by Doug Ball
A chopper went over, south to north, less than an hour later. It was not flying low enough for them to think on it much.
Chuck and Rachel arrived at the jumping off point and read the notes. “We miss all the fun, I guess,” said Rachel.
“I can think of other places I’d rather be, but this might be an important position.”
“How so?”
“They may be under fire when they return and low on ammo. We can shoot up a lot of rounds to cover for them, if they are being chased by the bad guys.” He paused for a breath, “But, I’d rather be out there.”
“Me, too.”
They heard the chopper going north not too far from their position. Within minutes a chopper was heard heading southeast, followed by another.
“Lot of air traffic around here. Let’s get the lights out.” Rachel was getting a little spooked.
Chuck killed the lights and walked over to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. “This just might be a good thing or time for us. I’ve wanting to talk to you in private.”
“Well, big boy,” she shrugged out of the hug, “It doesn’t get much more private than this and this may not be going where you want it to go.”
#
A mile away from the hacienda, the man named One called a halt. “Two, take your squad around the east side and cut the road. Three, take your squad around to the west and cover the south side. Four, off to the west side. The rest of us will hit the north side hard. Remember the click codes on the radio. When you hear the commotion of the mortars on the north side, turn loose the demons. Hit the walls with RPG’s and grenades. Mortars, I want ten rounds in there on the north side grounds to start the party. Ten, only ten, got it?” He did not wait for an answer. “Let’s move out.”
Two, Three, and Four took their troops off at a trot. One leaned back on his heels and added, “We wait five minutes then we go begin the party.” He nodded to three of his men and said, “Go.”
Tan watched all this fall into place, storing the maneuvers in his head. “What’s with those three?”
“They will check the path in and remove any trip wires or alarms, or at least mark them. Tell your men to stay behind me in single file until the party begins, and then they dance with the rest of us.”
“Watch for our two possible captives as we go in.”
“That was in our briefing. They will be locked away somewhere or dead.”
Tan looked at his feet, “Yeah, I know.” He lifted his head, “What will you do with any survivors of the assault?”
One looked at Tan with a look that said, ‘You don’t even want to know,’ and then said, “Survivors?”
#
Ray heard a chopper coming in from the direction of the airstrip. It had a barely audible whoop whoop that sounded more like a washing machine agitator moving through the water on the Heavy cycle. “Don’t need a chopper here unless it’s coming to take me out, safely.”
#
Tan saw One’s head come up and then heard the sound. “Is that the chopper?”
“What chopper?”
“There is a baby blue almost silent chopper that has been seen around this part of the border.”
“Baby blue. I have never heard of this chopper.”
“It is the one that held the men who killed the women in the Buenos Aeries area. If that is attached to this place we are definitely where we want to be.”
“Señor Tan, that chopper is far away.”
“No, look over the hacienda, you can see the lights coming this way.”
One hit the button on his radio four times to send the code for ‘hold-in-position’ to his group leaders as he watched the lights of the chopper move toward the hacienda. “I think we let it be unless it lands in the compound. Once on the ground we can destroy it more easily.”
They watched as the bird flew around the edge of the compound and then settle in the yard near the gate. It began to spool down.
They waited.
One clicked three times, signaling the mortars to begin.
An almost silent ‘blook’ was heard from the far side of the compound as One started his men along the path marked by luminescent spray paint the point men had left behind. Almost as fast as the ‘blook’ came, the chopper began to spool up for takeoff. The ‘blooks’ came so fast that number six was leaving the tube as the first one hit just inside the south wall. At that signal, One ordered his men to run. Trip lines and light beams meant nothing at that point.
Through the mortar explosions and the grenades going off the light colored chopper lifted like a Phoenix from the midst of fire. The dust and smoke reflected the light flashed by the following explosions. The noise was terrible to men without ear protection.
They ran. Not a shot was fired from the north side as the men around Tan held their fire as planned and assaulted the wall on their side. Once at the wall, a man seemed to run his hands around a man sized part of the wall. He stepped back to the right with his back against the wall, seconds later the wall exploded with one loud blast. The man turned and walked through the hole in the wall and was quickly followed by the others. Two men stayed behind to guard the exit if needed.
On the south side Three had seen the chopper land and knew they would get no better chance at catching the entire group in the compound than now. He moved his men forward even though One had ordered hold in place. The group was ready for anything as they moved as one toward the wall. Three whispered, “Come on mortars, open up.”
The chopper started spooling up as they heard the ‘blook’ of the mortars and turned loose the dogs on the north wall. Holes appeared quickly from the RPGs and grenades. Three’s men ran for the holes in every effort to stop the chopper.
Two on the east side saw the gate standing open and, on the first ‘blook,’ ordered the charge toward the gate along with the two men charged to make new doorways in the wall. They, too, were trying to stop the bird as it began to lift.
Two and Three watched as the bird lifted 20 feet into the air, saw the rounds of rifle fire pierce and bounce off the skin of the chopper. They watched as it rotated with a door opening on the side nearest the wall and gate. The barrel of a gun emerged and began belching flame toward Three’s group.
