for the blast. Danny, however, kept his eyes on the target. Was his mate right? Maybe the figures in the UN jackets were just more militants. He watched carefully as they dismounted from the back of the technical. Two of the armed militants joined them.
‘ Fast air, ten seconds from target. ’
‘Turn around,’ Danny willed the figures. ‘Turn—’
He took a sharp intake of breath. A militant had just raised his fist and dealt one of the jacketed figures a massive blow to the stomach. The figure bent double and collapsed to the ground.
‘ Fast air, five seconds from target. ’
Danny quickly shifted himself closer to Boydie’s side of the OP. With his right hand he forcibly grabbed his mate’s boom mike and twisted it round. ‘ ABORT! ABORT! ABORT! ’ he shouted. From somewhere behind them, Danny heard the distant roar of jets. It faded as soon he’d heard it, and in his mind he saw Tornados pulling away at the last moment. The militants clearly heard it too. A couple of them looked up into the air, but then made dismissive gestures as they evidently decided that the distant fast air was nothing to do with them. Danny’s earpiece burst into life. ‘ Strike aborted. Strike aborted. Charlie Alpha Five, you’d better have a damn good reason for this. ’
Boydie was staring at Danny with a mixture of fury and shock. Danny was breathing heavily. He jabbed a finger in the direction of the village. ‘Look!’ he hissed.
Boydie looked.
The two figures in UN jackets were both on the ground now, being kicked and beaten by the three militants. One of them produced two hoods, knelt down and slipped them over the hostages’ heads. Danny felt Boydie readying his weapon and was about to do the same when another militant fired a shot in the air. The three militants laughed, removed the hoods and started kicking their captives again. Boydie lowered his optic and twisted his boom mike back into position.
‘Zero, this is Charlie Alpha Five. We have eyes on two UN hostages. Awaiting instructions. Out.’
The silence in the OP was as oppressive as the increasing heat as Danny and Boydie waited for further instructions from base. They watched from a distance as the militants laid into the hostages – more, Danny sensed, out of boredom than for any strategic reason.
‘Good call, fella,’ Boydie said finally. There was reluctance in his voice, but respect too. Boydie was a big enough man to admit that he’d been wrong.
‘ Charlie Alpha Five, this is Zero. We have a green light for a hostage rescue. All militants to be killed or captured. Over. ’
Boydie and Danny exchanged a glance. ‘Wilco,’ Boydie replied, before turning back to his mate. His eyes were searching. Testing. ‘So, Snapper,’ he said. ‘We’ve got a klick of open ground and an enemy armed with AKs and a .50-cal. If those poor sods whose bellies they’re using for footy practice die, they die badly. Ready to get them out?’
Danny looked towards the village again. The militants had had their fun and were loading the hostages back on to the technical, which then started up and soon disappeared from view. All that was left was the barren desert, the low buildings of the Bedouin village and the Land Rover.
‘Ready,’ he said.
FOUR
The plan was simple. Wait for nightfall, when darkness gave them a good chance of approaching the village unseen. Cause a diversion to draw out as many militants as possible – that was Danny’s job, and he had it all worked out. Then go in hard and fast to take out the remainder and release the hostages. The headshed wanted to send in reinforcements, but Boydie stamped on that idea with a curt radio communication. If the militants had any idea they were being watched, there was a strong possibility they’d drive away and the whole thing would be over. The team were the ones who were on the ground, and the ops room were letting them call the shots.
It meant waiting out in the OP for the rest of the day.
‘ Fast air, ten seconds from target. ’
‘Turn around,’ Danny willed the figures. ‘Turn—’
He took a sharp intake of breath. A militant had just raised his fist and dealt one of the jacketed figures a massive blow to the stomach. The figure bent double and collapsed to the ground.
‘ Fast air, five seconds from target. ’
Danny quickly shifted himself closer to Boydie’s side of the OP. With his right hand he forcibly grabbed his mate’s boom mike and twisted it round. ‘ ABORT! ABORT! ABORT! ’ he shouted. From somewhere behind them, Danny heard the distant roar of jets. It faded as soon he’d heard it, and in his mind he saw Tornados pulling away at the last moment. The militants clearly heard it too. A couple of them looked up into the air, but then made dismissive gestures as they evidently decided that the distant fast air was nothing to do with them. Danny’s earpiece burst into life. ‘ Strike aborted. Strike aborted. Charlie Alpha Five, you’d better have a damn good reason for this. ’
Boydie was staring at Danny with a mixture of fury and shock. Danny was breathing heavily. He jabbed a finger in the direction of the village. ‘Look!’ he hissed.
Boydie looked.
The two figures in UN jackets were both on the ground now, being kicked and beaten by the three militants. One of them produced two hoods, knelt down and slipped them over the hostages’ heads. Danny felt Boydie readying his weapon and was about to do the same when another militant fired a shot in the air. The three militants laughed, removed the hoods and started kicking their captives again. Boydie lowered his optic and twisted his boom mike back into position.
‘Zero, this is Charlie Alpha Five. We have eyes on two UN hostages. Awaiting instructions. Out.’
The silence in the OP was as oppressive as the increasing heat as Danny and Boydie waited for further instructions from base. They watched from a distance as the militants laid into the hostages – more, Danny sensed, out of boredom than for any strategic reason.
‘Good call, fella,’ Boydie said finally. There was reluctance in his voice, but respect too. Boydie was a big enough man to admit that he’d been wrong.
‘ Charlie Alpha Five, this is Zero. We have a green light for a hostage rescue. All militants to be killed or captured. Over. ’
Boydie and Danny exchanged a glance. ‘Wilco,’ Boydie replied, before turning back to his mate. His eyes were searching. Testing. ‘So, Snapper,’ he said. ‘We’ve got a klick of open ground and an enemy armed with AKs and a .50-cal. If those poor sods whose bellies they’re using for footy practice die, they die badly. Ready to get them out?’
Danny looked towards the village again. The militants had had their fun and were loading the hostages back on to the technical, which then started up and soon disappeared from view. All that was left was the barren desert, the low buildings of the Bedouin village and the Land Rover.
‘Ready,’ he said.
FOUR
The plan was simple. Wait for nightfall, when darkness gave them a good chance of approaching the village unseen. Cause a diversion to draw out as many militants as possible – that was Danny’s job, and he had it all worked out. Then go in hard and fast to take out the remainder and release the hostages. The headshed wanted to send in reinforcements, but Boydie stamped on that idea with a curt radio communication. If the militants had any idea they were being watched, there was a strong possibility they’d drive away and the whole thing would be over. The team were the ones who were on the ground, and the ops room were letting them call the shots.
It meant waiting out in the OP for the rest of the day.
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