by Robert Boren
“They got their headlights on,” Charles Goodnight said. “They have no idea we’re here.”
“Appears that way,” Shirley said.
“They’re going into the second large building,” Shirley said. “Yes! They’re going to open the door.”
Everybody’s phone buzzed. George chuckled. “Stupid bastards.”
“I’m getting a shit-load of hits,” Frank said. “I’ve got a GPS pinpoint.”
“How can there be that many men in there?” Ned whispered. “There’s more than a thousand. I’m still scrolling through them.”
“Well, they got a whole hell of a lot of lead,” General Hogan said. “Remember?”
“Yeah,” Ned said. “Think we’ll just blow the hell out of those buildings?”
“That’s probably what it’s gonna come to,” General Hogan said. “Expect them to be several levels below ground though. They’ve had enough time to do that.”
“I know,” George said. “We got any bunker busters?”
“I’ve got somebody looking into that,” General Hogan said. “Very quietly.”
“Hey, general, the drone is in place,” Frank said.
“Good,” General Hogan said.
“What if they see it?” Shirley asked.
“We’ll find out in a hurry if they can,” General Hogan said. “Frank, the Air Force is on line, and you can target from that drone. I switched the codes. If you see men leaving the area in a hurry, hit all of the buildings. HARD!”
“Got it,” Frank said.
“I’m going to untie the hostages,” Ned said. “But we’ll keep them inside the caverns for now. Probably the safest place.”
“Go for it,” George said. “I think it’s time to move the M107 over to that ridge.”
“Come on down,” Charles Goodnight said, chuckling. “Plenty of good spots up here. I’ve got mine set up already.”
“Let’s go, sweetie,” George said to Heidi. They took their weapons and headed for the Jeep.
***
“Hey, Gabe, there they are,” Dobie said over the web meeting.
“Hi, guys,” Jake said. “Pull right alongside the bob-tail.”
“Who else is there?” Dobie asked.
“Jerry and Private Jones have vehicles,” Jake said. “Jasmine is in the back of the truck with me, Terry and Trish in the cab.”
Gabe and Dobie parked and got out, Dobie letting his dogs out of the back.
The roll up door of the bob-tail was open. Jasmine was finishing some wiring on the antenna. Jake was climbing on top of the truck using a ladder, the satellite dish in hand.
“Hey, Gabe, want to hand me the cordless drill down there?”
“Sure,” Gabe said, trotting over. He carried it up the ladder and set it on the top. “Need a hand?”
“Sure, you could hold this thing steady while I drill holes and screw it down.”
“Okay,” Gabe said, climbing up.
“Let’s get the explosives loaded,” Private Jones said. He carried the C4 from his vehicle into Dobie’s van, along with a remote control firing trigger. Terry went over to Jerry’s Jeep to help him with the dynamite.
“Careful with this stuff,” Terry said.
“Oh yeah, I know,” Jerry said. “We’ve used this a few times before, remember?”
“I was nervous while you were driving with it in the car.”
Jerry looked at him and grinned. “Yeah, felt like a suicide jockey. Not that happy about Gabe riding with it.”
“Well, nobody knows how to handle the stuff better than he does,” Terry said. “Remember how it got to Kansas.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Jerry said, chuckling. “There’s a lot here. It’ll make a bigger bang that the C4.”
“I know,” Terry said.
“How’s Trish holding up through this?”
“Better than if she was home,” Terry said. “Makes me nervous as hell, though.”
“She can shoot, as I remember.”
“Yes, she can.”
“You guys talking about me?” Trish asked.
“Oh, just a little,” Terry said.
“Nothing bad,” Jerry said, smiling. “They almost done with the cell antenna?”
“Yeah, Jasmine just tested her part. Dad and Gabe are finishing up the satellite antenna now.”
“How’s he going to find a signal?” Jerry asked.
“That dish can be rotated from inside the truck, but elevation is going to have to be set from up top. He set it to the most likely angle we’ll need, but chances are he’ll have to adjust.”
