Unleashed

by Patrick McLaughlin

  Chapter 15

  Blood coated the walls and body parts were strewn throughout the two huts. The Sentient images had continued to flow during the assault and Langley used the data to report El Sharrad’s movements. They informed Craig his target had moved from the buildings almost to the second the bullets tore through the walls; he was nearby and yes, still alive and stationary. Craig had the men secure the area and remove any possible remaining threats, and then they focused on El Sharrad. Craig hated to admit it, but the rush from the killing felt good. He felt pretty damn sure his counterparts on this op felt the same way.

  “Craig, he’s gone. Have they delivered his coordinates?” one Special Forces sergeant asked.

  “Yes, leave one team here and follow me!”

  These cowards, Craig thought. Just like Osama bin Laden and all al-Qaeda leaders, they allow others to do their killing or commit suicide for the jihad. THEY don't see it as suicide at all, but as their ONLY absolutely guaranteed way of entry into Paradise. They would know suicide is haraam, or sinful and banned by the Qur’an, so there is no chance whatsoever they have this perception. They’ve been convinced that as long as an enemy of Islam is the target, then they are a loyal martyr for Islam. The people who present this reasoning are very convincing to the followers, who are usually illiterate, poor and in a state of social or economic suffering. Idiots, even the religious leaders break the sixteenth sin of the Qur’an: A leader's deceiving his people and being unjust to them. They lead through deceit, have no honor and, without honor, they will lose here on earth and in the afterlife. Like bin Laden.

  Aware his UAV was still above him and would have to land in minutes due to depleted power levels, Craig called in, “Langley, one more location and then bring her down on the pad of the truck. I have the GPS beacon transmitting.”

  “Yes, sir, you’re heading in the right direction, wait, you must be next to him. Can you see him?”

  Craig and the others surveyed in every direction, but no sign of a living being.

  “Holy shit, wait!” Craig yelled to the team. “Here, now, all of you!”

  They ran to Craig’s position and he directed them, “Take your rifle butts or boots, start pounding here…and here.” They all immediately started to smash the stocks of their weapons down into the earth. Two of the biggest soldiers jumped up and down when suddenly a massive hole opened and engulfed them. They landed nine feet below hard onto their sides and when Craig peered down into the opening, he could see the face of El Sharrad, angry and defiant with his body covered by the rocks and dirt which had caved in around him. Unable to lift his gun from the rubble and arms pinned down by one of the soldiers, El Sharrad was helpless and now their captive, yet his gaze remained defiant.

  “All your men are dead; you are alone. You will tell us everything,” Craig warned El Sharrad.

  Craig’s directive, beginning to end, was clear. NSA had intercepted chatter three months ago about a terrorist plan to detonate a bomb at a major U.S. sporting event, which would be even more disastrous in scope and detrimental towards national moral than any other prior attack, perhaps even 9/11. They were confident it was a viable threat, but which sport and city they could not distinguish. The communications babble was continual, and they finally determined the attack was expected in the December to January timeframe, which meant basketball, hockey or football. All those stadiums, all those spectators — an attack in one of these venues could be catastrophic, with deaths in the tens of thousands. All the other intelligence was too generic, not even code. They simply avoided any specific references about location so it was indeterminable on their strike location. The intelligence experts stated it was likely the terrorists had decided months or years ago and the identity of the facility was never spoken across traceable electronic communications.

  Craig had killed many men to save hundreds, but the weight of this mission was far different. Watching as they finished digging El Sharrad out from under the dirt and applying zip ties to his hands and feet, Craig knew it was up to him to get El Sharrad to talk. Talk or tens of thousands would die.