Now, with his hearing gone, replaced by an explosive hum, he rolled back toward the tunnel. He sighted the two soldiers, getting off two rounds before tugging free a frag of his own and letting it fly. He thought he’d shot one man before the frag exploded, consuming them both, and then, just as he raised his head, he spotted movement from the corner of his eye — more combatants jumping into the hole … three, four, five, maybe six in all.
There were just too many of them.
He tore free another grenade, shifted back toward Kozak, and thought, We go together, bro. Together …
After leaving 30K in the hands of the Navy corpsman, who assured Ross he’d do everything he could to stabilize 30K, Ross took off running for the collapsed section of the tunnel. Were it not for the adrenaline coursing through him, he doubted he could have gone on.
He’d spotted the squad of FARC troops leaping into the hole, rushing up behind Kozak and Pepper as they did so, and the moment they hit the ground, Ross lowered his HK into the pit and held down the trigger, dropping the unsuspecting bastards from behind, the last man rolling to face him, only to be hammered back into oblivion.
‘Pepper! Pepper!’ Ross cried.
No reply.
Ross winced and leaped on to the mound of dirt about two meters below, his wounded legs giving out as he made impact, sending him rolling down to the bottom. He rose to his hands and knees and saw Pepper trying to dig a furrow around Kozak, whose head appeared from beneath the Warhound.
After Ross stumbled to his feet, Pepper craned his head, pointed to his pistol, then sighed and mouthed the words ‘Can’t hear you,’ as he gestured to his ear.
In the dirt, just behind Pepper, and just barely visible, was the Warhound’s remote. Ross scooped it up and studied the display. If he could flex two of the UGV’s legs, he could raise its torso a quarter meter or so. After a deep breath, he fought to steady his hand and tap in the command. The Warhound creaked, servos whining, then rose — just as Kozak moaned and Pepper tugged him free.
Kozak’s face was twisted in agony as Pepper assured him he’d be okay. Damning to hell medical protocol that dictated they immobilize the patient right there in the pit, they hauled him unsteadily to his feet, and he clutched his chest with one arm, the other draped over Pepper’s shoulder. They started down the tunnel, toward the ladder beneath the hut, and Ross dragged himself after them. The pain shooting up and down his legs came as electrified needles now, his arms growing heavier.
He helped Pepper get Kozak up the ladder, and then as he climbed and neared the top, the night sky faded for a moment. His heart raced. Sweat poured from his temples. He clutched the ladder even tighter and fought against it. No, he would not pass out. No.
He took a long, deep breath, as Mitchell’s voice buzzed in his earpiece: ‘Delta Dragon, this is Guardian. The Seahawk has disabled the APC. I don’t see Valencia but assume he’s still inside. Hamid and Delgado look injured. They’re still trying to escape on foot. I’m tracking them now with your drone, over.’
‘Roger that, Guardian. They won’t get away.’
SIXTY-NINE
Hamid and Delgado were heading toward the fishing boat rental place on the north coast, and Ross called for the Seahawk to land on the beach. He and Pepper headed out to board the chopper.
Meanwhile, Rugg called to say that his Marines had captured eleven men who’d surrendered and that the others were either wounded or dead. Sadly, he also mentioned that five of his Marines had been killed, while another fourteen had been wounded.
‘You sure you’re okay?’ Pepper shouted above the rotor wash as they climbed into the Seahawk.
Ross gave him a vigorous nod and thumbs-up, and once they were off the ground and had donned their headsets, he issued his instructions to the pilot.
Meanwhile, the wounded were being evacuated on to the Sea Stallion, and Rugg called to say he was making sure that Ross’s people were taken good care of for the trip back.
‘Guess it’s up to us old guys to finish this off, huh?’ asked Pepper.
‘Age and treachery,’ said Ross.
Pepper smiled, thought a moment, then said, ‘Going back for 30K … that was something.’
‘You didn’t think I had it in me.’
‘I won’t lie.’
‘It’s okay. So now you know.’
‘Yeah. I sure as hell do.’
Hamid was limping, and Delgado was clutching his left elbow with his rifle slung over his shoulder as they came out of the mangroves on the east side of the beach and stepped on to the rickety wooden pier leading out to the score of fishing boats.
Their escape involved more than just stealing an old boat. Mitchell reported that a helicopter had landed on a tiny sand island less than a kilometer off Rupat’s northern coast, and surely Hamid and Delgado would fire up one of the outboards and race out to meet it.
But before they reached the end of the pier, they froze and squinted in horror through the darkness –
As the air shimmered and fluctuated to expose Ross and Pepper, rifles trained on them, eyes burning.
‘Don’t move, Hamid,’ Ross ordered in Arabic.
‘And you, too, Señor Delgado,’ Pepper said in Spanish.
Hamid took a step forward and leaned toward Ross, straining to get a better look at him. ‘Who are you?’
‘That doesn’t matter. Why we’re here is more important.’
Hamid contemplated that, his face stoic. He glanced back to Delgado. ‘Do you know who they are?’
‘Yes, he does,’ said Ross. ‘Don’t you remember us, little man? Back in that coke lab in Colombia? We saved your ass, and you told us you were a taxi driver.’
Delgado’s gaze drifted past them, as though he were already searching for an escape route. ‘I don’t know you.’
‘All right, listen to me,’ Ross began. ‘Put your rifles on the dock. You do it right now; otherwise I’ll make the pain a lot worse.’
Hamid kept his rifle trained on Ross.
Standoff.
‘Well, I thought it was gonna be a gunfight,’ said Pepper, who slowly set his rifle on the pier. ‘I surrender.’
‘Sergeant, I wasn’t talking to you,’ Ross said in disbelief.
Pepper raised his palms, looked at Ross, winked. ‘It’s okay.’
And before Ross could react, Pepper charged toward Hamid, the man opening fire until Pepper reached him and tore the rifle out of his hands, bringing it around to clock him in the head with the AK’s heavy wooden stock –
While at the same time, Delgado brought his rifle around and was about to fire, but Ross shot him in the hip, knocking him back into the water.
‘I got him,’ cried Pepper as Hamid crumpled on to the dock and Pepper reached into his web gear for a pair of zipper cuffs.
Ross ripped off his pack, set down his rifle and jumped in the water after Delgado, whose head had barely broken the surface. Ross reached him, grabbed the back of his collar, and began a modified combat sidestroke back to the sandy shoreline, and once he could stand, he continued to drag Delgado all the way to the beach.
The man was barely conscious, leg bleeding badly, as Ross got on the radio and called back the Seahawk for an immediate evac. Seeing that the little man wasn’t going anywhere, he crossed on to the dock and dragged himself over to Pepper, who was resting his back against Hamid and just breathing.
‘Chopper on the way?’ Pepper asked.
‘Yeah.’
‘Good.’ Pepper grimaced and suddenly stiffened in pain. ‘He shot me up pretty good. Plates caught a few, but I got one in the shoulder, maybe the leg, too. Yeah, I can feel it …’