My partners entered my field of vision and I almost started crying.
Not because I was happy to see them, but because I knew that I wouldn't be able to protect them.
"What the hell are you doing here." I asked as the duct tape came off of my mouth.
"We decided we wouldn't let you face this alone.
"What the hell are you doing here." I asked as the duct tape came off of my mouth.
"We decided we wouldn't let you face this alone.
They let me loose and I gave them a very watered down version of what happened after they left.
So, as the sun set, we waited.
Sitting around the table.
Even the drummmer, despite everything he still trusted and cared about me.
Life is strange.
Even the drummmer, despite everything he still trusted and cared about me.
Life is strange.
The hour approached, we went about our prep work as we usually did before a D&D session.
Making dinner, setting the table, starting the music.
The Sureal normalacy of it only broken by painful breathing and slow movement on my part.
The hour approched, the dealers arrived.
They stood where I had been in taped to the chair and then one of them sat.
We exchanged pleasentries, there was a dufflebag full of paper.
I asked if they wore crocs with socks.
The world exploded.
A bullet tore through my back and right into my partners eye. A look of confusion passed over their face as they eyed the injury in my chest.
"Are you okay?" my partner asked.
I locked eyes with them and put on my best reassuring smile.
"I'm okay baby. You know I love you right?"
"Yes."
"I promise you I will stay with you for the rest of your life."
Blood trickled down their cheek as they smiled.
"I think theres a fly on my face, it tickles."
"Just keep your hands on the table baby, the cavelry is coming and we don't want them to think we're hostile."
My partners eyes unfocused.
My jaw clenched.
I flipped the table standing up and turned to face our attackers as I heard the sargent say "Did you see that shit? Two with one shot."
I turned around and saw the sarges face.
My friends face, and I coudn't tell him, he had never met my partners before.
"I told you not to shoot me again ass hole."
Then, rather than breaking down I turned my anger inward at the racisim and idiocy that had brought us to this moment and harnessed it.
The Sureal normalacy of it only broken by painful breathing and slow movement on my part.
The hour approched, the dealers arrived.
They stood where I had been in taped to the chair and then one of them sat.
We exchanged pleasentries, there was a dufflebag full of paper.
I asked if they wore crocs with socks.
The world exploded.
A bullet tore through my back and right into my partners eye. A look of confusion passed over their face as they eyed the injury in my chest.
"Are you okay?" my partner asked.
I locked eyes with them and put on my best reassuring smile.
"I'm okay baby. You know I love you right?"
"Yes."
"I promise you I will stay with you for the rest of your life."
Blood trickled down their cheek as they smiled.
"I think theres a fly on my face, it tickles."
"Just keep your hands on the table baby, the cavelry is coming and we don't want them to think we're hostile."
My partners eyes unfocused.
My jaw clenched.
I flipped the table standing up and turned to face our attackers as I heard the sargent say "Did you see that shit? Two with one shot."
I turned around and saw the sarges face.
My friends face, and I coudn't tell him, he had never met my partners before.
"I told you not to shoot me again ass hole."
Then, rather than breaking down I turned my anger inward at the racisim and idiocy that had brought us to this moment and harnessed it.
"Where's the bomb?"
"What fucking bomb?"
"The gooddan bomb we were sent to find."
"This ones still breathing but he's all fucked up" one of the squad said, another vomited on the floor.
I dove to the floor next to him, i knew these people, knew them as humans, not just criminals.
I dove over to him and laid on the floor next to him as he struggled to breath or move.
"Just relax homey, I'm here, helps coming."
The fear settled a little in his eyes as he focused on trying to take rattling breaths.
"Hey fucking feds, am I right?" I said and the ghost of a smile flickered across bloody lips. He started to try and move his head to look around. "Just focus on me, you're fucked up man, if you move you might make it worse. Wait for the doctors."
"His eyes flooded with tears."
""Hey, did you finish making that bomb?"
I asked thinking it was all bullshit." The barest of a nod."
"Oh dude, I dind't think you had." I put a comforting hand on his. "if you tell me where it is i'll make sure you gets where it needs to go, even if I don't make it out of here there's back up coming."
He relaxed a little and pointed to the crawlspace opening. I held his hand, his body shook and his eyes rolled to the side.
I was yanked back to my feet by the Sargent.
"What the fuck was that, I thought you were on our side.?"
I turned on him.
"I got the bombs location and gave him peace in his last moments ass hole, look at his finger."
All eyes turned to the crawl space opening.
They pulled it out of the darkness and put the case.
I turned to a couple of the soldiers and asked them to help me right the table they set the bomb in front of me.
I looked at the case and checked for any visible traps. I looked at the faces surrounding the table and we collectivly held our breath as I opened it.
There was a timer, studied the wiring and held my hand out. "Pliers."
Small bits of panic crossed the assembleds faces. "No one has pliers? What about toenail clippers?"
Head shook.
"You came looking for a bomb without a way to disarm it? Are you kidding me?"
I took a breath.
"We have just over eight minutes, there are toe nail clippers on the sink in the bathroom, I was trimming my nails before the crazy happened today. Get them."
"There was a mad dash up the stairs. I tore my eyes off of the timer and refocused on the wiring looking for traps.
It was simple, dirty, never meant to be found.
To nail clippers entered my vision, I took them. Said another prayer and prayed that the circut was open and not closed.
I snipped the wire.
"I got the bombs location and gave him peace in his last moments ass hole, look at his finger."
All eyes turned to the crawl space opening.
They pulled it out of the darkness and put the case.
I turned to a couple of the soldiers and asked them to help me right the table they set the bomb in front of me.
I looked at the case and checked for any visible traps. I looked at the faces surrounding the table and we collectivly held our breath as I opened it.
