by James Hunt
Burke looked around the circle, seemingly satisfied. Their captive was badly injured, they didn’t have the best information to go on, and they still had a long way to travel, but somehow, some way, they had to try to commandeer the bomb, despite the impossible odds against them.
Beginning of the End
After traveling a series of lengthy backroads and avoiding the highway at all costs, they arrived in Wichita Falls around midnight. Ibrahim rode in the back seat with Martinez, who wasn’t surprised to hear that Hendrickson had lashed out and roughed him up. The Outlaws were an unpredictable bunch and prone to violence. But that is exactly why, at the time, they were needed.
Their entourage passed several old-style farm homes and open fields, quiet and unassuming. The stillness in the air was deceiving. Not far from where they were, Asgar was planning to unleash his last desperate move upon the country. And just as with the power plant, Angela didn’t know if they’d get there in time.
For his part, Ibrahim stayed true to his word. Though badly beaten, he told them the directions. The truth had come out. He was very familiar with location—in stark contrast to his earlier claim to have no idea. The warehouse, he explained, was now the sleeper cell’s safest and most secure operations center after losing a series of safe houses through secretive drone strikes just the other day.
Down a long winding road, they came to a narrow dirt track on their right, black as night, and surrounded by forest on both sides. Burke slowed to a halt before turning, examining the shady-looking path. “You better not be taking us into some kind of trap,” he told Ibrahim.
“The warehouse is right down there. But this is about as close as you should get,” Ibrahim said in a pained voice. He had a fat lip and his cheeks were swollen. There was no reason to trust him, but he didn’t seem to think he had anything left to lose. That made him somewhat believable in Angela’s eyes. Burke turned onto the dirt road as Ibrahim offered a fair warning.
“You drive too far down this path and they will see your headlights. Not that I care either way,” he said.
Martinez leaned forward nervously, as the car dipped along a groove in the road. “Then we should stop here. Hell, they’ll see us coming a mile away.”
Both Ibrahim and Martinez had a point. They’d have to play it smart. Burke turned his head toward Ibrahim. “You sure this is the place? Absolutely sure?”
“Yes,” Ibrahim replied. “About a mile down the road you will find the warehouse. Heavily guarded and secure.”
The headlights from Hendrickson’s van shined through the rear window. Burke shut his off and waved his arm outside for the other vehicles to do the same.
“They will shoot you on sight,” Ibrahim said. “The guards are very well trained.”
“That’s nice to know,” Burke said flippantly.
Martinez looked around from the backseat. “What do you want me to do? I’m in no condition to walk the rest of the way.”
“Wait here and keep an eye on him,” Burke said, signaling to Ibrahim. “This won’t take long.”
Angela turned around as the headlights behind them went off. She didn’t like the idea of leaving Martinez behind, but the thought had crossed her mind. He’d be safer back here and that was the most important thing to her. “Can you handle yourself if anyone finds you?” she asked Martinez. “Maybe we can find a safer place for you.”
“I’ll leave him a pistol and the car keys if anything goes down,” Burke said.
“You better hurry,” Ibrahim interjected. “If they haven’t seen you yet, they soon will.”
Angela turned and curiously studied him. Ibrahim was making it seem as though he had no real interest in the outcome. Maybe he didn’t, or maybe it was a ploy. “Do you not really care how any of this turns out?” she asked.
Ibrahim raised his bloody, swollen face. “Of course I do, but it is all in Allah’s hands now. You conceded such yourself. If you fail, then it was meant to be. If you succeed, ISIS will just hit back harder next time, with or without Asgar.”
“Not a chance. Now shut your mouth,” Burke snapped. He pushed open the door and stepped out as the Outlaws poured out from their vehicles, ready for a fight.
Ibrahim glanced at Angela, cold and detached, but with a hint of desperation. She opened up her door and stepped out to join the others.
