Merry - Chapter 71

   When Merry's eyes popped open, Panic was still laying up against her. She checked the time on one of her cells near the bed, and it was a couple hours later. The cat was down at the foot of the bed, between their feet. Just like it often slept back at her apartment when the three of them were still there. Panic was no longer hugging her, but he was still right up against her side. Breathing more into her shoulder now than her neck. Sometimes he moved around a good bit in his sleep, and more so when she had first met him. As of late, he had been sleeping with less furtive movement. After all the prolonged sleep problems when she'd first met him, he was sleeping deeper and deeper and longer and longer as time went on. His body was obviously repairing itself.

   Reflecting on their relationship, Merry realized it just seemed they had been together longer than they really had. They had met before the full heat of summer was coming on, and that heat was just starting to lessen a little here and there. It had been a brief but intense relationship, and Merry was amazed at how connected they were. They had become welded together in a short period of time.

   Merry realized how lucky she felt. They really had been nothing more initially than a hot fling, but they had connected quickly. Under any set of measurements of the whole thing, he really had gone above and beyond any rational sense of duty for her. Getting her away safely that night the insanity had started would have been enough, yet he had gone back and risked his own life to put a stop to her would be assassin. He played it off as if he had done nothing, but she couldn't help feeling indebted.

   She almost couldn't believe he had lured the rest of them out, then basically disposed of them. Then allowing her to take credit, making her look like a hero. He even made sure she actually got a few. Was that for her benefit? Or, was it more of a "you have to get your hands dirty too" thing... she never was sure, and didn't really care. He had his friends help, but even insulated them from the really rough work. One had to drive and tip them off, and the other just helped him incapacitate the last two.

   She had suspected what he might do, when she showed him the last lucky straggler. She also realized how truly dangerous these Redwater men were. She had seen it with her own eyes. Other then the few she got with the shotgun, and the two they left alive... he had taken out the lion's share of a sixteen man hit team like he was breathing. Dangerous really didn't cover what these Redwater men were capable of. It was terrifying, though she didn't think of it that way.

   He was a truly good man. The killings really had all been in self defense. The last one though, she knew that was pushing it. Yes, it made perfect sense, both logically and morally that he had to go as well... and after how many others? Honestly, what the hell at that point. Even though he was protecting her, and even cleaning up DC in a way the system never could or wouls condone. What was scary about the last one, was the clear realization what these men were capable of, anytime they felt it was the right thing to do. The last one hadn't been cold blooded murder, but... it was off to the far dark end of gray.

   These Redwater's that she knew, exhibited a strong moral code. They didn't just pay lip service to their code, they seemed in every way to live by it. Motivation for playtime was paramount. They would not do it for any amount of money, but if you threatened a loved one? They would simply remove you, as easily as taking a bag of garbage out to the curb.

   Merry vaguely remembered the scandals and investigations some years back. What some Redwater teams were doing, and for who. Other scandals that showed Redwater hadn't really dissolved like most of the public seemed to believe had happened. They had simply split up into multiple companies and took on new company names. Call them what you wanted, it didn't really matter. Mercenaries, private armies, military contractors... it all meant the same thing in the end. Professional killers, and whatever support they needed.

   The sad truth was that the country demanded this "product" be made available. The department of defense used them, the military used them. So did large corporations and other countries. Only a complete idiot didn't realize the CIA and the NSA were sourcing spooks from their ranks. Rob had gotten these men "out", when he saw which way the wind was blowing. When he saw the moral code getting murky.

   These Redwater men she had run across by chance, were good men though. They had strong moral fiber. What the hell were the bad ones capable of, Merry wondered. Panic had told her, he refused to do "butcher" work, and that he steadfastly refused to be a paid assassin. He would not kill civilians for any amount of money. When he felt he was protecting innocent villagers, and attacking human monsters preying on the innocent and helpless? He had jumped in with both feet. But... he wasn't signing back up for any morally shady shit. Surely, a lot of them would.

