Run and Gun
Disclaimer: Same as before.
~ ~ ~ ~
Elsewhere Captain Fetterman could see troops chasing after them, lead by a fellow with a green mask and helmet.
"Stoney, Morgan, you're up!" Fetterman shouted.
Stoney was firing steadily, forget being conservative, there was at least a platoon facing them. He put about a half dozen rounds into a black robed Heartless drone that had gotten too close. He pulled his .45 handgun from his belt kit and shot another one.
Meanwhile Dave was shooting double tap shots into COBRA vipers and Heartless drones as appeared. Fetterman fired a couple 203 grenades just as Rumpler tossed down a couple smoke grenades, allowing the five men a temporary respite.
"That cave's a good LUP." Fetterman said, "Sarge, take Link and secure it. I'll create a perimeter with Morgan and Stoney."
"Cave's good to go. It's got a back way we can go out." Rumpler said, poking his head above the hole.
"Lay up here for the rest of the day. Sleep in shifts, tonight we get moving again under cover of darkness." Fetterman said.
"God its cold." Dave groaned, "Can we light a fire."
"Negative. We light a fire, we're a beacon for every COBRA and Heartless within a thousand miles." Fetterman replied.
"He's right." Rumpler replied, "We've lost a majority of our warm clothes when we jettisoned our packs."
"How are we for rations, ammo, and water?" Fetterman asked.
"Rations, we've got enough for two maybe three days at most. Water, maybe one day's worth. Ammo, we've got enough for maybe a day if we bump into another big patrol like last time." Rumpler replied.
"Stoney, you and Morgan take second watch. Relieve me and Sarge at 1600 and we move out at 1800."
"Yes sir." Morgan replied. ~ ~ ~ ~
Copperhead picked up a rucksack dropped by the five men that he and the combined patrol had been chasing. "Warm clothes, MREs, extra water and ammunition, even a few 66mm rockets. They've lost most of their rations, water, and heavy weapons. If they meet another vehicle unit, they won't be able to shoot it up like they did earlier today. We'll let time wear them out. The cold should force them to stay moving or risk hypothermia. We can get them then."
"Excellent planning Copperhead." Said one of the Heartless, a grim reaper look alike with a sickle.
"I'll send patrols out to the east and west, meanwhile let's set up camp and see if we can't catch these men taking the high road." Copperhead replied, "But if the cold doesn't get them, they'll move by night, they stand less of a chance of being detected."
~ ~ ~ ~
"Tall, what've you got left?" Bilby asked.
"I've got two more 200 round drums and six thirty round magazines." Tallman replied, "I've also got four .45 pistol mags."
"Whitehurst?" Bilby asked.
"I've got five thirty round magazines, six 40mm grenades, and four .45 pistol mags."
"I've got five full twenty round magazines, one half full magazine, and about three .45 pistol magazines. Whitehurst, this is your lucky day, I saved three 40mm grenades from the bergens." Bilby replied.
"Thanks." Whitehurst replied.
"Lets hole up in that crevice right there and not move until sunset. We've got more of a chance of sneaking out in the dark." Bilby replied.
~ ~ ~ ~
Morgan's chattering teeth were getting worse. The kid was freezing, hugging his arms for meager warmth. "Sarge, sandwich the kid between you and Link, I'll take over his watch."
"Sir." Stoney whispered, "I hold a patrol, at least ten guys, five Heartless and five COBRAs closing towards our position."
"Damn it!" Fetterman said, "We can't stay here. Sarge, get everyone ready to move out."
"Roger that sir." Rumpler replied.
"Move out. Link, you and Sarge take Morgan, we'll cover your ass." Fetterman replied.
The five men snuck silently into the sunset, it seemed they were about to sneak out from under the noses of the Heartless when they were spotted. "Fire! Fire!"
At about the same time the Heartless opened fire. "Link, Stoney, lay down a base of fire!"
"Sarge, cover me, I'll get Morgan." Fetterman replied.
"Can you walk Morgan? Fetterman asked.
"Y-yes sir." Morgan replied.
Sergeant Rumpler was shooting steadily at the ten man patrol which had suddenly summoned up another ten reinforcements.
"Fire and withdraw, you know the drill. Link, start us of, Sarge, follow Link, then I'll follow Sarge. Morgan, follow my shooting." Fetterman replied.
"Go!" Fetterman replied, "Fire! Fire!"
Link was firing steadily, in short bursts that hit Heartless or COBRAs that found themselves in his sights. "I'm out! Reloading!" Link replied running like hell behind Rumpler.
Rumpler fired off rounds as he chose targets carefully, killing three more Heartless with double tap shots. "Shit! They've got snowmobiles sir!" Rumpler shouted, taking one out with a 40mm grenade through the motor.
"I'm out! Reloading!" Rumpler shouted, leaping over a snow covered boulder.
Fetterman put a single 40mm grenade into the side of an ice saber, sending two vipers flying over a cliff. "Sarge, get Morgan out of here, Link cover Sarge, Stoney stay with me!" Fetterman shouted.
