by James E Mack
Zana glanced at his VAJA counterpart, his sneer unseen in the dark of the night. Of course, the VAJA man wanted to get the higher-ups involved; that was the way his organization worked. But they were a security organization, not a fighting one. They had no faith in anything other than their own sense of importance and stifling bureaucracy. He could hear the fear in Hashemi’s voice, real concern that if they didn’t apprehend Ardavan, it would be the hangman’s noose for all involved. But Zana wasn’t concerned about the hangman’s noose because he wasn’t going to fail. He was so close to Ardavan that he could almost feel the traitor’s filthy neck between his hands. He reached out and gripped the VAJA Colonel’s shoulder.
‘Stop worrying Hashemi. We’re close now. Very close. The traitor will be in our hands and on a helicopter back to Palang within the hour, on my honor. Forget your dark thoughts about the noose and think of the rewards that await you as the VAJA officer who caught an American spy.’
The Colonel shook his head. ‘General… please, we must call Tehran. I insist!’
Zana stopped walking and leaned in towards Hashemi until their noses were almost touching. His voice was low, but the menace and threat were evident. ‘Don’t ever question me again Hashemi or the hangman’s rope will be the least of your worries. We’ve almost got the traitor and I don’t want to lose any more time arguing with you about this.’ He turned on his heel and told the Major to get them moving again.
Hashemi swallowed and felt the trembling in his legs. General Shir-Del was an intimidating man and Hashemi had no doubt that he believed they would catch the traitor. But Hashemi wasn’t so confident. Ardavan had already shown skill and cunning when he’d lured the Quds trainees into his ambush and he was still ahead of them, still free, in the darkness of the mountains. The VAJA officer shook his head then began walking towards the departing line of hunters whose forms were already being absorbed by the deep cloak of night. On top of everything else, the last thing he needed was to become separated from them and lost in this unforgiving place.
The only sound from the file of men was the occasional clatter as small rocks and shale were displaced by feet and went skidding down the steep slopes. The cold was more apparent now that night had arrived, small clouds puffing from the mouths of the hunters as their breaths condensed in the frigid air. Zana almost collided with the man in front of him as the file came to a halt. He made his way around the individual and walked to the front of the formation where he saw the Major and the signaler discussing something. Seeing him approach, the Major directed the signaler’s attention to Zana. The young Quds technician waited until the General was beside him before speaking.
‘Palang just identified an unknown transmission from this area. Quick duration but longer than the rest. They’ve sent some coordinates that put it very close to where we are now sir.’ At this, the Major joined them and pointed out on the map where Camp Palang had told them that the transmission had come from. Zana felt his adrenaline surge. If the Palang assessment was correct, they were less than fifteen hundred meters from the CIA’s whore. He slapped the signaler’s back and grinned, his white teeth contrasted against his dark face.
‘Good work boy, good work. Major, let’s increase the pace. I want the gap closed so we can finally get this filthy pig who has sold his faith to the American dollar. Keep an eye on what the mice tell us and see if we can’t triangulate him even better.’
The file of hunters continued with their advance through the dark mountain passages, their pace quick and every man more alert as they closed the distance with their target. Hashemi was stretching his gait as much as he could, struggling to keep up with the super-fit Quds trainees. His breathing became ragged and he silently cursed the General and his insistence on chasing down the traitor personally. With Tehran’s help, they could have flooded the mountain with troops and VAJA officers, giving the traitor not one square inch of free terrain. But no; here he was like a damned donkey, struggling with his load and going over on his ankles in the loose rocks and ice under his feet. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Captain Dabiri was almost staggering as he too, fought the effects of the pace, altitude and load he was carrying. Neither man had spent any time in the countryside let alone the mountains and Hashemi moaned as his thighs burned in protest ascending a small rise. The Quds men gave no indication that they even registered the change in terrain, maintaining their blistering pace as they strode up the incline.
