by Oliver Tuson
With that the team all shared a silent nod and disappeared to prepare for another mission. Clarke going straight to the food to satisfy his growing hunger leaving Sanchez and Jasper talking to the drone pilot again for any further details. Hawkins simply looked out through the window at the warming sun that was steadily rising up into the blue sky. He dropped his head, knowing how hot it would be walking the ten kilometres in the blistering sun. Especially up that rocky hill, which in his opinion was a definitely a mountain. He took a long deep breath, then turned around and walked off for a second helping of food.
7
Yompers
10:05, 15th August 2003
15km from Ahmed’s Grid Reference, Northern Iraq
“What do you think?” Hawkins leaned in closer in an attempt to talk over the drone of the chinook’s engines. Sanchez just shrugged as he continued to look out of the small oval window over the rocky landscape that rolled out towards the distant horizon. “Come on man, we’ve been in this war-torn country for months now. Doing nothing more than babysitting the tech geeks… then boom!” He emphasised it by punching Sanchez on the leg. “We get a lead… and he’s killed almost instantly!” Sanchez turned away from the window, the punch getting his attention and looked at Hawkins’ excited expression.
As he considered punching him back, he thought about how he admired the young man. He had to give it to him, Hawkins loved his job and had a real passion for it that shone through. Sanchez thought back to when he had once had that much enthusiasm for the job and gave a faint smile, deciding not to hit him back. “This must be it!” continued Hawkins.
“Maybe.” Sanchez said as he turned back towards the view from the window. Below the helicopter the landscape had turned into a sea of rocky hills. Each one casting long jagged shadows as the sun continued to rise up into the clear Iraqi sky. He checked his watch. Not long now.
“Its gotta be…” Hawkins continued relentlessly. “If not, I’m transferring back to a proper unit. I need the action again.”
“Yeah, do it, because I need the silence.” He gave the younger solider a grin to take some of the sting out of it but Hawkins just laughed at him.
“You need a nap old man…you're getting a bit touchy!” He went to cut him down with another quip but got cut short as the pilot came over the intercom.
“5 mins out!” With that the two friends gave each other a nod that ended the banter and started the professional checks of their equipment and weapons.
Alpha and charlie teams had already been dropped at their landing zones and would be marching the terrain towards their designated observation points. Bravo team was the last to get dropped and enjoyed the extra rest before the long march to the top of the hill.
At one minute out from the drop zone, the load master moved to the back of the aircraft and checked over the General Purpose Machine Gun, that hung over the rear door, which was now slowly opening and sending in bright sunlight. The smell of the desert instantly flooded in. Dry, gritty, arid smells that hung in their noses and mouths.
All four members of bravo team were up and stacked along the side of the aircraft ready to jump down. Clarke, once again, had been sure to be at the front. Placing himself in harm's way first. On the journey so far, he had reflected on just how close they had all come to being killed in the helicopter crash and follow up assault. Climbing onboard the new helicopter had made all the men slightly on edge. Reminding them of the old one that laid destroyed on the bank of the River Tigris. The one that could have killed them all if not for the pilots controlled and carefully landing.
But being the professionals they were, they pushed the feelings down and went on with the mission. But Clarke had come close to losing men, too close. Too close to breaking his promise.
“Thirty seconds!” The aircraft descended towards the rocky desert below whilst the load master was on the GPMG scanning the area for any dangers. The ground was coming up fast as Clarke got ready to move.
“Go, go, go!” With that Clark led bravo out of the helicopter that barely touched down on the earth. His boots crunched the dry ground as he sprinted forward ten meters, through the hot blast of the engines and rotor thrust. Dropping to his belly as he looked over the sights of his M4 assault rifle, scanning the horizon for any sign of enemy activity. Behind him, the rest of the team were doing the same, leaping out of the helicopter and taking up positions to make a defensive circle. All scanning the landscape for any signs of life. Within a few seconds, having dropped all its lethal cargo, the pilot pushed the throttle causing the aircraft’s downward wash to increase.
Dust thrashed around the area as Clarke covered his eyes and mouth. The aircraft lifted up into the blue sky and away from bravo team. Only a few moments later, the helicopter was just a distant sound of double thumping rotor blades heading back to BIAP.
The group stayed still for a few more minutes. All remaining alert to any potential threat hiding in the rocky landscape. Clarke could now feel the heat of the scorching sun burning down. The thick, dry smell of the desert filling his nose. Here we go again he thought, as the first beads of sweat begun to form on his forehead as he looked towards likely enemy positions in the landscape. Nothing.
“We all good.” He quietly spoke towards his team.
“Good boss.” Came Sanchez and Hawkins in unison.
“Good to go.” From Jasper.
“Right, let's get moving.” He looked up towards the mass of rocks that made the hill of the objective on the horizon. It looked far. Almost too far to walk to. Especially with all their kit.
One by one they stood up and went into a single file. Clarke leading them forward. Each member had their weapon raised, looking over the sights for any possible threat. Each man keeping a professional distance from the next incase of ambush or a mine. Not too close to be injured in an attack, not too far away to be able to cover their comrade. Slowly, as the sun kept rising into the clear blue sky, the team made their way towards the target area and Ahmed’s mysterious location.
