Page 9 of Vapor (BSC #32)

“Aylen Knight. I’m sending it to CJ. She’s excited to come down again and Cloud wants to meet you.” She’s the advocacy club that has therapists lined up for the kids.

Cloud, I’ve heard the name. It comes to me quick, the SEAL sharpshooter pilot that ran as satellite for his team. Old school tactics that Night Hawks mirrored. “Blackhawk.” I turn to Putam. “You’re all from the east coast?” The world I’ve always seen as huge is shrinking.

He nods with a smile and happy glint in his eye. “Cloud is my grandfather.”

I should have known. “I need to tackle the list in the front of the Bible obviously. I’ve been on the business side of it.” Julius said the genealogy can wait.

“The front can wait. Are you business oriented, or do you need admin that is?” Cort asks coming through the door with a giant I haven’t met, Jinx and Jones.

I give nothing away for reaction to Jones but throw chin getting chuckles. Men are odd but I’m used to the odd.

“She can run a base, it was her goal,” Jones answers for me.

The giant I don’t know asks again. “Do you want a second for admin?”

“If paper will stop me from working, I want the admin. From what I read, I can do both because you have the programs that allow me to work from anywhere. That being said, I’d feel more comfortable with someone who understands and is able to make decisions without my input during an emergency.

Having admin and Badass experience would get a candidate closer to the second job for paper and organization.

” I’m not sure if I should say if we decide that way. It should be assumed, I hope.

Cort and the man show respect with chin.

“I’m Raid, I do businesses and enforce whatever Cort thinks up.

I like this one. Banks will get funding for the kids but you’re not adding to my plate.

I’ll get you admin help and already have the Bits on glasses for you so getting work in remote areas won’t be a problem.

Our satellites will follow you everywhere because they’re everywhere.

” He is doing the Club in a Club or for this job as a dry run?

I smile at that. “Does that mean my VP can be a Night Stalker? I ask because we already need another team but we don’t know Badass. If you have elite aerial it would work well. They’d get our military and can teach us Badass.”

Raid looks devastated. “I thought she was just rescuing kids?” His look to Cort is met with a big smile.

The table erupts in raucous laughter telling me Raid maybe a giant but he’s ribbed regularly so he’s a fair giant.

Putam touches my arm, getting my attention. “He’s ranked under Cort’s number one position for Protector without ability so he's dangerous and a little crazy like the rest, but that’s never at the expense of his Brothers unless they turn.”

“Thanks, I don’t know why they would turn but I never understood that mind frame.”

Cort stops talking to Raid. “You have the jobs for another team?”

“We do. The first job intel is traveling. We took it on the low so we could see how out of country would work. Advertising wasn’t on our plate.”

He nods. “Adroit gets those but Church and Bruce are booked for fuckin’ ever and started punting jobs back to Badass.

Rescue out of country for groups is not a specialty we’ve done without bleeding for it.

The Alpha-Bit Ops were costly but we found a way to get FBI invested that helped us find more.

The Badass and Indians in the country of Georgia was split between the three territories and was still astronomical.

You do more with less and your whole crew are versed in international law, land, air and sea. ” He smiles looking proud.

The SEALs here are shaking their heads.

I smile right back. “Delta, Ranger and Marine would balk but we’re cross trained for everything and sworn to secrecy so Night Stalkers don’t give a shit.”

Jones and Jinx laugh loud.

“Were you a new warrant five?” Falcon asks surprising me.

Level 5 Warrant Officer is a new position but it wasn’t an option when I passed the warrant 4 promotion. Found paperwork had me jump two pay grades then.

“She’s a lieutenant colonel but was paid grade for captain for a couple of years because promotions had multiple training paperwork misplacements.

Based out of country got elite pay that was more than stateside but only if sir follows you.

Ma’am works the opposite and training records get lost. The classified team she trained and passed for colonel and was recognized by our superior but no one else.

All that followed her was LT Colonel. She signed final grade paperwork and retired as LT Colonel so her benefits now would be lower than her rank until they fix it. ” Jones is pissed.

I’m surprised he’d know that because I didn’t tell anyone, but we all have friends and contacts in all kinds of military jobs.

The Marine doctor, Chenoa, nods. “It was true of the Marines in Germany. I had to wait on paperwork that the men in training got right away.”

