About a half-hour into the flight, Sentinel informed us that we could move around if we wanted to. I watched Fox as he said a few things to Captain Williams and Chief Brunner before walking to the back of the craft, squeezing my shoulder as he passed. He found a spot in the cargo area and sat down on the deck crossing his legs and folding his hands into his lap and settled in to meditate. Fox always preached that meditation was the key to a focused mind. A mind that was free of clutter was the sharpest of blades, was a phrase he was fond of saying when the topic came up.
I had tried to meditate with him multiple times but struggled to find the key to calm my mind. I told him that as someone with ADHD, I wasn’t sure if I could ever get my mind to slow down, but he always gently insisted it was possible and that one day I would find the right path. He never pushed me or made me uncomfortable though. It was always at my own pace and free will. His touch as he passed me was his invitation to join him but I already knew that it would be a fruitless endeavor so I left him to it.
Andre left the Ops station declaring, “He was going to see if there was any coffee on this tub.” He returned a few minutes later with a travel cup as he sat down behind Alessa. “C’est de valeur all we have is instant coffee.”
The absolute sadness with which he said it made me smile and I heard Alessa chuckle. “Shouldn’t you be at the Ops station,” I said with a raised eyebrow.
“Nah, it will be ok if I hang out here for a bit. I’m not actually running Ops at the moment, that’s all going through the command team. Wolf Leader put me there to familiarize myself with the station. Once we’re on site and you deploy, well, then I’m in the hot seat Chere,” he answered with a smile and a tip of his cup.
“So what’s with the French? I didn’t notice it much earlier when you were showing me around,” Alessa said turning in her seat to address him.
“Well I spent most of my childhood in Montreal and my Dad is Québécois so I grew up speaking French. My Mom is American so I’ve always been bilingual but those formative years are hard to break. If I’m truthful it comes out more when I’m nervous. Well that, or jokes,” he explained before knocking back his drink only to come away with a grimace.
“You’re really not selling that coffee,” I said in response to his reaction.
“I don’t think you want to buy it,” he quipped back.
“You said your Mom is American. Is that how you ended up in the U.S. Army?” Laurel asked from the end of the row where she had twisted in her seat to join the conversation.
“Well, my Mom is an engineer and took a job in Montreal just out of college. She had planned to live a few years in an exciting foreign city before moving back to the U.S. but she ended up meeting my Dad. When I was eleven she got an offer to teach at M.I.T. and my Dad encouraged her to take it since it was a dream job, so we moved to the U.S. and I ended up finishing school in America. Due to my engineering aptitude scores, the military recruited me hard and paid for my undergrad. After that, I was fast-tracked into advanced engineering and then recruited into special forces. My parents weren’t in love with my choice but I liked the idea of the challenge.
“I can’t imagine switching countries and having to adjust to a new school at the same time,” I said.
“I moved around a bit when I was a kid. It does help you learn to adapt but it was never easy,” Laurel shared.
Andre nodded in agreement with that. “What about you two?” he asked me and Alessa.
I gestured to Alessa that she could go if she wanted.
“I’m from New York, Long Island specifically. My Dad is a doctor and my Mom is a teacher. We moved when I was little but it was only to the other side of our town so I don’t think that really counts. I was always interested in medicine so when my ability manifested and it had a healing focus, it only strengthened my resolve to work in the medical field. Once I was in high school, I started looking into programs that would specialize in teaching traditional medicine alongside the use of Supernormal abilities. Surprisingly I discovered the Army has one of the best practical teaching curriculums for Medical Supernormals in the country. I had applied to all the major Medical Schools but the more I thought about it, the more the immediacy of getting practical knowledge appealed to me, so against my parent’s wishes I joined the Army. Surprisingly I found that I enjoyed the structure of the military and the learning opportunities that it provided. While my passion is healing others I also discovered that I enjoyed proving people who underestimate me wrong, which is how I ended up in Spec Ops,” shared the diminutive Medical Sergeant.
“How about you Star?, Andre asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Never moved around,” I said with a shrug. “I’m afraid that I’m probably the most boring backstory on this plane. Actually, is this thing even considered a plane?” I said wanting to deflect for some reason.
“Non chère, we shared, it’s your turn,” Andre pinned me with a glare that was undermined by the mirth dancing in his brown eyes.
“Yeah Dani, spill the tea,” Heidi said suddenly and unexpectedly in my ear which startled me enough to cause me to jump in my seat and Andre to break out into laughter.
