Chapter 37
Pas De Deux
1250 hours local time, 21 April 2003, Chaco Boreal, Paraguay
They'd had it. All Garcia had to do was give the word and his men were cut them did in nothing flat. Clay's 2 Glocks had been taken from him when they arrived, and their bodyguard/driver, Alvaro, who Clay was now definitely convinced worked for Sadik Fahd, stood by and did nothing. Bridget knew that one of them had to act, and with 5 AK-47s aimed at Clay, it wasn't going to be him. With all eyes on Webb, Bridget reached behind her, underneath her white blouse. "So" Garcia repeated. "Why should I let you live?" he asked again, inches from them. In one swift motion, Bridget wrapped her arm around Raul's neck, holding a small turtle knife to his carotid artery. At the same time, in her other hand, she held a Marine Raider Stiletto on Raul's groin.
"Levantan los manos, ahora!" Bridget yelled. Hands up, now! "With a twitch of my right hand, you'll be dead in 30 seconds. With my left" she paused to give a small laugh. "I'll change your religion" she said. "Comprende?"
"Si, yo comprendo" Raul nodded.
"We have many friends Sr. Garcia, on both sides of the law. We came here to reach an understanding. The circuit boards for the diamonds. Our transactions are complete
she said. Garcia then ordered his men to return Clay's Glocks. Clay took them and slipped them into his holsters as Bridget released Raul from her grip, shoving him away. They slowly backed away as they moved back towards their SUV. "Vaya con dios" Bridget smiled.
"If I ever see you again, you're dead, Sra. Williams" he said. Bridget gave him a one finger salute as Alvaro started the engine and pulled away.
As he watched the black Toyota drive away, Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Rivera, undercover simply as Carlos Rivera, a common enough name, took a deep breath. He had been undercover for a few weeks now, ever since Webb had plucked him his Force Recon team in Iraq. Carlos believe that it was in part that he spoke fluent Spanish, was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and also because if he kept his mouth shut, he could pass himself off as an Arab.
"Carlos!" Raul called him over. Carlos took in another deep breath as he walked over.
"¿Si Senor Garcia?" Carlos asked as he walked over.
"Go with these men" he said as he waived to Sadik's 2 men, both of whom were armed with AK-47s. "They will take will take you to Sadik. Once he has verified that the circuit boards are real, he will give you the drugs and you will bring them back to my casa" Raul instructed.
"No back up?" Carlos asked.
"Sadik and I have done business many times. He will pay me because I am useful to him"
"I'll take care of it" Carlos nodded, silently praying that he would make it out alive.
Meanwhile, by now, Webb and Bridget were several miles down the road, as Webb had instructed Alvaro to "step on it".
"Why didn't you tell me you enlisted Gunny Rivera in this plan?" Bridget asked.
"Need to know" Webb replied.
"Well I would like to know what else I need to know, NOW" she growled at her pseudo-husband.
"Alvaro, pull over please" Webb instructed. "Mrs. Williams needs to stretch her legs" he said. Alvaro did as instructed. Bridget begrudgingly got out, only to hear a gunshot ring out mere seconds later. She spun around and saw Alvaro, slumped against the steering wheel and a blood stained hole in the windshield. She watched as Webb exited the backseat, cleaning the finger prints off his Glock as he did.
"Why did you just kill that man?" Bridget asked as Webb tossed the gun into the brush. "And don't give me that need to know bullshit" she demanded.
"That doesn't leave a lot of room for discussion then" Webb said as he tossed Bridget her purse.
"Damn it, Webb" she yelled.
"You wanted to know why I wanted you on this mission, well here it is. There have been a lot of leaks in the company down here"
"Well looks like you just plugged on" she cut him off.
"I needed someone I could trust. And for all the bad blood between us, there is no one I trust more that Tony. And Tony trusts you. So there it is"
"Is that why you got Gunny mixed up in this?" she asked.
"He's playing a part" Webb replied. "And given that his father is Deputy Director, I would please ask that you keep his role in all this to yourself" he said. Bridget gave him a small laugh. "What?" he asked. Bridget looked at him like he had 2 heads.
"You really don't know?" Bridget said.
"No, evidently I don't" Webb replied.
"Bridget Sullivan is the name I chose when I left College and joined the Army. I was born Bridget L.B. Johnson" she said.