Jasmine walked up. “Almost done. How are you guys doing?”
“Getting there,” Jerry said, working on the trigger. “Another five minutes.”
“Good,” she said. “Here comes Jake.”
“We’re done, and I’m getting a signal,” Jake said.
“What kind of range you getting from that thing?” Gabe asked.
“It won’t be great,” Jake said. “Maybe half a mile.”
“I don’t like that,” Trish said. “I don’t want you close to the battle.”
“Don’t worry, honey. Once we get it set up, we can get away from it.”
“Good,” Trish said.
“All set with Dobie’s van,” Private Jones said.
“I’m about done too,” Jerry said. “Ready to roll?”
“Yeah,” Private Jones said. “Let’s get going.”
***
George and Heidi got their Jeep to the other side of the caverns, and were heading up to the ridge on foot, carrying their weapons. It was tough going.
“Whoa!” Heidi said, then covered her mouth as she started to slide. She caught herself on a boulder. George dropped his weapons and rushed over.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, sorry,” she said. “I need to go a little slower.”
“Okay,” George said, helping her up.
“You guys okay?” Shirley asked over the web meeting.
“Yeah,” Heidi said. “Wish I had my hiking boots.”
“Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” George said. They walked along the far side of the ridge, out of sight of the buildings.
“I’ve got a prime spot,” Charles Goodnight said. “I’m all set up.”
“Perfect,” Shirley said.
“We’re on our way to the driveway side of the complex,” Ned said. “The hostages are free. We left them with some guns just in case.”
“They know where to hide in those caverns,” Wedgie said. “They’ll be okay.”
“I’ve got a good view of things now,” Frank said. “There’s a whole row of semi-trucks between those two buildings. Better watch them. I count twelve.”
“See any hits around them?” General Hogan asked.
“In the history, yeah,” Frank said. “From about three days ago ... Oh, shit!”
“What?” Hopper asked.
“People walking from one of the smaller buildings to several of the semi-trucks. They must not have chips.”
“Yeah, no buzz,” George said. “And we’re in a close position. About four hundred yards out, on the ridge overlooking the complex.”
“What was that place for?” Heidi asked. “It looks like an industrial area. Doesn’t make sense being here.”
“There’s a mining operation nearby,” General Hogan said. “Permit says it’s for storage of supplies and equipment.”
“Wonder if those big tanks have gasoline in them?” George asked.
“How far out are the larger teams?” Ned asked.
“We’re about ten minutes away, coming in from the north,” Hopper said.
“We’re about fifteen minutes away, coming from the east,” General Hogan said. “We need to bottle up any roads those semis could get down. They’re probably already full of men.”
“Uh oh, more people are heading to the cabs of those trucks,” Frank said.
“I hear them starting their engines,” Heidi said.
“How many can you guys disable?” Hopper asked.
“Most of them, if we’re quick about it,” Shirley said.
“Wish we had about four more .50 cal rifles up here,” George said.
“I’m heading to their driveway with two more,” Ned said. “No cover, though.”
“Son of a bitch, they must see the drone,” Frank said. “They’re starting to move out.”
“Call in the air strike!” General Hogan said.
“I’m opening up on the semis,” Charles Goodnight said.
“Me too,” George said. “Honey, start wailing away with that OICW.”
The .50 cals on the ridge opened up with flashing muzzles, George and Charles Goodnight hitting as many tires as they could.
“Got five,” George shouted. Rocks around his position chipped with gunfire. “Watch out, they see us.”
The sizzling sound came from the OICW, and there was an explosion in the cab of one of the front semi-trucks. The back doors flew open.
“Hits,” George shouted as his phone buzzed.
“Shit, there are twenty five men in the back of that truck,” Frank said. “High ranking men.”
“Shoot the tires first, then hit the men,” General Hogan said.
“We can do both, general,” Shirley said, using her BAR to hit men trying to flee. Others around her opened up with AK-47s and M-16s.
