Chapter 54 - Recovery
The battle raged on between the Rangers and the armored unit, Rangers coming out of cover to fire LAW rockets at the armored vehicles, as one at a time an armored vehicle would go up in flames, the soldiers within neutralized, by the Rangers, as they baled out of their armored coffins. Another of the tanks was hit in the tracks by a LAW rocket, separating them, and preventing the tank from moving while two soldiers jumped on this disabled tank throwing grenades down the hatches and putting it out of action. Almost simultaneously, another tank blew up from a TOW missile, the crew setting up and firing the last missile, before joining the other Rangers as they methodically knocked out vehicle after vehicle. However 10 of the BTR-90s and one of the BRDM-2s didn't engage in this battle and went into the desert at full speed, they were going to skirt around the Rangers through a gully the commander knew, and before the Rangers could stop them. Their plan worked and they were on the other side of the battle racing down the road to the facility, only 20 minutes after the engagement started.
The breakout BTR-90s raced the remaining 2 miles to the facility while the BRDM-2 followed for about a mile before it broke off and went up a road to a small hill overlooking the facility. This was a preplanned position, for the anti-air vehicle, giving it a good field of view for its missiles, the plan for it to stop any helicopters from coming or going out of the facility. The SEALs' helicopters and their crews had landed in a deserted wadi, and shut down, after dropping the SEALs off, only their auxiliary power units running, to restart the engines, waiting for the pickup order. They originally could not go near the facility because of the anti-air guns, but now since everyone thought the gun crews were silenced, they would be able to land at the facility and pick of the SEALs and their cargo. They were quickly in the air, minutes after receiving the pickup message, heading to the facility, they had no idea a new anti-air threat was waiting for them.
-TIN MAN-TIN MAN-TIN MAN-TIN MAN-TIN MAN-TIN MAN-
Everyone was now positioned, waiting in the landing zone area, and it wasn't long before they heard the message from the helicopters that they were only two minutes out. Howard started to really believe he was going to survive, they had gotten what they wanted and their ride home was only minutes away. None of them were prepared for seeing the flash on the hill, a mile away, as the surface-to-air rocket motor ignited, lighting up the hilltop, as it streaked to their helicopters. It was suddenly like a fire works display, the flares being ejected from the helicopters, lighting up the sky, as the missile streaked up towards them, the helicopter crews desperately tried to save their machines. The men on the ground, unable to do a thing, just watched the deadly scene in the night sky, feeling the dread at seeing their ride home now fighting for their lives.
Howard saw the missile and knew what it meant, that was one thing he knew was rockets and he looked at the armored vehicle on the hill through the thermal imagining system of the suit, it stood out perfectly against the cold night sky. It was too far for the SEALs to attack it with their guns, but maybe not too far for the laser. "Computer….Targeting" the crosshairs came alive, "Laser Energize"
COUNTDOWN The computer responded
TEN ABORT the countdown for the ten second full chemical reaction had started,
NINE ABORT Howard again said the words "Laser Energize" starting a second countdown for a second follow up shot.
EIGHT ABORT
COUNTDOWN
SEVEN ABORT Howard watched the missile approach the source of the flares
TEN ABORT
SIX ABORT The missile blew up in the middle of the flares.
NINE ABORT Seeing how close the missile came, scared Howard so once more he said the words "Laser Energize", starting a third countdown.
FIVE ABORT Howard watched another sudden burst of light from the hill top as another missile motor ignited.
EIGHT ABORT
COUNTDOWN
FOUR ABORT Howard put the cross hairs on the thermal image, near the top were the missiles where. Howard knew rocket motors were thin skinned and their solid propellant was basically an explosive.
TEN ABORT
SEVEN ABORT
THREE ABORT Howard watched the missile streak towards the helicopters as new flares came out.
NINE ABORT
SIX ABORT
TWO ABORT The missile again came in contact with the flares
EIGHT ABORT
FIVE ABORT Trying to keep track of the three firing sequences was confusing so Howard just listened for the ready and kept the crosshairs on the vehicle, a mile away.
ONE ABORT The second missile exploded, however this time it was too close and the flash silhouetted the helicopter
SEVEN ABORT
FOUR ABORT
READY
Howard had been waiting for that word, for over ten agonizing seconds, "Fire!"
The full charge laser beam shot almost a mile to the vehicle on the hill, its total energy deposited on the skin of the missile closest to Howard. The SEALs all turned in surprise as the beam shot out from Tin Man in the night sky, none of them understanding what was happening. In the half second the beam contacted the missile skin, the skin that enclosed the missile motor, vaporized allowing the beam to superheat the propellant, in a place on the missile where is was not made to happen, the missile propellant began to burn.
