Dead Shot

by Erik Schubach

  Nana had given me a well worn journal. I closed the cover quickly and had to fight off tears when I saw the name written inside the cover. Her daughter... my mother. This was her journal. I hugged her and then opened the present from Katie.

  I opened the box and there was an exquisite punching knife. It was a very small, one piece, polished stainless steel blade with a t-handle and a boot sheath that I had been looking at the last time I was on leave. She had remembered me talking about how I liked it and how valuable little blades like that were in hand to hand. This one was engraved. “Come home safe to me. K”

  I grinned at her and she shrugged. I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. I didn't normally kiss her in front of her parents, I always felt self-conscious. I mean, they are her parents and I always felt like a kid around them.

  I looked around and everything was opened and Clara had started clearing away the wrapping paper scraps. Then I grinned and reached into my uniform pocket and pulled out my gift for Katie and handed it to her. The smile I got was priceless, she hadn't thought I forgot about her had she? I rolled my eyes playfully at her.

  Everyone watched as she pulled out the hand dyed handkerchief with it's bright colors. She unfurled it and a little box fell out of it. She sat unmoving, just staring down at the small box. She wasn't breathing at all. Had I just fucked up?

  I knelt and picked up the box and opened it for her to see. I said hoarsely, “Katie Althea DeLong, you make me happier than anything in my life. I'd be the proudest woman alive if you would marry me after I'm discharged. I promise I'd dedicate my life to you.”

  She covered her mouth for an instant, no emotion on her face. Then she dropped her hand and a slight smirk appeared as she said in her delightful southern drawl, “Eh, I could do worse.” I finally exhaled the breath I was holding.

  Then I was engulfed in a tight hug as the old-ones clapped. She was saying hotly in my ear. “Of course I say yes you silly woman. There's nobody I'd rather share my life with. I love you McKenzie Meyers.”

  I pulled back and locked eyes with her, there was nothing but joy there, the eyes never lie. I kissed her and then she pulled back with a silly grin and started wiggling her fingers at me. I snorted and slid my mother's ring on her finger.

  She was instantly up and showing off her finger to her parents and Nana, who was just sitting back with the biggest grin on her face.

  I don't remember much of that day, my girl and I spent most of it lost in each others eyes. Stealing glances, touches, kisses whenever we could.

  That night I wound up on the back porch of the DeLongs watching the snow fall. It had started around twenty hundred hours. It never stuck long in Seattle, so it was a treat to see. I knew it would be gone by noon the next day, or at least be an ugly slush.

  I watched my breath fog the air as I heard the sliding glass door behind me. I didn't look back, I could smell her lilac scent. Katie's arms circled my waist as she laid her head against my shoulder from behind. “What you thinking about sugar?”

  I shrugged. She could read me so well. I turned and dusted the light snow off the freestanding wicker porch swing. And I turned and sat with her. “Just wondering what I'm going to do after I'm discharged. I've spent over half my life in the military now.”

  She laid against me, sharing our warmth. “And?”

  I shrugged. “And I really don't know. Not much need for soldiers in the civilian world. I don't really have many skills beyond that.”

  She snorted. “You are kidding right baby? I mean, you are a whiz with horses, you could work a stable or own one. You love children, there are tons of things you can do, even volunteer for that can help out kids. And unless I'm mistaken, you're good at that volunteer thing. You know security and self-defense, there is a huge need for those types of services. Nobody knows more about weapons than you. Or you can just sit on your butt and make out with me... I mean, you will have your full pension after twenty years of service sugar. The possibilities are endless.”

  Then she waggled her eyebrows with a cute grin, “Ah'd be more than happy with the last one, but sitting around all day would drive you plum nuts.”

  I leaned in and kissed her gently, lingering a few seconds then sat back with her and watched the snow fall. I mumbled, “You're pretty damn... ummm darn smart for a Southern Belle you know.”

  She nodded in agreement. “Yes ah am sugar. Don't you forget it.” I grinned and hugged her in closer to me to keep her warm.

