“Okay, Viking, as soon as Huntress takes off, take team one up to the airstrip. We might need a little stronger guard on the Hercs or we might not be getting out of here. Can you take everyone with the LAV?”
“Yeah, we can do that. We’ll put six in back and then the rest of us will ride on top.”
“Good, I’ll stay here with everyone else. Once teams three and five get here, we’ll assault the Odessa hotel and get the Secretary and the Colonel.”
“Sounds good. Team One, let’s mount up!” Commander Edberg ordered his men.
“Archangel, Chaos. We’ve got all the hostages with the exception of Secretary Johnson and Colonel Marshall.”
“Chaos, what’s their status?” Archangel asked.
“A few of them have some minor injuries, but nothing that looks too severe — all probably from their plane getting shot up. Most of them have to be dehydrated — its hotter then hell here and they don’t look like they were treated the best. The first Huntress flight just took off and we’re loading the second one now.”
“Very good, Chaos. Do you know where the Secretary and Colonel Marshal are?”
“That’s affirmative. We’ve had eyes on them all afternoon and haven’t lost contact.”
“Okay, good work. Keep me apprised.”
“Will do. We’ll be on the move as soon as the second Huntress leaves.”
XL
“Mahdi flight, execute!” and with that, the ISIS attack squadron, as a unit, took a new heading of two-two-zero degrees, aiming for a gap in the expected radar coverage.
“Did you hear that?” the communications technician aboard Desert Hawk Two-Six asked his commander. “Archangel was on to something, ma’am. There’s a raiding party out there somewhere — we just can’t see them.”
“Yeah, I know, and we need to find them. Any chance you can locate them based on that last transmission?”
“No ma’am, the transmission was too short but based on the strength of it, they have to be just beyond our range but no telling what direction.”
“Keep looking for them. We need to find them.”
“Abdul, any word on what’s happening?” General Shishani asked his chief of staff.
“Nothing as yet. I’ve lost contact with General Van and I can’t raise anyone at the mosque either, sir.”
“Imam, it might be best to get you to the bunker under the Great Mosque,” Shishani suggested to Baghdadi.
“But if no one knows where we are, aren’t we perfectly safe here?” Baghdadi replied.
“Imam, that’s a big ‘if’,” Shishani replied. “I’m sure the Americans have had their spies here in the city. I would be very surprised if they did not spot us and have simply been keeping watch over the hotel. It’s completely dark out now so we should be able to sneak you out of here. What about our two guests?”
“That is up to you, we can take them or leave them here.”
“Very well, let’s go, and bring them.”
“Ladies, let’s go. We are moving to a more secure location. Since you last preferred to travel as Lady Godiva, we’ll leave the burkas here.”
“Mr. Shishani, do you really believe there is a more secure area right now?” Colonel Marshall asked, continuing to neglect the rank.
“Colonel, shut your trap!” Shishani ordered as he backhanded Marshall across the face once again. The left side of her face received the blow this time and blood immediately began flowing once again from her clearly broken nose. “I’ll deal with you when we get there — and the ride will not be long!”
As the party exited the back of the building, Shishani told Abdul to ride with Baghdadi and he’d ride with the two women in a separate car.
“Chaos, Nightwatch. I’ve got some movement here at the hotel.”
“What’s happening Nightwatch?” Stonewall replied.
“Looks to be something like a VIP motorcade, if something like that exists in this hell hole.”
“Roger that, any idea what direction they’re heading?”
“Looks like they’re going to head south on Highway 6 heading towards the Clock Tower.”
“Okay, we’re about thirty seconds out from the junction with Highway 6. Can you call in some air support and take out the lead escort vehicle? If we can get the convoy stopped, we’ll come in right behind them, pen them in, grab our two friends and get out of Dodge.”
“I’ll see what I can whistle up, Chaos. If you’re that close, you’ll be able to see the results.”
“Viking Two-Six, Chaos. Sounds like our last two are on the move. I want you and team five to stay at the Odessa with Nightwatch. I’ve got Monty and team three with me and we’ll take one of the LAVs as well. We need you to guard that intersection. If they close it, we’re in trouble.”
“Roger that, we’ll keep the door open for ya,” Chief Conti replied.
“Ghostrider Two-Four, Nightwatch. Emergency 1 fire mission. We have a four vehicle convoy headed south on Highway 6. They’ve just left the Odessa Hotel and appear to be headed towards the Clock Tower roundabout. We need the lead vehicle taken out with a thirty mike-mike gun run. Danger Close as friendlies are in the second vehicle. Repeat!”
“Nightwatch, Ghostrider Two-Four. Fire mission for thirty mike-mike gun run on lead vehicle in four vehicle convoy. Danger close as friendlies in vehicle number two.”
“Ghostrider Two-Four, roger that. Fire at will!”
“Whoa!!! Stop!!!” Shishani ordered his driver as they both witnessed their escort Humvee completely disappear in a ball of fire from the impact of the thirty millimeter high explosive rounds fired from Ghostrider’s Gatling gun. “Back up! Take Al Wadi and get us over to Al Mansour Street,” he ordered as they noticed Baghdadi’s vehicle behind them cut across with this route.
“Nightwatch, Ghostrider. We’ve got five people in your vehicle with what looks like a LAV and a truck almost on top of them coming up from behind them very fast. We’ve got three other vehicles taking a cut through route back into the old city.”
“Ghostrider, roger that. Be advised the LAV and the truck are friendlies.”
“Copy that, Nightwatch.”
“Get us out of here, Massoud,” Shishani ordered his driver as he saw the quickly approaching American vehicles.
“We can’t move, sir. We’re boxed in,” Shishani’s driver replied as he valiantly tried to drive around the flaming wreck of what used to be their escort Humvee. “Sir, we can’t get through. There’s just too much debris in the—” was all he got out as a burst of nine millimeter rounds from Arielle’s HK MP-5 submachine gun tore through the driver’s side window, taking out both the driver and the guard in the shotgun seat.
“Chaos, we’ve got ‘em!” Arielle yelled to Stonewall as he approached the passenger’s door on the driver’s side.
“I wouldn’t do that!” Stonewall told Shishani as he reached for his sidearm. “Out of the car! You first!”
“You’ll never get out of here!” Shishani defiantly exclaimed. “You’re sitting in the middle of four thousand of my best troops.”
“We’ll see about that,” Stonewall replied as Secretary Johnson and Colonel Marshall exited the vehicle. Arielle had already taken off her BDU coat and T-shirt — she still had her Under Armour sports bra on — and offered these to both women to cover up. However, Secretary Johnson grabbed Arielle’s holstered H & K VP9 instead.
“Mr. Shishani,” who turned to listen to the secretary, “I have never believed in torturing or abusing prisoners. However, you have completely disabused me of that position. You’ll have to settle for your seventy-two virgins instead of the Colonel or myself.” And with that, she proceeded to pump ten rounds into Shishani’s face and chest. “That oughta’ do it, don’t ya think?” The secretary asked as Shishani collapsed on the dirt road, creating a bloody mud mixture.