by Bob Mayer
Rabitowski checked the map again. "Turn left. Stop turn." He peered ahead through his goggles. "The route goes slightly to the left of that hill ahead."
Cullen made the slight adjustment and the aircraft steadied on the new course. Rabitowski checked the time again. Another forty-five minutes to target.
FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA
9:46 P.M.
Macksey shook his head as Pike finished his tale. "That's all fine and well, but you had no authority to do what you've done. I'm canceling your party." He gestured toward the SATCOM radio. "Do you have commo with the Delta Force commander down there?"
Pike nodded reluctantly. As Macksey moved toward the radio Pike decided to play his trump card. "Sir, did you also know that the missing man from the Eyes Three mission is alive and being held in the target Delta is heading for?"
That stopped Macksey in his tracks. "I was told he was dead."
Pike drove the nail home with a vengeance. "I told you not to write him off. We have a verified visual sighting of Master Sergeant Powers being held by this Colombian, Ring Man."
Macksey looked Pike in the eye. "You're already in enough trouble as it is. I'm asking you to tell me the truth. Is Powers really alive and being held there?"
Pike glared back. "Sir, one thing I'm not is a liar." He pointed at the radio. "You make the decision. Are you going to abandon the only chance we're going to have to rescue him?"
Macksey seemed torn for a few seconds and then shook his head. "I have to cancel. This whole thing is unsanctioned. We'll never get away with it."
Pike was starting to get angry. "Is that all you care about? Covering your ass?"
Macksey stood firm. "Goddammit, man. Why didn't you go through channels if you knew Powers was alive?"
"Because the CIA would probably not have allowed verifying, and the bottom line is that there wasn't enough time."
Macksey picked up the handset for the radio. "I'm sorry, Mike. You screwed up and I'm going to have to fix things. What's the call sign for the Delta commander?"
Pike sighed. "Eagle Leader."
Macksey keyed the mike. "Eagle Leader, come in. Over."
The reply was almost instantaneous. "This is Eagle Leader. Please identify yourself. Over."
"Eagle Leader, this is General Macksey. I'm ordering you to abort your mission and return all your elements to friendly territory. Over."
There was a pause on the other end. "This is Eagle Leader. I need verification of abort. Over."
Macksey turned to Pike. "What's the code word for abort?"
Pike didn't answer, but even as he stood there saying nothing he realized he had made a mistake in that area. Macksey glared at him, then keyed the mike again. "This is General Macksey. General Pike has authorized this mission without proper authority and refuses to give up the abort code word. I'm ordering you on my authority to abort. Over."
There was an even longer pause on the other end. "I'm sorry, sir, if this is General Macksey on the other end, but I cannot abort without the proper code word. Over."
A thought struck Macksey. "The code word is Cage Thunder. Over."
The reply was quicker this time. "Roger, I verify Cage Thunder. Over."
AIRSPACE OVER COLOMBIA
9:58 P.M.
Edberg looked up in dismay as he verified the abort code word. The other members of his force were still in their positions. His ops officer was looking at him strangely, wondering what the long conversation was about. Edberg gestured for him to come over. The man waddled over awkwardly and threw himself on the adjacent seat. He yelled in Edberg's ear to be heard over the roar of the engines. "What's up?"
"I just got the abort code word from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."
The ops officer rolled his eyes. "Jesus Christ! It's a little too late for that."
Edberg looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"Shit, sir, Tiger element is already past the point of no return. They don't have enough fuel to make it back out."
Edberg winced as he remembered that. The OH-58 had barely enough fuel to make it to the target on a one-way trip. That was the way it had been planned. He decided to hold off on giving the turnaround order until he put this monkey on Macksey's back. He didn't know what the hell was going on up there in Virginia, but it was a little late to be pulling this stuff.
"Hammer Base, this is Eagle Leader. Over."
He heard the chairman's voice come back over the radio. "This is Hammer Base. Over."
