He looked up, realizing he’d missed something.

  “I will lead in the first wave,” Dubois said loudly. “We have to scale a cliff to get off the beach unnoticed. I’m the right man for that job. I guess Delta Six is up to it, Sergeant?”

  Fischer nodded enthusiastically. “Plenty of good climbers, the boys won’t let you down, Sir.”

  Dubois smiled, happy with his new command.

  “Good.” He smiled at Talley. “We’ll leave our climbing ropes in place, Lieutenant, to make it easier for your squad to follow us.”

  So that’s the way it’s going to be.

  Talley stared at him and smiled. “Very generous of you, Dubois.”

  Hakim coughed again, uneasy at the tension that was already making itself manifest in the room. “It is essential that both sixes, Delta and Echo, work smoothly together if this operation is to be a success. Let’s look at the plan for infiltration to Barre’s compound and subsequent exfiltration.”

  He went on talking, but Talley saw Dubois and Brenner ignore the Colonel to stare across at him. The message was clear. There would be no working together. They were the men who’d get the job done, and Echo Six would be relegated to the back marker. He nodded and smiled at them.

  If that’s the way you want it, go ahead. I couldn’t give a damn who you are or which unit you came from; Paratroop Brigade, Kommando Spezialkräfte, or Spetsnaz. We completed a successful operation against Somali pirates and proved our worth in the field, the only place where it counts. You want to do better, bring it on. Echo Six is more than a match for anyone in the world, anyone.

  Hakim was still talking. “Despite going in with two teams, you will still be outnumbered, so stealth and surprise are the most important weapons in your arsenal. You need to break into the compound, locate and kill General Barre, and plant charges to destroy as much of his infrastructure as you can locate. Barracks, vehicles, armory, you name it. You’ll need to keep an eye out for his helo. The General flies in a Russian Mi-8 helicopter; it’s their troop-carrying helo that’s been converted for executive use. It normally carries up to twenty-four passengers, so it’s quite a big bird, almost as large as our Chinook.” He smiled. “But not quite as reliable.”

  “Neither is the Osprey,” Fischer shouted to him in an unpleasant voice.

  Hakim ignored him. “Communications will be standard, and frequencies will, of course, be aligned so that there are no misunderstandings. Captain Walker will go in with Echo Six and liaise with my operations room.”

  Shit! Why did she have to stick her neck out? It’s as if she has something to prove. The first time was bad enough, but this time, we’ll be facing Somali troops and paramilitaries, men who fought off the Rangers during Gothic Serpent.

  The men of Delta Six realized who Captain Walker was, the attractive woman in their midst, and there was an outbreak of cheering.

  “Perhaps the pretty girl would be safer with us,” Dubois suggested in a hoarse, Gallic whisper. “I assure you we can take care of her.”

  Cate’s expression dripped contempt, but she kept her silence.

  “His jokes are getting tiresome,” Domenico Rovere said from behind him. Talley looked around. “Despite appearances, I do have the greatest of respect for Captain Walker. She’s proved more than a match for any of us, but a word of advice, Lieutenant. When Delta Six is around, watch your back.”

  “You know something about them, Rovere?”

  “There was an incident, just after NATFOR recruited its first squads. That Sergeant Fischer, he and his men were on a training exercise competing against three other squads. It is said they deliberately lured one of their rivals onto an artillery range, during a live fire exercise. Nothing was proved, but…” he shrugged. “Who knows? And those other two, Dubois and Brenner, they showed what they’re capable of back there in the field; a pair of psychopaths. As I said, watch your back. I will also do my best to watch for any stunts they try to pull.”

  They both turned to listen as Hakim continued. “In spite of the opposition from my superiors following the Somali complaint, I’ve been able to arrange for air support. We’ll have a pair of MQ-9 Reapers, and they’ll alternate on station for the duration of the mission. You will tow your weapons and equipment behind you in Marops standard dry bags, which will enable you to carry two M249 Minimis for each squad.”