Rumpler had Morgan draped over his shoulder, the short sergeant with the massively developed upper body grunted under the weight. Fetterman was shooting three round bursts, and that meant that more troops had come after them. "I'm out! Reloading!"
Now Stoney was shooting steadily, normally Gamma machine gunners were trained to lay down highly accurate suppressive fire, achieving kills within three to four round bursts. The fact that Stoney was shooting steadily meant that more enemy troops were running after them.
"That plateau has quite a few dry washes we can hole up in sir. If we can hide up there, we're good." Rumpler shouted.
"Negative Sarge, we move we stay alive, we hold still, we die." Fetterman shouted.
~ ~ ~ ~
Bilby felt absolutely exhausted. For nearly forty eight hours now, with brief snatches of sleep in between, he had been fighting and running. Whitehurst and Tallman were short on MREs so he split his six remaining ones with them. Tallman was covering their rear with Whitehurst in the middle of the column and Bilby walking the front.
He checked his map, "According to this we go north by north west. We keep traveling in a zig zag pattern, hugging every creek bed and gully and every piece of cover."
"Any possibility we could rendezvous with Fetterman?" Whitehurst asked.
With his red light flash he looked at the map, "Fetterman's no fool; he'll avoid the main roads, because COBRA controls them as far as we're concerned. He'll travel this thing cross country so the chances of running into him are slim and none."
"Let's keep trekking. At sunrise, we go into that gully and we stay there. We can cover another fifteen to twenty miles if we keep going." Bilby replied.
Now Tallman was leading the group, he was the only one with night vision goggles. Aside from the night scope from his belt kit that Bilby bolted onto his rifle at dusk Tall was the only one with night vision on his person. The three men alternated with each other for point, tail end Charlie, and mid column.
They had been marching continuously; taking five to fifteen minute breaks every hour. Tallman raised his fist. The three men dropped to one knee. "What is it Tall?" Bilby asked.
"Heartless." Tallman whispered, running a hand past his curly black hair and pointing.
"Son of a bitch." Bilby whispered, as he put his night sight on them. There were at least a dozen of them camped beside a cluster of boulders leading into a nice stretch of broken country.
"Can we take 'em?" Whitehurst said.
"I'd try not too, considering we've got maybe two to six days walking ahead of us, I don't want to get us into another gunfight this time." Bilby replied.
Little did Bilby know that at least nine other Heartless were closing in behind them, nine grim reapers with sickles ready. That was until Whitehurst saw them and started shooting.
"Tall, take out those at the camp." Bilby shouted after he put a bullet through a Heartless standing closest to the camp fire. Tallman was shooting steadily into the camp, his machinegun tearing a swath into several surprised Heartless.
"Whitehurst, cover our ass!" Bilby shouted, jumping over a sand berm.
"Reloading!" Whitehurst shouted.
"I've gotcha covered!" Tallman shouted.
The three men ducked behind a rock. They all reloaded full magazines into their weapons and slowly checked the Heartless encampment. "Clear!" Tallman said.
"Whitehurst, see if you can't raise anyone by that radio." Bilby said.
"Got it." Whitehurst said as he headed.
"Patrol, this is Major Bludd, radio check, over." The radio sparked to life.
"Fuck!" Whitehurst said.
"Uh, this is patrol, we killed them." Whitehurst said, impersonating a Heartless.
Suddenly the voice of another Heartless came over the radio, "Who is this? What unit are you with?"
"I wasn't enjoying the conversation anyway!" Whitehurst shouted, as he put a bullet through the radio, "Bilby we're gonna have company."
"Damn it!" Bilby shouted as they fled into the canyon, "I'll cover you guys and give me a shout when you've run past me."
Whitehurst and Tallman, hugging the rocks as cover ran from rock to rock, covering each other until Tall reached Bilby. Just as Whitehurst was getting up to run, two vehicles stopped at the encampment. It was a five ton flatbed truck.
Whitehurst was cut off, about twenty feet of open ground was between him and where Tallman and Bilby were holed up. At least twenty COBRA soldiers and as many Heartless came out of the trucks, a group of about ten was heading for them. Copperhead was directing the troops to search the encampment.
Bilby tracked them through his telescopic sight. With any luck they wouldn't find anything. "Oh shit." Bilby moaned as one of them got about four feet from where Whitehurst was and had its weapon pointed at his chest.
Bilby squeezed the trigger, and black blood from the Heartless splattered onto the rock as the creature took a 7.62 bullet though the head. "Run Whitehurst! Run!" Bilby shouted.
Tallman was now shooting as well as Whitehurst and Bilby took positions to his rear, entering the ravine. As soon as Bilby ran past him and Whitehurst was in position, Tallman pelted to the next patch of cover, behind Whitehurst. Now Whitehurst was firing, relying solely on his excellent night vision and keen marksmanship.
The trucks couldn't go through the ravine, so vehicle chases weren't an issue. But still they made good targets. Whitehurst launched a 203 bomb at each truck, aiming for the engine block. The first truck took a hit to the tire and lost a wheel. The second was struck in the fuel tank with a huge fireball explosion.
"Hot damn! Good shooting Whitehurst!" Bilby shouted as Whitehurst ran past him.
