Tech smiled. Syn knew everything about his team, and it wasn’t just his job. He really was interested in how the only biological family Tech had was doing. “He’s good. Yeah, I saw them too, they are amazing. He’s gotten really good. I keep telling him to try to sell his photos, get a few framed, ya know. Landscapes are used in everything from screensavers to printed calendars. But he does photography for peace. He says if he makes it a job… then it’ll be work.”
“I told you, Mr. Murphy is one of the smartest men I ever met. When are you going back up to visit him? I’d love to go again. We had a ball. Furi still makes fun of when I got buried in that snow mound. It was freakin’ April and there was still like eight feet of snow on the ground.”
“I guess growing up there I forget how others see those mountains. Yeah, we did have fun, though. I’ll probably go back the beginning of the year, or right after the holidays if I can get the time from God. I’ve been dying to put my skis back on.”
“No problem. Just let me know when you’re ready to submit for the time, I’ll make sure he approves it.”
“Thanks, Syn.” Tech dropped down into his chair and turned to face his boss and good friend. “So, tell me about this new guy. Have you met him yet?”
“No. None of us have. Never even heard of him, actually. He was on the West Coast. Did it big up there, I heard.” Syn rubbed the crease in his forehead. “But you know God doesn’t like hearsay, so get me something concrete. You’re gonna have to dig deep on this one, kid.”
Tech gritted his teeth, he hated being called that. Sure, he was smaller and of course, he was the youngest of the crew – all of them were over forty and he was twenty-nine – but he had the IQ and mentality of a seventy-year-old scholar. Damnit, he needed to show them what he could do physically.
Syn rolled up a chair next to him with the file in his hand. “Let’s start with name and social and work our way up. He’s got a confidentiality mask in the paperwork from when he was active duty, so I guess that’s not all that critical. But if he’s got severe PTSD issues, then we need to know… immediately. Obviously, he’s still cleared for duty because he’s a police officer, but those qualifiers don’t catch everything, sometimes these men can mimic exactly what needs to be said to pass. Not all that concerned with ability, I mean he got some type of Medal and Honor so—”
Tech stopped typing, slinging his head around so fast he heard his neck crack. “Did you say Medal of Honor?”
“Yep. That’s what the file says. He’s a real live GI Joe, so do what you do, kid and let me know what you find. He comes in at noon. He’s here on a trial run, but still get him suited up with everything. I’m kinda feeling like we won’t have much of a say on whether or not he stays. Not unless he tries to kill one of us.”
Tech sat with his back to the guys while he hacked through countless databases, pulling up all the private information he could on their new guy. The more he discovered, the more impressed he became. The guy was pretty amazing. He couldn’t really see what his face looked like from his military photo since his cover was so low on his brow, but he had a beautiful mouth. It wasn’t hard to get more information regarding his law enforcement career since it was only four years long. Most of his adult life was spent as a Marine. He was an awarded marksman, a decorated Marine from a long line of activists and career military predecessors. Tech hit a ton of blocks when he tried to dig deeper into the man’s military background. He was at the DOD’s mainframe again, his inquiring mind getting the better of him as his fingers started flying over the keys. His eyes darted back and forth from one screen to the next while he moved through encryptions and firewalls. He kept telling himself that he had every right to get this information, it was for his lieutenants.
No one bothered him and he was able to tune out the incessant chatter when all of his teammates were in the office while he worked. His eyes widened when he finally got to some notes that would interest all of them, and then he heard the captain’s voice.
“Everyone. This is Detective Edwin Steele.”
Tech quickly clicked print and turned away from his monitors to get a glimpse of the man of the decade. Tech gulped hard, hoping no one heard it over the deafening silence, and checked out their new member. How the hell am I supposed to stare at a computer screen when he’s in here? To say he was hot was like saying Everest was a little high. Nothing could’ve prepared Tech for his arrival. And the way they were all staring at the guy, his team had to be feeling the same way.