by J E Higgins
The Fijian needed no time to identify this group. He knew instantly they were adversaries. “Contact front!” He shouted as he brought his rifle into a firing position and sighted down the barrel at the first man in the approaching group. He let loose a burst of fire that was matched by the Greek closest to him and then another who joined them from behind.
Gorzo had barely enough time to catch the sight of this encroaching group coming out of nowhere when he was met with a fearsome barrage of gunfire. He screamed for his men to take cover as he lifted his rifle to fire back. He could hear the sounds and see the muzzle flashes as his men joined him in return fire. In only a second, the small corner between the cargo boxes had erupted into a massive gun battle.
Hearing the explosive gunfire only a short distance away, De’vor didn’t take long to conclude that Gorzo and his men had run into an unexpected enemy. Deciding to forgo waiting for the mine explosion, he instructed his man to toss the grenade at the body of men congregated at the docks. After a quick toss, the three men hunkered behind the thick steel of the cargo box. A few seconds later the gunfire was dwarfed by the thunderous report of the grenade exploding. The sound ruptured the air and shook the ground with a powerful vibration. It was followed by the loud blood-curdling screams of its victims who had not perished immediately. Giving an instant to allow the shrapnel to settle, the Frenchman led his troops out from behind the cargo box and started toward the remaining group, still dazed and confused from the blast. In cover behind the wall of the cargo box, he waited while his men moved to the other side. They began laying down a thick base of fire while their enemy was still grouped tightly together. More men screamed as the bullets tore into their bodies.
Kalopolis couldn’t understand what was happening. In the darkness, he could only hear the sounds around him. First, it had been the wild gunfire in the distance, then there was a huge blast that sent him and many others falling to their feet. He felt the warm, thick liquid that could only be blood spattered from lifeless corpses. Now, there was gunfire, only it wasn’t in the distance. It was close to him. He could see the flashes a few meters away, and the bullets were whizzing all around him.
He felt pairs of powerful hands grasp his biceps and lift him into the air. The arms merchant was being shuttled toward his car. The men who gripped him moved past the group of remaining bodyguards on their way to the vehicles. The man holding his left shoulder was barking orders to the men covering their escape. Kalopolis looked up and saw eruptions of gunfire all around him as his men returned fire.
Like a bag of potatoes, the arms merchant was unceremoniously tossed into the back of the last truck in his convoy. His two men barely slammed the door behind him before they were jumping into the front seat and starting the engine. The truck peeled out backward, then whirled around with a powerful force until it was facing the gate. Their tires squealed, and the smell of hot rubber permeated the truck as it raced down the road.
The gunfight was temporarily interrupted when another deep, earth-shattering sound erupted into the night. It was the limpet mine finally detonating. The sound was far more ominous as it echoed through the air and the force shaking the ship could even be felt on the docks. The Frenchman grabbed the walkie-talkie he had strapped to his side. On the other end, he could hear the gruff sound of Sergei Tarkov screaming from the other end.
“Why have you initiated early?” The Russian demanded.
“We were compromised!” Shouted De’vor as bullets flew extremely close.
“Do you need back up?” Tarkov asked, but De’vor knew he was coming whether he was needed to or not.
De’vor needed backup considering he was facing off against a continued fusillade of fire.
Tarkov heard the gun battle in the distance. He had seen and heard the explosion from the limpet mine. Now it was time to focus on the arms dealer and his Filipino contacts. The raft hurried into action as they navigated toward the firefight. Despite the danger, they were going in with all guns pointed to the boat on the water. If Mr. Flippers, as the shark had been nicknamed by the men, decided to rear his head, he would find the response less passive than a few minutes ago.
The raft reached the pier just as the shooting next to the ships had started to die down. The remaining members of Kalopolis’ security detail had retreated to their cars and widened the distance to where the shooting became little more than sporadic shots exchanged between both parties.
Tarkov and his team jumped onto the docks and took positions behind the same cargo box De’vor and his men had occupied. Quickly assessing the situation, Tarkov led his men past the box and down the walkway where he joined De’vor and his team. With the shooting ending, they set their sights on the ship. Half expecting to be receiving fire from above, they discovered the gaping hole in the side of the ship was occupying the crew’s attention.
All that remained after the explosion were the broken cargo boxes. The sound of another gunfight erupted behind them. Slipping backward, they rounded a corner to find Gorzo and his men in an all-out gunfight. Given the awkwardness of the fighting taking place between the two sides around a corner, Tarkov and De’vor took their team to the next opening to get behind their adversaries. They moved up to the opening and were met by a hail of gunfire. Some of the men cried out in pain as they were hit by the bullets. Everyone drew back and pressed themselves against the walls of the nearest cargo box and laid down return fire. They were in such a cramped location, only two men could fire back.
