Cautiously, he approached the dead donkey. He grabbed up a pair of bloodstained US Army dog tags, and examined them. He could just make out a name — Brad Somersby. Connor remembered seeing that name on the memorial back at Camp Delta. Brad had been part of Halo Forward Patrol. But what were his dog tags doing here? Connor knelt down to pick something else up: a piece of folded paper from a school book that had been inside the blanket. He opened it up and stared at it. A hand-drawn map showed the route all the way from Emil’s farm. On the other side was some school work from a pupil named Hassan Aziz. Connor stood up abruptly and gazed around. “Hassan…? Hassan! Where are you?”
Ben appeared at his shoulder. “Sir, we’ve gotta go. Our helo won’t wait any longer.”
“Goddamn it… Hassan!” Connor yelled. He made a snap decision and headed off.
Ben caught him up. “Sir, where the hell are you going? … We must leave. Now!”
Reluctantly, Connor stopped then turned back. But as he headed for the waiting helicopter, one thought occupied his mind — Hassan, I will find you.
WEAPONS and GEAR
GLOSSARY
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
dog tags identity tags worn by US military personnel
evac short for evacuation
IEDs Improvised Explosive Devices, home-made bombs triggered by remote control
intel short for intelligence
infidels refers to someone without faith, in this case, a non-Muslim
ISAF International Security Assistance Force — the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan
muezzin person at a mosque who leads the call to prayer
mujahedin different groups of Afghan fighters opposed to Russian rule
opium product created from poppies and used in the production of heroin
More explosive action in Book 2, when a US doctor is kidnapped by Masud and is held hostage.
Major Nathan Connor and his Delta Force team are assigned to bring her back – alive.
Connor’s instinct kicked in. The boy was telling him that there was another bomb inside the house. They were in the middle of a Taliban trap!
“Prepare for incoming,” he warned his team. Had the convoy reached the site office and the bombs been detonated, there’d be no evac route — no way out.
Gunshots cracked from the hillside above. Danny let out a cry and sank to his knees. Connor grabbed Danny’s webbing and began to drag him back towards the GMV. Jacko covered their backs, laying down a blanket of covering fire.
“Danny is hit,” Connor announced into his helmet mic. “Ben, there’s a second bomb in that house I’ve just passed. Hit it with everything you’ve got. Sparks, there are snipers up on the hillside. Call in our Hawks to take them out.”
“Roger that, sir.”
Continued in: Task Force Delta — hostage Crisis
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Rogue Predator Page 4
