by T V Scribner
Boone didn’t beat around the bush, he stated, "Mitch and Sparky, will stay here at camp in the communications tent, and monitor everything between Alpha and Delta teams, but you have two choices.”
“Which are…?”
“You can accompany me, as my onsite Communications Coordinator, which consists of documenting the extraction, or you can stay here with Mitch and Sparky, in the COM tent?"
With a huge smile, she said, “I’ll go with you, of course!"
With a serious look on his face, he continued, "Before you answer so fast, I must tell you, this is a very dangerous mission. We'll possibly be dealing with radiation, and injuries may occur if things don't go well, so I want you to consider the risk before you answer.”
Without hesitation, she replied, "The answer is still the same,” and with a broad smile, she added, “I didn't think you'd ask me...and after all I've been through, I sure don't want to miss the grand finale!"
"I had a feeling you might feel this way.” His broad smile told her that he was happy to have her on board, and to her, it was a huge acknowledgment. "C'mon then, grab your gear and we’ll put it in our van…got your weapons?"
"Yep," she said, as her hand touched the KA-BAR knife, nestled in its sheath on her left leg, and felt her waist, with the inside of her right wrist, where the Glock 26 Gen 4 (9x19 mm), she'd been issued, was holstered.
"Okay," he said, "let's get the equipment you'll be using for this mission. We'll take the other computer from the communication tent, the digital cameras and the Sat phone, and you'll be all set, as my official communications assistant and documenter. And, here's your TLD and SPID dosimeters, one for your belt and the other for your pocket." He proceeded to explain their use, since she hadn't been instructed the night before.
As soon as she caught up to him, she commented, "By the way, there was something I wanted to ask you last night."
"Shoot," he said, staring at her with those penetrating blue eyes.
"Well," she hesitated, now his blue eyes were making her feel flustered again, but she found her voice and continued, “You introduced me to Mitch's assistant, and I was curious, is Sparky his real name, or just a coincidence?" Suddenly, she felt silly, for asking, and blushed under his stare.
"Nope, not his real name."
"Then why do they call him Sparky?" She cringed as she said it.
Boone let out a huge laugh, taking her by surprise, then replied, "Trust me, you don't want to know!" and he continued to chuckle.
"Hmmm," She replied. Now she had to know, and vowed to herself, that she would bring it up again sometime. It piqued her curiosity, especially since her question made him laugh so hard! She was sure it must be a story worth hearing, and fell in behind him as he turned and headed inside the COM tent, while chastising herself for bothering him, with such a stupid question.
After a few minutes, they exited the tent and Boone rounded up Alpha Team, to announce the good news he'd just received from Riley, concerning Delta Team.
When everyone gathered around, Boone spoke, "Overnight, Delta Team successfully captured Zolotov and his entourage, and the rest of Delta Team was given the go-ahead, to deal with the Russians' camp."
The men cheered excitedly, and one of the men yelled, "What about their camp?"
Boone held up his hand for silence, and the men quieted down, "The Russians did not voluntarily surrender, but instead, met our men with serious resistance. Suffice it to say, our attack worked as planned, and we prevailed. Several of our men were injured, but not critically.” Applause broke out. “However," he continued, "I can't say the same for the Russians! As it stands, we don't have to worry about their interference with our extraction process, anymore!”
With this information, a great cheer went up and there was high five-ing all around. The tone became serious again, as Boone announced it was time to leave. The men dispersed to their assigned vehicles. The equipment relocation team grabbed their back packs and weapons, then climbed into the armored vehicles. A two-trailer semi, loaded with digging and excavation equipment, lumbered onto the dirt path behind the armored vehicles, followed by an oversized trailer carrying scientific monitoring equipment, clothing and radiation shielding.
The radiation containment units followed, along with the physicists, their assistants and guards, and when Boone gave the signal, the engines roared, and the caravan was on its way to the designated site. The van with Boone and Ingles, was last to leave. The caravan headed onto the trail, which had been cleared for passage over the last several days, by the task force's engineers. This make it possible to use a more direct route to the site, without drawing attention by traveling, on conventional roads.
