by George West
The soldier stared into his eyes with hesitation while keeping his weapon raised. A moment later, the soldier lowered his weapon.
Chapter 14
Several kilometers from the harbor, Reaper team and the SF unit awaited the arrival of the Global Alliance troops. The meeting spot was an open grassy field with only one road in and one road out. The faint radiance of the lights from the G.A. naval fleet illuminated the sky. The rest of Reaper team had already HALO jumped near the target location and linked up with John Dawkins. However, John and Major Gandler were the only ones at the meeting spot. They sat together in an old Ford truck with the engine running. A compilation country music cassette played through the old speakers with continued static.
"Where the hell are these guys?" Major Gandler kept tapping his fingers on top of the steering wheel.
"Relax, they still have a couple of minutes," assured John.
The major pulled back the charging handle to his M4. "Do they really think that we are willing to give up the Icarus satellite for one person? They must know that this is an ambush."
John continued to scan the tree line with his night vision optics. "I have no idea, but we need to stay focused and take one of these guys alive. Kat's life depends on it."
"As much as a psycho that he is, I'm starting to think your brother was right. This is not going to work."
"Get your shit together, major. I see head lights coming down the road." John grabbed his radio. "This is Reaper 2. The wolves are inbound."
Minutes later, a convoy of armored trucks pulled up to the open field. There were at least seven vehicles parked at the opposite end of the tree line. G.A. soldiers started to exit their vehicles and John followed. He stepped out of the truck with a briefcase in his hand and his M4 slung around his chest. A group of soldiers walked towards the middle of the dark field while John mirrored their steps. Soon, John was within fifty feet of his enemy. The G.A. soldiers stopped in their tracks and so did he.
"I am Captain Peña. Do you have what you were instructed to bring?" questioned the G.A. officer.
John stared at his adversaries. There were at least ten soldiers peering right back at him. Their hands were already on the triggers to their AK-47s.
"Only if you brought what you were instructed to bring."
"She is in one our vehicles behind us. I will radio my men to bring her here once I have received the package and Thomas Landry," explained the officer.
John didn't believe a word that came out of the officer's mouth. "No way. We will make the trade at the same time. When you bring out the girl, then I’ll bring out Landry and the package," replied John.
"You are in no position to make demands. Give me the package and Landry, now, or I will kill your operative."
"Okay. Okay." John put his hand up in the air to signal for his men to bring out the package.
Major Gandler drove the truck towards the group of men gathered in the center of the field. Gandler stomped on the breaks right behind John. The G.A. soldiers raised their weapons at the truck as Major Gandler opened the car door. He brought the case over to John and handed it to him.
"Where is Landry?" questioned the officer.
"He's tied up in the back of the truck. I'll go get him."
"No, you two stay right there," ordered the officer.
He motioned for several of his men to grab Landry from the truck. The two soldiers approached the rear of the pickup and spotted something underneath a tarp in the bed of the vehicle. The soldiers glanced back at the officer and nodded for confirmation that they had Landry. The soldiers began to untie the ropes that held down the tarp.
"Now give me the package," demanded the officer.
John looked into the darkness that surrounded the field and tossed the briefcase next to the officer's feet. Captain Peña picked up the briefcase from the grassy field. The officer shot a glance at John and Gandler before opening it. Then, gunfire erupted from the rear of the truck.
Staff Sergeant Byron lay underneath the tarp. As the two soldiers pulled the tarp up, Byron was ready. His pistol was already aimed at the head of one of the soldiers before the tarp was uncovered. Byron pulled the trigger and neutralized the first soldier and swung his weapon towards the other side of the truck and fired several rounds at the other soldier.
As the gunfire erupted, the remaining soldiers raised their AK-47s at John and Major Gandler, but John had already taken the detonator from his pocket and pulled the trigger. The blasting cap ignited the Semtex killing every G.A. soldier near the blast.
