Caesar the War Dog 2

by Stephen Dando-Collins

  In the distant darkness, Commander Baradar had his AK-47 aimed at the figure in the white vest, illuminated by the lanterns by his feet. Baradar’s finger curled around the trigger. He knew he only had to hit one of the explosive charges in the vest to detonate it, destroying hostages and rescuers in one fell swoop. Telling himself that he couldn’t miss, Baradar pulled the trigger.

  In several bounds, Caesar had overtaken the soldiers. His nose leading him like an arrow to the explosive vest, he did something that Ben hadn’t instructed him to do. Nor was it something Caesar had been trained to do. Instinctively knowing that the secretary-general was in danger, Caesar risked his own life in a bid to save Dr Park. In the fraction of a second before Baradar fired his AK-47, the bounding Caesar left the ground, taking a monumental leap toward the secretary-general.

  Caesar collided with Dr Park’s chest, knocking him to the ground just as Baradar’s 7.62 mm bullet flew by, only to slam into the cave wall behind them. Meanwhile, the flash from Baradar’s rifle had been spotted by Lucky, who, making an educated guess on the gunman’s location, quickly fired. Baradar went down.

  ‘Get that vest off Dr Park!’ Charlie yelled. ‘Now!’

  Toward the end of that same day, Ben, Caesar and a blonde woman walked into the military hospital at Tarin Kowt. All the participants of Strike Force Blue Dragon, and the freed hostages, had been rapidly airlifted back to Tarin Kowt by Chinook. The trio found Duke Hazard, Mars Lazar and Casper Mortenson in hospital beds, the first two with their heads swathed in bandages, and Mortenson with his right leg heavily bandaged. Charlie was there, too, sitting in a wheelchair and looking despondent.

  ‘Cheer up, Charlie,’ said Ben, as Caesar made a beeline for his old friend and licked his hand in greeting. ‘Caesar and I have brought someone to see you.’

  Charlie looked up from Caesar to see newspaper reporter Amanda Ritchie standing beside Ben and holding a large carry bag. ‘Amanda Ritchie!’ Charlie said with surprise. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I’m covering the story of the secretary-general’s rescue,’ Amanda replied with a grin. ‘You boys did a fabulous job – Dr Park and all his UN party freed unharmed, and Commander Baradar, Abdul Razah and their lot in prison hospital, under guard. It’s a brilliant result, Charlie.’

  ‘But you’re not allowed to name any of us,’ Charlie reminded her. ‘Top-secret Special Forces business and all that.’

  ‘I know. But I can still write about the incredible job done by our Special Forces, including one war dog whose name is not a secret,’ said Amanda. A look of concern came over her face. ‘Are you okay, Charlie? You, er, look a little flat.’

  ‘Charlie’s okay,’ Ben assured her, as Caesar came to sit by his feet.

  ‘Yes, I’m fine but my Zoomers aren’t,’ Charlie said unhappily. ‘A Taliban RPG shredded them in Deep Cave. I lost my legs for a second time!’

  ‘Ah.’ Amanda smiled. ‘Your SAS mates back home thought you might be able to use these sometime,’ she said, handing the carry bag to him. ‘Looks to me like you could use them right now.’

  Puzzled, Charlie unzipped the bag. When he saw what was inside, a broad smile lit up his face. ‘My spare pair of Zoomers!’

  ‘Get your legs on, mate,’ Ben said with a grin. ‘We have an appointment with Secretary-General Park.’

  Ben and the other members of Sky Team and Land Team had the opportunity to shower, change into fresh day uniforms and collect their personal items before their scheduled meeting with the secretary-general. Now, standing in Tarin Kowt’s Special Forces control room, the unwounded soldiers of Strike Force Blue Dragon waited for the VIP to arrive. Charlie Grover was with them, once more mobile, courtesy of his new Zoomers.

  Ben Fulton stood next to the US Navy’s Lieutenant Brad Ellerman, with Caesar sitting at his side. ‘How’s Commander Renzo doing, sir?’ whispered Ben.

  ‘He’s doing fine,’ Ellerman whispered back. ‘Right now he’s on a flight to Frankfurt to receive specialist medical care.’

  ‘I hope he ends up okay,’ said Ben. ‘And what about the Pencil itself, sir? What’s happening to it?’

  ‘It’s still where we left it, Sergeant, in Deep Cave. I’m tipping it’ll be donated to the Afghan Government, to be operated in Dragon Lake as a tourist attraction.’

  ‘That’s a terrific idea, sir,’ said Ben approvingly.

