The Wet Boys Series | by Jarred Taylor

Wet Death · Book One

DEEP
SCYTHE

⚔

Jarred Taylor

Military Thriller Carrier Aviation 216 Pages Audiobook Available

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// Book One · The Wet Boys Series

Deep Scythe

What if the Joint Special Operations Command had its own aircraft carrier — and its own air wing?

What if one ship was tasked with poking and prodding in the corners of the world where everyone already knew evil was happening, but no one had the proof yet? That's the question Deep Scythe starts with. In the shadows of a second Cold War, one man dared to ask for the unthinkable: his own aircraft carrier, his own squadrons, and complete autonomy under the Joint Special Operations Command. From the boneyards of Arizona to the depths of the Pacific, Deep Scythe follows the rise of Carrier Air Wing Zero — an off-the-books air wing forged from resurrected jets, retired legends, and a handful of pilots too reckless for the modern military.

But as rogue states, terror networks, and global powers converge on the Indian Ocean, the team's loyalty, skill, and sanity are tested in a covert operation that explodes into open chaos.

What begins as psychological warfare soon spirals into a brutal, cinematic dogfight over the fate of truth itself. From experimental radar systems to Frankenstein A-10 Warthogs, this is warfare waged outside the playbook — and the cost to the enemy is paid in blood.

"Trashman is the maestro of the battlefield. You won't see him, but he's the reason you're alive."

— Col. Pete "Donnelly"

Aboard the USS Leviathan, Carrier Air Wing Zero — CVW-0 — doesn't exist on any official manifest. Their aircraft wear no nation's markings. Their orders come with a built-in expiration date. Deep Scythe follows the pilots, crews, and commanders of CVW-0 through Operation DIAMOND HARVEST — a multi-axis, zero-attribution strike built on layered deception, carrier-based precision, and the kind of trust that only forms under sustained fire. From the electronic attack corridors cut by VMAQ-101's Swipers, to the nap-of-the-earth hog runs of the 62nd Attack Squadron, to the counter-air sweep of VFA-199's Wet Death flight — every piece has to land exactly right.

"Fridge and Wilbor are going to conduct the loudest silent assault these radar towers have ever seen. Their job is to blind the eyes and break the ears."

— Col. Pete "Donnelly"

Told with the technical authenticity of someone who has lived inside carrier aviation culture, Deep Scythe is a thriller for readers who want their cockpits real and their stakes existential.

Some ghosts don't haunt the past. They rewrite the future...

Available in hardcover, softcover, ebook, and a fully produced audiobook with an original score by the author.

// From the Back Cover

Praise for Deep Scythe

“

Top Gun: Maverick meets The Dirty Dozen. Deep Scythe will throw you into the deep end of next-generation conflict, where peer adversaries, covert operations, and bleeding-edge tech collide across the global commons and hostile skies. Jarred Taylor delivers captivating action, authentic tactics, and geopolitical intrigue. Tactical. Entertaining. Unforgettable.

Lt Col. Mike "Bulldog" Smith, USAF (Ret.)Tactical Air Control Party

“

Deep Scythe is a fifth-generation asymmetric punch in the mouth. It perfectly encapsulates what makes the modern American fighting man second to none. This book isn't just an entertaining read — it's the playbook for modern warfare.

SMSGT Aaron "LX" Love, USAF (Ret.)Pararescue, "Last of the Big Spenders"

“

If you are curious about the creative nature of the modern-day warfighter, this book is for you. This isn't non-fiction, but it also isn't fair to call it pure fiction either. Deep Scythe is a peek into the psyche of the American soldier and aviator. The setting and premise are imaginary — the mentality, the camaraderie, the ingenuity, and most importantly, the desire to win at all costs, is not.

Andy Stump, Navy SEAL (Ret.)Head of Coffee Creamer & Milkery, BRCC

“

What starts as an insane idea morphs into a wildly unauthorized "friendly" training exercise and quickly turns into a full-scale naval panic when a handful of sarcastic aviators armed with expired energy drinks, fake radio call signs, and an unhealthy knowledge of Navy bureaucracy manage to penetrate a US Naval carrier's defense systems. Get ready for a ride!

Marcus Luttrell, Navy SEAL (Ret.)Semi-Pro Race Car Driver, Lawn Mower Enthusiast

// CVW-0 · Carrier Air Wing Zero

The Universe

CVW-0 is an off-the-books carrier air wing embarked aboard the USS Leviathan (CVN-00). Each squadron carries its own identity, callsigns, patches, and culture — forged in the gray space between acknowledged operations and the kind of work that never appears in official records. The Leviathan doesn't exist on any public manifest. Neither do its pilots.

The wing is built for deniability. Strike fighters, electronic attack, deep-strike ground pounders, airborne command and control, fleet defense interceptors, and recovery assets — every capability needed to execute a full-spectrum operation without leaving a fingerprint. Each squadron has its own doctrine, its own culture, and its own way of solving problems that the rulebook never anticipated. They don't coordinate because they're ordered to. They coordinate because they've learned to trust each other in the dark.

At the center of it all is the Hive View network — a sensor fusion and deception system operated by VAE-00's Ghost Eye that serves as the battlefield's nervous system. Hive View sees everything, masks everything, and when the mission calls for it, makes the enemy see things that aren't there. It is the thread that connects every package in the air and the reason CVW-0 punches well above its acknowledged weight.

CVW-0

Carrier Air Wing Zero

"Deep Scythe"

// USS Leviathan · CVN-00

The unseen air wing. CVW-0 operates outside official records, deploying from the Leviathan on missions that require no attribution and leave no trail. Every squadron aboard answers to the wing — and the wing answers to no one publicly acknowledged.

