Code Name: Luminous (23 page)

“Sir.”

Ghost’s expression remained ramrod tough, but his eyes
glinted with mirth. Lieutenant Lewis was the type of officer that remained
behind the safety line, clinging to his mother’s skirt and polishing his
Budweiser, no doubt buying every T-shirt, belt buckle and ball cap with a SEAL
insignia on it. He might have been a SEAL once; now he was bordering on
bureaucrat.

Enough posturing.
“Dr. Clarke, can
you split your team?
Half at the
Cochito
Dam and half at
Caballo
Dam?”
Tony asked.

Lewis finally acknowledged the geologists and eyed the
director with interest.

“Yes, Petty Officer Bale, we can do that, but there’ll be
resistance.”

Tony rested his knuckles on the planning table, giving the
map a scan. What had he missed?
“Resistance?”

“
Cochito
is on native land. The
closure would have to be approved by them.”

“If you run into a roadblock, call me.” They exchanged
numbers. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with from the air. Alpha Squad, you’re
with me.” Captain Cobbs nodded at the Admiral and made his way with the squad
toward the
helo
.

“Ghost will speak with Lewis,” Cobbs said, keeping in step
beside him. “If Lewis wants it by the book, Ghost will shove the whole thing
down his throat.”

Tony grinned. “I know it.” They both bent over, running
below the whirling blades of the chopper. “Did I pass the test?” He knew Ghost
had stood back to see how he’d deal with Lewis.

Cobbs gripped the bulkhead and jumped in, Tony right behind
him. They were the last in and sat on the deck, each draping a leg out the door
as the pilot began to lift. “Not bad, but I think Ghost expected you to know
‘fuck off’ in five languages.”

They both chuckled. Cobbs scanned the horizon with his sharp
eyes.

“You
gonna
miss this?” Tony asked,
not able to read Cobbs’ stoic rigidity.

“Nope.
I did my time. I missed too
much of
Rayanne
and Cindy’s years growing up. I’ll be
there for Kelsey.” Suddenly the harshness left the edges of his expression.
“Marg has put up with this job for twenty years. I owe her my undivided
attention for the next fifty.”

The hot wind buffeted them as the Black Hawk flew above the
desert floor toward the Rio Grande. “How long did you know Marg before you
asked her to marry you?”

Cobbs’ head tilted and he grinned. “A SEAL year is like
comparing driving to a destination by car vs ‘as the crow flies.’ Calendar
days, it was nine months.”

“And the time you were together?”

Cobbs scratched the scruff on his chiseled jaw. “I would
have asked her after the first night we spent together, but we had some things
to work through, so I waited.”

“Until when?”

He laughed and looked toward the horizon.
“Until
she asked me.”

“Seriously?”
This
he didn’t know.

“Never forget it. The woman didn’t give me an option.” He
grinned. “Not that I wanted one.”

A second Black Hawk flew abeam of them. Dr. Clarke with her
team onboard
were
bound for
Cochito
Dam. “Lumin hasn’t finished her degree and she’s only twenty-four. I don’t want
to take her options away.”

“Let her decide that. Marriage isn’t about rescinding
choices. It’s about making them together.” Cobbs leaned against the bulkhead.
“A wise woman told me that once.”

“Any regrets?”

“Every time I left her and the girls.
Knowing they wanted me home and in one piece gave me the determination to see
my way through every mission.”

They sat in silence until the topography changed as they
neared the Rio Grande valley. Tony’s mind was a jumble of duty and Lumin,
switching back and forth in high gear. She’d have to put up with his life as a
SEAL. It wasn’t fair to her or any serving member’s spouse.

Captain Cobbs gave the order to the pilot to hover over Los
Chaves and then fly downriver. When they reached Highway 85, they saw the twin
bridges. “Highway Department is going to hate this,” Cobbs said into his
comm
set.

“The water’s high already,” Tony said. “I’ll confirm with
Fox, but if we blow a trench to the west in front of the bridge, it looks like
a swell in the landscape could buy us some time.”

“Tinman, we have enough explosives to blow a trench back to
San Diego,” Cobbs stated.

