MURPHY'

MURPHY'S LAW- CHAPTER THREE

The patrol was going fine. Sure there was enemy activity in the area but so far the sweep was uneventful. Then it happened. Fuller, the point man hit a mine. Instantly gun fire filled the air, both AK-47s and M-16s. Baker, the grenadier was a veteran, but he hesitated for some reason. While the others hit the ground he had stood dumbfounded. Therien looked up to see Baker jerk violently as fountains of blood erupted from his chest. The man dropped like a puppet who's strings had been cut. Therien had to get his M-60 into play. He started to rake the enemy's positions with fire from the big machine gun. He saw Vasquez, the medic, run past him, trying to reach Baker. The doc dropped to his knees clutching his throat as the sickening spray of arterial bleeding coated the ground around him in blood. Therien developed tunnel vision on his weapon. His squad had already lost three men. He couldn't let any more soldiers be lost. He couldn't lose any more friends. He laid down a hellish field of fire on the enemy's positions. He glanced down at the ammo belt. Running low. "Parker get up here damnit!" Therien called for his feeder without looking back. No answer. Then came the terrifying sound of the bolt dry firing. Therien looked back to call for Parker again. The words caught in his throat. Blood and mangled bodies lay everywhere. He had been so engulfed in firing he hadn't noticed the sounds of the M-16s had stopped, just as he now didn't realize that the sounds of the AK-47s had stopped. Sarge? Vasquez? Baker? Chan? Fuller? Malloy? Rogers? Haney? Williams? No one. They were all dead. But he was alive. Not a scratch. Why? What had he done to be spared while everyone else lay dead? He screamed out into the jungle, "WHY?!?!?"

Repeater shot up to a sitting position. Years of training were the only things that kept him from screaming out at the top of his lungs. Despite the humid heat of the jungle his felt his sweat covered body shiver. His breathing was shallow and fast. He closed his eyes tightly to shut out the images. It didn't help. The dreams were getting worse, more vivid now that he was back in the jungle again. He was remembering details that he hadn't remembered in years. "Repeater?" He heard a voice called out. Heavy Metal's voice. It used that as an anchor. This was his squad now. He was here to make sure it didn't happen to them. He couldn't protect them if he couldn't think straight. "Repeater, it's your shift." He heard Heavy Metal say again. Repeater nodded and stood. He took the M-16 from Heavy Metal, who then headed off towards his tarp. Repeater gave the weapon a once over, more on feel that sight as his eyes slowly began to adjust to the darkness. With everything satisfactory he headed out towards the camp's perimeter.

Hotseat would have a fit if he saw this, Zap thought as he looked down as the sight. Ripcord and Covergirl both lay on the same tarp. Ripcord was on his side, his body pressed against her back with his arm wrapped around her abdomen while her arm was on top of his, her hand wrapped around his hand. Zap shook his head. He really didn't know what to think of his two friends. On one hand they did seem to honestly care about each other. On the other they were United States military personnel and should act according. Zap shook his head again. It wasn't his place to decide. He almost wanted to leave the two laying there but Ripcord and Repeater were the last shift, the fifth one. Which meant that if he left them there, Hotseat would see it. Then they'd be hell to pay and the last thing this mission needed was more tension. Between Fastdraw's stunt on the drop and the business with the Motorvipers somebody on the mission was bound to snap at this point. Zap lightly kicked at Ripcord while calling out just above his breath. "Ripcord, it's your shift hombre." Zap said, careful not to get his voice too loud or his kicking to hard. The last thing Zap wanted to do in the jungle at night during a mission was startle a soldier. Especially one in Ripcord's mood. Ripcord slowly came around to Zap's rousing.

"Oh shit..." He said in disbelief just under his breath as he noticed the way he was laying. He didn't remember laying down like this. He remembered having the second watch, coming back to wake Covergirl for the third watch, brushing aside a stray hair as he woke her. Then he fell asleep. He shook himself mentally. He could worry about that later, right now he need to worry about his watch. "I'm up." He said quietly to Zap, not wanting to wake Covergirl. Moving as slowly and carefully as possible he slipped away from Covergirl and stood. Zap gave him a pat on the shoulder as Ripcord took the M-16 from his friend. The guard duty was going as uneventful Ripcord had hoped. He and Repeater had just been walking perimeter in alternating orbits, stopping every so often to listen for sounds. Roughly half way through the guard rotation they heard something. Something walking through the underbrush. Ripcord immediately stopped and dropped to a knee next to the trunk of a large tree. Within seconds Repeater had joined him. As the sound got louder Repeater kept his M-16 on the horizon but whispered over to Ripcord.

