He pointed to the stairs. Stalley nodded, then both men walked as quietly as possible to the staircase. Rain water was still dripping down the steps. They looked overhead, seeing that a section of roof had caved in, but not recently.
Slade stood on the first step, hoping the stairs were more secure by the wall, and less likely to cave in or creak. Both men continued up the staircase, slowly, cautiously.
Finally at the top, Slade walked toward the center of the room, while Stalley stood watch. Without hesitating, Slade went to the front window. Trying to see through broken slats, he whispered, “Zero-Niner, Four-One.”
“Go ahead, Four-One.”
“On second.”
“Copy that,” Grant responded.
For Grant and the other four men, the next moments would be agonizing, as they waited to receive word if the SEALs were in the next house, then waiting to hear if they were alive.
Slade and Stalley looked overhead at the hole in the roof. They had to get up there, then try and find a way to get to the house next door.
All the ceilings in these homes were low, under seven feet. The two men were tall enough. They could do it.
Slade intertwined his fingers, then braced his legs. Stalley looked up then put a foot in Slade’s palms. With one fluid motion, Slade lifted Stalley who was able to grab hold of a section of roof then pull himself through. He immediately stretched out on his belly.
“Zero-Niner, Four-One.”
“Go ahead, Four-One.”
“Five-Two is topside.”
“Roger that.” Grant blew out a breath.
With Stalley safely on the roof, Slade stood close to the dividing wall, trying to hear anything, something that would give them a clue what was happening next door.
Stalley got up into a crouch then cautiously went to the wall where the two buildings were joined. He looked down the row of houses. Each one had some damage done to its roof. He took a breath, sat on top of the dividing wall, then slid both legs over the edge. He stepped onto the roof, focusing the NVGs on a jagged-edge hole, with an eight foot circumference. This is it, he thought, as he slowly walked as close to the opening as he dared.
He got down on his belly and crabbed his way closer, a little at a time, ensuring the roof was stable. Finally, he was able to lean his head over the edge, aiming the NVGs around the room. He reached into his chest vest and pulled out his penlight, then raised the NVGs. Aiming the narrow beam toward a corner of the room, he pressed it on and off, directly toward the two men.
Becket and Kidd were lashed together, back to back. Their hands and feet were bound, rags were tied around their mouths.
Becket blinked his eyes, then turned his head. He nodded, acknowledging Stalley’s signal. He bumped his back against Kidd, over and over, thinking Kidd was unconscious.
Kidd slowly looked up. Confused, he shook his head, trying to get rid of the cobwebs. Finally he noticed the flashing light. Both men stared up toward Stalley.
Stalley turned the light on his own face and winked, then gave a thumb’s up. Pressing the PTT, he whispered, “Zero-Niner, Five-Two. Have eyes on deuce. Affirm okay.”
“Copy that, Five-Two!” As relieved as he was, Grant wanted more information. “Request number of UFs.”
A sudden noise made Stalley roll away from the opening. He whispered, “Wait one.”
With a sound of footsteps on the stairs, both Becket and Kidd instinctively lowered their heads and closed their eyes. They stayed motionless. Whoever was checking on them, only came part way up the stairs, stopped, then went back down.
Stalley waited until it became quiet, then rolled over on his belly, positioning himself at the opening. Pausing for an extra minute, he reported, “Clear.” Then, he shined the penlight toward the floor in front of the men and signaled in code: Number of bad guys. Once again he shined the light on Becket, waiting for a response.
Becket blinked his eyelids: Five. Then he immediately added: Deuce bombs.
Stalley shut off the light, then pressed the PTT. “Count is fiver, deuce ‘boomers.’ I say again, deuce ‘boomers.’ Do you copy?”
“Copy that. Wait one.”
Grant immediately called Novak. “Seven-Three, Zero-Niner.”
“Go ahead, Zero-Niner.”
“Any sign of guest?”
“Negative.”
Grant couldn’t take the chance Kwan would return, and unknowingly bring along ChiComs. It was time to pull Novak and James from their positions.
“Seven-Three and Six-Eight, exit now. Do you copy?”
“Copy that. Exiting. Seven-Three, out.”
Within a matter of minutes, Novak and James had packed up their gear. Following Adler’s directions, they joined the three men in the alley. Adler motioned toward house that was their target.
Grant notified Stalley and Slade. “Four-One, Zero-Niner.”
“Go ahead, Zero-Niner.”
“A.T. approaching.”
“Roger that.”
Fog had descended over the city. The humidity — oppressive. The morning temperature — eighty degrees. A distant sound of ship horns, coming from the harbor, were all that broke the early morning silence.
The Team was one house down from the target, staying close to the rundown building. There hadn’t been any activity in the area. The next conversations would be kept to a minimum, with Stalley and Slade being so close to the UFs.
Grant pushed the PTT, then spoke softly. “Five-Two, Zero-Niner.”
“Go ahead, Zero-Niner.”
“Proceed to friendlies. Protect. Do you copy?”
Stalley nodded to himself, then replied, “Copy that. Out.” He crabbed backwards from the roof opening, then quietly went back to the other building.
Slade was already waiting beneath the hole in the ceiling, looking up. There were two options for him to get through the hole: either Stalley could “arm” hoist him up, or they’d use a rope. The rope was the way to go. It would keep Stalley far enough away from the opening, and keep less pressure on the ragged, unstable edge.
Stalley took the length of rope from his rucksack, dropped one end into the hole, then wrapped the other end around his waist. Grabbing the rope with both hands, he jerked it, signaling Slade he was ready to accept the weight. Tall and slender, Stalley belied his appearance. He was known as the “young Doc who had muscles in his shit.”
Grant and the rest of the men waited for word that the two had successfully entered the target building. Finally, they heard Slade, “Affirm all safe.”
Stalley and Slade couldn’t take the chance of being heard now that they were inside. Sharing water and treatment of wounds would have to wait.
Crouching slightly, Slade took one slow step at a time, cautiously moving near the top of the stairs. He was able to hear voices. ChiComs.
Listening to the voices, he determined there were at least two men closer to the back door. Another sound indicated something was being dragged across the floor. One voice rose slightly. Everything went quiet for a moment. Then, someone started talking softly. Another person gave what could have been a response. Slade backed up, continuing on watch, staying several feet back from the staircase, trying to remain hidden in the shadows.
Stalley used his K-bar to slice the ropes tying the SEALs’ wrists and ankles. Then, he took up a defensive position in front of the two men. The four were in a precarious situation. If they made the slightest sound, it could bring the UFs right to them.
But they’d have to be patient and wait until word came from Grant — or until all hell broke loose.
Chapter 14
Colonel Tao Chiu stood behind the desk, with his fists balled up by his side. He looked down at a mass of paperwork, covering every inch of the desktop. He still couldn’t find the missing piece of the puzzle. He was positive it was somewhere in the papers, but somehow he kept overlooking it.