Operator Down

by Brad Taylor

  Aaron surveyed for other threats but found only Alex, crouched with a hand over her mouth, shocked at the violence. Aaron picked up the AK, then heard shouting from the direction of the U-shaped building. The sound of the truck split the night, and Aaron grabbed Alex’s hand and began running through the trees. He reached one of the few asphalt roads on the base, seeing nothing but open space and decrepit buildings beyond it, the area sporadically lit by rusted lamps bolted to the roofs. Behind the buildings was an open field full of waist-high grass and undulating hillocks.

  He saw headlights to his right and said, “Come on. Fast.”

  They sprinted across the road, caught briefly in the glow from the truck, then were across, back in the darkness. He avoided the lamps of the buildings, continuing to the field. They reached it, and he dropped to a crouch, saying, “Get low. Get below the grass.”

  They started moving west, and the truck stopped on the shoulder of the road, the men spilling out. He reached a small ravine and ducked into it, scrambling until he reached the end. He poked his head over the top and saw the fence line about seventy meters away, a ten-foot chain-link barrier with razor wire on top. A guard tower with a lone sentry was spaced every fifty meters. To his right, a hundred meters past the northern tower, he saw the front gate, brightly illuminated, with a drop bar and two soldiers standing guard.

  So close.

  The northern tower turned on a spotlight, followed by the southern one, and they began randomly sweeping the field, curious about the commotion surrounding the truck. Sooner or later, Lurch would coordinate their actions.

  He dropped flat, looking back the way they’d come, and saw the men from the truck spreading out in a line, Lurch giving orders, the Sesotho language floating out in the wind.

  The soldiers began moving forward, and Lurch shouted in English, taunting them. “Jew, we will find you. You have nowhere to go. And when we do, the girl will be the searchers’ reward. You will be mine. I’ll leave your body naked just like you did General Mosebo.”

  Alex looked at her clothes, and Aaron realized Lurch thought they’d taken them as some kind of statement. A final insult that must have driven him mad with rage.

  Aaron dropped the magazine in his AK, pressing down to determine how many rounds it held. It was full. He said, “Get behind me, in the bank of the ravine.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Fight.”

  70

  It was a forty-minute drive from Morija to downtown Maseru, but the base happened to be outside the city, so we could be on-site in thirty minutes or less. I used the time to pick Johan’s brain. He detailed four primary targets, of which he was tasked with taking the television and radio station down, as well as cutting the primary ISP for the country.

  I said, “What will happen now that you’re out of the net?”

  “When I give the call, they’ll execute and won’t even miss me. The TV station was to prevent the word from getting out, but truthfully, it’s closed at night, and by the time we’re through, it should be too quick to even matter. It’s a risk, but not much of one. The main thing was keeping South Africa from knowing anything was going on.”

  “I thought they were in on it? They’re giving up the triggers. I heard the guy called ‘Colonel Smith.’”

  “He’s in on it, but that’s about it. I don’t even know who he really is, but he specifically told us that if South Africa thought its water concessions were being threatened, he wouldn’t be able to stop the response.”

  “What about the truck that ran off? The men you were taking as your force?”

  “You killed their command. They’re just a bunch of privates, and not that good, honestly. The best soldiers went to the hard targets. I got the dregs because our target was really more like a simple breaking and entering. If I were to guess, they’re driving around the city wondering what to do.”

  “Okay, what can you tell me about the base, other than the location?”

  He described it as relatively decrepit, with a single drop-bar entry, a couple of guards out front, and buildings spread out as if nobody had a central plan when they constructed it. The barracks for the SF regiment were up on a hillside, and the main headquarters was deep in the woods, off by itself.

  I said, “So you’ve been on it? They know you? Can you get us through on a bluff at the gate?”

  He laughed and said, “No. The only reason I was on that base was to be interrogated when I got sloppy on my reconnaissance here.”

  “Interrogated?”

  “Yeah. Mosebo kept his involvement in the coup secret, one, because he knew someone would leak it if it got out, and, two, to protect him if it went to shit. Because of it, I was rolled up when I was doing my targeting work by some counterintelligence guys. I couldn’t throw his name out for any help because the only ones who know about the coup are the ones directly involved, and he kept them quarantined on a ‘training mission.’ I’m sure his plan is to blame the SF regimental commander if anything goes wrong.”

  “Where’s he? The regimental commander? Is he on a target or on the base?”

  “He’s lying on the side of the road. He was in my vehicle when you ambushed us.”

  “Okay. Anything else about the base?”

  “It’s ringed with guard towers, but that’s more of make-do work from what I could see. The usual lazy privates baking in the sun for little reason. There isn’t a real threat to the place, and they aren’t postured for one. There’s not much else to it. There’s a military intelligence company, some engineers, and the SF regiment. It’s spread out, and nobody really talks between the commands, from what I know.”

  I nodded, then said, “You have some reports you should be making? Something to let everyone know you’re good to go?”

  He looked at his watch and said, “We’re within the window. I get an up, and I can initiate. You want that?”

  “Yeah. As long as you aren’t going to send a distress signal.”

  He laughed and said, “What good would that do? All that would cause is the end of the coup. You’d still have me.”

