The Stolen Dozen Ch. 04

Joseph said, "Yes that, and finding pieces of Carolyn's body scattered throughout Grid 1, would have made us suspicious of other people being involved, eventually."

"Thank you, Uncle Joseph, you have just renewed my faith in mankind. Now all I have to do is ferret out the assholes, the incompetents, and the petty thieves, and I will find the murderers of my wife."

Anthony said, "That sounds like it would take you about, two or three days work, Robert. Do you want to do it at home, or down at police headquarters?"

"Dad, since I am unable to walk, and my father-in-law has designs on my near future. I may not be able to get to that work for quite a while."

"Anthony, your son will not be able to get to that work for at least four months. After that time, we will see how much time he has to spend in the rehabilitation center to get his body back into one piece. I just train them. I don't care if they are hurting after that point."

"Bob, as I told you before, you take care of my son, you just stay away from me."

"Dad, that's not fair. He's going to hurt me."

"Robert, I'm sorry to inform you, that your father-in-law is going to do more than hurt you. He is going to break you, and put you back together in a form you have never been in before, and will be in for the remainder of your life. Do you see what he looks like? That's what you will look like when he's finished with you. I don't envy your transition."

"I want to join my wife. I think it would be less painful."

Robert Riefsynder said, "If those bastards were kind to my daughter, and I'm not sure they were, they killed her instantly, by cutting off her head, using an axe. At least her suffering would have been short-lived, after they raped, and sodomized her hundreds of times. What they did to her after cutting off her head is beyond human comprehension. How any human being could look upon a body, and treat it so irrationally, goes back to the time when kings, or royalty would draw and quarter a person for lack of paying taxes. It feels like a blood lust was satisfied, but then they went back to the cabin and cleaned it, until it sparkled. It makes no sense. Maybe, they went to sleep after they killed my Carolyn, and the next day, they were thinking clearer, or they weren't drunk on booze or the bloodlust, and they threw everything they touched into the fire pit, cleaned up the cabin, inside and out, ran a hose from the fuel oil tanks, to the pit and started the fire. As it was roaring, they added everything they could think of that was still in the cabin, from sheets to pillowcases, washcloths and towels, and threw them into the conflagration, adding more oil as it continued to roar."

Anthony said, "Bob, I like the way you think, but keep this under your hat until we get home. We will talk about it privately."

Heather said, "Gentlemen, ladies, my patient is ready to leave. I know Dr. Friedman wanted to have another word with him, prior to his departure, but he is running over an hour late. So, I guess he will miss that meeting."

The bus was at the front door of the hospital, with the four FBI agents standing by it. Everyone boarded, except the agents, and Robert. When everyone was settled, the agents picked Robert up from his chair, and carried him into the bus, to a row which was fitted with blankets and pillows, especially for him. The center rests were removed, and he was able to lie comfortably across the three seats. His mother sat directly across from him. His father sat behind him Sistene sat in front of him, and Robert Riefsynder sat tangentially in front of him. He did not lack for company, or security. The first two seats on either side of the bus had FBI agents in them, as did two seats further back. Joseph and Dominic sat playing cards, as an innocent buffer between the FBI agents, to throw anyone looking for a police-person off their game.

Robert was comfortable, the driver did the walk around to check the tires, make sure that the bus was not leaking any fluids, and to make sure the brakes were okay. With the visible checks completed, the bus driver got into his seat, closed the front door, and proceeded down the ramp, and onto State Route 423 East. This road would intersect with Interstate 80 which would take them to New York City; the Bronx, actually.

Interstate 80 ends in Teaneck, New Jersey, where it joins with Interstate 95, which flows into New York, both Manhattan, via the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, and into the Bronx, via the George Washington Bridge. There are other ways to get into New York from New Jersey, but they are through Staten Island, and I will not mention them here.

From the George Washington Bridge, the bus got onto the Cross Bronx Expressway, until it reached the Hutchison River Parkway, and went north to E. Gun Hill Rd., where it exited and made a right turn for three and one quarter of a miles and reached its destination on White Plains Road.

