Operation: Save America

By Annagail Lynes

Colonel Jessa Masters arrives home to the Liberty battered and bruised. She is sent home to make a decision that involves the future of the children she carries in her womb. Her captor wants her children...and have sent someone to make sure she makes the right decision. What could make a mother even contemplate giving up her children? Jessa wouldn't unless she couldn't live with the alternative. What if many lives would die if she didn't? It's the lives of her children or the lives of the American people? Which will Jessa choose? Or can she stop the plot in time and save both? This is the 5th book in the Jaguar and Peacock Series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781304750303

Book preview

Earth Photo Science Fiction Book Cover

~one~

Jessa, Colin exclaimed as he walked into the security office.  Where have you been?  We've been worried sick.

Colin worked as my Chief of Security on the USS Liberty, the flagship of the Freedom Alliance.  It was a United-Nations-like organization, where all the Armed Forces came together.  Although each branch functioned on their own, as they always had, they came under the rules and regulations of the Freedom Alliance.  A certain factor of the organization no longer agreed with those rules and regulations and broke away to form the Crimson Fleet.  Their mission?  To create a one-world, totalitarian government.  Once they did, the Freedom Alliance declared war on them.

I commanded the USS Liberty with my husband Lieutenant Colonel Nate Masters as my first officer and my brother-in-law Colin Vincent as my Chief of Security.  Colin’s wife, Joey Vincent, Nate’s sister, headed the onboard school, where our children Remy and Reggie attended.

I sat behind Colin's desk, leaning back in it, pushing my hair out of the way.  I watched his jaw drop as he noticed the cuts and bruises on my face.  "Lancelot, I need your help."  Lancelot—my unofficial codename for him, signaling I needed his help.

He dropped his QuanPad, a handheld device that held the memory of an entire quantum computer, on the desk and pulled a chair up next to me.  Are you all right?

I don't know.  I haven't been to Doctor Manning yet.  I came here first, I said, running my hand through my chestnut brown hair.  I need you to put extra security around me, Nate and the kids.

What's wrong, Colin asked, touching my arm.  Where have you been?

All you need to know is that someone wants to take my children.

Reggie and Remy?

I put my hand on my very protruding stomach.  No, I corrected, looking down at my abdomen.  They want Lizzie and Danny.

But why, Colin inquired, tilting his head to study me.  Are you sure you are all right?  You look a bit flushed.

I can't tell you that information at this time.  I stood up and walked around Colin's chair to the doors.  I put my hand to my head to try to stop it from spinning.  As I approached the exit, I pivoted to see him better. So are you going to assign extra security to Nate, me and the kids?

He nodded, rising to his feet.  I have to otherwise you could court-martial me.  And if anything happened to you, Nate and my wife will kill me.  He moved toward me.  Now let me walk you to the Hospital.

I need you to tell Command Central to be on the lookout for a vessel, I began, spun around and headed out the doors.  My head spun as if I were on a roller coaster.  My hands felt clammy, and sweat poured from my forehead.  Then my knees buckled under me, sending me to the floor.  I looked up into Colin's face, grabbing his pre-offered hand.  "I think I'll take you up on that walk to the Hospital.

Colin pulled me to my feet.  "You think?"

I linked my arm with his as we walked to the TravelTram, an elevator that moved up and down as well as sideways to get the rider as close to his destination as possible.  As we hopped onto it, I turned to Colin.  Will you call Nate and tell him to come to the Hospital?  Don't tell him I am back yet. Colin made the necessary call to Nate, who sounded tired and lifeless.  It was so good to hear his voice.  How long had it been?  Had it only been three weeks?  It felt more like three years.  Suddenly, I went limp and everything appeared black.  I barely felt myself hit the floor once again.

What happened to my wife, Nate screamed, waking me right out of my slumber. 

Wherever she has been these past three weeks, she has taken a real beating, I heard Doctor Manning answer.  She has several broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a broken wrist and bruises and cuts all over her body, especially the one around her stomach.  She also re-injured her previous hip injury.