"L.B?"
"Lady Bird" Bridget said. "After my grandmother" she added. Webb let that roll around his brain for a few seconds before the light bulb went off.
"As in Lady Bird Johnson?" he asked.
"The very same"
"Making you, the Granddaughter of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States (1963-1969)"
"Yes" Bridget nodded. "I was born a year before he passed away" she told him. That's when it hit him like a brick wall.
"That also makes you the niece-by-marriage of Chuck Robb, the new Director" he said.
"Your Boss" Bridget smiled.
"Fuck me" he said. "Well, come on, we got a long walk ahead of us" he said. "We'll leave the car behind, it'll just look like another drug hit; probably the 18th today" he said.
"How did you know that the driver was the leak?" she asked as they walked along the side of the road.
"I didn't" Webb replied. "Not until we arrived at the meeting and saw that look of recognition between Alvaro and Sadik's men"
"So why kill him?" she asked.
"We've lost 7 agents in the last 3 months down here, Captain" he said. "And for a Delta Force Officer, I'd never thought you'd be this queasy" he jabbed. "Sadik obviously had an informant with close ties to the Company"
"So you appointed yourself Judge, Jury and Executioner?"
"I had to stop the bleeding" he said.
"A bullet through the head, that's a novel approach"
"Oh, and I suppose a blast from a double-barrel sawed-off is must cleaner" he replied, referring to the death of former Unit member Billy Hazard.
"That was different" she replied.
"The only difference was the choice of weapons" Webb replied. Bridget decided to drop the subject.
"How did you get the Gunny involved in all this?" she asked.
"I offered him a job, he accepted"
"What's his backup?"
"We're his backup" Webb replied.
"How did he get in with Garcia?" he asked.
"Simple, he's himself. There are over a million Carlos Rivera's in South America. And, if he should be caught by the Paraguayan Officials, they can't shoot him as a spy because he really is Carlos Rivera" he explained. "What were Sadik's men talking about?" he asked.
"Praising Allah, testing the circuit boards, killing Americans, the usual crap, nothing useful to us" she translated.
"Anything else you want to know?" he asked.
"Why Paraguay?" she asked.
"There are over 20,000 people of Arab decent in Ciudad del Este alone. Terrorists have little difficultly blending into the general populace" he said.
"So what's our plan?" she asked.
"Once Gunny Rivera locates the Stingers, Senor Garcia's usefulness will cease"
"And you get 1st crack?"
"Naturally" he smiled. "We're gonna take out Garcia and Sadik Fahd, all in one night" he said confidently.
0300 hours local time, 22 April 2003, Iraqi Army Supply Depot, Basra, Iraq
With Tali3 dressed as an Iraqi civilian volunteer and Three in the uniform of a French GIGN Special Forces "advisor", they made their way inside the inside the enemy depot. "What do you think Karine would say if she saw you dressed like that?" Tali asked softly as they walked along the rows of crates of munitions.
"She'd wonder what the hell was happening to her country" Three replied. "What exactly are we looking for anyway?" he asked.
"Tellermine 43s" she said.
"Why are we looking for German anti-tank mines from world war II?" he asked.
"Because, they were made after world war II, by the Yugoslavians. Milosevic made a fortune selling off most of his stock to Saddam in the early 90s" she said. "No doubt they'll be planning to use them against our tanks" she said.
"Why not just go after their semtex?" he asked.
"Because the Iraqis love their semtex. They'll notice if even a crate of the stuff is missing. They're landmines, not so much" she smiled. "There they are" she pointed to a stack in the back of the warehouse. "Grab a hand truck, they're heavy" she said.
"Got it" he said softly. As he grabbed one, a uniformed Iraqi started yelling at him. Three understood what he was saying, but decided to simply ignore him, giving him a one finger salute instead. The man continued yelling at him as he walked away.
"Well that was cute" Tali said with a grunt as they loaded on 2 large crates of Tellermine-43s, and a small case of detonators. "Now, let's find someplace quiet where I can work" she said as they made their way out.
2100 hours, 21 April 2003, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"Rex!" the President yelled as he slipped on his jacket.
"Yes, Mr. President?" Rex appeared in the doorway.
"For heaven's sake man, it's 2100. What the hell are you still doing here?" he asked.
