by J A Heaton
As Daniel flew past the final steps on the staircase and approached the door, he imagined himself bursting in and shooting Pavel in the back of his thick head as he looked over the courtyard with his rifle.
A moment before impact with the door, Daniel remembered his training.
I can’t run in blindly.
With a single swift motion, he pushed down on the handle and swung the door in to enter. He scanned the nearest corner and dropped to a knee to take in the rest of the room. The wall to his left was lined with built-in bookcases that housed books and souvenirs from all corners of the world.
As Daniel turned to his right, he spotted a wooden desk on which the rifle rested.
Before Daniel could finish his visual sweep of the room, the door swung back at Daniel and knocked him towards the bookcase.
Pavel charged like a rhinoceros from where the door had concealed him.
Daniel fired, but he was too slow. The shot went wild.
A solid blow in Daniel’s stomach weakened his grip on his gun, and Pavel knocked it away with the next strike.
Daniel rolled away as Pavel’s meaty fingers grasped at him. Daniel sensed he would be no match for the hulking Russian in close hand-to-hand combat. He spotted his Glock on the floor, but he would have to go through the Russian to get to it.
Daniel cast about the bookshelf on his side, desperately grasping for anything to be used as a weapon. He only found thick books, which he threw at Pavel. But that wasn’t slowing Pavel’s advance much.
Finally, Daniel’s hand wrapped around a metal cylinder, and he pulled it from the shelf. Daniel saw that he had grabbed a telescope that was as much for show as the books had been.
Pavel straightened up slightly and laughed. He said something in Russian that Daniel didn’t understand. Pavel reached to the bookcase and pulled down a sword that had been resting near a painting of a Napoleonic battle.
Daniel lowered his telescope slightly and cursed to himself. His mind raced for a solution. The gunfire inside the house had now transferred to the outside. Gunshots rang out in the courtyard below and behind Daniel’s back.
At least baldy isn’t picking them off like fish in a barrel with his rifle, Daniel thought to himself.
Pavel pulled the blade from its scabbard and sliced the air with it.
Daniel searched frantically for another weapon on the bookcase. The best he found was a ceremonial dagger.
Why not a samurai sword? Daniel thought ruefully to himself.
Daniel wielded the telescope in his right hand and the short blade in his left.
Pavel grinned, approaching him slowly as his sword cut through the air. Daniel backed towards the balcony and heard something unexpected.
The roar of a helicopter’s engines coming to life felt all-consuming; the gunshots were mere accents of noise. The thunder of the machine filled the room and shook Daniel’s body. He guessed this mansion in the mountains had a helipad to match the one in the facility near Shahrisabz. But he didn’t have time to think about that. Pavel was ready to shed Daniel’s blood.
A quick attack, disengage, dodge, and then go for my Glock, was the best plan Daniel could concoct. He felt his only advantage was that Pavel was overconfident; he didn’t appear skilled with a sword.
Pavel said a few more words in Russian, spat, and then rushed at Daniel with the raised sword.
“This is for what you did to Michael Devers,” Daniel said as he met Pavel’s charge.
Daniel feinted to his left and then dashed back to his right.
From a crouch, he threw the telescope at Pavel’s face, hoping to blind him just long enough.
As the telescope flew, Daniel prepared the dagger in his right hand.
The telescope struck Pavel harmlessly, and Daniel threw the dagger, leaving him unarmed.
The dagger glanced off Pavel’s midsection.
Daniel couldn’t wait around to see the results.
He made one lunge towards his Glock, but before his hand reached it, Pavel’s sword came crashing down.
The sword smashed into the wooden parquet floor between Daniel’s hand and the Glock. Daniel instinctively retracted his hand, and Pavel used his sword to flick the Glock out of Daniel’s reach towards the door.
Pavel laughed again, said a few more Russian words. And then he raised the sword above his head to strike Daniel.
Daniel was frozen between fleeing and attempting to go hand-to-hand with Pavel, but a new Russian voice came from the doorway.