SIX ABORT While the first beam shot did its damage the computer kept counting down
THREE ABORT
FIVE ABORT
TWO ABORT
FOUR ABORT
ONE ABORT
THREE ABORT
READY
Howard had been listening for the computer ready, "Fire!"
Most of the SEALs where looking at Tin Man when the second laser beam shot out hitting the same missile, this time in the warhead section, vaporizing the metal skin and super heating the explosive, the explosion making everyone look to the hill. What made things worse was that the missile, next to the exploding one, had just been given the launch command by the vehicle crew, so as its motor ignited, the missile began to move down the rail, it only got halfway down before the exploding warhead, of the adjacent missile set off the propellant in its mid body, making its motor then explode. The exploding motor set off that missile's warhead which set off all the remaining missile warheads on the vehicle.
TWO ABORT
ONE ABORT
READY
"Fire!" Howard commanded as the third beam shot out to the vehicle on the hill.
In less than six to seven seconds after Howard fired his laser, the whole armored vehicle was a blazing inferno, it looked like a torch on the top of the hill. One of the SEALs next to Parsons summing up the whole thing in one word, "Damm!" Parsons, turned and looked at Tin Man, in awe.
However one of the three helicopters was damaged and it made a controlled crash a short distance from the landing zone, the crew escaping, with the help of the SEALs, just before it blew up and burnt. The other two helicopters landed quickly, but now there was a problem, with the destroyed helicopter crew now needing a ride there was not enough space in the two remaining helicopters to take everyone. Parsons saw the problem immediately, even if they left most of their equipment they were still 5 men too heavy, so he called Scott, the Chief and two of his single men, to stay with him as everyone else loaded up in the helicopters. Howard stared at the five men and quickly calculated their weigh, knowing they weighed about the same as him and a chill came over him.
He didn't know why, but suddenly the words of Spock screamed in his head, 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few OR THE ONE' There was nothing he could do to stop himself, he knew he had to do this as he stared at the five men standing there, Howard stepped out of the helicopter.
"What the hell are you doing?" Parsons yelled.
Howard took a deep breath, "I'm staying, you go."
"Hell you say, get on that helicopter."
Howard got mad, to mask the fear inside him, "Don't argue with me, I am senior officer here and you and your men are getting on that helicopter….That is an order Lieutenant." Then Howard looked at the other men, "I am ordering you all to get on that helicopter and if this man doesn't, you are to subdue him….Do you understand?" The SEALs just looked at him, in shock, slowly nodding. Parsons stood there with his mouth open, nothing coming out.
Howard turned back to Parsons, "I have an encrypted beacon in the suit, I will go into the desert. Send the backup helicopter for me, they can home in on me and pick me up."
Parsons just nodded as his men grabbed his arm and pulled him into the helicopter, which lifted off as soon as he was on board. Howard could see Parsons staring at him all the way until the helicopter lifted into the night sky. Then they were gone, and Howard looked around where he was, he never felt so alone before in his life. He saw a level area, off to his right, leading out into the desert, so mustering any remaining courage he had left, he started to walk away from the facility into the night.,
Howard just kept walking, trying to find a steady speed that was least tiring to him as his infrared system in the helmet displayed the terrain around him. He even sporadically saw small creatures scurry around on the sand in front of him, creeping him out, until his logical mind told him there was nothing they could do to him while he was encased in the suit. So he continued walking and as he mindlessly moved along his thoughts went to his wife and all his guilt welled up again in him. A few minutes ago he was going home to her and now look where he was, what was wrong with him, he wasn't no hero, why did he do that? Howard shook his head, he knew the answer, it was because he had too, the image of those five men standing there, would have haunted him to the last days of his life if he had to watch them while he flew safely away in the helicopter.
WARNING SYSTEM POWER AT 50 PERCENT
Howard was immediately brought back to the current situation and he suddenly remembered he wasn't truly alone. "Computer….SATCOM"
SATCOM ONLINE The satellite communications system was immediately turned on.
"Tin Man to Crystal Tower" Howard hoped the satellites were working properly, he was sure a long way from home.
Five minutes after Howard had disappeared into the night, ten BTR-90s arrived at the facility and began securing it, soldiers pouring out of the armored vehicles. It took several minutes for the soldiers to fan out and search the area, finding nothing but the inferno of the burning helicopter and tracks in the sand. However one of the soldiers noticed strange large boot tracks that left the area and moved off into the desert, so he told his sergeant of his find. The sergeant looked at them a few minutes then told his men not to disturb them as he went to find his Commanding Officer, he wasn't sure but it looked like someone had walked off from this disaster.