Chapter 74

We arrived at Branson Airport in one piece, even though our fearless leader was shy a couple of layers of skin, peeled back by Colleen and Rebecca. We quickly moved from the Suburban to the hangar, then towards a new looking G-5.

Because we had been through this once before, my eyes scanned everywhere. If things blew up in our faces I was prepared to take my own action to protect my girls. Ortega caught me looking around, and again seemed to underestimate me. His smirk told me that he thought I was wetting my pants, instead of keeping a sharp eye out.

Something was very wrong. There were no armed guards in sight in any direction. Colleen caught my eye and nodded, I jerked my head towards the far wall, and she caught my signal. Turning to the agent closest to me I said, "I need to use the restroom.

I'll be right back," and walked away towards the door marked, "Men." It caught everyone just enough by surprise that I could separate myself from the pack enough to make the restroom door before anyone could intercept me. Colleen and Rebecca did the same thing, and just that fast, we were all just out of their immediate reach.

Inside the men's room, I locked the door and switched on the exhaust fan, giving me a little noise as cover for my phone call. When I dialed Judge Jones on his personal number, he answered immediately.

"Judge? This is Brian Morse. We have a problem. It's looking like a big problem ... Yes Sir ... No Sir ... It's our situation. I think we've been compromised, and our egotistical team leader is too stuck on himself to notice ... What? Not - yet ... No ... Judge, there's no security at the airport. Nothing, and no one! It's just those of us that arrived in the suburbans together.

"Judge, he is sort of dumb and blind about it. If I didn't think he was straight as an arrow, I would say he is acting exactly the same as that traitor FBI agent acted the last time.

"What, Sir?

"Well, we've arrived and are in a closed hangar. Outside I saw no guards, no helicopter, like Ortega said would be patrolling the perimeter, and no signs of ANY security, what-so-ever. Ortega is so stuck on himself, he hasn't noticed ... No Sir. I don't really want to board the plane while he's anywhere around and knows our travel plans. He's got me that spooked."

"Yes, sir. I'm armed. He fought me on it, and then his boss had to order him to give me a forty-five, but I'm certain he will confiscated it the second I set foot outside the restroom, and I'll never see it again. Even if I keep it, I only have eight rounds. And Judge, how do I know who or what is on that plane?!!"

"Yes, Sir. I'm doing that now, and I'll try to stall them until you figure things out.

"Yes, Sir. I realize I may be on my own, again, and it's my responsibility to protect the ladies.

"Thank you, Sir."

When the judge rang off, I sat down on the commode seat, heavily. How did this happen to us again? Maybe I was just jumpy. What if I was letting my imagination run away with me?

What if?

I washed my face and opened the restroom door. My eyes swept left, and I confirmed the ladies were still locked in their restroom. At least I was the only one in trouble. Ortega was right there waiting for me, so we could board. He started to say something, but then dropped before my eyes. It was only as he hit the floor that I heard the shot that took him. A lot of shooting followed, then total silence. I ducked, grabbed Ortega's gun off the floor, and rolled away. Now I had two guns. Using the aircraft equipment as cover, I tried to figure out where the shooting had come from. I called out to Colleen and Rebecca to stay in there and keep the door locked.

I pulled my phone out and dialed the Judge. He answered immediately, "Brian? Brian? What's the situation there? Are you Ok, son? What happened? I have all kinds of help headed your way, but you have to tell me what we're facing." I gave him the short version and realized there was no more shooting. What was up with that? Had our entire security team been knocked off?

Judge Jones was still talking, "Just hang on for a little while. They'll be with you any second."

"Our team leader, Ortega, is down, Judge. I don't see anyone in any direction, and I can't figure out where the shooter set up. He might've killed the pilots, too, but I haven't been on the plane yet. There's nothing to go on, so I'm not sure what to do. I don't know!!!"

Getting ahold of myself, I said, "We're on the north side of the hangar. Colleen and Rebecca are locked in the ladies room, and I'm under cover, temporarily. I now have Ortega's gun. No one is going to get past me. I'll shoot first, and not bother with questions. Tell anyone coming in, I need to hear you tell me they belong here, or they will be met with gunfire."

I could hear a great deal of activity in the background, and then the Judge was back. He said, "Brian, you need to listen very closely. It looks like attacks were coordinated against us. There was an earlier attempt on the Secretary and another against the Director.

"In each case, the protective detail was rearranged and drawn off, just before the attack. Our people figured it out and foiled the other two. Now we are converging on you. This is going to be hard, son, but you need to make a stand right where you are. Buy us some time! Everyone has been turned around, and they are coming back as fast as they can. Until they are there, it's all on you.

"The chopper will be over your location in three minutes or less. The convoy will take a little longer. They were pulled off and told you were going out of the little airport in Branson. It worked, and they all went the wrong way.

"I will stay on the line, but put your phone in your pocket and silence it, so no one uses the sound to track your exact location. I can hear on my end, and you can just speak and tell me where, what, and how things are going.