by Chris Allen
"This, gentlemen, is your objective," he said gravely, pointing at the map. He then indicated two other screens, one playing a video loop captured in daylight by the Predator UAV thirty-six hours earlier, and another playing an infra red video loop of the same location taken at night twenty hours earlier. "This is Drago Obrenovic's villa. He calls it Zmajeva Pecina—the Dragon's Cave. He is there now and the Wolf is expected to arrive at 1 Opm this evening."
The general paused, allowing the agents to study the images now of such significance to them.
"It appears that the Dragon's Cave is serviced by workers from the nearby village of Bozica. The village has a population of around 300. Apparently, due to cell phone network coverage in the area being negligible at the best of times, cell phone sales to the good people of Bozica would not have been a necessarily lucrative business. As a result, according to Gjoka, for many years Drago was completely reliant upon VHF and UHF radio comms with his immediate people, mostly to the north in the city of Nig. However, he'd been fed up with that arrangement for some time and recently managed to coerce local authorities to install cell phone towers in the center of Bozica. Made them an offer they couldn't refuse, I expect. Needless to say, at this moment, 99 per cent of the traffic to or from those towers is associated with Dragon's Cave. So, we've spent most of the last three days targeting the cell phone and radio frequencies in and around BoEca. Sure enough, Gjoka's claim that the Wolf would make contact with Drago to arrange their routine fortnightly meeting proved to be true."
"And that's happening tonight?" asked Morgan, knowing already but still barely able to believe it.
"Confirmed," the general replied, "by voice recognition software."
"What are we expecting of this meeting?" Sutherland asked. "Correct me if I'm wrong, boss, but isn't this Wolf character likely to kill Drago now that their plan to destroy the ICTY has gone to shit? I mean, from the beginning this has been about a hostile takeover."
"That's exactly what we're expecting, David," answered Davenport. "Which is why we must exploit this opportunity and recover them both, as soon as we can get you two on the ground."
Davenport checked the iPad he was briefing from as a young woman in a NATO pilot's flight suit entered.
"Excuse me, general," she said with an Eastern European accent. "The second aircraft has arrived. We'll be ready to take off in fifteen minutes."
"Excellent, Colonel Rodanski. Thank you very much."
As she left, with Morgan's and Sutherland's eyes following her all the way out of the trailer, Davenport wrapped up their briefing.
"Right, Alex, this has been your investigation, so you'll lead the insertion and recovery; and, David, I know you're itching to try out the new gear, so I want you to take care of the extraction arrangements." He walked over and handed Morgan the iPad. "Detailed aerial surveillance video, along with maps and stills of Dragon's Cave have been loaded onto this iPad to assist you with your onboard preparation. Go and get kitted up immediately. Develop your final plans once you're airborne; and, David, I know you've worked through it already with Alex, but make sure you're absolutely clear on employing the Fulton surface-to-air recovery system before you hit the ground. Once you get to the extraction point, you won't have time to be giving lessons."
Chapter 89
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this, you know, Dave," said Morgan. "I thought the Key was crazy with the whole garbage disposal chute down the side of the building trick in Albania, but this extraction plan of yours has got knobs on it!"
Morgan had just been up with the pilots going over the final details of the insertion while Sutherland stayed down in the fuselage doing the equipment checks.
"Hey, don't blame me, man!" Sutherland replied jovially. "Take it up with the chief. It was his idea." "Bullshit," said Morgan, incredulous.
"Seriously. He did it years ago, during his SAS days. When I told him US Special Forces were planning to re-introduce it and I'd just completed trials with them, he loved the idea."
"He's as crazy as you are." Morgan laughed. "Makes sense though. If we want to get these guys out of the country without any chance of interference on the ground, there's no better way."
"You got that right, bud," Sutherland replied, securing a final strap on an equipment platform with the NATO loadmaster, who would also be their dispatcher when the time came. "You want to go over the jump now?"