Bilby and Whitehurst were firing single shots at the Heartless drones, simultaneously keeping their heads down or trying to kill them. Tallman's shooting was done conservatively in three and five round bursts at any clustered groups. The three men successfully broke contact with the enemy patrol as they fled into the ravine. Bilby was to the rear of the formation with Whitehurst in the front and Tall in the middle.
Meanwhile, Major Bludd walked up the Heartless patrol leader that had been talking to him in the canyon a day earlier. "How were three 'scared running boys' able to shoot up at least twenty of your troops?"
"Patience, each fight drains their ammunition, and forces them to keep running. We'll tire them out and when they are unable to fight well we can capture or kill them at our leisure." The Heartless replied.
"Copperhead's got that other group running for their lives too." Major Bludd replied, "But don't even think about squandering my vipers the way you squander your drones."
"Don't worry Major, once we draw them into the open at the end of the ravine, they can be destroyed." The Heartless replied.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Our best chance lies in hijacking a vehicle and driving to the Slaughterhouse." Fetterman said as they hunkered down in a roadside ditch, "Morgan's in too bad a way to keep on trying this out on foot. Stoney, you and Sarge watch the south end of that road, the rest of us will get some shut eye."
"Yes sir." Stoney replied.
About three hours passed before Stoney said, "Captain, I see a vehicle coming this way."
"What is it?" Fetterman asked.
"It's a Buick." Stoney laughed, "It's got that same snake seal on the side of it that those COBRA bozos were wearing."
Sergeant Rumpler immediately stepped up on the road, waving his arms. The motorist stopped the car. Inside the car were two Crimson Guards. Suddenly the Crimson Guards found themselves facing five M-16s and SAWs pointing at their heads. They raised their hands in surrender as Link and Stoney flex cuffed their hands and feet.
"I'll drive sir." Rumpler said.
Stoney and Link sat on either side of Morgan in the back seat with Fetterman in the front and Sarge driving. Sarge lead footed the gas pedal, eager to put some distance between himself and pursuit. "Any chance of running into Bilby and the others?" Fetterman asked.
"No sir. If their smart, they're staying off the road and moving north on foot." Rumpler replied.
"Shit." Fetterman said. "Checkpoint."
There was a check point manned by about six COBRA and Heartless guards with a Humvee. "Stoney, Link, get ready. Sarge when, not if, they find out who we are, step on the gas and blast them to hell."
"I'm on it sir." Rumpler said, putting his weapon on the open window.
"Ready, go!" Fetterman shouted just as they approached the checkpoint.
Every weapon in the car opened up as they sped past, the three surviving guards were firing at the car as Rumpler gunned the engine with Stoney standing half way out of the sunroof firing his SAW in short accurate bursts that took down a fourth guard and forced the other two into a concrete shed.
~ ~ ~ ~
Copperhead cut the plastic flex cuffs off the two Crimson Guard officers that had been ambushed by the five man patrol he had been tracking. "Where were they headed?" he asked.
"They were fleeing north, towards the GI Joe base." One of the Crimson Guards said.
At this time Copperhead's radio crackled, "This is Checkpoint Whiskey. We just had a drive by shooting five minutes ago. Requesting backup and medical evacuation."
"Permission granted." Copperhead replied, "Smart bastards the lot of them. Taking a vehicle and shooting their way through our checkpoints. Always knew they were too lightly defended."
~ ~ ~ ~
The ravine petered out and ended with open desert. Just as the three men thought they were clear they made contact with an eight man Heartless patrol. The Heartless got the first shot off, sending a bullet through Tallman's head. "Tallman!" Whitehurst shouted, heading for Tall.
"He's dead Whitehurst!" Bilby shouted, firing two rounds, killing two Heartless.
The pair ran, shooting their way to the next area of cover, a patch of cacti and mesquite trees. "Stay low. They can't find us if we shut up and stay quiet until nightfall." Bilby said.
"You're one to talk psycho! You left Tall behind." Whitehurst snapped.
"Whitehurst, Tall was already dead." Bilby hissed.
"Fuck you man! Is that how you survived Titan, leaving your buddy to rot." Whitehurst said.
Bilby hit him, "Don't you even fucking dare mention Titan. You weren't there. You didn't see your entire team, your buddies get killed right before your eyes."
"Hey, Bilby, I see a rancher ahead." Whitehurst said, "I'll make contact with him, I'll give him our cover story. If I'm not back in two hours, make for the Slaughterhouse."
"Gotcha." Bilby said. It was 1400, two o'clock in the afternoon when Whitehurst broke cover to make contact with the rancher who took him into his barn. Bilby had a distinctly sour feeling in his gut. Something wasn't right. That rancher was in the right place at seemingly the right time.
~ ~ ~ ~
"So what's your name again soldier?" Zartan asked the prisoner.
"Whitehurst, Andrew."
"What's your rank?" Zartan asked.
"Corporal."
"Serial number?" Zartan asked.
"136-45-7144."
"Date of Birth?" Zartan asked.
"9 May 1982."
"How many men were with you?" Zartan asked, taking off the cowboy hat.
