Chapter 4

"We need to take Barkov's airbase. This is the only way to the tarmac," Farah growled in frustration.

"I'm going to ram it," Hadir said.

"Let me."

Alex shifted and saw David walk up to the gate like he hadn't just been in a firefight. He noticed that Hadir was not looking too pleased about it but accepted the signal from Farah. He turned to check in, "3-1 to Watcher, we're moving to the tarmac. Where's that air support?"

"Clear," David ordered.

The explosion was enough to force the gate to slide open. David was first in to sweep the immediate area before signaling the others to follow. Alex could recognize a door breach and he was seeing that everything David hinted at to a military past was being confirmed.

Echo 3-1, CAS is inbound. Unmarked. ETA 5 minutes. This is risky Alex.

"No more risky than who I'm working with," he muttered. He followed the militia as they charged.

The one you mentioned?

"Yeah. Gut tells me he is more than meets the eye. But Commander Karim trusts him."

Then watch your back.

"Copy that." Alex had just rounded the corner when he was pushed towards cover. At that moment a chopper buzzed by in a strafing run. Some of the militia fighters were taken out. He could hear Farah and David shouting at them to get off the road. It was then he realized that it was David that pushed him out of the way. He looked at the man.

David knew that it would be bad if Alex were to die on this mission. He had explained it to Farah in private before they attacked the base. She took his thoughts into consideration and that was when he volunteered to make sure that nothing serious happened. Working with her and being with her group the past ten years gave him a pretty good feel of things and he knew her as a person.

This fight was a long one and it took its toll emotionally on some to the point that people forgot that they were human too. Hadir didn't like when he would suggest a reprieve every now and then, but eventually came around. In a way, it became his job to make sure that not only were the men, current and new, knew how to hold a gun and shoot, but the unofficial diplomat. It helped when they moved through the cities and villages and needed help.

With Alex in their group, there were big implications that Farah didn't readily see. She fought every day of her life. That was the reality. It was why she reacted the way she did when they first met with Alex, and he approached them for help. He understood that too. Looking at Alex he grinned, "Wouldn't be fun if you went down this late in the game."

Alex looked at the man and took the proffered hand to stand up. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. We can't have an international incident," David said as he brought his weapon up to cover. "We got more planes in the air. Use them to take out the chopper."

Alex nodded and took cover while David provided cover. He pulled out the tablet and proceeded to clear the way, taking out the chopper. He signaled that it was done, and David nodded, and they continued to move forward.

It felt like they were in a kill box with the narrow corridor. Alex could hear gunfire coming from above and ground level. This was Russian territory, and they had the high ground in this case. The only they could do was to push forward and not be stupid about it. Looking at David, Alex could see the man had the same idea. David had not left his side but was also deliberate about locating targets and taking them out with the sniper rifle he had brought along.

David sensed that Alex was staring at him, and he looked at him. He explained, "Past history."

Again, it was telling but not telling and Alex didn't know if he was to be frustrated about it or not. If anything, it spelled that David was a careful man. He was slow to trust and tested the waters to see if his contacts were worth his time and attention. It was not at all that different in how Alex developed his own assets. It was another detail to file away.

They had managed to push forward and reduce the number of men defending the base. The lull developing in gunfire allowed for a few breaths, but they were still in a fight. They couldn't really allow any slack, or any ground covered would be lost. Alex swung his weapon to sweep the room that he and David took. "Clear."

"Clear," David said. He knew he was giving bits and pieces of himself away, but he had been in this game quite a while. The fun part was letting Alex think about things. Risky, but Jensen encouraged forging asset relationships with those outside their circle. More eyes on things could catch things that were missed. He certainly couldn't forget one time he met S64, one of Jensen's prized operatives about five years ago and certainly had him impressed. He couldn't forget that encounter and the events that unfolded there.

With me! We're pushing to the tarmac!

David couldn't resist teasing Farah, "Should I find a truck to help?"

The reply in Urdu had him chuckle as he followed Alex. He knew this mission was important and he would make it happen. Yet, he agreed with Jensen's operative that sometimes a little humor pulls everyone more focused than before.

Alex heard the reply and David's chuckle. There was definitely something about David's relationship with Farah that he could do that. He didn't say anything and focused on the task at hand and that was pushing towards the tarmac.

Brother, get us more planes in the air!

