Incarna

24 - Air National Guard

Suddenly his nav screen went blank then restarted. Riles realised it wasn’t google air maps anymore, nope this was an agency type display. The agency had him, phew. He watched as a new course heading came up and he turned into it till the line marking the path on the screen went green showing he was now on course. He was heading straight for the Texas border now and no longer had to hide among commercial air traffic.

“TFX, TFX, this is your Air National Guard escort do you read,” came a very Texan drawl in his head phones. Riles immediately looked around and nearly wet himself when he saw the four F16s with their brightly coloured red white and blue ANG paint schemes coming straight for him. “Read you, ANG and have visual, glad to have your company, thanks boys!”

“We’ll ride shotgun with ya son at least until the cavalry arrive,” came the drawl again and the F16s dropped in around him. He watched two form up behind and below and two ahead and above him. He was doing four hundred miles per hour so the F16s would be just idling along. He watched one of them do a rapid climb and roll then drop back into a slightly different station.

“You set off your alarm just in time for us to help you from straying over the border son, don’t want any of you border patrol boys getting lost south of the border ya know!”

“Roger that ANG, yep thanks for the guidance back to base!” So that’s how they’re angling this, he nodded to himself. Make it appear like his nav equip had failed and he was straying off course on a routine patrol. Riles chuckle to himself. That data he sent back last week must’ve hit just the right spot. Agency HQ would be hacking the mexican flight controllers and altering every bit of evidence about him, clever bastards!

Learning that the Sinaloa Cartel now controlled over 70 percent of the Mexico drug trade and 80 percent of the government certainly had thrown some weight on his direction. What he had with him now would shatter a lot of political lives back I the ol’ US of A, but hey it was time to get the broom through the MICs.

“Don’t mind us son, just clearing out the cobwebs somewhat. Don’t want any chihuahua’s nipping at our tails, he he he,” and Riles smiled at the voices dry humour. There was no attempt to identify themselves. This operation would theoretically never have occurred and a whole different scenario was about to come into being. The White House would have straight lined the command directly to whatever airfield was closest and in this case it had been a Texas Air National Guard base. The fly boys would have lined up for this one, anything to get these sort of flight hours!

He checked the nav screen again and saw how the icons for the fighters were clearly indicated, and just over a 100 miles off was the Texan border, the Great Wall of Texas. … then on the edge of the screen he noticed another group of indicators. These had a question mark as their icon even though they were probably mexican airforce.

“TFX TFX, you have company but they’ve been warned off! So don’t ya worry there son.” “Roger ANG, and thanks again.” “Don’t mention it son, just a nice day to do a border patrol. Never know which junkie s trying to fly something over! Ah yes sir, and the cavalry should be coming up on your screen just any time now.”

Riles sweated and waited and watched as the F16s moved about keeping themselves unfixed targets. He doubted any one would be stupid enough to even throw a rock at the ANG, but, what he’d seen recently and now carried with him, was worth more than the Mexican government could possibly imagine.

“TFX, TFX, cavalries here son, we goin’ top cover, take care and good job!” Shit swore Riles under his breath, what do they know about my role?

“Thanks ANG, all good here!” Riles watched the icons of 6 Osprey coming up around him then he saw them take position in front and alongside! They were gunships, fully loaded with rocket pods, AAM and ASM and open hatchways with 50 cal miniguns pointing downward. One of the gunners waved to him and he waved back. Shit, glad they’re mine, one burst and I’m mince meat!

“TFX TFX this is Escort Flight, don’t mind the ANG boys they don’t get out that often. How’s the fuel, we have fifteen minutes to secure field!” “Escort Flight, fuel good, now damage no injuries, just very glad to see you boys!” “All good TFX, three minutes to the border then we commence descent!”

Riles took and extra long breath and wiped his palms on his trousers, he hadn’t realised he was sweating this much and he had the aircon on! The nav screen buzzed and he saw the border pass below him. How many illegals were trying to dig under the fence today. Goddam what a mess that was down there with every drug baron running their own tunnel systems and the US border guards blowing one or more up every day. Still the border leaked like a sieve and the drug and sex slave trade just grew and grew.

Well, not for much longer, if his information was correct, it would soon be over! All of it!

He relaxed and finally took in some of the mid morning view as he started his descent and made out the ANG airfield in the distance ahead. His escort followed right in till his wheels touched down. “Have a good one son,” came the drawl as the four F16s roared close over head ad did victory rolls and they climbed away. The Ospreys set down beside him and armed guards threw up a perimeter all around him. A black Bearcat protected vehicle drew up alongside and a security team came towards him with bomb proof boxes and brief cases. He grabbed his satchel and climbed out.

“Your belongings sir?” and the agent indicated the carry case. He took out the drive and the discs but kept the thumb drives on him in his jacket scan proof cache pocket. “Sorry sir the whole satchel!” “Ah yes of course,” and he dropped the satchel in with its wads of money. He made no attempt to remove the jewelry he was now wearing and the agents made no mention of it.

A comfortable retirement was a difficult thing for an agent, especially when he would now have to disappear for good. Every Sinaloan scum bag would have his face on his phone and he was already dead as far as they were concerned. Still, he now knew enough to retire and, get a new face far more easily than anyone thought!