Chapter 12
Mission Assignment
Jack was driving a Hummer to Army headquarters to meet Jill so they could receive their mission assignment from Major Phelps. Jack wondered who they would have to kill. Would it be another military sniper that worked for another country? Probably not. The Army would not have gone to all of the trouble of putting together the best of the best for a routine mission like that. Jack thought that it had to be pretty important. It must be a high visibility target that will be in all of the newspapers around the world the day after it happens. Jack’s curiosity was getting the best of him. He needed to calm down by thinking about something else. I wonder how Lieutenant Jacobson’s sprained ankle is healing. She should be switching from ice to warm compresses. She needs to get better quickly. We need to be ready to deploy on a moment’s notice. She is a determined soldier. Did I just call her a soldier? I have always thought of her as just another girl. She’s a tough girl, and a quick learner. There’s hope for our relationship. I know I have to take orders from her, but maybe that won’t be too bad if she can make the right decisions in the heat of battle. Our relationship is not ideal, but maybe it will work out.
Jack pulled the Hummer into a parking space in front of headquarters. Another Hummer was already parked in the lot.
Jack bounded up the stairs to the front door. He had a mental flashback to the last time he came to Major Phelps’s office and first met Lieutenant Jacobson. Inside he proceeded to Major Phelps’s office, entered, saluted, and closed the door behind himself. “Sergeant Savage, reporting as commanded, sir.” Jack glanced to his left and saw Jill sitting in one of the chairs.
“As you were.” Major Phelps motioned to the other chair that was unoccupied. “Have a seat Savage.” The major lowered his voice. “I heard that the two of you caused a lot of trouble at the sniper competition.”
Jack looked at Jill. She looked at Jack and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “I don’t know what he is talking about.” Jill turned toward the major, “What you are referring to, sir?”
“Yeah, we’re perfect soldiers.” Jack realized that he had just referred to Jill as a soldier. That’s becoming a habit.
Major Phelps leaned back in his big leather chair and looked at Jack for a moment, and then his eyes moved to Jill for another few moments. “The trouble that I was referring to was the fact that the two of you somehow managed to get four bull’s-eyes. That’s never been done before, and the people in charge don’t quite know what to think of you guys.”
Jill and Jack looked at each other. This time they both smiled.
Jill spoke up. “Well, sir, next time we will try to do better.”
One corner of the major’s mouth turned up slightly.
“Your success at the sniper competition has sealed the deal on this mission assignment, and you both are going to stay as a team. Now it’s time to discuss the mission details. First, this mission is top secret so you can’t talk to anyone about it. You will be operating on a need to know basis. Don’t even hint to anyone that you are going on a mission. If word gets out, some nasty people in South America could mark you for death. They may kill you, or they may even kill your family members. This is a small world and we can’t risk bad things happening to your families.”
Jill and Jack glanced at each other. Jack saw a somber expression on Jill’s face.
“This mission is not the usual type of mission. The CIA will be overseeing this operation. Do you have any problems with that?”
Jack replied, “No, sir.”
“Good. Now, here is the situation. The drug cartel in South America is getting out of hand. This is causing two problems. First, the drugs that are coming into the United States are killing lots of young Americans. These young people deserve better than death by overdose. The second problem is that the drug lords are controlling the police, politicians, and anyone else they see fit. This is throwing the balance of power away from the few democracies that do exist, and puts the power of government in the hands of virtual dictators. As a result, we have no negotiating power with the South American countries. The worst of the drug lords is Juan-Carlos Zaragoza in Colombia. He and his brother Ramiro have built an organization that is powerful and unstoppable. Your job is to bring Juan-Carlos to his knees. You will have to go to Colombia through a military back door, and kill Ramiro. But the catch is, you have to do it while he is standing next to his brother Juan-Carlos. Since Ramiro is Juan-Carlos’s right-hand man, you will not only be destroying the command structure of the organization, but you will also be sending a message to Juan-Carlos. He will realize that he could have been the target. In fact, if he is as smart as we think he is, he will realize that if he continues his vicious drug trade, he will be the next target. That should stop him from sending drugs to the United States.”
“I don’t like drug dealers.” Jack spoke without thinking. He liked the idea of getting rid of a bad guy like Ramiro Zaragoza. He would be glad to kill both of them, for that matter. Jack had no sympathy for thieves and drug dealers. He looked forward to the mission.
“Why don’t we just kill the both of them? Two birds with one stone, or mission . . . pardon the pun,” Jill said.
“I am glad you both are on board with the mission. Now, I must emphasize that in addition to this being a top-secret mission, it is also very dangerous. You’ll be operating in a foreign country and there will be no one to help you if you get in trouble, or get captured. Your only exit strategy will be a Black Hawk helicopter that will pick you up at a remote spot. If anything goes wrong and you can’t get to the pick-up point . . . well, let’s just hope that that doesn’t happen.” The major was using a serious tone of voice.
