Mountain checkpoint

It's 01:30 and 2 Section are getting ready to leave the FOB for the mountain checkpoint. Kinders has completed the briefing. Molly addresses everyone. "Listen in lads. We get there, we dig in straight away. Remember, stay focused, stay alert, stay alive."

As first light appears 2 Section have arrived and settled in at the mountain checkpoint. Captain Azizi reports that movement has been spotted in a bunker across the valley. The atmosphere is tense, they know that contact is anticipated without knowing what form it might take.

Molly looks around the checkpoint. Her lads are all focussed, alert and in good defensive positions, ready for any action. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the ANA soldiers, who despite Azizi's best efforts are clearly bored, lacking in focus and easy targets. She doesn't for one second believe these boys are old enough to be in the ANA. At least Captain Taj's ASF guys are on the ball. She turns her attention to the bunker, looking through her binoculars, searching for signs of movement.

At that moment Charles comes up close behind her. "Talk about easy targets, Boss. There is no way these kids are old enough to be in the ANA. At least the ASF guys are on the ball". She lowers her binoculars and shoots a quick glance at him. It's unnerving how once again he's echoing her exact thoughts. She's contemplating a response when her thoughts are interrupted by Kinders.

"Boss, there's movement in the bunker…."

She quickly looks round and makes sure everyone is still in a protected position before training her binoculars back on the bunker. "Lads. Stay low and out of sight. Captain Azizi, make sure yer men are protected."

Charles is now also staring through his binoculars. "Boss, there's movement in that wooden store 30 approx metres to the west of the bunker."

She looks out across the valley and instinctively knows that it is going to be a RPG attack and that it is imminent. "Dangles, get me Zero on the radio now".

As two insurgents appear from the wooden store with a RPG launcher she yells, "Down, RPG". Seconds later there is a deafening explosion just behind them and they're covered in dust and small bits of rubble. Dangles calls in the contact and Kinders orders rapid fire on the store. Charles is checking that the lads are unhurt.

The wooden store is quickly destroyed. Heavy gunfire is now coming from the bunker which is being returned by 2 Section and the ASF.

After a few minutes or so, she shouts "Hold your fire! Hold your fire!". Eventually everyone stops firing, but remains alert and prepared for further contact.

"What's happening, Boss?" James asks her from her side.

"Keep yer eyes on the bunker lads."

There is huge explosion at the bunker and it is completely destroyed by a missile launched from an Afghan fighter plane. Before 2 Section can start to celebrate, she warns "Keep yer heads down. Eyes on the valley until we know the area is clear."

She instructs Captain Taj and the ASF to inspect the bunker and wooden store and for 2 Section to wait out at the checkpoint. She sits down against a sandbag wall, wipes her forehead and notices there's quite a bit of blood on her glove. "James, I need you over here. I might gonna need a stitch or somethin'."

He's over to her in an instant, silently cursing himself for not having noticed she's injured. He gently removes her helmet and is relieved to see that although she's got a nasty gash on her forehead above her right eye, it's not serious and is just bleeding profusely like head wounds often do. He gently cleans the wound and says, "Lady Luck was smiling on us Boss. Another few centimetres lower and you'd have lost an eye."

"I make you right about that James. It's all luck. Fluke. Chance."

He continues her train of thought, "Where you're born, who you're born to… rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief."

She giggles, thinking to herself, "Well three out of four ain't bad with my dad!".

He looks at her quizzically, not aware that he's said anything amusing. "What's so funny, Boss?"

"What, oh nothin'. So, I'll live?"

They're interrupted by a call over the radio for the medic.

She's already putting on her helmet and getting to her feet, once again snapping immediately into Captain mode. "James, Fingers, Brains, Qaseem on me. Kinders, Baz, Mansfield, Nude-Nut, Dangles stay here. Eyes on the valley."

Down at the remains of the bunker they note several dead bodies. Captain Taj is standing over a badly injured insurgent. Not taking any risks, she nods at Brains who checks him for weapons.

As soon as he's clear to go, Charles is straight onto the casualty, assessing his injuries, getting a tourniquet onto his leg, administering morphine whilst all the time talking to him, reassuring him in Pashto. "Boss, we're going to have to medivac him out of here, he's pissing blood."

She's already on the radio, issuing the instruction and calling for an urgent medivac. She's watching Charles as he cares for the casualty. She's worked with enough medics over the years to know that the platoon is in very safe hands.

-OG-