The caravan lumbered along for almost an hour, before making its way through a dense copse of trees and tall ground foliage, until the trail finally emptied the convoy into a large area, cleared of small trees and brush. This is where tents would be set up, and the vehicles would be parked, to unload the equipment.
A second team, which arrived the day before, had located the entrance to the hidden mine shaft, where the suitcase bomb was concealed. They used the GPS coordinates, from the decrypted information supplied by Ingles and Boone, and verified by Riley's surveillance. Back hoes and bull dozers had cleared the large boulders and heavy foliage, from the entrance, revealing the long-concealed opening, of the mine.
The opening had been camouflaged, by an overgrowth of brush, rocks, fallen trees and whatever else nature had wrought over the years, to render it invisible. Without the coordinates, it would have been impossible to locate. When the entrance was cleared, the foreman contacted Boone, who hopped out of his van, ready to give the order to penetrate the opening, and prepare it for exploration.
Paisley, stepped out of the van, and with her hand, shaded her eyes from the refulgent sun, which had just breached the horizon. She viewed the panorama before her. Overwhelmed, she took in the scene, with all the men and heavy equipment in the small clearing. Furrowing her brow, she brushed a few stray tendrils of hair back under the camo cap, she was given, and for a moment was filled with trepidation, wondering if volunteering for this endeavor, had been the right choice?
The heavy equipment was silent, and the men also, grew silent. The area was now staged, and at this moment of stasis, it was as if all the characters were in place, waiting for the opening curtain, so the play could begin.
CHAPTER 38
As suddenly as the activity had ceased, it began again. Small cub tractors resumed digging, as back hoes lowered their shovels and scooped dirt, to carry it from the growing cavity, in the entrance to the mine's tunnel. It took all morning for the dirt and debris to be removed.
Drs. Moto and Steinhoff gave their assistants a couple of Radiacs to sweep the tunnel prior to the excavators, progressing further inside the tunnel. When declared safe, the engineers began the process of bringing in wooden beams, to shore up the tunnel walls.
In the meantime, Mitch and Sparky, had moved to the site also, and ushered Ingles into the small COM tent which had been set up, about the length of a football field from the hub of activity, at the tunnel entrance. The COM tent was smaller, but when the tent flap was pulled back and she glanced at its contents, it surprised her to see just as much state-of-the art equipment, as the larger COM tent, at base camp.
Once inside, Mitch welcomed her with a high five, and showed her where to set her equipment, then formally introduced her to Sparky. True to his name, Sparky, appeared thin and wiry, with extremely curly red hair standing up, in all directions, looking as if he’d just stuck his finger in a light socket. At this moment, she knew why he’d been called Sparky. She smiled as he pumped her hand, instead of just shaking it. His exuberance was catching—she liked him.
Mitch escorted her to an aluminum table where there was a gun-metal gray, fold-out chair with a padded seat. Sparky left for parts unknown—presumably to run a myriad of cables needed for communication, into the tunnel.
"Here ya go,
little lady," Mitch said cheerily. “Let me know if you need anything. Coffee, maybe?"
There he goes with the "little lady" bit again, and once more she smiled to herself, but took no offense. “Thanks, Mitch, yes, no cream or sugar though, I take it black."
He brought her a cup of what he called the "good stuff," saying, “there ya go!" He set the cup on her table, sans the "little lady" comment this time. Maybe this was progress, she thought.
She put her backpack on the table, opened it, and plugged in the equipment supplied to her, to make sure everything was charged, and ready to go. She asked Mitch a question, but he didn’t hear her over the noise of the tractors, backhoes and the roar of truck motors outside the tent.
It was all she could do to ignore the noise, as she sipped her coffee, and acknowledged Mitch’s coffee really was the good stuff! Mitch was right...she'd tell him later. After her equipment was charged, she organized everything on the tables, she would need, until time to use it.
