Special Operations

by TD Webb

  “Okay, Reggie, that sounds like a plan.”

  They enjoyed a leisurely walk, chatting about each other lives and how they got to where they were now.

  When Reggie and JC returned from their walk, Reggie decided she needed to go for a run. She asked JC if she wanted to go with her.

  “Sure,” JC said.

  They headed upstairs to get changed into running gear, then headed out. Reggie grabbed the satellite phone from the den and clipped it to her side, just in case their DEA rep called.

  An hour into the run, the DEA agent called. Reggie stopped running to answer, “Stone here.” Okay, what’s up, are you sure the information is correct? Okay we will be there. What time again? Okay, I’ll get the team ready.” Hanging up, she looked at JC, “We’re on, let’s get back and get the rest of the team together.”

  Once back at the house, JC called the team into the den, for a briefing. “Well, gentlemen, the vacation is over. It’s time to go to work, I want you all to get a good night’s sleep. We leave at 0645 hours. Get all your gear loaded into the three jeeps.”

  Reggie called Bill, to let him know they had the information they needed and would be heading out in the morning. Bill told her to have a fast and safe trip and bring everyone back in one piece.

  Reggie laughed, “Come on, Bill, you should know by now, I always bring my team back, one way, or another.”

  “Yeah, I know, Reggie, but it never hurts to wish you luck,” he replied.

  “No luck about it, Bill, it’s all in the skills. Oh, are we are going to take the jet back, so JC won’t have to get someone down here to fly it home? There’s plenty of room for everyone.”

  “That sounds really good, Reggie.”

  “See you in a few days, Bill.”

  Reggie went to look for JC. She found her upstairs, packing her civilian clothing. “Do you want to do anything tonight?”

  “Well, Mom and Dad asked if we could all have supper together, then maybe watch a movie, they want us to have a relaxing and quiet evening.”

  “That sounds good, JC, I’ll make sure the guys are there too.”

  After having dinner, which consisted of steak, baked potatoes and three different vegetables, everyone went into the living room to watch a movie. Two hours later, they all headed off to their rooms.

  After laying her clothes out for the morning, JC took a shower, then crawled between the sheets. Reggie jumped into the shower after JC. She came out of the bathroom, crawled into the bed and cuddled up to JC, and they both fell into a deep sleep.

  The next morning, Reggie woke up and checked the clock, it was almost 0500 hours. She leaned over and whispered into JC’s ear. “It’s time to get up, sleepy head, we need to get going within the hour.”

  “I could get used to waking up like this every morning,” JC said.

  “So could I, JC, so could I?”

  They dressed in their fatigues, put on their holsters, and went down for breakfast. Doug and Pat came out to wish them luck and a safe return.

  “I’ll make sure we all make it back safe and sound,” Reggie said.

  Chapter Five

  The team got into the three open-top Jeeps. Reggie drove the first one, Chris, the second, and JC, the third. Reggie took the lead and headed them to the meeting place, about twenty miles from the house—it was deep into the jungle.

  They arrived within the hour and waited for the DEA agent to show up.

  It was humid. Dappled hues of green vegetation with sunlight filtering through, created shadows beneath the canopy of trees and overgrown wild tangles of plant life. Earthy odours polluted the heavy moist air, rising through the brush and dead fallen trees that had created a crisp carpet to walk on. The lack of breeze, created a team of sweating individuals. Even with the heat, shirts remained buttoned up, due to the fact that so many unidentified bugs carried infections.

  Everyone remained alert—watching out for predators like jaguars and snakes.

  “What I wouldn’t give for a nice cold bottle of beer right now,” Chris said, closing his eyes and slumping his body down into the driver’s seat of the Jeep.

  Reggie, seated in her Jeep, glanced over her shoulder at Chris. “Shit! Watch out for that black-coral snake,” she joked.

  Chris’s eyes opened wide. He lifted his feet up on the seat, erratically searching the area for the said snake. The team laughed at him for falling for such an obvious joke.

