Episode 32 Landing at Point Rain (Part 1/3) (Patreon)

Episode 32

Susan Coleman

Crowds lined their route out of LAXPD headquarters.

She frowned when she saw a woman lifting her top and started shaking her as their convoy passed by. She noticed the grins of the officers inside her vehicle, but focused her attention back to the prisoner transport vehicle ahead of her.

Around their convoy, ten officers from motors weaved ahead, blocking off intersections. She flinched when a rock hit her window.

“What was that?” She asked, looking around.

“People are growing crazy, chief.” Her aide replied.

No shit. She looked ahead, her eyes narrowed in concern at what she saw. The city was in a state of frenzy after Alex Montel’s promise of a reward to anyone who could free him, and the media was not helping at all. They had fanned the flames with their constant replaying of the footage of the 100 million dollar promise. Her office was swamped with calls, and agencies were already lining up, fighting to have the infamous international criminal in their jurisdiction.

“Contact!” Her driver yelled out.

She watched in horror as their lead car was t-boned in an intersection by a van.

“Behind us!” Her aide cried out. She looked back and saw another car, a pick-up truck, trailing them. She ducked down as the back window of the vehicle she was in shattered. Her officers fired back, and she covered her ears and closed her eyes.

“Shots fired! Shots fired!”

“Gun it!” She cried out. “Get us out of here!”

The rest of the convoy swerved past the wreckage. Her heart was beating fast. This was not supposed to happen!

“Send EMS to those men!” She started calling on Central. She needed Metro for this. To hell with cutting costs, her life was on the line here!

“Get Cortez to send out her platoons to Central.” She called over the phone.

“Even Delta? They’re under investigation at the moment.”

“Yes! Even them! Call Hondo in!” She seethed. If these criminals and delinquents wanted to play hardball, she’s show them what she was capable of.

They arrived back at Central, and she could see her officers had formed a perimeter around the station. Civilians lined the barricade, holding up signs. Several women even had their tits out with signs asking Montel to marry them. Disgusting and pathetic.

Montel patiently waited as chains were secured on his feet and arms after they got off the prisoner transport vehicle. The man still wore that amused smirk on his face, and his smile widened when he spotted a live broadcast on a nearby TV covering their convoy and the promise of 100 million dollars.

“Yo Ese, you for real?” A tattooed gangster called out while Montel was escorted to his cell. That set off the others behind the bars, each shouting over the other. She needed to transport him to a federal facility, fast.

Jack Routh

“It’s your money.”

Zoe told him as they walked around the neighborhood while holding hands. She suggested that they take an afternoon stroll around their neighborhood to check out the Halloween decorations. It was a relaxing moment, and he enjoyed watching little kids in various costumes running around collecting candies while their parents chased after them.

“Our money.” He corrected her. They had a quick wedding in Vegas without any preparation at all, and there wasn’t even a prenup.

“Our money.” Zoe nodded. She knew by now that he could be very stubborn. “I loved Wesley and Camille’s idea to restructure your donations.”

His wife wore an almost vindictive smile as Camille sent out the letters to the banks and the charity organizations to which he donated his earnings from working along with Taylor, and funneled the money to the foundation Wesley helped him establish for his preferred charities. Their retaliation was enacted by basically pulling all their funding from the charity organizations previously headed by Coleman, before she got promoted to chief of police.

“Honey, look at that!” Zoe pointed at a particular house.

It looked like it was designed to look like a haunted house, and the props were top-notch, and it even included outdoor lighting that gave the exterior walls an unearthly purple glow. It looked like it belonged to a Hollywood set rather than in their neighborhood.

 It was popular too, and he noticed how many parents and their kids were taking photos in front of it. The family who lived inside wore elaborate costumes with what looked like professionally done make-up.

There was a woman dressed like some zombie bride with gray skin and with a tattered gown to match that handed out candies and talking to the parents. What looked like her husband in a matching tattered suit and a top hat performed magic tricks, pulling candies out of little kid’s ears.

