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hmmmm...which way will it go?
Chapter 25
In The Midst Of Danger
1340 - Classified location – Afghanistan
"Holy Shit!" Spunky uttered as the eruption from the blast reached their ears. The ground trembled beneath them and Jackson held onto his rifle and tripod. They could see remnants of black smoke filtering their way, as it briefly disrupted the sunlight over the canyon. Fortunately Elvis had dispatched the imminent strike to them in advance so that they would be prepared for the fall out. The desired effect of the strike gave a new meaning to show time ! …
Spunky instantly had eyes on the cave…..a rush of insurgents came out and as hoped, Mukhtar made an appearance. The shock caused him to pull away from his body guards. He was clearly incapacitated by the annihilation of his convoy. His eyes were mesmerized skyward. He was completely frozen in place….his bravado completely… gone. Spunks relayed the distance calculation immediately and Jackson meticulously turned the dial on his scope to zero in on the target…and in one fluid pull of the trigger…..Mukhtar's body fell backwards. The deadly shot precise…..neutralization …..confirmed. Those adjacent to their downed leader were stunned, then scattered about. Some back onto the cave, others grabbing for weapons and throwing themselves behind rocks and boulders for cover. Others advanced forward, firing their rifles in every direction, obviously not certain from which direction the sniper fire came from. The SAS did not immediately engage in order to preserve their cover for as long as possible.
Then Spanner fired a grenade into the canyon…..and all hell broke loose! In the melee, Spunky moved left of Jackson as Spanner had the right flank. The three provided a tight defensive perimeter as they returned fire with expert precision. Through the settling smoke, Spunky spied an insurgent rushing from the cave hoisting an RPG onto his shoulder. Spunky quickly re-chambered his rifle and fired a lethal round, and as the insurgent fell down, the RPG was haphazardly launched into the side of the mountain raining down rock and timber onto the enemy. The SAS had taken evasive cover as the rogue rocket misfired.
Spanner spat dirt from his mouth and strained to look down over the rocks. Into comms he said,
"Good work you."
"Queen and Country mate." Spunks replied and rammed another ammo clip up into his carbine.
Momentarily the frenzy in the canyon quieted as the smoke further dissipated. Spanner took the opportunity to make contact with his captain. "Echo two to echo one. Over." He adjusted his comms earpiece and radio frequency making certain he was still on the encrypted channel.
"Echo two to echo one. Do ya read me? Over."
Elvis had dove behind a stand of boulders before the strike hit. He rolled, covering his ears as best he could to block out the deafening roar of the blasts. Fall out had struck dangerously close to his location and he was fortunate the granite had not shattered, although the ground certainly felt as though it had. He rolled onto his back. "Fuck me !" He said almost laughing. It took a bit for the blast echo to wane from his ears as he sat up and peered at the remains of the convoy. He scanned the entire perimeter with his binoculars. It was a success. "Whew!" He blew out, taking his head covering off and grinning again, shaking it to remove debris that had filtered through the air. In doing so his ear piece became dislodged and he re-inserted it and could vaguely hear Spanner attempting to make contact. He pressed the plastic further into his ear, scowling.
"Echo two to echo one! Elvis! Do you read me? Over."
Elvis could barely hear him and adjusted the volume on the radio….then….
"Roger. Read ya echo two. How'ed we do?"
"Target down boss." Spanner said with a hint of relief in his voice.
"Really good!" Elvis said grinning broadly. "Nice work. Over."
"Heavy contact outside cave perimeter. Over." Spanner further reported.
"No surprise there. Alright…bring it down. I will call in sit report and request extraction. Meet up calamari zero five niner. Over."
"Roger echo one. ETA three zero mikes. Over." Spanner said
"Roger that. Watch out for patrols. They'll be attracted to the noise like flies to shit. Over."
"Roger boss. You be careful. Over."
Elvis laughed. "Always. Out." Be careful! He could hear Georgie's voice seconding that statement in the back of his mind.
Xxxxx
"They're not done yet mate!" Jackson said over comms as he began to pick off insurgents one by one as they tried to creep out of the cave and maneuver through the scattered debris on the canyon floor. Finally, there was zero movement amongst the carnage. Spanner hand signaled his mates, then proceeded to detonate the C4. The planned explosion was set to bring the ceiling down and force the blast anteriorly on the opposite side of the mountain from where the SAS were positioned. Spanner counted down…."Three…..two…..one….Bam!
Another burst of light and white vapors and crushing granite. The most striking thing visible to the three operatives was the plume of smoke and rock dust expelled from the posterior opening of the cave indicating that the network of tunnels were now sealed off. The once insurgent strong hold was no more…
The lads were soon on the move….south…their travels wary…..they were still in enemy territory.
Xxxxx
1410 Unknown location – Afghanistan
"Echo one to delta oscar. Do ya read me? Over."
Static…..static….. static….
"Echo one to delta oscar. Do you copy? Over."