A few hours later and bravo team were breathing hard and sweating relentlessly whilst trying to replace the lost fluids from their camelbacks. The heat and the exertion taking its toll. Clarke was setting a good pace. A sensible speed that was sustainable whilst the team looked for threats around the landscape. And that was the real energy drainer. Marching whilst the threat of the enemy loomed over you. Constantly pulling at your concentration and draining you mentally. Knowing that if you let your guard down for a moment, then that is when the enemy might hit you. Might kill you.
Clarke had always been good at long distance marching, or ‘yomping’ as his Royal Marines called it. Covering large distances across hostile environments, and then fighting if needed. That was what the commandos were good at. What they trained for. And what they had become known for. He thought back to his old training corporal, who had yomped and fought his way over the Falklands in 1982. The man had beasted him over and over again, turning the young Clarke from raw recruit to trained commando. After joining Special Forces, those skills where honed even more. Giving him the skills that he now used as he led the way across the rocky landscape.
The hill that had constantly stood on the horizon was at last drawing closer and now hung over them. The ground the soldiers walked was just beginning to rise at the base of the hill as they pushed through a series of boulders and large rocks before stopping dead in their tracks at the sight before them.
“What the fuck did that?” Hawkins said as he half covered his nose whilst still keeping his weapon raised. The intense smell turning his stomach in the heat.
The body of a young shepherd laid distorted in a pool of blood. Huge cuts run across the corpse and the intestines sprawled out from a deep gash that ran the length of the corpses belly. Clarke approached it cautiously and knelt down beside it. Flies buzzed off the corpse, disturbed from their feast. He looked at the body trying to work out the gender from the mess, but the face was unrecognisable due to the horr
ific injuries.
Scattered around the body were the remains of several goats, all equally mutilated. “Shit” Hawkins mumbled. His usual enthusiastic persona gone as he stood in the blazing sun looking at the deathly scene.
“Poor guy.” He eventually added. Bravo team stood in silence for a few moments taking in the hideous sight and trying to make sense of it.
“Wild dogs?” Hawkins at last offered.
“Have to be a big old pack of them if it was.” Sanchez replied as he scanned the area for clues.
“A bear then?” Hawkins quickly added without much thought. Sanchez shot him a look whilst kneeling down by one of the goats. Its throat torn out.
“Bears? In the fucking desert!” Hawkins looked down frustrated.
“Well… what the fuck then man… fucking look!” Hawkins' voice was slightly panicked at the sight.
“You know what's strange?” Jasper said as he walked towards the furthest dead goat. Clarke gave him a nod to continue. “If this was dogs… or a bear…” he gave Hawkins a sarcastic look. “Then why didn’t they eat any of them. There all in one piece.” He stopped as he saw the head of one goat detached from its body. “Or at least all the pieces are still here.”
“Fuck man, your right!” Hawkins acknowledged. “Unless they took one away.”
“No, I don’t think so. There are no drag tracks. No blood marks. If they dragged one away there would be trials of blood and evidence in the sand.”
“They just killed them then?” Hawkins asked already knowing the answer. “How long you think they have been dead?”
Jasper picked up a small stone and dipped it in the blood. He lifted it up and watched the blood that was still just fluid enough to slowly drip down.
“Not long. It wouldn’t take long to congeal and dry in this heat.”
The group of soldiers instinctively scanned the surroundings with their weapons, suddenly feeling very uneasy. Almost as if they were being watched. “Jasper, mark this location and we can investigate and collect the body later. I’m sure the poor guy has family somewhere looking for him. Come on. We need to get in position for the other teams,” Clarke said as he started leading the team on again, carefully picking their way through the blood-stained area and stepping over the bodies.
As he went, he remembered the drone operator back in the operations room saying there was no sign of life anywhere around this area. He wondered how a shepherd had come this far out. And what had killed him. Something wasn’t right. And Clarke had a bad feeling starting to form as he passed through the remains.
Moments later, with the scene of death behind them they started up the hill towards its summit. The team on edge and spread out a little more, all slightly more cautious after the recent deathly discovery. Whilst checking the horizon for any sign of life, the sun kept beating down hard on them with every step. Clarke could feel the weight of all his kit weighing him down in the heat. Sweat was clinging his clothes to his body and flies were buzzing around him, passengers since the recent bloody discovery.
Sweating and with heavy breathing, bravo eventually made it to a large flat open area near the summit where they paused for breath. “Fuck man! That was tough!” Hawkins bent over, his hands on his knees for support as the sweat dropped from his forehead to the dry sand below.
“Yeah, let's not do that again!” Added jasper, equally as exhausted from the journey in the intense heat. Sanchez’s muscular frame remained upright as he passed the two men doubled over in exhaustion. He had always been good at hiking. Growing up in the mountainous area of his Scottish village, his uncle had made him hike most weekends. Telling him the great outdoors was the best place in the world. The Commandos had fine-tuned his ability too. Even to this day Sanchez enjoyed hiking out in the open air, especially back home around the Lochs and mountains of Scotland.
