“Any other players in the field?” Tom inquired.
“Not as of this moment, at least that I can see from here. I’ll check things out,” Mike replied. “There’s a farmhouse two clicks to the south that they may have moved to.”
“There is no one that we can see,” Alex added.
“Okay, keep me informed, and watch this guy.”
“Roger.”
Tom was now fully awake and dialed the satphone. Ron picked up on the third ring, his speech a little slurred.
“Ron, where’s my drone?” Tom blurted out. “And where the hell are you?” Tom’s frustration with Ron was clearly showing after two days of Ron being a no-show.
Ron had been delayed in Tel Aviv where getting the drone through customs was proving just a bit difficult. What should have been a twenty-four hour overnight shipment turned into a forty-eight hour struggle with Israeli Customs, who were refusing to let the ‘classfied computer parts’ crate into the country unless they got to look inside, despite Kilauea Corp’s quasi-diplomatic status. Theoretically, Israeli Customs weren’t supposed to inspect their crates due to an agreement between Kilauea Corp and the Israeli government. Ron had to call in several favors from high ranking government officials, reminding them of the contracts, to finally get it cleared. He had just gotten to bed, after wining and dining his contact with the Israeli military as a thank you, when Tom called.
“Well, good morning to you, too,” Ron replied, still groggy with sleep.
“We’ve been compromised. I need the drone tonight. Where is it?” Tom demanded.
“How have we been compromised?” Ron asked.
“A farm guard showed up on the Jordanian side and walked right into the FOP. Luckily, he found nothing; but he knew we were around there somewhere. Plus, he waved to the other guards across the river, which means they have night vision, as well,” Tom stated.
“It’s so dark out there, they’d have to have NV, now wouldn’t they?” Ron offered suggesting he’d already assumed that which pissed Tom right off.
“So, where’s my drone?” Tom asked again, doing his best to control his ire.
“Okay, don’t get spooked. They didn’t find us. They only thought there might be something to check on. We can move the FOP before dawn and set up at a different location. Why not move the FOP further back from the river? There is that hill about a quarter mile back that would be a good spot,” Ron offered in a patronizing tone as though he was attempting to teach some rookie.
“Too obvious, that’s the first place I would look. Besides, Mike thinks the opposition may have moved into a house two clicks to the south. So, we’ll have to slide further north to put a little more cushion between us and them. Yeah, we’ll move to the northeast. I’ll get it figured out. How soon will you be here?” Tom growled.
“What time is it now?”
“It’s just after 0100 hours.”
“Well, I guess it’s as good a time as any to get started on a new day. I can be there by 0600. I just have to stop and pick up our drone. You want coffee and donuts?” Ron asked.
“Yeah, that sounds good. I want a couple of chocolate ones covered with sprinkles. Keep the coffee black,” Tom replied, although he had no idea if they had donuts in Israel.
Twenty minutes later, the wandering Brigade member returned to the east side of the Jordan River and walked past the FOP again. Alex and Steve did a repeat of their best impression of sand and brush for the second time in an hour. This time the wandering Brigade member didn’t stop, he just strolled past on his way home.
Shortly after that, while watching their mini-monitors at the FOP, Alex and Steve saw a new man step from inside the house. He stepped several yards away from the house and stood looking into the sky. He seemed to be just stretching his legs and back.
He was of average height with a full beard and a full head of hair, though they couldn’t tell his hair color on the infrared camera. He wore a light jacket and kept his hands in his pockets. He took only a few steps from the house, then turned and looked behind him. He then slowly stepped back towards the house until he was partly in the shadows again. He stood there for several minutes, then stepped back inside the farmhouse. Unlike the other guards that were out and about at night, he didn’t have an AK-47 slung over his shoulder. His lack of a weapon was a telltale sign. Only a guest would be unarmed. This man had to be the man they looking for. He had to be David Ashrawl.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Alex and Steve pulled back from their forward observation post under the cover of darkness just after 0200 hours. They crawled on their bellies to the northeast, careful not to stir up too much dust. To anyone who glanced in their direction, they would appear to be just a couple of clumps of bushes.
