Society Lost- The Complete Series

by Steven Bird

  “Yeah, who knows? I’m just glad we were able to catch a break. I was exhausted. My eyes were starting to play tricks on me, and given the stress of the situation, that wasn’t good.”

  Rejoining Jessie, Daryl warned, “You really don’t wanna go over there,” while gesturing with his hand in front of his face.

  Returning to the group, Jessie asked, “So, what’s the plan?”

  Snugging up his pack, Q said, “The sound of the horn came from that direction. Downhill from us and to the west,” he said while gesturing in the direction he described. “Now that the sun’s up and you can see better, how far do you think we are from Nate?

  Looking around and thinking it through, Jessie replied, “I’d say right about where you’re pointing.”

  Grumbling, Q said, “Let’s go. Nate’s a’wait’n.”

  After a half an hour of slowly and methodically working their way toward Nate’s last known position, Jessie gave the others the sign to hold and hunker down. Working his way back to Q, Jessie said, “See those rocks over there next to those fallen trees?”

  “Yeah,” Q replied.

  “That’s the spot. He was down behind that big fallen oak. Let me work my way over there. I’ll signal if it’s clear. There’s no need for us to walk into a trap. If they found him, they’d know there was a chance I’d be coming back for him.”

  Nodding in agreement, Q signaled to the others to hold their positions, keep their eyes open, and to cover as Jessie advanced.

  Slowly working his way toward the downed trees, Jessie whistled softly to announce his presence if Nate was still there. He didn’t want to be shot by a scared and injured friend who would no doubt be a bit jumpy by now.

  Not hearing a reply, he moved closer, whistling once again.

  Watching Jessie’s movements carefully, Q observed as Jessie reached the tree. It was clear to him by Jessie’s lack of reaction that Nate was no longer there. He watched while Jessie surveyed the area and finally motioned them forward.

  As the others joined up with Jessie, Q asked, “So… what’s the story?”

  “I left him right here,” Jessie said, pointing. “There’s blood over here on the ground at the base of this tree. There’s a muddle of prints. There’s everything from coyote tracks to boot prints. There are at least five or six sets of boot prints, maybe more.

  “Those look like Russian, or UF standard-issue boots to me,” Q said. Kneeling down next to the tree, Q touched the blood with his finger and rubbed it between his index finger and thumb.

  “This is fresh,” Q added. “Whoever was here hasn’t been gone for long.”

  “Over here, guys,” Daryl said, kneeling down and looking at one point in particular on the ground.

  “What is it? Q asked.

  “Look,” he said, pointing. “These prints are too small to be from a man. They look like sneakers of some sort. And look here—handprints. I’d say someone small was put on their hands and knees right about here.”

  “Britney!” Jessie exclaimed.

  “So, you think the UF has both Britney and Nate?”

  “That’s the only conclusion we can draw from this,” Jessie speculated, unsure whether he was happy or disappointed in the information before them.

  “It looks like they went this way,” Tyrone said, pointing at a cluster of tracks leading away from the scene to the north, away from the mountains.

  “That would make sense,” Jessie acknowledged, adding, “The UF guys, if they were hunters, would have been inserted by helicopter, which more than likely would have come from the north where the UF has a greater presence.”

  Q noted, “They were likely inserted to look for you two. They wouldn’t let that hit go unpunished. I’d say the group that had you pinned down when we found you were on the same page with these guys. Nate being in their hands is just as bad as if he were with those… those furry bastards from the cave.”

  Looking to the sky in the direction of the tracks, Jessie stated, “They’re probably moving toward an extraction point, as well as potentially trying to evade those troglodytes, or like you said, those furry bastards from the caves.”

  “Troglowhats?” Q asked.

  “Troglodytes,” Jessie replied.

  “What the hell is a troglodyte?”

  “A primitive or prehistoric cave dweller,” Jessie explained. “They fit that category well, almost seeming to be living some primitive fantasy life of a caveman.”

  “Except for the high-end night vision,” Q quickly countered. “That kind of clashes with the whole primitive thing.”

