The One that Got Away
Disclaimer: Same as before.
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Camp X-Ray Egyptian Desert 7 May 2003 1100 Local Time
"Commander, Colonel." Said an American officer, "Captain Martin Guiterrez, US Army, our detainee is in that tent."
Harm and Mac, both wearing BDUs, walked into the tent to see a young man wearing a brown t-shirt and desert camouflage trousers. Looking at the man you could easily have mistaken him for an American, no wonder the US troops here thought he was one at first. His fatigue jacket, German Army peaked field cap and canteen are at the base of his cot.
He was a lean, compact and muscular fellow, or rather had been. Six days on the run made him appear bedraggled and exhausted, his brown eyes were sunken and his black hair disheveled. He came to attention smartly when he recognized that two officers had walked into the tent accompanied by an MP carrying a burlap sack that contained his gear.
"As you were." Mac said.
"Corporal Danilov, this is Commander Harmon Rabb and Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, US Navy and Marine Corps respectively." Captain Guiterrez began.
Harm had seen pictures of the man in his uncle's office, he looked like he had lost weight, definitely not the compact, muscular framed man he had been six days ago. Mac opened the burlap sack removing a US issue desert camouflage smock, a set of Black Hawk webbing gear that the soldier likely ordered from a catalog, and a CAR-15/M203 combination broken down into components.
"What were you doing in the Sinai corporal?" Mac asked, examining the pieces of gear with an expert eye. Already she deduced that the soldier was too heavily armed to be part of a reconnaissance operation. In the webbing she found three M-16 magazines, still fully loaded, one phosphorous grenade, a knife and what looked like a roll of detonation cord. There was also a standard issue medical pack that was depleted of supplies and contained empty magazines, pieces of an MRE, and a 203 grenade with a dented primer. There was also what appeared to be two syrettes of morphine around his neck with his dog tags.
"Sergeant?" Mac said to the MP, "Might I ask why there is improperly stored live ordinance in this medical pack?"
"We didn't find it ma'am. We assumed it was standard US issue and didn't bother to check." The sergeant replied.
"Well next time, be more careful." Mac said, handing the sergeant the dud M203 grenade with Israeli markings on it. The sergeant paled and headed off to the ordinance tent as fast as he could run.
"Field medic?" Harm asked.
"Yes sir. And as to my mission in the Sinai, I am not permitted by Israeli law to release details without authorization, ma'am." Martin replied.
Harm handed him a sealed envelop with the Israeli state seal. The soldier opened it and said, "I'll have to be in a secure area before I can release the information in question sir."
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 1900 Local Time
After being scrutinized by checkpoint after checkpoint to get to the Moussad building, Harm and Mac climbed out of the Israeli jeep. An Israeli soldier walked up to the two Americans clad in civilian clothing and handed them each a flak jacket. He had been briefed to ask no questions and lead them toward a compound protected by a chain link fence twelve feet high and topped with coils of razor and concertina wire. After going through yet another half dozen check points with both uniformed and plain clothed Israeli guards frisking them they reached Martin.
He was sitting in a room that was bare save for the table, two chairs and an assortment of writing utensils and paper. Again the soldier showed his discipline by coming to attention when the two officers entered.
He now wore the same standard issue olive drab fatigues worn by all soldiers of the Israeli Army. The white flag with the two blue stripes and blue Star of David was worn on his shoulder as well. His brown beret that showed him to be a former member of the Sarayet Golany (Reconnaissance element for the Israeli Golany infantry brigade) was on the table.
"Corporal, would you mind telling us what exactly your mission was in the Sinai." Harm began.
"Yes sir." Martin replied, "It started two weeks ago when two soldiers were killed by what the Egyptians claimed was misfired tactical cruise missile when it landed on their outpost."
"How do you know it wasn't an accident?" Mac interjected.
"Ma'am, because they claimed about half a dozen supposed, 'accidental launches' and 'tests gone wrong' to us for weeks." Martin replied.
"When did you receive orders to slip into Egypt?" Mac replied.
"Almost immediately after," Martin replied, "Tacit encrypted messages were sent to our special forces units on the Egyptian frontier. Our air force was on standby with ordinance loaded and pilots ready to scramble. We had three major patrols ready to slip behind Egyptian lines to take out the mobile launchers. Ours was first to go in and ascertain the location of the missiles."
Israeli Air Field 10 Miles From the Egyptian Border 27 April 2003 1000 Local Time
"Two Israeli soldiers died yesterday when the Egyptian Cobra mobile tactical cruise missile system test being conducted in the Sinai Desert went wrong." Stuart Dunston's voice sounded on the tiny television in the hangar that housed several Israeli Special Forces detachments.
"That's bullshit if I ever heard it." Avi remarked, leaning on the spindly framed folding chair he sprawled into.
"The Egyptians claim that the Cobra Tactical Cruise Missile system is going through guidance system failures and the missiles consistently overshoot their intended targets." Dunston continued, as footage of a group of prefab buildings in the Sinai that was the missile's intended target appeared on screen with the missile flying far and away and landing on an Israeli outpost about six miles downrange.
