Black Flagged Redux

by Steven Konkoly

  The squad that had originally deployed behind the building carried three wounded soldiers toward their hastily drawn perimeter. The gunfire intensified and one of the pairs struggling toward the nearest vehicle suddenly dropped to the ground. More soldiers rushed forward to retrieve their wounded comrades.

  “Looks like a rescue operation,” Daniel remarked.

  “Rescue from what?” Farrington replied.

  A smoke trail raced out of the southern-facing wall and tore through the thin roof armor of the Tiger closest to the engaged troops, detonating inside. The gunner firing the heavy machine gun mounted on the Tiger disappeared in a fireball that shattered the truck and caused every soldier in sight to drop into a prone position. The BTR-80 started to back up, and Daniel sensed that they were about to withdraw. Heavy machine-gun fire intensified against the side of the building that had been used to fire a rocket propelled grenade at the platoon, and the Russian Federation soldiers scrambled to reach the two remaining vehicles. Simultaneously, everyone in Daniel’s group heard the faint sound of helicopter blades. They exchanged uncomfortable glances. Far over Monchegorsk, two helicopters appeared, flying low.

  “Two Havocs. Fuck. Seeing one up close was enough for me,” Leo muttered.

  “We’ll have to be extremely careful at night. They’ll be equipped with the latest thermal imaging equipment. Same with the armored personnel carriers,” Farrington said.

  They watched as the armored vehicles, jammed beyond their advertised troop carrying capacity, lurched down the road at top speed. All binoculars turned to find the helicopters, which grew in size as they approached, barely missing the tops of the tallest gray structures in the downtown area. Daniel lowered his binoculars and took in the entire scene.

  The helicopters slowed to a hover several streets away and formed up side by side. Once the rear helicopter pulled up next to the lead Havoc, both helicopters fired dozens of unguided rockets at the building the soldiers had just left. The rockets slammed into the unobserved side of the building, followed by thunderous detonations that reached the side they could see. Most of the windows on the second and third floor of the building blew out onto the street, followed by flaming internal debris. Daniel saw at least two bodies sail out of the building among the flaming wreckage.

  The Havocs fired another salvo that tore completely through the second floor and brought half of the third story down, raising an impenetrable cloud of concrete dust and smoke. They watched more smoke trails arc into the haze from the helicopters, followed by successive detonations that shook the forest floor. Daniel couldn’t tell what happened, but it felt like an earthquake tremor. The helicopters started to drift toward the structure, falling back in a line as they intersected the main road recently travelled by the surviving Russian Army vehicles.

  “They aren’t fucking around. The entire building just collapsed,” Leo said.

  Daniel’s attention drifted to several figures that emerged from the expanding wave of dust. They moved slowly, helping each other cross the street in front of the destroyed building. At least two members of the group carried assault rifles and wore the same camouflage uniform as the soldiers. Instead of helmets, they wore black watch caps, which were covered with the gray dust from the building. The two helicopters cruised up the street, and Daniel saw puffs of smoke trail the lead Havoc’s forward mounted 30mm cannon. The cannon’s projectiles ripped into the group on the street before the sound reached Daniel’s ears. The extended burst of cannon fire dropped all but one of the figures trying to reach the cover of smaller building across the road. The lone survivor of the Havoc’s gun-run picked up one of the dead men’s rifles and fired at the helicopter as it cruised overhead. The shooter disintegrated into a bloody mound of twisted limbs and exposed bone as the sound of the second helicopter’s cannon washed over Daniel.

  “They’re not fucking around one bit,” Petrovich reinforced.

  “Did the local army garrison turn?” Leo said.

  “It certainly looks that way. Berg said the garrison’s base is fed by several wells and isn’t connected to the city water supply. This is mainly a local unit and a majority of the personnel have families that live in Monchegorsk or nearby towns. He suspects that Russian leadership would try to simplify things and lump the entire garrison into any kind of quarantine effort. This doesn’t look like your typical quarantine.”

  “More like an extermination,” Leo said.

  “Exactly. Like Parker said, we stick to the basics on this mission. Get in, figure out what the virus does and document as much evidence as possible. Our job is to get as much information to Berg as possible. The Russians are playing the containment game, and everyone else is in the dark. Berg wants enough evidence to crack this wide open,” Petrovich said.

  “All right, we’ll approach the southwest end of town, stash the skis and set another GPS point,” Farrington added.

  They set off on skis as the two helicopters banked left and raced back toward the center of Monchegorsk. A loud explosion rocked the hills, and they turned in time to see another fireball reach skyward from a building several kilometers into the city, far from the two attack helicopters. They continued to follow the lightly travelled snowmobile trail that had brought them this far and would bring them to a point concealed in the forest, less than a half kilometer from a series of industrial buildings. They’d hide among the pine trees and wait for dark.

