Black Smoke (3 page)

“Mr. John Williams is a biologist. He was sent by our government to do some studies on Afghanistan’s soil, vegetation, wildlife, etc. They say we don’t need to know what he was studying, just that in the middle of taking samples out in the desert he was kidnapped. A very poor quality video was received by our military forces stationed there showing Mr. Williams bound and gagged with a large knife at his throat. The voice on the video said the US had five days to withdraw from their country or Mr. Williams would be executed.”

Sam closed her eyes. Everyone was aware of Americans being kidnapped these days. It was all over the news. Most people were also aware that those poor souls had little chance of surviving. The government was not going to pull out and finding them was next to impossible. But she asked anyway.

“They want us to bring him home?” he asked in soft voice.

“Yes.”

“Okay, do they have any idea where he is? I mean, hasn’t special ops, SEALs, everyone they send in to bring these hostages home, said it’s impossible?” If they couldn’t find where the terrorists were hidden how was she going to find them?

“I’ll get to that, but first you have to think about this carefully Sam. They requested you personally. They requested Black Smoke. They have no idea you’re a female and we both know what will happen if they capture you. So, please think about this.” Walt knew she rarely turned down a mission, but this was one he felt like begging her to turn down.

Lying her head back on the chair, Sam closed her eyes.
What should I do? This is dangerous, more dangerous than any other mission. What should I do?
The questions were directed to her guide and she knew they would be answered.

Yes, this is dangerous, but you must take it.
The answer was swift and sure, almost forceful in its nature. Sam had never heard her whisper so firm and commanding before.

“I’ll do it,” Sam told her uncle as she looked him straight in the eye.

“You’re sure? I mean, were you told…”

Sam cut him off. “Oh yes, I’m sure. I was told in a very firm manner to take it, so I have to believe it’s right.”

Walt sat back in his chair and eyed her. He had learned early in their lives together never to question the voice she heard. It had saved her life more than once, but right now he felt like being the protective parent and grounding her for a month. “You’ll need to work with a small team,” he told her.

“I’ve done that before Uncle Walt.”

“Yes, but this team will be different. I was given special permission to use some very non-traditional soldiers. They won’t like not knowing who’s got their back,” he said carefully.

Sam closed her eyes again.
You’re sure about this? These men will hold my life in their hands.
She questioned.

More than your life will be at stake with these men child. Rest assured all will be well

Walt watched her have the silent conversation in her head. When she opened her eyes he knew it was done. All that was left was to make the arrangements. “I’ll make a phone call. Be at our training grounds by one tomorrow afternoon. I’ll have the men there by one-thirty.”

“Great. Now I’m going home to get a bath and some rest,” she said standing up. “I suggest you do the same.”

“Sam, you’re sure about this? I mean, these men won’t be like the others you’ve worked with.”

“No worries Uncle Walt.” She told him with a smile then leaned across the desk and kissed him on the cheek.

Walt grunted as he watched her leave the room. So why was he so worried? He knew her combat skills were as good as those of any man he’d ever seen. Her sharp mind could get her through any predicament and her ability to talk and be guided by an entity, or angel, or whatever it was, gave her an added edge. Still, his uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away and that bothered him.

He picked up the phone and dialed. When the voice on the other end answered he simply said, “Black Smoke is a go,” then he hung up. If she returned from this alive, he was going to take her on a long vacation.

* * * * *

Sam pulled into the driveway of her small ranch house. Next to her car this was her favorite possession. It didn’t look like much, just a plain three bedroom, one floor house, but it was hers.

It was the second thing she’d purchased. Her car was the first. She’d decorated it herself, painted the walls, picked out the furniture, all to suit herself.

Some people might expect that a woman who ran around the world burying herself in dirt, hiding in trees and participating in hand-to-hand combat would have a barren, almost empty home. But this home was truly home. She had all her favorite pictures hanging on the walls, knickknacks she’d picked up on her travels placed tidily on shelves. Frilly curtains were hanging in the windows. Puffy throw pillows sat neatly on every piece of furniture and her bathroom had lush towels, fragrant soaps and lotions sitting ready on the vanity.

Just because she worked like a man didn’t mean she wanted to be one. She enjoyed being female, even enjoyed things like painting her own toenails. When she wasn’t Black Smoke she referred to herself as White Lace. And tonight White Lace was going to soak in her garden tub full of freesia bubbles while candles flickered around her.

When morning came Sam woke with renewed energy. The sun was shining, birds were chirping on her front lawn and all seemed perfect in small-town Pennsylvania. Sam filled her coffee pot with water and ground coffee and waited for the aroma to fill the kitchen as she watched children walking down the sidewalk to meet the school bus. What would it be like to have one of those children hers, to be called mom and be hugged tightly around the neck?

Well, maybe another two years playing rescue then she’d settle down and try to find Mr. Right and make those dreams come true. After another two years she wouldn’t have to worry about money. Uncle Walt had made sure she got paid well for her services. She had a healthy six-figure bank account. Maybe she’d open up a spa for all those mothers who ran around franticly trying to get their children to all the after-school events they were in. Then again, maybe she could write about her exploits and become a best-selling author. The choices were endless as far as she was concerned.

Not today though, today she had to meet her new team and see if they could all work together to accomplish their goal. Sam looked at the clock. Eight. She still had time to do some shopping before heading for the training field. She loved shopping. It was how she treated herself for a job well done. She never bought anything extravagant, just something small and personal.

