CAMP RUSSELL, TARIN KOWT
‘Come in, guys, don’t just hover around the door. What is it?’
With Terence Saygen right on his heels, Sam peered around the door of the CO’s office to ensure that he was alone.
The CO leaned back in his large leather chair and looked up from his computer monitor as the two walked in. CNN silently played on the large-screen TV mounted on the wall to his right. On the other wall an equally large screen showed live footage from a drone, an MQ-9 Reaper. Somewhere in Afghanistan, a Tier 1 Special Forces unit, probably Delta Force, was prosecuting a raid on a high-value target. Sam watched as the breacher blew in the front doors and his assault team entered the bottom storey of the target. Far above, the drone relayed images of six little bird helicopters swarming like bees to their rooftop landing points. Four seemingly superhuman athletes sprinted from each of the birds, pulverising the light resistance before them.
‘Sit down, gents,’ the CO said, pointing towards the empty lounge against the back wall. ‘Help yourself to coffee, it’s freshly made.’ He waved a hand towards a coffee pot that looked like a genie’s lamp from Aladdin. Sam suspected that the pot and the small gold cups had been liberated by the CO on one of his dangerous missions to the Tarin Kowt markets.
The two officers settled themselves back on the Chesterfield sofa and exchanged a glance. Sam nodded at the SAS troop commander to begin.
Saygen cleared his throat. ‘Boss, I was just in talking with Sam about the commando’s next mission and he said there’s a chance that Rapier might not even be in Mirabad at the moment. He might in fact be in Sorhk Lez. Given that could be the case, I’m just wondering if maybe we should rethink sending them out there.’
The CO shot Sam a quizzical look, perhaps wondering why the intel officer had deemed it necessary to reveal any of this. ‘Yes, that’s correct, Terence, but it has no bearing on your mission.’ The CO rose from his desk chair and moved around to sit on the other Chesterfield. ‘It’s true, perhaps Rapier is not on the target at all, but you and your men will be ready to launch on him should he present himself. I’m of the opinion that he will try and organise fighters from Sorhk Lez and if he does, if he tries to coordinate resistance against Rix’s platoon from out there, then that’s when you and your troop strike! We’ve discussed this, Terence. Your troop vectoring onto him in helicopters will offer you the element of surprise and the highest chance of success.’
‘Sir, what do we do if he doesn’t pop up at all? In Mirabad or Sorhk Lez for that matter?’ Sam asked. ‘It seems that we only have a small window for this, and if Matt’s guys aren’t detected they might be in and out in less than a couple of hours.’
Sam had harboured reservations about this plan from the very start, especially now that Matt had put so much thought into his own deception plan, but it was Saygen who had put the final element of doubt in his mind.
‘Well, that’s pretty simple, Sam – we just keep Matt out there for a while. They will hit his guys sooner or later, right?’ The CO drained the coffee from his cup. As he did, Sam noticed the words Made in China stamped on the bottom. Was nothing over here what it seemed? he wondered.
Saygen was looking troubled. ‘I think they’d be sitting ducks, boss, if you left them out there past first light. They’re not actually deploying for a protracted action.’
The CO laughed easily. ‘Terence, this is a platoon of commandos you’re talking about. C’mon, mate, you know what these guys are like. They’ll be spoiling for a fight – it’s what they live for. They want to take it to the enemy to avenge Lance Corporal Lewis’s death, don’t they? So let’s help them find some peace.’
‘Boss, I have the same reservations about this,’ Sam chimed in. ‘It seems like it could be organised better. If we just explained the plan to Matt, he could –’
The CO held up a hand to silence him. ‘We’ve been through this already. Matt and his team won’t be in any real danger; Saygen and his team will have their backs. Look, someone is leaking our plans, that much we know. Obviously that’s not ideal, but let’s use it to our advantage just this once. As soon as we’ve neutralised Objective Rapier, then you can put some pressure on the network, Sam, and sniff out this rat.’
‘Sir, there’s another possibility: what if Rapier is on or in vicinity of the target?’
‘You told me he wasn’t.’ The CO gave Sam an unblinking stare. ‘“All the indications were,” you said.’
Sam shifted uncomfortably. ‘But we’ve been fooled by him before, sir. What if he sent someone else to Sorhk Lez with his handset and then started the rumour that he was gone? It’s possible – and think what it would mean for Matt.’ Sam was clutching at straws now.
‘That would be the best-case scenario for Matt, wouldn’t you say?’ the CO countered. ‘Think about it, Sam – it means he’s on the target and Rix will get his man.’ He nodded with grim satisfaction as he looked back at the SAS troop commander. ‘See, Saygen? It’s win–win.’
The CO rose from the sofa to stand in front of the TV. CNN was on the scene of another school shooting in the United States. ‘Nasty business, this,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘What will it take for America to understand the need for tighter gun control?’ It was clear that, as far as he was concerned, the discussion was over.
But Sam wasn’t ready to let the subject go. ‘That’s not Rapier’s MO though, sir, to just be sitting at a compound. I guess I didn’t really explain myself properly. What I mean is, if he is in Mirabad, and he knows Matt and his guys are coming, he’ll IED the shit out of them – either on the actual target or almost definitely on the way out from it. This could be a set-up. Rapier tries to make us think he’s not there, our source tells us there’s a compound he uses in Mirabad and Sorhk Lez, we send our guys there to check them out and – boom!’
‘And without the Black Hawks, Jesus – they’ll be carved up,’ Saygen added.
A frown settled on the CO’s face. He walked back to his position behind his desk, his eyes fixed on the other screen now. On Kill TV, the illuminated green figures of Special Forces operators paced silently around the roof of the target compound. Four men came up the stairs with two detainees shuffling along between them. Even on the black-and-green screen it was clear they had been hooded and tied together. A Black Hawk dropped into view, its rotors making green circles in the dust as it landed on the roof.
The CO grunted in appreciation of the pantomime playing out on the screen and it seemed to strengthen his resolve. ‘Gentlemen, I understand that you have some reservations.’ His voice was cold. ‘But I have made my decision. The mission will go ahead as planned. This is war, men; to make an omelette, sometimes you have to break a few eggs. Now, let’s get this thing done.’