CIA - The Slave Traders

by Joe Bob Newman

Seals were all in.

  They checked and rechecked everything. They were up most of the night. The men played poker with small change. Lynda played with them. They cleaned her out and she had to go to Marcus for more money. He made her kiss him in front of all the guys. They hooted and hollered.

  The next day, everyone was ready and chomping at the bit. By late in the day, everyone was awake and boarding the boat. Lynda was one of the last to get on. She had on her camouflaged clothes, her vest and a helmet.

  When she got to the boat, one of the Seals stepped in front of her. He said, “Ma’am, I am sorry, you cannot go!”

  She said, “Get Marcus up here. I am going.”

  The Seal said, “Marcus told us all that you are not going, and not to ask.”

  Lynda screamed out, “Marcus, come here, you bastard.”

  Marcus stood up and looked at Lynda; he was fully dressed, with a backpack and weapons. He shook his head. “No!”

  When Lynda screamed again, everyone around the area knew that she was upset. She yelled, “Please, Marcus, please.”

  Marcus shook his head. He looked miserable but firm.

  A second Seal stood up. He said, “Ma’am, it is against regulations. No married partners are allowed. It is for your own safety. There is nothing that we can do about it.”

  Suddenly it all fell into place for how he had been acting, and why he had wanted to get married. Lynda mouthed at him, “You bastard!” She turned and began to cry. She walked back up the ramp. She had been manipulated by him.

  She heard the engine of the boat start up. She turned away just in time to see the boat pull away from the ramp.

  She wanted to wave at Marcus and the rest of the guys, but no one was looking at her. They were all focused on the floor of the boat. She wondered how many would not make it back. She waved at them furiously. Under her breath she said, “Please come back.”

  Nighttime closed in suddenly around the boat. The trip would take six hours, in near total darkness. The sixteen Seals and Gil were all solemn and not speaking. Each was wrapped up in his own thoughts. This was as close to an act of war as they wanted to get.

  The six hours went by way too quickly and they were at the second staging point. They would man the two rafts. Just before they got up to go, the man next to Marcus said, “She sure is pretty, Marcus. Can I have her if you don’t come back?”

  Marcus did not smile. “Make sure I am dead first.” He patted the man on his knee.

  Rocky was the Lieutenant on the mission. He studied the city map with a small flashlight. He was not convinced about the mission, but he would follow orders.

  Marcus was leader of squad one, the first eight-man team, including himself. They were to go set the explosives, and squad two would cover them. Squad one was carrying sixty pounds of explosives in each of their backpacks. They would hit eight separate targets. The bombs would be set to go off in one hour, hopefully when all the Seals were gone.

  Gil was part of squad two now. He had fired lots of guns, but was not as proficient as the Seals were.

  The two rafts silently hit the beach at nearly the same time. The rafts were pulled up into the tree line and staked down. They were covered with leaves and branches. From the air, they were nearly invisible.

  The seventeen men made a stealthy escape into the quiet desert. It was three in the morning local time. Two hours later they found a suitable hiding spot. There was no shade. They would make their own. Three sentries were placed in a triangle pattern around the group. The sentries blended into the terrain almost perfectly.

  The area that they had found was a low point between two big dunes. They strung a camo tarp up, and it provided shade in the depression. It also hid their movements.

  Squad two was providing security, as they had the least to do the next day. Squad one slept through most of the day. The heat was bearable. About mid-afternoon, squad two got a scare. A small boy with a group of sheep came by. The Lieutenant told the sentry to hold his fire. It was a wise decision; at the last moment the small boy changed direction and they passed by safely.

  That night at one hour after sundown, they began walking in a spread-out formation. They came to the edge of the city. The first four Seals and Gil were left to provide a security block. They would be certain that all stayed clear at this point. They had already synchronized their watches and the time for the explosions.

  The large group of Seals proceeded on into the city. They had to dodge an occasional car or truck. No contact was made with anyone. The group went four blocks and dropped off the next four Seals. They made the second security block. The remaining Seals trudged on.