  “That’s a lot of firepower for a clandestine op, Sir,” Talley noted.

  “That’s true, and normally, I’d agree with you. But these Somalis pack a lot of heavy ordnance. If you get into a firefight, I’m afraid that assault rifles may not cut it. Remember their RPGs; they’re the biggest problem you’ll face over there. Gothic Serpent found that out to their cost in ’93. If you come up against those missiles, you’ll need heavier weapons to counter them. Of course, you can always call on the Reapers, but there’s not always time, as I’m sure you’re aware. Lieutenant Rovere, I gather you have a reputation with a machine gun.”

  “Amongst other things, as some of my lady friends will be able to testify.”

  Hakim nodded, not bothering to hide his irritation. “Not now, Lieutenant Rovere. You’ll take one of the machine guns, and choose one of the men for the other. Lieutenant Dubois, make sure you have two snipers and two machine gunners. As I said, you’ll be up against superior firepower, and you may well need the extra guns.”

  Dubois waved a hand airily. “I’ll attend to it, Colonel. But I doubt we’ll have any problems.” He looked at Talley. “Providing no one makes any stupid mistakes.”

  Hakim grunted uneasily. “I’ve organized a diversion to get you inside the compound. The Reaper due off station is equipped with four Hellfire missiles and two 500 lb. GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs. I’ve arranged to target one of Barre’s properties. It’s a warehouse he uses for storing his loot, as well as ammunition and explosives. It’s about two klicks from his compound. When the Reaper drops those Paveways, it should go up with a bang, and they’ll come out to investigate. That’s your cue to go in.”

  “Why not just use it against the compound?” Rovere asked. “It would save us all a lot of trouble.”

  “Because it is essential to identify Barre and confirm that he is dead. Our intel suggests he sleeps in a reinforced bunker that our bombs may not destroy. If we simply bomb his compound, we could miss the target altogether and drive him further underground. We have to go in there and take him out. There’s one more fact you must know about the compound. The only way in is through the gates. Like the pirate compound, the ground around the fence is mined, heavily mined. Don’t even think about trying to cross it. It seems to me they’ve begun using mines in a big way to prevent any nasty surprises, like the ’93 invasion.”

  A few voices were raised, shouting the need to bomb the compound, in view of the minefield making a clandestine approach all but impossible. He quickly cut them off.

  “Next! Infiltration, we’ll assemble here at 2000 in full equipment, ready to disembark on the boats. Twilight is at 2100, so you’ll be swimming ashore around 2300. Exfiltration will be by US Marine helos, protected by Marine FA-18 Super Hornets if necessary. They’ll take you off the beach or from an alternative site if circumstances require. That’s all, gentlemen, dismissed.”

  “This Somali embargo on air operations,” Talley interrupted before the meeting broke up. “What if they push harder, all the way to the UN, can they really shut us down?”

  Hakim stared at him. “I sincerely hope not, Lieutenant.”

  “Hope won’t cut it, Colonel. When we’re in country, we need to know they’ll be ready to back us all the way. You don’t sound confident about UN support.”

  Hakim shrugged, and he looked nervous. “I’ll do my best, Lieutenant. That’s all I can offer. But we have to defer to the UN.”

  It doesn’t sound too encouraging. Colonel Hakim should be briefing us from a position of confidence. There are men’s lives at stake. Will there be any more last minute problems? That’s the sixty-four dollar question. What the fuck is it with the UN? They change their mind more often than a virgin spinster. One thing’s for sure, I don’t trust them. Not one little bit.

  He returned to his cabin and was packing away his gear when there was a knock on the door. He opened it to find Cate staring at him. He gestured for her to come in.

  “You’re not happy that I’m coming.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t doubt your abilities, not for a moment. But you’re still an attractive woman. If the Somalis took you prisoner, they’d tear you into little pieces. Those Islamic terrorists are no respecters of women.”

  “I’ll take my chances, Abe. I wondered if I could spend some time with you before we go in tonight.”

  “Sure.”