"They always claim that they're tests gone wrong." Benjamin remarked, sitting atop his cot.
"And where, coincidentally do they land, close to our border, or sometimes inside it." Whitehurst replied.
"I'd say it's definite that the Egyptians are flexing their muscles again." Martin replied, "They still are pretty pissed about Yom Kippur and the Six Day War."
"I'd say you're right." David Beditzko replied as he walked into the hangar with a sealed manila envelope under one arm. He made a gesture to circle up his team and said, "We're going in boys."
"It's about time." Avi remarked.
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 7 May 2003 1920 Local Time
"What did you do in the mean time?" Harm replied.
"The usual routine of planning, scrounging kits we wanted or needed from other teams. Because we had so many other teams around the border, and also the current problems here in Gaza and the West Bank there were shortages of supplies. We didn't even have any 203 grenades for the first couple days and we each had a couple magazines of 5.56 mm ammunition sir." Martin replied.
"What was your plan for your incursion?" Mac began.
"We started our planning after we made sure we got our hands on some ammunition and zeroed our weapons ma'am." Martin replied.
Israeli Air Field 10 Miles From the Egyptian Border 27 April 2003 1100 Local Time
Whitehurst, Hedaya, Ari, and Ali were firing bursts from the Minimi light machineguns on the impromptu firing range, making corrections to the sights to suit each individual carrying the weapon in question.
Meanwhile, Beditzko, Danilov, Makhal, and Prideaux fired their 203s, first zeroing the assault rifle components and then firing the 40mm 203 grenades downrange to test for accuracy of the azimuth sights that they had gotten their hands on.
"How do you plan to insert, vehicles?" Makhal asked.
"No, it'll be too hard to conceal them and we'd have to station two guys around them at all times. We're short handed enough as is, operations in Gaza already took four of our guys to help with the situation around here." Beditzko replied, "We'll go in by helicopter and travel on foot."
"How are we for ammo?" Makhal asked.
"Working on it. I've already got Martin and Gerard negotiating with Blue Team for some ammunition. I've already got enough 203 grenades to give each man in the patrol twelve grenades." Beditzko replied.
"I also have about 200 rounds of 5.56 for a Minimi, I can give fifty extra rounds to each machine gunner." Makhal replied.
"There's the matter of cover stories if the Egyptians capture us." Beditzko added, "I know we use American issue desert camouflage so we can claim we're an American trained unit. They already would figure out were Israelis so that's gonna be inevitable."
"Yeah, I can just picture dying in a pool of my own piss...." Avi growled cynically, "That last round in my weapon is for me if it comes down to that."
"If need be I'll do us all in." Martin replied, lugging a box of British made W12 White Phosphorous incendiary grenades.
"Where in Gideon's name did you get those?" Beditzko asked.
"I managed to do a little fast talking and gave up a little bit of my medical kit stockpile to the supply sergeant and he said he had something we could definitely use." Martin replied.
"That means we each get six of these babies, plus six regular grenades, a dozen 203 bombs and as for ammo the riflemen I can give them ten magazines of 30 rounds. The machine gunners each get a total of 690 rounds apiece." David replied, "I just saw Benjamin and Gerard carrying cases of 5.56, we're set to go."
"Now about our cover story, we're a medical rescue unit. If we're asked why we have American made fatigues, we'll say we were on exercise with them and trying out their desert camouflage pattern." Beditzko replied.
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 7 May 2003 1950 Local Time
"So let me get this straight, if you were captured you were going to either shoot yourselves or give a cover story that you were an Israeli air rescue unit?" Mac asked, "And the fact that you weren't dressed like ordinary Israeli soldiers meant that they would have figured out you were some sort of Special Forces team from the outset."
"Yes ma'am." Martin replied, "The Egyptians aren't too fond of Israelis these days. And it's mutual."
Suddenly there was a commotion just outside the door as a group of Israelis ran toward a small TV that was in the living room of the Moussad safe house. The three occupants of the interrogation room watched the latest broadcast of ZNN.
"Tensions have risen dramatically in the Sinai Desert since Egyptian authorities mention that fifty-eight Egyptian soldiers were killed by an Israeli Special Forces unit that crept into their territory." Stuart Dunston began, the camera showing pictures of the APC and trucks and Egyptian medics carrying off the bodies of their dead wrapped in blankets. About half a dozen wailing Egyptian women in black abayas shouted their grief and epithets towards Israel.
"Egypt accuses Israel of violating a 1973 truce with this raid." Dunston began, as off camera a messenger handed him a message, "All foreign nationals are encouraged to leave Egypt immediately. We've just received word that an Israeli soldier was picked up by an American unit in the Sinai and transported back to Israel."
"Damn him." Mac growled under her breath. Harm stirred uncomfortably at the memories of Stuart Dunston, who somehow had gotten his hands on sensitive information, "Doesn't he know he's throwing gasoline on a fire."
Harm knew whenever Mac got that way, it was usually best to get out of her way, "Hey Ninja Girl, I'm gonna go give Jesse a call, let him know his nephew's still alive and safe in Israeli territory."