Full Spectrum · Deniable Operations · Joint Strike

CVN-00

USS Leviathan

"The Ship That Doesn't Exist"

// Nimitz-Class Carrier

The USS Leviathan is the floating fortress behind every operation CVW-0 has ever run. She carries no nation's flag on official records, moves without escort when the mission demands it, and has never officially been where she's been.

Power Projection · Expeditionary · Covert Basing

VFA-199

Wet Death

"The Death"

// F/A-18 Super Hornet

The strike-fighter backbone of CVW-0. Led into battle by ESSP, Wet Death handles counter-air, interdiction, and the sharp edge of any contested airspace. If the threat is airborne and lethal, they are the answer.

Strike Fighter · Counter-Air · Interdiction

62nd AS

Abyss Hogs

"The Hogs"

// A-10 Sea Hog (Modified)

Nobody flies lower and nobody hits harder. The 62nd operates heavily modified A-10 analogs adapted for sea-based ops. Commanded by Mr. We, the Hogs specialize in nap-of-the-earth ingress and precision close-air support.

Deep Strike · Close Air Support · Low-Altitude

VMAQ-101

Swipers

"They Never Saw Us"

// EW Platform

The invisible hand. Commanded by WILBOR, VMAQ-101's Swipers specialize in electronic warfare — SEAD runs, radar suppression, decoy deployment, and the careful art of making an enemy's sensor picture tell the wrong story at exactly the right moment.

SEAD · Electronic Warfare · Deception

VAE-00

Witchglass

"Ghost Eye"

// E-2J Hawkeye (Ghost Eye)

Commanded by Ben "Trashman" Santiago, VAE-00 operates the Ghost Eye — an advanced Hawkeye variant running the Hive View sensor-fusion and deception network. Trashman doesn't fight. He makes sure everyone else survives.

Airborne C2 · Sensor Fusion · Deception Management

VF-32

Wet Iron

"Iron Cap"

// F-14 Tomcat (Upgraded)

The old guard. Tinman leads VF-32's Iron Tomcats as the standoff intercept and top-cover force. They watch the high-altitude envelopes nobody else can reach and exist as the last line if anything gets through.

Fleet Defense · Top Cover · Long-Range Intercept

HSC-67

Wet Bandits

"The Bandits"

// Helicopter / Tilt-Rotor

The recovery and insertion arm of CVW-0. The Bandits operate where the jets can't land and the mission doesn't officially end — SAR, CSAR, and the kind of extractions that require discretion above all else.

SAR · CSAR · Vertical Insertion

18th FS

Wet Venom

"The Venom"

// F-16 Fighting Falcon

Commanded by Fridge, the 18th Fighter Squadron brings the F-16's speed and precision to CVW-0's strike package. Fast, lethal, and difficult to track — Wet Venom hits before anyone knows they're there.

Strike · Air Superiority · Fast Attack

// Personnel File · CVW-0

Characters

They fly under callsigns. They serve under classifications. The names on the manifest are the only names that matter out here.

ESSP

// VFA-199 · CO

Wet Death · F/A-18

The tip of the spear for CVW-0's strike operations. Precise, controlled, and carrying the weight of every aircraft in his flight.

MR. WE

// 62nd AS · CO

Abyss Hogs · A-10

Commander of the Hogs. Leads his modified A-10s through mangrove corridors no other pilot would attempt. Never off-radio when it counts.

TRASHMAN

// VAE-00 · CO

Witchglass · E-2J

Ben Santiago runs the Hive View network from Ghost Eye. The battlefield's invisible conductor — you won't see him, but you'll owe him your life.

FRIDGE

// 18th FS · CO

Wet Venom · F-16

Fridge commands the 18th Fighter Squadron. His work is never seen — only the absence of resistance.

WILBOR

// VMAQ-101 · CO

Swipers · EW Platform

Commands VMAQ-101's Swipers. WILBOR is the static — the confusion injected into every enemy receiver at exactly the right moment.

TINMAN

// VF-32 · Iron Cap

Wet Iron · F-14

Top-cover commander. Flies the upgraded Iron Tomcat on high-altitude intercept duty. The last obstacle between the withdrawing strike packages and anything airborne.

SALTY

// VFA-199

Wet Death · F/A-18

Experience distilled into instinct. Salty has seen enough deployments that nothing surprises him — and that calm is exactly what the flight needs under fire.

TESLA

// VFA-199

Wet Death · F/A-18

Systems integration and avionics savant. Tesla finds solutions in the margins of the flight envelope that the manual doesn't cover.

TBAR

// CVW-0 · Air Boss

USS Leviathan · Flight Ops

The Air Boss of the Leviathan. TBAR owns the airspace above the deck — every launch, every recovery, every decision made at the top of the island.

TANKERS

// VFA-199 · WSO

Wet Death · F/A-18F

ESSP's back seater and right hand in the F model Hornet. The man in the rear cockpit who keeps the picture clear when everything up front is trying to kill them.

DONNELLY

// Colonel · Mission Authority

CVW-0 Command

Col. Pete Donnelly is the operational architect of Operation DIAMOND HARVEST. The man who briefs in metaphors and means every word of them.

TAYLOR

// USS Leviathan · XO

Ship's Executive Officer

The Executive Officer of the USS Leviathan. Taylor runs the ship so the air wing can run the war — nothing moves on the Leviathan without his say.

THE WET BOYS

Deep Scythe

Praise for Deep Scythe