“I’ll manage,” she said curtly, ending the discussion.

  “We’ll cover Captain Walker with the snipers,” Talley added. He checked his watch. “We need to move out right now and get into position. The air strike is due in twenty-five minutes, and we don’t want to be late. Guy, you take the point, Jerry, you’ll bring up the rear. Michel, I suggest you give us a few minutes and then move Delta Six out. We don’t want to attract attention with too big a group moving through the town. We’ll meet you in that grove in fifteen minutes.”

  Dubois nodded. “We’ll be there. Delta Six can move out first if you wish.”

  “Thanks, but we’ll manage.”

  Talley led them through the deserted streets. They were in luck. There was a power cut in Mogadishu, by no means an unusual occurrence. It meant there were few people around, and where electric lighting would have spilled from the houses onto the streets, they were all in darkness. There was only the occasional dim glow of a hurricane lantern, or in the case of larger houses, the hum of a gas generator. But no pedestrians came near; it was dangerous to walk in Mogadishu in daylight. During the night, it was suicidal. They reached the trees, a small wood that was probably once a part of Barre’s compound. Since they’d fortified it, and surrounded the main buildings with a steel fence, the wood was left isolated, outside the wire. The steel gates were protected with a guard tower, which would allow the sentries to observe anyone approaching as well as activity inside. Talley noted that tactically, leaving the grove of trees in place was a major error. An enemy could hide within its cover prior to making an assault, as they were doing now.

  “How do I look?”

  He turned around. Cate had stripped off her camo kit, helmet and boots, down to her military shorts and bra. In the dark, it would pass for a whore’s shorts and top, as long as no one noticed the olive green color. But any man looking at her would be unlikely to notice the shorts and bra. Her lithe, firm, magnificent body was a key that would open most doors.

  “You look fine. Unless they’re totally blind, you shouldn’t have any problems. We’ll be covering you all the way. As soon as they open the gates to let you in, we’ll come through, and the snipers will take down the sentries.”

  He looked up as a group of men entered the trees, Dubois and Delta Six. The Frenchman came to join them and grinned at Cate.

  “Very pretty, Captain. Mata Hari comes to Mogadishu.”

  “Yeah, very funny, just make sure your men do their part, Lieutenant!”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Captain Walker, I love taking orders from half-naked women. We must get together afterwards and talk about it some more.”

  “In your dreams, buster.”

  “Okay, cut it out,” Talley snapped at them. “By my calculation, the Paveways should be dropping about now. Let’s get ready to move out.”

  They waited in the darkness of the trees. It was a short wait. There was no warning, just an enormous, distant explosion and jet of flame that seemed to light up half the city; then another explosion and a series of flashes. People started shouting, and an alarm siren could be heard wailing in the compound. More flashes and explosions, whether from the Hellfires or the ammunition exploding, they couldn’t tell, but the quiet Somali suburb was suddenly ablaze, and the peace of the night shattered by constant, rolling explosions. And then the sentries climbed down from the tower and opened the gates ready for the first troops to move out.

  “Shit, they moved fast,” Dubois murmured. “Maybe they were going somewhere before the Paveways hit. It’s only been about a minute.”

  “They don’t look like amateurs,” Talley agreed. “If we bump into them when we come back, we’ll have a fight on our hands. We’ll let Cate take it from here as soon as those troops are clear.”

  Dubois grunted an acknowledgment.

  The first truck rolled out, its engine roaring, laden with twenty-four heavily armed Somalis. They were not insurgents or guerilla fighters; the men were all in uniform and armed with the latest Russian AK-74 rifles. Another truck raced out, this one half full with a dozen soldiers, and then the third truck followed. They counted eighteen men in that one. The steel gates slammed shut, the sentries went back inside, and climbed back into the guard tower. Cate looked at Talley.

  “It’s time for me to go. Wish me luck.”

  “Yeah, we’ll have you covered every step of the way, so don’t worry. We’ll be right behind you.”

