The wily sergeant sidled closer to the second rattlesnake. With patience and skill, Mokri positioned himself to strike then did just that! The second rattler was slower than the first and Mokri captured him readily. It took some doing to get it into the evidence bag without letting the first snake out but Mokri efforts proved successful. Another scan of the area around him failed to turn up other no-shoulders, as snakes were sometimes called in the Desert Southwest. Mokri walked silently over to Marcus and Caldwell holding the bag out in front of himself.
Marcus couldn't resist asking and whispered, "You don't plan to eat those, do you?"
Mokri replied quietly, "No sir. I figure we might have a use for 'em later, though." Marcus nodded but was not convinced. If Mokri could have seen Roman's true facial color, it would not have been far from his color as seen through the NVGs, a soft shade of green. To his personnel, Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Roman was afraid of neither humans nor beast...but they knew that he did have a very healthy respect for snakes! He'd killed and even eaten a number of them while in training and in the field...but he didn't like 'em!
The three made their way to the twin peaks. Upon arrival, they looked for a place they could go to ground, yet have a view of the mining compound. It was Caldwell who spotted the opening to a fair sized cavity in the western rock face of one peak. He started to enter but Mokri stopped him. Mokri tossed a couple of small rocks into the cavity first, then listened quietly for a minute. Drawing his knife, Mokri slowly entered the mouth of the cavern. He reappeared in the opening a moment later and waved Marcus and Caldwell inside.
The space inside was large enough to hold the three warriors readily. Some animal had once used it for a den at some time in the past but it was currently unoccupied. The base of the entrance was covered with fallen rocks from the peak above and those rocks would afford the team cover and concealment while they scouted the mining compound. After stowing his gear along one wall, Mokri went to the entrance and knelt down behind some of the larger rocks. Placing his silenced machine pistol to his right, he lifted a pair of night vision binoculars to his eyes and scanned the compound below.
Through the NV binoculars, Mokri could see a few men moving about the compound. There was little or no activity around the mine shaft opening. As he turned to look at the southeast corner of the compound, he noticed a man moving furtively toward the fence. Mokri watched as the man reached a section of the fence that was hidden from view within the compound by a number of cargo containers. He saw the man push against the lowest part of the chain link fence near a post then watched as the man passed through the fence and moved quickly down a gully.
Mokri continued to watch the man as he snuck down the gully. After a sharp turn in the gully, the man stopped and went through the process of lighting up a cigarette. The man stayed in that spot for about fifteen minutes seemingly enjoying the night air, a bit of freedom, and, of course, his smoke. Mokri hissed to gain Marcus' attention.
Marcus crawled over to the noncom's position and took the binoculars when they were offered. Mokri whispered for Marcus to follow the man's movements. While Marcus did so, Mokri explained what had occurred thus far. It appeared that they now had a means to enter and exit the compound without having to risk creating their own opening in the fence.
Marcus swung the binoculars over to the air strip. A quick scan showed there to be only four guards watching the air strip and its camouflaged aircraft. Those guards seemed content to remain at the four corners of the dirt strip and to move only a few feet in any direction. Marcus checked his watch, which showed it was just past 1:00 in the morning. He quickly calculated the distance to the air strip and figured that if someone left now, they could scout the air strip and return to the cave well before daylight.
Marcus explained to Caldwell and Mokri that he intended alter the plan and scout the air strip that night instead of waiting to do it the following night. Based on what they'd seen on their approach to the compound and since observing it from the cavern, Marcus suspected the compound's leader was confident about its security procedures. Apparently, the compound had been pretty much left alone since its startup and thus its security was lax. Caldwell told Roman that he wanted to accompany him and Marcus couldn't think of a good reason why he shouldn't. They chose a minimum of equipment to take with them, allowing them to move swiftly and silently.
