As on most Arizona high-desert nights, the temperature was already dropping and the two rattlesnakes in Mokri's large evidence bag were dormant and docile. Stepping as close to the OP as he dared, Mokri set the bag on the ground, opened the bag, and used the stick to nudge the snakes towards the opening of the observation post. Sensing warmth from inside the OP, the snakes began to move slowly in that direction.
Once his two reptilian accomplices were on their way, MSG Abe Mokri grabbed the evidence bag and made his way back to where he'd left his teammates. He explained to them what he'd done and Marcus explained how they would assist Caldwell down the gully. Minutes later, loud shouting and gunfire started coming from the further observation point. The two guards in the nearer OP looked out of their position towards the other. The shouting and gunfire continued and finally the two nearer guards decided they should go help their friends.
As the two closer guards abandoned their post, Marcus stepped into the gully. Mokri helped Caldwell into the gully then followed him. With slow, careful movements, the three men made their way down the mountain until, finally, they reached the dry wash at the base of the mountain. Marcus checked his watch and realized they had about an hour before sunrise, so they had to put as much distance between themselves and the compound's guards as possible.
Marcus and Mokri got on either side of Caldwell and draped his arms over their shoulders. Helping support Caldwell's weight, the trio moved as quickly as they could. Once they were around a bend that would put them out of sight of the observation posts, Marcus continued to assistance Caldwell while Mokri doubled back to disguise their tracks. By the time Marcus and Caldwell were halfway back to the Templeton's and Cowen's position, Mokri rejoined them. "All good, sir," he informed them and then resumed helping Caldwell walk.
***
June 28th
Omega Mining Compound
Northwestern, AZ
Shortly after sunrise, the three men approached the camouflaged location of the remainder of the team. Again, Mokri gave a coyote call, which was quickly answered by Cowen, who then stepped from his hidden observation post. The men greeted one another then walked over to where Templeton and their concealed vehicles waited. Mokri removed the evidence bags containing the radiological sample and put them in a compartment of his ATV.
After greetings were exchanged again, Cowen examined Caldwell's ankle. SGM Templeton stepped over to LTC Roman and said, "Sir, I think you should see something." With that, the senior NCO led Marcus out of the camouflaged outpost and further up the dry wash. Reaching a spot with several large stones set on the dry sand, Templeton reached into the sand, gripped the edge of a sand covered tarp, and pulled the tarp up and away.
Marcus was stunned by the grisly sight under the tarp. It was the remains of a human being; a man based upon the remaining clothing. The body was badly decayed and partially animal chewed. As Marcus leaned closer to check the body, Templeton touched his shoulder and spoke softly. "I wouldn't do that, sir! We checked and this man is contaminated with radioactivity. Even the animals don't like more than a couple of bites before leaving him alone."
LTC Roman looked up at his senior noncommissioned officer then looked back at the dead man. Templeton, meanwhile, picked up a small, dead mesquite branch and pointed to the man's exposed wrist. "Look at this! This area is more heavily damaged than the rest of the body...and it's not from animal bites."
Rocking back on his heels, Marcus paused to think then said, "Okay, let's see if we can get this guy uncovered then wrapped up in some tarps. We need to take him back for examination, even at the risk of some radiation exposure to ourselves. Hell, Abe found some kind of radioactive chemical back at the compound and brought a tiny sample out."
"Maybe we could rig some kind of travois that we can tow behind one of the ATVs?" suggested Sergeant Major Templeton. Marcus grinned and clapped his old friend on the shoulder. Leave it to Temp, he thought, to come up with a means to literally drag this man's remains back to civilization while providing us with a little distance from the contamination.
"Great idea, Temp! Let's get to it," said Marcus. Back at their encampment, Marcus explained their plan while Templeton gathered two of the long branches they had found and used as part of the camouflage for their temporary outpost. Using ropes and another tarp, the old NCO fashions a frame with the tarp slung between the two branches. Templeton lashed the point of the triangular structure to his ATV's tow hitch and fired up his vehicle.