“Those farms are damn close,” Tony noted. The entire valley
was covered with them. “Anyone have a better plan?”

“Captain Cobbs, Base Command Coronado,” the pilot interrupted.

“Link her in,” Cobbs ordered, waited, then said, “Go ahead,
Snow White.”

“I’ve got Origin Ozone on the line wondering if they should
begin racking up canisters and where to send the bill? I’ve already advised
Admiral Pennington and Admiral Hoskins of the plan. He says Eagle has approved
whatever it takes.”

Cobbs gave him a hand signal. Go or no go? Eagle was a
common code word for the President of the United States. Cobbs was leaving it
up to Tony to decide. “Snow White, what’s the time line?”

“Standby.”

Nina came on the radio. “Tinman, we’ve got a yellow light on
transport aircraft for deploy from San Francisco. Deploy from San Diego too
long.”

“Earliest ETA?”
Tony requested.

Nina responded. “Four hours to Albuquerque. Chopper
deploy
to drop point.”

Tony groaned and shook his head. “We have to hold the river
back for hours?”

“Several.”

What choice did they have? “We’re going to need civil law
enforcement and the National Guard to evacuate the valley between
Cochito
and
Caballo
Dams.”

“I’ll advise the C.O.”

“Ninja Girl, one more thing.”

“Roger, go ahead.”

“Stop all traffic east and west bound on Highway 85 where it
crosses the Rio Grande at Los Lunas north of Isleta Pueblo.”

There was a pause.

“You copy?”

Snow White came on the radio. “There’s a bridge in that
location.”

“Negative, Snow White.
There’s
two.”

“I’ll locate the closest demo depot.”

“Any further reports from health
authorities?”

“Negative.”

“Advise ETA when the canisters are in the air.”

“Roger, good copy.
Base Command out.”

“Pilot, sweep south down the river to
Caballo
Dam,”
Cobbs
ordered.

A nod from the pilot and the Black Hawk arced in the sky.

“Ditz, radio the Admiral. The request for explosives will
have to come from him.”

Ditz gave him
a thumbs
up.

“Why is the river so damn high?” Tony asked, seeing the
water was near the bank’s edge.

“Must be getting rain from up north,” Stitch said.

Tony’s cell rang. He didn’t recognize the number, but he
already knew the voice.

“Petty Officer Bale, this is Lieutenant Lewis.”

“Go ahead, sir.”

“Admiral Austen has advised me on the mission.
Caballo
Dam has been locked down.”

“What about
Cochito
?”

“Initial response from the native band is negative.”

Shit
. The chopper
settled on the ground and the squad jumped out. “Standby, Lieutenant.”

When Tony cleared, he got back on the line. “Politics are
involved here. Who can talk them into changing their minds? We don’t want to
start a war with the local native band. We’re here at
Caballo
,
the reservoir is three-quarters full, and the river has a good rip to it. We
need that dam closed.”

“One of the SEALs from DEVGRU mentioned a
comm
gal in Coronado might be half squaw.”

Tinman stopped in his tracks and the hair on the back of his
neck stood out.
Did this fucking asshole
just call Kayla a squaw?

“If she’s a redskin like them, she might be worth something
to us.”

Tony blinked. He could straighten out Lewis now, but there
might be a better way to take care of this idiot. “Sir, approach Admiral Austen
with your thoughts. He knows all the staff in Coronado Base Command. Tell him
what you just told me.” An evil grin grew on his lips; he just wished he could
be there to see what happened.

“I’ll do that before I order her to call them. For a change,
a
chugg
will be a help instead of a pain in the ass.
Least she’ll be good for something,
ya
know what I
mean?”

Holy fuck, was this
guy for real?
“
Chugg
?”

“Yeah, Natives.
Redskins.”

Tony squelched what he wanted to say to Lewis.
Keep talking, asshole, your life expectancy
just shortened by about fifty years.
“Sir, I believe you’re talking about
Kayla, team name Snow White.”

“She’s got a team name?” he exclaimed. “Oh, I see, she
screwed someone to make her mark.”