In addition to their gilly suits made from local bushes and grasses, they attached several long branches to their legs and feet to help blur the sand they disturbed as they passed, further masking their trail. It took over three hours for them to move just over a kilometer northeast. They set up a new observation post behind a rocky outcropping.
Once there, they removed their gilly suits which they had worn over Jordanian Army camo fatigues. Alex took a few minutes to do some recon around their new position, while Steve got busy digging a new foxhole large enough for two people at the southern edge of the rock outcropping. He spread the sand and dirt randomly about the area, then used several small bushes to stack around and over the hole to hide their outlines once again.
Tom and Pam arrived from the north, using the rock outcropping to hide their approach, just as Alex returned from his recon of the area. Despite it being a good hour until sunrise, Tom had driven across the desert without the benefit of headlights. He knew that in the desert the light from the headlamps would be reflected off the sand and the glow could be seen for miles, possibly drawing unwanted attention.
Tom and Pam were dressed in the same style of Jordanian Army desert camo fatigues that Alex, Steve and Mike wore, including the body armor. Their alibi for being in the middle of nowhere in the predawn hours was that they were part of a Jordanian Army exercise and had gotten lost.
“Welcome to the Waldorf,” Steve referred jokingly to the hole he had just dug as Tom and Pam exited the SUV. “We have running water when it rains, a world class tanning booth when the sun shines, and a star-studded view when the sun sets. For your listening pleasure, we’ve provided that new hip hop group, the Mating Dung Beetles, and the ever popular Sand Fleas. No expense has been spared since there was no budget for the project. Shall we prep a bath for the lady?” Steve asked as he bowed his head while waving his arm, as if he were a groveling servant.
“Oh, please,” Pam stated drolly as she rolled her eyes and brushed past her flirtatious teammate.
“Knock it off. We’ve got work to do,” Tom whispered harshly as he laid a map on the hood of the SUV. He pulled a penlight from his pocket, affixed a red filter over the lens to defuse the light and stated, “Show me where that farmhouse is.”
Alex, Steve and Pam walked around to the front of the SUV where Tom stood. After looking at the map for a few moments, Alex pointed to the spot where he believed the house sat. “Mike’s checked it out every day. It was definitely abandoned. They must have moved in during the day yesterday,” Alex uttered in a whisper, trying to keep his voice from carrying on the desert wind.
“Could you see the house from the old FOP?” Tom asked.
“No, and I seriously doubt that they could see us either. There’s a good size dune about here,” Alex said as he pointed to the map, “between the farmhouse and the FOP, but that guard got way too close for comfort.”
“I thought I was going to have to take him out. He practically stepped on me,” Steve boasted. Tom didn’t say a word, just gave him a look of incredulity.
“The guard never looked behind him. If he had, he couldn’t have missed us,” Alex added.
“Where did he cross the river?” Tom asked.
It took a few seco
nds, but Alex finally pointed to a spot on the map that was northwest of the FOP. “It looks to be a good place to cross because there were several rocks sticking out of the water, like someone built stepping stones. A few yards to the north is the flat rock outcropping we used to cross the SUVs.”
“Beats getting your feet wet,” Steve said. Tom ignored him again, this time without even a sideways glance.
“Can they see that spot from the farmhouse?” Tom asked.
“I don’t think so. It’s down in a little valley, behind a rock outcropping. When I was there, I couldn’t see the target farmhouse or the farmhouse to the south,” Alex pointed out.
“Is there anything to the north?” Tom asked as he looked into the darkness in that direction.
“Only the Golan Heights and Iraq,” Steve replied.
“Is there any place someone could be watching us from?” Tom asked.
“Only the Golan Heights and Iraq,” Alex repeated. When Tom gave him a sideways glance, he added, “None that are obvious, but we’d need an army to keep tabs on the whole area.”
“When the drone arrives, we can check it out pretty quickly,” Pam stated with confidence.
