“Quit trying to cheer me up.” Nathan looked toward the west where the helicopter had disappeared. “We’ll stay a little longer.”
“The helo could’ve spooked our messenger. He might bug out thinking he’s been blown.”
“If we don’t find anyone up there, I suspect it would only delay the inevitable. I’d like to solve this mystery tonight and be done with it.”
“Agreed.”
“Did your RF detector vibrate?” Nathan asked.
“No, I didn’t feel anything. You’re thinking if it saw us, it would’ve radioed our location. If it did, the detector should’ve picked up its transmission. Nate, we can’t rule out the possibility it rappelled troops on the north side of that ridge we just came from and then blew through the canyon to deceive us. To make matters worse, Raven could be with them.”
“How long would that have taken?”
“If they’re seasoned combat troops, less than twenty seconds.”
“How much time do we have if that’s the case?”
“If they take a direct route over the summit like we just did, thirty minutes to an hour, depending on how stealthy they want to be. It would take them considerably longer to traverse the mountain to the east or west.”
Nathan didn’t respond.
“Do you want to leave?”
“I think we’re okay. Like you said, its noise never sounded constant from a hover. Just because it was dark, doesn’t make it a Nicaraguan air force bird. It could’ve been a drug runner or a private ship.”
“That’s true.”
“We have several options, but all of them terminate with two possible outcomes. We either complete the mission as planned and meet with the messenger, or we don’t. Cantrell won’t second-guess us either way. A helicopter’s passage through the area doesn’t seem like a strong enough reason to scrub the mission. I think we should hunker down right here and see if anyone shows up. We can’t worry about meeting our messenger until we’re certain we’re not being pursued.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
They separated again to give themselves the best chance of detecting intruders. The next thirty minutes seemed to stretch into thirty hours. Nathan didn’t like being immobile, but it was the right thing to do given their situation. Sometimes no action was the best action.
Nathan tapped his memory of the mission briefing Bill Stafford had given them. The Nicaraguan air force had several Mi-8 Hip military transport helicopters and at least five Mi-24 Hind attack birds in its arsenal. With skilled pilots, the Hinds were capable ships, and Nathan had no desire to engage one of them. If a Hind had bored down on them, they would’ve had little chance of surviving, even with all the cover. Trees were no match for rockets and large-caliber machine guns. There was an outright terror associated with being hunted by a helicopter, especially a Russian-made gunship.
With five minutes to spare, he looked over at Harv’s position, issued the form-up signal, and started in that direction.
“I think we’re good,” Harv said. “If anyone’s tracking—” His friend stopped midsentence. “Someone’s talking. The RF detector just vibrated.”
Nathan pulled his Sig and crouched. Harv followed suit. Were they blown? How? And who was it?
“Nate, it’s going off again.”
“Shit.”
The next thing they heard was a voice from somewhere above. It had a Southern drawl.
“US Marines, one-one.”
CHAPTER 11
What the hell? Nathan exchanged a stunned glance with Harv and quickly considered their options. He needed verification in a big hurry. That voice could belong to anyone.
He called out a question. “Where’re you stationed?”
“Pendleton.”
“Where did one-one see its first major campaign?”
“Guadalcanal.”
“What’s great about Sports Illustrated?”
There was a brief pause. “The swimsuit issue.”
“What cities have the Raiders played in?”
“Oakland and Los Angeles.”
“Do you like them?”
“No.”
“Copy that. We’re coming up.”
“Shit, Nate. You’re a piece of work, you know that?” Harv mocked his question. “‘What’s great about Sports Illustrated?’—what kinda question is that?”
Nathan shrugged.
Harv shook his head. “Cantrell said we’d be supported, but I sure as hell didn’t expect this.”
“Let’s beat feet up there.”
Since their USMC friend had been vocal, it could only mean the immediate area was secure. They made their way up to the summit without haste.
Slightly winded, they arrived at the highest point of the bowling-pin formation but didn’t see anyone. The tree cover up here was modest, but it obscured most of the moonlight. Waist-high ferns and shrubs dominated the area. Like something out of a video game, six ghillie-suited figures materialized from crouched positions. Within seconds they were surrounded. Nathan had his Sig in his hand but kept it lowered.
One of them approached, presumably the marine who’d made contact. In the dim light, he looked identical to Nathan and Harv, just not as tall. When the man pulled his hood back, Nathan saw his face was also painted. The other marines formed a defensive perimeter. Nathan and Harv released the elastic straps and pulled their hoods back.
Nathan extended his hand. “You guys are a damned welcome sight.”
“Thank you, sir. I’m Staff Sergeant Lyle, one-one. We don’t know your identity, and we won’t ask.”
“Understood. Sorry about the interrogation, but we weren’t expecting you. I had to be sure you were the real deal.”
“That’s not a problem, sir.”
“Did you get a good look at the helo? Was it a Hind?”
“Yes, sir. A twenty-four. Nicaraguan air force.”
“Is there any chance it inserted troops?”
“No sir, at least not within our visual range. We monitored its thermal signature. It never hovered, and it wasn’t high enough for jumpers. It was probably just a routine patrol. They’re used mostly for drug interdiction.”
“A long time ago, we were with one-eight,” Nathan said.
“Recon?” Lyle asked.
Nathan nodded.
“Outstanding.”
“Sorry you guys got dragged out here.”
“Are you kidding? We love deploying.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Corporal Ramirez and Sergeant Birdsall have been with you since the LZ. The rest of us have been up here for the last twelve hours.”
“Are you serious? We were followed?”
“Yes, sir.”
“We never saw or heard anyone.”
Lyle smiled. “No sir, you wouldn’t have.”
“How’d they beat our TI sweeps?” Harv asked.
“When you stopped for thermals, they ducked behind trees to hide their signatures.”
Harv shook his head. “We were too predictable.”
“No, sir. Rammy and Bird lost you several times and had to reacquire. You weren’t easy to track.”
As if on cue, two more men rounded the summit from the north, making Lyle’s group a squad-sized unit.
Very tight, Nathan thought. “You guys find anyone up here?”
“Yes, sir, he arrived five hours ago. He made a good approach, but we bagged him. He’s been tight-lipped. Says he won’t talk to anyone but one of you. We haven’t interrogated him. Our orders were to secure him and maintain a perimeter until you arrived.”
Lyle looked to his left and issued a hand signal. Two of Lyle’s men appeared, and sandwiched between them was a third man who appeared to have his hands secured behind his back. The man didn’t seem nervous, just the opposite. Dressed in a woodland combat uniform with a light coating of face paint on his exposed skin, he walked with confidence.