Tony choked and shook his head. Instead of giving more away,
he said, “I’ll check on progress in fifteen minutes.” That’s all it should take
before Lewis was buried somewhere in the Arizona desert.

Chapter Eighteen

Thane spoke with the captain of DEVGRU. The Development
Group was the best in the country for anti-terrorism missions.

“Callum Dafoe has gone into hiding, Jake,” Thane said as he
led him to the coffee.

Jake Ackerman accepted the cup. “Need one of these. I got
your brief. Still hard to believe General Caufield turned against us.”

“Greed.”
Thane snagged another cup
of coffee. He was living on the shit. “We squeezed everything we could out of
him. Dafoe’s residences have been checked, but they’re clean. We need your team
to roust him out.”

“He’s got to have another residence not registered to him
that he’s holed up in. These guys like their comfort.”

Thane nodded. “My gut tells me he’s hesitating from
launching a full deploy of the virus until he figures out how not to die. He’s
not protected from the second virus, but with us squeezing in on him, he might
launch regardless.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised.”

Jake Ackerman equaled Thane in height. He’d been a SEAL just
as long, and holding the position of commanding officer of DEVGRU meant he’d
earned his metal. Thane had worked with him numerous times over the years. The
man prided himself on never giving in. His wife must agree, since they had six
children.

“Admiral Austen?”

They both turned to see Lewis standing behind them.
“Yes, Lieutenant.”
He wasn’t going to give Lewis the
courtesy of introducing Jake. Lewis looked hungry to shake anyone of higher
rank’s hand. The guy was a ladder climber. He could scrape up the rungs
himself.

“Lieutenant Abraham Lewis, sir,” he said to Jake.

Jake barely acknowledged him. This guy’s reputation must be
right up there with Mr.
Brocklehurst
in
Jane Eyre
. Jake had to know him since
both had been stationed in Little Creek.

“I spoke with Dr. Clarke. The native band at
Cochito
will not close down the dam, but there might be an
opportunity to resolve the situation without a lot of red tape.”

“And that is?” Thane asked. Lewis eyed the coffee, but Thane
waited, not offering.

“A woman in Coronado Base Command.
Apparently she’s got some redskin in her. The natives might listen to her.”

Thane’s cup only got halfway to his lips. He saw Jake dart a
knowing glance at him.
“Redskin?”

Lewis gave a jerk of his head.
“Yes, sir.
One of your men, Captain Ackerman, said she’s half squaw.”

Jake cocked his head to one side as if stretching his neck
and his expression distilled into dislike.

“I spoke with Petty Officer Bale, he called her Snow White.
Oxymoron no doubt.”
Lewis let out a sarcastic laugh.
“Regardless, he said you’d probably know her.”

“Yes, I know her,” he said, his blood already boiling in his
veins.

Jake coughed and turned away, snagging a bottle of water
from the table. He slowly twisted off the cap while taking a step back.

“She’s our warfare analyst, retired, but she’s working on
this mission.”

Lewis rolled his eyes. “I’ve had to deal with minority
staff. All you can do is harness them the best you can. I’m sure you were glad
to see her go.”

Thane stole a look at Jake, who shrugged his shoulders and
said, “I assume Petty Officer Bale didn’t tell you her name.”

Lewis flicked a hand in the air. “Don’t need to know her
name; as long as she looks like an Indian, she might convince them to close the
dam. If they throw the war paint on, she can talk their talk. Providing she’s
got half a brain, which most don’t.”

Thane ran his finger down the seam of his
cammo
pants, brushing the leather on his holster. “She has
a sharp mind, and she’s the best analyst Coronado has ever hired.”

“Why did she retire?”

Thane slammed his cup on the table.
“Because…”
he said, his anger turning into a hurricane force warning. “
She married
the Admiral of the West Coast chain.”

The sarcastic look on Lewis’ face evaporated as his mouth
snapped shut and he paled. “Sir, I thought that was your
pos
—”

Thane glared at him with a hefty grip on his emotions to
kill one of his own, not that Lewis portrayed a single virtue of a SEAL. He
leaned into him. “I strongly suggest you pull your head outta your ass,
Lieutenant. If you ever call my wife a squaw again, I’ll make sure you spend
the rest of your fucking career putting silencers on dog tags.”

