The sniper nodded. “Yeah, sure, Boss.”

  “Good.”

  Siddiqi felt angry, more with his own military, than the Americans. They had set up this mission, and he was more and more convinced it was ill conceived. If the Americans didn’t follow the plan and go straight down the track into the town, the major firefight they’d planned on taking place wouldn’t happen. There was no mistaking their hard, ruthless commitment, and competence. That wasn’t his business, though. What was his business was staying alive, and if his people found out that he’d failed to persuade the Americans to attack as planned, they’d be livid with anger, and Rahimi didn’t leave failure unpunished. He’d be so furious that his own life would be in serious danger. Yes, if they turned on him, he’d likely receive a bullet in the back of the neck. He began to re-evaluate his plans. It was the Afghan way to offer allegiance to both sides, and then make a final decision when the tide of battle was clearer.

  “I think I know who the bombmaker may be.”

  They all looked at him sharply.

  “Why didn’t you say anything before, Major?” Lieutenant Talley looked at him keenly. “How come you’re only mentioning it at this late stage?”

  Siddiqi looked at the faces staring at him. Americans were generally friendly and outgoing. But right now these men looked anything but friendly. Their faces wore expressions that he’d not seen before. Hard, cruel stares, like those he’d seen on the faces of the worst of the Taliban fighters. Yet these were like no Taliban fighter he’d ever encountered. They were hard, implacable, totally dedicated and committed to the military craft, yet oddly capable of a compassion that was unexpected. There was no sign of any compassion now. Yet he suddenly felt an emotion that he’d never thought possible. He liked these foreign warriors, and he felt guilty that he was part of a plan that could result in their deaths. He realized they were all still staring at him and muttered an answer.

  “It only just came to me. I hadn’t realized the significance of something I’d seen.”

  They all nodded, but he could see they were less than satisfied with his weak answer.

  “Describe him to us, Major,” Lieutenant Talley murmured icily. The Lieutenant was armed like the rest of them, he carried his HK 416 assault rifle and a Sig Sauer P226 tucked into his belt. He held the rifle loosely, but he’d turned towards Siddiqi, and the body language was eloquent, as was the implied threat.

  Siddiqi took a breath. He’d never read the bible and knew nothing of Jesus’ disciples, or the events that led up to the capture and crucifixion of Christ. If he had, he would know how closely his own character resembled that of Judas. He now had to betray his own side, not for thirty pieces of silver, but to save his life. He had to help the Americans succeed with this operation, and kill those men who would surely swear revenge when he failed to carry out his side of the Rahimi’s plan. He looked back at them and tried hard to meet the suspicious gazes.

  “It is not a him, it is a her. A woman. Her name is Gulpari Hotaki, but I do not know what she looks like. She always wears a blue burqa. I am told this is a mark of her dedication to the faith.”

  “How will we recognize her?” Vince Merano asked quietly. For him, target recognition was a priority.

  “She is very tall, as tall as some men.”

  Vince sighed. “So let’s get this straight. If we see a tall person in a blue burqa, the target is a go. Am I right, Boss?”

  Talley nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, I guess so. Yeah, if you see a woman answering that description and who looks a threat, kill her, or any other woman who is showing interest in military ordnance. You okay with that, men?”

  They all nodded.

  “Right. Let’s get the show on the road. Chief, you and PO Merano can give us cover, usual formation, leapfrog behind us so that we’re always covered by at least one sniper. When you get inside the town, both of you find a stand someplace near the center and look for targets. The rest of us will split up into four teams of four and take out as many hostiles as possible. We need to hit them before they know we’re there, so keep the noise down. And remember, the main targets are Rahimi and this tall woman, this bombmaker, Hotaki. ”

  He pointed to the tower from which the muezzin had called the faithful to prayer that morning. “That’s our rally point. It’s close to the edge of town. If everything goes to plan, we can withdraw from there in cover and call in the slicks. And if we hit problems, it’s a good defensive position. Any questions before we go in?”

  There were none. “Okay, let’s go.”