  Four blocks further on, they came to an obstacle. A taxi with a driver in it was parked on a side street. He was asleep. This was a dilemma for the Lieutenant. Should he take the man out or leave him alone? He decided to leave him alone. This street was where the next security block was to be. They went ahead and set it up and would watch the taxi. Maybe he would wake up, drive off, and never see them.

  They had picked their route well. They had not been seen and had not had any contact with anyone. Four blocks further, they could see the first building. It was surrounded by a barbed wire fence and many lights. They dropped off the last four Seals of squad two and watched them set up a security grid. Then Marcus led the last seven Seals to the fence.

  They cut a vertical line through the chain link part of the fence, and all the Seals made it through. The fenced area was dark; just the building was lit up. Two Seals peeled off and headed into an area where a light was out, and made it to building one. The other six Seals went on to the far fence, cut another vertical slot, and slipped through to building two. Two Seals peeled off again, and cut a slot in the fence and entered building two’s compound. Marcus and the remaining Seals jogged on to building three. They saw a guard on the roof. The watched him for a few minutes. He was alone. Marcus signaled to Nick to take the guard out.

  A single “pop” and the man fell to the roof deck. They repeated their actions, and two more Seals went into the third building’s compound. They could hear a gun being fired down a side street. The people of the city must be used to it; no one came outside. Marcus figured that it was a good thing.

  At the end of this building, Marcus and the remaining Seal split up. Marcus would go to the cooling towers and set three bombs, one under each tower. The other Seal would go to a different building. These bombs would not cripple the nuclear plant, but the explosions and resulting fire would be a real, “don’t mess with us” message.

  Marcus went to the cooling towers. There was not a fence around the cooling lagoon. There were animals at the lagoon. He did his best to not disturb the animals.

  He was walking out in the open when he saw the first guard. The guard saw him, and fumbled for his weapon. Marcus was quicker and with a “pop,” the man breathed his last. Marcus pulled him over to a bush and shoved him under the plant. He was well-hidden.

  He slipped between the first two towers. He had his backpack off and was separating the three bombs and timers, when he saw two men talking and walking down the concrete path. He moved his items into the shadows and hid behind a bush. The two men walked past him and also past the dead man.

  When they had safely passed, Marcus got the first bomb and fastened it up under the first tower. He had it secure and went back for the second bomb. He looked around and all was clear. He took the second bomb to the second tower and fastened it in a like manner. He was pretty happy so far. He had not heard gunfire behind him, so the other Seals must be doing okay.

  He was putting the third bomb in place, when a brilliant light came on. It scared the wits out of him. It was shining on the third tower and had him completely lit up. He finished fastening the bomb and set the timer. He slid out just as water gushed onto the cooling tower. They were starting up the system. The water would not affect
the bomb, but it had soaked him. He was chilled.

  Marcus made it back to the first assembly point. The second Seal was waiting on him. They jogged in the near-darkness to the next assembly point. His night vision goggles were working superbly.

  The next two were late. The two Seals spread out and made a security area. The two men were spread out, making a line of safety. No one was behind them. The two missing Seals appeared. They were bent over and running to the assembly point. Behind them were two men chasing the Seals. So far no one had fired or yelled. Marcus aimed at the Iranian man on the left and two “pops” sounded. The two Iranian men went down. There was no time to hide them. They had to leave them and make the next assembly point. The four Seals were all able to run. Without their heavy packs they could run fast now. They had time to make up.

  They made the next assembly point without disturbing anyone. There were now six Seals running to the next assembly point. They heard a shout behind them. Two Seals peeled off and Marcus heard two “pops.” There would be no more shouts from these two people, but the damage had been done.

  Lights began to come on in all the surrounding houses. The Seals ran as fast as they could. They made the next assembly point, but no one was there. The two Seals should be back by now. Something was wrong. The six Seals spread out and waited.