Rev (28 page)

“Shit, you think we’re going in?” Evan whispered.

“Multiple air units were grounded by insurgent strikes,” Colonel Graham continued, “and we have reason to believe Major Ryan Garson, Sergeant Lance Forman, Private Dex Ramirez, and First Lieutenant Chase Driggs survived and were taken possession of by enemy forces.”

A murmur spread throughout the small crowd seated under the tent.

Colonel Graham continued, louder this time to project over the mumbling voices. “As of now, this expeditionary unit will not undertake further action under direct orders from Washington.”

“What the fuck!” I said out loud.

The Colonel looked straight at me for a second and then turned back to the papers in front of him. “The territory has been deemed strategically unnecessary at this time and operations are being scaled back. Possible covert rescue missions are under review and we’ll keep the Unit posted as deliberations progress.”

“Fuck this shit.” I fumed in the corner of the tent as the Colonel stepped back from the podium and exited the tent.

“I mean, we can’t really do anything man,” Evan chimed in. “Our hands are tied.”

“Don’t give me that ‘our hand are tied’ bullshit,” I shot back. “Tell Chris to get the chopper ready.”

“Easy there Rambo,” Evan cautioned. “You know what this means. Even if you pull it off, you better hope no one hears about it.”

“As far as you know you’re acting under orders, got that?” I barked. “Tell Chris. As far as both of you are concerned, I have orders from the Colonel. It’ll be my ass, not yours.”

“Alright, alright.” Evan put his hands up. “Let’s do it.” He slipped out of the tent.

I went in the opposite direction. The Colonel was in the far end of the officer accommodations section of the barracks. I twisted through the narrow hallways and reached the front of his private quarters. I all but knocked down the door, banging relentlessly on the hastily constructed thin wood entrance.

“Who the fuck…” Colonel Graham stepped into the doorway. “Of course, it had to be. Captain Hunter. What the fuck can I do for you this magnificent day in the shittiest part of the whole wide world?”

I pushed past the Colonel, into the small but relatively well-appointed residence unit. “I think you know what,” I insisted. “We should be going after Major Ryan and his men right now.”

Colonel Graham put his hand on his forehead. He poured himself a glass of water and drank slowly as beads of perspiration coursed down his forehead. “Do you just not get it?”

“What?” I demanded.

“I launch some renegade rescue mission, the paper-pushers in Washington will catch wind and before you know it, every company under my command will be pulled back. This is the way politics works, Dean.”

I convulsed, my temper rising. “You can’t just leave them there. You wait even a day, you know what happens…”

Colonel Graham stared regretfully down at the glass in his hand. “Listen, Dean, you were the most decorated enlisted Marine in the history of this battalion. You earned a dozen medals in your last tour alone and were fast-tracked through the officer program. And let’s not pretend—you’ve made Captain in less than two years—you’re gunning for my job. And, you know what? I want you to take it. I’m tired of this.”

I was fuming. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“That’ll be ‘Colonel, Sir.’ Captain Hunter, don’t make me issue a report.”

“That’s all we’re going to do—Colonel Sir—sit around and issue reports?” I stormed back towards the doorway. “Figures that’s what they teach you in that War College in Virginia—all that abstract facts and figures bull crap, while real men are dying out there!”

“Watch it Captain!”

I spun around to face him one last time. “Fuck you Colonel! Just try and stop me!” I stormed off, wishing too late I hadn’t put on so much of a display.

I heard the Colonel buzz the base security detail: “Alert for Captain Dean Hunter—Considered AWOL and Order to Apprehend.”

The chopper blades thudded in the dark, thick night as we approached the cave formation. I saw a few campfires in the far distance, but if we landed to the other side, on the fields and under cover of darkness, we’d remain undetected.

“Evan!” I yelled over the thumping of the helicopter as it slowed and approached the patchy green and brown terrain at the base of the mountains.  “This is thirty minutes tops, in and out, only me.”

“You sure you don’t need back-up?”

I patted him on the shoulder. “No. Remember, I told you guys I had orders from the Colonel. This is on me.”

“Get’em back Dean!” Chris shouted from the front.

“I intend to.”

I jumped the remaining distance as the chopper landed. The ground was hard, crusty, and swirling with dust. I held my M16A4 rifle high and pointed as I sidestepped towards the mountain.

I approached from the opposite side of the encampments I’d seen from the air, and easily made my way towards the tunnel entrance. I already heard muffled voices as I made my way around the narrow bends, and I made sure to step carefully and quietly.

There they are.