* * * * *

While Sam strolled through the shops three men landed on the airstrip on the training field. Men who only knew they were going to be tested for a mission. No questions were asked. They simply boarded the plane at the appointed time. That’s how they operated—take orders and reach the goal. To them this was just another day.

Walt Cannon met the three men on the airstrip. He’d heard they were the best and now he’d find out. He didn’t like the idea of men he didn’t know finding out who Black Smoke was.

When Sam worked with military men in the past they followed her lead, did the job, then disappeared. To the men she worked with she was just another man, one who was trained extensively in covert operations.

These men however would not work with her without knowing who she was. Like Black Smoke, they were used only when the situation was deadly. If they never returned it was considered an acceptable loss. Unfortunately, they didn’t work well with outsiders, especially one they knew nothing about.

Walt walked toward the three men sizing them up, mentally warning them that if they caused Sam any harm he would personally deal with them. He may not have been her father, but he was the closest thing to it and any unprofessional conduct toward her would be punished.

“Gentlemen, if you’ll come with me I’ll show you to your barracks,” Walt said in an unusually stern tone. The men nodded then followed him.

Once they reached the barracks Walt waited until they dropped their duffel bags on bunks then proceeded. “There’s a small kitchen in the next building. It’s fully stocked. Help yourself to anything in there. Showers are in the back of the barracks. If you find you need anything else please feel free to contact me.”

“One question.” One of the men asked.

“Go ahead.”

“Why do we need a training run? We’ve never needed a training run before an op.” He asked with attitude.

“I’ll fill you in on that when we meet up in,” Walt said looking at his watch. “One hour. I’ll pick you up and take you out to the field and fill you in then.” Walt turned to leave.

“Hold up!” The man demanded.

Walt turned. “Yes.”

“You got a computer I can use around here?”

“There’s one in the rec hall two doors down. Help yourself.” Walt told him then left.

“Man don’t say much does he?”

“He said he’d fill us in Ricochet, just roll with it.”

“It kinda pisses me off havin’ to do a trainin’ run. Who do they think we are? Your everyday grunts?” Ricochet snarled.

“Must be big,” came a deep voice from their left.

“I was thinking the same thing Boomer. I was just thinking the same thing.”

“Yeah, well, I’m gonna do some diggin’ on this Cannon guy. See what his story is.” Ricochet said marching out the door.

Boomer snickered. “Man don’t know when to keep his nose out of things.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Kong, the third man, tossed his bag to the floor and stretched out on an empty cot.

Thirty minutes later, Ricochet came strolling back through the door of the barracks. Boomer was caressing explosives that he always carried with him and the third man was still lying on his cot. Ricochet shook his head at the sight of the two.

“While you two been snoozin’, I found out a little about our man Cannon.” Neither of the men stirred. “Well, don’t ya wanna know?”

“Fill us in. You won’t be happy until you do,” the third man yawned.

Ricochet flopped down on an empty cot. “This Cannon guy is retired military. Decorations and all.” After a few moments of silence, Ricochet huffed. “Well?”

“Is that all?” Kong commented, disinterested.

“Yeah, that’s all! I couldn’t find a thing about him. Every time I got to a file on him, it said government classified. Don’t you think that’s strange?”

“It’s none of our business,” Boomer said in his slow deep voice.

“It doesn’t concern us. Let it alone Ricochet.”

Ricochet flopped back on the cot grumbling to himself. “Don’t come crawlin’ to me when things get weird.” Then he closed his eyes, his mind trying to figure out the puzzle they had found themselves in.

Chapter Three

When the jeep pulled up in front of the barracks the three men were ready to go. They were dressed in military camo and black boots with military issue rifles at their sides. Walt looked them over then motioned for them to jump in. The ride to the field was quiet. Not one of them asked any questions. Walt hoped that they wouldn’t demand too many answers when it came to Sam, but deep down in his gut he knew once they found out who she was that would all change.

The four men pulled up to a tent that was set up in the middle of a field. As Walt jumped from the jeep the other three men looked around. There wasn’t much here—just open fields and a small patch of woods about three hundred yards to their left. They looked at each other then followed Walt into the tent.

“Have a seat men. I’ll fill you in on why we need this little exercise.” Walt sat in a folding chair behind a makeshift desk, while the other three sat across from him.

“The government has asked me to send a team to Afghanistan to recover an American scientist who has been kidnapped. As I’m sure you know when the Taliban gets their hands on an American we are unlikely to see them ever again. There are some who have been returned for ransom. I’m afraid however, this won’t be a ransom case.” He looked into their faces as he told them. He liked to get a feel for how they handled the news that was dropped into their laps. So far there was not even a blink.

“We’ve done recovery before. We’ve never had to run an exercise beforehand,” the third man stated.

“I have no doubts about your abilities gentlemen. If I did, you wouldn’t be here. That’s not what this is about,” Walt replied.

“Then what is it about?” Ricochet asked with attitude.

“This is to see how well you can work with another team member.” Walt watched their faces closely. Again there were no surprised looks. He knew they had worked with other military teams before, but never with an outsider.

“Still not making sense Sir,” the third man said respectfully.

“This team member is not military. And this exercise is to see how you deal with the unorthodox ways of an independent.” Now Walt was seeing some reaction in the three faces looking back at him. Not much, just slight frowns and maybe even a little confusion.

“Your first exercise will be to retrieve a flag at these coordinates.” Walt handed each man a small square piece of paper. “I’ll decide if we need another exercise when this one is completed.”