Acton’s head spun toward the new threat and he smiled, Laura the source of fire as she poured lead on Stander’s position from a new angle. Stander cried out but Acton didn’t look. He leaped over the bottom of the ramp, rolling several times until he dropped behind the opposite side. Hands pulled him deeper into the alcove of dirt, and Acton soon realized it was Arban and Elbegdor. Laura dropped back behind the dirt, her job done.
“Thanks!” He gasped and she simply winked at him, extending a hand. Acton grabbed it and gave her three squeezes, their secret I-Love-You message.
She gave him a look. “Ammo?”
He chuckled, giving her his last mag. She reloaded then blew him a kiss. “Love you too!”
Dawson indicated for Niner and Atlas to break left so they could establish a crossfire, then continued forward with Spock and Jack. He spotted a berm that would provide them with good cover and dropped, quickly positioning his MP5 and pressing his eye to the sight, scanning the situation.
He activated his comm. “Let’s leave the Mongolians alone. From the right, I’ve got clear shots on four hostiles, two behind a dump truck, two behind a backhoe, over.”
Niner responded. “Copy that. We’ve got three, all behind an SUV. They’re taking the brunt of the Mongolian fire. One appears injured.”
“Copy. Make sure whoever you target has a gun in his hand. We don’t want to shoot any innocents.”
“Roger that.”
“Okay, execute in three… two… one… Execute.”
Dawson squeezed the trigger, dropping the first target in his arc, then squeezed again, the second going down, as Spock did the same in his. He could hear the report of Niner and Atlas doing the same, then there was silence, broken by a single gunshot, then nothing.
“Okay, let’s move in, slowly. Jack, you take the lead. Try to talk down the Mongolians.”
Jack gave him a look. “Oh, sure, put the new guy out front.”
Spock chuckled. “Trust me, if you were really the new guy, we’d have done a lot worse to you.”
Acton slowly rose, the gunfire having stopped far too quickly to make sense. He peered up to see several Mongolian soldiers still in sight, staring about, as confused as he was. One of them spotted him and aimed his weapon at him, shouting something. Acton slowly lowered the weapon to the ground, Laura doing the same, and they all raised their hands as they emerged from their cover, several guns now pointed down at them, everyone above still running on adrenaline and uncertainty.
They were one panicked squeeze of the trigger away from death.
He glanced at Arban. “Ask them what they want us to do.”
“Wh-what?”
“In as calm a voice as you can manage, ask them what they want us to do.”
“Uh, okay.” He said something in Mongolian and the soldier motioned with his weapon, snapping back at Arban. “He wants us to come up.”
“Okay, let’s everyone do that, nice and slow, hands raised. We’re all friends here, there’s no need to shoot us.” Acton noticed a forced smile on Elbegdor’s face. “Don’t creep the nice soldiers out with fake smiles. Let’s just remain neutral here.”
The smile disappeared.
Acton led the way up the ramp, two soldiers standing at the top, their weapons aimed at them, still too jumpy for Acton’s liking. Everyone spun at a shout from the darkness. He couldn’t understand the words, but he thought he recognized the voice.
And a smile spread at the implications.
Jack had his weapon slung over his back, his hands raised, as he walked toward the bright lights ahead. All guns were trained on him now, and he was about to ask if Major Khurelsukh was among the living when he spotted his body near the chopper.
He cursed.
“Who’s in charge?”
A lieutenant stepped forward. “I am. Are you the man our commander betrayed earlier?”
Jack stepped into the light, his hands still raised. “Yes. Call me Jack.”
“Then you are involved in this…this desecration?”
Weapons were more forcefully aimed at him and his heart rate ticked up. “Hey, everyone calm down. I’m the one who just saved your asses, okay? You don’t think all those guys just shot themselves, do you?”
The lieutenant stared at him, his eyes narrowing. “You did that?”
Jack chuckled, waving a hand at the darkness behind him. “I had friends. May they join me?”