Not really paying attention, Mac waved him off and Harm managed to get one of the Israeli intelligence personnel to let him use the phone.
"Corporal, where's the rest of your patrol?" Mac asked.
"We were separated on the night of May 2nd in a night sand storm. After it died down, I found myself alone with Avi and Benjamin. I don't know where the rest of the unit went." Martin said, guilt creasing his features. He indicated a mountain range on a map he took from his pocket, "At this mountain range we decided to go take cover in, because there were two experienced mountaineers in our party, myself and Avi. Benjamin wasn't experienced at all in mountaineering..."
Sinai Desert 2 May 2003 0030 Local Time
The men of the Red Witch patrol had been on the run for quite some time now. Over twelve hours had passed since contact was made with the Egyptian reinforced platoon. They had since abandoned their packs using only what they had in their belt kits. The sandstorm whipped up through the cold desert night with forceful surprise as Whitehurst tried to use the radio again to contact an Israeli F-15 that was flying a few miles away.
Benjamin suddenly keeled over with exhaustion. "Medic!" David shouted.
Martin sprang over, carrying his med kit and 203. The kid lay on his back, his skin cold and clammy and tongue thick. "He's badly dehydrated." Martin said, and mixing an electrolyte powder with the contents of one of his canteens he put the mix into Haru's mouth. The kid seemed to be feeling stronger.
"Easy, easy, you just gave yourself heat exhaustion." Martin said.
"I forgot all about those stupid thermals." Benjamin said, "I'd worn them on some night ops, one of the boys from Blue Team traded them to me for my extra azimuth sight. They kept me warm on the ops, I usually don't wear them for deep reconnaissance."
"Keep forcing fluids on him. He's bound to be badly out of it." Martin replied.
"Take point Martin, Benjamin stay behind him, Avi you walk behind Benjamin. The rest of you fall in behind me." David replied. As they walked not more than three miles the sand storm whipped down upon them with sudden and violent intensity.
"David! Ramon!" came a shout through the sandstorm cloud.
Martin wrapped a shamag, a traditional Arab head covering, around his face to protect it from the sand that ground against every inch of exposed skin. "It's Martin! Benjamin, get over here!"
"See anyone else?" Benjamin asked as the two men took cover in the wadi.
Martin replied by aiming his 203 over the boy's shoulder. "It's Avi you asshole! You nearly shot me!"
"It's a good thing I didn't because you'd be dead right now." Martin replied.
"Have you seen Dave and the others?" Avi asked.
"No I haven't." Martin replied, "I thought you had."
"What do we do now?" Benjamin asked.
"Follow the evasion plan and head towards that American unit." Martin replied, pulling his map, "If we keep on tabbing all night and take cover during the day, we can get there in about two days at the most."
"There's one problem with your route Mr. Columbus, Benjamin isn't as skilled a mountaineer as you or I. And some of those trails are pretty treacherous. Let's use that pass to the south." Avi said, referring to some easier trails.
"That's the first place the Egyptians will look. Listen, we'll skirt through the mountains and deter the Egyptians a little and then we'll cut into the pass after we've snuck around their checkpoint." Martin replied.
"Got it." Avi replied, "I'll go behind the kid, give him a little push if need be."
"Quit saying that." Benjamin argued, "I'm nineteen years old, but that doesn't mean I'm incapable of enduring a little hardship."
"It's gonna get harder from here. Much harder." Martin replied, "Head west young man."
"That's cornier than Haru's impression of Humphrey Bogart." Benjamin remarked.
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 7 May 2003 1950 Local Time
"So you went into the mountains with an inexperienced climber carrying a light machinegun, ammo, and heavy kit?" Mac asked.
"Yes ma'am. We didn't have much of a choice. The Egyptians were bound to pick up our trail by dawn at the latest if they hadn't already." Martin replied.
Harm walked back over to the pair and joined in the conversation. As he did, Mac briefly got a whiff of his cologne and a mix of his sweat. "Mac," Harm said, "Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Mac said, "As I was about to say, the patrol got separated by a sandstorm their first night in the Sinai. And our friend and two of his fellow soldiers were the only ones to have found one another in the night."
Harm managed to catch himself staring at Mac long enough to say, "If he's here, where are the others?"
"It snowed in the mountains that night. We were tired enough that we had forgotten a basic tenet of mountaineering, stay together. We didn't tie in to each other, but as long as we stayed in a cave I discovered we could have avoided the snowfall. Unfortunately some Egyptian patrol had a similar idea." Martin replied, "After we exchanged shots and I donated them one of my white phosphorus grenades we cleared out of there like bats out of Hell."
Sinai Desert 3 May 2003 0130 Local Time
"Go! Go! Go!" Martin shouted as he fired a couple bursts at a group of Egyptian soldiers they had surprised inside a cave they tried to take cover in.
"Grenade!" Benjamin shouted, seeing a soup can shaped Soviet made ordinance fly their way. He kicked it back toward the Egyptians with Martin throwing a phosphorus grenade into their midst.
