SAS Para-Ops: MEGA SET - SAS Para-Ops Books #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 & #6

by Casey Christie

  “Copy, boss. I’m sending Pink and Blue.”

  “Copy.”

  Leeson had reached Taylor and was trying to communicate with him but the captain was unresponsive and just kept on rocking himself back and forth, crying.

  Some moments later and the other two mercenaries sent down by Sahara had reached the chamber and were helping Kalahari and Lightfoot get the four victims off their crosses and cleaned up as best as possible. Still unconscious, they were placed on the floor against the wall and the rescuers focused their attention on the Captain who was still sobbing in the corner.

  Leeson brought him to his feet but had to hold him upright and the man was still unresponsive, his eyes were glazed over and he stared into the middle distance.

  “Now, gentlemen, we have to leave” said Kalahari. “Pink and Blue, you take that big fucking oke over there and get him to the top” pointing to 6 foot 2 Andrews. “I’ll take this guy” gesturing to Sniper Lee and “Leeson, Lightfoot, you guys get the Captain. We leave now.”

  “Wait! What about the Kurds, we can’t just fucking leave them!” said Leeson.

  “We don’t have a choice and the girl’s dead.”

  “We’re not leaving them” said Leeson.

  Pink and Blue had Andrews between them and were already making their way out the door and up the stairwell.

  “Look, man, you want to drag a dead mutilated body back and then carry the other guy over your shoulders? Then how will you get the Captain out, he’s in no condition to walk. And if you do you will put us all at risk. I will not spare another gun to help the walking dead because then that’s what we will fucking become! We need hands and guns free in case the sick fucks who have done this to them decide to come and take us on.”

  Kalahari then moved towards Henry Lee to pick him up and get him out but before he could Leeson darted across the room, leaving Lightfoot to catch and steady Taylor, and grabbed the mercenary commander by the shoulder. “You were always going to leave them behind weren’t you, you fucking sick money loving bastard!”

  Kalahari turned and looked Leeson in the eyes. “I’m a soldier, just like you and I’m following orders, to the fucking letter, just like you. And this my friend is about Survival, Survival of the fittest and Survival of the living – she is dead and he is on the verge of dying. So what to do then, hey? Put all our lives at risk to save a carcass and a half dead man. No, we leave now!” Kalahari who for the first time looked genuinely emotional to Leeson then turned away from him.

  Leeson knew he was right and would argue no further even though he knew the girl was the lover of Mark Andrews. Leeson suspected Kalahari knew as well. He must have known.

  Suddenly Taylor became aware, shouting: “They knew! They knew you were coming, they knew, they knew you were coming to get us, they knew!” shouted Taylor “They fucking knew, they knew you were coming! They knew! They fucking knew!”

  Kalahari checked his watch. “Time to go! Now! And shut him up please!”

  With much regret Lightfoot hit Captain Taylor on the back of the head knocking him safely unconscious and then placed him over his shoulders and began to walk with ease.

  “Fuck but you SAS guys are dangerous and strong hey, now can we finally get out of this hell pit!”

  Kalahari carrying Sniper Lee, Leeson and Lightfoot carrying Taylor met Sahara and his colours at the entrance of the chamber with Pink and Blue with a still unconscious Andrews carried between them. They made their way through the blasted hole in the wall and were 10 minutes into their hike back up the mountainside. The only words said over the radio network to Braddock and his team confirmed that they were about to be in position at the pick up point.

  “Boss, can we change this oke he’s fucking heavy, man” said Pink.

  “Ya, let’s take two minutes and swap duties. Blackey and Whitey take the big guy from Pink and Blue. Sahara, come grab, Lee, here. You two want to swap?” said Kalahari to Leeson and Lightfoot.

  Lightfoot simply shook his head and continued walking. Leeson said: “He’s fine.”

  After a few adjustments to kit, weapons and formation the men began walking again.

  Pink removed his ballistics mask and wiped a considerable amount of sweat away from his forehead.

  “Fokken hell, is that oke like your brother or something Sahara, he’s built like a fokken tree!”

