Simon

Simon - A Hannah Todd Story

Simon - A Hannah Todd Story

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental. This work is copyrighted by the author. All characters involved in sexual activity are eighteen years of age or older at the time of portrayal.

This is the continuing adventures of Hannah Todd. I would strongly recommend you read at least some of "The Bridge," "Badass," and "The Auction," which provide the backstory for most of the characters in this story. And if you've been reading me, thank you for your continued support. Your comments are priceless, so please leave your wisdom so I might improve my writing.

Simon - Part Ten

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, on Friday, the 8th, I summoned Jim Butler to the new safe house. Being more well known than Charlie the Chicken, infamously so, I thought his presence would have a greater impact on Polo Candido.

"That's right, Polo. I used to work for Deacon Peacock. In fact, I was his right-hand man. But Miss Todd brought me over to the right side, and now I am making an honest living without fear of either the government or now Simon. She's a real badass, and I'd advise you to follow her lead."

"Thank you, Jim. How are things at Acquisitions?" I asked.

"Better now that I'm there, ma'am. Miss Britain is very satisfied with my contributions thus far. And I..."

"Yeah, I hear you're doing great. Hopefully, before too long there will be a place to send these girls. It's nice to make them financially whole, but making them emotionally stable will go a long way to giving them their lives back."

"That would be nice. It's the one thing we haven't been able to do so far. Many of them are struggling in so many ways."

"You see, Polo," I said. "Here's your opportunity to do some good. Why not take it?"

"Nobody ever did me no good. Simon at least gave me a paycheck and some respect."

"Yeah, we'll see about that." So, with him dressed in scrubs I had him shackled and took him to Simon's room."

"So, Simon, I brought you some company."

"Why? And who is this? Do you work for me?"

"Don't you recognize him, Simon? He's one of your elite soldiers. What's his name, Simon? Where do you remember him from?"

"If you want cooperation from me, dress me and feed me."

"So, it continues to be all about you, eh?"

"Yeah," Candido said. "What's my name? As a group you called us your finest. Before this last mission, I saluted you and told you my name. What is it, Mr. Meetcham? What's my name?"

"That's not important."

"It is to me." And he looked at me like he was ready to walk away from Simon. And he did.

Looking dejected, Candido walked between the two guards back to the room where I was keeping him. We chained him to the chair, still in his scrubs and asked him the one question that could set him free.

"Can you get me into Simon's home down in either Tennessee or West Virginia? We don't quite know which is the primary location yet."

"And what do I get?"

"You get to be the next Charlie the Chicken. Free and clear with enough free credits or gold to set you free from a master who does not deserve your service. You can be your own man."

"Yeah? Well, they'll hunt me down. I'll be on the run for the rest of my life."

"Who will hunt you down, Polo? Who is left to do that? Simon? Ha! Besides, you were just a soldier. Even your own boss doesn't' recognize you. Freedom or captivity, you choose."

"I've got to ponder this. Can I have until tomorrow to figure it all out?"

"Sure. Take the weekend. Then you can spell out how we're gonna find Simon's place and break in."

"And what makes you so sure I can help you to do that?"

"You're resourceful and you are motivated. Nothing like breathing the air of freedom, Polo. And now is your chance. Monday, then?"

"Sure. Monday."

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The weekend was fun. We took the family to the Philly Zoo on Sunday and we all had a ball. The weather even cooperated, and it looked like those steamy days were behind us. It was still in the low eighties, but we were cool with that after the scorching summer.

Monday brought me back to the ranch house to visit both Simon and Polo. I need something from each of them, but I needed to assure Polo's cooperation before I started to work over Simon.

"Tell me, Polo, where is Simon's place and can you get us in?"

"I can show you where it is, but I don't have the keys to the castle. But I still may be able to get you in. Do you know how to handle explosives?"

"I happen to have a whole team of experts in that area. What do you propose?"

"I can get you there, but you're gonna have to blow the gate and the front door. There is no building. The place is built on the side of a mountain down in the Smokeys. If you don't know where you're going, you'll never find it."

"That makes you pretty valuable, Polo. What's it worth to you?"

"A million bucks in free credits or gold."

"I'll give you a half a million, plus a late-model car but not until the mission is completed successfully. It looks like we're going on a road trip. Tell me, Polo, is there a helipad on the property?"

"There is, but it's painted green so you don't even know it's there unless you are looking for it."

"Good. I'm going to want you to sketch out the property, inside and out. Are there any outbuildings or additional entrances to the place."

"Well, the 'front door' is large enough to drive a truck through, and the residence contains its own underground parking facility. Big enough for twenty or so vehicles. Big ones at that."

"How many of the stormtroopers are generally stationed there as a protective force?"

"Usually as many as twenty. More if something is going on."

"And if they're not getting paid? How many will stick around?"

"More than you think. Simon's people, one of whom I have been, are hardcore. They don't stand down, and they take no prisoners. I'll take you down there, but I won't fight against them. They are too tough, and I'm in no shape right now."

"That's okay. You just hold up your part of the bargain and leave the stormtroopers to me."