As soon as it came to a halt, it began drawing a crowd. The people seemed to know that Robert was finally returning home to them. They couldn't wait to greet him. His parents got off the bus first to rousing cheers, followed by the Riefsynder's, and then his family members.

Then, the FBI agents lowered his wheelchair and carried him from the bus, and put him in it. As soon as the crowd could see him clearly, a cheer went up. Robert had tears in his eyes, because of this home coming. It would be the first of many he would go through, but in less than one week, he would be leaving the cold climate of the North, fly south to Louisiana to begin his rehabilitation and training under the watchful eyes of men who trained, and fought for their country, under his father-in-law. They were former 'Drill Instructors' of the US Marines. Some were still in service to their country. Others had retired and were now living close to military bases, earning civilian salaries, while still dealing with the military. They had the best of both worlds. They would prove this to Robert, when he arrived, and if he survived their training.

When these men were contacted by their commander, none turned him down. There was a 'espirite de corpse' among these men that had been honored down through the ranks since the word 'MARINE' had been codified.

"Once a Marine, always a Marine."

Robert Riefsynder was a Marine and his family was attacked, while our country was not at war. He needed their assistance, and he was going to get it. No questions were asked. No money was asked for. No time limitation was given. They were going to get this job done for him, if it took forever to do it. This kid was going to come out of their training 100% Marine capable. He would have every skill they had to give. He would know the Marine manual from cover to cover. He would know the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Chapter & Verse; 'Word for Word'. He would be better than any military lawyer. He would be able to use every weapon from an M-1 carbine to the 155mm cannon. Tanks were easy to drive, and easier to shoot. You just couldn't see a damn thing out of them. Hand to hand combat would become second nature to him. His body would become a killing machine. He would have to be very careful when using it with, or against someone, anyone, especially a woman.

They knew the first thing they had to do was to get Robert to walk. Doctors could not pinpoint the problem in his back, or legs. Everything looked fine according to his tests. His muscles were working properly, according to the electrical tests. He felt sensation from his toes to the top of his head; so why couldn't he stand on his own? Something, somewhere wasn't connected properly. They are going to find that something, expose it, and repair it. As with all things, there had to be a reason, and they were going to find that reason, regardless of how long it took to find it. There was no time limitation on this boy. He was not a military recruit. He was theirs to enjoy, if that was the appropriate term, for as long as they wished. They could correct him one flaw at a time, if they saw fit, or many flaws at a time, if it suited their purpose. There was no set plan for Robert's progression, just the end goal as espoused by their leader, Captain Robert Riefsynder. He always ate, slept, froze, and bivouacked with them. He never let them go out into the field of battle, without him being in the lead. You were never at a loss for what your orders were, because your orders always came from in front of you, from your commander, not from the rear, from some jerk-water idiot, who didn't know what was happening at the front lines. It happened many times, when China's "Volunteer Force" Army invaded Korea, from the north, crossed their border, and attacked the United Nations Command Armies, and the United States Marines 'X' Corp, encircling them at the Chosin Lake/Resevoir.

The United Nations commands were caught in disarray by the sudden onslaught of nearly 30,000 Chinese soldiers swooping down and out of every mountain pass, gap, and valley. They did not believe their own intelligence estimates that Mao was massing forces at the border of the two countries, getting ready for just such an invasion.

'X' Corps was under no such delusion. They knew 34,000 Chinese soldiers were getting ready to invade their lines and prepared a 200-mile wide perimeter to defend against it. The only thing they could not prepare against was the Siberian winter storm that invaded along with them. As the battle raged, temperatures dropped to -34°F. The springs in their rifles froze, and did not recoil fast enough to force the discharge of the next round. Batteries in radios, jeeps, trucks, and aircraft fell below starting limits and sat useless where they were. Plasma, whole blood, anything liquid turned into a gel that would not flow. In order to give a patient an injection of a pain killer, or antibiotic, the nurse had to put it in her mouth to defrost it first, for two or three minutes, before it became useful. The entire Chosin campaign lasted only 17 days, but don't tell that to the Marines and Army units that fought, lived or died there. You could not sleep, because you froze to death if you did. You could not dig a foxhole, because the ground was frozen to a depth of 8 feet. A grenade could not dig your foxhole for you. You needed dynamite, or the use of heavy equipment to dig it. The only reason the Marines and Army units lost only 6800 men during this battle was because their foxholes were so deep, the wind from Siberia blew over them, instead of through them.