Paisley stepped outside for a moment, to stretch and release a little tension. However, the heavy equipment kicked billowing brown clouds of dirt into the air, to be inhaled by everyone in the vicinity, except the men closest to the source, who wore protective masks. After a couple of little coughs, she retreated into the COM tent. Shortly after she reentered the tent, the noise diminished, until there was silence. The cessation of noise was deafening.
She packed her equipment, and glanced over at Mitch, as she quipped, "Hey, now we can think again!"
Mitch stood, came around the equipment table and responded, "Now it's too quiet to think,” and gave her a hearty laugh and a wink.
Several moments later, they both turned, as the tent flap was thrown back and Boone burst in, "Good news!" he said, "The excavation equipment was no more than a hundred and fifteen feet into the opening, when the shaft widened, and opened into a large cavern," he gestured with his hands, "and the foreman judged it to be, approximately ninety feet wide, and easily one hundred and fifty feet deep, with craggy rock walls and jagged outcroppings, reaching upwards, of thirty feet to the ceiling, at the chamber's highest mid-point!”
He was excited! As Boone stood there in expectation, it was obvious Mitch wasn’t going to say anything. Boone waited for the right questions to be asked. So, Paisley, resignedly, elected herself to ask the obvious questions, breaking the silence by saying, "Is that good? What happens now?"
Boone came to life again, "Well, the wooden beams have been placed to shore up the tunnel for safety, and Halogen lights are in place along the tunnel walls, from the entrance, all the way to the cavern's opening, and so far, no radioactivity has been detected, a very good sign!"
Boone stood there looking at them, hands in his pockets and a big smile on his face, which she noticed, always made his eyes sparkle.
"Then it's time to enter?" she asked tentatively.
"Yep!” he said, and Mitch who had turned on his Sat phone while they talked, had patched a call through to headquarters, then handed the phone to Boone, so he could give Riley the good news.
After his call, Boone noticed a look of concern on Ingles face, "C'mon...walk with me to the opening, so you'll have an idea of what to expect,” he said. The tunnel wasn't far, and as they approached, Paisley didn't see anyone, until they'd entered the tunnel's opening, where some of the men, had already gathered. As the group ventured further inside, more men assembled at the cavern's opening, gazing around, in amazement at the enormity of the chamber.
Ingles said reverently, "Amazing!" as she squinted into the dimly lit cavern, with its cathedral-like ambiance, and asked hesitantly, "Where's the suitcase bomb?"
"It's in the very back of the cavern. It can't be seen from here," Boone whispered, and called out, to get everyone's attention, "It's time to head back and get the show on the road,” and he led the group back to the tunnel entrance. Calling the rest of the crew from the clearing, Boone announced, "It's time for a dosimeter check," and directed those with dosimeters to line up at the lab trailer. The men were checked for radiation, and everyone checked out fine— exactly what the physicists hoped—then the men dispersed.
With the four physicists assembled, Boone said, "The tunnel is cleared. Now it's time, Dr. Steinhoff and Dr. Moto, to use your robot to investigate the cavern and verify whether, or not, there is a suitcase bomb. And if it is there, the surrounding area can be tested for radiation levels."
They shook hands with Boone and retrieved the robot, from the lab trailer. Drs. Moto and Steinhoff, assisted by Drs. Rollins and Kapoor, climbed into a waiting golf cart which pulled a small open trailer carrying the robot.
The remote controlled robot, like those used by bomb squads, had been outfitted with a video recorder, munitions detectors, and radiation detection equipment. It would be able to check more closely, for possible booby traps, or other dangerous explosives that may be buried in the immediate area, which could create an explosion, or cause a delay in the retrieval of the suitcase.
Everyone waited nervously at the tunnel entrance, as Dr. Moto said, "Please, Dr. Steinhoff, will you help me get this robot ready to go?"
When the robot was removed from the cart, put on the ground and turned on, the controls were given to Dr. Kapoor, who was in charge of the robot’s movements. Dr. Kapoor guided it remotely down the tunnel, and introduced it into the cavern. It took twenty minutes to reach the back of the cavern, where the robot gave them their first view of the bomb. The robot thoroughly checked for radiation emissions, gleaning other information, along with photos and video, then transmitted the findings to the physicists, at the cavern's entrance.