  Merano watched them leave and thread their way along the narrow goat path. He looked around at his partner, Nolan.

  “Kyle? Kyle! What the fuck’s up? You okay?”

  Nolan abruptly regained consciousness.

  Where the hell had he been? Christ, not again!

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Why?”

  Vince looked at him, unconvinced. “You need to move out.”

  The light was bad, and they did look exactly like an insurgent battle formation. There was nothing to suggest otherwise. The snipers had removed their camouflage ghillie suits and were dressed like the others, in Afghan tribal dress. Talley had positioned the Afghan Major in the center of the line again so that he was boxed in. Nolan wondered about that Major, as they all did. Was he a spy, or was he on the level? They’d soon know when they reached the town and found whether the enemy was lying in wait for anyone coming along the main trail. He got to his feet, feeling his legs wobble slightly.

  “Yeah, I’ll get going now, Vince. See those rocks, about one hundred yards ahead? I’ll hit the dirt there. Give me a half minute and then come forward.”

  “Hear you.”

  He went forward. The going was not too hard where centuries of sure-footed goats had carved a trail through the hillside. When he reached the rocks, he settled behind a large boulder, sighted his rifle, and waited. Two minutes later, Vince slid down beside him. He was about to take his eye off the scope when a tiny movement caught his eye. Down near the track, close to the town. There was a dark stain on the earth, evidence of a gully of some sort. Yes, the movement had come from there. He stared again, but there was nothing now, an animal of some sort? Maybe a boy and a girl from the town, out for a bit of fun away from the prying gaze and religious vengeance of the Taliban, or the enemy? He turned to Merano.

  “Vince, over there, about two hundred yards from the town. There’s a gully. Got it.”

  He heard the rustle of cloth as his partner adjusted his position.

  “Yeah, I see it.”

  “I thought I saw movement. Nothing now, but keep an eye on it. I’ll go forward another hundred yards.”

  “Roger that.”

  He got up and went forward again. When he reached some cover, a broken stone wall that once had demarcated a farmer’s field, the crops long destroyed, he sighted again. The platoon had almost reached the town, and he realized they were lagging behind. He glanced at the gully again through his scope, but it was devoid of any movement. Vince came up again and dropped down.

  “We’ve fallen behind, so I’m doing the next four hundred yards in one go. Watch that gully.”

  “Roger that, Chief.”

  He went at a fast jog along the narrow path until he reached a point on a rise just short of the town. He could see clearly the platoon deployed just outside the town. They were crouched behind the wall of one of the larger houses. His earpiece clicked.

  “Chief, we’re in position to go in. How does it look?”

  Nolan thought about that dark scar on the ground, perhaps three hundred yards from their position. It could be nothing, a stray goat, a pair of terrified lovers, or a warband in company strength. He had to make a call.

  “Suspicious area three hundred yards to your north west. Could be nothing, but I can’t be sure.”

  “Okay. You and Merano, can you cover it from the tower?”

  He looked up. “No problem.”

  “Right. Go straight in. We’ll rally on you when we’re done.”

  The Lieutenant clicked off. Nolan called for Merano.

  “Vince, we’re going straight to the tower to cover them from there. Any more movement?”

  “All clear. I’m on the way.”

  He reached the tower and crouched next to a door that he tried and found to be locked. The tower jutted up from a stone built complex, part of which was clearly a mosque. He saw Vince approaching as he looked through his PNVG equipment. A few minutes later, his fellow sniper came up next to him.

  “How do we get into this place?”

  Nolan nodded at the heavy wooden door. “This looks like the entrance. I tried it, but it’s locked.”

  Vince grinned and fished inside a small pouch fixed to his belt. He took out a set of picks and started work. Less than a minute later, the door swung open, and they started up the stone stairs, careful to keep the noise to a minimum. When they reached the top, they were in what would have been a bell tower in a Christian church. But here there was room for the muezzin, a tin loudspeaker and a microphone for him to use for the call to prayer, plugged into a battered old weatherproof amplifier. They deployed their rifles, the sophisticated MK11 Sniper Weapon Systems. The rifles had been heavy to carry, but now they would come into their element. With the QD sound suppressors, the twenty round box magazines would enable them to keep up a rapid, yet almost silent rate of deadly accurate fire.