“Can we see the new neighbors?” Tom asked.
“From the top of the rocks here,” Alex replied as he pointed over his shoulder at the rock outcropping.
“Can they see us?
“Not when we’re down here. They’d only be able to see us here if they were standing at our old FOP and looked this way, but we’d probably still have to wave at them.” Steve pointed his thumb over his shoulder, towards the top of the rock. “Of course, they’d have to be looking this way in order to catch a glimpse of you up there,” Steve stated.
“Anything new at the farmhouse?” Tom asked, choosing to ignore Steve again.
“I think Ashrawl stepped into the moonlight tonight. It was only for a second, and then he retreated back inside. I think he’s got cabin fever,” Alex explained.
“You’re sure it was him?” Pam asked.
“We didn’t ask for ID, but the guy fit the bill and he was unarmed,” Steve added.
Suddenly, a figure stood up in a heavy stand of brush fifty yards to the east of them. The movement caught the team by surprise causing everyone to quickly drop flat on the ground, shoulder their weapons, and point them in the direction of the movement.
Mike made his entrance making enough noise to wake the dead. He looked every bit like a giant walking bush in his desert gilly suit. Upon seeing his teammates prone on the ground and pointing their weapons directly at him, he stopped immediately, thrusting his arms out to his side and holding his weapon at arm’s length.
“Whoa, don’t shoot! It’s me. Mike. Besides, if I were the bad guys, you’d all be buzzard food already,” Mike stated as he stood grinning at the team.
“Shit! What the hell are you doing? We don’t need to have a firefight between ourselves,” Tom chided. “Announce your presence when you’re coming into the FOP next time, dammit!”
“Gee, boss, I’m sorry.” Mike acted contrite by kicking his toe in the dirt and looking sheepish. His act didn’t fool Tom, who stood glaring at him. “But I do have news about our new neighbors,” Mike grinned.
His teammates stood up and began dusting themselves off as they quietly called him names under their breath but loud enough to be heard clearly by Mike.
“Cut the bullshit,” Tom barked about the bitching. “What have you got?” he asked Mike.
“Our opposition has moved a team into a farmhouse about two clicks south. I counted a dozen heavily armed men. They’ve set up a pair of telephoto cameras with infrared sensors, all focused on the farmhouse. Communications seem to be by cell phone, and so far, they don’t know we’re here, but they are expecting the Israelis soon. They’re planning to place mines along the western river bank and in parts of the orchard once they are delivered,” Mike explained.
“They’re using the farmhouse to stage an ambush, since it’s a little far away from the target farmhouse to use as a rapid response outpost. They seem pretty sure the Israelis won’t bother with that place because of the distance and the fact it’s in Jordan. They also have a surprise for the Israelis. They’re bringing in surface-to-air missiles. They are already loaded with stingers and RPGs. It’ll be Nablus all over again if we don’t beat them to the punch.
“They expect the Israelis will come in from Jordan, just like we’re planning. The one wrinkle is that the Jordanian king is moving very slowly in granting the Israelis clearance.” Mike stopped talking and took a deep breath. Pam handed him a bottle of water, which he drank greedily. Tom took that moment to ask a question.
“How long did you sit and watch them?”
Mike wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before his spoke. “For well over an hour. I laid underneath one of their trucks. In addition to the other toys, they’ve brought in eight big four-wheelers with mounts for machine guns on the handlebars. They’re planning on using them to patrol the area in teams of two.”
“The good news is, if we want to take them out, they haven’t made any security preparations from the south. No rear guard, no booby traps or noise makers. We could walk right in on them.”
“Damn! Things just got a lot more complicated,” Tom mumbled as he turned and looked east towards the soft glow of the slowly rising sun. Now he had to figure out how to deal with this new threat, even though he still hadn’t figured out how he was going to take the farmhouse without getting any of the team killed and without leaving any trace. He reached in his pocket and pulled out two Aleve, popping them in his mouth and swallowing them dry. It was a preemptive strike on the headache he knew he’d get trying to figure this out.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
When Ron finally arrived, he found the team napping in and around the vehicle trying to take advantage of what little shade there was. Tom was sitting in the rear cargo hatch drinking water, having been on watch when he saw Ron crossing the Jordan River to the north several minutes earlier. Tom remained seated in the hatch of his SUV waiting for Ron to show him the drone and share the latest news.