  The bushes moved. The team fell silent. Reggie slowly placed her hand to her gun-holster, ready to draw her gun and shoot what, or, whoever was traipsing towards them. A man dressed in black, emerged from the bushes.

  “Chief Stone?” he asked, looking directly at Reggie.

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “Hi, I’m Ron Whyte, your contact from the DEA.”

  Narrowing her eyes, Reggie retracted her hand from her gun.

  “How was the drive, any problems?” he asked her.

  “No, none at all, we didn’t see another soul,” she told him.

  “Chief, I got all of the information you need and the camp is located about 15 miles up this trail. You have until 1600 hours today, to evacuate the hostages, before we blow the shit out of the camp. There’s about thirty men in there, so it should be no problem for your team.”

  “Okay, Ron, thank you. We had better hide the Jeeps and get going,” she said.

  Ron headed back into the dense forestation. Just before he disappeared out of sight, he acknowledged them with a nod, then he was gone. A few moments later, the team heard his vehicle drive off.

  Reggie stepped out of her Jeep. “Okay, guys, cover the Jeeps and let’s get a move on, it’s already 1000 hours.”

  The team stripped off their shirts and put on their flax jackets, then put their shirts back on. They covered the vehicles with large leaves and brush, camouflaging them well. They set off down the dirt track, breaking into a jog, with Jefferies and Turner on point.

  Twigs snapped underfoot, as they trekked through the denseness. Thick waxy leaves hosted leaf cutting ants, tirelessly carrying large leaf fragments back to their nests. Squirrel monkeys jumped from branch to branch, high above, throwing down twigs at the team as they curiously followed them.

  Reggie’s satellite phone rang—she called a halt. It was Bill. He had just been informed that the bombing wouldn’t be until tomorrow at 1600 hours.

  “Okay, a night strike will be better for us,” Reggie said. “Do you have any other information that we might require, Bill?”

  “Yes. JC’s father called to say he has a trauma team standing by, just in case any of the hostages are injured.”

  “That’s great. We have got to thank that man when this is all over.”

  “Yes we do. He has made this mission a lot easier and I know it’s not just because his daughter is with us. He had helped four different missions last year at his own expense.” Bill told her.

  “Okay, Bill, I’ll call you from the plane when this is all over, unless we have any problems.”

  “Okay Reggie, I’ll talk to you later, be safe.”

  “Well, team, it looks like the DEA fucked up again. They’re not bombing until tomorrow at 1600 hours. We’re about 7 miles from the camp, so let’s sit here and get some rest, since we will be doing a night strike.”

  Everyone took off their outer gear and settled down to sleep, or read. Chris rested up against a tree trunk, he aimlessly stared up at the tree tops. “It just never gets boring,” he said, fascinated with his view.

  Reggie sat down next to JC. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m good Reggie, I run most days, so I’m pretty fit.”

  “Well, your dad has a trauma unit standing by at the house, just in case any of the hostages are injured.”

  “Yeah, that’s my dad, always helping whenever he can. They are both great, a kid couldn’t ask for better parents.” Her stomach grumbled.

  “Get some rest, JC, we’ll be heading out in a few hours and eat something too. We
don’t want your stomach giving our position away.”

  JC reached inside her ruck sack and pulled out a large zip lock plastic bag. She took out two sandwiches and handed the bag to Reggie. “Mom made these for us this morning. Would you give them to the guys? “There’s some juice here too. Oh, and mom also said that the plane would be loaded and ready for the team and the hostages for the return trip, as soon as we get back.”

  “Thanks JC, rest now. Its 1900 hours and I want to be there by midnight.”

  JC leaned up against a tree and closed her eyes.

  Around 2200 hours, JC woke with a start. It was dark, and for a minute, she didn’t know where she was. She slapped her face, to wake herself up, then went looking for the group and woke everyone else up.

  “Reggie and Chris are missing,” Mike told her. They went to the camp where the hostages are being held, to check out the area and to see exactly how many people are there.”

  JC got the group together and once they were ready, she moved them up the trail at a jog pace. Thirty-five minutes later, they ran into Reggie and Chris, who were returning to where the rest of them had been sleeping.