  Chapter 37

  10:45 PM

  Outskirts of Monchegorsk

  Kola Peninsula, Russian Federation

  Petrovich sprinted for the rear corner of the building closest to the cluster of trees that had served as their final approach point to the outskirts of town. He reached the rusted metal edge of the prefabricated structure and stopped to scan the area beyond with his night vision. He listened to the area around the buildings, and after spending a few minutes of studying the green images produced by his handheld scope, he signaled for the rest of the team to join him. Sporadic distant gunfire drifted through the maze of structures, masking the direction of its origin.

  From what he could tell, none of the action was focused on this part of town, which should simplify their approach to the apartment buildings on the southwest edge. Their main risk involved crossing Highway M18, which carried a steady stream of military traffic and patrols. There would be ample opportunity to cross unobserved, but it still made Daniel nervous. Unfortunately, every approach from the west crossed M18, but this route provided the cover of several lifeless buildings that were unlikely to attract any attention. Most of the windows were missing, and they saw no signs of recent human activity from their hide site in the forest. As the rest of the group stacked up along the concrete wall, Daniel checked the area again.

  “We’ll move up together through the buildings and approach the highway. We can watch a considerable stretch of road from ground level on either side. Once across, we’ll hightail it to the abandoned gas station on the other side. Our goal is to find a way into one of the apartment buildings less than a mile from the station,” he said and took off without warning.

  The team worked its way through another five hundred meters of neglected gray buildings, dodging large heaps of scrap metal and discarded industrial materials. They moved as quietly as possible through pitch-black expanses, stopping momentarily to scan for sentries or anything out of place that might signify an early end to their trip.

  By consensus, they had agreed to focus their attention on a block of several closely clustered five-story apartment buildings in the western suburbs of Monchegorsk. By day, the apartments looked like they might have been thoroughly evacuated, but as night descended, they picked up hints of light with their night vision through the thin curtains of several windows. They’d close in on the nearest building and find a place to observe the area for a while.

  If they could see lights inside the apartments with second generation civilian night vision scopes, the Russians could see them, too. Russian units would be
equipped with fourth generation night vision optics, thermal imaging equipment and infrared detection gear. Based on what they witnessed all afternoon, the Russians were scouring the city with no rules of engagement.

  Upon reaching the last building before the highway, Daniel signaled for them all to hold at the corner. He lowered his body and crawled through the dirty snow along a row of dead bushes to the front of the building. He raised his head far enough to see down the road to the south and did the same for the north. Nothing. No illumination or signs of movement. He pulled out his night vision scope and took a look in each direction.

  The green image didn’t reveal any hidden surprises, but it emphasized the limitations of their night vision gear. The persistent, thin haze blanketing Monchegorsk during the day remained at night to reduce the effective visual range through his scope. For longer distance spotting, they would be better off using the naked eye. The Russians wouldn’t have this problem with the newer generation low-light technology. Daniel’s team would have to be extremely cautious when making decisions based on long-range detection capabilities.

  “One person at a time will crawl up. Stay low. If a vehicle approaches from the south, this wall will be exposed, but you should have enough cover. When you get to the corner, watch the road for a minute to be sure it’s clear, then sprint across. Rally point is behind the gas station.”

  He heard the rest of the team whisper their acknowledgment and glanced down the road in each direction. All clear, he hoped. Daniel was on his feet in a flash, sprinting in the direction of the gas station. He crossed the road diagonally and skirted the edge of the station’s parking lot, headed straight for a large trash dumpster behind the small building. He reached the back wall and slammed his left foot into the door, which gave slightly. He stepped back and kicked it again, splintering the door frame and sending the door inward. He unslung his rifle and moved quickly to the outside corner of the gas station.

  “All clear at the station. The back door is open. Rally point inside,” he said.

  A figure appeared across the street, barreling in his direction. A few minutes later, they huddled inside the frigid gas station. Sergei was the last to arrive.

  “I didn’t see anything on the road. I think we’re good,” he said.

  “All right. Let’s move out. Schafer, you’ll bring up the rear. Stay back far enough to watch over us and provide cover if anything pops up,” Daniel said.

  Schafer gave him a thumbs up that he could barely see in the dark.

  “We all need to be on the lookout for snipers. If you hear a snap or see a flash…sprint for three hundred and sixty degree cover. Whatever you do, don’t stay in place. I hunted groups like this for two years, and the only thing that ever saved my targets was an immediate panicked sprint for cover.”

  “I thought you didn’t miss,” Farrington said.

  “I don’t. I was talking about the only response that kept me from killing everyone in the group.”

  “We need to get moving,” Farrington said.

  “I’ll take point. Farrington, Sergei and Leo bring up the middle. Schafer, you know what to do.”

  “You’re never going to call me Yuri, are you?” Farrington said.

  “Probably not. Move out,” Daniel said and disappeared running.

  Fifty minutes later, Daniel walked slowly through a small children’s playground. An apartment building loomed overhead, yielding no signs of life. He scanned the windows, aiming the rifle where he looked. It looked dead, but they knew better. He slowly approached a door on the ground level and squinted intensely at the dark gray and blue image provided by the naked eye. He could barely see twenty feet in front of him.

  “Do you see anything on the ground level?”

