by J A Heaton
“The men investigating the ambush,” Daniel began, “have they found anything in Reza’s wrecked limo that is helpful?”
“There is no James Bond type crap in there,” Jones said, “if that’s what you’re wondering. The limo was clean and empty. They had extra ammunition for the bodyguards, a thermos of hot tea, some teacups, a case with a change of clothes for the diplomat, and that’s about it. And yes, we checked the case for secret compartments, and there’s nothing there. It seems like the Iranian diplomat really came to Mazar-i-Sharif on a diplomatic mission.”
“Princess Leia, my ass,” Rex scoffed.
“We did recover one of the injured ambushers,” General Jones said. “He’s unconscious now, but maybe he can tell us something once he wakes. Other than that, we’re stuck.”
“There are too many coincidences,” Daniel said. “We know that we did not attack Reza and that Qaqramon wouldn’t attack his buyer. I have a hard time believing some other warlord just so happened to be in the right place at the right time to attack.”
“I agree,” Jones said. “That is one hell of a coincidence. But one thing I’ve learned in war is that sometimes there are coincidences. It just never seems to be in your favor.”
“Before the ambush, we also drove past Nigora’s brother’s apartment,” Daniel said. “We didn’t stop, but going by Oybek’s apartment is another major coincidence.”
“But we didn’t see Oybek or even slow down,” Rex observed. “Another damned coincidence. Maybe one of the other warlords who was at the spring was feeling lucky and doesn’t want Qaqramon to succeed, so he attacked.”
The three men sat in disturbed silence for several moments, none of them able to decipher if any, or some, of these coincidences were connected.
“Often in war,” General Jones said, “if not always in war, decisions are made with incomplete information. This is one of those instances. We need to admit we don’t know why Reza drove by Oybek’s apartment and was ambushed. But that doesn’t change the fact we need to act on the likelihood the exchange will take place in Qaqramon’s village, probably tomorrow.”
“I agree that Qaqramon’s village is the best bet for the exchange,” Daniel said.
“Coincidences or not, I’ll need to get into position with my men,” Rex said. “We can get in place tonight under cover of darkness, wait, and if there’s activity indicative of an exchange, intervene.”
Before Daniel could argue his case to go with Rex to Qaqramon’s village, General Jones told Daniel, “I agree with Rex that you shouldn’t be in the field on that type of mission. Especially if you act rashly by causing collisions and jumping out of vehicles. That will get more Americans killed.”
Daniel bit his lip, knowing Jones wasn’t going to change his mind.
“There’s an optional meeting with the source tomorrow,” Jones reminded Daniel. “You should be there instead. If she shows up, she might have last-minute intel we desperately need.”
Daniel reluctantly nodded his head in agreement, consoling himself with the idea he might see Nigora. He wondered if it was significant that the ambush happened after they drove past Oybek’s apartment, but then a uniformed man from the communications tent interrupted with a message for Daniel.
“CIA wants to talk with Daniel in the comms tent.”
“Great to see you, Daniel,” Jenny said in her typically bubbly voice. “I don’t think I need to say it, but you look like hell.”
“Thanks,” Daniel said.
“You’re probably wondering why I am up at this hour,” Jenny said, “but this job you got me is just so incredibly fascinating.”
“I’m glad that you’ve found a good niche.”
“I do have some bad news, though,” Jenny continued. Before Daniel could ask, she continued. “The animal shelter won’t let me have the dog either. Can you believe that? Since I got this new job, I hardly have any time to be at home, so they won’t place the dog with me.”
Daniel had forgotten about the puppy.
“I also saw your mom and talked with her,” Jenny added.
“What did you guys talk about?” Daniel asked.
“Well, I certainly did not say anything about Nigora,” Jenny said. “She’s not just your infatuation now, she’s top-secret stuff.”
“Ha-ha,” Daniel said, deadpan. “So, why did you call? Did you have questions about translation?”