The Chinese lost between 28,000 to 40,000 men during this battle. To this day they will not say the exact total of their losses. The US command will only say that they disabled three entire Chinese armies, inflicted great harm on two others, and four more were in disarray, when the battle ended. Major General Oliver P. Smith said, 'X' Corp is not retreating, "It 'Was Advancing In A Different." When the Corps, the U.N. Command, and North Korean civilians were safely aboard ships at Hungnam Harbor, U.S. ships destroyed the harbor, so the Chinese could not use it, after they departed.

Chinese General Song Shi-Lin was relieved of his command, after this battle, and never heard of again.

The battle for Korea was far from over. The armistice was finally signed on July 27, 1953. Technically, we are still in a state of war with China over North Korea. The world knows it, and, the North Korean government is happy about it. They have their parent state backing them, while they shoot rockets, with false nuclear tips into the Sea of Japan. They launch Intercontinental ballistic missiles towards Alaska, and they are getting close. They launch cyber-attacks at our military, and civilian concerns, and are successful at times. They do get caught, and they pay a very high price for their misdeeds. They print counterfeit currencies at their government run plants, that are nearly as good as the original currencies. It is only through the good offices and subterfuge of the U.S. Secret Service, and other worldwide agencies like them, that keep these currencies off worldwide markets, and the currency markets stable.

North Korea is a rogue state. It has been since 1953. It will continue to be until China decides to stop backing it with its food, oil, and money, in that order, so all its people don't starve to death in one year. Their ongoing famine is in its 16^th year.

North Korea's own currency, the Won (KPW) is worthless on world markets. (History lesson completed)

During his brief stay at home, Robert was treated as a king, which was the wrong thing to do for him. He was barely allowed to move around, instead of being vigorously retrained, as he was in the hospital. He was overfed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was a constant line of guests to see him, and none were turned away. He was amazed to find that he was continuing to receive his biweekly paychecks, from his former employer, in full, even though he had not worked there since a few days before his wedding.

The days flew by, and then he saw his mother packing a suitcase for him, and he knew he was in trouble.

"Why are you only packing shorts and T-shirts for me, mom?"

"Bob gave us instructions on what to pack for you. Every piece of exercise clothing you have is going with you, plus the new ones we bought you. You are taking two pair of jeans, one pair of dress slacks, four pull-over shirts, two dress shirts, two ties, one jacket, 8 pairs of athletic socks, 3 pairs of sneakers, 4 pair of underwear, one pair of dress shoes, and a complete set of toiletries. We stuck completely to his list, leaving out pajamas, robes, slippers, and other nonessential items. You will be wearing one pair of these jeans, one pair of sneakers, socks, and one pull-over shirt on your way down to New Orleans tomorrow morning. Your flight leaves at 10:15 AM out of Newark Airport. We will leave here at about 8 AM to get you there on time."

"Take the money for my flight and any other expenses out of my bank account, mom. There is no sense my being paid and having money accrue in there, while you and dad have to lay out money for me."

"I know how hard this is going to be, Robert, but the four of us closed down your apartment. There was no need for you to pay rent on something the two of you were never going to see again. The landlord returned your security and last month deposits, and Sistine is still deciding what to do with Carolyn's clothing. If it was up to her, and Bob had nothing to say about it, Sis would make a Museum of Carolyn's room. However, Bob has a lot to say about it, and he will make her move on. How soon I cannot say. How you are moving on, Robert, I don't know."

