Page 21 of Vapor
Vapor smiles. “It’s AI but cutting edge. This is how our classified command Ops room was set up. We have the aviators, navigators and engineers who worked on every bit of it for the military. There isn’t much we can do for civilian jobs when this is our long-standing daily experience. We were trained for everything so we ran completely self-sufficient, ensuring we’d never be sacrificed again.”
I smile at Alder. “You’re going to change the way Ops is shown now, aren’t you?”
Tats nods but Alder answers for himself. “I am, Boss Julius. I give new technology to small Ford’s they change more, build more. I see here, now, possibility to what we have. They imagine more like Nemo to training pool.”
“You get that more than me, LP. I'm just a lawyer.”
He stops with a look that says shut up and listen. “You IAS, I research. You elite Officer,” his head tilts. “Air Force Ranger?”
I shake my head. “Not like a real Ranger. We learned how to fly transport but I can’t fly a Blackhawk or jet for Ops. We got basic. My job wasn’t ever about flying, I’m a lawyer. We don’t get certified or have flight hour requirements. I did the board TIGs for rank only.”
He nods. “VP Jack say you six week every test to Ranger.”
“It’s not like it got me anything but exhausted, hallucinating and malnourished. I’m not a ranger but understand at Officer rank what that job entails right down to ordering the arrest of compromised men.” Sixty-two days of hell.
He nods. “Officer Judge Advocate General, reserve you in school one year you enlist.” I’m not surprised he knows my record.
“That’s how you got colonel?” Jones asks.
I smile at him. “I finished school early and started college but couldn’t enlist. I turned 18 and took reserve until I finished the year. When I enlisted, I was already Officer tracked and pre law got me higher on the Flep list so I was one that got school paid for.”
He shakes his head. “You went to boot camp?”
I nod. “Summer break. Colonel is 4 years with Air Force if you do all the TIG boards. I took everything while in law school so it was six years but collected all my schedule would allow. It worked to get me the higher rank faster but I swear they were trying to kill me with the Ranger assessment. They said I would breeze through it. If it weren’t for my mom, I wouldnever have done it. I got deployed to CENTCOM when she got the remission news. She never told me the cancer was back. She was on cruises, went to an air balloon festival and even came to Jordan, it was a great time but I would have taken leave for her.” I breathe. “The point was that I shot for the higher rank to pay for her treatments. After, it was to pay for her to have the best life.” I smile. “She was happy. My aunt said I did it.”
“You good Brother, son to mom. You aunt here?”
I smile seeing the chopper holograms show. “She moved to Champion.”
He nods. “Good. I build she want to be close to you.” He takes a step closer to Jones and asks about the chopper view.
“Drones. They’re set on the outside of the choppers. They orbit the choppers in constant motion for the whole mission. We can show from inside but this shows the rescue. The small chopper is pure firepower. Blackhawk is the Chinooks security. They’re tactical heavy too but their purpose is keeping the work horse safe.”
“Badass three. The Chinook, Blackhawk and bubble chopper. Same purpose too.” Tats’ voice still has amazement in it.
Vapor takes a clipboard from a tech and hands it to me. “The rescue objectives I’m leaving for. Sarah is a navigator and will take you to a room with the profiles, counter surveillance and rescue contract. I should have asked, are you okay moving?” She points to Sarah walking back in.
I smile. “I should be asking you that but I’m good. No one ever asked you either.”
She laughs. “Nope and I have no idea why I like that. I have a message in chat about the houses being done. I’ll sendthat on to Moss and Sarah so they can keep everyone updated. The teams will like a house they can relax in. The small campers they have now are nice and do the job but a real house will show the Badass acceptance is permanent.”
“You went from when did we decide to, you’re accepting in one sentence. Now your teams will have permanent housing. Does anything throw you?” I ask but she snorts and waves a hand like I’m kidding. I wasn’t kidding. She’s either crazy or processes information and outcomes very quickly.
I follow a laughing navigator to the glass wall. “She loves any challenge and the adrenaline of working against a clock.”
Or that. I notice the door handle that appears to be floating on a glass wall I didn’t know had a door. “Sounds like you know her well.”
“The original classified team. We’re all here and picked up other branch members from our missions. We’re going to need them. Chief Jones is holding job intel until she gets back.”
I nod, surprised she said so much. “They just took the Badass Club and help. It will help.”
The navigator is shocked then a huge grin shows. “I was voting for it. We had one that wants member background with the kid rescues and all.”
“Alder wanted background for SOAR members. Badass has a thing with protecting kids. The women that show for the kid care jobs here are rescues themselves. Cort shut down trafficking here in the west. The women have been on the ABSZ. The ones coming here are ready for more than bakery work, Aylen Knight said.”
Her face jumps right into awe. “The Advocacy Club,” she whispers like it’s a secret.
“Yeah, she has therapists coming for the kids. She’s a reader and knew you’d need that. Aylen helps with everything and she’s a healer too but I don’t understand it.”