  “Negative. I still have a few windows on the third and fourth floor with activity,” Schafer said from his over watch position in the distance.

  “Roger.”

  He reached the door and leaned against the concrete wall to its right, extending his right hand to test the door handle. It didn’t budge, but he could tell that the door opened inward, which was a good thing if they had to use brute force. Daniel removed both of his thin gray Nomex gloves and stuffed them into cargo pockets. He retrieved a small zippered kit from his backpack and started using the contents to open the door’s lock. He tried several combinations of small tools until he felt the tumbler move. He squeezed the thumb mechanism on the top of the handle and pushed inward on the door, which moved effortlessly on its hinges. Perfect.

  “We’re in. Move the team up.”

  Daniel moved into the apartment, and noted that the temperature inside didn’t improve much from the outside. The rancid smell of decomposition hit him suddenly, which sent a few waves of panic through him. He was in the dark with dead bodies. He put his gloves back on and took out a small flashlight. He turned it on and pointed it down the hallway. He saw dead bodies stacked floor to ceiling against the front doors of the building. Something yanked the flashlight out of his hand.

  “Are you fucking crazy?” Farrington said. He turned the light off and handed it back to Petrovich. “Use your night vision.”

  The rest of the team assembled inside, except for Schafer, who would watch the building from the outside and provide early warning if the Russians approached. Using his night vision scope instead of a flashlight, Daniel could now see that this was the custodial level and contained no apartments. Large pipes attached to the ceiling ran the length of the hallway. The doors they could see would likely lead to large boilers or furnace equipment.

  “We’ll head up those stairs to the third floor and hit two rooms at once. Third door and eighth door on the right. I’ll stack up with Leo on the far door. Yuri and Sergei take the closer one.”

  “If we have the doors right. Could be two or three windows per apartment,” Leo said.

  “We’ll figure it out. We need to find what we’re looking for in this building. The gunfire is increasing out there,” Daniel said.

  “I heard helicopters,” Farrington said.

  That was all anyone needed to say. The team jogged toward the staircase on the northern side of the building and opened the door. The staircase contained no windows, so Daniel flashed his light up the stairwell. Empty. They quietly climbed to the second floor and approached a door. Daniel peered through the window and saw nothing but darkness. He opened the door several inches and took another look with his night vision scope. He saw trash and assorted debris, but no bodies. They hadn’t detected any signs of life on the second floor from the outside, and it looked to be no different on the inside.

  “Clear,” he whispered.

  The team continued to the third floor, hugging the walls and keeping their weapons focused on the door leading into the third floor’s main hallway. They had counted at least six sources of light on this level, so they approached the door cautiously. Daniel moved his hand to the door handle and pulled it gently, but it didn’t move.

  “Locked,” he whispered.

  Farrington moved to the other side of the door, followed closely by Sergei, who glanced up into the darkness of the stairwell toward the fourth floor. Farrington edged his head closer to the door’s window and peeked into the hallway, pulling it back immediately. He shook his head and removed his night vision scope, placing it against the glass. He used his right hand to signal for Daniel to work on the door’s lock. Daniel removed the same kit he used earlier from one of the pouches on his vest and started to use the two tools that had opened the ground level door. He knew exactly what he needed to do to manipulate the lock’s tumblers.

  As soon as he felt the tumblers move, the door slammed inward, knocking both Farrington and Petrovich to the concrete floor of the stairwell. Blinding lights and screams filled the stairwell from every direction, and Daniel felt himself ripped off the floor, onto his knees. Someone kneeled on the back of his legs, holding them down, and his arms were quickly pinned behind him. The only thing he didn’t hear was gunfire, which
for the moment was a good thing.

  He was too stunned to react and tried to look around before a dark bag was placed over his head. He felt hard metal press against the side of his skull and figured there was no point in trying to flip the guy restraining his arms. He hoped the rest of his team came to the same conclusion. If they had been captured by civilians, they had a good shot at surviving. When the yelling and struggling calmed, a thick, authoritarian Russian voice emerged.

  “You’d all be dead by now if this one hadn’t spoken English downstairs,” the voice said.

  “Even as you approached the building, a few of my people didn’t think you were Russian. Who are you?”

  “American Special Forces,” Daniel said, in Russian.

  “Now you speak Russian?” he said and ripped the hood off Daniel’s head.

  Someone aimed a flashlight directly in Daniel’s eyes, partially blinding him, but he had seen enough to know that the rest of his team was on their knees with bags over their heads. Roughly a dozen loosely uniformed men crowded the stairwell landing. Most of them were occupied with restraining his team. A large man stood in front of him, wearing Russian Army camouflage and a large brown fur hat with side flaps. He held an AKS-74u fitted with a bipod and holographic sight. A large night vision rifle scope was tethered by a D-ring to a loop on his camouflage jacket.

  “That scope should be attached to a rifle,” Daniel said.

  “Wouldn’t do this crew any good on a rifle. You don’t look like Special Forces. This rifle is older than you are and most of your outer gear is old Russian Army issue. What is your mission here?” the leader said.