Daniel looked and saw Edwards, now holding Daniel’s Glock.
Three gunshots rang out.
Daniel watched as Pavel fell to the ground. The sword clattered at his side harmlessly.
Before Daniel could thank Edwards, he heard more gunshots and yelling from the courtyard. He barely caught Rex’s voice over the gunfire and the roar of the helicopter.
And he heard Tina’s voice.
“We need to get out of here,” Edwards yelled over the noise. “There’s too many mafia.”
But Daniel rushed to the balcony to witness the carnage.
19
The courtyard below housed an expansive garden, replete with walkways, fountains, flowerbeds, and trees. But now it also contained dead bodies. Several dead Russians lay scattered about, but so did the bodies of police wearing body armor. Daniel guessed the garden was as large as a football field, surrounded by a wall. At the far end was another house, perhaps for servants. Daniel wondered if Ambassador Fitzpatrick was there, or if only more mafia were waiting for the fight.
Daniel finally spotted Rex, with Gunner on the left. They were advancing steadily through the garden. Far to Daniel’s right, he saw the raised helipad connected to the same level on which he stood. The helicopter was preparing to take off. A Russian in a gray suit and sunglasses walked from the house and onto the helicopter. Daniel couldn’t be sure, but he thought he could see one other man in the helicopter beside the pilot.
Daniel was about to exit and run down the hallway to the room that opened out to the helipad when he heard Rex yell out.
“Gunner! No!”
Daniel looked below frantically.
He spotted a Russian who had outflanked Rex and Gunner.
Daniel saw Gunner laying on the ground, motionless.
Rex quickly repositioned to take out the flanker, and Daniel ran to the wooden desk.
“What are you doing?” Edwards asked. “We need to get the hell out of here. You’re an analyst.”
Daniel ignored him and carried Pavel’s rifle to the balcony in time to see Rex take down the man who had killed Gunner.
But there was gunfire elsewhere.
He scanned the courtyard, looking for a target.
He heard yelling from his right by the helicopter.
Daniel considered leveling the rifle at the chopper to make sure it didn’t get away.
But then he spotted what he feared most.
Tina was in the courtyard below to Daniel’s right.
She was in the fight of her life.
Two Russians lay dead nearby, and she was now grappling with a third.
Daniel guessed the Russians had underestimated her and planned to have fun with her.
The crosshairs rested on Tina and her attacker. The two were locked in a struggle.
It’s not a clean shot.
Tina and the Russian twisted as they each grappled for an advantage.
An unexpected change, and Daniel could accidentally shoot Tina.
The Russian took Tina down to the ground.
Daniel knew a rain of blows would follow.
It also meant the Russian was on top of Tina.
I hope my life is never on the line when you’re shooting, Daniel remembered Tina saying.
The Russian struck Tina on the head. She lay defenseless, momentarily stunned.
The Russian was about to strike the fatal blow.
Daniel recalled his embrace with Tina at the shooting range at the K2 base.
You have what it takes, she had said.
Daniel pulled the trigger.
Through the scope, he saw the Russian slump over on top of Tina.
Thank God, Daniel thought to himself as he exhaled deeply.
Daniel gave a quick wave to Tina, but then he spotted movement in his periphery near the helicopter. He lowered the rifle and turned to look.
It was Ambassador Fitzpatrick.
“Fitzpatrick! No!” Daniel yelled.
The ambassador must have heard something and hesitated.
Gunshots erupted from the helicopter at Daniel. They forced Daniel off the balcony and back into the house.
Daniel ran past Edwards, and out of the room into the hallway, the rifle still in his hands. The room that led out to the helipad was down the hallway.
I can’t allow Fitzpatrick on that helicopter, Daniel thought.
Daniel ignored Edwards’ calls to come back and instead burst into the room that led out to the helipad.
This room was a mirror image to the one he had fought Pavel in, but Daniel didn’t have time to examine the historical souvenirs.