  Then I whispered, “I have a fiance you know.” She nodded cutely and added, “Me too.” She looked at her ring then we stood and rejoined the festivities inside.

  Chapter 14 – Operation Sand Fox

  It was shocking how fast my leave was over. It felt like I had just arrived when I was bidding my girl goodbye at SeaTac since I wasn't able to secure any Space-A, it was busy around the holidays. By the time I made it back to my new base, Camp Lancaster, which was near the Sudan border, to meet up with the rest of the Bugbats, I was exhausted.

  We spent a week on rotating duties for general grunt work around the base before our new Chief Warrant Officer, Witter, called us over to the CO's office. Finally, a mission. I was getting bored. I mused that whatever this was going to be was likely to be my final mission before out-processing and discharge from the service that had been my home for two decades. I smiled at the thought of the woman I had waiting for me back in the States when it was all over.

  The CO was an Austrian man with a thick accent. Major Tobias Bauer was all business and expected everyone to comport themselves in a professional manner. The Bugbats have found ourselves on the mess duty end of things a time or two with our behavior.

  We all saluted then stood at rigid attention when we entered his office. He saluted and told us to stand at ease. Then he had his Corporal hand out some folders labeled Operation Sand Fox to us and he fired up the big screen at the makeshift conference table. “Sit,” he said and we all complied and sat around the folding tables that were placed together to form a large surface. There was a large map of the region taped to the table.

  The Chief stood in the corner in a relaxed manner. He was obviously familiar with what was about to be shared. Major Bauer ground out, “As you know when you were transferred to this unit four months back, this area is a hotbed for the Red Castle human traffickers.” This got me shifting in my seat, these Red Castle bastards were pure evil. I caught my hand dropping toward the scar on my leg and stopped myself.

  They have been able to keep their main camp hidden from discovery for the better part of twenty-three years. But intelligence suggests they have learned to use the caves in this area to avoid thermal detection from our overflights and satellites. For whatever reason, the powers that be believe that you Bugbats are our best bet to flush them out because they have a price on your heads. Apparently...” He locked eyes with me. “...Meyers took out the son of their leader with a goddamn knife during Operation SandBadger.”

  I blinked, this was news to me. He continued, “So information has been leaked that the Bugbats would be out on scout recon over by the Blackstone Cliff region this coming week.” He let that sink in as he motioned to the display then at our folders which we opened. I quickly scanned the info as he pulled up a map of the rocky area in the desert a hundred miles northeast of the base.

  I snorted as I read before he could continue. “So we're just bait in this. The fox for the hounds to chase.” It was a statement, not a question.

  He had a predatory grin on his face as he nodded. “Yes, bait. We will be covering the area as much as we can in aerial and satellite surveillance. There will be only two three hour windows that we won't have thermal coverage on the caves. As you recon the area, we will be determining what cave system the human traffickers emerge from if they take the bait. Then we can send in a full strike package and can get rid of Red Castle for good.”

  I nodded as my men went through the intelligence we had. We went over the mission in detail with the CO and the Co
rporal. The Chief was silent in the corner, his keen eyes watching. For our part, it was just a standard scouting mission. However, instead of a systematic grid search pattern, we would be moving more or less in a straight line directly into hostile territory.

  If we made contact, we were to withdraw immediately, drawing out the enemy in pursuit and strike teams would be airlifted in for support. I cringed at the response time. Almost ten minutes, more than a lifetime if we come under fire. I shrugged, this is what we all signed up for when we joined the military. I murmured, “Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.”

  My outburst got chuckles and a “Hooah!” from my men and the Chief, and a reprimanding look from the CO. I lowered my eyes to my folder and hid a grin deep down inside me.

  They'd be dumping us out in the middle of the Sahara with full packs and supplies for the four-day mission. I started studying the maps of the rocky region that jutted from the sands. It followed what was possibly an ancient riverbed that flowed thousands of years ago before the desert swallowed it. Lots of overhangs, ravines, and box canyons. Shit, it was ambush central at every turn.

