by Mel Odom
“I know.”
Icarus glanced grimly at the expanse of ground separating them from the city. “They don’t have to risk crossing that area.”
“I know,” Goose said as he rose to a sitting position. His back and knee ached terribly. “All they gotta do is hold us here. In the morning, the Syrians can do their jobs for them. They can watch.”
“That’s what they’ll do,” Icarus said. “Carpathia won’t let Alexander Cody rest until he brings me down.”
Goose cleaned the range finder. The power supply was good, but one of the lenses had been knocked out of alignment. “The information you have is really that dangerous?”
“I’ve got documents that link Carpathia’s companies with some of the terrorist groups working with the Syrians,” Icarus said.
Miller looked at the two of them. “What? What are you talking about?”
“The reason those men are lying out there right now to kill us,” Goose said.
“Carpathia? You’ve got to be kidding.” Miller’s face showed disbelief. “That man has done more to unify the countries since the disappearances than anyone else in the world.”
“That’s just cover,” Icarus said. “What he’s really after is something else.”
“What do you think he’s after?”
“All these people left behind in the balance of God’s judgment.”
“That’s insane.”
Icarus smiled wearily. “Is it? A third of the world vanished a few short weeks ago. Is that insane too?”
Miller didn’t say anything.
“If I’d tried to tell anyone before those disappearances took place that they were going to happen, they would have locked me up. Don’t you agree?”
Reluctantly Miller nodded. “But what you’re saying about Carpathia … what does that …”
“What does that make him?” Icarus shook his head. “If you ask me, I think the man is the devil himself. If not, then he’s part of the blackest evil you’ve ever seen.”
“But he’s working to pull everyone together. To help us see through everything.”
“You’re familiar with the Bible, right?”
“Of course.”
“What is the Antichrist supposed to do in the end times?”
Miller didn’t speak. Goose saw the fear on the man’s face.
Icarus continued. “The Antichrist is supposed to bring the people of the world, those whom God left behind during the time of the Tribulation, together. And in doing so, he will lead them away from God. That’s what Carpathia is doing.”
Goose studied Miller’s face. Although the chaplain clearly wanted to repudiate Icarus’s claims, Goose knew the man was taking them in.
Miller looked at Goose. “Do you believe this?”
“I don’t know what to believe,” Goose said. “I’m not here to believe. At the moment, I’m working on getting us out of this mess alive. I reckon after that moment, the next moment will take care of itself.” But the truth was, he didn’t have enough room in his head to think about everything he needed to think about.
“You got what you went after?” Icarus asked.
“I did.” Goose showed him the range finder.
“What is that?”
The question told Goose that Icarus wasn’t a military man. “It’s a laser range finder. Snipers mount it on a rifle to get an accurate measurement of how far away a target is.”
Icarus frowned. “Knowing how far we are from the city walls isn’t going to help us.”
Goose grinned grimly. “No, sir, I have to agree with you on that.”
“And unless it can help you see those men in the dark, I don’t see that it’s going to be a lot of help.”
“It can’t do that either. But what I can do is use it to let our boys know we’re out here. The trick is going to be doing that while at the same time not alerting those snipers out there to our position.”
Downtown Sanliurfa
Local Time 2156 Hours
“Captain Remington, Danielle Vinchenzo of OneWorld NewsNet is here.”
Remington looked at the corporal. The man stood beside him as if awaiting execution. For a long moment, Remington listened to the rain drum against the tarpaulin roof above his head. He ran the scenarios through his mind, wondering what had sparked the woman’s interest.
In the end, he decided it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to be afraid of her or her interest. After all, he’d just shot a civilian a short time ago. At this point, with everything so unsettled around them, accidents could happen to anyone.
“Bring her,” Remington said.
“Yes, sir.” The corporal walked away, then quickly returned with the woman and her cameraman in tow.
“Miss Vinchenzo,” Remington said. “Make this snappy. As you can see, I’ve got pressing business here.”
“I understand that, Captain, but I think you’ll want to see this.” Danielle started to open her computer.
Remington caught the computer with one hand and kept it shut. Recognizing the fear in her eyes, he grinned a little. Having other people afraid of him was a good thing. It put them off their game. Fear motivated people to move more quickly when he gave an order.
“Why don’t you paint a target on our heads instead?” Remington asked. “Opening that computer out here will reveal us to any Syrian snipers who might be waiting for a clear target.”
Danielle frowned. She didn’t like making mistakes.
“I’ve got something to show you,” she said.
“I can catch it in reruns in the morning.”
She looked at him. “Goose is alive. He survived the fall from the helicopter.”
Relief and distaste warred within Remington. If Goose had died, Remington would have lost a good right hand when he needed it most. Bringing the UN forces and the Rangers together would be a struggle. Having Goose help him would make things a lot easier.
However, Goose wasn’t exactly running on the correct rails these days. And Remington felt jealous of the interest the woman had in Goose’s survival. He knew a lot of the Rangers felt the same way about Goose that she did.
