The Stolen Dozen Ch. 04

"Very good, Robert, because as soon as you finish their training, you're going to be inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps., and go through Parris Island just for fun. You will spend many years in the Corps perfecting the trades you need to learn to take on these men. I will be watching you closely, and I will let you know when I believe you are ready to enter their world, and take them apart piece by piece. You will not do it, until I allow you to do it; is that understood?"

"You are putting my vengeance way into the future dad. I don't know if I'm willing to wait that long."

"You will wait, Robert. Carolyn cannot be brought back to us. If we want these men to suffer, we have to find the them, and make sure it is really them that did it. We don't have all the evidence we need against them to bring them to justice now. We will, and when we do, then we will take them apart your way. They will feel safe in their own cocoons for many years, but we will rock their worlds, when the time comes. I guarantee it on her life, my life, and yours."

"Okay dad, I will do it your way. Don't leave me out of the loop, when it comes to news, please. If you find out anything about these men, and I mean anything, please let me know."

"You have my word on it, my son. That's how I think of you, Robert. I lost a daughter, because of those bastards, but they gave me a son, which is you, not to replace her, but to keep her firmly in our minds, until the day we rejoined her in heaven."

"Thanks again dad, I will see you when your sergeants are finished with me. I will be alive, and I will be a better man because of them. Thanks for doing this for me. Thanks for doing this for the woman we both love; CAROLYN."

They waited to carry him up the steps into the aircraft, until all the other passengers were seated, counted, counted and buckled in. As the agents entered the front of the plane, they were greeted by two stewardesses and the co-pilot of the aircraft, very warmly, and had a short conversation. The pilot joined them and said, "We just happen to have several open seats in first class today. No one will know it, except five of us, if you happened to be seated in one Mr. Graziano. Please take seat 1A, and enjoy your flight to New Orleans."

"Sir, my name is Robert, and thank you and your crew for your generosity. I'm sure I will be much more comfortable up here, then I would have been in the rear of the aircraft. May I ask if my father-in-law had anything to do with this?"

"No, he didn't, your traumas in the newspapers were all it took for us to offer this to you. I don't believe you will ever travel on Delta Air Lines ever again in coach, if there is a seat available in first class. We all, I mean the crews, have followed what has happened to you and your wife, almost religiously, and it's all we talk about when we meet. We have been rooting for you, since the day they found you, and praying for Carolyn, since the day they confirmed she was dead."

"Captain, everyone, for me, and my family, thank you so much for your kind consideration for what our families are going through. We will find these people, these horrible people, and bring them to justice one day. It will not bring Carolyn back. It may not even allow me to walk again, but it will balance out the scales of justice if we can put those people behind bars and out of society once and for all."

The lead stewardess said, "Captain, it's time to seal up and start engines."

"Okay, back to work everyone. Robert, if you need anything at all, Agnes and Delaney will get it for you."

"Thank you, all I want now is to be in New Orleans, and that's up to you and your co-pilot."

"We will be there in less than three hours, Robert. So if you want to take a nap, start now, because lunch will be served in 90 minutes."

"How could I possibly take a nap, when this is my first time on a jet aircraft?"

"You are in for a thrill. This is a new Convair 880. I have to go sit down and fly this race horse. She is the finest ship in the fleet."

"She sure looks sleek outside."

"She is sleek, hearty, and fast. She has four turbofan engines, and flies at 510 mph. The one thing you never want this airplane to do, is to get ahead of you. You always want to stay ahead of it. As long as you are smarter than the machine, the machine obeys you, and not the other way around."

"That sounds smart enough to me. Have a good three hours Captain, I will see you again in New Orleans."

25 minutes later, Delta flight 77 rose of the runway at Newark airport, turned left, climbing to 31,000 feet, and headed southwest, under New York air route traffic control center guidance towards New Orleans. As soon as it cleared all inbound and outbound traffic flowing into the New York metropolitan area, it was established on Jet Route 91 for the first part of its flight and handed off to the Washington air route traffic control center for continued guidance southbound to New Orleans. Two hours and 47 minutes after takeoff, Delta 77 landed at New Orleans without incident. All passengers deplaned except Robert who waited on board to be deplaned.