"Yeah, Dave, this is the way it will go," Morgan began. "We'll make the jump at 25 000 feet. That'll keep us around the same height as most commercial airliners, so we won't look out of place on anyone's radar. We'll deploy 15 miles from the target and fly in under canopy all the way to the drop zone. I've already programmed the GPS units on our command panel with the exact location of the DZ; a clearing on the edge of the Dragon's Cave. The Predator UAV will maintain visual on the DZ until we're on the ground. They'll keep us advised of any hostiles when we're on approach. Good so far?"
Sutherland nodded, his attention focused intently on the iPad images and maps Morgan was briefing from.
"We'll fly in a stack, 20 feet up, 20 feet back. I'll lead and you'll follow me in. Once the Predator confirms the DZ is secure and we're on the ground, we'll do a comms check. From there we'll move straight into the recovery phase."
Again, Sutherland acknowledged.
"Half an hour before jump time, we'll mask up, attach to the aircraft's oxygen console and pre-breath pure oxygen for thirty minutes. Three minutes out, we'll disconnect from the console and transfer to the oxygen tanks on our gear. The pilot will let me know when we're close. Once that ramp's down and the green light's on, we're out the door."
Chapter 90
Minutes away from the green light the two agents stood shoulder to shoulder, ready to jump.
Each man was cocooned in standard covert insertion gear: helmet, night-vision goggles, high-altitude oxygen supply, Raider Hi-Glide high-altitude/high-opening parachutes, wrist-mounted altimeters, as well as a navigation command panel with GPS and compass fitted to their chests. In addition, each carried two multiband inter/intra team radios - one set to VHF for internal comms with each other, the other providing the crucial UHF link back to the aircraft and the Intrepid ops room, including the Predator operators, back in Germany. Their SIG Sauer P226 sidearms and Heckler & Koch MP5 SD sub-machine guns were strapped to the remaining available space.
When they'd concluded their checks of each other's gear, the NATO dispatcher stepped forward and began to lower the ramp. Buried beneath helmets, NVGs and oxygen masks, the two agents exchanged good luck nods and punched each other's fists as Mor-gan's radio buzzed in his ear. It was the pilot, Colonel Rodanski.
"One minute," said Morgan over the VHF internal comms. He held up a finger.
"Roger that, bud," came Sutherland's reply.
The ramp split like the jaws of Hellmouth, yawning open in front of them, presenting unequivocally the stark reality of what they were about to do. The huge black void of space beckoned. There was no turning back now. Each man knew that the next 2 hours of his life were likely to be the most intense he'd ever experienced and each was glad to have the other in his corner. There were no guarantees; there never were. But they knew they had to try.
The green light blazed and Alex Morgan disappeared into the night sky. Sutherland instantly followed.
Chapter 91
Out in the icy darkness, the insertion underway, the agents soared from the aircraft, racing through the mental checklist for the seconds and minutes ahead. The high-altitude, high-opening - HAHO - jump required perfectly timed deployment of the parachute. If they didn't deploy their 'chutes within three to seven seconds of leaving the aircraft, the combination of low air pressure and rapid descent would disintegrate the canopy. And if that happened at this height, you needed to have your shit together.
They both went out hard, but Morgan, so full of the task ahead, realized he had his head down too far. In the crucial first seconds of his descent, he'd become uns
table, fighting against his own body position, air pressure and velocity. The rush was incredible but he couldn't prolong it. Morgan lost critical seconds he couldn't afford but then, in a microsecond, he was there, his body stabilized. His right hand shot to the ripcord and, with a wrenching forward motion, he punched out. The canopy deployed with a massive crack and Morgan felt the whiplash snap through every joint in his body, from toes to neck.
"Jesus, man! You OK?" It was Sutherland via his headset. "That looked rough."
"Tell me about it," Morgan replied breathlessly. "Came out too steep. All good now."
"Roger, bud," Sutherland replied. He'd been there. He knew exactly what it felt like.
