by David Nees
Dan crawled out of the ditch. Got to go after him. What did Jane say? Take Jabbar down. He stumbled to the fence and climbed, falling to the ground on the other side. He got up and set off towards the tree line, fifty yards away. His head was clear by the time he reached the woods. He knew the woods went miles to the south. Must find him before he gets too far. As his senses returned, he began to course back and forth, like a dog hunting for a scent. He needed a trail to follow. Once he had a trail, he knew he was equal to or better than Jabbar in the woods.
Chapter 51
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D an found Jabbar’s footprints in the soft ground along with broken branches. It was enough to give Dan the trail and direction. Now he had to get moving. He took out his phone and called Roland.
“Where are you? You okay?” Dan asked.
“I’m fine. I couldn’t stop them all but I was able to minimize the damage. The police have taken the rest of the shooters down.”
“Did you get out of there?”
“Yeah. I had to leave the car and commandeered another one. Where are you?”
“I’m in the woods on the southeast side of the airport. It goes for miles to the south. I’ve picked up Jabbar’s trail. I’ve got to catch him before he crosses the road to the south and commandeers a car. If he does we won’t catch him.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Get to the road to the south. You can work your way north through the woods. We’ll try to pinch him between us. Keep your phone on.”
“Leave your car where it is?”
“It’s blown up. Almost got killed by a rocket. My ears are still ringing.”
Dan ended the call and set out at a trot. He ran for a few minutes and then stopped to listen. He needed to close on Jabbar but didn’t want to run into an ambush if Jabber thought to stop and wait for him. Adrenaline flowed through his body dampening the aches he felt from his cracked ribs and bruised chest.
It was about the hunt now. Dan was the predator, Jabbar was the prey. But an armed human was the most dangerous of prey. He didn’t have the luxury of just tracking the man. He knew the opportunity for Jabbar to disappear lay ahead if he didn’t catch him. Maybe he doesn’t know about the road. That was not something Dan wanted to pin his hopes on. He kept up a fast pace in his pursuit.
After destroying the car, Jabbar grabbed his AK-47 and launched himself over the fence. He didn’t know if he had killed the shooter. His ears rang from the explosion. If he stayed, there would be multiple polizei arriving and he would be killed. Aiming the rocket launcher proved harder than he had imagined. And if the shooter were still alive, he would attack Jabbar from the rear. Without his driver’s help he could not cover his backside and fire at the planes. He only hoped the other men had been successful in their attacks.
He ran through the woods at breakneck pace, branches whipping at his face and arms. He nearly tripped multiple times over sticks and roots. Finally, out of breath, he slowed down. Break a leg or twist an ankle and it will be all over. The woods held the promise of escape. It was unique, consisting of so many acres this close to town. It was a wild place. Inside you could not tell you were near a metropolitan area unless you listened closely for the background noise of traffic. But now with the airport closed down, there was an odd stillness to the forest.
Jabbar’s mind raced with confused thoughts. How had he been compromised? Who had found out about the operation, the site of the attack and the rocket launcher? His mind went over all the men in the Frankfurt cell starting with his inner circle of the five men. Was there a traitor amongst them? He came up with no conclusions.
Rashid’s call may have held the clue. He had said the Swiss banker had been compromised and that the additional arms and explosives were not coming. Perhaps that is how the authorities found out. Still, there was something odd about his encounter. No uniforms, no police cars. If the police knew, why hadn’t they descended in numbers? There should have been a caravan of police cars roaring to the parking area, overwhelming any opposition. But there had been only one person who apparently knew what he was doing. Jabbar hoped his rocket had killed him.
He kept moving generally south. He could not be sure in the dense woods. He kept his pace just short of a run, not wanting to risk a fall. He was an urban bred man from the poor neighborhoods of Baghdad. He could navigate the alleyways and narrow passages in the dense warrens that confused and obstructed those not brought up in such areas. But the forests? They were foreign territory. His mind went back and forth; should he stop to make sure he wasn’t being followed or keep going? Jabbar settled on keeping moving; it was important to put as much distance between him and the airport as possible. He was determined to escape to fight another day. Rashid would understand. Soldiers might be killed in this battle, but leaders were critical and Jabbar considered himself a leader.
Dan stopped at a creek. It was not large but it created an open area where he would be vulnerable to being targeted. He was in the brush cover just short of the two-foot high bank. He could see what looked like footprints going up the far side—two prints that slid in the mud. His eyes searched the undergrowth on the far side, looking for any sign of an ambush. In nature there are no straight lines. That was his first check. Shapes or colors other than what the forest showed naturally were another check.
Seeing no signs of anyone, he took a deep breath and rushed across the creek. On the other side, he checked for signs of the trail and started jogging, his eyes darting back and forth, looking for the enemy as well as for signs of his passage. Occasionally he would have to stop and start a zigzag pattern, back and forth, to pick up the trail again. It was going to be hard to close the distance on his prey, but it was necessary to stay on course.
He was the hunter, he would get his prey.
