by Laura Acton
Parsons stared at the map. Displaced hatred grew. A rookie with less than a year in the field found a solution he didn’t. Having to report to Plouffe that Broderick saved their asses and the mission stuck in his craw. He was happy to have his own unit but had wanted the open position on Blain’s team nine months ago. Hiding his feelings, Parsons nodded. “Alright. Men grab your night vision. Riley and Kirk, move the Humvees into the brush and camouflage them. We’re going for a night hike.”
Designated Location to Hide Humvees for the Mission – 2200 Hours
Pletcher paced. “Where the hell are they? They should’ve been here already,” he shouted causing the group of men around him to shift uncomfortably.
Surat Hakimov, who spoke English well, having attended university in the United States, said, “You need to find them. My boss expected delivery of two Humvees. You will pay with your life if they are not delivered soon.”
“Tell your men to be on alert. The strike might not happen tonight if the unit got lost.” Pletcher realized he shouldn’t have disabled the GPS devices until after the sale concluded, but he didn’t want to leave a trail for the military to track since Plouffe sent Parsons unit to a different location than what was approved by Ops Command.
Beware the Ides of March
39
Six Years and Ten Months Ago – March 15
Afghanistan – Mission Target Zone – 0100 Hours
Low on water, Dan took only a tiny sip to wet his parched lips. En route, in a state of exhaustion, his body forced him into a deeper sleep than he would’ve typically reached while on a mission with another unit. Waking and grasping they went the wrong direction, he assisted Parsons in figuring out a new plan then he geared up with the rest of them and headed out for a grueling hike.
When they located a defensible hiding position to wait out the daylight, he discovered four of his seven water bottles had pinpricks in them and drained away in the course of their hike. Aware Parsons was not at fault because they worked together to find a passable route and doubting the rookies would dare mess with his gear, he confronted Nicholls.
The malicious jerk glibly retorted, “So sorry something pricked your bottles. You should be more careful with your supplies because you shouldn’t expect any of us to share.”
Kirk handed him one of his bottles, while Levasseur eyed him with disdain and kept his distance like he was a leper. Riley appeared confused and too unsure to counter Nicholls attitude. The sergeant only shook his head before telling him to take first watch because Nicholls informed him that he slept during the Humvee ride. Taking overwatch was fine by Dan. What surprised him was Kirk offered to join him, but Parsons told the rookie to bed down and instructed Nicholls to take the second shift.
Nicholls pretended to sleep when it was his turn, so Dan remained overwatch for two shifts. When Kirk relieved him for his stint, he didn’t dare nod off with Nicholls around. He misjudged Nicholls screwing with him once, and he wouldn’t do it a second time. At nightfall, they emerged from their hiding place and skirted a tiny village, on the way to their destination.
Reaching the mission’s target, Dan took up his perch alone, with no spotter, though Kirk again offered. He liked the guy, he would make a decent operator once he quit being so nervous and if Parsons improved as a leader. Scanning the area, he found more movement in the compound than expected. Intel indicated four guards, but they were a day later than anticipated.
He radioed Parsons. “I count at least forty men. That is ten times what intel said. All are armed with automatics. It will be suicide to go without backup.”
Nicholls eyed Parsons, who proved to be a weak leader. “We go in as planned, Sarge. We can handle a few more targets. Broderick is a coward.”
Dan bristled at the comment but said, “Forty to six is terrible odds. They have the superior position and cover. If they spot you advancing, they’ll mow you down in the open space. With no moon and pitch-black night, after a couple of shots, my muzzle flash will be a beacon to my position. There are no alternative perches for me to move to if they locate me. I won’t be able to provide proper cover for you.”
Smirking Nicholls said, “So you’re afraid they’ll find you. All safe up in your perch you’re brave. We’re the ones approaching and taking the risk. Parsons, I say we go for it. If we wait for reinforcements, we may lose Surat, and I’m not going back without him because Broderick’s chicken shit.”
Already perceiving his career going up in flames for missing coordinates because he napped, Parsons was not about to let Surat slip through his hands. “I agree. We go now. Broderick, you keep firing if they catch sight of us. I order you to stand your ground and provide cover while we grab Surat.”