“Look, two of the semi-trucks are coming down the driveway.”
“You there yet, Ned?” General Hogan asked.
“No, not yet,” Ned said. “Dammit. They’re on the road.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get them,” Hopper said.
There was a huge bright flash, and the hills rumbled as the first of the missiles hit big buildings.
“Yes!” George shouted.
Another round of missiles slammed into the buildings, and fire rained over everything around it.
“That stinks,” Heidi said, taking aim again, putting an OICW round between two of the trucks. It ripped open the metal, and their phones buzzed again.
“There’s a whole lot of men in those buildings, and they’re still moving around,” Frank said.
“Underground, like I thought,” General Hogan said. “Where’s those bunker busters?”
There was a louder explosion on the front large building, shaking the ground.
“There’s one,” George said. “Came from a B-52. Look up there!”
Suddenly there was a missile flying up from behind the remaining big building, and an explosion in the air.
“Oh no, they hit the B-52,” Charles Goodnight shouted.
Chapter 25 – Machine Guns
“Oh, no!” Heidi cried, watching the B-52 racing to the ground in several pieces.
“Killed that first big building,” Frank said. “I don’t see any movement of icons in there at all. The other building looks like an ant hill that somebody poured water on.”
“They’re getting out, look,” George shouted. “There’s too many of them.” He turned the M107 towards them and started shooting. Everybody else turned towards them, firing as fast as they could. The enemy returned fire, chipping rocks on the ridge. Somebody cried out.
“Shit, Jason just bought it,” Shirley cried. “Head shot. Watch out.”
“Who’s Jason?” Heidi asked, getting behind the ridge.
“One of ours,” Charles Goodnight shouted. “Stay sharp. Where are the rest of the our people?”
“We’re almost there,” Hopper said. “Where do you want us?”
“Around the front, where we are,” Ned said. “I can’t stay here much longer if we’re gonna stop those two semis.”
“Don’t worry about the semis,” General Hogan said. “We’ll track them.”
“There’s our guys,” Shirley said, looking back as Humvees, Jeeps, and pick-up trucks pulled up behind the ridge.
“We’re here,” Hopper said. “Hey, Jenkins, get those M60s out. We need a lot of firepower in front of the buildings.”
“M60s, eh,” George said. “Now we’re talking.”
“What’s an M60?” Heidi asked.
“Machine gun,” George said, right before he pulled the trigger, firing at several men fleeing the wreckage of the second building.
“Get one of those M60s up to me,” Jacob Orr said. “I’m in a good spot, towards the front. Got too many men running out of that hole in the wall down there.”
There was fire from two M107s from the driveway in front of the building. “Dammit,” Ned shouted. “Too many of them. They’re getting out of the ruins. We need more firepower down here.”
Suddenly there was small arms fire coming from behind them.
“Let’s nail ‘em, boys,” Jeb shouted. He was down the road, behind the mound on the shoulder, with Kurt, Charlie, the Sheriff, Jackson, and Earl.
“You guys see two semis go by?” Ned asked.
“No,” Jeb said. “Why, a couple of them escape?”
“Yeah,” Ned shouted.
“Guys, the semis made a turn,” Frank said. “They’re headed west. Don’t worry about them now.”
“Shit,” George said. “So we’ve got fifty high-ranking Islamists making their escape?”
“Don’t worry, we can see them,” Frank said. “They won’t get away. They’re miles from anything, and going further out in the wilderness. If there was a city nearby I’d be worried.”
“Yeah, concentrate on this battle,” General Hogan said.
“Got anymore bunker busters coming?” Ned asked.
“Not quick enough,” General Hogan said.
“Dammit, they’re flooding out of every opening in that damn building,” Hopper shouted.
“Keep at them,” General Hogan said.
“Maybe this will help,” Jacob Orr said. He opened up with the M60, spraying the biggest opening with lead. The enemy fighters retreated back into the ruins. Two more M60s opened up, pockmarking the ruins of the building, keeping the enemy’s heads down.
