"Sikes Pasha! Two of our bunkers have fallen, and they are pressing the attack against this one," Hashiri reported breathlessly. "The enemy is outside in the trenches, and we cannot engage them without sustaining many casualties. I fear they have complete control of the battle."
"Right then," Sikes said, quickly realizing what had to be done. "Pull out o' this one, hey? And we'll set up in the next one back. There's some cover in there you can use. Kawam! Hurry it up!"
Hashiri issued the orders, and the bunker was quickly abandoned, leaving three dead Arabs sprawled on the floor.
UZI Melech, the grenadier for Charlie Fire Team, quickly surmised that the bunker ahead of them had been abandoned. But instead of rushing in, he wisely threw his concussion grenade across it and into the next one. Then he and Pech Pecheur charged in firing, with Ensign Taylor behind them.
The trio ran through the empty bunker to the next entrance, with Delta Fire Team deployed as backup. Suddenly a lone Arab leaped into view and cut loose with his bullpup rifle. Melech caught it in the belly, and he crumpled just as Pecheur blew the Arab away. But other Zaheya soldiers inside had taken cover behind a stack of surplus sandbags that had been filled as replacements for any damaged in future battles. The Arabs popped up and quickly shot off an uncoordinated but effective fusillade that cut down Tony Valenzuela and George Fotopoulos.
"This is Brigand Two," Taylor said. "I've got three casualties in the third bunker. We've taken fire from the fourth. The guys in there have cover. It's either a pile of sandbags or an interior defensive position. I surmise it is the former rather than the latter."
"Keep the door under fire and hunker down!" Brannigan ordered. "Brigand One, are you still outside?"
"Roger," came back Cruiser. "I have four guys with me. I've lost Morales, but I can throw fire down on that fourth bunker."
"You're gonna have trouble hitting anybody in there," Brannigan said. "Concentrate on keeping the enemy from coming down the trench and reaching us here."
"Aye, sir!"
The Skipper started to order the senior chief to move his section forward but was interrupted over the LASH by Frank Gomez. The RTO spoke quietly and efficiently. "I've received a relay over the Shadowfire, sir. The Army Rangers on the other side of the valley want to know if we need fire support."
"Negative! Negative! Negative!" Brannigan yelled. "We can't tell them where to put it because we don't know where we'll be from minute to minute. Cruiser and his guys would be hit. Tell the Army to hold their fire!"
"Aye, sir," Gomez said.
"Everybody on the net listen up," the Skipper said. "Assault sections, press forward and trade shot for shot. Better yet, two shots for every one of theirs. Sneaky Petes along with Puglisi and Miskoski, move forward!"
The fighting in the tunnel and bunkers grew more desperate for both sides. Sikes Pasha left his Arabs in charge of Warrant Officer Hashiri and hurried to answer a summons to the brigadier's Headquarters bunker. When he got there, he found that Captain Naser Khadid and Captain Jamshid Komard had already arrived.
"What's with this meeting?" he asked angrily. "Me blokes are down there up to their ears in Yanks!"
"We realize the situation is grave," Brigadier Shahruz Khohollah said. "It is obvious the Americans have learned about the hidden entrance to the mountain. Once again we have been betrayed."
Khadid was mortified. "I cannot believe that anyone on the General Staff would be sending information to our enemies. The traitor must be getting millions of dollars from Washington for his disloyalty. And, of course, the rewards would include political asylum and a new identity for living in America."
Komard was coldly furious. "He will not live long enough to enjoy that arrangement."
"There could be another source of treachery," Khohollah suggested. "I am thinking it is perhaps the Russians."
"Right now we ain't got the bluddy luxury of thinking about that, do we?" Sikes snapped. "The bastards are in here and we got to throw 'em out, yeah?"
"Of course," the Brigadier said. He turned to Khadid. "Captain, I want you to take ten of your men and go around the northern flank and down the mountain. You are to go directly to the camouflaged entrance. If you meet resistance there, destroy it, then move into the fortress and attack the Americans from the rear."
"I can leave immediately, Excellency!" Khadid said.
Now Khohollah addressed Captain Komard. "Send two of your grenade launcher teams with him for support."
"Yes, Excellency!"
"I shall collect them on my way out," Khadid said, rushing to obey the order.
The Brigadier looked over at Sikes, who had taken the arm of his wounded shoulder and pulled it from the sling. "How are you doing, Major Sikes? You seem to be able to function."
"I'll do me bit, don't worry none about that, sir," Sikes said.
"Excellent," the Brigadier said. He turned his eyes on Captain Komard. "While Captain Khadid is making his attack, you and Major Sikes must combine your forces and pin down the Americans. When we catch them between your group and the detachment of Captain Khadid, we will have the battle won."
The two officers rendered quick salutes, then left the bunker to tend to their duties.
ONCE again the fighting in Operation Battleline had evolved into one of attrition. The four survivors of Ensign Taylor's assault section had now been joined by the seven men of SCPO Dawkins' outfit. Dawkins led his men forward, working to spots within the Second Section's firing line. A moment later the seven Headquarters weenies joined the crowd, adding their firepower to the mix.
Meanwhile, out in the trench, Lieutenant Jim Cruiser was in excellent cover with five SEALs. They were keeping busy preventing Zaheya troops from entering the third bunker from the trench to attack the Brigands in the interior. Several dead ragheads who had been caught in defensive fusillades were sprawled at the entrance, piled one on top of the other. All this happened in the roaring pandemonium of the battle. Any additional Zaheya fighters would have to use interior ingresses to join the fighting, and that put them under the direct fire of the Second and Third Sections.
OUT in the natural cover and concealment around the rear entrance, Chief Matt Gunnarson had arranged his men in a semicircle, with each one able to combine his zone of fire with the guys on both sides of his position. Their SAWs were locked and loaded, and they had plenty of ammo at hand.
Greg Beaver was on the extreme right flank of the Chief 's defensive line, which covered the fortress's hidden ingress. Beaver perceived a line of skirmishers that suddenly appeared to his right front. They were moving rapidly toward the SEALs.
"Enemy sighted off my flank," Beaver reported.
An instant later, four incoming grenades from one of the rapid-fire LAG launchers splattered around the SEAL, blowing his life away. The other five SAWs immediately responded by hosing out long fire bursts into the scampering riflemen moving toward them. The attackers responded with two more grenade barrages among the SEALs.
The resultant detonations claimed the lives of Arlo Bartholomew and Terry O'Rourke.
Matt Gunnarson sighted one of the enemy grenadiers and fired a quick burst from his M-16, cutting the guy down. "Brigand Boss, this is Big Gun," the Chief said into his LASH. "We're under heavy attack out here from rifles and grenade launchers. I've taken three casualties in the past couple of minutes."
Brannigan's voice came back, calm in spite of the bad news. "Have Gomez call in air support, Chief. Those F/A-eighteens are out there someplace."
"No can do, sir! The enemy is in too close and moving closer. We'd be in as much danger as the bad guys."
"Do your best then, Chief," Brannigan said. "I'll send Puglisi and Miskoski out to you. As of the moment they're the only ones I can spare."