"Five men on foot. Combat equipment." Ripcord nodded to the big Ranger's comment. As the sounds of movement got closer and closer talking was heard as well.

"Search eight, any sign of Patrol four yet?"

"Uh, that's a negative H.Q." The patrol was getting closer and closer. Ripcord started to see the outline of five Vipers stomping their way through the jungle. He guessed that 'patrol four' was the STUN crew that they had taken out. Looks like somebody finally realized they were missing. Good thing Hotseat drove the STUN further off that it had originally been and had ordered that the bodies be hidden. Otherwise they might've found the STUN within hours and known there was an intruding force, instead of just having a missing vehicle. Ripcord pushed his guesses away as he focus on the moment. He began to sight up on the lead Viper, mentally repeating Hotseat's earlier words, 'Remember people, this is a covert op if they don't stop, we don't shoot.' The Vipers were apparently looking for trouble. The Cobras were getting closer and closer until they stopped just fifteen feet in front of where Ripcord and Repeater were hiding.

"Search eight cut your patrol short we're not going to find a thing until daylight."

"Roger that H.Q. search eight returning."

"Thank god H.Q. finally realize we can't see dick out here."

"I heard that, man why don't they just send out some Night Vipers or Croc Master and his bitches if they want those Motorvipers found."

"No shit, somebody could be right in front of our face out we wouldn't know it."

"The boogieman got 'em."

"Oh come on you big pussy, you don't really believe those stupid stories that the natives spit out do ya?"

"Have you ever seen a STUN vanish into thin air?"

"They must've had a break down in their radio and gotten the STUN stuck somewhere, they'll turn up."

"If you say so." As the Vipers finished up their conversation they turned around and headed back the way they came. Ripcord breathed a sigh of relief as the outline of the Vipers disappeared back into the jungle. Calming down from the near miss, Ripcord along with Repeater finished their guard duty then went back to camp to wake everyone up. While Ripcord explained what he saw to Hotseat, the others broke the camp down. Within minutes the team had melted back into the jungle, heading towards their target.

The column of soldiers slid through the jungle like ghosts. Every now and then somebody would hear something, causing the team to stop and listen, then after the noise had passed, the team would keep moving. Overall everything was going fine. The team was walking along a path with a ten foot drop off to the right side which lead to the bank of a small stream below. Ripcord tried to stop it. Heavy Metal was walking along then suddenly he slipped on a wet log which sent him careening off the small drop. Ripcord shot forwarding in an attempt to catch the tanker but to no avail. The others all seemed to shoot towards the edge, trying to see if Heavy Metal was okay. Okay was a relative term. He had landed right in front of an equally stunned Viper. The eerie silence of the moment was shattered as the rattle of automatic weapons fire came from across the stream. Everybody hit the dirt. Ripcord could hear the sharp crack that came with near misses as he pointed his M-16 across the stream. Night combat was disorienting. The muzzle flashes ruined his 'night eyes' so he couldn't hope to see even the faintest outline of the Vipers. All he could do was wait till he saw a muzzle flash, but they'd see his in return. Ripcord lined up on a muzzle flash and squeezed the trigger three times. Immediately after the third round was fired he quickly rolled over to his right a few times. Staying put in night combat didn't have any advantages. The firefight felt like it was dragging on forever, mainly because Ripcord couldn't tell if he was even hitting anything. He just keep firing. Suddenly the weapons fire across the stream stopped. The whole thing had lasted only thirty seconds. Forms started to appear up from the jungle floor. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Someone was missing. Heavy Metal! Ripcord ran to the edge of the drop off. The tanker was still struggling with the Viper he'd fallen in front of. Immediately the team jumped down onto the soft sand of the stream's bank. Repeater clamped one of his huge hands down on the shoulder of the Viper and threw him up against the wall of the drop off and used his arm to pin the Viper there.

"How many are you?!" Hotseat said grabbing hold of the Viper's chin and forcing the Cobra to look at him.

"F...five....in..including me." Came the stuttered response from the lone Cobra.

"Zap, Fastdraw, Heavy Metal, Covergirl come with me, we gotta make sure we got four bodies over there. Repeater, Ripcord, watch him." Hotseat said just before he took off across the stream towards where the Cobras' muzzle flashes were seen.

"Search two, we heard some weapons fire what's your status." A voice came over the Viper's radio. This operation couldn't be compromised. With Repeater still holding the Viper to the dirt wall Ripcord took hold of the Viper's face plate and jerked back. The reflective surface broke free from the helmet with the sound of tearing fabric. It the same motion Ripcord drew out his M-1911 and pressed it to the Viper's forehead. The kid looked scared to death, he couldn't have been much older than eighteen with boyish features still dominant on his face.

