Trojan Horse

by George West

  “Someone, get back on that .50-cal!” The gunfire didn’t seize, but his men were finally able to return fire.

  “Private Danjour, get us out of here!"

  The SUV turned down a small alley followed by a second one while the rest of the convoy remained trapped in the street by the barrage of bullets.

  ***

  Adam spotted two SUVs veering off into the alleyway. “They are rabbiting.”

  Ramos and Hunter popped up from their positions and pursued the fleeing vehicles along the rooftops.

  John shouldered an RPG and took aim toward the Humvee. “Fuck you!” The rocket-propelled grenade soared through the air and found its target in less than a second. The Humvee exploded, and the gunfire ceased from the crushed vehicle. Team members on the ground started to approach the destroyed convoy, systematically taking out the last survivors.

  “Reaper 1, the package is not here,” announced one of the team members over the radio.

  “Adam, we have them heading south on Pennsylvania Ave. We are running out of rooftop,” replied the tired men.

  Adam was angered by their failure to obtain the VIP. He thought he had covered all the exits. He knew further pursuit of the surviving convoy would be even more dangerous now. The remaining vehicles had surely managed to contact the destroyer awaiting their arrival. The ship would now send enemy platoons as the quick reaction force, not to mention a naval destroyer armed with tomahawk missiles and a 130mm cannon.

  Chapter 7

  The team crawled back down the manhole to their ATVs. It was 6:00 a.m., and the first beams of sunlight crept over the hills of Arlington. The men were fatigued from their ambush.

  Ramos was panting from his recent sprints across the rooftops. “What the fuck are we still doing out here? I should be curled up in my bunk right now.”

  “Relax. You can jerk off later,” replied John.

  All the guys in the tunnel started to laugh except for Adam, who was busy examining an old map of the city's sewage system. He then grabbed his radio. “Blackbird, this is Reaper 1; we have lost several of the wolves. Do you copy?”

  ***

  Katherine Shaw and the rest of the team in the Ops Center heard the message over their comms and immediately shook their heads. Kat’s face was twisted and red with rage. She clinched her fists.

  “Fuck!”

  Katherine grabbed the microphone. “This is Blackbird; we will be waiting for your extraction, over.”

  “Negative, Blackbird. Reaper team will pursue the missing wolves. Need intel on your end to proceed, over.”

  “Reaper 1, the mission is over. Proceed with exfil.”

  “Negative, Blackbird. I repeat, we are pursuing the missing wolves, over.”

  Katherine’s face turned redder.

  Carly chimed in. “This is a bad idea. The city will soon be crawling with Global Alliance troops.”

  Katherine looked at the faces of everyone else in the pool. “All right, it looks like Reaper team is staying on mission; let’s figure out where those missing vehicles are hiding. Carly, pull up the map for that area. I also want you monitoring every radio frequency for chatter regarding this recent firefight. I’m sure those missing soldiers have already contacted their friends. Let’s go, people!”

  Everyone in the empty pool scurried to their workstations and began to search for any intelligence they could provide to their team out in the field.

  ***

  “Chief, how in the hell are we going to find these guys? They could be anywhere. And as I recall, there’s probably a QRF headed this way to put us down,” added Ramos.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you whine like a bitch, Ramos?”

  “But seriously, chief, what the fuck are we going to do?”

  “What we always do: we’re going to hunt.”

  John Dawkins was bent over an ATV holding a flashlight to illuminate the old map of the Metro area.

  “Boys, I think I got something,” announced John.

  The rest of the men sprinted over to the map.

  “So, this is where we hit the convoy," pointing to an intersection on the wrinkled piece of paper. John slid his finger down the map. "And this is where we last saw the SUVs. And this third spot is where we think the destroyer is anchored,” explained John.

  “Okay, so what are you getting at, brother?”

  “Well, if we can identify all the routes leading back to the ship, we can probably figure out where they are—assuming they’re still headed back there.”

  “That’s definitely a start, but there are at least six different routes they could take—and that’s if they haven’t already dumped their vehicles.”