“Get out of the car, Ibrahim,” Burke called out from behind the trunk. Their captive meekly stepped out, limping his way to the trunk as Burke opened it. The Outlaws trekked through the grimy, sandy road and assembled at the front of the car. They hadn’t been given the details yet, but it was clear enough that they were near.
Burke reached into the trunk and took out a backpack filled with ammo and a thick roll of duct tape. He grabbed the roll and pulled a long stretch of tape from it.
“What is this?” Ibrahim asked, eyeing him nervously.
“Hold out your arms,” Burke said.
Ibrahim reluctantly raised his arms as Burke quickly wrapped the roll around his wrists tightly. “If what you’re saying is true, you might just make it out of this. You’ll be in prison for probably the rest of your life, but at least you’ll be alive.”
He then led Ibrahim to the front seat and pushed him inside like a police officer. Ibrahim muttered back something in Arabic as Burke slammed the door. He walked by the passenger window as Martinez stretched his legs.
“You keep an eye on him,” Burke said. He pulled his pistol from its holster and held it inside, handing it to Martinez. “He tries anything, you know what to do.”
Martinez gave him a thumbs up. “Got it.”
Angela stood to the side as the Outlaws approached, armed and suited up in flak vests and ammo pouches. They had rifles, pistols, night vision goggles, and scopes on their weapons. One look at them and she believed they could really pull it off. Asgar could be dead within the hour and the lives of millions saved. She relished the thought.
Burke went back to the trunk where he methodically retrieved his M4 and M14 sniper rifle, setting them against the car as well. He then pulled out his ammo vest, filled with M4 magazines, and handed it to Angela.
“You take the rifle. I’ll carry the M14.”
She slid the vest over her shoulder atop the bulletproof vest she was already wearing. The plates dug into her back and chest. It was uncomfortable but discomfort was a small price to pay for survival. She thought of their numbers as a group. There were twenty-two of them, counting herself. Asgar’s numbers were a mystery. She wished she knew what kind of resistance they would face. Regardless, they would need a good strategy to seize the warehouse and eliminate the dangerous threat inside.
She took the M4 as Burke lifted his long sniper rifle up, its barrel angled. He then gave hand-held radios with earpieces attached to Hendrickson and Angela.
Hendrickson took the radio and turned the power knob, testing it. “Where is this place?”
“Farther up the road,” Burke answered. “We go the rest of the way on foot. Surround the place at all ends.”
“Who’s leading the charge here?” Hendrickson asked.
“According to our captive, there are shooters placed all over the building,” Angela said, stepping forward. “We have to stay out of sight. Slow careful movements.”
“A diversion would be nice,” Hendrickson said.
“That’s exactly right,” Angela said. “One team gets the attention of the shooters while the other gets inside.” She turned to Burke. “That’ll give you time to get them in your sights and take them out.”
“Give me a moment to set up before everyone goes charging in there,” Burke said. “And let’s decide who’s on what team now?”
Angela and Hendrickson looked at each, but she spoke first. “I’ll take half with me around to the back of the warehouse. Hendrickson, you take the others and get their attention, but don’t expose yourselves fully. If you’re seen they’ll know we’re coming.”
The Outlaws split evenly into two ten-person t
eams. Tara and Taia went right to Angela’s side. She was happy to have them on board. Several of the men joined her as well. “I hope everyone is ready for this,” she said.
“Oh, we’re more than ready,” Hendrickson replied with a faint chuckle. “Stopping a madman with a remote detonator and a bomb capable of blowing Texas off the map. What’s not to love about this?”
Burke walked past Angela, holding his sniper rifle out and low to the ground like a metal detector. He led the way as the group followed carefully behind, Angela’s team on one side of the road and Hendrickson’s on the other. Everyone, it seemed, had entered their default military mode, and kept carefully spaced intervals among their ranks.