   Merry remembered a story about a gigantic soft drink conglomerate... accused of hiring "mercenaries" to kill in third world countries, simply to prevent unionization and workers rights. The men that performed that work? Might well have been friends of the man laying sleeping here in front of her. Men that became butchers, after the men she knew decided the morality was absent and it was time to split.

   Only the most naieve individual would scream and yell that there needed to be congressional hearings, and this and that done. Merry knew DC enough to know the cold hard naked truth. There were companies and their men were willing to perform this sort of work. There were consumers of the product they sold. There were countries and multi billion dollar corporations that were willing to bankroll it. So... it was going to exist, and it was going to happen, and that was no matter what.

   Merry suddenly came to the shocking realization, that this sweet sleeping man? Had done as much to clean up the DC cesspool, as all the other organizations that had tried and failed, and all the millions of dollars wasted over the years trying to put a dent in it. A couple weeks preparation, two buddies to lend a hand, and not even an hour of work. His 16, no check that, probably 17 now... was roughly half of the bad apple bunch. The other half had been rounded up but at what cost, in terms of money and time and manpower.

   Pondering idly, Merry came to the shocking realization that she had stumbled onto and the logic of it. With a couple weeks prepping, one man had taken out half the problem almost single handed, with very little help, in an hour... the other half of the problem? Years of hard work, millions of dollars and who even knew how many man hours. The trials left? Were millions of dollars more, and untold man hours all over again.

   In terms of time, money, and even keeping things quieter? It made logical sense to have a little "operation" take care of the "problem". Oh yeah, Merry realized it. This product was definitely going to be misused. Merry realized how much safer she was now. She even realized how much her and Uncle Mike's eavesdropping operation had been enhanced. Merry knew, and she wasn't going to say a w-o-r-d, because this dirty little secret had saved her life, then made it safer yet again. Uncle Mike? He knew too... and he wasn't going to say a w-o-r-d either. His asset and friend? Alive and now safer. His operation? Enhanced to be even more successful than in his wildest dreams.

   One man, and two more just helping out, a driver and someone to help with what ended up as 2 stragglers. That was it. It was sobering to realize, what a large team of these men were capable of when you put them all together, and pointed them in the direction of the "problem". Hey guys? We have a problem down here, seems we have a drug cartel completely out of control. Yeah, they're the ones chopping people up alive, on camera, and posting the videos up on the internet. You'll send a team down to deal with this problem? Next week? Okay, that'd be great. Then they all get there. What are we going to do? Oh, we're going to wipe out the most violent drug cartel there is. Oh, okay. Sure, no problem.

   The Pablo Escobar file, if you had any kind of clearance? Was practically required reading for entertainment across several three letter governmental agencies. It was a completely open secret, that special forces and "military contractors" had been sent down in teams, to hunt Pablo and all the members of his organization.

   Los Pepes, literally "the people"... had been a group that had spontaneously formed and started going guerrilla on Escobar's organization. They tossed the fucking rule-book right out the window. They shot, bombed, poisoned and anything else they could dream up to simply k-i-l-l all the members, and their friends and families as well. After all, that was what Pablo had done to his enemies, they simply did it right back to him. Fair in a way. If you were seen hanging out with Pablo and were on good social terms with him? You died, and anyone that knew you. A lot of butcher work.

   The open secret, was that special forces and military contractors had started Los Pepes, then trained the locals that wanted in on the hunt, and led them on raids and operations. No doubt Redwater men were in on that as well, it was right up their alley. Hey, we need lunatics to run around the jungle, and take out armed drug labs, you got anyone? Yeah, we got the guys that played with the zombies around the equator, we'll send them down. Soon as your check clears? You'll start seeing results... and by results? We mean heads on sticks.

   If the Redwater corporation hadn't had such kinked up morality? This man sleeping here, and his two friends? Might well be down handling such a problem. Christ, Merry thought... how fucked up was the world we lived in. Both that such problems existed, and, that men and organizations existed that could be simply hired that could and would handle the problem.