  “I’ll cover that gully, Vince. You look after the town,” Nolan murmured quietly.

  “I’m on it.”

  The platoon had disappeared, merging with the normal evening life of Adasabad. A few people could be seen moving around the dark streets. They were all men, and all armed, most with the Kalashnikov AK-47 or the Chinese clone, the Type 56 rifle. A couple of men carried RPGs mounted on their shoulders. There was little noise, no shouts, and no drunken outbursts. They knew that Muslims drank alcohol when it suited them, but so far there was no evidence of it here. Probably the supplies hadn’t reached town. There were only quiet groups of men walking along, talking quietly, some illuminated by the oil lamps that a few houses had lit.

  This is Taliban country, Nolan thought, so maybe there really was no alcohol, no music, and no fun. Except for the leaders, when they’re out of sight of the masses, of course.

  Their cruelty and sexual excesses were the stuff of legend. Nolan swiveled around to sight on the gully. Still nothing moved, yet he had an eerie, sixth sense about it. There was something there, and it wasn’t two Afghan kids playing doctors and nurses. His ears picked up the distant, faint ‘pop’ of a silenced handgun, then another and another. The platoon had gone into action and had begun systematically destroying the Taliban. He heard the ‘clunk’ of Vince’s rifle as he took out a target inside the town, but then he had to forget about the growing battle in the town. The gully had come alive. He saw a dark shape move over the ground, then another and another. Like shadow ghosts, they flitted across the broken ground. All headed toward the town. He blinked. He’d been reminded all of a sudden of the blackout. It was how it began, dark, shadowy shapes in his mind. But these were not in his mind. He shook his head to clear it and clicked the commo.

  “Heads up, hostiles approaching the town from a position two to three hundred yards to the north west. No count yet. I’ll let you know when I can see more.”

  Talley’s voice came back. “We’ll manage here, so both of you better stay on those hostiles.”

  “Roger that.”

  Vince had heard too. He brought his rifle over to a position a few feet away from Nolan and sighted in at the enemy outside the town. Ghostly green shapes were moving across the open space between the gully and the town, and the snipers had yet to fire. Once they started shooting, the enemy would scatter.

  “Wow, there’re more than a few of those bastards looking for trouble. What’s the plan, Chief?”

  “Give ‘em another fifty yards, and see how many appear. That’s close enough, and then we hit them. I’ll take the lead element. You take the rear, see if we can stop them splitting up.”

  “Ready when you are.”

  They watched and waited. The night vision equipment made it possible to see everything, in strange, almost surreal shades of green. When Nolan estimated they were all out in the open, he made a rapid count and called up Talley.

  “I make it thirty or thereabouts, Boss. Opening fire inside five seconds.”

  “Roger.”

  The enemy reached a high point on open ground about one hundred and fifty yards from the town. Nolan squeezed the trigger, sighting on a man who was the obvious leader. He carried a map case, and in a country where most could not even read, let alone use a map, it was a giveaway. There was a soft ‘clunk’, and the man pitched forward. Immediately, Nolan continued the business he was trained for. His breathing controlled, he sighted and fired on the inhale and exhale, a machine-like rhythm. He’d knocked down eight men before they fully realized what was happening to them, and Vince had killed a similar number at the rear of the column. Then all hell broke loose. These were no greenhorns, and when they knew something was wrong, they immediately went to ground and started searching for the source of the incoming fire. No suppressor is one hundred percent perfect, and the QD was only designed to eliminate sound. Everything possible had been done to suppress the muzzle flash on the SWS, but still there was a slight giveaway pinpoint of light every time the weapon fired. The enemy noted their position, and now it was time for the snipers to start taking the heat. Shots clipped the stonework of the ancient tower, sending slivers of brickwork ricocheting around their heads. Worst of all, the shooting was like claps of thunder, and every shot an announcement to the hostiles inside the town that the enemy had arrived. The Americans were here! Nolan sighted on a missile shooter that popped his head up, but just as he fired, a bullet hit the stonework right next to his eyes, causing him to blink and ruin his aim. When his vision cleared, it was in time to see the flash as the rocket ignited.