He was never a big fan of Halloween, but he did appreciate the effort some of their neighbors made. At least he had set up that candy vending machine attached outside their gate, thanks to Howard’s help. It automatically dispensed a fixed amount of candy, and it even opened at random moments, revealing a scary clown head laughing like a cuckoo clock.

“Welcome to the house of horror!” The mother with the undead bride costume noticed them and waved in their direction.

“Impressive setup.” Zoe replied. “How long did it take to set all of these up?”

“We’re veterans about this.” The woman smiled. “You must be new here.”

“We’re from Rosewood and decided to take a look at the neighborhood.” His wife replied. “We just moved to our house half a year ago.”

A loud whistle interrupted their conversation. The husband who performed the magic tricks earlier moved closer to them.

“Rosewood, huh?” The man noted. “The houses over there usually have bigger land areas. You’re lucky to find a property there, since anything that’s for sale is automatically snatched up within days. Corner lot?”

He realized the man was addressing him and nodded in reply. “Yeah, we got a corner lot.”

“My husband’s a real estate agent.” The woman added and offered a handshake. “I’m Claire, and this is Phil.”

“I’m Zoe, and this is my husband Jack.” His wife returned the greeting.

“Want to take a closer look?” Phil offered. “We have more decorations in our backyard.”

Zoe agreed, and Phil gave a quick tour of their property.

The house was nice, but he preferred a more secure perimeter protecting his property. The houses here had open lawns, and anyone could just walk in and knock on their door.

“You’re really lucky about getting property in Rosewood. There are rumors there, you know.” Phil mock whispered.

“Phil…” Claire rolled her eyes and stared at them. “He believes Celebrities are moving in there bit by bit, and that they have some secret Illuminati group. That’s why property prices in that street are so high.”

“It’s not nonsense,” Phil argued. “I saw Jessica Chastain once, with Taylor Swift!”

“Sure.” Claire snorted. “I’m sorry for Phil. He has a very active imagination. He just likes driving around at times, and he especially enjoys looking at that corner property at Rosewood.”

“It’s for market research!” Phil explained.

“What corner property?” Zoe asked.

“That Spanish Bungalow with a big tree and red tile roof.” Phil replied. “It’s a real estate agent’s dream home to sell. Corner lot, on top of an elevated hill, total privacy…”

He shared an amused look with his wife, and Zoe gave a barely noticeable shake of her head.

They left the horror house a few minutes later, and Phil even handed him some chocolate bars as a belated welcome gift to the neighborhood.

“They were nice.” He observed as they continued their stroll.

“They were.” Zoe agreed. “Claire gave me some good ideas for next year’s Halloween. They quickly finished their tour and even helped a lost toddler in a dinosaur costume who was crying, looking for his parents.

The little boy picked Zoe to carry him, and they went to the nearest houses, knocking on doors to ask for information. The eighth door provided the answer.

A frantic mother whose hair was a mess opened it, and gasped as soon as she saw them.

“Mikey!!!”

“Mama!” The little boy raised his arms from Zoe’s neck into the direction of his mother.

“Thank you! Thank you!” The mother cried. “Steve! Mikey’s here!”

A man quickly appeared, phone in hand. It looked like he was talking to someone.

“Sorry, our son has been found. Thank you, I’m sorry for the trouble. No, I won’t need an ambulance. Good night.”

“Thank you!” The father quickly shook their hands. “I was hanging decorations, and he must have run off while I wasn’t looking.”

“It’s no problem.” Zoe replied with a smile. “We saw him just a few blocks down the street, alone, around the corner.”

“I ran in the wrong direction in my panic.” The father bowed his head in shame.

“Everyone makes mistakes.” Zoe shook her head. “At least now you’ll be more vigilant with your children.”

“And you.” Zoe leaned in front of Mikey and playfully bopped the tip of his nose with her finger, causing the little boy to giggle. “No more trick or treating on your own, okay?”

“Kay!”

The strange, happy, and wistful expression on Zoe’s face caught his attention. He held her tightly against him on their slow walk back home. He knew what was on his mind.