Alex knew that it was his cue to be ready to start flying payloads soon and kept an ear out as he took out a couple of Russians that were up high. He heard Hadir give orders to Yasin to get another way ready. David took point and took out a few that Alex couldn't get.

Our safehouse is under attack! I can't launch anymore- I'm sorry, brother!

David heard that over the comms. Immediately, he started speaking in Urdu. As much as he tried to make the recruits loyal to Farah, his street troops were loyal to him. Yusef was one of them. He barked at Yusef to send the rearguard to assist at the safehouse. He got Yusef's confirmation and the promise that he would be careful.

David knew that in this war, people died. Yusef was seventeen and could go on to do more but he loved his country and people. They were important. In a way, he felt guilty for training the boy into a soldier though in his home country he would be at the age of acceptance into service. So, he did his best to teach them all how to think and act smart when under fire. It was the best defense he could give them when the bullets really started flying. It had to be enough.

Alex, my planes are down. We need air support. If you really want to help us, now is the time!

Alex knew that he was up. He could also hear chatter about reinforcements to the safehouse and glanced at David as he replied, "I have a helo on the way! We're on our own until then!"

It was not the best scenario, but everyone seemed to accept that. David reloaded and prepared to push forward. Alex did the same and they moved towards the hangar. Between them and hangar, there was a large amount of open space with vehicles. Not ideal to push and find cover and the Russians were dug in. They took it slow and deliberate which allowed them to pick off the Russians one by one. It became more intense as they approached the hangar. Alex took the opportunity to use his sniper rifle to pick off the ones that were under better cover.

Alex turned to fire when a flashbang went off. He was blinded for a few seconds, and it was enough for the enemy to pick him off if they caught him. He felt his body being pushed to the ground and the sound of gunfire over his head. The ringing in his ears was still there when his vision cleared to find that David had covered his ass. He could tell that David had also been affected by the way he would move his head as if trying to hear better. He took the opportunity to get to his feet and take out a few Russians that tried to flank them. It was a subtle nod to each other, and they continued with the mission.

Everyone inside! Clear the hangar!

There weren't very many defending the hangar doors but there were plenty inside the armory stored there. They could hear the Russians cursing and making noise. Alex tried the knob, "It's locked."

"There's a hatch on the roof," Hadir replied after taking a step back to observe the armory. He walked to the wall and gestured at Alex, "Help me up."

Alex gave Hadir a boost, leaving David to cover the door with Farah. He followed Hadir up onto the roof and they moved to the overhead hatch. He nodded at Hadir to open it on the count of three. It was like shooting fish in a barrel except the fish were shooting back. They took out two, but Alex had his suspicions. He signaled to Hadir that he was going in.

The Russian was hiding where they didn't have a clear line of sight from the hatch. It was like a showdown on who was the fastest gun as Alex whipped his weapon up after jumping in and open fired on the Russian. As soon as the Russian was down, he called it, "Last armory is secure. Resupply on me."

Make it quick. Enemy reinforcements are here. Let's hope your guys come through, CIA.

Alex rolled his eyes at what David called him as he resupplied his ammo. He joined them just as the Russians cut the power. It was easy to see that the Russians were trying to box them in. It was looking bad for them, but it was clear that Farah and her people were going to go down fighting if it came to that.

"Here."

Alex looked to see that David was holding a grenade laugher at him. He raised his brow as David explained, "They are going to send in heavy armor to take us out."

"Then let's take 'em out before they take us out," Alex replied as he took the launcher. He was not going to go there with how David was right when he saw the vehicle approaching. One was either a tank or a BTS. Either way, it wouldn't bode well for them so he took the shots when he knew they would hit.

Echo 3-1, Viper 1-1 on approach. Ready for tasking. What's your position?

Alex grinned, "Viper, this is 3-1. God damn good to hear your voice!" He wasted no time in providing targets to Viper, "Friendlies in the hangar, taking fire from troops on the tarmac. You are cleared hot."

It was relief and brought back some memories for David as he watched the light show. He could visually see where the enemy armor was taken out as well as foot mobiles. He swallowed slightly as he focused on shooting stragglers to help clear the area.

All targets destroyed. Tarmac is clear of enemy movement. Over.

Alex grinned as he glanced at David, "Solid copy, Viper 1-1. Appreciate the high heat, don't be a stranger."

Never by choice.