  “Hey, I can’t figure everything out for this team. Or you would have to make me team leader."

  Adam smiled. “I don’t think we have to worry about that. Team leaders have to be able to drink more than two beers without puking.”

  “That happened only once and you know that!” pleaded John while the rest of the guys tried not to fall down from laughing.

  Adam Dawkins grabbed his radio: “Blackbird, this is Reaper 1; I think we got something...”

  Chapter 8

  “Jackpot,” smiled John Dawkins.

  The team had been tracking the convoy on foot for the past hour. They moved fast with their weapons raised scanning buildings for enemy snipers. The team spotted two SUVs at the end of the street. Adam signaled his team to split up. Reaper team approached the vehicles from the rear. Adam noticed something odd as he neared the first SUV: the doors were open. He switched to his sidearm as he approached the driver side door. The SUV’s windows were blacked out and his heart began to pound as he realized the uncertainty that awaited inside the car. Adam's hands tightened around his pistol's grip as he aimed through the driver side door. He then let out a gasp of air and holstered his weapon.

  “Clear.”

  "Pushing to lead vehicle," announced Adam's brother. The rest of the team approached the second SUV that was parked farther down the street. After John stuck his head inside the car, he lowered his sidearm. “Clear,” sighed John.

  Adam fired a round into a window of one of the SUVs. The glass cracked throughout the window but remained intact. “Bulletproof. These are definitely the vehicles."

  “What made these guys ditch their wheels?” said Ramos.

  “I think I have the answer.” John pointed at the car’s dashboard. A yellow light continued to blink next to the gas tank symbol. Adam and John grinned at each other after realizing why their enemy had transitioned on foot.

  "Well it looks like our friends couldn't find a gas station. Let's spread out and find their trail," ordered Adam.

  “Hey chief, you are going to want to see this,” announced Ramos.

  Adam walked over to his teammate and froze in his tracks. Two dead bodies lay on the sidewalk less than fifty yards from the SUVs. “Those fucking cowards. G.A. must have taken them out for precaution in case they were scouts.”

  The two corpses were shredded by bullets and pools of blood surrounded them. Adam knelt down next to one of the bodies to examine the corpse. He patted near the hips, searching for any hidden weapons. "They aren't even armed." Then Adam grabbed the corpse's hand and felt the cold silver from a wedding ring. Adam stared down at the corpses in silence, shaking his head.

  “I thought all civilians were evacuated inland after the invasion,” said Ramos.

  “Not everyone wanted to leave their home,” replied Adam.

  Adam and his teammates quickly turned around after hearing a loud crash in an old store near the bodies.

  “John, Ramos. On me,” ordered Adam. The team members raised their M4s as they approached the store front. John opened the door as Adam entered the store scanning for hostiles. The front was empty.

  Adam crouched down and picked up a piece of broken glass. “Perfume.”

  “Explains why this place smells like a tropical island,” noted Ramos.

  The team started t
o withdraw outside until they heard several floorboards creek. Adam and John covered both sides of the checkout desk as they approached the rear of the counter. This time, they spotted a foot. The little foot immediately vanished underneath the counter as Adam and his brother stepped closer. Adam then shone the flashlight attached to his M4 underneath the counter and immediately froze. John jammed his rifle underneath the counter. Screaming erupted in the room. Guys rushed inside with their weapons raised.

  A young girl hid in the darkness, curled into a ball, shaking uncontrollably. Adam glanced at his brother.

  “Hey, little girl. We aren’t here to harm you. You are safe." The little girl screamed as John reached out his hand.

  Ramos ran over behind the counter. “Is that what I think it is?"

  “Those two bodies outside must be her parents,” asserted Adam.

  Adam crouched down to eye level with the little girl. “Hey, my name is Adam. What’s your name?”

  The little girl remained silent as tears rolled down her eyes.

  “She’s probably in shock. Her parents are lying dead on the street over there,” said John.

  “Guys, I got this." Ramos unzipped one of the pouches attached to his body armor. He pulled out a chocolate bar.