After one more scan of the compound and surrounding area, Marcus and Caldwell slipped from the cavern and moved quietly down the mountain's slope towards the air strip. Their night vision goggles provided them with sufficient light to see by and they made good time while avoiding the four guards at the dirt field.
Marcus and Caldwell split up to check on as many aircraft as possible within the least amount of time. Caldwell took the west side of the airstrip where the posts and crates were located. Marcus took the east side of the airstrip. Moving stealthily, Marcus approached a camouflaged aircraft and slipped under the netting. His NVGs showed him the ghostly green shape of an agricultural aircraft. A crop duster! Marcus thought. What in the hell are they up to? What do they plan to spray? And what's this on the bottom of the tail? Some kind of a hook with a release device! Hmmm...
The ASGuard officer drew a compact multi-scanner from a pouch on his battle harness. He passed it over the surface of the aircraft and, other than some minor chemical residues, the aircraft came back clean. Nothing! What in hell is going on? Marcus documented the tail numbers on the aircraft he was scouting and knew Caldwell would be doing the same with the planes he was scouting.
Marcus moved on to some of the other planes. A few had additional fuel tanks attached to the wings or fuselage to give them greater range. Each was a crop duster and each came back clean except for the residue of the usual chemicals they might carry. Under the last camouflage net, Marcus found several wheeled tanks. On one, he found an old fashion hand pump and hose. His nose picked up the smell of high octane fuel. Aviation gasoline...AVGAS for the planes! he realized.
Caldwell's inspection of the aircraft on the west side of the strip turned up the same kind of things as Marcus had...to include the hook devices on the aircraft tails. When he finished with the aircraft, he moved over to the poles and crates. The poles had some type of quick-opening hooks near the top for something to hang from between each set of poles. Opening the lid of one of the crates, Caldwell found some kind of lightweight net with strips of heavy material woven into the net at various points. Closing the lid, Caldwell examined the exterior and removed a torn shipping label from one side. Turning, he faded into the darkness to rendezvous with Roman.
Moments later, the two men reached their rendezvous point then made their way past the lazy guards and back to the cavern. As they moved stealthily towards their hideout, Marcus noticed that Caldwell was limping slightly.
"What happened?" he whispered to the CBII agent.
"Twisted my ankle," Caldwell responded quietly. "I'll be okay!" Marcus grunted and the two made their way up the mountain.
They signaled Mokri before entering the cave. After a quick and quiet discussion of what they'd discovered, Marcus ordered Caldwell and Mokri to get some rest while he took the first watch. While the Mokri and Caldwell slept, Marcus reviewed what he knew about the situation. So...we have a gold and silver mine that is potentially a jihadist camp. A radioactive watch dropped by a potential jihadist suspect who came from this compound. Several crop dusters...Grumman AG Cats according to Caldwell...hidden under camouflage netting, not located near any farms, and not carrying any agricultural chemicals. Aircraft equipped with some sort of hook system on their tails with some kind of towable banners in crates. What in the hell is going on here? He didn't like the answer that kept coming to his mind.
***
June 27th
East of the Omega Mining Compound
Northwestern, AZ
The following morning, Marcus and his compatriots ate a quick, cold breakfast before turning their attention to monitoring the activity of
personnel within the compound. They saw dozens of men leave one building, cross the compound, and enter another structure. About half an hour later, those same men exited the second building and walked over to the entrance to the mine shaft. They stopped in a line just outside the entrance. A man approached them from the office building and spoke with them for several minutes.
His instructions complete, the man sent the group into the mine and waited while another group came out of the mine and lined up. The man gave this group their orders, sent them back to the second building then returned to the office building.
An hour later, two men stepped from the office building and climbed into a SUV. Several other men climbed into trucks nearby. The vehicles drove across the compound and headed towards the air strip. Minutes later, the drone of aircraft engines could be heard. Marcus watched as three more agricultural airplanes landed on the air strip then taxied to parking spots. Once their propellers stopped and the pilots stepped out of the planes, men lifted camouflage netting over the planes to hide them from prying eyes.