"I can do that."

"I want as much intel about the area we are going to as possible. Can you find this place with a drone, if I drop one in the area?"

"There's a lot of mountains around, and your drone activity will be quickly spotted by the Eagle drones that watch over the place."

"Are they autonomous or piloted?"

"They can go either way, but if there's nobody home, expect them to be flying on their own."

"Well, the average Eagle can go about five days on a charge, so unless someone is home, I don't expect them to be flying at all. Do you concur, Polo?"

"I do."

"Can you locate the place using satellite imaging?"

"I can try. But driving the roads is how I usually find the place. Or, being driven there, I should say."

"Well, tomorrow, Alec is coming by with some special equipment to help you find the place. Do you like pizza, Polo?"

"Who doesn't like pizza?"

"Good. Find me that place and its pizza for dinner for you."

"Don't worry, I'll find it. I'll tell you, I've never been so well treated by an enemy before."

"The more you do, the better it gets. Conversely, though, the worse you do, the more awful it gets."

"Can you unchain me? These shackles are pretty tight and uncomfortable."

"Nope, and that's not negotiable. You are still a flight risk, and I still don't know how much I can trust you. So bear with me."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll do what I can to earn your trust."

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Alec spent most of Tuesday with Polo Candido, trying to find Simon's place using satellite imaging. There were lots of mountains and without a specific house to look for, there was no point of reference to hone in on. However, the town of Townsend was located and that gave Polo the point of reference he needed.

He knew that the back road to the place was off of Route 321, and when they found that intersection, they followed it right to the location. The only point of reference that was barely visible was the green helipad. Polo said that we had found the place. We couldn't see the front gate or any guard shack as they were covered by the thick foliage. There were no buildings to be seen.

I would have to send someone down there to reconnoiter the area and see if there are signs of life. For this, once again, I chose my two SEALs, Anthony and Alec. Backed up by Juicy flying her Little Bird, and Caroline riding shotgun. Or should I say, sniper rifle? There would be no miniguns for this mission.

The plan would be for Juicy to drop the boys off in the area near the property that could accommodate a quick touch and go landing. The boys would then hike onto the property and do their recon. The girls would fly off to an old abandoned airfield some fifteen minutes away and wait for word from the boys to pick them up. This was planned to be a twenty-four-hour surveillance. Then they would head home, after refueling at a small airfield on the way.

The boys would be dressed as recreational hikers carrying only sidearms. Concealed, of course. This mission was to be ultra-stealth. No need to tip our hand.

With a full tank and a full house, the four left the airfield and flew down to Tennessee after a stop for fuel in West Virginia. Again, another small airfield where the service is great and the appreciation of an old war machine garnered looks and slaps on the back for our expert pilot.

From West Virginia, they entered the Tennessee airspace and headed for Townsend, where Juicy put her Little Bird down at a dark intersection at around nine p.m., about half mile from where my SEALs would enter the property. They were equipped with bodycams and their comm-links were up and running.

The two men maneuvered their way to where the front gate stood an empty vigil. Nobody home. The guys moved through the woods trying to spot technology in the form of cameras and drones. Nothing. Not even an Eagle watching the place. And surprisingly enough, no Autonomous Security Robots or Cyberdogs.

After moving around together in the pitch darkness, they split up to cover more ground, trying to find the entrance to the place. And then it happened. Alec dove into the brush as a very large doorway opened up on the side of the mountain and lit up the entryway. Looking in, he could see several vehicles parked in an enormous garage.

Two vehicles, SUVs, exited the doorway and it slid shut. Anthony, who was closest to the guard shack, watched from the brush as the arm went up and the two vehicles exited the property. Alec, who was right at the doorway, hid behind a boulder not twenty feet from the door. Although tempted to run into the apparent cave, he stayed out having been given orders to stand down and not engage. Who knew what unknowns were inside that place? They were there to observe, not to cause a ruckus.

Upon closer observation, Alec found cameras around the doorway and steered clear. But a window in the doorway opened and an Eagle drone flew out, navigating the property, apparently looking for something or someone. The boys both hit the ground and stayed quiet and still until the drone returned to the door and was let in the window. That's when Alec saw a bobcat speeding across the Helipad and into the woods. The drone must have spotted it and determined it was not a risk.

Duane, Lizzie and I were in the videoconference room watching and listening to this go on. Duane immediately called on Juicy to light up the Little Bird and pick up the boys at the intersection where they were first dropped off. Enough recon for one night. My nerves were already shot. Damned bobcat.

Everyone got home alright, per a call from Alec once they landed at our airfield early in the morning. Tomorrow, we debrief, and I start to really work on Simon to get the keys to the castle. If I can't get the codes to open that door, we'd have to blow it open, and that will cause a stir. To say the least. The element of surprise has worked so well for us before. I'd hate to lose it on this mission.

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Because the mission had run so late, I didn't call for the debrief until one in the afternoon. I wanted the briefing to be fresh, but clear. And well fed. All four of my operators showed up, we wolfed our delicious lunches down and we went to my office to talk about last night.