"It's my job, Mr. President. I leave when you leave" he said.
"Is Meg still here?" he asked.
"Yes Sir, she's in the Roosevelt Room" he said.
"Thank you" the President nodded. The President, who had been about to call it a night, decided that since his Chief of Staff was still in the building, he would talk to her first. He dropped his briefcase of his chair and made his way out through one of the many doors in his office. He stepped into the Roosevelt Room, which was across the hall. What he found was Meg sitting at the end of the table with her feet up and a beer in her hands. Sitting along at the other side was Sonny, in his military uniform, and his son, Rick. Both also had beer in her hands. "No one invited me?" he asked. Everyone stood up.
"My apologies, Mr. President" Meg said. "I thought you turned in for the evening" she said.
"Don't give it a 2nd thought" the President said as Rick tossed him a beer. "Who let these 2 idiots in?" he asked with a smile as he shook hands with Sonny and his son. "And why are you in Uniform, General?" he asked.
"Wes asked me to do him a favor" Sonny replied. "That's why I brought Rick with me" he added.
"No" the President said as he turned to leave.
"With all due respect, Mr. President, this isn't about '04" Rick said.
"General Clark, as well as the rest of the Joint Chief of Staff and the National Security Council have expressed concern. You are our Nation's 3rd President in as many years. They feel, that with the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq, the overall War on Terror, as well as our increased presence in Quebec and our occupation of Liberia…" Sonny labored on
"Get to the point man" the President said as he took a sip of his Budweiser.
"Without a Vice President, Speaker Delay is next in line for the Presidency. It is the considered opinion that the Speaker is not qualified to be Commander-in-Chief. You need a Vice President, Sir" Sonny said. "I brought my son with me, to offer his services to run the search committee" he said. The President quickly thought it over.
"Rick, report to Meg's office at 0900 hours tomorrow morning" the President ordered.
"Yes Sir" Rick nodded.
"Goodnight, Boss!" Meg called after the President as he walked away.
0400 hours local time, 22 April 2003, Basra, Iraq
With the charges prepped, Tali and Three approached the outskirts of the enemy encampment that surrounded the entrance to the tunnel that led to Hill 152's hilltop fortress. "And this is where I take leave of you" Three said, slinging his French-made MAT-49 Submachine gun over his shoulder. "Buona Fortuna" he said in Italian as he and Tali shook hands. Good Luck.
"Remember Three, seulement français" she advised him, switching to French. Only French.
"Oui, Master Sergeant" Three smiled. They shook hands one last time before splitting up.
Three's objective was to slip inside the fuel storage facilities, most of which was buried deep underground. Once inside, he was to make his way to the main control room, neutralize any hostiles and flood the lines with the fuel. Once that was accomplished, he would also open the backflow valves, so that when the explosion was set off, it would take out both the launcher and the fuel depot itself. Getting passed the Iraqis would be the easy part. Once they saw Three's uniform, the guards would simply salute and stand aside. It left little doubt to Three about who was really in charge. The Iraqis may have been doing the fighting, but it was their French puppet masters who were pulling the strings.
Now that he was inside the compound, he had to find his way to the main hub. With most of the fuel stored underground in bomb proof bunkers, this would be the only way that the CDS Coalition would be able to knockout the Depot. The base was a large tent city that surrounded a small cluster of permanent structures in the center. Three has this sinking feeling that the central HUB was going to be guarded by none other than the French GIGN Special Forces, of which the late-Karine DuBois was a member. Despite his words, Three had no idea what Karine would think of what the French Government had been doing in the past year in the half since her death. The Demise of the NATO Treaty in 2001 had only been the start. When the CDS Treaty, which replaced NATO, had been signed, France was not a signatory member. Things would get worse when in the lead up to the CDS Invasion of Iraq, The United States has severed diplomatic ties with the 5th Republic. They had been followed by the Republic of Quebec, Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. Three had no doubt that when it came to light that the French had deployed forces in support of Saddam's regime that the other members of the CDS would soon cut ties as well.
Three made his way towards the central hub, where, sure as shit there were 2 GIGN privates armed with FAMAS rifles guarding the gate. Three knew that he had no ID showing him as a French GIGN Officer, so he knew that he would have to try something ballsy if he wanted to get inside without being shot as a spy. As he walked towards them, the men snapped to attention, saluting him.