The lieutenant nodded.
“Before they do, can we get everyone to just lower their weapons. We’re all friends here. Nobody is going to shoot anybody.”
The lieutenant gave the order and the weapons lowered.
Reluctantly.
He smiled regardless. “Excellent.” He turned and switched to English. “Okay, you can come out now. Please try to look friendly.”
Four shadows emerged, weapons held casually, though he knew from experience these warriors could engage in a split second, eliminating the half-dozen Mongolians that remained with little effort despite their ill-prepared appearance.
Dawson gave them a friendly wave. “Howdy!”
The lieutenant gave him a confused look then repeated the greeting. “Howdy.”
Jack smiled, switching back to Mongolian. “See, we’re all friends. Now, can you tell me if there’s any chance my other friends survived all this?”
The lieutenant shrugged, turning toward the hole dug in the ground. “Bring them up!”
Acton raised his hands a little higher, resuming his climb to the top of the ramp, and as things came into sight, he gasped at the carnage. At least half a dozen soldiers were dead, and he could see bodies on the ground behind some of the nearby equipment. He spotted Jack standing near one of the soldiers who appeared to now be in charge, when his heart leaped into his throat as he spotted four dark figures, armed to the teeth, emerging from the darkness.
“BD!” hissed Laura as she spotted them too.
Acton grabbed her hand. “Don’t say anything. We don’t know what’s going on yet,” he whispered, uncertain as to whether they were supposed to play dumb. The situation was still tense, the soldiers clearly still a simple misunderstanding away from laying waste to anything not in a matching uniform.
“Hiya, docs!” called Niner with a wave and a smile.
Acton’s shoulders slumped with relief, his question answered. “Hey, Niner. Fancy meeting you here.”
The Delta operators continued to approach, smiles on their faces, completely relaxed.
And it was having an effect.
Acton decided the best way to settle things down was to mix the civilians with the new arrivals, and took Laura’s hand, stepping toward their old friends.
“We were vacationing at a nearby spa,” said Spock. “Thought we’d drop in and say hi.”
Acton laughed, as did Laura, her lilt relaxing everyone. She gave Niner a hug and he lifted her off the ground as he usually did, eliciting a giggle. Handshakes and hugs were exchanged, and Acton noted they all remained in positions that would provide them with complete coverage should something go south.
He waved at Jack. “Glad you came back.”
“Was there ever any doubt?”
“Tremendous.”
Jack laughed. “I never leave a man behind. At least not for long.”
More words were exchanged in Mongolian, and Acton beckoned Arban to join them. Arban walked over and Acton put a protective arm around him, noting all the Mongolian weapons were now aimed at the ground or slung over their shoulders.
Acton turned to Jack. “We need to have a conversation.” He gestured at the man Jack had been speaking with. “Is he in charge?”
“Yes, this is Lieutenant Jalair.”
“Okay, we have a problem here.”
Dawson’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
“In that hole over there is the tomb of Genghis Khan.”
Spock cocked an eyebrow. “The Genghis Khan?”
“The one and only.”
Dawson frowned. “Are you
sure?”
“Pretty.”
“Shit. I’m guessing that’s important.”
“It’s what this has all been about. The agreement with the Mongolian government is that if the mine finds anything of archaeological importance, they’re to cease operations until it can be assessed. It could even result in the entire operation being shut down.”
Niner whistled. “From what I’ve read, this is a pretty big operation.”
“Massive,” agreed Arban. “And expanding several fold.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Elbegdor, still standing at the top of the ramp. “That’s why they bribed him to look the other way, but even he changed his mind once he realized what we had found.”
Dawson stated the obvious. “Do we care?”
Acton’s eyebrows shot up. “What kind of question is that? Of course we care!”
Dawson shook his head. “No, Doc, I mean, do we, as in covert operatives of the American government, on foreign soil without the permission or knowledge of the Mongolian government, care? Can we extract you two now, and leave this for the Mongolians to sort out?”