  “Yeah, except for that,” Jessie conceded. “It sure does make getting around in those dark caves easier, though.”

  “Where the hell would they have gotten those things? And battery power? Where… I just don’t get it,” Daryl vented, shaking his head.

  “Whatever or whoever they are, we need to get moving,” Q declared, getting the mission back on track. “If this is where you left Nate, and if there are signs of the girl being here, too, we need to assume the UF has them, and we need to get moving. The last thing I want to hear, as long as we have reason to believe the UF has them, is one of those damned ugly Hind helicopters taking off and flying away. If they make it out of these woods with them, our odds of getting them back plummet.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Where are we going?” Britney asked as Yuri led her and Nate in the center of the UF patrol as they worked their way to the north.

  “Shhh. Do not bring trouble on yourself. Follow instructions,” Yuri replied.

  Yuri’s heart sank in his chest when he saw the look in Britney’s eyes at his dismissal. She looked shocked and heartbroken by his willingness to go along with the UF patrol and how quickly he immediately began following orders, acting as her guard.

  As a tear rolled down her cheek, Yuri tried to explain, “You not understand. Just go along.”

  “I understand completely, Sergeant Kovalenko,” Britney snarled with ice in her veins. “I get it. You’re just doing your job.”

  Stepping over to Nate, who was clearly struggling and in severe pain, Britney pulled his arm around her and urged, “Here, lean on me.”

  “I weigh too much for you to carry,” Nate protested.

  “Nonsense, you look terrible. You’re pale and sweaty. You’re not well, and I’m getting worried about you.”

  Turning back to them from near the front of the patrol, Senior Lieutenant Romanoff snarled, “Silence them, Sergeant Kovalenko!”

  “Do as he asked,” Yuri pleaded.

  Turning away from him and refusing to acknowledge his voice, Britney held on tightly to Nate while they worked their way north.

  Hearing the sound of a horn echo through the woods again, Senior Lieutenant Romanoff grumbled, saying, “Is probably insurgents trying to fool us. Mind games not work this time,” he boasted with a grin, while a few of the others chuckled along with him.

  Tripping over an exposed tree root, Nate fell to the ground, nearly taking Britney with him. “Ahh, damn it,” he grumbled, punching the ground out of frustration.

  Senior Lieutenant Romanoff turned and stomped his way back to Yuri and barked through gritted teeth, “I give you simple task! You guard prisoners and keep them moving! I’m starting to see why you aren’t with your patrol. Maybe you abandoned post?”

  “Not true!” Yuri snapped. “My patrol was ambushed. Everyone was killed but me. I told you. They took me prisoner, and I escaped. That is what happened.”

  Drawing his sidearm from its holster, Romanoff pointed the gun at Nate’s head, and seethed, “I should just kill this one now to speed up the patrol. He is dragging us down. I have every legal right. He is insurgent. He is hostile enemy combatant and I am officer of Russian Federation and as such, I am formally recognized by Unified Forces as legal authority in all matters concerning keeping of peace and security. As insurgent, he is threat to both.”

  “No!” Britney cried, only to be backhanded by Se
nior Lieutenant Romanoff.

  Watching Yuri’s reaction, Romanoff stepped to within inches of his face, and said, “You do not like that, do you? Pick up pace or I will make much worse things happen. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Senior Lieutenant Romanoff,” Yuri replied sharply.

  “Very well. I expect to not have to question your loyalty again. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes,” Yuri replied.