  “Really, you pack that crap on every op?” said Adam.

  “What? I get hungry."

  Ramos slowly stuck out his hand. The little girl stared at the delicious snack with hesitation but then jerked it out of Ramos’s hands. Adam, John, and Ramos silently watched the little girl nibble at the bar of chocolate. They witnessed a smile slowly forming on the little girl’s face with every bite. She even stuck her tongue out to lick the chocolate on the outside of her lips.

  “Hey, I’m Ramos. What’s your name?”

  The little girl stopped eating her chocolate bar. “Sarah.”

  “That’s a nice name. Do you mind if I get you out from under there?”

  Every young man stopped what they were doing and stared at their teammate as he carried out a little girl in his arms.

  “Chief, I got something,” announced one of the team members. Adam walked over and noticed the specks of blood on the pavement leaving a trail along the sidewalk.

  “All right, I want guys following this. We also need to establish comms with the team back at the compound and let them know that we are closing in on the scientist,” ordered Adam.

  “Wait, what? We need to get this girl to safety,” interjected Ramos.

  “We will get her to safety. I will contact the compound to send a team to pick her up,” replied Adam.

  “Are you kidding me? You just want to leave her here. G.A. soldiers might find her.”

  “We will put her in one of the SUVs. She will be fine in an armored vehicle.”

  “I’m not cool with this. We don’t even know if that blood trail will lead anywhere.”

  “We have a mission to complete and a scientist in danger. The girl will be fine. So, put her in the SUV. That’s an order Reaper 3.”

  Ramos shook his head as he headed towards one of the SUVs. He placed the little girl in the back of the vehicle and fastened a seatbelt around her.

  “Hey Sarah, my friends will be here soon, but I have to go on a little trip right now.”

  The little girl started to cry again. “Don’t leave me. Please, don’t leave!”

  Ramos broke eye contact with her and jerked his body away from the car. He slowly limped back to his team wiping the tears from his face. “I’m so sorry.”

  Chapter 9

  “Private Nicolai, take some men and set up a perimeter,” ordered Captain Resnik.

  The captain and the rest of his platoon entered a warehouse on the banks of the Potomac River. Only half of his men had made it out of the ambush alive. G.A. soldiers checked their ammo count and searched for firing positions to defend the building.

  “Sir, we’ve just received word from the ship. They’re sending multiple platoons to extract us at our current location,” announced one of the soldiers.

  “Good to finally hear back from our fellow navy men. They finally got off their asses and picked up the phone."

  The captain stared at Dr. Eris. “Put our guest upstairs. Those men that ambushed us will be coming for him and we need to be ready.”

  The captain then pulled out a crumpled box of matches from his pocket. He slowly lit his half-used cigar. As he blew out his first puff of smoke, his mind began to wander. He thought about his cigar. He could see the old tobacco shop in his quaint, small town just outside of Moscow. He wondered if that cigar shop was even still standing. He remembered Vlad, the old man who owned the shop. Resnik could see the old man’s face just smiling every time he walked into his store. The shopkeeper would always save one of Resnik’s favorite cigars just for him. He would then pour a shot of whiskey for Resnik, and the two would chat about the long days they each endured. Vlad would ask how Resnik’s crops were doing. Then the two men would laugh and raise their drinks.

  The captain’s mind soon drifted to something else. He was impressed with how well his adversaries set up that ambush. He was told that some young men were operating in that area, but they didn’t fight like new soldiers. They seemed experienced and organized for a group of such young Americans. Although his adversaries had killed many of his men, he wasn’t angry. He always respected his enemy. He learned to keep his anger at bay a long time ago. The captain had been to war too many times now. To get emotional and angry over the deaths of his men would only hinder his ability to lead.

  “Sir, the destroyer just radioed in. The quick reaction force is 15 minutes out."

  “Keep your men ready and make sure the perimeter is clear.”

  “Sir, are we expecting another attack?” asked the young private.

  The captain didn’t respond. The battle-hardened commander stared off into the Potomac, savoring the tobacco, unsure of what was to come.