A solitary Egyptian raised his AK only to be shot three times by Avi's 203. Benjamin fired bursts of three to five rounds from his SAW to keep the Egyptians off their backs. The ones that weren't killed by the double grenade blast were most certainly killed by the accurate shooting of three surprised Israeli soldiers that through superior training recovered the initiative faster.
"Just what we needed. Snow!" Martin remarked, his teeth chattering. He wished to God that he hadn't left most of his rations in his now abandoned rucksack. Instead he put mostly water, ammunition and a couple bags of crackers and sticks of beef jerky and a couple granola bars in his webbing and on his person.
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 7 May 2003 2030 Local Time
"Mac! Watch out!" Harm shouted as a cylinder flew into the glass window.
"Harm, what are you...." Mac began just as Harm tackled her around the waist and simultaneously shoved Martin behind a couch.
The grenade exploded with a loud concussive bang. Thankfully no one was injured, but judging from the shooting just outside, the situation was clearly not good.
"Don't you think you should take me to dinner first?" Mac said, with a wry grin. The pair were lying on the concrete floor in each others arms for a bit too long after the blast.
Harm untangled himself from Mac, with a slightly flushed complexion as he peered out of the broken window. The Israeli guards had shot two Palestinian youths. One of them fished an explosive filled vest out of one of the bodies and another grenade from the second corpse. Whatever happened here was about to get uglier, if that violence was any indication.
JAG HQ Fall's Church, Va. 1130 Local Time 7 May 2003
"At least half a dozen suicide attacks have been either stopped or have occurred in the past three hours in the Gaza Strip and here in Cairo protestors and rioters have taken to the streets, clamoring for war against Israel." The ZNN broadcast began.
The Egyptians on screen were chanting "Down with the Israeli devils!" as they burned several effigies of Israeli soldiers. Rocks were thrown at the American Embassy as the Marines guarding it donned riot gear and fired tear gas into the mob. "They would have sent the special forces." Danilov said, "Especially the Mobile Command Teams, which my nephew belongs."
"Petty Officer Tiner. Yes sir, he's right here. Colonel Danilov?"
"Yes Mr. Tiner." Danilov replied, and he felt an acid dread. Just because he was proud of his nephew, it didn't mean he approved the boy, young man, he said correcting himself, choice of career.
He allowed himself a breath of relief that Martin was alive and well. But he couldn't help but share the worries of his fellow JAG personnel because two of their best officers, and co-workers and to more than a few of the people in the bullpen, friends, were in the thick of things. Even in the barely forty-eight hours he had known Harm and Mac he knew that there was chemistry between the two that just was dying to be combusted. Like his nephew, he was a romantic through and through and he could see that Harm and Mac were destined soul mates. From Lieutenant Sims-Roberts and Commander Sturgis he was able to piece together much of the past few years they had with one another. He knew that if either of the two was killed, the other would be inconsolable and would be forever incomplete. And knowing full well the situation in Israel the likelihood of the above scenario rose above probable.
He just hoped that it would not come to pass.
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 7 May 2003 2300 Local Time
"Sir, ma'am, please forgive the accommodations if they are a little Spartan as we are pressed for space." The Israeli second lieutenant said as he opened the door to a spare bedroom that contained largely a lot of file cabinets shoved to one side and a couple of cots with blankets and pillows.
"We've had worse." Harm replied.
"Yes sir. I'll be down the hall if you need me." The lieutenant replied.
"Thank you lieutenant." Harm replied, "That will be all."
"Where would you rank this Mac?" Harm said, "In the categories of places where we've slept with each other."
Mac felt her cheeks flush as she saw Harm subtly wince. That didn't quite come out the way he wanted to say it. "I don't know Harm, I don't think we'd ever slept together."
"Mac, I was talking about sleeping with you in such close quarters." Harm replied, in protest, holding his hands up as the most beautiful sight in the Marine Corps advanced semi-menacingly on him.
"In terms of the worst places to sleep, I'd classify this with the USS Watertown or Afghanistan." Mac replied.
"That bad?" Harm replied, "My aren't we picky. Our Israeli friend slept in worse than this."
"Yes Harm, I'm aware of that. Now could you at least give me a minute of privacy?" Mac replied, as she pulled a gray USMC t-shirt and green sweat pants from her bag.
Harm turned around and after Mac's allotted time limit her turned around just as had pulled her t-shirt on. Even dressed as she was, Mac was definitely a beautiful woman. Harm always thought that of her.
"Now to be fair, Mac, could you grant me a minute of privacy." Harm replied.
Mac obligingly turned around and Harm briefly admired how her t-shirt clung to her frame in a few places. He slipped on a pair of his Naval Academy shorts and a generic gray t-shirt.
Mac turned around just in time to see Harm fumbling with the t-shirt that was a little tight for him. She could see his well chiseled abdomen and muscular arms and for a moment wondered what it would feel like to have those arms wrapped around her, like the time in Afghanistan when they shared body heat....
Not surprisingly both of them thought the same thing. 'I must be going crazy.'
~ ~ ~ ~
Up next, more of Martin's story, and the ante rises as Harm and Mac find themselves embroiled in a volatile Middle Eastern standoff in the midst of their investigation. Will one of them lose the other?
Disclaimer: Same as before.
