by Eric Meyer
“Boss, I hear engines,” Guy murmured. “It sounds like they’re headed toward us.”
He stopped and listened. It was the high-pitched sound of jeep or light truck engines, and the lower, diesel throb of something bigger, probably an APC, or a tank.
“Everyone stay out of sight. I want spotters out front and back. Vince, Jerry, climb those dunes. Try and pinpoint those guys and find out what they’re up to. What the hell are they doing out here at this time of night?”
Domenico looked at him. “There’s always the obvious reason.”
“They knew we were coming? No, that’s impossible. How the hell could they know that?”
“Because someone told them, my friend. It seems the devils are here.”
“A traitor? I doubt it. This is super-secret, need to know.”
His earpiece clicked. “Echo One, this is Five, we have several vehicles in sight, making their way over the sand. They’re a couple of dunes away from our OP. If they hold their position, they’ll head away from us. A jeep, three truckloads of infantry, and a tracked APC, looks like one of those old Soviet BMPs.”
“Copy that.”
He looked around. The men had gone to ground, and unless someone was searching for them, there was no way they’d be found.
But what if they are searching for us? Or is it just a sweep for smugglers?
“Roy, Virgil, prepare the Minimis. I don’t think we’ll need them, but I’d like to be sure.”
“Copy that.”
He saw the two men climb up out of the sand and remove the machine guns from their canvas bags. They unfolded the bipod legs, each loaded a mag, and within a minute, they were ready to fire. They used their camo nets to cover them, and when they lay down, they were little more than a natural feature of the desert. He remembered the Iranians would almost certainly have NV gear.
“They’re going past, Echo One. No, wait, the jeep, it’s turned toward us.”
In the desert, sound traveled a long way, and it wasn’t difficult to make out the different noises. The diesel engine of the BMP, the squeak and clatter of the tracks, the engines of the infantry transports, almost inaudible behind the roar of the armored vehicle. And the sharper, higher pitched noise of the jeep’s gas engine as it plowed across the soft sand.
“Echo One, that jeep, it’s definitely headed toward us. Four men inside, looks like the driver, an officer and two infantrymen.”
“Copy that. Snipers, are you on them?”
“Echo Five, ready.”
“Echo Six, ready.”
“Copy that. Hold your fire. Let’s hope they roll straight past us. Machine gunners do not shoot until I give the order, not on any account.”
He could hear the noise of the jeep, louder as it drew nearer, and the engines of the rest of the vehicles growing quieter as they moved further away. Then the jeep burst out in front of them. It crested the dune nearest them and stopped. They froze, waiting. The soldiers and the officer climbed out, only the driver stayed in the vehicle. The officer, Talley could see he was a captain, began quartering the area with his own night vision binoculars. Talley hoped they were as crap as people said they were. His men were searching too, walking along either side of him, prodding the sand, as if looking for something concealed.
“What do you think?” Guy asked him.
“They’re searching for something. Could be rebels, smugglers, deserters, who knows?”
“Or us.”
“Yes, there’s that. Us.”
They heard a shout. One of the infantrymen had discovered something. The officer walked over and bent down to examine it.
“Fuck it,” Guy swore. “One of our guys left boot prints in the sand.”
“Damn. They were supposed to cover their tracks.”
The SAS man shrugged. “We all make mistakes, Boss.”
“Mistakes get people killed. Now we’ll have to take them.”
“At least it’ll be less to fight in the future.”
“We’re not here to fight, Guy. We’re here to take down a bunch of renegade lunatics who want to make Iran a nuclear power, not to take on the Iranian Army.”
“What about Ahmadinejad? He could become a target if we find he’s involved.”
“If he proves to be one of this group, he goes down too, but I doubt he is involved.” He called up Vince. “Bravo Five, we’re going to have to take them.”
“We’re ready to take all four, on your order, Boss,” Vince acknowledged “What about the jeep? They’ll wonder who killed them.”
“You’re right. Hold on.” He looked around for Buchmann. “Heinrich, could you rig something to look like an IED?”
The German chuckled quietly. “Ja, give these people a taste of their own medicine. I can do that.”
“Get your explosives ready. We’ll pile the bodies in the jeep and rig it to look like a rebel ambush. They’ll never know the difference.”
“Boss, they’ll find the bullet holes, sooner or later,” Guy objected.
“Right, and it’ll take ‘em time to conduct an autopsy. If we’re still in country when they’re done, we may as well put up our hands and surrender. I want…”
“Bravo One, this is Six, one them has disappeared.”
Damn! We don’t need a wild card blundering into our position.
“This is One, anyone see that trooper? Jerry just reported he lost sight of him.”
“This is Five. He disappeared into a fold in the ground between two dunes. By my reckoning, he’s coming toward you.”
“I’ll take him,” Guy murmured. Before Talley could answer, he took out his huge combat knife, put down his assault rifle, and started to crawl forward into the dunes. Within seconds, he’d disappeared out of sight of even their night vision gear, swallowed up by the timeless ocean of sand.
