United Under Fire

Raked Through the Coals

Despite their fatigue, the SEALs were trying to piece together what happened. Both teams went over every action taken by the second. They reached the moment Quebec Team located Kyle Wells. They split into two teams of three, Drew's team reached the area where the CIA officer was being held. They encountered six armed men, but they managed to eliminate the threat. But when they went for Wells his side of the room exploded, catching the clandestine operative at the brunt of the blast. They grabbed him, treating his injuries on the way, linking up with the others on the way out.

"Could there have been a tripwire or some kind of other trigger?" inquired Jace. "They could have rigged a mine to keep Wells in place or as a countermeasure."

"Maybe," said Drew. "But why go that far? Chains would have been more sensible."

"Nobody saw any wires, but that doesn't mean they weren't there," said Rowe, the Quebec second-in-command.

"What did you guys see?" asked Jace, looking at the second half of the team.

The leader of the second team, Walden, the Quebec 3IC, went over their end. They cleared the west side, another teammate Whittaker peeled off to the left and the other two went onward, encountering three assailants, they had the upper hand until an UNSUB with an explosive vest tried to charge at them. They managed to take him out but the trigger was a deadman switch. The force of the blast knocked them back, and before they could get their bearings a second explosion erupted. They fell back and rendezvoused with the others.

"An S-Vest?" inquired Reese. "Why would VSP use those, even if they were drug peddlers?"

"I know it doesn't track but—"

"What if they were Hezbollah?" added Ward.

Everyone looked at him, the younger SEAL shrank back.

"He has a point, between the drugs and weapons, Venezuela is Hezbollah's haven and source of major support," said Jace.

"A CIA officer would sell big to the Iranians," said Reese.

"Comms were spotty," said Drew. "No way to share the information."

"If there were S-Vests on one side," said Rowe. "There could have been more in the next room."

"To demolish the walls like that it must have been multiple vests," said Reese.

"Everyone okay with this?" asked Drew.

No one had any objections.

Jace looked for Cole, he saw her looking at a photograph. He knocked on a crate, she looked up.

"We pieced as much as we could together," said the Sniper. "Looks like Wells was taken out by Hezbollah shacking up at the compound. An S-Vest."

"That tracks, Venezuela has been Hezbollah's second home," replied the female Intelligence Officer.

"How long did you know him?"

"Five years," replied Cole. "We worked a couple of operations together."

"You two had a personal relationship?"

Cole sighed. "We started seeing each other nine months ago and yes we were intimate."

"You don't—"

"I pushed you guys to rush the compound with no data," said Erin. "I just wanted to get him back."

"I've been there," said Jace, sitting down across from her. "I don't blame you, this is war. And it is paid for with the blood of those who deserved better."

"We were looking at apartments together."

He thought about Ziva and how they found themselves on both sides of situations like these. As much as he knew it was the skill and tenacity of his friends and brothers that got them through those times, it could have gone sideways in any way.

Cole left to get her bearings and call Langley. Jace pondered over the data, Suicide vests were an offensive weapon, why would Hezbollah use one in the same room as a high-value package?

He went to look for Drew, something wasn't right.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said the other SEAL. "As much as I want to put an end to all this it still doesn't make sense."

"What are we missing?"

"The room that blew had munitions on the farther side," said Drew.

"Big enough to cause that blast you saw?"

"Maybe, but the room was clear, someone must've gone back in but why blow up the room?"

They gathered everyone back and went over the data.

"If a straggler in a vest got nervous it stands to reason—"

"The brass won't accept that," said Jace. "Anything less than a sound answer could get us all axed."

"We went over everything we know and all we have are unseen variables," said Rowe. "There could have been more VSP or Hezbollah on site that could have bombed the place."

"The only consistent thing is that I threw a flashbang," said Drew, going through his gear, pulling out a TD Multi-Port Plus Flashbang Grenade and an MK3 thermobaric.

"Don't go there," said Jace.

"Threw what I thought was a crash near the hostage to distract the guards," said Drew. "What if it was a homewrecker?"

"You've made that kind of move countless times," said Rowe. "And there's still a lot that we don't know."

"It tracks with the blast we saw," said Drew, ending the debate. "We all know it."

No one wanted to admit it but the logic seemed to be accurate, thermobarics could take out three-story structures. By the time they reached Dam Neck, no one had said anything for the past couple of hours. They changed back into their NWU IIIs and waited in the briefing room.

Raines and Rorke came back almost an hour later.

"Gentlemen, we've come across an anomaly going over the ISR footage," said Rorke.

The footage on the plasma showed an unidentified operator looking into a window, and then tossing a grenade through.

"All of my guys were defending the perimeter," said Jace.

"Walden and Guerrero were still on the third floor," said Rowe.

Everyone looked to Whittaker, it was no secret that he had issues ranging from borderline alcoholism and disciplinary infractions. He saw two VSP assaulters stocking up munitions, he tried to alert the others but the comms were down, so he ambushed them with a homewrecker. He only found out that Wells was on the other side when he saw the others tending to the critically injured operative. It took all of Echo Team to restrain the outraged members of Quebec. Rowe sent Whittaker outside to wait for their verdict. As far as the brass went, it was a sound tactical decision and Whittaker had no way to know that his actions would have killed the hostage or endanger his team.

"You guys were at as much risk as us," said Drew. "You should get a say."

"What kind of punishment does this qualify for," said Reese.

"We could send him back to the fleet," said Guerrero.

"He could still wind up screwing people over, maybe demote him?" offered Walden.

"He's been getting in trouble no matter what kind of rip we give him," said Rowe.

Everyone looked at Jace and Drew.

"He can't keep using the Trident as a shield," said Jace. "It's what enabled him in the first place."

Drew nodded, knowing what to do. They brought Whittaker back in.

He tried to apologize, but no one would have it. Drew took out his tactical knife and used it to cut off the Special Warfare Insignia on his uniform. Whittaker offered no resistance.

It was heartbreaking just to imagine being at the end of such a punishment. That fear woke them up to the fact that no one was invincible.

Afterward, everyone left.

Jace made it home to see his daughters passed out on the couch, trying to stay awake long enough to welcome him back.

Nothing worth fighting for should be taken for granted. Ever.