Cort nods and turns my way. “Ranger and Harky said that. Here, gender doesn’t dictate pay.

If it’s a job we don’t understand, Lorelei will get us comps for it and adjust. You’ll need to tell her what’s fair but she knows military pay grades.

Your Night Stalker or the other classified team needs to be made clear for her.

Keylan said his build and classified teams got paid the same based on rank but he got more hazard pay for the classified that was separate.

” He doesn’t look like he understands that.

I get it. “Classified was per diem jobs like a contractors’ bonus or something. I’m not sure how it was paid out. It just showed in our accounts. I will text and ask but I’m okay with the straight pay on rank. The rest feels like we were being bought.”

Jones agrees. “Five years did buy the supplies and choppers but it felt off to me too. I’d take rank pay grade and know Sarah will. She wouldn’t touch the money and changed banks so that’s all that went into that account.”

Huh. Sarah never told me.

Cort moves us on. “Raid, is Lorelei here to get this straight? They’re going back out tonight.”

I settle in for the decisions they’ll need from me with the help from Jones. He doesn’t want VP but I have more for him to do and he has more to give.

~*~*~

Veritable

Julius

I’m summoned by Cort, or his second again. The Prospect points up. “They’re in Pres’s meeting room.”

Bounding up two stairs at a time gets me laughed at by Angel the SAA of Sentinel Club.

I ignore it because he’s usually laughing at me.

Bikers aren’t like the military elite I met or represented.

The Brothers don’t seem to be stuck in the macho alpha mind frame.

They showed annoyance when I first got here, but I didn’t hide a damn thing so they’d see I was new and needed directions.

I think Pres was surprised I wasn’t taking shit from the trainees and dismissed the Utah Brother that came in our first training class.

I hadn’t finished the Bible but even I know training isn’t a competition.

The asswipe overstepped trying to beat the boys from Guardian like they were competing for his job.

I knock once and walk in. The first face I see has me smiling more than I missed the giant, because he’s scowling. “Raid, I didn’t expect to see you today. Did he open a new business?”

The table laughs. Raid’s face even breaks before going back to the scowl. “Out of country rescue. I don’t know what the fuck were naming this one. Rescue and elite are taken.”

I smile at Cort. “Mag said you hated air avengers, Boss.”

He smiles and points at an open seat. “They use SOAR now. That’s an acronym?” He looks at Vapor.

“Special operations aviation regiment is military. Jones has it written with the first letters bold with aerial equipment depicted, Stalker Ops Aerial Rescue.” Vapor slides a card across to Cort but Raid snags it before passing it over.

Cort nods. “I like it. The dickasses will bitch about it but it will take them years.”

Everyone snickers at that. Vapor looks confused but isn’t saying anything.

Justice shakes his head not agreeing and they all quiet down fast. “You built an air force and FBI Training bases with the second Badass Quantico and they begged for us to help with their Ops and training. You stole the dogs and military bitched for a week then started shipping dogs here themselves. They’re shifting everything to private contractors and paying through the nose so they aren’t embarrassed every time they fuck up, Boss. ”

I agree. “They even pay for the jobs Veritable Law does and they have over thirteen hundred JAG on the payroll.”

Cort shakes his head.

“Dumbasses no learn lessons. Pres Cort, name same?” Alder asks handing the card to Falcon.

I turn toward Vapor who is looking at Jones with raised eyebrows. He doesn’t say a word and she hits his arm, then smiles Cort’s way. “Same name. He had the choppers painted and registered under SOAR.” Jones shakes his head in a way that I think he’s trying to tell her something.

Cort nods for Alder. “Use SOAR. They need gear and everything that goes with Club in a Club. We need Club and Ops there, compounds for VIP, their kid bunkhouses included in there.”

Alder puts a hand up but keeps typing with one hand. “Transition housing. How many bed? Separate kid to Club member?”

Cort watches Vapor. She looks resigned then straightens her posture and answers with the military decisive manner.

She’s on it. I don’t know why I’m here but I like knowing what is going on and pay attention.

“For transition, I’d say 30. We have 20 but added cots for the four over we brought back.

It would give rooms we have to training other crews.

Close to the hangar and trainees eat with crews.

Kids need separate kitchen-living room and activity area like the small pool. ”