“Now that I’ve had more time,” Jenny said, “I was able to match some of the voices from the spring with known terrorists that we’ve flagged in other countries. But then again, we already knew that everybody at this meeting was a bad guy, so it’s not so helpful. Nobody let slip where the nuke actually is, even though I think only Qaqramon and Aziz know, anyway.”
“The way forward is so uncertain,” Daniel said. “There are too many coincidences that don’t make sense. It seems we should be able to simply get rid of Qaqramon and Reza, and yet here we are. We’re on the verge of the Iranians getting a nuke right out from under our noses.”
“Even if you killed Qaqramon and Reza—” Jenny started.
“I know. There would still be a nuke out there for the taking,” Daniel said.
“Maybe Nigora knows something,” Jenny suggested. “Do you have a meeting with her soon?”
“Yeah. Tomorrow morning, if she shows.”
“Send me the recording of that right away to analyze. I just got a bad feeling about her. I don’t trust her. She’s so close to Qaqramon, and what she said about the car bomb. Do you know for sure her brother is alive and lives in that building?”
“And you think that I’m blinded by my love for her? I get it.”
There was a pause as they both realized what Daniel had said.
“You love her?” Jenny asked. “I did not say that. You said that. But you promised you were moving on from her.”
They sat in silence.
“I’ve never told anybody else this,” Daniel said, “but when I went to Tashkent in Uzbekistan, I thought I was going to return to my host family soon. I looked into getting my host family asylum in America. I researched how visas would work if I were to marry Nigora.”
“Wow. I didn’t know you were so serious,” Jenny said.
“I even bought a wedding gift for her,” Daniel shared. “Nigora had said she always wanted to travel to Tashkent to buy beautiful fabric to make dresses out of. When I was in Tashkent, I bought three different fabrics. Each of them beautiful and unlike what she could get in Afghanistan. I imagined how she would look in each dress she could make from the fabric. I was convinced I could change her father’s mind so we could marry.”
“I had no idea,” Jenny said. “I’m sorry I’ve expressed such doubts about her. If you really love her, you need to know the truth about her.”
Daniel held back tears and said, “Maybe you’re right to distrust Nigora. You’ve given me an idea. I’m going to visit Oybek tonight. See if he’s really there.”
“Be safe,” Jenny said before hanging up.
Before Daniel went to talk to General Jones, he took Aziz’s bone-handled knife from his tent and stuck it into his belt.
General Jones ignored Daniel’s request to take his motorcycle into Mazar-i-Sharif. Instead, he arranged a patrol Daniel could ride with until he hopped out to visit Oybek.
Daniel had no difficulty recalling the location of the apartment building now that he had followed Nigora there and driven by it earlier in the day. He hurried up its stairwell and knocked on the doors that corresponded with the apartment that had a dim light in its windows.
Daniel knocked for so long without a response, he considered trying to break down the door. Unsure of what was in the apartment, Daniel readied his pistol.
“Danyor!” came the yell from the other side of the door. It was both a question and an exclamation. The door swung open, and Oybek grabbed Daniel for a hug, a wide grin on his face.
Oybek eagerly pulled Daniel into his apartment and hastily shut the door. Dani
el stuffed his Glock back into his waistband.
The two men stood and faced each other.
Candles cast the only light that revealed Oybek’s disfigured face. Daniel guessed his jaw and skull had been broken and then healed incorrectly. In addition to a long scar on his face, Oybek’s left arm hung limply at his side. One knee appeared to bend crookedly.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said quietly as he recalled what Oybek’s face looked like six years prior. Oybek’s face was gaunt and haggard, now appearing twenty years older.
“Sit for tea,” Oybek said, motioning for Daniel to come and join him.
Daniel did so and skipped the customary greetings of guests and instead asked, “Did Qaqramon do this to you?”
“When Qaqramon held power in this part of the city, he let me wander around as a public display,” Oybek said as he sat down. He poured tea into a small cup and handed it to Daniel.
“And then when the Taliban lost control of Mazar-i-Sharif?” Daniel asked. He sipped the tea, which was barely warm, and studied the black tea leaves by the candlelight as he swished them around.
