Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 14:31:11 EDT
From: Jetjt@aol.com
Subject: Super Jeff, Chapter 29

The following story is a work of gay fiction. If the subject matter is
offensive to you or you are too young, please exit now. This work is the
property of the author and may not be reproduced without permission.  John
Tucker JETjt@aol.com


					SUPER JEFF

				      Chapter Twenty-nine

JEFF'S POV

Scotland was beautiful and the golf more than a bit unusual. If a real
Scottish course was `transferred' en mass to the U.S. there would certainly
be a mixed reaction, to say the least. The heather roughs are very
difficult to play reliably from, sand traps abound; not just on the edges
of the fairways but smack dab in the middle, and most of the traps are deep
with vertical faces, making a shot at the green impossible.

The four of us, Kayden, Terry, Chris and I were having a wonderful
time. The two of us from the U.S. found the two Brits delightful to be
around and once we got the hang of some of the `language' understood all
that was going on around us. We still had to ask occasionally about some of
the slang that they used but it was a minor inconvenience. Of course then
we ran into the Scots. In some ways it was harder to understand them than
the `proper' English spoken by our friends, but easier than a couple of the
`London dialects' that we were exposed to on our `night out'. That night
we'd run into a couple of Aussies and another couple from India which made
Chris and I wonder if we really all spoke the same language.

It was unfortunate that Rick and Mandy weren't with us. On the flight to
London, Rick announced that his father had asked him to travel to
Southampton to represent their company in a business meeting. They left for
the coast immediately after our welcome by our hosts, then called the
following evening. After hearing that there were no new developments in our
parents' case, Amanda announced that they were going to take the Chunnel
Train to Paris to meet some of her friends from school who had traveled
there. At the beginning of the summer she'd planned to go with them, but
that plan had been cancelled because of the folks' kidnapping.  She
promised to call us daily. I'm sure that Rick would have enjoyed the golf
trip, but I guess that's the price you pay when being in love with a girl
who has no interest in golf.

The Scottish countryside was beautiful, but gave us a new appreciation for
the hardiness of the Scots. Not only were their golf courses a challenge,
but the damned wind blew constantly and seemed to change direction each
time you looked to it for some `help'. Only once were we challenged by a
`squall' but managed to get properly dampened before we donned our rain
suits. Of course by the time we got into the rain gear it stopped
raining. We left the protective coverings on for one hole before deciding
to brave the elements again, as the extra clothing impeded our swings.

I was glad to have the distraction of golf as my mind wanted to wander to
Tyler's efforts to rescue our parents. One thing I had long realized about
golf is that if you think about anything but golf as you go around the
course you'll play poorly. It was the perfect solution to my
nervousness. If we had played any nondescript courses, I'd have probably
let my game suffer while I worried, but I was in such awe of the courses we
played that I forced my mind to concentrate on my game. I think Tyler must
have planned it this way when he insisted that we play.

On the second day in Scotland, we played St. Andrews. I was unashamedly in
awe of this daunting course. Kay and Terry had both played there before,
and of course we had caddies to point us around and give us advice. We
three shot in the mid-to-high seventies, which I considered good, but
especially good for playing courses we'd never played before, including the
unfamiliar `links' variety.

I was particularly proud of Chris. Even though he scored the highest in our
group his scores were just over 80, more than remarkable, considering that
he was fairly new to the game which at best, is a difficult game of
coordination and concentration. It is good to see his confidence build. He
is no longer the meek and afraid boy he'd been when we first met. It would
be difficult to say that he is yet truly gregarious, but he's come a long
way from being the introvert that he was.  Even though each new experience
fills him with wonder, his confidence has slowly built so that change no
longer frightens him. His physical and muscular growth and developing
athletic skills have combined with the personal security he now feels to
face head-on the challenges of the world. Even though I'd fallen in love
with the guy I'd met earlier, the new Chris means even more to me, if
that's possible. I inwardly rejoice at his achievements, giving him
encouragement, while being careful not to overdo it. It wasn't any of that
however that made me love Chris. In spite of his new confidence, he's
remained that same sweet boy I'd fallen for. His compassion for others and
his deep caring for me is a gift far beyond any personal achievement.