"Say everything's fine," Ripcord told the Viper, "Make it convincing and we'll let you live."

"Uh, it's nothing, was just a jaguar. The jungle's just got us a little jumpy that's all." The Viper spoke as calmly as he could into his microphone.

"Roger that, you're almost home, just stay on a two-one-six heading and you'll be and at the base in seven miles." The voice on the other end returned. As soon as the radio had cut off Ripcord squeezed the trigger on the pistol, turning his head as he did so. As he stood he noticed a few shocked looks from the team that had just emerged back from the jungle.

"We're behind enemy lines and heading deeper. We can't take prisoners." Ripcord said in an even voice. Truth was he was just as disgusted with what he just did as his teammates were. The image of the kid's face exploding kept playing through his head despite the fact that he didn't even see the shot. Even if he was disgusted, he was right. They couldn't take prisoners. After a long moment Hotseat nodded.

"Alright people, we've got 'em all so let's hide the bodies as best we can then move on. We're losin' darkness here."

She watched his face as he pulled the trigger, Ripcord's. Something, pain, repulsion maybe flashed across the second before the Viper fell. After it was over, a sick feeling overcame her, almost like she had been punched in the stomach, and she looked away.

"We're behind enemy lines and heading deeper. We can't take prisoners." He seemed so calm when he said it, too calm. Hotseat was the first to break the silence.

"Alright people, we've got `em all, so let's hide the bodies as best we can then move on. We're losin' darkness here." The thick jungle floor made hiding a few more bodies easier, just as it had been back with the Motorvipers, but she didn't let herself dwell on it. She was still thinking about Ripcord. He was right, it had to be done, just like leaving him back in England. But it didn't mean it didn't sting. "You have point, kid." Hotseat said, laying a hand on Zap's shoulder. She was convinced more than ever that he knew no names. "You cover him." He tapped her back. "Single file, and try to keep alert, people. Watch where you're stepping." He stared at Heavy Metal adding the last part, but she couldn't see his reaction. Seven miles out, just a bit more than eleven klicks. The rain that had ended suddenly a few miles back was now back in full force, making the trek seem even longer. Thick soled boots sank deep into the mud and debris, once and again feeling something slither or scurry beneath them. She ran the back of her hand across her rain soaked forehead and had to laugh. Some of her old friends would have near cried if they were trapped outside in a light drizzle. Three klicks down, the M-16 seeming to get heavier. She chalked it up to the drive yesterday. The entire distance traveled was spent white knuckled, fighting to keep the 2.5 ton vehicle steady. Still, she held fast, stayed alert. She'd let her guard down once, and was making sure it wouldn't happen again. Zap held a single arm up, making a fist, a hold up gesture which she repeated down the line. She dropped to one knee, scanning the darkness and straining her ears to hear. Zap took one step forward, then disappeared from sight with a startled yelp.

"Fuck!" She cursed, fast low crawling to the area where she'd last seen him. His hands grasped at one of the millions of thick vines they'd been climbing over, hanging in some sort of large ditch. She heard him saying something in Spanish, not sure if it were cursing or praying. She wrapped an ankle around one of the vines herself, then grabbed onto his wrist. "Hang on, Zap, buddy, just hang on." She couldn't pull himself up herself, but she didn't need to. A split second later, Fast Draw was there, followed closely by Ripcord, who shot like a rocket when he heard the disturbance. The two men eased Zap up, helping to steady himself on his feet. Repeater, Heavy Metal and Hotseat were the last to arrive. Shining a light towards the bottom of the man-made pit, they could see the sharpened sticks which had threatened to impale their teammate. Zap crossed himself, Ripcord swore, and she thought she saw Repeater's eyes wide for a split second, before making a tight enough fist to crack his knuckles. She half wanted to ask him if he was alright as he stormed past the team, taking his place in the rear and scanning the woods almost frantically.

"Shows over." Hotseat said after a long pause, putting his hand on top of Zap's head, shaking it slightly. "Fast Draw, you got point. Heavy Metal, cover. Stay on your toes, looks like the end of the welcome mat." Even Fast Draw seemed sobered by what almost happened, not making any wise cracks, not making any references to him being first or making ridiculous 'bang, bang, BAM, Fast Draw' remarks as he took point.

