Section 34

As they finished the letter writing and messaging, the girls dropped out to get the much-needed sleep. Eventually, the whole crew wound up in a remarkably small space, piled and tangled haphazardly together. It was comforting to be in contact with friends and lovers who survived the last two or three days of danger, friends and lovers who could have been taken from their lives in a split second.

Phil’s last thoughts before fading out were of the choices to be made. His only requirement was that the family remain together in peace and safety. No place was perfect. Here, in Scarboro, or even in some undetermined third location, as long as they were together, nothing else mattered.

In the morning, the first order of business was to talk to no one in the outer world except Libby and the SpecFors and Singer guys on the two adjacent islands. All the university folks needed to send whatever spontaneous sympathetic answers came to mind, have their second thoughts and discuss the issues with the greater community like they should have done in the first place. Only then could the Family really negotiate solutions.

The professors needed to define their own positions, University careers versus unbreakable family bonds. They were the ones with the tightest connection to Mid Carolina, but they were also the only University people who had seen both sides of the bloody coin.

Phil sent April, Rachael, Sherry and Belle out to deal with the troops and whoever might be left at the dock. Connie went along to get a psychic feel for the background. They would call him if the waters were not calm. Of course the girls were armed and in body armor.

He called Libby McGuire on the satphone. It took a while to track her down in the White House. “Captain Phil Swenson here. Do you mind if I put you on speaker, Special Agent McGuire?” He wanted to establish the ‘official’ nature of the call. Libby would be careful to restrict the information to her investigation and omit any and all mention of family involvement not directly associated with the problem. “I have your daughter and a lot of interested ears hoping for some good news.”

“Speaker is OK as long as you don’t mind extra listeners here.”

“OK by me. More ears is more ideas and we could use as many of those as you can spare.”

“Hi, Mom. Did you get all the information we uploaded? I didn’t get much of a chance to confirm transmission until later. I guess we were too busy.”

“Traci. Busy is what you call it? I call the craziest night ever seen in the Situation Room. And the President agrees along with members of the Cabinet.” Libby sputtered. “Yeah, kid of mine, we got the feeds. First we got the data stream and the video feed from the “Darling” Them we got the high-resolution close-ups from the satellite and helicopters. We saw sixteen young women take down two Apache assault ships and dive into a raging gun battle like Amazons on meth. We all thought that was the most insane thing ever. Beyond the other most crazy brave insane things we had seen the other times. The Joint Chiefs were screaming firing orders and tactics until they were hoarse. The CinC couldn’t sit still.”

She paused to catch her breath and wipe the first few tears. “We saw everything from the beach and had your helmet comms, too. The watchers went from impressed to terrified. We could see what the odds were, better than you. Frankly, even after putting your flanking forces in the best position, setting the order of fire and sticking to the battle plan, you had no chance. There was no way you were going to survive after the ammo ran out. Relief could never get to you in time.”

“We kinda thought the same thing.” Sally said, “So if they are going to kill us, make ‘em pay dearly. The Ninjas do not back down.”

“Exactly, you changed the rules. Eight kids should surrender against several hundred invaders, not fly into a berserker suicide charge. It was heroic and lunatic.”

“And incredibly stupid. You should have stayed away from your island and let the real military take over.” A person in the room grouched.

“From the beginning, the situation was not that simple. We had our lives and the lives of our community at stake. Failure was not an option. And our unorthodox tactics worked long enough for the real troops to arrive. Any longer and we would have burned out. Did you find the connections to the real money supply? Do we know who was pulling the strings?” Phil asked with some heat. “This crap needs to end.”

“The computers went into facial recognition overdrive. Then your fuzzy logic AI started sucking every case file, every database dry. We let it run wild. The computer revealed a global association of old Nazis and their offspring, South African apartheid supporters and old-fashioned KKK fanatics. They are not above using any tool available to establish Aryan supremacy. Big money financed drug cartels, terrorists, political corruption, anything to disrupt the public order and weaken what they considered inferior races.” Libby told them. “We can’t know if the picture is complete yet but indisputable evidence points to very highly placed people in government and business. Warrants have been issued and arrests are in progress here and overseas. You started a political bloodbath.”