I've changed too. B.C. (before Chris) I'd appeared to others as arrogant. I
didn't want to appear that way, but when you have all of life's physical
rewards handed to you on a silver platter it's difficult not to appear that
way. Sure I worked hard (for me) on developing my physical, mental and
musical skills, so I was not one of the `idle rich'. I guess that I just
never before understood that the rewards of having people you care about,
that you wanted to please more than being pleased, are far greater than the
achievements themselves. I understood now, that achievement for me had been
easy. I had the mental capacity to learn easily and was gifted physically,
making those accomplishments a natural outgrowth of my God-given
abilities. I had musical talent and was outgoing and friendly, drawing
people to me when I desired. I now realized that I had used all that which
I'd been given selfishly, for my own ego. With all of that going for me, I
realize now in retrospect that then I had no one who loved me for myself,
for the Jeff within. I was lonely and didn't really know it.

I can thank Chris for making me see the light. Although I'm sure that he
was initially overwhelmed by all the trappings that my parent's wealth
displayed, and I'm even sure that he was flattered by my attention to him,
given my social status in school, he quickly cut through all that crap and
found the inside Jeff. Yes, he found the real me and loved me, even though
I really didn't deserve it. As he changed, so had I. I began to love the
love he gave and to crave it. More than that, I found that I wanted to
please him more than I cared about him reciprocating. He became my pride
and joy. I find myself now wanting to be a better person because of him,
not a person who achieves more for himself but one who gives more of
himself to others, starting with Chris.

When we had finished playing golf, we found a pub that Kayden assured us
would serve us. We took a quiet booth, got our dark brews, and sipped them
as we talked about the round of golf we'd just played. As we reached a
point of complete relaxation, my cell phone rang. Pulling it from my
pocket, I flipped it open and said, "Hello, this is Jeff."

"Hi Jeff," the voice answered. "This is Tyler."


TYLER'S POV

The flight from Rome to Athens had been short and comfortable. The young
agent from the Athens office of Worldwide Security, now owned by
Aztec-Turner met me at the biz-jet terminal and soon had me whisked to the
office. After a short visit there, exchanging pleasantries with the staff
and discussing our business, I was ushered out the back door to a waiting
vehicle. From there I was taken to the commercial passenger terminal where
I was handed a ticket folder for my seat on El Al bound for Tel Aviv. I was
told that my luggage had already been checked through and that the stubs
were in my ticket folder.

I really hoped that my movements had not been observed by terrorist
agents. If they were monitoring my plane, they'd be disappointed to see it
still tied down in Athens for the next few days. My driver had taken a
round-about route from the office to the terminal, making sure that we were
not followed. In less than an hour from my arrival at the Athens airport
the large plane moved away from the gate to begin its flight.

Once the plane was in the air, I laid back and closed my eyes. I still felt
a bit unsettled from the time changes and air travel, but was determined
that it wouldn't curtail my activities or involvement in the rescue.

In Tel Aviv as I exited the jetway from the plane I was delighted to see a
friendly face. Gary Franklin, the manager of the U.S. Southeast region of
Aztec, was standing talking with another suited man. As Gary spotted me he
rushed to my side, where we exchanged hugs. Gary had left his companion to
follow at a more leisurely pace.

"Hi Gary," I said with a huge grin. "How's Jessie?"

Gary had been a Las Vegas FBI agent and had thwarted the successful bombing
of one of our planes in an effort to kill the four Turner adults who were
aboard. Later I had convinced Gary to come to work at Aztec-Turner and even
later, had promoted him to manage the Atlanta regional office of the
company. While in Las Vegas, Gary had fallen in love with Jessie Fox, an
ex-lover of Tyler's brother Ron. At first shunned by all of us because of
his unhappy break-up with Ron, Jess had taken the Recreation Director's job
at the Thornton Center after the shooting and untimely death of its first
Director, Barry Young. Proving himself to be a remade man from his earlier
days, Jessie had fallen in love, this time for good.  His new partner was
Gary Franklin.

"Jessie's great," Gary beamed. "I'll fill you in on all the news this
evening. "Now I'd like you to meet Zachariah Feldman. Zack is attached to a
certain organization I won't mention in public. He also works for us under
cover. Zack is in charge of the case we're working on. We'll fill you in
when we are in a more private setting.