“Lewis, you are one dumb fuckin’ bastard,” Jake added,
leaning back on the table and crossing his arms.

“Sir, I had no idea.”

Jake gave him a disgusted look. “That’s because you’re too
busy sucking some ranking officer’s cock.” His brow rose. “Glad he’s your
problem now, Ghost.”

“Get your ass on the next bird back to Coronado. When this is
over, I’ll dispatch your next assignment,” Thane said.

They watched Lewis scurry from the tent. “Think that’s the
closest he’s ever come to dying,” Jake commented.

“Think you’re right.”

“Aside from the prejudice, he does have a point, Thane.
Kayla might be able to help.”

Thane seamed his lips, ordering his temper to recede. He
flicked open his cell.

“Hi, darling,” she answered on her personal cell.

The rest of his ire dissipated with the sound of her voice.
“Hi, baby. We’ve run into a roadblock and need your help.”

“Hit me.”

Thane turned and put a few paces between him and Jake.
“Rather be doing something else to you.”

Kayla laughed. “I would think
so,
it’s been more than twenty-four hours, poor Admiral.”

He coughed out a laugh. “You’re a hard woman to resist,
isn’t my fault.”

“I’m already knocked up, what more do you want?”

“I can find a secluded corner and talk you through it.”

She hissed out a laugh.
“Stop.
What
do you need?”

“I hate to say it, but your bloodline.”

“Say again?”

Thane explained the hedging from the local native band, but
made sure to exclude the lieutenant’s prejudice.

“I can try, but I’m not like you, Thane. I can’t talk people
around my little finger.”

“You did a fine job with me, baby. We need that dam closed or
we’re
gonna
be opposing Mother Nature the whole way.”
He heard the tap of her low-heeled shoes on the elevated tile floor of the ops
room. Her fingernails clicked on a keyboard. “What are you doing?”

“Recon, SEAL, what do you think?” She paused. “Okay I’ve got
the band leader’s name. I don’t like doing this over the phone.”

“I don’t want you coming into the hot zone. It’s too
dangerous.”

“Fine.
And we just spoke to Nina’s
parents.”

“How’s our boy?”

“Missing Mom and Dad, but he’s safe.”

A warmth
he only got when he
thought about his family seeped into every corner of his heart. “Kayla, I know
you’re sick of hearing it, but thank you for falling in love with me.”

She breathed out a satisfied little hum. “I’ll never be sick
of hearing that from your lips, which I wish I could nibble on right now.”

“Phew.” He adjusted himself, glad he was facing the tent
wall. “I want to find Dafoe and annihilate that bastard for too many reasons,
but the most important is forcing us to be apart.”

“I want us to collect our son and go home. That’s all I
want.”

“Your wish is my command. Call me when you’ve spoken to the
tribal chief.”

“Aye, aye, Admiral.”

He grinned as he disconnected. Fuck, he loved his wife, and
now he had to stop thinking about her to get his hard-on under control. Damn
woman did it to him every time, but his mind had its own course and it wanted
to replay the last time her soft curves were in his hungry hands, especially
when she was pregnant. Their sex life never dimmed, but there was something
totally irresistible about the woman when their baby was growing inside her.
She’d lost a lot of weight after Adam was born, but now her hips were filling
out again being pregnant with Sloane. He ordered his mind to stop thinking
about it. He inhaled a deep breath and turned to see Jake give a quick jerk of
his head.

“Better watch it, Ghost, that’s how I ended up with six
kids.”

“I want four, but she’s putting the stopper in at two. Our
little girl is on her way now.”

“Congrats, man. Let’s make sure we find Dafoe. Don’t want
anything getting in the way of that master plan.”