20 minutes later, a military vehicle pulled up to the steps of the aircraft and six uniformed soldiers jumped out of the back. One of them looked at the wheelchair that was placed at the bottom of the steps for Robert to use and decided against it. He closed it, lifted it and put it in the back of the truck. Four others climbed into the aircraft, found Robert, lifted him up, and carried him out of the aircraft, down the steps, and over to the truck. From there, they basically dragged him into the back of the truck, without regard for his body.

However, Robert did not utter a sound. He said to himself, "These guys are morons. They are probably the lowest of the low. They are probably just 18 years old, like me, and not even in the Army. I wonder if they can read the instructions they were given, or are just looking at the pictures to get an idea of what they are supposed to be doing?"

He heard the truck start, and pull away from the aircraft. The back flaps of the truck were folded closed, but not tied down as they were supposed to be. He lay on the floor where they left him, without complaint, as the six soldiers were seated on bench seats, and looked down upon him, without saying a word to him. It was as if they were from two separate worlds. It was not unalike the students at the Oxford University dance, prior to the Dean of Students speaking to them about class distinctions not being allowed at that university. He closed his eyes, thought about Carolyn, and contemplated his future. Over an hour later, and St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, his future was upon him.

Just outside the city of Gretna, Louisiana, on a sprawling farm-like development, was a large home, with several large barns, outbuildings, and storage units. Other buildings looked as if they had been there for many generations, and were in disrepair. The farm itself seem to be very active and flourishing.

The truck did not drive up to the house, but to one of the outbuildings, where it stopped and proceeded to start to back in. The only problem was they forgot to open the buildings doors, and banged into them. You could hear the driver scream obscenities at people in the back of the truck for not opening the doors for him.

He pulled forward, and waited, until he verified the doors were finally opened, and backed into the outbuilding. Soon he could hear the doors closing, and he knew that no one would know where he was from this moment forward.

Robert heard the tailgate go down, and the canvas flaps pulled apart. Then there was an or authoritative voice that said, "You are is safe here as you were in your mother's womb, Robert. You may not think so after we start training you, but no one will harm you, and the way those men harmed you. My team and I are going to train you in ways that will help you keep that from ever happening again. To do that, we are going to break you down into your least common parts, and then put you back together again, until all your body can spell is the word Marine. As Captain Riefsynder told us, you have a very important and secretive mission to accomplish. We know what the mission is, and it will take us several years to get you ready for it. When we are through with you, you will join the Corp, and they will make you more proficient at it as you move up the ranks. We will never lose touch with you. We will always know where you are and what you are doing, because we have built in communications with each of the staff members in the noncommissioned officer ranks of the Marine Corps. The saying 'Once a Marine, always a Marine' is not for show, it is for real. Any time a Marine asks another Marine for a hand up, he gets it without question, or complaint. No thanks is necessary between Marines."

"Can you get up, Robert, or do we have to drag you out of the truck?"

"Sergeant, I cannot stand or walk, yet. You're going to have to drag me off this truck, I'm afraid."

"Do it."

Two hands grabbed each of his legs and began dragging him out of the truck. As they reached his hips to more sets of hands grabbed his arms and they began carrying him to a kitchen type setting, with a very large table, and bench type seating. They sat him down at the end of the bench and he held onto the table for stability. For the first time, he was able to see and speak to the man who had spoken to him so authoritatively. He may have been 5'5" tall and 135 to 140 pounds of pure muscle, but Robert thought he was really tiny. He made a mistake when his face lit up and a smile.

The Sergeant said, "If I were you, I would take that smile and stick it up your ass, because it's the last time you will do it until you pass this course, Robert."

"Do I continue to call you Sergeant, or do I add a proper name afterwards, because I believe I will be meeting more sergeants very soon?"