Their moment of peace was interrupted as Zoe’s phone rang. Her face transformed into that serious expression as his wife carefully listened to the speaker on the phone. Judging by the way her lips pressed into a thin line meant it wasn’t good news at all.

“There’s a problem.” Zoe looked at him. “That’s Jessica Cortez, calling you in. Hondo’s calling everyone, even those on vacation.”

“What’s this about?” He asked.

“They caught a big fish at LAX. Alex Montel, son of the leader of the Montel Crime Family.” Zoe shared. “Even the Pentagon keeps tabs on them, and they’re very big on illegal arms smuggling in Africa and Asia. He’s wanted in over a dozen countries.”

“That's a high-value prisoner.” He mused. “The information he knows… so Cortez wants us to guard him?”

“The other platoons can do that if that’s the case.” She replied. “No, it’s much worse. He promised 100 million dollars to a news crew for anyone who could get him free. The chief’s convoy escorting him from LAXPD to Central was attacked. Other divisions say there’s increased activity in crime all over the city. We’re on high alert.”

“We'd better get to Mid-Wilshire.” He replied.

“And let’s bring our gear.” Zoe nodded in agreement. "It will be a warzone out there, and with Halloween night…”

“It’s the perfect storm.” He finished for her. If D platoon was getting reactivated, that meant the new chief was desperate.

They reached Mid-Wilshire in record time. He could hear emergency sirens all over, with the bullpen busy with several officers. Grey was already waiting, and he could see the older sergeant’s posture relax when he saw them arrive.

“Captain! Boy, am I glad to see you.” Grey, without wasting time, handed his wife a folder.

“What have we got?” She asked.

“Criminal activity is on the rise thanks to Montel. Some gangs have gotten bolder, and one started a turf war with another.” Grey replied.

“Ignore petty crimes for the moment and focus on that.” Zoe ordered. “Make sure it doesn’t spill out and involve innocent civilians. Advise residents to stay indoors.”

“On Halloween?”

“Either they get their kids candies or get robbed and or worse.” Zoe replied.

“I need to get to Central.” He told the two. “I’ll keep you updated.”

“Be safe.” Zoe squeezed his hand, and he quickly left to get his gear.

He was about to leave and borrow a shop when he was stopped outside the armory by Lopez and Bradford. They were also wearing the navy blue tactical gear of the Mid-Wilshire division.

“Chief Coleman is requesting additional reinforcements for Central.” Angela stated as she patted the rifle she carried. Tim carried a similar firearm.

“We’re your back-up.” Bradford added.

He nodded in thanks and they soon left the station in Bradford’s shop. They all wore grim faces, seeing the state of their city. It was like a warzone, with several emergency vehicles in the streets. There was a checkpoint a block from Central Station. They were let through after a brief inspection. Outside the perimeter, hundreds of people lined the hastily set-up barricade, holding up signs and screaming and cheering as news vans covered the scene.

He knew this was going to be a long night.

Brian Gamble

This was the perfect opportunity. 100 million dollars was enough to disappear and live the life he always wanted. Getting booted out of SWAT for doing the right thing was the last straw, and now he had several accomplices thanks to some bullshit investigation about corruption.

“D platoon just arrived in the Central garage.”

Perfect. He knew Hondo would be called in even if he was under investigation.

“Good, just keep me informed.” He called out. “Tell me if they’re transferring him.”

“Transferring? Why?”

He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. It was difficult working with amateurs sometimes.

“That new chief will not want the heat focused on her station and the city. Montel is too hot to carry, and if I’m right, they’ll first use the safest option, and I’m here to prevent that.” He replied.

“Oh… right. Got it.”

He settled down in the van, stretching, eating, and hydrating when needed. The shot would be difficult, but nothing he couldn’t handle.

He was close to getting the high score in Subway Surfers when the warning came in.

“They’re bringing him up!”

“Copy. Just hang tight for the fireworks.” He replied. He headed back to the van and opened the back, and prepared his McMillian 88 anti-material sniper rifle and his .50 BMG cartridge. He had used this often during his Navy SEAL days, and with the right shot, could disable an armored vehicle. Helicopters were no match with their aluminum skin.

