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A Somerset Farm and Unit One Collaboration

Attack and Response

Chapter 4: Going to War.
By; Jamie Haze and GhostRyder15

02:40, Day Four

Six hours later, five boys, three parents, four other adults and six bodyguards walked out of the main hospital entrance. Marc and Jacky had been wheeled there by two of the hospital orderlies. Marc had his left arm in a sling because of a pulled muscle in his shoulder and Jacky was on crutches due to a severely sprained left ankle. The two boys had undergone X-Rays, MRI's and Catscans during their time in the hospital. Jacky was unhappy because his dad chewed his ass out for taking a chance like he did. That was just before Bill Hoffman hugged him and told him how proud he was that he saved Marc's life.

Marc was feeling lower than whale only could he have died pulling that fool stunt, he could have taken Jacky with him. His father hadn't said much to him and that made him feel even worse. Now he had to go back to the Bateman place and face all of his buddies and the Unit One People. For whatever reason, Marc found himself seated between Jap and Jacky in the backseat of one of the Ford Crewcabs on the way back to the Bateman's place. Thinking over what had happened when he endangered not only his own life, but Jacky's too, he became more depressed. Not even realizing it, tears started flowing from his eyes. Suddenly he felt a finger wiping the tears from his cheek, looking to his left he saw Jap looking at him with a sad expression on his face.

Speaking softly Jap said; "I'm going to tell you what a really good man told me not too long ago, and I want you to listen to what I say, okay?" Marc looked into Jap's eyes and nodded his head yes. Jap continued speaking softly; "Last summer I killed three really bad men, three men that in all likelihood would have killed my boyfriend and others that I love if I hadn't stopped them. I got kinda depressed over it, but I didn't know that. Things started building up and everything started to piss me off, then one day I said something really stupid to General Stanton and got my ass chewed out by the Gunny." Jap paused for a minute before continuing; "I let it get to me and basically had a breakdown, I mean I was in a killer depression, all I could think of was how useless I was and how everyone would be better off if I were dead. A bunch of people came together and pulled me back from the edge. I was so close to offing myself that I didn't care about anyone or anything, least of all myself. I'm seeing the beginning of that same thing in you."

Jap took a deep breath before continuing; "Look at me Marc." Marc turned and once again looked into Jap's eyes; "I'm going to tell you the same thing the Gunny told me. You fucked up, you got hammered, so get over it and drive on."

Saying Jap pulled Marc to him and kissed him gently on the lips, a kiss like his mother or father might give him to ease the pain. When Jap pulled away, Jacky pulled him gently to him and repeated the kiss that Jap had given him. These two boys were confusing the fuck out of him, he almost got one killed and he almost killed the others boyfriend. Yet here they were, trying to make him feel better, trying to ease the pain he felt, a pain that he had never felt before. He looked back at Jap; "Why, I mean why are you guys being so nice to me after what I did?"

Jap chuckled; "Well I guess it's because no one else will. Naw, that's not it, I just know what you feel like now and I got a pretty good idea what you were thinking about when you jumped outta the plane today. At the time it was a pretty neat idea, you just didn't think it all the way through before you did it. So get over it dickhead, both of us forgive ya, fuck everyone else."

Marc looked at Jap, then at Jacky, took a deep breath and said; "Okay, you’re right. I'll just say this one time, I'm sorry and I promise I'll start to think about things before I do them, okay?"

Both Jap and Jacky smiled and nodded yes.

Marc, with a shy smile on his face asked; "Ahhh, could, I, I mean would you guys allow me to take some pictures of you two, I mean the two of you without any clothes on." Marc saw them kind of stiffen up at his request so he hurriedly continued; "I don't mean fucking or nothing, I just mean like in and around the pool and stuff. I have these two walls at home that I put special pictures of people I think a lot of on it. My brother, Doug, Buck, Dillon Kelly, I think you guys would really look good up there. Besides, every time I looked at them, I'd remember how I fucked up and how you guys forgave me. Please?"

Jap looked at Jacky who nodded slightly and then turned to Marc and put his fist up to Marcs nose; "Okay, just make sure we don't end up in that teenage pussy magazine like Doug and Paul did.” Marc looked at Jap with a startled expression on his face and blushed; "I, aaaa, I wouldn't . . . . I mean what makes you . . . . ."

”HA! You think we're so far out in the boonies that we didn't know about that?" Jap asked.

Marc, still blushing, gave the two boys a shy smile before saying in almost a whisper; "I promise, the only place these pictures will go is on the Bunk House wall, and maybe in my room at the Oaks."

Jacky nodded his head in agreement and Jap said; "We'll hold you to that promise 'camera boy’."

The rest of the trip back to the house was completed in silence, the three boys thinking over what had been said and Marc especially thinking about how he was going to make it up to everyone. Pulling into the parking lot they found all of the New Jersey boys waiting for them. Getting out of the pickup, Marc saw Doug and Buck leading the pack toward him; all of the boys had unhappy expressions on their faces. Evan was just about to jump in Marcs face when Jap moved to his side and looked up at the taller boy and said; "So Marc, when do you want to start taking pictures of me and Jacky?"

Evan got a surprised look on his face; "That may be awhile Jap, we figure that by the time he gets out of the whole body cast we're going to put him in he won't even want to touch a camera."

Using his crutches, Jacky hobbled to the other side of Marc and looked down at Evan; "Naw, you guys don't want to do anything like that to our friend. He knows he fucked up and has apologized, no biggy, we forgave him. Now all he has to do is make sure he keeps his head outta his ass and thinks things through before he fucks up again."

Marc looked at Jacky, blushed a bright red and smiled at the big teenager before saying; "You got it big guy." Before Jacky could move, Marc grabbed hold of his head with his good hand and kissed him softly on the lips, breaking the kiss he said; "I never said thank you for saving my life, or how sorry I am for getting you hurt. You ever need anything, all you got to do is ask, and I mean it, really I do."

