Chapter 14

“Jason, the drones fired on the helicopters. The police were hit in the rear rotor. It’s down. What we can see is a lot of smoke, but the pilot got it down. Grande reported structure damage as countermeasures took care of the missiles. Weapons are offline. She’s limping but managed to kill one of the drones before they got hit. The Big Stick recalled the other two a moment ago. A team of shore patrol will be brought in to aid the LEOS for the arms store.” Marvin hesitated, sighing several times. “Jason, the other drone.”

“Spill it already. We don’t have the time for theatrics,” Jason commanded.

“It changed tactics. It is on a new heading. Although there are a few things along the path, it appears to be on a direct heading to UCLA.”

“Get the roads cleared from here to there. I don’t care what it takes. We are moving. The raid on the gun shop was fruitful. Get the track of the truck on GPS. Call the school and have campus security clear the grounds. Shelter in place protocols.”

Jason grabbed the phone, hung up, and immediately dialed again. He got no answer. He tried again. Sent to voice mail on the second ring. By the time he tried a third time, Harper had them speeding down the road again.

“Dam, that girl,” he silently cursed. He sent a text and hoped.

He pocketed the phone as Harper spun around a corner. The roads were not clear, but traffic was moving in the direction they needed it to. The patrol cars managed to get some to pull aside, and Harper veered through the rest. He loaded all the magazines despite being tossed around. He also managed not to throw up.

He considered the boxes the officers had loaded. He wouldn’t need both if they worked. He didn’t want to use either of them in the city limits with such a small target.

Traffic was starting to slow them down even with the escort. Jason’s impatience grew as he got ready. It was spiteful but maybe the site of someone with a gun on the truck would make people move faster.

“We are getting close,” Harper yelled out the window. “Looks like the helicopter is there as well.”

On cue, the phone rang.

“Jason, this drone is different. It doesn’t need to be facing its target. Grande can’t get close enough to guarantee that she won’t hit anything but the drone. Both snipers are unable to get a sure shot.”

At least she had wised up enough to realize it. “That will change now we are below. Tell them to just keep the drone in sight. Once we get close enough, it will need to move. One of us will have the shot. Tell them to be ready. It’s going to make a break for it one way or another.”

“UCLA is trying to get a lockdown, but the school is widespread. They are using hurricane protocols and sending out broadcast messages.”

“It may not get there. If it’s at a standoff with the helicopters, then we have it. Unless they have it juiced up somehow to outrun a helicopter, we have it.”

“Don’t jinx us, Jason. Don’t forget, it can still take them out. It’s the only reason it’s still in the air.”

That statement had Jason thinking. “Then why hasn’t it?”

“Dam it, Jason, what did I just tell you? You are so lucky you are in a crisis. Jinxing us like that twice in a row is just begging for a problem.”

“Yeah, good thing, unlike you, I’m not superstitious. Keep your eyes on things. And start the investigation of these drones. Someone went through a lot of trouble, and it took time and money to put them together.”

“We have team three on it. They are correlating with several agencies. Secret service is near tying down the President to keep him away.”

“Marvin, that is the biggest jinx yet. If he comes here, we will have chaos on top of chaos.”

“You are coming up on the location of the drone. As far as we can see, this is the last of them. As for the President, you can initiate Shield protocol.”

“No, that’s above my pay grade. Now stop yacking and keep watching. I don’t want any surprises.”

Jason got ready and looked at the two boxes again; the temptation was strong. He smacked himself in the head for even thinking of it for what he had. He regretted even bringing them along. He checked the chamber and two magazines in his back pockets.

This would have worked if he had his gear bag. He had no communication with Harper. She was going in blind. He couldn’t even return her phone.

He could hear the helicopters buzzing above even before they hit the street they were on. They ran into trouble on the next turn. Cars were abandoned, and there was no path through. Well, none that was a road. Harper made one on the sidewalk. She rammed through storefront displays and garbage cans, causing Jason to duck back down.

“You’re making a big mess, Jason,” Marvin laughed.

“I’m not driving, think she was a demolition car driver in a past life,” Jason took the chance an got back up. They were a block away. “Tell the helicopters to get ready. We only get once chance at this. We miss I have a bad feeling that it’s going to take one or more of us out.”

Their approach didn’t go unnoticed as the drone turned and stared at them, a ground target being the easiest to hit, and they had nowhere to maneuver. Jason took aim and waited. The two helicopters flew in closer, reaming above the buildings. The snipers inside them hanging out the doors were also trying for a target. The drone began to fire, hitting the street and parked cars. Jason took a deep, long breath as he steadied his aim. He was focused on the propeller with hopes of recovering it. That changed when he saw the movement.

“Fuck,” he muttered as he switched aim and fired three times as fast as he could. Whoever had built this drone did it with a rotating turret for the missiles. He didn’t want to destroy it, but he couldn’t allow it to fire again. Too many were already dead. He wasn’t the only one to fire. In the silent street, he heard the report of the snipers firing just before the drone exploded.

