From the Pulpit, Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Thursday October 27th, 2011
FBI Regional Headquarters
Office of the Ohio Valley Anti-Terrorist Task Force
Columbus Ohio
6:50 pm

Mike and Hilde entered the FBI building to be met in the lobby by Paul Hogan, who was suited up in a black assault suit. 

“Mike, Hilde, we’re heading out right now.” Hogan said.  “The vans are moving at the moment.  We’re going to follow them and hopefully catch them with the drivers and the payload.  Two other teams have already left, we’ve got  a two man team plus me.  If you want to go on the approach Mike, you can go as you are with us.”

He turned to Hilde and added, “You stay back here with Andy in the comms room.  I want full observation on what’s happening with all three vans and the Loyal street house.”

“Got it,”  she replied. “I’ll be the communication liaison while Andy watches the monitors.  Keep your radios up at all times, so I can monitor you.”

As they all turned to go Hilde called out, “Mike, be careful.”

Farris and Hogan got into a vehicle together while the other two SRT agents led the way in another car. 

“Our target is headed directly west towards Newark.” Hogan said.  “He’s got about a twenty mile or so lead on us, but we should be able to catch up in a few minutes.”

“So your man Fleiss locked right on to them, huh?” said Farris.

“Yep, he is one diligent nerd that Andy.  Hilde did good when she hired him.  I guess quality nerds can identify each other.”  Replied Hogan.  “Speaking of nerds, is there something going on between you and Hilde?”

Farris was shocked by the directness of the question.

“Something going on?”  he asked.  “Paul, my wife and son just died three weeks ago…less than three weeks ago.  I don’t think I’m ready for a new relationship any time soon.”

“But it’s happening isn’t it?”  Hogan said.

“What’s happening?” Farris asked.

“I know she’s falling for you.  I’ve worked with her for several years and have never seen her look at another guy the way she does you.”  Hogan answered.  “And, I can see it your eyes too.”

“Look Paul, I’m not going to get into this right.  It’s too soon for me to be thinking about another woman.”  Farris was shaken by the conversation, but he knew it was true.  He was in love with Hilde, but he hated himself for falling in love with someone so soon after his wife’s death.

“She’s a good girl, Mike. Not to mention the obvious fact that she is drop dead gorgeous, she’s also got one of the sweetest and smartest personalities I have ever known.”  Hogan said, “You two could get on well.  And as far as I know, she’s a Christian too, Methodist I think.”

“If you think so highly of her, how come you haven’t gone after her yourself?” asked Farris.

“I’ve got nothing to give her, or any other woman for that matter.”  Hogan replied.

“What do you mean?” responded Farris, “You’re a great guy Paul.  You’d make a great husband.  Back in the day I thought you said you wanted a wife and a bunch of kids running around in a yard with a white picket fence and all that. What happened to that?”

“Afghanistan.”  Said Hogan.

Farris voice grew a little softer.  “What happened there?”

“My injuries.” Answered Hogan.

“What your legs?”  asked Farris. “If a lady loves you she’ll get over the scars.”

“More than just my legs got hit over there.”  Said Hogan.

“Oh. I see.”

Hogan drew in a deep breath, “Yep! Got no way to make those children for the wife to have in the picket fence house.  I don’t even have the parts necessary to give a girl a good time.  To be quite graphic, my willie looks like it went through a blender.  I can’t imagine a woman who’d want to get married to a guy who could never satisfy her physical needs.  Not only that, but my balls got blown off too.  I couldn’t even do the test tube thing.”

“Wow, that is rough.”  Farris said then added.  “But, you never know.  There are some women out there who would be interested I think.  And I’m not talking about the freaky ones.  I’ve counseled probably a dozen or more women who would have no problem with a man like yourself.  You’d be surprised how little some women desire sex, and yet could be totally loving wives.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see about that.  Maybe you could hook me up some day, with some celibate bride of Frankenstein chick.”  Hogan smiled an embarrassed kind of grin. 

The drive to Newark was uneventful, even boring, as they followed the path taken by the tracking device attached to the back of the van.  The two unmarked FBI cars, 2010 Buick Roadmaster’s, cruised heavily along Morse Road until it ended at Worthington Road and moved west until they reached the city of Newark.

