Page 77 of The Session

“Did you bring a selfie stick with you?” Burton asked.

Mark indicated the gear bag he was holding. “Just my medical kit and some books.”

Before leaving, Mark had used the magic phone number to get a backpack full of internal reading material based on Tru’s recommendations. He’d decided to make the most of his free time by reading up on the tech.

“How are you with a weapon?” Burton asked.

“Excellent at running in the opposite direction. I’ve had some shooting experience with my stepfather, if that’s what you’re asking. But I’m here just to observe and provide medical support if needed,” Mark replied.

“You’re going to have a gun with you too,” Burton told him.

“We’ve got an indoor shooting range,” Kade said. “We’ll make sure you’re qualified. The gangs see the red cross on your shoulder as a target.”

“I’d rather not,” Mark told her.

“We’d rather you did. If you’re armed, you’re less of a vulnerability, and I’m less likely to have to go save your ass. All I ask is you know where to point the gun—which means not at me,” Burton told him. “Kade will give you the tour, show you the barracks and where to put your bags.” He checked his watch. “I need you ready to roll out with us in eighty-three minutes.”

“This way,” Kade directed. “I’ll make sure you’re checked out on the radio gear. Communications are the most important thing here. We’ll have you in one of the support vehicles, but there’s no better way to learn than by doing—and staying the fuck out of everybody’s way.”

“What’s the mission?” Mark asked.

“Convoy escort,” she said. “We provide support to the police and let them do their work.”

“That’s it?” Mark asked.

“There’s more, but you’ll get that in the briefing. Right now, let’s get you set up with a walkie-talkie and tactical gear.”

Kade showed Mark the rest of the compound. While they were in a relatively safer part of Port-au-Prince and weren’t restricted to the facility, it was designed to be self-sufficient, with its own cafeteria, sleeping quarters, and a lounge with big-screen TVs playing ESPN. It looked like a cross between a college dorm, a sports bar, and a military outpost.

Kade showed him how to use the radios and gave him tactical clothing that looked more civilian than military yet had plenty of pockets and room for bulletproof armor. He was also introduced to several of the other people working at the compound.

Mark estimated the average age was in the late thirties. Everyone was professional and polite. From his briefing, he understood these were all experienced combat veterans. They weren’t gung-ho mercenaries; instead, they were well trained and efficient, and if they weren’t walking around with weapons in their hands, they would have fit easily into a corporate retreat.

After Mark had the chance to stow his bag and change, Kade walked him over to the medical facility to meet their senior medic, Oswaldo Ortega.

“I didn’t realize they were sending a celebrity,” Ortega said as he greeted Mark.

“A celebrity with no combat experience,” Kade noted.

“If they spent a little bit more on the furnishings, I don’t think we’d have as much of a problem recruiting,” Ortega joked.

“Hopefully I can sell people on it,” Mark said with a smile.

“While you’re at it, could you ask them to send the private chef they have working at the Gaza checkpoint?” Kade asked.

Gronick had mentioned the Gaza operation was underwritten by wealthy Middle Eastern nations. In places like Haiti and Sudan, funding could be more erratic, and the perks weren’t as lavish.

The upside for the Constellation detail in Port-au-Prince was that they were less than two hours from Miami, and most of the personnel did five-days-on, three-days-off rotations.

Ortega showed Mark the small medical bay, which consisted of two operating tables and cabinets filled with surgical equipment. “I’m sure you know the most important piece of medical advice I can give you: Don’t drink the water. You’ll notice stacks of bottled water everywhere. We’ve tried to put in a proper filtration system, but the biology here fights us. I know you’ve treated bullet wounds, which is good. We handle things on a case-by-case basis. Anything we can treat here, we treat here. If it’s something we can’t handle in time, as an absolute last resort we go to Saint John’s Hospital, two miles away. We know who the good doctors are, but if we get somebody stable, we helicopter them to the airport, put them on a plane, and take them to Miami General. When you’re in the field and you need to make an assessment, that’s what I’m going to ask you for.”

After meeting with Ortega, Kade walked Mark over to the command center, where the team was starting to gather. At any given time, there were about two hundred personnel working for Constellation in Haiti. Half of them were deployed elsewhere on the island, doing security details at other locations and providing logistical support at communication centers. Kade’s job was to maintain a tight loop with the national police, making sure they had complete situational awareness.

In the command center, rows of video monitors showed the locations of different Constellation personnel, as well as red dots that Kade told him were areas where local gangs had tight control.

Haiti was a dysfunctional state. While there was a government that operated to some extent, large areas had been ceded to gangs and de facto warlords who erected roadblocks and impeded the travel of government vehicles, as well as used kidnapping and other means to extort officials, NGOs, and companies trying to conduct business.

The geopolitics was beyond Mark’s understanding, but he grasped the challenge. For the country to function at all, police, supply trucks, and civilians needed to be able to move back and forth. Constellation’s purpose was to ensure at least some of that could happen for critical locations like hospitals and power plants. Without their presence, citizens faced starvation and predation from the gangs.