“Some of us,” Khalid said. “Many of us are just survivors. We have defended a few, how do you say, bases? Strongholds?”
“Sure,” O’Neil said.
“We have established these places of safety throughout the city. We have learned to move quietly and quickly through what is left of Tangier to find food and supplies.”
“How many of you are there?” O’Neil asked.
“In our group, maybe… I am not so sure anymore. We lost contact with one stronghold on the eastern part of the city. We were, at one time, numbering in the hundreds.” His eyes traced the floor. “That is not true anymore. What is true, I swear it, is that I was patrolling this area in search of survivors and supplies. I heard your helicopters, then followed them. I saw they did not look like the Russians.”
“Well, that’s accurate,” Reynolds said.
“Yes, yes, very different than the Russians. My brother, he was a soldier. He trained with Americans. He told me all about them, and I knew what your helicopters looked like. I thought maybe America had come to save us. Maybe your military would be here to push back the djinn.”
Reynolds let out a huff. “I wish I could tell you that was the case, but what’s happening to Morocco isn’t unique. It’s just as bad around the globe.”
“That is what I feared.” Khalid closed his eyes for a moment. “I have prayed for peace every day since the first djinn appeared in Tangier, and my prayers have continued to go unanswered.”
“I know the feeling,” Van said.
“So you saw our birds and then decided to investigate,” O’Neil said, trying to get the man back on track.
“Yes, that is true. I hoped to open communications with your people. I wanted to offer any aid that my people could give to take back our city.”
“I see.” Reynolds paced behind O’Neil. “And how many people of yours are armed?”
Khalid furrowed his brow. “All of us.”
“You said not all of your group was military.”
“That is true. You must understand, we have been recovering supplies and weapons left behind when our military was overwhelmed by the djinn. I regret to say we have more weapons than people now.”
“You mentioned you saw the Russians in Tangier,” O’Neil said. “Do you know what they’re doing here?”
Khalid shook his head. “We once sent a group of three people to contact them. They never returned. We tried again. This time I went to provide support from a distance. The Russians welcomed our people into the port as I watched.”
“They didn’t know you were there?” Reynolds asked.
“No, my role was only to ensure they made contact safely and to understand what the Russians might be trying to do. I waited two days, alone, in a riad with a view of the port. But I never saw our people that went in with the Russians again.”
“Did they kill them?” O’Neil asked. “Take them prisoner?”
“I cannot tell you of their fate. I was forced to leave when more djinn moved into the area. I feared I would not survive for much longer if I stayed.” His eyes seemed to glaze over. “But I can tell you I heard screams from the Russian base. Screams that did not sound human.”
O’Neil looked back at Reynolds. “What do you think? This guy telling the truth?”
“I am,” Khalid said. “I swear.”
“I say let him keep talking,” Reynolds said. “I want to know about this Russian base. You’re talking about the port.”
“Yes, the port. The Russians took control of the port. They moved big boats into place, and they fortified walls all around it. They have also set up weapons along those walls.” Khalid paused. “It is very strange though.”
“What?” O’Neil asked.
“They have weapons around their base, but even though I saw many djinn in the streets, I never saw any djinn try to enter the Russian base.”
“They gave up trying to climb those walls you’re talking about,” Reynolds offered.
“No, no, no, my friend. The djinn never give up. There is no wall that can stop them. Only death stops them.”
“And no one you know has been inside the port and come back,” O’Neil said.
“No, not while the Russians have been there.”
“And how do you know they’re Russians if no one has been inside and returned?”
“We have heard their voices when we first approached the port, before we tried to make contact. We saw their weapons and the helicopters they used. Those in my group with military experience told us they are definitely Russian.”
“You swear?” O’Neil asked.
“I… I suppose I cannot be sure personally, but I have no reason to believe my brothers are lying to us.”
Reynolds motioned O’Neil to step away from Khalid. They left him under Tate, Van, and Loeb’s watch in the hall as they moved to the lobby.
“Do you buy his story, Chief?” O’Neil asked Reynolds.
“Frankly, I’m not sure what to believe anymore. Everything he said at least sounds plausible. It jives with our intel, too.”
“I agree. But it’s awfully convenient he just shows up here after we do. And he offers up information on the Russians, certain they’re Russians, but how would he really know?”
“What are you saying?”
“What if he’s a plant? What if he and his people—hell, maybe his people don’t even exist—are working with the Russians. They might have made contact like he said, and maybe they’re just stooges for the bad guys.”
Reynolds scratched at his chin. “Khalid’s got a strong accent. I assume it’s Moroccan, but we did hear rumors Iran might have been involved with Russia. If that’s true… maybe this guy isn’t Moroccan. Maybe he’s working for Tehran.”
“Maybe. There are too many unknowns here. I want to believe the guy. I want to think maybe we have friends in Tangier.”
“It’s beyond us to make that judgment call,” Reynolds said. “When the Rangers arrive, we’ll let them take Khalid into custody. We’ll try to get all the intel we can out of him, but there is one thing I do know now—we are not letting him back out into Tangier. We do not need the Russians or his group or whoever else is out there knowing we’re here.”
“You think he already warned his people?” O’Neil asked. “We didn’t find a radio or anything on him. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t discard one somewhere.”
“Good question,” Reynolds said. “Regardless of whether he sent a warning or not, we’ve got to move forward quickly. The only thing worse than the Russians coming out to look for us is them getting away. Whatever it takes, we are not letting that happen.”
-19-
The platoons of Rangers arrived only a couple hours after O’Neil and the SEALs cleared Villa Josephine. As the soldiers cleaned up the mess of Skull corpses and set up defensive positions around the compound, O’Neil went over the mission plan with his team.
Khalid had provided some information on what kind of defenses they might expect at the port. Based on what the guy said, trying to get past the walls filled with machine gun nests would be extraordinarily difficult.
Instead, they would be doing what they did best. Approaching by water.
O’Neil and the others tried to get as much sleep as they could with the Rangers on guard duty. By the time night fell again, Reynolds had gathered the SEALs near the front drive of the villa. Stars studded the night sky. The moon was nearly non-existent, leaving their surroundings bathed in almost absolute darkness.
While that would reduce the effectiveness of their NVGs slightly, that lack of illumination boded well for the SEALs’ mission. O’Neil always preferred operating under the cover of a moonless night, when their enemies, Skulls or otherwise, suffered from the choking darkness.