"My wife came to visit me, mom. I know it sounds crazy, but she did. I know she is happy, and I know she's helping our God. However, I have my own motivation for moving on, and the four of you know it. VENGEANCE. I waited nine years to marry Carolyn, because I knew in my heart that she was the only woman in this world for me. Carolyn told me she knew the same thing about me, and we never wavered away from each other in all that time. Regardless of how long it takes me to regain my strength, to learn all the crafts necessary for me to do the things I will do in the future to make these 12 men pay for what they did to my bride, I will take it, I will learn them, I will perfect them, and I will use them on those men, until they suffer a fate worse than they put Carolyn through. I promise you this, mother, on my immortal soul. Caroline has already told me that I will spend eons in purgatory for what I am planning to do, and I am willing to make that payment for her."

"I am very proud of you, Robert."

The following morning, everyone climbed into another Greyhound bus crowded with family members ready to see Robert off on his journey to New Orleans. Happiest of all was Robert Reifsnyder. He sat across from Robert explaining to him exactly how horrible his life was going to be until they met up once more. He said confidently that you will either grow up or die. "Your parents want you to grow up, but I don't care, because I already lost my Carolyn, because of you. If you go to join her, I'll bury you next to her. My sergeants are so looking forward to getting a hold of you. They tell me they haven't had this much to look forward to in years, since they've been removed from training and been put into active duty. They say Camp Lejeune was so much more fun. They get the recruits up at 4 AM, and run them until 6 AM. Then they shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast. By 7:30 AM they are doing calisthenics for an hour, lifting weights for an hour, hand-to-hand combat for an hour, going to the rifle range for an hour, and come back to lunch. 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM. After lunch they hit the books to learn The Marine Core Manual for an hour, The Uniform Code of Military Justice for an hour, then they run for an hour, and do calisthenics for another hour, 5:30 PM, before they go to dinner. At 6:30 PM they returned to barracks to shower and prepare for the next day. That's the life of a Marine recruit. That's what your life is going to be like, Robert, maybe just a little worse, because my sergeants like me. I kept them alive under the worst possible conditions. They knew they could trust me, all my men knew it, and most of us made it home alive. Are you going to be one of them, Robert?"

"I don't know, dad. I can't walk two steps in a straight line at this moment. However, I'll tell you one thing, your sergeants won't find a quitting bone in my body. They ask me to try something, I will try it, and if it's humanly possible to do, I will do it. When they're finished with me, they'll either send me home in a box, or send me home ready for war, with those 12 men, and when I find them, they will never know what hit them."

"That's what I needed to hear, Robert. I promised my wife that we would get these people. When you are ready, just tell me anything that you need, and you will have it."

"Dad, I want you and my father to have hands as clean and white as snow. I don't want either of you getting dirty in this. If anyone goes to prison it will be me and no one else. I have a reason to kill. They tried to kill me. They killed my wife. It's justifiable homicide. So what if I killed 12 men. They raped and killed my bride on our honeymoon. How perverted could they possibly be after that? They cut her up into tiny pieces and spread her across miles of forest so they wouldn't get caught. Well, they made one mistake, they didn't kill me, they only shot a piece of my head off, and I recovered. I remembered who they were, and I killed each of them. They deserved what they got and more. I will sit on the stand and testify to what each of them did to lull Caroline and I into a false sense of security, and lure me away from the cabin so they could shoot me, rape and sodomize her, and then kill her, in the most god-awful way."

"You are going to try to push yourself beyond your limits early on in your training. This is a mistake. Stay within your sergeant's orders. If he says to do 200 push-ups, do not do 201. He will know exactly where to keep you, because he's keeping track of the temperature, humidity, and heat index at all times. He does not want your core to get overheated. Listen to every order or instruction, and follow it. They are given for your own good. Don't argue with the food, just eat it. It may not look appetizing, but it contains every nutritious ingredient you need, every calorie your body will burn during the day, and everything you need to survive."

"Dad, I will be the best recruit they have ever had. They will not hear one argument from me, or one destructive word coming from my mouth. As soon as they get me up and running, that is exactly what I am going to be doing, and I am going to learn everything they can teach me, in the shortest amount of time possible. I am going to make you, my dad, and Carolyn proud of me."