~ ~ ~ ~
Camp X-Ray Egyptian Desert 7 May 2003 1100 Local Time
"Commander, Colonel." Said an American officer, "Captain Martin Guiterrez, US Army, our detainee is in that tent."
Harm and Mac, both wearing BDUs, walked into the tent to see a young man wearing a brown t-shirt and desert camouflage trousers. Looking at the man you could easily have mistaken him for an American, no wonder the US troops here thought he was one at first. His fatigue jacket, German Army peaked field cap and canteen are at the base of his cot.
He was a lean, compact and muscular fellow, or rather had been. Six days on the run made him appear bedraggled and exhausted, his brown eyes were sunken and his black hair disheveled. He came to attention smartly when he recognized that two officers had walked into the tent accompanied by an MP carrying a burlap sack that contained his gear.
"As you were." Mac said.
"Corporal Danilov, this is Commander Harmon Rabb and Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, US Navy and Marine Corps respectively." Captain Guiterrez began.
Harm had seen pictures of the man in his uncle's office, he looked like he had lost weight, definitely not the compact, muscular framed man he had been six days ago. Mac opened the burlap sack removing a US issue desert camouflage smock, a set of Black Hawk webbing gear that the soldier likely ordered from a catalog, and a CAR-15/M203 combination broken down into components.
"What were you doing in the Sinai corporal?" Mac asked, examining the pieces of gear with an expert eye. Already she deduced that the soldier was too heavily armed to be part of a reconnaissance operation. In the webbing she found three M-16 magazines, still fully loaded, one phosphorous grenade, a knife and what looked like a roll of detonation cord. There was also a standard issue medical pack that was depleted of supplies and contained empty magazines, pieces of an MRE, and a 203 grenade with a dented primer. There was also what appeared to be two syrettes of morphine around his neck with his dog tags.
"Sergeant?" Mac said to the MP, "Might I ask why there is improperly stored live ordinance in this medical pack?"
"We didn't find it ma'am. We assumed it was standard US issue and didn't bother to check." The sergeant replied.
"Well next time, be more careful." Mac said, handing the sergeant the dud M203 grenade with Israeli markings on it. The sergeant paled and headed off to the ordinance tent as fast as he could run.
"Field medic?" Harm asked.
"Yes sir. And as to my mission in the Sinai, I am not permitted by Israeli law to release details without authorization, ma'am." Martin replied.
Harm handed him a sealed envelop with the Israeli state seal. The soldier opened it and said, "I'll have to be in a secure area before I can release the information in question sir."
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 1900 Local Time
After being scrutinized by checkpoint after checkpoint to get to the Moussad building, Harm and Mac climbed out of the Israeli jeep. An Israeli soldier walked up to the two Americans clad in civilian clothing and handed them each a flak jacket. He had been briefed to ask no questions and lead them toward a compound protected by a chain link fence twelve feet high and topped with coils of razor and concertina wire. After going through yet another half dozen check points with both uniformed and plain clothed Israeli guards frisking them they reached Martin.
He was sitting in a room that was bare save for the table, two chairs and an assortment of writing utensils and paper. Again the soldier showed his discipline by coming to attention when the two officers entered.
He now wore the same standard issue olive drab fatigues worn by all soldiers of the Israeli Army. The white flag with the two blue stripes and blue Star of David was worn on his shoulder as well. His brown beret that showed him to be a former member of the Sarayet Golany (Reconnaissance element for the Israeli Golany infantry brigade) was on the table.
"Corporal, would you mind telling us what exactly your mission was in the Sinai." Harm began.
"Yes sir." Martin replied, "It started two weeks ago when two soldiers were killed by what the Egyptians claimed was misfired tactical cruise missile when it landed on their outpost."
"How do you know it wasn't an accident?" Mac interjected.
"Ma'am, because they claimed about half a dozen supposed, 'accidental launches' and 'tests gone wrong' to us for weeks." Martin replied.
"When did you receive orders to slip into Egypt?" Mac replied.
"Almost immediately after," Martin replied, "Tacit encrypted messages were sent to our special forces units on the Egyptian frontier. Our air force was on standby with ordinance loaded and pilots ready to scramble. We had three major patrols ready to slip behind Egyptian lines to take out the mobile launchers. Ours was first to go in and ascertain the location of the missiles."
Israeli Air Field 10 Miles From the Egyptian Border 27 April 2003 1000 Local Time
"Two Israeli soldiers died yesterday when the Egyptian Cobra mobile tactical cruise missile system test being conducted in the Sinai Desert went wrong." Stuart Dunston's voice sounded on the tiny television in the hangar that housed several Israeli Special Forces detachments.
"That's bullshit if I ever heard it." Avi remarked, leaning on the spindly framed folding chair he sprawled into.
"The Egyptians claim that the Cobra Tactical Cruise Missile system is going through guidance system failures and the missiles consistently overshoot their intended targets." Dunston continued, as footage of a group of prefab buildings in the Sinai that was the missile's intended target appeared on screen with the missile flying far and away and landing on an Israeli outpost about six miles downrange.