“Roger.” Dan readied himself on his scope. Fools are going to get us all killed.
Parsons motioned for the rest to move out as planned. They were three-quarters of the way across the open area, no cover whatsoever when, Riley tripped over a rock. As he fell, his finger tightened on his assault rifle discharging a burst of bullets.
All hell broke loose as Surat’s men opened fire on five soldiers. Dan did what he could. He took out one target after another as the unit retreated, running for cover. His rapid shooting allowed them to swiftly home in on him, and Dan began taking heavy fire, though luckily none of them hit him. He stayed until Parsons ordered him to bug out, which coincided with ten men rushing in his direction. If he didn’t move now, he wouldn’t make it out alive.
He grabbed his rifle and ran like the wind to catch up with the others, torn up inside he couldn’t save Riley and Kirk and had to leave their bodies. Though, Dan was amazed four of them remained alive, at least for now. They still had to make it back to base. Using night vision, the four quickly outdistanced the insurgents. Coming to the village they initially bypassed, Parsons commanded them to locate a place to regroup. Dan urged the sergeant to keep moving, but Parsons, panting heavily, used his superior rank to override him.
Inside Village Home – 0315 Hours
The unit entered a two-story mud-brick abode on the outskirts of a village about ten klicks from the hidden Humvees. Dan took up a lookout position at a window with his Timberwolf as Nicholls and Levasseur cleared the interior. He gulped in air as his pulse raced. Consciously using sniper breathing, he slowed his respirations and heart rate, noting Nicholls and Parsons gasped noisily, but Levasseur appeared to be in prime condition like him.
Moving to the window, Parsons tapped Broderick on the shoulder and pointed to the stairs. Somewhat envious of Broderick’s fast recovery, he sent the sniper upstairs so he could lean against the wall and attempt to settle his breathing as he figured out what their next course of action should be.
Acknowledging the order to clear the second floor, Dan recognized his long-barreled weapon would be awkward in close quarters. He halted a moment to sling the rifle over his shoulder by its strap, keeping it readily available if required, and pulled out his SIG Sauer. With his night vision still on, the surroundings displayed in green as Dan approached a rickety staircase.
As he climbed and adrenaline ebbed, his right foot began throbbing, and it became hard to walk normally. His gait off, Dan pushed the pain away needing to concentrate on clearing the upper floor. He checked the first room which had no door and contained three sleeping pads on a rug and a storage box.
Striding to the only other room, which did have a door, Dan crouched holding his handgun ready and pushed open the door. A small gasp and a couple of muffled cries greeted him. His eyes swept the interior, locating a woman and three young girls cowering in the far corner.
Naaifa tried to shield all four of her children. She moved her three little ones behind her and used one arm to cover her pregnant belly. A contraction hit again, and she bent over in agony as she moaned softly. Speaking Uzbek, Naaifa begged, “Please go. My children are frightened. Please.”
Glad he possessed a fundamental understanding of and ability to speak the local dialect, Dan lowered his pis
tol as he stood, repositioned his rifle strap, and responded using Uzbek. “I mean you no harm. Please sit.”
Naaifa sat on her cushion with her daughters clinging to her. Surprised he spoke her language and did not shoot, her eyes never left the soldier. Another contraction seized her and Naaifa’s face contorted in pain as she bit her lip trying not to make a sound and grabbed her stomach.
“What is your name?” Dan asked the woman in labor. Having never come across this circumstance, he had no idea what to do. He wished Patch was here to help.
“Naaifa Radwan,” she offered as a stronger labor pain overtook her. She panted, riding out the clenching of her muscles.
Dan motioned to her to stay. “Please remain as quiet as possible.” Unsure how the others would react, he hurried down the steps as best he could. Shit! What the hell did I do to my foot? Running might be out of the question for me at the moment. I can scarcely put weight on the damned thing. Hobbling over to Parsons, Dan reported, “There is a pregnant woman and three kids above. They aren’t a threat to us.”