  Chapter 10

  “Chief, over here.”

  The team was searching the wharf for more blood. They had been scanning the ground for half an hour now.

  “Adam, I think the trail leads to that building. They must be holed up in there.”

  “All right. John, I want you to recon the building and find the locations of the sentries along the perimeter."

  The team patiently lay in the overgrown grass three hundred yards away from the building, while Reaper 2 crept closer to their target location. John Dawkins crouched behind a broken-down truck in the parking lot near the front of the building. He peered through his scope and observed two soldiers standing at the entrance, smoking cigarettes. John continued to search for anymore guards. He slowly moved toward an area overlooking the rear of the building. As John approached the rear, he spotted two more men headed in his direction. He immediately dropped to the ground and buried his face into the dirt, praying that the soldiers didn't spot him. The two guards thought they heard something and approached the area where they heard the sound. John slowly pulled out his knife preparing for hand-to-hand combat. The two soldiers stopped just 10 yards from John’s position and checked the area in front of them. After a few minutes, the men didn’t see anything suspicious and decided to return to their post. Once the guards withdrew from John’s position, he let out a loud breath while the adrenaline started to flow out of his system. He quickly retreated to the rest of his team.

  “That was too damn close. I almost got made.”

  “What did you see?” asked Adam, ignoring his brother's comments.

  “Two guys at the front with AKs and two more patrolling along the river. Didn’t see the VIP, though.”

  “That must be our building,” interjected Ramos.

  “Let’s split up and advance toward the target. We’re going to hit this building from multiple directions. John, approach the front of the building with Ramos. I’ll take Hunter and the rest of the team. We’ll approach the rear of the building from the river,” explained Adam.

  “Have a nice s
wim," laughed Ramos.

  “See you on the other side, brother,” said John as he looked at Adam.

  “I’ll race you there, brother.”

  The members of Reaper team broke up into separate squads as they advanced toward the building.

  ***

  “What’s the ETA on our extraction?” asked Captain Resnik.

  “They’re 5 minutes out, sir” replied Private Nicolai.

  “Dammit, could they be any more incompetent? They don’t contribute anything for the cause while we’re out here putting our lives on the line!”

  ***

  Adam Dawkins and the other team members could see the docks in front of them. They were under water now, swimming against the currents. The team was forced to hold their breath for their entire approach to avoid splashing and alerting the guards. Adam squinted his eyes as the cold water flooded into his eye sockets. With every stroke, the team leader strained the muscles in his arms. The added weight from his weapon and Kevlar also drained the oxygen from his lungs faster than he had anticipated.

  After finally having the dock insight, Adam went up for air, but Hunter immediately grabbed his team leader's leg as his head reached the surface. As Hunter pulled Adam deeper into the river, he started to resist not knowing what was going on. Then his eyes locked with Hunter's; his teammate pointed toward the surface and Adam's eyes followed. He soon realized why Hunter had pulled him back under he could just barely make out two blurry figures above them. The guards must have moved locations while they made their approach beneath the surface.

  The two G.A. soldiers were now sharing a cigarette. Adam could barely breathe now, and he felt extremely dizzy. He had to get some air but knew if he went up, his team would die. Dawkins told himself that he would remain underwater until the guards left, even if it meant drowning.

  The team had been underwater now for almost five minutes and they were out of breath. Adam knew that he and his men wouldn’t be able to keep themselves underwater for much longer. Their basic survival instincts would kick in and force their bodies to the surface. Finally, he witnessed the two blurry figures disappear from above. He wasn’t sure if his mind was playing tricks on him due to lack of oxygen. He looked at his teammate, Hunter, and witnessed him nod. As Adam approached the surface, he knew that this might be the last breath of air he would ever take. Dawkins's head slowly rose from the river; attempting to take small breaths of air. He was starving for oxygen but felt better with every breath. He had never been more satisfied with such a basic necessity. As he replenished his oxygen supply, Adam planned the team's next move. Adam looked at his men and used his hands to communicate. He pointed to Hunter and then to the riverbank.