  I said, “Get to it,” then clicked onto our internal net and said, “All elements, all elements, here’s the warning order: Knuckles and Veep, you’re up first. We’re going to drive past the gate-road entrance and let you two roll out. You get in firing position and take out the gate guards. There are supposedly only two. You copy?”

  I got an up from both and said, “We’ll roll in, and I expect the gate to be open, so don’t fuck around. We’re going to penetrate and do a quick snatch and grab, wherever we can locate the precious cargo. Break, break, Carrie, that’s where you come in. Give Aaron a call and find out where he is on the base. Just a general location. I need to know if we’re going to try sneaking in ten feet or run it like Mad Max to the end. You get him on the line, get the information, then keep the line open. When I give the signal—meaning I think I’m close enough for compromise—I want him to fire a double tap in the air, wait a second, then do it again.”

  We had no way to pinpoint Aaron’s location. No beacons, no cell phone geolocation, no nothing, and I wasn’t going to trust some long, drawn-out description of what was around him. Firing was risky, but it was the quickest thing I could think of.

  She said, “Roger all,” and I turned back to Johan, saying, “How’d the radio calls go?”

  He put down his hand mic and said, “We’re in business. All hell is going to break loose in about ten minutes.”

  I nodded, and Brett, the driver of our vehicle, said, “We’re about to intersect the road that runs next to the base. We’re five minutes out before we hit the gate-road intersection.”

  I nodded and said, “All elements, all elements, five minutes before the intersection. Carrie, what do you have?”

  We rolled right next to the perimeter fencing, and I saw searchlights all ov
er the field, a string of men in the distance, double arm’s length apart, all armed.

  Shoshana came on and said, “Pike, Pike, I just talked to Aaron. He’s in an open field and he’s being actively hunted. He says he won’t be able to wait on a call to fire.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s about to start shooting now.”

  71

  I hollered at Brett, pointing out the window, “That’s them, to the right; he’s to the right. Get off this road.”

  I saw a dirt trail appear to our left, angling away from the asphalt. He said, “Hang on,” and jerked the wheel, throwing us all against the side of the vehicle.

  The rear vehicle followed, and we stopped out of sight of the asphalt. I got on the net. “Same call, different location. Knuckles, you take the northern tower, Veep, the southern one. Who’s got the breaching gear? We need the bolt cutters.”

  Veep said, “They’re in my ruck. I’ve got ’em.”

  “Dig ’em out and roll. Get in position, but don’t trigger until we’ve made breach. Knuckles, you good to go?”

  “Just give me the trigger. Veep and I will handle it.”

  Johan said, “Give me a gun. You can’t breach with just the two of you.”

  I stared hard at him. He said, “Give me a gun, Pike. Let me help. I won’t hurt anyone but the enemy.”

  I said, “Brett, give him his weapon. I’m going back for the bolt cutters.”

  I jogged to the trail vehicle and saw Shoshana kitting up. I said, “Whoa. You’re not going anywhere. I need Jennifer and you to drive these vehicles to the exfil point when I call.”

  She said, “Fuck that. I’m going in. Aaron’s right there.”

  She was on fire, and I knew she would be out of control once we broke into the field, which was exactly why she wasn’t going to enter. She would listen to nothing anyone said, least of all me.

  “Shoshana, I need someone to drive the truck. It’s not going to magic to us for exfil, and that someone is you.”

  Jennifer came around, and I handed her the keys to my truck. She gave me the bolt cutters. Shoshana glowered at me, and I said, “You good?”

  She said nothing. Jennifer put her hands on Shoshana’s shoulders, leaned in, and with her back to me said, “We’re good to go. Standing by for the call. Go get him.”

  I nodded, clicked on the net, and said, “Knuckles, Veep, you in position?”

  I got an up from both. I said, “Johan, Blood, you ready to go?”

  Brett said, “This is Blood; I’m next to Johan. We’re ready.”

  I jogged up to them and without preamble said, “Showtime.”

  We stalked our way through the darkness at a half jog and reached the fence. I started cutting, making a hole big enough for someone to get through carrying a casualty. I reached the top, with Johan pulling on the links as I cut, and I heard the first round crack through the air. I looked out into the field and saw the right of the line shooting at a depression about seventy meters away, then a muzzle flash returning fire.

  Aaron.

  I heard someone in the depression scream, and the spotlights centered on his location. I said, “Execute, execute, execute. Eliminate the threat in the towers and knock out those lights.”

  I kept clipping, and both Brett and Johan began suppressing the right side of the line. The fire slacked off immediately, the men dropping flat and shouting. Knuckles came on. “Targets down.” One second the spotlights were on the ravine, and the next they were aimed up in the sky.

  I said, “Suppress,” then ripped the links aside, seated my weapon to my shoulder, and began running to the depression.

  The left side of the line saw me and began firing in my direction. I took a knee and returned it. Without commands, we began flip-flopping toward the depression in a bounding overwatch, someone always firing while someone else moved.

  The right side of the line gained enough courage to begin fighting again, and I started hearing the unique snap of rounds breaking the sound barrier around my head. I closed within thirty meters of the ravine, seeing the muzzle flash still returning fire, and shouted, “Friendly to the rear! Friendly to the rear!”

