Fallen Angel Read Online Free PDF Page A

He's the baby of the group, well, was the baby of the group. Next to him is Sergeant First Class J. J. 'Colt' Bartley, weapons and explosives. He's also the team sniper."
    "Bartley?" The major furrowed his brow. "Do you have a brother in the Army?"
    "Yes, sir. Paul Bartley."
    "The chaplain?"
    "Yes, sir. Do you know him?"
    "I do, but not well. Bumped into him once or twice." Scalon returned his attention to Moyer. "Carry on."
    Moyer pointed to a dark-haired man. "Sergeant First Class Jose 'Doc' Medina, team medic. Last, and probably least, Sergeant First Class Crispin Collins, surveillance."
    Scalon looked puzzled. "No nick?"
    "He's new to the team. We haven't given him a nickname yet. He's the newest and youngest."
    "Do any fieldwork before?" Scalon asked.
    "Just training, sir, but I'm ready for whatever the Army has planned for me."
    Scalon chuckled. "It's not my place to judge your readiness, Sergeant. I'm an overweight desk jockey. I do my fighting from behind a computer monitor." No one commented. "I suppose they call you, 'Boss,' Sergeant Major. Is that correct?"
    "Yes, sir. They do."
    "It helps with his low self-esteem." Rich grinned, then quickly added, "Sir."
    "It's my understanding most teams like yours have a designated class clown. You it, Harbison?"
    Rich puffed out his chest. "I am, sir."
    "Well, keep the funnies in check for now." He put his hands behind his back. "Do you know where you are?"
    Moyer answered. "Captain Bryan gave us some information about the base and your mission, but nothing beyond that."
    "September 11, 2001. It's a date none of us will forget. Then President Bush, as is required by Secret Service and military protocol, left Washington, D.C. One of the places he flew to was here. He held video meetings here with his secretary of state, chief of staff, the head of the Joint Chiefs, and others. Of course things have changed since then." He sat at a small table and looked at a simple monitor system. "We're over a decade past that now and the technology has improved."
    An airman seated behind the electronics console at the side of the room turned in his chair. "Sir, we're ready."
    "Go ahead." Scalon stepped to the side and stood by the first row of chairs. The large monitor blinked to life and the image of a well-muscled man in his fifties appeared. His hair was Army short, his skin tanned, and his face chiseled. Moyer knew he wasn't a dour man; he'd seen him smile twice in the years he had known him.
    "Do we have a clear connection?" Colonel MacGregor looked to his side, apparently to whoever was twisting knobs and flipping switches. Moyer heard, "Affirmative."
    "We're good on our end," Major Scalon said.
    "Good." Colonel Mac looked into the camera. "Gentlemen. Sorry to change your itinerary, and I'm even sorrier to tell you you won't be coming home right away."
    J. J. sighed. Moyer couldn't blame him. J. J. had a new wife at home. Moyer had a wife and two kids he was dying to see. "No problem, sir." It was a lie.
    "Down to brass tacks. Three days ago one of the Army's satellites was knocked from orbit. As you know, we and the other branches of the military have come to depend on satellites for GPS, communications, real-time observation, and battlefield control. I don't need to tell you there are a hundred other things these birds do for us. Angel-12 is one of the latest intel and recon satellites. I hear Sec Army has a personal stake in this device. He pulled a lot of strings and shook the hands of a lot of senators and representatives to get the funding. That being said, this has nothing to do with the secretary of the Army's pride."
    Mac took a deep breath. "The bird has sensitive optics and communications, things we'd like to keep to ourselves if you follow my drift. And that's just the stuff I know about. I'm pretty sure there's more to it than that, something a few thousand feet above my security clearance. I can't prove that, but I wouldn't bet against me."
    "I'd never bet against you,