Chapter 50

Nightfox

Character Introduction

A young boy was moving gracefully and silently in the forested mountains of northern Montana. He moved over dead limbs and dried leaves without a sound. Instinctively, he would pause to listen, then move again watching, looking, and knowing he was close.

Suddenly, he stopped still, frozen in place, not moving for seconds that turned into minutes.

A very large dark brown animal was also being still, as both the boy and the animal were stalking the same prey.

The boy ever so slowly moved his bow from his shoulder, and equally as slowly, drew an arrow and notched it to the string. He watched as a good sized buck deer picked his way through the brush, looking for the owner of the strong scent of the large brown animal. The deer was to his left and the large brown animal was to his right.

The boy surveyed his surroundings to find where he could get to in order to preserve the deer he planned to kill and to get away from the large brown furry animal. He slowly pulled the bow string back feeling the heavy pull of the strong bow exposing his rippling muscles.

The big animal was aware of the deer, but didn't see it yet, and he had not yet sensed the boy. He waited to make his kill.

The boy loosed the arrow and the deer stood perfectly still for three full seconds. The sound of the arrow hitting the deer drew the attention of the large animal. While the big animal was distracted, the boy pulled another arrow back and sent it into the mass of brown and gray fur. This caused a massive roar to come from the big grizzly bear. The second, third, and fourth arrows he shot all hit in the same area of the chest. The last arrow, the boy's last arrow of defense, went high and penetrated the bear's eye.

The bear's howling with anger and pain caused the deer to attempt to flee, but he was dying with every attempted step. The deer lasted about fifty feet before it crumpled.

The boy began edging away from the bear and toward his kill. He wanted to find a tree with low branches so he could climb quickly if he needed to. He didn't know the arrow in the eye had finished the bear.

When the boy heard the crash of the bear falling, he almost bolted to find higher ground, but there was no additional crashing through the brush that should, or would, occur if the bear was chasing the boy.

Instinct said food first, so the boy stepped to the fallen deer, looped a piece of homemade rope around the deer's rear feet, threw the other end of the line over a low branch, and hoisted the deer into the air.

Using practiced skills, the boy removed his precious arrow, dressed the deer, and cut the heavy head off. He left the hide intact to be removed when he had transported the deer home. With the deer hanging in the tree, the boy walked to where the bear had fallen. He looked at the bear, trying to decide what to do with it. It was too big to move alone, but he knew the hide would be valuable. The bear meat was good too, but getting it home would be difficult. He had to try to preserve the meat until he could get back for it later, so he did what he knew how to do.

After removing each of his arrows, the boy began skinning the huge bear. When he had the hide removed in one continuous piece, he tied it to four trees then began cutting large slabs of the meat from the carcass. He placed the meat onto the raised hide and continued until the good fatty meat was mostly cut. Then for his own satisfaction, the boy cut off all of the claws from the bear, then cut the huge eye teeth from the bear's jaws. He smiled as he placed his treasures in a small bag at his waist.

Next, the boy used his store bought, razor sharp, hunting knife to cut two large sapling poles. He used smaller green saplings to weave a basket between the two larger poles. He placed his deer and a large chunk of bear meat on the travois he had created and began dragging the deer meat home at a near jog.

Home was on the edge of the small village on reservation land. His mother was a widow with four children. Because of an unfortunate incident, the mother had a large scar across her face from her eye, across her nose, to the base of her neck. It was difficult for most people to look at her for any length of time. She had been beautiful, but now, she was not attractive to any of the bucks in the tribe. Additionally, she had only one son, Sam. He received his name from his father who had been friends with a white man named Sam. With only one misnamed son, and three daughters, she was not a valued woman. To make it worse, one of her daughters was cursed with a cleft palate and a deformed leg. The woman worked hard to support her children. Her garden was her constant source of food, but some who were lazy would steal from the garden when no one was watching. Sam's dog would attempt to scare people off, but he had to be on a chain or he would kill people that stole from the garden, and that was unacceptable.

Sam made it to his home in a fast forty minutes. When he arrived, he called for his mother to come quick. He showed her the deer and hoisted it up on the skinning bar near the kitchen. Sam showed his mother the bear claws, teeth and large chunk of meat and said, "I have a bear that I must go get. Please forgive me for not helping with the deer, but there is much meat to be brought."

"Did you save the hide, my son?"

"Yes, I will bring it when all the meat is here. I must go before animals steal my kill."

The mother proudly watched her son trot off with the travois poles to bring the unexpected treat of bear meat.

It took most of the night for Sam to bring the bear meat home. His mother was already smoking deer meat, plus she would smoke the bear meat and render the bear fat for its many uses. The fat had medicinal qualities, as well as using it to make soap and candles. She had requested of Sam to try to bring the stomach back, as the intestines made the best bowstrings. Strips of the intestines could be cured and used for sewing moccasins and clothes.