"I'm sorry I can't answer that question." Whitehurst replied. He got butt stroked by a Heartless for his trouble.
"Name?" Zartan asked.
"Whitehurst, Andrew."
Zarana walked into the room, "Do you prefer Andy, or do you just go by Andrew?"
"I'm sorry, I can't answer that question." Whitehurst replied.
"C'mon." Zarana purred seductively, moving closer to the chair Whitehurst was tied to. She straddled his lap, "You must have a name someone special calls you."
"I cannot answer that question." Whitehurst replied, gulping audibly as Zarana inched a little closer until she was practically face to face with him.
"Do you have a special someone?" Zarana asked, stroking the line of his throat.
"I cannot answer that question." Whitehurst said.
"Your feminine charms aren't getting any information sister, we've been at this game with Corporal Whitehurst for nearly two hours." Zartan replied.
Whitehurst was a mess, bruises crisscrossed his face, and blood trickled from a possibly broken nose. Zartan and Zarana had been doing the bad cop good cop routine with him for hours and he only answered with his name, rank, birth date, and serial number. Road Pig, the big guy, had broken his right leg at the start of the interrogation and now fat boy was off to go tell the boss about the prisoner they captured. Zartan kicked Whitehurst's broken leg.
"He'll yield eventually. Most men yield to a woman's feminine wiles." Zarana replied.
"His accomplice could already be getting away." Zartan said, "You two, take him outside and if his friends don't show themselves, kill him."
The two Heartless dragged Whitehurst from the farm house and into a clearing. Whitehurst hoped to God Bilby followed the plan and wouldn't do anything stupid like reveal himself. He felt strangely peaceful, totally serene despite the path his life was taking. He didn't even feel all that much after that extreme terror after Zartan ordered the Heartless to kill him. It was almost as if he realized the inevitability of it all.
~ ~ ~ ~
Bilby's sick feeling in his gut revealed itself when he saw a bruised and battered Whitehurst dragged from the farm house kneeling in its front lawn. Two Heartless drones had him under guard. Bilby debated shooting the pistol holder and then the other guard and hoping Whitehurst could run for cover in time. He knew that couldn't happen. By the way his right leg hung, Bilby could tell Whitehurst had broken it.
"Tell him to show himself." The Heartless drone demanded, holding a 9mm Makarov to his head.
"Fuck you." Whitehurst said, with a defiant sneer. He spat blood, mucus and saliva onto the foot of the other guard.
"No, Corporal Whitehurst, fuck you." The pistol wielder said and squeezed of a single round into Whitehurst's brain.
"Fuck you both." Bilby replied and squeezed off a single round into the pistol wielder's head.
The other Heartless had only a second to move before Bilby shot him through the head again. Suddenly gunfire erupted from the house. Bilby wasn't worried, they couldn't have drawn a bead on him. He waited until the gunman in the house reloaded and when Zartan raised his head he squeezed off a bullet into his forehead.
"Time to go." Bilby remarked after he fired a bullet into the engine of the vehicle parked in front of the farm house and started running. He could feel guilty later. Whitehurst and Tallman were dead, there was nothing he could do to help them, just like he couldn't do anything for the people on the Titan mission.
~ ~ ~ ~
"What is it Road Pig?" Major Bludd asked.
"We captured one of those three guys you were chasing." Road Pig replied.
"We got another of them." Major Bludd said, pointing to the sprawled corpse of a short, muscular black man lying on the desert floor.
"That means there's only one of them. I believe Copperhead needs more men to chase down those five other members of this team." The Heartless drone replied.
"I don't work for your boss Heartless." Major Bludd replied.
"We can handle one fleeing man low on ammunition." The Heartless replied, "And I believe that Copperhead needs all the help he can get."
The COBRA troops moved out, following Major Bludd toward Copperhead's position when the radio crackled, "Major Bludd, this is Zarana. Zartan down.'
"Zarana, have you got a fix on that third soldier?" Major Bludd replied.
"He's moving north, towards the GI Joe base." Zarana replied.
"Very well. The Heartless are sending more troops to help you. The rest of us are going to help Copperhead." Major Bludd said, with distaste for the order. He vented the distaste by kicking Tallman's corpse, "Not so dangerous now are we."
Major Bludd and his troops jumped onto their APCs and drove off to the roadblock where Copperhead had billeted himself.
"There's only one way they could be going, north." Copperhead replied, "I've already alerted every guard post to be on maximum alert for our five rogues."
Major Bludd surveyed the damage. The four bodies had been moved already, and there were bullet holes all over the place from when the car had driven through the barricade with guns blazing.
"Reinforce the checkpoints along the northern route. Send the majority of the troops to the firebase bordering GI Joe territory." Major Bludd replied, "We'll catch those bastards and ensure that GI Joe doesn't find out about our alliance with the Heartless."
~ ~ ~ ~
What will happen to the six remaining men of Kilo Two Zero? When will they meet the Joes? More importantly, how will the Joes react to know that a new foe that is threatening to cover the world with a shroud of darkness is in the area? Or will GI Joe find out? The answers coming next chapter.