Angela could feel that they were close to finding Asgar, but they still had a long way to go in defeating the terrorists. There were a hundred troubling possibilities. Asgar could have fled the warehouse for a different location. Worst of all, Angela had no doubt that he would detonate the bomb if he discovered their presence. They would have to get inside quickly and remain unnoticed. Such a feat seemed next to impossible, but it was their only chance.
They continued along the quiet forest for a good twenty minutes, their movements careful and measured, eyes alert and focused. From the front, Burke stopped, raised his hand, then lowered it, signaling everyone to kneel.
He crouched, turned to the group, and spoke in a whisper. “It’s right up there. I can see it past the trees to the left.” Angela picked up the small M22 binos hanging from her neck and looked through them. She could see part of a decayed building. They were definitely close. There didn’t seem to be any lights on, in or outside the place, a smart move on Asgar’s part. Had they not been looking, they would probably have walked right past it.
Burke rose and continued the march, both teams following. There were tire tracks in the sand all the way down the dirt road, leading Angela to believe that the path led to some kind of lot where the terrorists parked their cars. Rather than engaging Asgar directly, it would have been easier to call in a drone strike, had they the authority. But with a thousand-pound bomb housed inside, such a decision would be disastrous.
Burke shifted to the left and walked off the path and into the forest. “I can see a fence over here. This looks like a good enough spot to split up.” He signaled past him where more of the warehouse came into view. “Hendrickson, take your team around here.” He then turned to Angela, signaling past himself and farther down the road. “Agent Gannon, your team needs to go around this way and find the rear of the building.”
“We’ll be careful,” she assured him. “We have to be.”
The teams split up, wishing each other the best. Things were just about to get started for real this time. A chance to stop the terrorists—to strike them directly at the heart of the sleeper cell, with hopes of destroying their entire inside organization.
Terrorism would always exist. They weren’t putting an end to that. But stopping Asgar and delivering a devastating blow to the Islamic State was a big step.
After a good quarter mile, Angela led her team off the dirt path, and into the tall grass and weeds of the thick, black forest. Exposed parts of the warehouse remained in view. Burke stepped forward and ordered their team to split up and take different sides of the compound. The Outlaws hesitated but then formed into action. One team moved to the side as Angela, Burke, and the other team approached the warehouse ahead with caution.
She hunched down and moved swiftly through the musty woods, pushing sharp branches out of the way. They continued on, unable to suppress the crunch of leaves or snap of twigs under their feet. It was becoming harder not to make any sounds the deeper they got into the woods. After a long, careful passage, they came to an opening where a tall, rusty fence came into view. Angela hunched down lower and approached the fence, signaling the team to split apart and take positions at both her sides.
Tara and Taia split up and led the mini-teams. Excitement built when they saw the warehouse in full view. It was an old building, mammoth in size and seemingly vacant, but Angela knew better. It looked like the perfect hideout for terrorists. The place was probably crawling with them. She looked through her binos to the top of the building and ducked down lower behind some bushes when she caught sight of a figure walking along the top. It was one of the guards Ibrahim had talked about. Invading the warehouse in the middle of night had its advantages, but none of them expected that they could just waltz inside.
“They’re up there,” she said quietly to Tara at her left. She looked through her binos again to get a better look, and then lowered them. “Looks like they have standard AKs. I see about three of them.”
“Fucking lookouts,” Tara said. “Incredible.”
“What’s going on?” Taia asked, crouching down at Angela’s left.
“They’ve got shooters on the building,” Angela said. “Who has the cutters?”
Taia looked behind her. “Axel!” she said with hushed urgency. A bulky man with an abnormally thick neck and trim crew cut leaned back to respond.
“Yeah?”
“You’ve got the clipper, right?” Taia asked.
He reached into the chest pocket of his tan tactical vest and pulled out a folded multi-tool. “Right here.”
“Good,” Angela said to Taia. “Make sure he’s ready. We’ll be going in any minute.” She unclipped her radio from her vest and held down the clicker on its side. “Hendrickson. Burke. We’re in position at the rear of the building. What’s your status?”