  ‘Ten-shun!’ a voice barked from the door.

  All conversation ended abruptly as the men in the room came to attention. UN Secretary-General Park, Lieutenant General McAvoy, Brigadier Quiggly and Major Jinko walked into the room, followed by Liberty Lee and Amanda Ritchie.

  ‘At ease,’ said Lieutenant General McAvoy, as the group reached the front of the gathering. ‘The sec-gen wants a word with you people.’

  ‘Gentlemen,’ Dr Park began, looking around the faces of the men of Strike Force Blue Dragon, ‘as I will also be telling your three wounded comrades in hospital, you have the gratitude of my family and the families of all the members of my party, for saving our lives. I only wish the United Nations had a suitable medal to give you all.’

  ‘We were just doing our job, sir,’ Charlie responded humbly.

  ‘And you did your job very well, Sergeant,’ Dr Park said with a smile. Now, as you know, the UN does not have its own army. It is reliant on the nations of the world to contribute troops to UN peacekeeping missions. Operation Blue Dragon has taught me that there is a need for a small, specialised unit that can be rapidly deployed on missions such as the rescue you have just carried out. So, I want to inform you that my office is creating just such a unit. And, subject to approval by your governments, I would like to invite you all to join.’

  ‘Including Caesar, sir?’ Ben asked.

  ‘Especially Caesar,’ Dr Park replied with a smile.

  ‘What will this special unit be called, sir?’ Sergeant Bruce asked.

  ‘The Global Rapid Reaction Responders,’ the secretary-general advised. ‘Or, G-R-R-R.’

  ‘GRRR?’ Bendigo Baz said out loud, before breaking into a grin. ‘That’s appropriate, sir, considering Caesar’s involvement.’

  ‘What do you think of my invitation?’ Dr Park asked, his eyes sparkling.

  The men in the room all looked at each other.

  ‘Who would be in command of the unit, sir?’ Sergeant McHenry enquired.

  ‘Liberty Lee would be the commander of GRRR,’ Dr Park replied.

  McHenry frowned. ‘Miss Lee in command?’

  The secretary-general smiled and looked Liberty’s way. ‘Captain Lee. When she is not serving as my bodyguard, Liberty Lee is a captain in the army of the Republic of Korea. Captain Lee will make a fine commander of GRRR.’

  ‘Where would we have to be based, Secretary-General?’ Willy Wolf asked.

  ‘You will continue to serve with your own armies, but would be called on for GRRR duty as and when emergencies arise.’

  There was a long silence as the men took in the information.

  ‘So, how many of you would want to be a part of GRRR?’ Liberty Lee pressed.

  ‘Well,’ said Charlie, ‘you’d better count me in. It would be an honour.’

  ‘Me too,’ said Ben. ‘And the same goes for Caesar,’ he added, giving his EDD a pat.

  With his tail wagging, Caesar looked from Ben to Liberty, as if to say, Yes, count me in.

  ‘What about the rest of you blokes?’ Charlie asked, looking around the room. ‘Who else is up for joining GRRR?’

  ‘Wherever you go, I go, Charlie,’ said Baz. ‘I’m in.’

  ‘I’m in, too,’ Lucky added.

  ‘Okay, what the heck,’ McHenry said in his Texan drawl. ‘I’m up for it.’

  One after the other, the rest of the strike force accepted Dr Park’s offer to be a part of GRRR.

  The secretary-general’s face lit up. ‘Thank you. Thank you all.’

  He then proceeded to move among the group, talking with each of the men and gratefully shaking thei
r hands. Dr Park then took Ben, Charlie and Amanda aside.

  ‘I would not like to leave Afghanistan before at least doing something to help the Afghan people, especially their youth,’ he said, an earnest look on his face. ‘You gentlemen have spent much time in this country. And, Miss Ritchie, you also know Afghanistan well. Have you any suggestions?’

  ‘I may have one, sir,’ said Ben. ‘There are two young Afghan acrobats who travel between FOBs entertaining ISAF troops. Ibrahim and Ahmad are their names, and they’re great examples to young people here.’

  Dr Park raised his eyebrows in interest. ‘Indeed?’

  ‘Yes, sir. It occurred to me that if they had a training academy for acrobats a lot of Afghan boys and girls might be given scholarships to that academy, to get them away from war. It would not only teach them acrobatics but boost their physical and mental skills, improve their confidence and give them team-building skills.’

  ‘That’s a great idea, Ben,’ Charlie said enthusiastically.