"Nice to meet you Zack," I said, offering a handshake.

"A double pleasure to meet you Mr. Turner," Zack said breaking a small
smile.

"Please call me Tyler," I asked with a much larger smile. "I look forward
to working with you."

"Let's recover the luggage and we'll go to your hotel," Zack suggested. "We
can talk there."

"Are you sure it's secure?" I asked.

"Yes, we've swept your room for bugs and have had it under surveillance for
the two days since.  We swept the room again an hour ago and sealed the
door. It should be fine."

"If you're satisfied, then so am I," I agreed. "Your `company' has a
reputation for being very thorough."

"Thank you. So does yours." Zack commented as he led the way to the baggage
claim.

In moments the baggage arrived, was retrieved and stashed into the rear of
a non-descript four-door sedan that was parked in the parking garage. A
drive afterward through harrowing traffic found the three of us arriving at
the hotel where a room had been reserved for me, next to, I found after
checking in, my friend Gary's room. After entering the room and closing the
door Zack asked me to unpack so that my luggage could be scanned.

"I can see first hand, that you're exceptionally thorough," I said as I
placed the luggage on the bed and began to comply with Zack's request.

"Yes, even though we know that El Al's employees are given thorough
security checks, your luggage has been out of your sight. It would be
foolish to secure the room and not check everything entering or leaving
it. Ah, I see the security tape is still in place. That is good, but not
conclusive. The tape is specially constructed so that when peeled off it
will leave tell-tale markings on your luggage. The markings are difficult
to remove unless you know what you're doing and the tape is nearly
impossible to replace without it showing. "

"Since my luggage will be marked," I said, "How do I remove the markings
when I get back home."

"It's a state secret," Zack replied, "so you can't tell anyone."

"Agreed," I promised

"Mayonnaise," Zack whispered, "Helmans."

I broke up laughing. "My lips are sealed," I said smirking after my
laughter had subsided.

Zack's eyes twinkled at his agency's peculiar choice of solvent and my
reaction.

After checking out the luggage and contents, the three of us adjourned to a
small seating area of the suite.

"What's the latest?" I asked Gary.

"The transmitting devices were delivered to Dr. Richards as planned. They
are on temperature delay and require some time after insertion to
activate. We know that Bin Laden underwent surgery on Friday. Hopefully the
transmitter was placed in his body at that time. Our plan is to swoop in on
Tuesday at 3 AM to execute the rescue. If we're able to locate Bin Laden,
we'll go for him, but our primary mission is to rescue the Richards who
have also been provided with transmitters, but on a different frequency. If
we cannot locate Bin Laden, we'll rely on the transmitters at a later
time. Unfortunately, their range is only about 5 miles so even with pretty
sophisticated listening equipment it will still be a challenge."

"I'd like to go along," I requested.

"I hardly think we will agree to that," Zack replied. "This attempt will be
by Israeli Special Forces. I'm sure they won't take the risk of someone not
trained by them to participate."

"I've been trained in SWAT maneuvers," I argued.

"As have I," Gary countered. "I requested to go too and was refused."

"Do they have an English speaking person on their team?" I asked in one
last attempt.

"I'm not sure," Zack replied. "I'll ask."

"Are they going to use helicopters?" I asked.

"Yes, that's the plan," Zack replied.

"If we can't go on the actual ground part of the mission, we'd like to at
least be on the choppers. We're damn good marksmen if they have a need."

"We can only ask," Zack said. "Don't get your hopes up though."

"We're more interested in success than glory," I assured him.

"Tomorrow we'll meet with the Army," Gary informed me. "I've met with them
twice and am convinced of their capabilities."

"They're fearless, if they measure up to their reputation" I agreed.

"I'll leave you two then," Zack said as he stood. "I'll meet you in the
first floor café here in the morning at 9:00. Go ahead and eat. I'm up at
6:00 so I'll have eaten. I'll just have coffee."

Gary and I stood, and I extended my hand.

"Thanks again Zack. Your connection here with the powers-that-be has been
just what we needed."

"It was my pleasure meeting you Tyler," he responded. "You're quite a bit
different than I envisioned."