"Votre carte d'identité, s'il vous plait, Lieutenant?" one of the guard asked. Your ID, please, Lieutenant?
Three knew he had to act quickly, so he decided to adlib some lines from a movie he loved as a kid. He saw that both men had their tunics unbuttoned. "Bouton vos tuniques! Comment osez-vous parler à un officier supérieur avec vos tuniques ouvertes? Forme ou je vais avoir votre transférés à l'avant du sud!" Three yelled at them. Button your tunics! How dare you speak to a superior officer with your tunics open? Shape up or I'll have your transferred to the Southern front! Both men quickly struggled to button their tunics. "Maintenant rester à l'écart!" he yelled. Now stand aside!
"Oui, lieutenant!" both of the men yelled. Yes, Lieutenant
Three pushed the 2 men aside and moved inside the compound. With that, Three made his way inside the compound. Three deduced that the main hub was probably underground along with the fuel tanks. Aside from the MAT-49 that was slung over his shoulder, Three was also armed with a MAC-50 pistol, standard French Army issue, which was tucked in his holster. As he approached the main building, which encase the entrance to the central hub, he found that it was guarded by an entire squad of GIGN soldiers. "Fuck" Three growled. He knew that there was no way his "tunic" bit was going to work for a second time. He needed to find another way inside. Then he figured something. "In this heat, even Froggies need air conditioning" he grinned.
It didn't take the intrepid Staff Sergeant very long to find the access panel to the air duct system. Using his knife as a screwdriver, Three quickly removed the panel, tossing it away as he crawled inside. He crawled through and made kicked out a 2nd vent as he crawled through. He had made it inside. He knew that if either he or Tali were discovered, their mission would be over. As a precaution, Three quickly planted several explosives on the fuel lines around the hub. While the explosion might not take out the launcher, it would certainly take out the fuel depot, and the French GIGN detachment guarding it. Once that was done, he made his way to the main control room, screwing a silencer onto his pistol as he did. Because of the late hour, there was only a skeleton crew on duty, leaving only 2 men on duty in the control room. He stepped inside, and the 2 men, both enlisted men on duty snapped to attention and saluted. Three quickly dispatched them both with 2 shots to the chest each. With the path clear, Three tossed the pistol away and unslung his MAT-49, laying it on the ground as he got to work. "And of course everything is in Arabic" he said, his voice full of sarcasm. He quickly got to work, taking only a few minutes to open all of the fuel valves. Moving at just over 10mph, it would take just over 4 hours for the lines to flood. With the lines open, Three needed to make sure that they couldn't closed again for the next few hours. Once the lines were flooded, it wouldn't matter. "Ok, time for to do this the old fashion way" he grinned as he picked up MAT-49, pulling back on the bolt. He squeezed the trigger, and opened fire on the control console, expending the entire clip. Once expended, he tossed the weapon aside and made a quick exit.
At the same time that, Tali had slipped into the tunnel that led to Hill 152. Like Three, she knew that it would take at least 4 hours for the lines to flood. She also knew that she had maybe an hour at best to plant the explosives. She intended to be far away when the bombs went off. The tunnel was built of steel-reinforced concrete. It ran the entire 43 miles from Basra to Hill 152. It also held a small narrow-gauge railway that would allow them to rapidly move troops, similar to the French Maginot Line. Umm Qasr was Iraq's only major port, and in the event of war it would be vital for Iraq to sustain its supply lines. After its easy capture by US Forces during the 1st Gulf War, Saddam had ordered the construction of the Fortress atop Hill 152. In order to keep it well supplied, he ordered the tunnel's construction as well. It wasn't until years after its completion that the Saddam and General "Chemical" Ali ordered the construction of the missile launch site inside of Hill 152.
Once she was inside the tunnel, Tali quickly got to work on the explosives. She managed to gain access to several of the lines, planting explosives on each one of them. It would only take one of the explosives to set off all of them, but Tali liked to be thorough. She quickly did what she had to do. Once the explosive were set, she set them to detonate at 0700 hours local time exact. With her job complete, Tali quietly made her exit, just as silently as she had made her entrance.