  Sahara turned to face Pink and tell him to be quiet and march in silence when a warm liquid splashed across his ballistics mask and onto the back of his neck. Sahara looked at Pink’s face but instead of looking at it he looked through it via the new hole in its place, Pink’s body went limp and collapsed to the floor.

  “SNIPER! FIND COVER!” shouted Sahara and all the men immediately fell to the floor.

  Within seconds the team had crawled behind the safety of a large protruding rock.

  “Direction?” asked Kalahari.

  “Negative. I only saw the impact.”

  “I didn’t hear a thing” said Leeson.

  “Muzzle flash?” said Kalahari.

  “Negative, nothing.”

  “Bravo One come in for Kilo One”

  “Send for Bravo One.”

  “Contact! Sniper fire, one casualty. Please provide counter fire ASAP!”

  “Roger that, do you have cover and what’s your location?”

  “We do and we’re about half way up, 10 mikes out.”

  “Roger that, we’re at pick up but will move to a closer position to provide counter sniper fire. Sit tight until we’re in position. Give us 5 mikes!”

  Just then a muffled sound could be heard and Pink’s body that lay in the open about 12 feet from the rest of the team shook from the impact of another round landing in his torso. Then another and another.

  Taking the bait Blue shot to his feet and started shouting “You fucking bastards, that’s my fucking brother” and began firing wildly in different directions. It took only a moment for the unseen sniper to zero in on him and a round made impact with his head. He fell to the floor and Sahara pulled the man back into cover and examined him. “He’s out but still alive, the ballistics mask saved his life. But he’ll have one helluva headache when he wakes up and more than likely a fracture or two.”

  A few more minutes passed in silence when the comms network came to life once more

  “Kilo One, Bravo One”

  “Send”

  “We’re in position and scanning. Sit tight.”

  “Copy that.”

  “We’re fucking pinned here until they find that fucking sniper, hey” said Sahara.

  “No shit, boet!” said Kalahari.

  Minutes of uneasy silence passed until something whistled and then whistled again. It took a moment for the men to realise it was a ring tone for a mobile phone. They then traced the sound to be coming from the pants of the unconscious Captain Taylor. Kalahari reached in and produced an old slim Nokia. Somebody was calling the phone and the name on the caller ID was “Abdullah.” Kalahari gave the phone to Leeson and said “I think it’s for you”

  Leeson hit the answer button and put the phone to his ear but didn’t speak. No more than a minute later he ended the call.

  “Who the fuck was it?” said Sahara.

  “The man who betrayed Taylor and his team. The man with the sniper who just killed Pink and who just shot Blue.”

  “What the fuck did he say, hey?!”

  “He said he’s letting us go, he said that was always his plan but just wanted to remind us that our lives are in his hands. And that he wanted us to find the hostages, alive, the way we did. He said he wants us to go back to England and that he’s coming” said Leeson who then stood up and began to look around. Slowly the other men stood up as well but not staying out of cover for too long. Kalahari walked over to Leeson and put an arm on his shoulder. “What else, what else did he say?

  “He said they have a sleeping army in Europe now since the refugee ‘crisis’. And then he paused and laughed and then said tw
o more words before ending the call: ‘Chapter Nine.’ ”

  EPILOGUE

  Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. Midday.

  Colonel Brow, General Khan and Major Braddock sat uncomfortably in a hot and poorly ventilated corner office of the Turkish Airbase primarily used by The United States and Turkish Air Forces although also used by the Royal Air Force and Saudi Arabia. The base, much like Colonel Brow’s previous command was running on a skeleton complement of US and UK servicemen after the Pentagon had ordered nearly 700 family members and personnel off the base and out of the country due to the recent security concerns in Turkey.

  The task force’s journey to Incirlik Airbase the previous night had been without any further contact from the enemy, seen or unseen. Braddock and his sniper element had linked up with the men shortly after the ominous phone call. They had travelled via motor vehicles 40 miles south where they had linked up with a medical response team, accompanied by a small US military escort, sent from Incirlik. Kalahari and his men, including the injured man and the body of the dead colour, had left the team at this point using Braddock’s vehicles, to return to the Kurdish held training compound, where he had promised he would pass on the information about the death and whereabouts of their Kurdish comrades. Kalahari was certain that they would then launch a recovery mission of their own.

