SEAL Team 666: A Novel

Both Walker and Ruiz ran to the couch to get to the finger before the dog ate it. What ensued was a scramble between three trained killers and a leather sofa. It was anyone’s game for the first few moments; then Hoover snatched the digit from Ruiz’s outstretched hand and trotted toward freedom—

Only to be caught by Holmes, who’d just come out of his room. He reached into the dog’s mouth and removed the finger.

“Anyone want to explain why Hoover is eating something that’s supposed to be up on the wall?”

Ruiz felt his face turn red. He hated it when the boss caught him doing something stupid. Ruiz’s life was a lesson in what two steps forward and one step back could do to one’s career. He pulled himself to his feet, eager to explain himself.

“I was testing a theory, boss.”

Walker managed to stand beside him. He touched a rip in his T-shirt that probably came from one of Hoover’s claws.

“What sort of theory involves feeding Hoover one of our trophies?”

“It has to do with these feelings Walker gets,” Ruiz said.

Yaya joined them, toweling his head and shoulders as he entered the room. Holmes had since cleared out Fratty’s quarters and the FNG had taken it over as his own.

“Okay,” Holmes said, walking over to the couch and straightening it. “Explain.”

“Right on,” Ruiz said, bouncing over to the wall. “I figured if we can have some advance notice next time, we—”

“You mean to turn your fellow SEAL into an early-warning system.”

Ruiz nodded.

“Like NORAD,” Holmes added.

“Exactly. Except it’s not working.” Ruiz shook his head and walked the length of the wall. He spun and gestured toward the trophies—hands and feet and teeth and horns and all matter of body parts. “These are all artifacts and should work with Walker here, but he can’t feel a thing.”

Holmes started to say something, but thought better of it. He glanced at Yaya, then back to the wall.

“What is it?” Ruiz said. He tried to look Holmes in the eye, but the team leader wouldn’t do it. In fact, he was beginning to look upset.

Holmes shook his head. “It’s nothing. It’s just … nothing.”

“Wait a minute. What’s going on?”

“You and your ideas,” Holmes said, shaking his head. He walked over to the wall.

“What? It was a good idea. I was trying to help the team.”

“‘I was trying to help the team,’” Holmes mimicked. He reached up and mussed Ruiz’s hair. “You’re a good SEAL, but Jesus, man.”

“What? What is it, boss?”

Yaya raised his eyebrows. “They’re not real are they?”

Walker’s and Ruiz’s jaws dropped as they looked from Yaya to Holmes to the wall.

“Why is it that the newest member of the house figures out what neither of you two, or the rest of them for that matter, ever did?”

“They’re not real?” Walker asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the wall as if for the first time.

“Yaya, please explain to your team members why they can’t be real.”

“Because they’d stink,” he said matter-of-factly. “All of these body parts rotting on the wall? This place would smell like Mogadishu.”

Ruiz couldn’t believe what he’d heard. “They’re all fake?”

“Every last one?” Walker asked

Holmes shook his head. “Not all of them. Yaya is partially right. Some of them do stink, but we have taxidermists who take care of that. What concerns us most is the residual magic.”

Ruiz flung himself into a chair. “So much for my bright idea.”

“Actually, it was a great scheme,” Holmes said, as if he’d just realized something. “We still have a piece of the chimera. I just haven’t had time to mount it. Hold on a minute.” He returned to his room. After a few moments, he returned holding a steel lockbox.

“A piece of that thing in the hold?” Walker gave a searching look to Ruiz. “You brought a piece back?”

“Several pieces actually. I had to. It’s not only the job of the team to categorize all the creatures we encounter, but it’s imperative that the Salton Sea compound get a sample of the DNA so they can trace its origin or project possible weaknesses if we’re forced to confront one again.”

Holmes sat on one of the couches and pulled a coffee table closer, then placed the box in the center and gestured at the others to gather around. “Walker, you sit here.” He pointed at a spot directly across the coffee table. After everyone was situated, he pulled his dog tags out from under his T-shirt. Beside them rested a simple silver cross and a key. He grasped the key, inserted it into the lock, and turned the key.

He glanced around at the others.

Yaya sat on the edge of the seat cushion.

Ruiz, on the other side, dramatically raised his eyebrows to Walker, whose eyes were as round as quarters. When Walker saw that both Holmes and Ruiz were watching him, he laughed self-consciously and licked his lips.

“I grabbed three spines. Two were sent for testing. This third one will be sent too, but only after Mr. Kwan over at the Trophy House fabricates a copy.”