Several Squaddies had surrounded the group and when some of the Jersey Boys started mooing, they joined in. Naturally, Jap, Jacky and Marc turned red, which didn't stop them from shooting the surrounding guys the bird. For the next two days it seemed that Marc was next to, between or behind Jap and Jacky. He photographed them on the range, eating in the dining facility, skinny dipping in the pool, even taking a shower.

Over the same two days, the Jersey adults and the Unit One adults made arrangements and set up plans and the logistics train for the Unit to move to a secluded airstrip in Holmes County near Blountstown in the Panhandle of Florida. The airstrip that was originally known as the Army Air Corps’ Martindale Auxiliary Landing Field, then Martindale Air Force Base; had a 10,000 foot runway and had been used by the Air Force through the late 1960's. During 1969, then President Nixon closed it down along with several other bases in states that didn't vote the way he thought they should have during the 1968 Presidential Elections. Just prior to its closure, the runway had been upgraded to be able to handle B52's and when they were added to the inventory, the C5A's that were in the early stages of production and testing. Evan had commissioned the use of a Boeing C17 from one of his aviation sub-units in Europe to transport the large armored truck the brothers had obtained. Bucky also arranged to have his Boeing 757 on hand to fly the Unit One people to Florida. Originally, he was going to use his Lear Bombardier, but as he had done before the trip to Washington State, he changed his mind. With all of the vehicles and equipment being moved, it was safer and more comfortable to have the '757' for transporting the men and boys. The Vehicles and equipment would be loaded and flown down to the airstrip that the Trenton Corporation had purchased through one of their off-shore companies. The Unit would follow a couple hours later. The strip was in the middle of 54,873 acres of scrub pine and brush and hadn't been used in twenty years. Bucky had hired a construction company in Macon Georgia to clear an area close to the airstrip of brush and to move ten five-wide trailers there and set them up. The trailers would be used for berthing, messing facilities and administrative and planning areas. As Martindale AFB had been set up as a dispersal facility, there were already large parking areas built for aircraft up to and including the C5A Galaxy. A large Pole Barn was quickly assembled adjacent to the closest parking ramp near the five-wide trailers to house the 'War Wagon' as the large armored semi-tractor trailer was called. The armored semi-tractor trailer had been obtained from the government at a surplus sale several months before. The rig had been used for ten years by the D.O.E. for transporting nuclear weapons, SNM (Special Nuclear Material) and other sensitive material over American roads and the Interstate Defense Highway System (better known as the Interstate). The tractor as well as the trailer were armored and were proof against any small arms available to non military organizations. The SST (Safe Secure Transport) as it was called by the government was the perfect vehicle for transporting the Unit's firearms and basic issue of ammunition. The trailer was also set up for weapons maintenance and repair, which was perfect for anytime the Unit operated away from home.

While the plan the combined group came up with was being 'tweaked', James called for a meeting of all the Unit One members and their parents. James and Matt explained to everyone what had happened on Dagger Cay and what the Unit had been asked to do in aid of the kidnapped cadets. When the attackers had left the island, they had taken thirty cadets and islander children with them. Some of these island children were as young as six years old. While the Unit had a membership of ninety seven Squaddies, only sixty eight were allowed by their parents to go. There were twelve fathers who volunteered to accompany their kids, and one brother, Tommy Martin. The Unit members that weren't going were all unhappy. Matt and James agreed that the members were too young and for the most part too new to the Unit for this kind of action.

Day Six

At noon of the third day after they arrived, the Jersey Group, minus Marc and Erick Slate, climbed in the Boeing 737 and headed east to New Jersey to ensure their OpOrders (Operational Orders) would be carried out as planned. Just before boarding, Evan decided he should stay also, in case there was a problem with anything his corporation was providing. Naturally, Billy, Hans and Herman stayed also.

Marc, Erick Slate, Hans, Herman, Billy and Evan along with several of the Unit One people, stood by the AirOps Shack while the Boeing 737 started its takeoff roll. Within seconds the nose of the plane lifted off the runway, shortly followed by the rest of the aircraft. When the plane had reached an altitude of about one thousand feet AGL it started a gentle bank towards the north. Within a couple of minutes, the aircraft had finished its turn and was climbing to its cruise altitude heading east.

Marc looked at Jap and Jacky and said; "Thanks for backing me up when I asked to stay here. I can't really do anything with the other guys until my shoulder heals and I really wanted to see how you guys do things. Besides, Erick here needs to practice some with the Barrett if he wants to get to be as good as you guys. Anyway thanks."

Jap and Jacky smiled at Marc and nodded. "Well we may as well get started, I'll get Burt and Gargon and 'Little Ed' and we'll pop some caps," Jap said as he headed to the HUMVEE that had brought them to the AirOps Shack. The other two boys and one boy/man climbed in to the vehicle and they headed back to the house followed closely by Hans, Herman and Evan in another HUMVEE, followed in the drag position by James, Matt and the other adults. After parking in the garage, Jap took control; "Jacky, you just sit tight in the Hummer, Erick you come with me to the arms room and Marc, if you would please, go get us some cold Cokes from the kitchen."

The three nodded to Jap and he placed his hand on Erick's shoulder and propelled him toward the elevator. When they reached the arms' room they found the door open and Keener Webb inside working on an M60. Keener looked up as the two entered and said; "Hi guys, you all gonna do some shooting?"

Jap smiled at the young Staff Sergeant and nodded; "Yepper, I figured we'd let Erick here practice on 'Bert' and set Marc up with 'Little Ed.' Even though he’ll be firing right-handed, I think 'Bert' or 'Gargon' would be to much recoil for his body to absorb what with his bum left shoulder."

Webb nodded his head in agreement; "Your probably right, don't forget 'Little Ed’ has a kick to him also. How about one of the accuratized AR10's, they're the same caliber as 'Ed' but with a lot less recoil and their still good out to a thousand meters?"

Jap thought for a second or two before replying; "You're right, I think I'll take one along and if 'Ed' seems to be causing him problems, I'll switch him over to the 10. Even if he does okay with 'Ed' I can get some time in on the 10, it's been awhile since I fired one."