Disclaimer: Same as before.
~ ~ ~ ~
Elsewhere Captain Fetterman could see troops chasing after them, lead by a fellow with a green mask and helmet.
"Stoney, Morgan, you're up!" Fetterman shouted.
Stoney was firing steadily, forget being conservative, there was at least a platoon facing them. He put about a half dozen rounds into a black robed Heartless drone that had gotten too close. He pulled his .45 handgun from his belt kit and shot another one.
Meanwhile Dave was shooting double tap shots into COBRA vipers and Heartless drones as appeared. Fetterman fired a couple 203 grenades just as Rumpler tossed down a couple smoke grenades, allowing the five men a temporary respite.
"That cave's a good LUP." Fetterman said, "Sarge, take Link and secure it. I'll create a perimeter with Morgan and Stoney."
"Cave's good to go. It's got a back way we can go out." Rumpler said, poking his head above the hole.
"Lay up here for the rest of the day. Sleep in shifts, tonight we get moving again under cover of darkness." Fetterman said.
"God its cold." Dave groaned, "Can we light a fire."
"Negative. We light a fire, we're a beacon for every COBRA and Heartless within a thousand miles." Fetterman replied.
"He's right." Rumpler replied, "We've lost a majority of our warm clothes when we jettisoned our packs."
"How are we for rations, ammo, and water?" Fetterman asked.
"Rations, we've got enough for two maybe three days at most. Water, maybe one day's worth. Ammo, we've got enough for maybe a day if we bump into another big patrol like last time." Rumpler replied.
"Stoney, you and Morgan take second watch. Relieve me and Sarge at 1600 and we move out at 1800."
"Yes sir." Morgan replied. ~ ~ ~ ~
Copperhead picked up a rucksack dropped by the five men that he and the combined patrol had been chasing. "Warm clothes, MREs, extra water and ammunition, even a few 66mm rockets. They've lost most of their rations, water, and heavy weapons. If they meet another vehicle unit, they won't be able to shoot it up like they did earlier today. We'll let time wear them out. The cold should force them to stay moving or risk hypothermia. We can get them then."
"Excellent planning Copperhead." Said one of the Heartless, a grim reaper look alike with a sickle.
"I'll send patrols out to the east and west, meanwhile let's set up camp and see if we can't catch these men taking the high road." Copperhead replied, "But if the cold doesn't get them, they'll move by night, they stand less of a chance of being detected."
~ ~ ~ ~
"Tall, what've you got left?" Bilby asked.
"I've got two more 200 round drums and six thirty round magazines." Tallman replied, "I've also got four .45 pistol mags."
"Whitehurst?" Bilby asked.
"I've got five thirty round magazines, six 40mm grenades, and four .45 pistol mags."
"I've got five full twenty round magazines, one half full magazine, and about three .45 pistol magazines. Whitehurst, this is your lucky day, I saved three 40mm grenades from the bergens." Bilby replied.
"Thanks." Whitehurst replied.
"Lets hole up in that crevice right there and not move until sunset. We've got more of a chance of sneaking out in the dark." Bilby replied.
~ ~ ~ ~
Morgan's chattering teeth were getting worse. The kid was freezing, hugging his arms for meager warmth. "Sarge, sandwich the kid between you and Link, I'll take over his watch."
"Sir." Stoney whispered, "I hold a patrol, at least ten guys, five Heartless and five COBRAs closing towards our position."
"Damn it!" Fetterman said, "We can't stay here. Sarge, get everyone ready to move out."
"Roger that sir." Rumpler replied.
"Move out. Link, you and Sarge take Morgan, we'll cover your ass." Fetterman replied.
The five men snuck silently into the sunset, it seemed they were about to sneak out from under the noses of the Heartless when they were spotted. "Fire! Fire!"
At about the same time the Heartless opened fire. "Link, Stoney, lay down a base of fire!"
"Sarge, cover me, I'll get Morgan." Fetterman replied.
"Can you walk Morgan? Fetterman asked.
"Y-yes sir." Morgan replied.
Sergeant Rumpler was shooting steadily at the ten man patrol which had suddenly summoned up another ten reinforcements.
"Fire and withdraw, you know the drill. Link, start us of, Sarge, follow Link, then I'll follow Sarge. Morgan, follow my shooting." Fetterman replied.
"Go!" Fetterman replied, "Fire! Fire!"
Link was firing steadily, in short bursts that hit Heartless or COBRAs that found themselves in his sights. "I'm out! Reloading!" Link replied running like hell behind Rumpler.
Rumpler fired off rounds as he chose targets carefully, killing three more Heartless with double tap shots. "Shit! They've got snowmobiles sir!" Rumpler shouted, taking one out with a 40mm grenade through the motor.
"I'm out! Reloading!" Rumpler shouted, leaping over a snow covered boulder.
Fetterman put a single 40mm grenade into the side of an ice saber, sending two vipers flying over a cliff. "Sarge, get Morgan out of here, Link cover Sarge, Stoney stay with me!" Fetterman shouted.