  I saw Aaron turn toward me, then rotate back to his shooting position, blasting away. I leapt in, and he shouted over his shoulder, “Alex is hit!”

  Brett fell in beside me, and I said, “Check her out,” then took a position next to Aaron, picking off targets.

  I saw a large man screaming at the soldiers to advance on us, and some of them did. Johan leapt into the pit and Aaron’s eyes got wide, his barrel rotating toward him. I pushed it up and said, “He’s with me.”

  Aaron snarled, “That fuck is with them.”

  I said, “Not anymore. Trust me. It’s complicated.”

  Johan said nothing, moving to the rear where Alexandra was crouched, Brett over the top of her, bandaging her leg. Johan took off his body armor and put it around Alexandra, saying, “What do you have?”

  “Thigh wound. In and out. No contact with the bone. She won’t bleed out, but she can’t move on her own power.”

  Johan said, “You ready to get the fuck out of here?” She grimaced in pain but nodded. He turned to me and asked, “We ready?”

  I said, “Yeah. Brett, you go with Johan. Aaron, get ready to cover.”

  Johan said, “Aaron.” He turned, and Johan tossed him his rifle. Aaron took it, nodded, and shouldered his beat-up AK.

  I shouted, “Go!” and Johan slung Alexandra over his shoulder, leapt out of the ravine, and began running in a zigzag pattern back toward the hole in the fence. Brett followed behind, bounding about thirty meters before stopping and giving cover.

  Seeing us escaping, the remaining soldiers put up a ferocious amount of fire, with three having the courage to charge across the field. I dropped one, Aaron hit the other, and the third dove for the ground.

  I heard Brett shout, “Go!” and we flipped out of the small ravine and raced past Brett, then rotated around, peppering the area around the truck. The return fire had dropped to almost nothing. I called Jennifer and gave the command for exfil. I saw the fence in front of us, a pair of headlights coming in. We dove through the hole just as the SUVs came rolling up. We piled into the two vehicles helter-skelter, and they sped out, throwing gravel.

  Jennifer led us back up the road where they’d staged, then pulled over so we could adjust and reconsolidate. I was crammed into Jennifer’s vehicle with Aaron, Brett, Veep, and Knuckles. Shoshana had Alexandra and Johan. Aaron said, “Where’s Shoshana?”

  I opened the door, saying, “Brett, check out Alexandra. Make sure she’s good to go.”

  He left, and to Aaron, I said, “She’s driving the rear vehicle, and trust me, she is a giant pain in the ass.”

  He smiled and said, “I knew she would come. But I didn’t expect you. Thank you.”

  Jennifer leaned over and pecked his cheek, saying, “It’s really good to see you. Alive, I mean. Sorry you missed your honeymoon.”

  He chuckled, opened the door, and said, “That’s the damn truth. Coming to Africa was the worst decision I’ve ever made.”

  Jennifer said, “I don’t think so. Sometimes you need to lose something before you realize how valuable it is.”

  He glanced back and saw Shoshana standing outside the driver’s door of her vehicle, looking toward him. He said, “I already knew.”

  “But she doesn’t know that you know. And she wants to.”

  He patted her hand and said, “Thank you again.” And exited the vehicle.

  We watched like preteens hiding in the woods spying on lovers’ lane, with Knuckles passing out NODs to penetrate the darkness.

  Watching Aaron approach, Shoshana’s face reflected a childlike innocence, full of expectation and hope. Aaron reached her, and she said nothing, simply wrapping her arms around him and burying
her head in his chest. He held her for at least ten seconds, then pushed her back, kissed her forehead, and said something in her ear. Even through the green glow of the NODs, I could see the joy on her face.

  He cupped her cheeks and kissed her on the lips. She wiped her eyes and stood on tiptoe, leaning into his ear. She whispered and then did something so unlike her it made me wonder if I’d ever known her. She licked his neck, softly, looking for all the world like a lion meeting a mate after a kill. Later, Jennifer said it was a kiss, but I know what I saw.

  Shoshana glanced back at us, and we all ducked down, positive she could see us even without NODs.

  Hiding below the seat, Jennifer said, “Wow. This is like National Geographic.”

  Knuckles laughed and said, “Don’t make any sudden moves. They trigger on movement.”

  I poked my head back over the bench seat and saw . . . I’m not even sure how to describe it. Serenity? Peace? Triumph? Whatever it was, it was worth every bit of effort we’d expended.

  I said, “This is better than Jerry McGuire. If she says, ‘You complete me,’ I’m never letting her live it down.”

  Jennifer and Knuckles laughed, and I joined in, because we were just a bunch of schoolkids watching a reunion on a deserted road after fleeing a firefight in Africa. We were normal people. And then I said, “Uh-oh.”

  Because we weren’t normal people.

  Like an idiot, Johan came around the vehicle and stuck out his hand. Aaron punched him in the face with all of his weight behind it, lifting him off his feet. Johan hit the earth flat on his back and gained some smarts. He remained on the ground. I leapt out of the vehicle, running to the confrontation and jumping in front of him.