“That’s it? Twelve soldiers, only four ever on duty, and that is what is keeping you all in your place?”
Another man beside Doyle stepped forward. Taylor didn’t recognise him. He was at least ten years older than Doyle and was confident in his posture.
“Colonel Taylor, you have to understand; we aren’t kept under control by twelve soldiers. We’re kept under control of the threat surrounding us. When the Krys first came here, Commander Kelly tried to fight. We lost twenty-seven of the MDF in that battle and had many more wounded. The twelve soldiers that watch us do just that. How are we supposed to fight against whatever comes at us, should we lift a finger against them?”
Taylor was shocked. He had considered the strife they might have experienced since it had begun.
“Twenty seven?” he asked.
“Yes, Sir, including Major Martinez, and Captain Morris is currently being held in the town prison, but he only tried to bring an end to the bloodshed.”
“All good men,” Taylor said softly.
He nodded as he thought about it and finally looked up at them all.
“The threat before you is that if you turn against these twelve soldiers, you fear what comes next; the day after, the week after, the month after. What if I told you, there is no month after? When Erdogan has control of the planet, you are finished. You were systematic in bringing about the defeat of his relatives and peers. So forget a week from now, a month from now. We have a small window of opportunity to act, are you with me?”
“Of course,” Doyle replied quickly and without doubt.
He looked around to the others who were quickly coming round to Taylor. He took his opportunity to strike a home run.
“So we’re gonna take down the fuckers who prey on this town, and then we’re going after their leader, you got it?”
He knew he was taking a chance trying to take charge of them, but it was worth a shot, so he continued as if they had already agreed.
“So here’s what we’re gonna do. These two fine gentlemen, Private Lewis and Corporal Robinson are going to handle the two at the landing zone. Doyle, you will accompany me to Commander Kelly’s home where we will get him the hell out of there.”
“Take care of? What are we talking about here?” a voice yelled from the back of the room.
Taylor looked for the source but couldn’t find it, but he decided to respond quickly either way. He stepped over to the body of the German Corporal he had so recently shot dead.
“The enemy is the enemy, no matter what form they take. This is war, and we will fight it as warriors. Any man or woman without the stomach for this may leave now and go home. Though I would highly recommend you either join the fight, or flee for your lives.”
There was silence and nobody moved. They hung on to his every word, and he knew he had them hooked.
“So you have half of the plan. There are six enemy combatants currently off duty. I want volunteers to deal with them. That is, to kill or capture them.”
Chapter 10
Taylor took a deep breath. He took a peak around the corner. One of the guards was in a vehicle parked across the road from Kelly’s home. It was a two-storey residence and larger than any private accommodation he had seen there so far. He looked back to Doyle who stood beside him.
“Where is the other guard?”
“Inside,” he replied.
“Where?”
“Ground floor, always near the door, except for an hourly inspection of the ground and first floor.”
Taylor stopped for a moment. He was surprised at Doyle’s competent assertions. Doyle still looked like a young man, and it was easy to forget the years of war he had fought through and survived. It was in that moment Mitch realised he hadn’t given the man enough credit.
“Do you know the guy in the vehicle?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, reckon you can deal with him?”
Doyle knew exactly what he meant, but he had to think about it for moment. It appeared that despite all his years of combat, he had never had to take the life of a human.
“Don’t think, do it,” Taylor said firmly.
He nodded in agreement, though he still looked shaky, but he had to rely on him. He only had Rains with him, and he knew for a fact that he couldn’t handle the job.
“All right, so give us three minutes to get into position, and then you take out the guy in that car, you got me?” he asked Doyle.
The young man agreed. Taylor quickly turned and headed for the back of the house and grabbed Rains to go with him.
“Why the hell are you bringing me along? I fly, and that’s it,” he complained.
“Times change, and you’re needed as well to do…whatever you’re needed to do.”
“Well, all right then, but I fly well because I’ve done it a million times. Now how many times have I killed a man?”
“Okay, so focus on what you’re good at.”
Rains froze in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“You know what you are?” asked Taylor, “A world class distraction. You dress like a hobo, you act like a permanently stoned drug addict, and do nothing better than distract men and women from their post.”
Rains was still speechless.
“So use it. You’re good at it. You’re my distraction. You’re an old friend calling in on Kelly. You do that, and I’ll do what I’m good at.”
“And what’s that?”
“Problem solving,” he replied with a smile. He led Rains on down the side of the building and around to the rear of the building. As they took a corner, Taylor stopped and checked his watch. It was almost time.
“So here it is. I break the lock on the door. You go in, no weapon in hand. You’ve just arrived, and you’re looking for your old friend, Kelly.”
“No weapon? I mean; what do you expect me to do, talk the guy to death?”
Taylor reached up and covered Eddie’s mouth. It quickly silenced him.
“No, I expect you to do as I ask. It’s one guard, who may or may not be well trained. If he is, then he will treat the first sign of movement with the utmost suspicion, and that is what I am relying on.”
“And if he’s better than trained, exceptionally trained?”
“Well, then he wouldn’t be alone, and he’d expect the first sign of trouble to be just the beginning.”
“You’re not helping,” replied Eddie.
But he went forward as asked anyway. He approached the door as confidently as he could, and with his pistol still holstered inside his jacket. Taylor crept up towards the building a few metres behind and approached the back door from a crouched position. He looked at his watch one last time. There were just twenty seconds left until Doyle was to do what he was asked. Taylor counted it down to ten and then put his pistol against the lock of the door where Rains stood, and pulled the trigger.
A shot burst through the door panel, and Taylor gave it a faint push to pry it open. The gunshot could not go unnoticed, and Rains looked at him to ask ‘are you serious?’ but Taylor merely pushed him through the doorway.
Taylor rushed in behind him and took up a position beside the cover of the nearest wall. Rains froze just two steps in. They could hear footsteps approaching, and Rains was still frozen. He’d stood beside marines and fought before, but never had he been tossed into such a high stress situation. A moment later, a man rushed towards him with a gun in hand and yelling, “Don’t move, do not fucking move!”
The gunman got within a metre of Rains when a shot rang out, and blood spurted out across the floor. The man dropped lifelessly to Rains’ feet.
“This is not what I signed up for,” Rains stated firmly.