“Bravo Five and Six, listen up. Guy is out there hunting that guy. Keep a bead on the other three, and don’t lose them. I don’t want you to shoot, not yet. It would alert the missing soldier. But if you have to, if they look like they’re wandering away from your line of fire, take them down. And if any of them look like using a radio, take them down. We can’t afford to have any floaters, not with that armor in the area. Clear?”
“Copy that.”
They waited, and he watched the remaining soldiers continue their search. The driver of the jeep had dismounted now to help his comrades, and the three men were following the boot prints that led directly to their position, and toward where he knew Guy must be stalking the fourth man. It was going to be tight. He keyed his mike.
“This is…”
He didn’t finish. The sand fifty meters in front of him erupted in movement as a soldier catapulted to his feet, unslinging his assault rifle to open fire. He never stood a chance. A dark shape leapt up beside him, like a charging panther. Guy dragged his prey down to the sand, with one hand fastened over his mouth to prevent him shouting, and the other on the Iranian’s hand that was trying to work the trigger. He ripped the man’s fingers out of the trigger guard and bent his body over double. Talley heard a muted, agonized squeak as Guy broke the man’s fingers; a squeak that was cut off as the Brit switched his grip to the man’s neck, and brought up his knee to hammer it into his groin. Another muted gasp of agony carried across the dunes before Guy freed one hand, pulled his combat knife from his belt, and slashed once across the man’s neck. The loudest sound that reached Talley and his men was the sigh of air escaping from his ruined throat. It also reached the officer and two men who were still out searching the dunes a short distance off. The three Iranians stopped, listening. He gave the order.
“Take them, now.”
The sound was soft, just a few quiet, sound suppressed shots from the AWMs, but it was enough. The three Iranians went down, tossed to the dark sands like rag dolls by the impact of the .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rounds.
“That’s it, get those bodies and throw them into the jeep. Heinrich, rig that IED. You’ll need a timer. Make it thir
ty minutes. That’ll give us time to get away. Guy, are you okay?”
The Brit materialized out of the night, right next to him. “I’m fine.”
“Go with the men and make sure there’re no visible bloodstains. It shouldn’t to too difficult. The NV gear shows up blood pretty well. When the IED explodes, they’ll swarm around like flies on a jam pot.”
He noted the smears of blood on the Brit’s camo gear. It showed up as a dark smear that stood out clearly from the rest of the confusing Multicam pattern.
Thank Christ he’s on our side!
“I’ll backtrack now,” he replied, “and make sure it’s wiped clean.”
Guy waded back through the sand, and Talley went up to the top of the nearest dune and scanned around. The Iranian column had disappeared, which in the desert could mean they were anything from five to fifty klicks away. There was nothing near, nothing he could see. In the distance, he could make out the wink of navigation lights from a low flying aircraft, but they were at least twenty kilometers away, so it was no threat. Satisfied, he walked across to the Iranian jeep. The four bodies were already piled inside, and Buchmann was lying on the ground, setting the fuse and detonator to his explosives underneath the chassis. He quickly crawled out and got to his feet.
“Everything is ready. As soon as you say the word, I’ll start the timer.”
“Do it now.”
He took a last look around, but it was still clear.
A pity the soldiers died for almost no reason, but maybe they should have voted for a different President.
“Let’s go.”
They went swiftly across the desert without encountering any further opposition. Talley had called a brief halt when the explosives detonated, but there was no sign the Iranians had any suspicions about how their men had met their end. The back trail remained clear. They reached the outskirts of the dig, and Domenico went forward with Vince to check out the encampment. It was clear, and to one side they saw a group of four tents pitched and pegged out on the sand that Talley knew had been earmarked for his unit. They were white canvas, a color intended to reflect the sun’s rays and stave off the worst of the heat. The point men checked them out, going from tent to tent, and called it in.
“Echo One, this is Three. We’re clear in here. There’s no one about.”
“No sign of Wenstrom? He was supposed to be waiting for us.”
“Nothing at all. He’s not here. There’s nobody.”
Talley knew he would have done that deliberately. He was that kind of guy.
“Understood. We’ll have to take a chance and occupy the tents. We can’t stay out in the open when it gets light. Let’s move in, men. At least we can get some sleep.”
They reached the tents and Talley called them together.
“I want one man from each tent to stand watch. We’ll take two hours each. Split up, I’ll take the tent nearest the camp. Guy, you take the next, Domenico and Jerry, take the end two, five men to each tent. We’ll set up the Minimis to cover the approaches at each end. Stay sharp, but try and get some rest. We’ll be moving out tonight, and remember, during the hours of daylight wear your civilian gear. You’re supposed to be graduate students, not hired killers.”
Hired killers, assassins, it reminds me of Kay’s view of my work. Maybe she’d prefer wearing a burqa!
He watched as they disappeared under the canvas.
“Domenico, that Minimi in your tent. I can see the barrel poking out through the front canvas. It needs to be hidden. Put something over it.”