  Reggie pulled out her map to make sure each member knew their locations. “Okay, guys, it looks like the DEA got it right for once.” She gave the orders. “JC, I need you up in a tree. I marked it about 200 meters up the trail. Use your night scope. From one side of the encampment to the other, is about 1500 meters. The hostages are being held on the other side of the compound.”

  “No problem, Reggie, I don’t plan on missing anything.”

  “The moon is low, so there won’t be too much light. It shouldn’t interfere with the night scope.” She broke the rest of the team into groups of two. “Chris, I want you and Alex over here on the north side. Oh, everybody, attach your silencer, you too, JC. Tom, and Jim, I want you two over on the east side. Jason, and Mike, I want the two of you on the south side. We will be coming out on that side, and make sure you all give JC cover if things get out of hand too. Rick, and Steve, you’ll be with me. We’re going into the camp to get the hostages. JC, I want you to shoot anything with a weapon, except us, of course.” She smiled and winked at JC.

  Chris saw that smile—he’d seen her smile like that before.

  She looked every one of them directly in their eyes. “Okay, it’s midnight, let’s move out.”

  Keeping low, and moving quietly through the brush, the team positioned themselves.

  JC moved slowly, as she stepped on the undergrowth. She found the tree that Reggie had marked and with a rope hanging behind her, she climbed up about 50 feet, where she found a branch to support her weight. She hauled up her rifle. Standing in position, she braced herself against the trunk. She scoured the area, then loaded a round of 50 Cal bullets and waited. She could see the whole compound from where she was. She put on her headset and then took the safety off. “Team Alpha in position.”

  “Team Bravo in position,” Chris reported.

  “Team Charlie in position,” Tom reported.

  Now they were just waiting for Reggie, to give the order.

  Reggie clenched her fist and waved it side-to-side, to inform the team that a vehicle was coming. “Team, Delta, this is Alpha, everyone freeze. There’s two Deuce-and-a-half trucks coming in now.”

  “Team, Alpha, this is Delta, how many men?”

  “Wait, one, Delta.”

  “Shit, Delta, it looks like about 50 more men.”

  “JC, fire, now,” Reggie hollered. “I repeat, open fire, and don’t let them get out of the truck.”

  JC didn’t answer Reggie. Standing with her back firmly pressed against the trunk, she steadied herself. Her palm upturned, she used her fingers to create a ‘V’ then seated the stock of the gun in her supporting hand, she held the rifle close to the trigger guard, then pulled the butt into the pocket of her shoulder, securing it in place. She then dropped her cheek to the rifle, readying herself for the firing position. Her head cocked slightly to the side, she aligned her eye with the target. She looked into the scope that was mounted on the top of the barrel. Her breathing controlled, she squeezed firmly on the trigger, maintaining her sight on the target. She opened fire and started dropping the drug runners, as they stepped to the back of the deuce. As soon as the first shot rang out, one of the drug soldiers fell and all hell broke loose. Every shot that JC took, dropped a drug soldier. Maintaining her position firmly, she felt a sting in her right side and then another in her right shoulder but she kept on reloading and firing.

  Reggie and Rick carefully made their way over to the straw hut, where the hostages were being held. She pried open the bamboo door and crawled inside, immediately identifying who she was. It was dark and humid inside the hut, even with the cut out window and bamboo bars that prevented the hostages from leaving. Seeing two women and four men, she asked if anyone was injured but they were too shocked and afraid to answer her. Not wasting any time, she lined them up in a single file, ready to leave the hut.

  Rick, securing the area from the doorway, poked his head inside. “Okay, one at a time and follow me. Get down and crawl on your stomach in single file.”

  JC kept her scope on Chris, who was helping Rick lead the hostages away from the hut and into the jungle, as far from the gun fire as they could. JC laid down cover fire.