  She nodded and walked out onto the open patch of beaten earth in front of the compound. She got halfway across when the sentries spotted her and shouted out. She waved and kept walking. She called to them in French. There would be a great number of whores in Mogadishu from the Congo, so the language wouldn’t cause any alarm. They replied to her in the same language. At first, it seemed as if they were arguing with her. But then one of the soldiers climbed down to the ground and opened the gates. He came outside to talk to Cate, laughing and joking with her. The other sentry stayed on the tower, looking down with interest. Talley was conscious only of three things; Cate standing chatting at the gate, as if it was quite normal for a whore to approach the compound in the middle of the night. His two snipers, Jerry and Vince, both lying prone on the ground, their Accuracy International rifles pointed at the Somalis, both barrels unwavering. And the gates were open. He saw Cate move to one side to give them a good shot at the sentry nearest to her.

  “Take ‘em both.”

  The snipers fired two shots each and then two more; an almost inaudible, ‘phut, phut, phut, phut’. The sentry on the ground fell back from the force of the bullets that hit him. The man on top of the tower staggered and tipped over the edge, falling to the ground. By some bizarre coincidence, his body dropped to lie next to the other Somali. The attack on the compound had begun, and the first two casualties had fallen.

  “Move out, let’s go,” Talley called out softly.

  The two squads ran forward across the open ground, straight through the gates and into the compound. Rovere had Cate’s uniform, armor, and weapons. He passed them to her as he reached the gates. Delta Six were running hard; Dubois in the lead, closely followed by Fischer and Brenner.

  “Dubois, we need to spread out, you take the…”

  But he was too late. Delta Six were already running toward the buildings, and as he watched, they split into two units. The first group kicked down the nearest door and ran inside. The second unit ran on and went into the next larger structure. It looked like a barracks block. Talley swore. They were about to stir up a hornets’ next when what was needed was a swift, silent operation; in and out before the Somalis were even aware they’d been inside the compound. Talley snapped out orders to deploy his men.

  “Jerry, Vince, guard the gates. One of you can man the guard tower. If anyone approaches from the outside, tell me immediately. No, shoot them, and then tell me.”

  “Copy that.”

  They ran back to the gate as Cate came up to him clutching her SCAR rifle. She was dressed again and protected by her armored vest and half-helmet.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “You’d better check out Barre’s helo. It’s on the other side of the compound, behind those buildings. Take Brad Ryman with you. If you run into any trouble, you may need his machine gun to cover you. Is our commo net patched through to Colonel Hakim?”

  “It is now. I patched it through while we were in the grove. He’s waiting to hear from us.”

  Talley jerked his head around as a shot rang out from inside the first building that Delta Six had assaulted.

  “We need to make this fast. Barre will soon know something’s up now. I’ll look for his quarters. Make sure you secure that helo. If he gets away, this’ll all be for nothing.”

  She nodded. “I’m on it.”

  Talley gathered the rest of his men around him.

  “We need to find Barre. The word is that his quarters are bombproof, so that probably means underground. We’ll take the buildings to the east and search them. We’ll split into two squads. Rovere, you’re Echo Two.”

  “Any idea what we’re looking for?” he asked. “It’s a big place. It could take hours to search it all.”

  “We haven’t got hours, Domenico. I’d suggest an entrance that looks innocent,” Guy interrupted. “It could look like a wine cellar, a boiler room, something like that. He’s no fool by all accounts, so look for the unexpected. That’s what I’d do.”

  “That’s good thinking.” Talley agreed. “Get moving before Barre’s men realize we’re here.”

  They all looked around as a burst of automatic fire smashed windows in the barracks block.

  “Now I guess they know; if they didn’t before. Let’s go.”

  They ran to the eastern side where there were a number of small, single story buildings. The firing on the west side increased as Delta Six encountered more and more of Barre’s troops. They reached the first building. It looked much like a garage for storage and repair of vehicles.

  “Rovere, take three men and check it out. The rest of you, come with me.”