“Sorry, I’m feeling a bit left out over here so I tapped into your Comm units. Don’t worry I’ve localized it to just the five of us,” Heidi explained over our earbuds even though she was only a few feet away at the Comm Station.
“Ladies and Gentleman, while I have no issue with you getting to know each other, let's remember we are on a mission. Heads in the game,” Wolf Leader turned in her seat and admonished us.
“Yes ma’am,” Wolves Three, Four, and Five all replied in unison.
Captain Williams caught each of our eyes briefly before turning back to whatever it was she was reading.
“Saved by Wolf Leader, but this is only a reprieve. I will know your backstory,” Andre threatened with a comically bad evil glare before breaking into a grin.
“Hey, Laurel didn’t really share either. And let's not forget our lurker over there on comms,” I groused while hooking my thumb toward Heidi.
“Oh, I’m aware, but you’re the Star of the show.”
Everyone in our row groaned at the pun and I rolled my eyes. I could hear Heidi’s “Ugh” come through my earpiece.
“And with that, I believe it’s time to head back to my station. Au revoir mesdames,” Andre said somewhat flamboyantly. This was punctuated by the fact that as he got up he gave us a small bow before heading back to the Ops station at the front of the craft.
“He’s…a lot,” I said to Alessa next to me.
“Mmm’hmm,” was her only reply.
“Star, can you join me for a moment,” Fox spoke from the back of the craft where he had been meditating.
“Uh, sure,” I answered back while shooting Alessa and Laurel an uncertain look.
I got up and smoothed the nonexistent wrinkles from my uniform before walking the short distance to the back of the craft where Fox was sitting cross-legged on the deck. His back was ramrod straight with hands resting upturned in his lap and he had his eyes closed. It showed the flexibility of his suit, that even covered with the tactical armor he was able to achieve that position.
Not really sure what to say, I started with the tried and true, “Um.”
“Sit down,” he responded before I could say anything else.
“Okay.”
I sat down next to him assuming the same cross-legged pose but had to work a bit to get my back straight. I’d meditated with a Fox quite often while he was training me but never really mastered it. My mind had always been too chaotic for me to calm it as he had instructed. I did find that the controlled breathing helped reduce my anxiety sometimes though. Unfortunately other times it didn’t, which was one reason why I found meditation to be frustrating as often as it was helpful.
Literally, at that very moment, my mind was running all over that place and all I could think of was, how glad I was that I didn’t have my cape on so that it didn’t get caught under me or wasn’t in the way. Why DID I like the cape so much anyway if it was such a pain? On the other hand, it did look good and if I wanted to be like Captain Flag then I needed to have a cape. Also, without the cape, I wouldn’t have been able to give that girl a small matter of dignity in the mall parking lot. That last thought caused a sharp inhalation while simultaneously threatening to bring tears to my eyes.
I felt a hand on my shoulder before Fox spoke in a calm even tone, “Focus Dani.”
“Codenames, remember,” was the automatic sarcastic response that slipped out before I could even get a handle on a proper reply. “Sorry.”
“Focus Dani. Breathe with me. Your energy serves you well at times but you’re going to burn yourself out mentally before we ever make it to the it to the boy.”
“Yes, sir,” I said quietly knowing that he was right.
“Good, now breathe in and hold,” he said like he used to do in the early days of our training keeping his hand on my shoulder while he did so. “Now exhale and center your focus on what is ahead while releasing the extraneous thoughts.”
He guided me through the meditation and I slowly lost track of time as I focused. It seemed like no time had passed when Wolf Leader’s voice finally brought me back to the present.
“Focus up people. We’re about forty minutes out from the target. We’re going to go over the plan and gear up,” she informed us.
As I came back to awareness Fox gave me a hand up as we moved back into the main cabin area. As we walked the short distance he leaned in and said quietly, “Good job. I know you find that difficult…and probably didn’t want to do it.”
Fox’s insight made me smile and I nodded in reply as I went to my seat while he joined the rest of the command officers. I noticed that the weather outside had turned from the clear night sky that had been the view before meditating to what was now a dark starless view. The RAID’s running lights illuminated the snow enveloping us as we raced into the storm on our way to our destination.
“I’ll try to keep this brief as we’ve been over this a few times but I’d rather be sure than sorry when it comes to planning,” Captain Williams said as she stood up and took hold of one of the grab handles mounted around the cabin so she could look at all of us while still being able to read from her tablet.
Just then the RAID shuddered causing everyone to reach for their armrests. “Sorry about that, but it might start getting bumpy. We’re on the outside edge of the storm now, but as we move into the heart of it the winds are going to pick up,” Dreamboy announced from the navigation station.