“Copy that.”
“And make sure the sentries wear civvies. If they catch sight of an armored vest and a Kevlar helmet, these folks will have kittens.”
He made sure they all understood, kicked off his boots and helmet, and lowered himself on his cot. Almost immediately he fell asleep, despite the closeness of his enemies. When he awoke, he was momentarily confused.
Where am I? Oh yeah, Iran.
But it was the sound of motor vehicles that had awoken him. He peered out of the canvas flaps of his tent, looking toward the dig. Outside, it was a bright, sunlit dawn. Vehicles had just appeared, military vehicles, two trucks and both carrying troops.
They must be carrying an entire platoon. And an armored car, fuck!
He whispered into his mike.
“This is Echo One. Heads up, the Iranian Army is here!”
“What do you want us to do?” Guy replied almost instantly. His voice was icily calm. “We can take them, but it will have to be quick.”
“And the mission would be over. No, make sure everyone is in civilian clothes. Let’s try and bluff this one out.”
“Copy that.”
He looked again at the armored car. The turret had revolved, and the gun was pointing at them. The troops had dismounted, formed up, and started to advance toward their tents.
So there’ll be no working it out, no bluff.
He heard the rear tent flap open, and Domenico Rovere slipped inside.
“Boss, you’ve seen them? They’re heading straight for us. They know we’re here.”
“Yeah.”
“What do we do?”
“We’ll handle it, Dom. Then we go find this Arash and boil his ass.”
Chapter Four
He watched the Iranians move at a slow, relentless pace across the narrow strip of sand.
We have two minutes, no more. I have to decide. If we fight, the mission is over. If we let them come on, the mission is over. Which do we do?
“Boss, one of the archaeologists is here.”
He looked around. Anika, Doctor Frost, had slipped inside the tent. She looked as lovely as he remembered her from Brussels, even in her working gear, khaki shorts and shirt, sandals, and a bush hat on her head.
“Anika! You’ve seen them coming? I’d get out of here if I were you. This may get ugly.”
“Abe, there’s a way out. I came to tell you. I had the tents positioned close to a qanat, and it’s right behind your tent. Come with me. They’re nearly here. Get the rest of your unit moving right away, and make sure they stay out of sight. You’ll have to take your military gear with you. If they see that, you’re finished.”
“But…”
"Abe! Just do it, there’s no time.”
He nodded and clicked his mike. “This is Echo One. I want all of you to come to the rear of my tent. Don’t let them see you, and bring your weapons and equipment. Only leave civilian gear. Move it, we only have seconds before they see us!”
“Let’s go,” she ordered as he finished speaking. It was a different Anika, tough and in command. Not the soft, sensuous lover he’d known in Brussels.
Who is she?
He followed her out, and Domenico came behind him with the men who’d shared his tent. Other troopers were crawling out from their tents, keeping the canvas structures between them and the Iranians. Anika pulled aside a sheet of ply board, underneath was a row of timber planks.
“This used to be a well. There’s an old qanat under here. It’s dry right now, so you can hide down there, and I’ll cover it up. Hurry!”
As if in a dream, or more likely a nightmare, Talley responded fast. He and Domenico ripped the boards aside. There was a square opening with a ladder leading down, a new ladder.
How come? How did she know we’d need this?
“What’s this all about, Anika?”
“Later! Get in there. They’re nearly here.”
They threw themselves down the ladder. The shaft was about six meters deep, and at the bottom, they saw a low tunnel that ended after a couple of meters. It was a tight squeeze for twenty men and the gear, and some had to cling to the ladder. The shaft went dark as Anika threw the boards over the entrance. All they could do was wait.
“Who’s up there on the ladder?” he murmured quietly.
“I’m at the top. It’s me, Roy.”
“Good. Someone pass him up a Minimi. If those boards are removed, and you see Iranian soldier
s looking down at us, blast them.”
“Copy that. Who has the Minimi?”
“Coming up, the clip is loaded ready.” Guy gave it to the man at the foot of the ladder, and they passed it from hand to hand until it reached Reynolds. He positioned it ready for use.”
“If they try anything, a few grenades would quiet them down,” Guy suggested.
“You’re right. Who’s carrying an HK 416 with a launcher?”
“It’s in the gear bag, Boss.” He recognized the voice of Virgil Kane. "I’ll find it right away.”
“Yeah, do that, and pass it up to the man behind Roy.”
“Buchmann here, Boss. That’d be me.”
“Very well, Heinrich. If Roy starts shooting, I want you to send out four grenades, one for each quadrant. Enough to catch any troops clustered around the shaft.”
“Jawohl, Herr Leutnant.”
Talley grinned. It was a measure of the tension they were under. Buchmann showed it by reverting to his native German.
We all know what he means, so what the hell?
They waited for an hour. They couldn’t see or hear anything outside the shaft, and Talley felt his nerves stretched to breaking point, knowing there was a heavily armed enemy force just meters away. Then they heard the sound of the boards being removed.