  Romanoff stood there for a moment, reading Yuri’s eyes, and then turned and walked back toward the front of the patrol, getting them moving forward once again.

  ~~~~

  “Q” Daryl whispered as he approached Q’s position.

  “What’s up, Daryl?” Q asked.

  “Jessie and I spotted a UF patrol up ahead. Jessie altered course to parallel their track, just up the hill from them. He’s confident we can stay out of their sight while shadowing them from our elevated position.”

  “Do they have Nate? And the girl?” Q asked.

  “We’re not sure. Jessie asked that you and T move on up with us. He’s afraid if we’re too spread out, we won’t be able to react quickly enough if engagement is required.”

  “Of course,” Q replied. “Let’s go.”

  Moving up to Jessie's position, Q asked, “What do we got?”

  “Exactly what we’re looking for,” Jessie reported. “I see Nate, and the girl is with him.”

  Handing Q the binoculars, Jessie pointed, saying, “Over there. Beyond that big forked oak tree.”

  Adjusting the binoculars and scanning the area, Q confirmed, “Yep. I’ve got’em. I see seven UF guys. That’s an odd number. They usually patrol in teams of six. I’ve never seen them deviate from that.”

  “Maybe they’re training a new guy,” Tyrone joked.

  Replying with a chuckle, Q shook his head, “They don’t put new guys on the hunter teams. Anyway, now that we’ve got their location, let’s practice a little optical discipline. We don’t want a glint of light from a lens giving us away.”

  “Good thinking,” Jessie remarked. “What else do you recommend? You know these guys.”

  “Let’s keep on working alongside them just like we’re doing now until an opportunity presents itself. There’s four of us, and seven of them, so we’ve got to hit them at just the right time to keep our numbers from being a disadvantage. The hunter teams are sharp. They’re all damn good shots, too. We need two of them to hit the ground before their comrades engage if we expect to get the best of them.”

  Hearing a long blast from a horn in the distance, Daryl said, “Damn it to hell, I wish they would just get the hell on with it.”

  “Get on with what?” Tyrone asked.

  “Whatever those creepy bastards are up to. The wait, the unknown, it’s killing me.”

  Raising an eyebrow at Daryl’s statement, Q said, “I appreciate your enthusiasm, Daryl, but the waiting is not literally killing you. When they strike, at that point, they may be literally killing you. Let’s not wish such things into being.”

  “Sorry, boss. I’m just tweaked by those bastards. I can look at a UF soldier and know exactly what I’m facing and can mentally deal with it like it’s all business. But this… it’s like a weird ass-movie. A weird-ass movie that would have me yelling at the screen, throwing my popcorn.”

  “Jessie,” Q whispered, getting Jessie’s attention.

  “Yeah,” Jessie replied softly.

  “Considering the fact that we’re facing threats from two foes, let’s work in two-man teams, maybe twenty meters apart. That’s close enough to act and communicate, but far enough away for one team to react and provide cover fire if the other team is hit. In each two-man team, one man monitors the movement of the UF guys, and the other searches the area around us from threats from your troglodyte buddies.”

  “Roger that,” Jessie concurred.

  Turning to Daryl, Jessie asked, “Which do you want? Commie bastards or troglodytes?”

  “I’ll keep an eye out for those troglowhatevers—the cavemen. You just keep doing your thing.”

  With a nod from Q, Jessie and Daryl worked their way forward, giving Q and Tyrone the spacing they desired.

  After hand-railing the UF hunter patrol’s path of travel for approximately twenty minutes, Jessie noticed they seemed to have ceased forward movement. “Hold up,” he whispered to Daryl.

  Turning back to Q and Tyrone, Jessie gave them the signal to hold their position while he observed. Unable to see exactly what was going on due to the thickness of the trees between them and the hunter patrol, Jessie explained, “Wait here. I’m gonna get a little closer and try to see what’s going on.”

  “Roger that,” Daryl affirmed. “I’ll boogie back to Q and Tyrone and brief them.

  Patting Jessie on the shoulder, Daryl warned, “Hey, be careful, man. Like Q said, those guys can shoot. They earn their place on these teams. They aren’t just assigned. Those aren’t your average convoy escorts or grunts.”

  Nodding, Jessie smiled and slipped off into the trees, disappearing in an instant.

  Working his way back to Q and Tyrone, Daryl whispered, “The patrol seems to have stopped. Jessie is going in for a closer look.”

  “I hope he doesn’t give us away,” Tyrone grumbled.

  “Naw, I’ve been watching him work,” Q assured them. “He’s not like an experienced special ops vet or anything, but the man’s head is on straight, and he moves through the woods easier than most. He’ll be fine.”

