Minefield [Black Ops Brotherhood 5] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Bella Juarez

  “Turn around, Lieutenant,” Cooper said, enhancing and zooming in on the valley they were leaving.

  “What?” Lieutenant Rodriguez asked.

  “Turn the fuck around! Something’s wrong over there!” Cooper demanded.

  The lieutenant swung his joystick and headed back to the valley. They did a low pass and both of them almost sucked the air out of the small room they were sitting in.

  “Jesus Christ…” Lieutenant Rodriguez whispered in shock, his eyes fixed to the screen in front of him.

  TSgt Cooper said into his comm line, “Control, we have a situation.”

  Chapter 4

  Lubyanka Square

  Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation

  Military Counter Intelligence Directorate

  Moscow, Russia

  April 22, 2009/0435 Zulu

  “They did what?” Viktor demanded over the phone.

  Director Viktor Ivanov closed his eyes in frustration and listened as he was briefed on the missile Iran had launched into Afghanistan. He’d been in the middle of a meeting and now understood why one of the men attending was so hesitant to come. He looked angrily at the men sitting in front of him as he slammed the phone down when the call was completed. He watched as one of them shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  “I now understand the reason why you did not want to come today,” Ivanov said.

  The men stared at him and he studied their expressions. One of them was puzzled. The other looked away.

  “Do you have any idea what you have done? You idiot! What possessed you to test a biological agent next to an American air base? Now they know! I told you to wait!” Ivanov shouted.

  “I did nothing!” Bakri stormed back.

  “You encouraged this situation. Do not deny it!” Ivanov charged.

  “Gentlemen, please. Shouting and being accusatory will not resolve a problem,” Dr. Azad Jobrani interjected.

  Ivanov turned his attention to the man sitting next to Bakri. Azad Jobrani seemed to be the only rational voice in the room. Viktor understood why Colonel Sergei Vaslliev trusted him so much. He was not only levelheaded, he was likeable. It is his British upbringing. Azad was still looking weak from his ordeal in Paris a month before. He’d almost been fatally shot when Sergei had been taken by the Americans.

  “Obviously something has happened. General, please explain,” Azad said calmly.

  Ivanov glanced angrily at Bakri. “Mr. Bakri already knows what happened. Explain it to Dr. Jobrani.”

  “I do not know what you are referring to,” Bakri said with a shrug.

  “So help me, Nayyaf, I will shoot you myself, right now. You know what happened. Do not play games with me,” Viktor Ivanov snapped.

  Viktor had been KGB with Sergei. He’d not only served in the KGB, he was second only to the director, now the president of Russia. He stared at Bakri and opened his desk drawer and took out his platinum-plated GSh-18 pistol. It had been a gift from Sergei, so it would only be fitting that it killed the man that destroyed him. Bakri’s eyes widened as he shrank back in the chair he was sitting in.

  “Do not play games with me. I will eventually find out exactly what you have done. Tell us what happened. Now!” Viktor demanded.

  “You cannot! Your president will see to your destruction if you harm me!” Bakri protested.

  “He still does not know what happened to Sergei and Katrina. When he finds out, he may shoot you himself. You are better off dealing with the Americans. They want you alive. I do not care if you live another day. Are you talking, or do I shoot you?” Viktor asked calmly.

  “Nayyaf, please,” Azad said quietly.

  “Your country launched a warning missile last night over the border into Afghanistan. The missile had sarin gas. It landed in a field near Shindand Air Base. It was a test before they launch the new pathogen against Israel,” Bakri said.

  “Oh no,” Azad whispered, leaning back and closing his eyes. “This is a disaster. Chemical warfare has been outlawed for several years now. We can’t explain this away. Why did they do it? Do you know? ”

  “Testing a delivery vehicle for widespread transfer of the pathogen. Your prime minister wants results and he was willing to take the risk. They’ve already got sanitations in place. What more can they do?” Nayyaf said.

  “Nayyaf, you will be staying in Russia until I think it is safe for you to leave. You will be watched, your calls monitored and correspondence read. Do I make myself clear?” Ivanov asked.

  “Who do you think you are? I am a diplomat. You cannot keep me prisoner here. I have immunity,” Bakri said.

  “You will be allowed to return to your suite. You will have company from now on. Be thankful you’re not disappearing for good,” Viktor said. Two men walked into the room and stood behind Bakri. “Take him back to his hotel and do not make a move without notifying me,” he ordered the men in Russian.

  * * * *

  Bloody hell! Damn Bakri! The last thing in the world MI-6 needed right now was for Bakri to be locked up. Azad had to think fast. He knew Bakri had given the pathogen to Iran. He’d left the lab unattended one day while Bakri was visiting. When he came back, it was gone. When asked, he told Viktor that he’d asked his lab assistant to put it away because the damn lab assistant was supposed to be watching Bakri. Azad found out exactly what had happened a few days later.

  Azad knew exactly what Bakri would do if he got his hands on the pathogen. Three days after Bakri had left, Azad got a call from the prime minister of Iran. He informed the prime minister that the pathogen was still in development. The prime minister thanked him for his work and asked about his health and the call ended. Azad had guessed Iran would try to use the pathogen. He never imagined they’d do something that damn stupid. He needed to get a message out to MI-6 and ask them to cover this up somehow. The world and the bureaucrats at the UN didn’t need to know Iran was breaking every treaty they’d signed in the last decade.

