"If he or any of you causes one of my men to get wounded or killed, I'll dump all of you and have an ironclad alibi by the time I get back to friendly territory. Fucking ass right."
"Okay, okay. I better get back. I'm stuck with these guys. I'd almost stake my life on the fact that there will be no more noise out of the general's compound. Give me a call when you're ready to move out."
"That's a roger, Major Streib. Who was the asshole who pulled the .45? I could have killed him and walked away clean."
"Asshole is right. Colonel Asshole is good enough name for him right now. I'd bet he has dirty shorts and no chance to change them. Serves him right."
Murdock worked up a grin. "Army, you might be OK. Keep your charges under wraps for the rest of the day. We'll pull out of here as soon as it gets dark."
In the meantime, most of the SEALs had drifted off to sleep. Some went to their camouflaged positions; some sprawled under trees. Ed DeWitt had set up a four-man lookout force on two-hour shifts.
Lam and Murdock traded off manning an additional north-looking position. By 1500 there had been no action. No more Korean tanks showed, no more troops. Even the general and his group had been quiet. Murdock guessed they were sleeping. Some of them had tanked down a lot of whiskey.
Murdock had his men eat their last MREs at four o'clock, and by five-thirty they were saddled up and ready to ramble.
Major Streib came out of the enclosure and said that the general and his men were ready to move.
"Can they walk three miles?" Murdock asked.
The major laughed. "These six officers never take the required PT that the rest of the troops have every morning. I don't know if they can walk even two miles. We'll see. You'll have to impress them with the idea that if they can't walk out, they get captured. As simple as that. I think they'll be able to make it with that kind of psychological help."
Murdock chuckled. He was starting to like this Army major.
They left when it was fully dark. Murdock put Alpha Squad out first, then the Army men in the middle. Ed DeWitt brought up the rear with his Bravo Squad, and they all headed out.
The first half mile went easily. Then Lam came back and they stopped.
"Got something strange up front. Cap. Wasn't here when we came through. Our Korean scout says it's the minimal kind of a battalion rear-aid station that the NKs use. Six or eight twenty-man tents, fires, vehicles. Maybe fifty to a hundred men meandering around like they're waiting for chow."
"Let's hope it's not preparations for a big attack by the NKs in this sector," Murdock said. He called up the major, who went ahead with him.
"You're infantry, right, Major Streib?"
"Had a battalion for a time."
"Take a look out front."
The major eased back from the OP and shook his head. "Yeah, something is coming. Tonight, maybe at dawn, maybe in a day or two. They're laying in supplies and medical people. That sounds like a push right up front here." Murdock brought up Holt with the SATCOM, and had him try for the American lieutenant who had led them through the South Korean lines. The lieutenant came on the air after the first try.
"We're a least a mile and a half from the MLR with the package, but we find a problem." Murdock described what he saw ahead.
"Damn, must be true. Some of our intel has reported a buildup in this sector. Did you see any tanks?"
Murdock told him.
"Any big concentrations of men, like four or five thousand?
"No, two hundred maybe."
"Is Major Dan Streib there?"
Murdock gave the major the handset.
"Yeah, Streib here. Who is this?"
"Lieutenant Harley Lewiston. I was in your battalion. What's your eval on the situation?"
"Just the start of a buildup, but I'd say not for an attack today or tomorrow. Maybe three days to bring in more troops, more tanks. The aid station is a precaution the NKs don't usually take."
"Our estimates too. Go around these guys, get back on your course, and contact us when you're a half mile off."
Murdock heard the radio and nodded.
"OK, Lam, head to the left a half mile, maybe more, as we go around these NK fuckers down below. Let's move it, we don't have all night."
They swung to the left and hiked through the Korean countryside. Ahead they saw some lights, but they were far to the side. Murdock sent Jaybird back to see how the general and his men were doing.
Jaybird came back chuckling.
"The old general is walking, but he glared at me like he's really pissed. He thinks they should have sent in a helo for him, I'm damn sure of that. He's keeping up. One of the bird colonels is lagging back a little. DeWitt is prodding him."
Murdock thanked him and used his mike. "DeWitt, send Major Streib up here. I think I can use him." "Roger that, Skipper," DeWitt said.
A few minutes later Major Streib came up. "Thanks for rescuing me from the brass back there. They are mad as hell about this hike."
"Do them good," Murdock said. "You have a side arm?"
"A .45 auto."
"Keep it loaded, you might need it."
The men were single file now, and moving at a quick pace. Murdock saw that they had just topped a small rise when Lam came back and held up his hand.
"Cap, remember those three tanks we saw? They're right ahead about a quarter of a klick. Looks like they're at a picnic. Lights all over the place."
Major Streib listened.
"The troops with them still there?" Murdock asked.
"Not that I could see. Just the tank crews. No security, no other vehicles. Looks like they knocked off from the war early and are having a late chow."
"Gonna take them out?" Major Streib asked Murdock.
"Tempting, but our mission isn't to kill tanks. We've got a package to deliver across the MLR."
"Three naked tanks," Streib said. "Sounds too good to be true, a gift from the war gods dropped right in your lap."
"How far are they from that medical unit?" Murdock asked.
"A klick, maybe a little more," Lam said.
"We better cut to the left again. Put us five hundred yards to the left of them. They just might have out some security we don't know about."
They hiked again. When they were a quarter of a mile away from the tank ers. Lam swung them due south. Half of the line of men had passed the tanks when DeWitt saw movement to his right. He used his Motorola.
"Hit the deck. NKs to the right."
Just as he said it an automatic rifle opened up. The general had not gone down when the rest did. Now he flopped quickly and put his arms over his head.
"How many?" Murdock asked on the man-to-man radio. "Can"! Veil. Cap," DeWitt said. "We'll go get them. Bravo, let's go. Silenced rounds only for now."
They moved cautiously in a long line toward the shooters. The NKs fired once more, but DeWitt realized they were firing due south, not at the SEALs.
They found the NKs quickly, less than thirty yards through the light growth of brush and grass. The NKs had a hole dug and were aiming their AK-47's to the south. They fired again. DeWitt spotted them first, two men in a foxhole. He lifted his silenced MP-5 and put two three-round bursts from the submachine gun into the hole. One man whimpered and fell forward. The second man turned and started to fire back, but two more SEALs targeted him and put him dead in his hole before he could fire again.
DeWitt and Adams charged into the hole. DeWitt found what he didn't want to. He hit his mike.
'"Cap, they've got a wire in here and a phone. They're gonna be missed soon. Should we finish the job?"
Murdock looked at the major. "Four men to a tank?"
The major nodded. "Usually four. No infantry with them?"
"Not that we saw. DeWitt, you have TNAZ?"