Operation Janus

By T. Douglas Hunter Jr.

Near Bronze Age Argos, in the shade of a grove of trees, a king and his family escape the heat of mid-summer but not the eyes and ears of four armed men. Lying upon a ridge overlooking the harbor of venerable Ephesus, the same observers grimly witness seven of their shipmates being sold as slaves. The chase to rescue them culminates across the square from the temple of Dagon in ancient Tyre. There the quartet patiently waits for the moment to act before priests execute a suspected false priestess and her followers at nightfall.All in the line of duty for the US Navy SEALs -- if they are assigned to the USS Janus.excerpt: In the dive locker, my teammates were busy with their weapons and equipment. I climbed through the manhole and then latched it securely. "Ready to go?""Yes, sir," Morgan said. Something in his tone put me on alert. He nodded toward Gardner, who knelt between the bench and the weapons locker. I glanced at the video camera that we had agreed to leave in the room for security. Suddenly I wondered if microphones had been installed as well. Wehby rummaged about his wetsuit, working all four across the overhead bar to shield the camera from view. "Shall I inspect your suit for damage, LT? I've finished mine.""Yes, please." I bent to see what Gardner turned to show me. "What happened to your shotgun, Chief?""The lock's scratched, sir. I didn't notice it last night. Maybe I was just tired." It wasn't the trigger lock from his shotgun that Gardner was holding. It was the weapons locker lock. The imprint of a flat head screwdriver scarred it."Are you sure it happened in Greece and not on Crete?""I'm sure it was pristine during prep for Greece, sir." His voice was expressionless.I looked around. "Why isn't the fan on? It's a sauna in here!""Sorry, Lieutenant." Morgan flipped a sealed switch on the interior wall above the hatch. The mounted fan began to move air. Unfortunately, it provided precious little background noise."That's better. Is the lock damaged?""Nah, a little oil loosened it." Gardner reassembled his shotgun and worked the trigger lock. It clicked easily in and out of position. A fresh scratch was etched into it. I felt my jaw tensing as I looked at the mark. Gardner wouldn't have marred his constant companion of a dozen years without good reason. He was covering our conversation, just in case whoever had broken into our equipment was listening."Skip, your suit looks fine," Wehby said."Thanks, Erol," I said. Morgan was rummaging through his accessories locker. He caught my eye and nodded toward my own."Check mine, would you, kid?" Gardner said. "My baby's working fine again, skipper. Yours OK?"I opened my locker and snarled inwardly. The roll of socks I had left balanced against the door was pushed well back onto the shelf. "I still need to give mine the once-over. Hand it to me, will you, Sam?"Gardner handed my rifle to me. "Aw, LT, you didn't tighten your butt stock when you reassembled your M4 this morning. You were tired.""I didn't? Thanks for pointing it out." I knew better, of course. No one removes the butt plate to clean a weapon. Someone had been through our gear. Someone had broken into our weapons locker. But who? And why?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1520104618
• ISBN13: 9781520104614
• Release Date: May 2013
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"