After the armorer and Jap had decided on the weapons mix, they loaded a four wheel dolly with the rifles and ammunition and Jap and Erick moved the cart onto the elevator and then into the garage. As they were loading the HUMVEE, Marc returned with the Cokes and handed them out. Being early June, it was still relatively cool, with temperatures only in the low to mid eighties. Once everything was loaded in the HUMVEE, Jap drove to the range where Gunny McNaughton was working with six of the Squaddies on their accuracy. Like most boys, the Squaddies had to be reminded to aim, not 'spray and pray' when they were shooting. Getting out of the vehicle, Jap walked over to the Gunny and saluted; "If it's okay with you sir, I'm going to work with Erick and Marc to see if I can't get them hitting closer to the center of the target?"

The Gunny smiled at Jap; "No problem, in fact, I'll move this crew to the other end of the range so we won't bother each other. If you need anything, just give me a yell."

Nodding, Jap turned and with the help of Erick started setting up the firing line. Marc was going to fire 'Little Ed,' a Springfield Armory M1A rifle chambered for the 7.62 by 59 mm cartridge (Winchester .308). The rifle was equipped with a Leopold Gold Ring three to nine variable telescopic sight and fitted with a bi-pod. Jap had set up the rifle on one of the shooting benches to ease the strain that Marc would have put on his left shoulder if he had tried to fire from the prone position. Jacky was going to work with Erick and Jap was going to mentor Marc, Keener Webb had joined the boys and was going to act as the Range Officer and Safety Observer. Keener, being the Range Officer, gave the safety briefing and went over the peculiarities of the M1A and then told everyone to get in position. When everyone donned shooting glasses and hearing protection and was ready, Keener went through the required commands and the one boy and one man commenced firing. Jacky had Erick firing at the 1,500 meter target while Jap was working Marc on the 100 meter target. After Marc had fired ten rounds from 'Little Ed,' he put the rifle on safe and sat back from it. Turning to Jap he said in a low voice; "I hate to say this Jap, but this sum bitch is kicking the shit out of me. It seems like my left shoulder is taking all the recoil."

Jap sighed and nodded his head; "I was kinda worried about that, Keener said it might be too much recoil for your bum shoulder." Jap turned and went to the HUMVEE that had been used to transport the guys and firearms to the range and opened the tailgate, reaching in he pulled the AR10 he'd left in the vehicle and grabbed an ammo can with filled AR10 magazines. Returning to the shooting bench, he replaced 'Little Ed' with the AR10, Marc never having seen a Ten, let alone fired one just sat there looking at the futuristic looking rifle. When Jap was finished taking down 'Little Ed' and putting him in the back of the HUMVEE he returned to the shooting bench to find Marc still staring at the new rifle.

Breaking into Marc's reverie, he said; "He is kind of impressive, the 'Ten' kinda reminds me of those space guns used in the 'Star War's' movies. It's got the same optics 'Little Ed' has and the overall weight is a little less. Even though he weighs in less, there's less recoil when you touch off a round." Jap went on and explained the functioning of the large black rifle to Marc who for once listened with rapt attention.

When Marc was ready, he snugged the rifle into his right shoulder and sighted on the target, Jap could see that he was still nervous, the beating he had taken from the M1A was still there. Taking several breaths and letting them out, he finally started to squeeze the trigger. When the rifle fired it was a complete surprise to him. Looking through the optics, he exhaled all the pent up breath he still had in his lungs. Turning his head towards Jap he smiled; "Jesus Jap, I hardly felt the recoil, and I hit a quarter inch from dead center. Why haven't I heard about this rifle before, I mean shit man, it's almost like firing the 15."

Jap smiled back; "It's probably the bad press the M16 got when it was originally put in the field. If the government specifications had been the same as Stoner’s, there wouldn't have been any problems. Besides not chroming the bore and chamber of the rifle, the ammunition was all fucked up. My dad told me that unless the issue 16's were kept perfectly clean, they'd jam after only a couple of magazines were fired. If you look on the right side of the action, you'll see the "forward assist" plunger; by pushing on it, you can chamber a round that was hung up without fucking around trying to eject it. Overall, the AR10 is an outstanding rifle that's accurate and dependable. The only reason I don't use one is that my dad started me on the M1A when I was ten years old and I feel comfortable with it."

Marc nodded his head before speaking; "Well I know one thing for sure, as soon as I can talk to Bucky, Doug and Evan, we're gonna get a bunch of these. Damn, I can't believe how nice this is to shoot."

Marc fired out the other 19 rounds in the magazine at the 100 meter target then shifted to the 1,000 meter target. For the rest of that day, and the next two, he continued practicing until he was consistently hitting in the black at a thousand meters.

The night before the Unit was to fly to Florida, Jap and Jacky got a call from Marc just before taps. Marc seemed kind of hesitant, almost as though he was unsure what to say; "Umm, could you, I mean you and Jacky come down to our room for a few minutes, umm, we want at talk to you?"

Jap not knowing what was going on agreed to meet them in a few minutes, after telling Jacky about the call, they both pulled on a pair of shorts and went down to Marc and Erick's room. Jap lightly knocked on the door and in just a few seconds it was opened by Erick; "Come on in guys, thanks for coming so quickly." Entering the room, they saw Marc sitting on the bed, the only thing he was wearing was a necklace of small blue beads that matched the color of his eyes. When they were inside and the door was closed, Erick gestured for them to sit on the bottom rack across from him and Marc. For several pregnant moments, nothing was said until Jacky asked; "Aaa you guys wanted to talk to us?"

Marc looked up and gave the two boys a nervous smile; "Well yes, I mean me and Erick, well actually it was my idea, I mean, well you see . . . . "

Erick broke in to say; "What camera boy here wants to know is, well, would you guys get it on with us?"

Marc blushed, Jap and Jacky blushed and Marc continued; "Listen guys, we know you're a couple and, well we really would like to, a, you know have, maybe . ."

”What numbnuts here is trying to say, will you guys have sex with us?" Erick asked.