The Intrepid agents set to flying under canopy for 15 miles overland toward their target. They maneuvered into position to form a stack; Morgan in front with Sutherland 20 feet up and 20 back from him. They'd jumped out over the south-eastern corner of Serbia, north of the border with Macedonia, with the winds on their backs, flying due north. For ten minutes the agents flew in silence, expertly manipulating the toggles to steer their parachutes toward the target. Through their NVGs they could make out some of the prominent buildings and landmarks they'd identified via map reconnaissance to ensure they kept on track in the event that the GPS units failed and to assist them in getting ready for landing. It was unlikely that the gear would fail, but knowledge of the terrain around any target was invaluable, particularly if the extraction plan was compromised and they needed to resort to escape and evasion. Live by your wits! as General Davenport would say. Prepare for success without the technology. Morgan could almost hear the boss now.
In minutes they would be above the objective: Drago's secret hideaway, the Dragon's Cave.
Their headsets buzzed with activity.
"Alpha Mike, this is Predator, over."
"Predator, this is Alpha Mike, go ahead," answered Morgan.
"This is Predator. DZ is green. I say again, DZ is green. You are GO for mission insertion."
"Roger, Predator," replied Morgan mechanically. "Any sign of the second package?"
"Negative, Alpha Mike. You're ahead of schedule. Second package is due in five minutes. Will advise when we have visual on approach. Good luck."
"Thank you, Predator. Alpha Mike, out." Morgan switched to the VHF internal radio so he could talk only to Sutherland. "Dave, those lights on our right are Baica," he said. "We're about a mile from the drop zone. Standby."
Sutherland acknowledged and they each prepared for landing.
Chapter 92
Vukasin Petrovic was decided. Today was the day that the great, all-powerful Dragoslav Obrenovic would tumble dead from his throne.
The time for kowtowing to his crazy whims and fucking about with judges was over. But the Wolf wasn't going to make it easy on Drago. No, that was not the way this had to go. First, he would kill the son. He'd watch the little shit squirm right in front of his father before pulling the trigger. Then, and only then, would he turn the gun on sefa himself.
Petrovic had played second fiddle to Drago for longer than he could remember but in recent years, as the old man began to rot, the Wolf was the one who had maintained control of the Zmajevi. The one who kept the factions, all of them, in line. The threat of Drago was no more. It was the threat of the Wolf that carried the fear. Now, the Wolf had had enough. America was the last straw. By the end of the night there would be no doubt in anyone's mind that the Wolf was finally the real sefa of the Zmajevi.
Driving south from Lake Vlasinsko along the 122 route, he knew this would be the last time he would ever be summoned to Drago. It would be the last time Drago summoned anybody. The hatred coursed through the Wolf's veins, so much that he was barely able to contain his own violence. But he had to. He could not enter all guns blazing. The timing had to be perfect.
Maintaining a safe visual distance behind Petrovic's Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the Predator UAV followed his approach as he turned off the 122 route and began the uphill climb along the zigzag of side roads that led to Drago's hideaway. Above the beautiful noise of the Mercedes' AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine, the Wolf was oblivious to the UAV's presence. Meanwhile, back in Germany, 900 miles away, the Predator's mission commander reached for the radio.
"Alpha Mike, this is Predator, over."
"Go ahead, Predator," said Morgan.
"Second package is on approach. We have clear visual. Red Mercedes-Benz. ETA your location: five minutes."
"Acknowledged, Predator. Thanks, out."
Chapter 93
On the ground, the operation moved from insertion to recovery.
With their parachute gear cached, the agents regrouped off the DZ and crouched behind the cover of an old stone wall, overlooking the house 10 yards away. Under the NVGs, the position, layout and setting of the building and its surrounds combined to produce an eerie, foreboding atmosphere that both agents found unsettling. There was a cemetery-like lifelessness to it, despite it being occupied, and Morgan wondered how many bodies were buried around them right now in shallow graves.
The Dragon's Cave.
