Page 28 of Vapor (BSC #32)

We hover over the water while Jones sets down and medics clear the area. The flight crew and Night Stalker supply team are waiting so I take my cue and set down. The teams don’t waste time. I know Moss pulled everything onboard so he has them restock ready.

Me: “Ops Command, SOAR Commander confirms mission complete. All packages accounted for. One injury, complete medical assessment will follow for all.”

Cort: "We’re out of Ops. Outstanding job, SOAR teams. Chief is following to medical. LP has Security with your K9 but the other is Prometheus. He’s covering LP.”

“Roger, Boss I’ll let him know before he pisses LP off. Boss, do I need to call Mase’s family? I didn’t read any injury protocols.” I hit Morena’s arm and sign for her to alert Chief, getting a nod back.

“Family has been notified. I’ll get that confirmed and let you know from the board in an hour.”

“Roger, Boss. Thanks. Vapor out.”

I get the headgear off and the crew is already swarming. “Thanks, guys. It wasn’t perfect but everyone down and alive makes it so good.” They cheer and let me pass.

~*~*~

The meeting room is nice, making me wonder how they got it done so fast, or why it was on a carrier before Ben bought it.

“This doesn’t top the pool but it’s close.” Jones pulls Alder’s seat out then sits.

I nod. “I was just wondering how it got done so fast or why it was on a carrier before he bought it.”

“Prez Knight buy auction. Party boat human traffic. FBI confiscate it crash bridge, dock. Worker slave, women sleep cell.”

“Fuck. Someone outfitted a carrier for a slave ship?”

I give Jones a look. “We’ve seen it firsthand. The sheik.” I remind him.

His head shakes but the board lights up to full color so we all focus on it. Cort in Phoenix and Ben in the SOAR Club show in meeting rooms. Moss walks in view with Ben.

I smile. “Brothers, Moss. Thanks for getting us back safe.”

He smirks and I scrunch my face up knowing he’s going to say something inappropriate. “My life’s not worth living without you in it, Commander.”

I shake my head at the cheesy shithead, then peg a finger at him. Cort and Jones laugh.

“Pres Vapor keep you in job. Lame joke, not business to me. Four President in room. One laugh. Pres Cort crazy.”

Moss stands at attention with his eyes bouncing from LP to my glare. “My apologies, Presidents.”

I nod for him. “This is new. There may be a time that the jokes work, but we’re not there yet, at least I’m not there yet.” I see when he gets it and roll over his planned second apology. “Let the crew know we appreciate the shield.” I smile, “or Sarah’s invisibility cloak.”

He smiles. “I will, Commander. The artillery is reloaded and the spare boxes are packed. There are no extra boxes, missile or drone. You do have spare ammunition for the Minigun.”

I nod. “Get this to Lerch and have him work on two drones with the M134 ammunition. We used the rounds for the M60. The smaller should be easier. The Blackhawk has the spare guns.”

“Roger. I was going to call into the General for supply but that would give extra missiles to the drones without depleting the firepower.” He turns then stops. “Do you need me here?”

I smile. “No, I need drones retrofitted so I’m not short for another mission.”

“Roger, Commander.” I shake my head when he walks out the door.

“Why bullet? Laser easy. Satellite have capability.”

I smile at the LP. “We don’t have satellite operators that know laser capabilities on the satellite. You’re with me on medical for the kids.”

He nods. “I see you point. I train SOAR engineer to satellite?”

I nod. “Sarah is a navigator, she’s versed in satellites and all kind of options they offer depending on the country. We’ve never used laser or I’ve never heard of it before you did it at SOAR. She’d be the one to train and I’m all for it.”

He nods. “I will schedule time to Boss Sarah.”

I nod and look up at Ben and Cort who have waited patiently.

Cort asks. “You get into other satellites?”

My eyes shift to Jones. “Yeah, Boss.”

Ben smiles. “With Badass, it’s not classified from us but I wouldn’t want it spoken of by all.”

I nod. “Thanks. We’ve been completely classified for five years. It’s a hard shift when we don’t know about classified in Badass.”

He nods and looks at Cort who puts his hands up. “We don’t have procedures other than the meeting room, planning or shields and none of it is written.”

Ben paces three steps, then stops and smiles our way. “Julius has all kinds of classified rules. I’ll ask him to get us procedures that work for Badass.”

I look down fast to school my face into serious. When I look up, Ben is smiling at me. I shrug. “Julius knows classified. I don’t talk about it with him but he’s a JAG. It was part of his job.”

Cort moves, drawing my eyes. “Is he spread thin with training and work?”

“I haven’t seen it but I’m not home and we as a we, are less than a week old.”

Jones laughs. “There is that. VP Logan talked to him about time for training. He’s open and does more consulting than training for the Law Club anymore. His old President has new trainers.”

I don’t know how he knows that. Julius didn’t tell me.

Cort nods. “Bishop said that. SOAR is getting elite flight members from Bravo. I’ll have Falcon get them through Badass first.”

I nod. “Thanks, that will help.”

