Page 29 of Vapor
I have no such claim and born a bastard doesn’t define me. I smile knowing it’s weak by the change in his smile. “Now, you’re VP of SOAR at Veritable Rising. I just moved from Law. It’s the next Club over. Mostly the Clubs are set a hundred miles apart. They form a shield around a bigger Club or higher population. The Clubs all have a specialty like training for flight, flight guard, security, enforcer, emergency rescue, elite…you get it. I was in the Law Club training Law to PD, sheriff and Flight Guard leads. I think everyone here are Protectors and Rescue out of country is their job. We need Badass guidance and an Ops liaison, I think. I’m just the lawyer.”
He throws chin. “Is Cort really as crazy as everyone says? I’ve never met him. I worked Luke Rayne’s job in Mass then the Vermont VP job.”
“Everyone is crazy, you’re a reader so you’ve seen it.”
He smiles. “I’m gonna like it here.”
The room fills with IT or the navigators and engineers. Donovan nods to me. “They’re flying out of New Mexico.”
I turn to check my board. “Thanks, Donovan. This is VP Logan Done from MC Badass Vermont. He’s our new VP now.” I point out the tracking on my board for the new VP. I just finishedadding it to the board and remember to send the chat to Aaron that I don’t need him to make the trip unless he’s coming for the kids and or a visit. “I need to let a buddy know I don’t need his IT skills to get tracking up.”
Logan waited and throws chin but looks up at the virtual that’s starting. I shake my head. “It’s a virtual Ops room. Cort got me a board so I can watch from here. I’m new to Badass Ops but the Ops here are in your face, the virtual is more than I need for legal advice.”
His eyebrow raises. “The cameras are in the cockpit and on the plane?”
I nod. “In SOAR Ops, small drones fly around the choppers so we see everything. It’s chaos in motion all around you from the first minute to the end.”
“I bet.” He doesn’t stop watching the new jet, plane and a BSC chopper. His eyes bounce to Sarah as she talks to Echo then to the virtual cockpits. “An Alpha-Bit?”
I nod “Alder is a doc and a Protector or that level. He shot a sword guy in Libya.”
VP Logan smiles quite a bit, like the Blackhawks. “We call them dicks. He went to Libya. I’m really going to like it here. What’s SOAR? I got a book but it’s a BSC West Bible.”
I watch the board but hear the virtual and Sarah talking to Echo. “That’s the crazy of Cort, he moves faster than his Brothers can register he’s changed their lives. I bet he’s on the BSC Chopper. I think that one is Justice.” I point at the chopper Cort is on. “SOAR is Stalker Ops Aerial Rescue. It was the name of the company but Cort liked it. The Club is made of Night Stalkers, a classified team and strays or that’s what Pres said.”
“That chopper is Teller. It’s a New England BSC paint job.” VP Logan knows more than me. His head turns my way fast. “Why VP Logan?”
I smile. “I’m new, using name and title stops me from forgetting.”
He turns his face back up to the virtual. “I wanted out of the Club because of assholes that named me Get-er-Done. Before I left, I got rid of them, but two years of the three trainers poking me wore thin. I’m a reader.”
Whoa, that sucks. “Don’t repeat that. Some idiot will think it’s funny.”
His eyes snap to mine and he throws chin.
I turn back to my new board. “That’s Vapor talking to Donovan. She’s the new President here. Cort didn’t wait for her to agree. He set up the whole Club in one hour-long meet. She thought her second agreed but it was Cort just jumping.” The woman never faltered and accepted the position, Club and advice seeing they would be more effective with Badass. I heard her tell Jones deportations aren’t stopping, so the kids will be sold right out from under the flag too fast for them to do jobs that will fund getting the kids back. I think shutting down who is selling them would help and type it on my list. Web does this kind of stuff so I add his name.
VP Logan shakes his head and nods to me. “Sorry, that’s different.” He points up. “Cort is like Prez. I heard about Zeke moving to President in the West and not knowing until a few hours before he moved. No one ever said anything about a President job to him before that.”
“I haven’t heard that one. Falcon from Bravo was my Pres when I got here and put me into Badass training. He saidCort built buildings for the Bravo Club while he was in Tibet. He got back and was told he’s Pres and to pick a Club name.”
He laughs more.
I point at my board. “The giant standing near Teller is Cort.”
That stops the laugh. “He’s huge. I trained Marks from EROP but he looks bigger.”
I nod. “He is. There are a lot of giants here. Marks is one but Jinx and Brinks are bigger than him and smaller than Cort. Cort went to Princes.” I’ve never been but I have driven up the coast of New England.
He nods. “I was in Mass while the ‘rents all went to Princes. It was during the Alpha-Bit round ups. I’ve seen so many visitors in Mass, they all roll together.”
Round up? “Rescues?”
He nods. “Cort went on one of the rescues. He’s like a machine but was pissed at Justice. We watched it in Ops.”
Justice is still here and he’s one of Cort’s seconds. I guess it worked out. “I’m new, as in months in Badass, so I don’t know much of the history. I’ve seen Cort with Justice and can say he’s over it.”
He laughs at me. “We’ve all heard of Cort and not once did I hear more than he’s crazy. I’m from Princes, you’re right, everyone is crazy. Considering the grapevine is spiked with readers, I think I’d have heard if he’s not true Badass. I think he was pissed because Justice covered the chopper and Cort instead of himself and dads. For some reason, he didn’t look so big shooting on the hill. I was struck by how fearless he stood out in the open not knowing he was being shielded.”
