“I’m good. I’m sorry … I …” Holt stammered.
“No time. Javier will help you,” Stark answered quickly. He fell in line behind Sergeant Colin and began to move, tearing through the night, running as fast as his legs would carry him. Every step could mean the difference of making it out or not. He was not going to let her die here in this jungle. As long as he had breath in his lungs, he would fight and run like fucking hell.
“We can take my truck.” Javier pointed past the third stable. Javier had packed Holt over his shoulder and was running behind Stark. “It’s parked on the side.”
“Viper Three, we have a vehicle. In our prep, there was a small roadway to the rally point, correct?” Stark questioned, as they hauled ass toward the Land Rover Defender.
“Roger that, Viper One. We are on the move,” Miller responded, breathing fast as they were already enroute.
Stark knew that Taylor, Miller and Reed would have to move quickly through the dense jungle to get to the rally point. As they reached the Defender, they could already see the headlights of the enemy QRF closing in on them. Javier helped Holt climb into the back seat as quickly as possible. Stark loaded Kira in to Holt, and jumped in the very back to cover them.
Javier took the driver seat and started the engine.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Colin asked Javier.
“I know every possible trail,” he shouted. “Just tell me where you want to go!”
Colin looked to Stark.
“Let him drive. We need to move!” Stark yelled.
Without hesitation Sergeant Colin ran around to the front passenger side and explained the landmarks of the rally point. “You better have some mad driving skills, Mario. ’Cuz we are about to get lit the fuck up!” Colin yelled.
“I know where that is.” Javier put the Defender in gear and peeled out leaving a cloud of dirt and rubble behind them. He tore off through the woods just before the other trucks reached the stable area. Bullets began to fly in their direction as the QRF came up behind them. Stark and Colin returned fire. Javier sped like a rally car racer through twists and turns in the jungle that didn’t seem possible.
Bullets sailed around them embedding in the glass and seats. Colin was half leaning out the passenger window returning fire to the barrage of trucks behind them. They sped toward a narrow pass of trees, vines ripping and breaking as they tore through the dense foliage.
“Watch it!” Javier yelled, and Colin ducked in the window just in time, as a large tree ripped off the side mirror. Stark was returning fire from the back window. The rear windshield splintered with each incoming bullet. Stark kicked it out, continuing to return fire. The two trucks stayed right with them.
“I have an idea!” Javier yelled, and took a sharp turn to the right. “Everybody hang on!” They dropped over a small steep trail, throwing a wall of water in every direction, and sped toward a ravine. In the headlights, the road just disappeared at the edge of the cliff.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Colin yelled. “There is no fucking road up there!” Bullet fire resumed as the trucks to their rear struggled to make the turn. A dark void lay ahead of them.
“We are almost to your rally point. This bridge will have us there in two minutes!” Javier yelled over the gunfire.
“Are you fucking crazy? There is no God damn bridge up there!” Colin yelled back.
Javier did not slow down. Stark turned for a moment and caught the determined look in Javier’s face. He knew what he was doing. Stark threw a new magazine into his M4 and continued firing.
Javier pressed the gas to the floor. As they reached the end of the trail, the headlights illuminated two sets of logs independent of each other. Each side was made up of two long logs, tied together along the way, with nothing in between. “Oh shit!” Holt yelled, as the Defender hit the logs and straddled the void. The sound of tires roaring over the road was replaced by the hollow echo of the ravine. Everyone held their breath, and time seemed to slow in the eerie silence as Javier expertly moved over the logs and kept his tires centered. They hit the dirt on the other side with a thud and kept moving. The truck behind them tried to stop, but hit the logs sideways and disappeared into the abyss. The headlights shining up into the night sky were all that could be seen as they sped away.
“Nice fucking work, Pedro!” Colin shouted. “You’re like a fucking Peruvian Ricky Bobby! Gawd Damn! That was awesome!”
“The second truck will still be able to see us through the jungle. They may turn back and take the longer route. This will buy us a few minutes at your rally point, but they will be calling for backup,” Javier warned.
