by Bobby Akart
“I’m fine, but—” Palmer’s voice trailed off, and she began to cry again. “Dang it, I really need to stop crying.”
“Honey, what is it?” asked Major.
Palmer shouldered her rifle and took her father by the hand. She looked over to Cooper and Riley, who waved her on. They hid the buckets behind their lookout position and prepared to take the watch.
“Daddy, Momma’s been hurt. Preacher, too. Come with me.”
She led him by the hand into the woods alone as Duncan stayed behind to give the guys his night-vision goggles and a quick tutorial. The night vision provided them a significant advantage over anyone descending the trail toward their camp.
He also separated his brothers so they could cover both sides of the natural choke point the trail created with the outcroppings. By moving up the trail slightly, there was a narrow passage that would block most vehicles and cause patrols to move single file through the rock walls. Also, by climbing on top of the rocks, they’d have a better vantage point and the high ground against any intruders.
While Duncan positioned them, Cooper filled his brother in on Lucy’s and Preacher’s injuries. He also assured him that Sook was safe and doing an incredible job of nursing her patients.
Duncan walked carefully down the woodsy trail after Palmer and Major had entered the clearing. He overheard Palmer explain what had happened as she prepared her father for what he was about to see.
Major dropped the gun belt and radio obtained from the commandos and rushed to his wife’s side. Tears streamed down his face as he touched his love’s face. She looked so peaceful in his eyes, but he couldn’t resist the urge to awaken her.
“Lucy, are you awake? Lucy?”
Slowly, she opened her eyes, and a smile came across her face. “You’re late for supper. Bad day at the office?”
Major and Lucy laughed tears of joy as he leaned down and kissed her cheeks.
Palmer and Sook, who’d stepped to the side, hugged one another and began crying again. The waterworks were pouring out of the Armstrongs’ eyes as Major and Lucy expressed their love for one another.
Major leaned up and smiled. “Yeah, traffic was horrible. I’m just glad to be home. How are you holdin’ up?”
“I’m fine. No, actually, I’m healed up now that you’re by my side. Major, the uncertainty. I thought they’d shoot you when you stepped off the helicopter. But, you know, I never heard it.”
“I came back with a couple of state troopers. We can talk about that later. Preacher’s in bad shape, isn’t he?”
“Yes, dear. I was counting on the chopper to possibly take him to a hospital. He’s probably not gonna make it.”
Major touched her face one more time and then looked at his longtime friend, who’d run the Armstrong Ranch for years. Preacher was sleeping, and Lucy advised her husband to let him rest.
Just as Major rolled off his knees to sit beside his wife, Duncan entered the clearing. Sook gasped for air and covered her mouth with both hands. Almost in shock, she stood wide-eyed as tears streamed down her face.
Duncan dropped his gear. He walked straight to her just as she regained her composure and ran into his arms. He lifted her into the air and swung her around until he became slightly dizzy. He immediately set her down and held his head.
“Oh, Duncan. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just a little headache.” He pulled her close and kissed her before touching his face to hers. The warmth of her cheeks revived him, and suddenly the pains of the attack disappeared.
Sook whispered into his ear, “You must go to your mother. She has been worried for you.”
Duncan smiled, kissed her briefly again, and walked toward Lucy, who was still zippered up in the sleeping bag.
“Cooper told me what happened,” started Duncan as he glanced over to Preacher, who was still asleep. “How’re you feeling?”
Lucy smiled as her oldest son planted a kiss on her still-moist cheek. “I feel like I’m ready to take our ranch back now that our war hero is here.”
Duncan reared back and chuckled. He looked over to Preacher and gently patted his chest. “This man’s a hero. From what Riley and Cooper told me, there isn’t a better field general around that could accomplish what Preacher did. We’re all safe because of him.”
“Well said, son,” said Major as he rose. Duncan joined his side. “Whadya say? No rest for the weary, right?”
“Dang straight,” replied Palmer.
“Yes, I agree,” added Sook. “Whatever that means.”
The group shared a laugh.
Duncan patted his father on the back. “Good. There’s work to be done.”
Chapter 16
January 23
The Armstrong Ranch
Borden County, Texas
Duncan faced a little bit of resistance when he announced he was going back up the ravine to scout the ranch alone. He needed to determine the number of men who’d taken the ranch and whether Holloway was in fact leading them. Major objected on the basis of his health following the blast that had overturned his Humvee. His mother demanded that he not go alone, insisting that one of the guys go with him.
Sook insisted that she go with him because she understood the North Korean dialect and had spent time with Duncan learning some of his cloak-and-dagger methods. She also had medical training if he needed help. Plus, she argued, I can kill as quickly and silently as they can.
In the end, Sook’s argument prevailed, and she immediately changed into dark clothing retrieved from the cache buckets. After confirming their plans for surveillance with Major, Duncan and Sook set out into the darkness.
Equipped with rifles, sidearms, knives, and night vision, Duncan and Sook made their way up the hill with only one stop for Duncan to catch his breath. He didn’t want to overly concern his parents, but his chest was still feeling the effect of the blast impact. All of his faculties were fine, although he was still having some difficulty breathing when his body was strained.