"How so?" I asked.

"I expected a desk-bound executive, somewhat older and out of shape," Zack
replied. "Instead the boss man is young, trim and fit. I like the real
you."

"I'm afraid you don't know the real me," I replied with a laugh. "That's
okay though. I'll let you keep your delusions."

"If you mean the gay part, don't worry about it," Gary interjected. "I
accidentally outed myself, and Zack blew off the revelation like I'd told
him I had a mole on my cheek."

"Yes, you Americans are so paranoid about things that don't matter," Zack
said. "The measure of a man is not determined by the gender of who he
sleeps with. I'd not make it common knowledge while we're here though. Just
like anywhere there are assholes here too."

"Thanks, I agree," I said. "Our first responsibility is to our
clients. There's no point in muddying the water for no purpose."

"I like you more every time you open your mouth," Zack said with
sincerity. "Well, I'm off. See you in the morning."

"Bye Zack," I said as he walked to the door.

"See ya then," Gary echoed.

Gary and I again took seats.

"What's your honest evaluation?" I asked Gary.

"From what I've seen so far, the Israelis are trained, have good
intelligence, and are properly equipped to handle the job. I'm sure we
couldn't have begun to match their capabilities in such a short time."

"That's good to know," I said. "What's the force going to be like?"

"There will be a strike force of five choppers, four transports and one
Cobra gunship. Each chopper has the normal capacity for 20 troopers plus
the crew. There will be 16 troopers in each chopper in case one is downed
there will be excess capacity in the remaining ones to evacuate the
others. In a pinch each chopper can physically handle 26 without
overloading. Each of the choppers will have a gunner in addition to the
normal crew, for ground support. The Cobra will remain aloft and will take
out any exterior resistance. It will also have missiles for both air
defense and ground attack.  Two of the transports will discharge their
troopers on the roof then land for the evacuation. The third and fourth
choppers will land and take control of the first floor and building
perimeter where the evacuation will take place. In addition, the Israeli
Air Force will have F-16 fighters ready to take off if there is sufficient
opposition. It will take them only minutes to reach Damascus if necessary."

"Isn't this operation a huge risk for Israel?" I asked.

"Yes, of course," Gary said. "Israel has no compunction though about using
force against terrorism. Syria is well known for harboring terrorists, but
is far too poor and weak to take on Israel's militarily alone. Syria, along
with Iran, are the two most anti-west nations in the Middle East. Iran
however poses no direct threat to Israel in that it shares no common
borders with Israel like Syria does. If the Richards had been taken to
Iran, it's unlikely that Israel would have helped us."

"Do you think that the Al Qaida guards are under order to execute the
Richards in the event of a rescue attempt?"

"We're not sure," Gary said, but the Israelis will have two undercover
agents inside near the Richards' room disguised as maintenance men. They
will not act as long as the Richards are left in their rooms."

"What about Bin Laden? Are they going to go for him?"

"Only after the Richards are rescued," he answered. "At this stage we don't
know where he's staying. We understand that he never stays in one place for
more than one night. If the locater beacon leads to his quarters, they'll
make an attempt. There is a slim chance of getting him though. First, the
element of surprise will be gone. Second, he'll be well guarded and third,
I'm sure that he has an escape plan."

"I'm glad the Israelis are conducting this raid instead of our own
government," I said. "I suspect that the U.S. would try to take Osama out
with a smart bomb, and damn the consequences with the Richards."

"I suspect that you're right about that," Gary agreed. "Superpowers tend to
take the meat- ax approach even when delicate surgery is called for. The
Administration has a lot at stake as far as Bin Laden is concerned and I
think they'd be tempted to flatten half of Damascus if they were sure it
would result in Bin Laden's death."

I yawned.

"I'm sorry Gary, but I'm exhausted," I said. "Let's take this up again in
the morning."

"You got it, my friend," Gary agreed as he stood and started toward the
door to the hallway. "I'm right next door if you need anything. I'll come
by and tap on your door at 8:00 AM. That way we can be finished with
breakfast before Zack arrives."

"Good plan Gary," I agreed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Tyler," Gary said as he stepped through the doorway and closed
the door behind him.

