Monster (37 page)

“McDaniels, Jim, what’s up?”

“What the hell?” Dreyer exclaimed. “Oh, never mind. Our Ops team hit the warehouse the Russian gave up nearly forty minutes ago. There were at least three of his men inside. The building was booby-trapped with those old bouncing Betty’s. We have two dead, and four wounded. The rest are strung out around the warehouse in a holding pattern. We’re negotiating with one of three men we believe are inside. He claims they have bio-warheads and the launchers to fire them.”

“Do you have Diane’s fax number? Can you send a map of the location?”

“On its way, Colonel. I can send a car to get you though.”

“I have to get Rasheed up to speed and on the way with me. Are these three inside Middle Eastern?”

“That’s affirmative. What can Rasheed…”

“Never mind,” McDaniels cut him off. “I’ll bring the dog with me and see if he can extract your other guys without any further casualties. We’ll be right there.”

“Hurry man, for God’s sake,” Dreyer urged before ending the link.

Reskova was nearly dressed by the time McDaniels ended the conversation. She held Dino on his leash after hearing the dog mentioned. McDaniels punched in Rasheed’s phone number while dressing. Rasheed picked up on the third ring. McDaniels could hear the little Cold crying in the background with Ansa hushing him softly.

“Hello.”

“Kay, get dressed and head over to Diane’s house in the SUV. We have a situation. Bring the Dragonov.”

“I am there,” Rasheed answered curtly and hung up.

“What’s the plan?” Reskova put her hand on McDaniels’ shoulder as he laced his boots.

“You and Dino will need to do an extraction. The Ops guys are trapped around the warehouse in a damn mine field. There are two dead and four wounded. Are you familiar with the bouncing Betty mine? Dreyer claims the area around the warehouse is booby-trapped with them.”

“Blows up in the air first - the secondary explosion kills and maims. Do you think I can handle Dino to do this? Secondly, do you think he can sniff them out?”

“I pray to God he can. We’ll have Dreyer tell the guys inside we’re pulling our men back. While you stall them and get those guys out of there with Kay as backup, I’ll find the underground tunnel these pricks must have for escape.”

“How do you know they have a tunnel?”

McDaniels headed for the door, Reskova close behind. “Kay and I have seen this before. They all read out of the same handbook. I’m betting once they do some damage with the launchers and bio-warheads they claim to have they’ll try and make it out, setting the whole warehouse to blow.”

Reskova and Dino trailed McDaniels out of the bedroom.

Reskova’s fax machine hummed into life. Moments later, she tore off detailed maps of the target facility and how to get there. Ten minutes later, McDaniels, Reskova, and Dino were waiting out in front of her apartment complex in the winter chill. McDaniels crouched next to Dino, practicing complex instructions with the dog. Dino performed admirably, all playfulness gone from his demeanor. A Ford SUV squealed around the turn in Reskova’s street. Rasheed braked sharply near them. The doors popped open. Reskova went into the back with Dino while McDaniels jumped into the passenger seat next to Rasheed. McDaniels punched in coordinates to Rasheed’s on-board GPS unit and they were moving toward the target warehouse in seconds. Reskova called and kept an open channel to Dreyer.

“They’re ready to evacuate the wounded as soon as we can clear them from the mine field.”

“You were right all along, my friend,” Rasheed said. “We will visit the Russian when this is all over. You will feel better once we have cut him up into pieces.”

“I doubt it. I never figured they’d mine the outside perimeter. This place must be out in the boonies for them to do something like that without having to worry about blowing up some kids who climb over the fence.”

“It’s fenced and posted with high voltage signs,” Reskova put in. “If you didn’t figure on the mines, I know our Ops guys didn’t.”

“Hell, I’d have been there no matter what if I had thought for a second they would mine the damn place. Do you know the guy in charge of the Special Ops unit, Red?”

“Pete Donaldson. He can be counted on. Do you think the Russian left out the fact they had the warehouse mined just to see how many of us he could get?”

