by J. M. LeDuc
Tag saw Brent’s eyes widen.
“At first, I half listened,” Tag continued, “but then he started rattling off coordinates in his sleep. Ones more accurate than we had.” Tag’s eyes dilated and the pitch of voice rose as he spoke. “I figured what the hell and started talking to him in Farsi. I was shocked when he began answering me. He told me that he got lost from his regiment during a sandstorm. He said they were headed to the Hindu Kush Mountains that border Pakistan and Afghanistan to meet with their leader.”
“Did he give you a name of his leader?”
Tag shook his head. “No, but he said that the Brotherhood’s last mission was a complete bust. Then, he starts rattling on about the Ark of the Covenant and how their second-in-command was killed somewhere in the West. I didn’t give much credence to the whole ark bit. I figured the fever was getting the best of him, but with some prodding, I was able to get the coordinates of where everyone was to meet up in the mountains. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know he was talking about the Pakistan side of the ridge.
“Once I got all the information I could, I went to my commanding office. I wanted to leave that night and see if we could flush them out.” Frustration washed over Tag. His facial muscles contracted as he clenched his jaw. “He didn’t agree with me. His orders were to keep watch on the POW and see what other intel we might be able to gather.” Tag dropped his head and shook it. “He died the next morning.
“It took days of hounding, but my captain finally agreed on a two-man mission to go and see if we could gather intel on the Brotherhood. The only stipulation was that we had to stay on the Afghanistan side of the border.”
Brent nodded.
Tag emptied his glass and continued. “The man who died said the meeting of the Brotherhood was scheduled for January ninth. My spotter, Bobby—Sergeant Delbach—and I left camp at o-one hundred hours, on the first of January. I decided we would make the trip on foot—less tracks to follow. From the coordinates the prisoner gave us, it was going to take us a good six days of constant moving and little sleep to make it to our destination. I wanted a couple of days to scout out the best position and get hunkered down.
“Everything went smoothly, maybe too smooth looking back at it, until we were perched high in the mountains. We found a deserted cave to set up and wait. It was the night of the seventh.” Tag took a deep breath. “It was that night we heard voices close by. I wasn’t too worried. I knew I could shoot faster and more accurately than a bunch of sand ni—”
Brent interrupted him mid word. “We don’t need to disrespect their heritage.”
Tag finished chewing the ice cube that was in his mouth. “Sorry, Colonel.” He took a deep breath and continued. “Like I said, I thought I had the upper hand. I made my way out of the ant farm where we had set up camp. Through the night goggles, I could see them. There were so many of them. Hundreds. They kept emerging out of the holes in the rock like that game, ‘Whac-a-Mole.’ Knowing we were outnumbered, I retreated deep inside our ‘hole’ and sent an encrypted message back to Alpha Camp asking for air support.
“I stayed awake all night waiting for a response from my commander. I figured we would at least get air cover. It wouldn’t take much to take out the whole lot. They were all gathered together on the ridgeline. When the response finally came back, it was short, three words.” Tag looked up from his glass. Anger lined his otherwise smooth skin. “Two-man mission was all it said. That was it.” His hands shook with emotion. “The bastard left us out there to die! I swore if I ever made it back to camp, I would make him pay.”
“Why would an Army officer do that? It had to be personal,” Brent said.
Tag nodded. “He was a desk jockey from D.C. He only took the assignment because he needed field time in order to make it up the ranks. Whenever the men had an issue or a question, they came to me, not him. He hated the fact that I had the men’s respect.” Tag gripped the glass tighter, hands still shaking.
Tag noticed Brent’s attention shift from him to the glass. He loosened his grip.
“What happened on the ridge after you received the message?” Brent asked.
“We were perched right on the border. North Waziristan was just on the Pakistani side. We knew from surveillance that it was a strong hold for al Qaida, but we had no idea they were harboring other terrorists. The next morning, the enemy had disappeared. I figured they had crossed over. They had to be meeting in Waziristan. I made a decision to go further to see if we could pinpoint their stronghold.
“They left one sentry behind. He was dug in and camouflaged, but my spotter picked him up easily. I made the shot from a half mile and then we waited. I figured the terrorists would send reinforcements. No one showed, so we kept moving in the direction I thought they were headed. Four hours later, we found them. There had to be close to a thousand of them in a cave system just on the Pakistan side of the ridge. I noted the coordinates, took some snapshots, and we began our retreat. Six days later, we were in sight of camp. We figured we were home free and relaxed our posture. I made the call to Alpha to let them know we were on our way in.” Tag stopped talking. He took a deep, labored breath, and closed his eyes.
“I still don’t understand why you left the service.”
Angry, Tag looked at Brent. “What command didn’t tell us was that the man who died was gone. The night after we broke camp to begin the mission there was a raid and his body was taken from the morgue.”
“Were there causalities?”