I had not lied to Gary. Within 10 minutes of his departure I was asleep.

		* * *

The next day was interesting and exciting. After waking, getting ready, and
eating breakfast with Gary, Zack showed up right on time. He sat with us,
talking about the day's possible activities as we drank our coffee. At 9:30
we left the hotel and drove for 30 minutes to a military base where, after
careful checking of our identification, we were issued passes and
admitted. Zack knew the way to the Administration Building where our
identification was again checked and compared to our passes. Once inside
Zack led us to the offices of Col. Krackenhauer, who was the officer in
charge of the rescue operation.

You could tell at once that the Colonel was all business. His office was
tidy, his desk clear of papers, except for one or two that he was reviewing
as we entered, and his clothing, though just fatigues was clean and crisp.

"Ah Mr. Turner," he said rising as we entered his office after being
admitted by his aide, "It's good to meet you at last. Mr. Franklin and
Zack," he continued. "It's nice to see you again too."

"Thank you Colonel," I said with a smile. "You must believe how grateful we
are to you and your government for this rescue attempt."

"We are always happy to work with our American friends to combat
terrorism. As you know we are a small country but fiercely
independent. Every citizen here has compulsory military duty, though of
course, most are not in active military service. We are surrounded by
enemies and depend on our allies to help us keep the peace."

"As you know, we are not working directly through our government," I
said. "If I may speak frankly, we were concerned that our government might
act unilaterally since Osama Bin Laden is involved and that our clients'
lives might be considered expendable. I've been assured that the opposite
is true with your government."

"I'd be lying if I told you that the possibility of capturing or killing
Bin Laden was not what got us interested," the Colonel responded. "On
further investigation, we found some interesting information. It seems that
your company is on the brink of some interesting discoveries."

"You are very thorough," I said with a smile, prepared for this turn of
events. "Regarding the subject to which I'm sure you're referring, we have
two pilot plants presently under construction in the U.S. One is
constructed to economically convert sea water to fresh water, while the
other will manufacture hydrogen as an economic alternative to gasoline,
diesel, and kerosene as sources of fuel. Our research on a much smaller
scale has already proven the viability of the discoveries. I am authorized
by my company to agree to negotiate either a licensing agreement with
Israel, or if financing is a problem, to construct and operate plants here
by our company."

The Colonel smiled.

"I like you, Mr. Turner. You get right to the heart of the matter without
mincing words."

"Thank you, Colonel Krackenhauer. We recognize the benefit that our
discoveries will have for the world. Water is of course our most important
resource, but most of it is salt water. In arid countries, particularly
those that border the ocean, or in your case the Mediterranean, our
conversion plants can turn those lands into a virtual oasis. Our hydrogen
plants can reduce dependence on fossil fuel, we estimate, by 80% or
more. We have even taken water from the Dead Sea here and the Great Salt
Lake in our own country and put it though our test facility. Both of those
land locked bodies of water have a greater concentration of salt than the
oceans. The processing was successful at negligible increases in cost."

"While most of our neighbors in the Arab world will rejoice in your water
desalinization discoveries, I'm sure you'll get the opposite reaction from
your hydrogen discoveries," the Colonel prophesied.

"To a degree I believe that you're correct Colonel. As I'm sure you're
aware, the Turner family is very wealthy. Given enough time we could
ourselves, supply the entire world with enough fresh water and hydrogen to
meet all foreseeable needs. We, however, are not greedy. In addition to
building many plants ourselves we intend to license our discoveries so that
everyone benefits soon, rather than 40 years from now. It is our
contribution to world peace. As for the oil producing countries, including
our own, our discoveries will not totally replace oil, particularly in the
short run. We all know that oil ultimately is a dead end street. Whether we
run out of oil in 20 years or 100, we will run out. Our discoveries will
delay that day far into the unforeseeable future. It is my brother Ron's
opinion that without our discoveries, the next world war would be over oil
and it would be fought on your doorstep. It is in no one's best interest
for us to hoard our technology, simply for the purpose of being richer."

"You are amazing," the Colonel remarked. "It appears that you've given this
subject a lot of thought."