  ‘It is a great idea,’ agreed Amanda. ‘And I could start a media campaign back home to raise funds for the academy.’

  ‘An excellent idea indeed,’ Dr Park enthused. ‘I will make it a UNESCO project.’

  ‘And, if I can nominate a couple of Afghan children for scholarships right off the bat, sir,’ Ben continued, ‘it would be a kid from Uruzgan Province named Hajera Haidari, and his sister Meena.’

  Dr Park nodded. ‘Of course, Sergeant Fulton. Send my secretary, Mr Brown, their details. But now I’m afraid I must go. I wish to visit the soldiers in hospital before my flight back to New York. Thank you again for everything.’ Bending to Caesar, he held out a hand. ‘And thank you, too, Caesar. Goodbye to you, also.’

  As he had once before, Caesar lifted a paw to the secretary-general, who shook it with a chuckle.

  The secretary-general went to leave, then paused, turning back to them. ‘Do you remember the story I told your children in Sydney, Sergeant Fulton, about the Korean general of old?’

  Ben nodded. ‘Yes, sir. Vividly.’

  The secretary-general went on with a wry smile. ‘I think the activation code for members of GRRR should be “rice for water”. Don’t you? When you hear that, gentlemen, you will know that I – and the world – need your services again. Goodbye.’

  ‘Yes, sir!’ Ben and Charlie said in unison.

  ‘Dr Park sure is a top bloke,’ remarked Charlie, watching the secretary-general leave.

  Ben was about to agree when his mobile phone began to ring. Noting that it was his mum calling, and that she rarely called him without setting up a time by email, he answered at once. ‘Mum? Is everything all right at home?’

  ‘Ben!’ Nan sounded relieved to hear his voice. ‘Have you finished what you had to do over there?’

  ‘Yes, all wrapped up. Why?’

  ‘Oh, wonderful. I hope it’s good news for Dr Park,’ said Nan.

  ‘It is. But you never heard it from me, Mum.’

  ‘Oh, good. Anyway, I thought I should let you know that Josh has been going through something, and I think it would be good if his father were here to bed it all down.’

  ‘Mum, what is it?’ Ben said, suddenly alarmed, his mind running through all the possibilities. ‘If it’s an emergency I can get immediate compassionate leave and will be on the next plane out.’

  Nan hesitated. ‘It’s not an emergency exactly, but …’

  ‘Mum! Tell me what the problem is.’

  With his feet on the coffee table in front of him, Mr Corbett sat in front of the television with the remote in his hand. He was just about to change the channel when the phone rang. Setting down the remote control, Mr Corbett answered the call.

  ‘Yeah?’ he said gruffly.

  ‘Jerry Corbett?’ came an unfamiliar voice.

  ‘Yeah. Who wants to know?’

  ‘Come out onto your balcony.’

  ‘Huh?’ Mr Corbett glanced at his balcony in confusion.

  ‘Come out onto your balcony. We have a surprise for you.’ The caller hung up.

  For a moment, Mr Corbett looked at the phone. ‘The balcony?’

  Laying the phone aside, Mr Corbett pulled himself to his feet and walked to the sliding glass door that fronted the apartment’s balcony. Unlocking the door, he slid it open. Stepping out onto the balcony, he walked to the railing and looked down. The lawns below were damp with dew. The street was quiet. Away in the distance, a dog barked.

  ‘What surprise?’ Mr Corbett mumbled. At that moment, he heard a sound behind him. Turning, he saw two ropes dangling from above. ‘What the …?’

  In an instant, and with a whir of metal on rope, two black shapes came rappelling down from the roof of the apartment block. Mr Corbett found himself confronted by two men in black, men whose faces were covered by balaclavas so only their eyes and mouths were visible.

  ‘Your stepson will stop bullying Josh Fulton,’ said one of the black-clad strangers, his face just centimetres away from Mr Corbett’s. ‘And you will stop giving your stepson a hard time.’

  ‘Me?’ Mr Corbett returned with a quaking voice. ‘That Kelvin’s a sissy.’

  ‘Ease up, mate,’ said one of the strangers. ‘We’ll be watching you.’

  ‘Look up there,’ said the second figure, pointing to the night sky.

  Mr Corbett followed the man’s pointing finger.

  ‘See the brightest light up there? That’s a spy satellite. And one of its hundred cameras will be on you every moment of every day. If you or Kelvin step out of line again, we will know about it.’

  ‘And we’ll be back. That’s a promise! You behave yourself, and make sure your stepson does too!’

