TRANSFORMATIONS. CHAPTER 33

TRANSFORMATIONS

CHAPTER 33

South of XXXXXXXXXXX

July

THE FLIGHT TO XXXXXXX was uneventful. A bird from a covered air program run by the Agency delivered them to XXXXXXXX. Reece remained quiet most of the trip, reflecting on his last few months in the bush and processing the news that Freddy had brought him from halfway around the world. I am going to live. That meant he had to live with the pain, the pain of losing his wife, daughter, and unborn son. He also had to make peace with the fact that he was going to work for the same government that had tried to destroy him. He was being given a second chance—just one last mission and he was free. Free to do what? That was a question he needed some time to work out. Reece had been prepared for death for so long, ready to join his wife and daughter, had he forgotten how to live?

“Nice truck, ” Reece commented, gesturing toward the beige Toyota Hilux waiting on the tarmac.

“I know. These things are great. Too bad you can’t get them in the States. You don’t still have that old Land Cruiser, do you? ”

“Ha! Well, I did until a few months ago. Had I known I wasn’t dying, I might have stashed her away for a rainy day. ” Reece smiled, climbing into the passenger seat as Freddy put the truck in gear and began to weave his way toward the exit.

Reece had first met Freddy Strain when they were both enlisted SEALs just prior to 9/11. Fred had enlisted a year after Reece. He had a reputation as a smart guy and a capable operator. They were in the same sniper school class and were assigned as shooting partners, which meant they were more or less married for the duration of the school.

“What are we listening to? Is this Waylon Jennings? ” Reece asked as a pseudo-psychedelic country rock melody floated into the air.

“This is Sturgill Simpson, man. Great sound. Reminds me of the country my dad would play back in the seventies. ”

Freddy had grown up in Stuart, Florida, which is just south of Fort Pierce, where the original Navy frogmen were trained during World War II. When Freddy should have been studying, he was fishing and diving off the nearby Atlantic coast or swatting mosquitoes while working on old cars in his family’s garage. He came from a blue-collar family in a very white-collar town and had a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it came to others’ expectations of him. He was an avid reader and scored highly on all the aptitude tests, but he just couldn’t make himself care about high school. Other than a few history courses that piqued his interest, the only A’s on his report cards came from the multiple shop classes that he took each semester.

On Veterans Day of his senior year, his dad took him to the annual muster at the UDT/SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce; the site of the old training grounds. Freddy watched in awe as active-duty SEALs performed live demonstrations of raids and ambushes complete with blank-firing machine guns and demolitions, scaled the sides of the museum building without ropes, and parachuted onto the museum grounds from aircraft circling high above. The following Monday, he was in the recruiting office signing delayed enlistment papers.

Freddy was living proof that not all stereotypes are true. In the Hollywood version, the sniper is always a quiet loner who lives for the solitude of the stalk. Freddy Strain was the opposite; he basically never stopped talking unless silence was absolutely necessary. Even then, Reece was sure he was thinking about what to say next. Freddy made up for not studying in high school by reading about subjects that interested him. He could talk about anything: arcane historical information, Keynesian economics, Nietzschean philosophy, his family, or the ignition timing of a 1956 Ford, but he especially loved to talk about guns. While Reece believed guns were tools of the trade and that armorers and gunsmiths existed for a reason, Freddy was obsessed with every single moving part. He constantly debated the best weapon, best optic, best bullet, and made modifications to nearly every piece of equipment he carried. His teammates used to joke that, if anyone ever broke into Freddy’s house, they’d get away before he decided which gun to use on them. His biggest concern was always having the perfect setup for any contingency. When the operators at his most recent command went for beers after work, Freddy would be in the armory tweaking his weapons.