There was a timer, studied the wiring and held my hand out. "Pliers."
Small bits of panic crossed the assembleds faces. "No one has pliers? What about toenail clippers?"
Head shook.
"You came looking for a bomb without a way to disarm it? Are you kidding me?"
I took a breath.
"We have just over eight minutes, there are toe nail clippers on the sink in the bathroom, I was trimming my nails before the crazy happened today. Get them."
"There was a mad dash up the stairs. I tore my eyes off of the timer and refocused on the wiring looking for traps.
It was simple, dirty, never meant to be found.
To nail clippers entered my vision, I took them. Said another prayer and prayed that the circut was open and not closed.
I snipped the wire.
The bomb didn't explode.
I stopped the timer.
I stood up, the sarge giddy as a puppy
I looked at my partner face down on the floor.
I turned to the sarge refusing to let tears well in my eyes.
He glanced at my partner.
"Who's the troll?"
I paused and slipped into the character I had been playing around the white men.
"A hooker the dealers brought. The surviving partner went for my throat.
Soldiers took them upstairs.
"People pay money for hookers that look like that?."
I blew up.
I screamed at him for fucking up my investigation and then rather than screaming him for shooting my lover I berated him for fucking up the sting operation and then went on a racist rant at his squad mates.
He told them to keep an eye on me while he went and reported to his C.O..
I truned to the remaining squad set to watch. People of color save for one.
I apologized for the explosion.
Explained that I needed to scream and rant at the Sargent because the person on the floor was my wife and the person upstairs was my boyfriend.
All acknowledging of one another.
That I was trying to track down the source for the drugs but ran into a wall of White Supremicist. So it was fit in or get no where.
I asked them not to tell the Sargent who the other people were until everything was settled.
All acknowledging of one another.
That I was trying to track down the source for the drugs but ran into a wall of White Supremicist. So it was fit in or get no where.
I asked them not to tell the Sargent who the other people were until everything was settled.
The sargent had done his job and done it well with the information he had and I didn't want him having that burden of guilt until after the dust had settled in case there was still work to do.
I explained that none of them knew that much about me, that this was my home life, that they only saw the work side and that when their C.O. came in that they would see me in work mode and all I wanted was them to remain silent during the conversation. that they could give their
I explained that none of them knew that much about me, that this was my home life, that they only saw the work side and that when their C.O. came in that they would see me in work mode and all I wanted was them to remain silent during the conversation. that they could give their
debriefings after I did.
I had them set the bomb on the table infront of the "Gunslingers seat." My usual seat when inviting new people or known unsafe people to the office.
The C.O. came in and I turned to the Sargent.
"You're going to be giving me 20 pushups when I stand up."
The sarge looked at me and scoffed.
I asked that the C.O. dismiss everyong save for two of the soldiers I had screamed racial epitaphs at while trying to get the Sargent out of the room.
The Sargent protested but the C.O. sent him upstairs.
"Sir, you're in my chair."
I said after the C.O. had looked over the case and slid it to the side.
"Is that a threat son?"
"No sir, a statement of fact. When I'm working in this room that is my seat."
the C.O. nodded after a moment in understanding.
We knew each other.
I pointed at the case.
"I did my job."
"Now it's my understanding that there is/was a bounty on some of these people. I would like to collect it. And once collected I want it to go the soldier who was hurt and their family.
I pointed to one of the remaining soldiers.
"That one should be your second in command, they know seven different languages and put me on my toes in mental sparring matches. I turned to the other remaining soldier. That one you should be grooming as your replacement. Not as some affirmative action bullshit, but because they acted professionally and never batted an eye during these whole proceedings.
"Now it's my understanding that there is/was a bounty on some of these people. I would like to collect it. And once collected I want it to go the soldier who was hurt and their family.
I pointed to one of the remaining soldiers.
"That one should be your second in command, they know seven different languages and put me on my toes in mental sparring matches. I turned to the other remaining soldier. That one you should be grooming as your replacement. Not as some affirmative action bullshit, but because they acted professionally and never batted an eye during these whole proceedings.
The Sargent is a good soldier, but needs a bit more discipline before leading a team again.
These two can debrief you, I'm going to head upstairs to the EMTs and face the consequences of today. I'm not going far, but if you think I did the right thing take the bodies, treat them with respect. Clear the furniture out to the garage and leave a mop and bucket with the proper cleaning supplies in the middle of the room, I'll clean up the blood since that represents the warmth and love that was lost today."
I went out to the EMT's and told them to have a non white doctor to treat me and to warn them that I would be belligerent and racist when they wheeled me in so that I could keep my cover and keep working.
A few days later I woke up in my own bed.
I went down the basement and moped up the blood of my friends and then cleaned the house.
I moved a chair and a t.v. down there and I mourned the loss. I walked the streets at night screaming their names hoping that it had all been a bad dream but knowing in my heart that it hadn't been.
After i pulled myself together I went back to work trying to track down the source of the drugs...
These two can debrief you, I'm going to head upstairs to the EMTs and face the consequences of today. I'm not going far, but if you think I did the right thing take the bodies, treat them with respect. Clear the furniture out to the garage and leave a mop and bucket with the proper cleaning supplies in the middle of the room, I'll clean up the blood since that represents the warmth and love that was lost today."
I went out to the EMT's and told them to have a non white doctor to treat me and to warn them that I would be belligerent and racist when they wheeled me in so that I could keep my cover and keep working.
A few days later I woke up in my own bed.
I went down the basement and moped up the blood of my friends and then cleaned the house.
I moved a chair and a t.v. down there and I mourned the loss. I walked the streets at night screaming their names hoping that it had all been a bad dream but knowing in my heart that it hadn't been.
After i pulled myself together I went back to work trying to track down the source of the drugs...