  And as quickly and silently as they had arrived, the two men were gone.

  Mr Corbett was left, shaken, and wondering what the heck had just happened.

  At the breakfast table, Josh, Maddie and Nan were laughing fit to burst. Late the previous evening, Ben and Charlie had arrived at 3 Kokoda Crescent unexpectedly for an overnight stay, surprising Josh and Maddie when they woke in the morning.

  ‘It’s so good to have you home, Dad,’ said Josh, beaming. ‘Even if it isn’t for long.’ Josh never complained that he missed his father while Ben was away on missions, but he couldn’t contain his joy at having him home, even if it were for a brief time.

  ‘What was your secret mission here all about, Daddy?’ Maddie asked as she sat on her father’s lap, playing idly with the last of her cereal. ‘Or was it another top, top topperest secret?’

  ‘Afraid so, Princess,’ Ben answered with a grin. He and Charlie had told Josh and Maddie that they’d come back home urgently for a secret mission on Australia’s shores. What they didn’t tell them was that the mission was of a personal nature. From Nan’s information about the Corbetts, Ben had worked out that Kelvin’s bullying behaviour had a lot to do with how he was treated at home by his stepfather. Even the taunts of ‘Dog Boy’ had sounded to Ben like the sort of thing that would have come out of Mr Corbett’s mouth first. But Ben was determined that Josh not find out that he and Charlie had set out to correct Mr Corbett’s behaviour.

  ‘Top topperest secret,’ Charlie added. He and Ben had another secret. The supposed satellite the pair had told Jerry Corbett was watching him around the clock was nothing more than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. But Mr Corbett didn’t know that.

  At that moment, the front doorbell rang.

  ‘I’ll go,’ Josh volunteered, jumping up. When he opened the door, Josh found Kelvin Corbett standing on the doorstep. Kelvin held a backpack out to Josh.

  ‘My backpack!’ Josh exclaimed, quickly taking it back.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Kelvin, looking embarrassed.

  ‘When we were both called to the principal’s office the other day,’ said Josh, ‘you told her that you didn’t know where my backpack was!’

  ‘I know.’ Kelvin guiltily dropped his eyes to the ground. ‘I forgot where it was. But I remembered again.’

>   ‘Did someone tell you to give it back?’

  ‘No, it was my idea,’ Kelvin said quietly. ‘My mum said she was really disappointed in me, and I hate that. I’m sorry, Josh. Please, don’t get me into any more trouble.’

  Josh shook his head. ‘You got yourself into trouble, Kelvin.’

  ‘I know.’ Kelvin backed away. ‘I’ll see you at school, then.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Josh closed the door and, carrying his backpack, returned to the kitchen with a smile on his face.

  ‘Who was at the door, Josh?’ asked Nan.

  ‘Kelvin Corbett.’ Josh held up his backpack for all to see. ‘He brought this back.’

  ‘Wonders will never cease!’ Nan exclaimed.

  Josh shrugged. ‘I think he brought it back so he wouldn’t get into any more trouble when we see Mrs McMichaels again today.’

  ‘Well, that’s a good sign,’ Charlie remarked.

  ‘Josh, I rang your principal about Kelvin’s bullying,’ confessed Ben. ‘Nan told me all about it.’

  ‘Really?’ A look of concern came over Josh’s face. First Nan had spoken to the principal about Kelvin, and now his father had, too? ‘What’d you say to her, Dad?’

  ‘I suggested that you and Kelvin attend a martial arts training course together with Sergeant “Iron Fist” Kasula at Holsworthy Barracks. Just you and Kelvin and Iron Fist. I think it’ll be good for the pair of you.’

  ‘That’s an excellent idea, Ben,’ said Nan. ‘It might even turn Josh and Kelvin into friends.’

  ‘What’s a marshal artist?’ Maddie queried.

  ‘Martial arts, dear,’ said Nan. ‘The art of unarmed self-defence – judo, karate, that sort of thing.’

  ‘Are you up for it, Josh?’ Ben asked.

  Josh, returning to his chair, shrugged. ‘I guess so, Dad.’ He wasn’t sure how he would fare with the larger Kelvin, but he was prepared to give it a go if it meant that Kelvin didn’t bully anyone any more.

  ‘But will Kelvin do the course?’ Nan asked.

  Ben nodded. ‘Oh, yes. The principal has phoned his mother. Kelvin is under instructions from home to agree to do the course when he and Josh see the principal today. In return, nothing more will be said about the stolen backpack and Kelvin’s record will stay clean.’