Leonard Bernard Wolf III stared unflinchingly at the screen showing smoking ruins of a little-known building in the backwoods of Thailand. His face was a mask of absolute calm as he watched U.S. Special Forces combat rescue workers swarm the area looking for survivors.
He wasn’t supposed to be in the operations center deep in the bowls of the pentagon, but then again neither were the U.S. rescue details supposed to be in Thailand. He had spent a literal fortune to keep this recovery operation quiet, both in terms of money and political favors. The Wolf of Washington D.C., a pretentious enough title he could barely stand, held no illusions that his hastily made deals would be enough to keep this a secret. He, of all people, knew better than to rely on those who were so easily bought.
No, this would come back to him in time. But by then, he would have enough leverage on the ones who could actually hurt him that they would let this… unfortunate circumstance go.
After all, he was a grieving father.
“Teams have cleared the top 2 floors, sir,” Colonel Smith, an unremarkable man, reported. In fact, the man was so unremarkable that the Wolf would have dismissed him without thought in any other situation. From the way he held himself to the officer’s plain face, the man had the uncanny ability to fade into almost any background. The only thing of note was the man’s incredibly sharp mind that could orchestrate order from chaos. It was obvious the Colonel's talent was wasted at a desk job, something the Wolf would see rectified. Right after they dealt with this unfortunate tragedy.
“Only enemy remains have been located thus far. From the reports we have, Captain Glade’s team took down enemy combatants in record time,” Smith said.
The Wolf didn’t respond to Colonel Smith’s comment. He didn’t need to. The team that had taken down the facility had been handpicked by him for two reasons. First, it was the only successful United Nations Special Operations team that had a stellar reputation, resulting in almost every country worth mentioning welcoming them within their borders. Having a family member be part of such an illustrious unit would help both his, and his wayward son’s, future opportunities.
The second reason was for personal reasons. This team was known for being made up of misfits. Misfits that surpassed their own unique weaknesses when together to become something truly amazing. So amazing, in fact, that they had a near perfect success rate, which was unheard of within the UN’s military division. There was no doubt that his son was a misfit. If anyone could help Leonard grow up, it was this Captain Glade character and his people.
Or so he had thought. What the Wolf was looking at through UAV feeds and cameras on the ground was nothing short of a clear and utter disaster. An entire team of some of the most highly trained people in the world had been utterly wiped out. How? Every report they had received indicated that this mission should have been a cake walk. What had happened? More importantly, was it his son’s fault?
“Rescue team bravo has reached what we assume is the command center,” Colonel Smith explained. “There are three bodies, none of which are our people…”
Smith's voice trailed off, listening to an intense round of chattering over the secure communications feed. “Correction, one is still alive. Team bravo is working to stabilize while team charlie is moving forward for extraction. It appears the blast didn’t do that much damage to the control center, but the survivor is in bad shape. 2nd and 3rd degree burns, some minor lacerations, and huge welt on his forehead, likely from falling debris. Waiting on biometrics to see if there is match in our database.”
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The Wolf nodded exactly once. A witness would be helpful to understand what had happened. They would have to be careful though. The man they were recovering was likely a wanted criminal not only in Thailand, but throughout the South China Seas. They would have to tip toe around some international laws before releasing the survivor to the local authorities if they were to get the information they needed. It was something Colonel Smith’s people did regularly, but it was still wise to be cautious.
“Some of the control room feeds survived the explosion,” Colonel Smith reported. “Team bravo is patching what feeds they can through while teams delta and echo work to clear out the bottom levels."
Several screens within the operations room switched to the co-opted recordings from various security feeds. Through careful coordination with the teams on ground, they were able to move the video recordings to the time of Captain Glade’s assault.
The Wolf couldn’t help but be impressed. The unit had moved through the halls like ghosts, eliminating everyone in their path. He even saw his son be escorted from the facility’s roof to the control room where he pushed past two dead bodies to access the computers.
A surge of emotion threatened to crack his calm exterior. Leonard, his son, was working side by side with some of the best fighters in the world.
The Wolf couldn’t tell if he was feeling pride at how well his son had already integrated into the team or if there was some actual sorrow pushing through the emotional barrier he had built up over the years. Either way, he refused to show nothing less than total control in front of the men and women working in the operations center.
Moments later, the Wolf watched as everything seemed to go wrong.
Without warning, Captain Glade, who had been looking away from the control panels, grabbed his son and threw him to the ground, shielding Leonard’s body with his own as a storm of bullets tore the room apart.
The Wolf forced himself to start breathing again. That Captain had just saved his son’s life. It was surreal, watching the brief, yet intense, exchange. Moments later, Glade, one of the Chinese operatives, and his son left the room by an unseen exit.
“See if the team on ground can find any feed showing the tangos on ground,” the Wolf asked in a quiet voice.
“Team bravo is already working it. Should see something shortly,” Colonel Smith replied.
After a few agonizing moments where the Wolf forced himself to remain patient, other feeds came up. Feeds that he didn’t understand.
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” one of the men whispered to a neighbor on the operations floor.
“I’m not... sure,” another stated, the tone in his voice reflecting what everyone else was thinking.
Someone swore.
“Did that guy in the lab coat just drag the one in the suit through the… well, I’m not sure what it is, but it looks like a portal. Did they just escape through a portal?”
No one spoke. Everyone had seen the exact same thing. Instead, they all continued to watch.
The Wolf saw his son plug in a thumb drive into a random computer and begin working. There was no sound, the whole room watching the feed in collected silence.
“This is the same time as when the operative known as Doc called in that they had stumbled upon one of Dr. Death’s traps,” Colonel Smith explained, his voice strained.
The Wolf didn't respond, his gaze focused on the feed.
Less than a minute had passed when the entire team turned toward the portal. One by one, they went through until it was Captain Glade, his son, and some random woman. There was a brief scuffle before the Captain forced his son and the woman through the portal. Then the camera feeds went white.
They watched the feeds again.
“Colonel Smith,” the Wolf said, breaking the silence. “This recovery mission is now our highest priority. Move whatever assets and capabilities you can, as quietly as you can. I will inform the Secretary and the President and take care of the legalities.”
The room remained still, everyone looking between him and the officer in charge.
“I need some additional clarification,” Colonel Smith replied slowly. “What is it we are to bring back?”
“Everything,” the Wolf replied, rewinding the feed to the point where Captain Glade dragged his son away from the computer. Leaving the thumb drive behind.