Now it was Jap and Jacky's turn to blush, neither one of them had had sex with anyone else, not that they hadn't thought about it. Both of the boys knew that they could have had sex with anyone in the Unit if they really wanted to, but both of the boys also felt like it would be cheating on the other to do so. Jacky turned to face Jap and looked in his eyes for what seemed like forever, Jap sighed and nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders. Jacky turned to face the boys sitting across from them; "We, aaah we have talked about getting it on with some of the other guys in the Unit, but we kind of figured it woulda caused trouble. Uhm, but you guys are from outside of the Unit and, well we figure that there wouldn't be any real problem if, that is if you really wanta get it on, well I guess we could. But only if we keep it amongst ourselves, we don't want everyone and their brother to know. It would, you know complicate things around here."

Marc smiled at Jacky and nodded his head; "We got no problem with that, besides it would be better if it didn't get back to our guys either." Looking at Jap he asked; "So umm, what do you do?"

Jap not sure exactly what Marc was talking about said; "Hunh?"

Marc smiled at the little redhead; "You know, do you two just fuck or suck, or what? Me, I like the top or bottom, Erick here likes to be on the bottom most of the time?"

Jap and Jacky blushed before Jap said; "Well Jacky is the guy on top most of the time, but I don't really mind being the 'Fuckor' instead of the 'Fuckee' once in a while."

Marc stood up and started towards Jap; "Well all righty then, if its okay, me and Jap will start off with each other and Jacky can top Erick here."

Marc had broken the ice and suddenly Jap and Jacky were madly ripping their clothes off, in a matter of seconds Jap felt Marc embracing him and forcing his tongue into Jap’s mouth. While Jacky was going to be the 'top' to Erick's 'bottom' it was Erick who took the younger boy and orchestrated their love making. Jacky and Jap were both introduced to the Jersey Gang’s favorite; "Strawberry Douche." At first it surprised them, and then they were told about how it would make everything nicer for extended lovemaking. This was something that the two boyfriends had never even thought of and after they got over their surprise they enjoyed the whole process. After having the enema administered to them and taking a quick shower, all four returned to their room, Erick gently pushed Jacky onto his back on a lower rack while Marc and Jap hurried to the other one. Marc, kneeling along side the bed, looked at Jap and smiled at him, reaching out he gently took the redhead’s dick in his right had and slowly stroked it. With his left hand, he gently fondled the small nipples on Jap’s chest. Jap laid his head back on the pillow and sighed, Marc leaned forward and took Jap's six inch dick into his mouth and slowly slid his lips down to its base, pressing his nose into Jap’s sparse red pubic hair. As he was sliding back up to the head of Jap's dick he heard Jacky moan and whine; "Fuck, not again."

Jap started chuckling; "Just like clockwork, every time we try something new he blows his wad almost before he gets his pants off. Don't worry; just lick it a little and he'll stay hard."

The night passed quickly. Every once in a while the guys would change partners, by the time reveille sounded, the four were about worn out. Groaning they made their way to the shower room and showered, hoping that there would be time for a nap on the plane they were being transported to Florida on.

Day Eight

At noon, the C17 Globemaster lll landed and taxied to the main loading ramp. The big aircraft was painted in several different shades of gray and black, but had no insignia on its wings or sides. The only identifier it had was a tail number on the vertical stabilizer; LM299601. As soon as the four Pratt & Whitney PW2040 engines were shut down, the loading ramp at the rear of the large aircraft was lowered, A few minutes later, the five man crew trouped off the aircraft and stood waiting to be met. Matt and George Babcock drove to the aircraft and got out of the F250. Walking over to the men Matt said, "Good afternoon, I'm Matt Bateman, you guys are right on time."

The pilot stepped forward and came to attention; "Good day Mr. Bateman, I am Günter Hissen (pronounced His-Sin), these are my crewmen; Georg Mietner, my co-pilot, Johan Fels, my backup pilot, James Freeburg, flight engineer and backup co-pilot and Kurt Vondenmeer, my loadmaster. It is a pleasure to meet you sir. My crew and I are at your disposal."

Matt listened closely to Günter as he spoke, the man’s English was perfect, spoken with a British accent and just a hint of his native German language that crept in while he was talking. As the crew members were identified, Matt shook hands with each of them and bid them welcome. All of them were neatly dressed in non-descript flight suits, and all of them looked very tired. Matt turned back to Günter and asked; "We were told you were coming, but we weren't advised about where you were coming from, how long was your flight?"

"We left yesterday morning at 09:00 Munich local, but we had to stop in Newfoundland because of a 'Caution' light for the primary hydraulic system. It turned out to be contaminated fluid and we had to drain, flush, refill the system and bleed the lines before we could lift off again, that added six hours to our transit time." Günter replied. "The whole flight was only fifteen hours, but with the system maintenance and pre-flight checks, we have been going for close to twenty eight hours now.”

Matt nodded his head; "Okay, you take your crew and crash in the bunk room." turning to Connor Beck he said; "Connor show these gentlemen where they can crash." Turning back to Günter; "Both of the loadmasters for our 130's are qualified on the 17, you guys get some rest and we'll call you when we're done."

Günter shook his head; "I'm sorry sir but we can not do that, we must stay with the aircraft."

Before Günter could get spun up, Matt turned and yelled; "Hey Evan, come on over here please." Luckily, Evan and Billy had remained at the Bateman place accompanied by Hans and Herman to ensure everything would go smoothly with the flight.

A young light blonde haired boy turned from the group of other boys he had been chatting with and started trotting towards Matt. Stopping in front of Matt and the German aviators, he asked; "What can I do for you Matt, is there something wrong with the plane?”

Matt smiled down at Evan; "No, the plane is perfect for what we need, the problem is with the crew."

Evan turned to Günter and was about to jump in his face when Matt said; "Hold on Evan, these guys have done a great job, I just can't convince them to get to get some sleep. They've been going for twenty eight hours straight and I want them to crash for a while, our loadmasters from the 130's are both certified on the 17 and can handle loading it. Günter doesn't like the idea of anyone touching his plane, but dammit look at him; he's about ready to fall asleep on his feet."

Evan turned back and looked at the Germans and studied each of them, he turned to Günter and ordered him; "You and your flight crew will stand down and get some sleep while Mr. Bateman's people load your aircraft, you can inspect it when you are called. You will get some sleep and you will not leave the quarters they assign you until you are called for, do you understand these orders?"