“In position,” Burke said through her earpiece.
“We’re at the front gate past a dirt parking lot. Several vehicles are here. At least fifteen trucks and vans. Could be dealing with a lot of scumbags here,” Hendrickson said.
“Just stay out of sight,” Burke said. “I got eyes on at least three guys on the rooftop. They got one on each side. Need that diversion.”
“Working it,” Hendrickson said. “Give us a minute to find some cover.”
“Hurry up,” Burke said.
Hendrickson didn’t respond, but Angela could feel his anger. Burke could be especially pushy when the time came. And the time came quickly, after a few minutes of lying low in the weeds among ants and other stinging insects.
Taia then leaned close to Angela with a question. She and her sister were nearly identical, though Taia had a noticeable gap between her two front teeth. “When we find this Asgar guy, how do we know it’s him? What does he look like?”
Angela thought to herself. He had spoken in the previously recorded video message to America, promising the caliphate to come. That image of him had been seared into her mind. She described him the best she could. Tall and lanky with sunken eyes and a trim gray beard that went down past his chin. As the leader of the sleeper cell, she believed that he would be wearing the traditional white robe.
“There’s only one way to be sure,” she told Taia. “We’ll probably have to kill them all.” Such a revelation didn’t bring her any new satisfaction, though she felt it necessary to say it. All Asgar had to do was press a button and they’d all be dead anyway.
“We’re ready,” Hendrickson said. “We’ll make some sounds and get their attention.”
Angela rose slightly and waved to her team. “All right. It’s almost go time.”
The team stood up as Axel unveiled his tool, exposing miniature cutters, sharp as glass, he had explained. Angel kept a careful watch on the rooftop with her binos as she saw the men turn their attention from the rear of the building to the front. They moved from their positions and huddled together speaking.
“Rear team,” Burke said. “Go ahead and go through. I’ve got them in my sight but don’t want to fire until I absolutely have to.”
“Understood,” Angela said. “Watch our backs.”
Axel began clipping the chain links in the fence, creating a circle large enough for them to squeeze through. All windows appeared to be covered. There was a loading dock at the rear with all rolling doors closed.
Upon closer inspection, she could see a back door. It looked to be their best bet to getting in.
“Be careful of any traps, triggers, alarms along the way,” she said, as the first of team breached the hole in the gate. With the last person through, Angela followed, and told Hendrickson they were on the move.
“Good luck,” he said back.
Suddenly, one of the men on the roof pulled out a portable spotlight and shined it in the woods just in front of them.
“Shit,” Hendrickson said. “We definitely got their attention now.”
“Stay low!” Burke said from his position. “The rear team is almost inside.”
It sounded like wishful thinking on his part. Angela still wasn’t sure exactly how they were going to get in. She moved up in the line as they reached the loading docks. “Keep your eyes open,” she said. “All sides.” She climbed the stairs as the team followed, alert with their guns raised. The red back door seemed an ideal spot to try. Though it could always be rigged with explosives or something worse.
“To the door,” she told the team in a whisper. “Be very careful though. Check for wires or anything out of the ordinary.”
Taia stopped next to Angela with concerns of her own. “If they have an alarm on that door, it’s over. You see any other way inside?”
Angela looked up and all around the building. The windows were too high, but on the far left side she saw a ladder leading to a small railing and could barely contain her enthusiasm. “An old fire escape. Perfect.”
“Hold up!” Taia told the team as they approached the door. “We found another way inside.”
They regrouped and quickly moved down the loading dock to the very end where the rusty metal ladder was just within reach. Axel, one of the leaner Outlaws, reached up and grabbed the first bar, hoisting himself up and climbing the ladder first. One of the men helped lift Angela up and she climbed next, with her rifle slung over the back of her shoulder. The rest of the Outlaws followed, one after the other, as Angela reached the second story side railing of the escape and quickly took a knee. The guards on the roof were still a very real danger despite how distracted they might be.