Josh glared at Broderick. “No threat? Her people killed Riley and Kirk. No thanks to you. Some sniper you are. You allowed the bastards cut them down. Your task is to protect us. You did a piss poor job of doing so tonight.”
Dan turned an icy-glare, on Nicholls. “I saved your ass three times from men who had you in their sights. I wouldn’t have had to if you listened to my advice and we called for backup.” Gaining control of his emotions, he faced Parsons. “We need to leave her be. We must move before any search parties arrive.”
Parsons paced. What should I do? Do we make a run for it or do I call for an emergency exfil? If I do, Plouffe is gonna ream my ass for missing the target, losing two vehicles, and getting two rookies killed. Damn, I left their bodies too. They won’t be recognizable if we ever retrieve their corpses. Their families will be burying empty coffins. These people are animals.
A woman’s cry from above intruded into Parsons’ internal debate. His last thought prompted his decision. “We can’t leave them here alive. They will give us up the first chance they can. Broderick, go eliminate them then we can haul ass out of here.”
Shocked by the order, Dan’s eyes flared as he moved to the staircase. “Hell, no! That is murder. I’m not a murderer.”
Josh demanded, “Stand aside, Broderick.”
Backing up the steps with his handgun trained on Nicholls, Dan said, “Not happening. I can’t allow this. You’ll have to go through me.”
Parsons said, “Broderick, stand down that is an order. Nicholls, take care of it since Broderick is squeamish.”
Making it to the top and taking three paces back, ignoring the pain in his foot, Dan growled, “That is another order I refuse to follow. Go. I’ll stay and take up a perch on the roof to cover your exfil. I’ll engage any targets who head your way, but I will not let you execute a woman and children.”
His voice hard as steel Josh declared, “This is war, Broderick. She is the fucking enemy. We need to snuff them before they blow us to bits.” He ascended the stairs, challenging Broderick.
Dan’s sapphire eyes became shards of ice, and his stance and tone, unknown to him, became a duplicate of the general’s. “We don’t slaughter innocents. If you are afraid she will blow you up, or give our position away, leave me here. I’ll follow once I ensure our six is covered.”
Without provocation or warning, Nicholls rushed Dan, slamming him full force into the wall sending both his pistol and rifle flying. Pieces of mud flaked off with the impact, sprinkling their helmets. Though caught unaware, Dan’s lightning reflexes, only minutely diminished by exhaustion, allowed him to break Nicholls’ hold. Dan assumed a defensive stance, he would not kill a fellow soldier nor would he allow Nicholls’ to kill five non-combatants.
Dan put most his weight on his left foot, the other screaming each time it touched down. They exchanged several blows, equally matched in weight, height, and training. Unluckily, Dan’s injured foot hampered his movements, and Nicholls found an opening, landing a strike to Dan’s nose.
Blood spurted out, as Dan’s head whacked the mud wall, stunning him slightly. The next thing he knew, Nicholls took him to the ground and pummeled his face. Gaining his wits, Dan executed a move to flip them. Ground fighting removed his deficit since feet were not necessary. He repaid Nicholls in kind, his punches bloodying Nicholls’ nose and splitting his lip.
Channeling his fury into action, Josh rolled them both across the narrow wooden landing and pushed away from Broderick. Regaining his feet, Josh swiped the back of his hand at blood freely flowing from his nose as he also spat some out. Panting for breath along with Broderick, Josh noted the prima donna babied his right foot when he stood.
Needing a moment to regroup before going after Broderick again, Josh taunted him. “What did you do, stub your toe? Need Daddy to come kiss it for you and a full month to recover?”
Wiping the blood dripping to his upper lip, Dan growled as he moved closer to the doorway, to prevent Nicholls from entering, with his life if necessary. “Go. I’ll protect your back. Just leave them alone.”
Sneering Josh said, “Like you protected Riley and Kirk? I think not. I would likely find a bullet in my back, and it would be from friendly fire. I think it is time I put you down. Dear Old Daddy can’t protect you out here.”
Dan laughed, and his tone took on one of disbelief. “Protect me? You believe my father is protecting me? That’s rich.”