John and Gandler sprinted back towards the truck, but Major Gandler fell to the ground after only several steps—he had taken a round to the leg. John threw Gandler over his shoulder and humped it back to their vehicle. On the opposite side of the field, G.A. soldiers began to return fire, but Byron was ready. The staff sergeant dropped a 40mm shell into his M320 grenade launcher and took aim at one of the armored vehicles. In less than a second, the explosive ordinance impacted the engine block and destroyed the armored vehicle. John stomped on the gas pedal and raced off away from the rest of the soldiers.
"That's the signal!" screamed Hunter.
Members of Reaper team and 5th Special Forces Group opened fire on the G.A. convoy from across the field. Hunter and the rest of Reaper team unleashed a barrage of bullets from a tree covered ridge. They were scattered across the ridge shooting M240s and SAWs. Hundreds of muzzle flashes lit up the darkness from the ridge. G.A. troops were immediately mowed down by gunfire. Eventually, the Global Alliance managed to unleash hundreds of rounds from their .50 caliber machine guns mounted on their armored vehicles. The G.A. soldiers didn't know where their adversaries were positioned, but they continued to unload bullets toward the ridge. Several members of Reaper team were hit by the returning blind fire.
"Someone take out those .50 cals!" ordered Hunter.
One of the SF guys lay prone on the ridge taking aim at the enemy. He pulled back the bolt to his M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle and loaded another cartridge into the chamber. The SF sniper peered down the night vision optic attached to his scope. The G.A. machine gunners continued to spray the ridge with blind fire. Several bullets impacted the dirt next to the sniper's position, but he ignored the impact of the projectiles. The SF sniper finally zeroed in on one of the machine gunners. He breathed slowly to lower his heart rate as he zeroed in on the machine gunner four hundred meters away. The sniper took one last breath and then exhaled as he pulled the trigger. He continued to peer down the scope after his shot and witnessed the machine gunner's body fold down into the armored vehicle.
Hunter heard the softening of the gunfire and knew one of the enemy machine gunners had been neutralized. "Let's keep hammering them!"
Several seconds after the SF sniper neutralized the first machine gunner; he peered down his scope at another enemy soldier unleashing rounds from a .50 cal.
The sniper's bullet impacted the head of the G.A. soldier, and he, too, folded back down into his vehicle. The enemy's heavy weapons had been neutralized while only a handful of enemy troops still breathed.
"Move up," ordered Hunter over the radio.
The members of Reaper team and the special forces unit descended down the rocky ridge advancing closer to the G.A. convoy.
John spotted a vehicle retreating down the road away from the gunfire. He turned the car towards the road and stepped on the gas pedal.
"Reaper 2, what's going on?" Byron remained in the bed of the truck with Major Gandler.
"We got a runner. We need him alive," yelled John.
John drove the truck past the G.A. soldiers who took cover from Hunter and the rest of the SF unit that advanced toward the decimated convoy, but several bullets hit the truck and shattered the glass. John ducked and took cover beneath the dashboard while still flooring the gas pedal.
"Fuck this!" screamed John as bullets whizzed pass his head.
The truck was soon out of range from the enemy gunfire, and he raced down the
dirt road in pursuit of the fleeing armored vehicle.
"I'm locked and loaded with a 40mm," announced Byron as he stood up in the bed of the truck taking aim at the vehicle they were pursuing.
"No! We need him alive," replied John.
The fleeing G.A. soldiers spotted the truck chasing them and attempted to stop them. A G.A. soldier stood up from inside the armored vehicle and jerked back the charging handle to the mounted .50 cal.
"Take that fucker out!" screamed John.
Staff Sergeant Byron raised his M4 and fired a burst of rounds at the soldier. Before the machine gunner had a chance to fire his weapon, Byron's rounds hit the soldier in the chest.
"Nice shot!"
The truck flew down the dirt road while its head lights bounced up and down as it drove over every bump. John knew that the men he was chasing would eventually lead them back to their base which would be filled with enemy combatants, ready to unleash Hell on him and every other man in the truck.
