Never Die Easy: A Phantom Solider Story

By Carl Michaelsen

When the United States Special Forces are in danger, who do you send in?

Before the events of Carl Michaelsen's intense debut novel "Phantom", Gray Saxon was who the U.S could count on to get the impossible jobs done. Witness the tragic events of what turned a national hero into a national nightmare, as Gray Saxon leads his tea

• Language: English
• Publisher: Boxhead Books
• Release date: Jan 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088086391

Book preview

A Novel by Carl Michaelsen 

Cover Designs by Taylor Piggott 

Proofread by Kathy Michaelsen 

Published by Boxhead Books

Author's Note

When I finished writing Phantom on Christmas Eve of 2020, my mind immediately began racing to how I could continue the story.  I started writing a sequel the very next week.  It didn’t take long before the creative juices stopped flowing and I was left with a messy, incoherent plot.  Admittedly, Phantom was not my best work as an author, but it was still my first book I ever wrote and ever published.  If I was going to follow up the story with a sequel, I wanted it to be better.  Unfortunately, a sequel didn’t come naturally.  I am a big believer in not forcing my writing.  If the story comes to me, I’ll write it, but I’m not going to sit idle, and wait for an idea to come to me.  So I moved on.  

Fast forward to June of 2022, and I had just finished writing the second book in my Union Brotherhood Anthology; Cowboys of the Sky.  I already knew I was going to write a third book in that series and was going to start it when I found something.  It was a notebook from my sophomore year of high school.  Inside was a 50 page story about two brothers who were Navy SEALs.  As I read this short story, I couldn’t help but laugh at it.  (My writing back in the day was not what it is today.  Humble brag.)  But at the same time, I recognized that there was most definitely a story there.  And that’s when it hit me: a PREQUEL to Phantom.  There was so much mystery about the backstory of certain characters and this gave me the opportunity to explore some of those characters further.  

The result is a quick, taut thriller that deals with some very real human emotions;  regret and finding fulfillment in life to name a few.  Both of these are something that all of us will feel at one point or another.  It’s hard to have regrets and I say that from experience.  There is a lot I regret about who I was when I was 18/19 years old.  I was selfish, arrogant, and just not a good dude.  Looking back, it is tough to admit that.  But now, at 23, I’m proud that I didn’t become that person.  I grew up, I changed, and I matured.  I cut out toxicity from my life and stopped spending my time with people who were only hurting me.  It took a long time, but I was able to get out of that period of my life.  I’m in a healthy, loving relationship.  I’m close with my family.  I have great friends.  I have a good job and I have a passion that I love.  Things are good.  

Thank you as always to my publisher, Tyler.  He’s been extremely supportive of any and every idea I’ve had for books and he’s been great about letting me take my time to really flesh out the ideas.  This is my fifth book I’ve published through him and I’m very pleased with how things have gone.  Thanks, bro.  

Thank you to Ms. Taylor Piggott for another great cover design.  The cover is what potential readers first see and makes the first impression.  This one is awesome and brings the dark, gritty, intense tone of the book to life.  

My mom, Kathy, was once again very important in the editing phase of this book.  For the first time, she and I sat down and read the entire book together, rather than her reading it alone and then us talking about it.  This allowed us to have discussions as we read and overall, it made editing much easier.  Her support and willingness to help me through the writing/editing process has been so helpful.  I love you, ma. 

As of right now, I don’t have any definite plans to continue on with this story.  John Shannon is in the Union Brotherhood Anthology, so there is that.  But as for a true sequel to Phantom, who knows.  Maybe someday, maybe never.  I like ambiguity.  

Until we meet again, I hope you all enjoy this story.    

-Carl Michaelsen 

Prologue

War was a beautifully paradoxical phenomenon.  Combat, real combat, was horrific.  It was the stuff of nightmares.  But at the same time, it brought out the best in people.  Following 9/11, the entire United States had come together as one nation.  Since then, the country had never been so united.  But the patriotism, the love for the country that had been displayed during those following weeks and months had done enough to take hold of a pair of young brothers in suburban Newport Beach, California.    