In the early dawn, Sam's mother, served him big pieces of roasted bear meat. He was smiling as he ate the delicious meat. He had salvaged all of the claws and all of the teeth. He could trade the teeth for more arrow shafts and hunting points.

After both had a short nap, the children were sent to some of the less fortunate people with large chunks of bear meat. They would fill their bellies for a change, and remember that young Sam had brought food in once again.

Sam attended the local school and tried hard to learn as much as possible. Because his sister was deformed, she wasn't allowed in school. The village felt it a waste of time to teach a deformed child. Sam and his sisters taught the youngest and she flourished quickly, learning at a fast pace. As fast as Sam and his sisters learned, the youngest would learn.

Then the worst winter that had been seen in many years came. With it came a plague that was called flu, and kept people sick and inside. Sam struggled to hunt in the snow and cold to bring rabbits and any other game he could catch. Deer were scarce this year, but he was able to get a small one.

The flu took his family. The medicine man didn't have a cure. The white man doctor couldn't get to the village because of the heavy snow. Over seventy people of the hundred in the small village died of the flu.

By the time March came, most of the villagers were planning to move to the larger reservation community. The school had closed and the trading post was no longer attended. Sam decided he needed to find a place to go to school and to live. He felt confident that he could support himself with a garden and game, but he needed a place to live.

At the large reservation at the base of a mountain, the resettled villagers were outsiders and not immediately welcomed. The government men didn't help much, and told the newcomers that it would take time to research their claim that they were Oglala Sioux that had settled separately from the other bands of Sioux from Canada and the Dakotas.

Sam had his family's papers that he kept in a waterproof bear skin satchel his mother had made. He had all of the official birth certificates of his family and his father's registry card that used to be required. Among the papers were his father's service record and ribbons from his days in Viet Nam and his grandfather's service record and the ribbons and medals he had been awarded during the Second World War and the Korean War. There had been many stories that Sam had heard about the wars and how the Native Americans had contributed.

Sam used his papers to register for school. He was now in grade eleven and was able to show all of his report cards all the way back to his first grade. No one asked for a specific address for Sam, as he was just an Indian. No one paid attention to his method of dress, as Indians didn't have much, so the fact that they wore anything was a plus.

Sam had found a cave only three miles from the reservation. There was a stream nearby and with a lot of game, so he had plenty to eat. He had a stream to bathe in during warmer weather, and he was able to sell animal pelts for enough money to buy used clothing, salt, and shoes for the winter.

When Sam graduated from high school, there was no one there to applaud for him or to congratulate him. There had been one person that had influenced him while he was in school though, a Marine recruiter. His father and his grandfather had been Marines. Sam wanted to be a Marine. There were Army, Navy, and Air Force recruiters that were promising the white kids great jobs and lots of rank, but the Marine recruiter recognized that Sam was special. He even found out that Sam didn't have an address, but picked up any mail via general delivery at the reservation post office.

The recruiter was going to forget about Sam, as recruits had to have a birth certificate and some form of family history. When he asked Sam if he had a birth certificate, Sam brought his bear skin satchel to the recruiting office, surprising the recruiter with his family history.

The day after Sam graduated; he was given a bus ticket to Great Falls, Montana. From there he was given another bus ticket to San Francisco. He found the right person to give him another bus ticket to San Diego. Sam turned eighteen the day he arrived at the Marine Recruit Training Depot. There, because no one had taken the time, Sam was sworn in and to him, he became a Marine. The drill sergeant kept saying that he would be turned into a Marine when he successfully completed his training.

Basic training was easy for Sam as he was used to walking and running. He didn't care for the heavy boots, but he got used to them. He had to get used to wearing so many clothes in the heat as well. He was used to the northern climates, not hundred degree days. While others complained, Sam was happy to become a Marine and tried hard everyday to learn and do better at the physical training they gave.

Sam initially had trouble learning to shoot. He had never shot a gun because his family didn't have the money for one. He had always hunted with a bow and could throw his hunting knife accurately for up to thirty or forty feet. Guns, however, were new to him.

After the first day of learning about his weapon, he sat on the floor and kept taking it apart and putting it back together. He polished each piece until it shined with an ultra-thin glaze of oil. When they went for live fire, he told the range master that he didn't know how to shoot. The sergeant made fun of Sam, but to Sam's credit, he kept his mouth shut and learned. Because of his knowledge of an arrow's flight, Sam was able to learn how to shoot accurately. Because he had no bad habits, he learned the correct way to fire his weapon and was the best of his group.

Sam loved the PCP, or Physical Conditioning Platoon. There, he excelled. While others fell behind, Sam was always leading, encouraging, pushing men to complete the training.

