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COWBOY DRIFTED IN AND out of consciousness as the North Korean soldiers loaded him into the back of the troop transport. The soldiers had done a poor job of bandaging the gunshot wound on his left side, but they had at least tried. Cowboy knew they were only doing their best to keep him alive so they could interrogate him later. It was no act of mercy.
Four soldiers accompanied Cowboy as he lay on the floor of the transport. Its diesel engine was deafening as they bounced along what Cowboy could only assume was a dirt path to the main highway to Kaesong.
Cowboy ignored the pain of his injuries and tried focusing on formulating an escape plan. His wrists were zip tied behind his back, but his feet were unbound. He was working on wearing down the plastic restraints by slowly sawing them against the specially designed blade on the heel of his boot, but it wasn’t easy due to the pain he felt from his wounds. In addition to the gunshot wound, he was pretty sure he had broken at least one rib during the fall and subsequent beating.
His guards seemed satisfied that he would stay put, ignoring him as the transport bounced around the rough terrain. They were chatting with each other and laughing, apparently comfortable with the idea that Cowboy posed no threat. They were each holding their rifle by the barrel with the butt on the floor – within arm’s reach if Cowboy could free himself from his restraints. It was a longshot of a plan, but a plan nonetheless. Anything was better than ending up brain dead after spending any length of time in a North Korean prison.
Cowboy continued slowly working his restraints against the blade. He didn’t want to completely severe the restraints, in case the transport made an abrupt stop to transfer him to another vehicle or the soldiers had to move him for some reason. He just wanted to weaken them enough so that he could easily break them once he saw his opportunity to escape.
The transport suddenly jolted, causing Cowboy to levitate momentarily before crashing back onto the floor on his side. The pain was blinding. He couldn’t breathe as he struggled to maintain consciousness. He heard the guards laughing as he groaned in pain.
As Cowboy recovered, the ride suddenly turned smooth. The drone of the diesel engine was accompanied by the sound of the studded tires against the asphalt. They had finally hit the highway. Cowboy guessed they’d be arriving at their destination soon.
He did his best to shake off the pain and instead focused on the rifle nearest his head. He calculated that he could grab it and take out its owner before turning it on the guard next to him. After that, things became a little dicey as he would have to turn around and take out the other two guards despite his injuries.
Before he could finish his calculations, the transport suddenly slammed on its brakes. They came to a screeching halt, causing Cowboy to slide on the floor into the front wall. He heard yelling in Korean outside, indicating the stop was anything but planned.
Had the team come to rescue him?
The guards stood and grabbed their rifles. There was more yelling outside, followed by a rapid succession of gunfire, and then what sounded like return fire. If it was a rescue operation by Odin or Project Archangel, it was severely botched. Cowboy knew they would never go in loud with guns blazing like that. Stealth was almost always preferred – especially when trying to rescue a hostage.
Two of the guards pulled back the canvas and lowered the gate. They hopped out and joined the firefight that had begun outside. The other two exchanged confused looks and said something in Korean. Cowboy wished he had his translator, but from their facial expressions and based on his experience in the field, he was pretty sure they were asking, “What do we do now?”
He played dead as one of them looked down at him. As they turned their attention back to the outside, Cowboy used the blade to forcibly break his restraints. There was no need for stealth anymore. It was time to save himself while he still could.
The second guard walked to the opening of the transport to see how the fight was progressing, leaving the guard closest to Cowboy with his back turned to him. Cowboy decided to seize the opportunity.
With a surge of adrenaline, he leapt to his feet, using the sling of the nearest guard’s AK-74U to choke him out. When the other guard turned to see what was happening, Cowboy drew the choking guard’s sidearm and fired three rounds, causing the far guard to fall out of the transport.
Cowboy finished choking the guard and then relieved him of his rifle and sidearm as the man’s body fell limp. He stuffed the handgun into his flight suit pocket and shouldered the rifle. The pain was almost too much to bear, but Cowboy pushed through. Every ounce of training he had received in the British Special Air Service and with Odin kicked in. He was in survival mode and refused to give up.
Hearing the noise, the third guard walked back to look inside. Cowboy fired a three-round burst, hitting the soldier in the chest with all three rounds. The guard fell back and Cowboy exited the transport, grunting as the drop jarred him. The impact on the asphalt caused his vision to blur due to the jolt of pain the impact sent through his body.
As he recovered, the gunfire suddenly stopped. Cowboy slowly moved to the edge of the transport, using it for cover as best he could. He had no idea where the threat was or who the North Korean soldiers had even been fighting, but he didn’t plan on sticking around to find out.
He looked out and saw that they were on a two-lane road in a valley, surrounded by trees on either side. Cowboy looked down the driver’s side of the transport and saw two North Korean soldiers taking cover. In front of the transport, two trucks were blocking the road. He couldn’t see any other fighters.
He turned back toward the other side of the transport. Stepping over the body of the guard he had just dropped, Cowboy peered around the corner of the transport. It was a clear shot to the tree line and into the woods. It wasn’t a clean escape, but it would at least give him cover to plan his next move. As he looked down, Cowboy saw that blood from his gunshot wound had soaked through his bandage and flight suit. He touched it with his left hand and pulled back a hand full of blood. He was rapidly losing blood. If he didn’t get help soon, he’d be out of the fight completely.
He found an opening in the trees and brush and decided that would be the best place to make a run for it. Cowboy did a quick check over his shoulder to make sure the North Korean soldiers weren’t approaching his position, and then started toward his target.
As he sprinted toward the opening, Cowboy heard an exchange of gunfire behind him. The pain in his side was nearly overwhelming and his legs were beginning to feel weak. He tried to push through the pain and weakness to keep his legs moving, but he could feel them starting to buckle beneath him.
Cowboy reached a small ditch and tried to jump without breaking stride. When he landed on the other side, his legs buckled, causing him to fall head-first into the brush. He had lost more blood than he thought and his consciousness was fading.
He tried to push through and get up, but he was too weak. As he rolled over, the last thing Cowboy saw was a man dressed in black carrying an AK-47 standing over him.