Zana glanced back and could barely make out the VAJA officers at the rear of the pack. His lip curled in a sneer as he watched them struggling up the rise, their legs buckling underneath them as they strained to keep pace with the formation. A part of him was enjoying the men’s suffering, relishing the pain the officers were experiencing that was no doubt bringing them down from their lofty positions as the Republic’s guardians of security. Security! These idiots had no idea what keeping a nation secure really meant. Zana and his fellow Quds operatives had been keeping the Republic safe for decades, removing threats and enemies abroad before VAJA had come into existence. He spat his disdain onto the rocky track and turned his attention once more, back to the traitor Ardavan. Less than a kilometer and a-half and Zana would have him. He whispered to the man in front to pass the message forward to pick up the pace. It was time to finish this.
Hashemi could feel his legs buckling beneath him as his muscles finally surrendered to the fatigue and refused to drive him forward, his gait now a series of staggers and stumbles on the loose rocks of the small track. His mouth was wide open and his breathing loud and rasping as he attempted to suck in as much air as possible to feed his oxygen-starved muscles. But it was to no avail. As he leaned forward to climb another small rise, his legs gave way and he tumbled to the ground, yelping in pain as his body slammed against the sharp rocks. Moaning in agony, he rolled over and shrugged himself loose from his pack just as Captain Dabiri reached him. The Captain bent over and stretched out a hand for Hashemi to grasp but Hashemi could see that the Captain didn’t have the strength or the balance to haul him to his feet. He waved the hand away and closed his eyes, sucking in huge gasps of air as he ran his hands over his legs, convinced that he had broken something in the fall. His quick inspection seemed to indicate that there were no significant injuries, but he had neither the energy nor motivation to pick himself up off the ground. He could hear Dabiri trying to say something and opened his eyes to look at his subordinate.
‘Colonel… I can’t see… the rest… the men… can’t see.’
Hashemi groaned as the significance of this statement hit him: General Shir-Del wouldn’t wait for them. He was too close and too invested in the hunt to even consider coming back to find them. No, the General would carry on with the mission and then come back for them when he had captured Ardavan. They were on their own. Hashemi struggled to a sitting position and placed his hand on Dabiri’s shoulder.
‘The General won’t be coming back Dabiri. He’s too close to Ardavan to give up the lead. We have to think about ourselves now and not just about our current situation. Take your pack off and rest for a moment.’ He watched as the Captain shrugged off his pack and lowered it to the ground before sitting on it and turning his attention back to Hashemi. The Colonel continued.
‘I am going to call Tehran. This madness has gone on long enough. I am sure General Shir-Del has the Republic’s best interests at heart, but I think he has become blinded by obsession and hasn’t considered the consequences if the traitor escapes.’
The Captain nodded and pulled his hood up in an attempt to ward off the biting wind. ‘Yes Sir. I completely agree. If we don’t tell Headquarters now it might be too late.’
Hashemi pulled off his gloves, reached into an internal pocket of his jacket and retrieved his phone. He powered the device up and waited for several moments, his face illuminated by the light from the yellow screen, before uttering a string of profanities. Dabiri looked up.
‘What’s wrong Sir?’
‘The si
gnal is too weak to… no wait, it’s getting better. Not quite there but it might just go through.’ With that, Hashemi stood, accessed the contact he was looking for and made the call. He smiled as it was answered after only several rings and he spoke into the handset, giving his name and asking to speak with General Khadem. His smile faded as he found himself repeating his request several times. He swore again as he terminated the call, moved a few steps up the mountain and tried again. This time he managed to at least get his request through before the signal dropped and he stared at the handset, watching the fluctuating connection strength. He looked at Dabiri.
‘Come on, let’s get to the top of this slope and see if the signal improves. Leave the packs here, we can always come back for them, just bring your weapon.’ He turned and led his subordinate up the loose scree of the slope, checking the status of the phone every so often. He knew that once his call went through, he and Dabiri could expect to see their VAJA colleagues within a couple of hours and this whole mess no longer any part of their responsibility. He just needed to get one call through to his General to make this happen.
