by C. L. Jones
Pops and Cowboy looked at each other and Cowboy turned and with a slight movement of his hand motioned for his team to follow. Cowboy, Surfer and Tracker headed straight for the compound walking side by side on the original path where they’d started the practice run what seemed like ages ago. Pops watched as the heads of Cowboy and his team dropped behind a small hill with each step they took. After they were gone he turned to his team and said, “We best get a move on if we want to get in place before they begin to draw all the attention. The last thing we want to do is leave them hanging out there without us backing them up.”
Pops knew that they were only minutes away from the compound. He’d once heard that men on death row refer to the walk to the death chamber as the last mile. When the condemned enter the corridor they have the anxiety of death eating away in their stomach and the fear of the unknown looming at the end of a hallway that feels like it’s at least a mile long. Likewise, his team’s path through the trees was not marked but each step was potentially a warrior’s last mile even if it wasn’t a mile. An ambush, a trap or anything that the mind can conceive could be looming around the next tree or just over the next ridge or waiting for them inside the compound. Paranoia probably caused the same thoughts in each team member’s mind. After all, the cadre and what was left of the blue team could still have the last laugh if they carried out the ultimate trap after the competition should have been over. The red team should be declared the winners but what if there was some more bullshit ready to come down from the organization?
Even if the red team were declared the winners today, Pops thought that it might not really be over. If individual agents that made up the Crew had ticked off the wrong people, the organization could just wait and get them one by one after they headed home. Under normal circumstances there would be a good chance that the Crew would never know if any member had been eliminated. Hell, under normal circumstances a Crew would never have formed during the competition. Under normal circumstances there certainly would never have been contact with others from the compound after the competition unless they happened to be assigned together for a mission. Under normal circumstances if one of the members was taken out it would go unnoticed because of the way they’d always secretively operated with no contact between agents other than when it had been prearranged by the organization.
No one could have predicted or imagined the formation of the Crew and now the Crew’s members were on the verge of winning the competition and returning to a world that didn’t know they existed. Pops believed there was only one remaining blue team guy left and he had to be in the main compound. Would he put up a fight or would he give up and take the chance he wouldn’t be killed by the brass? Would the compound leadership and cadre just stand by and watch? Would they stop the red team and save the life of the remaining blue team guy? Would they say as long as he is left there is no winner? If that happened would they try to get out of paying the money? Would the leadership congratulate the red team and then wait until they were asleep and put them down? All these things through ran through Pops’ mind again and again with each step he took.
Walking side by side, Roadside turned to Pops and quietly informed him, “We’re coming up on the compound.” The words continued to roll off Roadside’s tongue as if it had just come to him, “Listen here, I think we should divide up but keep in sight of each other and position ourselves at the rear of the compound in a self defensive fighting line. I think this could be a real bitch in there and we should try to watch each other’s back and be ready to help each other if one of us needs help. What do you say?”
Pops nodded yes and noticed that Rocky and Roadside’s nerves were standing on end. There was no knuckle busting or joking because of the burden of what was on their minds. Pops pointed off in either direction from where they were standing and said, “Rocky right. Roadside left. I’ll take the center.”
The two men separated from Pops and after scanning the area took up positions that they were comfortable with. Under the circumstances, Pops accepted that the three men were in a formation that was looser than he would normally use. He reached up with his right index finger and put it just under his eye and pulled the lower lid down. Rocky and Roadside nodded yes, they would keep their eyes open. Pops smiled at them and nodded his head yes then made a hand gesture for them to move forward. Like snails they came out of the concealment of the trees and approached what they thought were the cadre’s headquarters. Pops was only a few feet from the building when he saw a waving hand motion in front and off to his right. It was Rocky waving them to head over to his position. Pops looked over at Roadside and shrugged his shoulders, nodded his head yes and moved to Rocky in a crouching run.
Pops reached Rocky’s position just as Rocky pointed inside a window and then held up his right hand, forming a zero with his index finger and thumb like he’d found some real treasure. Pops looked in the lower corner of the window and saw a large room. The room looked to be the office of the colonel and would put most high rise offices in any large city to shame. It was decorated like a rustic mountain cabin with a big oak desk, two oak chairs facing the desk, matching bookshelves on the wall behind the desk, an American flag, and the POW flag. On the floor was a plush carpet. Opposite the window they were looking in was a sitting area with a couch and easy chair.
Pops and Rocky glanced back at Roadside just as Roadside reached his end of the building. He stopped and backed up a couple steps then looked at Pops and Rocky with concern on his face. He continued to the building and leaned up against the building wall, wiping his hand across his forehead like he was wiping off sweat. At their end of the building Pops and Rocky were mouthing and using hand gestures trying to ask Roadside what was going on. Roadside pointed to the front of the compound, held up three fingers and mouthed Cowboy. Then he patted his knees and bent down at his knees to show that the three men in Cowboy’s team were on their knees. Roadside put his weapon between his legs and reached up interlacing both hands behind his head to show that Cowboy’s team was on their knees with their fingers laced behind their heads like prisoners ready to be executed. No further description was needed. This was not a good sign.