Sam excelled by immediately learning the eleven General Orders of a sentry. When he had his first barracks guard duty, or firewatch, on the quarterdeck, he was grilled over and over to try to catch him, but Sam had learned the Orders as he wanted to be a Marine. He became notable to his superiors with his knowledge of Marine Corps history and the ease of which he learned and memorized the Code of Conduct. During the infamous Crucible, Sam led his platoon through the two day plus challenge, to finish well ahead of the normal time.

Upon completion of his basic training, Sam was interviewed by a career counselor and was told that since he had such a high score of 125 on the Armed Services Aptitude Battery, he was eligible for just about any school he wanted to attend. Sam said proudly, "I wish to be an infantry scout." This was in honor of his father and grandfather.

Although he was encouraged to try other career fields, Sam's first step was the Infantry Training Battalion. It took Sam over a year to become a scout, as well as a sniper, but during that period, he had been promoted to Lance Corporal.

As luck would have it, Sam's unit was rotated to Iraq. There his unit was mostly assigned to a form of sniper duty guarding an area where infiltrators tried to get to military quarters. It was boring duty. Every time anything came up to go on a mission, Sam was first to volunteer. He led men into the field to find other men, to get men out of situations, and to assist SEALs when they were in trouble. The SEAL units were always pushing hard and not caring whether they had their backsides covered.

It was during Sam's second tour in Iraq that he found his niche. SEALs were boxed in within a rocky area. They were not in any immediate danger, but if their supplies became too low, they could be overrun. Sam's unit was sent to evaluate the enemy, but not to make contact unless necessary.

They were observing the enemy when it appeared an enemy squad was going to be able to sneak into the area held by the SEALs. Sam tried to radio the unit, but there was no answer. Thinking he had to warn the men below of the enemy, he set up two snipers, and using his target acquisition scope, gave the men accurate ranges. He wanted to down the enemy's lead man because the man would drop into the SEALs area, thus warning them of the attack.

Before the shot was fired, Sam set up his squad in a defensive position as he felt they would be attacked as soon as the first shot was fired. As the attacker was ready to go over the side, Sam gave the order to shoot. The sniper made the hit and the attacker fell into the SEAL area. The SEALs fired a barrage back up the rocky area covering the shot that had taken out the lead attacker.

Seeing an opportunity, Sam ordered all of his men to acquire targets and to fire a single round while the SEALs were firing. The ten men killed ten enemy soldiers. The SEALs continued to fire, so Sam decided to do it again. Again they killed ten more. When the enemy finally figured out they were being fired on from the rear, they had lost fifty men and didn't have sufficient men to attack what appeared to be a huge squad of men attacking their rear.

It was during the enemy's flight, that Sam let his men fire at will and accounted for fourteen more. Also during that time, the SEAL team was able to use their radio, and were advised that they would be able to withdraw from their position.

The SEAL team leader put Sam up for recognition, but he declined, recommending his men for the honor. Sam became known as a skilled evaluator of combat situations and was promoted to Staff Sergeant.

When Sam's enlistment was nearing its completion, he was at Camp Pendleton training for urban close combat. It was there a man in a black suit came to visit. Sam still calls the man 'his man in black.'

Sam was encouraged to leave the Marines and become a part of the Secret Service. He would be doing what he was good at, but it would be in direct defense of his country. Sam thought this was a good opportunity so he took it.

This is where Sam's story gets complicated.

Sam's first duty was to head back to Iraq, but he was housed with embassy staff. He didn't wear a uniform anymore, but normally dressed in fatigues with no name or insignia other than an American flag with the word "Embassy" beneath.

Sam's first tour was only exciting when rounds were fired into the compound area where the staff worked and were housed. Sam did nothing to earn his nice salary, and was miffed he could not do anything.

At the end of six months, Sam was rotated to the U.S., but assigned to the US Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso. It was during his second day that a crazed Mexican ran toward the front door, wildly firing an AK-47. Sam knelt on one knee, aimed his Glock, and fired a single shot. The man died fifteen feet from Sam and twenty feet from the front door, fortunately within the limits of the consulate property so that the shooting technically took place on US soil.

A week later, while accompanying some U.S. and Mexican officials to a meeting, shots were fired at the Suburban they were riding in. Sam had the driver park on the sidewalk, under an overhang, then took off to find the shooters. He encountered four men with various rifles working their way closer to the Suburban. Sam shot three before the fourth threw his gun down and raised his hands. The goal of the attackers was kidnapping the officials for ransom. Under the circumstances, since Sam had saved a local Mexican magistrate combined with his diplomatic immunity and the fact that, because of his Native American heritage he looked like a Mexican, Sam had no trouble with the Mexican police.

In a short time, Sam became known as a one-man force. He did have his problems. During two incidents, Sam received minor gunshot wounds. His superiors were horrified that Sam had been injured, shot, and was still on duty.