“You boys struggling?” He mocked whilst checking the landscape for any danger. Hawkins shot him a look. “Shut up grandad, your just fresh because you got a stair lift at home.” Hawkins couldn’t even manage a smile as the sweat kept running down his face.
Clarke ignored the struggling soldiers and approached Sanchez. “Look at this…” He gestured around the large flat area they stood in. “Doesn’t look right does it?” Sanchez looked about. Clarke was right. The rest of the hill was jagged and rocky. The climb had been a tough one. Picking their way around the large rocks and boulders. In contrast, this area was almost completely horizontal and clear. They both looked about for anything else out of the ordinary. Nothing. Ahead the rocks started up again steeply as the summit loomed overhead, only about fifty meters higher. A few large cracks and shallow caves set into it but nothing worth investigating.
“Nothing stranger than nature boss.” They both dismissed the strange formation as Clarke continued to climb the last part with Sanchez close behind. Moments later, Clarke gestured towards a small cluster of rocks on the peak. A perfect observation point for the team to operate from. “There… lets set up there.”
Whilst Jasper and Hawkins collected themselves, Sanchez and Clarke stealthily crawled up to the rocks. Keeping low as they went. Once in position they took in the view. Below them was a near vertical patch of cliff. The track they had seen on the drone feed seemed to appear from directly below them, almost as if it was coming out of the mountain. It ran down the rocky hill towards the small cluster of wooden buildings that sprang up around the sides of the track. Both men continued to stare searchingly over the area. Nothing moved. No sign of life. Just an eerie silence as they lay on the warm rocky ground with the sun beating down, now high in the sky.
Clarke clicked his radio. “Hello Hunter Alpha this is Hunter Bravo, over.” He waited for the alpha team leader to respond. Nothing. “Hello Hunter Alpha this is Hunter Bravo, are you receiving, over.” Still nothing. He shared a look with Sanchez. “Hello Hunter Charlie, this is Hunter Bravo, over.” Nothing from charlie. The net stayed deathly silent as the two men studied the still village ahead of them in silence. Hawkins, having recovered slightly, crawled up alongside him. “Might be your radio boss?” He said as he tried to contact the other teams on his own radio. Nothing. “Range should be good, alpha and charlie should only be there.” Sanchez stated as he gestured towards the locations of the other teams across the cluster of buildings.
Their radios were designed to keep them all in contact within a few kilometres of each other. They were all well within range, with a clear line of sight. Nothing blocking the invisible radio waves that should be flowing over the ground to the other teams.
Clarke shook his head in frustration and looked back to where Jasper was setting up the satellite communications radio to contact control all the way back in Baghdad’s Green Zone.
Jasper knew what Clarke was about to say. “It's not the gear. Something is jamming us.” He said as he tapped the equipment anxiously.
“You sure Jas? You're sure your using it right?” Asked Hawkins. Jasper looked hurt. As if Hawkins had questioned his best set of skills. Skills he had developed over many years of learning and applying his craft.
“Of course I am Hawks.” He said bluntly. “I'm telling you, we are being jammed. No question about it.” Jasper abandoned the radio as he crawled forward and joined the other three. All of bravo team looked out over the village below. “This could be a good sign.” Jasper started as the rest of the men looked at him as if had lost his mind in the sun.
“Think about it, if we are being jammed, maybe there is something down there. Something worth hiding?” Jasper spoke with a little hope in his voice.
“Maybe. Either way, for now, the plan still stands. Overwatch. If it all stays quiet down there, alpha and charlie will follow the mission plan regardless. They will be moving in to investigate the village soon.” He gestured towards the centre of the village where the track began amongst the buildings. “When we see them, we can cover them and then move down and link up.”
Clarke looked out towards where the other two teams shou
ld be on the far side of the village. Imagining them hidden amongst the rocks on the outskirts of the village. Probably looking up the hill towards bravo with equal frustration and unease.
8
A Deathly Discovery
14:10, 15th August 2003
Ahmed’s Grid Reference, Northern Iraq
Millerchip and the rest of alpha team had been watching the deserted village for over two hours now. From the concealment of a cluster of rocks, they had a perfect view of the front line of wooden buildings about a hundred meters away. Behind the structures, the rocky hill rose up, dominating the landscape. He imagined bravo team hidden up there somewhere, looking down on the village and their location.
Still no movement. Millerchip blinked another fly from his eyes that joined the many other flies buzzing around the men, eager for the sweat that was now running down their faces and bodies. The intense sunlight was washing down, slowly cooking the men that drank heavily from their camelbacks in a bid to remain hydrated.
He had given up with the radios a while ago. Putting it down to either faulty encryption or interference blocking the signal. For a fraction of a second, he considered if the other teams were even out there. Maybe they got lost on the way to their locations. Or something worse? He dismissed the thought quickly, knowing the professional men well. They wouldn’t get lost. And if something worse had occurred, he would have heard gunshots at least.
Either way, they would keep to the plan. He was confident the village was empty of any threats. Soon, they would break from cover and approach the buildings and investigate them. As soon as they moved the rocks, bravo team, assuming they were up there, would see them and keep them covered as they moved through the village. Once they had checked, he would lead alpha up the track towards the summit and link up with the other teams.
