Page 49 of Seamus: Unconventional
“Yeah. We didn’t ask to be chipped. They showed high in sensory so I did say I’d train them. I didn’t know what for but I was going to train them. They scored higher than the K-9 I was partnered with.”
He winces. “They chipped you all together?”
I nod looking up at Cort. He didn’t tell Ben?
He shakes his head. “This isn’t one I could explain easily. It’s been busy, everyone is everywhere and we finally had a day off.”
I smile. Okay. I didn’t get a day off. Ben laughs. I roll my eyes and answer him. “They chipped us together. I didn’t know it was possible and never once thought it could happen to me. They offered to train them for Delt…” I’m not sure what to say here. I shake my head. I’m not spouting classified. “I was a Delta Force operator. So they offered to train them with me. I agreed and they shipped us to an EU base from Brazil. I woke up in a medic room that was underground. The study was collective thinking through a host and the chips. They chipped me to the pups I thought we were training. Right off, the pups knew what I did or they could get what I learned but I was too pissed about being a Guinea pig for the military. A year later, I found out when they put me in a Green Beret uniform on our first job. The CIA thing came out then. The jobs were just about the same, but it wasn’t for CENTCOM. I don’t know where orders came from and never had a control. My command dropped us with orders and we’d find our way back to base or the base they wanted us on next.”
He nods looking confused. “You didn’t finish your tour?” He reads deep. I hope classified stays classified.
“The study went wrong. We were back in the EU with the underground lab and they had a whole team of operatives and K-9s chipped but the group connection was frying their brains. The host wasn’t normal or wasn’t reacting normal.” I shake my head. “In the military, there is protocol for everything. If this happens, this is your reaction.”
Cort nods. “Like the K-9 command lines.”
I nod. “Exactly. So everyone connected to the host was already trained with protocols. If an operative didn’t respond with a correct protocol, you’d ask what changed, but the host was pushing for different reactions with orders.” I breathe deep holding my hand over my eye trying to stop the pictures. “The protocol is second nature. Well trained means we’ve made it to that place where we don’t need the order, you tell us objective and we have a hundred scenarios to play out to get the result you need, the fastest way we can. If you want it secret, we run through. If you want it loud, known, fire, black, whatever, is what we’ll give you.” I put my hand down feeling Ranger against me. “They imploded because the host was running his own personal agenda. A baby was killed and the operator lost it, then two K-9 partners, then it all just snowballed. They pulled the plug. They said it was over. Sigma would be disbanded. We were.” I shake my head and scratch Rangers for being here.
“What happened?” Ben asks knowing it wasn’t the end.
“They gassed us and dropped us from a chopper in Pakistan. No chutes, the locals said from ten to fifteen meters. They left us for dead. Our papers, early military release like we were in jail or something were stuck on me. They just dropped us.”
His intake of breath has me looking up. “You’re paralyzed like Andrew.”
I look from Ben to Cort. “Andrew?”
“Yeah, similar. He wears a skeleton like Andrew. Baxter-LaPonte-James.” Cort supplies.
I nod. “The north and southern names. We made it and out ran them through three countries before my partners got me to a Badass in Texas when they found us again. I was in a coma and then ended up here. It’s been a busy few months.” I smile hearing the chuff from Ranger.
“Is this your VP?”
“No, this is another partner, Ranger. We have quite a few chipped here but we’re connected from a server now. The CIA lied and kept chipping groups. They can all connect to me, therefore, Light and Shadow, but it’s not a direct connection. They’re through a Badass server that the Alpha-Bits keep security on.”
Ben shakes his head. “I’m honored, Brother. Honored you trust enough to let that happen. You have every reason to run from any and all of this.” He holds my forearm and I can feel he means it. Badass all the way.
I smile. “I thought that but my partners trusted Badass and they’d know a lie or manipulation. They’re trained better than me.”
“They’re like the readers,” Cort adds.
I nod because they are.
Ben shakes his head. “I’m honored you made a home here and are making retirement plans for your partners. The pictures I’m seeing are from Ranger?”
I shrug. “The partners are all throwing pictures around. It shows behind my eyes or something. Light has a board he put the explanation on. I don’t look at the how. They chipped us without me agreeing.”
His eyes shimmer in a proud Irish green. “They didn’t agree either. I see why it bothers you. They hold conversations through pictures. I see hologram boards in there.”
I smile when Cort laughs.
“The K-9s showed them holograms for training but they’re trained so they learned Badass, Alpha-Bits showed them AI and Brothers are teaching them Brotherhood and bad habits we didn’t learn before.”They laugh at me. I shrug because we’re learning them now.
The wind tells me we have company. “They have watches they can communicate on, Prez. They work IT and plan like a Lead.”
I nod. “Hey, Mase, glad you’re back.” He throws me chin.
“They run IT? The muscle-bound dog we saw runs IT? Does this one?”
I wince at Ben’s dog reference but nod. He bends fast and Ranger is up and at attention. I throw, command to him through the chip and he focuses by standing a little taller.