0659 hours local time, 22 April 2003
"30 Seconds" Tony said as he lookout through his binoculars. "Just so it's understood, if this doesn't work, I'm totally gonna blame it all on the 2 of you" he said to Tali and Three, who were now back in their own uniforms. Tony had setup an overwatch position about a mile outside of the city.
"Gee, thanks Dad" Three said as he buttoned his jacket.
"Stowe it, Staff Sergeant" Chester growled.
"Yes, 1st Sergeant" Three replied.
"15 Seconds" Tony said as he checked his watch. "You 2 better start praying" he added as he began the countdown. "10…9"
"Come on baby, blow, blow" Tali whispered.
"7…6"
"Come on, come on, come on" Three whispered.
"3…2…1"
With a sudden roar and burst a light, the early morning sky lit up like the 4th of July. The first 2 things to explode was the central hub of the depot, as well as the section of the pipeline that Tali had worked one. Within seconds the 1st explosions kicked off a chain reaction of explosions that was going for miles. Tony grinned as alarms sounded below. But 43 miles was a long way, and there was no telling what could happen between now and then.
0703 hours local time, 22 April 2003, Umm Qasr, Iraq
"It's after 0700 hours, General" said Captain Bondeck, the General's aide.
"I'm aware of that, Captain, thank you" General Morrell replied. "43 miles is a long way" he said. "PFC Falconeri!" Morrell called out. A young man, dressed in desert camo fatigues and M-16 rifle in his hands, came running over.
"Sir!" Dante yelled as he saluted.
"Your brother better not have screwed the pooch on this one" Morrell growled.
"With all due respect to the General, if my brother promises he can do something, he'll do it, or he'll fucking die trying. Sir" he replied. Morrell gave him a nod.
"Thank you, PFC" Morrell said.
"I still don't like it, Sir" Bondeck spoke up. Then, out ahead of them, they heard a low rumbling, followed by faint explosions.
"You were saying… Captain" Dante grinned as he ran off to rejoin his squad. Morrell, meanwhile, raised his binoculars to his face as the explosions got louder and louder. About a minute later, the explosions reached Hill 152, sending the hilltop fortress sky-high. Concrete and steel rained down around the battered and beaten fortress.
"He did it! The son of a bitch did it!" Morrell screamed, a grin on his face and a cigar between his teeth. "Bondeck, order all forces to begin advance. I want Umm Qasr secured in 3 hours!" he ordered.
0830 hour local time, 22 April 2003, CIA Station, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay.
"Alvaro Camacho worked on and off for me for 3 years. He was my best driver…"
"He was a mole!" Clay yelled.
"Did you decide that before or after you shot him in the back of the head?"
"You're Station Chief here Edward. Take a look at the Ops Alvaro handled for you. You'll find out that he compromised them all" Clay said.
"Don't think I won't" Edward "Ed" Hardy, the CIA Station Chief in Paraguay snapped back. "Ya know, you come complete with a reputation Webb. Ruthless. Efficient. I'm sure Alvaro Camacho would say as much, were he still with us. But you're no longer the youngest young gun in the Company, or its rising star. This isn't the Cold War anymore, when you, DiNozzo and McCain got to run around the world, doing as you please. You're in Tierra del Fuego now, the ass end of the earth. I had to think twice about your request for my help"
"And I do appreciate your assistance, Edward" Webb said, trying to maintain a civil tone.
"And now you're back, asking me for more"
"I want to finish what I started. I wanna take out Raul Garcia"
"And after that?"
"Sadik Fahd" Webb told him. "All in one night"
"You never told me Sadik Fahd was part of the equation"
"It was on a need to know basis"
"Well I need to know"
"And I beg to differ" Webb shot back. "You'll be informed and briefed once I accomplish my mission"
"Meaning if you fail, no one will know that you screwed up again"
"The Company won't chop me off a Predator if you don't sign off on it" Webb said.
"Oh, I'll give you what you want. If for nothing else, maybe if you screw up this time, the Director will finally can your ass"
"Keep dreaming Ed" Webb said as he turned to leave.
"I won't have to. Chechnya, Greece. Eventually it'll all catch up to you"
"We move tonight. Be ready" Webb said as he left.