Günter looked at the boy who couldn't be over thirteen and was about to laugh in his face when two very large bald headed, twenty something men walked up to the boy and asked; "Is there a problem Mr. Falconberg, do you require our assistance?"

Hearing the name 'Falconberg,' Günter came to attention and visibly paled, realizing that the boy he was about to laugh at was his employer and the head of the 'Falconberg Empire.' Looking down at his diminutive employer, Günter spoke haltingly; "Ya Master, I am sorry to have caused any problems."

Evan looked up at the big German; "Please don't ever be sorry for doing your job, I appreciate the fact that you care about safeguarding your aircraft. But I also want you to get some rest so you can continue doing your job in the same manner, so go get some rest and believe me when I say; the people who will load your aircraft are experts.”

Matt gestured Connor Beck to him; “Connor, show these gentlemen where the bunk room is and provide them with anything they need." Turning back to Günter he said; "if you and your crew are hungry, Connor will arrange for anything you want."

Günter nodded; "Thank you sir, we appreciate your consideration."

Connor smiled at the German pilot and spoke for the first time; "Sir, if you and your people will follow me, I'll get you settled in." Turning back to Matt he saluted Matt before saying; "By your leave sir?"

Matt smiled at the Squaddie, returned the salute and replied; "Thank you Connor, carry on."

As the C17's crew were being fed and watered, then put to bed, the unit under the direction of GhostRyder One Six and One Seven's flight crews started loading the '17'. The C17 was equipped with a hydraulically operated system to lift the forward end of the aircraft so that drive on cargo would have a straight shot to the front of the plane. This system eliminated the hump created by the cargo ramp and made it considerably easier to load. The rest of the Unit loaded their personal and snivel gear onto the C130's along with any last minute items thought to be necessities. The Unit personnel were being flown to the Florida airhead in a Boeing 757, the thinking being that it would allow them to arrive rested and ready to start the workup for the job they had ahead of them.

It took over six hours to completely load and inspect the three large aircraft; Jeff Shields woke the Germans forty five minutes before the ETC (Estimated Time of Completion) of the loading. The flight crew all took a quick shower and dressed in clean flight suits, grabbed a cup of coffee that Jeff had left on the table of the ready room and headed to their aircraft to see how big a mess the Americans had made of the load they were to transport. Much to their surprise, the two load masters could find only very minor things to complain about, in all actuality, the things they found wrong would not have endangered the load or the aircraft. While they had slept, the large aircraft had been refueled, the trash dumped, the flight deck swept down and the cockpit windows washed. The Germans were impressed by the level of effort someone, or several someones had put forth to ensure the aircraft was ready to fly. Günter and his co-pilot made their walk around of the aircraft, each moving in the opposite direction from the other to ensure that they would find any problems the other may have missed. When the pilot and co-pilot started their pre-startup checks in the cockpit, they found a single rose on each of their seats with a note written on a yellow 'Stickie.'

Dear Sir;

From the members of Unit One, thank you for your professionalism

and the dedication you have exhibited in helping us do our job.

Joshua Allen Peterson JAP

After reading the short note, Günter turned to Georg Mietner his co-plot and shook his head, a small smile forming on his face; "Kinder, I think this is the little red headed der Bub." Shaking their heads, Günter and Georg sat in the left and right seats respectively and strapped in. The pre-flight run up took twenty minutes or so. When it was completed, Georg keyed his mic and requested permission to taxi the C17 to the end of the runway in preparation for take off; "Bateman International, this Dagger Air 9601 requesting directions for liftoff, over"

A mature, gravelly voice responded almost immediately; "Ahh roger 9601, you are cleared to taxi to the east end of runway one nine, the wind is 22 from 270, the barometer is 29.90 and local time is 18:46, Gott es mit dieck, aufwenerzane."

"Bitte Shane." Saying that, Günter and Georg both pressed both sets of brakes down while Günter advanced the throttles for all four engines to seventy percent of full military power. After checking his readouts to insure all engines were operating within the green, Günter signaled Georg to release his brakes and the aircraft started moving. Georg spoke into his chin mic; "9601 rolling, 18:51."

As this was not a combat launch or a takeoff over inhabited areas, Günter used over 2,000 meters of the 3,300 meter runway before lifting the nose off the concrete. At 18:52:33 the BIA tower heard; "Rotating." That was the time the giant transport plane broke contact with the ground and started its climb to cruising altitude. Within twenty minutes of the C17s' liftoff, GhostRyder 16 and 17 were both off the ground and following the same route the jet transport was taking.

At 20:45, a red white and blue 'Trenton Air' Boeing 757 landed at BIA, after taxiing up to the readyroom/reception building, its crew shut down its engines and the process of fueling was started. Matt went aboard the jet and conferred with the pilot, ensuring the aircraft was ready to leave when it was loaded and all the passengers had boarded. Everyone who was making the flight had packed a medium size duffle bag containing civilian clothes and their personal 'snivel gear,' stuff like novels, gedunks, (snacks and candy) etc. When the refueling had been completed, the eighty seven men and boys of Unit One and the six men and boys of the Jersey contingent boarded the aircraft and strapped in for the six and a half hour flight to Florida. At 00:03 the Boeing 757 was airborne.

Day Nine

After the aircraft reached its cruise altitude, Evan and Billy unstrapped and moved through the cabin, talking to men and boys, thanking them once again for their help. When they finally made it back to the front of the cabin, Billy went into the galley and got cokes for him and Evan. Sitting alongside his younger lover he thought for a minute before saying; "I think I'm going to see if anyone else wants something to drink, this damn air conditioning dries me out quicker than the Mojave Desert."