Marcus focused his binoculars on the man who spoke to the assembled pilots. It's Abdul Aziz Mohammed Al Zahrani, Marcus thought, recalling the man's face from a photo included in the briefing Major Mitchell provided at the Kingman ASGuard base. The three pilots climbed into the SUV with Al Zahrani and the SUV drove back into the compound.
During the course of the day, Marcus, Caldwell, and Mokri took turns watching the mining compound, sleeping, and eating. Late in the afternoon, Mokri called Marcus and Caldwell over to the cavern's opening.
A bus rolled into the compound and stopped in front of what appeared to be the compound's chow hall. Ten men stepped off the bus, each carrying a small bag. Al Zahrani and another man came out of the office and walked over to speak with the men for several minutes. Then the men were taken into the chow hall and Al Zahrani returned to his office.
Something else caught Marcus' attention and he lifted his binoculars to his eyes. At the mine's entrance, several men were pulling a wheeled tank from the mine. Through the binoculars, Marcus could see the word AVGAS written on the sides and ends of the tank. More AVGAS? Marcus wondered. Stored in the mine instead of up at the air strip with the other tanks? Why? Something's not right here. The tank was positioned near the trail to the air strip and the men went back into the mine.
Moments later, another tank was rolled out and positioned next to the first. This was repeated several times before a group of men carried more camo netting to the parked tank trailers and covered them. Then four armed men approached the tanks and took up positions around them.
Marcus turned to Caldwell and Mokri. "That can't be AVGAS in those tanks. It must be what they plan to load into those crop dusters and spray God knows where. We need to check it out tonight then get the intel back to headquarters ASAP."
"Colonel, I think I can get into the compound through that break in the fence and get close enough to those tanks without raising the alarm," Mokri said. "I'll join the smokers and pose as one of the new men. Then I'll go back into the compound with them, slip away, and sneak up to the tanks. I'll try to get up next to one without being seen."
"Abe, that sounds very risky. I won't ask you to do it..." Marcus started to say.
"I'm volunteering, colonel. We need to know what's in those tanks and I think I have the best chance of pulling it off. If we both go, it doubles the chances of one or both of us getting caught!"
Marcus paused to think for a moment then nodded his agreement. "Okay. We'll follow you part way down the mountain and stand by in defilade near those boulders over there." Marcus pointed to the boulders in question. "When you exit the compound, make for those boulders then we'll extract." Mokri and Caldwell acknowledged Marcus' orders and the three men began getting ready to leave the cave and make their way down the mountain.
A short time later, the trio slipped from the cave and stealthily made their way down the mountainside. With the help of their NVGs, they were able to avoid any patrols and soon reached the group of boulders where Marcus and Caldwell would hide. Mokri left most of his equipment, including the evidence bag containing the two rattlesnakes, with Marcus and Caldwell. Mokri concealed a knife in one boot then removed his black uniform jacket and turned it inside out. The inner part was desert tan, leaving Mokri looking as if he was wearing mismatched clothing. With a quick thumbs up, Mokri left the concealment of the boulders and made his way towards the smokers' ravine.
Chapter 13
June 27th
Omega Mining Compound
Northwestern, AZ
Ebrihim "Abe" Mokri, formerly of the U.S. Army Special Forces and now a Master Sergeant in the Arizona State Guard, used the skills he'd mastered in the Army to loop around the smokers' ravine and come up behind those in the ravine. He rattled the fence slightly to make it sound as if he had passed through it then walked hesitantly toward the three men smoking in the ravine.
One of the three turned suddenly to find Mokri standing there. "Excuse me, brothers. May I borrow a cigarette from one of you, please? It has been a long time since I had one," Mokri said in Arabic.
"Who are you?" asked the closest man, also in Arabic.
"I am Abdul Mohammed, one of those who arrived here today," Mokri responded, using two common Muslim names.