"Don't I know it. Echo out." Alex started walking out the hangar with the rest of the militia fighters. He lost sight of David for a moment and cursed that he missed him again.

"So, you do kill Russians."

"Only the bad ones," Alex replied to Hadir's comment.

Hadir nodded, "Today was a great victory for Urzikstan. Thank you, brother." He looked at Alex to give a nod of acceptance.

Alex knew he was in at that moment. He nodded back, "We make a good team." He then glanced to his left to see Farah and David standing there. It disconcerted him but also piqued his curiosity.

"Barkov will retaliate," David said as he looked around and surveyed the damage. "But this will slow him down.

"If he retaliates, we will too," Hadir said as he looked at David.

"You are worried."

David continued to look out at the landscape from his post, finishing his survey sweep. He replied, "I'm always worried Farah. Worried about a lot of things." He looked at her where she had kneeled to keep him company. "And a lot of it from what I told you about me."

"And I told you it doesn't matter. I know you have to do what you do, but you have always put us first," Farah replied. She turned to see the men celebrating their victory. "You did a god thing. Sending Yusef to the safehouse. It saved lives."

"And their training helped." David sighed and rested his gun on his knee. He looked at Farah. "My friend with the Russians warned me that things were going to escalate before they happened."

"So… you knew…"

"S64 is known for predicting things but they aren't always met with acceptance. Especially if it is not clear to those in charge how she got there." He gave a chuckle as he looked at Farah, "I've always believed her, especially when she found out the attempt to wipe you out. How, I've never asked, and I don't think I want to know."

"And I am very grateful to S64, even though I don't know her name."

"She prefers it that way. Mostly it is a shield but also a safeguard with her assignments. If I had to give her a name, it would be Black Fox."

"Black Fox?"

David smiled at the perplexed look on Farah's face. He explained, "Foxes are known to be sneaky and wily. Black because we operate in the shadows. That describes S64."

Farah thought about it for a moment and nodded, "Alright." She then looked down and spotted Alex with Hadir. She glanced to her left to find that David was watching him too. She said, "Thank you for watching out for him."

"As I said, if he was dead, it could spell trouble. Americans are like your people. They would retaliate and it wouldn't be pretty."

"You speak as if from experience."

David gave her a look that neither confirmed nor denied that. He gestured at Alex, "He is good in the field. Has experience. Probably military. It usually is a bonus with the intelligence agencies."

"But you are still worried."

David hummed at that and didn't mind when she hooked her arm around his elbow. It started like that. A touch here. A touch there. It was torture on an emotional level. It was something Jensen had warned him about and he had ignored it. He got the feeling Jensen said it to remind him about his job, but he understood. The platonic touches didn't do much in terms of wants but it tempered them, and he had to content himself with that, just like her.

Farah knew she was making things difficult between them. They had moments when they could but always with a politeness that would have pleased traditional views but were frustrating to her. Yet, he never pushed her away when she felt the need. She blinked but didn't move when she felt his hand clasp hers while their elbows were linked.

"We've just opened a window for other forces to move in. What happened in London…" David shook his head at that. "That was like an everyday occurrence at home. Suicide bombers." He looked at Farah and added, "It was how I became involved with Jensen."

"What happened in London, happened to you?"

"More or less." David looked around and then said, "I know you know David is not my real name."

"You explained, yes."

"Jensen changed it to protect me and a method to his madness with this job." David looked at their men and the landscape. "It was because I knew who did it and they knew me. He let them think I was dead and here I am." It was the most he cared to admit right now.

"Here you are. Trusted ally… friend, and…" Farah couldn't bring herself to say it, but she looked at him and shared the look.

David nodded and shifted when he heard boots crunching on the gravel. Farah also straightened up. She stood up and smiled at David, "Don't stay on watch all night. It is time to celebrate." She left and walked past Alex.

Alex wanted to take the opportunity to learn more about David. He figured that now that they had a breather, the man would be willing to talk a little. To help with that, he brought a bottle of beer that he handed to him. "Commander Karim is right. You should take a moment to celebrate," he said as he took a seat across from the man.

David accepted the beer and gave a slight smirk, "And you know as well as I that we are far from over."

Alex took a sip of his beer, "Well, it wouldn't hurt to snatch a moment when you can. After all, can make the difference."

David chuckled, "True." He held his beer out for Alex to clank the rim. Taking a sip, he made a gesture, "Seems that Hadir likes you. That's good."