  He didn’t stop to check the Italian was obeying orders. He had to put his misgivings to one side and trust him. He ran on to the next building, a locked and bolted storeroom. Talley shook his head.

  “It doesn’t look likely. Let’s move on to the next one.”

  “Lieutenant, look, the door!”

  Sergeant Raoul Velasquez had noticed the door was not fitted closely where the hinges attached to the wall. Instead of a tight fit, there was a gap of about three inches. He put his eye to the gap and thought he could see light behind there, where there shouldn’t be any light.

  “It looks possible. We’ll check this place out.” He keyed his mic.

  “Echo Two, this is One. We’ve found a possible on the building next to you. We’re checking it now.”

  “Copy that. There’s nothing here, so we’ll join you.”

  A new voice came into his earpiece. Talley recognized the dry sound of the real-time electronic decryption.

  “Lieutenant, this is Colonel Hakim. What is your status?”

  “We’re heavily engaged, Sir. No sign of Barre yet, still searching.”

  “Understood. We have to have him. That’s not negotiable, Lieutenant.”

  “I know that. I’ll get back to you. I have to go.”

  Talley turned his attention back to the building. Velasquez had ripped open the door from the hinge side rather than the lock, and he peered into the dim interior with his flashlight.

  “There’s a trail of boot marks on the floor. It looks as if the place is in regular use. They lead to a heap of oil drums on the far side of the room.”

  “Okay, it looks likely. We’re going in.” He looked up as Rovere ran up. “This one looks hot. I want you to cover us.”

  The Italian nodded. “We’ve got your back. If he’s in there, we have to finish him fast so we can get out of here. Delta has stirred up trouble.”

  “We’ll do our best. Okay, Sergeant Velasquez, let’s see what we’ve got.”

  He followed the man into the storeroom, and by the light of the flashlight, he saw the line of footprints on the floor that led behind the oil drums. Velasquez reached the drums and put his hand on one to move it aside. It wouldn’t budge.

  “They’re stuck together. It’s strange.”

  “There must be a means of opening it somewhere. Let’s take a look around.”

  Velasquez nodded and stood back to let them get near the drums. He tripped on a small hole in the floor, and as he staggered, they saw the stack of drums move. They ran forward and ripped them aside. There was an opening in the floor with steps leading underground. They’d found General Barre’s headquarters.

  Talley looked around as he heard the noise of a furious gun battle erupt across the compound. Delta Six had encountered more of the enemy, so they’d lost the last vestiges of surprise. He watched through the open door, seeing a truck come hurtling through the gates, and then another. They were coming back. Delta Six was about to meet more of the enemy than they’d anticipated. The uniformed Somalis dismounted from the trucks and deployed in a professional formation, rushing inside the buildings where Delta Six were fighting for their lives. Yet more trucks arrived, laden with scores of soldiers, and they circled around to the rear of the building. The operation was unraveling, and fast.

  “Echo One, this is Delta One.”

  It was Dubois. “Go ahead, Delta One.”

  “We’ve hit a strong Somali force, and they’re bringing even more men inside the building. We need air support.”

  Air support? The guy is crazy.

  “Repeat that, Delta One. You want air support inside a building?”

  There was silence for a few moments, and Talley only heard the sound of repeated automatic fire, punctuated by loud explosions as Delta Six used their grenades. The machine gun fire increased, as did the screams coming from inside.

  “We’re boxed into a corner. I estimate we’re facing almost a hundred Somali regulars. They’ve surrounded the building.”

  “Understood, what do you want me to do?”

  Another silence. “We’re fucked, Echo One, I just don’t know.”

  There was a sustained burst of heavy machine gun fire. The Somalis had set up a Russian Degtyarev and were literally hosing down the buildings, and with no regard for who the bullets hit. Then a second Degtyarev began firing. Talley was still trying to work out how to take on the Somalis when a new squad of men rushed through the gate. Four of them carried RPGs. They raced toward the battle with Delta Six and deployed behind cover. In his heart, Talley knew it was the beginning of the end. Special Forces were lightly armed, intended to go in silently, attack, and withdraw fast before the enemy reinforced. It was too late. One of the RPGs ignited, and a missile whooshed up to a second floor window, exploding on the outside less than a foot from the opening. Dubois came back on the commo.

