Killswitch

by Cliff Hedley

  “Chase, this is Hawkeye One. Sorry Renshi but we cannot get a shot in there.”

  “Shee-yit,” Chase swore under his breath. He clicked his radio. “Acknowledged, Hawkeye One. Roadrunner One, I’m suiting up.”

  He backtracked towards the Humvee and opened the rear door, sliding the case containing his ballistics suit towards him. The corporal and Tucker joined him. First he stepped into the leggings, then they helped him wiggle into the jacket and fastened it for him. Chase picked up the helmet, switching the radio mic inside on. Tucker helped secure that too. Once he could see that Chase was ready to go, he patted him on the shoulder, then swung back into the Humvee.

  “Radio check.”

  “Roadrunner One copies,” Tucker responded.

  “Hawkeye One copies,” Collins added.

  “OK, let’s do this.”

  Chase grabbed his old k-bar knife, which came in very handy for digging or jamming into things and made his way back to the bend in the road, cautiously dropping to his knees a safe distance from the mound. He crawled forward and when he was at a safe distance to begin digging in towards it, began to very slowly scrape at the dirt and dust beside it. He was hot in the suit. The temperature had already been coming up outside and having a thick heavy suit on was making him sweat. He could feel the beads run off his back and down his sides as he lay in the dirt. He continued to slowly sweep the dust to each side until a thin layer fell away and he finally saw something that shouldn’t be there. Something metallic. Not a rock.

  Chase took another couple of long breaths to slow his heart rate. He needed steady hands now. Slow and steady wins the race. More of the dirt up against the metallic object fell away to reveal a rounded, flat object. Chase was glad he came in from the side, because it was exactly what he had suspected was there — a pressure mine. If the top had been driven over or stood on, the next thing that would have come immediately after the weight was taken off was a very loud bang.

  Satisfied that he had exposed just enough of it to disrupt it, he eased slowly away.

  “Looks like an old Russian mine, Roadrunner One. It’s probably unstable. Looks a bit rusted. I’m going to plant a Bottler next to it.”

  “Copy that, Renshi.”

  Chase trudged his way back to the Humvee, back around the corner and grabbed himself a small cylindrical object. It was a Bottler, a disruptive device that sent a high-pressure explosive blast of water in all directions around it. He had used these numerous times before. No way was he going to try and disarm the mine himself. The images in the movies often showed bomb techs with a pair of pliers desperately cutting at a red wire with seconds to spare as a timer counted down but to Chase, it made very little sense to stick his hands all over a live mine. He had disarmed landmines before but that was mostly a practice thing — it could be done but there was no sense in taking unnecessary risks. Both common sense and standard operating procedure called for the device to be taken out from a distance.

  “Got everything you need, Chase?”

  “Yes, sir.” Chase gave Tucker the thumbs up through the Humvee window as he walked back past. He rechecked every step as he walked and made sure once again that the Humvee was far enough away and behind the turn in the road, sheltered by the rock walls. It seemed like an age as he walked back towards the mine, the hairs on the back of his neck rising more with each step.

  As he drew near, he took a few slow breaths to calm his heart rate again. He crouched in front of the mine, placing the Bottler next to it, careful that he didn’t accidentally touch it and set it off. Satisfied that it was placed in the right spot, he let the detonation wires feed out behind him. Once he had reached the bend in the road, he got back on the radio as he continued walking.

  “Roadrunners, Hawkeyes. This is Renshi. Bottler is placed. Confirm you are out of line of sight and behind cover.”

  At this point Chase had made it past the lead Humvee, standing at the rear with the detonator in his hand.

  “Hawkeye One copies. All clear.”

  “Roadrunner One copies. All clear.”

  “Acknowledged. Firing.”

  Seconds later, a boom rang through the canyon as dust was flung into the air and a small cloud found its way back towards Chase and the Roadrunners.

  “I’ll give it a minute to clear before I go back in. Hawkeye One, any reaction or movement up top?”