“I doubt it,” McDaniels replied after a moment of thought. “Kay can tell you. That boy was freaked. We just didn’t get into specifics in time. Tom and Jen wanted to make sure we weren’t chasing our tails first. I don’t know about Kay but I didn’t figure they’d hit the warehouse yet.”

“Cold is right, Boss, the Russian would have given up the information under more pointed interrogation, if he knew at all. We may have moved a little too fast.”

They rode in silence the rest of the way with the only sound when Reskova gave or received updates over the line to Dreyer. As they drew near the warehouse area they could see the lights of helicopters. They were stopped momentarily at a check point set up halfway between the warehouse and the main route along the only access road leading to the facility. A ten foot fence with barbed wire encircled the warehouse they saw in the distance. The entrance, complete with guard shack, closely resembled a military checkpoint. Rasheed was waved through by another one of the Special Ops team.

“It is a bad idea to allow this type of setup in the midst of any part of your country, my friends. This is no warehouse. It is a military compound.”

“Tell Dreyer we’re going to take a spin around inside the fence, Red,” McDaniels said suddenly.

Reskova immediately called their plan into Dreyer who reluctantly okayed it.

“Keep the brights on Kay and don’t worry about the vehicle,” McDaniels directed as Rasheed steered to the right off the access road. “Keep just inside the fence and go slowly in a curving pattern. You know what to look for.”

Rasheed nodded, steering the Ford SUV from side to side within a fifty foot search pattern. They were nearly half way around when Rasheed stopped. He pointed at a barren strip nearly ten feet wide in the underbrush, running from beyond the fence back toward the warehouse.

“That’s it,” McDaniels confirmed. “Let’s gear up right now. You two head for the warehouse while I find their extra entrance.”

Reskova handed each of the men a small headset. “We’re on with Dreyer right now.”

“Jim, I think we’ve found the tunnel,” McDaniels said as he adjusted his headset. “I’m heading in while Diane and Kay come your way. Kay will be Diane’s backup. Do anything you can to keep from any more fireworks while I find a way in.”

“We have snipers all over, Colonel. Keep Kay with you. I’ll…”

“I have no doubt your guys are good,” McDaniels cut him off. “Kay shoots what I tell him to shoot. His rules of engagement are what I tell him they are. He backs Diane until she and the dog have everyone clear. Is that understood?”

“Understood, Colonel,” Dreyer said after an initial hesitation. “Aginson said this was your ballgame now.”

“Good,” McDaniels acknowledged curtly. “Do your best, Jim, until I can find a way in.”

“Our best planted us in the middle of a minefield,” Dreyer said grimly.

McDaniels opened his door and stepped out. “Keep Dino tight to you, Red. Get him acquainted with the field before you put yourself in the middle of the mines. See if he can do us any good before proceeding.”

“I will.”

“Kay, weapons free, brother. You know what to do.”

“Do not worry.”

“I’ll be on with you the whole way. Watch your backs. Something doesn’t smell right here.”

McDaniels was gone before either Reskova or Rasheed could reply.

* * *

“What do you think he meant by that?” Reskova asked as Rasheed turned the SUV around and headed back to the access road.

“I believe the Cold Mountain will want to know more about how this operation was conducted and how many were in on the specifics.”

“You don’t think one of our own…”

“Boss,” Rasheed held up a hand, “I only think we should not communicate openly over the same channel as the rest unless it has to do solely with your rescue project. I will be watching our backs. In my country we could trust no one. The men who fought with us could be turned from one day to the next because of threats to their loved ones. The recruits still die on a daily basis over there. I pray the elections turn things around.”

“It may be the same here,” Rasheed continued. “The Russians or these terrorist customers of theirs could have someone’s whole family held hostage. I will watch for something out of place. I became very proficient at it when Cold and I were in Iraq.”

“Did you kill them?” Reskova asked hesitantly, petting Dino, as she watched their destination in the windshield draw nearer.

