He led her to a bench full of all manner of weapons.
“I’ll take that Beretta 92, I’ve used one before.”
She put on the belt and holster and slipped the pistol into it. The Sargent fastened up the leg strap and slipped in several spare magazines.
“She’s all set Sir.”
“Sargent. Can I have two Berettas?”
“Two?”
“One’s for Tosser, she’s one of ours and she’s on the Objective now.” He put another belt and pistol hanging to her left and slipped more magazines into a leg pocket.
“OK. I CAN SEE THAT’S us we’re ready to rock,” said Lieutenant T.
He got them all together.
“Listen up. I’m not a big one on the speeches, you’ve seen the plan and we’ve discussed it. Silky here is with a friendly intelligence service as are the two on the Objective. We’re here to get the spooks out of the shit. Not that that’s a first. I’m in bird one, Prairie dog one, leading squad Green, we’ll blow down the doors and clear any resistance. Prairie dog two will infil Squad Orange under Sargent E who’ll go in and retrieve the subjects. Silky the spook, will join them as she knows the subjects. Both birds will exfil and fly low back to Mother. We’ll have top cover, two plastic bugs, better known to you Frogmen as F/A18 Hornets flying from the Carl Vinson. Their call sign’s are Vultures one and two. We are Tadpole.
I said I wasn’t big on speeches, but this is Rickerson’s first Op. As you ladies know, we can’t go in unless we’ve all said the Seal’s creed in front of our peers. Rickerson get to it.”
A very nervous young soldier stepped up and to the jeers of his comrades he started.
“I’ve been around the world twice, talked to everyone once, seen two whales fuck, been to three world fairs, and I even know a man in Thailand with a wooden cock.
Push more peter, more sweeter and more completer than any other peter pusher around. I’m a hard bodied, hairy chested, rootin, tootin, shootin, parachutin, demolition double cap crimping, Frogman.
There ain’t nothing I can’t do, no sky too high, no sea to rough, no muff too tough.
Learnt a lot of lessons in my life, never shoot a large calibre man with a small calibre bullet. Drive all kinds of truck 2 bys, 4 bys, 6 bys, those big motherfuckers that bend and go tshhhh, tshhhh, when you step on the breaks.
Anything in life worth doing, is worth overdoing, moderation is for cowards.
I’m a lover, I’m a fighter, I’m a UDT Navy Seal Diver, I wine, dine, intertwine and sneak out the back door when the revealing is done.
So, if you’re feeling froggy you better jump because this Frogman’s been there, done that, and is going back for more. Cheers Boys!”
“You’re shit.” “Pussy.” The insults flowed.
“Ok team, let’s go,” said the Lieutenant.
The Seal team walked aft to the Hanger deck where two MH-60S Sea Hawks spooled up their engines. Rotors turned and the Seals and Silky climbed in. She was sat in a chair mounted on one side of the fuselage and strapped in. She now wore her helmet and the crew and Seal team’s voices were piped into her ear phones. New sounds and vibration built up and the first Helicopter took off. Then Silky felt the Sea Hawk leave the hanger deck and it lifted fast away into the darkness.
“Prairie dog two outbound.” The two helicopters flew north towards the Iranian coast. She became aware of the sea below as her eyes became accustomed to the low light level. They flew for thirty-five minutes when the call came from one of the flight crew up front.
“Prairie dog two, feet dry.” They were now over the coast and flying into Iran. She could see the land below and thought they were at one hundred to one forty feet altitude. She saw a few roads and the lights from vehicles. Fifteen minutes later they slowed and descended tail down until the undercarriage touched down. The doors slid open and everybody climbed out. A Seal seemed to stick with her as she didn’t know the operation. Everybody jogged over the scrubby dusty ground toward distant lights. It became hard work, she was no Seal, but she kept up. They entered the city and ran down narrow streets, somebody had studied the way. The locals looked up in surprise, some called out comments. Nobody seemed alarmed, maybe they thought the soldiers were their own. Up ahead she heard a loud bang followed by gunfire, the gunfire sounded as though it was from inside a building. To her left a radio sparked to life, the men pulled to a stop.
“Squad Orange from Green, over.”
“Squad Orange reading you.”
“Phase one cleared. On phase two now, over and out.” The squad pressed on, Silky was breathing heavily now. Left down a back street, turn a corner down another back street. A young couple were stood in a doorway kissing, her long black loose Jilbab covering all of her body was pulled up to her chest, the boy’s hands were up under the garment over her breasts.
“Get her buns bouncing off the door son,” one of the Seals called out. The couple panicked. The Seals ran on, they turned and ran down a long street. They ran out onto a broad avenue and turned right. There was Rannediff jail. They got close, two police cars pulled up to a stop. Three policemen got out and shouted something, the Seals carried on towards the jail. One of the policemen shouted again. A Seal turned. “Up yours, Goddamn ragheads.” A shot was fired by one of the policemen. Silky heard it wiz by overhead, then another closer. Two Seals turned and got down on one knee. Crack, crack, crack.” The police returned fire.
“Waste the shit.” A stream of bullets from two M4 carbines riddled the policemen and they fell.
“Any hits?” said Sargent E.
“I took one, in the arm. It skimmed me. I’m ok.”
“Right let’s get in there, there’ll be more of the goons coming now.” They ran into the doorway. Squad Green had cleared the section. They ran through a small courtyard. Automatic fire came from the right. The Seals found cover as best they could and returned fire.
“Jogger, flank em.” Came a call. The Seal with Silky moved to the right behind a truck pulling her with him.
“Get your pistol out. Use it if you have too, we’re going into the right side of them. Move.” He ran into a shadow she followed him.
“I’m not a Seal,” said Silky.
“I can see that, but the ragheads can’t shoot the fuckers before they shoot you.”
Silky pursed her lips and shook her head. She was deep in the shit now. Too frigging deep she knew. She squeezed the Beretta.
“Shit.” She’d no choice now, no choice at all.
Chapter 13
The Seal ran up to the right-hand side of a black wooden door. “Come on.” He beckoned her and pointed to the left of the door. She ran over and stood against the wall next to the door. What the hell am I doing here? she thought. I’m not a bloody soldier. Jogger kicked the door down and turned in, letting off a hail of bullets. More fire came back from inside.
“There’s a few of them. Time to earn your pay spook.” He threw in a thunderflash. She heard it rolling across the floor, more fire came out of the room. The Thunderflash went off with a loud bang and a flash. Jogger turned and ran into the room.
Silky squeezed her pistol grip. “Shit.” She ran into the room, Jogger was firing at the stunned men. In his gun flash she saw a man to the left, he seemed to be getting his head back together. He raised his rifle. She worked on instinct, she pointed the pistol at his head and pulled the trigger twice as she been told. Crack, Crack. During training it had been on a target range, here the man’s head was blown to one side and a grey red mess splattered the wall. She spotted another coming around and fired twice. The top of his head disappeared and flew against the wall, a greasy mess that had been his brain ran down the wall. Jogger had wasted four of them to the right.