  “Negative, Renshi. No movement.”

  As the dust began to settle, Chase started his walk back around the bend in the road. The Bottler had worked perfectly. The old casing of the mine had been shredded. The fuse and explosive were strewn about at high velocity by the water charge before it could have any significant explosive impact of its own. He cast a careful eye over the scene and happy that the mine was no longer a threat, continued to move forward. Once again, he moved slowly, scanning the road, the canyon walls and everywhere in between.

  “This is Renshi. Threat is neutralised. I am moving forward.”

  “Hawkeye One copies that, Renshi. I have eyes on you again. We are sweeping forward.”

  “Roadrunner One is rolling forward. We’ll wait for you at the next section.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  The next piece of road had less in the way of sand or dust build-up. It was bare dirt, which made it harder to hide anything. There was nothing unusual about the road or the rock walls on either side as Chase moved ahead. He reached the next bend and called back to Tucker, “Roadrunner One, you are clear to move forward. I am moving to the next section.”

  “Copy that, Renshi.”

  Though it was muffled by his suit’s helmet, Chase could hear the Humvees behind him in the canyon fire up. They rumbled forward before the noise returned to the low hum of idling engines again when they reached the next turn in the road. Chase cautiously shuffled ahead, the canyon walls closing in overhead, looming over the road and casting a mix of shadows across it.

  This section had sand swept up against the side of the road where it met with the sheer rock walls. He studied the lines, the flow of the sand and colour to identify any disturbances. There was nothing out of place. He scanned the canyon walls, low down around his height — or that of the Humvees — then higher up. Again nothing seemed out of place. He moved towards the end of the road he could see, into the next turn. He had driven through there hundreds of times, so he knew this would be the last tight bend before the road opened out again, getting relatively wider and straighter.

  Tucker’s voice came across the radio.

  “Roadrunner One to Hawkeye One. Report.”

  “All quiet, Roadrunner One. We have moved ahead of Renshi’s position and have a visual on the end of the canyon. So far the ridgeline looks clear. We should have a view down to the flat land again in the next few minutes.”

  “Copy that, Hawkeye One. Renshi, are you almost at the last straight?”

  “Affirmative, Roadrunner One. Almost finished clearing the road. The canyon walls are . . .”

  Chase trailed off. He almost hadn’t seen it, because of the play of the light and shadow against the canyon walls. Sitting about a foot and a half off the ground, on a small ledge, was a rock that looked out of place. It was too square and didn’t quite have the right colour to fit in with the rest of the rocks around it. Chase had seen this before and given where it was placed, he thought he knew what it was.

  “Come in, Renshi. You cut out there.”

  “Stand by, Roadrunner One. I might have something here.”

  “Standing by.”

  Chase stood to the side of the odd-shaped rock and checked that it was in fact a fake. There was a small hole in one corner and he had a feeling that if he’d walked in front of it, he would be in pieces by now.

  “I think I have an EFP array here, Roadrunner One. Stay put.”

  “Acknowledged, Renshi.”

  This par
ticular device was designed to take out passing vehicles with remote detonation or, in this case, an infra-red or laser beam that would be tripped by the first thing to pass it. It worked by pushing metallic discs which would travel at around two miles a second and deform into slugs as they did so, passing through anything lightly armoured — like a Humvee — and making a mess inside. The Explosively Formed Projectiles often came in multiples, or arrays. Chase studied the device further and could see an array of at least three — a large primary and a couple of smaller secondaries. If the Roadrunners had driven past this, somebody would have wound up dead.

  “Roadrunner One, I’m coming back for another Bottler.”

  Chase retraced his steps. After double-checking the road and rock walls on his return to the Humvee, he was confident that the rest of the section was clear. He took a Bottler and moved back around the bend, out of sight of the Roadrunners. He moved in closer to the EFP and carefully placed the Bottler on the ledge next to it. He slowly moved away, staying as light on his feet as he possibly could in his bulky suit.