"They always claim that they're tests gone wrong." Benjamin remarked, sitting atop his cot.
"And where, coincidentally do they land, close to our border, or sometimes inside it." Whitehurst replied.
"I'd say it's definite that the Egyptians are flexing their muscles again." Martin replied, "They still are pretty pissed about Yom Kippur and the Six Day War."
"I'd say you're right." David Beditzko replied as he walked into the hangar with a sealed manila envelope under one arm. He made a gesture to circle up his team and said, "We're going in boys."
"It's about time." Avi remarked.
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 7 May 2003 1920 Local Time
"What did you do in the mean time?" Harm replied.
"The usual routine of planning, scrounging kits we wanted or needed from other teams. Because we had so many other teams around the border, and also the current problems here in Gaza and the West Bank there were shortages of supplies. We didn't even have any 203 grenades for the first couple days and we each had a couple magazines of 5.56 mm ammunition sir." Martin replied.
"What was your plan for your incursion?" Mac began.
"We started our planning after we made sure we got our hands on some ammunition and zeroed our weapons ma'am." Martin replied.
Israeli Air Field 10 Miles From the Egyptian Border 27 April 2003 1100 Local Time
Whitehurst, Hedaya, Ari, and Ali were firing bursts from the Minimi light machineguns on the impromptu firing range, making corrections to the sights to suit each individual carrying the weapon in question.
Meanwhile, Beditzko, Danilov, Makhal, and Prideaux fired their 203s, first zeroing the assault rifle components and then firing the 40mm 203 grenades downrange to test for accuracy of the azimuth sights that they had gotten their hands on.
"How do you plan to insert, vehicles?" Makhal asked.
"No, it'll be too hard to conceal them and we'd have to station two guys around them at all times. We're short handed enough as is, operations in Gaza already took four of our guys to help with the situation around here." Beditzko replied, "We'll go in by helicopter and travel on foot."
"How are we for ammo?" Makhal asked.
"Working on it. I've already got Martin and Gerard negotiating with Blue Team for some ammunition. I've already got enough 203 grenades to give each man in the patrol twelve grenades." Beditzko replied.
"I also have about 200 rounds of 5.56 for a Minimi, I can give fifty extra rounds to each machine gunner." Makhal replied.
"There's the matter of cover stories if the Egyptians capture us." Beditzko added, "I know we use American issue desert camouflage so we can claim we're an American trained unit. They already would figure out were Israelis so that's gonna be inevitable."
"Yeah, I can just picture dying in a pool of my own piss...." Avi growled cynically, "That last round in my weapon is for me if it comes down to that."
"If need be I'll do us all in." Martin replied, lugging a box of British made W12 White Phosphorous incendiary grenades.
"Where in Gideon's name did you get those?" Beditzko asked.
"I managed to do a little fast talking and gave up a little bit of my medical kit stockpile to the supply sergeant and he said he had something we could definitely use." Martin replied.
"That means we each get six of these babies, plus six regular grenades, a dozen 203 bombs and as for ammo the riflemen I can give them ten magazines of 30 rounds. The machine gunners each get a total of 690 rounds apiece." David replied, "I just saw Benjamin and Gerard carrying cases of 5.56, we're set to go."
"Now about our cover story, we're a medical rescue unit. If we're asked why we have American made fatigues, we'll say we were on exercise with them and trying out their desert camouflage pattern." Beditzko replied.
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 7 May 2003 1950 Local Time
"So let me get this straight, if you were captured you were going to either shoot yourselves or give a cover story that you were an Israeli air rescue unit?" Mac asked, "And the fact that you weren't dressed like ordinary Israeli soldiers meant that they would have figured out you were some sort of Special Forces team from the outset."
"Yes ma'am." Martin replied, "The Egyptians aren't too fond of Israelis these days. And it's mutual."
Suddenly there was a commotion just outside the door as a group of Israelis ran toward a small TV that was in the living room of the Moussad safe house. The three occupants of the interrogation room watched the latest broadcast of ZNN.
"Tensions have risen dramatically in the Sinai Desert since Egyptian authorities mention that fifty-eight Egyptian soldiers were killed by an Israeli Special Forces unit that crept into their territory." Stuart Dunston began, the camera showing pictures of the APC and trucks and Egyptian medics carrying off the bodies of their dead wrapped in blankets. About half a dozen wailing Egyptian women in black abayas shouted their grief and epithets towards Israel.
"Egypt accuses Israel of violating a 1973 truce with this raid." Dunston began, as off camera a messenger handed him a message, "All foreign nationals are encouraged to leave Egypt immediately. We've just received word that an Israeli soldier was picked up by an American unit in the Sinai and transported back to Israel."
"Damn him." Mac growled under her breath. Harm stirred uncomfortably at the memories of Stuart Dunston, who somehow had gotten his hands on sensitive information, "Doesn't he know he's throwing gasoline on a fire."
Harm knew whenever Mac got that way, it was usually best to get out of her way, "Hey Ninja Girl, I'm gonna go give Jesse a call, let him know his nephew's still alive and safe in Israeli territory."
Not really paying attention, Mac waved him off and Harm managed to get one of the Israeli intelligence personnel to let him use the phone.