The man in the gray suit had gotten off the helicopter and pulled Fitzpatrick towards it, but then he whispered something into his ear.
Fitzpatrick’s not getting away, Daniel thought to himself.
Daniel took a step towards the two to stop them, but then the man in the gray suit backed away, pulled a gun, and fired several bullets into Fitzpatrick.
What the hell? Daniel wondered as he ran at the man and raised the rifle.
Unfamiliar with the weapon, Daniel fumbled with the gun as he struggled to chamber the next round. The failure allowed the man in the gray suit to jump into the helicopter just as it began to rise.
Daniel threw the rifle away out of frustration and ran at the helicopter as it pulled away from the helipad.
After passing Fitzpatrick’s dying body, Daniel leaped into the air and grasped the helicopter’s landing skid.
He clung on and strained to pull himself up.
Russian shouts Daniel didn’t understand came from the helicopter, and he looked up to see a perfectly polished black shoe come down onto his fingers. He caught sight of not the man in the gray suit, but another Russian he had never seen before. His dark hair was nearly black and full of gray streaks. Aviator sunglasses concealed his eyes.
The man stamped with his foot and forced Daniel to release his grip. Daniel fell back down onto the helipad.
Daniel looked up and watched the helicopter pull away into the sky.
Daniel stumbled back towards Fitzpatrick, who was bleeding out on the ground.
“What did he say to you?” Daniel yelled as he observed the man’s multiple gunshot wounds.
Fitzpatrick mumbled something in Russian.
“What does it mean?” Daniel demanded.
Fitzpatrick repeated the Russian phrase.
Edwards approached from the room slowly as Daniel screamed at Fitzpatrick for the meaning of the Russian.
Edwards stood nearby and said, “It means, ‘Your usefulness is over.’”
Daniel slumped over onto the ground near Fitzpatrick, exhausted. His head felt like it was spinning.
Fitzpatrick’s glassy eyes went to Edwards and then back to Daniel as if there was more to say, but then he went lifeless.
“I need to call this in,” Daniel said as he reached for the satellite phone on his belt.
“Let’s get the hell out of here first,” Edwards insisted. “If the Russians win the gunfight, we’ll be lucky if they only kill us painlessly afterward.”
“I can’t argue with you this time,” Daniel agreed.
Edwards handed Daniel his Glock and said, “Here’s yours. I took Pavel’s gun.”
Edwards readied the gun and hurried back into the house. Daniel followed.
Daniel stumbled as he struggled behind Edwards and into the house. Pain was replacing adrenaline in his body.
“I must have hurt my ankle when I fell from the chopper,” Daniel said to Edwards.
Edwards positioned Daniel’s arm over his own shoulder, and they stumbled out to the hallway that overlooked the palatial living area below. A few policemen had stayed behind, keeping the surviving Russians pinned down.
Edwards fired from above and provided cover as Daniel dropped to the floor and crawled to the stairs. Moments later, both were hurrying down the stairs on all fours as the policemen provided more covering fire.
When they reached the bottom, a hail of gunfire erupted from outside, and Daniel guessed the Russians had reinforced themselves from the other building and were making another push.
Daniel crawled behind Edwards, past the couch and basement door, and continued towards another. Once they were each through that door, Edwards explained, “The police told me there’s a smaller garden out this way, and at the end, there’s a hole in the wall. It was one of the police’s breach points. It’s closer than their breach point at the main gate.”
“Got it,” Daniel said, wincing from the pain in his ankle.
“I’m out of bullets, so—”
“I can’t have many left,” Daniel said. “I’ll make sure they count if I have to use them.”
Edwards left his gun on the ground and moved in a crouching position through a final door and into the mansion’s side garden. Daniel followed and held his breath as they silently pressed on. Beyond the rosebushes and walkways, Daniel thought he spotted a break in the wall about one hundred feet away.
While hurrying behind Edwards, Daniel gritted his teeth and tried not to yell out in pain as he dragged his foot behind him.