Templeton and Mokri drove their ATVs over to where the dead man lay in the wash and used their entrenching tools to uncover the body. Once the body was fully exposed, Templeton unhitched the travois from his ATV and laid it next to the shallow pit containing the body. Using their entrenching tools, the two ASGuard troopers carefully rolled the body onto the travois. Mokri pulled the evidence bags containing the radioactive chemical sample from the compartment on his ATV and tossed them on top of the body. Then the two noncommissioned officers used another tarp and more ropes to secure the body and samples to the travois. Finally, they re-attached the travois to Templeton's ATV.
Pulling back over to the encampment, they discovered that Caldwell was well enough to drive his ATV on the trip to the extraction point. After grabbing a quick meal, the team started up their ATVs and began the trek to their extraction point. Their pace was slowed by the travois so it took them several hours to travel the relatively short distance. They reached the planned extraction point just before dark and while keeping the travois and its dangerous cargo intact.
Marcus made a calculated decision and used his comm unit to contact ASGuard Headquarters via satellite. The Communications Center patched him through quickly to General Titus Roman. After giving a brief report on their mission, the general told Marcus that he, his team, and the remains should be flown to Phoenix where the remains and sample could be turned over to the local CBII laboratory for analysis. Marcus readily agreed to that idea. Marcus told the general he would contact his unit at Seligman and arrange transportation. Marcus then suggested that the CBII use their satellite assets to see if there was any intensified activity at the mining compound that might have resulted from their presence being detected. The general nodded and said he'd take care of it. After several more minutes, Marcus signed off and used his comm unit to contact Major Thompson in Seligman.
"Tommi, we're at the extraction point and ready for pickup. Before you send the chopper, you need to find a special container for some high priority cargo. A lead lined coffin or coffin-sized container will work. Lead lined are the operative words. Got it? Excellent! See you soon!" Marcus signed off and turned to his team.
"Our ride is going to arrive a little later than we anticipated," he said to them. "I think we're far enough away that we can set up a hot camp. Let's pull the travois over that way a bit, then get a fire going and have a hot meal and some coffee." Templeton jumped back on to his ATV and pulled the travois about twenty yards away from where the rest of the team stood. Then the NCO walked back to join the others. While Cowen checked Caldwell's ankle again, Mokri and Marcus found some large stones, cleared a bare spot, and set up a fire ring. Templeton and Mokri went out to gather some firewood. Soon a fire was burning, water was boiling, and meal packs were warming on the stones.
Cowen reported that the swelling around Caldwell's ankle was better and that Caldwell could move his foot with far less pain than before. Caldwell limped over to the fire and joined the rest of the team. A short time later, the men sat down to hot coffee and food. Once their meal was finished, Marcus had Cowen, Mokri, and Caldwell stretch out and rest while he and Templeton stood watch. The night darkened and cooled. Three hours later, Cowen and Mokri relieved Roman and Templeton who then stretched out to rest for a while.
Just after 1:00 a.m., Marcus' comm unit buzzed. "Centurion here, go ahead!" he said into the unit.
"Centurion, this is Frodo. We're inbound...ETA 5 minutes. Copy?"
"Copy your transmission, Frodo. Are you carryi
ng protection?" Marcus asked.
Captain Hills chuckle came out of the comm unit's speaker before the rest of his response. "That's affirmative, Centurion! We're covered!"
Marcus chuckled in return then reported, "Copy that. We'll set out the welcome mat for you. Centurion out!" The rest of the team heard the radio chatter between LTC Roman and the inbound helicopter and prepared to move out. First, Templeton and Cowen began to set out glow sticks to mark the LZ while Mokri set out other glow sticks to indicate wind direction. Once again, Templeton prepared to use glow sticks to marshal the chopper to the ground.