Six klicks down. The trek was taking even longer now, the area ahead being carefully scouted for explosives or other traps. Fast Draw had found a few more man-made pitfalls, the rest of the team on high alert. Hotseat gave the call to take a five minute breather before the start of the seventh click. Ripcord stood off by himself, mopping some of his rain soaked brow with the back of his glove. She checked the area first, making sure they were alone enough that she could talk to him, making sure especially Fast Draw wasn't lurking. "You were right." She said, above the sound of the pouring rain. He shot her a questioning look. "The Viper. It had to be done." He looked away quickly. "I'm sorry you had to do it." She brought his chin up to see her eyes, staring into them for a quick second, reading him. "I know you are, too." He didn't answer, but just gave a small nod of his head. Four klicks to go. Ripcord's turn at point. She hated that. Hated even more that she wasn't the one to cover, Hotseat gave Zap his back. Half way through, the fourth 'hold up' sign was given, and she dropped. Up until now it had been false alarms, but with each time her heart stopped, seeing Ripcord dangling instead of Zap, seeing them not make it in time. 'He's a big boy, Lass,' had worn thin about two hold's up ago. He crawled back to Hotseat.

"We got tripwires ahead, maybe scattered land mines, too." She heard him say, and she cursed. This is not good. She'd picked the expression up from her grandfather years before, who used it for everything from kitchen fires to car accidents. 'Not good, not good, not good Oh, this is not good.' He used it to keep himself calm in any situation, she was hoping it would work for her as well. Hotseat called the team around. They formed a tight circle except for Repeater, who stood fierce watch behind them, still scanning the woods. He unrolled one of his maps, studying it for a second before speaking.

"Things are going to get interesting." He told them. "We got mines up ahead, who knows for how long." He took a deep breath. "Ripcord and Zap are gonna mark them off, clear a path. It'll be slow going, but this is the only way through. Be careful, people." Patting Ripcord on the back he added.. "Take it slow, kid." Her heart sank. Why? Why Ripcord? She realized the selfishness of the thought, she wouldn't have wanted any of the other team to go first either, but especially not him. Ripcord nodded, making eye contact with her for a split second, but not offering a reassuring sign that she could see.

They started out sporadic, then became closer and closer together as the distance wore on. Nine klicks down, Ripcord still at the point. The rest of the team carefully followed his meticulous path, Ripcord, Zap, Fast Draw, Hotseat, Her, Heavy Metal, then Repeater. Each wire clearly marked. She shook her head. Skyboy was good. The marks became more sporadic again, almost to clearing. She knew better than to breathe a sigh of relief. Not yet. She saw the others far ahead start into a slow, careful walk, Ripcord still at point, still searching for signs of the occasional explosive.

"Oh, God." From behind her. Heavy Metal. She closed her eyes for a second. Looking back, he looked as if he'd seen a ghost. She back tracked the few steps to where he was standing like a statue. "I hit something. I heard a click." He hissed through clenched teeth.

"Hold on, hold on, don't move..." She told him, signing out of habit while saying the words. Taking out her flashlight, she heard nothing except her heart beat as she dropped to her stomach, trying to examine under Heavy Metal's large boot. She let out a small laugh. "You stepped on a rock." She said smiling. "It's just a rock." Repeater had just caught up to them as she grabbed it from underneath his boot, holding it up for him. She let out another short laugh, relieved.

"Sonuvabitch" He cursed, his eyes returning to their normal size. He grabbed the rock from her hand.

"NO, DON'T!" She started, but it was too late. Fear made him careless, not think. He angrily threw the rock in the direction they had just come from. Before she could react further, Repeater had the two of them down. He pushed them as forward as far as he could before the explosions started, then lay on top of the two, each hand protectively covering the head's of his two teammates. One, two, three four mines off. She closed her eyes and waited for more. Dirt and plants rained down on them. Five mines now. She held her breath. Six. She thought she felt Repeater wince, but wasn't sure. His strong hand didn't let up until the last explosion echoed in the distance. When he knew it was safe, he let up, groaning as he stood. Covergirl rolled off to one side, finally remembering to breathe, but Repeater was up in a second, grabbing Heavy Metal by the collar. The large man yanked her other teammate literally off his feet, slamming his back into a tree, but still keeping him suspended. Even though she wasn't too thrilled with Heavy Metal herself at that point, the sheer size and strength alone of Repeater almost scared her. "It was an accident!" She told him, protectively. "He didn't mean it." She put a hand on the back of his shoulder, he reacted the same as if she'd touched him with a lit match. The force of him shrugging her off caught her off guard. Still holding Heavy Metal up with one hand, his other shot out to catch her from falling backwards, dumbfounding her with his sheer strength. He let her go once she was steadied, putting both his hands back on Heavy Metal, who was looking like a deer trapped in the headlights. Slamming him back into the tree once more, he dropped him, then sulked off to retrieve his weapon. She thought through the darkness she could see a slight limp, but wasn't sure. So much for being covert.