by Joshua Hood
“You had a gun,” Mason replied defensively.
“I thought you were some badass Tier 1 killer . . . Just forget it.”
“I don’t think it’s fair to put this all on me. We were doing just fine before you showed up,” Mason replied.
Mr. David entered the room, flanked by two burly men in sterile MultiCam battle uniforms. The lack of unit identification told Mason that they were Special Operations, and if he had to guess he would say they belonged to Delta.
He could tell Renee was pissed, but he was having a hard time seeing her point of view. Mason watched as one of the men took a defensive position near the door, his hand resting on the butt of his pistol, while Mr. David walked to the front of the room.
“I hope everyone has calmed down since our last meeting,” he said simply. “I would like to introduce Major Anderson. Mason, I believe you two met last night.”
Mason stared at the man, ignoring his cocky nod. He hated officers and made no attempt to hide it.
“While our current relationship is not ideal, I find that it is quite fortuitous. The major has just informed me that a mission is being launched in the next few hours in an attempt to take down Colonel Barnes. It seems they are tracking a cell phone in the Swat Valley and have decided to prosecute the intelligence without utilizing normal channels.”
“What does that mean?” Renee demanded.
“It means that Barnes has set up a trap for a bunch of dumbasses,” Mason replied.
Zeus raised a finger to correct Mason, and the American nodded sheepishly.
“My fault, Zeus. I meant to say that General Swift and Barnes are setting up a trap for a bunch of dumbasses.”
The Libyan nodded his assent silently, and Mason murmured his thanks to the man for correcting him.
“Well, those dumbasses happen to belong to me,” Renee said, not buying that her boss was involved in what was going on. “Are you just going to let them walk into a trap?” she demanded, getting to her feet.
Major Anderson spoke up. “If you could relax for a moment, ma’am, I think you might be able to see things from our point of view. We reached out to General Swift, but the general is denying knowledge of the operation.”
“Of course he did. What, did you expect him to admit that he was working with Barnes?” Mason asked.
“General Swift is a great man, and I have had the honor of serving with him for many years, so why don’t you save your bullshit?” Major Anderson yelled.
“Think what you want, buddy, I’m just telling you what’s actually going on.”
“Either way,” Mr. David interrupted, “we know that the assault will take place tonight and we are planning to use it to our advantage.”
“You’re going to use my men as bait?” Renee asked.
“Hell yes he’s going to use your men as bait. What do you think this is, a Boy Scout convention?” Mason said.
“Why don’t you shut the fuck up,” Renee snapped.
“This is a very complex situation, ma’am,” the major said. “The mission is going to go no matter what; all we can do is try to capitalize on what is being put in place. We are certain that some, if not all, of the Anvil Team will be on the ground. We have an obligation to neutralize these men, no matter what the cost.”
“Let’s say you’re right and the colonel is there. How are you going to deconflict with the team on the ground so you don’t get your ass shot off?” Mason asked, kicking his feet up on the table, as he got comfortable.
“Well, that’s not my problem, because I’m not going,” Major Anderson replied with a smile. “Mr. David has decided to send you two heroes to take care of this for us.”
“Wait, how did I get involved in this?” Mason demanded.
“Because you killed one of my men and are a wanted terrorist. I figured that you would jump at the opportunity to avoid a bullet to the back of the head,” Mr. David said.
“Well, shit.”
“Hold on a second,” Renee said. “If he’s going, then I’m going. After all, it’s my team on the ground.”
“I wouldn’t advise that, ma’am, this is going to be nasty. No place for a lady,” the major sneered.
“I don’t give a shit how bad it’s going to be,” Renee said honestly. “If my men are there, then I’m going.”
“Do I have a say in this?” Zeus asked.
“Unfortunately not,” Mr. David said, ignoring the Libyan’s curses.
“So, what’s the big plan?”
“Well, if Renee insists on joining you, the plan is for you three to be dropped off to the north of the objective with a radio and a laser designator. If the colonel or his team is at the objective, you are going to lase the target for a drone strike.”
“A drone, are you serious? Do you know what he did with the last drone we sent after him?”
“We are well aware of his capabilities. We will keep the drone off station until it is time for the strike.”
“That’s a terrible plan. What if they aren’t there, or what if we walk into an ambush and need more than a drone to break contact?” Mason asked.
“If it was easy, everyone would do it,” the major observed.
“Good point. I guess we’ll need some gear.”
CHAPTER 25
* * *
Swat Valley, Pakistan
There was zero illumination over the landing zone when the Pave Hawk was brought into a hover. The pilot worked the controls with an ease born of thousands of hours, and through the radio he gave the command, “Deploy ropes.”
His copilot craned his neck to the right, catching sight of the infrared ChemLight attached to the free running end of the rope, to ensure that at least fifteen feet remained in contact with the ground.
In the back, the crew chief popped a green ChemLight attached to the top of the rope before pulling down hard. Once he was sure the rope was locked into place, he stepped out of the way and let Renee position herself in the door.
As soon as she disappeared, Zeus stepped up and, after ensuring his rifle was well secured, slid into the darkness.
