“A Sergeant C. York, 1st SFOD-D, lived through the ordeal, though badly injured,” Elizabeth explained.
“What’s his condition?” Dale asked.
“Physically, he’s okay. He lucked out, that’s for sure. Would have died too, but was knocked out. Mentally, he’s having problems. He watched his teammates die,” she said glumly.
“Damn,” Clements whispered. He turned to Comstock, asking, “You heard of him? York?”
“No, don’t think so,” Dale replied.
“He’s been here only six months or so,” Elizabeth said. “Spent a few years in Iraq.”
Silence filled the room. Death was a certainty in war, but they gave the fallen men a moment of quiet. These were Delta who perished, their own, their brothers.
Finally, Dale looked up, asking, “Who was sent in next?”
“Nobody. Operations were shut down.”
“What? Why?”
“Major McClain threw a fit. You know him, he wanted to go in. Had his boys ready in an hour. Even convinced Kline to have some Rangers ready to go too.”
“Then what happened?”
“Once CIA caught word, they shut it all down.”
“Left them to die,” Dale said, glaring.
“They were already dead, Sergeant. The Army caved. They knew the area, knew the Delta boys weren’t supposed to be there. They disavowed everything, issued a cover story about a helicopter crash a few hundred miles away, and washed their hands of it. CIA took over from there.”
“Elizabeth, you could have done something,” Dale replied, annoyed. “You could have sent McClain’s team in.”
“I tried. The ball wasn’t in my hands until recently, Sergeant Comstock, and I don’t appreciate the insinuation. This valley, this cave, is of the greatest National Security risk perhaps ever,” she said gruffly.
“What do you mean?” Dale asked.
“This valley is the best kept secret in the world. This valley makes Area 51 seem like an amusement park. This is the real deal, gentlemen. My superiors needed to figure this out, to come up with a course of action. Though I might have acted differently, there’s one thing you must know. I agree with their decision. This valley is too important. It’s more important than a Delta team, and had York not survived, we might not be here today.”
“But we are here, and our brothers from The Unit got killed and the CIA, the Army — they did nothing,” Dale replied.
“It was the right call,” Elizabeth stated firmly.
57
“We have a policy in the Army, ma’am,” Jefferson said, interrupting and not caring. He was an intimidating man, his voice deep, booming. “Especially in The Unit, we have but one rule. Nobody gets left behind.”
“I understand, Sergeant,” she defended herself.
“No, you don’t seem to. And I get you’re top dog and all, but that’s just plain wrong. You didn’t follow what is tradition.”
“Sergeant Jefferson, if it would have been my decision, I would have allowed Major McClain to go in. To get his boys back,” she said, staring sharply. “That understood?”
“I hope that’s true,” Jefferson replied. “’Cause I’d sure like to know who made that call. Wouldn’t have been McClain, I know the man. Wouldn’t have been Kline, either. Who left ’em to die?” Jefferson was angry at the notion. He’d have risked life and limb to help any member of The Unit.
“It’s true, man,” Dale said to Jefferson.
Jefferson turned, saying, “What is, Dale?”
“She’s no liar. She would have sent them in.”
Jefferson eyed him, saying, “I’ve known you awhile now, Dale. You know this broad or something?”
“I do. I’ve done a few… tasks for her. She would have sent someone in to get our boys,” Dale said.
Jefferson nodded, though not quite satisfied. Turning back to Elizabeth, he asked, “Then who should I blame? The President? Who?”
“The President wouldn’t know of such important matters, Sergeant. I answer to only twelve, and you’ve been around long enough to know what that means. They didn’t make this decision lightly. They knew Delta was dead. They had to shut it down.”
“Then why we here?” Jefferson asked. “If no one’s supposed to go in, and if this ain’t no hostage rescue, why we going in?”
“Good question, Sergeant. We wouldn’t be, except for one little problem.”
“York,” Dale said, instantly figuring it out.
Elizabeth looked at him, nodding. “Sergeant York made it out alive.”
“You have first-hand INTEL, don’t you?” Dale asked.
“Yes. Much needed intelligence. Sergeant York’s testimony changed things. We don’t have a choice any longer. We have to go in,” Elizabeth said.
Dale nodded. “Fine. What’s our mission parameters, or is it simply to kill everyone in sight?”
“Officially, you’re to gather intelligence about the whereabouts of the lost Operators. We know they’re dead, but if you could confirm it, that’d help,” Elizabeth said. “Unofficially, you’re going in to inflict massive damage on an enemy to the likes you’ve never experienced before. I expect you to meet heavy resistance, heavy aggression. I expect you to return the favor.” Her stare was cold, menacing. She meant it, she wanted everyone in that cave dead.
“We can do that,” Clements bellowed. This mission wasn’t proving such a bad thing. He had no rules, could kill without worrying about fucking up. This didn’t sound all that bad to the man.
Dale glanced over, his friend’s confidence helpful, but the Sergeant had his reservations. “There’s forty capable Operators in Kabul. Why not bring them in? If the village has that many people, and if a dozen Delta can get taken out, we might as well come in full force. No Rangers, no air support — fine — but some more Delta would be nice,” Dale suggested.
“Your entry team is eight,” Elizabeth reminded.
“That makes no sense,” Dale said. He didn’t care if he was out of line, he would speak his mind. These were his men, his team, their lives on the line for what, he didn’t know. “The other two Delta?” he questioned, raising his eyebrows.
“No. One is a civilian, the other works for the Department of the Navy,” Elizabeth said. “DEVGRU.”
“What?” Clements shouted out, eyes wide. “Yer saying a SEAL is going with us?”
“Yes, Sergeant, is that a problem?” Elizabeth asked sharply.
“It is, actually,” Clements responded, gritting his teeth. “I hate SEALs.”
58
“Well in that case, allow me to introduce Lieutenant Jeff Rivers. Like I said, he’s with the Department of Navy, though he works for Special Activities Division as a Special Operator,” Elizabeth said, motioning with her arm.
“Great, both a SEAL and a spook,” Clements muttered.
Elizabeth ignored the comment as the door opened. She went on, saying, “Lieutenant Rivers is a Tier One asset, has done work for my team on multiple occasions. He’s also been hand-selected for this mission, just like you men.”
“Hand-selected? Why?” Clements blurted out.
“Enough,” Dale cautioned.
“But Dale, there’s no ocean around here. No need for boats,” he said. He was both sarcastic and serious. Looking to Elizabeth, he said, “You’re really giving us a SEAL? Why not bring along a few guys from the Coast Guard while you’re at it?”
Rivers entered the room, still wearing the Hawaiian shirt with the same grin on his face, his AK-47 slung across his shoulder. He grinned at Clements, giving him a nod, then slipped his rifle from his shoulder. He placed it muzzle up, propped in the corner. Close-by. He nodded to Elizabeth as he found the nearest seat.