  Azad never imagined that Viktor would hold Bakri hostage until they perfected the pathogen, so he needed to come up with a plan. He needed for Viktor to believe that Bakri was incompetent, not dangerous. Thank goodness an idea finally came to him.

  “General, I think we can fix this,” Azad said.

  “I am listening,” Viktor said.

  Chapter 5

  US Central Forces

  Secure Briefing Room

  Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan

  April 22, 2009/1549 Zulu

  Cobra couldn’t believe it. He’d stepped off the plane and into one hell of a cluster fuck. Why me? He watched the video replay from the drone that had captured the biological attack by Iran inside Afghanistan. This was an international incident of biblical proportions. The US and British joint command representatives sitting around the table were absorbing the implications of what they had just seen. They still needed to brief the coalition commanders from the rest of NATO that were responsible for different areas of the country. Cobra ground his teeth in frustration. Rock and Dixie had given him a list from hell and now he had this to add to it. Welcome to fucking Afghanistan!

  “Commander Corbin, I understand from Admiral Campbell that your mission here is to search for an old Russian lab that’s supposed to be out of business, is that right?” the commanding general of US joint forces asked.

  “That’s correct, sir,” Cobra said.

  “I understand MI-6 is working with you?” the British commander asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Cobra said.

  “Do you think this is related to your mission, Commander?” the general asked.

  “I don’t know, sir. The pathogen we’re tracking has to be injected into the body. I didn’t think it was airborne. I don’t know the extent of the injuries or the circumstances of the attack other than what I’ve seen here. What do we know, sir?” Cobra asked.

  “That’s why you’re here, Commander. So get your ass down there with a team and find out what the hell happened,” the general said.
“General McGurrity, do you think MI-6 could lend a hand here? Maybe support in some way?” the general asked the British commander.

  “Absolutely. I’ll send someone to Camp Echo within twenty-four hours. Commander Corbin, I’ll be in touch,” the British commander said.

  “Let’s get a handle on this thing quick, boys. I still need to talk to the Coalition Partners and we all know how nervous they get, Thank God, boys, this incident occurred in an American zone,” the general said, standing.

  Cobra stood and walked out of the conference room. He walked straight into Gamez and Shaq waiting in the hallway.

  “What the hell’s going on, Cobra?” Shaq asked.

  “A major goat fuck!” Cobra growled as they left the building.

  They reached the airstrip and then stepped aboard the helicopter that would take them to Camp Echo in the Kush Valley. During the flight, Commander Lance “Cobra” Corbin filled them in on what happened just over twenty-four hours ago. Commander Corbin had landed at Navy Special Warfare Group 5 as the executive officer in November of last year. Now, he would take command at Camp Echo until their mission was completed.

  “What the hell are we supposed to do with that?” Lieutenant Gamez asked after Cobra had filled them in.

  “We’ll work out what to do after we talk to Doc. We need to make sure he’s up to speed on that pathogen because it looks like we’ve got another one to contend with,” Cobra said.

  “If anybody can work it out, he can,” Shaq said, looking away.

  “Speaking of, we’ve got to work on that. Rock wants me to work on him, convince him to finish his residency. Since we’ve gotten into this biological warfare nightmare, Rock wants to have a team of the medics working at Brooke Army Medical Center. There’s an outfit doing research at BAMC in San Antonio they want Alex to work with. But it’s a research physician’s slot. So he has to finish out his residency and get licensed. Dixie is willing to sign a waiver for OCS and make Alex an officer if he’ll do it. Dixie’s also willing to create a slot in the group and do a little bit of restructuring. He wants to create a bio-strike team,” Cobra said.

  “It would be the best thing for him. I hate to lose him as a medic,” Gamez said, shaking his head.

  “We don’t lose him. He just gets rearranged,” Corbin said.

  * * * *

  Alex was doing some documentation work when Cobra walked into his office. He’d been reading journals and articles off and on all day. He’d also managed to set up the shift schedules and order supplies. Izzy wanted to do all the clinical work, so he let her because it freed his time to take care of the logistics of the hospital. She found him later and he gave her some of the articles he’d mentioned about stem cell therapy. They’d discussed the articles over lunch. After lunch, they’d gone to the lab and done some work on the blood samples they had collected. The entire family was infected with the pathogen but showing no signs of outbreak. Alex was in the middle of documenting when Cobra interrupted.

  “Doc, I need a word,” Cobra said.

  “Cobra, when did you get here?” Alex asked.

  “We have a little problem west of here,” Cobra said.

  “What’s up?” Alex asked.

  “Iran. Last night they launched a missile over the border and it hit a bunch of tribesmen herding goats near Shindand Air Base,” Cobra said.

  “Okay, what does that have to do with us?” Alex asked.

  “That missile killed everything within a six-mile radius. Command thinks it was a biological weapon. From the angle of the cameras on the drone flying in the area, you see stuff start to drop when the smoke clears. Command wants a team to go and check it out,” Cobra said.