  I didn't like it, but I had my orders. And I was chomping at the bit to have a chance to end the Red Castle bastards once and for all. They were my personal ghost, a specter that hung over me. All these years that I have been on this UN joint task force, all we have been is a thorn in Red Castle's side. We haven't been able to shut them down. This could be our chance. My chance to finally find peace with my nightmares before I retire.

  We'd ship out at zero eight hundred the next morning. Until then, we had latrine duty that afternoon for my outburst. I just grinned at my men in apology to which they just rolled their eyes and grinned back. I idly wondered what was to become of the Bugbats after I was discharged. Would Big Brass keep them intact or fold them into other squads?

  I just put my back into my work, digging in with my shovel as I helped dig a trench. Good honest work keeps a person honest, Dad would always say.

  ***

  The next morning my fire team joined me for my run after I had done my sit-ups and push-ups. I raised an eyebrow at the guys. Dante just shrugged as we ran and said, “We figure this is probably our last mission together before you go and get yourself all civilian-ized and shit.” I smiled, the sentimental bastards, I poured on some speed, making them work for it.

  After the run and we all cleaned up and geared up for Sand Fox. On our way out to the motor-pool, we each kissed a hand and placed it on Katie's picture on my footlocker as we passed by in our ritual for the past two years. She was our lucky charm, and none of my men knew she was Valkyrie One. They just knew she was my girlfriend, well fiance now, Katie, and that was all. I told myself I would share who she with them after our last mission together. They were gonna shit bricks. I grinned as we loaded up in the waiting Hummer.

  We were driven to the makeshift airfield and hopped on our Puma transport chopper. Full packs are not much fun. Sixty pounds of dead weight on our backs. But it held everything we'd need for a four-day patrol. MREs and water took up most of the space. Poor Dante's was upward near ninety pounds.

  Forty-five minutes later we were on the ground covering our eyes as our ride took to the air in a swirling vortex of sand. I wrapped my face with a scarf and then we went about our inventory check. We all chimed out our gear and then I did a radio check. “Base, Sand Fox has feet down.” The communications officer back at Camp Lancaster. “Roger that, Sand Fox feet down.”

  Then I looked up into the sky and grinned, she was up there somewhere watching us. I keyed my mic. “Guardian One, Bugbat One. You got our six?”

  I grinned when my angel responded in her raspy, honey coated tones, “Bugbat One, Valkyrie One. We have eyes on you now.” I grinned and stood, hefting my pack and settling it in, cradled my M4 in my arm and looked at my men who were following suit. “Bugbats, let's move out.”

  They gave me a “Hooah!” and we all spread out into our scout formation on force of habit formed from years of training. We started moving forward in the slow trudging manner that conserved as much energy as possible in this hostile environment. Something learned over time in the desert. Our eyes scanning the area all around us for any indication of current or past activity.

  Valkyrie One came over the radio to us, “For the listening pleasure of my little Bugbats today, I thought we'd go for something classic.” Kid laughed off to my left before I could snort. Her music selections for us were almost exclusively classic rock. She played ‘Mother Mother’ from the Veronicas, one of their more edgy songs. I grinned at the consternation I imagined Major Bauer must have had on his face just then. Valkyrie One breaking protocol with us and playing music while we did our sweeps.

  We stopped frequently to check the printed maps and the tablet computer as we entered the rocky outcrops. They looked like the blackened bones of some long dead giants, just sticking up out of the sand. We made sure not to go into any of the box canyons. We'd go high on the ravine ridges fifteen meters above on our return sweep to reconnoiter them, they were nothing but kill boxes that we had no intention of stumbling into, bait or not.

  We stopped mid-day under the shade of an outcropping to fuel up. We needed water and calories. We ate some MREs and drank our ration of water, did another inventory check then hoisted our packs. I re-wrapped my face and the others followed suit and we started our scouting again. The whole time, Valkyrie One playing music or sending us to one rock outcropping or another that her satellites or drones couldn't see under.