"I am Senior Chief Master Sergeant Dennis Raid. You will continue to call me, Sergeant until such a time as it becomes confusing with others around. Is that understood, recruit?"

"Yes, Sergeant, it is."

"Why didn't you call me sir?"

"My father-in-law, your Captain, made it plain to me, that unlike him, you work for living, sergeant."

"That man never did leave a stone unturned when it game to his people. He even sends me a raw recruit that I can't yell at in the very beginning. I will get him for that."

"If I may say something cogent to you sergeant, I wouldn't count on that. He just lost his beloved daughter, my wife. That is the reason I am here. He has to take care of his wife, make a living, and find the perpetrators, all while attempting to keep his temper under control. I have seen his temper flare, sergeant, when I asked for the hand of his daughter in marriage. I don't think now would be the time for you to get under his skin and do something stupid, because you would find it very uncomfortable there."

"I can see I'm not going to like you, Robert. You think on your feet very well. We will see how you do once we get you walking. That will start tomorrow morning when your medical tests begin. Our methods may be a little more medieval than they were at the hospital, however we get better results in the end. I will see you at 4 AM. Get used to that time Robert, it is the normal wake-up time for a US Marine. We put in 16 to 18 hour days as a norm, not an eight hour civilian day. You will learn to stand as straight as a steel beam, see everything in your visual field, with a single glance, and know how to react to any circumstance without thought. It will become as natural to you as breathing."

"Sergeant, I told my dad, before I left, you people were going to hurt me. I did not realize at the time that you were going to do it smiling. I believe that is the part that is going to hurt me the most."

"Get used to it, son, it is only gonna get worse from here."

They brought Robert a sandwich for dinner, with milk, and a protein drink. When he was finished eating, they brought him to an area that was fixed out with double bed bunks, and assigned him to a lower one. His belongings were taken out of his suitcase, put into a footlocker at the end of his bed, and a medical gown put on top of it. He was told to put the gown on when he woke up in the morning, and to put his night clothes into the blue burlap bag beside it, which was for laundry.

Since it was only 7:15 PM, Robert wasn't tired. He wondered why he was left alone, in this darkened area, so he lay on his side, with his head propped up, thinking.

10 minutes later, exactly, a voice over the loudspeaker said authoritatively, "Robert, go to sleep. You get up in eight hours."

Robert's mind snapped into process. "It's not 8 PM yet, why would I be getting up in eight hours?"

Answer: "They are getting me up at 4 AM, that's why!"

He put his head down on the pillow, and for the next two hours attempted to fall asleep. He rested, but his mind was too active during this time for him to shut down. Finally, it turned off, and so did he.

At 4 AM, for the first time in his life, Robert heard the bugle call of reveille. It is not a pretty or relaxing sound, it is a call to duty, that has men rushing from their racks, into their morning clothes, and out the barracks door, within 10 minutes, for their first 5 mile run of the day. Standing out in the darkness, waiting for them in their impeccably pressed clothes, are there drill instructors, like caged lions waiting for the lambs to be led to them. They have been bred with this moment, and they will not let it pass without incident. You do not want to be the one that screws up, because hell will fall upon you, before you take your first breath of the morning.

If all goes well, and everyone is in position, exactly at 4:10 AM the Sergeant yells, "Forward march. As soon as the cadence is correct, he shouts, 'Double-time March.' That's it, for the remainder of the 5 miles. In exact formation, each man in front, and abreast the man beside him, you run, and that little man, all 5'5" of him, is running circles around you, making sure you're keeping perfect step with the man next to you. If you are running 5 miles in the morning at double-time, he is running eight or 9 miles at triple-time, with age mounting against him. Just don't tell him that, because he will bite your head off.

When you reach the barracks, after your run, you are allowed to shower and change into a fresh set of exercise clothing, and go to breakfast. However, this was not to be for Robert, he was to start his medical exams this morning, and was taken to a separate part of this huge structure.

When he saw him being wheeled over to him, Sergeant Raid said , "Get the rack ready. Let's stretch this young man out, and then put him back together again."