  “Back to South Africa for me though, for now. Some sun and sea in Cape Town I think. Gentlemen, until the next time” the mercenary commander had said before giving Braddock a calling card with just a phone number on it. “In case we can be of service in the future” he said with a wink and a smile before they drove off into the night.

  The rescued, injured men of Captain Taylor’s SAS Para-Ops Team were currently under the care and supervision of the 39th Medical Group in the Air Bases Medical Wing. It was thought that all would make a complete recovery, physically at least. Their mental health was another matter and was the main focus of the commander’s late morning conversation which was now coming to a close.

  “So from what I understand you’re taking command of the SAS Para-Ops Team, Major?” said Brow.

  “For the moment, yes, and only until Captain Taylor makes a full recovery.”

  “So what’s next for the team then, its manpower is depleted and morale even more so?”

  “Captain Taylor is to fly back to England and use his team to create a quick reaction force primarily focused on anti-terrorism. I will continue with this mandate. The papers transferring Staff Sergeant’s Lightfoot and Leeson into the team are being processed as we speak.”

  The Major spoke with confidence but neither Brow nor Bull were convinced. Most small and highly specialised units never recovered after an ordeal like this. Most were disbanded and the surviving men integrated into other larger squads throughout the military.

  “What about you, Bull?” said Brow.

  “Back to Iraq for me, a vipers’ nest has been stirred there and I’m needed, an American SEAL has just been killed during a prolonged fire fight with the Islamic State. Speaking of which, I must now take my leave, gentlemen” said the large General who then stood and shook hands warmly with both his peers before leaving the room without another word said. The door closed quietly behind him as he made to leave Turkish soil and return to the blood-drenched earth of Iraq.

  “Your plans, Colonel?” said Brow.

  The Colonel leaned back in his chair and folded his arms before replying: “That is not so certain. I’ve been summoned. Tough questions are going to be asked of me and I’m not so sure how I am going to be able to answer them completely truthfully. Though, the truth be told I’m looking forward to leaving this hell hole and setting foot once more on good ol’ American soil and then, well after that, who knows?”

  Major Braddock reached into his old leather jacket and produced a silver flask of whisky and poured a healthy amount into two paper cups. The whisky was as warm as the room.

  “To the future” said Braddock warily.

  “To the future” replied Brow, neither of the men toasting or drinking very enthusiastically.

  The future of the SAS Para-Ops Team was at its most uncertain but as much as Braddock worried about Taylor and his men, he worried more about the threat now facing his Island, a threat to the survival of the England he knew as a young lad and the survival of the SAS Para-Ops Force he now commanded.

  *****

  In his hospital bed where Mark Andrews was making a slow and painful recovery from the sadistic treatment he had received, his body was numbed by drugs but his mind was in turmoil.

  He had relived every second of those terrible moments of torture and terror, moments when he had wept in abject fear and shame at his own weakness.

  And in the process he had achieved a clinical detachment. He saw the tipping point, when Abdullah Invaded his mind, overcoming his defences. He knew why the invader had succeeded—it was because the unremitting pain had reduced his physical form to a passive, quivering jelly. And his mind, his most powerful resource, was fractured by his own sense of self-disgust.

  He knew that if he had been his normal, confident and physically functioning self he could have mastered the contemptible invader.

  And as that realisation struck home, Mark Andrews became seized by one ambition---vengeance.

  He would bring his body back to full operational efficiency. He would hone his mind like a scalpel. He would develop his telepathic ability to its ultimate level. And he would seek out the evil heart of the Islamic State and dismember it, starting with Abdullah.

  Mark Andrews filled his mind with his new mantra: I am coming for you. I am coming for you. I am coming for you.

  The End

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  Thank you for reading the SAS Para-Ops MEGA SET. If you enjoyed the series and want more please do remember to leave a short review on amazon.

  Also available on amazon and by the same author: NIGHT by Casey Christie