“Reece, you missed some of the latest SEAL drama while you were away. ”

“What do you mean? ”

“Remember that fucker Martell? ”

“Oh yeah. What an asshole! Elitist snob, if I remember correctly. ”

“Yep. Total hypocrite. Turns out that as commanding officer of the training center, just as we are about to welcome our first BUD/S class with females, he gets caught sending pictures of his crank to female subordinate sailors in his chain of command. Turns out he was a total perv the whole time he’s playing the ‘holier than thou’ role as CO. Unbelievable. Some reporter got wind of it and started asking questions, but the Navy used the ‘ongoing investigation’ garbage to conceal it while Martell quickly and quietly retired. ”

“The ol’ dick pic. Always a hit with the ladies. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. ”

“Agreed. Wonder how having women come through the program is going to change things? I mean, you want your daughter to have all the opportunities that men have and feel like they can do anything they. . . ” Freddy’s voice trailed off. “I’m sorry, Reece. I didn’t mean ‘your daughter. ’ I just meant in general. Sorry, buddy. ”

“That’s okay, ” Reece responded, attempting to hide the hurt in his eyes. “I’ll never get over losing them. Now that I’m not dying, I guess I just keep moving forward. I thought I was done, buddy. My grave was already dug. Not sure if that makes it easier or harder to live with what I did. ”

“Well, you certainly improved on the old ‘before embarking on a journey of revenge, dig two graves, one for yourself’ proverb, ” Freddy said smiling, trying to lighten the mood. “I think you did a bit more digging than the original author had in mind. ”

“They had it coming. ”

“Don’t we all? ” Freddy asked, suddenly serious again.

Seeing the conversation as an opening into his friend’s well-being, Freddy ventured, “Think you can move on without Lauren? ”

Reece paused, unsure not only of how to respond to his old sniper school buddy but also of how he actually felt.

“I don’t know, brother. Seems almost sacrilegious to even talk about it. Lauren and Lucy were my life. I felt this devotion to country that kept me in the Teams. It’s funny, had the war not happened I probably would have gotten out long ago, and Lauren and Lucy would still be alive. ”

“You’re out now. ”

“Yeah, I keep forgetting. Seems like I’m back on the USG leash, ” Reece said, using the abbreviation for United States government.

“True. Almost like the old days. ” Freddy grinned.

“You want to tell me where we’re going? ”

“Not much longer now. I’ve only been here once before. It’s a former black site where we used to bring suspected terrorists when we wanted another country to do our dirty work for us. Part of the extraordinary rendition program started after 9/11. ”

“I remember, ” Reece affirmed. “Fairly effective from what I can recall, that is until the media and the enemy figured it out. ”

“Exactly. Just finding out we had black sites was a big PR win for them. Kind of like the very existence of Guantanamo. I’m not sure how we measure the ROI, but the law of diminishing returns would indicate that at some point the enemy got more out of those from a recruitment and world sentiment standpoint than the value of the actual intel we got from using them. ”

“Such a tough call, and another reason we have civilian control of the military, ” said Reece.

“Yeah, on a certain level it almost condoned certain behaviors that we ended up having a lot of trouble with at my former command and in the military in general: desecrating bodies, tactical interrogations that went too far. ” Freddy paused. “It was interesting, though, Reece. Everyone who came from working with you always was a bit more thoughtful about it. They said you talked about the importance of maintaining the moral high ground to differentiate us from our enemies. I don’t think they got that from many others. ”

Reece shook his head. “I threw that right out the window when they killed my family. ”

“No, you didn’t, Reece. Never think that. You just went to war. Plain and simple. They killed Lauren and Lucy. They killed your entire troop. Tried to kill you. You held them accountable. Just because you broke a few laws doesn’t mean you lost the moral high ground. You always held that territory. ”

“Thanks, Freddy, ” Reece said, looking out at the desolate yet beautiful desert scenery.

“You ever do any of those ‘diaper runs’? ” Reece asked his friend, using the Agency slang for the kinetic side of extraordinary rendition due to the use of diapers on terrorists snatched off the street in country X on the way to country Y as both a means of humiliation and practicality.