"You are supposed to stay in the dormitory tonight!" the first man said. "You should not be here!"
"From what I've heard, none of us should be here! But I would really like a cigarette, please?" said Mokri. The three men stared at him in the dim glow of their cigarettes. The darkness made it difficult to see anyone's features clearly; something Abe Mokri was hoping on. Finally, one of them drew a crumpled pack of cigarettes from a breast pocket of his shirt and offered one to Mokri. Another man pulled out a lighter and waited until Mokri used his hands to cover it before lighting Mokri's cigarette. Mokri drew in the aromatic smoke of the Turkish cigarette and did his best not to cough.
"Shokran, brothers, many thanks," said Mokri softly. The four men smoked in silence for several minutes until each finished his cigarette then the elder of the group signaled they should return to the compound. Mokri followed them to the fence and, when it was his turn, passed through the hole in the fence and entered the compound. When the men said they were going to the dining hall, Mokri excused himself and said he should return to the dormitory. Once the others were out of sight, Mokri ducked into the shadows cast by various equipment and containers positioned near the fence.
Mokri drew his night vision goggles from a waist pouch. He donned them then stuck to the shadows and moved slowly yet steadily towards the camouflaged wheeled tanks. The men assigned to guard the tanks were moving slowly back and forth along the perimeter of the camouflage netting. When one of them disappeared behind a stack of drums, Mokri moved swiftly and ducked beneath the netting.
Mokri slid into the space between two of the wheeled tanks then climbed up on one of them. A faint glow could be seen around the tank's lid and a thin glowing line of some type of chemical was visible running down the side of the tank. Mokri drew out the compact multi-scanner he'd been issued for the mission and passed it over the residue. The device's screen lit up! The built-in Geiger counter was registering something that was highly radioactive!
Letting out a silent whistle, Mokri paused for a moment to think. Reaching into one of his trouser pockets, he drew out two small evidence bags. From another pocket, he pulled out his handkerchief. After making a silent prayer for Allah's benevolent protection, Abe Mokri used the handkerchief to collect some of the radioactive residue. After that, he placed the cloth into one evidence bag and sealed it; then placed that bag inside the second bag and sealed it.
Mokri slid back down to the ground and crept over to the edge of the camouflage netting. Two of the guards were standing together talking at one corner of the netting away from the fence. While they were busy talking, Mokri slid under the net and into the shadows once more He made his way back to the hole in th
e chain link fence. A couple of minutes later, he was through the fence and working his way back to the boulders where Marcus and Caldwell waited for him.
As he neared the boulders, Mokri gave a soft coyote call. Seconds later, a similar sound came from the boulders. He moved forward and joined Marcus and Caldwell in their concealment. As he returned his jacket to its normal black exterior color, Mokri told the two others what he'd discovered about the tanks.
Realizing they needed to move quickly, Marcus prepared his team to move out. When everyone was ready, Marcus led them back toward the gully that had provided them with cover on their way in. As they neared its upper end, Caldwell slipped on a loose rock, twisting his injured ankle again. The CBII agent froze and did not call out, which would have alerted the two guards nearby. As it was, one of them poked his head around the edge of the observation post and squinted into the darkness. Seeing nothing, the guard turned and stepped back into OP.
Marcus leaned over to Caldwell and whispered, "Are you going to be able to travel?"
Caldwell nodded and whispered in return, "Yeah, just gonna have to take it slow and careful."
When Marcus paused to consider their options, Mokri held up the bag that contained the rattlesnakes. "One diversion coming up, colonel!" he whispered then melted into the darkness. Moving up hill of the closest observation post kept Mokri from being seen by its occupants. With sure and silent steps aided by his NVGs, the ASGuard trooper made his way over to the southernmost observation post approaching it from above and from the south. Along the way, he found an old, dried out mesquite branch about three feet long.
The Arizona State Guard Trilogy Page 30