Following along state route 16, the signal continued until it turned right on N. 30th, then left on Parkview Rd. from which the driver turned into the Mound Builders Country Club.  Hogan and the others were only minutes behind him when the signal stopped moving. 

When they turned the into the country club entrance both vehicles turned off their headlights and continued forward until they were within two hundred yards of the van next to the Club House. The four-man team got out of their vehicles and pulled their thermal sensing night vision glasses down over their eyes.

There was no motion at the van. There was no heat signature other than the still hot engine.

The four of them rushed towards the van, the soft rubber soles of their boots making almost no sound as they swiftly crossed the pavement.  There was no sign of anyone nearby.  They threw open the doors and thrust their weapons forward against any possible attackers.

There was nothing.  No person, no cargo, no nothing.

“It was a switch.”  Called out one of the agents. “They made a vehicle switch on us.”

Hogan picked up his radio and called in to Hilde.

“Hilde, this is Hogan.”  He said, “they’ve duped us.  The van must’ve been either been dumped here or swapped for another vehicle.  There is nothing in it.  Send a team to confiscate it for deeper search.”

“Paul, the other teams are reporting the same thing.”  She said.  “Each of the vans was dropped in an empty parking lot somewhere, no cargo.  No nothing.”

“Maybe the investigative teams can find something more on these.”  Hogan said, “Mike and I are going to head back.  We’ll leave agents Goode and Cooper here with the van until the CSI folks show up.”

“Roger that Paul.”

The radio went silent. 

“Mike, let’s head back.”  Hogan said. “John, Phil, you guys wait here.  CSI is coming to check the vehicle out.  You may want to get back to your car and wait undercover, in case someone else comes up later to get this thing.  Maybe they’re not done with it yet.”

John Goode looked over to the commander and said, “Good idea.  We’ll walk over there with you and move the car into those trees over there until CSI shows up.”

As they walk back together, Phil Cooper says, “So Mike, I hear you were with UNSOCOM in Bosnia?”

Farris was surprised to hear UNSOCOM mentioned by someone he had never met.  “Yeah.  I did two tours there.  One as an observer 92 and one special ops mission later.”

“Yeah, “ Cooper said, “The Yeltsin affair.”

“How did you know about that?”  Farris and Hogan both asked at the same time.

“I was with the Defense Intelligence Agency as a humint officer on the ground at the time.  My partner was the guy who first saw Mathis in country over there.”

“How come you never mentioned this before Phil?”  asked Hogan, “I was there too you know.”

“Yeah well, I only met you a few months ago when I got stationed here Paul.”  Cooper replied,  “And there are a lot Hogans in the spec-ops world, must be an Irish thing, always getting into trouble you know, and six of them were in Bosnia in 98 by the way.  But there is only one Mike Farris, USMC who became an ordained pastor shortly after taking on Brett Mathis the modern day Jackal who tried to kill Boris Yeltsin and set off WW3.”

Goode looked at his partner “You know these guys from back then?  That’s incredible.”

“What do you mean ‘must be an Irish thing’?”  Hogan asked in mock disgust.

“Glad you survived gentlemen.”  Cooper replied. “That was a bad day for all involved.”

“Yeah it was.”  Mike replied as they reached almost the halfway point to their vehicles.

There was a sudden deafening roar behind them that threw all four men to the ground, the hot zip of jagged metal shards flying past them. Turning back Farris could see a ball of flame rising from where the van had been.

Hogan, Farris and Goode rose back up from the ground.  Cooper didn’t get up with the others though. 

“Hey Coop!  Get up!” shouted Goode.  “Hey! Danger’s over!”

He kicked at his friend only to find his leg limp in response to Goode’s boot.  Goode dropped to his knees by Cooper.

“Oh shit!”  he shouted, “Man down!  He’s hit!”

There was a smear of wetness across the back of his neck, where a piece of the hot metal had hit him.  They turned him over to see the front of his face grotesquely split open from the inside, as the shrapnel had exited.
 

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