Jabbar reached a cleared area roughly thirty meters in width. It ran west to east. In the middle he spotted a raised concrete tube with a metal manhole cover on top. It looked like a sewer line and was the reason for the cleared pathway. He ran across the uneven ground and hid in the dense brush on the other side. This was the place to wait to check on any pursuit. If there was one, he could shoot the pursuer when he was out in the open. If there wasn’t any pursuit, he could continue south in more confidence. Eventually he would reach a road and would hijack a car and drive into Frankfurt. There were people there who would hide him until he could get out of the country. He would go to Marseille. He had connections there, people who would get in touch with Rashid. And Rashid would help him get back to the mid-East where he would wait for a new mission. The fight would not end. Jabbar readied his AK and waited.
Roland moved through the forest. He had no idea if he was on an intercept course. There were too many acres to cover. He moved slowly, using his ears to help him “cover” more ground. Finally he came to the open sewer line. He stopped in the brush. No sense in going further. If Jabbar is to the north, I’ll intercept him when he gets here. If he’s to the south, I’ve already missed him. He settled quietly into the bushes and waited. After a few minutes, he decided to move laterally along the edge of the clearing. He could watch the open area while also looking for any sign that Jabbar had passed. If he had gone past Roland, he would need to head south as fast as he could to try to keep Jabbar from taking a car. He knew the man would have no compunction about killing a civilian.
As much as he tried, it was impossible to move with absolute silence through the dense growth near the edge of the clearing. No matter how carefully he tried, he was making noise as he worked his way through the thick cover.
Jabbar heard the sounds. He knew enough to realize that a deer would not make them. They picked their way delicately through the woods, only making noise when they burst into a run to escape a predator. Who was this? Someone had come across the clearing before him? Jabbar turned towards the sound.
After a few moments he saw a vague shape, almost a shadow. It showed itself and then disappeared as it
moved through the cover. He brought his rifle around. There was no clear shot. The shape appeared for a moment, about fifty meters away. Jabbar fired off a short automatic burst in the direction of the movement. Then…nothing. Did he hit whatever was moving through the woods?
Roland hit the ground without thinking at the sound of the gunfire. It was an automatic response drilled into him through years of training and a full understanding that one’s reaction speed meant the difference between life and death. The rounds whistled overhead with their sharp, deadly snapping sound. This was what he had trained for. The enemy spotted, the enemy engaged.
He smiled and raised his head slightly to peer through the leaves. He didn’t move. The shooter, most likely Jabbar, hadn’t fully seen him and had taken a sound shot, just shooting in the direction of the noise he had been making. Now he would wait and let his opponent make the next move and therefore the next sound.
Dan heard the burst of automatic fire. It was a heavier sound than the M4 made. Jabbar’s weapon! He must have encountered Roland. Dan began to run at a faster pace. Now we can catch him and take him down.
Jabbar waited and watched for a minute. No sound, no movement came from the direction of his shot. Did he connect? He decided not to investigate. If anyone was following, they would have heard the shots and would be coming faster. It was time to get out. He began to crawl south. He would move carefully until he had put some meters between his position and where he thought the other person had been.
Roland heard the soft rustle of brush but could see nothing. Jabbar was on the move. He waited a moment and then began to crawl on an intercept direction. Suddenly he saw a body rise and run off. It was lost from view in the trees. Roland jumped up and ran after the figure. Another short burst of automatic fire caused him to drop to the ground again and crawl to the cover of a large tree. When he peeked around the trunk, he saw nothing, but he could hear the sound of someone crashing through the woods.
As Roland rose to run after the fleeing figure, he heard sounds of movement behind him. Instantly he dropped behind a tree, now watching to the north, rifle ready. A figure showed itself pushing through the cover. Roland took aim but waited.
When it emerged briefly, Roland saw it was Dan.
“Over here,” he called out.
Dan stopped and then shifted directions, running towards Roland’s voice.
“Jesus, I almost shot you,” Roland said as Dan ran up to him.
“Where’s Jabbar?”
“Going south. He’s probably a hundred yards ahead. I heard you and stopped to watch my six.”
“Let’s go. The road’s the next escape option for him,” Dan said.
They set off running through the woods.
Chapter 52
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J abbar ran as fast as he could. There must be a road ahead; that was how the other man got into the woods. He would stop a car and escape. Panting and nearly out of breath, he burst onto the road and stopped. He looked around. There was a car on the side of the pavement, probably the one the other man came in.
Maybe he could hot wire it. As he started across the road he heard a car coming. When it got near, Jabbar stepped back into the road and pointed his AK at the driver. He put up one hand indicating for the man to stop. The car’s tires squealed as the driver mashed down on the brake pedal. Jabbar ran up to the driver’s door.
“Get out!” He yelled in heavily accented German.
The man looked at him with eyes wide in fright and shook his head. “What do you want?” he asked.