As they reached the top of the ravine, Duncan had a fairly clear line of sight to the ranch house. Only one light was visible from the rear, and that appeared to be in his parents’ bedroom. Everything else surrounding the barns and home was pitch black.
This suited Duncan fine because that meant ambient light wouldn’t interfere with his night-vision capabilities. He reached into his cargo pocket and retrieved one of the North Koreans’ two-way radios.
He turned it on and adjusted the volume so it could only be heard if the receiver was placed tightly against his ear. He looked down at the illuminated display and made a note of the default channel. Duncan was sure the dead bodies had been found by his Humvee, and most likely the commandos had noticed they’d been stripped of their gear. Now that they were up on the flat ground surrounding the ranch house, they could scroll through the channels to listen in on the commandos’ communications activity.
Sook was his secret weapon in this regard. He gave her instructions on operating the radio and told her to stay close by his side. He would continue to use his night vision as they walked along the fence line and toward the rear of the house.
Duncan proceeded under a few manpower assumptions. Most likely, the commandos would adopt similar sentry positions as they had prior to the attack—two near the tower, two at the north bridge, and one or more roving patrols.
It was a brilliant move on the part of Preacher to release all of the horses, not just for their safety, but so they couldn’t be used by the commandos. This forced them all to patrol on foot or use their vehicles, which could be both seen and heard.
The unknown for Duncan centered around the ranch house and one remaining barn. Before they left, he and his parents had discussed the possible fate of the ranch hands’ families locked in the bunker. The consensus was the air would start to dwindle by eight in the morning, with noticeable effects happening a couple of hours before that.
The clock was ticking on their lives in two respects. They could die from lack
of oxygen, or they might panic and attempt to exit the bunker despite the threats aboveground. There might be burning wood over their heads or the barrel of a rifle in their faces. Either way, the options weren’t good.
Major was convinced that Antonio, despite being wounded himself, would keep a level head and make the right decision. Hopefully, those within the bunker would follow his instructions and remain calm as they awaited a rescue.
Duncan knew there were a lot of hopefullys and maybes under these no-win circumstances. As a result, the timing of the rescue was one of the factors in his decision to mount a predawn attack.
The other advantages included using cover of darkness and familiarity with the ranch. The Armstrongs had spent their entire lives on this land. They knew every fence post, hill, watering hole, and oak tree. The commandos did not. Also, Duncan had night vision, which gave him a tremendous advantage, especially if he got into close-quarters combat at the ranch house compound.
He took Sook by the hand and helped her over the wood-rail fence. They used sporadic scrub oaks located behind the house to provide cover as they moved from one trunk to another. At one point, he stopped behind a larger tree and removed the goggles so Sook could take a better look. He explained his goal of moving to the back side of the old smokehouse and storage buildings on the kitchen side of their home. From there, they’d stop, watch, and listen.
They cautiously moved closer, but still proceeded with a sense of urgency. Duncan would have less than an hour to study the commandos’ movements. Thus far, there had been no radio contact between them unless they’d missed a brief communication on another channel. If the patrols did not check in with one another often, that would work to his advantage.
A few minutes later, they’d reached the back side of the smokehouse. Sook reached out for Duncan’s hand and pulled him close to her. She caught him off guard with a kiss.
“Well, thank you,” he said with a big smile.
Sook stood on her toes and whispered in his ear, “This is exciting.”
Duncan furrowed his brow and then smiled. Yes, in a way it is. It always has been.
He gave her a quick kiss and nodded. “It is exciting, but dangerous.” He gently tapped on her forehead, reminding her to stay focused.
They found four fifty-five-gallon drums, which were used to burn trash, near the building, and they quickly made their way behind them before falling to their knees. Duncan had a clear view of the front yard and the barn.
He counted two men smoking, the red cherries at the end of the cigarettes increasing in intensity as they inhaled. They were speaking in hushed voices that Sook could not discern. There were several pickup trucks parked in front, two of which were pointed toward the north gate, and the other three were spread haphazardly on the front lawn.
Next, he focused his attention on the barns. The big barn was still standing, and he could make out a faint light coming from a lantern in the hayloft. He suspected some of the men were forced to sleep outside.
The smaller barn, which had been built to house younger horses and to cover their underground bunker, had completely collapsed into a pile of black, charred ruins. An occasional spark flew into the air when a gust of wind kicked in, but for the most part, Duncan determined the fire to have burned itself out.
They spent another thirty minutes watching the front of the house, and there were no changes other than one occasion when the two men walked into the barn and were replaced by two others. Duncan didn’t observe them using their radios, nor did Sook pick up anything by listening.
Duncan considered everything he’d observed and formulated a plan in his mind. The biggest variable was the number of men in the barn and how he could deal with the north and south sides of the ranch in a coordinated attack.
He took a deep breath and exhaled as he thought about their odds against trained commandos who’d been schooled in the art of warfare as part of the elite Lightning Death Squads. Men who were also mentally prepared for operating in a criminal enterprise by a one-eyed marauder named Holloway.