I watched as he checked his instruments and took a quick look at Sentinel at the pilots' station where some silent communication took place between them before he turned to address us directly. “It’s also at this point I remind you that the RAID is a prototype. While it has hundreds of hours of flight time in all sorts of conditions it has never been flown into the middle of a snowstorm in freezing conditions for an extended period. It has also never seen combat. While flight testing and theoretical testing are great, they can never account for the real thing. There may be times we can’t predict how she’ll react, but if I know our girl, she’ll dance like a diva while hitting like a truck.”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“Thank you for the reminder. I have faith the RAID will perform as promised or Doctor Rokker wouldn’t have volunteered it,” Captain Williams replied with a ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth for the charismatic pilot.
“No problem ma’am. We’re currently descending to ground level to use the terrain to foul any radar they have as we approach per the mission brief. We’ve identified a problem though. We have been reviewing the satellite maps of the area and we don’t think the RAID is going to fit down the road that Overwatch selected in the mission plan. I’ve put the maps we’ve marked up on the display,” the pilot said while while a viewscreen dropped out of the ceiling.
The pilots had marked up the roads leading to the Air Base on the map. Essentially if we we are going to use roads as planned, we have an option to the north and an option to the south.
Wolf Leader studied the map for a minute before asking, “Okay, what’s your recommendation?”
“Considering the conditions Sentinel and I believe that the southern route is preferable. There is a lake southeast of the target location that links to the road we need. The downside is that it puts us closer to the base and we’d be exposed longer than originally planned.”
“What are the odds we get picked up on radar by doing that?” Brunner asked.
“With the stealth capabilities of this craft and the conditions we believe that If we stay at tree level and then drop below the tree line at the lake we can stay undetected. The road we need runs right to the lake. It’s a bit riskier but the roads and weather are going to make this difficult. The longer we have to navigate the terrain and the weather the more we are tempting fate,” Dreamboy shared while highlighting a lake on the map labeled ‘Lake Gratiot’.
“Please tell us about the northern approach. I would prefer to hear all of our options before choosing a path that has more risk to the hostage,” Fox said from his seat in the front row.
“Of course sir. The northern approach is more straight forward except that we have to go further north to hook up with the roads we need. Also, the original standoff distance of twenty-five clicks puts us in the town of Calumet in order to pick up Highway Forty One which takes us to Gratiot Rd and the final approach. That’s fifteen miles of wooded twists and turns in the dark with whiteout conditions for the advance team to navigate while we try to avoid detection in the town,” Dreamboy said with a shrug.
“The original approach used a farm road which for most of the trip and I’m guessing that’s what won’t accommodate the RAID?” Fox asked.
“That would be our assessment. We’re in pine country and we have no idea how well-kept those backroads are. With the snow weighing down branches, there could be all kinds of unforeseen obstacles. Also, it can be hard to differentiate the farm roads from the power line cuts running through the trees in this weather and obviously, we don’t want to run the RAID through a high-voltage line,” Dreamboy explained.
“Team, any thoughts?” solicited Captain Williams.
“Both options seem viable if not preferred,” was Fox’s response.
“Honestly Cap, I think we should just ditch this stealth crap and drop the hammer on them,” Brunner grumbled from his seat.
“Any helpful feedback,” Wolf Leader replied to Brunner with a positively epic side-eye.
“There’s a chance we get spotted either way so I think we should use the southern approach. We don’t know the terrain and while we have GPS to help us navigate, GPS isn’t error-free. The southern approach puts us closer to the advance team on main roads and it puts us away from the town in case they have the ability to launch something,” Laurel opined while studying the map intently. Her ice-blue eyes taking in every detail.
“I agree with Five,” Heidi chimed in from the Ops station.
“Anyone else?” Captain Williams asked giving Alessa and Andre and chance to chime in. Both shook their heads signaling they didn’t have anything to add.
My mind was rolling with how fast everything was changing and evolving and somewhat marveling at how fast all the officers were processing everything and adjusting on the fly. I was especially impressed with Laurel. This was the second time I’d seen her analyze a scenario and break it down like it was nothing. I was so lost in trying to process everything that I almost missed Wolf Leader asking my opinion.
“Um, I think I agree with the southern approach. I don’t like the risk involved but I also don’t want to spend time lost trying to find the target,” I said hoping I didn’t sound like an idiot.
“Fox, Chief, any last thoughts you’d like to add?” The Captain said as she solicited her Command Officers.
