Read Online Hogs #4:Snake Eaters by Jim DeFelice - Free Book Online Page A

don’t think the Iraqis will be needing brakes anytime soon, do you? Or hose clamps?”
    “Will the patch hold?” Doberman asked her.
    “As long as he doesn’t stop for candy. I even got the pressure up, borrowing off fluid from the other . . . uh . . . I made it work.” Something caught in Rosen’s throat as they looked at each other. Rosen’s face flushed and then became very serious. “Yes, sir, I think it will.”
    Sir?
    Why had her face flushed?
    “We don’t need air cover . I have my helos,” said Hawkins. “Thanks for the report, Sergeant.”
    “Here’s what I’m thinking,” said A-Bomb. “Dog Man and me ride out there and see what’s going on. We find something moving, we shoot it up. We don’t, you guys sneak in at night.”
    “We can’t wait for night,” said Hawkins. “We have to be out of here by then.”
    “You’re bugging out?” said Doberman.
    “That’s right, Captain. If it’s okay with you.”
    “So why are we having this discussion?”
    “We are not having this discussion,” said Hawkins. “I am talking about the situation with Captain Wong.”
    “Wong works for me.”
    “Begging your pardon,” said Wong, who was crossing his legs like he was standing on a ten-hour pee, “but in fact I am assigned to Admiral . . .”
    “Yeah, yeah, my point is, why are we wasting our time talking about this if you guys are going home?” said Doberman.
    “Because there’s plenty of time to check this out in the meantime,” said Hawkins. “We’re not leaving until nightfall. This is a potential Scud site with chemical warheads.”
    “ So is every damn town in Iraq, by your criteria,” said Doberman. “You just want to play Rambo.”
    “You’re out of line, Captain !” roared Hawkins.
    “Hey Dog Man, time for a walk,” said A-Bomb, grabbing Doberman by the arm before he could respond with a roar of his own. His wingman picked him up by the arms and carried him fifty yards into the desert before finally letting go.
    “Damn it , A-Bomb. Let the hell go of me.”
    “You’re out of line, Dog. Way out of line. Those guys saved our butts.”
    A-Bomb’s voice had a tone to it so rare that Doberman felt as if he’d been slapped across the face. He felt his throat thicken as he lowered his voice, managing to calm his tone if not all his anger.
    “That doesn’t mean we can let them go off and get themselves greased on a wild goose chase,” said Doberman.
    “Wong thinks it’s worth taking a look.”
    “Wong.”
    “Braniac’s an expert, Dog Man. Besides, what the hell do you think these Delta guys were sent up here for? They’re in the wild-goose-chasing business, don’t you think? That’s half the fun of Spec Ops.”
    “Yeah, fun. This isn’t a game, A-Bomb. We lost a squadron mate today.”
    “I know that.” A-Bomb gave him a disapproving frown. “But we’ve got a job to do. I agree with you, we go where they go. But we have to play it their way.”
    “I hate it when you get serious, A-Bomb,” Doberman said. “You’re a lot more fun joking around.”
    “ That’s what I’m talkin’ about.”
    “Yeah. All right. Shit.” Doberman stamped his feet against the ground. “We ought to be the ones to check out the village.”
    “If we do that, we’re going to have to get real close and personal, which’ll definitely tip them off. Think about it,” said A-Bomb. “We can’t stand back with Mavericks and play push-button bye-bye. No sir. If we only have the cannons to take them out, it’d be better to know what we were shooting at before we went in. I mean, I like dodging flak as much as anybody, but it sure helps to know where you’re going when you’re duckin’.”
    A-Bomb ’s voice had gradually resumed its normal bounce, and now the desert practically shook with his overstated enthusiasm. “What we ought to do is have the Delta boys go in there, scout the area, then call us in once they have a target. This way we’re just in and out, no fooling