Zana hurried forward and knelt beside the signaler as the younger soldier looked into his eyes.
‘Another transmission Sir, well… several transmissions to be accurate, but coming from behind us, the way we came.’ The signaler paused and shook his head. ‘There’s no way the traitor could have doubled back and fooled us again, is there General?’
Zana opened his mouth to order the soldiers to turn back when the thought came to him that the signaler was right; there was no conceivable way that Ardavan could have achieved this but if not Ardavan, then who had sent the transmissions? A heavy feeling in his stomach took root as he considered the possibility that the Americans were now on the mountain and coming at them from the rear. He stormed his way to the back of the file to sound Hashemi out regarding this matter but stopped short when he saw that there was no sign of the VAJA men. He turned to the last soldier who was stood watching him.
‘Where are the VAJA officers?’
The soldier indicated with his head back down the steep slope they had just ascended. ‘They began falling back some time ago General. I pushed them along as best as I could, but they are weak and unaccustomed to the mountains. I haven’t seen them for some time now.’
Zana swore and was about to head down the slope himself when he stopped as the realization struck him that it wasn’t Ardavan or the Americans who had sent the transmissions. It was Hashemi. He had called Tehran. The General’s rage burned in his chest at the betrayal. He turned back to the soldier.
‘Tell everyone to remain here until I come back.’ Without waiting for an answer, he strode down the steep track, his fury lending him strength and energy as he headed back towards the VAJA officers. He had only descended a hundred meters or so when he heard the voices carrying up the hill towards him. His lip curled in disgust at the men’s lack of tactical awareness. What if he had been an American CIA team looking for them? Idiots. As he closed the gap, he saw the outline of the two security officers as they clambered up the slope. Zana waited until he was only a matter of a few feet in front of them before he spoke.
‘Hashemi. What’s the problem? Why are you so far behind? And where the hell are your packs?’
Hashemi gave an involuntary start as the General’s presence surprised him. ‘General Shir-Del… I… we fell behind and I hurt myself… so…’
‘Stop whining man. Who gave you the authority to just give up and sit down like a couple of lazy children?’
Hashemi felt his anger rise. ‘General, as an officer of VAJA I am obligated to inform you that your madness is now coming to an end. I have called Tehran and am making them aware of our situation even as we speak so you will shortly be relieved of your responsibilities. I’m sorry General, but this insanity must come to an end.’
Hashemi’s use of the present tense was not lost on Zana. ‘What do you mean making them aware? I thought you said you’d called them?’
Hashemi sighed. ‘I did, but only managed to get through who I was and who I needed to speak with before the signal dropped. That’s why we’re still climbing this infernal mountain, to look for a better signal.’
Zana smiled. ‘Let me help you with that.’
The four gunshots echoed around the mountain and the two VAJA officers tumbled back down the steep slope, their bodies bouncing, spinning and cartwheeling as their momentum gathered before they disappeared over the edge of a precipice. Zana lowered his carbine and shook his head in reaction to the ringing in his ears. With a final glance in the direction of the precipice, he turned and began to make his way back up the mountain, his stride strong and confident as he returned to the small column of men awaiting him. He saw the Major rushing towards him, his rifle ready in the shoulder but lowered once he identified Zana.
‘General, we heard the shots and I came to…’
‘Fine, Major. Everything is fine. Turns out Ardavan wasn’t our only traitor but I’m happy to report that he is our sole focus once again.’
The Major looked uncertain and gazed past Zana into the darkness beyond. Zana grabbed the younger officer’s shoulder and leaned in until their faces were almost touching.
‘There’s nothing to see Major. They’re dead. They were traitors. Now, let’s finish what we came here to do. If you heard the shots, then so did Ardavan and the last thing I need is for him to gain any further lead on us. Understand?’
The Major gave one final glance back down the slope before nodding.
‘Yes General. I’ll get the men moving right away.’