"Yes," I agreed, "we have. Anticipating your needs and probable interest,
I've brought along with me both a licensing agreement draft and a business
agreement draft for your government's review. If you have an immediate
interest, we can have a negotiating team here within days. We also have
plans for our plants that can be easily adapted for your use. You could be
under construction in only months and within a year be producing fresh
water and hydrogen."

"If your agreements make economic sense, I'm sure we'll be interested,"
Krackenhauer said.

"You'll be amazed at how reasonable our agreements are. The poorest
countries can afford our processes. Our only limitations are with the
parties of our agreements. It is not our intention, for example to deal
with oppressive dictators, simply to give them another weapon that they can
use against their own people to increase their own personal wealth. Those
leaders will be standing at the end of the line. It's unfortunate that we
may have to deny their people early relief because of the leaders' greed,
but with the magnitude of our discoveries, it is impossible to give it to
the whole world in sufficient quantity to make a real difference
immediately. Therefore some selection process is necessary."

"We'll be delighted to review your proposals at once Mr. Turner and get
back to you without delay. I guess one thing has me baffled. Our discussion
on water desalinization and hydrogen production is 180 degrees away from
security issues which are the real reasons we're meeting. I guess I don't
understand your personal involvement with the Richards' abduction."

"My first love is the security business," I explained. "I have a degree in
Criminal Justice. Ron Turner is really my half-brother. We had different
mothers and were raised without knowing about each other. When our parents
died and we discovered our relationship, I was already in the security
business, and Ron was running my father's large and successful other
businesses. We decided to purchase the company I was working for and
subsequently have become the largest private security company in the
world. When we decided to back the discoverers of the water and hydrogen
processes, we realized that they, the scientists, had no interest in
running the businesses, only continuing their research and enjoying the
fruits of their discoveries. We decided that I should head the new water
and hydrogen companies, and at the present time I'm in the process of doing
just that. I will be turning the operation of the security business over to
Gary here within the next month."

"Ah, now it makes more sense," the Colonel remarked.

"In the process of personally phasing out of the security end of our
businesses," I continued, "I became acquainted with the son of the
Richards, Jeff, who was seeking our help with his parents' kidnapping. I
decided that I was personally interested and further that it would be the
last case that I'll become involved with before I transition into running
the water and energy businesses."

"Excuse me for changing the subject, but our investigation of you and your
companies has revealed a rather unusual family arrangement with you and
your brother."

"We're gay, if that's what you referring to," I said. "Does that give you
any problem?"

"Oh no, no, no!" the Colonel said apologetically. "I didn't mean anything
derogatory."

"I'm glad," I responded. "Our personal life is our own business. Anyone who
chooses to make an issue of it will have a hard time doing business with
us. That's the way it is and the way it will be. Our motto is, `We're
gay. Get used to it!'"

"I hope I haven't upset you," the Colonel said

"Not at all," I said smiling. "We are all VERY happy and well adjusted. We
just have no room in our lives for bigots. I'm sure that you as a Jew can
appreciate that."

"Well put," the Colonel said.

"Now, let's talk about the rescue," I said, changing the subject. "Gary and
I would like to go with the rescue team."

The colonel was now visibly nervous.

"I heard of your request though Zack. I'm afraid that going with the team
itself into the building is impossible. Our team has been working on this
operation as a team for two weeks. Even if you were fully qualified, I'd be
reluctant just because you're not trained in the operation. It would be an
added burden to the team and might jeopardize the operation," the Colonel
explained. "I am willing to concede that you can each go along on a rescue
helicopter, but you can not leave the aircraft once you're there. If you're
proficient with sniper equipment and prove to be qualified, we'll equip
each of you with a sniper's rifle and you can operate with the aircraft's
machine gunner as back-up."

"We understand. Where and when do we qualify?" I asked.

"Now would be most convenient," he replied. "It has to be understood that
if you don't qualify you remain here."

"Agreed," I responded simply.

"The sergeant that I'll assign to you will take you afterward to a briefing
by the captain who is leading the team. If you qualify, you join the team;
if not you return to your hotel. In either case Zack will need to pick you
up at midnight as the final briefing will be in the morning at 0100 hours."

The Colonel rose from his chair, motioning us to remain seated, and stepped
to his desk. Picking up the phone, he summoned the sergeant who entered
seconds later.

