A moment later a hand reached through the wider opening. Murdock grabbed the hand, rammed the door open, and pulled the Korean outside. Murdock's hand clamped over the frightened man's mouth. They kept the door open a crack. Then Charley pushed the North Korean civilian against the outside wall and began talking to him. His voice was low and threatening.
Slowly the North Korean shook his head. Charley punched him in the face three times so quick the man had no chance to duck. He slumped against the wall, then slid down to a sitting position.
Charley kicked him in the crotch, and the door guard gurgled in pain and terror. This time when Charley talked to him, he replied in a low voice filled with fear.
Charley stood and grinned. "The general is still here. He's on the top floor in the grand suite. There are armed military guards on the third floor, about a dozen of them. Some of them are drunk, others with women. When this misbegotten one can walk again, he'll lead the way."
Murdock nodded and checked the door. He pushed it inward until he could see around the dimly lit courtyard. In the center was a pool with a garden around it. The buildings on both sides were twenty feet away. This outer wall connected them.
Murdock went back to the North Korean civilian and lifted him to his feet. He motioned ahead, and the man struggled to take a step, then a second one. By the time they were through the door, he walked almost normally. He waved them toward the left-hand building. They saw no one in the courtyard, which was about a hundred feet across. Murdock told DeWitt to keep Bravo Sq uad near the first building and be ready to come to back him up.
Inside the nearest building, Murdock and Alpha Squad went up a stairway to the second floor, then down the hallway. They saw no one. Loud music came from one room. This building was set up like a good hotel. At the end of the hall they came to another door that led to stairs.
The Korean motioned them forward, but hung back. Murdock pushed him to lead them, and they went up the steps. When they came to the door, Murdock pushed it open an inch and looked through. They were on the third floor. Where were the armed guards?
He spotted two down the corridor. It was only twenty feet long here, and opened into a large reception area with four doors leading off it. The two NK Army men leaned against the wall outside the first door. Both had rifles, which they had slung over their shoulders with the muzzles down.
Murdock waved the man behind him, Jaybird, up to the door. Jaybird took a look. He flattened out on the floor and brought up his H&K subgun.
"I've got the one on the right," Jaybird whispered. Murdock knelt behind him and sighted in with his own MP-5.
"Fire," Murdock whispered, and both men triggered their weapons. The single shots stung the two NK guards. One took a heart shot and went down dead without a murmur. The second one caught the round in the chest, but it missed his heart. He staggered against the wall and tried to lift his rifle. Both Murdock and Jaybird got off single shots at about the same time, and the guard went down and didn't move.
Murdock checked the hallway. He saw no more guards. He was about ready to move into the hall when four uniformed soldiers came out of one room, laughing and buttoning their shirts and pants.
They saw the downed men and yelled. None had a weapon. Murdock and Jaybird switched to full auto on the MP-5 submachine guns and fired into the quartet. Two went down; one stormed back into the room he had just left. The fourth tried for the door beside the dead soldiers, but didn't make it.
"Go!" Murdock shrilled, and he led his seven men through the door. They covered each of the four doors and waited. When nothing happened. Murdock tried the door where the two guards had been. Locked. He stepped back and slammed his boot against the wood near the knob and jolted it inward. He had jumped to one side, but no gunfire sounded inside the room. He peered into it from floor level, and saw only a hotel type room with two beds and four naked bodies.
Two men and two women looked up and drunkenly waved, then went back to their sexual entertainment.
Murdock checked the uniforms thrown on the floor. No stars. The men were too young. He came out of the room just as four North Korean soldiers with AK-47's barged out of the middle door. Six SEAL weapons fired on them before they had targets, and all four went down dead or dying.
Jaybird rushed into the room they had just left and returned a moment later.
"Empty, Skip," he said softly.
Two more doors.
Murdock pointed men to doors, and they kicked down the doors at the same time. Gunfire blasted through one of the open doors. Murdock threw in a grenade, and he and three SEALs stormed in when the shrapnel stopped flying. They found two NK officers, naked and both dead from the fragger.
