Page 11 of Vapor (BSC #32)
Keylan shakes his head. “Call Stan. Level is calling me in. I can’t stay, Boss, Brothers.” The Rescue Brother walks out without looking back.
Cort and Falcon are looking at their phones. “Take that one, Falcon. I need Jack here. Aylen, you’re their ride. Go over the plan so issues have a counter before you’re there.”
The Brothers move around or out leaving us with Cort, Raid, Justice, Putam, Chenoa, Alder and Brothers on boards.
Chenoa pledges on-going medical help and Alder’s technology so nothing is missed with the kids as they grow.
Cort gets the Alpha Brother, Banks, to pay for the kid compounds using the Clubs and schools already in place so they’re added rather than building all new infrastructure for them.
Alder will get email to all BSC Clubs so they can get ready for the need and look out for Brothers to fill positions.
The whole time they’re talking about basically fostering a couple hundred kids across multiple BSC Clubs, I watch Vapor and Jones’ reactions. Jones is typing on his phone frantically. Vapor is nodding but not saying a word.
When information slows and Jones looks up, I’m stunned at the emotion I see and turn away listening carefully to his words.
“The SOAR team is calling friends and family. Some were considering a move closer. We’ve done a lot of missions and know a lot of military that will jump at the chance to make home a place we’re proud of again.
Our teams are making the calls while we’re here. ”
“We’re honored too, Brother,” VP Decker says.
Cort starts pacing again. “Alder.”
“I will get plan for influx to towns.”
“Just great, we’re not even out of the meeting and we’re expanding.
Town will be towns and businesses, planning, admin and HR are going to hit Phoenix.
” Raid has me smiling. It’s always the same with him and I’ve known him for a whole four months.
He fought Ranger and sponsored me. I know he isn’t really mad but he’s fun.
“Quit bitching. I need to get to Ops. Vapor, Jones, you good with all this?” Cort is already walking toward the door.
Vapor stands then Jones scrambles to show out. I shake my head. “He doesn’t need it and would hate for you to salute him. I did it once.”
Cort stays facing the door. “Just once, Julius. Brothers, I’m worth the same as you.
Boss or Cort is the name, my job is different and I’ve never been in the military.
” He turns back and smiles. “I’m honored you’re mine and will show so you get how deep that goes.
Julius, get her ride time in and Badass on her schedule.
Alder, ask Drew about helping that out with virtual. Later.” The door closes.
I laugh.
“I can help with the Badass virtual, Alder. Stick with Raid on the town expansion. Use our list.” VP Decker says walking toward the door.
“Roger, VP Jack. I plan.” The little President runs out the door with his little backpack bouncing.
“I got the money. Chenoa, send me the bump for your medical, it shouldn’t be an ABSZ charge.
We got the material for roads, water and Alder’s Lego bricks.
I’ll get Stella on a solar schedule for manufacturing.
Jordan has the truck being packed for transport so it should be there tonight.
Justice, can you get us the drones?” Banks says from the board at Alpha.
Justice nods. “Mucimi is on it. He’s watching here and picking up whatever we missed. He said he’s got the greenhouses and cars.”
Banks up on the board waves then it goes black. The other boards leave a couple of sentences for Justice and welcome to Vapor then drop. I look at Raid, Justice and VP Decker.
“I think these are getting way too easy. We went from planning a Club in months to Club and compounds in a month, to Club in a Club with compounds, towns, medical, food, infrastructure and security in a few minutes more than an hour,” VP Decker says.
“Hit and run planning. Here’s your phone, Jones.
It has everything we decided on in chat.
The Officers will chat what they send, have or think might help.
The hologram links will show. Whatever you add will show to everyone.
Teller and Mucimi will show to teach your engineers and admin how to use everything.
It will take like an hour. Aylen sent the video of freaky, show your Officers and Crew.
Outsiders don’t need it but your people will because freaky shows everywhere. ”
I nod agreeing with Justice just as he disappears with a hollow, “Later.” Putam is gone too.
With a deep breath, I look up at VP Decker and Raid. “I’m not that new but you all are a lot to take sometimes.”
They laugh walking out together.
I shrug at Vapor and Jones. “When did you decide to take the Club in a Club?”
Vapor looks at Jones. “Did you decide? I thought we were testing tonight then making the decision in a vote.”
He loses the color on his face. “I just said it sounded like you were taking it.”