Harper came to a quick stop. Her shout was loud as she banged the steering wheel with a cheer of success. They watched as the drone fell and its remains scattered around the street, hitting cars and smashing a bus stop.

“Marvin,” Jason picked up the phone. There was no answer. He dialed but got no answer. That worried him. Only two reasons for that.

He started to jump down when the phone went off.

“Better be good news,” Jason yelled.

“Not. The President has made his decision to fly in. He was in Texas. He’s been in the air for the last hour as he argued with the Secret Service.”

“Wonderful. That puts him here in the next hour and a half barring issues.”

“Secret service is jumping. The general wants to know why you didn’t activate protocol.”

“Above my pay grade. Let the Secret Service handle it. That’s their job.”

Marvin grunted. “Are we sure this is over?”

Jason looked up at the sky. “Unless they have more drones or other assets, it seems that way. Maintain ready alert though. Extend your surveillance to a thirty-mile radius. See if we can borrow some help. Get Harper back to the Big Stick and release the state police choppers. I’m sure they can be useful elsewhere. Meantime I have a promise to keep and will be unreachable until I can get back.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Unless you tell me there is more of a threat, yes. Coordinate with the LEOs and FBI. They can do all the follow-ups.

“Nothing we can see, and nothing reported. But there is still a lot of chaos. I’ll inform the General we are standing down to alert level three. Maybe you should let Harper drive. You don’t have much time,” Marvin laughed and got a snicker from Harper. He was clicking away at his keys. “LEOs are two blocks away and notified that you are leaving the scene with Detective Harper.”

Jason handed Harper her phone and unshouldered the rifle as he slid into the truck seat. The only thing he said was where he needed to go. Harper stayed quiet as they drove off, at least for a few minutes.

“Hell of a day,” she said suddenly.

“The worst is yet to come. Dealing with the aftermath.” Jason was looking out the window, the adrenaline rush was subsiding he felt the inevitable fatigue. He picked up Harper’s phone and again tried to call. Still no answer. He directed Harper to the building where the class was held. There were security cars all around. He thanked Harper and asked her to deal with weapons.

Jason stopped one of the officers to inquire why the students were still outside. He had to use his ID to get an answer. The officer told him that the school had lifted the lockdown but had kept the security in place. It would make finding Selena harder. There was still ten minutes to the start of class. He found her five minutes later. She was with a group of students. He started toward them when a guy about her age grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in. Jason turned away as the young man pulled her head with both hands to kiss her.

He had mixed feelings about it and knew he had no right to. He made his way back toward the building with the class. He found his usual way of sitting in the back and away from others. Professors rarely cared about those auditing the classes. His mind was in a million places. He shouldn’t have left her there. There was still a threat, or was there? Was Pierce’s use of the doctor merely to distract from the drones being deployed, or was it something to do with something more? Thinking of the doctor, was he still alive? Or was he a sacrifice that could have been avoided? Should they activate more guards to aid in the recovery efforts? What resources did they have to use?

There was a lot of questions, and yet he didn’t come up with any answers. He was trying to recall as much of the day as he could. Everything they did and didn’t do. He did it all wrong.

His hand shot out at the touch. Wrapping around the wrist of the hand as it touched his arm. He released it just as quickly as Harper yelped.

“Wow. I pity the woman who has to wake you in the morning,” she said as she rubbed her wrist.

“Sorry,” he leaned his head down and covered his face with both hands, slowly rubbing his fingers up and down. “If you are in here, who is watching that truck and its contents?” he asked as he bolted up straight.

“All good. I should have known better. But you were a million miles away. I got direction from my Captain. Apparently, you need police protection. I’m designated for the next five hours. However, I have to wonder what it is you would need protection from. As for the truck, it’s being watched by campus security until LAPD can retrieve it, or we can take it in.”

“That is a good question. Unfortunately, we don’t have an answer. Which means we don’t know if it is something that is needed or not.”

“Well, I’m here, like it or not. I would much rather be out there looking for whoever did this.”

“You are free to do so, as far as I am concerned.”

“Orders are orders. I feel that you know all about that as well. I’m also thinking there is more to this than I’ve been told.”

Jason nodded as other students filtered in. He barely saw Selena as she walked in and stopped, staring at him and Harper. She started walking again through the rows of seats towards them.

“Miss Lopez, please take your seat. We have been delayed enough for the day,” the professor caught her as she entered the aisle to walk up.

Jason didn’t acknowledge the slight wave she gave. She went to her seat and started pulling out what she needed from her backpack.

Jason huffed. Without his own pack, the class was going to be a long one. “Do you have an earpiece for that phone of yours?” he whispered. “Let me see the phone,” he said after she nodded. He busied himself with a message to Marvin.

“Marvin protocol fourteen. Myer41a2b6. Harper has been assigned as protection detail. She would prefer to be out investigating the incident. See if we can get her reassigned. They can cancel the details for me and allow the police to focus on the incident. In a class, so she won’t be able to respond, except by text.” He muted the phone and handed it back to Harper, pointing to his ear just as the phone vibrated. Harper scrambled to put in the earpiece. That should keep her busy for most of the class.