Tag nodded. “Eight of our men were lost and eleven of the enemy. That’s why the Major was so adamant about not sending help. It had been a real cluster. The brass came down hard on him and was taking away his command. What I didn’t know was that I was to replace him when I returned. Fifty yards from camp . . .” Tag leaned forward and spoke through clenched teeth, enunciating every word. “Just fifty yards from camp, I spotted an enemy soldier hiding behind a sand hill. Before I had the time to warn Bobby, the bastard shot and killed him. I emptied a full magazine into the son of a bitch before he could get off another shot.” Tag’s voice trailed off. “Too little, too late.” He dropped his head. Chin resting on his chest. Tears pooled on the bar.
Brent reached out and squeezed his hand. “It wasn’t your fault.”
In a stilted voice, Tag clenched his teeth in anger. He balled up his fingers into a fist and punched the bar. “Yes, it was. I should have had Bobby covered. He was my responsibility. That bullet should have been mine, not his.”
Emotions that had been pent up inside him since that day flowed down his face as if a dam had burst.
“I picked up his lifeless body and carried him into camp. Others came to help, but I wouldn’t let him go. I carried Bobby into the Major’s office and laid him on his desk. I don’t know what I said to him or what he said to me, but I punched the S.O.B. and knocked him out cold.
“When the brass showed up the next morning, I fully expected to be taken into custody. No actions were taken. The colonel, Colonel Trenton, wanted to give me a commendation. I refused. He told me of his plans to have me replace the Major as base commander. I turned him down and resigned my commission. I wanted no part of an army that left its soldiers out to hang.”
Tag’s heart pounded with anger.
When he regained his composure, he listened as Brent told the lieutenant about Chloe and how she died. He told him about the Brotherhood of Gaza and of his plans to get even with all of them. Somehow, his unburdening did them both some good.
CHAPTER 26
Two hours later, Brent, Tag and Q were in the home of one of the Knights of the Endowment where they enjoyed a late dinner and got some shuteye.
Early in the a.m., they woke and again took flight.
Once Q had them at cruising altitude, Brent sat facing Tag. “I can’t risk being seen entering Armenia so there won’t be any landing committee.” He pulled his hair bac
k from his face and continued. “There won’t be any landing at all.”
Tag squinted and cocked his head to the side. Confusion seemed to engulf his expression.
“The SIA is looking for me.” The lieutenant opened his mouth to speak, but Brent cut him off. “I’m not AWOL. They’re looking for me because they’re family and they care.”
Tag nodded.
“I refuse to risk any more lives than I have to. Like your last mission, this is a two-man job.”
“If the SIA is everything you say it is,” Tag said, “won’t their intel be able to track us?”
Brent smiled. “They would, if their tracker wasn’t my inside person. She’s scrambling all signals being sent out. Again, you can’t find what you can’t see.”
Tag had to laugh at the colonel’s ingenuity. “May I ask where our destination is?”
“We’re headed to a monastery at the foot of Mount Ararat. The Khor Virap Monastery.”
“Is it inhabited?”
Brent nodded. “It’s a huge tourist attraction for Christians, so we should be able to blend in. As far as I know, it’s not a working monastery. Just a place of pilgrimage with a church located on the grounds.”
“What’s there that’s so important?”
The colonel shrugged his shoulders. “To be honest, I don’t know. I just know it’s where God is leading me.”
“Beg your pardon, sir, but I don’t quite understand. Why is God leading you halfway around the world?”
“It’s where it all began.”
Tag appeared exasperated. “Where all what began?”
Brent put his hand on his shoulder. “Sit down and let me tell you a story.” He proceeded to tell Tag more details about The Endowment, about Noah’s covenant with God, and about the lineage of his decedents known as The Ambassadors.
Tag leaned into the conversation. “At least the whole Ambassador thing is starting to make sense.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “Okay, as farfetched as all that seems, I have no reason to doubt you, but what I still don’t understand, is why you need to go there or what you hope to find.”
“If you think it’s farfetched now, I’m about to blow your mind,” Brent said. “I had a vision . . .”
“You had a what?” Tag interjected.
“Just go with me on this, it’s complicated.”
Tag laughed. “Life has not been simple since we met, Colonel. I hate to see complicated.”
Brent smiled. “You will.”
Tag shook his head when he heard those two little words.
“Anyway,” Brent continued, “in this vision, I was told that the answers to my questions would be found at the beginning. That’s why I am going to the monastery and Mount Ararat. What I hope to find is two-fold. One, my faith and two, the ark.”
“Noah’s Ark? You must be joking. Right?”
“I’ve never been more serious,” Brent responded.
“I’m no Biblical scholar, but I do know that a lot of people throughout history have tried to find Noah’s Ark. What makes you think you can find it?”
Brent thought back to his vision when he was transported to a mountain range and spoke to God. It was as clear now as it had been on the day he was there in his dreams.
“I have already been there; I just need to retrace my steps.”
“Damn it, Colonel. You’re talking in riddles again.” Tag stood and paced the compartment. “I hope I’m not out of line and I’m sorry if I am, but you’re making my brain hurt. What do you mean you’ve already been there and what steps are you talking about? I’m just a lowly lieutenant, so please bring it down a notch and speak so I can understand.” Tag sat back down and made eye contact. “I’m in for the long haul, but I need to understand what I’m in for.” He shrugged his shoulders. “And what does any of this have to do with the Brotherhood of Gaza?”