Soon the chatter of the CH-47's twin rotors could be heard breaking the quiet of the desert night. Templeton guided the Chinook to the ground safely and signaled the pilots to drop the ramp and shut down. Once the rotors stopped, four people walked down the ramp carrying a heavy, rectangle cargo container. Each of them wore a hazardous materials suit, a chemical mask, and a LED forehead light to be able to see in the darkness. Marcus ran over to the quartet and described what was on the travois and where it could be found.
The haz mat team set the container near the travois, opened its lid, and pulled several tools from inside. One haz mat tech lifted out two extendable poles then set them on the ground well away from the container in an area that would be shielded by the opened lid. Then the techs began to use the other tools to cut the wooden branches that formed the frame of the travois. With the branches shortened, they lifted the tarps containing the remains and the chemical sample, carried them over to the open container, and lowered them inside. One person picked up the shortened branches and dropped them into container as well.
Standing behind the lid, three of the haz mat personnel removed their protective clothing, turning it inside out, and laying it upon the ground. With the protective gear removed, they stepped away from the container while the fourth person picked up their discarded clothing and equipment and placed it inside the container. Then the fourth person stepped behind the lid and removed her protective clothing, also turning it inside out before tossing it over the lid into the container.
The young woman picked up one of the extendable poles and used it to close the container's lid. Another tech pulled a Geiger counter from a pouch on his hip and used it to scan himself. Finding no evidence of contamination, he began to walk around the container in a tightening circle. Then he checked Templeton's ATV. Finally, he walked back to his team mates and scanned them. "All clear," he reported.
The leader of the haz mat team walked over to Marcus and reported. "Sir, we have the remains secured for transport," the female sergeant said. "Still, I suggest we load your vehicles and equipment first then place the container at the rear of the aircraft to use distance and shielding to protect our personnel." Marcus accepted the recommendation and ordered his team to break their camp then load their ATVs aboard the CH-47 with Templeton's to be loaded last.
Soon, the ATVs were aboard and secured. Marcus and his team extinguished the fire, gathered the glow sticks from around the Chinook, and boarded the copter. The haz mat team returned to the container where two of the haz mat techs extended the poles and placed them through hoops on each side of container. With one person at the end of each pole, they lifted the container and carried it to the ramp of the Chinook. They then loaded it into the helicopter and tied it down.
Once the haz mat team was aboard, Captain Hills fired up the engines setting the rotors in motion. A few moments later, satisfied that his aircraft was functioning properly, the pilot lifted the copter into the night sky. Airborne, they turned in a southeasterly direction and raced through the night towards ASGuard HQ in Phoenix. Marcus and his team settled into their webbed seats and got as comfortable as they could for the flight.
About an hour later, Captain Hills called out over the Chinook's intercom system. "Colonel, we'll be landing shortly. HQ has a team standing by to take the cargo to the CBII labs. Logistics will remove your ATVs and your larger equipment. Everything is being treated with radiation protocols. You and your team will be taken to the Med Center following decon. This aircraft will undergo decon before returning to service."
"Copy that, Frodo," Lieutenant Colonel Roman replied. "We did our best to avoid getting contaminated but then...better safe than sorry. Thanks for the lift, Frodo...Lu!" The two captains thanked their commander then turned their focus back to bringing their ship in for a safe landing.
The helicopter settled onto the helipad, the rear hatch lowered, and the rotors slowed to a halt. As Marcus and his team exited the helicopter, they were met by two personnel in haz mat suits. One of them used a special, highly sensitive Geiger counter to check each member of the team. The Geiger counter registered minute levels of contamination on Marcus, Caldwell, Templeton, and Cowell but found a greater concentration on Mokri.
While they were being checked out, another team unloaded the lead-lined container from the Chinook. Using the extendable poles, they carried it over to a waiting cargo truck and loaded it carefully into the back then closed the cargo door. As the truck pulled away, two Strykers took up positions in front of and behind the truck. The ASGuard troopers in those vehicles would ensure the valuable, radioactive cargo would reach the Combined Bureau of Intelligence and Investigation lab safely.
