“This is very frustrating.”
“We can permit the Rangers to move,” the CJCS said. “General Howard says that they are chomping at the bit.”
“Georgia says not only no but hell no,” the Secretary of State said with a sigh. “The Defense Minister has stuck his nose in to the whole thing. He’s not about to let anyone think that the Georgians can’t control their own territory. Even if that’s truth.”
“So the Keldara are going to have to fight their way out on their own,” the president said.
“Unless this clears,” the Secretary of Defense said.
“Unfortunately, this is all the time I can spare to this,” the president said. “Or perhaps fortunately. Keep me apprised if the situation changes. If the weather clears, turn operational control of the Predators over to Mr. Jenkins. Use them at his discretion. Make sure at least one is up, armed, at all times. The B-2 is on the way back?”
“Yes, sir,” the CJCS confirmed.
“Then my purpose here is really served,” the president noted. “Time for real work.”
No ambushes.
That was the good news. The bad news was that the easy part was over.
“Out!” Oleg was shouting from the back. “Move it!”
Mike glanced at his C2 device as he rolled out the door. The Chechen unit holding the road up ahead still hadn’t moved, according to the device. Reality might be otherwise. The group behind them, according to the intercepts, was still held up at the roadblock. Damn, Adams was good.
The rain had slowed, at least. It wasn’t clearing, really, but it had settled down to a steady, soft, really fucking cold, rain. Good weather for running.
The Keldara were already fading into the woods. He’d made it clear, get a point out in front but none of this slow ass dicking around. The point now was simply speed.
“Why hello, Katya,” Mike said as he trotted into the woods. The blonde was distinct, her hair practically glowed even in the near total darkness. He’d have to get her a balaklava. Somebody had already given her a cold weather suit. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“This is not what I signed up for,” the agent spat. “Running in the dark in woods is for you caveman types.”
“If you can’t make it, I’m sure Shota would be happy to carry you piggyback.” The Keldara had been stripped, reluctantly, of most of his heavy armor for the run. Mike had heard him protesting from the back of the truck that he could keep up with it on, really he could. But Oleg had been firm.
“I’ll keep up,” the girl said, stumbling over a root. “If I could just see.”
Mike stripped off his NVGs and stopped, pulling the girl over.
“Here,” he said, slipping the harness on her head and adjusting it. Then he flipped the monocular down. “Better?”
“Yes, Kildar,” Katya admitted. “Thank you.”
“I can actually see pretty well in this,” Mike admitted. He’d always had cat-eyes. “Oh, wait,” he added, pulling off his own balaklava. He’d find one somewhere and his face and hair didn’t stand out as much as hers. He slid the overlarge head covering on, after taking off the NVGs, then put those back on and adjusted the whole assembly.
“Thank you, again,” Katya said, pulling up the hood of the weather suit. “Now, I think we run, yes? I wish I’d brought running shoes. But at least I’m in flats.”
“You’re going out as soon as we reach the LZ,” Mike pointed out. “You should do fine. Stick with me, kid.”
“I think I will,” Katya said.
“Up, Vugar,” Yosif said, cheerfully, yanking up on the ruck of the Keldara sprawled face down in a stream. “No lying down on the job.”
“Just getting a drink, Yosif,” the Keldara said, blowing out a mouthful of mud. “Gotta keep hydrated or the Kildar will have us sent to the Cold Lands.”
They’d been trotting through the pitch black woods for the last forty five minutes and everyone had sprawled at least once. Even the Kildar had ended up sliding, backwards, down a hillside. Adams had run face first into a tree, smashing his NVGs. Two men were on stretchers from injuries.
But they were nearly to the LZ, a bare hilltop four klicks from the road.
Now if the helos would just be there.
“LZ in sight,” Tammie said. “I don’t see our friends. C2 has them nearby, though. I think we’re coming down lonely, though.”
“Gretchen,” Kacey said over the intercom. “Make sure the gatling is armed. We’re coming into the LZ lonely so we don’t know if it’s hot or cold.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the Keldara girl said. “I will keep any enemies off.”
“Just fire if fired upon,” Kacey said, sighing. The girl positively wanted to get in a firefight. It was the last thing Kacey had on her mind.
The ride in had, frankly, sucked. The storm seemed to be breaking up but that just meant that the winds were getting worse. Coming through the high passes in the mountains, fighting the now piggish Hind in high altitude, had been a nightmare. She’d nearly clipped a mountain three times.
Now she had no clue what the winds on the LZ were going to be like. And it wasn’t exactly large.
“Tiger, Tiger burning bright,” Kacey said over the radio. “This is Valkyrie. Status, over.”
“Valkyrie, this is Tiger One,” Mike panted. He pulled on Katya’s arm to drag her up the slope while thumbing his throat mike with the other hand. The agent was clearly just about done and he was half tempted to just throw her over his shoulder. Take that for calling him a “caveman.” “We are five hundred meters east of LZ. ETA one mike, over.”
“Roger, Tiger. We are going to swing around and come back. LZ looks clear, but… ”
“Confirm, Tiger. Be there in a minute. Out.”
“Just another minute, Katya,” Mike said. “Come on.”
“I… can’t… breathe… ” the agent panted.
“Surely you’re not going to let us men out-do you?” Mike snarled. “The men are doing just fine but you puny women… ”
“Oh FUCK you!” Katya snarled, pushing off from a tree. “I’ll fucking race you to the top you fucking pig!”
“That’s my girl,” Mike muttered, quietly, as Katya stumbled up the hill, actually passing one of the panting Keldara shooters.
The wind was whipping the light rain into his eyes as he cleared the woodline. Katya was down on her hands and knees ralphing into the scrub that covered it. All good.
“Valkyrie, Valkyrie, this is Tiger,” Mike panted. “LZ is clear.”
Somebody, probably Pavel, was already laying out a Y with chemlights, indicating direction of wind.
“Y is laid,” Mike continued. “Winds are high, repeat, high. About seventeen knots from the west. Suggest vector from east.”
“Roger, Tiger. See Y. Inbound. Clear the LZ.”
“Clear the LZ!” Mike shouted, thumbing his throat mike at the same time. “Incoming bird.”
He grabbed Katya’s arm and dragged her to the north side of the clearing, over into the trees on that side.
“Just one more run,” he said. “Let them dump the ammo then you run girl. Good girl. You’re a trooper.”
“Oh fuck you,” Katya said, spitting out bile. “Fuck this. Fuck the Keldara. Fuck missions. Fuck everything.”