Mason took his time feeding the rope through his boots. He’d had bad experiences fast-roping in the past, and he didn’t want another broken ankle. Once he was satisfied, he swung out and away from the open door, turning to face the bird as he descended.
The downdraft from the helicopter blades beat against the top of his head, and Mason ignored the urge to grip the rope tightly between his hands. Despite the heavy leather gloves, he could already feel the friction burning his palms, and he was relieved to feel his boots slam onto the ground.
Quickly stepping out of the way, he flipped down his night vision and took a knee. The pitch of the rotors deepened as the pilot brought the helicopter to full power. The heavy rope was released from the rope bar as the helicopter disappeared into the night.
Mason waited for silence to return to the valley before moving. The infil had gone according to plan so far, but he knew they were still vulnerable. Jagged rocks and imposing boulders offered the enemy countless positions, and the lack of moonlight meant that his NODs were almost worthless. He needed to get them moving or risk compromise.
Taking the compass from his chest rig, he shot a quick azimuth to the west before moving up to Renee. Mason had chosen a route that would take them over the mountains and into a position that would allow them to overwatch the valley. Both he and Renee had agreed that the primary target was bullshit. Barnes was too smart to show his hand, and they were working under the assumption that this was an elaborate trap.
“Are we good?” he asked.
“Yeah, take point,” she replied.
Mason stepped off, keeping his eyes open for a way up into the foothills. According to the map, they had more than two kilometers to travel and not a lot of time to get there.
• • •
Kevin took a seat on the nylon bench and turned his rifle so that the muzzle was pointed at the floor. The utilitarian interior of the l
arge helicopter wasn’t much to look at, but he’d been in enough Chinooks to know what to expect.
The crew chief checked the exposed hydraulic lines, which ran along the top of the troop compartment, as the gunners loaded their machine guns in preparation for takeoff.
After conducting his final preflight checks, the crew chief moved back to his position on the ramp. Kevin plugged his comms into the onboard radio. The operator watched the man take a seat behind the 240 B mounted to the ramp and snap himself into the helicopter with the thick bungee cord attached to his harness.
The dual-rotored helicopter lurched forward, and Kevin listened to the pilots contact the tower as they moved down the tarmac.
The flight across the border was short and Kevin could feel the “go pills” kick in when the Chinook was fifteen minutes out from the LZ. The amphetamines crept into his blood, filling him with renewed confidence, and by the time the pilot called the five-minute warning, he was ready to go.
The Chinook’s descent caused a slight queasiness in his stomach. The pilot kept the nose up while the gunners poked their heads out of the gun ports and monitored the descent.
Kevin checked his rifle and flipped his NODs down over his eyes before yanking the cable from the comms box. The adrenaline spike that came with every mission caused a familiar tingle in his stomach. It was go time, whether he was ready or not.
The crew chief stood at the ramp as the helo flared and dropped its rear wheels into the high grass of the LZ. By the time Kevin felt the wheels hit the ground, he was already moving toward the ramp. He ducked under the hot exhaust and passed through the blowing dust and grass as he cleared the ramp. Moving out to the six o’clock position, Kevin took a knee about ten yards from the spinning rotors and brought his rifle up.
Behind him the second Chinook came in as the lead helicopter leapt for the sky. He braced himself as the rotors beat the ground and leaned forward against his knee to keep from being pushed over. It took less than a minute to unload both birds and when he looked over his shoulder, he could see both teams arrayed in a tight 360-degree field of fire.
“Let’s move out,” the major said over the radio.
Rico took the point. The tritium dial of his compass glowed green in the darkness, and for a brief instant he could make out his friends’ profile before he snapped the case closed and headed out.
Kevin gave him room before forming his element into a wedge and stepping off. In the center of the two teams, the major was having trouble keeping track of his lead elements and he ordered everyone, “Turn on your IR strobes.” Kevin fumbled with the beacon, which was the size of a box of matches, and after turning it on, stuffed it into his battle shirt pocket.
The blinking lights were invisible to the naked eye, but through night vision, the team flickered like fireflies in the darkness. He imagined Rico grumbling up front as he looked over his shoulder. His teammate had spent most of his army career as a scout sniper and hated having the strobe giving away his position.
• • •
The terrain made it extremely difficult to make any real headway, and Mason was sweating through his shirt, despite having gone less than five hundred meters. His sling was already digging into his neck, and his calves burned from fighting against the ridgeline’s gravel-covered edges.
He should have heard the heavy Chinooks by now, and he began to worry that they were moving too slow. Taking a knee in the soft shale, he checked the GPS strapped to his wrist while Renee slipped up behind him.
“Are you lost?”
“No, but we should have heard their birds by now.”
“What do you think?” she asked.
Mason knew roughly where they were by the terrain features, but just to make sure, he pulled a small laminated map from his chest rig. He moved as close to the rock face as possible before using a small red light to conduct a map check.
“We are about a kilometer away,” he said, pointing to their position on the map. Mason had used the satellite images to mark a few trails he’d seen, but it was hard to find them in the dark. “If we can find this trail, we should be able to make up some time.”