"We've got a problem with an abort at this time. One of my elements is on a helicopter that doesn't have enough fuel to make it back out of Colombia. Over."
There was a pause. "What's time on target? Over."
"2230. Over."
"Is there any way you can get those people in the helicopter out? Over."
Edberg considered the options. "My best bet would be to link up the Tiger element with our exfil bird coming in from the coast, but that will be kind of flaky. We don't have a linkup point designated other than the target." Another thought hit Edberg. "I've also got two men on the ground in addition to Pike's two people, pulling surveillance. They were supposed to come out by the HH-53. Over."
The irritation in the chairman's voice was evident. "Do you have a backup plan to get them out? Over."
"Roger, they have an alternate for coming out covertly, but there's no provision in there for Pike's people. Over."
"Wait one. Over."
FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA
9:55 P.M.
Macksey put down the mike and looked over at Pike and Linders, who had been following the conversation. He shook his head at Pike. "You sure managed to get things rolling, didn't you?"
"Sir, things are so far in motion that it's just as dangerous to abort at this point as it is to continue the mission," Pike argued. He was still mad at himself for not having changed the abort code word from the other Hammer missions. It only stood to reason that Macksey would remember it.
Macksey turned to Linders. "What do you think?"
Linders carefully weighed his answer and then committed. "Sir, I agree with Pike. The plan is to hit the target, not to abort. I think they can execute the plan better than they can piecework out an abort this late."
Pike wasn't through. "Sir, that's an American soldier being held by those people. An American soldier who went on a mission under your orders. Are you going to quit and not even take a chance at rescuing him? I've heard you speak out at the POW and MIA meetings. Were those just words you were spouting or did you really mean what you said?" Pike was also hoping the tirade he had thrown in Macksey's office earlier in the week was still fresh in the man's mind.
Macksey's next statement indicated he was wavering. "What's the chance of success for this strike? For getting Powers out?"
Pike shook his head. That was a question he expected from a politician, not a military man. "Sir, you know I can't give you that. It's a good plan and they're the best soldiers you have. There's risk involved, but those men are willing to take that risk. Give them a chance."
Macksey turned and stared out the window at the MP car in the parking lot, the car he had brought to take away Pike. He reached over and picked up the mike.
AIRSPACE OVER COLOMBIA
10:00 P.M.
Edberg pressed the headset in tighter as the radio came alive.
"Eagle Leader, this is Hammer Base. Ignore Cage Thunder. I say again, ignore Cage Thunder. Mission continues as planned. Over."
"Roger that, sir. Mission is a go. Over."
"Good luck. Hammer Base out."
Edberg turned to his ops officer with a big grin. "We're going in."
KNOLL 8548
10:08 P.M.
Thompson had monitored the entire exchange between Belvoir and Eagle Leader over the SATCOM but had not said a word to Riley or Westland, who were huddled nearby. His heart had been in his throat listening to the exchange. Like all the men of Delta he wanted action, and the thought of an abort this late made
him almost physically ill.
Hearing the last go, Thompson turned to the two. "Time for you all to head on down. Good luck."
Riley gave a thumbs-up and led the way down the hill.
FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA
10:03 P.M.
Pike gestured toward the chairs stacked in the corner. "You two might as well grab a seat. We've got a little while to go."
AIRSPACE OVER COLOMBIA
10:16 P.M.
A red light started flashing and a caution segment light appeared on the console of the OH-58. Rabitowski stared at it in concern. "What the hell is that?"
Cullen kept his attention fixed on the terrain ahead. "Fuel warning light."
Rabitowski didn't like that. "I thought you said we'd have enough fuel to make it to the target. Are we going to make it or not?"
"Should."
"Should!" That answer didn't please the old sergeant major. "Listen, kid, I've got thirty years in this here green machine, and I don't want to end it by running out of gas and becoming part of the countryside."