"This place gives me the heebie jeebies, bud," Sutherland whispered. "Feels like the goddamn Amityville Horror, remember that movie?"
"Yeah, mate," Morgan replied quietly. "Blood out of the walls and all that. Fucking horrible."
"We should have brought an exorcist."
It was large, designed in split levels across three stories and, during daylight, would have sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. It was built to dominate, like a fortress, upon large stone foundations that looked to also contain a cellar or store area at the end closest to the agents. The brick work had been rendered with cement and painted white, common to the area, with wooden window and door fixtures and roof tiles of the red clay variety.
Scanning through their NVGs, they saw that the whole place was neglected and overgrown. Vegetation around the house was out of control and, to the trained eye, had blocked many of the locations where they spotted long-outdated CCTV cameras sitting dormant and useless where previously they would have provided excellent coverage.
"I bet he doesn't even realize how bad his security is," said Sutherland. "This place is a goddamn jungle."
"Might have been OK once," Morgan replied. "But not now."
Lights were on in only two areas of the house: the upper floor on the southern side, which, according to Gjoka's testimony, was Drago's personal living area it would command the greatest views of the area; and the lower floor on the north-western corner, which faced back into the forest behind the house, and was, according to Gjoka, where the guards lived.
Morgan and Sutherland were on the southern side. Drago's living area was directly in front of them.
On the plane, the two agents had used Davenport's iPad to review the intelligence summaries that had been pieced together from Gjoka's confession and the video surveillance captured by the Predator. The UAV had provided invaluable detail and confirmed many of the descriptions and layout provided by Gjoka.
Now the trick was to identify the exact location of the bodyguards; specifically, where they were right now. The guards were the primary threat and had to be neutralized first, before the agents could even consider moving against Drago and the Wolf.
Sutherland tapped Morgan's arm, gesturing toward the lights in the back corner.
"Guards?' he said.
Morgan nodded.
According to Gjoka there were normally three and due to Drago's continuingly erratic bouts of impatience, usually resulting in violence, the guards had been relegated by Drago's son to staying away in the far corner of the house. Basically, as far away from Drago as possible. The son's strategy was designed to protect his father's reputation by minimizing the exposure of the foot soldiers to his increasingly self-destructive and uncontrollable behavior. In any professional security environment, pushing guards out to the extremities of the perimeter would still be effective if they were expected to constantly patrol the premises. However, the
obvious decline of Drago's personal influence, evidenced by the dilapidated exterior of the place and lack of any visible presence or deterrent, mirrored the lack of skill and discipline among those expected to protect him. The naive plan to protect his reputation among his immediate people only had the effect of leaving him exposed and vulnerable.
So it was that the Intrepid agents raised their weapons and headed for the back section of the house.
It was in that moment that the lights of the Wolf's Mercedes flared into the driveway on the far side of the house.
"We better get this done quick, Dave," said Morgan. "I don't know how much time we'll have before Drago and the Wolf try to kill each other."
Chapter 94
With NVGs now flipped up and away from their eyes and Heckler & Koch MP5 SDs at the ready, the agents prepared to assault.
Using the cover of the vegetation at the edge of the forest that grew close to the house, they'd split: Sutherland took the main back-door entrance to the guards' living area and Morgan took a secondary door he discovered on the way around. He tried it. Unlocked. Perfect. It was a side door that also led into the guards' living area but, by the look of it, most likely gave access into the main part of the house, too. Morgan couldn't afford to have anyone get past him and raise the alarm. So he'd be the cut-off as Dave flushed them toward him.
"What can you see back there?" said Morgan into the radio mike on his helmet.
"I've got two here, bud,' Sutherland responded. "Muscle dudes; T-shirts and jeans, with shoulder holsters draped over the backs of the chairs. Watching TV. Not much activity. Can't see any others."
Morgan confirmed that he was in place and that there was no sign of anybody else. "OK, mate. Standby," he said, wondering for a moment if there was actually one out patrolling. But they couldn't wait. They had to move now.