"Well," Anthony said, "There is a helipad, and it's green so you hardly know it's there, even in the daylight. But it's solid, and you can land any of the choppers on it. But the door... you wouldn't believe how flimsy it is. But it's big. Easily big enough to drive a truck through it."

"Like a sixteen-wheeler?" I asked.

"Oh, no, but you could get a box van or maybe a bus in there. The doorway is about twelve foot high, and the door slides all the way up. But it's flimsy. A lot like a residential garage door, not like the big doors that warehouses have. I'd say with a couple of charges we can blow it easily."

"Good to know. Alec."

"I didn't get that close to the door, but I could hear it open and shut, and I agree with Anthony. Not substantial, easy to blow. There was nobody at the front gate, but the arm worked. Must be controlled from inside the structure. Or cave, or whatever you want to call it."

"Yes, according to Polo Candido, the thing is inside of a mountain and is well fortified. There is a virtual parking lot inside, barracks for the troops, and a full residence where Simon dwelt. Now, all we have to do is figure out how to get in there without losing people. Polo believes that there are probably twenty of Simon's people left working inside the dwelling who didn't go to the auction. They were left behind to hold the fort. But for what. With their lord and master out of the picture, I would think they would be fleeing in droves. But it appears something is keeping them there."

"So what's the next move?" Hoagie asked as he came through my office door. "You don't have to catch me up. I know what the fuck is going on." Somehow he always does.

"The next move is to empty that dwelling, one way or another. Get the people out, get the goods out and get the data. But we've got to get through that door and Lord knows how many other obstacles till we get what we want.What we need."

"Blow it up," insisted Alec. "Call Duane. Where is he, anyway?"

"Where he always is," Hoagie said. "At the fuckin' yard."

I raised my wrist to my mouth. "Call Duane at work."

"Royce Field Services, this is Roxanne. How may I be of service?"

"Roxanne, is it? What, did they make Tilly executive VP?"

"Oh no, ma'am. But she is my boss. Do you need Tilly? How might I help ma'am?"

"Roxanne, this is Hannah Todd. Can I speak to Mr. Royce, please?"

"Yes, ma'am, Miss Todd. Right away, ma'am."

They must think I'm an ogre. That was just one ma'am too many.

"Hannah... Is everything alright?"

"Just stuck on the horns of a dilemma. Are you alone?"

"No, Tilly is here. We're going over..."

"Should I be jealous?"

"Are you?"

"I'm jealous of any woman who is with you who is not me."

"No need. The only one I'd cheat on you with is you. So, I think that both you and Tilly are safe... for now. And I'm gonna stop talking..."

"We have to focus on Simon's place now in earnest. Alec says we should blow our way in. I think that may be a bit over the top and the consequences of a big bang outweigh the benefits. Like a world-class fart, I like to be silent but deadly."

That drew a laugh or two. But I was totally serious. If we could get the data we need to get through that door without a sound and without being seen, we'd be... Aurelia Spanner.

"Gotta go, lover."

*CLICK*

"Call Rhee Spanner."

"Hannah. So... I understand you got your man without me. Congratulations. Calling to puff out your chest?"

"It just don't puff like it used to after five kids. But no. I have a conundrum. I need to get through a door, clean. And I have no idea what's on the other side. Or whom?"

"There's always more than one way in than just a door. Windows, side doors, escape hatches, chimneys. The real problem is getting out. Once you are in a strange place where someone else resides, it is their place, not yours. Where it is not strange to them. Hence, they are fighting from a position of strength. We must make their strength their weakness."

Leave it to Rhee to get a handle on things in minutes.

"Chimneys? Did you say chimneys, Hannah?"

"I believeyoudid. But in jest."

"Ventilation. If you want to live inside of a mountain, you certainly better have good sources of ventilation. That means they have electricity and HVAC. Ya gotta breathe, Han."

"Why, yes, you do." I looked around the room. "What say you?"

"Tear gas," Hoagie said.

"Smoke," said Anthony.

"Just cut the air off for fifteen minutes and they will all be done," Alec said. "In the meantime, they'll be running for the door."

"It's clean at least, no nasty aftertaste. And it's effective," I said. "Now we have to find the ventilation system and the places it breathes."

"How the hell are we going to find those places?" Hoagie asked.

Rhee, as always, had the answer. "Thermovision. It's something most of the Robos have in their headpieces. It gives them the ability to see temperature differentials and the patterns they make. In other words, the differential between warm air inside and cold air outside can be seen by the Robos in Thermovision mode. In the warm months, we'd be looking for quite a different pattern. One of cold air coming out of the vents against a backdrop of warm or hot air. Visually, it's quite stunning."

"I'm gonna need one of your Robos, Rhee."

"Believe me, if I give you one, you're gonna want two. They are addictive. Tish is a Robo, although sometimes she goes without her headpiece. I'm certain Tish has Thermovision. I know she'd love to go on another mission with you folks."

"Send her my way and tell her to bring her magic hat. I'm sure she's got just what we need. And tell her we're going on a road trip."