  He took her in his arms, and he realized she was trembling slightly.

  “Are you okay, Cate?”

  She nodded and gave him a small smile. “Just a little pre-op nerves, I’ll be fine.”

  “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

  “There’s, no, I…”

  He waited. He knew there was something she needed to unburden.

  “Yes, there is, I guess. Look, Abe, those men, Delta Six. It’s not the first time I’ve come across them.”

  “But, they didn’t know you before. Did they?”

  “Not like that, no. There was an incident, a training mission on Luneberg Heath, in Northern Germany. Delta Six was there.”

  He nodded. “I know of that place, yeah, big NATO training ground. Didn’t the Allies accept the surrender of the German forces there in 1945? Field Marshal Montgomery and Eisenhower, Admiral Karl Doenitz for the Germans.”

  She smiled wanly. “I believe so. But this happened more recently, several months ago, during the early stages of NATFOR training and selection. I was flying a helo, a Black Hawk from Denmark to Hanover, and they asked me to divert to pick up some casualties. Some of our men had wandered into a live artillery shoot by mistake. When I got overhead, the artillery was still firing, and I refused to land until they stopped. I had three crew members on board, and I wasn’t about to get them killed.”

  “That’s the right decision. What else could you do?”

  “Except that it took almost an hour to stop the firing. And when the medics did get in there, three of the casualties had died.”

  “It’s not your fault. If you’d landed, you could have been killed too.”

  “Maybe. They never blamed me for it, but I blamed myself. I went to the three funerals, and every night since, I’ve wondered if I could have saved them.

  He pulled her face around to look at him. “You’re wrong. You couldn’t do anything different. Besides, after this mission is completed, you should have a word with Rovere. He told me about that incident earlier, and there may be more to it. Delta Six have a lot more to answer for than you realize.”

  She stared at him. “Like what?”

  “Don’t ask me now. It’s the wrong time to go digging around, just before a mission. I’ll talk to you when we get back. Please, trust me on this one.”

  Finally, she inclined her head. “If that’s what you want, I’ll wait.”

  “Good. Now tell me, are you checked out with underwater warfare, the Seals BUD/S training or something similar?

  She grinned. “Of course, not the Seals course, but I did the US Navy Fleet Diver Program, and third in my class, if you must know.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I should have guessed. How about we get some rest or something? We have a lot to do tonight.”

  “I prefer the ‘or something’.”

  “I think I can manage that.”

  * * *

  The night was warm, the air rich with the smells of Somalia. A dry tang, underlain by a faint trace of spices, but the overpowering stench was sewage. The beach was obviously where Mogadishu discharged it, for there were no environmental considerations in this most impoverished part of Africa. Factories and houses discharged raw effluent into the sea without any prior treatment. As a result, tourists did not frequent the beaches around Mogadishu. Talley stripped off his dry suit, revealing the Multicam camo uniform beneath. He drew his silenced Sig and kept it handy while he dragged in the waterproof Marops dry bag. He removed his SCAR assault rifle, clipped four grenades to the webbing, and secured the remainder of his kit ready to go into action. Spare clips for the Sig and the SCAR, as well as two canvas magazines containing spare ammo for the M249, the American version of the Belgian Minimi. One M856 tracer and four M855 ball cartridges were fed from M27 linked belts to give the greatest accuracy and firepower. The M249 was not fitted with a suppressor. It would only be used if they had their backs to the wall. If it was needed, the shock and awe of the sound of heavy rate of machine gun fire, combined with the effect of tracer rounds, would keep the enemy heads down better than most weapons, short of an air strike. And if they needed it, that option would be available to them as well, providing there was no interference from the UN. He fastened his Gallet half-helmet strap, picked up his gear, and went over to where Cate was getting her own equipment into order.

  “Do you need a hand?”

  She looked up at him. “I was going to ask you the same question.”

  Ouch!

  “I’ll go check the rest of the men.”