Acton closed his eyes for a moment as Laura squeezed his hand. They were both thinking the same thing. He desperately wanted to stay, to try and save that which Stander had almost destroyed, but Dawson was right. This wasn’t their business. It was up to the Mongolians to sort things out. His lone reason to remain was curiosity, and that had killed too many cats over the years.
He sighed. “You’re right. We’re not needed here.”
“Good.” Dawson turned to Spock. “Go retrieve the chopper.”
Spock gave a two-fingered salute and disappeared into the darkness, Jack explaining what was going on to the lieutenant who appeared pleased that the foreigners would soon be gone. Orders were barked and the surviving Mongolians began loading their dead into the Hind, when Niner cleared his throat.
“Umm, BD, we’ve got company.”
He nodded toward the massive pit and everyone turned, Laura gasping at the sight of hundreds of men emerging from the darkness.
“Who the hell are they?” asked Jack.
“They’re the mineworkers,” said Arban. “Their barracks are on the far side of the pit. They must have heard what was going on.”
Acton shook his head. “And they walked toward the gunfire?”
Arban’s eyes widened and he rushed toward the lieutenant, rapidly delivering his urgent message, whatever that was, and the lieutenant’s eyes bulged. He barked orders at his men who rushed toward the new arrivals, firing rounds over their heads, sending them scattering back into the night.
Acton turned to Arban, horrified. “What was that all about?”
“They can’t see what we found. Nobody can.”
“Why? They have a right to know!”
Arban shook his head. “You don’t understand.” He left the group and joined the still solitary Elbegdor, an intense conversation taking place between the two.
Jack stepped over. “What the hell is going on now?”
Acton shook his head. “I wish I knew.”
“What will happen here? The truth.”
“The truth?” Elbegdor sighed. “The truth is that no matter what we want, this mine will continue to operate. No matter what was found here today, there is simply too much money involved, too many people who have been bribed.”
“What will they do with the Khan’s body?”
“I fear they’ll destroy it. At a minimum, they’ll take it to the capital and put it on display.”
“Despite those who would oppose it?”
Elbegdor shrugged. “I really can’t say. Perhaps they’ll try to keep it a secret, but you know how secrets are. The bigger they are, the more likely they’ll come out.”
Arban’s shoulders slumped. “Then there’s only one thing we can do.” He looked up as a helicopter approached, its lights intentionally on so as not to surprise anyone. It landed at the edge of the lit area and the pilot, one of the American soldiers, climbed out, leaving it powered up for their impending departure.
Something pressed against his back.
“Don’t move.”
“Oh no!”
It was Laura who saw it first. Everyone turned and Acton instinctively placed himself between her and Stander, now at the top of the ramp, a knife pressed against Conrad’s throat, a pistol against Arban’s back, his upper arm oozing blood from Laura’s earlier shot.
“Now, everybody just remain calm. I’m going to get on that chopper with my friends here, then you can all go about your business.”
All weapons were now trained on the mercenary, but he didn’t appear concerned as he hustled his captives toward the means of escape Spock had just brought him.
“I’ve got a shot. Do I take it?” whispered Niner.
Acton whispered his own response. “You could hit the kid. He’s innocent in all this.”
Niner ignored him. “BD. What do you want me to do?”
“Hold your fire. The moment that gun is off the kid, take the shot.”
“Roger that.” Niner slowly fell back into the darkness, Atlas following, as Stander took his prisoners behind the massive Hind gunship, the soldiers following him.
Dawson repositioned, anticipating Stander’s next move. “Jack, tell the lieutenant to have his men hold their position.”
Jack repeated the request without hesitation, the lieutenant hissing the order to his men. They stopped, and Stander emerged out the other side, now only feet from the idling chopper. He suddenly removed the weapon from Arban’s back and fired several shots at a nearby generator, the diesel engine sparking then sputtering to a halt, the entire area swamped in darkness, the only lights now the blinding ones from the chopper.