  “They have teams for that kind of stuff. They’re called Bio HazMat Teams, not SEAL Teams. If they’re thinking it’s our pathogen, it’s not. Our little bug takes at least a couple of hours to kick in,” Alex said.

  “We’ve got the op and MI-6 is supposed to help,” Cobra said.

  “Tell MI-6 we need a HazMat team. Collect samples and let us know what it is. I’m telling you this is not ours,” Alex said.

  “Doc, I just got told by a general, who okayed it with Dixie, to get my ass over there. You and I need to work this out with MI-6,” Cobra said.

  “Okay, I’ll do whatever you tell me. Isn’t that a real hot spot? We’ll need suits there. You know how that slows us down,” Alex said.

  “What do you suggest?” Cobra asked.

  “I’m removing the staples for the maternity patient tomorrow—” Izzy said, stepping around the corner.

  Both men looked at the doorway and frowned at the interruption.

  “Okay, are you keeping her for twenty-four hours after you take out the staples?” Alex asked.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Izzy said, looking at Commander Corbin.

  “It’s okay. Lance Corbin, I’m the new commander here. You are?” Cobra asked.

  “Dr. Vasquez, I’m helping until you send me home,” Izzy said, glancing at Alex for what looked like reassurance and permission.

  Alex wanted to smile because she intuitively knew what he was to her without a single word spoken between them. She was looking for his guidance and leadership. She recognized him as her protector and her dominant. It was an unconscious pull for both of them and Izzy was already submitting in to it.

  “Dr. Vasquez is the surgeon from Kush. She’s our temporary doctor until we get the physicians we need. I’m sure Rock explained the situation to you,” Alex said.

  “Right,” Cobra said, looking at Alex.

  “Excuse me,” Isabel said, making a hasty retreat.

  “Holy shit!” Cobra whispered to Alex with wide eyes.

  Alex smiled and got up to close the door to the office.

  “How long has she been here?” Cobra asked quietly.

  “Almost a week. She was a patient here for a couple of days. Kashi’s village got raided and she was one of the women they took,” Alex said, resuming his seat.

  “Jesus! You need to keep her under lock and key! She’s fucking gorgeous!” Cobra said.

  Alex felt his hackles rise at the compliment to Isabel. Obviously he was feeling the same connection she was. He was starting to get jealous and possessive. He shook it off.

  “Ask her how she feels about the war,” Alex said with a grin.

  “Oh, man! Not one of those! Why is something always wrong with good-looking ones?” Cobra asked with a grimace, standing to leave. “I’ll meet you in the briefing room in an hour.”

  * * * *

  Alex was called to the command center at Camp Echo six days after Cobra had arrived. He found Commander Corbin and they talked about what MI-6 had found in the valley. The weapon had detonated sarin gas. Iran claimed that it had been testing a missile and it had gone errant.

  From sources on the inside of Iran, it had really been intended as a warning to the Coalition Forces that they didn’t like the idea of an American-controlled air base so close to their border. That base was used almost exclusively for special operations and drone activity. It was a risky proposition because sarin was banned by several treaties and one of the most illegal substances around. Iran was playing a high-stakes game of chicken with the Coalition Forces and the UN.

  Alex got permission to investigate the area where the tribesmen who were infected by the virus lived. They collected soil, edible plants, and even blood samples from the domesticated animals. He and Shaq talked with the herders in the area and found out there were a few old Soviet-era buildings in the area. One of them was an abandoned base. Often when they visited, the teams went under the guise of offering humanitarian aid to the herdsmen.

  They spent the day with the small tribe and because they’d apparently saved the chief’s grandson, they were treated as friends. Alex and Izzy split up on these visits. She handled all the women and girls of the tribe. He took care of all the men and boys. Today had been a busy day and they’d managed to get a lot accomplished. While the
team was there, Shaq and his group scoured the area for old buildings. They learned from the herdsmen the old Soviet-era buildings were in the summer pastures, north of their location. They would be moving the livestock in a few weeks as the area thawed from the winter snows.

  Alex watched Izzy. She was happy being able to do what she’d originally come here for, to take care of the local people. Many of them were in excellent health considering they almost never saw a doctor. Alex especially liked working with children. He was good with kids and they were a lot less suspicious and much friendlier. He, Shaq, and a couple of the other SEALs engaged in a makeshift game of soccer with the boys of the tribe. They returned to Camp Echo early in the evening.

  * * * *

  Izzy busied herself putting away all the samples they’d collected in the herdsmen’s valley. She walked into the work area Alex had set up so they could spread papers out when they did research. She twitched when she saw Alex entered the room without a sound. He had two steaming mugs in his hands. The ride back from the valley had been a cold one.

  “I thought you’d like some tea,” Alex said, handing her the mug.

  “Thank you,” Izzy said, wrapping both of her cold hands around the warm mug.

  “You’re welcome, angel,” Alex answered absently as he read his laptop screen.

  Izzy shook her head in disgust and huffed.

  “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” she asked him, taking a drink.

  “I’m sorry?” Alex asked, puzzled, and looked up from what he was reading.