  “Incoming RPG, take cover!”

  They both dived down low as the rocket bored in toward them. It ignited on the floor below, causing the tower to shake with the tremendous blast. Both men looked down at a crack that had appeared in the floor of the tower.

  “Keep shooting,” Nolan murmured to his partner. “There’s plenty more of them. We have to keep them out of the town and away from the platoon.”

  They picked off the last of the visible targets and left eight more bodies on the rocky wasteland outside Adasabad. In the streets below, they could hear the beginnings of a major firefight as the platoon finally ran into a fully alerted enemy. And worse, the incoming warband had disappeared from sight, and their tower had ceased to be a target, for now. Evidently, they’d found a way to get into the town out of sight of the shooters in the tower.

  “We’re done here,” Nolan called across to his partner. “Let’s get down and join the party.”

  “Suits me, I think this place is about to go,” Merano called back.

  An ominous ‘crack’ announced the widening of the gap in the floor, and they felt the building start to sway.

  “Get out, now!” Nolan shouted.

  They almost fell down the stairs and through the solid wood door at the base. Out in the street, they were immediately plunged into a wild firefight. Dan Mosely and Will Bryce whirled as they ran out but held their fire when they recognized their own men.

  “The Boss is in trouble,” Will shouted. “Last we saw they were pinned down by a strong group of ragheads.”

  “We’d better go help them,” Nolan replied. “Lead the way in. Any casualties yet?”

  He asked the question casually, but it was what they dreaded, under fire, behind enemy lines, and facing overwhelming force. And they had an unbroken rule; everyone had to get home, dead or alive!

  “So far so good, but it can’t hold, we’ve got a real live one here.”

  Will Bryce fired a single shot just as a man came out of a doorway, carrying an AK-47. He was thrown back. They ignored the body and ran on.

  “What about Rahimi and the woman, the bombmaker? We need to locate them and take them out, otherwise the mission’s a bust.”

  “No sign of either of them, but me and the guys are still looking.”

  Nolan grunted an acknowledgment and ran on into the middle of a furious firefight. As they turned a corner, they came across Dave Eisner and Zeke Murray crouched behind an old truck, firing on a group of hostiles who were shooting at them from the cover of a low, garden wall. The air was filled with the noise of gunfire, bullets going every which way, and they crouched down with their buddies.

  “What’s the problem? Why hasn’t someone taken them out with a grenade?” Nolan shouted over the noise.

  “The guys with the launchers are back with the Lt,” Zeke answered. “It’s too far to throw. We could try and get around the back of them.”

  He nodded. “Okay, you do that. I’ll stay with Vince and work at them from here. But we need to hurry, there’re more hostiles on the way.”

  “I hear you, Chief. Let’s go, men, we’ll circle behind them.”

  The two snipers set up a stand and watched through the night scopes as Eisner and Murray ducked behind a stone hut, disappearing as they wormed their way towards the shooters. Nolan thanked their lucky stars that the ragheads had so far not been able to utilize night vision devices, although some had been put to use against the ISAF forces. He saw a head rise above the garden wall and picked him off, seeing the head snap back as the 7.62mm bullet hammered into the skull. A hand came up, reaching for something the man had left on the wall, and Vince drilled a neat hole through it. That would stop the man from firing a gun for several months. They fired off more shots, but it was to keep the enemy occupied while Dave and Zeke got into position. Then the wall erupted in a chaos of smoke and broken stone. The Seals had got close enough and thrown in grenades. Two more explosions erupted, sending more smoke and debris up into the air, and the sounds of battle in the small part of the town rose to a crescendo of screams and shouts. A large portion of the wall was down. Nolan nodded to Merano.