Page 29 of Seamus: Unconventional
“He barks as I take Katie’s big backpack from her. “Go!” Sarge shows me an evidence sign so I know it’s what she grabbed before it got blown up. She runs following her brother and the partners. The pack she was dragging is heavy so I take a minute to put it on and jog down to catch up.
The majority of the line goes to the side of the building, but I turn for Shadow and Ranger. The blue light drops the cop aiming at Shadow. I send a thanks to Ranger and see the plan from Ops. “Get to the side. A truck is waiting for…” Shadow and Ranger don’t slow down but launch themselves just to my side. I see why through Shadow’s view and bend forward. ‘Sarge, take the pack to the truck and keep it safe.’ I order quick through the chip.
He drops low pulling the pack toward the side. I lift my gun as I spin but never make it. My head explodes in pain and I fall in a way that I know I’m not getting back up. My body spun the wrong way and I see a second cop with a steel bat. The partners get loud in my head with Shadow’s growl turning ferocious just feet away and louder than the rest. I know I’m not standing up, so I brace my arm for the shot to the cop Ranger has on a knee because I’m not giving up either. The second is a laser shot that doesn’t cost me much effort.
My head feels like a tidal wave is rushing through it but I think it’s just pain, or shock I’m not feeling yet added to too much sound and feel from the chip. “I can’t cuff them, Ops. The skeleton or chip got hit.” Maneuvering my chest over, I brace my arm again and shoot the cop that Shadow has by the neck in his arm too. This fuck hit my back. It’s going to be two painful surgeries with lengthy heal times for these cops but they’re alive. “Hit him with the laser, Shadow.” I see the blue flash and let my upper body relax. “Don’t let them take you, Brothers, but even cops have consequences. Wilson, get to Sarge.” The chip is too fuckin’ loud.
Boots rushing my way have me looking up. “We got you, Pres. Phoenix has flight plans for the ABSZ.”
“Get me home to my chair. ABSZ is too long and far. Sarge is hurt. My head sounds like waves are crashing in it but I need to be at my Club. My chair can get me around but the boys need me there. They need to see me and will. We’ll need a vet for Sarge waiting.” I don’t give options but ABSZ sounds lengthy right now. I need right now where I can control it for my partners, the boys and me.
Myers stands back and I’m flipped onto a board. I don’t tell them to just move me, I can’t feel it, but they all look nervous right now. “He’s right with us, Boss. He doesn’t hear Ops right now. I don’t know how the chip works. We got Pres and these four. Sarge will be with us. My gunner has him. The other chopper will meet the box truck.”
A huge explosion has the Flight Crew ducking. They don’t drop me but run hunched over as if we’re on the battlefield in Kandahar.
I close my eyes but can’t focus on anything because of the high activity on the chip. It dawns on me that Light can help. “Light, I can’t hear or see anything because too much is happening at once.”
“You need the chip shut down?” I don’t see Myers but hear him.
“Yeah. Too much, signs, incoming, noise. The decibel level is so high, I can’t even hear me.” I hope he can.
The abrupt silence shocks me. “Light?” I hear the shock in that one word/name.
Seeing our tracking, then our little Op room, Ibreathe feeling Light and Shadow. “I’m okay. I feel us. Check the skeleton. I don’t feel above it right now. Get my chair ready for me.” System reboot is what that just felt like so I get everything out fast in case it happens again.
Light is on it; I relax seeing his ‘roger’ behind my eyes. Shadow’s view shows me the chopper. “The others are safe?” I ask.
Shadow chuffs jumping in, then I see me with my legs bent while I’m strapped to the board. I can’t see or feel my legs, but I haven’t felt them since Pakistan. For some reason, seeing them bent through his eyes bothers me. ‘Why are my legs bent?’ I ask the chip. Light sends they were bent when I fell. It makes sense so I leave them alone until I feel the weight on my chest.
I see my chin, up close and way too personal. With a smile, I look down my chest at the jowly nut’s big head flopped across me. “We did this earlier. At least you’re not crushing my lungs like this morning’s wake up call.”
He sends me a pic of me chained to a chair with big thick naval chains used on air craft carriers. I laugh at him. “I’ll crate you.”
The crew make more than answering the job noises and I relax some more. They’ll keep following my orders until I give a reason for them to defer to Light or Cort.
‘Give me status on Sarge.’ I close my eyes watching the chip intel.
***
Maestro Club
Loco is right. I bump Shadow’s paw. “I don’t have a problem with the chair, Boss. Benny and Alder both said the swelling will go down but the chip isn’t responding. Alder can make me a skeleton that works by bands. I’ll do that. I don’t have a concussion and the cut was small. It took seven stitches. I don’t need a hospital stay for seven stitches.”
“You can’t run Ops in the banded brace.” The giant isn’t taking this well.
“I can run Ops. I see what they see, feel what they’re feeling, I don’t need to be there to get the job done. We’re trained Delta Force special operation tactical unit operatives, we always find a way, Boss. There is no give up or quit. The CIA chip made sure that would be for life. You don’t have to take us, but I’d rather work for you than the fucks that just put me back in a chair.” I hold the giant’s eyes. “I can take them down whether I’m walking or rolling, but I’m not quitting and they’re not getting away with this. Sarge is still in surgery.” He can shoot me or throw me and the partners out. I watch his laser focused eyes hoping he keeps us.
That steely glare could be painful. “Why won’t you get the chip fixed?”
I didn’t expect that to be his answer, or question.“I got hit with whatever that bat was, I never saw PD with shit like that, it wasn’t aluminum. I didn’t feel it then and I don’t feel it now. Sarge was fuckin’ bleeding. He needed the surgeon. The chip is great but I don’t need it now and I need to show up for the partners and the boys. We just made a whole plan because of Leon. The boys need to see me showing up. They won’t care if it’s in a chair or me walking. I just need to show up. The partners are all dealing with added stress. I’m the connection to all of them, Boss. What do any of them do without their connection?”
He breathes deep and I see it hit him. “They won’t function for long depending on their group. Fuck! You said it. It’s like the boys with them too?” The conciliatory cadence of his voice gives me hope.
I nod, glad he gets it. “I’m not saying it’s forever, Boss, but Shadow and Light are the only ones without the enhancements.”
“No. They have some DNA enhancements. Faster, stronger, live longer and whatever Alder said about computing and focus.” He waves it away like he’ll change my mind.
I nod. “Physically too, but they were born with the changed DNA. It’s in the line. They weren’t injected with enhancements and those injections aren’t for physical attributes. They need the…” Those laser focused steely eyes stop me.