0930 hours, 22 April 2003, Roosevelt Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
Early the next morning, the President's Vice Presidential Search Committee assembled in the Roosevelt Room:
- Co-Chairman- Richard Castle- Political Consultant/former Deputy Communications Director
- Co-Chairwoman- Meg Martin- White House Chief of Staff
- Jared Franklin- Deputy White House Chief of Staff
- Will McAvoy- White House Communications Director
- Stephanie McMahon- White House Press Secretary
- Josephine "Joey" Lucas- Pollster; accompanied by her interpreter Kenny, as Joey is deaf
- Sonny Corinthos- Former White House Chief of Staff
Once the 7-person committee was assembled, they began. "Okay" Meg said as she stood up at the head of the table. "At the behest of President of the United States Barack H. Obama II, and Democratic Party National Chairman Terry McAuliffe, I hereby call this meeting of the Vice Presidential Search Committee to order" she said. "Rick" she said as she turned the meeting over to him.
"Thank you" Rick said as he stood up, buttoning his suit jacket in the process.
"Why is he here, he's a Republican" Jared pointed out.
"Jared, shut up, or you're fired" Meg threatened him. "Please continue Rick" she said.
"As you all know, right now, the US Military is currently deployed to its largest extent since Vietnam. At the same time, we face the gravest threat to our homeland since World War II. That being said, the President feels that at this moment, it is too dangerous a time to be without a Vice President" he said.
"Ideally, we're looking for someone who fill follow the same "Liberalism with a Grenade Launcher" Foreign Policy. Also, someone who is electable, popular, etc. etc. etc." Meg added.
"Joey, I believe you created a shortlist" Rick said.
"Liebermann (D-CT); Graham (R-SC); Baucus (D-MT); Bayh (D-IN); Clinton (D-NY); Edwards (D-NC); Miller (D-GA); Biden (D-DE)" she said through her interpreter.
"I think we can immediately cross off Clinton, Liebermann, Graham and Biden for various reasons" Jared said.
"Leaving us with Baucus, Miller, Bayh and Edwards" said Will.
"Miller has been the President's biggest critic since he took office. On everything from Iraq to the FED" Jared grumbled. "I personally he's just pissed a Nigger became President before he did" he added, drawing a "WHOAH!" from everyone in the room, including a delayed one from Joey, who had needed to wait for the interpretation. "Sorry, but you know what I mean"
"Scratch Miller from the list" Meg said.
"Baucus is getting up there in age and voted with Kerry on a firm withdraw line" Sonny spoke up.
"Leaving us with just 2 names: Senator Evan Bayh and Senator John Edwards" Meg said. "Ok, let's talk seats" she added.
"Both are in Republican-leading states with Democratic Governors, so we wouldn't loose any seats, not until a Special Election in November anyway" Stephanie spoke up.
"If the President were to run for re-election with one of them on the ticket, which is more likely to carry their home state?" Meg asked. Everyone agreed on Edwards, who was more likely to carry North Carolina than Evan Bayh carrying Indiana.
"North Carolina also has 15 Electoral Votes, whilst Indiana only has 11" Sonny said. "And if our last go around taught us anything, every EV counts" he said. "Oh, and by the way, Rick, this is for you" he said as he extended his middle finger.
"I thought you liked Bush Jr?" Will asked.
"He was ok, but Al's an old friend, and Dick Cheney was an psycho" Sonny added.
"Edwards has political advantages, but Bayh is more of a Centrist, and he has executive experience as a 2-term Governor" Meg said.
"Ok, we have 2 names. Let's take them to the President" Meg said.
1730 hours local time, 22 April 2003, Umm Qasr, Iraq.
Once Hill 152 had been destroyed, the ensuing US attack had obliterated the city, as both Regular and Republican Guard Forces had fought to the death rather than surrender. "If this is what its gonna take to make it to Baghdad, we're in for a long hall" Chester said.
"Yeah well, today was victory" Tony said as he bit off the end of a cigar. He stuck it between his teeth and leaned over, using a burning piece of an Iraqi tank to lite up. He passed out cigars to the rest of his men, even Three.
"Fucking goat ropers" Three said as he blew out a puff of smoke. "You ask me, we shouldn't even be here now. They should have let you guys finish the job last time around" he gripped.
"Amen to that" Chester nodded. Behind them, there was a rumbling coming from the mostly collapsed building behind them. A few seconds later, a wounded Iraqi soldier, a Republican Guardsmen from the shoulder insignia, came stumbling out of the wreckage. "Oh for fucks sake" Chester growled. "Wow someone either take this guy prisoner or shoot em?" he yelled.