  Rovere nodded a greeting as he walked over to him. Like Talley, he was already set to move out, a Sig in his hand, and his SCAR over his shoulder. He was helping another man, Brad Ryman, a machine gunner, to prepare the M249.

  “Any sign of Delta Six?”

  Rovere nodded over toward the cliffs. “They went up there like a swarm of monkeys, crazy fools. They seem to think it’s some kind of a game. No point man, no flankers, no back marker, nothing. If a Somali had been out walking, maybe taking a piss in the dunes, we’d all be done for, idiots!” He concluded with an inevitable quotation. “Most people would rather die than think, and many do.”

  “Yeah, that wasn’t clever. Let’s make sure we don’t make the same mistake. It’s okay. We’ll catch up with them at the first rendezvous point.”

  Talley took point himself, climbing the steep chalk-faced cliff, using one of the ropes that Delta Six had left behind. When he reached the top, he found a good position to guard the cliff top, keying his mic.

  “This is Echo One. You’re clear to come up.”

  “Copy that, Echo One,” Rovere’s voice.

  Seconds later, Talley felt the vibration on the rope as a man started to climb. A head appeared over the cliff, then another. Cate climbed over the top, and she turned to put a hand down to help the next man. He swallowed a smile. She was some woman, determined to prove herself at least the equal of any man, and better than most. When the whole squad was on the cliff top, he checked his bearings, and readied the men to move out. He stopped as a voice came into his earpiece.

  “Delta One to Echo One.”

  Dubois.

  “This is Echo One, go ahead.”

  “We’re five minutes out from the rendezvous point. No sign of any enemy activity. We’ll wait for you there, but make it quick; we don’t have time to waste.”

  He forced himself to keep calm. The cocky Frenchman was goading him. It wouldn’t wash, and he was happy to ignore him.

  “Understood.”

  They set off along the cliff top, and soon the path wound down to a wider flat track that ran past dilapidated, burnt-out wooden and stone huts. The area was deserted. At least, he cautioned himself, it seemed to be deserted. The track they walked along was just beaten earth, as were most of the tracks and roads in Somalia. There wasn’t a lot of time left after fighting and killing each other for roadmaking. Besides, the money all went to buy guns. To call it a shithole was an understatement. It was no wonder its main export was people, desperately trying to escape, to get out, and create a better life. He checked and held up his hand for them to stop. A short distance away, he heard music. Using his night vision goggles, he could see a parked SUV. The windows were misted up, and the vehicle was gently rocking on its springs. The occupants weren’t likely to be looking at any intruders for the time being. He waved them forward, and they marched on. They quickly reached the rendezvous point, an abandoned gas station; the pumps long since dry, brown, and streaked with rust. The building was little more than a skeleton. The galvanized iron sheets had been stolen long since to use for house repairs. He keyed his mic.

  “This is Echo One. We’re coming in.”

  “About time.”

  Dubois again, trying to needle me.

  “Our target is here, about a half klick from this position.”

  Talley had his tablet in his hand and was going over the final approach to the bunker.

  “We arrive at this place. It’s a small grove of trees one hundred meters from the main gate. As soon as the Paveways hit, and the Somalis drive out to investigate, we go in. We have to infiltrate by the main gates, but remember, they’re made of reinforced steel. Either we get them to open them, or we blast them open.”

  Dubois nodded. “We may be lucky and find their security is slack after most of the garrison has pulled out. If we blast that gate, the noise could bring them running back.”

  “I’ll get the gates open,” a voice interrupted quietly.

  They turned to look at Cate.

  “How will you manage that?” Dubois asked in an astonished tone.

  She smiled. “I am a woman, Lieutenant Dubois. The guards are men. I will do it in the time honored way. I’ll pretend to be a whore, making a house call for General Barre.”

  “Dressed like that? They’ll shoot you on sight.”

  “No, not dressed like this. I’ll strip off down to my underwear. That should be enough for them.”

  “Yes, I guess I’m sure it would,” Dubois replied. “But it’s dangerous, and they’ll be suspicious of any stranger.”