"Byron, can that M320 launch smoke shells?"
"That is a bold fucking move, Reaper 2. I like it!"
The staff sergeant aimed his grenade launcher in the air with one hand while holding on for dear life with the other as the truck continued to fly down the road. Byron didn't take aim at the vehicle they were pursuing; instead, he aimed far ahead of the armored vehicle.
The grenade launcher flung the smoke shell into the air and soared over the armored vehicle. A second later, the shell released a thick cloud of white phosphorus blinding the driver.
After witnessing the cloud of smoke ahead, John slammed on the breaks and Byron rolled over the top of the truck. The staff sergeant rolled down the front windshield and his body dropped off the hood, hitting the dirt. It took several seconds before Byron began to slowly pick himself off the ground.
"What the fuck was that for?"
John remained in the driver's seat with the engine still running. "Sorry, man, I thought you had a seat belt on."
Byron spit out a mouth-full of blood. "Why in the hell did you stop in the first place?"
"Because we would have crashed if I drove through that smoke screen. Trust me, those guys have probably wrapped that armored vehicle around a tree by now."
Byron jumped in the passenger seat of the car and they slowly drove down the road as the smoke dissipated.
"Jackpot."
John and the staff sergeant checked their weapons and approached the armored vehicle that had wrecked into a thick oak tree next to the dirt road. The front of the vehicle was smashed but the rear remained intact. John slightly opened the rear door to the vehicle while Byron tossed a concussion grenade inside. They opened the rear door and checked for hostiles. Two soldiers lay unconscious in the vehicle. John checked the pulse of the driver but shook his head at Byron.
The staff sergeant checked the pulse of the other unconscious soldier in the back of the vehicle. "We got a live one."
Byron got on the radio to let the rest of his unit know that they had captured an enemy soldier. "This is Bravo 2; we have a prisoner."
Suddenly, the unconscious soldier opened his eyes. John spotted the G.A. soldier and drew his weapon, but he knew that he couldn't shoot him. The soldier searched the vehicle for a weapon.
"Grenade!" John immediately shut the door to the armored vehicle.
The force of the blast knocked the hinges off the doors and threw John several feet from the blast. Byron rushed over to John, who lay unconscious under a door to the armored vehicle.
"Hey, wake up. Buddy, wake up!" said Byron as he lightly slapped John's face.
John eventually woke up and started to rub his head. His vision was still foggy. "What...What the hell happened?"
"You saved our asses. That's what happened," replied Byron.
John looked over at the destroyed armored vehicle. Everything came back to him. "The soldier!"
The staff sergeant put his hand against John's chest to keep him from getting up. "He's dead!"
"No! No, get off of me. We need him. Where is he?"
Chapter 15
"This is Reaper 1; I need that location."
Dawkins drove his dirt bike down an empty highway road towards the harbor. The road was void of any vehicles, and the highway lights hadn't worked since the invasion. Adam knew it was dangerous to use the paved roads, but he didn't have time to be cautious. He knew that the ambush had already happened and that the Global Alliance would have no further need for Katherine. He raced down the highway, praying that he wouldn't cross paths with a patrol.
"This is Reaper 1; I am 1 klick from the harbor. I need that location!" repeated Adam over the radio.
Dawkins didn't receive a reply—again. He continued down the highway until he spotted lights in the distance, illuminating the dark. He was approaching the enemy naval fleet and knew there would soon be a security check point. Adam found a road leading into a wooded area and took the offramp. After several minutes of soaring down the dirt road, Adam decided to continue his approach on foot.
He pulled over and threw some branches across his motorcycle to hide it from any patrols. Adam attached a pair of night vision goggles to his helmet and switched on the infrared laser mounted to the top of his M4. He closed his eyes and pictured Katherine and her smile. He reminisced on the joy she brought him. He could see her smile. That damn smile. A moment later, he opened his eyes and slowly made his approach towards the harbor. Adam scanned for any enemy combatants that might be lurking in the woods. After half an hour of navigating through the thick brush, he found a small hill that overlooked the harbor.
