Page 4 of Operation: Silent Angel
“Cooper? John Cooper, Military Intelligence?”
“Formerly of Military Intelligence, prior to that he was with Delta. Now he’s my number two.”
She nodded, taking it all in. Cooper was another straight shooter, another person she respected.
“And you’re going to want to quit smoking. I’ve already recruited Doc Williams as our chief medic.” Shepherd paused and chuckled. “You know he’ll be all over your ass about it.”
Yvette chuckled with him. “Doc, huh? Sounds like you’re putting quite a team together.” She knew Doc Williams well. He was a bit cantankerous, but he was an experienced combat medic who knew his shit. Shepherd’s team would be in good hands.
Shepherd nodded.
“Who else have you got for Ops?”
“For now, it's me, Cooper, and a few of the Operators when they’re not in the field. I’m still recruiting the team.”
“The kid I’m partnered with here, Dupont, is good. And I think he’s ready for something different than the regular CIA bullshit.”
“He’s a fast learner,” Shepherd joked.
Bravo
Eight Years Later
Yvette sat relaxed in her desk chair, her eyes sweeping over the monitors that lined the counter in front of her within the Shepherd Security Operations Center. Seated to her left was her Ops partner that morning, Alpha Team Operator Madison ‘Xena’ Miller, also known as Mrs. John Cooper. It was zero six-forty-five. Madison came on shift at zero six hundred. Yvette had been on since zero four hundred and would be getting off at thirteen hundred. They staggered the start times of the two team members assigned to Ops for better continuity and coverage, which better supported critical missions.
“I finished the tracker report for Shepherd and am about to email it. Anything you want to add to the report?” she asked Madison.
Madison glanced over the report displayed on one of the monitors in front of Yvette. “No, all movement was routine.”
Yvette attached the report to an email to Shepherd, Cooper, and Madison and then hit send. Madison immediately chimed in, confirming her agreement with the report also noting that she had no additional comments. A second team member always reviewed the reports per Shepherd’s protocols.
Yvette liked Madison. She respected that Madison was easy-going when things were mellow yet had the ability to switch to a laser-focused intensity on a dime when situations demanded it. Plus, Madison was a dedicated professional who would pick up shifts in an emergency staffing situation if she wasn’t deployed on a mission despite that Madison was a mother to a young, adopted daughter she couldn’t leave behind when they encountered her on a very rough mission. They worked well together, and Yvette considered Madison a friend, one of many Yvette had gained who were connected to the agency.
By zero seven hundred each morning, Shepherd wanted several reports emailed to him from Ops. The Shepherd Security Operations Center staff were the overwatch team for all agency personnel and their families, not just of the team during operations they engaged in. All team members and their adult family members had trackers injected into their upper back/shoulder areas. The children wore snug ankle bracelets made of tungsten, with their trackers embedded in a charm. Theproprietary tracker technology had a lifespan of six months before the old one was removed, and a new one was injected. The trackers were the creation of team member Michaela Karras-Johnson, who they referred to as their Tech Goddess, and had saved countless lives over the years.
Yvette also considered Michaela to be a friend. For many years, she and Michaela were the only female staff at Shepherd Security. That was before Jackson, one of the Operators assigned to Alpha Team, became involved with a protectee and married her. That woman, Angel, became the agency’s office manager and the personal and executive assistant to Shepherd. After that, each of the men assigned to Alpha Team, and then Delta Team, followed by Echo Team met and fell in love with women who became part of the Shepherd Security family, beginning with Cooper when Madison was hired. This broadened Yvette’s circle of friends as well as broadening the scope of overwatch the Ops Center performed.
Yvette never regretted her decision to leave the ranks of the CIA for Shepherd’s team. Quite the contrary, her decision was reinforced daily when she was in Ops providing overwatch and more to the teams in the field and their families, making a difference. Working alongside professionals she respected, she did her best work. And she never had to second-guess Shepherd’s motives, unlike her former superiors at the CIA. Shepherd protected his people, period, and in all ways. There were no acceptable losses. And when injuries occurred, which was a reality of this job, Shepherd took care of his people with the best medical care and the best support for their families.
Yvette removed her headset and set it on the desk. “I need to use the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back,” she said.
Madison grinned and nodded. Ops was quiet for now but both women knew that was about to change as Ops would be online with three of the other members of Alpha Team plus three members of Bravo Team as they performed a takedown of the target of their weeklong CIA Referral case in Huntsville, Alabama.
Yvette walked down the hallway to the bathroom, enjoying the quiet on the floor. All the teams were either in the field on missions, in the process of traveling back to HQ, or had the day off. After she used the bathroom, she walked back and passed the door to Ops. She made an extra loop around the hallway to stretch her legs, passing by the offices that belonged to the members of the Digital Team, the other Ops Analysts, and the Operators who routinely staffed Ops when they were in town. At the end of the hallway was Michaela’s Tech Lab. Michaela was on maternity leave, having given birth to a daughter just a month earlier.
She rounded the corner, and she came face to face with Ryan ‘Requisition’ Grant, the two of them nearly colliding, as he came out of the door from his space. They both emitted a startled grunt.
“Sorry, Yvette,” Ryan said.
“No apology needed, Ryan,” she said. Ryan Grant was their supply clerk extraordinaire. He stayed on top of the agency’s needs, from toilet paper to bullets and everything in between.Yvette did not recall a single time that an item was needed and not in stock. “I didn’t know you were working today.” When she’d pulled the tracker report, it showed him at his nearby condo.
“Just for a few hours. The PGP Team is scheduled to return soon. I want to take inventory of their supplies and assist them in preparing the necessary items for their upcoming deployment on Tuesday. That way, I’ll know if I need to order any replacement parts.”
One of the contracts Shepherd had was to install proprietary equipment and software monitoring on the nation’s power grid, protecting it from cyber-attacks. The PGP, or Power Grid Protection Team, installed that equipment. “Ah, so that’s your secret to being a supply ninja,” she joked.
Ryan laughed. “Shh, don’t ruin my reputation.”
Yvette laughed as well. “Your secret is safe with me.”