Rumpler had Morgan draped over his shoulder, the short sergeant with the massively developed upper body grunted under the weight. Fetterman was shooting three round bursts, and that meant that more troops had come after them. "I'm out! Reloading!"
Now Stoney was shooting steadily, normally Gamma machine gunners were trained to lay down highly accurate suppressive fire, achieving kills within three to four round bursts. The fact that Stoney was shooting steadily meant that more enemy troops were running after them.
"That plateau has quite a few dry washes we can hole up in sir. If we can hide up there, we're good." Rumpler shouted.
"Negative Sarge, we move we stay alive, we hold still, we die." Fetterman shouted.
~ ~ ~ ~
Bilby felt absolutely exhausted. For nearly forty eight hours now, with brief snatches of sleep in between, he had been fighting and running. Whitehurst and Tallman were short on MREs so he split his six remaining ones with them. Tallman was covering their rear with Whitehurst in the middle of the column and Bilby walking the front.
He checked his map, "According to this we go north by north west. We keep traveling in a zig zag pattern, hugging every creek bed and gully and every piece of cover."
"Any possibility we could rendezvous with Fetterman?" Whitehurst asked.
With his red light flash he looked at the map, "Fetterman's no fool; he'll avoid the main roads, because COBRA controls them as far as we're concerned. He'll travel this thing cross country so the chances of running into him are slim and none."
"Let's keep trekking. At sunrise, we go into that gully and we stay there. We can cover another fifteen to twenty miles if we keep going." Bilby replied.
Now Tallman was leading the group, he was the only one with night vision goggles. Aside from the night scope from his belt kit that Bilby bolted onto his rifle at dusk Tall was the only one with night vision on his person. The three men alternated with each other for point, tail end Charlie, and mid column.
They had been marching continuously; taking five to fifteen minute breaks every hour. Tallman raised his fist. The three men dropped to one knee. "What is it Tall?" Bilby asked.
"Heartless." Tallman whispered, running a hand past his curly black hair and pointing.
"Son of a bitch." Bilby whispered, as he put his night sight on them. There were at least a dozen of them camped beside a cluster of boulders leading into a nice stretch of broken country.
"Can we take 'em?" Whitehurst said.
"I'd try not too, considering we've got maybe two to six days walking ahead of us, I don't want to get us into another gunfight this time." Bilby replied.
Little did Bilby know that at least nine other Heartless were closing in behind them, nine grim reapers with sickles ready. That was until Whitehurst saw them and started shooting.
"Tall, take out those at the camp." Bilby shouted after he put a bullet through a Heartless standing closest to the camp fire. Tallman was shooting steadily into the camp, his machinegun tearing a swath into several surprised Heartless.
"Whitehurst, cover our ass!" Bilby shouted, jumping over a sand berm.
"Reloading!" Whitehurst shouted.
"I've gotcha covered!" Tallman shouted.
The three men ducked behind a rock. They all reloaded full magazines into their weapons and slowly checked the Heartless encampment. "Clear!" Tallman said.
"Whitehurst, see if you can't raise anyone by that radio." Bilby said.
"Got it." Whitehurst said as he headed.
"Patrol, this is Major Bludd, radio check, over." The radio sparked to life.
"Fuck!" Whitehurst said.
"Uh, this is patrol, we killed them." Whitehurst said, impersonating a Heartless.
Suddenly the voice of another Heartless came over the radio, "Who is this? What unit are you with?"
"I wasn't enjoying the conversation anyway!" Whitehurst shouted, as he put a bullet through the radio, "Bilby we're gonna have company."
"Damn it!" Bilby shouted as they fled into the canyon, "I'll cover you guys and give me a shout when you've run past me."
Whitehurst and Tallman, hugging the rocks as cover ran from rock to rock, covering each other until Tall reached Bilby. Just as Whitehurst was getting up to run, two vehicles stopped at the encampment. It was a five ton flatbed truck.
Whitehurst was cut off, about twenty feet of open ground was between him and where Tallman and Bilby were holed up. At least twenty COBRA soldiers and as many Heartless came out of the trucks, a group of about ten was heading for them. Copperhead was directing the troops to search the encampment.
Bilby tracked them through his telescopic sight. With any luck they wouldn't find anything. "Oh shit." Bilby moaned as one of them got about four feet from where Whitehurst was and had its weapon pointed at his chest.
Bilby squeezed the trigger, and black blood from the Heartless splattered onto the rock as the creature took a 7.62 bullet though the head. "Run Whitehurst! Run!" Bilby shouted.
Tallman was now shooting as well as Whitehurst and Bilby took positions to his rear, entering the ravine. As soon as Bilby ran past him and Whitehurst was in position, Tallman pelted to the next patch of cover, behind Whitehurst. Now Whitehurst was firing, relying solely on his excellent night vision and keen marksmanship.
The trucks couldn't go through the ravine, so vehicle chases weren't an issue. But still they made good targets. Whitehurst launched a 203 bomb at each truck, aiming for the engine block. The first truck took a hit to the tire and lost a wheel. The second was struck in the fuel tank with a huge fireball explosion.
"Hot damn! Good shooting Whitehurst!" Bilby shouted as Whitehurst ran past him.