Adam peered out at the fleet of naval ships that were anchored in the port. Several destroyers and an aircraft carrier took the place that once held old shrimp boats and oil tankers. To the east of the enemy naval fleet were thirty container ships that carried supplies for the occupational force. The container ships were positioned next to several large cranes used to unload the containers from the ships. Somewhere among the shipping yard is the ship where Kat is held, Adam realized. He felt so close to her yet so far away. There were at least thirty ships she could be, and he still didn't know where she was.
"Reaper 1, come in, Reaper 1. I have the location," notified Clark Stevenson over the radio.
"Go ahead with the coordinates," replied Adam.
"There is a large amount of radio waves coming off one of the ships. It's the last container ship at the northeast corner of the shipping yard. Proceed with caution. I am picking up multiple heat signatures coming from the deck of that vessel," warned Clark.
"Roger that."
"Reaper 1, there’s one more thing... Our guys were unable to capture any of the hostiles," informed Clark.
There was continued static over the radio. Adam didn't know what to say. He froze after hearing this news. The Global Alliance would certainly kill Katherine now. Adam didn't respond. He pulled back the charging handle and made sure there was a round in the chamber to his M4 and started his descent.
***
"Ahhhhh. Please don...Ahhhhhh."
"Why do you continue to force me to hurt you, Kat? I don't want to do this to you."
Odin bent over and grabbed another bucket of water.
"Please, you don't have to do this. I swear I didn't contact anyone," pleaded Katherine as her body recovered from the jolts of electricity she had just received from her insubordination.
Odin tossed the bucket full of cold seawater onto Katherine's naked body. She was suspended in the air, her wrists bound to chains hanging from the ceiling.
"Now, now. Why do you continue to lie to me? I thought we had cultivated an honest relationship these past few weeks." The interrogator placed his hand under Katherine's chin to lift her face up so he could see her eyes.
Katherine spit into Odin's face. The man frowned at Katherine and lightly rubbed the saliva off his face and licked it with a brief smile of delight. Odin pressed the jumper cables against Katherine's stomach, watching her scream while her body s
hook uncontrollably. After Odin pulled away the jumper cables, Katherine's body appeared lifeless, suspended in the air. Burn marks covered her stomach and chest from weeks of electric torture. Drool poured out of her mouth and onto the cold steel floor.
Finally, Odin placed the jumper cables down and strolled over to a table at the other end of the room.
"Would you like a cup of tea? It's high with antioxidants."
The captor picked up a tea kettle made of fine china. The soothing sound of the hot water flowing into the teacup echoed throughout the room. Before he could take a sip, someone knocked on the door. Odin let out a grunt as he trudged over to the door.
"What do you want?"
The captain trembled as he stared up at the six-and-a-half-foot frame. "Um...you have a call from command." He slowly handed the satellite phone to Odin and kept his head down, staring at the floor. Odin quickly jerked the phone from the small captain's hand and slammed the door on the frightened captain.
Katherine was too fatigued to lift her head up to see what Odin was up to. She just hung from her chains and listened to Odin arguing with someone.
"This is ridiculous. She is my prisoner. I decide her fate!"
After abruptly hanging up the phone, Odin marched over to the tea kettle and slung it against the wall. Katherine jumped upon hearing the fine china shatter into a million pieces. Odin started to scream and flipped the table over that held his power tools.
After several minutes of silence, Odin eventually calmed himself down.
"I am so sorry, Kat. You and I must part ways for now. How dare they separate us."
Odin walked over to the pile of power tools that covered the floor and perused for a while. Finally, he picked up a power drill and crept towards Katherine. He pulled the trigger and the drill started to rotate at a high speed. Katherine was too frightened to pick her head up. She knew what was about to happen.
"Now, now, my dear. We will meet again. Don't worry."