  Within what seemed like ten or fifteen minutes, Jessie reappeared and joined up with Q and the others.

  “What do we have?” Q asked, anxious for an update.

  “We were right; there are seven. They have an officer with them. Is that normal?”

  “An officer?” Q asked. “Are you sure? I’ve never heard of anyone senior to a master sergeant being on a hunter team, and it’s usually a senior sergeant that fills the lead role.”

  “I’m more familiar with the Russian Federation’s Ratnik gear than I’d like to be,” Jessie explained. “None of them are wearing any logos, patches, or insignia, which is to be expected during an operation such as this, well out of view from the public’s eye. All but one of them are wearing no insignia, that is. One of them has three small stars in the shape of a triangle on his bump helmet.”

  “Small stars? That’s a senior lieutenant in Russki ranks if I remember correctly,” Q noted.

  “Yep, and he’s acting the part. I’d imagine the rest of his team aren’t too happy having him along. One guy, in particular, stands out. He’s apparently got guard duty over their prisoners, Nate and Britney.”

  “What makes that guy stand out, other than having the bitch job?” Q asked.

  “The lieutenant looks at him differently. I can’t put my finger on it, but something’s just not right.”

  “A little inner turmoil may work to our benefit when the time comes. Especially if the team is stressed or thrown off by having a staff jerk along.”

  “They may be tired of having their hunter teams go missing,” Jessie explained. “I mean, they’ve taken their share of lumps lately. This guy may be along for that reason. He may be along to personally supervise a team and bring back some information for the brass back at the UF regional outpost.”

  “Whatever it is, having a mismatched cog in the machine may just work to our advantage,” Q predicted with a crooked grin. “What’s their current setup?”

  Drawing on the ground with a twig, Jessie explained, “Nate and Britney are here, seated with their backs against a tree. Nate’s got his head on Britney’s shoulder. He doesn’t look well. The odd man out is standing watch over them, here,” he said, drawing an X in the dirt to show the man’s position.

  Continuing, Jessie explained, “They have a perimeter set up with men here, here, here, here, and here,” he detailed, forming a circle around the group, “with the lieutenant and what I assume to be a senior NCO-type, probably the senior or master sergeant y
ou spoke of, closely liaising with each other. The lieutenant seems to be the bossy, authoritative type, but for some reason can’t leave this guy’s side.”

  Scratching his chin, Q speculated, “What if Tyrone and I move in from this direction, and you and Daryl work your way around to the other side. Four simultaneous shots would bring the odds in our favor quick.”

  “How can we synchronize four shots without radios? Didn’t you lose yours?” asked Jessie.

  “We’ll give everyone time to get into position, Tyrone and I will call out our two targets on our side, and you and Daryl do the same. Hold your sights on target until the crack of my rifle. As soon as you hear my report, drop your man and move in. Tyrone and I will focus on the two senior men, while you take out the sad sack with guard duty. If it doesn’t go down exactly as planned, we’ll still have the element of surprise, because they clearly don’t know we’re here. Hopefully, that will bring our numbers into the advantage column on the scoresheet rather quickly.”

  “Well… that sounds like a good plan. Now, let’s go see what really happens,” Jessie said with a smile.

  “Exactly,” Q replied. “But ya gotta start somewhere.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Sergeant Kovalenko,” Britney said with contempt in her voice.

  Feeling like he’d been punched in the gut by her disdain, Yuri replied, “Yes. What can I do for you, Britney?”

  “Nate here is very sick. Can you get me a cold, wet cloth of some sort?”

  Nodding in reply, Yuri turned to Master Sergeant Popov, the team’s senior NCO, and when on a routine patrol, the team leader, and asked, “Master Sergeant, may I borrow a hand towel? My gear was lost when taken captive.”

  Looking to Nate and Britney, Popov answered, “You are not prisoner’s servant. You are prisoner’s guard. What has happened to you, Junior Sergeant Kovalenko? I knew your team leader well. Senior Sergeant Vasiliev was a fine soldier. He ran an outstanding and very successful hunter team. If not up to task, you would not have met his standard for superior NCO’s and would have been replaced… or simply left behind. He had ways of avoiding hassles of administration.”