  “They’re slaughtering us, Talley. They just hit us with a missile. I’ve lost three men already and two wounded. They’ve boxed us into a single room. We’re fucked,” he shouted.

  “You’re sure there’s no way out?”

  “Yes. We’re finished. You have to get us out of here.”

  “Check, but I have to go after Barre. I’ll do what I can, Michel, but in the meantime, there’s no way I can get to you.”

  “Abe, I’m begging you.”

  “Delta One, are you saying you want me to break off the mission and put my squad into the same position you’re in? You know we’re hopelessly outnumbered. All that’ll happen is we’d go down with you.”

  Another silence. “No, you’re right. You can’t fight your way through to us. There’re too many of them. I’m going to surrender.”

  “Michel, I promise I’ll be back for you.”

  But there was no sound in his earpiece. Delta Six had surrendered.

  “I’ll get Barre for you, Michel, for you and your men. That’s another promise I’ll keep,” he whispered.

  Chapter Seven

  The men looked at him uneasily. They’d heard the exchange on the commo, and they knew what was in store for Delta Six. It would not be pleasant.

  “We’re running out of time, Velasquez,” Talley warned. “If we don’t find the General soon, we’ll have to pull out, or we’ll go the same way.”

  “I think this is it! Christ, I found it!” the trooper ran forward and started down the steps.

  “Hold it! We need to make sure it’s…”

  Talley didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence. A black face appeared at the bottom of the stairway, clutching an AK-74. The Somali didn’t hesitate, and when he saw the NATFOR trooper, he fired from the hip, emptying the clip into Velasquez. The man screamed in agony as he was flung back by the hail of lead that smashed into him. Talley poked his own SCAR into the stairway and fired four shots that took the enemy soldier in the chest, and he was thrown to the floor. But it was too late for the Sergeant.

  “Follow me. We need to hit them before they can reinforce the entrance. Go!”

  He almost jumped down the stairs and hit the ground at the bottom. Another Somali appeared from around a corner. Talley cut him down with another burst and ran on. He could hear voices coming from further inside the labyrinth, too many voices. He unhooked a grenade from his webbing, primed it, and lobbed it around the corner, dodging back from out of the blast zone.

  “Fire in the hole, get down!”

  He flung himself flat and put his hands over his ears as the blast shook the tunnel. Before the smoke and dust had cleared, he was on his feet.

  “Move, move, hit them now before they recover.”

  He ran around the corner and came face to face with a pile of dead men on the floor. There were seven of them, and the grenade had ripped their bodies to shreds. In front of them was a heavy steel door. He stepped over the bodies and tried the handle, but it was locked. Barre was on the other side; he had to be. There was no other place he could hide. Talley heard the men running up behind him.

  “Guy, I need a demolitions charge to open this door.”

  “No problem. Step aside, Lieutenant.”

  Guy Welland ran forward and pressed an explosive charge to the steel door, next to the lock. It had an adhesive that held it in place. He pushed an electronic timer into the charge and pressed the switch.

  “It’s armed. We have ten seconds, Lieutenant. I suggest you move back out of the way,” he said casually.

  “Jesus Christ! Men, get back, fall back. It’s about to blow.”

  They ran back around the corner and crouched down. The charge exploded. This time with less smoke and noise than the grenade, but when they returned to the door, it hung open on its hinges.

  “Nice job,” Talley acknowledged. He armed another grenade and lobbed it through the half open door. It exploded, and more dust and flame filled the tunnel. They then rushed through and found themselves in what was indeed the control room. There were two more bodies on the floor, but no sign of General Barre.

  “Fuck it!”

  Where the hell is he?