CHAPTER THIRTEEN

AJ, Hiro, and Tanner stared at the screens, looking at the list of names who were on the op. All were experienced agents, stellar records, no marks. If there was someone there that shouldn't have been there, then this was going to be difficult.

"I don't get it," said AJ. "I can't see any of these men doing this."

"What about their financials?" asked Tanner. "Is anyone in trouble?"

"That was the first thing we checked," said Hiro. "Nothing more than the usual. Mortgage, car, some credit card debt but nothing that would make someone turn against their own people."

Tanner grabbed the stack of paper that had all the communications regarding the op. The first notification had gone out three weeks prior, stating that they were getting close to finding the location. There were multiple back-and-forth messages discussing teams, timing, and then one setting the date and time.

"Wait a minute," frowned Tanner. "Clark said they arrived at 2005."

"That's right. Just a little after eight," said Hiro.

"This message reads that the op was to begin at 2100. An hour later," frowned Tanner. "Someone moved it up, and they were panicked. Whoever was there wasn't supposed to be there."

"I'll be damned," said AJ. "He's right."

He shot a quick text to Alistair, Clark, Cam, Luke, Hex, and Eric. When they arrived, they reviewed what they'd found and questioned Clark.

"Did you know that it was originally at 2100?" asked Luke.

"Yes. We all did. There was weather coming into the area, and we hoped to be done and out of there by the time it hit. Nothing severe, but it could have hindered what we were doing. Command made the call to move it up."

"Did they have to clear it with anyone?" asked Eric.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "I have to assume they would clear it with someone. There were other agencies involved, which always makes it more difficult."

"Did you ever meet with any of these agency people?" asked Tanner, pushing a list of names toward her. Clark scanned the list, trying to remember.

"I have to be honest. I didn't care about their names. I was already planning to leave and come here. Normally, I would have paid attention, but with my retirement imminent, I just didn't give a damn."

"Would any of the Marines on the island have met them?" asked Hiro.

"I don't think so. As the pilot, I was the one doing most of the coordination with the agencies along with my commander."

"Damn," muttered AJ. "We really thought we had something here."

"You do," she said, staring at him. "You're right. Someone was out there helping them to close down shop because they knew we were on our way. The drugs were packed in big blue barrels, already bottled and ready for sale. They weren't manufacturing anything. They were shipping it somewhere for sale."

"Cameras," whispered Tanner. "Check the cameras to see who went on and off that mountain."

"Tanner, I love your brain," said Clark, "but this is a remote mountain region. I don't think they have cameras anywhere near there."

"No, but we have satellites. If there were large trucks coming off that mountain, we might be able to find them, or at least where they headed. And, if there was someone up there that shouldn't have been, we might be able to identify who that was."

"Wait. You can access satellites?" she smirked.

"Well, not legally," smiled Cam.

"You guys are awesome. I could have used you a few times in the field. Never enough resources for what we were doing and what we needed."

"Was this the first time you collaborated with the agencies on a drug case?" asked Hex.

"No. In fact, this was the third time. Marines usually aren't used for this, but I think someone was worried that this was terrorist activity as well. I'm not sure how. The drugs were all homegrown narcotics. Other than this one, anyway. This one seems very different."

"Riley was telling us that the desire for weight loss drugs is now at an all-time high. Legitimate prescription drug manufacturers can't keep up with demand, and that leaves the door wide open for fraudulent products.

"What these people have done, though, is create a narcotic. An addictive narcotic that the patient can't stop because of their desire to continue to lose weight and the drug's underlying addictive properties," said Eric.

"You've been studying," smirked Luke.

"Shut the fuck up. I always study. Besides, this one is playing on people's insecurities, and I don't like that. Sooner or later, they're going to be selling this shit to kids who are getting made fun of because they're a little heavier than their friends. It will be the teenage girl who thinks she's not thin like the models in the magazines. This is going to start killing fast."

Sor and Garr walked in, tossing a sheet of paper on the table.

"It already has," said Sor. "Four teenage girls were found dead in Ohio from an overdose on this shit. Their parents said the girls told them they'd started a running club. They questioned them about the amount of weight they'd been losing, and that's the reason they gave. One of the girls kept a pretty detailed diary. She said she'd lost eighty-five pounds. Her weight at death was sixty-seven pounds. She was fifteen years old."

"Holy fuck," muttered Alistair. "We have to stop this."

"Well, we've put a dent in it by closing down the mountain facility. But there's more out there. We just have to find it and find out who's trying to kill Marines and why they aren't trying to kill agency people," said Cam.

"If you're right and I saw someone in a meeting or planning session, it's because there were no agency people there other than command which wouldn't have been at the site during the op. They would have been at command center. I think they believe that if I saw them, identified them, I told my fellow Marines."

"It makes sense to me," said Alistair. "We just have to find them."