“What got them fixated on us? We’re just a bunch of kids in a mid-sized university in a mid-sized state.” Zina asked.

“Oh, where to start? After the tornado you cost them government patsies. You embarrassed one of their tools at the concert and caused the defeat of his little skinhead army. You cost them control of the drug trade and interrupted the money flow. You exposed the planned impotence of the one cabinet department charged with public safety.” Libby was enjoying her tale too much. “They couldn’t weaken public resolve if you kept making the people stronger and more self-reliant. Now, the citizens are watching the watchers. The cockroaches have no shadows in which to hide.”

A friendlier voice in the background uttered, “You beat down every effort to shut you up. You cost them hundreds of soldiers and sycophants, millions of dollars. They tried to make an example of you and you refused to knuckle under. They hit you, you hit back harder. You peed in their cereal time after time and then went grocery shopping as if they were a minor nuisance. There is only so much abuse the average megalomaniac can take from a bunch of college kids.” Laughter. “And these megalomaniacs are way above average. Until now, they thought themselves untouchable. Not so much any more. The perp walk on national TV after getting their asses kicked by a computer nerd and twenty-three little girls is not good for the invincible ego.”

“Twenty-three very capable little girls. Sherry is a Marine sniper and Belle is Coast Guard. Eight of us are trained in several martial arts. Plus, we did have some serious support. Not every college student has access to the weaponry we have. And you can never discount the efforts of the law enforcement community and the military. We didn’t do this alone.” Phil insisted.

“But you were the ones leading the charge. You became the obstacle holding back the plan. You don’t scare and really do not play well with others. How can they rule the world if they can’t deal with uppity kids laughing in their faces?”

“And this leaves us where? Are we condemned to a life of continual paranoia?” He wondered, “Can we be regular people with a private life?”

“You never were regular people, Phil, but you did have a semi-private life the community respected. You might get some semblance of privacy back if we can divert public attention to the Marines, Seals and Coast Guard. Do you have a problem being portrayed as innocent bystanders caught up in the mix?”

“Not the least bit. We were always innocent bystanders acting in self-defense. Invisible is good but depending on perception management, probably not possible.” He admitted, “We can’t make people forget what we did and can still do.”

“With the band, the benefit concerts, the house in Scarboro and the academic success, you have some unavoidable celebrity. Nothing can be done about positive attention you earn on purpose. As for threat level readiness, I think you can take it down a notch or two to normal careful observation.” Libby warned, “The crew of the ‘Devil’s Darling’ is a symbol of America’s future strength. Like it or not, you have become a resource to be protected and are always going to have someone from DC watching over you. Absolute privacy is a thing of the past.”

“We will not surrender our Constitutional rights to privacy and free association because we are who we are. That said, the electronic privacy issues we can handle. Friendly eyes on the ground have to be identifiable until we know for sure the ‘contract’ is cancelled. A Secret Service shadow risks serious pain if they choose to be anonymous. The Ninjas will make a stalker pay dearly. Everyone has a concealed carry permit and is qualified in heavy weapons.” Phil advised anyone who might be listening, “We don’t have a problem helping when asked and we appreciate the help we’ve been given, really, but don’t be all sneaky and weird about it.”

“Mr. Swenson, you need to stand down and let us do our job.” Another background voice said. “We operate best in secret. You will not blow our cover. That is an order.”

“Sir, I do not know who you are or what agency you represent, but so far the government’s track record is less than stellar. Someone let several hundred cartel soldiers invade Eastern NC. Someone allowed six heavily armed attack helicopters past the border. Someone allowed an army of separatists to assemble in the shadows, drug an entire town and attempt to murder my whole family. You understand our lack of faith in agencies charged with oversight and our refusal to take orders from people who are proven failures at doing their jobs.”