Mehendra heard the gunfire behind him. He turned to see the men he had posted to protect his rear were now heavily engaged. The Fijian had anticipated the enemy trying to flank him, and he had posted his two men to guard the rear while he and the other Greek held their position. After several tries, Mehendra radioed his team at the gate, calling them back to provide backup and attempt to assault the enemy’s rear. He needed them to arrive quickly.
The gunfire from behind was fierce and it quickly became apparent to the Fijian that his relief men were dealing with more than just a token force. Caught between two superior forces, he understood it was only a matter of time before he was overrun or ran out of ammunition. Taking a breath, he turned to his Greek cohort. Instructing him to grab the other two men, he planned for them to try to shoot their way through to their rear, where he figured they would be against a smaller force. Nervously, the Greek nodded. He understood they had no other option.
With the Fijian laying down a quick burst of suppressive fire, they moved back toward their two comrades. Together, they let loose a barrage of gunfire on the smaller force as all four picked up and retreated across the path to the next set of cargo boxes.
Tarkov and his men were unexpectedly hit by a larger concentration of fire than they had been dealing with. He watched as the two men they had been firing at, along with more of their comrades opened up with covering fire toward him and his men as they attempted to make an escape. The Russian and his men responded tenaciously with their own weapons as they tore into the escaping men. Muzzle flashes lit the night as both sides let loose on each other. And, like an angry swarm of bees, both sides felt the buzz of bullets flying all around them.
It ended with De’vor signaling that the enemy had escaped. Tarkov ordered everyone to cease firing and shouted the order across to Gorzo and his men. De’vor and a couple of the Palestinians darted over to where the enemy had made their escape, taking positions next to the opening to ensure they weren’t still there. He could hear running feet as the enemy made their getaway.
It took everyone several minutes to regain their night vision after the brightness the gunfire flashes produced. Then they were able to get a better view of the aftermath. Where the enemy had been, there were two bodies lying motionless on the ground. With the aid of a flashlight, they found one who looked to be of Greek origin lying next to a man who looked more Asian. The Asian man had a bullet hole in his forehead.
It was the sharp screeching of tires emanating from a gate opening th
at warned Sauwa and her team that their target was fast approaching. She had been on alert anticipating this moment since she heard the battle kick off with small arms fire, the ear-shattering eruptions of powerful explosions that were impossible to ignore. They had staged for the ambush sheltered within a dip in the ground a good distance from the tracks, which she watched through her night optics. Expensive looking utility vehicles were speeding wildly down the road as if trying to make a getaway. They weren’t traveling in a tight tactical pattern, they were racing pell-mell, every man for himself. The leading vehicle was well ahead of the two following. It looked almost as if they were in some sort of race. It also meant that the plan of hitting everyone in one quick blast was not going to happen.
By now, she and her team had their weapons out, the metallic stocks extended from their collapsed position, and the upper receiver locked back with a round in the chamber. They were using the elongated magazines that housed twenty-five rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition. Each one of them had an additional two magazines to be able to offer as much firepower as their light weapons could provide.
Her next concern was closing the considerable distance between them and the ambush point. They had rehearsed it several times, but it still felt like they needed to come up with a more reliable solution to a complicated plan. Semtex is a powerful explosive, and they had over five kilos of it in each vehicle. It was more than enough to rip a city transit bus to shreds. On an open road, it would send a couple of those approaching trucks flying a good distance. It was also guaranteed to send a storm of lethal shrapnel through the air even farther.
This meant that Sauwa and her team had to take cover within well-fortified shelter far enough away to avoid being casualties themselves. That also meant that once the ambush was initiated, they had a lot of open ground to cover to get to their target giving an adversary time to regain their faculties and fight back or make a run for it.
The first truck was coming up on the far side of the road where her other team was parked. One of the men on her team took out a disposable cellular phone and flipped it open. A number was already programmed in, and the man held his finger just above the send button. Sauwa held her hand up, palm forward, as she watched the approaching truck, timing it instinctively, hoping she would be close enough.
She clutched her hand into a fist when she saw the target vehicle pass several yards from their truck. The Palestinian responded by pressing the send button on his phone. The signal transmitted quickly to another phone that was inside the small detonation box containing the Semtex. An electrical current passed from the phone to the blasting caps fixed to the white, gooey clay.
The explosion impacted the first utility vehicle with enough force that it shook the ground violently and tossed it through the air as if it were a child’s toy. Sauwa and her team felt the explosion a good hundred meters away. The vehicle had been hit with such force that the steel frame split through the middle, tearing the vehicle into two smoking balls that smashed into the ground on either side of the road.
As anticipated, an instant later the sky was filled with flying debris. It sounded and felt like a hail storm. It lasted only a brief few seconds before the sky was clear again and the night silent with the exception of the following vehicles speeding down the road. Looking up over the berm, Sauwa and her team watched the next two trucks come to a screeching halt where the explosion had gone off. Thick clouds of smoke billowed from the explosion site casting an impenetrable fog making it extremely difficult to see what was going on.
