Dispatches

by Steven Konkoly

  “Forget the U-turn. We should fall out of their line of sight when we hit that long curve,” said Alex. “Charlie, let me know when we break their line of sight. We’ll look for an opening in the trees. If we can cross over without them seeing, it’ll buy us more time.”

  “We’re going too fast to spot openings,” Ed pointed out.

  “We’ll slow down once they can’t see us,” said Alex. “Kill the lights before we turn, and I’ll do the laser trick. Good to go?”

  “I guess.”

  Alex patted Ed’s shoulder. “I feel like we have the band back together.”

  “I preferred retirement,” said Ed, pushing the SUV to one hundred miles per hour.

  Alex braved the wind for a few seconds, feeling it tug on his night-vision straps. They couldn’t afford to lose the NVGs, especially if they needed to maneuver on the back roads. He steadied them with his right hand and stared ahead, watching the U-turn sign fly down the left side of the SUV, followed by a paved break through the median.

  “I lost them!” said Charlie. “They can’t see us.”

  Alex scoured the farthest reaches of the SUV’s headlights, looking for a sign of a break in the trees. He spotted what looked like a gap, but it snapped past them a few seconds later. They were moving too fast.

  “Count to ten and slow us to sixty!” he yelled over the rushing air.

  The signs for the exit appeared as distant green dots by the time Ed reached seven. Still too far—and they were out of the curve.

  “Kill the lights and slow down. We need to get across now!” said Alex, craning his head farther to find an opening.

  As the SUV slowed, he found what they needed. Alex flipped his NVGs into place.

  “Slow down! There’s something coming up!” he yelled, pulling his rifle through the window and kneeling on the seat.

  The SUV decelerated, and he triggered the laser, guiding Ed to the gap in the median.

  “I see it,” said Ed.

  Alex braced himself for the drop off, but Ed eased them off the road at a shallow angle, slicing through the gap. They emerged from the trees heading north in the southbound lanes, less than fifty feet in front of two oncoming vehicles.

  Instinctively, he dropped into his seat as the two dark cars buzzed past them. Ed never saw the cars appear, which probably saved their lives.

  “What the fuck was that?” yelled Charlie moments before the sound of screeching tires filled the cabin.

  Alex twisted in his seat in time to see one of the cars skid sideways down the middle of the highway. Before he could respond to Charlie’s question, the truck’s right-side tires dug into the asphalt and flipped the vehicle. He watched it tumble down the interstate, throwing off sparks until it vanished on the far side of the road. The second car had disappeared altogether, as far as Alex could tell. He felt instantly nauseous.

  “Woo-hoo, fuckers!” screamed Charlie. “You see that shit?”

  The SUV’s sudden acceleration pinned him to the seat. He took a moment to fasten his seatbelt before getting his head back in the fight.

  “Holy shit,” whispered Alex.

  “What the hell just happened?” asked Ed.

  “You don’t want to know,” said Alex, still not sure himself.

  “We just played chicken and won! That’s what happened!” said Charlie, slapping Ed on the shoulder.

  “Watch your sectors,” said Alex. “We’re a long way from safe.”

  “What’s up with you, man?” said Charlie. “We just cheated death!”

  “I know,” he muttered, his hands trembling.

  Ed croaked, “Now what?”

  Alex leaned his head out of the window, scanning ahead.

  “I see the overpass for the exit. We’ll drive up the on-ramp. No lights,” he said.

  “Let me know when,” said Ed.

  “Yeah,” said Alex, still dazed by their run-in with death.

  If they had emerged a second later, they’d be dead from a head-on collision. A second earlier, and they’d be in a running gunfight—with the same result. Less than thirty seconds later, they hit the on-ramp.

  “Stop us at the top,” said Alex. “Facing north.”

  “Left turn or right turn?” said Ed.

  “Left,” replied Alex. “Anything, Charlie?”

  “Nothing. They must have missed the commotion.”

  “The other car disappeared. I figured it burst through the trees. No way they missed that,” said Alex.

  “There were two cars?” asked Ed.

  “Yeah, we cut right through the middle of them,” said Alex.