“How do you know this?” Remington demanded.
“Alexander Cody gave orders to kill him.”
Remington frowned. “You heard Cody give those orders?”
“No. I saw him do it.”
“You … saw … Cody give orders to kill Goose.”
“Yes.” Danielle didn’t hesitate a second. “Look, if I could just show you what I’ve got on this computer, you’ll see for yourself.”
“All right, Miss Vinchenzo. I’ll grant you that you’ve made me curious.” Remington guided her toward a set of stairs that led down into the earth.
Outside Sanliurfa
Local Time 2204 Hours
Goose lay prone in the mud under a bush and aimed the laser range finder at the top of the wall surrounding the city.
“Wait,” Icarus said. “You’re going to shine that around?”
“Nope,” Goose said. “I’m going to direct it at one of the places I suspect our artillery people will have positioned a LADAR.”
“What’s a LADAR?” At Goose’s instruction, Icarus lay a few feet away. In case they were spotted, they need not both be taken out in one burst.
“It’s an acronym for laser detection and radar. Artillery grunts use it to paint targets. I’m betting they’re tagging targets out here despite the rain. Just to keep everyone honest.”
“What good does that do us?”
“If everything works right, I’m going to get the attention of the LADAR ops crews. Then I’m going to tell them who we are.” He aimed the range finder at the top of the wall and slowly moved it along. He watched the readout through the ocular. When it suddenly changed, he knew he’d caught the attention of an alert ops tech. Calmly he switched the range finder off and on in a series of long and short bursts.
Downtown Sanliurfa Local Time 2208 Hours
The bunker held food and wa
ter. There was no electricity.
Danielle placed the computer on a stack of metal ammo crates and opened it. The battery power was low, but she knew there was enough to show the video to Remington. She brought the file up and let it run.
“There’s no audio,” Danielle said. “But if you look closely, you can read Cody’s lips.” She enhanced the image and centered on Cody’s mouth.
The blue tint of the computer screen played over Remington’s face. His expression never changed, never offered her a clue as to what he was thinking.
“Play it again,” he ordered.
Danielle did. Then she played it twice more after that. The lowbattery warning flashed.
“There’s not enough power to run the video again,” Danielle said.
Remington didn’t say anything.
“Did you see Cody give the orders?” Danielle demanded.
Remington fixed her with his gaze. “I don’t know why this man would want Goose dead.”
“It’s not Cody. It’s Carpathia. Cody works for Carpathia.”
At that, Remington grinned. “You’re accusing the newly elected secretarygeneral of the United Nations of trying to kill a U.S. Army staff sergeant?” He shook his head in disbelief. “How much attention do you think this little conspiracy theory of yours is going to net you?”
Anger filled Danielle. She wanted to lash out at Remington. He was the only one in the city who had the power to act, and he wasn’t making a move to do anything.
“It’s not a theory,” Danielle said. “It’s the truth.”
“Cody didn’t say anything about Carpathia.”
“I’ve got proof that Cody works for Carpathia.”
Remington drew in a breath and let it out. Like he had all the time in the world. “Do you like your job, Miss Vinchenzo?”
Danielle hadn’t expected the question and didn’t know how to react to it.
“The reason I ask,” Remington stated calmly, “is because you’re about to commit career suicide if you try to go on the air with this.”
“Goose is out there,” Danielle said. “Doesn’t that matter?”
“Even if I believed your story, which I’m not entirely convinced of, there’s a lot of territory out there. Where would you suggest I start looking for him? And how do you suppose I keep the Syrians from killing him outright when I do?”
“Make Cody tell you.”
“Maybe you’re in a rush to throw away your career, but I’m not. I’ve worked long and hard to get where I am. I’m not going to jeopardize that.”
“I thought Goose was your friend.”
“That,” Remington said, “makes two of us.”
A soldier entered the bunker and drew an immediate scathing look from Remington.
“Pardon me, sir,” the soldier said. “I was ordered to bring you a message.”
“Then do it,” Remington snapped.
“It’s Goose.” The man smiled. “I mean, it’s First Sergeant Gander, sir. He’s alive.”
Danielle let go the tense breath she’d been holding.
“How do you know that?” Remington demanded.
“Because we’ve been in contact with him, sir. Sergeant Gander managed to signal one of the LADAR operators. They’ve been communicating through Morse code. He says he needs help to get back inside the city.”
42
Downtown Sanliurfa
Sanliurfa Province, Turkey
Local Time 2223 Hours
Like a bad penny, Remington couldn’t help thinking as he stood at the wall and surveyed the night-darkened ground through the gentle rain that persisted. He stood beside the LADAR operator and wondered where he’d be out there if he were Goose.
The night-vision binoculars picked the Syrian forces—the living and the dead—from the night. But where was Goose?
More than that, though, where were the killers Cody had sent? Remington knew they’d have no hesitation about killing anyone in the field they felt was affiliated with Goose.