"Corporal, where's the rest of your patrol?" Mac asked.
"We were separated on the night of May 2nd in a night sand storm. After it died down, I found myself alone with Avi and Benjamin. I don't know where the rest of the unit went." Martin said, guilt creasing his features. He indicated a mountain range on a map he took from his pocket, "At this mountain range we decided to go take cover in, because there were two experienced mountaineers in our party, myself and Avi. Benjamin wasn't experienced at all in mountaineering..."
Sinai Desert 2 May 2003 0030 Local Time
The men of the Red Witch patrol had been on the run for quite some time now. Over twelve hours had passed since contact was made with the Egyptian reinforced platoon. They had since abandoned their packs using only what they had in their belt kits. The sandstorm whipped up through the cold desert night with forceful surprise as Whitehurst tried to use the radio again to contact an Israeli F-15 that was flying a few miles away.
Benjamin suddenly keeled over with exhaustion. "Medic!" David shouted.
Martin sprang over, carrying his med kit and 203. The kid lay on his back, his skin cold and clammy and tongue thick. "He's badly dehydrated." Martin said, and mixing an electrolyte powder with the contents of one of his canteens he put the mix into Haru's mouth. The kid seemed to be feeling stronger.
"Easy, easy, you just gave yourself heat exhaustion." Martin said.
"I forgot all about those stupid thermals." Benjamin said, "I'd worn them on some night ops, one of the boys from Blue Team traded them to me for my extra azimuth sight. They kept me warm on the ops, I usually don't wear them for deep reconnaissance."
"Keep forcing fluids on him. He's bound to be badly out of it." Martin replied.
"Take point Martin, Benjamin stay behind him, Avi you walk behind Benjamin. The rest of you fall in behind me." David replied. As they walked not more than three miles the sand storm whipped down upon them with sudden and violent intensity.
"David! Ramon!" came a shout through the sandstorm cloud.
Martin wrapped a shamag, a traditional Arab head covering, around his face to protect it from the sand that ground against every inch of exposed skin. "It's Martin! Benjamin, get over here!"
"See anyone else?" Benjamin asked as the two men took cover in the wadi.
Martin replied by aiming his 203 over the boy's shoulder. "It's Avi you asshole! You nearly shot me!"
"It's a good thing I didn't because you'd be dead right now." Martin replied.
"Have you seen Dave and the others?" Avi asked.
"No I haven't." Martin replied, "I thought you had."
"What do we do now?" Benjamin asked.
"Follow the evasion plan and head towards that American unit." Martin replied, pulling his map, "If we keep on tabbing all night and take cover during the day, we can get there in about two days at the most."
"There's one problem with your route Mr. Columbus, Benjamin isn't as skilled a mountaineer as you or I. And some of those trails are pretty treacherous. Let's use that pass to the south." Avi said, referring to some easier trails.
"That's the first place the Egyptians will look. Listen, we'll skirt through the mountains and deter the Egyptians a little and then we'll cut into the pass after we've snuck around their checkpoint." Martin replied.
"Got it." Avi replied, "I'll go behind the kid, give him a little push if need be."
"Quit saying that." Benjamin argued, "I'm nineteen years old, but that doesn't mean I'm incapable of enduring a little hardship."
"It's gonna get harder from here. Much harder." Martin replied, "Head west young man."
"That's cornier than Haru's impression of Humphrey Bogart." Benjamin remarked.
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 7 May 2003 1950 Local Time
"So you went into the mountains with an inexperienced climber carrying a light machinegun, ammo, and heavy kit?" Mac asked.
"Yes ma'am. We didn't have much of a choice. The Egyptians were bound to pick up our trail by dawn at the latest if they hadn't already." Martin replied.
Harm walked back over to the pair and joined in the conversation. As he did, Mac briefly got a whiff of his cologne and a mix of his sweat. "Mac," Harm said, "Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Mac said, "As I was about to say, the patrol got separated by a sandstorm their first night in the Sinai. And our friend and two of his fellow soldiers were the only ones to have found one another in the night."
Harm managed to catch himself staring at Mac long enough to say, "If he's here, where are the others?"
"It snowed in the mountains that night. We were tired enough that we had forgotten a basic tenet of mountaineering, stay together. We didn't tie in to each other, but as long as we stayed in a cave I discovered we could have avoided the snowfall. Unfortunately some Egyptian patrol had a similar idea." Martin replied, "After we exchanged shots and I donated them one of my white phosphorus grenades we cleared out of there like bats out of Hell."
Sinai Desert 3 May 2003 0130 Local Time
"Go! Go! Go!" Martin shouted as he fired a couple bursts at a group of Egyptian soldiers they had surprised inside a cave they tried to take cover in.
"Grenade!" Benjamin shouted, seeing a soup can shaped Soviet made ordinance fly their way. He kicked it back toward the Egyptians with Martin throwing a phosphorus grenade into their midst.
A solitary Egyptian raised his AK only to be shot three times by Avi's 203. Benjamin fired bursts of three to five rounds from his SAW to keep the Egyptians off their backs. The ones that weren't killed by the double grenade blast were most certainly killed by the accurate shooting of three surprised Israeli soldiers that through superior training recovered the initiative faster.