“Do not force us to put you in protective custody for your own good.” Yet another ‘official’ opinion heard.

“Whoever you are, sir, we cannot allow that to happen. It would be a mistake for you to try. Were you paying attention when Special Agent McGuire was talking? Without our efforts, you would be in the dark and the USA would be in dire straits. You would be engaged in guerilla warfare against a huge trained, dedicated army inside our borders. Our intelligence sources flushed out a host of traitors you people seem to have missed. We are not in this fight to protect our careers or retirement. We are in it to defend the country. The President knows this and we operate under his authority only. He will want us to be proactive in our defense.”

“And you understand that you are not in charge here. You will defer to our decisions or you will suffer the consequences.

Marcie caught Phil’s eye and whispered in his ear. “Unspoken words. They aren’t serious. I think they are testing our resolve. You are passing with flying colors.”

Connie, April, Rachael, Sherry and Belle returned from their talks with the remaining SpecFors, but kept quiet and listened, saving their reports for later.

Libby cut the discussion there. “Gentlemen. I have it on good authority that the Justice Department, the White House and the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security agree with Captain Swenson. They will be free to do business as usual until such time as we determine the status of the ‘contract’ and bounty. Law enforcement will concentrate on the threat and not on the victims. Do not let bruised egos affect your performance. They have stayed alive despite serious flaws in the system.”

“Please know that we mean no disrespect to honest people doing their jobs on the front lines. But you must admit none of this unpleasantness would have happened if enemies of the state had not infiltrated the upper levels of government. At some point responsible parties became complacent and did not do their due diligence and you see where that led. I fear we will be in more danger in custody than on the streets. We don’t deal with fear, we deal with the cause.” He let that soak in for a few seconds. “Whatever the implied consequences, from this moment forward, we will take orders from our President and suggestions from those we trust. We will aid and assist those with whom we find common cause. And I assure you, we will not be bullied by persons who do not share that cause. We are Americans who will not surrender freedom for false security.”

There was a loud click on the line, followed by The Voice. “And that people is exactly how it will be. These ‘kids’ have invested blood and sweat, have taken bullets and bombs in voluntary defense of their neighbors and our nation. They have walked through hell to shield us from the heat. They do not need us making it hotter.”

The CinC paused briefly. “Let me be perfectly clear. The crew of the ‘USS Devil’s Darling’ work for the White House and, through the Executive Branch, the United States. You will show them the respect and consideration they have earned. And to carve it in marble, I have conferred with and received agreement from the Marines, the Navy and the Coast Guard to award field promotions to GSgt Singer and Ens. Barton. Gunnery Sergeant Sherry Singer is reactivated as Lt. Sherry Singer, USMC, and permanently attached to the ‘USS Devil’s Darling’ in service to the White House. Ensign Barton is now Lt. Belle Barton, USCG, and is similarly assigned.”

You could hear the grin over the connection at what was coming next. “I hereby give a direct commission to Captain Swenson. He is now Lt. Commander Phillip Swenson, USN, and will receive the recognition any commissioned officer of the US Armed Forces deserves. His command authority derives from the White House but is limited to interactions with the Navy and Marines. He is not alone.”

The new roll call:

Name # Eyes Hair Height Size Rank Age Marcie Patterson 01 blue red 5’00” B CPO., USN 18 Karen Wilson 03 blue platinum 5’00” B PO., USN 18 Polly Waller 04 green lt. brown 5’00” B LCpl., USMC 17 Emily Thompson 02 brown black 5’10” B+ Sgt., USMC 18 Joanne O’Brien 16 blue blonde 5’02” C PO., USN 18 Nancy Fanning 17 green blonde 5’02” C PO., USN 18 Zina Ladysmith 12 blue black 5’10” B+ Sgt., USMC 18 Melody Elliott 05 green auburn 4’10” B- Seaman, USN 17 Willy Nieukierk 06 blue brown 4’10” B- Seaman, USN 17 April Swenson 10 blue red 4’11” B Ens., USN 16 May Swenson 09 blue red 4’11” B Ens., USN 16 SuLing MacDonald 08 lt brown black 4’10” B- LCpl., USMC 17 Sara Singer 19 blue blonde 4’11” B Ens., USCG 16 Sally Singer 20 blue blonde 4’11” B Ens., USCG 16 Sherry Singer 15 green brunette 5’02” C- Lt., USMC 19 Bonnie Singer 21 green brunette 5’00” B+ Ens., USCG 16 Connie Singer 18 green brunette 5’00” B+ Ens., USCG 16 Traci McGuire 22 blue rd-blonde 5’01” B+ Seaman, USN 16 Amy Zander 07 green red 5’03” B+ SSgt., USMC 22 Dana Howard 11 blue blonde 5’07” C- SSgt., USMC 22 Lanie Lawrence 13 brown black 5’04” C SSgt., USMC 21 Rachael Clayton 14 hazel blonde 5’04” C SSgt., USMC 21 Belle Barton 23 lt green white 5’06” C- Lt., USCG 21 Phil Swenson 00 green rd blonde 6’00” 9” Lt. Cmdr., USN 19

“I’ve heard of commissions given to doctors and various professionals, but this group deal is unusual. Is it not?” Phil asked.

“It is a necessity, Lt. Commander. These are unusual times. The rank is real and gives you command presence on military bases and authority in the field when you need it. Any organized attack on you or your squadron is now considered an attack on the White House.” The mystery background voice again. “That puts the weight of the combined Armed Forces of the United States in play if we are needed.”

“All nine of these newly promoted officers exist in their respective branch’s officer hierarchy but are under my direct command. In these stressful times, the Commander in Chief needs the voice of experience more than ever and I value the input of my veteran advisors. But I also need fresh, unbiased opinions, opinions not bound by conventional thinking or calculated to gain favor with superior officers. The old guard will benefit from a fresh point of view and the new staff will gain valuable insight from the veterans’ experience. It is a win-win situation.”

The group at the beach house was speechless. This was seriously fucking with their anonymity.

Libby broke the silence. “Is that how your mother raised you? Mind your manners. Say ‘thank you’ to the nice President, Phil.”

“Mr. President. First, thank you for your trust in us. We will try not to disappoint. Second, I offer an apology to anyone offended by my blunt remarks earlier. We are on the same side, but we are understandably nervous when treated so cavalierly and dismissed as incapable of making decisions concerning our own welfare. Third, pardon my temporary silence. I’ve never received a direct commission in the Navy from a President before and was unsure of the proper response. Do I salute, shake hands or faint?”

“For now, anything is appropriate. You will have time to work out the protocol when you attend the Commissioning Ceremony in the Rose Garden next Friday at 4:00 PM. My staff will smooth the way with your University administration. You will check into Blair House on Thursday and allow my stylists to fit formal uniforms for you and your crew. The McGuires will interface with your families and arrange accommodations for them and any others you would like to invite.”

“Mr. President, this is not helping me find appropriate words. Of course we will be there at your disposal. Should we await travel instructions from your staff?”

“Those plans have been made, Captain Swenson. You and your crew will bring the ‘USS Devil’s Darling’ to Washington, DC for an official presidential inspection. You will leave no later than Wednesday morning, overnight at the Naval Academy and follow your escort to the Gangplank Marina in DC. After which you will take me for a ride on the Potomac.” Phil heard a laugh. “Emme Bishop, the Chief of Staff, will contact you with a more specific timetable shortly. Enjoy your stay in our Nation’s Capital. That is an order.”

“We are looking forward to it, Mr. President. I suggest you allow Special Agent McGuire to outfit you with a full set our standard armor as a precaution. You can’t be too careful, especially with the ‘contract’ unresolved.”

