His mind went back to Sandy. He wondered if she were looking out the window at her yard, and what she would do if some heavily armed men were walking past. Then he cursed at himself for losing focus and pushed those thoughts aside ruthlessly. He had to focus on what was going on here, not wonder what was going on back home with a woman he barely knew.
At a half mile out from their target there was a rally point where they would take a moment to gather and decide if there should be any changes for their final approach. They were close to that rally point already. The time allotted for approach had been conservatively planned, and they were well ahead of schedule. He quickly thanked God for a small bit of “so far so good.”
Frank saw the lead elements of the team start to enter the CIA owned safe house. He was the last one to enter the house. As the door closed everyone relaxed their weapons ever so slightly. With an extraction target this close, despite the fact that they were concealed inside a house, no one would utter an unnecessary word at the off chance they would give away their position.
In keeping with that protocol, Frank spoke briefly and quietly, “Excellent job so far. Anyone see any changes needed to our initial plan?”
He was met by silence.
Frank looked at his watch, “We are 45 minutes ahead of schedule.”
He switched on his secure long range radio, “Olive, this is Oil. We are in position early, ready and able to go. Can you facilitate pickup if we get the pizza out of the oven early?”
Frank gave his men a thumbs up. In situations like this, sitting around waiting only increased the chances of being discovered, killed, or captured. If at all possible he wanted this mission to be over as quickly as possible. They were the only friendly ground forces for hundreds of miles, and while this was not unexpected it was not a pleasant fact. “Looks like we go early. Same way we planned.”
They left the safe house one by one as silent as ghosts. From here they would move quickly to a position where the target’s house could be seen. Their target was known to have security, but really not much of it. Normally there would be one rotating security guard who doubled as a driver. If that turned out to be true this would be easy.
Why would anyone need to heavily guard a scientist?
Frank’s heart beat faster as they approached the final turn at the street corner a mere twenty five yards in front of them. Their point man gave the hold signal. Something wasn’t right. The laser communication system used solely between team members to prevent signal interception by the enemy came to life. It was the most secure method of communications available to them besides hand signals.
“Sir, we see the guard and can confirm intelligence reports that there is only one. He is asleep in his chair,” reported Warrant Officer Choi. “Electronic vision systems show an infra-red laser giving perimeter detection. The beam is about six inches off the ground. I am pretty sure we can do this without firing a shot and be gone before anyone knows we were here.”
“Chief, you and Fisher go in, get him and get out. I will let the extraction team know our status. Be careful it may not be as easy as it seems. If you need backup, we will be in the door fifteen seconds after you call,” Frank said.
Something about this entire situation just didn’t seem right. This was either easier than he thought it would be or they didn’t consider the man worth protecting. If he wasn’t worth guarding, why was he worth coming all this way and grabbing?
Was he a prisoner they were here to rescue? Perhaps they had not been given that bit of information because of some “need to know”? Maybe he was being kept prisoner by the distance needed to travel in order to escape and not by some high walls?
Frank watched the two operators approach the house, weapons at the ready. What passed for quiet Iranian suburban neighborhood could turn into a very noisy spot at any second.
It was really just a matter of time now before that occurred anyway. Even if they got him out of the house quietly, once the helicopters came to pick them up, the noise would be everywhere. People would wake up. Lights would come on. Men with guns would come looking for them before the helicopters could get on the ground and get them out.
Frank’s heart sped up even more. Adrenaline poured into his blood.
It was known that members of the Iranian Army Reserve lived all over the area. The team members now entering the house would stay alert, scanning the area for any threat. Frank pushed a pre-programmed button on his radio allowing him to send the notice that they were at the target to the evacuation helicopter team without speaking a word. These new gadgets did make the job easier in some ways and harder in others. This particular gadget helped keep the noise down, and that was vital right now.
Noise meant danger and danger, could mean death.
He saw the two men enter the premises. The door quietly closed behind them.
Then, through the window Frank saw a muzzle flash!
Everyone stacked outside tensed up but no man ran to help. They waited. A single muzzle flash meant at least one of their teammates was still alive. If one man was down and the remaining man didn’t radio for help, then that meant the situation was theoretically under control.
Perhaps they were both ok and they had taken out a second guard who happened to be inside?
Everyone held their positions and waited.
The helicopter could already be heard in the distance. Suddenly, three people emerged from the house. The two Green Berets, still in good health, and a hooded man, presumably their target.
The team started moving toward the evacuation point with greatest possible speed.
A local police car came into view with lights flashing, but no siren.
Was a silent alarm tripped?
The muzzle flash they saw had just occurred, so there was no chance their presence had been burned by that small flash this quickly. The guard was still asleep, so it could not have been him.
The police vehicle was coming straight for them. The emergency vehicle was between the team and their evacuation point. Frank broke noise discipline and fired into the vehicle. No sense in attempting to hide their presence, they were now known.
His shots hit their target in the driver’s seat. The vehicle swerved into a building with an uneventful thud.
The motor continued to rev but no one emerged.
Frank ran to the car to ensure that no one would exit it and come at them from behind with the intention of doing the team harm. Both the passenger and the driver were dead.
The driver had died from three bullets, two in the neck and one in the head. The passenger’s head was driven into the dashboard with such force that it had formed a very odd dent with some form of bubbling liquid slowly emerging from the forehead with bubbles in rhythm with the slowing heartbeat. Soon there were no more bubbles.
The team picked up the pace knowing their presence was now public information.
He got on the radio, “Olive this is Oil. Our presence is known. Request expedited pickup. Silent approach is no longer a concern. Speed is more vital than stealth.”
Helicopters tended to be noisy no matter what. Fast moving helicopters, coming in at low altitude were probably the noisiest of all possible ways for them to extract. Right now that speed was exactly what they needed.
Suddenly sirens could be heard coming from all directions. Lights starting coming from windows.
There was only one spot close enough to their current position where the helicopters could land. If that location got blown they would have to make their way much further away on the ground without any sort of assistance. If that were to happen, this night would get fucked up very fast.
They approached the park, just a small soccer field really, which was their gateway to safety. It was the only place within four miles that a helicopter the size of theirs could land. The choppers were coming in fast and hard. They could now be heard as a giant thumping roar somewhere in the air not far above them.