"Sergeant Eberstein," he said to the new man as we stood at his
arrival. "This is Mr. Turner and Mr. Franklin that I told you about
earlier. You of course know Zack."

"Nice to meet you gentlemen," the sergeant said.

"Likewise," we returned his greeting and offered our handshakes.

"If Mr. Turner and Mr. Franklin qualify at the gunnery range," the Colonel
explained, "they will join the rescue team as helicopter sharp-shooters. If
not they will remain here. In either case, after the qualifying they are to
be taken to the briefing by Captain Yankovic at 0100 hours. You will
accompany them and make the introductions."

"Yes sir," the sergeant responded stiffly before looking at us. "Please
follow me."

"Thank you Colonel," I said as I handed him the agreements, we'd discussed.

"Thank you, Mr. Turner," he said with a smile. "Good luck."

We followed the sergeant as requested.

		* * *

The shooting went better than I had any reason to hope for. The gunnery
range sergeant presented our weapons and spent 45 minutes explaining the
weapons' operation including the night scope with which they were
equipped. It was not unlike similar weapons we'd used and we were impressed
with their feel and balance. Unlike long range sniper rifles, the weapons
were sighted in for 300 yards and were semi-automatic.

Once we were on the range we were instructed to fire in a variety of
positions and a variety of lighting conditions. As we handled the weapons,
the sergeant commented that he recognized our expert and safe handling of
the pieces of ordinance. That was in our favor.

Both Gary and I spent 20 minutes apiece firing at a sequence of targets,
both still and moving, in a variety of conditions and positions. From what
I could tell, we scored very well. Then we were taken to a special part of
the range which was unlike any I'd ever seen. We were told to adjust the
sights to 2000 yards and told to fire at a target downrange at that
distance. On the left side of the firing line were huge fans that were
started up and we were told that they produced side winds of 50 kilometers
per hour along the bullet's path. After a little quick mental arithmetic, I
approximated the wind speed in MPH and began shooting. I was off the mark a
bit, but once I saw where the first shot went and made the corrections, I
fired off 5 more rounds more accurately, emptying the magazine. Gary
followed suit and shot equally well.

The gunnery range sergeant had been recording our scores but had said
little during our shooting. When we were finished, he handed the scores to
our guide, Sergeant Epperson and said. "Please follow me and sign out your
weapons and ammunition."

The grin on my face was matched only by Gary's.

We followed the gunnery sergeant who provided us with cases for our weapons
as well as 200 rounds of ammunition each. Zack, who had been watching,
carried the ammunition as we carried the gun cases, leaving the range.

"We'll just make the briefing," our guide announced as he indicated that we
should follow him in our car to the briefing area as we had to the firing
range.

Arriving at a large hangar building we were taken into a smaller briefing
room adjacent to the cavernous hangar space while Zack remained in the car
with the weapons. The teams inside were seated by group. The aircraft teams
were seated together as were the individual assault groups. We were
escorted to the raised platform where Sergeant Eberstein saluted the
Captain standing on the platform and handed him the papers from the gunnery
range. The Captain's eyebrows rose when he looked at the scores.

"Captain, I wish to present Mr. Tyler Turner, and Mr. Gary Franklin," the
sergeant said. "Mr. Turner, Mr. Franklin, this is Captain Yankovic, who
will lead the operation."

"I must admit I'm not too pleased to be taking civilians on this
operation," the Captain said, "but I see that you're more than qualified
for your jobs as helicopter snipers. I accept you with reservations, and
only under the conditions that you can follow orders. If you disobey my
orders I cannot be responsible for your safety. And if you willfully
disobey to the point that the mission is endangered, you may be shot."

"Captain," I said with all sincerity, "We understand and agree fully to
follow your orders. We're far more interested in the success of the mission
than any personal agenda."

"Good," he said pointing. "Please take your places with the aircraft crews
and we'll get on with the briefing. Afterward, we'll get you outfitted with
the appropriate gear."

"Yes sir," I said as we moved to the area where the helicopter crews were
watching us with interest.

"Gentleman," the Captain said to the curious teams before him. "This
mission has a new ingredient...."

*	*	*	*	*