The babies...

As I expected, they are doing well.  The babies and your wife are fortunate to be alive.  She had a labor-inducing drug in her system.

I wonder what happened to her, Nate said, mostly to himself than the doctor. 

I pulled myself up into an upright position.  I really don't think you'd believe me even if I told you, I declared, holding my chest.  A sharp pain hit it with every word I spoke. Both men's eyes flew to my face, staring at me incredulously. 

I took several deep breaths, coughing.  Doctor, how long do I have to stay in here, I required, motioning to the green-wall, smelled-like-disinfectant hospital room I found myself in.  I'd really rather recover at home.

Colonel, you have...

"Doctor, I heard your diagnosis when you recited it to Lieutenant Colonel Masters, I interrupted, fixing the pillows behind me.  I ran my eyes over the blondish-brown-haired doctor dressed in a lab coat.  Many of the women aboard thought him to be good looking with his pretty boy features.  I want to go home.  I will do almost anything to make that happen.  If that means an around-the-clock nurse or you checking in every hour on the hour, so be it."

The doctor rubbed his chin with his hand.  You will follow my instructions to the letter?

Definitely, I responded, feigning a smile.

All right, we will do this on a trial basis.  If you do well, you can recover at home.  If not, you will return here immediately, he responded, scribbling on his QuanPad. I am sending my instructions to your device.  He looked up at me.  Lots of bed rest.  Eat healthy food.  Don't do any loud talking or laughing.  I will come by every four hours to give you your medication.

Thank you, I acknowledged, climbing out of bed and right past the Doctor, out the doors of the Hospital.  Not even waiting for Nate to catch up.  I didn't have one minute to waste.  I kept glancing over my shoulder to make sure they weren't there.  Keeping these babies safe was going to occupy all my time and energy.  Doctor Manning's instructions would have to wait.

Where have you been, Peak, Nate demanded as he burst through our bedroom doors.  He stood in the doorway, folding his arms across his chest.  He looked me up and down piercingly.  I knew you were in trouble.  Graham and I search the entire galaxy for you.

I don’t want to talk about it, I said in a lifeless, wooden tone.  Pulling down the covers, I plopped up the pillows and climbed into my nice, comfortable bed.  Sitting up, I folded the covers over my stomach.  When he didn’t move, I barked, Don’t you have a vessel to run?

He stalked across the room, sinking down next to me on the bed.  Frankly, I don’t care if you don’t want to talk about it, he thundered, shot me a warning look, sticking his chin out defiantly.  I have spent the last three weeks explaining to Remy and Reggie that I didn’t know where you were and when you were coming home.

I turned my head, staring at the wall as hot tears stung my eyes.  I had thought about Remy and Reggie and Nate day in and day out for the last three weeks.  I visualized them, being home with them, tucking them in, relating stores of Agents J and P to them, kissing them, kissing Nate, being in his arms.  But he didn’t even seem happy to see me.  He was only concerned about where I had been.  I told you I don’t want to talk about it.  Now if you’ll leave, I can get some rest.  I turned my head forward again.

What I don’t understand, he retorted, grinding out the words between clenched teeth.  He fixed me with a level stare, wagging his thumb at me.  Is why you don’t want to talk to me about it, yet the first thing you did was run to Colin and blab the whole story to him.

I rolled my eyes; my mouth crimped in resentment.  I told Colin that I thought you, me and the kids needed extra security assigned to us.  I put down my pillows, laying down.  I rolled over and snuggled deep under the covers.  Why don’t you just go ask Colin what I told him when he pumped me for information?  I grabbed the pillow and pressed it against my chest.  Just leave me alone.

Leave you alone, he screamed.  I am your husband.  When you hurt, I hurt.

You aren’t acting like my husband.  You are acting like you are interrogating a hardened criminal, I called over my shoulder, hugging the pillow tightly.  And right now, I don’t have the patience or the time to play one of your suspects.

Don’t have time?  You aren’t going anywhere.  Doctor’s orders.