The other room held six women, in various stages of undress, awaiting the pleasure of the Army officers.
"Ask them where the general is," Murdock told Charley. He did, and the women giggled and rubbed his crotch until he backed away. "They say general old man, he don't fuck. He's down in the kitchen cooking."
Murdock and his men went down the stairs and picked up their talkative captive, and Charley had him lead them to the kitchen on the first floor.
They went in another building toward the back. They saw no soldiers outside. This was a secure area for them. Charley chattered with the North Korean captive.
"In this door, down a long corridor, and then to the right is kitchen."
Lam led out, with Murdock right behind him. Just as they came into the corridor, Lam saw a soldier come into the hall from the other end. Lam's Colt carbine put three silent slugs into the man before he knew they were there. He bounced off the wall, hit the floor, and rolled on his back, dead of lead poisoning.
They ran on rubber-soled boots down the hall. Lam peered around the corner of the hall, and saw two guards outside another door. Ching leaned around the corner at the same time. Both men fired three-round bursts and cut down the guards.
Murdock and his Alpha Squad lined up on both sides of the kitchen door. Murdock and Ronson jolted through the door and scanned the well-equipped kitchen.
General Soo Chung Chi stood at a stove, a large skillet in one hand and a measuring cup in the other. Behind him stood two naked Korean girls about twelve years old. He wore his Army uniform with the stars on his shoulders, a white apron, and a white chef's hat.
He put the skillet down gently on the stove and the measuring cup beside it. He turned toward the intruders, bowed, and looked at Charley. "Do not hurt the girls, they are innocents. No, I did not molest them. I am an artist by choice. I painted them.'" Charley translated the words quickly for Murdock.
General Soo turned and waved the girls away. They scampered past the stoves and refrigerators and out a door.
"Now, I am ready," he said. Charley translated. Murdock lifted his right hand and saluted the general. General Soo returned the salute. Then Murdock lowered his hand to his MP-5 and put three rounds into the Korean's heart. General Soo slammed backwards, knocked the frying pan off the stove, and landed on the floor on his back, his unseeing eyes staring at the ceiling.
"Make sure," Murdock said.
Jaybird walked up to the general and put one round of 9mm into his head.
"Let's get out of here," Murdock said. They picked up DeWitt and his men just outside.
"Trouble," DeWitt said. "They have half-a-dozen armed men at the north gate we came in. Saw only two at the main gate."
"They know where we are?" Murdock asked.
"Don't think so."
Murdock put his four men with the NATO-round sniper rifles at the door.
"Take out the men at the north gate," he told them. "Fire when you're ready."
The H&K PSG1's with their bolt action fired into the men at the north gate. Three went down on the first volley. By the time they knew they were under fire and reacted, two more hit the North Korean dirt. The last one jolted through the door outside and ran out of sight.
"Let's double-time for the main gate," Murdock said. The gate was fifty yar
ds away across the courtyard to the south. The fifteen men ran flat out. They took fire from the rear, then saw the guards on the main gate. The four SEALs in front laid down a frontal assault fire, their weapons on three-round bursts or fully auto. They didn't hit much, but made the NKs scurry for cover.
Halfway there they came to a military six-by-six truck, and hid behind it to catch their breath. A dozen rounds from the gate hit the truck.
"Grenades," Murdock shouted. Four SEALs lofted the small hand bombs at the gate. When they went off, the men threw four more.
"When they blast, we hit the gate at a run," Murdock called out. Somewhere along the line they had lost their hostage. No matter. The grenades exploded with their 4.2-second fuses, and the SEALs charged the gate. They met no opposing fire. As they charged past the gate and two vehicles they found three men dead.
Murdock checked the rigs. One was a civilian car of undetermined make, the other a military six-by truck.
"Douglas," Murdock called. "Can you make that truck run?"
"Damn right." He crawled into the cab, checked around, and a moment later the engine fired.