“Will do. An ounce of Kevlar is worth a pound of plasma. See you Thursday, Captain Swenson. I have a country to run, so I have to cut it short. Call your Mom.” Click.

“Are you still there, Special Agent McGuire?” Phil asked.

“Sure. What’s up?”

“Are there any limits on the number of invitations we can extend? We have nineteen sets of parents, forty Marines, Seals and Force Recon members, and that many more from Scarboro and the University. By the time we invite the law enforcement community in Carteret County, Captain Connor Hardcastle, the crew of the ‘Huron’ and the people from Singer Security, the total could clear two hundred.”

“I think we can find enough chairs, Phil. Get me a list and I’ll work with Ms Bishop on the invitations. Anything else?”

“Thank you. It’s important to recognize the people who fought alongside us and who gave wise counsel. We always planned and coordinated our actions with people more experienced. The Sheriff, the Coast Guard and the Marines were never out of the loop and deserve more credit than they are given. Flight Command at Cherry Point gave prior permission to down the rogue Harrier. The ‘Huron’ should receive, at the very least, a ship’s commendation. The Marines were with us every step of the way.”

Willy piped up. “As long as we are giving credit, Big Ollie’s triple cheeseburger and Mizz Maggie’s peach cobbler should be in the Smithsonian.”

“One more request, Libby. Please ask the advisors with you now to ride with us on the ‘Darling’ when we cruise the Potomac. We could use a critique of our set-up and tactics.”

“That won’t be a problem. Everyone from the CinC to the gardener wants to ride the super cat. How many can you handle at once?”

“Fully armed with a complete crew at battle stations, probably another dozen if they don’t mind being crowded. I have that many life vests and some extra upper body armor on board.”

One of the voices in the background asked. “Extra flotation devices is SOP. Extra bullet-proof vests, not do much. Explain.”

“Yes sir. If we have to rescue a person under fire, it helps keep them alive until we can get them out of harm’s way. We don’t want friends to get dead on our watch. It’s bad for the résumé, worse for the conscience.”

“It would be bad if, based on our reputation, someone waved us off to wait for the next ride.” SuLing added. “Our Moms would never let us forget it.”

“Who is the one concerned with her mother’s opinion?” the same voice asked.

“I would be SuLing MacDonald. My folks are Ken and Rose Chen MacDonald of MacDonald Fabrications. They make stuff. In the video, Phil and I are the non-twin Ninjas.”

They heard paper shuffling. “Here you are. MacDonald Fabrications does indeed make stuff. You are a musical prodigy, extremely intelligent, have outstanding grades and perform with the orchestra. You stand tall at 4’10” and weigh less than 95 pounds. Nothing much on paper to distinguish you from any seventeen year old very smart college girl.” He hesitated. “Then I see the video of the combat on the beach. You and your friends are extremely capable and dangerous young ladies. Lt. Commander Swenson is, to put it plainly, scary dangerous. Perhaps Gunnery Sergeant Cosmo Thanos was right about the missing escape pods.”

Another of the doubting voices said. “We will take the ride with the President and discuss the rationale behind the assignment of onboard duties. There is nothing in your dossiers to suggest the level of expertise achieved in such a short time by your crew. Lt. Commander Swenson, we need to talk.”

“Sirs, I bet you can figure it out. Consider the tools each person uses in their academic specialties; think about the skills needed to succeed. Take into account the family businesses and their origins. I have people who are at ease with foundries and kilns able to make lava, people who made a living applying intuitive spatial awareness to computer assisted design programs. The most complex machines are just machines. Understand one and understand them all. My metal melting sniper escaped Somalia and became a very good warrior who considered ‘Blackhawk Down’ a documentary on life as usual in Mogadishu. A multi-lingual, computer savvy literature major not only makes a fine communications officer, but also can give insights into what is really being said between the lines, while holding her own in a firefight. Talent and skill can be cross-platform assets. Some choices are too easy.”