I will go and do whatever I please, I answered, biting my lip to keep from crying.  And if I want to handle this situation my way, I will handle it my way.

Which is?

Listen, I’ve got this covered, so if you don’t mind, I want to be alone.

I watched Nate out of the corner of my eye.  He hesitated before standing and marching out the doors.  CHIP, get Command Central on the line.

Major Riley, the voice of my third-in-command greeted.

Major, this is Colonel Masters.  There will be–

Colonel, you’re back.  I am so glad that you are okay.  We’ve missed you.  You had us worried sick.

Thank you, Riley.  I’ve missed all of you too, but I need you to do something for me.

Anything, came Riley’s response.

A vessel will be catching up with us, I said, describing it.  "I want you to do anything you have to.  Just make sure it doesn’t come anywhere near the Liberty.  This is a standing order.  Also we will be going on lock-down–no one in or out without my permission.  Understand?"

Perfectly, Riley returned; I could hear a smile in his voice.  I will let the next shift know, and if there is anything else I can do, let me know.

I will, thank you, Riley.  After I was sure the first transmission ended, I took a deep breath.  This was going to be the hardest call I had ever made.  I didn’t want to do it, but I had to if I was going to save Lizzie and Danny.  CHIP, get me General Graham on a secure channel.

Graham here.

Graham, this is Peacock, I uttered, blinking repeatedly to keep the tears from flowing.  I have to quit the IIB.  I don’t want to, but it is necessary.  I hope you understand, I blurted out all in one breath, hearing the hitch in my voice.  The tears now freely flowing down my cheeks.

In addition to working the USS Liberty, the flagship of the Freedom Alliance, Nate and I solved crimes as Federal Agents for the Intergalactic Intelligence Bureau (IIB).

No, I don’t understand.  Whatever this is about, we can solve it, Graham replied; his voice rose an octave.  Is it Jag?

No, this is a problem we cannot solve, I managed, struggling to control the wavering in my voice.  My lungs and ribs now burned with pain.  I don’t want any more people to get hurt.

I’m a half a day away.  I am going to rendezvous with you, and you are going to tell me what’s going on, Graham stated; an edge of tension in his voice.

There’s no need.  It’s the only way to keep us all safe, I voiced, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.  Any way, we are on lock-down.

I am coming, so you’d better let me on board, he ordered, ending the transmission.

I heard a sneeze from the direction of my closet.  That sneak–he went out of the bedroom, into the facilities and through the facilities’ entrance to the closet.  He had been listening to my calls. 

I sat up, fixing the pillows behind me.  You can come out now, Jag.

Nate emerged from the closet, looking rather embarrassed.  That he had been caught, I suspected.  He shuffled across the room.  When he came closer, I noted that the color had drained out of Nate's cheeks. Instead they were stained with tears.  As he stared at me in stunned horror, I noticed that his eyes were still brimming.  I felt as if a cold fist had clutched my heart.  I hated when he was sad.  Especially when I knew that I was the cause.  I wished I could tell him the whole story, why I was afraid and why we were in danger.  I couldn't.  Not if I wanted to keep Lizzie and Danny safe. He sat on the bed next to me, reaching for me.  I stiffened in anticipation. 

I promise no interrogating. I think you need your husband more than you need your apparently soon-to-be-ex partner. I nodded, moving closer to him, throwing my arms around him.  When he put his arms around me, I felt safer than I had in weeks. 

I rested my head on his shoulder.  I finally allowed my own tears to flow.  After a few minutes, I winced in pain.  I took a few deep breaths, waiting the pain out.  I don't want to leave IIB.  I have to, I whispered into his now soaked black flight coveralls.  I have to if I want to keep certain members of this family safe.

I told you, Peak, I am not going to press you for details, he answered, pressing me against his chest.  However, if you don't want to quit the IIB, Graham and I will do everything in our power to see that you stay.

I pulled back from Nate, studying him.  I can't.  I have to keep our children safe.

He put his hands on the sides of my face, cradling it.  "We are in this together.