Sam was sent on a recovery leave. This was the loneliest time in his life since his family had died of the flu. He didn't know what to do or where to go. With nothing else to do, Sam bought his first car and drove north to Montana to find his roots. Sam visited the original village where he had grown up and what was left of the small hut he had grown up in. The graves of his grandfather, his father, his mother, and his three sisters were all there. Sam spent an entire day sitting among the graves, talking to those that were gone.

When Sam went to the large reservation community, he found that not much had changed. Sam even walked back into the hills to the cave he had lived in for the last two years of his schooling. Sam was amazed that some vegetables were still growing where he had his garden years before.

With no one to visit, and no where else to go, Sam drove back to El Paso where he wandered back and forth across the border to see if he could find out how so many illegals gained entrance to the U.S. Sam found out that he wasn't challenged coming into the U.S., but was often challenged going into Mexico. He didn't know how to do anything about it, but did stop by the consulate to tell them what he had found.

That's when Sam was recognized as a potential problem between agencies. Sam was sent to Washington, DC, to work out of the covert activity pool. Sam was sent out to do in the United States what the CIA did outside the country.

In addition, Sam was often sent to South American countries to assist a consulate guard by removing people who were threats to embassies. There were times Sam hesitated doing the nasty jobs he was sent on, but he kept remembering how good the money was and that he was helping his country.

Two years later Sam was told to take his optic equipment and meet an airplane at Santa Anna - John Wayne airport. It was there that Sam met Chuck Johnson. Chuck was a Deputy U.S. Marshal, but also a recruit of the Secret Service's special operations unit. The two men did the job they were assigned, but in the process, the two became more than friends. They became combat friends. They trusted each other and relied on each other. They fed from each other to reach a common goal.

Sam decided that he would become a close friend and working partner with Chuck Johnson, no matter how difficult it might be.

When Sam and Chuck parted in California, Sam had already made plans to be transferred to work closely with Chuck. If he had to, Sam would become a deputy, but he preferred to stay in his present position and work with Chuck.

Their story continues.

Chuck

Sam and I were now penetrating the outer defense of the warehouse complex that contained thousands of pounds of explosives.

My area was dark and I was able to slip up to the outside door and gently ease it open. The warehouse was not brightly lit, so with it being dark outside, opening and closing the door didn't disturb the light within.

After identifying where all of the security cameras were located, I worked my way toward where men were working. I could see at least two men in an upstairs office and four men on forklifts, moving freight off one truck and putting freight on two others. One man was walking between the trucks and some pallets that were staged, checking something off on a clipboard.

I saw Nightfox on the far side of the men on forklifts. Nightfox motioned that he was going to follow one man that was on the forklift into the trailer. I watched as Nightfox slipped into the trailer. The noise of the other forklifts kept anyone from noticing one was missing.

A forklift on my side of the building pulled up to the door marked "Men's" and the driver got down. I had him down, gagged, and tie-wrapped quickly. Nightfox had seen me and motioned that he was going to follow another forklift into a trailer that the driver was unloading. As both drivers moved toward trailers, I took the man with the clipboard down, gagging and tie-wrapping him. Just as the last forklift drove up to place his pallet on top of a stack, I pulled the driver from the forklift, chopping him to keep him silent. Since the forklifts had safety switches in the seats, the forklift automatically shut down.

Nightfox and I split up and went up two separate stairways heading toward the office. From my view, I could see three office workers, but I also had a view into a lunch room where there were at least six guards having coffee before their shift.

I motioned to Nightfox and hand signaled him that there were six enemy out of his sight. He understood and we paused to gather information on the rhythm of what was going on in the office.

One of the men from the office, walked out the door into Nightfox's arms. The man was quickly down and tie-wrapped. A minute or so later, I could see the two men talking and another man came out the door on my side. I disabled the man, gagged, and tie-wrapped him too.

Nightfox was motioning at me, pointing at the doorway on the first level. A trucker had walked into the door with papers in his hand. He began to look around for people and spotted the forklift by the men's room door.

When he went in, I went down to greet him when he came out. I had to gag and tie up a burly trucker, hoping he didn't have a driver's helper.

Back upstairs, the third office man peered out the window into the warehouse, then went out the door by Nightfox. The man was immediately taken down and secured.

Nightfox motioned that he was going into the office. We both entered and slowly made our way to the lunch room area. When we were at the door, we burst in and leveled our silenced MP5s at the eight men and said, "Be very still and keep your hands on the table. I will search and secure you one at a time. If you make a wrong move, we will not hesitate to shoot. Please do not cause us to kill you."

Two of the men acted as if they wanted to be heroes, so I had Sam hold his weapon on the group and tie-wrapped one of them. When I had him secured on the floor in the office, with both hands and feet tie-wrapped, I gagged him with a sleeve of his uniform the same as everyone else so far tonight.