"Just what we needed. Snow!" Martin remarked, his teeth chattering. He wished to God that he hadn't left most of his rations in his now abandoned rucksack. Instead he put mostly water, ammunition and a couple bags of crackers and sticks of beef jerky and a couple granola bars in his webbing and on his person.
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 7 May 2003 2030 Local Time
"Mac! Watch out!" Harm shouted as a cylinder flew into the glass window.
"Harm, what are you...." Mac began just as Harm tackled her around the waist and simultaneously shoved Martin behind a couch.
The grenade exploded with a loud concussive bang. Thankfully no one was injured, but judging from the shooting just outside, the situation was clearly not good.
"Don't you think you should take me to dinner first?" Mac said, with a wry grin. The pair were lying on the concrete floor in each others arms for a bit too long after the blast.
Harm untangled himself from Mac, with a slightly flushed complexion as he peered out of the broken window. The Israeli guards had shot two Palestinian youths. One of them fished an explosive filled vest out of one of the bodies and another grenade from the second corpse. Whatever happened here was about to get uglier, if that violence was any indication.
JAG HQ Fall's Church, Va. 1130 Local Time 7 May 2003
"At least half a dozen suicide attacks have been either stopped or have occurred in the past three hours in the Gaza Strip and here in Cairo protestors and rioters have taken to the streets, clamoring for war against Israel." The ZNN broadcast began.
The Egyptians on screen were chanting "Down with the Israeli devils!" as they burned several effigies of Israeli soldiers. Rocks were thrown at the American Embassy as the Marines guarding it donned riot gear and fired tear gas into the mob. "They would have sent the special forces." Danilov said, "Especially the Mobile Command Teams, which my nephew belongs."
"Petty Officer Tiner. Yes sir, he's right here. Colonel Danilov?"
"Yes Mr. Tiner." Danilov replied, and he felt an acid dread. Just because he was proud of his nephew, it didn't mean he approved the boy, young man, he said correcting himself, choice of career.
He allowed himself a breath of relief that Martin was alive and well. But he couldn't help but share the worries of his fellow JAG personnel because two of their best officers, and co-workers and to more than a few of the people in the bullpen, friends, were in the thick of things. Even in the barely forty-eight hours he had known Harm and Mac he knew that there was chemistry between the two that just was dying to be combusted. Like his nephew, he was a romantic through and through and he could see that Harm and Mac were destined soul mates. From Lieutenant Sims-Roberts and Commander Sturgis he was able to piece together much of the past few years they had with one another. He knew that if either of the two was killed, the other would be inconsolable and would be forever incomplete. And knowing full well the situation in Israel the likelihood of the above scenario rose above probable.
He just hoped that it would not come to pass.
Israeli Intelligence Field Office Somewhere in Gaza 7 May 2003 2300 Local Time
"Sir, ma'am, please forgive the accommodations if they are a little Spartan as we are pressed for space." The Israeli second lieutenant said as he opened the door to a spare bedroom that contained largely a lot of file cabinets shoved to one side and a couple of cots with blankets and pillows.
"We've had worse." Harm replied.
"Yes sir. I'll be down the hall if you need me." The lieutenant replied.
"Thank you lieutenant." Harm replied, "That will be all."
"Where would you rank this Mac?" Harm said, "In the categories of places where we've slept with each other."
Mac felt her cheeks flush as she saw Harm subtly wince. That didn't quite come out the way he wanted to say it. "I don't know Harm, I don't think we'd ever slept together."
"Mac, I was talking about sleeping with you in such close quarters." Harm replied, in protest, holding his hands up as the most beautiful sight in the Marine Corps advanced semi-menacingly on him.
"In terms of the worst places to sleep, I'd classify this with the USS Watertown or Afghanistan." Mac replied.
"That bad?" Harm replied, "My aren't we picky. Our Israeli friend slept in worse than this."
"Yes Harm, I'm aware of that. Now could you at least give me a minute of privacy?" Mac replied, as she pulled a gray USMC t-shirt and green sweat pants from her bag.
Harm turned around and after Mac's allotted time limit her turned around just as had pulled her t-shirt on. Even dressed as she was, Mac was definitely a beautiful woman. Harm always thought that of her.
"Now to be fair, Mac, could you grant me a minute of privacy." Harm replied.
Mac obligingly turned around and Harm briefly admired how her t-shirt clung to her frame in a few places. He slipped on a pair of his Naval Academy shorts and a generic gray t-shirt.
Mac turned around just in time to see Harm fumbling with the t-shirt that was a little tight for him. She could see his well chiseled abdomen and muscular arms and for a moment wondered what it would feel like to have those arms wrapped around her, like the time in Afghanistan when they shared body heat....
Not surprisingly both of them thought the same thing. 'I must be going crazy.'
~ ~ ~ ~
Up next, more of Martin's story, and the ante rises as Harm and Mac find themselves embroiled in a volatile Middle Eastern standoff in the midst of their investigation. Will one of them lose the other?