The orange wind cone at the helipad was the perfect indicator for wind speed, and he adjusted his scope. He had to account for many variables, including the crosswinds and the bullet’s drop. A thousand yards was a long shot after all, but the helicopter was a big target, full of delicate systems.

Ten minutes later, he heard the familiar sound of Rotors. He looked at his scope and smiled. As he expected, it was D platoon that was taking point for the close-in security for the high-value prisoner, with Beta and Charlie taking the perimeter.

“Hello, Hondo.” He smiled when he spotted his old sergeant. It was tempting to try and hit him in the head, but that would only give away his position too early. It looked like they had new members too, and there he could see his old partner, Jim Street, directing positions of coverage.

The helicopter flew over the parking building he was on, and within moments, it rotated itself for a landing on the helipad. He took careful aim, noted the strength of the wind blowing and its direction thanks to the orange cone. He compensated with these new variables and exhaled and pressed the trigger.

The van shook, but he remained focused on the helicopter as his bullet traveled. It looked like it hit the chassis, and he aimed once more and adjusted from where his first bullet landed and aimed a bit higher.

His second shot was money. He could see the D-squad panicking as the helicopter tilted and started to lose control. Hondo reacted quickly and hurried back to the building, while the pilot struggled to maintain control of the helicopter. It slammed violently into the helipad, the rotors hitting the machinery, probably generators and AC compressors.

The explosion came soon after, and he smiled in satisfaction. Now that the helipad was inoperable, they had no choice but to use a vehicle. And it looked like the helicopter explosion destroyed their air conditioners and back-up generators. That meant the Central police station would get uncomfortable soon.

He gave a signal to his driver, and the van soon left the parking building.

Daniel “Hondo” Harrrelson

“What the hell happened?” Coleman asked.

“Someone shot an LAPD airship down.” Her aide replied.

  Their safest bet to transport to a federal prison Montel failed.

“How did that happen?” The chief asked once again. He could see she was not handling this crisis well.

“My guess is someone used a big-bore rifle.” Routh answered.

He smiled, seeing how the Chief was forced to swallow her pride as she tolerated the man’s presence. Jessica had told him this was all a bitch fest in the first place.

“Probably a .50 caliber, with somebody that knows how to use it.” Routh continued speaking. “And since we couldn’t identify the sniper, he’s probably camped out on top of one of the buildings, around 800 yards out or more.”

“Without the helipad…” Jessica started speaking, but was rudely interrupted.

“I don’t care that the helipad is inoperable.” Coleman scolded them.

“Chief Coleman?” An aide popped her head inside the briefing room.

“Yes?”

“I have Mayor Stevens on the line for you.”

 “So it’s my ass now that’s on the line.” Coleman shook her head. “You drop a plan, execute it, and don’t screw this up! I want that asshole out of here, now!”

With the helipad above ruined, they had no choice. He ignored Coleman’s tantrum as she dramatically left the room, slamming the door behind her, and focused on his boss and girlfriend.

“We’ll have three decoys.”  Cortez laid out a plan. “Three convoys will head out all at the same time. I want everyone to be armored and be ready for an ambush.”

“Sergeant Yamada.” Cortez turned to the sergeant of Beta Platoon. “You’re in command of convoy 1, take the northern route.”

“Got it.” Yamada nodded.

“Sergeant Howard. You’re with convoy 2, take the southern route. Sergeant Hondo, Convoy 3, West route.” Cortez crossed her arms and stared at the three of them in the eye. “Take all precautions, expect an ambush, with how the city has gone crazy.”

“Yes, Captain.” He replied. “I have a suggestion.”

“What is it?” Jessica asked.

He knew they would be the ones to watch over the prisoner. Perhaps another secret convoy would be needed, and he didn’t need too many men for that, just his most capable officers. He glanced at Street, Tan, and Routh and decided on a plan. That way, they’ll be able to ride without any worry and hide in plain sight with an unmarked vehicle.

“There’s an access tunnel that leads to a parking building, right?”

“Go on.” He watched the smile on Jessica’s pretty face. He knew she would love his idea.