  “Jesus. I’m glad I didn’t see any of it.”

  “Hold on, Alex. I have something happening back there,” said Charlie. “One vehicle just cut through the median. Heading south. That’s odd.”

  “They’re probably backtracking. They have no idea which direction we took,” Alex said. “That still leaves two on the other side.”

  “I say we head north on Route 7 and disappear until the helicopters show up,” said Ed.

  “Sounds good to me,” said Alex.

  “Alex,” said Charlie, “the southbound Humvee just stopped.”

  Tracers flashed past Alex’s window, causing Ed to jerk the wheel left. The SUV swerved off the road and scraped a jagged wall of ledge running along the ramp. Alex heard and felt one of the tires blow out, the car leaning to the left. Ed pulled them off the rocks and gunned the engine, speeding the damaged SUV toward the top of the ramp. Streaks of light flew overhead, visible through the moon roof.

  “They don’t have a shot!” said Charlie. “The ramp curves around the rock wall you hit. They can’t hit us right now.”

  Ed stopped the vehicle.

  “What are you doing?” Alex roared.

  “They’ll be able to hit us at the top of the ramp,” said Ed. “It curves back.”

  “We can’t stay here,” said Alex. “Get us onto Route 7.”

  Ed shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Ed, we can’t stay here. They’ll drive right up on us. Please get us moving,” demanded Alex.

  The SUV pitched forward, the engine whining as the RPMs climbed.

  “Use your lights. They already know we’re here,” said Alex.

  The vehicle gained speed as they approached the top of the winding ramp. Alex watched the interstate through his window, trying to anticipate his enemy’s next move. They had fired from the outer limit of their effective range, which meant focusing gunfire at the top of the ramp would not be the best option. If Alex were in command of the group, he’d keep one gun stationary, focused on the ramp, and send the other vehicle up the highway. The nose of a Humvee appeared on the highway.

  “Get us through, Ed,” said Alex.

  The SUV raced toward Route 7, chased by an erratic stream of tracers. The bright green flashes struck the rock wall and ricocheted in every direction, bouncing off the road behind them. By the time the gunners adjusted their fire to compensate for the SUV’s speed, the vehicle flew past a stop sign, taking a hard left turn. A second set of tracers seared through the SUV’s rear compartment, puncturing the thin metal chassis.

  Several red-hot tracer fragments bounced through the cabin, hissing and crackling as they dug into the leather seats and fabric lining of the roof. One of the tracers imbedded in Alex’s headrest, igniting the material. Alex ignored the fire, calmly urging Ed to move them out of the kill zone at the top of the ramp. Each tracer represented five 7.62mm steel-jacketed projectiles, which had mercifully passed through both sides of the cargo compartment without deflecting. If the burst had struck the SUV five feet forward along the left side, the result would have been catastrophic. The SUV shot forward, Ed flooring the accelerator to get them to safety.

  Seconds later, the rear driver’s side wheel exploded, pulling the vehicle to the left. Ed wrestled with the wheel to keep them on the road, slowing the SUV to thirty miles per hour. A low-grade rumble reverberated th
rough the chassis, the rough asphalt road grinding through the flattened tires. With their speed and maneuverability advantage eliminated, they’d have to come up with a different plan to survive the next several minutes. Trying to evade Humvees on shitty back roads with two flat tires wasn’t going to work. Alex scanned the roadside, looking for turnoffs or businesses. If they could get off the road unobserved, they might be able to hide long enough for the helicopters to arrive.

  A long chain-link fence on the left side of the road led to an open gate. Beyond the gate, a row of large open-bed stake trucks led to a one-story building with six closed garage bays. A sign supported by two posts labeled the facility as a Maine Highway Department Public Works Depot. The jagged tops of a distant tree line rose above the building. He had an idea.

  “Follow the laser,” said Alex, unbuckling his seatbelt.

  He directed the rifle-mounted laser at the entrance, guiding the SUV into a slow turn into the compound. The driver’s side tires dug into the packed gravel surface beyond the fence, slowing them considerably.

  “Can you see the outline of the building in front of us?”

