“Yes.”
“That means unconventional tactics, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it’s pretty damn unconventional to send in a Marine Colonel now, isn’t it?” Reynolds said with a smile.
She returned one. “You do realize the risks?”
“This ain’t my first tour, ma’am,” he replied.
“Yeah, we know that you like to go out in the field from time to time. Not wise for a base commander to do so, but they look the other way, don’t they?”
“They can’t do anything about it. Now listen, I’ll post up on that ridge. Sergeant York said their COMMS worked within the Unit, just not back to command. But then again, they did contact at the top of the ridgeline. If I’m high enough, perhaps I can provide a link to you and the team. And, if shit starts going wrong, I’ll cover the LZ if they need to make a quick escape.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Colonel, I don’t like it, but you’re right. We need the eyes on the ground. I suppose it’s a good thing you’re the best sniper in the world.”
“Best active Sniper, yes. A guy named Swagger’s a tad bit better,” he remarked.
“Regardless, I suppose we go with it. Not much else we can do.”
“Yeah, not much else we can do,” Reynolds agreed. For the first time, she saw a flicker in the man’s eyes, a wild look at the notion of combat. He was happy to do this job.
“All right, it’s done,” Elizabeth said. “Michael and Viki can aide me here. If you’ll gather your effects, I can have you up in the air in thirty minutes.”
“I’ll be ready in twenty,” Reynolds said.
“Good. I suppose you know how to jump out of an airplane at night,” she said, tilting her head.
“Done it once or twice.”
“Okay, I’m trusting you, Colonel. Trust me when I say this: There’s no backup, nobody to come get you if you fall, if they come for you. You’ll be all alone in that valley. Do you understand this?” Elizabeth asked.
“I’m a Marine Scout Sniper, ma’am. That’s sorta what we do.”
“I’ll have Michael give you the proper hardware, communications and whatnot. Your choice of weapons systems. We brought them all, so you’ll have a wide selection.”
“I’ll stick with my ol’ Remington M40. It looks banged up, but it gets the job done. If you’ll supply me with some decent rounds, maybe ones that explode, that’d be great,” he grinned.
“The best,” Elizabeth promised. “Okay, Colonel, you’re going in. Your call sign is—”
“Sierra Bravo Four,” he interrupted. He was insistent, as this had been his call sign for many years while in the field.
She didn’t question it, instead nodding her head and repeating, “Sierra Bravo Four it is. Good luck and God speed, Colonel Reynolds,” Elizabeth said.
86
Rivers hurried up moments after Reynolds left. Watching the man go, he turned to Elizabeth. “He really going in?”
“Looks like it.”
“Svetlana? York?”
“Yes.”
Rivers shook his head. “I don’t like this, Lizzy. I’m afraid… I’m afraid this haste, this lack of planning, will hinder the mission.”
Elizabeth stepped close, whispering, “I’m afraid I’m sending you to your death.”
The two fell into each other’s arms, kissing, holding one another. This time as lovers, as soul-mates. As if it would be the last time.
Rivers hurried to wake Dale, to wake the others. He nearly got into another fight when he interrupted Clements’ beauty sleep, as he called it.
The team readied fast. They had done this a million times, and were swift, near graceful.
It took some time for Svetlana to ready, though. She was nervous, and as Michael explained to her the contents in her pack, she could hardly breathe. She was gasping for air as they strapped a harness around her, fitted her with a hose that strapped to a oxygen tank.
“So… so I’m jumping from an airplane,” Svetlana asked, nervous.
“You’ll be tandem jumping with Lieutenant Rivers,” Michael replied. “You’ll be jumping from a high altitude, and with a lot of gear. Two important things — keep your body arched until he pulls the chute. Two, keep your gear tight. You’re carrying a lot of gear!” Michael emphasized.
“Is this safe?” Svetlana.
“Well, ma’am, Rivers is a SEAL. He’s done this many times.”
“Is it?” she inquired.
“No, not really,” Michael admitted, cinching the harness tight, assuring her pack was fitted close to her chest.. He double checked the hose line; it would attach to two small tanks on Rivers. He would also carry a pack that would drop beneath them, as well as an assortment of weapons.
Crack-crack!
The sound of an AK-47. Distinctive, something Svetlana had heard many times in her mother country.
“Don’t worry, darling,” Rivers said with a west-coast surfer’s smile. “I’m DEVGRU, done it a million times. Just enjoy the ride and I’ll get us on target.”
“Uh… okay,” she muttered, eyes wide, skin pale.
“Just close your eyes when we jump. The freefall won’t be long, either. Keep your mask tight, breath slow, and enjoy the ride. We’ll be jumping from around thirty-thousand.”
“Feet?”
“Yup. At that altitude, it’s important you’re getting good air. Tap me twice, and hard, if you’re not. Otherwise, you’ll black out and die.”
“I’ll try to remember that.”
“Once we pull, our bags will drop. Don’t try to catch them, they’re designed that way.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll float in, a downward descent. We’ll be jumping from seven miles out, slow approach since it’s pretty far. But once we find our LZ, that’s landing zone, we’ll spiral down a bit faster. Sound okay?”
“Whatever you say. Just get me to the ground safe.”
“I’ll do my best,” Rivers said, speaking in Russian.
He looked over, seeing Elizabeth in the distance, watching the team sort their gear, make final preparations.
She shook her head disapprovingly at Rivers.
He raised his hands up, a sign that he just couldn’t help himself. Flirtation with beautiful women was in his blood.
Elizabeth laughed out loud, allowing it to pass, allowing those days to be long over. No more jealously, no more worry. Only love.
Behind her, Michael and Viki hurried. They had a long day ahead of them.
“Start the coffee,” Elizabeth said. “Boot up the computers. Get on the phone with Langley. Tell them we’re going in. Tell them Task Force Zulu Seven is going into Khost.”
Elizabeth then departed without looking back. She, too, had much work to do.
87
A small jet that could seat ten in luxury awaited them on the tarmac. They boarded the Gulfstream. Normally meant for the rich executives of major corporations, this one was retrofitted with special capabilities, a special operations platform intended for such things as this.
The Modified G750 was running, engines whining, door open and stairs leading up to it. The six members of Delta filed up, one at a time, carrying large packs and multiple firearms. They had to duck through the door, turning sideways to fit in.
Sergeants Clements and Thompson.
Sergeants Hernandez and Marcus.
Sergeant Jefferson.
Sergeant Dale Comstock, team leader for this mission.
Rivers led Svetlana, helping her up the steps. He could tell she was athletic, didn’t struggle from the weight of her gear, and was rather graceful with her steps. She was, however, quite frightened.
At the top, they also had to turn, squeezing themselves into the open doorway. Once through, Svetlana stopped cold, looking back to Rivers.