“He had more important things to worry about than me,” Oybek said. “I was abandoned here.”
“In this apartment?”
“Nigora got it for me. I don’t know which of us has it worse. But why are you here? Nigora told me she had seen you.”
“How could I not visit you?” Daniel asked. “Nigora thought it wasn’t safe, but I had to see you. You’re like a brother to me.”
“I’m glad you came. I knew I couldn’t go find you. Everybody would notice the man crippled by Qaqramon. Thank you for coming.”
“How often does Nigora come to see you?” Daniel asked.
“A few times per month,” Oybek answered. “We sometimes talk about getting out of here. Run away and hope we can cross the border into Uzbekistan. But we never do. We can’t abandon Bobo here, even if we don’t know whether he is alive.”
“I can’t explain,” Daniel said, “but I saw your father earlier today. In your village.” Daniel couldn’t believe how much had happened in one day. “He’s alive.”
Joy and relief came to Oybek’s face, but then anxiety. Daniel knew Oybek wouldn’t leave Afghanistan while Bobo was alive, even if the hope of seeing him were faint.
“How is Bobo?” Oybek asked.
“Despite his circumstances, he lives with purpose, and he misses you. And he misses Nigora. When was the last time you saw her?”
“Two days ago,” Oybek said. “Recently, I’ve seen her more often. She uses a radio I have here sometimes.”
Mention of a radio alarmed Daniel, but he patiently pressed on.
“Do you know that Nigora is an informant on Qaqramon?” Daniel asked with a lowered voice. “He doesn’t suspect anything from a woman.”
“I didn’t know for sure,” Oybek said. “I guessed. I hoped so. I also hoped not. Qaqramon is an evil man, and I hate to think what he would do to her if he knew she was betraying him.”
“Whom, exactly, does Nigora call from here?” Daniel asked.
“She says friends, but I don’t believe her. I can tell she doesn’t want to talk about it, and so I don’t press it. How do you know about Qaqramon?”
“I’m back in Afghanistan to stop Qaqramon,” Daniel said. “Tell me more about him.”
“He’s dangerous,” Oybek answered. “He is devious, and so are those closest to him. I’ll tell you what I can about him. I hate that my sister is his second wife.” Oybek nearly spat as he said it. “Qaqramon was a warrior during the Soviet War. But what I had heard about him fighting the Soviets, honestly, I thought was a bunch of stories. He was powerful within the Taliban when they took over Mazar-i-Sharif after you left about four years ago. When the Northern Alliance and the Americans retook the city last September, I was hoping he would turn up dead. But he fled to his village, not far from mine. The Americans pushed south to take Kabul. The Northern Alliance and American soldiers tried once to go up the valleys and along the mountain ridges towards his village. They knew more Taliban was hiding up there. But Qaqramon and his men control most of the villages in those remote areas. They have no qualms about hiding among women and children. Sending troops up there was sending them into a giant deathtrap. The rumor is that none of the American soldiers survived, and a helicopter was shot down. I no longer think the stories about him from the Soviet War are false.”
“You said that Qaqramon was the man who crippled you,” Daniel said. “How did that happen?”
“Not long after you left,” Oybek explained, “Qaqramon and his men killed most of our village. You know our village was small. Most were unarmed. Qaqramon had heard that an American, you, had lived there. He beat me, and Nigora, angry we would accept an American as a guest. I almost died from the beating and passed out. When I woke up, Nigora told me she saved our family by agreeing to marry him. Qaqramon allowed me to live in the city. I was to be a reminder to all in the city of what would happen to those who opposed Qaqramon, even while the Northern Alliance controls the city.”
Daniel could hardly stand to listen to the horrors. But Oybek had more to share.
“Nigora told me that after I passed out, Qaqramon gouged out both of Bobo’s eyes so that the last thing he saw was my beating.”
“Qaqramon is an evil man,” Daniel said. “For what he has done to you and your family, and for all the Americans he’s killed in combat, I’ll make sure he pays.”