"Load up, and we're out of here," Murdock said. The SEALs and two Koreans scurried into the truck and it pulled out. Murdock put Charley in the cab with him and Douglas.
"We need to go east," Murdock said. He looked at Charley. "Any idea how to get to Taedong?"
"No way, Jose," Charley said, and laughed. "We go east. Turn left, go east."
Murdock wondered how long they could keep the truck. Word would be out quickly about the death of the general and the stolen truck. They might not even get around Chungsan. He used the Motorola. "Casualty report, Mahanani."
There was a moment of silence.
"Only one we have back here, Skipper, is a round through the left arm of our buddy Al Adams.
Sore as hell, but he can still walk and talk. I've got it bound up. Missed the bone, went right on through. He's fit for duty."
"Thanks, Mahanani."
The paved road they were on heading south came to a crossroad. They slowed. Charley shook his head.
"Too narrow, need better road heading east."
They continued driving. They met a small Army rig, but it continued on north without slowing. Murdock eased his grip on his submachine gun.
A mile closer to the town, they came to another crossroad. This one was blacktopped and had a white line in the middle.
'Turn left," Charley said. The road headed due east, then swung a little south, but if it kept going east they would miss the town. On this road, they met no traffic at all. Murdock checked his watch. It was 0328.
"Three hours to daylight," Murdock said. "We need a good place to hide, with or without the truck." Douglas looked at him quickly. "No sweat, Douglas. We keep the wheels as long as possible. It's a hell of a lot better than walking thirty miles."
Two miles up the deserted road, they came to four headlights facing them. The lights didn't move.
"Nobody is passing anybody," Douglas said. "It's a fucking roadblock."
"How fast we driving?" Murdock asked.
"About forty-five," Douglas said. "Fast as I can get it moving."
"When we get within a hundred yards, start slowing down, then when we can see what's there, we'll decide." He touched his mike. "Roadblock ahead, look alive. Probably run it, so give us some firepower out the back."
They waited. Nothing was visible through the glare of the four headlights. They came closer. Douglas slowed the rig.
A few more feet and their headlights cut through the glare and they saw the vehicles. One was a light sedan, the other a small jeep-type rig.
"Kick it," Murdock shouted. "Ram through the center. Hit the accelerator." After he said it, Murdock pushed his MP-5 out the front-door window and sprayed the roadblock with 9mm slugs. Two of the headlights blew apart. He could see uniformed men diving for cover.
The big truck gained speed slowly, then surged ahead the last fifty feet and rammed into the sedan, shoving it aside like a toy car. They took a few rounds the last few seconds before impact. Then they were past and the SEALs in the open rear of the truck lanced dozens of rounds into the surprised and dazed defenders.
"Radio?" Douglas asked.
"Yeah, they might have one. If so, we can expect more trouble. Which means we can't vanish in a grove of trees and wait out the daylight. We keep blasting east as fast and as far as we can." He hit the mike. "Any casualties back there?"
"No hits," Ed DeWitt reported. "A few rounds went through the canvas but missed us. OK up there?"
"We have two stars in our windshield. Outside of that, we're rolling. Up ahead they may know we're coming. If we hit another roadblock, put the two fifties through the canvas in front and be ready to fire over the hood. Maybe we can take them out from long distance. Cut some holes in that canvas."
"That's a roger, Skipper," Bill Bradford said.
They rolled along in silence for a while. Murdock could see the dimly lit speedometer, but he didn't understand the reading.
"How fast?"
Charley looked at the dial. "Almost fifty miles an hour. Good."
They could see the town of Chungsan fading away to the right. Another road joined the one they were on, and Murdock hoped this was the main traffic route to Taedong, about twenty-eight to thirty miles east.
Ten minutes later, Murdock started to relax. The city lights were far behind them. They were in the country. Dirt roads came into the main highway every two or three miles. They met no traffic, and saw few buildings near the road or in the fields.
A millisecond later, the roadway directly ahead of them exploded in a brilliant yellow and orange blossom of death. Murdock ducked automatically. Douglas jolted himself out of a near-hypnotic state and tugged at the wheel to keep the truck straight down the road.