“Where are the vans?” George asked.
“They were behind us about twenty minutes,” Charlie said. “The bobtail, Jerry’s Jeep, and one of the General’s Humvees is with them.”
“Who?” George asked.
“Private Brown, Jerry and Jasmine, Terry and Trish, Jake, Gabe, and Dobie.”
“Hey, what’s that?” Shirley asked, pointing to a big semi-truck pulling up. “That one of the enemy trucks?”
“No, it’s me,” Clint said. “C’mon, man, back this thing up and let’s get it open.”
“What is that?” Charles Goodnight asked.
“Armored semi with a .50 cal in the back,” Charlie said.
“Who’s got the mortars?” George said. “We could use those right now.”
“They’re in our vehicles,” Charlie said. “Behind us about fifty yards, but I think you need our firepower here to keep the enemy from escaping out the front driveway.”
“I’ll have this big boy set up in a few seconds,” Clint said. “Then you guys go get your mortars. We’re gonna need them to finish this.”
The men watched as the semi backed into position. The enemy started hitting the back and sides with small arms fire, but it was bouncing off.
“Alright, let’s give it to them,” Clint shouted. He stood back as one of his men aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. Automatic fire spewed from the barrel with fire, chopping right through cover, sending the enemy flying.
“What the hell is that?” Hopper asked.
“M-2 machine gun,” Clint shouted. “It’s a relic, but it still works great.”
“Okay, boys, let’s get those mortars,” Charlie shouted. He left with the Sheriff and Kurt, rushing back. Jeb stayed on the line, firing at Islamists as soon as they popped their heads up.
“There’s still about eight hundred men down in that building,” Frank said. “I think they might have a tunnel. I’m seeing traces heading back towards the west. It’s deep enough to make the icons hard to
see.”
“Son of a bitch,” General Hogan said.
“If there’s a tunnel, it might lead to the caverns,” George said. “Gonna be hard to root them out of there, and we can’t just blow it up.”
“George, where are you?” Malcolm asked.
“Up on the ridge, not doing much good now.”
“Let’s see if we can head the enemy off before they can get into the caverns,” Malcolm said. “I’ve got Ted and Agent Williams with me.”
“We’ll join you too,” Shirley said.
“Us too,” Ned said. “We got enough firepower here to keep the bad guys from getting out this way, and once those mortars open up it’s gonna be a mess.”
“We’ve got the laser target designators on the ridge,” Private Jennings said. “Is the air support nearby?”
“Give me about five minutes,” General Hogan said. “My son with you yet?”
“No sir, he’s still with the vans. Private Peterson is with me.”
“Get into position,” General Hogan said. “I’m on my way over there to handle the third designator.”
“General, better hurry if you want to do any damage to the building,” Frank said. “There’s only about seven hundred icons there now. They’re heading underground fast.”
***
George made it to the front door of the caverns. Heidi followed with the OICW. Shirley, Charles Goodnight, and Jacob Orr were behind them. They got to the front doors just as Malcolm, Ted, and Agent Williams arrived. Ned’s men jogged up.
“Hear that in there?” Malcolm asked. “Sounds like small arms fire.”
“We left the hostages with some guns, just in case,” Ned said. “We better get our butts down there fast.”
“Hey, wait for me,” John Harper said, rushing towards them with his dogs.
“Perfect, the hounds from hell,” Ned said, laughing.
The men rushed into the lobby, going through the ticket booth they used earlier, rushing down the switchbacks to the snack bar area.
“Oh, thank God,” Marie said. “We heard voices coming from that spur over there.” She pointed to the opening of a cavern passage way, big enough for about four men to stand in.
“How far back does that go?” Malcolm asked.
“Long way,” Marie said. “Dead ends eventually.”
“It used to dead end,” George said. “Somebody dug a tunnel to it from those buildings.”