Standing up, he moved to the galley once more and found a service cart that had been loaded up with soda pop and beer as well as small bags of chips and other snacks. After figuring out how to unlatch the securing mechanism that held the cart immobile, he moved it into the aisle and started to hand out drinks and snacks. Evan saw his boyfriend smiling at the guys as he handed them there drinks and snacks and couldn't help smiling at how far Billy had come out of his shell since his adoptive grandfather had rescued him from Evan's stepfather. Getting out of his seat he squeezed past the cart and started to hand out the snacks and drinks to the people in the portside seats. Billy saw what his lover was doing and concentrated on the starboard side people. Within fifteen minutes, they had passed out snacks and drinks to everyone who wanted them. When the cart had been returned to the galley and secured in its stowage location, Evan and Billy returned to their seats and strapped in. Billy put his arm around Evan’s shoulder and pulled him as close to him as possible. Together they fell asleep.

About three hours into the flight, Mitch Babcock woke from the light sleep he had fallen into. Naturally at the age of fourteen, he awoke with a hardon. Moving as quietly as he could, he made his way to one of the aft restrooms, Pulling out his dick he stood over the toilet pressing downward on his cock so he wouldn't piss all over the wall of the small facility.

As he concentrated on trying to pee, he heard the door open and recognized his boyfriend’s voice as he asked; "Hi sailor, new in town?" Then Mitch felt Justin Stanton's hand gently grip his cock and slowly begin to stroke it; "Damn Justin, I won't ever be able to take a piss if you keep doing that."

Justin chuckled; "And the problem is?"

Mitch Turned to face Justin, placing his hands on Justin's shoulders and applying gentle downward pressure he said, "Nothing, as long as you don't mind helping me out."

Justin had no problems helping out, grasping Mitch's butt with both hands, he swallowed his lover’s cock and proceeded to bob slowly up and down, quickly driving Mitch over the edge.

As Mitch was returning his lover’s favor, back in the main cabin Jap and Jacky were holding a very serious conversation. "I don't know if I can do it again." Jap softly sighed. "I mean I don't know if I can go through what I went through before and it really scares me. I feel like I'm letting everyone down, but the thought of killing again is really getting me down, I just don't know if I can do it."

Jacky pulled Jap to him and held his head gently to his chest. While softly stroking his hair, Jacky spoke to his friend and lover; "I understand, I understand, we'll work it out, nobody's going to force you to do anything you can't do, I promise you that Lover, I promise you." Jacky held him close and soon he could tell that his boyfriend was asleep, Jacky continued to gently stroke his hair and hold him while trying to think of some way to help him. Soon both boys were asleep, each dreaming of the other.

FLOYD: Midnight departure from Washington State, six hour flight to Florida, three time zones difference; I make the local time to be 09:30. This seemed to be an OK time for what went on with the boys for the rest of this chapter. I hope that it will leave enough of the day for the men too.

Six hours after becoming airborne, the large Boeing jet started its descent from 38,000 feet, the aircraft made a straight in approach to Martindale Field. As the '757' dropped through 10,000 feet AGL, the pilot hit the 'Fasten Seat Belts' signs throughout the cabin and said over the announcing system, "Good morning and welcome to Florida, please raise all seatbacks to the full upright position and insure that all tables are locked into their secured position. Right now, the local time is 09:30 and the outside temperature is a pleasant 78 degrees under partly cloudy skies, the wind is fifteen, gusting to twenty knots coming from the south-southeast and it should be a pretty nice day, but y’all can expect some heavy rain tonight after 20:00. We should be on the ground in twelve to fifteen minutes; we do request that ya'll remain seated until the aircraft comes to a complete stop. Once again good morning and we're glad all y’all flew with us."

As the plane slowed during the approach, it started shuddering and shaking as the flight crew dirtied up the airframe; extending the flaps, dropping the landing gear and adjusting the ailerons. The hydraulic systems whined and the various actuating systems caused things to go bump in the night (actually the morning) putting even the seasoned flyers’ nerves on edge. The large jet engines on the '757' were being adjusted constantly during the approach which caused everyone to be just a little more anxious. David Allyn, who was sitting in the seat next to Justyn Case, clenched his lover’s hand with enough force to cause Justyn physical pain. "Hey David, ease up, you're crushing my hand, come on luv, relax we'll be on the ground in just a few minutes."

David looked at his boyfriend; "Yeah, I know, but in how many pieces?"

Justyn looked at David and smiled; "One piece, ten pieces, who cares as long as we're down?"

Justyn's statement made David open his eyes and look into his lover’s; "You know, that last comment you made didn't help my sense of well being any." As he said that, the aircraft’s wheels made contact with Mother Earth. With a gentle thump and the screeching of rubber against the runway's concrete surface the big jet was once again on the ground. In one piece.

David let out a sigh of relief, finally relaxing his death grip on Justyn's hand and the seat’s armrest. Before Justyn could move, David reached over and grasped his head in both hands and drew him into a passionate kiss that lasted for what seemed like an eternity but in all actuality was only a few seconds. When they broke the kiss, David said; "I really love you mon petite chou chou, I don't know what I'd do with out you."

Justyn blushed; "You know, you're gonna have to stop with that French shit, I keep telling you I only know two languages; English and bad English."

David chuckled as they stood up to retrieve their carry on luggage from the overhead storage bins after the aircraft finally came to a stop and the jet engines spooled down. It took almost ten minutes for the flight crew to secure the aircraft and get the forward personnel door opened. A set of stairs on wheels had been moved to the cabin’s door and the men and boys started to deplane. As they exited the '757' they saw two big MCI coaches waiting for them. The boys and men, tired from the flight and the short night, lined up and started climbing into the motor coaches, all of them looking forward to getting something to eat and then crashing for a short rest. James, Matt, Jesse Stevens and the other Unit One adults gathered around Bucky Trenton, Joe and Will, to discuss what had been going on since they had last seen them in Washington State. Bucky saw that James was really tired and decided to hold off his briefing until he could rest up.

The coaches dropped the boys and men in front of ten trailers arranged in the shape of an upside down 'U' so that they all fronted on a courtyard. The left and right trailers were set up for the boys by being divided into two-man rooms, while the two trailers at the top of the 'U' were set up for the adults. The men all had single occupancy rooms, while the rest of the trailers were designated for planning, briefing, and electronic support (communications, computers and Snoopy). While the boys were getting something to eat, they heard the roar of the engines of the C17 reversing thrust as it made its landing. Tyler English turned to his boyfriend, Justin Tannonligua and asked; "Hey, how come the 17 is just now getting here, I thought it woulda landed hours ago?"