Static….static…..static…
"Fuck!" Elvis adjusted his earpiece yet again. He considered that perhaps the disruption in the atmosphere and his rock infested location may be hampering the transmission needed further south but he knew the enemy would be attracted to the recent commotion and hostile to say the least, so he had to be gravely careful.
"Echo one to oscar delta. Do you read me? Over"
Static…a warped sounding voice could be heard beginning to get louder over the static….
"Roger echo one. This is delta oscar. We read you. Over."
Elvis pumped a fist in the air. "Echo one reporting target down. I say again, target is down. Over."
"Acknowledge echo one. Over"
"Roger that. Requesting extraction ASAP. Over."
"Copy echo one. Extraction charlie? Over."
"Charlie calamari zero five niner. Over"
"Copy that echo one. Calamari zero five niner. Over"
"Affirmative. ETA to RV three zero mikes. Over."
"Roger echo one. Confirmed. Over"
"Echo one this is Colonel Fletcher. Well done! Over"
"Cheers Colonel. Over."
"I will dispatch to victor bravo. Prepare for extraction. Over"
"Copy sir. Echo one. Out."
Elvis looked at his watch 1425 hours. He took a huge swallow of water, then splashed his face. He had less than three zero minutes to get to the extraction sight. He guardedly checked his surroundings, then stood up. Those damn ribs still plagued him and he winced uncomfortably as he adjusted the ammo belt secured around his waist. He sucked in a deep breath, then released it slowly, forcing the pain away, then moved quickly, darting around rocks and then through the woods. The captain was vigilant ….he had to be….. he was in enemy territory.
Xxxxx
The medical transport had wheels down as Georgie and Najib swiftly moved forward to assist with carting the two injured soldiers into the hospital. Georgie squeezed Glynnis' shoulder. "Oh dear God, I'm so glad you're safe!"
"Me as well! It was quite the fuckin ride Georgie! Just short of makin contact with those bastards I tell ya!"
Georgie blinked furiously then focused. "What we got here?"
Gunshot wound to the pelvis multiple in fact. He was a bit wonky comin back. Dropped blood pressure and we ran fluids wide open as well as transfusions. Pressure is stabilized now but he is a worry. Number two gunshot wound to thigh, bad one…shattered the bone. He's in loads of pain and we've done our best to keep him comfortable but needs surgical intervention".
Najib assumed responsibility for the soldier with the leg injury as the medics transported these two men into the triage bay. The department was a mass of activity, dedicated men and women working together as a team to help correct the damage that war inflicts. There were physicians from several disciplines in the bay ready to examine, treat and or take to the operating room. Najib called out to Major Doctor Cooke, the teams orthopedic surgeon. In no time the young man was whisked away and Najib found himself now stood next to Georgie as he changed his nitrile gloves.
"Hi, my name is Georgie. I'll be taking care of you." She said trying to get the young man to respond as he became paler. "What's your name?' She coaxed, trying to keep in awake and responsive.
"Jjjjimmy." He barely answered.
She began to pump the blood pressure cuff and her eyes were pin pointed on the needle as the gauge began to drop…..eighty over palp …..
"Where are ya from Jimmy?" She checked the blood pressure again…..Seventy over palp.
"He's in shock!"
Two nurses appeared and made certain his intravenous was proper then hung additional bags of fluid. Upon the orders of the trauma lead physician they began to pump intravenous medications…..Georgie stared at his abdomen…..the gunshot wounds….
Contact ! Gunshot right abdomen! Need an ambulance!
Her own words were coming back to haunt her…Elvis was unconscious. He had fallen back with such force! "Elvis!" She pulled his sweatshirt up and ran her hands under his back. When she withdrew her hand it was stained with blood. The bullet had gone through him….the pain must have been blinding…..
Captain Doctor Leindecker was there at the bedside. They were taking Jimmy to the operating room. Georgie had done everything she could. She knew Leindecker was a good trauma surgeon. It would be a wait and see. Georgie rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.
How long ago was the air strike?
Xxxxxxxx
1450 - Calamari zero five niner - Afghanistan
Spanner, Jackson and Spunky made it safely to the extraction site. The lieutenant looked around.
Where the hell was Elvis?
Xxxxxxx
Elvis was one kilometer from extraction. He had further to travel. As he made his way through a wooded copse, he thought he heard timber crackling, foot falls crunching down on fallen branches and twigs. He discreetly engaged his comms.
"Echo one to echo two. Over. Spanner do ya copy over?"
Static…..static…..static….
"Echo two copy boss. Where are ya? Over."
"Bein followed. Over."
"Location? Over."
"Crack on mate. Extraction imminent. Get the hell out of 'ere! Over."
"Boss! Where are ya?" Over."
"Lieutenant they'll be comin at ya. I can't compromise your position. Get the team out!. Over."
Spanner could hear gun fire…..
"Echo two to echo one do you copy? Over."
…escalating gun fire…..
"Echo two to one…Boss! Over! Shit!"
…silence.
Jackson and Spunky stared at Spanner. Their comms were all synced. They heard the exchange. All three could hear the transport helicopter closing in. The whirlwind of the blades pulsating in the air…..