“I’ve got no shot!” called Niner as the chopper powered up.
“Hold your fire!” ordered Dawson as it lifted off. Dawson and Spock rushed forward as the chopper banked away, heading rapidly into the darkness. Acton ran over to join them as flashlights played out over the ground.
Revealing nobody.
Acton’s shoulders slumped. “He has them.”
The Hind powered up as the soldiers rapidly finished the grim task of loading their dead comrades, the lieutenant jogging over, saying something to Jack.
Jack jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the gunship. “This is our last ride out of here for a while. Shall we?”
Dawson nodded. “Everybody on board.” Acton was about to protest when Dawson shook his head. “No exceptions.”
Acton frowned, but agreed, the Delta operators, along with Jack, their rescued hostages, and Elbegdor, all boarding, leaving the mine abandoned to its workers.
He just prayed they left the tomb alone until someone in authority could return.
And that Arban would be okay.
70 |
En route to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Acton gripped his seat as the Hind blasted through the air, the unbelievable din apparently suffered only by him and Laura. “Is he actually trying to catch him?” he asked Niner, sitting beside him.
“I hope so, otherwise my fillings are being shaken loose for no good reason.”
“How can something this big catch the other chopper?”
“This is military. It’ll top out at about a hundred-eighty knots. That civilian job is old. Maybe one-fifty. We’ll be caught up in no time.”
“Then what?”
Niner shrugged. “That’s up to the Mongolians. Blow them out of the sky, track them, encourage them to land.”
Acton’s eyes narrowed. “Encourage them?”
“Fire a shot across the bow, so to speak.”
“Do you think that would work with someone like Stander?”
“Never met the man. It’d work with me.”
“You’re not crazy.”
Niner extended a hand. “Hi, my name’s Niner. Nice to meet you.”
Acton laughed, batting the hand away. The pilot shouted something and Dawson rose, joining Jack a
nd the lieutenant near the cockpit.
“Must have spotted them.”
Acton tensed. “Now what?”
“Now we see what choice they make.”
Dawson pursed his lips. If it were only Stander ahead of them, he’d blow him out of the sky, but there were civilians, though from what he had been told, only one was innocent in all this. Conrad would be going to prison for a long time, and Dawson hoped it was a Mongolian one rather than a cushy American one. Stander should just be executed, but he’d likely be tossed in the same prison, or extradited somewhere that had wanted him for a long time.
The lieutenant shouted something and the weapons system officer opened fire, tracers mixed with bullets streaking across the night sky, directly ahead of the chopper. It banked to the right then resumed its course.
“Where’s he heading?”
“Ulaanbaatar.”
Dawson nodded. “He thinks he can land then lose himself in the city.”
Jack shrugged. “One-point-five million souls. Definitely possible.”
“How far are we?”
“Not even halfway. Plenty of time to stop him.”
Dawson grunted. “If we’re not willing to shoot, then he’ll make it.”
Jack regarded him for a moment. “What do you want to do?”
Dawson shook his head. “Not my call.”
“But if it were?”
“Let him get to where he’s going. We’ve got almost a dozen men here. He lands, we land, you call in for reinforcements, they block off the area and we take him down.”
“That’s what I’d do too.”
Dawson nodded at the lieutenant. “Then you better convince him.”
71 |
Approaching Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
It felt like the longest flight of Acton’s life, but finally the lights of the city could be seen in the distance. He gripped Laura’s hand as Bravo Team readied themselves, the lieutenant having apparently agreed to let them take the lead. Military and police units across the city had been notified, but nobody knew where Stander intended to land. It had to be somewhere densely populated, where he could lose himself among the crowd, though as Acton checked his watch, he realized there likely was no place for him to do so.
The Tomb of Genghis Khan Page 17