Pushed to the Edge (SEAL Team 14) (4 page)

BOOK: Pushed to the Edge (SEAL Team 14)
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“Tell you what, when we swing by later to check on
Jax we will see if you are able leave,” Joshua said before he looked down at
his fatigues, prompted by an incessant beeping noise emanating from one of his
side pockets.  Joshua reached inside of his pocket, pulling out his cell
phone. 

“Hey Prince, time for us to roll out.  CO wants us
back for a briefing by fifteen hundred sharp.  See you around Olivia,” Joshua
said and turned to walk toward the exit.  Will followed Joshua, but before
doing so he first gave both Olivia and Jackie a goodbye wink. 

“Unbelievable, who does that guy think he is?”
Olivia muttered under her breath.  It was meant to be a rhetorical question,
but Jackie gladly provided an answer for her.

“Every girl’s dream and maybe someone who could loosen
you up a bit,” Jackie said, the corners of her lip turning up to form a smirk.

“I
am
loose.  I just don’t appreciate men
like him,” Olivia shot back.

“But you just met him, how could you really know
that you
won’t
appreciate him once you get to know him?”  Olivia was
saved from having to respond by a loud voice that came over the PA system.

“Paging Doctor Lewis.  Doctor Lewis needed in
operating theater 3.”

 

****

 

 
“So man,
are you tapping that ass or what?”  Will asked while sliding into the passenger
seat of the black, doorless military-issued jeep.  Joshua had already claimed
the driver’s seat.  Even though they were only staying in Germany for a while,
the team members had the luxury of checking out jeeps for their stay while on
the base. 

“Who?  Are you talking about Olivia?” Joshua asked
while starting up the vehicle.  Joshua couldn’t help but to cast a curious,
sidelong glance in his friend’s direction.   

“Yeah man, the smoking hot woman we were just
talking to.  The babe that you were all touchy-feely with—
Dr. Lewis.
 
What ethnicity is she?  She looks pretty exotic.”

“Nah, Olivia’s just a friend man.  She is one of
my ex’s best friends, but we didn’t stop communicating after Vicki and I called
it quits.  She’s part white and black.  I think her mom is Swedish or Norwegian
or something.”

Will looked over at Joshua, his eyebrows raised
again.  The skepticism was clear on his face.  “No shit.  Yeah, I wouldn’t stop
communicating with her either . . . babe is
prime
.  Are you trying to
get with her or what?  How come you never told me about her?”

Joshua laughed as he decelerated the jeep, pressed
the clutch, and then pressed the brakes.  A few seconds later, he obediently
stopped at the four-way intersection between the first main entrances to
Ramstein Air Force Base. 

“No, Olivia’s not really the type of woman that
you ‘get’ with.  And she’s more of Vicki’s friend than mine so it never
occurred to me to introduce the two of you,” Joshua replied.

“So what do you mean she’s not the type of woman
you get with?  Is she batting for the other team?  I mean I definitely have
nothing against that, but that’s such a fucking waste,” Will said with a
mournful shake of his head.

“Nah.  She’s just focused.  She’s a lot tougher
than she looks too.  She’s incredibly smart and she doesn’t take a lot of shit
. . . from anyone.  And don’t let her sweet voice fool you either.  She’s a
firecracker.”

“Oh, be still my heart,” Will grinned, playfully
grasping his chest.  Joshua knew that his friend Will had dated women of
different ethnic backgrounds.  Will was very much a “ladies man,” but Joshua
also knew that his friend had his work cut out for himself if he wanted to
become involved with Olivia Lewis.  “So you don’t mind if I ask her out?”

Joshua laughed.  Clearly, Olivia had managed to
pique his friend’s interest.  “At your own peril man, at your own peril.”

Joshua slowed down the jeep as they pulled up to
the entrance gate.  After flashing their military IDs to the guards on duty,
Joshua rolled the vehicle through the gates.  He parked the jeep in the front
row of parking spaces.  He and Will exited the vehicle and headed inside for
their team’s post-op briefing. 