Two guards sat playing some kind of game to pass the time, while Ryan and Chase sat on the ground, a thick collar and chain around their necks. I bided my time, watching the two guards until one of them stood up and exchanged a few words of Arabic with the other.  From what I could understand, he had to take a piss and the other one was telling him to go far away because he disliked the smell.

Finally, I lucked out.

When the other one went out the tunnel at the opposite end of the room, I slipped into view of Ryan and Chase, signaling for them to remain quiet.

Keep it quiet, that’s the key.

I tensed and sprang, brandishing my rifle as a club, slamming the butt of it against the very top of the guard’s head, maximizing the chance of a quick snap of the brain against the skull and a clean knockout.

It worked.

I reached for the waistband of his robes and withdrew the key. Ryan and Chase were quickly freed. We ran, quietly at first, but once we passed out of the tunnel system, it didn’t matter. By then, the other guard would have returned and it was all a matter of speed.

So we bolted, we hauled ass down the slope towards the dusty patch of grass where the chopper was hidden under cover of darkness. I could see the metallic sheen where moonlight caught the side of it up ahead, just past the boulders, maybe 200 yards. It was going much easier than I’d thought.

A little too easy.

And then it hit me. How could I be so stupid? Some of the tunnels ran to exits on both sides. Some only accessed one side of the mountain. If they’d wanted to hold Ryan and Chase securely, prevent any possibility of extraction, they would have held them in a one-way tunnel accessed from the encampment side. These guys weren’t exactly worried about their own escape.

Fuck…

Which only left the obvious conclusion.

They were baiting us…

But there was no enemy fire and no one gave chase. We were a hundred yards away. I heard the chopper whir and the lights flash on as Evan and Chris prepared for a quick take off.

Shit, that’s it!

The moment I turned around, it was too late. I held my hands in front of me, warning Ryan and Chase, just as a flash of orange, yellow, and grey sprang from the mountain behind us.

Stinger missile.

The world exploded. I flew back. A searing pain in my chest and the taste of blood in my mouth were all I remembered. Hands dragged me back and hoisted me up. Thumping, thudding, heavy sounds.

Chapter 12

One Year Ago…

“Astrid Carmichael speaking, who is this?”

My mom’s voice intoned decorously over the phone, showcasing her recently acquired formality. Ever since I moved in with Ace, we spoke less often and I hardly every saw her.

“Mom, I just wanted to touch base, see how things were going.”

“Oh, I’m so glad you called Saylor,” she expressed hurriedly. “Everything here is wonderful. Roman is wonderful. You know, he wants to have a family. I told him we have to hurry. Haha”—she laughed into the phone, somewhere between a chuckle and a giggle—“Between you and me, I’m turning 37 tomorrow, no spring chicken. Of course, I always take off a few years.”

“That’s great mom. Happy Birthday, by the way.”

“So, how are you two doing?” She asked, referencing my recent move into Ace’s apartment. “I heard you’re almost finished with the new house. That’s exciting, no?”

I didn’t exactly know how to bring up the important issues with my mom. She seemed to skirt the topic whenever I tried to have a serious discussion. “Yeah, we’re supposed to move in a couple months. But Mom, listen, I’m not so sure I want to do this. I mean, I’m not so sure he’s it.”

My mom’s voice dropped. “Now, listen Saylor. He’s showered you with gifts, provided well for you so far, and he’s got a great career ahead of him.”

“You do know what kind of career that is. What Roman does and all?” I interrupted.

She paused. “That’s not the point, Saylor.”

“And he doesn’t understand anything about me, there’s nothing deep between us.”

“That’s not the point either Saylor.”

I continued, “And now he’s pushing me into all these modeling jobs and telling me exactly what I should be doing, every hour of the day.”

“Oh, how exciting,” my mom all but shouted. “I always thought you were a looker, just like your mother. It took a little longer for you, of course, but—”

“Mom,” I interjected,  “I’m just not happy here.”

“—Listen Saylor. You don’t know the first thing about life. The things I’ve been through. The men that are out there. Saylor, you found a good situation, so don’t jeopardize it.”

I hesitated. “Why can’t I go to college or do anything else, anything else at all.”

My mom cleared her throat. “Roman doesn’t think it’s a good idea. You spent most of your life in
The Sunshine Fellowship
commune. You really can’t do anything else, Saylor. Be thankful for what you have.”

“Mom, what does that even mean? What are you saying, that this is it?”

“I have to go now Saylor.”

She hung-up, the line buzzed empty, and I stared out at the street, wishing I had the courage and wherewithal to pack a bag and run. Ace would be home any minute now. He demanded a warm meal on the table by 7:00, something “different but the same stuff I like” every day of the week.

Better get started.

Chapter 13