It was Brent’s turn to stand and pace the cabin as he tried to compose his thoughts in a manner that wouldn’t put Tag over the edge. “First, you’re not out of line. I appreciate your candor and I can understand your confusion. As far as speaking in riddles, get used to it. It just happens. Years ago, during a mission with the Squad, I had a vision. One that kept me alive during my captivity.”
“What captivity? What mission?”
“It doesn’t matter, what does matter is that it happened and in my vision, I was on Mount Ararat, and I’m pretty sure I was standing at the foot of Noah’s Ark. I know in my heart, that’s where I need to go back to in order for any of this to make sense.”
“Okay, but I still don’t see what this . . .”
“It’s called stepping out on faith. You’ll find I do it a lot. God has never let me down before and I have no reason to believe he will start now. I’m hoping to find clues to the ark’s whereabouts at the monastery.”
“But that place has been trampled on for hundreds of years. You said so yourself. How do you suppose to find something no one else has been able to find?”
Brent flashed back to his squad training.
“When you’re looking for clues,” Seven said, “don’t be deceived by the fact that others have been there before you. If they don’t know what to look for, it’s possible they missed the obvious.” Seven walked by his trainees. They looked disengaged. He spit his tobacco juice as he continued to walk.
“Professor,” he yelled. His voice echoed off the concrete airplane hangar that had become their home.
“Sir?” Brent responded.
“Look outside and tell me what you find.”
Brent took in his surroundings and answered. “I see trees, grass, dirt and mountains in the distance.”
Seven smiled. “Anyone else find anything different?”
The other three recruits looked and shook their heads.
“Now, suppose, I rephrase the question,” he said. “Professor, let’s say you’re not looking in general; let’s say you’re here because there was a terrorist attack yesterday and one of the men under your command was captured. Now, look around and tell me what you find.”
Brent dropped into a squat position and closed his eyes. He tried to erase everything he had previously noticed. He wanted a blank slate when he looked again. He opened his eyes, stood and looked around. “I see the blades of grass to my right, broken and leaning in a northerly direction.” His actions followed his thoughts as he walked outside the hangar where the grass led. “The low lying branches of the saplings are broken to my left, leading up into the foothills.”
He closed his eyes momentarily to block out the sense of sight. “There is an odor of an extinguished fire. A camp site must be nearby and—”
“That’s enough,” Seven said. “Good job.” He looked at the soldiers in front of him who now possessed a knowing expression. “You see, a thousand people could have been here, but if they didn’t know what to look for, they would have seen the same thing the professor saw the first time. Of course, the more people who came through, the harder the clues will be to find, but they will still be there.”
Brent opened his eyes and looked at the lieutenant. “I have two things that the thousands who have pilgrimaged didn’t have. One, I have come for a different reason, and two, I have nowhere else to go. It’s all I have and I hope it will be enough.”
Tag shook his head and smirked. “I said before you were insane. I just wish you would stop proving it.”
Brent was about to ask him a question when Tag interrupted. “You never did say what any of this has to do with the Brotherhood of Gaza.”
Brent opened his shirt and showed Tag the tattoo over his heart.
Affectus mos adepto vos iuguolo
“What language is that and what does it say?”
“It’s Latin. It says, ‘Emotion will get you killed.’ It’s the Phantom Squad creed.” Brent pointed to his own head and th
en to his chest. “If I can’t figure out what’s going on in my head then I can’t get back to the soldier I was—the man I was—and I have no chance of defeating the Brotherhood. The only thing I will accomplish is getting both of us killed. That’s why this place, this trip, this . . . quest is so important.”
Brent watched as all the pieces of the puzzle seemed to connect in Tag’s mind.
He waited a few minutes and then said. “There’s one thing I’ve been meaning to ask you. When I asked you to follow my lead back in St. Augustine, you seemed to be able to mimic my every move and stay within my shadow. It was if we were just one person. Where did you learn how to do that?”
“It’s a Cree battle trick that was used centuries ago,” Tag said. “It made their numbers seem small to the enemy so they could hide their true strength. My grandfather taught it to me when I was a boy.”
Brent’s mind went into overdrive. “I want you to teach it to me. It could come in very handy when we go after the Brotherhood.”
Tag stood a little taller. “It would be my honor, sir.”
“Thank you,” Brent said. “Oh, and by the way, I have a piece of information you might want to know. While we were flying to Munich, I had Q make some inquiries. The major you spoke of was given a dishonorable discharge for not sending in support and Sergeant Delbach was awarded the Purple Heart for bravery during his last mission.”
Tag smiled ear to ear. “I don’t know how you are able to do what you do, but I’m grateful.”
“Two more things.”
“There’s more?”
Brent held up one finger. “The thugs we met at the train station are in custody and were thrown out of the tribe. Your family has been relocated back on tribal property with full tribal rights.”
Tag stood, open mouthed and speechless. Without thinking, he threw his arms around Brent and thanked him.