Page 7 of Vapor
I smile at that while they all one up the others with Badass facts. I start walking and they follow like a parade. The gate guard throws me chin and smiles when I do it back.
The view of the Club has facts coming out quicker. Since I don’t know all they do, I listen without interruption. At the steps they quiet, so I turn and tell them what I’ve learned, the offer and what will be made clear with this meet. Everyone’s eyes veer to my side so mine do.
“President, Jinx Solaita, these are some of the old Night Stalker team members.” I wave my arm out indicating the eight we have here.
He nods and looks back at a man bigger than him walking out the door. “Cort Masters, President of Badass West Territory, Phoenix Rising and Badass Security Council here in the West. BSC mainly consist of Rising Clubs or MC Badass that run a clean Bible.” He looks back at Cort Masters.
Jones steps up so he’s in front of the huge guys. “Crew Chief Jones. We split teams and jumped into the website and news. We’ve all heard of Badass but only knew gossip overseas. It’s been a whirlwind coming home and getting us up andrunning. Any and all information is welcome since we’ve been here for a couple of months and had no idea we’re surrounded by you. Commander Vapor is the last here and didn’t get any warning since I didn’t look.”
I smile shaking my head. Pres smiles and a few more Badass move closer chuckling.
Cort Masters nods. “You’re already Badass. You’re saving kids with profits from rescue jobs. Taking responsibility for your Commander not having information is another Badass trait. We have Brothers that can and will answer your questions but Ops is running and I have Protectors that I need to connect with.” The words come out fast as he reads his phone.
Jinx turns. “I’ll bring them up, Boss. Ops or the meeting room?”
Cort Masters moves toward the door with his long stride eating up the distance in four steps. He never turns back. “Ops.”
We all look at Jinx. “Protectors protect the Clubs. I told Commander Vapor earlier. Every Ops comes with an Ops Control, your Ops command, IT and a BSC Control that is like oversight. They answer procedure and make judgment calls if needed.”
“Centcom?” Jones asks.
Jinx nods. “Like that yes. My brother told me of a position called overwatch. That’s not the same as Ops or BSC oversight. You run your Ops, we’ll watch your back or answer for intel needed. We run Ops for us, the FBI around the country and other BSC Territories. Cort is a BSC Ops Control but the Protectors are protected by us all so he won’t settle until he knows the Brothers are. He won’t leave Ops until he knows the Protectors are safe.”
Jones eyes find mine. I see the approval and nod for him. Someone at our back feels good. Out of country can go sideways in seconds and leave us stranded with no rights. More than likely, we’d be auctioned off or killed. The reason we get the jobs is because they’re in the places no one else will go.
“I’d ask who you all are but Cort will want it so let’s do that once. Presidents are addressed as Boss or Pres. VP’s the same. Kyler is my VP and tried ordering the Brothers to call him by name but they don’t.”
“Pains in the ass. Every one of them,” VP says getting laughs and murmurs from Badass and the Night Stalkers.
We learn more going up to Ops. Pres, as he’s called, talks while going upstairs with his hand on the banister and dog beside him. “The shields I wear and eye is from an attempt to kidnap the President of Alpha-Bits, Alder Ford. My President at the time was Trask McCabe. He’s got more obvious scars but we lived through it and Alder is safe and sound.”
“All here to save more kid, slave, Alpha-Bits.” A little boy I haven’t met says from the landing above us.
I turn to my teams. “The CIA kids, they have a hundred and forty on the ABSZ I mentioned.”
“It’s more than we did for them,” Sarah says softly and I don’t have to see her to know she has tears in her eyes. The woman cries for everything. Her hyper-vigilance isn’t a PTSD thing. The navigator has been teary-eyed from the minute I met her on the original Night Stalker team. Jones says she’s like an empath and feels everything deep. She’s good at her job and has always been a damn fine soldier so she can cry if she wants to.
“Badass has congressmen, governors and a few senators now. The President of the US gave them passports, land, no taxes and protection around the ABSZ that Alder doesn’t reallyuse but we get some good apps from. It’s not perfect but it works and Alder has his Brothers spreading their message through IT, waterparks, Masons, businesses and Badass Innovations.” VP sounds proud.
“The video games too, VP,” a Badass guy beside Pres says.
“Yeah, the Alpha-Bits invent, code and bring to reality everything we never dreamed about, but use to get that message out there.” I can hear the smile in Pres’ voice.
“What’s the message?” Moss asks.
“Aaron, what’s the vision message?” Pres stops at the landing and moves aside while the little dark-haired boy runs our way.
“Badass say different is good and best us is anything we want to be. We show world Badass believe in your Brother and be HAPPY!” He jumps punching up like it’s a commercial or public service announcement.
Everyone around us yells, “Happy!”
The Night Stalkers, of course, laugh.
I really like Badass and what they’re promoting here. Aaron and his little brothers look content. Coming off base so recently brings the comparison up and I can’t say I saw the same clear objective there. I love the little guy’s enthusiasm to get his message out too. It’s a good message, a message worth fighting for, from a boy who is willing to do his part to help win that fight. This is what base is missing…a reason.
~*~*~
Law at Veritable Rising