"RPG?" Murdock's radio earpiece asked.
"Sounded like it," Murdock said. "Where the hell did it come from? There aren't even any buildings out here."
As if in answer, Murdock heard a machine gun stuttering.
Douglas killed the headlights and eased the big truck to a stop. Six rounds slapped the hood, and two worked up to the windshield. They punched into the weakened glass and blew the shards back on the three men in the front seat.
"Bail out," Murdock shouted into his lip mike. He opened the door and dropped to the ground, did a front shoulder roll toward the ditch, and lay there as the rest of his men jumped, fell, and rolled out of the NK truck.
The machine gun kept chattering at them. He could hear the rounds tearing into the engine compartment. Murdock heard the left front tire blow out as a round caught it in the sidewall. All became quiet for a moment. Murdock lifted up and stared ahead of the truck, but he could see nothing down that way.
He saw a small flame lick its way out of the engine compartment.
"Get away from the truck, she's about to blow," Murdock said. He jumped out of the ditch and ran into a field, stumbled over a foot-high rice-paddy dike, and fell flat on this chest on the hard ground.
The machine gun chattered again.
Murdock hit his mike. "Lam, Jaybird, you two okay?"
"Roger that. Skip. Lam is with me."
"Move out and see about that MG out front. He's got us by the balls."
"We're gone, Skip."
"Anybody get hit? Sound off if you're hit or dead."
He heard a chuckle.
"I'll accept that. When you have a chance, let's get on the right-hand side of the truck. Watch out for that MG. No idea what they have up there, but somebody had an RPG. Let's assemble over here and then we'll move up slowly. The damn truck is no good to us anymore."
He sensed more than heard the men congregating. Somebody touched his boot. He looked back, and Ed DeWitt came up beside where he lay in the paddy.
"Lucky on that RPG. Hard to estimate distance at night. It could have wiped out half of us."
"Damn lucky. Just hope we haven't used up all of our good lu
ck for this trip. No wounds or injuries?" He asked the last question on his mike.
"Hey, I lost a hard-on when that fucking RPG went off," Fernandez said. "Does that count?"
"Your old lady will weep and moan, but no Purple Heart, buddy," Mahanani said. "Let's move," Murdock said. "Quiet time. Jaybird, can you talk?"
There was no response. They stood and worked over the hard rice paddies without a sound, slowly, expecting the worst.
Two minutes later two fraggers ripped the dark sky apart with bright orange flashes; then a subgun and a Colt spewed rounds into the night. Some heavy sounds of an AK-47 ruptured the sudden silence, followed by more of the 9mm rounds from the submachine gun.
A long silence followed. Two minutes at least, Murdock figured. Earpieces brought an end to the suspense.
"All clear forward. Skip," Lam said. "Only three of them. A motorbike and two bicycles, a machine gun, and one more RPG."
A moment after the transmission, the six-by-six truck's gasoline tank exploded, lighting up the sky for a half mile around. The sound trumpeted away to the hills, and the yellow flash moderated to a dozen licking green and orange flames as they ate through the wood and canvas on the Army truck.
"On the road, double time," Murdock barked.
They found Lam and Jaybird a minute later, and settled back into formation. Next they hiked down the road to the east.
"We hit the ditches if any headlights show in front or back," Murdock radioed. "Now we make some time to the east."
They had hoofed it down the roadway for twenty minutes when Murdock heard something in his earpiece.
"Oh, damn. Damnit to hell. I won't allow it. Shit. Better hold it up. Guess I got hit after all."
By then Murdock recognized Ed DeWitt's voice.
"Mahanani, check out the JG," Murdock said in his mike. They stopped, and the substitute medic found DeWitt on the shoulder of the highway with his left leg stretched out.
The medic used his pencil flash, holding it in his mouth as he peeled back the black civilian pants leg. Just above the jungle boot DeWitt's leg was lathered dark red with blood.
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