Roadside shifted his weapon to his shoulder in a firing position aiming at the ground in front of him. Pops immediately knew this meant Cowboy, Surfer and Tracker were about to be shot.
The demeanor of Pops and Rocky immediately changed into an overdue fighting attitude. They moved out and headed between the leadership building and an adjacent smaller building and started walking forward to the opening between the two. Roadside caught up and swung right in beside Pops. Pops could not see what Roadside had seen yet, but it was only about two or three more steps before he got the whole picture.
Kneeling on the ground were their three team members just like Roadside had indicated. Fortunately they were facing Pops so Pops put his finger to his lips telling them not to give the approaching team away. The team reached the opening between the buildings and their movement slowed as Rocky and Roadside went forward on each side of the opening. They glanced around the edge of each building and checked as much of the nearby area as possible. Pops stood fast with his weapon trained on the backs of the two gunmen.
Unfortunately Pops’ line of fire for taking out the two gunmen meant Cowboy, Surfer and Tracker would also be in the kill zone. Seeing this, Rocky and Roadside stepped back and shook their heads no to Pops. Pops tucked his lips tight together and nodded yes to them. He then looked at Cowboy and signaled with his hand like people do when they are saying someone is talking too much. Cowboy understood just as Pops held up his index finger to tell Cowboy to wait for the signal. Cowboy answered back with a wink. It was a very nervous wink but it was what Pops, Rocky and Roadside needed.
Pops quickly moved close to Rocky and whispered in his ear and Rocky nodded his head yes. Pops then moved to Roadside and repeated the same message to him. Roadside smiled and also nodded his head yes. Quietly Rocky stepped out facing the cadre’s h
eadquarters with his weapon in firing position just as Pops and Roadside started in the direction of the gunmen.
What happened next was something Pops would remember for a long time. It was one of those moments where time dramatically slows and a warrior’s heartbeat is so loud that it nearly blocks out everything else.
Cowboy started crying and begging for his life while Surfer and Tracker looked on. His convincing whining and crying got the attention of the two guards as he crawled toward one of them and started pulling on his pant leg. The guards laughed and acted macho and unafraid. The guard whose pants were being pulled berated Cowboy, telling him, “Act like a man. Take it like a man.” The other guard said, “Hey man, we don’t want to do this either. But when he tells us to we’ll have to do it. I know you understand.”
Cowboy stopped crying and looked up at his executioners and said in a weeping feeble voice, “Come on man, I’ll trade you places.” The guards started to laugh, never hearing their approaching doom.
Roadside and Pops skulked up behind and each grabbed a guard around their head and held them as tight as they could with their arms covering the guard’s mouths. They both gave a quick hard downward arm thrust to the guards’ heads forcing them to their knees. The man that Pops was holding dropped his weapon and grabbed Pops’ arm with both hands and starting pulling down. Pops was much bigger than the guard and ten times stronger. The harder the guard pulled the more Pops bent over his back and used his body to add pressure to the weakening man. When the guard’s hands loosened on his arms Pops quickly lifted his arm in an upward motion and used all his body weight to fall forward on the back of the man’s head and neck while making a hard yank to the side.
Roadside used the same hold on his guard putting his mouth up to the guard’s ear and saying loud enough for the surrounding men to hear, “Tag, your it.” It was almost as if they rehearsed it when Roadside put his target down at the same time as Pops.
Cowboy, Tracker and Surfer got up and without saying a word to Pops or the others took off running just as the guards hit the ground. Pops and his team watched them in complete bewilderment but within seconds it became clear that the three freed men were retrieving their weapons where they had been stacked nearby.
Cowboy looked at Pops and smiled as his team hurried back to where Pops, Rocky and Roadside were standing. As Cowboy walked up he said with that big old silly grin on his face, “You guys forgot that they don’t have any firing pins, didn’t you?” Pops and his team looked at each other and shook their heads. Pops only replied, “Shit.”
Rocky spoke up and said, “Well are we going to just stand here until someone comes out?”
An idea had already formed in Pops head while everything was happening. In a hurried fashion he showed the Crew the explosives still tied around his waist and told them he’d brought the explosives thinking they might be needed sometime on their mission. It was clear that Pops was now the leader as he filled the Crew in on his plan. Without one word being said the Crew scrambled and took up their positions. With a little rearranging the stage was set.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
Per the plan, Cowboy, Surfer and Tracker headed back to the motionless bodies of the guards and positioned them face down with Tracker in between. Cowboy and Surfer assumed the guards’ stance in front of the prone bodies hoping to fool anyone from the cadre or blue team who looked in their direction.
Pops, Rocky and Roadside slipped between the two buildings and were on watch when the training corporal came out of one of the buildings to check on the guards. As the corporal approached the backs of Cowboy and Surfer he remarked about the three prisoners lying face down on the ground, “What did you two do? No one gave you the word.”