  “Barely.”

  “Head toward the far right side. I think this is one of those public works places where they store sand and salt for the winter. We’ll go all the way to the back and hide near the trees. If they follow us in, we’ll head into the forest on foot,” said Alex.

  “On foot?” Ed echoed.

  “It’ll buy us plenty of time for Grady’s team to get here,” said Alex, pointing the laser at a tight opening between the trucks and the public works garage.

  “Hey, Alex?”

  “Yeah, Charlie?” said Alex, focusing on the laser.

  “We should count on them following us,” said Charlie. “We’re kicking up dust.”

  Alex turned his head to look behind the SUV. A light green plume followed them. Shit. There was no way they would miss that.

  “Looks like we’re on foot, then,” said Alex.

  “Damn it, Alex,” muttered Ed. “We should have kept going.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Let me off just past the garage and head as far back as possible. Get into the woods and keep moving away from the facility,” said Alex, stuffing the ROTAC in one of his cargo pockets.

  “Where are you going, Dad?” Ryan asked.

  “I’ll distract them and head west into the forest. It should buy us enough time.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “No,” said Alex. “I need you with Charlie and Ed. I’ll fire a few bursts at them from behind and hide.”

  “Dad, we’ll be more effective together.”

  “This isn’t up for debate, Ryan. I can’t afford the distraction.”

  “I can fight, Dad,” Ryan protested.

  “I didn’t say you couldn’t. I won’t be able to do what I need to do with you nearby.”

  “That’s bullshit!”

  “I don’t really care,” said Alex.

  Ed stopped the SUV on the far side of the building. A hangar-like structure sat fifty feet beyond the garage. To the left of the structure, a tapered mound of dirt rose to the height of the roof.

  “I’ll go with you, Alex,” said Charlie. “Just like the good ole days. Ryan, you go with Mr. Walker. You need to keep that man alive if you plan on marrying his daughter.”

  “Oh my God,” huffed Ryan, followed by a brief round of laughter.

  “Keep going until I call you on the radio,” said Alex, patting the handheld attached to his vest. “Let’s go, Charlie.”

  “Dad?” Ryan said through the open car window. “Don’t do anything crazy. Mom will be pissed if I don’t bring you back. She made me promise.”

  “Is that so?” He smiled. “Looks like your mother was playing both sides on this one. I made the same promise.”

  Alex patted his helmet through the window. “No bullshit heroics. Straight into the forest and keep going. This will all be over in ten minutes.”

  “Ten minutes,” repeated Ryan.

  Alex pounded the side of the door. “Use your lights to find the way.”

  The SUV sped away, its headlights transforming the public works pit into daylight in his night-vision goggles.

  “What’s the plan, boss?” asked Charlie.

  Alex scanned the tree line beyond the second building, making a quick calculation.

  “I think that pile of dirt has a commanding view of the rest of the compound,” said Alex, lasing the dark conical shape. “We’ll wait for them to pass and climb high enough to engage when they dismount to investigate the SUV. Then we’ll get the hell into the forest and disappear until the helicopters show.”

  “What if they don’t?”

  Alex checked his watch. Three minutes.

  “They’ll be here,” said Alex. “Let’s hop in the back of one of these trucks.”

  They sprinted to the back of a large utility pickup parked behind the garage and climbed into the bed. The light from their SUV disappeared, returning the public works compound to a dark green hue. Alex poked his head over the top of the truck bed, checking the avenues of approach.

  The Humvees had two options to reach the back of the facility, one on each side of the garage. They would pass through without lights, giving Alex little warning to duck his head below the top of the bed.

  “We’ll have to stay low and listen. Once they pass by, we’ll hop out and start climbing,” said Alex.

  They didn’t have to wait long. The approaching sounds of crackling gravel filled the air, joined by the familiar, low rumble of diesel engines. Alex pressed flat against the gritty metal bed as the Humvees passed slowly down the left side of the pickup. When the sounds started to fade, he took a quick peek to confirm that the Humvees had disappeared behind the mound of dirt. He pressed the transmit button on his handheld.

  “Ed, this is Alex. You there?”