Sauwa and her team shifted their positions and hesitated. They couldn’t see or hear anything. They could easily be outgunned. She had no intention of being caught out in the open where they would no longer have the option of activating the second explosive device if the enemy was in a position to retaliate.
Abruptly, screeching sounds were heard, and Sauwa realized the vehicles were moving again. She reached for her optics as Imil held the detonator for the next truck. It was a short window of opportunity as the cloud was still hampering her vision. She could see a second truck just ahead of the cloud. Imil flipped open the cover of the cell phone and was ready to press send to trigger the detonator.
The truck blew through the smoke and sped wildly down the road. It happened so fast, Sauwa barely had time to give the signal. Like the last time, she clutched her hand, and Imil’s thumb fell on the brightly lit button. Once more another wave rumbled violently through the ground with a loud thunderous boom echoing into the night. Seconds later, the sky was again filled with debris dropping on them. When it finished, the mercenaries peeked over the berm to see a fresh cloud of smoke. She could see the remains of that utility vehicle scattered on the road across from them.
There was little time for assessments when the third vehicle blasted through the cloud and proceeded to fly down the road. With no other explosives, the only option was to stop it the hard way. Bounding out of their protected position, the team sprinted toward the road just ahead of their target.
They were met by spurts of gunfire coming from the approaching vehicle. The shots were not well aimed, fired wildly in all directions. Sauwa and her team assumed the shots were coming from the occupants in the back seat, where they were not able to angle their shots well. Gradually the shots started to get closer, indicating someone from the vehicle was now sighting correctly.
When the vehicle moved into range for their nine-millimeter weapons to be effectively used, Sauwa’s mercenaries delivered a controlled burst of fire aimed at the windshield. Knowing that the thick glass of the windshield deflected the direction of a bullet by about six inches, Sauwa aimed low toward the glass just short of the cab. She fired a burst of three in succession. At the same time, Imil was firing toward the passenger side in the hopes of hitting one of the shooters. The other two Palestinians were directing their fire toward the tires and the back passenger side.
Eventually, the utility truck veered off to the side of the road and headed through the ground separating the two road systems. At first, it was thought they were trying to make a getaway. But then the truck weaved about, driven like someone intoxicated. It swerved and eventually slowed to an idle, then stopped when it hit a berm that brought it to a complete halt.
Led by Sauwa, the mercenaries moved toward the vehicle. Not sure what to expect, they fanned out. Imil flanking far to her left, and the other two Palestinians fanning out to her far right to focus on the back seat. She heard the clicking sounds of magazines being locked into the weapons behind her. A couple of the team had expended their first magazines in the initial firefight and were replacing them with fresh ones.
They neared the vehicle with their weapons held in the tactical ready, aiming as well as possible in the limited light. Less than fifty meters out, the front and back door of the passenger side burst open as two men simultaneously leaped from their seats while firing a burst from their carbines in the direction of the mercenaries. Sauwa moved erratically from side to side as she approached. Tactically, the target was far more difficult to hit when it was continually moving. It did not give anyone a solid point to aim in on. Sauwa returned fire with the same short controlled bursts she had used when the vehicle was moving. She could hear the distinct crackling of fire behind her that told her the other mercenaries were firing as well.
The two men moved from the truck to the side in an attempt to escape. Magazine empty, Sauwa continued moving as she ejected the spent magazine from the gun weld and with her shooting hand retrieved one of her spares. It was all second nature to her ─ she didn’t have to look or even think about it. She continued firing. By now, one of the escaping adversaries had stopped shooting and dropped his weapon to his side as he clutched his chest and ceased moving. He eventually sunk to his knees, fell to his side, and remained motionless. The other man managed to make it up the berm almost to the road before the same fate befell him. He dropped his weapon to the ground then rolled back down the berm onto the open ground.
Sa
uwa moved toward the utility truck, while the two Palestinians on her right moved to check the two corpses in the road. Reaching the rear of the vehicle, she bent down and pressed herself against the far corner to keep out of sight in case anyone was still inside training a weapon on her. Transitioning the shoulder stock to her other arm, she picked up a stone with her free hand and began to edge forward, barely moving her feet to avoid making noise.
Less than a meter from the back seat, she could hear heavy breathing. She didn’t know exactly where the sound was coming from, but she thought it was coming from the other side of the vehicle. The slight sound of metallic clanking could only be a weapon being moved; it told her the quarry was preparing for battle.
It was still impossible for either of them to see; they both had to rely on their sense of sound. Sauwa stomped her foot into the ground loud enough so it was easily heard by the person inside. At that same moment, she pitched the stone at the base of the car door making it seem as though she was preparing to enter. The rock cracking against the frame was swiftly met by a burst of gunfire that tore into the ground just in front of her. She now knew her target was in the back seat. Pivoting on the balls of her feet, she swung her weapon, but not her body, directly into the back seat. Estimating her point of contact, she pulled the trigger. Her weapon bucked with a quick burst of fire, followed by another. Then she heard a man’s agonized moans.