He rose, and a shout blasted at him as shocking as any bullet.
“Stop there! We want the box. Do not move.”
Drake didn’t hesitate, but dropped fast, both grateful for the warning and shaken that they hadn’t spotted the enemy. Dahl glared at him and Alicia looked confused. Even Mai exhibited surprise.
Kenzie clicked her tongue. “That has to be Mossad.”
“Did you get a bead on ’em?” Hayden asked.
“Yeah,” Drake said. “Speaker’s dead ahead and probably has mates to the sides. Right where we wanna be.”
“We can’t go forward,” Mai said. “We go back. That way.” She pointed to the east. “There’s cover and a road, some farms. A city not too far away. We can call an evac.”
Drake glanced at Hayden. Their boss seemed to be weighing up the choices between heading north along the coast, east toward civilization, or facing the battle.
“Nothing good happens if we stay here,” Dahl said. “Facing one elite enemy would be tough but we know more are on their way.”
Drake already knew Mai was right. North offered no means of escape. They would be running alongside the Hellespont with bare cover and trusting everything to sheer luck that they might stumble across a mode of transport. Traveling east guaranteed an opportunity.
Plus, the other teams were unlikely to be coming from a city.
Hayden called it and then turned toward the east, gauging the ground and the chance of a quick getaway. Right then, the voice rang out again.
“Stay right there!”
“Crap,” Alicia breathed. “The dude’s psychic.”
“Just got good eyes,” Smyth said, meaning visual tech. “Get behind something solid. We’re about to take fire.”
The team moved, heading east. The Israelis opened fire, bullets slamming above the SPEAR team’s heads into tree trunks and between branches. Leaves rained down. Drake scrambled fast, knowing the shots were aimed deliberately high and wondering what the hell kind of new warfare they had ventured into here.
“Just like a friggin’ army exercise,” Alicia said.
“I really hope they’re using rubber bullets,” Dahl replied.
They scrambled and improvised movement toward the east, reaching more sturdy trees and grabbing a look. Drake fired back, deliberately high. He saw no signs of movement.
“Tricky bastards.”
“Small team,” Kenzie said. “Cautious. Automatons. They will be awaiting a decision.”
Drake sought to take full advantage. The team wound a cautious path to the east, right into the pale dawn that still threatened the far horizon. As he reached another clearing, Drake heard and practically felt the whizz of a bullet.
“Shit.” He dived for cover. “That one was close.”
More gunfire, more lead slamming among the cover. Hayden stared Drake in the eyes. “Their orders have changed.”
Drake breathed deeply, scarcely believing it. The Israelis were firing hard, and no doubt advancing at a careful but advantageous rate. Another bullet took a chunk of bark from a tree just behind Yorgi’s head, making the Russian flinch hard.
“Not good,” Kenzie grunted furiously. “Not good at all.”
Drake’s eyes were like flint. “Hayden, get on to Lauren. Ask her to confirm with Crowe that we fire back!”
“We have to fire back,” Kenzie cried out. “You guys never checked before.”
“No! They’re paid soldiers, elite forces, trained and following orders. They’re fucking allies, potential friends. Check, Hayden. Check now!”
More bullets rifled the undergrowth. The enemy remained unseen, unheard, their advance known only through SPEAR’s own experience. Drake watched Hayden click the comms and speak to Lauren, then prayed for a fast response.
The Mossad soldiers came closer.
“Reconfirm our status.” Even Dahl sounded stressed. “Lauren! Get the decision? Do we engage?”
Already driven away from their boats, the SPEAR team were forced to move further east. Under fire, they were driven hard. Reluctant to fight known allies, they were neck deep in danger.
Scrambling, scraped and bloody, they employed every trick in their arsenal, every ploy, to put distance between themselves and Mossad. It only took minutes for Lauren to come back, but those minutes dragged on longer than a Justin Bieber CD.
“Crowe ain’t happy. Says you got your orders. Secure the weapons at all costs. All four of them.”
“That’s it?” Drake asked. “You told her who we’re up against?”
“Of course. She sounded pissed. I think we pissed her off.”
Drake shook his head. Doesn’t make sense. We should be working together on this.
Dahl leant an opinion. “We did go against her orders in Peru. Maybe this is payback.”
Drake didn’t believe it. “Nah. That’d be petty. She’s not that kind of politician. We’re up against allies. Shit.”
“We have our orders,” Hayden said. “Let’s survive today and argue tomorrow.”
Drake knew she was right, but couldn’t help thinking that the Israelis had probably said the exact same thing. This was how age-old grievances began. As a team now they blazed a trail to the east, staying within their shield of forestation, and organized a rearguard, nothing too aggressive but enough to slow down the Israelis. Smyth, Kinimaka and Mai were outstanding at showing that they now meant business, hobbling their adversaries at every turn.
It came from behind them as Drake flitted between trees. A chopper thundered overhead, then banked and dropped to a landing in some discreet clearing. Hayden didn’t have to say a word.
“Swedes? Russians? Jesus, this is bad shit, guys!”
Drake immediately heard gunfire from that direction. Whoever had just exited that chopper had been fired upon, and not by Mossad.
That meant four Special Forces teams were now in the fray.
Ahead, the forest ended and a wide field bordered by stone walls revealed an old farmhouse.
“Make some time up,” he cried. “Go hard and fast. We can regroup there.”
The team ran like the hounds of Hell were racing at their heels.
Running at a full but controlled pace, the team randomly broke cover and pelted toward the farmhouse. The walls and window openings were almost as beat-up as the hill-house had been, signifying the lack of human presence. Three Special Forces teams lay at their backs but how close?
Drake didn’t know. He jogged hard across the rutted ground, taking his night-vision apparatus off and using the lightening skies to mark the way. Half the team scanned the way ahead, half the way behind. Mai whispered that she’d seen the Mossad team reach the edge of the forest, but then Drake reached the first low wall and Mai and Smyth put down a little suppressing fire.
Together, they huddled behind the stone wall.
The farmhouse stood another twenty paces ahead. Drake knew it would do them no good to allow the Israelis and others to get settled and establish perfect lines of sight. Also the other teams would be wary now of each other. He spoke into the comms.
“Best haul ass, folks.”
Alicia shifted to stare at him. “That your best American accent?”
Drake looked worried. “Crap. I’ve finally turned.” Then he saw Dahl. “But, hey, could be worse, I guess.”
As one they broke cover. Mai and Smyth again provided containing fire and received only two rounds in return. No other sounds were heard. Drake found a sturdy wall and stopped. Hayden immediately put Mai and Smyth and Kinimaka on perimeter watch and then scurried over to join the others.
“We’re good for a few minutes. What do we have?”
Dahl was already breaking out the map as Lauren’s voice filled their ears.