Sergeant Colin got on his mic and called in, “Viper Three, this is Viper Two. We are approaching the rally point, over.”
“Read you loud and clear, Viper Two. We are two mics out.”
“Viper One, this is Cottonmouth. We are fifteen mics from the extraction point.”
“Good to hear you, Cottonmouth. This is Viper One. We are at the rally point now,” Stark spoke into the mic as the Defender slowed. He opened the rear door so Taylor and Miller could jump in. Simultaneously, Holt opened the side door for Reed. All three men were clear in seconds.
“Were up! Let’s go! Let’s go!” Miller yelled as Stark slammed the rear door shut, spilling the last few fragments of glass onto the dirt. Javier floored the gas and the Defender roared on down the road.
“Cottonmouth, be advised. We have eight customers,” Stark reported in. “One customer has a GSW to the chest.”
At that moment gunfire erupted again to their left. Headlights of four vehicles could be seen coming down the mountain on a trail that looked to intersect with their own. The men reloaded their magazines and prepared to return fire.
“We got company, eleven o’clock!” Colin warned and slammed a new magazine into his M4. He looked to Stark. “Ready the gate brothers.” Taylor, Reed and Miller followed suit.
“Kira, hang on,” Holt encouraged her. “We are almost there. You can do this. Just stay with us.” Kira lay limp in the back seat. She was still breathing, but had not woken up or responded in any way. Stark wanted desperately to be the one holding her if these minutes were to be her last, but right now he had a duty to her and everyone else in the vehicle. He would get them out of there … all of them.
“Cottonmouth, we have QRF closing in on us. This is going to be a hot extract. I repeat, this is going to be a hot extract!”
“Copy that, Viper One. We are moving in.”
Javier rounded a tight turn and caught the edge of the dirt brim. The Defender bounced up, coming back down hard. Kira jolted almost onto the floor, but Holt held her. Stark turned to check on her and bullets erupted into the vehicle once more. There were now four vehicles loaded to the brim with armed enforcers closing down on them. The lead truck skidded onto the dirt road directly behind them. All three men in the back of the Defender opened fire. Taylor took out the driver of the first vehicle, sending it skidding off the road and crashing into the weeds. The second whipped around them and tried to keep pace with Javier.
Stark and the other men fired repeatedly on the truck behind them. They took out enforcers one by one.
“Shit! I’m hit!” Reed yelled. “Fuck!” He fell back onto the floor of the vehicle.
Taylor turned to take care of Reed, while Stark, Miller, and Colin continued providing cover fire.
“SWCC is in place!” Colin yelled over the chaos. “Time to go home gentlemen, let’s go for a swim.”
They were almost to the water’s edge when a flash of light caught Stark’s eye.
“Shit!” He could hear Colin yell, “Everyone hang the fuck on!”
It happened so fast there was nothing he could do. One of the trucks behind them sent off an RPG, hitting their back left tire. The world exploded around them and the Defender took flight, spinning into the air. All noise was replaced by a loud ringing. Stark was tossed over Taylor and Miller.
For a brief moment
, he could see Kira, and then the Defender crashed down into the water of the Amazon River. Broken glass exploded around them on impact. All went dark, and the murky water rushed in the vehicle.
Stark emerged from the river water and sucked in a breath of air into his burning lungs. He had been partially thrown out when they landed, and could hear the minigun of the SWCC boats holding off the enforcers. He had once heard that God himself would turn back from a bank they were assaulting. A few enforcers still got shots off and bullets rained into the water around him.