“Did you have a chance to see the soldiers you rescued?” Ben switches us back to the mission.

“I did. They’re both stable and coherent. Alder asked that they get two days here before we drop them on a base. He wanted a week.” I throw it out for Alder.

Cort doesn’t miss it. “What will the extra days give them?”

“One severe malnourish. Dehydrate to both. IV help. More time, safe sleep, vitamin, good food all show healthy skin, hair.”

“I can get a doctor there. Do you have a plan for them, Alder?” Ben asks.

“I do, Prez Knight. Medic here follow my order.”

“Give them a week and a half. I’ll get a team there to get them back on base.” Ben makes my day.

“I will make ten-day menu, therapy schedule. Soldiers deserve time, I thank you for them, Prez Knight.”

“I do too. They were hoping for enough time for their feet to heal.”

Jones adds, “Alder said a few days, ten is going to have them on cloud nine.”

Alder nods. “Preses, I tell good news?”

Cort smiles. “Go, Brother.”

Alder pushes but his chair doesn’t move.

Jones slides it out for him. “Is your dog here?”

“Prometheus to hall,” he says, getting his little backpack on.

Jones checks and closes the door.

I know what he’s thinking and fix it. “I’ll get a couple of those chairs here for him.” He nods without saying it.

“What’s wrong with their feet?” Cort asks.

“Boots too small, dirty. They have open sores right now. A few days will help. Alder gave them both antibiotics in the IV. He said his vitamin booster would help heal time. We didn’t learn about boosters like that.” I look at Jones.

His hands go up in surrender. “It’s the first I heard about them too.”

“Alder made them for chemical weapon exposure. Aiyana stocks them now. It works to build antibodies that fight foreign antigens or something like that.” Ben sounds like he’s repeating what he can remember.

Cort is nodding away.

“So, we can go for the kids in two days?” I ask.

Cort nods. “If you can get the gun drones done.”

I smile thinking I’m making it home early because this saves us a whole day.

I look at Jones. “Get Sarah on the shield for us. We need weather, the daily schedule of movements and any military chatter or sightings in the area or missions planned.” He stops typing and looks at me.

“Give her the new timeline. She’ll tell you whatever I don’t add. ”

He smiles. “Roger, Commander. She will. If you don’t need me, I can help Lerch.”

I nod. “Thanks. I’ll help when I finish the diagnostics.”

He’s up and out. I look at the board. “It’s odd to forget you’re there but I’ve done it twice today.”

They smile. “The change in plans didn’t bother you in the least.” Cort didn’t ask anything.

I answer anyway. “No.”

Ben laughs.

Cort nods. “I have nothing else if you have nothing to report.”

“You get the soldier reality show that doesn’t leave much room for questions, but I have one. Mase’s family?”

He nods. “Cloud and CJ were with Kateri. Their youngest boy told her about him getting shot so Cloud got to the Club and called from there. Kristos said they watched Alder dress his wounds. Mase was cracking jokes and called for Jeremy to make sure they saw him at the reservation, not the prison. Jeremy did and the kids were fine. Kateri doesn’t question anything in front of the kids. ”

“That’s good. Alder said he’d call when he jumps but I didn’t understand. That’s from the reservation?”

Ben answers. “Yes, it’s a realm. The Indians jump to the reservation. There, Aiyana, or whoever can heal, does. So Mase jumped and Aiyana from princes and Tekah from Connecticut were healing him as Alder worked on his body in the prison.”

I nod slowly. “Do you know how utterly nuts that sounds to people who haven’t had enough Kool aid?”

They laugh at me but I could use a drink just to forget about the realm shit.

~*~*~

The choppers are set for tomorrow so I put the tools away and sit on the Little Bird deck to call my Julius the JAG.

His picture reminds me of the dark-haired blue-eyed Italian’s from tv.

The sigh is disgust for acting like a typical girl mooning over her bedroom wall posters of teen heart throbs.

I’m smiling when the phone goes to my ear.

“My incredibly amazing Virginia Ross. You almost caused a stroke and burst my heart with pride. Stop that and pick one fatal ailment card a day. Dealing two is just cold. I can recommend a better way to tease so I fold faster.”

My, “HAH!, got the maintenance crew milling around a chopper that isn’t ours, looking my way with smiles.

“Shit. I’ll take the teasing advice but I raise you to handing advice out in person.

” The poker themed sexy banter is a surprise from my strait-laced JAG but he’s only strait-laced in looks.

The man is down and dirty when the clothes peel off like the boy next door persona sheds with each article that hits the floor. I love it.

He chuckles low. “I’m headed into a meet with a Club in Texas from the Honor Club. I can call you back, baby.”

“Yes. I’m going to help with drones so make it a couple of hours?”

“Will do, my amazing Virginia Ross.”

I hear someone call him faintly, “Here, Julius.” That sounds like the Kristos guy with weird eyes, that’s Mase’s President.

“Love ya, Vapor.” He’s distracted so I love him back quickly.

Before I get to the lower deck with Lerch and Jones, I need to check on Mase and the soldiers.