Justin shrugged; "I got no idea, maybe they had to stop somewhere to fix something, other than that I can't think of why it's just now arriving."

COMMENT: I am wondering how GhostRyder 16 has made it to Florida already. Isn’t this the slow flying, tired old Gooney Bird?

After finishing their breakfast, they decided to walk over to where GhostRyder 16 and 17 were parked to check out their LAV. When they got there, they found 'Two Five' had been unloaded and parked next to a large 'Pole Barn' that was about fifty meters from the aircraft parking ramp. As they walked up to the vehicle, one of the side hatches opened and a short thin man in dark blue coveralls climbed out. He had his back to them as they walked up to him, obviously lost in thought. Tyler wondered what he was doing in 'their' vehicle, so he was a little pissed when he asked; "Hi, is there something you need, what were you doing in our LAV?"

The man started, and then turned around to see who was talking to him. Seeing his face up close, the boys realized he was a lot older than they had first thought, somewhere in his thirties maybe, practically ancient. He looked at the two boys before saying; "Ummm, uh, I was just checking the interior to see if it had been modified to support the base ring for the Bushmaster yet. That and how I'm going to set up the cable runs for topside and interior firing stations. Umm, should you boys be hanging around here, I mean this equipment can be dangerous and, well you know, it's not a toy to be played around?"

Tyler and Justin looked at each other and shrugged, Justin turned back to the man; "Gee sir, we didn't know, we'll leave, and thanks for telling us what you're doing."

As the boys turned and started walking towards the main Admin trailer, Gerald Morton watched them depart thinking to himself; "I wish my two boys were as polite as they are, I just hope they stay out of trouble while we're down here in the middle of nowhere. Gee whiz, that's all I need right now, is them raising hell back at the motel and getting me fired because of it." Turning back to GhostRyder Two Five he continued his inspection, dismissing the two boys and his two sons from his thoughts.

Justin and Tyler entered the Admin Trailer and walked over to George Babcock who was talking to Evan Falconberg about the weapons and armaments his organization was providing. Evan’s two bodyguards, Hans and Herman were standing behind him, slowly scanning the interior of the trailer, constantly on the lookout for any threat to their 'Master' as they called him. When Sergeant Babcock finished he turned to the two boys and asked; "What's up guys?"

Tyler took the lead and spoke for the both of them; "Well. . . . We went over to check on Two Five and some old guy told us we shouldn't be there, instead of getting into a pissing contest with him we thought it best to come to you."

George smiled and thought to himself; "Thank God it was Justin and Tyler, if Jap had been involved all Hell would have been out for lunch." Still smiling, George said; "Okay guys, lets you and me go over and straighten this guy out."

With George in the lead, they left the trailer and walked over to the Pole Barn where Two Five and Two Six were parked alongside of the 'War Wagon.' All the doors and hatches on Two Five were closed, but they saw that the side personnel door on Two Six was open. Moving to the open door, George stuck his head in and asked the Tech Weenie who was crawling around and inspecting the interior of the LAV if he could talk to him. Gerald, who was really nervous and introverted, once again started at the sound of George's voice and straightened up fast from his kneeling position; crashing his head on the overhead of LAV's interior. Falling back to his knees, George heard him say: "Oh darn!" He hissed through clenched teeth; "That really smarts." It took a couple of minutes before the stars and globes of light faded from in front of his eyes, and while still holding his head, he turned to see who had startled him. Gerald who was easily intimated found a rather large man dressed in MarCams looking at him through the open side hatch of the LAV.

Still wincing from the bump on his head, which was rapidly growing to the size of a goose egg, he asked; "Umm, are, aaah, are you talking to me?"

George having witnessed the Tech Weenie bounce his head off the overhead and hearing his 'Oh Darn' smiled at the thin nervous looking Tech Rep; "Yes sir, if you could spare a moment I'd like to talk to you, if you would please?"

Gerald nodded his head and climbed out of Two Six and stood looking up at George Babcock, swaying slightly from side to side and still rubbing his head. Gerald wasn't a very big person, at five foot six and a half inches tall and a hundred and twenty eight pounds he wasn't much taller than a lot of Unit One's thirteen and fourteen year olds. In fact, Gerry, his older boy who was fifteen, was already an inch taller and five or six pounds heaver. Looking at George, he stood still waiting for the large man dressed in Marine camouflage clothing to start yelling at him or make some derogatory remark just like all the other military people he had had to work with over the years had done. He was used to it by now; the fact that he was small seemed to make people feel that it was okay to demean or belittle him, but being used to it didn't make him like it any more. What really surprised him though was the way the big Sergeant spoke to him, not in a loud bellicose or boisterous voice, but in a soft gentle tone.

Looking at the I.D. badge clipped to Gerald's left breast pocket George started the conversation by holding out his right hand and saying; "Mr. Morton, I'm Staff Sergeant Babcock, and these two guys with me are Tyler English and Justin Tannonligua, they're the crew of GhostRyder Two Five, the other LAV."

Gerald looked surprised at him and didn't really know how to respond to it, so he just stood there looking at the big Sergeant. George was staring back, realizing that the little guy was scared, like a puppy that was waiting to be beaten by his cruel master. The poor guy seemed to shrink before his very eyes. "Listen, umm Mr. Morton, why don't we go over to the dispensary and have the Doc take a look at your head, you took a pretty good hit there?"