“This mission is still subject to changes, so you may have to modify your plans as things progresses. The White House could call it off at the last minute. So, be sure to keep your communications channels open at all times, especially your SAT phone. We’ll call you with any last-minute changes. You also need to keep us updated with your status so we know that you are safe.
“Finally, here’s the fine print. I know I don’t have to bring this up, but on the other hand if I don’t then you may lose sight of the reality of your situation. You are the first sniper team to have a female in it. This doesn’t matter to most of us in the military. We know a woman can do the job as good as a man. That’s why Lieutenant Jacobson has been assigned to this team. The truth is that if one or both of you don’t make it back, the military will deal with your demise just like any other soldier. On the other hand, if details leak out, the family of Lieutenant Jacobson and the general public will not take kindly to a woman being killed or tortured in a third-world country. They will ask lots of questions. The first question will be ‘Why did the Army send a woman?’ That will be front-page news for months. You can’t allow failure of any kind during this mission. You must execute the mission flawlessly. Anything less than perfection will be a disaster. On the other hand, if you do your job well, you will probably get nice promotions and a long successful career in the Army. Do you both understand what I am saying?”
Jack looked at Jill. Then they looked at Major Phelps and nodded.
“Good. Now get out of my office, take a couple of days off, and be ready for deployment early next week.”
Jill and Jack rose, saluted, and exited the major’s office. Silently, they walked to the Hummers.
“Jack, are you all right with everything you just heard?”
“Almost. The part about the danger and killing a civilian is fine with me. I just wish the major would realize that we are both soldiers. It doesn’t matter that one of us is a woman.”
“Hmmm, am I getting a little bit of sympathy from my partner?”
“Jill, the way I see it, you have been getting a lot of bad press. I admit that I wasn’t happy at first with the idea of working in combat with a woman, but I have seen you in action, and I realize that I misjudged you. I still have a little ways to go, but I think the whole wom
an issue is blown out of proportion. I realize this is a dangerous job, but from what I can see we can do it.”
“So, you think we can do this mission?”
“It is a simple mission. We go in. We kill a really bad person who deserves it. Then we get out. The hardest part will be getting out because at that point they will know that we are there. I’m looking forward to the mission. It will also be good for our careers, and the Army is my home and family, so I want to make the most of it.”
“Jack, I’m glad that you are starting to show some confidence in me. I am even happier that you are showing confidence in us as a team. I have been hoping that we could work things out between us because I firmly believe that we are perfectly matched for this type of work. Our talents and skills complement each other, and will give us great success if we can get past the hurdle of the ‘girl issue.’”
“I’m making progress, and I feel more comfortable as we spend time together,” Jack replied.
“Hey! That reminds me. I wanted to invite you to spend some time with my family and me.”
Jack stared at Jill. His hands tensed. With difficulty, he restrained himself from making fists.
“They are coming down for a couple of days and I thought that we could all get together for some pizza and beer. You will love my brothers and parents.”
“I . . . I guess it will be okay. You don’t think that I will be getting in the way?” Jack asked.
“No, as a matter of fact you will probably have a great time, and they all want to meet you.”
“They want to meet me? So, you have told them about me?” Jack asked.
“Ah . . . well, yes. I telephone my mom on a regular basis and I naturally told her about the better half of the best sniper team in the Army,” said Jill.
“Okay.” Jack wondered what he was getting himself into.
“Fantastic. Tomorrow at five we’re meeting at Johnny’s Pizza shop. Be sure to bring your appetite, and don’t be late. My brother’s eat lots of pizza, and I don’t want you to miss out on all the fun.”
Jack came to attention and saluted. Jill returned the salute, and they each climbed in a Hummer and drove to their respective barracks.
That night Jack had trouble sleeping. His mind raced as he thought about the mission and pulling the trigger. At that point everything was going to change. He knew that he and Jill would be in a race for their lives. They would have to leave the foreign country as quickly as possible. They needed to be faster than the Colombian drug lord that would be chasing them. After all, they were going to kill his brother. Jack then thought about what Major Phelps said about a woman getting tortured or killed in a foreign country. At first this bothered Jack a little. But now, as he pondered the situation, he realized that it wasn’t just a woman that could be harmed, but it was his friend. Yes, he and Lieutenant Jacobson were becoming friends, and Jack didn’t want Jill getting hurt. This was a new experience for Jack. It wasn’t long ago that he didn’t like Jill. But now, he was feeling a strange sense of friendship with her. This was a little confusing, but it was also a nice feeling. She seems down to earth, and has a lot of good qualities. She has more guts than most guys, and yes she is right about how our skills complement each other. I wonder what her family is like.
Jack’s eyes started to droop. He had one last thought before he went to sleep. I wonder if she has a boyfriend.