then and could now give a clearer picture.

"I count four huts, I've seen three women so far, not in great shape but not in danger of dropping from starvation either. I counted three men in the camp, plus the three that's just joined them. So as of this minute, six guy's verse's a H.R.T team and a Unit team."

I loaned my scope to the HRT leader, easing myself back to give him room to make his own judgment.

When he eventually eased backed down to us, he looked at Rick and said. "Okay, what do you want to do?"

That's when Rick looked at me and nodded.

"Leave Rick up here with a rifle. Give me time to get around the back and free Ashley. That makes two at the back of the camp, Rick up top pinning them down and dropping them when he has the chance and then you bring your team in on a frontal assault."

I looked closer at Rick. "Halo, Ashley is fresh meat, that means we have very limited time to get her out from under before they start taking turns on her. With a gun in her hands, you have two Unit members killing bad guys from the rear. They can't escape the pincer movement we will be putting them under."

Rick looked at the HRT leader. "Do you want to add anything to this conversation?" It wasn't sarcasm, both Rick and I wanted him on board. If he wanted to add to this conversation, Rick had just given him a window.

He really did look like he was thinking on it, then shook his head and moved back to go into a huddle with his team. Rick nodded to me and I turned and slid through the undergrowth all the way down the slope at an angle that would take me to the far side of the camp, and behind the hut they in which they had put Ashley.

As a sniper myself, I knew Halo was watching my movements from his position. He must have seen me nod because he dropped the guy who was walking in my general direction. I knelt and dropped his friend, two of the women screamed and ran in the opposite direction of the shooting. Two men came out of the hut, Halo dropped one but the other ducked and ran in the other direction. Ashley came out of a hut with a knife in her hands, the rope was now tied to the front of her body, but still keeping her wrists together until I slashed the rope away in a single thrust.

I also handed her my Sig and she went back into the hut. Another shot rang out and she joined me once again. The rope was gone but the hoop still remained around her neck. Halo took another two out and the HRT team got involved after that. It was fast, clinical and finished within minutes. Brooke and Ashley rounded up the women. We went around checking that the rest were dead. The HRT leader moved to the top of the ridge to get a better signal as his team formed a loose circle around the women hostages, just in case more trouble turned up.

While we waited for the helicopters Ashley talked to the women prisoners. Some were lone hikers, snatched in the middle of the night. One was with her husband; they killed him first and took her with them.

The army helicopters landed as best they could in the terrain, only one could land at a time so it was a quick in and out with the women first, Ashley went to separate herself from the group when the HRT leader insisted that since she was a hostage she was going with the women to get checked out. I thought it prudent to remove the gun and knife she had, as she squared up to the HRT leader.

That's when Rick got involved and agreed with the Rescue Team leader. Ashley had been in camp a good three hours before we managed to take her and the other hostages back. The HRT leader was just doing what operational procedure expected of him. Ashley realized that when Halo insisted she had no choice.

The dead were taken next in the hope that they may be able to identify them. The HRT left next and they even sent a helicopter for us as well. We asked to be dropped off at the lake as we still had clean up duty to do. The same pilot dropped Ashley off towards the evening and the pilot told us he was scheduled to pick us all up the next morning. We also had Ashley moaning about being given a full medical. Brooke placed her hand on Ashley's shoulder and they stood and took a walk around the camp talking about what had happened.

*******

Jo Jo did come over; she took a civilian flight. One of Constance's security people picked her up and brought her back to the family ranch in the Virginia countryside just outside Washington DC. The news people had been given a brief notice of the action up at the lake. One channel wanted to lead on it. A reporter had heard that there might have been a special forces team at the lake that backed up the HRT people and the news station was all over it. To ease the pressure Jo Jo agreed to call-sign names only.

Constance picked up the remote. The screen filled with a 'Breaking News' logo. Then the Anchor Woman came on. "We have just received news that an FBI Hostage Rescue Team with the aid of a special forces team that were in the area on a training exercise, have rescued five women from captivity. The women are now in an un-named Medical Centre, until all their families have been notified of their safety and re-united with their loved ones.

The anchor woman then picked up the papers in front of her and tapped them on the table to straighten them. Her eyes looking at the one sheet of paper still on the desk in front of her. "Folks, this station wants to give these woman time to get back to their families and feel safe again. We do want to turn our attention to the Hostage Rescue Team and their valuable skills that have kept this country safe. To those very special people who train to become HRT Officers, we at this station thank you."

Her eyes once again glanced at the paper in front of her before she once again pulled air into her lungs. "This station also wants to thank the people of the Special Forces who thankfully, were in the right place at the right time. This station refuses to shine a light on these people, since they operate so many times in secrecy. But I feel privileged to have been given their Call-Signs."

Again she looked down at the sheet in front of her, her chest seemed to expand with pride. "I've also been given permission by their boss to use each one on this news cast. The thanks of this program along with the thanks of this nation go too."

She then picked up the paper to make sure could read from it rather than glance at it. "Kitten, Halo, Trapper-John and last but by no means least, to Hoops. All extraordinary names and I'm sure each name has a story behind it."

When Constance turned off the television, we all looked at Ashley. She basically blew up, shooting off the seat she was watching the news from and looking daggers at me. "That's your fault. I wanted a Call-Sign that exuded 'don't fuck with me' instead I got Hoops. I'm not going to live this down when we get back to Kenton Barracks. I'm going to have to emigrate now, and it's because of you."

I remained stone face. My jaw was killing me doing it but I think I got there. "I couldn't help it, you looked so cute with your hands tied behind your back and the noose around your neck, it just looked like a hoop."

She took a step towards me, I sensed Halo getting ready to intercede. Jo Jo was just watching with interest, the interaction between two of her team.

"Boss, may I have your permission to kill him, please?" She lengthened the last word out, like she desperately wanted her to say yes, when a smile was her only answer she continued.

"I noticed at no point in that statement did you mention my fingers telling you both to hold off on rescuing me and to follow along. Or the fact I spent ages baiting the little shit holding the rope so I could get more information out of him?"

"Well, yes that was all noticed, but somehow I don't think 'silent fingers' suits you as a call-sign."

I did make it out of the room, all be it with Ashley chasing me. The laughter from the room followed both of us out of the house.

*******

We stayed another night and I even got introduced to Brooke and Rick's children. Early the next morning, we left via a civilian flight back home, relieved and also grateful that we still had Ashley with us. We had a sit down with Jo Jo and Freddy, their joint assessment of our three weeks away were positive. Of course, Jo Jo would have preferred that we slip in and out of America without the drama, but knew that wasn't up to us. Constance was fielding all enquiries about what Special Forces Unit was training in that area from various news outlets that figured there was more to this story than what had been disclosed.