  Reggie was the last person to come out of the hut, unbeknown to her, there were two men sneaking up behind her. JC was fast to react. She lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger. The shot registered on JC’s range finder at just over 1475 yards. She squeezed the trigger again. Reggie heard the first guy go down. Realising that there were men close to her, she rolled over and caught the second guy in the chest with her feet. As JC squeezed the trigger again, the second shot went through his head—he dropped on top of Reggie.

  Reggie gave the thumbs up sign to JC, telling her she was okay. Using her legs, she pushed the guy off of her. She looked over to where JC was and gave a thankful smile, then mouthed, ‘Thank you.’ She waved her hand in the air, for the team to pull the hostages outside of the fenced area.

  After everyone got to the safe area, JC climbed down from the tree. She laid down some cover-fire for them to escape and then crawled 500 meters to join her team. Everyone then crawled over the brush, in silence, for about a mile, before Reggie called for a break. They gave the hostages a once over, making sure that they were capable of continuing the journey.

  JC, holding her shoulder, dropped to her knees. “Who’s got the medic kit?”

  “I’ve got it,” Chris answered. “Do you need it?”

  Her eyes glassy, JC laughed. “I’d like to get these two bullets out of me, they kind of hurt.”

  Reggie turned as white as a ghost, when she heard JC. She ran over to her, as her mind flashed back to the day that Debbie was killed. Not being there when it happened, had been a huge guilt trip for her. Except for Chris, no one else knew what had happened that day. Reggie shook, as she hollered at JC. “Why didn’t you say you were hit?” She couldn’t believe how pale JC looked, she started to panic.

  Chris grabbed her by the shoulders and whispered, “Calm down, Reggie, it’s JC, not Debbie. Just relax, we will take care of her.”

  Reggie cupped her hands around her head, “Not again, please God, not again.”

  “JC, it was a two-hour firefight, how long ago did you get hit,” Chris asked.

  “It was a while ago.”

  “Chris, where is she hit, Reggie asked.

  “One bullet to her right shoulder and one shot to the right side abdomen.”

  “JC, how did you keep shooting with your shoulder injured?”

  “I switched to my left hand.”

  “Jesus Christ, JC, the stock is almost gone,” Chris said, checking the rifle over. The bullet had gone through the stock and into JC’s shoulder.

  Reggie checked the gauges on the rifle—they were all in working order. “JC’s longest shot registered 1475 yards.” She removed the gauge and video
tape from the rifle and took a picture of the weapon’s serial number, and the stock. She had to have the information to prove the shot. She then smashed the rifle barrel against a rock a few times, making sure it was unusable. She was proud of JC but still couldn’t believe that she made that shot, let alone left handed. “At least, we have the proof she made the shot, she also saved my life. Chris, how’s she doing?”

  “One bullet went clean through her side and the other went through her shoulder but there’s some wood in the wound, most likely from the stock of the rifle, I can’t get it out. I got the bleeding to stop and it’s packed and taped.”

  JC scrambled to her feet and with a smile on her face, she put her rucksack on, waiting to move out.

  Reggie stood up, her legs astride and her hands placed firmly on her waist. “What do you think you are doing?”

  “I’m ready to move out, Chief.” The weight of the rucksack and the strap on her shoulder and waist put pressure on her wounds.

  “Are you sure, JC,” Reggie said softly.

  “Yes Reggie, I’m good to go.”

  “Okay, Chris, let’s get a move on, we got about thirteen miles until we get to the Jeeps.”

  “Yeah, Reggie, we’re ready. I think these people want to get the hell out of here.”

  “Mike, and Chris, I want you two to stay with JC and let me know if anything changes in her condition.”

  “You got it, Chief,” Mike answered. They both walked with JC in between them.

  JC grew impatient. She had to move, or she was going to fall down, and there was no way she was going to let them carry her out of the bush.

  With the rescued hostages, tired and sweaty, they trekked through the jungle for three hours, maintaining silence, until they reached the Jeeps. JC still managed to keep a smile on her face, even though she was feeling the effects of her wounds. She rested herself up against the side of the Jeep. “Hey, Mike, will you drive, I don’t think I can this time.”

  “I don’t think you can, either, JC,” Chris teased her.