Oybek was too saddened by his recounting of events to answer.
“I brought a gift for you,” Daniel announced. He pulled out Aziz’s bone-handled knife and placed it on the floor in front of Oybek. “I killed Qaqramon’s brother, Aziz, and took this knife from him. If you should ever have a chance at revenge, use this knife.”
Oybek said, “Thank you,” and then lifted the knife to examine it before placing it under the fold of his warm vest.
Daniel looked at his watch and decided he had to return to the base before Rex left with his men.
After raising his hands and reciting a prayer, Oybek allowed Daniel to stand up to go.
Daniel exited the apartment and didn’t notice the cold night. He was too intent on getting Qaqramon. The nuke had become secondary in his heart. He wanted Qaqramon to pay for what he had done. But another thing ate at Daniel. Oybek had said Nigora used his radio. He would be sure to ask her whom she called if he saw her the next morning.
18
“If you learn anything from Nigora tomorrow morning,” Rex yelled over the swirling helicopter rotor blades, “let me know. Don’t keep me waiting. We’re good, but we can’t take on a whole army.”
Daniel nodded, and it was the last thing Rex said before he and the six Army Special Forces soldiers under his command flew to their insertion point at eleven at night. Their mission was simple. From their insertion point, they would move past the spring, beyond Daniel’s host village, over the mountain ridge, and then hide outside Qaqramon’s village. If they were in place before daylight, they could wait until Qaqramon and Reza met to exchange the nuke. Then they would attack.
Unless they aren’t exchanging the nuke in Qaqramon’s village, Daniel thought to himself.
Daniel told himself he should sleep, but instead he nervously paced about the command tent while General Jones carried on with his duties.
It seemed like forever, but the helicopter eventually touched down and unloaded its cargo: a team of seven men who, pound for pound, were the most lethal killing force in the world.
Jones breathed a sigh of relief after the helicopter lifted off and was returning to base.
“I’m always afraid an RPG is going to get my chopper whenever it touches down, even if it is only for a few seconds,” Jones explained.
A few minutes later, Rex reported over the radio with his chosen call sign. “This is Ice. Insertion successful and undetected. Proceeding to the target.”
Daniel knew the journey was hard enough during daylight with the perfect h
iking gear and water. He couldn’t imagine how grueling it was at night with packs, weaponry, and stealth as a necessity.
Daniel alternated between pacing and sitting.
“This is Ice. Approaching the spring,” Rex eventually announced. “One guard spotted. There may be others. We’ve got time, so we’re going to wait.”
“Copy that,” General Jones said over the radio. Noticing Daniel’s pacing about the tent and his pale expression, Jones told him, “Sometimes I think it’s easier to be out there than in here. But we’ve each got to do our part. Rex and his men will infiltrate and kill Qaqramon. You go get sleep so you can do your part tomorrow morning—gather and analyze intel.”
“After Rex is in position, I’ll sleep,” Daniel said.
The general gave a shrug. “Suit yourself.”
Several minutes passed, and Rex reported they were going to sneak by the lone watchman.
“I hope that works,” Jones said to Daniel. “If Qaqramon thinks US Special Forces are sneaking around in his neighborhood, that could really mess things up.”
Several minutes later, Rex reported over the radio again. “This is Ice. We’re past the watchman. Proceeding to the first village.”
The first village was Bobo’s. Daniel wondered if Bobo was sleeping, or awake, worrying about Oybek and Nigora.
“Rex told me you were in Afghanistan before,” Daniel said, unable to handle the waiting and silence. “And how you became a local legend. Alexander the Great.”
General Jones gave a steely look that Daniel couldn’t interpret.
“I can neither confirm nor deny anything Rex told you,” General Jones said evenly.
“Do you—”
“Do I what?” Jones asked. “Do I regret it? For all I know, Qaqramon is alive today because of something I did or didn’t do, years ago.” It was the first time General Jones appeared the slightest bit riled up to Daniel. He changed the topic. “Rex knows what he’s doing. If you had been with him…”