“I still think stealth is stupid and we should go in there hard, but if I have to choose I agree with the southern approach,” added Brunner.
“Wolf Five’s point about keeping civilians out of harm's way resonates. We have no idea what we will find and what capabilities they may have. As much as I would prefer a route with more certainty I think I agree with the consensus,” Fox added.
“Thank you everyone. I concur with your assessments and the weather has added an even deeper wrinkle of urgency to the operation. According to the latest weather models, there is a small break in the weather that will cross the area in about an hour. We are going to assume the enemy is monitoring the weather and will use that break to evacuate if they can. We know they have a helicopter but also we have to be wary of other options like snowmobiles. They just need to slip past us and MacGuffin is in the wind,” Captain Williams said to the team.
“Dreamboy, change course to the southern approach. Wolf Six inform Overwatch of the change in plan. Wolves Four and Six coordinate with Overwatch. We’ll be going dark shortly so if they have anything to say to use they should do it,” Captain Williams fired off instructions to the team and pilots.
“Additionally, I received an intel update from Astraea providing more information on how MacGuffin was kidnapped. It turns out our Phantom Queen has played the long game toward this result. Four months ago the McGee’s regular nanny suddenly quit and they had to scramble to hire a new one. It just so happens they hired a woman with white hair and blue eyes that matches the description of our Phantom Queen. She was hired under the name Michelle Turner which is an obvious alias since we’ve been unable to uncover any information matching the name to an actual person. Michelle Turner accompanied MacGuffin and his mother Kaylea McGee to Michigan City ahead of Secretary McGee who was scheduled to attend the S.T.A.R. Team’s commissioning PR event. Mrs. McGee in her capacity as a lawyer took a meeting while in town leaving MacGuffin in the care of Ms. Turner who decided they would take a trip to the local mall for some shopping and ice cream. You all know how that turned out. Interestingly the McGee’s reported that she was exemplary during her time acting as a nanny so we’re going to hope that means she’s been treating him well. I’m not sure this information helps us at present, but it does further build the case that this was premeditated.”
“Wolf Leader, Overwatch confirms the change in plans and indicates that we should proceed as we see fit based on the local intel and conditions,” Heidi interjected from the comm station.
“Thank you. Please log the acknowledgment and let them know we will be going dark until we’ve engaged the enemy,” Captain Williams instructed Heidi.
“Permission to speak?” Laurel asked from her seat behind the command row.
“Granted.”
“While we are missing large chunks of information making it hard to build a complete profile, it’s my opinion that this kidnapping is not just a maneuver to derail a key piece of legislation of import to a major geopolitical power, but also a direct message to those in the pockets of whoever orchestrated this. It says everyone is touchable and they won’t hesitate to use any means necessary to force compliance. It serves to prove that the individuals behind this plot can reach inside the most powerful nations on earth and put their thumbs on the scale. This is the first shot of escalation. If funding is pulled for Supernormal programs, it will destabilize a large and potentially dangerous group that in many cases have no other support programs. Research, insurance, and medical care for Supernormal’s with dangerous abilities will start to dry up and those without means will start to be driven outside the system. Humans and Supernormals have always coexisted but the simple fact is that Supernormals are a minority. Even if almost everyone knows a Supernormal, Supernormals are still treated with distrust by many. I’ll give you a guess who will be there to radicalize these individuals, which in turn will further radicalize the fringe human groups. Suddenly we are forced to look inside the country at our own affairs and we’ve taken our eye off the rest world. ” Laurel theorized.
Everyone sort of sat stunned at Wolf Five’s analysis. Everyone that is except Captain Williams, who wore almost no expression at all outside of a slight narrowing of her eyes. I personally could feel myself metaphorically sliding further down the depth chart of critical thinkers on the team.
“Very, good Five. Astraea and Whiskey are going to be thrilled to have you as part of the intelligence group. Now if we take what Five just posited further, you will also understand the timing and why it centers around our commissioning. What would be a threat to this type of destabilization? A highly public mixed Human-Supernromal team working as part of the government to help protect Humans and Supernormals perhaps. One leaning on patriotism in its imagery even,” Captain Williams said while taking a moment to look each of us in the eyes. It had the desired effect of really drilling in the message.
“Now you have an inkling as to why so many resources have been put toward this program. It is vital that if we do nothing else, we seize this opportunity. We represent the honor and valor of those who serve for the good of the country and not out of self. We stand for the right of a little boy to grow up and the people to feel safe.” We might be untried and untested, but you are all the best of the best. I have the utmost faith that we will show everyone that their trust in us was well founded. Today S.T.A.R.’s legacy begins. Today we will become the light in the dark that pushes back the chaos for another day. A beacon to those in need and the bulwark protecting them from harm,” Captain Williams said with a flourish and the look of someone who just surprised themselves.