"Somehow I get the feeling Karim listens more to you," Alex said, deciding to come right out and say it.

"Commander Karim trusts me to keep Hadir from being too rash. We all have the same goals, just different ideas on how to do it. I just try to make hers bear the fruit. She is the commander." David held his bottle between his two fingers and adjusted his position so that he was sitting with his knees bent. He looked at Alex and his lip twitched at the expression. "I've had my share of experiences in her type of warfare, and I know what works and doesn't work and I give her all the options for her to consider."

"About that," Alex replied, "You don't move like the militia fighters, and you definitely don't talk like them. Some of the things you do, I'd say you were military. Special forces."

David grinned and chuckled, "Not everything can be hidden but I did receive some training. I just like my current job. Plus, I am observant, and I watch the news." He sobered and set his beer down. "This is just the beginning. What we did opened a window for your people, but it's going to be a road that will be long and require the fight."

"Isn't that what you signed on for."

"I did for the people. I'm talking about you and your people. Are you ready for what is coming?"

Alex studied the man. He narrowed his eyes and said, "You seem to know a lot about it."

"I have my sources. One in particular who is very good at seeing things where none seem to exist." David looked at Alex. He was taking a risk hinting a bit more at what he knew, but he also wanted to know what Alex knew. "And I tend to believe them. That devil may care attitude mixed with maybe a streak of mama bear."

Alex frowned. He remembered hearing about someone like that. "Sounds like someone I heard about though I think the mama bear was more like Marine in the extreme."

David felt his lip twitch. It seemed that Jensen's favorite did get around. Then again, S64's primary agency was CIA. "Anyway, they have never let me down with intel." He took a sip of his beer and observed Alex. "I have to ask, what would you have done if the Commander didn't give you a chance?"

Alex paused to think about it. He looked at the man that seemed to have no more than a polite interest in what he had to say. Yet, from what he had observed of the man, it hid the fact that he held onto every word and action. He decided to answer with a question, "What would you do?"

David had to hand it to the man. He replied, "I was honest upfront. No fake promises."

"That's it?"

"Oh, the Commander had me sitting and tied to a chair for security while she questioned me, but I never once gave her any reason other than what I am here for." David felt his lip twitch in a smile. She did have him secured and what happened after that… He looked at Alex, "I know your job forces you to tell a few lies, CIA. I've had to do that myself. A lot of it is a gut call." He shrugged his shoulders, "Reading a person and getting a feel for what they are about and thinking about your objectives and how you can make it sound appealing to get what you need."

Alex looked at the man. The man held some truth in his words. "To be honest… I didn't even think about Karim not saying yes."

David looked at Alex and laughed when he heard his answer, "Then you're braver than I took you for when I watched you walk in." He stretched out his legs and leaned back. His phone then rang, and he pulled it out. He recognized the number and looked at Alex and said, "I got to take this."

Alex watched as David got up and walked to have his conversation in private. There was no doubt the man had been a spy, maybe still was, and now was turned into a freedom fighter and using his contacts to help Karim and her people. It sounded strange to him up to the point that one could call it ridiculous, and that David would have to have an ulterior motive. Yet, Alex didn't get that from the man.

Just before he was about to get deeper into his thoughts, his own phone rang. Frowning, he looked at it and didn't recognize the number. It was odd since it was a secure phone. Taking a risk, he answered it and put the phone to his ear.

Laswell said you were a suspicious type.

Alex frowned at the female voice on the other end and stood up, "And you are?"

Another person that is trying to keep things from blowing up in everyone's faces. I'm just checking in with Echo 3-1.

"So, you know my call sign," Alex said as he took a few steps away.

I know everything about you. Your mission in Verdansk was supplied intel by me. Of course, Laswell had to approve it. I even calculated you had the best odds of succeeding.

"An analyst?"

One that sees things beyond the obvious.

"So why the call?"

Just to be on your guard. Events are moving quickly.

"You're not the first to say that."

Then S47 approves of you.

Alex made a face. "David?"

You know him as that. Stick with him and Commander Karim. They are key to what happens next in Urzikstan. Trust them.

"And I should just believe you…"

I'm S64.

A/N: The assault on Barkov's base now. Alex also learns a little more about David and talks to a familiar character. Stay tuned for next time on Scars of Duty 2019...