Duncan chuckled, shook his head, and looked down at the West Texas soil that had belonged to the Armstrong family for nearly two centuries. His odds weren’t good.
I have an army of six. This is suicide.
Chapter 17
January 24
The Armstrong Ranch
Borden County, Texas
Just after midnight, Duncan and Sook had returned to their camp in the east woods to a group of anxious faces. He’d led men into battle and fellow operatives into impossible missions—like the assassination attempt on Kim Jong-un. This was much different. The faces looking to him for guidance and direction were his family and the first woman he’d ever loved.
Duncan was their leader now, and the results of his leadership would not be determined by what he did in the coming hours, but rather, what he could inspire his family to do.
He gathered everyone around the campfire and cleared debris off an area of the forest floor. They intently watched Duncan as he gathered twigs, stones, and a curved vine.
He began to create a three-dimensional rendition of the ranch and the location of its buildings. The curved vine marked the northern boundary along the river, and a piece of bark off a fallen oak tree was used to depict the bridge. He stacked small twigs along the river to mark the barnyard. The south side of the ranch was marked by a long twig, and the guard tower was indicated by a rectangular standing stone. Finally, he laid out the buildings surrounding the ranch house.
The group watched with great interest as Duncan first removed the magazine from the Daniel Defense AR-10 and dropped the 7.62 mm ammunition out of it. He stood the bullets upright at various parts of his makeshift map. Then he removed his sidearm and removed its ammunition as well. He rolled these shorter bullets through his hands as he spoke.
He paused to study the faces and found what he was looking for—determination. Even his mother insisted upon being unburdened by the sleeping bag and leaned upright against a tree stump protruding from the ground near the fire. Despite her burned arm and the wounds in the other, she’d had a remarkable recovery since Major returned. The strength his parents exuded together played a factor in the assignments he was about to make.
“Our primary goal is to retake the ranch house because Holloway is there, and the families are buried underground nearby. If we had the luxury of time, Sook and I could’ve surveilled the ranch house and gotten a better head count. This is a gaping hole in my plan, but it’s not insurmountable, and I’ll show you why.”
Now fully engaged, everyone scooted closer to the map, being careful not to obstruct Lucy’s view. Duncan continued.
He placed two of the nine-millimeter rounds from his pistol near the guard tower. “We’re all going to approach on horseback, although it will be important to dismount before the point of attack. Your horses are your fallback position and the means of escape. Regardless of what I’m about to lay out, if you have to retreat, do not lead them back down here. Ride away from your target and make a roundabout way back to our camp.”
“Makes sense,” said Major, who gave Lucy a knowing smile.
Duncan then placed two of the taller 7.62 rounds outside the boundary fence, which was represented by a long twig. “These two rounds represent Cooper and Riley. Guys, I need you to circle around past the Slaughters’ place and approach the guard tower from that direction. Most likely, there will be a two-man team focusing their attention on the west side of the ranch where they originally came from. As you pass through the Reinecke operation, look for signs of life. Based upon the gunfire you heard earlier, I suspect the Slaughters are dead. But watch out for hostiles too.”
“Should we take them out if they show themselves?” asked Riley.
“No, it’ll ruin the element of surprise we need to succeed. Don’t be seen, and make your way to the guard tower. Position yourselves to fire upon the commandos in the tower, as well as any others that may show up in vehicles.”
Duncan replied with a sly grin, “When all hell breaks loose. You’ll see.”
“Dang straight!” added Riley as he sat a little taller in his spot.
Duncan handed Cooper one of the North Koreans’ radios. “Sook and I have been monitoring these all night. We haven’t heard them check in a single time. It’s odd, actually. They’re almost complacent already. Surprising, but that’s fine by me. Anyway, I have the channel preset to match the radio I’ll be giving Dad.”
Major leaned forward as Duncan handed him the other radio. Then he placed two bullets near the north bridge. Duncan looked to Palmer and his father as he did so.
“Dad, Palmer, you’re going to take out the sentries at the north gate and possibly any reinforcements who respond from the barnyard, although I suspect they’ll already be at the gate or near the bridge.”
“I like working with Sook,” interrupted Palmer. “Um, no offense, Daddy.”
“Consider me offended,” mumbled Major somewhat jokingly.
“Daddy! You know better than that.”
“C’mon, you two, focus,” Duncan chided his recruits. “Palmer, your silencer plays a big role in all of this. We need to take out the commandos at the north gate without warning the others. Besides, I need Sook for something else.”
“Okay,” Palmer said with a pout. She reached over and squeezed Sook’s hand. “You can have her for this mission only.”
“If we execute as planned, this will be our only mission,” replied Duncan curtly. He was all business.
“Son, how will we know when to begin?”
Duncan exhaled. “It has to be done by timing and speed. You two know the area surrounding the bridge well. You need to get the jump on the guards and eliminate them with Palmer’s silenced H&K. Once you have, grab their weapons and head for the silos, here.” Duncan pointed out the location of the silos, which were between the ranch house and the south gate tower.