* * * *

Callum Dafoe paced the floor of the small industrial
building in southern New Mexico. In the corner, several metal crates lined the
wall filled with EA2. His storage unit in Idaho had been located, but he had
more than enough to create a pandemic of global proportions. Eleven men stood
warily watching him. The last of his security team and one scientist waited for
his instructions. They’d escaped the university but he knew the manhunt for him
had begun. The American forces would be split trying to contain the virus in
the Rio Grande. Something he doubted they’d accomplish.

“Dr. Palin, we have lost our chance at retrieving the
vaccine Dr. Bjornson created. What are our options?” He stopped in front of the
scientist. Dr. Palin was in his early forties and if he wanted to live to see
fifty, he would give him an acceptable answer.

“Very few.”

“Not—good enough,” he said. “I’m sure your family wants to
see you again. A viable option is what I need.” Although
Callum’s
wife was dead, he had other family and wanted them protected.

“There’s only one option and no way to confirm it at this
point in time.”

“Explain,” he said, glaring at the man he would sooner kill
than talk to. He was American and every American needed to die.

“Researchers discovered that swine flu survivors had super
immune systems with antibodies that could kill off any new flu virus, not just
the H1N1. Their immune systems went into overdrive. There is a possibility this
could occur with Virus EA2 which Dr. Bjornson created, since we used a strain
of H1N1 and bound it to the Plague. We’d need a survivor of EA2, and I doubt
there are many. It was engineered that way,” Palin said, his words dripping
regret.

Callum nodded. “There may be one, possibly two. If we
retrieve these individuals, how long would it take to recreate the vaccine?”

“Normally months.
Sometimes never,
but you have his notes. I’ve looked through them. It’s possible to reverse
engineer and identify the antibodies if you can find someone who survived.”

Callum turned to his security captain. “Take half those
crates and deliver them to Arizona by tomorrow. I want them in place for a
deployment on my word. The second shipment will be driven to California. Leave
ten crates here. You, Captain, have a special mission.”

“Yes, sir,” the security captain nodded and motioned for his
men to get moving.

“You will remain with me, Dr. Palin.”

“Mr. Dafoe.” A tall, lanky Arab stepped forward. “I’ve
received a report the military have been sighted in Bosque. An evacuation of
all residences near the Rio Grande has begun.”

“And the virus?”
Dafoe asked.

“Doing its job,” the young radical said with pride, as if
he
invented it. “Reports say the clinics
are lined up with the sick in the valley. Others will continue their daily
business and pass it on to each other. More will leave their towns. It’s
spreading. With no vaccine, they will all die. The government will be forced to
call their military out of the Middle East to enforce quarantines and control
the population.” The young man nodded in respect. “Word of you has reached our
brothers across the world. Some already revere you for what you have
single-handedly done, Mr. Dafoe.”

Young minds filled with hate were so easy to hire. In every
state, some immigrants with chips on their shoulders gorged on what America had
to offer and reveled in the opportunity to stab her in the back. Even young men
and women who’d never stepped foot in their ancestral homeland were ready to
pick up a weapon and double-cross the Americans. He used it to his advantage.
Since his wife had died, he held the same contempt. It fueled his revenge. The
SEALs would not stop him.

“What is your name?” Callum asked the man.

“
Adeeb
.”

“Remain here,
Adeeb
.”

The young man nodded and stepped to the side of the security
captain.

“Dr. Palin, wait for me in my office.” He looked pale and
beaten down, but the doctor had better find a second wind because Callum didn’t
plan on expiring with the rest of the population. He turned his attention to
Adeeb
and the security captain. “Find Lumin Edenridge. She
was given the second virus and I believe she’s alive. I think the military has
the vaccine. If we can’t get it, we need her. Bring her back here.”

Both men acknowledged his request and left.

* * * *

“Petty Officer Bale,” Tony said, answering his cell.

“Tinman,
it’s
Kayla.”

“Were you successful with the
Cochito
Band?”

“Affirmative, but the agreement is hardly binding and they
were very resistant, and with good reason. Holding the water back means they
endanger their lands. They told me there’s been heavy rain the last month in
Colorado and many of the underground tributaries are feeding into the Rio
Grande. You’re
gonna
be on the clock, Tinman.”

“Understood.
What about the
canisters?”