Although Remington had ordered the news kept quiet, word of Goose’s survival and presence outside the wall quickly passed through the Rangers. Remington felt the pressure to act growing within him. Most of the men were aware of Goose. Some of them owed him their lives.
It was more than that, though. Corporal Joseph Baker had enthralled several of the soldiers with the promise of salvation. Those men—those weak-minded soldiers—had followed Baker blindly, and Remington felt that Goose was capable of furthering that kind of foolish devotion.
Remington didn’t intend to have to deal with that situation again. The men’s desperation had to be shored up in order to keep them thinking like soldiers.
But Goose was out there, and every Ranger around Remington was busy thinking the first sergeant was going to turn into John Wayne, Bruce Willis, or Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“Show me the communication,” Remington told the corporal manning the LADAR.
The device looked like a small version of a television camera on telescoping legs. The low profile made it hard for the enemy to spot.
“It’s the readout, sir,” the corporal answered. “Unless I move it around, we get a pretty constant readout. But a few minutes ago, Goose—Sergeant Gander—was able to ping the LADAR.”
“With what?”
“A laser range finder from an enemy gun, sir.”
Remington chuckled at that. That was Goose—inventive and ingenious under pressure. Remington realized again why he needed Goose alive at the moment and why having Goose around was going to be dangerous.
“He’s been using Morse code?” Remington asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“And you know Morse code?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How?” Other than a cursory introduction, most soldiers were no longer taught the antiquated skill. Everything on the battlefield these days moved in hyperbursts of encrypted transmissions.
“I was an Eagle Scout, sir.”
Remington looked at the young man and saw the innocence in his features. “Of course you were.” He had to give it to Goose. There probably weren’t many Eagle Scouts spread throughout the Rangers, and Goose had managed to find one who was operating a LADAR tonight. The sergeant’s luck was nothing short of incredible.
“Of course you were,” Remington said again.
The corporal clearly didn’t know how to react to that.
“Can you signal the sergeant?”
“Yes, sir. Unless something’s happened to him. But we haven’t heard anything.”
That didn’t mean that Cody’s mercenaries hadn’t slipped through the brush and slit Goose’s throat. Remington realized he hoped that hadn’t happened. He needed Goose if he was going to turn the battle at Sanliurfa into a victory.
And he fully intended to do that.
“Contact him,” Remington ordered.
“Yes, sir.” The corporal turned to the task. “You going to send a team after him, sir?”
Aware of all the eyes on him, from Danielle Vinchenzo’s to the other Rangers’, Remington knew there could be only one answer. He hated feeling the pressure, but he also knew that with one word he’d be painted a hero.
“Yes.”
“Thank God,” Danielle whispered. Several of the soldiers echoed the sentiment.
“You’ll need a team to go get Goose,” the corporal said. “I’m volunteering.”
“Noted, Corporal.” Remington looked out into the darkness.“But this is one mission I’m going to lead myself.”
Outside Sanliurfa
Local Time 2235 Hours
Goose watched the range finder’s digital readout increase and decrease as the LADAR painted it. He translated the Morse code in his head.
Remington here.
Yes, sir, Goose signaled back. There was a lot more he could have written. Confusion warred within him. He hadn’t expected to talk to Remington.
U R in a fix.
Yes, sir.
I’m coming.
/> Just like that, Goose felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.
He wouldn’t have put money on that outcome. The smart thing for Remington to do would be to provide a distraction and cover fire while Goose and his companions beat it for the city walls.
U OK? Remington asked.
Yes, sir.
Mobile?
Yes, sir.
All of U?
Yes, sir. All three.
There was a pause. How many hostiles looking for U?
Unknown.
Sit tight.
Yes, sir. Wearily Goose let out a tense breath.
“Are they coming?” Miller asked.
“Yeah,” Goose replied. “I talked to Captain Remington. We’re to sit tight until he signals.”
“Do you trust him?” Icarus asked. His gaze was flat and uncompromising.
The question brought Goose’s own inner turmoil to a head. “Yes.”In this, with so many Rangers watching, Goose did.
But if the circumstances were different? He didn’t know. That bothered him. He shoved the question from his mind. Concentrate on staying alive and getting back to your unit. That’s your job right now.
“Get ready,” Goose advised them. “When we start moving, there’s gonna be no looking back.” He turned to face the darkness again.
Local Time 2304 Hours
The rain slackened off. Water still ran on the muddy ground, but it didn’t have the same volume as before. Rain dropped steadily from the trees and brush where Goose lay concealed. With the night covering them, the water was cold and felt like it seeped into his bones. He shoved his injured knee into the mud and hoped the chill would numb some of the gnawing pain.
Evidently one of the more enterprising Syrian officers had decided to take advantage of the lull in the rain. Scout teams moved over the terrain, probably looking for new areas to dig in against the attacks they felt certain would come in the morning.
Or to prepare for the attacks they would launch themselves.
Things were going to continue to be bloody. Goose knew that and tried not to think of the lives yet to be sacrificed.