Two men leaned out of the door of the chopper reaching for a third who was hit and fell. The chopper lifted rapidly.
Someone yelled, “Take cover.” Men dove behind the wall to get away from the scything fire, as the gun came to bare on the men in Two’s group.
Two called for a charge to the wall and through the gate only to watch his men drop all around him. He alone made it through the gate and found refuge directly under the rapidly climbing chopper. He emptied his magazine into the belly of the beast, shifted magazines, and fired toward the front door of the house which had opened and was spewing men.
The lights went out.
One and Tan ran for the house side by side. They ran past Leon pinned to the tree without even seeing him. He did not see them either.
A second chopper came roaring in from the south only to have five M-4’s focus on its rotor hub. It rolled and died just short of the wall. The flames of the burning fuel provided an eerie light for the fight on that side of the hacienda.
Ray saw the men in black coming through the wall and assumed they were other drug dealers come to take the territory of this Borrago. He held fire hoping for a chance to get to Leon. He watched and waited. One man in black started toward him, but just as Ray was deciding to blow him away, the man changed directions. Most of the group were past Leon and moving toward the house. Two men lagged behind, one of which started to use Leon’s tree to hide behind and then changed his mind, heading for the house.
Ray saw his chance. With bolt-cutters, pliers, and knife he ran to the tree and Leon.
The groups were taking a beating. The soldados firing from the second floor were confused by the black camo and the darkness, so they fired at any suspected spot of darkness. Muzzle flashes became ea
sy targets and valued even more as they heard their slugs hitting flesh. Only heavy body armor saved many of the attackers from death or serious wounds. Even with the armor, many fell from the impact of the high velocity rounds.
One ordered his men to enter the house and begin the clean up knowing it was going to be costly, but to his surprise many of the defenders just laid down their guns and sat against the wall waiting for his men to find them with flash lights. The second floor was a bit tougher, but not much.
As the firing tapered off on all sides, Tan went looking for Leon and Mr. Lawler. The second room he entered cost him his flashlight and a finger on his left hand as the light was shot out of his hand. He emptied his magazine at the dark corner the shot had come from and then heard. “Peace,” from another corner.
At that moment One ordered the lights turned on. The master breaker was reset by the man who had pulled it off moments before. Tan was looking at three men in that other corner with their hands moving up and guns pushed away. The roundup began.
Ray made it to Leon. “Leon.” No response.
He slid the bolt cutters under the left foot and squeezed the handles. The nail popped like a kid crunching a stick of candy. The nail through the right foot came apart just as easy. The right hand and then then left were freed and still no response from Leon.
Ray put his hand on Leon’s chest to hold him in position against the tree and cut the rope. Leon sagged. Ray rolled him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and took off for the nearest hole in the wall which was on the north wall.
As he passed through the wall, one of the guards that remained there, tripped him, put a light in his face, checked Leon with the light, stood and yelled ‘médico’ as loud as he could. The other exit guard fell to his knees next to Leon and began putting his combat bandage on one of Leon’s feet. The man with the light handed his down and the other foot was covered.
Ray watched what happened and stayed down. He was either going to die or these men were good guys from who knows where. Because they spoke Spanish, he figured they were from Mexico and if they were, they were still the good guys.
The firing died out totally. No medic arrived at the north wall until one of the guards walked into the compound and, seeing Abdul, said, “Amigos,” and pointed through the hole.
Abdul went through, took one look at Leon lying there, “You must be Mr. Lawler.”
Ray wilted into the dirt. “Yes, I am.”
Abdul ran back to find Tan and a medic.
An hour later, two Mexican Army choppers flew into the area and landed on the road leading out. Eight wounded went on one and 7 on the other. Tan had made the decision that One’s troops should be first dealt with. His men were okay. Leon was weak from loss of blood and hurt enough for ten men. He got a shot of morphine. One of the Border Patrol men took a round across the back of his right calf just bad enough to rip the skin smartly and earn him an Arizona Purple heart, but just might cost him his job along with the others.
Tan said, “I will not allow someone else to tell the Governor of this fiasco.”
He punched her number into his phone.
“Yes. Do you know what time it is, Mr. Brown?”
“Yes I do.”
“What is it? How many died on our side? How many of Spiderman’s men? Oh, did you get Borrago?”
“We won. No men from Arizona died. Two wounded. Fifteen Mexican support troops wounded and flown out by Mexican Army choppers. I believe there were eight killed. We did not get Borrago. He was on the blue chopper that hauled freight out of here at the start of the battle. One of his sons is among the dead. The other must be with him.
“Borrago’s men are rounded up with 32 captured, 14 of which are wounded, and 18 or so dead. We’re still finding them. There is also a decapitated man on the road out of here lying beside a reasonably new Hummer. Some indications that he was emerging from the car when a second car hit the door and did the trick for him. He had a nasty looking automatic inside his jacket.”