As Ron walked up, he asked, “Anything new from the neighbors?”
“Wait, there is something different,” Tom stated as Ron exited the SUV.
“What?” Ron replied.
“You cut off the beard and mustache,” Tom stated.
“Yeah, it’s too hot out here in the sand box,” Ron replied.
“Hey, you look twenty years younger without the facial hair,” Pam stated.
“You think?” Ron asked flirtingly.
“Yeah, you look a lot younger,” Pam reiterated.
“Thanks. Now, is there anything new?” Ron asked for a second time.
“Only the intelligence Mike brought us,” Tom replied, drinking the last of a bottle of water. Despite it being just after sunrise, it was damn hot already.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Ron said, turning and walking back to his SUV to retrieve a box from the back seat.
“All the comforts of home!” Ron called out, setting the donuts and coffee down next to the map. “I’ve even brought the great commander a couple of the coveted chocolate ones covered with sprinkles,” Ron added, offering Tom the coffee and donuts.
“Hey, guys, breakfast,” Tom called out quietly. The team crawled out from under the SUV and devoured the treat in a few short minutes, leaving room now for Tom to spread out the map on the cargo area floor.
“So, where are they?” Ron asked as he looked over Tom’s shoulder.
“Mike, show us where the neighbors are,” Tom ordered. For the next fifteen minutes, Mike explained for second time what he’d learned. When he’d finished, Pam asked about the drone.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve got it right here,” Ron blurted out as he turned and walked off towards his SUV with the team in tow. When Ron opened the hatch, the team suddenly grew quiet and held their collective breath until Steve finally spoke up.
“Where’s the d
rone?” Steve asked. Before him and the team was a pile of light blue and light gray plastic tubes, plastic boxes, and filament sheets.
“What the hell is this?” Tom barked as he looked at the pile.
“The wing span was too big for the SUV, and I couldn’t ride around with it strapped to the roof. So, I emptied the box and took the thing apart. Here are the instructions,” Ron said, pulling a pack of papers from his back pocket.
“That’s just great. What if we can’t get it reassembled properly? What if we do get it assembled, but it won’t fly? What if—” Tom was cut off in mid-sentence by Pam who pushed past him and the other guys, grabbed the instructions and a handful parts.
“What if I assemble it and you guys stay out of my way?” Pam stated gruffly as she went to work.
“Well, that problem is solved. What’s next for the brain trust to handle?” Ron quipped as Tom turned and stomped back to the map.
Pam completed the assembly of the drone in about fifteen minutes and had the small engine running before Ron called Tom over and began explaining the drone’s special features. Mike, meanwhile, slipped back under the SUV to try and get some more sleep since he knew that he’d be back roving shortly.
“The best feature as far as I’m concerned is the camouflage system,” Ron explained. “The system allows the drone to practically disappear when engaged.”
Pam reached down, flicked on the system, and the drone quickly took on the look of the sand around it.
“Whoa, look at that!” Steve exclaimed as he and Pam stood over the plane. Moving her foot for effect, she slid it under the front lip of the drone wing, and they watched as a shadow formed on the leading edge of the wing that looked just like the edge of Pam’s boot.
“Yeah, this thing is great,” Ron smirked. “It’s photovoltaic. It’s got a set of cameras mounted in the main body. They take pictures of the ground the drone is flying over, projecting those images onto the skin on the top side. It does it all in milliseconds. The bottom does exactly the same thing, only in reverse. It shows the sky above the drone. When this thing is airborne, you can’t see it. It flies as high as 8,000 feet and can stay up for up to twelve hours before it needs to be charged.”
Reprisal!- The Gauntlet Page 11