Upon entering the spacious, rectangular-shaped
conference room, they saw that the rest of their team members were already present. 
They had gathered around an oval-shaped table and were waiting for the meeting
to begin.  The conference room was located in a secure, medium-sized building
about one and a half miles from the medical facility, but still contained
within the Ramstein Air Base complex.

Joshua sat down in one of the open seats closest
to the door.  Will flopped down in the open seat across from him.  The
conferencing television screen was already powered up, and three men were
seated at a similar table, staring back at them from the television screen. 

One of those men was their commanding officer,
Commander Mark Dewitt.  The man next to him was Captain Silas Spade who had
very similar physical features to their CO.  The last man at the table was much
older, at least in his late sixties, and his bushy hair was completely white. 

Joshua had a tremendous amount of respect for Team
Fourteen’s CO.  Mark Dewitt could accurately be categorized as a HAM—hard ass
motherfucker.  His impeccable leadership had garnered him many accolades and
much admiration throughout his distinguished twenty-three year career with the
Navy.  Joshua had been a member of Mark’s team through multiple tours of
Afghanistan and Iraq and the CO had a reputation for being an incredibly astute
military strategist who was also as tough as nails.

A few seconds later, the deep timbre of their CO
came through over the speaker of the secured phone. 

“All right men are all of you present and
accounted for, except for Jax?”

As the highest-ranking Team Fourteen member
present, Joshua answered the question.  “Yes sir.”

“Good.  Here with me I have Dr. Ezekiel Kale who
is a virologist from the Centers for Disease Control and Captain Silas Spade
from Central Command.  First things first, nice job on the recovery operation
of Henning.  I spoke with medical personnel at the Landstuhl Medical Center,
and Jax is recovering well.  He should be able to fly back to the States in a
couple of weeks.  He will be off active duty for an extended period of time,
but should make a full recovery.  In regards to Henning, he has already boarded
a flight back to the United States and I’ve been told that he is in good
condition.”

Joshua and Will glanced at each other.  Yeah,
Henning was doing all right, considering that a radical Islamic militant group
had beaten him to hell and back.  It could have been a very different
homecoming for him entirely.  Like coming home in a pine box.

“Now let’s get down to the brass tacks of why we
are here,” their CO continued, “We have some extremely troubling intel coming
into Central Command from out of Langley.  There are several ghosts who are
reporting in that Richard Henning’s kidnapping wasn’t just some random attack
on an influential American.” 

Ghosts or spooks were slang terms in the covert
operations world for intelligence operatives who existed in anonymity while
gathering valuable intel in foreign terrain.  These operatives had earned their
moniker because of their uncanny ability to operate unnoticed. 

Being incognito was imperative for not only the
operative’s safety, but also for the procurement of important intelligence
information in foreign regions.  Joshua had personally met some CIA operatives
both during and after they had completed an assignment.  The operatives’
capacity to go deep undercover in non-English speaking countries still amazed
him. 

“One of our key operatives in South Waziristan has
obtained credible information that the radical Islamist group that captured
Henning is now in the market for smallpox samples,” their CO continued.

Leaning forward in the swivel chair that he was
sitting in, Will asked, “Smallpox?  What the hell . . . you think they’re
planning a bioterrorism attack?  Where?” 

“Right now it is very difficult to come to a final
conclusion one way or another, Will.  At this point, the intelligence reports
that are coming in from those reporting from the field are still disjointed. 
However, there is definite movement on the part of the Haqqai network to obtain
some of these samples.”

“Where would they be able to get their hands on
smallpox samples from, sir?” Joshua asked.

“The only smallpox samples that we know are in
existence today are in the United States and Russia.  We’ve accounted for all
of the U.S. samples, and they remain under lock and key at one of the Centers
for Disease Control’s offices.  We have reached out to Russian intelligence
officials, but getting an actual confirmation from them as to all of their
samples being accounted for will undoubtedly be a real shitshow.”  

At that moment, Steel leaned forward in his chair,
toward the intercom.  His deep voice resonated throughout the crowded room,
“But smallpox was eradicated decades ago right?  Even if this group managed to
get their hands on some samples and released them, how would it be effective?” 