   Panic had quipped to her... we aren't evil, we're a necessary evil, simply because someone has to do that kind of work.

   It was easy for her to see now, that indeed it wasn't all scary bedtime stories. Oil companies really could write out multi-million dollar checks, to send in squads of butchers to annihilate whole villages that were obstinate to having a pipeline go through the village. It was likely cheaper than rerouting the pipeline to be twice as long. Tin star dictator wants bribed 50 million to let you have a monopoly in his country? Hey, we got a team that can take him out, for only 25 million. You got a journalist that saw the wrong fucking file? Yeah, we got somebody for that. Let me put you through to that desk.

   Panic's father had ingrained into his son the code that dangerous men were to protect women, children, and the weak and helpless. Robbie had doubled down on that code. The end result, was that Panic took one look at a herd of dirty cops that were running around terrorizing a whole city and assassinating anyone that got in their way? He had seen this before. He knew what needed done, and he knew that no one else either could or would do it. He didn't even want paid, nor desired any credit for the work. Someone forgot to take the garbage out? He took it out for them.

   Merry didn't even like thinking about what happened when you put a large group of the morally bankrupt butchers together. Because if your checkbook could stand the workout? You could point at things, and make them simply disappear. Men. Buildings. Infrastructure. Whole villages. Pesky investigative reporters. Politicians. Whatever you needed gone, didn't really matter what it was. Whoever said you can't put a price on human life? Had obviously never worked in accounts receivable at Redwater or any of its subsidiaries.

   Merry heard the rustling of Panic moving around in his sleep. It sounded like this before he either went motionless again, or alternatively, opened an eye to see what was going on. The slit on the one eye widened just enough she knew he was coming awake. She leaned forward in her folding chair and looked at him. Gradually the slit eye widened some more. Then, the quizzical waking face... followed by the pinched waking up expression. A couple of blinks, and he registered her visage.

   Merry was sitting in the folding camp chair drawn up to the side of the bed. She was wearing her shiny robe, with her feet up on the edge of the bed. She had gotten up and shifted to the camp chair and donned her robe to watch him sleep and now wake up.

   "I thought you promised you were going to lay with me, for my nap."

   "I did. You were starting to move around. I just woke up a couple minutes ago myself."

   "What's with the robe..."

   Merry smiled, and undid her robe, and let it fall open.

   "That better?"

   He nodded.

   "I just now got up. You only lost a couple minutes of me napping with you."

   "What time is it?"

   "Does it matter?"

   "Not really..."

   "It's still daylight. We slept another couple hours. Are... you ready for lunch? I promised..."

   "Sure."

   Merry slid her flip flops on as she drew her feet off the edge of the bed and stood up. She left her robe open as she smiled and stared at him.

   "How many?"

   "How many what?"

   "How many tater tots do you want. I don't know how hungry you are."

   "Couple big handfuls?"

   She started walking over to the oven and the little fridge.

   "Baked? Or... deep fried..."

   "Hm. You sound like a real cook, all these specifications. Portion size, cooking method..."

   "I have an Irish boyfriend, and I'm rapidly getting very knowledgeable about potato food. I'm just sure, the one thing has nothing to do with the other. Now then... baked or deep fried."

   "Baked."

   She got a bag of the tots out the freezer, and got a corner cut open with a little knife. As she started slowly dumping them onto a little metal tray they had picked up at the secondhand store, she asked him...

   "Say when..."

   "That looks good."

   Merry smiled at him from the oven, and wiggled the timer at him...

   "Don't worry when you see me setting the timer later... it'll be for the tater tots, not you."

   She set the oven to temperature with the dial and let it preheat. She ended up back at the bed, and stepped out of her flip flops, and sat across his hips, smiling, her robe still flapped open.

   "You said you wanted Merry Pork Sashimi with your tater tots. Do you want that before or after the tater tots."

   "After..."