Looking around, he saw Taylor trying to stand up. The moonlight mercifully illuminated the crash scene. Stark moved to him, but a searing pain shot down his right leg. Confused, Stark pushed through the pain, reaching Taylor and helped him to the boat. A few members of the boat crew jumped out of their boat and began helping pull them out of the overturned vehicle. He saw them load Javier and Miller. Stark took a deep breath, and went back into the Defender, to search through the darkness. The vehicle was partially submerged. He caught sight of Holt, and pulled him free. Stark handed him over to a boatman, took another breath and went back in. His right leg was not cooperating. Using his upper body strength and left leg, he pushed through the vehicle. Kira and Colin were still in there. He had to get to them. Time was running out. Frantically, he felt around in the darkness, his hand finally coming to rest on one body. Then, a second bumped into him. He pulled on the first, but it was pinned. The second moved more freely. Stark pulled hard on the first again. Fearing it would be too late if he left and came back, he pulled harder on the first. By the weight and size he knew it was Colin. Even in the darkness of the murky water, Stark knew his best friend. He needed to cut him out, break the seat, and get him free. But, he knew if he didn’t move Kira now, she would drown. Fuck! He tugged on Colin once more. His lungs burned begging for air. He would not give up. He could not fucking give up. He pulled harder and every cell screamed for oxygen. He would not leave his brother here to die. Stark pulled again and his head began to spin. Fuck!
Stark grabbed Kira and headed for the surface. He broke the water and sucked air into aching lungs. He handed Kira off to the waiting boatmen.
“She’s not breathing!” He heard them shout as they pulled her on board and began CPR.
He turned to go back and one of the men stopped him. Stark broke free. He had to go back for Colin. “Sergeant Colin is still trapped. I need help to get him out!” Stark yelled, and two boatmen followed him back to the submerged vehicle. Stark dove down and they followed. The front and top of the Defender had collapsed onto Colin, trapping him between the seat and the dash. Stark pulled with all his strength. He was not leaving Colin there. The other two soldiers joined him from either side. The three men pulled Colin and tried to break the seat. Tense seconds turned to minutes, until they could not breathe. With one final tug, Colin slipped loose and came toward Stark. With every last ounce of strength, he had left, Stark pulled him out of the vehicle. He swam, holding his brother while he prayed. Live, my brother. Live. You’ve got this. You are the guardian at the gate. Fucking fight! The other two soldiers took Sergeant Colin’s limp body onto the boat, then pulled Stark in. He saw them laying Colin out assessing him on the deck. On the next boat, he could see the silhouette of them working on Kira.
“She’s got a pulse, but it’s weak!” He could hear them yelling on the earbud, through the rage of the gunfire. Hang on Kira! He willed her to live. The boat bounced over the waves as they exfiltrated the hostile jungle.
“One, two, three, four, five, six …” He could hear them doing CPR on Colin. Stark looked over at his brother. His best friend for a decade, lay cold and motionless. Sopping red hair matted to his wet skin. They were working hard, but he wasn’t responding. Come on, man. For fuck sake, please.
Stark pictured him standing by the door of the stable just before they headed out into the night. Colin was always there at his side, ready to walk into hell without fear. Unfailing, unfaltering, Colin had followed every order.
“Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, breathe! One, two, three …” they started the count over again.
His mind flashed back to the moment on the hill. He could hear Colin’s voice warning that this was a suicide mission and then going in with him anyway. Please fucking God. Please.
A cold and broken, “Pl … ease,”escaped Stark’s lips. He was sitting on the deck of the boat, and tried to move closer to Colin. He wanted to grab his hand. It was only then he realized that his right leg still wasn’t cooperating. Adrenaline began to fade and immense pain, like he had never experienced before, took over. Stark reached down to his soaked lower leg and the world began spinning. He reached out for Colin and collapsed on the deck.
“Hey, we got a soldier down! He’s down! I need help over here!” Stark heard them yelling, the sound fading further and further away …
“We’ve got a lot of blood and shrapnel! I need a tourniquet fast! Give me some fucking shit to dress this! We’ve got about fifteen minutes to treat this before we meet the bird!”
Stark grabbed Colin’s cold wet hand with his. With the other hand, he tried to reach down again to see what the fuck was going on with his leg.
“Don’t touch! You need to be still!” someone yelled.
Who the hell were they yelling at? Stark reached down again.
“Fuck! Don’t touch! Sergeant Stark, you need to be still!”
Why were they helping him? Why weren’t they helping Sergeant Colin? Who was fucking doing CPR on Colin?