With their cargo taken care of, Marcus and his team were walked over to a portable decon shelter where they undressed, dropped their clothing into barrels, placed their comm units and other equipment into tubs labeled with their names, then proceeded to a shower area. Each person showered thoroughly three times before stepping over to the medical techs waiting to examine them. This time, the highly sensitive Geiger counter remained silent. The medics checked everybody carefully before allowing them to don fresh uniforms and boots. One of the medics told them the doctors wanted to examine each of them before returning them to duty.
Marcus and his team were then loaded into a HUMVEE and taken to the Med Center for more thorough examinations. By 10:00 a.m. the following morning, they were each given a clean bill of health and released to return to duty. They left the Med Center and made their way to the main HQ Building where they reported to General Roman.
***
June 29th
Omega Mining Compound
Northwestern, AZ
The men of the Omega Mining Compound had gone about their business, unaware that they had been detected and infiltrated. In his office, Al Zahrani rested his elbows on his desk. He steepled his fingers and glared across the desk at his chief lieutenant, Mustafa Muhammad Al-Fakeeh. "Well, Mustafa, we are only a few short days away from delivering our Poisoned Rain upon the infidels of the Great Satan. Inshallah, we shall be victorious in killing many, many thousands of them here in Arizona while our brothers kill thousands more in the other states. Most will not even be aware that we have killed them until it is too late and the radiation has poisoned them beyond medical care. Their cities and places of assembly will be poisoned for decades to come and the radiation's poison will affect their children and their children's children. The winds and the rains shall carry the radioactive materials far and wide, contaminating their streams, their rivers, and their fields!"
Mustafa smiled at the thought of the damage to be wrought upon the infidels. "Yes, Allah be gracious, we shall have our revenge upon the infidels, Amir! Striking their major cities here and elsewhere...raining the poisonous radioactive liquids down up them and killing them slowly...painfully!"
"Soon, Mustafa, soon! Tomorrow we shall roll the storage tanks up to the air strip and begin transferring the liquids to the tanks within the aircraft. Then it shall be too late for the infidels to stop us," said Abdul Aziz Mohammed Al Zahrani to his chief lieutenant.
***
June 29th
ASGuard HQ
Phoenix, AZ
After briefing General Roman, Marcus Roman went to his quarters in the ASGuard Officer's Dormitory. The dormitory was co-ed with men and women each assigned individual quarters each equipped with private bath
rooms. Several officers greeted Marcus as he entered the building and climbed the stairs to his rooms on the upper most floor.
The quarters Marcus used when at ASGuard HQ were larger than those for unmarried officers. When on active duty, Marcus' wife Teresa, a medical officer, had shared quarters in the coed dormitory with her husband. I'll give Teresa a call when I get to the room and let her know what I can. More importantly, he thought, I'll find out how she and Julian are doing. God, I miss them!
Stepping into the darkened two-room suite, Marcus removed his uniform jacket and tossed it through the doorway into the bedroom, aiming for the bed while walking towards the doorway into the attached bathroom. Before he could enter the bathroom, a voice from the bedroom startled him.
"Hey! Don't throw that on me!" said the very familiar, very feminine voice from the dark bedroom. He stepped back to the bedroom's doorway, reached inside, and turned on the room's overhead light.
There, stretched out on the large bed and wearing nothing but a look of profound irritation was Major Teresa Cortez Roman, Marcus' wife and the mother of their young son. Their son who was noticeably absent, Marcus noted in passing!
"Honey! You're here!" said Marcus, stepping into the room and lying down upon the bed to take his lover into his arms. They kissed passionately before Marcus stopped, looked around the room, and asked, "Where's Julian?"
Teresa chuckled and gave her husband another passionate kiss before answering. "He's with his Grandma Marion at my grandparents' house in Sedona. She could tell I was getting antsy and suggested I take advantage of her wanting to spend some time with her grandson to return to active duty. In talking with your dad, she figured out you'd be coming back here before rejoining the Legion in the field. So I drove down to surprise you!"
The Arizona State Guard Trilogy Page 31