A shot rang out from nearby, and Daniel instinctively dropped to the ground.
Daniel felt about his body.
I’m not hit, Daniel realized.
Edwards had done the same as Daniel, but he was now peering over the bushes and looking for the attackers.
“Russians,” Edwards whispered to Daniel. “Probably posted here to seal it off after they realized there were multiple points of entry. They’re moving in on our position.”
Daniel handed his Glock to Edwards. “I can hardly…”
Edwards took the gun and peeked again.
Daniel considered using the satellite phone to report Ambassador Fitzpatrick’s death.
A memory struck Daniel.
He remembered the call he had received from Muhammad just before the car collision.
The code. Muhammad had made progress on Dmitri’s coded message. But what was it?
Daniel’s mind churned as he tried to remember what Muhammad had told him about the coded message.
But he didn’t have more time to think about it because Edwards fired at the Russians and told Daniel, “We need to move. Now.”
Despite the pain, Daniel used his three working limbs to hurry towards the hole in the wall. The moans of the Russian hit by Edward’s shot filled the garden.
Although it was less than a few minutes later, it felt like an eternity to Daniel when he and Edwards finally stopped behind a bench at the edge of the garden. The hole in the wall left by the secret police was about thirty feet away.
But there was no cover for that last thirty feet.
“I can’t go fast enough for us to get away,” Daniel said. He felt as if his face must have been completely white. “If I try to get through the hole, they’ll see us and gun us down.”
“You think this is my first rodeo?” Edwards said jokingly. “I’m going to get you out of here alive and in one piece. Maybe that way you’ll join my unit. Besides, you won’t be any good to me dead.”
Edwards gave a grin and wiped away a wisp of his usually slicked-back hair.
“You enjoying this, sir?” Daniel asked.
“I haven’t done anything this fun in years,” Edwards replied. “Watch, and you might learn a thing or two from this dinosaur.”
“Just in case I don’t make it,” Daniel said as he reached for his satellite phone, “give Officer Carte
r in D.C. a call and update her. I can hardly think straight.”
Edwards took the phone and handed Daniel his Glock.
“Hopefully you can shoot straight. Give me the number, and you shoot any Russkies that get too close.”
“No luck,” Edwards reported after trying the satellite phone. “No satellite connection.” He handed the phone back to Daniel.
Without taking it, Daniel pulled the trigger from behind the bench and dropped one of the Russians who was methodically moving through the garden, hunting for him.
Daniel knew they had no choice but to go for the hole in the wall now.
Daniel took the phone and said, “You first.”
Edwards started the dash across the final thirty feet to escape.
Daniel moved after him, willing his body to run as many steps as possible before stumbling to the ground.
Looking back, he fired in the direction of one of the Russians.
He fired a few times rapidly, hoping they would take cover, not knowing he had the lone gun.
Daniel struggled on. He looked up and saw Edwards through the hole. He had made it out. Looking down to the ground, Daniel shut his eyes and forced his body onward.
“Come on!” Edwards encouraged from the other side of the wall.
Daniel heard several more shots, and cement splintered from the wall near the exit.
He turned, fired, and emptied his magazine. Daniel pushed down on the Glock’s slide release and threw his body through the hole in the wall with a final lunge.
Rapid gunfire shot past Daniel and Edwards.
“They’ve got reinforcements,” Edwards yelled. He rose to his feet and motioned for Daniel to put his arm around his shoulder again. Daniel shoved the Glock into the back of his waistband and reached up with his arm to accept the assistance.
“The more distance between them and us, the better,” Edwards said.
At least Tina was alive when I last saw her, Daniel thought to himself as he replayed in his mind the shot that had saved her life.
Now I just need to stay alive.
In a moment of clarity, Daniel marveled that he had survived this long. Though he had needed Edwards’ help to defeat Pavel, he had survived the brawl with the human tank. And though Fitzpatrick was dead, at least the Wolf could no longer share America’s secrets with the Russians.