Marty used his sniper scope vision to scan the area while BB used spotting binoculars. Both were equipped with night vision. The front ranks of the main force were 700 yards away, but there were three men well ahead of the main force, running wildly up the center of the street. They were no more than 400 yards away.
“Let’s take out the front runners first, BB.”
“Agreed.” BB used the binoculars to gain a better vector on the approach of the three men. “Fucking amateurs,” he said without losing sight of the three. “They’re running right down the middle of the road. Surf Boy, there’s four cars bunched up about 200 yards out.”
“Yeah, I got it.”
“I think they’ll run to the right side of those cars. Concentrate your field of fire right there. Take ’em left to right after they clear the car on my signal.”
“Copy that, BB. Ready for signal.” Marty settled his scope reticle ten yards to the right of the group of cars. He rested his finger lightly on the trigger and his breathing slowed.
“In five, Surf Boy.” There was a few seconds pause. “Target one, go.”
The bullet took the man in the chest and his momentum carried him an additional ten feet before he came to rest against the curb.
“Target two, go.”
The second man had barely noticed the stumble of the first when he crumpled to the ground.
“Target three, go.”
The third man had slowed in confusion and the sniper round pierced his chest, stopping and dropping him where he stood. The entire process had taken less than three seconds. The main force behind the three dead men appeared to catch their demise, or at least sensed a change. Many slowed to find better cover, diving into yards or behind vehicles.
“500 clicks. Elevation ten degrees. Wind nominal. Cluster near the gas station. Select targets at will.”
“Copy that.”
Three more shots in three more seconds produced three more dead men, slowing the others into a much more cautious approach. That is, except for one very large man who refused to seek cover and continued to run down the gentle slope of Brownsville Road toward the convenience store where Team Green had found cover.
“Got us a nut job, Surf Boy. 400 yards out, left of center. He’s passing the bus now. Elevation five degrees.”
“Copy that.”
The man ran hard and though the man had no targets, he fired randomly, letting loose one blood curdling scream after another. Marty pulled the trigger and had the satisfaction of watching the man’s massive neck explode in blood. The man fell immediately.
“Threat targets terminated and mass force has ceased progress,” said BB into his radio. “Team Green, do you copy?”
“Copy, Blue. Over.”
“Provide new coordinates for near target selection. Over.”
“Roger that. There’s a UPS truck sideways in a yard about eighty clicks out. Over.”
BB and Marty scanned the area until they spotted the UPS truck. There was plenty of trash and overgrowth to hide in but neither Marty nor BB saw any movement.
“UPS truck just scanned, Green. Nothing’s moving. Over.”
“They’re there, Blue. They’re the ones that got off a shot that nearly got Spence. Over.”
“We can’t sit here and wait, Green. Over.”
“Copy that, Blue. Suggestions? Over.”
“Start your exit. We’ll fire at anything that moves. Over.”
“Negative. These guys are good, Blue. They’re not moving. They’re waiting. Fire at the truck for ten seconds while we exit. We’ll back out onto Willock Road and then move onto Brownsville. Over.”
“Understood. What’s your plan? Over.”
“Light ’em up on my mark, Blue. Over.”
“Understood. We’re in position and holding for mark. Over.” BB continued to scan the UPS truck while Marty scoped the yard and house around the truck. They detected nothing and both wondered if Mickey was in a better position to see or if the men who had hidden there advanced unseen toward Team Green. There was only one clear way to find out.
“BB, check in front of the truck maybe twenty or thirty clicks. See if there’s any movement. Maybe that mound of trash.”
“Copy that.”
The radio came to life. “Team Blue, we’re bugging out when you start firing. Fire at will.”
Marty began to unload rounds into and around the truck, picking the areas most likely protecting a hidden man. BB unleashed his M4 in three-second bursts around the cars and debris twenty yards ahead of the truck.
“Damn!” said BB. One man rolled out onto the road from behind a car Marty had targeted.
“We’re on the move, Blue and clear. We’re on Brownsville. Want us to cover your exit? Over.”
“Both Green and Blue, move out,” said Captain Daubney. “Now!”
“We’re making tracks, Black.” BB helped Marty pack his ammunition and rice bag platform and they quickly made their way down the steps of the retaining wall.
“Team Green has got Blue in sight. We’re coming in, Black. Over.”
“We’re at the designated rendezvous waiting for your sorry asses. Over,” said Captain Daubney.
“Be there in fifteen, sir. Over.”
“The new commander suggests you make it in ten. Over.”
“Say again. Over.”
“Make it in ten. You mighta slowed ’em down, but you didn’t stop ’em. Over.”
“Be there in ten, captain. Blue and Green, out.”
CHAPTER 9.16-Burning with Fury
“Luke?”
“Yeah.”
“Give me an update. You got those guys hidin’ out in that store yet?”
Luke stared at his remaining thirteen men with a burning fury. Clustered around him, they waited for orders, but he was still bursting with anger, mostly at himself. He’d lost six men to this rear guard, and just when he had them pinned down, advancing to kill, another enemy team showed up. A sniper to boot and a good one. He knew he’d missed that second teams’ approach. Tunnel vision had set in and he’d made the mistake of waiting too long to take the back cover team cowering in the convenience store.
“No, we don’t got ’em. Not yet. Got my ass handed to me… over.”
“Say again?”
“We do not got ’em. They high-tailed it outta here under cover fire on a full out run.”
“Okay, you on ’em?”
“They had another team come back to assist.”
“Really, how big? They comin’ our way?”
“Small team. A sniper and spotter, probably. Only heard two guns. We’re gonna move more slowly now.”
“THE sniper?”
“Unless they got two of ’em kinda weapons, yeah.”
“What’s your plan?”
“We’re gonna hafta move real slow, in full tracking mode at this point.”
“We got men comin’ up the road to you, over.”
“So I heard… minus a few.”
“Send ’em on past you to catch up to those assholes in full burst. That rear guard can’t stop all our men. Over.”
“Ahh, our men and leads are moving more slowly now. Not as eager to run into a bullet in the night based on what they saw happen.”
“So I heard. Reports from Seventeenth and Eighth say that they took a few casualties.”
“I imagine that sniper didn’t miss.”
“What do you recommend, Luke? Keep the men after him like ordered?”
“It’s your army, sir… over.”