“Come home, Tan. Congratulate our friends for cleaning out that nest of drug dealing vipers. There are two choppers coming your way. Do not shoot them down. They will bring you and your crew home.”
“Who are these guys?”
“Supermen?”
“Try again.”
“Friends of Spiderman, a friend of mine. Oh, by the way, somebody took out El Trinchante. The head was killed and you finished the snake.”
“See you tomorrow morning in my office with all your troops except Leon if he can’t make it.”
“Yes, Governor.”
She called the number the General had given her for the choppers.
The General answered.
“Go,” was all she said.
18
Harry Ditmyer woke up at 2 PM with his wife sitting on the edge of the bed holding a cup of coffee. “You got any of that for me?”
“My husband, you are too old for war. I have drained one pot of this brown nectar and am half way through the second. All of it was disposed of as I sat right here bouncing the bed on occasion. You are just now waking.
“Don’t think you snuck in on me, either. I smelled the sweat, gunsmoke, and fear on you when you crawled into bed. I woke up to the phone ringing and one of the other wives who will remain unnamed, told me the most fantastic story of four old Border Patrol men going south to play in Mexico.
“Your gun needs cleaning and taken off my dining room table. Get up and I’ll give you all the coffee you want along with food of whatever kind you want.” She bent over him and gave him a kiss that curled his toes.
“Put the cup down and join me.”
“Why not? It’s been a crazy day so far, why not keep it up.”
#
Tan arrived home in time for a late breakfast with the boys and Joan. She didn’t ask. He was home.
#
Leon had enough pain killers in him to deaden a horse for surgery and still was moaning and groaning about the pain. The doctor came in again, stuck him with a pin in the bottom of his foot which was not felt. Took his hands and massaged them between his fingers none too gently. Leon did not respond.
“Son, you have no feeling where I touched. Shut up and go to sleep. The Crucifixion is over and you are alive. Which I am told is due to a man you need to thank. He is doing well at home. His sister is flying in with her husband and they will watch him for a couple of days. You wore him out physically and emotionally. Good night.”
He threw the covers up over Leon and left the room.
The nurse arrived quickly and said, “Night night,” as she rolled him sideways and stuck a needle in his butt.
#
Tank and Abdul stopped at a 24 hour wings and ribs joint on the edge of Tucson for breakfast. At 8 AM they checked into a motel, 2 queen size beds, do not disturb sign hung, door locked, curtains drawn, lights out, and woe be unto the maid who knocks on the door or the person dragging a roll around suitcase down the walkway with its clunk, clunk, clunk.
#
One reported in to Spiderman and gave a full report. When he ended the Colonel said, “Well done, my son. Perhaps we have started a couple of things here today.”
“What would be these things, Padre?”
“My son, the first is the downfall of the horrors of the drug cartels. And, the second is a healing between Los Americanos and Mexico. A special emphasis on Arizona. The stupidity of war against the State of Arizona will be to our shame for many years to come.”
“I understand, Sir.”
“Take your men on a training outing today and take care of the casualties properly.”
“I do not like this part, Padre. How do you continue to lead after losing so many?”
“You learn from the battle so you can win the war. Your men know why. Their families must think they died for a cause and the banditos in the mountains are a hard enemy. Write carefully and well.”
“Si, Padre. My men learned a lot. This is but a first step for th
em. Each one has lost close family to the cartels. They are more on fire than even I. I would have no other family lose a son and brother as we have, Padre. I will do what is necessary.”
“Via con Dios, my son.”
#
The Governor’s phone rang breaking the solitude of her office. Josie picked it up. “It’s for you, Governor.”
“Yes?”
“Spiderman here. Is all well on your side?”
“Nothing to not be well. We have caught the murderers of our people and they fought back. A hearing will be held in the next couple of weeks when my people have gathered all the facts. Of course your name will not be mentioned and the operation of those men that came from nowhere will also not be mentioned. How is your son?”
“He is well. He is learning the difficult part of leadership. The recruiting of new troops will take a few days, and then he will train them better than this first group. They were good and did well. Casualties were high due to the helicopter showing its baby blue backside in the middle of the event.”
“Now we kill the bird.”
“I believe it is on your side of the border in California or New Mexico. We tracked it north and then it dropped and was gone. I wish I had more news for you.”
“My General, your cousin, is working on that as we speak. He is calling for satellite recon photos to examine and set up watch points in as many places as we can. If that bird comes our way, we will take care of it and its occupants. Any word of the Borrago family and Armado?”
“Nada, Señora. They have disappeared.”
The Governor checked her makeup in the mirror over the wet bar as she wandered around the room phone in hand, “We will find them. If we could find that terrorist Usafi, we can find a Mexican bandito.”
The Colonel was smiling, “We will find him.”
“Any calls from El Presidente?”
“None.”
“Adios, my friend. Say ‘hi’ to your wife for me, please, and ‘thank you’ to your son.”
“Tell Art we play golf in Tucson next week. Call for time and day. Con Dios, Señora.”