“Each of you will carry this. If we have any communications to you, it will be in both voice and as a text message. The only difference is you will be getting the signal from a satellite instead of a cell tower. You can also send information to us. But to do so, you will need to plug it into an antenna. Some of you have already noted the piece which has been attached to your helmets. It doubles as a charger and an antenna,” said the technician as he grabbed a helmet. “You plug it in with this wire. There’s also a receptacle mounted here where the unit simply slides in. You keep it here until you need it, then simply pull it out and turn it on.” He pulled the unit out of the holder and simply pressed the button on the front. The unit even looked like a standard IPhone. “Use it like the phones you’re used to, but instead of a list of contacts, it has each of you by a number and ‘home.’ I guess you all know where home is.”
The men chuckled. “Can I call my wife,” asked Sgt. Fred Overman, a sniper on the team.
“I’m afraid not. With all the things we packed into this, there wasn’t any room for a real phone. I guess Mama will just have to wait.” The men laughed again. “But another thing it can do is act like a portable secure radio. Hit the ‘local’ setting right here,” he said pointing toward the symbol, “and simply put it back into your helmet holster. Then it will let you talk to everyone even at a whisper. Just remember something. We will also be able to hear and talk to you at headquarters. The idea is that we will be able to better understand what you are up against. I am told we won’t bother you unless you need us.”
The men on the plane were a little skeptical about that, but kept it to themselves. There were several innovative gadgets they were briefed on, but the best was saved to last. The technician turned and looked toward a section of the aircraft nearby. “Okay, you can come out now,” he said.
Amazingly, where there was nothing but some equipment, suddenly as if peeling himself into being, a man appeared in a white lab coat. Reaching back into the mass, he flipped a switch and there suddenly appeared what seemed to be a large lipstick made out of a piece of canvas.
“Son of a bitch,” exclaimed on of the men.
The technician turned back and smiled at the men. “We decided to send this along,” he said as he was handed the canvas. “This is one of only two we have. Some engineers down in Clemson University developed this. Using the Velcro tabs, you put this over yourself and activate this small computer inside,” he said as he showed the men how it worked. “This thing is fully impregnated with fiber optics that pick up what’s behind you and transmit it instantly to the opposite side. You have to stay still when you use it, because there is just a fraction of a second’s delay, but it might come in handy if you’re trying to get in close. The battery pack weighs just a little over a pound and the whole thing is less than five pounds. Try it on,” he said as he turned to one of the men beside him.
Sgt. Tim Justice slid the cloth over his head and pulled it tight over him, then attached the Velcro fasteners. It only took a few seconds and he seemingly disappeared before the men. If you looked hard, you could tell he was there, but at any distance, this thing would be totally invisible.
“Walk around a little,” the technician said.
As he did, the men could see the delay and it outlined something there, but it was very strange, almost as if looking at something through a fisheye lens on a camera.
“How long will the battery last?” asked Ricks.
“About 20 minutes. That little computer is working hard. You’ll notice it will get a little warm.”
“Yea, and this thing doesn’t breathe at all,” said Justice from under the device. Suddenly the sound of Velcro was heard and the side opened as he reached out with his hand, pointing his finger like a gun. “I can see just well enough through this to get where I’d need to go and the side openings will allow me to shoot someone,” he said as he twisted around under the covering. The hand reached up and pulled apart the Velcro on the top. He slid his head through. “Not too shabby. It’s like a sauna in this thing, but if you guys can’t see me, I guarantee I could sneak up on some guy real easy,” Justice said.
“Guys, that’s about it for the bells and whistles. I suggest you take some time for each of you to get familiar with this stuff. If you have questions, we’re here for you,” the technician concluded.
“Hang on a sec,” said Captain Chapman. “I want to make sure you all know what we’re up against. We have been training for the last few days to get this done without any mockups of where we’re going, but that just means we have to take our time and do it right. We have a fourteen hour flight head of us and we’re going to use a lot of that time making sure our plans are set. I need you to take the next hour to get familiar with this new equipment. These techs are here so let’s use them. I want you to know everything, including where to get the porn,” he said with a grin. The men chuckled at the joke. “Once you’re ready, everyone meet back up at the forward hatch and we will go over the plans we made one more time before we sack out. I know this isn’t your bed at home, but at least try to get some sleep. Now get at it.” Chapman pointed toward Ricks and Lieutenant Mason. “Let’s talk for a minute,” he said. The three men walked up to the kitchen unit and they got a cup of coffee and sat down.
“Guys, this is going a little faster than I might have wished. I’m relying on you to make sure it all works. Bill, keep checking with the guys up top,” he said to Mason. “If any more information comes in, I want to know about it. Ricks, you have the most experience in evasion tactics. What are we missing? What ways do you see for us to fall on our swords during this?”
Ricks shrugged his shoulders. “Boss, we’ve trained the hell out of these guys. They know what to look for and the things to do, but there are still a lot of unknowns. I was able to familiarize myself with the drop zone and all points in between, but there’s a lot that can’t be seen from a satellite photo. You know that. The one thing we have on our side is that our guys will be watching from the big bird upstairs. They can let us know if something is coming our way. But that adds time to the mix — something we don’t have a lot of. Luckily, this is a tight group. We’re thinking alike. That’s what makes the difference in this situation. The rest we’ll have to deal with as we get there.”
“You’re not making me feel better,” said Chapman.
“Sorry about that, but that’s how it is. I’m hoping we’ll get more info on the way and maybe some more images. The more we can see, the better off we are. Then we just have to rely on these guys to get the job done. Aren’t you glad you brought me along,” said Ricks with a grin.
“I’ll let you know,” said Chapman. “Now let’s get around the guys. Look for problems and let’s fix them now. Besides, I want to try on that suit,” he said. “Let’s get going.”
The men headed back to the group intent on learning the new gear. Ricks reflected on how good he felt about the team. On second thought, he didn’t have any reservations at all.
Angela Harrison was the true Soccer Mom, except in this case it was Lacrosse. When her son had expressed an interest, she went out of her way to learn the game, talk to parents with sons in the game, and in general, immerse herself into what her son wanted to do. Brian had gotten interested almost as soon as he could pick up one of his father’s sticks. By five, he could sling a ball into the air and then catch it. His father, Edward, had played in college. It turned out Brian was a natural player. His hand-eye coordination was astounding almost from the first and the stick was an extension of his arm. When Edward had been transferred by his engineering firm to Venezuela, the family was pleased that there was a rudimentary league in the capital where several teams played each other.