George turned to Tyler and Justin and ordered; "You two run and find Jesse or the Doc, the last time I saw either of them, they were with James in the Admin Trailer." George gently steered the shaken Tech Rep towards the trailer where Doctor Davidson had set up his dispensary, keeping the man from wobbling too badly, all the time talking to him softly, encouraging him, telling him everything was going to be alright. Entering the trailer, George sat the man down and got him a half filled paper cup of water from the water cooler. Just as Gerald was finishing the water, the door opened and a tall distinguished man entered, followed closely by a blond headed teenager and the two boys Sergeant Babcock had said were the crew for one of the LAV's. The man followed closely by the blond boy moved quickly to each side of Gerald and the man started feeling the top of his head where the goose egg was rising. While he was doing this, the boy had pulled out a mini-mag light and was shinning it in his eyes, first the left one then the right. He turned to the man and said; "Doc, both are equal and reactive." Jesse then fitted a blood pressure cuff around his left arm and pumped it up, sticking the earpieces of a stethoscope in his ears the boy placed the mic portion in the crook of Gerald's arm and opened the valve on the cuff, as the cuff slowly deflated, a saurian hiss was heard throughout the room. When the cuff was deflated, Jesse turned to the doctor and said; “BP is 112 over 72, pulse is 61 and strong."

"Fine." The doctor said; "How about getting me some hydrogen peroxide, four by fours, cotton applicators and some Neosporin please." Just as the sergeant had done, the Doctor looked at Gerald's I.D. Badge before speaking to him; "Mr. Morton, you have a lump on your head and a slight cut, I'm going to clean it up and apply a topical anti-biotic to it, you won't require any stitches though. I do want you to stay here and lie down for a few hours, I don't believe you have a concussion, but I don't want to take a chance. Jesse, my assistant will stay with you to make sure everything is alright."

Gerald was about to argue that he had to finish his inspection and his two sons were by themselves at the motel where they were staying. "Doctor, I must complete my inspection and get back to the Motel, my two boys are waiting for me and I don't want to leave them there by their selves any longer than I have too."

The Doctor frowned; "Mr. Morton, please think about what would happen if you were driving back to Blountstown and you passed out or were suddenly struck by vertigo. At the very least you'd probably run off the road and be further injured; the worst case scenario would be you colliding with another truck or automobile and injuring not only yourself, but the occupants of the other vehicle. Tell us where you're staying and I'll send some of our people to get your boys and bring them back here to spend the rest of the day and night."

Gerald thought about what Doctor Davidson had just said and knew he couldn't take a chance hurting himself or someone else. "You're right sir; we're staying at the Blountstown Inn, in room 233. Kyle, who's fourteen and Gerald fifteen will either be in the room, in the Inn's arcade, or across the street at the theater."

Doctor Davidson turned to George Babcock, Tyler and Justin and asked; "How about you and the boys grabbing a HUMVEE and pick up his boys?"

George thought about it for a moment before answering; "No problem Doc." Turning to Gerald; "How about writing out a quick note to your boys telling them what's going on so's they won't be frightened when we find them?"

After Gerald wrote the note telling the boys he was okay, but couldn't drive, he lay back on the bed and started to wonder about the people in Unit. Having worked with the military for close to eighteen years, he thought he knew all about their likes, dislikes and their general attitudes, especially their attitudes about civilians in general and company Tech Reps in particular. These guys just didn't fit the mold that he was used to encountering; "Hmmm, interesting." He thought to himself.

While Gerald was trying to think things through and come up with an answer that would fit his world view, George and the boys were heading towards the Blountstown Inn in one of the Unit HUMVEE's, all of them dressed in street clothes. Even though the HUMVEE was painted in MarCam camouflage, it didn't seem to attract undue attention, mainly due to the fact that about every fourth vehicle seemed to be painted in one form or another of camouflage paint. Thirty minutes after leaving GhostRyder Base Forward, they entered Blountstown, a few minutes later they were waiting for traffic to ease up enough to make the left turn into the 'Inn's' parking lot. Pulling into the Blountstown Inn parking lot, George parked the big rig near the front of the motel. Getting out of the rig he sent Tyler and Justin into the motel to see if they could find the boys while he went to room 233 to see if they were there. Knocking on the door he heard someone moving around in the room, then he heard through the door; "Yeah, whadaya wan?"

"I'm George Babcock; I need to talk to Kyle or Gerald Morton."

The door opened a little and he saw a teenager who looked to be about fourteen peering through the opening the security chain allowed. "I'm Kyle, what da ya want?"

George smiled at the boy; "First of all I want you to read this note from your father, he banged his head while he was working and our doctor doesn't want him driving for a while. He's okay, just a little out of it and dizzy, but he's worried about you and your brother being by yourself."

Kyle took the note and quickly read it, looking back at George he asked: "What's the safe word?"

George smiled at the boy, thinking to himself that Gerald had taught his kids right; never trust a stranger unless he had the safe word that they had set up. George nodded and said in a soft voice; "Snoqualmie Pass Charlie."

Kyle closed the door and undid the security chain and opened the door letting George enter the room. After closing the door he turned back to George and asked; "Are you sure he's okay, I mean you weren't kidding me about him being okay were you?"

George nodded at the boy who was standing before him in just a pair of Tartan patterned boxers, and white socks; "I wouldn't lie to you son, he's fine just like I said. The Doc just wants to make sure he didn't suffer a concussion when he smacked his head on the overhead of the crew compartment of one of our Light Armored Vehicles (LAV's)." George stopped talking for a few seconds before continuing; "He's really worried about you and your brother, that's why I came to get you, two of my guys are looking for Gerald down in the motel’s arcade right now. How about you getting dressed and giving us a hand, oh yeah, throw a change of clothing in to a bag for you and your brother, you'll both be spending the night out at the airstrip with your dad."

For the first time Kyle realized that he was standing in front of a stranger in just his boxers. Quickly he turned and grabbed a pair of khaki colored cargo shorts, turned his back to George and pulled them on. After buttoning and zipping up, he pulled on a plain blue, pocket T-Shirt, he turned back to George blushing furiously; "Sorry about that Mr. Babcock, I was kinda shook up about Dad and wasn't thinking straight."

George chuckled; "Don't worry about it, I have two sons myself and understand completely. Just relax, your dad's fine, we just want to make sure he stays that way. When you're finished packing, we'll go down to our vehicle and wait for my guys and your brother, by the way, do you know where he is?"

"Ahh yeah, he said he was going down to the arcade off of the motel lobby, he doesn't usually go anywhere with out letting me know, and I do the same. Dad made us promise him we'd look out for each other when he wasn't around, so we always tell each other if we're gonna do something else."