After twenty minutes or so, Dr. Steinhoff addressed Boone. "The robot has transmitted the information and now we must analyze the photos, video, and radiation information before we call the robot back."
"That's fine," Boone said, and put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll await your findings, before we make any decisions."
The three physicists walked to the nearby lab trailer, and disappeared inside, while Dr. Kapoor waited at the controls, and the robot waited in the cavern. Thirty-five minutes later, the physicists emerged from the lab and approached Boone. He’d paced back and forth, but halted, when he saw the Doctors head his way.
With expressionless faces, the physicists stopped in front of him, as he held his breath, wondering if the project could go forward, "Well?" Boone asked, expectantly.
Dr. Moto spoke first, as he looked up at Boone, who was quite a bit taller, "It is good news, Mr. Boone," he said, then looked around at the group, which had formed, "because according to the Radiac information, and corroborated by the robot, no real measurable alpha or beta rays were detected, just a small amount of harmless radiation was found, but will not prevent retrieval. Good news!" Dr. Moto, said again.
"Yes, this is good news." Boone reiterated the phrase with a sigh of relief, and nodded his head in agreement.
"When fissionable material begins to degrade," Dr. Moto continued, "it emits alpha and beta rays, which in turn causes more degradation, which in turn allows ‘some’ of the dangerous radiation to be emitted. But, my robot's findings confirm only a small amount of relatively harmless, low-level radiation is present."
"What a relief!" Boone said.
"Yes, we are in agreement now, and we can continue with our plan to approach. From the robot's photos and video, we can confirm it to be, an old Russian suitcase bomb!" He gave a slight smile, and though his expression remained unreadable, he gave a subtle bow.
Elated, Boone requested Dr. Kapoor, to retrieve the robot, and take it to the lab trailer, to be decontaminated and probed for other information it may have gathered. When the robot made its way back to the physicists, they headed to the lab.
Boone's eyebrows raised, as he uttered under his breath, "Well, I'll be darned!" He removed his cap, ran his fingers through his hair, then settled the cap back on his head, and mumbled again, “I’ll be darned!"
It was time for Boone to join the rest of t
he crew. Dr. Steinhoff trailed after Boone, chattering away, as Boone headed towards his group of men, lounging in the shade of a huge fir tree, to escape the sun's rays, as it had reached its zenith.
Steinhoff continued to talk as they walked along, “…and, this means these findings are a good indication that there is very little deterioration, of the fissile material contained in the bomb! Although, we don't really know how much there'll be, until it's deactivated."
Boone, only half-listening to him, said, "Yes, uh-huh..."
Steinhoff added, in a somewhat hurried mumble, “…and, we didn't detect alpha or beta radiation levels in this scenario, perhaps due to the fact, that the temperature held at a constant all these years such that..." And his voice trailed off, as they arrived at the tree where the group waited.
Steinhoff stopped walking and his eyes drifted around the group now standing in front of him and listening. He stopped talking, mid-sentence, when the blank looks on the faces staring at him, told him they probably weren't interested in hearing the scientific theories upon which, he was about to expound.
Boone shuffled from one foot to another impatiently, and given an opening to speak, saved the situation by saying, "Yes, well this is very good, thank you, Dr. Steinhoff. Now, let's take a short break for lunch, then we can carry on with the retrieval."
As the men headed away conversing quietly with each other, Boone turned to Dr. Steinhoff and said, "Please, let the other doctors know that we're going to eat first, and then the retrieval team, can suit up, and we'll head to the mine shaft."
It had turned warmer, as the sun migrated over the tree tops, accessing a commanding view of the workers below, and its intense heat, beating down on the camp, caused some of the men, to sweat profusely. They had gathered by a metal tub of ice, which contained water bottles. Other members of the crew strolled over, also to procure water, and find a little shade under nearby trees, where Boone was about to address the team, concerning the next phase of the process.