“Eh hmm.  Excuse me, if I may Commander Dewitt. 
This is Dr. Kale speaking,” an old, gruff voice took over the line.  “Yes, it
is correct that smallpox has been classified as to having been eradicated—with
virtually no reports of the disease being made after 1980.  Vaccination
campaigns started in the late 1880s against the disease until early 1980,
eventually led to herd immunity.  But, since herd immunity has been reached,
vaccinations of the present child to young adult population have been
nonexistent.  What this means is that these unvaccinated individuals will be
particularly vulnerable to the smallpox virus if it were released.”

The mood around the conference table suddenly
shifted from guarded apprehension to somberness as the team took in the news. 
Pensive glares, deep frowns, and crossed arms—the tension in the room was so
thick and palpable that it could have been cut with a knife.

“Before its worldwide eradication, smallpox was
one of the most infectious and crippling viruses,” Dr. Kale continued.  “In its
heyday, smallpox has been estimated to have killed over 300 million
people—resulting in the decimation of populations.  Now millions of young
Americans are not vaccinated against the disease, and the highly infectious
nature of the virus would mean that if released on U.S. soil, there would be
massive loss of life.”

“Isn’t there some sort of treatment for the
disease, beside vaccinations?”  Ensign Jesse Denison inquired.  Jesse was
relatively new to the teams.  He was twenty-six-years-old and hailed from
Louisville, Kentucky.  Jesse was the only ginger-haired one in the bunch, but
he usually had it dyed some darker color for overseas missions.  Right now, his
hair was a dark brown.  In addition, he had a smattering of freckles across his
nose. 

Despite his youthful “Leave-it-to-Beaver” appearance,
like all of the Team Fourteen members, he was incredibly astute.  He had
obtained advanced degrees in both human psychology and Arabic.  He was the most
reserved Team Fourteen member by far.  So whenever he actually did speak up,
people took notice.

“Inoculation from the disease is the most
effective measure.  After the infection has occurred the only other treatment
options are palliative in nature,” Dr. Kale briefly paused for a moment and
then continued, “In other words, there are treatments available to address the
symptoms of the disease in order to improve the patient’s quality of life—but
there is no cure.  The mortality rate for patients infected with ordinary
smallpox is approximately 50%.  The mortality rate for patients infected with
hemorrhagic smallpox can be as high as 90%.  A weaponized version of the virus
will most assuredly be in its most lethal hemorrhagic form.  Make no mistake; a
release of this virus on U.S. soil to an unvaccinated population will be
devastating.”

“As you can see, once this shit hits the fan it is
going to be rolling downhill real fast,” Commander Dewitt interjected.  “We
have to get a handle on what the tangos’ end game is here.  So far, there are
conflicting reports as to
if
and
where
the Haqqai group is
planning to unleash the smallpox.  This could just be an impotent attempt to
gain recognition in the destabilized region as a potential player.  But some
reports are stating that this group is aiming to affect targets within the
Afghanistan-Pakistan region while other reports point to an attack on U.S.
soil.”

Well this is just fuckin’ perfect
, Joshua
thought.  After the 2010 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, most Americans lived
in faux comfort.  With the Al-Qaeda terrorist element mostly dismantled, many
Americans believed that there was no need to fear additional terrorist attacks
in U.S. territory. 

Joshua and his comrades, however, were privy to
the undeniable truth—that there were still terrorist cells
around every corner, the average American citizen just didn’t know about it.

“Right now, there are teams of ghosts located
within both Afghanistan and Pakistan who are busting their asses overtime to
answer the ‘if’ and ‘where’ questions,” Mark Dewitt continued. 

“How long will it take to develop this intel,
sir?”  Ensign Frank Lewis asked.

“If I were able to answer questions like that
Frank, I’d try my hand at the Mega Millions,” their CO replied dryly.  The rest
of the team gathered around the table chuckled a bit—it was a brief moment of
levity given their current topic of conversation.  “But what I do know is that
right now you all have to be ready to be wheels up at a moment’s notice.  We
don’t have much information on the Haqqai group yet, and we don’t have a solid
grasp on where they are based or even who their central leaders are.  Using context
clues, however, we can assume that their mission is to negatively affect U.S.
interests.”

BOOK: Pushed to the Edge (SEAL Team 14)
9.02Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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