  “Roadrunners, Hawkeyes. This is Renshi. Set for another detonation. Confirm you have cover.”

  Tucker responded, “Roadrunner One is clear.”

  High above Chase and further along the canyon walls, Collins and his men were lying low and had moved back away from the edge of the canyon walls.

  “This is Hawkeye One. We are clear.”

  “Firing in three.”

  Boom! Again, the Bottler did its job and again the blast could be heard ringing through the canyon walls. Chase wondered if the insurgents who placed the devices would think they had been successful once they heard them go off.

  The dust cloud this time was not as bad, since the device had been sitting up on a rock ledge. Chase moved forward, scanning for any signs of dangerous debris. The EFP was shredded. He could see one of the discs lying in the road but there was nothing left that could pose a threat to his team.

  “All clear, Roadrunner One. I’m moving into the home straight.”

  “Copy that, Renshi. We’re moving up.”

  Chase heard the engines rumble forward, their exhaust notes echoing off the canyon walls before they reached the safety of the turn in the road behind him and stopped to idle. His suit was getting both hotter and heavier. He could feel beads of sweat run down his back, his legs and his arms. He would be drenched by the time he got out of this thing, not pleasant-smelling once he was back in the Humvee.

  The last straight before the canyon walls fell away to the open desert was a long one. Chase took his time, scanning the road and the rock walls, everything carefully inspected. The long walk seemed to take forever, and he was glad when the radio broke the unique blend of tension and monotony.

  “This is Hawkeye One. We have cleared the high road to the end of the canyon. No activity. I have eyes on you, Renshi.”

  “Copy that, Hawkeye One. Please keep your finger off the trigger.”

  “I’ll try but I do like your bokken.”

  Chase didn’t respond but made a mental note to inflict some kind of training-related punishment on Collins. The road beyond the canyon was clear and straight. It didn’t take long for him to scan the area.

  “Roadrunner One, pull up to the edge of the canyon. I’m going to check around that car wreck that blocked us yesterday.”

  “Copy that.”

  Again the Humvees rumbled their way forward and Chase heard them ease to a stop somewhere behind him. He didn’t bother looking back, his eyes busy scanning the road and roadside all around him. He knew his team had his back but the way in front would not be so safe.

  He slowly worked his way towards the wreck. It hadn’t moved since the day before, and there were no new drag marks. It was still an effective roadblock, however, so he made sure to check either side where the Humvees would need to go around it. Or they could tow it out of the way — either way he had to be damn sure it was safe.

  Near the wreck he could make out the scattered remains of his trusty PackBot, Mojo. He had deemed it unsafe to spend time recovering them last night but today he could — provided they hadn’t been rigged. Nothing seemed to have been moved but then he noticed a different colour on the ground. It was a subtle change. Near one edge of the blast area, where there should have been scorch marks, the ground was sand-coloured. It was as if something had been brushed over or covered up on the side and the scorch marks ended abruptly where they should have fanned out further.

  He backtracked and double-checked that the wreck itself had no suspicious attachments but all he saw was a weathered and burned-out hulk of steel. He turned away from the charred remains and looked harder at the ground. Unlike yesterday, there was no aerial visible, so he wondered if it was a pressure plate. He crouched down and smoothed away the dusty earth just at the edge of the scorch marks. He could feel the gravel digging into his knees, so he shifted his weight slightly. He was drenched with sweat now. Slowly he brushed away at the earth, which fell away as he pushed it into a mound beside him. Stroke by stroke, the disturbed area gently collapsed until he saw the edge of something round and metallic.

  “Roadrunner One, I have an IED. Looks like an old munitions shell and I think it has a pressure plate rigged to it. I’m not sure a Bottler will work on this one the way it’s buried, so this time we can take the Colonel’s advice. I’ll mark it and then you’re up, Isaac.”