“It’s up to you.”
Mason forced himself to his feet and, after ensuring that Zeus was ready to move, stepped off. The rocky terrain dictated short, choppy steps, which slowed his pace and made his legs burn. Even though he was in excellent shape, the steep grades and thin air were sapping his energy. Sweat ran down his forehead and made the stitches itch, and he carefully wiped the sweat from his brow, wincing at the still-tender wound.
He searched for any sign of the trail as he moved, and luckily the stars burned brightly overhead, offering Mason just enough light to see a tiny discoloration in the rocks ahead of him. He assumed the off-colored path had been worn smooth by countless goat herders taking their flocks down into the lush valley below. If he was right, it would cut a lot of time off their route, but if he was wrong, they would be too far out of position to help the teams moving into what he was sure was an ambush.
• • •
On the valley floor, Rico checked his azimuth and made a small correction before calling his position back to Kevin. Despite growing up in the city, he had a natural spatial acuity, which allowed him to navigate without using a map. It seemed odd to everyone else, but after studying a terrain model, or a map, he was able to visualize what the ground looked like in his head with a staggering degree of accuracy.
“Be advised, we are five hundred meters out from phase line one. I’m killing my IR to conduct a recon of the area.”
“Negative, we’re running behind,” the major said over the radio. “I want to keep moving for another two hundred and fifty meters.”
“Fucking dick,” Rico swore to himself. He was used to Renee and Kevin letting him do his job and was spoiled by the fact that they always listened to him. This was his first time working with the major, and it was rapidly becoming evident that he was a huge micromanager. The valley was beginning to narrow and the gentle terrain they had been traversing was changing around them. Just like Kevin and Rico had assumed, the terrain wasn’t jiving with the photos they had used to plan the mission, and the plan they were adhering to needed to be modified.
“We need to hold up. It’s getting narrow up ahead,” he called back.
“Roger that,” Kevin replied, not waiting for the major to answer.
Kevin held up a closed fist and his team spread out in defensive positions. Rico’s beacon suddenly switched off.
“Cut your strobes,” he said over the radio as he settled in to wait.
The grass looked dry as he took a knee, but after a few seconds, he could feel moisture soaking through his pants. He was used to being wet and uncomfortable, and as long as his feet stayed dry, he knew he’d be okay. Digging a Clif Bar from his cargo pocket, Kevin ripped the wrapper open and stowed the trash. The high-calorie bar would keep his energy up, but it quickly absorbed the spit in his mouth. Fumbling in the dark, he reached for the hydration tube and placed the bite valve in his mouth. The water was warm at first but got cooler as he drank.
Looking at the sky, he flipped up his NODs and wiped his brow with the back of his gloved hands. The stars blinked and shimmered across the heavens like millions of diamonds on an infinite jeweler’s mat. It was humbling to be so small in such a wide space, and Kevin was struck by the fact that most people would never experience a sight like this.
• • •
Mason’s back was tight at the base of his spine, and despite not wearing any body armor, he could feel the heat rising from beneath his shirt. He mentally checked off another hundred meters and after some quick math, he figured they were less than two hundred meters from their objective.
He stopped to pull the Nalgene bottle from a pouch on his chest rig and drank deeply. Some of the water spilled out over his chin, and he briefly considered pouring some over the back of his neck. The pads of the lightweight bump helmet were soaked with sweat and felt wet again
st the crown of his head. The helmet wasn’t even ballistic, so it offered no protection from bullets, but he wasn’t going to hold his NODs in his hand, so he’d been forced to get one.
He heard Renee moving up behind him, and as he stowed the water, she took a knee to his rear. Leaning in, she asked, “How far?”
“Maybe two hundred meters.”
Looking over his shoulder, he saw that she was sweating but didn’t seem to be in bad shape. Being around a woman awakened a long-forgotten protectiveness in him and the sensation felt strange. He barely knew anything about her, but he’d immediately recognized a steely resolve in her that made her special. Mason hadn’t cared about a woman since his wife had left him, and he sure hadn’t stopped to think about one, but for some reason, Renee was different.
“We need to move,” she said.
Turning to check on Zeus, he noticed that she had her own compass out and was confirming their location against the GPS attached to the stock of her rifle. As the Libyan moved to follow, she squeezed past Mason and took up point.
Mason waited for his friend to catch up and noticed that the man wasn’t even sweating.
“Aren’t you tired?” he asked.
“I grew up in the mountains, my friend. If I could only keep you two from taking so many breaks, we would probably be there by now.”
“I have to make sure we’re going the right way.”
“That never stopped you in the past. I see the way you have been looking at her.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Mason whispered back.
“There is no shame in it.” Zeus smiled before pushing past Mason and moving to catch up with Renee.
CHAPTER 26
* * *
Rally Point 1
Kevin moved up the front of the element as soon as Rico advised that he’d found a spot with good cover. He gave the signal to move out and kept his eyes open for the IR ChemLight marking the rally point.