“No. By the time I got to the Agency that program was pretty much over. Too much controversy. Though what we’re about to do sure comes close. And besides, I came on just to find you. ” Freddy smiled again.

“Gee, thanks, ” Reece responded, not attempting to hide his sarcasm.

“No problem, and thanks again for not putting me in one of those revenge graves, ” Freddy said, thinking of everyone Reece had put in the ground avenging his family and SEAL Troop.

“You’re welcome, ” Reece returned with just the slightest hint of a smile before shaking his head and continuing more to himself than to his friend. “I just couldn’t do it, man. I saw you down there in the kill zone, and suddenly everyone down there became a version of you. Guys with families, kids, dogs, aspirations, dreams. Not only did you save everyone’s lives that day, you probably saved mine. I’m not sure I could live with myself had I followed through with it. I was just so blinded by what I needed to do that I almost ambushed a troop, just like the SECDEF and Admiral Pilsner ambushed mine. I should be the one thanking you for saving my life. ”

“Whatever you say, brother. Let’s call it even. ”

“Freddy, you didn’t get out just to find me, did you? ”

Freddy glanced at his friend and then back to the road. “Well, not just to find you, although that’s what sealed the deal on going to the Agency and, in all honesty, was a huge part of it. I had to find out why you didn’t kill us all that day when you had us in a textbook ambush. I looked at the claymore set up after we assaulted Ben’s cabin, came up empty, and patrolled back to the trailhead. I sent some of the reconnaissance guys out to locate possible hide sites, and sure enough they found where you had set up. Looks like you had most of the Team Seven armory laid out up there: LAWs, an AT-4, an Mk 48. ”

“It was a good position. ”

“Yeah, well, thanks again. ” Freddy paused. “But like I said, that wasn’t the only reason I left. ”

“Really? I thought you loved the Teams. ”

“I did. Remember the witch hunts that went down in the wake of the ‘tell-all’ book on the big mish? ” Freddy asked, referencing one of the many nonfiction books on the Osama bin Laden mission.

“I remember. What a shit show. The same people that gave the green light to that Hollywood movie starring active-duty SEALs and benefited more than a little bit from BUD/S tours they gave wealthy donors to the different SEAL foundations suddenly got convenient cases of amnesia. They fried a bunch of guys for off-duty employment, from what I remember. ”

“Yeah, that’s about the gist of it. Years before I had done some teaching at a hunter’s marksmanship program in Texas called Bladelands Ranch. ”

“That place is amazing, ” Reece said in acknowledgment. “I took my snipers out there before our last deployment to Iraq. Beautiful facility in the Hill Country. Guy that started it made a fortune selling a microbrewery to Coors or Budweiser or something, right? ”

“That’s right, Blackbuck Brewery. Great stuff! Anyway, some of us in our off time would go out there on leave to pick up a few extra dollars helping people prepare for hunts in Africa or Alaska, getting their rifles dialed in, teaching them how to dial and hold, that sort of thing. Well, after the tipping point of the UBL books, they came after everybody doing outside employment. They said we were teaching ‘sniper’ tactics and giving away TTPs. Of course, that wasn’t even close to what we were doing. I learned that the justice system is not always out to do what’s right. They are out for the win. It was an eye-opener. ”

“Sounds like I should have added a few people to my list, ” Reece offered with a slight smile.

“Ha! I have a few names for you, for next time. ”

“So, what happened? ”

“They took a bunch of us to mast. You wouldn’t have believed it, Reece: standing right next to the CO was the CMC who’d taught tactics and CQC out at Blackwater in North Carolina for years to make extra money on the weekends. Guess he just forgot. ”

“You didn’t bring that up? ”

“Reece, you know me better than that. Not my style. Besides, he has to live with it. And if I remember correctly, his wife had more platoon hats than he did. ”

“Karma’s a bitch sometimes. ”