Bilby and Whitehurst were firing single shots at the Heartless drones, simultaneously keeping their heads down or trying to kill them. Tallman's shooting was done conservatively in three and five round bursts at any clustered groups. The three men successfully broke contact with the enemy patrol as they fled into the ravine. Bilby was to the rear of the formation with Whitehurst in the front and Tall in the middle.
Meanwhile, Major Bludd walked up the Heartless patrol leader that had been talking to him in the canyon a day earlier. "How were three 'scared running boys' able to shoot up at least twenty of your troops?"
"Patience, each fight drains their ammunition, and forces them to keep running. We'll tire them out and when they are unable to fight well we can capture or kill them at our leisure." The Heartless replied.
"Copperhead's got that other group running for their lives too." Major Bludd replied, "But don't even think about squandering my vipers the way you squander your drones."
"Don't worry Major, once we draw them into the open at the end of the ravine, they can be destroyed." The Heartless replied.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Our best chance lies in hijacking a vehicle and driving to the Slaughterhouse." Fetterman said as they hunkered down in a roadside ditch, "Morgan's in too bad a way to keep on trying this out on foot. Stoney, you and Sarge watch the south end of that road, the rest of us will get some shut eye."
"Yes sir." Stoney replied.
About three hours passed before Stoney said, "Captain, I see a vehicle coming this way."
"What is it?" Fetterman asked.
"It's a Buick." Stoney laughed, "It's got that same snake seal on the side of it that those COBRA bozos were wearing."
Sergeant Rumpler immediately stepped up on the road, waving his arms. The motorist stopped the car. Inside the car were two Crimson Guards. Suddenly the Crimson Guards found themselves facing five M-16s and SAWs pointing at their heads. They raised their hands in surrender as Link and Stoney flex cuffed their hands and feet.
"I'll drive sir." Rumpler said.
Stoney and Link sat on either side of Morgan in the back seat with Fetterman in the front and Sarge driving. Sarge lead footed the gas pedal, eager to put some distance between himself and pursuit. "Any chance of running into Bilby and the others?" Fetterman asked.
"No sir. If their smart, they're staying off the road and moving north on foot." Rumpler replied.
"Shit." Fetterman said. "Checkpoint."
There was a check point manned by about six COBRA and Heartless guards with a Humvee. "Stoney, Link, get ready. Sarge when, not if, they find out who we are, step on the gas and blast them to hell."
"I'm on it sir." Rumpler said, putting his weapon on the open window.
"Ready, go!" Fetterman shouted just as they approached the checkpoint.
Every weapon in the car opened up as they sped past, the three surviving guards were firing at the car as Rumpler gunned the engine with Stoney standing half way out of the sunroof firing his SAW in short accurate bursts that took down a fourth guard and forced the other two into a concrete shed.
~ ~ ~ ~
Copperhead cut the plastic flex cuffs off the two Crimson Guard officers that had been ambushed by the five man patrol he had been tracking. "Where were they headed?" he asked.
"They were fleeing north, towards the GI Joe base." One of the Crimson Guards said.
At this time Copperhead's radio crackled, "This is Checkpoint Whiskey. We just had a drive by shooting five minutes ago. Requesting backup and medical evacuation."
"Permission granted." Copperhead replied, "Smart bastards the lot of them. Taking a vehicle and shooting their way through our checkpoints. Always knew they were too lightly defended."
~ ~ ~ ~
The ravine petered out and ended with open desert. Just as the three men thought they were clear they made contact with an eight man Heartless patrol. The Heartless got the first shot off, sending a bullet through Tallman's head. "Tallman!" Whitehurst shouted, heading for Tall.
"He's dead Whitehurst!" Bilby shouted, firing two rounds, killing two Heartless.
The pair ran, shooting their way to the next area of cover, a patch of cacti and mesquite trees. "Stay low. They can't find us if we shut up and stay quiet until nightfall." Bilby said.
"You're one to talk psycho! You left Tall behind." Whitehurst snapped.
"Whitehurst, Tall was already dead." Bilby hissed.
"Fuck you man! Is that how you survived Titan, leaving your buddy to rot." Whitehurst said.
Bilby hit him, "Don't you even fucking dare mention Titan. You weren't there. You didn't see your entire team, your buddies get killed right before your eyes."
"Hey, Bilby, I see a rancher ahead." Whitehurst said, "I'll make contact with him, I'll give him our cover story. If I'm not back in two hours, make for the Slaughterhouse."
"Gotcha." Bilby said. It was 1400, two o'clock in the afternoon when Whitehurst broke cover to make contact with the rancher who took him into his barn. Bilby had a distinctly sour feeling in his gut. Something wasn't right. That rancher was in the right place at seemingly the right time.
~ ~ ~ ~
"So what's your name again soldier?" Zartan asked the prisoner.
"Whitehurst, Andrew."
"What's your rank?" Zartan asked.
"Corporal."
"Serial number?" Zartan asked.
"136-45-7144."
"Date of Birth?" Zartan asked.
"9 May 1982."
"How many men were with you?" Zartan asked, taking off the cowboy hat.