The helicopter rotors spun around and around, kicking up dust all over the landing zone.  It was a Boeing Chinook CH-47, a common aircraft in the United States military to transport troops.  Morgan Peterson stood a few feet away from the chopper, the rhythmic beating of the rotors ringing in his ears.  Despite wearing earplugs, the chopper was still unbelievably loud.  He was covered in dirt, grime, mud, and blood from nearly four days of continuous combat.  Relieved to have the action finally coming to an end, Morgan was enjoying a cigarette, and the feeling of exhaustion set in.  Morgan Peterson was Chief Petty Officer in the United States’s Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU, a detachment of SEAL Team Six.  The other men who were moving around the chopper were the SEALs on his team or the men from a partnering Delta Force squad, the Army’s Tier One Special Forces unit.  The SEALs, which stood for Sea, Air, and Land, were notoriously the most elite fighting force in the United States Military.  They’d famously conducted the raid that killed Osama bin-Laden, earning them Hollywood-level fame across the globe.      

Can’t wait to get home, man, one of Morgan’s teammates, Lars, said, walking up to him.  Kids are starting to talk, last time I talked to Kelli,

They gotta miss you, Morgan said, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke.  

He had no kids of his own, but had without a doubt taken the trophy for coolest uncle; his two nieces were in high school.  Despite not having kids yet, he and his wife, Alex, had always talked about a family.  It just had not worked out yet.  

I miss ‘em like crazy, Lars shook his head, smiling.  He ran a gloved hand through his messy, brown hair.  Alright, I’m gonna go grab a seat on the bird, 

Right behind you, Morgan tossed his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out.  He raised his hand and waved the others back onto the chopper.  Mount up! 

Like Lars, Morgan was also sporting a rather disheveled haircut.  His brown hair was longer than it had ever been, nearly down to his shoulders, and his beard was thick and bushy too.  Lars had jokingly started calling him ZZ Top, much to Morgan's displeasure.  He didn’t think it fair to compare the legendary beards of ZZ Top to his own.  

Including Lars and Morgan, a total of eight Navy SEALs and four Delta operators climbed onto the chopper, each of them taking a seat in the hold.  The Crew Chief gave Morgan a concerned look as soon as he sat down.  Morgan could tell he was getting orders relayed into his headset.  Morgan raised an eyebrow as he put on a headset so he could talk to the Chief.  

What’s the deal? Morgan asked.  

I’m getting word that there’s a Ranger unit pinned down a few clicks from here, the Crew Chief responded.  HQ is trying to find an alternative, but we might have to go play QRF, 

QRF was military lingo for Quick Reaction Force.  

How far exactly? Morgan asked.  He was completely exhausted, as were the rest of his men, but their brothers in arms needed help.  

Working on it… 

Work in the air, tell the pilot to get a move on, Morgan said.  He stood up and raised his voice.  Listen up!  We got Rangers in contact not too far from here.  We’re gonna go bail ‘em out on our way home, alright? 

All of the operators in the hold nodded, no questions asked.  Morgan smiled and nodded.  The Chinook lifted off into the air and began flying toward the Rangers.  Ammo was passed around to the soldiers and Morgan made sure to replenish his pouches with fresh magazines for his Heckler and Koch 416 assault rifle.  Once he had all the extra ammo he could carry, Morgan sat down in his seat and rested his head against the frame of the chopper, closing his eyes.  There was no way he’d be able to sleep, but even just closing his eyes took some of the stress off.  

As they flew across the sky, Morgan’s mind began wandering to his brother.  Caleb Peterson was older than Morgan by a few years, but he was also a Senior Chief Petty Officer in DEVGRU.  He had enlisted a few years before Morgan did, while Morgan was finishing up his associates degree at a local community college before enlisting - their mother had insisted.  It had been a few weeks since he’d touched base with his brother.  In fact, Morgan wasn’t sure if Caleb was still stateside or if he had redeployed again.  Caleb had been married for almost fifteen years and had twin girls that were freshmen in high school.  As far as brothers went, Caleb and Morgan were exceptionally close.  

An alarm went off in the chopper, snapping Morgan out of his thoughts.  He sat straight up and looked at the Crew Chief.  

Contact, 10 o’clock! one of the pilots yelled, swerving the massive chopper around hard.  Fire, fire, fire! 

The gunner immediately began hammering off rounds from the belt-fed .50 caliber machine gun mounted behind the cockpit.  Morgan crossed the hold and looked out one of the port windows, seeing a mess of enemy fighters in the mountains adjacent to them.  He saw a duo of men running toward them, each one carrying a Rocket Propelled Grenade, or RPG.  

RPG! Morgan screamed a warning.  

Break right, break right! the pilot yelled.  

The rocket sailed toward the chopper, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.  It impacted right into the middle of the chopper, blowing a hole through it.  Instantly, three of the Navy SEALs were killed in the blast.  Morgan heard the pilots yelling distress calls as the Chinook began breaking apart in midair, heading on a collision course with the ground beneath it.  

