I had my own mission, though. Clenching my MK 17, I took off at a run again, rounding the east corner of the supply warehouse. One of the shells had struck the ground right next to the building, making a small crater and collapsing part of the wall. I didn’t stop to see if anyone was hurt inside. I jumped over the crater and continued running.
A loud crash echoed across the compound. I stopped and took cover. A French-built Leclerc tank smashed through the front gate, busting the heavy metal doors open. The turret had been turned around to keep from damaging the barrel. As it cleared the gate, it began to swing its gun around, looking for a target.
A few seconds later, a Javelin missile shrieked down onto the tank and slammed into the top of the turret. The missile hit with a loud metallic BANG, sounding like someone hitting a metal plate with a sledgehammer. The tank rumbled to a stop just inside the gate, burning. Brilliant flames shot out from under the turret as the ammunition inside cooked off and burned.
The destroyed tank effectively blocked other vehicles from entering the gate, but that didn’t stop the onslaught. Armed troops began pouring into the compound, coming around the tank on both sides. They were a mix of Zubaran Army regulars, with their desert-camouflage uniforms and helmets, and irregular militia, who wore black fatigues and masks over their faces.
Holy shit. There’s a lot of ‘em. I backed up and dove into the mortar crater and used it for cover. I acquired a target through my ACOG scope, a militiaman with an RPG, and popped off a shot. He dropped to the muddy ground. I shifted my carbine to the right and fired three shots at another cluster of soldiers, Zubaran regulars. One went down, but the others took cover behind the tank.
They just kept coming. To my left, my teammates had gotten a couple of machine guns set up. They tore into the soldiers as they filed in past the tank, but the enemy was relentless. I fired continuously, pausing only to change magazines. I don’t know how many I hit. More than a dozen Dead Six operatives were all firing into the same enemy position, mowing down the Zubaran soldiers, but there were too many of them. Rounds began to strike the dirt around my little crater, and the wall behind me. I suddenly felt very vulnerable. Taking a chance, I came to my feet and ran for the admin building, bullets snapping past me as I went. I hugged the wall, hoping the hostiles wouldn’t see me through the rain.
Thunder clapped overhead, barely audible over the roar of the battle as I reached the admin building. My heart sank when I saw the damage. A mortar had struck the roof, partially caving in the second floor. Hunter’s office was on the second floor. Oh God, no . . .
My Calm began to fail. I was nearly in a panic. I busted the ground-level door open and entered the building, heading for the stairs.
“Sarah!” I shouted, hoping she would hear me. It was dark inside. The impact had knocked out the main lights. The emergency lights had kicked on, but they didn’t provide much illumination. I switched on my weapon light as I vaulted up the stairs two at a time. “Sarah!”
I made it to the second floor and shined my light down the hallway. The roof had caved in at the far end of the hall where Conrad’s office was. A small fire burned within, and the hall was quickly filling with smoke. Hunter’s office was closer. The door had been knocked off the hinges, and the ceiling was cracked all the way down the hall, but the roof hadn’t caved in yet. The old building’s solid construction was the only reason it had been able to withstand two direct mortar hits.
“Sarah!” I shouted, growing desperate.
“Here!” Sarah replied, her voice resonating through the low-pitched roar of the battle outside.
“Sarah, where are you?” I shouted, running into the hall.
“I’m—” She coughed. “I’m in here!”
I followed the sound of her voice to the first room in the hall. The door was open. A smear of blood was on the floor, leading into the dimly lit room. I found Sarah sitting on the floor. She was holding Anita King in her arms. Anita was dead.
“Oh God, are you alright?” I cried, dropping to my knees and throwing my arms around Sarah. She had a few cuts and bruises. Blood trickled from a scrape on her arm.
“She’s dead,” Sarah said. “She . . . she was in the hall when the shell hit. She got hit by shrapnel or something. She wasn’t wearing her vest. I . . . I just stepped in here. I was knocked down. Anita died.”
“Sarah!” I shouted, shaking her. “Hey! We can’t stay here. I need you to focus, okay? Are you hurt?” She was shell-shocked.
“I don’t think so,” she responded, still sounding distant. “I just fell down when the shell hit. I think I hit my head on the floor.”
“C’mon, we gotta go,” I said.
“I can’t leave Anita.”
“We have to. She’s dead. There’s nothing you can do for her now. Come on now, please!”
Sarah took a deep breath and jerkily nodded her head. She gently lowered Anita’s body to the floor, and I extended my arm. Sarah grabbed it, and I pulled her to her feet.
“Come on, we have to get out of here,” I urged. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” she answered, sounding more collected. She brought her slung carbine around and grasped it in her hands. “I’ll be okay. Let’s go.” I nodded and led the way back into the hall, heading for the stairs.
“Wait!” Sarah cried. “The Colonel! He was in his office!” She turned and ran down the hall to Hunter’s office without waiting for me. I swore aloud and followed.
Hunter’s office door was lying on the floor in the hall. Sarah stepped on it as she crossed into the room. I coughed in the smoky air as I followed. The office was smashed. Part of the ceiling had collapsed and fallen right on Hunter’s desk.
“Mike!” Sarah was kneeling on the floor next to the pile of rubble that had come from the ceiling. Colonel Hunter was trapped under the debris. It had all come down right in his lap, smashing his chair to the floor and crushing him.
“Colonel!” I crouched down next to Sarah. “Jesus,” I said, surveying the damage. It was bad. Hunter was broken and bleeding. A massive pile of blocks and rebar had landed on his abdomen. Only one of his legs was visible under the rubble.
“Valentine?” Hunter asked weakly, blood tricking from his mouth.
“I’m here, sir,” I said, leaning in so I could hear him over the noise of the fighting outside. “We’re gonna get you out of here. Hang on.”
“Bullshit,” Hunter wheezed. “I ain’t goin’ nowhere. You . . . you get her out of here, you hear me, boy?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied solemnly.
Hunter coughed up a small amount of blood. “You know I was supposed to leave last night? All of us were. Not you guys, but the support staff. I said no. I told Gordon I wasn’t leaving until all my guys got out. I think maybe that wasn’t such a good idea,” he said, somehow managing a raspy laugh.
“What happened, Colonel? That boat was a Zubaran gunboat. It strafed the docks, killed a bunch of us.” Sarah gasped as I told them that. “What the hell is going on?”
“Gordon Willis sold us out,” Hunter said quietly. “He . . . he told the hajjis where we are. Made a deal with somebody. Same thing with that raid on Montalban’s yacht. That was his own idea, not a sanctioned hit. Gordon’s playing both sides. Son of a bitch sold us out.”
My eyes narrowed, and my hands clenched into fists. I was so angry I was shaking. I closed my eyes for a second and tried to remain focused.