"I'm sorry I can't answer that question." Whitehurst replied. He got butt stroked by a Heartless for his trouble.
"Name?" Zartan asked.
"Whitehurst, Andrew."
Zarana walked into the room, "Do you prefer Andy, or do you just go by Andrew?"
"I'm sorry, I can't answer that question." Whitehurst replied.
"C'mon." Zarana purred seductively, moving closer to the chair Whitehurst was tied to. She straddled his lap, "You must have a name someone special calls you."
"I cannot answer that question." Whitehurst replied, gulping audibly as Zarana inched a little closer until she was practically face to face with him.
"Do you have a special someone?" Zarana asked, stroking the line of his throat.
"I cannot answer that question." Whitehurst said.
"Your feminine charms aren't getting any information sister, we've been at this game with Corporal Whitehurst for nearly two hours." Zartan replied.
Whitehurst was a mess, bruises crisscrossed his face, and blood trickled from a possibly broken nose. Zartan and Zarana had been doing the bad cop good cop routine with him for hours and he only answered with his name, rank, birth date, and serial number. Road Pig, the big guy, had broken his right leg at the start of the interrogation and now fat boy was off to go tell the boss about the prisoner they captured. Zartan kicked Whitehurst's broken leg.
"He'll yield eventually. Most men yield to a woman's feminine wiles." Zarana replied.
"His accomplice could already be getting away." Zartan said, "You two, take him outside and if his friends don't show themselves, kill him."
The two Heartless dragged Whitehurst from the farm house and into a clearing. Whitehurst hoped to God Bilby followed the plan and wouldn't do anything stupid like reveal himself. He felt strangely peaceful, totally serene despite the path his life was taking. He didn't even feel all that much after that extreme terror after Zartan ordered the Heartless to kill him. It was almost as if he realized the inevitability of it all.
~ ~ ~ ~
Bilby's sick feeling in his gut revealed itself when he saw a bruised and battered Whitehurst dragged from the farm house kneeling in its front lawn. Two Heartless drones had him under guard. Bilby debated shooting the pistol holder and then the other guard and hoping Whitehurst could run for cover in time. He knew that couldn't happen. By the way his right leg hung, Bilby could tell Whitehurst had broken it.
"Tell him to show himself." The Heartless drone demanded, holding a 9mm Makarov to his head.
"Fuck you." Whitehurst said, with a defiant sneer. He spat blood, mucus and saliva onto the foot of the other guard.
"No, Corporal Whitehurst, fuck you." The pistol wielder said and squeezed of a single round into Whitehurst's brain.
"Fuck you both." Bilby replied and squeezed off a single round into the pistol wielder's head.
The other Heartless had only a second to move before Bilby shot him through the head again. Suddenly gunfire erupted from the house. Bilby wasn't worried, they couldn't have drawn a bead on him. He waited until the gunman in the house reloaded and when Zartan raised his head he squeezed off a bullet into his forehead.
"Time to go." Bilby remarked after he fired a bullet into the engine of the vehicle parked in front of the farm house and started running. He could feel guilty later. Whitehurst and Tallman were dead, there was nothing he could do to help them, just like he couldn't do anything for the people on the Titan mission.
~ ~ ~ ~
"What is it Road Pig?" Major Bludd asked.
"We captured one of those three guys you were chasing." Road Pig replied.
"We got another of them." Major Bludd said, pointing to the sprawled corpse of a short, muscular black man lying on the desert floor.
"That means there's only one of them. I believe Copperhead needs more men to chase down those five other members of this team." The Heartless drone replied.
"I don't work for your boss Heartless." Major Bludd replied.
"We can handle one fleeing man low on ammunition." The Heartless replied, "And I believe that Copperhead needs all the help he can get."
The COBRA troops moved out, following Major Bludd toward Copperhead's position when the radio crackled, "Major Bludd, this is Zarana. Zartan down.'
"Zarana, have you got a fix on that third soldier?" Major Bludd replied.
"He's moving north, towards the GI Joe base." Zarana replied.
"Very well. The Heartless are sending more troops to help you. The rest of us are going to help Copperhead." Major Bludd said, with distaste for the order. He vented the distaste by kicking Tallman's corpse, "Not so dangerous now are we."
Major Bludd and his troops jumped onto their APCs and drove off to the roadblock where Copperhead had billeted himself.
"There's only one way they could be going, north." Copperhead replied, "I've already alerted every guard post to be on maximum alert for our five rogues."
Major Bludd surveyed the damage. The four bodies had been moved already, and there were bullet holes all over the place from when the car had driven through the barricade with guns blazing.
"Reinforce the checkpoints along the northern route. Send the majority of the troops to the firebase bordering GI Joe territory." Major Bludd replied, "We'll catch those bastards and ensure that GI Joe doesn't find out about our alliance with the Heartless."
~ ~ ~ ~
What will happen to the six remaining men of Kilo Two Zero? When will they meet the Joes? More importantly, how will the Joes react to know that a new foe that is threatening to cover the world with a shroud of darkness is in the area? Or will GI Joe find out? The answers coming next chapter.