Mucimi shows and kisses Vapor’s head then is gone.
I crack up. “Justice said you’d take it too. I guess that was enough.” I hold my breath hoping they don’t walk.
When I sneak a look, they’re both looking at each other. The breath they’re holding comes out with a laugh.
I breathe. That would have been the shortest career move in history.
“I need the intel on the mission.” Now is a good time to remind them why they need me.
~*~*~
SOAR Rising
The SOAR ranch sits on just under two hundred acres and has a cluster of buildings fairly close to the road.
I think fairly but it must be an eight-minute ride to get to the first out-building that I’m told holds charging stations and batteries.
I don’t dare ask what kind of batteries since the solar charging station building research, that I put on my list to look up, is still on that list.
Vapor said it’s considered a small ranch but I’m from the east coast, two hundred acres is a lot of damn land.
The next building we pass I almost laugh about when Jones says it’s the old farmhouse.
It’s as big as the Law Club and looks brand new.
The central command is a gigantic barn that has an atrium in the center with stairs and walkways on the inside like a mall.
I love it. Mess, personnel, supply and HR are on the first floor opening to the center atrium.
Surveillance, weather, a conference room with a long glass wall, security and a handful of what looks like office doors is on the second.
The third has Ops. This isn’t like the Club, fiber optic light softly shimmers like stars in a pitch-black night sky.
“This is amazing, how does it work for a control?” I haven’t said a word until now. This place is amazing and this room promises to blow my mind.
Jones stands in the middle. “Echo, show me the mission of first SOAR engagement.”
“Roger, Crew Chief Jones. Is this a memory lane walk, Sir?”
I laugh at the voice that comes back sounding amused.
“You’re a computer, Echo. What do you know about memory lane?” Jones surprises me. The voice sounds real.
“Warrant Officer Sarah uploaded new keyword references so Echo will have capabilities beyond conventional military profiles.”
The computer voice has Vapor shaking her head. “Tell me your operational status is not compromised.” Vapor gives Jones a look that I know means they’ll talk about this later.
“Negative, Commander Vapor. Options under defined conditions gives very little room to use the new keywords but I have a better understanding of feeling type words and clearly defined nostalgia to use them properly.”
I laugh and turn fast hearing a little giggle.
It’s the woman that talked when Jones told about Vapor not needing an audience.
“You used memory perfectly, Echo. Sarcasm is what it sounded like to me. Good job. Can you run the Op for Alder and Julius?” The woman is not as tiny as her voice sounds.
Tats and Alder are by her but looking up as pictures drop down from the ceiling.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Echo is all business now.
“I’m Sarah Jones, Julius. I need to get back to work but I got a room ready for you at the house.” She’s Jones ol’ lady. I should have gotten that sooner.
I nod watching the pictures, there are cameras projecting from the middle out. This is like the Ops glasses without the glasses.
“This is amazing.” I say more to me than anyone else.
“It’s the opposite of the boards like the hologram the Alpha-Bits work on.” Tats is as amazed as I am.
“I just thought it’s the Ops glasses without the glasses.”
Alder doesn’t agree. “Better. I see military situation room, Prince hologram, I no see open hologram room. Virtual interact is Echo?”
Vapor smiles. “It’s AI but cutting edge.
This is how our classified command Ops room was set up.
We have the aviators, navigators and engineers who worked on every bit of it for the military.
There isn’t much we can do for civilian jobs when this is our long-standing daily experience.
We were trained for everything so we ran completely self-sufficient, ensuring we’d never be sacrificed again. ”
I smile at Alder. “You’re going to change the way Ops is shown now, aren’t you?”
Tats nods but Alder answers for himself. “I am, Boss Julius. I give new technology to small Ford’s they change more, build more. I see here, now, possibility to what we have. They imagine more like Nemo to training pool.”
“You get that more than me, LP. I'm just a lawyer.”
He stops with a look that says shut up and listen. “You IAS, I research. You elite Officer,” his head tilts. “Air Force Ranger?”
I shake my head. “Not like a real Ranger. We learned how to fly transport but I can’t fly a Blackhawk or jet for Ops. We got basic. My job wasn’t ever about flying, I’m a lawyer. We don’t get certified or have flight hour requirements. I did the board TIGs for rank only.”
He nods. “VP Jack say you six week every test to Ranger.”