“You actually already took care of one of them: Admiral Pilsner. Turns out he was even dirtier than we thought. His wife was funneling money from one of the SEAL-oriented foundations into an offshore account and selling influence through guided tours and access. Emails proved Pilsner knew all about it. If you hadn’t killed him he would have gone to jail for a long time. I think ol’ Mrs. Pilsner got six years in the federal penitentiary. Probably be out in four, I’d imagine. ”

Looking out the window as the desert started to turn rocky and the XXXXXXXXXXX began to take shape in the distance, Reece swallowed and asked, “How’s your son? ”

Freddy’s son, Sam, had been born with a rare genetic disorder and would require full-time care for life. Reece remembered Freddy and his wife, Joan, putting on brave fronts as they dealt with the situation. Reece always had the highest respect for how they handled what had to be one of the toughest situations imaginable.

Taking a breath, Freddy kept his eyes on the road. “He’s okay, Reece. Thank you for asking. It’s a lifelong journey. Our mission is to help him reach his full potential, regardless of what it is. ”

“Was there ever a final diagnosis? ”

“Raife didn’t tell you? ”

“What do you mean? ” Reece asked, puzzled.

“He’s the only reason we have a diagnosis. ”

“He never mentioned it, but our relationship was a bit strained after Iraq when he left the Teams. And, ” Reece remembered, “the last time we met up, we were a little busy. ”

“Yeah, well, we got the runaround from the Navy doctors for years. We almost went broke paying specialists from some private top-name hospitals for their opinion, hence the off-duty work at Bladelands. Nobody could figure it out. They kept trying to diagnose him with labels that just didn’t fit. Joanie knew. She knew they didn’t have it right. ”

“So, what happened? ” Reece pressed.

“Somebody mentioned it to Raife. I always thought it was you. ”

“We discussed it, but only in terms of you having a lot to deal with, especially with multiple deployments and workups, which as we know are stressful enough on a family without a special needs kid. You and Joanie were an inspiration to everyone. ”

“Thanks, man. What happened between you and Raife, anyway? You guys were like brothers. ”

“Something happened in Iraq. Nothing you or I wouldn’t have done in his shoes. So how did Raife help out? ” Reece asked, clearly not wanting to discuss his old friend and getting the conversation back on track.

“He talked with his father-in-law about it. Must have been right about the time he was getting out. Next thing we know, Joanie is getting a call from the lead doctor at Southwestern Medical Center, just outside Dallas. Apparently Raife’s father-in-law donated most of the money to build it. Anyway, about a month later we’re getting picked up by a G550 private jet, complete with a nurse, and flown from Virginia Beach to Dallas. They assembled a team of genetic specialists from around the country, did a full workup of genetic tests on all of us, and sent our blood around the world to institutions doing similar research. ”

“That’s incredible! ”

“Yeah, we would never have gotten a legitimate diagnosis from the Navy. ”

“What did they find out? ”

“A researcher in the Netherlands had discovered a rare genetic mutation of the NR2F1 gene. It helps form the brain. They didn’t even have a name for it back then but now they call it Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf after the team that discovered it. Sam was the thirteenth person ever diagnosed with it. There are more out there, they just don’t know someone who can correctly diagnose it. ”

“How is Joanie doing? ” Reece asked.

“She’s the strong one, Reece. She dealt with it all while we were away doing the job, focused on the mission, on the Team. She did it all alone. I’m not sure I could have done it in her position. Sam is a sweet kid. He’s nine now, but cognitively he’s very young. He certainly keeps us on our toes. ”

“How is he with the other kids? ”

“Ha! He’s sandwiched in between an older sister and younger brother that are absolute rock stars. We have to believe that Sam came to us for a reason, and that reason is that God thought we were strong enough to love him while at the same time raising two other kids and giving them the attention and support they deserve. ”

“You guys are an amazing family, Freddy. Sam is certainly lucky he got you two as parents. ”

“Thanks, buddy. ”

Freddy nodded at the road ahead and changed subjects. “It will be a few miles off this main road back in those mountains. Not a bad place to spend a few months. ”

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