the mountain two days ago and were higher than the building; it’s been cleverly disguised so unless a pilot knew what he was looking for, he wouldn’t even glance at this space.”
Chad smiled. They were correct. Even where they parked was hidden from the sky. This operation was all about being stealthy. If they couldn’t manage to hide themselves, how were they expected to infiltrate anything?
“How was your week, boss?” Smoke asked, leaning back in his chair as he devoured what appeared to be his third donut in the past few minutes. The man was fit as hell, so Chad didn’t think a hundred donuts stood a chance in his system. They’d burn up going down his massive throat.
“It’s been good, but call me Chad,” he said. He couldn’t stand the term boss. It was ridiculous. The men nodded. Respect was ingrained in each of them. That was a very good thing.
Chad hit a button, and at each seat a piece of the table opened, computers popping up.
“Now, that’s bad ass,” Green said as he gazed at the computer, then bent and glanced underneath the table as he looked for levers. They were built in. He wouldn’t find them.
“Ah, it’s old technology,” Brackish said with a wave of his hand. “Seen it, done it.”
Chad was sure there was nothing much that could impress Brackish when it came to electronics, but he decided it would be his mission to find a way to shock the man, even if it took years.
“Let’s get started. Fire up the computers. When they wake, open your respective files. Your individual missions are loaded.”
Chad consumed his coffee while the computers woke. They might seem slow, but they were moving at the speed of light, they were just scanning every conceivable hack attempt before they unlocked.
Chad was excited, very excited. This was the first official day of operations. They were going to find the person responsible for his second mom getting attacked. All who were involved would definitely pay — and it wouldn’t be gentle. Taking down the entire empire was sweet, sweet icing on top.
Chad finished his coffee, disappointed the delicious brew was gone so soon. He might have time for a refill. Before he could get up, Smoke spoke up again.
“With the way you drink coffee, I’m thinking your call sign is Chug.” He leaned back with a wide smile.
“Chhuugggg,” Sleep said, drawing out the word and slapping his fist on the table.
“I like it,” Green said.
“Chug, Chug, Chug. Chug,” Brackish chanted like they were at a freaking frat party. These men really were overgrown teens. Of course, Chad’s team had been the exact same way when he’d been on an elite SEAL team.
There wasn’t a chance of escaping a call sign once a team gave it to you, so Chad went with it, shrugging as he rolled his eyes. He couldn’t stop his grin though. He loved enthusiasm. He continued speaking as if the last minute hadn’t just happened.
“I don’t like wasting time on useless tasks,” he told the team. “So we won’t be sitting around talking about the things we’d like to do, nor will we be gathering copious amounts of information and sifting through files for hours. This team has been built for action, for speed, and to bring people to the light to answer for the destruction of their fellow brothers and sisters in a community that deserves to be protected.”
“Hell yeah, I’ve never been a bookworm,” Sleep said. Chad didn’t correct him, but he knew Sleep had a high IQ. The entire team had IQ’s that were border line genius, they just acted like mouth breathing knuckle draggers most of the time because it was an easy ploy to throw people off of what was under the surface.
Chad continued. “This mission truly hits home for me for a number of reasons. I’ll share need-to-know info at a later time, but just know that I’m with you one-hundred percent from beginning to end. I’ll either be here, be in contact with you, or be within range every single day.”
“No days off, Chug?” Green asked.
“No,” Chad replied. “We don’t have days off, we don’t have vacations, we don’t take breaks. However, saying that, you’re undercover, which means your life is one big day off.” These men were like most soldiers. Bullets could be flying and they’d be cracking jokes as if they were at the beach, sipping on margaritas. Their hardest day felt like a day off.
“Brackish,” Chad said as he looked