Stark struggled. “Colin!” he yelled into the night. “Someone fucking help him!”
“She’s crashing.” He heard someone else yell over the earbud, “We are losing her.”
Somewhere in the darkness the CPR count resumed over a hot mic. Lights flashed and wind blew all around them as the chinook closed in. Stark could feel pain and pressure in his leg as they strapped him down and put a vice on him. The world began to fade. De oppresso liber, my brother. Stark held fast to Colin’s hand and closed his eyes.
THE SUNLIGHT FELL gently on the valley below and warmed his bare feet. Owen sat on the rocks along the stream and listened to babbling water. He was hungry. His grandpa should be back up the stream any moment. He kicked at the soft weeds flowing in the current and hoped his grandpa was able to catch some trout. Owen’s own bamboo fly rod lay in the grass beside him. He had started out fishing in the edge of the cool water but then he saw a large mule deer, and stopped to watch it. The mountains in the distance dipped to deep valleys and then jutted up into the sky. He kicked at the water again and splashed back and forth. The water was so clear he could see every pebble. His stomach growled. Grandpa was taking too long.
Something jumped in the stream and caught his attention. Owen watched the ripples form and then disappear again revealing his reflection. The face was a man, not a boy his own age. The eyes were sad and lonely. He was dirty and wet and broken in some way. The man’s dark hair was matted on his battered skin. His beard was thick and unruly. There was a darkness about him that frightened Owen and he sat back. Owen looked around the tranquil valley for his grandfather, suddenly aware that something was wrong. He jumped up, left his rod in the grass and took off in the direction his grandfather had gone.
“Owen,” a strange but familiar voice called, “Owen Stark.”
He felt as if he was in a great fog. The valley was gone. His grandfather was gone. Every single muscle in his body hurt, his skin hurt, and his right leg was on fire. He began to thrash, fighting against the pain, struggling against an unknown foe. What the hell is going on?
“He’s waking up,” the strange voice called again from the darkness.
“His pulse is skyrocketing.”
“Hit him with another dose of morphine.” The voices were like far off sirens.
What the actual fuck is going on? He reached for his right leg trying to put out the fire and suddenly he plunged into a deep … cool … ocean. The waves washed over him as he
slipped farther into the water. At first he fought to tread. He needed to stay afloat. With no life vest, he spun and rolled beneath the waves. The cool refreshing water turned frigid and his arms and legs, once heavy, became weightless. The ocean consumed him, and he drifted into the darkness. All traces of the pain left and he began to move effortlessly until each bubble that escaped his lips became a million stars.
Stark drove like his life depended on it, because it did. He swerved through the tiny crowded streets of Mogadishu. Explosions sounded all around the battered vehicle. Each road they turned down was riddled with potholes the size of Yugo buses. Buildings crumbled into alleys. They zoomed past women and children who had fled their homes. With unrest growing to a fevered pitch, they needed to get out of country ASAP.
An enemy QRF pulled out of an alley and swerved onto the road behind them.
“We got company on our six,” Colin called down.
“Fifteen mics to the rally point. Can you hold em off?” Stark yelled up to Colin. Colin was manning the .50 cal mounted on top of their beat-up Hyundai. The tiny rust bucket bounced and rattled as they drove.
“You just fucking drive, I’ve got this!” Colin yelled back over the boom of the big gun.
Stark rounded a corner and there she stood. He gasped. In the middle of the war torn country stood Kira Riley. The world slowed and fell silent. She stood all alone in the dirty street. Her dark hair was down and flowed in the dusty breeze. Stark slammed on the brakes.
“What the FUCK are you doing?” Colin yelled and paused firing.
“It’s Kira,” Stark answered in a panic and stopped the vehicle.
“Shit!” Colin swore as he fired again, trying to hold off the approaching vehicles to their rear.
Kira disappeared into a building. “I have to go in. I have to get her,” Stark growled, and began to jump out of the vehicle. Gunfire erupted all around him when he opened the door.
Stark Resolution (Stark Trilogy Book 3) Page 5