"Relax, Sergeant Major. All that light means is that we're low, not that we're out. We should have about twenty minutes left. We'll make it. And if we don't," Cullen added mischievously, "I'll just autorotate into the trees."
"Just great," Rabitowski muttered to himself as he checked the map. "Checkpoint 24. That's the last one before we hit our final reference point." He looked at the stopwatch. "Right on time. Don't screw this up, kid, by running out of fuel. You done a good job getting us this far."
"No sweat, Sergeant Major."
VICINITY OF RING MAN'S VILLA
10: 35 P.M., EAGLE FORCE
The ramp opened and the air swirled in with a roar. Edberg pushed himself up tight behind the jumper in front of him. One minute out from drop. It was too late now even if they changed their minds back in Virginia. He was no longer hooked into the SATCOM. Once he got closer to the ground he'd be able to talk to Thompson on the FM radio.
Edberg kept his eyes fixed on the glowing red light above the ramp. He took a few deep breaths. The light turned green and the ten men shuffled off the ramp in formation.
Edberg felt the plane's slipstream grab him and buffet him about. He spread his arms and legs and arced his back in an effort to stabilize. He had barely achieved that state when he pulled his ripcord. His chute blossomed above him and he oscillated under the canopy.
Quickly getting his bearings, Edberg spotted the other members of Eagle spread out below him. He dumped air and caught up with them.
10:39 P.M., TIGER FORCE
Rabitowski heaved a sigh of relief as the lights from the target popped into view. Cullen raised their altitude for the final approach. The blinking of the fuel warning light for the past twelve minutes had gotten on Rabitowski's nerves. They'd find out in another minute or so if the villa guards would fall for the ruse. The theory was that the guards would not fire on the helicopter since it was the same type aircraft as the one that Ring Man owned.
Rabitowski's headset crackled as he heard Thompson for the first time over the short-range FM radio. "Tiger, this is Snake. I can hear you coming. Situation at target as briefed. LZ clear. Break. Riley, you're clear to go. Over."
Cullen swung the chopper around in a left-hand bank and they approached the villa from the south.
10:29 P.M., RILEY AND WESTLAND
The muted buzz of the inbound helicopter reverberated through the air. Riley boosted Westland up on the wall, then reached up and grabbed her hand as she helped him up alongside her.
They lay on top of the thick stone wall getting their bearings. The corner of the wing of the house was only twenty-five feet away. Riley spotted the guard on this side of the wall heading toward the landing pad, just as they had hoped he would. If the guards fired on the helicopter, Tremont would intervene with his suppressed rifle.
Riley slid off the wall and landed on the inside, followed by Westland. He led the way toward the house across the lighted section of lawn. As he did so a dark form leapt out of the shadow of the house. Riley fired a quick burst from his submachine gun and the dog was slammed back into the shade.
10:30 P.M., EAGLE FORCE
The inbound helicopter not only drew attention away from the wall, but it covered up the slight noise Eagle Force made as it landed on the main building. The dark forms touched down on the roof like winged vampires.
Edberg was the trail man in the airborne formation. He could see the canopies from the other jumpers draped all over the roof. He braked and felt his knees buckle slightly as he made a perfect landing in the center of the roof. Two of the first jumpers were already at work, prepping a charge on the locked door that barred their way down. Thompson had passed on the warning that the windows were barred, so they had changed their original plan of rappelling off the roof and going in through the windows.
Edberg looked up as the OH-58 swooped in from the south, its bright searchlight blinding the guards on the ground as it settled in toward the landing pad. The man in charge of the demolitions gave Edberg the thumbs-up. Edberg signaled for him to wait.
SECURITY CENTER, RING MAN'S VILLA
Lopez, the security man in charge of this shift, was confused. He was listening to the radio reports from the guards outside concerning the inbound helicopter. From his room on the back side of the first floor of the main building, Lopez couldn't see anything, but he could hear the aircraft. The guards were reporting that it looked like the Ring Man's helicopter, yet Lopez had not been told that the aircraft was en route or that the Ring Man had called for it.