With that, the Major jogged back to the front of the file and before long they were making rapid progress as they focused once again on the capture of their quarry. Zana felt no regrets at killing the VAJA men; they’d chosen their own fate the moment they’d decided to call their Headquarters. He’d told them in clear terms that even a child could have understood. But they’d opted to ignore his warning and were dead because of their weakness and lack of faith in him. Well, neither of them would make that mistake again, that was for sure. As he leaned into another steep incline, Zana looked up as he felt something on his face. Snow. He smiled as he realized that this might help them track Ardavan easier. Jogging to the soldier in front of him, he told him to pass the message forward to open up the pace even further.
It was time to end this.
17
ZAGROS MOUNTAINS, IRAN
The snow stung Karim’s face as a strong gust of wind buffeted him. He’d given Vic the signal at RV 2 and the CIA officer would now know Karim needed his help. Leaning into the steep incline, he kept his stride wide, powering up the rocky slope determined to maintain the lead on his pursuers. Glancing back at Affan, he saw that the boy was keeping up, arms pumping as he propelled himself up the hill. Karim knew that he had to get as much distance as he could under his belt to help the Americans when they came. Vic had made it clear during their planning of the exfil that they had to plan for the worst which was that the US would not sanction a military operation into Iran but probably would give permission for a brief incursion to get their Asset out. And that’s what Karim had to assume was happening now. So in reality, despite his pursuers, everything was going according to plan. The only thing that hadn’t been factored in was the deployment of the sensors ahead of them. But as he had no way of identifying where these were, Karim’s only option was to keep going and hope that they either missed the screen completely or were extracted by the Americans before the Quds could react to the sensors’ alerts.
Turning back to check on the boy, Karim froze as something caught his attention in the darkness below. He ignored the boy’s grunt of protest as he bumped into him and remained focused on watching the area where he’d thought he’d seen something. There! He growled as he recognized immediately the faint glow from a set of night-vision goggles. The fact that he could see this, however faint, meant that his hunters were very close. He cursed as the realiz
ation struck him that his pursuers would be on top of him within the hour. Karim’s mind raced as he explored what possibilities were open to him. He couldn’t just hope to outrun them; they’d already shown that they could maintain an impressive pace. No, he needed to slow them down again. Tie them up for a while in order to give him a chance to get ahead. He turned back to face the boy.
‘Affan, I need your help. Here’s what we’re going to do.’
He briefed the boy and watched his reaction as he took Karim’s instructions. Despite the fact that Affan would effectively be the bait for his trap, he could see that the boy was unfazed by the risk. Karim took him gently by the shoulders.
‘Listen. I am asking a lot of you. I know this and if you can’t do it, I will understand. But if you agree to it, there is no backing out. Once we set this in motion, it’s all or nothing, do you understand me Affan?’ He watched as the boy nodded solemnly and pointed to the pistol holstered on Karim’s thigh.
‘I understand sir. Just show me how to use the gun and I will be ready.’
Karim smiled softly in response to the boy’s courage. He removed the pistol and showed Affan the basics that he would need to know in order to fire the weapon. He removed the magazine, unloaded the weapon then made Affan run through the drill several times before he was satisfied. He made the pistol ready again and handed it to the boy.
‘That’s it. All you do now is point and shoot so don’t touch that trigger until I give the signal, understand?’
The boy nodded and stood looking at Karim, the pistol large in his small hands. Karim patted his shoulder then set off among the rocks, stopping every so often to secure a chem-light to a rock along the way. This would be Affan’s route out of the area once he had finished his part. The boy would follow the trail of lights, collecting them as he went, before meeting back up with Karim. For his part, Karim intended another ambush but with a view to luring more of his hunters in and levelling the playing field a little. He needed to give his pursuers serious pause to provide him and Affan as much time as possible to get ahead. When he’d finished marking Affan’s escape route, Karim made his way down the mountain and towards his pursuers, slowing his progress in order to remain undetected. He gave a small grunt of triumph when he identified the ravine that he’d been looking for. He’d remembered crossing it earlier with Affan and as soon as he’d worked out a rough plan, knew that this gully would be perfect for his requirements.