"With pleasure" Three said as he stood up, drew his sidearm, cocked the hammer and fired a round into the man's head, putting him out of his misery. With that, everyone got real quiet for a while as everyone just sat around the fire. The only one who really did anything was Tali as she tied her hair into a braid under her olive drab bandana.
A little while later, a runner arrived from General Morrell's Headquarters. "What's it say, T?" Tali asked.
"I've been ordered stateside" Tony said as he crumbled up the note and tossed it in the fire.
"What the hell for?" Tali asked.
"I was not so enlightened" Tony said. "But the rest of you get something too: 48 hours leave in Kuwait City" he said. "With the door to Basra wide open, G-2 doesn't expect much in the way of resistance, so they've figured that y'all deserve a break" he said.
"Then why are you going stateside?" Chester asked.
"If I had to wager a guess, I figure it probably has to do with the Froggies we encountered. POTUS and Secretary Palmer probably want an in-person briefing, or something like that" he said as he got up and slung his carbine over his shoulder. "Ironman, until I return"
"You got it, Colonel" Chester said as he flicked away some ashes.
2105 hours local time, 22 April 2003, Chaco Boreal, Paraguay
"Leveling off at Angels 5, 2 miles from target" said the drone operator. Hardy had delivered both the RQ-2 Predator and control van as promised. The van was currently parked on the side of the road somewhere in the Chaco.
"Arm 2 Hellfires and standby to fire" Webb ordered.
"We don't know how many civilians are down there with him" Hardy protested.
"A little late for cold feet" Webb retorted. "Besides, this guy sold US Military-grade weapons to a known terrorist. I doubt he's dining with the Vienna Boys' choir"
"Damn it Webb, I won't let you take me down with you. I'm calling the Director"
"The Director will just tell you to shut up and do what you're told" Bridget spoke up.
"How could you possibly know that?"
"He's my Uncle" Bridget smiled. "And if you stop us now, I will indicate in my after action report that you, and you alone allowed a known enemy of the United States to escape" she threatened. Hardy shut up after that.
"Acquire the target and prepare to fire" Webb ordered.
"Target locked, Missiles 1 & 2 on standby"
"Fire" Webb ordered.
"Fire 1. Fire 2." The fire control operator said. On the small screen in front of them, they watched as the 2 Hellfire missiles slammed into Raul Garcia's compound, easily killing everyone inside. "Target destroyed" the operator confirmed.
"Well, the DEA will be thanking us in the morning" Webb grinned. "Get the Gunnery Sergeant on the line. It's time to deal with Sadik" he ordered.
2135 hours local time, 22 April 2003, Sadik Fahd's compound, Chaco Boreal, Paraguay.
Dress in black camo, his faced backed out, and armed with an M-24 sniper rifle, Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Rivera watched as Sadik's men loaded the singer missiles into the back of a semi. "Mother Hen, this is Baby Huey. Mother Hen, this is Baby Huey. Eggs are leaving the nest, I say again, eggs are leaving the nest" he said into his radio. Seconds later, an alarms went off and the compound lit up like a Christmas tree. Carlos tried to hide, but within seconds there were spotlights shining on him as Sadik's men moved to surround him. He tried to make a run for it, but soon found that he was surrounded. "Shit" he said to himself as he threw up his hands. The barrel of an AK-47 in his back, Carlos was marched down to main compound, where no other than Sadik Fahd himself was waiting.
"It is going to be a long night for you, my friend" Sadik grinned.
2140 hours local time, 22 April 2003, Chaco Boreal, Paraguay
"Were you able to trace it?" Webb asked.
"A Hacienda about 20 miles north of here" Hardy said.
"Then let's go" Bridget said. "We don't leave a man behind"
"Bridget, we'd be going in blind" Webb admonished her.
"Fine, then I'll go it alone" she said as she grabbed the Glocks from Webb's holsters. "You won't be needing these" she said as she walked away towards their parked Land Rover.
"You're better off without her" Hardy told Webb. Webb just shook him off and followed Bridget, sliding into the passenger seat next to her.
"If I'm gonna do this, I want one of my Glocks back" he said as Bridget started the engine.