Just then Cowboy turned around and said to the corporal, “Oops,” and butt stroked him with his weapon. The corporal was lifted an inch off the ground and then fell back to earth like a big sack of potatoes. Blood was pouring out of his mouth, eyes and ears as he lay on the ground. Cowboy bent down putting his fingers on the side of the corporal’s neck. He looked up and said, “One down.” He then pointed to three buildings and said, “From what I could see most of them were staying in those three buildings.”
Looking around the compound, Pops asked “Where are the rest?”
“They left in a jeep,” Surfer replied as he pointed back towards the pit.
Shaking his head and smirking Pops said, “Nooooo, so you mean they are on their way back to the punji pit?” Surfer just nodded his head yes. “Okay, then I suggest we get to work. We may not have much time.”
Pops figured that they were all professionals and could do what was needed. So like an old platoon sergeant, he started pointing to what needed to be done not telling any one person to do a particular job. He pointed to the two guards and the corporal on the ground and then to the empty building that Rocky had found earlier. It took only seconds to clean the area, returning it to a normal look.
All Pops said was, “Alpha, Bravo and Charlie,” and the guys split into the three teams and proceeded to their positions. Each team moved up to the front of one of the three buildings wondering if their prospective targets were inside. They crept to within a few feet of the front doors of the buildings looking to Pops and waiting for instructions. Pops looked around checking the area behind them. He looked back at the teams and held up his left hand, keeping his right hand on the weapon so it would be ready to fire. Pops looked at the teams and then at the door standing between him and his targets. He dropped his hand and the three teams burst through the doors of the three buildings at the very same millisecond.
Pops and Cowboy found themselves standing in front of the training captain and the first sergeant with no time to think. When they stormed in the captain and first sergeant had grabbed their weapons and swung them in the direction of Pops and Cowboy. Now all four men were in a standoff looking at each other. Neither side made a move towards the other. The first sergeant held up his free hand and said, “You two must be crazy. What in the hell are you going to do now?” Then he looked at the captain who shook his head. The first sergeant turned back toward Cowboy and said, “If you boys lay down your weapons now we won’t shoot, and with no one from the blue team left you know you’re going to be declared the winners.”
Appearing to ponder the first sergeant’s deal, Cowboy turned to Pops and said, “Well I’m willing to take a gamble, how about you?”
Pops scowled at Cowboy and answered, “Hell no!”
Cowboy continued with his acting routine, “Oh come on, they aren’t going to do anything to us. They already said they need five of us.”
Like thunder, a booming, cracking, ear-popping sound came from somewhere outside. All four flinched, their heads snapped towards the door and quickly back as they regained their composure and reestablished their aggressive confrontation in the small room.
Sounding conciliatory, Cowboy said to the men standing across from them, “Okay you lower your weapons and I’ll put mine down.” Without hesitation the captain and the first sergeant nodded their heads yes. Cowboy lowered his weapon from his shoulder and taking one more good look at the two men said, “Remember, I let you live.”
Cowboy laid his weapon on the table and turned to Pops and said, “Well we’ve got to start somewhere.”
Pops appeared very upset with Cowboy. As he passed behind Cowboy he said, “You better be right about this.” Walking over to the table but still watching the other two men, Pops slowly took his weapon from his shoulder and put it on the table. He continued looking in the direction of the captain and saw just what he expected. Both men did not lower their weapons and they remained pointed at the chest of he and Cowboy.
The first sergeant began laughing viciously and said, “I can’t believe you two with all your experience would be so damn dumb. You don’t deserve to live or even be a part of the new organization. Yea, all you older guys are out and we’re going to have the life now. We are getting
rid of all of you guys. You’re my first organization unofficial sanctioned mission.”
Cowboy looked at them and said, “Wait just one minute, I was going to let you live and this is how you’re going to repay me?” The captain and first sergeant started laughing again.
While they were in the middle of their laughing season, Pops reached back towards the weapons on the table. The two men jerked their weapons right at Pops and the first sergeant yelled at Pops, “What the hell are you doing? Are you in a hurry to die?”
Pops smiled at them and said, “No, I just need a break. Cowboy is going to handle my light work.” Then Pops nodded to Cowboy, “Whenever you’re ready.”
Cowboy with that big country boy grin reached out for his weapon. He said in a pissed off voice, “I can’t believe you were going to kill us. I was going to give you guys a break.”
Meanwhile Rocky and Roadside had burst through the doors of their assigned building and had found a room full of cadre sitting around drinking coffee and eating sandwiches. Rocky yelled out to Roadside, “This must be the new kindergarten class. Are you boys supposed to be doing something?”
Roadside said, “Okay stand up and all of you get over and put your faces against the wall. Go on, go on now. Just line up and put your whole body, nose, chest and toes up against that wall with your hands stretched straight up over your heads and flat on the wall.”
The men left their chairs and walked up to the wall taking their places just as they were told. Rocky stood back a little and counted them off out loud, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.” He paused in his count and turned to face Roadside, “Hell man there is a whole other team here. A whole team of know nothings.”