Mayday, mayday, we are going down! the pilot yelled into the radio, desperately trying to keep the chopper together. 

Another RPG! Lars shrieked.  

Morgan slammed his eyes shut before the rocket impacted with the helicopter.    

1

San Diego, California

The lights illuminated the stage.  The curtains slowly went up.  She stood at the center of the stage; poised, strong, and elegant.  Her white dress was intricate, cinched around the waist, criss-crossed up the back, and falling just below her knees.  Her hair was done up in an immaculate bun, nearly a hundred pins held it perfectly in place.  Her arms were at her side, her back to the audience.  The years and years of hard work could be clearly seen in the muscle definition in her back and arms.     

The soft music started and she slowly raised her hands, beginning the dance.  She was alone on stage, a solo number to honor her commitment and achievements over the last fourteen years.  It was not known whether or not she would dance again and if this was the last time she ever set foot on a stage, she was determined to make it memorable.  

Erik Mooney had tried his hardest to hold it together during her solo, but the second the music started, and she started flowing across the stage gracefully, he lost it.  He blinked tears out of his eyes, putting his hand over his mouth as he beamed with pride.  He couldn’t believe it.  It felt like yesterday that he was sitting in the same performing arts center of the local high school for the first time, ready to watch his daughters first ever dance recital.  It was during the summer and she had been exactly four and a half years old.  He’d cried that day too.  But this was a different kind of cry.  His daughter was 18, getting ready to go off to college, and he understood how much this day meant to her.  She’d been at the same dance studio for her entire career.  This last year, she’d even taught a few classes.  Her entire life, she had lived and breathed dance.  

He cried for many reasons.  The dance was powerful, evoking that kind of heavy emotional response.  There were no words to the song, just the music, but you could feel the intensity, the desperation.  She had picked the song and choreographed the entire dance herself.  He cried for the pride he felt toward his daughter.  He cried because just yesterday, he was watching her dance for the first time.  He cried for the time that he’d never get back, but also the years of memories with her.  But mostly, he felt a surprising amount of guilt.  Erik had watched the majority of his daughters dance recitals through a phone.  He’d missed nearly every single recital since the first one, which was why he had made it a mission to be at the last one.  And now, he sat there, weeping for the years that he’d missed.  In the blink of an eye, his daughter had grown up.  

It wasn’t that Erik didn’t want to be at the recitals, he wanted to, more than anything.  But, his job had constantly taken him away from his family.  Erik was a Master Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy, more specifically, a member of SEAL Team Seven.  His daughter, Madeline, had long gotten used to the fact that he wasn’t around a lot.  She said she understood, understood that it was his job, understood that he was protecting people.  But in small, subtle moments, Erik could see that she was also incredibly sad about how much of her life her dad had not been present.  

Madeline continued through the dance, spinning on her toes so gracefully it looked like she was gliding across the stage on skates.  Erik felt a hand on his knee and looked over at his wife, who was also crying.  She handed him a Kleenex.  Erik cracked a smile and accepted the Kleenex, wiping his eyes.  His wife wiped her eyes and nose too, much more of an emotional wreck than Erik was, and for good reason.  She had never missed any of Madeline’s dance performances.  Knowing there was a chance this would be the last one was yanking at her heart strings.    

She’s beautiful, Kendra whispered to him, interlocking her fingers with his.  

I know, Erik answered, leaning over to kiss his wife’s head.  

The song came to a dramatic conclusion, ending with a beautiful leap and turn from Madeline.  She finished in the center of the stage, her right hand in the air.  The audience erupted with applause.  Erik clapped as loud as he could, cheering louder than anyone else in the audience.  Madeline made eye contact with him and gave him a big smile, sending Erik into tears all over again.  

Erik and Kendra stood outside of the performing arts center, away from the mass of families waiting for their dancers.  He had a massive and colorful bouquet of flowers in his hand, as well as a big stuffed animal lion.  Ever since Madeline had been a young girl, stuffed animals were her thing.  She had a huge collection that she still held onto, even though she was a little too old for it.  Her favorite animal had been, and always would be, a lion.

There she is! Kendra exclaimed, jumping up and down as Madeline ran over to her, still wearing her dress from the dance.  Kendra and Madeline embraced, both of them teary eyed.  You did so good! 

Thanks mom, Madeline croaked, hugging her mom with all of her might.  They separated, Kendra