"Oh God, I can see you been talking to Stephanie. This was one of their favorite tortures, while I was in the hospital."

"I guarantee you, that our rack is different than the one you had in the hospital."

It was. They lifted him and placed him on a rubberized sheet that seem to be floating on water. They strapped his legs into harnesses that fit him from the top of his thighs to his ankles and tightened them, until they nearly cut off the blood supply to his feet. They extended his arms laterally, and did the same thing from his armpits to his wrists, until his hands started to tingle.

Then came the good part. They put a piece of headgear on him and began tightening it down. The straps went under his shoulders, up his back and reattached behind his neck. When they were finished with him, they began to attach each of these items to pullies, and drew each of them taught.

Sergeant Raid came into his vision and asked if he was comfortable.

"I can't answer that for you with any certainty, Sergeant. I've never felt like this before."

"I guarantee you that until you get off your ass and start walking, you will feel like this many more days in a row. You may begin."

Robert heard the scream of a large diesel engine, probably belonging to a tractor, or large piece of farm equipment start up, he couldn't fathom what it could possibly do with what was going to happen to him. When the scream decreased from a mighty roar, to a gentle rage, he found out.

Each of the pulleys tightened until he was suspended in air, above the rubberized sheet. Immediately he felt a pain between his shoulder blades and his spine as something popped. Then his head and neck began to move in circles. He wasn't doing it, it was the dam pulleys. They must have been twisting and turning him and at least three or four revolutions per minute. It wasn't uncomfortable, it was like a massage, but without fingers. However, he was getting dizzy, and had to close his eyes to keep from getting nauseous.

As soon as he did that, the machine stopped and began rotating in the opposite direction.

Robert said, "Oh fuck, they are watching me."

They were. Nearly 18 of them, in a temperature-controlled room, with the latest IBM computers monitoring everything that was happening to Robert's body. If anything went seriously wrong, this staff could perform emergency spinal surgery on Robert. This was no Mickey Mouse operation. This was top-of-the-line, government hidden money working behind the scenes for the benefit of the country. There were two top surgeons in attendance, 8 support staff, including surgical nurses and trauma specialists, and every other technician needed to keep this one individual safe.

What they were doing to him was completely outside the box. Technically, this was the first time they had used this particular box so they named it, "Bob's Box," just in case they ever used it again.

They watched the readouts as they came in from each of the centers of Robert's body looking for any changes that had occurred from the beginning of the set up. They put a time limit on him of seven minutes and waited, as time wound down. They were annoyed as each of the sensors from his legs and arms continued to be nominal.

One of the trauma surgeons, Doctor Jeffrey Meeks said, "The disconnect has to be in his neck. I can't see it being any place else. The data shows everything else is fine."

Both neurosurgeons agreed. All the data coming in showed Robert's extremities to be fully active, and able to function normally. The misfire had to be coming from the cervical area of his body. They weren't happy with the thought of having to operate there to bring him back to full function, because they didn't know exactly where 'THERE' was. They weren't going to operate on him, going in there blind, because they could cripple him for life, with one slip of the knife.

Physical Therapy was going to be his answer, very painful and intense physical therapy. Sergeant Raid beamed as the physicians came to this conclusion. He said to each of them, "I don't have to pay you to put that in writing, so it keeps me and my people out of trouble?"

"No Sergeant, because it is the truth. I will give you three months to get that boy up and walking. If by that time you have failed, then we will have to do something medically about it. Right now, we are in the dark. It's up to you to shed some light on this subject. Have fun!"

"90 days, and all I have to watch out for is his neck. You don't care what I do to the rest of his body?"

"Sergeant, just bring him back to us breathing, and we will take care of the rest."

"I will see you in April, doctors, with one live body."

Robert was let down from this device, and detached from it in reverse order. First his head and neck and then down below. For the first time he complained.

He said, "Guys, I have to go to the bathroom."

They put him in his wheelchair, rolled him over to a corner, which was covered in hay, and told him to go ahead.