Wolf Unit and the pilots all burst out with a loud, “Hooah!” at the Captain’s rousing words. Since I wasn’t Army I didn’t have the same automatic response baked in, but I couldn’t help but smile and feel a flutter in my chest in response to her rousing words. It felt like at that moment something clicked into place for Captain Williams.
“We’re on approach to the standoff position Wolf Leader,” Dreamboy announced from his station.
“Wolf Unit, Star, gear up. Fox and Star you’re up first. Fox will help direct your approach and will choose his insertion point, then you will proceed to drop the beacon. The area where they removed some housing near the admin buildings continues to look like the best location. If intel does not match reality use your best judgment once on site. Remember your job is to hold the landing zone until the rest of the team can be deployed,” barked Captain Willaims.
The only thing I needed was my cape and mask which I grabbed from where they had been stowed. I made sure that everything was on and fastened correctly before I remembered that I had a pair of glasses that was part of this uniform and quickly went back and grabbed them. I made sure to double-check my earbud unit and wrist-com intent on not repeating earlier mistakes before making my way over to Fox.
Fox had geared up and was now sporting an assortment of weapons. He carried a sword sheathed on his back with pistols holstered on his hip and in the small of his back, while a Yarborough knife sat in a quick draw position on his shoulder harness. His dark light dampening nano-weave bodysuit was covered in armored plates designed not to restrict his movement while also sporting armored gauntlets and greaves. His entire setup was for stealth and up close fighting which fit his role as a scout perfectly. The final part of his uniform was the custom tactical battle helmet that covered his face. The helmet featured a face plate that was mostly featureless except for a yellow v-shaped lens where his eyes would be and what looked like small fox ears molded into the top of the helmet giving the whole thing a bit of a sinister look.
“Got all your pointy, stabby, shooty things?” I quipped to Fox as I sidled up to him.
He didn’t dignify me with a response.
Captain Williams approached us still adjusting the M17 pistols she now sported in her shoulder holsters. Before she could say anything we all felt the RAID decelerate but it was done so smoothly that we barely felt it. Considering the conditions it was a fine display of skill.
“We’re on station Wolf Leader,” Sentinel announced.
“Roger,” she replied offhandedly to the pilot. “Alright, Com check with Wolf Six, and let’s get this show on the road.”
I hadn’t missed the pointed look she gave me. Clearly, my mistakes at the mall will not be forgotten any time soon. “Star, radio check,” I said without wasting any more time on introspection.
“Roger Star, five by five on local control,” came back Heidi immediately.
“Alright, you’re up. Good hunting Fox, and Star be ready for anything. We’ll be there as soon as you get that beacon up,” Captain Williams said with a look of determination.
“Alright Star let's get in position,” Fox said putting on his helmet while we moved to the back of the cargo bay where the entry ramp was located.
I pulled up my hood and put on my mask and glasses to prepare to drop out of the RAID with Fox. My mind was racing, and again I found it difficult to focus.
“So, do you want a princess carry, or would you prefer to ride piggyback?” I asked Fox as we approached the ramp.
“Neither,” was his very unamused sounding reply even through the distortion of his helmet. “There are two handles on my tactical harness that you will grab and we’ll strap our legs together with a breakaway strap to keep a tight silhouette. Think like a tandem skydive.”
“I’ve never skydived. I can fly,” I muttered to myself.
“Dropping the ramp” Andre yelled on Captain William's signal and the ramp in front of us began to descend.
Once the ramp was open we descended until we were about three-quarters of the way down, when Fox stopped and stood directly in front of me. He took a strap and threaded it around the back of my legs and then attached it to some anchor points on his leg armor. There was a little give to the strap but we were still only inches apart.
“Find the handles on the back of my harness and get a hold. Give a yank to make sure everything is secure,” Fox instructed me. I found the handles and gave them a yank almost pulling us off balance.
“Um, they seem secure, and sorry about that,” I said while the wind howled just outside. The pilots had put the RAID against the wind so we were sheltered by the craft on the ramp.
Fox didn’t acknowledge my gaff, just spoke calmly into the radio, “Fox and Star ready.”
“Deploy,” came Wolf Leader’s response.
On that command, Fox and I jumped into the cold, snowy northern Michigan predawn.