  “Copy that, Renshi. Mark it and return to Roadrunner One.”

  Chase reached into a pouch on his belt and retrieved a small bright-orange flag, with a small stake attached. He pushed it into the ground, just next to the IED, careful not to touch it or move any of the earth on top of it. Next, he moved further around the wreck to check the road on the other side. He couldn’t see anything amiss and went back to what was left of Mojo. The remains of the PackBot were scattered all around, but the only pieces that looked salvageable were sitting right on top of where he figured the IED’s pressure plate was.

  So long, little buddy.

  Chase trudged through the rising heat, scanning the road back to the Humvee for anything else that looked out of place. He felt a drip of sweat run down his arm. Tucker got out and helped Chase out of his helmet. It was like stepping out of a sauna and Chase was grateful for the hint of breeze on his neck and forehead.

  “You get the feeling they set up a gauntlet for us, Chase?”

  “Yes, sir. Every device was a different kind. They are either targeting us, or testing us, or both. I think they’re trying to figure me out. See what I’m capable of. I’m sure I haven’t missed anything but that worries me just as much.”

  “One step at a time, Chase. Let’s clear this road first and worry about the rest later.”

  “That blast is probably going to move the car for us but it’ll make a hell of a mess of the road as well. I’ll need another look around once we clear it though I think this will be the best way to do it. The shell is old — probably a Soviet relic. It may or may not go off but the detonator at least will.”

  “OK, your call.”

  Tucker opened the door and ducked his head inside the Humvee. “Corporal Isaac, you have the shot. Let’s set that thing off with the fifty-cal.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Isaac swung open the overhead hatch and stood up from his seat in the rear of the Humvee. “Call it, Renshi.”

  “Just behind that flag. Slightly to the left from this angle. Light it up, Corporal.”

  “Acknowledged. Firing in three.”

  Chase and Tucker ducked behind Roadrunner One and blocked their ears. They were a safe distance away but from here the roof-mounted machine gun would tear at the ground and shred anything that it didn’t explode. The fifty-calibre machine gun roared to life and Isaac mowed a straight path, starting just in front of the flag and sweeping to the left on Chase’s direction. A bright flash erupted with a boom that
kicked up dust and earth all around it. Isaac stopped firing, waiting for the dust to settle so he could check for any movement. Once it was clear, he turned to Tucker and Chase, who were standing behind him.

  “OK, sir, something has detonated. It looked like a small charge only, not the shell, so either it’s a dud or it hasn’t gone off.”

  “Crap. Thank you, Corporal,” Tucker responded. “Sorry, Chase, we might need you to go back out there and look at that shell.”

  “Figured as much, sir. I knew it when I only heard a small boom. Could be a good thing, though. Let’s ask Collins if he can get a better view.”

  Tucker swung into the cabin and keyed the button on his radio, looking up from the window to see if he could spot Collins on the ridgeline above him.

  “Hawkeye One, can you get a visual? We think there is still an unexploded shell out there.”

  “Checking now, sir.”

  A few moments passed as Collins looked over the area through his sniper scope.

  “I can make out something — I think it’s a piece of exposed shell. I can’t see if it is compromised or not from this angle.” He paused to scan around some more, anticipating Tucker’s next question. “Otherwise it’s still all clear. No movement.”

  “Thank you, Hawkeye One.” Tucker turned to look Chase in the eye. “OK, Chase. It’s all you. Every angle.”

  “Every angle, sir.”

  Tucker swung back out of the Humvee and helped Chase back into his protective helmet. The hint of breeze was cut off and the suit rapidly turned back into a sauna. Once the helmet was secure, Tucker gave it a pat on the top. Chase nodded a resigned look in response and shuffled his way back out towards the IED. He had already checked the section of the road twice before but he took his time, making sure there was nothing new that had been uncovered. Finally he reached the IED and grinned when for once he saw that he wouldn’t need to mess around with it any more.