“Yeah, you waltz in, snag a prime spot in Blaze’s unit, and you receive all manner of special treatment and favors.”
Weariness and pain crept into Dan’s voice, “You’re so full of shit. Not that it is any of your damned business, but the general’s so-called coddling includes ensuring I have not had a single break since I hit the field nine months ago. Not one, unless you count four weeks of medical leave. Whenever I return from one mission, orders from General Doesn’t-Give-A-Fuck-About-Me are waiting to send me on another. At the rate I’m going, the constant drive is going to kill me. I came to this operation after not sleeping for more than four hours a day for three solid weeks.”
His voice returned to an icy tone. “And this mission isn’t helping. We are so screwed! Our intel was wrong. Ten times the men, all armed to the teeth, who sure as hell appeared to be expecting us. We are damned lucky any of us made it out alive. The only reason we did is that the general drilled me daily from the time I was nine to be a fucking killing machine. Fast on the trigger and accurate.”
Sucking in a breath, Dan met Nicholls’ murderous gaze. “I’m only sorry I wasn’t quick enough to save Kirk and Riley.” What Dan left unsaid, was wish I saved them instead of a cold-hearted bastard like you. Instead, he reiterated, “You’ll have to kill me before I allow you to harm these innocents.”
“That can be arranged.” Josh lunged at Broderick again. They went down in a heap, smacking a weak spot on the flimsy flooring, causing the wood to give way, sending them hurtling to the dirt floor below.
Breath expelled from his lungs and pain lanced across Dan’s back when he struck both the ground and his missing Timberwolf. A split second later, Nicholls’ weight crashed down on him, causing a second wave of pain.
Struggling for breath, black humor popped in Dan’s head. Found my rifle. That is going to leave one hell of a colorful bruise. Thoughts rapidly shifted to survival mode as Nicholls began choking him. Dan bucked, endeavoring to dislodge Nicholls who straddled him.
Having a softer landing, on top of Broderick’s body, Josh recovered faster, and his hands went around Broderick’s neck with a crushing grip. He would strangle the life out of the cocky bastard.
Little flecks of white flashed and gray seeped in at the edges of Dan’s vision as he fought for his life. Reaching up to gouge at Nicholls’ eyes when he couldn’t break the hold on his throat, Dan ended up scratching down one side of Nicholls’ face as the lack of oxygen prevented his body from responding to instructions from his brain.
His arms fell limply at his sides, and the last thing Dan glimpsed before blackness took him was Parsons wrenching Nicholls off him. And his final thought … the general wins, he succeeded in killing me.
Parsons yanked on Nicholls. “Stop!” When Nicholls released Broderick, Parsons’ stared at the sniper’s inert body. “Jesus Christ! Did you kill him?”
Josh ripped off a glove and put fingers to Broderick’s throat. “Yeah, he’s dead.” He stood and spat a mouthful of blood at Broderick as he touched the stinging gouge on his cheek. “Good riddance, Broderick.”
His career going down the toilet, Parsons turned to both Nicholls and Levasseur. “Okay, so here is the story. Things went south at the target zone when Broderick ran off. He left us unprotected, and we barely got away. If we all stick to the same story, we can blame this whole thing on Broderick and salvage our careers. We gotta go now.”
Wanting to leave Broderick before he came around, Nicholls said, “Sounds fine to me.”
Levasseur gave Broderick only one glance. One less abomination in this world. He hated gays, so the man’s death meant nothing to him. He started for the stairs to do as his sergeant commanded but stopped when Parsons spoke.
Having wasted enough time, Parsons’ feared the insurgents might’ve caught up, so he ordered, “I changed my mind. We don’t have time to deal with them. Grab his rifle. We might need it, and he doesn’t. We can ditch it later. Now, let’s go before the bastards catch us.” He went to the door and peeked out, finding the village still dark and quiet.
Nicholls prevented Levasseur from picking up the weapon. “Leave it.”
“Why? Sarge, said—”
“For our story to work, his gear needs to be with him if they locate his body. Remember, he cowardly deserted us. If we take his weapons that falls apart. And I ain’t going down for the likes of Broderick.” Nicholls spat on him again.