Jabbar pulled the trigger and the window shattered along with the man’s head. The dead man’s foot slipped off the brake pedal and the car started rolling forward. Jabbar reached in and yanked open the door. Pulling the man out of the vehicle, he jammed himself into the driver’s seat and stepped on the accelerator. The car lunged forward just as Dan and Roland emerged from the woods. They began firing at the fleeing vehicle. The rear window shattered but the car kept going. The Mercedes was out of sight before the two got into the car Roland had driven.
“We can’t just chase him into Frankfurt, or wherever, this is a stolen car,” Roland declared.
Dan pounded the dash in frustration. “Just go. We’ll catch him.”
Roland started the car and accelerated away. “This is a little Skoda. That’s a Mercedes he’s in. We won’t catch it.”
Dan didn’t reply. He just stared ahead, his fists clenched. In a mile they came to a four-way stop. There was nothing to see in any direction.
“We’ve got a one in three chance of picking the right direction,” Roland said, “Maybe one in two assuming he wouldn’t go straight.” He paused. “But we’re still not going to catch him.”
“Go left. Towards downtown. He wants to get back and hide out in a friendly neighborhood. There have to be people who will hide him.”
Roland shook his head. “Okay, but remember, this is a stolen vehicle.”
He turned left and accelerated.
“Still not going to catch him,” he muttered to himself.
“You so ready to give up?” Dan asked. There was anger in his voice.
Roland caught himself before answering. “Look, I know you’re frustrated,” he said as he pushed the little Skoda for all it was worth. “We were told to take Jabbar down. He got away. But we were also told to disrupt the attack. We did that. Saved a lot of lives.”
“You saved a lot of lives.”
“And you’re pissed because you didn’t get Jabbar? Like that was your sole responsibility? Fuck man, don’t take this personally. We did most of the job we were sent to do. You’d have done what I did and I could have missed Jabbar as well. It ain’t your fault.”
All Dan could do was growl to himself in frustration. Five more miles down the road and Roland spoke up again.
“We’re not catching him or he went a different way. This is crazy to put ourselves in a position to get arrested.”
Dan sighed. “You’re right. We don’t want to be caught up in the mess.”
“Now you’re thinking, buddy.” Roland slowed and made a U-turn on the road to head back from the direction they came, away from the city. “We’ll change out this car for another one as soon as we can and get the hell out of Germany.”
“Head to Limburg. We’ll ditch the car there and catch a train to Brussels. From there we can go south through France and get back to Milan. We’ll have to ditch our weapons and just take our packs.”
“Don’t like doing that,” Roland said. He headed for the main road into Limburg. Dan went over the route in his memory and gave Roland the directions.
An hour later they were in Limburg. They parked in the large lot at the main train terminal, separated and purchased tickets for Brussels. The train was due to arrive in a half hour. The two men sat apart both appearing calm. Dan pretended to read a German newspaper while Roland watched the news on the overhead TV screen. There were updated reports of the attack at the Frankfurt airport. All airports in Germany and nearby countries were closed. The two men were relieved to see that train travel had not been interrupted or stopped. While they waited they noticed an increase in armed police presence patrolling through the terminal. Both men were relieved to hear the train announced. They casually got up and proceeded to board.
Once the train started moving Dan began to relax. He was still frustrated, but knew Roland had been right. What he was feeling was as much personal as professional. He didn’t think he had held up his end of the mission. Missing Jabbar seemed like a failure to him and Dan racked his brain to think of how he could find and intercept the man again. For now a mission to Frankfurt was out of the question.
He walked to the back of the car and called Jane.
“We’re seeing the news feeds. Sounds like you were able to prevent huge losses. One bomber was able to trigger an explosion in Terminal Two. There was a second bomber, but he panicked and the police were able to keep him from setting off his vest
.”
“I missed Jabbar,” Dan said.
There was silence on the phone, then Jane spoke, “He got off only one rocket. It hit the tail section. No one was killed.”
“But he got away.”
“That’s okay. You managed to avert a huge disaster.”
“Has anything occurred anywhere else?” Dan asked.
“The French police intercepted attackers attempting to assault Gare du Nord. All the terrorists were killed but seven civilians were wounded. Nothing’s happened in London so far.”
“I think Jabbar was the leader. The other cells were probably less well organized or supplied. That’s what the money from Aebischer was to do, provide them with weapons and training.”
“Agreed. Where are you now?”
“We’re on a train to Brussels. From there we’ll head south into France.”
Jane thought for a moment. “Go to Lyon. I’ll have a car meet you there and drive you to Milan. I don’t want any record of tickets going into Milan.”
“Got it. Better send them on the way soon. You know how well the trains run.” He paused for a moment as Jane waited. “And, Jane, I’m sorry I didn’t get Jabbar.”
“Don’t be. I’m glad the two of you made it out unhurt and without getting caught. That was not easy.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” Dan said as if he hadn’t heard her.
Chapter 53
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J abbar abandoned the stolen car on the outskirts of Frankfurt near a subway station. He took the underground train to the Nord Ost district and walked to the apartment of a sympathizer. Once inside the apartment he began to relax. The owner of the apartment had the news on his television.