Rasheed glanced back with a smile and then turned forward again. “We saved many, but not all. Betrayal, no matter what the reason, changes things forever.”

A soldier waved Rasheed over to where a circle of vehicles acted as a command center. Reskova saw Dreyer detach himself from the group near the vehicles and jog over to Rasheed’s SUV. Rasheed popped open Reskova’s door remotely, allowing her a chance to get out of the vehicle with Dino. Rasheed then went straight to the SUV’s rear doors. He extracted the Dragunov sniper rifle. Rasheed had already changed over the regular scope to night vision. They could hear screams of agony from the wounded men trapped in the minefield. Dino whined nervously as he picked up the strange scents in the air of blood, fear, and desperation.

“Can you do this, Diane?” Dreyer asked as he met her. “Clearing a way in will be a nightmare.”

“Just give me enough flares to mark my way. How many do you have trapped in there?”

“Two eight man teams, including Pete Donaldson - two are dead for sure.”

“Are they spread out all around the warehouse?” Reskova followed Dreyer toward the minefield.

“No. There are two small doors on the front of the warehouse. Each team was to secure its own entrance.”

The sounds of the wounded were horrific. Rasheed hurried up next to Reskova, the sniper rifle slung on his right shoulder.

“Boss, I see the two groups you will be rescuing. I will find a spot to be useful. Remember, talk only of the rescue. If I say down, get down.”

“I will, Kay.”

Rasheed jogged by Dreyer toward a huge equipment van to the far right of the other vehicles and people. He scrambled up on the van’s roof and began setting up his tripod. Once he had sighted in the warehouse and the minefield area, Rasheed took out his night-vision goggles. He systematically scanned not only where Reskova was to begin, but the entire encampment. Reskova returned Rasheed’s ready gesture.

Dreyer handed Reskova a pair of night-vision goggles and a bundle of small florescent flags. “We can see these clearly. They won’t screw up the goggles. I don’t like having Rasheed with a sniper rifle at my back.”

“Too bad.” Reskova flinched at the screams of the wounded. “Don’t do anything, Jim, until I see how Dino reacts in there. For God’s sake, can’t you throw in some morphine kits?”

“It’s too far. We had special minesweeping equipment flown in. They’ve done something to disguise the mines. Whatever it is makes them undetectable with the gear we brought in. The first guy who tried to clear a way in died.”

Reskova grimaced, pulling on her night vision gear. “I’ll let you know when to have the medics follow me in. Do you know where the field begins from here?”

Dreyer shook his head in the negative. “Sorry.”

Without another word Reskova turned and leaned down to whisper urgently in Dino’s ear. The dog immediately began moving forward in the direction of the group with the most casualties, allowing Reskova to guide him. Dino hugged the ground, moving forward only when he had cleared the area in front of him in a wide semicircle. Reskova marked the cleared area with the specially coated flags. Dino suddenly barked, shying away from the direction he had been heading. Diane petted and complimented him. She quietly repeated the command McDaniels had explained to her would keep Dino averting away from any explosives he found.

Reskova tugged the dog a little to the side, urging him again forward after marking the hot spot. Dino resumed his pattern with Reskova trying to blot out the sounds of the men in the minefield. Her heart thundered in her chest each time Dino exposed another mine. When she was sure Dino could detect the mines, she called over her headset for Dreyer to send the medical teams in after her.

* * *

Rasheed watched Reskova’s progress, alternately moving his line of sight between her and the warehouse. He could detect no movement around the solidly prefabricated steel walled warehouse. Rasheed scanned continuously for movement on the roof or at the corners of the building. The three windowed areas appeared to be nearly thirty feet from the ground. Rasheed saw the green glow of night vision goggles through the window area directly over the soldiers Reskova and Dino moved toward. The lower edge of the window opened slowly outward.

Rasheed looked around the encampment where he had seen other snipers set up with weapons trained toward the warehouse. To Rasheed’s trained eye they were unaware of the movement at the window. He slipped into position, training his weapon on the spot he had seen the green glow appear for a moment.