  “We’re about two hundred feet into the forest. It’s slow going.”

  “Humvees just passed our position,” said Alex. “Whatever you do, don’t stop moving. We’ll draw them away.”

  “Got it,” said Ed.

  Alex reached into his cargo pocket to check the ROTAC screen. No calls. They were cutting it close. He considered calling Grady to get the Black Hawks’ net call sign, but knew it didn’t matter. The helicopters would get there when they got there. It was up to them to stay alive long enough to hear the sweet sound of the rotor blades.

  “Ready?” he said, patting Charlie’s shoulder.

  “Fuck yeah.”

  They climbed out of the bed, pausing behind the truck to check for dismounted paramilitaries. It was clear.

  “Let’s go,” he said, taking off for the back of the dirt pile.

  Alex started climbing the mountain of dirt, quickly discovering that it was tightly packed sand. All the better to stop bullets, not that they would stick around long once the rounds started flying. He struggled for several seconds to reach a point near the top of the pile, finding himself with a clear view of the two Humvees. Charlie grunted below him, taking a few moments to reach the same height on the opposite side of the mound.

  Alex took a second to analyze the scene. The Humvees were parked parallel to the back fence, next to the SUV. The turrets faced the forest; the gunners were likely scanning the trees beyond the chain-link barrier with telescopic night-vision sights. The doors on the military vehicles opened simultaneously, disgorging heavily armed figures. They needed to act immediately.

  “I want you to concentrate on the turret gunners,” said Alex.

  “They’re protected by turret armor,” said Charlie.

  “Not so much when they’re facing us,” said Alex, pressing and holding the trigger for a long burst.

  Sparks exploded across the leftmost Humvee as dark figures scrambled for cover. One of the men dropped to his knees, reaching for the open door frame next to him. Charlie’s rifle barked repeatedly, knocking the man to the ground while Alex unleashed a fusillade against
the second vehicle. Bullets ricocheted off the Humvee’s armor and windows, causing the men hiding behind the vehicle to duck. One of the contractors kneeling behind the hood of the leftmost Humvee pointed at the dirt pile, yelling to the rest of his team. The man’s head snapped backward.

  “I think they’re on to us!” yelled Charlie.

  “Take a few shots at the turret gunners,” said Alex, noticing that the turrets had almost completely traversed in their direction. “We’re out of here after that!”

  A snap passed by Alex’s head, followed by a hiss. Their secret was out. Alex triggered his IR laser and pointed it at the rightmost turret. The armored protection kit provided three-hundred-and-sixty-degree coverage, but left the gunner partially exposed toward the front. He fired two quick bursts at the top edge of the forward armor, hoping to place a bullet through the exposed opening.

  When the M240 didn’t answer his gunfire with a torrent of 7.62mm bullets, he knew he had either hit the gunner or scared him out of the turret. As long as the machine gun remained temporarily quiet, he didn’t care what had transpired. Alex emptied the rest of his magazine at the men huddled near the Humvee and took cover behind the mound. Charlie was still firing.

  “Slide down the back of the hill!” said Alex, grabbing the back of his vest and pulling. “We need to get out of here right now!”

  Bullets snapped past the edge of the mound as they slid down the sand to the bottom of the mound’s wide base. Based on the layout of the compound, Alex decided against running across the facility toward the western fence line. He couldn’t guarantee a zero sight-line journey. The eastern side, which was closest to the mound, would be obscured from the Humvees by a mobile office trailer and several public works vehicles.

  Once on the ground, they ran diagonally toward the fence, keeping the gigantic mound of sand between them and the shooters. Alex watched the entrance beyond the garage, expecting to see the third Humvee barrel into the compound at any second. They reached the fence unobserved, and Alex put his hands together to give Charlie a lift over the fence.

  He heaved Charlie’s heavily loaded frame as high up the eight-foot fence as possible, turning his attention to the mountain of sand. Tracers flew past the pile, indicating that the 240s were back in the fight. He watched as the trajectory of the tracers changed, shifting right. Shit. The Humvees were on the move. Alex slung his rifle over his back and started climbing the fence.