2200 hours local time, 22 April 2003, Sadik Fahd's compound, Chaco Boreal, Paraguay.
Carlos soon discovered that Sadik has no run of the mill terrorist. Instead of simply beating the information out of him, Sadik offered him a seat on the front porch of his home and poured him a drink. "Gracias" Carlos said as he downed a glass of Cachaça.
"De nada" Sadik replied. "There is one chance for you to get out of here alive"
"So me the way" Carlos grinned.
"Tell me who you work for" Sadik said.
"Raul Garcia. He's a bad man to cross"
"He'll get his precious drugs, I want to do business with him in the future. I know who Raul Garcia is; the question is who you are"
"You want my life story?"
"Your purpose here would suffice" he replied. "What is your interest in what is going on here?"
"Raul Garcia said I would be safe here"
"Raul Garcia spoke stupidly. Your safety is for me to determine, not him"
"You don't drink Sadik?" Carlos asked as he poured himself another glass.
"No"
"You don't know what you're missing" Carlos told him after downing the glass.
"No, you don't know what you're missing. How long have you worked for Raul Garcia?"
"A few weeks"
"Before that?"
"Kicked around here and there"
"Take a walk with me, I want to show you something" Raul said as he stood up and 2 of his men grabbed Carlos by the shirt. "You are from the United States, yes?"
"Born there, been to prison there, not going back" Carlos lied through his teeth.
"I understand. Why are you working for Raul Garcia?"
"Money"
"Are you a man of honor?"
"Not for a long time"
"Do you miss your homeland?"
"Don't you?"
"My homeland is occupied. Sacred ground defiled. And until it is restored to what Allah intended, I will not return" he said as they arrived at a small shed just off the main house. The door opened, revealing a man holding a car batter, with the leads connected to jumper cables. "So this I say: Kill those who would join with other gods with god wherever ye may find them. Then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captive and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush" Sadik recited.
"That's a hell of a pitch for conversion" Carlos replied.
"I think we can come to an understanding" Sadik grinned as he shoved the Gunny into the shed.
"You're making a big mistake Sadik"
"We shall see" he grinned.
One the other side of the compound, Bridget quietly brought the Land Rover to a halt, killing the engine. "2 Glock 9mms against all the firepower Sadik can muster, this is gonna go great" Bridget said as she got out.
"Maybe I can even the odds a little" Webb said as he raised tailgate, pulling out satchel filled with grenades. He also then pulled out an AK-47.
"You know how to use that thing?" Bridget asked.
"Honey, I've been using one of these long before you were even in college" he said. "I'll cover you" he said as he pulled back on the bolt. As they got closer, they could here Gunny's voice coming from a shed just off the main house. Bridget moved into position, but as she did, 2 of Sadik's men noticed her. When they moved to fire, Clay gunned they both down, but in the process, blew their cover. Bridget drew her Glock and fired herself, killing a 3rd onrushing guard.
Hearing the shots, Gunny Rivera acted quickly, knocking out both his captors and grabbing an AK for himself. "Gunny!" Bridget yelled.
"Captain, over here" he yelled as he emerged from the shed.
"Come on, we gotta go, we gotta go, we gotta go" Clay yelled as he and Carlos laid down suppressive fire as Bridget retreated.
"Come on" Bridget yelled as she fired off several rounds from her Glock. She then threw a grenade, killing 2 more men as she ran. She quickly reached on of the terrorists vehicles, she quickly hotwired it and started the engine. "Let's go" she yelled.
"Mr. Webb, fall back, I got your Six" Gunny yelled as he fired off a few more bursts killing 2 more of Sadik's men.
"Gunny, come on!" Bridget yelled. As Carlos turned to run to the SUV, a bullet struck him in the arm, knocking him to his back. "Gunny!" Bridget yelled as one of Sadik's men rushed forward an tossed an RDG-5 grenade, which landed under the car.
"Captain!" Carlos yelled, blood staining his teeth. The grenade exploded flipping the car on its side.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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(Jenn's voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Walk in Hell"-
In Paraguay, things go from bad to worse. In Iraq, as CDS Forces continue to advance, Three witnesses an Iraqi atrocity 1st hand. In Washington, President Obama announces his Vice President. Finally, Tony risks it all to bring Bridget home.
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