  We did stop at a cave that had the coals of an old campfire from weeks ago if the sand covering the coals was any indication. We cleared the cave but found no sign of more recent activity or boobytraps as the sun was setting. I said, “Looks like as good a place as any.”

  I motioned to the rock overhang at the cave entrance, a great vantage point, and said, “I've got first watch.” The men grunted and slung their packs off their backs. I dropped mine next to theirs, grabbed an MRE and my canteen then cradled my M4. I started climbing to the top of the cave entrance while Kid started a small fire, with a busted up old crate we found in the cave, which he shielded behind a rock.

  I keyed my mic as I sat eating and looking up at the stars as I listened to my men below and scanned the area for movement. “Valkyrie One, Bugbat One. Sand Fox dug in for the night.”

  She responded tiredly, “Roger that. Sand Fox dug in.” Then she cued up a mellow, emotional song, after a few beats I recognized it as ‘Brown Eyes’, by Mandy Fay Harris.

  I just kicked back and scanned the perimeter as I listened and really understood what the words were trying to convey. Is it possible that Mandy was as broken as I feel at times? I just silently sat watch, with subtle music playing at a whisper quiet volume, until Johnson came scrambling up the rocks to my location to relive me.

  I gave him a smile and a nod then headed down for some shuteye.

  Chapter 15 – The Fall of Dead Shot

  That pretty much sums up the next couple days. We found a lot of evidence of recent activity, but Red Castle was good at hiding if they were around. We cleared three more caves, one had an abandoned cage that had broken hinges and the body of a young woman, both of which the human traffickers had no use for anymore.

  It made me sick to my stomach and almost wretched at the inhumanity of those bastards. At least now we knew for certain that Red Castle was using the area. We tagged the location for recovery of the body. Valkyrie One let us know that a recovery team would be at the site at the end of the day. I nodded to myself, that would give us plenty of time to distance ourselves from the area.

  I called out, “Alright Bugbats, let's hump it double time!”

  They ground out a tired “Hooah!” in response and we made our way toward the more rocky area near the end of our patrol.

  We hadn't gone more than a couple clicks when the music stopped and Katie was on, in her no-nonsense professional voice. “Bugbat One, Valkyrie One.”

  I switche
d my mic to VOX mode and responded, “Bugbat One.”

  She was quick to reply, “Dead Shot, I have movement north-northeast of your position, one click. Two bogeys using the terrain to obscure their motion.”

  All of our eyes automatically swept in that direction. It was the vast maze of gullies and ravines that we were heading toward. I raised my M4 and popped the cap from my scope and sighted along the ridges, Johnson followed suit. I looked at the gap between two outcroppings about a half kilometer away.

  Damn, that would be the perfect ambush point. I didn't like it. I said, “Ok, that looks like a hamburger grinder there. If I were them, that's where I'd set up a kill box.” I pointed and then swept my hand north. “We'll swing up and around and come down on it from the East and see if they are thinking the same thing about the gap.”

  We hydrated ourselves and called out inventory and checked our weapons, then humped it double-time to the north. I radioed in my intentions to base and to Guardian One. They had a satellite with thermal overlay tasked to us for the next sixty minutes before it crossed over the horizon. They tasked a Predator to the area to pick up the coverage, it would arrive shortly after.

  When we had circled around and were heading West, back toward the gap from behind I murmured, “Talk to us Valkyrie One. Sand Fox in position.”

  There was a pause. “I don't like this Bugbat One. They are standing almost in the open, you should be able to see them from your location. Hold position until we can get a better look at the area.”

  I nodded to myself. “Roger that.” I raised my rifle again and peered through the scope. Sure enough, there was one of the men, armed with a Kalashnikov gazing west, anticipating our arrival from that direction. But he was partially exposed. I got the same uneasy feeling that Valkyrie One had.