He didn't even consider ordering his men to fire at it. The Ring Man would have his ass if he shot up the boss's helicopter. He keyed his radio. "Let it land and find out what that idiot of a pilot is doing up here. The boss is going to be pissed if this woke him up."
The guard at the landing pad acknowledged.
TIGER FORCE
Rabitowski smiled as the skids of the bird settled on the concrete landing pad. Two Colombian guards were moving toward the aircraft from the front. Cullen suddenly twisted his throttle to flap the blades. The two guards bent their heads even further and covered their eyes at the sudden onslaught of wind.
As they did so Griffin and Jacobs leaned out of the open back doors, one on either side, and gunned down the guards, using their silenced MP5s.
"Tiger, two down LZ," Rabitowski reported over the radio as he got out. Griffin and Jacobs started sprinting for the front gate, their RPG rocket launchers over their shoulders. Cullen rolled off the throttle and stepped out next to Rabitowski; they headed for the cars parked in the lot.
SNAKE FORCE
10:31 P.M.
Tremont started firing. He was slightly off his boast to Riley of a round every two seconds, but he wanted to be sure he hit his targets. He fired and worked the bolt like a well-oiled machine. The rifle puffed as each of the three rounds left the barrel. They were all out in slightly less than nine seconds.
"Tremont, three down, north, north, and south," he whispered into his mike.
Below him, Thompson was trying to find the last remaining guard. The man must be somewhere on the west side. He spoke into his voice-activated mike. "We've still got one on the outside. I think he's on the west side."
SECURITY CENTER, RING MAN'S VILLA
Lopez heard nothing but the sound of the helicopter winding down. He keyed his mike. "Hosea? Antonio?" He frowned at the lack of an answer. He was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. He sighed as he realized it was the line from the Ring Man's room.
"Yes, sir."
"What is going on? What is my helicopter doing here?"
"I don't know, sir. I'm trying to find out."
"Find out and let me know." The other end slammed down.
An unpleasant, tingling feeling grew in Lopez's stomach as he continued to receive no answer from the men who had been waiting for the aircraft to land. He considered alerting the other guard shift of eight men who were sleeping in the room
next to this one. Or perhaps he should go out himself to check on why the helicopter was here. He wished the Israeli was here to handle this. He was still trying to figure out what to do when the guard from the west wall called him.
"Lopez, this is Rene. I'm heading around front. I don't see—" There was a thunk followed by a brief gurgling noise.
SNAKE FORCE
"Tremont, one down west side." Tremont smiled as he worked the bolt and reloaded. The last guard had shown just enough of his head around the side of the building.
Thompson listened as other reports came in.
"Tiger One in place."
"Eagle going in."
EAGLE FORCE
Edberg signaled. There was a flash and hiss as the charge ate through the lock. The door swung open and the ten men slipped in, Edberg in the lead. They halted at the foot of the stairs and the team split. Four men headed toward the west wing, while the other six began work on the second floor.
They fanned out on the second floor, moving in a practiced routine.
They began clearing, room by room. The first indication that anything unusual was happening in the building finally occurred—the muffled roar of a shotgun echoed up from the east wing.
RILEY AND WESTLAND
Getting in had been easier than expected. The patio doors at the rear of the wing had carelessly been left unbarred. Riley had pried them open with his knife. Starting from the farthest room out, they had begun working their way down the corridor toward the main building. The first three rooms had been empty.
Riley turned the knob on the fourth door and stepped through to the right while Westland stepped to the left. In the dim light shed by a single lamp, they were greeted by the sight of a man and a woman in a compromising position on the bed.
The man dove for a gun on the nightstand and Riley pinned him against the headboard with a sustained burst from the MP5. The room echoed lightly with the noise of his expended brass tinkling onto the wood floor.
